Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers - WILMER VALDERRAMA & FREDDY RODRIGUEZ Became Friends 30,000 Feet In The Air

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

Seth and Josh are joined by two podcast buddies themselves: Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez! They talk about their friendship that was forged on a flight to London, Wilmer growing up in Venezuela and Freddy in Chicago, what it was like for Wilmer navigating the U.S. when he was younger, Freddy’s early career beginnings, and so much more! Plus, they chat about their new podcast, Dos Amigos, recorded in Wilmer's speakeasy! Wilmer and Freddy's new podcast “Dos Amigos,” is out every Thursday from iHeartMedia's My Cultura Podcast NetworkShow link: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-dos-amigos-258774901/ NissanFamily Trips is brought to you by the All-New 2025 Nissan Armada. Take your adventures to new heights. Learn more at NissanUSA.com Maker's MarkThis episode of Family Trips is brought to you by our friends at Maker's Mark. You too can celebrate the spirited women in your life with a free personalized label to go with a bottle of Maker's Mark. Head to makersmarkpersonalize.com and fill in the details in order to create and mail your custom label. MAKER'S MARK MAKES THEIR BOURBON CAREFULLY. PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY. Maker's Mark® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, 45% Alc./Vol. ©2025 Maker's Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY.   Delete MeTake control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for DeleteMe. Now at a special discount for our listeners.Get TWENTY PERCENT off your DeleteMe plan when you go to join deleteme.com/TRIPS and use promo code TRIPS at checkout.  Executive Producers: Rob Holysz & Jeph Porter Creative Producer: Sam Skelton Coordinating Producer: Derek Johnson Mix & Master: Josh Windisch Episode Artwork: Analise Jorgensen

This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Because going big never goes out of style. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Here we go. Hi Pashi. Hi Sufi. How you doing? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing pretty good. What are you up to this weekend?

What am I up to this weekend or what did I do this weekend? I don't know. Which one do you want to answer? Well, last weekend, we had a friend, we've got a friend, Case Clay, who's in the horse business. Yeah. And he was out in LA for a race. And so Mackenzie and I went out to the Santa

and need a racetrack with him. And yeah, it was awesome. We sort of, we went into the winner circle, even though we didn't have a winner there, but. Did you wager? Did you make any wagers? I did make some wagers. I won on the first race and then lost every other race. What did you wager? What did you win?

Bless you. I wagered 20 to win 50. For people who are listening, I have a horse with me. You wagered what to win what? 20 to win 50. That's not bad. Yeah, although then it only paid out 40 because odds, you don't lock in odds when you bet on a horse race.

You sort of bet them and then the odds will keep changing until the race goes off and your bet goes with those odds. It's not like sports wagering. I'm sorry to jump in real quick, but remember years ago, I went to Ireland with Alexi and her sister and two of her best friends and all of their boyfriends. I was a boyfriend at the time. And we went to Ireland. And the reason we went to Ireland is one of them was dating an Irish fella. And it was sort of his job to show us Ireland. And we realized that he was, his goal was to just bet on horses. And so he would keep telling us, oh, I want to take you to this really nice pub. And it would always just be like,

down a really ugly road. And it would just be a place like it was like an OTB. We were constantly going to- Off track betting. Yeah. And he would tell us the other three, American, Yanks as they call us, Posh. Sure. And he would say, oh, you know, do you want me to do the voice?

Yeah, go for it. Okay. Oh, let me tell you about this horse over here. That's the horse you want to bet on. And so he would, at a point, he would tell us which horse to bet on. And we'd all bet on the horse. And then a this horse over here. That's the horse you want to bet on. And so he would appoint, he would tell us which horse to bet on and we'd all bet on the horse. And then a different horse would win.

And he'd be like, ah, bad luck. What can you do boys? You know, I can't win them all. And then he would go up and trade in his thing and he'd win. And it turned out like he was just basically using us to change those odds you were talking about. Right, yeah.

So he was, and then we were like, hey, well, who'd you pick? He's like, oh, at the last minute, I had an inkling about a different horse. Oh, sorry, couldn't get you the boys. And hey, you know what? Always with the inklings. Just like, yeah, oh, him and his inklings. But yeah, he was always walking out with a fat wad of cash.

And meanwhile, we were just, I don't know, getting sick in these leaky castles. Don't stay, you know, I haven't complained enough about Irish castles over the- I mean, you might have. Have we talked about Irish castles on the pod yet? I think we have, I think we have. Very dank.

Yeah. Yeah, you know how, you never read any books about Irish kings, and I think that's the dead giveaway that they weren't living as high on the hog. Yeah. Yeah, you can get an Irish castle if you want one. You could probably get one. Yeah.

Oh, you know, speaking of the Steelers, our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna play a game in Ireland next year. Oh yeah, yeah. Which is crazy that Northwestern, our university that we went to, they played a football game there a couple of years ago, and we went, and now the Pittsburgh Steelers

are going to play a game there. Kind of nutty. I think it'll be a hard sell for me to get away to go to Ireland for a football game. Yeah. TBD for me. I'm just waiting for the NFL to put out their schedule. I hope you'd be able to go. Yeah. I mean, ID for me. I'm just waiting for the NFL to put out their schedule. I hope you'd be able to go. Yeah, I mean, I would, yeah, I would certainly like to.

It was a blast the last time we were there. Here we go Steelers, let's give them a hug. Oh, can I ink play and the Steelers are gonna win. Oh, here we go. I hope our Irish listeners are enjoying this because I certainly am enjoying doing it. Yeah, yeah. You do yours real quick.

Well, how much did you wager on the stalers? Well, how do you think the stalers are gonna win? So I wagered a fair amount of money. All right, I guess I'll do the same. Oh, yours is better. I mean, I feel like I set the template for you by going first and yeah, but either way, a win's a win. Congrats, Pachi.

Yeah, so lovely day out at the races. Also, Mackenzie is, you know, she's an equestrian, but she's not into horse racing. She's a little dicey on the whole thing. Makes sense. And so she's not been to a race and, you know, wasn't watching in the middle of the races because she's very worried that something's gonna happen,

that, you know, a horse will be injured, have to be put down, all those sorts of things. Is the best way to, now, I again, I'm a little ignorant to the way things work. When you're in a horse race and you don't wanna watch it, do you put on blinders? No, no, you could, I suppose. Okay, sure.

Yeah, but it's just one more thing to carry. Yeah, yeah, sure. Yeah, but it's just one more thing to carry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And yeah. But that track is gorgeous. Like you look out at the San Gabriel mountains and in terms of a backdrop, it's, I don't know if there's a prettier track in the world. Great.

So yeah. That's lovely. So that was nice. Glad to hear it. Hey, we talk about it, we hint at it a little bit, but Wilmer and Freddie, fantastic guests that are coming on. And you and Wilmer, you worked together for a year on that 70s show.

Yeah, we did, two years. And you cut me off at the knees right at the beginning of this and you say we can't talk about it. Oh yeah, I do. So we didn't talk about it at all. Well, that's why I feel bad. That's why I feel bad about it. So I'm making up for it.

But it was very nice. He was lovely then and lovely now. Oh my gosh. Yeah, one of the all time classics. Like now, you know, I see him on promos for his show. And he's always like very serious and tough. But he is, he's a real scamp. He's like, yeah, when you see him out in the world,

he just gets this little smile. And I hope Wilmer wouldn't mind my saying, but he's one of the more adorable people I've ever met, I feel like. And he's tough and strong. Tough and strong. Cool and all that, but like. And he's tough and strong. Tough and strong. Cool and all that, but also man, he's real sweetie. Yeah.

Hey, we would like to give another call out to our listeners for stories, questions. As a reminder, you can either email him in or you can go to speakpipe.com backslash family trips pod. That's really the best place we want to hear your voices. Speakpipe.com slash family trips pod. And- Yeah, but I think also, you know, we've mentioned Wilmer already,

but we didn't mention Freddie, because we got two guests. What a gent Freddie is. Yeah, and these two guys, good buddies. They've known each other for a while. They're just starting a podcast and yeah, they're a delight. So do enjoy them and we will, yeah, I mean, I'm like, I feel like it's weird when you wrap up an intro. You were also, as soon as you listen to the song, we're going to be the next voices you

hear as well. So, you know. Right. Don't be upset that we're saying the Myers, boy. Josh, Josh is sick. This is very exciting because we've had, you know, former SNL cast members on and Josh is always like, ugh, you guys are going to talk about SNL. And so let me just lay it out. I don't want to hear any 70s show story. Oh, but but but.

I don't want to hear any 70s show story. I don't want to hear any 70s show story. I don't want to hear any 70s show story. I don't want to hear any 70s show story. and Josh is always like, ugh, you guys are gonna talk about SNL. And so let me just lay it out. I don't wanna hear any 70s show story. Oh, but, but, but, but, but. right here in his little bio. Yeah, it says in his bio, it's your breakout role. Yes. Now, it's lovely to see you both.

I just, I do feel like because this is a Tripp Space podcast, I want to start with the fact that we have read you guys met on a flight, a long flight. Yeah, we did. Freddie, you want to set up that romantic escapade? Yeah. We actually met a couple of times before just in social spaces in LA

But we really got to talking on a flight to London from LA from LA from LA Yeah, yeah from LA remember back when they used to fly direct that I don't know if they do that anymore Yeah, it was like direct. Yeah. Yeah, it was like direct 13 hours and we just talked We talked and talked and talked and and realized that we had so much in common. I think we also realized that we really needed it. We really needed to. I don't think that there was a lot of other Latino actors that we necessarily talked to in that capacity.

And so there was a lot that I guess we needed to get off our chest. Right, Wommer? Would you say? Yeah, I would also say, like, as I walk in and I'm sitting, literally, we're like sitting together, like random. Like it wasn't like, oh, you're sitting over there. So we should sit together. Like, no, it was like we were sitting together.

It was like such an arranged marriage, you know? And so for the next. So I sit down and I'm like, dude, how you been? Da da da. And as soon as we started, we're like, you're going to drink something? Am I going to do you? You're going to say, yeah, I guess. What are you going to do?

I'm like, I don't know. And then Katu, we didn't sleep like not even 25 minutes. Like we literally we literally talked. Yeah. You guys were you were met. You were met at the gate by the British authorities. 25 minutes, like we literally, we literally talked all the way. You guys were, you were met, you were met at the gate by the British authorities? Yeah, yeah. MI6, MI6 pulled us off, yeah. Oh, MI6, wow, they got the big boy.

Yeah, it got heavy, it got very heavy on that flight. Oh man, I'm so glad I wasn't sitting like behind you guys. Yeah. Like talking the entire flight, like I get mad, I get mad if I'm on like a... No man, you would have, you would have popped your head in, you would have be like, talking the entire flight? Like, I get mad. I get mad if I'm on like a... No, man, you would have popped your head in. You would have been like, yeah, guys, what's up? Posh would have caroned you so hard. Yeah.

Now, were you cognizant at some point during this 13-hour flight, did you look at one another and say, wow, we're really, look at us. Like, this is not, this is uncommon. I think it was, it was six and a half hours in when we were like, do you wanna like take a, I mean, do you wanna take a nap or something? And like, the other one's like, ah, I'm cool. I'm like, all right.

So, and I don't know if we're ever going to admit who was really sleepy or not, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we were bloodshot by the time we got there. But it was great. I mean, but to Freddie's point, I mean, we literally cover our lifetimes and realized that there was so much coloration

on the parallels of our careers, of all the different things that we have kind of endured or seen or through from the coming to the opportunity to like the breaks, to the rejections. I mean, there's just so much that we talked that we realized we were very alike. I think there's that thing as well where you kind of have to find somebody on your level to complain to

lest you seem like someone who's not grateful. That's right. Dude. So, yeah. Seth, you just nailed that so hard to, lest you seem like someone who's not grateful. That's right. Dude. Yeah. Seth, you just nailed that so hard because we've had dinners where like, look, I don't want to sound ungrateful. Oh, yeah. I mean, I don't want to sound like a guy who doesn't appreciate what he's got, you know?

Right. But like, you know, it's like, you can be a little petty, you can be a little petty. A little petty's nice. Yeah. I bet you guys were business class or better going to London as well. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. We want to have more money, Josh. We want to have more money. What do you expect? Yeah. Yeah.

And not only complaining, but like nuances. You know, there are certain nuances that we, other people wouldn't understand. You know, that we could only share with each other. And it's sort of like therapy, right? You're kind of holding it in because there's no one else you can share it with. And then when you do get to share it with somebody, it's this massive release, which is kind of what our podcast has been a little bit too, right? You know, Seth, like you and your SNL guys, you know what I'm saying, Seth? Yeah. Well, that's the thing. That's why we stay connected all these years later.

You know, you talk and you're like the shorthand of you know what they've all been through, which is really helpful. I feel like when you landed, I wish the pilot had made an announcement about like, also, we've had a very special friendship start on our flight today. While we apologize for the 13 hours of stray banter. We do feel very confident they're going to start a podcast together. While we apologize for the 13 hours of straight banter. It starts with an apology. We do feel very confident they're gonna start a podcast. How many years ago was that? My God.

I mean, it had to be at least 16 or something because we know each other for 25. Oh wow, so this is, it's taken. It's officially taken as a friendship. Oh no, no, for sure. Now we're actually really our friends. Yeah, that's good. It wasn't for a corporate convenience, you know.

Why were you going? I never asked you. I kept 13 hours and you didn't ask what are you going to do when you get to London? I don't recall. What were you going there? I think I was going there for, I think I was going there for London for press. I believe it was maybe Fast Food Nation and then I was going there for London for press. I believe it was maybe Fast Food Nation. And then I was going to go to Cannes for to meet the rest of the cast for the movie at the Cannes Film Festival. But we were stopping in London first.

And so what were you going for? Do you remember, Freddie? Or more importantly, Wilmer, Wilmer, do you remember what Freddie was going for? No, I think we both blacked out. I think at least 11 hours of that are blacked out. For sure. I had a film at the London Film Festival. All right.

Yeah, so we're going over there to go show it. Does it feel like never having traveled internationally for a film due to the fact that I think it reflects probably on my film work, but is it feel like a vacation when you travel for something like that or does it just feel like work? Oh, it's all work. It's film work. But does it feel like a vacation when you travel for something like that, or does it just feel like work? Oh, it's all work. It's all work. I remember my wife was saying,

we got to go, I want to go to London, but you've been already. And I'm like, but I didn't really get to do anything. I just worked the whole time. Yeah. I just kind of walked around a little bit. But yeah, it's a lot of work, a lot of press. I actually had made quite a habit of making sure

that like if I was going to go to someone that far, that like I would have at least a day to like do the touristy stuff and then do the local stuff. Because at a point of my career, you know, I would fly all the way to New York for the afternoon to do like talk shows and then fly back to LA that same day, you know, because of scheduling purposes or whatever. But I've definitely, you know, I learned my lesson right away because it came this thing where I started kind of saying like, oh yeah, I've been to Chicago and like it was like airport, you know, town car, morning news, back into the town car. But you know, I like it became that thing.

But but yeah, I tried to sneak in a little fun because, you know, I do love traveling. Yeah, you know what I did do? I walked to Harrods. You guys ever been to Harrods? Oh yeah. Which is pretty amazing. And I bought some, I have this thing where like my wife and my kids, whenever I go somewhere, I buy Christmas ornaments.

Oh that's good. From the place that I'm at with the year on them. And so when we put our Christmas tree up every year, we put those ornaments, and then we get to see what location they came from in the year. And you're always like, this is the year Daddy left you to go to Denver. This is the year.

Daddy went to London. It's funny you say that thing, Wilmer, about when you do a talk show and then leave that night. I don't know. I have no data to back this up. But when I go in someone's dressing room and I say, what are you doing after the show? If somebody says, I'm going right to the airport, I always feel like that's just a worse vibe

for a guest to have than if they're, if they say, oh, I'm going out to dinner with friends. Or, you know, you want, I feel like I want my talk show to be the thing they do right before they have a nice night out as opposed to like, you know, you never want somebody in the back of their head to be like, gotta go to JFK. Yeah, yes, yes, yes. My bags are in the dressing room.

If this first guest goes long, I'm probably gonna have to run to my gate. Yeah. Yeah, no, I think one of the important things as I got a little older and wiser and how much you give yourself to promoting the stuff that you work so hard to make is understanding that half of the experience is just try to enjoy it because it's supposed to be fun. I had, you know, I met, I talked about this a few times and I actually wrote about this whole section in this book I released and in that section where I talked

about how Robin Williams was doing a guest star of LA Doctors across the soundstage when we were shooting, you know, my sitcom 70s and, and he came to visit Curwood Smith, you know, who played the dad, right? A Red Foreman. And because they had done Deadpool Society together. So I asked him, hey, any word of advice for a young buck like me, you know? And he said, he said, yes, of course. And he was like, remember, never forget that your fans are going to have

two to three minutes of your time for the rest of their life. What two to three minutes do you want them to walk away with? Yeah, man. And I was like, really, really good advice. Right. And then the second was, and remember, never forget that it's supposed to be fun. You know, and like I kind of never forgot the reasoning that if something wasn't fun in the process, that probably there was something off that I need to kind of figure out what's not fitting, you know, and, um, and I tried to have a good, as much of a good time, but, but I love going to New York, you know, I love, I love going to New York city and doing the talk show stuff.

It's a magical thing. You know, it doesn't, I don't know, to me, it's still magic. I love coming to visit you guys and do the press and the thing. It's fun to talk about the stuff that you spent so much time making. Yeah, it's our job to make it fun as well. Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by Nissan. Hey, Sufi.

Yeah, Pashi. What's that thing I always say about going big and it never going out of style? Oh I remember going big never goes out of style. Yeah that's it and that's why we at Family Trips love partnering with Nissan because they know that going big never goes out of style especially when it comes to the 2025 Nissan lineup. And the Nissan vehicle we want to give a huge shout out to today the all-new Nissan Armada Pro 4X. Sufi what's that thing I always say about the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X? Pashi you always always say that no terrain is too tough for the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X. It's the most capable Armada

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And my favorite part, the Armada's premium interior seats up to eight passengers. That means we can bring our six best friends with us on our next adventure. Let's name them right now. And we're out of time. So thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this episode of Family Trips. Explore further with the Nissan Armada Pro 4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions. This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by our friends at Maker's Mark. Hey Pashi. Yes, Ufi.

I don't have to tell you that we're partnering with Maker's Mark to celebrate spirited women like Margie Samuels. No definitely do not, because I made the trip to the Maker's Mark Distillery in Laredo, Kentucky. The same Maker's Mark that Margie was the co-founder of? Absolutely, that's the one. And you, I believe you brought a spirited woman with you. I did. Yeah, my wife, Mackenzie, who is one of the strongest,

toughest gals I know, and inspires me with her work ethic every day. She moved out to California to work at a barn and do some training, and then that barn, eventually, was gonna get sold, and she struck out on her own and now has this thriving business where she trains people and rides horses, and she works her tail off.

It's really something else. That's a great... Also, Margie, shout out, original designer behind the iconic red wax dip. Yep. The label and even the Maker's Mark name. You did some dipping while you were there, right, Posh? I did do some dipping. We were there for a long tour, and we dipped our own bottles, which was very exciting.

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Maker's Mark Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, 45% alcohol. 2025 Maker's Mark Distillery, incorporated Loretto, Kentucky. I traveled with my three and a half year old. I took her home to see my parents. And that thing about where you two to three minutes of fans. I feel I'm very good about this. And I was in the airport with my daughter

and it was like, ID out in line to the TSA. I've got two bags. I'm roll, my daughter's sitting on a rolling suitcase. I've just got that single parent vibe. And this woman came up to me who had a real look about her, the kind of fan where you know that they're gonna share a project they're working on. Yeah.

A hat that loudly says I'm in the business. And came over and asked for a selfie, and I was very patient, and I sort of, you know, had to put everything away, was patient while my daughter was sitting there. Took a picture, she directed me towards, you know, a YouTube page where I could see some of her work. I said, that sounds wonderful. You know, keep at it and everything. And then I went to my gate and I saw she was also one gate over.

And I had this real moment of, you don't get a second bite of this apple. Like internally, I was like, you're not allowed to come over again. And sure enough, as we were boarding, she walked over again and said, you know, there's one more thing I wanted to say. And I just, as we were boarding, she walked over again and said, you know, there's one more thing I wanted to say. And I just, it took everything in my bones.

I was polite again tonight. I'd be like, uh-uh. Yeah. It's tough. It's a tough call. Yeah. It's a tough call. It's a really tough call because-

Because it's, the mistake you always make is like, if you teach her a lesson, that doesn't teach everyone a lesson. Right. You know what I mean? It's not like she's going to go and tell everybody else what she learned. The mistake you always make is like, if you teach her a lesson, that doesn't teach everyone a lesson. Right. You know what I mean? It's not like she's gonna go and tell everybody else what she learned.

I've had people- So she might tell everyone else that Seth Meyers- That's the problem, right. Yeah, she's not gonna tell every- It gave me a teachable moment, and for that, I'm a fan forever. Yeah, I've had different versions of this, and I think Freddie can relate to this one too, but,

you know, I've had different things in my career, right? I did like a little hosting thing, I did mostly acting and then a whole thing, right? But, but I, when I was doing the show, Your Mama on MTV, which by the way, it was a classic. It was like an old time classic, you know, like people really needed that show. That show came at a time where America really needed to uplift. It was a moment where we needed to bring people together. And I think that- Well, there was a lot of mamas

were getting away with stuff back then. Absolutely, absolutely. It was the mama nation. It was a mama nation. So by the way, because I was in MTV, musicians like rappers, like hood rappers really thought that they could just give me their mixtape and it was kind of like do something. Oh yeah.

You know? So like everywhere I would go, the people, hey man, like, you know, I'm a rapper, you know, and, uh, you know, I got my mixtape, I want you to listen to it or whatever. And I'm like, yeah, I will. And he goes, I'm actually have it right here. And then like back then it was like iPads and like city players. And like they would play me this stuff at the airport. They're like, here, here, here.

And I'm sitting there like looking at the time and looking at the gate. And I just, it's supposed to be fun. And like they have two to three minutes of your time for the rest of their lives. Yeah. Yeah. And then you're like, you are a great rapper. Yeah. Great rapper.

I'm going to tell everyone. Someone pitched me a movie idea when I was taking a piss at the Golden Globes. Wow. Great. No shit, man. I went in there... And it was The Brutalist. It was Brutalist. I passed. Look at me. Take a look at me. Damn it.

To be fair, it was a long pitch, too. It was a long pitch. It was a long pitch. He started to pitch me as I was like going into the bathroom and I was trying to be polite like, okay, yeah, yeah No, man, it sounds great. It was I was pissing He kept on pitching and I was done and I turned around and he was like, so what do you think? I'm like, dude, are you freaking crazy? I'm here taking a piss And so I said that was six feet under right?

Yeah, he pitched me six feet under yeah All right, so So now I'm six feet under, right? That was. Yeah, he pitched me six feet under. Yeah, yeah. And the rest is history. All right, so, Freddie, two siblings? Two siblings, yeah, two older brothers. Where are the two older brothers? How much older? My middle brother is six, seven years older than me. My oldest brother is about eight, nine.

Yeah, I came way later. Oh, big old gap. Yeah, yeah, big gap. I was the mistake after a few beers. How were they? How were they with your arrival? Would you say your older brothers? With my arrival?

I think they were tasked as surrogate fathers to me, right from right from the beginning, because they were so much older than me. And and it was that dynamic as I was growing up. I'm very familiar with your dynamic because I watched the show, but it wasn't that at all. They were very, they were very paternal to me as I was growing up.

Were they good at it? Were they good father brothers? Yeah, yeah, they were. They were, they were really good at it. They, you know, and I was the youngest. I got into a lot of trouble when I was young and they were really good about stepping in. they were really good at being sort of a buffer to my dad and not allowing my dad to know a lot of the stupid things I was doing.

You know, now they're wonderful. And you guys grew up, you grew up in Lincoln Park? I grew up in Chicago. Yeah, in Lincoln Park? I was born in Lincoln Park. Okay. And then when I was about four or five, I moved to an area called Bucktown.

Yeah, sure. Oh, yeah. And I grew up in Bucktown, which is Bucktown, Worker Park, Logan Square, Northwest Side, and then I went to Lincoln Park High School. Got it. When I went to high school. Yeah. Are you Chicago?

Yeah, you spent some time in Chicago, right? Yeah, so we were born in Evanston, and then both went back to Northwestern. Oh, no way, man. Yeah, we grew up more in the East Coast, but when I went back right after college, I lived in Lincoln Park and I loved it. Oh yeah, where'd you live? I was Clark in Oakdale and I was a Armitage in Sheffield. Yeah, dude, I was born on Armitage in Hosted.

Oh, right there. I was born, yeah, yeah. Like on the street corner? That cleaners that was on that corner before. They had a deal. They had a deal that day. Yeah, yeah. So when my parents came from Puerto Rico in the 60s and they migrated there, back in the 60s, that was predominantly Puerto Rican and black.

And then in about like 1980, 82, they became a little more gentrified, and then we moved west to sort of the Bucktown Humble Park area. Did your family stay in Chicago? Yeah. Gotcha. Everyone's still there.

No one lived. You have brothers as well? Yeah, my brothers as well. Yeah, my brothers eventually moved to like Logan Square. Gotcha. Yeah, everyone's still there. Your brothers as well? Yeah, my brothers as well. Yeah, my brothers eventually moved to like Logan Square. Gotcha. Because you know, Bucktown became like SoHo. It really did. The last time we were there, I can't remember, do you remember the name of that hotel, Josh?

The Robie. The Robie, yeah. I think it's in Wicker Park. Yeah, it's on a street, it's sort of, it looks like the Flatiron building in New York almost. It's like one of those. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Milwaukee, Damon and- Yeah, that feeling.

Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's a hotel now, huh? Yeah, that's cool. Oh yeah, I didn't know that. Yeah, my wife grew up in that area. That's, that's Worker Park. So she, that's like North Avenue and Milwaukee and Damon. And she, she grew up just a little west of that.

Was Puerto Rico a place you would go back and visit when you were young no, okay No, I went once and and it's funny because like I've watched your show and I hear you guys talking about family trips When I was a kid, we never took a family trip like we never took a vacation The only time I was ever on a plane when I was a kid It was when I was 10 years old. And it was to Puerto Rico, and it was for a funeral. Okay, it was for my uncle's funeral. And so traditionally in Puerto Rico, when someone dies, the

funeral takes place in the house. And they keep the body in the house. And so I was 10 years old. It was total culture shock for me coming out of Chicago in Puerto Rico. It was my mother's side of the family who were all from New York, who I didn't grow up around. And then all of a sudden I'm 10 years old and I'm waking up to my uncle's body in the living room. I love it. It's like, good news, you're taking a plane for the first time,

bad news, everything else. Everything else. They wake up to dead body. Did you, was it just too expensive to go back to Puerto Rico, or do you feel like your parents just didn't feel the need to go back? Yeah, you know, my dad was, yes, A, it was too expensive.

You know, my parents were just factory workers in Chicago. But my dad was he was a compulsive worker. He would have a week off from work and we'd go, hey, what are you going to do, Dad? Are you going somewhere? He's like, your uncle needs

his living room painted. I'm going to go help him paint. Your cousin needs to move. We're going to go help your cousin move. And I'm like, that's your vacation? Like, to go help somebody paint their move? Like, yeah. And that was it. That was vacation for us.

So you had a lot of family local though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My dad, my dad had a few sisters and a brother who moved to Chicago as well. And so I come from a really big extended family. And on my mom's side of the family, I have 13 uncles and aunts. Whoa. Yeah, but they were all in New York and in Puerto Rico. So we were the only family that moved to Chicago. And I met them for the first time so that was another family trip that I took when I was about 17 it was the first time 16 17 it was the first time I had went to New York and I got to meet all of my cousins

for the first time so you could imagine 13 uncles and aunts multiply that by like two three kids each all of a sudden I'm at a wedding with like 50 cousins who are all like yeah I'm your cousin, I'm your cousin, I'm your cousin. Was it overwhelming or so exciting? It was exciting. It was exciting. Yeah. I mean, you know, a little overwhelming because you're trying to place the faces of all of your cousins with your uncles and how it relates in the family structure and the family tree. But it was exciting. It was this whole other side of my family that I never knew existed.

And this is right. It's like pre-internet. I mean, look at us. We're like, it's like George Jetson here, right? But it wasn't like that back then, right? So if you had cousins, you had family elsewhere, unless you're like, I remember long distance, like, whoa, long distance costs so much money to get on and make a long distance call,

unless it was that or writing letters, you really didn't have any communication. Yeah, you only made that phone call in Christmas. I mean, that's the only time. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Exactly. And it was so, and it's so funny because if you only make a phone call on Christmas,

it's the worst phone call. It's the worst time, especially as a kid, like when you got dragged away from like Christmas stuff to talk to an aging relative. All your new toys are spread out and it's like, come talk to grandma. Like, ow, we have nothing in common. I know.

Do you guys still have family in Evanston? No, we were the only ones. And so, yeah, we had family in Massachusetts and we had family in Pittsburgh, but no one's really anywhere anymore, wouldn't you say? People are places. I think I feel pretty confident they're all there. I'm gonna say everybody, to feel better about not seeing them. Yeah, I mean, our grandparents are gone,

but we've got uncles and aunts and cousins. Yeah, and our parents are still in New Hampshire in the house we grew up in. Oh, awesome. Just went back, Josh and I were just talking about But we've got uncles and aunts and cousins. And our parents are still in New Hampshire in the house we grew up in. Oh, awesome. Just went back, Josh and I were just complaining a little bit. Just went back, everything's been thrown out, which I feel like was okay 50 years ago.

But like in 2025, I was like, I'll go check the attic. I was looking for something, I'll go check the attic. They're like, we threw everything in the attic out. I'm like, to what end? I know why. You're supposed to be the vault of memories. Why we have here check the attic. They're like, we threw everything in the attic out. I'm like, to what end? I know why. You're supposed to be the vault of memories. Why are we here for an attic? It's like it's an attic.

It was fine. If they said we put a sauna. He's looking for his baseball cards. The classic thing people look for. By the way, you would have had probably a lot of invested property in those baseball cards. It was a bad time to buy, I will say. So it wasn't like, yeah, it wasn't like, I was like, I was looking for my Bitcoin.

Yeah. So yeah. Well, I don't know why I ever left it with mom and dad. How do you balance that? I mean, how often do you guys get to go home and see your parents? I will say I go home a lot less because I have kids, whereas Josh is a man of the world.

But you also have a daily show. Yeah, that you have a nightly show, I should say. That gets in the way. It's four nights a week. Yeah, yeah. Josh got home Friday. It's four nights a week. I love, yeah, that's, the other day someone, I heard my wife say to somebody,

well, Seth only works four days a week. I'm like, what in the world? What nerve? I do know how good my life is for somebody in show business? Also, I have a podcast. I have multiple podcasts. Josh, the sitcom days were fun. You got a week off every two to three. Oh, it was insane. It was insane. Also, on 70 show, Suf, they, by the time I got here, which was the last season, they had our stand-ins would do all the block,

all the camera blocking and you could change everything. But there was essentially a day off because at that point they had streamlined the process and you guys were all muckety mucks and throwing your weight around. Or probably like, we want Mondays off or whatever it was. And then you'd get there and they would tell you. I want two days off.

That's what I used to say all the time. I want two days and it's an off day for me. And everyone's like, well, as fast as Wilmer. Yeah, it was probably like a 24 hour work week, I feel like. How about, Freddie, was six feet under, how many days was it per episode? How many shooting days? Eight, eight business days. So that's a real, think that Freddie was six feet under. How many days was it per episode? How many shooting days?

Eight. Eight business days. So that's a real... That's real work. That's real work. Yeah, I mean, yeah, that was eight. And we only did about, in the first season, was like 13 episodes. And then towards the end, I think it became like 10, maybe 11. I think that's kind of normal now, cable. Cable's like, right, 10, maybe 11. I think that's kind of normal now, cable.

Cable's like, right, 10, eight times. Yeah, no, I think, I mean, certainly the, I mean, the 70 show days, I feel like, what are there, three or four shows that do that many episodes? If they're like- Well, yeah, no. Yeah, how many episodes did you do a season?

We used to do 20, how many, we did 25, right? Did we do 25? I mean, that is just- I don't know, I would have said 22, but you were there for a lot longer. We would do 25 a season. That's why we got to 200 so quick. Well, not so quick. It took eight years together. But still, 200. That's like, you know, like in baseball, they say no pitcher will win 200 games again, because they just take them out. You know, that's like what it feels like now. It's like, 200?

Yeah. What was six feet under your first big show, Freddie? No, I, you know, all through the 90s, I was doing movies. Yeah, I started doing movies in 94. When I say I turned pro, I did a movie called Dead Presidents and A Walk in the Clouds or Keanu Reeves. And like 94, I did this Brian Hegelan movie called Payback. Just all through the movies was just doing films

and then Six Feet Under came in like 01. And then that was, you know, it became the classic that it became. And that's when people really started to know who I was. I do want to give a quick shout out to Payback, which I think is an underrated fantastic film. Yeah. I think so. I thought that wasrated fantastic film. Oh, thank you. Yeah. I think so.

I thought that was a good movie. Yeah, for sure. It's a really fun... It is that thing where Mel Gibson just loves movies where he just gets the shit kicked out of him. Yeah. Yeah. And it was Brian Hegeland's...

It was his first movie. Was it really? Yeah. It's like one of those movies, if I'm remembering, it feels like very... I like movies with that color palette, which is just like very like, like that like blue tint. You know, like everything's like, yeah, like cold and gray. Something bad's going to happen any minute. Yeah.

The entire movie. Yeah. Is Chris Christopherson in that movie? Am I remembering? I believe so. Yeah. I've done two movies with Chris. I did that one, and I did this other movie

called Dreamer with him and me him and Kurt Russell so yeah Yeah, yeah, he was awesome, you know, I remember he had he had invited me to go see him and Willie Nelson play in Kentucky and I was trying desperately to go I was shooting that day I was yeah, I got I got an invite for Chris Kristofferson like, you you know, be backstage with him and Willie Nelson and I never got to go. He was awesome. He told me this great story. I was asking him how he started doing what he was doing. And Chris said, you know, I was a helicopter pilot. And man, I don't recall if he said

it was Johnny Cash or someone, someone big like that said he kept trying to break into the industry and he was having no luck. So he flew his helicopter, and don't quote me on this, I think he said Johnny Cash, and flew his helicopter to Johnny Cash's house and landed in his backyard. And was like, I write music, here's my music. Wow. And here's, and here Wil, here's my music. Wow. And here Wilmer is complaining that somebody gives him a mix tape.

Yeah. You could have a helicopter land in your front lawn. Listen Seth, in his defense, that took more than two to three minutes, okay? That's true, once he showed up, once he showed up. Also, anytime someone's putting their earbuds in your ears, it's a little bit. Yeah, that's true, right.

But it was also before COVID, so we were more resilient, you know? Yeah, exactly. I mean, back in the early 2000s, the stuff celebrities were putting in their ears, you, I mean, it was anything, anything went. I will, you know, it's funny, cause I get asked, I do a Q and A in my audience

and people ask me, sometimes everybody say like, do you have any advice? And that Robin Williams advice is really good. And maybe I'll steal that cause I always feel like I'm at, you know, I don't know what to say, but there is that, I would say like to my younger self, like everything that sounds, and it sounds like, you know, Freddie, you maybe just logistically couldn't do it.

Anything that sounds like you shouldn't miss it, you probably shouldn't miss it. Like no one 20 years later is like, you know what I'm happy about? Got a very good night's sleep 20 years ago when the other option was Willie Nelson and Chris Spence. Willie Nelson in Kentucky.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've said, I mean, I'm sure you've said yes to most things, but I do think every now and then, and I'm certainly, I mean, I'm sure you've said yes to most things, but I do think every now and then, and I'm certainly, I think I've done it way too many times where I'm like, I think I'll just go home. And it's like, why did I go home?

Especially now that I have children and I legally have to go home. How old are your kids? Eight, six, and three. Yeah. How about you, Freddie? You're in it. My oldest is 30. And my youngest is 26. Just for the people who are only listening, Freddie looks great.

Freddie looks so good for a 30 and 26. He's a wonder of the world. I mean, truly. Thank you. Thank you. I was a teen dad. Oh, that helps. So that you, thank you. I was a teen dad. Oh, that helps, that helps. So that may have something to do with it. You know, I have some cousins who were,

they were like teen parents. And it really, like now they're, I mean, their kids are like basically your kids' age, and they're just thriving. Like, I feel like, you know, it was really hairy when it started, but now their kids are old and they still have like a whole, like they can like do shit. They're not like old and broken. Like I had my first at 42.

It's going to be a disaster when my kids are in college. You had your first at 42. I had my first one at 40. Yeah, 41. Yeah. And yours is little, right, Wilmer? Yeah, mine's four. Mine's four. And we just announced it, but we are expecting our second one. Congratulations. Thank you very much. It still works. It still works. Yeah, it still works.

It still works. It still works. One for the good guys, you know what I mean? Yeah. And by the way, and I say this as a friend, nobody knows you thought it still worked. And we're so proud of you. Well, that's very kind,

but you know I really beat myself up over these things, you know? These things really keep me up, you know? Hey, we're gonna take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. Support comes from Delete Me. Hey, Pashi. Yes, Yuffie.

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Yeah, or they're like, hey, post office, trying to bring you a package, click on this link. Don't click on that link, man. That's not how the post office. You know who does click on that link? Who's that? My father-in-law and my brother-in-law. They probably don't have any data left.

No, I mean, literally. Oh, well, here's the thing. Everybody has their data. All right. I feel like their identity has been stolen so many times, it's not even valuable to the people who've stolen it. I heard that Tom and Tolya is not even their names anymore. No, they're constantly finding, they just get text me like, you're this now.

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twin-turbo V6 engine, which means it's ready to give you the freedom to explore further and to propel your adventures to new heights. So thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this episode of Family Trips. Explore further with the Nissan Armada Pro 4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. Intelligent four-wheel drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions, always monitor traffic and weather conditions. So Wilmer, Miami, but born, not born in Miami. I was born in Miami, yes.

Okay, gotcha. But then moved to, then moved to Venezuela, yeah? Yes, yes, so my mom and dad met in Miami. They fell in love in Miami and got married there. And then they had my sister and me, right? And then when I turned three years old, which was roughly in 1983, you know, if you guys remember much about this or just read about it because we were so young back then, but in the early 80s, Venezuela's economy was just booming. I mean, it's the number one reserve of oil in the world and

the third largest producer of oil in the world. It was a very rich country at that time. So nobody really left Venezuela. People just went to Miami for vacation and came back home. And it was a different era. So my dad felt the agriculture industry was big for him, you know, and he thought, you know, well, let's go back to where the work is. So we moved back from Miami to Venezuela, and I was raised in the middle of the country, like in a small little, like really small little town

that had like one movie, one movie theater, and they play Robocop all year round. It was like that kind of like small town, you know? A little bit of a free town. It was called the RoboCop Theater. It was called, in their defense, in their defense it was called the RoboCop Theater. Also Kurt Wood Smith, wasn't it?

Yes, Kurt Wood Smith. Oh yeah, they saw the story. Can you fly, Bobby? Can you, you know, remember, I don't know if you remember, Josh, but I used to call a Kerwood and leave voicemails on his greeting machine and say, hey, Kerwood, I want to say, can you fly Bobby? Because at that time, I never knew when enough was enough.

So it was just unnecessary. But but yes, it's one is very small at that time I never knew when enough was enough. Right. So it was just unnecessary. But but yeah, so I was born in a very small little town in Venezuela. I was three years old. We spent about 10 almost 11 years of our life in Venezuela. And then when Chavez tried to take the power by force, you know, in Venezuela, and they he did the coup and the government, my dad looked at everything around and economy was like, just no stopping. My dad said, uh, I think we're going to have to go back home. Right. So we, we came back to, um, we came back to the United States. We came back to Miami at that point.

Um, and you know, you're talking about family trips and you were talking about all those, you know, those memories. I remember that I can never forget this one family trip because, you know, I had forgotten what it was like to even be in the United States. And I just- How old were you then when you came back? 13. Okay, gotcha.

And I had just grown up with, you know, the Bruce Willis's and the Mel Gibson's and the RoboCops of the world, you know what I mean? Like the Back to the Futures, you know, the Charlie's Angels, the Hulk TV show, the Spiderman live action TV show, like all the syndicated stuff that was like 20 years old here. Like we were getting syndicated in Spanish there. Zorro chips.

Like I grew up with all this. And so American culture was like in my brain. So when I came to United States, like the first thing I wanted to see was what a burger looked like, you know, like I had never seen a burger. Like we didn't have burgers where I grew up, you know. But the thing that was really interesting is like my dad said, okay, well, we're not gonna stay in Miami. We're gonna drive cross country and we're gonna go to Los Angeles because he had a brother, right, that, you know, they lived in Los Angeles. And he rented this a brother, right? That, you know, they lived in Los Angeles and he rented this, uh, four tourists, a white one, a station wagon. Um, and, um, you know, we embarked into this cross

country tour and it was like, it was like a, it was like a crash course on like what America really was, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And, and to me it was incredibly magical, right? Like you see the trucks with the flags in the back and it was like, yeah. And to me, it was incredibly magical, right? Like you see the trucks with the flags in the back and it was like, yeah! Yeah. You know, then I understood the meaning of so many different things, you know, but I will say that like, it was-

Yeah, Confederate flags! Yeah, it's American flags! Yeah! You know? Were you disappointed that you didn't see a single robocop? I thought we, I was like, I thought America would have had already hoverboards. Yeah, of course. For sure.

So we went cross country and every truck stop was like chef kiss of the different faces of America. And I grew up loving it all, you know? I grew up loving these, you know, the coconut shrimp from Sizzler and like, you know, the bread from Red Lusters. Like these were the fancy meals that we had all along the way. Does that mean you were excited right away

about the idea of moving back to the States? Or was it scary? It was scary because, know I was failing of my English classes in Venezuela right so I literally I was like oh I'll never have to speak English I live in Venezuela you know. CUT to kids come on in have a seat we're moving to America I said excuse me but I don't know how to speak English. He goes, but you were taking classes. I'm like, but nobody learns it.

You know, it was a frantic realization that I was about to, you know, come to the United States and I have to go and learn how to speak a different language. So I asked my dad, like, how are, like, how are we going to do this? I, we don't even speak English. And he looked at me and he said, get in the car. It's just like, I can't even explain it to you. You're gonna have to learn, and it's what it is. So we got to America and like just, I mean,

it was probably single-handedly the most petrifying experience, I think. You know, eventually. Of course. How much younger was your sister? She was one year younger than me. And then we had a younger, younger one. So she was, I think at the time, seven or six years old.

Oh, maybe, no, she was about five or so when she got with us here. And it was the three of us. But, you know, my first job was to learn how to speak English, like ASAP, right? That was my first job. And, you know, because it was like somebody's at the door. Who's going to answer the door?

I guess I'll go. Hello. You know, it was like it was that that type of thing. And then you go to the you know, you go to the restaurant, right. And here comes the waiter and it's like, all right, I got to read the menu, you know. So that was kind of my my first my first gig for that for the house. But yeah, that road trip was unbelievable. I remember having my first Slim Jam and thinking to myself, how is this medically

possible? You know? You can still consider that today. Yeah. It is a match. You know, everybody, we've, all we get excited about now are like apps and stuff, but I love the days when we were inventing stuff like Slim Jim. You know, we could just actually enjoy it. Did you, were your parents at that age, do you think they were scared about having to leave Venezuela? Did they see it as? Yeah, for sure.

I mean, look, I think we had our little... Could you tell? Or was it there? Did they try very hard to sort of hide it from you? They tried very hard, but I think, you know, you grew up in these countries. You grew up with a sense of emotional maturity that, you know, you're kind of sheltered from when you kind of grew up in America, you know, and Venezuela, the, you know, the news, the six o'clock news looks a little different. Yeah. You know, and so, so I kind of was already, I kind of already understood that we were

coming to America to work, that we came here to start again, you know, start all over again. And, you know, they had to sell everything they had, you know, to just to kind of afford the move. And then when we came out here, you know, my dad had to start from scratch, you know, so like, so I knew that there was a lot of stress. I knew that there was a lot of uncertainty. My dad was always optimistic. My dad was always, you know, like laughing and, you know, keeping the music playing loud, you know, so you're kind of like, you know, it kind of, there was a mirage, you know, that like everything's going to be fine because the energy feels, you know, different. My dad never complained about the struggles. He just put a little dirt on it and kept going, right?

And I think that's something I definitely take from him. But I will say that I could see it, you know, you could see it in her eyes. And at 13, you know, your dad tells you, hey, we didn't come here to go to Disneyland, Universal Studios. We came here to work. So, um, I need you to get the education that I never had.

And so it got very serious right away. So I immediately at 13, 14, I made a promise that I was going to help and I was going to, you know, show up for my family and, um, and do it like I learned how to speak English. Like that. I mean, I, it was just by necessity when you have to, and I had ESL classes in, in, in high school, in, in middle school, then high school. And I learned how to speak English, uh, through watching I Love Lucy, you know? And, uh, cause I watched every episode in Spanish or when I came and watched it

in English, um, I was like, okay, I think I'm kind of piecing together the scenes and piecing what they were saying. It was things were kind of like waking up and then, and then, you know, and then I realized, oh, wait a minute, Ricky Ricardo has an accent? Like I had no idea. No idea that dudes had an accent, right? And I think I also contribute the fact that I still have an accent to the fact that I watch way too much. I love Lucy. Because my sister has no accent. That's the best possible reason.

It would be funny if your sister talked exactly like Lucille Ball. She's very loud. But you know, she has no accent. My sister has no accent. So people are like, what are you doing, Wilmer? I'm like, I was playing soccer. She was going to the mall with her white girlfriends. All right. So, Freddie, you met your parents,

because I want to ask both of you this question, but your parents worked in factories. So you are the first one in your family who shows an interest in the arts, or did your older brothers have any interest in it? My older brother is a dean of students at a university now in Chicago, but he was a DJ when I was growing up.

Alright. In the 80s. And so I guess, you know, that's a form of art. Sure. And so like I grew up and he's, you know, eight years older than me, right? So as far back as I could remember, there was always vinyl in the house, like milk crates of vinyl everywhere there was always turntables it was always speakers every Friday I

would see him carrying speakers out and bringing speakers back and testing new vinyl I would go to vinyl shops you guys remember I don't know if you were there you remember that that record place on Clark it was on like Clark and like Clark and Diversy. Yes, I do. What was that place? Wax Trax was it? That sounds right. Yeah, yeah. So I used to go to Wax Trax with my brother when I was like nine, eight years old. So there was always a lot of music in the house. I had an uncle who I didn't grow up with who was a singer in the 70s and who tried his hand at acting.

But no, I'm pretty much the only artist in my family. When you got together with sort of your extended family in Chicago, would you do that regularly and would that be like sort of a picnic situation? Or I'm just wondering if like your DJ brother would sort of set up at something like that. Yes, he would. He DJ'd every single family function.

And so in Latino culture, they throw a party for any reason. Yeah, there's no reason. There's no reason. We throw a party for no reason. No reason's a great reason. Yeah reason. No reason's a great reason. For no reason's a great reason. And it's Chicago, right? So you live there, you know how small those apartments are sometimes.

So you could imagine these apartments with like a hundred cousins and aunts and uncles and all in there in these small apartments. My brother DJing in the corner. If it was summertime, it'd be like in somebody's backyard. But there'd be parties for baptisms, for birthdays, for someone graduated. So yeah, it was a really tight knit and big extended family. You know, you've heard of the saying it takes a village to raise a child, right? And that was very much my family. It was a village, you know, like not only did my mom, my dad raised me, I had aunts and uncles

and extended cousins and everyone else who also sort of bestowed their wisdom upon me as I was growing up. Everyone's responsibility at one of those parties to bring food or does somebody take point? Yeah, I had a couple of aunts who took point. Okay, gotcha. And yeah, yeah, but people would bring dishes, they'd bring beer, they'd bring rum.

Rum was sort of the big rum and coke. Oh yeah, that's the Puerto Rican, that's the Puerto Rican H2O. I don't think I've ever been at a party where I've brought rum or where someone has brought rum. And I feel like my life has been a lot easier for it. You're just so telegraphic. Now rum, is that another word for Chardonnay? What would you drink? What would you guys like Schlitz? What was your dad? I mean, it's really funny. Like our mom is such a, you know, a gin and tonic woman.

Like that was what that was. I would say if there was a drink that was most often being poured in our home, it was gin and tonic. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. To this day. Yeah. Your dad, your dad, he was a gin and tonic man? Not much of a drinker. Not much of a drinker, really. He'd have a beer. Yeah. Yeah, to this day. Your dad, your dad's a gin and tonic man? Not much of a drinker. Not much of a drinker, really.

He'd have a beer. Yeah. What about you guys? What about you guys? Are you guys much of a libation? I'm a pretty, I mean, I think I'm like cooling. I mean, mostly I feel like I'm tapping the brakes because of just age, but I was, I think I'm pretty famously a libation guy.

I've seen, I've seen. I've seen that show man. The day drinking comes from a very real place. Seth's gone pretty hard into the Negroni world which I... I have yeah. Doesn't agree with me. I don't... There's something in it I don't like. Yeah.

But I'll do like whiskey rocks or scotch rocks or tequila. So distinguished Josh. So distinguished. So distinguished. Yeah. Old fashioned? Are you an old fashioned man? I love an old fashioned. or Scotch Rocks or Tequila. So distinguished, Josh. So distinguished. So distinguished. Old-fashioned? Are you an old-fashioned man? I love an old-fashioned. Yeah.

Although I have a... Does this make me sound like a child? I'm very upset when my old-fashioned doesn't have that cherry in it. Oh, yes! Yes, dude. Yes. Because it's like the Shirley Temple cherry of my youth. 100 percent. Because you can't... The thing about the cherry is I enjoy the great deal, but I can't ask for it, you know. As an adult you don't want to be like, I'll have an old-fashioned, because you

feel like a cool older gentleman, be like, old-fashioned with the cherry. Yeah. I've watched your show, man, but you mix a lot of different alcohols. Well that for day drinking, we're just mixing alcohol for comedy purposes and yeah yeah that I wouldn't recommend that You know look I feel like you should finish those drinks I feel like it's always like you pour a very elaborate thing and then you have like a sip or two I feel like you got to drink that drink I feel like you're saying that the only reason you would say that is if you think you're in my will Finishing those drinks is not a good idea.

Did any of you go through a martini phase? You know, I really didn't. I will do a Gibson. I don't care for olives, but I'll do just with the pearl onion instead of the olives. I should say, if I'm at a steak house, I do like the idea of getting American. I was just about to say, a restaurant always gets me.

They're like, what can I get you another drink? I'm like, I see the drink menu that is thick, like it has like 50 pages of just things that rhyme with like Jamaica, Jamaican pineapple. You're like, I'm fine. Can I just do a martini please? You know, like that. Yeah, do you do gin or vodka? I'll do either Can I just do a martini please? You know, like that. But I can appreciate you. Do you do gin or vodka?

I'll do either. I'll do either. Okay. And your podcast, Dose Amigos, is recorded in your speakeasy, Wilmer. Is that in your home? Yes, yes. I actually hijacked that basement

before the baby got here. I knew that we were planning a baby and I said, I have to do something down here before this becomes something else. And so I attacked that room with an unnecessary speakeasy and you have to go through the laundry room to get there. You know, guys like a, like a speak easy. Yep, nope, it's great.

I would have been very upset if there was a easy to find door. Yes, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors. So as we say here in the speak easy industry, but so we built this thing and you know, I had a bunch of gatherings there, a couple of my birthdays there and it's like not big, but it's like unnecessarily elaborate. Right. Like he has the gold leaf like roof and he has the indigo walls. And I had like like 30 years of newspaper

headlines that I bought for 100 bucks from some guy's garage sale. And I and he was from like Tyson biting the ear to like, you know, to Kobe Ryan joining Lakers. Like, oh, I mean, you name it, right? It was, it was in headlines. So I, I plastered all over one big wall and so, so it gets me topics of conversation. Anyways, what I'm saying is, is a worldly place. So when we, when we started thinking about, when we started thinking about like, okay, well,

why should we set this up? And like Freddie and I had had some great conversations there. We thought, hey man, like now that I have a four year old, this room is really not getting used. So we made it into our little podcast home. I just want to picture you in a smoking jacket, holding a glass of, holding your martini and saying, shall we walk over to the headline wall?

Should we take a trip down memory lane and stop by the headline wall? Yes. You know me well enough to know that that's how it started. I absolutely had the smoker jacket, absolutely had the loafers. Okay. That I leave at the entrance of the laundry room and I walk in barefoot because I like to

feel grounded when I am partaking my libations. But I definitely, I definitely started out the way. I had all the accessories. And, you know, do I regret it? And a stage. And a stage. And a stage. I have a little stage. He has a stage with a piano. You know little fun fact Sheila E for my birthday gave me two of her bongos and she signed the bongos and everything I have her bongos in the corner I have a little

piano for whenever Josh want to come and play. Oh yeah tickle tickle the ivories. He's so good he's really good. What is the most people that could be there where it would be a comfortable good time? If you believe anything is possible. So I would say. I would say. Spoken like a man who built a speakeasy because he was worried it would turn into a playroom.

So I would say the most the, the most packed that has ever been, I think I had probably like 65 people in there, but like, but like, but like no walking room. Like everyone had to like, uh, you know, flow over into the, uh, folding chairs of the, of the laundry room. But uh, uh, very nice though. But yeah, but it was, it was a, it was a one time thing when I realized, oh, I have to, I now have to implement a minimum and maximum capacity sign on this thing. It's very smart to turn, once you turn a space into a podcast, I think that then at least takes away the ability

for a family member to say you're wasting the space. Absolutely, I have checkmate that part of my equation for sure. Yeah. Hey, Freddie, since your kids are older, what was, were you a big family trip as a father? Were you guys a family trip family? We were. We were a teen dad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

No, you know, when I was a teen, I was 19 when the oldest was born. Yeah, a lot of it in the beginning was just trying to scrounge up enough money to feed them, right? But no, but once I started to do okay, yeah, we, man, we took a family trip to, we went to Puerto Rico, we did sort of the big sort of pilgrimage out there where my kids got to see where their grandparents were from, which was just awesome. My wife's parents, her dad has just recently passed,

but they still live there, so they got to visit them. They got to meet all of my uncles and aunts who still lived out there. We've done all the basic stuff, right, like Florida. Yeah. Did you do Disneyland? And asking for myself, what do you think the right age is to bring your kids to Disneyland or Disney? Good call. Good question.

I, I, I would say... He asks it on every podcast now. It's not good. To all of our listeners. He's not gonna stop asking. Yeah. Well, and Josh, like me, while Josh, who doesn't have kids is like, what's not good. To all of our listeners. Because she's not gonna stop asking. Yeah. Well, and Josh, like, meanwhile, Josh, who doesn't have kids, is like, what's a good time to get a sauna?

Yeah. I might get a sauna. I might get a sauna. Well, because you have a three-year-old, right? Yeah. So I don't... And so... Yeah.

I think three is very good. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you think the three-year-old would understand it and enjoy it? I mean, I also have a boy-boy-girl, and she is both in birth order, and the fact that she's a girl, she's way smarter than that.

Well, dude, 100%. 100%. I would say three. Three was very, actually, Nakano at two and a half, she was already saying Mickey, right? Yeah. Oh, okay.

So as soon as we took her, she was, I mean, over the moon. She was over the moon. She was over the moon. All right, great. That's okay. Yeah. So as soon as we took her, she was, I mean, over the moon. Yeah. She was over the moon. She was over the moon. All right, great. That's all I need. Yeah.

That's all I need. Yeah, my kids, they loved it. They loved it when they, and they still remember it to this day when they were younger. Yeah, that's cool. All right. Seth, is she watching a lot of Disney stuff at all? Not really. Mostly just Frozen.

Oh, yeah. She'll have a great time. She'll recognize everything. But she knew Mickey Mouse, she loved Pluto, she loved Minnie. As soon as she saw them, she was freaking out. And I called them by names at three. So I know for a fact that three is a very good time. Anything before one and a half, you're doing it for the picture.

And they're just sweating in a stroller. Okay. I mean, that's what's been my discovery. Because we couldn't wait. We're like, we have a kid! Let's take her to Disneyland! Meanwhile, she's passed out for like three hours. She's sweating.

We're like this, waiting for the ride. It's not... You think at that age, they don't remember stuff. My youngest son said to me when they were here for the holidays, we have this tradition where we go... Do you know that trail that goes from Santa Monica to Venice, right on the beach? There's like a bike trail. Yep. And so I would always take them on the bike trail when they were younger.

And I remember taking him, well both of my sons, but he had training wheels on his bike. And he must have been like three, four years old on training wheels. And I just did it to do it, right, to be a dad. And he recently said, Dad, I remember being on my training wheels and going down this path as a three. So yeah, you think, I'm taking them to Disneyland, they're not gonna remember it, but you just never know

at what age it's gonna stick in your brain. Yeah, plus it's bragging rights also. It's like you get to tell all your friends, I've been there. Like when you're five, you're still gonna remember you were there when you were three. Make those kids jealous. For my daughter, I try to give her like really elaborate

Valentine's Day gifts, and like, you know, trying to really set her up to her expectations for guys have to be like really high. And I hope that translates into, you know, into a really a pedigree, you know. I think that's kind of what I'm hoping for. So I'm always trying to be like, well, daddy is always gonna love you the mostest.

Yeah. I've said to my father-in-law because he obviously let my wife walk all over him. And the amount I've been like, you did me no favors. But he had no favors at all. And he's like, I'm so sorry. I don't know. I know I blew it.

Yeah. You don't have any, but you guys don't have any sisters, right? It's just you two. No. And it's really fun, because I had two boys that are the same age difference as Josh and I, and it's really, having a daughter is just so fun, because for the first time I'm like,

oh, this changes the dynamic. How is it different for you, Seth? I mean, it is, I mean, it's so cartoonish, how quickly you become a girl dad and the boys are like, I need your attention too. I'm like, well, go get it somewhere else. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, she's, and also she is,

we were so burnt out from the first two. If she hadn't been like the easy kid she is, I think we, you know, it would have torn the family apart and And I think she just is like, all right, I'll be chill. I think she's gonna probably be a lunatic when she's a teenager, but right now she's very chill. No, that's what everyone predicts. That's true, yeah. She's like, oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna be easy forever.

I'm coming, I'm just hanging out right now. You guys, it's just a delight to talk to you both. And we cannot thank you enough for your time. No, thank you both so much. cannot thank you enough for your time. Thank you both so much. And thanks for having us. But you're not off the hook yet, because Josh is going to ask you some questions real quick.

All right, some quick hitters here, boys. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous, or educational? I'm going to nerd out and say educational. I love, I'm the nerd that goes to like each city and goes like on those tours, those historical tours. You have a guide explaining everything to you. Like I love the nerd out on trips.

I have no choice. It has to be adventurous because my wife is the adventure connoisseur. She like wants to go on the hike and she's done, she's done the research. So by the time we get to a destination, we already have an alternative. So like, you know, relaxation is, it's not, it's like the flight over when we're both passed out like this, you know. Got you. What is your favorite means of transportation? Train, plane, automobile,

boat, bike, walking. I really, I just spent five years in New York and I took the train a lot and I loved it. Yeah. And all I would hear is people go, oh, I hate taking the train in New York. I hate it. It just reminds me of- You talk about the subway real quick?

The subway, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, the subway, yeah, yeah. It just reminded me of living in Chicago again. You know, taking the blue line downtown and you know, I love taking the subway. I love it too and I agree with you. I mean, again, obviously it's gnarly and bad things are happening on the subway,

but if you have a good subway ride, it's the best way to travel. Also, like I just flew into JFK last week and was coming to visit you, Seth, and the train was the fastest way to get to your house. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah, it was a snap. So easy. Wilmer? I would say we like a road trip here. We like getting a card and driving, you know. She's a big driver. She loves driving across, you know, across state lines. But I would also say, you know, I think we've kind of,

I don't want to say we mastered it, but we kind of have an art to this flights now, you know, and our daughter is so manageable and we travel so much with her. And she was such a great traveler that like we really enjoyed the plane. I just, the humming of the engine, the relaxation, and we really enjoy that.

Great. This one gets a little trickier. If you could take a family vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional, other than your own family, what family would you like to take a family vacation with? If my pop was alive, I'd love to have take, I never got to go back to where

he grew up and I never got to see it through his eyes. I would have loved to. It's a great pic. I would have loved to have done that. That's really good. I would say, you know, I'm going to go on the same tip because as soon as you said that my mother-in-law who's no longer with us, she passed off very cancer, I think like eight, nine years ago,

about nine years ago, close to 10. I heard she was such a riot and so fun and also loved martinis. So I felt like her and I would have been welling out if we got on a vacation together. And so that would have been welling out if we went on vacation together. And so that would have been, you know, that would have been my choice. Great. If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

My wife. Smart. Freddie taking the smart path. Good work. No, no, man. Listen, I've been, this December I'll be married 30 years. Amazing. And she's the rock of this family.

She's the strongest and most focused human being I've ever been around. So I'd be on an island and she'd figure it all out before I did. Yeah. No, same, same. Because my wife is an island and mountain. She'd be building the fire and I'd be like, you did it, honey. You did it.

Meanwhile, you're like... You cut the first fish and we're going to live. And then you're like, I found a part of the island I want to build a speakeasy. Yeah. Like, Wilber, we don't need a speakeasy. I know it's a cave and it would be perfect for us to be sheltered from all the weather,

but I really think it would make a great us to be sheltered from all the weather, but I really think it would make a great speakeasy. And we need a stage! We need a stage with Chili's Bungos! Alright, Freddie, you're from Chicago's your hometown, yeah? Would you recommend Chicago as a vacation destination? Yes, absolutely. I didn't appreciate the city until I left. I left when I was 19. You know, back then, Bucktown was not what it is today.

It was a pretty bad neighborhood when I left. And when I came back, I was like, oh, this is kind of nice. And then I bought a place there and I got to spend time there as an adult. And when my kids were growing up and I was like, whoa, this is really nice. Especially when I went to other cities and I got to experience other cities and other states and I came to have this new profound appreciation for my town for Chicago. So yes, strongly recommend. That's great. And Wilmer, do you consider your hometown this little town in Venezuela?

Yeah, I would say so. I mean, I've acquired multiple, right? Because my hometown is really LA now because I've been in LA, I think, longer than I was in Venezuela now, officially. Right. So I'm an LA guy. But I would say that like for in the name of exoticness, I would say that, you know, Acarigua Araure, Estado Portuguesa, which is the smaller

town four hours south of Caracas, closer to the Amazons in Venezuela, I would say it's a pretty beautiful rainforest type of, you know, destination that's just like a really beautiful center of the country stuff. Like when you see animals you've never seen in books before. It's like really, really a beautiful place to visit, I would say. Yeah. When's the last time you were there? Was it when you were 13? No, it was a little, I was probably 26, 25, 26.

And I went out there to do this little like, oh, I returned home and I had a camera crew and the whole thing and incredibly emotional. And since then, the country has had an unfortunate trajectory. So it's almost impossible to visit right now. Yeah. And so I haven't been able to go back in a long time and I'm hoping that I can bring my family at some point soon and that Venezuela gets it together in a way that, you know, that people can return

and visit who they're from too, you know, so. Yeah. And then Seth has our final questions. Gentlemen, have you been to the Grand Canyon? I have not. I have. All right, so, Freddie, my question for you is do you want to go?

I'd love to go. And then Wilmer, for Freddie, is it worth it? Yes, yes. All right. Really? Yes. Also, we drove through that when we first came to the United States.

Oh wow, look at that. And that was one of those things where I was like, you know, you're in a different planet. It feels like you're definitely not in the same planet. It's really like, this place has hamburgers, RoboCops, and massive holes. Massive holes. Can you camp there? Can you, like, stay the night?

Yeah, there's campsites all around you. Yeah. So cool. Absolutely worth it. Great. Well, this is fantastic. Talking to you guys, it makes sense. You have a podcast.

You got an incredible vibe. Now I'm starting to wish I had been, you know, that you had been it makes sense. You have a podcast. You got an incredible vibe. Now I'm starting to wish I had been, you know, that you had been in coach and I had been the third seat in your row. Both laugh We're very grateful to both of you guys. You guys are so dear to me, by the way.

You guys have always been such class, beautiful men and, you know, through the trajectory of my career and my life. So, you know, Josh, you know, we have a connection that we should not speak of because this room does not appreciate it. And to say the least. And Seth, you know, I've always respected you and admire you so much. You're just a shit, man. Love you. Well, thank you guys.

What a delight. And yeah, be well. Love to your families. Congratulations again, Wilmer. All right. Awesome. Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. See you guys.

Thanks, fellas. Thank you. All right. Bye. At the top of the pod soup he said can't talk about that 70's show And then he proceeds to get in the weeds about traveling as celebrities though Talks about his show And where did his guests go? Well yes, you'll never know Who's stuff about 70's show

When these two fellas met they boarded a jet But for work not for vacation Just a couple of dudes at cruising altitude Who struck a book of conversation It was a red eye A friendship it was growing Two hunky guys Hittin' it off and keepin' folks awake Got some martinis and a couple coronas Just Freddie and Wilma flyin' to London Singin' Freddie and Wilma fly into London. I sing Freddie and Wilma fly into London.