May 10, 2023 • 36 mins
Martha has been in the hot seat as a guest of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live.” Now it’s her turn to put him “on blast.” Andy can’t resist trying to flip the interviewer role onto Martha, or trying to cast her as a “Real Housewife.” They talk in today’s podcast about creating modern families, and his daily life as a father of two young children, as chronicled in his newest book, “The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up.” Don’t miss this opportunity to hear these two spill the tea.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I come from New Jersey. I could be a Jersey house.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I don't think anyone is ready for that.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Andy Cohen is a media giant.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
He's the author of four New York Times bestselling books,
serves as the executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise,
and he's also the executive producer and host of the
wildly popular Watch What Happens Live, both of which air
on Bravo. Now. Andy is taking on what will likely
be his most rewarding and challenging role, fatherhood. In his
(00:36):
newest book, The Daddy Diaries, The Year I Grew Up,
and he gives us a glimpse into parenting his two children,
Benjamin and Lucy, all the while managing a fabulous professional
and social life. I've been a guest on his program
several times where he has asked me some tough questions.
I'm here in newsstand studios in Rockefeller Center, and now
(00:58):
it's my turn to put Andy on. Bless oh boy,
welcome to my podcast.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Andy. Hi, Martha, and I wouldn't know how to put
you on last if I tried.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I'm a feeling you could cobble that together. Martha.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Well, and well, here I'll start this way. Andy walked
into the zoo. It is nine thirty.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
In the morning.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Eight You were late.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I was late. We was forty five rock by. Oh
my god, he little messed up.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, he was a little bit late, which you know
in his professional life he's never late, that is true,
never late.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
And he looks a little tired. And I said, are
you okay? And he said, well, you know I have
two kids.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
No, she said, I'm sorry to get you up so early.
I said, are you kidding me? Ben came in my
room this morning at about three fifteen. Oh no, he
is sleep in my bed and then talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Is he a talkers?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Like?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yes? And I was like, We've got to go to bed.
So he and I were up from about three fifteen
until five, and then Lucy started, as they say, singing
around six am.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Do they have separate bedrooms?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
They do?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh that's good.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So she didn't hear him get into your bed?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
You would have had a melee and here a bedroom
if she had heard right, Well, was fatherhood always in
the plans for you? Andy?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think somewhere in my mind it was. It was
I thought wouldn't it be great? And I had a
fantasy of it, but I never I was always so
excited about my life and career that it was always
not now, not now, not now. And as I approached fifty,
you're fifty. I am fifty four more you are, Oh
(02:39):
my gosh. Yeah, I had no idea. I thought you
were like early forty. Oh that makes me wow, And
then you would have more.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Energy day fifty.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I have a lot of energy about fifty four minutes
old to have your first child.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh, I had it at fifty. I had it at fifty.
But you know, my mom texted me yesterday. I was
up half the night with Ben the night before also,
and she said, how are you?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
You must be exhausted. I said, mom, I'm a tank
because I feel like one. I just kind of do
what has to be done. It's always my kind.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Of way that I get through things.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
And I had written two books that were diary books,
one called the Andy Cohen Diaries and one called Superficial,
and they were modeled after Warhol's.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Diaries, which I was a big fan of.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Yeah, and when I read Warhol's diaries, I was like, wow,
he goes to every party. He can go anywhere, he hobnazi,
drops names, he has opinions, and I thought that was
so cool.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So that's what I based my diary books on.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
And I thought, well, I'm going to a lot of
parties and I host a talk show and this could
be my own way in So after I wrote the
last one, I have to say, when you write down
what you do every day for three years for publication,
by the way, you have to look at your life
and say, how am I living my life?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
And is this the way I want to continue? And
I really thought I could do this life forever, but
there's got to be something more.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
And I'm about to turn fifty and I feel like
career wise, I am everywhere I wanted to be. I
finally have the resources where I can really afford to
do this in the way that I think that I
would want to for them and for me. And so
those were the crossroads that made me say, you know what,
I can do this now, And I'm so glad I did.
I have a sense of grounding and purpose that I
(04:25):
never had.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
And you've done this singly, you have don't have did
it alone?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah? You did alone? Why?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Well?
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I wasn't in love, and I have to say I
wasn't gonna wait anymore. I just thought I need to
do this for myself. And there are pros and cons.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Congratulations, no, thank you, but it's really I love that
you've done it yourself without and to wait any longer
and not do it, I think would have been really
bad because I agree, you know, and the older you get,
you can't murder.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That is.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
And I have to say for women, I'm such an
advocate of women. To me, women get such an unfair
shake on so many levels, but the reproductive level. H
the idea that women have to wait for a man
or whatever. I'm just such a proponent of women freezing
their eggs if they have the resources, save your money
(05:13):
and do it so that you have the reproductive freedom
to be able in your forties to say, oh I
met a guy, or I haven't met a guy, but
I want to do this. I just think it's such
a you know, for any woman who's thinking I want
to be a mom, but I'm scared that I'm not
going to make.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I wish I had a Lexis next to you, because
my daughter, she froze her eggs. She was she was lucky.
She did freeze a lot of eggs. Okay, and she
and embryos and she at forty six, had her first child.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh that's amazing. And did she do it alone or
was she a le alone? Good for? Oh?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Really a sperm donor right, who actually is fantastic and
he's she knows the guy.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Oh yeah, yeah, she chose him.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Oh she did.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
He comes from California once a month.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Oh that's incredible, which is great, Yes, because even though
she has no involvement with him romantically, the children have
a daddy.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
But also incredible that she figured out an arrangement with
him that works.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean he had no he was not married, had
no children.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
These are his only two kids, a boy and a girl,
born within a year. So it reminds me so much
of you because she's exhausted all the time.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
And I'm so glad I did it. And but this
single parent, there's a weight. And I think they I
needed a subtitle for this book, and it was going
to be more Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries. But
then once I finished, I was like, this was the
year I grew up. I had a second I had
a second lash and you're grown up.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And I, and there was a wait about being a
single dad.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
There was There was a period in August where I
spent three weeks in the Hampton's on vacation. It's my
summer vacation. Well, I mean, I learned there's no such
thing anymore as a vacation the two kids.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
It's a trip. And it was a trip, and it
was kind of a bad trip, to tell you. The
truth was.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It was just, you know, I had a threeen ager
and a little baby, and it was like and I
was alone and I that was when it got really real.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I have to say, do friends enjoy having both the
kids come with you to show everything?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
They they you know, I'm selective and where I bring
both the kids at this point, and I think that
will expand as they grow older. And I just took
a trip away for a weekend with Ben, but I
left Lucy at home because, you know, for a baby,
to uproot them from their schedule, which is kind of
the most important thing you You I.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Just as a sais Ben's for and the baby says,
and she is turning one right now, Oh only one?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Oh she still really has a baby?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Baby?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yes, exactly, And but you have the wherewithal to how
your nannies.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yes, and so you have full time nats.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I have to help, But I also feel it's so
important for me just to be around a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I don't there's no one that lives in my house.
Some meal well, I mean it depends on the day,
it depends on the cook. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I mean I'm not a good cook, but I'm a
great summer cook because I have a grill at my house.
And am Agan said, now I can grill and I
can have people over and make steaks or chicken or
baby steak.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
No they can't. Well no, I mean Ben can.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Ben loves stick. But anyway, I don't have any nanny's
sleeping over. I want to be there alone at night
with the kids.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Really, nobody stays.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Over, there's no living. I want to be there. If
I'm out of town, you might change that, I don't know.
I feel like the hardest time is when they're little.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I'm sure you're thriving and happy that you are now
daddy of two.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I am. It's amazing. I feel grounded.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You have a lot of I mean, your responsibilities have
multiplied drastically.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
They have.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I mean, even though you are so busy. You have
how many shows on air right now?
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I have ten housewatch shows, Pluts, Watch What Happens Live,
which is the daily talk show Wow. So that's plus
I have two serious radio channels, Radio Andy, which is
a talk channel.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Serious s I r I U, yes, exactly, They're not
so serious.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And I programmed those channels and I'm on the radio
four days a week, so I've.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Got a lot going on. But I love it. But
you know, Martha, it's funny. I was such a fan of.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Barbara Walters, and you look at the idea of going
all in on a career, and obviously she had a daughter.
There were many reports and she said they wound up
not being that close in the later years or whatever.
But I feel like, as much as we all have
these careers that we love, you were just talking about
your grandchildren when I came in.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I mean, this is why we're ultimately here. It's easy.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I could be the late night talk show host party guy,
but then at some point it's going to get really old.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
And it's going to get hard to be home with
the kids at the same time. Right now, you have
a lot of responsibility, Yeah you do, and it's it's
amazing that so many young men young women are doing
this on their own in the fear of not having
a family around them. I applaud you because I think
it is so important single or married, single, divorced, whatever
(10:16):
you are, to have a child is such a nurturing
thing for an adult, you know, and a career person.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It's so important. So, I mean, I had a child.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
When I was married, and it was a normal, kind
of sort of abnormal childhood for her. But I never
give that up for anything. So I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I'm so happy. I want to meet the kids one day.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Okay, So what surprised you most about being a father?
Speaker 4 (10:44):
I think, actually how much I clicked into it, and
how much, no matter who you are or how much
you have going on, you just human instinct takes you there.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I don't think any more about getting no sleep. I
don't think.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I mean, I think, you know, we just how my
my instincts kicked in.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
And that I can do it, and that I'm not
walking around.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I thought that I would be walking around kind of miserable.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
But there's a joy in the exhaustion in a way.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, you know, I get what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
But also, I mean, I guess just those pure, random,
very off the cuff moments where your kid turns to
you and says something so incredible, you know, just you're
my best friend or I love you.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Did you have the same surrogate for both.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
The surrogate is carrier, Yes, so I have I have
the same they are biologically brother and sister.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I have different surrogates, but the same egg donor. Yes.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So in the beginning stages of having the babies, you
you relied on on health because you had to go
to work. Yes, so you had You had had to live.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
In baby nurse for both when they were babies, Yes,
live in Yes. Who.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
I then shared with Anderson Cooper when he had his
son Wyat, and.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
I remember that was big news too.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Yes. And then when when what?
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And then he had Sebastian his second, and Teresa, our
baby nurse went to Sebastian. And then when I had Lucy,
she came back to She's gone back and forth.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Between me and Anderson, Uh, several times. That's great.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
She's incredible, and she sleep trained them both and really
helped us out as parents. And I think we really
kind of spoiled her. Where, you know, I think she realized, wow,
it was a baby nurse. It's kind of fun working
for gay guys.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
You know. They give me rosea at dinner time, right,
you know.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
So we have big hopes. All of us have big
host for our kids. What are your hopes for your
two lovely children.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
My hopes are just that they they are exactly themselves.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
My hope are that.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
My hope for her is that she has every bit
of confidence that I have and that he has. I
think sometimes women struggle with self confidence.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Ben has a lot of confidence.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Ben has a lot of confidence.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Is he already an athlete or.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
He loves soccer? He loves sports great. Absolutely. I just
want them to be as happy as I have been
all my life. Really, if they're happy, then then that's
all I really care about.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
You mentioned Anderson Cooper, So you're good friends. So the
kids play with each.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Other, they do. We just ban and I just left.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
We got an invitation for Wyatt's first birthday party this
morning at about eight am. Ben texted it and then
Bean and I left Anderson and RSVP a little voice message,
which was very sweet.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
So the housewives, let's get into a little bit of
what you do when you're not at home.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Children.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
The Housewives franchise started when.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Started in two thousand and six, I think with the
Real Housewives of Orange County Desperate Housewives at the time
was a huge show on ABC. People don't sometimes make
the connection that that's where the title came from. We
had this group of women and we said, well, these
are the quote real housewives, and it was a play
(14:28):
on the term real because the term housewives is kind
of antiquated, and also there was not much real about
them physically. They had augmentations.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
In every direction. And so that was the beginning. Never
in a million years would I have imagined that we
would be now ten franchises there are, we've Bravo has
licensed the format around the world.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I just went to Australia to do press for Watch
What Happens Live. They're just huge over there. Wow.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
It's really something that I wouldn't have believed. But I
grew up I was a huge fan of all my children,
really big fan, and so when we started the Housewives,
I thought, well, if this could be kind of a
reality soap opera, then wouldn't that be something? And I
think that's the backbone of why this is still going.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Because it is definitely a giant soap.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It is people come and go.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yeah, and they and people pay attention.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
They person I would not make a good housewife, would I?
Speaker 4 (15:33):
You know? Unclear if you let yourself go in the process.
You certainly are outspoken, you lead a quite aspirational life,
You're not shy with your opinions, and you're very beautiful.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
I'm a very good housewife.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
You're a very good housewife. You're someone who we all
are interested in. So I would say, now, the only
thing that I think you would.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Not be good at, which is the crux, is you
would want control of the edit artha.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And we wouldn't give it to you. We would want
to show you know. We would say, well, you signed it,
and we're going to show what we're going to show.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So you have final edit on everybody.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Course we do.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
And so that's, by the way, why I would never
do a reality show, and that my reality show are
these diary books. Frankly, because I let you in. I'm
in control of the edit, and I let you in
as much as I should want to.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Andy Cohen, And before I signed my documentary.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
No, I very excited about my documentary as I edit
as you should have.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
That is the right thing, because you're smart.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
You did that, you know why, because I didn't want
it to be a puff piece.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
You're right.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I didn't want to. I didn't want to control how
I looked, how I talked. Anything that's good.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
That is so smart, Okay, that is so smart that
you improve, there's there's you know, I have a book
in print also called Andy Cohen Books, and I published
six books, and I've been trying to get you to
do your book with me. Well, it would we would
have to break the bank, I mean clearly, but but maybe.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Maybe we'll make a deal on them.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
FU This would be great. But I said to Mariah Carey,
who we did a book with, incredible book, and I said,
there are so many bulls if I can say that
on your podcast, Yes, like celebrity memoirs and stuff written.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
By other people, written by other people.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Mariah's was so honest and it was really revealing and
it was vulnerable, and so yeah, I think you need
to name names and you need to be able to
have people say, look, I didn't have a good experience
with her. What you know, whatever it is right?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, Now the housewives. Do any of them give you
any insight into parenting? You know, what are you friends
with these houses?
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I say, you know, I would say that the ones
who've been on the longest I have the longest relationships with.
It was very moving to me when I announced.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I was trying to think, how am I going to
announce that I'm having kids?
Speaker 4 (18:06):
What am I gonna say? And I wanted to wait
until it was close to the delivery to Ben's delivery
day because I didn't want the surrogate. I didn't want
people kind of following her around, and I was just
very I was very hung up on it going well.
But I also wanted to share the news because it
was important to me and it's an exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And so I invited five.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Housewives on Watch What Happens Live who were the housewives
that had been on their shows the longest, And we
were live that night and it was our last show
before Christmas, and at the end of the show, I said,
I have something I want to say, and they all
thought that I was announcing that I was quitting the
show or something like that, and they all got very serious,
and I said.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I'm going to become a father.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
And the outpouring that I got from all of the housewives.
It created an entirely new relationship between me and these
women who I had known on one level for so long,
and they all have been so sweet, and they're all
great moms, you know, and their kids are often the
moral compass of their shows. The kids are often the
one saying, mom, you can't do that, or you can't
(19:10):
say that, or you need to apologize or whatever. So
it's opened up a really wonderful dialogue. So I just
shot the Jersey Reunion last week and during breaks, I
was talking to the women about, well, what did you
do about sleep training?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
And what did you do about this? And these were
things that I had never It was a window of
conversation that had not.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I know, did you know about sleeping?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
No, of course I didn't, but it's fun to be
able to talk to them about this.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
So, in the midst of doing all these shows that
you executive produced, these are big jobs, how do you
find time to write?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Well, diary is the best way that well.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
This this format is really first of all, I think
for anyone who's trying to write anything, the hardest thing
is knowing your voice and being able to sit down
and just start. I know, My Voice is my fifth book,
and I love to write, and I feel like when
I start writing it name the book. The books are
most talkative stories from the front lines of pop culture.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
That was my memoir. Then I wrote the Andy Cohen Diaries.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Then I wrote Superficial more Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries.
Then I wrote Glitter every Day, three hundred and sixty
five quotes from women I love. And now we have
the Daddy Diaries the year I grew up. And so
this just felt like a continuation of this dialogue that
I already have, and I didn't know whether I was
going to do it or you dictate every day.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I don't dictate. I write, and I either write. Sometimes
on the.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Way home from Watch What Happens Live, I get my
phone out and I just start writing, and then I'll
email it to myself and I put it in the
document and I expand on it.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
A lot of times. After a day, I'll write a
note did Martha's podcast? I was late. I was scared
she was going to be mad.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
You know, whatever it is, Because some of these entries,
like Tuesday, March first, twenty twenty two, it's long, it's
almost more than a page.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
If a lot happened, then it gets you know, and
it depends on the day.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Not a day is missed.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Not a day is missed. They're all very Some are
about parenting, some are really name droppies. Some are very
New York stories. So yes, it's uh, that's why at Cooper.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
And and then.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yeah, I mean they really look like us. I have
a devilish grin and why it's like, what have you
gotten me into? You know?
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I write about Anderson a lot of I write about
my friendship with John Mayer a lot.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
It's interesting looking back on a year. You see really
who you hung out with every single day.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So it's a lot of fun. But I love writing.
I feel very accomplished when I write, don't.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You You know if I read it out loud after
I write it, I read it out loud, just hear how.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
It sounds right.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
And if it can be read out loud carefully, rightly,
then I feel like I've really written something that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Your book's well, you can.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Write this was, you know, this was, and the good
news about this one. Also, it's a format I started.
I start this the day after I blasted the Blasio
on New Year's Eve. I started it on January first,
twenty twenty two, and I write that morning. I just wrote, wrote, wrote,
And so it begins then and it ends with New
(22:21):
Year's Eve of this year.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Who publishes Andy Cohen's Andy.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Cohen Books, a division of Holt McMillan.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Yes, what a great idea to have your own imprint.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
It's so great. Is so you have had your own imprint? No?
Speaker 1 (22:35):
No, no, even though I'm on my hundredth book.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Incredible.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah. No, We've always worked with clerks and pottery and
we were happy with that.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Isn't really fun? Isn't it fun? The book business?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
This book is book?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Love it?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, I do too, And I'm so glad that you're
you're so active in it.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
So first one, second.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Book, second book was Andy Cohen Diaries, okay, okay, And
and that was just and.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
That was a similar format, And that was the first
one that I wrote.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
And did that take a year?
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Or that was a year?
Speaker 4 (23:04):
And then immediately when I finished, I said, you know what,
I love this and I know this is going to
be a big best seller, and I'm going to start
writing the second one immediately. And I thought, how interesting
will the second one be because it will also cover
my book tour for the first one and going on
shows and tell you and so so much happened on
that book tour, and it just became and I wrote
(23:27):
for a year and a half and then we published
the third, which was a big hit called Superficial, And
so I liked this format. I started writing one during
the process of having been and I actually there was
stuff in there. I said, I can't publish this. I
don't want Ben to read this. There was just I
was being very cheeky, and I thought, this is not
(23:48):
if I was Ben, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I would want to read this. So I left it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Oh, I see, yeah, you want your kids to be
proud of what.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, I do. And there are things in this book
that I wonder about.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I think that's a very good thing.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Too, I do too, But there are things that look,
I tell a lot of stories about Ben having tantrums
or whatever negotiations were in that I hope he takes
the right way.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
So how many what I watch What Happens Lives?
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Do you do? A week? Five? Five five A week?
We've been on This is our fourteenth year in July,
it'll be our fourteenth.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
And you watch it where what do you mean watch it? Well,
not you, we watch it.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
When we watch it on Bramo on Peacock.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
So, if you had to be on any one of
your shows as a as a performer, which one.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Did any of the Housewives? Well, the house sides of
New York? So I didn't have to move? Oh okay, yeah,
I love New York. Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
And who's the most outrageous of this? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Wow, that's a hard one.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
The most outrage.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
There have been.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
I mean there's probably maybe Sonia Morgan who was on
the house side of New York.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Do you know her?
Speaker 5 (24:58):
No, I'm sure you would member you would remember, yes,
but really outrageous.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yes, she's wild.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
What about Bethany My Apprentice?
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Your Apprentice?
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Yes, well she's not wild, but she's a piece of work. Okay, right,
that's a good way to describe her. She was like
that on the Apprentice.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
So as a host of Real Housewives reunion shows, because
you do that, you ask a lot of uncomfortable and
unflattering questions I do of the cast. How does this
affect your relationship with them?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Well? Sometimes they're mad at me sometimes. After the last
Beverly Hills reunion, I remember Lisa Renna saying to me,
you know, you were really bad to me. You were
mean to me, And I did you ask her? Well?
Speaker 4 (25:48):
I said to her, you know, it's funny that you
say that. I don't think I was hard enough on you.
I actually left feeling like I was soft. So this
is your impression.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Because because once hired, these women are they're submitting to
the process, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
You hope they are.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, well they are.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
They have to be.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
They have to be or else it doesn't work. It's
a quick run.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
It's again exhausting, mediating drama.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, it does like that, sometimes it really does. I
told you I.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Should say how how dare they act like this?
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Sometimes? But I'm also a producer of the show and
I want the best TV process, So sometimes I am
personally I have personal feelings about it. But sometimes, you know,
after that Jersey reunion last week.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
I went and met my best friend for a very
late dinner at Cafe Clooney.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
It was like nine thirty and I was just I
drank too large tequilas it did, and I went and
I went to bed and I woke up at about
four in the morning processing everything that had happened at
that reunion because.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
It was very There were very upsetting moments. There were
moments of deep anger.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Emotion, whatever, and I really had to sit there and
kind of process it for an hour in my bed.
I was like, I need to has.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
It ever happened that you've had one of these reunions
and then they can't work with each other again?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Yes? What has has?
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, that's very that's sorry. Yeah. Yeah, we're going to
crossroads in Jersey right now, you are. We're gonna have
to figure that out come.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
From New Jersey. I could be a Jersey house.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
I don't think anyone is ready for that. I would
start you maybe in I mean, you don't live in Beverly.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I think we would have to. Let me put it
this way, we would have to cast around you. You
would have to do bad.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
And the Housewives of Bedford. You haven't even come up there.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
You don't know you live there.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Listen, you and Ricky Lawrence. I mean, hold on, now,
we've got two anchors of the show. Let's build around this.
Hold on, is Chappaqua nearby? Could we have Hillary there?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Hillary there?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Down?
Speaker 2 (27:47):
The road we have free.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
And oh and you know who else is there? Lake Lively?
Speaker 2 (27:54):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
None of us would dare do this because you're are
way too tough for us.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
We couldn't do this. Life is Life is too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Life is too good. Life is too good?
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, Which Bravo show is your favorite?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Now?
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Which is there? Do you have a favorite favor?
Speaker 4 (28:22):
No?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
I really don't.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
I there's something that I get from all of these
housewives shows. Again, my love of soap opera is really
if I wasn't such a fan of these shows, I
wouldn't still be so happy. I think it would have
weighted me under and it would be kind of a misery.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Last night I watched an episode of the Housewives.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Of Orange County, and you know, I watched the episodes
and I give notes on them. And I've always been
a producer and I worked at CBS News for ten
years from the nineties. You know, Martha, you and I
first met when I was a producer at the Early Show.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
On CBS and it was such a big deal. Oh
my god, remember when they poached you from the Today
Show for a minute for a few years and you
came in. It was a very big deal.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
The General Motors, and then I did the knife thing.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Studio they did the knife thing, and they made such
a big thing of the knife.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Because was that around the time that you were in trouble.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
And Jane Clayson, who was the anchor of that show
for about a second, asked you something about it, and
you picked up the knife.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
No, I was chopping something, and I chopped it, and
they picked up on that and made believe I was
chopping somebody.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yes, exactly. No. I didn't want to answer.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Do you feel like it was such a hard time
for you? I would imagine it was horrible When you
look back on that, do you wish that you had
publicly come out and handled yourself any differently?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I would have not been so guarded about it.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
My lawyers they terrify you. They tell you, don't say this,
don't talk to this per and don't do this. It's
all wrong. I think the approach is very wrong.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
So when you go back and you look and you're
chopping with Jane Clayson, and she asked you some question
about that, like do you have regrets about.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
I have no regrets. I have The whole thing is
like a nightmare. That is interesting and do you think.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
It gave you character? Do you think it? Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Of course it strengthened me tremendously. So do you watch
any other reality TV?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I watch The Traders, which was a great show on Peacock.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Not much about White Lotus.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Well that's not reality.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Oh yes it is.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
It's so reality.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Well it's it's real, right exactly. White Lotus reminds me
of a Bravo show.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
It does, It really does.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
When I first started watching it, I thought, is this
and Carr?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
And then have you ever seen Below Deck?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Below Deck is a perfect reality show that I actually
think you would love.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Do you know the premise?
Speaker 1 (30:58):
No, it's on a boat, a yacht, Yeah, on a charter.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Yacht, and the crew remains the same.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
But every episode they people come and they pay to
charter the boat, and they pay good and they pay
like seventy five grand for two days on this boat
or two and.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
A half days. Every episode is one charter, but the
crew stays the same.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Show.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
You get the drama of the chef who's trying to
meet their needs, and the crew is all with each
other and everything.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
It's really it's actually a great reality.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
Show having spent some time on such Yes, you have,
but but I love I love shows like that are campy, yes,
and like your your show's so campy, very and I
love campy stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Do you watch any reality shows? I don't think so, right, Yeah,
I don't.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
I don't think I have time.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
But you know, succession to me is a reality show, right,
because what are we watching right now on TV? We're
watching the whole Fox Network unraveling.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
So you were a producer on Top Chef in addition
to everything else, and that's citing for show in my genre.
You know.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I would argue that Top Chef when when we developed
and brought Top Chef on to Bravo, I would argue
that Top Chef changed the Food Network forever because the
Food Network looked one way. It was very static. It
was a kitchen with a couple of cameras. I mean,
it really made food television very sexige.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And beautiful looking, really elevated.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Competitive and competitive brought that up. You brought that whole
competitive nature to the world of food. And I've been
on I've been on a lot of those competition shows
on a food network. I never was on Top Chef.
Have you never been on to never been fun to be?
And but that very interesting. I just thought I might
(32:48):
have been on one episode.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
I think we Chef.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Actually during my time there, I was on EP for
like seven or eight seasons.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
No, I was. Was Padmo was on? Yeah, okay, I was.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
It was.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So your direct involvement is still as active.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
As always in in what in your in your Bravo shows.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
No, I'm only involved in the Housewives. I used to
be in charge of production and development.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
I left.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I left production when watch what Happens when I've got
picked up five days a week. I then stayed and
was developing shows below deck, being one.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
And then I it was too much and I left.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
And now I am just an EP of the Housewives
and every show she mentioned.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Only, oh, I have to ask about about Lisa vander Pump. Yes, okay,
so she's one of your real housewives and she's still on.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
She's not. She is now branched off and she does
this show called vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Yeah, but she has her restaurant right near me in
Las Vegas. And Lisa's on the right hand side of
the Arc de Trio and I'm on the left side
our photographs, these giant photographs I've seen.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So, how do I compare to Lisa vander Pop?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Well, I mean you are too.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
You know what, Lisa vander Pop has a great love
of entertaining and beauty in the same way that you do.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I actually think you would like Have you ever met her?
Speaker 3 (34:14):
No, I have to you.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
You actually would like.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
To invite her to my restaurant. And I hope she
invites me to her.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Should you should?
Speaker 4 (34:22):
You know she's I think you would hit it off.
Oh good, yeah, I really do.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
I'm actually do that because she's she's she's so vivacious.
Yes she is, and so and such a good restaurant
turn out, she really is. People are flocking to her
restaurant as they are to mine. I'm so excited about
having a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Have you ever had a Is this your first restaurant?
Speaker 3 (34:43):
My first?
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Isn't that incredible? Yeah? What's it called?
Speaker 1 (34:46):
It's called the Bedford by Martha's Perfect.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
I just saw a picture of you with a martini.
Is it at the Paris?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Well, the restaurant is in the Paris?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Okay, right, yeah, exactly right. I just saw that.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
Well, that's where Bravo Khan is, Yes, when as that
that is in November?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Well, you better book my restaurant. Well it's getting filled off.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
You know what, we will because I'm doing watch what
up inside?
Speaker 3 (35:10):
You can do a buy out.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
You can do a buyout.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Maybe I'll have a little after party of the Bedford.
Maybe you'll get me a little rate.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Ask for the brown room. Okay, I want the whole restaurant.
But that's two hundred seats. You have two hundred?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Oh yeah, okay, bravo.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Con okay, okay, well all right, I have to call
the restaurant right away and book you in November.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Well, this has been so much fun talking to any.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Author of his newest book, The Daddy Diaries by Andy Cohne,
subtitled The Year.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
I Grew Up. Indeed, so all of you.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
People out there who are contemplating parenthood.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Well, it's the perfect mother's it is it is.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Yes, it is our father's day, Father's Day. So many
of my friends are having babies.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yes, and uh and this is an also I mean
for adoption or for given away anyway that you're becoming
a parent. Published by Andy Cohen Books, a division of
Right McMillan's Thank You so much for coming by and
taking time out of your very very busy day. It's
(36:18):
always fun to you and UH and best of luck
with the children and bring them to the farm.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Okay.
I come from New Jersey. I could be a Jersey house.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I don't think anyone is ready for that.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Andy Cohen is a media giant.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
He's the author of four New York Times bestselling books,
serves as the executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise,
and he's also the executive producer and host of the
wildly popular Watch What Happens Live, both of which air
on Bravo. Now. Andy is taking on what will likely
be his most rewarding and challenging role, fatherhood. In his
(00:36):
newest book, The Daddy Diaries, The Year I Grew Up,
and he gives us a glimpse into parenting his two children,
Benjamin and Lucy, all the while managing a fabulous professional
and social life. I've been a guest on his program
several times where he has asked me some tough questions.
I'm here in newsstand studios in Rockefeller Center, and now
(00:58):
it's my turn to put Andy on. Bless oh boy,
welcome to my podcast.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Andy. Hi, Martha, and I wouldn't know how to put
you on last if I tried.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I'm a feeling you could cobble that together. Martha.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Well, and well, here I'll start this way. Andy walked
into the zoo. It is nine thirty.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
In the morning.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Eight You were late.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I was late. We was forty five rock by. Oh
my god, he little messed up.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, he was a little bit late, which you know
in his professional life he's never late, that is true,
never late.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
And he looks a little tired. And I said, are
you okay? And he said, well, you know I have
two kids.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
No, she said, I'm sorry to get you up so early.
I said, are you kidding me? Ben came in my
room this morning at about three fifteen. Oh no, he
is sleep in my bed and then talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Is he a talkers?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Like?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yes? And I was like, We've got to go to bed.
So he and I were up from about three fifteen
until five, and then Lucy started, as they say, singing
around six am.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Do they have separate bedrooms?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
They do?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh that's good.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So she didn't hear him get into your bed?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
You would have had a melee and here a bedroom
if she had heard right, Well, was fatherhood always in
the plans for you? Andy?
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I think somewhere in my mind it was. It was
I thought wouldn't it be great? And I had a
fantasy of it, but I never I was always so
excited about my life and career that it was always
not now, not now, not now. And as I approached fifty,
you're fifty. I am fifty four more you are, Oh
(02:39):
my gosh. Yeah, I had no idea. I thought you
were like early forty. Oh that makes me wow, And
then you would have more.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Energy day fifty.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I have a lot of energy about fifty four minutes
old to have your first child.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh, I had it at fifty. I had it at fifty.
But you know, my mom texted me yesterday. I was
up half the night with Ben the night before also,
and she said, how are you?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
You must be exhausted. I said, mom, I'm a tank
because I feel like one. I just kind of do
what has to be done. It's always my kind.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Of way that I get through things.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
And I had written two books that were diary books,
one called the Andy Cohen Diaries and one called Superficial,
and they were modeled after Warhol's.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Diaries, which I was a big fan of.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Yeah, and when I read Warhol's diaries, I was like, wow,
he goes to every party. He can go anywhere, he hobnazi,
drops names, he has opinions, and I thought that was
so cool.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So that's what I based my diary books on.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
And I thought, well, I'm going to a lot of
parties and I host a talk show and this could
be my own way in So after I wrote the
last one, I have to say, when you write down
what you do every day for three years for publication,
by the way, you have to look at your life
and say, how am I living my life?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
And is this the way I want to continue? And
I really thought I could do this life forever, but
there's got to be something more.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
And I'm about to turn fifty and I feel like
career wise, I am everywhere I wanted to be. I
finally have the resources where I can really afford to
do this in the way that I think that I
would want to for them and for me. And so
those were the crossroads that made me say, you know what,
I can do this now, And I'm so glad I did.
I have a sense of grounding and purpose that I
(04:25):
never had.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
And you've done this singly, you have don't have did
it alone?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah? You did alone? Why?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Well?
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I wasn't in love, and I have to say I
wasn't gonna wait anymore. I just thought I need to
do this for myself. And there are pros and cons.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Congratulations, no, thank you, but it's really I love that
you've done it yourself without and to wait any longer
and not do it, I think would have been really
bad because I agree, you know, and the older you get,
you can't murder.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That is.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
And I have to say for women, I'm such an
advocate of women. To me, women get such an unfair
shake on so many levels, but the reproductive level. H
the idea that women have to wait for a man
or whatever. I'm just such a proponent of women freezing
their eggs if they have the resources, save your money
(05:13):
and do it so that you have the reproductive freedom
to be able in your forties to say, oh I
met a guy, or I haven't met a guy, but
I want to do this. I just think it's such
a you know, for any woman who's thinking I want
to be a mom, but I'm scared that I'm not
going to make.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I wish I had a Lexis next to you, because
my daughter, she froze her eggs. She was she was lucky.
She did freeze a lot of eggs. Okay, and she
and embryos and she at forty six, had her first child.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh that's amazing. And did she do it alone or
was she a le alone? Good for? Oh?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Really a sperm donor right, who actually is fantastic and
he's she knows the guy.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Oh yeah, yeah, she chose him.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Oh she did.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
He comes from California once a month.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Oh that's incredible, which is great, Yes, because even though
she has no involvement with him romantically, the children have
a daddy.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
But also incredible that she figured out an arrangement with
him that works.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean he had no he was not married, had
no children.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
These are his only two kids, a boy and a girl,
born within a year. So it reminds me so much
of you because she's exhausted all the time.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
And I'm so glad I did it. And but this
single parent, there's a weight. And I think they I
needed a subtitle for this book, and it was going
to be more Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries. But
then once I finished, I was like, this was the
year I grew up. I had a second I had
a second lash and you're grown up.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And I, and there was a wait about being a
single dad.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
There was There was a period in August where I
spent three weeks in the Hampton's on vacation. It's my
summer vacation. Well, I mean, I learned there's no such
thing anymore as a vacation the two kids.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
It's a trip. And it was a trip, and it
was kind of a bad trip, to tell you. The
truth was.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It was just, you know, I had a threeen ager
and a little baby, and it was like and I
was alone and I that was when it got really real.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I have to say, do friends enjoy having both the
kids come with you to show everything?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
They they you know, I'm selective and where I bring
both the kids at this point, and I think that
will expand as they grow older. And I just took
a trip away for a weekend with Ben, but I
left Lucy at home because, you know, for a baby,
to uproot them from their schedule, which is kind of
the most important thing you You I.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Just as a sais Ben's for and the baby says,
and she is turning one right now, Oh only one?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Oh she still really has a baby?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Baby?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yes, exactly, And but you have the wherewithal to how
your nannies.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yes, and so you have full time nats.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I have to help, But I also feel it's so
important for me just to be around a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I don't there's no one that lives in my house.
Some meal well, I mean it depends on the day,
it depends on the cook. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I mean I'm not a good cook, but I'm a
great summer cook because I have a grill at my house.
And am Agan said, now I can grill and I
can have people over and make steaks or chicken or
baby steak.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
No they can't. Well no, I mean Ben can.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Ben loves stick. But anyway, I don't have any nanny's
sleeping over. I want to be there alone at night
with the kids.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Really, nobody stays.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Over, there's no living. I want to be there. If
I'm out of town, you might change that, I don't know.
I feel like the hardest time is when they're little.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I'm sure you're thriving and happy that you are now
daddy of two.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I am. It's amazing. I feel grounded.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You have a lot of I mean, your responsibilities have
multiplied drastically.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
They have.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I mean, even though you are so busy. You have
how many shows on air right now?
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I have ten housewatch shows, Pluts, Watch What Happens Live,
which is the daily talk show Wow. So that's plus
I have two serious radio channels, Radio Andy, which is
a talk channel.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Serious s I r I U, yes, exactly, They're not
so serious.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And I programmed those channels and I'm on the radio
four days a week, so I've.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Got a lot going on. But I love it. But
you know, Martha, it's funny. I was such a fan of.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Barbara Walters, and you look at the idea of going
all in on a career, and obviously she had a daughter.
There were many reports and she said they wound up
not being that close in the later years or whatever.
But I feel like, as much as we all have
these careers that we love, you were just talking about
your grandchildren when I came in.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I mean, this is why we're ultimately here. It's easy.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I could be the late night talk show host party guy,
but then at some point it's going to get really old.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
And it's going to get hard to be home with
the kids at the same time. Right now, you have
a lot of responsibility, Yeah you do, and it's it's
amazing that so many young men young women are doing
this on their own in the fear of not having
a family around them. I applaud you because I think
it is so important single or married, single, divorced, whatever
(10:16):
you are, to have a child is such a nurturing
thing for an adult, you know, and a career person.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It's so important. So, I mean, I had a child.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
When I was married, and it was a normal, kind
of sort of abnormal childhood for her. But I never
give that up for anything. So I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I'm so happy. I want to meet the kids one day.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Okay, So what surprised you most about being a father?
Speaker 4 (10:44):
I think, actually how much I clicked into it, and
how much, no matter who you are or how much
you have going on, you just human instinct takes you there.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I don't think any more about getting no sleep. I
don't think.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I mean, I think, you know, we just how my
my instincts kicked in.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
And that I can do it, and that I'm not
walking around.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I thought that I would be walking around kind of miserable.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
But there's a joy in the exhaustion in a way.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, you know, I get what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
But also, I mean, I guess just those pure, random,
very off the cuff moments where your kid turns to
you and says something so incredible, you know, just you're
my best friend or I love you.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Did you have the same surrogate for both.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
The surrogate is carrier, Yes, so I have I have
the same they are biologically brother and sister.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I have different surrogates, but the same egg donor. Yes.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So in the beginning stages of having the babies, you
you relied on on health because you had to go
to work. Yes, so you had You had had to live.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
In baby nurse for both when they were babies, Yes,
live in Yes. Who.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
I then shared with Anderson Cooper when he had his
son Wyat, and.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
I remember that was big news too.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Yes. And then when when what?
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And then he had Sebastian his second, and Teresa, our
baby nurse went to Sebastian. And then when I had Lucy,
she came back to She's gone back and forth.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Between me and Anderson, Uh, several times. That's great.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
She's incredible, and she sleep trained them both and really
helped us out as parents. And I think we really
kind of spoiled her. Where, you know, I think she realized, wow,
it was a baby nurse. It's kind of fun working
for gay guys.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
You know. They give me rosea at dinner time, right,
you know.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
So we have big hopes. All of us have big
host for our kids. What are your hopes for your
two lovely children.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
My hopes are just that they they are exactly themselves.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
My hope are that.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
My hope for her is that she has every bit
of confidence that I have and that he has. I
think sometimes women struggle with self confidence.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Ben has a lot of confidence.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Ben has a lot of confidence.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Is he already an athlete or.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
He loves soccer? He loves sports great. Absolutely. I just
want them to be as happy as I have been
all my life. Really, if they're happy, then then that's
all I really care about.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
You mentioned Anderson Cooper, So you're good friends. So the
kids play with each.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Other, they do. We just ban and I just left.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
We got an invitation for Wyatt's first birthday party this
morning at about eight am. Ben texted it and then
Bean and I left Anderson and RSVP a little voice message,
which was very sweet.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
So the housewives, let's get into a little bit of
what you do when you're not at home.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Children.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
The Housewives franchise started when.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Started in two thousand and six, I think with the
Real Housewives of Orange County Desperate Housewives at the time
was a huge show on ABC. People don't sometimes make
the connection that that's where the title came from. We
had this group of women and we said, well, these
are the quote real housewives, and it was a play
(14:28):
on the term real because the term housewives is kind
of antiquated, and also there was not much real about
them physically. They had augmentations.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
In every direction. And so that was the beginning. Never
in a million years would I have imagined that we
would be now ten franchises there are, we've Bravo has
licensed the format around the world.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I just went to Australia to do press for Watch
What Happens Live. They're just huge over there. Wow.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
It's really something that I wouldn't have believed. But I
grew up I was a huge fan of all my children,
really big fan, and so when we started the Housewives,
I thought, well, if this could be kind of a
reality soap opera, then wouldn't that be something? And I
think that's the backbone of why this is still going.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Because it is definitely a giant soap.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It is people come and go.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yeah, and they and people pay attention.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
They person I would not make a good housewife, would I?
Speaker 4 (15:33):
You know? Unclear if you let yourself go in the process.
You certainly are outspoken, you lead a quite aspirational life,
You're not shy with your opinions, and you're very beautiful.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
I'm a very good housewife.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
You're a very good housewife. You're someone who we all
are interested in. So I would say, now, the only
thing that I think you would.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Not be good at, which is the crux, is you
would want control of the edit artha.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And we wouldn't give it to you. We would want
to show you know. We would say, well, you signed it,
and we're going to show what we're going to show.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So you have final edit on everybody.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Course we do.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
And so that's, by the way, why I would never
do a reality show, and that my reality show are
these diary books. Frankly, because I let you in. I'm
in control of the edit, and I let you in
as much as I should want to.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Andy Cohen, And before I signed my documentary.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
No, I very excited about my documentary as I edit
as you should have.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
That is the right thing, because you're smart.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
You did that, you know why, because I didn't want
it to be a puff piece.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
You're right.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I didn't want to. I didn't want to control how
I looked, how I talked. Anything that's good.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
That is so smart, Okay, that is so smart that
you improve, there's there's you know, I have a book
in print also called Andy Cohen Books, and I published
six books, and I've been trying to get you to
do your book with me. Well, it would we would
have to break the bank, I mean clearly, but but maybe.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Maybe we'll make a deal on them.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
FU This would be great. But I said to Mariah Carey,
who we did a book with, incredible book, and I said,
there are so many bulls if I can say that
on your podcast, Yes, like celebrity memoirs and stuff written.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
By other people, written by other people.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Mariah's was so honest and it was really revealing and
it was vulnerable, and so yeah, I think you need
to name names and you need to be able to
have people say, look, I didn't have a good experience
with her. What you know, whatever it is right?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, Now the housewives. Do any of them give you
any insight into parenting? You know, what are you friends
with these houses?
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I say, you know, I would say that the ones
who've been on the longest I have the longest relationships with.
It was very moving to me when I announced.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
I was trying to think, how am I going to
announce that I'm having kids?
Speaker 4 (18:06):
What am I gonna say? And I wanted to wait
until it was close to the delivery to Ben's delivery
day because I didn't want the surrogate. I didn't want
people kind of following her around, and I was just
very I was very hung up on it going well.
But I also wanted to share the news because it
was important to me and it's an exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And so I invited five.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Housewives on Watch What Happens Live who were the housewives
that had been on their shows the longest, And we
were live that night and it was our last show
before Christmas, and at the end of the show, I said,
I have something I want to say, and they all
thought that I was announcing that I was quitting the
show or something like that, and they all got very serious,
and I said.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I'm going to become a father.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
And the outpouring that I got from all of the housewives.
It created an entirely new relationship between me and these
women who I had known on one level for so long,
and they all have been so sweet, and they're all
great moms, you know, and their kids are often the
moral compass of their shows. The kids are often the
one saying, mom, you can't do that, or you can't
(19:10):
say that, or you need to apologize or whatever. So
it's opened up a really wonderful dialogue. So I just
shot the Jersey Reunion last week and during breaks, I
was talking to the women about, well, what did you
do about sleep training?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
And what did you do about this? And these were
things that I had never It was a window of
conversation that had not.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I know, did you know about sleeping?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
No, of course I didn't, but it's fun to be
able to talk to them about this.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
So, in the midst of doing all these shows that
you executive produced, these are big jobs, how do you
find time to write?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Well, diary is the best way that well.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
This this format is really first of all, I think
for anyone who's trying to write anything, the hardest thing
is knowing your voice and being able to sit down
and just start. I know, My Voice is my fifth book,
and I love to write, and I feel like when
I start writing it name the book. The books are
most talkative stories from the front lines of pop culture.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
That was my memoir. Then I wrote the Andy Cohen Diaries.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Then I wrote Superficial more Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries.
Then I wrote Glitter every Day, three hundred and sixty
five quotes from women I love. And now we have
the Daddy Diaries the year I grew up. And so
this just felt like a continuation of this dialogue that
I already have, and I didn't know whether I was
going to do it or you dictate every day.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I don't dictate. I write, and I either write. Sometimes
on the.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Way home from Watch What Happens Live, I get my
phone out and I just start writing, and then I'll
email it to myself and I put it in the
document and I expand on it.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
A lot of times. After a day, I'll write a
note did Martha's podcast? I was late. I was scared
she was going to be mad.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
You know, whatever it is, Because some of these entries,
like Tuesday, March first, twenty twenty two, it's long, it's
almost more than a page.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
If a lot happened, then it gets you know, and
it depends on the day.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Not a day is missed.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Not a day is missed. They're all very Some are
about parenting, some are really name droppies. Some are very
New York stories. So yes, it's uh, that's why at Cooper.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
And and then.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yeah, I mean they really look like us. I have
a devilish grin and why it's like, what have you
gotten me into? You know?
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I write about Anderson a lot of I write about
my friendship with John Mayer a lot.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
It's interesting looking back on a year. You see really
who you hung out with every single day.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So it's a lot of fun. But I love writing.
I feel very accomplished when I write, don't.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You You know if I read it out loud after
I write it, I read it out loud, just hear how.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
It sounds right.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
And if it can be read out loud carefully, rightly,
then I feel like I've really written something that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Your book's well, you can.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Write this was, you know, this was, and the good
news about this one. Also, it's a format I started.
I start this the day after I blasted the Blasio
on New Year's Eve. I started it on January first,
twenty twenty two, and I write that morning. I just wrote, wrote, wrote,
And so it begins then and it ends with New
(22:21):
Year's Eve of this year.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Who publishes Andy Cohen's Andy.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Cohen Books, a division of Holt McMillan.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Yes, what a great idea to have your own imprint.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
It's so great. Is so you have had your own imprint? No?
Speaker 1 (22:35):
No, no, even though I'm on my hundredth book.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Incredible.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah. No, We've always worked with clerks and pottery and
we were happy with that.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Isn't really fun? Isn't it fun? The book business?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
This book is book?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Love it?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, I do too, And I'm so glad that you're
you're so active in it.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
So first one, second.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Book, second book was Andy Cohen Diaries, okay, okay, And
and that was just and.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
That was a similar format, And that was the first
one that I wrote.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
And did that take a year?
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Or that was a year?
Speaker 4 (23:04):
And then immediately when I finished, I said, you know what,
I love this and I know this is going to
be a big best seller, and I'm going to start
writing the second one immediately. And I thought, how interesting
will the second one be because it will also cover
my book tour for the first one and going on
shows and tell you and so so much happened on
that book tour, and it just became and I wrote
(23:27):
for a year and a half and then we published
the third, which was a big hit called Superficial, And
so I liked this format. I started writing one during
the process of having been and I actually there was
stuff in there. I said, I can't publish this. I
don't want Ben to read this. There was just I
was being very cheeky, and I thought, this is not
(23:48):
if I was Ben, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I would want to read this. So I left it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Oh, I see, yeah, you want your kids to be
proud of what.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, I do. And there are things in this book
that I wonder about.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I think that's a very good thing.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Too, I do too, But there are things that look,
I tell a lot of stories about Ben having tantrums
or whatever negotiations were in that I hope he takes
the right way.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
So how many what I watch What Happens Lives?
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Do you do? A week? Five? Five five A week?
We've been on This is our fourteenth year in July,
it'll be our fourteenth.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
And you watch it where what do you mean watch it? Well,
not you, we watch it.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
When we watch it on Bramo on Peacock.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
So, if you had to be on any one of
your shows as a as a performer, which one.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Did any of the Housewives? Well, the house sides of
New York? So I didn't have to move? Oh okay, yeah,
I love New York. Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
And who's the most outrageous of this? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Wow, that's a hard one.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
The most outrage.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
There have been.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
I mean there's probably maybe Sonia Morgan who was on
the house side of New York.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Do you know her?
Speaker 5 (24:58):
No, I'm sure you would member you would remember, yes,
but really outrageous.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yes, she's wild.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
What about Bethany My Apprentice?
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Your Apprentice?
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Yes, well she's not wild, but she's a piece of work. Okay, right,
that's a good way to describe her. She was like
that on the Apprentice.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
So as a host of Real Housewives reunion shows, because
you do that, you ask a lot of uncomfortable and
unflattering questions I do of the cast. How does this
affect your relationship with them?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Well? Sometimes they're mad at me sometimes. After the last
Beverly Hills reunion, I remember Lisa Renna saying to me,
you know, you were really bad to me. You were
mean to me, And I did you ask her? Well?
Speaker 4 (25:48):
I said to her, you know, it's funny that you
say that. I don't think I was hard enough on you.
I actually left feeling like I was soft. So this
is your impression.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Because because once hired, these women are they're submitting to
the process, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
You hope they are.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, well they are.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
They have to be.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
They have to be or else it doesn't work. It's
a quick run.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
It's again exhausting, mediating drama.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, it does like that, sometimes it really does. I
told you I.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Should say how how dare they act like this?
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Sometimes? But I'm also a producer of the show and
I want the best TV process, So sometimes I am
personally I have personal feelings about it. But sometimes, you know,
after that Jersey reunion last week.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
I went and met my best friend for a very
late dinner at Cafe Clooney.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
It was like nine thirty and I was just I
drank too large tequilas it did, and I went and
I went to bed and I woke up at about
four in the morning processing everything that had happened at
that reunion because.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
It was very There were very upsetting moments. There were
moments of deep anger.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Emotion, whatever, and I really had to sit there and
kind of process it for an hour in my bed.
I was like, I need to has.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
It ever happened that you've had one of these reunions
and then they can't work with each other again?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Yes? What has has?
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Yeah, that's very that's sorry. Yeah. Yeah, we're going to
crossroads in Jersey right now, you are. We're gonna have
to figure that out come.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
From New Jersey. I could be a Jersey house.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
I don't think anyone is ready for that. I would
start you maybe in I mean, you don't live in Beverly.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I think we would have to. Let me put it
this way, we would have to cast around you. You
would have to do bad.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
And the Housewives of Bedford. You haven't even come up there.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
You don't know you live there.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Listen, you and Ricky Lawrence. I mean, hold on, now,
we've got two anchors of the show. Let's build around this.
Hold on, is Chappaqua nearby? Could we have Hillary there?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Hillary there?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Down?
Speaker 2 (27:47):
The road we have free.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
And oh and you know who else is there? Lake Lively?
Speaker 2 (27:54):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
None of us would dare do this because you're are
way too tough for us.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
We couldn't do this. Life is Life is too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Life is too good. Life is too good?
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, Which Bravo show is your favorite?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Now?
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Which is there? Do you have a favorite favor?
Speaker 4 (28:22):
No?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
I really don't.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
I there's something that I get from all of these
housewives shows. Again, my love of soap opera is really
if I wasn't such a fan of these shows, I
wouldn't still be so happy. I think it would have
weighted me under and it would be kind of a misery.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Last night I watched an episode of the Housewives.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Of Orange County, and you know, I watched the episodes
and I give notes on them. And I've always been
a producer and I worked at CBS News for ten
years from the nineties. You know, Martha, you and I
first met when I was a producer at the Early Show.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
On CBS and it was such a big deal. Oh
my god, remember when they poached you from the Today
Show for a minute for a few years and you
came in. It was a very big deal.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
The General Motors, and then I did the knife thing.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Studio they did the knife thing, and they made such
a big thing of the knife.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Because was that around the time that you were in trouble.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
And Jane Clayson, who was the anchor of that show
for about a second, asked you something about it, and
you picked up the knife.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
No, I was chopping something, and I chopped it, and
they picked up on that and made believe I was
chopping somebody.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yes, exactly. No. I didn't want to answer.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Do you feel like it was such a hard time
for you? I would imagine it was horrible When you
look back on that, do you wish that you had
publicly come out and handled yourself any differently?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I would have not been so guarded about it.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
My lawyers they terrify you. They tell you, don't say this,
don't talk to this per and don't do this. It's
all wrong. I think the approach is very wrong.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
So when you go back and you look and you're
chopping with Jane Clayson, and she asked you some question
about that, like do you have regrets about.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
I have no regrets. I have The whole thing is
like a nightmare. That is interesting and do you think.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
It gave you character? Do you think it? Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Of course it strengthened me tremendously. So do you watch
any other reality TV?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I watch The Traders, which was a great show on Peacock.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Not much about White Lotus.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Well that's not reality.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Oh yes it is.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
It's so reality.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Well it's it's real, right exactly. White Lotus reminds me
of a Bravo show.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
It does, It really does.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
When I first started watching it, I thought, is this
and Carr?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
And then have you ever seen Below Deck?
Speaker 3 (30:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Below Deck is a perfect reality show that I actually
think you would love.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Do you know the premise?
Speaker 1 (30:58):
No, it's on a boat, a yacht, Yeah, on a charter.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Yacht, and the crew remains the same.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
But every episode they people come and they pay to
charter the boat, and they pay good and they pay
like seventy five grand for two days on this boat
or two and.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
A half days. Every episode is one charter, but the
crew stays the same.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Show.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
You get the drama of the chef who's trying to
meet their needs, and the crew is all with each
other and everything.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
It's really it's actually a great reality.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
Show having spent some time on such Yes, you have,
but but I love I love shows like that are campy, yes,
and like your your show's so campy, very and I
love campy stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Do you watch any reality shows? I don't think so, right, Yeah,
I don't.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
I don't think I have time.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
But you know, succession to me is a reality show, right,
because what are we watching right now on TV? We're
watching the whole Fox Network unraveling.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
So you were a producer on Top Chef in addition
to everything else, and that's citing for show in my genre.
You know.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I would argue that Top Chef when when we developed
and brought Top Chef on to Bravo, I would argue
that Top Chef changed the Food Network forever because the
Food Network looked one way. It was very static. It
was a kitchen with a couple of cameras. I mean,
it really made food television very sexige.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And beautiful looking, really elevated.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Competitive and competitive brought that up. You brought that whole
competitive nature to the world of food. And I've been
on I've been on a lot of those competition shows
on a food network. I never was on Top Chef.
Have you never been on to never been fun to be?
And but that very interesting. I just thought I might
(32:48):
have been on one episode.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
I think we Chef.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Actually during my time there, I was on EP for
like seven or eight seasons.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
No, I was. Was Padmo was on? Yeah, okay, I was.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
It was.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So your direct involvement is still as active.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
As always in in what in your in your Bravo shows.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
No, I'm only involved in the Housewives. I used to
be in charge of production and development.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
I left.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
I left production when watch what Happens when I've got
picked up five days a week. I then stayed and
was developing shows below deck, being one.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
And then I it was too much and I left.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
And now I am just an EP of the Housewives
and every show she mentioned.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Only, oh, I have to ask about about Lisa vander Pump. Yes, okay,
so she's one of your real housewives and she's still on.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
She's not. She is now branched off and she does
this show called vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Yeah, but she has her restaurant right near me in
Las Vegas. And Lisa's on the right hand side of
the Arc de Trio and I'm on the left side
our photographs, these giant photographs I've seen.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So, how do I compare to Lisa vander Pop?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Well, I mean you are too.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
You know what, Lisa vander Pop has a great love
of entertaining and beauty in the same way that you do.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I actually think you would like Have you ever met her?
Speaker 3 (34:14):
No, I have to you.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
You actually would like.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
To invite her to my restaurant. And I hope she
invites me to her.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Should you should?
Speaker 4 (34:22):
You know she's I think you would hit it off.
Oh good, yeah, I really do.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
I'm actually do that because she's she's she's so vivacious.
Yes she is, and so and such a good restaurant
turn out, she really is. People are flocking to her
restaurant as they are to mine. I'm so excited about
having a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Have you ever had a Is this your first restaurant?
Speaker 3 (34:43):
My first?
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Isn't that incredible? Yeah? What's it called?
Speaker 1 (34:46):
It's called the Bedford by Martha's Perfect.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
I just saw a picture of you with a martini.
Is it at the Paris?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Well, the restaurant is in the Paris?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Okay, right, yeah, exactly right. I just saw that.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
Well, that's where Bravo Khan is, Yes, when as that
that is in November?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Well, you better book my restaurant. Well it's getting filled off.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
You know what, we will because I'm doing watch what
up inside?
Speaker 3 (35:10):
You can do a buy out.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
You can do a buyout.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Maybe I'll have a little after party of the Bedford.
Maybe you'll get me a little rate.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Ask for the brown room. Okay, I want the whole restaurant.
But that's two hundred seats. You have two hundred?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Oh yeah, okay, bravo.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Con okay, okay, well all right, I have to call
the restaurant right away and book you in November.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Well, this has been so much fun talking to any.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Author of his newest book, The Daddy Diaries by Andy Cohne,
subtitled The Year.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
I Grew Up. Indeed, so all of you.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
People out there who are contemplating parenthood.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Well, it's the perfect mother's it is it is.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Yes, it is our father's day, Father's Day. So many
of my friends are having babies.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yes, and uh and this is an also I mean
for adoption or for given away anyway that you're becoming
a parent. Published by Andy Cohen Books, a division of
Right McMillan's Thank You so much for coming by and
taking time out of your very very busy day. It's
(36:18):
always fun to you and UH and best of luck
with the children and bring them to the farm.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Okay.
Host
Martha Stewart
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