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Ricki Lake captured Americans’ hearts as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters’ “Hairspray.” And then she did it again on her talk show in the 90s – all before turning 25. From living in a 400 sq. ft pool house to making bank hosting her talk show, Ricki has seen a lot. In this episode, she talks about where her early money went, and how she nearly lost it all. Plus, why she invested in bitcoin, what she learned from two highly publicized divorces, and how she survived it all to live her dream life in Malibu with her husband Ross.

This series was created in partnership with Flourish Ventures, an early-stage global investment firm backing mission-driven entrepreneurs and industry influencers working toward a fair financial system for all. Learn more at flourishventures.com.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Ricki Lake, X Mayo

X Mayo  00:04

Welcome back to The Dough, a podcast that’s the link larkin to your Tracy […]. I’m your host. X Mayo, who else remembers watching Hairspray? I’m talking about the OG Hairspray by John Waters with divine and Ricki Lake. Seeing Ricki Lake play Tracy Turnblad was life changing for me as a kid, because I’d never seen a plus sized girl on TV who got to be the main character and get the guy. I also grew up on Ricki Lake and her talk show in the 90s. The people on that show were wild, because why was I seeing a wig snatch on national television at my tender, young age? But Ricki was always so sweet, fashionable and relatable, it always felt like she could be your best friend or your nosy next door neighbor. So it’s a dream come true that Ricky said yes to coming on the dough. Ricki is an icon, of course, but before that, she was just a normal girl from a middle class family in the suburbs of New York. Hairspray launched her into stardom, and she played major roles in the movies, crybaby and serial mom. Then at 24 years old, she became the youngest person ever at the time to host a TV show. Her show, Ricki Lake, was ahead of its time and really targeted young people in a way no other show was doing. Ricki has also executive produced two documentaries, we the people and the business of being born. So as you can probably tell, Ricky leg is an open book. I’m so excited to hear what she’s learned about money over the years, from being Tracy Turnblad to where she is now living her best life in Malibu. I know that’s right, Ricki, welcome to The Dough.

 

Ricki Lake  03:11

Hi X, I’m so happy to be here. I have no idea what’s gonna come out of my mouth, but I found out I know his mystery.

 

X Mayo  03:19

I am so fucking, Can I cuss with you, Ricki?

 

Ricki Lake  03:22

Yeah.

 

X Mayo  03:23

Okay, cool, cool. I am so fucking excited to talk to you, because, first of all, you are baked into my childhood. I have been watching you since I was eight, I think.

 

Ricki Lake  03:37

Some might say too young.

 

X Mayo  03:38

So listen, I learned, baby. We’re gonna get into some of these guests. They were, they were baked into my brain, and I just remember the first time, like hearing about sex and affairs and then using those terms, like on the playground, thinking that was wrong, but like you, Jenny Jones, Sally, Jesse, Raphael, and then Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. That was my block. What a […] What a combo.

 

Ricki Lake  04:02

I wasn’t expecting that last one.

 

X Mayo  04:03

Yeah, and then you have to, you gotta bookend it, you know. Okay, so we’re gonna get a little icebreaker, correct, and Ricki to start this show off. So you are coming up on your third anniversary with your husband, Ross. You guys are so freaking cute. Can you let us know what your ideal getaway would look like, like, where are you guys flying first class to?

 

Ricki Lake  04:22

Okay, our getaway is to stay put. I mean, I know it sounds like a dumb answer, but like me, I live in this very special place that I built, you know, I built with my lat, with my last partner, who passed away, and so I found this property. It’s on top of a mountain in Malibu. It’s overlooking the we have like a 270, degree view of the ocean and the mountains, and it’s literally in paradise. And so the two of us, you know, we met during COVID. This is a long winded answer, but you asked, so I’m going to tell yes, no. Great to me. We met and fell in love. Literally. Our four year anniversary of falling in love is Halloween of this year. And so we. Our whole beginning of our relationship was, was, you know, lockdown, you know, we were, we were getting to know each other and falling in love. So we are home bodies anyway, together we and so we I this house was being built when we met, he moved in with me on Valentine’s Day of 2021, we got engaged that day.

 

X Mayo  05:17

Guys, come on.

 

Ricki Lake  05:19

We got married on our property.

 

X Mayo  05:21

Wrote this love story.

 

Ricki Lake  05:23

I know it’s the best. So we are paradise is staying here. We’ve never gone on a honeymoon. We travel very little because we like to be home. And whenever we leave, we go to these beautiful places. We can’t wait to come back home. So I feel that’s that’s it. We’re going to New York for Thanksgiving. My children live in New York. We’re going to be with them, but honest, I want to see some theater. My couple of friends are in shows, so I’m, I’m going to do that. But really, I’m good right here.

 

X Mayo  05:48

No no, Ricki, I feel you. This last birthday that I had, I told everyone to come to my favorite boxing workout class. And then after some friends came by, bought me uh, gifts, flowers and food, and then I made tacos and watched love Island. That sounds like heaven, I don’t know. As you get older, and to me, Ricki, every year is my year. You know, I had, I’ve had a birthday party every year, like my friends before I moved to New York and I became very, very broke. They were like, oh my god, X like, I remember your parties, like, because I don’t believe that. Oh, Sweet 16, or when you’re 21 No, every year is my year. Every month is my month. Every day is my day.

 

Ricki Lake  06:25

How old are you and when is your birthday?

 

X Mayo  06:28

I have 37 years, and my birthday is July, 27.

 

Ricki Lake  06:30

Okay, so you’re Leo?

 

X Mayo  06:33

Okay, yes, and I’m a double Leo.

 

Ricki Lake  06:35

Okay, I just turned 56 about almost a month ago, and I’m a Virgo. I love such a Virgo. Women are great. I have to say they are, you are, yeah, thank you. Thank you. And I love my birthday. I love getting older. I love like, who I am, I am. I’m so much cooler now than I was when I did that show, you know, like, I just think the life experience and the gratitude that I have for, like, my body feeling good, and my my beautiful romance, and my children growing and thriving, and the career I’ve had, like, I’m all good with, like, today, right?

 

X Mayo  07:15

Yeah, aging is a luxury, and I pray that for everyone, you know, for everyone to do it. And so let’s get into the question that I asked all my guests. You know, this show is called the dough. We talked all about the money, baby. So where the hell did your money go this week?

 

Ricki Lake  07:31

Both my husband and I love a sale. We love a bargain. Like, I almost won’t buy. I won’t pay full price, and maybe that’s because I’ve been poor, like, I know what it’s like to not have money and and so to see both of us just, just, you know, both of us don’t come from money. We don’t come from, like, a nepotism situation or a handout. I mean, he’s really, like, created his own situation and from the bottom, yeah, I mean, yeah, I would say, I mean, lower middle class, middle class. I was from a middle class, you know, my dad was a pharmacist, my mother was a homemaker, and so, yeah, so both of us appreciate the value of $1 and you know, we do fly first class because someone told us all right. We heard somewhere that if you don’t fly first class, your your children will, meaning it’s going to be left to the kids. And so if you don’t like, take advantage of like, especially at our age. At our age, my husband’s six foot six, you know, we at for the most part, don’t fly coach anymore, because, like, we just pay that money whatever it costs to fly business or first, because.

 

X Mayo  08:38

Ricki, everybody has their luxury. For me, it’s food, flights and fun, you know when it comes to that, I’m willing to splurge. I don’t buy bags, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I but it’s like accommodations, you fucking right? I want a soft ass bed. You want? I want thread count, right? I want a thick ass robe. I want to sit here. I want to view absolutely.

 

Ricki Lake  09:01

Yeah I mean, you know, my story with money is really an interesting one, because, like I said, I didn’t grow up with money per se. I mean, we don’t poor, like, I don’t want paint the picture that we were struggling to eat. And so then I made all this money after I did hairspray when I was 18, and when I when I did hairspray, I was 18 years old, it got me from not having to go back to go back to college, which I was desperate to not have to go back. And I was making scale, scale plus 10, which was like literally, on a Hairspray. I made $20,000 that summer, and it was like more money, like I thought I was rich. I was so excited. And then I went on to work a lot from 18 to 21 I did cry baby. I did a show called China beach. I bought a house when I was, I think, 20 years old, I bought a house which I had no business, and I lost all my money in that house that had the housing.

 

X Mayo  09:48

Okay Let’s get into that.

 

Ricki Lake  09:50

I basically made between 18 and 21 I made about $200,000 and I had a business manager at the time that said, you need to buy a house like you need to invest. That money, and I listened to him, and I put all of it into a house. And this, you know, I was single, I was a virgin, I was like, I didn’t have a lifestyle to support. And I bought this house. I’ll never forget. It was $719,000 and it was in the Hollywood Hills, you know. So I put all of the money I’d earned into this house. And then the housing market crashed in 1989 I am dating myself. So basically, and I was on a show called China Beach, an amazing show, and I was a season regular. I did the third season, and then they did not pick up my option as an actor, you know, every year they pick up your option. And so I had this huge mortgage, and I had this, you know, this big nut that I did had no business having to pay because it was just me. And I lost the house. It was foreclosed, and so I lost all my investment. And I was basically, I mean, it’s going around. I was on my podcast talking about how I was homeless. Yes, there was a short time that I didn’t know where I was going to live, and I was scrambling. I was not living out of my car. It was not as dramatic as the press. Tried to pick it up, but it was very, very scary and very humbling and an amazing life lesson that I learned. In the end. It ended up being, actually a pretty inexpensive life lesson. I did lose all that money, and I moved into a pool house. You live in LA right, north of victory. It was way out from where all my friends lived. You know it was I lived in a pool house. So, like, I lived behind a house in a little tiny it was like 400 square feet, and that was at the time when I didn’t have a job. My agent wouldn’t really call me back being cute and fat didn’t really work for me anymore. And so I kind of, you know, looked at my life and I kind of realized the only thing that I can control right now is, is how I take care of my body, and I need to make a trend. I need to, like, have a new gimmick. This wasn’t working anymore, and so I went on a crash diet, and I kind of, like, starved myself, for lack of a better description, and I lost 100 pounds in a very short amount of time. And it was during that time that I got a phone call from a friend of a friend of a friend that were looking, they were looking for a young talk show host. Would I come in and meet with these people? And I didn’t even know how to take it seriously. Like, is this for real? Like, I’m so young. I was 23 and I went and met these three really handsome gay guys. One of them was, I think, Stuart Krause. I was Garn sear, Charles Dabney Perez, Oh, Kevin Makowski, those were the three, and I flirted with them, and, you know, and they, and they just picked me, I mean, it was one of those things, like, it was on the Fox lots. I’m like, okay, maybe this is legit. And they and I, and when they offered me, they said, We want you to do the pilot. I said, Okay, I’ll do it for $5,000 Like, I literally needed my rent paid, and my rent was $550 at that time. I can’t believe I can pull these numbers out of my ass, but I was, like, desperate for the job, and it just was the right thing at the right time. And it literally got me, like, I mean, it opened every door. It moved me to New York, but, yeah, that was like, the road to like, you know, getting out of debt. I owed my parents a lot of money, because at that time with my mortgage, I got a second mortgage on that house before it was foreclosed, I owed the bank all that money so I was able to repay all my debt, and from that point on, every piece of property I bought I paid cash for, including the home I live in now, my new business manager who saved me. I mean, he was incredible, Howard Boris. He was an incredible father figure to me, and helped me with when I got married and got me to have a prenup, and, you know, like all these things that protected me along the way. And, you know, I definitely have an understanding of the value of money, the value of $1 I still not comfortable with money, like having money and not having money, it’s like, the same. I do have issues like, not issues. I mean, it’s like, it’s just, you know, challenge, it’s I it’s just, it’s not something I’m easy, easy with, you know, like, it’s so hard to, like, wrap my head around, can I afford that? Or, you know, it’s just, and I’m with my husband now, who’s, like, frugal and, like I said earlier, and so the two of us, we just, you know, we live a very privileged life, like, I’m not gonna lie, like I am so grateful that I live this certain lifestyle, this home is such a sanctuary that I’ve created. I manifested this. Every dollar I earned went into this where I live and the life I live now, and I don’t take it for granted.

 

X Mayo  16:23

The thing is you know, that right now our industry is very bleak post strike. This is something that I just figured what happened. Because I was like, the powers that be are mad that the little guys actually, like, you know, stood up. So I didn’t think that this year was going to be easy breezy. So right now, a lot of us, you know, are experiencing the weight of, you know, loss and grief of, kind of, maybe the rose colored glasses that we had for the industry, I know, for somebody like myself, I’ve, you know, accumulated, um, mid sized level, uh, industry standard, you know, roles and stuff like that.

 

Ricki Lake  17:34

Like, you have your sag insurance paid, your health insurance is paid? No, yeah. So I didn’t qualify this year for because I don’t work as an actor very much, if at all, and so, but my goal is always to make that whatever it is. I think it’s $35,000 in your union to get the good, the really good health insurance. I didn’t qualify this year, so I’m doing Cobra.

 

X Mayo  17:53

The question that I’m getting to is that you have experienced like, you know, rags to riches and then back to, you know, riches to rags, and back and forth. So what advice do you have for listeners? Because it’s not even just for those of us in the entertainment industry. I mean, any all industries, tech, like, everybody’s getting laid off. So I just think that it would just be very helpful, like we try to give some sense of solace to our listeners here on the show.

 

Ricki Lake  18:20

Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if I’m the best person to give advice, because I feel like I got really lucky and, well, maybe, okay, maybe like, like, for me personally, like, I managed to really stay true to myself. Like, I’ve never, like, wavered on my, like, my integrity. Like, I think there’s one job that I took in my career that I took it solely for the money, and yes, I made a lot of money on it, but it was a nightmare, and I would never, I’ve swore that would never do that again. So let me think. Let me think advice for like, people struggling. I mean, relying on your your your people, you know, asking for help, I guess, community, community, like knowing you’re not alone, because that’s, I mean, you know, I’ve had other issues besides financial like, where, you know, mental health stuff with a loved one. I lost my partner to suicide and bipolar disorder, and that was such a lonely Thank you. It was such a lonely grief period, like, it just feels like, like it’s only happening to you. And I think community is really important. But it is, like, a dire time. I’m seeing a lot of stuff. I have these basically just discovered Tiktok, like, very recently. Like, I know I’m crazy. I’m like, years behind on everything, and I’m now obsessed with it. And I’m seeing all this content about Hollywood, the state of this business. And you know that they’re moving them, not only out of this, out of the State of the State of California, they’re moving them out of the out of the country because, you know, they, Oh yes, tax breaks. And it’s just, I, my heart goes out to all the people, all the crew, you know, I was out there picketing when the strike was happening, and all these people that are out of work now, it’s, it’s horrible. It’s horrible. And I’m so, I’m so lucky that. Not reliant on, on working in that, in that area, you know, for me.

 

X Mayo  20:05

Yeah, anymore, yeah. I think too, um, for me, it’s like, I saw a video essay where, during the Great Depression, everybody was, like, on news and in the trades, and the newspaper was, like, Hollywood’s ending, it’s over. There’s no money. Holly was, you know, so I think, and then, as you see, it came back around, you know, everything ended up being fine. So I think knowing that this has happened before, and everybody was in a tizzy, and everybody thought the industry was dying, and it’s over, and Hollywood’s no more, and then it came back around, kind of gives me some a bit of solace. But I have to hold on to my resilience. I always say the joy of the Lord is my strength. If I have no joy, I have no strength. So I know it’s a fight every day, but I agree with you, plugging into your community could be the best thing. And I think you are representation of, you know, it gets really bad before it gets really good, you know, like, I literally was about to move back home. Had 69 cents in my account. I was about to move back home from New York to LA, and then I got the daily show that Monday.

 

Ricki Lake  21:12

Really?

 

X Mayo  21:13

Yeah. I went into interview with Trevor Noah. I had to ask my mom to use her debit card because I was going to have to hop the train to get there. And it was the day of the Kavanaugh hearing, I would never forget, September 28 2018 yeah.

 

Ricki Lake  21:25

Wow.

 

X Mayo  21:26

Yeah.

 

Ricki Lake  21:27

And so you did it for three years.

 

X Mayo  21:29

Yes, 2018 and 2021.

 

Ricki Lake  21:30

So you did it during the during COVID, like.

 

X Mayo  21:32

Oh my god Ricki, there was definitely a time, especially being a black woman, I was like, I need a mental health. I need a few mental health days, like, at the height of like, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, ahmaud arbery, and then having to cover it, and then no one at Daily Show, like, made me feel like I had to, but I just felt the responsibility. Of, like, what is the show’s POV on the injustice and the murdering of black people during this time, but I’m having to come up with, not necessarily jokes, but maybe takes, but I’m also processing. And then there’s a fucking tank going up and down my goddamn street. You know?

 

Ricki Lake  22:17

Wow, that’s so intense.

 

X Mayo  22:19

Yeah, so I There are days I just didn’t have it, like I would just look at that, look at that Doc, and I just, I was just crying. My brother was living with me, so I have a young black boy sitting across from me on this couch, and I’m looking at him and worried about his life. And we want to take little walks. And although we live in a very, you know, California, quote, unquote progressive, you know, but I’m still nervous, you know, these tanks are going up and down my street, you know. So it was a very difficult time. I will say, Trevor was very kind. The whole staff was very, you know, supportive. When I was like, guys, I needed, I needed some days.

 

Ricki Lake  22:52

Can I add something? Because it just made me think of something. I mean, it’s not the same. But for me, I was doing my show, as in, the height of my talk show, when 911 happened. So a different a different thing, but that experience of literally watching it happen firsthand. I lived downtown, and I watched the plane hit the second plane hit the building, and I left my show. From that experience, like I had to finish my contract. It’s not like I quit my show, but I didn’t renew. I we did not continue my 11 I did an 11 year run, and I made the decision to move to California and to start like I did, a lot of soul searching, what, where can I be impactful? And I, you know, I found, yes, the talk show was an incredible platform. I’m super proud of it. It would laid the foundation for this audience that’s very loyal to me and knows I’m not full of shit. They can trust me. They can relate to me. But it’s that experience that caused me to really find my purpose, what I consider to be my life’s purpose, which is the documentaries I make, particularly the one I made about birth, the business of being born. My first documentary, which I funded myself, I couldn’t get a company. I couldn’t get anybody on board. Abby, I’ve seen my partner and I, my Director and Partner, she and I. It was $450,000 in my own money. It was almost four years in the making. But, like, my point is, because you were saying, you know, having to go to work and do what you do with what was happening with George Floyd, all of that same thing. I had to go to work. I mean, I was doing these insipid at the time, it seemed very, very silly to be doing these topics after what was happening to our city, into the world, and it was crazy, but.

 

X Mayo  24:28

Yeah, but you also have a job to do. You’re holding multiple things at one time. And then also, like, you had your two sons.

 

Ricki Lake  24:35

And I had 200 people on staff. We had, you know, it was a lot.

 

X Mayo  24:41

What I’m curious to talk to you about, Ricki is, when you were raising your two sons and you had the show, were you the breadwinner? Or how? What was that dynamic?

 

Ricki Lake  24:51

A 1,000,000% I was.

 

X Mayo  24:53

Okay, yeah, and then how did you navigate that? Did that affect the marriage? Was there a lot of like.

 

Ricki Lake  24:58

It was less about. Money. Like, the resentment was let because it was really ridiculous. It’s like, funny money, the money I was making, like, who could compare with like I was making millions of dollars a year, like, you know, the disparity. It’s just like, you know, that wasn’t the issue. It was more like, the, I don’t know, the stuff that needed to be handled. Like, I just felt like I was doing everything and, and, you know, yeah, it definitely, I guess money, money is a weird thing. But like I said, it’s like I had no money when I started the show, oh my god. I was making $15,000 a week. Like that is like, more like, oh my God. But then in relation to what I ended up making, it was like, That was nothing. That was a drop in the bucket to what I mean, I my show was so successful that I’ve said this publicly before, the show out of the gate was such a huge phenomenon that they my bosses at Sony. Sony, it was tell what was it called? Fuck, I can’t think of the name of the division. They gave me a bonus of a half a million dollars at the end of the first season. Like, as a wow, like, that was crazy.

 

X Mayo  26:00

Yeah, and that’s crazy today. So that was crazy. It was crazy.

 

Ricki Lake  26:04

I recognize it was crazy, yeah. And so, like, was money a part of my demise of my marriage, maybe but.

 

X Mayo  26:11

Because the thing is, Ricki, I don’t know if you saw there was an article about women that were giving their like, uh, testimony and experiences of being the breadwinner in the family. And these were women of different races, and they were talking about the level of emasculation that their male partners felt right, and the emotional gymnastics that they had to play into. Like one of them, she was saying how she was felt like she was being punished. She was like, well, since you make more money, you know, I should be able to do this and this and this and that. And he like, you know, I don’t, he didn’t force her, but he, like, heavily, demanded, you know, that she pay for him to, you know, you did play basketball, join all these leagues, do his video games and they and it was kind of like that was him rebelling against it. And then, I don’t know, it takes a very secure man in this patriarchal society to feel really secure that a woman makes more money than you and you’re fine with, you know, doing other tasks that are traditionally put under a woman’s responsibilities and roles. And that’s my thing. I think that’s why I say fuck the patriarchy, because I’m just like, people who like to cook should cook. It’s not the woman. People who do laundry should do the laundry. People who go to get the like, I don’t even think a man has to be like, You be the mechanic and you go change a tire, take it to the damn mechanic. I don’t need like, you know that we have Task Rabbit, like, what is this? All this is made up?

 

Ricki Lake  27:44

Yeah, no, I and I think it’s changing. I just had on my podcast yesterday, I had this woman, Liz Lenz, who wrote this book. She’s, she’s amazing, all about, like, the positives of divorce. Like, she did not want to be stuck in the role of the traditional mom who does all the, cook does everything, basically. And so she was fascinating, actually. And I think the point you brought up about the emasculating factor of men when the woman is more successful, I think, you know, that was probably an issue in my the demise of my first marriage, for sure. I think the more successful I got, the smaller he felt, you know, and having kids is really hard. It was just Yeah. But with my new husband, you know, my third and last and favorite husband, Ross, you know, it’s not an issue. I mean, we had to go and do our, like, our living will, you know, we had to do, we had to be grown ups when we were getting married and like, we didn’t even know what our financials were, you know, we did. I didn’t. He doesn’t know what he’s he feels the same way about money. He’s like, he’s glad he doesn’t really have to worry about it, but he doesn’t really know what exactly he has, you know, and I’m the same way. And it was like the spreadsheets and looking at it for the first time, and it’s like, he’s a man, and he knows, like, what he brings to the table. He Yes, I have more my money situations. I had that show, come on, but it’s like, it’s healthy. It’s a non issue. We have been together now, like I said, almost four years. We have never had a fight. We’ve never had an argument like nothing. We don’t have children living with us. We have six kids between us. They are grown and out of the house. Money that we don’t fight. It is the best. I got divorced, you know, a long, long, a long time ago, and he did 10 years ago. But like the new marriage, we’re in our 50s. We found each other in our early 50s. It’s the best.

 

X Mayo  31:22

So I’m curious to know about, like, your approach to finances today, because a little birdie told me that you were tweeting about Bitcoin at one point. So, oh yeah, it’s like, okay, was she on the ground floor? Were you like an early investor?

 

Ricki Lake  31:36

I got in and 2016 is when I started, Bitcoin was $3,000 when I started, and, yeah, my husband joked that I’m the, you know, I’m his Bitcoin wife. I’m doing fine. I’m not I’m holding I’m H O, yeah, H O, D, L, holding on for dear life. I’ve gone through all the ups and downs I I got really into it, because when my partner, Christian passed away, I was desperate to to get into something other than my grief, like something that I could focus on and learn, not that I learned a lot. I learned a little bit about blockchain, and I was in that, you know, with Brock Pierce and all these, like crypto people and, you know, did I buy some coins I shouldn’t have? Yeah, did I invest in things? You know, I kind of was going through so much grief at that time that I really didn’t have any business getting in so deep. But it was nominal, considering, you know, my portfolio, but I did start investing. I’m very happy with my bitcoin investment, and, yeah, I’m keeping it, you know, it’ll probably end up going to my kids, I would imagine. But I believe in blockchain. I believe in, like, a decentralized way of currency existing. I think they’re still figuring it out, obviously, with the regulations and stuff. I mean, there’s so much I don’t know, but it was exciting. It was really exciting to be around all these crazy nerds. Okay, you talk about underdogs. I would go to these conferences, and they’re like, Ricki Lake, what the hell are you doing here? And I’m with these, basically, these, like gamers. They were all these, like nerdy, like smelly gamers, you know, like, yeah, and I’m in Vegas with these guys, and I’m co hosting a party with this guy. I mean, it was, it was, it was crazy.

 

X Mayo  33:18

Now, what is that Doc?

 

Ricki Lake  33:22

That doc, back it was wild, and I went to Puerto Rico back when they all were like, moving there for taxes to avoid paying taxes. I didn’t move to Puerto Rico, but I did, you know, go to a crypto conference there and met a lot of people, you know. Yeah, I’m not, I’m no longer like in that world, but I, you know, and I forget to even check it, but it’s like, it’s exciting, you know, it’s exciting thing, and we’ll see what happens with that. But I’m no.

 

X Mayo  33:47

Yes on that, yes. So Ricki, I have my last question, unfortunately, because I could talk to you for two more hours.

 

Ricki Lake  33:53

This is fun. I hope I didn’t like say too much. I don’t think.

 

X Mayo  33:57

Oh, my God, what you said? Everything we wanted. And then, okay, so if I give you $100 give you $100 Ricki, what are you what do you think is the best way to spend that $100 in your opinion?

 

Ricki Lake  34:08

I mean, it depends, like, if it’s on a blackjack table, put it on red, you know, Harry or roulette wheel, 21 baby 21 I don’t know, it depends on the circumstances. I mean, like, you know, I’ve also, I would give it to charity, you know, like, I am, like, starting my like, a foundation, like I’m putting money to decide I’m gonna start some kind of foundation with money, and right now, I just do it through, like, a donor fund, like I give to certain things I support the areas in women’s reproductive health and black maternal health. And, you know, I mean, all the animals, dogs. I mean, my thing is, I want to have a dog sanctuary like the Asher house. There’s this guy on on Instagram. I’m, yeah, so these are, these are goals, and I’m like, dabbling and figuring out how to do that.

 

X Mayo  34:58

Okay, Ricki, what? Got this, what is the most that you’d be willing to spend on a very good meal?

 

Ricki Lake  35:05

Oh, any amount of money.

 

X Mayo  35:06

Okay, same I’m a foodie.

 

Ricki Lake  35:07

Oh, I am too. I so the most expensive meal I ever paid for was up in Napa area. I forget the Healdsburg. I think it was. It was called single thread farm. It is like a 14 course, it’s beyond French Laundry. In my my opinion, even though I’ve never been to French Laundry, it’s Yeah, so it’s an experience. And I think it was like, it was like 1400 it was like $800 a person, $700 a person. It was worth every penny it was, but I don’t do that often. I don’t do that.

 

X Mayo  35:39

No, but I’m just, I can’t wait to go. I like, if I’m in another country or something like that, that’s like an experience. Like, I can’t wait to go to Japan, because there’s this, like, really bougie place that’s very, like, ceremonial and it’s all about teas. And, like, you have to, like, smell certain herbs, and then you sit a specific way, and then they bring in the tea, then you have to chase the tea with this type of honey. Like, I love an experience. I love a pop and circumstance, honey. I love a show.

 

Ricki Lake  36:07

Yeah, I dying to go to Japan. Actually, we were just talking about it.

 

X Mayo  36:11

Yes, my brother and I gonna go next year. Go, when the when the Japanese cherry blossoms bloom.

 

Ricki Lake  36:15

Know that’s a great, yeah, I’m gonna put that on the list.

 

X Mayo  36:19

Okay, so final question, Where can people find more of you, your podcast? Yeah, The High Life, which is not about weed, I know.

 

Ricki Lake  36:26

Well, no, it will be. We’re definitely gonna cover cannabis. And I have a cannabis brand called Ricki Lake and bake that is launching with.

 

X Mayo  36:32

Shut the fuck up.

 

Ricki Lake  36:33

I kid you not.

 

X Mayo  36:36

Okay, this is 20 years this should have been. And you need to get some to snoop. I buried the lead. You need to, you need, you need to get some to Snoop. For sure, that should be your number one.

 

Ricki Lake  36:46

That snoop. I was at the Cannabis Cup in because I made a documentary about cannabis called weed the people a number of years ago. So I met Snoop at the cannabis in Denver. It’s, it was on Netflix. It’s no longer on our website. If you Google Ricky Lake and cannabis, it’ll come up. It’s great, but the focus of that film is about children with pediatric cancer. It’s not about getting, like, high recreationally. But yeah, so my brand, Ricki Lake and bake, it’s coming out with another company called sing. I’m playing stone stone road farms. It’s an amazing cannabis brand. So we’re doing a product line together, and that’s launching soon. And my Instagram is Ricki Lake. My Tiktok is Ricky Lake. You can find me. I’m kind of doing a little more on social media because it’s fun, and I have a little team helping me. It’s really fun. And showing throwback clips of my show and whatnot, and all my documentaries you can find on my website or it, you know, at go to the business of beingborn.com. I urge everyone, anyone who’s thinking of having a baby, it’s the best, it’s the best thing I’ve done in this in my career, by far.

 

X Mayo  37:49

Ricki, I can’t believe this when I when this episode comes out, my mother is going to be willing to accept the fact that I did not get a college degree. I think this will 100% make up for it.

 

Ricki Lake  38:02

Oh, it’s such a pleasure. You’re so much fun.

 

X Mayo  38:05

Oh, my God, thank you.

 

Ricki Lake  38:06

I definitely I shared a lot. I feel like I’ve purged.

 

X Mayo  38:11

Yeah, Ricki is amazing. She has lived a life. She almost lost it all, and then made the best COMEBACK EVER, and she knows exactly what matters to her in life when she spends her money. I love that both Ricki and I have put money into making our house a home. Remember, follow your dreams. Work hard and stay the course, because you never know when your next comeback tour is right around the corner.

 

CREDITS  38:46

The Dough is a Lemonada original. I’m your host X Mayo. This series was created in partnership with Flourish Ventures. This series is presented by the Margaret Casey Foundation. Our producers are Tiffany Bui, and Dani Matias. Kristen Lepore is our senior producer. Mix and Sound Design by Bobby Woody. Original Music by Pat Mesiti Miller. Jackie Danziger is our Vice President of narrative content. Executive Producers include me X Mayo, Stephanie Wittels Wachs and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. You can follow me on IG  @80dollarsandasuitcase and Lemonada @lemonadamedia across all social platforms, follow The Dough wherever you get your podcast or listen ad free on Amazon music with your Prime membership, thanks so much for listening. See you next week, bye.