- My next guest was a standout on "Dancing with the Stars"
last year and we all know and love her
from nine seasons on "The Office", let's get Kate Flannery
on the line right now.
Hi, hi, hi.
(Kelly laughs)
Hey Kate.
- What's up girl?
Yeah! - [Kelly] Yes.
You look great.
We both look a little different than the last time
we saw each other.
- Just a little bit, yeah.
It just happens during these times.
I thought we were still doin' the Halloween thing,
last time I saw you I had a wig on, so.
- You know what, challenge accepted,
I think on our show, we should do costumes more often.
But no, you didn't have to wear a costume.
(Kelly laughs)
- So, I didn't want you to think,
I haven't been to the beauty parlor either.
- The mustache is full on.
Well earlier this year you were
on "Dancing With the Stars" tour, right?
That's a huge tour.
- I got to do 45 of our 55 shows,
but then of course we got taken off the road.
But you know, I'm really proud of myself,
I'm 55-years-old, I'm like a 15-year-old
trapped in a 55-year-old body Kelly.
- Aren't we all.
- It was so exciting though.
Huge audiences, so many great fans,
it was really insane, it was really wonderful.
- Yeah, I mean, and what's cool though,
y'all got to do most of the tour.
A lot of people didn't get to do anything.
That's really cool, and for people to get
to come see y'all live, and it's so entertaining
what you do, and it's such an athletic thing
that all of us close our eyes and we're like,
"Yeah, I'm totally Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing,"
but then in real life, we're like not happening.
Okay wait, I have to show you something,
'cause, okay, you sent me this doll,
and everybody, there's been a lot of people doing tributes
stuff to you, 'cause we looked into it.
There are a lot of people that do tributes to you,
and that's such a compliment,
but this doll is amazing!
- It's the Meredith casual Friday doll.
That's the Funko Pop! Doll.
It's insane, I know, I know.
We could have a little conversation,
I've got mine.
- [Kelly] Far out!
- It's insane.
You know what, they just started working
on "The Office" this past year,
and I was literally at my boyfriend's son's
high school graduation in Everett,
and we stopped at the Funko store
in Everett, Washington, and they were like,
"Hey, come with me," and then they showed me
the Michael Scott Funko Pop!
And they're like, "We're starting!"
And so one year later, Casual Friday Meredith appears.
(Kate laughs)
- That's so cool!
This, I don't know if you've seen this yet,
but this is a chalk painting of Meredith.
Oh my gosh!
- [Kate] All chalk, it's from the lice episode
of "The Office" from season nine when Meredith
shaved her head.
(Kate laughs)
I look like Benjamin Franklin, but that's okay.
- That's okay!
That is so funny.
But to impact someone enough to do that,
I don't even know how these people do this chalk art,
it is insane to me.
- [Kate] There's so much love for "The Office" too.
- This one's really, coming from a quilter
that's totally not even average,
I'm like basic Betty good, this is amazing.
You're immortalized in needlepoint,
which is not easy.
That's so cool.
- [Kate] Yes, Jamie, she was a "Dancing With the Stars" fan,
that's me and my dancing partner, Pasha Pashkov.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- She gave it to me on the tour,
I actually have a copy of it too.
She made a few of them, she made one for him
and one for me.
- That's so cool!
I mean, I received many gifts, just from fans
over the years, and that's really cool,
that takes time, that's not just--
- Yeah, I've met her, I think we met in North Carolina,
one of the shows.
And then someone made me this crazy Meredith doll,
which I think is really more like a Barbie doll
because my face has never been this beautiful.
Maybe with some plastic surgery.
(both laugh)
- No, that's amazing!
I love it.
It's so funny how people they're like,
"Oh I love this person," how in their own line of work
they get to kind of lift you up
and praise someone that they love
that has impacted them, or made them laugh,
or they've been able to be their escapism.
It's cool how that comes out in many different forms.
- I'm really, I'm so grateful.
- I love that, and I love that you see that.
I don't know, I know we've both met people
or know people that forget how blessed they are,
and you know, aren't counting the blessings
and counting the mistakes or things they didn't get.
And it's like, it's really cool that you recognize that,
'cause we're all lucky.
We're all replaceable, you know what I'm saying?
Somebody could be doing what we're doing.
It's really cool that you recognize that
and you're having fun, that's the coolest thing
about talking to you Kate, every time I talk to you,
you genuinely have, and your boyfriend told me this
a while back when he was, he's a photographer
for "The Voice" and he was like,
"You and my girlfriend have a lot in common,"
'cause we are both really energetic,
and I try to be positive, and I try to always focus
on what I have.
- You're so positive, you're so great,
you're so encouraging!
- That's what I love about you as well.
It's not easy, and I think people think
you just come out that way, and you don't,
it's something you have to work at
and really keep perspective, and you're so cool.
- Oh thank you Kelly, oh my god,
right back at ya.
But I really think getting older,
it's like you either get smarter or you get dumber.
(Kate laughs)
- And it gets easier I think.
I don't know, I've always kind of been this person,
but for some reason, it's gotten easier
the older I get.
It's not that you don't care, it's that you care
about what's important, I think.
- Right, right.
Well you know, I mean, these times are so challenging
for so many reasons.
I feel like it's time to focus on the change
that's happening in the world,
and accept that there's so many things
that are not right.
I made a decision to donate part of my Cameo proceeds
to the NAACP, and just so I can sleep at night
and feel like whatever more I can do, I'm learning.
I'm learning every day.
- No, that's what I do too.
That was my big thing, I was like, okay,
instead of I do what I can where I can,
but I think a lot of it is, and a lot of the problem is,
is that don't try and understand,
you're never gonna understand where someone's
coming from if it's such a different perspective from me,
such a different life, such a different view,
just listen, and listen to them on how maybe
things can improve.
And I think if we all just did that a little more,
it would work, and we'd finally see the change
that so many people have fought and died for.
- Kelly you are awesome.
- You are too, I love talkin',
thank you for doin' my show again.