May 12, 2025 • 43 mins
Lace up those mismatched sneakers because the gang is welcoming an icon to Pod Meets World! It’s time for Punky herself - Soleil Moon Frye - to take a trip down memory lane with Danielle, Will & Rider…
Soleil fondly looks back on the legacy of Punky Brewster, her personal connection to the world renown character and the wild world of merchandise that had her pre-teen face all over it.
If you grew up with Punky, or remember the infamous “refrigerator episode,” you won’t want to miss this crossover for the ages.
It’s an all-new podcast, powered off Punky, right here on Pod Meets World!
Follow @podmeetsworldshow on Instagram and TikTok!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
You know what's a unique Mother's Day conundrum that? Uh, well,
you guys do have to deal with that. I take
it back. I was gonna say you don't have to
deal with because you're not mothers, but you are. You are, Yeah,
you have mothers and you are married to women who
are mothers.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Do I did I have to get stuff for Sue
every month? I don't get stuff for Sue on Mother's Day?
Am I supposed to do?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Say Happy Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (00:42):
Probably not?
Speaker 6 (00:43):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Did you not say Happy Mother's Day? Today?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Say happy?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
What about you celebrate the holiday my mom?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I say to my mom? I say to my mom.
But it's like, because you know, our kids, our kid,
but she's thirty five.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I don't matter. She's still a mother.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I know.
Speaker 5 (01:02):
I never think about it. I guess you guys don't
do anything.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So like, let's say, does Susan spend every Mother's Day
with LEXI?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
No?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Okay, And so let's say they're not spending it together. Huh,
what do you do for your wife Susan for Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
I let her cook me my favorite meal.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Will this is not a bit?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
That is a bit? No? I literally never thought about
it this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I've never thought about it where it's like it's mother
It's oh no, I know Lexi's thirty five. It's like
do you but you know, I wish my mom a
happy Mother's Day, send flowers or do something. I worship it.
I worship my wife every other day. I don't worship
her any differently on Mother's Day.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
You know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh no, your mom's over thirty five, isn't she.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
No, just about she's gonna be thirty five this year.
We're very excited. It's been the same birthday for seventy years,
but thirty five.
Speaker 7 (01:54):
No, yeah, no, I mean it's it's definitely like Mother's
Day changed, meaning, you know, because it just a time
for me to call my mom.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
And then it was like, oh, time for me.
Speaker 7 (02:04):
To call my mom. But also acknowledge my wife. Yes,
and like we do something. I usually get a card
or we do something.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 7 (02:10):
That makes more sense.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
You've got a little kid, you live together with the kids.
I mean that, you know. It's like the time I
met Lexi, she was already twenty one, right.
Speaker 7 (02:18):
But it's about her identity as a mother. It's not
about my relationship to her being a mother. It's just
about celebrating motherhood. And you know, yeah she did it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah, I h My mom has always loved Mother's Day,
like just loves it. And every year from the time
I was little, Mother's Day was about she didn't want
to do anything. She didn't want to she didn't want
to have to. We've never been a family that's liked
reservations and crowded restaurants, so it was always breakfast at home.
(02:51):
But she didn't want to have to make any of it.
So it was like, this is the day where we
get to wait on mom, we get to make mom's breakfast,
we get to make mom coffee, any little thing that
needs to be done. No, Mom, you sit, you relax,
let us take care of it. And my dad, you know,
we'd always we'd have gifts for her. My dad would
buy her gifts. We as kids would get her things,
(03:11):
or we'd make her something. And I remember thinking like, yeah,
that's fun. It was fun for me as a kid
to celebrate my parents on their day. And then I
became a mother and it was like, oh, yeah, I
get the real emotional weight of this one day. You know,
parenting is ninety nine percent of the time, so incredibly thankless,
(03:36):
and yet it's made up of all the little moments
that most people would never think of. You know, you
don't get to pick and choose the core memories your
kids have, and so you never know when you're making one.
It could be like a small thing. And now, as
a grown woman who lives not super close to my mother, like,
I still want to celebrate my mom on Mother's Day,
(03:56):
but also how do I do that while also refue
using to lift a finger?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Exactly?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You take a mantle now, now, yeah, OK, so it's
very hard.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yeah, no, it's it's hard.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
My mom has tried to be very like all come
to you, don't worry about it, but it's still that's
hard for me. I still have that feeling of like,
but sure you've had and she says that, she says,
I've had forty years of Mother's days. Let's let it
be about you or you.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Could do that. I mean.
Speaker 7 (04:26):
The other thing that's ironically happens between me and Alex
is like our gifts to each other are like getting
a break from the kid or getting a break away
from each other. So like, you know, there's a year
I me and a bunch of dads sent our wives
off to a Mother's Day brunch, so we all watched
the kids. So they got a break, you know, but
it was like we also didn't get to enjoy that.
And then like Alex has been like, you can go
(04:48):
to as many movies as you want today, I'll take
Indy and that would be Father's Day.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
You know, there's been like but it's yeah, the.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Iron like you don't like Mother's Day. The woman who
invented Mother's Day, it's a true story. Anna Jarvis, the
founder of Mother's Day, came to regret and even actively
oppose the holiday she created. She was distressed by its commercialization,
which she felt strayed from its original, more personal intent,
and actively campaign to have the thing she invented or
(05:15):
rased Wown't that crazy?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Pretty nuts?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, I'm gonna have to celebrate too. I'm gonna I
owe a retroactively or mother.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You oweer a whole bunch of just nice, nice little things.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
But I give her nice little things all the time.
I enjoy giving her nice things. I like worshiping her
on a rent just like a regular Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I like to be like, hey, babe, this is for
you because you're awesome, like as opposed to this is
the day I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
This, right, But same thing with Valentine's Day, Like Valentine's
Day isn't the day you tell your wife you love her,
you tell me, never.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
Celebrate at the time, you never celebrate Valentine's Day.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
With birthday, right, it's like, yeah, like that's a personalized
that's just you and the power of the eleven.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
That's what That's what the birthday is. It's the only birthday.
Is that count, Let's be honest. So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Ask for from gen every year, I get a hotel
room alone for Mother's Day or for a time on
Mother's Day. No for that for Mother's Day. What my
gift is, I don't take it on Mother's Day. I
I as much as I'd like the day alone, I
feel like it's my my duty, mysage duty. It's my
(06:18):
duty to spend it with my kids. But my gift
that I get is a night away at a hotel
and I then pick another day, maybe sometime in June
or July, and I go and I go to the spa,
and I sit in my robe and I order room
service and I scroll my phone mindlessly and I don't
have a monitor, and nobody says mom, and it's awright,
awome pretty awesome?
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Does every day is my Mother's Day?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Baby, every day is my Mother's Day.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I also want to acknowledge that this holiday is hard
for a lot of people. It's hard in our family
as well, you know, as I'll start crying if I
talk about it too much. But everyone knows for the
most part that my mother in law passed a couple
of years ago, and so yeah, it's hard. It's hard
for a lot of people. And you start getting the
emails about the holidays, mothers and Father's Day, and you
(07:06):
know there are people who want to be mothers and
are trying to become mothers and that's not always an
easy path. So also acknowledging that it's a difficult holiday
for many, but sending love to all of you, whether
you want to be a mother, you are a mother,
you are not a mother, or your will who just
is an eleventh brother?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
It's like what a mother? Mother?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Who's a mother?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Who's a mother? That works on so many levels, levels,
so many levels. Welcome to vad meets World. I'm Danielle Fischel,
I'm right or strong.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
I'm well for Dell.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
That's so funny.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It would be difficult to describe the landscape of eighties
family television without the name Punky Brewster. What was only
a four season show, two on NBC and two in
syndication propelled its star and her mismatched shoes into a
pop culture stratosphere that would be hard to describe. In
twenty twenty five, the Los Angeles native achieved a level
(08:22):
of success that put her on a journey that could
only be rivaled by Forrest Gump, placing her front and center,
always with a camcorder in some of the coolest pop
culture moments of the nineties. She not only possessed talent,
she was surrounded by it, as seen in her film
Kid ninety, a documentary made up of her unbelievable home
movies and now modern day footage hoping to learn more
(08:44):
about herself in the process, and her newest documentary, The
Carter's Hurts to Love You, tells the story of a
Hollywood family ravaged by fame, addiction, and mental illness. Her
unique voice and her one of a kind experience in
the business have made her one of the most interest
and illuminating voices in documentary filmmaking, and now she's talking
(09:04):
to us. So please welcome to pod meets World, an
icon of the small screen. It's Sleigh Moonfry. Oh, it's
so good to see you. I have to admit I
feel very left out. I had major fomo not being
at nineties con with you. I know you, I know
(09:24):
I missed you.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Guys.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I know you spent a wonderful weekend together.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
It's fantastic.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
And he didn't want to tell Danielle she actually wasn't invited.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I know, any other stories you want to tell me
to make me jealous before we go anything.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
It just it was just a good time.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Do you do a lot of conventions.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
I only have done a few, but they've been so
much fun that I'm like, I want to go. I
know it's it's been so beautiful and people are so
kind and wonderful, and I just love like spending time
with people and getting to know them, and it's totally
emotional and beautiful and hiring and nostalgic and kind of
like a reunion is the.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
You wouldn't get well, so they wouldn't get to meet
a whole lot of people at the convention because she's
she's a hugger. I am, and I mean even more
than Ryder Strong is a hugger. She has to hug everybody.
So you'd be there all day and meet six people.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
Is the problem.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
I love people so much, and they were so sweet,
and I just I love hearing their stories and compensations.
Speaker 7 (10:27):
When we were doing photo ops together, so we did
a photo op. It was like the TGIF photo op,
and it was a row of us, Juliel and so
let who else we were all.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Matt was there.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
There's a lot of us, and there's a lot of
people that were in a line. So we were like,
we just have to move quickly and say hi. So like,
let's not hug We're just going to like say hi,
just completely out the window of the second the first
person went and so I was just.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Like your day.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
They're like crying and holding each other and talking and
she's like, where do you want to stand?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I was like, Oh, this is going to take forever.
I feel like one of the most empathetic people I've
ever seen in my life. Like you just pour it out.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
You're just like, oh, and when the love comes to you,
you just give it right back.
Speaker 6 (11:11):
It's an amazing It was really really touching and I just,
oh my gosh, I love it. I love hearing the stories,
and yeah, I think it's a really healing experience too.
I think people are there's just a really it's it's beautiful,
it's describable.
Speaker 7 (11:28):
Did you always feel great when people recognized you or
was there a time where.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It was like not a great experience where.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
You were I'm literally like, I love Punky so much.
She is like my superhero part of like me, and
I feel like they're Punky and everyone and Cherry and everyone.
So for me, I like love when people connect to
it and and oh my goodness, there was kids that
showed up dressed up like Punky like that.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
My heart was so warmed.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
And I think that, honestly, that that Punky's got me
through some of the best times of my life and
the hardest times of my life. Like she just really,
like feel so connected to her. So I'm really touched
when when when she touches other people, I get very
excited about it.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I think about this all the time, and I wonder
if it's something that strikes you too. I have a
son who is about to turn six. You were seven
years old when you were cast as Punky Brewster, and
an entire network show is now on your shoulders. My
son cannot remember the jacket he brought to school that
(12:36):
day at all.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Like that.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Just every day I'm like, where's your water bottle, where's
your jacket? There's always something lost? Yeah, you have you
can't go out like that? Does it blow your mind
now when you think back to what you were capable
of doing. It's seven years old.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It's wild, I think.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
You know, it's it's it's interesting, like I think that
the show had and I mean yours as well, Right,
there's so many layers and heart and emotion and at
a time in television when you know, we spoke about us,
you guys right where it's like there's comedy, but you're
also in tears and.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, and there's this connective tissue.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
And so I do realize like that that depth that
was there is really inspiring to me, just because I
think also I didn't know where Punky ended and I began,
So there was this very you know, there was just
this this incredible spirit that I'm pretty in awe of,
you know, and just like okay, wow, like if I
(13:35):
ever feel like I'm going through it, I'm like, okay,
I gotta like bring in that punky power like survival instincts,
you know. So yeah, so it's wild. It is pretty
amazing to see.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Well, I mean, I know that we when we go
back and we watch our show, we're I was seventeen
essentially when we started, and there's still gaps in our
memory where we were like, wait, I don't remember this.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
I don't remember that.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
What is it like when you watch yourself at seven?
I mean, do you do you remember any of it?
Or is it all just you might.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
As well just be watching a different television show.
Speaker 6 (14:07):
Feelings that will come back, like it's so wild, you know,
I'll have these feelings where it's like I remember being
in that you know, the bed that like you know,
like the wind the wheelbarrow, like it was like a
wheel and it was so fun and wild and interesting
and yeah, just there's so many memories of the treehouse
and it was really fun going back and doing the
(14:27):
continuation because that was great to then again like be
able to celebrate and have this amazing moment in time
all reconnecting.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Well, one thing we don't have in common is that
Punky Brewster was a worldwide phenomenon. You had a cartoon, toys,
paper dolls, puzzles, you had your own toothbrush. How did
you stay grounded through all of that?
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Okay, first of all, it's so wild. So the shoes
were like unblo believable.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
The doll was so cool. I love a Punky doll.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
And now it's so wild because at the conventions people
bring these items I've never seen before, so all of
a sudden it'll be like a therminist or a lunch tailer,
you know. But the thing is I didn't get a
piece of any of that, do you know, No, like
you know, young Girl and a TV show at the time.
So my point is not so much that I didn't get,
(15:25):
but I didn't see all of these things.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Because they weren't clearing it with you.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
They needed to, I don't know, or I didn't have
in my contract, I guess. But like, well, somebody did
really well from them. Uh yeah, a lot of people did.
But what was interesting, what was so beautiful is like
actually through these conventions has been to like I'll start
getting emotional so much of the time because I'm like,
(15:53):
oh my gosh, there was a bandana, there was you know,
there is a comic book. You know, like all the
things that I'm seeing for the very first time at
the age that I am now, And it's just a
really special, beautiful experience because I suppose, you know, I
always had a really grounded family and always went to
(16:16):
summer camp and my friends today or some of my
best friends from when I was little, growing up from
two years old eight years old, so I was always
really grounded, and I and and so it's really beautiful that,
you know, as we grow up and we have our
insecurities and our roller coasters of emotions and all these things,
to like at this moment in time when I can
(16:38):
appreciate it so much and be in such gratitude as
I've always been, but like on a whole other level
where you're like, wow, like this feels like, you know,
beautiful to be able to have this full circle experience
and to be able to share it, it's really fun
and I'd like end up wanting to spend hours decorating
and you know, and like making it even more.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah, it's like a really nice victory lap that you
didn't get to have at the time. That you get
to have now. It's really great. And similarly to Boy
Meets World, Punky Brewster did more than just the regular
fair for kids, you guys touched on drug abuse, the
Challenger Crash CPR training does it. It means so much
(17:19):
to us when we are at cons and people come
up and tell us about those storylines and how you
know the storylines that we did that touched on alcohol
abuse or whatever and what they meant to them and
their families. Is that the same for you? Do people
come up and it just tell you what an impact
it made.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
It's amazing.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I mean the amount of incredible stories from people that
had grown up in foster care to you know, unconventional families,
to these really beautiful stories. And then of course there's
you know, I mean for me, I wanted to be
an astronaut, so that was you know for me when
the Challenger having just yeah, acted me so deeply, and
and so there's all of these different elements.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
The refrigerator I think for everyone.
Speaker 6 (18:00):
Oh yes, that you know that that I think is
like in people's memories and way, and so I just
that that's such an amazing feeling to feel like there's
this touch point that we all get it connect to
and I think that was one of the most special
parts of when we all were.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Doing our shows.
Speaker 6 (18:20):
Right, It's just like that's like, it's just a really
nostalgic time.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Do your kids know how cool you are?
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Like?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Do your kids? Do your kids get it?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
You know?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I think some moments they think I'm cooler than others.
You know, they you know, it's awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
They have been through it and they're amazing, and ultimately
they've thought Punky was pretty cool. And now on the documentaries,
they're really supportive around that. Like they come in and
they edit with me, and they come up with music
and they film with me, and it's like, it's so
beautiful that they support me so much, because I really
(18:57):
don't know what I would do without them being such
a support system.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
How old are they?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
So?
Speaker 6 (19:03):
I have an eight year old, okay, eleven year old,
seventeen year old and a nineteen year old.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Oh my gosh, four kids. Crazy, so incredible. Well, you
made Kid ninety a beautiful documentary with the endless footage
you took on your one of a kind journey through
the decade of the nineties, which included touring with House
of Pain, hanging out on the set of Kids and
dating teenage heart throbs. Do you think the House of
(19:31):
Pain documentary could ever be finished?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Now?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
I mean seriously, you know that is a fantastic question.
I would love to see that documentary finish.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, gotta get everybody on the same on the same game.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
There so much footage.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
So much footage, like endless footage. I have a plethorastalla footage.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
If you had to guess, how many times do you
think you went to eddabeviks, Oh my god, it was
the place.
Speaker 6 (20:03):
But I definitely went to Jerry's Deli at least oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
So which one, the one, the one with the bowling alley,
the one, yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
Studio City and for Mosa Cafe at least of that.
I mean literally, there were definitely like those places in
the city that we lived at.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Cafe Fifties I was really into.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Also, oh yeah, oh I remember Cafe fifties.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
It's not wild, so funny, so many, so many great
but it's still all my favorite places. Just a bunch
of a lot of diners.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
And yeah, yeah, you still love that.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
That's that's Danielle daniel Come on, great.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Yeah, I might have gone.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, not too long ago.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Of course, who does it and it's a it's a
brilliant place.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
But no, I think I told you on the panel
that you know, I grew up a television junkie and
Punky Brewster was one of the shows that was in
the zeitgeist for me of what made me want to
be an actor. I mean, I saw kids on the
screen and you just.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Go that that I need to do that, I have
to do that, and your show is certainly one of those.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Again, I think I also told you there was some
there's still some trauma from the refrigerator episode, from the
Challenger episode.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
There's a few.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
It's like the smoking episode for different Strokes, which had
the opposite effect on me, and I was already smoking
by ten, but I stay out.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
What you do? You stay away from refrigerators. It was
like they would just get into your head. And this
was one of these shows as a kid that was
so unbelievably important to me.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So I get a chance to say thank you for that,
because without those shows, I don't think I'd be sitting
here right now.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
So I love that.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
And I just heard a story yesterday from Cherry which
I have to get to the bottom of to find
out if, in truth, something around ice Cube's name may
have had to do with the refrigerator.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
But we have to find out. I would have just
been somebody getting me.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Really excited and cherry.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
Now what if I'm like sharing it and then but
I have to look this up because that would be
like one of the coolest things in the entire universe
if somehow like this that was true. I got like
got inspired by a Punky Brewster episode that would be like,
we can't we.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Got to do.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I don't remember this episode. I never saw it.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
Surprisingly, Punky Brewster is one of the.
Speaker 7 (22:11):
Few shows I do remember as a kid because I
didn't I never had television, but I would go to
my grandmother's house and watch it. And I must have
somehow got her to tape them or something, because I
watched a lot of Punky Brewster and was, like Will said,
it was one of the first where I was like,
oh my god, that is a kid like I wanted.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
To be you I was.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
And then and then writer and I ended up in
the Summer Camp movie together.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Oh we know, Summertime Switch. Oh yeah, yeah, you gotta
talk about that. I'd love to know your memories about
that summer in Atlanta? Okay, where were we Jackson Jacks Okay,
I thought it was Atlanta the.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
First of all.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
I okay, first of all, I remember that. I think
I had died blonde hair or something like that. But
that wasn't all of my memories. I feel like I
was really young on that by myself. I feel like
I was maybe like seventeen years old.
Speaker 7 (23:04):
There's some yes, but you were older than the rest
of us, Like that was yes.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
But you guys were like fourteen fifteen and we.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Still had our parents.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
We still had our parents, and you were by yourself,
and I remember you were like the cool older teenager
hanging out there and we.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
All were at the hotel.
Speaker 7 (23:20):
I know you and I didn't get to work together
that much, but I was so funny because when your
documentary came out, my mom said to me, she was like, well,
don't you remember so Lee always had a camera And
I was like, what are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I didn't remember this.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
She was like, she had the best, awesomest video camera
that we came you could get back then, and she
was always filled.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Me was like, I can't believe you remember that, and.
Speaker 6 (23:42):
By the way, I do think I did find video
of that time, and I remember there was a really
cool town that I went to one day.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
There's amazing church, and I have footage of it, and
I was like, ooh, I did.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
I had my video camera with me, and then I
would do oh my god, I would do risky. There
was like you know those teeny tiny honeyweys where it's like,
oh yeah, I remember this because I found a video
of it as I was doing Kid ninety, where I
was full blown, like doing like risky business in the honeywagon.
Oh my gosh, I think like Jane's smoking.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
I don't know. Yeah, I was like, I don't know.
I was like the wild counselor.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Oh, by the way, According to Billboard, an ice Cube
his brother would throw him in. So his brother was
always getting girls, and he said his brother said to him,
he's thirteen.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
That refrigerator down the street. I'm going to take you
down there.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm slamming you in the freezer, and when they pull
you out, you're going to be an ice cube.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Okay, oh my god.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Because like people knew that.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Hi, thank you, Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
I think you just made my entire year.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
Oh, I mean that feels like a punky reference.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Right, Yeah, it kind of feels like a punky reference.
It does, it absolutely does. That's perfect timing too.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
I'm gonna really have to find ice Cube Ether and
be like, uh, this is this is your this is
your recorded here on your podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
It's so exciting. Literally I had this conversation, you know.
But here's the beauty of it, right.
Speaker 6 (25:14):
I love that you guys are here together, right, And
how funny and beautiful is it that I can say
I was talking to Cherry yesterday, you know. I think
that's something that's like so special about so many of
our relationships is that these are real connections, real love,
real French. It's real like dynamics, and you see that
with you guys, you know, Cherry and I have that,
(25:37):
and I think that's really really special, like yeah, really special.
And and so as much as we grew up in
this like very surreal world that we're in, like there's
so much depth to it and our playground and at
the same time, like there's a great deal of love there.
And I just that like just hit me that. I
was like, oh, I was just talking to her yesterday
and you guys are like, it's just a.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Really We've also talked about how even if we'd never
worked together, anyone who was around and in that same circle,
there is just a there's a real love and mutual
respect and like there's a comforting feeling being together where
there's a shorthand we don't have to try to feel sane.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, it's weird, just it's like a safe space where
other people become your safe space.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
It's strength totally, And I think it was such a
small group of us, right, Like, yeah, and that's why
sometimes when I talk about you know that there's friends
that have gone on to have these amazing, beautiful lives
and then some of my dearest friends who didn't make it.
You know, it's and like not superficial friends, like really
true relationship. So it is so layered, and I think
(26:44):
that's such a universal, you know thing across the board,
right totally.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well, both of your documentaries Kid ninety and now The
Carter's Hurts to Love you deal with the price of
adolescent fame. Do you think there's any part of you
that has some survivor's guilt about it?
Speaker 2 (27:02):
That's such a great question.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
I think that when when I was making Kid ninety,
I really really had. So I mean that it was
such a peeling back of the onion because when I
started it, I wasn't setting out to make a documentary
that was so personal.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
I thought it was going to be about everyone but me.
Then it became like really personal experience.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
And I felt like with that, I was like, I
just I didn't see it, you know, And now I
was reliving the tapes and the audio and I was like,
oh my gosh, Like now that I can see it,
you know, like it it was like a veil lifted, right,
And so I went through that process and that was,
(27:42):
you know, really very much a love letter that I
got to share with with others who we all you know,
could connect to it. And then I went through another
experience on a documentary that I've been working on with
someone that I love deeply, and then again I was like,
if I could only see it, and then this time
(28:03):
I was seeing it and at the same time, I
didn't feel like I could see that person, right.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
So then there's that element, you know.
Speaker 6 (28:11):
And so I think there's always that kind of inner
part of me that's felt like wanting to do whatever
I can to you know some kind of you know
that that's that inner spirit of just wanting to do
whatever I can to help others, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And do more.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
And and through that journey, which was so emotional as well,
I learned like I'm not able to necessarily, you know,
save someone as much as I want to.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
What I can do is I.
Speaker 6 (28:44):
Can put that into art and into my family and
into my loved ones and philanthropic work that I do,
and I can continue to be empathetic and continue to
help sharing stories and creating a say space for people
to share their truth and their stories and be an
(29:05):
instrument for something way bigger than me. And so that's
what I've really set out to do, and really with
this experience with the Carters is like, look, I can
do my best to like provide a safe space, and
I feel a moral responsibility in that. And so that's
where it's where it's gone for me. Is that to
(29:27):
look back and to feel guilt about not being able to,
you know, save the people I loved that wouldn't you know, wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Help or serve you, Yeah, But to.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
Feel the grief and to really take that grief and
turn it into art and into light and to love,
because I was saying, you know, recently, it's like I
have tried to.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Work grief away, love grief away.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
You know, and it comes back to, you know, catches
up with you. I was talking my dear friend Brian
about this recently and sharn and you know, it's like
it's just something that sticks with you. Rightly go through
it and then it can still come and you know,
sneak up on you. So my dream is to continue
to create safe spaces for people to share their stories
(30:18):
and for it to touch people. And that's how I
best can you know, can heal and not feel that guilt, you.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Know, And it has snuck up on me a few times, but.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
You know, again it has come with a great deal
of There's been a lot of loss in life. There's
been so much joy and so much love and so
much you know, so much happiness, and there's also been
a lot of loss.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
You've had so many different experiences and now have documented
many different cases of the dark instances of the dark
side of child stardom. Has there been any sort of
tangible through line or something you can point to specifically
that feels like a common denominator.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
It's such a great question.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
You know, I think that you know, for me, it's
interesting because it's like this onion that continues to peel back.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Because even through this.
Speaker 6 (31:27):
Process with the with the Carters, you know, watching the
lengths that they went to, and you know, Aaron like
just you know, just wanting to be loved and being
such a people pleaser. And I was like, oh my goodness,
like I can so understand that kind of wanting to
feel loved. Even you can have a completely stable family,
(31:47):
parents that love you, and still that desire to want
to be loved. We all want to be loved, right,
we all want to feel that that love. And and
so I do think there's this there is this common thread,
which is that you know that that we all want
to be loved and we all want to do our best.
And I think that, you know, I could see a
(32:09):
lot of my friends in these journeys and and I
think when you take those elements of wanting to be
a people pleaser and you compile it with mental health
and all of these different dynamics that that can become,
you know, just bigger than life. And I look at
so many of our amazing artists and icons that are
(32:30):
no longer with us, and you you know, you question,
like to what length, you know, what pushes somebody over
the edge.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
You know, Well, one part of kid ninety that really
resonated with me was the focus on your body as
a child, and how strange it was that we allowed
this kind of discourse. Do you think we've gotten any
better with this as a society?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
You know, I had so many insecurities growing up, like
going through you know, puberty in the public eye, and
I think it just got so exasperated with you know,
with social media and literally watching the what has gone
on through you know, the fact that anyone can be
behind a screen right now and in social media, and
(33:21):
so I think it's just gotten amplified so much. And
I don't think we've really begun to look at what
this is doing to you know, I mean, haven't even
begun to scratch the surface of how this is affected
you know, teens and kids and being a mother and
seeing it. You know, it's just it's heart wrenching because
(33:42):
anyone can hide behind a screen and say anything they
want to anyone, and and so often can be objectified.
So I think for me, my one of my biggest
goals is like that we actually have conversations around this,
that we have these conversations, that we talk about it
with our families and our loved ones, and not sweep
(34:05):
but under the rugs, so that we actually know what's
so that we can better be compassionate and understanding each other.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
It's really interesting the way you answered that question, because
I think in my mind, you know, just listening to
how Danielle phrased it, I was like thinking, right, it's
it must it's gotten better to be a female celebrity
or an adolescent female celebrity. But actually, what you're saying
is that we've actually just turned it outward so that
almost every your average girl is her own celebrity.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
In the public.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
Yeah, And that's like, oh my god, you're right, You're
so right. It does seem like at least now, like
I saw Millie Bobby Brown calling out like the way
that she's been called out for her appearance in a
way that is like male actors. So I feel like
the conversation is out there at least like in a
way that back in the day, like when you guys
were going through it, you guys being sexualized at a
(34:55):
young age was totally normal, which is crazy. And then yeah,
and then conversations around your or your body is it's
just fair game and a weird episodes about it and
we had it was crazy that that has gotten better.
But you're right that in general, this social media landscape
has made it so that everybody, every teenager kind of
is a famous person.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Now.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
I think you're so right. I think that it's so
amazing that there are conversations and that me the fact
that we're even talking about this right now shows me
that there's growth, and that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Seeing the way.
Speaker 6 (35:29):
In which and watching it when working on the carters,
like seeing the things that were said to this young
man when he was in such a vulnerable awful, and
that anyone can say anything male, female, and it's so
easy to hide behind a screen to just say whatever
(35:50):
you want and have no accountability, you know, and and
to go back to the point of just wanting to
feel loved. Right, So it's like and then whatever endorphins
and everything, like, oh, people are liking, people are giving
me positive attention, and what does that look like? Like
what does that represent to female or male as they're developing.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
I just I think it's so layered, so layered.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, well, I have a question then, because we don't
focus on it a lot, but we certainly talk about
it a lot. And I think it's important because we're
putting a spotlight on some of the negative sides of
growing up in the entertainment industry, and.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
There are plenty. What was your favorite part about growing
up as a child.
Speaker 6 (36:32):
Oh my god, so many favorite parties. Like it was
so funny that my mom the other day's.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Like, oh my god, are you okay?
Speaker 6 (36:38):
You know, like, because there is like so much emotion
to like the painful parts. But I'm always like for
everyone that had like this painful experience, there's so many
friends that have had these incredibly beautiful lives. I have
like the most amazing kids, and I'm so thankful, And
(36:59):
I literally like the sound stage was like our playground,
and we got to scooter around the lot and we
got to jump around on our pogo sticks and play
dress up. Like it was a dream come true in
so many ways. So that's the thing is I think
there's it's just the roller coaster of life. There's been
(37:19):
so much good, Like, yeah, so much good. I have
the most happy memories of you know, going on fun adventures.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
It was so awesome.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
When I would be working in a different state, my
mom would ask if I could bring a friend with me,
and like we would land wherever we were and we'd
go to like the local carnival. I mean things like
that that just like these totally special, rarefied, exquisite experiences,
you know, And I mean I loved boxing. My dad
(37:48):
was a golden glove boxer. I got to meet Mohammed Ali,
like I Harry Coke on him, went to like a
Bruce Springsteen concert with Michael Jackson Elizabeth Taylor, Like these are.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
The most.
Speaker 6 (38:03):
Amazing, colorful mo Like I just have had so much joy,
like so much joy, so by again, like I think
it's that polarity, right, Like there's so much to it.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Well, everyone, you can watch The Carter's Hurts to Love
You Now on Paramount Plus. My last question for you,
Slay is what would you like people to come away
after they watch the documentary? What do you want them
to come away with at the end of it.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
I love that question.
Speaker 6 (38:32):
I really really hope it encourages us to have deeper
conversations around mental illness and addiction and destigmatize these conversations
because I think they're really important to have, and I
don't think we have to feel shame around them.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
I don't think we have to live in guild.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
I think we have to be able to just be
more open with each other and check on each other,
and to know that we're not going through it alone.
I don't know any family that's not touched in some
way or another by these issues, So I think I
think they're really universal, and I hope that it continues
this conversation in a more universal way, and that as
(39:16):
much as there's pain in this story, there's also so
much heart and love and hope because you look at
the generational patterns and how Angel is really working to
break the generational cycle and through her strength, you know,
you see this incredible light, and I hope it provides
(39:37):
healing for she and Nick and their family and for others,
and that people watch it and see a part of themselves,
you know. I think that's been one of the most
rewarding parts of hearing from people after they've seen it,
and having them walk into.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Like being like how am I going to relate to
this family?
Speaker 6 (39:57):
And then like literally after watching it, going I had
no idea like this reminded me so much of my
own family, or this reminded me so much of someone
I knew, and so that to me is so rewarding
and special when somebody can connect to some part of
their own lives through someone's journey.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Well, thank you so much for being with us. What's
next for you? Where can people find you? How can
people support you? Other than watching the documentaries?
Speaker 6 (40:23):
I know you and watch and then you Hulu watched
Kid ninety and yeah, and there's lots more to come.
Speaker 5 (40:33):
And is Punky streaming anywhere can people watch?
Speaker 6 (40:36):
I think that is streaming on peacock. I would think, okay, okay,
you can go across all these platforms, every platform with
me and watch my kids doing all sorts of fun things,
and you know, and.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Yeah, is Jagger in the industry now?
Speaker 6 (40:51):
Jagger is a phenomenal filmmaker. Yeah, she's she's amazing, poet,
is phenomenal off at college and dancing and adding social
justice and anthropology and just mind blowing. And my eleven
year old's brilliant, and the eight year old. It's just
so special and amazing, and I just feel like the
luckiest person in the entire world.
Speaker 5 (41:13):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
I would I would like to have one guest come
on and go, my nineteen year old amazing the eight
year old, like you never hear that.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
They might turn into something incredibly, So thank you so
much for being with us. We so appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Wow. It's so cool. She's doing such great things with
you know, her voice and her platform, and yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
She was what I mean, she's on that list for me.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
She's absolutely on that list for me of just watching
her and going that I need to do that, I
need to find a way to do that.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:53):
I think it was also like because she had an
unusual name and I had an unusual name. Oh yeah, she.
Speaker 4 (41:58):
Was like this kind of like hippie.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
I was like, oh, that's totally gonna be me someday.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I just a hit.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
I wanted just a hippie kid, That's all I wanted. Though,
I mean it was she was.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
She's responsible for I think a young like a whole
generation of younger actors watching shows like that and Different
Strokes where the lead was seven, eight, nine years old
and it just made you go, god, man, I want
to try that.
Speaker 5 (42:21):
So yeah, she's she's one of the OG's.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Thank you all for joining us for this episode of
Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com. And
we've got Merch Merchie.
Speaker 5 (42:38):
I'm trying to trying to do it like Punky, Punky.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
How are you who? Always?
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Oh, Punky Merchie, Punky, that's my best impression, Punky Hunger Punker.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Pod Meets Worldshow dot com. We love you all, pod dismissed.
Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted
by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong Executive producers, Jensen
Carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo,
producer and editor, Tara sudbachsch producer, Maddy Moore, engineer and
(43:13):
Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen. Our theme song
is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram
at Pod Meets World Show or email us at Podmeets
Worldshow at gmail dot com.
You know what's a unique Mother's Day conundrum that? Uh, well,
you guys do have to deal with that. I take
it back. I was gonna say you don't have to
deal with because you're not mothers, but you are. You are, Yeah,
you have mothers and you are married to women who
are mothers.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Do I did I have to get stuff for Sue
every month? I don't get stuff for Sue on Mother's Day?
Am I supposed to do?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Say Happy Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (00:42):
Probably not?
Speaker 6 (00:43):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Did you not say Happy Mother's Day? Today?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Say happy?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
What about you celebrate the holiday my mom?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I say to my mom? I say to my mom.
But it's like, because you know, our kids, our kid,
but she's thirty five.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I don't matter. She's still a mother.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I know.
Speaker 5 (01:02):
I never think about it. I guess you guys don't
do anything.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So like, let's say, does Susan spend every Mother's Day
with LEXI?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
No?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Okay, And so let's say they're not spending it together. Huh,
what do you do for your wife Susan for Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
I let her cook me my favorite meal.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Will this is not a bit?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
That is a bit? No? I literally never thought about
it this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I've never thought about it where it's like it's mother
It's oh no, I know Lexi's thirty five. It's like
do you but you know, I wish my mom a
happy Mother's Day, send flowers or do something. I worship it.
I worship my wife every other day. I don't worship
her any differently on Mother's Day.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
You know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh no, your mom's over thirty five, isn't she.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
No, just about she's gonna be thirty five this year.
We're very excited. It's been the same birthday for seventy years,
but thirty five.
Speaker 7 (01:54):
No, yeah, no, I mean it's it's definitely like Mother's
Day changed, meaning, you know, because it just a time
for me to call my mom.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
And then it was like, oh, time for me.
Speaker 7 (02:04):
To call my mom. But also acknowledge my wife. Yes,
and like we do something. I usually get a card
or we do something.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 7 (02:10):
That makes more sense.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
You've got a little kid, you live together with the kids.
I mean that, you know. It's like the time I
met Lexi, she was already twenty one, right.
Speaker 7 (02:18):
But it's about her identity as a mother. It's not
about my relationship to her being a mother. It's just
about celebrating motherhood. And you know, yeah she did it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah, I h My mom has always loved Mother's Day,
like just loves it. And every year from the time
I was little, Mother's Day was about she didn't want
to do anything. She didn't want to she didn't want
to have to. We've never been a family that's liked
reservations and crowded restaurants, so it was always breakfast at home.
(02:51):
But she didn't want to have to make any of it.
So it was like, this is the day where we
get to wait on mom, we get to make mom's breakfast,
we get to make mom coffee, any little thing that
needs to be done. No, Mom, you sit, you relax,
let us take care of it. And my dad, you know,
we'd always we'd have gifts for her. My dad would
buy her gifts. We as kids would get her things,
(03:11):
or we'd make her something. And I remember thinking like, yeah,
that's fun. It was fun for me as a kid
to celebrate my parents on their day. And then I
became a mother and it was like, oh, yeah, I
get the real emotional weight of this one day. You know,
parenting is ninety nine percent of the time, so incredibly thankless,
(03:36):
and yet it's made up of all the little moments
that most people would never think of. You know, you
don't get to pick and choose the core memories your
kids have, and so you never know when you're making one.
It could be like a small thing. And now, as
a grown woman who lives not super close to my mother, like,
I still want to celebrate my mom on Mother's Day,
(03:56):
but also how do I do that while also refue
using to lift a finger?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Exactly?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You take a mantle now, now, yeah, OK, so it's
very hard.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Yeah, no, it's it's hard.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
My mom has tried to be very like all come
to you, don't worry about it, but it's still that's
hard for me. I still have that feeling of like,
but sure you've had and she says that, she says,
I've had forty years of Mother's days. Let's let it
be about you or you.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Could do that. I mean.
Speaker 7 (04:26):
The other thing that's ironically happens between me and Alex
is like our gifts to each other are like getting
a break from the kid or getting a break away
from each other. So like, you know, there's a year
I me and a bunch of dads sent our wives
off to a Mother's Day brunch, so we all watched
the kids. So they got a break, you know, but
it was like we also didn't get to enjoy that.
And then like Alex has been like, you can go
(04:48):
to as many movies as you want today, I'll take
Indy and that would be Father's Day.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
You know, there's been like but it's yeah, the.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Iron like you don't like Mother's Day. The woman who
invented Mother's Day, it's a true story. Anna Jarvis, the
founder of Mother's Day, came to regret and even actively
oppose the holiday she created. She was distressed by its commercialization,
which she felt strayed from its original, more personal intent,
and actively campaign to have the thing she invented or
(05:15):
rased Wown't that crazy?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Pretty nuts?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, I'm gonna have to celebrate too. I'm gonna I
owe a retroactively or mother.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You oweer a whole bunch of just nice, nice little things.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
But I give her nice little things all the time.
I enjoy giving her nice things. I like worshiping her
on a rent just like a regular Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I like to be like, hey, babe, this is for
you because you're awesome, like as opposed to this is
the day I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
This, right, But same thing with Valentine's Day, Like Valentine's
Day isn't the day you tell your wife you love her,
you tell me, never.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
Celebrate at the time, you never celebrate Valentine's Day.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
With birthday, right, it's like, yeah, like that's a personalized
that's just you and the power of the eleven.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
That's what That's what the birthday is. It's the only birthday.
Is that count, Let's be honest. So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Ask for from gen every year, I get a hotel
room alone for Mother's Day or for a time on
Mother's Day. No for that for Mother's Day. What my
gift is, I don't take it on Mother's Day. I
I as much as I'd like the day alone, I
feel like it's my my duty, mysage duty. It's my
(06:18):
duty to spend it with my kids. But my gift
that I get is a night away at a hotel
and I then pick another day, maybe sometime in June
or July, and I go and I go to the spa,
and I sit in my robe and I order room
service and I scroll my phone mindlessly and I don't
have a monitor, and nobody says mom, and it's awright,
awome pretty awesome?
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Does every day is my Mother's Day?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Baby, every day is my Mother's Day.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I also want to acknowledge that this holiday is hard
for a lot of people. It's hard in our family
as well, you know, as I'll start crying if I
talk about it too much. But everyone knows for the
most part that my mother in law passed a couple
of years ago, and so yeah, it's hard. It's hard
for a lot of people. And you start getting the
emails about the holidays, mothers and Father's Day, and you
(07:06):
know there are people who want to be mothers and
are trying to become mothers and that's not always an
easy path. So also acknowledging that it's a difficult holiday
for many, but sending love to all of you, whether
you want to be a mother, you are a mother,
you are not a mother, or your will who just
is an eleventh brother?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
It's like what a mother? Mother?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Who's a mother?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Who's a mother? That works on so many levels, levels,
so many levels. Welcome to vad meets World. I'm Danielle Fischel,
I'm right or strong.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
I'm well for Dell.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
That's so funny.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It would be difficult to describe the landscape of eighties
family television without the name Punky Brewster. What was only
a four season show, two on NBC and two in
syndication propelled its star and her mismatched shoes into a
pop culture stratosphere that would be hard to describe. In
twenty twenty five, the Los Angeles native achieved a level
(08:22):
of success that put her on a journey that could
only be rivaled by Forrest Gump, placing her front and center,
always with a camcorder in some of the coolest pop
culture moments of the nineties. She not only possessed talent,
she was surrounded by it, as seen in her film
Kid ninety, a documentary made up of her unbelievable home
movies and now modern day footage hoping to learn more
(08:44):
about herself in the process, and her newest documentary, The
Carter's Hurts to Love You, tells the story of a
Hollywood family ravaged by fame, addiction, and mental illness. Her
unique voice and her one of a kind experience in
the business have made her one of the most interest
and illuminating voices in documentary filmmaking, and now she's talking
(09:04):
to us. So please welcome to pod meets World, an
icon of the small screen. It's Sleigh Moonfry. Oh, it's
so good to see you. I have to admit I
feel very left out. I had major fomo not being
at nineties con with you. I know you, I know
(09:24):
I missed you.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Guys.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I know you spent a wonderful weekend together.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
It's fantastic.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
And he didn't want to tell Danielle she actually wasn't invited.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
I know, any other stories you want to tell me
to make me jealous before we go anything.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
It just it was just a good time.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Do you do a lot of conventions.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
I only have done a few, but they've been so
much fun that I'm like, I want to go. I
know it's it's been so beautiful and people are so
kind and wonderful, and I just love like spending time
with people and getting to know them, and it's totally
emotional and beautiful and hiring and nostalgic and kind of
like a reunion is the.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
You wouldn't get well, so they wouldn't get to meet
a whole lot of people at the convention because she's
she's a hugger. I am, and I mean even more
than Ryder Strong is a hugger. She has to hug everybody.
So you'd be there all day and meet six people.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
Is the problem.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
I love people so much, and they were so sweet,
and I just I love hearing their stories and compensations.
Speaker 7 (10:27):
When we were doing photo ops together, so we did
a photo op. It was like the TGIF photo op,
and it was a row of us, Juliel and so
let who else we were all.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Matt was there.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
There's a lot of us, and there's a lot of
people that were in a line. So we were like,
we just have to move quickly and say hi. So like,
let's not hug We're just going to like say hi,
just completely out the window of the second the first
person went and so I was just.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Like your day.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
They're like crying and holding each other and talking and
she's like, where do you want to stand?
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I was like, Oh, this is going to take forever.
I feel like one of the most empathetic people I've
ever seen in my life. Like you just pour it out.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
You're just like, oh, and when the love comes to you,
you just give it right back.
Speaker 6 (11:11):
It's an amazing It was really really touching and I just,
oh my gosh, I love it. I love hearing the stories,
and yeah, I think it's a really healing experience too.
I think people are there's just a really it's it's beautiful,
it's describable.
Speaker 7 (11:28):
Did you always feel great when people recognized you or
was there a time where.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It was like not a great experience where.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
You were I'm literally like, I love Punky so much.
She is like my superhero part of like me, and
I feel like they're Punky and everyone and Cherry and everyone.
So for me, I like love when people connect to
it and and oh my goodness, there was kids that
showed up dressed up like Punky like that.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
My heart was so warmed.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
And I think that, honestly, that that Punky's got me
through some of the best times of my life and
the hardest times of my life. Like she just really,
like feel so connected to her. So I'm really touched
when when when she touches other people, I get very
excited about it.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I think about this all the time, and I wonder
if it's something that strikes you too. I have a
son who is about to turn six. You were seven
years old when you were cast as Punky Brewster, and
an entire network show is now on your shoulders. My
son cannot remember the jacket he brought to school that
(12:36):
day at all.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Like that.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Just every day I'm like, where's your water bottle, where's
your jacket? There's always something lost? Yeah, you have you
can't go out like that? Does it blow your mind
now when you think back to what you were capable
of doing. It's seven years old.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
It's wild, I think.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
You know, it's it's it's interesting, like I think that
the show had and I mean yours as well, Right,
there's so many layers and heart and emotion and at
a time in television when you know, we spoke about us,
you guys right where it's like there's comedy, but you're
also in tears and.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, and there's this connective tissue.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
And so I do realize like that that depth that
was there is really inspiring to me, just because I
think also I didn't know where Punky ended and I began,
So there was this very you know, there was just
this this incredible spirit that I'm pretty in awe of,
you know, and just like okay, wow, like if I
(13:35):
ever feel like I'm going through it, I'm like, okay,
I gotta like bring in that punky power like survival instincts,
you know. So yeah, so it's wild. It is pretty
amazing to see.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Well, I mean, I know that we when we go
back and we watch our show, we're I was seventeen
essentially when we started, and there's still gaps in our
memory where we were like, wait, I don't remember this.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
I don't remember that.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
What is it like when you watch yourself at seven?
I mean, do you do you remember any of it?
Or is it all just you might.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
As well just be watching a different television show.
Speaker 6 (14:07):
Feelings that will come back, like it's so wild, you know,
I'll have these feelings where it's like I remember being
in that you know, the bed that like you know,
like the wind the wheelbarrow, like it was like a
wheel and it was so fun and wild and interesting
and yeah, just there's so many memories of the treehouse
and it was really fun going back and doing the
(14:27):
continuation because that was great to then again like be
able to celebrate and have this amazing moment in time
all reconnecting.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Well, one thing we don't have in common is that
Punky Brewster was a worldwide phenomenon. You had a cartoon, toys,
paper dolls, puzzles, you had your own toothbrush. How did
you stay grounded through all of that?
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Okay, first of all, it's so wild. So the shoes
were like unblo believable.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
The doll was so cool. I love a Punky doll.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
And now it's so wild because at the conventions people
bring these items I've never seen before, so all of
a sudden it'll be like a therminist or a lunch tailer,
you know. But the thing is I didn't get a
piece of any of that, do you know, No, like
you know, young Girl and a TV show at the time.
So my point is not so much that I didn't get,
(15:25):
but I didn't see all of these things.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Because they weren't clearing it with you.
Speaker 6 (15:32):
They needed to, I don't know, or I didn't have
in my contract, I guess. But like, well, somebody did
really well from them. Uh yeah, a lot of people did.
But what was interesting, what was so beautiful is like
actually through these conventions has been to like I'll start
getting emotional so much of the time because I'm like,
(15:53):
oh my gosh, there was a bandana, there was you know,
there is a comic book. You know, like all the
things that I'm seeing for the very first time at
the age that I am now, And it's just a
really special, beautiful experience because I suppose, you know, I
always had a really grounded family and always went to
(16:16):
summer camp and my friends today or some of my
best friends from when I was little, growing up from
two years old eight years old, so I was always
really grounded, and I and and so it's really beautiful that,
you know, as we grow up and we have our
insecurities and our roller coasters of emotions and all these things,
to like at this moment in time when I can
(16:38):
appreciate it so much and be in such gratitude as
I've always been, but like on a whole other level
where you're like, wow, like this feels like, you know,
beautiful to be able to have this full circle experience
and to be able to share it, it's really fun
and I'd like end up wanting to spend hours decorating
and you know, and like making it even more.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah, it's like a really nice victory lap that you
didn't get to have at the time. That you get
to have now. It's really great. And similarly to Boy
Meets World, Punky Brewster did more than just the regular
fair for kids, you guys touched on drug abuse, the
Challenger Crash CPR training does it. It means so much
(17:19):
to us when we are at cons and people come
up and tell us about those storylines and how you
know the storylines that we did that touched on alcohol
abuse or whatever and what they meant to them and
their families. Is that the same for you? Do people
come up and it just tell you what an impact
it made.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
It's amazing.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I mean the amount of incredible stories from people that
had grown up in foster care to you know, unconventional families,
to these really beautiful stories. And then of course there's
you know, I mean for me, I wanted to be
an astronaut, so that was you know for me when
the Challenger having just yeah, acted me so deeply, and
and so there's all of these different elements.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
The refrigerator I think for everyone.
Speaker 6 (18:00):
Oh yes, that you know that that I think is
like in people's memories and way, and so I just
that that's such an amazing feeling to feel like there's
this touch point that we all get it connect to
and I think that was one of the most special
parts of when we all were.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Doing our shows.
Speaker 6 (18:20):
Right, It's just like that's like, it's just a really
nostalgic time.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Do your kids know how cool you are?
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Like?
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Do your kids? Do your kids get it?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
You know?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I think some moments they think I'm cooler than others.
You know, they you know, it's awesome.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
They have been through it and they're amazing, and ultimately
they've thought Punky was pretty cool. And now on the documentaries,
they're really supportive around that. Like they come in and
they edit with me, and they come up with music
and they film with me, and it's like, it's so
beautiful that they support me so much, because I really
(18:57):
don't know what I would do without them being such
a support system.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
How old are they?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
So?
Speaker 6 (19:03):
I have an eight year old, okay, eleven year old,
seventeen year old and a nineteen year old.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Oh my gosh, four kids. Crazy, so incredible. Well, you
made Kid ninety a beautiful documentary with the endless footage
you took on your one of a kind journey through
the decade of the nineties, which included touring with House
of Pain, hanging out on the set of Kids and
dating teenage heart throbs. Do you think the House of
(19:31):
Pain documentary could ever be finished?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Now?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
I mean seriously, you know that is a fantastic question.
I would love to see that documentary finish.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, gotta get everybody on the same on the same game.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
There so much footage.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
So much footage, like endless footage. I have a plethorastalla footage.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
If you had to guess, how many times do you
think you went to eddabeviks, Oh my god, it was
the place.
Speaker 6 (20:03):
But I definitely went to Jerry's Deli at least oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
So which one, the one, the one with the bowling alley,
the one, yeah.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
Studio City and for Mosa Cafe at least of that.
I mean literally, there were definitely like those places in
the city that we lived at.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Cafe Fifties I was really into.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Also, oh yeah, oh I remember Cafe fifties.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
It's not wild, so funny, so many, so many great
but it's still all my favorite places. Just a bunch
of a lot of diners.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
And yeah, yeah, you still love that.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
That's that's Danielle daniel Come on, great.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Yeah, I might have gone.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, not too long ago.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Of course, who does it and it's a it's a
brilliant place.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
But no, I think I told you on the panel
that you know, I grew up a television junkie and
Punky Brewster was one of the shows that was in
the zeitgeist for me of what made me want to
be an actor. I mean, I saw kids on the
screen and you just.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Go that that I need to do that, I have
to do that, and your show is certainly one of those.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Again, I think I also told you there was some
there's still some trauma from the refrigerator episode, from the
Challenger episode.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
There's a few.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
It's like the smoking episode for different Strokes, which had
the opposite effect on me, and I was already smoking
by ten, but I stay out.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
What you do? You stay away from refrigerators. It was
like they would just get into your head. And this
was one of these shows as a kid that was
so unbelievably important to me.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So I get a chance to say thank you for that,
because without those shows, I don't think I'd be sitting
here right now.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
So I love that.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
And I just heard a story yesterday from Cherry which
I have to get to the bottom of to find
out if, in truth, something around ice Cube's name may
have had to do with the refrigerator.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
But we have to find out. I would have just
been somebody getting me.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Really excited and cherry.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
Now what if I'm like sharing it and then but
I have to look this up because that would be
like one of the coolest things in the entire universe
if somehow like this that was true. I got like
got inspired by a Punky Brewster episode that would be like,
we can't we.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Got to do.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I don't remember this episode. I never saw it.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
Surprisingly, Punky Brewster is one of the.
Speaker 7 (22:11):
Few shows I do remember as a kid because I
didn't I never had television, but I would go to
my grandmother's house and watch it. And I must have
somehow got her to tape them or something, because I
watched a lot of Punky Brewster and was, like Will said,
it was one of the first where I was like,
oh my god, that is a kid like I wanted.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
To be you I was.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
And then and then writer and I ended up in
the Summer Camp movie together.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Oh we know, Summertime Switch. Oh yeah, yeah, you gotta
talk about that. I'd love to know your memories about
that summer in Atlanta? Okay, where were we Jackson Jacks Okay,
I thought it was Atlanta the.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
First of all.
Speaker 6 (22:49):
I okay, first of all, I remember that. I think
I had died blonde hair or something like that. But
that wasn't all of my memories. I feel like I
was really young on that by myself. I feel like
I was maybe like seventeen years old.
Speaker 7 (23:04):
There's some yes, but you were older than the rest
of us, Like that was yes.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
But you guys were like fourteen fifteen and we.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Still had our parents.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
We still had our parents, and you were by yourself,
and I remember you were like the cool older teenager
hanging out there and we.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
All were at the hotel.
Speaker 7 (23:20):
I know you and I didn't get to work together
that much, but I was so funny because when your
documentary came out, my mom said to me, she was like, well,
don't you remember so Lee always had a camera And
I was like, what are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I didn't remember this.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
She was like, she had the best, awesomest video camera
that we came you could get back then, and she
was always filled.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Me was like, I can't believe you remember that, and.
Speaker 6 (23:42):
By the way, I do think I did find video
of that time, and I remember there was a really
cool town that I went to one day.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
There's amazing church, and I have footage of it, and
I was like, ooh, I did.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
I had my video camera with me, and then I
would do oh my god, I would do risky. There
was like you know those teeny tiny honeyweys where it's like,
oh yeah, I remember this because I found a video
of it as I was doing Kid ninety, where I
was full blown, like doing like risky business in the honeywagon.
Oh my gosh, I think like Jane's smoking.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
I don't know. Yeah, I was like, I don't know.
I was like the wild counselor.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Oh, by the way, According to Billboard, an ice Cube
his brother would throw him in. So his brother was
always getting girls, and he said his brother said to him,
he's thirteen.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
That refrigerator down the street. I'm going to take you
down there.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm slamming you in the freezer, and when they pull
you out, you're going to be an ice cube.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Okay, oh my god.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Because like people knew that.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Hi, thank you, Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
I think you just made my entire year.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
Oh, I mean that feels like a punky reference.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Right, Yeah, it kind of feels like a punky reference.
It does, it absolutely does. That's perfect timing too.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
I'm gonna really have to find ice Cube Ether and
be like, uh, this is this is your this is
your recorded here on your podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
It's so exciting. Literally I had this conversation, you know.
But here's the beauty of it, right.
Speaker 6 (25:14):
I love that you guys are here together, right, And
how funny and beautiful is it that I can say
I was talking to Cherry yesterday, you know. I think
that's something that's like so special about so many of
our relationships is that these are real connections, real love,
real French. It's real like dynamics, and you see that
with you guys, you know, Cherry and I have that,
(25:37):
and I think that's really really special, like yeah, really special.
And and so as much as we grew up in
this like very surreal world that we're in, like there's
so much depth to it and our playground and at
the same time, like there's a great deal of love there.
And I just that like just hit me that. I
was like, oh, I was just talking to her yesterday
and you guys are like, it's just a.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Really We've also talked about how even if we'd never
worked together, anyone who was around and in that same circle,
there is just a there's a real love and mutual
respect and like there's a comforting feeling being together where
there's a shorthand we don't have to try to feel sane.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, it's weird, just it's like a safe space where
other people become your safe space.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
It's strength totally, And I think it was such a
small group of us, right, Like, yeah, and that's why
sometimes when I talk about you know that there's friends
that have gone on to have these amazing, beautiful lives
and then some of my dearest friends who didn't make it.
You know, it's and like not superficial friends, like really
true relationship. So it is so layered, and I think
(26:44):
that's such a universal, you know thing across the board,
right totally.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Well, both of your documentaries Kid ninety and now The
Carter's Hurts to Love you deal with the price of
adolescent fame. Do you think there's any part of you
that has some survivor's guilt about it?
Speaker 2 (27:02):
That's such a great question.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
I think that when when I was making Kid ninety,
I really really had. So I mean that it was
such a peeling back of the onion because when I
started it, I wasn't setting out to make a documentary
that was so personal.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
I thought it was going to be about everyone but me.
Then it became like really personal experience.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
And I felt like with that, I was like, I
just I didn't see it, you know, And now I
was reliving the tapes and the audio and I was like,
oh my gosh, Like now that I can see it,
you know, like it it was like a veil lifted, right,
And so I went through that process and that was,
(27:42):
you know, really very much a love letter that I
got to share with with others who we all you know,
could connect to it. And then I went through another
experience on a documentary that I've been working on with
someone that I love deeply, and then again I was like,
if I could only see it, and then this time
(28:03):
I was seeing it and at the same time, I
didn't feel like I could see that person, right.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
So then there's that element, you know.
Speaker 6 (28:11):
And so I think there's always that kind of inner
part of me that's felt like wanting to do whatever
I can to you know some kind of you know
that that's that inner spirit of just wanting to do
whatever I can to help others, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And do more.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
And and through that journey, which was so emotional as well,
I learned like I'm not able to necessarily, you know,
save someone as much as I want to.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
What I can do is I.
Speaker 6 (28:44):
Can put that into art and into my family and
into my loved ones and philanthropic work that I do,
and I can continue to be empathetic and continue to
help sharing stories and creating a say space for people
to share their truth and their stories and be an
(29:05):
instrument for something way bigger than me. And so that's
what I've really set out to do, and really with
this experience with the Carters is like, look, I can
do my best to like provide a safe space, and
I feel a moral responsibility in that. And so that's
where it's where it's gone for me. Is that to
(29:27):
look back and to feel guilt about not being able to,
you know, save the people I loved that wouldn't you know, wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Help or serve you, Yeah, But to.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
Feel the grief and to really take that grief and
turn it into art and into light and to love,
because I was saying, you know, recently, it's like I
have tried to.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Work grief away, love grief away.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
You know, and it comes back to, you know, catches
up with you. I was talking my dear friend Brian
about this recently and sharn and you know, it's like
it's just something that sticks with you. Rightly go through
it and then it can still come and you know,
sneak up on you. So my dream is to continue
to create safe spaces for people to share their stories
(30:18):
and for it to touch people. And that's how I
best can you know, can heal and not feel that guilt, you.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Know, And it has snuck up on me a few times, but.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
You know, again it has come with a great deal
of There's been a lot of loss in life. There's
been so much joy and so much love and so
much you know, so much happiness, and there's also been
a lot of loss.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
You've had so many different experiences and now have documented
many different cases of the dark instances of the dark
side of child stardom. Has there been any sort of
tangible through line or something you can point to specifically
that feels like a common denominator.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
It's such a great question.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
You know, I think that you know, for me, it's
interesting because it's like this onion that continues to peel back.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Because even through this.
Speaker 6 (31:27):
Process with the with the Carters, you know, watching the
lengths that they went to, and you know, Aaron like
just you know, just wanting to be loved and being
such a people pleaser. And I was like, oh my goodness,
like I can so understand that kind of wanting to
feel loved. Even you can have a completely stable family,
(31:47):
parents that love you, and still that desire to want
to be loved. We all want to be loved, right,
we all want to feel that that love. And and
so I do think there's this there is this common thread,
which is that you know that that we all want
to be loved and we all want to do our best.
And I think that, you know, I could see a
(32:09):
lot of my friends in these journeys and and I
think when you take those elements of wanting to be
a people pleaser and you compile it with mental health
and all of these different dynamics that that can become,
you know, just bigger than life. And I look at
so many of our amazing artists and icons that are
(32:30):
no longer with us, and you you know, you question,
like to what length, you know, what pushes somebody over
the edge.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
You know, Well, one part of kid ninety that really
resonated with me was the focus on your body as
a child, and how strange it was that we allowed
this kind of discourse. Do you think we've gotten any
better with this as a society?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
You know, I had so many insecurities growing up, like
going through you know, puberty in the public eye, and
I think it just got so exasperated with you know,
with social media and literally watching the what has gone
on through you know, the fact that anyone can be
behind a screen right now and in social media, and
(33:21):
so I think it's just gotten amplified so much. And
I don't think we've really begun to look at what
this is doing to you know, I mean, haven't even
begun to scratch the surface of how this is affected
you know, teens and kids and being a mother and
seeing it. You know, it's just it's heart wrenching because
(33:42):
anyone can hide behind a screen and say anything they
want to anyone, and and so often can be objectified.
So I think for me, my one of my biggest
goals is like that we actually have conversations around this,
that we have these conversations, that we talk about it
with our families and our loved ones, and not sweep
(34:05):
but under the rugs, so that we actually know what's
so that we can better be compassionate and understanding each other.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
It's really interesting the way you answered that question, because
I think in my mind, you know, just listening to
how Danielle phrased it, I was like thinking, right, it's
it must it's gotten better to be a female celebrity
or an adolescent female celebrity. But actually, what you're saying
is that we've actually just turned it outward so that
almost every your average girl is her own celebrity.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
In the public.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
Yeah, And that's like, oh my god, you're right, You're
so right. It does seem like at least now, like
I saw Millie Bobby Brown calling out like the way
that she's been called out for her appearance in a
way that is like male actors. So I feel like
the conversation is out there at least like in a
way that back in the day, like when you guys
were going through it, you guys being sexualized at a
(34:55):
young age was totally normal, which is crazy. And then yeah,
and then conversations around your or your body is it's
just fair game and a weird episodes about it and
we had it was crazy that that has gotten better.
But you're right that in general, this social media landscape
has made it so that everybody, every teenager kind of
is a famous person.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Now.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
I think you're so right. I think that it's so
amazing that there are conversations and that me the fact
that we're even talking about this right now shows me
that there's growth, and that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Seeing the way.
Speaker 6 (35:29):
In which and watching it when working on the carters,
like seeing the things that were said to this young
man when he was in such a vulnerable awful, and
that anyone can say anything male, female, and it's so
easy to hide behind a screen to just say whatever
(35:50):
you want and have no accountability, you know, and and
to go back to the point of just wanting to
feel loved. Right, So it's like and then whatever endorphins
and everything, like, oh, people are liking, people are giving
me positive attention, and what does that look like? Like
what does that represent to female or male as they're developing.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
I just I think it's so layered, so layered.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, well, I have a question then, because we don't
focus on it a lot, but we certainly talk about
it a lot. And I think it's important because we're
putting a spotlight on some of the negative sides of
growing up in the entertainment industry, and.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
There are plenty. What was your favorite part about growing
up as a child.
Speaker 6 (36:32):
Oh my god, so many favorite parties. Like it was
so funny that my mom the other day's.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Like, oh my god, are you okay?
Speaker 6 (36:38):
You know, like, because there is like so much emotion
to like the painful parts. But I'm always like for
everyone that had like this painful experience, there's so many
friends that have had these incredibly beautiful lives. I have
like the most amazing kids, and I'm so thankful, And
(36:59):
I literally like the sound stage was like our playground,
and we got to scooter around the lot and we
got to jump around on our pogo sticks and play
dress up. Like it was a dream come true in
so many ways. So that's the thing is I think
there's it's just the roller coaster of life. There's been
(37:19):
so much good, Like, yeah, so much good. I have
the most happy memories of you know, going on fun adventures.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
It was so awesome.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
When I would be working in a different state, my
mom would ask if I could bring a friend with me,
and like we would land wherever we were and we'd
go to like the local carnival. I mean things like
that that just like these totally special, rarefied, exquisite experiences,
you know, And I mean I loved boxing. My dad
(37:48):
was a golden glove boxer. I got to meet Mohammed Ali,
like I Harry Coke on him, went to like a
Bruce Springsteen concert with Michael Jackson Elizabeth Taylor, Like these are.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
The most.
Speaker 6 (38:03):
Amazing, colorful mo Like I just have had so much joy,
like so much joy, so by again, like I think
it's that polarity, right, Like there's so much to it.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Well, everyone, you can watch The Carter's Hurts to Love
You Now on Paramount Plus. My last question for you,
Slay is what would you like people to come away
after they watch the documentary? What do you want them
to come away with at the end of it.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
I love that question.
Speaker 6 (38:32):
I really really hope it encourages us to have deeper
conversations around mental illness and addiction and destigmatize these conversations
because I think they're really important to have, and I
don't think we have to feel shame around them.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
I don't think we have to live in guild.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
I think we have to be able to just be
more open with each other and check on each other,
and to know that we're not going through it alone.
I don't know any family that's not touched in some
way or another by these issues, So I think I
think they're really universal, and I hope that it continues
this conversation in a more universal way, and that as
(39:16):
much as there's pain in this story, there's also so
much heart and love and hope because you look at
the generational patterns and how Angel is really working to
break the generational cycle and through her strength, you know,
you see this incredible light, and I hope it provides
(39:37):
healing for she and Nick and their family and for others,
and that people watch it and see a part of themselves,
you know. I think that's been one of the most
rewarding parts of hearing from people after they've seen it,
and having them walk into.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Like being like how am I going to relate to
this family?
Speaker 6 (39:57):
And then like literally after watching it, going I had
no idea like this reminded me so much of my
own family, or this reminded me so much of someone
I knew, and so that to me is so rewarding
and special when somebody can connect to some part of
their own lives through someone's journey.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Well, thank you so much for being with us. What's
next for you? Where can people find you? How can
people support you? Other than watching the documentaries?
Speaker 6 (40:23):
I know you and watch and then you Hulu watched
Kid ninety and yeah, and there's lots more to come.
Speaker 5 (40:33):
And is Punky streaming anywhere can people watch?
Speaker 6 (40:36):
I think that is streaming on peacock. I would think, okay, okay,
you can go across all these platforms, every platform with
me and watch my kids doing all sorts of fun things,
and you know, and.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Yeah, is Jagger in the industry now?
Speaker 6 (40:51):
Jagger is a phenomenal filmmaker. Yeah, she's she's amazing, poet,
is phenomenal off at college and dancing and adding social
justice and anthropology and just mind blowing. And my eleven
year old's brilliant, and the eight year old. It's just
so special and amazing, and I just feel like the
luckiest person in the entire world.
Speaker 5 (41:13):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
I would I would like to have one guest come
on and go, my nineteen year old amazing the eight
year old, like you never hear that.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
They might turn into something incredibly, So thank you so
much for being with us. We so appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Wow. It's so cool. She's doing such great things with
you know, her voice and her platform, and yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
She was what I mean, she's on that list for me.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
She's absolutely on that list for me of just watching
her and going that I need to do that, I
need to find a way to do that.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:53):
I think it was also like because she had an
unusual name and I had an unusual name. Oh yeah, she.
Speaker 4 (41:58):
Was like this kind of like hippie.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
I was like, oh, that's totally gonna be me someday.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I just a hit.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
I wanted just a hippie kid, That's all I wanted. Though,
I mean it was she was.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
She's responsible for I think a young like a whole
generation of younger actors watching shows like that and Different
Strokes where the lead was seven, eight, nine years old
and it just made you go, god, man, I want
to try that.
Speaker 5 (42:21):
So yeah, she's she's one of the OG's.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Thank you all for joining us for this episode of
Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com. And
we've got Merch Merchie.
Speaker 5 (42:38):
I'm trying to trying to do it like Punky, Punky.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
How are you who? Always?
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Oh, Punky Merchie, Punky, that's my best impression, Punky Hunger Punker.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Pod Meets Worldshow dot com. We love you all, pod dismissed.
Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted
by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong Executive producers, Jensen
Carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo,
producer and editor, Tara sudbachsch producer, Maddy Moore, engineer and
(43:13):
Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen. Our theme song
is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram
at Pod Meets World Show or email us at Podmeets
Worldshow at gmail dot com.
Hosts And Creators
Will Friedle
Danielle Fishel
Rider Strong
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