How 'Fresh Off the Boat' Adapted to Chelsey Crisp's Pregnancy

Chelsey Crisp plays the Huangs’ neighbor Honey on Fresh Off the Boat. In the show’s sixth season, Honey has a second baby, just as Crisp did in real life. Now Crisp is back to work with a newborn at home, and Honey is dealing with her own family while Jessica (Constance Wu) wants to meddle in.

Crisp still had time to attend the ABC party for the Television Critics Association this summer, where Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke to her. She hadn’t gone back to work yet so couldn’t say much about the new season, but Crisp shared how Fresh Off the Boat has incorporated her real life family into its storylines. Fresh Off the Boat airs Fridays at 8:30 on ABC.

This time, ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ capitalized on Chelsey Crisp’s pregnancy

The first time Honey got pregnant, Fresh Off the Boat faked it. The second time was the real deal.

“We had just ramped up a storyline where I was playing pregnant and then in real life I became pregnant,” Crisp said. “So the first one was a fake pregnancy. The second one was a real one that we were incorporating into the show. So I went from the fake pregnancy pad for a year to the real belly.”

‘Fresh Off the Boat’ anticipated Chelsey Crisp starting a family

Chelsey Crisp became a newlywed while working in Fresh Off the Boat so the writers planned ahead. 

“Well, they wrote it in the show because I got married and so we thought oh, maybe we’ll have a family,” Crisp said. “Then the show was already going and they were already down the path with the storyline and my husband and I just started trying and we were behind the show’s schedule. So suddenly we had to start with a fake pregnancy pad.”

‘Fresh Off the Boat’ has adopted Chelsey Crisp’s mom fashion

Honey was a very glamorous character. Now that she’s a stay at home mom, she reflects more of the real Chelsey Crisp.

“If you watch Fresh Off the Boat carefully you can see my influence on the character’s wardrobe season by season,” Crisp said. “I’ve whittled Honey down. She wears a little more fabric, a little less makeup every year. Honey starts to take on some of my qualities. My first fitting was a lot of sweats which was very exciting for me. Stay at home mom.”

Her home life only gets more complicated this season. Not only her kids, but her husband Marv (Ray Wise) will prove challenging.

“Honey has had her second baby so she’s coping to a very maternal existence,” Crisp said. “I’m told that Marv is going to be retiring so I think essentially Honey has three children when we go back. He’s just home a lot and she has to figure out how to navigate that new situation.”

Chelsey Crisp is adjusting to being a working mother

Chelsey Crisp had her first son before Fresh Off the Boat began. This is the first time she’s had to go back to work soon after.

“I was on full on mom land and it was heavenly,” Crisp said. “I have an amazing six-year-old baby boy and this is the first time in my life that I haven’t been just over the moon to go back to work. I’ve been doing this a long time and I love it but it’s pretty amazing when you have something at home that you love even more. It’s a big shift.”

Crisp will bring her newborn to work sometimes, but most of the time it will be easier to just leave him home.

“I don’t think I’m going to bring him in all the time because we’ve got a really well oiled machine on Fresh Off the Boat,” Crisp said. “We can knock out our scenes pretty quickly so we’re not in our trailers that much. We’re on set a lot.”

Since Honey is a supporting character, Crisp has a different workload each episode. Some will be lighter and give her more time at home.

“I have weeks where I’m there every day but then I have weeks where it’s only a couple days a week,” Crisp said. “It’s a great schedule for me.”

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