Showbiz Analysis with Baby Daddy Producer Heidi Clements

As executive producer and writer of ABC Family’s popular sitcom Baby Daddy, Heidi Clements makes a living making people laugh. But this month, it is her recently released, fictional memoir, Welcome To Heidi (2014, HumorOutcasts Press), that has readers in stitches and Hollywood buzzing. While Clements isn’t shy about sharing tales from Tinsel Town’s trenches, Chapter 2 seems to have sent insiders into a frenzy of speculation. Says the brutally honest former Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight writer, “As far as what I write, I sort of forget that people are reading it, because if I focus on the things that I’ve said and ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’, I’d never say anything. At the end of the day, I don’t really care what I admit or what people think because I’m just so grateful on a daily basis to get up and be breathing that I don’t care about all this other stuff. It’s just comedy to me.”

I recently caught up with Heidi Clements for my iTunes podcast Whine At 9 where she shared her inspiration and mission behind Welcome To Heidi, upcoming scoop on Baby Daddy, and her extreme passion for fabulous shoes.

Clements signature humor-meets-brutal-honesty permeates Welcome To Heidi which touches on everything from aging in Hollywood (it’s not pretty) to adult female bullying (absolutely brutal). Its primary message? Don’t let anyone define you. Notes Clements, “Everything I write about myself is the truth, even if it’s my truth. As far as the infamous Chapter 2, where I’ve written about a particular job, [and] people are speculating on what that job might be, I like to say that that chapter is about all of the places that I worked and all of the bullies that I worked for—there are many who told me that I was not good enough or smart enough and that I’d never make it. And that’s who that chapter is dedicated to. There are parts of that that were definitely ripped from the headlines of my life and tweaked. But it is an enjoyable chapter. I think it makes The Devil Wears Prada look like a fairy tale.”

Read the New York Post’s Page Six take on Welcome to Heidi’s Chapter 2 here.

Heidi Clements’ success in Hollywood hasn’t been without plenty of obstacles. “I’ve had plenty of people tell me that what I was doing was garbage… and you have to decide if you’re willing to listen to those voices or your own,” says the writer. The pain and pressure of working in television has long been acknowledged, but Clements’ fifty-something, often hilarious take on the experience is laced with important messages for those who face challenges in the industry and beyond—especially women. Admits Clements, “[Women are] told to be quiet and to not make so much noise when we’re young and powerful in our twenties—and I spent 30 years trying to get back to who I am.” While giving a voice to boomers, Clements also felt compelled to tell her story for younger generations. “I definitely wrote a book that I wanted women to read because I think, as I said in the book, if I knew at 20 what I know at 50, I would rule the world. And I think all women would. And I think that, for me, it matters what young girls are thinking.”

Clements says she’s in a good place now, even with a self-proclaimed shoe addiction. “I think money can buy happiness and it’s in my shoe closet,” notes the half-joking footwear-obsessed comedy writer. Says Clements, “I’m so lucky that my very first full writers’ room job on television [with Baby Daddy] is with one of my best friends, Dan Berendsen, who is the creator and executive producer. It just does not get better than that. I’m so blessed and so grateful that he actually gave me my dream job… I’m just so lucky.” She anticipates that the season finale of Baby Daddy might not be what some viewers would like, but insists it’s realistic and “fantastic.”

With all of the buzz Welcome to Heidi is generating, does Clements see another sitcom in her future? Of course, shyness gets you nowhere in Hollywood, which is probably why the savvy Clements doesn’t hesitate. “I would love it to be a TV series. I would love nothing more than to have a positive show for women that are in their 50s or 40s that young girls could also watch.” Given the talent and tenacity of the writer, my bet is that audiences would definitely give a welcome to Heidi.

Listen to Nancy’s interview with Heidi Clements here, on Stitcher Radio, or on iTunes.

Nancy Berk, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, comic and entertainment analyst. The host of the showbiz podcast Whine At 9, Nancy digs a little deeper as she chats with fascinating celebrities and industry insiders. Her book College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind can be seen in the feature film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.