DISCLAIMER:
The following output was transcribed from our audio recording.
Although the transcription is largely accurate, it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.
It is posted to aid in understanding the interview but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
Mindy Cohn 00:01
Hey everybody welcome back to another episode of Mondays with Monday I'm here as always, thankfully with my dearest darling Christian Brescia are you doing?
Christian Brescia 00:09
Hi everybody. Welcome back to the show. I'm doing great Mindy, how are you?
Mindy Cohn 00:12
I'm good. Thanks. Today we're going to have a conversation with dance instructor, choreographer and reality television personality. Abby Lee Miller.
Christian Brescia 00:20
How about that?
Mindy Cohn 00:21
Why not? Abby is the co founder of the Abby Lee dance company and is the star and producer of lifetime series Dance Moms and it's three spin offs. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Abby grew up around dance studying under the direction of her mother at the Marian Lorraine dance studio and in 1980 at the age of 14, she began choreographing and coaching one of her mother's dance competition teams Wow. She eventually took over the studio and in 1995 renamed it rain dance productions. In 2011, Abby began starring in a lifetime reality series Dance Moms. She appeared in seven seasons as the show followed the practice sessions and performance competitions of young students of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Three spin offs that ran for two seasons each later and opening a new studio in Los Angeles. Abby quit the series in 2017. But the next year returned for season eight. Last May, Abby announced that she'd be leaving the show and lifetime after nine years. Oh, well, not quite. She has three other shows currently in the works. Well, Abby has had some controversy surrounding her to say the least in the last couple of years. From her style of coaching to dealing with her Dance Moms. Abby has never shied away from conflict. In 2016 she pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud and spent some time in federal prison. And in 2018, after a spinal surgery, she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma that has left her unable to walk and relies to this day on a wheelchair. She courageously Chronicles her therapy and recovery on her social media accounts, which is where she and I found each other to be honest. That's amazing. I'm
Christian Brescia 02:05
excited to have a conversation with this gal. Are you ready? Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 02:09
Why not?
Christian Brescia 02:10
Let's do it. Ready? Ladies and gentlemen. Abby Lee Miller! Hello!
Abby Lee Miller 02:17
hello there!
Mindy Cohn 02:20
We are so tickled to have you and I absolutely. This is just such a thrill for me. So we're...
Abby Lee Miller 02:26
I've been waiting. I say my whole entire life. I think I was 12 or 13 or whatever it was. But I am in a physical therapy rehabilitation place. So hey, I literally had to block this time out so that I didn't have therapy. I didn't have nurses. I didn't have doctors. I'm like, oh my gosh. There's not nobody better knock on my door and come in with anything. No, no, no, no. It's like a revolving door. Well, hey, listen,
Mindy Cohn 02:54
I'm glad to hear where you are. I mean, for you. Yes. Anyway, we're gonna jump in and I'm in our trusty Jonathan Adler canister and just do a deep dive. 20 questions we're gonna ask five randomly,
Christian Brescia 03:08
a little get to know you.
Mindy Cohn 03:10
What's your favorite place in the world and why?
Abby Lee Miller 03:13
I like London. Harrods department store. I want to live in the store. I want to try on every shoe. Every piece of candy. You know. Love it. That's one of my favorite places on a beach girl to I you know, I don't like sand. I don't like the water. Like in the beach. I would like to look at it and then be in the pool next to it. Yes, yes. I feel that I got it too.
Mindy Cohn 03:40
Um, okay, this is interesting. Abby, do you have a hidden talent? No.
Christian Brescia 03:45
They're all on display.
Abby Lee Miller 03:46
It's all out there. I was a well rounded child. So I was a brownie and then a Girl Scout I went to when I was on the swim team. I took ice skating lessons. Roller Skating lessons. Oh, God charm School, which was one of the best and sewing courses at Sears sewing school. And I was in the garden club. I was Junior golf at the country club. Yeah, I did everything. And nothing. Well, obviously. No, that's obviously so not
Christian Brescia 04:17
true.
04:19
Incredible,
Mindy Cohn 04:20
incredible. Um, what's the best advice you've been given? And who gave it to you,
04:26
gentlemen who I can't remember his name. And that's sad. I was at Collins Avenue, who is now defunct. And they were the production company for dance bombs. And I was out in LA and I was in their office, probably after three episodes of the show or something. And a gentleman came in it was an editor and he tapped me on the shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. When you get home, get a T shirt, get it on your website and start selling it now. And that was the best advice I've been given.
Mindy Cohn 05:00
Oh my gosh. May I just say that Christian and I literally talked about that yesterday that the only thing the girls we miss stepped on was not doing March. Which channel were you on? You were in real, real NBC? Yeah, NBC. So but I mean, like later on when we could have done something as kind of nostalgia.
05:21
Absolutely. Absolutely. That is so smart that you did that. Yes. And I've, you know, when I wrote a book, and I was doing book signings, I'm at Barnes and Noble, and there were literally 500 people in line, right? Wow. But a family comes a mom and dad, two girls, they buy one book, you know, I'm selling a T shirt. Each kid needs a T shirt. And I made 25 cents a book. And I think I make $25 a shirt. Yeah. Amazing.
Mindy Cohn 05:50
Oh my god bless this man. Yes, this man and all his
05:52
family. And they fired him or something I don't even know. And I was like, I loved him. Oh, that is such good advice. Love him still. The best advice I give though. The best advice when kids ask me. And they say, Would you have any advice for me? And I'm like, get a good attorney. That's my best advice. or so. Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 06:16
What's your guilty pleasure?
06:18
Chocolate. Nice. Good. Good chocolate. There's two places in Pittsburgh that make amazing chocolate. We used to do the big fundraisers for like, sold $30,000 at Easter and 30,000 at Christmas, you know, and they would bring in this huge bag of broken chocolate pretzels. Oh my god. It was at the front desk. And that was like, that's a big guilty pleasure. And also, I'm a movie buff. So I miss going to the movies I need for my drink. I need my peanut m&ms. Like I need to just go and talk to me. They sit a couple seats away right now.
Mindy Cohn 06:54
Oh my gosh, same. Okay, bragging that day is in our future lady.
06:58
Okay. Um,
Mindy Cohn 06:59
what is your best habit? And what is your worst?
07:03
I think my best habit is, I don't know if it's a habit. Always correcting people. Trying to make someone better. Mm hmm. And what was my worst habit? Yeah, correcting people dying to make them better. Like, on Instagram, these kids with these pigeon toed feet. I'm like, trying to figure out what's wrong with you. And they've had eight years of ballet, you know, in the next pictures they're laying here and I'm like, but you're standing pigeon toe because you think it's cool. No, it's not. Okay. Are your glasses prescription? Are they really cute glasses? Okay, I love that. You
Mindy Cohn 07:43
said they're cute. Thank you. catice. But now they're real. They're needed.
07:46
I am going to be 50% that's another thing. I was kids on Instagram. My some of my kids. Yeah. glasses are like, Are you making fun of kids that are wearing glasses or in pigeon toed? Are you not because people send their children to dance class because their feet turn in or behind rolling arches. I even knew somebody that got their insurance to pay for their dances. But yeah, it's crazy. But those are bad things. So we shouldn't make them cool. We should do with right and let other people follow. You be the leader? Don't be like Yes.
Mindy Cohn 08:19
Yes. Agreed. Agreed. Well, I would have loved to have been a leader on something. But I just Yeah, I was not raised. I mean, I'm raised to be a leader in my own mind. But yeah, I mean, you know them some breaks. Not not the cool kids in high school. Let me just put it that way. I was not in that
08:36
that group at all. You were for them. That's why
Mindy Cohn 08:39
oh my gosh, Well, again, what Krishna I talked about a lot. I am so grateful that I was not one of those. I had friends who did not peak in high school. I am getting better with age, I think truly at 60 I'm going to hit my stride. I really think there's something coming here.
08:56
I think I do a lot of cameos, and we're not gonna be 60 you're not gonna be 60 you're gonna be 59 for maybe 10 years. Yes. I love it. I love it. I'm ready for that. Yeah. So
Mindy Cohn 09:08
I'm gonna get into like the questions that we kind of asked everyone out of just curiosity and see if you know, anything sticks. And it's, you know, interesting to you. What is where you grew up? Did that help create your aesthetic or your vibe? I mean, I know you grew up with your mom in the studio and took over at a very young age. Well, yes.
09:31
But are you talking about like my environment? Are you talking about the city of Pittsburgh? I'm talking about however you want
Mindy Cohn 09:37
to take it. However, the fact that you you started to choreograph at such a young age. That to me is the definition of a creative. Okay, I'll
09:45
try to do that quickly. And so I was a well rounded child. I took Oh my God, I mean, ice skating, roller skating. Yeah, that's brownies. You know, all that jazz charm school floral arranging Sears Selling school. I did all these different things. And I did nothing. Well, I wasn't like into anything. I just bought all the outfit and I wasn't allowed to quit. I had to see it through to the end. And then if I didn't want to join the next year, that was fine, but see it through, like girls basketball for the Catholic High School. I don't know what I anyway, I went to public school for 12 years. Okay, so I think that I wanted to get out of Pittsburgh, my parents, I traveled I mean, not to other countries, because my dad thought spend the money in this country. There's lots of places to see first. So, but we did travel, and we did nice things. You know, I spent every Christmas at the Fontainebleau hotel on Miami Beach. Because before that my mom had seven studios in Miami. And her students work at the Fontainebleau with Sammy Davis Jr. and Elvis ratpack. And they, you know, when the band took a break, her girls danced and she just them up, you know, they were 1516 like they were 25 when they get a couple numbers and then the band came back. So she you know, that was the life she drove a Cadillac convertible. She She was independent started a business at 18 in 1945. Mesa right after the war. So you know, and then she married my dad 18 years later, and they were both older when they had me. So they raised me to be very independent. They didn't know how long they be around. And, you know, so that was a good thing. I was not though at the studio with my mom. No, okay. Okay, so my mom, when she came back to Pittsburgh, she married my dad and my dad had his family's house because he was one of six kids, but they were all married and gone and had kids of their own. So he had the house. And he thought my mother was gonna sit on the porch with her and talk to the neighbors. Like I was in Florida.
11:53
We're gonna move to the suburbs, we're gonna join the Country Club. I'll open another studio. Okay, that's what we're doing. My dad had a very good job with jnl steel and the menorrhagia connecting railroad. So he worked for the railroad in Pennsylvania, it was stressful job, but good. So you know, with the devil in the eyes, and you know, all the insurance like he sent me vacation or that. So he, my mom opened a studio. And then next town, there was another studio, a very kind of well known school. My mother was nobody she knew no one in the area. So all these kids were like flocking to her. And she really didn't understand it. So then one day, she asked you mind me, my asking why you're leaving there and coming here? Wow. The teacher has these two daughters. And these two daughters are brats. And they're in every number and they're in the front in the middle and blood. My mom's thinking, Oh, shoot, I got my daughter. So my mother wasn't really into babies, either. She dropped me off the dining room table and my dad before can come home and get me She never really touched me again. She was warm and fuzzy. Right when we were like three years old, and not before that she was scared to death. And my dad did my lotion and did he made my ponytail. So getting to that story is that I my mom didn't have me at the studio like that. My dad watched me and I took my one hour lesson and I went home. Okay, hang out there. Okay, so my dad took me to all my activities. He worked from, like seven in the morning till three came from from work and my mom went to the studio. And then I was with my dad. I was daddy's girl. Okay, so but in the summer, I would travel with my mom to all these dance conventions. At that time. She wasn't taking all these kids. She was taking me we were going for her continuing education and nursing her comment she had for years. So I was in, you know, Florida, Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York all the time. And my mom's former students from New York City. We're now working in New York and dancing on Broadway and choreographers and one of her students is the partner life partner of john Kander of candor, NAB Chicago and Sweet Charity and cabaret and me. Yeah. So I was a little girl. I was getting tapes in the mail cassette music saying maybe you can use this. It was never in the show. It was never in the show was this. So yeah, that was a big moment in my life. Right. So when I was 13, that summer, they sent my my mom would get the mail at the house too in the studio. And she had a it was a competition in 1980. I was 1413. There was a dance competition coming in the summer. And I said Mom, can I do this? And she said, you want to do a solo in a competition. First of all, you shouldn't be paying to get to dance. You should get paid to dance. So my mom was very anti competition. Interesting away. I know. Very interesting, right? And I made my life that Yeah, yeah. So she said, I said no, no, no, I don't want to die. I want to choreograph a number and put it in. And she said, Yeah, you could do that. Because right now remember, we paid for every lesson, right? I do. I find my niche and I'm 13, right. I got three girlfriends. They were my friends, my peers my age, I choreographed routine for them. I still have it probably. And I got the costumes. The rhinestones it was was skateboards, they skateboard it out in a handstand. And now they Yeah, and the question is one was red one was green one was royal blue. Okay, so we did that. And they weren't little plastic trophy. And I thought, This is what I was put on this earth to do. I liked the beginning. I like
Mindy Cohn 15:44
you or your immediate director immediately,
15:47
right? Yeah, I know that. Okay, so anyway, I at that moment, I asked my mom, could I start a competition team at her studio? And she was like, there's one condition. Everybody that tries out makes it. You can't cut anybody? Because I'm running a business. Wow. So I had 16 kids, I had 15 girls and a boy. And one little girl dropped out on her own because her mother realized she wasn't ready. And she's here. She didn't quit. She kept coming to dance class. And then the next couple years she joined. So I 14 girls and a boy perfect. And 148 members of the competition team. And these were people I was telling school teachers, accountants, lawyers, Doctor, whatever, where they were going on their vacation, where they were gonna stay in what hotel? Yes, we're gonna eat for dinner. Here's your three choices that the banquet, and what they were gonna wear each night. And they listened. Somehow they listen to me. Yes. And a friend of mine of dear, very dear, dear, dear family friend always says that she was in the dressing room at the recital dressing or kids and I walked in and kind of yelled at everybody about something. And I walked out and she was like a little kid. They're like, Oh, that's Mrs. miller's daughter, Abby, you better listen. Like I've been listening for 45 years to hear it is there it is. That is amazing. I just had that. Like, I don't know if it's just bossy attitude, or what, but people listen to what I was telling him to do. And if you're in fabric, and
Mindy Cohn 17:29
you knew what you were doing, I mean, what's interesting to me about you and your story, and I even noticed it when Dance Moms first started is it's one thing to be a creative and be able to choreograph and direct and see a number in all its glory, meaning, from costumes to hair to etc. But you also have tremendous business acumen to run a business. No, I mean, listen, a lot of moving parts came into your life that it's called show business and all of that stuff. Right, and most people aren't. And having said that, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the fact that it's very unusual for such a outstanding creative to also have tremendous business acumen. It's tough. It's tough. So I my hat's off to you. Well, thank
18:13
you, I always say that I can make you money. I know how to make money I do. I can come up with any idea or any this or any that I can make money. I'm just not very good at like keeping it and sending it. And paying Uncle Sam like you're paying him enough, but just saying, right? That's what I mean is like the other side and my dad, I'm blaming him, because he was the mathematician. And he always graduated from high school two years early, you know, back in the day, they just moved you to the next year. If you were too smart, they didn't have extra classes and all that jazz. And he never taught me he never I had a credit card. I had a confidence was our big department store in Pittsburgh and Shanghai. And I would go there and it would be two days before Christmas. And I'm shopping with my friends. So the midnight sale, and my credit card was getting primed. I'm like, what's this mean? And I had to go up to the 11th floor to the office and they said, Well, you've hit your limit. I said, Well come I gotta change. My limit. I need Yes. Yeah, her New Year's Eve. And they call them and he on the phone and he said oh yeah, yeah, whatever. Take it up another 1000 that was it. Like there, right? He never he didn't get me my own checkbook. I wasn't dying to kids today. You should start like 10 years old. Get them a debit card with 100 bucks on it and everywhere you go make them use their cards. So they realize that 100 bucks is gone real quick. Right? Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 19:35
No, Agreed. Agreed. 100% It's so many and especially in I think of obviously the entertainment business but sports I think just as you develop your skill you have to develop how to deal with money.
19:48
I know I have to Yeah, like dinners and lunches I paid for for kids who the money was in the bag and the bag was in the car and the car was in the parking garage. But we're Hearing now. Yeah, back with you. I'm not walking back there. I'll pay for the dinner. Tell your mother to pay me back that never did. I mean, 25 years of that stuff. And there was always one snake in the group, the one that didn't have, you know, they left their money or their purse or their mother forgot to give it to them or whatever. There was always that one in every dance group. Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Cohn 20:21
Yeah. Well, what? Not so much then. But what inspires you now? Like, what or who inspires you?
20:27
You do you inspire me when I see you in your dance class? I mean, if I had two legs, I would be there. I don't know where it is or what it is or who teaches it. But I would be now
Mindy Cohn 20:37
I net? Do you know that? I have to say that. netta who owns jam, you know, we would all be drooling at her client list and her privates who she deals with on a regular basis. I told her that I had invited you to be on my podcast, she literally started crying. She is such a fan. And I said, you know, Abby comments When I dance with you? And it's, it's the one thing I have to say. Abby, I it brings me so much joy, and especially after my bout with what I went through, I had such a hard time getting back in my body. And this is what did it for me. And so to have you respond to it in that way.
21:15
You want to talk doing a tic tocs Why aren't you on there? You could do that. So easy. Okay, so here's where the old lady comes in. I've
Mindy Cohn 21:23
been 90 since I was 13. I'm so terrified of the TIC Tock. That it's like they get all your information. Like I'm so paranoid about that, that I only do as my granny rose, I think would say I only do the Instagram. I don't do the Facebook and I don't do the tick tock.
21:37
But maybe eventually
Mindy Cohn 21:39
thank you for that. Because
21:40
coming from you, honestly, they do. It's like dumb. That's what I I love the dads, the brother, how do you even have it on your phone to look at how? Oh, no, I don't I don't see it at all. Okay, you need to see it. Because really, it's the same thing that you get dancing. It's these old men. It's dads. It's brothers. It's like the Son and the dad and the grandfather dancing together. It is changed the world. I'm telling you during COVID quarantine I don't think talk would nearly be as successful if we weren't shut in for eight months. Seven. I mean, I've been shut in for three years. But yeah, they it is magnificent to see oh my gosh, old couples like in their 90s still doing a jitterbug together and stuff. It's great. It's great. You have to go on a fight. I don't like seeing trained classical dancers doing this and doing this and doing this when they're there should be like Tick Tock amateur and tick tock Pro. Yeah, I just watch. Yes,
Mindy Cohn 22:41
I know. Hi. That's a million dollar idea, kiddo.
22:43
That's what they need to have. So that yeah, it would be real dancers doing these amazing challenges. And the other ones would be that like cutesy little stuff. Yeah. And it's getting people dancing. When you see Tick Tock don't think they just did it like that. They you know, worked on that for four hours before they tell you it's not, you can rehearse before you do it. And you slow it down. And you do it in slow motion. And then when you post it, it's tempo. Oh my gosh, right.
Mindy Cohn 23:14
Oh my god, I think I need some kind of degree to in order to like, do this because I am technically Amish. So I got to be careful. I'm
23:21
technically Amish. Yeah. I'm not very techie. I did the put the penny in the light socket to see what would happen. That was. Right. Yeah. Right.
Mindy Cohn 23:34
So I mean, I don't think that we can have this conversation without like jumping to like, what you have been going through the past three years. And I don't, I don't want to live there with you. Because first of all, that's not what our podcast is about. It's also not how I define you. I don't even know you, but I don't define you by that. Right. Um, but it definitely is where you're at. And you must just a person who has been in motion her whole life. No, no, that just got
24:00
stuck out to me. Say I could sit on my couch and teach anybody I can. So the city and somewhere in the midst of the emergency surgery. It was after that, I guess I woke up and said to someone, I wasn't crazy about that walking thing anyway. Not I mean, when they say oh my god walking and I thought they meant like Runyon Canyon, like jumping up the white buildings in Greece. That's what I meant. I mean, from the bed to the bathroom. I didn't know that. And, and just for a moment to touch on it. People just please. When you're paraplegic. And when you're in this situation, I mean, that it's a bow program. There's something called Digital stimulation. Yes. What I did not know what was because I never had kids or anything. So I didn't know what all this stuff was to stand up naked. Have people dress you? I mean it's I'm not crazy modest I don't think dancers are because we're used to quick change in the gas. The hallway behind the stage just change me. So we're not right. Yeah. But when it's the thighs and the tummy and oh my god and I worked so hard to lose that 127 pounds Yes, he did get blown up and then you know on my staycation I lost it on my staycation with my I read 150 books, got a great tan and lost 127 pounds and your taxes paid for me to be there. So thank you very much. My taxes paid for me to be there. Yeah. So afterwards to be out one week and never get to live that life. I wanted to try new wedding dress I wanted to of course get clothes I wanted to sit at the bar at Craigs you know, with all the Astros are trying to pick up some old guy. I wanted to. I wanted to that's what I wanted to do. It sounds stupid, but I just wanted. It doesn't sound stupid at all. And then I didn't get to in my surgery was scheduled to do the lift and attack that day. And like I lived in Pittsburgh, and the show never happened. I would never think of getting plastic surgery. But when you're out you're not lay and it's just it's like, do you want to drive through McDonald's or like, like, what should we do? Right? Yeah, yeah. are both right. Yeah, that's what it's like. So I but they just keep cutting me open and putting stuff in and they won't take anything out. They're like, that's really hard surgery. That's this that's that I had a full day replacement didn't feel a thing.
Mindy Cohn 26:34
Amazing. Oh, amazing. But you took steps and are taking steps.
26:39
I'm 150. I was walking 280 feet before these last two surgeries surgery. Okay. I had a surgery that the doctor wanted to do for an injury I've had since puberty. before puberty. Oh, my God, they know that. I don't know. But I have some of the bones in my tailbone, have never fully developed their juvenile bone. Okay. Okay. And then the bones in my spine are osteoporosis, but so poor, like a 90 year old former athlete? Well, you know, then like my right arm, the bones, it density is fabulous. Because I'm using it all the time. The left arm not so much since I hurt my shoulder. So okay, it's I never spent one night in a hospital Monday until I was 52. And went into that emergency surgery.
Mindy Cohn 27:33
And now three years later,
27:35
that night sleeping in a chair where my mom and dad were dying. But as a patient, never nothing outpatient on my knee twice, and I was never had surgery before.
Mindy Cohn 27:47
So what is, um, I don't want to say what's next? Because you're in it, and you're going through it. And you're obviously staying in California. That's Well, I
27:57
don't know, I can't afford to live here. If I'm not doing a show doing something right. I had a nice income show, I spent it on a dance studio so that the network would have a place to shoot their show. Yeah, they pay me 15 $100 an episode and 49 grand a month before we turn the light on. And before I build it out, and I never bought anything out here. I paid off my building in Pittsburgh, because there's certain tax reasons that you Yeah, work on the building. And you don't own it yet. You can write all that off. But once you are paid in full, and you do something to it too bad. So it was just different reasons. And the reason I went to prison was my house in Florida, that I was supposedly maybe going to walk away from that I never walked away from that I kept paying the mortgage and I still pay it today. Yeah, you know, that's that so I could build a house in Florida. That's handicap accessible. That is, you know, you have an indoor pool with a wheelchair accessible. You have an outdoor pool. It's all right there right now in my own home, my own pool, my own pool boy, my own lawn guy. And I'm not I haven't been there in a year and a half. I was going there. Right before the COVID thing. And then the network are referred to as the network. They need to stay for a big meeting. So hey, till March 11, March 11, the marshal and I go, can't we just do it? We'll come to LA and they can stay in New York and watch it No, no, no, they're offline. And it's gonna be big meaning it's gonna be fabulous savvy. We're pitching to new shows like a new house. And then season nine of dance was that was what's gonna happen. So we all went my attorney, the producer Brian Stinson, myself, we all go to the meeting. Guess what, they didn't come in there on a video because rumors of this COVID had come. Yes, I know the date very well. Sure. And March 13. We got put on lockdown. And I had afraid to fly to New York City to Florida. And then I should have gone to Florida right right on 13 such great I'm getting on a plane and go I should have gone and then I could have been there. I don't have a house built already. Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 30:04
Yeah. So you may still end up going down there at some point.
30:09
I mean, it's easy for people from Pittsburgh to get to me. flight to LA is hard, but it's just with the time different. It's different. And they can get back and forth to me. I'm six minutes from the Magic Kingdom. I can see the fireworks from Disney in my backyard. Oh, wow. If I lived there, or if I live in a couple neighborhoods over, that's my plan to retire there. My parents were buried in Miami. Yeah. And I used to have a place in Fort Lauderdale. And you know, I was never there. And same thing. All these assessments are roof right? To live on. On the top fake, right. Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 30:44
So it was you can't tell me though, that the network or another one is not interested in getting you back on television? No. For now, Abby. For now. You never know. I mean, I mean, look who's talking to you?
Christian Brescia 30:59
It's too bright of a star.
Mindy Cohn 31:00
I've been in this business my whole life.
31:02
I shouldn't say that. Because I have three shows. I just quickly have a show about right. Tell me about a prison and going to a halfway house. You know, when you're in a federal prison, you're in a camp? Yes. It's like, your mom and dad dropped you off at the wrong. Bad cheap Girl Scout camp instead. Let's have one that has like a cleaning lady that comes into your tent and cleans it up for you. No, this was like the bad one. Right? Okay. But I started somebody come into my little room and clean it up. But anyway, that's where I went to, you know, okay. And so all the people are accountants, attorneys, women, housewives that took the phone or husband like, left the country and they got stuck, like, a lot of my best friends were computer people and accountants, lawyers, real estate lawyers, caught up in that whole real estate stuff. thought they fought the government. So they got a year and a day, and they fought and got seven years, eight years. 10 years. It is awful. And I wish that Kim Kardashian would have a conversation with me because
Mindy Cohn 32:10
yeah, you could show her some things. Yes,
32:12
yeah. Anyway, when you come out, so you're with all these people in a camp, you're not with any criminals that are in there any murderers or rapists or wherever they first started the penitentiary. Okay, right. They went to the next level then the next Emperor good behavior. They, they're here. So they've already done 10 years. They're here. They're not going to do anything to screw up.
Mindy Cohn 32:37
Getting out. Yeah,
32:38
right. So when you are discharged, or you get out, you go to a halfway house. Okay, now everybody leaves the prison with their friends and their family picking them up. They get their hair done in the hair salon at our prison. Every curling iron you could ever imagine. And somebody does their makeup, their friends, their friends all go, they give away all their stuff, their tennis shoes, the bras that they give away everything. Then they go to this, like entrance area, and their family brings some clothes, they're allowed in, they change their clothes to street, right. They walk out and they have like eight hours to report to the halfway house. Not me. I got a kick in the head with the black boot kicked in the head. woken up had to pack my things in 10 minutes all of my belongings didn't get to girls. I promised to swing it over my back like a hobo go to this thing. They went through all my stuff and said no, you can't take this home that beautiful books that are my word, hardback beautiful books. Like off the table anyway,
Mindy Cohn 33:43
right to the halfway house.
33:44
Okay, they drive me to that no ride, no friends, nobody picking me up. No, no, they put me in a car with the cage, you know, with me all the way to Hollywood to a halfway house and took my box out and throw it on the floor and got back in the car and left. And I'm standing there like what do I do next? Right. What you do next is you make friends with my buddy was kill his name was kill. He had to tear jobs Fendi bout Fendi shoes to say Hell, yeah, my friends. I'm like, I want my purse. I want my bag. I want my backpack. No, we're not bringing that product products up there. No, no, no, no, no, you can't have that. Unlike the worst dressed person here. Yes, I can. So and then, my other this other buddy of mine. He kept trying to get my friends to give him a ride because he had robbed 11 banks, but they only got him for six. So the money for five is hidden. But he can't tell anybody else because they'll get to the money. They'll kill him and they'll take the money. It's for his mother. Oh my god. Oh my god.
Mindy Cohn 34:43
Abby, you forgot to like write a book. I'm not kidding.
34:46
The book is not a lot of money. Remember the T shirt string? Okay. Yeah, sorry. Yes, but I don't know one could write this and Holly now, nobody could write this. So I have a whole show that takes place, right? It's halfway house. And it's semi reality, but maybe shot is reality but not really reality.
Mindy Cohn 35:07
I gotcha pinned down. That's good.
35:10
And right now we can shoot in a house with a group of people. You bet. You bet he can have a dance show that has a paranormal twist to it. Okay, that's okay. And then I have,
Mindy Cohn 35:22
sir, things are happening. Well, I
35:24
have this stuff, but no one's like writing a checkout and saying, Here you go. You're the executive producer. Let's do. It seems like you have to be a weird time now. Yeah. COVID changing. Yeah, it's a partner up with the production company and then sell it as with that, yes. Yes. True. That company. Yeah. So that's kind of what's my problem right now.
Mindy Cohn 35:45
All right. Well, I'm glad we're putting it out there because yeah, stranger.
35:49
Mondays with Mandy, my friend Well, you would be whatever you wanted to be an EP, you can be a writer, you can be whatever.
Mindy Cohn 35:58
There's people listening out there.
36:00
I'm sure. Veritas, Veritas, Veritas.
Mindy Cohn 36:03
Anyway, I want to let you know, I know I'm speaking from Christian to how much we adore you, and how grateful we are that you made time to come and visit us here at Monday's with Monday. May this be the beginning of a long friendship, we pray to
36:15
you and I don't hear the word grateful enough. So I am very grateful. I am so grateful that I have one of my idols has come into my room my private room at this beautiful trellis place as well as talk to me so thank you and thank you Christian for being so on the wrong Yes, don't call him and I for my life and now grateful for your job. Be grateful. Yes. I love the turquoise wall in your branches of whatever that seaweed stuff is back to the tree. Tree. Yeah.
Mindy Cohn 36:49
Thank you, Abby.
Christian Brescia 36:50
Thank you. Well, once again, ladies, gentlemen, Abby Lee Miller, thank you so much.
36:54
Oh, yes. Lunch of the beach. Okay, yes,
Mindy Cohn 36:57
definitely lunch at the beach.
Christian Brescia 37:02
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