The Breakfast Club - Best Of 2024 Full Interview: Bruce Bruce Talks Comedy Upbringing, Bernie Mac, Katt Williams, Social Media Comics + More

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

Best of 2024 - Recorded April 2024 - Bruce Bruce Talks Comedy Upbringing, Bernie Mac, Katt Williams, Social Media Comics. Listen For More!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People, my people, what's up? This is Quetzalove. Man, I cannot believe we're already wrapping up another season of Quetzalove Supreme. Man, we've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Marr, E, Jonathan Scheer, Billy Porter, and so many more. Look, if you haven't heard these episodes yet, hey, now's your chance. You got to check them out. Listen to Questlove Supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's John also known as Dr. John Paul. And I'm Jordan or Joe Ho. And we are the Black Fat Film Podcast.

A podcast where all the intersections of identity are celebrated. Oh, chat. This year we have had some of our favorite people on including Kid Fury, T.S. Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey show, Angelica Ross, and more. Make sure you listen to the Black Fat Fam podcast on the iHeartRadio app, other podcasts or whatever you get your podcast girl. Ooh, I know that's right. Wake that ass up.

Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's DJ NV Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the Guy, we are The Breakfast Club! We got a special guest in the building! The legend! Bruce Bruce! What's crackin' baby? Welcome, how you feelin'?

Everything is good man. Everything is good? Yeah. Man, why are comedians always so early man? That's something we notice. Well, yeah, I'm always prompt on everything man. That's just why I was ready. Two hours early Bruce Bruce Oh, man, that's why I'm doing my grandfather say if you're on time, you're late. Damn. That's fact

So you got to be on time, but then the traffic here is a monster Nobody drives in the lane up here. Nobody the buses police nobody they just drive like they want to. And what's crazy They got lanes some of them got their own lanes and still don't drive in their lanes. Yeah Now this is the first time Bruce Bruce has been on the show. Sometimes when somebody comes for the first time, I want to start from the beginning. Now I know your story because I've been studying you, I've been following you, but for people that don't know,

how did Bruce Bruce get into comedy? And I want you to explain your job before comedy. Well, I used to be a chef, I can cook like a mug. And everywhere I go, I used to always be funny. So I hired this guy one time. I was running a barbecue restaurant. It's an older guy, an older guy. And he used to watch me in the kitchen

when I first started. He's watching me. He said, you need to go on stage. And I ain't paying him attention. He said, I'm gonna bring you something tomorrow. He brought me this album. Back in the day, he had an album. He was a comedian, but he was ex-navy, he was alcoholic.

He said, don't waste your time on this job, man, you need to go on stage. Know what I did? I quit because I had a family, I was young, man, had three kids, and man, I went and started working for Frito-Lay Potato Chips, selling potato chips, and the whole time I'm selling potato chips, and on the dock, I'm just funny, acting crazy.

So good old white dudes are, you know, you need to go on stage, and I see you here every morning. You're dudes are, you know you need to go on stage, and I see you here every morning. You're not a white guy, you need to go on stage, you're funny, I look at comedians every Friday, Saturday, or not, you know, and you need to go on stage. And when I took that step, man, I knew that's why I should have been my hole in tie-line.

And what made me take that step, I was going through a divorce, you know what I'm saying? And my ex-wife said, you'll never make it. I'm like, what? Why'd she tell you that? There's no reason to hate. So I just looked at it and said, I'll see you on TV. Dang.

You know what I'm saying? And it's been gone. I've been doing it now 35 years. And what made y'all get married if she wasn't supportive? Because you said you never made it. Well, you know, we're young. I was young. You know, I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.

And you know, you get a girl pregnant, you know you got to marry, all this crazy stuff, and I did the same thing. My oldest son is 43, man. Damn. My baby boy is 40, my daughter's 38. Wow. You've been going raw for a long time.

I've been laying down. Pull out game was terrible. Calm. Pull out game was terrible, I was just laying down. It was crazy, man, you know, I just didn't think just doing it, you know, and when you're young, you just do that until you get somebody older and say,

hey, you need to watch yourself. You know what I'm saying? And that's what we need to start doing as older guys. Let them know, man, this ain't no game. Who taught you how to cook? My uncle. My uncle, man, he was like five. Uncle Paul?

Yeah, Uncle Paul. He about five feet tall, about a 98 in the waist. You hear me play? Look like an egg with a belt on. You know what I'm saying? He was my partner though, man. And he raised me. And he taught me about life. about a 98 in the waist, you hear me playin'? Looked like an egg with a belt on, you know what I'm sayin'? He was my partner though, man, and he raised me, and he taught me about life,

he taught me about how to treat women, he taught me about bein' on time, because he was a baker, he used to deliver cakes, he said, we gotta be there on time, but he would never, ever drive on the highway, ever, ever. I'm talkin', we gotta go straight back roads, when you can't get on the highway, boy, they'll run your tail over on that highway, you know what I'm saying?

And he was real superstitious. I never did believe in that. You know, he'd see a black cat walk the street, but he gonna turn around. You know, you put your hat on the bed. Oh no, you can't do that. You sweep his feet, you gotta spit the broom. You know, he was just straight superstitious. Don't ever let a woman touch your wallet. You know, you ain't gonna have no money. Man, ain't nobody believing in that crap. Don't let a woman buy you no shoes. Oh yeah, sure, walk out your life. Walk out your life, or watch. The time is out your life.

Oh, he was real superstitious, but other than that, man, he was a great, great guy, man. You remember the first dish that you learned to cook? Oh yeah, man, your steak was a, I can cook a steak, make a joke, or cry. White folks be clapping, oh yeah, white folks be clapping, black people be hollering, yay. How you get the capital for the barbecue spot? Well, I was, I started down with y'all,

I'ma tell you what happened. My mother, it's just me and my mother, I'm the only child my mother ever had. And we was struggling, man, we was living in the hood, and we was in an area called Bluff. And man, let me tell you, man, she needed some help, so I went and applied for this job. This guy I knew worked at a barbecue restaurant

and I applied and I told him I was 17, I was 14. You know what I'm saying? So I was working, man, I was cleaning up. So I had been there about three months and this old white guy named Eddie White, I said, let me ask you something. He was the man, he said, I don't know you really. He said, you work good and everything.

He said, but you're not 17. I said, no, I said, I'm 14. He said, old are you really? He said, you work good and everything. He said, but you're not 17. I said, no, I said, I'm 14. He said, why are you working? I said, well, I got to help my mom. He said, well, I'll tell you what, it's gonna be our little secret. You know, he kept me because I was a good worker. Everything he told me to do, I did it.

And I just kind of followed in and started watching these guys cook. And I knew how to cook, come on. They had been showing me how to do everything. Next thing I know, man, I was running the pit, man. I was cooking barbecue and everything at like 16 years old. Oh, so you didn't own it? No, no.

Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay. I was working there, man. Gotcha. Now you also mentioned that you were only child. Only child. Your father left at the age of five? Yeah, he was four or five. He was in the Air Force, and he was a medic in the Air Force,

and he flew choppers and airplanes, and when he got out, he was an anesthesiologist. Now was it important to mend that relationship before he passed or did you? Yeah I did, I did. Why? My mother said, I just wanted to know.

I remember him and my mother said, what you looking for him for? You know, cause they be mad, but my mother really ran him off. You know what I mean? She was just, she ran him off and she was a monster man. You know what I'm saying? Did your dad tell you that? Oh no, I just saw it. You saw it? I saw it, you know what I mean? She was just, she ran him off and she was a monster, man. You know what I'm saying? Did your dad tell you that?

No, I just saw it. I saw it, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, man, this dude is cool. He was really cool, you know? But she like, I don't want it. Everything he tried to do, she just knocked it down. But she was listening to her girlfriends. That's why I try to tell all these young girls,

don't listen to no woman that ain't got no man. That's right. You understand what I'm saying? If you got a woman, if you got a girlfriend, you got a husband, she know how to treat a husband, but a woman that don't have a man, that ain't got no man. You understand what I'm saying? If you got a woman, if you got a girlfriend, you got a husband, she know how to treat a husband, but a woman that don't have a man, she can't tell you nothing. But he just left and he never, ever called us, ever.

And my mother didn't even know she was divorced. He did a non-contested divorce because my mother just worked, come home, never went anywhere. So when she said, I think I'm going to get a divorce, and when she went to do it, they said, you already divorced. You're non-contested, you put it in going to get a divorce, and when she went to do it, they said, you already divorced. You know, I could tell, so you put it in the newspaper

for 30 days, you don't answer the ad, bam, you divorced. I did not know that. He was already gone. He was already gone. Oh, he was gone, man. I got married three more times. I found him when I was like 40 years old. So he knew who you were, he knew he was successful.

He knew exactly who I was. He knew exactly who I was. You all look alike? No, my son look like him though. My baby boy looks just like him, but it's funny how it dip over, you know what I'm saying? But I met with him and we talked and we stayed in touch and he ended up passing away about 17 years ago.

My mother passed away 14 years ago. Wow. Did you and your mom ever have to talk? Did you ever have to say to your mom, it was you? Yeah, she'd say, you know, I was wrong. She said, I didn't care. She said, but I had another boyfriend. You know, my mom was fooling around. See, parents don't tell you they try to tell you do the right thing

But they'll do the wrong thing in front of you You know I'm saying those old dudes used to go with named David, you know had platform shoes with taps on remember platform He had taps on platform shoes. He come up the stairs Hi your mama doing they did he'll tell me hey come in, let me get you a few dogs, go down and get you a Coca-Cola, you know, something like that. I know what he's finna do, he finna get us some tail, you know what I'm saying?

So he gets us some tail, I run right out the house, I know what he's finna do, I own no food, you know what I'm saying? But he was cool, he was cool to me, treated me very nice, but she had this one boyfriend, she was crazy, but I don't know what's up with women with this one dude that they like Mm-hmm, and he ain't nothing. I mean man. He wasn't nothing man. He dog my mama man. He was he was married

She didn't know he's married. Hey, but she's over there. He's over there every day every day Yeah, yeah, God is a good guy. You know how to do yeah, God is good And one day what happened when I was in high school? You know how to joke with me. Yeah, God, that's a good guy. And I'm telling you what happened. When I was in high school, four of us used to hang together and we saw him in his truck.

And my buddy said, man, that girl, your mama boyfriend, with your mom? I said, no. I said, that's my mom's boyfriend, but that's not my mom. It was another lady. So I got out the car, looked at him and said, hey, you know I see you, right? He said, oh, hey, how you doing?

Played it out. Come into my mom's house, I told my mother, I said, I seen it with another woman. He looked me dead in the eye. He said, oh hey, how you doing? Played it out. Come into my mom's house, I told my mother, I said, I seen him with another woman. He looked me dead in the eye, he said, that was not, he did not see me. And my mother believed it. The reason she believed it, because I didn't like him. So she just kind of figured, I made up a story about him

and she let it go, but it took her girlfriend of hers to see him and say, I saw that dude with another woman. You know what I'm saying? And it took her to tell me, see him. I saw that dude with another woman, you know what I'm saying? They took her to tell me, she dated him like 16 years, man. And that oughta tell you, my mother, I don't wanna get married, I don't wanna get married. Okay, you don't wanna get married, but this dude's already married,

so you can't marry this dude. When she found out, she was like, she was toe up. Yeah. I heard her. You grew up in The Bluff. How close to reality was Snow on the Bluff, the movie? Oh my God, it was real close. That was the heroin, cocaine, I mean crack area.

But my mother told me if you touch it, I'll kill you. So I was more scared of my mother than the guys in the street. You know what I'm saying? So I never touched it. I watched him do it. I watched him shoot up everything. No, I can't do that, bro.

No, I can't do that, my mother's crazy. My mother's a rascal, I'm telling you. She have been on WWE. I know what I'm talking about. This lady can scrap, man. So you know, that's the way. And that movie was really, really serious. But you know, it was so funny in the hood,

being in the hood, because you know, the crackheads come out and say, hey man, dude had bought a video camera. You know he was filming people and everything. Crack heads said man I got a camera like that. He said it's bigger but it's got a two on it. And I said what are you talking about? He done stole the camera off the Channel 2 news truck.

The two was getting ready to do some news in the area. He just walked off with the camera. So we saw the white guy panicking, walking around. I said you looking for your camera? He said yeah, I said panicking, walking around. I said, you looking for your camera? He said, yeah. I said, I know where it is. I said, you gonna have to give somebody to get it back. He said, I get anything.

He said, how much you think? $100, $200 to get your camera back. Wow. And the dude brought it back to him. Just walked off with the camera. He said, I got a camera like that, it has a number two on it. It has a two on it, it had channel two on it, right?

Jesus Christ. Man, these dudes in the hood, dude had a whole bedroom suit, walked down the street with the dresser. Dude make way about 1.30, he said, I got the mirror, the two nightstands and the bed y'all need it. We like, what? He said, I bring it up.

Somebody bought it. You know what I'm saying? Dude told me, he said, man, I got a tight rider like that, but only thing, mine different, it's got a TV on it. He didn't realize he had a desktop computer. Don't stole it. He said, I got a typewriter, but it's got a TV on it. Like what?

Typewriter with a TV? With a TV, man. I know back then brothers had to press you to try to get in the street though. Oh yeah, man. They talk about you, say you scared, you punk, all this crap. Right, man, I'm having to be a punk

because my mom didn't play. My mom, my play my mom the neighbors they didn't play man you scared of your mom's anything oh my god my granddad I was scared him on anything he about six five black real black with royal blue eyes so my mother said do I need to call your granddad no she would get him on the phone he'll say hey do I need to come up there all that do is hear his voice I let no sir he's living get another phone call and see what happened. That joker didn't play, man.

Damn. Six-five, black, one-scaled, nothing. How'd that happen? Wore your blue eyes. Damn. And you look at him, you'll drop your head like a runaway slave, you know what I'm saying? He was just that dude, man.

But when I got older, I realized he was really cool. He was a cool dude, but he just believed a child stay in a child place. That's right. And you said your Uncle Paul inspired you as far as comedy, because he was the cool. He was a cool dude, but he just believed a child stayed in a child place. That's right. And you said your Uncle Paul inspired you as far as comedy, because he was the funniest person you know? Oh man, he was funny, man.

He'd tell a lie, everybody got to help him with this lie. Every lie he'd tell, they're not telling me, he'd be like, yeah, he told me, Paul ain't saying nothing. Everybody help him with this lie, but he was one of the best bakers in the world. He practically raised Gladys Knight back in the day. And they used to call him the sweetbread man.

And Gladys Knight knew him. His name was Paul Henson Jr. And he went by the sweetbread man because he was the baker in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the man. And he'd talk about Gladys all the time. But Gladys and I was really raised on the same street. The street was Chestnut Street.

They changed it to James P. Brawley. I was on 415, she was on like 785, something like that. Just right up the street, like two blocks up. Did you know her? No, no, I was a little kid. But she lived there when her first husband, you know what I'm saying? But Gladys is a girl, oh man.

Wow. How were you able to translate your funny to actually make a career of it with somebody like Uncle Paul who was funny couldn't? Oh, I don't know, my Uncle Paul was just scared to go on stage. Scared, see, black people back in the day had the skill to do everything, but they were scared to do it.

They had so much fear. See, like young kids, now they'll do it. They'll be like, I don't care, I'll do it. So I just took it and ran with it. My uncle was one of the best bakers in the world. He went against bakers from France and Italy, you know, from England, and he beat him all out You know me then he went to he had a cheesecake that he made

it was one of the best cheesecakes in the world and they tricked him out of it and Didn't have sense enough to get a lawyer and everything gave him like $10,000. They clapping. He was all happy when he But he stole the recipe. Yeah when he could have got a hundred million, you know what I'm saying? But just didn't have a sense and the knowledge to do that at the time Oh, you know I wanted to know as a child was Bruce Bruce big as a child No, man was little bit he's called me little Bruce man. I think I didn't get fat till I got married I don't know why I got married. I like kick y'all. Oh my god. I wouldn't eat it man

I'm just little bit of dude just running around just messing with everybody was a little bitty kid man But when I got married I got fat, you know, that's what happened to us as black men. We get complacent. We get complacent with jobs. We get a job and it be, let's just say, germoters, we make a little money. Oh man, that's a good job. I don't care nothing about no good job.

It's about getting it, because it's more than that, than getting a good job. I ain't like that question, by the way. What you mean? I ain't like the question you asked. With what? With Bruce Bruce Little as a child. Oh, that's all right. Was he a big child? I wasn't like that question by the way. What you mean? I ain't like the question he asked you. But what? With Bruce Bruce Little as a child. Oh that's all right.

I mean was he a big child? No I wasn't no fat kid man. That's all I'm asking. That's what he wanted. Yeah he thought I was your friend. He thought I just couldn't clap my hands. Of course he was Little the child, he's a kid. Little fat kid couldn't clap his hand.

Y'all clap my hand. Ta ta ta ta ta. You know? But no man, I was a little kid. Little cute joker man running around messing with everybody. And you know, we seen the loose focus, and that's what happened.

You loose focus, you start eating crazy, but now I'm back at it, man, I'm 62 years old, man. Wow, is that where the comedy came from? Because when Bruce Bruce does a show, and somebody's in the audience saying something, or somebody's wearing something outfit, Bruce Bruce has no problem of attacking the audience if need be.

Is that where that came from? Like I'm a little kid and I gotta start snapping at these kids? Yeah man, you know when I was younger, I was real scary. No, most kids when they're in mid, I was real scared to do anything. So people just talk about me,

I talk about them back. That's how I learned. I used to talk about this girl, man, this girl. She had a ponytail, envy her ponytail about that long, look. With a rubber band around it. I walked behind her and I said, girl, how did they do that?

She said, do it. I said, make that ox tail right it. I walked behind her and I said, girl, how did they do that? She said, do it. I said, make that ox tail right there. I said, you can stand on your head, your hair still won't touch the floor. Man, this girl, so I'ma beat your ass. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, what? Man, I broke out running.

I didn't know she was a track star. Man, this girl caught me and beat the brakes off me, man. I didn't care because I was raised not to hit women. So I didn't care. She beat me up. She laid me on the ground, threw my arms. So I didn't care, she beat me up, she laid me on the ground, throw my arms, you know how they throw your arms, I said, what's up now?

I said, your hair's still short. So then she said, you gonna be my boyfriend. So I had to be her boyfriend and walk her to school every day. That's when I realized I had something there. You know, I jawned her out and talked about it, but she did like me. And my uncle told me, he said,

that man, that girl like you, that's why she wants you to be her boyfriend, she like you. I didn't realize that, but I thought she hated my guts, but she really didn't, man. She actually laughed about it. Then she grew up and be dropped, dead, gorgeous.

You know? Did y'all still? Oh, no, no, no, man. No, I can't do it no more, man. I ain't got it like that no more. But that's laughter, though. You know, if you can make a girl laugh, you can crack her ass. Hey, man, you make them, if you can make a girl laugh, you crack her eyes.

Hey man, you make them laugh, you got them. Most women, they just wanna laugh. You make them laugh. A lot of guys, when they see women, when they see good looking women, fine women, nice body, instantly most guys get intimidated. They be like, oh, she ain't gonna holla at me? She will.

You ever see a real fine pretty girl with an ugly dude? Yeah. You know why that happened? Because he said something to her. He walked up to her, hey how you doing? You look good. She's like, you for real? Yeah, I'm for real.

And then he with her. You like, how did this ugly? I know, I got some ugly partners. Oh my God. I got some dudes that got a cold out your eyes. When you look at them, ooh, you have to wipe your ass. My God, bro, what happened? You know what I'm saying?

But they got the baddest women you ever want to see. Everybody got to understand though, it's really nothing to it. Just talk to them, that's all they want. What's the most difficult city for you? Because you're on the road, what, five days a week, four days a week, seven, eight shows. I'm on the road at least, every week.

What's the toughest city for you, and why? If there is one. I'm gonna be honest, I ain't never had a tough city, man. I've had some tough crowds when the comedy clubs hold these people hostage. You know, like, let's just say, first show is at seven. Second show's supposed to start at 10. All right, they let the first show run over.

These people come to the show at 10 o'clock, are outside waiting. So next they pissed. They pissed, you know? So you got to really go to work to make them laugh, you know, or go and say something like this. Say, y'all ever been at work and they wanna be there? They be like, yeah!

I said, that's what I feel now. You know what I'm saying? So when you break the ice with them, you got them. Once you get them, you got them. But you got to run the clubs on time. It's hard dealing with us as black people. It's hard dealing with our black people, man. But the white clubs, they be on it, bam, bam, bam.

Because they realize the money they can make in a short length of time. Why is that with us, man? I mean, I don't know. It's hard doing business with us. I had one dude at a club, man, it was in November, and it was cold, and he had people outside. I said, hey man, people are standing outside.

The show was supposed to start an hour ago. He looked at me and he said, I don't give a, what they doing outside? I'm like, what? So, matter of fact, I don't even do this club anymore, because you don't have respect for the people. But we the one working hard for it to make them laugh. Because it's hard to get black people to laugh.

You know, especially when they mad, they better be funny. They better be funny. Especially when they mad. You know, white people laugh at anything. Oh, he's hilarious, he's great. You can be terrible, you know you're good, you're gonna be great.

Cause white people have a different way of saying no. Like when you audition for a show, like how do you like him? Well, he's a good looking guy. He has great hair, that's a no. See people don't realize that. When they want you, they want you, they get you. Checks a sign, but when they breathe hard,

you know, just looking at him and, smart guy. Smart guy, but, no, I don't think we'll do it. That's a no. And that's what we all gotta realize. You know, you just made me think about when it come to doing business with black people and white people, cause I love doing business with my people, but I don me think about when it comes to doing business with black people and white people, because I love doing business with my people.

But I don't think we often look at it as business. Like it's almost like it should be a personal transaction. It's always a partner thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. People call my manager and be like, me and Bruce go back 15 years, and I don't even know this brother. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, I met him at the gas station, and you don't know me, bro. Maybe I come across like you do know me but you don't know me. They'll call and be like we discussed a deal and he said he would do it for this. That's not true because I don't discuss money at all with anybody. But they always think it's like a partner thing when it should just be business. Yeah. Do you remember your best show and you remember your worst show? Yeah, man, I can remember a lot of them. But people don't know it. I knew it.

I can remember my first, I come off stage and tell a guy, I didn't like that show. Well, people thought it was great, but I'd be like, I didn't like that show. What was your worst show? Cause they said you don't write things down, it's just off of emotion.

Oh no, I come off the cup. One time I was in Houston, Texas and I was doing this show and I was joining everybody out and this dude came was doing this show, and I was joning everybody out, and this dude came up and joned me, and he was funny. His buddy said, man, go up there, go up there. You know how you would go up there and jone him?

He said, I look like a pickle jar. You know? And I started laughing, like, damn, that's funny, brother. I said, I'm gonna keep that. You know, he said, I look like a pickle jar up here. I'm like, oh my God, that's funny. But the crowd loved it because I took it so well. I didn't go off, you know, I, exactly,

it was really funny when he said it. And I ended up seeing him like 10 years later, he said, you remember I came on stage, man, I saw you, so you look like a pickle jar. I said, that was you. I said, let me take a picture with you, you know what I'm saying? But it's cool, but the best show I ever did

was years and years and years ago, is when Bernie Mac was red hot. Bernie Mac was super hot. And it's a part of Georgia called Macon, Georgia. And it's about an hour from Atlanta. And Bernie was performing, had a 10, 5,000 seat. And the feature didn't show up. And the guy said, hey man, my feature didn't show.

Can you come down here and open up for Bernie Mac? I said, yes. You know, I had been in the game there about five years. Yes. And I drove down there quick as I could. And I was on stage and I can remember Bernie Mac had his arm folded looking at me. He said, who's that dude right there?

He said, it's Bruce Bruce. He said, he is funny. But Bernie went up and ripped it. And I worked with Bernie twice in my whole entire life. May couldn't and then I worked with him in Columbia, South Carolina one time. That's it. But Bernie was a bad dude, man.

And people don't realize when he did I'm Not Scared of You on Def Jam, he made that up right then. Because everybody was coming up, they was having a hard time here in New York. Def Jam, they was getting it to them. New York, they don't hold no punches. And Bernie said, man, I ain't scared of no mother.

And he went up and did, him and Capri went together on it and he ripped it, man. Bernie was a bad dude. Was that the funniest comedian you ever worked with? No, man, I know some funny comedians now, like Tony Roberts is stupid funny. Tony makes me laugh. You know who Tony Roberts is?

Of course. Oh my God. Tony Roberts told me, he was dating a girl, her breath was so bad, it smelled like a horse's hiccups. So, who'd think of that? Who'd think of a horse's hiccups? You know what I'm saying? He makes me laugh. Mike Epps.

Mike Epps is one of the dudes I trained back in the day. Mike used to be on the road with me. Mike moved from Indiana to Atlanta, and I used to take him on the road with me, and then he moved to New York. And he called me one day and said, man, they want me to audition for Fridays. I said, what you waiting on?

I said, looking for somebody like you. And he called me a week later and said, I got the part. I said, you're on your way, day day. That's my man. You said something earlier when you talked about the pickle jar joke, you said, I'm gonna keep that. Yeah.

So comedians do cover jokes. Yeah, I don't. I didn't keep it, I just told him that. Okay, okay. But no, I think comedians just take bits and pieces of other comedians' jokes. If you do that, and I see it, I know exactly where you got it from.

I've been in this business so long, I know exactly where you got it, I know who said it, how they said it, and when you said it. But no, I don't use any of that stuff of mine. Cause I saw a video circulating to Bernie, Bernie Mac and he was saying, don't say your joke around though,

if you're a new comedian, don't say anything. Just say you're a veteran like us. And see a lot of comedians now, the veterans will look at the new jacks and take their stuff. And then it looked like the new jacks stole it from them. But that's not cool, that's not cool to do. Now we seen Cat Williams pulled out his chop

a couple of months ago. He did, man. He was firing at everybody. What was your thoughts? Because a lot of that stuff was inside that became outside conversations. I think Cat just told how he felt, man, and what's been going on in his life for real,

and he just got fed up with it. You know, when people dog you out, let's just say this. I used to tell people I had a club in Atlanta, it's called Club 559. And I used to tell my security, I said, listen, when you have an altercation with a guy, be careful because they don't forget you.

You don't be able to forget about them. So if you throw them at the club, throw them on their head, and they be like, I'm not gonna forget that. They won't forget you. But you bein' forgotten who that was, and you had to go to the store with your woman, shoppin', he run up on you, you remember me?

You're like, no. You had to be careful. So, Kat just went through some things, stuff that he never forgot that was done to him. And he's comin' back retaliatin him and he's coming back retaliating and he just told it like it was. I feel like, I mean, there's a lot of different things you could take from that conversation

but the thing I took from it that I appreciated, it felt like it put black comedy in a new light. Like people started paying attention to the OGs like yourself, Tony Robbins, like they, I don't know, I just felt like it just shined, earthquake it shined a light on the people who've been doing it. And people gotta understand something about Cat Williams.

Cat Williams is not a dummy. He is very smart. He's very smart. I don't know if y'all remember when he had an altercation in Atlanta with one of the Smith on V103. If you ever noticed, if you ever noticed, he never lost his composure. He stood there and drunk his coffee

and he was killing it the whole time. And he's just cool like that. He's very smart, he's a smart guy. Now we always talk about the role ATL played in rap. What role did it play in comedy? Oh, I don't know. You're like rap, when you said rap, I thought you were trying to say with outcasts

and I did videos, they like my little homies. I'm like they OG, they call me OG. And with Too Short made the song Shake That Monkey with Lil Jon and then, no it was Too Short and then Lil Jon came out with the Ying Yang Twins. That's cause it's just love. Everybody show love in Atlanta, everybody show love. Like when I did the movie I had a wild with outcasts.

It was gave to me. It wasn't a movie I had to audition for. And then I did the movie Who's Your Caddy with Big Boy. It was a role that was gave to me because they just have that kind of love for me. You know what I mean? And we all cool. And I stay in my lane, man.

I don't get out, I don't do crazy stuff. You were talking about something else, but before we go there, how did you feel about all these artists mentioning you in their songs? I love it. I love it. Were you ever surprised that you hear it before? Were you heard, let Bruce Bruce hit it?

Oh my God, I just hate when dudes say it. You know what I'm saying? Like, I've been about, let Bruce Bruce hit it. Bro, bro, you should be saying that. Your girls should say it, but not me, not you, bro. He said that on the text this morning. Oh my goodness. Did he? Because say it, but not me, not you, bro. Come on. He said that on the text this morning. Oh my goodness. Did he?

Because our producer was like, man, Bruce Bruce is already his, we were on the way in. And so he goes, well, entertain him and let Bruce Bruce hit it. I was joking. It was joking. That's what he said. I forgive you. That's what he said. I forgive you.

That's inside stuff, man. I just thought it was stupid. Yeah, but he did, I felt he felt we cool, so he just told me. And our producer told him that was he was going to HR. I'm going to HR. He's going to HR. It's going to be some reason to breathe a heart.

Why did you do that? Why did you do that? Yeah. And Biggie, Biggie mentioned you and Hypnotize. Yeah, yeah. When was the first time you heard? Did you have a relationship with him? What happened, I was in Jacksonville, Florida.

I'll never forget this. And I wanted to meet him so bad, because I was a fan of Biggie. You know? And man, he came in and I was on stage clowning. I was jolting people. I mean, I asked the dude, I said, that shirt's silk, is it silk or you iron it too much?

You know, something like that. He walked in, he said, just do this for me. Because if you ever really pay attention to Biggie, he didn't really smile that much. You know what I'm saying? He just always had that look, like just nonchalant look. He smiled on the video when he was on the boat. Remember he was on the boat and he started smiling.

He said, I'm gonna put you down for real. And when I heard it, I'm like, what? What was the Bruce Bruce like? There was a, people were debating whether he. Yeah, when he say that, yeah. What was it like? It was like Bruce Bruce who? Do something to us, talk goes through us.

Girls do us, wanna screw us, who? Me, Poppy and Puff. It was just love, he showed me, he was a cool guy, man. And I actually saw him smile and laugh because I never saw him smile. He just always had this like heart look, like, you know, he read the fight, but he was really funny.

It was fun to be around. So he told you he was going to put you out? Yeah. Okay, so that's how you know it was going to be.. So he told you he was going to put you out? Yeah, yeah. Okay, so that's how you know it was going to be. Yeah, but I heard him like, well, I think what I heard, you know, when he hit on the radio, I'm like, and Shorty Shorty called me, the comedian Shorty Shorty,

he said, man, Pickett just said your name, and I'm like, I listened to it over and over, I just kept calling back, I just listened to it over, I just kept repeating it, listened to it over and over, and that was love, that was real love. I guess you answered the question, because when I say what role did ATL play in comedy, for you, like what role did Atlanta play in the comedy?

Oh my God, everything. I think that's it. Well you know who did it, well who started it was Chris Tucker. And Chris Tucker, when he did Fridays, first of all, he didn't do Fridays, first he did House Party. Remember House Party?

Yeah, when he came to the door, he said, same time, man, you gonna give me the money same time. It was an immature, the group called Immature, and he went to the door to get some money. I'm looking for such and such, man. He just had that one scene at the door, and then he did Fridays. And Fridays took off way better than they thought it would.

It took off way better than they thought it would. And Chris, he's a good dude too, man. He's a good guy. I used to be on the road with him, but he fired me though, man. He fired you? Yeah, he fired me. He didn't fire me, but he fired me.

I was on the road with him back in 94, 95, and then he said, man, I'm gonna come off the road for about three months because their presidents get ready to come out. And that's when I said, okay. Then when he went back on the road, he just didn't bring me back. So that's firing your ass. You know, and that's when, I said okay. Then when he went back on the road, he just didn't bring me back. So that's firing your ass.

You know what I'm saying? But it cool, it's still my boy. But he did come back and apologize. He said, hey man, I didn't do that right and I'm sorry. And I'm like cool man, I'm good. I work, you know, I get down. You said you was a sales person for Frito-Lay. Oh yeah.

They used to make you tell jokes when you were young? No, I used to join everybody on the dock. You know, I used to sell potato chips, you know, I used to you know, we I used to say a potato chips, you know Go from so to start the limitation. So we delivering we're on the dock. I'm joining everybody I didn't care who they was and we had some good old boys. Yeah, I got no good old boys I'm trying we guys okay. I got no good. Oh, yeah, you know, I know you're from Greenville, right? Charles Monks corner, but I was born in Charles. Okay Okay but you know we got them, hey bud how you doing? You're a comedian huh?

Well I'll be damned. You know we got the boys like that. They'd be so impressed, so you're a comedian? Oh yeah, well I'll be damned. That's they word but we had it, but one thing about good old boys when they like you, they like you when they don't, they don't.

And it ain't a black white thing, it could be a white white thing. If they don't like you, they don't like you. You know so, but I done seen racism everywhere man, it don't, they don't. And it ain't a black white thing. It could be a white white thing. If they don't like you, they don't like you. You know, so. But I don't see racism everywhere, man. It don't bother me. What? You remember your sales pitch?

My sales pitch on the potato chip? Oh yeah, man, let me tell you, I had a Walmart. They had just opened this Walmart. And in order to, I wanted to dress up as Chester Cheetah. You remember the Chester Cheetah tiger? In order to do this, you gotta sell this huge display to get the costume, you know what I'm saying? Because the company was charging different branches

money to use cars. I was the biggest Chester Cheetah they have ever seen. Look man, I was the fattest Chester Cheetah. One guy said, he must have ate all the Cheetos. This is the a house. But I sold like, I think it was, if I'm not mistaken, like $10,000 in Cheetos. That's why they sent the uniform to us,

and it was great, and it was a Walmart, it was a guy, managed a Walmart named James Pike, white dude, the madder he get, the lower he talk. So you know, he'd say, when I tell you do something, you be like, what? What did you say? But he was cool. Everybody thought he was old redneck,

but he was really cool. He ran that store, but he let me bring $10,000 worth of Cheetos in that store. So that was my man. And what was your pitch? Hey man, just me being funny. I walk in and I say, hey man, I need to sell some chips.

If not, I'm gonna start back stripping. And if I start back stripping, the church member's really gonna be hard on me about this. I say, you don't wanna see me naked. Trust me when I tell you that. You know what I'm saying? They'll bust out laughing. Got him.

Take it or order. Got him. You wasn't really a stripper though No, come on if I was are my stage name be stretch mark. You know, I'm saying, you know I'm saying then you know But if I was stripper today, I go by hard candy This is a good name hard candy I didn't want to him, why Hard Candy? I thought it was like something behind it, like you know the church,

old ladies in the church with Hard Candy, I don't know. Church would be Lemon Pound Cake, I'd be Lemon Pound Cake. Yeah, Lemon Pound Cake. Now out of Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and Comic View, which one had the most impact on you? Comic View. Def Jam first. Def Jam was the starting, come on now,

we gotta give it to Russell Simmons, I mean, big up for him. Def Jam was good, but when I did Comic View, see, Comic View started out as Coast to Coast, I don't know if y'all remember that. They used to go, they used to come out to your city and come to a club and film you and then take it back and DL was the host and he was like,

look, went all the way down to Atlanta, had a club called the Comedy Act Theater, and we seen this guy Bruce Bruce and then showed me. And I did the Coastal Code when they first started, but I never forget the year that I host. It was probably the best year for me that I have ever experienced in my life. They went from 10 million viewers

to 20 million viewers when I host. And it was great for me. It was good. I made some money. They gave me money for wardrobe. That's why I dressed in all them suits, because I thought I was a pimp, you know what I'm saying? I thought I was a straight up pimp.

How'd you get to get it? They called me. I mean, I had been doing comedy for like seven or eight years and they gotta say, call me one day, say how would you like the host comedy view? I said I would love that. Because I wanted to do it. But, and I wanted to do it before then,

and it just wasn't my time, but when my time came, it was perfect. It did well, it did very well. Was that the moment that you know that that was your big break, like oh this is really gonna happen? Yeah, I knew it was gonna happen then, it was good man. Then, I did more shows than anybody,

I did like four to five shows a day. So I was changing suits, changing suits, and I was working five days a week. So on the days that, it was off Sunday, Monday, so I was shooting commercials for them, and I did this one commercial, I like gators, alligator skin shoes. So I told this character, I was,

take me man, I need to get me some gators, and he took me to a real creek where alligators was. That was the joke of it. And he dropped me off and I'm like, what, wait a minute, these are real alligator, these are real alligators coming out the water. And it was really, really funny. That was a scene that I wrote.

But yeah, it was fun. So I still wear gator shoes, I'm old school, man. I'm like an old player. So y'all can still wear suits with tennis shoes, I can't do it. I can't do it, player. I can't do it. I never felt like Apollo was good for comedy I mean, it just said I think what it was what Apollo those people that all day Sitting so the first two shows you're gonna get love but like third fourth and fifth show they will out

They booing everybody. They booed me the first time. Mm-hmm, and I didn, they wore out. They booed everybody. They booed me the first time. And I didn't care, I just started talking about people. It was a dude in the front dressed like a, I don't know what the hell was going on with him. I said, bro, what is your problem? He was just like a woman and a man on one side, woman on the other side, I said, bro, are you slow?

You're before his time. Yeah, and before his time. Yeah, he was before his time. But it was, at Jonahm, they laughed, but then I went back and did it again, and it went well. Yeah, I did it with Mark Curry first, and then back with Steve Harvey.

Is it too sensitive now for comedy? Depending on what subject you touch on. Cause if you don't, like, let's just say gay people, you can't touch on that. You can't say anything disrespectful. And I wouldn't say gay people. You can't touch on that. You can't say anything disrespectful. I wouldn't say anything disrespectful. When I was coming up, my uncle called them sweet pickles. We'd be riding these, they'd go sweet pickle.

I'm like, where? We knew what it was. We're like, what the world? But the thing is, I mean, I don't do any bashing of anything of a sort like that, but I see them all the time. I remember one time I was doing a show at BET,

it was in California, and the makeup artist, two of them, they did makeup and hair, and they was gay dudes and everything. So one dude walked in, man, I don't want no bags. Dude, do my makeup. I said, gay dude got really emotional. He said, I'm sick of this, I'm so tired. I don't know no bags. Do it in my makeup. I said, gay dude got real emotional. He said, I'm so sick of this, I'm so tired. I don't know what to do.

He started packing and stuff, getting ready to leave. So I walked in the room, I closed the door on him. He looked at me like, what the? I said, hey man, let me tell you something. I said, if you're comfortable with who you are, I said, be that. I said, but if you walk out on this show, they're gonna blackball you.

You won't work for NBC, CBS, TBS, nobody. You won't be working for nobody. I said chill out, dry your tears up, and I said do my makeup, you know what I'm saying? I said but if you walk out, they're gonna do it. I said nine times out of 10, at the end of the night, that same dude will be hollering at you. What if you would've said, I love black balls,

that's what I want. I'd have had to run out of there.. I'd had to run out of there. I'd had to run out of there, so I'd have to run full speed. But then at the end of the night, he's like, he said thank you, thank you so much for what you did, because he was getting ready to go. He was emotional and everything, and the dude was like, man, I thought,

I went to talk to the dude, I said, man, chill out, and don't do that, you know. They know they got feelings too that's just who they are why do you help so many comedians comedians talk about that you helped some of so many comedians in their in their career in their life what gives you the energy because a lot of people be like I ain't helping him because he might get bigger than me but you talked about so many comedians you oh my god yeah but so many helped me I never forget when I first when I was in the comedy act theater in Atlanta

and John Witherspoon came to Atlanta and he looked at me and he say, you got it. He said, you really got it. He say, I like you. So he started telling me what to do and what not to do. And he took me up on his wing. Rinaldo Ray did the same thing. He helped me on BET when he was my co-host.

People don't realize that Rinaldo Ray was a college professor before he started doing comedy. and Renaldo Ray did the same thing. He helped me on BET when he was my co-host. People don't realize that Renaldo Ray was a college professor before he started doing comedy. He was extremely smart. He would tell me sometimes, he'd say, turn your body to the right a little bit when you tell that joke, it'll work better. And I'm like, how's that gonna work better?

And it worked better. And then the last of the Mohicans who really told me, he say, you won't have to find them, they will find you. His name was Paul Mooney. Wow, the legend. Paul Mooney, he told me that. Rodney Winfield, y'all remember Rodney Winfield?

That my man took me up and he say, all of these jokers don't like you. It's cause you're funny. He said, keep being funny, you're gonna be all right. He used to call me and do shows with him. You know, back in the day man, somebody say man, we got a show paying 300 dollars, I'm like let's go.

These new kids now, you say man I got a show for you. How much they paying? Hold it, play it, hold it. You ain't been seen walking by a TV, much less on TV. So what is you talking about how much they paying? If I tell you about a show, I'm gonna make sure you get paid, just that simple. You think social media helped to hurt comedy?

Oh, it helped it. I wish, Charlamagne, I wish I had social media 35 years ago. Only thing we had was going to city early, do radio, try to do TV to get people in there. Social media is a platform that really helped a lot of young comedians now. Now, veteran comedians like myself,

they get pissed because all the new young comedians are coming up faster. I've been doing comedy for 25 years, 30 years, and he ain't been doing comedy for three months. I tell him like this, if you can't beat him, join him. And they're winning. So you might as well fall in the footsteps, they are winning.

But that's why them young comedians feel like, that's why they asking how much. Right. Because they're following on social media. Yeah, but then the only thing about it, Charlamagne, is when they do get booked, only thing they got to say is what they did on social media.

That's right. You got to bring out more than that. That's right. You know, you got, that seven minutes you got, oh, it's fine. But what about the other 20 minutes they need you to do? You can tell when a person is bombing because they'll start talking real positive. You know, we need to take care of these kids, man. You know, hey man, support these women, man. Hey man, these women need your support, they need your respect.

They bombing like hell. They trying to get positive. That's his favorite part of a comedy show. It is. I like that. I like that. I like that. I like that. I like that. support these women, man. Hey man, these women need support, they need your respect. They bombing like hell. Cause they trying to get positive.

That's his favorite part of a comedy show. It is. I like, you know what it is? I like to see somebody try to dig themselves out of a hole when they bombing. Oh my God. If you see me laughing really hard, it's probably because you up there stinking it up.

I remember seeing you, cause I watch you guys all the time, I remember seeing you on Ridiculousness, right? And Chanel West Coast, you made her so mad. You was coming, you say, I never seen you on anything, I never seen you rap with, I rap with Snoop, she got pissed, they went to commercial.

I think it happened twice, am I right? No, it was that one time. But do she rap? Yeah, yeah, I think she did. Okay, okay, but I didn't know it, but I looked at you and I'm like, oh my gosh, she's pissed. She got pissed, she moved that hair back.

Commercial, commercial, and she came back, she was more calm. Yeah, we're back here. Charlamagne pissed her off. He said, I never seen your nothing. I never seen you with Snoop. I never seen you too short. I never seen you. She was pissed. I seen you with Too Short. I never seen you.

She was pissed. I laughed so hard at that. That was so good. How do you feel about the rebooting Comic View? I just, I like it, but I think they're trying to do a new way. I think they should have rebooted it and did it the old way.

I think they should have had the host and introduced the show like we used to do back in the day because if you remember when that show was on, everybody watched it from your mom, your mom, your dad, your dad, your grandma, your granddad, uncles, you know, I saw you on TV. They loved it. So I think we need to go back to that platform.

They do it a new thing now where, you know, they want it all hip hop and all that. That's cool, but we need to go back to the old way. Now you're a huge car enthusiast. I am, man. Classic cars. What got you into that? And how many cars do you have? Back in about 27.

I collect Buicks. Buicks. I like Buicks. Why Buicks? Man, my granddaddy told me, he said, look, you're only buying nothing but a Buick. Old Joe, he used to have a Roadmaster with three speed on the column. I thought he was a genius.

When you change the gears on the column, you was a bad dude. He pull it down in first, then go to second. He looking at you talking, then he go to third, get you a Buick, baby. So I always liked Buicks, and I liked Skylars. Buick was a really good muscle car too. People don't realize it.

I got a 70 Wildcat convertible. I got a 70 Rivera. I got a 60s Rivera. I got a 70 Wildcat convertible. I got a 70 Rivera. I got a 63 Rivera. I got a 69 Rivera. I got a 68 Deuce on the quarter. I got a 68 Skylark convertible. I got a 68 Skylark full speed. Got a 65 Skylark convertible.

So that's your addiction. Yeah, and I like Ford trucks. I love Ford trucks. So you don't drink, you don't smoke? I used to. I let it go. My baby boy was born, he's 40. I love forward trucks. So you don't drink, you don't smoke? I used to. I let it go. When my baby boy was born, he's 40, I stopped 40 years ago.

Really? I used to get so drunk, man. Oh, envy, I used to get so drunk. When I get home, I couldn't walk to the door, I had to crawl. I used to knock at the bottom of the door. And my ex-wife say, it's gonna be me and the alcohol,

one of us has got to go. Dang. And I sure did miss her, I did. I missed her. I missed the hell out of her. I missed her. Who got a better collection, you or Jay Leno? Oh, Jay got the car.

But you know, my man, MP, got some cars. I've had everything Ford ever made. From the Lincoln Blackwood truck, to the Dulles, to the saline truck to the sailing truck. I got a sailing truck. I got two lightnings. I got a Rapture. I got a Super Snake truck.

I had the Ford GT, you know, the one like a Ferrari. I had all that. You had a Ford GT? Yes, sir. Really? Yeah, I did. You know why I sold it? Because you couldn't fit in it?

No. Oh, I fit in it, but it felt like- No, no. Wait a minute. You tried it twice, Bruce. I tried it twice now. I sold it. Cause you couldn't fit in it? No, I fit in it but it felt like. No, no, I'm gonna tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why I sold it. Cause when I did get in it, it felt like four people sitting in there with me. Cause Michael Strahan had it. And I asked Michael Strahan why he got rid of this.

He said cause I couldn't fit in it. No, I could fit in it but it was tight. But when I sold it, it was an 06. When I sold it, it didn't have a 2200 miles on it. And I had it for seven years. So when I put up a sale. Boy I know you wish you didn't sell it now, cause if you'd have sold it now,

it would have tripled quadruple the price. It's true, it's like 600,000 for it now. But when I sold, I bought it for 200,000, I sold it for 250,000. And a guy in England bought it. It was Canary Yellow Black Stripes. Jesus, bam. And when I tell you it had the power It had the power Wow, I think we're on you. That's the one you wanted to hold on to though

No, I don't miss it. I can get another I don't miss I want to do it I sold it for six like six seven hundred thousand. Yeah, I sold for 250 back then but I could have got five six hundred thousand for it I kept it. I kept it with those miles. Absolutely. Yeah, I'm big of a deal Is it now for a comedian to have a special? Does it even matter? Well, you know what's funny, you said that, man. Specials are good.

I just got signed for a Netflix special. Okay, okay. And the reason I just took it, I wasn't gonna do it, I was gonna do it myself. Like, make them buy, you know what I'm saying? But they offered it to me, we're gonna do it. We're gonna do it I think around August. You're shooting in Atlanta?

No, no, no, no. We're gonna go somewhere else. I wanna go somewhere where somebody think I'm a superstar. You know what I'm saying? You ain't a superstar in Atlanta? No, I'm just average. What's up, Bruce? What's happening, man?

You see me in the gross. Bruce, what's happening? But I go somewhere like Chicago or Texas. Oh my God! That's where I wanna go. In Atlanta, it's my city. I love it, I still live there. And I had a place in LA for like 30 years. And LA's just LA, they make you pay for the weather.

You know what I mean? Everything is just so high, it's just ridiculous. But it's high here in New York too. It is. You especially don't need one though. I mean it don't validate you in no way, shape, or form. But I'ma do it man, cause I wanna do a tour myself.

I'm always on somebody else's tour. I wanna do a tour. I got two guys that opened up for me who is hilarious. And nobody know them, so I wanna introduce them and bring them out and they can start out doing their own thing. That's what it's all about man. There used to be a kit for comedians.

You needed a special, like a HBO special, a sitcom. I don't feel you need none of that no more. No, no. And some of the people who got them can't sell a lot of, they live in them. Can't sell a ticket. No. You know what I'm saying?

They can sell people in their garage, but they can't sell a ticket. You know, back in the day before Kings of Comedy, that's what you had to get. You know, you do real good, then they offer you a sitcom, then you do your sitcom, then you go on tour. And Bernie Mac was like the only comedian that could sell out by himself.

He was about, now Cat Williams could do it. Kevin Hart can do it. Kevin Hart is a good guy. But Cat can do it, like when he did that interview, that podcast, that podcast. Shajay, yeah. Went crazy. He just started selling out everywhere.

And well, he got something to say and I think he should say it. I agree. He doing a live Netflix special with Kat. But you know what they, Kat made everybody get on their toes though. People like, I thought he was gonna say something about you. I never had any conflict with Kat.

We always been cool. He called me one time. He said, man, about you. I never had any conflict with Kat. We always been cool. He called me one time. He said, man, I want you to go on the road with me. I said this exact words. I said, I would do it. I said, but why do you need me on the road with you? I said, you got it. They coming to see you.

He said, well, it's a big crossover. You got a crowd, I got a crowd. But Kat is, he's a smart dude and he take care of his people. That's what I like about it. He take care of his people. And that's what like about him. He take care of his people. And that's what it's all about. Can't keep the money, man. You just think you gonna work people to death

and not pay them, you got to pay these people. We got families, we got kids. I got grandkids now, man. Grandkids, that's who I work for now. They cool. You been getting money for a long time. A long time. You've been in the game 30 years.

When did you start seeing that real, real money? You know, when the Juggler was giving me a thousand dollars to show, I thought he was crazy. Because it was so easy to me. A thousand dollars to be on stage for 10, 15 minutes? Oh, this is where I need to be. Potato Chips truck got to go. I tell you how I quit my job.

I took a leave of absence and I told them, I told my supervisor, I say, man, I said I'm going through a divorce, man, and I say I just need some time to get my head together. Can I get a 30 day leave of absence? He got it approved, when he got it approved, we was inventorying the truck. He said, man, you coming back?

I said, I want you to look at me real good. Next time you see me, I be on TV. And I left. And what's crazy, you know back in the day we had beepers, anybody remember beepers? I left, I had my cousin pick me up on a Friday. I said, man, take me by the bank machine. I got $20 in the bank, that's all I had in the bank.

I went and got the $20 out to give him for gas and as soon as I gave him the money, my beeper went off. And I said, stop man, let me use pay phone. And I called, it was the club owner and the comedy act theater in Atlanta. He said, man, what you doing tonight? I said, I'm working for you. I ain't looking back.

You do a lot of manifestation, bruh. Yeah man, I ain't never looked back. You've been telling people you will see me on TV. Yeah, I used to tell them, man, you got to speak stuff. When people don't realize, you have to speak stuff into your life. And when people be speaking the wrong stuff in their life, the wrong stuff is gonna come.

Oh, I'm sick as a dog. Okay, we're gonna be sick as a dog because you're gonna be sick as a dog. I love her to death, she be dead in about three months. So you can't, you know, you got the love of the life. Whatever you speak, the tongue is very powerful. You know what I'm saying? So people be hollering about church folk,

but they be telling the truth. You know what I'm saying? You know, you say you're gonna be rich, you're gonna be rich. Just keep, you got to believe it, what you're saying. So I've always told people, you see me on TV, I'm not gonna work this truck all my life. I'm not gonna be delivering chips all my life.

I'm gonna be doing stuff I like to do. What's your manifestation now? What are you? My key thing now is to make sure I make enough money and save enough money to leave for my grandkids when I'm gone. I don't plan on going anywhere right now anytime soon, but you know, I just wanna make sure

they're straight when I leave because that's the way it's supposed to be. I know a guy now, he's been married, white dude. He got married in 1962. His mother and father gave him a house that he still live in. He never paid a house note, because the house was paid for.

And then the property was on like 60 acres with three lakes. So he living the life, they left him money. That's where it's supposed to be. You always leave your family in a position where they don't have to suffer and be in a strain. That's why we need to get insurance. Oh my God, you don't see somebody die. They do a GoFundMe.

And the brother-in-law take all the money, he take everything but $60. They don't raise 30,000. They didn't give him $60. Man, you know they left more than $60. And that's what we should be. We should always put ourself in a position to live a good life,

also leave a good life for our family. Absolutely. I just got a couple more questions. There's a stigma about black comedians wearing dresses to be funny, having to wear a dress to get to that next level. What's your thoughts on that? Well, you know, I'm gonna be honest with you, man.

I did, it's funny you said that. I did a TV show that I take one time, never came out, it's called Bruce Bruce Bounty Hunters. And we did this scene, I was a bounty hunter, I played a bounty hunter, I played a preacher called Reverend Get Money, it was Reverend Get Money, and I played a mother named Mother Marshall, which was crazy, but Mother Marshall was a real lady

in my church that I mimic. I copied off of her, and I also played, I did it in Indianapolisapolis and I did not feel comfortable in that dress, you know what I'm saying, at all. And some people could do it, some people, if it worked for you, it'd do it. Flip Wilson did it when he did Geraldine, you know, because Flip Wilson's show was a variety show

which I loved because it wasn't a black show, it was a show for everybody, and that's what people gotta understand. But if they wanna dress up in a dress, do your thing. You know, but that's not my thing. Yeah, but you know, Tyler Perry made it big. He's one of the best. But to me, I love Tyler Perry,

but Joe is funnier than Tyler Perry. Than my deal. When he plays Joe. When he plays Joe. Joe is funnier than Tyler Perry. Than my deal. When he plays Joe, when he plays Joe, Joe is funny. Joe have oxygen tank, smoking weed, coughing, and I say thank you Jesus. So when he plays Joe, Joe is the funniest dude. I know, that's just me.

I love my deal. I think he has been living a lot with Joe too. Yeah, I love my deal. But Joe, oh my God, Joe is funny. And see back then. I think you be ad livin' a lot with Joe too. Yeah, I love my deal. But Joe's funny to you. Oh my God, Joe was funny. And see, back then when we used to see people in their dresses, I even see like, when they used to do men on film on The Living Colors, it was just funny.

Like I never thought nothin' of it. Men on film was the thing. Remember they talked about Moby Dick? Moby Dick, that gets two snaps and a kiss and a roundabout. You remember that? Yeah, and the twist, yeah. Yeah, the twist, yeah. How would you define this point in your life,

professionally and personally? Oh, well I want everybody to know, professionally and personally, this is me. And this is how I do business. I don't act, I don't put on. So if you see me on and off stage, this is Bruce Bruce. And I'm the same every day, man. You know, I have problems just like everybody else.

I have, I get a cold, like everybody, you know, everybody think when you're in the entertainment, things are just perfect, no it's not. And your family members and your friends are the worst. The Bible speaks, if it ain't your family, watch your closest friend. They gonna get you, I got a cousin now, I'm just going through so much.

I said keep having some birthdays, you gonna go through some more shit. You understand what I'm saying? But they expect you to rescue them and fix them and not pay you back. Who thought of that one? I don't know. I don't know who thought of that one.

I don't know, they don't think, but if it was flip if I owe them Now you know he owes money. He gave my money yet. But when you owe me I saw to be able to Understand when you got it. Yeah, exactly I'll be telling I told me I ain't seen a rich man with extra money. Hey Never why do you have to say your name twice? I do, because my mommies call me twice. My momma say if I call you the third time, I'm gonna kill you. So.

My momma. So. My momma say if I call you three times, you gonna die today. And my mother was a little woman, about 140. I mean she was just, but loving and knew how to make her way out of no way. Most mothers do.

That's why it's always good when you do get successful and you start making money, make sure you take care of your mom. And one thing you gotta realize, it don't take much like you think it does. People think like, oh, I gotta do that. No, your mom don't want that much. She just wanna make sure she's okay, she's comfortable

and she got a little money. My mother, the last 20 years of her life, I made sure she was straight. Didn't pay no bills, nothing. But it didn't take much, you know what I'm saying? But then when your family members found out about it, they started trying to use you too. You know, my mom going through something,

well, that's your mother, this one is mine. I'll let you have it. That's for real. Bruce Bruce, we appreciate you for joining us. No not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna job. Ain't nobody gonna be sitting at home drinking lemonade while I'm sitting at home. That's right. I need to go to work. That's right. Well there you have it, it's Bruce Bruce. Yeah, we've been trying to get Bruce Bruce

up here for a minute, man, because I've always respected you as a comedy legend, man. That's right. You're an icon, so salute to you, Bruce Bruce. Thank you for coming. Love and respect. It's Bruce Bruce, it's The Breakfast Club, good morning.

Wake that ass up, early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. People, my people, what's up? This is Questlove. Man, I cannot believe we're already wrapping up another season of Questlove Supreme. Man, we've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest of the guys. We've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you

guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest of the guys. We've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest of the guys. We've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest of the guys.

We've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest of the guys. We've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Mara, and the rest, I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations We've had so far. I mean we talked to a Marie Johnny Marr John

Billy Porter and so many more Look if you haven't heard these episodes yet. Hey now's your chance. You gotta check them out Listen to quest love supreme on the I heartartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey everyone, it's John, also known as Dr. John Paul. And I'm Jordan, or Joe Ho. And we are the BlackFatFilm Podcast. A podcast where all the intersections of identity are celebrated. Oh, chat, this year we have had some of our favorite people on including Kid Fury, T.S.

Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey Show, Angela Carrasso and more. Make sure you listen to the BlackFatFilm Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Have a podcast or whatever you get your podcast, girl. Oh, I know that's right.