Bad Dates with Jameela Jamil - Speed Dates: Bad Blue Backlighting (w/ Jon Gabrus)

Episode Date: April 28, 2025

On this Speed Dates episode, host Joel Kim Booster sits down with actor/comedian/pal Jon Gabrus, co-host of the hilarious new health & wellness podcast Staying Alive, to talk about his proposal story, respectful little kids on the subway, and the romantic side of Albert Brooks. Big takeaways: eat more cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower). If you’ve had a bad date you’d like to tell us about, our number is 984-265-3283, and our email is [e-mail], we can’t wait to hear all about it! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video clips. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video clips.Merch available at SiriusXMStore.com/BadDates. Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual, Fire Island, Loot Season 2Jon Gabrus: @gabrus on socials, new podcast Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally, action movie podcast The Action Boyz Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Bad Dates ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Smart. Less. Neon. so much we thought we'd feature it. Gabris has a brand new comedic health and wellness podcast called Staying Alive that came out this week. Go like it, go subscribe to it, go rate it five stars, even if you have criticisms, because that's what our listeners do over here on Bad Dates. Enjoy my chat with Jon Gabris and I'll see you for a regular panel episode next Monday. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it.

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That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. Do we have a guest lined up for you today? Joining me is an actor and comedian and friend from thank you. Like drugstore June and Fuck Mary Kill, he has hosted the podcast High and Mighty raised by TV and Action Boys. His brand new podcast is staying alive, which he co-hosts with his friend

Adam Pally. Please give a round of applause for John Gabriel. Oh, thank you, Joel. This is so exciting to be. This is really exciting. We've done a podcast together before. We've done so many. You've hosted so many of them. It would be shocking if I had never been on a single one of them.

I know. It's almost my fault at that point. Yeah. You know what? I'm not going to dig too deep into this. I'm not going to look back into the animals. And I'm not going to take it deep into this. I'm not going to look back into the annals and I'm not going to take it again. Hold it against you.

But let's talk really quickly before we dive into the two questions. I always ask every guest. What is this new podcast endeavor that you have embarked on? It's called staying alive and me and Adam Pally, who've been friends for like 20 something years famously, or at least in amongst between the two of us, we're good friends because we enjoy getting fucked up and eating too much and traveling and being disgusting. And we realized we were in our early 40s

and our parents, my dad died young, his mom died young, and we are kind of realizing that if we don't start doing a few things to stay alive, we won't be able to party for as long. So we're trying to turn our lives around and we're interviewing comedians and we'll have you on because you're absolutely fucking shredded. But I love to party. You're fire island fit, Joel. So we need you on. The crazy thing is, is on the outside it looks pretty pass you know, pretty, um, uh, uh, passable, but on the inside, it's just rotting to hell.

Yeah. Yeah. I do not bees fly out. Exactly. Exactly. So I'm not sure I'm the man to give, uh, advice to, uh, help you last any longer. Well, you heard the two hosts are right. Yeah, that's true.

That's true. I don't think I might be. Yeah. Um, it is funny to find fit comedians who are just like, you know, like, we're like, there's like six of you that we can call and we already had Jay Jordan on, so we gotta have you. Yeah, it's tough.

Now, without spoiling too much, I don't wanna give away all of your podcasts, but what are some of the things that you've landed on to help improve your health and your life as you move forward into your 40s? Yeah, well, we've had some interesting guests. We've had a lot of comedians come on, tell us there. But we also had professionals,

like we had a ketamine therapist come on who definitely talked me and Adam into doing a three week ketamine treatment. And I can. Listen, I've been doing like a two year, three year ketamine therapy treatment just on the weekends and it's been treating me great. So I highly doctor booster.

Yeah, doctor. No doctor. I won't say his name. It's not his real name anyways, but I still don't want to give too much away. So ketamine therapy. Any other big highlights? The listeners can. It's so funny to be like, what highlight thing do we learn?

And all my brain can remember is that we had an immunologist from the NIH, and she mentioned eating cruciferous vegetables. Which would you think you would? What the fuck are those? That's like broccoli and cauliflower and shit like that. It's apparently really good for you. And me and Adam are 40-something old, like writing that down as notes. Oh, yeah.

That's that's something I thought of. We've been texting each other pictures of broccoli on our place. Have you seen this podcast of like four 12 year old boys who have never had food before in their entire life? That is what that reminds me of. Yes. You two writing down broccoli and cauliflower as like healthy things to improve your life. It's these kids who have never, never had a vegetable in their fucking lives.

They're like, what do you like on your pizza? All four of the kids are like, I like it plain, I think. I like cheese like no one has. Yeah, yeah. The palates, the palates are so undeveloped. I love it. It's so great. Well, John, I can't wait to listen.

I will be tuning in and hopefully, you know, if we squash this feud appearing as a guest. Any day now. Well, I think this is the olive branch right here. And thank you for putting me on a mini. I've been with the same girl since I was 20. So I've never even been on a date. So I couldn't even have a bad date.

That is crazy. Wait, so let's just dive into it. You've been with the same girl since you were 20. How did you meet? In college? In communication principles, the intro to comm that all communication majors take. Wow. And we still struggled despite both majoring in communication.

There's still some issues. Were they high school girlfriends or anything like that? Yeah, I had a high school. Or was she the very first one? No, she was a three or four down the line, but you still didn't really go on dates in high school. You kind of drank at the same high school field, made out, and then were like, should we do that again?

Or I think I straight up was asking girls to go steady after kissing them at a party or something like that I know, you know in 1959 I don't want to get into how old I am, but I'm doing a great job at staying alive. Yeah So you met this girl at 20 Was there ever an inkling in your mind back all the way back then 22 some ago, that you would still be with this girl in 20 years? Did you have a gut feeling at all?

No, I couldn't even think about the future. I didn't have it in my head, anything like that. It was just kind of like, I had another girlfriend when I met her and we were just friends for a long time and she was like my hot friend that was a girl and we got along really well. And I highly recommend that for, that really sets you up to be able to date for

Ten years and be married for ten years because we kind of just went into it knowing a lot about each other already And then he had like physical shit on top of it, which was you know, that's what you're waiting for A boon for you. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, I love being a friend and everything. But what about our bodies? Let's put them together in some capacity I love being a friend and everything, but what about our bodies? Let's put them together in some capacity. You're married now, correct? Correct. When did you propose?

I proposed, and this is an embarrassing story. I proposed one night when we were fighting. We got in a fight and I had been holding onto this engagement ring that I was so happy to have purchased. And then we got in a fight like at a bar in our neighborhood on the walk home. I had been holding onto this engagement ring that I was so happy to have purchased. And then we got in a fight at a bar in our neighborhood on the walk home. I was like, we were just arguing.

And then we got home and I was like, you know what? Fuck this. I'm gonna fix this slash prove to you that I'm not just some asshole. And I dug out the engagement ring, put it on my dog's collar. And I'm like, can you do me a favor to take off Arthur's collar?

And she grabbed it and she went, are you fucking kidding me and not a happy way? Because according to her memory, and it's true, I just don't, not something I picked up on, the overhead lighting was on, and she wasn't in classy underwear. She had just like, was starting to get undressed. So like, I blew it by not not like putting those two things together.

But she did say yes, which was like the most important part. Miraculous. The act justifies the means. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, well, that's a beautiful story. Sweet days. Sweet days. So moving things along to this podcast, though, this podcast, finally, the speed date that we've been teeing up all episode.

I want to ask the same question that I ask every guest, and this is a pretty wide reaching question. This can expand through any pop culture medium. And I'm excited to ask you this question because I know you are a movie watcher, a television watcher, a pop culture consumer. But is there, can you think of a pop culture moment, couple, song, anything from pop culture that was sort of a flection point for you while you were developing your own sense of love that sort of like you saw it or you heard it and you said, that is what I want. That is the model of love that I am looking for. Yeah.

Like my movie diet when I was young was so exclusively like martial arts and action movies that it was frequently like the woman was more or less a narrative device with breasts. Well, I always say, you know what movie changed my perspective on women and it was an action movie? It was GoldenEye. Because when I saw Xenia on top kill a man with her thighs I said I'm a feminist now because that woman is an innovator all right

I've been seeing James Bond kill guys in a hundred different ways over the years I'd never seen him kill someone during sex with his thighs okay when I saw that all I thought was I want to die Kill me that way, please So you were watching action movies that there were there were some examples of gun has a good one Yeah, where he's kind of like it's Kelly McGillis again a very homoerotic This is also a layer of my development is that like everything I liked was like really fucking either male gazey or insanely homoerotic like Top Gun. The woman that he falls in love with her name is Charlie, which and she has short hair, which is kind of Kelly McGill.

She's so hot. But they have this like they get in a fight and but he's showing off and she doesn't believe like he you can't be that cool. He drives away on a motorcycle. She chases him in a convertible and they pull over and then they just start kissing and then smash cut to that Really weird backlit blue light fucking sex scene But it is it is really hot to me and then the next morning He's just like drives away on a motorcycle with his like little aviators and I'm like, that's romance And I'm like, that's romance. High speed car chases, one night stands, bad blue backlighting.

Yeah. I mean, I trust me that actually that that was way smoother than my first, like 11 times, so it totally makes sense. Oh, you know, what is an actual romantic moment that hit me so hard when I was young now that I think about it, the movie defending Your Life with Albert Brooks. Have you ever seen this? Yes. Yes, yes, yes, I have. Meryl Streep, they're falling in love in like a purgatory type place. And at the end, he's being sent to like, he has to redo life. He can't go to heaven because he was too scared too many times in his life. So he's on like a trolley going this way. But Meryl, who he's

like in love with, but doesn't know her last name and can't find him, is so like, they cannot meet up and he's so upset. And then he breaks out of the trolley, he's getting electrocuted and chases her down and busts into her trolley and goes with her. And it's like this insane rule break for him. And then it cuts to Rip Torn, who's playing his lawyer trying to get him to pass on to heaven And and he goes brave enough for you to the other lawyer and she's like Choked up and she's like a kind of uptight woman lawyer and she gets all I kind of choked up and that shit

Well, I have fucking goosebumps on my arms. Yeah No, I can podcasting not a visual medium, but I can attest folks that I can see the goose pimples through the zoom on gay versus arm. Thanks. Really? Well, thank you. That's all I want. My hair is getting on into just hearing about it. That's why I can't even sell one movie. Oh, yeah. So fuck. It's so fucking funny, too. It's really goddamn funny. Yeah, I that was like that was definitely a movie when I worked at a movie rental place for a while

that was like Definitely from that era where I would see anything with like one single copy on the wall and I'd be like well, what what's this about? What's yeah, you gotta check this one out. Yeah, you took a treasure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly I think I even like put it on in the store like late nights and we weren't allowed to play anything that was above a G rating or PG rating. And I was like, we would constantly, but we would constantly be showing basic instinct in there. It was like, yeah, it was.

That's awesome. Yeah, I know. Well, you can't have a bunch of like 17 year olds run a movie rental store and expect them not to play, like to expect them to play Toy Story 24 seven in there. It's not going to happen. Not gonna happen. Not going to happen. Not going to happen. That was an incredible answer to that question.

I'm so glad that we got from Top Gun to Defending Your Life. What a breath of experience. Yeah, I wanted to show my dichotomy that I'm not all like a mouth breathing freak. Yeah. Yeah, I saw the movie, but it was on a plane and I was really fucked up and stoned when I saw it. What did we do with Kelly in the sequel? Do you remember? She is not in it.

His love interest is the, she was not asked to come back. She kind of had a public moment where she's like, of course Hollywood doesn't want me anymore. I'm fat now. Right, right, right, right. And she kind of said it, or I'm not traditionally attractive now. I don't want to put those words in her mouth

in case I'm wrong. Yeah. That'd be so mean. She's Yeah, so I never said that you fucking asshole. Whoops. But I can call people fat for that because it's not a visible visual medium. I am that. OK, listeners deal with. Yeah, yeah. I mean, they're like, you actually sound fat. Don't worry about it. Huge part of the brand, I would say, even.

Yeah, yeah. That's your consumption is a major part of my lifestyle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's replaced by, I think, Michelle Monahan plant who plays the Navy bar owner. Oh, he kind of knows. He kind of knows. She's actually name checked in the first Top Gun. It's like, I heard you messed around with the Admiral's daughter and that's why you got moved here or whatever. And that name drop, they write that down. And then they're like, Oh, I'm going to be the first Top Gun, it's like, I heard you messed around with the Admiral's

daughter and that's why you got moved here or whatever. And that name drop, they write that character in, creator, and we get to meet her in the center. Well, you know, as sad as I am for Kelly, you got to hand it to them. That's pretty clever. That's pretty clever. That's pretty smart. And then the way they get around- Oh, it's Jennifer Connelly. I'm getting word from the booth that it's Jennifer Connelly. Yes. Sorry. Yes. I got my beautiful thin

Talented brunettes mixed up. Yeah Forgive me Connelly is one of my favorites obviously But in the in the movie their sex scene is like a Viagra commercial where they don't really have sex They like just kind of go sailing and like yeah Beautiful and it's like kind of just beautiful. And it's like, they're in like a joining bathtubs, holding hands.

Yeah. It is so unsexual. And you're like, oh, okay, Tom, the lady don't protest at all. Got it. That's so funny. I have a second question really quickly. And this is, again, this is again, a very nebulous,

very free form question. You can sort of answer it in any way you want. And this is again, a very nebulous, very free form question. You can sort of answer it in any way you want. And this runs the gamut. I'm talking about anything that has happened this week that has made you believe in love. And that's any kind of love. Platonic love, familial love, relationship love, whatever comes to mind, anything that has given you hope, basically.

Which in the year 2025, it's a tall order, my friend. I know it's not easy. And this can be something you saw in media or something you saw in real life, a baby passing by in a stroller that was clasping your finger, something like that, you know, anything that brings us back to that childlike wonder. Okay, okay. I'm currently staying in New York at my cousin's house, so I'm getting, I'm more engaged with the public than ever I ever really am in LA. And one thing that made me lose hope in humanity was people are opening their phones and looking at their phones on the subway stairs up. Like,

like they can't wait, they can't wait like another six feet. And, and it's really upsetting to me and people of all ages. It's not just Gen Z. It's everyone is old and young is doing it. It's disgusting. Have you ever lived in New York? Yeah, I lived in New York in my twenties. So it's really fun. I'm in a full like sort of regressive nostalgia mode being here. I like drank three nights in a row and then slept 11 hours and I feel like dog shit. And I'm like dog shit and I'm like wait I'm 20 years older than I was when I was here. I have to play by that

Yeah, but I'm loving it. I'm back on the subway and the subway is actually I saw a little kid Get up like a eight-year-old kid Get up for a pregnant woman on the g-train and the pregnant woman without being told Yeah without being told and the pregnant woman was like, oh. Yeah, without being told. And the pregnant woman was like, oh, you're so sweet. No, you sit down. And like two grownups, like the little kids, like no, you sit down.

It was really a cute moment. And I was like, oh man, that's fucking awesome. And then of course I started looking at my phone so I missed how it ended. But that did really give me some good. And then you were like, fuck both of you. If neither of you is gonna take it it, I'm going to take it. Yeah, if you're going to sit here and fight over it, my back lady,

you're only six months. Look at me. I'm fucking I got scoliosis from this goddamn fucking adipose tissue I'm carrying around. Amazing. That is incredible. It is wild going back to New York after living in L.A. because like you don't go to a third location in LA. You rarely go to the second location in LA. You know, like it's so like I know exactly where I will be step by step throughout the night in LA. In New York, I'm like, okay,

I'm going to a birthday party on a rooftop, cut to me at 4 a.m. Fifth location, like leaving someplace. You'll put something before plans in New York, which I've never done before. It's like, oh, I'm having dinner with friends at eight. I'm like, well, I'll pop by and see this person for drinks at six. And I'm like, what? What the fuck?

I'm doing two things? And then you end up doing something at 10 after, and you're like, I've done three things in an evening, which I haven't done since I was like 28. That's insane to think about. On a weeknight, insane to think about in LA. No. In LA, I feel like I have zero friends

and I have a million and I have a million and they all live within 10 minutes driving of me. But there is this mental hurdle about walking versus driving. That it can be a 10 minute drive, but it feels so different than a 10 minute walk, which is an obvious thing to say, but it really does matter.

It makes all the difference in New York and LA. Yeah, not having to get your car separate of even like the influence the driving under the influence elements, of losing that in New York is one thing, but there's just something about being on your feet and in the weather that makes it be like, well, I'll just charge over, or you can ping pong home.

You're like, okay, well, halfway downtown, I'll jump off and go meet, my friends are here. It's practically on the way. Meanwhile, like if you had to drive from Santa Monica to Silver Lake, you wouldn't like pull over in WeHo and go like, hey, I'm here, let's grab coffee, Gabriel. That seems fucking crazy. No, absolutely fucking not. And the idea of going from Santa Monica to Silver Lake,

I'm sorry this has turned into the two great cities podcast, but it is for those of you who've never been to LA, don't know LA, that drive is impossible. It's never been done, never should be done, never should be attempted even. And I'm not doing it, that's for fucking sure. No, fuck no, no, I know. I stay in WeHo because I don't wanna drive anywhere.

Like I wanna, I can walk to like the five things I need in WeHo and then my friends are on the East side. The AMC, the Targa. Yes, exactly. I'm a Grove boy. Incredible. I love the Grove. The Grove actually makes me sometimes feel like I'm living back in New York cause I'm just bobbing and weaving through the crowd. Yes. And it's like got the slow tourists drinking Pepsi that you find on like the

trains and stuff. But then it also has the people are like, this is the only spot to get brunch in my neighborhood and I'm a hipster or whatever. There's like, it's a great mix like that. It makes you, and then you, like for me, as an AMCA lister baby, you know what I mean? You know I'm in there.

You know I'm in there. I'm in there early, I'm in there 20 minutes early watching Maria Menounos deliver trivia facts, okay? I'm there 20 minutes early smoking weed in my Subaru in the parking structure, still nervous that someone's going to get mad at me. Like still scared of security. I love how we get older, but some things never change. All right.

Well, that's pretty much the podcast that is as we said, this is a mini episode. If you're looking for full episodes, check out the main feed that come out on Monday. In the meantime though, where can people find you if they're looking for you, John Gabris? I'm at Gabris on X and Instagram and you can listen to my podcast, ActionBoys at actionboys.biz. You can buy this Gino tape of the series I made

at gino.gabris.com and wherever you get podcasts, you can, wherever you get podcasts podcasts you can wherever you're get Podcasts you can download stay in a lie died while trying to plug staying alive would just be so fucking insane Well, the last thing you said he was mostly talking about being fat and walking around Plugs is so depressing died during plugs. But yeah staying alive wherever you get podcasts It's me and Adam Paley talking to some of your favorite comics up to and including Joel Kim Booster. Before we let everybody go, let's take a listen to the trailer for Staying Alive. Listen up podcast fans! Joe Rogan, Theo Vaughn, Tim Dillon won't be on our show at all.

They've said no. Because of our beliefs. That's Adam Paley. That's Adam Pally. That's John Gabris. And we are the co-hosts of Smartless Media's SiriusXM's new podcast called Staying Alive. That's right. Staying Alive, our new health and wellness podcast that is neither for the healthy or well.

Well, it's maybe for health by health. Adam and I are comedians and best friends who you've probably seen hosting the show 101 places to party before you die but now we're in our 40s and we're doing a podcast because if we don't get some balance going in our lives we're not gonna be around long enough to party in 93 more places. We'll have guests like our friend actor Jerry O'Connell. Pally you are looking good. Thank you. I've seen you not looking good, and you're looking good. Thank you, J.L. You're not the first guest to say, I've seen you look worse.

Comedian Paul Scheer. I love the cold plunge. I found a lot of success. Do you have one in your house? I do. I also flooded my house with it. But that's why it's outside, though. It's outside.

Ketamine therapist Dr. Steven Radowitz. It's called spiritual herd immunity. Now when you're in this place, I start to see through thoseowitz. It's called spiritual herd immunity. Now when you're in this place, I start to see through those things. I believe in spiritual herd immunity because I'm a spiritual anti-vaxxer. Yeah. So I think that that's kind of the only way.

Eggo Wodim talking to us about how she hates breakfast. Here's my thing is I don't have an appetite in the morning because I'm eating up until the minute I close my eyes. So, I'm not eating. And I'm serious. Cardiologist Dr. Amar Shear. Stress actually, it affects the blood pressure. So, as much as you can kind of reduce your stress.

And it's chill to do coke, right? Definitely don't do coke. Okay, all right, not chill to do coke. Yeah, yeah. Jillian Bell. I think it's natural also for our age too. Like, Jillian's 25 and you and I. I'm yeah. Jillian Bell. I think it's natural also for our age too. Jillian's 25 and you and I.

I'm a hard 25. You're a hard 25. Yeah, you've lived a lot. I'm a rough. And I'm a road hard 34. And I'm not that hard and 43. And so many more, so many more. Adam and I, we may not be wellness experts,

but I can tell you this. We are curious freaks who love to talk about this shit. And we've done enough harm to our bodies to know that now's the time to maybe make a change. Yeah, we can't say we can make a U-turn in our lives, but at least we could pump the brakes a little. And maybe make a left. Yeah.

Hey, two wrongs don't make a left. Right. Correct. Staying Alive premieres April 24th anywhere you get your podcasts. Get them a week early and ad free with SiriusXM Podcast Plus on Apple Podcasts. Visit SiriusXM Podcast Plus to start your free trial today. Check out the video version of the show on YouTube on the Smartless Media Channel. Yeah.

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Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive. Bye bye! Smart Blast Mia