Wendi McLendon-Covey: ‘I’m totally leaning into being a crazy cat lady’

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I realize that this post might not get a lot of interest, but I want to do my part to talk up Wendi McLendon-Covey, who so expertly plays mom Beverly on The Goldbergs. That show is such a treasure trove of heartwarming family comedy mixed with 80s nostalgia. Beverly is the queen in exquisite theme sweaters, making everything ok with her unique approach of being overinvested, pushy and inventive. In a new interview with Good Housekeeping, Wendi explains that she can relate to Beverly because her mom was very similar. Some of my favorite scenes are when Beverly tells the principal of her kids’ school how things are going to be, and Wendi’s mom was just like that! She also has some wise things to say about being a parent. She doesn’t have kids but I get the impression she knows what it’s like.

Wendi on her genius shopping strategies:
“My shopping strategies are as follows: Get online, buy stuff, try it on at home in my mirror – I don’t have a skinny mirror – and return what I don’t need.”

On the ‘80s trends she would revisit:
“There aren’t any! That was an embarrassing decade fashion-wise. One thing that I can kind of get behind is the jumpsuit, except that the ‘80s jumpsuits were made out of fabrics that don’t give. It’s a weird nylon that rustles when you walk by or a denim that has no Lycra in it whatsoever. It makes it feel like you’re wearing a suit of armor. So, no, ‘80s, stay in the vintage stores. We’ll let someone else wear them, but I get my fill of shoulder pads from the show thank you very much.”

On her daily transformation into her The Goldbergs character, Beverly (a mom in the ‘80s with big hair and questionable style):
“Every time I open my closet in the morning and I see what wardrobe has put in there, I think, “There she is. There she is.” Is it a sweater that tells a story of Little Bo Peep? Of course it is. I’m ready to go. Bev has a very specific look.”

On her character on The Goldbergs compared to her own mother—both “smotherers”:
“My own mother was a smotherer. My mother would never storm down to the school and make principals cry. Bev did, but my mother was in my business a lot, and look, I wouldn’t be any different if I had kids. It’s called parenting, you know? And the more they pull away from you in their teenage years, the more you gotta get in there. At a certain age, embarrassment works better than any punishment, or it did for me! So, yeah. I was proudly raised by a smotherer and she’s unapologetic about it, so there you go. Don’t be afraid to love your children in front of other people.”

On her most embarrassing fashion blunder:
“Gosh, I’ve got such a bucket full of fashion blunders, but the one I will admit to because it’s fresh in my memory. I was struggling with my zipper before a red carpet event, but I managed to yank it up. Then, at dinner, the thing just popped open. I could feel it traveling south, and I thought, I’ve got to leave right now or my whole ass is going to be out.”

On being a self-proclaimed ‘crazy cat lady’:
“I’m totally leaning into being a crazy cat lady. Maxine is the queen, Darla is the governess of all boxes, Hunter does no hunting whatsoever, Stewart keeps the possums away and Crash likes to drink out of faucets. He’s the reason we have a drought in California.”

On if she is a ‘gym rat’ or a ‘couch potato’:
“If they had a couch at the gym, I’d do that.”

[From Good Housekeeping]

As the mom of a tween, I know exactly what she means and she’s right. (I can’t get into it, I’ve been told not to tell personal stories and I respect that while still talking around it.) McLendon-Covey may not have kids but she knows what’s up, it’s called parenting for a reason. I’m not looking forward to the teen years but I’m going to be there and stay on top of things. They need us, especially when they act like they don’t want us around, right?

Wendi doesn’t cover this issue of Good Housekeeping, Ellen Pompeo is on the cover. She has more time to get recognition though, because has The Goldbergs has killed it in the ratings and is going to be on the air for a while. The show also has more time to finally get some awards. They’ve been nominated for Critics Choice Awards and a People’s Choice but they’ve never won and they haven’t had an Emmy nom in their first three seasons. That needs to change! The Goldbergs comes back on September 21.

WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY

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photos credit: ABC and Good Housekeeping

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47 Responses to “Wendi McLendon-Covey: ‘I’m totally leaning into being a crazy cat lady’”

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  1. yellowrocket says:

    I love that you covered Beverly! She’s my inspiration for when I become a Mom I’m going to be a total Smother. The Goldbergs is excellent, it’s currently my favourite hangover show.

    • Lozface says:

      It’s my absolute favourite show! It makes me laugh and cry nearly every episode. I love every single character on this show, but Beverly is the absolute best!

      She is the gift that keeps on giving and Wendi is the reason why. What a talented lady!

      They are definitely due some awards… Its better than a lot of other comedies out there!

    • a reader says:

      It’s my favorite as well. i have adored Wendy since Reno 9-11; I think she is HILARIOUS.

      HONK FOR WENDY!

  2. Missionintherain says:

    Thanks for covering her – love her, love the show, loved the’80’s!

  3. Cidey says:

    Beverly is a national treasure. In a fuzzy sweater.

  4. Sadezilla says:

    Love Wendi, have since Reno 911!, and of course the cat lady quote caught my eye. Cat ladies unite!

  5. Ninks says:

    I love the Goldbergs, the whole cast is great but Wendi is head and shoulders above everybody else. The show is great too, so fingers crossed it and she get some recognition.

  6. Neelyo says:

    Wendi is the best. She was amazing on RENO 911 and has such a great energy in everything she does.

  7. Ashley says:

    I LOVE Wendi and the real-life Bev. If you tweet them about The Goldbergs they will sometimes like your comment or even tweet back! The Goldbergs is the show I can’t miss during the week. I am from Philly, so I appreciate the references to our sports teams, Bradley Cooper, and Wawa.

    • GingerCrunch says:

      Then I’m gonna start watching NOW! My Philly neighbor has recommended it for a while, so this glowing post has convinced me. Wendi made me love her SO MUCH in Bridesmaids. Also, teenagers need more supervision than toddlers in my experience. 🙁

  8. sensible says:

    Bev is the queen, i am all about knowing all my tweens business….and yes i do visit her school on occasion. Our whole family loves The Goldbergs, but it is really hard to access it here in Australia and only season 1 on itunes….its weird.

    • Lozface says:

      I know, it’s terrible here in Australia!!! I’ve told so many people about it but no one watches it. Channel 7 aired it for a little while and they’ve aired one or two series on Foxtel. I’ve downloaded all the episodes! I can’t live without it!

  9. Abby says:

    I’ve never watched the show, but I like this interview! I like her!

  10. Adele Dazeem says:

    I love Wendy and the Goldbergs, it’s the best comedy on network tv! It gives me such nostalgia for my childhood. And I really think she is underrated as an actress…whoever she plays (remember her in Bridesmaids?) i 100 percent buy she IS that character. Thanks for the great coverage!!

  11. Ms. Lib says:

    Can’t wait for it to come back on! I love this show and introduced it to my grandson and daughter! Great family entertainment.

  12. mellie says:

    I love her, I love this show and I sure wish it received more accolades in general…thanks for recognizing both!

  13. Mandy says:

    I love to watch this show with my daughter so she can see the era in which I was a kid. She honestly gets so confused some times because things were so different. And Wendi for an Emmy! She is the best. Also Constance Wu from Fresh off the boat, another fave.

  14. boredblond says:

    The Goldbergs, Fresh Off the Boat, The Wonder Years, Malcolm in the Middle…all childhood memories narrated by/as seen through the eyes of boys…well, I’ve always thought that was interesting…(can’t think of little girl example). Also pondering why the descriptive adjective ‘crazy’ is apparently mandatory in describing a cat owner..well, I’m just in that what-the mood…

    • Mandy says:

      I love all those shows, but you really do have a point! Stranger Things had me showing great coming of age films to my daughter and the only one with girls is Now and Then. And I think some people would say its greatness is debatable.

    • Anna says:

      @boredblond x100000

  15. MissMerry says:

    ugh i love her!!!!!!!

    I like to think that Beverly Goldberg is just Clementine Johnson in a parallel universe.

  16. KittenFarts says:

    I loved her in Bridesmaids! She’s a great actress! I also feel like being a cat lady these days. Just seems easier than dating the guys I’ve met in the last few months …..

  17. Jayna says:

    I’ve always loved her. So talented and great in TV interviews

  18. Cali says:

    LOVE her! And the Goldbergs. I didn’t watch it at first but caught an episode along the way and LOVED it, so I watched all of the previous seasons and now I don’t miss a single one. I’m a child of the 80s so that makes it even better. And I love at the end when Adam shows the real photo/video that was the inspiration for the episode.

  19. Jade says:

    Love her

  20. QQ says:

    HONK HONK!! love these pics and Interview!! and her appropriate shame over 80s Fashions! #SmotheredDaughterGang

  21. Michelle says:

    Beverly Goldberg is my spirit animal!!! I am a smotherer and proud of it! Hell hath no fury like a pissed off mom. I love this watching this show with the kids and sometimes explaining to them the things that they don’t understand about it. I follow Wend on Instagram and she posts cute pics of her cats. I am right there with her, I must say! So glad you covered her!!

  22. OTHER RENEE says:

    I love this show and love her! So glad you posted about her.

  23. Brandy Armstrong says:

    So so happy you covered her!!! In a world dominated by divorce drama, beefing cliques and a buffoon running for president, this was a refreshing change!! And yes I come from a “smother” AND “crazy cat lady” who I freaking love like nothing else in this world!! Kudos to all you smother mothers out there- your kids will thank you in the end 🙂

  24. KiddVicious says:

    It took me awhile to get into the Goldbergs but I kept watching because of Wendi. She’s a great actress. I loved her cat lady character on Rules of Engagement.

    I absolutely LOVE Bev’s makeup, they got her eyeshadow down perfectly. I would still do my makeup like that if I had the time in the mornings. LOL

  25. Hope says:

    I love Wendy in everything she’s ever done and The Goldbergs is my favorite show.

  26. Cupcake says:

    She looks beautiful!

  27. dot says:

    I love her! She was the best part of Rules of Engagement – she’s my patronus.

  28. Ninks says:

    Hahaha. I had this article open in one tab, and the article on Wendi Deng on another and I switched to this one by mistake. I thought I was reading the comments for the Wendi Deng and nearly had a heart attack at all the love she was getting.

  29. paleokifaru says:

    We watch this with my stepson, who is a tween, ALL the time! My husband and I had watched it and thought he might enjoy it so we started him on an episode with Weird Al, who he adores. He was instantly hooked and made his way through the past seasons on Hulu. We’ll be watching come September 21!

  30. Erica_V says:

    Thank you for giving The Goldbergs some love!! The show is fantastic, the writing, the costumes, the cast, everything.

    I in particularly love how her costumes are 80% the real Beverly Goldberg’s clothes.

    Wendi’s IG is excellent – finding out she was Concierge Marie on The Office gave me life for a week.

  31. sunnydaze says:

    Haven’t watched the Goldbergs, but I absolutely loved her on Reno 911 – she’s an amazing comedic actress, so much fun to watch!

  32. Layla says:

    Love “The Goldberg’s and Love her! I great up in Philly in the 80s so I sooo relate to this show. Thanks for covering Wendy!

  33. Ewissa says:

    Aww I love Wendy! Im so thankful for this post.She is my favourite comedian.From crazy neighbour cat lady in Rules of engagement and now Goldbergs- really brings all memories.As I grew up in that era and its like someone put cbamera in our house 20 years ago.
    Beverly is the best and I hope Goldbergs will have more seasons

  34. tealily says:

    I love her from Reno 911 days. She looks totally different out of character!

  35. holly hobby says:

    I’ve watched the Goldbergs from the beginning. It is really hilarious and Wendie makes it the best! So glad she’s covered here instead of the usual shows like Grey’s.

  36. Nina says:

    thank you so much!!! she really rocks this interview and the show is hilarious
    love how describes her cats <3

  37. serena says:

    I love her! She’s amazing and I hope to see more from her (also, I’m so glad the Goldberg is doing so well! ).