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Erin Burnett Outfront
Chef Saves Life Of Customer, A 78-Year-Old Vet & Restaurant Regular; America Held In Saudi Arabia For Criticizing Government Freed; Ricki Lake Thought She Lost Everything, Then A "Miracle" Happened. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired December 26, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:27]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
We're bringing you some OUTFRONT cheer. An incredible story of friendship and kindness. A Florida chef saves a regular's life after he stopped showing up for his daily order of gumbo, light on the rice without the cracker. And tonight, the two have a lot to celebrate. They'll be our guests.
And heading home. An American citizen who was sentenced to 16 years in a Saudi prison for tweets critical of that government now back in the United States. A miracle. His son greeting him at the airport. We captured the moment with our cameras and the man's son is OUTFRONT.
And actress Ricki Lake thought she lost everything in the L.A. fires, including all of her family photos. But one woman, a complete stranger, stumbled on some. She's my guest.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, a very happy holiday. In a time when the news is often full of dark headlines and a world full of anxiety. We wanted to spend the next hour with you celebrating the good -- from a restaurant chef who saved the life of his longtime customer, to his son finally reunited with his father, who had been detained in Saudi Arabia, to what this blue VW symbolizes to a community reeling from devastating and deadly wildfires.
There are reasons to smile, and we begin tonight with the kind of story that we don't get to tell often enough. Seventy-eight-year-old Air Force Veteran Charlie Hicks is a regular at the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida. For a decade, Charlie has stopped in like clockwork. He has the same standing order every day, twice a day, a warm cup of gumbo light on the rice, hold the cracker made by the same chef until one day Charlie didn't show up.
And that's when Donell Stallworth, the chef who makes that gumbo, knew that something wasn't right. And he followed his heart. He immediately got into his car and drove to Charlie's apartment. Inside, Charlie had been trapped on the floor for days after a fall. He had two broken ribs. He was severely dehydrated and so weak he could barely speak.
Donell immediately called for help, saving Charlie's life. And there is so much more to this story.
And joining us now, Air Force veteran and longtime customer of the Shrimp Basket, Charlie Hicks, and Shrimp Basket chef Donell Stallworth. And it is a real -- a real pleasure and joy to speak to you and to have a story like yours to tell.
Charlie, there are so many wonderful, wonderful parts to this story and your friendship, but I guess let's just start that day. What do you remember about what happened before Donell found you?
CHARLIE HICKS, VETERAN: Well, I was -- I fell in the kitchen, and I don't even remember the fall, but that's where I wound up. And I wiggled my way, I'll call it, to my recliner, but couldn't get up in it. You know, the recliner rocks. So I couldn't get any leverage.
So then I was attempting to make it to the front door on my, crawl to the front door, I better put it. And, I just couldn't do it. And I fell again. And that's when I cracked my ribs. I tried to rearrange the bookcase with my ribs is what got me, but, I didn't know how I was going to get out of it.
The only option I had left since the battery was dead in my phone was to maybe crawl out the front door and lie on the sidewalk that somebody found me. I was down to that. But then Donell opened the door, and called his the restaurant here and -- that's how -- that's how it got me. They called 911, and the ambulance came and got me.
BURNETT: I mean, Donell, Charlie comes in every single day, right? He becomes just part of your life, right? You know, I mean, you probably, you know, set your clock by him, as we would say in the old days before phones when he didn't show up, what told you, Danielle, that there was something, that there was something wrong that you needed to go?
DONELL STALLWORTH, CHIEF AT SHIRIMP BASKET: It's just the spirit. Just anointing. It's just came over me. Something just knew.
[19:05:02]
At that moment, I know something was wrong because he don't' miss no days. And then it just kept continuing to go on for, like, another week or so.
But I'm used to looking at him every time I walk past the door, and I'm waiting on him to come in so I can bring him some gumbo and we can start our day. But that has been like missing for a while, so I was trying to let the day just work its way out. But the day before that, but I was just like that third day. I was like, something just told me to grab my keys and head out to go try to find him. What's going on with him?
BURNETT: I mean, Charlie, could you -- at this point, your days, you're so dehydrated, you're broken ribs. I cant even imagine how you felt or how even aware you were. Gosh, what did you think when it was Donell's face opened the door and you looked up?
HICKS: Well, it was a welcome sight, I'll tell you that. I didn't know how it was going to work out if I made it to the front door and crawled out on the sidewalk. No telling how long it would take. And somebody to find me, but the everything worked out just the best it could, I guess.
I was in rehab for two, two months. So, it was a long ordeal. When you get to be 78 and you fall, it's tough.
STALLWORTH: Yes.
HICKS: Not like when you were younger.
STALLWORTH: Yes.
BURNETT: No, no. And I guess, you know, one of the things, if you're 78 when that happens, I guess you're so grateful for those who love you, right? And in your case, you found out who that is, right? And it's Donell, and it's your family there at the Shrimp Basket.
HICKS: Yeah.
BURNETT: Donell, you know that that the rescue itself wasn't the end of the story because Charlie's talking about the two months he spent in rehab. And at that time, you and others in your restaurant decided to help him move in. And you decide to help him move where, where he wanted to be, right? Where he loves to be, next to your restaurant.
STALLWORTH: Yes.
BURNETT: I mean, can you tell me -- we're showing some pictures here, but tell me about what we're looking at, Donell?
STALLWORTH: Well, the management at the shrimp basket came together with the rest of the crew, and we found that in our hearts to try to reach out to the landlord and bring the landlord on top of everything and see if we can get Mr. Hicks to move in next door. But the moment that we found out he was going to be put out of his old apartment. So, we started preparing and trying to get all of what we can to do at that moment.
So, we started going in and fixing up the house, painting. I mean, if it was bringing in appliances, if it was breaking the yard, if it was just trying to pull together to be whatever we needed to do, we did it. And it was all because of just -- we love him and we're trying to make the best for him.
BURNETT: Charlie. You know, it's -- when we think about love, which is not something we get the joy of talking about on the show a lot. But you think about the love around you and how Donell and everyone there sees you as family -- I know one of them even calls you grandpa. They celebrate your birthday.
How does it feel to have a family like this? To have this love in your life? HICKS: Well, you know, it's pretty awakening it might be the best way
to put it. I don't belong to any group or any -- anybody else my age. So, all I can say is when this happened, I didn't know what I was going to do, but, they came to visit me in the hospital, and in the rehab facility.
STALLWORTH: Well, Mr. Hicks is family, regardless of how you look at it. He was family way before the situation happened.
HICKS: Yeah.
STALLWORTH: It's just the point that we hate that the situation occurred. But we're glad that the support team was there because it took everybody in the restaurant. We all pulled together each day.
If it was in the hospital bringing them gumbo, if it was at rehab, we bringing them gumbo. We was bringing them magazines. We was cheering them up just by being able to be there at his side.
And that's what people missing out that right there because ain't nobody taking time out to support each other and care and look out for each other. I mean, you got to take your eyes off yourself and look at your neighbor. You got to go way beyond that.
I don't care who it is or where they're from. Just reach out. Just take time out to listen to somebody and get to know their story, because their story is just the same as yours. They just need a little care, a little love, somebody to listen.
And ten years with Mr. Hicks has been a beautiful thing for me because I've been able to grow and learn a lot from him. And we talk about life and just things in general. So I'm glad to have him as my friend, but I'm also glad to have him back here because it felt like a ghost town without him for a minute.
[19:10:08]
BURNETT: Yeah.
STALLWORTH: And until I seen him come in that door. So I'm glad and I'm thankful.
BURNETT: So, I am -- I'm just looking at the table in front of you, and I'm -- that's obviously got to be gumbo, right? Tell me about that gumbo. Because I know Donell's the same order every time, right? What is it, Charlie?
HICKS: Well, it's a warm up sometimes.
STALLWORTH: Yeah.
HICKS: You got to my main meal, but sometimes I didn't feel like having any more than gumbo. So, maybe two cups.
STALLWORTH: Yeah.
HICKS: Instead of the main course.
STALLWORTH: Yeah.
BURNETT: Donell, you know, I guess, though, now you've got this friendship, this family. But at the beginning, it was gumbo. So, Donell, what is it? What is your secret ingredient?
STALLWORTH: Love. Love. Love is always in the food.
But when you can bring somebody together and sit down with them, and you can get to know them and reach way beyond that, the food starts at first. But that gumbo started some ten years ago with me and Mr. Hicks. And it brought us together.
And we've been having gumbo ever since, and we've been talking about the same shows ever since, from football, baseball, whatever he got on his mind, I'm going to listen. And at the same time, we going to sit down and have a cup of gumbo together and smile and laugh.
So, everybody come through that door, it's going to get the same family treatment, the same love that we give to Mr. Hicks. We give it to every customer, come through the door.
We might not know the problem or the situation going through, but we willing to listen. We willing to take time out and feed you with some good local gulf seafood. And were going to take the time to give you the best experience we can.
But for us, Mr. Hicks, I already know what he wants when he come through the door. So I just cut straight to it.
BURNETT: No one needs to take his order.
STALLWORTH: But you got to go light on the rice. Yeah, he don't want -- you give him too much rice. He going to send it back.
BURNETT: When you can ever lower the standard.
HICKS: When you're 70.
BURNETT: Yeah.
STALLWORTH: No, no, it got to be exact same. I mean, a good cup of hot gumbo and a little rice. You don't want no crackers. So, yeah.
BURNETT: Well, it is a joy to talk to both of you and. Yeah, especially, especially this week. What a wonderful -- what a wonderful friendship, and the Shrimp Basket.
Thank you both so very much.
STALLWORTH: Y'all have a blessed night.
HICKS: Thank you.
STALLWORTH: Thank you. BURNETT: You, too. You, too.
OUTFRONT next, an incredible update to a story we've been following. An American citizen sentenced to 16 years in a Saudi prison because of tweets he sent while in the United States, finally released. We spoke with his son the night his father was finally on his way home.
Plus, a newspaper thought it was getting a big scoop from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Turns out they were talking to a different Bill de Blasio, but the damage was already done. Both Bill de Blasios are here.
And we told you about this VW van when we were in L.A. for the wildfires. It miraculously survived them in a neighborhood completely destroyed. And tonight, this symbol of hope is showing off a whole new look
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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BURNETT: So, tonight, we're celebrating the good on OUTFRONT and an American held by Saudi Arabia for four years is home for these holidays. Seventy-five-year-old Saad al Mahdi, who was stuck in the country under a travel ban, was basically stuck there -- home arrest, prison and it was all over roughly a dozen tweets that he posted online suddenly and without explanation. He wasn't allowed to leave Saudi Arabia.
And we first spoke to his son, Ibrahim Ahmadi, three years ago. That's back when his father was sentenced to 16 years behind bars. The Saudis pointed to tweets that were marginally critical of the kingdom. One over tax policy, the other mentioning journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose brutal murder was approved by the crown prince. According to the CIA.
Al Mahdi was released from prison in 2023 after more than a year behind bars. But then he was not allowed to leave the country. He couldn't come home until now after Trump's friendly meetings with the Saudi crown prince. We spoke with Ibrahim Ahmadi, the son of Saad, the night his father was due to arrive home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And, Ibrahim, I can't believe I'm seeing you in this context. You know, I know you, us, nobody would have thought that this would have happened so soon. In the context of what your father was dealing with.
Your father, you said, was living in complete fear that he could be arrested again or assassinated in Saudi Arabia. He had been in prison. He wasn't allowed home. You couldn't speak with him freely over the phone. He couldn't leave the country.
How do you feel now that he's actually on a plane on his way home? IBRAHIM ALMADI, SON OF U.S. CITIZEN JUST RELEASED BY SAUDI ARABIA: I'm
still trying to process it. I mean, I can't believe our nightmare coming to an end after four years and this wouldn't happen without great individuals like yourself, Erin, and like Josh Rogan, and the individuals and the Department of State and national security and the White House.
BURNETT: I mean, it is -- it is -- it is a truly incredible moment.
I mean, how did you find out about Ibrahim that your dad was allowed to leave?
ALMADI: He just called me and said, son, I can come now. What state are you in? Said, I'm in D.C. and we couldn't find a flight to D.C.
So he's coming to Philadelphia tomorrow morning and I can't believe I'm going to see my father after all these years.
BURNETT: What are you going to do when you see him tomorrow morning?
ALMADI: Hug him. Definitely. It's been quite long years, and I'm just quite happy that that it's coming to an end.
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BURNETT: I mean, you know, he obviously had spent time in prison and then wasn't able to move freely. You had thought he might never be coming home, of course, because he's older and even, you know, if his 16 years were done, what would happen? Your father's release now actually comes after Trump spent another day with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Obviously, it's been royal treatment. There's been a lot of praise. This is what we've seen in the past couple days.
ALMADI: I mean, Mr. President and his administration --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I can call him almost any time. I'm very proud of the job he's done. What he's done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALMADI: So, I mean, Mr. President and his administration, they were about making America first and bringing American home. And they really delivered when it comes to my father's situation, I understand Saudi Arabia is supposed to be our ally regime to us, but they've been mistreating us for a while now. And finally, they are correcting the course when it comes to my father's situation.
BURNETT: You said your father had been tortured in prison in his time there. What did the Saudis tell him? Or do you even know yet at this point, when they said, okay, after all of this, you can go home? What did they tell him was the reason? ALMADI: They said it's a forgiveness from the king and crown prince.
But I mean, if Mr. President was involved, I mean, there's no reason or there is no courage that they can say no. I mean, he's the strongest person in the world, and nobody should reject an order from him.
BURNETT: So, you think this was -- I mean, it seems pretty clear that it's because of the visit to the United States and to President Trump. But it seems clear to you as well.
ALMADI: Absolutely. It's crystal clear to me that, Mr. President, without him, my father wouldn't be released. I'm quite thankful for the Trump administration and the Department of State.
BURNETT: All right. Well, I know it is an incredible moment for you, and I can only imagine what tomorrow will be to be able to touch your father, hug your father when you thought that that might never happen again.
Ibrahim, thank you so much.
ALMADI: Thank you for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT next, the former New York mayor, Bill de Blasio comes face to face right here with the other Bill de Blasio, the one who made all these headlines by talking to the times of London about Zohran Mamdani. It's an amazing story.
And then a small miracle, after losing her home in a wildfire, Ricki Lake thought her family photos were gone forever, until a stranger stumbled on some of them. The hero of this story is OUTFRONT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:27:01]
BURNETT: Tonight, on this special holiday edition of OUTFRONT, Bill de Blasio, meet Bill DeBlasio. Let me explain.
So we first told you about how a "Times of London" reporter mistakenly reported that the former mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, who supports Zohran Mamdani, had really turned on him and questioned big time how Mamdani would pay for his ambitious policies like free buses, free childcare and a rent freeze. But that Bill de Blasio didn't say those critical things because the reporter had emailed the wrong Bill de Blasio.
Well, we solved the mystery. "The Times of London" reporter actually emailed Bill de Blasio, a wine importer and a former cyber security executive who lives outside New York City. That Bill de Blasio shared this email with us, addressed to Mr. De Blasio, which says in part, quote, "I'm working on an article looking at Zohran Mamdani policy plans and their estimated costs. I would greatly appreciate your insights on Mr. Mamdani's ambitious agenda, potential obstacles, and whether the sums add up."
Well, the real mayor had been a big supporter of Mamdani. So, when the other Bill de Blasio replied and, you know, said what he really thought, which was, you know, a lot of things, not saying it added up. Well, it was big news. An article got published under the headline "Zohran Mamdani ally, Bill de Blasio says his policies don't add up."
Well, "The Times of London" then took the article down and apologized after the former mayor called it fabricated. "The Times of London" also later told "The New York Times" it was misled. But here's the thing the story comes down to the two Bill de Blasios, and they are OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All right. It is great to have both of you with us. So, because I need to be clear. And the only difference between the two of you on your name is whether you capitalize the D or not.
Let's go this way, Bill from Long Island, let me start with you. And what -- I mean, when all this story first happened, you're sitting there and an email pops up and you know, that I just read part of, what went through your head when you first saw it?
BILL DEBLASIO, JR., MISIDENTIFIED AS FORMER MAYOR DE BLASIO: Well, it's not the -- it's not the first time this has happened. I've been confused with Mayor De Blasio for many years, going back to 2000 when he was working for Hillary -- on Hillary's campaign. So, I've been -- I've been used to this. It really amped up, obviously, when he was in office.
And, you know, people go searching, they send it to my name at Yahoo, my name at Gmail, my name at AOL. You know, they just go searching. I'm on emails with Obama and Trump and everybody, you know, they just try and find the right person.
And most of the time I ignore it. I used to ignore it. But you know, I have a little fun with it sometimes. And this gentleman reached out to me and asked me the questions. And obviously I know that ex-Mayor de Blasio is supporting, you know, Mamdani.
And so I -- you know, I just said, let's have a little fun with it. And I even put it on my Facebook. This happened last Friday, just so you know, it was --
BURNETT: Yeah.
DEBLASIO: I put it on my Facebook and I put the -- I actually put the email that you have a copy of. And I said to all my friends, come on -- let's, you know, should I answer this?
[19:30:00]
And they're like, heck yeah, you have to answer that. So I answered it and I never thought it would get to that level. Like, in other words, I thought somebody was going to fact check it
somewhere along the line and call me out, you know, and just say, come on, this is -- this is rubbish. And the gentleman, listen, the reporter was very polite, very kind. You know, he -- and he -- and he -- and he asked me, so I wrote out a bunch of things that I thought would be interesting.
And then, a friend of mine and I, we ran it through ChatGPT a little bit, and it looked good, and I sent it back to him.
So I never thought anything of it. And then he answered and he said, is it okay if I use paragraphs two and three of your email? You know, in "London Times" article? So, I was like, sure, you know, and that's all I said. And I signed it. The spelling of my name properly.
BURNETT: OK.
DEBLASIO: like I typed it, I typed Bill DeBlasio, you know, as the reply, I never said I was the mayor and I said, somebody's going to catch this. And that was Friday.
So I never heard a single thing back from the reporter after he asked permission. And all of a sudden, Tuesday night, my phone exploded. You know, they printed it. It went to press, you know, it's, you know, so, you know, you're in big trouble. I was like --
BURNETT: So, so, Mayor de Blasio, I mean, you know, what do you -- what do you think about all this? You know, last night when we were talking about this, before we knew about Bill DeBlasio you were saying there's something missing here that I don't fully get. You just got a lot more answers from Bill.
BILL DE BLASIO (D), FORMER NYC MAYOR: First of all, I'm upset that this guy is better looking than me. You know, this is a problem for me, okay?
But, look, I mean, it's funny on one level, Erin. But there's also, I agree with the other. Bill. How did no one check? How -- and by the way, wouldn't you think major, major publication. If suddenly I changed my mind, someone would say, why did you change your mind?
So, there is still something missing here. Why is it so easy for journalists to get it wrong? Never want to see his face. Never want to hear his voice. And then the editor should have said, excuse me, what the heck? It's like, show me the reason he changed his mind, which obviously wasn't there.
BURNETT: Yeah.
DE BLASIO: So, some -- this says, and we have to really be careful in the future about these kind of fakes, because I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of them.
BURNETT: Yeah. And Bill from Long Island, I mean, what do you think about that? I mean, I know by the way, you both have met before, and at a Mets game, right? And I think, Bill, you went up and said, you know, showed your ID, said, we have the same name, and I know, I believe, at least from what you said about Mamdani, you probably weren't a supporter of his necessarily politically, right? But you got the same name. Why not go up to him?
But you know, you talk about these messages you've gotten for the mayor over all these years. A lot of them really horrible and nasty, right?
DEBLASIO: Yeah. Vicious. I'd say 98 percent of the correspondence I've received, and it's just absolutely brutal. Absolutely mean, nasty, angry people. I actually feel sorry for the mayor.
You know, it's just -- it's just -- people are just horrible. And they're telling me they wish I'd die. I'm the worst mayor ever. They hate me.
About 2 percent of it was people who needed help. And those people, I responded politely and respectfully to. And I just said, you know, here's a website, you know, for the city you can go to for help. You know, I actually felt bad for these people. They really needed help.
But in general, people are just brutal. And I -- and in the beginning I used to just delete them. And then after a while I used to respond to them, but they knew really quickly I wasn't the mayor. So after a while, what I did was I would respond, you know, and you have to kind of lure them in.
You know, I'd kind of answer them seriously, like, oh, what are your concerns about, you know, snow days and why we open the schools yesterday? And people would write paragraphs to me and I'd reply -- and each time I'd reply back and forth with them, I'd kind of get a little, a little nuttier, like a little crazier. And like the responses, like I'd throw some sentence in there was insane, you know?
BURNETT: Okay, so --
DEBLASIO: And like, eventually I'd say, why don't you go out there and shovel yourself? You know, I have better things to do than to talk to you.
(CROSSTALK)
DEBLASIO: And then eventually realize it wasn't the mayor.
BURNETT: Yeah. You have any idea?
DE BLASIO: No idea and no idea. And, you know, it's like --
BURNETT: Sorry.
DE BLASIO: I mean, first of all, thank you for acknowledging.
DEBLASIO: Twelve years.
BURNETT: He's your alter ego. Go shovel it yourself. DE BLASIO: Shovel yourself. I had that -- I had that feeling once in a
while. I wanted to say it, but, thank you for saying because unfortunately, this is true with public servants all over the country trying to do their job and just this wave of hate that's been true in recent years, especially.
We got to get rid of it. We got to change it because it's not the way --
DEBLASIO: Brutal, especially during COVID.
DE BLASIO: Yeah.
BURNETT: Yeah, you got a lot and --
DEBLASIO: During COVID, especially when people were home. People at home have nothing to do during COVID --
BURNETT: Yeah, and saying horrible things.
But I just will say as we leave it there, yes, this segment is hopefully heartwarming and also funny, but I think also important two people who don't necessarily agree with each other politically, that you can have that sort of empathy and have that connection even amidst this. And if that comes out of this, that's a good thing.
And I appreciate both of you. Thanks so much.
DE BLASIO: Well, he's a wine importer. I want to go -- I want to go sample.
BURNETT: Bill de Blasio, you know what? You got his email.
DEBLASIO: Something good. Give me wine.
DE BLASIO: Something good has to come out of this.
(LAUGHTER)
BURNETT: All right. Thanks to you both.
DEBLASIO: Our wine is great, and I appreciate it. Thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT next, a very special guest with us tonight, Arianna Huffington joins us.
And remember this VW van that survived the California wildfires.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This went through the fire.
[19:35:00]
You see the burnt headlight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
That van was the only thing of color, the only thing standing in a neighborhood that was completely decimated by the flames. And tonight, a real update and an upgrade on that van.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:39:11]
BURNETT: Tonight, she's nicknamed the anti-Trump. We're talking about the former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who became an instant global phenomenon when she took office in 2017, the same year that Donald Trump.
They both took the world by storm in such very different ways. Ardern elected at the time at just 37 years old, was pregnant, leading her country through COVID as the youngest female leader on earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACINDA ARDERN, FORMER NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: I think I have natural levels of anxiety for someone who's 37 years old and who's also pregnant.
Oh, well, this is normal.
We only have six cases at the moment.
This can only be described as a terrorist attack.
Crises make governments and they break governments.
It's hard to switch on the news some days and just think, the world is a dumpster fire. How do we shine a light on the humanity I know is still there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:40:05]
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Arianna Huffington, author, founder and CEO of Thrive Global. And of course, you may know her also as the co-founder of "The Huffington Post".
Now, Arianna, you know, that -- you and I have spoken a lot lately. And one thing that Jacinda just said there stood out to me. She said it's hard to switch on the news some days and just think, the world is a dumpster fire. How do we shine a light on the humanity? Which I think so many people can relate to.
And you right now at Thrive Global, all of your focus has been on enabling people to live better and more fulfilled lives. But do you ever just want to throw your hands up in the air and say, this is a dumpster fire? What do I do? ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, FOUNDER & CEO OF THRIVE GLOBAL: I don't, because I
feel that in the middle of all the breakdowns and all the dumpster fires, I can see all the breakthroughs. I can see all the new things happening. I can see amazing things beginning to emerge.
I always take just great solace in unexpected things. Erika Kirk forgiving the murderer of her husband. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, talking about the need to come together and talking about his faith and loving our enemies.
And the shift that's happening, away from cancel culture towards forgiveness and redemption is not at all mainstream yet, but it's happening in many important areas. And that's what I focus on.
BURNETT: So, you -- and I always find you positive. Sometimes I would call Arianna and I will say, because you will uplift me.
HUFFINGTON: I agree.
BURNETT: When you launched "The Huffington Post" in 2005, right -- I mean, you were then an entrepreneur, a disruptor, new thing, male dominated world.
All of a sudden, it takes off. It does well.
And then people start scrutinizing you. So, among the things they called you, Arianna -- ruthless, unscrupulous and ambitious, as if that goes along with being unscrupulous. And perhaps in some people it does, but not in you.
I'm just thinking about those words in the context of Jacinda Ardern and what she went through as prime minister of New Zealand.
Have things changed enough yet for women that such descriptors would not be put on a woman doing what you have done?
HUFFINGTON: Well, there are many words like "ambitious", "driven" that when applied to men, would be called "bold" and "resilient". That happens.
But I also think what's happening, Erin, is that we tend to suffer from misplaced perfectionism. We tend to suffer from overjudging ourselves. I call this voice the obnoxious roommate living in my head that can judge me much more than anyone can judge me from the outside.
And so, I think we also have a lot of work to do when it comes to things that are in our control. The obnoxious roommate, the voice of rumination, and being able to be much more in the present and bringing more joy into everything we're doing.
BURNETT: Right. And women are -- women, of course. I think when you say we, I mean women, I think any woman watching this can recognize.
HUFFINGTON: Also, you have children. I have children and two grandchildren.
BURNETT: Yeah.
HUFFINGTON: And I say that they take the baby out and they put the guilt in. That's the other thing. You have three children. You have a six-year-old.
I'm sure there are days when you say, I should be now at home putting him to sleep. And so, we also go through a lot of those guilt cycles that drain an enormous amount of energy.
BURNETT: They do. And they're very negative.
I remember actually. And I remember saying this to you recently, I don't know if you remember, but you and I, one time when I came down to meet you at thrive, when you were launching thrive, because I was so exhausted and I didn't know what to do, and I was looking, maybe I'm going to reach out to Arianna. I'm just going to get to know her, to ask her what to do.
And I was that desperate that I called you up out of the blue, and you gave me a little bed for my phone to sleep on at night.
HUFFINGTON: But phone sleeping with you.
BURNETT: My phone it -- yes, it does sleep with me. It does, in fact, in the night.
HUFFINGTON: A very important little micro step we can offer your viewers.
Separate yourself from your phone at night. Because your phone is really the repository of every problem and every project, and you need to separate yourself from that to be able to really surrender to sleep and wake up ready to take on the world.
BURNETT: And you learned this the hard way. And there are so many people watching, I think recent poll, 62 percent of Americans feel stressed or nervous. They feel anxious. You know, Pete Hegseth recently talking about how it feels like 1939. People are afraid.
And I -- 2007, you collapsed from exhaustion.
HUFFINGTON: Yes.
BURNETT: That's why I reached out to you because you've been there. You woke up in a pool of blood, and you said to yourself your cheekbone was broken, right? You said, something's got to change here. Something's got to change.
So, what do you say to Americans who are feeling, whether physically or just, you know, palpably, this sense of anxiety and fear and that something really bad is going to happen?
HUFFINGTON: I say, let's look at the things we can control and the things we can control start with our own daily habits, like about sleep, about food, about movement, about stress management, and about connection to others. [19:45:06]
And then let's look at the things we can influence outside, the things we care about, the things that involve helping others because, you know, service and caring for others is also incredible for our own well-being.
You know, when we are all completely wrapped up in ourselves, that's draining as well.
BURNETT: Arianna, it is wonderful to see you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Also tonight, another CNN film you should be sure to watch. It premieres "New Year's Day". All about Chevy Chase. He helped define a generation of comedy, becoming a household name from his breakout years on "Saturday Night Live" to blockbuster movie stardom and the sometimes complicated moments of his life. The CNN film "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOURE NOT" taking a revealing look at the man behind the legend, featuring candid interviews with Chevy Chase himself and those who know him best. Looking at the career and the contradictions of an unforgettable comedy icon.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lorne Michaels, when he's given the job to develop a show for Saturday nights, he's got a blank slate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd spent my 20s in television studio, so I was comfortable in that environment. We were just filled with possibility of what we could do and what we couldn't do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I met with Lorne, he described this new show. It's spun my head around, said it would be live, be 11:30 to 1:00 on Saturday night and go, what? Who's going to watch that? You know, angry people. People who are not getting laid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a call, Lorne said. Do you want to start the show with me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you could try to look at me instead of looking directly into camera, unless you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard for me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I invented weekend update so I could look in the camera.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Be sure to catch, "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT". That premieres on New Year's Day at 8:00 Eastern.
OUTFRONT next, an incredible update tonight about that blue VW bus we showed you earlier this year, a bus that was still standing when the California wildfires had destroyed everything around it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:35]
BURNETT Tonight, a small miracle. Those words from actress and talk show host Ricki Lake, who thought she had lost all of her possessions, including every single family photo, when her home burned down in the Palisades Fire.
But in a shocking twist, a total stranger found her family photos at a flea market in Pasadena, California. Photos that Ricki Lake hadn't seen in years, so they weren't the same ones lost in the fire. They just had somehow gone missing. But then they showed up. And there are some of the only images of her childhood and family that she now has.
And she tells OUTFRONT, quote, "The return of these images feels like a small miracle, a reminder that even in moments of profound loss, the universe has a way of holding us. At a time when the world feels heavy, this unexpected, beautiful news has brought me so much light and hope. I am thankful to everyone who played a part, especially Patti Scanlon, who found these photos and decided to find me. Recovering these little pieces of history means more than words can express."
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now. Patricia Scanlon, the hero of this story.
And you are the hero to Ricki Lake, right? You did something that matters so much to one person. It happens to be Ricki Lake.
You're at the Pasadena flea market. I know it's not a place you always go. You're staying in an Airbnb over there. So, there's so much serendipity in this story from the beginning, but I know you're there. You see a couple of photos, this box.
What compelled you to do it? To buy pictures of a stranger's family.
PATRICIA SCANLON, FOUND RICKI LAKE'S LOST FAMILY PHOTOS: I love vintage photos, and I love going through them. And that's my happy place, going through photos. And I use them to inspire my paintings and my acting work. And I just love it.
And so, I'm not even at my art studio now because were staying at the Airbnb's because of home repairs. And that day at 2:00, which is late for flea market time because everybody's gone through, which is another weird thing, is that those pictures of Ricky's were still there at 2:00. He was closing up as I purchased the box.
BURNETT: And had you realized at this point that it was just at this point, pure curiosity, or had you realized Ricki Lake, when did you realize this? SCANLON: I realized it when I got home and I sat outside on a bench,
and I started going through the photos, and first there were just a bunch of photos of her relative fountains and casinos. And I thought, oh, I just got a box of photos. And then I came to this woman, this beautiful woman, and she was with her child. It was one of the black and white photos. And she's so soulful. And the way she was looking at her baby. And so, I thought, I have a discard pile, and I pile put it in the keeper pile.
And then I kept getting more pictures of her, and then more pictures of the baby. And I don't paint babies. That was in the discard. Then there was a letter, and the letter was to a relative who will go unnamed, who I did hunt down to. I hunt down everybody.
BURNETT: So, is that how you -- is that how you found her? I mean, how did you find her?
SCANLON: Because it -- well, it said Ricki Lake on the header. So, then I thought, okay, this person who had started to look familiar to me and I felt a connection with because, you know, I saw hairspray and I immediately connected to Tracy because I'm a Tracy and I realized it was Ricki Lake. And Ricki had written a kind card that said, thank you for the birthday presents for Milo. Here are some current pictures.
So, then I got on my cell phone.
[19:55:01]
Who's Ricki Lake's son? Milo. How's Ricki Lake doing? She said she lost everything in the fire.
So, then I started to hyperventilating.
BURNETT: Wow.
SCANLON: Getting all the children retrieve because I don't paint the kids. So they were in my discard, retrieving all the pictures of the child.
My husband came out. He saw me and said, what is wrong with you? You look in a little crazy about those pictures, Patti. I mean, are you all right?
And I said, these are Rick Lake. And he was like, aha, I understand, but why? Why are you going so crazy? I said, she lost everything in the fire. Do you understand how valuable these are to her?
And so, then I picked the ones that I thought would be stop worthy, you know, like, grab people's attention. The red car, the yellow raincoat, and a -- one with her, with the child. And I posted them on Instagram and I said, does anyone know Ricki Lake?
I took a shower. I came out, my phone was blowing up, it was all over Instagram. Ricki was like, "I'm here, I'm here." We had so many. We did have people in common, but I didn't know that.
BURNETT: So which is amazing. I guess. You know, the seven degrees of separation, right?
SCANLON: Kevin Bacon.
BURNETT: Kevin Bacon, right?
So, I want to play when Ricki when she got the photos, she, she said something about it. And obviously this is a miracle for her because everything in her home burned down. Right? So, whether she was even aware that this trove existed, I mean, here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICKI LAKE, ACTRESS: I really cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Making the effort to find me and the fact that, like, I'm going to get something back that I thought was lost forever is really is really it gives it makes me so happy. This is leaving me with such a beautiful feeling about just the human race. Good things happen to good people and I really appreciate you so much, Patti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCANLON: I'm making the same face now as I made the video. I mean, there are no words. I mean, it was meant to be. I was meant to find those photos. I know that sounds woo woo and I'm not woo woo, but yeah.
BURNETT: Oh, it's a beautiful -- it's a beautiful story. And there is, there's -- there's so much negativity out there right now that its wonderful just to have something, something like this that may seem small to people watching, but I know every single person can imagine how big it would be to be either Ricky or you, Patti. Thank you so very much.
SCANLON: Thank you.
BURNETT: Also, tonight, a symbol of hope. Remember the vintage Volkswagen bus?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It is just a couple hundred feet from where I'm standing tonight. It miraculously survived the flames which destroyed everything around me on this street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It's just such an incredible thing. Remember? I remember going there saying, could this be real? And then it was. And you could see all the parts of it that were burnt out, and somehow that bright blue was there. And since the bus has undergone a full remodel now getting love and national attention.
And Nick Watt is OUTFRONT
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So many people saw hope in this picture. The little blue miracle, a 1977 VW microbus, among the grays and blacks of destruction and despair.
BURNETT: This went through the fire. You see the burnt headlight.
WATT (voice-over): OUTFRONT was on the case. This was back in January. Found the bus and --
BURNETT: So we wanted to know who owned it to get the story here. And we found them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. It is magic.
WATT (voice-over): Current owner Megan Weinraub (ph), Malibu surfer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm speechless to see all the houses burned and I can't believe that Azul, the bus, that's what we named it survived. Like it's -- I'm just in shock.
WATT (voice-over): Now, more shock. Good shock. The magic bus has had a makeover, now reunited with her owner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's beautiful.
WATT (voice-over): How did this happen?
Well, Volkswagen folks also saw that viral pic of the little singed survivor. And they asked if they could help. Picked Azul up and got to work.
GUNNAR WYNARSKI, VEHICLE TECHNICIAN, VOLKSWAGEN: We found the car with a busted rear windows. We had ashes inside. We had embers inside and nothing combusted and we drained 11 gallons of fuel of the car.
Why didn't it burn? I don't know.
WATT (voice-over): They worked on Azul for 2,000 hours to bring a bus back to life. Every part was restored. That eye-catching blue paint had to be custom mixed.
But what about the Palisades then, now? Nearly 7,000 structures destroyed so far, only one home has been completely rebuilt. A certificate of occupancy was issued just last week.
Azul is now back, charm intact, and even better than before. Can we hope for the same for the Palisades?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT (on camera): And the reaction Azul is getting here at the L.A. Auto Show -- wow. People still can't quite believe that Azul survived. And the detail people remember is insane.
Rory, if you come around here, one guy I saw looking at it, he said, oh, yeah, that's the light that melted. He remembered. His wife said, you know, this was a symbol of survival. It's now a
symbol that you can bring stuff back. You can restore.
One part that they couldn't find, they eventually found on a warehouse shelf in France that have been gathering dust for 40 years. Now, it's in Azul -- Erin.
BURNETT: It's amazing. What an amazing report. The little singed survivor, as Nick said.
Thank you so much, Nick.
Thanks so much for joining us. The news continues now.
