After releasing more than 400 episodes of their “That Was Us” podcast, This Is Us stars Sterling K. Brown, Mandy Moore and Chris Sullivan are recording a live episode for fans — which could lead to them going on the road for an official podcast tour.
“This could open the floodgates for us doing more of these — maybe in other cities across the country,” Moore, 41, who played Rebecca, exclusively told Us Weekly during the joint interview about her, Brown and Sullivan’s That Was Us Live event, which is taking place on January 17. “We are waiting to see what the response is.”
The special live show is taking place at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California, with the promise of Brown, Moore and Sullivan’s usual episode recap before incorporating live music.
“We’re not focusing on one particular episode with this recording. We’re talking about music generally throughout the show and how it’s woven into the fabric of what the show is,” Moore teased. “Then once we finish talking about music, we have a couple of special guests who are going to help us talk about it. We’re [also] going to have some special performances for just the audience that comes and sees the show. It won’t be something that’s a part of a future episode that airs.”
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Sullivan, 45, confirmed Taylor Goldsmith, who contributed to the music on This Is Us, show creator Dan Fogelman and composer Siddhartha Khosla are scheduled to attend. Since the event is in Los Angeles, longtime fans of the show should expect more surprise guests.
“This has been Chris’ labor of love. None of this would be possible without Chris and his passion to drive this forward and see this through,” Moore gushed to Us. “I feel very grateful to him for making this happen because I think we all get to benefit. We’re all going to have so much fun doing it.”
Sullivan, who played Toby, opened up about how setting up a live show differed from recording a podcast episode, saying, “All three of us are live performers from the jump. It’s something that is in our heart and it’s hard to find the time in our schedules to do it. Luckily, we are supported very strongly by the producers here at Rabbit Grin Productions, who not only do the podcast but are going to help us produce the live event. Obviously Live Nation is helping us put it on and it’s going to be wild and awesome.”
This Is Us, which ran from 2016 to 2022, focused on siblings Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Brown) in addition to their parents, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (Moore).
Two years after the hit NBC series came to an end, Brown, Moore and Sullivan reunited to celebrate This Is Us in podcast form. They are elevating their newest venture with a live podcast that has them pulling out all the stops — including one cast member taking singing lessons to prepare.
“I’ve actually started taking voice lessons in anticipation of this live,” Brown, 49, who is coming off two Emmys nominations, teased after Moore praised his skills, “He likes to play it off like he can’t sing. He is an incredible singer.”
Moore is most excited to be in the same room as This Is Us viewers as the show continues to cement its status as a beloved series.
“We’ve seen other podcasts do it and honestly I felt a little jealous,” she teased. “I wanted to do that because it looks like fun. We have so much fun doing this show together and we’re so touched by the connection that fans have to the show and that fans have to the podcast.”
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Moore continued: “We’ve never really had an opportunity to take conversation live and feel it in person. We’re just really thrilled to be able to have that opportunity here.”
While reflecting on This Is Us‘ legacy, Brown praised the show for an “extraordinary” experience.
“Now with a few years removed from it, I experience it purely as a fan. And I find myself incredibly moved by the show. It’s not my performance, it’s their performances. But I understand in a new way the resonance that it had when it was out in the world at that time,” he reflected. “It’s a show that connects people in this gorgeous way.”
Brown continued: “When I watch this show, it is abundantly clear to me that I’m watching people who love each other. There’s incredible structure, there’s incredible writing and storytelling — but the relationships that you see play out on camera are based on relationships that people have in real life that are founded in love. It feels so clear to me watching it and I experienced it on the other side doing it.”
Sullivan, meanwhile, called This Is Us a “handbook for living,” adding, “We talk about it a lot. So if anybody is ever feeling lost or like they are going through something that nobody could understand, This Is Us has the answers on how to navigate all of that.”
Tickets are available now for This Was Us Live on Saturday, January 17, at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California.
