Smosh Mouth - #6 - I spent an hour with ANTHONY PADILLA

Episode Date: July 31, 2023

Shayne and Amanda talk to Anthony about how it felt to leave Smosh, what he thought of Smosh after her left, and how it feels to be back. SUBSCRIBE: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshCast WEAR OUR JOKES: https://smosh.com WHO YOU SEE Amanda Lehan-Canto // https://www.instagram.com/filmingamanda/ Shayne Topp // https://www.instagram.com/shaynetopp/ Anthony Padilla // https://www.instagram.com/anthonypadilla/ FOLLOW US: TikTok: https://smo.sh/TikTok Snapchat: http://smo.sh/OnSnapchat Instagram: https://instagram.com/smosh Facebook: https://facebook.com/smosh Twitter: https://twitter.com/smosh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Until May 31st, save up to $100 in rebates on select Toyo tires, like Toyo's open country family of tires. Find your pro at your local Tread Experts. From tires to auto repair, we're always there. TreadExperts.ca Hi, welcome to the Smoshcast. I'm Shane Topp. And I'm Amanda Leehan-Canto, and we are here with our very special guest, Anthony Padilla. Yeah. Something I never thought would ever happen here on the Smoshcast.

Seriously. Well, I mean, because this Smoshcast has been around a while, and I think the very first episode that you guys did was talking about the collapse of Defy. Right. Whoa. And then the first episode of this reboot is talking about you guys coming back and buying Smosh and Smosh being whole once again. It's so wild just how there's this huge story to it now. It's the most insane story on YouTube, I think.

Like the most insane arc a YouTuber has had. That's ended well. Yeah. It hasn't ended in like, oh, then that's how their career ended. That's true. It's funny when Ian and I first started talking about it. We're like, okay, so I guess, you know, as wild as it sounds, if and when this ends up happening,

our story will now be that we were the guys that sold our company for $0 worth of stock and then bought it back. It costs more than that. So many people want to know you bought it back. It costs more than that. So many people want to know you bought it back, and we won't even ask. No, we won't. Never tell. It will not be said.

That's trade secret. Yeah. And working at Defy, and over the years, seeing those businessmen who are running Defy, the more that I'm like, why did you sell it to them? Like why did you trust those guys? We did not see the businessmen face to face and the businessmen had cycled and changed

many a time over the years. So the people that you ended up seeing, because we sold in 2011, you were brought into the cast in 2015. So even by that point, four years had passed, and every single person that we had worked with had changed. And Defy wasn't even called Defy initially. It was Alloy.

Then when Alloy merged with Break, that's when it became Defy. And you came in during that era. Right. And it was a lot of other people being brought in that, if I had seen them face-to-face, I would have said, yeah, no. Yeah. That's crazy. It was such a weird place.

That was a weird time. So glad I wasn't there to be a part of it. It was very corporate and weird feeling, right? Smosh was fun. And especially when we started getting, it was fun. It was fun for me because it was a new thing. I was not working before, so to have a job was fun. It was fun for me because like, it was a new thing. Right. I was not working before so to have a job was cool. Mm-hmm.

But, but yeah, whenever the corporate stuff got involved and it was very involved with what, whatever you and Ian were doing, you guys could not go anywhere

without corporate having so many notes involved. Yeah. And then, you know, and this is a part of it that I didn't talk about initially when I talked about leaving Smosh,

but Ian and I did touch on it when we made our announcement. But a huge issue that we ran into was the corporate side of things where they had a laundry list of like 10 big projects for us to work on pretty much each year

that were totally unplanned and would just come up and then it would be like, you're going to do this thing. And it was like, that is going to take way more time to do this thing than the amount of time that we have. And then they're like, oh, then we'll just hire all these other people to pick up the slack so that you can do this thing. And then it's like, this is not going to be good.

But it's like, oh, we're too deep into it. It needs to happen. And it felt like that was continuously the case of like, well, the wheels are already in motion, so we have to do this. You had like no freedom to really say what you wanted to do. They were like, it's already, you're already too far gone into it already. Couldn't say yes or no as much. I mean, there were some instances I'm sure, but if we let the wheels go at all, it was like, it's too late. It needs to happen. And then it was like us trying to repair it, us trying to creatively get

our voices in there but then they would be overshadowed or it would just take all of our time in order to get things going in the way that we thought

they should go and at a certain point it was just out of control it was completely yeah I you know it's interesting I was thinking about it

how back then you and Ian were so busy that I feel like I hardly ever saw you guys. It's true. Because you guys were just constantly swamped with projects. In the year and a half or two years that I worked with you back in the day, you guys

did two movies. Or you had a movie coming out right when I joined. Right, yeah. You did two movies. You did a whole TV show, essentially. It was on Smosh, but you did a whole extra series on top of part-timers. It was a sitcom. You guys always had a thing going on.

The live stream, hour-long live stream. We did Smosh Live, but you guys were doing Smosh Live on top of other stuff. The movies on top of the weekly sketches on top of the games channel. It was nuts. Sitcom, do you mean you had a live audience? Okay,

it didn't go that far, but it was sitcom inspired. That would have been sick. Goldberg style sitcom. Okay, got it. Yeah. It was everything sitcom without the live audience,

without the laugh track, but otherwise it was a sitcom. Yeah. You guys were swamped. Nightmare. Yeah. If you ever watch a sitcom on YouTube

without this laugh track just watch it it is a nightmare I've seen people edit out the laugh track from friends and it seems like it's so disturbingly

quiet and awkward well because it ruins the timing of it that's true because they're waiting for the laugh right now it's just dead space so the joke is weird

yeah so I never saw you guys. And then I talked about it on the first episode of this podcast series, but the last time I saw you at work. Oh, yeah. I don't know if you remember that. I do remember that because I knew it was my last day, but I couldn't tell anyone yet. Did I not know? I thought I remember in the moment knowing that that was gonna be the last time I worked with you

I think I kind of hinted to it as much as I feel like maybe I had heard that it's like this might maybe Through the grapevine like not for me directly cuz I was told I could not tell I was told I couldn't tell the cast I couldn't tell until the day of because they they needed to keep their hands on people must have been a height Maybe it was hindsight later on. I just remember, I remember that moment of being like, see you later, man.

It was down the street. And then at some point, I thought it was when I got in my car. Maybe it was later on. I just remember thinking back on it and be like, wow, that was the last time I worked with you on a sketch on a set.

That's such an indie movie ending. See you later, man. But then we also had the big goodbye where we were all telling you to shit your pants. Like the announcement. Oh yeah, when you all came in at the end yeah yeah and I remember but there was all sorts of weird stuff but it's just weird because I

feel like I didn't actually have many moments to like sit and talk with you back then and not even with Ian back then yeah the most we would talk was like at the airport waiting to catch our flight to Sacramento or whatever. Oh, God. But we had just switched over everything to be local where we were shooting.

So that time that we had together totally went away. And when I was saying bye to you that day, I knew it was the last time I was going to see you. I don't know if you just picked up on the way I said it, but it was like I was done with the shot and then I was like, where's you know, I was keeping track of everyone, all the cast members that were there because I wanted to individually say bye to them because I knew it was my last day. And I remember noticing that you had left and I ran out and I was like, oh, I didn't even know that. Yeah. Oh, I noticed you were leaving. I was like, this might be the last time I say bye in this capacity. And you hadn't been told yet.

I didn't know what the internet's reaction was going to be. I didn't know what your reaction was going to be. So it was strange. That's very bittersweet. Bye, man. See you, man. Well, it was strange. And it felt very final.

And to be fair, it's been six years. Wait, it's been six years. Roughly, right? it's been six years like it's it's been six years or seven right it was it was six years and six days to the day you're marking it down on the wall okay here's the reason i know about the sixes here's what ian and i noticed so we started the smosh youtube channel in 2005 six years later we sold it to defy six years later i left I left. And six years later, I came back. And it was six years and six days since my announcement that I was leaving

to the day that we announced that we bought it back. So I don't know what's up with these six years. 666 means the devil. And our first video back was that we summoned the demon. It was about the demon. It was all the long con for a sketch. Oh my God. And we did it successfully.

One big joke. We did it successfully. No one even knew. I just had to announce it today. It was just our way of killing Ethan. That's really intense. That's pretty strange. So you knew it was final.

I don't. To be fair, I don't fully remember. Because as I stated before, I was going through a breakup. That's right. That week. So my mind was just elsewhere. fully remember because as i stated before i was going through a breakup that's right that week so i was my mind was just elsewhere um but i remember i vividly remember saying goodbye to you on the street there and i remember at some point looking back and be like wow that was probably the last time you can you can feel it i feel like you can always feel those things like

you know when someone's like bye man you're just like see you man see you dude i'm sorry but when he told me this story i was like oh my god was there like a mist like it really was like it really felt that way and when you left it it it absolutely felt like you're not coming back that's so strange because it wasn't officially mentioned but i i have a memory of saying bye to each person, which is like this weird tunnel vision, like almost ethereal kind of thing where it was like, it's just your face saying bye

and it's just like this weird void around you. Just be just alone in the dark. Yeah, that's what it felt like, yeah. I don't mean in that moment, but I meant just like once you left and it was announced that you were gone. I was like, oh, we're not working. we're not gonna get to work with you again yeah how did you how did you feel about that yeah what were those days after you left like they were they were so weird

even on my the day when the video came out and it was announced it was i i knew that i was gonna need to disconnect from the computer a bit or from my phone. Because like you could just sit there reading the comments all day, even though they're almost the same thing. You're like, you just, it was my whole life leading up to that point. You know, I made the Smosh logo and website when I was 14. I was 29 at that point. So it had been over half of my life that the Smosh brand

and everything that came with it over half of my life that the Smosh brand and everything that came with it was part of my life. So it felt like I was cutting off a part of me entirely. My identity was getting chopped off and it was now in someone else's hands to define what was once so attached to me. It was now up to other people to decide what Smosh meant. And it was such a strange feeling. And I remember I went to Echo Park Lake and got in the paddle boats or whatever. You know the little paddle things? Before they were swans? I think it might have just changed into swans.

Pre-swan? I don't know. It was right around that same time. That is such a good thing to go do. But I was like, I'm just going to just chill here. I was with a couple friends. And it was a really weird feeling putting down my phone, knowing that more and more reactions from people,

more people were clicking on the video and finding out. And knowing that that was really a big shift. Because it was something kind of like what you were saying. It was like, you know that it's different. It was massive. And I remember it was the. It was like, you know that it's different. It was fun. It was massive. And I remember it was the first time that anything had happened at Smosh, because when I joined, I mean, Smosh was still, it was huge.

But when you left, I remember seeing it as the number one thing on Twitter. And that was the first time where I was like, whoa, this building is like, what we're doing is a big deal right now, and the eyes are on us. Not necessarily a great way. Like this is definitely weird.

And there was certainly, a lot of us were like, is this gonna work? Did you have doubts too? I think we always had, with YouTube, there's always this feeling of like, well, it could all just tank tomorrow.

That's literally why Ian and I sold Smosh in 2011 because it felt like it. It's a scary career, and the longer I've been in it, the more I'm like, yeah, it just feels like at any moment, the views could just go away. But, yeah, there was certainly, I think there was a lot of pessimism around there of like, this is, well, it's screwed.

Like, half of the brand is gone. Like, it was built upon your guys' friendship. And I will say, and no, no no even at that time we still hadn't figured out smosh pit smosh pit eventually came into its own i think in like 2018 and it just kind of randomly happened because the rest of the corporation was so focused on the main channel and they had their this like this lock on it. And they were trying so hard to figure it out that the second channel, they were just like,

yeah, you guys just go do whatever. Right. So you had freedom over there, right? So we had freedom. And I think there's an irony or a beautiful irony to, they kind of, it was Keith, Noah, Olivia, Courtney, and myself. And then we had Sarah Whittle as our producer.

I love Sarah Whittle. It was just kind of us, just like, it was just like whatever you guys wanna do in 2018. And then later Josh Mattingly as well. And, but, you know, we were all hired to be kind of like extra cast on Smosh. But what kind of ended up happening is I felt it's similar to your guys' story

is that we ended up all becoming such close friends and that friendship really shined on Smosh Pit where it was just like, yeah, guys, just go do whatever. And that's kind of where Smosh, I feel like, began was you and Ian just being like, yeah, we'll just do whatever and have fun and just have a good time. And so the theme of friendship stuck around in a weird way, but it was hard on the main channel to figure out. I mean, Every Blank Ever kind of carried us for a long time.

Yeah. And it became the Every Blank Ever channel. That's true. Oh, yeah, it did. That's what I saw when I first started researching it. You joined on the tail end of the Every Blank Ever era, I feel like, right? Yeah. I mean, I remember when I auditioned, Ian was there, you were there, and I read with

Damien and I read with Damien and we did this like crazy sketch or something and they just wanted me to like go even bigger and try to do characters and I'll never forget

that after I did that it was really fun and then they asked me a question they're like and I was in a really like interesting place in my life I was at Sunday Company in Ground like and I was in a really like interesting place in my life I was I was at Sunday Company and Groundlings and I was just working constantly I had a really intense amazing manager and I got there and I was just so like you know just like going right and they were

like okay if you could have one superpower what would it be and I went and I just, vulnerability. Yeah. Tell us what your superpower is. My superpower is being vulnerable. Like straight up being very vulnerable and it's terrifying. My superpower would be being weak as fuck. And I literally, I literally was, and Damien was like. Okay. That's actually, that's really cool. Sorry, I don't mean to, I don't want to make you uncomfortable by saying that's really cool.

But I think that's really cool. But Damien was like, that's really cool. And I was like, oh my God. I was like looking for the door. I was like, then I'm going to go fuck myself now. And I'll never forget, Ian stood up and went, do you write comedy also? And I said, yeah. And he went, and he shook also and I said yeah and he went

and he shook my hand he knew he knew he knew I was like oh this he knows what's going on and then I left

I got in the car and I called my manager and I was like didn't book that I said vulnerability is my superpower that's a good shirt even I know

but I literally felt like I was like a kindergarten teacher and then I was like what did I just say? It was so unfiltered. Yeah. But people, like, I guess. I think, I mean, honestly, that statement alone is exactly why you're doing a podcast.

You know, I think Ian was able, you know, if he really did know in that moment, I think it probably was seeing that there was more to you than just the comedy. There's more depth there. There's multiple layers. And you can build on that a lot more than just someone who only can do one type of thing. Yeah, it was so cool. He was right by the door, and he stood up, and he went, do you write comedy also? And I said, yeah.

He went, shook my hand. And I was like, OK, I'm not getting this. But I was like, he clearly knows something's up. But it was amazing. It's been funny too and you've you've only known it too is Ian as like the president of Smosh has been the vibe for

so long now yeah it's such a funny vibe yeah when you left I feel like the fans were like oh here comes Ian but I was like but that to me is not Ian like Ian just like loves chit chatting about dark shit. So do I.

But like, I think he got this role when you left that was like the dad who got divorced. Maybe it was just like on the couch, like, but I was like, there's so many other sides to Ian. He played into that.

Ian played into the bummer jokes. Cause he does. He, as I've said, he's willing to joke about anything. And it's a good thing. And he's a very funny guy. I'm curious what you think, how you think things were going in the years you were gone.

But it's been fun to see this arc of Ian. And I've, frankly, just being honest, I've gotten to know Ian so well over the course of six years. And that's what's so interesting about you coming back. You know Ian better than any of us. But I don't know the Ian from the past six years as well as you guys do. But you haven't seen President Ian. That's true. So, like, well, first of all, what kind of dad were you?

What do you mean? What do you mean? Well, no, but when you guys were both there like i said you guys were like so busy that i you weren't like around doing the type of thing there was no leadership really coming from ian and i except i think that we showed uh excitement and passion for a while maybe not the very last year but we we showed that i think that's where we kind of led but it wasn't really we're the leaders. And when I left, and especially when Defy collapsed and Ian was kind of left there making a lot of those decisions,

he had to be the leader that had to lead by example and get everyone, you know, on board with his ideas. And that was a really unique role for him because he was kind of forced into that position and he was forced to get really good at it. And I think, you know, over the six-year time period that I was gone, I've seen him, you know, observing from the outside, I've seen him get better and better at that role. Even though I know that he doesn't love it, he's not like, I can't wait to go be a leader

when I go to work. And he's told me that he feels like he thrives most when we kind of have the dynamic between us where I can pick up when he's not really. He's glowing right now. He's been so happy. It's really, really cool to see because, you know, watching from the outside, I was able to observe his mannerisms

and kind of get a general idea of where his headspace was at. But even then, I wasn't able to fully understand him because I didn't fully understand him for so many years leading up to it. So I was just an outside observer trying to just like keep tabs. Right. But I do notice a stark difference. Ever since Ian and I had that discussion and we're like, you know what? Let's buy Smosh.

Anything that we can do to make that happen, let's do it. And after that conversation, I've been keeping up to date with the content more and more. And I've seen Ian shine in such an interesting way where I don't even, I mean, I don't know if you guys felt it before the announcement. Like you felt something good was coming. I did start to notice a change these past few months. I started to notice, I was like, this dude is, there's something about him. Like the cool factor started to change. He started wearing a chain.

He started wearing a chain. Oh, yeah. He started wearing a chain. He started tucking shirts in. He tucked in every, I was like, he's tucking in every shirt. I'm like, all right. He wore a chain. He was like glowing.

And our conversations were about like life and joy and like not really what he was reading on the internet. Right. His confidence level has changed this year. So when you guys announced the whole thing, when you walked into the building, I was like, okay, this makes sense.

He's feeling a lot more confident because things are feeling more certain. Yeah. And this place is going to turn into more what he wants. I think he was able to see how it would change everything here, which I know that he was kind of like, I don't know the future necessarily. After I left, he didn't quite know the future.

And I think it gave him certainty of knowing where this company, where this brand could go in the future that didn't just feel like everything was like, let's just make a decision based on where we're at right now. We were able to zoom out and see a much bigger picture. And for some reason, I's just make a decision based on where we're at right now. We were able to zoom out and see a much bigger picture. And for some reason, I think just naturally his confidence started growing as, I don't know if this is related, but he is so good at writing and coming up with jokes. And I think for a long time, he got the impression in his head that he wasn't good at that anymore. And I think the Smosh channel moving away from written stuff,

which I feel like he just really shines at these absurd ideas. And when they come to life on screen, maybe I'm able to help keep them a little bit more focused. But I really love that because he has so many great ideas. And I started noticing just how many good ideas

he would just like, I mean, he would throw out like 30 ideas and 20 of them were brilliant. But I feel like he started to gain confidence too in our writing sessions where he realized like, oh, this isn't a fluke. I wasn't just funny in the past. I don't know if this was a worry that was going on in his head, but it certainly was in mine.

I was like, was I only good at this in the past? Can I be good at this now? And we both discovered together that what we were good at in the past was kind of more of a representation of our innate abilities and personality on our own, but also the dynamic between us. And it seems like his confidence was growing there. And on camera, when I would watch him from the outside, even hosting Let's Do This, when I saw him hosting these things, it seemed like he was much more confident and he was able to take initiative. Oh, yeah. He shined in Let's Do This. I mean, I loved doing Let's Do This.

It was so fun. But he was so – I just felt like it was his own thing that he you know had an idea and then was like oh I feel like I can be confident on my own you know what I mean yeah Ian is so much funnier than he realizes and uh maybe he's realizing it now yeah but over these past years I think the thing that has always frustrated me is like he just he'll he as you said he'll throw out ideas but he'll be like ah this one's dumb like this yeah I'm no, that's really funny, man. And so even I remember when he pitched Let's Do This, he's like, yeah, I kinda have this idea I've thought about.

He talks about it, we're all like, that's a great idea, man. Like, let's do it. But whenever he goes 100% and he commits fully, it's always great. And I think he really does that in your guys' sketches. Like, there's no doubt. Like, the Ian that people know and love is

that guy and I think when he does when he's able to write and like know what it is he goes full force but I will say like even with the improvised stuff he held himself back he's so good but he just he just needs to allow himself to just like

I think he would second guess he second guesses and uh uh you know i i feel bad talking about him without him here but it's all good things yeah because reality is he's he's really the truth is that he was doubting himself but yeah the less that he's doubting himself and i think he probably he i know he's talked about how 2019 was like one of the hardest years. Because that was when, and I will say the first time I saw Ian like, I don't know, for lack of a better term, level up, was back at Defy after you'd left. There was those couple years where he wasn't really in charge because Defy had so many people involved. There was like 50 people who were up above that I don't know what they were doing. Taking money.

But so Defy collapses and all those people are just gone. They never cared about Smosh, right? Yeah. That was just a – They cared about numbers. Company. That was just a source of profit. This is them upstairs.

They're just typing up numbers on their old computer. So suddenly one day it's like Smosh is gone, and all these people are just gone. They don't care. And I remember talking to Ian and being like, hey, so what are we going to do? And I remember this look of just – it's still Ian where everything's very casual and just kind of shrugged off almost. But I remember him just being like, we're going to figure it out. He's like, no, I'm going to get this together. And I was just like, that's the most confident you've ever sounded about anything that I've ever –

Because he was a single dad. He had to figure it out. But Ian's always like, yeah, I donan's always like yeah i don't know yeah i don't know but then this is the first time he's like we're gonna i'm gonna we're gonna have it and i feel like we see that a lot more from him now yeah and he like that was the first i was like dude this ian's crazy this guy's this guy's not fucking around and he really i don't know he had to do so much that behind the scenes that I didn't see, but he was making business deals and he was working all day, every day to get that shit together

and, you know, people say Rhett and Link saved Smosh. It's like Ian saved Smosh. Rhett and Link were there to make that deal happen, but Ian was the one who like put that shit together. Yeah, when you were not here, like you probably didn't, did you know what was going on, when you were not here, like, you probably didn't,

did you know what was going on or when you were watching? What was the shutdown like for you? Because it had to be, it had to suck because that was, that was your baby. It was so many mixed emotions

because part of me, well, I was still bitter at the time too. So it was like, it was a bummer because it was like this thing that Ian and I made, this thing that represented our friendship was was potentially gone. I because I had no idea the types of talks that Ian was was bringing up with people.

I didn't know that there was a possibility for it to be saved. I thought it was done and I was really bummed out. But I'd be lying if I didn't say a part of me was kind of like, oh, well that's good. That, that, that might mean that, you know, cause in my head Defy had totally ruined it. Right. And I was like, that might mean that it will no longer be getting more and more ruined. Right.

Because Defy was just like stomping on it, I felt. Um, but then, I mean, I'm so glad that I was proven wrong, that my doubts about it, about Smosh being something that could not be repaired did not end up being true because you guys picked up. You know, you said you did the Smosh pit stuff and you were able to kind of take full control there. You were able to put your heads together and make that into something amazing, which it is now. Which, by the way, that was one of the last meetings that Ian and I had while I was still working there even though I knew that I was leaving I still took these meetings

and we were we made the decision to change the channel name from Smosh Second Channel to Smosh Pit wow Smosh Second Channel so it's supposed to be called

Smosh Second Channel I didn't even know that I do love that the Smosh Pit name came from you both that was Ian and I that's really cool yeah because we were like

I didn't know that we're like pit that's I didn't know that. We're like, pit, that's stuff where extra stuff goes, but also a mosh pit, which is where the original... Yeah, yeah, yeah. A mosh pit is where

a bunch of people are really close to each other, just like enjoying themselves and completely letting loose. Wow. But Smosh Second Channel. It could have been a favorite. Very literate.

I'm going to go watch Smosh Second Channel. That's my favorite fun video that's what it was called yeah I remember starting off there and being like alright we'll work on the Smosh second channel no Smosh Pit that's really cool well you heard it here

and yeah that time period was so interesting because the main channel I know you guys were really banking on every blank ever because it was repeatable. It was gaining a lot of new audience. It was really broad. But then Smosh Pit is where I saw the things come to life that it felt like you all had so much passion for.

Oh, yeah. Right. Like our original selves came out. Yeah. I feel like in Try Not to Laugh and all those things. Oh, dude. I mean, we were having a blast. We were just doing whatever.

But I think the main channel, I think over all these years, I think the problem is that there is this, like, mentality of, for one, trying to figure out what it is without you. And then it was also just this thing of, like, keeping it alive. And we did have a lot of fun on the main channel. I'd be lying to say, like, oh, we never had fun. Like, filming sketches is fun. But it just never felt like we really could like go wild with it. And we were always trying to figure it out.

And even up until recently, it did feel like here's also Smosh Pit content. Yeah, Smosh Pit 2. So yeah, exactly. Smosh second channel. Yeah, Smosh Pit second channel. So it made so much sense immediately when you came back

it's like yeah that's what it is did you when you were watching it like make it pastify and start to like get maybe some joy back

were you ever like mmm I want to go back I there was I've always felt like if I were to be back

I would need to have to be in some kind of position where I could make decisions about the creative and direction. Just because that's the type of person I am. I don't know. I'm like, if I'm going to be working on something, I need to be able to be fully in and I need to have some creative pull. I need to be able to tell my opinions and have them be heard and actually make things shift around and be malleable. And the concept of owning Smosh again was never even an inkling of an idea

because Smosh was worth a lot of money and we didn't necessarily make a lot of money selling Smosh. So it was like I would be going into debt to buy the thing back that Ian and I created. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. So it was never an idea of like,

ooh, I could maybe go back and be a cast member. That just didn't sound right because that's kind of the position I felt like I was in in the final days of the Defy times. I felt like I was just a cast member who would show up into sketches. And even though I would have some hand in coming up with some ideas,

it was like we were working on so many things that if I even tried to spend 10 minutes coming up with an idea over here that would be taking away for something over here. And at that point, I was just a cast member. So the idea of coming on and just being a cast member didn't sound that exciting to me but i did deep down feel like if i had some way to to really guide the ship that sounded exciting but again so far-fetched that it wasn't even something that i ever wasn't even a possibility no never sat with it i mean i i never thought it was a possibility that and and i had only learned a little bit about you but when i got thought it was a possibility that and I had only learned a little bit about you but when I got on

it was just like you were just like a you were like a folklore tale right you were like a banshee it had been years in a graveyard because you came on in 2018

2019 2019 I came on so that was two years after I had left I was already just a faint memory it was just you were just like a literally a tale that they tell their children

before they go to bed it was a joke that had already been played out. Oh, it was a joke that was dead. So did you ever on your own channel hear the stuff of like, where's Anthony? I started being tagged in things on Twitter. Okay. And people would take an animated GIF and it would have the subtitles on the screen. And I'd be tagged in that.

And I'd be like, over at Smosh, they're talking about me. What's going on? So I would check it out. I think I probably saw for the first time I saw it. If it's a flat or a squeal, a wobble or peel, your tread's worn down or you need a new wheel, wherever you go, you can get it from our tread experts. Toyo's open country family of tires

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operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Wild West Smosh Summer Games? That was you. I wasn't there. I wasn't there. That was before you? That was before me. I wasn't there. I... My memories had gotten mixed up. I guess I was the first person to make a joke out of it.

I'm not in trouble. It wasn't Noah on the Try Not to Laugh? It wasn't. That was around the same time, but I think that was after. I think mine on Wild West was the first. Now you have to kill Shane. So, and I remember it. I remembered it after we were talking about it,

because after you left, it was a big thing of like, do not mention Anthony. Is that what the rule was internally? Just because it was like, this is... They all signed to NDAs. Do not mention Anthony's name. And Shane's like, where's Anthony? You really fired him.

I'm like, screw it. I'm out of here too. Wild West Summer Games. Where's Anthony? It wasn't like this hard line thing. It was just like, what are you going to say? Like, it's of course, it's this big, massive thing that's...

Folklore. That we're all scared of, because this is immediately after. And that was a response to all the comments, right? All the comments were, where's Anthony? He's trying to figure out how in trouble you are. Every comment on every video was, where's Anthony? Particularly on the main channel, but everywhere. It was all over the place.

It was still when I got here, and I was just like, it became what is going on at that time it was a joke it became a joke of a joke yes yes but uh yeah so it's on wild west we were doing this this bit where it was like a uh gunslinging draw thing and i lost if you lost you had to give like a death like like speech yeah and so people are giving these crazy speeches. It comes to me, and I'm just like, we've all been holding this in. And meanwhile, like I said, this is me post-breakup. I'm like, I got nothing to lose. My brain is fried.

And I look at everyone, and I just go, where's Anthony? Where's Anthony? Where's Anthony? I just fall to the ground. I was just like, come on, guys. We can all acknowledge what's going on here. That's what I love about Shane, because I do the same thing where you just call out the elephant in the room at a time. But I guess you called it out, and then it became a long. Well, we had to make.

Haunted Anthony's dreams, probably. And then Noah did that joke on Try Not to Laugh of like, all I want is Anthony. So we did the Where's Anthony thing, and then they started to comment Where's Anthony as a joke, which was better- For it to be part of the joke that everyone was in on. But then they ran with that joke forever. Now he knows. Yeah. So when I first saw you say, where's Anthony?

It felt like it was really from a place of jest and it was like just pointing out the things that people are saying. So I thought it was really funny. And I don't know if I saw Noah's, but then it was like six months later, someone had linked me to a compilation. So I had seen you say it once. So I had seen you say it once. And then I saw you do it 50 times.

I saw you say it once. I thought it was funny. and then i get linked to something where it's like 10 more times i was like i was like wait this is just a an ongoing bit and it seemed like some of the times it wasn't just from a place of jest something about it i don't know if i was just reading into it wrong but it was like after something it was like 10 times you know and it was like sometimes it felt like there was a little bit of something else there to the point where i mean obviously if i was better at communicating i would just been like you know speaking with you about it in some way and i didn't even want them to stop but i think a part of me wondered like is there something else

going on behind the scenes are there other discussions about me going on that pushes you guys to make the joke right of, of course, that makes sense. So glad I wasn't there yet, by the way. You did not contribute, you're not in trouble. I'm not in trouble. Shane's baked it, Abe too, dude. If I remember correctly, it wasn't any sort of animosity towards you, but I do think just the comments, it was like, oh know like we're just doing our jobs like

we're we're here and and all we're being all the comments are just saying so was there any chat and so yes we would we were sometimes saying it just it was more of a i would say if there's any animosity it was towards the people commenting and that's what i'm able to see from the outside now is that your tone wasn't about me it was about the commenters because yeah the more time that you were gone the more it was like

alright like we're moving forward we have to just keep going because you guys are doing like you guys are making great shows and coming up with new things and then you're like give it up

we're working on something new stop living the past live in the present with us yeah like well we can't do anything about it I'm sorry Anthony's gonna go home on shitless

and just cross out your name slowly Shane gone and Amanda's just has a star next to it an asterisk we'll figure out if it needs to continue on shit list yeah

I just I remember I just was curious how much you faced comments and stuff oh well there when I first left Smosh there was definitely go back to Smosh comment and there was, when I first left Smosh, there was definitely go back to Smosh comment. And there was, you were funnier in Smosh

or Smosh is better without you. Mind you, there were tons of comments that were like Smosh was way funnier with Anthony. I mean, it went both ways for sure. I blocked the word Smosh for like six months. Wow.

Only six months? I would have blocked it for a lot longer. Okay. I don't remember exactly. It might've been a year, but I do remember there was a a lot longer. Okay, I don't remember exactly. It might have been a year. But I do remember there was a time where I was like, I feel better about this. People referencing Smosh doesn't make me feel one way or the other anymore.

So I'm going to remove this word filter. But there was definitely a time period where I was like, every time I'd go to my comments, it was go back to Smosh. And then every once in a while, you'd see something that was like, Smosh is better without you. And I'd be like oh I can't I can't even imagine because you are so in the spotlight like people every day leave their jobs people every day get divorced people every day fuck up big time you made a decision that was better for you and And it's just, I literally can't even imagine

the amount of time that you have to go. Like, how long does it take us to get over a breakup? Like, that was like a company, a partnership, a friendship. And then you have commenters being like, dude, you suck without this thing that you were with. Like, it's not like the friend groups of the divorcee are like, God, you were so much better when you were with me.

You were better with your ex. You were so much better when you were with your ex. You were so much better when you were with your ex. You were so much better with him. They just go, yeah, sorry, we're having Fourth of July and you were not invited or whatever. Right, yeah. You have to experience that on such a public level. Like I can't even imagine.

I bet $100 that the people who are commenting on $100. OK. I bet you $100, we're who were commenting on $100. Okay. I bet you $100. We're going to have to prove this. I bet you that the people who were commenting, you were funnier on Smosh, are the same people who would then go over to Smosh and be like, you guys suck without Anthony.

That's true. They're just haters. They just want to make people feel bad. Yeah, yeah. I don't think they actually were putting much thought into it. They looked up to you. You guys were like the people together. People put their love and all of their meaning sometimes into that, which I totally understand.

I mean, when we watch shows, we're like, why'd you kill off that character? Yeah. Hello? Like Game of Thrones season one, you're like, spoiler. Why'd you kill off that character? And it's just like, but this is your life. Right, yeah. But people look from the outside

at public figures as if they're characters. I know. I mean, even when someone's watching a reality TV show, they're like, that character did this thing. It's like,

these are real people. I mean, literally, when I just went home to Rhode Island, it was 1 a.m., I was walking my sister's dog and this girl goes, Amanda?

And I went, my brain just went, how do I know you? How do I know you? How do I know you? How do I know you? And my sister's like there, just like after a few drinks. She's like, who's that? Do you know this bitch? She was like, who the fuck is that?

Who the fuck is that? And I'm walking my sister's dog, and she was like, oh, sorry. You don't know me at all, but you're on Smosh. You're so positive. I want to buy you a drink. Her boyfriend's sitting there like this. She didn't introduce him the entire time.

And my husband's there, and my husband's like, and then she goes, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Literally said that, and her boyfriend's like, ugh. Like, who is true? I'm not even kidding. The boyfriend was like, that's true. I me. Literally said that and her boyfriend's like ugh. I'm not even kidding. The boyfriend was like, that's true, I'm a huge piece of shit. And then she goes, oh, sorry, this is my boyfriend. So anyway. Shut up, Mike. And my sister's

just there being like, what the fuck is that? Does your sister watch this podcast? This is the second time you've roasted her on this show. She'll never watch this podcast clip that moment yeah we're gonna be a compilation of that you don't know which sister it is i have three okay fine so anyways it was so sweet but she was like i want to buy you it was actually like the cutest thing ever and i forget why i'm launching into this but she saw me as this like

you know this this this being this person and i think it was so weird for her to see me on the side of the street near where she lives walking a dog she's like you have a dog i'm like no it's my sister's we gotta go i love i love encountering fans when i'm someplace weird yeah they're like like out in the middle of nowhere why are you in rhode island i was like well i'm well my cousin's getting i'm from massachusetts she was like what the fuck so it's just like but i get it like they see you know this this being this this character that you are because i am truly myself on this on this show but sometimes we do play characters we do play a part we do ham up a bit.

Sure. Right. You know, but I think sometimes, like they say, never meet your heroes. Like I think sometimes that is hard to meet someone that you're like, wait, I thought you were this way. The facade gets...

Yeah. But that was really just who I was. I mean, look, I can relate to that lady. That's how I felt when you walked back into Smosh. Oh. Yeah, there we go. Bringing it right around. And he was just like,

but I saw the compilation video. It was actually so, yeah. He's like, hey guys, I'm back. We bought Smosh. And Shane. You're dead to me. Why don't you leave? How dare you start that trend?

I'm sorry. I've started a lot of trends that I didn't want to start and they have continued on. There's a lot to catch up on. There's a lot of jokes that you'll be like, what is that?

It's so weird. I feel like so many things started. I think the only legacy character or joke that I have that was around when you were still here was Courtney Freak and Miller. Yeah, yeah.

I think that's the only one. All the rest are newer. I love that because a lot of the new characters that you guys come up with are on Smosh Pit things. They're in Try Not To Laugh and whatnot and those characters are newer. I love that because a lot of the new characters that you guys come up with are on Smosh Pit things. They're in Try Not To Laugh and whatnot. And those characters are great.

It's kind of the foundation of where Ian and I got started with the sketches. It was like, let's come up with this ridiculous character. Here are the things they do. Here's the way they look. They always do these things. And you could run so far with that. You can.

Yeah. You know, one thing I want to say is one of the comments that did bug me the most far with that. Of course, there is a certain amount of truth to that where if Ian and I were on much better terms, if we were super, super close, like it would have been like, let's work on this together. But just the place that we were at, it seemed single thing needed to happen. I needed to leave. I needed that time away in order for us to get to the position that we're at now. Yeah, right. So in some way, it's almost like being able to zoom out far enough. You know, at that time, I was like, I hope someday people can see that it was – that this is the best decision, not just for me, but for everyone. Right.

And it's really cool because it's like. It is. I mean, right now, Smosh is huge. And I think it's, I don't know if it would have been if it played out a different way. You know, I mean, I think this whole story is so epic. And it needed to happen. You guys talked about that in your interview with Ian on your channel, that this kind of did need to happen. You guys talked about that in your interview with Ian on your channel that this kind of did need to happen. Like you were going to be

unhappy staying here with the way it was and you needed to take that step away. I also think it was good you guys started this thing forever ago when you were kids and it's completely overshadowed your own lives

and your friendship to be able to take a step away and figure out who you guysadowed your own lives and your friendship, to be able to take a step away and figure out who you guys are on your own and then come back. You guys were, at a certain point, forced to be best friends on camera. And that's tough. Like, that's a tough thing.

And it becomes a product more than an actual friendship. So to be able to walk away and leave that alone and then choose to be best friends right again i think now this is probably the best decision that you could have made for yourself because it was like not only are you doing yourself a favor but you're essentially doing the fans and smosh a favor because it was like you guys needed to go and grow on your own and you need to start start your podcast and like really figure out like you guys needed to go and grow on your own and you need to start your podcast

and really figure out who you guys were because exactly what Shane was saying. I mean you guys started when you were what, 14? 15? Yeah, that's when I made the website but we got together and started making the videos at 17. It's insane. It's so young.

I don't even think we should go to college at 17. It's just like we don't, you don't know what the fuck is going on yeah you kind of do you have a sense but life you you change so much especially in your 20s you know like you have to go away from something and come back to it better and i think i said it to ian when he was on the podcast but like i really respect both of you for for your both individual journeys and all this like your choice to leave the thing you made forever ago as a kid that meant everything to you. That's an insane choice.

And you made it for your own good and you recognized your own happiness. It's huge. That was gigantic. And then Ian really, I think, was scared to be a leader here. He was scared to be on his own president. And he really did it. And he's stuck with it through crazy. I mean, not only the shutdown where he stepped up,

but the pandemic as well, where we were all filming stuff on our own by ourselves. And he stuck with it, man. I was there for that. He's had some endurance with all of this. And so to see you guys back together, I know is, I know for him, it's at least there's like pressure taken off because he has you. And I can see that there's so many aspects of the job that he, he questions himself. I think he's great at it, but he questions himself.

And I think you can fill in that part for him where he's like, oh, sweet. I know I can rely on you. And I've said that. I said this to you, I think the day you first came back. But I'm like, you both together is like one of the greatest YouTubers ever. I appreciate that. And you individually, super successful. Fine.

Like you went and you were successful on your own. Ian maintained Smosh on his own. That's really cool to see that there was success from both of you individually. But together, it's, I mean, it's, when we're at VidCon or we're talking to other YouTubers, Smosh has like a, there's something to it, right? Like other YouTubers go, oh, Smosh. That's a big deal. I just think it's cool that you come back and Smosh is an amazing deal.

But also, you did start a podcast on your own. You have, I don't even know, how many million subscribers or something? Seven? It's insane, man. When did you decide to do that? So one of the first videos that I made right after I left Smosh was this video where I was like,

I'm going to interview other big YouTubers and talk to them about what it's like to be an independent creator because I haven't uploaded my own video in five or six years at that point. I wasn't making the decisions as an independent creator anymore. So I interviewed them and I was feeling really awkward and out of my element because I'm used to doing sketch comedy where it's all written beforehand. So I was in such a strange place that I decided to just make it part of my character. I was like, I'm an awkward person. And just to hide the fact that I really was feeling awkward. And that actually did help because it made me feel more confident in myself because I was supposed to be awkward.

So whenever I wasn't awkward and I was confident, it was just like a little bonus. And then it started all shifting in that direction. And I tried a whole bunch of different types of videos. I thought that my lane was making sketch comedy. So I was writing out some stuff. But I realized that on my own without Ian, I am not a very strong writer. I do not have the funniest jokes. So I would write some funny things, but then I would like have this huge chunk that was just improvised. And I was like, I can improvise and come up with stuff. And when we cut down this 30 minute piece of chaos down to two minutes, it'll be really

a really solid bit there. So that like all these elements combined, like I realized that sketch was just not the right way. You can't make money doing these short things that you write anymore. It was taking all of my time. And I looked back at the first video that I'd made and I realized like, oh, maybe I could play more into this interview kind of character where I don't really have to write it. I just come up with questions and then i get to improvise from there yeah so in a weird way interviewing was a way for me to do loosely scripted improvised content because i i got to have the security of having the questions to go back to right if i needed if i needed to

fall back on it i could but otherwise i get to improvise and take up that space to have longer videos, which is what YouTube was pushing at the time. And... You also seem extroverted. You seem like a people person. That is an illusion. Really? Yeah, you're an introvert. Really? I'm very introverted.

You're actually, out of, and I mean, you know, I'm just now hanging out with you again recently, but I always got the sense, and I get the sense still, that Ian is the outgoing one. Ian's super outgoing, and people maybe don't clock that. No, at parties, Ian will walk up to any group of people, and he'll just join the conversation.

You're right, he does. It is shocking to me. For sure. And he's so chill about it. So it's an illusion that you're extroverted. Yes, and it's because, and this is a strange thing that came about from doing the interviews is I realized that I, you know, when I started taking those more seriously, doing more of those episodes, they started off as really silly stuff, but they grew to be a little

bit more focused on more of just me being curious and learning. But I realized that I had inadvertently made it my job to learn how to communicate with people, to learn how to follow a conversation, to learn how to hold an interesting conversation that wasn't just about me and what I was doing. Because so many people up to that point, whenever someone would talk to me, they'd talk to me about Smosh. They would talk to me about what I was working on. And then I got very used to talking about just the stuff that I was working on it and then I got very used to talking about just the stuff that I was working on practicing being an extrovert so in doing these interviews I was practicing yeah learning how to be an extrovert learning how to talk to people and in that process I was able to start so at first they were really silly interviews I was doing flat earthers furries furries. I remember that. Like things, like time travel,

things where it was like, these people are a little strange. Let's see what's up. And at first it was really like, it was 2018 or so when the most popular thing to do on YouTube was to be a commentary channel and kind of say everything is cringe. Look how cringey that person is.

Wow, cringe. That person's awkward and cringey. Outfit, weird outfit. Yeah, yeah. They did that cringey thing. It was like TikTok cringe compilations. Everything was about how cringey someone was. And I fell into that by being like, I'm going to interview flat earthers. And it's like, it's a little bit cringey that they believe this thing that's been scientifically proven to not be the case. And I thought that was kind of my thing for a bit. And then I interviewed furries.

And I wasn't necessarily going in from the perspective like i'm going to make fun of them but it was very much like this is a strange group of people right yeah and in doing that video i learned so much about them i learned how they feel more comfortable portraying themselves with personas that they get to invent because they're not many of them are not happy with the way that they're perceived or seen by other people. So now they get to create this world for themselves where they feel more comfortable. And I learned so many more things

that I realized is just a peek at humanity, a peek at this common feeling that so many of us feel. And I learned a lot about myself. I started applying those things I learned to the way that I view the world and myself. And that just kind of led me down the path of getting more and more serious with these conversations. And I started really leaning into that one part of me. And in doing that for so many years, I realized that there was a part of me that still really

wanted to be over the top and silly. And my interviews, while I still incorporated some of those elements, I literally had me falling through the ceiling, crashing through the ceiling as like a little sketch bit there that I established in the days of wanting to show that these interviews were really weird. But as the interviews got more and more serious, I still kept that really weird element. And it was around the time that I decided, I mean, just, it was not right. It's like, kidnapping survivors. School shooting survivors. How to work through trauma.

I survived getting kidnapped by a serial killer. It just, it just, yeah, the tone wasn't right, but I was still trying to hold on to that, that like that absurd type of humor that I did with Smosh and It was a thing where people started commenting that was weird, but the rest of the video was great and You became the cringe And then my crew was like I feel like we need to look at these intros. They're the only thing that doesn't feel like it matches the tone. I was like, you are very right.

You're like, what though? But I didn't want to give it up for so long because I felt like there was a part of me that would be almost stifled. This part of me that's really absurd and over the top and just wants to lighten the mood by things just being just like silly. And it was around the time that Ian and I started talking about the Smosh deal and eventually being able to make this happen again where I was like, actually, maybe I could let my new show focus entirely on what it's best at, being curious, learning about other people, connecting with people, giving people a place where they feel like they can be themselves and other people can learn through them and learn through me learning and asking questions like I could focus on just being curious and making a connection

with someone I don't have to be silly and over the top because I you know if it happens it happens naturally but but I might have Smosh as my outlet for that part of me. Right. So the Smosh deal has actually helped me refine and focus on what I'm best at with that series, what that series does best, and then I have Smosh to do. To do falling through the ceiling.

The over-the-top fall through the ceiling. Five minutes of screaming in every episode. I get to do as absurd of a thing that i could think of and wait i love that so much i feel like the podcast was almost like your therapeutic way to like work through everything that you were feeling and also like i talked to shane about this like when i create characters i find the the cringe thing in a person that i see and i'm like oh i don't really understand that. That makes me feel weird or that makes me feel funny

or that makes me feel excited. I'm going to put that character on so I can connect it to my inner fears or excitement and then work through that stuff through the character. So you understand them, whoever you're portraying, and yourself more. Yes. So I just combine the two.

I feel most free actually when I'm in a full-on character in a wig and people are like I don't even know where you went. I was like me neither. But I know like now I understand them

by putting it on. That's why I love doing my sisters. They are like my first impressions ever and my mom because it helped me understand the things that they do that you're like, why did she just do that thing?

Right. And then I'm like, oh, so I like that you were like, I'm going to like be curious about furries or flat earth because I think it like helped you understand

this part about yourself and like work through the identity of Smosh because that's not just the only thing that you are. And I had to work through, yeah, the identity of who I am as an individual. Yeah.

And the show directly, I used to say indirectly, but I think directly helped me understand myself to perceive the world with less judgment, to let go of my old things. You know, when I'm interacting in a moment, am I interacting based on what is actually happening in front of me?

Or am I interacting with it based on all the things that have stored up in my head over the years that it is now filtering through? Right. Yeah. Well, so it's now been a bit since you've come back. How's it been? Oh, yeah. What has it been?

A month? I mean, by the time this airs, I'm trying to think. But even as of now. Oh, by the time this airs, it's been probably definitely more than a month. But it's been a little bit. You've been working with Ian. I mean, has it been everything you'd hoped for and dreamed of? Yeah. Yeah.

Are your dreams coming true? Yeah. Are your dreams coming true? I'm actually really disappointed with the way it's going. Are we still on the shit list? This sucks. Yeah. I had a 30-day money-back guarantee.

And I'm not really satisfied. You were a mattress. Cue him falling through the ceiling. This sucks. Yeah, I had a 30-day money-back guarantee and I'm not really satisfied. Cue him falling through the ceiling. Fuck you. I think I want to, no, it is really, really interesting because I think it's been

maybe 15 to 20 days since the announcement by the time of this recording. You count by days. Love it. Three to four weeks-ish. And it is so – it's different in action because, you know, in my head it was just a concept of what will this be like when I return, especially because I'm going to continue doing my other series. So there was a little bit of worry like, am I really going to be able to do all of these things that is required of me?

And, you know, right now I can say that it is overwhelming because we are, you know, we're coming in here and picking up a lot of different things that I will not have to be putting as much of my time and energy into once we've kind of established things. You know, I'm coming in here not only writing and creating sketches for the main channel, but I've been kind of doing my rounds, I'm appearing on Try Not to Laugh. Extroverted. There was a comment. Extrovertedness. There was a comment on, I think it was Reddit Stories,

the one that you were on, where someone was like, Anthony Padilla is doing the speedrun of every single style of content on the Pit channel. Basically. You did every single format in like a week. That's a lot. I mean, it was a lot because I'm literally meeting and interacting with some of the cast for the first time.

On camera. A lot of those interactions are the very first time. Oh, play one game with me and Angela and Chance and Arasha, and you're like, I need to go to bed for a month. Like, Secret Sith, play one game of Secret Sith, and you're just like, I need to die, and then I'll be reborn next year. It was so trippy to be reading those Reddit stories,

because that was only three days after I found out. And the announcement wasn't seen by the world or anything. No, no. So it was still a secret. So we're recording that. I'm like, this is crazy. I did not think. Last Friday, this was something that was never going to happen.

And now I'm sitting here. It was such a trip. So my job right now has been to observe, just kind of see how things are going. I think that there are maybe some people that assume that me coming in and Ian and I owning Smosh together, we were just going to start changing everything. This is done. This is done. This is switching. This is different. But in reality, what we want to do is I want to appear on the episodes. I want to get to know everyone really well. I want to be able to look at, you know, if you want to look at the stats

or if you want to look at the comments, like I want to be able to take all the data in and understand what's working best, what's not working, trim off the things that aren't working quite as well, amp up the things that are working really well, converse with all of you, find out what you're most excited about. Like so you can shine. I mean, I love that you are a host of one of the shows that you are now joint hosts on this. Like, yes, I don't I don't want to necessarily give away all of our business plans so far. But one thing that I really want to focus on is giving each person finding that place where they can really shine. And I love that. I love that makes me really happy because I feel like I've started to really figure out what I really like and I love doing this podcast I also love doing Dungeons and Dragons didn't know that that was like a secret

love I've never played before while shooting found that out mid shoot mid shoot I was like something awoke within you elf ears just grew and I was like to middle earth see that's amazing though so I I love I guess I kind of learned by doing this on my own channel, but like just throwing stuff out, seeing what works and then coming back and being like, I really loved that. I really love that show. I love that element. I love being able to express myself in that way. How can I do more of that?

How can I make something that encourages me to push myself in that direction, push myself outside of my comfort zone and learn more things about myself? Because that's something that has longevity. Something where you go into, you already know everything about it. You're already a master. You already know where it's going to go and where it went. Not as interesting as pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, being able to grow with each thing that you do. That's something that you can actually stick with for a long time. I love that. You're just staying curious again in now Smosh.

Right. And now you guys with this, every time after you shoot one of these, you are different. Just because you learn something about each other or you said something you haven't said out loud before. When you're doing your Reddit show, you're learning. I am learning a lot about people. You're learning about people. I am learning a lot. You're learning about,

you're having to think of things in a slightly different way too. When you hear someone's situation, you're able to see it from kind of that zoom back perception of, I don't have any stake in this. Let's just remove myself. What are,

how do I analyze this situation? So it's cool. You know, you guys have shows and outlets where you can learn more about yourself. Yeah. And that curiosity and excitement and passion, I think is what comes through the camera. And I think that's what was lost at our first,

uh, or in our defy days, it started to get lost. We weren't doing things because we were excited and curious. We were doing things because we had to meet certain numbers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that.

That's very true. And we're so glad to have you back. And there's one last thing I want to talk about. Oh, yeah. Because something cool that you guys are working on. That we probably can share. Yeah, that's going to be on this channel. But you guys, you and Ian, are making a podcast.

We are in the very beginning phases of coming up with ideas for making a podcast. We are in the very beginning phases of coming up with ideas for what a podcast that Ian and I host together would look like. Yeah? Ooh, OK. And it might be premiering on this very channel. Ooh, next to, dare we say, Smosh Mouth? Smosh Mouth?

Smosh Mouth? Guys, can we call it Smosh Mouth? Are you going to make Smosh Mouth a thing? Let us know if it should be Smosh Mouth. I think we should make Smosh M? Smosh mouth? Smosh mouth? Alongside a smosh mouth? Guys, can you call it smosh mouth? Are you going to make smosh mouth a thing? Let us know if it should be smosh mouth. I think we should make smosh mouth a thing. We kind of said it last time and now we're just like. Now it's like seeping in. Because we can do whatever we want nowadays, I feel like.

Yeah. Truly, truly. There's no rules. It's just us. There's no parents. Well. But I'm down. You and Ian are cool.

You're not our, yeah, you guys are cool. Yeah, we're the cool parents that leave and just leave you a $20 bill for pizza. That's not enough money now. Shit, I'm in 90s mode. $100 for pizza. Maybe you can get us baby breadsticks. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Damn you, inflation. So yeah, we're really excited that you're gonna be on the same podcast channel. Yeah, yeah. I'm really stoked for it. I've heard some thoughts and stuff and I'm really excited about it so keep an eye out for it uh when it's when it'll be dropping we'll we will make sure to let you guys know as well here but uh yeah it's cool but i am

so excited you know you guys are stepping up as hosts and you're being more creative and giving your input in bigger ways. And I think it's really cool how the Smosh Pit channel has a bunch of different shows under it with similar vibe. It could be cool if Smosh Cast had a bunch of different shows on it with similar vibes as well. With Smosh Mouth? Yeah. Oh my God. He's proud of us. He's proud of us.

Anthony's proud of us. But you're still on his shit list. Yeah, I'm still screwed. You're gonna have to earn your way off of that one. Good to know. Well, thank you, Anthony. Thank you so much for being here. Also a phrase I never thought I'd say. What, thank you? Thank you, Anthony, for being here. I didn't think you would ever be here.

I was like, thank you? No, this is crazy. Thank you! This is really so cool, man. No, this is crazy. Shane, you have a lot to learn. This is really so cool, man. Thank you. This is really so cool. I'm just excited that, you know, even with something that's on a Smosh channel,

I get to show up. You guys have it under control. I get to just show up as a guest. Yep. And know that you guys got it covered. That's such a nice feeling. We have it covered, right, Shane? We have it covered.

We absolutely know what we're doing. We are absolutely fine. It's all good. Anyways, thanks Anthony. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you all. Yeah, thank you for watching Smosh Mouth.

Smosh Mouth. Smosh Mouth. Yep. Bye. Bye. Get out. Get out. When he gets to talk about the first time he met Ian and improvised and kissed him.

Aww.