Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Arnez J. Part 2

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

In Part 2, Arnez shares even more unbelievable stories—from reacting to a bomb threat mid-flight to pushing an old woman during the chaos. He describes doing comedy routines over the plane intercom and how a passenger pushed him to pursue stand-up. He recalls his first open mic at Comedy Works, meeting Robert Townsend, and drawing early inspiration from Flip Wilson, Robin Williams, and Jim Carrey.He details his rise in comedy alongside legends like Martin Lawrence, Tommy Davidson, Bernie Mac, and Cedric the Entertainer. From wearing roller skates on Def Comedy Jam to out-skating Usher, Arnez reflects on the originality that’s kept him in the game—and the gatekeeping that’s kept him out of things like Netflix’s Def Comedy reunion.Arnez talks about auditioning for Showtime Allstars after just four months in comedy—beating 500 comedians but being edited out of the special. He shares what people get wrong about Mo’Nique, why he holds deep respect for Katt Williams, and why he avoids airing out dirty laundry.He opens up about his traumatic childhood: being shot by his father during a PTSD episode, his troubled relationship with his mother, and the moment a police officer assaulted him for skating backwards—an event that ended his baseball dreams and put the officer in a coma. He also talks about how martial arts, fatherhood, and comedy helped him heal.This raw conversation is packed with unforgettable stories, powerful moments, and nonstop laughs. Arnez J doesn’t hold back as he shares the heartbreak, hilarity, and healing that have shaped his one-of-a-kind journey. Tap in—you won’t want to miss a second.#volumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hi, I'm Sarah Spain, host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and the co-author of the new book Runs in the Family, an incredible true story of football, fatherhood and belonging written with and about Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach Dylan McCullough. It's the story of a football coach and father of four who sees his life forever changed by the unsealing of his adoption records. And it's got a twist you won't believe. Based on the viral ESPN story I did a few years ago, this book will blow your mind and bring you to tears.

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podcasts. You mentioned early on you were a flight attendant. How did you become a flight attendant? You needed money that bad, Jake? First of all, you ain't going to try to say that flight attendant didn't pay. I say that, yeah. I got paid. Yes. I got paid. I was I'm saying. I got paid. Yes!

I got paid. I was stealing headset money. I got paid. Oh Lord, that person. So you had pulled them out of business. I had a whole flight crew, all of us, called Nestle. We had one white girl, we called her Nestle's White Chocolate.

We had an all black crew. All that headset money. Liquor money. Yeah, that's why they make you pay with credit card now. Ain't no more cash. People's Express, people's Express so stupid, they were having people pay when they got on the plane. Cash!

And they had a little credit card machine, but they were paying cash! Getting on the plane, that's why they went out of business. They open on Monday with closed on Friday. But we had, you know, we've all done things, man, back in our day. It's just that people, when you get to a point in your life, man, where you can talk about everything,

you can talk. I'm not trying to hurt nobody. I'm trying to have an open, honest, deep conversation. Doesn't have to be deep, but it can be. As a flight attendant, what's proper etiquette? Okay, in the middle seat, who gets the arm rest? Oh. Ha ha ha ha.

Cause I ain't off the island of Pepe. That's a good question. I'm in the middle, I'm getting the arm rest because you already got me sitting woman. Okay, I'm already sitting woman. My legs is already in like this and my feet is out. You think I ain't gonna spread these wings right here? And then look at you funny, what you looking at?

What you looking at? And then if there's somebody beside you making moves, shut up. No, these arms right here, no. The one in the middle's gonna get that arm rest. Because it's not, this ain't cool. Well, I read the stat. They said, I think it's like 60% of the people

won't recline their chair out of respect for the person that's behind them. Who said that? I read a stat that says 60%. No, you couldn't read a stat. Yeah, it says 60%. That was in Toys R Us when you read that? No, no, no, no. Was that in the Dollar Tree store?

Yeah. Because you do be reading. Yeah, I do. And that's a complete fabrication. It is? That's a lot. Everybody lay it down. That's a lot, yeah.

I would say 90%. I mean, I go, I lay down, I mean, I look back and like make sure I, you know, I'll just. Of course, you don't do that, but there's a lot of people that do that. This lady today did her thing all the way back like this and went like this again. I hit the front. Come on.

I did. I hit the front of it. I hit the front of it to let her know I'm back here. I hit the front of her to let her know I'm back here. So let me ask you, were you in the main cabin or you in first? Because I've talked to flight attendants and they say they like to make- I was in the, as a flight attendant?

Yes. I was always a first class flight attendant. They say they like being in the main cabin because the people in first sometimes are a little bit demanding and they just keep ringing the call. Can I have this? Can I get that? Can I get this? Can I get that? Okay, first of all, nowadays everybody's lazy.

You have to realize when I flew, I flew what was called the A300 Airbus. Seats 272. The Garuda seats 262, I think. Mine seated 272. Okay. You had a first class of 24. Right. 24 now, one, two, and three. Right.

Then you had a pub, like 747th? Yeah. There was a pub right there. I either did the pub or did first class. Right. Then you got the coach. there's six bathrooms back there. Yeah, because the main cabin we don't want to get anybody The what main cabin coach? We changing words again, okay main cabin, yeah So anyway, I had a passenger one time.

I was doing the first class service. Back when I was first class, it was first class. You served Chateaubriand. Yeah. Egg Benedict, you did the liqueur tray. Yeah. It was nice hot food. And the Grand Mare, dessert trays with thequer tray. Yeah. It was nice hot food. And the Grand Mare, dessert trays with the ice cream.

Yeah, yes, yes. A complete service. I went on flight to Canada the year like three times. I was that good. Hot ass, plus I can cook. You uncook it on the plane, the food is already cooked, you put it in the oven. I made it look like it was cooked.

You do realize you just put it in the oven, Jay. I made it look like, no, that's bull crap. You don't just put the, some stuff, you gotta put it, it's gonna come out dry, make sure the food wasn't dry. Or you put a little water on it, huh? Put a little water, if I have to, spice it up a little bit, I was into that.

Let me tell you something. First class man and their child was running around. I told him, I said, sir, I'm getting ready to do a service. I'm gonna need you to have your children sit down. Old Jewish guy, wasn't old, but I'm saying Jewish guy. He went just like this, put his finger right here in my nose, because I bent down like that. He said, you're just a servant.

Oh Lord. How many days did you get suspended? Hey, uh. Let's put it this way, I had to put out some applications. They made an emergency landing. Huh? They made an emergency landing. You fired on him?

I knocked him out. One hitter quitter. Jay! One hitter quitter. How many it is? Oh Lord have mercy. You was in the wrong, you was in the wrong. One hitter quitter.

You know good well UKB. The passenger's always right Jay. Yeah, he was right. Right up. I knocked him out. They made an emergency landing. You get arrested? No.

The paramedics came on, but they were gonna arrest him. I got pulled off of the flight. I got suspended. I was gone for 30 days. Yeah, I figured, I know you had it. 30 days. Yeah, yeah, I figured that. Why your voice high?

I figured that. I was gone for 30 days. Damn. Then when I finally got fired, you know why I got fired? Cause I was sick, had the flu. You sure you ain't got that thing? You sniffing and stuff a lot, but it's my side Already I'm good. I got I got another show tonight. Is this one open? You know, that's for you. Can I but no it is

speaking of that Boy my stuff I got you. Yeah, I'm sure to you. Yeah, we were doing okay Wait, well, let me finish. I'm gonna tell you I have to show it to you. Yeah, we'll do it. Okay. Wait, but let me finish this. I'm gonna tell the rest of the story. The reason I got fired. Yes. I got extremely sick.

We were going from Newark, New Jersey, excuse me, from Denver, Colorado to Newark, New Jersey. We held at the gate for four hours because it was snowing. And they wouldn't release us. We went out on a tar mat, they got ready for the runway, thought we was going to take off, they brought us back in. I was already sick. I told the captain, I had the flu, I took a whole thing of Nyquil. He said, well, just sit on the jump seat and just relax. I fell asleep on the jump seat. Automatic termination. When they went to

him to ask him, he said he ain't know nothing about it. But his girlfriend was the lead flight attendant that I didn't like Why am I not surprised and I got and they fired me then about Four or five months later No six months later. I get a letter From them stating that they want to reinstate me. You know what I did? I put my butt and my balls up on a Xerox machine.

This man out in my head. Took a picture of it. Yeah. Had to have that snake up top though. But... Took a picture and then mailed it to him and just put kiss my. Jay, you could have went back out of the job. You could have got benefits.

You think I wanted to go back after that? You fight, the flight attendant fighting on the plane. Normally the flight attendant. I the plane normally the flight flight I'm not the poker I'm not the poker me and projects are Miami, Florida I know you can take me out you can take me out of the project you can't take the project out of me But you don't like to have a bomb threat called in to oh that You know how we do it Man

They called us said there's a bomb. Okay, first, we doing the service. I'm the lead flight attendant. The captain comes up, makes an announcement. Can I have all flight attendants to the mid-galley? All flight attendants to the mid-galley, please. We go to the mid-galley, he said, oh, Arnaz, I need you to kinda make sure nobody comes up here.

And I'm like, I'm the lead. But it's an all-white crew. I know why they didn't deal with me. So he called him into the cockpit. But not you. Are you the lead, though? I'm the lead. I'm supposed to get the information.

Yeah, yeah. I'm sitting out. All of a sudden, one of the flight attendants comes out, has a blank look on her face, to blank. I'm like, what? I'm like, what? I'm like, we just don't say Becky. Becky, what's wrong? And it's just, the cabin just said,

we just need to do our service. I was like, you can't do that for the black people. I'm like, okay, but what's wrong? She goes, it's cool and everything. I wanted to say bitch. I said, when we do this, that really made the headaches start to come up. I said, okay, just tell me what's going on.

Just tell me what's happening. Finally came out and told me, there's a bomb threat, do we have a bomb in the plan? Please tell me you don't get on the microphone. This man done, Jay, listen, Jay, time out. That's why they let you in. I didn't get on the microphone like that, but I thought I said,

I should have took this God damn flight. I knew it, I knew this bull, I know it's gonna happen. I knew it. So couple of patches came I'm saying hey Tell me what's going on and then couple of them just kept coming up. Hey, can't tell what's going on. I got on the mic then Listen We have a situation. We don't know what's going on yet. So I don't need you to come up here and ask me, but I was saying it with authority, I don't need you to ask me what's going on. Well, at least you didn't say bomb, it scared everybody.

No, they might have arrested me if I said that. So when we landed in Denver, we get in Denver, Colorado, they took our plane all the way out to the field by itself so we could blow up by ourselves. Yo. The fire trucks would even come. The fire trucks would not even come.

They were there, but they wouldn't get near us. Right. They let down all the slides. I'm supposed to, you're supposed to be last. No, I'm supposed to, you're supposed to be last. No, I'm supposed to be at the front door now. Yeah. The front door, that's where the lead goes.

Yeah. And we're supposed to say, these X's are blocked, we need everybody to come this way. In or out, in or out. Right. The captain says, Arneth, I need you to go to the back

and make sure that everything, I said, wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, this need you to go to the back and make sure that everything, I said, wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. I'm the lead. Arneth, I need you to go back, in case anything happen. You know, you're supposed to be last on our plane. That's what he said.

That's why when you said that, it triggered me. I didn't have that manual, but in my brain, I'm gonna, yeah, tell me where it says, on this J, supposed to be the last one off the plane. Yeah. So I go to the back, I follow directions. They had two of the other flight attendants up front. This lady with a walker,

this why I said I don't like stealing. This lady with a walker, this lady with a walker, pulled down the walker, I mean, somebody else got the walker. First of all, there's one lady trying to reach and get her purse, I said, ma'am, come on, come on. Wait, I'm trying to get my purse. I said, if you don't bring your ass on, that's exactly how I said it, move.

That's not what I said. Yeah, that was the worst. But we're in a panic moment. Yeah. Then there's somebody that helped this lady get a walker down. So I'm behind the lady. You know, I'm antsy.

Yeah. Play, come on, you need to walk around. I'm like, ma'am, come on ma'am, please, please walk. Ma'am, you okay? Yeah, don't turn around, just keep walking. Finally, I just kinda nudged her like that, and the walker kinda slipped and she fell over. I did this on, I didn't do this,

but I said, you done lived your life, let me live mine. But I got her off, we got off. I get called into the supervisor office. Damn, you stayed in the supervisor office? Yeah. Yeah, I did. I don't think that job was for you. It wasn't.

It was a point in my life. They asked me, did I push an old lady down in the walker? I said, first of all, we all safe, what the problem? I was helping her and she slipped. Well, she told on you, she dined you out. No, she didn't die. Well, she did, but she didn't. Okay.

Guess who that lady in the walker was? Please, I have no idea. One of the supervisors' mom. Oh. God had it out for me. He said it's about time you move on. Yeah. Before you came in there, and I was, you know how white guys talk, it was my mother!

But she's alive. Yes. I helped her. I helped her. Yes. Why you being so evil? It was my mother. Wow.

Jay, you're gonna stop that. Jay. So that was, so after that, that was it? Yeah, that's where I was gone. Okay, so now, okay, you were the flight attendant? No, but I was gone because of the NyQuil. Yeah, and the Captain Lying saying that he didn't know anything about it,

that I never told him nothing like that. Oh, Lord. How did you get to the comedy stage? Because a first class passenger told me I need to be doing comedy. He told me that flying on this aircraft, flying these planes was a waste of me. First class passenger told me that.

He said, I've never seen nobody this funny on a plane before. Cause I was always cracking jokes, just doing stupid stuff. Changing my voice. We go to Texas, we fly to Texas. I go, ladies and gentlemen, thank y'all for flying on Continental Airline flight number 1485.

Tell you what, sit down, kick your boots up, strap yourselves in, cause it's gonna be one of them nice rides, not a rough one, but a nice one. Just strap yourself in, we want you to enjoy yourself, and if you see a nice girl beside you, just say hello. So I would do that, we'd go to San Francisco. Ladies and gentlemen, oh my God, thank you so much.

Thank you so much for flying continental flight number 785 and going to the beautiful city of San Francisco. It just depends on where we're going. Where we're going, yeah. Yeah, it just depends on where we're going. Yeah, if we went to Japan, I would kill them. Yeah, I would kill them.

But did you know you could do comedy, so you just go to an open mic? No, yeah. I'm gonna have to kill that one. Look, did you know you could do comedy? So you just go to an open mic? No, I went to a place in Democratic, Colorado called Comedy Works. Okay. Still up, running now. Guess who I see, first time. Who? A comedian by the name of Robert Townsend.

Wow. But he wasn't there to do a show. I was up on the Comedy night that I mean the amateur night open mic, right? He was there filming a movie Called the American Flyer Had on pair of white had on green green top white pants as arm in a sling his arm was broke Yeah, he had a broken arm because he had fell on the bike Learn how to ride.

But he was doing a movie, I think it was his first movie. And that's where I met him and seen him. And today, he didn't remember that, but see, I remember, wow. And that's what gave me more inspiration to do what I do. And I used to go to movies by myself. He did a movie called Hollywood Shuffle. That movie was going against Ishtar.

Anybody remember the movie Ishtar? With Dustin Hoffman. They spent 40 million dollars on Ishtar. Robert Townsend spent 40,000 from credit cards to do Hollywood Shuffle, but the movie made three or four million. Ishtar lost their ass. So that's what kicked it off for him, but that's what first person, professional person

I had seen doing comedy. And I had listened, I wasn't one of those ones that listened to Richard Pryor all the time. I wasn't one of those because I was a physical comedian. I love Flip Wilson. I even listened to Joradina. Yeah, yeah. Mork and Mindy.

Yes. Robin Williams. No, no, no, no. I used to... So that's like what they call a physical comedy. Jim Carrey is a physical comedy. I used to love Jim Carrey's physical comedy. Carol Burnett Show.

Oh my God. Carol Burnett Show. The funniest episode. Her and Tim Conway was. No, the funniest episode. Which one? Tim Conway. Who's the other one?

Harvey. Harvey Corbin and Tim Conway. The dentist's office. The dentist's office. The dentist was Tim Conway, Harvey Korn was sitting in the chair. He took that needle, overcame, and said, we're just gonna, and it stuck itself. Then he hit himself in the leg,

caught himself in the head one time. Harvey Korn was laughing so hard, he could barely, he couldn't even finish it. He was laughing so hard. he could barely, he couldn't even finish it. He was laughing so hard. That was the best scene. So when that scene, when that was done, that was my inspiration to do what I do. Gerald Dean was.

Gerald, they played with, yeah. I even used to watch Red Skelton. I mean, he was too old back then, but I found tapes. I was watching Red Skelton, Red Skelton. And remember I said I didn't watch comedians? I stopped watching comedians kind of like after Martin because I loved Martin back in the day. Tommy Davison loved him, Hill and Philly.

Yep. Martin, Tommy Davison, and Yeah. He was in Philly. Yep. Martin, Tommy Davidson, and I came up with, bless you, I came up with Jamie Foxxon. Yes. We used to perform in a place called the Comedy Act Theater. They were in it before me. Right. But I was one of those newbies that came in.

Once again, I wasn't in that clique. Right. And a lot of times in this business, a lot of people in the clique. I mean, I know fans know that, but I just, I don't believe in that. Wow. I just don't. Def Comedy Jam.

Wow. Let's go to Comic View, because you were the host of Comic View. Yeah. For two years. Yeah. Sheryl Underwood was the host, Bruce Bruce was a host, DL was a host.

And they all did great jobs. And who else? Sandy Entertainer was a host. Yeah. Did did great jobs. And who else? Sandy Entertainer was a host. Did you get any advice or did you just like, hey, they did their thing, I'm gonna do my thing? No, I didn't get no advice. You didn't want no advice? You didn't ask for any advice?

You didn't seek out any advice? I don't think a lot of people didn't know how to advise me. Okay. Because my comedy is so different. They don't know how to, I'm. I said, go buy me a pair of roller skates. I need a pair of roller skates. They said, no, I don't need them. I need a pair of roller skates. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them.

I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them.

I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them.

I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, I don't need them. I said, no, we gonna do. Wow. Like when I brought my roller skates out there. They didn't know I was gonna do that. I said, go buy me a pair of roller skates. I need a pair of roller skates.

Size nine, I need a pair of roller skates. They saw me, I loosened the trucks on them. Put the shoes on, ticked the toe stops off. Why you taking the toe stops off? How you gonna stop? Don't worry about that. Yeah, I'm not. Don't worry about it though.

Yeah. That's why I give people like Usher, give him big props. He can't out-skim me, but I give him props. Oh Lord, mercy. Name the place, son. You were on the episode with Bernie Mac when he said, I ain't scared of you more. I was.

That was his day to be born. You understand what I'm saying? That was Bernie's day to be born. You understand what I'm saying? That was Bernie's day to be born. That one right there? Yeah. That's not the one you played with. Bernie on that stage. Right.

Bernie would like that. Bernie was one of the few that made me do this. Okay. All right. Ah! Ah! It was game time. You really had to get.

Yeah. Bring it in, bring it in. Bring it in. Yup. Bernie was one of those ones, you go behind him, you come and say, oh, you straight become gay. Be like, you know, that wasn't even right, what he did.

That was bad. Oh my God. Did you see it? You go behind him, you come up and say, oh, you straight become gay. Be like, you know, that wasn't even right, what he did. I was bad, oh my God. Did you see it? Yeah. He was, uh-huh, I was so confident, right? Bernie was. But on Def Comedy Jam, you was on with Steve, you had Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence,

you had some heavyweights in you. But I wasn't the heavyweighter. I just did who I was. Right. I just did who I was. Do you think back and realize Def Comedy Jam, Comic View, did you realize what you were a part of while you were a part of it?

Do you look back now like, damn! No. Really? I don't. Why? Maybe because who I am is I look at things was, that was a stepping stone and I don't feel like a lot of times, that's a good question,

I don't feel like a lot of times I added to the greatness of what these shows were. I was just performing. How are you able to be so honest with yourself? Cause a lot of people are like, yeah man, I was there and that was a great time, blah, blah, blah. But you're able to have an honest conversation with yourself.

It's like, yes, I was there, but I'm not so sure that I added anything to it. You wanna know the real truth without it sounding almost cliche? Yeah. I'm very much scared of God. And I always think, Lord, how long you gonna let me have this?

Are you gonna snatch this from me? But you sustained me. You've made me, I think, the way it seems, get better. Right. I always appreciate who God is. Because I know he can snatch it from me. And you know as well as I know how will he is. Yes.

Now whether you succumb to him and tell him the truth, because you can lie to me all day, I can lie to you all day, you can't lie to him. He's all knowing. All knowing. And I think we have gotten away from God. We've gotten away from knowing the power of who he is and put everything into these computers and social media.

That's our God now. That's not my God. My God is the same God when I was a kid. He's the same God. When I jumped off my mama's roof in a pair of girl animal underwear, thinking I was Superman with a red cape on, which was a towel. Jumped off a roof and tried to grab a tree branch and missed.

And when I hit, like in cartoons, how that dust come up, my mama still beat my ass. She made sure I was all right, then she beat my ass. That's the God I serve. But I don't even care for church like I used to. Because the devil has stepped his foot in there. He stepped his foot in there and made people forget who God is. And I'm talking about the pastors.

They forgot what their job is. They forgot that they're shepherds. We are the sheep. Lead us. Right. Now I understand when God says don't put your trust in man. Don't believe in what man does. That's why I don't go to church now.

And I'm mad at myself because I don't go. Will I step in one? Yeah, I probably will. But example, when I say I'm not the best person in the world, I'm not saying that, but I believe in what I believe. I used to go to church in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Charles Stanley, you familiar with that? I am.

Used to go to his church. He was a teacher. You had to take your Bible into his church. I had to got away from the traditional going to the black church, hearing the music, but in my soul, that's what did it for me. But I kind of lost that urge for that. Right.

You know, I kind of lost that. Now he's going to the church. My Lord will be there forever. You didn't want to be in church for five hours, did you? Oh, my God. Yeah. But what turned me off was the last day that I walked into that church and went to church.

When a black woman at Charles Stanley's church stood up, he was preaching. God manifested in her. She started to shout and dance for Jesus. This man said, Hey, wait, hey, you need to, you gotta have to calm down, you're kind of messing up my rhythm. Really?

Hand of God. When he said that, I said, let's go. I'm out of here. No, I didn't say let's go. I said, this is the last time I'll be coming to this church. Wow. King David danced for Jesus. That's a king. God wants you to dance for him. So what? And you had the nerve to say that this woman and black

woman that danced with Jesus and shouted his name, that was disturbing what you were doing, like you couldn't go back to it. Or you didn't know how to handle that. Right. That was the last time I went to church. Wow. It affected me like that. Let me ask you something, since you being honest. When Netflix had the 25th anniversary of Deaf Comedy Jam,

there were a lot of people they got invited by. Yep. You worked. Netflix had the 25th anniversary of Deaf Comedy Jail. There were a lot of people that got invited back. Yeah, you worked. No. How did that make you feel? I could have felt sorry for myself. But I looked at it as if Jesus said, you better not. Of all the things you got, you better not. Of all the things you got, you better not. And then there was people that got invited

that had never been on Def Jam. I could have got upset. You could have. For what? What good would it have done? It wasn't gonna change anything. It wasn't gonna bite you because you got upset. But yet they ran some of my.

Your clips. My clips. So if you ran some of my... Your clips. My clips. So if you're gonna run my clips, I'm just asking, what is the harm? And ask me to come. Did somebody give you a word? Don't bring him. You see where I'm going now?

You think that happened. I'm not, I'm saying that it could've. I'm saying that I would dang sure believe it if it did. There's still people that carry a lot of salt in them. Really? You know, we done got more for that though, Jay. You think we got too old for it, but we haven't gotten too old for it. There's people that carry salt in their pockets.

Damn. In this industry. There's so many funny people out here. And there's so many people standing in their own way of victory. So let me get, so there's a term that Cat used, he called gatekeepers. Is there such a thing?

Yes. Damn it, yes. that Cat used, he called gatekeepers. Is this such a thing? Yes. Damn it, yes. They be blocking. That was a famous manager that ended up wanting to have a meeting with me. Got me in his office. Said man you could you have what I'm looking for you you are that it because when I got I'm gonna say this didn't go to that because it goes got, I'm gonna say this, didn't go to that, because it goes together. I was only in comedy four months,

and there was over 500 and some of our comedians that I auditioned to do the Showtime All-Stars. I came in second in the Bay Area competition, got a new management team. Right. In 1992. They said, you gotta go back home to Atlanta. I said, not right now. They said, we got something for you. They got it to where Showtime allowed me to be the last one up.

Showtime All-Stars, they had one slot left. When I was done, they came over and shook my hand and said, welcome to the Showtime All-Stars. Don Rickles was the host. But I bet you, you look on there, you won't see me. Made for This Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles,

break free from the chains of trauma, and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories, and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify. The thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle.

This is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move without actually diving into it. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible and step boldly into the best version of yourself to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being, and climb your personal mountain. Because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from

our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No.

No one was let go. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions. In just a second, I'm going to ask attorney general. I'm Leon Neyvok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you.

Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Yaron Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know who won that year? What? The year that I lost? Yeah. Bob, Ricky Harris. I mean. I thought Chris Tucker won you. No, Ricky Harris. He was the hometown boy. I mean he was. Yeah. Oh lord, there you go. No, no, I'm just saying. I'm just saying. So Don Rickles, so you think you're gonna be a part of the Bay Area All Stars and?

No, the Showtime All Stars. Showtime All Stars, excuse me. This is a big affair. Yeah. It had John Panetti was on there, that's the one that did Alvin and Chipmunks and stuff. John Panetti and other comedians that were on there. I was the baby, I was the new one.

I did myself, we did it at Caesar's Palace. My wife and I were there, she was the only black woman, black person in that old audience. Don Rickards looked at her and said, oh, oh, black woman, yeah, clean my room. Something like that. But she laughed in gesture. clean my room, something like that. But she laughed in gesture.

I did my set when it was over, because they thought I was that next Eddie Murphy, if I was gonna be that next Eddie Murphy, because I had gotten it. So I don't invent comedy, like I said, I don't, it wasn't what I'm about. Yeah. They gave me that.

These comedians have been in this business 17, 15 years, 12 years, and didn't get that role, that spot that I did. When I was done, I guess I wasn't, I guess I wasn't, I don't know, I wouldn't say white enough, but the audience was 60 and up. I was still a young buck. Trying to go with and that I did I wasn't the worst right it didn't do bad I wasn't satisfied but then they told me that I was gonna be edited out that's why I said you won't see me hmm okay fine you edit out you still gave me that $7,000 paid to pay payday though Did you know who wanted you edited out?

Do you ever find out who wanted you as a brother? That worked for them at what show time all starts maybe they collaborated, I don't know but He he did he did the Clarence Thomas thing but anyway He did the Clarence Thomas thing, but anyway. So when the show came on and they came to the end of it, I got a full book, I got so much of me that, dude, we could be here for three days. When the show came on, they went to the end of the show,

brought all the comedians back out. Right. Of course, in the editing part, guess who they didn't bring out? You. In the editing. But guess what you seen? They broke you out. No.

You ain't gonna believe me when I tell you. Whatever. You could see every comedian, and then at the end, you saw a pair of shoes, my Reebok shoes and my white short socks with no body to it. You saw the shoes and the socks. You had no black Reeboks, them three quarters, they were robing ones.

No, I had those that new one, they came with the black bottom and the white top. That's the one I had, the one I was wearing on Def Jam. And all you saw was those and a pair of socks, the ankles, but not the rest of the body, like the invisible man, all the rest of the body was gold. But you saw my shoes right there next to the next person. Was that your first time you realized

that this was a dirty business? Yeah. Yeah. Did it change the way you looked at comedy? Did it change the way you did business in comedy? Did it change you? What it did was make me say nobody ever do that to me again. I had some projects that I turned down, had some projects that I didn't get.

But one thing I wasn't gonna do, nobody was gonna do that to me again. Like I tell you, there's people in the business that want you to not succeed. That's my motivation to keep pushing. And I only mean to get stronger and stronger to where I can't see myself. If God wills, if I go to heaven, all them angels are going to fall out. This is what I do. I mean, I don't really want to be an actor anymore like I thought I did. I don't really want to be an actor anymore,

like I thought I did. How do people act? Didn't they become, I don't know. This is what I love. It's hard to get away from this, then come back to it, act like you. You play ball. You can't all of a sudden just go back

thinking you gonna run things. Right, it's different. Whole different. That's why you can't stop doing it. Right. You gotta keep. I heard Jay Leno say that. Jay Leno said that even though he was doing other things,

he was still touring. I hear Seinfeld said that. And Jay Leno's correct because Jay Leno would do, I think it's Thursday night, would go to the Comic Club in La Mosa Beach or whatever it's called and do comedy there. They're working stuff out. You constantly got to keep your motor running. Don't sit it on the idle. Every now and then you gotta hit that gas. You gotta do it. They just sit there. Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh. You were on the Monique show.

What is it? I heard what you said, Monique. Oh, you're telling me when she talked? Yeah, she in my home, she in Savannah. She in Savannah right now? She would know she not now, but she was. But you know she got in your ass. Yeah, she in my house, she in Savannah. She in Savannah right now? She would know she not now, but she was. But she still my girl. You know she got in your ass.

Yeah, she did. She still my girl. Well, she should've. She still my girl. You my boy, but. What is it that people get wrong about Mo? What is it that people get wrong about Mo? Yeah.

I don't know what they get wrong, because I really don't know what they get wrong, because I really don't know what they get right. Right, okay. Because we all have our own individual thoughts. I would never make a queen feel unqueen like, especially when they haven't done anything to me. Right. I may see something Iqueen like, especially when they haven't done anything to me. Right.

I may see something I don't like, and if you ask me about it, I'ma tell you about it. But we don't sleep with this woman. We don't know what transpires on the phone call she was on, and we damn sure wasn't there when she was in the office making these deals. Maybe she has a reason, maybe she's going too far, who knows?

I don't know. Right. That's not my job, you know why? Right. Because what good is it to be my job, what am I going to do? What's it going to do for me? Right. Am I her psychiatrist?

Nope. Not a manager, not an agent, not a lawyer. I'm somebody that she knows very well. That's it. Is it true Kat gave you money for your brother? Kat did something for my brother that nobody, where I will always hold the highest respect for him. And I didn't even know he did it.

I found out. I keep hearing these stories. Miss Pat told a story about how her father had passed and she was on, you know, cat sign, he had her on a tour. He said, look, go home. Gave her the money, go home and bury your dad. When you're better, come back. Gary Owen tells a story.

I'm hearing you tell a story. There's so many people that have told stories about Kat. What is it that other people are, what are people missing? Because I've heard more great stories about his generosity and how he's, he sincerely and genuinely wants the best, but then I hear other people try to bash him. Who are the people that are bashing him? I don't want to get into those.

No, no, no. Meaning who are the people that are bashing him, why they are bashing him? Oh, so what's the reason behind it? I don't know, because see, you on that circuit, even though you might, like I said, like when it comes to like football, when I play, you know, you hear. Like, what's going on, okay, this going on with that team

and social, social, social, so on. So you hear certain things. Now I'm in the media, you know what, you hear certain things. So you would be probably probably better person to ask. Like I said, I've gotten to know him over the last year and a half, probably a lot differently than a lot of people have.

I find him very engaging, red. He's thoughtful. I don't think he says anything just off the cuff. I don't. I think he's, like when he came on the show, Jay, everybody he had talked, he had, he watches every episode. I call him now, you had such and such. But he had watched every person that had been on there and he spoke about, he knew everything they said

about Roy Bradon. And when I invited him on, you know, I know who Kat is, he just wanted to talk. I will, just because of what he did for my brother, there's nothing you could ever tell me wrong about this man. Wow. Just because of what he did did and I didn't know about it Yes, that was a quiet Superman moment mmm, so

What ever he has done if it's true And he talked about the truth, and then that truth holds merit to be evil, what are you mad at? Unless you want to be evil too. Unless you appreciate evilness. It ain't about the code of,

we comedians, we don't air our laundry, things like that. Because I got a lot of that. unless you appreciate evilness. It ain't about the code of, we're comedians, we don't air our laundry, things like that. Because I got a lot of that. Man, you, no, you, hey, if you got a problem with, man, you got a problem with Jay, go talk to Jay. If you got a problem with Rodney, go talk to Rodney. If you got a problem with Jordan, go talk to Jordan. Man, why do you have to air out the dirty laundry? I'm that same way.

I feel that you don't have to air it out. Right. But if you do air it out. Just tell the truth. It ain't got my name in it. Right. Because I ain't out there doing it. It ain't got my name in it.

Right. Now if it got somebody that I know and I like, I'm still going to know and like that person until I find out something different. Right, okay. Okay. Just because you say what you say that I know and I like, I'm still gonna know and like that person until I find out something different. Right, okay. Okay. Just because you say what you say

don't mean I'm gonna stop liking this person. I'm gonna decide whether I like this person for me. Based on my interaction with said individual. And some of my research. Right. Like when you was on with Skip Bayless. Yes. I don't know that man, but I know good and well how he is.

I could smell his undergarment. He ain't, he's not true. And you can sit up there and say, no, I don't wanna talk about it. I got you. Right. But I know. Okay.

I smell people. And there's somebody who you do like, who I don't really care for. But that ain't for you to, and that's only because of an experience. And they might not even remember it. See, the problem is, I do. And sometimes you're letting your skirt show.

But I want nothing but great for you. Right. Skip, I want nothing but great for him. But Skip got some nastiness in him. He do. I take your word for it. No, you ain't gotta take my word, you know. You did a charity show for Sinbad. UDL, LaVell, Earthquake, Bruce Bruce.

Man, I forgot about that, that damn quick. That show, I did. We did a charity show. You did. Raise money for his medical. For one of the funniest brothers that I know. See, what a lot of people don't know. I don't even know if I should say this, but you should.

Besides just doing the charity show, I wrote a large check to his family and said, this is yours. I gave it to his brother, Mark. Despite what you said about me, I know what I do and what I wanna do, when I wanna do it. I wrote a $40,000 check. There you go.

If I gotta think about is that what I shoulda done, then I don't need to write it. Correct. I did it because this brother needed it. This is a good brother who needed it. Who this could help, I thought. I'm so glad we did that show for him. Everybody on that show was funny.

Yeah? They did their thing. People do what they want to do when they want to do it, Shannon. Yes. They do what they want to do when they want to do it. They do what's important to them. Or what they feel is important to them. Might not be important, but it might, you know, it's what they feel.

Acting, you just say you don't have the taste or the lust to act now, but you did, I mean, I think you played Eazy-E in a video. Wow, where'd you get that? You played E, what? E-Zell tried to play E-Zell. You got some rats in your pocket? What the hell?

God! Yeah, that was me. That was not A.J. Johnson. You got some rats in your pocket? What the hell? God. Yeah, that was me. That was not AJ Johnson. AJ was gonna try to play Suge, right? No. Who was gonna play Suge? Well, no, AJ Johnson was playing... AJ. EZL from Friday.

I don't know about that. No, no, no, no. Okay, AJ is EZL, but we're talking about Eazy E-Video. Yes, you was Eazy. Right, but everybody thought that was AJ Johnson. Okay. AJ is the one that called me and said he got this for me. Okay.

Would I do it? Right. I said yeah, because Suge told him he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it. Oh, so he couldn't play that role, so he turned it over to you. Okay. Knowing the next person.

And since we're talking about, like I said, the track, when we were filming, you know, they were chasing me, they told me to slow down. They told me to slow down, they can't keep up. I was trotting. What did I say about that one? Man, you swear. I was trotting. You swear you was a Usain Bolt?

I don't know about a bolt, but I know it's a screw. You went on tour with Prince. What was that like? That was one of the most wide open moments I had ever had in my life. Really? First of all, I didn't believe it was him. What?

Who am I? I'm a comedian. Right. You are a jargon nut. You are a jargon nut. Yeah. You're an iconic performer. He him. He that him him.

That's what we call groupers. He that him him. Yeah. This man flew me out to open up for him. When I went to rehearsal, I was the only one in the rehearsal. I met Larry Graham. One of the million Larry Graham? Yeah.

Larry Graham was on tour with it. Larry Graham was his mentor. You wonder how I knew that, huh? Yeah. One in a million. Hey, you weren't there when he made that song. Don't do that. That had to be in 1979.

What year was that he made that song? Let's go with 79, just cause. Oh, I know the song. So what year did you go out on tour, Prince? Was it the late 80s, early 90s? No, no, no, no, no, no. That was 90. That was after I played with the Globetrotters.

So that was, oh, that was before, dang. Don't do that, Jay. Don't do what? Don't do what? I didn't play with the Globetrotters? You, sure. Do you have it in your little notepad? Let me see, let me see.

Yeah, I do. Okay. So am I a magician that I just throw it in there? You play with the globe, try this right here. I sure do. Okay, so who your game? Your game like Jordan, Ant-Man, Shea, Steph, LeBron, Colby? No, no.

My game is like Tamika No, I I had a little bit of handles yeah, I got speed I Got speed and I play defense like now. I mean I can shoot I can pop that three all day long now He's still curry Not quite yeah, yeah, he's still Curry. Not quite. Yeah, yeah, I would like to say that. But yeah, I played with Sweet Lou Dunbar right before he retired. Wow. Okay.

So that was 96, I think. Yeah, right before he retired. And I remember one time, that boy was in the locker room. You know how you open your locker and see the other locker? I think I opened that locker, he was butt naked. Just looked like a silverback. All back and cracked.

I'm like, oh! Oh! And they were laughing, they behind him. They ain't gonna put his foot up. Hey, man, hey, hey, hey, hey, bro. Oh, bro. But he was the most fun loving dude. Right.

A train. I played with Orlando Antigua. Orlando Antigua was the first Puerto Rican player that they hired that played out of pit. Okay. Orlando Antigua. Nice dude. You say you don't bother the audience.

Do you like, if they try to start heckling, I don't really get that. You don't get that? Not really. What if somebody ran up on stage on you? Huh? Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho What's the other thing? What's somebody write on stage on you? What you gonna do? Assess the situation.

You would have somebody write up on stage on you? I did things, okay? I'm not proud of everything I did. I'm asking you a question. So you had somebody write up on stage on you. What you do, tripping? You fire on me? No, I'm just saying.

You hit him with that big old medallion? No. You know what my friends call these right here? My hands. Monkey grippers. They call them monkey grippers. That's what my friends call my hands, monkey grippers. They look like you had a rough life.

Yeah. See, there'sppers. They look like you had a rough life. Yeah. See, there's nothing like this. I stayed fighting. Stayed fighting. But look at me, you would never think that. No. I stayed fighting. You have to realize, growing up with Pokin Bean,

you gotta come with it. You gotta come with it. You gotta come with it. You really do. And I'm not a troublemaker down on Star Flights, but I just click into a different person. I'm just putting it this way. If I'm performing, just please don't run up on stage. I'm asking you, please don't. But there is somebody, hold on, did somebody get shot at one of your shows?

And you say, is there, let me ask you, is there anything that you can't do? Is there anything that you haven't done? I mean, you probably could fly to space, shut up. I probably could, you teach me. I'll give you the manual in a week. You be, you, man, are there in this space?

Let's put it this way. I'm not afraid to try nothing. I'm not afraid to try anything, except for dope. Drugs, drinking, I just won't try it. Is it because you, did you have bad experience in your family, did it do something to close friends or family? All of them, because we're alcoholics.

All of them. My dad would, you know, my dad shot me three times. How your dad shoot you? It wasn't a nice hit? It's called Pow Pow Pow, that was three times. Yeah, I know, but I'm saying. He had a flashback. He was in Vietnam? Yes, it was, two times.

And he thought you were? Charlie. But it was my fault because he was watching the Dirty Dozen. You know he's in Vietnam and you watching the Dirty Dozen? I didn't realize that was going to happen. That was going to trigger him. It triggered. He said, oh, I got something for you, Charlie.

Ran to the back and I'm like, Charlie? My name's Arniz? Who are you calling? Came out at 38. You took off. You know those old garage? Yeah. Those garages that you would build into,

like the car park, you would build into the room, the family room? Yeah. I ran right through the glass. And I hear, pow, pow, pow. Did you know he had shot you? No, I was running. You have so much adrenaline.

Yeah. Went to a friend's house, they opened the door, and they said, what's wrong? Turned me around three. See those mugs back there? Yeah. Three. Went in, that's why I know he's so real.

Went in straight out. Didn't hit no vital organs or nothing. No. Well, it said it kind of hit the hip a little bit, but that's probably why I got pain in it now. No, if it's all those splits you done done. I'm gonna tell you, Nugget Charlie. Could have been in when I played ball,

when I played baseball. Oh, I'm a good man, bro. You know? You know that's my sport. I know, I know. That's another reason why I didn't click. That's another reason why I probably lost some of the opportunities that I had. You know why? Why?

Because I had a son that I saw when he was in a crib that he had a special gift. It was taped and I didn't even know it. I was shown he was in a crib and I was taped and I didn't even know it. I was shown he was in a crib, and I was playing with it with a baseball, and it reached like that, then it reached like that. I said, oh shit, shit! That's when I knew.

I would leave a show. Rod, I tell you, I would leave a show. Wouldn't even fly back home to Atlanta. I'd go to his school, or when he was younger, I'd pick him up. I'd take, fly home, tired, dead tired, baseball equipment ready, let's go. We had to fill almost three hours.

I would pitch him. Never let him hit off a tee, never. So in tee ball, he didn't hit off of a tee. I would pitch him three to 400 balls a day a session. I turned him around at nine, switch hitting. And all the hard work I did for him, I would fly. Sometimes I'd go pick up my truck, drive to Florida. I'm taking time from my home life to go out and teach him and work with him, go to his

games. Then he finally did the dream that I had for him. He got picked up. He was playing ball. But why he's not playing now is his fault. What did he do? picked up, he was playing ball. Right. But why he's not playing now, it's his fault. What would he do? You can't get caught smoking weed twice in the same week.

You got to make that 45-man roster. If you don't, you're tagged. But I did what I thought. What you needed to do. What I needed to do. What I needed to do for him. So, yeah, so I played baseball. That's my sport.

Right. So what's the relationship now with your son? Well, I love him to death. Love him to death. He's still gonna work things out. I mean, he's still got to bump his head a couple of times, but he's doing something. You figure he'll figure it out?

Got to. If you don't, you're gonna live in the bottom. If you do figure it out, you're gonna be up there on that top where you need to be on that top tier. Let me ask you a question. Would you do a versus, let me know how they used to have versus,

like when we was COVID, and you had like Nelly versus, you know how they used to have versus like when we was COVID and you know you had like Nelly versus, who'd Nelly go against? Nelly went against, who'd Nelly go against? Or the Isley brothers went against Earth, Wind and Fire or so forth and so on. Would you do a versus versus a comedian? Sure would. Sure would.

Now, they took 20 songs, so we have to give you, can we do 15 minutes? Each person get 15? Yeah, easily. I think that'd be funny. Swizz, Timbo, don't steal my idea. Cut your boy in if you do it. Oh yeah, that's a bad, that's a nice idea.

Don't challenge me with a good time. You said your father shot you three times in the back. He had a flashback because he did two tours in Vietnam and he had an episode. Is enough being talked about, soldiers coming back from doing tours? No. I mean it seems to me, and I could be wrong, help me out. We do a lot of talking about our servicemen

and how proud we are of the men and women. We ain't proud enough. Both domestically and abroad. But when they come back, they struggle getting housing, they struggle getting jobs. Isn't that what happened to the black man when he came back? It is.

He was less than dirt when he came back. Oh yeah, he was never. But he stopped it so nobody would come over here and kill us. Yes. Oh, he was fighting. But he stopped it so nobody would come over here and kill us. Yes. Oh, he was fighting for freedoms in a foreign land that when he came home, he didn't enjoy himself.

Yeah, yeah, you're a girl. And when he was over there, the POW, the prisoners of war, they went to the front of the bus then they had to go to the back. Oh yeah. And they served them first, they ate first. Yeah, evilness don't forget.

Evilness don't, you know, it's a darn shame when you feel something belongs to you and you didn't make it. When you feel something belongs to you and you take it. You know what I get upset about Shannon? What's that? Especially with the news channels and stuff, everybody talks the same.

It's the same lingo. People, we listen to them how they talk about certain things and people. And I'm saying this to all the newscasts, even if you get fired, why won't one of y'all just one time say, mother f***er, why you lying? You lie too damn much.

Everything come out your mouth is a lie. But what gets me is the people that want it to be true. Black women, you did your thing. Black men, you're 22%. Latinos, how's it feel to be me? I'm just saying we got to do better what we doing. People are afraid to open their mouth. True. Why are so many people afraid?

Are you afraid to lose what you have? You afraid to lose that you go to jail? Mm-hmm. Didn't God take on the world for us? Yeah, he did. Didn't he know he was going to die? He did. And he did it anyway?

Yes. Didn't his followers know that they were going to die, but they did it anyway? We're getting weaker as a people. We're getting weaker. Do you think we're getting weaker as some of us get more? Because it seemed like the less they had the stronger they got. Because there weren't that many that have like what we have now in the 60s, in the 50s, in the 70s. There should be no way in the world people of wealth should be able to run a country the way that they do when the mass majority of the people in the country aren't as wealthy

as them, but they should still be able to keep them in line. Money is an evil factor. Yes. Money can turn a good person evil. Absolutely. Absolutely. and it can turn a good person evil. Absolutely, absolutely. But if you're gonna get in a fight with me, get in a fight with me. Don't get in a fight with me

when something happens to you, now you want me to get in a fight with you. Right. It don't work that way. The old saying is that I don't want you to be an ally, I need an accomplice. Yes, hell yeah. There's a difference between the two,

the both start with a mate. Yeah. But an ally of an accomplice has something entirely different. And it reminds me of my so-called, that's why I say everybody ain't your friend. I remember one time me and my friend was stealing. And let me tell you something,

we were stealing CDs and stuff, DVDs. We got caught. Once again, me running track, you know I ain't gonna be caught first. I'm getting it. Yah, yah, yah, yah. I'm in the cover. I'm hidden. This dude get caught.

He handcuffed. I see him. They getting ready to put him in a police car. I'm in the cover, I'm hidden. Yeah. This dude get caught, he handcuffed, I see him. They getting ready to put him in the police car. I'm hidden. He look and also make eye contact. Arnaz. Arnaz, come on man, we caught. We? No, no, you come on out.

I got, when I came out that police looked at me, he said, what type of friends do you have? We didn't even see you. Wow. No lie. No lie. That's a true story. Made for This Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles, break free from the chains of trauma, and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories, and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you.

You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain, this is the struggle, this is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move without actually diving into it. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible

and step boldly into the best version of yourself to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional wellbeing and climb your personal mountain. Because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen.

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Angeli are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. No one was let go. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions.

In just a second, I'm going to ask attorney general. I'm Leon Neyvok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. I wouldn't have came out, G. I was in the open, meaning if they would have came behind where I was, they would have pulled back the bush in the same. Yeah, he saw you. Arnaz, come on out. We called, man. They got us. No parents they got you. His parents came and got him. My mama let them take me to juvie. That's why I say I graduated from juvenile correctional institute.

You had a very Yes. Relative. Relative. Relative. Relative. Relative. That's why I say I graduated from Juvenile Correctional Institute. You had a very relationship with your mom, didn't you? A confused relationship, yes.

Did you ever feel like your mom loved you? Because black love is different. You got clothes, you got food on the table, you got a roof over your head. The way his mom loves him, the way your grandmother loves you, no, that wasn't the kind of love I received. Because once again, she told me, I'm not worried about you. They need me. You're going gonna make it.

Part of you that should've felt good, like, damn, she got confidence in me that I'm doing the right thing. Confidence or... how I was, she just automatically knew it. But that don't mean, as a child... That don't mean you don't want love, you don't want affection.

I do want love. Yeah, exactly. I do want love. Yes. And that's probably why I love my fans so much. When my fans want to take a picture, I'm like, you think I'm gonna tell them no? Right.

I'll never say no. I'll never say no. And if I didn't take a picture, totally by accident. Right. It wasn't something that I was trying not to do. Not consciously, you think it. Yeah, yeah, because I'm humble. I thank y'all.

Without y'all, I can't do what I do. Right. That's why I give what I give. And I can only give what I can give. But you was raised a little bit by your grandmother too, right? I was, I was. My mama and daddy both left me with my grandmother

in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so they could go to Fort McCullough in Alabama, their flight of Germany So when I flew to when I finally got a chance to go to Germany because they are they went before me mm-hmm You flew by yourself. No they came back, okay, but it was a while right school year was gone, they came back and got me. Did you wanna go? I did. Okay.

I didn't wanna be left. Right. How did that make you feel? Did they take your siblings? Did they take the others and left you? I was the only one that left. Oh my goodness. And then when they came back to the United States,

all of them left, but me and my dad, cause he was finishing up his final, leaving out of Han left, but me and my dad, because he was finishing up his final, leaving out of Hanau, Germany. Mm-hmm. I was sick as a dog. As a dog. My dad finished doing what he was doing, and that dude gave me some Aspros and a Coca-Cola.

And left me in that apartment by myself. How old were you? and left me in that apartment by myself. How old were you? 11, 10, 11. But I was sick as a dog. I was throwing up and I was in the, and the apartment had like a little basement area. I was down there by myself. Do you feel your dad loved you?

Or the man that raised you? I felt that way when I became a grown man. I bought him a truck. And we became just better friends. You see why, do you see why I'm so guarded and private? Can you see it now? I do. You see why I don't really do interviews?

Mm-hmm, I do. And then I finally get here. So you do have a gift. You have a gift to talk to us. You know what I think it is, Jacob? What is that? Because I come, when you come here, you and I, we kind of, we know each other. So you see me in a different light, I see you in a different light.

But a lot of times when people come here, I haven't seen them interview. Within a couple of minutes they realize this man is not here to judge me. I have no preconceived notion. A lot of time I'll ask my guests, is there anything that you don't want to talk about? Sometimes they say yeah,

sometimes they say I'm an open book. I believe I'm talking to people that's been in their business or their chosen profession 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 years. I believe you can still tell your story without your most embarrassing, your most salacious detail. And when people sit across from me, I think they can read very early on. I'm sincerely and I'm genuinely interested

in the story that they're telling. Can I ask you a question? Yes. When you gonna tell your story? When you gonna let me interview you? If you're not, just say you're not gonna do it. No, eventually. Eventually I will tell the story. Hold on, I'm trying to figure out. You went to prison?

Shannon, you knew that. I didn't! Okay, I didn't go to prison. You did, Jay. Because I never got convicted. Right. But I stayed. That's what ruined it for me playing ball baseball, right? I Wasn't I was contained. I was deemed uncoachable

Nobody wanted to give me that shot anymore What'd you do? You got in the fight putting a police officer in a coma Your ass gotta do it gotta do it. You asked. You had to do it. You had to do it, Jay. But he did that. Right over your eye. Yeah.

He hit me with a billing club. How old were you? 16, 17? I was in a jail. How long did you stay? This thing went on for almost a year. You know the reason I got out? Oh, why?

A police officer that was retiring said what I did was self-defense. And he was basically saying I could not, knowingly retired, knowing that I could put an innocent man, watch an innocent man go to jail. Wow. I became martial arts when I was seven. I was trained by one of the fearless martial art people

in the industry named Russell Perrone. My dad was a little bit of special forces. Mm-hmm. So that's why I say I'd rather talk to you than to fight you. Because once we take it there, it's hard for me to get away from it. Because now I'm feeling like you want to hurt me.

So what led to the interaction? Because we were at the skating ring, and he said, I guess the guy had said, you know, you go to a skating rink, you're skating forward, backwards skating. I didn't hear it. I'm still jamming.

I'm still going forward, getting it. This cop came out on the floor, came out on the floor, bucked up like that and hit me. I flew over the thing, came out of one floor, bulked up like that and hit me. I flew over the thing, came out on one of my skates, whipped out his building club, I don't know why. He was gonna put me out, told me to leave.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. All this for skating? Dan said something like, y'all always making trouble. Okay, now I know where we at. Mm-hmm. And I stood up and he hit me. Pow!

Whew! Ooh, now you got to get it. Get, get, get! That was it. Started a riot at the Skate City, Skating Ring. A complete riot. They had over 22 police cars out there. One little girl, I think she was 11, got put in a coma pretty bad.

She got hit. Damn. Yeah. That's what I said. I have a book. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's what I said, I have a book. Did the cop that you had the interaction with, did he ever communicate, did he ever apologize? No. Never seen him again.

They would tease me saying, you better hope he don't die. Better hope he don't die. Better hope he don't die. They were coming into my cell doing that. Right. Not into the cell, but you know. You coming down, you have to get out. Yeah.

I finally got released, but by then, that's why I had to end up, that's why I didn't graduate. Had to go back and get a GED. I was done with school. I was done with baseball. But that's why I didn't graduate. Had to go back and get a GED. I was done with school, I was done with baseball. I was done with... I struggled. I struggled.

Then or now? Then or now? No, I'm not struggling now. Okay. I struggled then because... You couldn't have told me I wasn't going to play baseball. You couldn't have told me how well I'm going to play. No team even wanted to look at me. You know once they put that tag on you, it's uncoachable.

Yeah. How did you ever make, how did you make peace with that? When I finally came to Georgia to step up on the comedy stage, not out of Denver, but out of Georgia, at the Comedy Act Theater. That's when I knew this was your calling. Yeah, that's when I knew. I was like, wow. So this is it. And I worked for a company called Triple A.

I came to Georgia, I wasn't making no money. No money. I make it like 235 a week. And then part of that, you had to pay insurance out of. Once again, I've started at the bottom. I'm already raising a family. Right. That woman told me to get off my ass, put a foot in my ass, get up.

This ain't who you are. Strengthen me in my back. Yeah. This your wife? Yeah, strengthen me in my back. Even if we weren't going to be together, we're going to be together. Strengthen me and my back. That's when you knew, huh, she the one.

I got to get up, I got to do something. I made the decision, and this is why I say people don't understand how God moves. But you ain't supposed to understand what he does, but you need to understand how he moving. He moving to better you. You just gotta be patient and do what is of you to get where he's putting you.

They were closing the doors at AAA in Atlanta, Georgia. And everybody there where I worked, I loved. Girl who I call Cookie, loved her to death. She always said, I was the only dude in there. More or less, I was like that dude, that griffin. The manager, we didn't like each other at all. It was that alpha thing going on. We even told each other, I don't like you, I don't like you.

You either, yeah, we're good. I'm glad we're here. What up, fat boy? Cookie always stood up for me. When they were closing the doors at AAA, they were closing. They said, everybody was getting let go, or you can go to work in Tennessee.

That's where they were gonna open up their new branch. Well, I wasn't going to Tennessee. Yeah. Right then I said, I can't work again. This is what I got to do now. Right. I went straight to comedy. You're like, I got to work for myself.

I didn't do anything else. I said, this is the time. But that's where God put me. Let me ask you this. Had they not closed those doors and relocated to Tennessee, are you a comedian? No. I don't believe that I am. So you was forced, it's like they kicked you out of the nest. Yes. I don't believe, that's a good question, I don't believe that I am a comedian if I were to go to Tennessee. I don't believe that I am. I don't believe that I am.

That's a good damn question. Sometimes we have to be forced to do things. It's kind of like God sometimes will do things because he know you wouldn't do it on your own. So he'll put you in a situation you ain't got no choice. Yeah. You don't realize how far you can walk until you ain't got a car or transportation. This is where I really wanted to go.

Your mom, your dad, and the relationship wasn't... Do you think you are the father that you are to your kids because of what it wasn't for you as a kid with your parents? I do. I do feel that. I wish they could have been better in certain instances because you have to realize our parents, not the young, youngs, but our parents didn't have the tools to show us and the teachers what we should be knowing.

Correct. They didn't show us how to do bank accounts. They didn't show us. They didn't have one. They didn't show, we learned on our own. We're learning for the, yeah. They didn't show us how to go into and fill out paperwork for a house.

Correct. They didn't know how to do it. Or credit. Or credit. They didn't know. Credit was it. Or credit. Or credit. They didn't know. Credit was what you got. You can go to the corner store and get something on credit.

Hey, I'm gonna get this, I'm gonna pay you at the end of the week. Or I'll pay you at the beginning of next month. That was credit. I didn't know credit was something that you build that you could get a house, you could get a car, and it lowered your interest rate. Score point score.

Yes, I had no idea what that was. Because they weren't, they weren't afforded the tools Correct. to know how to teach us because they were too busy surviving. Correct. They were too busy surviving in the system

of what a lot of black people went through. We didn't have generational money. No. My dad, believe it or not, went to one game I ever played. One. He never knew that my youth director out in Fort Hood, Texas, tried to molest me.

He never knew that, because my dad would have killed him. Is that why you didn't tell him? That's exactly why I didn't tell him. And I was also ashamed that he would say, you let him do that? But then I get a call when I was a grownup, he had messed with eight other black boys on that team

at the AYU, the wrestling team. He had eight other boys. One of the, you know how your parents used to let you hang out with somebody? Yeah. We had another one. He was gay. He liked it.

He didn't mess with me. But, ate other boys. All black boys, four to the Texas. You know what happened to him? I went looking for him. I called his name out over the air one time. You think he's still alive? I wasn't looking for him. I called his name out over the air one time. You think he's still alive? I don't know. I don't know.

What would you want to say? What would you tell him? He'd be too old for me to tell him anything. And I don't need to know why because I know it's a deviant sickness. Right. I don't need to know why. It's a deviant sickness. Right. I don't need to know why. I'm just saying you didn't do me

like you did some of the other dudes. But it's a deviant sickness. And I say deviant, it's a sickness, but there's deviant in there too. I don't need to know why, I don't care to know why. If you're alive, you're alive, you're dead, you're dead. Because you know what it didn't do? It didn't hurt me.

Wow. Because I refused to let it control me. I also confused that our parents didn't have the tools to teach us. Right. Stop me from... Look what you've done. Mm-hmm.

Don't let nobody take that from you. Don't. Don't. Sometimes they try to trick you out of your spot. You know what? You'll see where your true friends are when they start fading. I hope everything works in your favor, man. But at the same time, I'm gonna send you a big brother. You know better. If, if, if what, you know you.

Let me put it that way. Right. And I just want you to, because, because when we didn't speak after, that hurt me, because my encounter with you was always good. It was great. All the conversations always been great. Always good.

Then I found out how smart you are. When they say don't be the smartest one in your room, choo, choo. Don't be the smartest one in your room. You definitely won't be with him. Y'all don't know how knowledgeable he is about history and sports and stuff. God, I thought I was good.

You are. No, not like you, dog. You had a Netflix special called Rationally Motivated. Do you notice a difference negotiating with Netflix 2013 versus 2025? I do because I got somebody now who really takes care of my interests. Okay. My manager, Joe Eschenbach, is a beast. Not only is he a beast, he's truthful.

I got a truthful crew with me. Yeah, you need to be told that. I don't, I can lay back and don't have to worry about my money. You'll never know that he got money by the way he dress. But he's smart. This one's smart right here, Roderick's smart. This one's smart right here, Roderick's smart. Right. And I don't think I can lose with that combination.

Right. You've got to surround yourself. How long are we going to be together? I don't know, but I can't lose with that combination. You released your special on YouTube, Not Gonna Stop. What made you go straight to YouTube? It wasn't because of Netflix, wasn't willing to? I think so, and then I was saying to myself,

we were saying, let's not bother with it. Let's let you, because I didn't really, I didn't think I was, I didn't really like the special as much, I thought I could have done a lot better. Because of the elements and stuff. Sometimes, it's not exactly the material, it's the elements, how it's presented. Everybody else said, no, no, no, I didn't believe that.

But when I get a call in five days, you had a million views in five days? Unless you know you're doing something right. And now at 1.5, come on. My fams are the greatest. And even the new ones. Mwah! At this stage in the game too?

Right. 35. That's a long time. It's a long time. To have that kind of longevity. Yep. I just took my pampers off. What?

Oh. 1.6. We're at 1.6 now. I just took my pampers off. One point six. What? One point six. We're at one point six now. And we doing it in slices and we're not even half way through it. Wow. We're going to get you out of here on this.

I want to thank you personally for coming by Club Shae Shae. I'm glad we got an opportunity to reconnect. We're going to exchange information and we're going to get back to where we were. I really appreciate that. I appreciate you stopping by. What else you got to promote? Anything else you want to promote?

You know what? I would have forgot. Where them bottles, where them bottles at? Where them bottles? Oh, they're over here. Yeah. This is my gift to you. And when I tell you, this is my sprays that I cannot keep

called a motherfucker smell good. Yeah. I got offered to put these in a major store. They wanted me to change the name and I said no. Because this is what, this is how your brother. Exactly. Don't ever let nobody take your vision. We were talking before. I have mint, lavender, rose. I like this. Yeah, I had to tell black people this ain't cologne though. No, you can't spray it on your skin.

You can't spray it on your skin. You know, we will wear olive oil as lotion. Yeah, for sure. Spray how strong that mint is. You can spray olive oil and spray how strong that mint is. That mint is powerful. That's all I... Yeah.

That mint will keep you open. Biodiegradable organic... ...oil-based. This is my favorite. I think this one. That's the rose, I think. Yeah. I don't know what it is. Let me see how big it is. favorite. I think this one. That's the rose I think. Yeah. I don't know what it is. Let me see how bad it looks. No this is the rose. That's the mint!

No this is not. See that little pink right there? That's the rose. That's the brown. I think you mislabeled it. No. That's brown. Wait let me see what's in your hand. That's the rose. Let me see that one. Tell me the label. That's the brown.

You keep calling everything brown. No. Brown. See the labels. Look. See the gold label. Hell, I feel like I'm on the Talipari. I want the Talipari.

You keep saying, Mr. Brown. Premium gold brown. Yeah. And this is premium gold rose because it has that at the bottom. This is lavender. Yeah. Yeah, I can has that at the bottom. This is lavender. Yeah. That's- Yeah, I can see it got the purple.

I know you got thick lavender, but look. That's mint. Yes, okay, yeah. Now spray the lavender. And when I tell you we can't even keep this product, we can't keep it. Yeah, oh, I like the lavender. So if you wanna give it to somebody, fine.

If not, and it smells good in your car, you taking a dump, hit that toilet with that mint chai. Yarr, yarr. This lavender, I like lavender. Do you? Yeah, I do, because I have lavender candles. Oh, okay. What was that?

You all right? Is it spray? You all right? Is that a sneeze? Yup. Oh, you thought it was something else, didn't you? I thought he blew it out his ass. I didn't know it was a sneeze. That's a head, man.

Don't be serving him no guacamole in here. RNSJ, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. I love you. Love you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. No, that was a sneak. That's a head, man. I ain't done with the serving of no guacamole in here. RNSJ, ladies and gentlemen. I love you. I love you. I appreciate it. Thank you, sir. That's why all my life I been grinding all my life All my life been grinding all my life

Sacrificed, puzzle paid the price Want a slice, got the rolling dice That's why all my life I been grinding all my life The Made For This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle.

Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Sarah Spain, host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and the co-author of the new book Runs in the Family, an incredible true story of football, fatherhood and belonging written with and about Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach Dylan McCullough. It's the story of a football coach and father of four who sees his life forever changed by the unsealing of his adoption records. And it's got a twist you won't believe.

Based on the viral ESPN story I did a few years ago, this book will blow your mind and bring you to tears. Buy runs in the family wherever books are sold. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of 2B.

We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What's next? In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.