New Girl no more! Hannah Simone is back with a brand-new series — but she always makes time in her busy schedule to reconnect with her former castmates.
The ABC star — whose new sitcom, Not Dead Yet, premiered on Wednesday, February 8 — exclusively gave Us Weekly the inside scoop on her daily routine, which includes recording her New Girl podcast, “Welcome to Our Show!”
“Zooey Deschanel, Lamorne Morris and I are rewatching New Girl and spilling the tea on our podcast,” the Canada native, 42, told Us about her early evening plans. That day, “Jake Johnson came on [too], which was a nice mini reunion.”
When it’s time to curl up on the couch, however, Simone thinks of a current costar — Lauren Ash — who gifted her specially-made Not Dead Yet pajamas.
“Lauren Ash knows I love pajamas,” the Oldboy actress shared with Us, revealing that Ash, 40, got her the custom sleepwear “as a wrap gift” after filming the inaugural season of the ABC sitcom.
On the show, Simone stars as Sam, Nell’s (Gina Rodriguez) best friend — who becomes close to their nemesis and boss, Lexi (Ash).
While Simone’s day is filled with friends and fun — she begins her mornings by heading to yoga, where she joked with Us that she and her instructor “usually end up laughing for most of it,” an ab workout in itself — her Not Dead Yet character is forced to deal with difficult moments in her friendship with Nell.
“These are the growing moments that happen on this show, which is, ‘Well, Lexi has changed and grown and been good to me, and you need to give her another chance, just like you’re asking for another chance,’” Simone told TV Insider on Wednesday, explaining how her character confronts Rodriguez’s. “There are moments of maturity that we have to embrace.”
Interestingly enough, Ash — who also hails from Canada — told the outlet that she had never met Simone before joining the sitcom.
“It was very strange we had never crossed paths, but it felt like it was because we were destined to meet doing this,” Ash revealed. Fortunately for Simone, their close bond resulted in her custom PJs, which she gushed to Us were “so comfortable and cute.”
Not Dead Yet airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m on ABC.
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Keep scrolling to go inside Simone’s daily routine:
On the move! First, “I head to Amy Rosoff Davis’ private studio to [exercise],” Simone tells Us. “We usually end up laughing for most of it, which I guess qualifies as an ab workout.”
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
Post-sweat sesh, “I grab a coffee with Gratitude Collaborative’s founder Dana Ashmore to help curate a special box of gifts for Mother’s Day,” the actress says. “Giving back has always been a large part of my life.”
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
Next up, quality time with her family: “My dad is visiting, so my brother and I take him to lunch,” Simone shares. “I love when he visits! Good food, a great story and lots of hugs.”
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
A jack-of-all-trades! The former VJ chooses paint colors while working with Sunstone Home on a collection of luxe rental properties around Palm Springs: “I love interior design.”
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
“Zooey Deschanel, Lamore Morris and I are rewatching New Girl and spilling the tea on our podcast, ‘Welcome to Our Show!’” she explains. “Jake Johnson came on [too], which was a nice mini reunion.
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
Simone winds down by kicking back on the couch. “[Not Dead Yet costar] Lauren Ash knows I love pajamas,” she tells Us, “So as a wrap gift, she had custom Not Dead Yet ones made that are so comfortable and cute!”
Courtesy of Hannah Simone
