tavis: good evening from los angeles. i am tavis smiley. first a conversation with former hedge fund manager sam polk who set the financial world on edge with an op-ed piece about the unbridled pursuit of money on wall street. he said this kind of rewarded -- this behavior rewarded is an addiction with all of its negativity. then we will turn to a conversation one of tvs most beloved comic actresses, rhea perlman. forever be best known for her multiple emmy-winning role as the caustic waitress on theers," but she is back on small screen in a series that is about to wrap its first season ." tvland called "kirstie those conversations coming up right now.

>> the california endowment. health happens in neighborhoods. learn more. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: so imagine this scenario.

you are in your 20's working as a hedge fund manager on wall street in you go into a rage when your bonus is only $3.6 million when you were demanding $8 million. that was the narrative created after polk who reassessing his priorities came to the conclusion that wanting more and more money was an addiction like any other addiction with all of its negative connotations. then he wrote about that epiphany in a "the new york piece that is causing quite a conversation. good to have you on the program. did you expect all of the response and fallout? >> no. tavis: conversation generated by that piece? >> i did not know anyone at "the new york times." i sent it in on a lark. when it came out, the response has been so big in terms of the media attention and the positive reviews, but also some people

pretty upset about. tavis: why write that? >> i believe there is something going on in this world, this inequality problem, that is a few billionaires have more than 3.5 billion people. there are a lot of people with a lot of theories about why that is but my theory is it is like people like me that were the problem. these people that were the 1% working really hard, but continuing to make more and more money and it was never enough. so i wanted to write a piece from the heart that people who might be in the same position that i was in could see and say, you know, maybe is enough is enough. maybe there is another path. i do have enough money and i can use my talents and resources to help people rather than just a chameleon money. -- accumulating money. all of these talents given to me, i feel like they come with some responsibility. for so long, i just used them to

get more for myself, to sleep better at night because i would not have to be afraid. i was so afraid of being without money. the more money i had, the more safe i felt like i was. and after a while, it occurred to me that i was still scared but also that the things that were so important to me, which was am i going to make $2 million this year, was less important than the people on the streets that are struggling or the mom that wants to have surgery for her kid but cannot afford it. -- for a long time, that was those things were equal to me because the most important thing in my life was accumulating more. tavis: so if being insecure about not having cash breeds fear, then there are a whole lot of fearful people in this country because a whole lot of us wish we had more cash. tell me more about the link between your fear about not having enough money. >> i grew up, i did not have a

lot of advantages as a kid, but i grew up in this house where i'm a first of all, my dad, we were always sort up without money. we did not have enough dirt and he was always talking about this future when things would be ok. and i guess i learned that the world was a really scary place. and from his sort of belief systems i also learned that enough money would sort of cure that her. and i guess the point i want to make is that in the end, even though i had something of a tough childhood. my dad was a super rafegeful guy. i was scared of him a lot. in the end, i was a white, ivy league educated guy who showed a propensity for making money. and so, if there's is anybody in the world who did not have to fear, it was me. the truth was i was still afraid even though i was making millions. so one of the things i have come to believe about that is that for me it had nothing to do with money. it had to do with spiritual problem. this brokenness inside me.

and one of the things i learned on wall street was that money was not going to fix it no matter how many millions i made. tavis: what drove you to wall street? i am asking -- what drove you to wall street and working so hard for those excesses? it may very well be the case that who knows, on academy award night, leonardo may go home with the trophy for playing a character, "the wolf of wall street." you did not have those kinds of excesses, but what drove you to wall street to push harder and harder for more and more and it was never enough? >> the most simple thing is that we live in a culture that says, if you have money or if you are famous, then you are important and you are valuable. and if you do not have those things, then you are worthless here at and the truth was that i sort of grew up believing i was worthless. i think that was how i was treated as a kid. but i was so desperate to show people that i was valuable, that

i was important, and money was sort of the easiest way to do that. in theum, i said a bit introduction about the epiphany that you had, but in your own words, tell me more about how you came, what brought you to the realization that you were on a dead end path. >> first, it was not just about mean. . for a while i came to see that i was not happy and even though i was making millions and i would sit at my desk and feel jealous of other people making more than me. after a while, i learned it was because i was not happy doing this. but i will tell you what, i started reading this taylor branch series on martin luther king. and even though it was about the civil rights issue and that is its particular issue, it's sort of completely opened my eyes, because dr. king started -- talking about this idea that it was not a crime to be punished to be a racist. it was not a crime. it was a sickness to be healed

here when i read that, i started inking about my own self and i was like, you know what? i am not a terrible guy. a lot of people just wall street. and that is not how i felt. but i do think i had a sickness. and that sickness left me sort of trying to accumulate more money. and i just suddenly saw that i was a part of the system that really created to america's am a right? this upper class america. and at the bottom, this america that is just struggling to get by. i guess i just saw that like, what was true about civil rights, i sort of believe is ofue about the sort of 1% inequality. there is a spiritual sickness i did not want to dissipate in anymore. -- participate in anymore. tavis: i am working on a book now about specifically the last year of king's life. 1967, with the most

controversial speech of his life where he comes out against the vietnam war. i'm focusing the laser on, what is happened to king, what kind of man does he become in the very last year of his life. so i am working on that text now. i have been talking to taylor to get his perspective on the text i am working on. i raise that only because one of the things that comes through loud and clear when one looks at king's life, particularly the last year of his life, is he is focused on these three things he started to mention a moment ago. king calls at the triple evil. militarism, racism, and poverty. that is the triple threat that king says we do not get serious about, we will lose our democracy. racism, militarism, and poverty. so here we are, as we move towards 50 years since his death, and we still, as americans, do not want to get serious about militarism, racism, and poverty. so you had this epiphany in part because you are reading taylor's

trilogy about america in the king years, and you decide you want to do something about poverty, which is a nice way to ask you about groceryships. isgroceryships is a program like scholarships for groceries. so families that are low income and struggling with obesity, and as you know, there is a huge confluence of hunger problems and obesity. and often the same families. we started this program were families that really want help can apply them and then we give them a scholarship. tavis: groceryships. >> a scholarship for groceries. for six months, these families, we give them money to buy fruits, vegetables, whole grains beans. we also provide them a curriculum, like going to school, education and nutrition and cooking skills. but even more important, and this is the key to the whole thing, i believe, is like there are 10 families at a time. and the last half of each weekly meeting is a support group here in and i don't know if you have

a personal food experience in a struggle with food. i do. i've been on a thousand diets. i grew up in overweight kid. and i just know how sort of scary that is. like obesity is a really complex thing with heavy emotional issues. also heavy poverty issues. and the idea of like, my sort of experience, is that nothing is as powerful as a group of people locked in, and pursued together. that is what groceryships is. if you get of groceryship, you become part of this group that has your back. tavis: what makes you feel like you can make, have an impact on an issue that is so massive to begin with and some might view as even being intractable? >> i go back to father greg -- and what he talks about his definitions of success. going todea that i am go in there and fix any of this or change these folks or even that they need to be changed or that i have something to teach them is to my mind crazy.

i will tell you that what i think success is is spending six months with these families. arethey're hungry and we providing them healthy food. whether or not they sort of change are what pays they change at, that is not up to me. what i want to do is stand beside them and at least in some small level help alleviate the burden they have been given to kerry. and i know, for me, i had all of these privileges growing up. and i had some hardships. and the reason i am here sitting talking to you is because there were some people that came into my life that helped me share the burden i was carrying -- a counselor, a boss at work, like people that really took an interest in me and said, you know what? what is going on with you matters. your well-being matters to me. that is what i'm going into these families and i am saying, i do not have the answer. i am not dr. oz. but i will stand here with you, and i will talk about stuff with you. and you know what?

i have the same problems when it comes to food. and i'm going to share those. tavis: dr. king said a lot of stuff that is worthy being quoted. one of the things he said is that life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others? life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others? i encourage you to go online and read about groceryships and see what sam polk and his team are doing for others. if you have not seen or heard this piece or heard about this piece with "the new york times." go to their website. i'm sure it is still trending. a lot of conversation about this op-ed piece that sam polk wr ote for "the new york times," which started this conversation on this program and for that matter other programs as well. sam, congratulations on the work you are doing. >> is an honor. tavis: coming up, a conversation with rhea perlman.s tastay with us. has madeea perlman

dozens of guest star appearances in television series and movies, but the role that comes immediately to mind for most of us is her emmy-winning turn as the sharp tongued waitress carla on "cheers." \ she is bringing their talents to bear in a new sitcom entitled "kirstie," which stars her cheers: kirstie alley. this series concludes its first season next week. >> you want a sandwich named after me? >> i give you the madison banks. you are corned beef. you want more corned beef. it has got more corned beef. >> so basically it is a corned beef sandwich? >> yes, but do not ask for mustard. then it is a j-lo. >> so this is your big move, a sandwich. not a movie, not even a soap. >> this is the on ramp, darling. your name will be out there now.

the power brokers of new york will be eating maddy banks seven days a week. >> it is the 1980's all over again. really,ou must really, really be picky about the roles that you play because it took a long time for you to come back to a sitcom. >> yeah. i did a couple little things in between. rl" that icalled "pea thought was really cool but it did not work out for longer than that. but yeah, you know, for a long time they were not even doing multi--cam shows. now it is back invoke. it is the best job ever. here i am working with the best people. really, relaally. working with kirstie alley. she is just such a nut job. i mean, she is. you know. you have seen her on anything, she is just like she is. she is a wonderful person. tavis: you say it is the best

job ever. i got a sense you were talking not just about the show but about the format. why is it the best situation ever? >> first of all, you are doing a show in front of an audience every week. so you are rehearsing five days, and then you put it on at night. and you got an audience immediate satisfaction like you're doing the show in a theater, which you basically are but you get do overs because you screw up a line. tavis: i cannot imagine you ever do that. >> never. i mean the other people. tavis: so how did this reunion with you and kirstie happen? >> we have always wanted to work together again. we were pretty close during "cheers." and then you drift away and all of this stuff, but that connection, that "cheers" connection with everybody was so tight. we grew up together. we had families together. all that stuff. and then it was weird because a couple of years ago this w

this, askedrote her to do a part in the show that he wrote. and he asked me to do a part in the show he wrote completely independent of even thinking about that we work together before. showt was a really funny about his life growing up. and we did it for a different network. it was a pilot. it was a ton of fun. didn't go. but we all liked working together a lot, and she knew that tvland, which is what our show is on, was interested in doing something with her and she said, come on. let's get marco to write a show for tvland. i said, ok, i know you can get them to write a show for you but i really want to be in it. this is where it came from. and she kind of designed this show around characters that she wanted to play. which is that broadway diva.

as she always saw me as her assistant/best friend. she always saw me that way. i do not know why. i am not the diva. she is. i am the lackey, which i love being. tavis: but you're getting paid for it. >> i love it. ethel.very lucy-o we do antics. she's this character that always has a skiing. maybe she is a little sergeant bill go, except that she is not always trying to make money. she always has a scheme which is one ridiculous thing after another and i have to go along with it here and we all have to go along with it. tavis: after all these years, have you figured out where comedy is concerned what the trick is, what works? because you had wild success and you had a couple things that did not necessarily fly. like, have you figured out, are you still as lost as the rest of us about what an audience is really going to appreciate or gravitate to?

>> it is pretty mysterious, i have to say, but it is also -- there is one thing about tv that i really think is true. andou find the right cast the right writers and you have got some chemistry going, even if the show is taking a little while to find an audience on my if you keep it there, that audience will find it. because that is what happened with "cheers." nobody was watching us for almost two years, but they kept it on. it was on nbc with brandon tikoff.cough -- tar but i love the show. and there was. tavis: but that is unheard of these days. you cannot get two weeks much less two years. >> but we were on a cable station now, so there is a little bit more heart and more leyway. they want the show to succeed. it feels a little less

corporate. tvland is part of the big viacomm, but it is all independent little pieces. and so we're hoping that, you you cannot so weird, even count your ratings anymore the way they are with the millions and billions -- tavis: online. do not even know how we're doing but i think we are doing a little bit better each week. tavis: "cheers", which we talked about earlier. you can go on any channel any night, any day. it is on somewhere. >> it is pervasive. thing toat is a good be. i'm trying to juxtapose the fact he said a moment ago that it took a couple of years for the show initially to find its audience. and when it hit, it hit big. and it is still hitting big all these years later. what you make of why the show worked and still does? topeople get drawn

characters, and they just all of a sudden these characters were who they wanted to hang out with on thursday nights. very universal characters. a lot of losers have a bunch of losers. like danny's, my husband danny's show "taxi," which was also a bunch of losers. tavis: which i watch on metv at night. you guys are everywhere. >> we are all a bunch of losers in the "kirstie" show, too. tavis: i know you are being funny about that, but there is something cap about that quality that actually works. people connect, not that they are losers, but they connected to human frailty. >> exactly, exactly. if everybody is totally fine, they got no problems. that's not so interesting. not so funny. tavis: be on the fact that people connect to the human

frailty because we are all human and not human and divine, beyond that, what do you think it is -ethel qualityy0- that still works? >> the two women thing is big. look at all of the women. --ple like, a lot of people women watch tv. and a lot of men sit around and they watch it, too. but it is funny to see two women get into scrapes and escapades and falling off a cliff. i had to fly off a balcony. it's just, it's funny. and it's slapstick. is amazing, which is why michael richards who was on the show -- who had the same whereion in "seinfeld,"

nobody watch the show and all of a sudden the most popular show on tv. that took even more years. but the physical comedy, it's you know, forever. tavis: it is always the case in this town that when we don't see people every day, we see you everyday on reruns of course, but when we do not see you on "kirstie," at is not like you have fallen off the earth. i want to celebrate you because more than anybody in this town or smudges anybody in this town, when we were not seeing you every night on a first-round sitcom, you have in working on these children's issues day and night. >> i'm so glad you brought that up. thank you. it is the other thing in my life. there is work, there's family -- there's family, there's work. and there is right now, which is the one i have worked on many children's issues but for the last number of years working on trying to find permanent homes for kids in foster care.

are just so many. and you know a lot about the system, i am sure. so many kids that age out of the system with no home, no connection, no person. and they might even be doing well. some of them are doing not well. it is just the toughest -- kids get born into this world and they all deserve a family. of some kind. whether it is one. , two parent, -- one parent, a loving situation where they can say this is my safe spot. and that is what we are trying to find for these kids. tavis: you are a hero. shall i say a shero. so many children in these california and i thank you for that. >> i would like you to tell your audience -- or i will tell them. check out the children's action network.org. they have a lot of videos online of kids who are looking for

families and maybe that will just insight your imagination. a lot of people getting turned on to it now. tavis: that was your camera. i am going to this camera for a message to tvland. pick up "kirstie" for another season, please? you did your pitch. i did my pitch. there you go. thanks for watching. and as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: join me next time for a conversation with actor steve -- the costar an actor of "phil omena." that is next time.

>> the california endowment. health happens in neighborhoods. learn more. by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioned by thenational captioning institute--www.ncicap.org-- be more. pbs.

next on "kqed newsroo" contra costa county under fire for allegedly mistreating teens in juvenile hall. squalor, security problems, and mismanagement. an investigation of richmond's public housing agency. >> this is a health hazard to me. bugs. i don't do bugs. i don't do mice. and the president of the golden state warriors discusses michael samm and the debate over sexual orientation in professional sports. >> this is kind of an exclamation point on the things that happened in our societynd certainly in sports over the last three years. ♪