On The Road With Abby Hornacek 57:42

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Well, welcome to the Jason in the House podcast. I'm Jason Chaffetz and appreciate you joining us today. We're going to have some fun because we're going to talk a little bit about the news. We're going to highlight the stupid because, you know, there's always somebody doing something stupid somewhere. And then we're going to phone a friend. And this week we're going to call somebody I've seen from afar. Never met her. Never talked to her. Abby Hornacek. You've seen her on Fox Nation doing just having fun. She's got like the coolest job at Fox.

um and so we're going to have a conversation with abby hornacek and i'm really looking forward to that because she just you know what i like being around people that are happy and she strikes me as a perpetually happy person and uh and a lot of fun and be interesting to hear more about growing up and how she got this gig at fox and uh anyway it should be a good conversation but first let's talk a little bit about the news i try to highlight some of the things that

Maybe don't get as much attention as they should, but I'm absolutely fascinated by a discovery that happened just a couple weeks ago. It was in the country of Georgia, not Atlanta, Georgia, not the state of Georgia, but in the United States, but the country of Georgia. Archaeologists found the oldest human tooth they think they've ever been able to find.

This tooth is estimated to be 1.8 million years old. And it's really interesting because at least in part of the article, they're saying that these scientists believe that early humans started migrating out of Africa about 2 million years ago.

And this tooth is one point, and it's really, like if you saw a picture of it, it's really well encapsulated. And I just thought, you know, it's hard for me to fathom back 50 years, let alone 200 plus years in the foundation of the United States of America. And then you think back to the time of Jesus, and then you think of time BC, but then you try to fathom what 2 million years ago is, and what life was like for people back then.

It really does boggle the mind. It's sort of like what I get when I look out into space and the stars and the moon, and you just wonder, you know, where's the end? And it just causes you to really contemplate life as we know it. And anyway, so when they have these sort of scientific discoveries, I just think we should spend a little bit more time on that. And it's a great fascination for me. And I don't know, maybe it is for you too, but...

They're 1.8 million years old in the country of Georgia. It's pretty amazing. And then another funny thing that we actually saw along the way, they are trying to develop technology

so that they could broadcast games and do some calls with referees and whatnot that the referees are looking at in a faster way. And one way to do that is to be able to have the cameras focus on the balls. So whether it be a football or a golf ball, or in this case, it was soccer. And they were using this artificial intelligence technology

to try to follow the soccer game. But the problem was, and they were broadcasting this, they thought they had the technology down. And the thing that I thought was very funny about this is,

What they did was the sideline, the linesman was bald and the camera kept getting confused and it kept following the referee. And so the sideline, the linesman, and so the poor people watching at home didn't get to watch the game. They got to watch this linesman running up and down as the camera focused on the back of his head.

It struck me as funny, and I guess I put it in the category of news along the way. The other thing that I wanted to highlight, obviously a little bit more serious, we're coming up on the midterm elections. I do hope everybody gets registered and participates in the voting in this country. You know, I think there are a lot of people that are concerned about the integrity of the vote, the ability to actually get a true vote.

But you know what, for those of you that maybe think, oh, well, why should I vote? My vote won't even count anyways. It will count, and it will definitely not count if you don't show up to vote. Countries like ours are a little bit different than maybe the rest of the world in that there can be poll watchers. There are people that are participants, and these elections are run by counties, right?

and they run at the local level, and that allows you and others to be participants in it. And if you have the time, have the inclination, have the right heart and spirit to it, I hope you do get involved and figure out how you can participate in making sure that we have a free election, a fair election, but an accurate election.

And that you work with your state legislatures to make sure that the vote is authenticated. And we can have a big, long, hour-long discussion about just that. But really, don't let it become a federal issue. It really should be a local issue. That's how these things are best done.

If we have a one size fits all federally run Nancy Pelosi directed election, that is not what we want. It's going to happen in your backyard. And consequently, you need to be involved and engaged in that. All right, let's turn to the stupid because, you know, there's always somebody doing something stupid somewhere. This I saw on Fox News dot com and the Times Union first reported that California paid 45 percent, which is a significant amount.

They paid 45% less for rapid COVID-19 tests than New York did. And there was a Governor Hochul donor that was a major donor to the governor here. And it's estimated that if New York had had the same contract that was out there, that New York could have saved $286 million.

So let me say that again. If New York had paid the same price as California had paid for the exact same tests, then New York would have saved $286 million. It says in this article that Hochul's administration purchased $52 million or 52 million units of the what's called Care Start tests.

And they were manufactured by a New Jersey based firm called Access Bio for $637 million, paying an average of $12.25 per test. But instead of buying the test directly from Access Bio, as California did, New York went through an intermediary. Oh, guess what? That New Jersey based distributor, Digital Gadgets,

Well, they're owned by a New York City family who donated nearly $300,000 to Governor Hochul's campaign. Does this smell suspicious to you? I think Governor Hochul has not had enough attention on this. So she gets a $300,000 donation. The state of New York pays $286 million more than California paid because they went through an intermediary. How convenient. That, to me, is bringing on the stupid.

All right. Now it's time to phone a friend. Like I said, I've never talked to her. I've seen her from afar. I know her family because her dad, Jeff Hornacek, was like a great basketball player for the Utah Jazz and for the Phoenix Suns. And he was a coach. But

Abby is kind of on the scene now at Fox Nation with her show Parked. She's done the ride to work, America's Arenas. She's just done a lot. She graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California. And she's one of the bright, happy faces at Fox News, doing a lot of very interesting reporting and fun stuff. So I'm looking forward to it. Let's just give up a dial and call Abby Hornacek. Hello. Hello.

Abby, Jason Chaffetz. Jason, I wasn't expecting your call. What a surprise. That's probably because I've never called you before and we've never met. I saw unknown caller and I was like, uh-oh, am I in trouble? Well, are you that... Come on, you answer those. I see unknown caller and I'm thinking...

Nah, this is going to be one of those calls I don't want to take. Well, that's actually a great point. Although some people put their work phone, it comes through as an unknown caller. So I always answer and then it ends up being a political call. And I'm like, gosh, darn it.

Yeah, they want you to do a survey or something like that or buy some Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, you know, show tickets that you don't need or something like that. Exactly. And I am no sucker. I always answer and I say, hi, do aliens exist? And then they hang up on me. Yeah, I bet you're actually one of those people. My perception is you're just like really nice to anybody and everybody you bump into. It's all a facade. Is there a mean side to Abby Hornacek? Oh, yeah, you know. No.

I hope not. I hope not. My parents are such wonderful people that they have raised me to always treat others how I want to be treated. So hopefully the golden rule. Exactly. So hopefully people think I'm nice. But well, you come across it. Look, you're all over Fox Nation. I mean, you're doing the coolest, funnest things like everything that everybody wants to do.

You're out there on Fox. They tell us what is the latest like what are you what's coming up? What what is Abby Hornacek doing that we all want to do? Well, I will say I'm very blessed with my job because every time I walk around the building, people are like, I can't believe you get to go to all these national parks. And I'm like me neither. I don't know how I finagled this, but I somehow did. So I don't ask any questions.

But we just wrapped on season six of Parked. It airs in November. We've got a channel special coming up about Yellowstone. That's coming in November also. And it's just been such a blast this year. We've learned a lot since season one. And every time I'm out in nature, it's just a cleanse for the soul. So...

I love my job so much. And to be able to pair that and wonderful people with these experiences of going out and learning about the amazing treasures that our country has to offer is just so great. And we just got back from Alaska. Actually, we were there for 11 days. I learned a lot.

A whole bunch about Alaska. And I was so excited for Denali National Park. And it's been on my bucket list since I was young. It was gorgeous. But a sneaky one was Kenai Fjords National Park. And I feel like not a lot of people have heard about it, but it's basically all of these glaciers and icebergs. We went kayaking through icebergs to a place called Bear Glacier. We went ice climbing. I went down into a crevasse on

the glacier and I ice picked myself out of the glacier. So they're experiences that are bucket list items for me and I get to do them for work. Now, could you hear the ice creaking? Was it actually moving? They say it's moving when that's happening. Yeah, that's actually a really great point. We when we were kayaking to Bear Glacier, you heard this thing like thunder every once in a while and he'd be like, OK, shh, shh, shh.

And we would sit there and that means a big piece of the glacier had just broken off. We couldn't always see it, but you can definitely hear it. Now, how were the mosquitoes? Because I've been to Alaska a few times. I've been up north of the Arctic Circle. I went to a place called Kaktovik and I went to the Anwar, you know, where there's all this controversy about should we drill, should we not drill and whatnot.

And I decided to get out of the vehicle and there were, I don't know how many billions of mosquitoes, but it was unbelievable. Like I did not know the mosquitoes could be that big and that plentiful. It's the state bird, Jason. And you wave at him. You cannot, if you don't have a net over your head, you cannot get out of the vehicle. You know, in certain times of the year, I mean, it's cold. And so they, you know, they do whatever they do. But in the summer,

It's unbelievable. Did you have that experience? You know, it's really weird because I somehow I don't have many talents or or any powers. But the one power I do have, I don't know what it is, but mosquitoes land on me, but they never bite me. And it's such a weird thing. That is so funny because.

I'm the exact same way with my wife. We'll go out for a hike. I don't even put anything on. They're landing on me. They're around me. I'm nothing. Julie sprays, covers up, whatever. She walks back. She's got like five mosquito bites. Oh, yeah.

Well, she's sweeter than I am, and I can understand why they would go after her. But yeah, Julie, Julie has taken it for both of us because somehow some people get chosen to get attacked by mosquitoes and then the other ones get to benefit off of them taking the brunt of it. So thank you, Julie. You're listening to Jason in the house. We'll be back with more of my conversation with Abby Hornacek right after this.

The Fox True Crime Podcast presents Crimes on Campus, sharing chilling stories of scandal, corruption, and murder. New episodes available every Tuesday this month. Listen and follow at foxtruecrime.com. All right, so I believe in part you grew up in the same place, well, very close at least, same valley of the sun. My wife was born and raised in Mesa. I actually went to grade school and high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. Oh, okay.

But let's go back to little Abby. Abby's born in...

Salt Lake City, Utah. You were actually born in Utah? I thought you were born in... Okay. Yeah. I lived in Utah till I was about eight or nine, and then I moved to Phoenix. So our lives kind of crossed over. I was the opposite. Now I live in Utah. Right. But I was... I bounced around. I was born in California, Arizona, Colorado, all that kind of stuff. Okay. So you went to college in California. So basically, we're the same person. In reverse, though. In reverse. Yeah. But everything opposite. Yeah. So...

Okay, so you're in Utah until you're eight, and then you moved to Arizona. Yep. But what was life like growing up? I mean, your dad, pretty well-known basketball player. Yeah, you know, people ask me this, and it's really interesting to think about because...

Of course, when I was younger, I remember going to the games and I was so young. So, you know, I love, love, love sports. And I worked in sports for a little bit before I came to Fox News and Fox Nation. And, you know, you're so young, so you don't really appreciate it. So I remember going to get churros with Lindsey Stockton, who's John Stockton's daughter. And we would put the cinnamon on our face. And, you know, it was things like that. And then the jazz bear. So the things that I remember are those things. But also...

I think my parents did a really good job growing up of, you know, it was no different. My dad's job was no different. It was his job. So when he came home, if he lost a game, he wasn't one of those people that was just in this bad mood for the rest of the night. It would be like, OK, let's make dinner, you know. And so I never grew up thinking like, oh, wow, my dad's a basketball player. I grew up seeing basketball.

mom and a dad who treated everyone at the arena. You know, they knew every single name of every person. They treated everyone really well. And so I learned a lot just going to the games that had nothing to do with, you know, the notoriety that my dad might have had

It was more about how to be a good person. And that is what I'm truly grateful for. So, yeah, it was it was cool. I remember him going to the games, but then he would come home and my mom always tell stories of, you know, when he would travel, he was always, you know, he said he always wanted to prioritize being a dad. So she would hear him cleaning in the garage at like two in the morning. You know how the NBA is. They get in late. They get in at one in the morning. They turn around. They practice the next day. But he made sure he got all of his home duties done as well.

So we're talking, of course, about Jeff Hornacek. And he was tenacious on the court and exceptional. Who? I'm just kidding. Who? And he was, I mean, he was such a great basketball player, but he also had the reputation of just being a super nice guy off the court. And not every NBA player goes through that, the gauntlet of that many years in the NBA and then walking out with a better reputation than they even had when they came in. And yet he's one of those guys. And that, that's,

That had to permeate throughout and says a lot about your mom and him and the kind of family you raised. Yeah, I think it's by nature of them also growing up in the Midwest. They have those Midwestern values, you know, family is everything. We cook dinner together, things like that. I remember as I got older, it's kind of fun to look.

back at stories and talk to people. And I remember Googling once my mom's name because she's very low key. You know, she wears her gap sweaters and, you know, she's she's the best. And I remember coming across an article that was like, who is Stacey Hornacek? And it was it was like, oh, you know, if you've seen Jeff's wife in the stands at halftime, she'd be reading a book and

And so it's so funny because I think just my parents, I mean, they were all just like, wow, this is a really cool experience. And we're here for the relationships and we're here for our family. And it was more about that than anything. Now, if you went to the game, did he like acknowledge you? Was there anything that like let him know that he was? Yeah, I

I see Abby over there. Yeah. So we begged both. I have two older brothers and we would always beg him, like, dad, wave to us. And we didn't really understand. We were young. So we were like, why aren't you waving to us? This is ridiculous. And so he developed this thing where he would wipe his face three times, one for each kid when he stepped up to the free throw line to show that he was saying hello to us without, you know, really waving.

And then we became a coach and we were older. We're like, dad, you got to say hi to us. And of course, we're all grown. So it's kind of funny. And before he would take the bench, he would he would give us a wave. See, now that's so cute and so nice. And it actually I remember when he was playing that it kind of became known, you know, people have different habits. You know, they'll dribble it three times and then shoot or they wipe their forehead. But that whole side of the face thing is.

I think the fans all knew that that was going down too. So yeah. And there were always, there was a mystery about it for the longest time and people would guess, why does he do that? Why does he do that? So we always knew. Yeah. Well, it turned out all right. Okay. So growing up at home, um, at some point you got to say, you know, Hey, um, my dad has a little different job than the rest of, uh,

rest of the world. But in as normal as a scenario he's trying to create, what was that like? Did you have to work? When was the first time Abby had to say, you know what, I'm not just taking out the garbage. I'm not just helping with chores around the house. When did you have to go out and say, you know, I got to get another job and actually contribute?

So when I when I went to college, I worked every pretty much every year throughout college because I knew what I wanted to do. And I think the growing up, we were we were really blessed. I mean, my parents taught us lessons in a lot of different ways.

But my first job job happened when I was a freshman in college. And, you know, I was also maybe it was my sophomore in college. I was also on the volleyball team. So there was a lot a lot going on. How tall are you? I'm 5'11". Oh, yeah. OK, so you got some height. I got some height.

of height. Yeah, my mom's only 5'4". And you probably got a little bit of a vertical jump if you're playing volleyball. I had to work on that one. But I'm very lanky. So, you know, God blessed me with long limbs so that I wouldn't have to jump as high. Well, very good. All right. Being a Hornacek, that makes sense. Yes. Yeah. So it's, you know, my dad is 6'4", and my mom is 5'4", and then my oldest brother is 6'5", my other one's 6'2". So we all got the height.

My poor mom has to take five steps to our one step. Yeah.

All right. So wait, what was this job? Well, I, you know, I, I ended up getting foot surgery when I was a sophomore and I just kind of derailed my athletic career for a little bit. So I decided to start focusing on work and you know, I all through high school I volunteered. I was part of a few different philanthropic organizations. So that was kind of my time in high school. And then when I got to college I,

I was like, I got to start focusing on my career. So I got a job with the NBA Summer League. And then I also was kind of flying back to Arizona to do some sideline stuff and some feature reporting for the Suns and the Phoenix Mercury. And then during the summer, I was doing NBA Summer League.

Then when I got to be a junior and senior, I was driving down. I went to college at USC. So I was in L.A. I would drive down to San Diego and I was co-hosting a show called San Diego Prep Insider, where we found all of the top recruits in high school and kind of talked to them before they took their spot in college. And it was very interesting. And I also interned at Fox Sports. I mean, I was just trying to do everything I could. You know, I was I was

printed scripts. I logged games on the more the production side and the intern side. And then I was really lucky with people who eventually gave me some opportunities. And it all went, I guess I got the opportunities there and then I moved forward in my career. So, I mean, it should be noted you graduated summa cum laude. Is that right? I did. You did pretty well in school. Yeah.

I was a little bit dweeb, yeah. A little bit nerd, a little bit dweeb? Yeah, dweeb nerd. Well, it's good that you had to study, right? But you learned how to study, evidently. I mean, you can't graduate that high in your class at a big institution like USC without having some game. Yeah.

You know, my oldest brother is very naturally smart. He works for Google. My middle brother is also very naturally smart. I definitely had to work and I did a lot of reading. And, you know, it's when you're an athlete, you also learn how to work at things you're not good at. So, yeah.

Both my parents are smart, so I think we inherited some of that. I can take zero credit. What did they like take you out in the morning and do wind sprints and say, all right, now it's time for breakfast? Yeah, let's go. We always make fun of my mom because we did, and my dad, we did these things called summer bridge books when we were young. I don't know if you've heard of bridge books, but basically...

during the summer when we're all excited about getting off of school, there were these workbooks. And so we would start the day with our workbook and then we would go out and play. And we never really did video games. So it was always like, go out and, you know, growing up in Utah, you've, I mean, you know, Utah well, you can go out and hike and mountain bike and camp. And so we were always learning outside and, and being active. And I feel like, you know, I mean,

But people say learning takes sitting down at a book and reading. But I think that, you know, it's about life and it's about exercising. There's a lot of I'm really interested in the human brain. That's where my nerdy side comes out. And the more you exercise, you know, you get the dopamine. And so I really think we were raised in a great situation. Well, you do. I think you feel better. Look, when I was in Scottsdale, I went to Cocoa Paw and then I went to Chaparral.

Okay. And, you know, I was playing soccer. And, you know, Arizona, you can be outside and swimming, playing. And when you're young, you don't even care that it's 110 degrees outside. No, you don't. And you get too hot, you jump in the pool and get back out and keep going. And I think there's a real healthy part of that. I will say that the Hornacek family was spinning the whole bridge books better than my dad and my mom, who were, I had a reading chart and I had to log in.

when I started reading, when I stopped reading and what I read. I mean, I guess it was an issue of trust but verify, but I had to do this reading and I'm so glad that I did. But I remember at the time, I felt like it was a chore until I got into the books. Was there a book that you remember being like, wow, I'm really glad I read that as a child? Well, I remember as a kid, I remember reading Blue Dolphin and

and, uh, that was just like, I was mesmerized by this blue dolphin that was running around these islands. And then reading these books that the Hardy, uh, boys books. And then I remember reading like, um, uh,

Black Beauty. And I remember just all these kind of young kid books. But then I got into Ken Follett. And then I started reading like Triple and things like that. And then I really kind of took off. And I didn't need a chart anymore. But it wasn't called a bridge book. It was called...

fill in this form before you get to watch any TV or you get to eat. You couldn't even eat if you hadn't done it. Yeah. No, no food, no learning. You got to feed your brain before we feed your stomach is what they said. I like your spin a little bit better. I think you're...

I think they were testing your values. They were testing your values because they're like, is he good enough? But that's good, though, because you don't know what you don't know when you're a little kid, right? And so you give them the tools and skills. Now, you're exceptionally good at talking on your feet and communicating. And just you're a happy person. I mean, that just radiates out on the television. I get that. But public speaking isn't a natural thing for a lot of people. Where did you...

Where did you get that? When did that come about? When did your mom and dad look down and say, why this girl? She can talk and she can talk in front of people. You don't strike me as a very bashful person. That is so... I mean, this is a great question and something I was actually going to bring up. So I was painfully shy. I still am very... I've learned it's a muscle, right? I think communicating is a muscle. And I...

I still am challenged because I'm shy and in my everyday life, I- - You're not shy. - You know, people say that, but I feel though as though, you know, growing up, I was so terrified of talking in front of anyone and I was so quiet that my mom tells me this and she said that she went to a parent teacher conference and the teacher is like, you know, she's not really, you know, participating. My mom was like, you have to get her out of her shell.

And she goes, just can you because, you know, when her parent tells you something and they're like, hey, you need to participate more. I was participating, but I'm more of a listener growing up. I didn't really like to speak in front of the class and all that. I always had questions, but I was too afraid to ask them in a class situation because I didn't want to speak in front of people. So my mom asked the teacher to start calling on me to read and to, you know, participate in class. And so I was like, you are so mean, mom.

But, you know, it's funny. Reading in front of your peers is not... When you're a teenager or younger, that is not... No. That's not cool. It's horrible. It is horrible. And so when I was... I remember when I was in eighth grade, my mom was like, you know, you should really consider running for student council. And I was... You know, I did not want to because I didn't want to give a speech. And...

She goes, you know, you're not never going to learn if you don't go and do this. And, you know, my dad's an athlete. So it's you're constantly trying to challenge yourself in those ways. And my parents definitely challenged me in that. And I remember giving the speech and I didn't there was actually in eighth grade. There was one of the roles where you read the announcements online.

like for the morning announcements, everyone had a little TV in their room and the morning announcement person would be broadcasted. I was like, I'm absolutely not doing that job. That was the one job that I said, I am not going to do that because I cannot put myself through that every single morning. So I was the treasurer. So I was in charge of all the money.

And so, you know, to this day, I look back on those times and I have just always been painfully shy. It really didn't come out of my shell probably until my senior year, junior year of college. And I think sports helped a lot because I, you know, I was a setter in volleyball and you really have to communicate point guard in basketball. So you have to be able to talk to people. So I really owe it to my parents and to sports of why I can talk. But I still don't think

I still think I have a long ways to go. It's a constant challenge. Well, the problem is when you go too far and then you're talking all the time, then you will have lost that authenticity or that what people will be wanting to... That person who's just dominating in every conversation, everything is just like...

All right. Let's pull back the bridle there a little bit. Slower down. Slow that horse down a little bit. So that's a good balance. I mean, obviously, you can communicate and talk, but...

Tell me about your first television or first radio or what was it was the first time? Because everybody has a horror story out there. Oh, yeah. So I'm trying to think back. There is one thing I did and it was actually so fun. And it was with the Phoenix Suns. And the team went out for kind of a team bonding thing. And it was for philanthropy. And they did this go-karting thing.

challenge in Phoenix. And I did a little sideline report about it. And I believe I was a sophomore in college. And I look back and my voice was so high pitched. And I was like, oh, my gosh, that is that was really bad. And then when I was actually this was in my work, my post grad career, I worked in Chicago for a

We hosted a live stream sports show and we'd get into work at 2 p.m. We would leave at 1 a.m. It was that shift, worked all the weekends. And our last show of the day was at midnight. It was from midnight to 1 a.m. And it was such a fun show because at that point, everyone was like, oh, yeah, whatever. It was kind of like a sports bar situation where we were just talking shop and just

ad-libbing about the stuff that happened. And I remember my brain was really tired by the end of the day. And we started with this rugby video and, you know, a rugby field is called a pitch. And I was like, we're going to start the rally on the pitch. I meant to say the pitch, but I think my words got a little jumbled and I said a different word. And right away I was like, I mean, a pitch. I'm so sorry. Yeah.

And I was like, I hope no one was, it was, you know, midnight. And, um, we were, I don't know how many people were watching our show. And, uh, so I, that was one thing. I remember my boss texted me. I'm like, I'm fired. I don't know what happened to my brain there. And he, um, he, he was laughing about it. So they got a laugh. I've told this story before, but I was once on a heated exchange in a debate on, uh, about Benghazi and we were on CNN and instead of saying fire fight, uh,

I said fire fart. And I knew it the moment I said it. And I could just tell because the phone in my pocket just starts buzzing. No. And it's like, you know, people that I know just, you just said fart. You know. You just said fart. And I'm like, no, I didn't. And then by about the fifth text, I'm like, yeah, I really probably did. Oh, man, I got to rewind that and watch it. I just played on as if it didn't happen. That was my gut feeling.

go to hoping that, but everybody I think did notice. You know, those, there are videos on YouTube of broadcasters making mistakes like that. And I try to not laugh because you understand your brain does weird things to you when you're tired or

Or when you're stressed and while people are like, oh, wow, it's so easy just to say the right word. It's your brain really does. Sometimes your brain and your mouth do not communicate very well. No, like you do enough broadcast. You do enough speaking with your friends. It's going to happen. But, you know, it is on tape. So we'll have to get that tape of yours. No, no, no. I'm going to get yours first. Yeah, it is out there. It's pretty bad. Yeah.

Okay, so you're going along. How did you end up at Fox? It's a very long story. Actually, I took a different job that got me to New York. And it's too long to get into now, but I decided to leave that job. And...

I had met one of my friends in college, knew someone who worked here at Fox and she didn't know I worked in TV. I had no idea what her job was. And he, when I first moved to New York, when I had my other job, he's like, Hey, you guys should just get together for coffee and be good friends. And we never ended up connecting. And then this thing happened with my first job. And I,

She randomly reached out. She goes, wait, I didn't know you worked in TV. You should come. We're launching this thing called Fox Nation. But this is not, you know, I don't want you to think this is an interview. I just want to tell you about kind of what we're doing here. And so it was a very long process of me meeting with people and not thinking that I was that there was even a job opening. And then this park show came up. They were talking about, oh, yeah, we're doing a show about national parks. It's like, wait, what?

I grew up half my life in Utah and the other half in Arizona. There are five national parks in Utah. I know all about them. What if you did this with the show and this with the show? So I started to kind of, you know, try to sneak in there. You know, Jason, I just was like, you know, you probably should give me this job. Yeah. It's the George Costanza approach to it. Just assume that you have the job. Just keep showing up. And the next thing you know, you have the job.

They're like, wow, Abby is really stalking us. We got to give her this job before she, you know, before she becomes a stalker of Fox news. Uh, no. So it was, uh, they gave me an opportunity and things just kind of developed from there. And I was doing the park show and then Fox news started asking me to do some things. And I've just, you know, been around such wonderful people that I've learned a lot from like yourself, you know, and, um,

You know, I learn a lot from you watching you on all of these various shows you go on and your podcast. And I've just I've been able to kind of be a sponge and, you know, aspire to be up there one day with all of you guys. Oh, gosh, you're you're being way too nice here. You've had your own great success. But what do you what do you want to do? Like, OK, this is my dream. I want to be Bill Hemmer or I want to be like, what is that? What is that with you?

That you would do if you could kind of carve out what exactly I mean, you're doing like, I mean, the coolest, funnest gig out there. We're all looking around saying, how do we get that? That's a job. That's like, cool. So yeah, what do you what do you kind of perceive you want to do long term? Well, I can't. This is an interview, but yeah.

This is exactly how it went when I was first hired. I can't imagine a world where I would be nearly talented enough to be a Bill Hammer. But, you know, I...

I know it sounds so cliche, but I really do feel like I'm living my dream job because I get to do the travel and lifestyle and happy things with Fox Nation and Fox News. I'm going to cover the MLB, the World Series at the end of the month, you know, in October for Fox and Friends.

So I've I just I feel like Fox News and Fox Nation have both given me opportunities and Fox News podcast. I mean, we've I've gotten so many opportunities from different aspects of the company where I truly am. I'm loving that I get to kind of have a role in a bunch of different parts of it. Right. And.

every time, you know, my main thing, I remember in college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. And I was like, I don't know if I want to work in sports or news or travel or and I just prayed. I prayed for a job that would allow me to be around people who genuinely made me happy. And that's all I

cared about, even if it wasn't in TV. I was like, I just want to be around people because you spend the majority of your life with people you work with because it's, you know, you show up in the morning, you leave at night. And, you know, I can truly say that God granted that because the people I'm around, not only can I learn from them, but it's just everyone is such a good person and we all share very similar values. And so, you know, that's if I look at that at the barometer of success that I think I've I think I'm there. Yeah.

Well, that is a great answer, and I can tell the sincerity in which you say it because, yeah, life's too short. I feel bad for people that are caught in a job or a situation where they feel like they can't move or they can't be –

Um, we, you know, with people that buoy them up and lift them up and as opposed to suppress them and like everybody has parts of their job and things that they don't like, or they wish they could change or the mundane paperwork and stuff you got to do. I mean, I don't care what job you have. There's somebody who's going to have some of that.

Right. You want to spend the majority of your time doing something that you enjoy and then it doesn't feel like it's a job. Completely. And the type of people I've been able to meet, I'm sure you've experienced this as well, just through travels and through walking around the building and people that you don't come in contact with every day. Right.

I actually was just in northern Arizona filming at Petrified Forest National Park. It was our last episode of this season and came across this guy and he watched Fox and he, you know, I walked up and he was wearing a fire like a firefighting shirt. And I said, oh, are you a firefighter? He goes, oh, retired. I've been retired, but I did it for 31 years. I said, well, that's a really cool shirt. It said like engine. I think it was like engine 35 or something and from from Denver, Texas.

I said, that is such a cool shirt. Well, thank you for everything you do. And, you know, we owe everything to our first responders. And he goes, oh, I might have an extra shirt in my car. And I was like, oh, my gosh, you don't have to do it. He's like, if you want it. I said, oh, you don't have to do that. And he ran to his car and then he comes back. He's like, oh, shoot, I'm so sorry. I thought I had one. I said, do not even worry about it. And he goes back to his car, changes his shirt and literally gave me the shirt off of his back.

And I'm like, the people that you I mean, that's just a good person, you know, and I it speaks to the values that I think this network in general puts out there because it attracts people like that. And it was just such a cool thing.

Well, you do an amazing job on that, the park show. And it's really, if you go to Fox Nation and you want to see something, it's like, all right, now that's not just another show of looking at, you know, a national park. It really is. It really is well done. And you do an exceptional job with it. So, well, I hope our paths cross because I, like I said, I haven't even met you in a long time, but I've seen you a bunch. You're listening to Jason in the House. We'll be right back.

Abby, before we end our podcast here, I do have these kind of rapid questions to know you a little better. OK, I'm nervous. And so I don't care how many parks you've been to or how many basketballs you've dribbled or how many volleyballs you've spiked along the way. You're not totally prepared for this. Oh, good. Oh, that's what makes it fun. All right. All right.

Should I do like high knees or like a grapevine or anything to warm up? Yeah, maybe a few push-ups. Stretch it out. I think, yeah. Burpees maybe. My arms are too long for push-ups. Good excuse. That's my excuse. I'm not buying that. All right. Okay. First concert you attended.

Train. Train. But I'm a huge country fan, but I do love Train. I think I was in high school. Well, I didn't know there was one that out there, but I'm glad we got the person who likes Train. Oh, come on. What was your high school mascot? Gators. We were the Xavier Gators, all girls school.

I didn't know that. Yep. The Gators. Xavier Gators. There were a lot of Gators in Arizona? That's a great, that's something I've never thought about. I have no idea why we're the Gators. You would think that it'd be Florida, which there are the Florida Gators. At least be somewhere in the Southeast. I mean, Arizona? Gators? Xavier Gators. We should have been like the Roadrunners or like the Javelinas. That's a little alliteration to it, but Gila Monsters, maybe, but yeah. The Xavier Gila Monsters. Yeah.

Okay, this one going to first celebrity crush.

Zac Efron. I was not on board with High School Musical 1, but as the High School Musicals became like High School Musical 47, I was like, all right, I think I can get behind Zac Efron. I got to tell you a quick story. So I was in, I used to be in Congress once upon a time, and they were filming something in Salt Lake, and I can't remember what it was. Anyway, somehow, some way, they said, we would love for you to come meet the cast and come to this.

Now, for whatever reason, I couldn't go, but my kids were like dying to go.

And because they were huge Zac Efron fans, right? And so the guy who was arranging this said, no, it's fine. Let's bring your kids. So they introduced him to Zac Efron and he could not have been a nicer guy. If you talk to our daughter, she will say he was so nice. He was so polite and then said, okay, well, hey, your dad. Yeah. Good luck to him. I hope he wins his election. And I thought, what a nice guy just took all this time and

Not everybody's kind of got their head screwed on straight, but I'm kind of a Zac Efron fan just because he was such a nice guy. And he wanted you to win the election. Yeah, and my kids were very small and they were just, you know, impressionable. And I can go one of two different directions, right? And it went really well. So I will always put a checkmark and a thumbs up on Zac Efron for that. You know what? You just made it better.

I'm so happy to hear that. He's, you know, he, I believe I just Googled his height. He's five, eight. So as long as he doesn't mind a five 11 woman, my guess is that that would probably be all right with them, but you're, I don't mind. So Harris Faulkner has a story. I asked her who celebrity crushes and she wouldn't tell me. And I said, why? And she said, cause I actually met him. I,

And I thought, okay, there's a whole story there. I still need to figure it out. So that's like one of the biggest mysteries. We're going to have to put a Faulkner focus on that story. Oh, I am dying to know who this guy is and that she interacted with them. But it was not, they were more like the same age. It's not like... I'm going to have to scrub the internet for that. If you can help me figure this out. She said this on my podcast. It's like public knowledge here. So...

That's why I keep asking. But yeah, we're going to have to ask Zach. We're going to have to figure that out. If it's Zach, it might be Zach. I don't know.

All right. Favorite vegetable. Does anyone have a favorite vegetable? That's the most common answer. I will tell you one third of the people that I have on my podcast can't name a vegetable. So I, I like asparagus, I guess. Oh yeah. I can tell you're ordering that next time you go fancy restaurant. Give me this side of asparagus, please. Yeah.

I don't know. It's, you know, vegetables are vegetables. See, my approach to this is I told my wife, I said, why don't you give me every like nutritious thing I'm supposed to have? Let's put it in that blender. Yeah. A little water, put some yogurt in it and maybe some cinnamon to spice it up a little bit. And I will drink it. I would much rather have 30 seconds of drinking it than. What if it's asparagus? Are you going to put asparagus in your smoothie? Yeah.

Sounds kind of nasty. I don't know. Let me make you a smoothie once and I'll put some good stuff in there. It's not going to be a sugar bomb, right? It'll be like a really good one? It'll be like cauliflower and asparagus and broccoli all blended up. We'll see if you still stand by or I'd rather have it in drink form. Oh, yeah. And the gnarlier it tastes, the more I know it's healthy for me. Exactly.

Julie, my wife makes these and I'm like, that can't be healthy for me. It was too good. It was too good. She started making me some smoothies. I love that. She's pretty good at it actually. But yeah, put all the nasty stuff in there and I'll do it. We asked about your first job. So if you had a chance when you're out doing these Fox Nation shows and you got a chance to meet Bigfoot, what would you ask him? What's his shoe size? Because I guarantee my shoe size is bigger. Really? Yeah.

I've got big feet. I actually would never meet Bigfoot because I am Bigfoot. You are already there? I'm already there. I'm not going to reveal to you. I revealed my height already, and that's always been a little bit of a secret. So I am not going to reveal to you my shoe size. So you'd put out your foot and say, come on, Bigfoot. Yeah, I'd be like, bring it on. Let's see what you got. Yeah, exactly. Let's see what you got. All right, I buy that. Did you have a pet growing up? Yep, a lot.

A lot. Well, when we were... Were you dogs, cats? What were you? Not cats. No offense to people who have cats. We had three dogs growing up. And then we also, when we lived in Utah, we built... We were really obsessed with building things. We built a skateboarding ramp that my brothers and I... I loved to skateboard when I was younger. And then we built a chicken coop. And...

And we got a bunch of chickens. We had 19 chickens and three roosters and we would get the eggs in the morning. We did not live on a farm. We just kind of built this chicken coop and we took care of them.

Were you eating the eggs in the morning? We were eating the eggs. Very tasty eggs. We had the black and white chickens. We had a couple of those and they produce a colored egg. It's the shell. So we joke like, oh, green eggs and ham. So it was a fun little thing. So we had those and always around animals. That's good. Yeah. That's good. All right. So if you had one chance to invite whoever you want, dead or alive,

to go out to dinner and just break bread and say, hey, you know what? I want to have a chance to just chat with this person. Who would that person be? Oh, that's such a hard question. And I feel like this is...

You know, people ask this question, but I've never really thought about it as in depth as I should. But I think what I would say is I would love to talk to an ancestor, maybe someone who grew up one from my mom's side, one from my dad's side. That way I can kind of just see where I came from and see what kind of struggles they had to go through and understand.

how we became the family that we are today. It would be really great answer. It'd be interesting. What kind of name is that? Uh, check. Check. Yep. My, my great grandma was from what was then Czechoslovakia. Yeah. So you like talk to, yeah, I can totally see the hardships and, and the, the, the, the stories that they've gone through, the ancestors, that would be fascinating. Well, I, I learned I was, I was in a mammoth cave national park and we were in Kentucky and,

And we went to a dairy farm and it was what's called Chaney's Dairy Barn. And I was obsessed with it. And I milked a cow and I learned how they make an ice cream that they sell in the national parks with the milk that they that they farm. And I went home and I said, Mom, you know, I got to move out of New York City and I got to move to a farm. I've always wanted to live on a farm for some reason. And I was like, I think I want to be a dairy farmer one day, maybe when I retire. And she's like, well, you know, your great great uncle was a dairy farmer. And I said, what?

And I said, you know, it makes sense. So, you know, to be able to learn that about my family, like, okay, maybe my love for cows comes from my great-great-uncle. Yeah, you know, being a dairy farmer, I could do that once or twice a year, and I probably have my fill. That's a really hard...

It is so hard. I learned so much about it. And you don't get a day off. You know, it's not like, oh, I'm going to sleep in today. No, the cow's got to be fed. You got to, you know, the transportation of the milk and then the supply chain issues and all of that. I mean, it's very complicated. You got to scoop the poop. I mean, you can't let it linger. Exactly. You know, got to scoop the poop. That's the hardest part. That's right. All right. Just a couple more. Unique talent that nobody knows about.

Like, what can you do that most people can't? I don't have many talents. I actually, so I'm not, my brother is amazing at the guitar and I've always wanted to be able to play some instruments. So I've been obsessed, like I mentioned before, I love country music. So I, with my first paycheck, bought myself a banjo. Instead of putting it in my savings account, I'm like, I'm going to buy a banjo. I asked for a banjo every year growing up. And I think my parents were like, I don't know if we want to hear this. We can't handle this. Yeah.

So I was living in Chicago, went to a place called Old Town School of Folk Music, and I bought myself a banjo. And I have been trying to learn ever since. So I would probably say, I would like to say I'm a novice banjo player. Oh my gosh. All right. My roommate hates it. So does my neighbor. The whole building probably shudders. Yes. Okay. Yeah. We'll pass on...

Having you go get that banjo out. That's awesome. If you need me to, you know, write your little intro for your podcast, if you want to do it, I can pluck a few strings. You have to come up with the name of your band, whatever it is. Abby's Banjo Country something. I love it. I think that's a good one. A big test for me is this next question. Pineapple on pizza. Yes? Absolutely not.

I'm a firm believer that you keep your fruit separate. I also don't believe in putting ice cream on a brownie, ice cream on pie. They should be sold separately. Right? Thank you. I don't know what kind of psychopath likes any of that stuff together. Um,

I like them individually. Exactly. I don't want wet fruit on my pizza. Don't you want to taste the taste of both, you know, to the fullest extent? Because they dilute one another. I want that brownie to like seep in between my teeth and everything else. And then the ice cream.

I will reveal something to you that I have not revealed publicly. You only know this if you've eaten dinner with me before. But when I have a burger, I love burgers and I always take the top bun off and people think I'm doing it for, you know, like health reasons.

But I always eat the burger with the bottom bun and the patty so that I can fully taste the patty. And then I ask the waiter for butter and I butter the top bun and I eat the top bun separately because I like to taste the full extent of the bread and then the full extent of the meat. Yeah.

So what do you do with a Big Mac? I mean, they got three buns in there. Yeah, you just take one off and you eat it separately. All right. That sounds like a very carb-friendly way to approach things. I mean, it still goes to the same place. It's just you're right. I've never heard that. I've never seen that.

And that must get quite the look. It does. I'm impressed. I'm highly impressed. I got to try it. You should. You don't knock it. I need a burger. Extra butter on the side. Yes. So that I can butter up the bun and eat it separately. Yeah. But if you do it, Jason, you have to ask if you get a cheeseburger, you have to ask them to put the cheese on the bottom part because then the cheese is on the bun and you don't want to put like butter on the cheese. That's right. It's very complicated. Yeah.

I'm up for this because, you know, when I was growing up, I remember eating like mayonnaise sandwiches and I grill bologna. You know, when I was a little kid and there's nobody around, I wanted something to eat. This is that these are the things I do. So it sounds like something I would have done. Yeah, that's a good idea. All right. Two more questions. All right. If you weren't doing TV, what would you be doing?

Probably, I'd probably be on my dairy farm. Milking a cow. Milking the cow. Taking a nap. Oh my gosh. Getting up at three o'clock in the morning. So fulfilling. I would be doing that. Family dinners every Sunday. All right. Last one. Best advice you ever got.

Ooh, that's a hard one. It would probably be from my mom. My mom is... We call them momisms. She has a lot of wisdom. But she told me, she goes...

Your reputation or you wear your reputation like a shirt every day. If you spill on your shirt and you show up, people aren't going to notice your shirt. They're going to notice the stain. So wear your reputation like you wear your clean shirt. It's good advice. Yeah. So if you have a stain on your reputation, that's all people see.

Between that, the Golden Rule, the Bridge books, your parents are impressive people. Look, I initially got to know the Hornets just because basketball fans and your dad's obviously one of the good, good guys out there and provided a lot of entertainment for a lot of people. But...

You are just doing amazing things, the podcast on Fox Nation and doing it with a smile on your face. And ultimately, I think people want to be around people that are happy. And you bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people and touching people who are

Uh, you know, in a way you, you will never recognize. So I, I'm just, thanks for spending some time with me and kind of sharing your background and your story. I do appreciate it. Well, that's very kind of you to say, and I'm a huge fan and I appreciate you having me on. Oh, you're very, very good. Look, uh,

Look forward to another season here. And again, thanks for joining us on the Jason and I podcast. Do I hang up or do you? I'm going to keep going. I think you hang up because I've got to record the other bookends of this podcast. All right, Jason, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you, seriously. That was really nice. That was a lot of fun. I appreciate it. A lot of fun. Yes. I can't thank Abby enough. She is a fun person. What a dynamic personality. And I think you're going to see a whole lot more of her at Fox. I hope we do because...

She's got her head screwed on straight. She did all those, uh, all that bridge reading and, uh, just smart, talented and fun. Can't ask for more than that. So I think Abby for, for joining us, hope you can rate this, hope you can subscribe to my podcast. I'd really appreciate it. And, uh, we'll be back next week with another great podcast. And if you want to go check out some of the others in the Fox news arena, there is you go to Fox news podcast.com, but, uh,

Thanks for joining us on Jason in the House. I am Jason Chaffetz. We'll talk to you again next week. This is Jimmy Fallon inviting you to join me for Fox Across America, where we'll discuss every single one of the Democrats' dumb ideas. Just kidding. It's only a three-hour show. Listen live at noon Eastern or get the podcast at foxacrossamerica.com.