Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 274 - Cedric The Entertainer

Episode Date: July 22, 2025

Today on Breaking Bread Cedric the Entertainer joins us at the table! Cedric talks The Kings of Comedy, being the life of the party, and even busts out a few tunes. Tom may or not be considering steal...ing Cedric's look. Enjoy! Factormeals.com/papa50off and use code papa50off to get 50 percent off plus FREE shipping on your first box.Text PAPA to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. --------------- 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:18 Patreon shout out 0:00:42 Welcome and bread 0:03:13 AC BBQ, Century City restaurant, Arby's 0:08:11 Brussel Sprouts come back 0:09:20 Mother and childhood 0:12:30 The "old way" of sports 0:14:14 Factor Ad 0:15:59 IQ Bar Ad 0:18:11 Using your "funny" growing up 0:22:37 High school musicals (Cedric sings) 0:25:25 The original Jake from State Farm 0:29:20 First comedy competition and first bit 0:33:05 Uncomfortable moment 0:35:35 Cedric brings the party on the plane 0:37:27 Ticklish and charm 0:39:50 The Kings of Comedy history 0:49:52 Sitcom life 0:52:20 Touring and life on the road 0:59:10 Vacation life, recurring dreams, being famous 1:01:45 Life at 80 years old --------------- Tom Papa is a celebrated stand-up comedian with over 20 years in the industry. Watch Tom's new special "Home Free" out NOW on Netflix! Patreon - Patreon.com/BreakingBreadwithTomPapa Radio, Podcasts and more: https://linktr.ee/tompapa/ Website - http://tompapa.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tompapa Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@tompapa Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/comediantompapa Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/tompapa #tompapa #breakingbread #comedy #standup #standupcomedy #bread #cedrictheentertainer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:24 I think that's what I used to close with. ordering a big mac Big Mac Two old beef patties Special sauce Letter cheese It's pickles
Starting point is 00:01:38 It's It's breaking bread If you haven't joined Our Patreon yet You really should It's pretty great You get stuff from the road You get extra downloads
Starting point is 00:01:50 After the episode Lots of cool content Go over to patreon com And look up our podcast and we'd love to see you over there. And for those of you have already signed up, we'll see you there in a little bit.
Starting point is 00:02:04 It's good to see you again. You too, brother. Yeah, man, that's good. Yeah, it is good. We've been doing this show here for about two years. Okay. Has it been about two years? Something like that.
Starting point is 00:02:16 It keeps growing. Okay. I baked you bread this morning. Oh, so nice. So we're going to talk about this bread making? You can talk about it if you want. I don't know if it's still warm. You can touch it.
Starting point is 00:02:26 It's your bread. You don't have to eat it now. You can bring it home. I have a bag for it. Okay, yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to, should. I might have a little corner. But just to do it while I want, you know, hmm, mm.
Starting point is 00:02:39 Yeah. Just enjoy yourself. A pop a bread. That's a papa. I know. Oh, my gosh. You should just stand in my kitchen behind me as I do it. Like a rapper sale hype man.
Starting point is 00:02:54 That's you like baking. I'm like, that's right. That's right That's $3.50, son. Oven hot. Mix it. Mix it. Put the battery in there.
Starting point is 00:03:08 But it was a labor of love. I got off the road. On Sunday I had a 13-hour return when no flights were working. Everything was getting canceled, one of those. And I got in and I got it going. And happy birthday. Is it a sourdough? It's a sourdough.
Starting point is 00:03:28 Very important. Yeah. Very important that the sourdough is a part of it. Right. Okay, because like doing COVID, you know. Like, you're not a real baker if you didn't get into the sourd. Right, exactly. Because you couldn't find yeast.
Starting point is 00:03:43 But just for the record, you have to know that I was doing it before COVID. And there's a lot of people that showed up and were like, oh, I do bread now. And I was like, you know what? Do you? Yeah. Let's see where you are as soon as we're let out of our house. Are you an artesian artisanal breader? What do you guys guys?
Starting point is 00:04:04 Is it a club? Like, what are? Right, exactly. You know what? It kind of is. Very specific bread people. There are. And they're all women in their mid-60s.
Starting point is 00:04:15 Nice. So that's hot. Yeah, that's my demo. That's what they show up. They show up at my shows and bring bread and get it backstage. Let's go see the bread, man. It's really true. That's a good move.
Starting point is 00:04:29 Congratulations on your barbecue. Yeah, man. Holy Toledo. I had heard about it. And I was online just looking at the menu. Yeah. It's legit. Legit, man.
Starting point is 00:04:41 We having a good time doing it. I mean, we started at, what was that? That was 2021. Mm-hmm. With just the rub, three rubs and two sauces. Uh-huh. And just kind of, you know, just grew the brand, man. You know, you know.
Starting point is 00:04:55 What's it called again? AC barbecue. Anthony Anderson and Cedric. So Anthony and Cedric just, you know, like the, we just kept in simple letters. Yeah, that's good. But, you know, AC sounds like something electric or something cool. It goes together. I don't know how electric and barbecue go together, but it sounds great.
Starting point is 00:05:13 You know. Yeah. But now to have the restaurant open in Century City and we did a co-lab with Arby's, like we've been happy, man. It's been good stuff. Did they give you a lot of Arby's? to take home? Just the sauces, you got to go in to give you a lot of sandwiches to taste when you, because we did approve like the whole thing.
Starting point is 00:05:33 You know, we wanted to do it because it was a co-lap. So it was our brand and Arby. So we needed to approve what the meat tastes like, what the sauces were like. We kind of did that whole combination. So where did you grow up? St. Louis. St.
Starting point is 00:05:47 Louis. So barbecue. Yeah. Big deal. Got our own ribs. Yeah. You know, St. Louis-style ribs.
Starting point is 00:05:53 Just told people, hey, those are not. not regular ribs, guys. These are St. Louis-style ribs. Yeah. What is the difference? What is the St. Louis? It's the way they cut the tip off. It's like, you know, it's like you can get a, with the spare rib, and I think it's you know, you get the whole, whole, they cut the tip at each side and make a shorter
Starting point is 00:06:12 rib, like a St. Louis rib. Right. And do you like spicy? I am a, I like a little bit of spice. I'm more of a savory person, savory. And interesting enough, when we were doing. this project, I got, I kind of got locked in and really found myself, like in the mustard bay sauces, the Carolina style.
Starting point is 00:06:32 Oh, yeah. So the two sauces that we introduced up, I end up, Anthony did spicy, and then I end up doing the Carolina wine, I call it the Carolina Gold. So it's more mustard baked sauce, but it's that tangier energy. Yeah, I like that. I love how at a time when all these celebrities are doing booze, you go meat. Yeah. You know, that was actually, it was a choice.
Starting point is 00:06:57 Like, you know, Anthony was actually getting ready to do a hot sauce or something. He was doing a hot sauce. And then my wife and I were, we were like entering into this deal to do some pre-prepared meats. Like for Bachelors, like you got to just throw it in the oven for a few minutes and it's ready to go. Right, yeah. Right. Ready to eat kind of thing or whatever. So.
Starting point is 00:07:22 Modern day TV dinner. Yeah, exactly, but classy. Yes. Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure. For a very high, you know, discerting. We're not peeling tinfoil off of it. No, no, no.
Starting point is 00:07:32 This is a super discerting customer that's going to put it on a plate. Right. But we did. And so then, you know, Anthony and I got to talk about this idea. The combination just seemed to be an easier flow. And, you know, not working with my wife was going to be hard. Did I say that? No, no.
Starting point is 00:07:52 It was a business thing. It's not personal. It's business. She's a part of this as well. What's your relationship with Anthony? How far back do you guys go? We go back 30 plus years. Really?
Starting point is 00:08:02 And, you know, like some of my, you know, first, you know, Hollywood encounters, this was, you know, he was the chubby guy and, you know, now he's all like, you know, he's slim down, slim, slim, shady. Yeah. You know, but, you know, like, we used to be going for a lot of the same roles. And so we would see each other and became friends. Nice. Then, you know, and then we did barbershop one together. Right. Just little things just kind of kept.
Starting point is 00:08:28 Yeah. Just being good friends. Our mothers were friends. Oh, really? Like, my mom would come out here and she needed, she liked to play cards. And so Anthony's mother was a card player and they would, like, connect. Nice. Anthony's mom is a little more serious than mine, but, you know, she'd get at it.
Starting point is 00:08:43 But they locked in for that reason. Was your mom a good cook? Yeah, she was. You know, single mother. school teacher. I just have a younger sister, three years younger me. But my mom, yeah, she made great meals.
Starting point is 00:08:58 She was from a small town in Missouri, so we moved to St. Louis. And she was the youngest, so she would have to kind of cook like to kind of take care of herself. So like in that. But my grandmother was amazing too. Oh, yeah?
Starting point is 00:09:12 But yeah, my mother was a great cook. She would make fun meals and, you know, experiment. Like when as we were kids, she would try things that, you know, Yeah. You know, like, you know, like, you know, getting that old, almost before Instagram, when things were experimental and trying and people were like, you know what?
Starting point is 00:09:28 I'm going to, I'm going to reduce some Brussels sprouts in a little balsamic and put bacon in it. Oh, nice. When people didn't eat Brussels sprouts at all. Yeah, no. They were evil when we were kids. Russell sprouts were the most evil one. They really got a good lobbyist. I thought about the people.
Starting point is 00:09:46 They really went to work. Yeah. The lobbyists for Brussels and cauliflower. They earned their money. They kind of came in and they was like, look, throw some bacon in it, put some little reduce it down a little bit. A little balsamic. You know, guys, and this thing can go. You're going to watch it.
Starting point is 00:10:00 Oh, man. When I was probably six years old, my mother made me eat the Brussels sprouts that she made. And they were so bad. And I had a garbage can that had football players on it, this metal thing. And I went into my room after being forced and just filled it up with Brussels sprouts. I just peoped all over. It was so bad. Just to think of them, that way they used to be.
Starting point is 00:10:24 That's so sad. They really, I don't know if they change the flavor. These modern-day rousers sprouts, they have no idea. They don't know the journey that they've been through as a vegetable to be a part of the American dining experience. What did your mom do for work? She was a school teacher, so she taught elementary, so, you know, third grade, reading specialist. Oh, yeah. So like third grade, fourth grade, like that. Did you go to the same school? No, you know, when I was younger, my mother always kind of, we were in the same school
Starting point is 00:10:59 district, but she always kind of wanted not to like teach us. Yeah. She did at home, of course, but, but she like made sure we went to a different school or she worked in the district where she can she can get to us, but not, you know, not where we had to, you know, be with her every day. Right. Were you a troublemaker as a child? child in school? No. You know what I was it? You were sweet,
Starting point is 00:11:22 Cedric? I was a funny kid. Like, I definitely had like a fun sister humor and, and, you know, a little, you know, and gregarious in a way, right? But I always did it in this lovable kind of,
Starting point is 00:11:34 everybody liked me. Like, so I never got in trouble for being, like, the bad kid. Yeah. That one year, like one year, I wanted to be a bad kid. It was like, maybe eighth, ninth grade. I love how it's a decision.
Starting point is 00:11:46 Yeah, it is, right? Like, because that's what happens. Like, you know, because it's a single-parent household, like you growing up with just your mom, your sister. You know, are you going to be a mama's boy? Like, you know, how do you kind of start to define yourself, you know, and then you end up hanging out with the kids that get to just run the streets, right? Right. So, you know, next thing you know, I'm like skipping class and trying to smoke cigarettes and, you know. And, you know, I got in trouble one time they called my mom.
Starting point is 00:12:17 she came to the school and shut that down. That was the end of it. And that was the end of my bad run. I'm back. Hey guys. Hey guys. Anyone want to do a play?
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Starting point is 00:14:10 Quince.com slash Papa. I was no longer like I did. And thank God I couldn't stand cigarettes. I couldn't take it. Yeah. I was forcing myself to do things. Yeah. You know.
Starting point is 00:14:29 Yeah. Isn't it funny how you can be young and it just doesn't, it's just not a natural fit for you? No. Like, no. I remember my mom was, like, we were always, she was all like making us very stylish kids. She always, like, again, would shop like in the catalogs and stuff like that. And we were in a smaller town. Before we moved to St. Louis, we lived in.
Starting point is 00:14:51 Caruthersville, Missouri, which is like a really small town in the Booth Hill, Missouri, near the Arkansas border. Okay. But my mom, again, kind of metropolitan in her thinking, so she would, like, order clothes from catalogs and magazines. Yeah. And so we were like these really well-dressed kids. And so that kind of became my stilo.
Starting point is 00:15:10 When I wanted to become an athlete, I was back, we had moved to St. Louis, and now I want to be an athlete. So I'm on a football team. And, you know, but again, you know, no dad around. to really kind of give me the game. I show up with, you know, style-wise. I got, you know, I got, like, custom socks. And I've got the wristbands, you know.
Starting point is 00:15:32 Man, that coach saw me coming there. He was like, oh, you're a pretty boy, huh? Okay. All right, pretty boy. Oh, no. It made me the tackle dummy for the linebackers in the linemen. I had to run in place while they just literally came out of three-point stand and just got the hook.
Starting point is 00:15:50 man. They just got to lay me out. My mom happened to be coming to pick me up that day and saw it. Oh. And that was it. She pulled me out to... She pulled me out the football team. Mama's boy, she just couldn't see it.
Starting point is 00:16:04 I was her baby boy. Of course. There was a different way that they handled sports back then. I had mean football coaches. They would just grab your face mask and just like throw you to the ground. And it was just like, this is just normal. for a 45-year-old man to knock a 10-year-old on his ass. It was crazy.
Starting point is 00:16:27 Walk it off. You're like, my, sir. You try not to cry in your helmet. You gave me whiplash. Yeah, you're a giant man. Yeah, no, that was the thing. You think about it, yeah, we grew up in that Bobby Knight era where, like, you know, somebody throw a chair, you're like, okay, you know, the guy's mad, man.
Starting point is 00:16:46 Yeah, right, I guess I shouldn't have done that. The guy's upset, bro, I get it. He threw a chair as kids. Think about it. I mean, why the rage? These games were not important. You know? Kids with shoulder pads and their helmets.
Starting point is 00:17:03 Nobody's good here. No one's good. There's no reason for you to lose it. There's nothing on the line. Who cares if you lose 56 to nothing? Yes. We're not even up for the state championship. You're right.
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Starting point is 00:21:10 When you were a kid, was there a moment where you did something when you were like, when you used your funny that you remember, like, did you, like where you actually were consciously, oh, I, I made that class laugh or I got out of trouble for that or, you know what? You know, I do. I'm trying to remember, I've done it, I remember it a couple of times. Like, I remember being in a typing class and I don't know exactly what I did. But I actually got in trouble this time because, like, I was in a typing in class and whatever I did, I mean, the whole room died. And the teacher was so mad.
Starting point is 00:21:52 And she called my mother. And I was just like, I don't know, I don't remember what I did. Like, I was like, why would you do that? I was like, it was like, it was like, wow. But it was like, it was like a typing class. And I just, I did something that was like, I don't know. It was perfect at the time. I just, I just remember that moment.
Starting point is 00:22:10 Yeah. And then definitely would do like, definitely would, use, you know, my comedy to kind of get out of trouble or, you know, use that sense of humor to be, you know, if, you know, you get caught in the hallway, you know, without, without of it, I come up with something slick to say. Charma. Yeah, they're like, oh, you're a little charming. Go to class, you know.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So when did you decide, were you, did you have your eye on comedy when you were a kid? Like, when that, you are naturally funny. Yeah. Did you have your eye on it at all? No, you know, it was one of those things. You know, I think about when I came to comedy, especially comedians, they were so
Starting point is 00:22:53 professional and kind of like these, you know, like very, very one-off kind of personalities, right? Like, you know, the big, you know, the Richard Pryors, the Carlins, you know, and then people like Robin Harris started to show, Robin Williams would show up. And I just remember, like, you know, feeling like those were kind of outliers. Not to you, not like, for me, not to you saw somebody as young as like Eddie Murphy doing it. Like, you know, like where he was like, oh, wait a minute, this guy's like, but he was in New York and he was in New York and he was great. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:30 He was way greater than the normal people. So you're like, well, that's different because he's in New York, right? And you're a New York person. Yeah. And then, you know, but then, you know, as the, you know, the world started to open up. But, you know, I just remember loving Dangerfield and, you know, those kind of, you know, those, you know, of course, Billy Crystal, all the legends, right? Yeah. These guys were where you would see it and just kind of feel like that's far, you know, far reaching.
Starting point is 00:23:57 I never thought about it. Really? I did sing, though, I was like in, I was in play. I was always an entertaining kid. Like, fame, the show, fame was popular. Uh-huh. And I remember being like in maybe the ninth grade telling my mom I needed to go to a school like that. Because I was like, I can do all that stuff, mom.
Starting point is 00:24:18 I sing, I dance. I'm funny. I can do it all. Like you, you know, she's like, boy, you know, she's an educator. She's like, no. And the only performing art school was like maybe, you know, like 20, 30 miles on the other side of the city of St. Louis. Yeah. I would have to be on a bus.
Starting point is 00:24:37 Single mom, she wasn't going for it. Yeah, but you knew, like, it wasn't just comedy. It was the whole thing. Yeah, it was the whole thing. I was, I could do all of that, right? Right. And so I did plays and performed in groups and that kind of thing. Never really knew, didn't do stand-up until later when it, you know, started to become, like, a popular thing.
Starting point is 00:24:56 I would be, you know, I would, you know, what they call the dozens in the lunchroom. Like, I was the king. Like, I was doing my era, I was the man. Like, you know, my friends would, like, call you, like, wait to say it come. You know, like, you're on second lunch or the third lunch and all the kids like to hype you up. Like, yeah, so Dennis was talking about everybody. I told him the way to you show up. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:25:21 And then you come in there, what up, Dennis? I know you ain't talking about nobody with two shoes on. You know, let's go. Let's go. Let's do the dozens. Let's go, man. At a skill. Yeah, lad.
Starting point is 00:25:34 It was ready for it, man. What was your legendary high school performance in the plays? Okay, we did. Damn, what was the play I did? You know, I can't think of it by name. Oh, no? I had wore, all I know is I wore, I had to wear overalls, and I was the son, and I had a little song that I sang.
Starting point is 00:25:57 I was trying to think of all of that the other day. Like, that's wild how some of that stuff would just fly out your head. Yeah. And then... But you were the guy... No, I was like the third guy. I was like the third guy or something. It was like this kind of worker song, you know,
Starting point is 00:26:14 working in the yard. But I did it funny and I had some overalls on that was it. Always funny. But then I had a big... My big thing was I know one of the big moments was I was in a little group and we were singing. And I was in this group and I was in this group and I had... And I sang on stage, and that was when I, you know, it's when the ladies.
Starting point is 00:26:39 The ladies came in. And it was a song like, it was a Ray Goodman Brown song. I don't know if you know this, but it was like, sometimes it sing like I just can't get close enough to you. Oh, boy. But I used to do the bass, get down, Billy Brown. Nice. Because I love you so much
Starting point is 00:27:05 Seems like I just Yeah The girls are I had to be boys Yeah This is better than football You know girl You had to have the moment
Starting point is 00:27:18 You know girl I walk down the halls And see your face Back up behind you It was the one day It was the dude named Gerald, though. He was the, you know, he was the light-skinned good-looking dude, and he sang the hot notes. Of course.
Starting point is 00:27:38 Right. Of course, you know, my little low voice moment was over pretty quickly. Because he come in. A little false note. He's like, got the hair. Girl. He's like, oh, my God, girl. You're like, oh.
Starting point is 00:27:56 I'll see why groups don't make it. Throwing your overalls in the dressing room. You mix it up. I didn't want into play with the overalls. But that's funny, though. I've been thinking about how all these old groups they never make it. There's so much jealousy.
Starting point is 00:28:14 Yeah, of course. The lead singer taking it all. It's so funny. Stop it, man. So where do you first end up doing stand-up? Was it in? St. Louis. It wasn't St. Louis?
Starting point is 00:28:26 Yeah, but I was working. I was working. Had went to college. And I was working at State Farm as a claims adjuster. And the original Jake, get down, baby. When I look at these young Jake's nowadays, I'm like, guys, I didn't have to really deal with it, man. Like, we had to deal with it back in the day. People have an accident.
Starting point is 00:28:51 They'd be like, how old were you? That was 20s, you know, like maybe 24, 25 is somewhere in there. that kind of first official job out of college. You know, I did, I graduated. I graduated and I actually got a job, but a CBS affiliate as a, this was the, when the, the early days of like Access Hollywood kind of news, like fun, you know, infotainment news, right?
Starting point is 00:29:21 So all of the affiliates were trying a person like that. Right. They would hire somebody. I actually got hired to do it for where I went to school, Cape Girado, Missouri, got hired at the CBS affiliate in June, who was supposed to start work in August. Dan Rather became the anchor. Right. I remember he sold the national anchor. He was getting $18 million a year.
Starting point is 00:29:53 And all of the affiliates had to contribute like 20 to 3.000. 30,000. And my little salary for, that was going to be like 19,000 starting, this affiliate gave that to Dad. And I never went to work. No. I saw Dan Rather, I ended up doing an event with him maybe, you know, years later. I told him that story.
Starting point is 00:30:19 He was like, that was the most money in the world. And at the time when I got it, it was. I remember somebody getting $18 million was ridiculous. That's crazy. So I wanted to be a newsman, but I never got to, so that job ended. I never got it. I ended up going to St. Louis, working for Best Buy. Shoot, I had a paper out.
Starting point is 00:30:41 I was doing that all. I sold fax machines. Jeez. And then landed at State Farm. So that was that. And at the time, are you thinking I could still be the entertainer? I can get out of here? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:55 Just like, I'm just going to just get, just work. Yeah. You just started, you know, you start to fall, pray, you know, it's a good corporate job. You got, you know, at that time, we got, we got company cars. We had a company credit card. We could use, we could do a lot of things in State Farm. Yeah. There was like a really good job.
Starting point is 00:31:12 And there was a great trajectory for management, you know, so. And again, I was using my charm. I wasn't a good claims adjuster, but I was, like, fun to be with. So, like, all the other guys that were, like, managers or supervisors. Yeah. When they try to pick somebody that, like, like, all. cool because they would go on these trips, these retreats every year, like four or five of them, right? And they were like, well, who you want? You want Bob or you want said? So, you know, so they'd move me up,
Starting point is 00:31:39 saying, we're going to make you a regional so you can go with us on the trips. You're like, I got fouls on my, it's people probably still in a rental car to this day. I was the worst. I was not doing my job. Just being friends with everybody. Yeah, I was like, hey, man, sure, bro. Like, people come in for prom. Hey, man, I'm kind of, I think I got to scratch. Catch on my car. Got it. We'll put you in a Cadillac for the weekend. Let's go.
Starting point is 00:32:06 You cannot spend our money like this. I was like, no, no, man. These people really need it, you know. So do you leave or do you get fired? No, I left. But I end up doing comedy, right? I got the job.
Starting point is 00:32:20 I got the job and maybe like a week later entered a comedy competition. and simultaneously did these jobs, like, until I found a way to break out. So was the competition you'd been doing it, or you just jumped into that? No, no, it was a guy, it was a guy, I always started, Percy Cruz. Percy Cruz, great comedian still working, still at there doing it. But he was like, he was a comedian, he was a friend of a friend. He would, we hang out, laugh together. He was like, man, you could do this.
Starting point is 00:32:57 If anybody can do this, you can do this. So he was like... He pushed you. Yeah, and he put... It was the big one. It was the Johnny Walker. Remember the Johnny Walker? If you won, you got to go on Carson.
Starting point is 00:33:09 Right. So you got to, you know, it was a national competition. Uh-huh. And it started out with like all... You first started out with all rookies and then professionals could get in on it. Like as it got higher up, right? Right. Because in order to, you had to win this big competition nationwide,
Starting point is 00:33:27 And then you would, if you want it, you got to go to Beyond Carson. Yeah. And so, you know, I won the first couple of rounds. He, he, man, in the first couple of rounds, it's not even like, it's like at a club or something. It's not even like real. Yeah. But it was at a, it was like at a small little comedy club. And I won the first time I did it.
Starting point is 00:33:46 Nice. I won 500 bucks. And then, you know, the little night draw. I was like, hey, man. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, because I had done plays and singing in. groups. I was not afraid to be on stage.
Starting point is 00:33:59 Right. And that guy helped me shape my set, like kind of helped me shape what I need to do. You only had to do five minutes. Yeah. I had like, you know, I had a fun little fun, little set I used to do. Nice. Do you remember what your big
Starting point is 00:34:15 joke was? Mm-hmm. I had a preacher going to McDonald's. I think that's what I used to close with. A black ordering a big mac Two old beef patties
Starting point is 00:34:33 Special songs A letter cheese Pickle of onions See I got a But I ain't through yet I got a coupon for some free fries Something like that That's great
Starting point is 00:34:48 The doors of the church are open That's great Just killed Yeah Yeah Yeah Were you dressing sharp for the the competitions?
Starting point is 00:34:58 Yeah, yeah. You wear right from the start. They had my little style. I had my little dressing style. Uh, you know. Always, you know, always, like, again, because again, that was how I was raised. Yeah. My mother always had, like, our clothes were the thing.
Starting point is 00:35:13 Yeah. I didn't add the hats, though. I started wearing, like, the, I started wearing the fedores in high school because there was some older group of guys, you know, it makes me think about those old movies, like when the 60s, when the kids were like, you know, they were the cool kids. It's like we had a group of guys that were, when we were freshmen, when they were seniors, they were all like super well-dressed dudes. Like, you know, and, you know, you come to find out, they were thrifters.
Starting point is 00:35:37 They would go to the thrifted. But they would have the cool sweaters on, hats, long coats. And we just, so me and my crew wanted to be like them. So, like, by the time I was a senior, that's just the way I dressed, shoes, hats, clothes, clothes, eyes. Like, that was just crazy. In school? In school, got to wear this nice sweater.
Starting point is 00:35:57 gotta have on some cool penny loafers. You gotta, like, start your jeans. Everything was about to drip. Yeah, amazing. We do a thing on this program called an uncomfortable moment. I feel like this is a good time to do it. It's already uncomfortable, just the fact that you announced it. Well, Teno.
Starting point is 00:36:20 I got weird. Well, look. Are you touching me under the table? What is going on? What is that I feel? Is that for Tise? Look, we've known each other. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:36:33 Somewhat, just in the comedy world. And I feel like we've always been friendly when we saw each other. So I don't want this to make anything weird. You know, we evolve as artists. Yeah. Right? You have some stuff that stays with you your whole career. And then you kind of, you know, grow.
Starting point is 00:36:51 Yeah. And I just wanted to kind of show you this. So if you see me out, In the clubs or whatever, you don't get, like, bump by it. I've been, you know, like, I'm losing my hair. Things are changing a little bit. And this is how I'm stepping out now. Oh.
Starting point is 00:37:09 Oh, I like the swagger. I like that, man. That should be you, man. Two chains, that, the cool glasses. Did anybody see this? You got nothing to do with you, said, Eric. No, that's not, that's not inspired by it. I already know.
Starting point is 00:37:25 That is your whole thing. It's completely your own thing. I'm looking at it going like, I could use that look. It looks so funny. I look like a totally different guy. I mean, you do like you're like the guy that's going to come to town and boardwalk empire instead of. You know, it's funny is I was telling Rachel before that I wear fadores all the time. I've never worn one on stage.
Starting point is 00:37:54 Oh, you're really? I wear him like in New York when I'm just walking around. But I love the look, but I never thought to bring it on stage. Yeah, I started doing it on stage, and now I noticed like everybody kind of rocks them. But it was something I did very early in my career, like wearing the hats on stage. And then, you know, of course you got to kind of like keep your cool because you get hot up there. Yeah. You know, you wear those felt fedoras.
Starting point is 00:38:20 Like, you can be sweaty. Yeah, yeah, exactly. but so I like but it all it became a part of my kind of like identity yeah so then I was like
Starting point is 00:38:31 okay cool yeah you were smart to do it I want to tell a quick little story of how lovable Cedric is I was on every once in a while
Starting point is 00:38:41 I get these comedy flights where you wake up and you're in some town and you wake up at early you catch that first flight back and it's just like oh man you know
Starting point is 00:38:52 you're usually just on your own returning home five o'clock at the airport and I got on the plane and it was a comedy flight it was like Mazjibrani walked on and then a couple other comedians came on I forget maybe saratiana was on and comedians would just like start to drip on and it was like and everybody who was there like early in the morning just the regular people were like oh hey I recognize you oh yeah oh I think I know that guy and it was like four or five comedians and everyone was just like, yeah, this is funny, we're all comic. And then you got on last.
Starting point is 00:39:29 And you walked on, you had a track suit on, you looked just color coordinated, head to toe. You walked on and it was, Cedric. The whole place was just not the comics and the regular people who are like, now it's a party. You're like, good morning, good morning, like the mayor got on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was completely like comedian, comedian, comedian. Yeah, no. I remember that.
Starting point is 00:39:55 It was some weird little, maybe out of Michigan or something where everybody had to like kind of you meet up and it's like, boom. Where are you coming from? Oh, I'll get this place. I did that. Yeah, exactly.
Starting point is 00:40:06 Whenever you leave Michigan, like, it's that one casino you can do that's like a hour away. And then you can go somewhere in Ohio, you got to come back to Michigan. Like everything's like. All these communities are trying to get home. Yeah. We're all like, yeah.
Starting point is 00:40:21 First thing smoking, too, baby. I'm out of here. Like, whatever it is. Too funny. Are you ticklish? Yeah. Yeah, to a fault, actually. It's so bad.
Starting point is 00:40:36 That's why I don't even say it out loud. Because, like, my cousins, my, I had an older cousin who used to tickle me too. I peed on myself. Like, that was their thing. And so I'd stop, like, even telling people I'm ticklish. And then my wife, she has this thing of, like finding my tickle spots. And she'll be like
Starting point is 00:40:55 doing something super loving and it'll be so sweet. And then I'll know where she'll just start tickling me. I'm like, babe. Come on, you ruined it. Now I'm jumpy. Now I'm like super jumpy. Yeah. It's funny. The older I get,
Starting point is 00:41:11 I'm not ticklish for everybody. But if like if my wife or if my daughters, they can get me. Yeah, that's kind of true. like now I'm not as tickles for everybody like like even getting the pedicure I used to be like
Starting point is 00:41:27 super jumpy on my feet now I don't think I just maybe it's the neuropathy I don't know I don't feel anything no no we're dead inside it's so long
Starting point is 00:41:41 I mean it's a thrill is gone maybe more sensitive shoes but I don't feel anything get in there to me I'll do your thing Do you have a superpower that we don't know about? Oh, let me see.
Starting point is 00:41:56 Yeah, probably the, yeah, I got the ability to charm, charm the socks off someone. Yeah, you're never in a jam. Yeah, I can always kind of like, check it into the hotel, the room's not ready. Oh, man. Is it? Hey, darling, come on. You know what we're going to do? you guys are going to take care of breakfast and then I'll just go and, you know, whatever you can do.
Starting point is 00:42:26 And if there's a chance to put me in the bigger room because of this. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? We should. We will upgrade you. You're so fun. You're so cute.
Starting point is 00:42:39 Go ahead, stay at Mr. Marriott's room at the Marriott. I love it. It's complete history, comedy history. but I have to admit, I'm not sure exactly how it was all put together with the Kings of Comedy. I'm sorry to ask you a question you probably answered a thousand times,
Starting point is 00:42:59 but as much as I was, I was, what year was that, 95? Well, we started 98. We didn't shoot the movie to 2000. Oh, really? It was that late. Yeah, it was, wow. Yeah, like so.
Starting point is 00:43:14 So how do you, who did you know and who didn't you get introduced? to. So I knew all the guys. So we'd all kind of like performed with each other different spaces. And the guy Walter Latham was this promoter. And he would do all of us individually at the times. Got it.
Starting point is 00:43:33 So D.L. and I, we had hosted this show Comic View for BET. Yeah. He was the, Dio was the first host two years. Then I came in. I hosted maybe one year or two years. I think I hosted two years, too. and then the guy, so he would take Steve out, and then he did Bernie separately,
Starting point is 00:43:55 and then he put, then he did me and DL together one year, like as this, the host of Comic View. We were together, we would go and we do, you know, really nice theaters, big rooms, you know, four, six thousand seats.
Starting point is 00:44:09 So that was great. And then he did Bernie and Steve in, together in Dallas, like in a big, like a 10,000-seater or 8,000 seat or something where he wanted to see if the idea worked. And then he put it together. And then he called us all.
Starting point is 00:44:26 And then he called, well, the first one was just me, Bernie and, me, Bernie and Steve with Guy Torrey as the host MC. Ah, right. The idea wasn't on the first, he wasn't on the first run. And we did arenas. So it was just him kind of really experimenting with this idea of like having like kind of all your favorites
Starting point is 00:44:47 there at one night. Yeah. And then Steve and I were doing the Steve Harvey show. So we had like a TV show. Right. And he had the Kings out there and it was just kind of working. Bernie was like, he was just a, he was just a rocket on his own at that time. He was just like a guy you couldn't even go down.
Starting point is 00:45:07 He was like actually doing his own shows. And then he didn't want to work that hard. He had just did like a big tour. And he's like, oh, this is great. Because I can do like a 30 minute set and just. kind of chilled and rewriting, but it was still big. And he was blowing up at the time without any television really. It was just stand up.
Starting point is 00:45:26 Yeah, he had always, one of me, I call it the most famous eight minutes of comedy. Yeah. Was the on Dev Jam when he did the, I ain't scared of you. I ain't scared of you. Oh my God. And he just blew up. And so he was like the man. That was insane.
Starting point is 00:45:42 That was so powerful. To this day, I could watch that. If you told me I had to watch that. every day, I'd be so happy. It was just amazing, especially when you get the lead of the people who were suffering before him. Oh, yes. When the people were bombing before. It was funny.
Starting point is 00:45:57 I always tell this cool story because I'd actually had lunch with him. Maybe it was the day before. And it was my first time doing death to come down. And I was scared to death. And I had lunch with him. And, you know, we're in New York. And I'd love to say this because when they say lunch with him, people think it's Cypriani. Or we're at, you know, we were at Sabaro.
Starting point is 00:46:17 And so, you know, the slice. Kids. Yeah. But he, but he basically was saying, he was telling me, like, man, you can't let them intimidate you. He said, I felt the same way when I came up here, that first time New York crowd did what it was. And I'm going to let them know, I ain't scared them. You know, I'm going to let them know. And it was like, like, wasn't supposed to be this kind of running catchphrase.
Starting point is 00:46:43 It just caught. Like, he really just was going to say it that one time. Like, I ain't scared of y'all. Like, you know, and then he was ready to do his jokes, but the way it worked. It's like, I ain't scared. You kick it. Yeah. Cut.
Starting point is 00:46:59 Oh, heaven's struck. Oh. Oh, lo. Oh, my God. What a moment. Yeah, but that's classic then. Yeah. He was powerful.
Starting point is 00:47:12 Yeah. And then he was like that on tour. So, you know, like on tour, he always had all. He's catchphrase. He was like, y'all, Deso, he was like, I like to be in the hammock. And he's like, what's the hammock? He's like, you go first? Because, you know, and Steve was headlining the first tour.
Starting point is 00:47:27 So he's like, I'm in the hammock. Y'all, you're two big comedians holding me up. Like, no, you're Bernie Mac. He's like, I'm in the hammock. That was the beauty of that, though. The balance of all of you all was so great. Everyone had their own thing. It wasn't, yeah.
Starting point is 00:47:44 Did he go get involved or no? At the end. It was always kind of at the end. It was like we toured three years, three, four years. And about after we shot the movie, after we shot the movie right around that time, you know, that's when the money had started getting outrageous. The tour was really crazy.
Starting point is 00:48:04 We were like selling multiple shows. Like we would come in, we did like maybe four United Centers. Like the United Center, like four times a row, the MCI Center three times. you're coming in and we're like, so it's just like crazy, you know,
Starting point is 00:48:20 and we're all like, you know, and so the ego started coming to play, you know, never for me, but, you know, but the,
Starting point is 00:48:28 you know, guys would, you know, and Steve always close it? He needed, no, he switched on the second year because he closed the first year
Starting point is 00:48:35 and in the second year he went to MC, which was great. That was, you know, like he does with all the TV shows. Yeah, his hosting ability is,
Starting point is 00:48:43 you know, yeah. Even when he had his own club in Dallas, you know, he would really be a great host. Yeah. And so, you know, so, so, so, but I think the ego had him go last at first, that first run.
Starting point is 00:48:56 Right. You know, he was like, you know, I got the Steve Harvey show. I got my special. I got to go last. All right, bro. Yeah. And at that time, so now I went first. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:06 And then Bernie went in the middle, and then, but guy would come out and warm up the stage, do a set. And so I didn't, I didn't go out to like an empty crowd because it was an arena, you know, So, but guy would, you know, do his thing. And then when I come out, that was the beginning of the show. Yeah. But I remember, I was like that young, hot fire. I also, when they started doing an intermission after my set, I was the first one,
Starting point is 00:49:29 and they would literally do an intermission after me. Oh, really? After how long, how long a set? 30 minutes set. I was on fire. I used to, I used to come out and just throw bombs like, phew, it was like, yo! We need a break.
Starting point is 00:49:44 Like, yo, my man, you wow. with it like I was like on one back in the days. Man, oh man. That's good. So in four years total? Yep. So like one year after the movie? Yeah, we did like one like half.
Starting point is 00:49:59 And then you're all too big. You got to go off and do your own thing. Well, you know, we couldn't, we couldn't keep it together. Yeah. Bernie got a show. Bernie got a show. Milk and cookies became a show. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:08 Yeah. Ler cookies. Milling cookies. Looking at me like, I'm shocked. I don't know what that's a look. Yeah, yeah Look at me like I'm short Look at me like I'm short
Starting point is 00:50:24 Well, bucks are moves Oh my God, killers Just killers So politically incorrect Like the rest of that joke Like you could never do that joke Yeah, yeah And we were talking about that the other day
Starting point is 00:50:40 Like what would Bernie Mac be doing right now Like the world's so sensitive And he's like I know He would adjust. He'd find his way around. Yeah, he adjust for sure. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:52 But still, it would still be right on that edge somewhere in there. Yeah. You need somebody to be out there like, yo. Was that his passing a shock to you? Did you know that he was fighting anything? No, no, no. Because I had to talk to him a couple of times. We'd stayed in touch.
Starting point is 00:51:10 And matter of fact, we were actually trying to figure out how to do another run. Oh, yeah. Everybody had kind of cooled off. It was a few years later before. And so we were all trying to figure out like, you know, and that's when I knew he had some kind of illness because he couldn't fly. And it was like, all right, cool.
Starting point is 00:51:29 So we were like touring it up where we had the tour buses out, do a run, let him go home. It was cool. Right, yeah, yeah. Because it was a breathing thing. It was something to do with his lungs. Yeah. So, yeah.
Starting point is 00:51:42 Jeez. So it's so sad. He's a young dude and good dude. I know. Oh, he was just. Yeah, he was just really, he had his, like, his first film. Yeah. And anybody, yeah, you end up doing like the, yeah, yeah, he had, you know,
Starting point is 00:51:54 he was able to get some really good movies in, too, like the baseball movie and the movie. They just, on Instagram was fun with him and Sam Jackson as the soul singers. Oh, yeah. It's a small film, but if you go back and see it, it's so many wonderful jokes in there. Yeah. Of course, the Oceans movie where, you know, he finally got, you know, put on, like, with the big boys, the big budgets, you know. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:19 I remember seeing him in an interview talking about how he can act. He's like, you don't know what I know. I can do this. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, he kills it. Yeah. Man, oh, man. What a loss.
Starting point is 00:52:31 He was so great. No, we had a good one. We had a funny movie, too, that I'd sold the Universal with all of us again. Oh, yeah. We never could get it made, though. But it was like they had bought it. We were so close to doing it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:44 Oh, man. What a good run. What's it like being one of the only comedians and actors to have a long-running sitcom on network television right now? Amen. I mean, it was always a small target. Yeah. But it got so much smaller. So much smaller.
Starting point is 00:53:04 And how many seasons now? Hey, we're going into season eight right now, rare, super rare. Neighborhood. So crazy. And it's one of those things. What a blessing. You're super blessing. You don't take it for granted.
Starting point is 00:53:16 I've had like some fun runs. Like we did Steve Harvey for five, five seasons. And then I had another show The Soulman on TV land that I did for five seasons. Oh, yeah, I remember that. It was cable. So you had shorter seasons. I think I might have auditioned for some part. Yeah, like the Soapen was funny.
Starting point is 00:53:35 Do you remember my tape? Do you remember? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah, maybe you came in. Yeah, I was a former, I was a former R&B singer that became. a preacher but I was known for super sexual songs. Like so my fame on the other side was like these super sexy songs.
Starting point is 00:53:57 It all came from a joke of me one time and this is kind of so apropos. But I used to do a joke about R. Kelly getting saved. And then I was like, what if he got saved? And like you got all these songs. What are you supposed to do with all these songs? The preacher is singing. So then we built the show all of it. of that, and that ran for five in the neighborhood.
Starting point is 00:54:20 But I had a favorite, man. I had a sketch show on Fox that only got one season. It was called Sid Entertainment Presents, and I had like J.B. Smooth. This is one. Louis C.K. was a writer on there. Oh, yeah? And it was J.B. Smooth. It was Sean Magunder, Wendy Rakel Robinson.
Starting point is 00:54:41 It was a fun little cast. Right. In one season, 22 episodes, but it was one. one of my favorites. We had a lot of fun. Wow. Yeah, I don't remember. Was it, did you like that format better?
Starting point is 00:54:52 Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, like, it kind of fits more like with stand-up because you just get to do a number of different things. Like I had a character where it was a chef reverend where I was a reverend but a chef and I would do meals. And then we had the choir to me, follow the recipe. Lay down your foolish pride and follow the recipe. And I'll be like, today we are a warm. making water, walk on water crest salad. I would have all these different things.
Starting point is 00:55:24 It was like, Chef Reve it. I had a lot of characters on there. Yeah. That was fun to play, man. So what's your touring like now? Do you go out? Or are you... Yeah.
Starting point is 00:55:36 I'm going to go out this weekend. I'll pop, I'll do a lot of kind of like spot dates here and there. I've never really kind of set it up super formal. Yeah. With the TV show, like, you know, I like to go out on the weekends just to stay active, but not every weekend. Yeah. So I started to really love the casino formats because you can get the money that you want. You can stay active and the shows are still, like, professional.
Starting point is 00:56:03 Like, I'm not working. Now, every now and then I'll do a club, you know, where I'll go. Like this coming weekend, it's a club in Birmingham. Oh, yeah. The Star Dome, I'm going to be there. I'm going to do. Legendary. Yeah, and so I'll do four shows, you know, two Friday, two Saturday.
Starting point is 00:56:20 Matter of fact, they added a show for Saturday night, which was... Oh, like a young man. Like a young, I was like, whoa. Easy. Yeah. Is it starting at four? It is. It's a bad name, man.
Starting point is 00:56:30 I was like, I'd never done this before. They're doing them a lot now. They're doing it down, like a four o'clock show on a Saturday. I was like, whoa. People don't like being out so late anymore. I guess not. It's weird. So I was like, that seems like a weird time to start comedy.
Starting point is 00:56:43 I don't know what. I don't know what I'm going to be talking about at 4 o'clock, man. Yeah. I know, exactly. You're wearing sunglasses to the show. Yeah, exactly. I don't know what you're doing right now. Like, I'm trying to get down before the game.
Starting point is 00:56:58 Come on. What are we doing? Why are you here? There's always that weird feeling when you're looking at the audience. Like, what's wrong with you? Yeah, seven-thirty dinner reservations? Like, what's happening right now? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:10 What was your, what was your, when you were touring a lot? what kind of a comic were you on the road were you disciplined guy were you a uh stay up late guy where yeah no i like c b yeah i like the party man i you know and i would have my you know a lot of my my high my my my my crew was my was my st louis guys so you know i got my good friends with me and you know we're out this rock you know especially after the kings of comedy like the first kings of comedy i wouldn't i wasn't married then that was rock and roll That was like rock star. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:46 I was Keith Richard. You know what I'm like, fucking. Walk where you throw me in the room, man. Yeah, I got a cigarette in my mouth. I'm going to. Yeah. I'm a king. What's going on?
Starting point is 00:58:05 It's so good. The internet wasn't out there. Jesus Christ. Yeah. All anonymous. Yeah. All right. Everything was.
Starting point is 00:58:14 is off the record. Yeah, off the record, baby. Like, it's not, but now, but then, but then, you know, like, even, but now it's still like, you know, I like to kind of, like, go. I like to get into the city, you know, early, you know, like,
Starting point is 00:58:28 usually either the night before or the day of, I'd only really like to land to do a show. Yeah. So I work really hard to get in. If it's not, I'm going to go on a red eye land very early where I can be in my room, relax, chill. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:58:40 Kind of catch the vibe of the city a little bit. Mm-hmm. See if I can. and write a couple of things. Of course, work on the sets that you're doing, but then see if you can write some stuff for the day and try it. Yeah. And that's kind of my move.
Starting point is 00:58:54 Like, you know, I'll take a couple of young guys with me sometimes. Yeah. You know, like the punch. But it also gives them, you know, opportunity to work because they'll, you know, they get to, you know, go up and host the show. That's good. So that's kind of. When's the last special you did?
Starting point is 00:59:11 2016. 2016. 2016. E. Do you have another one in you? Do you have, like, a set that you feel like should be recorded? I should have, yeah, I had a set probably that's already, probably already met its, it's shelf life in the way.
Starting point is 00:59:26 It's due date, yeah. That much should have shot it, you know, that's what I was thinking about that, man, I had some stuff. So I was thinking about doing one last year and then, you know, it was the election and there was like, yeah, like stay away from there completely. Yeah. And so I'm actually really considering trying to maybe do one at the end of this year maybe. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:59:49 Yeah. Just kind of like, again, I got that material and I got some new stuff. And it's like, let's just kind of get it out of here. Exactly. That's the thing. It's like, yeah. So whatever. Even just for the, just to have it down.
Starting point is 01:00:00 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You have your fans have like this era. Some little piece, right, yeah. Yeah. Because it's interesting that nobody, you know, right now, because they don't mean as much whatever I feel like to, Not that what you say
Starting point is 01:00:15 It probably makes it most sense. You do it for your fans that love you and they can have a piece of this era because it used to be this thing where you used to special to kind of like enhance your who you are and you know what it is. But now.
Starting point is 01:00:30 Well, yeah, you can't be bigger. That's the problem. Yeah, that's like people just they got them and they come and go and you're like, man, I had all these great jokes and now I can't do them again like or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is weird.
Starting point is 01:00:42 I think that's just us. us though. Like comedians, we, I did a special. I can't do that joke ever again. I know. This is such, this is the ongoing debate. And then you run into, you know, you run into fans after the show and they're like, you didn't do the bit? Yeah. What have? I love the bus bit. Why don't you do the bus bit? And you're like, well, it was in my special. They're like, they just go blank. Right. Yeah, but we love you and we love the bus pit. And then, you know, and then you got to think, like in any, you know, especially now with streaming, people don't watch TV by appointment. So you'll have probably 70% of the audience never even heard of us big,
Starting point is 01:01:17 even until you have your fans that come. No kidding. But in a live show, you can almost bet that the majority of the people haven't heard the joke that you think is so big. That's right, exactly. Because, like, it's so many people out there. Like, people just don't watch TV, like, by appointment the way we used to, where you kind of knew, like, everybody knows pretty much the same thing at the same time. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:01:37 When Michael Jackson Moon walked, we all saw it. Right, you know, all at once. Yeah. So, you know, but, but you're in, but music is like that. Like bands, you, you only want to hear the old songs. I know. Comics, give me the new jokes. Yeah, give me new.
Starting point is 01:01:55 And there is something to that. There's, like, you know, give me the fresh and it's a surprise. But I know, just from watching my favorite comics. Yeah. I love when I see a bit that I, you're like, yeah. Yeah, you know. Yeah, you know. I want to see it set up and I want to fill it.
Starting point is 01:02:10 Yeah, exactly. When you're on vacation, do you like the, do you like to sit on the beach by the pool on a lounge chair, or are you an active guy running around getting paddleboards? No, no, no, no, no, no. I am, yeah, I'm more like in the shade on a lounge chair. Like, chilling, cool, looking out. I want the super luxurious life on vacation. I'm not a, you know. No activities.
Starting point is 01:02:43 Yeah, I will get in the pool. I will like, you know, I'll do one light hike, you know. Yeah, I'll do, if we're in somewhere really picturesque and beautiful, like I might try something. Yeah. You know, but I'm not, you know, I'm not a big, but I do like the, like, I do like the, you know, the forerunners and like, you get a jet ski. I don't just get a little bit. I'm not a big water man. You know.
Starting point is 01:03:07 Me neither. I don't, I don't trust the ocean. man. I was down in Turks and Kekos one time, and I was in the ocean. It was night and some people, like, we're all hanging out. They was like, come on, let's go get in the ocean. I'm like, I ain't cool. I'm like, and something nibbled at my foot like, man, in the middle of the night.
Starting point is 01:03:24 That was, I'm like, I'm good. I'm out. I'm good. I'm cool. Do you have any recurring dreams? No, not anymore, man. No, no. I remember younger.
Starting point is 01:03:39 I used to have this kind of a recurring dream where I was a famous singer and I would be on stage and I can just always see me like reaching down and you know and I either believe like somebody pulled me off the stage or I fell off the stage but every time I would wake up like right on.
Starting point is 01:04:00 But I would do the same thing all the time like in the front, go down and sit down and I reach out. And this is before you? Yeah, well I was still, I was like famous I was like coming up but this was like a dream that used to happen a lot I don't know. You like being famous? I'm not I'm not mad at it.
Starting point is 01:04:17 You know what I mean? It doesn't bother me man like you know I mean you're out and it is a lot of photographs and kind of like giving yourself to the public but I'm good with it. Yeah. Yeah I don't walk around like with bodyguards and stuff like that. Yeah yeah. Unless I'm at an event
Starting point is 01:04:35 like if I'm doing like a big event and you know you need crowd management whatever, but in general, like, you catch me at the airport, dog, you know, come up, say hello, I'm not. That's good. What is an 80-year-old version of Cedric the Entertainer going to be like? Oh, wow. I got a, was it, is it a chateau? Is it, am I on Lake Cuomo?
Starting point is 01:04:57 Oh, yeah? Yeah, I think I'm like, got a nice villa. espresso. Yeah, I'm sitting out cool. I got a sweater. I got a sweater on the shoulder. He's got a big dog. I got a big Newfoundland or something.
Starting point is 01:05:08 that's nice. Just relax. Hey, Ollie. You know, Ali, come here. You know, it's like big.
Starting point is 01:05:17 Big, talking of Rallax, wife's there, kids and grandkids. I'm not chilling, man. It's good. Got some fine habadashry on and living.
Starting point is 01:05:27 How many AC barbecues are around at that point? Are you like McDonald's at that point? Yeah, we're crazy with it. Like, about that time, by 80, you know,
Starting point is 01:05:35 it's like AC barbecues all over the world, you know. You know, it's like these people are like, oh, man, is this, you know, yeah, we're just doing it. Space sauce. Yeah. Yeah, are you on the moon? I know. I went to your, I went to your, we just came back.
Starting point is 01:05:54 You were just, Saturday, and I saw your Azee barbecue. Yeah. We had it on the space station. You were just there. It was so good. Like, I was like, thank you. We do the freeze-dride one. Final question.
Starting point is 01:06:07 It's your birthday? and you get to choose what meal you're going to have. It could be in the house. It could be out of the house. What is, what do you like? Wow. I'm like, man, so this is my birthday. So I kind of, you know, I love pizza.
Starting point is 01:06:27 So I'll probably have a pizza come in. And then I like my wife's cooking. I let my wife like maybe make some, like, some cool. Like she'll do these like salmon nuggets with grits and some green collard greens or something. I love cornbread. I'll just probably have a bunch of stuff that didn't go together. Like, you know, like some crispy bacon, you know, brisket. I'll have a little brisket, you know, smack and cheese, you know.
Starting point is 01:07:01 Nice. Brussels sprouts? Ooh. Not so much. You know what? I get my big, my big thing now is charred broccoli. I like a charred. Oh, yeah?
Starting point is 01:07:14 A little, you know, a little burnt tins on it. Yeah. A little oil, just a little bit oil on it once it is. Maybe a little chili flake and a little garlic. A little crunch. What are you going to do with my bread? Oh, this is going to be, you know what? I'm going to slice that up.
Starting point is 01:07:32 I'm going to grill it. Probably like kind of like grill it. Maybe put some eggs on it. You know, like that's going to be a little, an open face. Nice. A little toast. Yeah, a little toast out. Oh, man, that's great.
Starting point is 01:07:47 We had someone on recently who was very skinny and hated to even give them bread. Could they even eat bread? I doubt it. Some people say, oh, thank you so much. It's probably in the trash on the way out. I haven't had a bread since. Oh, I don't eat that. Is that bread?
Starting point is 01:08:07 You know it's no good. gluten it's sourdough. Oh, well, maybe, you know, but there's a crust on there. Like, you can't eat anything like that. The worst. Thank you for doing this. It was nice spending some time with you. I'm glad to do it, brother.
Starting point is 01:08:23 You're always good, you know, always good seeing you. Yeah, likewise. I was good dude, man. Yeah. I would love, I'm not your manager, but I think a Cedric special would be nice for the public. All right. I like that. That's encouraging.
Starting point is 01:08:37 Because I was thinking about it And I was like, you know, I'm going to put it together And I just told my team I was like, man, guys, start bringing me I need to record myself now because I'm just going to be trying stuff And yeah, exactly. I got some dates kind of lined up.
Starting point is 01:08:51 I'm going to take a break though. I'm going to go and like kind of take one of those. I never really don't know. It was like kind of help mental things where you just step away and try to put the phone down. That'll last a couple days. Yeah, I'll just going to reset. I see you doing it for like a week.
Starting point is 01:09:07 Yeah, I'm going to do a total full reset, man. And of course you come out on the other side completely, you get crazy wired. Right, exactly. Book me some dates. I got to get out of here. Whenever I slow down, I always got to go. Yeah. Whenever it's, because in your mind, it sounds so good.
Starting point is 01:09:28 Yeah, I know. But once, like, you slow down, I just cannot, I am not, jazz my, you know, I probably, I cannot stay at home. No, I know. I know. She'll be like, she'll suggest, you know, you've got these offers and we don't think you need to do it. But, you know, I'm like, no, that's my man. Everybody my guy. Like, oh, that's my dude.
Starting point is 01:09:51 I'm doing that. Well, that's the thing. Comedy is the most fun you can have. No, for sure. It's the most fun. And you can take time off to go in the lounge chair and you do all this other stuff. And it's like, it's not as much fun at the end of getting off stage. And even when you like vacation, you know, you're like, all right, cool, like two days or like kind of like chilling.
Starting point is 01:10:13 Yeah. Doing it. You're like, all right. All right. That was fun. That was good. Let's go. Let's go out there, man.
Starting point is 01:10:19 Let's find me a crowd somewhere. Exactly. Is there an open mic somewhere? Let's pretty have all these people, gather them around. Well, thank you. Cedric. This is great. Big up, man.
Starting point is 01:10:30 All right. We got it, kids. I hollo.

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