We Called Your Mom

Joyce is a game changer. Roy called in at the beginning of this episode to suggest we ask his mom about her activism in the Civil Rights Movement, and we’re grateful Joyce was willing to share. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Joyce went on to Delta State University where she was one of the first Black students to integrate the school. Her enrollment exposed her to innumerable tribulations due to the racism of teachers, students, t...

It was a pleasure catching up with Kathy Allan, the mother of actor and playwright, Will Allan! Will and Beth became friends in high school through Speech and Debate (Humorous Interpretation) and have kept in touch ever since. Kathy was a legal secretary for 10 years before switching gears to education. She earned her teaching certificate and taught social studies along with working as a theatre coach when Will was young. Kathy dir...

Chris is a down-to-earth and refreshing woman. She was born in Jefferson City, Missouri and grew up on her family’s dairy farm. Chris was one of 7 children who were given their very own cow to raise and care for, eventually becoming 9-10 head of cattle to oversee. Chris was involved in band, pep squad, track, and 4-H in high school. Today, she is an accountant and credits her parents for the financial responsibilities they gave her...

A love of acting and the arts runs deeply in Rhonda's family. She was born on Sunset Blvd. and raised in the San Fernando Valley; her fondest memories were going to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with her grandmother to see movies. Little did she know her children would grow to love acting as she did! Jonathan Lipnicki was 4 1/2 when he landed his first role as Ray Boyd in the movie Jerry Maguire, holding his own alongside Tom Cruise an...

The biggest takeaway from our conversation with Penny was the power of a mother’s intuition. Penny had a premonition on the day her family went to the zoo while Adam stayed home for the day. Her story is told on the Disney + program, Becoming. We also were treated to happier memories of Adam as a little boy before his tragic accident. You will enjoy hearing about “Sneaky” the four-year-old Adam with black glasses, cowboy boots, and...

We got to talk to a supermodel! Bonnie Trompeter is an American icon in the world of modeling, but her proudest role is being the mother of actress Christa Miller, who you know as Kate O’Brien on The Drew Carey Show, Jordan Sullivan on Scrubs and Ellie Torres on Cougar Town. Bonnie graced the cover of Life Magazine at age 14 and was followed for two months as the magazine observed the “life of an American teenager.” This was the be...

At the beginning of this episode we hear a bit about Marie’s upbringing in Jamaica before Michelle joins the call from a film set Atlanta! So it’s another double daughter, double mom episode. You also get two versions of how Michelle’s parent’s met: Marie’s and then Michelle’s, which shows just how great a storyteller Michelle is, because the flair added was laugh out loud. Marie told us that Michelle has a journalism degree and ea...

It took an expert to raise Bert Kreischer into “The Machine” he is today, which is why Miss Gege was qualified for the job. Gege specializes in Early Childhood Development, and not just because she witnessed her 8 brothers go through every stage of it. She’s a real pro. This episode covers Gege’s childhood, marriage, education and motherhood, right up to Bert sending his tour bus to bring her to Los Angeles amidst the pandemic. We ...

This is the BFFM episode (Best Friend Forever’s Mom)! Mary Hollis and Beth have been friends for over ten years, having met on the Chicago theatre scene. They grew close working at the Chicago coffee shop called Dollop and both made their way to Los Angeles just a couple of years apart. They are each other’s biggest fans (only second to their moms). Diane and Toni feel like they would’ve been best friends too, if geography hadn’t g...

In this episode you get 2 moms and 2 daughters! Beth Stelling and Cameron Esposito met many years ago in Chicago, IL where they started their stand-up comedy careers around the same time. In this episode we get to meet Cameron's mom Brenda, and hear about her life growing up in Gallipolis, Ohio. Diane and Brenda connected on both having three daughters, attending Ohio colleges (Xavier and Wittenberg) and growing up, they loved Broa...

Binaifer grew up in a very artistic family in India. Her parents invited dancers, singers and actors over to practice for local productions. She fondly remembers there being “a diva in every room.” For more than 20 years she and her husband have been involved in community theatre in Syracuse, NY. Both have won many theatre awards, her for performing and Navroz for his scenic design. Performing reminded her of her father and took he...

Ginger and Diane have a lot in common! Both retired teachers who love music from the 60’s on Sirius radio and watching their daughters perform stand-up. Ginger taught Special Education and has a passion for political activism, instilled by her parents who she grew up watching canvas for Democrat Adlai Stevenson in North Carolina. Fortune and Beth’s acts are based on real people in their lives, which often includes their moms. In th...

This is a hometown episode for us! Barb lives just a few blocks from Diane, so her talented son Micah grew up in the same school system as Beth. Beth and Micah’s friendship started around middle school/high school in the Ohio High School Speech League and continued on through their adult lives and careers in entertainment. Barb is a professor of Economics at the University of Dayton yet has always had a deep love of theatre that fo...

This episode has connection issues but only of the internet variety! We connected genuinely with Noah’s mom Abbie. After success as a filmmaker and director with her twin sister, Carol (a clothing designer @ShoshNewYork), Abbie went on to found The Studio in New York City where she teaches the transformative practice of Katonah Yoga (@thestudio.yoga). Which we learned can shed light on your habits and offer fresh perspective and in...

This is the first episode where the child of our mom-guest is present for the conversation! And we made an exception because they are a package deal! Ruth and Madisen make up the Americana Folk band called Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. In this episode you’ll hear about the genesis of Ruth’s love for music and storytelling, and we’ll give you a hint: it ends with a dinner with Janis Ian! Check out their forthcoming podcast The Mad...

It’s officially season 2 as we begin to share our 2020 recordings (we’re calling them the Zoom Years)! No better way to kick it off than with Ron Funches’ mom Karen. Getting to know Karen, it’s clear to see how Ron became a joy warrior. Karen was a social worker, nurse and worked in the jail system helping others. She and Ron share a great sense of humor and while they’re very close, Karen regaled us with an anecdote that Ron hasn’...

Our first LIVE episode! And with double the mom! We were invited to attend the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, Quebec last Summer, so we got Diane a passport and went international. Our mom guests are Toby (her daughter Sophie Buddle is the first female to win the Canadian Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year)! And Linda (her son Andrew Goldberg is one of the creators of the cartoon hit show Big Mouth)! Beth th...

Episode 8 holds the secret to raising a Saturday Night Live superstar. Patti tells us the details of Will’s conception and how she discovered who her true friends were on the set of the film MacGruber. Patti is open, silly, thoughtful and endlessly kind so we guess that’s where Will must’ve gotten it. Beth met Will on the set of the film Good Boys filmed the summer of 2018 in Vancouver, B.C. Will accepted the role but didn’t want t...

Episode 7 is a conversation with Chris, the mother of my best friends Tiffany and Danielle. On stage they're a stand-up comedy duo known as The Puterbaugh Sisters. Even though we grew up only an hour apart, we didn't meet until 2007 in Chicago but became instant friends and we've grown to be more like sisters. Diane says she would’ve been best friends with Chris if we’d all grown up in the same town! The Puterbaugh Sisters were a m...