Melissa McCarthy & Ben Falcone Sparkle on Cover of Parade

November 15, 2024 at 10:07 AM EST

The comedic couple on their new podcast, how they celebrate Thanksgiving and the sequel that “should just happen”

Parade, the premium legacy entertainment and lifestyle brand, released its latest cover story featuring A-list power couple, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone. For the interview, McCarthy, 54, and Falcone, 51, are sitting dressed as if they’re ready to do battle during medieval times.

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Melissa McCarthy & Ben Falcone Sparkle on Cover of Parade (Photo: Business Wire)

“I’m an owl wizard and she’s a sparkly warrior,” Falcone explains. McCarthy, beaming in a bright silver suit of armor, quickly corrects him: “I’m a disco warrior!”

The costumes have a special purpose. McCarthy and Falcone—married since 2005—wanted to get in the spirit of their latest joint project, a scripted comedy podcast titled Hildy the Barback and the Lake of Fire (which Falcone co-wrote with Steve Mallory). It centers on an epic quest to fight an evil force and is currently the top-rated fiction podcast on Apple.

The couple – who crossed paths as teenagers in their native Illinois and first worked together at The Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles in the late 1980s – wouldn’t have it any other way.

Read the full interview here. Notable quotes are below.

On their spark

“For sure we share a similar sense of humor. We met writing and performing together before we even started dating. We love being on stage together, so that was our initial spark. It delightfully hasn’t changed.” (McCarthy)

On life around the house

“Even when we’re working around the house, Ben and I end up pitching each other projects. We’re always just super-trying to make the other person laugh.” (McCarthy)

On why they’re doing a comedy podcast

“I can't clean up the water. We can't clean up the air. We don't have those skills. But if we can maybe take somebody's mind off of things that are tricky in half-hour segments, we should at least try to do it.” (McCarthy)

On her secret past as a goth

“I'm from a little farm town in Illinois [Plainfield], so to suddenly have, like, crazy black hair and wear kabuki makeup and long capes was so much fun. But I wasn't angry at the world. I loved that you could make yourself into a different person.” (McCarthy)

On how they met, both times

“When Ben and I became friends at The Groundlings, we figured out that we went to the same parties when I was in college and you were in high school. Two weeks later, you were like, ‘I knew who you were.’”

Falcone: “Exactly, because I did. I remembered!”

McCarthy: “I was like, ‘You would not recognize me in a million years.’ And he goes, ‘No, I was afraid of you.’ I was like Robert Smith from The Cure and Bjork had a baby.”

On a quick career change

“I wanted to design women’s clothing. I moved to New York City because I wanted to go to school at FIT [Fashion Institute of Technology]. Then the second night I was here, my friend was like, ‘You're going to do stand-up.’ So, I did a stand-up routine at Stand Up NY. I called my mom and dad the next day and said, ‘'m not going back to school—I'm going to do comedy.’ And strangely, they were like, ‘It’s probably for the best.’” (McCarthy)

On her first big break

“I started as a production assistant, and then I was a production coordinator, and then my last thing was a production manager. Then, three weeks before my 30th birthday, I got Gilmore Girls. It was the first time I would say out loud I was an actor. I was pretty gobsmacked.” (McCarthy)

On which of their movies deserves a sequel

McCarthy: There are a couple that I would have done in a heartbeat.

Falcone: I'm going to start bugging Paul Feig about another Spy because that's a movie that should just happen.

On what they’re thankful for this holiday season

McCarthy: I “I'm thankful for my girls and this fella and my parents and my in-laws and my sister and her kids. I think maybe as you get a little older, you realize just how amazing it is to have everybody.”

Falcone: “I'm thankful for cool cars and cold booze. I’m the biggest jerk in the world! No, I’m thankful for family, friends and health. Having people that you love and knowing they're safe and happy, that's all you can really ask for.”

To view this story, or any of previous Parade cover stories, click here.

About Parade

Parade, the premium legacy entertainment and lifestyle brand, has been enlightening, delighting and inspiring audiences for more than 80 years. Parade is owned and operated by The Arena Group (NYSE American: AREN), an innovative technology platform and media company with a proven cutting-edge playbook that transforms media brands. Arena’s unified technology platform empowers creators and publishers with tools to publish and monetize their content, while also leveraging quality journalism of anchor brands like TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal and Athlon Sports to build their businesses. The company aggregates content across a diverse portfolio of brands, reaching over 100 million users monthly. Visit us at thearenagroup.net and discover how we are revolutionizing the world of digital media.