Ellen Pompeo

This transcript was made, in part by an automated service. In some areas it may contain errors. 

Ellen: [00:00:00] It shaped me in a way that luckily I was smart enough and resilient enough to figure out how to monetize my pain, I guess, and how to use that thick skin to navigate my way in this. Industry and business and and have been able to survive for 20 years and being able to thrive at it

Jeremiah: Welcome back everybody to ideas of order a California closets podcast dedicated to answering the question What does home mean to you? I'll be connecting with friends and creators to talk about all the memories and the practices that mean the most to us and The spaces that have held us through it all I'm Jeremiah Brent, and today, you guys, I'm so thrilled to welcome someone that I've had the privilege of knowing outside of her 20 year character as Meredith Gray.

She's so much more than a television icon. She is an accomplished producer. She is a passionate [00:01:00] advocate, an amazing wife and fantastic mother, and someone who has continually used her platform to champion the most important causes. So please welcome one of the wittiest, most compassionate, and candid friends of mine, Ellen Pompeo.

How are you? I miss you!

Ellen: I'm so great. I was just there. I spent my summer there.

Jeremiah: I know, I cannot believe we missed you.

Ellen: Well, but I know you guys are always in Portugal and In Montauk. I was. I was, the kids were there for much longer than I was. I was there for a really short stay and then we just came for the weekend for tennis.

Jeremiah: Okay. Are you back in LA now?

Ellen: I'm back in la, yep. Back to it. Okay. Doing all the things,

Jeremiah: are the kids starting school soon?

Ellen: So LA starts before Labor Day, which doesn't really make a lot of sense. To me,

Jeremiah: because like,

Ellen: let's just like have labor day and then get back to it all at once.

Jeremiah: I agree.

Ellen: But yeah, LA starts the week before [00:02:00] labor day.

And so they go a couple of days and just, you know, get used to having to show up somewhere. And then we took a nice long weekend to the city, saw some tennis, and now we're back. How about your babes? How are they doing?

Jeremiah: That's so good. We start school tomorrow, so we're going into, you know, we're going into fourth grade now.

It's a whole new. A whole new world that we're entering and whole new world. Yeah. Conversations have changed as I'm sure you're aware as well. There's a lot of questions that I had to be ready to answer. I am a wealth of information. It is shocking when I know about the female anatomy.

Ellen: Something you never thought you'd hear yourself say.

Jeremiah: I know my search history could have me arrested for sure. So yeah, it's been real interesting. But I've got all the answers. She seems good. You know, it's just wild how they change overnight, like into a new chapter.

Ellen: It is really, really wild. And you know, the thing that I have sort of opinions about is, I don't know.

I mean, I guess, I'm not an educator and I [00:03:00] don't have a PhD in education. So

Jeremiah: same,

Ellen: it's just an opinion. Uh, but the emotional maturity that you need to have for these health classes, cause they're in these, they take these health classes now and that, and the health classes take place with boys and girls, some kids mature at different levels and I don't, is everybody ready to have this conversation?

You know, it's,

Jeremiah: I know I was, I was really uncomfortable with it initially. Cause my whole theory with her again, not an educator. I don't pretend to be just a little gay dad trying to figure it out. Um, but I was always like, my whole thing with her has always been, if they ask me, I want to be honest with them, but she asked and I told her and you know, but I don't suggest it.

Like I have some friends and kids, I'm like, Hmm, they're not ready, but it's a really weird subject, but it's a weird time anyway. So it's just, this is the age where the questions start up. I want to talk to you about you. Now, um, I want to go back a little bit and ask if you've always been [00:04:00] such a badass.

You were raised in Boston, right? In Everett. Talk to me about your childhood. You know, what was your house like growing up? Who were you when you were a little one?

Ellen: I feel like I'm so old. I've been telling my story for so long, but you know, my mother passed away when I was four years old. And I grew up in a pretty, pretty tough place in being a very sensitive girl with a broken heart in this really tough environment.

And so now I can look back on it. And of course, super grateful for my upbringing. Of course, not grateful that my mother passed, but it shaped me. In a way that luckily I was smart enough and resilient enough to figure out how to monetize my pain, I guess, and how to use that thick skin that I grew to navigate my way in this.

Industry and business and, and have been able to survive, you know, for, for 20 years, [00:05:00] um, doing what I do and, and, and, uh, being able to, to thrive at it.

Jeremiah: And then you moved to New York in your late teens. Is that true? Before moving to Miami?

Ellen: So, no. So I moved to Miami first. So all of my gay friends. Had had enough of Boston.

It was freezing and they all went down to Miami. And so

Jeremiah: as they do,

Ellen: as they do

Jeremiah: still.

Ellen: And I went down there with a friend to go hang out with them. And we, they were in Miami beach and South beach, of course. And, and there was nothing there. It hadn't been built up. It was just a ton of old age homes on ocean drive.

A bunch of elderly people sitting on porches in their rocking chairs. There was one gay club, which I'm sure is still there in the name again, is going to escape me, but it'll come to me. So, so infamous. And then there was really nowhere to work. Right. I think I was 19 at the time and I had cocktail [00:06:00] waitress before that in Boston.

And I said, you know, it's kind of weird down here. It's really cheap and the ocean is gorgeous, but where would I work? There's nowhere to work. And I'll never forget. We, I was in the lobby of the fountain blue hotel with my friend Patrice and we were sitting on the couch and this gorgeous old, And all of a sudden, a scorpion, like, walked right across, like, the floor in front of us.

And I was like, well, I'm a Scorpio, so that's either a sign that this is where I'm meant to be, Or we should get out of here. It's one of those two things, but ultimately I ended up leaving because there was nowhere to work. And then about six months later, my friend called me up and said, they're opening up a straight club.

They're opening up a straight club. You should come down and try to get a job there. And the name of the club was rebar. And so I said, okay. And it was, then it was, it was the winter again. I'm not, I'm not. So clear [00:07:00] about the time, if that was six months later or a year, maybe it was a year later and it was freezing.

And I was like, yeah, I'm down to go to Miami. And I went to Miami and I walked into that club and, and I, I actually went to a breakfast place. It was called the muffin man. And it was on 11th street. I think right across the street from where Gianni Versace would end up building that gorgeous mansion that when I went there.

And I went to breakfast at this place called the muffin man. And that was like an abandoned, old crumbled building. You know, you would never imagine that it would get turned into what it got turned into. And anyway, there was a guy in there and he, you know, he started talking to me and I was like, yeah, I'm looking for a job.

And he said, Oh, you want a job at rebar? And I said, yeah, he said, come with me. And, uh, his name is Jimmy. And we walked over there and he walked me in and I, and I got a job. I had experience cocktail waitressing. So it was pretty cool. Pretty easy for me. And then, and then I got a job and then I stayed.

Jeremiah: How long did you say [00:08:00] for?

Ellen: I mean, my rent was like Jeremiah.

Jeremiah: No, tell me. And I want to know what the apartment was like, like, tell me what it all looked like.

Ellen: So the apartment building was called the dunya. We called it the dunya.

Jeremiah: Naturally. Yeah.

Ellen: My friends. Lived in that building and then I made new friends in that building We sort of ran the place and and it was it was Literally like view of the ocean Like a three bedroom or two bedroom and my rent was like, I don't know a hundred dollars a month or something crazy It was one

Jeremiah: of those crazy Deco buildings.

Ellen: Yeah. A deco building, but crumbling. I mean, yeah, you know, those big giant water bugs or cockroaches, whatever they are.

Jeremiah: And was, what was the style inside? What was the vibe?

Ellen: Oh, inside. I was empty. Yeah. I, it was just, it was just empty and it was like a rotten down. I mean, you know, Miami was basically like almost like a ghost town.

You know, whatever, all the drug nonsense had gone through there and all those buildings were [00:09:00] abandoned. I wished I had come from a different sort of family situation and I had the education to know I could have saved up enough money cocktail waitressing because I made a fortune.

Jeremiah: Of course.

Ellen: I could have bought a building.

Jeremiah: Wow, that's insane. At that time

Ellen: in Miami then, you know, had I known, but I didn't know anything about that kind of stuff. I was literally just kind of, you know, trying to survive.

Jeremiah: And how did you end up in New York from there? You went back.

Ellen: So Miami at that time, the only people that were actually going there were models and photographers.

and people in that business. And so a couple of people in Kate Moss was super popular at that time. There were a lot of like, I guess agencies down there or agents coming down there. And so a couple of modeling agents had approached me and, you know, said, do you want to model? And I'm not, you know, tall enough to do that.

I certainly was super thin when I was young. [00:10:00] You know, I would go on castings and stuff and they would bring me to New York and they would fly me to New York and. Asked me to take meetings with people. And, you know, so I started going back and forth to New York, seeing what opportunities were there in the modeling world, but honestly, I never felt confident on any of those meetings.

I was a foot shorter than all of those girls in those rooms. And it was sort of like, you know, the, the, in those days. They looked at your book of photos and you weren't expected to talk or say anything They just looked at your pictures and we're like, you know, whatever yes or no and I've always had something to say I just thought like this isn't really my vibe.

Like I'm I don't look like one of these girls I mean, you know models are born. They're not made. They're

Jeremiah: yeah

Ellen: Extraordinary creatures that are just built differently and

Jeremiah: yeah

Ellen: as cute as I may have been I I knew I didn't I didn't Look like that, you know, those are thoroughbred racehorses, [00:11:00] um, and so, but I was going to New York and I had spent a lot of time in New York as a kid to my aunt and uncle would always take me on the weekends and in the summers.

Um, so I was really familiar with New York, and then I just decided I stayed in my own, like, 3 years. And it started to really change and get really crazy. And I just thought like, at that time I was at 25 years old and I thought I've, I better figure out, you know, what I want to do. And I knew I wanted to be an actress.

And I knew from going on all the modeling castings that like, Acting was a better path for me because I'd get to do something and say something and use my personality or whatever. So I just ended up moving to New York and getting a bartending job there and ended up meeting an agent while I was bartending.

And, uh, and I started booking commercials and started kind of working, making money doing that. And then I was able to quit bartending.

Jeremiah: It's so wild. And how did you end up in LA? Cause you've basically, you went to LA [00:12:00] and never left.

Ellen: Same kind of a thing, actually. Yeah. I had been in New York auditioning and I would always get flown out to Los Angeles to meet directors.

Jeremiah: Okay.

Ellen: And so I had become familiar with Los Angeles and uh, then one time I just came out to meet a director, ended up getting a different meeting the next day and then it was a movie and then I booked that movie and then I went and shot that movie and then went back to Los Angeles and you know, the movie was, I guess, supposed to be a big deal.

And so then I got an agent and people sort of came, you know, looking for me, who's the girl who got this movie and, you know, uh, it kind of took off from there.

Jeremiah: What was it about LA that kept you as, you know, someone who'd been all over and kind of been in these beautiful big cities?

Ellen: When I came to LA the first time, I tried to like stay for a couple weeks because I was like, oh, I'm getting a free plane trip out here and I rented a place for like a month or [00:13:00] something and or I was staying with friends.

I was staying with friends. I think I can't really remember. And then I didn't like Los Angeles at all. And I ended up going back to New York a bunch of times. Like I would just come out to LA, go on a few auditions. And the first couple of times I came out, I would go on auditions and I wasn't getting good feedback in New York.

I felt like I got great feedback and I got really great responses from people in LA. Again, I would go into rooms and all of the girls that were waiting in there to audition had, you know, Big boobs and super short skirts and blonde hair. And they all looked like a certain way.

Jeremiah: And

Ellen: I would come in with my slouchy jeans and my, you know, Adidas and, and just sort of like tomboyish and I didn't look like those girls.

So I think I didn't really fit in to what most of the girls in LA looked like at the time. So I wasn't getting great feedback. So I went back and forth to New York a bunch of times. [00:14:00] And then I stayed in LA because I got a job and then I did that movie and then after I got that movie, you know, I got CAA signed me and I, and I got a lawyer and, and all of that.

And they all sort of like, you know, they swarm around you like this is going to be the next big thing. And then, and then you feel like, Oh, well, I, of course I should stay here.

Jeremiah: Right.

Given how complicated your childhood was, we'll use that word. What was the first space that you ever loved?

Ellen: Oh, that's a great question. I don't know.

Jeremiah: It's wild, right? To think about. I asked myself this question and it ended up being something I didn't expect, but I always wonder like, if there was like a, that first place that like really grabs your attention and you're like, wow, I want to feel this way.

Ellen: I can't actually attribute it to a space. I think that [00:15:00] if I think about it, which I, I never really have, you know, I used to love magazines when I was a kid, right? Which I try to like buy for my daughter now magazines and she's like, mom, like, what do you, what, what is this?

Jeremiah: Oh, there's nothing better than a magazine.

Ellen: I know like stacks of fashion magazines. I'm like, I used to love just sitting in my bedroom as a kid and reading September Vogue and, and the kids sort of don't, they don't do that anymore. And anyway, I think that my love of style started through clothes. Through magazines and seeing this like glamorous world of clothes.

I had a stepmother who dressed up all the time and she really looked gorgeous all the time. She was heavily influenced by fashion and you know, the seventies and where would wear the high Gucci boots and fur coats and that whole sort of like really glamorous. Vibe. The seventies was a fabulous time for a [00:16:00]fashion.

Jeremiah: So good. So good. So, and for design, for the record, I like seventies design.

Ellen: Yeah. And like we had, you know, so many great movies and the movie stars then had such incredible style. And so I was heavily influenced by magazines and movies and mainly, you know, movies and magazines. And then I think it started with clothes.

The house stuff was just a natural transition. I, I just started, you know, being an actress, I had lots of free time, you know, when I, before I started graze and wasn't working all the time, lots of free time to sit around and look at magazines. And I think I just, you know, buy fashion magazines and then you start buying home magazines and you buy L decor.

If you're buying L, You know, French Elf and French Elf decor. And it's just an extension of that, I think. My love of magazine stands maybe is where it started.

Jeremiah: I love that. That's perfect. [00:17:00]

Ellen: In New York and Los Angeles, both, not so much anymore, but there were this Giant gorgeous magazine stands. And I mean, couldn't you stand there all day?

Jeremiah: Do you remember the one by King's road cafe?

Ellen: Yes. Oh,

Jeremiah: it was, he had every magazine you could ever want. I have shit. I could not find anywhere else. I could get it there.

Ellen: There's one on Laurel Canyon still. There was book soup. Uh, you know, they were everywhere. And, and in New York, certainly there were everywhere.

And then it, it just grew from there. The coat to suit and coat do we,

Jeremiah: yeah.

Ellen: And, uh, all the, all the French magazines and then the British home and garden and all of those. I still actually in my office here on my, my bookshelf. I have, I can send you a picture. I used to collect all the home magazines.

Jeremiah: Really?

Ellen: Yeah. And I have, I have. A whole book shelf full of them right there because

Jeremiah: you love home so much. I'm always, always [00:18:00] fascinated with where it started from. So you think it all just originated from fashion and exploring these magazines and understanding like style and crafting it from there.

Ellen: Yeah.

You know, I think the one. Interesting thing about my life is, I don't know if it's interesting or not, but

Jeremiah: that's interesting to me.

Ellen: I never really had like a master plan of any kind. I just sort of like, I guess I'm very much like an artist in that way. And I just sort of like, my life just takes me down these different roads and I'm just kind of open to exploring it.

And it, it leads me where it leads me, you know, I, the Hamptons, like I just sort of like went to. Stay with friends in the Hamptons and had never really been there before, didn't know anything about it, fell in love with it, just staying there over a weekend and then just started like looking at places and then just bought a house and, you know, the same with, you know, Los Angeles.

I had enough money to buy a house. [00:19:00] Bought this house and then oddly enough, you know, was always into design, but didn't have any kind of money to do anything like that. But then I met a friend at a fashion show who, who we both know and love Martin Bullard. We met at a fashion show in Paris and he came with Cher, of course,

Jeremiah: naturally,

Ellen: naturally.

Jeremiah: Never not fabulous.

Ellen: Never not fabulous. And then I bumped into him. You know, two weeks later back in Los Angeles at R. I. P. Barney's and um, I know it's, it's heartbreaking to even say the word. I know either. Although Bergdorf is not bad.

Jeremiah: No, they've really stepped up their game.

Ellen: Yeah, they have.

Jeremiah: Yeah.

Ellen: So I met Martin.

We met at the fashion show. We were sitting next to each other. Then we bumped into each other at Barney's and we found out that we literally were neighbors in the same. Neighborhood in LA. So, you know, he's [00:20:00] such a charismatic entertaining guy that it, we became fast friends. And then I said, and I had this house and he was a designer and it all just sort of like organically and then his passion for design and he's taught me so much.

And it just sort of grew from there. And then I caught the bug. And, uh, and it, and also I think that homes and real estate are such a better investment than clothes.

Jeremiah: They, they sure are.

Ellen: And so I, I started sort of fig, the more, you know, money I started to make, I started to figure that out. Like I don't want to spend all my money on clothes because then next year I don't even like that skirt.

And now I want a different skirt. And so it was like a natural evolution.

Jeremiah: You've been with your husband, Chris, for over 20 years. Was it hard for you guys to blend your styles because you're both, in my opinion, you both have very. Clear points of view stylistically. Um, so I always wonder, was it hard to figure out like your combo style?

Ellen: Well, [00:21:00] Chris is amazing with fashion. That's his business. That's what he does. That's what he loves. That's his passion. And he is always the best dressed in the room. And it's so funny because. A few months ago I heard, I saw a blurb or something. I read a article where Rihanna said she's just in sweatpants and like Rocky looks impeccable everywhere they go.

And she's just had these two gorgeous babies and she just feels like a mess or something. I don't want to misquote the queen, but I was like, yeah, I feel you Rhi, like I'm there with you. I always feel like I look a mess and Chris looks impeccable every minute. He really lets me do my thing with the houses.

Oh, so

Jeremiah: jealous.

Ellen: I know he really does. Well, you married a designer.

Jeremiah: I know idiot. I am,

Ellen: you know, Chris is like, I asked his advice on the clothes and then he asks, you know, my advice on the houses. He doesn't really have too much say, like he really lets me do my thing. If he has a strong [00:22:00] opinion and I always include him, that's how you stay married for however many years we've been married.

I always include him and I always ask his opinion and most of the time I'm He'll only if he has something very specific to say, like, we're redoing his, um, his library right now. And, you know, he did say, like, I can't stand this couch. You got to get Martin over here. We have to get a new couch and it's got to be this.

And I'm just let him and Martin collaborate together and they can do their thing. And it doesn't matter to me.

Jeremiah: Okay.

Ellen: So when, when he cares about a specific space, he really has an input. But. That's the key to staying married a long time. It's like, let him, I let him do him and be him. And

Jeremiah: I know,

Ellen: you know,

Jeremiah: it's give and take so much give and take.

Do you feel like your style changed at all? You have three kids, um, like you mentioned, um, from 14 to seven years old. Do you feel like your style changed with them?

Ellen: Well,

Jeremiah: or they've impacted the style of the house at all?

Ellen: What I've learned from [00:23:00] Martin and You know, good and bad with kids. You have to be forgiving.

Like you have to be okay if they mess something up and sometimes we'll fall in love with the table or something and then it's destroyed. And then I'm sick. And I'm like, this wasn't a practical idea.

Jeremiah: Right?

Ellen: So I wouldn't say. My style has changed so much because because I like all different types of vibes, right?

Like

Jeremiah: that's true, you know,

Ellen: it depends on the architecture of the house. The architecture of the house will dictate the style of the inside, right? The period that the house was built and the architecture and all of that. I think what I've gotten Good at is lifestyle, knowing how I use a room, knowing what function the room serves and how to design it practically, you know, that way in my house, for example, I had all gorgeous rugs in this house when Martin and I did this house and, [00:24:00]and uh, photographed it for AD.

They were the most gorgeous rugs in every single room and my adorable little toy poodle peed on every single rug. And now my house has no rugs. And so I just. My floors are chevron and really beautiful, and I do think the rug adds a layer of like a polished finish look, but I won't put rugs back because I have a bunch of dogs.

Jeremiah: Ellen, can I ask you just a random question? I guess it's not that random, because I mean, what does it feel like for you? And do you ever think about it? I'm not sure if you do, but you're so deeply conscious with almost everything you do. that I know. What does it feel like for you to have like these environments that you've crafted for this family?

Like it's wild to me, given where you've come from, what you've done, you've worked your ass off. You still work your ass off. Yes. You kind of let life open up, but opening a door as we both know only goes so far. You've got to walk through it and you've got to roll your sleeves up and do the work. And you [00:25:00] Always do, you know, what does it feel like you to watch those three kids run around this life that you've made?

Ellen: It's fantastic and challenging. And I just try to stay very alert and make sure that. Their life is real life.

Jeremiah: Yeah, isn't that the wild irony?

Ellen: That is the wild irony and try to say stay Super real like people freak out when I'm in the grocery store, and I'm like, yes I'm in the grocery store, and I need my kids to see me in the grocery store.

Jeremiah: Yeah,

Ellen: and you know People see me on a plane and they're like what what? It's like I have to try to normalize my Fame is like a weird thing and it's not real thing,

Jeremiah: but

Ellen: it sometimes is a real thing when, you know, so many people recognize you and are constantly, you know, recognizing you and they say the nicest things and I'm so grateful for all the fans.

But it is odd for the [00:26:00] kids, you know, when you're walking down the street, we were just in New York city for the weekend to see tennis. And it's, you know, overwhelming at times. A lot of people recognize me and the kids, you know, and want pictures because everybody has a phone. And that is not the most normal experience for the kids, but for them to see me being super kind, for them to see me having a normal Engagement with a person, even if they're fans and I don't know them, they are taking the time out of their day to tell me they love me and whatever.

It feels pretty great that I get to show my kids. I have so many blessings. You know, I, I get to bring my kids to work and they get to see me work hard. They get to see what I do. My children are healthy and we're healthy and it feels pretty, pretty good. Pretty cool. You know, we all have those moments where we doubt our choices, but I'm very happy with my [00:27:00] choices.

My choices are my choices and I'm very happy and at peace with them. And, uh, and I feel, I feel pretty great about where I am in life.

Jeremiah: You should because I think about what you talk about and what you've shared today and the other thing that you've normalized and given your Children that's normal to them is a loving home and that given where you've come from I think is especially important and it's something that just as a friend you feel when you walk through your doors in your space and you feel just Being friends with you.

You are happy. You are kind. You will throw down if anybody fucks with anybody that you love, which I am here for. But I always think about like what that must feel like because I, you know, had a complicated childhood as well. But to have like a house with Children that know that they're loved and that's their normal.

Like, what a thing?

Ellen: Yeah, it is. It is. It is a thing. And these kids get an extraordinary life like for all the You know, the abnormalities of having a high profile parent, like my kids know [00:28:00] RuPaul. Yep. You know, like how many kids get to say that? Um,

Jeremiah: it's a fun one to know. .

Ellen: It's a fun one to know. And I, and I think also, you know what you do that, I love that.

I've really, um, made much more intentional since, uh, I know that you talk about it so much is the idea of rituals. I wake up every morning and light my sage and Palo Santo. I put on the Italian classical music

Jeremiah: and

Ellen: every day when my kids wake up, they smell the same smell and they hear the same sound. And just creating those rituals around the family time

Jeremiah: is

Ellen: something that you've talked about that I think is really meaningful.

And it seems like the smallest little thing. But I feel like when my kids wake up and smell that Palo Santo and that sage burning, like they feel connected, they know that's home. And I do it wherever I am. If we're renting a house somewhere, [00:29:00] you know, I bring all my stuff.

Jeremiah: I love that. And

Ellen: I love rituals, you know.

Every year I do my tomatoes with my two friends. Uh, with Na with Nathan Turner. Yep. Who you must know.

Jeremiah: Of course. He's a sweetheart.

Ellen: Yeah. He's the best. And my other friend Antonio. And every August, uh, you are welcome to join us on a year

Jeremiah: sold.

Ellen: We get 12 crates of tomatoes and we jar up 80 to a hundred jars of tomatoes, so we have fresh tomato sauce all year.

I think like that you really talk about the importance of rituals and, and I, I'm here for that. I, I, I agree with you a hundred percent.

Jeremiah: I feel like it tethers us, you know, it kind of gives you an opportunity. I started doing, I didn't even realize I was super ritualistic and ceremonial until a girlfriend pointed out to me.

She goes, you have your tea every day at the same time at night, something's wrong with you. But I realized that like with as chaotic as life is and as busy as it is, I was doing it because it Bringing me to where I was and I did it for the [00:30:00] kids since they were born and and I just never stopped so I'm yeah, but when I think back since I've known you, which by the way, do you remember how we met?

I feel like I've known you for 1000 years, but I cannot figure out how we fucking met.

Ellen: No, no. And you know, I have the worst memory alive.

Jeremiah: Well, same. I'm like, Dory. I'll make up like a Torrid love story for us and I'll just fill you in. Yeah,

Ellen: I can't. I honestly can't remember.

Jeremiah: I'll figure it. I'll figure it out.

Ellen: Wait! I know. I know. I have it. I have it. The island, when you guys were on your honeymoon, Chris and I were on Anguilla, right? It was Anguilla?

Jeremiah: Yes, we met you on our honeymoon.

Ellen: Yes, yes. And we were on that gorgeous island and you had just gotten married. Yep. That's

Jeremiah: right. And that hotel's not there anymore, which is so heartbreaking.

Ellen: Oh, is it not?

Jeremiah: I think it's something else now. But you were like, you were the highlight because between the pizza that we were ordering and the other stuff we were doing, I was like, I need to do something else here. I'm going to go crazy. And you told us about the most delicious [00:31:00] Mexican restaurant. off out of the hotel.

Ellen: Oh, right. I know. Remember? Yes, yes, yes.

Jeremiah: That's so wild. Okay. And that was it. And then we stalked you from there.

Ellen: Yes.

Jeremiah: Okay. Before I do a couple of rapid fire questions, because I know you've got to go. Yes. Um, I want to ask you, um, between Malibu, Hamptons LA, what are you loving right now?

Ellen: Okay. So I don't have Hamptons anymore.

I sold it. Right before COVID, we sold it right before COVID because we meant to sort of, we needed more space and then COVID hit and the prices went absolutely crazy. And the market has just been so high that we've just been renting for now. Um, so, so I am itching to get myself another Hamptons house.

I'm really itching to do a whole house.

Jeremiah: You're ready to do a big one.

Ellen: Yeah. You know, I like, I like to build and, You know, it's fun and all that

Jeremiah: best. Or you want to go contemporary or what's your vibe these days? I,

Ellen: you know, I'm classic Hamptons and you

Jeremiah: know,

Ellen: it's

Jeremiah: [00:32:00] essential. Okay. All right. You want to do a couple of rapid fire questions and I'll leave you alone.

Sure. Sure. I already know your sign because you are definitely a Scorpio. Do you have any heirlooms that were passed down to you?

Ellen: I don't know.

Jeremiah: Yeah, me either. Such a weird, I'm always fascinated to know if people have any, what's the most interesting place that you've visited recently?

Ellen: Um, I have been working so much.

I haven't, I didn't go anywhere new this summer, last summer. Uh, I went to Sicily. And I had never been to Sicily before, and I went all over Sicily. I went from one end of Sicily to the other end of Sicily and stayed in a bunch of different places.

Jeremiah: Yeah, Sicily's spectacular.

Ellen: But I'm not super adventurous with the kids.

But we do take a lot of vacations, but we tend to do it with friends. Resort kind of family friendly type of places. I'll venture out with them to more wild adventures when they're a bit older.

Jeremiah: Like,

Ellen: I [00:33:00] can't wait to take them to Japan.

Jeremiah: I've never been,

Ellen: you know, they go to Paris and London and, you know, they go to all the usual places, but like, Iceland and Copenhagen and you know, you've never been you've never been

Jeremiah: no, I'll go with you to japan.

Ellen: Okay Yeah, i've been once for work and I was so jet lagged the whole time The jet lag is pretty intense you got to go there for a couple weeks so that you can get through the jet lag and then Enjoy it. I'm looking forward to going back for much more than four days.

Jeremiah: Yeah, that sounds like a better idea.

And then my last question for you, what are you watching right now?

Ellen: Ooh, I just finished presumed innocent.

Jeremiah: So good. It was so good. Didn't you love it? I did. And I didn't want to, but I sure did. You

Ellen: didn't want to?

Jeremiah: Well, I didn't know. I was like, I don't know that the previews and the trailers, I was like, this doesn't, I'm not sure this I remember the movie obviously, but, um, I thought they did such a good job.

Ellen: They did such a good job. Um, I'm a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan [00:34:00] and he's so talented and so committed and so ugly.

Jeremiah: Yeah. He needs to definitely get, you know, hit a set up or something, but besides that,

Ellen: and not a nice person.

Jeremiah: Yeah, exactly.

Ellen: And, and so, uh, I'm a huge fan and it, and I was excited to, to watch him in that, and it was, I thought it was shot so beautifully,

Jeremiah: beautifully.

The actress that played his wife, I'm forgetting her name. She was so. Good.

Ellen: Yes. Ruth was, was amazing. Yes. She was incredible. I think they all did such a great job and it was, it was just beautifully shot. Yeah. It's

Jeremiah: gorgeous. All right. Well, thank you, love. That's it. I love you. You're free.

I want to say a quick thank you to Ellen. As you can see, she is just spectacular. Thank you. She has gone through and done so much with her life, and she continues to craft beauty wherever she goes. I would love to hear more about the special places and the pivotal moments in all of your lives. [00:35:00] Be sure to post, comment, or tag us on Instagram at CAClosets.

Special thanks to the amazing team behind the scenes. This episode is produced by Rob Schulte and Rachel Senatore at Sandow Design Group.