Shabooty Interview Series: Christa Miller (Cougar Town) — Photo by Howard Stern

BREAKING NEWS: ‘Cougar Town’ has just been renewed for two seasons — as it will move to TBS. Congratulations to Christa Miller! I used to have a huge crush on Christa when she was on ‘The Drew Carey Show’. That was back when even people with the sense God gave geese (yours truly), actually watched TV sitcoms. After this interview, I’m going to start watching ‘Cougar Town’, and the crush on Christa Miller is back! But Bill Lawrence, Christa’s husband is keeping close tabs on me, so that can only mean one thing: this interview “kicked the llama’s ass.” Christa and I delved into the depths of all things Howard Stern, Cougar Town, Twitter haters, MILFs, show biz, & more!

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Shabooty: When did you get into the Howard Stern Show?
Christa Miller: I grew up in Manhattan, and my mom always loved Howard Stern. You know, my mom’s life is — if Howard says it’s not good, then my mom doesn’t think it’s good. My mom’s a model, still with Ford and she loved Howard, so I’ve been listening to Howard since I was thirteen. I’ve been listening in New York and been a huge fan. We have a keypad touch[screen] on my walls, and any room I walk into where my kids are, I just push satellite so I can hear Howard, all the time.

Do you listen to every minute of every show?
Yeah, do you not?

I’m the same way, I get neurotic if I miss ten minutes.
Yeah, I don’t like to miss any. And so I haven’t. Also, one of my things recently, is that I never like… I hate getting driven. You know, if you have an event, and they send a car, and I always end up taking my own car because I want to hear Howard. And then, for a couple years, I’ve had the app on my phone, so now I can let myself be driven if I have to go to an event, or if we’re going out to dinner (I never drink and drive) then I’m okay, because I have my Howard app on my iPhone.

You’ve been on the Celebrity Superfan Roundtable Show, right?
Yeah, I mean I loved it. I don’t know of any other thing I could do that absolutely I feel confident and don’t have to cram before, like a test. I know what everyone’s talking about everything. Don’t you feel that way? It’s kind of crazy to feel. If I had to do some smart show like Bill Maher, I’d have to really brush up on my politics.

It’s one of those things where there’s minutia, but everyone knows the minutia.
I know all of the minutia. And also, I feel like if I meet people that are Howard Stern fans, it’s really my gauge of if I like someone or not. You know, if someone comes up to me… we were just in Washington DC, for the White House Correspondents Dinner, and the most random people were coming up and saying, “ya know, I loved when you were on Stern,” and I was like, “well I like you,” and now we can have a conversation.

Yeah, I’m the same exact way.
Right, because if you don’t like Howard Stern, I don’t even know what you’re about.

Especially if I interview someone outside of the Howard Stern world, like a musician or a comedian, I always ask them if they’re Howard Stern fans, to get a gauge of them.
Yeah, of course. It’s like women who tell me they have babies in their bathtub, there’s nothing we’re ever gonna have in common, so we should just move on, why continue talking?

Would you say there is a positive or negative connotation to the word cougar?
I think it’s a negative connotation. But also, our show doesn’t have any cougars in it. It’s not about that. But I think it’s — we kind of made a deal with the devil when we first did that show. Or I didn’t, but my husband [Bill] did, is that everyone knew the name of the show, but then it’s a name that doesn’t reflect the show, and it’s lame.

Would you rather be called a milf or a cougar?
Milf. …right?

I don’t have kids, but I assume if you have kids, it’s more proud to be a mother [that would like to be banged], than a cougar.
Oh, for sure. I would def. much rather be a milf.

How was the Drew Carey Show? How was that experience?
It was good, it was fun. It was exciting, it’s a different format. The four camera format is like doing a play every week. You do it in front of a live audience, it’s completely different. It was very exciting. It was one of my first big jobs. It was fun. I prefer single camera, it’s how I prefer to work. You know, when you do multi-camera, the same show, you’re rehearsing all week. So if there are a couple scenes you don’t like, or you just don’t like doing, you’re rehearsing them all week. You have to do them a hundred times. In our show, if the scene is a drag or you have to be wet, or you have to be whatever, you’re done with it after you do it. I just like single camera, I just feel like, I like it. But it’s also fun… I don’t know if I want to do it for nine years again, but it’s fun doing a live show. Because that audience, it’s exciting.

How old were you when you were first on the Drew Carey Show?
I think I booked that show when I was 28.

Right now, if you went to Cleveland, are you a mega-celebrity in Cleveland?
We were. I mean, I haven’t been, but we were when we went and filmed all of those dance numbers. It was insane. I remember once, Ryan Stiles and I walked through the mall because we were going to the movies, and it was crazy. I mean it really was crazy. I dunno if I went now…

What part of Manhattan did you grow up in?
I grew up on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. I just was at my high school reunion, I went to Convent of the Sacred Heart, the same school as Lady Gaga. I was just at my reunion, less than two weeks ago.

You were a drama geek?
No, I wasn’t, I was an athlete. I lettered in four sports in high school.

Did you always have a good sense of humor, or did it develop through time?
I’m gonna have to say, that I’ve always been HI-Larious. I think I’ve always had a good sense of humor. I’ve always wanted to be an actress since I was little. My aunt is an actress, and I always wanted to be an actress. In my family, my Dad went to Yale, and was a surgeon. It was kind of weird that I wanted to be an actress. We grew up in New York, but not in that world at all. Ya know, I always wanted to be. I feel like I’ve always been funny, but who knows, only some people get my sense of humor.

I assume you were cast on the Drew Carey Show, because you had the comedic chops
I did have the comedic chops, but you know, on that show I learned so much. When you’re doing a multi-camera comedy, you really learn about timing and how jokes are constructed and anyone that is gonna do comedy I feel like should go on a multi-camera show, because you really have to bring your A-game there.

Are you still best buddies with Drew Carey?
I am not still best buddies with Drew Carey.

You don’t keep tabs on his ‘Price Is Right’ career?
I don’t, although I think he’s a very nice man, but we’re not good friends.

You said your Dad went to Yale, is that the reason you’re into preppy guys? (Don’t take this as a shot at Bill Lawrence)
Haha, probably, I am into preppy guys. It’s very funny, Bill’s partner, the president of Bill’s company looks — people mistake them for each other. He’s also a preppy guy, and I always say that he’s my other boyfriend. If you saw the president of Bill’s company, you would laugh. They look like twins.

You could never date a hip-hop star?
I feel like I could, you know I went to, not a hip-hop star, but when we went to Washington this weekend, I am now smitten with President Obama. I thought he was so handsome and had such a cute smile and so charismatic, Bill told me to relax and stop talking about President Obama. I overly have a crush on him.

Yeah, that man of power and he has that swagger.
Swagger, he’s confident, he had great timing, he was really funny in his jokes, he’s so confident. I’m telling you, in real [life], he is handsome like you would not believe. He is my new boyfriend. Sorry, it’s not Bill’s president of the company, it is President Obama.

No, I understand. I see the pictures with him and people, and he has a big smile on his face, and the person next to him, is freaked out that they’re in the same picture as him.
Yeah, you’re just bowled over by the charisma. No, I am telling you, I am from New York, I like the hip-hop, I’m cooler than you think. Although, someone just tweeted me a couple weeks ago that she thought that I think I’m cooler than I am. But I disagree. I’m gonna say that I disagree with that.

Do you block a lot of people on Twitter?
I blocked someone this week that said something nasty and said something untrue and mean, and I blocked them just because who needs to see that, but I rarely block people. I don’t really get a lot of nasty things on twitter. I’ve blocked a couple of people, who have then tweeted Bill and said, or I can see their tweets and they’re like, “I didn’t mean it, that was really dumb.” I don’t think people realize sometimes I read fan’s tweets and if you’re saying something snotty and mean, you know, but I think I’ve blocked four people.

Before Cougar Town, were you BFFs with Courteney Cox?
I was friendly with her, but not best friends. Just because we were busy, and she didn’t live very near me, and it was one of those things. When you have kids, and things like that, it’s not easy to make new friends. And Bill and I aren’t really into the Hollywood scene. And the instant that Bill started talking to her about doing the show, I fell madly in love with Courteney and that was it. I mean I love her so much that there’s no one better. She’s such a quality, great girl. And I’m not someone that has a million people that I think that about.

You two spend a lot of time together outside of work, right?
Yeah.

Hence you calling into the Howard Stern Show together.
Hence us calling into the Stern show together. I’m sure you know how this is with people. I’m able to completely myself with Courteney and she is like Bill, in that she finds me amusing. And she loves me and I can be totally myself. And there’s just not a lot of people in the world, that when you’re friends with. I have about seven great girlfriends that I have that with, but it’s not easy to come by.

How is it being inside Howard Stern’s inner circle?
Well, I dunno if I’m in his inner circle. But I think he’s great. He’s always been super kind to me. I love Beth. Beth and I are becoming better and better friends. I love her. That’s another person I can feel like I can be myself and she laughs. I feel very comfortable with her. Bill and I love Beth and Howard because they’re very much in love and it’s hard to meet couples where both people in the couple are good. And I don’t know if I’m in their inner circle, but I am always happy when I am able to get to see them.

When Howard hangs with a couple, but then doesn’t see them for a summer, he gets all paranoid. Do you think since he doesn’t see Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos anymore, that they must not like Howard? Do you think that’s the case?
No, I don’t think so. I mean, I’m sure that’s not the case. I doubt that. We actually saw them last weekend and they were great. I’ve done that show, but I have never really talked to Kelly Ripa, and I thought she was very funny, and adorable, and Mark was very nice. And we had a really fun time at this party after the White House Correspondents Dinner. I thought they were good. But it also was nice to them because I especially like them because I assume that they like Howard.

Do you agree with Judd Apatow about too much America’s Got Talent talk on the Howard Stern Show?
No, everything Howard does, in my opinion is perfect and great. So I think, that’s it for me. Everything he says, I agree with. If we’re talking about AGT, then that’s what we’re talking about.

I’m in your boat.
Yeah, I am happy that he is on the radio. And that I get to hear him. And that’s it. He can talk about whatever he likes.

Are you a fan of Nick Cannon?
I mean I don’t know, I’ll see [when I see AGT]. But if Howard likes him, then I guess I like him.

I’ve met him, he’s not one of those huge ego type, a-hole celebrities
No, he seems like a genuinely nice person.

Def. A lot of times when I interview realty TV stars, they’re nice at first, but they stick around on TV, and they turn into assholes.
Which is so silly. Which is so ridiculous if you think about it. Being famous for nothing, and then you have an attitude.

And in my opinion, as soon as you get the attitude, that’s when your downfall comes.
Hehe, exactly right.

The infamous King-Tut thing [sex story shared on The Howard Stern Show], have you ever done that with a prior boyfriend?
I have not, and I feel like that’s been exaggerated. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Has Cougar Town been renewed? [Editor's note: Cougar Town has since been renewed and will be moving to TBS]
We’ll see… but it’s not as dire as people thought. That’s all I’m gonna say.

So then if it does get renewed, Eric the Midget will get a shot on there?
Eric the Midget will get a shot, don’t you think? Oh, for sure we’re having Eric the Midget on if we get renewed.

Now how friendly are you with David Arquette?
I like David, but I mean I don’t see him. He’s not at work, and I don’t see him at Courteney’s anymore. I saw him this weekend actually, in Washington, and I really like David. But I don’t see him that much. I’m friends with Courteney.

How exclusive was the thing in Washington? [White House Correspondent's Dinner]
It’s pretty cool. It’s a pretty cool situation. But I think it’s a coveted invite. It was really amazing. It was kind of a once and a lifetime situation. We had a blast.

How are the Jimmy Kimmel parties thrown for Howard Stern? And did you try the moonshine?
I did try the moonshine. Um, I did. And it is really strong. But I liked the moonshine, and the Kimmel parties are AMAZING. ‘Cause it’s everybody that loves Howard Stern, so you already know walking in, it’s everybody that you like.

If you could only pick one: to go to a Jimmy Kimmel (Howard Stern LA) party, or to go to the White House Correspondents Party, which one would you go to?
Jimmy Kimmel. For sure, Jimmy Kimmel.

Who are your favorite Howard Stern Celebrity Superfans?
I love me some Natalie Maines — I mean I know Natalie Maines. I love Jeff Probst. Pretty much everyone that’s there, I like.

Do you like Jillian Barberie?
I don’t know her. I mean I’ve only met her once, I don’t really know her.

You haven’t had the chance to shoot the shit with her?
I have not.

Are you for or against a Holographic Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf?
Howard’s against it, so I am against it.

Fair answer. Were you a fan of Hank’s when he was alive?
Yeah, sort of. I get tired of people that are really, really drunk. I get tired of that quickly. But yeah, I was.

Thank you, CHRISTA!