Leanne Morgan: Dazzling Wit, Drive & Big Girl Panties

Alright y’all, buckle up because you’re in for a wild and hilarious ride with the one and only Southern comedy queen Leanne Morgan. She’s proof that it’s never too late to hit your stride—after 25 years of grinding in the comedy scene, Leanne has found massive success in her 50s. From her viral Def Leppard and Journey video to her inspiring belief in herself, Leanne shows us all that persistence pays off with a new tour, new book and new TV show.

With stories about her viral moments, what it’s like working with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, and hilarious takes on wild college days, marriage, loose parenting of the third child, menopause, and the power of “big girl panties,” this episode is a rollercoaster of laughs and inspiration. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to Leanne’s comedy, this episode will leave you laughing, inspired, and ready to chase your own dreams—no matter what stage of life you’re in!

Grab your sweet tea, y’all.
 
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This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our Technical Producer is Christian Brown, and this episode was edited by Christian Brown. Writing by Harper McDonald. Business Development by Casey Ladd.

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Transcript

This transcript was generated by AI. Inconsistencies may be present.

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Kit Hoover:

Welcome to the Coop with Kit. My name is Kit Hoover and I have been lucky enough in my 30 years in this business to interview some of the most iconic badass women out there. We all know that girlfriends give the best advice and they're all coming to the coop. We're talking career, marriage, kids, sex, aging, all of it. I truly believe we are just hitting our stride. Alright, my chickens. Let's get into it. Alright, y'all buckle up because you're in for a wild and hilarious ride with the one and only Leanne Morgan. Now this southern powerhouse has been lighting up the comedy circuit for over 25 years, and she has finally hit it big now in her fifties. Variety named her one of the top 10 comics to watch. We all loved her Netflix special. I'm Every Woman. Now she's bringing her big girl panties and that down home relatable charm to the big stage with a new show, a new tour, and a new book. Hailing from a tiny farm town in Tennessee where she sold jewelry to other mamas. Leanne listened to that inner voice. She knew that she was destined for Hollywood and she never gave up when she's not on stage. She's loving life with her husband, Chuck Morgan, three kids, grand babies, and of course her beagle all in Knoxville, Tennessee. Grab your sweet tea. Y'all. Here is Leanne Morgan. Hello my darling. Can you hear me? Leanne? I got you. Can you hear me?

Leanne Morgan:

I got you.

Kit Hoover:

Thanks to your baby girl.

Leanne Morgan:

My baby. Thank you. Oh Lord. Hi, Leanne. Are we recording? Are we recording? You're recording, Kent, you doll. Okay, honey, you tiny little thing I want to say to you that you've always kept your weight down and I look at you and I think, why

Kit Hoover:

Didn't I do that? Wait, Leanne. The best is, I've been such a fan of yours for a gazillion years, which I think with pride when I say gazillions for you and me in this business, but let's tell everybody how we met because when I was DMing you, I forgot about Mom Logic, the pilot that we did, who was in it with us?

Leanne Morgan:

It was crazy. Okay. Do you remember it was Melissa Ether's first wife? Yes. Do you remember her? I forgot about that.

Kit Hoover:

Yes. Oh, and I just had her on the podcast, Melissa, and I forgot to tell her. Okay. Alright. And then Sandra Bernhard.

Leanne Morgan:

Sandra Bernhard, yes. And Judy Gold, the comedian Judy Gold, and then Kate Goslin, you remember Katelin. And then Paula ine little Paula ine. And that's how even I got in because I used to open for Paul Ledine and I think really and truly, Kent, all y'all were big time. And I was like a little courtesy, honest to goodness. I think they were like, let lean in, ride in the car. I got to with you. I was out there and they asked us about Molly Cyrus stripping on a pole on Nick at night, and we all had to say our opinion.

Kit Hoover:

Well, you know what I remember is loving you immediately. I was just glad to be in the car. But what I remember was you and I hit it off completely. There's a bunch of us that we all gathered in one of our dressing rooms and it was kind of going to be sort of the view, but with all moms and all different point of views. Well, let's get back to you my love kicking ass and taking names, Leanne. Thank you my darling. We start all the podcasts with one word, Leanne, to describe where you are in your life right now.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my gosh. Okay. Let me think. Crazy. I'm going to say crazy in a wonderful way. Crazy like what in the world? This is

Kit Hoover:

Crazy. I feel like women, especially in their fifties, are really coming into their own and hitting their stride, which wasn't the case when we started out, Leanne. And look where you are right now. Let's tell all of our listeners everything that you've got cooking that's hitting right now at age. Are you 58?

Leanne Morgan:

I'm 58. I'll be 59 in October.

Kit Hoover:

Booyah. And let's talk about the Chuck, Lori, Netflix show, Chuck, Lori, everybody. This is two and a half men. This is the greatest TV creator, producer of all time. Your book comes out in a month. What do you make of all this, Leanne? Why now?

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my gosh, my darling. I don't know because I've been doing comedy for over 25 years and there were years nobody cared. And I always joke and say I couldn't get arrested, but nobody cared and I just kept on going. I felt in my gut, I just had to keep going. And then it hit in my early fifties. I was just about to quit, was feeling really down and I thought nothing's going to happen and maybe this is a sign I'm supposed to stop. I went to dinner with my husband and I cried and I said, I don't think anything's going to happen, but I want to do something. I'll open a hardware store and I'll get a big cheese wheel and I'll get rocking chairs and I can sell Canon products. And he said, you've lost your mind. And then I took a chance on myself.

I had never spent a lot of money on my website and all that. I'd just gotten by and I had a few headshot and I thought, okay, I was watching Jim Gaff and Nate Boetti, all these people that I love, and I was seeing that they had social media people and I thought, I've got to get social media people. And my manager at the time said, I don't know. I don't think you can afford it. And I just did it anyway. And I invested that money in myself. And the first video they put out was about me taking my husband, Chuck Morgan to go see Def Leppard and Journey. And everybody looked sick and had plantar fasciitis and everybody was trying to get out the door so they could be in the bed by 10 o'clock. And honest to goodness kit, I had done that one time on stage and happened to catch it on film. It really wasn't even in my act. And let me tell you this, it'll put chills up your spine. They put that out on the day that my last baby, we moved her into an apartment in Brooklyn, New York for her to go to school. And that's when it hit. After all these years of raising these children,

I feel like that was a sign from above. Okay, you got them raised, girl, let's go

Kit Hoover:

Empty nest. I have chills. I want to talk about this because I know a lot of women have that thought. I know. I certainly have. I was like, okay, you know what? It's been a decent run. It's time for my next thing, but I never give up. So how close did you get and what were you saying to yourself and what pulled you out of that?

Leanne Morgan:

For years, I would have ups and downs, but I was living in Knoxville, Tennessee raising these children and that was the most important thing to me. But I would get a deal with A, B, C and Warner Brothers for a sitcom and then I'd get another one with Nick at night or TV land and I would think, oh, this is going to be my big thing. And then they wouldn't make it. Something in my gut would say, keep going, keep going, keep going. And I just felt desperate. I was working a lot, but it wasn't the kind of work I wanted. And I was in this grind and I was having to fly somewhere and then get an Uber with somebody home marijuana that drove me for two hours and I was scared to death. That's why I thought I can't keep doing this if it's this grind.

It's not a lot of money. And I also had a child get married and I knew I was going to be a grandmama and I just thought, you know what? Maybe I should give this up. I just made that decision. I'm going to do it by darn, I'm going to give them three months and if something doesn't happen, I'll know that that's what I'm supposed to stop. See, I'm from the country. When we have grand babies, we start cooking pinto beans and wearing a house dress. And I thought, but I've always liked to make my own money. So I thought, I'll have a hardware store, I'll be grandmamma, I'll tend to these grand babies and then it

Kit Hoover:

Boomed. I'm telling you, you're so relatable on so many fronts and this is one that I love. Okay, so you put out the video. When did you know that it had hit and what happened next?

Leanne Morgan:

Okay, I'm telling you, those boys, and I call 'em boys, they're the age of my children. I could have birthed all of them and I love them. They're two young guys from Plano, Texas. They put that out and we were in a tiny hotel room in New York and Chuck Morgan was saying the Uber's here. And I looked at my phone and it was being shared thousands of times and I felt an electricity go through my body. I knew it. I thought something is happening. And I texted those boys and they said, we've never seen anything like it land. It's being shared thousands of times. Nothing like that had ever happened to me. And I felt a wave go through my body and I said to my family, something's happening

With this Def Leard video. And Chuck goes, the Uber's here. Everybody grabbed two suitcases and get down to the elevator. Nobody was listening to me, but I knew it. I knew it. And I'm telling you, I started selling out all over the United States within days, and those were clubs that were sweet to me, but they were like, she can't sell tickets. She doesn't get drunk and fight in the parking lot and we love her, but we're not having her back. People saw that video and started looking for all my other content and started calling comedy clubs all over the United States asking for me.

Kit Hoover:

So what a beautiful moment for you. How did you get into comedy to begin with? Because it is not for the faint of heart, Leanne.

Leanne Morgan:

No, it is not. And I had always wanted to go to Hollywood from the time I was a little bitty girl. I felt in my heart, God put it in my heart in imagination. I was from the country, a town of 500 people, and I wanted to get married and have babies. I graduated with my degree. Let me tell you through the skin of my teeth, honey, I'll never let anybody know my GPA. And then I married Chuck Morgan, who is overachiever. He had bought a business up in Bean Station, Tennessee that's in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. He was 27 years old. And I moved up there and I had my first baby Charlie, and I wanted to breastfeed and stay home. And I promised Chuck, I go, I'll promise I won't get my hair highlighted and I won't put anything on the wall. A girlfriend of mine called me and said, I'm selling this jewelry like Mary Kay or Tupperware and you could meet people. I was so isolated up there. You can meet people, you can make a little money and Chuck can tend to the baby at night while you're having these jewelry parties.

Kit Hoover:

So how old are you? Is this right out of college?

Leanne Morgan:

Well, honey, when you'll read my book, what in the World That's coming out in September, you will know that I made a lot of stupid mistakes in the eighties and

Kit Hoover:

We would've been best friends.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my darling, I would've ruined your college education. You would've never graduated. We would've had a ball and not done a thing. But anyway, I had dropped out and went back to school. So I was older when I graduated. Chuck and I were 27 years old and he bought a business. We got married, I had my first baby, and I started selling that jewelry in women's houses. We'd put this jewelry out, I'd eat dip or a brownie with somebody. And then I was supposed to be talking about how jewelry, a clip earing can change the look of a pump. And instead I was talking about breastfeeding and hemorrhoids and how their daddy didn't hear him crying in the night and I wanted him dead and all that. And women thought I was funny and started booking a year in advance for me, a year in advance. And I remember this is how arrogant I was. I got so arrogant in the jewelry world, let me tell you. I would say to those women, you either book a party with me now or see me in Las Vegas later.

Kit Hoover:

Manifestation.

Leanne Morgan:

Yeah, I was manifesting and I saw all of it. And I knew, even though I was in Appalachia, I knew I wanted to have a bunch of bas. I still knew someday, oh, I'm going to Hollywood and I'm going to be in entertainment. I don't know how, but that's okay. I'll get there somehow. And I look back on that and that was my own little comedy club in front of my demographic every night. And I developed an act and then we sold that business, moved to San Antonio, Texas, and I started working clubs in Austin and in San Antonio and then really called myself a professional comedian. And I was really, but let me tell you, Kent, I was in a kitten heel, a capri with birds on them. A really bad bomb. A bad bomb. And I was talking about somebody do do on the T-ball field or something like that, the

Kit Hoover:

McDonald's ball pit. Oh yeah.

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. The McDonald's ball pit. And then I was talking to a crowd at midnight that was high on marijuana and drunk. And so there a long time in my career, comedy Central was big and that was not my demographic. They wouldn't have anything to do with me. I wasn't one of the cool kids, but I kept going. I just knew, I thought I'm unique. Okay, I'm not doing Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations like all these boys are, but I'm unique. And I know there's people out there that are mamas that at breastfed, that somebody's do in the grocery store. I know I've got an audience, I just didn't know how to find them.

Kit Hoover:

We're kind of similar, Leanne, in our career, authenticity is king for you and me. We can only be who we are, which is why we got put together 35 years ago on Mob Logic. And I grew up in Atlanta, but I knew I was going to be in Hollywood. I didn't know what I was going to be doing, Leanne, but I thought something and it's just been a slow build. And then I got this job at Access Hollywood at 40 and I'm now 54 because what I love to do is highlight awesome women kicking ass. And I love talking to people. So it's funny how, I don't know, we're very intertwined in that way, just not giving up. We're just keep cranking along. Paddle that boat, Leanne, right?

Leanne Morgan:

I do pat myself on the bank. I think you know why I persevered through a lot of nos that you're not the right thing and nobody cares. And I always felt like I want one of the cool Kens and

Kit Hoover:

Which by the way, that makes us cool because I've always thought the same. I think that's, wait, what is the show that Chuck Laurie's creating for you on Netflix? I just want to say to all of our listeners, this is a massive, massive deal for Netflix. This is different than everything else that's come your way, Leanne. This is going to be huge. You are in the best hands share with us all.

Leanne Morgan:

Thank you my darling. I know I feel very blessed. It's going to be called Lean, and it's not based on my real life, but it's based on my comedy and my Netflix special. I'm every woman. I talk about my good friend Sally, who was going through a divorce at 55, and I said, are you going to have to make out around somebody's CPAP machine? And then one of our friends, we were talking about, Lord Sally's got to get out here and date. And she said, if I had to date, I think I could show somebody my left breast. So Chuck Lori grabbed that and said, okay, Lynn, I know you've been married 30 something years and you're with Chuck Morgan, but what if we have you with two children and you got a grandbaby, you're in your fifties and all of a sudden he leaves you for he has found somebody, but he's, well, he's not going to be a mean person. He's just had this bad judgment this one time. He's still in love with me. I think he's going to still be in love with me and still come and clean out my gutters. But I find myself in my fifties going, oh my gosh, what am I going to do now? And how do I navigate through this? And I've got a sister play by Christian Johnson who's going to be unhinged. That's awesome. I know. This is

Kit Hoover:

Unbelievable. Wait, have we already started shooting Leanne?

Leanne Morgan:

No, we're about to start.

Kit Hoover:

We're about sore. Going to be out here in California. Yes. Oh, I'm having you over. You're coming to stay with me whenever you want. I'm going to make you some homemade southern food. I'll make you my birth and death casserole. I got you covered.

Leanne Morgan:

Okay,

Kit Hoover:

So you're going to start shooting that when?

Leanne Morgan:

At the beginning of October.

Kit Hoover:

Shit, that's like now. Okay. Wait, the book, is it your life, your trajectory of all of this?

Leanne Morgan:

It is my story. And I hope people, I hope they think it's funny and I hope that they are inspired by the fact that it's never too late. I mean, I think I named, it wasn't The World because every day I go, what in the world? All these things that are coming to me at 58, which love it. I thought I was going to hit it when I was younger and thinner.

Kit Hoover:

But

Leanne Morgan:

I look at all of it and it's such a better plan than I ever had because I got my children raised and I did a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell that will be out January the 30th, called You're Cordially invited. And I play Reese Witherspoon's, big sister, Gwyneth Booya. And every day little Reese Witherspoon was stand next to me and say, lean, you got to raise your children. Think about how wonderful you got to have both worlds. And I did. And I just think a lot of women think, oh my gosh, after 40, nobody's going to want me after 35. Nobody's going to care. Or I feel invisible. And I just think we're at our best. We're at

Kit Hoover:

Our best right now. Haven't even hit our stride, Leanne. That's what the Co with Kid is. That's why I started this. I truly believe that with every part of my being. I really do. Look at you. I do too. How was Will Ferrell? He's my favorite.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh, my darling and precious and so funny. And he would walk in a room, we would all lose our minds. He was so funny. He didn't even have to say anything and you could tell that he wanted to see me win. And then little Reese Witherspoon has been like, I'm not kidding. My little cheerleader, Dolly Parton one time said she had a little angel on her shoulder that takes care of her and she doesn't eat but half of her plate so she can feed that little angel. And I told Reese Witherspoon, you're my little angel, but I eat all the food because she's so tiny. But she just believed in me, started following me. We had met years ago, then she started following me during the covid and that little thing wanted me to play her big sister and got me a table read. And I didn't even know what a table read was.

Kit Hoover:

She's such a promoter of women. I love hearing that story, Leanne.

Leanne Morgan:

I know. She said, you deserve this, Lynn. Then I've been on tour. The first tour was called The Big Panty Tour.

Kit Hoover:

That's what we got to talk about.

Leanne Morgan:

Big panties. I felt like that hour that I did for Netflix, the I'm Every Woman. That was the big panty tour. And people say, why did you name that? And I felt like I was just always talking about my panties. And I just love a good big pair of panties. A comfort

Kit Hoover:

Pair of panties. Well, we must discuss because everybody makes fun of me at work. See, I love the granny panty now. I like the cotton brief. I'm a low rise. I know you like the granny pan that comes up. You like the bikini high up on the hip. I like a low cotton brief if it's white and it just feels so good and it's real thick on the side. It just feels

Leanne Morgan:

Well that's a good one too. That's a good one too. But I need a little, just up a little on my thigh to make me feel thinner. Make me feel like I've got a long leg still. You do. I'm pretty tall.

Kit Hoover:

How tall are you Lan?

Leanne Morgan:

Well, now I feel like I'm shrinking. I'm probably about 5 7, 5 8. But I mean, I feel like a giant, every time I'm around people, they come up under my armpit. But I know there's a lot taller girls out there.

Kit Hoover:

I'm five feet. I guarantee you if we'd been in college together, I love when you do the eighties. Tell me about the eighties. Oh yeah. I would've been on your shoulders, on your back. We would've been last man leading the with our dance moves, Leanne. There's no stopping us. No,

Leanne Morgan:

We would've been clubbing. We would've been clubbing. Everybody was clubbing. And to Prince and the Rhythmics, even though you're a little bit younger than me,

Kit Hoover:

But I'm right there with you

Leanne Morgan:

Throughout this book. When I did the audio, I read it and I thought, man, I was stupid. And I thought I did some stupid mess. But yes, I smoked cigarettes behind dumpsters. I dated people you would not wipe your feet on. I did not do well in school. I barely paid attention and I had such good teachers and I just would try to flirt with some boy or to get his notes. I was failing statistics. I wasn't failing it, but it wasn't going well. And that little man was from a foreign country and had a glass eye. And I tormented him and tried to flirt with him and try to figure out which eye wore. And he was like, leave me alone. I mean, I was pitiful. Pitiful.

Kit Hoover:

Listen, we can't be great at everything Land.

Leanne Morgan:

Yes,

Kit Hoover:

God is fair. You got to, got to spread that out. What was little Leanne? I love when you talk about your cute mom, Lucille. Tell me about when she used to hold you home from school to watch Hollywood Squares.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh honey. She would say to me, Lucille, you talking about a doll, an absolute doll. Funny dynamic. Okay, Lucille, we had a little grocery store and my mama loved to work and loved to be with people, but she stayed home with me until I went to kindergarten. And then I went to kindergarten at four in the state of Tennessee. They had not changed it to five yet. And she knew I needed a nap. And she would say, does your stomach hurt? And I'd go, well, kind of. And she goes, alright, well let's stay home. Watch Hollywood Squares. She loves Sarah not live like me. She's got my sense of humor. We love Will Ferrell. We love Anchorman stepbrothers. That's our jam.

Kit Hoover:

You're going to guest host SNL That's next for you. That's next Will. So bad. We're putting it out, Leanne. I'm telling you this is going to

Leanne Morgan:

Happen. I want to kid. And you know what, I had no idea about Second City or the ground lease. I was from a town where we grew dark fire tobacco. And I just, people didn't mean to, but they'd be like, you need to be a secretary or you need to be a teacher. And I was like, oh my gosh, I can't.

Kit Hoover:

And that's if you were really pushing yourself out there, that was like the creme de la creme.

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. And I just didn't have, I could have never gotten in a car and driven to LA at 18. I don't know how people do that. But anyway, Lucille was always like, you're going to make it. Yes, you can go to Hollywood. You've got blonde hair on your arms and you can photograph well like Marilyn Monroe. And I thought, well, oh, okay, well then I can make it. I've got blonde hair on my arms. But she just always, she understood it and she got it.

Kit Hoover:

Do you think you would've been as successful without your mom's belief in you?

Leanne Morgan:

I don't know because I'm telling you, because

Kit Hoover:

My mom bug is like that. She's always like, oh honey, you with those Brook Shields eyebrows. I'm like, that's called a unibrow on me. And I'm five feet.

Leanne Morgan:

Mylo Seal would say to me, you're going to be a star and push me out in front of people. Were you the prettiest one there? Everywhere I went. You were the prettiest one there. Yeah, exactly.

Kit Hoover:

And so what did they think Now, Leanne, of all your success, especially your mom, is your dad still alive?

Leanne Morgan:

He is. And he just cries. He cries at the drop of a hat. He's a girl dad. Me and my sister Sissy, both of us, sissy didn't learn how to mow. Pitiful. And he just says, oh my gosh, baby, you just bring Joey to people and I'm just so

Kit Hoover:

Proud of you. You know what I was thinking? When you host to SNL, you're going to have to wear your clip earrings from back in the day that you sold that clip earring and your pump. We'll highlight the pump. We're going to have a full circle moment. Oh,

Leanne Morgan:

Well I probably still got that clip earing. I can't throw anything away.

Kit Hoover:

Let's talk about your cute husband, Chuck. So how many years married is it? You're coming up on your 30?

Leanne Morgan:

32. 32.

Kit Hoover:

What's the hottest thing Chuck does?

Leanne Morgan:

Okay. I've gone through several things that I have thought that set me on fire. And lately, and this is going to sound twisted, I don't mean for it to, but when I seen him tending those two grand babies, I think that's pretty cute. And Chuck is a big man who is, he thinks he's got a stomach, I think he's got body dysmorphia, but he's built like Superman. He's broad shoulder with a tiny waist and he's a tall man that he has a presence, but he's very quiet and he talks only when he is got something important to say. And then people say to me, will you talk for him? And yes I do. I have had to talk for him. He likes to be with people. He just doesn't want to talk or thinks people are stupid. Did

Kit Hoover:

He watch Two and a Half Men for Chuck? Was he obsessed with these shows? What does he think about your show, Leanne?

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. Big Bang Theory. He watches it all the time. He loved two and a half Men. He

Kit Hoover:

Mom, all those shows.

Leanne Morgan:

Yeah, he couldn't believe it when they said Chuck Lori's flying to Knoxville. Chuck Lori came to Knoxville, came to my house, held my grand babies. Oh my gosh. And he loved fell in love with Chuck Morgan. Chuck Morgan fell in love with him.

Kit Hoover:

Did Chuck Lori tell Chuck Morgan your husband, that he is going to be not exactly himself on the show that we're actually writing?

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. It came out in Variety magazine. It was all over social media and little elderly people started calling my mom and daddy and saying, I'm so sorry, Leon's getting a divorce. And I said, Danny, tell them, tell them Chuck Morgan is not leaving me. He does not have a girlfriend. So daddy said, okay, I am going to call Bobby Dean. I'm going to tell him. But I'm hoping that it gives women the gumption and the power to think I am still desirable if my character does start dating, if I really had to date. I mean, good lord, but I would hope that somebody thought I was attractive. And I think women are attractive in their fifties and smarter than ever. And so I hope that that's where it goes, that I can, I mean, what if Mark Walberg did a cameo? He's got to come on and see you. And I thought, what if Mark Walberg, what if Patrick Dempsey, what if whoever Will Ferrell came and wanted to date this character?

Kit Hoover:

They're going to, they're going to, what did the Grand Babies call you? Lean Grandmama,

Leanne Morgan:

Grandma Grandmama. I'd came up with that because I wanted mama in there because I wish I was their mama. And my little daughter-in-law is so precious and she's like another child to me and she doesn't mind that I oversea.

Kit Hoover:

Have you always been close with her or was that hard?

Leanne Morgan:

It was hard at first because they got married young right out of college, and my boy is my first and my boy. And when he said, oh, I love her. I'm marrying her. I'm going to marry her. And I thought, what in the, and then I knew she was smart and she's beautiful and all that was just like, wait a minute, you're mine. You're my boy. What? I don't even know what you're talking about. And then during the wedding I thought, oh my gosh, this is so right. And honest to goodness, she's like another child to me.

Kit Hoover:

Oh, what's the best advice your mom ever gave you about being a

Leanne Morgan:

Mom? What comes to mind is have fun. When I think about my life growing up with her, we had a ball and we used laughter to get through hard times and all that. And I think comedians do that anyway. And then I've had fun with my children and they want to be with me and I think I should have pushed them more. I was the kind of mama that I was like, let's go to the zoo and let's have Dollywood. But I probably should have pushed them more. But they're wonderful and they did well in school, but I made things fun. We danced a lot to Gwen Stefani. We had a good time

Kit Hoover:

Dance parties every night. I've got the best trick as a grandmother. So my grandmother was named Pi, and we call my mom bug. I've got three kids. I have two girls and a boy at the king, and my daughters are just the greatest. And so when they were little, my mom used to take their binky or her finger and dip it into raw sugar that she'd be dumping a course in her sweet tea, but dip it into the sugar and then put it in the baby's mouth and say, I'm your favorite grandmother. Just straight sugar and still to this day. And she'd fill their bottles with sweet tea. I'm talking when they were like three months old and I would say bug. She's like, oh honey, I'm just their favorite. They got to know where all that good sugar's coming from. So it's like a dog with bacon. They'll come straight to you. You got to use that trick. Oh my gosh. Y'all had to, Leanne. Okay, let's play a little game. Let's get random favorite curse word pissed. I thought you were going to say butthole. I love when you use the word

Leanne Morgan:

Butt hole. I love butthole. I didn't know if that was a cuss word. I love the word butthole. I think it's so funny. But when I think of real cuss words, I used to have a podcast called Sweaty and Pissed Menopause in my, and I felt so guilty every time I said it because my mama says that's a cuss word in the state of Tennessee,

Kit Hoover:

By the way. I think it is. Okay, wait, that's really good. You mentioned menopause. Any words of wisdom for me, Leanne? I'm right in the thick of it.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my darling. Yes. You're already eating right. I can tell by your little arms if you don't eat white flour and sugar, it makes it worse. Really and truly. Take care of yourself through this and I can tell you're fit. Keep exercising, get a lot of sleep. Go talk to somebody about hormone replacement. You want to have that protective estrogen for your heart, for your brain. And I tell you who I've been in love with, Dr. Mary Claire Aver who wrote the book, the New Menopause, get that book, do You Love it? And read about women's health and what they know now compared to ago. So they're talking to

Kit Hoover:

A couple of my friends talking about it now. And they also said that they're just doing it a lot with their husbands. It's not like the old days where they said, I know. I said, well, what chapter's that?

Leanne Morgan:

Are they getting those testosterone pellets? Because I

Kit Hoover:

Hear those pellets. You put up your caboose. Yes,

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. That does something. And that little husbands can't even run a Domino's Pizza franchise. They're so tired. Right? From women doing. Yeah, women do it all the

Kit Hoover:

Time. Yeah, it's the pellet and the woohoo and the,

Leanne Morgan:

You need progesterone, estrogen. When you start going through all that and you'll know you'll be sweating and you don't have to suffer. That's my main thing. You don't have to get somebody that knows what they're doing and help you through it.

Kit Hoover:

I like it. It's not our grandmama's menopause.

Leanne Morgan:

It's not your grandmama's menopause.

Kit Hoover:

Nope. How are you in a crisis?

Leanne Morgan:

Not good. Not good. And that's another thing about Chuck Morgan. Chuck Morgan's good in a crisis. But yeah, if there's a raccoon in the garbage can that can't get out and somebody's got to get that thing out, I just get in a ball. Or if the fire alarm's going and we don't know what's he's good at doing, I'm yelling through the streets in a gown.

Kit Hoover:

How's your relationship with fitness?

Leanne Morgan:

I love it. And I've gone through, okay, I'm an all or nothing kind of thing. I played sports all through high school, loved it. And then

Kit Hoover:

What'd you play? What'd you play?

Leanne Morgan:

I played basketball and volleyball. They made me play softball, but I went to a little bitty farming school, but it was 42 people I graduated with. I was a bit tall. They made me play everything, but I loved sports, I love them. So I played sports. And then when I got to University of Tennessee, we had aerobics and I love a good group fitness class. Me too. Love a group fitness, had a ball. And then I would, after I'd have a baby, I would go into my little gym and go to group fitness and hope nobody got a stomach bug in the nursery. Then Chuck Morgan would be traveling and I would be laid up in the bed when everybody was at Mom's day out. I was tired. Then I went through CrossFit. I went through a big CrossFit face. You did?

Kit Hoover:

That's the real deal. Whoa. I was back with you on the grapevine, on the step. Remember that move? That was the one that was warm up sweet. With all the women in sync. I could do that. CrossFit.

Leanne Morgan:

Yes.

Kit Hoover:

That's

Leanne Morgan:

A big deal. That's a big deal. And I got to tell you, when I did it, I was in my mid forties and I swear, I think it jerked me into perimenopause and my adrenals were shot and my cortisol levels were too high. They made us do crazy mans, but I loved it. And that competitive feeling like a bad mamma jamma.

Kit Hoover:

Yes.

Leanne Morgan:

And then I went through perimenopause and that's why I tell you Kent, don't do as I did do as I say,

I just took to the band and watched Scandal every time a child went to college, I took to the band I shouldn't have. I should have gotten out and walked and did. But I go through like I'm all or nothing. Like I'm okay now. I'm going to do jazz size with all my friends and I go five days a week. Well now I'm on tour like Elvis. Really? I'm on tour like Elvis and I always pack all these fitness clothes and I think I'm going to go to the gym and sometimes I do, but most of the time I lay up in the band and watch a show and then I'm on stage and I walk out and somebody will take a picture of me from the side and my fanny looks like you could set a cafeteria tray on it.

Kit Hoover:

What was your first job, Leanne? Do you remember?

Leanne Morgan:

Okay. Real job. Where I got paid and it wasn't my family's meat processing plant, which they shouldn't have paid me. I was terrible help waiting tables. I waited tables in college and that's where I learned to smoke cigarettes behind the dumpster.

Kit Hoover:

And I bet you were great. You probably started a little bit of your standup there, right? Talking to people, the banter. Yes,

Leanne Morgan:

I did. I dazzled. I'll tell you kid, I dazzled. I look for dazzled Chuck Morgan. We met at a restaurant and he would go to a table and go, my name is Chuck, the soup is black bean salmons. And I would go up to a table and go, hello, I'm from Adams, Tennessee, home of the Bell witch part of Tennessee history. And finally my managers would say, you're going to have to stomp land. Just ask 'em, do they want tea? Get that tea back 30 seconds after you Chuck Morgan. I made better tips than he did. I bet you did. But he turned more tables because he was more efficient. But I dazzled.

Kit Hoover:

What scares you? Leanne

Leanne Morgan:

Scares me. Then I'm going to lose my driver's license. I've got a weird thing about I'm going to lose my driver's license, not be gamble to get on a plane and do a show and get on tour. And that is weird and pitiful. But I do. I sit and think. I sit and look at my and my baby child. The makeup artist tours with me and does my hair and makeup.

Kit Hoover:

I love that.

Leanne Morgan:

And tends to me, because I no longer can use my thumbs, I'm in menopause. She's always like, mom, your driver's license there. And I, I know. I just have to make sure I got my hand on it, which is crazy. I may have to go on a medication

Kit Hoover:

For her to travel with you. How great is that? Lean? I'm just thinking of me. My kids are now 22, 21, 17. I'm right there with you behind. It's like it's such a cool thing. I think when they want to spend time with you, that has to be the ultimate success right there.

Leanne Morgan:

Well, I hope so. Now she's going to be my makeup artist for the series and I could not move out to LA without her. She has got more sense than anybody I know now she can be hateful and she rolls her eyes sometimes at me. She gets tired of me when she's hormonal, but most of the time we have a ball. And she's my baby child though. She's very bougie. She likes bougie things.

Kit Hoover:

How different with the third than the first two? Is she the one that just got away with everything? I mean it's just a joke.

Leanne Morgan:

Oh, those other ones, they've never said a cuss word in front of me. Never said anything ugly. She says terrible things all the time and we're so beat down that we just, whatever. She has done whatever she wanted to since she was 18 months old. And I tell people she is strong personality like her daddy and I could not, I just had to do what she said and I hate to say that. And let me tell you that we saw her third grade teacher. She's always loved beauty and hated school, loved beauty, very bougie's, always ordering sunglasses online. And I saw her third grade teacher at Costco, Ms. Fanning who is from heaven. And she said, I just remember TE had Lee Press O' Nails and I would tell the little children if Tess's nails pop off, if you find them, put 'em in the lost and found because Tess is going to need them. And I said, thank you so much Ms. Fanning for caring and being sweet to her even though she probably didn't hit a lick of a snake at a reading. I mean she didn't care. She told 'em all what they were going to do. She probably put Lee press on nails on her teachers. I don't know.

Kit Hoover:

You're talking in your standup about your first two. You had flashcards, you're volunteering in the classroom, you're in it. And with the third you went to her third grade teacher and you just said, look, can she read? So perfect that. That is my family in a nutshell. Oh, this is a good one. Leanne, what's in your bedside drawer?

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my gosh. Okay. I have got several lip balms. I've got some Tylenol PM in case I'm having a hard time because when you go through per menno pals, you can't sleep. A lot of people have to get on something. So I have different kinds of melatonin. You will not believe my sleep supplements and I try to mix 'em up. I've got every kind of sleep supplement online that you can buy and it comes up on my algorithm. It's always some kind of supplement about that. I've got my old wallet. I cannot let go of old wallets. You're a driver's license. It's an old wallet full of

Kit Hoover:

Stuff

Leanne Morgan:

That makes no sense.

Kit Hoover:

When you come out to la, are you just going to live chic and clean? You won't bring anything out. Is it just going to be very clean, like a different version of you? That's wild,

Leanne Morgan:

Honest to goodness. I mean, I'll just wear things to the set. And I thought about that because it's like when I went and shot that movie in Atlanta with Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, I just took what I needed and it really is freeing. I still took a bunch of sleep supplements. I took a big gob of sleep supplements and magnesium packets that taste like syrup and I drank those.

Kit Hoover:

What does your family make fun of you about?

Leanne Morgan:

I get choked and coughed now and I know that, and I hate for you to tell you that kit because you're young and vibrant and look at your arms and teeth. But you will get some age on you and you'll be out to eat with your family and you'll get choked for no reason. And they'll go, mom's choked again. And I'm thinking, if I was choked on a piece of something, would y'all save me? Or y'all just going to make fun of me? They're always like Mom's choked. Again, something about a vinegarette. I just get choked and coughed and cough and they just go, oh my gosh, mom,

Kit Hoover:

Have you ever been rejected by a guy?

Leanne Morgan:

Yes. And I think they were stupid.

Kit Hoover:

Heck yeah, they were. I thought they were. Were. Yeah.

Leanne Morgan:

Yeah. But I can flirt and I can get a man. Yeah, but I have been rejected.

Kit Hoover:

Did you go to your prom? What was your prom like?

Leanne Morgan:

I did go to my prom. My senior prom was my high school boyfriend. He was at the University of Tennessee and I made that poor thing, drive back and go to that thing and you should see my hair

Kit Hoover:

Tell

Leanne Morgan:

Me. And I don't think that I had mascara on. I looked so beaty eyed and I had teased my hair and rolled it in several different forms of hot rollers and sponge. And it was so high off my head. I thought I was Madonna and I had a sequin dress on that was off one shoulder. My little daddy went and took me shopping and bought it for me and cried the whole time. And I was a foot taller than my little high school boyfriend. He was tiny. He was probably your size.

And I think he was in ROTC at the time and had probably had to go act like he was fighting a war and didn't get to eat and use the bathroom in the woods. And then I made him drive four and a half hours to come home to that pitiful prom. That was a sweet country high school with future performers of America. But I remember I was on the committee and we hired a band and the woman showed up in house shoes and sang. And I made him go through the whole thing and he was tired. I remember that, but felt glamorous. Everybody else was going for a southern bale hoop skirt thing.

Kit Hoover:

And you had the off the shoulder.

Leanne Morgan:

I was off one shoulder sequin, white sequin hugged up against my body.

Kit Hoover:

Yes. Were you voted anything in high school? Because remember back in our day now everybody wins everything. You can't single people out. But you could get voted something in school.

Leanne Morgan:

I was Ms. Joe Burns high school.

Kit Hoover:

Silly question of me. So you had the crown possibly at the prom, then you were the miss, blah blah, blah. I love when you do that. Give me a wild story from college that you remember the most. Is there something that really sticks out?

Leanne Morgan:

Oh my Lord, there were so many. When I think about college, the stupid things I did, it was always like dating somebody that you wouldn't wipe your feet on. And this is in the book, but I dated a guy that had real long hair and my roommate at the time looked through that hole and said either he called me Lou. And he goes, either Lou's got a date or we're being robbed. This boy had long hair. And I look back on it, he looked like my sister and he was an artist. And so he danced really funky and was just a little bit too artistic for me. I like a man with a 401k and ambition and a button down and knows how to do math. And this guy made his own mayonnaise from scratch mayonnaise. And he made his own mayonnaise for me in my kitchen.

And I was not impressed by that. I was more, and he was like, I think I'm going to make a cheesecake with a pumpkin flavor. And it was way before his time. And then we got in the car, my car, because he rode a bicycle that had a sticker on that said, burn fat, not oil. And we went to a Sam's Club. I needed toilet paper. He did too. He bought this big thing of toilet paper and said, I need you to pay me for half of it. And Morgan would've never done that. Choke never, never bought my toilet paper and put it in a bathroom and on the roll. And this man said to me while we were riding in my car, if we get married, I would like to stay home with the children and you be the breadwinner. And I said, it's

Kit Hoover:

Over and take your mayonnaise, but thank you for playing. Fill in this blank, Leanne. Aging is what

Leanne Morgan:

A blessing. Aging is a blessing.

Kit Hoover:

I feel

Leanne Morgan:

That. Yeah. Yeah. My pelvic floor is weak. Yeah. There's things happening to me that are gross, but praise God. I'm alive and I feel good and I'm having a ball. I am having a ball and I feel like I can handle this better. Can you imagine if this had happened to me when I was in that doing all, I would've ended up in a ditch somewhere. I'm just thankful that this is, I just think this is the best time this could have ever happened to me.

Kit Hoover:

This is why you're on the coop. This is so great. Okay, final question. And thank you so much with everything you got going on, Leanne, for taking the time to come talk to me. I really, really appreciate you. I value you. I love watching you shine and just getting started. Okay. Final question. Oh, I can't, my sweet. Thank you. What makes you happy?

Leanne Morgan:

Kids and babies. Kids and babies. Family. I love being a mama and a grandmama and I find most of my joy in that and doing for them. If I can go to Costco, get my boy and his wife what they need for the week, that makes me happier than anything I can do. I hope I can still go to Costco. They tell me once this television shows out, I may not get to go. I may have to put on a red wig. I've got to go and be a mama. I want to still be a mama to my children and these grand babies. I mean, just wait. You're going to lose your mind. As much as I love these babies and I'm in love with them, it's just a different kind of love. And it is magical is all is to it. I mean, I could just scream. It's so fun and wonderful.

Kit Hoover:

Thank you again, Leanne. It's so good to see your face. I cannot wait to hug you. I'll have you ever for a home cooked meal. You got to live in California for a little bit. Come on. I

Leanne Morgan:

Know

Kit Hoover:

That was always your dream.

Leanne Morgan:

I'm excited.

Kit Hoover:

It'll

Leanne Morgan:

Feel different. I'm going to be there seven

Kit Hoover:

Months. Perfect. No, you're going to be here for a long time because the show's going to be a huge success. Well thank you. I'm so happy for you.

Leanne Morgan:

Thank you much darling.

Kit Hoover:

Yes.

Leanne Morgan:

I'm going to text you.

Kit Hoover:

Ooh, I can't wait for that text. Harper. Let me bring in my producer Harper McDonald. I mean dark cheeks hurt from laughing. Oh my gosh. She's hilarious. She's just so funny. And besides being funny, maybe one of the funniest people that I've ever encountered, how about her story, Harper? It's why we're doing this podcast. The fact that she finally hit in her fifties and always had that inner belief of herself is what

Harper McDonald:

We want to highlight. That story was incredible. The quote that she said that clearly stood out was It's never too late. It's never too late. It's never too late. And all the while when she was going to quit and she wasn't going to go on anymore, but she's like, no, I got to go get those boys to do the social media.

Kit Hoover:

But think about her growing up in rural Tennessee, unbelievable selling jewelry to the mothers, to the mamas working in a meat process, processing with her family. Nobody leading her to this path. And that inner belief in her is what we all have. It's to find out what it is that moves you. I just find her so inspiring. And how about that southern charm? Is she not hysterical?

Harper McDonald:

And you know what she was talking about her mom, Lucille, when her mom says she knew she was also destined for Hollywood because she had blonde hair on her arms. That makes you glitter Gli. She's, you're going to dazzle Hollywood with your blonde hair and your eyes is the best word. The inner wisdom and drive. And knowing that she was going to do something with this gift of hers, she just didn't know when. And the story she talked about with Reese Witherspoon where Reese said, isn't it incredible that you got to raise your babies? And that was that chapter clearly doing comedy the whole way through. I mean, she would literally leave at night. So Chuck Morgan, Chuck Morgan, always the double name. Chuck Morgan could be with the babies at night and she would go do her bit to high and drunk people that are not moms. And all the while I'm just going to keep doing it. I keep doing it. But raised her babies and then now at 58, it's amazing. Wow.

Kit Hoover:

And who has her new book? She's going on tour again. It's what I want the coop to be highlighting women really getting their sea legs as they get older think is fascinating.

Harper McDonald:

It is. Okay, so can I ask you a question? Hit me. Because you being a southern woman, her phrase took to the bed. You've never heard that. Literally. I love this phrase. I have never heard it before. Clearly something. Oh

Kit Hoover:

Honey, it is southern. I got to take to the bed, honey. I took to the bed. This what I need. I can take it a step further. My best friend Cameron Jones from fifth grade, she calls it, she's like, honey, I got a bowl. I got a bowl for the week. You get in that bed and when you take to the bed hopper, tell me I need to know everything. It could mean anything, honey. You just take to the bed. You can go with your glass of wine, your coffee, your book. It's just your private time.

Harper McDonald:

I really love that. I don't think I'm doing enough of taking to the bed and I am going to start. I might go do that after this, honey, take to the bed, all of you. Oh, I just loved that praise take to the bed. I could see it. I could feel it. I just loved that so much though. Was so cute.

Kit Hoover:

What about what she said about aging? I think we get so many interesting answers from these women.

Harper McDonald:

We do. We do. Again, yes. It is an absolute blessing and we've defined that blessing every day. It's not always easy. As she shared with us that her pelvic floor is weak. What's my favorite? Yeah, our pelvic floor is weak and there's things that are happening that are gross, which is absolutely true. But all the while it's a blessing and it's beautiful. But acknowledging and laughing through yes, that your pelvic floors week and yes, things are gross that you're not really planning on happening on the daily is the thing that encapsulates who she can laugh her way through it

Kit Hoover:

Too. And you and I always talk on the side about all of this, especially with our children, the ability to laugh at yourself and to laugh at life is such a winning gift. It's one of my all time favorite qualities.

Harper McDonald:

It is. It is. My stomach hurts legitimately. I loved watching you. Literally, you couldn't keep it together.

Kit Hoover:

My cheeks are still hurting. Yes. Well, we hope y'all like that. Everybody out there in the coop, Harper and I, she's a dazzler. A doubt. She's a dazzler. And we're going to see her and we will report back to you how our dinner party goes with her.

Harper McDonald:

So like your birth and death casserole.

Kit Hoover:

Birth and death casserole. I'm bringing it in hot. I don't know what that is. What? What's in it? The recipe. You don't want to know? Take to the bed, honey. Alright, my chickens. See you next time. Thank you for joining us, my chickens. If you like this episode, please give us a five star rating, drop in a great review and tag us at the coop with Kit Hoover as well. You can follow us on social media at the coop with Kit Hoover for behind the scenes content and updates. We will see you next time in the coop. And remember, as my mom bug always says, life is not a dress rehearsal. Make it count. Today's episode was produced by me, kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our technical producer is Christian Brown. And today's episode was edited by Christian Brown, business Development by Casey Lad. And a special thank you to all of our sponsors.