Jeanie Buss: Telling my 6th grade friends my dad died (he didn’t) | Forward Progress

0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. As we wrap up the week, we're bringing you one of the many positive messages from our past interviews. Each Thursday, we're sharing stories of our most watched athletes, celebrities, and leaders.

0:36We hope these problem-solving narratives inspire you to tackle obstacles in your own life. This week, Jeannie Buss.

0:48Your parents got divorced. What do you remember from that period of time? Because that had a big impact on you back then. Yeah. I mean, back then, you know, this was like the late 60s, early 70s. Parents, for whatever reason, believed you never told your kids anything. You never gave them the sad news. You just kind of left them in the dark. and I realized like that was the worst thing that you could do because you know as they were going through the process of separating my dad would only come home on the weekends so during the week if I was over at my friend Megan's house and her dad was home I'd say well why is your dad home you know, why isn't he at the office?

1:45Because when I'd ask my mom, where's dad? She'd say he's at the office. And so I thought all dads were at the office during the week and only came home on weekends and nobody ever explained it. And so it got to the point, you know, of, you know, my sixth grade graduation and my dad's not there. And all my friends are asking me, where is he? and I don't have any answers, like I just said, oh, he died, you know. And it was the only way I could get them to stop asking me the question because I couldn't say I don't know where he is. That made you feel how at the time? Yeah, it made me feel abandoned.

2:27And, you know, it put a sense of loneliness and fear and being isolated, and feeling different than everybody else who had their dad there. Because your brother Johnny once said, I could never understand why he'd want to go to Las Vegas with a playmate of the year rather than take us to Disneyland. I guess I felt the same way. And then as their relationship ended and they went their separate ways, then that's when I got to have more time with my dad. So when I was like, you know, 14, 15 years old, you know, then I was meeting, you know, his new girlfriend, whoever that was at the time. And I got to spend much more time with him during the summer.

3:25During the winter, he would take us to USC football games and different events. So everything that I did with him was always around sports or movies. That's kind of what we did. I wanted to ask you about your mom because she obviously is a bit of an unsung hero, doesn't get near as much attention. But the role she played in your life is what? I guess that's where I get the softer, sweeter side. My mom was, you know, just this beautiful, sweet. She just was always very giving and very lovable. And I think, you know, she wanted her family together. And she was heartbroken by the marriage ending.

4:19And I don't think she ever really recovered from that heartbreak. Really? And, you know, it was hard on her. And, you know, I miss both my parents. But I think people tell me I remind them of my mother. And that's a really nice compliment. That's it for now. But if you're hungry for more in-depth interviews, head over to YouTube.com slash Graham Bensinger. You can dive into our deep library, which includes more than 2 ,000 clips spanning 12-plus years. Thanks again for listening.