Alyson Hannigan was thrilled when Taylor Swift referenced American Pie in her song “So High School,” but even a name drop from the pop star couldn’t persuade her kids to see their mom in the raunchy teen comedy.
“When they were in elementary school, there was a phase where they both wanted to see stuff that we’d been in, like Buffy or whatever, and they were still too young,” Hannigan, 50, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing her partnership with Kevin’s Natural Foods.
The actress shares daughters Satyana, 15, and Kiev, 12, with husband (and fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum) Alexis Denisof. While she wanted the girls to wait until they were older to watch their work, she thought the 1987 George Harrison music video Denisof starred in (“Got My Mind Set On You”) was a safe place to start.
“I accidentally traumatized them by showing them a video that my husband had done when he was, like, 17,” Hannigan revealed. “He’s a little teenager. He’s adorable, but [his character is] trying to catch this girl’s eye at the arcade. And something happened when they watched that where they didn’t like seeing their dad — even though he is a teenager, looks nothing like he does now — flirting with somebody else. And they immediately were like, ‘Hmm, we don’t wanna watch How I Met Your Mother.’ Because I’m married to somebody else, and something just switched where they don’t wanna see us with anyone else.”
She joked, “So I kind of got off the hook there! I was like, ‘Fantastic!’ And it was him, not me. So, perfect!”
She’s especially relieved that her daughters don’t want to watch her raunchy R-rated high school comedy.
“They haven’t mentioned that they wanna see it, but they know how exciting it is. Taylor might’ve piqued their interest, but not that they’ve mentioned,” she said. “That’s the one I dread the most. … Hopefully, I can just ride it out until they’re in college.”
Her kids are definitely aware Swift, 34, is referencing their mom’s movie when she sings, “Watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night,” though.
After all, the Dancing With the Stars alum is a diehard Swiftie. “I got to be with Taylor and Travis [Kelce] on the dates, really. Just the three of us — I mean, in my mind that’s how it went,” Hannigan quipped.
Much like Swift, Hannigan is always cooking, but being a busy mom makes preparing food for a family of four tough. That’s why she teamed up with Kevin’s Natural Foods, which has super helpful and healthy entrées, sauces, sides and frozen meals.
“I have two girls that like to eat, like, multiple times every single day. Go figure,” she said. “So lunches and dinners and all the like, you know, I want it to be special, healthy, nutritious but also easy. I love a hack.”
“Obviously the IPS, the irritable parent syndrome is something I think most parents can relate to with the dreaded what’s for dinner question, which used to haunt me at night,” she continued. “It’s that thing of like, oh my gosh, the ‘what’s for dinner?’ The dreaded question — which, by the way, my husband and I start discussing around three o’clock. It’s just the bane of our existence. So with Kevin’s [Natural Foods], like, honestly, I couldn’t believe it was as easy as it is.”
More impressively, the food got the seal of approval from her kids, with them even asking her to pack Kevin’s for their school lunches.
“My daughters have requested that for the first day of school they want the Korean barbecue chicken with some rice,” she said. “I can decide in the morning with them like, ‘What are you in the mood for today?’ … I’ll put it in a thermos, their lunches are done.”
To help parents navigate the hectic back-to-school season, Kevin’s Natural Foods is giving away free meals for an entire school year to five families. Customers and tag Kevin’s Natural Foods on Instagram to share their personal IPS stories. Visit the Kevin’s Natural Foods website for more information.
