After years of mutual fandom, Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, and award-winning actress Melissa McCarthy meet for the first time in the new special Cocktails and Tall Tales with Ina Garten and Melissa McCarthy streaming exclusively on discovery+ beginning Friday, March 26th. The fun kicks off with Ina coaching Melissa on how to make the perfect whiskey sour, and from there the duo quickly become BFFs discussing everything from Ina's early career in the White House budget office and Melissa's studies in fashion design to their love of family. The conversation culminates in a virtual dream double-date with Ina and her husband Jeffrey and Melissa and her husband, Ben Falcone, answering fan questions from Instagram.

"Melissa is such a funny and brilliant person and someone I always wanted to meet, but how many people can say they first met Melissa McCarthy over Zoom with a fresh whiskey sour in hand - during a pandemic!?" said Garten. "We had so much fun shooting this that it didn't even feel like we were continents apart. Jeffrey and I were big fans before, but now we cannot wait for our next double-date with Melissa and Ben!"

"I couldn't have imagined how it would feel to cross 'Cocktails with Ina Garten' off my bucket list but let me tell you, second only to the day my babies were born, it was pretty much the best day of my life," said McCarthy. "Ina and Jeffrey were so wonderfully easy to talk to and we enjoyed every minute of our time together. I am already planning our group vacation to Paris."

"It's been a long time coming for these two superstars to meet, and it's incredibly endearing and entertaining watching them chat like old friends," said Courtney White, President, Food Network. "For fans, the intimate conversation is full of little-known stories from their lives, including tidbits on how they met their spouses, Ina getting her pilot license and Melissa's first time doing standup in New York City."

Ina Garten is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author of twelve cookbooks and the host of Food Network's Emmy Award-winning Barefoot Contessa. Her twelfth book "Modern Comfort Food" was released in October 2020. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey. Viewers can browse Ina's top recipes and brush up on their entertaining skills at FoodNetwork.com/BarefootContessa and learn more about Ina, her bestselling cookbooks and her Emmy Award-winning(R) television show at BarefootContessa.com. Join the conversation on social media using @InaGarten and #BarefootContessa.

Melissa McCarthy is an actress, writer, producer, and fashion designer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. McCarthy was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her among its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

Follow the conversation on social with #CocktailsandTallTales. Plus, get a sneak peek at the drinks they're shaking up by checking out Food Network's Facebook and Instagram pages before the show.

Cocktails and Tall Tales with Ina Garten and Melissa McCarthy is produced by Pacific Productions.