An author’s writing process can be taxing, no ifs, ands, or butts about it.
Jennette McCurdy joined Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on Live with Kelly and Mark on Monday to discuss her debut novel, Half His Age, which hits bookshelves today. Consuelos brought up how McCurdy’s 2022 memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, which he noted was a “huge bestseller,” came out just ahead of Ripa’s best-selling debut book Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories.
“I know when Kelly wrote her book, she sat at her desk, and by the end of having her write this book, we had to reupholster the desk chair because it had just flattened out,” he recalled. “She had just spent so much time there.”
Ripa agreed, “I wore out the fabric.”
The iCarly alum replied, “I saw this video and you commented on, like, a pillow getting worn out, and I was laughing so hard because it’s such a truth. You just wear out your pillows because you’re leaning against them and shifting.”
But pillows were not the only thing that changed for Ripa and McCurdy over the course of their writing processes.
“My rear end changed shape,” Ripa revealed of her time writing her book. “Did your butt change shape?”
McCurdy admitted that she could “100%” relate to Ripa’s experience.
“Yesterday I was like trying to—you know, press is rare for me, so beforehand I’ll think that I can change three years of not working out with 12 squats,” she quipped. “Maybe I can make a difference. But for sure, the butt changes.”
Ripa teased, “But you know, I’m really proud of you because my butt changing has stopped me from ever writing again, while you went right into your second book.”
McCurdy joked, “The butt’s still changing.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.