How Rude, Tanneritos!Debbie Gregory is joining us once more for part 2 of her interview! She was the woman who played BOTH Karen and Connie... AND not only did she play 2 roles on Full House, she also did the same on Hearts Afire!
Don't miss out on our hilarious conversations with Debbie as she tells us about her life after Full House, plus, the inevitability that Howie will be taking care of them in the "Fullest House" someday... It's all here on How Rude, Tanneritos!
Hey there, Fanaritos.
This is part two of our interview with Debbie Gregory, the iconic actress who played the roles of both Connie and Karen in Full House. If you thought part one was good, just wait until you hear the rest of this interview. Here's Debbie.
You know, I saw him again July twenty one. I went your water and I bid on tickets to come to a show. So I said, oh, I'm coming to your show, and he haves, oh, you know, come backstage and meet my in laws. And I said, oh good, I you know, I'd like to meet Kelly. And he's like, oh, no, Kelly's not here, just all the in laws, so please make sure you come by.
So yeah, yeah, Kelly was like, I don't need to see your acts again.
Yeah, Kelly couldn't make it, and I was like, okay, so I did.
Guess I love that.
Yeah, like six months before, yeah, you know, I almost went to that Orlando show and wow, and then he didn't want to go, so I didn't drive over there, and I wish I went, but yeah, meant to be the way everything happened.
Yeah, yea.
I always say he like had such a great show and was so like, that was such an amazing show, but it was, yeah, you know exactly.
How how he changed his material after Kelly it got so well.
I think it's he definitely changed his material after Kelly. And I know in conversations I had with Bob too, there was sort of an element and which I kind of get where it's like he wanted so much to not be Danny Tanner and he's always sort of had that dark, inappropriate sense of humor. But I think he and it's so bad to not be Danny that for a while, he just really hammered home how inappropriate he could be. And then I remember like we were talking and I said something. I don't know, I said something or whatever, and he was and I said, I was like, oh, you're you know what, You're you.
Know, offended by that or something.
And he was like, well, it's like I just don't have to try as hard to be that guy anymore.
And I was like, yeah, that's true, it's true, it's true.
But I also think Kelly helped him. He was more respectful. I think he made a point for sure. I think it was it was really nice and yeah, still go be nasty.
And.
Yeah, I mean it Bob.
Bob has always been Bob, but he definitely, Yeah, it was I think after Kelly, it was like, okay, let me sort of.
I mean that's you know, comedy is.
Always a great reflection of sort of who somebody is and where they are at that point. And yeah, you're right, he definitely definitely changed a bit.
Yeah, Kelly saw Kelly Yeah good, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We talked about him a lot on the podcast. Yes, keeping the memories alive here always.
Yeah.
Yes, So after Connie and Karen and then Connie again.
Well and then so so it was well, hold on, it was Connie, Karen, Karen, Connie right, Connie Karen, so the the Karens were sandwiched in between the Connie's as far as appearances go.
Okay, what was your favorite of the of the five episodes you did, or what's your favorite character?
Connie or Karen, Karen or Karen?
That much fun? Yeah, I mean that they you know, humiliated me and made me sing and lust in the dust. I can't sing and they knew that, so they made me sing blue Moon and it was terrible, and but but I loved being with Bob and it was never a dull moment. You know, it was hard. I mean, you know, you guys know how many I don't Do you even remember any of my Do you remember me? Like do you remember?
Yes? You kidding? Absolutely?
Yes, yeah, I mean you're It's it's surprising the things that we like, I remember the people, and I remember even like guest stars and stuff like that. It's weirdly more of the stuff where it's like just kind of the day to day where you were, like I don't know, just kind of all blended together certain things. But no, I definitely, I mean I definitely remember you. I mean I remember you being around, you know, with with Jeff and stuff too, so it was like you were sort of just in the circle of people that were around at the time.
And now that I know that, you know, Karen Miller was was really the.
One that that brought you in. But yeah, you know, it was uh, definitely remember like, yeah.
Yeah, it's good. But we were all all doing I don't think I ever did a scene with you.
Andrea, but no, I don't think we did that whole.
Family scene in the kitchen when DJ and Steph are setting us up and we all are sitting there eating sandwiches and then everybody leaves, and everybody it took so long to do that, like everybody had their thing to mess up the scene, like oh, you know right, and even like Dave always passed.
Gas, Oh yeah, Dave. Yeah, Dave started, we're.
All sitting there and we all set up, and.
Yeah, yeah, that's that's you got to clear out for a couple of minutes with that, yep.
And then I don't know what John did or Danny was being neurotic serving the sandwiches, and and poor little Michelle because they said something like everybody was leaving to leave us alone and she wasn't leaving, and and she was like looked at me really mean, like they're like, Michelle, come on, we have to go, and something like she's making me l for something weird. And it was so funny because I don't think it was meant to, you know, like who sitting at this table with the people the time and she's making me leave and.
I'm like, yeah, onces, Yeah, it was funny.
Once they started talking, you know, it was like have I mean, when you have a toddler on set, you're like you never know what they're going to say, and you have. You know, guest guest stars come into your home, your set for the week, and you're like, look, I'm not.
Responsible for what the toddler does. I don't know what they're going to say. There's no filter, r never's on their mind. Yeah, just run with it.
It was great, It's great.
Was it weird being directed by your boyfriend at the time or did it make it easier because you guys sort of had a shorthand speak between each other.
Well, I feel like it was more Joel directing me than.
Oh yeah, okay.
I remember Jeff sitting on this couch all the time. He was like sitting on the couch watching the monitors and he'd get up every so often. But I didn't mind. He's so brilliant, you know, look what he created.
And yeah, he really sitcoms. He just he knew how to write family.
And write something he didn't even live, Like, yeah, it was so amazing. I mean sometimes I've heard some of your comments about Jesse, like you know, the macho so I can toleally tell that that, you know, that's a bunch of guy writers. I mean how many women one maybe.
Yeah, not a ton, And I mean some of them.
Were married, but some some weren't.
I guess, yeah, yeah it is.
It is really interesting to watch. And I think that was a big difference sort of between full and Fuller House was with the three of us on Fuller, with it being led by the three women, we definitely had a lot more female writers. And I know there were times even that the three of us would be like, no, that's not how like, that's not how we would do it as like you know, it was. It was just such a different lens of like looking at family or how you would handle something or.
Have a conversation or whatever.
But yeah, definitely, Jesse is is all of the things that an eighties man was, which is a lot of hair and a fair amount of ego.
But he could write a beautiful family story where everybody hugs at the end.
That's oh my god, Jeff.
He like he always said, it was like the family that he wanted to have, Like he wrote, you know what he wished for, and that was kind of our you know, our weird little ragtag family.
And then we're talking about it so many years later.
Yeah, yeah, we well look, I mean, yeah, I that the show has lasted.
That long, is it's wild?
Five years ago. I was on that show.
Thirty five years ago. Yeah, yeah, mm hmm.
Wow, it's so crazy it is.
I just think thirty five years from now, we're still going to be doing this podcast. We're going to have gone back through the show seventeen times. You forget what we said the first time will be like, I don't know what we said. It's it will be old and forgetful.
Listening. I'll listen more now after I didn't get I mean, there are long episodes and and I love how you mature beautiful inside and out women are thank you the shows that you never really knew what you were getting into it. It's so funny to hear you because I'm like, that's how That's what I said.
So yeah, right, like as an ad like we were kids, were like sure, just go along with things, and now we're watching it as an adult like.
Filled and elephants in the living room, like you know, right, why is Michelle alone in her room again watching turn those lights off? She's sleeping, you know whatever.
It is like just the silly things that like that you kind of that you make fun of when you watch, especially these old TV shows that are you know, just sort of fun and still in ridiculous and and it is. It's fun to go back and watch this because it is it's a such a time capsule of not only our childhood, but like the late eighties, early nineties, just so much of it. It's really a weird treasure to go back and watch it all.
It was really better television than it is now. Like, I can't believe how many reality shows are on and I.
Don't, you know, I don't know. I don't watch any of them. I don't watch.
Any reality shame not knockingna I, but I it's not. Yeah, I don't need I have enough drama. I don't feel like I need to watch other people's although yeah, I like to watch pretend drama. Well, I guess reality shows really are.
Pretend drama at this point. I mean, it's what are we? You know what I mean?
Like, are we fooling ourselves? And this is actually people are really flipping tables.
Maybe I don't know, but.
Back in the eighties you had you could really flesh out characters and storylines with the twenty two to twenty four episode season. Now you get thirteen. If you're lucky, you're lucky.
It's like eight or nine, tell me everything you need in eight episodes.
Ah, it's so hard to write for It's it's hard for the audience to they're just getting invested and then a whoopsoe nope.
Yeah this season.
You know, I have I keep reading various comments and tweets and things about people being like, oh, give us back a twenty two episode season, and audience members not just you know, crew and cast that likes working steadily, but audience members who.
Were like, I want, like I don't want to get through it in eight episodes.
So you know, maybe these twenty two episode seasons will come back for Fullest House when we're old and and Howie is taking care of all of us and yeah or Howie, Yeah, it'll be like whatever happened to Baby Jane, but it'll be whatever happened to baby Howie and they were just all trapped in a house and he's scaring for us.
Yeah.
Well, I think that you guys are so gift lucky, like the universe and everything just went in your way.
Thank you. We feel very lucky. Lots of gratitude.
Yeah, who thought that it would last? Who thought it would last past the first season?
Like, you know, the critics didn't. The critics we didn't.
We Yeah, we got to thirteen and they didn't hadn't even picked us up for the second half of the first season, and we.
Were like, I don't.
Yeah, so it's really a great gift and all well deserved. You guys are all thank you.
I can't thank you.
Do you do you have any memories from the wedding episode? I know that's not we had got a while till we get to that one. But what do you remember about this epic two parter wedding episodes?
Well, I remember I spent a lot of time with Laurie, and I remember how excited she was to be wearing her actual wedding dress. Did you know that?
Yeah? Oh yeah, yeah, I remember.
Yeah, we went to the wedding in New York where she wore it originally.
Yeah, oh, oh you were Oh she got married after she got on the show.
Yeah, she was married to her first husband, Michael, after she was on the show. And yeah, she had her first wedding at Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Tavern on the Green.
I remember, I have pictures of John and I at the wedding.
Actually, oh yeah, so yeah, I totally remember spending a lot of time with her, and she was just so fun. And you know, I didn't see. I mean, the guys were out jumping out of an airplane or something, so.
That's right, they were.
It was, yeah, he jumped out of a plane. Was it dressed as Elvis? Or was that just that was like a weird dream sequence part where she was Priscilla and he was Elvis?
Right, I don't remember. I don't remember.
I seem to remember there being an Elvis. I just know because I have a picture of John and Laurie dressed as like Elvis and Priscilla, and I feel like it was some sort of dream sequence where Jesse's picturing like what he wants as a wedding and it's that basically.
Oh, I feel like it was that same.
Maybe it was earlier though, because maybe it was when they were talking about like what they wanted to do for the wedding. But whatever it was, I remember vividly Priscilla and yeah, I have you know, because Jeff is friends with Priscilla in real life, and so yeah, I remember I had a a dinner once where I went and I was sat next to Tom Jones and Priscilla Presley and then me and I was and there was another a whole other group of it was like a fever dream at Jeff's house, you know, when you're like like deleting are the monkeys and is that like yeah, just you know, all kinds of like musicians and whatever.
But yeah, that was I remember. I was like, Yeah, I didn't dye my hair black.
Though I didn't get the memo. I guess I should have, although sort of more reddish now. I guess I would have looked strange if I showed up dressed exactly like her though, So I'm glad it would have been creepy.
It'd been creepy.
It would have been creepy, and it would have it would have taken a lot of planning, and I just don't have the energy.
So yeah, yeah, and you know, I just have to add one more thing because I'm working at HSN as a on air talent.
Yes, I was gonna say, what do you what do you?
What do you have to do? Okay, so you're on HSN Home Shopping Network, My.
Show will all right. So I'm a health hair and beauty demonstration model.
Oh I need hair.
I was married for twenty four years. Got divorced two years ago, and I just raised my family while I was married and didn't pursue a career. And then after I got divorced, I started this November of twenty so. But Rhonda Shear is always around, yes, and I always want to run into her, but like her the timing of and where our studios are located. I haven't been able to run into her yet.
But oh yes, yeah, she's great. Later on the show, she was so excellent, just great. Yeah, we're all we're all still.
Doing it, you know, well, not all of us.
We've killed a lot of careers on full House, but most of us, some of us a handful, maybe.
We're still around.
I feel like you guys could sell something on HSN and come down to Saint Pete.
And floor and right, let's let's develop a bra like Ronda wants to do, like a full fuller or something like that.
I think, yeah, we'm you know what, there's so many we should just really lean into the the forties of it all and just be like a personal hand fan, you know what I mean. I don't know, something like things that you need for hot flashes, headaches, yeah, teenage children, yeah, all of the above.
Okay, wild yam cream, go, wild yam cream. Do you slather that on your children and they're better?
They? Okay, help you with your hot flashes. Wild. I don't do any any you know, bioidenticals or anything.
Okay, all right, just just slathering yourself and yam cream.
You put it on twice a day, Okay, points and.
Oh awesome, I'm going to try that. Yeah.
Been taking the chastaberry twice a day and that's trying to do that too.
You know.
Yeah, I'm glad we're talking about that.
It's important.
We talk about all the time. We're like, look, we're we're this is what it is. And uh yeah, Ronda was on here. We were talking about it's great all the women that are talking about, like seriously, this is what it is. And we also know that our audience is a lot of uh people our h who are also like, why am I a crazy person?
And we're like, well, we'll.
Tell you.
Well.
And the initials of the podcast is h r T. Yeah, replacement therapy.
This is all very topical, like wild Game Green, h HRT rude or hormone replacement therapy.
Yeah, we call it HRT for short. But we have to be clear.
All right, people, thank you so much for joining us.
We absolutely loved this.
This was great and yeah, we will see you when you reappear as Karen or Connie next.
Karen Connie in Fullest House. Yeah, let's spring back more than an official all right, all right, I'm good to see you. Debbie. Ye, exactly the same. And yeah, I love that conversation.
Yeah, she doesn't seem to be at all affected by the period of Howie in her life.
She seems to really have made it through that. She's well adjusted. Yeah, that was She's a good sport. She's a very good sport for yes, and all of those characters for sure. And like she said, she was like she had fun doing it. I was talking to Jeffy.
He was like, yeah, I mean, you know when you have, you know, a girlfriend who's an actor, like, sure, do.
This part, you know, And I love it. It was great. It's awesome. Gosh, yeah, thirty five years ago. So wild, that's wild, so wild.
Well, everybody, thank you so much for listening to our episode today. We loved having you for our hrt our Hormone Replacement Therapy Slash how Rude tan Rito's Just to be clear, though, this this show does not specifically help with hot flashes, no matter how much you listen to it.
We are not wildyamcream. I get well. I some days I feel like wild yams. I just you know what I mean?
Where you were like, yeah, that's my brain today, so accurate. And that's kind of where I'm at now. So let's see how this outro goes. No, thank you guys for listening. We have I think I broke a b She's just laughing.
Silently, like getting there, I'm getting there? What is wrong with this woman? Thank you guys for listening.
Remember if you are following us on Instagram, it's at how Rude pod and you can fell us there and we post all kinds of fun behind the scenes stuff, social silly, blooper reels, all that kind of fun stuff. You can also send us an email at how Rudepodcast at gmail dot com, and remember to like and subscribe to the podcast. You can get all the newest episodes as soon as they I would say, drop. That feels so I feel so lame. As soon as they drop. Now, as soon as they come out, we're gonna say that.
I like drop, but I still say slap that slaps. So I'm I'm ancient in the slime world.
Yeah, I think. Yeah, I don't know.
I was trying to say it like un ironically, and I just realized I sounded stupid. So whenever, whenever the newest episode drops, Yo comes out as airs.
Sure whatever anyway, So remember everybody, the world is small, but the house is full of wild games, wild gams everywhere on the loose, hot flash insight done.
No, no, I'm gonna go cover myself in yams right now.
The house is cool.
