Soul Boom - God Told Lil Rel to 'Get Out'

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

Comedian Lil Rel Howery (Code 3) joins Rainn to unpack how he got out of grief, panic attacks, and an extremely dark season after the death of his mother. He shares the wild prophecy that named his breakout roles years before they happened, why the Black church shaped his soul and service, and how stand-up became his medicine. They swap stories on Code 3, Get Out, The Carmichael Show, The Office and why comedy deserves the same respect as drama. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Fetzer 👉 ⁠https://www.fetzer.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⏯️ SUBSCRIBE!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠👕 MERCH OUT NOW! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📩 SUBSTACK!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  FOLLOW US! 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: http://instagram.com/soulboom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@soulboom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  CONTACT US! Sponsor Soul Boom: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail] Work with Soul Boom: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Send Fan Creations, Questions, Comments: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Executive Produced by: Kartik Chainani Executive Produced by: Ford Bowers, Samah Tokmachi Companion Arts Production Supervisor: Mike O'Brien Theme Music by: Marcos Moscat In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 Prophecy Before Fame 01:18 Booking Get Out 03:12 The Cut Ending 04:23 Audition w/ Jordan Peele 05:28 Get Out's Massive Cultural Impact 07:02 Oscars and Stand-Up 07:48 Dwight, Legacy, Gratitude 09:10 Sitcoms Don’t Get Chances 10:50 Where Are The Comedies 11:34 Mentoring Young Creators 12:21 Black Church Community 14:52 Activism Roots, Family 17:12 Have We Lost Soul 18:02 Rereading Faith Anew 19:05 Jesus, Metaphor, Meaning 21:06 Faith, Patience, Peace 25:44 Prophecy After Grief 29:00 A Conversation With Mom 33:09 Panic Attack to Therapy 39:18 Comedy As Real Healing 47:03 Respect For Comedy 55:27 Chicago, Loss, Survival 56:06 What’s Funny Festival 01:01:04 Code Three Truths 01:05:50 Mental Health Scene 01:09:38 Theater Release Matters 01:10:23 Wilder Pryor Energy 01:11:57 Haunted Heist Preview 01:12:15 Lil Rel Defines 'Soul' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People hear stuff like this, like, yeah, right, but I'm like, get out to a bunch of stuff that was prophesized to me like five years before I happened. No way. Yeah. Sorry, you got to tell me more about that. Well, this is crazy, right? I've only told this story maybe once. It was Carmichael show. It was Real.

It was Get Out. It was Code 3. Code 3. Sure. Hey there. It's me, Rain Wilson. And I want to dig into the human experience. I want to have conversation.

about a spiritual revolution. Let's get deep with our favorite thinkers, friends, and entertainers about life, meaning, and idiocy. Welcome to the Soul Boom podcast. Rell, welcome to Soul Boom. Thanks for having me. Nice to have you. You've been on Club Shay-Shay.

Now you're on Soul Boom. Man, this is a night and day. Nighting day. We have water. Yeah, con yeah. We can get you some con yeah. I'm not as fine. I actually prefer to what.

We were in this movie together, Code 3. Yes, I'm excited about that. Coming out September 12th, I'm going to ask you about that in a little bit. But we hung out on the set for a month shooting the film. But even so, like, I didn't really get to know you. So this is, like, my opportunity to get to know the real rel. You know, you're going to sum up, like, 10 most important films. that like shifted American consciousness get out is in that, is on that list.

Yes, it is. And how'd you end up in that film? It's so weird because now, like, it's confusing me, right? Because, like, I saw Jordan do an interview after the movies out, everything. He's like, yeah, when I was writing it, I was picturing real. I'm like, so why did I have to audition and do all that shit? Audition eight times. Yeah.

But isn't Paige Kennedy auditioned for it? I think he told me auditioned for it. He probably did. When I was at the call back, I saw Tone Bell. Tone was there. Okay. But honestly, when I read it, I'm like, this sound like me. Like, if I don't book this shit, I can't act.

Yeah. Like, this literally sound like my cadences. So I was like, if I don't book this. It felt like it was written for you. It felt like it. So, you know, it's interesting that, like, he told me about it first at a party. He's like, yeah, I wrote this horror film. And I was like, oh, okay, brother, good luck.

Right. Because, you know, joining what. known for that. Sure. So it didn't make sense. But then he started describing it, and he was so passionate. I'm like, you're really a horror fan, ain't you? Because he was, like, compared it to other horror films, like the very specific stuff.

I'm like, okay, brother. And then by the time I got, like, the side to go audition for an audition. And then I came in for the callback. And the callback, we did the scene that was actually taking out the movie. It was the scene where Daniel's character goes to jail. And I had to go visit him in the jail, you know, to see if he. He'll tell me what happened, but that's what he kind of... Did you shoot it or it was cut before you shot it?

No, he shot it. Oh, okay. I haven't seen it. Is it on YouTube? It's on YouTube, yeah. Oh, okay. I got to check that out. The original ending.

And so that's how I booked the movie from the most dramatic part of it. He saw me do the funny stuff. He's like, well, I need you to show me if you can do this. And he was there at the callback. And that's what we read. And, you know, I was trying to get all my emotions together because that's an emotional scene. And I'm out there waiting on my Uber. And that's when Jordan walks out and he's like, look, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but.

it's yours if you want it I was like hell yeah he's like I'm about to call your age but you got three other people and they're about to do the callback and I just walked I'll never forget that moment I walked down the street for blocks

just literally just praising God I'm not even lying this is honestly God true and I even know why like I didn't know what this movie was gonna be it's just some I don't like most $6 million horror films from first time director

no one ever sees they never see the light of day When people throw that $6 million now, it really was like less than, way less than that. They gave them, they gave us more money for the reshoot. The reshoots is actually what made it. Because after they saw the first, they're like, oh, shit, we got something. Yeah. Yeah.

And so, you know, yeah, it was, we shot that shit so fast. It was my hiatus week from Carmichael show, I went and dig it out. So I remember I was pissed because I didn't do the Steve Harvey show with the cast. It's like, damn, man, I didn't do the Steve Harvey show. get out, change my life. So, I mean, it is what it is. And you're a hero to TSA officers everywhere. What's it like going in the airport for you?

You're a rock star. Not really. They used to be like, oh, man, okay, take your shoes off. It felt like I was more of a rock star, like, outside of it, which was so weird. Like, when I started saying, it means where people had, like, Superman, that. man, Wonder Woman, and me. Who would you want to save you? Me and my TSA uniform.

And all these superheroes was so funny to be. And then even just that night, that was the, I'd never forget that night, the premiere. Like, nobody knew who I was when I showed up. Like, nobody really interviewed me. Yeah. And when I tell you, I was with my, my manager. Go down the red carpet and you, and then, like, entertainment tonight in Mexico City is the only one that wants to interview you. Like, Ola, Rao.

No, but do? You do, and I, they try to get the paper. You are my rider. Yeah. But then you come out of the theater after the screening. Man, that was a good movie, right? You know, you know how they have like the, I guess the people that gave tickets away to come to the. Right.

Yeah. They bum rush me. So security had to walk me to my car, right? With me and my manager and my publicist and my baby. First time that happened to you. And I was in a car like, what the fuck is going to happen? Because I didn't even expect it. I just walked out,

I was like, okay, that was cool. And it was, I'm like, whoa. And they had to walk me to my car. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, oh, this is, this is going to be different. And then that's what I've been able to talk to the Jordan night about it after the after party. We were just hanging out, which is when he told me about Nope and us. He said three other movies.

I don't remember. So he had a, he has a bunch of scripts. He already had a bunch of scripts. He already had him in his head. Wow. Yeah. This brother is, yeah. I mean, I'm so thankful.

Like, you know how some actors try to stay away from the thing that made him the thing? Like, I don't want people. I don't give a damn. Thank you. Yeah. Especially from the stand-up world. We don't, I mean, it's not a lot of stand-up comics that's been an Oscar-nominated. Oh, Oscar-winning movie because he did win for best original screenplay.

So, yeah, I mean, that's actually put me in a weird category of my own in the stand-up world. because I don't know anybody else could say they've done that a couple times actually because Judas and the Black Messiah was nominated for Oscar too. That's right. I love that film too. Great, great film. Yeah, I feel that same way about Dwight, you know. You know, do I want sometimes people to see me in a little different light

and see the range of my abilities as an actor? Sure. But I'll do office screenings. I'll go to office fan events. Like I'll post about it. you know, I'll still put up, throw up, you know, Dwight pictures on my Instagram and stuff like that. Like, I don't want to, it gave me a career. Like, I got to do a dozen movies because of Dwight.

It's so hard to have a classic character. It is not normal. It doesn't happen all the time. It literally doesn't happen all the time. It's like you own a very short list of characters that people remember as, and then like, even when they, it's, the crazy thing about you is, even re-airing episodes, the whole new fan base that comes with it. Oh, yeah. It's insane.

Yeah. The most intense, insane fans are right now, the 13 to 17-year-olds right now. Not the original folks that watch it. But now you've got generations watching. I meet people because the show finished over 10 years ago. So you have parents coming up with their 12-year-olds saying, like, I watched it when it originally aired on NBC, we never missed an episode. And now we're watching again with our 12-year-old, 13-year-old, 14-year-old.

And it's a family affair. That's some Star Wars shit. Yeah. Okay. For real. Like, that is the Star Wars of comedy, of sitcoms. Hey, brother. I would, yeah.

I'm like serious. Like, people don't get like how, like, generational that is. That's so fucking cool. And it's so interesting to me, too. Like, I've talked about it a little bit, but not on the show. like they turned down the Dwight spin-off, the farm. We did this backdoor pilot where we made an episode of the office called The Farm, where you get to see Dwight on his beat farm bed and breakfast,

and they were going to do a spinoff with Dwight. And the episode wasn't great. I'll give them that. But come on. Like, if they had made that show, like, they would have another billion dollars in the bank. That's a fact. Would it have been as good as the office? No.

it would not have been as good. Would it have been as good as, I don't know, parks and rec or, you know, Brooklyn 9-9 or whatever? Like, maybe that's, we would inch towards that. Those did very well. Yeah, the problem is we don't give anything a chance anymore. Like, if you remember in the 80s when they was doing pilots, you know, and they just used to air the pilots and see if people liked it.

Yeah, yeah. Like, stuff can not be good for a season, and they give you another chance and be right and figure it out. Sure. that just not is now yeah like nothing you just because breaking bad season would have been in breaking bad season one was pretty good but then it became one of the best shows ever i mean that that's that's happened time and time again signfield season one wasn't yeah yeah at all that was hitting mess definitely yeah and then it just like you you don't we just do not have a chance to like you don't have time to well and now they're

not making comedies anymore i um they um they There's a new sitcom. My friend is a writer on called Leanne Morgan, who started standup in like her 30s or 40s after a divorce or something like that, woman from Arkansas. Very funny. And the show's good. You know, it's sweet. It's a little simple, a little obvious, multicam, but it's kind of like, oh, I miss those shows, a new comedy. Yeah.

Come on. It's, there's jokes and there's characters and there's some heart and there's a story that's told. over like a 25 minute arc. And they're just, they don't make them anymore. And they're, I mean, they are literally, it's not even like they're not making them like they used to. They are not making them at all. No.

No. You can't even, it's so interesting. Like, the only chance you had, like, I just directed a pilot and my 14-year-old mentee Malachi White. Shout out to him. He wrote it, starred in it. Yeah, I just wrapped it on a couple of days ago. And it was so funny and so amazing.

But I'm like, dang, is this the only way to do it now is with a kid where you can get him with at least four seasons of Nickelode until he turned 18? Because what they do, they keep rotating them kids out. So, like, we had a beautiful time where it's like, all right, check him out. And it was so much fun. It was so funny. And I just miss watching stuff like that. Yeah.

Like, as I was directed, it's so funny and so good. Man, this kid wrote this itself. I gave it to him as a homework assignment. Just thinking he was going to do an outline. He's no teenagers are lazy. And he wrote a full pilot, man. I was like, this ain't no chat, GBT, is it? And he's like, no.

And it was really funny. And he performed. What's your call? It's called The Malley White Show. Okay. Yeah. His parents, the ones that help me do the specials are ones that funded this. They produced it.

Amazing. I want to go back to the growing up in the black church. You always hear about the role the black church plays in the community, the way it, the cohesiveness of it that, you know, families might be broken, but the church binds and provides, you know, hot dishes being delivered when people are sick, like the, and then the links, you know, people really underplay and underestimate the role that the church played in the civil rights movement. And with Martin Luther King and how it was the networking through the church that got all the, you know,

the carpooling, you know what I mean, and the meals being delivered to the people marching. It's going to be so corny kind of a little bit. This almost makes me emotional. And the reason it's so crazy. I want it to go corny. But rain, but for real. Like, I literally was watching the service yesterday, right? This is weird that you even bringing this up like this, because now you actually give me an opportunity to brag about my family.

I love it. And how, like, yesterday's service, they had. Two of the, two of the women that are in the legislature in Texas that are kind of on the run. Yeah, yeah. They was at the church yesterday speaking. Wow. It was at the west side of Chicago. I was like, Uncle Marshall always find a way because he's very involved politically and very involved in the community.

That's how I grew up. Like we, the way I grew up, and this is why I'm so tied to, like, the people and community, is because of them. And that's why it's weird that we have in this conversation because I'm like, yo, I grew up in his family that was so involved in everything.

The first march I went on was we drove to Washington, D.C., this is doing Desert Storm because my cousin Wesley was in the war. My aunt, Rhoda, ended up on the cover of People magazine holding a picture of my cousin. Like, my first, March was like no blood for oil.

That's what I was chanting as a kid. You know what I'm saying? Like this is where I come from. Yeah. You know, one of the reasons why I did that movie, Judas and the Black Messiah, I called Ryan Cougal. I said, bro, you know this is in the neighborhood.

I grew up is where Fred Hampton got killed. Mm. We used to walk past the house all the time. My dad would be like, blah, blah, blah, this is what happened. This is who did it. This is what, you know, it's like, yeah.

That is my family. Yeah. And so it's kind of crazy that I can brag about to me one of the things people, and even just now, like all the games, if people watch about these game shows from Willa Fort to the family, I'm playing for an organization,

my cousin started, who's pastor Hatchez, my uncle's son, where he's taking these young men and he's changing their lives. A lot of them grew up in the street, got in trouble. He's reforming them. What's the name of it?

I'm always saying it wrong because I always have to call the people. If you want to take a pause on Google it? I know what it is, but I always pronounce it. Okay, okay. So the Mafa redemption, Redemption Project.

How do you? Mafa. So it's M. Not Mofo. No, Mafa. It's an African like proverb name. Okay. So also at the church, because of this, they got these,

they bought a Catholic church along the time. These Baptist people bought a Catholic church. That is how New Mount Pilgrim became New Mount Pilgrim. And they had these, you know, those stained windows, you know, those fancy Catholic windows. Passage decided to dedicate the windows to, well, a lot of young people who have murdered. Something about the police.

You know what I mean? And he put them all in the window. The pictures of all. It's crazy. Yeah. So I come from this family. This is what we do constantly. It's not about money, anything.

It's truly about community. Like, we come from this lineage of everybody. Even my aunt wrote a guy rest or so. You know, when she went to Africa and came back, next to, you know, we had like this, these African services. is twice a year. We all dressed in dashikis

and sang the songs they learned in Nigeria and all these different places. I mean, that's where I come from. I was literally, I'm not even lying to you. I was watching the service yesterday. Wow, I'm so thankful I come from this family. One of the things I talk about in Soul Boom a lot

is, you know, the increasing mental health crisis, especially among young people, has dovetailed with a lot of things, right? It's dovetailed with social media increase of, you know, using our phones all the time. But also we talk about the kind of collapse of organized religion over the last 40 or 50 years, less and less churchgoers, less and less young people going to church. And, you know, I always say, have we thrown the spiritual baby out with the

religious bathwater? Because a lot of people turn their back on organized religion for a lot of good reasons. Great reasons, actually, yeah. At the same time, look what they're potentially losing, what a church like yours and your families and your uncles can do for a community. Educate, bind, take on marches to Washington, D.C., take in someone who went to Africa and, like, bring in other traditions, trying things. You've got the band. You're singing together. You're making music.

Like, you know how everyone is on the block, right? Yeah. Isn't that hurting us on some level? It hurts us in a lot of lives. levels. I'm a man of faith, but, you know, one of the things I've graduated to is that, like, maybe the way things were taught to me wasn't always right, right? And, you know, I think about and you talk about that a little bit? Oh, 100%. I believe, like, I'm on this beautiful journey of rereading the Bible from, I feel like I'm a wiser person now, but from my perspective, for

Let me really, without somebody telling me what this is, let me truly understand. I'm a smart guy. It's weird to me because I'm like, well, with everything else, I challenge it. I got opinions about. But when it comes to faith or religion, we're like, well, I don't want to. But that's what I believe God wants us to challenge things and not just go with somebody else to sin, which honestly has built my relationship closer to God because I started challenging more stuff. Like even just going on this more beautiful route of who Jesus is, like the way I really

about Jesus now is hysterical because it's like Jesus sound way more realer than I was taught. You know what I mean? People most of the time make it feel like it's real fantasy light. But when I'm rereading this, I see Jesus checking people more than anything. Like, fam, I didn't ask y'all to worship me. Yeah. I'm trying, like literally God brought me here to be an example so y'all can start serving God. Y'all keep trying to find other things to serve before God.

And we've actually done that in Christianity in my opinion. opinion, which I mean, Christianity comes from Jesus Christ, but like, I don't believe Jesus wanted us to start a game from his name. You know what I mean? But we deal with humans, right? Everybody want to be, everybody think they write because they think they write, they all start their own things, right? And like, you know, I have this amazing group I, like, man, hopefully I have had time

tonight, but like my Bible class group, this is a different group. We like, we dive in. We go into some deep dive. It's like a Zoom kind of thing? Yeah, it started out with some folks in Chicago and here. Yeah, in different places. Yeah. And like, yo, the conversations are crazy.

And I'm like, I love this group because I'm like, yeah, here we go. Y'all know how I am about to kind of blow your mind. It'll irritate you. But I love we all love God so much that, hey, it's okay if we have different ways of looking at it. And what I love about it is we got some historians in our group who does a great job of tying history with the Bible. So we can make sense of some of this stuff. because I think some things have been overly exaggerated. I joke about it all to tell.

Like, what I think about David and Goliath, you know, I'm like, you know, they love to describe the Goliab as this like dinosaur, giant person. But I'm like, it probably was like shack, but it wasn't no basketball that existed there. Wasn't no NFL. So like, see any big dudes walking around. It was the rock. Yes.

But if none of it, if wrestling did exist and that's who we saw walking around, that would be frightening. Yeah. Especially at that time. Right. Sure. Yeah. So, you know, it's really interesting when you start.

I mean, it's still a great, beautiful, amazing story of who David is, but it's making sense of things. It's like, it's little things like that. Well, I'm like, yeah, like, I don't, I believe Jesus was like, I think it was Ezra who they brought for the dead. You know, people. Lazarus? Lazarus.

Yeah. Lazar. And, you know, people are like, oh, my God, Jesus has brought Lazarus from the dead. But I'm like, but what if last. Lazarus wasn't dead. And Jesus was like, I'm telling you, because Jesus never said he was dead. So it's like, it's like Jesus like game the hamlet of maneuver. Like, y'all got to have some faith, man.

He ain't, y'all about to bury this man alive. He's not dead. But when you think about none of those machines existed, you know, nobody knew how to check a pulse. But also back in the Bible, you know, at the beginning of Matthew, Jesus talks about how the Bible is all metaphorical and how he's going to teach in simile. You know, he's going to teach in metaphor. He's going to teach in.

terrible and that the people with a higher level understanding are going to get it and other people are just going to hear it as a story. And then throughout the Bible, they're talking about like raising the dead and he was dead. Let the dead bury their dead. Bringing Lazarus up from the dead. But Jesus says about Lazarus at some point, I'll get scolded because I don't exactly have this right, but he talks about how, you know, they're like raised Lazarus so his brothers will accept God. and he says, it doesn't matter if I raise Lazarus. Like, they have to follow the prophets and the word of the prophets. They don't believe they don't believe.

And the idea of, it's not like zombies and corpses, right? It's non-believers to believers. People who are just living as animals, living by bread alone, and then they're raised from the dead to see Jesus as the Christ. Jesus was teaching faith more than anything. That, like, truly, even when you, once again, you read it now and, you know, I want to, because don't quote me on everything if I have it. I like, I got notes and everything, so I write stuff down. Like, let me read my notes.

But it is, it's like, it's interesting to me like, Jesus really was just like, look, y'all, just I'm telling you all to have faith. And that's what makes me look at life now, right? Like, I'm moving away where, like, I love where I see things now. I'm not, like, overthinking. I'm not over-ponicking. You know, even if I'm a little irritated, just where I've graduated from. probably the last year or so, it's like,

oh, like, it's not that, I can, let's relax. It's literally going to work itself up. It really is. Even the crazy.

Is that an age, wisdom and maturity thing, or is that a faith thing? I think it's both. I saw, once again, my Uncle Marshall passed a hatch. He was teaching Bible class like,

like a month ago. And he said something that blew my mind. It was just like, he's like, man, you know, I don't want for anything. has provided me with everything.

And I've heard people say it, but looking at him said, he looked so like he meant it. He's like, I know billionaires, millionaires, all that stuff. I don't want any of the stuff they got. I don't even want for it. Because I feel... He doesn't want air one. He doesn't want no heroin.

He don't want no jewels. That's Chicago jewels. That's the Air One. But it's like, he doesn't want for it. He's at some peace. And I remember I was watching it like, dang, is that? Like, is that because, like, in your late 60s, you kind of get to that place? And I remember praying after the, like, God, let me figure that out. I want to know what that feels like, because that means I'm not chasing something.

Like, everything I receive from this point is just a part of being blessed. But I'm like, I think peace is so valuable. I think we underrate what that is. It's just to live a life of peace. And when you live in peace, that's when that wisdom really works itself. You know what I mean? That's when you kind of have these, I have answers for everything because I don't think I know everything. It's because I'm patient to wait it out and say, okay, let me.

All right, let's try this. You know, I'm in a very weird place where I'm like enjoying becoming the OG of my family, if they say. Like, I'm actually enjoying that. Like, oh, yeah, I'm about to become the OG. I'm about to be the whispers. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, I wanted to give a quick shout out to our spiritual partner.

at the Fetzer Institute. They have just launched a brand new shiny website over at Fetzer.org. That's Fetzer.org. And it's full of spiritual tools for modern struggles, which is exactly what we're trying to cultivate here at Soul Boom. Fetzer believes that most of humanity's problems are spiritual at the root, and they're helping people plant some deeply soulful solutions. So I urge you to go poke around their new website, check out Fetzer.org. Thank you, Fetzer Institute, for helping sponsor the show and all of the truly amazing work that you do over there.

fetzer.org, that's fetez-e-z-e-r.org. You know, people hear stuff like this, like, yeah, right, but, like, everything that's from, like, get out to a bunch of stuff that was prophesied to me, like five years before it happened. No way. Okay.

I'm sorry, you got to tell me more about that. So my mom had just passed, you know, I was still touring doing stand-up. I was in a dark place, man. I was in a really dark place. got to a fight at a club after one of my shows. And these guys tried to hit me with their car, but they just hit my ankle. And then I was on crutches on stage and missed out on a big tour because of that craziness.

I was just in the dark place. Like, I was trying to find a way to something to replace the pain I felt by I thought, like, physical pain would do it. Like, I was trying to get into fights just to get punched. That's how much pain. So the physical pain would override the mental. I was hoping it did, but it didn't. Yeah. Yeah.

And we had just moved me and my ex-wife at the time, and, you know, we had just had our second child. And I was looking for a barber shop, and I found a barbershop, like right around the corner. And it was a female barber, and I was being, I was a little nervous, like, oh, man, I don't know this lady can cut my head. But I went in there anyway, and she started cutting my hair. and I don't know if she could feel the sadness or whatever that was on me or depression or whatever but she was like you know she thought she's like can I pray for you and she did and uh she invited me to so at the time pastor guitar church was it was at uh this business center in a hotel like a little small little business and where where was it what town this is it's in Chicago but in the south

suburbs okay you know I come in there I'm on crutches with a walking boot man that First service. I mean, she prophesied to me. It was just like, that was crazy. What did she say? I can't remember. Is it everything exactly? But that first one was a lot. So I definitely can't remember that. It was just because it was everything I needed to hear. And then by the time we got to them. But it was like you're going to have great success. We're talking about meetings. This is before, if I could be honest, this is what I do know was a part of not even just that one, but it was quite a few prophecies. these prophetic words I got from that. It was Carmichael show. It was rail.

It was Get Out. It was Code 3. Sure. No, but it was just you was going to, you know, and this was when I was just a stand-up in Chicago. Yeah. And so, you know, it was interesting.

How much are making like a hundred bucks a show? Yeah. I was just hustling. Yeah. I was just, and I was a grinder, too. But she was, she, but the biggest moment I, had from there. It wasn't just about the things that was coming. It was the moment I had. I've only

told this story maybe once and I tried to do a version of this when I have my sitcom. It's an episode I did dedicated to my mom where she comes back to talk to me. She's passed. But I'm in Beniggins and she's sitting there across from me and that's when the conversation happens. That conversation did happen, but it happened at church. And we were praying and I fell to my knee. He's, And I remember closing my eyes and it felt like everybody left the room. And then my mom sat right next to me. And then that's when she had the conversation with me about not feeling guilty about because when she was sick, I had a hard time seeing her like that.

And I remember like the last time she called me, I purposely went on the road to kind of avoid going to the hospital. my little brother would be there all the time. I couldn't deal with it. The first time I went to see her in the hospital, it was overwhelming to me. And I was like, I can't do this. And so I just started just working like crazy.

And she had left a voicemail for me. And the last time I saw her talk to me was at the hospital when she was taking her last breath after they took her off the machine and she was just like asking me like Terry help me help me I can't breathe now or whatever but for the longest

I kept the voicemail and then she also left a journal that had helped none with me feeling bad because she had put in a journal like man you know she called me Terry most of my family call me Terry's a little nickname

and she was like with Terry's like the one I could talk to the most and I know he's I know he has a hard time seeing me like this and you know what I'm saying and she understood but I felt so bad because she felt alone sometimes and we did we had that relationship we would talk about anything especially by the time I became an adult me and my mother became friends and that was cool she loves that I did stand up and she was excited she would be excited about everything she'd be excited about damn I ain't talked about this a long time um so yeah I was in church

I closed my eyes and we was praying and they felt like everybody left the room and she had told me how proud she was with me and and I could let

I could let it all go she don't feel bad about she understood and just to move on God got me and just let all that anger go I remember opening my eyes

and literally it felt like a weight was left off my shoulders. And then Pastor Katara started prophesizing again and praying over me. But that's crazy. That was that first moment of that and that, you know, most people understand, like, we talk about prophecies and stuff like that. But like, if you get that word and it's kind of one ear out the other, or for the moment it feels good, I think whatever, what always helped me was like, if you gave me that word,

I really believe, like, I received it and moved forward with that. I believe that's what's going to happen, even if I don't know how it's going to happen. So, like, every time I had a big moment in my career or my life, like, the last special I did in Chicago, though not this last one with the one before that at the Chicago Theater, you could watch it and see it. It's my last HBO special, but I'm standing there just looking. And literally for like two minutes while I'm getting a standing ovation, I saw my mother standing there. So I had those moments all the time. Sometimes even at like premieres, I had to like find a place to myself. People don't know

while I'm walking away or maybe going to the bathroom. Just a smile or just come across. And that actually, you know, we talk about mental health when I went through a second part of depression. Like I got through that. And then the second part of it was I started hurting that I couldn't experience this with her. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? And then that became like when I had this, the panic, the famous, not famous,

but the panic attack on the stairs is when I started going to theater. Tell us more about the panic attack. Was it code three? My character had a panic attack in code three. I know, but I'm trying to think when I had, it might have been code three. I might have been shooting code three.

And I was late one day, nobody knew why I was late. I was like, you know, didn't feel well. I mean, they did break in my car. I did that happen. But it was the other time was that. I had a panic attack on my stairs, and I didn't know why I was happy. I never had one before.

Oh, shit. Wow. And my assistant at the time, April, kept saying, you need to go to therapy rail. And I looked at it. I said, just give me the list. And we literally up sitting on my stairs. And just think about it. Like, I have more money than I ever had.

Everything was kind of dope. And I'm like having a panic attack for no reason. When I started going to therapy, I realized that I was in a really dark place about, you know, we're taking care of my dad now and in a weird place where, even though I grew up both my parents there together the whole time, I was closer to my mother,

so I almost kind of felt a certain way about him reaping the benefits of my success, and she didn't experience this. I couldn't help her same way. You know what I'm saying? Owning whatever me and my dad stuff is. Man, therapy was so beautiful, man. It opened up.

It was things I didn't even know that was like a thing or things I created and personas and all this stuff. And it took a couple years of therapy to do with that because I did get a little depressed about her not being present for these moments. Yeah. Like she was just one of those random things. people, you know, you something you get used to, you just like,

okay, mama, stop it. She was just always proud. I used to act like I didn't want that, but, you know, when it was gone, you know what I mean? When it was gone to see her tearing up if she, you know, saw me on a stand-up stage or a play. So it was,

man, that became really tough. I had so many successful big moments. Well, I literally had to go to the bathroom and just let it all out type of thing. And I still had those moments, but now the moments

are not sad to me. It's just more joy because it's like, you know, I'm just happy that I took both of their sacrifices seriously. You feel her presence? Do you connect with her still? I can't even describe it because I think I'm starting

to do things like her. I mean, it's stuff I juggle battle stage, about turning it to your parents and stuff like that. And then like in the kids It's little stuff they do that remind me That's one of the hardest things I mean we I guess anybody who's lost a parent And then even dealing with my dad has dementia

And you know that's That's getting tougher By the I mean at first I was walking around Like I was strong One of my home girls was texting me yesterday That she's putting her dad in a home And I'm like we've been through that

You know And I know That's tough. But she was like, her dad said to her, he was mad at first and fighting it, but then at some point he was like, you know, son, thank you for taking care of me and gave her hug. And when she told me that, man, I got sad real quick. Because I'm like, dang, do dad know what we doing? Like, do he even realize what we're doing?

Yeah. And my brother Matt, who take care of my dad, every, you know, he does the daily stuff. You know, I just pretty much pay for stuff. He does the daily, and they live with him now. I mean, and he does such a great job. He's the youngest, which is, you know, beautiful to see because he's the one we all had to take care of all the time. Because, you know, the babies be doing whatever they want.

But watching him be responsible with a family and a wife and a kid and taking care of my dad who, I mean, we got a dark sister humor. We and my brothers are like some of the stuff is funny because it's like he don't sometimes he talked to us like we're not his sons but he'd be talking about his sons my son's gonna come kick y' asses he's like okay we are we it's us but okay but but you know so we laugh at it right but when she said that it was like damn that triggered something does he know what we're doing for him it's heartbreaking dementia uh has There's nothing more challenging than that.

I did a show called Laughing Matters. I did a produced a documentary on comedians in mental health because it's such a fascinating intersection. It's pretty hard to find a stand-up or a comedy actor that doesn't have some real skeletons in the closet. I mean, you know, to go up on stage, try and write jokes, get people to laugh, try and get some money out of that and you have to do it and you're driven to do it and you do it for

decades sometimes before you hit you were doing it for a long time before you got rod and get out right you know but i don't want to glorify it i don't want to like make it like all these you know twisted tortured souls and they're they're drawing on their pain for their comedy but there's a lot of truth to that at the same time yeah but you don't it's funny you say that i that that's you know i've had that conversation with i had it with charlemagne god actually but once i started going to therapy, honestly. And, like, even if I look at my comedy has always been more joy in it than anything, man, what I love about comedy is, I feel like comedy has saved my life, especially stand-up.

Because it keeps showing up in the darkest of moments. Me and Matt, my brother Matt, yeah, we say, Matt is my brother. Like, we, like, my brother Marcus, who's our middle brother, pastor. away from cancer also, right, in 2014. And that was tough. And, like, his last moments was just a tough. All of us is in the hospital room. My aunties, my cousins, me.

We all, like, you know, because he gave me his instructions that he, like, real, if I'm a vegetable man, just take me out of the machine. I don't want to be. And that was tough because nobody had to argue with my dad about it at the time. Like, he was like, no. I said, man, this is what he asked for, bro. And I'm sorry. You know what I mean?

And his wife had to tell him, like, well, this was Marcus. told me he told real everything you know what he wanted which that one of the greatest last conversations i ever had with a person was with marcus my brother was when he let me know that this well okay here we go this is another deep spiritual thing before i went to the hospital spending night with him god told me to tell him that this is it that's what i heard and i argue with god about it i was like god i'm not saying that to him that's just crazy but he was like he you just let them know so he can let you know everything. I want everything to go.

So you had God's voice, you had some voice, you had some inclination, intuition. And you knew it was God. I know it's God's voice. Like, it was too... I hear... Did God sound like Morgan Freeman? You know, it's funny. This is so funny, because everybody has a different version of what God sounds like. God doesn't sound like Morgan Freeman, but God sounds like

I believe my grandfather, because it's like a cross-between. me, my uncle, it's like whatever the mature version of our voice, all of our voices are. That's what God sounds. It's like an ancestor voice almost. Yes, that's what it sounds. That's what God sounds like to me. So I believe if you're truly hearing God, because people are always like, what do God sound like? God's going to sound like whatever's the most, whatever voice you like to listen to,

that. So if Morgan Freeman, your voice, that's what I can sound like. If Jim Carrey's your voice, that's what I hear. And it's always very, it's in a soothing way, especially sometimes when I'm angry about it and I want to be right. I'd be like, no. It's like, here we go.

And so I did. I had that conversation with Mark. He was fighting. I ain't never seen anybody fight anything. Like, he went and did all his time. And what did you say to him? You said, like, look, man, I know you said. You ain't going to hear this, but this is what God said to me, bro.

This is going to be it. He's like, no, because I, even saw him arguing with the doctor before that too. Because he did all his research, right? Like, Mark was like, own it. Like, it was kind of dope to watch. It was like, all right. They couldn't tell him anything.

Like, no. Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da. Like, I'm like, damn. Yeah. Dr. Google. Man, he did. But you should do that. Why not it's your body?

Sure. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Just let nobody just tell you what it is. And, but when it was it was like, this is it. You know what I'm saying? And we talked about,

he farted at first. You said this is it, like next 24 hours, like today. I didn't put a time on it, but like, this is your last leg. And so, set next him in a bed, kind of like, we used to share a bed back in the day and just laid there with him. Man, we just talked about it. And we was always budding heads because we were so close. People used to think he was the oldest because he looked cooler and you had like facial hair first. And he had the whole different type of swag.

But man, it was such an honest. I would say we talked about so much and just like you know but he just told me how proud of me he was just like just looked up to me it's like man you really went out to your dreams and you don't know if everybody noticing when you do that thing that just that go out to your dreams thing especially something nobody else in the family has ever done before you know what I let them know that and you know one of the big the request was if I'm a vegetable bro I do not want to just be laying there take me off that machine I don't care I know everybody you know because selfishly people we want to keep people.

Yeah. And he was like, I don't want that. I don't want to be just laying in y'all looking at me. Yeah. If I ain't talking, take me out of the machine. I miraculously come back. Cool.

If not, it is what it is. And we took them off the machine. You know, flat line. Everybody's crying. I mean, we are like all like hurt. But then comedy shows. So me and my brother got our head down.

Me and Matt sit next to each other, crying, you know, comforting each other. And we start hearing my cousin, my auntie argue. I ain't going to even say who it is because I don't feel like dealing with that. But, man, they started arguing when I tell you it was the funniest shit. Like I feel like Mark smirked a little bit.

And me and Matt laugh about that. About something like really minor. They both crying. They both hurt. My cousin's doing way too much shit. She's like grabbing the curtain and she's about to knock shit down and then to knock him down. She's on the body. It's like, what the fuck you do?

And my aunt's like, get off her. They have this little weird because, you know, you got some like parenting group, a parent daughter. Like they almost like roommates and the way they talk to each other. They was arguing. It was so fucking funny. It was so funny. The only time I did that on stage was that night. I went on stage that night.

Whoa. And I remember the crowd and know what the fuck I was going with this shit. Man, I started telling that story and reenacting it. It was people in tears after. And the only time I did that bit

because it was fresh in my head because it just happened. It was so funny. But comedy, comedy just shows, like, like, I don't think you have to take

the dark, depressive journey of comedy. Find the healing of comedy. And I've had way more people walk up to me and tell me that me making them laugh have like, man, their mom was, you know, in a hospital like, man, you made them smile. You made them smile.

Like that's what it's about. And so like, I mean, I get tears of a clown because that do exist. But for me, I don't have the depressing approach to it. This shit is healing. Laughter is healing. And I like you saying about joy, too. You try and bring joy through your. to the audience in what and the stories you tell and yeah it's so beautiful that power to have

to just make people's day and their night or the like this may get them through the rest of the week mm-hmm you know what I'm saying yeah yeah I love that shit I feel the same way about the office I talk about it all the time but I run into people all the time and I can't believe it they're just like my mom was dying of cancer but that scene when you like through the water melon off the roof. Like we would watch it over and over. I was like, man, I shot that 15 years ago. And we shot it like an hour and a half.

And it was hot and I was kind of in a bad mood. And I had no idea that all the stuff that we did on that show would have such resonance and have such long lasting power to heal and to bring joy. Comedy is to me one of the most underappreciated arts in our business. You know what I mean? Like, we don't... Comedy actors do not get the respect the dramatic actors get.

From the Oscars, the awards, the audience, casting, producers, what have you. It's harder to make a large group of people laugh at the same shit. And if you're able to pull that off, that is a big deal. Drama, you could kind of sell, you know what I mean? Somebody crying and all that stuff or something darker. Some just... But making a lot of people laugh.

It's not easy. That's why I don't care with nobody say Eddie Murphy should have won an Oscar for Nutty Professor. Nuddy Professor. Yes.

Nuddy Professor. Yeah. I'm trying to think of other Eddie Murphy movies. I would not put Nutty Professor. If so glad you said it. Watch it last Eddie Murphy interview. He talks about which movie

shows all of his range. Yeah. He says it's Nutty Professor. And I was like, brother, I've been telling people that. Yeah. I ain't ever be Eddie ain't ever told yeah I've always thought that way than Beverly Hills cop way more because this thing about first of all he's having conversations with itself yeah

which is insane they're all different right yeah he's able with with sherman we got like it was at one point you felt bad like heartbroken for Sherman and he was able to sell Sherman looking sad you remember Sherman was like I think just got talked about the comedy club and he walked jaded picket to the do and his rain outside and then he takes the thing down just let the rain hit him Damn, that was sad. And then when he got out to the argument at the end of the movie with Buddy Love and him standing up for itself, do you know how crazy that is that this brother,

in one energetic scene, had an argument with itself as two, and that was, I'm like, what is acting? Yeah. That ain't best actor? That's a good point. You make a good point. That's a damn good point.

We've got a substack. If you love the Soul Boom podcast, you're going to want to get our weekly newsletter Substack sent to your inbox. A lot of them delve into the ideas around the podcasts that we're doing that week. So sign up. Please subscribe. Go to soulboom.substack.com. Thank you. You've talked a little bit about mental health issues. You've been in some dark places.

You've had some panic attacks, anxiety attacks. You've done dumb stuff because of not being in a good place. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, getting into fights and that comedy kind of saved you. So is it both things that, like, it came out of those cracks and it brought you healing? How does it work exactly?

It's like it was a little bit of both because, like, I think about, like, my material, the stuff I first talked about was, like, with me, you know, talking about my family. Like, I just had my really close friends to my house yesterday and my roommates. We were roommates when I first started these guys, too. guys. And I didn't talk about my family on stage. I would just tell them these stories to them. We'll be on road trips.

And I was just doing my jokes. And I was like, dude, why are you not doing this shit on stage? Like, your jokes is okay. But like, this shit is hysterical. You keep telling us all these fucking stories about your family. And they called me chicken about it one day. That changed my trajectory of my career was when I decided to start talking about all the more personal, personal things.

And it changed everything just because they called me a punk. in the car where they're on our way to one of those colleges. But I had my set. They're like, dude, this shit is okay. Like, these stories are fucking hysterical. Why are you not doing this on stage? And that is interesting because some of those, like, you know, joking about some very poor moments and things like that became hysterical.

But I didn't realize those were like dark things until people would bring it up to me. Like, damn, that's dark. I'm like, it is. Because that's who is just life. And that's the thing, too, if it's just life to me. And once again, until I went to, therapy is so many dark things that I normalize. Like, I normalized, like, losing a classmate every year to, like, gun violence.

Wow. That was a regular thing to me. It wasn't, like, it wasn't a thing. I was, like, every year seeing somebody, two or three people at the end of our yearbook, rest in peace. I was like, all right. Yeah. It was not like that, but it was. It was normal to me until I went to therapy.

That didn't happen in suburban Seattle, I'll tell you that. Well, it was a regular thing in Chicago. And I didn't realize how, like, I'd normalize that. Right. You know what I mean? I were like, dang, wait, Maurice was 14. I was 15. Like, that ain't normal.

No. In a weird way it was, which is why, like, for a long time, man, I didn't know. I remember when I turned 21, it was way more of a celebration than you could think of it. Because I wasn't sure. I lost so many people before. that.

I'm like, damn, I'm going to make it to 21. And I'm going to my innocent, innocent people. Yeah. Innocent kid. Successfully making it out of your teenage years is like an accomplishment. Just living. Yeah. You're like, I'm a lot.

I don't like to glorify that, but that's just the honest of God truth, man. I grew up with a great family, but my neighborhood was still my neighborhood. It's crazy. Like, when you see two tragedies at one, like when O'Brien killed Terrell, that was crazy to us. Terrell was like a star student, and he was about to go out to high school. We both were at the same age.

We went to property St. Mel summer school, high school together. And then him being killed by O'Brien, who I grew up with two. And it was two deaths because O'Brien murdered somebody, so O'Brien's going to jail forever. Man, like, I think about this stuff now at 45, and it's sad to me more than it did then.

Then it was hurt, but it was just like, Yeah, how do you process that at 14 or 15? With a group. I know that might sound crazy, but if all of us are going through the same thing, the neighborhood, your friends, you kind of just move on from it. But then you keep seeing,

that's why, man, that crossroads video, Bone doesn't have to be crossroads, when people start disappearing, even just the end of boys in the hood and ICEQ characters across the street and he disappears. That was the, it's like I remember when everybody literally started joining gangs. I'd never get that summer.

We were all kids one summer and that next summer. Whoa. It was just like, oh shit, this is different. And luckily we had our dad. Why was it like that summer what was happening then? It was like an age thing. And then we talked about the 90s like when game banking really took it to another level. And so, you know, Katz, he was playing basketball in the alley.

We built our own crates in the alley. Like, I literally built a league, a crate basketball league. I had to, like, wrote the teams down. I had the standings. I was writing this stuff down manually. And then, you know, when the black disciples started recruiting people, man, I remember. Me and Matt was just talking about this. Like, dang, you remember it just, it changed everything.

Like, people you were, like, best friends with you couldn't really hang with no more. Now they're selling dope. Now they're doing this, doing that. And I know, like, we hear these stories. And it's just sometimes over-glorify, but I don't talk about it much just because it's like, I don't want to glorify it. But it happened and it was sad.

It was very sad. But I was lucky because I had both of my parents. And I was in the church most of time. But even some of those kids at some point. Now you give back to your neighborhood in so many ways. But tell me about that. the What's Funny Comedy Festival, because this is incredible that you've started a comedy festival in your hood.

Yeah. And Chicago is, Chicago, to me, it's a mecca comedy. I think, we're talking about improv, there's so many, so many great super,

just, Second City, yeah. The people that's produced from that. And then, like, even just from, like,

it's funny, you go to the north side, second city, you go to the south side, the west side, it's Bernie Mac is all those guys, like, you know,

I guess me now. But it's like, so to come back home with this festival has been a joy like that. The first year we did it last year, I've done a lot, man, but that was the happiest I would. Like to see comics. Was last year the first year the first year? And this year's the first year. And this year's the second year. And tell me the dates at September.

14 to the 21st. Okay. Well, we're going to probably start a little earlier because we're going to do, you know, some screeners hopefully. So September 12th to the 21st. But, yeah, it's, man, it was beautiful. And it was funny and it was, and it was crazy because I didn't perform into the last show. I did my, I take my special, which I just sold, which I had a whole game plan for when I, I'll talk about that once we got announced who I sold it to. But it was all a plan.

It was like, yo, like the closer festival out, me taping my special independently, you know, with two members from my church, you have put the money up with me. Oh. And I mentor their son. Like, it's so, it's so crazy how all that worked itself out. And then it just be, it was just so incredible. It was one of the, how many theaters is it at or clubs? It's at a bunch of clubs. So we tried to, last year we did maybe 10 clubs, over 65 comedians.

And you bring in 65. Yeah. A lot of them local, but you bring in a lot too. It was really more. You call in a lot of favors from? Not really. The first year, the first year I did. Sherry Shepherd was my favorite.

My boy Lavar Walker was. It was a couple of favors I called in, but. Most of it was just comic submitting. And this year, they really submitted from all over the country. What do you hope to do with the What's Funny Comedy Festival in Chicago? One of the biggest things, and we try to stay away from saying this, but this is the truth about it, is showing up for black and brown comedians. Yeah.

You know, these other festivals, I'm not saying they don't do that, but then, like, they do very specific things. They're like, this is the urban show and da-da-da-da-da. Right, right. And I got tired of that. You know what I'm saying? Right. What if we're the focus and we don't have to say that?

You know, I don't, I just want to, I want to be able to, so, yes, I did that without announcing that because I do love all comedians, but I did see that it was always kind of like we would get the crumbs of these festivals. Right. If they wanted to admit to it or not. But it's the truth. Yeah. You know, it would be a handful of us that may get some of the other things, but we had to like book and do a bunch of other things even get that. You know what I'm saying? So, and that's just the truth.

So that was one of the things. And then, like, I started leaning into this place where, like, I love and no comedy. I need to put myself in an executive position. We need to have more people who know and love this shit to be in positions to greenlight things and create opportunities because we know this shit. It's nothing like being in a room with somebody who never wrote a joke before, who never even wrote a comedy screen, anything. And they're like, this is funny. And it's like, the fuck. So it's like, I said, you know, I wanted to position myself better.

Like, okay, let me start positioning myself. And the festival kicked that off. And then from now I was able to direct the movie and then directing a pilot and producing a bunch of other stuff. Like, I want to have my hand in comedy. And then I want to find and create the opportunities, like for what this situation is with my special. I'm the guinea pig for. But I'm hoping it does well like it should. And it will open doors so I can grab all.

all these comics who are just funny and deserving of the opportunity. It's not because they got a bunch of followers or they have this and that they're just fucking funny. And we make stars again, really produce stars. Oh, that's amazing. So that's what I, that's, that's awesome. Yeah. That's awesome. For folks who want to check it out, is there a, is there a website?

Yes, www. What's Funny Comedy Festival. Thanks. I don't know. I didn't know that. Really? Right. But right.

You're smart. I'm very smart. Most people out of, you ever post something and you get a question where you're like, the information is literally, it's right. It's on the flyer. It says it. This is the phone number. Yeah.

To call for tickets. Why are you asking you? So what's the phone number to call for tickets? It's right there. All right. All right. String it, www. Worldwideweb.

Okay. www. you die. What's Funny Comedy Festival. All right. What's Funny Comedy Festival.com? That's amazing. So Code 3. This was cool. Yes, it was. I just wanted to talk to you about the movie because we didn't get to really talk about it.

I mean, I didn't know you. We both, I was involved from the very beginning. I got sent up 180 page version of the script. And I saw the potential. and I was like, we need to cut it down. We can make it funnier and we can make it hit harder and more biting. I was always about like your character. Like we've got to have other levels to Mike.

He can't just be the sidekick. You know, we've got to make him, this is a co-lead kind of movie. Man, it turned out pretty damn great. She's been having a little trouble breathing lately. Define lately. All of the shit you're about to see happened. to a real, actual, paramedic. Me.

So long! All we want to do is save your life. Some of you don't make it easy. Get out of my nuts. Get out of my house. Gun! Gun! I know you can run that fucking fat. Can you feel the bitch?

20 bucks said he's gonna be butt-ass naked. Oh, there you have it. It's a draw. I can see his dick. That qualifies. I wouldn't sit there. How are you? Welcome to EMS. Man, it's a good movie, bro. I really enjoyed this movie. Like, I enjoyed it.

Like, I had fun doing it, but when I watched it come together, man, it's so good. And I think, you know something because I don't know if we've ever seen something that felt a little more, even though it's comedic, honest about what an EMT experience is. It's really from this, not this, you know, because a lot of times they glorify, we did a good job of like, yeah, but they're very underpaid. And I think that was so important to really hone in on that before you get to everything that happens within a movie.

Yeah. These are the people, these EMTs, frontline workers that we entrust with saving our lives. These are the people that we entrust with our children, our babies, our grandmothers. and they're getting minimum wage, essentially. They're getting $20 an hour and working 12-hour shifts and they have to take shit like nobody's business. From everybody.

From everybody, from the customers, from their management, from the ambulance companies, to the hospital medical association. The cops. The cops. Yeah. Yeah. They get it from all sides. But they are the real heroes.

And I love that about Code 3. Like this is, I've rarely if ever done a movie that was, A, it's funny. So if you want to just go and enjoy the comedy of it, great. Show up. It's a funny movie. You and me have a great chemistry. You'll laugh. You'll definitely laugh.

There's some dramatic moments that are, that'll also kick you in the teeth. And it's also about something. And what a pleasure, what an honor, what a privilege it is to be in a movie that really kind of shines a laser beam onto the American healthcare system. I mean, well-written characters, too, man. And, like, what I love about your character more than anything is

watching him go through all these different emotions. Like, of, like, of quitting, what's just natural to him, even, like, he's at the other job, and he's, you know. It's just, it's really fascinating to me. Like, you know, I actually got so much. You just don't know,

like, more respect for EMT workers. Like, I really, it's like, how do they come up with the pay scale who gets what. Because they're the ones, honestly, they're like outside of just saving lives. They have, like, they have to have therapist energy. Yeah. To deal with people and to calm them down and to calm situations down.

Yeah. Because, you know, Mike goes through that, right? Where, you know, he runs into a situation where he has to kind of calm parties down, which is why that, that scene was so emotional for me because it's like. And for those who don't know, he's talking about the scene where, you know, we're called to kind of save this guy who's having a psychotic episode. He calls himself Mr. President. Big, big black guy, kind of like throwing a fit, throwing furniture.

But he's not really a danger. He's just having an episode he needs to be brought in. He needs to be medicated. He's gone off his meds, what have you. He ran out of his meds in this case. That deals with the insurance part of it as well. And then the cops show up. And you just at the wrong place, at the wrong time, they roll up in one of the most

powerful scenes in the movie, REL's character, Mike, is having to navigate Mr. President, this six-foot-eight guy having a psychotic episode, and the cops who have their guns drawn. And all of these events happened to the co-writer of the screenplay, Patrick. Patrick, yeah. And based on, you know, actual real life paramedic. experiences. And that scene was just was devastating.

But go on. Tell me more. Yeah, it was, it was, it was, it was a heavy one to do too. Like, because like, for me, when I, with anything I do, I try to do my best if I can. I kind of become the characters as long as I can do something. I try to stay in it. And so I do that so I can invest into things emotionally.

And that one, like, I had to take a walk and, And called my lady like, y'all. I didn't just cry with it because I thought about so many people who may not get the patience they deserved, you know, from officers or from, you know. And so it was heartbreaking because you wish it was a mic somewhere for Elijah McLean. Like a Mike would have been there. Or if it was a paramedic there, like who really would have said something to these cops and checked them like, what y'all doing? and it's messed up. It's been situations like that.

And so for me, I wanted to represent, to me, the example of somebody actually doing it. Yeah. It's a powerful scene. And, uh, man. And there's some funny-ass scenes, too. It's hysterical. And you get vomited on. What was that like?

Oh, man. Well, anytime it's like, vomit, fake or real, it's going to make me vomit. So, like, be driving. That ain't like me acting. And that's like, that's a thing. You had that, you had that response. If that has happened, I don't get the damn way, oh, yeah, I'm going to hit me. Yeah, yeah.

It was, I mean, Amy's great in it. Mm-hmm. The vet's great in it. Mm-hmm. Rob Wrigal. Oh, Rob. Is the asshole doctor? I love Rob.

Yeah. Yeah. And he's giving you so much shit, that is so funny. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, and what a privilege to get to do a movie that also isn't just dump on into a streamer. We're getting a real live theater theatrical release.

Not in a whole ton of theaters, but September 12th, I think, is coming out. And you know, you just hope it becomes one of those, like, like I love reading about those, like, movies that are not in a lot of things, but people go find it. Yeah. I believe that is what this is going to be. It is such a, it feels like it could turn it to a word of mouth thing.

Yeah. And, you know, it goes to theaters. And then, you know, I honestly hope outside of just, you know, video on demand, but, like, finding a nice home for something like this where somebody can find it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've also, I've never, I've been in some really good movies. And I've never been in one that's tested as high as this movie, too.

Like, audiences love it. The screeners, the screenings. It's so, it. Look, now, I'm not trying to, Doc Owood, but it, the first time I saw Get Out, that is what code three made me feel like. So the first time I saw it get out, they sent it to me early because we was doing reshoots, and I closed my laptop,

and I was like, like, is this movie good because I'm in it? Or is it really good? Or is it really good? Yeah, yeah. And so, watch it code three, that's what I felt like. Like, damn, yeah.

I'm my dude personally, this is really good, right? Yeah, yeah. As only happened a couple times. That's, yeah. People out into theaters. This is a big problem in show business. You know, there's a lot going on right now for folks who are curious about this.

Ever since COVID, people aren't going into movie theaters and buying tickets as much. And we want to encourage that however we can, whatever movie we can. I always like to go opening weekend films I'm excited about. I just saw weapons this last weekend. How is that? I loved it. wait to say. I loved it. Okay. It is disturbing as fuck. But it's so

original. It's so unique. The filmmaker really knows what he's doing. I had a great time. I loved it. Especially the ending. It's happening. This is going to be my evening watch. Okay. There you go. So, yeah. And then hopefully it'll get out there one way or another and people will see it. But it was just a, it was an honor to do it

with you. And I love Randy and Mike together. And we got a little bit of Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor kind of thing going on. You got Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, a little Nick note to Eddie Murphy. A little bit, yeah. Little Jackie Chad.

No, I'm sorry. Now you just make it up like different. Who else acted with a funny black guy? Anyway, tell me about a haunted heist. Yes. You wrote and directed that? Well, I directed it. It was written by Carl Reed, but,

But man, great collaboration. He let me kind of like, not more accountable, he let me put my comedy. Your spin on it, yeah. And what's it about? It's coming out in October, hopefully. Yeah, I mean, it's about a group of friends who, you know, show up at this house that potentially could be something that changes all their lives if they find something that's in there. But as they're in there, they get a big surprise from some visitors that are there that may not be human.

Okay. And so, you know, but it's so. funny. You got Tiffany Haddish in it. She's amazing. My good friend, King Batch, Andrew Batchel. Carlos Miller from the 85 South Show crew. Man,

it's just a gang of comics. There was actually a part of my weird thing of watching movies and I miss having seen a gang of comedians in it. Right. Like, let's cast some comics. Like, people that do stand up that can act to. And that's what I did with it. So, you know, you got some local guys from Detroit

that are hysterical in it. my home girl Tyra Terry from Chicago who's open for me. She's great at it. It's just shout out to Kishi, Tony Baker, who's very funny in it. So, man, it was... So I guess you didn't need any middle-aged white guys in your film, huh? Damn. I did cast a video age white.

Shout to Brit. One of the things we ask every guest on the show is the definition of the word soul. How would you define soul? Hmm. Soul. That's a tough one. The reason is because there's so many different ways to define soul just because of everything soul has been attached to in my life. For one of my favorite shows, Soul Train.

The Soul Man himself, James Brown. One of the funniest movies ever seen with Sebelio Jackson and Bernie Mac's Soul Men. I've never even heard of that one. You never seen Soul Man? I never seen Soul Man, no. Bernie Mac. Bernie Mac and Samuel Jackson? No.

Never see that. Well, that's what I'm watching tonight. Man, that shit is so fucking funny. You've never seen that? I never see it. Samuel Jackson got a, he got braids in it. Yeah. They went a music group with John Legend who ended up dying.

Okay. And they came back together. Okay, watch. Oh, man, I can't wait if you see that. That's such a fucking funny movie. Okay. You got it. You got it.

So, so what does soul mean? Yeah, get to the definition. I feel like soul is something you need to have. That sound crazy, but I think a lot of people who, you know, people that's in charge of things, they don't have a soul. Because I believe you don't have a soul, that's how you're able to do the most evilest things. So, to me, soul is having something that's inside of you that, um, that to me kind of feels like it comes with empathy. All right, whatever my weird definition is, that's it.

That's good. I like it. Yeah. I do like that. That's my soul. I think there are people that are missing. I wouldn't say they don't have a soul, but they don't have soul in what they do. And those are the people that really make the world a worse place.

That's real. Yeah. Connection, empathy. humanity, you know, artistry, creativity. So, fuck them. The Soul Boom Podcast. Subscribe now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your stupid podcasts.