Rory O'Malley & Jenny Kanelos: Twenty Years of Showing Up For Each Other

What does it take to stay best friends for twenty years, across three coasts, and a loss neither of you saw coming? Meet Today's Peas: Rory O'Malley is a Tony-nominated Broadway actor known for The Book of Mormon and Hamilton, and for co-founding the marriage equality nonprofit Broadway Impact. Jenny Kanelos co-founded Broadway Impact alongside Rory and the late Gavin Creel, mobilizing thousands of artists around marriage equality, before becoming a nurse at UCLA. Rory and Jenny met twenty years ago working on Happy Days: The Musical at the Falcon Theatre, and knew almost instantly they were meant to be friends. They talk with Dr. Miriam about the vulnerable year that cemented their bond (Rory getting sober and moving cross-country, Jenny losing the grandmother who raised her), the codependency that came with leaning on each other so hard early on, and the boundaries it took to become two whole people who still choose each other. They open up about building Broadway Impact with Gavin Creel during the fight for marriage equality, about losing Gavin to cancer and what his friendship taught them both, and about how Jenny's pivot from theater to nursing changed the way Rory sees his career, his marriage and his son. It's a conversation about twenty years of showing up, on opposite coasts and through the hardest days, for the person who still gets under your skin like nobody else can. Pull up a chair. This one is for the friend who becomes family. -- Your friendship questions deserve answers. Reach out at [email protected], on social media or, pick up the phone and call or text with your friendship story or questions at 615-PODLINE (That's 615-763-5463). Stay in touch with us: @thetwopeasonapod @miriamkirmayer www.miriamkirmayer.com -- Two Peas on a Pod is hosted by Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Executive produced by Zoe Travis, Matthew Hoffman, Katya Kaminsky, and Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Produced and edited by Podcast Nation (Producers: Madison Brit and Alesha Pannier, Audio Engineer: Miles Carter). Original music by Sarah Walk. Created by Zoe Travis and Matthew Hoffman. Two Peas on a Pod is recorded in Montreal and Los Angeles. Cover photo by Katya Kaminsky. Today's show contains information that is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This program is not a substitute for psychological or medical advice. Please seek out your own support and research as needed. Take care, friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.