Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Matt Rife Part 1

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHANNON to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SHANNON Save the everyday with Amazon Comedian and actor Matt Rife joins Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay for a wide-ranging conversation about his rise from a young club comic to one of the biggest stand-up stars in the world. Now one of the highest-earning comedians working today, Rife reflects on selling out arenas across the globe, joining Taylor Swift as one of the only live acts to break Ticketmaster’s website due to overwhelming ticket demand, becoming the youngest comedian to sell out two shows at Madison Square Garden and the youngest stand-up to sell out the Hollywood Bowl, and building a massive audience through viral social media moments. Rife opens up about growing up in Ohio and the childhood influences that shaped him, including being raised by his mother and grandfather after losing his father at a young age. He shares how his grandfather supported his dream early on—literally paying to watch him perform—and how that encouragement helped push him toward the stage. The conversation also touches on his early love of sports and the competitive mindset he developed growing up. Starting stand-up as a teenager, Rife discusses studying comedians like Dave Chappelle, while learning how to write jokes, survive bombing on stage, and develop his own comedic voice. He talks about early comparisons to Justin Bieber, the mentors who helped him early in his career—including D.L. Hughley and Mike Epps—and how performing in Atlanta helped sharpen his skills before moving to Los Angeles after passing a California proficiency exam. Rife reflects on becoming the youngest cast member in the history of Wild ’N Out with Nick Cannon, competing alongside comedians like DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean, and what he learned about television, exposure, and building a brand. He also addresses some of the public conversations and online speculation about his appearance that surfaced as his fame grew. The discussion also touches on how viral moments online helped expand his audience, including clips of his crowd work that spread widely across social media. He breaks down the business side of comedy, touring worldwide, releasing specials independently, and navigating the changing landscape of entertainment platforms. The conversation closes with reflections on the realities of fame, stories from memorable moments on stage, and what he’s hoping to accomplish in the next chapter of his career. Rife also previews upcoming projects, including his film Rolling Loud with Owen Wilson and the Netflix limited series The Altruist with Julia Garner, along with new tour dates across the U.S. and Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sports most consequential driver strike and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, dumpster fire

for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 IHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry.

It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is, see all the nominees now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen.

Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s and free agents, the podcast that owns the NFL offseason. This is where teams are built. Free agency, combine, pro days, trades. Every move matters.

From my draft boards and mock drafts to my vaunted top 101 free agents and how rosters come together. Quarterback movement. Surprise signings. We'll tell you what it means and who really wins. Open your free IHeart radio app. Search 40s and free agents and listen now.

White people laugh. Yes. Black people. No. Yeah. Dad. Ow! Ow!

Ow! Ow! Ow! Life, sacrifice, hustle paid the price, want to slice, got the roll of dice, that's why all my life. I've been grinding all my life, look, all my life, been grinding all my loss, paid the price, want a slice, got the rolling. Hello, welcome to another episode of Club Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp.

I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea. Today's episode is at the beautiful Lenox Bar in Washington, D.C. Stopping by for conversation on the drink today from Club comedian to Arena. He's comedy's biggest lightning rod. He's one of the highest earning stand-up comedians currently working. He joined Taylor Swift as the only other live act to break Ticketmaster's website due to high ticket demand. He's the youngest comedian to sell out two shows at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City. He's the youngest stand-up comedian to sell out the Hollywood Bowl.

He's the youngest cast member in history of MTV's popular series Wilding Out. New York Times bestselling author, viral sensation, top creator, Social media savvy influencer, prominent actor, popular producer, fame writer, superstar. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Matt Wright. Bro. That was credits I didn't even know that I did. Yeah, you did all that. You did all that.

Okay, you were asking. What is this? This is a sidecar made with my cognate, shaved by La Porte. We normally do this, but now we're actually in a place that could actually do a drink. I want to know, look at this, see. Look at this, y'all. That a big old cube. That's coniac?

Yeah. I don't think I've ever had it. I know you have it. This is the best on the market. Let me know what you think. It's not bad. It's not bad. Yeah.

Why do you have it in the bottle that turned a donkey into a horse? That's terrifying. That's powerful stuff right now. What's this in here? Is that straight? This is straight. This is straight. I'm going to try that.

I think it was a bug in mine. You just said, yeah? What kind of production is this, man? Yeah, there'd be bugs in cups sometimes, man. That ain't bad. That's kind of smooth. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So we're going to be right. We're going to be right at this thing here. It's only 2 p.m., man. Let's go. Come on with you. So you have so much going on. Thank you. You had the show last night,

and unfortunately we weren't able to get in because it was a quick turnaround from us because we're coming from the West Coast to get in. And then we had my show, Nightcap, me, Uncle Ocho, and then to get in. So next time I'm close by, I'm going to come see you. Man. Because you were telling you went like three hours.

I'm like, hold on, wait a minute. Yeah, last night was a wild show. I think we did like two hours, 40 minutes, something like that. Wow. Yeah. I did like my show, which is a little, little over an hour, like hour, 10, hour 15, something like that. And then it was just one thing after another. Things kept flowing into other things. I kept meeting people, some fun. People kept bringing gifts with it. It got out of control, but it was so much fun, man. That's awesome. Because one of those shows that, like, you so locked in and focus on what's happening in front of you right now at the very end when we took the picture together and all the lights came up and everything. I was like, y'all are still here? That's crazy. It was a little over like 16,000 people, man. It was awesome.

You got a film coming out later this year with Owen Wilson called Rolling Loud drops in September. Your limited edition Netflix series with Julia Gardner. I love Julia Gardner. She's a beast, man. She's amazing. She's amazing. She's amazing. Outtruis coming out this year.

Any upcoming U.S. Europe tour dates? Anything you got going on later? Oh, man, a ton. I'm not sure exactly when this episode will drop. But I think our next U.S. dates are Jacksonville, Tampa, Savannah, and Rale. We got like a four-day weekend of that. And then we got Cincinnati and Louisville. Then we go to Europe for like a month, which I'm so excited for.

Ready. We got like Romania, London, Sweden, Switzerland, Oslo, England, Ireland, Scotland, Scotland, which is technically England. They don't like hearing that. And a couple of other ones now. We're all over the place. Yeah, man, Savannah. You know, I went to school in Savannah, grew up near Savannah. I love it, man.

It's haunted. It's haunted. You ever see any creepy shit like that? No, no creepy stuff. Really? No, no, no. You and I were talking early off camera, and then you're like, man, I'm from Ohio, a little small town, about 1,100 people. But when you go back and look at it, bowels from Columbus, Jack Nichols, Jack Nichol's, Jack Nichol's, The Brothers, Ben Rothensberger, Pete Rose, Nate Thurman, LeBron, Steph Curry, Buster, Douglas, Simone Biles, Luke Keekley. What is it into the damn water in Ohio to get all these great? I didn't even know half those people were from Ohio. That's crazy. We can't wait to get out. That's amazing. Shout out to everyone he just listed for getting out of Ohio. It's an amazing place to grow up, man. Like, when you're growing up, you're so bored there and you can't wait to see what else is out there.

But in hindsight, it's so wholesome, man. It was just so quiet. Like, I'm so happy I got to be, like, the last generation of kids to, like, play outside. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have to bike across town, see if somebody's even home. Like, I'm happy I got that experience. No social media to get you, they distract you. No, I didn't really have social media until I was like, probably 16, something like that when it started to come around.

But it wasn't anything like big. Like, this was the time. And this is really how I like got a lot of my start in comedy. That was the time where you kind of reach anybody on social media. Like everyone was just kind of getting on. I got my first ever guest spot was for D.L. Hughley. And that happened just from on Twitter. Right.

I literally tweeted him and I was like, hey, I'm 15. I just started doing comedy. I see you're coming at the Columbus Funny Bone where I do my open mics. Like, would you want to, is there any chance I could do a guest spot? And he said, yeah, I showed up. And he was like, oh, you're actually a child. Right. That's like a 35-year-old man trying to just get some stage.

Right. When you grew up in Ohio, your mom and your grandfather raised you. So that's your mom's dad, correct? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had a stepdad, but we weren't that close. You weren't that close? Nah. It later found out that your father unfortunately took his own life.

Yeah. Did we start in the interview with this? We're going to start with it. One of Moss. Dig in. How did you find out? Did your mom or grandfather break the news for you? How did that happen?

pretty funny if I was just asking around. Has anybody seen my dad's? And people are like, oh, he doesn't know. I think my mom told me when I was probably I had to have an early teenager or something. I don't remember an exact moment when I found out.

But I feel relatively lucky that it happened so early because everybody loses their parents eventually, right? And it's so hard. Like when I lost my grandpa, like that still hurts. That was a few years ago. So there's a part of me that's a little happy I don't have the memories because I one year old, like I have, I have no memory of this person. I barely know that I even met him.

So I almost feel like I'm a little lucky to have gotten to skip that pain a little bit. So when your mom told you and it's like, damn, something, but, and you see now, everybody's seemingly more open with mental illness with mental health. It seems like guys are because for so long, that he is in the shadows. You don't talk about what you're going through. You're a man, you overcome it. You deal with it. You make sure the family's okay. And whatever pain you might be harboring, you deal with it, but now it seems to be coming to the forefront. And so when you find that, you're like, well, damn, how did it, did you feel any type of way? Like you said, you didn't have no memory of him. It's not something I really thought about when I was young.

It was just like, oh, you know, he's, he's dead. You know, I don't have a dad. I didn't really understand, like, the severity of, like, suicide and what that means and what he could have possibly been going through. He was also young. I think he was 21 when it happened. Yeah, which is, it's funny a couple of years ago I was talking about. mom about how I still don't have a mustache and she was like well you know your dad never had one I was like he was 21 didn't even get to grow into his face okay who knows what he was capable of um at the time it didn't really affect me but now as I get older and I'll go through like little spats of depression or whatever and I mean I don't really I've never really like I've never really

like I've never really contemplated like taking my own life right then but you'll hit you'll hit some low moments of car and in that low moment you're like there's a bit of recognition of like oh man this I wonder if this is what he felt as well. Because they say a lot of mental illness stuff is passed down. So I wonder if any of that depression is genetic or anything like that. But, you know, I try to think about it too much. Not to let me bring it down anymore just have an understanding of what he was probably going through. You know, he and my mom weren't really together.

He didn't really have a good job. I think he was like a part-time job as like a security guard or something. Wasn't that close with his family. His family was into drugs and stuff. So I just try to have a bit of an understanding of it as I get old. I think the thing is that for me is that I really did my dad and I only saw my dad once to know who I was looking at. I think I was about 13 years of age. And it really never dawned on me until I got the things like football and I see everybody else has their dad in the locker room. Yeah. Or I see their dad standing on the sideline or I see their dad in the locker room and then it's like man, I wish my dad could see this. I wish my dad could be there to see my brother. And that was the thing. Did that ever in a situation like where you're in school and you go to sporting events and you see dads at the game and they're cheering on their sons to be like. Like you. Now, like, you see so many comedians have their father. Yeah.

And you're like, damn, I wish my dad could see what his son became. You know, as a kid, it didn't occur to me as much because I had a stepdad. And even though we kind of hated each other to death, I still like, I knew them since I was five. So, like I still said the word dad, you know what I mean? It's not like I never got a chance to say that. Even though we weren't close. It wasn't until the last like four years. Because my grandpa was like my father figure really.

Like that was my best friend, my favorite person in the world. and he passed away like the exact moment. Within the same six months, like everything started to happen for me. I think he got to see me sell out a comedy club, like the Columbus Funny Bowl, where he actually started taking me when I was 15 to the open mics.

So he got to see me sell that out, but like now getting to do these arenas and everything like that, like I, when I did the Hollywood Bowl, I had this giant backdrop that was probably 30 by 20 feet behind me that was like me and him when I was like a baby.

Okay. Just because I was like, this was the first I con. moment in my life that I was like I really wish he could. The newest tracks, let's go. New music. And the next big thing. Always on the new music first.

Your first place to hear it all. Because you're going to like it, love, or want to play it twice. I heart new music. Your digital station for brand new drops, fresh vines, and tomorrow's bangers. I think we need something new. Discover I heart new music.

Always fresh, always first. Stream now. on the free I-Hard Radio. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman,

as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F-1, including the astrology of the current grid. Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, cancer moon. The story of the sports most consequential driver strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom.

And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career, a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better, and plenty of other mishap, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 IHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.

And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is, see all the nominees now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. I've been here to see this.

I pray to him before every show. Nothing super, super deep, but just, you know, wishing me luck. And I wish he could see every show that I do and everything. He's the one person I really would have liked to have known that I made him proud. Right. So it's more him than my dad, I suppose. Shoot your shot on prize picks and get $50 instantly in lineups when you play your first $5. That's right.

Prize picks now is giving you $50 in lineups when you sign up and play your first $5. Prize picks makes every dunk, every dime, every board that much more exciting. So don't miss a chance to get started on America's number one app for sports picks. Football season was fantastic, but it's time to shift gears to basketball. Trade deadline was excited. You know I'm rocking with L.A. and my guys, LeBron and Luca, more points, more threes, more rebounds, more, more, more. New feature alert. Price picks now have early payouts.

If your lineup gets off to a hot start, you may now have the option to cash out those winnings before the game even finishes. Prize Picks is simple to play. Just download the Price Picked app today. Use Coach Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5. lineup. Brian Spex, it's good to be right. You mentioned that he used to give you money.

Did you all, is that all you ever wanted to do? Did you play sports or you always like, you know what? This is my calling. I want to be a comedian. No, I wanted to play sports for sure. I played sports in high school. Football is my favorite for sure. Of course I had dreams alike. Let's go D1, play for Ohio State. Then we'll see if we can

go. Go to the NFL. And then, bro, I went to the Ohio State Michigan game this year in Michigan. And I'm on the sidelines with the players. And I'm like, I was never going to go D1, bro. I'm 12 years older than these people, and I'm still like, I can't wait to be like you when I grow up. They're gigantic.

The kickers, like, six, four. I was like, this was never a possibility, man. I wanted to so bad. I had such a passion for sports. And since getting older, I've adapted new, like, physical hobbies and sports. I love boxing now and everything. I try to keep myself as physically fit as possible, because, I mean, I just, I miss, that's the only thing I miss about school.

sports, man. Even when I moved out to LA, I was doing their like communal flag football league, shit like that, racking up MVP and everything, just showing out on a Tuesday night. So who are you? Tom Brady, you Bejohn Robinson, Kristen McCaffrey. So what? Oh, I'm going deep, man. I was

receiver. Oh, you were receiving a turn. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I loved it, man. You J.S. in and a chase. Yeah, bro. I'm multifacitive, baby. I miss it so much. I definitely have, like, that Uncle Rico syndrome now. I forget that I'm 30. And I'm like, no, I can still put up a 4-7. Let's find some turf.

Did you think your dad, your grandfather? You think he knew that that was your calling, that being a comedian? Because you said you started taking it to the funny bone in Columbus at a vet. You're 15. That's a prodigy. Thank you for saying that. There is a part of me that thinks that's possible in a really weird way. I mean, he definitely believed in me.

I found out what comedy was because I would go stay with my grandpa every single weekend from the time that I can remember. Okay. So we would watch like Adam Sandler movies, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, like all these great comedians who turned actors as well. And it's like that's kind of what instilled like a sense of humor in me. My grandma was also very funny. So he thought I was hilarious. Like that's definitely what gave me the confidence to try to make other people laugh.

Yes. And I actually, I have a tattoo of his handwriting that I found on a photo after he passed away. He had nicknames for all his grandkids like as soon as they were born. Right. As soon as they're born within the first couple of months, he has a nickname for all. All of my sister's like Chip or something like that. My cousin's got one. My other cousins got one.

My nieces, my great grandkids have one. And for some reason, he chose Hollywood. Really? No idea why. This is before. All the nicknames he could have given you. It could have been anything. You're in Midwest Ohio and he said, this is Hollywood.

Never even been to California. Nobody in my family ever has. And for some reason, it picked that name. So that's an odd manifestation, I suppose. But he was always very supportive. Like I, you know, I still have some of his voicemails in my, and my phone and every now and I would go back and listen to one and I'd say most of them are checking in like how was a show last night did that new joke work how'd your audition go I hope you get this

part like he was so supportive you know I think I think there was a part of me that really hoped he that I did a lot more than than he did right yeah made the most out of this I think the thing is that when you look at and you mentioned Chappelle Eddie Murphy Jim Carrey Pete Davis and Seth Rogan all these guys started as teenagers most of the time comedians get started in their 20s sometimes they don't get starting until their 30s. And here you are, you know, reaching out the deal, hey, bro, I hear you coming to, you're coming to Columbus Funny Bone. I'm a comedian. I'm 15 years of age. Let your boy get up there and open for you. Of course. Do something. Did you like, you're like, at that, what, at what point in time

did you realize that you know what? My way out of Ohio is comedy. I'm not going to Ohio State. As a matter of fact, I did not have the grades. I was going to go to Ohio Dominion, maybe. Ohio Dominican, maybe. I was probably. I was probably. I had just went to L.A. for the first time, but I had a manager out of a comedy club in Atlanta where I lived in Atlanta. You lived in A? Yeah, my junior year, the summer between my junior year and senior year. Okay. I had a manager down there who owned the Uptown Comedy Club, right? You know Uptown? Shut up. Yes. Oh, man, so you know what I went through. It's like, you got to earn your props at Uptow. They don't give you. No hell not. They'll boo the hell like to you.

Don't boo you, take the car keys out, jingle of the car keys out. Yes, it won't feel word. They don't care. This is all you got? Bro, they don't care that you're 15 in white. They're like, we paid for the ticket or we got them for free at Lennox Mall because I passed them out. That was where I really got my chops. And he obviously wanted the best for me and wanted me to grow as a client of his. So he had taken me out to L.A. for the first time to like see the comedy store, see the laugh actor, do chocolate Sundays, do Monday rays with D.Rae.

That's how he and I became really good friends. And then after that trip there, I went back to Ohio. after and I was like, that's what I want to do. Like, I want to move to L.A. And I took another flight out there. And I took the, it's like the California proficiency exam, which in Ohio, you have to have like amount of credits to graduate high school. And in Cali, I guess you can just take a test that says like you learned everything you need

to learn, went out there, took the test, passed it. And then I went back to Ohio, showed my principal. And he was like, I mean, I guess you don't have to go to school anymore. And then I moved out to L.A. like two weeks later. So, I mean, I graduated early, I suppose. I don't have a diploma or anything, but. You don't get a diploma? No, no, no. It's like an equivalency to a GED, I suppose. Yeah. But I mean, didn't need it. Thank God. The best decision I ever made was not go to college.

When I mentioned these young comedians, Chappelle, Murphy, Rogan, Davis, and Kerry. Did you study any of those guys coming up or you charted, kind of charted your own? No, no, Chappelle was my guy. Him and Dane Cook were like the epitome of what I wanted to be as a comedian growing up. This was when, like, Dane was taking over the world. Chappelle was in like the heat of Chappelle show. I was addicted to those guys. It's all I would watch. It was either Chappelle show and his early stand-up or even block party, I was obsessed with it. And like Dane Cook's like Comedy Central specials and everything. I watched that stuff like religiously.

And then that's when my mom won tickets on the radio to see Dane, that nationwide arena. She took me to see that and that like changed everything. That's when I was like, okay, now I kind of get what stand-up is and I want to do this. And then last year I got a chance to go play Nationwide Arena and actually broke the record for like most tickets ever sold there. And I had Dane come back and open for me. It was like such a cool full circle moment, man.

It was unbelievable. He brought this email printed out that I didn't even remember writing until I reread it. It was this whole email printed out being like, hey, my name's Matt. It was like his fan mail email address. Hey, my name is Matt. I'm like a 15 year old comedian.

Same thing as I did with DL. And I was like, I'm big fan of yours. I just didn't know if maybe you could take me under your wing. and mentor me. I really want to be just like you when I grow up. It was the most like charmingly naive email you could have sent to somebody. He held on to it after all these years. It was unbelievable, man.

I couldn't believe that. It was the coolest full circle moment. Do you remember the first joke that you told and became hooked? Oh, first joke and got hooked. Or were you like a class clown in school? Did you make jokes in school? So that's why you didn't do well in school because you was bulljohn. What pissed them off is I did do well in school, but I was still fucking around.

That was what pissed them off the most. I spent a lot of time being sent out to the hallway, a lot of time of detention. We used to have up to like six hour detentions. So you would like, you'd be in school. Yeah. So you had ISS then, in school suspension? No, that's happening during the day. After school, what was that?

What did they used to call it? It was like an all-nighter or something like that, where you, everybody gets out of school at 2.30 high school? You'd be there until 8.30 at night. And they had to go home and just go right to bed, man. It was awful. I had so many of those. I was so sick of school.

But I couldn't help but make it fun, man. I was so bored. You get on stage. You go to the comedy. So where did you perform? Were you at like a talent show where you did your comedy stuff? I did do a talent show. You did.

In seventh grade, this was another weird, I guess, coincidence. In seventh grade, I remember I had just started watching these comedy specials and falling over with Chappelle and everything. And I sit down and home. room in seventh grade next to my friend Amanda and for some reason she asks me you know what do you want to be when you grow up and I was like I think I want to be a comedian and I'm telling you on cue my teacher comes in and says hey everybody I'm putting a sheet on the wall we're doing a school talent show and Amanda was like you you got to do comedy and I signed up I ate the biggest dick

possible it was terrible it was terrible terrible terrible I did like a bunch of impressions of teachers and a bunch of terrible jokes of what I thought was material. It was awful, but that was like my first actual performance. And I started real stand-up like a year later after that. At the start of every new year, I set my goals. I tell myself this year I'm eating right. I'm working out. I'm working hard.

Staying on track. Then reality hits. Work, travel, cravings, distractions. Life just loves to test your focus. I've been there. I've fallen off, but I don't stay down because Amazon helped bring me back up every time. Amazon is here to make. sticking to your goals easier from healthy snacks I need to work out gear I like to have on hand.

All of my everyday essentials are available to purchase in one place. Not to mention, I can get it delivered fast so I don't have to worry about making a trip to the store and adding to my already busy schedule. Great prices, no running around, no extra hassle. Now, that's convenient. So when life tries to steer you off track, Amazon can help get you back to the plan, focus on your goals, and stay on your grind. Save every day with essentials from Amazon.

So when you started, was your grandfather your audience? Was your mom your audience? Were your friend your audience? So who was the first people to ever hear Matt Ripe? Tell a joke. Probably my grandpa. I spent so much time with him and I was so free and confident. And like I said, he thought I was the funniest person in the world.

So I used to love to try to make him laugh. And then that kind of moved back to like, okay, now I'm going back on my parents. I've tried some of that on them. It would work on my mom, not on my standards. at all. My sisters weren't trying to hear it. And then it moved into school. But once I started doing like comedy clubs, I never really performed for like people my own age.

Like my material ever since I was 15, 16 was always, I was never like, you know, homework is crazy. I was always like, man, teachers are crazy. It was always a little bit more adult skewing, which I think helped the transition a little bit. I remember Nick Cannon was telling me he had a hard time switching from like being a teenage performance. Yeah, to now being an adult.

And that happens around age 21. You can get away with being 19, 20, and people are like, okay, this is kind of like, kind of cute. This is kind of cute. But at 21, people are like, no, I paid for the ticket. You be wrong, you've got to be fun in that. Yeah. So I think that help with that transition a little bit is that I never really, like, catered my set young or anything.

Right. So with writing kind of the teen, obviously you can't do a whole lot of cursing. You got to do. I did. I cursed a lot, man. At 15, 16, 17, 17, you cursed. My parents didn't care at all. man, not at all. It was a lot of freedom in it, which I curse all the time, man. It's such a

problem. I cuss all the time. It doesn't even occur to me that I'm like swearing, you know, it's just. Is this an on stage problem or this is a real life like actually I'm having a conversation? It's all the time. I've been trying so hard out to curse as much than this. And I know I can, but I'll say like it's the word like. It's all the time, man. I'm trying, I've been trying to work on it. I know it's improper. So when you first, who wrote your first set? So did you have, did you have an idea of what? What? comedy was or did you got like you know what i'm just going to wing it i'm going to tell this joke i'm going to tell that joke or are you writing i was writing but i didn't know what a set was okay

these open mics i was going to was usually five minutes yes so i had no idea about what writing a set was so the first probably three months i was going so you can imagine it's the first probably 12 times once a week i was doing a new five minutes every single show and i mean most of it wasn't good but every now and then i would get i would get some big laughs and that's what kind of kept it addicting. But it wasn't until a comic pulled me aside and was like, are you working on any of these jokes? And I was like, what do you mean work on? Like, don't you just go up there and say them? And the next time I'm trying to else. He was like, no, you're supposed to like formulate a set. And then you can build on top of that craft it. Like going home and working on the jokes is the job.

Yes. It's not just the performance. The performance is the reward. Right. And so that today is still my favorite part about it. There's nothing, there's nothing more exciting to get in that spark of a new piece of material, a new idea, a new premise, and then going home and being like, I know how to make this better. It's so rewarding, man. It's the most addicting part to it.

It's like, it's like, bakers say the first time you bake something is not the best time. You bake it over and over and over. Interesting. So you tell a joke, the first time you tell it, it's not going to be the best time.

You refine that joke. Yes. And over time, it gets better and better. And you say, what, this is the finished product that I'm going to present to you all. Exactly. The only problem with that is eventually it feels repetitive.

Eventually you end up performing the joke. Depending on how many shows you do. I think Chris Roxy, you're supposed to run a set like, I hope I'm not misquoting this. This is what I heard from somebody else quoting him. You want to run the set like 300 times before recording it for a special. Really? And that's a lot, man.

I mean, and we do do that many shows, but there's times that I'm like, I don't feel like telling this joke at all, but it crushes. The audience loves this bit. So now you're not really, it's not as exciting to tell it the same, but part of the job is you've got to perform it. You've got to tell it like it's the first time every time. But you know, Matt, the thing is. Because it's like when old comedians, you could tell a joke over and over.

I can tell a joke in, say I tell a joke in Tampa. I can tell that joke in Jacksonville. I can tell that joke in Miami. I can tell that joke in Atlanta. And nobody would have heard it. But now, I don't know if you have that, like, Chappelle. Chappelle have that zip bag. He's going to put your phone in there and you're not going to hear this joke.

We only do it for some. I try not to do it because people hate it. People complain. They can't be without their phone back. What are my kids called? Yeah, what if there's an emergency? They'll be fine. Crack the window in the car, but we all right.

It's so annoying because it does make for the best show. It makes people be so attentive. There's no, they can't even think about checking my phone to check the time or check the notifications or whatever. It is 100% of the time the better show. But I try not to have to do it unless it's a recording of some time. But we do have a no phone policy at the show. Yeah. We announce it 100 times.

It's all over the jumbotrons. Do not have your phones out. And you look at the audience if somebody is. Happens all the time. Happens all the time. And I have little cues on stage that I'll do with my security knows. I can see somebody with their phone out right now. You got to go, man.

Just follow the rule. Just be present. So you kick them out? Yeah. I can't trust you, man. People record the show. They bootlegue. They try to post something out of context.

And also, without the getcha aspect, like, I'm working on a show. I'm building it every show. I'm trying to change. I don't want you posting the B-minus version of the joke before I get to film it for Netflix. And it's the A-plus version. I mean, now you're not as excited. Right. So it's just about privacy and respect.

And respecting yourself as well, you saved up money for a babysit. You paid for parking. You came in here and bought drinks, bought the tickets. Like, just be here at the thing. Be with me. Be in this environment. It's much more exciting. Did you ever forget a line?

Do you ever forget a line when you first started? Obviously, now you're a full-time pro. Did you ever forget a line? Like, damn. My first time. The first time I was probably two and a half minutes in. And I literally, I got to find the footage. I know it's out there somewhere.

I remember saying like, oh, shit, I'm like, I'm kind of freezing up right now. And the audience, this was the perk of being 15. It was like they weren't really going to boo you with the Columbus Funny Bone. I remember just, I remember it was just some old black lady. It just goes, you got it, baby. You got it. And I was like, that got a big laugh from everybody. And then that kind of helped me get back into it.

But yeah, I froze up. I didn't really know what, like, memorizing a set was like. I was just kind of going up there and winging it. So when you started that, so you're like, okay, I got five minutes. I got 10 minutes. I got 15 minutes. And so you're like, okay. I swallowed that bug, by the way.

I forgot it was in there. So you're like, okay, I got five minutes, I got 10 minutes, I got 15 minutes. And you're like, okay, I'm going to go, here's step, here's one beat, here's two beats, here's three beats. Is that how you did it? Or you're like, or you just wink, because some people, Marlon Wayne says, I don't write down nothing. I'm just going up on stage and I'm winging the whole thing. I'll make a set list. I'll be like, I can bullet point a joke one through, let's call it 12 or something like that.

But I definitely don't go up there and I'm not as meticulous with like word for word. I end up memorizing it that way once I'm up there just via repetition, but like, no, I want to be loose. I want to be free when I get up there. I don't have, I had to do this video the other day, Live Nation wanted to know, like, my routine beforehand. Like, where do you write down your set? What's your motivation when you get up there? And I'm like, I'm not like sitting in a float tank before my show playing tranquil music and everything, lighting candles. I'm back there. I just play some music. I'm hanging out with my boys that open for me. Like, I just want to be loose. Like so much in my set is they're like, hey, you're on in five minutes. And I'm like, oh, okay,

I guess we'll just go go do the thing. I don't want to be stiff. I want it to feel like we're all just kind of hanging out together. Right. You also say that I'm not Justin Bieber in all your sense. The newest tracks. Let's go. New music.

And the next big thing. Always on the new music first. Your first place to hear it all. Because you're going to like it, love, I want to play it twice. I'm playing now. I heart new music. Your digital station for brand new drops,

fresh vines, and tomorrow's bangers. Discover I-Hart new music. Always fresh, always first. Stream now on the free IHart Radio app. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series.

Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F-1, including the astrology of the current grid. Lewis Hamilton, Crapicorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sports most...

consequential driver strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career, a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better, and plenty of other mishap scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, gumster fire for more than 75 years.

Listen to no grip on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 IHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is

See all the nominees now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. Do people think that's who you are? All my sets.

No, no, no, no. No, that was like, that was one thing I used to compare it in the very beginning. Because he was like, he was it at that time. He was taken over the world when I was starting out. Not a bad guy to get compared to. Not a bad guy to be compared to. Wish I had that kind of success. Right.

But bro, watching what he went through in like past documentaries and everything now versus kind of, it's not comparative, but I can only understand the stress I've gone through over the last couple years to then times it by a thousand for what he went through. I have even more of a respect. Like, I love his music already. But to see what he went through. through and how he's persevered. I know he's had his struggles and everything in the public eye, but like so much props to him. I can't imagine what it's like to be that global of a superstar.

Did you ever think that being a comedian would cause this level of stress, had this level of anxiety? No, man. I thought it was going to be so much fun. I thought I was just going to get on stage and tell jokes. I thought I was just going to get to be silly on stage at a comedy club every weekend for the rest of my life. I didn't know, man. I used to be so stressed. And as an artist starting out, as an aspiring comedian actor, whether you're a singer, whatever it may be, you're so anxious and you're so stressed about like, oh man, am I ever going to make it? If I could just make it, I'll be so happy and satisfied. But that's not true. You develop new goals, new aspirations. And then you start to wonder, like, can I keep it? Keeping it is harder than getting it.

Anybody can get a flash in the pan. It can happen. One viral video can send you into, you know, a moderate level of fame. But like, once you get a taste of selling out arenas and hanging out with your idols, and you got enough money to buy your mom a house, your sister's houses, your grandma's houses. That's a lifestyle you don't want to give up, man. It's so addicting. I never thought it would be like this. By 30 years old, I've achieved 99% of my dreams. Damn.

Yeah. And you're not even half your life is not even gone. I know. And it's such a blessing. Like, everything I get to do from this point forward is just an amazing extra credit, man. I feel so blessed. But it also makes me think about how much time I have left. Like, what am I going to do with the next 50 years?

Like the possibilities are endless. Is there a situation where you see yourself retiring or you're just like, you know what, as long as I can tell a joke, as long as I can entertain an audience, I don't see myself slowing down. I don't see myself stopping. I can't see myself stopping for the pure fact that I love it so much and I don't know anything else. Right. Like this April will be exactly half my life that I've been doing comedy. It'll be the 15 year mark.

Wow. So I haven't really known anything. Like I tell myself I want time off and how exhausted I. I'm like two hours of sleep right now. right now. I'm exhausted. I take three days off. I feel like I fell off. I'm like, well, I got to get back to work. I have this thing I got to do. I got to do this thing over here. So I can tell myself that maybe somebody I'd want to settle down, but maybe it's just a different pacing or maybe it's transitioning over to acting more. Maybe I just do stand up kind of when I feel like it.

Kevin Hart's found a wonderful balance, right? You're not going to a couple movies a year. And in the midst of that, he'll go tour, pop in and do spots, work on his set. Like, that seems, I mean, it's a harder work, little. Like, I know he's like one of the hardest work in. on earth. But it feels like it's a more exciting balance. He's not totally consumed in touring, which is what I've been for the last. Right, because that's a lot of travel. At least that, well, you're on location, you're in one spot.

Yes. When you tour, you're in Jacksonville, you're in Miami, you're in Orlando, you in Atlanta, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so sick of planes, man. If I can drive six hours, I'll avoid flying. Really? I would rather drive six or seven hours than I would fly for two hours. I really would. So, I mean, you got a tour bus, do you and the boys hop on the bus?

We did the tour bus in 2024 and it was so much fun but it almost killed me because we were doing two shows a night six nights a week with meet and greets after each show as well. Wow! So we were doing like 40 to 50 shows a month for like nine months straight and it got to the point where like you get

done with the last show at midnight 1230 then you got a meet and greet till 1, 115. Are you cutting off the meeting greet so you got 100 in the meeting greet? I think we did I think we did 50 per show I think it was. Okay, that's my manager.

And as amazing it is to get to meet your fans and everything and hear their stories and all that, it's like doing another show because you've got to be on. You want to be present. Yeah, how are you doing? Where are you from? Yeah, you can't be the guy who's being like, all right, getting here for the picture. You might feel that way, but, like, they pay for the experience. These are people that love you the most, you know.

But then you get done with that at 1.30, and now you get to go back to the bus. Now you get to, like, light one up with your boys. Now you want to just enjoy yourself and decompress. So in other words, you're not going to bed at what, 4 o'clock now? 4, 5, 6 o'clock, get up at 2. two, walk to whatever like the local gym is there and then now you got to go back inside for show number. I was seeing

daylight for like 30 minutes a day for nine months in a row. It fucked my sleep up so much man. Wow. Yeah. I had to cancel some shows in Indiana one time because I literally like I couldn't walk. I went five days in a row without a single minute of sleep. You couldn't do it. I couldn't perform.

Had to go to the hospital and everything. Had to cancel. They were so mad. They were so because it was like night of the show. People were getting sat I'm heading to the venue, almost fell over in the bushes, because I couldn't see, couldn't walk straight and everything. And I got there and they're like, yeah, you're exhausted. Yes, exhausted. When I saw some sleep doctors, they ran some tests and everything.

And they're like, yeah, you know how like your circadian rhythm is kind of what helps you find your sleep patterns? Yes. They're like, you don't have a bad circadian rhythm. You don't even have one. Like, your sleep schedule is so, your body has no idea when it's supposed to fall asleep. And I'm still struggling. I'm still struggling with that. I've had it my whole life, but that definitely, like, sent me over the age.

Definitely doesn't help. But I also don't know how to not be that. busy like I would rather be exhausted from work than sitting around being bored you mentioned a deal like you your first start you got deal with coming to the Columbus funny bone you reached out to him and he put you on I think you have a story with Mike Gelt what's some of the best advice because DL has been at this thing 30 40 years Mike else been at this thing 25 30 years what's some of the best advice these guys giving you some of the best advice I've ever been given is not to quote Nike but

like just do it yeah like you like you Like you, sometimes you'll have an idea of a piece of content you want to film, maybe it's a script idea, or just a joke idea. Run it by a friend, they'll be like, I don't, I don't get it. And you're like, now you find yourself arguing why you don't get it. Like, no, I'm trying to convince you. And they're like, just stop. My friend Eric Griffin told me, he was like, stop trying to convince me. Just do it.

Right. Like, go on stage or go film the thing that you have an idea for. Nobody else is aside your brain. Nobody can picture and visualize exactly what you're trying to create, which is exactly why they're not in your shoes. Right, correct. You have to go show them and go do it. You got to gamble on yourself. If you're not committed to your own decisions,

why would anybody trust them in the first place? So I mean, I believe in just betting on yourself. And what's another good piece of advice somebody's given? Ralphie Mae used to tell me not to wear cool shoes on. He used to tell me he was like, yeah, it's distracting from what people are trying to say. I'm like, you're 400 pounds. You don't think people are distracted by what you're saying right now?

He was a little wrong on that one, but he was a cool dude. You ever get a chance to meet him? I have not met Ralphie, but I hear great stories about him. The best guy. He was like my first real mentor. Like he took me on my first theater tour when I was 19. I used every bit of that check to pay for my teeth to get done. He was the best.

Even when I was still living in Ohio, he would let me drive down from Ohio to Nashville where he lived and do his Christmas shows with him at Zanis so that he could pay me some money so I could go back to Ohio and buy my family. a Christmas presence with him. He was the nicest guy. When I moved to LA, he'd take me out to lunch, and he'd make me order like five meals. And I'm like, is this for me or for you? And he was like, no, this is yours. If you order five meals now, you get to take the leftovers home with you.

And now you don't got to buy groceries this week. He was the nicest guy, man. That is fucking right. Man. I'm sleeping middle bunk on the bus, and he will walk by, open the curtain, fart in the bunk, and then go back to his room. Diabolical, man. But the greatest guy. Yeah. You mentioned that the uptown comedy store in Atlanta, uptime comedy club in Atlanta. How did the Atlanta sing? Because, man, you know, I think as a comedian, you have to be able to branch off.

You have to be able to get black people to laugh, white people to laugh, young people to laugh, men to laugh, women to laugh. It doesn't matter because funny is funny. And you have to. And so you coming up and they look at this, and a young, and white kid, they try to make me laugh. Because we laugh differently. It's more fulfilling to get black people to laugh, I got to say. Because white people laugh. Yes.

Black people, no. Man, man. Ow! Ow! Ow! Damn it, Shannon. That's how we laugh. We all, man, we stand on top.

It's the best, man. But when y'all don't with us, you don't with us. There's no pity laughter. Boo! From the back. They don't care, man. It's so fulfilling. We don't.

So to get to like grow up in comedy in that kind of do or die environment, it definitely helped me like carve my chops. Like had I not done that, I never could have done wild now. Like Atlanta's full of beast, man. Like I saw Ryan Davis come on here and talk about Ronnie Jordan and everything. I mean, even special K back in the day. Like anybody who went through Def Jam at all, I opened for them in Atlanta. Right.

So I'm getting to open for like Def Jam crowds in the middle of Atlanta when I'm 15. 16 years old. It was the best possible place to cut my chops, man. Had I gotten wild out like two years before when I originally auditioned for it, there's no way I could have survived, man. I couldn't have hung with like Carlos Miller, Chico being DC on fly. There's no way. Those guys are absolute beasts, man. Atlanta's an amazing comedy scene. They really don't get the credit they deserve. Because you have to be out of the car. But the comedy scene's amazing. Drive into Atlanta. Yeah, because when you think about it, you got Quake, you got Bruce Bruce. You got R&SJ. You got what's the guy from St. Louis.

Torrid? No, the guy that came on here. Oh, said. Fed the entertainer was the big guy. I love said. Clapper. La Belle Crawford. Yeah.

D.C. Curry. I mean, you got the heavyweights. D.C. Curry, as a matter of fact, going back to great advice, I was open for him at the Cleveland Improv, and I was watching his show. And, you know, he's a really great storyteller. He can sit in five minutes of silence building up to this one big punchline. I remember going back in the green room afterwards, just so naive.

And I asked him, and I was like, you know, there's like, there's so much silence in the storytelling that you're doing up there. Does it ever feel like, does it ever feel like you're, like, bombing up there? And he just started laughing to himself. And he was like, no, I'm not bombing. He was like, I've got their attention. He's like, silence is one of the most powerful things you can have in stand-up comedy. Yeah, absolutely. Because if they're quiet, they're listening.

It's when they start talking amongst themselves. It's when they start heckling. That's when you have a problem. He was like, patience and timing is what I'm building up for that one big punchline. That never really occurred to me. I thought comedy was supposed to be like, boom, boom, boom, boom, it doesn't have to be like that. If your style of storytelling, grasp them, you know what I mean? Grab their attention, hold them for that one big moment.

That's so powerful. Because some people are storyteller. Some people, you know, 30 seconds, they, boom, we go. Some people, it take a couple of minutes in order to build up to that crescendo, and then boom. Yeah, yeah, my set now is, like, a perfect mix of that. Like, I love stories. I'd say 45 minutes of my set right now is just stories. Like, I need you to follow me on that, right?

I got to practice that pace and timing. But you like that rapid fire sometime, too. That's just for me. You know what I mean? That's where, like, the crowdwork is kind of fun. Okay. Like, that's something new and refreshing. I get to do every show that's just kind of spontaneous for me, you know?

Mixes up the set a little bit. Because like I said, you can get tired of your own set. So at 17, I think, if I'm not mistaken, you decide to go to L.A. Mm-hmm. And your family. So how was that, how was that received? You're like, mom, grandpa, uh, I'm about to be like Jed Clampin. I'm about to move to every.

Jed clamping. Wow. What a reference. I'm about to move up out of here. I'm going to Calais. I'm going, maybe not barely healed, but I'm getting up out of Ohio. They were so ready, man. My mom was like, one last mouth of feed.

They were so supportive because nobody in my hometown leaves that hometown. And I knew nobody in my family has also ever been to college. So there was no like expectation. It was like, okay, here's this thing that you're already kind of traveling to do. You're already making a little bit of money doing it. You're really passionate about it. We think you're good at it. So by all means, you've got some good mentors out there.

I went out there. I lived on Eric Griffin's couch for the first, like, six months I was out there. Then I moved to another friend's couch. Then I moved to a, what's, oh, what's that website called? So you can go on and just find anything up for listing. Craigslist? Yeah, Craigslist. Yeah, Craigslist. I did the whole crouch. I did the whole crouch thing for like two and a half, three years, taking the bus. I didn't know about, I didn't know about paying bills. I didn't know about grocery shopping. You didn't know anybody in L.A.? I knew a couple of people. Just comedians, though. Just comedians. I have met online or during that first trip to L.A. That were like, when you get out here, let me know. And I was lucky. enough that they fulfilled those promises. Wow. Yeah, I used to just walk to either the improv, the comedy store, the Laugh Factory, every single night and just hang out. Like, just wait and

see if maybe somebody didn't show up for their spot and somebody there would vouch for me and be like, you know, let this kid fill the five minutes until so-and-so gets here. And that's really how I like built up to being like, I think I'm the youngest regular performer at the Laugh Factory besides Tiffany Haddish. Wow. Yeah, just from just from hanging out and people vouching, man. It was, it was an amazing opportunity and just getting to just getting to hang out with everybody who I had seen on TV and that like made me want to do this was just it was amazing man you got some opportunities to be on Disney's but you hear these stories a lot of these kids that on Disney you hear them struggle not only later in life and so why why haven't you why haven't

that befallen you what was made you so mature that you were able to be in that that you were able to be in that environment and move forward and succeed well I think it's because I didn't have my own show I was a character on somebody else's show And they were struggling But I'm checking him for a day I'm like, what the fuck is their problem? Breakfast was great this morning, man This set has everything

You're being pretty ungrateful right now I mean there was just less pressure on me I got to show up on a couple of like guest episodes On some really fun shows there But again, that was like my first experience with television So getting to like see what it's like to have a green room Getting to like rehearse on set Learning what table reads are and everything

Learning that you can get replaced at a table read Damn! Yeah, I got invited back reoccurring on this show and after the first episode went so great. Second episode, I felt so comfortable. This is like the next season. So I went back in there, didn't know my lines. And the first rehearsal of it, the director comes over and goes, hey man, if you don't memorize these lines for this network meeting we have coming up, they're like, they're going to recast you. I went back to my green room and just studied the, I got every beat, every syllable.

Because when the network comes in to watch it, you got to perform it. Like, they want to see how it's going to be on camera. That's when I realized. like how serious all of this was and also how many pieces there are. That's why it's so hard to get work as an actor, I think, because as a comedian, you're in control of your own destiny to a certain extent. Like, you write your own jokes, you book yourself for gigs, you are in total control of what you can and can't do, for the most part, aside from getting on television versus acting, it's like there's 30 people you've got to get approval of for approval of to get a spot. You got the casting, the associate, casting director, the director, then the producers, then the network.

It's such a complicated game, which is why I think stand-up has allowed me to get in the position I am now, because I love to work hard. I woke up every day in L.A. for 12 years, trying to create new opportunities for myself. So when it finally did break, I want all the work now. Like, exhaust me, man. I wanted to be this busy. Is it a situation where, like, when you're a comedian, you write a set, you're writing that set. Compared to television, somebody else is writing a joke for you. And not necessarily, you wouldn't write that joke like that.

So it's like it comes off as strange or awesome. because that's not the way I would have wrote that joke. And so me, it's kind of feels. No, it happens. Especially for network stuff. It's like, you know, PG-13 at most. It's some of the worst writing ever. I can't tell you how many auditions I've gone on for like a network sitcom that I'm like,

I'm a professional comedian. I have no idea how to make this funny. This is such a terrible, terrible joke. And this person got paid six figures to write this joke right now. It's unbelievable. That's why, again, this job is so. freeing, man. I get to just be myself. I get to, I get to just float out my sense of humor, projected out there, and God willing, people like it, man.

Did you get an opportunity to get on Comic View before it got canceled? Yes, dude. That was my first TV credit ever, actually. Some more was hosting this season. Yeah, okay. I got found at the comedy union off of Pico. Okay. You know that one, down the street from Rosco's? Oh, no, I don't know that, but it's, it's an older joint. It's closed down now. It was, it was one of the, it was one of the, it was one of the, it was one like the black clubs around LA, which was one of the very few places I could really get stage time. And I went in there and Amber Bickham is a great casting director. She cast a lot of great shit. And she saw me in there. She said, I want you to audition for Comic View. This is when it was just coming back.

I went in. We taped in Atlanta, actually. I got a standing ovation as the closer from my episode. They filmed three comics per episode. Got a standing ovation. I think I was, I think I had just turned 18. And they, they canceled the season before my episode. So I never even got to see it. Damn. I know. I know. I think Carlos Miller might be the only person who got their episode actually aired. And they saw it and they were like, nah. Wow. That's not believe. I know. So in that situation, now you parlayed that, you get whaling out. You're the youngest cast member so far of whaling out. Did you like, how to, because wilding out is kind of different because you're like going back and forth. Somebody bagging on you. You bagging on it. It's a different. So it's like. Yeah. The pacing's up. The intensity is there. Because like I said, everybody's a beast, man. Yes.

And you're fighting for episodes, too. It's like a team. You got a roster, right? But there's only so many starters. Yes. And you don't get paid unless you play either. Yeah. So we have these workshops for like a month before we start filming everything.

And that's maybe, no, it's maybe like two weeks before. We're going through all the new games and everything, teaching everybody how to play the games, how to write for each game or whatever. And I went in there as somebody who had never really been on a TV show outside of a couple of Disney episodes. I'd never done anything competitive in the comedy space either. And I was so nervous. I would go in there with my hands in my pockets and super slouched over. And the producer of Nile Evans was not having that shit. He was like, no, you got to come in here with confidence. Like that show, the workshops for that show like kind of taught me how to like be a man. Like he used to make DC Youngfly like

get in my face like about to like hit me. Like we, he was really about establishing confidence in me. Because he was like, if you can't be confident back here, how you're going to be confident in front of a live, packed out crowd, front of all these cameras where you get one shot. And it was nerve-wracking, but it definitely pulled the best out. I mean, it's one of those instances where, like, pressure makes diamonds, right? Like, the pressure was such an institution for how I developed as a comedian. Did you get turned down the first time you audition for the show? Yeah, yeah, I did. It was when they first rebooted this season.

Okay. This is when Carlos and Chico first got on and everything. Okay. I drove down from Ohio because they had auditions at the uptown comedy club. and my manager that was able to get me an audition I drove down which was like nine hours

and it was an okay audition but didn't get it I think Pete Davidson actually got on for that one and then I got cast when he left as kind of his replacement they replaced white guy after white so they replaced a white guy

with a white guy because he replaced Mikey Day when he left it was just one after another so there was an opening that got and I didn't get the first one and once I got it

when I was just turned 19 I think. Bro, I was so barely ready at that time. You can go back and watch. Like, I was terrified. So much of my stuff from episodes got cut because I didn't deliver it confidently. But I needed that. I hadn't been ready.

And that's a reoccurring theme in my life where, like, everything happens so young for me. Even the arenas and everything. When our theater tour for the Problematic World Tour sold out in the first, like, 48 hours of pre-sale, we sold like 600,000 tickets in 48 hours. Wow. My agents were like, oh, we could just transfer these two arenas. I was like, yo, I just started selling out comedy clubs. I'm not ready for that.

Like, you've got to take the necessary steps. You know, I also want to experience theaters. A comedy club show is different from a theater show, is different from an arena show, is different from a stadium show. And I wanted those life experiences, you know. If I would have jumped right into arenas, there's no way I would have been ready. I was barely ready for the theaters. The comedy club was where I was like just starting to like.

Celebrate your pride with the. the station that's as bold, vibrant, and diverse as you are. IHart Pride Canada. From dance anthems to pop icons and hits from 2SLGBTQ Plus Canadian artists. It's the soundtrack that keeps life loud and proud. Just ask your smart speaker to play IHartPry, Canada. Stream us on your phone or listen now at iHartRadio.ca. Come together, celebrate love.

Pride. Feel it all year long. With IHart Pride Canada. Ready for a different take on Formula One? look no further than no grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F-1, including the astrology of the current grid. Lewis Hamilton, Crapicorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it, Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sports most consequential

driver strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career, a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better. And plenty of other mishaped scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, gumster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the biggest night in podcasting. is on to our 2026 IHeart Podcast Awards.

Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is, see all the nominees now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards.

Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer. award explore the best selection of audio books podcasts and originals all in one easy app audible there's more to imagine when you listen sign up for a free trial at audible.com hill so it's baby steps i don't know you can pete i mean pete got a nice little roster i don't know your roster like pete no all right so we're done talking about comedy you got it okay but also someone from ohio that really good in comedy is gary owen and i think a beast. Yeah, I think early in your career, they tried to compare you like, no, bro.

I'm, I'm mad. Yeah, I'm a different person, and that's no shade. Gary Owen is a legend. Like, that dude murders. Like, there's very few comedians that I would not want to follow. Gary's one of them, man. But he always has, like, the cachet

of, like, he's a white comic for black audiences only, right? He's just an urban comic or whatever that means. And I just didn't want to pigeon hole an audience. You know what I mean? Like I want to be for as many people as possible. Now, whoever finds me, finds me. It's all black people? Amazing. It's all white people. Amazing. It doesn't matter to me. Funny is just funny. But I didn't want to be pigeonholed into like, oh, he only

does urban stuff because it's, it's so unfortunate that that limits opportunities in Hollywood as well. Like Gary was great and was it Think Like a Man? Yes. He was so good in that shit. But because a lot of Hollywood in the entertainment industry just thinks, oh, he only has a black audience. I don't know if white people will go see him. I feel like that hinders a lot of his opportunities. I could be wrong. Gary, if I'm wrong, I apologize, but it's really what it feels like. I think he deserves a lot more. I agree. And from a young age, I just saw that and I was like, I just want to make sure I leave all the doors open that I can. But he's a beast, man. Were you surprised by how Nick

the jokes that he would allow you to say on Wilden Out? Yeah, that was my biggest problem with the show, actually. That show, everyone has their role, right? And my role was the white guy. And if you made any jokes outside of being the white guy, that shit was like not okay. Like it was either fall super flat that nobody wanted it or just kind of frowned upon. Right. Like at a certain point, as a comedian, I want to say other shit. I want to say something kind of clever, something that I actually put some thought into, something that's not racially based. And that's all they really wanted after it. So all they ever wanted out of it. So after it, after it, like three seasons of it, I was like, I just want to do other things, you know? This takes up so much of my time. I'm

not on every episode. It doesn't pay well. Right. I need to go tour. I need to go. I need to go be me on stage. So it was a little limiting. Yeah, but I mean the exposure from it was amazing. You know, my first season on there, I mean, I bumped up thousands of thousands of followers. That allowed me to tour for the very first time. So I'm so thankful for it. It was an amazing

institution. It was a great opportunity and opened so many doors for me. So I'm very thankful for it. Well, you got an opportunity to go against the 85 side crew. You got D.C. You got Chico. I want to go do that show with them so bad. Those are some of the most talented people I've ever met my entire life. Right. When you look at the success of 85, South, as we mentioned those guys.

Are you, so it strikes me as that you're not surprised at the level of success that they're enjoying. Not at all, man. It's so well deserved. They're so talented, man. Sometimes I'll watch them just riff a freestyle song and not only is it a good song. Right. But it's hilarious.

They're doing the instrumentals. They're doing the lyrics. They're doing the jokes all on the spot. They're so talented, man. I really do love those guys. I'm so happy for them. Who do you think the all time? Who's the funniest member of Wilding our cast?

Of all time? Fuck, man. Oh, that's tough. Oh, I mean, Prime Cat was something else, man. Some people forget he was on that show. In the original seasons, Cat, Kevin Hart, but then, I mean, Carlos is up there, man. Carlos is a brilliant comedian, man. It's got to be one of those three, I think. Do you have a favorite? Probably Cat. Probably Cat. Probably Cat. Probably Cat. Probably Cat of Los. Because the thing is that... Did you see his new special? Cat Williams? Yeah, I did. I did. I watched it. Okay.

And you know what the thing is is that for those guys, I mean, it's just like this. It's just because you own, you own cue. And like for a comedian, like, if I'm telling a said, it's one thing. But to just Joan, to just go back and forth. You got to, you got to grow up with it. You got to do it. If you don't got black friends, you're not going to laugh about. There ain't no way, man.

Because white people don't do it. They call it bully. Yeah. It's so frustrating, man. We call it, Jonah. We go back and forth. I went to an HBC. And so we go into the student center.

If you didn't have thick skin and you went to an HBCU, you're going to end up leaving. You end up going to a PWI. A PWI. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because that's ain't for you. Because, you know, you've been around black people. We talk different to one another than where you guys communicate with one another. Oh, of course.

And so we bring that right to you. Oh, well, you're around us so you won't get this too. Which is why black people are always the more fun comedy audience, man. You all know, y'all know what jokes are. Yeah. The context is everything, man. You realize it's not, it's not a personal attack. No, it's that move that.

I'm just saying the funny as possible. The more I'm, the more I f***ing with you, the more I try to hurt your feelings, the more I actually fuck with you. Like, I genuinely love you as a person. You know what I mean? It's so frustrated that white people don't get that. It's so annoying. They take a person like you're bullying him.

Yeah, it's so, we're so sensitive. It drives me insane. If I ever get a complaint for any of my material, it's a white person, 100% of the time. 100% of the time. The pay. You mentioned that. They didn't pay. a whole lot of wilding out. So where you get?

250, 300 an episode? It's a thousand an episode. But if you want three episodes and season. What can I do? And by the way, you can't go do other shit. You tapen for a couple of weeks. So you're making don't hear it. No, it's all perspective, right? So I'm making $3,000 for, over the

course of a month, which don't get wrong. That's not bad. People pay their bills on that all the time. I imagine that's more the minimum wage. But you can't go do anything else. I could be going touring. I could be auditioning for other things. I are going to pay more. So it's just It's an investment. It's a gamble.

You got to hope you're on these episodes, though. It's not, you know, it's not $9 an hour or anything. But in comparison to what touring pays or what other TV shows pay, it is very little. And then you got taxes on top of that. So it ends up being 300 an episode. Yeah. So in other words, it's about the, you're going wilding out. It's really about the exposure.

You're giving people an opportunity to see Matt. Yeah. To see like, you know what? This dude is really funny. If he ever toured, I got to see him because I want to see what he really. really like, because I see he can go back and forth and he can join and he got the gift of gap and he's quick with it. So if he got a set, he can do something 30 minutes, 45 minutes, I want to see it. Yeah, it's more of a launching pad than anything. The exposure for there

is unmatched, man. What are they on season 26 or something like that? That's not off luck. They have an audience. People love the show. People love the people from the show. We all tour together. As soon as you leave the show, it's like we'll go do shows on the road, five, six cast members at a time, sell out these big theaters, sometimes in arena. People love the show, dude. It's awesome. You mentioned that when you started while or not, you ended up the first thing you did is about bought some new teeth. Yeah, man.

After my first season, oh, bro, it was right after, it was in between seasons and Ralph E. May took me on tour. I couldn't wait to get my teeth, man. It was, I had Ohio teeth, bro. I had them stray hands, man. Really? Come on, man. Bro, it was bad, bro.

It changed everything for me, man. Because I had a beautiful 30-year-old girlfriend at this time. I'm 19 years old. I got these terrible teeth. I was like, I got to give her a reason. The state, because it's not the money, for sure. It ain't the dick. There ain't no way.

There ain't no way. She's 30. Yeah. There's no way. You said you would rather had died than smile. Yeah, man. So I'm still really bad at smiling in photos. I just didn't.

But you got the grill now. You're good. I know, but I don't know how to smile. I feel like I look weird in photos when I smiled my teeth. Because I didn't grow up doing it. I didn't have like the practice of doing it. So how long you had the teeth? I got them when I was 19, so 11 years now.

When you're good now? I try. Because, you know, you normally talk with you, you know, you got something, you got a missing tooth on the side. You got a cavity or gap. You got the Jack Hughes. Yeah, you're talking like, man, go ahead on with that. Because the thing as a comedian, the one thing, and you bag on people, the one thing you cannot have any imperfection. Oh, bro, are you kidding?

Because if they got something? Man, go ahead on, Jack-A-Lat. They call it Jack-A-Lander. All of it. All of it. All of it. All of it. All right.

Relax. Relax. Okay. All right. No more conier. No more conier for Shannon. That's enough. So when you got, so why did you say, you know what?

If I ever, because I said the same thing. If I ever get me some money or I'm going to get my mouth fixed. Y'all ain't fit to be ragged because I'm all of me people, Faye Jonin, talking about people. And they say, call you snaggle pus or jack-o'lantern, then you feel it's up type of way. So I'm like, I'm going to get me some teeth. Is that how you thought about it?

It was more just a confidence thing, man. I knew they were fucked up. And I know how important teeth are. When you meet somebody, you look at eyes and teeth. Yes. The two most important things. And I was just so insecure about it. I know there was nothing wrong.

Like, people, you don't got to have a perfect smile. You can be a wonderful person. People are still going to like you. But I knew the career that I wanted to have. And by the way, I checked into getting braces first because I just couldn't afford braces growing up. So I looked into that first. So you were a straight gap teeth.

Yes. That would have been great. And that would have saved me tens of thousands of dollars. Yes. But they told me they were like, you're going to have braces for like six years. I was like, I am not about to be in my early 20s with braces on. I wouldn't get laid ever. Are you crazy?

My teeth were like, I think they were like $24,000. Yeah. So I paid half up front and then I had payments for the next like three years, which was terrifying to miss a payment. Yeah. Denton's going to show up with some. Well, you can't take about it. Like, oh, y'all stuck.

Y'all's teeth. So I missed them. I could have bought two pairs of fake tities with these teeth. It's unbelievable. I got a Honda accord in my mouth, man. It's unbelievable. But how do you feel about people saying that, man, you've had other work done? Oh.

They made your, they ain't just fake teeth. You'd have some jawline. You'd have some Botox. The funniest thing in the entire world, man. Ugly people love to say that. It's the funny. Oh, so you just get better looking as you get older? Yeah, not everybody peaked in high school, man.

I don't know what the time. It's so funny. And it happened the weirdest way because when I first started to get famous, everybody's first thing was like, oh, he's not funny. People just like him because of how he looks or whatever. And then that caught on being like, okay, I guess he's a good-looking comedian. And the people were like, nah, I don't like that. So now we have to find some way to make him.

not good looking. Right. So now I've had plastic surgery. I look the fucking same. Right. I look exactly the same. You know, people do age.

People do age. And I feel like I'm aging well. I like to think so. Right. But just work out, man. Take care of yourself. We see what's going on now. Now, Jim Carrey's gotten cloned.

Bro. Yeah. Now, here, I don't know, man. That shit looks weird. Come on, man. No, listen to me. Listen to me, man. That shit, it looks weird.

It'll look weird to you? The man got cloned? I don't know about that. His eye color is different. His nose is different. Face is wider. The one I would believe more than him, you see, Britney Spears, you see in her videos.

I should get a gap in her teeth. She never had that before. Yeah, I don't know why. They gave her my teeth. That's just so weird to me, man. Listen, I don't know. I've never been invited to any ditty parties. I've never been invited to any Illuminati parties.

I don't know how it goes. I don't know what the weird conspiracies are in Hollywood. I'm so far out of the loop. I'm kind of mad. Right. I thought I was doing well. I haven't been invited to anything. This concludes the first half of my conversation.

Part 2 is also posted, and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listen to Part 1 on. Just simply go back to Club Shet Shay Profile and I'll see you there. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of Motor Racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid,

the story of the sports most consequential driver's strike and plenty of other mishaped scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, gumster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 IHeart Podcast Awards.

Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.

And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is, see all the nominees now at IHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com.

I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s and free agents, the podcast that owns the NFL offseason. This is where teams are built. Free agency, combine, pro days, trades. Every move matters.

From my draft boards and mock drafts to my vaunted top 101 free agents and how rosters come together. Quarterback movement. Surprise signings. We'll tell you what it means. And who will. really wins. Open your free IHeart radio app, search 40s and free agents, and listen now.