He said, she said: Melissa McCarthy interviews hubby Ben Falcone about his new book

In one of the most hilarious moments during the hourlong Live Talks Los Angeles conversation between Melissa McCarthy and her husband, fellow comedian Ben Falcone, they were asked about their biggest pet peeves about each other.

“I find Ben does a very peculiar thing that when we’re in a hurry … if we are running late, Ben turns into this ice-cold molasses turtle,” McCarthy said to audience laughter.

“And I’m like, ‘OK, come on, come on, come on, can we get in the car?’ And I’m not kidding,” she said, turning to Ben before continuing. “And I say this and I love you desperately, but picking up his keys, he’s like … ”

She pantomimed a person moving in super slow motion, eliciting another huge roar from the crowd.

“It’s true,” Falcone admitted. “I mean, you pointed it out, and now the kids they’ve corroborated [it] … ‘Dad, get going, come on!’

“And I don’t have any peeves about her,” he added to a round of awws and applause from the audience.

“God, you’re good,” McCarthy quipped back.

The candid conversation, which took place Sunday night before a sold-out crowd of 400 guests at New Roads School”s Ann and Jerry Moss Theater in Santa Monica, was held in honor of Falcone’s recently published essay collection, “Being a Dad Is Weird: Lessons in Fatherhood From My Family to Yours.”

The book, which Falcone initially wrote as a Christmas present for his father, was published this month by HarperCollins Publishers. McCarthy, Falcone’s wife of 11 years, interviewed him during the talk, which made for deeply personal and funny exchanges.

“This is good because I get to ask Ben questions and we don’t sit around and do this at home,” said McCarthy.

“We should!” Falcone responded.

“We should. I need to get some of these for the house,” she agreed, referring to her headset.

After being interviewed by his wife for 30 minutes, Falcone and McCarthy answered questions from the event’s moderator, who stuck to a script of family- and book-related questions. (In other words, McCarthy didn’t comment on her Sean Spicer impersonation on “Saturday Night Live,” which she recently hosted for the fifth time.)

McCarthy and Falcone asked and answered questions ranging from Falcone’s hypochondria to whether he’s ever gone commando in public, which he sheepishly admitted to having done. (“Oh,” McCarthy said. “Look at us all learning.”)

On full display during the talk were the lewd humor and easy banter that make the couple so enjoyable to watch on screen in films such as “Tammy,” “The Heat,” “Spy” and “Bridesmaids.”

“In Chapter One, right out of the gate, you talk about your dad’s testicles hanging out of shorts,” McCarthy reminded Falcone.

“I was told to get to it, so I did,” Falcone replied.

The couple got another big laugh when they recounted a conversation over breakfast involving their 7-year-old.

“She was talking a lot about God,” Falcone recalled. “My older daughter [Vivian, 10] is very pious and is sort of effortlessly devout. So Georgie, my little one … she said, ‘Oh, boy. God sure did give me an itchy vagina.’”

“Ben’s cup of coffee was filled to the brim, but he’s like, ‘I’ve gotta get some more coffee!’” McCarthy interjected.

“And that,” Falcone continued, “was when Vivian, because she’s very pious, she said, ‘Georgie! Do not say that! God may kill you, or he may strike you blind, but he will never give you an itchy vagina!’”

Falcone spoke at length about his father, the importance of music in the household and fathering two young girls, even taking the time to answer questions submitted by his daughters.

“Georgie wanted to ask you a question tonight,” McCarthy said. “She made me type it in front of her. It’s a two-parter: What kind of sweets do you like?”

“She asks me that like every day,” Falcone laughed. “Uh, I like ice cream.”

“And then she said, do you think your book is good?”

“You know, sure,” Falcone answered.

“I have one from Vivian too. She said, do you think you’ll ever grow up to be as crazy as your dad?”

“I think I kind of already am,” Falcone said. “We’re just different flavors of crazy.”

sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com

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