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And funny enough, I didn't know this, but Jay Peterman is a real person. John Peterman, the Jay Peterman catalog, it's a real thing. So John O'Hurley played a fictionalized version of Jay Peterman, who is the owner of the Jay Peterman company and the Jay Peterman catalog, which are all real things except for probably the urban sombrero. We'll talk about John's first job and his big break. Also promoting the national dog show presented by Purina on NBC Thanksgiving Day from noon to two. John O'Hurley is my guest this week on celebrity jobber. They have become what was their first job we're about to find out. Call my wife calling UK wildlife voice assistance not working for you. BlackRock Investment Trust has a lot working for you. Get to know them at blackrock.com. Capital at risk marketing material BlackRock Investment Management UK Limited. Authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Hello. Hello John. Good morning. Good morning to you. You've got that voice. I don't know what it is. You definitely have the, did anybody ever tell you that? Like before you were in the business? Did they ever say you got that voice? You got the voice for radio or whatever? My voice was the last one to change in high school. Really? God's a little practical joke. Really? So you had like a Peter Brady kind of situation going on in high school? I had, yeah, got that voice cracked and went low and never came back. Really? Oh, interesting. I am a big fan of your work. Thank you. Tell me a little bit about, you know, I know your dad was in the medical field. How did you get into wanting to be an actor? Seems like a completely... Oh, at the age of three. At the age of three years old, there were large people standing over me saying all the same thing. What do you want to be when you grow up? With a sense of disgust, I would put my hands on my hips and I would point to the black and white TV in the corner of the room and I would say, well, I am an actor. So that's what I'm going to be. And I knew from three years old on that I was going to be an actor. Isn't that such an unfair question? You know, what do you want to be when you grow up? You don't think so? Yeah. Well, no, in my case, I was still soiling diapers at the rate of six a day. So I don't know that I had a concrete career objective, but I figured they were just asking me because they were looking for a better idea for themselves. So when did it become really serious? Like when did things start picking up? Was it high school? You started getting the lead or when did you really think this was for real? Yeah, I got the lead in all of the plays in high school and then went on to college and majored in theater there, although I was the only theater graduate my senior year. Really? So consequently, I won the theater award. Right. But yeah, no, I mean, I knew what I was going to do. I was scared to death to do it because I didn't know anybody. You know, it's not so I had people that are alumni from my college that I could call on. I didn't have any friends that were actors. So it was a solo effort in all regards. Wow. So yeah. So but, you know, something that I said, I've got to commit to. So leaving the net will appear. Well, you just jumped in both feet, you know, and it seems like there's a lot of guys like you that are, you know, no backup plan. Their parents aren't in showbiz and they just make that decision early in life. Maybe not as early as you three years old, but they make that decision. With no backup plan, they dive in headfirst and there you go. Tell me, I mean, I could guess, John, but I want you to tell me the story. Was there a big break? There had to be a moment in your life where everything changed. Could you describe the phone call or, you know, what that big break that I'm probably guessing what it was was? You know, I did, I came to New York in 1981 and I got my first show 48 hours after I arrived here by simply walking the wrong way up a fire escape. Really? To meet somebody for lunch and they had just fired. It was a rehearsal for a new play and they had just fired the second lead. By the end of lunchtime, I had that role. And so it was just, I mean, it happened that that circumstantially and, you know, you can't, you can't teach that to anybody to say, yeah, walk the wrong way up a fire escape and you'll end up with a career. Can you tell me how, how did, how did that happen though? So you walked up the wrong way on a fire escape and did that lead you into the, into the casting room? They were, yeah, they were, you know, they were just breaking the cast was rehearsing for a brand new play and they were just breaking for lunch, but they had just fired the second lead in the show because they didn't like them. And, and lo and behold, I show up and in the side door to meet a friend for lunch and she brought me over there to meet the producers and the rest is history. At the end of lunch, I had the role. I had the role and got me everything I ever needed. Wow. Yeah. So there's a, would you say there was a little luck involved? Oh, yes. Yes. Okay. As I said, you can't, you can't teach that as a, you can't teach that to people that are trying to look for, you know, their next step in the career, you know, all I can say is walk the wrong way up a fire escape. The celebrity jobber podcast with Jeff Zito celebrity jobber. Can you tell me a little bit about your experience on Seinfeld, which is known as probably one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. It's on so many different channels and, and, and in, I mean, it's just, I don't know why either. I don't know why it's my favorite show all these years later. I guess it's so relatable. There's a situation that happens in my life and your next door neighbor's life. There's a situation in everybody's life that has happened on Seinfeld. Tell me a little bit about that phenomenon. Well, I think one of the, one of the things that accentuated what the phenomenon was was that they were, they were people that were not very nice to each other. I mean, they would sell each other out in a moment and everybody was like that on the show. It was a, it was a celebration of not niceness. And I think, and I think that's what helped it made it relatable. It always reminded me of 12 people in an elevator that fit 10. Right. You know, everything was always just mildly uncomfortable, you know, and, and that was kind of the, the joy of it. But the other side of the coin was that Seinfeld was not a jokey show. You had to actually play the scenes like a drama for them to be funny. Really? Because it was the height and the intensity of the passion that you've, that the characters felt for the scene or in the scene that actually turned it into something funny. Is there a lot of pressure on you on when you're in a show like that and it becomes really successful like it did? I mean, does it? Well, it was successful long before I got there. I mean, I got there. I was, did the last four or five seasons on the show. So is it stressful for you to join a show like that? That's so successful. Well, you're certainly, you know, you're, you're certainly aware that you're, you know, you're in St. Peter's Basilica and, you know, and it's, that's about as good as it's going to get. And yeah, you're certainly aware of it. So you, you treat it with a level of respect that, you know, it, you, because it's just, it's a once in a lifetime experience. Right. And I noticed during, you know, anytime you were on, you know, J. Peterman's role was very Shakespearean. You know, were you to classical? Classical. Classically trained actor. Did that come out because tell me a little bit about how you made that character your own? Well, you know, when they handed me the, originally when they handed me the script, they hadn't finished it. They, they're writing it yet. So all they gave me was like a copy of the J. Peterman catalog. And they said, we just wanted to sound the way the catalog is written, which was kind of like a Hemingway novel, but an Oxford button down. And, and so I, as I was reading through it, and I just, I said, this is very strange. It reminded me of a combination of a forties radio drama combined with a bit of a bad Charles corral. And that's kind of the genesis of the character. He was, he was a lunatic legend in his own mind. Yeah. He was, but, but a funny one, definitely without trying to. And you were, you know, it was, he was not, he didn't want that, you know, he, he wasn't going for funny, but it was probably one of, one of many things that made that show so successful, I would say. Celebrity Jobber, the celebrity jobber podcast with Jeff Cito. John, can you tell me, you just told me about your time on sign, Val, you told me about your, your big break walking, walking up the wrong way in a fire escape, which is just kind of the block that you, you ended up getting apart. But can you tell me, was there a first job, a first paying job that you can tell me about before all the stardom, before hosting the family feud and the new dog show that I want to talk about here momentarily, a very first job in your life. Can you tell me what it was? No, I would say it would be that job that I got when I walked up the Steyrka, the, the fire escape that was, that led to my first show in New York. And, and my first paycheck and I got an agent out of that, I was able to join the union. So that was one stop shopping for me that, that one particular show. I was very fortunate. I didn't earn very much. I earned $200 a week or something like that. But, but at least it was something and I was, you know, working in the union. What was the show? Can you tell, do you remember what it was? It was the, coincidentally, it was the worst musical ever done in New York. John Simon, the critic for the New York, for the New Yorker, he said, I don't know how a play like this gets as far as it does. I can only say that in this world, isn't too many others, the power to do is one pleases is more compelling of course than prudence. Oh my God. Was there. Damned by faint, dammed by faint praise. Oh my gosh. Was, did you have a job before then, like out of the business, like your very first job, did you work in an ice cream store? That was it. That was your first paycheck. Wow. When I, when I made the decision to go be an actor in New York, I said, I'm going to be a success, not to be a waiter. And I went down there and I didn't do anything else. All I did was perform. So you always had an ability to pay the bills. You know, even when you were a young struggling actor from acting, you never had to go do odd jobs to pay the rent. That's right. Wow. Never had to. Now I'm an old struggling actor. Bare hardly. I was going to say though, you and William Shatner, the only two people I think I've ever talked to that said, never did anything else. This was it. Acting, he was six. You made the decision when you were three, but he never, he never baby sat. He never had another job. Same as you. I thought it was interesting. I was very lucky. I had, I've had a great career. And as I say, I've been able to put my fingers through the belt loops of some very interesting brands. Yes. Being one of them, the National Dog Show being another and Family Feud and to tell the truth and dancing with the stars and a bunch of others. But tell me, tell me about hosting. And again, this Thursday on Thanksgiving, the National Dog Show presented by Purina, you seem like a natural to, to host kind of a show like this. When did that, when did you start getting into that world? Well, I think to tell the truth was the first show that I hosted, but I had done, you know, a lot of other things when I was a spokesman for this company or that. And, and I think I grew up with just a sense of deportment, if you will, that was just my, my parents always insisted that we were part of the, you know, when they would have entertained for dinner parties or, or anything like that, that they, that we were part of the conversation as well. So I learned at a young age to, to speak to adults and to be adult like, and I think I brought that over into the world of hosting as well. And are you a dog person? You got to be a dog person. I get to host this show, right? Always had a dog. Always had a dog. And more often two dogs. Really? You got a lot of property? Well, no, they're just better in Paris. You think so? Shit, I want my wife to hear this. She, she agrees with you. I'm like, eh, not until I get a lot of property. They take care of each other. Well, you find a dog that doesn't need that much, that kind of exercise. You get, there are many dogs in the, in the toy breed that don't require any kind of exercise, really. They, they just, they're lap dogs. What kind of dogs do you have, John? I have two, I have two rescue dogs right now. They're, they're smaller lap dogs and, and they're, you know, full of energy and full of life and just grateful to be rescued and alive. Celebrity Jobber, the Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. And the national dog show presented by Perina, by the way, errs after the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So that would be Thursday, November 27th, noon to two and a simulcast on Peacock. I always wondered how you get, how do, how do these dogs get into the show? Are they like born to be, you know, show dogs? Well, I think you have to have the human element first, the interest in, in showing your dog. And then you have to have a good representative of the breed that interests you. And you have to cultivate that and, and, and grooming these dogs and learning about them and making sure that this dog corresponds to what the written specification of the perfect example of that breed should be. I mean, that's a, that's a very difficult and time consuming job. Yeah. You get a pure breed dog and you think that this animal has what it takes to, you know, compete as a show dog. But I mean, I can tell you differently. Every time I get my hands on a Pomeranian, which is the kind of dog my, my wife likes, and, and I do as well. I mean, there's no way my dog is going to do anything like these dogs do on the show. My dog's friggin wild, goes absolutely nuts. If somebody rings the doorbell, I mean, these dogs are like so well behaved. They must have crazy owners that are really into training the dog and, and, and being fancy with it at a very early age. It's a sport, if you will. And there are a lot of people that are consumed with that as their lifestyle. You know, as of recently, I've been thinking it must be a really fun gig hosting a game show. You hosted to tell the truth also the great American spelling bee and you replaced Al, the guy from home improvement, Richard Karn, to become the host of the family feud. You like hosting game shows? It looks like a blast to me. Love to. I'm loon. You know, it's always, yeah. The thing about it is that they're unscripted. And so it's like every time you do a show, you are leaping into the abyss and just hoping that your brain will work quick enough to think of something witty to say. Otherwise, get out of the way of the show and let it let it proceed. Have you ever thought about if it didn't all work out this way? If you weren't J. Peter, man, if you if you didn't become a big star, you ever think about what might have happened in your life? You just kind of like think deep like that or you're so far in the rear view. Well, I probably I'd probably be the only straight interior designer. You have a you have an eye for that kind of thing. I do. I do. I'm sitting I'm sitting in a room right now with with with white white chairs and I'm already rearranging it in my head. Wow. Yeah, you know, sometimes I thought I asked guys like, you know, did anything ever interest you in college? But, you know, other than, you know, you're you're a theater major early on, it seemed like you were you became what you became because of who you are. And you knew that I think it's such an unfair question when they they go to kids and they go, what do you want to major in even at the age of 18? I'm like, I don't think it's fair because, you know, there's so much out there. But I really admire somebody like you that that knew what they were doing. My dad says the same thing. I wanted to be an architect when I was in the eighth grade. And I'm like, man, I didn't know what the hell I wanted to become in the eighth grade. So I really I admire you guys knowing what you want to do at an early age and then succeeding. So it's Thursday, November 27th Thanksgiving, noon to two, the National Dog Show. Presented by Purina and John Oh Hurley. My guest, John, it was it was an absolute pleasure speaking with you. You as well. Hey, call my wife calling UK wildlife. No, call my wife. Here's a cheese knife, Leicester. Voice assistance, not working for you with BlackRock Investment Trust's hands on investing, long term approach to growth and regular dividends. You have a lot working for you. I live in Kent. Get to know BlackRock Investment Trust at BlackRock.com. You have a lot working for you. Capital at risk marketing material, BlackRock Investment Management, UK limited, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. His very first job was as an actor. I find that so incredible. William Shatner also told me his first job was six years old acting. And like Bill Shatner, John Oh Hurley never had a paper route, never worked at a pizza place. He was never a waiter. He was always an actor. I find that pretty incredible. And he came up with the idea of performing at the age of three years old. I don't remember anything from the time I was three years old. So I think that's kind of amazing on its own. His mother was a stay-at-home mom, housewife, and his father in the medical field, an ear, nose and throat surgeon. John grew up in New England. He was born in Maine. He went to school in Massachusetts in Connecticut. And then his family moved to Dubois, Pennsylvania when he was in the ninth grade. Then graduated from Providence College in 1976 with a BA in theater. You know, I thought John would say that his big break was getting the role of J. Peterman in Seinfeld. But he said it was actually, you know, by chance he walked up the wrong way up a fire escape into some casting room where he was supposed to meet somebody for lunch. And the lead of this play was fired and John ended up getting the part which led him to getting an agent, which led him to joining the union. And there you go. And one fell swoop. John was a professional actor and because of that break, never had any other type of job other than acting or hosting for his entire career. John O'Hurley, J. Peterman in Seinfeld. My guest this week on Celebrity Jobber and thank you so much for checking out another episode streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, wherever you listen to podcasts, please subscribe. We'd love a five star rating and please leave a review. Check out past guests and episodes online at celebrityjobber.com. And you can follow on Instagram, celebrity underscore jobber underscore podcast and our YouTube channel, which is youtube.com slash the at sign celebrity jobber. Who knows what John O'Hurley would have been if not becoming J. Peterman in Seinfeld. He said he has an eye for interior decorating. He seems like he is a very similar to the character of J. Peterman. Don't you agree? Anyway, have a great Thanksgiving. We'll be back again next week with another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. So until then, I'm Jeff Zito.
