Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Donnell Rawlings Part 1

Episode Date: January 15, 2025

In this special episode of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe welcomes the legendary comedian, actor, and writer Donnell Rawlings to the luxurious Villa 66 at Resorts World Las Vegas. With over 30 years in the entertainment industry, Donnell takes us on a hilarious and insightful journey through his iconic career, from his unforgettable roles on The Chappelle Show and The Wire to his work as a stand-up comedian. Donnell reflects on the evolution of comedy, the influence of the DMV comedy scene, and the legends who shaped it, including Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle, and Wanda Sykes. He shares candid stories from his time on The Wire, and reflects on how the show’s groundbreaking portrayal of Baltimore changed the landscape of television. Donnell also reveals behind-the-scenes moments with co-stars like Idris Elba and the unique dynamics of the show. Donnell opens up about his collaborations, including how he brought Bill Burr on tour before Burr became a household name. He shares the story of their "Rich B**** Tour," where he believed in Burr’s talent before the world caught on, leading to both financial success and creative fulfillment. He also touches on the importance of crossover appeal in comedy, navigating both the Black (Chitlin Circuit) and mainstream comedy clubs to appeal to diverse audiences and positioning himself alongside the best in the business. The conversation touches on the strategies that helped comedians like Kevin Hart achieve longevity. Donnell emphasizes the importance of using opportunities wisely and respecting different paths to success in the industry. Donnell also reflects on his career, discussing the roles he didn’t get and controversial topics in entertainment, such as gender expression and the public perception of performers. He discusses respecting the craft of acting, acknowledging when others are better suited for roles, and appreciating artistry, like Katt Williams’ Emmy-winning performance on Atlanta. Donnell recounts auditioning for roles, including Ving Rhames’ part in Holiday Heart, and reflects on how exposure to icons like Tyler Perry highlights the power of creative ownership. The conversation takes an interesting turn as Donnell reflects on his experiences at Hollywood parties. He explains that some of these gatherings are merely regular social events, while others may involve more questionable activities. Donnell highlights how Hollywood's image has been shaped by various stories and experiences, particularly the contrast between parties in different communities. With unfiltered humor and larger-than-life energy, Donnell keeps it real about life, love, and chasing happiness in all its flavors. Tune in for a conversation filled with laughter, wisdom, and unforgettable moments that showcase the incredible journey of a true comedy legend.    #volume See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hello, welcome to another episode of Club CheChe. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club CheChe. And today, we're at the brand new Villa 66 at Resorts World in Las Vegas. This is a spectacular two-bedroom entertainment villa on the 66th floor with a stunning view of the script. This is reserved for invited guests only, which I am. I'll be staying here tonight.

The guy that's stopping by for conversation on the drink today is one of the most beloved comedians in the industry. He's had significant impact on the entertainment industry. He was on two of the greatest television shows in history, The Chappelle Show and The Wire. He was honored also with the Red Fox Award. He's a critically acclaimed actor, a versatile performer, seasoned stand-up comedian, a host, a writer for over 30 years.

He tours the world to sold-out audiences everywhere. A fan favorite, a proud father, a larger-than-life personality. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Donnell Rodgers. I really appreciate that introduction, but you missed one thing. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Donnell Rollins. I really appreciate that introduction, but you missed one thing. What'd I miss?

R&B singer. No! Something's got a hold on me lately, and I don't know myself anymore. And that's not the drink speaking, that's just me. Yeah, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Teddy Drowns. Aw, man, what is this? It's ironic that he's one of my favorite artists right now.

And no black people swim, and I love Teddy's swimming. Teddy's unbelievable. He's a good guy, too, man. He's unbelievable. And he swims in the milk. You know what that means, right? No, I don't know what that means. All right, you know what bunny hopping is, right?

Yeah, I know what that is. Well, it's opposite of bunny hopping. It's when a white guy dates a black chick. He swims in the milk, which would be such a disapproval to Dr. Umar. But I put it like this. Oh, there you go. I'm just saying, sir. Some people don't appreciate love in all flavors. They used to call me Baskin-Rollins, because I dipped in different flavors. And I support happiness. I support

happiness. That's what I do. That's it. You don't like who like you. I like who like me. There you go. There it is. Bro, thanks for stopping by. But damn, I do. That's it. That's what people want to happen. You don't like who like you. I like who like me. There you go. There it is. Bro, thanks for stopping by. Damn, boy, them bunnies sometimes.

Come on, man. I'm just saying. Lord have mercy. I just want you guys to be. They silent. They don't talk a lot. Oh, man. Sharon Sharp does not approve of this.

Yes, you do. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. Don't be playing for your rest. You're trying to get me. Come on, bro. You're trying to get me canceled. I try. Yo, if you ain't canceled by now, you won't Don't be playing it for the rest. You're trying to get me... Come on, bro! You're trying to get me canceled. Yo, if you ain't canceled by now, you won't get canceled.

All right? Certain people, when you create... And this is the real stuff. When you create your own lane, when you're doing it on your own terms, you are uncancellable. Okay. And people always ask that question, you think somebody's gonna cancel you. People say to me sometimes, you think you're gonna cancel, I'm like, first off, I'm not connected with a major network. Right.

I'm not connected with no corporate sponsors, so my only boss is people that work hard pay to pay the money come see you and they can't cancel you for that Well, I do have I am on television. I work for the guy that got the ears, right? I was trying to want to keep that look good. I spoke on me. I Didn't speak on you and you said that your face looked like Like you know where? He speaks for himself. I'm speaking for myself. Again, I did not approve the message that Mr. Rawlings delivered earlier.

Thank you very much. Okay. All I just said, be happy. Bruh, thanks for stopping by, man. You want a toast? My mother, I talked to my mother, right? I said, I'm doing Shannon's show. She said, well, don't get crazy.

And she told me, don't drink the yak. But I'm in a profession right now where I don't have any discipline. So to my mother, you'll have to get over it. She'll be all right. I love you, ma. It's a holiday. Just to see you's a 2B jolly.

Everything that you've done in the industry, continued success, bro. Thanks for stopping by. Thank you for having me. Ooh, my mother might have been right. That is smooth though. You got the fancy sifters too. Yeah. That's the next level I did.

We gon' see you home, we gon' see you a couple of bottles with you. Yeah, I saw Wiz Khalifa on the other day. You could send me home with something else too. I'm just saying. I didn't keep no, no. People upstairs, he didn't keep anything. I didn't keep anything, no.

I was like this, I said, ooh, I'm coming back the week after. I said, there's still gonna be some remnants of it. Yes. You partake? What? I just wanna say this. All the questions could be politically correct. You mean partake, do I get high?

Yes. Yeah. Do I smoke what? Do I smoke a fatty? In some cases, I do. You do. And I don't, but the thing is, I'm not like, some people a fatty? In some cases I do. You do? And I don't, but the thing is, I'm not like, some people like they smoke just to get lit. Right.

I like it and then even my preference is like hybrids, heavier on the sativa side. Right. Because I like stuff that make me feel creative or make me want to write. Okay. But I don't like to like smoke a joint and just lay on the couch. Yeah, be space-dialed. So you partake? No, I don't.

God damn, this is going to be chess. This is going to be chess. Now, we're in a bit. You're from the DMV. Yes. Quake from the DMV. Yes. Martin Lawrence, Wanda Sykes, Chappelle, Tommy Davidson. What is in the water? What's in the soil?

How do you get all these guys from that little one central location? I think you have that in different cities. Atlanta is a good market. Chicago. Atlanta's a good market. Chicago's a good market. Joe Rogan has made Austin a good market. But I think that that crew of people, you missed a couple of people,

Good Friend of Mine, my mentor, Fat Doctor. It's just something about the people that we really believed in being good stand-ups. And we learned from, like, craftsmen. You know what I'm saying? Now, today, you know what I'm saying? Now today, you know, the comedy is going to a way where people go up there and ask like crowd work questions or anything.

I don't think that that's the best form of stand-up, but it's getting paid. But we was coming up, we came up, we came up behind Martin Luther's, Tommy Davis. So we used to go to those shows. We wanted to be good. So we used to always sit in the back and study. The young comedians today, they don't do that. We used to sit in the back and study and watch what makes this guy dope. What is he working on? How much time does he have?

Is he good at some of the crowd work? Is he a good storyteller? So when you have people like that, that you're coming behind, you have no choice but to be a good comic because you're coming from, coming behind some of the best people to do it. And everybody, and it's a funny thing you said, everybody that you name on that list be a good comic because you're coming from coming behind some of the best people to do it and everybody Every and it's a funny thing you said everybody that you know, at least is still actively correct doing it

And we're talking like guys that have years, uh careers of 25 30 40 years still relevant and still making people laugh I noticed in correct me if i'm wrong. I noticed a lot of the young and up-and-coming comedians They're like lean heavily on the skits. And the older guys didn't really do a whole lot of skits. You got up there with a microphone, you had a stool, and you told jokes, you walked the room, you appealed to the crowd. Do you notice the difference in how stand-up is being?

I notice a difference, but I will say it's evolved. And the reason why it was like that, we didn't have access to what the kids have today to blow up. I had a conversation with a young female comic maybe like seven years ago. She said, I'm a comedian. I was like, let me see some of your stuff.

And she went to YouTube. She said, well, I do these skits. And I said, that's not being a comedian. She said, yes, it is. I said, no, it's not. But then she broke open the Webster dictionary definition, one who entertains a crowd with humor. So when I started, it wasn't the sketch stuff.

So when you say comedian, you only associated it with standup. Telling jokes. You're telling jokes. But now it's a whole different thing. The only thing, the thing about it is I'm like a real artist to this. I believe in it. And you see some of the younger guys, they like a real artist to this. I believe in it.

And you see some of the younger guys, they get on real, real quick. And you're like, well, I liked them doing their skits, but not doing a standup. I just wish that some of them just would respect the art enough to take it a little bit more serious and want to be a craftsman of it. But when I first started, if you wanted to get...

pussy... if you wanted to get pussy, if you wanted to get money, and you wanted to get fame, you had to be good first. You had to be good before the money came, you had to be good before the girls came, you had to be good before the fame came. But now, you got somebody that can go viral real quick, don't have that skill set.

So how do you tell a younger comic, you know what, you need to work on this And when he he look at his YouTube money, and it's like this in million I just made three thousand this week. I don't care about being good right now I care about getting this money, but then you have some people that break away from it that take Take the tools of being a do stuff on the internet and also work on being good standups too. But let me ask you this, when you're skit driven, is that sustainable?

Because I mean, now you can see some of you guys, some of you guys can also, you know, you came up in the standup game where you told jokes, you worked the room, but you can also do skits. But do you believe if you start with skits first, is that sustainable? It's sustainable because you're gonna get the money fast.

And at the end of the day, what are most people doing it for for the cash? You don't have to do skips for 10 or 15 years. You got some of these guys to get a lick for two years. And if they invest their money right, do the right thing. They're good. But the funny thing, when I first started, I started as a standup.

And then I realized that a lot of the jokes that I was doing was three-dimensional, they was like characters. They had storylines. And I'm talking about maybe like 30 years ago. So I said, what I wanna do is take my jokes and make them characters, make them sketch. I had a sketch group years ago called Secret Society. Red, Grant was in that sketch group.

Good for the world. Yeah, I know, I know. And he told me everybody knew Shannon came to college only had two shirts and two pairs of pants. That's what he said. And then he also said back then, that's when he used to wear his watch to tell time. But he said, oh yeah, there you go.

It's the Olympic ball game now. Oh Joe, oh Joe, I'll tell you. That had a nice, that had a nice psycho. Yeah, I know, I know. And you rocked that, you made me feel, you know, smoke. Yeah, I know. I know. And you rocked that. You made me feel, you know, smoke. What was the question again? The end of your sentence.

The sustainability with your sketch. Oh, I had a sketch. It was me, Red Grant, it was Mike Epps. It was, just got Rich Perales. It was a whole bunch of us. And we was doing sketch back then. We was at Helly Game before the Chappelle Show even existed. I had to look into the future.

I was like, all right, I'm gonna bring this super group together. It was like 12 of us. And I knew the group wasn't gonna last long because anytime you got 12 different personalities, it's always gonna change. It's always gonna change. But what I realized, it almost,

I felt like it was like Wu-Tang of sketch. I was like, I knew we wasn't gonna all stay together. I knew that we had people that kind of were stronger on the producer side, stronger on the writing side and the acting side. In fact, my manager at the time, she said, Don, I think that group is about to fall apart. And I was like, it's designed to fall apart. But if it wasn't for us coming together like this, we wouldn't have had the platform for people to see what to do. But you can sustain a career with just doing sketches because people are coming out just for that.

Not in a million years, when I thought somebody could make millions of dollars in tour theaters, just sitting on a stage, having a podcast and talking. So comedy, the way it's perceived and how you can make it work for you, it's evolved where it's so many different lanes open now. Well, I think of comics in the past compared to today's comics, you guys, they had a very seedy past. They had a very, like you look at prior, you hear Miss Pat tell her story, and she's almost like an old school comic,

the heartbreak and the disappointment that she's had. And what a comic is able to do, they're really able to take true events and make them funny. Yes. And that's how they're able to get over the trauma and the hurt and the pain that they're dealing with. Do you notice that, that the comics today are a lot different? Their past, past, path is a lot different than you guys? To get there? Yeah. I think that I don't want to say it's easier, but you have different avenues. OK. When I came up, first off, on the stand-up side, it was almost impossible to be seen as a black comic,

because you only had a couple of net where you had The David Letterman Show, Johnny Carson. I'm talking about way back in the day. Yeah, right. And then if you look at the list of comics that used to do that, it was all white comics. You might have one black comic every couple of years. That's why it was a good thing that Deaf Comedy Jam came,

because there was a group of comics, there was a children's circuit, it was underground. But they weren't, they weren't being seen. But I think that now, your phone, man, I tell anybody, your phone can just blow you up. And everybody in this business, they make excuses, but at the end of the day, you can have a little bit of talent

But if you got the right work ethics you can make it happen for yourself when I started at ABC CBS and NBC HBO would give a special every two years, but how many people got an opportunity yet? so the people that sit back and complain about what they can do I So yeah, my dad told me a long time ago You got two excuses a good excuse and a bad excuse. And in a day, your success is dependent on how hard you work and you can get it. It's too many examples of that get it

with the right work ethics. Would you consider DC the funniest city? You mentioned New York, you mentioned, but when you look at per capita, you look at the DMV and how small it is compared to a Chicago, compared to a New York and some of these other major cities. Everybody got their bosses, everybody got these people. But I think pound for pound, the pound for pound, DC is one of the best cities that's

had comics that not just got hot for a minute but have to sustain itself in this business. And a lot of people can make arguments without Chicago. There's a lot of good comments that come out of there. When you talk about the people that's been on the small screen, the big screen, that has success just touring, I think hands down DC is one of the best cities. We look at Martin, been on television and in the movies. You look at Dave Chappelle, television and movies. Tommy Davidson, television and movies. Wanda Sacks, television and in the movies. You look at Dave Chappelle, television and movie. Tommy Davidson, television and movies. Wanda Sykes, television and movie. Donnell, when you got into this,

because you see the transition, you see Richard Pryor was a stand-up, did television. Eddie Murphy stand-up, did television. Is that the natural progression? Does most, I can't say all, Kevin Hart, can't say all, there's no such thing as all in every, but do a lot of comedians get in to stand up with the hopes and dreams aspirations of doing television I think a lot of them. That's the ultimate goal. Okay. But I also think that at the end of day and I look at my career you know whether I do another film project, we'll do another television project, I've at least positioned myself where I can put my name on a marquee

and make some good money for the rest of my life. I think that that's an evolution for some people, but not all people. And some people, it was like the standup was just the platform and the setup to be an actor. Chris Tucker, when Chris Tucker first started, everybody knew when Chris Tucker first started, he probably had 10 minutes of a fire set. You know what I'm saying? But when you saw Chris Tucker perform Def Jam, when he came out just pissed off, man. I'm so broke. If it brought me to just be practiced. You knew you wasn't just looking at a stand up. You was looking at a movie star. You know what I'm saying? He was one of those

guys. And Martin Lawrence is a great stand upup. But when you look at Martin Lawrence, you can see him in a television show. You can see him in a movie. But for everybody, it doesn't work out like that. Everybody have, some people don't care to be film, TV. They just wanna be able to make an honest living doing something they love. And how many professions, how many people

get an opportunity to actually call their own shots, they're their own boss, do what they wanna do, and make a good living. Not too many. Right. And it's not, even if you look at the era, the Def Jam area, the era of all the comedians with the nicknames and everything,

I would say out of everybody performing on Def Jam, it's probably five or 10% of those people that are actively working, this people will still go pay a ticket price to go see. NFL playoffs, we're talking about NFL playoffs. You bet we are. Get in on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL.

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Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash promos for deposit, wagering and eligibility restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. You kind of got your breakout. You worked on a show and many consider this show is the great one of the greatest TV shows, if not the greatest, The Wire. Right. Based in Baltimore. Yeah. How did that role come about? The crazy thing, if you really a historian

on The Wire and David Simon of Baltimore, you know that Charles Dutton had a mini series called The Corner. The Corner was before The Wire. And my relationship with The Wire was I played Brad on The Corner, Harold Attic on that show. And David Simon, if you watch any show that he's produced, he's produced or he's written, he is really loyal to people that worked with him before. So that kind of gave me a heads up on the opportunity

to be on The Wire. But the crazy thing about The Wire was the role of Omar, it came down to me and Michael on that role of Omar. Robert Colesbury, one of the executive producers of The Wire, who's not there anymore, when I came on set, he said, you know, we had you heavily favored to play the role of Omar. Right, I had no idea that.

He said, but this character, Day-D, Day-D Price, we thought there was gonna be something special, we wanted to save you for this role. And if you really follow wire, you notice a lot of people say first season was all about the towers. Stringer Bear, Aegis, Elba, Wood and all those guys. The second season, it made a twist. It went from the towers to the docks about being at the shipyard.

And that was because the Baltimore Tourism Board was complaining that every time they have a show that's in Baltimore, it's always depicted as being a seedy drug written, and I'm like, when the last time you walked downtown? That's what the fuck it is. They ain't lying. They call it bodymore for no reason. So they had to switch, because my character, Senator Clay Davis' assistant, I got caught with $30,000, right?

I had to give it back, and then next season my character wasn't in the story arc So once they switched it to the docks my character got lost the Davis Simon who's really loyal to people that's on that show He wanted to pay like homage to my character He brought me back But that that was an amazing experience to be on on that show the role that you played how easy? Was it for you to play that role? on that show. The role that you played, how easy was it for you to play that role?

Clay Davis? No role is easy for me to play because I'm more connected to stand up than acting. And to be quite honest, I have time. I only even know what the fuck I'm doing. It was one scene, Magnotti, he was one of the actors in The Wire. He was a director too.

So it was one scene when I had to snitch on Clay Davis. And I was feeling uncomfortable doing it. I was like, what type of, what emotion do I want to have? So I was playing it like kind of nervous, like, oh no. And he came up to me with this accent. He was like, I don't know if you're pulling it right. He said, I think you really want to put this guy down. You want to, you want to lock him up. I said, motherfucker, I don't know where you from, but where I'm from, you don't snitch. And you don't snitch like he's a Jolligus fellow.

You don't be like, oh, it's that guy. Put him away. You got to act like that's the hardest shit in the world. You're like, oh, man, I don't want to snitch, but I don't want to go to jail as much. I don't want to snitch. And then after I did that, he was like, okay, I think you might be right. And then he let it stay. Yep.

But that show, man, even though it is so interesting, because in acting, I never took a class. I never been trained. The furthest thing, the most training I've ever done, was I got a monologue book, and I used to practice in a myriad of different monologues. And the crazy thing was, even when I got the roll of bread on the corner, I had no idea

how that happened. I was in an audition for like 30 minutes and the casting director, Jackie Brown Carmen, she was one of the biggest black casting directors in New York, I was eating in this audition. And I wanted to be like, I'm all right, whatever. And she said, downhill, God is in the room. You good, take your time. I was like, well, God, you need to come right now. I did the audition and I didn't think anything. I was like, that's past me.

And I booked the role and when I went on set, the first thing I asked David Simon, I said, how did y'all pick me? I was like, I really thought I bombed that role. I didn't know what was going on. And he said, Diner, we like the fact that you threw the lines away and you did your own thing. The reason why I threw the lines away, because I didn't remember the lines.

You didn't throw them away? I didn't throw them away. I didn't know it. I didn't know what the hell was going on. So and then another thing, because I was playing a heroin addict. And I think that everybody, and I don't be reading my scripts like I'm supposed to, everybody looked at that character as a heroin addict, and I'm pretty sure everybody went in there with the stereotype of leaning like the dope fiend and everything.

And I didn't do that, because I didn't know. I just thought he was a cool dude. And what they wanted to see was who was this guy when he wasn't high? Was he that funny? Got a neighborhood if he wasn't high. So I that funny got a neighbor? It was was when if he was on so, you know, I guess God was in a room I got that part. I built a relationship with those people of HBO and it led to me being on on the wire When you were doing the wire, did you realize it was gonna be so well received and it would be the phenomenon that it became I didn't I didn, I had no idea.

But what I did know, I was doing shit nobody else was doing. You know, I was a Def Jam comic. At that time, I probably was one of the only comics that was on Def Comedy Jam and then on a critically acclaimed show. I didn't predict it to be that big, but it just took on a life of its own.

I mean, Idris Elba, from working at door at Caroline's Comedy Club in New York City to being one of the biggest stars in the country. And I got to tell you something, I hated that when he was on the show. And the reason why, because they had these women called the String of Bellettes or something. He had fans everywhere, right? And then I would meet girls and they'd be like, what's he on the wire? And I thought it was my time to shine, right? They'd be like, yeah, they'd be like, could you introduce us to Stringer Bell? I was like, you ain't Stringer Bell, right?

But when they killed him, I was like, yeah, where your man at now? He dead. How you celebrate your man getting killed? Man, because he was taking all the girls. And I was so happy. He just really doubled down and became one of the biggest international stars in the world. So he won that fight.

Yeah, he's outback. But it was, yo, Wood, all of those guys, man, and we had like a dope unit. I was still doing stand-up then. And can you imagine, I would do like a little hole-in-the-wall spot in Brooklyn and have half the cast of The Wire show up. It was crazy, but nobody knew how big that show would be and how last it would last. We're talking about, there was an article, Entertainment Weekly, and they said two of the, they had 100 best shows in the history of TV.

And Chappelle's show, In The Wire, ranked. And I was like, you ask yourself legacy, what people remember you by, if nothing else. If I'm not a part of anything else, at least I can say I was a part of what people are gonna talk about. They don't be talking about that shows until the end of time.

Yeah, and 100 year history of television, I've been on two of the biggest shows. They might remember part of Def Jam, but those shows they'll remember. And I was doing both of them at the same time. What do you remember about Idris? Because that was early in his career also, so he was just an up and comer just like yourself.

I remember he took all the damn girls. That's all I remember. Yo, I'm still traumatized. And then he would double down with that punk ass English accent. You want to get to the Bloor E hotel And I got it New York yo son y'all try to go it was a whole different thing, but I say one of the most

Humble guys and people don't understand they hear about him DJ and whatever I think Idris was is and still to this day is as passionate about DJing is as he is as an actor Really? Yeah, oh, 100%. Oh, he takes the DJing super serious. Wow. Yeah. So when you first heard that accent,

did you like, bro, you, I saw you at Caroline's Comedy Club, bro. You died at your act, you don't talk like that. When I heard first heard the accent, I wanted to keep talking, cause I wanted to use it. Oh, you were standing there. I wanted somebody to come to the Bloye Hotel, too. I wanted somebody to come to the Bloor E. Hotel, too.

I wanted somebody to come to the Bloor E. Hotel. I'm like, oh, man, he tall, dark, handsome, and an accent. I ain't got a chance, huh? And I was just starting my ashy journey at that time, so I was out of the loop. But if you think about it, if you go back and you look at Idris and the role that he played, and you look at Damson, Idris, and Snowfall, how did the British actors get in all these gangster

roles? I mean, they students of the craft. I know it's a talk about you get on the road, but you got to be just imagine the level you have to be. All those guys, they got to get dialect coaches. Yeah, because I didn't even know, I didn't know the guy Snowfall. I did not know he was British. No, I couldn't tell.

I don't know if they're working for a cheaper amount of money. I don't know if they're in a little that part of it. But for you to be able to embody these characters and to do it and out in another accent. Yes, it's got to be something to be said about this skill set. But at the end of the day, we can plan by everything. But at the end of the day, may the best man win. Right.

You know? Cause a lot of people, they're getting upset like, hold on. You got black actors, actors right here in America, and then you bring British actors to play a black person, a black American. Right. Why not just hire a black American to play a- Because they might not have been the best person

for the job. Okay. I don't understand. This business is about competition. Because they might not have been the best person for the job. Okay, I don't understand this business It's about competition right and like what you saying like people complain. I know this may sound crazy work Harder right everything ain't gonna be for you. You got to keep going this whole notion The man first off Hollywood is fucked up Okay, it's the people's perception of it is different.

At the end of the day, a lot of people do is sit back and complain. I say pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Work harder. If you didn't get that role, keep going. This field is a job where you're going to be rejected 95% of the time. This is a job where you're going to be broke most of the time.

When people come up to me like, Don-El, you got any advice or words of wisdom, I always tell them, first off, you've got to be able to be happy being broke. In this business, if you can't be happy being broke, you might as well get out of it, because you're going to be broke most of the time you're doing it. If you can find a happy place, if you could, and I could not say in my case when I first started wasn't making no money When I do a gift for $30 and get a five pound bag potatoes some bologna some cheese and some eggs

I'm like I got food for the rest of week I was happy because I knew if I keep on Eventually, it's gonna pop right and every not everybody but for the most part you're gonna get a shot You're gonna get the game But what you do with it when you get in the game and that's what's gonna separate You from everybody else to sit back complaining and not doing nothing and looking at everybody succeed and complain about Hey, it's Bobby bones join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle.

Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirror ball trophy from Dancing with the Stars. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? Based in Nashville, we're more than just your basic NFL show. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit everything, because we got lots to say. I texted you and you texted me back. Now, I don't know if you have the update,

but like all the little thumbs up and heart and stuff, like it's all colored. They changed it. And the heart's a little pink. It felt like I told you I loved you. I'm gonna be honest, it was a little pink. There was something sentimental when you sent it. You're like, do I send the heart now?

I don't like the color edition. It's extremely pink. Listen to lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at The Daily Show, which means he's also back in our ears on The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily Show podcast has everything you need to stay on top of today's news and pop culture.

You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports, and more from John and the team of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to The Daily Show, Ears Edition on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everybody? I'm Dan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts in the National Hockey League.

It's NHL Inscripted with Burke and Demers. Hey, I'm Jason Demers, former 700 game NHL defenseman turned NHL network analyst, and boy oh boy, does daddy have a lot to say. I love you, by the way, on NHL Network. We're looking forward to getting together each week to chat and chirp about the sport and all the other things surrounding it that we love, right?

Yeah, I just met you today, but we're gonna have a ton of guests from the colliding worlds of hockey, entertainment, and pop culture. And you know what? Tons of back and forth on all things NHL. Yeah, you're going to find out we're not just hockey talk. We have all kinds of random stuff on this podcast, movies, television, food, wrestling, even the stuff that you wear on NHL now. You wish you could pull off my short shorts, Ferkey. That's sure to cause a ruckus. Listen to NHL Unscripted with Berk and Demurs in the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. When you became successful, you did The Wire, you did The Chappelle Show, you're still doing your stuff. I wasn't successful then. I was working. I wasn't successful. That's was working. I wasn't successful. That's the illusion people have about TV. They think when you're here, everybody make a big dollar though.

Nigga, let me tell you something, man. When I was doing Chapelle Show and the thing about it was, you heard me say I'm rich bitch at the end of the show, right? You are rich. Yo, I was rich. Yo, I go to restaurants, that bill would come, they would be like, uh-uh, we thought you was rich, bitch. I said, I go to restaurants that bill will come they would be like just uh-uh we thought you was rich bitch I said I'm nice

But at the same time Shannon, I knew I was positioned myself Okay for success right when I was doing Chappelle show and I seen people come in this platform That's what I understand about actors and people You signed the contract, right? You put your name on the dotted line. Right. You started this show. It was a small show.

It just so happened that the show blew up. Right. Right? Your contract already signed. So you entitled to all that money? No. The only person in the history of this business has ever really tested the industry and said,

you know what, I know I did do a contract, but I know my value is, and y'all still gonna step up, Dave Chappelle, the only one. He forced the hand of Comedy Central, and I think it was very admirable what Comedy Central did, because they could have said, man, this is what he's supposed to pay you, but you know, when I was doing Chappelle's show, I was making $500 a sketch, and people already know

the blog's like, oh, they should have... But the show wasn't established. I knew the best thing I could do, that was just standard. That's what you got as an actor. But I knew me working that episode, me getting three minutes of camera time, now I could go out and get my money on the road. Even when we was working the first two years, me, Charlie, nobody on that show was making a lot of money. But I was like, wait a minute, this don't match up. Everywhere we go, we're hearing, I'm Rick James bitch, and everything.

We know we popping, but our bank accounts ain't popping. And I was like, we gotta do something. I came up with the idea, I said, we need to do a tour. I said, let's do a tour called the I'm Rich Bitch Tour. And at that time, I forget the name of the agency, but it was a young agent named Mike Berkowitz. He was a very young agent. My manager brought to him, I said, I want to do this tour.

Charlie name is popping. It was nowhere you go you didn't hear Charlie Murphy. Charlie Murphy never did comedy before, which I found very strange to be around all these people, but never tested yourself. So I said, if I want to do this tour, I'm the first person ever to Charlie Murphy on stage. And I bullied him to do it, because Charlie, man,

is a funny guy, talk a lot of trash. And whenever I wanted to show him, I was like, yeah, you tough in the streets, but put a microphone on your talk a lot of trash. And then whenever I wanted to shut him, I was like, yeah, you tough in the streets, but put a microphone in your face and see what happened. I knew he was trying to get some money. He did his first open mic. All I needed him to do was have 10 minutes. Bill Burr, at the time, Bill Burr,

and there's no disrespect, because you see what happened to Bill Burr career. At the time, Bill Burr probably was a comedian, was headlining probably a thousand dollars a weekend. And I'm not saying in no disrespect, but you knew when anytime somebody saw Bill Burr probably was a comedian with headlining probably a thousand dollars a weekend. And I'm not saying in no disrespect, but you knew when anytime somebody saw Bill Burr, you know he was going to pop. But that's just where he was then. And I said, okay, I get Charlie to do 10 minutes.

I bring Bill Burr on the show and Bill Burr wasn't a draw, but he was a funny act. And I said, we're going to do this tour. Yes, I could put anybody else on the tour, give them a little bit of money. I said, no, we're gonna go get some money. Three ways split. And we did that on Rich Bitch Tour. And we made some, probably at that time in our career, the most money we ever made. But with anything, Charlie started to know what his value was in regard to people wanting to pay to see him. Bill Burr was buzzing. He knew that he was about to take off. But we had to make adjustments. That 500 episode was getting us thousands

of dollars on the weekend. And at that time, that was the most money any of us ever saved. Right. Bill, was he the first white comic that you actually went on tour with? Yeah. But Bill Burr, his story was like, you know, Bill Burr, when he came to New York, he was one of the few white comics that did every room. He did the mainstream room, and then he did the Chitlin Circus. And I think part of his, you know, he's a very powerful, strong comic. But I think he got

a lot of edge being able to go into those rooms that everybody feared and just take control of it. But Bill Burr has always been a funny guy. How difficult is that when you're young, you're a black comedian, because I've always asked, and I ask this a lot of times, do you sit, do you write a set? Like I'm going to be in a predominantly white audience. Do I write a set accordingly? I'm going to be in front of a predominantly white audience. Do I write a set accordingly? I'm gonna be in front of a predominantly black audience. Do I write a set accordingly? How difficult is that to do when you're young and up and coming? Obviously, once you get established, you can go into any room.

It's the toughest thing because usually when you first start sharing, you write, your voice is usually who you perform for. So if I do the chilling circuit, it's easily for me to go up there. The way I speak, certain things that I say, I already know they're going to understand it. But then you have to, and even with me, helping with my accent from DC, coming to New York, I was going places and people were like, what?

What did you say? Certain rooms, it wasn't that way. Other rooms, I said, you know what? You got to work on your diction. You got to enunciate and you got to do this. But a lot of comics, they get used to one circuit or one side of it and stay with that. But I always knew that I wanted to do more than just the Chitlin circuit. I want to do more than just what the black comics.

And my thing was, I wanted to be, when I was in New York, there was a very popular club called the Comedy Cellar. It's like the biggest comedy club in the world, the biggest names. And when I was in New York at the time, it was only two or three black comedies working there. It was Keith Robinson, it was Deja Pale, Greer Bombs, and William Stevenson.

That was it. And it basically is like you walk around the corner the black club and the white club. It wasn't too many people doing both. And I said to myself, if I'm gonna be respected in this business or if I wanna be one of the best to do it, then I want my name to be on the same line out

as the best to do it. And that was one of the reasons why I said I wanna do mainstream. Cause the black circuit back then then they was paying more right but You didn't really have no future and at the end of day you were just getting pussy in the check And it wasn't even a big check But nor but for you you'd realize that you know in order for me to be what I want to become I'm gonna have to have crossover appeal. I'm gonna have to go appeal to that wider community.

I gotta go where people are gonna see you. Back then, producers and directors and executive producers, they wasn't going to Chocolate Sunday. They wasn't going to the Boston Comedy Club Sunday night. They wasn't going there. So if you wanted to be seen, you had to cross over. Or another thing people used to do, people used to get caught up in the fame of it, in the women, in the money, and they're like, I'm cool with this.

But as the years go on, you're like this, I wasted so much time just catering to this side of it when I could have been over here. That's one of the things like I hear hear people talk about Kevin Hart all the time. Kevin Hart was smart enough and I'm not here to defend anybody and you know something about your couch and you'll be wondering when it's going to heat up. And I know deep down in the cards it's going to get crazy. That's a lot of cards. I'm looking at him like this, he got me with that.

So when you was growing up, what inspired you? I'm looking at him like this. So when you were so-and-so was B-Final. But what people don't know, and I'm using, and I'm not, Kevin Hart don't need me to defend him. I know this little man's work ethics. Yes, cuz I was a part of it. I said it's another platform I remember Kevin Hart had one joke and this is not being racist. He's doing impression of a monkey Right, right, and he was the best monkey you ever seen

He had I mean He had this going on, the ooh, ah, ah, everything. And he used to riff. And he used to work the grimeiest spots. But he used to commute from Philly. He would come up, he would do my clubs, the hood clubs, those Philly outspots, and then he'd go do the mainstream spots. He knew that this is only gonna get me one thing.

He had a bigger picture. He knew exactly what he was gonna do. He knew how he was gonna get there. You want representation? Guess what? They're not going to the chicken factory. They're going to the cellar. They're going to the comedy strip.

They're going to that. And you have to have the work ethicist to sit around, Shannon, and wait for opportunity. Somebody fall out on the lineup. Somebody you got to get a reference to somebody. Just sit around just hanging out. One day, okay, now's your shot to go in there. And I seen him do that. I seen him go from my spots to the comedy selling spots.

I seen him get a manager. I seen him go to one of the most prestigious comedy festivals. It's a comedy festival, challenge my man Bruce, I ran a JFL comedy festival for years. This festival, 25 years ago. In Toronto? Montreal.

Montreal was being killed, yes. This was everybody's dream if I could get on there. Guess what? You're not gonna get on there in a chilling circuit. You're not. There's no way. Some kind of way you gotta get into the audience, you gotta mainstream.

But one thing about that special, it broke so many people. That festival, Monique, Uptown Comedy Club, it broke her. This festival was so dope, Shannon. You can go up there with a eight minute showcase set, nine to 10 minutes. And if you got a point of view, people could see what they could do.

You walking out of there, people was walking out there with a quarter million dollar deal just to hold you. That's what that festival was. Wow. And when people don't understand, they say, well, how did so-and-so go from this to that? To that. You missed all the shit.

And the reason why you missed it, because you wasn't invited. You didn't have the audition. And you can't knock a person that knows how to use their resources and position themselves for the right people To see them or you can bitch complain do them children's circus shit all you want. They pay money That's where I came from But eventually you got to figure out how to maneuver yourself through this business Kevin blew up off of that Dave Chappelle Blew up off of that a Sue Costello Monique it was so many people it was the hottest festival and that's what the birth

Of kevin heart was for the people like oh it oh he's a plant. No His path was different from your path you cannot Fault anybody because the way they get it is different from where you get it And all of this bullshit about, oh, I came through the mud, so and so. Guess what? I came through the mud.

Guess what, Shannon? I took a shower, I put cologne on the baby, I washed myself, I used my wash to let you know how much I was. And I switched it up. And there's nothing wrong with that. When you started becoming having success, did people think you took the easy way out?

Because it seems to be, I get that now. Oh, he sold his soul. But guess what? They don't know. What do prints say? Sometimes it takes 10 years to be an overnight success. Those people that just introduced you, they don't know. But the real people, they know.

That's why I've had arguments with comics or whatever. Oh, he ain't so-so. I'm like, ask somebody about me. Ask somebody about my career. Oh, it's easy, you got the suits. Ask somebody about me moving from D.C., sleeping on my man Royale Walker's couch for a year and a half.

He get a TV show, leave me in his apartment. I ain't got no money, no electricity, no water. You ain't paying the bills? Huh? You ain't paying? I tried to pay the bills. Them $30 shows wasn't getting it. Yo, I had an African landlord too.

And he's so sick of me, man. We used to pay him what I owe. He was so mad. He said, please, I would pay you to leave. Yo, because it was an area about to be gentrified. He was like, please, no, no, I don't want nothing. I just want you to leave I'm talking about a stitch across my man's apartment up up top

Sliding down switching that stitch of course from a hot plate to an iron to a heater People don't know nobody knows your comeback other than the people there. But then at some point It ain't your job to give a f***. You know? Because a lot of times all they see is the success, but they never see the struggle. And because they didn't see the struggle, they see the success.

They see the TV shows, they see the cars, they see the house, they see whatever. That's what everybody want to do now. They want to be you. Everybody want to be you today. Right. Everybody want to be you today. Everybody want to be Joe Rogan today. Nobody want to be Joe Rogan 25 years ago when people's like, what the is this? But now they see success, they want to do it.

You don't even know how many, they say now I'm going to do a podcast. I want to do a club shake. They don't know how many years you was putting in when nobody believed in this. When you was like, watch, it's going to pop. I had offers to do this show, people try and flip, and this before it popped. And I feel bad, not feel bad coming on down because I didn't, I really didn't want it

to feel like, oh now it's popping. But it was always a conflict. And another one of the reasons, because we got mutual friends, Red Grand, my man Keith Burns, one of your players. Okay, yeah. I grew up, I've known him since we played Little League football together. But going back to my point, everybody wants to take the easy route. Nobody wants to take the hard work.

It takes something like this, it wasn't last year, it takes years. It takes years of looking at those subscriptions, god damn! I thought that one was going to pop! A thousand views? You don't know. You don't know. But then when that lick hits, you feel good, but everybody else is like, oh my god, but you back there like this. I knew it. All I needed was the time. You go back to the wire, yourself, Idris Elba, you had Michael B. Jordan was on there, I think he was like 14, 15 years of age.

Michael K. Williams. I mean, that cast that you guys had, what was your, did you have a relationship where you guys ever had set together? I had a relationship with Idris Wood. I had a relationship with him, Michael B. Jordan. I was like so much older than him. I really had nothing with Idris Wood. I had a relationship with him. Michael B. Jordan. I was so much older than him.

I really had nothing in common with him. Michael K. Williams, we was really, really close. That was one of my closest guys connected to that. He used to come out. He was a real Brooklyn dude. Yeah. So he used to be like, man, RIP to him. He was a great dude.

Trouble souls, things happen. But he was one of my closest connections. But the biggest connection, and I want to go back when I did the corner Tasha Smith, okay Tasha Smith and Candy Alexander right Tasha Smith And I don't want to be offensive or anything when I say this people don't take the wrong way She's a bad bitch. Mm-hmm. And when I say that not just on the actor side, I'm talking about directed There is nothing she can do. Yeah. A lot of people don't know. I'm trying to encourage her to go back.

She started as a standup. But she was my coach. When I didn't know what I was doing, Chana, and I don't have, you're talking about a guy with no training. She used to pull me to the side, read my lines with me. In fact, she was the reason why I was on BMF. She was like, she called me one day. You know how certain people call you, you know it's a money phone call, right?

And I was getting dressed for another thing. It was for Winning Time, the HBO show about the Laker Dynasty. And I'm all happy, I'm like I'm working and I get a call from her, I'm like, I ain't got time to answer this call, I'm getting dressed, right? Soon as I picked the phone up, because she said, when I call you better answer that goddamn phone. I'm with 50 right now, I'm with Randy, Randy was the creator, and she basically gave me that role.

Wow. That role I played, what was that, Alvin. She gave me that role. And this is what people that, Alvin. She gave me that role. And this is what people don't understand about this business. Everybody always wanna say, oh, you had that little role, or that little so-and-so.

Cause they didn't have it. That, no, not on that, cause they didn't have it, but on that, they don't look at what you building. Right. First off, I tell anybody, you gotta get on set first.

You gotta get on set. Oh, I'm gonna turn it there, I only got one line You got to get on set. Oh, I'm going to turn it there. I only got one line. You got to get on set. That role that I played, I was only supposed to be in one scene, season finale. Randy loved that character so much because it was based on one of his cousins.

He was really connected with that. I was supposed to be on one episode, right? The next, they brought me back and they fell in love with the character They brought me back for another episode another episode another episode where I went through that that second season. I think I was in Seven out of the out of the out of the ten and that's because I took That little ass role and I did the best I could. Chappelle show. I was not supposed to be on that show.

There was no cast. Everybody's like, call us a cast. It was no cast. It was Dave and Neil had this show, right? And they could just put anybody on a show they wanted at the beginning. We had one actor in one scene, I remember, he wasn't doing well, wasted about an hour and a half of industry time, a lot of money. And where Dave and Neil would just say, you want to show, they said, you know what, Comedy

Central says that everybody has to audition now. I had already did on Rich Bitch. Right. I could have been like, man, y'all know my work, I'm not auditioning. But I said, if I do that, guess what? I won't have a shot. So I went back in the audition room, mirrored the audition, never heard that again. But I was only as good as my last sketch. I was only as good as my last scene. It wasn't like they had to write stuff for me. And my thing was, if you

go hard enough, one thing, when you want to set, if you start ripping, same thing I say with Jaleel White, with Urkel, post been in one episode. But if you rip, and them writers, now they start thinking about you, now they used to just like, okay, we're going to bring them in. Another thing, when I was on Spell Show, 90% of the things I was in, I wasn't supposed to be in. I was broke. I knew that if I go on set, I get some free food.

I get to hang out and they're gonna tap me in. Like 85% of the things that came out of my mouth on that show, it was all improv and me being in the moment, just hanging out. I think you mentioned that you were supposed to have Michael K. Williams' role, and you see what that role became. Did you like, damn, think about what could have been? No. The reason why? Because certain things happened. I was like, they got the best person for the job. And another reason why they had the best person for the job for the job with him, because I wasn't going to tongue kiss a big old.

Shut up, man. They got the right one for that one. I was like, I just thought he was a gangster. I didn't know he was taking dicks, son. But they wrote that in, I didn't write it in. But I was like, you know what, they got the best person for that job. Another situation, there's a role, Kat Winslet was here, right? Yeah. He talked, that role that he played, Alligator Man on Atlanta, that role came to me and

him. I was still in the running for that. I was asked by, they said, you still in, you still in. I ain't saying I was going to get the job, but I knew I was still in the running for that. I was asked by H. They said you still in you said I ain't saying I was gonna get the job, right, but I knew I was still in the running for it but certain times I look at people I look at their skill set and after the minute I Found out that cat Williams got it. I was not mad that You didn't get it. I didn't get it. I know how strong he is as a comment I know how strong as an actor that role. I looked at the role and the dynamic of it and I know he would go all in

and I was absolutely right about David's bad choice because he wanted to end me off with that with that role but never once that was envious or jealous. I was like back to the drawing board. I remember when Michael K. Williams said that he was scared, he was conflicted about taking the role. And we hear now a lot about blacks putting on dresses, playing those type of roles. Where are you on that, Donnie? I will tell you this. And you might end this out,

need something to be mad about And I hope you can keep that But not happy unless they mad about something how many it's rich Bitter Out here. They got everything still have something to be mad about. You can make that argument, the de-masculation of a man, whatever. You know who you are.

And really, the reason why that's so stupid to me, Flip Wilson. One of the- Journey. Flip Wilson, all right, this motherfucker wore a dress. Guess what? He was owner of his show, he was executive producer, and he knew who he was, and he knew it was a character

And I take another thing they always talk about his dress shit, right? I'm gonna tell you when I was like and I'm not saying I you know, I know they blood Oh, that means he will put a dress on got here Being rains play holiday heart, right? Right? Transgender I hope I'm getting it right character holiday heart holiday heart right? Um, I audition for that role It's you what was line so you are see you are the business It was because of you bitches that this bitch has been ignoring me for months. I remember that was part of the line, right? It was a dress. All right, whoever wants a say it's a dress, go say something to Bing Reigns about wearing a dress.

You ain't gonna do it. And what people don't understand is like, this is a art. This is a art. Now, I'm not saying this for everybody. I'm not saying this for me. I'm gonna tell you when it hit me, when I was like, man, who give a fuck

about what people say. I was doing an episode of Wildin' Out. Pull up to Tyler Perry Studios. Military base. You been there? I haven't been there, but I know where these important places are. Wait for you to go up in there. Military base, eight lanes on each side of the studio. You drive through that shit. You go down, make a right. Harry Belafonte's studios, Go down, make a right. Harry Belafonte Studios, Oprah Winfrey Studios, Sydney Portier Studios.

And I look back, I was like, from a dress? From a dress? I was like, I'm a size eight. But it's people that have too much time on their hand to make the argument and I guarantee Shana any the most people that talk that shit about blah blah blah blah blah look at what they're doing in life. It's probably nigger to borrow his girl car bring it back on eat. Blood guts all over it.

You know what I'm saying? You just, it don't make no sense. And any intelligent person will understand that it's all bullshit. Right. You know, you don't want to get caught. And I know that, oh yeah, he look like he'll wear a dress. It ain't my thing.

But I am not knocking somebody or judging them, somebody that does that. And especially in comedy Now if I pick you up we going to the club And you come out with a sequence dress I'm like yo son you gotta change that or at least change your heels or something Put some Timbs on with that dress. You ain't gonna be going out here Right. Well that's with that dress and them heels The red bottoms. But is that mainly in our community because you see Dustin Hoffman you see

And and Robbie Williams, right play that miss doubtfire And I think Dustin Hoffman was in Tootsie and you see so many other actors. Why is most is It is definitely linked to our culture because black Culture is the most homophobic culture out there, right? You know I'm saying certain like they just it just it's what it is Black culture is the most homophobic culture out there. Right. You know what I'm saying? Certain, like, it just, it's what it is. It's the way, I have a gay brother, right?

And I asked my brother, I said, do you think I'm homophobic? And he said, no, I don't think you're homophobic, but I do think you're homo-ignorant. And the reason why I was like, you know I am ignorant. I'm not to say that I'm a bad person. The reason why I'm a homo ignorant because I was raised by homophobic people. Of course. So how do I not be homophobic?

Correct. I was raised with uncles that thought anything could make you gay. Don't eat cottage cheese, nigga. Nah, they getting you used to consistency. I'm telling you, that's the gateway. You can be like, walk, walk, walk, I do that. Don't wear pink.

That's what I grew up with. But I do think that our mindsets have evolved to a point where the things, I've noticed that even in Kanye, Shane, it was certain things that I could say 30 years ago, it would get a laugh from the audience. Like easy laugh. Go ahead, you know, whatever. You get a laugh. That doesn't exist no whatever. You're left. That doesn't

exist no more. That's right. And I understand that the mindset of people in general have changed. My brother, my brother with my father had multiple kids. And I remember my brother kind of came out, because when I was growing up, I just thought my brother kind of came out, because when I was growing up, I just thought my brother had all the bitches. Right. Right, I didn't know he was like in that life or that's,

because I was so young, I didn't really connect with sexuality. Right. And I was too busy trying to build bikes and shit like that. So some time it went past, we are separated each other as a young adult, I was at a comedy club in Hollywood, and he came to the show.

And he said, we was outside. I was taking pictures. I was caught up in my moment. And I said, he said, you see that guy over there? I said, yeah, he said, that's your brother-in-law. But my father has so many kids, I thought he was introducing me to another brother. I'm like, man, I ain't got time for no more brothers,

no more sisters. It didn't hit me too later on when I went home, I said, oh shit, I think my brother just told me he was gay. I called my father, and my father, I'm talking about a straight street dude, heroin, Kingspin, in DC, whatever, like pool, how I got straight, straight. And I said, dad, I think Chuckie just told me he was gay. And my father said, man, I knew what he was up to. Like being gay was up to something. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Coach Brown and Bush was up to something. He said I knew what he was up to. And this is when I said the way people think and in mind is evolved. And for my father to make this statement right here, it means a lot to a person's character.

He said I knew what he was up to, but he was speaking on my brother's board. He said, I knew what he was up to, but he said, he was speaking on my brother's boy face, he said, man, but that's a good nigga. Right in that moment. And I knew that my father cared more about the character and the guy that my brother chose to be in love with than what anybody else can think. And I do think that mindsets have changed so much when it comes to that. Right, let me ask you this. The Chappelle show, how did that come about?

The Chappelle show came about. Were you friends with Chappelle before the show? Yeah, I knew him, but we knew of each other. Like going back to your question about the DC thing, it's one thing about being a comic from DC, you always looked at the people that were before you and what moves they made. The first thing when you come from DC,

the first sign that you really going for it when you moved. Right, you gotta leave DC. You gotta leave. It's not like now you'd be on the internet, you could be anywhere. You had to be going to New York or LA. And when I came out to get Shannon, I'll tell you, first time I ever touched

the microphone, I got a stand on Ovation. Wow. I was doing comedy for five months and I made Def Comedy Jam. I was on fire. And David, this is on record, David telling this story. Somebody asked Dave, at my 50th birthday, they asked Dave, where did you, Chris Spencer asked Dave, he said, where did you meet Darnell? He said, I'm going to tell you where I first met Darnell.

He said, when I used to be in DC, he said, I was the guy. And I would leave, I would be in New York, I would come home and I would always ask, who's the up and coming, who's smoking? And Dave said, it was always the regular names, Fat Doctor, Andy, I was, but the owner, Barbara, RIP, rest of the soul, she said, Dave, but this is one guy named Donnell Rawlins that's on fire. And Dave, the competitive nature he is, he said, that nigga right there. And then when somebody asked me, when I asked that same question,

I said, who was popping? Who's got a smoker? They was like, Dave Sparrow. I was like, so what's so nice about me? He's like, he's smart, you know, he's animated, he's a good actor. They said all this shit. And I was like, I felt the same thing.

I was like, man, fuck him. It was like a healthy competition. So we knew of each other. But my connection with Chappelle Show, it was Neil Brennan. Neil Brennan was a producer or an assistant in Living Color when they were going out scouting town. And he had me on a couple of audition tapes. And Neil Brennan and Dave had already wrote Half Baked,

right? But the thing was, when they did that, Neil was popping as a writer. I think he sold two or three scripts to Hollywood. But his work wasn't being produced. It wasn't getting green lit. He was getting the money, but he wasn't getting the green light.

So he wanted to direct. He called my manager and said, I really like Don Neil. I did this short film. He called my manager and said, I really like Darnale. I did this short film. I would like for him to be in it. It's just me and Cameron, me and one other person, whatever. And he said, I want him to do it. He said, I don't have no money to pay him,

but I'd like for him to do it. But this was the time I was on. I was on. I already started. The wire was on the corner. I was like, I know you can't afford to pay me, but if you're ever in a situation where you could throw me a bone, I'd appreciate it.

But I'll do it, I did it. Maybe two months later he said, I'm working on something. Neil Brinton said, I'm working on something, I'm gonna let you know. I was like, I'm busy, whatever. I was like, what's the show? Name the show, he said, we don't have a name for it. A month after that, Neil called me and said,

I want you to be on the show. And that show, a lot of people don't toss back. That show that he promised if he ever was in a position to look out for me, it was a Chappelle show. And of course I couldn't have been on the show without the approval of Dave, but Dave was one of the work of people that he just thought were funny. He didn't really know me as an actor. It was just like, these are the guys. But Neil Brennan was definitely instrumental on my connection with that show. Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards,

multiple New York Times bestsellers and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Stars. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? Based in Nashville, we're more than just your basic NFL show. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything, because we got lots to say. I texted you and you texted me back. Now, I don't know if you have the update, but like all the little thumbs up and heart and stuff,

like it's all colored. They changed it. And the heart's a little pink. It felt like I told you I loved you. I'm gonna be honest, it was a little pink. There was something sentimental when you sent it. You're like, do I send the heart now? I don't like the color edition.

It's extremely pink. Listen to lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at The Daily Show, which means he's also back in our ears on The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily Show podcast has everything you need

to stay on top of today's news and pop culture. You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports, and more from John and the team of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else, like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to The Daily Show Ears Edition on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everybody, I'm Neal Burke here to tell you about a new podcast,

iHeart Podcasts in the National Hockey League. It's NHL Inscripted with Burke and Demers. Hey, I'm Jason Demers, former 700 game NHL defenseman, turned NHL network analyst, and boy oh boy, does daddy have a lot to say. I love you, by the way, on NHL Network. We're looking forward to getting together each week to chat and chirp about the sport

and all the other things surrounding it that we love, right? Yeah, I just met you today, but we're gonna have a ton of guests from the colliding worlds of hockey, entertainment, and pop culture. And you know what? Tons of back and forth on all things NHL. Yeah, you're gonna soon gonna find out we're not just hockey talk. We have all kinds of random stuff on this podcast. Movies, television, food, wrestling, even the stuff that you wear on NHL now.

You wish you could pull off my short shorts, Fergie. That's sure to cause a ruckus. Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virkin Demurs and the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I try to tell people this, that the one thing that I know about in this business now, the entertainment side of it,

and when you have advertisers and sponsors, it's all about relationships. If you do not have relationships, you're not going to go very far in this business. Then go far. It's really that simple because a lot of times the people that are in position now weren't in those positions years ago and they remember how people treated them when they couldn't help them. Let me tell you something. I'm nice to 33-year-old b****s. You know, 33, 35, and the reason why I say that, they was 12! They was 12! When I was a, I told my agents, yo, let's go for these 33-year-old executives, they

were 12 watching the show. A lot of the work that I get now is like this, man, I used to watch the show with me and my dad. And you know, you start in relationships early on. I'm like, these guys, and I feel, and you know I get this a lot of times, oh, he's riding Dave Cotell's, Dave's Flunky, all of this shit, right? Oh, if it wasn't for Dave, guess what? Dave had, his production company is called Pilot Boy Production.

The reason why it's called Pilot Boy Production, because Dave had like 11 or 12 pilots before Chappelle Show. They always gunned for him. He was always getting shot. But for some reason, if it wasn't the right chemistry, the right team, it wasn't happening. It was the Chappelle Show that came together, and that was the one. So as much as you want to say So as much as you want to say, as much as you want to say it wasn't for Dave, guess what?

If it wasn't for the team that Dave built, he wouldn't have won a championship. You give Jordan all the credit, he's the star. He needed rebounds, he needed somebody to push that ball out. Somebody to play defense. He needs somebody to say it. So as much as people want to say that Yes, that show was a platform for me, but I brought it there's not a scene on that show that I

Didn't pop right if you listen to some of The most iconic Phrases on that show came out of my mouth. It was their writing, but as much, and I'm forever grateful for what they did to me, but I know that I wasn't a bum. I put in work. You carried your weight.

And I always tell people, if you look at, I say my career is, if you want to compare to anything, and I always go to hip hop artists, Busta Rhymes. You might not remember too many Busta Rhymes albums, but you know when he came on the track, he was, and I was going to hip hop artist Busta Rhymes, you might not remember too many Busta Rhymes albums, but you know when he came on the track, he was up and he was going to bounce. And that was my relationship with that show. You know what, that's what I hate when they say, oh, you know, you riding his coattails

or if it wasn't for him. But the question is, if I'm not successful, what would you have said? I ain't got no talent. You know what I'm saying? You didn't say you rode Dave's coattail, it was all because of Dave. Now, if the show is not a success. You're not a success What are you gonna say then you can say you just say have no talent now that is successful

You're gonna say it's because of somebody else. You don't want to give me the credit Once we get the power of not giving up That is real. You think about it. The most successful f*** you know is the ones that get to a point where they don't give a f***. They care less. But when you got heart, which I do have, and then when you care about what people think,

which I do have, I think about that, and then we, because of social media, you get to instantly tell how people feel about you. You slide in comments, you get f***ed about it, but once you get to instantly tell how people feel about you You slide in comments you give them about it But once you get to that point where you don't give a that's when your shit start to pop But then when you don't care you see I turn his back on the people to help him get to where he got to That's why I have the thing I do that like you know what once I get to play that's it. Yeah No shit, I do that. Like, you know what? Once I get to play, that's it.

Yeah. So when you started the Chappelle show, could you have envisioned that it was gonna be what it became? Now, I'm gonna piggyback on what you said about early. The wire, I didn't know. Chappelle show, I knew. And the reason why I knew a Chappelle show

because I was the warmup comic on that show. Like when I say warmup comic on that show. Okay. When I say warm up comic, when we did the wraparounds in the studio, I was the first person you ever saw on that show. It was my job to go out there and get the audience warm. So I knew I could feel the energy from that audience. I knew it was going to blow. And another thing, I used to call Neil every time episode because I used to be like, I

was in the streets. I was still in the streets, still in Brownsville, Brooklyn. And I was like, I would call him, I was like, yo, I was talking to the streets today. And they'd be like, what the streets say? I'd say, the streets say that shit was funniest shit. Because Dave has had a level of success. For the most part, Dave earlier in his career, Dave been a prodigy. He's been a prodigy.

And then he had a level of success way before a lot of us. And we say that all we wanted to do when we first started was to work a college circuit and make money. He was a king of that. They loved him, Main Street loved him and everything. But for some reason at that point, his stuff was not resonating with the streets like that. He was like, why you give up on the streets?

Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, all these people. Okay, but I just felt a certain energy when I go to the barbershop, when I used to talk to some real street. And Dave was fascinated with that. The other day was like, what did the streets say? Because they know what the executives say, what the streets say. And every week, I would just predict what the rating was going to be. It was over. It kept going bigger and bigger. And even, like, another reason on that show, if you are a historian on that show, you'll notice every time I did a character, when I come on, people just went crazy.

The reason why they went crazy, because I was the warm-up comedian before the sketch. So they would be connected to this stand-up comedian, and then, oh shit, so it was a bigger laugh. That's why when Beautiful came on, that's why when Ashy Larry came on, people, it came off a bigger laugh because they're laughing at somebody that made them laugh before they even saw him in the sketch How do you come up with the character as she Larry that I? Didn't well the character on paper. He was just a guy that had boxers

On and dress shoes right and stole his girls money But I knew on that show that I didn't get a lot of time to talk So I knew that any character I had, I had to physically be funny before I even say anything. Cause I'm not gonna, if you had an editor on a timeline, how much time I talked on that show, I didn't talk a lot. But I knew that I wanted to be funny on site. So I went to, Don Yale, he was a makeup guy,

I told him, I said, give me some baby powder, right? I said, I want to be so ashy I could write how much money people owe me on the side of my leg. I wanted to be the ashyest dude that when you see me go back and get the trash back, that was real trash. I was like, how can I get the most, how do I get the most out of this with the least amount of time? In fact, when we did World Series of Dice, that was the first time we had somebody outside

of what was becoming the cast. Right. Charlie, Dave, Eddie Griffin was in that sketch. That sketch wasn't supposed, I wasn't supposed to pop that sketch. It was for Grits and Gravy. That was for them. But I just couldn't stop. It was just something that was possessed with something. I remember Charlie looked at me, he said, did you know what you're doing to this shit? I was like, I don't know. He said, man, you killing this shit. And I just went crazy because I knew I might not

be here next week. Eddie Griffin even said something to me. He said, Donnie, you know what I like about you? In this show, and in particular, he said, you're not afraid to get ugly. I want to say I'm not too far from it. You know what I'm saying? I ain't never caught, nobody ever caught me fine. I was like, but he was like, just that person to get dirty, don't give a f*** what nobody think.

And then I knew that I was just fighting to be on another thing, but that's how the character was there, but I put the hot sauce on it. Yeah. The show is having success beyond, I mean you thought it was gonna be successful, but it probably at this point is even surprising you with the level of success that it's enjoying

Yeah, and then you find out that Dave is gonna step away, right? Did you talk to you? Did he talk to anyone about that? Just it just broke out But I felt We got to realize that was going to the third season. Mm-hmm me and Charlie We so excited. We got the Rich Bitch tour going on. We going back to the third season. Right. It's a chance that it might be a situation where

we can make more money. But we just excited about it. But I knew it was something weird, because the last sketch I saw him in, it was this show where we played monsters. I played a mummy. He played a wolf. And Charlie played Frankenstein, whatever, right?

And me and Charlie just having fun on set, we kicking it, we kicking it. And I saw Dave, he was a werewolf, and he was just looking, like in the air, and he said, I guess 50 million is not enough. And I would look at him like, who you talking to? 50 million, not enough. I take the zero, you can take three more to melt zeros off. I'm good with it.

And I didn't know that what was troubling, but that was just so, for somebody that's still me, still coming up, not used to having no big money or anything, I was like, I don't even understand how anybody can say, I guess 50 million is not enough. I didn't understand that. And then he disappeared. Not communicate with me.

But you gotta also realize when we was doing the show, me and Dave weren't the best of buddies. I try to keep my relationship, be coworkers. I don't wanna be all like, hey buddy, buddy, buddy. Just let me go do my job. Do my thing and then go. And keep it moving. So we never, even that time time we hung out after the show.

We really got connected after the show after he came back. But like he disappeared and it was so funny because I told Neil didn't know where he was and I said man I bet you he went he probably went to Africa. And Neil was like why would you say that? I remember we're in the green room one day it was me Dave Mos Def and Dave was me, Dave, Mos Def, and Dave was, I think Mos Def was a real estate agent in Africa, because he was trying to get everybody to come to Africa. I wanted to say, yo, you can't get all of Brooklyn to come to Africa,

because then Africa becomes Brooklyn. Making a secret or whatever, right? But I just had this weird feeling that he probably went there, then cut to maybe two, three days later that they announced that he was in Africa. But for us, I never thought... I didn't know what the severity of what his thoughts were. I never thought that he wasn't going to come back.

In fact, when he left, we was like this, all right, we can go back on tour now. Because we had to come back. Thinking he was going to come back. Yeah, we was like this, oh man, we can go back on tour now. Right. Because we had to come back. Thinking he was going to come back. Yeah, we was like this, oh man, yeah, let him take three months off. I'm just thinking about the money we're going to stack up to come back, but he never came back. He never communicated anything to me. Do you believe there was a number that he would have been willing to come back from

or he was just over being underpaid for such a long time that he's like 50 million? If y'all going to pay me 50 million, how much are you guys actually making? I don't know, that's a tough question that only- Dave could probably answer. Dave could answer, but at the same time, I know he loves money, but he's not driven by money. You know what I'm saying? I think that it was probably,

it probably more than likely something morally he didn't agree with. But I don't think it was, I don't think that his decision to walk away was just the money. But I think that when he came back, it's like, no, give me my money. Yeah, but I don't think that that was that.

When you did the Black Get Reparation skips, the skips are classic, the Rick James, the Prince. I mean, when you're like on set and you see him doing these skits, because I can just imagine, to hold it together. Did you ever like- We never held a hill together. We never held a hill together.

Boy, we blew so many takes. It was so many takes that we were always starved for what we had on paper, right? But then he's so genius with sketching. It was always like, yeah, that's what's on there. He always had something in his back pocket. He always had a drawer full that he was gonna throw something.

And then after a while, he kinda trusted us to get kinda loose and add that element to it. But it was, I guarantee you, half the stuff that was written on that paper never made it, and we just got loose with it. Is that what makes him so good is that is a and most comedians have this ability is that their ability to improv. Yes it's wrong just it's on there but if you let me do it my way Kat said that let me do

it my way and I promise you it'll be ten times funnier. But you can't always but see that's the problem that everybody's not gonna agree to that. Right. And the reason why that you got writers Is getting paid a lot of money, you know It's kind of insulting if you just basically saying I'm gonna do all of that some people they did that's the only way they can work Right, but even in our case, we never want to disrespect the writers Okay, we would do with Brian Tucker and Neil and put on paper. Then was like this. Okay, let me get one You know I'm saying but um, no, you're not gonna gonna have too many sets it's gonna let you do whatever you want yeah because then now you start doing

that now they got to pay you as a writer right there's a whole bunch of things but it wasn't but it would the thing that um what the thing about working with him is that he makes you go harder it makes you want to be be the best that you can be is it true that R R. Kelly sent goons at Chapelle? I don't know if it's true that R. Kelly sent goons, but I know we had goons too. So it was going to be a goon encounter. It was going to be a goon encounter.

Yeah, it was going to be a goon convention, but I don't know too much about that. But damn, man, that was another thing. We was like, the show was fearless. Like, we're going to say what we want. And I care about what you think, but we do the funny first of deal with it after that Could there be a Chappelle show today? That would be a tough one that would be a tough that thing certain things I

Don't know if they could be a Chappelle show but it would be interesting if there was a one-off you know yeah just but it's just so hard because now you got a today society is a lot different than today but it's about to change those changes like I think it is I think that I think that the idea of cancel culture is about to be dead good people getting frustrated with that and after a while we went through that stage we I think that the idea of cancel culture is about to be dead. Good. People getting frustrated with that. And after a while we went through that stage

we can't say this, can't say that. But people are getting sick of that. If anybody could, if anybody would be able to pull it off, it would be him. But I think that it's gonna be time for us to get back to like not concerning ourself what you think but what we think is funny and put it out there. If I'm not mistaken, I think I read that you are,

what's the, in living color. Which is kind of, I mean, you should pay up before you pay up. Yeah, what about the living color? Didn't you audition for that? I auditioned to it. I did audition for it, but I was green. I didn't know what I was doing. Okay. I auditioned for that. I was, like I said, when I first started, I came out hot, but I was green. I didn't know what I was doing. I auditioned for that. Like I said, when I first started, I came out hot, but I just, I was green. I was funny as a standup, and I had a couple

of little quirky little characters and things I was doing that was different from everybody else. But I wasn't ready for it in a little bit of color. I auditioned for Saturday Night Live. That's where I met Neil. And in fact, that audition I did at Saturday Night Live, Tracy Morgan was on that same audition Okay, and he got it right. I was a guy that told a funny story

But they did not understand when they say we need three original characters what that looked like I was telling long stories and I remember Tracy Morgan he did a He did a character a black hockey player Yeah And it was a very simple character But he really committed to the character like he had the little things on everything.

And I saw he looked like a sketch actor, but I wasn't ready for that. Yeah. So you didn't understand, you understand now, now you probably go on an audition, you understand they send you the format, what they're looking for. You go in there, you know what they're looking for,

you become that. Yeah, but back then I was only getting shots because I was funny as a stand up. But again, I wasn't trained, I didn't know what I was doing. When I look back, I was like, oh, if I was prepared for that, I probably could have got it. But it wasn't the... I've been a... I always say it's the tortoise in the hair.

I've been a tortoise for so long, I don't have a problem with the slow route. How it's going, as long as I get my money now and keep going, I'm good. Comedy Central moves in a different direction. They do Key and Peele, which does a lot of what you guys were doing. Right. Did you feel any sort of resentment where you're like, bro, y'all, that's us. All they did is Key and Peele, but you guys are doing what me, Chappelle and Charlie Murphy. No, I don't, I don't, I don't believe that reason why everything has a moment in time. Okay. You're going to compare it to first off to try to replace that time slot and

everything, of course it's going to, you're going to compare it, but there's no way. I was just, a lot of the Key and Peele stuff had been coming up on my timeline lately. And I was like, they were so funny. They were, they were so funny and it could have been reversed. It could have been, they could have came before were some funny, and it could have been reversed. It could have been, they could have came before Chappelle's show and it would have been reversed. I think it was a time and thing. I think that they was in one of the toughest spots

you could be to come behind the show that became so much part of pop culture. And then you all, I know everywhere they went, they was like, oh, y'all trying to be Chappelle's show. It's sketch comedy, you know what I'm saying? And then it's something to be sad for, basically there was two actors that read all these things. You know, and in the moment people are like,

same time slot, whatever. But I don't think, I don't, you know. But it had to be good because they stayed for an extended period of time. So they had to be good. They could have just tried to prove a point today. We got another nigger, we're good. You know how those people upstairs are.

Let me ask you this. Let's just say for the sake of argument, Chappelle's show is going and we got the thing going on with Diddy. Would y'all have poked fun of that? I'm pretty sure. We poked fun of Diddy before Diddy was Diddy-in. If you notice, Dave played Diddy and he had a lot of baby oil on his lips. He had Dave over, Dave knew something that we didn't know.

Dave knew something, that oil was a come in. Dave had one bottle of baby oil in that scene. Take that, take that, take that. Of course he would have, because we would have made fun of the things that's happening right now. That would have because we would have made fun of things that's happening right now What that had been a tough one? Oh, I'm trying to figure out. Hold on this boo having trafficked A lot of people you ain't never traffic nobody. Yeah, I know you gonna say the right thing right now I know you're gonna say they don't right thing right now tomorrow yesterday

No, ain't no traffic it going on. No on no hello can I ask you a question yeah okay you yeah successful athlete yeah a lot of money a little bit of money not a lot don't try to downplay it. I got a little bit. Bunny hopping. Not just saying. I'm just saying. Now one time. I'll be to the sister. In your successful life, you have not flown someone in with the intentions of having sexual

intercourse with them. My girlfriend. You should be a lawyer. God damn you smart, I believe in it that. I believe in it that. I believe in it that. Hello, is this true you got about, you were sitting between Diddy and Russell from the left?

Nah, I said first off, first off, first off. What first off? Okay, so get to the second part. Okay, second part, first off. Okay. All right, what I'm trying to tell you is, alright, okay, let me explain something. Yeah. No, no, I know.

Hold on, let me take a look. Nah, I'll take a shot. I'ma tell you, I'ma tell you, I'll tell you, it's a photo that's gone viral that 10 years ago, Shana, would have been a photo that would have been iconic and people would have wished they was in that picture. It wasn't until after the freak- shit that now the picture looks suspect. But you look at that picture, Shannon, you see a difference for me. What I saw in that picture, first off, I saw eight successful black men.

And I was there talking about friendship, creating gender-wise. You're sitting between the legs. Can I finish the goddamn thing I'm saying? Well, let me... Can I get another drink? Because I would hear this door. It's just my truth. Which is, I saw black excellence in that picture.

That's what you saw? All right, so... All right, this had happened. This had happened. Okay. This had happened. They was hating on me. I was on that boat, that yacht, and I was fucked up. Right?

I was really- You remember what happened? Don't, you trying to suck me up. Nah, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. You said you were messed up. I know, I know.

Don't talk about that memory shit, all right? I don't buy away do that. Don't do that. You said you were best off. I know. I know. Don't talk about that memory shit, alright? I don't buy away with that. I knew exactly what happened, which was nothing. But I was lit. I knew I was lit. You know I knew I was fucked up. Because Diddy looked at me like, damn, somebody get this off the boat.

I was lit. And so they was really just... Everybody was mad. I was having a good time. And they was trying to take this picture, right? And everybody was talking to me. They were trying to block me out. They was already frustrated with me, right? So I did. And it was a situation like this. I swooped around, went into the front of the picture, and I did like this. I did not know this nigga was right here, behind me. And

I... You know what? Why you asking me to tell you my story, and you don't want to hear my motherfuck story? Or you could have just said, no matter what you said, what you was in between his legs. And I went imaging. It was the depth. Camera people, it was the depth of the photo. What do y'all call that shit? When it's not focused and it's blurry, it was that.

It wasn't blurry enough we couldn't see you. Yo, I didn't know. I didn't, listen man, I had a good time in that boat. All right. Yeah, I left I love people that was that need these at least it ain't it's the difference. Oh That was a family It was family my son was on that goddamn boat. I already see him in the picture I'm just saying, I mean, see this is when we talk black on black crime right here. This is why I love that you were my standard routine. Now I'm going to get you back.

I got you. Oh, I'm going to send you some videos. I was waiting for this. Let's go. No, no, no, no, it's too late. Don't copy me now. It's already popping. Come on, Kat. No, no, it's too late. Don't cop and plea now. It's already popping. Come on, Kat.

No, no, Kat, come on, come on. I got a whole 20 minutes. But I'm just saying, but look, in all seriousness, you have defended. I defended who? The parties, that you didn't know what. First off, different parties, all right? Right. I didn't defend no party., there's different parties, all right? You can't, I didn't defend no party.

I defended what that was, all right? And that was family oriented. But you don't remember a whole lot that day. You know what? Let me get a drink. Cause I'm not gonna let you do this. I'm not gonna let you do this. I am not defending.

What I'm saying is, of course, there have been freak-offs. And of course- How you know? I read the same blogs you read. How you know? I read the same. How I know? God damn, you just think it turned to a lawyer.

No, I'm saying, okay, word is on the streets. Okay. Right? Everybody knows freak-offs Everybody know Hollywood is Hollywood. I don't understand why all these mother like, oh my god They had a mansion party and they had cocaine and all these orgy drugs and suck. Why do people don't know? I'm not saying you got to be a part of it, but why is this whole thing is like, I can't believe they were doing that in Hollywood.

And I understand, Cat Williams came up here, and it's part of my routine. I said Cat Williams on this couch for three hours and his feet never touched the ground. That's the first thing I said. Y'all didn't see the same thing I saw? Y'all didn't see that? You know Cat coming back? I don't give a ****. Why did you ****?

Am I scared of Kat Williams? No. For what? He'd probably come back. Start your year off right. But I know this f*** feet was like this the whole time. And I told him, and I don't disrespect him or whatever, but part of my routine I said, Kat wasn't funny, but everybody think it was funny.

You was the funniest, because it didn't matter what the f*** Kat Williams said. You said, oh, come on, Kat. You can't say that. I'm like, he just said it. Give me a card. Give me a card. You was like this. said, you said, oh come on cat, you can't say that. I'm like, he just said it. Give me a card, give me a card. You was like this, oh come on cat, no cat, come on cat, come on, no cat. Oh, they ain't gonna, they ain't gonna, oh cat, these my friends, cat, no, come on cat. Cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, Ocho, Ocho, Ocho, Ocho. Hey, skip, skip, O Joe, see the difference between me and you is

you were your watch the tail time. I wasn't every party did he had and I wasn't at too many. Okay, wait. I was that, okay. How you helping? You're the cameraman, man, what you doing? No, I'm just saying, I don't know that side of it. That's what I'm saying. And I'm not defending anything. What I'm defending, what that incident was, he does a party every Christmas holiday, St. Martin, St. Bart's, whatever it is. Gifts exchanged?

We had dinner. No gifts was exchanged. It was just a vibe. I was there, we was vacationing with Dave. It was just a vibe. We went over there, it was a vibe. I'm going to tell you the thing that I did like about it, that party was that Kimora was there. Kimora was there,

Kim Porter was there, my baby mother was there, Dave's kids was there, and I was, one of the only thing I saw, and I don't know what happened to anything else, what I saw was a vibe. What I saw was a good thing. And that's what I'm saying, anytime you say anything about, oh, you're defending, I'm not defending, I don't know nothing about the free parties. But I do know, right... Nah, because you about to get crazy. No, I can tell. I got to get loose for this shit.

What I'm saying... Go ahead and say it. That's how ditty parties start, right? No, I'm just saying. Let me put my tie back on. I know you about to say some slick shit. I know. Yeah, that's how he gets you. Take the tie off, throw your shit around.

I'm not saying that. What I'm saying, right? I'm not saying that. I'm not saying, let me put my tie back on. I know you're about to say some slick shit. No. Yeah, that's how he gets you. Take the tie off, throw your shit around. I'm not saying that. What I'm saying was, what I know was that was family joint and was cool. People can make out what they try to make it to seem what it was. That's not what it was for me.

That's what I'm saying. Okay. I'm not here, you know, I cast no judgment. I don't look at you with judgy eyes. That's your story? If you could do a close up, those are very judgy eyes right there. Yo, your eyes judgy as shit. Anytime you take your glasses off and wipe your shit off, those judgy eyes. Man, can I be crying?

Man, you had me up here crying. No, I'm just saying, it is what it is. I know, I said no, did I? I said it. So, so- You know he coming home, right? I Don't know man, I don't look honest honestly, I don't pay attention to that stuff I know you know I don't cuz it I'm sorry for the people that was impacted by it But that ain't got nothing to do with me man. I know I never been to nobody's house

Why the fuck you ask me cuz you the picture no You could have just if you really I'm gonna say you the picture. No, you could have just, if you really could. I mean, let's say you was in the picture like this. I wasn't like that, son. I wasn't like that. I wasn't in it like this. I was like this. I wasn't like the most interested man in the world, son.

I was like this. I was doing real shit. Who want a drink? That's what I did. But it was the fact that you between the man legs though. The nigga legs, I wasn't in between his. He was right there. Yeah.

I was right here. You put your leg down like this. I went like. I didn't even know he was back there. How you not know he was back there? You smuck in the picture. Think, this is what I just said. All these people right here.

Yes. I can't see who in the front, Shannon. Okay. I can't see who in the front. So I run around the Yes. I can't see who in the front, Shannon. Okay. I can't see who in the front. So I'm running around the side. I couldn't see. I didn't even know who was here. I turned around.

It just so happens. You photobomb and you between the man legs. You know what? I photobomb and I was in an awkward position. You don't got to say between somebody's legs. That's what I'm saying. You got the wrong wordplay. I photobomb and was

in a situation where people perceive to be very suspect. Or as the kids say, sus. That's what it was. You can take it. How would you perceive it? If you're not the person that's... How would you perceive it? I was looking... If I saw that picture, I would say, you know what? It looks like black excellence is in this photo, right? And these guys was having a good time and then slipped into a compromise position. That's what I did say. No further questions.

This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to club Shae Shae profile and I'll see you there. Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle

every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers and one mirror ball trophy from Dancing with the Stars. So where else are you gonna find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music

and a little bit everything. Listen to lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. John Stewart is back in the host chair at The Daily Show, which means he's also back in our ears on The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Join late night legend John Stewart and the best news team for today's biggest headlines,

exclusive extended interviews and more. Now this is a second term we can all get behind. Listen to The Daily Show Ears Edition on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Burke and Demers. Jason Demers here, and after playing 700 NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out. Hey, I got a lot to say here too, okay? Each week we'll get together to chat about the sport that we love. Tons of guests are going to join in too, but we're not just going to be talking hockey

folks, we're talking movies, we're talking TV, food, and Ed and Ed's favorite, wrestling. It's all on Le Table. Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virg and Demers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.