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Celebrity Meltdowns; One Day at a Time
Aired February 02, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOY BEHAR, HOST: Tonight on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, actor Rip Torn gets smashed and runs around with a gun, while Andy Dick gropes a club bouncer. Are these cries for help or auditions for "Celebrity Rehab"?
Also actress Mackenzie Phillips had been to hell and back. She`ll tell us how she manages to keep it together one day at a time.
And we agree on practically nothing except George Clooney. My day job co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck joins me on the set.
All this, starting now.
We`re only a few weeks into 2010 and already we`ve got a bunch of celebrity meltdowns. Today, one of the funniest actors on television, Rip Torn, entered rehab after getting rip roaring drunk and looking like he was trying to rip off a bank. What was he thinking?
Joining me to discuss this and other celebrity meltdowns are Ian Drew, senior editor of "Us Weekly", plus Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" on VH1 and an addiction medicine specialist.
Ok Ian, start with you. Tell me what happened to Rip?
IAN DREW, "US WEEKLY": Well Rip, last Friday, he walked into a bank that looked like a house through a window, took his shoes off and drunkenly tried to rob the place. We don`t know if he was trying to break -- if he might have thought in his head he was trying to break into someone`s home or if he was actually trying to pull off a bank robbery. It`s very odd and he`s checking himself into rehab now as a result of this.
I mean this is a guy who won a Emmy just a few years ago. His resume`s a mile long. He`s not been a stranger to these kind of trip-ups along the way. I mean, he`s had lewd behavior in the past, drunken behavior in the past; I mean there`s been things.
BEHAR: Lewd behavior? What lewd behavior?
DREW: He had some shenanigans going on in the past where he was kind of caught very intoxicated in public. There were -- his record is not very short.
BEHAR: Rip torn, I have to say in his defense, number one, you know, the bank looked like a house, number one. So he was a little inebriated. He`s 78 years old. Takes a few drinks. What do you want to do to the guy, put him in jail for that? It`s ridiculous.
DREW: Well, he`s going to rehab, so he`s doing the proactive approach which seems to be the thing to do these days.
BEHAR: Plus, he lives across the street from this bank that looks like a house.
DREW: Exactly. We don`t know what was going on in his mind. But I would love to hear it actually if he`s going to say anything or speak to anyone. Maybe you`ll have him on.
BEHAR: Yes. I mean he has had meltdowns before, I understand. You`re right about that.
Let me change the subject now to Andy Dick. Andy Dick got into trouble too. What exactly happened with him, Ian?
DREW: Well, HE was at a bar and apparently was kind of coming on to a bouncer and it was read the wrong way. This is not, again, the first time we`ve seen this kind of thing from Andy.
There was another patron as well -- if you read Kathy Griffin`s book that just came out, she even talks about some of these encounters where she was worried about him that this didn`t happen sooner and it`s happened time and again obviously since those days that she writes about.
So Andy`s no stranger to this kind of thing, but he`s also saying "Don`t judge me yet." He tweeted something about it, saying, "There`s more to this. It was read the wrong way. I was not being aggressive in a sexual or otherwise manner."
BEHAR: He was being playful?
DREW: That`s what he`s going to be saying, it looks like, but he wants to have his day in court basically to explain what happened.
BEHAR: Ok. All right.
Dr. Drew, the victim said that Andy was really out of it. Does he have an addiction problem? What`s up with that?
DR. DREW PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Well, of course, Andy is a severe drug addict. He`s amongst the worst, he`ll tell you that freely. But he`s been sober for over a year and it was actually my Twitter that you`re talking about there.
He told me that people misrepresented what happened, please tweet on my behalf that there`s two sides to the story. I was not using, I remain sober. And Andy struggled with his sobriety.
But in the past -- now look Andy doesn`t have great boundaries, let`s face it. His body boundary is not great as you`ve alluded Joy, but his real transgressions have been what he`s been using in the past. He`s been sober for an extended period of time now. So we really do need to rest on this one and see what the story really is.
BEHAR: Well, it just so happens that TMZ got these photos of Andy Dick right before the arrest. Let`s see those. Does he seem aggressive to you in these photos? Take a look at this.
PINSKY: Well, Andy, again, does not have great body boundaries. Andy is a very assertive, effusive guy.
BEHAR: Duh.
PINSKY: He does and if he`s not using, he`s going to be his old self and people may misrepresent or misinterpret what he`s up to. And it may be uncomfortable for them and they may get angry. He`s got to watch that, but that`s an issue for him to work on for the long-term.
BEHAR: We were talking about Rip Torn before and I didn`t ask you this question. But what do you think about Rip Torn`s situation?
PINSKY: I think Rip is delightful; he`s this wonderful actor and he is a severe alcoholic. As alcoholism progresses, the behavior has become more irrational and more bizarre and more easily induced with lower levels of alcohol. He`s an older man, he was clearly encephalophatic meaning his brain was not working right to try to make rational sense of irrational behavior when severely intoxicated and alcoholic is a bad idea.
He probably thought it was his house. He may have thought there was somebody burglarizing. Who knows what he was thinking? He`ll have been in black out anyway so he`s not going to be able to tell you what he thought. He -- thank God -- is in treatment. He`s going to die of alcoholism if he doesn`t get going with sobriety here. And let`s just hope and pray that he does.
BEHAR: How did he think that someone was breaking into his house? He was breaking into the bank.
PINSKY: Joy, you`re trying to make rational sense of irrational behavior. That`s inadvisable. He was wasted, who knows what he was thinking? He was blacked out anyway. Caveat emptor, don`t even worry about it, get him into treatment and hopefully this saves his life.
BEHAR: I love it when you speak Latin, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: I`m glad I could turn you on.
BEHAR: Thank you Ian. Thanks Dr. Drew.
We`ll see you Dr. Drew in a minute when we come back.
Moving on, I would like to talk about the Shady Lady Ranch in Nevada, which is now offering the services of male prostitutes. Well, one any way, one male prostitute.
My next guest went under the covers -- I mean undercover to spend some private time with the first legal male prosti-dude.
With me now is Mandy Stadtmiller, features editor, writer for "The New York Post". Welcome.
MANDY STADTMILLER, FEATURES EDITOR, "NEW YORK POST": Thank you.
BEHAR: Welcome to the show.
So tell me what happened? You went undercover for "The New York Post" to do this story. What happened?
STADTMILLER: So I hired Markus (ph), who is the country`s first legal gigolo.
BEHAR: Oh he`s not a gigolo, he`s a prostitute. A gigolo is Warren Beatty, ok? Remember that movie he did where he plays the gigolo for an Italian countess or something. That`s a gigolo.
STADTMILLER: Markus, the prostitute in question, has actually never seen "American Gigolo". So he doesn`t want the psychological competition.
BEHAR: Let me see that picture again. Is this the guy? Is that him?
STADTMILLER: Oh, yes.
BEHAR: Oh, my God, he looks like the octo-mom. He does.
STADTMILLER: It`s the cruelest thing -- that`s hilarious stuff.
BEHAR: That was evil of me. What did you learn about male prostitutes?
STADTMILLER: That I`m not into male prostitutes.
BEHAR: Why do you think a woman would go to a male prostitute, though?
STADTMILLER: He said I was his second client and the woman who was his first was a 45-year-old divorcee who was wild as a bug and they broke the bed boards. So I don`t know. I guess he does have an audience for some women. But not...
BEHAR: But you didn`t do -- you didn`t do the nasty with him.
STADTMILLER: I did not.
BEHAR: How far did he get with you, second base, first base?
STADTMILLER: I don`t really -- it was more of a spiritual connection.
BEHAR: Come on, Mandy, face up, you were in the shower with the guy, right?
STADTMILLER: Well I had to otherwise I would have been kicked out. He doesn`t work with clients unless you go to the shower and do a visual inspection.
BEHAR: I don`t blame him. He needs to be visually inspected too. If you weren`t going there under cover, is he your type this guy?
STADTMILLER: No. Not at all.
BEHAR: He`s not your type. So how did it feel just to get naked with this strange guy? Because that`s what happens when you`re a female prostitute.
STADTMILLER: Yes, I think I`ve been on enough terrible dates that it really didn`t faze me too much. That`s kind of what it reminded me of.
BEHAR: Really?
STADTMILLER: Yes, a little bit. Except a terrible date that cost $500.
BEHAR: Like this one did?
STADTMILLER: Oh, yes, $500 for two hours.
BEHAR: Well, "The Post" paid for that, right?
STADTMILLER: I`m just saying.
BEHAR: Did he do an Eliot Spitzer with like the socks -- the socks thing that -- Eliot Spitzer liked to wear socks. It really turns women off to see a man in socks fully naked. It`s absolutely the worst.
STADTMILLER: I`m with you.
BEHAR: The visual of that, and to see the octo-mom male prostitute in socks, that`s got to be a nightmare. I think that women don`t go to a male prostitute for the same reason that a guy goes to a woman prostitute, right?
STADTMILLER: What -- How do you mean?
BEHAR: I can`t imagine. A woman doesn`t pay for sex; she can get it any time she wants really.
STADTMILLER: Yes, she can.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: So it`s really for some kind of emotional succor, pardon the expression.
STADTMILLER: Yes. You know, I was thinking of all the sweet things that he said to me.
BEHAR: What did he say? Like what?
STADTMILLER: He said that I was practically an 8 or 9.
BEHAR: Not a 10?
STADTMILLER: I know, right?
BEHAR: Here`s $20 more. Am I a 10?
STADTMILLER: Yes. Exactly. I should have tipped him right then and there and I would have become a 10. We`ll have that fantasy.
BEHAR: What else did he say?
STADTMILLER: He said that I was his Germanic princess, right?
BEHAR: Was he wearing boots?
STADTMILLER: No, no.
BEHAR: Do you think -- I understand that the Shady -- what is it? The Shady Lady Ranch...
STADTMILLER: The Shady Lady Ranch.
BEHAR: They don`t allow men to see men. Like he can`t see men.
STADTMILLER: Yes, he only takes...
BEHAR: Only women.
STADTMILLER: Only, he only takes heterosexual clientele.
BEHAR: I predict that they`re not going to make money on that because I think woman are going -- would you do this story for "The Wall Street Journal" next, do you think?
STADTMILLER: Sure. I`m game. Definitely.
BEHAR: You are game. I give you a lot of credit for doing that.
STADTMILLER: Yes, right.
BEHAR: Thanks very much.
STADTMILLER: You`re welcome.
BEHAR: Mandy.
Ok next, actress Mackenzie Phillips will join me to discuss her battles with addiction and abuse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACKENZIE PHILLIPS, AUTHOR, "HIGH ON ARRIVAL": We got high together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her dad struck her first needle on her arm.
PHILLIPS: My shot me up when I was a teenager with coke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was like cool and my daughter and I would party.
PHILLIPS: Oh yes, he used to say, you got any drugs for your old dad?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Former sitcom star and author of "High on Arrival" Mackenzie Phillips has led one of the most melodramatic lives in Hollywood; public battles with drug addiction, near fatal overdoses and arrest for drugs possession and revelations of an incestuous relationship with her father.
They`ve all brought her to VH1`s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew Pinsky". Mackenzie welcome to the show. And back with us...
PHILLIPS: Thank you Joy.
BEHAR: ... also is Dr. Drew Pinsky. Now, Mackenzie let me ask you in your book you admitted to doing drugs and also having consensual sex with your dad. How has your world changed since you came out with all of those revelations?
PHILLIPS: Well, first of all, I would like to reframe my word "consensual". I didn`t really -- as I was writing the book, I thought this word -- it kept sitting wrong with me, but I used it for a lack of a better word and since then I`ve been schooled by thousands of incest survivors all across the world that there really is no such thing as consensual incest due to the inherent power a parent has over a child. And so I wouldn`t necessarily call it a consensual relationship at this time.
But how has it impacted my world? I`ve had so many people come forward saying I never had the strength to tell my story. I had one woman write me an e-mail on a social networking site say, saying, "You didn`t ask for an army, honey, but you`ve got one now."
It`s been an incredible experience, becoming part of a community, for me.
BEHAR: It is true that consensual sex is really a misnomer, for somebody in your position.
MACKENZIE: Absolutely.
BEHAR: I agree with you.
It implies that you that went along with that. I think it was maybe your age, you were older at the time and so maybe that`s why you thought it was consensual. You were not a child.
MACKENZIE: I took a lot of responsibility in "High on Arrival" because I was trying to preserve my father`s memory for some reason, you know, which is also a very typical thing that you`ll find survivors doing. I mean -- and I`m learning all of this after the fact, after I`ve already bared myself in the book.
But thank you for that, for...
BEHAR: Yes.
MACKENZIE: ...for agreeing with me on that. And I know...
BEHAR: I agree with you. Drew you agree with that also of course, right?
PINSKY: Oh, absolutely. I mean...
BEHAR: Yes.
PINSKY: ...the child is trying to make sense of this situation and she feels as though the only way she can survive it is by saying I`m creating it, I have some power on this, I`m consenting to it. When the fact is the kind of relationship a parent has with a child makes consent really impossible.
BEHAR: That`s right. Well, how is the Mackenzie have been doing in treatment or how did she do?
PINSKY: Mackenzie is fantastic. In fact, she does so well -- and she and I discussed this the other day -- she does so well, I sort of do something unfair to her, which is she`s always my go-to person. She`s somebody who`s so in recovery I know she can bring the conversation back to sobriety.
And when I would do that over and over again, the other patients later in the course -- I think you`ll see it on television -- turn on her and actually set her up as sort of -- some sort of teacher`s pet or a narc or something and become resentful towards her. And I`ve apologized to Mackenzie a few times about that.
BEHAR: I see, well I guess that kind of...
PHILLIPS: No need to apologize.
BEHAR: You know Mackenzie you said something about your father on "Celebrity Rehab" that surprised me. Let`s look at it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: My father sat me down once and he said, "Listen, kid, it`s pretty much always better to tell a lie than tell the truth."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: That is striking, that -- that statement. How old were you when he told you that?
PHILLIPS: I was probably 13 or 14.
BEHAR: You must have had a reaction to that. I mean, all children know that that`s not right, to hear something like that. What was your reaction?
PHILLIPS: My reaction was, first of all, you have to take into account that you have this larger than life man who is so powerful in his charisma and his personality. You`re like, oh, yes, well, he seems to be doing ok, maybe this is true.
But then you know, I come from being raised by my mother and my father in two separate homes. And so there was always this sort of dual world for me, the world that my father represented and the sit up straight, know which fork to use, world with my mother.
BEHAR: Yes.
PHILLIPS: You know and so I was always sort of torn between these two worlds. And I go, well, maybe dad`s right, but maybe mom is right. So I was always conflicted and confused and that really confused me and I tried to live by -- my dad would always say, you`re a Phillips, the rules don`t apply to you.
And so when you`re a child and this is your hero, you think well, I guess he`s right. And then life teaches you an entirely different lesson and you have to find out for yourself what the truth really is.
BEHAR: You know I was wondering that after you came out with all of this last year, there probably were people who didn`t believe you, right? I know that Michelle Phillips did not believe you, I remember interviewing someone about that.
PHILLIPS: Well, you know it`s...
BEHAR: That`s painful to hear, isn`t it?
PHILLIPS: Michelle has known about this for many years and the fact that she came out saying that I have mental illness and that I`m a liar really shocked me. I mean, I know she had vowed to do anything she could do to discredit me which I think was in order to protect the Mamas and Papas brand.
I never ever expected her to turn on me in such a personal way. But the fact is I love Michelle and I`ve always had to try and sort of contort myself to understand what she`s doing and she`s had to do the same for me. So I grant her, her thing and she needs to grant me mine and I love Mitch. So yes, it was very hurtful.
BEHAR: That`s very generous of you, I think.
Dr. Drew, I wonder what you think about addiction and incest, do they go together often?
PINSKY: Very, very common. In fact, that Mackenzie`s dad is saying to always lie it`s sort of a credo of addiction, it`s also the credo of households where victimization is going on and dysfunction of boundary violation.
The fact is in my world, where somebody -- if somebody has severe enough addiction, now I`m not saying that all addiction is preceded by this, but if you developed severe enough addiction that you need to see me, there`s nearly a 100 percent probability that you had physical abuse or childhood sexual abuse. And that abuse is more often than not in the home.
BEHAR: Do you think that`s true of prostitutes? Girls who become prostitutes also?
PINSKY: Well, of course, that goes without saying.
BEHAR: They kind of go together...
PINSKY: People that don`t even have -- yes, that even have a body -- a boundary around their own body when their body is sort of always been victimized.
And humans have this strange habit of re-creating the traumas of their past. The things that are terrorizing in childhood, we go out and reproduce and re-enact them in our adult life. And that`s what strippers and prostitutes tend to do.
BEHAR: Mackenzie...
PHILLIPS: But then there comes that amazing time where you feel like I`m free, I don`t have to do that anymore. I don`t have to keep reliving my past in order to be ok in my present. The present becomes something worthwhile in and of itself and the past and the future really kind of lack meaning because you`re free in your present moment.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: It sounds like you`re doing much better. Stay right there both of you.
We`re going to come back with more from Mackenzie Phillips and Dr. Drew in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, there you go, Yes,
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you want to say to him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why didn`t you say you were sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Mackenzie, did you take lessons from Tiger Woods` wife there or what?
PHILLIPS: That was incredibly freeing to be able to break stuff. That was kind of fun.
BEHAR: Was it really? I bet it was. Do you use that as a technique, Dr. Pinsky, to get the aggression and the anger and rage out?
PINSKY: Yes, we do this occasionally to expressive therapy of a patient that can tolerate. But you know, in Mackenzie`s case, she already was so far along in terms of -- she`s able to deal with the immense anger and hatred and also at the same time her love for her dad and pull these two things together and be whole.
I think -- I just commend her for telling her story publicly because now we all get to see who Mackenzie is. She`s not a drug addict who`s in trouble with the law all the time; she`s a complete person that I hope people themselves learn to understand something about themselves through her story.
PHILLIPS: Thanks Drew.
BEHAR: I think she`s very brave to tell her story and it`s a very difficult story to tell.
You wrote this about the incest with your father. You wrote, "I am the only daughter that this happened to and I don`t know why he chose me to visit his demons upon." Did you come to any conclusions on that fact lately?
PHILLIPS: You know, I haven`t really tried to -- I haven`t been dwelling on this stuff anymore. I mean it`s out there and it`s true and it`s there for other people to look at. But it doesn`t really matter anymore why he chose me. He did but I`m still here.
I feel like I`ve given a voice to people who feel like they don`t have the strength to have a voice.
BEHAR: Yes, I just think, Dr. Drew, that`s it`s an interesting thing for incest victims because there`s a kind of a confusion even there that you are the one who was chosen. So that must make you feel guilty, which adds layers on to the healing process. Am I right?
PINSKY: Absolutely. This is absolutely characteristic that one child is sort of set out as special. On one hand, it makes you feel this sort of grandiose, powerful sense of being the one. On the other hand shattered and guilty and conflicted; it`s so shattering to a child to go through this.
BEHAR: It really is the worst thing that can happen to a child.
Now, Mackenzie, you forgave your father on his deathbed. Did that help you to heal?
PHILLIPS: I thought it would. I thought, you know, ok, I finally laid it out on the table and, you know, he died while I was holding his hand. I happened to be the only one of his children there, for whatever reason.
And I thought I would be free. And I went on to relapse. So I realized that there was some work I had not done. And now I`ve been able to go and do that work and be clean.
PINSKY: It`s, of course, it`s been very evocative for anybody to lose a parent. And this is what you have to understand, even though Mackenzie and her dad had all this stuff going on, it`s still dad. It`s still the loss of a parent. And she still has addiction. And those things emerge in times like that.
I just want to say one more thing, too. Again, I`m calling out everyone that took issue with her story. What is in it for her to make up a lie like this?
BEHAR: I don`t know.
PINSKY: Why would somebody -- I mean no way. And by the way, it fits -- very much fits with how I understand Mackenzie`s case, and there`s absolutely no doubt in my mind about the veracity of what she`s telling us. So for everyone else that doubts that, please let that go.
PHILLIPS: Thank you, Drew.
BEHAR: Ok. I`m glad you cleared it up on my show. Thank you both very much for being here.
You can catch them both on VH1`s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
Back in a moment to talk to Mo`nique about her Oscar nod.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: She`s already taken home Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild award for her work in the movie "Precious" so it comes as no surprise that she snagged an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress this morning. She joins me now by phone, Mo`nique, are you there?
MO`NIQUE, ACTRESS: Hi, miss Joy.
BEHAR: Congratulations.
MO`NIQUE: Thank you, sis.
BEHAR: Are you excited? You must be so excited and thrilled and right?
MO`NIQUE: I am so excited and thrilled, baby.
BEHAR: Well, who called you to let you know you got it?
MO`NIQUE: Actually, I was on the phone doing an interview early this morning and I could hear the feed directly.
BEHAR: Oh, so it really hasn`t come to a shock to you. I mean after the other nominations and awards you have gotten, you must have known this was coming down the pike, right?
MO`NIQUE: I`ll say this, I`m very appreciative of it coming down the pike.
BEHAR: Well you know I`m a big fan and if I could vote, I would vote for you, but I happen to not be a member of the academy. So I can`t vote for you.
MO`NIQUE: That`s all right. I`m going to take your vote in spirit, Joy.
BEHAR: That`s right, well, did you immediately start celebrating, have a drink with your hubby and all that stuff?
MO`NIQUE: You know actually I was in the car on my way to the play ground and Sid was still home. So it was like 8:30 this morning. I called him and said hey, baby, they said my name.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
MO`NIQUE: He said that`s right, momma. And that was our celebration.
BEHAR: Have you thought about the dress? I`m looking at B world, you walking on a red carpet with a beautiful gold dress. Who are you going to wear to the event, what are you going to wear?
MO`NIQUE: I`m going to wear Tom and Linda Platt.
BEHAR: I don`t think I know them, spell it.
MO`NIQUE: Platt.
BEHAR: Oh Platt, okay, all right.
MO`NIQUE: Yes, yes. You may not know them, Joy, they`re top of the line.
BEHAR: I see, no you`re right. Listen, I still shop at Chicos, okay? What do you pick out first, the dress or the jewelry?
MO`NIQUE: You pick out the undergarment first, baby.
BEHAR: That`s right, the brassiere.
MO`NIQUE: That`s what people need to know about is what goes under the dress.
BEHAR: Okay, well, you know, I offer you my sincere congratulations on this because I really think you deserve it and I`ll be rooting for you that night. Thanks again for coming on the show.
MO`NIQUE: Thank you, sister.
BEHAR: Okay, I`m joined now by someone I sit next to everyday, she`s an author, fashion designer, mother of three, and when she finds the time, one of my co-hosts on "The View," I`m happy to the author of the G3 Diet, a Gluten Free Survival Guide, my pal Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, AUTHOR AND CO HOST: Hi, Joy.
BEHAR: Hi. As I was saying to you, I don`t need Gluten Free but if you need it, this is the book to get.
HASSELBECK: Sure, well, certainly if you have Celiac disease, it`s a must.
BEHAR: Right.
HASSELBECK: Celiac disease is a precursor to many others, so you need a gluten free diet. And then others, if you have any sort of intolerance, IBS, they tend to do really well on this diet. And even interviewing the doctors I did, Dr. Wile, for instance.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: Said that this is the most healthy way to eat-
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: And many more. People are shifting to this kind of eating just for benefits alone in terms of health and exercise.
BEHAR: Who do you find more sexy, Dr. Wile or Dr. Oz?
HASSELBECK: Oh that`s a tough one.
BEHAR: I think it`s hands down, Dr. Oz.
HASSELBECK: I love Dr. Oz. He actually help me work on my book --
BEHAR: Yes, yes, how about Dr. Phil?
HASSELBECK: Sigh.
BEHAR: How about Dr. Brothers, remember her?
HASSELBECK: How about Dr. Next Topic.
BEHAR: Oh, okay so you know, isn`t it great that Mo`nique is nominated for "Precious?"
HASSELBECK: I know, congratulations, congratulations to her.
BEHAR: And Sherry Sheppard is in that film, "Precious".
HASSELBECK: We were talking today because, you know, we`ve been talking "Precious" for a long time, you know Joy, behind the scenes, we`ve known about this and Sherry talked about it almost every day. And it`s going to be cool. She`ll get to go, right? Doesn`t she get to go glammed up and go and --
BEHAR: Yes she`s all ready to go. There are times when you and I get into it a bit on "The View." okay, in fact, it happened on today`s show. Let`s take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSELBECK: This crap out.
BEHAR: This administration and your last administration.
HASSELBECK: It was your president as well last administration.
BEHAR: Well I did not support him.
HASSELBECK: Are you an American? This is my president, too.
BEHAR: Oh calm down, I support the country. I don`t have to love the president.
HASSELBECK: What do you mean calm down?
BEHAR: This is a free country. I don`t have to love Bush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: It`s painful to watch.
HASSELBECK: That was fun.
BEHAR: You know, I`ve never watched it.
HASSELBECK: You know I can always tell when a topic always gets you. Because it`s the hair, your hair and my voice go high, it`s just wild.
BEHAR: Oh my god.
HASSELBECK: It`s wild. It is wild.
BEHAR: A lot of people think we hate each other. We actually do get mad, but we don`t hate -
HASSELBECK: Well -
BEHAR: People have to know, let`s just straighten this out right now.
HASSELBECK: Right.
BEHAR: Tell them.
HASSELBECK: I have nothing to say.
BEHAR: Okay. Let`s try this. You say one good thing about Obama and I`ll say one good thing about Bush. Just think of one good thing.
HASSELBECK: How long is your show? I`m just kidding.
BEHAR: One good thing.
HASSELBECK: He did some great commentary at the games this weekend. Did you see him at the college basketball games.
BEHAR: Oh okay, that`s good, that`s all right.
HASSELBECK: He did a good job.
BEHAR: That`s minimizing but it`s fine. Listen -
HASSELBECK: That`s a nice thing.
BEHAR: George Bush, I love the way his jeans look on him. He looks better in jeans than even Scott Brown.
HASSELBECK: There you go.
BEHAR: Is there some opinion of mine that you would like to change?
HASSELEBCK: Just one.
BEHAR: Well, give me a couple.
HASSELBECK: A couple.
BEHAR: What would you like to convince me of? Because I don`t, I have to tell you, on our show, I don`t have any desire to change your opinions.
HASSELBECK: No.
BEHAR: Because it makes good television for us to argue.
HASSELBECK: I also have no desire to change your opinions. A, because I know it would be impossible. But b, I also -- I think it`s why it works on our show. Because we`re not out to change the other person`s opinion.
BEHAR: Right.
HASSELBECK: That`s -- that would be just tedious. But I do think that the conversation is great because we do believe what we do.
BEHAR: We do believe it, though, in our gut.
HASSELBECK: Not in an obtuse way. Like not that you`d ever not consider the other side. I think we`re considerate of the other opinion.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: It`s just we`re worlds away in terms of where we stand.
BEHAR: We are. We stand in opposite sides of politically - but not in everything we agree on a lot of things. Child rearing, for instance. Things like that.
(CROSSTALK)
HASSELBECK: But not in everything. Sure. No. We do. Uh huh. Yep.
BEHAR: But you know, there`s one thing I have to give you a lot of credit for. You spotted John Edwards the sleaze before any of us did on the Democrat side.
HASSELBECK: Yes, I do take credit for that. Not just because he was a Democrat.
BEHAR: No, no. He is just -- we`re furious with him on the Left.
HASSELBECK: Yes, when was it, it was at the convention.
BEHAR: It was at the Democratic convention and they got a shot of him, you know, like this camera pans and this, I remember you saying this to me, and he was tatatatata, and then they said to him, John, look at the camera and he went -
HASSELBECK: Yes, he did.
BEHAR: And you said, look at that, what a creep.
HASSELBECK: Yes, I did. I said, what a creep. And what is he? He is a creep.
BEHAR: Yup.
HASSELBECK: I have a great detector for creepiness.
BEHAR: Now, we`re going to -- I have Twitter questions splattered.
HASSELBECK: Okay.
BEHAR: So here`s one, a viewer would like to know if you have any Democrats in your family.
HASSELBECK: I, most of my friends and family are either independents or Democrats. So I`m definitely in the minority in terms of my politics.
BEHAR: So is this rebellions of yours?
HASSELBECK: No, it`s just kind of raised -- my parents never told us who they voted for.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: They raised us to hear both sides and it wasn`t as though something was forced on us politically or pushed in one direction. It was just let`s talk about all the candidates and we always did.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: And we were able to form our opinions which was great. And we never felt as though we had to rebel against anything.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELEBCK: We didn`t know, they just wanted good things for the state and country.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: And that`s the way we were brought up.
BEHAR: Yes, but you know, I saw -
(CROSSTALK)
HASSELBECK: Are most of your friends Republicans?
BEHAR: I live in the upper west side. Get real! All right.
HASSELBECK: Do you have any outside of me?
BEHAR: Republican friends? I do. I have one in Germany.
HASSELBECK: What?
BEHAR: I meant to say Jersey. Germany slipped out. I swear. I swear. You believe me, don`t you?
HASSELBECK: I believe that you have one Republican friend.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: I have one in Jersey, I have you. That`s about it, I think. I mean I don`t, I`m not surrounded by Republicans exactly in my life, you know?
HASSELBECK: Yes.
BEHAR: So that`s why I welcome the conversation. HASSELBECK: It`s a good conversation.
BEHAR: And one of my friends who works at the show, her husband is a big Republican.
HASSELBECK: Right.
BEHAR: Big Republican, big -
HASSELBECK: Big Republican.
BEHAR: But I mean they want to know also, has there ever been a Republican you didn`t agreed with? That`s another Twitter question.
HASSELBECK: Sure. I think there`s a huge misconception out there.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: And you know, we`re playing around and maybe feeding into that. But I think that truth be told, I think the country and most individuals are going towards looking at what each politician stands for regardless of their politics.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: And I hope we`re able to move away from, hey, I`m siding with so and so because they`re Republican. Sure there are Republicans that I have disagreed with in the past and I probably will going forward and not every person do I align with all of what they have to say.
BEHAR: Right.
HASSELBECK: And I think that`s the cool thing about Scott Brown actually.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: When you look at what he stands for. He`s not your cookie cutter Republican at all.
BEHAR: No. He`s a moderate.
HASSELBECK: He`s probably much like John McCain. He would not be the person that on paper for someone who would say that he`s going to lead the party. But in fact, he may end up doing that because he`s doing what American people are doing. And moving more center on some issues.
BEHAR: Yes but a lot of people say once he gets into Washington he`ll go right - he`ll revert into what they want.
HASSELBECK: No, I don`t get the sense from him.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: And I have cautioned Republicans too, that are close to me, not to fall in love with somebody too quickly. We`ve seen that happen.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: Unfortunately, we`re kind of impatient when it comes to politics now. So I think we`re quick to fall in love with the candidate, want them to save the party, and then become president. And then, we`re like well, it`s happening. So I think with Scott Brown, he doesn`t seem to give the impression that he is out to sort of make anybody happy. He`s out to really surface and survey what is good for the people.
BEHAR: Yes, what about when he said my daughters are available though, that was obnoxious.
HASSELBECK: Well I think you know, I think there, the neat thing was, he was speaking like a dad -
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: Of teenage and 20 something daughters. You kind of always want to make the guy that you`re dating make, you know -- think that there`s somebody else coming - ahead of the game
BEHAR: Okay, we`re going to come back with more from Elisabeth Hasselbeck in a minute. So stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys have been out here 39 days. Your once strong bodies are withering away. The question is, how sharp have you been able to keep your minds? That`s what we`re going to find out today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Well, that`s my "View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "Survivor" in 2001. You spent 39 days in the wilderness. Why?
HASSELBECK: Good question. Willingly. Okay, look, in light of everything that`s gone on with Haiti and other devastating information and news that we`ve had, that seems like something so created --
BEHAR: Well it seems frivolous.
HASSELBECK: Yes. It was for me, you know,
BEHAR: It`s entertaining.
HASSELBECK: It was -- it was the most difficult thing I`ve had to do physically ever.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: Including the birth of three children. Like it was definitely challenging, physically. I mean there, I stood on a log I think 8 hours, 8 1/2 hours and you know I think it was more about putting yourself in a situation that was uncomfortable and seeing how long you could tough it out.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: So I like that challenge. I looked at it as a marathon, a really long one. I game that I had -- I was on a team most of my life, so I loved the physical challenge and I like seeing kind of what it takes to get through something challenging.
BEHAR: Well so what`s more challenging, 39 days in the wilderness or sitting between me and Barbara?
(LAUGHTER)
HASSELBECK: That`s a good one. That`s a toss-up.
BEHAR: That`s a tough one. Yes, we have some video of you from "Survivor" where you stood on a wooden pillar for nine hours. I mean I would have - that`s a tough one.
HASSELBECK: I wish I could have done it for 9. I think it was like 8 1/2.
BEHAR: Oh sorry.
HASSELBECK: Well I like to take created for more than I -
BEHAR: Did you imagine you were a greek goddess on a pedestal? And how did you do that? I mean didn`t you fall?
HASSELBECK: No, I didn`t. I ended up jumped off at the end. My body was shaking and I couldn`t stand it anymore.
BEHAR: Really, did they feed you?
HASSELBECK: No.
BEHAR: You just stood up there - like that?
HASSELBECK: Just stood, it was about 12 inches in diameter.
BEHAR: You were a kid, how old were you then?
HASSELBECK: I was 23 years old.
BEHAR: Yes, yes.
HASSELBECK: That was 10 years ago. Almost, 10 years ago. See it was - we did it almost through the night.
BEHAR: Yes you wouldn`t do it again, would you?
HASSELBECK: I don`t think I could leave the kids at this point, you know, to do it.
BEHAR: No, no, no.
HASSELBECK: But I do like a challenge, you know. So standing on that log was a good point of mark for me in terms of what I could endure. So you think you`re going to move me on politics. I stood on that log for 8 1/2 hours, I`m not going anywhere.
BEHAR: I know, I realize that you`re a tough cookie. You`re pretty but you`re tough. I sound like I`m picking her up in a bar. You`re pretty, but you`re tough. Did you ever disagree politically with other survivors?
HASSELBECK: I don`t think we talked politics. Oddly enough, we were there during the 2000 election and we were there thinking we were going to come back not knowing who won.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: But no one else really knew either. So when we got back, so there was all miscount.
BEHAR: I love your children. I love Gracie, I don`t know the other two as well. But Gracie is the most adorable child and just like little Eloise.
HASSELBECK: Yes, you always have good talks when she comes in.
BEHAR: When you first came to "The View," you told me you wanted five. Now you have three. Are you going to have two more?
HASSELBECK: Yeah, I will not -- I don`t think we`ll have more kids.
BEHAR: No?
HASSELBECK: It`s not in the plan right now. But who knows? I tend to be poor at planning. I think that three is good. Three`s good. I don`t know what I was talking about with five.
BEHAR: Did you have natural childbirth?
HASSELBECK: I did.
BEHAR: Me, too. No eye makeup, no lipstick.
HASSELBECK: What do you mean by natural?
BEHAR: Vaginal?
HASSELBECK: Yes.
BEHAR: You did, because I was watching "The Today" show and they had a baby being born right from a cesarean, it was live this morning. And then when that 10-pound baby came out there, I thought the nurses and everybody were very rough with that baby. Whoopi says that`s normal to slap the baby around to make sure all the parts are around.
HASSELBECK: Right.
BEHAR: Did you see your baby right away?
HASSELBECK: Every birth is sort different and I`m still sort of, you know, post traumatic from the last birthing experience. But well, I remember with Grace, she had a little trouble breathing at first, so would take care, and kind of, you know, a little slap.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: To get everything going, it`s fine.
BEHAR: It`s okay.
HASSELBECK: Those babies are tough. I mean you`re not talking abuse, they`re actually medical professionals doing what they need. I think the alternative would be to sit there, look , gently hold the child and yet they`re not getting all that fluid out of their bodies --
BEHAR: What about those babies that swim out of you? Have you seen that (inaudible).
HASSELBECK: Where are these dolphin babies? I don`t know what you`re talking about.
BEHAR: Little.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I mean they come out and they just swim. It`s like Esther Williams, you know, remember her? It`s like little Esters all over the place. Michael thought it was a little rough on the kids.
HASSELBECK: You know, I didn`t see it, so I can`t say how rough it seemed. I do know that it`s jarring. I think birth in general is jarring for any child.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: So they come in, there`s a lot that has to be done. You know, they`re suctioning, they`re doing a lot --
BEHAR: Yes, getting - and dying, the worst. I totally do not approve of either one.
HASSELBECK: I can only speak for one side of that so far.
BEHAR: Yes, yes, so far.
HASSELBECK: You know, I would think that they`re doing what they need to do, but I don`t even know if I would want to see the births on TV though.
BEHAR: Yes. Now, I was reading that this celiac disease, you didn`t know you had it.
HASSELBECK: No.
BEHAR: Until you were on "Survivor" because you were starving there, 9 hours without food for example.
HASSELBECK: Yes.
BEHAR: And then you realized what?
HASSELBECK: Well going into "Survivor," and I probably wasn`t as open with the producers there as I would have been in terms of how I was feeling. I was really sick going in there.
BEHAR: Yes.
HASSELBECK: I was in pain every single day. When I went to Australia --
BEHAR: What did you feel, stomach pain?
HASSELBECK: Stomach pain, bloating. Lack of energy, pain all the time.
BEHAR: Cramps- HASSELBECK: I was diagnosed, misdiagnosed at the time with IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
HASSELBECK: And so when I went to Australia --
BEHAR: Can`t they any of something more sexy than irritable Bowel Syndrome?
HASSELBECK: No, you know, it`s complete BS for many people when they are diagnosed.
BEHAR: Right.
HASSELBECK: Because it`s essentially going in with a headache and someone saying, wow, you have a headache.
BEHAR: Yes. Yes. Yes.
HASSELBECK: Thanks for nothing. You know being in Australia for a week, everyone else is starting to get more and more, you know, tired, weak. I felt better and better. I wasn`t having pain. I was feeling just almost clean there.
BEHAR: Because you weren`t really eating.
HASSELBECK: I wasn`t eating anything. I didn`t realize what I wasn`t taking in was gluten. And it`s a protein found in barley, oats, wheat, and rye. When I came back to the states I started getting sick again. And I thought, I know I`m not allergic to the United States. Came back, started doing more research, self diagnosed myself with Celiac disease. And then again six years later found Dr. Peter Green, head of the Celiac disease center in New York City who diagnosed me formally with Celiac.
BEHAR: Wow, you`re like Darwin in the Galapagos.
HASSELBECK: Hey, I am. Thanks.
BEHAR: You know, you solved the whole thing out -
HASSELBECK: I did.
BEHAR: I love that story, okay, don`t go anywhere. I have more Twitter questions for Elisabeth when we come back.
HASSELBECK: I love those.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSELBECK: I just read something online and I printed it out. Eight years ago we were talking about senator Barack Obama and he engaged in criminal activities.
WHOOPI: Why are we talking about this?
HASSELBECK: Let me finish. Please, okay? Let me finish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: it`s funny, isn`t it?
HASSELBECK: It`s funny.
BEHAR: People always ask me if I`m offended. I`m flattered, are you flattered?
HASSELBECK: I`m not flattered but I`m not offended. You know I mean, I don`t think - I think she does a great job, Christine Wig, and I think it`s funny, I think she`s funny.
BEHAR: Yes, she`s very funny. Funny lady.
HASSELBECK: She`s funny, comedian, enjoy and roll with it.
BEHAR: She`s terrific.
HASSELBECK: And I love you, so what, who cares.
BEHAR: So what, who cares.
HASSELBECK: Uh huh.
BEHAR: He got me done I think. All right here`s some Twitter questions from people who just want to know stuff. Let`s see -
HASSELBECK: Okay.
BEHAR: Elisabeth, what`s your response to the number of blacks in the conservative Republican Party both pre and post Obama? Oh, that`s interesting.
HASSELBECK: It is but I think there`s probably a fact check need there. I mean, if you look at --
BEHAR: I think it`s in the 90s though, they`re mostly Democrats as Black people.
HASSELBECK: No, if you look at Condoleezza Rice and you look at Colin Powell, the positions that they were able to hold at that level.
BEHAR: Oh yes, at that level -- we`re talking about voters.
HASSELBECK: Look at the positions that they held, though, mainly a Democrat who put a black woman, a black man in those positions before Obama.
BEHAR: I think Clinton had a couple --
HASSELBECK: I don`t know if they were secretary of state and such.
BEHAR: Well, we had Thurgood Marshal in the Supreme Court, I mean there were things.
HASSELBECK: No, inaccurate.
BEHAR: I asked you this.
HASSELBECK: I have printouts of that.
BEHAR: How do you psych yourself up for the show being the lone conservative on the View.
HASSELBECK: That`s so funny to me. I sit in my office and do some stretching.
BEHAR: Do you, you don`t?
HASSELBECK: No. I think -- you know, a lot of it is just being able to have a great conversation with everybody there.
BEHAR: Yes, we don`t go out there like that.
HASSELBECK: It`s not as though you need a pep talk before you go out just because you`re the only Republican. I think it - you know, we`re able to have good discussions without some sort of pushups and warm ups beforehand.
BEHAR: That`s right, that`s true. This one says, I`m actually quite intrigued with her and her relationship with you. What is it that you like about each other that you like.
HASSELBECK: What do you like about me, Joy?
BEHAR: Have a lesbian fantasy. I don`t know.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: Let`s see, I had those before you though, I mean you`re not the first.
HASSELBECK: Why I thought you`d behave more on this show than in the morning.
BEHAR: I don`t behave on any show.
HASSELBECK: I know you don`t. I know you don`t.
BEHAR: What I like about you is I think that you`re very fun and charming. And that what we do on the air is just strictly business.
HASSELBECK: It is. It is.
BEHAR: It is.
HASSELBECK: And I think, too, a lot is put on women who are having debates.
BEHAR: That`s right.
HASSELBECK: And the same expectation isn`t there for men and same critique isn`t there for men. And I would also say that, you know, we kind of have more in common than most people think.
BEHAR: Yes we do. Well we both grew up in Italian background. Yes.
HASSELBECK: Yes, I grew up in a small Italian community.
BEHAR: She had a brown wig on the other day and she looked like my cousin Tania.
HASSELBECK: Yes, well that`s my natural color.
BEHAR: Yes. And then I saw the Italian (inaudible). But when you`re blonde, the Polish side comes out.
HASSELBECK: That`s right.
BEHAR: So, anyway, any parting words before we go, I have to leave.
HASSELBECK: You have to go, is this it?
BEHAR: I have to go.
HASSELBECK: Well, I`ve have so much fun. I miss -
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: It`s fine.
HASSELBECK: I like you here, Joy. I love your show.
BEHAR: Thanks for coming by Elisabeth. Her book is 3"The G3 free Diet." It should be called Gspot.
HASSELBECK: No it is not, the G3 Diet, behave yourself.
BEHAR: All right. Good night, everybody.
HASSELBECK: Good night.
END
