Andrew Fore
Lee Cruse
This past summer, Lee Cruse went from being one of Lexington’s most ubiquitous media personalities to surfing the channels from his own couch. In case you don’t know the story, Cruse was terminated by WLEX18 following fallout from off-the-cuff commentary he made during a live broadcast of “Live with Lee and Hayley.” Lee made an on-air apology the following day, in which he characterized his comments as “an egregious error, probably the biggest of my broadcast career.”
Now he’s back, after time to reflect and recollect, with a new show on a new network. He and co-host Hayley Harmon are together again, and this time they’re calling the shots not only as hosts, but also the show’s owners and producers.
“The Lee and Hayley Show” premieres 4 p.m. Feb. 17 on ABC 36. It will air weekdays thereafter at the same time. In their own words, the program promises “live chaos with combustible chemistry” and will feature a similar format as the original.
We caught up with Cruse as he was busy preparing for the show’s anticipated debut to talk about his life in the public eye, the lessons he’s learned, and what viewers can expect from his latest venture.
Back at it
Lee Cruse is something like the Terry Meiners of Lexington. Media-wise, he does a little of everything. And that’s on top of the regular gigs he gets as a stand-up comedian. He’s used to being busy.
“Purely based on fear,” he says, “I’ve always had more than one job ... because I was always afraid, and apparently rightfully so, that I was going to lose one.”
Now that he’s back in the fray, he has a whole new to-do list that’s keeping him plenty occupied. Ask him what he’s been up to lately and he’ll say, “Everything.”
There’s a reason for that.
The New Deal
“The Lee and Hayley” show is something of an anomaly for local TV. They own it. It’s theirs. Their deal with ABC 36 is much like the Hollywood deals that a Dr. Oz or Ellen Degeneres have with their networks. This gives them a lot more freedom. And the option to syndicate, too, which they plan on doing ASAP. But, of course, with great freedom comes great responsibility.
“I’ve been in the business for 20 plus years and there’s stuff I’m still learning about it,” Cruse admits. “Running the company is a lot different than just showing up and doing the show. I didn’t have the responsibility of payroll, insurance, liability. I didn’t have the responsibility of making sure the equipment works or negotiating deals. But, as any small business owner knows, it doesn’t matter if you like doing that stuff or not. It’s just got to get done.”
Andrew Fore
Lee Cruse and Haley Harmon return to local airwaves in February with “The Lee and Haley Show.”
So how’s he handling it?
“I’m lucky that I was able to hire the best at what they do,” he explains. “Now that we’re all together as a team, life has gotten so much better for me. I’m not alone anymore. I’ve got help.”
Then, in typical Lee Cruse fashion, he takes a friendly jab at his PR guy, who’s within earshot. “Except with publicity. That guy is awful.”
Scheduled programming
The original “Live with Lee and Hayley” had a devoted fanbase, and loyal viewers can expect to see many of their favorite recurring segments like “Tres Leches” and “Crazy Arms Theater” on the new show, along with some fresh stuff they’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
“We built the skeleton,” says Cruse, “but the creative team will fill it out based on what’s in the news, what’s going viral and that kind of thing. And they’re making those decisions based on what they think will be most engaging for Hayley and I to interact with. These are young, talented people with a lot of energy and ideas. They know our style. We’ve placed a lot of trust in them, and they’re going to be great.”
“We shot a sketch the other night that involves two serial killers. I’ll just leave it at that.”
On damage control
Cruse weathered the storm of the infamous incident with such aplomb that it seems like he would have some superhuman insight into public relations. But really his approach to the situation was about as human as it gets. He lays it out like this:
“I don’t know what advice I can give that might help someone in a similar situation other than to always be true to yourself. In my case, it wasn’t a matter of us trying to be controversial, it was just a misunderstanding. Social media turned against me for a little while. But because, I believe, Kentucky knew me for so many years, they understood what had happened. And they saved me. If I was being duplicitous, if I was being something I wasn’t, if I was hypocritical, or if I truly was any of these horrible things that I was being accused of being, I don’t think Kentucky would have rescued me. And I wouldn’t have deserved to be rescued. Simple as that.”
"If you have a good product, if you’re true to yourself and kind to others, everything else will work out. Even when a mistake is made.” —Lee Cruse
“Just think of yourself as a product. If you have a good product, if you’re true to yourself and kind to others, everything else will work out. Even when a mistake is made.”
His way ... finally
From the outside looking in, the Lee Cruse career trajectory can seem like a smooth arc upward. But that isn’t the case. “It’s an overnight success that took me 27 years,” he jokes.
So what’s the key? How do you turn your passion into a profession?
“Work hard! Don’t quit! People think that if they work hard they’ll be rewarded. Maybe. Maybe not. You’ve got to keep working, you’ve got to learn from your mistakes, and you’ve got to have an attitude that you’re not going to stop no matter what comes your way.”
“There’ll always be hyenas out there that want to tear you down because you’re taking chances, but you’ve got to drown that out and push forward. What choice do you have? Lay down and die? I’m not doing that.”
And he doesn’t. He’s earned a lot of respect from Kentuckians for following his own advice. So much that it can sometimes feel strange.
“I feel like I don’t deserve the kind of love and affection I’ve been getting. It’s overwhelming. Any place I go people want to shake my hand and tell me about some connection I’ve made with them. And I’m just so grateful and humbled that I’ve gotten to do that and that I get to continue doing it.”
“Only this time I get to do it my way.”