The Rosie O'Donnell Episode

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hello and welcome to Gay'sReading.
I am your host, Jason Blitman,and you clicked on the episode,
so you know this is the RosieO'Donnell episode.
Y'all.
I'm freaking out.
I was freaking out.
Anyone who's listened to thisshow before knows that I have
talked about Rosie O'Donnellover and over and over again.

(00:23):
And if you are listening to thissimply because you're a Rosie
fan and you've never listened togay's reading before, welcome,
and I hope you enjoy thisconversation with her.
But, uh, I'm, this is.
This is a big day.
It's a big day for gay'sreading.
Thank you everyone for yoursupport and cheering on along
the way.

(00:44):
I, have mentioned her name on somany episodes, in particular
with Lindsay Rush, the poet.
we had a moment on the showwhere we talked about our, our
dreams and fantasies in one ofhers was that Michelle Pfeiffer.
Got a hold of her book.
And so Lindsay and I were intouch this morning'cause I was
so excited to tell her that Ifinally had Rosie on the show.

(01:05):
And I'm, I've decided this isnow the time that, that Michelle
Pfeiffer is gonna, he is gonnafinally read her book.
and so Lindsay coined the termmanifesting.
We are manifesting because it ismay.
Uh, and so I hope all of you getwhatever it is that you are
manifesting this month.
As always, if you like whatyou're hearing, share us with

(01:27):
your friends.
Follow us on social media atgays Reading.
I, I, I have very few words.,when I saw that Rosie O'Donnell
was producing a documentary forHulu, I thought, what a great
opportunity to check in with herand learn about that.
I had the pleasure of watchingUnleashing Hope, the Power of
Service Dogs for Children withAutism, which is streaming on

(01:49):
Hulu now.
Um.
Uh, So here you go.

Jason Blitman (01:58):
all I want is to get Rosie O'Donnell on this
podcast.
I would rush home to watch RosieO'Donnell I saw the video clips
on Instagram of my girl RosieO'Donnell, you feel like you're
allowed to love Tom Cruisebecause of the co sign from
Oprah.
And I was allowed to love himbecause of the co sign from
Rosie O'Donnell.

Jedediah Jenkins (02:15):
Is there like a league of their own category
of gays that I don't know about?

You know, I don't know.
Maybe it's just Rosie O'Donnell.

Lyndsay Rush (02:21):
We need to find your drunk

I would call myself dollar store Rosie
O'Donnell.
I, and now I am just ecstatic tosay, please enjoy my
conversation with RosieO'Donnell.
okay.
I.
I'm gonna put my podcaster haton in a second, but first I have
to put my, my 8-year-old gay kidhat on.

Rosie O'Donnell (02:45):
Okay.

Um, so this is Gay's reading.
Welcome to Gay's Reading.
On every third episode of theshow, your name comes up.

Right.
No kidding.

If you listen to the first six seconds of the
first episode, your name comesup.

Really, honey.
That's so sweet.

I talk about how I want one of those little
buttons to

Dig, dig.

I, I said, every time I say GA's reading, I want
to hear bum bubu bum.
The intro of the Gypsy Overture.

Oh yeah,

had every time she said Tom Cruise's name.

right.
Tommy, can you hear me

Exactly.
I, before we dive in, I justhave to say you are my, my
Barbara, my Tom, and my Mervrolled into one.

honey?

And you were my babysitter when I was a kid and
you were my introduction toBroadway shows.
I've worked in theater my wholelife and, uh, I've been
estranged from my dad for fiveyears.
He

Sorry,

in, he was born in 1959 and grew up in Comac,
New York.

what's his name?

His name is Mike Mann.
I'm sure you don't know him.

Did he go to my high school?
Because I'm born in 1962.

I know.
This is why I told you.
Um, no, but he, he, they movedto Florida in when he was like
14 or 15, so

Okay.

make it to high school, but he lived at 11
Dorian Lane.
I learned

11.
Doreen Lane.

Dore?
Dorian?

Oh, Dorian, because I lived in the name
Streets.
I lived on Rhonda Lane and therewas Donna Lane and Rita
Crescent.
I thought there was a Doreen inthere that would've been funny.

Do think it was like a around the corner, but
not

Wow, that is so wild.
You know, I wanna tell you thetruth.
When, when gay men and womencome over to me and tell me
this, I can't explain what itfeels like, because you know
when you are doing that show ata time when speaking about being
gay was really unheard of.
There was, nobody was out at thetime, right?

(04:57):
Ellen was not out.
I remember while I was doing myshow.
She said she was gonna come out.
I was like, oh my God, what isshe doing?
You know?
Yes.
Elton John can be out.
Or Katie Lang, they're rock androll singers, but could a, a
talk show host and a, it didn'tseem possible.

You're in someone's living room every day.

Yes.
And I remember seeing, uh, theytold me there was gonna be a new
show on with a gay man and hisbest friend.
Who was a straight woman and itwas gonna be called Will and
Grace.
And I thought that'll never lastbecause you don't remember.
But there was a show, loveSidney with Tony Randall, and it
was only on for a few episodesbecause there was a photograph

(05:37):
of a man above the fireplacethat obviously had died.
Who they were inferring was hispartner and all he did was look
up at him one episode and.
You know, and the church wentcrazy and I went to mass that
day and there was all kinds ofprotests and they took it off
the air.
So I didn't grow up dreamingthat it would be possible to

(06:00):
have a show that would reach outand touch so many gay kids'
lives.
And it really makes me feel asthough my life has been of
value.
So I wanna thank you for sayingthat to me.

Thank you.
I mean, truly you.
You changed my life.
You saved my life.
You and and I.
When I Google, I like Googledthe Rosie O'Donnell show today
just to see what.
What Google said about you, andapparently the Wikipedia
summation is, it says in anutshell, fascinating, fun, and
joyous.
And I was like, I didn't evenrealize.

(06:36):
But that is the core of what Ido here.
That's my goal, that's what Ido.
I want to have fun and havereally interesting and
thoughtful conversation.
So anyway, I just needed to sayall of that.

Well thank, thank you so much.

Um,

Now lemme ask you one thing.
Why are you not talking to yourdad?
Is it a gay?
Guess?
You're gay.

It is not a gay thing.

Oh, okay.
You don't have,

It is a, it is a, it is a last election thing.

oh honey, that's almost just as hard.

I got like the gay thing was never a problem.

Oh good.
I'm glad.

Astonishing.

there's a wonderful documentary.
Fox News Brainwashed my father.
Have you ever seen it?

Did I write that documentary?
No, I,

But it's out there and you can Google it and
look it up and watch it andyou'll feel comforted that the,
by the fact that you're notalone, that this propaganda
network that has convinced ourelderly.
Parents that we love and enjoythat their version of lies are
true and it's very tragic.

(07:41):
And when you think that 30% ofthe population voted for him,
now I always say half, and it'snot half as my shrink reminds
me, 30% did not vote.
30% voted against him and 30%voted for him.
That's not a a, a mandate,Donald, that's not a landslide.

(08:02):
And if we don't stop him now,there's no stopping him.
And that's the end of democracy.

and so here we are

Yes.

change.
Um, speaking of documentaries,I, I was not a reader until
about six or seven years ago,and so.

No kidding.

sentence I never thought I would say is I have
Rosie O'Donnell on my bookpodcast talking to me about a
documentary she produced

Right, right.

about service dogs.
This is, and, and as Carolinecan tell you, I sent her an
angry email in quotation marksthat I didn't know it was gonna
make me cry so much.

it's very, very moving and it's very uplifting
and I think, you know, kids withautism are being maligned by
Robert Kennedy Jr.
Please put the junior in there,everyone,'cause he doesn't
deserve to have that name.
I.
Without Junior attachedreminding us that he's nothing
like his father.
And, um, you know, what he'ssaying is ridiculous.

(08:59):
It's, it's conspiracy theories.
It's there's no scientific fact.
He has no medical degree.
He has no right to be saying thelies, but it's perfect that he's
in the Trump administration,which only and always lies only
and always.
And, um, you know, I wanted toput out a documentary that would
show autism.

(09:20):
In the light that it is in myworld, and to show the truth and
the hard and the difficult partsas well, and to show a therapy
that actually works forchildren, that actually helps
serve inmates and prisoners asthey train these dogs for up to
two years and give them away tofamilies like mine.

(09:40):
Who need the service, and it waslife-changing for our family,
and I really wanted to helppeople know that this was a
possibility and that it's free.
It's free.

it is crazy.
I mean, and who would've thoughtthe, the empathy we would've had
at the end of the duck for theinmates who were

Yes.

sentences,

Yes, they're human beings, you know?
And um, you know, one should notbe defined by the worst moment
of their life and not be able toescape it.
And one thing that really got tome when I was in the prison and
I met the dogs and I met theprisoners and I said to this
guy, how many dogs have youtrained?
And he said, 12.
And I said, oh, knowing thatthat takes two years, that's 24

(10:23):
years.
He probably did manslaughter.
He is getting out soon.
So I said, you must be goinghome soon.
And he said, no, ma'am, I'm herelife without.

Yeah.

It about broke my heart because isn't that the
most appropriate name?
Not life without the possibilityof life, without pretty much
everything, without hope,without dignity, without
decency, without compassion,without forgiveness from the
world and from everyone.
And there was no way to redeemyourself if you had life without

(10:54):
if the rest of your life youwere destined to stay there.

Yeah.
Well, and it's amazing thoughthat, that you learned about
this program from yourcorrespondence with Lyle
Menendez.
And, and that it's been going onas long as it has been, as you
just said, 20.
This one person has been workingwith dogs for 24 years.
What, what was, what was evenjust learning about that, like
for you?

It was mind blowing because I had a child
diagnosed with autism at two,who was at the time nine and at
nine years old, you know, theywent through, uh, menstruation
and they started with a lot ofhormones withdrawing.
Withdrawing into themselves andnot wanting to go out and not

(11:38):
wanting to talk to anyone butme, and yet not wanting to
really talk to me, just wantingme to be there.
So I spent every weekend alonetrying to get them out of their
room to come down and hang withme.
And you know, they were reallyfocused on their one need.
You know, like how a Rain Man,judge Wapner.

(11:58):
Judge Waner.
Right.
Uh.
That's what they were doing withobject shows, right?
Battle for Dream Island andInsan Inanimate Insanity.
They would memorize everyepisode of these object shows
that are, it's a digitalprogram.
I.
A digital series on YouTube thathad been created in 2010 and

(12:21):
they just found a few years agoand try to get some t-shirts and
stuff from a show that's been onfor that long.
It wasn't so easy.
But I ended up meeting thecreators and they're wonderful
guys.
They've come to our house,they've invited us to perform on
the program, and Clay and I eachvoiced a character.

God.
How cool.

Yeah.
Really?

must have freaked out.

Oh my God.
It was like.
I, I've never seen them so happyas, as that, uh, moment when I,
they called and said, listen,would you guys like to do it?
Because they're taking voiceoverlessons.
She wants to be a voiceoverartist and has always wanted to
be, but does not wanna be anactress in any way.

Uhhuh.

They also have a thing called Echo.
Are you familiar with that?
It's where you have almost atape recorder in your head.
If you hear anything audio wise,you are able to recall it,
memorize it, and play it back inthe voice that it was projected.
So this is a quick story, butthis is true.

(13:25):
There was a boy who was callingher names at school, calling her
Psycho, and I went up to themother at a party and said, your
boy is calling my kid Psycho.
Why is that?
And she said, because your kid.
Tells very scary stories.
And I'm like, oh, really?
Like what?
She says, where's Waldo?
I'm like, where's Waldo?
Is scaring your kid?
And she said, yes.
I said, okay, let me get to thebottom of this.

(13:47):
So I go home, I say, um, honey,do you know a story?
Where's Waldo?
Yeah.
They say, I go, uh, would youtell me it?
She goes, yeah, it was a darkand.
She sounds like Vincent Priceand she's reciting this thing
that she memorized and it wasterrifying, you know?

(14:08):
And that ele, that is ele.
She has, she can do, they can doany accent, they can do any
dialect and they can rememberany dialogue.

And they were not talking about the search and
find books of the The man withthe striped shirt.

Well, actually it was about him, but it was
like a horror version of that.
Like, you know, who's behindyou, where Waldo,

Oh,

who's behind you, you know, it was a little
scary.
But actually their response,their, their response was, half
the kids like it, half the kidsdon't.
I'll take those odds, you know?

Um, you say in the documentary that it's been,
uh, being among the autismcommunity has just been an
amazing experience and it made,it made me think about the LGBT
community just in terms of, youknow, feeling othered and
needing to find your people.
And what has that experiencebeen like for you?

Yes.
Well, it was very overwhelmingbecause unlike, you know, the
gay community where if you arean adult, you can go advocate
for yourself.
If you are a child with autism,you need adults to advocate for
you, right?
And, um, I am the adult thatadvocates for them.
I am almost the interpreter forhow the world with nuances and

(15:32):
subtlety kind of functions in away that their.
Very bright, very differentbrain is able to process and to
know other families.
Were going through what I wasgoing through, provided so much
hope for me, and, uh, compassionand desire to never give up and

(15:55):
to keep doing what I was doingin order to shepherd them, you
know, through their life and,and help them have a productive,
uh, valuable.
Relationships and, and valuablelife experiences that everyone
who's a human being deserves.
And, uh, you know, I, I think myexperience with the gay

(16:15):
community really helped me interms of how I could help the
autism community.
You know, when, when I realizedwhat an amazing.
Gift this dog was to our family.
I went back and said, I need tohelp people know about this and
who are the other celebritieswho have gotten these dogs?
And they said, you are thefirst.

(16:37):
And I was like, I'm the first.
They said, yeah, and this hasbeen, you know, guide Dogs of
America, has been along aroundfor many, many years.
I thought I would.
And I said, okay, then I'm gonnamake a documentary.
And they're like, well, we don'tknow how to do that.
I go, well, I know how to dothat.
I don't know how to train autismdogs.
You know how to do that, but whydon't you let me do what I know
how to do and we'll see what wecan together, uh, what we can

(16:59):
accomplish.

Well, and also, you know, you're not just
producing it.
I,

Yeah.

think was my first thought.
You are front and center, makingsure that.
That voices are getting heard,and

Yes.
Well, it was really importantthat we find another family
besides my own.
I didn't wanna make it justabout one kid, because what I
know we just talk about Caleb,how amazing that child is.
What about his brother sayingthat he worried about him?
I was like, I was sobbing myeyes out when I first saw the

(17:34):
rough cut of that.
And, uh,

you I was mad.
I didn't know I was gonna cry asmuch as I did.

I know it's a very emotional documentary and
we pack a lot into 42 minutes.
You know, we really do.
Z the director did a great joband I'm very pleased with it.
I'm very happy that people areresponding the way they have,
and I'm mostly happy that theircalls have increased a thousand
percent for families with autismfrom all over the country.

(18:01):
People say, well, I don't livein California.
I'm like, you don't have to livein California.
They will fly to you.
They will fly you and your, yourfamily here.
They will pay for your wholecost of staying here.
It won't cost you a penny tohave this service.
And, uh, we're saving a lot ofkids with, with this stock.

Yeah, unleashing hope,

Yes,

talk about a title,

that's a good title.

uh, Caleb, I can't stop thinking about Um,
this is not a gotcha questionbecause I am the exact same
person as you, but you, onceupon a time, you said you're not
a dog lover.
You're a dog liker.

Yes,

that was me too.
Has that changed at all for you?

a hundred percent.
Because I was one of thosepeople who, even though I had
dogs, like I wouldn't like myfriends, I remember like this
one friend of mine, Michelle, Iwould say to her, you wanna go
to the movies?
And she'd go, I can't go todinner.
And the movie, um, I.
Because I have to get home to mydog.
I'm like, what a loser of life.
How could you, you know?
Like I was, listen, I likedthem.

(18:59):
I liked them.
I was not, I did not like them.
I had them, but I wasn't madlyin love with a dog until we got
Kuma.
And it changed my wholeperception.
It used to be I wouldn't evensee dogs Like I was walking down
the street with my friend Lori.
Who is a dog freak and therewould be a woman pushing a

(19:19):
carriage with a dog.
And Lori would go, oh my God.
And I would go, oh my God.
And she'd be looking at the dogand I'd be looking at the baby,
right?
'cause it put a baby in front ofme.
I am powerless.
Right.
It's like kryptonite in the bestway for me.
I'm weak and I'll do anythingyou know.

So funny.
And meanwhile here I amthinking, why is the dog in the
stroller

Yeah, no, no, it was, uh, a baby in the
stroller and I'm like, oh, dearGod, if I could just hold that
baby.
And she's thinking, I wannatouch that dog, you know?
And, um, and so now it'scompletely changed.
I understand it, and I look atthat dog and I'm, I have
gratitude every single day thatwe have this dog that we got,

(20:03):
that specific dog that he seemsto know.
Not only for clay, but foreveryone who comes in the house
who's in need of some attentionand love.
Really.
They train, train them to pickup emotionally on people's
feelings in a, in a way that'salmost magical.

I'm obsessed.

Hmm.

Um, I, I have to transition to talking to you
about some books

Okay.
Go.

I, so obviously we're very much talking about
your documentary here, and I,and I'm, I, I'd love that I
could segue into talking to alittle bit about your career,
because so many things you'vedone are based on books like
Harriet, the Spy.

my favorite books as a kid and then to get
to play Golly was unbelievableto me and I loved doing it.
And it was a, a wonderful bookthat gave me solace and hope as
a kid, and I loved getting tobring that character to life.

Did you see the queer Coness when you were a
kid,

I don't think so

realize

in in Harry At the Spy.
Well, I would see it, like, Iwould see it in noticing like
Kristi McNichol was like me onfamily.
I would notice like, oh, youknow whoever, like Tatum
O'Neill, oh, she's beautiful.
I bet you that, you know, she'slike, me too.
But I didn't know what way theywere like me, but I knew Harriet

(21:26):
was like me.

Interesting.

Right, in some ways and the way she dressed and
her curiosity and wanting tofigure things out, you know, so
I definitely, I don't know if I,I associated it with gay.
I just associated it with kindof like a tomboy vibe, which is
what I always had.

Well, I had never read it and I have had multiple
guests on the show who havebrought it up as a, as like a
queer coded thing that theyrecognized as a young person.
Um, one of those people beingGregory McGuire, who wrote
Wicked

Wow.

I.
Of course talking about Harriet,the By led me to talking about
you I mentioned you being adream guest of mine and he was
like, if you ever have her onthe show, tell her I say hello.

Well,

and then he started, he started talking
about the time when the two ofyou went to go see Wicked
together and then spent Act twowith the bar across the street.

yes, exactly.
Well, I times.

Right.
Well, he, he said, we both hadseen it so many times, so we,

And I just wanted to talk to him.
I wanted to go.
How did you imagine this, howdid you imagine all of these
wonderful themes like the, theanimals being silenced and
tyranny and, and freedom and,you know, I don't know.
I, I thought it was an epicallygenius metaphor and God, I loved

(22:45):
the show and I love the movie,and I think it was beautifully
done and I was so.
Blown away by it.
Absolutely blown away.
I brought Clay, and Clay saidit's way too long.
That was their only comment.

fair.
It's a long first movie.

First movie

Um, if I didn't have to pay for rights, and if
it wasn't nine o'clock in themorning in California, I would
say let's do a little duet.
Um.

I.

Oh, I know.
I don't need to test you.
Don't you worry.
Um, hilariously, my firstintroduction to you was actually
the 1994 grease cast recording.

Of course.
Look at me.
Sandra d

if I had that, what

Digi card.
Digi card.

the digit card for you, it would be you saying,
what the hell is that?

Yeah.
What the hell is that?
Exactly?

is of course the beginning of the Grease
lightning reprise.

Yes.
You know that, um, my son Blake,when he was about 18, he's 25
now.
He said, you know, I was over atJoe's and, uh, he put on this
movie and you were like ateenager and you talked like
Sylvester Stallone and, uh, whatthe hell was that movie?
I go, Blake, that's my mostfamous movie.
You don't, you've never seen it.
He's like, no, I couldn'tbelieve it.

(24:01):
What, what were you 18 when youdid that?
I'm like, I was 30, I was 30.

Oh my God, that's so funny.

Yeah.
They, they don't, they didn'treally, uh, watch my movies or,
or, or, or even, you know, stillto this day I'll be doing
something and I'll go, did youwatch?
They're like, no, we fellasleep.
You know, they don't reallycare.
My kids, and I think

real.
Keeping it

real.
Exactly,

Um, and of course, something you've done
based on lots of books.

yes.

Seussical the Musical,

Yes.
Come on.
The cat.
Oh, the thinks.
You can think.
Oh, the thinks.
You can think.

been long enough that I could tell you I've seen
that bootleg of you doing itmany times.

Well,

it on VHS

love the bootlegs.
I know that everyone says youshouldn't.
As soon as I see one or I havemy friend Bobby Pierce, Tony
nominated costume designer.

who, listen, this is, this is a little bit of a
touchy subject, but didcommunity theater in childhood
with Cindy Pierce.

Oh wow.
I know her.
That's so wild.
Well, she knows how, he knowshow to get the bootlegs.
He'll call me and he'll go, Igot Nicole Schlesinger in
Sunset.
You want it?

like, yes, I live far away now.
I need to see it.

Exactly.
Most people like wanna do, youknow, nefarious things like, you
know, on the sly I wanna getcopies of Broadway shows I
haven't seen, I'm dying to seeDeath Becomes Her The worst
thing or the only bad thing Ican think about having moved to
Ireland.
The only negative part is that Imiss Broadway.
You know, of course I miss mybig kids and, and my friends,
but I really miss Broadway andlike the Tony nominations were

(25:40):
announced and I was like, God, Ihaven't seen so many, you know,
normally.

the kids and the friends you could talk to on the
phone.

Yes

shows, you can't.

you can.

my husband and I moved from New York during Covid

Yeah.

that's, I feel, I feel you.
My fantasy episode of Gay'sReading.
Was the two of us talking for anhour about

Oh my God.
Come on.

Streisand book?

Please tell me you listened on audio.
Yeah.
Okay.
Everyone who says I only readit, I'm like, listen to me.
Do you know what you're missing?
Do you understand?
To hear her own voice for allthose hours.
It was like so many hours that Ididn't want it to end.
I knew many of the storiesbeforehand'cause I'm, you know,
a crazy fan.

(26:24):
Five seconds away from callingthe police.
Thank God she was nice to mebecause, you know, I never
overuse the, the closeness andthe contact that I had with her.
And people say, do you talk toher?
I'm like, no.
I'm, what are you making a call?
Hi, Barbara.
Every year I sent her flowers onApril 24th with a beautiful note
about how much she means to me,and she sends me something back

(26:45):
and it's beautiful, but like,you know, I, I couldn't have
become her friend because it'sstill.
Very overwhelming to me that Iactually know her.

Yeah.
I love that.
That's so special.

Yeah.

I mean, I sort of feel that way right now.
I'm

No.
Come on.

The way you were talking about, I've watched your
episode with her so many timesabout having diarrhea for days
leading

Yes, yes.

God I only booked this a week ago,

Oh, had I known I would've come on years ago.
How long have you been doingthis?

two years.

Two years.
You love it?

Yes, it's very special.
I've gotten to talk to so manyfabulous people.
I mean, I've had Margaret Cho, Ijust had Debbie Millman.
I've had Roxanne Gay, I've hadGregory McGuire, you know, all
so many fabulous people.

What book was it six years ago that turned you
into reading?
What?
What book?

The real thing was called me by your name.

Oh, okay.

had seen the movie

Yes, which was.

working for a company where I got the sequel
in advance of the book, and I'dnever read the first one.
So I was like, you know what,let me, me read the first one.
And it just drew me in in a waythat really surprised me.
And I was so glad to have thenew one ahead of time

Yes.

always felt like I couldn't keep up with books.

Got it.
Now, what about tales of thecity?
Did you miss all the tales ofthe city?

So.
Yes and no.
I've, I've since watched thewhole series.
I've read some of the books.
I've had armad on the show.

Oh, who's great?

very special.
Um, so no, I've, I've sincebecome a voracious reader.
I mean, you've written books.
Are you a big reader these days?

love reading.

What are you reading?

Um, did you hear My mommy died?
It's by an Irish writer about,who was one of 12 or 14 kids,
and his mother died when he waslittle.
And two different people gave methe book.
And when two people give me thesame book, I think it's a sign
from God.
Normally when, when I have a newbook, I put it on the pile of
things I have to read.

(28:41):
So this one was already in mypile and someone else gave it to
me and I'm like, take that.
Yes, I'm halfway through it.
It's very touching, it's verypoignant.
It's very emotional for me, youknow?
Um, but what a great movie orplay.
This would be.
What a great show.
I have many ideas and, and oneof the friends of mine who gave
it to me is, is knows him.

(29:03):
And I said, when I finish thebook, could you take us?
I'll pay, we'll go to dinner soI can talk to him about my idea
of how to make this into a show,you know?

That's been something very special doing
this, reading things and thenbeing able to talk to the folks
and just say like, Hey, this is,there's a, there, there, there's
something

There's something there.
Yes.

Um, highly recommend a book called The Many
Lives of Mama Love.

Okay.

I will, I'll DM it to you.

Okay.

Um, it was also an Oprah book club pick, so it's
Jason recommended, and Oprahrecommended.

The many lives of Mama Love and what, what's
the premise Just in two.

pre premise is, uh, uh, suburban soccer.
Mom turned drug addict, and, uh,thief, local thief, put in
prison for a year.
Comes out, uh, sober.
Uh, a ghost writer, literaryagent changes her life and now

Memoir.
I read a lot of memoirs, so Iwould love to read that.
I'm gonna go get that.

like that one's up your alley.

Yeah, I usually get the Oprah Book Club ones.

Yeah,

Yeah,

I slipped her name in there.

yeah, of course.
You gotta, you know, she's likethe book queen, right?

Yeah.
Seriously, I know.

She's, anything she touched went right to the
top, you know?

Fiddler on the Roof was based on a book.
Everything you've done

I know this much is true.
Wally Lamb, one of my favoriteauthors ever.
He, you ever read any WallyLamb?

he just came out with a new book yesterday.
I read that a few months ago.
It's, it's a hard read'cause itinvolves a kid dying.
FYI,

Right.

beautiful.
All

Have you ever read?
She's come undone.

No,

Read that one Wally Lamb book about a very
obese girl and he's so good andI got to meet him and hang out
with him when we did theminiseries with Mark Ruffalo.
And, uh, that was a thrillingpart.
Well, I love when I meet theauthors that I can't get enough
of, like I used to stand in lineto get Anne Rice to sign my

(31:06):
first edition copies and thenwhen I had my show to get to
book her and have her on.
Or Fannie Flagg, who I love theway she writes.
I love all of her books to get,to have them and, and sit and
pick their brain, you know?
Um, I, I love authors, I lovegreat authors, and, and I'm very
moved by the written word.

Yeah.

Yeah.

are you gonna write another book anytime soon?
You have a lot of, a lot of newstories since the last

Yeah, we're in the middle of one now that's
about, uh, autism and clay and,and sort of my move to Ireland.
And, uh, Lauren Slater, who, Idon't know if you've ever read
any of her books.
I.
But, uh, welcome to my countryopening, uh, Skinner's Box
Lying.
She's written so many and she'sone of my favorite authors.

(31:53):
And you know, I, I don't wannasay the name'cause she'll be
very angry at me, but I can tellwhen she's ghost written
something because I always giveher credit because I feel as
though it's like having LeonardLeonardo da Vinci do your art
homework.
You know what I mean?
So I'm like, I, I'm not puttingthis out without putting your
name and telling everyone how.
Sometimes I'll be reading amemoir, supposedly written by

(32:15):
the celebrity, and I'll call herup and go, listen, bitch, I know
that you wrote this book.
And she'll, she'll start to cryand say to me, you can't tell
anyone I, I will break the DNA,do not, you know, whatever, do
not disclose whatever it'scalled.
And uh, I'm like, I will nottell anyone, but I will meet
this guy at another celebritything and I will know.

(32:37):
He took credit for your wordsbecause her writing is so
distinct and so brilliant.
And to tell you the truth, thisbook, she, it flew out of her,
you know, we talk and then shewrites, and then I'm supposed to
edit and, and change and, well,it flew out of her in a, in a
way and at a time when I wasmoving here and very busy.
And so it really should be andtold, as told to.

Sure.

Because it's so brilliant.
The prose is so unbelievablethat I think anyone who knows me
in my writing would know thatthis was not done by me.
So if we do put it out, we'regonna put it, I think, as told
to.

Fantastic.

Yeah.

if it comes out, you'll come back.
She'll come with you.

Yeah.

chat about that process because I think

Totally.

People would love to know.

Yes.
I love.

I'm, I've, I've taken up so much of your time.

It's all

you so much for being here.

thank you and thank you for being so lovely.
I really appreciate it and it'sbeen wonderful to talk to you
and I'll come back anytime.
If I read a great book, can Isend you an email and say, Hey,
can I come on and talk aboutthis book?

Jason n gays reading.com whenever you want.
That's the goal.
All right.
This is getting edited.
It's getting put out tomorrow.
I want the world to know aboutunleashing hope on Hulu.

Don't put the whole thing out.
Who care?

the, put the whole thing out.
I'm so

Start to finish.
Oh

I, I love that you have taken a journey,

yes.

standup to this.
You're doing such important workand you're inspiring, and I
think it's just, it's terrificand I'm so grateful to you.

Thank you honey.
Thank you very, very much and Ihope your parents can heal, but
I know this abyss.
Between the, uh, Trump peopleand the not Trump people could
be the end of democracy.
So know that we have to holdtrue to our beliefs of equality
and diversity and compassion,and that's what this country's
about.

Yeah.
Thank you.
Rosie, thank you so much forbeing here.
Everyone.
Make sure to check outUnleashing Hope, the Power of
Service Dogs for Autism withChildren streaming now on Hulu.
It is such a beautiful watch.
It's only 42 minutes and it willmake you think, it'll make you
feel, and I highly recommend itand uh, I will see you next week
for an all new episode of Gay'sReading.

(35:02):
I will see you then.
Thanks everyone.
Bye.

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