The Eighty-First One... and Mimi Kennedy

Episode 81 and Wendi and Dfernando's guest interview is actress, author, writer, producer, and activist Mimi Kennedy.

Born in Rochester, NY, Mimi first fell in love with acting as a child in community theater, which would lead her to ignite her acting career on stage opposite TV legend Sid Caesar in Neil Simon’s LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS along with multi-Emmy Award winner Doris Roberts, who became a friend and mentor.

Mimi was active in the NYC theatre scene in the 1970’s, cast in plays like Jim Steinman’s DAS RHEINGOLD and Andy Warhol’s legendary PORK – a role she left due to reasons recounted in her 1996 mid-life memoir TAKEN TO THE STAGE: The Education of an Actress (soon to be released as an audiobook on Audible).  Steinman would become a life-long friend and Warhol, at least in her case, would be proven wrong about his “15 minutes of fame” quote.  In 1976 Mimi made her Broadway debut as one of the Pink Ladies: Jan, in the original Broadway run of the legendary musical GREASE.  She was also a member of the original touring production of THE NATIONAL LAMPOON SHOW.

In 1975 Mimi was invited to audition for the original cast (The Not Ready for Prime Time Players) of a brand-new late-night NBC TV sketch comedy-variety series SATURDAY NIGHT (later known as SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE), but Lorne Michaels decided on casting Jane Curtin for that spot.    

Her stage career did not end when Hollywood and television came calling shortly after. She has performed the 1-woman play about newspaper advice columnist Ann Landers, THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, at both the Pasadena and Cleveland Playhouses. In 2013 she wrote and starred in a 1-woman play about suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage, MIMI KENNEDY FINDS MATILDA JOSLYN GAGE.

For 8 seasons Mimi portrayed the much beloved character, Marjorie, on the hit Chuck Lorre CBS TV sitcom MOM. She garnered a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series before becoming a series regular in Season 2.  This was the second pairing of Mimi and Lorre; she played Abby O’Neil on the hit 90’s ABC TV sitcom DHARMA & GREG for 5 seasons.

Her television debut was on the 1977 NBC TV musical-variety mini-series 3 GIRLS 3, also starring dance legend Debbie  Allen, and Ellen Foley. The New York Times declared it a hit, however it sadly only aired 4 episodes. You can view all 4 episodes on Mimi’s YouTube channel. 3 GIRLS 3 was quite an introduction to Hollywood allowing her the opportunity to play opposite Bob Hope, Carl Reiner, Flip Wilson, and Steve Martin (in his prime-time TV debut.) 

Regular TV sitcom series roles followed throughout the 70’s and 80’s, most notably as Stockard Channing’s sister on the CBS TV sitcom JUST FRIENDS, and  co-starring with comedy legend Peter Cook in THE TWO OF US.  The 1990’s started with Mimi in a dramatic role portraying a slightly darker side of the affluent WASP-type she had portrayed on sitcoms previously. As Queen-B Ruth Sloan on HOMEFRONT, she netted another American Television Critics nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. In the 2000’s she recurred as CIA Director and House Minority Leader in HBO’s THE BRINK and VEEP, respectively. 

Upcoming television guest roles in 2022 include Netflix’s GRACE & FRANKIE, and the long-running ABC TV sitcom THE GOLDBERGS, as well as a new character on a popular drama series.

Mimi's most notable roles on film include: Woody Allen’s Oscar winning MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, IN THE LOOP, the Oscar winning ERIN BROCKOVICH, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, MAN IN THE CHAIR, THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, SAVING PARADISE, the recent Tony Hale comedy EAT WHEATIES!, and the upcoming GOING PLACES.

The experience of attending and graduating from Smith College during the Vietnam War era (with Julie Nixon as a classmate) exposed Mimi to new ideas and perspectives. The seeds of an activist and world citizen were born.  

Nonviolence is her core political principle, learned in weekly classes after 9/11 taught by Rev. James Lawson, whom Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “the teacher” for his educating activists in nonviolent theory and practice at the start of the civil rights struggle in the 1960s.  Mimi was the founding Advisory Board Chair of Progressive Democrats of America in 2004 and remains on its National Board in a leadership role on the Election Integrity Team.  Her work in Election Integrity is nationally recognized, from Capitol Hill to LA County; where she served on the Advisory Panel for LA’s new paper-ballot voting system.  

Her 1-woman play about 19th century suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage wove the spiritual and political activism of Gage with today’s need for reproductive justice and conscious parenting.  She was proud to stand with the MOM cast and producers in donating the show’s 2017 Emmy budget to Planned Parenthood.  

Mimi and the PDA were instrumental in convincing Bernie Sanders to run in the 2016 Democratic Presidential primary; hosting Sanders’ first LA fundraiser in her home. She has also worked with the Office of the Americas against the covert wars in Central America and Artists United to Win Without War.

Mimi lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband of over 40 years, actor, educator, and musician Larry Dilg. They have two grown children, two grandchildren and an adorable dog

Also on Episode 81, Dfernando and Wendi are back and touch on things that occurred during their time off: Dfernando's 57th and Greg Covey's 52nd birthdays; Wendi's gift of a week's worth of Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding and pizza; Wendi's new article in NEW BEAUTY Magazine, which includes various photos from their first photo shoot together (one which includes Wendi wearing one of Bob Fosse's own bowler hats); and Wendi talks about her time in Vancouver where she filmed the new Disney Plus film PROM PACT

On THE RIPE REPORT, Dfernando talks about the new Netflix cake-baking competition show IS IT CAKE?, hosted by SNL's Mikey Day, and Wendi shares a new discovery: Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake and shares a ROTTEN: celebrities licking faces on the red carpet at awards shows.  

Watch Wendi and Dfernando and their TEAM GENERATION RIPE: Greg Covey, Shelley McLendon and Ponciana Badia on Season 7 Episode 2 of CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD - now on ABC OnDemand and Hulu and on the GENERATION RIPE website.  

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