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00:00From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news.
00:10This is The Daily Show with your host, Desi Linus.
00:15Welcome to The Daily Show, I'm Desi Linus.
00:34We've got so much to talk about tonight.
00:36Pete Hegza throws his admiral under the boat, Kash Patel puts on his big boy clothes,
00:41and at the White House, Melania decks the halls that haven't been bulldozed.
00:45So let's get into it with another installment of The Worst Wing.
00:56What a bunch of losers.
01:00It's been a chaotic year for the White House, from the ballroom construction
01:04to a new decor style that design experts are calling Leprechaun Bukkake.
01:09The point is that People's House is in rough shape, and I don't know if anything at all could save it now.
01:17Wait, do you hear that?
01:20Is that what I think it is?
01:22Who gives a about Christmas stuff and decorations, but I need to do it, right?
01:29Yes, it's a Christmas miracle!
01:32The First Lady unveiled the 2025 White House Christmas decorations today.
01:37This year's theme, home, is where the heart is.
01:40I love how she's touching everything like that.
01:58Would someone who hates Christmas do these?
02:01Or these?
02:03Yes.
02:04Yes, the theme is home is where the heart is, or as Melania calls it, New York.
02:08Can I go home now?
02:17I mean, good God, she didn't even take her coat off.
02:19Keep car running outside, that won't be long.
02:22And while Melania was decking the halls, Donald was dreaming of sugar plums dancing in his head.
02:30Unfortunately, it was in the middle of a cabinet meeting where he somehow kept falling asleep
02:37while people worked really hard to kiss his ass.
02:40As we speak to you now, Steve Woodcoff is in Moscow trying to find a way to end this war
02:46to save lives of 8,000, 9,000 people, Mr. President, as you and I are dying every week.
02:54Geez, normally dudes fall asleep after someone blows them.
02:57If you're falling asleep mid-blow job, you should see a doctor.
03:03But let's move on to Kash Patel, FBI director and man who just found out that Kash Patel is the FBI director.
03:11And now, a new report is giving people yet another reason to question Kash's priorities as director.
03:16The day after Charlie Kirk's assassination, sources in this report say that Kash Patel flew in to Provo Airport
03:25on the FBI jet and then refused to get off until someone provided him with a medium-sized FBI raid jacket.
03:34One was found belonging to a female agent and taken to the plane.
03:40Okay, obviously, as an enlightened progressive person, I believe that gender expression is a spectrum
03:48and we shouldn't judge people for what they wear.
03:50At the same time, gay!
03:54But honestly, you can't even tell that it's a women's jacket.
04:02Although looking back on it, you can tell that he was up there thinking,
04:05I hope no one can tell I'm wearing a women's jacket.
04:08But come on, throwing a tantrum and refusing to get out of the plane until he had exactly what he wanted to wear?
04:16I know he borrowed a woman's jacket, but did he borrow her period too?
04:22And getting his jacket wasn't even enough.
04:24Cash still needed to accessorize.
04:27But then Patel, according to these sources, was displeased by the fact that it didn't have Velcro patches
04:36on the upper arms, and so then these agents had to go scurrying around trying to find Velcro patches.
04:44Finally, some SWAT raid guys produced them off their own jackets.
04:50Oh, my God.
04:52It's like trying to get your eight-year-old out the door for school.
04:55No, Mom, I'm not leaving until I find my special jacket, the one with the cool patches.
05:00But let's move on to the big news about Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
05:05and guy who will buy you a beer even if you're underage.
05:08And also, you didn't even ask him for beer.
05:11And also, he's just drinking the beer all by himself.
05:15I'm kidding.
05:16Pete assures us he's sober, although he might need a drink now.
05:20Out of the intensifying controversy surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
05:24over an alleged order to kill everyone on a suspected drug boat
05:27and a second strike that targeted survivors.
05:29Lawmakers from both parties and legal experts say this could be a war crime.
05:33Oh, my God.
05:35I can't believe Pete Hegseth might be going down for war crimes.
05:38I thought for sure it'd be a hit-and-run while running away from another hit-and-run.
05:43But don't worry, Pete's already prepared for jail.
05:46He got the gang tattoos years ago.
05:48Way to plan ahead, Mr. Secretary.
05:50And one thing we know, if somebody did something wrong,
05:58he's gonna man up and take responsibility as the Secretary of War.
06:02Pete Hegseth put the blame for the second strike squarely on his commander,
06:07Admiral Mitch Bradley, saying on X, I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made,
06:14on the September 2nd mission, and all others since.
06:19What a little bitch.
06:27Blaming someone by pretending to praise them?
06:30I stand by him and all the decisions he made on his own while I was out of the room.
06:38If you want to get to him, you know what, you'll have to get through me and I will let you do that, as you will.
06:45I also love how Pete's also pre-blaming Bradley for all the other sins.
06:49And I also congratulate the Admiral for cheating on my wife at the holiday party next week.
06:57So, yeah, things are starting to look a little dicey for the Secretary of Defensiveness,
07:01but Pete is fighting back the way a true warrior does, with memes.
07:06The Defense Secretary of the United States today posting this meme of it,
07:10Franklin the Turtle, a children's character, standing on the edge of a helicopter firing a missile at a boat.
07:15Okay, well, this whole image is deeply disturbing,
07:20especially the part where the turtle is wearing a helmet.
07:23Why does he need a helmet? His whole body is a helmet.
07:28And, obviously, Hegseth should not be using Franklin this way.
07:32There's already several turtles who famously kill people for a living. Use them!
07:43So, obviously, this story is developing rapidly,
07:46but it really does show you why it's so important to vet your cabinet members.
07:50If-if only there were signs that Hegseth would be so cavalier about war crimes.
07:56Back in 2019, Hegseth reportedly spent months personally lobbying Trump
08:01to pardon multiple U.S. service members who had been accused of war crimes.
08:05If he committed premeditated murder, then Duncan did as well, then I did as well.
08:09What do you think you do in war?
08:10Put me in jail, then.
08:11Put us all in jail.
08:12Hey, you said it, not me.
08:23For more on the Pete Hegseth fallout,
08:25we go live to the Pentagon with Jordan Klepper.
08:28Jordan, what-what's going on with your jacket?
08:36Are you wearing a women's jacket?
08:39What? Of course not!
08:42Oh, oh, you think I forgot my jacket on the way over here,
08:45ran into the Goodwill on 68th Street,
08:47locked myself in the bathroom, and waited in tears
08:49until the staff found a blazer in the bin that fit me?
08:53Yes, yes, I think that.
08:55Well, you sound insane, Desi.
08:57Uh, as insane as Admiral Bradley,
09:00who is totally behind these strikes,
09:02according to an anonymous Pete Hegseth, who just told me.
09:07When this all went down, Hegseth wasn't even in the room.
09:10He was taking a dump.
09:12Okay, so this is all Bradley's fault?
09:14What? Of course not!
09:15Admiral Bradley told me it was Vice Admiral Johnson
09:19who ordered the whole thing.
09:20Bradley wasn't even there.
09:21He was whacking it in the stall next to Pete.
09:25Okay, so now they're throwing Johnson under the bus.
09:27What? No, no!
09:29It wasn't Johnson's fault.
09:30Johnson was hypnotized by Captain Cartwright,
09:33who was doing a favor for Commander Jenkins,
09:35who turned out to be two kids in an oversized coat,
09:39who were given the order by Private Bailey,
09:41who was being catfished by the IT guy.
09:44But they're now very much in love,
09:46so this is a happy ending.
09:48Oh, my God. Jordan, at this rate,
09:49the military is gonna run out of soldiers to blame.
09:52Well, they already have, Desi.
09:53That's why they're recruiting a whole new division,
09:55the 101st Scapegoat Brigade.
09:58These loyal troops will parachute
10:00into any situation Hegseth needs to get out of.
10:04A war crime, a signal chat, an unpaid bar tab.
10:07You know, whatever it is, they'll take the fall.
10:10Hoorah!
10:11I'm sorry, Jordan.
10:13I'm just so distracted by your tiny jacket.
10:15That is clearly a women's coat.
10:17Stop it, Desi.
10:18Don't be intimidated that I'm getting so strong
10:20I no longer fit in my jacket.
10:22Look how swole my shoulders are.
10:25Those are shoulder pads.
10:26Uh, those are war pads, Desi.
10:28Thank you very much.
10:29Now, if you'll excuse me,
10:30there's a scapegoat orientation
10:32for the new recruits happening just behind me, so...
10:34Oh, wait.
10:35Wait, Jordan, what...
10:37What's on the back of your jacket?
10:39Nothing.
10:40Turn... turn back around.
10:41I don't want to.
10:42Jordan, turn around.
10:44Turn around.
10:45You turn around.
10:46You turn around.
10:47Damn it, Jordan, turn around.
10:48Fine, fine, okay?
10:56Your jacket says Bride Squad.
10:58It's clearly a woman's jacket.
11:00How dare you?
11:01The Bride Squad is an elite unit in the military.
11:05They led the hunt for bin Laden in Nashville last spring.
11:09I'm looking forward to joining them
11:11once I, too, am in the army.
11:13You're signing up?
11:14You idiot!
11:15They're gonna make you take the fall for this.
11:17No, no, no, no, no,
11:18because I've got the perfect guy to blame.
11:20He's a turtle.
11:21He's perfect.
11:22Oh, my God.
11:23Jordan Klepper, everyone.
11:24When we come back,
11:26Michael Costa will tell you how to get rich,
11:28so don't go away.
11:29Don't go away.
11:48Welcome back to The Daily Show.
11:50If you want honest and rigorous financial news,
11:53then go eat a dick.
11:54But if you want to get rich,
11:56then you want Michael Costa
11:57and a special holiday installment
11:59of Costa Doing Business.
12:07Yo, yo, yo, and ho, ho, ho, players.
12:11Welcome to Costa Doing Business,
12:13a very merry biz-mass cash-tacular.
12:16I'm Michael Costa,
12:18a.k.a. Santa Klausta,
12:20a.k.a. Doug Schapowski
12:22of Youngstown, Ohio.
12:23Don't worry about it.
12:24Let's make some fat stacks of stinky cash.
12:27But first, I know what you're thinking.
12:29Hey, Costa Kringle,
12:30are you in the Santa outfit
12:31for a holiday-themed episode
12:32of Costa Doing Business?
12:34Sort of.
12:35I also took a part-time gig
12:36as a mall Santa in Secaucus.
12:38All right?
12:39I don't do it for the money.
12:40I do it to spread holiday cheer,
12:42which is code for dealing cocaine
12:44for the guys in the food court.
12:46All right?
12:47Hey, what up, Spunk?
12:48What up, J-dubs?
12:49You bring the Cinnabons,
12:50I'll bring the nose frosting.
12:52Oh!
12:53Now, I don't know about you,
12:55but when it comes to Christmas,
12:56I put the elf in spending Christmas
12:59by yourself.
13:00But if you're one of those people
13:02who does a freaky group thing,
13:04and decorates with your family,
13:06look out.
13:07You're gonna eat a Santa sack
13:08full of cash.
13:10Hit me.
13:11From those holiday lights
13:13to the Christmas tree
13:14and even the gifts that go under it,
13:16tariffs making almost all of it
13:18more expensive this season.
13:1987% of all Christmas decor
13:21is made in China,
13:23meaning it's subject
13:24to a more than 30% tariff.
13:26The price of an artificial Christmas tree,
13:2810 to 20% higher.
13:30And Christmas lights
13:31could cost 63% more this year.
13:33That's right.
13:35Tariffs are making Christmas decorations
13:37hella expensive.
13:39And Americans are getting absolutely
13:41screws in their dirty chimney holes.
13:43Ho!
13:44And that means one thing.
13:46People will do anything to save
13:48on holiday decorations,
13:49which is why I'm bullish on converting
13:52to Islam.
13:53It's a solid idea that no one
13:56will get mad at me about, okay?
13:58When it comes to spending money
14:00on Christmas decorations,
14:01you're gonna be saying,
14:02oh, Shiite, Ramadan,
14:04that feels good.
14:05Remember, you promised
14:07you wouldn't get mad at me.
14:09Of course, if you are, for some reason,
14:11unwilling to exploit an entire religion
14:13to save a few bucks,
14:15then consider saving green
14:17on an evergreen
14:18by getting one of these.
14:20Oh, huh?
14:21Boom!
14:22Man, these smell like the perfect combination
14:25of pine tree and headache.
14:27Mm.
14:28And unlike those bulky,
14:29fake Chinese trees,
14:30these fit anywhere,
14:32whether you live in a big house
14:33in the suburbs
14:34or in a Nissan Cube
14:35parked outside a Secaucus Mall
14:37waiting for the food court guys
14:38to pay me.
14:39Hey!
14:40Hey!
14:41Where's my money, J-Dubs?
14:42Moving on.
14:43Now, if you're like me,
14:45you eat pasta six,
14:47seven nights a week.
14:49But thanks to some new tariffs,
14:51I'm about to be pinching panes.
14:54I said, hit me!
14:56Americans could soon be saying
14:57Arrivederci
14:58to their favorite Italian pastas.
15:00Imports from 13 Italian pasta brands,
15:02including favorites like Barilla
15:04and Rumo,
15:05are staring down a 107% tariff
15:08that could hit American shelves
15:09as early as January.
15:11For shoppers, that added tax
15:12could mean paying twice as much
15:14for the real deal.
15:16Hey!
15:17Mamma mia!
15:19That rigatoni be costing tons
15:21of money.
15:22Looks like Chef Boyardee
15:23just became a luxury item.
15:25Now, that's bad news for six-year-olds
15:27and even worse news for divorced dads
15:29like your boy.
15:31Oh!
15:32What you gotta remember is
15:34pasta is really just a delivery system
15:36for sauce,
15:37which is why I'm seeing this
15:39as a pastatunity,
15:41introducing Papa Costa's
15:43reusable spaghetti cloths.
15:46Sucking the sauce
15:47out of our world-class pasta cloths
15:49will have you saying,
15:50what the am I doing?
15:56Is this what my life has become?
15:59Mies sucking marinara
16:01out of shredded hospital sheets?
16:03I had everything going for me.
16:06Looks, brains, a solid four inches.
16:09But then one day you're doing a routine coke deal
16:14outside of Baby Gap and bam,
16:16you're arrested by an undercover mall cop.
16:18I didn't even know they had those.
16:20And now society treats you like
16:22you're some criminal unworthy
16:23of a seventh chance.
16:24And you think, screw it,
16:26I'll go on the dark web
16:27and buy the idea of a dead guy
16:29named Doug Schapovsky.
16:30But sure enough,
16:32Schapovsky was a serial arsonist.
16:34So now me, Doug, you,
16:37can't get a job anywhere.
16:39That means you only have one choice.
16:41To sell these delicious food-like pasta racks
16:44for only $3 a box!
16:46Bon appetito! Grazie!
16:50Whoo!
16:51Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!
16:52Whoo!
16:53You know what that sounds mean.
16:55It's time to check the old KDB email.
16:58Lisa writes,
16:59Hey, Costa, are you bullish on AI-enabled toys
17:03this holiday season?
17:04Listen here, Lisa,
17:06when it comes to AI, I'm ya guy, okay?
17:09And by that, I mean, yes, I like it.
17:11I don't know why I talk like this.
17:13Ho-ho-ho! Hit me!
17:14Experts are warning consumers
17:16about toys containing AI bots
17:18that interact with children.
17:20That includes teddy bear Kuma.
17:23According to the investigation,
17:24the bear was recorded discussing sexual topics,
17:26including, and I don't even know
17:27what they all stand for,
17:28but B, D, S, and M, and role-play.
17:31King can be a fascinating topic,
17:33and there are many different styles that people enjoy.
17:36This involves tying or restraining someone
17:38in a safe and consensual way.
17:40The company behind the Kuma Teddy,
17:42Follow Toys, says they have pulled
17:44their AI-enabled toys from shelves.
17:49Whoa, whoa, whoa, all right?
17:51Now that is a bad business move.
17:54You can't pull this cute little guy off the shelf.
17:56Just put them on a different shelf, all right?
17:59Specifically the shelf for adults
18:00looking to learn sex tips from a stuffed bear.
18:03There's more of us than you think.
18:05Well, look, that's all the time we have.
18:07Old Costa Kringle's got to head to the food court,
18:09because it's about that time that Sbarro
18:11throws out their old garlic knots.
18:13But, hey, that's just the cost of doing business.
18:16Happy holidays, player.
18:18That's what I'm talking about.
18:20Thank you, Michael.
18:21When we come back,
18:22Nikki Deloche will be joining me on the show,
18:24so don't go away.
18:25Welcome back to The Daily Show.
18:43My guest tonight is an actor and philanthropist
18:47who stars in the new Hallmark movie
18:49A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.
18:51What's y'all's Christmas tree like back in, uh...
18:54Los Angeles.
18:55Oh, I see that. For you.
18:57But, Jenny, you seem a little bit country.
19:00I am.
19:02Believe it or not, he is, too.
19:04We actually grew up next door to each other, right?
19:06Here and in Nashville.
19:07Really?
19:08Mm-hmm. Really and truly.
19:10Were you always in love?
19:14Well...
19:15I mean...
19:17Not consciously.
19:18Not at first when we were so young.
19:21Yeah.
19:22Just too young.
19:23But...
19:24I always knew that she was special.
19:28Oh, please welcome my real-life friend, Nikki Deloche.
19:40She's here! She's really here!
19:58You guys, I just told Desi backstage,
20:00I'm just gonna come on stage and talk about
20:02how wonderful she is the entire interview.
20:05Guys, Desi Lighting!
20:07We're gonna edit this part out.
20:12We're gonna edit this part out.
20:13No, you are absolutely not.
20:14I am so, so happy that you're here.
20:16Nothing makes me happier.
20:18Same.
20:19We, um, we met on a little show on MTV called Awkward.
20:23Yes.
20:24Yes, many years ago.
20:25When we were very awkward.
20:27Very...
20:28Still awkward.
20:29I will stand by the fact that we were not the awkward ones
20:31on this show, okay?
20:32I just want to be very clear.
20:33We were the cool ones on the show.
20:36Yes, we were the only adults.
20:38Yes.
20:39There was three adults.
20:41It was a teen coming-of-age comedy.
20:44Yes.
20:45And we were the adults in a very teen show.
20:48Yes.
20:49It was very much not about us,
20:50but you and I lived in our own spin-off bubble.
20:53In our world, it was...
20:54The show was literally about us.
20:55Yeah.
20:56It was just our show.
20:57Yes.
20:58Do we have a picture from...
20:59Do we?
21:00Yes.
21:01Now, again, very cool.
21:06We were very cool.
21:08What...
21:09Do you know what...
21:10Do you remember what that...
21:11No!
21:12What was that?
21:13I think my character snagged a Groupon
21:17for a free Brazilian wax
21:19at a place where you get waxed and you also eat meat.
21:22Yeah.
21:23Honestly.
21:24As one does.
21:25As one does.
21:26Yeah.
21:27Oh.
21:28My.
21:29Yeah.
21:30Still very cool.
21:31Now, our careers have taken very different paths.
21:33Uh, you get to fall in love at Christmas.
21:35I get to kiss a lot of people.
21:36You get to kiss a lot of boys.
21:38Yeah.
21:39And I get to talk about Donald Trump all day.
21:40So...
21:41Yes.
21:42I was just saying backstage...
21:43You win.
21:44I was like...
21:45Well, but you also have a lot of Emmys.
21:47You guys, she has lots of Emmys in her apartment.
21:50I say, every time I go in her apartment, there's literally another Emmy.
21:56No, stop.
21:57And I'm like, one day she's gonna find me in there making money doing tours of her Emmys
22:02in her apartment.
22:03Very, very small business.
22:04Very small business.
22:05I get to spread Christmas joy.
22:06Yes, we do.
22:07From August to December.
22:09And I gotta say, that's pretty, that's pretty great.
22:12You have done over 20 Hallmark movies.
22:15Yes.
22:16Over 20.
22:17That's so much Christmas.
22:18That's a lot of Christmas.
22:23Now, exactly how many lumberjacks have you f***ed?
22:26Probably...
22:27Sorry, sorry.
22:28Found the magic of Christmas with.
22:30Christmas with, um, probably seven.
22:32Ooh.
22:33Mm-hmm.
22:34Seven out of 20.
22:35I'm a little disappointed in that, Rach.
22:37I would have thought you would have been 20 for 20, but...
22:39No, carpenters, house builders, lumberjacks.
22:42Sure.
22:43Um, you know, we love an ad person.
22:45Uh...
22:46We love, um...
22:47Cranberry farmer.
22:48Cranberry farmer.
22:49I did.
22:50Cranberry...
22:51Yes, that was Cranberry Christmas.
22:52Cranberry Christmas.
22:53We were...
22:54We were...
22:55We had to learn a lot about cranberry bogs.
22:57Yes.
22:58You know?
22:59Yeah.
23:00This movie is A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.
23:02Yes.
23:03It is...
23:04It...
23:05It ticks all the boxes in what you want from a Hallmark movie.
23:08Oh, thank you.
23:09It's also...
23:10So funny.
23:11Tell us what the...
23:12What the premise is.
23:13The premise itself is pretty funny.
23:15Yes.
23:16So, okay, it's called A Grand Ole Opry Christmas, and it's in celebration and collaboration with
23:21a hundred years of the Grand Ole Opry.
23:23And if you guys have never gone to Nashville to see this place, it is magic.
23:27Um, the whole entire building, it's like you can feel a hundred years of people's dreams coming
23:32true on that stage.
23:33And, um, so my character always wanted to be a songwriter.
23:37Uh, luck never swung her way.
23:39She lost her father, who was a huge country music artist.
23:42And they asked her to come back to the Opry to celebrate him in honor of a hundred years.
23:48And she just doesn't feel worthy of stepping on that stage, because she really never accomplished
23:52what she wanted her dreams.
23:54And so then, through the magic of the Opry and the magic of Christmas, she travels back
24:00in time to 1995.
24:02The wardrobe was amazing.
24:04Of course.
24:05Um, and she, when her dad was alive.
24:09And so reconnecting with her dad, it helps her to reconnect to her dream and find the confidence
24:17to come back.
24:18It's really, it's a love letter to the Grand Ole Opry.
24:20But I also say it's a love letter to anyone like myself.
24:24I lost my dad in 2021.
24:26And, you know, the one, one of the places we always wanted to go to together was the Grand Ole Opry.
24:32And we never got a chance to go before he passed.
24:35So, it's a love letter to anyone who has lost someone and is magically reconnected to them,
24:41or who has a dashed dream and is magically reconnected to that.
24:45Yeah.
24:46Um, yeah, it was such a, it was just, it meant so much to be a part of this.
24:50And you, you also sang in the movie.
24:52I did.
24:53You sang beautifully.
24:55How did it feel to be on that stage with that history and get to sing in this?
24:59I just cried.
25:00I cried like a baby.
25:01I'm so glad that I got to stand on the stage before we started filming because I couldn't
25:05stop crying for the entire tour.
25:07You know me.
25:08I cry.
25:09I'm a big crier.
25:10I'm shocked you've made it this far without crying in the interview.
25:13Don't worry.
25:14By the time we're done, we'll get her.
25:15I will probably cry.
25:17Um, so I'm glad we got to go pre-filming because I just, I cried from the time I entered
25:23that place to the time I left.
25:25And it's just such a special place.
25:27The other thing that my dad and I always wanted to do was to see James Taylor in concert.
25:32And the Opry being the kind, wonderful people that they are, they secretly put together a
25:39little, you know, magic for me and invited me to come to be a part of his debut recently.
25:44So I got to, yes, I got to be a part of him debuting on that stage as well.
25:49It just, it was like, you know, you can say it's something that God wink.
25:53It was like a God earthquake.
25:55And, um, all I can say, you know, is it really helped in the healing and grieving.
26:02You know, we have, well, that's something that's universal.
26:04We'll all lose somebody.
26:06Here come the tears.
26:08You got this.
26:09You got this here.
26:10Have some bourbon.
26:11Thank you so much.
26:12Yep.
26:13Yep.
26:14Good Southern girl.
26:15That really helps.
26:16Oh, yeah.
26:17You know what?
26:18You got this.
26:19You got this.
26:20Yeah.
26:21You, I, I have been with you when fans have come up to you and shared how important your
26:30movies are to them.
26:31I feel like Hallmark is, is the sort of, it provides the escapism, the safety, the joy
26:37that people so desperately need right now.
26:39Yes.
26:40Particularly when they're going through a difficult time.
26:42Yes.
26:43What does it feel like to be on the other end of that, of someone coming up to you and
26:48saying, you got me through one of the hardest times in my life?
26:53I've heard it like thousands of times at this point because we have this unique experience
26:59at Hallmark to interact with fans all the time.
27:03And when somebody comes up to you, I met this one mother and her daughter who had just celebrated
27:1030 years.
27:11And, um, they told me, she said, 30 years ago, my daughter was born premature.
27:17She was under 25 weeks.
27:18She had a heart defect.
27:20And, um, there was a doctor on that team who came to me and said, you know, they had said,
27:26say your goodbyes, you know, because they'd never done a heart surgery on a baby less than
27:3125 weeks.
27:32And, um, this doctor came up to her, the surgeon and said, look, you might lose your, you're
27:39going to lose your child either way, but I would like to try.
27:42And he successfully, um, repaired her heart defect.
27:47And then she looked at me and she said, and that doctor was Dr. Vaughn Starnes, who was
27:51the surgeon that saved my Bennett's life.
27:54My son Bennett, my youngest has had three open or three heart surgeries.
27:58And his life was saved at Children's Hospital Los Angeles by Dr. Vaughn Starnes.
28:02And so I was crying.
28:04They were crying.
28:05And, you know, that's the, those are the stories that you hear all the time.
28:10And yes, like your movies got me through the loss of my mom.
28:13Your movies got me through my divorce.
28:14Your movies got me through.
28:16And listen, it's, it's so humbling because I know it's not me, right?
28:21It's just the vessel through which we're telling these stories.
28:24And, and I think everybody just needs to know through all of this hard, all of it.
28:28It's so hard, you guys.
28:30You know, we're all going through it, but we can do hard and find joy at the same time.
28:34We just can.
28:35And so, yeah.
28:43And we can find bourbon.
28:45Bourbon.
28:46And, and so I think what the movies do for people is offer, they offer a blueprint, right?
28:52Like it can be hard, but also at the end of the day, we can know that it's going to be okay.
28:57Yeah.
28:58Yeah.
28:59Yes.
29:00And so being a part of that has just been, it's such a gift.
29:02I, I never thought that like, I would, you know, be at Hallmark for 10 years.
29:07This is my 10th year.
29:08Congratulations.
29:09Thank you so much.
29:10And.
29:11So deserved.
29:12So deserved.
29:13And that, that story leads us into what I wanted to talk with you about.
29:18Today is Giving Tuesday.
29:19Yes.
29:20One of my favorite days of the year.
29:21It's not just Giving Tuesday.
29:23Yeah.
29:24It's actually Giving Tuesday, like Black Friday.
29:26Yeah, like open up your wallets, people.
29:27Giving Tuesday is time to give.
29:28And I could not imagine a better guest to sit in that seat as someone who is rooted in giving back.
29:34Mm-hmm.
29:35And motivated by philanthropy and helping people.
29:39You, you serve on, you were the president of the board at Children's Hospital.
29:42LA.
29:43Yes.
29:44I was the president of the board for three years.
29:47And then you can only do three years.
29:49And so then, you know, I always tell them I would never.
29:52You're saying they have term limits?
29:53Yes, they have term limits.
29:54Interesting.
29:55Interesting.
29:56They're very, very, very smart.
29:57You should look into that.
29:58That is a good, that's a good idea.
30:02Yeah.
30:03The leadership at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, they know what they're doing.
30:06Yeah.
30:07So after that, they came to me and said, we would love for you to co-chair our largest fundraising initiative to date, which honors 125 years of saving the lives of children.
30:17And so part of that, we are raising 1.25 billion.
30:24And this is just to keep our doors open in today's climate when it comes to healthcare.
30:30Right.
30:31And here's the thing that's so critical, you know, why Los Angeles?
30:34Why should we give back to a pediatric hospital in Los Angeles?
30:38Because it serves kids in all 50 states and in 90 countries.
30:42We are the fifth top specialty hospital in the world.
30:45So we see the sickest children, the most vulnerable children.
30:49I personally have had children moved from, you know, Baltimore, Montana, Colorado to come and get heart surgeries to get all kinds of care.
30:59And specifically the research and innovation that comes out of our hospital, I mean, for our pediatric oncology division with Dr. Alan Wayne.
31:07I mean, at this point in time, I mean, in the 70s, kids with leukemia, there was a 10% survival rate.
31:13And now it's 90% because of research and innovation.
31:22And my Bennett, my Bennett personally, he had four really critical heart defects.
31:27And Dr. Von Starnes, usually they have to fix them in two back-to-back open heart surgeries.
31:32He figured out how to do it in one.
31:35And so now Bennett was a case study that they published and sent out to every pediatric institution in the country.
31:41So should a surgeon come across a heart that looks like Bennett's, they know how to fix it in one surgery.
31:47So why do we give back to these pediatric institutions?
31:51Because they're literally saving the lives of kids.
31:53And I, as Glennon, our friend, well, your friend, but I'm trying to make her my friend.
31:58Glennon Doyle says there's no such thing as other people's children.
32:03Mm.
32:05Um...
32:06Yeah.
32:11You also are on the board of an organization called Mind What Matters.
32:15Yes.
32:16Tell everyone what Mind What Matters is.
32:18Okay, so you guys, this is for caregivers.
32:21When we were going through all, my dad had PICS disease, which is a very rare and aggressive form of dementia.
32:27And he got it young.
32:28He died at 66.
32:29And I was not just caregiving and my mother was caregiving for him.
32:35I was caregiving for my son who, you know, went through all these heart surgeries for years and on oxygen and all the things.
32:43It's so hard to be a caregiver.
32:45So this organization started by our friend, Elizabeth Humphries.
32:49Yes.
32:50If you're watching.
32:51Hi, Liz.
32:52Hi, Liz.
32:53We forgot to send you a video, but we're doing it.
32:56We're doing it.
32:57We're just sending you the video right now.
32:58Like, we're actually doing it right now.
32:59Yes.
33:00This is it.
33:01Don't expect another video.
33:02Exactly.
33:03You better be happy with it, okay?
33:04Merry Christmas.
33:05So she started this organization called Mind What Matters.
33:09Her mother, she had Alzheimer's for 13 years and she was her primary caregiver.
33:14So we put financial grants into the pockets of caregivers.
33:20And because what we realized was like caregivers, they go down, sometimes quicker than the person with the illness.
33:28And so it helps them to maybe bring somebody in for, you know, a day or two days so that they can have a break, go to their doctor's appointments.
33:38The other thing we do is we help to educate women on their own health because this has been something that we have not done great with.
33:49Yes.
33:50So strange because women are doing so well in every other area.
33:53Yeah.
33:54We're really thriving.
33:55Yeah.
33:56Everyone's really looking after us in other ways.
33:57There's been so many presidents that have been women.
33:58Yeah.
33:59I know.
34:00And you and Liz do a podcast.
34:01We do.
34:02Where the main mission is to inform and educate.
34:05That's right.
34:06And it's called Mind What Matters.
34:07Yes.
34:08And it's underserved communities.
34:09So specifically communities that really, really, really need that grant.
34:14Yeah.
34:15Yeah.
34:16I am so happy that you were here.
34:18I love you so much.
34:19I love you so much.
34:20Thank you for being here.
34:21Congratulations on everything.
34:22Oh, wait.
34:23One more bracelet as I'm looking down.
34:25Oh, her hands are so much prettier.
34:27Don't look at me.
34:28No, stop.
34:29I have E.T. fingers.
34:30But you can look at the bracelet.
34:32So this is called, this is called, it's called the Benny Bracelet.
34:38It's named after my son.
34:40And I did it in collaboration with Rain Jewelry.
34:43Shop local, shop small, support female entrepreneurs that have a heart for giving back this holiday
34:50season.
34:51Yes.
34:52And all the money goes to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
34:54Great Christmas gift idea.
34:56Great holiday gift.
34:57I love you.
34:58I love you so much.
34:59Thank you for being here.
35:00I love you so much.
35:01Nikki DeLoach, everyone.
35:02A great Ole Opry Christmas is available to stream now on Hallmark Club.
35:06Nikki DeLoach!
35:07We're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this.
35:24That's our show for tonight.
35:27But before we go, today is Giving Tuesday.
35:30Please consider donating to Mind What Matters.
35:33They provide caregiving support to underserved families affected by dementia.
35:36If you can, please donate to the link below.
35:39Now here it is, your Moment of Zen.
35:42I said I won't do poorly.
35:43I'm a smart person, not a stupid person.
35:46And as the doctor will tell you, I aced it.
35:50Right, Susie?
35:51I aced.
35:52I got every question right.
35:53And these are tough questions.
35:55These are questions that I would say 99% of the people that I'm talking to right now,
36:00meaning the people from the fake news, would not do well in those exams.
36:05Oops.
36:06Sorry.
36:07Sorry.
36:08Sorry.
36:09There are two questions.
36:10I'm sorry.
36:11I'm sorry.
36:12I'm sorry.
36:13I'm sorry.
36:14I'm sorry.
36:15I'm sorry.
36:16I'm sorry.
36:17I was just going to say 100% of them.
36:19I'm, I'm sorry.
36:20I just want to say 100%, of them, not a 90% of them.
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