If you ask Leanne star Leanne Morgan how her husband of 33 years, Chuck, feels about her living out a single era on screen, she’ll give you a pretty good idea of how their relationship works… Or at least a comedic version of the answer.

“Chuck doesn’t care, honey, if I’m bringing in money,” the actress and stand-up comedian tells DECIDER in an interview over Zoom for Season 2 of her hit Netflix series, which sees her character out and about in the dating world again after her husband (Ryan Stiles) of three decades leaves her. It’s a path Morgan may not personally know, but one she can envision, especially after bringing the storyline to life on TV.

“In real life, if something — God forbid, if Chuck Morgan left me — I’d be dating, honey. I’ve loved men all my life,” she jokes, adding that in reality, her husband knows that she is kidding about getting back out there and is finding it delectable just to get to play flirty on television. “I think he knows she’s in menopause and she’s tired and her feet hurt and she is not going to get out and honky tonk. I think that’s what Chuck Morgan thinks. Cause he’s right, you know. I just talk a big game about dating.”

That’s the kind of relationship Morgan and her husband have. It’s also the type of comedian she is, and it’s what has drawn millions to her stand-up and her eponymous Netflix comedy, which also stars Kristen Johnston, Celia Weston, Tim Daly, and Blake Clark. Season 1 of the Chuck Lorre-produced series was such a resounding success — it topped Netflix charts and was streamed more than 1 billion minutes in the first six weeks — that Season 2 nabbed guest stars like Jaime Pressly, Tyne Daly, and country superstar Lainey Wilson, who Morgan was all too happy to have on set.

“So funny. I thought the whole time that she’s so natural. We’ve been together before that, and we did Family Feud with each other, our families competed, and I’ve always thought she was naturally funny,” Morgan says. “That little thing, honey, works like a mule, but we’re both working like a mule. But she’s just so fun to be around and so authentic. We just lift each other up.”

Read on for DECIDER’s full conversation with the comedian and actress.

DECIDER: Leanne is back for Season 2! Talk to me a little about jumping back into this world and these characters

LEANNE MORGAN: I’ve got the best writing team in the world, and honey, they wanted to explore us taking care of our elderly parents right away, and I’m dealing with that in real life. My momma and daddy are 83 and 86, and I begged them to move in with me, but my little daddy won’t leave their house. I thought it was so relevant for what people are going through in the United States. You know, when you’re trying to launch your kids and then you’ve got elderly parents you’re attending to, and I thought they just hit it perfectly. And then just following my character, going through this big change in her life. And you can’t even imagine Hope, how many women have come up to me since season one and said, I went through the exact same thing and you just don’t know how much hope that gave me. That I can find love again, that I’m gonna be all right, that I. That I’ve got my family and my friends to help lift me up. It’s really been sweet. It’s been more than comedy, I would say.

It will hit so many people, I think. I love that you guys chose to tackle the elderly parents storyline. It’s something we don’t often see on TV. Why do you think it’s so important to highlight that?

I don’t know why people don’t [show it more on TV]. I think in my stand-up, I talk about things that everybody goes through, like menopause and all that. And I just think it’s a time in life. I don’t know if it was after COVID or what happened, but, I think people want real and people want stories that are reflected in their own life. And I do that in my stand-up. I just think there’s something about it that’s comforting and just something that everybody can enjoy together. I also thought it was important for this multi-cam for if little children want to watch it, all the way up to elderly, all people. I think it’s important to reflect what’s going on in real life.

And that’s also reflected in the episode where Leanne, Carol, and Mary go to the plastic surgeon’s office. I think every woman has wanted to get work done at some point. Ultimately, they decide not to get anything done — why did that feel like the right messaging for that storyline?

Oh honey, every day I’m going back and forth thinking, “Should I get my neck done?” I’ll look at my neck in this and think, “Oh Lord,” and then the next day I go, “No, I wanna be me, I’m gonna age gracefully or whatever.” I think that my generation, we are more vibrant than we’ve ever been. I remember my grandmother at my age, honey, looked 100 and that sweet thing would be out there killing a chicken and then frying it and had a house dress on. But you know, we’re living longer, we want a better life expectancy and we’ve got supplements, I’m always about a supplement, but I think women my age are feeling younger. It’s like the new 40 and we want to go and do and have purpose and plastic surgery is part of that. But I love a good laser. Wasn’t that episode just darling?

There are so many great episodes this season. I also will never get over Lainey Wilson in Episode 8. So fun, I think she might have a career in this.

So funny. I thought the whole time that she’s so natural. We’ve been together before that, and we did Family Feud with each other, our families competed, and I’ve always thought she was naturally funny. And she said to me, she goes, “I should have been a stand-up, Leanne.” She goes, “How many trucks do you take on tour?” I go, “I don’t take any trucks, I need a glass of water and a stool and a cough drop,” and she said, “oh my gosh, I should have been a stand-up.” But she’s very naturally funny, and yes, she could do anything. There’s no telling what that little thing’s gonna do.

And since the show is, in many ways, about sharing lessons between women, I’m curious if you gave her any advice or if you learned anything from her while working together?

That little thing, honey, works like a mule, but we’re both working like a mule. But she’s just so fun to be around and so authentic. We just lift each other up. I’d say that’s what we do [for each other]. And I’ve told her — because I think she wants children — she’s asked me different advice about, her career, and she’s on top of the world, but she can have both, she can have both and I hope she gets to. She’s a doll and her husband, you could eat his lips off. Duck, they call him Duck, and he’s funny. I mean, they’re just down to earth and precious. We’ve talked a lot about authenticity; she’s got that like Dolly [Parton].

I need to see her back in Season 3 if we get a Season 3. I have to ask, it kind of ends on a weird moment. It’s not exactly a cliffhanger, but there’s definitely not the resolution that I was hoping for. What do you think it all means for Leanne in the end?

Oh, with Bill? He’s always gonna be hanging around. I do think if something catastrophic, God forbid, happened like that in your life and you’d been married to somebody for 30-something years and you’ve got grandbabies and children together, I could see, I think they’ve hit it of like, Bill’s always around and is gonna be a part of Leanne’s life because they’re so intertwined for so long. You can’t help it, even if they’re not together. I hope whatever happens with Bill, if that’s over, honey, I hope Leanne’s still dating. In real life, if something — God forbid, if Chuck Morgan left me — I’d be dating, honey. I’ve loved men all my life. And I’m telling you, Tim Daly’s got his own sitcom coming on NBC, but he can still be my boyfriend. It made me mad, but then I thought, “They better let my boyfriend come back to me, honey, because he’s my boyfriend!”

I gotta know what Chuck Morgan says about you getting to play flirty with Tim Daly and, oh gosh, I’m forgetting the actor’s name from Mike & Molly…

Billy Gardell!

Yes! What is his reaction to that?

One: Chuck doesn’t care, honey, if I’m bringing in money. Two: I think he knows she’s in menopause and she’s tired and her feet hurt and she is not going to get out and honky tonk. I think that’s what Chuck Morgan thinks. Cause he’s right, you know. I just talk a big game about dating.

Leanne Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

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