P!NK: Shine On With Reese (Full Episode) | Celebs Up Close

I think I came out of the womb lighting ---- on fire. Pretty sure if somebody handed me a match, I would have burned the hospital down. I'm here in Venice Beach to spend a day with Pink. Pink is one of the most successful and relevant artists of the past two decades. She has won three Grammys and countless other awards. Her rebellious teen years not only helped shape her music, it made her a hero to fans who felt like outsiders. I'm going to talk to her about being on a world tour, being an international singing sensation, but also being a mom. Hi! Come and say hi, buddy! Hi, welcome! Thank you for coming. Hi! Oh, are you having your first shy moment? Oh my gosh, well thank you for doing this. I'm so excited to talk to you. Me too. Come in. This is amazing. Thank you. That's my mama. It's really nice to meet you. Your mom and my mom probably need to have a discussion. Or maybe not. Maybe there's a lot to share about what it means to have a creative daughter in high school who's trying to break all the rules. Well, she lucked out. I didn't go to high school. She did. I barely went to high school, but my mother never figured it out. Teenagers are the best liars on the planet. I thought I was so on top of everything. Denial's a healthy thing that we all have. Totally. How old are yours? I have an 18-year-old daughter now. She looks just like you. You guys are amazing together. It's amazing. Your daughter's at school, yeah? She is. Isn't that interesting now you're in these dynamics where you're parenting a girl? Yes. It's an interesting time with everything that's happening now, too, is the balance of I want my kids to be kids, but I also want them to be aware of what's going on in the world and I need my girl to be aware of everything she's walking into. And it's such a tricky conversation. That's what's so hard about being a mom, is you have no idea if any of the stuff you're doing is landing. Motherhood has completely rearranged every cell in my body. I make decisions differently. I speak differently. I think differently. I care more about those two humans than I care about anything else and because of that, I care more about the world. I care about the kind of world that we're handing over to these poor kids. And it's my job and my responsibility to try to affect it as much as I possibly can while my fire is burning. I was thinking the other day about the first time I wrote to you. Yes. It was when Ava was seven and you wrote a song called Stupid Girls. Yes, I remember. I got that note. And I wrote you now because the most popular TV shows at the time were all a bunch of girls. I don't know if they were pretending or they really were stupid, but it was this cultural thing at that time to be stupid. And I remember thinking, did my grandmother really fight for our rights so that they could marginalize women and say that we're too stupid to run for office? We're too stupid to vote? And when you wrote that song, it was like a siren call for me. And I remember writing you with tears in my eyes about my daughter. I do remember that. And I didn't have a child, so my perspective was completely different at that point. I wasn't even thinking really for the future. I was thinking for myself as a girl. Like, is this it? I'm the scary one? Yeah. Can I say, you start to discover and so appreciate... When women like you write a song, that's why I write down to you. Because my daughter listens more to you than she does to me. Well, that's why I decided to do this show, too. Because I think it's the women that we see who are prominent in our daughters' lives that they're going to be more important in certain ways. I'm learning, too, that she'll listen to others. And so being surrounded by so many different kinds of women that are all passionate about what they do and unapologetic about who they are, that's my greatest gift for her. Absolutely. There was a mom that Twittered me after the VMAs, and she said, I just wanted to share with you, if you see this, my daughter is 9. I think she's 8 or 9. We shop in the boys' section at Target. And she's been bullied terribly this year. She was thinking maybe it was time to start putting on makeup and trying to be like the other girls. And she said, it's breaking my heart. And then we saw your speech. Recently I was driving my daughter to school and she said to me, I'm the ugliest girl I know. I look like a boy with long hair. I say, when people make fun of me, that's what they use. They say that I look like a boy or my body is too strong. And I said to her, I said, do you see me growing my hair? She said, no, mama. I said, do you see me changing my body? No, mama. Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world? Yes, mama. And after your speech, we're back where we belong in Target, in the boys' section, getting the clothes that are comfortable for her so she can do her sports. And I'm just like, that's the stuff that is important. That's the stuff that feels good. Do you think our daughters will grow up in a world where the standards of beauty are truly changed? Not just lip service, but like truly we accept all ideas of beauty. I think so. I do. I think that there's always going to be two sides. And she's always going to be around the, I don't know, the OG idea of beautiful. That type of girl and the type of guy or girl that appreciates that. But I think there's so much else now, and I think it's a rad time because you see more professional girl skateboarders, more professional girl surfboarders, more professional girls are getting into motocross, and I think the movement now is going to take it even further. Well, I think in great part to people like you who are artists, who are so outspoken about it, and constantly pushing the edge of what is the social norm and why do you have to conform and why do you have to have a body that only 1% of the population has? Why do you have to look? Why does your hair have to be this way? And let's celebrate the people who actually don't belong. Yeah, and I think that there's not one type of beautiful. The thing that blew her mind the most was that people make fun of me. And she was like, what do you mean people make fun of you? I was like, baby, they make fun of me every day, and guess what? It hurts my feelings. Right. Everybody has feelings. It doesn't feel good. But there's no way around it. It's just you have to constantly figure out how to respond. What do you think? The ham would like to speak. Yesterday, this is what I got from my five-year-old. I was driving him to preschool, and he said, Mom, why do some of the other moms get to drop off and pick their kids up and you don't? And I said, oh, well, I have a job. He said, well, my friend's mom has a job. Will you change your job to her job so that you can come to school more? And I was like, buddy, that was tough. But I think, what kind of mom would I be if I didn't do what I'm passionate about? I'd be a really shitty mom. I'd be angry. I'd feel like my dreams didn't matter. And that's important, too. It means something to the kids. I think so. Because you have to own your success as well. I think you're showing them that I hope that we're showing them that they can truly do anything that they want. I think having a family is definitely a choice. And it's not for everybody. But I also don't believe you can have it all. I don't believe that exists. Because everything is a compromise when you're a mom. None of this is easy. It's not easy to be an adult. It's not easy to be a woman. It's not easy to be a working mom. It's not easy to raise a girl or a boy. None of it's easy. But it's all beautiful and it's worth it. I would do it a thousand times. Speaking of work and all of your performances that are so rigorous and physical, is Willow interested in the gymnast stuff? Yeah. We have a silk in the playroom. For real? Oh my god! Come see! You want to get in the silk? Ta-da! Look at the mini silk! Is it funny? Oh my god, that's amazing. It's so fun. Does she love it? I'll show you what she does. But it's great for her because she has all this hair. And then she'll just spin and do all of her little things. Wow. And it's so fun. That's amazing. I could never have done that. When I started that, he was probably seven months old. I knew I had to find my core again. Last album, I just had my first baby and I wore this cute little shorts with the fishnets and the white t-shirt and I was overweight for me, but I was feeling myself. And I remember that was my first thing back from having a baby. And a comedian, a male comedian, went on Twitter and said, put that ---- away Pink. Nobody wants to see that anymore. You're a mother. Have some respect. Wow. And so me, being the person that I was, Twittered back. Of course you did. And said, well, sweetheart, next time you get invited, you can bring me a pair of pants. But the idea that I was so hurt by it, I was so offended. Like, oh, I'm a mom now, so I'm not allowed to be sexy and I'm not allowed to be strong and I'm not allowed to be an acrobat anymore. Right. So now you want me to put my clothes on and just go away? Wow. Or like, stay in your lane. Yeah. No, I have to wear mom jeans. What's wrong with mom jeans? Mom jeans are cool now. That's momentary, though. I can feel that fading quickly. I always say, anybody who bitches about women, like post-baby, I'm like, next time you push a baby out your dick hole, you can comment about what my body looks like. I told all the men in my life that they have to stop calling each other pussies. Yeah. Because, I mean, this is the strongest, most amazing piece of anatomy in the world. Look at that. I said, so now you have to call people balls or ballsacks. Yeah. So now Kerry, when he thinks I'm being weak, he calls me a ballsack. A ballsack. Which I think is more appropriate. I mean, one little pinch and you're on the floor. I want to show you something. Okay. We're at the beach, so you should see the beach. Oh, I want to see that. Oh, wow. Come on up. This is amazing. Thanks. This is my little hiding spot. I used to come down here when I first moved to L.A. and it was rollerblading. You did? So did I. I had pink cornrows down to my ass. Wow. I was the runaway. I did drugs. I sold drugs. My friends were bad, bad, bad. But all we were was kids that were hurting and kids that were bullied and kids that were different. And there was nobody that wanted us anywhere. We just, everywhere we would go, we would get kicked out. And I was a sensitive kid. All I needed was a hug, but I didn't get one, so I fought back. And there was some teacher who told you you'll never be anything. Oh, many. I think sometimes teachers and adults give you labels that you're only going to live up to. And I think that actually harms kids more than it helps them. If you leave kids like me alone with no outlet for their creativity, then bad stuff's going to start to happen. And so that was me. But I found my way and I knew I wanted to be a musician, so I had a goal in mind and I had the stubbornness to go after it. And that's what kept me alive, is that I knew what I was good at and I wanted to do it. I think this is kind of interesting how long you've been doing this. I think you and I kind of started at the same time. That's amazing. What do you think gives you staying power and longevity? I'm like a rash. I'll go away. And also, I like to be uncomfortable. I like to be honest. I like to be vulnerable. I like to show everything that's wrong with me and then laugh about it with the world. And I feel like people that were with me then when I was 16 are with me now and I'm 38 and we're all just going through the same stuff. We're all just struggling together and growing up together. Sometimes you don't really feel motivated until you have something to prove. Thank God or I'd have nothing to write about. I always like being the underdog and like, you think I can't be dramatic? Well, okay. You think I can't be funny? Well, guess what? Yeah, watch this. You think I can't start my own company? Guess what? This is what I'm going to do. My first two albums were well, you can't do this. And I said, watch me. And then they said, well, you can't do this. I said, watch me. And then the third record they were like, do whatever you want. I was like, ooh. I don't want to do anything. I want to go back to sleep. So, you're getting ready for tour. What are you up to? I am. I'm in rehearsals every day. You want to go? I would love to see it. Okay. Let's go. You're not going to make me do things I don't want to do, right? No, I promise. Maybe a little. Nervous at all? Nah, you'll be fine. Okay. There's mats. Is there insurance? Alright. I'm a really good driver. Let's hope so. Where do you start your tour? We start in Phoenix. Normally I would go out for anywhere from 17 months to 27 months, but with kids I'm just trying to make sure that Willow's going to be okay and Jameson's going to be okay. But yeah, last night was funny. I did this whole tour with Willow. We went out when she was 14 months and came home when she was 3. And I'm with her when I'm not on stage. I'm with her all the time because I'm a total helicopter. Did you think you'd be a helicopter mom? No. No, I didn't think I'd be so tough either. I took on my dad. I'm bad cop. You are? I'm totally bad cop. Cary's a sucker. No way. He's a total pushover. No way. Oh yeah. And he promised me he wouldn't be. He promised me he wouldn't be good cop. Well see, that's the kind of crazy stuff is you don't know what kind of parent you are until you're already in it. And you're in the soup and you're like this is who we are. So now with two kids I just need to figure out how it's going to go. I just need to know everyone's going to be okay and then we can start planning more dates. Going on tour with children is really tricky. It's exhausting. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. But I'm very, very fortunate that I get to bring my kids with me and that I kind of get to integrate them into my life. We went to Budapest and we went to Berlin at the Holocaust Memorial. Wow. It's the most beautiful memorial there too. It's gorgeous. Willow, she was like wait so my mom's Jewish. Yeah. My mom's Jewish. Yeah. Well then I'm Jewish. Yeah. Well then this could have been us. And at six it's just like to watch those wheels turn. That's very sophisticated. And then I asked her by the time we got to London, I said what was your favorite city? And she said I think it was Berlin. And I said why? And she said because there was a wall and people were separated and there was a war and people were killed and now everybody's together and there's no more wall and there's no more war and that means that everything that's bad can be good again. And it's just in this six year old little voice and I'm just listening to her and I'm like you're amazing and you're totally right. Everything that's bad can be good again. It is a total circle. Isn't that so interesting how pure they are of their thought and then what happens to girls? I see these young girls and they're nine and ten and eleven and going I'm going to start a club and I'm going to be president of the United States of America. And then something happens from twelve to sixteen and I honestly have no idea what it is where they become so conscious of other people's feelings of them and what they're supposed to be and what they're not supposed to be. I said to Ava one day she was reading something on her Instagram and she said and they said this and that about me. I was like yeah but you know who cares? I mean you can't care about their feelings. She goes Mom, I'm a teenager. All we do is care about how other people feel about our feelings. And I was like that's so true. How can I tell you to be something you're not? You've got to go through those feelings to come out the other side. Oh I'm going to have no idea what to say. I'm going to have no idea what to say just like my mom had no idea what to say to me. When I wrote you that letter about stupid girls I thought you would think I was one of those stupid girls and I was like scared to write you. Are you kidding? I read the letter I was like who am I right now? Reese Witherspoon just wrote me a letter and told me I was doing some good in the world. I was like cool I can die now. I thought God she's so brave she just comes out with it. And I had all these private secret feelings like ugh I hate all these girls pretending to be stupid just to make good television. It drove me bonkers. But I would never say it publicly and I was like she said it. Yeah. And then she did a whole video about it. Well I get a lot of flack. And I'm also, because of that if you have an opinion and you're willing to share it you're, you are immediately polarizing. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've been told to shut up, sit down sweetheart and sing. Wow. And I've fought back to that as well. You know I pay taxes. I'm engaged in the world. I'm educated about what's going on in the world. I'm a woman. I care. I'm a mother. I have children. Why should I not have an opinion? It's been frightening for a lot of women to say anything controversial. And that's silence that is not helpful. Is this where we're going? This is it. This is my home for the next three weeks. No way. Oh I love this. This is Culver Studios. And this is where we rehearse. We need a space that's big enough for the band, the dancers and all the apparatuses. We need to be able to fly while we sing and I love it here. This is so petty but I'm worried I ate food and this is going to make me sick to my stomach. I'm going to turn upside down and throw up all over your It's alright. It's happened. I'm going to leave my purse in the car. Because I'm not going to need my purse, am I? No, not unless you need tums or... I'm scared. Aren't you scared you're going to fall? And I do. I fall. No, don't say that. Meet your new friends. No, no, no. Oh hey, I'm Reese. I'm Nick. I'm going to be going on tour with you guys. This is our new acrobat. You look ready to go. I'm a little nervous. So what's y'all's kind of thing that you do? How do you begin? The number usually starts with Kasana, the airy comes on, he picks up Alicia, he drops her off and then they go into this whole partner spinning sequence and she kind of lays across him and has a sexy moment. But it's like my version of sexy which is a little aggressive. Let's set up for the first sequence, yeah. More sexy. Oh, sexy. Super sexy. Toe point, love it. This is not safe. This is definitely not safe. Every mom radar is going off for me right now. Wow. That's incredible. But you don't have a harness on at all. Not at all? Your turn. Oh my god. I love how nervous you look. No time like now. Just smile. Okay. Or give sexy. Or say, please let's stop. Okay, I'm so nervous. Okay. Tell my children I love them. Slide on in. Oh my god. Go. Oh my god. Don't open your eyes. Don't try to see. Oh my god. Find the horizon. There's no horizon. And now you lay back. What do I do with my arms? Reach back. Does this look as sexy as she looks? Do I look as sexy? There, beautiful. That's gorgeous. That's a lot of spinning. Okay, that's really fun. That's really fun. It's fun, right? It's really fun. And the dismount was so beautiful. That's pretty much how I feel every night. So all of that, but higher, and more people, and restrictive costumes, no harness, and singing. Cool. Yeah, no biggie. Well, thank y'all. It's awesome. I know, it conquered a fear. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for inspiring my children. Thank you for caring. Thank you for putting yourself out there. We are so grateful to you. Just keep doing it. Get back to work. Yeah, right? Holy ----. The most meaningful thing you could tell me as a musician is that I mattered to someone or made someone feel better about something they went through. The awards come and go. Most of them go. And then, you know, you're only as good as your last song and all of that. But all of those clichés, and what sticks with you are the stories that you heard from people about how a song changed that moment in their life, or something you said mattered to their daughter, or just something, some kind of ripple was started. I think that's what everybody wants, is to matter, is to have mattered, is to leave something.