B
illy Gardell became a household name while co-starring with Melissa Mc- Carthy in the ( 2010-2016 ) sitcom Mike & Molly , but he ’ s certainly not a one-hitwonder . He followed that with another fiveyear sitcom hit , Bob ( heart emoji ) Abishola .
If you ’ ve ever wondered how to pronounce that correctly , you ’ re not alone . “ It ' s not Bob loves ,” Billy explains . “ It ’ s Bob hearts . Bob Hearts Abishola because it ' s got a heart right in there . That stupid emoji caused us a lot of grief on the internet early on .”
If you haven ’ t seen it yet , you ’ ve got a second chance to catch it on weeknights on WCIU-TV ( 8 pm and 8:30 pm ). Billy offers a little primer on the show . “ My guy has a heart attack ,” he says , “ and when he wakes up , there ' s a nurse there from Nigeria , and he falls in love with her . And , you know , it ' s just a show about love knowing no bounds . Also , it ’ s about when you marry someone , you marry their whole family . The blending of those cultures was a lot of fun to explore and experience , and we found a lot of heartfelt comedy in it . We did five seasons . So , six and a half seasons on Mike and Molly and five on Bob Hearts Abishola . I ' ve been really , really lucky .”
It didn ’ t hurt that legendary TV producer
By Rick Kaempfer
CHICAGO ‘ HEARTS ’ BILLY GARDELL
Chuck Lorre ( Big Bang Theory , Two & A Half Men , Young Sheldon , The Kaminsky Method ) was at the helm of this one . “ Yeah , I think Chuck ' s gonna make it ,” Billy says with a chuckle . “ Me and Chuck . We ' re gonna keep at it till we ' re successful . He just , he changed my life for the better , man . And I ' m incredibly grateful for everything that happened .”
Having watched Mike and Molly , which takes place in Chicago ( Billy plays a Chicago cop ), and costars Chicagoan Melissa Mc- Carthey , I always assumed Gardell was from Chicago . He ’ s actually from Pittsburgh . “ Well , you know , the cities are very similar ,” he explains . “ It ’ s very Midwestern , you know , blue collar , the same kind of hard-working people , sarcasm with a little bit of love underneath . And so I slipped right into that . Also , I did live in Chicago for a couple of years as a comic before I moved out to Los Angeles . I have an affinity for this city without question . I moved out to LA for more acting opportunities .”
The transition from comedian to comic actor was a gradual one . “ My goal was to do stand-up at first , and I started when I was 17 , and then my drive was to use my stand-up to get to a sitcom . I ' m a big television lover . I loved watching that stuff with my dad , my grandmother , like , that was our thing . And so that was always my pursuit . It was my goal .
And I just happened to , after 25 years , get in front of the right guy , Chuck Lorre . And so , after 25 years , I was an overnight success .”
Billy Gardell
Not every comic can make that transition , but Gardell has flourished .
“ I think the reason I ' m a good sitcom actor is most of those shows are based on relationships , and I ' ve been married for 23 years . That helps . And so it kind of fits . That ' s what my stand-up is about , too . I talk about being a father and what it ' s like to have a 21-year-old now . I ' ve always written about what was happening in my life . So now I ' m an empty nester , and me and my wife are alone in the house
again ; we ' re trying to find new things to do , and I just try to write about that experience . The only difference between the sitcoms and my nightclub act is I swear a little bit in my nightclub act . That ' s it .”
He ’ s on tour right now through the end of February . It is not stopping here this time , but Billy was in Chicago when we spoke and has a whole routine when he comes here . “ Last night , I was at the Green Mill , and we had dinner at Gibson ' s . When I lived here (’ 1994- ’ 95 ), I was working at the Improv , the Funny Firm , Zanies . There was a tradition here in Chicago , the Second City guys , and the stand-ups , we all kind of , everybody did their shows , and then we would all meet at a bar called Burton Place on Wells . It was like the bar from Star Wars by the end of the night . It was a wonderful thing to be a part of , and it was a really creative part of my career . And the food here . Man . So good . I ' m hitting Portillo ' s today . The fat guy is still in there , even if he can only have a couple bites .”
Gardell has lost much weight since his Mike & Molly days , thanks to a 2021 bariatric surgery . How much ? 170 pounds . He has discovered that the weight loss didn ’ t only improve his health . It gave him something else . “ Yeah , it used to be recognized just about everywhere I went , but since the weight loss , hardly anybody recognizes me until I speak , and then they hear that car horn that is my voice , and they know . But it kind of gave me some anonymity back . And I gotta tell you , I don ' t mind .” Bob Hearts Abishola airs weeknights at 8:00 and
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