THE VALLEY PREMIERE! + RHORI/RHOBH & Interview with Clay Elder!

Sporkel, I'm definitely getting my sparkle back. Hello everyone. Welcome to Everything I Connick with me, Danny Poegreano. That was a clip. From the season premiere of The Valley, I am excited to dive into The Valley.

And just opening on the Jackson's bar sign coming down, it made me feel good. It made me feel like we're on the right path. And I'm not only just excited to see Britney Gooder sparkle back, but I got to see something controversial in that I sort of forgotten that Schwartz and Lola were joining the show full time.

And so upon first glance, I was like, "Uh-oh."

And then in that episode, I sort of was into it. And I don't know if they got them at a cheap rate when they got rid of Jackson's money opened up in the budget, and they had a little. But it worked out for me. And so, although I do wish that she was there, and I think she would have fit in more

flawlessly with the group, and I don't quite understand what happened there. Obviously, there was some stuff that was going on behind the scenes, and I don't know. I'm proud of she's she for taking some time to herself and figuring out what's going on with Brock and Summer Moon and all that kind of stuff. But I do wish she was in this cast.

I'm sorry to say that, especially after seeing Schwartz and Lola feel at home. And maybe it was just like the familiarity of seeing them, maybe feel good. I'm also really into the Schwartz and Zack as a duo. I didn't expect that to happen, but suddenly I'm shipping them, and I want them to... I want them to blink.

I don't know. Do people say, "Have I read?" I don't think I've ever said that we're at point in my whole life. I don't know. I just said that we're at point.

It's just a weird... I don't like that term "blank." I don't think anybody should be blanking.

“If anything, you should make your panties go drop, drop, drop, drop.”

Make it go, pop, pop, pop, pop. Until my panties go drop, drop, drop, drop. Now before we get deeper into the episode, there is a lot going on in the Broadway universe.

And I said I was going to come and do this second episode this week to talk about some

of the Bravo going ons, because earlier this week, I did a whole summer house situation, a whole summer house recap, because there's so much going on with the West, Sierra, Amanda, Kyle, and that whole gang. I also just saw an interview with Kyle Cook. He gave someone on the streets, and Kyle said Carl's a mess, which made me laugh, because

like, what do you mean Carl's a mess? The whole scandal, how is Carl a mess about it all? But somehow it does feel right that Carl's a mess, and so, like, like on with summer house. And so next week, we'll dive deeper into the summer house situation, because it seems like more information is coming out as we're going through the week, and I'm still so curious. It sounds like they're not picking up filming, and my take on this, you know, we're

going to get it more into summer house next week. But my take on the reason why they're not picking up filming is because they already have in the city, in the summer house finale, like, done and added ed, and so in other scenarios, when they do pick up filming, it's to end the season, and they maybe get a whole other episode out of it, or they're able to tack it on with the finale.

But I think in this case, it would be too hard to have to, like, re-edit the premiere of in the city, some of the, you know, like, it gets really convoluted, because summer house

“is leading into in the city, and so I think that's why they're not picking up filming.”

But it also means, I think, that we're going to get a better reunion out of summer house. So I feel like, let's save it off for the reunion, and we can get to the bottom of it. And hopefully, I'm sure Andy will. I'm sure they're all prepping the questions and, and see what's going on. And, and also, I think it, it means that we could save everything for the union, because

there might be some developments by then, who knows, who's to say, but aside from the summer house situation, we also got, I don't know if you saw this in the news, from Rowney, they're filming the new Rowney again, despite the fact that nobody seems to want it. But size coming back to Rowney and her and her has been announced that they're getting divorced. So I'm assuming that'll play out on the show.

And then, we also have the Rhode Island Housewives, which I did take notes on, I did take notes on, but here's the situation, and I'm sorry to say this. I took notes, and yet I don't think I can fully recap it yet, and I'm very, I loved the premiere. I loved the Rhode Island.

They're my new Italian sisters, I loved it, I loved every second of it, I'm so excited

to watch them go forth and prosper, I feel like it is almost like a throwback of housewives in that. I like that we're going to get some messiness, but it's not going to be some big giant scandal, or people going to jail yet, although I will say this cast, obviously their skeletons in the closet, I don't know where exactly, but I think we can all look at this

cast, and we all know, they have some demons that are going to be coming out in the future. So I don't think this season necessarily, we're just going to get to know the gals, but would I be surprised if one of them went into the clank, and a couple seasons, absolutely

“not, and that's why I brought up a casting to serve arrays in an Emmy, because I was looking”

at all those gals, and I'm like, oh, wow, they all, I feel like we're getting like

or two scandals on the Rhode Island cast, and so I loved, I loved all the gals, I loved

the lures being around, even though it seemed like the lures didn't really get in the mix. She just like popped in to, I don't know, her and Pauli popped in, I love Pauli, and they were just getting a caricature done, which you know, caricature artists are my archnemesis. That's like my biggest archnemesis is a caricature artist, because when I was a demon, when

to Middle Beach and on the boardwalk, unfortunately, I had paid them money to get a character

art made of myself, and no one should do that, especially at a ripe age of teenager

“dumb or pre-teen dumb, you should never, at really any, no one should get a character”

done, and I think it's unacceptable, and I think all the people who do it for a living on the boardwalk, I hate to say it, especially because I know that I want to support the arts, but I don't consider that art, I consider it mean, it's bullying, and I think they all need to be locked up, you know, put them in the electric chair, because I don't think anybody should be drawn you with an exaggerated nose and some crazy eyes, and it's

not okay, and when I did, I remember doing it as a kid, and they, you tell them one little

thing, and at the time, I think I like the movie Mighty Ducks, and they put me in like all this hockey gear, and it's like, I'm not even fucking playing hockey, I just like the movie Mighty Ducks, just got a crush on Joshua Jackson, like, I just, I am getting twitter pated by the bash brothers and Mighty Ducks, like I'm not, it's not that I'm like playing hockey, and I remember they put me in like a hockey uniform, and then I had glasses

at the time in my, it's just not okay, it's not okay, but so anyway, I happy that Dolores showed up, and she, doesn't seem to get in the mix, but I'm happy to just have her around there, and she's also coming back for Jersey Housewives, so she's really a live laugh leaven, she's thriving, and then, yeah, so I was going to like come in and take all these, do a full recap of the road on a Rhode Island housewives, because I thought we're starting a new era of housewives, but unfortunately as I was watching it, it felt like watching an animal's book cover come to life. Do you remember animals? We're at the book covers from the 90s kids know what I'm talking about.

Animals was this book series, where it was like about these teens turning into animals, and on the book cover they'd show like they'd show like a lizard, and then the lizard was like slowly or no, I'm sorry, the person was slowly turning into a lizard, so it'd be like some teen girl named Ashley, and like she'd be turning into a lizard on the cover, and you'd see every different iteration, so like, in the middle of the cover, it'd be like her halfway lizard. Does that make sense? Probably not. But that's how I feel watching the Rhode Island housewives, because I can't tell them I'm part quite yet, and so we are going to hopefully dive into it a little bit more going forth, but right now I can't.

I can't, because I don't even know how, you know, I'm going on Kate Casey's podcast, Kate Casey's great, she does a podcast, I think it's called reality life, but she's fantastic, and so I'm going to go on her podcast and talk through it with her a little more this week.

“But for now, that's all I have to say about the Rhode Island housewives, is that I think you need to watch it, I think it's going to be great, and we have a lot of red flags.”

There's even that one, there's a one gal on there who she's married to someone who's like, got another, he's like never in town, just left her the house, and then he's like gone, he's gone, and then got another girlfriend or something. Yeah, me and my other also all holding C shells in the opening, which is crazy, and I love it, it's crazy, and I love it, and I was thinking like if there was an Ohio housewives, like what would they hold? But they just, I imagine there'd be like a cardinal flying around them, like that's what I would want.

So that's the Rhode Island housewives, and then also Beverly Hills housewives, I know I have been on public records saying it's probably the worst season they've ever had, and I do believe that, and I'm not taking that back. I stand by that, I think it's been a terrible, terrible season, and I do think they need to drastically do something over there. However, this week's episode was fantastic, it was like a lot of drama going on, Erica and Doreed, which I didn't expect. So sometimes with all these shows going on, I can't cover 'em all, because I got a baby, and I'm already like overwhelmed covering what is one show, and I always say I can't do more than two, two is like kind of my limit.

And God bless people like Watch for Crapins, and the other ones who cover 'em like fully 100 shows, but I just, I can't do it. I feel like I'd lose my mind, because I take pretty detailed notes. And so we're gonna try to dip into all these other shows, they got a land I come in the premier Rhode Island, of course, starting up in Beverly Hills.

“I think as they wind down, it's gonna be good, but as of right now, we're just gonna fully be covering summer house in the valley.”

That's the goal, and then so if you tune in, you're gonna get other thoughts about these other shows, because I can't help myself. However, the full recaps, the full, we're gonna do the valley in summer house, does that make sense? But Beverly Hills, if you haven't watched this week's episode, the dinner is just like, "Erika and Dorico, and after each other in Italy."

Okay, so let's get into the valley.

“I know that's what a lot of people are tuning in for, they're like, "Teeny, why don't you talk more about the valley?"”

And I'm sorry, I had to get through all that other stuff, but now we'll get to our sparkle. I am definitely getting my sparkle back. Masked sparkle. I'm so happy for her, and we opened the episode with her house. And let's remind you all about the word art that's everywhere in Brittany and Cartwright's house.

This is the cart rights on a mat, and then it's his cruise in Brittany.

And then even, we've never touched down, I don't believe in cruises room.

And we're seeing even more signage in cruises room, which is his cruise. And it's like, "I don't think they need a label anything. If anything, I need this kind of energy on the Rhode Island house." So I was there all labeled, because I can't tell the Rhode Island people apart. And now, here we go on the valley, and it's like, "I see cruise in Brittany's name, a hundred-fucking times."

Like, "They're first names or last names." And it's like, "That's the energy we need over in Rhode Island." Like, "I wish they all had the names in their houses." Like, "Britney does." And so, I've been so hard on Brittany and us about all the signage and the word art in her house.

“But now, I'm actually thinking like Brittany's 10 steps ahead, because she's thinking, "Guess what?”

You're going to remember my fucking name."

Like, "We're not going to forget Brittany's name." Like, she's going to get us, it's going to absorb into our souls, whether we like it or not. We're going to know the cart rights and we're going to cruise and we're going to Brittany. Because she's got to signage everywhere. And over on Rhode Island house, so they need to take a look at Brittany and us.

And they need to say, "Oh, we should put up some word art." Because then people will be able to tell us apart. Otherwise, we're fucked. So, anyway, I'm happy for Brittany and us that she's got the signage everywhere. But it is kind of shocking to me that you go in every room there and it just says like, "Britney, cruise, cart rights." And then, sometimes, like, the apostrophe is there in the wrong place and stuff.

I love it! You know, the thing about this show, the valley that really struck me this week, was that there are just sort of all unapologetically themselves in a way that I find so refreshing. It's like, we're learning about Brittany talked about the new boyfriend's big dick. And then, like, Janet was talking about something in her private.

And it was like, none of them carry it. Zack is on camera, just taking his GLP-1 being like, "Here I go." They're all just sort of like, "They don't give a flying fuck."

“And that's what I need out of the reality shows.”

Because sometimes you watch these other shows and they're also buttoned up. And they're trying to control the narrative and everything. And it's like, this one, they're just like, "Yeah, I'm fucking this new guy. He's got a big dick." And it's like, "Great." That's what I want from these shows. And so Brittany says she's paying for her house. She's got a primary custody, I think.

Cruises are durable, too, by the way. And Brittany says, "Jackson, our steel, not steel, not divorced. We're steel, not divorced." Because Jazz won't turn into his papers, but I'm hoping in like six weeks, it'll be done. But we're steel, not divorced. And having to wait on Jack's to file paperwork sounds like the worst nightmare.

Because like I'm not saying, I don't believe that Jack's was ever a good student. Like I don't think, you know how you could tell people you could like picture them in the seventh grade. And you're like, "Oh, they were a good student. They were straight-a. They were like getting in their stuff on time. They were showing up to class on time." And then you see people like Jack's and you're like, "Oh, he was not mentally there." Like I imagine him just like drawing on the desk and not really paying attention to anything that was happening.

And not turning his homework like barely skating by. And so the fact that now Brittany has to wait from to turn in stuff. Now me, even if I was going through divorce, I was a good student. Good student. Good student. It was class president all my high school. And so I was like on top of things. I was voted most involved in high school.

Was also voted best personality, but that's neither here nor there. But most involved, because I was involved, I was like really kind of like that annoying maybe a little bit. I had a little bit of Tracy flick energy maybe. But I was turning in papers left right in center, whether they wanted or not. I was turning them in on time and ahead of time.

And so even if I was getting divorced, which Matt and I will not be getting divorced, hopefully not on what. But if I was, I would turn in that paperwork.

So I would want to turn it in first. It was just, I need to turn it in like that.

My childhood school yard personhood would just want to turn it in quickly. Like I got to get it into the courts. Got to file it to the courts because they want it. If I have to file anything, any kind of government paperwork or payments or anything. Even payment, I don't like to like leave something waiting like a bill waiting. And Matt, that's kind of one of the issues that might lead to divorce with Matt.

Because sometimes when if he's paying any of the bills, I'm like, well, did you send in the check? Did you send in the rent or mortgage or do you send in the electric bill or whatever? And he's like, no, I didn't do it yet. I'm like, we need to do it.

And I'm like, no, we need to turn in. Like I need to, I need a, I need a therase app.

“Something about it stresses me out if it's not.”

And then we do have a Zach's apartment. There's a million gay flags everywhere. It's like the trans flag, the gay flag by sexual flag. Yeah, he's an ally. Not only is part of the court community, but he's also an ally because he's got all the flags there. And he lives in WeHo. And he's like, I'm not moving in Valley. Benji's moving in his house, in fact, actually because Benji's got a valid visa from Canada.

And I was just talking about, on the last episode of the podcast, I was talking about how I'm always in love with Canadians.

In here, uh, I sort of forgotten that Benji was from Canada. But they do some of them pick. Meanwhile, it's Jasmine and Melissa, they live in Sherman Oaks, which is the Valley. They're getting married.

“Jasmine's like, oh, I'm not a Bridezilla, but then she has, which I loved.”

Then Michelle's got a new condo in West Hollywood, which is surprising to me. For some reason, it was shocking to me that Michelle's in West Hollywood, because that's not the Valley. It's not that far. It's kind of hard to explain for people who don't live in California or I'm familiar with the terrain. But West Hollywood is still pretty close to the Valley. It's just not considered the Valley. And it's, but it's surprising to me that she's over there.

Meanwhile, that big-eyed Erin, um, he broke up with her. And she dodged up a little with that one. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to say, but I don't, she said he broke up with her. And Anna, see Michelle? Good for you. Because I don't think that, man, something about his spirit rubbed me the wrong way. And I don't have many answers as to why I don't have a lot of proof or receipts or timeline or screenshots about why that man rubbed me the wrong way. But something about his spirit didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was the eyes. I don't know.

But I was happy that he's gone and now Michelle can move on and be single Michelle. Now I met Michelle at BravoCon. I actually met all of them at BravoCon because I did the Valley panel.

But Michelle was one that I had never met in person. And we were on a plane together to BravoCon randomly.

And then I got to chat with her a little bit. And I really loved Michelle. In a way that I felt like the show doesn't portray. And obviously the show can only show certain parts of these people. But I was really shocked that that was probably the most surprising. And I also got to, I had a, there was like a big group dinner thing that I went to. And Jesse was there. And I also really liked him too, by the way. So I'm not like picking sides. But I was most surprised by Michelle out of that cast of like, she seems so sweet and so nice in warm. And I don't feel like those qualities really come across with Michelle and show.

And granted, it was just like obviously BravoCon. So I understand that it was like a heightened weekend or whatever. But just, I feel like I can get a good read on people in person and Michelle. I was like, you know, I liked her.

“Although I did also was on this microphone for years talking about how nice time seeing of all was and that was pre-scan of all. So what the fuck do I know?”

But I did like her. She was super sweet. And again, Jesse was charming too. Meanwhile, Danny and Mia, they moved over to Santa Clarito, which seemingly a million miles away.

The mountains there, they were, Danny was like going outside and something about I love mountains. And I spent a lot of time in Utah. And I thought the Utah mountains were like so beautiful. So gorgeous. And I think like there's so many places in the US where like, you go in the mountains, make you feel secluded. I don't know, but there was something about those Santa Clarito mountains by their house that was making me feel very unsettled. Didn't anyone else feel that way? I don't know. But they got four under four at a late, is it at a late or at a line or something. That's the last one.

Now, Danny and Mia and Kristen Luke, they had the baby at the same time and I just for context. It's the same time as our baby was born lucky, our son. And I think lucky and Kristen and Luke's baby was like five days apart or something. And I got a chance to meet Kaya, Kristen's baby. Also at Provokan and Kristen actually has come over and she's met lucky as well. And they have a adorable baby, gorgeous Kaya. But so I really related to them kind of going through all of this just because the babies were born at the same time.

And so it was also fascinating to me to see how Nia and Kristen were handling the new motherhood different. Now, granted, Kristen's baby is the first baby. But Kristen, the whole episode looked and felt energetically very hairy, you know, not hairy and like the hairy sense, but like hairy, you know, like chaotic and like, you know, speaking of hairy, had the hair kind of like in a crazy bun and like just was showing up really stressed and it seemed like a lot. That's kind of how I felt and still feel to the stage showing up anywhere and like just kind of hairy and like trying to get my bearings.

And they went to this restaurant and they like showed up and Kristen just like sort of barged in with the baby like the cool lady man running through a wall and Nia looked like so perfectly together. And it was just like sitting calmly with the baby and Kristen's like rocking the baby like stressfully back and forth with the hair kind of a mess.

In three months, it's also just a mind-fuck and a shock to the system when being a first-time parent.

And you're running on like almost no sleep. I mean, we're just about 10 months in and it is. Even still, I'm like, where did the 10 months go, but like also, it just feels like a whirlwind. I feel like the Tasmanian devil and even every time in that first year or so it's like every time you start to get used to phase. It's like the babies in a new phase and the nap schedules changing and the feeding schedules changing and everything. And so you do, it feels like fucking nuts. And I understand how DNA they've had four. So by now it's like they get it. And so I think that's why when you have a two, three, four kids by the third or fourth, you're like, I don't give a flying fuck like everything will be fine.

But that first one is like kind of crazy. And I don't, Kristen said she hadn't left home. She left home like one time in three months and I think I didn't really leave the house much for the first few months. I remember I did some like Q&A thing for I know what you did last somewhere like the reboot. It was like I did a Q&A on the Sony lot where I was moderating it and it was maybe seven days or nine, nine days or something after the baby was born and I felt like nuts. Just, you know, I was gone two hours and I was like, it felt like I was entering a brand new world.

And then after that I was like, I'm not leaving the house again for a while. And so it was like another month before I left. Anyway, the Lala and Jan and our baby shopping because Lala is back on the show, it was back on this show. And she is invited to the sip and see that Kristen and Niyah are having for their babies. And they do a 2015 VPR flashback where Lala is yelling at Kristen and Lala and her professionals like yeah Kristen tells it like it is so she's my type of chick.

“And I kind of feel like the reason why I think Lala, how do I say this?”

I just don't feel like Lala fits in as well as Gina with the group. But I am excited that she's around and more so than I was expecting to be because I was sort of expecting to go into this season. I mean, we do not need Lala. But then also, it doesn't seem like Lala gets that activated this season, maybe I'm wrong. But I hope she gets like, I hope she stirs the pot and gets activated.

Because I don't know, I'm not opposed to Lala being there. It just feels a little odd to me. And I don't know why. I know she's close friends with Jan and...

Do you guys think Jan and I'll finally have a good season?

I don't know. Do you think she will? I think it's actually shocking to me that Jan and how many season are we third or fourth season of the show? And she hasn't had a good season yet.

“And I keep thinking like they are going to give her a good at it one year, right?”

Am I wrong? Anyway, that's all, partner on that. We're going to take a quick break here, and we're going to come back. Thank you to Acast and we'll be right back. As Shopify is ready to continue to continue. Everything is super, simple, integrated and balanced.

And the time and the scale that I can't wait for you to find out about it. For all of us in Waxtomb. Now the costs of those tests are on Shopify.de. Man, we're back. Alright, so Lala is back in the mix.

And the SIPNC Janet was not invited to. Now Janet said she got therapy in the meantime. Mia blocked her on everything. Lala tells Janet to apologize to Kristen. But apparently there was this thing with Brittany at her house in the off season.

She had like a pool day with the kids. Janet and Kristen were both there. And I guess Kristen didn't think Janet was going to be there. And then when Jen should up, Kristen's like, you don't belong here. And then Janet got mad.

She said she left. She went in the car. And she got mad at Brip bananas. And Lala was like, well, I'm trying to have fun this summer.

“And so you need to make up with each other.”

And I do want Kristen and Janet to make up. I need them to make up.

But it sounds like they'll never make up.

Because even in the off season, there have been these big fights. And Janet said she was like, she had to take the kid from the pool party and head home. And she's like, I was crying. The son, Camden was crying.

That's named Camden, right? She's like, the son was crying. I was crying. To be bringing a three, how old is there? Could three or four?

I don't know. But I have to leave the party in tears. I mean, I'm sure my son will see me in tears a time or two. I mean, I feel like getting, I'm a cryer.

So if somebody were like, if I showed up at a party and somebody was yelling at me, I'd be like,

come on, Mucky, we're leaving.

“And then I just start, I lose it on the way home and cry.”

So I get it actually. But they need to make up. This feud has been going on maybe a little too long. Then Brittany, we see her talking a brand and who's the new boyfriend.

The new guy she's going on date nights with. Date not. I just need a date not with Brandon. And she calls him honey, which was shocking to me. And this is when she says she gets her sparkle back.

I am definitely getting my sparkle back. Now, she dated this man years ago. Like, what did she say? With 13, they knew each other that 13 years ago or something. Or haven't talked in 13 years,

but then they reconnected. And they went to Cabo together. And it was funny to me because she was, he said on the phone, they're face timing.

And he lives three hours away.

In California, but like three hours away. And they went to Cabo for five days. And on the phone he's like, I could have stayed for another three days. And Brittany's like, oh, don't see you don't mean that.

Three, three, no, three more days. And I was thinking like, yeah, like three more days. Like, that's not that big of a deal. (laughs) Like, it was, what a weird sort of compliment.

To give you a new girlfriend. And it's like, I could have stayed three extra days. Like, we were there for five days. What guess what, baby? I could have stayed for three more days.

Now, usually in the beginning of relationship, you would sort of feel like you could spend every day with them. Not just like eight days total. Like, that's what made me laugh. Like, I could have spent eight days total with you.

And it would have been fine. And it's like, yeah, in a new relationship, you usually want to spend every minute with them. Not just eight total days. But it was like, yeah, I could spend three more days with you.

Love that. But Brittany's got a support call back. And she deserves it. She's, and she got sunburn in college. I'm sunburned.

I'm burned to a crisp. And she says they fucked.

“But I think I'm like their first date back with each other.”

She said that. But in a nice, like Kentucky way. She's like, yeah, we fucked. But not like saying those words, students saying. But if he fucks her over, I swear to God.

At this brand, and I don't know, if he fucks her over like Jacks. Brought in hell. You know, I just hope she's being careful. She needs to be careful. Now, then we cut two shorts and zack.

My other fever couple on the show. God bless Benji. But I do love shorts and zack together. And zack right when he showed up. He grabbed shorts by the love handles.

Now, I do want to say that this is actually. You know how I say grippers on the show. Like I call hands grippers or I feet lower grippers. So I've been saying this for years now. And actually the reason it started is because in high school,

the origin of grippers was because that we had this friend. Uh, who would grab these young, some of my girlfriends. He would like grab their sides. Which is what zack did to shorts when he entered. Like grab their love handles.

And I remember a girlfriend of mine and we like got mad at our friend. And I was like stop you put your dirty grippers away. And like so then grippers became a thing with my friends. Uh, but so grippers that's where the origin of that term was was because we had this other friend. It was like grabbing girls by their love handles.

And it was like nobody wants to be grabbed there. And it wasn't even happening to me. But I had to stick up from my girlfriends. I was like get your dirty fucking grippers out of here. Uh, because you shouldn't be grabbing someone by the love handles.

“And I think it's like a weird flirty thing to do.”

But I don't care who you are. Like if you're the hottest man in the world. Like I don't want you grabbing on my love handles. Like that is you can pat me on the back or slap my ass. Like I'm not too particular otherwise.

Like you could pretty much touch anywhere else. I'm okay with that. You know, I'm giving you all consent at the moment right now. [laughs] Within reason.

Within reason. Uh, but love handles I will not give my consent. Like if any of you were to come up to me and like grabbing back the love handles.

Like I would, I would never speak to you again.

Like I can't handle that. It's not okay. It's not okay. But anyway, so watching Zach do it to Schwartz. Uh, I just made me think of the origin of the term grippers.

And on this podcast. But I do like them. There was also a Katie flashback, which was shocking to me. And I hate to say that. And I should I say that.

I do I sort of want this show to just turn into Vanderpump rolls. Like the OG cast. Yes, like I wouldn't be upset if Katie was on this show. Like I kind of want her on this show. Is that weird?

I do want her on this show. I want all of them to come back. Um, but Zach and Benji, they're very, they're having open relationships. So it's okay if Zach gets with Schwartz because Zach said they're an open relationship. He's a trailblazer.

I think. And he says, Oh, he does tell Schwartz as he's talking about being an open relationship with Benji. He does say something that Jesus putting prostate in the butthole because he knew but sex was wasn't just for babies. And reference to Jesus. Now, the medical journey was a bit unclear to me at the time.

that Jesus in the prostate in the butthole. And I was like, I don't know if that was in the Bible. But it's in Zach's Bible. And that's okay with me because I do love Zach on this show.

“And so I'm going to believe that that's what Jesus wanted.”

But I didn't really understand the medical journey. He took us on if I'm being quite honest. And so I would like to be able to recap it further, but I don't further further. But I don't really understand. Anyway, then we cut to Nia and Kristen.

We talked about this. They get in lunch with the babies. Kristen said pregnancy was fun because everyone was so nice to her. She's like, now I've based me and I had the baby and nobody gives a flying fuck. And that would be a mine fuck.

I love them both and Kristen looks so frazzled. Nia looks so put together. Kristen looks on the brim. Nia, Kristen and Luke's house. Jesse comes over there and he talks about Lacy the girlfriend.

Who? Let's to remind you, Lacy's the girlfriend who was in the finale, which we see later in the episode. But in the finale of last season of Valley, Lacy had this big fight with everybody. And she didn't sign a release form. So everybody thought, like, well, we can't use the footage.

And I remember the audience.

We were pissed, like, well, they talked about it at the reunion, but we were never able to see the footage.

And now seemingly Lacy's in the cast. And so Lacy, more than anyone else, I'm very excited about. Because she sort of feels like a villain. I like when on these shows, like a new villain comes in for just a season. And I was kidding.

Nah, how do I say this? It's like, Janet, yes, has been the villain of this show for the first few seasons. Janet and Jackson, we lost Jackson. And I'm kind of over having Janet as the villain. Like, I would like to see other sides of Janet.

And so I am of the opinion that we needed a villain to come in and just take hold of the show. And it looks like Lacy's going to be that. I'm excited about it. And I also think it allows Jesse to lean into his villainry.

“Because I think Jesse has a lot of villainry.”

But almost like when he, when he, like, tow up to the line of villainry, right? Like, he'll give us a little bit and then he scales back. And I'm hoping him and Lacy just like lean it. I want them to be like Boris and Natasha from the Rocky and Bowling Colmovie. Or, or the Rocky and Bowling will show.

Remember, Renee Russo and Robert De Niro, like, I want to check what the fuck was that about. I hate to, to rail us, but like Robert De Niro signing up for the Rocky and Bowling Colmovie, circa 2000 or 2001, a shocking turn of events. I know he was embracing comedy at that time, but just imagine Robert De Niro on set with Renee Russo. And they later started together in the movie The In Turn.

So I think they're friends. But I can imagine like Robert De Niro acting alongside Renee Russo and trying to pretend like Rocky and Bowling called the animated characters were a side next to them. 'Cause they shot it was like a live action.

If you never see me, probably I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I want Jessie and Lacy to be the Boris and Natasha of this show. Now, Luke, in this scene with Jessie, I will say he needed a fresh pair of socks. And I'm sorry, somebody else say it. He's got the baby blues and I'm sympathetic to the fact that he wants to fuck Kristen and Kristen's not interested. But I'm also empathetic to Kristen. Yeah, Kristen just had a baby, like leave with a fuck alone.

You know, like go rub one out in the bathroom or something. But before he does that, he needs to get into pair of socks. Because again, I was looking at those lower grippers. And the hooves, you could see him through the socks.

“And there comes a point where you need to look at the socks.”

And if they're see through, you need to throw them in the trash. You don't need to donate them, you don't need to repurpose them, you need to throw them in the garbage. Right in the garbage can. My art teacher and eighth grade used to call it the garbage. She didn't say garbage can, and I don't know what kind of accent she had. But she said throw it in the garbage.

And so Luke needs to throw those fucking old ass socks in the garbage because they were see through. And I love Luke and he's a handsome fella. And again, I like that he's open. I like that him and Kristen are open up about their sex life because that's a vulnerable thing to do on television. But you know what else is a vulnerable thing to do is throwing away your old dirty socks, Luke.

And so if maybe that needs to be next week's scene, you and shorts get together and just burn all your old socks and get some new ones go sock shopping. Because I can't look at shorts as bare hooves any more either.

He's always got those dogs out barking and we don't need to see it.

And so I would like to go up to the sock shop or head online and go to bombas.com. The bombas is a sponsor on this podcast. We love our bombas socks. They make good quality socks and they forget they donate. If you buy one, you get a donate. It's like a good thing. We love our bombas. So maybe next week on the show, we see them hopping online and getting some bombas.

They still could sock some bombas too. So you know, you could do it all on the shop and get the baby. But Kristen said she hits her body. She's like, yeah, Luke wants to have sex with me.

And I get that. I get that.

“Me and I'll speak in a body. What else is going on?”

Jan, it's got a skin tag on her Gucci. Let's send it Center for thought I'd say. That's right. She's going to party or something. I'm like, I know she's trying not to be the villain this season. But I don't know that we need to know about her skin tag on her Gucci. Which was a surprise to me because they're walking.

It was like not even a, they weren't even seated at the restaurant. I think they were like walking into the restaurant for a group scene. I wonder if she even knew they'd use that on camera. Because they, she probably thought like, oh, they're filmin' us walking into the restaurant. It'll probably just be, they'll probably have music over the shot of us walking into the restaurant.

But instead, they like used the audio of Jan at being like, yeah, I got a skin tag on my Gucci. And so I don't even know if she knew that was going to happen. I don't know if she was aware that they'd use that, that audio. Just the sign clip of first in, I got a skin tag on my Gucci. Because they did, they did.

And so, got blessed. And I hope it's either healing or the doctors, look, I don't know what happens with the skin tag on the Gucci. I'm not familiar. But, and I think maybe it was, did she say it was from the pregnancy or something, so got blessed. You know, everybody's got, I actually supportive of her because she's open it up about things that maybe people don't want to talk about.

If they always say reality to be is a mirror of culture.

And sometimes reality to be, we need it because we need to see ourselves on screen. And in order to confront some of the things that we're all going through in our personal lives. And so I'm certain that there's somebody out there also has a skin tag on their Gucci. And so they saw Jan in an open up and bought this and made them feel less alone. And so, for that, we salute Jan at.

You're going to open up a skin tag on your Gucci to help somebody get through the day. So be it.

“That's what these shows are, mirror to her culture.”

And so, I salute Jan at, for the skin tag on her Gucci. Being, uh, I clip on the show. God bless. God bless. Amen.

Then Jan at Brittany, Lala and Michelle, they all eat at this restaurant. Brittany still tan from Cabo. And this is where she said the new boyfriend's got a big dick. She's like, he's got a big dick. You know, I don't know if she said those exact words.

So he got a big dick energy because he got a big dick. Hello, hello, hello. He got a big old dick. You got a big dick energy because he's got a big old dick. You know, I love this show.

So happy Brittany's back on her screen. I hope they give her a raise. She deserves it. Not only for having to deal with jacks. I guess her raise really came in the form of Brandon's big dick, right?

I mean, that's actually good for her. Good for her. You got a big old dick. Yeah, I got some love for her. Then Janet talks about leaving Brittany's house at that event that happened off camera.

And her son was screaming at crying. She feels bullied by Kristen. It kind of really slowed down and did this slow motion thing with Janet. I got real dramatic. Then the sip and see Kristen storms into her own sip and see 20 minutes late.

Just like stressed and hairy again. And I loved that. Schwartz is there in Schwartz and Michelle. Schwartz has some interesting, I mean, the whole episode is really like Schwartz. It's coming out and I'm not saying Schwartz is gay.

But he definitely came out as like an ally this episode. Because not only did he have that flirtation scene with Zach. But then when seemingly producers want him to flirt with Michelle. Because now she's single. He's single.

I would imagine the producers were like, Oh, that let's have them be a storyline together. But instead Schwartz is like talking to Michelle and he's like,

“Hey, did you ever see how Stella got her group back?”

And she's like, no, I know I haven't seen that. And then he said something like, live laughing. And he's like, I'm so Julia Roberts right now. And I was like, who's short hanging out with these days? Because God bless.

I want to hang out with them too. Talk about Julia Roberts. How Stella got the group back? They also mentioned Michelle mentioned Voda Spa. And Schwartz like, come to Voda Spa.

Let's go to Voda Spa. And you guys are used to bartender. That's right. Here's like decade ago. He's to bartender Voda Spa.

It's a spa, but it had a bar attached.

I'm sure I've told this story a million times in the show.

But I worked at the bar. So people would come into the bar in their towels or robes or something. And sometimes there was a couple. There was this one guy who was like a childhood crush of mine, like a sexual awakening for me.

And I remember he came into the bar in just a towel because they come from their spa treatments. And I remember just being like, so like, Woo! Make it go, pop, pop, pop.

Until my panties go, drop, drop. I was behind the bar thinking, like, I'm going to lose my job. Because the panties about to go, drop, drop, drop. And I'm about to go, pop, pop, pop, pop. Because it was like my sexual awakening was at the spa

when I was bartending. In a towel.

And I was like, oh! You walked through the door and I was like, oh! That's a sheena clip, by the way. A Michelle might be good for Tom though. Because I think that Tom needs someone

to be kind of the alpha in the relationship. And I think Michelle going forth could should be the alpha in relationship. So maybe they would work. But Lacy arrives and everyone got a season

to assist from Lacy. So I'm not sure that anybody really wants to film with Lacy, but they made her sign the release. And now she's in the cast, I suppose. Because Lala, she, or not Lala.

Lacy arrives and the scene with her in Michelle.

We'll get into in a second, but that seems so good.

But Lala, meanwhile, is talking to Kristen. And apparently, Lala's baby dad could possibly be Luke. [MUSIC] That's all right. Because Luke donates sperm to where Lala got her sperm.

And they should have flashback to VPR, which I'm loving all the VPR flashbacks. But there was a flashback. And some of the sperm that Lala was describing in the flashback could have been attributed to Luke.

“Now, ultimately, I think I'll watch an episode of Kristen”

to confirm that it's not Luke's sperm that created Lala's baby. So, but that would have been a great for storyline. I know producers were like, praying. Somebody was in an editing bay. Producing.

I just know there was a producer in an editing bay. As they were going through this footage being like, "Please, God. Please, God let Luke's sperm be the sperm that Lala used."

Unfortunately, though, it's not.

But if the baby does sort of look like Luke a little bit, I wish it was true. Meanwhile, Michelle and Lacey have this come to terms. What's the word I'm looking for? They sit and meet.

And it reminded me of, like, remember on the hills when Kristen Cavalry showed up. And it was like at Heidi and Spencer's wedding. And then Kristen Cavalry sits down. And then she glances over at Lauren.

And it's Lauren Conrad's last episode, which means while they're doing the Luke going to be treonion, which I don't know how much more we need to learn about that show. Well, I watch it, yes, probably.

“But it feels like what more do we need to know about that one season of a show?”

It was like, "Some of this nostalgia stuff." I needed to sort of stop a little bit. It's like enough as enough. And I think I started to have an issue with it when every show started to get these podcasts

where they would break down old episodes.

Remember where it's like a rewatch podcast. And especially early in the pandemic, it felt like every single show was getting this. And I'm sure they're going to be, they did one. Right? Steven and Kristen did one.

But it's like every single show, it's like, I don't need to, and I'm a fan of pop culture junky. I'm like a huge fan of so many pop culturey things. But it started to feel like we're learning too much about these shows.

Like back in the day when I would be a fan of something, it was so fun to like get little bits of information. You pick up a premier magazine or entertainment weekly, and you read an interview, or even celebrities wouldn't give as many interviews as they do now.

So like, they'd be on entertainment tonight, or you know, Larry can live or some long form interview. And you'd get like a little tid bit about a past project they did. And it felt like so exciting to get, to get a little piece of information.

And then when these podcasts started showing up, the rewatch ones. And I'm talking about the rewatch ones where it's like the cast members doing it. They would give out every detail about every episode.

And then they do a book about it. And it's like, it kind of takes some of the fun of fan them out of it for me. Is anyone else feel that way? I mean, maybe people love it.

Like you want as much information as you can about it. But I kind of feel like it needs to, we need to go back to a little bit of mystery about some of these shows because we're at least, maybe not reveal everything.

What are we talking about here? But I will watch the, I will watch the good of be training. Of course they will. Of course.

And I'll probably end up loving it. I will. But Michelle and Lacy, so they sit and talk. In this conversation is so crazy to me. It's so passive aggressive.

And Lacy says you seem happy and healthy in a good place, which is, I'm sorry, that's passive aggressive. Let's like implying that like Michelle was in a terrible place before,

which not to say that Michelle wasn't in terrible place. But if you're dating Michelle's daughter's husband or daughter's father, then into the go up to them and say that after you send her a season to sister, since like you seem like you're going to place in a good place.

It's like girl, you just sent me a season to sister's last season. We refuse to sign the release for the finale. And now you're showing up on camera and you're telling me, you seem happy and healthy in a good place.

I thought like Michelle was going to cold cock, Lacy's asked, because I kind of believe that she said that. And Michelle's like, I am. And then I think Lacy says,

“Are you, or no, Michelle says, are you divorced or Lacy say that?”

Somebody said, are you divorced? And Lacy says, yeah. And then Michelle's like, I don't know anything about you.

I don't want to fight with anyone.

I'm going through divorce. And this conversation is just so bad shit and saying, so bad shit and saying so much is said without being said. It's like watching. I felt like it was watching like a gladiator match.

That's how it felt to me. It was so thrilling. More than anything on this show. This was thrilling, Lacy Michelle. I loved it.

Smart casting too. And I just know the whole group is going to be pissed to be around Lacy. But then they have to go with it. Did you guys see the girl with the pink hair? Was that that girl from Vanderpump rules?

Was her name Tory?

“Remember there was a girl who was like flirting with shorts and flirting with Katie?”

And I think it was just made up by production.

I don't think it was a real thing. But was that her there? It was like a little Easter egg for the show. For Vanderpump rules fans. I think it was her.

Maybe it wasn't. But then they showed the fight from last season with Lacy. The producer Jeremiah was like getting yelled at by Jesse. In Lacy we see her say, "I didn't sign or release." And they show them fighting.

And Michelle's at her wits end and about to snap. And it was like this thrilling fight last season. I'm so glad that we got to say a little bit of it. And it was how the episode ended. And I hope we're going to get to see more from that finale next week.

I love this premiere. Next week on the show we also get to be seeing Nia getting burnt out. Schwartz and Lala sort of pretend to flirt. I think they're going to try to lean into that. But I don't think it's a thing.

But I am excited about the season. I thought this was a great premiere. I don't know. I was so happy as Jacks wasn't around to take all the air out of the air. It was like every time he sets all the air out of the room.

When he's on the screen. And last season got so dark with all the domestic abuse stuff. And with crews around and so it's like I just am. I'm looking forward to not only a little bit of a lighter season, but also having this new villainous lacy around.

And I don't know. I'm feeling good about it. More show than I even was preseason. Because even when I did you guys the valley panel at BravoCon. I they weren't allowed to say much.

“And I think it was the first panel of the whole BravoCon.”

And so understandably I think one of the things that happens that those panels is like they don't want to give any spoilers of the shows. So then they kind of tell the cast. You know like don't we don't want to say too much. I think they say don't.

You don't give away anything because we got to keep the show. Good. And so sometimes I think the cast members at BravoCon on the panels go overboard with that. And they don't give any dirt. And I think they need to give a little dirt.

And even if it pisses off some of the production or some of the network people, I think they need to give a little dirt for their seasons. But with the valley panel I felt like they were kind of buttoned up and didn't give much information about the new season. And that worried me because it was like are they just trying to not spoil anything?

Or is it a bland bad season? And after watching the premiere I'm like no I think it's a good season. I don't know if there's going to be some big dramatic scandal in the way like somebody's going to jail or something. But it does seem like a solace. I feel in my bones it's going to be a solid season.

In a way that I didn't feel preseason. That's how I feel. That's the episode. You guys I am going to leave you with an interview with my friend. Clayborn Elder was an actor, musician he's got a new album out.

Now you might recognize if you followed me to the hallmark channel. Remember a couple years ago I did a hallmark Christmas movie that I wrote, Produced and starred and called Deck the Walls. Alongside some fantastic actors including Clayborn Elder. Clay who he played my love interest in the movie.

Now yeah you might be saying hallmark channel to gate men having a being love interest. Yes that's right. That's right Clay was my love interest. Although we didn't get to kiss on screen. We do have a dramatic like romantic moment at the end.

I won't spoil it but it was so fun and Clay has been in a million things.

He was in that show that Carrie Diaries which was like the prequel to sex in the city.

“He's also I think most known for Gilded Age which he was on that Cynthia Nixon.”

So many people are in that show. Then company on Broadway he starred in alongside Broadway with alongside people like Patty Lapone. He's a big Broadway guy so brilliant and so nice and sweet and lovely and he's got a new album out. So he subs by I am going to play the chat with Clayborn. Here now he's the best just a sweet gem of a man.

Everybody on the movie Deck the Walls was such a sweet heart and gem. Ashley Green from Twilight was in it. She played my sister and Wes Brown was in it. And I still keep in touch with all those guys and everybody was great. And Clay having him as my love interest was like my first sort of big role acting role.

And he was so warm and he has a son who it was so great because during the filming of Deck the Walls, Matt and I were going through the circusy process and creating embryos and doing all that kind of stuff.

while I was on set there too and so it was really nice.

I couldn't say enough good things about him but so check out his album and I hope you enjoy this chat with Clay. And we'll be back next week with the Summer House recap. I am trying to put as much as I can on the YouTube channel which is YouTube.com/dannypalagrino in the number one. You can also find me on social media @dannypalagrino. Get my books wherever books are sold or go to everything.

I connect.store where you can get signed copies. And yeah, without further ado, enjoy my chat with Clay and I'll talk to you next week. Love you. Bye bye. Oh and happy Easter.

Happy Easter. I'm here with a different Clayborn elder who's got a new album out. I'm so excited to talk to you. Of course, you know, from the gilded age, from Broadway, from so many things. And I'm so excited for people to hear the new album.

It's called If The Stars Were Mine. Clay, how are you? I am doing great. How are you, Danny? So good.

It's so good to see you. It's been so good to see you. You're just the cutest. Oh, thank you. Thank you.

And also famously I didn't mention this up top. You played my love interest and decked the walls. The hallmark movie we did together. I was going to say you listed things out, but that was not a part of it.

And I was like, Danny, the most important one.

It should have been the lead. I know. We had a good time on that. I was just recently talking to Wes Brown, who was also in it. And yeah, I keep telling him.

I'm like, why isn't Hallmark putting me in another one. What's going on? He got in my call. A lot of it. No.

What is going on? Wes is going to come see my show. He actually came to see it in LA too. I know I was supposed to go with him.

“And baby, that was I think the baby was like, and by the way, the babies in the other rooms.”

So if you're crying, we're going through, like, I think he learned how to do tantrums. And like, just happened. He's always been the most chill baby. But all of a sudden, it's like, he just wants to be held. And which is great.

But also difficult. I know. And it was speaking of kids. I was able to connect with you on deck the walls so much because I was sort of going through the process of the baby. And our son lucky wasn't here yet.

But you have a son bow. And so I feel like I was just constantly drilling you for questions. Like, okay, tell me about that. And then you would go and call him or check in or whatever. And I was like, oh my god, I can't wait to have that.

And it's been so, I've gotten to interview a few other gay dads sort of in the industry or people that I know. And it's been so nice to connect with other gay dads. Because as you probably know, there isn't a whole lot of that. Or I certainly didn't have a lot of gay men in my sort of orbit that had kids. And so being able to connect with you and some others just really meant the world to me.

So thank you. Of course. Yeah. It's very true. It's a it's a small little group of us.

Yeah. You know. Yeah. How's bow doing? How's the fam?

They're great. They're so great. Bow is eight years old. He's in third grade. He's obsessed with comic books.

He writes his own comic books and distributes them to his class. Aw. Thank you. Yeah. What advice do you have? I was going to ask you this later.

“But since we're talking about it, what advice do you have for me?”

A sort of at the beginning of the journey. Oh my god. Good. Your loins. No, it's um, you know, it is a surprise at every turn.

And I will say. At every turn, you will love them more. And you won't think it's possible that you can love them more. And then you will.

And simultaneously, you will always mourn.

The kids that they were because they. Change. And like I miss bow at three years old so much. And I miss him at four years old. I miss him at five years old.

I look back at those pictures. And I'm like, oh, that kid. He was the best. And now he's a new kid. He's a different kid.

And he is still the best. But um. And at twelve, you're going to miss the eight year old. Exactly. You know, you know, I will never recover sort of from the sadness of him growing up.

And it's wonderful and sad all at the same time. Yeah. I've already been really sad about letting go of old onesies and stuff. Like, that's been tough for me. Oh, I'm just trying, I'm saving everything and mad.

My husband is like, okay, you got to get rid of that enough. Stuffed animals when you start throwing stuff to me. Where it's really hard because they seem like little people. They're like, oh, no, but you love them.

“And I'm like, no, you have to go away because I can't have 50 of you.”

All right. I'm so excited that you're coming out with an album. You know, I was telling you the whole time we were on set. I was like, you need to come out with an album. I know I'm amazing.

I was. You. I was thrilled to talk to you about it because you were a big part of why I did it. I remember having a conversation with you one day where like, this producer had stepped forward.

They wanted to make this album. I was like, I don't know. I don't know if I want to do it. And you were like, do it. Why haven't you done it?

Do it. Do it already. And I was like, you know, I should do it. Yeah, because I mean, also you tour all over. And I think I'm sure everybody that comes to see you live is like, okay.

Or I need to get a little piece of it.

And now you're finally the album comes out in physical.

I think April 13th is that. And then digital week before. Yeah. And so I'm so excited for people. And it's so good.

Obviously, of course, I mentioned you have such incredible voice. But I'm talking to me a little bit about the process of getting a going and making this album. Yeah. You know, I will say being a dad was a big part of the impetus behind it, which is that as I'm as I'm getting older and I became a parent. I've been thinking a lot about, you know, what we leave behind and what we, what are the things we make.

And as an actor, it's very easy to be someone else's paint. It's very easy to just show up and create a world like be a part of a world that's already been created for you. But making something completely on your own is scary. It's scary to put something out that it's really just like this is just me. There's the things, you know.

And so just to piggyback, sometimes we're working on other projects. It can be if it's somebody else's voice, you can kind of hide behind that. Even though you are offering, like even if you're acting, you're, you are offering very intimate parts of yourself.

But you can always sort of like be like, well, that was their thing, you know.

Yep. And this is the first, this is really the first thing I put out that I'm like, well, it's my fault. You know, it's your, I don't like it. Me. Yeah, you know, that it's like, and I love that about it.

And I set out to make something that was very, very intimate and very personal. And, you know, all of these songs are songs that are deeply personal to me and very connected to a memory or a story about my life. And, and I wanted to reimagine them in a lot of different ways. You know, it's a very, there are a lot of gender-bent songs. There are a lot of kind of queer songs.

There are a lot of, because that, again, is such a big part of who I am, you know. And there are songs, you know, like, as a little gay kid growing up in Utah, a little gay Mormon kid. I was like singing moments in the woods from into the woods, dreaming about, like falling in love with a boy and a prince. And, you know, and I'll never get to play that part. But to get to sing it, you know, and kind of turn it into a pop song in these ways that it's been really, really a joyful experience for me.

Something that ultimately I was nervous, ultimately I'm thrilled to share with people, even though it was scary to make it because it was just so me. How did you narrow down what was going to be on the album? You know, it almost, it was pretty organic.

“Like, I, I would say there were a few extra songs that I cut, but it was very clear to me like, what are your most, what are the most important songs?”

What are the songs you've been singing your whole life? What are the songs that mean the most to you and it is all of these songs? You know, even there's one song that wasn't supposed to be on the album. It got cut from the album, the list. But one day in the studio, we ended up having 15 minutes left over and I was like, everybody, go back to the studio right now.

And I got the musicians. I just like gave them some chords and I was like, this is till there was you. I wanted to sound sad, but also beautiful, go. And we did it in one take. We did it up on the album. We had time to at once and now it's one of my favorite tracks.

I'll show you.

It's always been my dream to be able to sing.

And in that deck of the walls, I had a scene where I was singing. And it was such a nightmare situation for me because although I was supposed to sound bad. I remember. You were standing right there. Oh, good at it.

You were standing right there. And I remember obviously I didn't know you were going to be cast. And so then to have to sing across from you.

“You should have been the one singing and I'm just also had to do it.”

Akapela because I had a earpiece in with the music. But singing live is truly like, you know, it's a very tough thing to do. But having having to do it across from you. And then I heard from so many people like, why did he sing? Why didn't it play singing?

I was like, you're right. I thought you were adorable. Maybe it was the thing. You just started thinking. But I love your voice.

And of course, people know you from Broadway and so many television. I mentioned the gilded age. You were also on Kerry diaries. I was like, well, did you watch Sex and the City? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I got cast on the Kerry diaries. I was like, oh, my god.

My dream. Like, I thought of that show. Well, thank you. It was good. Dude, I really loved it.

I really loved. They were great. You know, weirdly enough. During the end just like that era of Sex and the City. And I went back and it was on to be, you know, to be is.

Yeah. I like downloaded to be. And I was scrolling through it and it said Kerry diaries. And I watched the pilot. And I was like, oh, it's so cute.

It should have that should have gone on. It was way better than in just like that. But so you've been doing all of these different. You've sort of dipped your toe into all of these different fields.

“I guess sort of like the question is, where do you feel most comfortable?”

Is it all over? You know, it's a, it is. It is a little bit all over.

In that it is like, it doesn't listen like a jazz album. It doesn't listen like a musical theater album. It's not. It's a collection of stories.

“And I think that, you know, it feels like journal entries sort of to me these songs.”

And I think that on its own, like song by song, I'm proud of them and happy. But I think as a person listens to it, start to finish. There's a real like story there. There's a real feeling of, um, of who I am and, and, um, through the whole thing. And, and so this to me feels like,

The, maybe the most authentic piece of who I am is an artist that I've ever experienced. When did you know you could sing Lee in life? Like how it really means.

I mean, like, I was always an actor.

You know, I, I was trained as an actor in things. And then I came to New York and my first job was in Steven Sontheim. He took a chance on me and gave me a starring role in his last musical hero while he was alive. I was some kid off the street. I didn't have an agent.

I went to an open chorus call. And I got one of the starring roles in the show. And everyone was like, who were you? Where did it? Because I didn't go to a school.

I didn't go to a fancy school for theater. And, um, and then people were like, oh, you sing. Because I could sing Steven Sontheim, which Steven Sontheim is very much about, you know, he writes, he writes like an actor. He writes things, you know, like he's communicating something through a song.

It's very specific dialogue through song. And I found that to be like very interesting.

“And I think that that's how I, that's how I trained myself as a singer was really”

treating songs like something that needed to come out of me in a way that speaking wasn't enough. I had to, because there was the emotion was too great. What's, what's the hardest song you've had to sing on stage or? God, that's a great question.

You know, um, there's a song on the album finishing the hat, which is from something the park with George, which is a show I've done more than any other show I've done four times. I played George four different times. And, um, and it is not only an incredibly difficult song to sing technically,

but from an emotional standpoint, it is a very, it touches, I think anybody who is an artist who is experienced what it's like to, to kind of lose yourself in your art and the damage they can do to your personal life. Um, so I think for that, that for those reasons, and that is sort of the best of some musical theater to me,

which is like, it's challenging to you technically, and also takes you to an emotional place that is very strong. I ask a lot of actor guests if they have a scene partner that they've been in with that has blown them away sort of the most. And I'm here's that question for you,

“but also maybe it could also be the voice that blew you away the most.”

Like who, who have you worked with that just, you think, was sort of the absolute best. There was this one actor that I played across from in this movie. He had to sing one at one point, and he couldn't say whatever.

It was you. I love you so much. I love you so much. Oh, did it working with you every day wasn't it? I would say.

I would say. We did have a lot of fun, right? Not a fun. I know. It was very depressing to me when we ended because I was like,

oh, it just sort of felt like camp. And I know kind of comfortable to do whatever there. Yeah. Yeah. Besides me, present company.

Why do you do it? I'm going to exclude it. You know, there are like that I ranked that above like Patty Lapone and Kerry. One of my favorites.

You know, both of those women, I adore both of those women very, very much. There are some people that, you know, you look up to as a child,

or not ever even as a young person that you will just never be able to act

to normal around. Audrey McDonald is one of those people. Her kids know each other. I can't act normal around her. I just look up to her too much.

I'm like, I'm always, and I say that to her. I'm always like, I have a hard time being normal around you, because I just think you're amazing. And she's like inner sweatpants, like clay. Gosh, people, there are so many.

I would say, getting to watch when I was in company with Patty Lapone, I stood on stage every single night and watched her sing, ladies who lunch. She never did it the same twice. I watched her do it over on every night.

It was an exploration about what the song was.

And there was always something new.

And I was like, God, you're so good. That's just, it's who I strive to be, you know. I'm going to get messy for a minute. So you mentioned Audra and Patty. Obviously, you know, them both pretty well.

And they have a kind of infamous feud going on. I don't know if it's still going on.

Yeah. But I don't know talk to me about it. Let me everything. I try to stay out of it because I don't want to get into it with either of them, you know.

But it's definitely true. And you know, like Chris and Chen out with came to see my show last night too. And like, among those like big, big Broadway leading ladies. Look, to make it as a, a woman on Broadway, especially if you're over 40.

If you, if you lived through it in the 90s and 2000s and 80s, God, you are tough as nails. Because man, it sucked. You know, like, they did not. Nobody was treating you very well.

And everyone was over sexualizing you.

“And like, I think you have to have been.”

You have to be pretty tough. And that said, I think that some of those women end up being really tough.

Because they have had to stick up for themselves in ways that we will never have to.

And I think that then they sometimes can butt heads. Because they also have very, they get very specific ways. They do things and ways they work with people. And you know, I mean, like. And I don't think they're always.

Sticky, but they can be, you know, like they can come across as sticky. And I think that there are things about Patty, you know, like, God, I remember once Patty yelled at an audience member. I got in a fight with an audience member to talk back. Because the audience member kept pulling their mask down.

And they were supposed to this was like deep in the heart of COVID. And it was like, no, we're all supposed to be in masks. And she was like, please put your mask on. And the guy yelled at her and was like, I'm paying your salary. And she was like, you don't pay my salary.

The producer pays it, you know, and afterwards I was chatting with her. We got to be really close.

“And she was like, I wish I didn't do that.”

I wish I didn't have that in me. I wish I didn't fight like that. You know, but at the same time, it's what makes her wonderful. It's what makes her thrilling to watch on stage. Yeah. And I like a little diva attitude amongst all of the actors.

You know, what's funny is during that whole. That's sort of recent thing that was going on between Patty and Audra. Weirdly enough at night. I often revisit the Rosio Donald show, which I know it's crazy. But I was somebody had uploaded an episode.

And I settled into watch it. And her Patty and Audra were performing together on it. But I forget what it was for, but they sang a song together. And they were holding hands. And it's on YouTube.

It's just some random person uploaded it. You know, if you search it somewhere, you've confined it. But it was so it was right at that time that that was happening. And I was like, oh my god, like that was 90, probably 99 or something around there. And yeah, here they were holding hands singing together.

And I was like, wow. They must have something to look at. It's up right now. Yeah, they must have so much history together. But anyway.

Yeah, you do, I mean, like, it's a small community. You know, they all end up, we all end up knowing each other. So on Gilded Age, I saw a meme of you was like popping up after your last. I mean, it's sort of a spoiler. So if you haven't watched Gilded Age just fast forward through what I'm about to say next.

But you became sort of a meme for your last moments on Gilded Age. Talk to me about that experience and working with those incredible actors. It was, you know, I knew that that was where the storyline was heading. Because they had pre, you know, that they had planned it out in advance. And I, but it was still.

But you always, I was like, oh, but maybe they'll change maybe they'll change.

But it's going, but it doesn't have anything to do with you personally as an actor. You know, like, it's the way the story is going. There's nothing you can do about it. But, but they did decide they did it in such, I knew I was going to die. Spoiler, sorry, but I didn't know how.

“And when we filmed it, you know, you film, they were like, do you want to do this stunt?”

And I was like, yeah, if I'm going to go down, we're going down together. Let's do this. And we filmed this stunt. And I was like, this is a very dramatic or like, because you film it very slowly. You know, and all this stuff.

And before there's no CGI, there was no horse and carriage. It was just me. So I was like, what is this going to look like? And when I went to do, they had me come into do ADR, which is like over voice over, you know, like, if they didn't get the audio.

And they were like, we need the sound of you getting hit by the carriage. So I had to go in and watch and go over and over and over again.

But I got to watch it for the first time.

And I was like, that is violent and scary. Yeah. They did a good job doing it. And then, yeah, it become, it did become a very funny meme where people were putting adding songs to it.

And I think that was very funny. I had seen the meme before I saw the episode. And I was like, wait, is that clay? What's going on? And I loved it.

Do you have a favorite time in the new album?

I will say there's one song in the album called It's So Nice to Have a Man Around The House. It's an old jazz tune that I sing that I hope gets played at many a gay wedding.

For like their first dance or like, I hope anybody, man or woman.

I can picture people listening to it in their living rooms and dancing with their Significant other or dog or whatever. It's this lovely little jazzy love song. But very gay in that it is a, I've taken it in. Yeah, I'm singing about a man.

That's one of my favorites. Also the title track, which is if the stars remind which is a lullaby that I sing to my son. I've been singing it to him almost every day, it's whole life. It's very, very special to me as well. They must, your husband and both your son and your family must be so proud of you.

They are. They are. They are. Yeah.

It's how about your, I know your family and you tell you come from a big family.

Have they got a chance to listen to the album? Yes, they did. You know, I actually brought them along a lot. I've seven siblings and a lot of them, I like, I was sending them like they helped me do the album order. I was like, hey, everybody listen to this.

Listen to this and tell me what order you think the album should come out and it should be. And then stuff and everybody listen to it and they're, you know, like right when it went on pre-sale. They had ordered it on vinyl and ordered like CDs to be, you know, we don't even, they don't even have record players. They're like, I have to have it on vinyl. I'm like, great. But don't you find that it's sort of coming back now. I mean, my husband collects a lot of vinyl.

He has, and is occasionally we do listen to them. But, and I also drive a truck that has a CD player.

So sometimes I do buy CDs, I know.

I like the physical copy of it. I do. And you know, when people come to see me in concert and stuff, they do people want something to sign. People want, if they see me in a play, they want something to bring to the stage door to have me sign.

“You have to sign a vinyl for me. And I'm absolutely, I'll pay, obviously I'm buying 10 copies of this.”

But I will definitely send you one. I also just am laughing in my head because I just bought a Gloria as to found CD from like 97 or something early 90s for my car for my truck. Because I was like, I need a, it's a six-dice player. Yeah. And you have to push it.

You hear it go. But there is, it's so satisfying to get a physical thing. I'm kind of, I don't know. I follow people on TikTok who are like physical media collectors. And they go and thrift VHSs and they watch movies that way or DVD or whatever. And I could totally see myself returning to that life.

Because I do miss. It makes it feel more special, especially getting an album. Like, I remember going to the record store on release day and picking up the album. And then opening and getting in your car and putting it in and you would really listen to it front to back. Now, I feel like with streaming, it is great to have access and so easily be able to, to pop on a song.

But I don't know that it has the same sort of impact. I miss, you really paid attention to the music and just focused on it when you would buy a physical thing. Well, I was talking to somebody the other day about going to media play and sitting and like listening to the, you could listen on the headphones at media play. Oh my God, I used to spend hours there listening stuff.

“Yeah, because it was the only way to, only way to find it, only way to get ready.”

You know, I like an analog life. There are times I want to turn, like I want to get one of those, like a get a flip phone. I have a lot of friends that are starting to get flip phones or bricks that are just like, yeah. Or even a house phone. I think I'm hearing a lot of people who are getting house phones and being like, "Well, at home, I'm putting this cell phone away."

You can call me if you want. Are you touring? I'm going to be touring in the fall. I'm going to be touring some more. I'm doing a show right now in New York and then I have a series of concerts at 54 below in New York for the release of the album. And then I'm doing a show at Carnegie Hall right after that and kind of a client. Yeah, I'm excited. It's a busy time, but it's a very fun time.

Where can people get tickets to all this stuff? You can find me on Instagram where you can find the links to all of these things, which is the best place at Cleveland. And then what do you want to do next? I mean, you've Broadway TV, is there a medium or something you haven't tackled that you're like, okay, I'm going to tackle that.

You know what? I've loved being on Gilted Age and I love the costumes and I love the period and I love the drama of it. But I'm ready to do a comedy and I'm ready to do a comedy TV show. So I'm sending that out in the world. Is that's really like who I am and what where I came from? So I'm ready to do a comedy show.

“You're so handsome. You should be doing that.”

I mean, I know we don't have a lot of gay realm counts, but I think you'd be so good in like a gay realm calm, like a, I don't know. Yeah, gay realm calm. That's what I want. That's what I want out there next. Yeah, and it would, it would be fun. I mean, you were so brilliant in Gilted Age, but it's like, yeah, I want to see you in modern and close or no close.

I love you, buddy. So much. This was such a pleasure. Everyone, you can pick up if the stars were mine.

“It's going to be on physical release as well as digital and clay congratulations. So proud of you and so excited for everyone to hear the music.”

It's so good. It's really, I've been listening to it. They sent me a couple days ago and I've been listening to it.

And I just, I love it and your voice is so phenomenal. So phenomenal.

“Where can people find you on social media? You mentioned?”

At Clayborn Elder.

I love you. All right. Hopefully I'll get to see in person soon and give you a big hug, but send it up to the family.

Well, yours too.

“You're getting there, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

It's only up to you.