Club Shay Shay - Lil Rel Part 2

Episode Date: March 13, 2024

Lil Rel continues the laughs and insights as he delves into his remarkable journey in the comedy world by discussing the multiple “big breaks” he’s had in Hollywood. Lil Rel discusses the reality of doing ComicView in New Orleans right before Hurricane Katrina. Lil Rel goes on to talk about building friendships with comedy giants like Kevin Hart and Cedric the Entertainer and gives his top 5 current comedians of all time. He fearlessly addresses the generational gap in comedy, spills the tea on his beef with Katt Williams, and what it took to impress Keenen Ivory Wayans and secure a role on the In Living Color reboot. Lil Rel also explains why the reboot never made it to air. Lil Rel's deep bonds with Jerrod Carmichael and Tiffany Haddish take center stage, providing a glimpse into the positivity and camaraderie that fuels his success. He opens up about Hollywood's pay disparities for Black entertainers, his role in Jordan Peele's Get Out, and the unexpected turns in his career, from Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds to Bird Box with Sandra Bullock. With humor and candor, Lil Rel reflects on his personal life, from proposal antics at a Beyoncé concert to navigating the complexities of blended families. Don't miss this captivating continuation, filled with laughter, behind-the-scenes tales, and Lil Rel's unfiltered perspective on fame, friendship, and family dynamics. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for coming back. Part two is underway. How long did it take for you to get your big break?

When did you know, say, you know what? Lorella's right. I think you get a couple of them. Okay. rail is right i think you get a couple of them okay the first one that i felt strong about was my second year doing comic view i did it in miami arne sj was hosting i remember a comic backstage i don't do the name they name my thing and a comic went up before me kill right? He's like Good look little real Like laughing like I was gonna bomb first bit. I do I used to do this

remix of this tweet song oops old man standing ovation and That people don't realize that I used to like to do my best joke first That's how you write really great jokes do the do your hottest bit first and now I got to figure out how to follow this So everything else got to be strong okay so i gotta be able to do i should have a bit that i should have any bit that can close any show right you know any of my bits you'd be able to close my show right and i thought you know that was something i learned early on stand ovation got a stand ovation left i have my little my little real jersey on because you know what shit you want people to remember you so you everybody's put their name on this stuff right

i got that from d ray actually right and you, and so that happened and then we move on to Bill Bellamy's who got jokes on TV one. That's what me and Tiffany has became for me. Yes, I Be Leon Rogers who's one of our most well respected comedians out of Chicago big radio personality out there And I beat him in an episode of Who Got Jokes? And that was a monumental for me. That's when I was like, oh, shit. Okay, I'm becoming a man. And then Martin Lawrence, First Amendment.

Right. I do that, and standing ovation, Sheryl Underwood brings me back on stage. They edited this out, which I hate they did, but brought me back on stage and said, Chicago, this is your next Bernie Mac. Every time I see Sheryl, because brought me back on stage and said, Chicago, this is your next Bernie Mac. Every time I see Cheryl, because now I go sit on the couch at

the talk, and we hug it out every time. I love her to death for that. I'm like, damn, I was just a kid. You did that. That was dope. And so it's just different big breaks, but Get Out became our big screen big break, and that changed. That was the last movie I auditioned for.

So every movie you see me in after that, it was just. They wrote the referee. Offer only, yep. Wow. Was Comedy View your first paid TV spot? Yep. BET's Comedy View. I did it just so crazy. I did it in New Orleans before Katrina.

It was like right before katrina it's almost sometimes i feel eerie about watching that tape because your new orleans was a different new orleans before katrina and i just remember the energy even when we look when you look at the audience that that audience is one of the best comedy crowds yeah for sure in the world was that new Orleans crowd. It's so, it's kind of, it's eerie to watch sometimes. But yeah, I did, that comedy was my first, yeah, first pay year. I'm looking at in 2000, all the, you're like, NBC's last comic standing,

P.D. the Bad Boys of Comedy, Russell Simmons Presents, stand up, L. Ray, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, the all-star comedy jam. I mean, you all over the place in the 2000s i didn't stop i feel like i needed a credit every year so i try to stay on tv every single year so whatever stand-up series was coming on i'm like i gotta get on this you don't feel that you're too big for that now that you've outgrown that yeah i i think so i think for me the next move is to create a show like that okay you know i need to host and produce something like that right you know i'm saying that's been my goal the last few years it was something bubbling and then it you know i don't know fizzed away but it's still something i something i want to do is host and create

something like that because that those platforms really helped me get to to where i'm at which is why like you know i i've been yours once again your show has kicked off outside that interview so many comics it's so many conversations happening and you know one of the things that people don't realize once again i'll tell you earlier that everybody's journey is different correct you know i did hear cat say like you, he was talking about Kevin Hart. Like, well, Kevin Hart, how many people you know come to L.A. with a movie and a sitcom and this and that? Well, unfortunately, I was watching that. I'm like, dang, Cat never, he don't know, he don't know about the festival circuit.

Oh, he don't, he don't know. Jesus Christ. You know how Kevin gets deals like that? You go to the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, which is one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world. You know what happens at the Montreal Comedy Festival? You go up on stage, have a great five to ten minutes, and the next day you're meeting with studio execs that are actually there.

They were giving people deals at these festivals. That festival helped change my life They still do that still do it still is still the big like a lot of us go now and get awards from it now I got an award as a breakout comedy star a couple years ago, and I remember my speech It was I tear it teared up giving my speech You know why could I sit in the back of that room ten years ago as a new face comic? It was that one day. I'm gonna be up there to get an award. And I got my award and I stood,

I literally, it was packed in there. And I looked, I said, I told the comics, I had a little speech in there, I said, let's get the speech. I sat in that last seat back there, that last seat back there and watched the award show and spoke that up, that I was gonna be up there getting this one dayay you know i i'll say this once again you don't know everybody's journey like that right

you don't and i think people got to be okay with not understanding different parts of the game like brother the festival a lot of people get it was the time the early 2000s man they was giving out deals at the hbo aspen festival and the just for last festival they was giving out deals at the HBO Aspen Festival and the Just for Laughs Festival. They was giving the cats like $500,000 and having like, like, like just money. I think Kat might've been one of the people that got one of those deals at one point. Whatever opportunities you get, that's on you what you do with it. Right. You can't judge nobody else how they took, how they took the ball and ran with it. Right.

Yeah. So that's how I had to say that. Kevin Hart actually executive produced your first solo stand-up. How did you become cool with K-Hart? Through Naeem Lynn. That's how we really pretty much met. Naeem Lynn is one of the Katsaturo and one of the Classic Cup boys.

Naeem couldn't do a show. I think it was in Chicago somewhere. And he told Kev, you should have Real open up. And that's how that happened. Naeem was doing something else, suggested me, and that's how me and Kev met. And you because you had asked Ced also because you're very cool with Ced. I wanted, so on my list, I didn't even have Kev on the list. At that time, we had the same agent, and he suggested Kevin.

But I want to either Sid or Russell Peters. Okay. Which, you know, a lot of people don't talk about Russell Peters. Russell Peters is one of the most giving comedians of all time. Like, literally giving. Like, he's, man, I don't know anybody. Most of us have stories about him just looking out for us and not asking for anything back, man.

And once again, a lot of the cats are like that. You know, Chris Spencer, all these different, there's so many different people that sold into my career. Man, I'm very appreciative of that. You were in fatherhood with Kevin. Yeah. So you guys have become close because now he puts you in some of his films. Well, fatherhood is interesting because I think I got that because somebody else got

in trouble. Because it was very last minute. I was shooting something else at the time and I really didn't want to do anything. I wanted to take a break. They kept calling and I asked for a crazy number like they give us this that i do and oh they say yes and i was like i had to do it um but yeah it was really that was kind of last minute but it was fun to do with kevin fatherhood was actually that's actually a really good film that's one of kevin's best films actually yeah who's your top five comedians today right now as we sit on this couch who's

little rail's top five comedian damn that's a good question you know what's funny they sent kind of the questions but i thought it was gonna be a ball of time you today damn today that's a tough one so that just means actively doing stand up right now now. Right now. Wanda Sykes. That's my girl, Lil Wanda. I'm just saying stand-up. Right now, who I think is putting it... Man, you ain't got to give all this... Go ahead and say it.

Trying to hedge. Wanda Sykes. Earthquake. Ali Sadiq. Okay. Hmm. You only got two more spots. I know.

Damn. Choose wisely. I know who people want me to say. I don't want you to say nothing. I just want you to know that millions and millions of people are going to watch this. A lot of people are going to get mad at this. Gerard Carmichael. Okay.

Rel? Oh, man. I mean, look, you know, I remember and I got, you know, I got honorable mentions like Deion Cole and different people like that. But I, you know, somebody recently put out one of these lists of who's the, whatever we've, everybody's trying to figure out what the criteria is, right? Right. And I've purposely done things. I've purposely done the amount of specials I've done.

I've purposely done all the movies and television shows and all this stuff. And I'm like, don't consistency count. Of course. But it's like, if you're not a part of the hype machine of things, you're never really in a conversation. We still got people who still want to be a part of these lists too much. I think you should graduate on this. The reason why I don't mention Chappelle, the reason why I don't mention Chris Rock, i do believe people graduate i think said graduated i think you know chris graduated dave graduated from from being on the list uh kevin has graduated being on the list like y'all kings and ogs i don't need to be on these lists no more right you know what i'm saying yeah i do and so yeah that's yeah, that's my list.

I think Wanda Sykes, to me, is the most underrated legend. I like Wanda. She's fucking brilliant. I like some more. I like Adele Gibbons. I love all of them. Yeah. But we talking about, like, right now.

But this is just my opinion. Yeah, of course. I'm asking you. Okay, well, give me your five greatest comedians of all time. That's easy. And I was thinking about this earlier earlier because Richard is who we all put as number one, but I don't know we I think he's the Almost like the creator of the style what we are. So I don't know if we put Richard on it But we just know Richard is yes, Richard. Yeah, I don't know how you have a list if he's not on it Yeah, but he don't have to be neither. Okay. He's just the guy. Well, how you have a lip

He's a comedy guy Yes, but I'm saying how do you have a little bit Michael Jordan it on the only you're right you're right Okay, all time you asked me that so Richard Pryor Eddie Murphy Mom's Maybelline Bernie Mac Robin Harris. That's my top five.

And Eddie's, to me, he's the, you know, that's who I've emulated my, the way I do stand-up, telling stories, acting out characters, all that stuff, is based off watching Eddie Murphy, listening to every Eddie Murphy album. How many times do you watch Raw? Oh, I've seen Raw a million times, but I watch Delirious way more times.

Matter of fact, it's an album he has. I bought a best of Eddie Murphy cassette tape that I ended up downloading recently, but I bought the tape. I had the tape for years. And the joke he does about getting hit by a car is, to this day, one of the funniest bits of all time. Right. Yeah. You did a bit with Chappelle. What made Chappelle so great? You know what made Chappelle

so great? It's his honesty. You know, I like the fact that Chappelle decided he didn't want to focus on anything else but stand-up. It's almost like he didn't want the other part of his career no more because he wanted people just to look at but stand-up it's almost like he didn't want the other part of his career no more because he wanted people just to look at a stand-up right uh this last chappelle special is is i think it's amazing i really enjoyed it it's unbelievable it's really funny and i know people are still you know people are upset about whatever whatever but it's so interesting i think this is his silliest special i've seen in a while and i love that actually because i i do think sometimes

we get too serious in comedy. And it feels like a TED talk. But this one was just funny and silly. And I loved it. His SNL special was that might be the top ten. That one that last when he did. Oh, yeah. His you know, I don't know if he's ever done a bad monologue.

Yeah. Yeah. He's he's he's. That's that's that's one of my that's my not not lasting but one of the things on my bucket list that i that i really have to do is snl you know it's not even just about the monologue cool i got that but like i want to just do the funniest sketches you've seen you know a guy that doesn't get the credit that i think he deserves and obviously and and this is uh we know what transpired outside of comedy,

is Bill Cosby. And you don't have the, you had a couple of run-ins with him. Well, you're having it with everybody. Hold on. I didn't have no run-in with Bill. That was Hannibal. Don't, don't. He didn't have no run-in with him either. Nobody had a run-in with Bill Cosby. None of us had no run-in. I think Gerard is the only one I know

who had a conversation with Bill Cosby. Anybody else, no. Hannibal had, Hannibal was the one that told a joke I think Gerard is the only one I know who had a conversation with Bill Cosby. Right. Anybody else, no. But he always do a conversation. Hannibal had, Hannibal the one that told a joke that got everything seemingly reignited. So they. That's what they said. That's what they said. I don't blame. Like, you can't blame nobody that's.

Just think about it. So Cosby has been in conversations amongst the comedians in diners. For years. At the one in the morning, we all eating food. It's literally a heated debate before it even came out. Right, yes. It was just conversations about it. Yeah.

And so, like, it's very interesting. Like, I think Cosby is one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time. I do believe that. But he's not on my list. I feel bad. I didn't put Sinbad on there. Oh, that's a tough one see that's why i don't like doing top five man why do you think some of the older comics

have a problem with some of the younger comics oh man i could break that down so you know what's funny about me shannon i'm in between both classes of comics so like you know my big brothers are said and d-ray and all those guys right and then my little brothers are gerard and hannibal and and all those guys and over the years i've had to have heated arguments with some of my ogs about them like what they was just outright hating on some of them like man they the white people only like them and they only get the deals because they i'm like fam no they work really hard see a lot of y'all got your money about cars and jewelry and all this other stuff that brother brought final

draft and learn how to write a script right this brother's you know i talk i brag about gerard all the time i recently saw somebody say this and i love my big brother Corey Holcomb. I love him to death. Chicago OG. But he be saying crazy shit that doesn't make sense. Recently he said something about Gerard. Now that's so crazy. I just saw him and we embraced but he was being a little hesitant. I was like, but he didn't know I didn't see the Gerard thing first. Right. He called Gerard an industry plant. Right? Because he said he had a sitcom and he hosted a war. Just because you ain't got something, that don't mean everybody a plant. And that's my point.

You call someone, you know, I got a little upset about it because I'm like, well, I've seen Gerard. I did Carmichael's show with Gerard. Every single night, take that script home. After he leaves the writer's room with the writers he took it home personally stayed up to about five six in the morning had to meet us all on set at 7 30 to rehearse it that's work ethic you know people have success like that because they didn't really put the work in you're absolutely right they fucking put the work in and i know a lot of cashier i know you're not putting in that type of work i love you to death but you're not and it's easy to say hey this person did it this easy route and

did all this other shit because you don't know they work ethic right you can't talk about you do you write and do all this shit it's and it's it's funny because i'm watching it from this older generation they all everybody's like yeah you know i was offered this movie but then they wanted me which movie was it so i could see what the like stop this shit because every some of us just work our ass off right like i would even just hearing cat here all the things he's been through and why he didn't do this and go here and do this yeah because you and cat had some back and forth y'all cool now no not really no but it's okay it's okay though it's okay we don't have to be right because his success is his success and my success is my success what started it well just think about it that wanda smith interview yeah the one the part nobody talks about is for no reason cat brings up me

Gerard and Hannibal Buress, but no reason at all. Okay. I don't you know remember the fucking question was he just lit it I you ain't you can't Real yeah, they gonna make you a style of real, but you ugly So you you was in there with that that yeah that's the beginning of the interview that's what made wanda kind of start fucking with him now don't get me wrong like the whole wander back and forth for him is the funniest shit i've ever oh yeah and you know and wanda wasn't always nice to all of us no to be quite honest right so it was kind of it's very interesting that all this transpired.

It was interesting. Especially those two. It's the craziest happenstance of all time. But that's what it was. Cat, I don't know even what that meant. He said, they're going to make you the star of Little Real, but you're ugly. He said, Little Real, Gerard Carver, Michael Hannibal, Cain Waltz, The Mall in Atlanta. I forgot The Mall. Lennox. Lennox. And no woman would talk to them. And to this day, man, I swear to God,

I ain't trying to start no shit. I just don't understand. Look, I don't think I'm the finest nigga in the world. Right. But a short nigga with a perm. Man, you know

he gonna see this and respond. I don't give a fuck. God, no. You know what I'm saying? Like, like, it, if we was both two regular niggas in a month. Right. And he has the perm and... Right. The mustache.

Right. And I walk in like this with my regular shit. Who the fuck you think women gonna talk to? I don't know, Real. I don't know. I ain't in it. don't know, Real. I don't know. I ain't in it. I ain't in it. I'm just saying. So that's the only irritating thing about that for me.

Other than that, it's like, cat, brother, if I'm an ugly nigga, thank God. Because that's why nothing happened to me. Ain't nobody approached me. Ain't nobody asked me to do shit. I guess I'm an ugly, talented nigga. I'm okay with it. Man, Real. God.

Real, why you come up here upset? You know, I didn't do anything. saying you asked about it and i'm just feeling like and i look at all comics i you know yeah all of us like man we everybody's like come on man you're gonna go but cat did say that shit it was just weird i just i just even when i'm talking about jonathan mays it's like who do cat williams think he look like like you're not an attractive person you look fucking weird real real he weird how about you have you talked to get dressed like this nigga Halloween like him not the care yeah when the last time you saw care this crazy story right so it was at the Emmys a couple years ago.

So this is when we into it. Like we, this is happening. Yeah, y'all can, y'all go, y'all. We did these videos, it's happening. I just presented an award at the Emmys. I go backstage, right? And Chappelle don't know me and this dude beefing. Right.

Chappelle sees me, oh, Lil Rel, oh, cat, cat. You know, Lil Rel, you know, cat. Now we just staring at each other. Oh, shh. Dave was like. Whales. Cat. You know Lil Rel, Lil Rel, you know Cat. Now we just staring at each other. Oh, shit. Dave was like, what the fuck wrong with you two niggas, right? Y'all just look at each other. Ain't nobody say nothing. I'm balling my fist up.

You ever see the author meme? Yeah. I'm staring at him. We ain't saying shit to each other. And he's holding his Emmy. he has his in me in his hand that was last time i saw nothing happened he just walked away y'all didn't say hey what's up bro it wasn't i was because i was still fuming at that time it was like yo we about to like what the fuck about to happen back here because it's k Kyle Morrell. Yeah, I'm a Chicago nigga too.

So it's like, I mean, we're about to do this. Oh my goodness. We're about to turn the Emmys into the Sorcerer's. You once said that you believe Cat was jealous of you. Do you still feel that way? Nah, I was just talking shit. I don't think he jealous of me i i

i do think he's jealous of kevin hart and and it's so weird because he don't have to be like brother you are so successful like you're one of the most successful stand-up comedians we've ever seen you didn't have the hype machine honestly he's the benefit of bootleg dvds you remember that yeah every i miss in chicago i remember being in chicago at the time everybody had that cat williams special in the end right and because you know bootleg helped comedy at that time right because those people go buy tickets to see you right absolutely the bootleg man really was your damn he was your promoter yes they watch you at the crib and you will sell out all your shows and and cat benefited from that man and i think i think he's not even just stand up man like anytime you

see him on screen oh yeah he just wanted him before atlanta right he won that for atlanta he every time you seen him on wife and kids like he was great on there yeah he was like you see him like even the school dance move we know that's not a good movie right but only thing you watch is that clip you know what i mean it's fucking brilliant and so like and i mean look let me say that i was just i'm talking shit we roast each other we comics are what it is i don't give a fuck whatever you say about me at this i don't give a rat's ass uh but at the same time i do i i really do wish that we could i'm not trying to sound like some old let's get alone but like god damn there's no reason why we can't do another harlem nights with all this

great town oh like not even harlem but just a movie yeah that features everybody right you know what i mean all nights were great man like nick tried to do with school dance but like let's find something with like a really good script right some really dope shit and like fucking get all these power houses on fucking screen together like i'm sick of this shit right it doesn't make fucking sense you know it's not is no you and it's be honest with you it's a bunch of old beefs so i'll say this right now cat look i'm just talking shit i ain't mad at you i can give a rat's ass i respect the fuck out of. You want the greatest to ever do it. Even if you talk shit about me after this, I don't really give a fuck.

But I respect you, and I respect all y'all. So, like, I just think we all should figure out a way to, like, merge this shit up, man. Like, we all talk shit, man, but I don't think we should bring in our behind-the-scenes comedy mess. Right. I don't know, just call these people.

Right. Call Ricky and tell Ricky, hey, man, Ricky, I don't like the way you was talking shit on the Friday set about how that was supposed to be your role. And just talk it out. Right. Call Sid and say, Sid, man, I felt like that joke, that really a joke that's not even a big fucking deal. And they both do it totally differently. And it's a joke none of you need anymore. Right.

Let's talk this shit out. Even with Steve Harvey. Talk this shit out, man. You know, Bernie, we don't have to show Bernie love by shitting on somebody else. Oh, real. Bernie's one of the greatest to ever fucking do it. One of the hugest influences ever in this game. He's one of the cats to me that always gonna represent a grown-ass man in his fucking business

And I don't know Bernie will let this shit fly like this Cuz he wouldn't that type of do he won't be you know, even when Bernie talked about They've been playing a clip about comics stealing jokes, right? But he well, that's that's real advice to this day. It's the reason why I don't go up to LA a lot You go see you nigga it's all like and I get it because most of time people want to do what they think is the hot thing to do right if you're the hot thing guess who they go they go mimic and to make it because everybody want to make it right that's what they people talk about all this other shit i'm like no like people steal

styles and dialect and all types of shit because they like what this person made it so you know that's that's i just i i love and let me give you some props too because and any other comic that does this after this we realize i realize how mainstream you are i don't know if you know that shit, and you've only had us on here. And so I think, you know, for the most part, you know, I told my story, hopefully inspired somebody. That's what we should be doing.

Right. Telling our stories and promoting each other. Not even just in standup, in fucking movies or TV. We have movies like the Color Purple, Dion Cola comic is in Color Purple. Come on, man. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal.

Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here. Just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook,

Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that super bowl i don't know why colleen catch the podcast the nfl daily with greg rosenthal every day subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends and who doesn't want that listen now on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever

you get your podcast that's crazy comic view death jam is in a reimagined movie and color purple wow that's crazy yeah and so we have all these things happening you know we got the abriduvenase and movies like Origin and fucking American Fiction. I love every I watch and I love everybody. Now, I don't know, like cornball shit. I just love I, Shannon, I love this shit. I love stand up. I love movies.

I love TV. I thank God every day that I'm able to be. I had a moment we was in quarantine. I was sitting at home and I was watching TV and I was on like three things, like three of my movies on. And I remember sitting back on my couch, talking to myself and it's something I learned at therapy,

but I was talking to little me like, oh shit, you made it inside, you made it inside the TV. I used to only watch that to take me away from shit right it was so unrealistic but I made it inside there didn't do anything crazy didn't have no connections I just worked really hard and look at this Wow you were supposed to be in the reboot of living color. Yeah, what happened? Hmm It's really hard to tell I don't like we shot it and Was it funny man was so much fun. It was so funny. I mean the opening skit. I'm I guess I could tell it now is Is Kenan Arbery-Wayne, he's sitting in the Fox office in 1990, whatever time he walked away.

They're like, you'll never have a show on Fox again, you'll never be here, blah, blah. The white guys are telling him off. And him looking at the camera just goes, do, do, do, do, do, and we back. do do do do and we back right and so it's opening with that which maybe one of the reasons why it didn't come off which i thought was explosive right i tell you man i learned so much from keen ivory wings i wrote a show called name your adventure when i was 10 years old 10 years old that's when i was writing everybody a little different world i wrote name your adventure I was 10 years old. 10 years old, that's when I was writing everybody. I wrote Different World.

I wrote Name Your Adventure. And there used to be a show on there, my master, he played A.C. Slater, I forget his name, Mario Lopez. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I wrote Name Your Adventure to be on the Living Color. I didn't want to go surf boarding. I didn't want to do any of that. I said, hey, hi, my name is Mr. Milton Howard.

I would like to be on Name Your Adventure to go on Living Color and meet Ken and Ivy Waynes. And I wrote that letter and they wrote me back and said, well, the show's canceled, but hey, keep on dreaming. Right. And I told Kenan that story at our first meeting once I booked the show. And, man, that was one of, you talk about moments.

That's one of my favorite moments of, so they were showcasing comics, and I had to fly to New York to showcase for it. And me and my manager flew there. We had no people in the crowd. You could tell the other comedians that's on the showcase, they invited family members and friends. So they got their people in there. I'm in New York for Chicago.

Nobody in there. Just me and my manager. Knowledge Beckham. Shout out to Knowledge. And I see Kenan get out of limo. I'm like, oh, shit. You know, you have a moment, man. You like it's a figure you never saw in real life.

You're like, oh, shit. He's tall. He's just Kenan. And I got to go crazy. I went on that stage. And, man. And shout out to, I forgot Shonda's last name. Shonda Rhimes? No, not Shonda Rhimes. But she's very close to Keenan.

It was helping him book in the color. She found me on YouTube. You know, that's how they found me. Right. It's a crazy story. It's like they was watching somebody else's video on YouTube. You know, that's how they found me right? It's a crazy story It's like they was watching somebody else video YouTube and my video popped up afterwards Random shit. I didn't post that video So I'd never get them niggas props and posted my damn setting and as my permission

But they the reason why I booked a living cup and so they saw me on that invited me to New York I went on stage and went I could tell the crowd was trying not to laugh at me They're like, okay, they didn't support their people, but I'm like, I'm going crazy. Shonda, we never met her before. She comes and gives me a hug. And I thought I killed. After the show, I see Keenan. I'm waiting to see Keenan.

Yo, Mr. Wayne, what you think? He was like, I'm like, motherfucker. Come on every what you think he was like Cuz I'm a taste about the way is they keep they shit in house right whatever everything is in house and I Remember the first conversation I say man why did you because I got a call like the next week that I got picked to come out to LA and do the do the, what's the name, whatever you call it, the last audition. And he was like, no, I didn't want you to be all hyped up about it.

You know you did your thing. I didn't have to tell you that. But I was all sad, like, kid, he's already there, right, playing for you. He's like, mm. like kid that he's all that did right playboy he's like you look at all the look at all the comedians that were on uh living color david evan greer tommy davidson uh jamie fox jim carrey i mean who was probably the most inspirational to you who inspired you that's a great question honestly it, it is Keenan is Keenan otherwise and the reason why it is he Put all that shit together there and and they all come from this cool group too because it is Eddie Murphy Keenan Robert Townsend, that's the that's that click. Yeah, those guys change to me not only black Hollywood

But Hollywood in general and comedy This they all are forces that will be wrecking right and it started with Eddie. Mm-hmm That's why if you look at the raw credits, you know, you see it you saw who directed it Robert Townsend Mm-hmm. You saw who wrote the opening sketch King and I rewind He brought in his homeboys with that These like three of the greatest whatevers of all time created all this different shit.

And Kenan found a way to merge hip-hop, and hip-hop was still new at the time. And Living Color was putting hip-hop stars that never got a television credit a first. The Fly Girls embraced the culture of it. I mean, the Super Bowl halftime show only exists because of In Living Color.

People forget that it was halftime at the Super Bowl. In Living Color did a special. Everybody turned to In Living Color. Raines through the roof. Guess who the NFL booked the next year? Michael goddamn Jackson. Come on, fam. So Ke kenan is always to me is going to be like you know that's one of the only people that's ever told me that i was going to be

okay right that i took that fucking shit series how how do you land a role in the car michael show being friends with gerard you know i i here we go, this is very interesting. I tell comics this all the time. You don't know who gonna be what. So be careful how you treat them. I met Gerard when he was new. He walked up to me like, Hey, man, I'm a big fan. I was a scruffy looking kid.

But you know, we had a conversation and we became friends. And honestly, I remember texting him congratulations about his deal. I heard about when he got his deal with NBC. And he's like, man, it's crazy. You hit me. I was thinking about having you come in and read. So this is the first thing. The Carmichael show was set up a different way than it was.

And you guys end up seeing it was supposed to be about him and his friends. Right. The show audition it great audition nbc loves me the producers love everybody loves me and my manager's like i'm like what's the problem everybody you say everybody like me he's like yeah but gerard wait gerard he asked me to do this fucking audition so he the one that's not picking me and i'll call center right why you not he's all because you did it differently than i envisioned the character so yeah but everybody else loved it he's like no but that's not what i that's not how i wrote it you know that's not how

i've visited it i was like man that's a motherfucker but then i had to respect it too right i said man it's your show right you do what you do but then he rewrote the shit to make it a family structure based off his family. And he wrote Bobby exactly the way I performed it. And? And that's how I got the show. All I had to do was come in for a screen test. And I did exactly what he asked me to do, and I booked the show. I'm supposed to be long gone.

You know how people start deliberating about you? Right. So I was waiting on my my car i'm sitting there eating lunch and i could watch them deliberate about me they're like yo you still on the studio lot i said yeah i gotta wait on my ride i've been here for like an hour right but yeah that's how i got it it's being friends with gerard gerard is i mean even just to wave tiffany tiffany wasn't supposed to be on the show right he wrote this shit in which I sometimes I hate when I get your odd person information because I was gonna do a divorce at the time and the next thing you know I had an ex-wife on the show and I'm like what the fuck man you give it a man idea was calling him an event one day that's why for the show you

mentioned Tiffany Tiffany had issues been one of your best friends she's kind of had a couple of mishaps um over the last couple of months you talked to her what's going on how do you how do you how does rel get tiffany back on the straight and narrow well it's not real doing it it's tiffany's doing it she's putting the work in you know what i'm saying like i'm so proud of her. And it was what I was saying earlier to you about, like, you know, just taking some time for yourself. You know, I think, you know, she lost her grandmother. Right.

She lost, like, one of her oldest dogs she loved. Like, I know her forever. And so she just has so many loss. Just loss. And I think she just didn't take enough time to like deal with certain things right and her machine is like this she works all the time and so a lot of a lot of the stuff she was going through more that's just fatigue you gotta rest you know i give back to cat's advice i don't let these niggas burn you out. Right. And that's real.

You do have to pace yourself. And she's fine. Like, she's holding herself accountable for things. You know, and you saw I didn't have the cognac because, you know, I'm not drinking also. You know, me and her had a very heart-to-heart about both of us taking those steps. Right. In general. It's just like, what are we doing? Like, learning to not participate in things just because it's just like like what are we doing like learning

to not participate in things just because it's available to you and taking time for yourself right so i'm proud of her and you know tiffany's one of the best people in the world i i feel bad for her a lot of times because people like love to attack her and it's so weird to me like one of the nicest people you'll ever meet one of the most hard-working people you ever meet But you know, I always tell her like that's why you can't care about pleasing people. Mm-hmm You know you care about what everybody fucking thinks man. That's draining, right? and I mean We already in the business with people you're gonna already have critics and all this other union

Don't take in all this shit. You don't owe anybody anything. You know what I'm saying? You don't owe nobody shit. If somebody did something for me and it wasn't out of the goodness of your heart, then that's fucked up on you. I don't owe you shit. Right. You know what I'm saying? I'm proud of her. She's doing so well.

Only adults can work on themselves. Nobody can do. You know what I mean? Do they do another girl's trip too? I think so. It'll be interesting too now because they can do so many different storylines with Autumn now. Right. But they like, might be even funnier to be quite honest with you.

Right. Hmm. Yeah, I love that. Issa Rae Insecure,. That's part of you've been in What's so let me ask you this Rick? How do you Do you just they send you scripts and then you let do you say not it's a for me. How do you go about? Okay, this is something I might be interested in I think I might be interested in it or do you just like read everything? Well, that's do you just like read everything well that's interesting

you say that now insecure is a very cool story but like in general for me i do i get scripts sent to me all the time right i do so many movies everybody think i'll be saying yes to everything but i really don't i turn down a lot of stuff actually um but then i get a lot of really good stuff everything i've ever done is stuff i really wanted to do right now sometimes i'm get a lot of really good stuff. Everything I've ever done is stuff I really wanted to do. Right. Now, sometimes I'm just a fan of something. So I'm a big fan of Insecure. You know what I'm saying? Huge fan of the show. Huge fan of all of them.

And I remember telling Issa, like, man, I want to, I got to be, I want to be, you got to find something for me. You know what I mean? And I remember telling Yvonne, Yvonne Orgy, who, you know, plays a bit, played a best friend on the show. And one of my closest friends. I wanted to be on the show. She gave me a call one random day. Said, well, I don't really like the cats I'm reading with. I think you should come in for this, for this, play this lawyer.

Maybe love interest. Right. Okay. I was like, all right. And this is how beautiful our group is. Our, And I was just, me and Issa just had lunch. So we were just talking about this. Cause it was like this weird back to back years where all of us was like, nobody's and all of us had this shit going on. And it was crazy. And I remember Yvonne telling me this shit. They sent, and I think I might've texted Issa.

I don't forget what happened. And he sent me the roll I dressed up I was doing Carmichael show at the time Okay, and I had to get permission to do it because I was you know NBC and I said kid you're on such a ride Hey, can I do this again? And I'm ever like the network really didn't want me to do my order producers like I know he's like I don't give a fuck he says our friend go do it like cool So I went to go read for I dressed up as the lawyer I never really dressed up as the lawyer. I ain't never really dressed up. I really wanted this fucking part.

And I dressed up as the lawyer. And I remember there was a guy there who was testing with me. And he saw me all dressed up. And this one, Get Out, was already out. I was like, man, what the fuck? Hey, man, you already on the show? Come on. Why you want to be on this?

You could tell the nigga was like, god damn, this nigga real here. They going to're gonna give it to him yeah i ain't finna get this part i showed up i showed up dressed as a lawyer i got i got the lawyer outfit from the car micro show costumers right i said could y'all give me a lawyer outfit real quick to go do this audition matter of fact that was the last audition i had it was insecure and so i did that and i booked it and man i'm so glad i got a chance to be a part of that was my first sex scene was me and yvonne's right insecurity was some crazy you learned a lot about right yeah i heard the majority of her her staff is uh are women all women in there how how important is that you know something is is what makes that even very important is just it was the

job stand right that i've never seen women do right i never seen women do grips at that time i didn't you know i'm saying i never said like when i tell you it was like three people on set princess penny was the showrunner right me j me him and jay ellis was only three dudes on set one day and was all women and i've never that was And I've never felt like, oh, we the minority. Right. But it felt good. And it felt good seeing all those black women and women just laughing and having a good time and collaborating with each other. I've never seen nothing like that before.

Taraji P. Henson has been in the news lately where she's saying that people like her work extremely hard not getting paid their worth where do you come down on this real what's what's going on with hollywood and our black actresses well i don't it's not even just black actresses it's black actors you know i remember when i was doing my show, Real, right? And one of those magazines leaked everybody's salaries. Like who had shows on network TV. Right. And when I saw the margin of light, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. When I saw what Tim Allen was making for just acting.

Oh, yeah. And I'm like wait a minute I gotta produce right right star I figured out another way where I could play a different character every episode so I got a separate check for this right I would think about every way I get a check and this what he just getting for acting it was a disgusting way more amount it didn't make any sense and it wasn't even just about me because i couldn't look at it like oh i'm new and so it's my first whatever but i looked at the other black veterans with shows and i'm like this is what they're making look i say a couple things had

to happen you got to be able to say no and you got to have the right team also right we yeah we're asking hollywood they definitely need to investigate that because that's a problem right it's like it's with everybody but you do have to have the right fucking team right angela bassett right now is the highest one of the highest paid women on television right now like she's getting a crazy bad right as she deserved and probably deserved it way way right? Yeah, and so I just really believe that and and also too we all have to be honest with each other, right? And I'm talking about Speak to the camera again brothers black actors males men

Fam like we have to be honest with our sisters about this, too This is the only way all this is gonna change because right now everybody like look cool you know what i'm saying i don't want nobody to know you know i want to look like a nah fam you know what it is we all get on this right i remember when sherry shepherd was working on something and she called me and she was working on the deal and i said well this is what i get this is what you should ask for i was very honest that's all we have to do is be honest start with being honest with you right and then we have to communicate that and just you know push our teams right that man like if i did this and that this did this numbers taraji p henson has done box office

award-winning yes at the minimum she'd be good she'd be like 10 a movie at the at a minute sure absolutely because motherfuckers is getting a bag your sitcom if you could go back and do anything differently what would you do different a lot of shit one of the biggest things i wish i'd get better at was um trusting my writers more and trusting everybody i think sometimes i strike the iron wise hot mentality or i know for me i wanted to represent black people so bad.

And so I wanted to do whatever it was. I put too much on myself, man. And I should have trusted more to the people I hired to do that. I was stressed the fuck out doing that shit. Right. Like I really was. But it was fun. But one of the things I would just trust everybody more, not even just my writers.

I could have did a better job at trusting and being a better leader. But I analyzed myself after that with my friends. You know what I mean? And there was a lot of changes I had to make after that because I put a lot on myself with that show. I heard you earlier say the last audition was Get Out, right? Yeah. Well, really insecure. Insecure.

But you haven't. So now they just send you the script and say, hey, we kind of wrote and then you know a lot of times if i like so it's a process right they'll send you the script they say ready i'll put this to you i'll look at the script or or two-pager you know something my manager do a two-pager for me um and then i tell them i like it and then either i meet with a producer director just go break bread like it's one of the like the cooler reference like catch it something let's talk it out see what the energy feels like and then just take it from there that's literally been that simple it's been like which is why like once again what I hear these I hit a horror story right but I'm like Jesus

Christ I've never been through that thank God right it's been the most regular normalist thing you could think of the brunch of lunch yeah and talk about the script right it's so what was the table read like for get out did you know it was going to be what it became none of us knew that nothing like none well let me say this shannon so we didn't do a table read for it okay but i remember my one-on-one with jordan peele okay it was my callback audition right and we did the scene that we took out so it was the original ending the original ending is uh daniel Kaluuya's character goes to jail. Okay.

I go visit him in jail. And I'm trying to get him to tell me what happened so I can at least, like, try to find a way to get him out of there. Right. But he's kind of just like, man, you know what it is. I'm black. They're not going to let me out, bro. Just leave it alone.

It's such a dark, hard scene. Yes. And that's the scene we did the callback for. And I remember because it's very emotional. Even when we shot that one first, I remember I couldn't even hear Jordan Peele yell cut. We all were so like emotional about that. It was very telling. I mean I'm just going cut. And everybody took a walk. It was, it's just a, and we was outside and it felt silence. Right. And we did that scene.

I walk out, waiting on my Uber. Jordan Peele follows me out. He said, look, man, I ain't supposed to tell you this shit, but it's yours if you want it. I said, what? The movie? I got like four homies in there about to go in there and read. Right. I said, what you mean?

You got four people? He said, you know, I'm going to call your team, but it's yours. And look, Shannon, I didn't know what this movie was going to be. Right. But when I tell you, and this is this is 100 what happened i literally walked i don't i don't know how many blocks i walked i walked from where i did audition it to wherever the i was there praising god and i didn't know what get out was going to be right it was my first feature film it was just something felt special about it right i can't even describe that

and then like even when the trailer came out and it it did all these numbers, and we went to, we had to go do reshoots, because we reshot the ending. Right. Because now we got some, you know, the trailer did well, Universal gave some money, some more money, so now we're able to, you know. And so we're, we all sitting around just kind of like, I guess having like a cocktail. And we was, me, Daniel, like, all of us was looking at each other like, what the fuck is this going to be? Because the trailer went crazy. We were just.

Did Jordan have any idea what this was going to be? He did. The brother told me while he was editing it, he called me and said, man, get ready. Know your price. Know your number. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps,

and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that super bowl i don't know why colleen catch the podcast the nfl daily with greg rosenthal every

day subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends and who doesn't want that listen now on the iheart radio app apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. I ain't a what the fuck that man. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, man, you're about to see. This Christian will be coming. He'll be coming. He knew it.

I remember the first time I watched Get Out, it was so good to me. I'm like, am I thinking it's good because I'm in it? It was. Yeah, that was a good one. That was. So how did that movie, you said, he said, name your price. So in other words, that movie changed the pay scale for real. It changed the pay scale for real. It changed the pay scale. It changed how it looked at me.

Because from there is where the sitcom comes. That's where this comes. You know, it was it became a back to back. And we only in 24 now that I think about it. I'm like, damn, the last five years, years been fucking crazy which is why like i'm like and i don't like to do that for myself i guess not boast or nothing but i'm like whoa as a stand-up as a person who BET's comic view. 21. BET comic view. That's what I take. My first TV thing.

To being in Oscar-nominated movies. Streaming breaking movies. I'm like, wow, that's crazy to me. So what'd you buy with that first big check man it's so funny the first big check was a get out back end check because get out we did for like it was a low it was literally get out was on a 2b budget and so you know i did that for the sag uh whatever the sag minimal they delivered my

backhand check a brother had on a tsa uniform with a cake i thought i was just getting a cake i didn't know what he was there right i thought oh yeah the movie movie's doing well thank you for the cake oh he's like oh here's a check and this is when I had this apartment. The kids was upstairs with my cousin Jennifer. I did this. Went upstairs and said, everybody get dressed. We going shopping. I just went and bought them some toys and shit. Right.

Bought me a couple pairs of Jordans. But yeah, that's what I did. Not no British night, huh? No, but these motherfuckers are hidden. You brought some Jordans. But I mean, now look at some Jordan. But, I mean, now, look at Judas, Black Messiah, Good Boys, Bird Box. I mean, you've been in Paw Patrol.

Bro! So, that movie, you became, after that, you became a household name. I became a household name, and my name started circulating in Hollywood. Right. You know know that's man that's that to me that's still surreal i still pinch myself because i know how hard it is right you know i

see friends all the time still self-taping and doing all these different things i'm like and if weird part about that is this is why i say it's such a beautiful thing to celebrate others when tiffany came out with girls trip matter of fact when we saw her film girls trip me and hannibal went to essence festival literally last minute one year it was we probably could write a movie about hannibal and real essence that first year we had no passes we had the best time in the world we were just we saw insecure the first like it was fucking crazy right and i remember watching tiffany walk with queen latifah and Jada Pickett Smith

It is a scene. They didn't auditorium and she's walking with them and I'm like blown away like yo, she gone You walk you with you in a movie with Queen Latifah and Tiffany go, yeah And so celebrating people with my friends. I think I've always given myself good karma with that shit. Right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, for sure. You've been in a movie with Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Hart, Ryan Reynolds.

I love that movie. You and Ryan Reynolds. Oh, Free Guy. Free Guy was unbelievable. Free Guy is still, there's a story to that. I don't know about how you told that one, but it's a movie that to me It was a time. I almost thought I got blacklisted black kicked out of Hollywood what

Um a Producer I was working with I want to say which film it was but he was just doing too much and You know Check them on he's being inappropriate you know i'm saying um he couldn't believe i called him like man yo you tripping don't don't fucking do that again don't you know talk to her like that whatever whatever and uh this is before the me too shit so you know my brother was like you don't know how hollywood goes and blah blah blah and luckily he was at the end of the movie so even if he wanted to kick me off but we done it's the last

day right and so you know we get into it an argument about it and he started telling all these people about all this about me and saying all this fucked up shit he was saying like i was bringing girls on set and all this other shit just lying just because i called him out on his shit because he was being fucking weird right and um he couldn't believe i did that right but that shit pissed me off i'm like no you you can't that's wrong bro and um man he went around and man he made his rounds and so i thought i was done i'm like i gotta go back to Chicago. I just do standard. They kick my butt. Like, I can't be his worst. Right. You know, and at the time, Free Guy came around.

And Sean leaving and Ryan, you know, her, whatever. I'm like, man, I'm not going to even get Free Guy now. Because I had just met with Sean. It was a girl. I'm like man I'm not gonna even get free right now because I just met with Sean it was almost it was a girl yeah my damn and I remember my team calling me and they wanted me you know they was giving me an option to apologize to the producer of Makeup Man but I was like fuck that dude I get kicked out of it I didn't even do shit if I get kicked out of this shit for not doing I didn't do anything in the piece this motherfucker did right so I'm about to of this shit for not doing I didn't do anything in a piece this motherfucker did right

So I'm about to get blacklisted for what cuz I said something to him And so I was like damn I guess I'm done and Ryan and Sean hit me up And was like, you know, don't worry about that You come ready to work Professional do what you do. We got you You can fuck what he talked about. We know he's a asshole and Three I was my olive branch in a way was like oh shit

I loved him for that because I thought I was out right there and No, and they took care of me and I learned a lot like Ryan Reynolds is One of the most professional dopest people and that was a dad set too yeah we all had our kids that i mean so nice to my kids you know ryan had his daughters there and you know sean had his daughters in the movie and they're like it was just a it was a family set man and once again and it was tough because when you do movies like Get Out and I do movies like Free Guy and I love organized

productions and directors. And the motherfucker had a storyboard right there. It was crossed. Just organized. I love when I can just show up and just act. I ain't got no... I'm just here to act. Because everything is so together. And man, them dudes.

So, yeah, shout out to Ryan Reynolds. Like, man, thank them for giving me the opportunity to even show even more of my gift. And, you know, that it was okay that I stood up. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. But you're on. Bird Box with Sandra Bullock. Oh, I love Sandy. Could you, I mean, what? different you know what i'm saying yeah bird box with sandra bullock sandy could you i mean what i mean it was it went crazy every that's it was trending forever i mean when you're shooting it do you i mean could you get a sense no like you i mean you do know this

you know it's sandra book and she does well yeah Yeah. So it's like, you know, it's going to do good. Right. But when I tell you, we were all texting each other, Sandra Bullock. Like, I was like, yo, is this a thing? People started walking around doing the videos. I like, I was like on vacation at the time. I took my little, I used to take a once a year vacay for myself. Right.

Because it came out around Christmas. Right. And so I was in Hawaii in the water just reading. It's like, what the hell is going on? And it was number one. It was just, you know, we broke records with that. You did? Yeah.

The Sundance Music Film Festival. Britney runs a marathon. I mean, well, I mean, I mean, think about i mean do you sit do you ever sit back and think man from chicago to doing stand-up to you know to movies and tv do you ever have a do you have you taken a chance to look back and reflect and see where you are now to where you came from man when i tell you shan i do it all the time and i'm so grateful like people love to talk about evil and how you get things the evilness of it right yeah i had to say somebody sold their soul into the illuminati and this and that man when i tell you God has showed up every single time, like every single time, like

it blows my mind every single day, every single time God has just showed up. You know, when my mother passed, I remember we were planning her funeral and that was my first time. I'm the oldest, so i had to kind of like sit with my aunties and i love them all for that we're planning a funeral and it's tough and my uncle walks in i told you the red eye newspaper used to be in chicago sometimes guess who's on the cover of the red eye me didn't know it that was gonna happen right okay it was because the just for last festival which i was telling you about yeah was in chicago okay and they put me wasn't even the biggest name on the cover of the red eye to

promote the festival wow didn't know that was going to happen. He walks in with these stack of red eyes and my uncle in them old black pants, hey doc, you see what I told you doc? Told you God got you don't he doc? And I remember I had to like grab that and just walk out the room and just being like, I love moments where like God's like, it's going to be okay. And that was a moment where I wasn't sure if it was.

But God always show up like that, like, damn, here we go. And, you know, once again, moments like Get Out was that moment. When we did the premiere for Get Out. Yes. When I walked the red carpet earlier, nobody knew who the fuck I was. Right. Nobody had one interview. Okay.

I walked out that theater the security had to walk me to my car wow because the people bum rushed me and my my people i was with my family and i was just like oh shit what the fuck is going to happen? You know, it's just, I've said this, I've done a great job of taking in that moment. And so, the moment where I had that moment that you're talking about, that reflective moment, was that last special. I tell people, go watch the special, just watch

the end of it. That is me in that moment, looking in that audience, watching Chicago stand up for me in the Chicago theater, seeing my mama there, seeing Bernie there, and just seeing myself like I really did this shit. Wow. How were you able to find someone in the business?

And then you said, you said your ideal date, a five-star restaurant and a strip club. Boy, you could get more, more of a contrast. I mean, that used to be my ideal date. What's the ideal date now? Hmm. That's going to sound grown as hell. Dinner and a nap. Well, dinner and a nap yeah well what happened on the deal to call you take that nap the food we owe you know so and it's

funny you right it is tough to find love I did I Yvonne just reminded me who's all in a screen another day and she saw me with my fiance say you mean with you you use cuz I was one day I was irritated I screen the other day, and she saw me with my fiance. She's like, you remember you? Because one day I was irritated. I'm like, you know something? I'm just in these fucking streets. I was just pissed. We was all hanging out.

They're like, you remember that day you was yelling like you done? You ain't going to find nobody out here in LA and Hollywood? Now you're just going to be in the streets? And then another came out of nowhere. Well, not out of nowhere, but she changed my life. You were married before. Yeah, this would be my second time around the sun. Did you think you'd get remarried again?

I wanted to, but at some point it started feeling like I wasn't going to meet nobody. Because especially when you do what you do. You do what I do, and then I stop seeing if anybody really liked me for me type of thing. And just, you know, everybody's intentions is all weird. So I don't know, man. So I was like, I guess I'm in the streets. Right. But you proposed, hold on, you proposed at the Beyonce concert?

Proposed at the Beyonce concert. Yeah, that was... Do you ever get, because we see this all the time, people proposing at sporting events and all these events. Do you get nervous? You're like, nah, I'm good. Fam, I was so nervous. And I'm never nervous. You know what made me nervous? It's my son.

My son is my oldest son. He an asshole. He's like, yo, dad, what if she says no? I said, why the hell would you put that in my head? Yeah, exactly. You thinking the same thing I'm thinking. Were you more nervous to propose or more nervous during a scene it was you know what the nervousness was it was i don't know if it was nervous of her no right

it's nervous of how life-changing this is and it was more or less like the butterflies of like I really God thank you for letting me find her. I didn't think I would do this again. I Ain't the guy but opportunity to do this again, right? Or not even just again It's even deeper than that because once again, I've been married before but it's like oh I didn't know I would meet my true. I'd like somebody who feels like a real full-blown soulmate. Right. And that's, you know, and I mean, the way we met is a sweet thing.

She just, she's dope, man. Yeah. I read what, like, what you do with your kids is that you give them credits. You put them in your stand-up. You make sure they get production. They get credits on you. What made you, them credits you put them in your stand up you make sure they get production they get uh credits on you what what made you how did you decide what how did that come about nas nas but made his daughter executive producer of might have been either one of those albums and that was like oh shit that's what we should be doing that's literally i read an article about nas doing it i'm a huge nas fan

right and i was like yo that's fucking brilliant right yeah she get royalties for the rest of life wow now this is about to get interesting you let me know if it's true one of your baby mamas tried to scam you. Jesus. Now, correct me, I'm going to go, stop me, okay? There was a child. The child is here. Yeah, the child is here. You were led to believe it was

yours. Well, yes. It's so interesting because I got to figure out how... I've told the story before, right? And it might be the only time I could tell it. But I... Well, I'm going to let you tell it. I was going to set it up, but I'm going to let you tell it.

Because it's been told before. But this is what I'll say. And this is how you clear this up. And this is the grown shit. We have a beautiful son together named Harlem Howry. He's amazing. He's artistic. named harlem howard um he's amazing he's autistic you know and we may not have the perfect relationship because we don't because it was a lot of she put me through she really did but at the same time we got this beautiful baby here and that's all the focus is on right you know look and don't

get me wrong believe me it was you know it was like wendy williams and it was all the tibbs it was a lot of but at the same time this is the grown like you know he's here and there's nothing not you know he was married at the time nah she wasn't married well she was yeah that's what i'm saying she was married at the time but look rail look no i'm thrilled you deserve everything you got messing with a bad woman i didn't know she was made of that but look right on Look shit up through you deserve everything you got messing with a bad woman. I didn't know she was married She didn't tell you she says that there was divorce at the time, but I'm not let me say this again I can't and we talk about black people black people divorce different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, okay. Okay, you know me I Love the house Three years ago exactly. They don't do the paperwork. Okay. He left the house three years ago. Exactly. He know where that shit go.

They don't do the paperwork. Nobody want to pay the fees. Right. They need to have a whole relationship. Right. And so, like, I'll say, you know, once again, you know, I don't, she's, we don't have the perfect relationship at all. And I didn't like any of that shit that she did.

And nobody deserves any of that. Right. And, you know, but at the same time, I don't hate her for it. I'm not mad at her for it. I moved on from it. And at this point, it's just, for me, I think the focus should just be making sure we raise this little man to be the best human being he possibly can be. That's all I care about. So, like, it's old news.

Was it tough? Yeah. me that's that's all i care about so i got it's it's old news it's like with the tough yeah i mean anything's tough when you're well first of all it's tough being a long distance dad right you know that that's that's what made this whole situation very unique you know what it was um and i knew that from the beginning and i tried to explain that to her but at that time she just really wasn't she wouldn't listen right But man we use Cuz I get all the kids for the summer. Mm-hmm, man, though. I love those summers. Mm-hmm you know when when I'm you know playing with them and talking with them and laughing with them,

this is what I love about Brittany and Judah, who's my oldest two, because it was a lot for them. The day I told them that they had a little brother, possibly, I remember Brittany was young. Brittany looked six. You're like, oh, what the hell did you do? But when I tell you, the first time I brought Harlem home and I had all of them with me for one of those holidays, they stayed up with me the whole night because he was up. He was a baby. the whole night because he was up. He was a baby.

Britney wouldn't put him down. Still don't. They like this. And I had to have a real conversation with Britney and Judah, the oldest two. It was like, I said, let me tell y'all something. I got y'all back forever. Everybody else made me feel how they made me feel.

You two have had my back. I got y'all back forever. I don't like everybody else made me feel how they made me feel. You two have had my back. I got you forever. But also you understanding that, Daddy, I'm not a perfect human being and you not going to be. So if anybody ain't going to judge you, you can tell me anything. Right. Promise you I won't judge you. Right. Do your kids understand what you do, the sacrifices that you make, and that you might not be there for every event, but it's for the betterment of them?

There's like, so it's so interesting. So Brittany and Judah understands that along with my ex-wife, right? We co-parent with her. And you have to know who you with. I'm not going to be able to be there for a lot of the things. Correct. You know what I'm saying? And with Harlem, you know, in his mind,

sometimes it feels like you do know who I am, right? Like what my life is and what my job is. And you knew that when you met me. Yeah. And so, like, what do you... I mean, one random day she hit me like could you come get him nigga i'm in la you in chicago that's not possible but just get my private i don't have a private even if i had what i still crazy right and so you know but but that's an adjustment too and that's why like co-parenting is very important. And sometimes it takes a while.

But I don't know, man. Like, my ex-wife, me and her have figured it out in a way where I think I'm confident that, you know, with Harlem, it'll get smoother at some point. But, you know, it's not always smooth. And, you know, you're never doing enough. Right. Of course. You know what you know me so it's like hey i'm gonna get you out here on this one how are the kids with the fiance man the kids get it on well you know she has four daughters okay like that was that's been the most coolest thing

actually it's like the way they all hit it off okay it's got it like they all hit it off we are a family core you know what i mean like harlem is the baby six when i tell you everybody participates when they're around everybody does right and you know even with like so i i remember this is how we did it right so i met her two oldest first you know they they in their 20s you know what i'm saying so i met them first you know talk to them and let them know i really care about their mom blah blah blah and then the youngest kids because they all just almost the same age group is mine you know britney and judah's 14 and 13 her youngest at 13 and 12. right so it's all the same

group right the cutest thing we are we take to catch. There's our little spot. And they're all nervous about meeting each other. They're all, like, literally nervous about meeting each other. And then I forgot what broke the ice. And then they all just started laughing. And the next thing you know, it was just, you know, especially with Brittany. Because Brittany's around all guys. Right.

You know, so for her to have, like, a group to have a group of girls, it made her happy. So it's been beautiful, man, to be quite honest with you. When I shot Vacation Friends 2, everybody was in Hawaii, which was really fun and interesting, because my ex-wife was dead, and I wanted them to talk. I remember when I was eating breakfast, they're like, yeah, we better go to the beach. I'm like, oh shit, they better talk.

You know? Yeah. But I love that. Right. You know, and that's the part of having a blended family. Danella is, she's a woman that I never thought I'd meet. Just powerful, smart, outspoken. She's an

author. She's so dope. You know what I'm saying? Her mom passed back in September. I'm so glad I got a chance to meet Miss Sandy. I went to Mississippi.

She's from Mississippi. Terry, Mississippi. Went down there. You know, she got one of them black pops, man. But, like, for us, we're old black men get along. We're the same. You know what I mean? That's my old everybody.

Right. And I remember just talking with her. We just met. He took me for a ride. I rode with him. We just talking, laughing took me for a ride. I rode with him. We just talking, laughing. And she was nervous. She was so nervous.

I'm like, babe, first of all, idiot owe the black man. I'm telling you, I'm fine. Right. You don't have to worry about it. I can sit down with these dudes for hours, talk shit, sit on the tractor, and just talk. So it's just been this beautiful my family adores her my aunts my uncles everybody and she's you know she loves my family it's just been beautiful to be quite honest with you so you know i hope nobody gets mad if we don't do it for real wedding end

up married one day y'all wonderful congratulations all the best appreciate you bro thank you man all my life been grinding all my life sacrifice hustle pay the price wanna slice got the roll of dice that's why all my life i've been grinding all my life all my life been grinding all my life sacrifice hustle pay the price wanna slice got the roll of dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee.

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