Henry Winkler (Re-Release)

Summary

Podcast Summary: You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes — Henry Winkler (Re-Release)

Episode Release Date: June 18, 2025
Guest: Henry Winkler
Host: Pete Holmes

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Overview

This special re-release features beloved actor, author, and “Fonzie” icon Henry Winkler in a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply honest conversation with Pete Holmes. Spanning topics from childhood struggles and stardom to parenting, vulnerability, and intuition, the episode is a masterclass in meaningful banter and wisdom. Winkler’s warmth, humor, and humility shine throughout, making it an essential listen for fans of comedy, acting, and the human spirit.

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Episode Structure and Key Segments

1. Opening Banter & Setting the Scene

[02:35 – 04:44]

• Pete and Henry riff on their chairs, antiques, and Billy Bob Thornton’s fear of old furniture.
• Henry introduces quirky anecdotes and jokes about decor (“My soul sneezes when he's around antiques.” — Henry Winkler, [04:40]).
• They reminisce about mutual friends, especially the late John Ritter and his natural comedic gifts.
• Henry discusses acting on Broadway with Ritter and his challenges with Shakespeare and ADHD.

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2. Family, Parenting, and Breaking the Cycle

[06:59 – 16:36]

• Henry opens up about his relationship with his parents, specifically the impact of his father's harshness and misunderstanding of his dyslexia.
  • “Broke my heart that he called you dumb dog. …the only way to make calling someone dumb dog worse is to say it in German.” – Pete Holmes [13:32]
• Winkler’s pivotal decision: “I would break the cycle. I would not make my children live the youngness that I went through.” [14:15]
• Insights into his open, loving parenting style: letting his children express themselves and changing family policies in response.
  • “A heard child is a powerful child.” – Henry Winkler [24:53]
• Lessons learned and the importance of witnessing and truly listening to one’s children.

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3. Vulnerability, Confidence, and the Acting Life

[23:39 – 46:44]

• The interplay between learning disabilities, self-image, and building confidence.
• Comparing comedy, acting, and creative fulfillment with role models and contemporary peers (shout-outs to Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Gary Shandling).
• Discussing artistic vulnerability:
  • “When we are working, we are so exposed. …You need to hear it. …It’s not bad to want to hear you are doing a good job.” – Henry Winkler [40:44]
• Acting advice: trust your instinct, don’t be ashamed to fall on your face and try new things.
  • “If you are thinking, ‘Am I right? Am I wrong?’ …you’re not in the moment. You cannot be in and out at the same time.” [43:40]

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4. Stardom, Typecasting, and the Fonzie Years

[47:14 – 53:54]

• Reflections on the overwhelming fame from “Happy Days” and how it changed his life.
  • “I was going to make the distinction between Henry Winkler and Arthur Fonzarelli.” [48:21]
• Stories about not wanting to give in to typecasting or endless spin-offs, choosing integrity over easy opportunities.
• Funny behind-the-scenes on the “Fonzie” persona, leather jackets, and fans’ expectations.

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5. Parenting & The Practice of Love

[24:40 – 29:51 and throughout]

• Thematic return: how small gestures of attention accumulate into lifelong confidence for children and adults.
• The abundance model of love and appreciation:
  • “Love is something, if you give it away, you end up getting more.” – Pete Holmes [39:32]
  • “I need to let them know.” – Henry Winkler on reaching out to those he admires [40:03]
• The importance of voicing appreciation and not withholding praise in creative and personal relationships.

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6. Intuition, Instinct, and Life Advice

[58:13 – 60:14; 70:09 – 74:10]

• The core life lesson: “Living, listening to your instincts and honing it. Trusting it.” – Henry Winkler [58:17]
• How to tune into intuition: “If you get the bad vibe, you are right. Walk away. That’s it.” [59:53]
• The journey from shame and neuroses toward happiness and fulfillment: “If you get out of your own way... your eyes will be open to all possibilities.” [70:14]
  • Analogy of clearing mental sediment by being still, ala Alan Watts [73:54]

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7. Spirituality & the Mysteries of Life

[74:20 – 88:05]

• Henry’s honest uncertainty about reincarnation and God, but a hope for benevolence and connection.
• “I love God. I don’t know how different God is anywhere.” – Henry Winkler [86:38]
• The “truth tree” metaphor for universal spiritual values, regardless of tradition [87:06]
• Anecdotes about answered prayers, lost items, and the feeling of being watched over.

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8. Personal Joys, Vices, and Lightness

[60:24 – 64:14; 98:23 – 98:40]

• Food as pleasure: New York’s Burger Joint, French bread, brie and thinly sliced ham.
• Henry’s small vices: “My vices are cigars... and fly fishing.” [98:23]
• Tender stories about family pets and the simple joys of daily life.

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9. Showbiz Stories & Memorable Encounters

[34:50 – 37:56; 66:10 – 69:19]

• Stories about meeting and collaborating with Sia, Steve Martin, and Ron Howard.
• Reflections on Hollywood’s pressures and accolades, and navigating them with self-awareness and gratitude.

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10. Final Thoughts — Meaning of Life & Fulfillment

[69:39 – End]

• Classic “You Made It Weird” closer: What is the meaning of life?
  • “The granddaddy of all jobs as a human being is to get out of your own way.” – Henry Winkler [70:12]
  • See your path with clarity, cultivate quiet, and listen to “your tummy,” not just your head [89:44].

11. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “My soul sneezes when he’s around antiques.” – Henry Winkler [04:40]
• “A heard child is a powerful child.” – Henry Winkler [24:53]
• “The tone makes the music.” — Henry's father’s repeated wisdom [29:47]
• “Love is something, if you give it away, you end up getting more.” – Pete Holmes [39:32]
• “When we are working, we are so exposed… you need to hear [praise].” – Henry Winkler [40:44]
• “If you don't know what you want without ambivalence, it is painful.” – Henry Winkler [95:03]
• “Listen to your tummy. Your head only knows some things. Your tummy knows everything.” – Henry Winkler [89:44]
• “If you get out of your own way, your eyes will be open to all possibilities.” – Henry Winkler, on the meaning of life [70:12]

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Summary & Takeaways

• Break the Cycle: Henry discusses the pain of a misunderstood childhood and the conscious choice to parent differently with deep empathy and openness.
• The Power of Listening: Whether in family or acting, listening deeply is equated to loving and empowering others.
• Vulnerability is Strength: Winkler’s career flourished when he embraced his true instincts, took risks, and stopped trying to be perfect.
• Famous But Human: Throughout, Henry balances anecdotes of 1970s superstardom with humility, never letting success or typecasting define him.
• Abundance of Love: Both hosts advocate for sharing appreciation freely and often—a concept that ripples through creative and personal relationships.
• Intuition is Wisdom: Both in parenting and life, Henry urges listeners to trust their gut and clear the internal noise to see their path.
• Life’s Meaning: For Henry, fulfillment comes from getting quiet, moving past self-criticism, and acting from one’s true instinct.

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Notable Final Moments

[99:05 – End]

• Henry’s answer to “hardest laugh” is about classic French comedies and collecting Gerard Depardieu’s glass.
• The episode closes with warmth and gratitude all around, and Henry gamely closes:
  • “Keep it crispy!” – Henry Winkler [102:01]

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A Rich, Heartfelt, and Humorous Portrait

This episode radiates the blend of vulnerability, humor, and wisdom that’s unique to both Pete Holmes and Henry Winkler. Whether discussing parenting or performance, learning differences or divine mystery, it is—as Pete says near the end—simultaneously healing and hilarious, and as “crispy” as they come.

Transcript

[Pete Holmes]

You made it weird.

[Henry Winkler]

You made it weird. You made it weird. Oh yeah, you made it weird.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes, you did.

[Henry Winkler]

Made it weird. You made it weird with Pete Holmes.

[Pete Holmes]

What's happening weirdos? This is Henry Winkler, one of my all time favorite you made it weird guests. And we are re releasing it here because you know, we're taking it a little bit slower and easier in the summer. Hope you are as well. But we're re releasing it because it's fun to listen to the same episode at the same time. It's fun to listen to it while we know all the other weirdos out there are listening to this as well and enjoying it again. And I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do and did all the tenses of the word do. Let's get right into it. A couple things. I want to thank everybody that came out to Irvine. It was an awesome weekend. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Also, San Jose is the next date, followed by a show in Los Angeles, then Houston, Washington, D.C. boston, New Hampshire, Washington state, Missouri, Ohio, Chicago, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And New York will be added soon. All of those are [e-mail] this episode, like so many others, is brought to us by our friends at Modern Mammals, the shampoo that absolutely changed my life. I saw an ad for it. I thought it was too good to be true. I tried it and it turns out it is legit. It is shampoo that cleans your hair, but does not make it all fluffy and dry and unruly, which is what literally every shampoo I've ever used has done. What Modern Mammals does is it leaves just enough natural oil in your hair to make it look perfect. I'm not just saying that it's perfect. It doesn't need any product. Your hair just feels like you want it to feel almost like how it feels after a day at the beach, like you've been swimming in the ocean and it just kind of has that hold and it looks right and it's got that flow. So I absolutely, absolutely love Modern Mammals. You gotta give it a try. Over 40,000 guys have made the swap and this stuff is legit. I love it. Go to modernmammals.com weird and you can try both forms of Modern mammals, the bar and the bottle, for 44 bucks. And that lasts a really, really, really long time. Modernmammals.com weird try the bar and the bottle. In the meantime, enjoy my chat with Henry Winkler and hope to see you out there on the road. Everybody get into it. I like getting all the little.

[Henry Winkler]

You do.

[Pete Holmes]

You know, the little nitties. Yeah, the little nitty gritties. The nitty gritty. This chair is incredibly comfortable. See? And you're a.

[Henry Winkler]

And you're a guest. You should be sitting in it. And I'm sitting in the fakacta. Little wooden chair that.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes, but it's like church.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, but it was only made for. Look, it was never made to be sat in.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that funny?

[Henry Winkler]

That's what I.

[Pete Holmes]

What era is that? Sounds like a Victorian. Victorian.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know what? We did spend a lot of money on it.

[Pete Holmes]

I believe you did.

[Henry Winkler]

And I want to say it wasn't worth it, you know.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, you have a lot of antiques.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, the look, you know, it was.

[Pete Holmes]

What do you mean? They're not. They're not old.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, they are.

[Pete Holmes]

They are.

[Henry Winkler]

I am. And they are. Now that beautiful anoir over there.

[Pete Holmes]

Anwar, is just like. It's an imposing piece.

[Henry Winkler]

It is. It says, don't touch me. That is from my wife's grandmother from Russia.

[Pete Holmes]

She's not in it, is she?

[Henry Winkler]

She is not. However, she was small enough that she could be. But it's a writing desk and drawers. And when you open it, it opens. And it's beautiful. A beautiful red inside.

[Pete Holmes]

No.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. I don't know why we don't keep it open.

[Pete Holmes]

I just dust. What am I trying to guess why you might not keep it open on the.

[Henry Winkler]

You know, I'm fascinated because I heard. And the incredible actor Billy Bob Thornton.

[Pete Holmes]

BBT is. I'm not your dad.

[Henry Winkler]

Dad. Yeah. But he also.

[Pete Holmes]

Shepherd's impression.

[Henry Winkler]

Is that what it is?

[Pete Holmes]

I just stole his.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, come on, Mommy. Just. You can. Right here. I love Right here.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. Precious.

[Henry Winkler]

Go on, get in here. And I think you have a microphone.

[Pete Holmes]

We want you to. Yeah, get in there.

[Henry Winkler]

But he is allergic to antiques.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. He's afraid of.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes, I heard that was.

[Pete Holmes]

But does he describe it as an allergy or.

[Henry Winkler]

No, I did because I couldn't remember. Afraid.

[Pete Holmes]

You're a sweet man. Yeah, you're sweet.

[Henry Winkler]

So I went right to allergic.

[Pete Holmes]

I love that.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. I think his soul sneezes when he's around antiques.

[Pete Holmes]

So that's where phobias live. Right in the.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm telling you.

[Pete Holmes]

And it starts. Well, he. I remember reading an interview. It's funny that we both know this, that when he sits in antique chairs, he can't stop thinking of all the people who sat in it, who died.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

He's like, I don't want to sit. I don't want to sit in a dead king's chair. I can't really do him.

[Henry Winkler]

I personally think that is so idiosyncratic.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me everything.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

What do you mean? Like, it just doesn't make sense to you, or.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, I don't. I can't relate to it. Except that I love watching him.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, I love bbt. Have you worked with Billy Bob?

[Henry Winkler]

I never have. He was a very good friend of John Ritter. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

And you were a very good friend.

[Henry Winkler]

And that. I met him once through John Ritter. John Ritter. And I. I miss him every day. I do. I believe that he was instantly, constantly, authentically funny.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

John Ritter.

[Pete Holmes]

We just watched Bad Santa.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Again, for pleasure.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's not even the holidays.

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

And we just threw eval. Loves it. I love it.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know, people watch Christmas movies in September.

[Pete Holmes]

You know, but he's so. I didn't mean to say. All I'm saying. I'm agreeing with you.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because he was so intangibly funny. Like, why was it so funny? The way he reacts. It's true. The way he listens is funny. You have the same thing. I'm not just.

[Henry Winkler]

No, no, no, no, no. Not my limitations. Because I did a Broadway play with John for nine months. We did.

[Pete Holmes]

Which one?

[Henry Winkler]

It was called the Dinner Party, written by the. Called King Lear.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like, we know King Lear.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, I can't. You know what? That's also my limitation. I've hardly ever done Shakespeare. Well, I've seen it. I haven't always understood it. I can't do the iambic pentameter.

[Pete Holmes]

Who needs it? But what do we need to be counting syllables?

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know what? I was. I was young Seward in Macbeth.

[Pete Holmes]

There you go.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. I had one line and Macbeth crushed me. And for the rest of the. The seventh or eighth act, I would lie on the stage dead, and I couldn't move.

[Pete Holmes]

You were one of them.

[Henry Winkler]

And I have adhd, so it was really difficult.

[Pete Holmes]

Hilarious.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That must be why I'm enjoying talking to you, because you're. You're bouncing from topic, and I like that. Thank you. Let's not call it a disorder. The last D is disorder.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

How about delicious?

[Henry Winkler]

It is.

[Pete Holmes]

How about delightful?

[Henry Winkler]

Delightful.

[Pete Holmes]

You're also listening. I noticed right away. Because, you know, you're not as old as my dad, but you're around my dad.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm 72 years old. Well, you're almost going to be 73. October 30th. There's just a. I wear a 16 and a half. 32 and a half sleeve in case. Well, if you have listeners. Yeah, I like Presents. I. I'm kidding. I've. I've never outgrown my need for a present.

[Pete Holmes]

Do you love presents? I do. It's funny that you say that. I just. Today, somebody Instagram messaged me and they wanted tickets to a show and I gave them. I was like, sure, yeah. And then they were like, they wanted to. And it was very sweet. They offered to send something. I was like, well, I don't drink. Then they offered to send something else and I was just like.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm like, I don't eat.

[Pete Holmes]

Presents. I like in general. But you like presents.

[Henry Winkler]

I do.

[Pete Holmes]

It's not that I'm good. It's just like I now too much Stuff.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know what? That is true. But I am.

[Pete Holmes]

Where are you going to put it?

[Henry Winkler]

My middle name is too much stuff.

[Pete Holmes]

You love hoarding.

[Henry Winkler]

I am a hoarder.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you really?

[Henry Winkler]

I just figured that out a year ago.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me everything. Well, I'm going to write down Ritter so we don't forget to talk about.

[Henry Winkler]

Your dear friend John.

[Pete Holmes]

Johnny boy John. Keep going about hoarding.

[Henry Winkler]

The John. The same joke at 9 o' clock in the morning, 12 o' clock in the afternoon and 5 o' clock in the afternoon. And it was equally funny no matter.

[Pete Holmes]

What the time period, because it was a spirit thing. It was him. It was his essence.

[Henry Winkler]

It was his.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Zekel.

[Pete Holmes]

People are funny. And I'm not just trying to steer the conversation. We should be talking about you.

[Henry Winkler]

But I like people are funny. And that was a great TV show.

[Pete Holmes]

Your people are funny. And kids do say the far.

[Henry Winkler]

The darndest.

[Pete Holmes]

The darndest thing.

[Henry Winkler]

I always thought I would be a good host for that show.

[Pete Holmes]

You would.

[Henry Winkler]

Because I relate very well to children.

[Pete Holmes]

But you're all.

[Henry Winkler]

And dogs.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so funny.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Not really adults, but you're. Who needs them? People who have closed.

[Henry Winkler]

I need responsible people, too.

[Pete Holmes]

I've never called because the power was out and had a kid come by and fix it. Or a dog.

[Henry Winkler]

You know what? Me either.

[Pete Holmes]

But that's what I'm talking about is the way that you are.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And Sandler noticed this.

[Henry Winkler]

Sandler.

[Pete Holmes]

Sandler, we all noticed that. You. Your natural instincts. And I have to imagine as an actor, you've done a lot of work to get out of your own way.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because Henry being Henry is very funny.

[Henry Winkler]

I spent. If I'm 72 now, I spent 68 and a half years getting out of my own way.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me how you did it.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not well. I went to talk to somebody.

[Pete Holmes]

A therapist?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. No, also a driveway guy. I said. I. I said, you got to make me a new path here. I'm not kidding. Because the gravel ain't working.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. And that's when it was quiet enough without the cars on the gravel.

[Henry Winkler]

Really? You could always hear.

[Pete Holmes]

You could always hear that crunch. I grew up with a gravel driveway and the crunch of my dad coming home.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. And it would give me anxiety. Yeah, I totally understand.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, that brings me back to the compliment I was going to give you about my dad and why I mentioned that you died for ages.

[Henry Winkler]

Is he still alive?

[Pete Holmes]

He's living.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. What's his name?

[Pete Holmes]

His name is Jay.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. And how old is Jay?

[Pete Holmes]

I believe we don't know. We're not. We're not close like that with fat.

[Henry Winkler]

But it saves you on having to remember a car.

[Pete Holmes]

It. I know his birthday is May 1st, and I say happy birthday, but I keep it boring. I'm like, he's a what?

[Henry Winkler]

A tan.

[Pete Holmes]

A tan.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, he. I. I wonder if he knows that, but there's a lack of. Would you like to. I'd love to see, you know what?

[Henry Winkler]

If he is like you? Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, yeah, he is. I love my dad very much, but there's a lack of. It's hard to sometimes connect. You need to talk about winning or, like, success. Like, these are the things. Like, he loves going like, Ted Williams. He knew how to hit a ball. Like, he just wants to talk about winning now. Where. All I want to talk about is your dyslexia.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. The fact.

[Pete Holmes]

Let me ask you question. Years.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm fascinated by Ted Williams because I think the only fact I know about Ted Williams is two. Two things, actually.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

He loves fly fishing, and I love fly fishing. Number two, I was told that he fly. Could see a ball being pitched to him. He could slow it down in his mind.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And literally see the stitching. And that's why he was such a good hitter, because he was not intimidated by the speed.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. And that is fascinating. See, underneath all my sort of like, dad, I want to talk about other stuff is a man who's probably very similar to me because as you say that I'm like, that's pretty interesting.

[Henry Winkler]

What does he do now?

[Pete Holmes]

He still works. Hank tanks a lot. Oil tank removal. He removes oil tanks. If you're converting from oil to gas in the greater Boston area, Hell, he'll drive to New Hampshire.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, college In Boston. I know. Everybody's already loving him.

[Pete Holmes]

I know.

[Henry Winkler]

City.

[Pete Holmes]

My dad puts him. He's an oil man. He delivers home heating oil and he removes oil tanks to convert them to gas. So he's an Uro Burros. He's slowly eating himself. He's putting himself out of business. But he doesn't care. Neither of his sons went into the business right now.

[Henry Winkler]

Does he? Did he always think you were funny?

[Pete Holmes]

That's a very good question. And I will not allow you to interview me. But I will. No.

[Henry Winkler]

No. But I'm interested.

[Pete Holmes]

That's interesting.

[Henry Winkler]

You must have been funny from the very beginning.

[Pete Holmes]

He thought I was weird.

[Henry Winkler]

It's okay.

[Pete Holmes]

Not in a bad way.

[Henry Winkler]

No. No. But just different.

[Pete Holmes]

The mantra of the family was you're the weirdest person I know.

[Henry Winkler]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

That's what everyone would say.

[Henry Winkler]

I got you.

[Pete Holmes]

They still do.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And then once I figured out where you are. He's about six one, six two.

[Henry Winkler]

And you are six, six. Wow.

[Pete Holmes]

So I beat. I beat Dad. I beat him. I beat him.

[Henry Winkler]

In tall or. You just hit him And I just beat him.

[Pete Holmes]

I put some bars of soap in a sock.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And I just came at him.

[Henry Winkler]

Got it.

[Pete Holmes]

And he's very. He's older now. And he's slow.

[Henry Winkler]

It's. I only thought of doing that to my father.

[Pete Holmes]

You had a tricky situation with your dad. I read on Wikipedia. Broke my heart that he called you dumb dog. I'm sorry if that triggers. Oh, because he's German.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. They would. Which.

[Pete Holmes]

The only way to make calling someone dumb dog worse is to say it in German.

[Henry Winkler]

Fucking dumb. A hund.

[Pete Holmes]

And he's like a Mercedes. So like the Germans have that, like, love of precision.

[Henry Winkler]

They did.

[Pete Holmes]

And here you are struggling with dyslexia.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. Not understanding at all.

[Pete Holmes]

Back when we. Remember when we used to just call, like women hysterical when they were going through, like, menopause or whatever it would be. Or would call people with dyslexia. Dumb dog.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

There are all these, like, misdirections.

[Henry Winkler]

Not only remember it. I.

[Pete Holmes]

Look Lived it.

[Henry Winkler]

Well.

[Pete Holmes]

Why don't you talk about it instead of.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, no. No, no. I.

[Pete Holmes]

No. I. I'm not putting myself down.

[Henry Winkler]

Right. I just made the. The most important thing. One of the most important things I ever did in my life.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me.

[Henry Winkler]

Made the decision. I would be a different parent.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell them.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, I would not.

[Pete Holmes]

You break the cycle.

[Henry Winkler]

I would break the cycle. I didn't know that there was a cycle to break. All I knew was.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I would not make my children Live the youngness that I went through.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

That I would listen to them. As long as they didn't make me cry, they could say anything.

[Pete Holmes]

You mean bad cry? Not like beautiful. Yeah. Like violence. Solo cry. Yeah. Like break your heart.

[Henry Winkler]

Like break my heart.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

They could say anything that was on their mind. And Max, our youngest, who now is in Boston directing his third movie, who told us at 10 that that's what he was going to do.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Henry Winkler]

When he was in high school, he said, all right, I have to say something. Don't say a word until I'm done. Stood up, put his chair in. Push his chair in at the dinner table, and said, I don't agree with this. This, this, and this. These are the reasons why. I said, all right, we're going to change policy on this and this. This one is just going to have to stay the way it is. And let's chat about this.

[Pete Holmes]

These are things like bedtime or. I don't like that we all have to eat in this order.

[Henry Winkler]

It was all of those things. Stuff like that.

[Pete Holmes]

Kid stuff.

[Henry Winkler]

Dating, curfew, driving, everything. Oh, he was older.

[Pete Holmes]

He wasn't 10. He was.

[Henry Winkler]

He was. He was not 10 at that.

[Pete Holmes]

He was 10 when he won.

[Henry Winkler]

I would say he was 15.

[Pete Holmes]

I see.

[Henry Winkler]

16.

[Pete Holmes]

But you would listen to that.

[Henry Winkler]

Every word.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that gorgeous?

[Henry Winkler]

And when he was right, when he said, I think this is really unfair. I don't think you should do this and this. And I went, you know what? I don't even have to think about that. We're gonna change policy. That's the way it's gonna be.

[Pete Holmes]

Beautiful. What do you make of that? It's almost like the. The comparison of, like a bow. Like a bow and arrow, and pulling the string back was all the pain that you went through and that propelled the arrow of your beautiful parenting.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know, I was also. I. There were so many things that were probably screwy also about my parenting.

[Pete Holmes]

Sure.

[Henry Winkler]

But. But I choose to remember that I would not replicate my pain. Short parents, do you feel like that.

[Pete Holmes]

Suffering that you went through? Isn't that interesting? Sort of.

[Henry Winkler]

Let me in this chair to talk to you right at this moment.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Because I now know. You know what Max said? He literally said in an interview in People magazine during. When he was interviewed for his first movie ceremony. He said, my parents. The trouble with. With me, my. My problem is my parents loved me too much.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so funny. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And I said, max, if I had to do it again with Zoe and with Jed, I would do it exactly the same way. So I. I don't care.

[Pete Holmes]

But is it how. It's an interesting thing. Is it how you make, for example, like a comedian benefits from some tumult. You know what I'm saying?

[Henry Winkler]

Everybody benefits. That's the lesson I learned also. You fight through. I had to fight through my challenge. My parents, my. My weird. Hold on. Stacy. Do you need help? Okay. Do you need help? Are you sure.

[Pete Holmes]

There'S a. There's all the sounds of someone needing help.

[Henry Winkler]

My broke her second metatarsal. She's in a boot. She can't step on her foot. And she is going down the stairs like our three year old grandson. On her tushy.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, no. Yeah, on the tushy.

[Henry Winkler]

On the tushy. That's how she came down the stairs.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my goodness.

[Henry Winkler]

There she is.

[Pete Holmes]

Stacy, I'm so sorry you're in pain. Your boot is very fashionable.

[Henry Winkler]

You think? Look, it's color coordinated to her shirt. You're so funny.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, thank you. What a pleasure to meet you. Oh, I know. I'm so sorry. I get that from time to time. I know I have good feel bad for me face.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, I. I'm so happy you're joking about it.

[Pete Holmes]

I am.

[Henry Winkler]

My boot isn't going to going right. Can I introduce you? I just.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, we've been chatting. What is. This is Henry's. Yeah, this is Henry's wife who broke her metatarsalie.

[Valerie]

It's so nice to meet you.

[Henry Winkler]

You're having a. It's who? It's a girl.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Hi. It's Stacy.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that fun?

[Henry Winkler]

How long.

[Pete Holmes]

How long has this been happening? How long has this been going on?

[Henry Winkler]

This foot or this?

[Pete Holmes]

No, these. No, these lovers. These two lovebirds.

[Henry Winkler]

Just 40 years. 40? Well, that's married. Okay. Bye. Bye.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my God. Look at the shorthand. Get out of here. You're divine.

[Henry Winkler]

Be good.

[Pete Holmes]

Nice to meet.

[Henry Winkler]

As in godlike.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, you're godlike. That's right. That's it.

[Henry Winkler]

She reminds me of Gabby Hayes.

[Pete Holmes]

Gabby Hayes?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. Kind of gimpy. And I'm supposed to. To go out in the world. Tell me I look like Gabby. No, the gimp. It's the. The limp. We could think of another person. That woman who was a doctor on St. El. The woman who was the doctor on St. Elire. You remind me of the woman who was the doctor on St. Elsewhere.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't know who Gabby Hayes is.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, see? Hop along, Cassidy's sidekick. I love you.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my God. There goes the goddess. Scooting off, Henry. 40 years.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, 40 years. Well, we met in 76.

[Pete Holmes]

76.

[Henry Winkler]

Married in 78. Wow. I was a candle on Stacy's son Jed. Our oldest birthday. Fourth. Fourth. Fourth year birthday.

[Pete Holmes]

You were a kid. You. You mean Fonzie was a candle? Get out of here.

[Henry Winkler]

Six Million Dollar Man. And me, if I was there, I would have pulled a Six Million Dollar man off.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

I would have been the only candle on the cake.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right, because you're a fifteen million dollar man. Thank you very much.

[Henry Winkler]

Hello.

[Pete Holmes]

Hello. Isn't that weird?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

So her son had a Fonzie on her cake.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

And then when she met you, 78, you said 74.

[Henry Winkler]

74. 76.

[Pete Holmes]

And that's right at the height.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes, because we were. We went on 74. And I met her in August 76.

[Pete Holmes]

And Fonzie took off like a rocket. Like a rocket, yes. And he had to wear a green.

[Henry Winkler]

Beginning, kind of like a off gray windbreaker. Blue.

[Pete Holmes]

Because this is how different the times were. They were concerned that a leather jacket would make him look like a.

[Henry Winkler]

And exactly correct.

[Pete Holmes]

A thug.

[Henry Winkler]

No, that's right.

[Pete Holmes]

A leather jacket. People, the judges on chef shows wear leather jackets now. And you couldn't wear a leather jacket. And you meet her wear. I mean, I.

[Henry Winkler]

Can I ask Stacey at the time, was it.

[Pete Holmes]

Was it a wild time? Like, was it Adam West, Batman, sort of sex romping?

[Henry Winkler]

You know what? I don't know anything about that. I swear to God. But it.

[Pete Holmes]

You. Adam West.

[Henry Winkler]

But it was an interesting time. I'm not kidding.

[Pete Holmes]

But you were a sex symbol at a height of.

[Henry Winkler]

There was my hotel room door at about 4 in the morning and someone would say, am I disturbing you? And I'd say, no, I'm just writing the Magna Carta from memory. And you could help.

[Pete Holmes]

So people would just throw themselves at you. I know this is kind of crude and lewd and there's. Maybe you're hesitant, but it's not crude or lewd. It's. Maybe it was a wonderful thing.

[Henry Winkler]

People were very warm.

[Pete Holmes]

Warmer than a leather jacket.

[Henry Winkler]

Warmer than a Hawaiian Eve with that sultry breeze coming off the ocean.

[Pete Holmes]

Because I heard stories like on the Adam West Batman. Because that's. Those stories, was that the late 60s or early 70s?

[Henry Winkler]

That was late 60s. And yeah, the young man. And Burt Ward, who played Robin, wanted to start the Fonzie Henry Winkler Fans club.

[Pete Holmes]

He did.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

He loved that place. No way. Wait, after he was Robin.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

He was just a huge fan.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know if he was A huge fan. He wanted to make money off.

[Pete Holmes]

He wanted to score. I'm not sure, but, I mean, that's America. Pre Fonzie. How are we doing with the ladies?

[Henry Winkler]

Pre Fonzie? Yeah, I'm not doing well, I swear to you. Now, that is part of when you are dyslexic or you have a learning challenge. I think. I believe. I'm not a doctor, but I believe there is a social component that is missing. You have, for you, a hole. You have a space where your self image should be. You have a real deep hole where your confidence should be. And it took me all this time until us sitting here to fill that hole. At least three quarters.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right? Truly, because of the dyslexia and because.

[Henry Winkler]

Of, I don't know, shame.

[Pete Holmes]

The shame of not feeling like you were smart.

[Henry Winkler]

Not being heard. Yeah, I.

[Pete Holmes]

Not being able to articulate yourself.

[Henry Winkler]

Not being heard outside of yourself. One of the most important things. Just to go back to parenting for a minute, please. I really believe a herd child is a powerful child.

[Pete Holmes]

Beautiful.

[Henry Winkler]

And I'm telling you, you're late for your show, you're late for your podcast, you're late for an interview, and your. And Lila or the babe.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Leila is.

[Henry Winkler]

She is three years old. Dad, you know what? I'm so like, dad, yes, I. Could. I. Can we. Dad, I have something to say. I. Dad, yes, you have something to say. Dad, I like blue. You know what? I'm so happy that you told me that. Can we discuss that when I come home and we're gonna pick up where we left off with you liking blue.

[Pete Holmes]

But you're saying it's more important to hear. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And all it Is is maybe 45 seconds. You can even time this little bit on the. On the tape. 45 seconds. Are you going to be earlier or later for that meeting?

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Is it going to change your life? But your daughter will feel like what she is saying is important, and that's. And that will add a notch onto her psychic belt and she'll have less of a hole to fill as. As I'm living and breathing. I'm telling you, maybe one of the most important things ever.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, there's a. It's beautiful. We love. Val's crying. There's a story in Be Here Now. You're. You're. You were around that time. Do you know that book?

[Henry Winkler]

Ram Dass.

[Pete Holmes]

Ram Dass, Be Here Now.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

There's a great story in it about a child crying. There's a child crying and he's like, it's Saturday. It's not his kid, but it's his friend's kid. We got to get to the store. And there's all this drama. Like the kid won't stop screaming. It's Saturday. It's the only day that we have to go to the store. You start kind of panic. Well, I guess we won't go to the store. Well, we need groceries, all this stuff. And it says in big letters in the middle of the page, it says, efficiency at what cost? It's like, what do you like how you're putting a store over the child? It's basically the same story.

[Henry Winkler]

I'll tell you, it is exactly the same story. It is a great story.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. It makes us very moved.

[Henry Winkler]

My daughter and my grandson, Zoe and Rob are really wonderful parents. I'm not sure about human beings, but. But as parents. But what I wish, I wish that their model, their way was in front of me when I was starting being a parent. Because what they do is the kid is crying. You have to go somewhere and they say, I understand, you can cry. I'm here to help you if you want, but otherwise you just cry and let me know when you're done crying.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And by giving them permission, the crying stops within 20 seconds.

[Pete Holmes]

Because what is permission? It's love. They're giving them love.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm telling you, it is just that sentence. Yeah, you can cry. I'm here if you want me to help you. But if you don't want it, you want to cry, go right ahead. They continue crying, they stop, they get in the car seat, they're off.

[Pete Holmes]

Haven't you noticed with grownups? Val and I say this all the time. It's like, like it's so obvious what people want. And we go around putting these paywalls between each other, right? Even calling your wife divine is like a little example of how I try to practice that.

[Henry Winkler]

Right?

[Pete Holmes]

It costs me nothing. And I'm not saying it made her day or blew her hair.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you saw the reaction.

[Pete Holmes]

But she did like it.

[Henry Winkler]

She took it in.

[Pete Holmes]

She took it.

[Henry Winkler]

She took it in people. I've never said that to her.

[Pete Holmes]

It's a good one. I stole it from my friend. It's a good.

[Henry Winkler]

Stealing it now.

[Pete Holmes]

It's a good compliment.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm gonna write it and leave it on her. I'm gonna. You know what I'm gonna do? Need to needle pointed on her pillow. And I don't even needlepoint.

[Pete Holmes]

But you see, like, listen to people.

[Henry Winkler]

You, that's it. Witness them listening is the beginning and the end of a relationship.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

It's not the heart. It's not the mind. It's not. It's listening. Because I, I. Here's another lesson I learned along the way. I don't always practice it. It's not what you're saying. It's not how you meant it. It's how it landed.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, that's right. Because your intention is a personal thing. That's something happening in.

[Henry Winkler]

But how it lands.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Is where the explosion happens.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. And I think about that all the time. It's a, it's, it's a. I try. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't succeed, but I don't always succeed.

[Pete Holmes]

Who, what is that expression where it's like people won't remember what you say or what you did. They'll remember how you made them feel.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, God. My father, rest his soul, who I don't like. He said to me, if he said it once, he said it 9 billion times during my growing up. And I'm going to butcher French now. The tone makes the music. It is exactly what you just said.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Oh, wow. So your dad was, you know, broken clock. He was right.

[Henry Winkler]

A broken clock.

[Pete Holmes]

He was right.

[Henry Winkler]

Why are you not the smartest kid in the class? Why are you not going to Harvard?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Why are you. Why are you not taking over the business? I had the.

[Pete Holmes]

I consider it. I still find the word Harvard to be a microaggression. My dad would only recently stopped complaining. And I didn't have the same style dad as him, but I had that, like, because we're from New England and it's like, you know, maybe I'll go to Harvard. And I was like, I'm like one of the first of the Holmes to go to college. Why are we.

[Henry Winkler]

Where did you go?

[Pete Holmes]

I went to Gordon College. It's in Wenham, Massachusetts. It's a Christian college.

[Henry Winkler]

Did it accept you?

[Pete Holmes]

It did.

[Henry Winkler]

Did it? Did you, did you grow there?

[Pete Holmes]

I did.

[Henry Winkler]

Did you enjoy it?

[Pete Holmes]

I did.

[Henry Winkler]

Did you make friends?

[Pete Holmes]

I did.

[Henry Winkler]

So there you go.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, Henry, I'm not kidding.

[Henry Winkler]

I was healing college in Boston.

[Pete Holmes]

What are we doing some healing today?

[Henry Winkler]

I swear to God, I'm not healing.

[Pete Holmes]

You are.

[Henry Winkler]

All I know is that, you know what I. The whole concept of the pressure of going to college and going to the right college.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

You go somewhere, you put in, you get out.

[Pete Holmes]

It's baloney. It is the whole. I think it's, I think it's Malcolm Gladwell. He wrote a book called David and Goliath. And it's the idea of going to a school, then this is what I did. So it sounds a little arrogant to say this, but a school where you could thrive. I was gonna say Don, I did. But a school where you could thrive.

[Henry Winkler]

I did.

[Pete Holmes]

And you're comfortable. And my school did not scare me.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

I didn't find it academic challenging. I went in. I did improv. I did stand up. I started writing stuff because I was just like, I ain't scared of you.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

And that was a.

[Henry Winkler]

Good friends with Mr. Apatow.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. Okay. Oh, you mean that's my accomplishment? I mean. Well, that. Look at that. Here we are.

[Henry Winkler]

One of the. In. In 2018. One of the. The shining pillars.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

That is holding the. The. The. The cathedral of comedy.

[Pete Holmes]

I completely agree. And my dad. This is funny. Calls him Jeff Applebaum. I'm so proud we got that. I started talking about Judd and what a big deal Judd was and my dad. I always picture a cat just swatting at a butterfly in his brain.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Not. Not that he's dumb, but he's distracted. And I'm talking to him and about Jed and trying to communicate what you understand.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

About how important I'm like, dad, it's like the big leagues. It's as big as it gets. It's Chad Apatow.

[Henry Winkler]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

And I'll be like. When you're talking to Jeff.

[Henry Winkler]

Jeb.

[Pete Holmes]

Jeb. He now says Jeb. He goes, what do you think the most important trait of a director is? Confidence. And he's just telling me. I think confidence is the most. You know what I mean? He's not actually asking.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

So there's a lot of.

[Henry Winkler]

Right now.

[Pete Holmes]

I can laugh at it, though. I really am laughing at it. At the time, it was very frustrating.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. Totally. I.

[Pete Holmes]

That's not listening.

[Henry Winkler]

Four things I know about Judd Apatow.

[Pete Holmes]

You almost call him Jeb.

[Henry Winkler]

I love it. 1. Jeb. I'm so sorry, Mr. Apatow, that I made that mistake. I will never call you Judd again. Okay. One.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Never hired me. Does not think I'm funny.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, that's an assumption, isn't it?

[Henry Winkler]

It is. I'm assuming that, and I believe it.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, that's not healthy, even as I think about it. Let's do some healing.

[Henry Winkler]

Not kidding. Now. Number two. Number two. Baloney. Joanie.

[Pete Holmes]

Number two.

[Henry Winkler]

I think his wife is lovely.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Lastly, his daughters are pretty clever.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

And I am a huge fan of Sia, Sia, Sia. She sings. And it goes right off my ipod and into My body.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

And from. Right.

[Pete Holmes]

Get on that, Val. Mike for that.

[Henry Winkler]

Do you agree, Val?

[Valerie]

I totally agree.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. I don't know. She. It's like, God given. It's like.

[Valerie]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

It's like she's singular.

[Valerie]

Absolutely. I think she will go down in history.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, I do, too.

[Pete Holmes]

I gotta listen to some Sia.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. Oh, my God. Gas and gasoline and fire. Okay. But anyway, so I talk about her. I think about her. I tweet about her, and I. I got a call. Sia wants you to be in her holiday video. Her Christmas video. I went, count me in. See, if you wait long enough, if you. If you will.

[Pete Holmes]

It.

[Henry Winkler]

It is not a dream. I'm going to meet. Meet Sia.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

You show up. And there are lots of other famous people there. Mr. Shepard, Ms. Bell, Mr. Smooth.

[Pete Holmes]

Dax, Kristen. And JB. JB Smooth.

[Henry Winkler]

JB Smooth, huh?

[Pete Holmes]

Very smooth.

[Henry Winkler]

No, Sia. Well, she doesn't show up to her own video. They said, okay. So we did it. It was fun. I was glad I got to spend the day with these wonderful people.

[Pete Holmes]

How could you be sure that one of the background people wasn't Sia? We don't see her, right.

[Henry Winkler]

Because I tried to lift their face to see if there was an underneath, and all I got was, ow. But anyway, I'm now walking into Whole Foods.

[Pete Holmes]

Great place.

[Henry Winkler]

A woman comes up to me, stands about 6 inches away from me and said, I'm Sia. I went, what? What? I'm Sia. I said, oh, my God. I. I have to give you a hug. She said, I'm just chatting with Judd Apatow. Jed, Jab, Jeb, Jub, Jub Apatow. I went, oh, my God. We stood there for 1/2 hour in Whole Foods chatting. I said, can I take a picture? I know I'm not allowed to take a picture. You don't have on your. Your hair mask. She said, no, no, no. For you. Come on, let's take a picture. And I've never tweeted it because I didn't want to break the bound. Don't break the seal, the bond. And that is Jed Apatow's story.

[Pete Holmes]

And in. Yeah, I've heard that story from his perspective. And at no part does Judd go. And I see Henry Winkler, who's not very funny. And there's the Ya. He must love you. Everybody loves you.

[Henry Winkler]

What did he say? You mean he tells that story?

[Pete Holmes]

I've heard that story. Yes. That was a big deal for him. He loves that story.

[Henry Winkler]

It was a big deal for me.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm tempted to call Judd, but I don't want to put him on the spot. It's not that sort of show.

[Valerie]

He loves that story.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm gonna see him in about an hour. I'm gonna get confirmation that he loves you.

[Valerie]

He almost came to this podcast. He said, maybe I'll sit in because he. He loves you.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that right?

[Henry Winkler]

I listened to him. I watched him on that. Gary Shandling, who was a mentor for Max, my son.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Oh, wow.

[Henry Winkler]

Bless his soul. And I. I watched that. What a guy. What a talented.

[Pete Holmes]

We talking Gary?

[Henry Winkler]

We talking Gary also.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. Gary mentored your son?

[Henry Winkler]

He did.

[Pete Holmes]

That's incredible.

[Henry Winkler]

He would come here and he would read Max's scripts.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. No.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

What a mensch.

[Henry Winkler]

They box together.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm gonna go ahead and bring this. Tie this back.

[Henry Winkler]

Go ahead.

[Pete Holmes]

Because what did Gary give?

[Henry Winkler]

Walk out the door.

[Pete Holmes]

We walked in. I'm gonna walk out the door.

[Henry Winkler]

It's a literary term.

[Pete Holmes]

He gave Salty dog. I love you. He gave love. He gave love, Gary.

[Henry Winkler]

Gary gave love.

[Pete Holmes]

And he gave love. I was one of his last interviews, and in that afternoon we spent together, he was just giving it like, this is what I'm talking about. I remember I was telling Val on the drive in some of the compliments. I remember in high school, the first time somebody said, you should be on SNL really matters. And that's free. I'm not saying we should go faking these things, but if you have some love for somebody, give it to them. What are you doing keeping that in your pocket? I was 16, and it meant the world.

[Henry Winkler]

We were there.

[Pete Holmes]

Parents, driveway.

[Henry Winkler]

Totally agree with you.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. And that's what Gary did.

[Henry Winkler]

This is what I do. And I don't know. I. And I don't mean this in any way. If I see something or hear something that just kills me, like, see ya, I write them immediately.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right?

[Henry Winkler]

I do. That's how I really met Jeff Daniels. I have written him an email about every performance because he. I just think he's an amazing fellow.

[Pete Holmes]

He just does it for you.

[Henry Winkler]

He just does it for me.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And anybody that a friend of mine, anybody. I write them immediately and say, wow, we just watched that. We just listened to that. That was.

[Pete Holmes]

But this is great. What some of the more woke people like Gary seem to figure out, which is it's not this, like, deficit model. It's an abundance model, meaning love.

[Henry Winkler]

Great way to say it is free.

[Pete Holmes]

It doesn't really take from us the way we think it does.

[Henry Winkler]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

We sang a Song in kindergarten. Love is something. If you give it away, you end up getting more. I did. I'm not saying we. Me in my kindergarten class, I'm a little. You were the fondest.

[Henry Winkler]

And I, you know, like that. That's what I did. I never did that love thing.

[Pete Holmes]

But you give it away, you end up getting more. And that's. There's some wisdom in that.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

And guys like Gary and you, it sounds like, realize it doesn't tax you. It doesn't take.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't even. Energy. All I do is I need to let them know.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. You're in a position.

[Henry Winkler]

I know what it feels like.

[Pete Holmes]

Like you're an appreciator and you like being appreciated and you like gifts.

[Henry Winkler]

I do. And it pisses me off when people withhold it. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

I. It's so funny. We have a director. She's actually my favorite. Well, now it's Gillian. You know, it's Gillian. I wouldn't mind. I'd say it if she was here. I will get off set and she's thinking director stuff, and I'll just go. Tell me. That was great. I'll just. Because we're friends.

[Henry Winkler]

But you know what I have to say.

[Pete Holmes]

I'll go. You need to open with. That was amazing. And she started doing it. She's. She's my favorite director.

[Henry Winkler]

That's not a silly thought.

[Pete Holmes]

Other than Jed.

[Henry Winkler]

That's not.

[Pete Holmes]

That's not a joke.

[Henry Winkler]

Jeb.

[Pete Holmes]

Jeb.

[Henry Winkler]

That is not a silly thought, what you just said.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Because when we are working, aside from our own crazy self.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

When we are working, we are so exposed. Exposed. You know, you need to hear it. And it is not bad to want to hear it. And it's not bad to want to know you're doing a good job, you're on the right path. You're in the zone, or you're not. I always say, am I in the zone? Am I close to what you were thinking?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I need to know.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that how you direct? Do you give it up? I have to admit, I give it up because when Gillian would do that, I understood.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because as a producer on the show, I know what we're doing. We're trying to make a day, we're trying to catch the light, all these things. So we don't really have time. It's like you with your daughter.

[Henry Winkler]

Two seconds to go. Hey, Pete.

[Pete Holmes]

But that's your point.

[Henry Winkler]

Good.

[Pete Holmes]

With Leela. I like blue.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Take the two seconds. And I know she would agree, too. It's just that Idea. You're one of the things. Because this is the first time I've done, like, actual acting other than, like, sketch acting.

[Henry Winkler]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

It's very vulnerable. And I'm saying this for your thoughts. It's very vulnerable. Right?

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. Because you are. It's like a jigsaw puzzle that is completely blue. Every piece is blue.

[Pete Holmes]

Lila would love it.

[Henry Winkler]

And you have to put. She would. It's her favorite color. You put together the puzzle in order to create another human being. And it is so fragile, and it is so painstaking, and it is so arbitrary, and it is so precise all at the same time. I got. And I'm 72.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Henry Winkler]

As I've said that many times now. Where is my walker? Did we.

[Pete Holmes]

With the tennis balls.

[Henry Winkler]

With the tennis balls on the front. Because I don't want.

[Pete Holmes]

You don't want to slide?

[Henry Winkler]

I don't want to wake the queen.

[Pete Holmes]

I mean, you know, we've seen what.

[Henry Winkler]

She can find with a certain amount of noise level.

[Pete Holmes]

Now she's a jealous guy. Oh, yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And needs her rest every Sabbath. I forgot what I was saying.

[Pete Holmes]

You were talking about acting and how vulnerable it is.

[Henry Winkler]

It's very vulnerable.

[Pete Holmes]

And it's a little bit. I say this every time. Talk about repeating ourselves. It's a little embarrassing to me. What you need to get over is the fact that you're standing around a bunch of crew people.

[Henry Winkler]

First thing I say to young actors.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, tell me everything. I feel like we're on the. Right now.

[Henry Winkler]

You don't have to be. You don't have to be embarrassed. You have to fall to the floor because you've tried something, it didn't work. You stand up, you dust yourself off, and you keep marching in the direction of where you want to go.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

If you are thinking, am I right? Am I wrong? Am I right? Am I wrong? Was that good? Am I. And if you're thinking that during the process of the acting, you're not acting, you're not in the moment.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Henry Winkler]

You cannot be in and out at the same time. Time.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. That's a. That's something Gary, I believe, said in the documentary is like, could you be brave enough to actually learn something in the scene? Like, actually be so vulnerable that you are. You're really transformed by the scene.

[Henry Winkler]

I've only taught four times. A master class at Northwestern, three at Emerson College. And each time, my only goal was that every actor I was working with would taste something new.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

That. That something new would come out of them that they have never done before.

[Pete Holmes]

Something real.

[Henry Winkler]

Something real, something new.

[Pete Holmes]

And this goes back to getting out of your own way and trusting your instincts.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Which you're also doing as a person.

[Henry Winkler]

I knew it. Intellectually, I could not always do it, except when I did. The Fon was one of the first times because I changed my voice.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And I changed my body a little bit.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

It was like a key, a cosmic key that unlocked my imagination and I no longer was concerned.

[Pete Holmes]

Like a lucky hat or something. It's like you put the jacket on and it sort of took it.

[Henry Winkler]

The jacket was not as important as the voice.

[Pete Holmes]

Interesting.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. Didn't the jacket, the. The clothes do help me?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I look in the mirror and it does help me. But the. The voice, it was like Sir Lawrence Olivier had a nose. He would sculpt a nose out of putty. And it was when he found the nose that he found the character. Wow.

[Pete Holmes]

Find the nose.

[Henry Winkler]

Find the nose.

[Pete Holmes]

That sounds like something you could sound, Barry.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Find the nose. You have no nose.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Let me ask you this.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Someone knocks on your door at 4am yes. Hello. No, I know. Back in the day.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't even know open the door anymore. Unless my war. My wife has gone down to get ice.

[Pete Holmes]

With her boot. It took 45 minutes. Yeah. She now has a bucket of water.

[Henry Winkler]

You don't want her to feel sorry for herself.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. Be empowered.

[Henry Winkler]

Right.

[Pete Holmes]

You're divine.

[Henry Winkler]

Remember, get that crutch, go down the hall. It's right by the elevator.

[Pete Holmes]

So. So you're prime Fonz. What's the prime funds year?

[Henry Winkler]

What does that mean?

[Pete Holmes]

Like the hottest. The. The biggest time you felt the most.

[Henry Winkler]

Knocks on your door 75 to 80.

[Pete Holmes]

That's a five year. That's like getting a master's degree in poon. Oh.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know what?

[Pete Holmes]

It's not just that I took a chance by saying poon. I know it was a risk.

[Henry Winkler]

I know I fell down and I.

[Pete Holmes]

Gotta dust myself and go on.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But that's a long time. Someone knocks on the door.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You let them in.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Henry is very different from pre Stacy. I understand.

[Henry Winkler]

I got good looking. I always make the joke. I got good looking at 27.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay. And is that around the font?

[Henry Winkler]

That was exactly the font.

[Pete Holmes]

And now you're good looking. And now here's.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know if I'm still good looking.

[Pete Holmes]

You're good. You look great.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not. I really don't know that I dress well.

[Pete Holmes]

You have an onward.

[Henry Winkler]

I have my shirts made.

[Pete Holmes]

You have.

[Henry Winkler]

And we know the lane By Vazu.

[Pete Holmes]

If someone. Vaz. I know Vaz. I'm just kidding. Someone knocks on the door. You're opening the door. You're Henry.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

You know, they want the funds. Are we giving them a little.

[Henry Winkler]

No, they want the funds. There is no you talking that.

[Pete Holmes]

You're talking that shirt in before. Open the door.

[Henry Winkler]

They think. No, they think, Fonz.

[Pete Holmes]

They think they're going to be with the funds.

[Henry Winkler]

We were in doubt.

[Pete Holmes]

Did you do the voice is my question. You'd open the door and go, hi, I'm Henry.

[Henry Winkler]

No, I would. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

You wouldn't go, hey, no, no, no. Even on request.

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

You'd never put on the jacket.

[Henry Winkler]

No, listen, I went on my first date with Stacy. Her four year old old son. Remember I was the candle on his cake.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Her four year old son looked up and went, Fonzie. And I went down. I. I looked down at him and I went. My name is Henry. Would you like me to call you Ralph?

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my Jesus.

[Henry Winkler]

I was pretty intense.

[Pete Holmes]

If ever I've loved thee. You were not having it. You were no Mickey Mouse.

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

You couldn't put a nickel in you and watch you dance.

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

You were a man.

[Henry Winkler]

I was.

[Pete Holmes]

And you had done theater, you had done film.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

You weren't around 30. Commercial, you're.

[Henry Winkler]

And I said, I'm not going to be typecast. And so I'm going to make the distinction between Henry Winkler and Arthur Fonzarelli.

[Pete Holmes]

Did the kid cry?

[Henry Winkler]

The kid was not happy. But let me just say this, but.

[Pete Holmes]

You must have been getting it left.

[Henry Winkler]

And right for 10 years.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. You were getting it left and right. You probably still have people going, hey, Fonz.

[Henry Winkler]

All the time.

[Pete Holmes]

Everywhere in the world. Everywhere in the world.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm a big star, Pete.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, but you could be a big star for a lot of things. That is a special thing.

[Henry Winkler]

It was very special.

[Pete Holmes]

That's at a time when everyone is watching you.

[Henry Winkler]

You see the roof?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Those are the Fonz built.

[Pete Holmes]

That was built in Bluetooth speakers. Beautiful. He had no idea that technology would exist. But he paid for it. Right, but what was I going to say? We're just talking about, you know, how.

[Henry Winkler]

You know how loyal the Fonz is.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me.

[Henry Winkler]

He watches. Barry.

[Pete Holmes]

The Fonz watches.

[Henry Winkler]

He got cable just for that.

[Pete Holmes]

That's amazing.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, but you knew.

[Pete Holmes]

Okay, this is the time. This is what I was saying. Everybody's watching tv.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

And everybody's watching the same.

[Henry Winkler]

But there are only three networks.

[Pete Holmes]

That's what I mean.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

There's only three networks, Right. This is a big deal.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

So it became an icon in a way. So you are a famous person, but you're a different famous person because you're an icon.

[Henry Winkler]

Right. And you have this other icon in many languages.

[Pete Holmes]

That's what I mean. You could go to Japan and people.

[Henry Winkler]

Are going to freak out. I met the guy in Italy who dubbed my voice.

[Pete Holmes]

No way.

[Henry Winkler]

Shorter. And the only thing in Italian that was Henry was E. E. That's. Everything else in Italian was translated, except.

[Pete Holmes]

For E, which is kind of an Italian saying. Like, it's very like, hey, it is pasta. Hey, what are you doing?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. And whoa. Came from horseback riding. Whoa.

[Pete Holmes]

I heard. Forgive me. You've probably got this a million times. I heard it was your idea to go with the comb and then go, what am I?

[Henry Winkler]

That. It wasn't my idea.

[Pete Holmes]

You are a beautiful man.

[Henry Winkler]

It was. Well, I was a kid and I.

[Pete Holmes]

Thought that was funny. I was like, that's funny.

[Henry Winkler]

And that.

[Pete Holmes]

You know what I'm talking about, Val? He's going to comb his hair. And then he goes, what am I, crazy? It looks perfect. But the idea was, he's a greaser. Greasers should comb their hair. But he was like, no, I'm the confident greaser. And the character was supposed to be like a blonde foil for Ron Howard.

[Henry Winkler]

Matt.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't know.

[Henry Winkler]

Supposed to be tall. The same guy that was in the. The movie with Richard Dreyfus, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Phillips, Ron Howard, directed by George Lucas. What was it called?

[Pete Holmes]

Star Wars.

[Henry Winkler]

No, before Star wars, he didn't. It was shot all at night. It was the. The kids driving in their hot rods. American Graffiti.

[Pete Holmes]

Well done, Katie. People were yelling at their stereos.

[Henry Winkler]

And I was.

[Pete Holmes]

I think people listen to Is.

[Henry Winkler]

And I. You know, and I was supposed.

[Pete Holmes]

And it was supposed to be that.

[Henry Winkler]

Guy, a big, tall. And then a short Jew walked in.

[Pete Holmes]

In walks a short Jew.

[Henry Winkler]

And Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

His Judaism was never addressed, though, was it? No, he was never like, hey, the F. Yeah, the F. No.

[Henry Winkler]

It was also that I had a New York accent in Milwaukee.

[Pete Holmes]

At a time when no one cared.

[Henry Winkler]

No one cared.

[Pete Holmes]

How was that as an actor for you? Live audience.

[Henry Winkler]

Live audience only. After the first season, we were nearly canceled.

[Pete Holmes]

First season, we were.

[Henry Winkler]

We were 48th of a hundred shows, and they nearly canceled us. Of course, Gary Marshall went and said, you know, we could do it in front of a live audience. It would work pretty well, I think. And ABC said, you have a shot. Otherwise we would have been canceled. And Dead and over.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, wow. How many shows?

[Henry Winkler]

250.

[Pete Holmes]

No, I just mean, like how many shows like Seinfeld? No, please. I. I love that you answered. Like Seinfeld would have been canceled for a season if it came out now. Now, you know what I'm saying?

[Henry Winkler]

So many shows.

[Pete Holmes]

That's what I'm saying.

[Henry Winkler]

Family Ties.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

You know, it takes a moment for the actors to find their character.

[Pete Holmes]

Absolutely.

[Henry Winkler]

The writers to find the character, the audience to find the show.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. Pardon the interruption, weirdos. It is summertime, which probably means you are are sweating even more than normal, which means you need to be hydrating even more than normal, which means you need element. And now that it's the summer element, lmnt, which is healthy hydration, which is water and electrolytes, is giving us a new flavor that I'm absolutely, absolutely obsessed with. Is my favorite flavor by far. I got four cases of it. I'm not just saying that. Four huge packs of it. It is the best. It's salty, but it doesn't taste super salty. It just tastes like perfect lemonade. So you need when you are sweating to get that sodium, magnesium and potassium back into your body without any sugar or BS to avoid that fatigue, those muscle cramps, that brain fog, flood every cell in your body with healthy optimum hydration. Plus, if you use our promo [e-mail] weird you'll get a free sample pack with any purchase and you can try all the flavors. Go to drinklmnt.com weird and get yourself feeling optimized. Get that perfect hydration into your body and enjoy it while you do. Especially with lemonade. Salt, not just saying it. I absolutely love the lemonade salt flavor. We're also brought to us by our friends at Ritual. I'm recording this in a hotel, I'm traveling, and of course I brought my ritual with me.

[Henry Winkler]

Why?

[Pete Holmes]

Because according to the cdc, fewer men than women meet the minimum daily intake recommendations for fruit and vegetables and men. We're a bunch of dummies. Were likely to overvalue exercise and undervalue nutrition. Enter Ritual, a multivitamin scientifically developed for men to help help fill the nutrient gaps in our diets. And I can say from my own personal experience, before ritual and after ritual, my blood work is completely different. I used to have tons of gaps in my diet and now I have absolutely none. We're talking about science backed multivitamin for men, 18 plus with high quality and traceable key ingredients in clean bioavailable forms which Means it's actually getting into your system. Like Omega 3 DHA to support healthy heart and brain. And vitamin D3, which is so hard to get, which is port, which will support normal muscle and immune function. So get essential for men. It's a quality multivitamin from a company you can actually trust. Get 25% off your first month for a limited [e-mail] weird. That's ritual.com weird for 25% off your first month. Season two of Barry. How excited are you to do that? It's a different ball game.

[Henry Winkler]

And believe me, me, it is you. Different.

[Pete Holmes]

Have you already shot it?

[Henry Winkler]

No, no, no. We start. We have read four of the eight scripts so far, but you're watching.

[Pete Holmes]

Even you as an actor now are watching the show. You're seeing how it's editing. You're getting a better sense of the tone.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

You even know the game you're playing a little bit better. You get to see what people are responding to. I have to think that Bill is paying attention.

[Henry Winkler]

Are taking it in a direction where you are informed by the first, but you are definitely in a different second.

[Pete Holmes]

Interesting. Like the Wire level second. Remember the second season, the Wire?

[Henry Winkler]

I don't.

[Pete Holmes]

All of a sudden we're just on a loading dock and all the characters you knew are gone. It's not like that extreme.

[Henry Winkler]

No, it's not.

[Pete Holmes]

You're back.

[Henry Winkler]

Thank God. But.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, thank God.

[Henry Winkler]

You know, I can't talk about the third, but you. Well, I might be.

[Pete Holmes]

You might be. It'd be fun. Fun? You could die.

[Henry Winkler]

That's not fun.

[Pete Holmes]

But then you come back as a ghost.

[Henry Winkler]

No, that won't happen.

[Pete Holmes]

It's always. I know the tone of the show. You'd be a ghost. No, I'm familiar with the show.

[Henry Winkler]

I would be out of a job.

[Pete Holmes]

I know Bill. He would have you be a ghost. That's his style.

[Henry Winkler]

Did you just suggest that I could. If they're thinking, I'll.

[Pete Holmes]

I'll text him and ask him to be a CO and make you a ghost. You won't die. But you're kind of on a Soprano style show where some point Bill's gonna sit you down and go, henry, me and tell you bad news. Yeah, well, God forbid. Papa, you know, you look so sad. That's not gonna happen. You're a staple of the show.

[Henry Winkler]

I can't talk anymore.

[Pete Holmes]

All that's gonna happen is the worst that'll happen. No, no, Henry.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm gonna curl up in a ball.

[Pete Holmes]

Don't do it. The worst. That would Happen is you'd be put in peril because everybody loves you too much. And then Barry's gonna have to ice some dudes to get you.

[Henry Winkler]

And while cheer from your mouth and.

[Pete Holmes]

Then we're gonna to God's ear here we're going to call it Fonzies Berry. That's a deep.

[Henry Winkler]

Is there healing going on.

[Pete Holmes]

I weren't they going to call Happy days Fonzies Happy Days.

[Henry Winkler]

They wanted to.

[Pete Holmes]

And you said to me.

[Henry Winkler]

I said no, you're. I said you're a watch. Well I said first of all it's not broken. Why fix it? Also it would be a slap in the face to all the ensemble that got me to where I am now.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Then they wanted me to spin off.

[Pete Holmes]

Nowadays they do a spin off.

[Henry Winkler]

And I said now. So I'm going to be with young fawns and I'm gonna go a for like 30 minutes.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And how do you think that's going to work out?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I think I'm going to stay right where I am.

[Pete Holmes]

Living above foresight to go. I don't need a spin off.

[Henry Winkler]

That was my instinct.

[Pete Holmes]

Good for you listening to that intuition. So I was getting.

[Henry Winkler]

Can I tell you something?

[Pete Holmes]

Yes, please.

[Henry Winkler]

That's the beginning in the living of life. Life.

[Pete Holmes]

Tell me everything.

[Henry Winkler]

Living, listening to your instincts and honing it.

[Pete Holmes]

Trusting it.

[Henry Winkler]

Trusting it.

[Pete Holmes]

Where does it come from?

[Henry Winkler]

And for a mommy. You know I'm talking to Valerie now. This beautiful woman sitting on my couch. Isn't she in glorious yellow kind of mustard sweater.

[Pete Holmes]

Her favorite color.

[Henry Winkler]

Her hand over her pregnant belly.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't it just everything. I took a picture of her.

[Henry Winkler]

Accentuating. Accentuating. Her wonderful hand.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes. Good hands.

[Henry Winkler]

Smart hands.

[Pete Holmes]

Smart hands. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

You can tell, you know when you can see the veins on somebody's hand.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And they're not just putty.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

I was told that that was like an English humor. Like a gap in your teeth is a sexual woman.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, sexually.

[Henry Winkler]

But anyway isn't that weird? We both knew you as a mom, Val. Know everything that you need to know know about parenting already in your instinct. I'm just telling you that it's true.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that.

[Henry Winkler]

That is not even hyperbole.

[Pete Holmes]

How do you get better at listening to your intuition though? Because I think we all.

[Henry Winkler]

You know what fear.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

So you take the step and go. I'm not going to double think myself. Oh no, no. Possibly be right. I. I have a bad feeling about this situation. My boss. Boss. My. This guy who wants to take me out this Girl that I'm going to ask. I get a bad vibe, but I'm going to do it anywhere. I'm going to do it anyway. When you get the bad vibe, you are right. Walk away. That's it.

[Pete Holmes]

That's beautiful.

[Henry Winkler]

That's simple.

[Pete Holmes]

And so you learn it like we learn anything. Peter, give it a try. Yes, Henry.

[Henry Winkler]

My stomach is going to growl pretty soon.

[Pete Holmes]

Go eat some food.

[Henry Winkler]

No, no. I'm just telling you, if you hear growling it. I used to be very embarrassed. Really? Yeah. Now I'm just hungry.

[Pete Holmes]

You didn't. You really. You would be embarrassed by something as simple as a stomach?

[Henry Winkler]

I swear to God.

[Pete Holmes]

Really?

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

See, this is the sensitivity. This is why you're funny, is what we say.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, I don't know, but it is the same level as passing gas.

[Pete Holmes]

A growl.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You'd just as soon cut a thick one, then have a little cut anything. Yeah, you don't want any noises.

[Henry Winkler]

The only thing I want to cut is like bread.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. I got a nice low baguette.

[Henry Winkler]

Hello.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you watching Great British Bake Off? It's not so good. You gotta watch it. It's on Netflix. You gotta watch it. We watch them make baguettes and then they're so nice to each other.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, I'm the eater.

[Pete Holmes]

You love eating a good break.

[Henry Winkler]

You bake it. You watch it. Yeah, I'll eat it.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that. Is that a good source of joy in your life?

[Henry Winkler]

A baguette.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Fresh.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And then French butter.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Brie.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And thinly sliced ham.

[Pete Holmes]

This is it. Oh, Val's having a fit. She's sweating.

[Henry Winkler]

Come on.

[Pete Holmes]

There are some joys hidden in food.

[Henry Winkler]

Do you want. Do you want a gift?

[Pete Holmes]

Sure.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. The burger joint on 57th street in New York City.

[Pete Holmes]

Unbelievable.

[Henry Winkler]

Sixth and seventh in the lobby. Are you writing this down?

[Pete Holmes]

We're recording.

[Henry Winkler]

Parker Meridian Hotel is amazing. We, Stacy and I get a burger there every time. Many times when we are in New York.

[Pete Holmes]

Go out of your way, go to.

[Henry Winkler]

The theater, walk back to the hotel. 11 o' clock at night. Because it closes either at 11 or 11:30.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

And we have a burger and know we're going to pay for it. In the middle of the night.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Having a burger that late is not a great idea for you. With extra cheese and pickles gastrointestinally.

[Pete Holmes]

And you were telling me how you.

[Henry Winkler]

Know, I'm a devotee of Alka Seltzer.

[Pete Holmes]

You love an Alka Seltzer. Why not just drink a fizzy water?

[Henry Winkler]

Is that the same Thing.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, I'm asking.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't. I don't trust it. It and Al Ga Seltzer, always.

[Pete Holmes]

You like the flop? Plop, fizz, fizz.

[Henry Winkler]

I do.

[Pete Holmes]

You're.

[Henry Winkler]

You're. And you know that little guy.

[Pete Holmes]

I remember the guys. You have that guy.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, that little guy.

[Pete Holmes]

This is how much you love him.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I have the Pepto Bismol. Diarrhea people in my bathroom.

[Henry Winkler]

My little Sadie, our new puppy has to take Pepido Bismol half a pill twice a day.

[Pete Holmes]

Val's been giving our dog a little diarrhea medicine, and it is making the poop so hard and nice. It's a pleasure.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I pick them up with pleasure.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, I shake, but not. Not bare handed.

[Pete Holmes]

Not bare handed, but I could. Honestly, they're dry. They're nice.

[Henry Winkler]

What kind of puppy?

[Pete Holmes]

He's a golden mix. Oh, yeah, he's. He's amazing. How old? He's four.

[Henry Winkler]

So he just got out of the puppy stage?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, he's kind of maturing. He's smoking a pipe now he's sitting in his easy chair. You love pups. You're a pup guy. Katie said she was here before and that you had a Great Dane.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, you know what it is? Stacy brought home eight years ago a little Labrador retriever. He was four months old. We could tell by the teeth. And the vet.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, the vet could tell by the teeth, but we could tell by the vet.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, I could tell once I looked at the teeth. After I heard it from the vet.

[Pete Holmes]

The vet told us to look at the teeth.

[Henry Winkler]

And I did. Did. And then we KNEW he was 4 months old.

[Pete Holmes]

So.

[Henry Winkler]

He.

[Pete Holmes]

He.

[Henry Winkler]

It didn't take long, but Linus grew into a Great Dane. I'm not kidding. He was a. A Labrador Great Dane mix.

[Pete Holmes]

No way. I thought you were joking. Like one of those dinosaurs you put in water and it expands 15 times.

[Henry Winkler]

That's our dog.

[Pete Holmes]

That's your dog. Is he slimy like those?

[Henry Winkler]

We put him in the tub and that was it.

[Pete Holmes]

And now you have a horse display.

[Henry Winkler]

So much water, we changed the rug.

[Pete Holmes]

You know the science of it. What fun. Tell me more about Johnny Ritter.

[Henry Winkler]

John Ritter. John Ritter carried a black bag with him. And in that black bag were several newspapers, novels at different levels of having been read. Read. He was reading his change. He had enough change in his black bag to pay his mortgage, and he carried it everywhere because he never wanted to be without reading material.

[Pete Holmes]

He loved having reading stuff.

[Henry Winkler]

He loved it.

[Pete Holmes]

Do you think he would have been a great iPhone addict? Like he loved just having things to look at or he loved reading.

[Henry Winkler]

He loved.

[Pete Holmes]

Hard to know.

[Henry Winkler]

It's hard to know.

[Pete Holmes]

But he was reading all different.

[Henry Winkler]

He was a great dad. His son Jason and. And his son Tyler were both wonderful actors.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I saw Tyler when we did our Broadway play together. On Broadway?

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

From Neil Simon, the Dinner Party.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

We went to see Jason at the Atlantic Theater downtown when he was at nyu, and we saw him with Mary Steenburgen on stage.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow. What fun.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

But you were in a play with Johnny Ritter. I was a Neil Simon play.

[Henry Winkler]

And Len Carry you fun. Jan Maxwell, bless her soul, she just passed away.

[Pete Holmes]

I was gonna say fun again.

[Henry Winkler]

And Penny Fuller, but that's not a thing to say. Well, it was a comedy.

[Pete Holmes]

How did you meet John?

[Henry Winkler]

I met John sitting behind me. He. We were at tables at the 25th anniversary for ABC and I moved my chair, bumped into him, and he went, oh. And I turned around and I said, oh, I'm so sorry. Hey, you're. I just saw you in your commercial for your new show that is about to air.

[Pete Holmes]

Three's Company.

[Henry Winkler]

Three's Company.

[Pete Holmes]

Get out.

[Henry Winkler]

And just the way you fall out of frame. I know. You are incredible.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, he was so.

[Henry Winkler]

He fell out of frame and, you know, killer tone feeling the way you do something.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I knew that he was special.

[Pete Holmes]

I just realized that I. I'm a Steve Martin fan.

[Henry Winkler]

I love Steve.

[Pete Holmes]

And I bought the Steve Martin box set and there's a video of a special he taped here in LA at.

[Henry Winkler]

The Greek Theater, the Greek freak. And he asked me, you're just walk on stage.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, that's a different one. Oh, there's two then.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh.

[Pete Holmes]

Because there's one that he's taping in an indoor space.

[Henry Winkler]

That was the Troubadour.

[Pete Holmes]

Troubadour.

[Henry Winkler]

And I was in the audience.

[Pete Holmes]

And you're in the special.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Because he addresses you and you, like, stand up and wave and stuff.

[Henry Winkler]

I didn't know that.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if you stand up and wave, but you're on camera. You're there. You're in full Fawn's face. Like, you look like Fawn. Could.

[Henry Winkler]

I need to. This is the box set.

[Pete Holmes]

It's the. Called. If you go on Amazon and you type in, like, the full. The complete Steve Martin box set. It's on the. There's only a couple.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm so thrilled. I don't know what to do.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that fun?

[Henry Winkler]

Because he was one of the funniest people and you saw he is.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

At the. In the whole universe.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Henry Winkler]

And then.

[Pete Holmes]

But this is Prime Steve. I'm saying this as a huge Steve Martin fan.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That was Prime Steve. I'm not saying he's not. He's not as.

[Henry Winkler]

No, no, no. Prime Steve. I'm Prime. I understand what you. He's.

[Pete Holmes]

He's more like a artist.

[Henry Winkler]

Prime.

[Pete Holmes]

Back then, he was like a club.

[Henry Winkler]

I like the club. All other Steves better.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

So it doesn't. I don't care that he's not as whatever.

[Pete Holmes]

As silly as whatever.

[Henry Winkler]

Prime Steve was so gigantic.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

That. That is my. Will always be my memory.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, me too.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

When I say I love Steve Martin, I mean this Steve. Knowing that Prime Steve is in there.

[Henry Winkler]

I understand.

[Pete Holmes]

You know what I mean? There's.

[Henry Winkler]

My grandson is going to have a swimming lesson today.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right?

[Henry Winkler]

Swim teacher is here. I'm so excited. I don't know what to do.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. And you just found out you're going.

[Henry Winkler]

To meet my grandson.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my jeez.

[Henry Winkler]

Maybe two of them. No, the other one is at school. So you're going to meet jewel schools. He's three years old.

[Pete Holmes]

My goodness.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, you have until 11:30. Is that right?

[Henry Winkler]

I do.

[Pete Holmes]

So I wanna. We always. It's so.

[Henry Winkler]

Wait a minute. What I was gonna say was I was in the. The video of King Tut.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right?

[Henry Winkler]

Cut. Two years later, I produced Ron Howard's Evening for Cinema Tech when he was the man of the Year.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Henry Winkler]

And I called up and. And I was. So this is a prime example. I had no confidence. First of all, I didn't think I could reach these people. Second of all, I didn't think they would say yes. And they all said yes. Now, of course, it was for Ron.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

And Steve Martin came to help roast.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, I don't know about that Ron thing. I said yes to keep it.

[Henry Winkler]

Ron Howard.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, Yeah, I know, but I bet they love you is what I. I'm saying.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, but I didn't know that was even possible.

[Pete Holmes]

This is the Jet Apatow syndrome all over again.

[Henry Winkler]

Right. Except that's really true.

[Pete Holmes]

But it. I could talk about all the Steve Martin stuff, but I would be remiss.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, go.

[Pete Holmes]

We always talk about the meaning of life.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

I know you were raised.

[Henry Winkler]

You mean on this podcast?

[Pete Holmes]

On this podcast.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

I like to think that if people tune in, they know at least in the last 30 minutes, even if we don't spend long on it.

[Henry Winkler]

It.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm going to ask you, what is it? What is. What's going on here?

[Henry Winkler]

What is life in my house?

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, yeah. No, no, no.

[Henry Winkler]

You mean in the world? In. In.

[Pete Holmes]

Not even in the world. He's like we're on a ball floating in space. We have consciousness. Okay, animals, then.

[Henry Winkler]

Here it is.

[Pete Holmes]

Where is it coming from?

[Henry Winkler]

Where's it going? This is the first thought that comes to my mind.

[Pete Holmes]

That's all I want.

[Henry Winkler]

I now know we only have a certain amount of time in this body, in this energy, on this globe. If that is true, your job, which is the granddaddy of all jobs as a human being, is to get out of your own way. If you get out of your own neuroses, your eyes will be open to all the possibilities of what you want to do and can do. If you are not, if you are in your own way, if your craziness overtakes your consciousness and is the primary of your consciousness, you will be ineffective as a human being, as in everything. As in everything.

[Pete Holmes]

So moving that drama aside, moving your.

[Henry Winkler]

Own personal neuroses aside will give you the power to. Not a powder, not a pill, not a mantra. It will give you the power to see and then do. And I'm not talking about helping other people. I'm talking about seeing and doing what it is you get to see and do because you have removed it from your consciousness.

[Pete Holmes]

You've seen, you've been quiet enough. We've gotten quiet enough to see your path and then take it.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. And if you don't know what to do, be very quiet and you will. Eventually it will percolate right to the top. But if you don't get out of your own way, none of that will happen.

[Pete Holmes]

But cultivating silence, that's interesting. We think the answer is more to maybe more talking, more this, more that. And talking can help us get to a quiet place. Certainly, therapy is a wonderful tool.

[Henry Winkler]

When I arrived here, I rented an apartment around the corner from Greenblatts Delicatessen. I rented a television and I rented a record player, and I. I bought my first pair of speakers. And in that small apartment, I would listen to my records, my vinyl. Put my feet up on the coffee table, put my head back and just be. And out of that came answers like I was the Magic 8 Ball. And out of the black ooze of that inky water came the. The. The. The octagon. And the answer just would come up. Now, it didn't happen every time. It would take me several times to work on the same problem, but the quiet.

[Pete Holmes]

But you'd made Time to do nothing.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes. And the. And the making quiet. Time to do nothing was everything.

[Pete Holmes]

Hey, Henry. Fucking A. It's so beautiful. I can't. I can't improve it or touch it. It reminds me. Alan Watts, the Zen Buddhist, talks about if you have a lake that's filled with too much sediment, it's being stirred around too much. All you have to do is be still and all the sediment falls down, we'll drop to the bottom, and it's this natural.

[Henry Winkler]

I wish I had thought of that.

[Pete Holmes]

But you just said it. Even. That's why I said I can't even improve on it with another quote. When you talk about consciousness and energy, do you think this is your only time around? Do you think we're playing a bigger role?

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, do you know? I don't know. I think about reincarnation.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know if it exists. I hope it exists. And I have this such a clear, clear idea that I don't want to come back as a caterpillar. I do not want to come back overweight. I want to come back as Bruce.

[Pete Holmes]

Springsteen and do Bruce.

[Henry Winkler]

Either that or have the ability to take that many people on a journey, an emotional journey, because I can sing.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that one of the records you would listen to?

[Henry Winkler]

Yes, I would listen to Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Judy Collins near Fogelberg. Dan Fogelberg.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. I've been to Dan Fogelberg concerts because my dad loves Dan, which sounds like a stinky never did. Yeah, I got to see him. What is his hit?

[Henry Winkler]

Huh?

[Pete Holmes]

What is his.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know.

[Pete Holmes]

He had a hit. I forget what it was.

[Henry Winkler]

All I can tell you. Souvenirs, maybe. But all I can tell you is that he died too soon.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And he had one of the greatest voices of all time.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I would like to meet a dad. Adele.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, we can make that happen.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm just kidding.

[Henry Winkler]

Do you ever. Do you ever do your podcast with her?

[Pete Holmes]

I mean, I would do Adele. I have Adele on. Yeah, for sure. Let me ask you this, because we're running out of time. Have you had any experiences that were unexplainable?

[Henry Winkler]

So many I can't tell you.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, I know. Isn't that funny?

[Henry Winkler]

When I was 14 years old, I. My wife and I went to the Broadway play with John Melvaney and. How old? No. My wife and I went to the Broadway play hello. Right. Was hello on Broadway.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, hello.

[Henry Winkler]

With Nick Kroll. John.

[Pete Holmes]

Yep.

[Henry Winkler]

And I told this story when I was 14 years old in Sheep's Meadow. Sheep's Head Meadow. In. In. I wouldn't.

[Pete Holmes]

Sheep.

[Henry Winkler]

No. The. The meadow in. In New York City. In Central Park.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

The big meadow.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Where they had the concerts.

[Pete Holmes]

Yep.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. We played soccer there. When I went to McBurney School for Boys, I went to the. The carousel there. You know, the beautiful carousel in the middle. I lost an identification bracelet that I loved that was very cool at the time. Silver or gold links, A big silver band with your name on it.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

You hung it on your wrist. It kind of hung down over your. You know, down off your wrist. Very, very important. In 1958.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. Wow. Okay.

[Henry Winkler]

Fell off my wrist in the middle of the meadow.

[Pete Holmes]

It's a huge park for those that aren't familiar.

[Henry Winkler]

Grassy area.

[Pete Holmes]

It's gigantic.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

This is daunting. Needle in a haystack.

[Henry Winkler]

Right. I only notice it as I got to the edge of the meadow, and I'm going to cross across Central Park West. The. The street. I walk back into the meadow, and I stop, and I look up and I talk to God, and I said, God, I need your help. I've lost this. I got it for my bar mitzvah. I love it. It makes me cool.

[Pete Holmes]

My bar mitzvah. You were there. You were there. Hello. I did that for you. Could you help?

[Henry Winkler]

You know what's interesting? When I'm in temple, I knock on the chair in front of me, because I figure so many Jews during the high holiday are trying to get his attention. Attention. I'd like him to pay just a minute to me.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

So I. I'm here. I'm over here. If you could just.

[Pete Holmes]

Can I. Yeah, that's.

[Henry Winkler]

A second, please.

[Pete Holmes]

You knock.

[Henry Winkler]

Thank you. Gee, God, you would. You should trim your beard. But, hey, don't let me.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, we can also see the nose hairs at this angle.

[Henry Winkler]

Walking across the meadow. I say to God, please, I need your help. And I'm telling you, I walk in a straight line. This is a different straight line than I had walked to get to the street.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I realized it was gone.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. You're not even retracing your steps.

[Henry Winkler]

In the completely logical meadow, I found in the grass, my identification bracelet.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't even doubt that it's connected it to the.

[Pete Holmes]

You feel it.

[Henry Winkler]

Of talking to God.

[Pete Holmes]

Interesting.

[Henry Winkler]

I also believe if there are extraterrestrial beings, they're going to land somewhere in my vicinity. I have this feeling. I can't. It. It's not like a wish. It's not like a will. It's not like a. Oh, wouldn't it be. Be great. And they're going to be friendly.

[Pete Holmes]

You just have that feeling.

[Henry Winkler]

I know it. Like, I know my name is Henry and I know that Jeb's name is Jeb.

[Pete Holmes]

And how do you envision that happening? I'm.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm. I don't have. I don't have a clue.

[Pete Holmes]

We don't know the craft. There's no fantasy. There's no visualization.

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

Some friendly aliens are looking out.

[Henry Winkler]

If there is extraterrestrial and they do come down to Earth. Earth. I will be wherever they are landing. And they will be friendly. Whatever they look like. Whatever.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. Well, you're famous everywhere. You know tv.

[Henry Winkler]

My children's books.

[Pete Holmes]

TV ways are. We didn't even talk about your author.

[Henry Winkler]

No, I really do. In. In January, the very last Hank Zipser is going to come out. It will be what is 17 and 12?

[Pete Holmes]

29.

[Henry Winkler]

It will be the 29th Hank zipper book.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Then the. The 29th Hank zip.

[Pete Holmes]

Wow.

[Henry Winkler]

And that will be the end of Hank Zipser.

[Pete Holmes]

No more Hank Zipser. No. You're doing to Hank what you hope Bill won't do to you. But you're giving them 29 seasons.

[Henry Winkler]

I gave him 29.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. That's enough.

[Henry Winkler]

If Bill wants to kill me off in the 15th season, I'm all for it. Bill, if you're listening, you've got 15 really good seasons in me. I'm all yours. I'm not kidding.

[Pete Holmes]

That's hilarious.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not shopping around. I will not look elsewhere.

[Pete Holmes]

You early decision. Boom to bury.

[Henry Winkler]

You got 15 good ones.

[Pete Holmes]

So we believe in something benevolent that might be listening.

[Henry Winkler]

You know what? I think he might be like a genius, Bill. Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Interesting. I think you mean watching him up close.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. Watching him and Alec together as a team is like you're watching some kind of other level.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

I've worked with Gary Marshall, Adam Sandler, Mitch Hurwitz.

[Pete Holmes]

I love Mitch Hurts. Oh, I was gonna do a Mitch Hurts impression, but I couldn't think of his voice.

[Henry Winkler]

Just say this.

[Pete Holmes]

It'll be speaking of a guy who gives it that he doesn't give it to me. Oh, really?

[Henry Winkler]

No.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, wow.

[Henry Winkler]

I call him and it's been years now waiting for him to call me.

[Pete Holmes]

No.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't like this.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, he's lovely to me on the set. I.

[Pete Holmes]

It's got likes.

[Henry Winkler]

My son is my son's mentor. We watch Will not return.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm gonna build a different. He just. It's just gotta be an oversight. You called him once.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, let Me say no.

[Pete Holmes]

You called him a couple times. Oh, he's not returning Henry Winkler's calls.

[Henry Winkler]

Honest to God.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't like it.

[Henry Winkler]

I went to. You know. Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

I don't. I find that so interesting. You're a treasure.

[Henry Winkler]

And he writes such wonderful.

[Pete Holmes]

And he's so sweet. He obviously loves you. Something's going on.

[Henry Winkler]

I love him.

[Pete Holmes]

I know you do.

[Henry Winkler]

He will not return my fella. Yeah. No.

[Pete Holmes]

Interesting.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, they're bringing arrested back, aren't they?

[Henry Winkler]

I mean, it has. The part of the season has already been on.

[Pete Holmes]

Yep.

[Henry Winkler]

And the next part is coming on.

[Pete Holmes]

So you'll get more love.

[Henry Winkler]

Margo. Little Margo, who I had a lunch with yesterday. And Jules, my grandson we had. Is walking to get her swimming lesson right now.

[Pete Holmes]

Your backyard. Looks like I'm having a weird moment of deja vu where I had a dream about your backyard.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. I have a. Ten years ago, a hummingbird feeder up for years. I cleaned it out just a while ago, hung it back up. I have never seen a damn hummingbird come to that feeder.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so funny.

[Henry Winkler]

And I said far enough away that they would disturb it.

[Pete Holmes]

Yep. Here's a pro tip.

[Henry Winkler]

Tell me.

[Pete Holmes]

Get out that iPhone, swipe left till you get to slow mo. You see yourself a hummingbird, shoot some slow mo video of it.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm gonna.

[Pete Holmes]

And you're gonna melt.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm gonna.

[Pete Holmes]

You're gonna melt.

[Henry Winkler]

We were. We did a great show called Better Late than Never where I traveled the world with William Shatner, George Foreman, Terry Bradshaw and Jeff Dye, a stand up comedian. Sounds like a fever dream for two seasons. One was Asia and one was Europe.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, wow.

[Henry Winkler]

And we were in Hong Kong. And the window of my hotel room was the entire wall and the harbor, the canal, the whatever it was. The river was right in front of us. And I put my iPhone on time lapse.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And shot. Let it sit there for a while. And shot the waterway.

[Pete Holmes]

Was it amazing?

[Henry Winkler]

Amazing.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that crazy?

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know why I brought that up.

[Pete Holmes]

Because I mentioned the slo mo.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Let me ask you this. Why do you think aliens are gonna come? Where do you get that feeling?

[Henry Winkler]

No, you know what? Now I have feelings. So I don't know. I say I wanted to be an actor since I was 7. I don't know how it got into.

[Pete Holmes]

My body or my mind, which is a certainty bone.

[Henry Winkler]

It's, it's. It comes. It's just certain.

[Pete Holmes]

What about God? What do you do? You. You go to temple now?

[Henry Winkler]

Rarely.

[Pete Holmes]

You go for the big ones, the.

[Henry Winkler]

First day of filming, Barry is Rosh Hashanah. Oh, wow. So guess who's not gone.

[Pete Holmes]

That's not a. That's not very considerate.

[Henry Winkler]

It's weird, isn't it?

[Pete Holmes]

Rosh Hashanah is pretty agreed upon in show business.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, well, you know. What was his name? The famous pitcher for the Dodgers. Oh my God. He was. What's his name?

[Pete Holmes]

Ty Cobb. No.

[Henry Winkler]

Years later. Sandy Koufax.

[Pete Holmes]

There's a Jewish name.

[Henry Winkler]

Thank you. Would not go to work on my holiday.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, that makes perfect sense to me.

[Henry Winkler]

Not pitch.

[Pete Holmes]

Do we believe this stuff or don't we, guys? I do. Yeah. So you do believe it?

[Henry Winkler]

I believe him.

[Pete Holmes]

You love. In the Jewish God?

[Henry Winkler]

I love God. I don't know how different God is anywhere. I love that. I think. What a great way to put it. You know, when you. When you read teachings from great teachers. No matter what AD bc Everybody says the same thing.

[Pete Holmes]

It's all from the truth tree. They're all picking the fruit from the truth tree country.

[Henry Winkler]

It's all the same. It's maybe a little different here, a little different there.

[Pete Holmes]

Right.

[Henry Winkler]

Maybe it looks more green than it is chartreuse. It's all the same.

[Pete Holmes]

Right. It's very interesting to me, the idea of. Take the Jewish idea. God is one. What is it? What does that mean?

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know.

[Pete Holmes]

I believe it means the Lord.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm dyslexic, remember? I couldn't learn English.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. But Hebrew is backwards.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm watching a phenomenal TV show now called Prisoners of War, which was the original Homeland. Uhhuh. And it has subtitles which I can't read that quickly.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And I'm listening to the Hebrew, which they're. Because they're in Israel.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

The only word I could figure out now in two seasons is Ken, which means.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes, there you go.

[Henry Winkler]

Ken, Ken, Ken.

[Pete Holmes]

No Bokotov.

[Henry Winkler]

Nothing. I understand nothing.

[Pete Holmes]

Shalom. No shalom. Hello. Well, it's. It's wartime. There's no shalom.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, look who's coming here. Here is the three legged. Wait a minute. Just. Can you just bring him over for a little bit? Can you come say hello?

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my goodness.

[Henry Winkler]

Hello.

[Pete Holmes]

Do not. What?

[Henry Winkler]

Do not put your hand out.

[Pete Holmes]

That's an important piece of info.

[Henry Winkler]

Sweetie, say hi. Sit down, Sit down. It's okay. Yeah. Do not. This is Hamlet, my son's dog. Who. He left him here for three months. Okay. Thank you. And he's only got three legs.

[Pete Holmes]

To pee or not to pee.

[Henry Winkler]

Well, he never Pees in the house.

[Pete Holmes]

Good for him.

[Henry Winkler]

So that's about it.

[Pete Holmes]

Let's.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm in his pack. Stacy is in his pack. So we're okay.

[Pete Holmes]

So what would have happened if I put my hand out a little?

[Henry Winkler]

You might have been bitten.

[Pete Holmes]

Really?

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not kidding.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, could have used a little more urgency on that warning. Let's ask you this. Let's ask you this, Henry, in respect for your time and your beautiful life with Margo and the swimming lesson and all this.

[Henry Winkler]

And maybe Jules.

[Pete Holmes]

And maybe Jules. We can't be sure about Jules.

[Henry Winkler]

Is Jules coming? He's outside.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh my God. See, you're out of your own way and you can taste a peach. This is what we've learned. Be quiet. Put on some records. Be yourself. Yeah, get that neuroses out of the way. And you can see how beautiful your instinct. And listen to your instinct.

[Henry Winkler]

It is one of the most important things I will ever tell anybody. And I tell anybody.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Who listens?

[Pete Holmes]

And here we are.

[Henry Winkler]

Listen to your tummy. Your head only knows some things. Your tummy knows everything.

[Pete Holmes]

Look at you.

[Henry Winkler]

You are a treasure.

[Pete Holmes]

Well, they should hand out Golden Henry Winklers at the Oscars.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, I'd like no, but you know, I. You know, I'm so proud to be in the category of best supporting actor. And I think all the other actors are just so talented. And that really works all the way until your tush hits the seat at the Emmys at which time you want to win.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so funny.

[Henry Winkler]

And like you don't even remember who's in your cabinet.

[Pete Holmes]

Can I tell you something else that this town does? I didn't care or notice that my show didn't get any Emmy nominations. But we have to paste these billboards, these self serving billboards. Hear them? If they were for me, I'd love it. But you see, not just that they were, but how many. Yes, I can tell you the number of Ms. Maisel, of Barry, of Westworld, of all these things.

[Henry Winkler]

And you're just like for your Emmy consideration.

[Pete Holmes]

It just makes you like I went from.

[Henry Winkler]

I don't think you were enough for Barry.

[Pete Holmes]

That's so fun.

[Henry Winkler]

But go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Pete Holmes]

No, it's okay. You derailed my bitterness and I don't want to be bitter. That's real. I don't want to spend any time in that.

[Henry Winkler]

But let me ask you a question. Is the show still on?

[Pete Holmes]

Yes, it does.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay. Do you get to go to work?

[Pete Holmes]

I sure do.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

No, I get it.

[Henry Winkler]

After everything is Said and done.

[Pete Holmes]

But that's what I'm saying is they're imposing a neuroses on me that I didn't ask.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, I got. You know what I mean?

[Pete Holmes]

I like my life. I'm actually not. Not fiercely competitive in that way. I don't like accolades, but when I drive to work every day, it keeps going. Like it's. It's begging me.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. To succumb to it.

[Pete Holmes]

Now we're almost out of accolades. I know you like gifts and you like. I wish I brought you a gift.

[Henry Winkler]

No, I don't care about that. Give me an accolade, I'll give you an accent. Yeah, that's better than a gift.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm gonna give you an accident. I'm gonna text you a video of Judd professing his love for you. That's what. That'll be my gift to you. And I'm gonna. It'll be a couple hours, but his.

[Henry Winkler]

Wife is so warm. And his wife's sister is a costume designer that I worked with twice.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that fun?

[Henry Winkler]

Never forget.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. You're just a magic fun time. We're all just in your bubble.

[Henry Winkler]

Thank you.

[Pete Holmes]

It's a great thing to be.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm loving that you're all in my house.

[Pete Holmes]

We love being here. Valerie, she's. Well, she shines like the sun all the time.

[Henry Winkler]

And she also has the glow.

[Pete Holmes]

She's got the glow.

[Henry Winkler]

Magnificence.

[Pete Holmes]

Yes.

[Henry Winkler]

Of a pregnant woman.

[Pete Holmes]

She does. I get a sunburn waiting to. This woman Val and I met at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco.

[Henry Winkler]

You're a comedian?

[Pete Holmes]

No, no.

[Valerie]

I went to Pete's show. I was kind of a fan, which is a little.

[Pete Holmes]

We like to downplay our fan.

[Henry Winkler]

Where did you first see him?

[Valerie]

Well, I became familiar with his podcast first.

[Henry Winkler]

With this podcast. Yes. So how long have you been married?

[Pete Holmes]

Married?

[Valerie]

We've been married almost a year.

[Henry Winkler]

This is new.

[Valerie]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

The way you are together, I honestly thought that you have been married for at least seven years. Oh, wow.

[Valerie]

We've been married. I mean, we've been together almost six years.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah. And we've lived together.

[Henry Winkler]

So how long have you been doing a podcast?

[Pete Holmes]

Four years. Boy. How long? How long has it been? 2011. Seven years.

[Henry Winkler]

Six years. Wow.

[Pete Holmes]

This is episode, like 400 something, right?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

That's crazy.

[Henry Winkler]

You didn't ask me in the beginning. I didn't think. No, no. Hey, I don't care.

[Pete Holmes]

I am not.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm just so happy to be alive.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm no Mitch Hurwitz. Hey, let me ask you this.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you alive?

[Henry Winkler]

I am.

[Pete Holmes]

Do you get to go to work?

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you in your house?

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

Is there a swim lesson?

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Are you gonna have a cake later?

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, my God. And Jules is sitting out there.

[Pete Holmes]

Jules is out there? Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

And. And he's going to say to the swim teacher. Okay, okay. Okay. Today I'm not going underwater.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. Boundaries.

[Henry Winkler]

Boundaries.

[Pete Holmes]

Good for you. You don't have to go underwater.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

You feel like a. A free man.

[Henry Winkler]

You know what?

[Pete Holmes]

He's a free man.

[Henry Winkler]

For a long time, I spent my life underwater. Water.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. I was trying. I saw my life as a cylinder of stainless steel with no handholds, no footholds. And I kept trying to pull myself up like a tree frog trying to stick to the side, pull myself up to the sun, and I would slip back into the bottom. And now I'm out of the cylinder.

[Pete Holmes]

And you're so happy.

[Henry Winkler]

I am so happy. So happy.

[Pete Holmes]

Besides the things we talked about. What?

[Henry Winkler]

Why did it take me so damn long?

[Pete Holmes]

Well, what did. What did take so long?

[Henry Winkler]

I don't know, but I resent.

[Pete Holmes]

Was it therapy?

[Henry Winkler]

Therapy is helpful. But I. I pulled myself out before therapy.

[Pete Holmes]

Is that right? By listening to records?

[Henry Winkler]

By listening. By wanting. By drive. Needing to be out of that cylinder, I needed to figure out how to climb out of that.

[Pete Holmes]

Having a goal and following your gut.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

This feels good.

[Henry Winkler]

If you don't know what you want without ambivalence, it is painful.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right.

[Henry Winkler]

If you're sitting around adrift and you're rudderless and you don't know what it is you want, it is psychically painful.

[Pete Holmes]

I agree.

[Henry Winkler]

Whoa.

[Pete Holmes]

I did two stand up sets last night. I always get off stage. I always say this to Valerie. We've been talking. I've been calling my anxiety. I'll go like there's a bee in my belly. I just feel nervous. Yeah. Then I do stand up and I feel better.

[Henry Winkler]

Right?

[Pete Holmes]

And I'm like, it's. And then Val tells me she goes and dances. She has these, like, dance classes that she goes to. It's exercise, but it's also sisterhood. And it's primal. And they listen to Beyonce and Adele and.

[Henry Winkler]

Yes.

[Pete Holmes]

And Sia really loud. And they fucking grind it out.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

And she comes home and she's like, oh, my God. Because she was watching me and the relief I got from knowing what my calling was. Communicating, laughing, entertaining, creating. And she comes home from dancing and she's like, I found my thing. And it was. It was a real mitzvah. I'm not saying that because you're Jewish. I'm saying it because it's a mitzvah. I was like, you found your thing. You get off on connection, on love, on rhythm. It's everything.

[Henry Winkler]

Did you dance people before this class?

[Valerie]

A little bit, but not. Not very much. And this is like. It's. It's the dancing, but it's also the community and the friends. And actually, interestingly, my close friends and I all teach this class and we did a special Sia like event where we were doing a class where we're only listening to Sia. And then we went. My friend went to get coffee next door, came back and said, sia's next door. While we were rehearsing for this, like, you.

[Henry Winkler]

You conjured her up.

[Valerie]

We conjured her up.

[Pete Holmes]

You put out a beacon for Sia.

[Valerie]

We did. And we all went over and talked to her. And she. And she was lovely. And so Sia is magical. She will appear when you need her the most.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, wow.

[Henry Winkler]

So let me ask you. Can I just ask you a question?

[Pete Holmes]

What?

[Henry Winkler]

Did you have a profession before you? What was your profession?

[Valerie]

I was teaching middle school. Oh, yeah? English. Well, it was remedial math or reading.

[Henry Winkler]

I should have been in your class.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, you would have had a little Henry in your class.

[Henry Winkler]

Where did you teach this?

[Valerie]

I taught this in Northern California.

[Henry Winkler]

Wow.

[Valerie]

Humboldt County.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, yeah.

[Valerie]

And. And now I still. I still teach in different ways. I work with an organization that does workshops for girls and great camps and stuff.

[Henry Winkler]

Isn't that lovely?

[Valerie]

Yeah, I love it.

[Pete Holmes]

Called Real Girl in the class. What's your class called now? The dance class.

[Valerie]

Oh, Yoga Booty Ballet.

[Pete Holmes]

It's still called Yoga Booty Ballet. They joke that it's the worst name for the best thing.

[Henry Winkler]

Oh, but it's a great name.

[Pete Holmes]

It's a funny.

[Henry Winkler]

It's a fun name to hear.

[Pete Holmes]

I like it too. It sounds like a candy.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

Yoga Booty Ballet.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

It's like a gummy candy.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah. But what it does is it just. It takes all of these, you know, the stodginess out of it.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah, I agree. It can't be called, like, flex or something like that. What is your. Do you have a vice? When she said Humboldt, I thought of weed, and then I was like, what is Henry? Because you seem so clear and happy.

[Henry Winkler]

My vice are cigars, which I only smoke when I'm flying. Live fishing.

[Pete Holmes]

You son of a.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

I just can't. Yeah, I love that so much. That. Ugh.

[Henry Winkler]

Thanks.

[Pete Holmes]

Get out of my. Get into my life.

[Henry Winkler]

But can I just say that I have thoroughly. I mean, this might be one of the greatest interviews of my career.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my goodness, what an honor.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not kidding. And I've been interviewed a lot since 1975.

[Pete Holmes]

Oh, my God. That is. That is a. You've given me an accolade.

[Henry Winkler]

I love this.

[Pete Holmes]

Thank you. I really appreciate that.

[Henry Winkler]

I really did.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm so glad. We have one last question.

[Henry Winkler]

Okay, I'm going to hear it.

[Pete Holmes]

They'd be mad if I didn't ask.

[Henry Winkler]

No, please go.

[Pete Holmes]

Can you think of a time you laughed really, really hard. It doesn't have to be a great story.

[Henry Winkler]

You know, one of them was I. My wife and I, we lived in Studio City on Ventura Boulevard. And there is now a bookstore there, right At Laurel Canyon. There's a bookstore now a little further down, a little west of Laurel Canyon. But in that movie theater, we saw two films, French films. One was called the Goat and one was called Le Compare with Gerard Depad and the. The guy who was in the Tall man with the Curly hair and the Brown shoe. Whatever that actor was. Okay. But those two movies were so funny, and they were made by Francis Weber and they were made into American films that were not funny.

[Pete Holmes]

Lost in Translation.

[Henry Winkler]

And I then eventually met Girard de Padu by mistake or in a. In a lounge in France. And I took the glass he was drinking and I put it in a plastic bag and I kept it. Wow. And then my. My wife shamed me and I threw it out. That's hilarious, because it was just another thing.

[Pete Holmes]

And had we. That cup up. We can clone him and you could show it to me. We could frame him for various crimes. That is so funny. Well, I'm glad we see. It's a good question to close on. And we talk about the meaning of life. So let's not get too heady like yoga booty, ballet.

[Henry Winkler]

But thank you for coming and have the most wonderful baby.

[Pete Holmes]

I really appreciate it. Henry. Any day.

[Henry Winkler]

Two weeks.

[Valerie]

That's the due date.

[Pete Holmes]

Is okay.

[Henry Winkler]

So it could be a Leo. It could be a Virgo. Virgo.

[Valerie]

I know. She's cussed.

[Henry Winkler]

And what are you? I am a Scorpio.

[Pete Holmes]

Do Scorpios get. I'm an Aries or the.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah, we get along really well. You can see that's what I mean. I've never really met you before.

[Pete Holmes]

Isn't that fun?

[Henry Winkler]

And this was great, huh?

[Pete Holmes]

I had such a.

[Henry Winkler]

Have we met before?

[Pete Holmes]

We've never met before. See, here we are.

[Henry Winkler]

I'm not embarrassed.

[Pete Holmes]

Thank you for having it. I that's. That's a good lesson too. If you don't understand something, ask.

[Henry Winkler]

Yeah.

[Pete Holmes]

What does that mean really? What the is wrong with but like what is wrong with people that they're.

[Henry Winkler]

Embarrassed to be like this conversation never have happened.

[Pete Holmes]

Yeah.

[Henry Winkler]

If you were another person.

[Pete Holmes]

That's right. You know, and letting it be what it is with us is.

[Henry Winkler]

But also smart and just being in tune.

[Pete Holmes]

I appreciate that very, very much.

[Henry Winkler]

That's what I see.

[Pete Holmes]

I really appreciate it. Okay, we end with the guest saying. We'll say it again.

[Henry Winkler]

Give my best to your dad.

[Pete Holmes]

I will. Oh, my God. He. We have the guests say keep it crispy. That's how we end. It's just silly.

[Henry Winkler]

Keep it crispy.

[Pete Holmes]

Good line. Ready made. Thank you, Henry. Thank you so much.

[Henry Winkler]

That's a great line. My G900 shoes. 8:50. I'm so crispy.

[Pete Holmes]

I'm so crispy.

[Henry Winkler]

My ice game making haters want to get me.