Mind Reading: Even After Losing A Beloved Cast Member, Optimism Remains‘Retirement House' Crew's North Star

Forbes

23-03-2025

"Retirement House" cast
A group of besties living in close proximity and engaging in hijinks, juicy conversations and the joy of being in the present, all filmed for social media, streaming and podcast, might conjur images of Gen Zers taking on a vibrant new city by storm.
In this case however, the friends are all men and women in their 70s and 80s, and their address is 'Retirement House,' the semi-scripted series that took off like lightening when it debuted in September 2021 and continues to both inspire and humor audiences of all ages.
Through highs and lows, most recently the death of beloved cast member Reatha Grey on January 23, 2025, these seniors—Gaylynn Baker (Mabel), Jerry Boyd (Curtis), Chuck Lacey (Eugene), Monterey Morrisse (Larry) and Patti Yulish (Bubbe)—are all embracing their golden years with more gusto than your average 20-something. And they credit their spirit to one thing: Optimism.
'I think that we're a little different than the average person because all of us are uppers,' says Yulish. 'We're all optimists, and I think when you go out in the world you're lucky if you meet people who are optimistic because we need a lot of that.'
Indeed, at a time of life associated with slowing down and checking out of many pursuits, the 'Retirement House' crew couldn't be more antithetical. Between their 'this too shall pass' attitude and their infectious vim and vigor, it's no surprise the series has amassed a following of 6.4 million on Tik Tok and 2 million on Instagram.
'There are stages of life people talk about, but I don't look at stages. That's theoretical,' says Morrisse. 'I'm living my life, the same way I was living my life when I was 45 or 65 or even 14 for that matter. We're going forward with life… I'm going to go do an audition and I've got people to see and places to go. Age is just a number, and this is the best part of my life. We get to have fun, we have a great family here, we get paid for it, and the most important thing is we make people laugh. And that's fulfilling.'
'Allowing people to pull me out of my comfort zone, doing stuff I normally wouldn't do, helps [me]' Boyd notes.
Baker has it down to a zen-like science. 'I think the most important thing is getting any kind of trauma and worry out of your mind and learning how to be at ground zero—not in the past, not in the future,' she says. 'I've come up with a slogan that says, 'Embrace aging, it's full of love and surprises and fun. But don't let them trick you into getting old.' The most important thing for me and what we bring on this show is that fact that we do have a secret sauce; everyone has a secret sauce and we're just showing [viewers]
how to use it.'
Their sunny ethos was put to a big test a few months ago when Grey passed away after experiencing a series of health issues. (This interview took place the day before her memorial service.) After more than three years of cementing irreplaceable bonds, reactions from the 'Retirement House' family run the gamut from adoration and lingering disbelief, all wrapped in appreciation for their time together.
'Because of all the work we've done together for three and a half years now, everywhere we turn, Reatha is still there. Either it pops up on the algorithm or actually at home I have quite a few voice messages from her, and I listen to them now and then—and I'm right back there,' says Morrisse. 'She left a huge imprint on this house and I guess I'm still processing it.. it's like she's on vacation somewhere because I still hear her every day online.'
It makes us realize, we're not guaranteed tomorrow; so we have to live today,' says Lacey.
'She left me the desire to go on, to trust God, to go on living and not concern yourself about where it might end,' says Boyd. 'Because you can take yourself out with worry if you concern yourself with certain things.'
For Baker, Grey's legacy is a new outlook. 'It's taken all the fear out of it for me,' she says. 'Even if we pull out another 10, 20 years, we're closer [to death] than when we were born but it has inspired me in a way that's very interesting to me—it's just taken all of the fear out of going into that passage, and I really appreciate that from Reatha.'
'Actually, we aren't guaranteed one moment from here. You just have to learn to be grounded at ground zero and the gift it is,' she adds. 'And if we at 'Retirement House' can show people that gift of living, right now… it's such a great thing to be able to give that gift.'
As well as spreading joy, the 'Retirement House' residents are also spreading some advice about the way society can better treat our senior citizens.
'I think it's terrible the way people begin to get brainwashed. Get old, take medication, take this, take that. I think it's foolish that we are squandering the best of us. If you're lucky enough to make it to an older age, you've learned something. And you've learned something more than just sitting around complaining. I hang out with the wonderful cast but I don't hang out with most older people because everybody is so negative,' says Baker.
The more inclusion, the better, opines Morrisse. 'Then they find out, 'Oh, they really are still fun and they've still got it. They might not be able to run with us but there's still plenty of room on the edges and in the middle.'
'On our show we do all those crazy things in the middle,' he adds. 'A lot of limitations are unjustly put on people just because they are older. It's just taken for granted, you're starting to slow down, then when you're over 80 you're definitely slow, so let's put those folks over there and don't bother with them much. And it's just not reality. Everybody is different and everybody ages differently… So they've got to include us. Let us weigh in, treat us as equals. We have experience.'
Baker brings it back to 'Retirement House.' "It's young people and older people working together. I think that's so important that we built this bridge of deep respect and love between people who are in their 20s and people who are in their 70s and 80s. We learn so much from them, they learn so much from us.'
Mind Reading (formerly Hollywood & Mind) is a recurring column that features interviews with musicians, actors, athletes, creators and other culture influencers who are elevating conversation and action around mental health, and breaking stigma.