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Joy Behar Page
Royal Wedding Guest List; Royal Chef Reveals All
Aired April 25, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, with the royal wedding just days away, Joy got her hands on the guest list, and she`ll tell us who`s going and who got snubbed.
Then Joy talks to Prince William`s personal chef about what we can see on the royal wedding menu and all the behind-the-scenes dish.
Plus, Joy wants to know if Donald Trump is finally facing a birther backlash.
That and more starting right now.
JOY BEHAR, HLN HOST: Well, the official royal wedding guest list is out. And there were some major snubs and some equally major surprises.
Here now with all the juicy details, our Richard Quest, CNN correspondent in London outside Westminster Abbey; and Rob Shuter, AOL`s columnist.
Richard, let me start with you. Tony Blair -- this is so odd -- Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, both from the Labor Party, were not invited. Is that a major snub? I mean the other two --
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That`s a very good --
BEHAR: Go ahead.
QUEST: That`s a very good question, and frankly, there`s no -- there`s the official reason was that the two former prime ministers who were invited, Lady Thatcher and John Major, are both Knights of the Garter, part of the Order of the Garter Chivalry whereas Blair and Brown aren`t.
Frankly, Joy, I think that`s a bit of hocus-pocus. I don`t know why they didn`t invite a prime minister who had been there for ten years like Tony Blair. It does look a bit odd. But, you know, it`s like any wedding. Do you invite Great Auntie Bessie and Uncle Tom who you haven`t seen for five years? You`ve got to make a cutoff point somewhere.
BEHAR: Well --
QUEST: They come up with this excuse --
BEHAR: No, here`s my point. Tony Blair saved the monarchy. I saw the movie "The Queen", ok? And I know what went down there. He saved the monarchy because The Queen refused to speak to her people. And he said if you don`t do that, the monarchy is dead. And she did it.
That`s a true story, is it not? Who can question Helen Mirren? So why isn`t he invited?
QUEST: It`s a good question. You`re pushing against an open door here. I think it is very odd. I know why John Major was invited, because he was the guardian -- one of the legal guardians to William and Harry after their mother`s death.
But you`re right. The man who was prime minister for ten years, Gordon Brown, not invited. I don`t think it`s a snub. I`m not a conspiracy theorist, Joy, unlike yourself. But I do think it`s an odd thing.
BEHAR: I study with Jesse Ventura.
Ok. Now, Rob. Who else is not invited --
ROB SHUTER, COLUMNIST, AOL`S POPEATER: There`s a lot of people --
BEHAR: -- that should have been?
SHUTER: The Obamas are not invited which has caught everybody by surprise here.
BEHAR: Why not?
SHUTER: Nobody knows. It`s their guest list, it`s their wedding. They haven`t got to say anything. What they do say is that this is not a state occasion. He is not next in line for the throne. His father is. So that`s why for the father`s wedding, Prince Charles, there was many, many more dignitaries than what we`re going to see at William`s wedding.
BEHAR: Ok. I`ll tell you something, Richard, the biggest disgrace is to not invite Auntie Fergie. The woman is the aunt of the future king of England. I don`t care if she`s strayed, which she did. No one -- tell me that everybody at this wedding is pristine.
QUEST: All right. All right.
Yes, I agree. Listen, I`m deeply embarrassed here. I`m agreeing with you. It`s causing me indigestion. I`m having a conniption here.
But the fact is, yes -- and I`ll tell you something else. They`ve got real trouble where Sarah Ferguson`s concerned because what happens when her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie get married, the Queen obviously has to go to the wedding her granddaughters. She can hardly then snub Sarah Ferguson.
They have stored up enough trouble for themselves by not inviting Fergie. But she did try and bribe access to her former husband, the Duke of York. So maybe there`s still a lot of bad blood over that.
BEHAR: Oh, my goodness, yes.
SHUTER: Not only have they not invited Fergie. What we`re hearing is they`ve asked her to hide that day. They do not want her out on the beach. They don`t want her out shopping. They want that woman to disappear for the day.
BEHAR: Where should she go, into Cheney`s bunker? Where shall we put her?
Listen to this though. There`s a lot of questionable invites, I`ll tell you. Number one, the king of Swaziland, ok?
This is a guy -- listen to this, Richard -- he cracked down on protesters last week. He regularly spends the country`s riches on lavish birthday parties for himself, the big baby, Mercedes-Benz for his dozen wives, 80 percent of the population lives on $2 a day, and 30 percent have HIV. This guy`s going to the wedding.
Am I invited? No. Do I spend lavishly on birthday parties? No. And yet he`s going and I`m not.
QUEST: Well, you know, I`ve actually met the king of Swaziland. How`s that for a bit of name dropping on your program?
BEHAR: Boy. All right.
QUEST: You know, I went down there and met him. But no, I mean yes. Look, there`s a lot of people on that list of questionable moral integrity or questionable values. But it`s a wedding. Look at your own family weddings. How often have you had to invite people that you`ve really not wanted to?
BEHAR: Yes. Tell me something. Is Gadhafi going? That would match the rest of this list, frankly. And what hat will he be wearing? Ok, wait.
Ok. Here`s another thing. It seems like both William and Kate invited their former flames to the wedding.
SHUTER: They did. There are six former flames going in total. What the reason -- what we`re hearing about this is they`re in a very tight circle. They don`t really socialize with that many people. So it shouldn`t be that surprising, the people that they used to date are now friends of both William and Kate.
BEHAR: Now, you know, Richard, is Prince Harry bringing his on and off again girlfriend, Chelsy Davy?
QUEST: We hear that he is. We hear that she has been invited, yes, and will be here. You have to bear in mind, look -- you talk about bringing their former girlfriends and boyfriends. But this couple have been together for seven or eight years. It`s not like they`re bringing a few one-night stands for the couple.
Just let`s -- I mean, let`s have a sense of proportion here, Joy. These are -- you know, they`ve lived together for six-odd years, this couple. And they`re almost Darby and Joan in their own right.
BEHAR: Well, what happened to that whole idea, Diana had to be a virgin. I`m sure Queen Elizabeth was a virgin when she met Prince Philip. Now this one doesn`t have to be a virgin. They just change the rules whenever they feel like it in the monarchy.
SHUTER: They changed the rules.
QUEST: No, no. You`re determined just to go down the smutty route here.
BEHAR: Ok, let`s talk -- first of all, are there any Americans invited? The Octo-Mom, the Jersey Shore?
SHUTER: Kate Gosselin.
BEHAR: Kate Gosselin, no.
SHUTER: The other thing about the seating plan is the Spencers, Diana`s blood relatives, are not going to be sitting on the groom`s side of the aisle. They`ll be sitting by the Middletons, nowhere near the Royal Family.
BEHAR: So who`s sitting on the groom`s side?
SHUTER: All royals. It`s all royals.
BEHAR: All royals on the groom`s side.
SHUTER: They didn`t want Diana`s family anywhere near the Queen.
BEHAR: Oh, boy. I`m hearing that it`s supposed to rain on Friday, Richard. I mean, duh. It rains in London every minute. So are they expecting rain, and what are they going to do about that? Will she wear a slicker over her gown?
QUEST: They are expecting showers. Now, what the plan is, when they come out of the great west door, if it is raining very badly and heavily, then they will go from the abbey to the palace in the glass coach. Now, that, of course, was the coach that Diana and her father used to go to St. Paul`s Cathedral.
If it`s not raining too badly or it`s a bit of a light damp day, then they will take the 1902 State Landau.
BEHAR: Ok. What`s the feeling like in London, before we go? Just give us like the ambience.
QUEST: Honestly, in the last 24 hours, I would say it`s become electric. We had a great Easter weekend. The weather has been hot. It`s been gorgeous.
You`re not here yet and we`re starting to feel the momentum building up. By Friday, this place will be buzzing. It`s time for you to get a ticket.
BEHAR: Well, I`m not coming, ok? But I will be having a special royal day on Friday because I can`t resist the monarchy.
So thank you guys very much.
On Friday, don`t forget to watch my show and watch Rob -- Rob Shuter`s hosting TLC`s royal wedding coverage live from Times Square at 5:00 a.m. We`ll be right back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, Prince William`s personal chef drops by with tips on making a meal fit for a future king.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Darren McGrady was the personal chef to the Queen, Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry for 15 years. He`s the author of "Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen" and he`s here to share some secrets from the royal palace.
Thanks for doing this, Darren. I`m so curious about the food because, you know, everybody thinks that the Brits don`t know how to eat. That`s a fact.
DARREN MCGRADY, FORMER ROYAL CHEF: The Brits do know how to eat. The Brits can eat royally. And the Queen has 20 chefs in the kitchen. And they`ll be preparing amazing food for this.
BEHAR: What are the 20 -- what does she need 20 chefs for?
MCGRADY: Because they travel around the world with the Queen wherever she goes. My visit first to the USA was in `91. The Queen took five chefs to Washington, then on to Perth, joined the Britannia sailed into Miami where I cooked for Presidents Reagan and Ford. So those chefs travel all over the world wherever the Queen goes.
BEHAR: I see. Now, I bet she has fun with them, too. Is there an official food taster, such a thing as that? You had her doing Henry VIII and probably popular monarchies.
MCGRADY: No. Never has been a food taster.
BEHAR: No.
MCGRADY: The way they do it is if there`s a banquet for 200, no one knows which plate the Queen`s having. So I guess if you want to poison one, you`ve actually got to poison all 200 plates because they just pick a plate for the Queen..
BEHAR: Some people believe that`s worth it.
That`s a terrible thing to say.
Now, the royal wedding cake, which is the big tah-dah is a recipe in this book.
MCGRADY: Yes, it is. There are two cakes.
BEHAR: Yes. It`s a biscuit cake, yes.
MCGRADY: Yes, this one here, there`s the groom`s cake and Kate`s cake which is the fruitcake, the traditional fruitcake. This is the chocolate biscuit cake. When I found out that William is getting married and he wasn`t having any chefs or maids or housekeepers, I sent a copy of my book to him saying, "Well, you`ll need some recipes. I only taught you to cook one recipe."
And the chocolate biscuit cake for the groom`s cake is in there. About a week later they announced that he was having this. I don`t know if he chose it from there or whether it jogged his memory, but I was so thrilled.
BEHAR: You knew William when he was a baby, right?
MCGRADY: I mean the cottage pie in the book, I remember pureeing the cottage pie in the blender so that nanny could feed him spoon by spoon. And then, of course, as he got older, he would come down to the kitchen. He`d come down with Princess Diana, a little boy with his riding hat on. They were going riding and say, "Darren, can I get a glass of orange juice, please?"
BEHAR: He was very polite.
MCGRADY: Very polite.
BEHAR: What if he became less -- what if he was rude? Would someone swat him?
MCGRADY: The nannies usually would. You know, Princess Diana used to let them eat -- William and Harry eat in front of the TV, eating their food. Nanny used to get so angry. "They should eat their broccoli and vegetables first. No, those boys are being spoiled."
BEHAR: Really? Was the nanny -- was she like a Mary Poppins? Everybody has a fantasy that the nannies are like that. Are they?
MCGRADY: They were. You know, William used to come into the kitchen and eat ice cream. If nanny was upstairs in the nursery, he would actually put it in a bowl. He`s so scared of nanny.
BEHAR: He was scared of nanny. Isn`t that something? The future king is afraid of the nanny. Wow.
How will this wedding, do you think, compare to Diana`s and Fergie`s weddings?
MCGRADY: Princess Diana`s wedding, I slept the night on the (INAUDIBLE) because I wanted to catch a glimpse of Princess Diana. And I decided then I wanted to be a royal chef and work in the royal kitchen. So I applied not long afterwards.
BEHAR: Oh.
MCGRADY: And then I got in the kitchens. And I was actually rattling pans in the kitchen for the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
But this one`s different. They had sort of three different dishes, three courses. Whereas this one is 650 people and just little bite-sized appetizers. Everyone`s going to be stopping off for dinner on the way home.
BEHAR: Really. They`re not going to have a lot of food. It`s like who has a wedding without food? What type of people don`t have food at a wedding?
MCGRADY: I think actually being there, being part of it. So 650 people, the chefs in the kitchen, that`s about 10,000 individual canopies, many appetizers that are prepared.
BEHAR: I see. How do you feel about the fact that Fergie was not invited to the wedding?
MCGRADY: Well, you know, it`s interesting because I remember when William was just a little boy and Harry was, you know, just a little bit smaller. And Beatrice and Eugenie used to come over, that`s Fergie`s children.
BEHAR: Yes.
MCGRADY: They used to come over for hanging out with their cousins. And I know many, many times that Fergie actually called and said, Sorry, we can`t make it. We`ve got other things on." And I think this is payback. I think this is Prince William saying, "Well, sorry, payback."
BEHAR: Really?
MCGRADY: Well, maybe.
BEHAR: Wow. Wow. I was thinking maybe she would be the food taster. They don`t seem to like her at all. And she had that little scandal recently. Maybe they`re embarrassed. But they are inviting several dictators, you know.
MCGRADY: It`s a strange guest list, you know.
BEHAR: It`s very strange.
MCGRADY: We`ve got soccer players on there, we`ve got dictators on there.
BEHAR: The Beckhams are going, right?
MCGRADY: We don`t have a Joy and a Darren on there, though, do we?
BEHAR: No, we do not. But you know, somebody in the previous segment was saying that when Fergie`s children get married, Beatrice and Eugenie, how are these people going to go to that wedding? They`ll be invited, right? And then they have to look Fergie in the face then.
MCGRADY: Well, unless Fergie`s not invited.
BEHAR: To her own children`s wedding? Now, that would be -- no.
MCGRADY: No, she`ll be invited. She`ll go to that one.
BEHAR: She`s got to throw it. She`ll find the money somewhere.
Now, look at this picture. I don`t know if you can see the picture. Let`s show that picture of the wedding at Fergie`s wedding.
MCGRADY: The one when she`s coming through the arch?
BEHAR: Yes.
MCGRADY: And Princess Diana`s on the left.
BEHAR: Diana is at the side. She looks as though she doesn`t belong to the family.
MCGRADY: No, in that picture -- I love that picture. And I`m just coming out with my big chef hat on. But I`m actually running out not to wave good-bye to Andrew and Sarah. I`m coming out to talk to Princess Diana and chat with her.
She`s on the other side because that huge horse and cart are coming racing through the arch there, and she doesn`t want to get run over.
BEHAR: I see. All right.
Now, the difference between William and Harry, William is the good son and Harry seems to be rebellious.
MCGRADY: You know, the Princess always said they`ll take care of the heir; I`ve got to take care of the spare. Meaning William is heir to the throne.
BEHAR: He`s the spare?
MCGRADY: And he`s the spare.
BEHAR: That`s a really charming thing to call a child.
MCGRADY: He`s the "just in case".
(CROSSTALK)
MCGRADY: And she always said that, you know, "William`s deep. And William`s and a thinker like his father. Whereas Harry`s like me. He acts on impulse. And if he wants to do something, he`ll just jump straight in and do it."
BEHAR: Well, you know, I have to ask you this question. What`s your opinion on the rumor that Harry is not Charles`s genetic child?
MCGRADY: You know, I just rattled pans in the kitchen.
BEHAR: You`re not going to go there.
MCGRADY: I`m not going to go there on this one.
BEHAR: He suspiciously looks like someone besides Charles.
MCGRADY: But he does look like her sister, though, doesn`t he?
BEHAR: He looks like her sister?
MCGRADY: They think he looks like Sarah, the red hair.
BEHAR: Sarah who? Diana`s sister.
MCGRADY: Yes.
BEHAR: Yes, he looks like Diana`s side. He just doesn`t look like Charles`s side.
Ok. We`ll be right back with a little more on this topic. Stay there.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, star surprises at the royal wedding. Who`s in? Who`s out? 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with former royal chef Darren McGrady. His book is "Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen". And all proceeds from the book go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation. So maybe you want to pick up a copy.
Let`s talk about the Queen. Ok? Not Elton John, the Queen. She`s portrayed in many, many ways -- even in the movie "The Queen", that`s my historical document for that period.
MCGRADY: Yes. And that was an amazing movie. I had goose bumps. I had one of those (INAUDIBLE) reactions when Helen Mirren actually took off her glasses like that and looked. I just shot to attention; she was like Her Majesty. She was incredible in that.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I know.
MCGRADY: Yes. But about the Queen.
BEHAR: She calls her Diana, not Diana, Diana. Is that a British way of pronouncing it?
MCGRADY: I think so, Diana.
BEHAR: No, they say Di-ana. Anyway, what is she like, the Queen? Is she as ice-queeny as we think?
MCGRADY: Well, of course, when you meet here. You think the guests meeting her for the first time, all of these soccer players and dictators that they`re going to be meeting at the wedding, you don`t look the Queen in the eye. You don`t go out and shake hands with her. You don`t put your arm around her and give her a big hug
BEHAR: No.
MCGRADY: In the kitchens, we would actually take three steps back and then turn and walk away from her. But you know, she`s got a great sense of humor.
BEHAR: Well, that`s protocol.
MCGRADY: That`s protocol, yes. But she does have a great sense of humor and you know, she`s very good at impressions.
BEHAR: Really? Who does she do impressions of?
MCGRADY: Well, just people she meets. She`s in East London. All the sort of cockneys. She`ll say oh, "Can I get a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake?"
BEHAR: Really?
MCGRADY: And she`ll do a great impression. Yes.
BEHAR: That`s like "My Fair Lady".
MCGRADY: It is. No, that`s London.
BEHAR: She`ll do impressions. I heard that the Queen Mother was hilarious. Was she?
MCGRADY: The Queen Mother was funny, too, yes. When she had a drink, she was funny.
BEHAR: Oh, they like to drink. Does Elizabeth like to hit and knock down a few, too?
MCGRADY: Well, a Jim and Giovanni. But you know, there will be lots of champagne flying and lots of lemon refresher.
BEHAR: What about Philip? He`s quite the randy guy. He has a reputation of a wandering eye for the ladies, that one.
MCGRADY: Well, I can honestly say, he never wandered towards me.
BEHAR: That`s a whole other conversation.
MCGRADY: But he`s a great cook and he`d love to come into the kitchen and chat.
BEHAR: Why did you leave after Diana left -- died? Why did you leave?
MCGRADY: Because I just felt that I finished at the top. I just felt that, you know, I had worked for Princess Diana. I didn`t want to go and work for Prince Charles. Princess Diana always talked about moving to America. I just thought, I want to go out at the top. She always joked, Darren, we ought to go live in America and I thought I want to go live there.
So I now live in Dallas, Texas. I moved from the palace to Dallas.
BEHAR: And Diana, was she fun?
MCGRADY: Oh, she had a wicked sense of humor. She really did. You know, when she was on her own, she`d come into the kitchen and she`d pull up a chair. She`d have her lunch in the kitchen. And of course, if William and Harry were in there, sometimes Harry would come in or William would come in.
And the princes would go, "Oh, here you are. I`ve been hunting for you everywhere." She`d go, "Look at him, Darren." And then she`d stand next to William and she`d stand there and say, "Look at him, Darren. Look how tall he is. That`s from my side of the family."
BEHAR: She is. Yes, she had a little over here for the other side of the family and correctly so. They never liked her. They pulled a fast one on her. The Queen Mother didn`t like her.
Tell me something before we go. Can I get Kate Middleton a gift? Does she need a dustbuster or something or a crock-pot, a sham wow (ph)? Anything I can get her?
MCGRADY: She needs a chef.
BEHAR: She needs a chef.
(CROSSTALK)
MCGRADY: She needs a chef, yes. Resume.
BEHAR: Ok. I hope you get another job with her.
MCGRADY: Thank you.
BEHAR: Yes, you know.
Ok. Thank you very much, Darren. And we`ll be right back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up next on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, the latest on Donald Trump`s latest birther backlash and why Robert De Niro is calling The Donald crazy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Last night on "Celebrity Apprentice," Donald Trump asked the contestants if they would vote for him for president. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP: Everybody`s saying I should run for president. Let me ask you a question. Meat Loaf, should I run for president?
MEAT LOAF, ACTOR/MUSICIAN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: You would definitely vote for me?
MEAT LOAF: I would vote for you. In fact, I`ll help you with your campaign.
TRUMP: What do you think, Star? You`re a political analyst.
STAR JONES: Of course, I`m here right now ready to roll.
TRUMP: Who would not vote for me? Who would not vote for me? All right, good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t raise your hand.
TRUMP: I would say anybody that raised their hand would immediately be fired because they`re stupid.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: You know, there`s a line that will go down in the annals of American history. Meat Loaf, should I run for president?
Here now to discuss this and other stories in the news, are Nancy Giles, social commentator and contributor for CBS Sunday Morning. Michael McDonald, actor and comedian. And Sarah Bernard, host of "The Thread" on Yahoo!
Don`t you think that Donald really believes that he could fire people who won`t vote for me? He has this in his head, doesn`t he?
NANCY GILES, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR: He`s delusional. You know what it`s like, it`s like how people on sitcoms sometimes think that they`re really funny. They forget that they`re actually reading scripts that somebody wrote. So when they try to do comedy themselves, they, like, bomb like Michael Richards and whatnot.
I mean, I think because he`s doing the show where he has the power to just fire people and whatnot, he`s really begun to be drunk with the idea that for starters, everybody isn`t saying he should run for president. That was a lie.
MICHAEL MCDONALD, COMEDIAN: I love that -- that`s a great opener.
GILES: Everybody says--
(CROSSTALK)
MCDONALD: You know what everyone`s saying. Everyone`s saying I`m great in bed. So apparently it`s true.
(LAUGHTER)
SARAH BERNARD, HOST, THE THREAD ON YAHOO!: And he`s asking kind of a captive audience, right? All these terrified people waiting to be fired. But I feel like this whole birther thing has gotten out of control. Even Mike Bloomberg`s come out and said quit it. And I was thinking Mike Bloomberg also came not from politics, had a lot of his own money, just kind of like Donald Trump. He could almost see himself in him. But even he is saying just quit it. And so is Robert De Niro.
BEHAR: Well, De Niro, let me read you what De Niro said. He said, quote, "don`t go out there and say things unless you can back them up. How dare you, that`s awful to do." Next time Trump gets in a cab, I hope De Niro is not the driver.
MCDONALD: Are you talking to me?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Are you talking to me, Donald? So I wouldn`t want to piss off De Niro, would you?
GILES: No.
BERNARD: I think it`s really interesting because in that interview, De Niro is actually being interviewed by Brian Williams at the Tribeca film festival, and he really only had one-word answers. He was kind of not giving much. But then when it came to this topic and how crazy Donald Trump was, he suddenly lit up and had a ton to say about it. Apparently he`s really passionate.
BEHAR: But then, Michael, listen to the response.
MCDONALD: Do I have a choice?
BEHAR: Well, yes, you do. Trump responded saying De Niro is, quote, "not the brightest bulb on the planet." I bet he knows where Hawaii is, and it`s a state. I bet he knows that. In other words, he answers the criticism with a low-blow insult, doesn`t he?
MCDONALD: Clearly he`s got whole agenda. I just feel like if we`re going to give a presidential nomination to somebody with a television show, it should be Judge Judy.
BEHAR: She would be great.
MCDONALD: She`d be great.
(CROSSTALK)
MCDONALD: She would treat the deficit like she treats everybody where the plaintiff would be the American public. Like (inaudible) secretary who gave money to a guy who didn`t spend it the way he was supposed to. And the defendant would be the federal government, and Judge Judy would say, you know, don`t take a doody on my counter and tell me you made brownies!
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: Say to Gadhafi, do you see stupid over here? It`s true.
GILES: We know all the baby daddies all over the country because of Judge Judy. We would know that, you know?
BEHAR: But isn`t Trump a little defensive? How`s he supposed to handle the presidency if he`s so thin-skinned?
GILES: He`s delusional. It`s beyond thin-skinned. The guy is out of his -- I have met him. OK, for starters, your eyebrows are out of control. Do something, OK? And then what color is your hair, man? And stop saying that you`re wealthy. He`s probably like a thousandaire. You know?
BEHAR: I don`t know about that.
GILES: But you know what`s also forgotten is he started with his dad`s money. He`s not a self-made man.
BEHAR: So was George Bush. What do you think George Bush did?
GILES: Absolutely. But people think that Donald Trump is this, like, you know, self-made millionaire, and he blew through that money and has blown through more. Bad taste in women. You know, I mean, come on. Give me a break.
MCDONALD: But how do you feel?
(LAUGHTER)
GILES: He just bothers me.
BERNARD: Don`t you think this is all for the show? I mean, he has even said that he`s going to have a press conference about whether he`s running or not on the finale of "Celebrity Apprentice."
BEHAR: I know. That`s a little bit weird. But you know, his ratings are dropping a little bit on "Celebrity Apprentice." Do you think people miss Gary Busey?
MCDONALD: I think -- come on. That was the other thing. He asked all those people, 90 percent of the people on that show are insane, which is great casting. I mean, it makes a great show.
BERNARD: To make him look less insane?
(CROSSTALK)
GILES: I was hoping just one person would say, you know what? No, I`m not going to vote for you.
BEHAR: They`re not going to say that. They want the gig.
GILES: I know. I was even hoping, hope against hope, that like -- I had this fantasy that Star Jones would make it to the end and then go, keep your job!
BEHAR: Well, we don`t know. She`s not at the end yet. Maybe she does surprise everybody.
GILES: I doubt it.
BEHAR: Let`s hope.
(CROSSTALK)
MCDONALD: Let`s all just agree to meet and watch the finale together and eat some chocolates and cry.
GILES: I`m busy.
BEHAR: OK. Let`s move on. Mel Gibson has finally broken his silence on the infamous audiotapes that were all the rage last year. In an interview with "Deadline Hollywood," Gibson says that the tapes don`t define them. I`m going to play one of Gibson`s recordings in a minute. But you know, I`ll tell you, the tapes don`t define him. The word psychotic, that defines him, OK? Let`s -- this is what he says. He says that he does not hate people, does not hate women, and he`s not a racist. He said, "I`ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality, period."
MCDONALD: It sounds so natural coming out like that. It`s just how people talk in everyday life.
BEHAR: This is true. What about the anti-Semitic slurs he made when he was arrested in 2006? What about the anti-gay remarks he made in the `90s? What kind of man does that?
GILES: That`s just the alcohol talking. That`s the alcohol and drugs, you know.
BERNARD: Or bipolar. He says he`s bipolar.
GILES: To be excluded, don`t you understand? When you drink and when you do drugs and you say what`s really true, that`s excluded, yes, in court I think you would exclude those remarks.
MCDONALD: Although I would say for me personally, I am terrified that one of my old voice mails is going to be played back publicly. I mean -- glass houses here.
BERNARD: This is completely fascinating and really kudos to the journalists for getting him to talk about all this stuff for "Deadline," because he really has said nothing was off limits.
But one of the most interesting things about this interview is that he has talked on and on about his love for Jodie Foster. Right? She directed him in "The Beaver."
BEHAR: Oh, "The Beaver," yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: This movie that`s coming out.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: And you know what it`s about, right? He communicates with the world through a puppet that`s a beaver. So it`s one of the weirdest movies anyway. But he obviously has got to do this because if he loves Jodie Foster so much, I mean, he has got to save her movie. She`s being put in the strangest position ever.
BEHAR: That`s true.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: Of having him be her star.
BEHAR: She`s backed him up, probably because of "The Beaver."
GILES: Why would she have chosen that movie, "The Beaver?"
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Because "The Squirrel" was already taken.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: But before we go out, because he says that he`s not anti- Semitic, he`s not sexist, and that he`s not anti-gay and he`s not a racist. Let`s just listen once again to one of his tapes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OKSANA GRIGORIEVA: I don`t work around -- I don`t walk -- I don`t walk around in tight clothes. I stay home most of the time.
MEL GIBSON: You go out in public and it`s a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] embarrassment to me. You look like a [EXPLETIVE DELETED, EXPLETIVE DELETED] on heat. And if you get raped by a pack of [EXPLETIVE DELETED], it would be your fault. All right? Because you provoked it. You are provocatively dressed all the time with your fake boobs you feel you have to show off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: His best work since "Braveheart." Anyway, we got that from Radar Online. We`re going to give them credit. OK?
I think we`ve run out of time. I had so many more stories to do. thank you, guys. And if you`re in Ft. Lauderdale area this weekend, catch Michael McDonald at the Improv Friday through Sunday.
We`ll be back in a minute with a look back at a Kennedy romance, America`s version of the royal family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: It`s hard to believe it`s been almost 12 years since we lost John F. Kennedy Jr. in a tragic plane crash. We all remember that day. And one person who misses John greatly is his former girlfriend, Christina Haag who was with him from 1985 to 1990. She`s written a memoir of their time together. It`s called "Come to the Edge." Welcome, Christina, to the show.
CHRISTINA HAAG, AUTHOR: Thank you very much.
BEHAR: The book reads like a love story.
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: It really does. And you got to know him in high school.
HAAG: I did. I did. We met when we were both 15. And I went with another boy from his school who I liked to a party at his mother`s house at 10 45th Avenue. And mother wasn`t home. It was one of those parties. And the boys were on one side of the room, and the girls were on the other. And it sort of stayed that way. But the boys were throwing water balloons and Noxema bombs out the window.
BEHAR: Around Jackie Kennedy`s apartment?
HAAG: In her dining room.
BEHAR: Wow!
HAAG: And one boy was particularly excited about the Noxema bombs, and that was John. And that was how I met him. And ...
BEHAR: John was like that with the Noxema bombs.
HAAG: I`m wondering now if it was -- if he had created the Noxema bomb idea. But for about three months after that, that`s what we did at parties. The boys threw Noxema bombs.
BEHAR: Did you ever meet Jackie at that time?
HAAG: I did.
BEHAR: Was she annoyed at the mess that you made?
HAAG: She -- I don`t think she`s found out about it.
BEHAR: She never found out.
HAAG: No. No.
BEHAR: I see. So, then you went from friends to an actual romantic relationship. At Brown University?
HAAG: No. We ...
BEHAR: Later.
HAAG: We were friends in high school, and then at Brown, we -- our lives passed -- came together again, and we were roommates in a house with three other people. And then ten years after we met, we did a play off Broadway called "Winners." And ...
BEHAR: Really?
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: Oh, you`re an actress.
HAAG: I am an actress.
BEHAR: Aha.
HAAG: And I was going to Juilliard at the time, and he was -- he was sort of deciding what to do. He was working for the city. And he loved theater. He was a terrific actor. And we fell in love doing the play.
BEHAR: That`s nice.
HAAG: It was nice.
BEHAR: Now, that -- you know, he was quite a catch in those days.
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: I mean, family -- the Kennedys, the father, the whole mystique, the Camelot. You know what I mean ...
HAAG: I mean, he would have been a catch even without that. He was ...
BEHAR: Yes, but nevertheless.
HAAG: OK. I`ll trust you. I`ll trust you on that.
BEHAR: It`s a little different if he was taking tolls on the Jersey Turnpike. I mean, he`s a big -- he was a big ...
HAAG: I like those guys, too.
BEHAR: Yes. Well, they can be very cute.
HAAG: I know.
BEHAR: But this is a little bit different.
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: So, were women coming on to him everywhere you went? I mean, how did you handle that?
HAAG: You know, certain things go with the territory. And you fall in love with someone, and that`s just -- people behave in a certain way. But -- yes. It`s not easy when somebody kind of is shoving a number in his hand. But that was just -- that was the way -- that was the way it was at times. And I -- we started going out in 1985. And I think it was 1988, he was -- "People" magazine`s sexiest man.
BEHAR: Yes.
HAAG: And I was with him at that time. I remember, we -- my brother had left the message. "Oh, my god, John`s the sexiest man." And we went by a newsstand. And ...
BEHAR: Did he like that?
HAAG: There are worse things to be called, I think he said.
BEHAR: Yes.
HAAG: But I think it`s a little embarrassment. But after that, the attention from people breaking out to him on the street was different.
BEHAR: Enormous.
HAAG: More. It was -- I remember earlier it would be, like, oh, if he was in the post or something, people would recognize him for a couple days. But he could sort of disappear a bit. But after "People" magazine, he was more out there.
BEHAR: So during that period, you were pretty intimate with him and pretty close, it sounds like.
HAAG: Mm-hmm.
BEHAR: So, first of all, do you know, did he talk about his family a lot?
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: He did?
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: I mean, did he talk about his father`s assassination, or was that too painful for him?
HAAG: I don`t -- we didn`t talk about it, but he did talk about his father. I think his mother made his father very present in his life, even though he had very few memories.
BEHAR: Right.
HAAG: And -- but yes, he talked about his family, yes.
BEHAR: He did.
HAAG: He was very close to them, very, very close to his mother.
BEHAR: Yeah, I mean that must have been traumatic for the boy. I mean and he sees himself on television saluting and that whole thing that we lived through.
HAAG: We didn`t talk about that.
BEHAR: You didn`t talk about any of that?
HAAG: No. No.
BEHAR: Did you talk about the fact that, you know, his family, the men in his family were the big womanizers? Everybody knew it at that point.
HAAG: We didn`t talk about that either.
BEHAR: Marilyn Monroe. What did you talk about?
HAAG: What can you talk about?
BEHAR: See, this is why I can`t ...
HAAG: The present.
BEHAR: I can`t go out with famous men, because I would interrogate them. You kept it nice.
HAAG: I kept it nice.
BEHAR: Yes.
HAAG: I don`t know. What did we do? We would -- oh, this is a little -- we were -- when we went camping, he was very romantic. And when we went camping -- I think it was his idea, not mine. But I can`t remember. He would -- we would always bring poetry. And if -- sometimes I would be doing a play or a film somewhere else. And he`d say remember to bring poetry book, and we`d go hiking. And then we`d read poetry to each other around the campfire. I loved that.
BEHAR: Well, that was ...
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: ... Jackie`s influence because ...
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: Carolyn was on my show a couple of weeks ago. And she -- she has a poetry -- a lot of poetry books.
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: And she and her mother were very close. Tell me about Jackie.
HAAG: We were close. She was -- I knew I was very, very lucky to get to know her. She was very encouraging of me and of many of his friends. And she could -- I remember at her table in Martha`s Vineyard, she was such a great hostess. And she got -- if someone was shy, she could bring them out.
BEHAR: Really?
HAAG: And get them to tell a great story. And she was always, you know, oh, Christina, your hair looks so -- oh, what did you do with your hair? Oh, the dress is lovely.
BEHAR: Nice.
HAAG: She was really curious about young people. And I think that`s what kept her young.
BEHAR: Have you seen the mini-series "The Kennedys" at all?
HAAG: I haven`t.
BEHAR: You haven`t. I was wondering if you thought that Katie Holmes depicted her accurately or not.
HAAG: I haven`t seen it.
BEHAR: You haven`t seen it.
HAAG: I haven`t seen it.
BEHAR: Well, the Kennedy family doesn`t -- they don`t approve of it. They don`t like the idea that they did it. They don`t ...
HAAG: Have you seen it?
BEHAR: Yes, I saw about three episodes.
HAAG: What did you think?
BEHAR: Well, I was there. I know everything.
HAAG: Yes. OK.
BEHAR: I know everything. I don`t think they made grandfather Joe look very good, but then again, he wasn`t very nice.
HAAG: OK.
BEHAR: Yes, he wasn`t.
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: Now, let me just talk to you about when he got married. So, you broke up with him.
HAAG: Mm-hmm.
BEHAR: Or he broke up. How was that?
HAAG: Sort of ...
BEHAR: Mutual?
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: You moved in different directions?
HAAG: We moved in different directions.
BEHAR: And then a few years later he married Carolyn Bessette.
HAAG: Six.
BEHAR: Six years later. So, just tell me, I mean you dated the guy, on the day that you found out he was getting married to her, how did that make you feel?
HAAG: Well, I remember I was in Penn Station, and I was doing a play. And I had to -- in New Jersey. And we were going out for a tack rehearsal, which is very long rehearsal. And I think at some point that day I had a cry. It wasn`t that -- I think it was just knowing that an end that had already happened, you experience it again.
BEHAR: Mm-hmm.
HAAG: And so yes, it was painful. But I also, at the same time, was happy that he was able to take that step ...
BEHAR: Yes.
HAAG: ... and he had found someone to do it with.
BEHAR: I mean, I read in the book about a kayaking experience you had with him ...
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: ... where you felt that -- or he -- I think you felt -- you must have -- that he was kind of reckless. Yes?
HAAG: No. I have never used that word.
BEHAR: No?
HAAG: No. I think of him -- I think of him as adventurous and fun. And in fact, many friends who have read the book, friends of his, mutual friends of ours, have said, you know, reading it, it`s like -- it`s bringing back that adventurous, curious, funny, terrific friend and person that he was that we miss.
BEHAR: So you were not scared when he ...
HAAG: Yes, I was scared.
BEHAR: You were scared?
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: OK. All right.
HAAG: It was scary.
BEHAR: And I also love after the kayaking accident ...
HAAG: Yes.
BEHAR: .... that he had, he said to you, don`t tell Mommy. Don`t tell Mommy. Is that ...
HAAG: Well, we were -- well, we were in shock.
BEHAR: He called her Mommy? Like the Brits.
HAAG: He called her Mommy. He did.
BEHAR: That`s interesting. And ...
HAAG: It was sweet.
BEHAR: Yes. I guess so. He -- She was very close to her children.
HAAG: Very.
BEHAR: Jackie. We have respect for her.
HAAG: Wonderful mother.
BEHAR: Her children turned out very well. And Caroline is certainly a great girl.
HAAG: She is.
BEHAR: Yes. Well, thanks for sharing.
HAAG: Thank you so much for having me.
BEHAR: OK. Her book is called "Come to the Edge", a memoir. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: As the host of Bravo`s "Watch What Happens Live," Andy Cohen asks the probing questions while getting his guests liquored up. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY COHEN, HOST, WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE: Cynthia W. wants to know where you get your bras?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Child, anywhere I can! These are 38DD! And they`re real!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: I get my bras at Home Depot. Joining me now is Andy Cohen, who also just happens to be Bravo`s executive vice president. Andy ...
COHEN: How are you?
BEHAR: You`re such a big muckety-muck these days.
COHEN: I do. Just want to say -- that was one of our drunkier episodes.
BEHAR: Yeah.
COHEN: I mean, they were so lit up, Regina King and Jacke (ph).
BEHAR: I see that.
COHEN: Yes, they were really -- typically my guests are not as liquored up.
BEHAR: Oh, really?
COHEN: No, but I mean -- we do so ...
BEHAR: The housewives of New Jersey more demure than that?
COHEN: Yes. Yes, actually. Yes.
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: We do serve cocktails to our guests because we`re live after 11. And so ...
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: We think that`s appropriate. But Jerry Seinfeld drank coffee, and I was so irritated with him for drinking coffee, and he said I`m working right now. I said this is -- you work? Is this work?
BEHAR: You know, when you`re a comedian, you can`t drink alcohol ...
COHEN: Right.
BEHAR: Because then you`re not sharp.
COHEN: Right.
BEHAR: He knows what he`s doing.
COHEN: Yes. Yes. He does.
BEHAR: Now, your show averages 1.6 million viewers. It beats "Conan" a lot.
COHEN: It`s -- we`re doing well right now. Yes.
BEHAR: Do you think maybe they should have given you that time slot?
COHEN: No, I do not. No, I absolutely do not. Thank God, no.
BEHAR: No?
COHEN: No, no, no, no.
BEHAR: But that`s good. Congratulations for that.
COHEN: Thank you. It`s going great. It`s really fun.
BEHAR: Yes. But you know, I understand you oversee 346 hours of reality programming.
COHEN: Yes. All on Bravo, yes. So ...
BEHAR: What`s the secret of reality program? What is the secret?
COHEN: Well, what works for us are, you know, big characters doing kind of interesting things that are, you know, with kind of addictive story telling, I think. And I think that our docu series are well put together and I think that the people you see on the shows are just big characters that people fall in love with. And I think ...
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: You know what I think? I think you`re going to ask me about the housewives and you`re going to try to jam me or something, and what I want to say is ...
BEHAR: No, I`m not. I have them here all the time.
COHEN: I know.
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: But what I want to say is, I think people start watching the housewives for one reason. I think they think, oh, my God, what is this and then they start saying wait a minute, I like her, I love to hate her ...
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: ... this one`s relatable.
BEHAR: It`s like "The View."
COHEN: It`s like "The View." Exactly.
BEHAR: Yes. Except that we don`t fight or tear each other`s hair out in the same manner.
COHEN: You don`t?
BEHAR: No. No!
COHEN: You have large disagreements.
BEHAR: That`s different from ...
COHEN: You don`t pull each other`s wigs.
BEHAR: I`m going -- I`m going to pull your eyes out! I`m going ...
COHEN: They don`t ...
BEHAR: We don`t do that.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: On all of our housewives shows, there`s not wig pulls on every housewives show that we do.
BEHAR: No, but there`s always really major scary arguments that go on. They`re in each other`s faces.
COHEN: Yes, there are sometimes.
BEHAR: Right.
COHEN: It`s also very fun. I would like to see you pull Elizabeth`s wig occasionally.
BEHAR: She doesn`t wear a wig.
COHEN: No, I know she`s ...
BEHAR: Sherri wears a wig.
COHEN: Sherri does. I know. Sherri wears a multitude ...
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: A rainbow of wigs.
BEHAR: A plethora.
COHEN: I know.
BEHAR: I enjoy her wigs.
COHEN: I know. We all do, we love her.
BEHAR: Yes.
COHEN: OK.
BEHAR: You can see Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens" live royal wedding special Thursday night at 11.
COHEN: Yeah, we`re doing a special Thursday night.
BEHAR: So will we, Friday night.
COHEN: Great.
BEHAR: It will be a lot of fun. Good night, everybody.
END
