Rarified Heir Podcast
Host Josh Mills brings together a wide variety of adult children of celebrities for a fun, funny, bizarre, jaw-dropping, strange and wonderful look behind celebrity, by the people that know them best: their very own children.
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Episode #300: Howard Murray (Jan Murray) (Part Two)
08/11/2026
Episode #300: Howard Murray (Jan Murray) (Part Two)
Today on part two of another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast with guest Howard Murray, son of comedian Jan Murray and former dancer Toni Murray, we delve into more of the good times Howard had with his parents like we heard on part one as well as some of the more difficult times that happened late in life. Get ready, there is a doozy of a story coming. We delve into Jan’s film career on this episode in films like Who Killed Teddy Bear, History of the World Part One, Which Way to the Front as well as what made Jan laugh. And what didn’t. We discuss food, lost LA restaurants and more of the terrific comedians that visited the Murray home on for Jewish and secular holidays. Now, something a little more sobering to discuss. We started this podcast in 2020 during Covid and as this is the 300th episode, we felt it was time to take a break once we hit a nice round number. So with this episode, we are officially going on hiatus. We didn’t take this decision lightly. This podcast has been a constant in our lives for the past six years. We haven’t missed one week of a new or encore episode of the podcast in six years. Honestly, it’s just time for a break. With that, we are pushing pause on the podcast. What are our plans moving forward? Frankly, we don’t have anything. Nothing has been determined or figured out yet. No decisions have been made. But from the bottom of our hearts, we wanted to thank you so much for being fans of the podcast. We had no idea what kind of reaction we’d have when we launched in 2020 and we have to thank original producer Erik Paparazzi and co-host Jason Klamm for launching this podcast from the get -go. We also have to thank Jamie Harley (that’s me) who has been the backbone of this podcast for perhaps 200+ episodes and counting. Literally, there would not have been a podcast without you Jamie - so take a bow. We thank you Jamie! We also want to thank all our Patreon subscribers for being so passionate and so into the podcast that they donated to us for all the hard work we do and for asking some seriously great questions along the way. If we could take out all out to a meal at Chasen’s, we’d do it. Moreover, we wanted to thank all our listeners fo the kind words – the comments you shared, the emails we got, the thumbs up on our social media posts – everything pushed us to continue because we felt like someone loved this concept as much as we did. Thank you listeners. And so, as we go gently into that good night, we need to thank every one of our guests for making this podcast so special. Without your help, we’d have had no one to talk to so thank you for sharing and trusting us. Your honesty and openness was what makes this podcast special. That and all the laughs. Well, without further adieu, take a listen to part two of our interview with Howard Murray on – for now – the last Rarified Heir Podcast for a while. Everyone has a story. Thank you for listening to ours all these years.
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Episode #299: Jan Murray (Howard Murray) (Part One)
08/04/2026
Episode #299: Jan Murray (Howard Murray) (Part One)
Today on part one of another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Howard Murray, son of comedian Jan Murray and former dancer Toni Murray. While most of everyone listening to this podcast knows Jan, Toni actually plays a rather large role in the life of our host Josh Mills. Josh’s father, photographer Martin Mills was good friends with the Murray’s and as you will soon hear, Toni was instrumental in Marty’s life for one specific act that we get into. Toni will always have a special place in our heart for being such a terrific friend. Clearly Howard was over-the-moon about his parents – the love was palpable. From funny stories to family stories to poignant stories and beyond, it’s clear Howard’s connection to his parents runs deep. Frankly, it’s a delight to hear him talk about his up brining in New York, his shock to the system move to Los Angeles as a kid & some of the many shows his father hosted and guest starred on in television in the 1950s and 60s. Moreover we hear stories about Jan’s start in radio, his time learning comedy at the famed Jewish resorts in the Catskills and some great stories about everyone from Jerry Lewis and Milton Berle to Shecky Green, Harry Ritz and Buddy Hackett. And best of all, this is only part one. Part two is next week. And as we close in on episode number 300 next week, we will also have some news for you next about the podcast. Stay tuned. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.
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Episode #298: Michael Rivers (Johnny Rivers)
07/28/2026
Episode #298: Michael Rivers (Johnny Rivers)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Michael Rivers, son of rocker and raconteur Johnny Rivers. We dig deep into rock n roll lore as Michael gives us his take on growing up with an iconoclastic musician for a father and how it shaped him. Perhaps known for the song “Secret Agent Man”, which topped the charts in the 1960s, Michael gives us his impression of his dad’s career – from session man to Monterey Pop, label owner, owning his own publishing and much more. Like what you ask? Well, get ready for a great story about how “Secret Agent Man” as we know it, came to be. This episode takes place – virtually of course – on the Sunset Strip where Michael spent his time with his dad at Tower Records and iconic venues like The Roxy’s exclusive club, On The Rox. We discuss recording sessions, long lost LA restaurants, famed studios where major hits were being made and how Michael barely stayed awake for it all. We hear about Michael’s time as an editor at CNN as well as his years touring with his father as his father’s drummer. Or how about the time he spent as his dad’s tour manager on the road? It’s quite the bonding moment with dad when you are sharing a meal at the local diner at midnight before hitting the hay for an early morning flight back home. So let’s take an ride with Michael as we discuss his dad’s cars, his intense love of the telephone at his home/office and what it was like growing up with an eligible LA entertainment icon bachelor dad. It’s all happening on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.
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Episode #297: Jason Everly (Phil Everly)
07/21/2026
Episode #297: Jason Everly (Phil Everly)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Jason Everly, son of Phil, nephew of Don. Yes, we are talking about The Everly Brothers and all things Everly. Our conversation with Jason happened after a chance listen to Sirius XM satellite radio where we came across Jason’s DJ stint on Fifties Gold talking about, what else, his connection to his family’s music. That’s when it hit us – Jason went to middle school with our host, Josh Mills and more than likely was in our carpool at one point too. We had photographic evidence too – from the Oakwood School yearbook. This conversation had to happen. Thankfully when we reached out to Jason, he was not only receptive to being a guest on the podcast but he was kinda psyched as well. Our chat was a little bit memory lane, a little bit nostalgia and a lot of fun. We learned about the bond Phil and Jason had – playing made up games together and how his Phil let his kids do their thing in the back yard, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. We also learned how his dad was a bit of a taskmaster as well as some insane stories involving Paul Simon, Warren Zevon, Graham Nash, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney who all adored The Everly Brothers. But perhaps our favorite part of the podcast was talking with Jason about his role in a little known Filipino film back in the 90s that he couldn’t believe we dug up. Let’s just say, it holds a ‘special’ place in his heart. Moreover, after our episode, we connected a few dots and Jason started his own podcast, Vinyl History which you can check out on YouTube. It’s quite the sensation. But before you head over there, check out this episode with Jason Everly. Everyone has a story.
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Episode #296: Dinah Dillman Kaufman (Bradford Dillman, Suzy Parker)
07/14/2026
Episode #296: Dinah Dillman Kaufman (Bradford Dillman, Suzy Parker)
Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we bring you our another interview with a sibling of a former guest. Dinah Dillman Kaufman is our guest this week and she is the sister of guest Pam Dillman from episode number 254. She’s also the daughter of actor/writer Bradford Dillman and model/actress Suzy Parker. Dinah was connected to the podcast via a Patreon member just recently and her enthusiasm to talk about her parents was so infectious we had to have her on immediately because it’s clear just how much she still connects to her parents even today. Dinah spoke to us about everything from the personal to the pedestrian, the intense to the positively necromantic. Literally. Dinah indulged us gladly in telling us everything about her parents that was fit to print. We spoke about everything from the estate her father grew up on that became a University of California campus as well her mother’s life as a stay-at-home mom after becoming one of the best known, most famous and biggest money earners of her era. We spoke about how her mom was a breadwinner in the late fifties which we identified with, we spoke about how Shirley Temple helped get her dad back to the United States after making The Bridge at Remagen in Czechoslovakia & a harrowing story of her own as a little girl that has to be heard to be believed. We also spoke about the station wagon her mother drove the kids in carpool, how her parents met and the first words they said to each other, how she kept her father’s diaries after he passed, the actor most fans mistakenly referred to him as and a literal ghost story that somehow connected us. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. Take it away Dinah.
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Episode #295: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor (Richard Pryor)
07/07/2026
Episode #295: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor (Richard Pryor)
Today on another episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, daughter of the great comedian, writer, director Richard Pryor. Elizabeth was terrific to talk to as recently we had the great pleasure to see a book reading & conversation with her at Book Soup in Los Angeles for her new book, Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word and Me. Part memoir as well as a historical look at one very difficult word, the book meshes together how that notorious word connects to her personally and American landscape as well. Recently covered in NPR, the New York Times and Forbes, the book is getting much attention for its deeply personal autobiographical look from Elizabeth’s first hand recollections of one of the greatest comedians this country has ever produced, her own story of connecting with her father as well as deep dive into America’s deeply troubled use and context of THAT notorious word. Now if you remember, we actually spoke to Elizabeth’s sister Rain Pryor in a previous episode and one of the things we love on this podcast is speaking to more than one sibling of celebrities because it’s a fascinating look at how two people intimately remember the same person. Elizabeth spoke to us about everything from her time growing up in Massachusetts with her Jewish mother and family and moving to Los Angeles to be closer to her father when her mother sensed she needed her father. Moreover we get a look at what it was like in the Pryor household, the cars he drove (you will never guess which was his favorite) as well as the foods he loved. We also dig into the Elizabeth’s life as a professor at Smith College and how an incident with a student in her classroom, quoting a line from the film Blazing Saddles that included that notorious word in her book title begat her journey in trying to understand how that incident led to the writing of this book. While likely a line her father wrote for the movie, the question in her classroom, none the less set up a sort of crisis for Elizabeth that we discuss in the upcoming episode. Our conversation jumps around from light to intense as we discuss race, family trauma and the understanding that Richard Pryor was more than a comedian. He was a seeker, a thinker, a regular person thought it all and also a father who was there when it counted. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.
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Episode #294: Cam Clarke (King Family)(Part Two)
06/30/2026
Episode #294: Cam Clarke (King Family)(Part Two)
Today on part two of an encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to returning guest, voice actor Cam Clarke, who we know from last week’s episode is perhaps 1/37th of the massive “First Family of Song”, the King Family. We recorded this episode just before Cam’s massive coffee table book, Not Their All Here: the King Family: Over 100 years of Entertainment from America’s First Family of Song was released in 2025. It’s one heck of a book that covers a century of music and performance from literally generations of this family who started in vaudeville and somehow goes all the way though to video games. It’s a wild and often untold story. We spent some time on King family / Cam Clarke specific projects like his main gig as the voice actor behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character Leonardo for more than 30+ years, performing in the Mormon/Christian rock opera Saturday’s Child, written by his brother Lex de Azevedo at 16 years old, his father, actor Robert Clarke who is star of an iconic B-movie, his bizarrely hilarious interaction with Jeff Goldblum, a surreal and wonderful meeting with a cast member of One Day at a Time and stalkers. Ooooooo, scary. So take a listen to part two of our conversation with guest Cam Clarke on his return visit to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Ah, but do you have 37 of them? Now therein lies the rub.
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Episode #293: Cam Clarke (King Family) (Part One)
06/23/2026
Episode #293: Cam Clarke (King Family) (Part One)
Today on part one of an encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to returning guest, voice actor Cam Clarke who is one part of “The First Family of Song”, The King Family. We spoke to Cam once before but this time, we spoke to him on the eve of his book Not Their All Here: the King Family: Over 100 years of Entertainment from America’s First Family of Song being released. At 312 pages, this coffee table book is a whopper of book, with tons of photos, antidotes, stories that span Vaudeville & radio in the early days to film & television in the 1960s as well as Broadway, cartoons, sci-fi B-movies and even video games. It’s a fantastic book that Cam assembled himself with help from his famous family. Cam spoke to us about his own career as well as his family’s which somewhat begins and ends with being one of the most iconic voice actors of the last 30 years or so. For now generations of fans, Cam is the voice of Leonardo, from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We spoke more about his time meeting his fans at ComiCon events and offshoots where kids and occasionally fans who are who are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder connect with meeting their favorite star in ways that are heart-warming and beautiful. We also spoke to Cam about his connections to other guests of the podcast (some family, some not) and learn the story of his famous family which numbered at one time well in the thirties. And how did they get paid? We discuss. Be it a Vegas showroom, the set of a television show or a soundstage, Cam gives us a first-hand look into what it was like being a child star within a family of stars. Take a listen to the Rarified Heir Podcast.
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Episode # 292: Jamie Perrett (Peter Perrett)
06/16/2026
Episode # 292: Jamie Perrett (Peter Perrett)
Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to musician Jamie Perrett, son of Peter Perrett from the band The Only Ones, of the first wave of English punk rock circa 1976. To say Jamie was open and honest would be an understatement. He was brutally honest. Perhaps more so than any other guest we’ve had on the podcast. What’s so amazing is that through all the stories of neglect, abuse and unbelievable circumstances with which he grew up, Jamie and his father, as well as his mother, have somehow managed to move forward in their relationship that frankly, few could. It’s a remarkable story. It’s raw, like an open wound and Jamie bares all. in fact, Jamie not only does discuss his upbringing but we also get into his own music as well as his time recording and touring with his father today. How he’s been able to get to this point is a story you have to hear on this episode. We found Jamie to be a resilient and incredibly forgiving person who has clearly been through the worst of it and come out the other end a more empathetic person. Much more than we frankly could be. On this episode we discuss the single that made Peter Perrett famous, “Another Girl, Another Planet,” as well as his latest album The Cleansing which Jamie is a major part of. We also speak about Jamie’s work as a producer, his time in bands like the cause célèbres U.K. band Babyshambles as well as his latest single & much more. This episode is one you won’t soon forget. The Rarified Heir Podcast, everyone has a story.
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Episode # 291: Valerie Long (Richard Long, Mara Corday)
06/09/2026
Episode # 291: Valerie Long (Richard Long, Mara Corday)
Episode #291: Valerie Long (Richard Long, Mara Corday) Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Valerie Long, daughter of actors Richard Long and Mara Corday. It took some time for Valerie to come around to the idea of being on the podcast and frankly, we get it. As you will hear, her recollections about her father’s passing at an early age and her difficulties with that loss play a part in this conversation. For many of us, Richard Long is best known from either television shows The Big Valley or Nanny and the Professor. We discuss those shows as well as The Twilight Zone, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick as well as his films – he made his debut on the silver screen with Orson Wells and Claudette Colbert, in Tomorrow is Forever. I mean….. We also discuss her actress, dancer, model mother Mara Corday who passed away after this episode was recorded. In fact, we got a call from the New York Times regarding her career when they wrote her obituary as they wanted to confirm a few things we discussed on the podcast with Valerie. It’s almost unfathomable to know that the New York Times would site our podcast when talking about the life and career of Mara Corday. Thanks to Valerie for being so open and honest about everything and for being on the podcast to tell her story. Along the way, we discuss family friends like Clint Eastwood, Roddy McDowell, Dan Rowan, Peter Marshall and many others. Additionally we discuss a story we frankly never knew about prior to this episode. Prior to her parents’ marriage, Richard was married to an up-and-coming actress named Suzan Ball who died shortly after their wedding at age 22, when Richard was only 23. It’s a tragic story that we uncover talking to Valerie who gives us the details about how this likely affected her father. The Rarified Heir Podcast, everyone has a story.
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Episode #290: Carrie Mitchum (Robert Mitchum, Christopher Mitchum)
06/02/2026
Episode #290: Carrie Mitchum (Robert Mitchum, Christopher Mitchum)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are continuing a theme from last week’s episode (and the week prior) with guest Carrie Mithchum, daughter of actor Christopher Mitchum and granddaughter of the towering figure Robert Mithcum. So what’s the theme? Well, Carrie is related to guest Suzanne Lloyd and right after our conversation with Suzanne, she asked us if we wanted to talk to Carrie and welp, here we are. So thanks Suzanne. Like her father and grandfather (as well as her son, her uncle, brother) Carrie Mitchum began her career as an actress and as we learn, she pivoted to a career as a chef after a stint at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. She’s also a philanthropist since our last chat launched a website, Mitchums Kitchen with recipes, merch, a blog and much more. Carrie talks to us about growing up around acting with her dad Christopher as they travelled around the world as he tool parts that took him to foreign countries like Thailand and Hong Kong for films like H-Bomb and Spain for a film called Nightmare City. Her story about her youth on sets in the middle of nowhere are fascinating. We also speak to Carrie about what it was like spending time with her grandfather on the set of the film, That Championship Season as well as discussing his time as riding the rails before he became an actor, his poetry, his music career with albums like Calypso – Is Like So and That Man Robert Mitchum…Sings. We discuss Mitchum’s favorite food, the dreaded tabloids, the Harold Lloyd collection and her love of animals. Take a listen to this encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.
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Episode #289: Suzanne Lloyd (Harold Lloyd) (Part Two)
05/26/2026
Episode #289: Suzanne Lloyd (Harold Lloyd) (Part Two)
Today on part two of another brand new encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter to silent film comedy icon, Harold Lloyd. Suzanne, as you heard in last week’s episode is quite the steward for her grandfather’s work and his legacy. She’s the one who controls it entirely and she’s done a tremendous job keeping it all alive, nearly a century after his career was at the very top of young Hollywood. Aside from the creative genius of the comedy of Harold Lloyd in films like Safety Last, which has the famous scene of his dangling from a clock, Suzanne tells us about the almost fairytale existence her fun loving grandfather provided in their estate known as Green Acres. We hear about all his passions – including Christmas, bowling which he did with Howard Hughes, the Shriner’s hospital, early hi-fi audio and a very specific type of photography. 3-D photography. Did you even know that existed? Harold Lloyd sure did. This episode should come with a pop culture handbook of a who’s who in the entertainment industry from the last century. We hear first-hand stories about the Rolling Stones, Debbie Reynolds, Disneyland, Roddy McDowell, Rick Nelson, Paul McCartney, Marilyn Monroe and many more. Much of it revolves around the Green Acres estate and an almost Barnum-like extravaganza for bringing the circus to your front door. The conversation begins mid-stream (which we salute Suzanne for btw) comparing her grandfather, the silent film star with early television icon Ernie Kovacs, Television’s Original Genius. The parallel universe of these two comedic giants begins now, on the Rarified Heir Podcast with Suzanne Llloyd. Take a listen.
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Episode #288: Suzanne Lloyd (Harold Lloyd) (Part One)
05/19/2026
Episode #288: Suzanne Lloyd (Harold Lloyd) (Part One)
Today on part one of another brand new encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Suzanne Lloyd, the granddaughter who was raised like a daughter of iconic silent film star & business mogul Harold Lloyd. Suzanne is the steward of the Harold Lloyd estate and runs the archive of her grandfather’s groundbreaking early Hollywood silent films which the creative genius and shrewd businessman almost single handedly owned throughout his career. Ah a preservationist in the mold of Edie Adams, host Josh Mills’ mother who did the very same thing for the career of television’s original genius, her first husband, Ernie Kovacs. Be still our hearts. Suzanne was incredibly gracious with her time when we talked to her and it was evident early on that she had so much to say about her years growing up, her grandfather’s career, her parent’s lives, the preservation of Lloyd’s films as well as his opulent and ridiculously large house and grounds in Beverly Hills, we knew this conversation was a two parter. Suzanne was an eager guest who wanted to talk about her grandfather’s work which ranks right up there with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Perhaps to the causal film fan, Harold Lloyd’s name isn’t as well-known some 90 years after the apex of his career simply because he owned his own films, not a film studio. So showings on television and screenings at film festivals were more sporadic through the years. But no doubt, with Suzanne’s help, more fans than ever are able to see Harold Lloyd’s comedy in 2026. This episode is a film lover’s dream as we talk about early Hollywood icons like Mary Pickford, Daryl Zanuck, Hal Roach and many more – including her grandmother, Harold’s wife, Mildred Davis. Davis gave up her own career once she married her comedic genius husband. Why? You’ll hear about that shortly. Suzanne’s ability to talk about the legacy of Harold Lloyd is only matched by her recall of facts, dates, productions, screenings, studios and more that it’s almost uncanny how anyone could have total recall like that. So buckle up, this is only part one. Part two has stories about the famed Christmas tree that lived year round in the living room, the estate they lived on and the Paul McCartney party she attended after the estate was donated to the city. This episode spans decades. Take a listen.
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Episode #287: JD Lobue Jr. (JD Lobue Sr)
05/12/2026
Episode #287: JD Lobue Jr. (JD Lobue Sr)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are speaking to childhood friend from youth baseball, JD Lobue Jr. as our guest today. Back in the 1970s, host Josh Mills and JD played on the Little League Dodgers team at Studio City National Little League and became fast friends in elementary school. And while he’d known about his father, JD Lobue Sn., was a television director, it really wasn’t something they talked about on the baseball diamond. Cut to, oh several years later, while reading issue #59 of the ultimate rock ‘n roll magazine, Ugly Things, which bills itself as Wild Sounds from Past Dimensions, that an in-depth article on the 60s Mississippi garage band The Gordian Knot caught his eye. Turns out, JD Lobue Sr. was a band member of saif Knot and after making their way west to Hollywood in the last 1960s, the band got their big break. Signing to Verve Records and recording their only album, the band befriended Nancy Sinatra, Aside from their lone LP, The Gordian Knot also became THE band to have play your swanky Hollywood party. Or in some cases, join Nancy on USO tours in Asia during the Vietnam War. All of this later lead to stints for Lobue Sr., in television after the band broke up. Starting with black dance party juggernaut, Soul Train with host and creator Don Cornelius, JD became an in demand television director. We get into all of this as well as beloved television shows like Soap, Newhart, It’s A Living, Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men with Jr. which were just a few of his credits. We discuss life growing up in Hollywood with JD as well as a rather unique love of a sport that flew under the radar – not pun intended - in ultimate frisbee which the younger JD excelled at. We can thank garage rock from a superior music magazine Ugly Things for this episode. All it took was a Google search to bring us this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.
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Episode #286: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part Two - The Return)
05/05/2026
Episode #286: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part Two - The Return)
Today on part two of our return interview with Patricia Weidenfeld, daughter of comedian Pat Cooper, we wrap up another very, very intense conversation about the love and the heartache of being the daughter of “The Comedian of Outrage.” On this episode, Patti goes into more of the family drama as well as the reconciliation of between two sides of Pat Cooper’s family: his first and his second families to be exact. We hear about some of the dark, unnecessary communication with some of her extended family as well as the heartwarming and loving communication she heard and feels from others in her extended family as well. It’s a ying and yang situation for sure. But what really comes across in this final episode is the humanity Patti extends to those who have seemingly wished her only bad feelings and pain. She credits her mother as well as her former profession as a special education teacher with the compassion and the forgiveness she extends here, that frankly, I doubt most of us could if we were faced in a similar situation. It frankly is a bit inspiring to see an everyday person faced with mountain of anger and hatred respond not with hate but with love. And in 2026, that humanity is in short supply. More please. Patti delves more into the psychology of her father and the decisions he made as well as her own reactions to those hurtful decisions. But what we also learn is that, ironically, just because one person is wishing you pain, it doesn’t mean everyone in her father’s first family is speaking from the same point of reference. Far from it. In fact, her simply being on the podcast for the first time in 2024 might have brought her closer to extended family members that she barely knew about and didn’t know personally at all. And now, because of this podcast, she does. It did our hearts good knowing that our podcast could do anything remotely as wholesome and good as what we learn here. We couldn’t have ever imagined that was even possible when we started in 2020. So take a listen to this episode, part two with Patricia Weidenfeld on her return to the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.
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Episode # 285 - Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part One - The Return)
04/28/2026
Episode # 285 - Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part One - The Return)
Today on part one of our return conversation with Patricia Wedenfeld, daughter of comedian Pat Cooper, we catch up with Patti two years after our last conversation in 2024 to see how things are going at the behest of a listener who suggested we reached out to Patti to have her back on the podcast to find out more about her story which is one of the most difficult we’ve ever shared on the podcast in close to six years since we started. Once again, Patti is open, honest, raw and delves into some serious family drama that has taken place even since our first interview. The open wounds of our last episode haven’t truly healed but in the midst of her journey, we learn that there is a silver lining in all the heartache she has had to endure What’s that you ask? Ironically, it’s family. A family she knew about but didn’t know. A family that had their own issues with her father that very much mirror her own. And hopefully, it’s a family that might find common ground underneath all the pain all of them have had to endure needlessly. The understatement of the year is that Pat Cooper was a complex individual who didn’t hold back verbal punches in public or in private. He cut to the quick in a deeply funny way on stage and a staggeringly brutal way off it, no question. So on part one of this conversation, we delve into how Patti is dealing with all of the trauma a few years later and frankly, it’s another deeply personal conversation. It’s still raw, it’s still tough to talk about and it’s still hard to believe. But in 2026, with some distance, some help and some life lessons, things are just a bit better if not perfect for Patti and her family. It’s another tough but hopeful conversation with Patti on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.
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Episode #284: Adam Nimoy (Leonard Nimoy)
04/21/2026
Episode #284: Adam Nimoy (Leonard Nimoy)
Today on another brand new episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Adam Nimoy, son of actor, director, pilot, musician and much more, Leonard Nimoy. We spoke to Adam about growing up the child of one of the most beloved actors of his generation because he portrayed one of the most iconic characters of the 20th century, Spock from Star Trek in television and film. Of course, not too long ago we spoke to Adam’s sister Julie Nimoy and brother-in-law David Knight and we learned a few things about Leonard. But this one is just a bit different. On this episode, we learn from Adam about the relationship, struggles and finally acceptance he had with his father which was outlined in two books, 2008’s My Incredible, Wonderful, Miserable Life:An Anti Memoir and 2024’s The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy. Among other things, it was with the help of getting sober and a 12-Step program that both father and son leaned on to connect after a period of estrangement and also how it helped to be open and honest and share – something that was in limited supply for most of Adam’s life. Along the way, we take a deep dive in L.A. nostalgia including our shared education at University High School in West L.A, restaurants he and his family frequented, several of his father’s automobiles, the Paisley Underground scene of the 1980s, how the band the Rain Parade were his first clients when he was becoming a lawyer via his relationship growing up with them as a kid, Leonard’s TV movie Baffledwhich holds a special place in host Josh Mills’s heart and how the last vestiges of the beloved Stan’s Donuts in Westwood has finally closed shop. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Live long and prosper friends. Take a listen.
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Episode #283: Leo Sidran (Ben Sidran) (Part Two)
04/14/2026
Episode #283: Leo Sidran (Ben Sidran) (Part Two)
Today on part two of the Rarified Heir Podcast with guest Leo Sidran, we focused on the career of Grammy winning (but not Oscar winning as we find out) musician Leo Sidran about growing up the son of jazzbo, Ben Sidran. On this episode we dig deep into Leo’s career as an in demand musician for film and commercial scoring as well as his production work and his record label. We also get into discussing his podcast, The Third Story which has a lot in common with this one quite frankly – and it’s terrific. Our conversation takes us from Wisconsin to Spain, where Leo spent quite a bit of his years in high school and in his twenties after a study abroad program kicked his love of the country into high gear. As we find out it was Ben who inadvertently made this all possible simply because he wanted his young son to speak Spanish as a kid. Somehow that leads to gigs in Spain, living in Seville, a very important tribute to Spanish poet Frederico Garcia Lorca and an Irish pub in Andalucía became a major part of his life and career. Moreover, we discuss how James Brown’s ‘Funky drummer’ Clyde Stubblefield became a major part of Leo’s life when he quit the JBs and moved to Madison Wisconsin. How we manage to weave all these disparate tendrils into a cohesive (ahem) podcast episode is beyond even me. But that’s one of the things about the Rarified Heir Podcast, because everyone has a story. This is a Sidran story. Take a listen.
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Episode #282: Leo Sidran (Ben Sidran) (Part One)
04/07/2026
Episode #282: Leo Sidran (Ben Sidran) (Part One)
Today on part one of this interview on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Grammy-winning musician Leo Sidran, son of jazz musician, professor, radio host, VH1 TV host and author Ben Sidran. Now if you are a jazz fan, likely you know the name Ben Sidran. In a career that spans more than 50 years, Ben Sidran has had a truly remarkable career as a solo performer and has somehow performed with, recorded with or produced pretty much everyone in and out of jazz. Like who? How about Steve Miller, Diana Ross, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Mose Allison and so many more. But as we learn from Leo on this episode, Ben’s literate background, his poetic lyrics and his fantastic piano playing make him, we would argue, more than just a musician but more of a national treasure. There is just something about a world class jazz musician who can also write lyrics that make you think, and often times laugh, that just gives you pause. It’s a rare talent and Ben Sidran has it. So on this episode we learn about Leo’s entre into music. Yes of course it’s via his dad but it also involves going on tour with The Steve Miller Band where technology plays a major part in his world on the tour bus. From there we learn how Leo became a songwriter before he could drive, how he was looked after by the Steve Miller Band band members and how it set him up for his first recording date not too long after. Along the way we discuss the importance of merch, Camus, Madison Wisconsin, the importance of having a mother who was a travel agent – and much more than that, why his parents left Los Angeles when Ben’s solo career was just getting going and much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story.
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Episode #281: Colin Cosell (Howard Cosell)
03/31/2026
Episode #281: Colin Cosell (Howard Cosell)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Colin Cosell, grandson of sports legend Howard Cosell. It’s perfectly fitting as the baseball season just started and Colin is in full swing, pun intended. Now, if you lived in the United States in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s – you know who Howard Cosell was. The man was everywhere. Announcing Monday Night Football, Olympic boxing, pontificating on talk shows, hosting his own late night comedy show, announcing Frank Sinatra specials, doing his radio show and generally causing a stir. He not only interviewed John Lennon on Monday Night Football but he basically told the entire country that Lennon had been shot while live on television on the very same program. He’s was and still is part of the cultural landscape of the last 50 years. Our chat with Colin was perhaps one of the funniest episodes we have ever done because Colin, aside from being a sports announcer himself & in game announcer for the New York Mets, is quite the comic. His impression of his grandfather is one for the ages. He not only extemporaneously handles it when we ask but he also recites some of Howard’s great calls. There is much hilarity. Furthermore we get into some great memories of Colin growing up with his beloved grandfather and hear stories about meeting Michael Jordan at a Knicks game, Jon Bon Jovi while in the pool of his grandfather’s house, the ubiquitous yellow Monday Night Football jacket and of course, Howard’s often discussed toupee & cigars. We go quite deep on this one and there are some terrific belly laughs. This is one of our favorite Rarified Heir Podcast episodes. Take a listen.
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Episode #280: Claudia Cowan (Warren Cowan, Barbara Rush)
03/24/2026
Episode #280: Claudia Cowan (Warren Cowan, Barbara Rush)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to San Francisco television journalist Claudia Cowan whose parents were the actors Barbara Rush and publicist Warren Cowan. And as we learned on this episode, once wasn’t enough for this Hollywood power couple as Claudia tells us. Her parents got hitched twice. The second time, was slightly more clandestine as you will hear. So what was it like to have a father who represented clients his mother starred in films with? We dig into it and a lot more on this whimsical episode. Claudia tells us what it was like to have a father whose clients included Ronald Reagan, George Burns and Kirk Douglas among many, many other A-list celebrities and a mom who starred in films with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Ernie Kovacs to Bob Crane and Hope Lange. As you may remember, we spoke to the children of both of Crane and Lange on recent episodes, so this episode comes full circle. Along the way we discuss things like Top Ten lists & celebrity golf tournament PR which her father invented, her mother finding love late in life after Warren’s passing as well as things like The Rat Pack, The Beatles and other pop culture icons. Claudia was open and honest and a lot of fun as a guest and we covered everything from her home life, to her personal life behind the scenes as well as her career in local television in the Bay Area. It’s all here on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.
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Episode #279: Inara George (Lowell George)
03/17/2026
Episode #279: Inara George (Lowell George)
Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to singer and musician Inara George about growing up the daughter of beloved musician Lowell George. Perhaps best known for his time in the band Little Feet, Lowell George passed away in 1979 at the age of 34, just shy of Inara’s fifth birthday. We spoke to Inara about the need and the restlessness of overseeing a legacy run by her mother and the toll it takes keeping it alive in 2026. Of course, we also spoke to her about her own career as a singer as well. So just how difficult is it for someone with both a new album out in March entitled, Songs of Douglass and Littell as well as a Record Store Day tribute album to her father in April, Rock and Roll Doctor: Lowell George Tribute, well, it’s complicated. We spoke to Inara about her family roots in Los Angeles, where her grandfather made quite a name for himself as a studio supplier for expensive and exclusive garments for the movie studios brought him in contact with names like Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth and Greta Garbo. And with an upbringing like that, just how did his son got from the marching band at Hollywood High School whose best known Little Feat song “Willin’” has more 54 million streams on Spotify? We discuss it all. Along the way we talk about connections including Cambodian rock band Dengue Fever, Inara’s bandmate in The Bird and The Bee Greg Kurstin who has produced records by Adele and Paul McCartney among others and discovering that Inara and host josh Mills went to the same college in Boston although not at the same time. If names like Jackson Browne, Frank Zappa comingling with folks like W.C. Fields and appearances on F-Troop are your bag, then this is your episode to dig into. Take a listen.
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Episode #278: David Pressman (Laurence Pressman, Lanna Saunders)
03/10/2026
Episode #278: David Pressman (Laurence Pressman, Lanna Saunders)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to David Pressman, son of actors Lawrence Pressman and Lanna Saunders. Now if you are a fan of soap operas, you know Lanna who starred on more than 500 episodes of the NBC daytime show Days of Our Lives as Marie Horton. And if you are a fan of film you know Lawrence Pressman for his many roles starring in movies like 9 to 5, Making It and American Pie. From television, you know Lawrence Pressman from Doogie Howser M.D., The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H & likely hundreds of other programs. He’s a very familiar face, you just know brings a comedic edge to many of his ‘oily’ roles And he’s still with us at age 86. (It must be all that craft service, ahem). As we learn and as we have heard on recent episodes and guests, David was born into an acting family that goes back, generations in fact – evidently his great grandfather performed on the Russian/Ukrainian stage when Minsky’s Follies was simply known as Minsk. You get the picture. We are talking a long time ago! And it was the stage where both David’s parents got their start as well on Broadway and other regional theater alike. But when the family moved to Los Angeles from New York when David was 7, the cameras took over for the footlights as Hollywood came calling for both his parents. And guess what? It came for David too as he had roles in films & television alike in big budget films such as Tropic Thunder & Blades of Glory as well as tv shows like Newhart, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Monk and many others. We dive deep into some behind the scenes stories involving Steve Coogan, Jane Fonda, Bob Newhart (him again) and Ben Stiller. This is a fun one. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast right now.
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Episode #277: Christopher Murray (Hope Lange, Don Murray) (Part Two)
03/03/2026
Episode #277: Christopher Murray (Hope Lange, Don Murray) (Part Two)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to guest, actor Christopher Murray on part two of our conversation about growing up the child of powerhouse actors Don Murray and Hope Lange. On part one last week, we discussed his parents career as well as his own. In addition we learned about his grandparents career in ‘the business’ as well. On this episode, we dig in to some truly cosmic connections. Such as? Well for starters, how many actors outside of Laura Dern could say that both parents and child were directed by David Lynch? Christopher tells us stories about his own life and how he ingratiated himself with co-star Sean Connery on the set of the film Just Cause, what it was like spending time on the set of the film Klute with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland directed by his stepfather Alan J. Pakula & what it was like travelling with him as well. We also discuss backstage gossip from the film his parents worked on Bus Stop, travelling to Morocco and Italy with Pakula and much more. On this, our part two of our conversation with Christopher Murray, we really do get to hear some of the charmed life he has lead but also some of the truly shattering heartbreak as well. And through it all, Christopher never shied away from either the good or the bad. Our conversation was at times silly, at times crushing and other times wonderfully wholesome. This is a fun one and we are glad we had two episodes to tell Christopher’s story. The Rarified Heir Podcast. Off we go!
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Episode #276: Christopher Murray (Don Murray, Hope Lange) (Part One)
02/24/2026
Episode #276: Christopher Murray (Don Murray, Hope Lange) (Part One)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to actor Christopher Murray, son of the acting dynamo parents, Don Murray and Hope Lang. Born into show business – his grandparents we in show business too, Christopher tells us all about his life growing up with two famous parents. When both your father are Academy Award nominated actor for his first film, Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe and your mother earns one at age 24 for Peyton Place, it’s probably likely, acting will be your calling. So on part one of our conversation with Christopher, we get quite a bit of background on both of his amazing parents. Like what you ask? Well, how about the work his parents helped displaced Europeans during WWII and the Korean War that still is making inroads to this day? Or possibly how his mother provided a safe haven for good friends and gay Hollywood couples during his youth? Or maybe it’s how after his parents’ divorce, his step-father became iconic film director Alan J. Pakula? And that’s just the beginning. If Elvis Presley, Roddy McDowell, Charles Laughton, Sean Connery, Kathleen Turner and Eleanor Roosevelt mean something to you, then this is your episode. The Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. This one has two. And we haven’t even mentioned his parents Broadway yet, have we?
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Episode #275: Christopher Lewis (Jerry Lewis)
02/17/2026
Episode #275: Christopher Lewis (Jerry Lewis)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Christopher Lewis, son of comedian, writer, director & auteur Jerry Lewis. Ostensibly, we spoke to Christopher to talk about the publication of the book he shepherded from his father’s archive, Jerry Lewis On Being a Person. But what we got was quite a bit more as we had hoped. Christopher sat down with us for quite some time to talk about his father and what it was like being the son of “The King of Comedy” which we learned, became his monicker after the Martin Scorsese film was released. We also learned about – and you knew this was coming, how could it not? – the unreleased film, The Day The Clown Cried. Perhaps the most talked about film no one has ever seen, heard from Christopher what is holding up its release to this day & why he thought it was never released. We also dug into some fantastic things like the films his dad made for himself and not a studio with stars of the day which was totally fascinating. We spoke about his time in Vegas as part of the MDA Telethon, the Jerry Lewis donation to the Library of Congress, the forgotten TV show of the 70s Pink Lady and Jeff (trust me, it’s a corker) and which comedian made him laugh. And without further adieu, we bring you Christopher Lewis about “Le Roi du Crazy,” his dad, Jerry Lewis.
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Episode #274: Hugo Morley (Robert Morley)
02/10/2026
Episode #274: Hugo Morley (Robert Morley)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Hugo Morley, grandson of the great actor, pitchman, foodie and much beloved Robert Morley. It’s strange what stays with you as a you grow older but for host josh Mills, the obsession with the Morley film, Who’s Killing the Great Chef’s of Europe is right up there on this episode. We discuss this offbeat comedic crime caper as well as Morley being the face of an entire nation as the spokesman for British Airways. And that’s just the Yank version of Robert Morley. For Britons and Australians, Robert Morley was known more for the 100+ films he made, beginning in 1939 which garnered him an Academy Award nomination opposite Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power in Marie Antoinette. We also learn about Hugo’s father, noted U.K. theatre critic Sheridan Morley, an especially wonderful friendship with Carol Channing, along with Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach, David Tomlinson and Griff Rhys Jones as well. All played a part in Hugo’s time with his grandfather and his father. Of course we discuss his grandfather’s love of cuisine, time spend at grandpa’s back garden pool and his ever present cigars. And did we mention Robert Morley’s time in the Muppet movies? Well, sit back and relax and check out this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast and learn about how to become a bartender and not make a mixed drink to boot. Everyone has a story.
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Episode #273: James Tomlinson (David Tomlinson)
02/03/2026
Episode #273: James Tomlinson (David Tomlinson)
Today on another encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak to James Tomlinson, the son of actor David Tomlinson. It’s not every day we talk to a guest who was on the set of Mary Poppins(cough) he wasn’t that impressed), met Walt Disney, received Christmas gifts from the Walt Disney Company each year because it’s not everyone whose father was Mary’s employer, Mr. Banks in one of Disney’s most beloved hit movies of all-time. While we do speak about James’ father’s career on the London stage and in films like Bedknobs and Brooksticks, Up The Creek & Warning for Warriors we also speak about his father’s time in WWII which was beyond difficult, it was also tragic for him and his family. And when we discuss his grandfather who led a very, unconventional life, or lives, it’s not your typical stiff upper lip British stereotype at all. We get into it, believe me. Along the way we discuss Tominlson’s friends like comedian Peter Sellers, horror movie icon Vincent Price as well as a co-star who made an impression on him that wasn’t quite….good. That’s all we will say for now. We also discuss boats, sailing, California in the 60s, what it was like to fly on Walt Disney’s private plane and much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and this is one of our favorite episodes….. Why? Because it’s “Practically perfect in every way”.
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Episode #272: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part Two)
01/27/2026
Episode #272: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part Two)
Today on an another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we bring you part two of our conversation with Patricia Weidenfeld, daughter of comedian Pat Cooper. As you heard on the first episode, Weidenfeld’s life as a child of a show business comic was pretty terrific until it wasn’t. Learning rather abruptly at age eight that her father had a family prior to hers after being accosted outside a Broadway theater, Patricia tells us more on part two of our conversation than she has ever told anyone publicly, at any time before. It turns out that the Broadway incident was the first in a series of jarring revelations and family secrets that her parents kept from her over the years. How she learned about them is another story entirely. Patti was amazingly open, honest and truthful in this conversation for the podcast about some deeply personal stories that she had never spoken about prior. Her complex relationship with the father she thought she knew and the father she learned he was at the end of her life are nothing short of revelatory as well as heartbreaking. But through it all, Patti expressed to us via her complex and jumbled feelings a genuine sense of love, affection and pride as well as confusion, hurt and pain through the years as she looked back on it all. This episode took quite a while to lock in as Patti had to take some time contemplating things before telling us her remarkable story in such a public manner. The fact that she does so with such authentic emotions and feelings is a testament to who she is as a human being. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and this one isn’t easy. Everyone has a story.
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Episode #271: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part One)
01/20/2026
Episode #271: Patricia Weidenfeld (Pat Cooper) (Part One)
Today on an another encore edition of the Rarified heir Podcast, we bring you part one of our conversation with Patricia Weidenfeld, daughter of ‘The Outrage Comic’, Pat Cooper. Known for his explosive (but funny) temper on stage and his somewhat rogue temperament in the business, Cooper’s humor revolved around his Italian heritage and calling out things that bothered him, his album cover parody, his seemingly endless Vegas showroom shows, a well-known Seinfeld episode and in later life, his time on The Howard Stern Show. We spoke to Patti about growing up with a father she loved dearly and a mother who seemed to smooth everything over when things went a little awry. We talk about Pat’s years growing up in Coney Island, how he got his start in comedy, his early years making his bones on The Ed Sullivan Show, an appearance on the Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow show that froze his career in limbo after he called out an show business injustice and more. We also get into their move to Las Vegas in the 1970s, numerous dates in Atlantic City, guest hosting shows like The Merv Griffin Show and other gigs that took him on the road. Life in the Cooper household seemed perfectly as it should be. Until it wasn’t. Some things she heard from her parents didn’t add up. It seemingly boiled over during a visit to New York City outside a Broadway Theater when her family was confronted by a person claiming to be Pat’s son, hijacking their family outing. Who was that person and why hadn’t Patti ever heard of or seen him before? And why here and why now? Take a listen to part one of our interview with Patricia Weidenfeld to hear what turns out to be the first out-of-nowhere moment that in many ways turned her idyllic life upside down. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and everyone has a story. Take a listen.
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