Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson - Yvette Nicole Brown

Episode Date: February 20, 2024

Meet Yvette Nicole Brown,  an American actress and Craig’s long time friend. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom Community, as Dani in the 2015 reboot of The Odd Couple on CBS... and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom The Mayor. In this episode Yvette and Craig talk about religion, life, politics and why Craig thinks Yvette is the right person to run for the office! EnJOY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling, as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life in marriage. I just filed for divorce. Whoa. I said the words that I've said, like, in my head for, like, 16 years. Wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Angie Martinez.
Starting point is 00:00:32 And on my podcast, I like to talk to everyone from Hall of Fame athletes to iconic musicians about getting real on some of the complications and challenges of real life. I had the best dad. And I had the best dad and I had the best memories and the greatest experience. And that's all I want for my kids as long as they can have that. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL
Starting point is 00:00:54 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For 10 years, I've been obsessed with one of the most bizarre and audacious cons in rock and roll history. We were all facing 20 years and all that good stuff. The lead singer tried to pull off an English accent and they went on the road as the zombies.
Starting point is 00:01:15 These guys are not going to get away with it. The zombies are too popular. Listen to the true story of the fake zombies on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Craig Ferguson Fancy Rascal Stand-Up Tour continues throughout 2024. For a full list of dates and tickets, go to thecraigfergusonshow.com slash tour. See you out there, thecraigfergusonshow.com slash tour. See you out there. Thecraigfergusonshow.com slash tour. My name is Craig Ferguson. The name of this podcast is Joy. I talk to interesting people about what brings them happiness. Yvette Nicole Brown is pure class. She's been my friend for a
Starting point is 00:02:02 long time. She's a very good actress. She's a very serious person. And she's also a very funny person. It's a very interesting combination. Here she is. I miss our time together. Well, you know what? We're going to take care of that right now.
Starting point is 00:02:23 Somebody's going to bring coffee, though. Are you going to bring coffee? Oh, yes, please. I'll take one, too, now that you talk about it. I got a lot to do today. But we can start before the coffee gets here. I think that that's fine. Why are you wearing a mask?
Starting point is 00:02:38 Because Yvette was wearing a mask. You haven't worn a mask in two days, and now you're wearing a mask. That's so nice. Thank you. Oh, I get it. Do you want me to wear a mask? No, you can't do it while we're on the radio. But see how kind that was of him to just want to do that for me.
Starting point is 00:02:51 They're nice guys. I just didn't know if there was a reason that he thought, oh. This is a nice podcast situation in here, too. Is this your studio? I own this whole building. Dude, why is Tomas laughing? Because I just told you all the time. But you know what?
Starting point is 00:03:06 It's believable. Yeah, but he would be shit at poker. And I wish he was. Yeah, he giggled. He giggled way too fast. He giggled. He was like, because I. Do you think that I could own a whole building in Hollywood?
Starting point is 00:03:16 Absolutely. Do you know what I would call it? What? The Yvette Nicole Brown building. Yeah. And you know why? Because I would want it to be like the auditorium in your old high school, which I have to say, congratulations.
Starting point is 00:03:30 I can't believe you had the auditorium in your old high school named after you because Arsenio Hall went to your high school. He did. And I think- And if it's a hall, wouldn't you call it the Arsenio Hall Hall? You know what? You've just made me feel like I need to rescind the offer. I'm going next week to get
Starting point is 00:03:45 the honor and congratulations thank you no it's really it's honestly i joke about it but it is like an oscar to me because i love my hometown and warnswell heights high school by the way and arsenio and i both graduated from there he he's got a few years on me a couple years on me and um he was in the hall of fame of my high school when i was a kid and so i would walk by and see arsenio hall and dream of one day making it to where he was. And now I'm friends with him. And now the auditorium is going to be named after me. He's one of the best human beings I know. I did some gigs with him and Jay Leno during the summer. We did some casino gigs together and he's just great. He's just decent. You know how when you meet people, that's the word that I would use for him. He actually,
Starting point is 00:04:23 he doesn't get credit for this. He also has a hand in me finally meeting Janet Jackson. Because I've been trying to meet Janet Jackson for so long. And finally, I was like, who do I know that could know her? And I'm like, Arsenio knows everybody. Yeah, he does. So I reached out to him and he said, I'm going to reach out to Johnny. It became like a, what do you call it? A game of telephone.
Starting point is 00:04:39 Yvette, Arsenio called Johnny, Johnny called Janet. And it all kind of came together where they helped me. So now you and Janet Jackson hang out? I believe we're friends. Now, you have to ask Janet if it's true. I would ask her, but I can't get in touch with her until I get in touch with Arsenio, and he's got to call Johnny. It works.
Starting point is 00:04:55 It's a good way. But listen, the school you went to, you're from Cleveland, right? That's why I think of you as being from Cleveland. I am from, born in East Cleveland, graduated from Warrensville Heights, which is like a suburb of East Cleveland or a suburb of Cleveland. Is it near Akron? Akron is about 30 or 40ville Heights, which is like a suburb of East Cleveland or suburb of Cleveland. Is it near Akron? Akron is about 30 or 40 minutes away, which is where I went to college. Oh, because I knew there was a connection with you with Akron because you know that Alcoholics Anonymous started in Akron.
Starting point is 00:05:15 I did not know that. Yeah. I know Akron for my college zippers, which they are known for, rubber. Yeah, rubber. All the tire factories used to be, right? That's right. And LeBron James. And LeBron James?
Starting point is 00:05:27 He's not in your high school, though. No, I wish I was his age. I've got him by a good 12 years, I think. Now, let me ask you this. In the Hall of Fame at your high school, this is you, obviously, Arsenio Hall, who's not got the Hall named after him,
Starting point is 00:05:40 which I still think is a serious piece of mismanagement. It's really a problem. But who else is in the Hall of Fame? Is there anyone else I would know? Brad Sellers. Okay. I'm not familiar with Brad. A basketball player.
Starting point is 00:05:50 Okay. And also, I think he's currently our mayor. I think Brad is currently still our mayor of Warrensville. And then a lot of like city dignitaries and pastors and people like that, people that have made a name for themselves. Sounds like a very kind of good school. It is a good school. Was it a good experience growing up in Cleveland?
Starting point is 00:06:06 It was. You know, I'm a nerd though. Like I love, I love school. So my school experience, I was like front row center, nerd, that kind of thing. I did all the extracurriculars. I was drama and the band and the choir,
Starting point is 00:06:16 you know, so that school was great for me. East Cleveland is a great place to be from because it's the hood. Yeah. And it teaches you, you know, how to survive in life i think that i'm able to make it in la and in this industry because i was born and bred in east cleveland ohio it's not squeamish what it what does that look like and in terms of the hood what is it is
Starting point is 00:06:36 like was there a drug crime was there is that what it was your drugs um violence um you know a little bit of lawlessness, you know. Listen, people have free time and not enough opportunities. And when that's the situation, sometimes you don't make the best decisions. And also, you know, we can talk about systemic racism and all the other things that cause something to be considered a hood and why people can't get out or why they can't make it better for themselves. I never blame the people because it's their circumstances that put us in the communities we're in. Every person is a different story. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:07:11 I think that one of the things that I have a kind of, I get annoyed about, and as I get older, there's a lot of them. Most of them are people on my lawn and my hip. But one of the things I get annoyed about is when, is when you take a group of people, no matter who they are, and you just say, this is what these people are like. I go, well, see, that's not going to help. That's not going to help.
Starting point is 00:07:33 That's not it. And I mean, I come from a lively area. In Scotland. In Scotland. And it wasn't race because, you know, everyone was, there were people of other races, but it was like 98%, something like that. And so violence, if you were from a different race, I can't speak to that experience because I didn't grow up with that. But mostly what I encountered was sectarian violence based on religion. Wow.
Starting point is 00:08:03 So it was Catholics and Protestants. Absolutely. Absolutely. And it was, it feels to me that sometimes humans, when they've got nothing else to do, they pick a side. It's always a free time issue, right? Yeah. Because I think about the, you know, the term Karen's like all the, all the white women that are apparently deputized to stop black people from living. They don't have any real problems. They don't have any from living. They don't have any real problems. They don't have any real problems. They don't have any real issues.
Starting point is 00:08:27 And that's why they're looking out their window going, why is that person standing on the street? If you are trying to pay your bills and raise your kids and not die by police violence as a black person, you don't have time to look out and see what somebody on the street is doing. You're just literally trying to survive. You are, as a person, clearly right now, and I know this about you anyway, you are concerned with civic. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:08:49 Do you think there is a world in which you run for office? Oh, Craig. You know, it's funny. Before 2016, I would have said absolutely not because I thought you had to be smarter, better, all of those things. Do you ever meet any of these people? I mean, now, listen, after Donald Trump alone, after Donald Trump and all the nonsense going on in Congress right now and McCarthy and Matt Gaetz, I'm seeing so many people that are making decisions for all of us that are not decent human beings. human beings. And the idea that people that only care about people that look like them or love like them or think like them are deciding what happens to the rest of us that are not like them scares
Starting point is 00:09:31 me. So now I'm saying, I don't know, like there might be... I think you should. I think you should. Now here's why I think you should. And here's why. Because I sense your reluctance. Yes. And that to me is a qualifying mark for a politician. If you're reluctant to run for office. Right. Yeah, and you probably should. You probably should run. And also you care.
Starting point is 00:09:53 I do. You know, and if you care, but you're reluctant to get in the fight, but you can't see any way again. Now the fight, that's the hero's journey right there, Yvette. That's like, you know, that's Joseph Campbell right there. That's the hero's journey right there in fact that's like yeah you know that's that's joseph campbell right there that's you've been the call to action call to action yeah and i'm and i'm here right now to say to you i'm one of the gatekeepers i'm one of the i'm one of the you know the information givers yes and i'm saying i think it might be time it might be i you know i'm i'm at a crossroads in my life i just i, I just, I'm in my fifties now. And first of all, I don't believe that I am 52 years old. You moisturize clearly all the time. I believe in hydration. Yeah. Well, it works. Thank you, honey. But yeah, so I'm at
Starting point is 00:10:35 the age where you starting to go, okay, well, I'll probably have more runway behind me than in front of me. And so you start to look at what do, right. So what do I want to do? Like, what is, what's my legacy? Cause I, I, I'm not married yet. I have a sweetie and I'm hoping it's going that way, but I didn't have kids. So I don't have the, the family legacy to say, these are the, this is the flag I'm putting down because these humans I helped put in the world. So now it becomes what, how do I leave a legacy in another way? I believe, I hope one of the ways is kindness. I hope that my calling card is kindness. And when people are around me or leave my presence, they're better. I do believe that that is one of the
Starting point is 00:11:10 things I hope that I'll be known for when I leave here. But aside from that, what did I do that changed the trajectory of this world in a good way? Because a lot of people want to make a, what's that saying? It says somebody, people want to make a name for themselves, make a mark so bad they don't care if it's a stain. I don't know who said that quote, but that has always stuck with me. And I think in this industry in particular, people are so determined to be somebody. They don't care what that somebody is. They don't care if they're hurting people. They don't care if they're lying to people.
Starting point is 00:11:43 And we noticed that in what happened recently with the Congress. McCarthy wanted to get in because he wanted to be speaker. He didn't want to be speaker because he wanted to do good. He didn't want to be speaker so that he could change people's lives for the better. He wanted to be speaker because of the clout and the power that would come from him being second in the line of succession. Do you think that he wanted those things when he started out as a young'un? You know, I would like to hope... I mean, how could you possibly know the answer to that? He has fallen so far from what I think decency is that I have to believe that he didn't, that he was never on the path to be a decent person. Because in my mind, even if you started out decent and he had fallen on the wayside, as soon as you get that gavel and you realize the weight of it, like if the president and vice president pass away, I'm I'm in charge of this entire country and I can show how I will govern based on how I handle these 400 people that I'm the leader of here. And if you have that responsibility in your hand and you squander it and you lie and you
Starting point is 00:12:46 stab people in the back and you make promises that you don't keep, that tells me you could not have started from a decent space. Look, just to play devil's advocate, because we're not talking about an individual that I have a lot of time for, but let me be the other side and say that isn't everyone in that world a liar? Isn't everyone in that world super ambitious? I don't know. Don't they? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:13:11 It seems to me a lot of people have made promises that they didn't. Yeah, I think. On both sides of the house. Yeah, I got to say this though. And to be fair, politics is difficult. And there are a lot of things that you run on that you want to do, right? Like people are upset with Joe Biden because he had all these things he wanted to do that he couldn't get through. They're forgetting that how civics works, that Congress has the power of the purse, which means they get to decide what becomes a bill.
Starting point is 00:13:35 And then the Senate House decides what becomes a bill. The Senate decides whether it goes to the president. And then the president gets to sign it. I remember this from the bill. Yes, the bill. Yeah. Schoolhouse Rock. Everybody listen to it if you need to know how civics work. So President Biden can say, I want to do this, this, and this. But if he does not have the votes, because in this situation, there were two Democrats that kept voting with the Republicans, which means he did not have the first part of his administration. He didn't have the numbers. So you have to understand that, yes, he promised it. And yes, he didn't deliver it. But you got to ask yourself, did he lie? Or was he thwartedwarted well here's what i would say to you and then i'm going to move you gently
Starting point is 00:14:09 away from politics okay you got you got us here no no i know and i genuinely want to hear about it but if you promise something that you know that you can't 100 deliver shouldn't you fester that while you make the promise? Absolutely. But I don't know that the ones that aren't delivering, I don't believe, I guess I don't believe that thesis statement that all of them are duplicitous. I don't believe that they're going and going, what can I say to get?
Starting point is 00:14:35 No, I think you're right. I think you're right to call me on that. Yeah, I think things happen. And I think sometimes you have to make good with one person to try to get further down the road on something else that matters. So I think there's a lot of that going on. So I don't think it's black and white, but I think there's a difference between choosing to be a horrible person, choosing power over people, and then having to make decisions to make greater change later. I like the idea of you can
Starting point is 00:14:59 be a good person or a horrible person. But I think it seems to me as I observe, you know, inaccurately, I'm sure a lot of the time, the human race, that very few people will admit to be the villain of their own story. So if someone is a horrible person, like there's, you'll always find someone that'll back you up. Like Hitler had a girlfriend. He did. You know, I mean, it's like, it's not, not that that's,
Starting point is 00:15:28 you know, there's always someone that'll say, no, you're right. Or do you lose sight of things? Like if somebody, if you find yourself in an ethical dilemma, let's say it's 2034, about Nicole Brown is Speaker of the House. The President and the Vice President sadly got a terrible dose of the trots and off the shelf. And now, you're President of the United States. They died from the trots? The trots, yeah. The trotsky.
Starting point is 00:15:52 It was trotsky. That's horrible. Yeah, they got very, very bad. Pooperia. They got pooperia. And I think there may be an old law that you're not allowed to talk about the president dying. Is it really?
Starting point is 00:16:07 Are we in trouble right now? Well, no, because it's a hypothetical president in the future. We said poopery out of the trots. We did. So it's not like we're... That's right. Right. But anyway, I don't think we're in trouble.
Starting point is 00:16:19 But what I'm saying... I know I'm not. You said it. I didn't say nothing. I'm just saying. You are a politician. I'm just saying. Yeah, I didn't say it. You said it. You said it. Go on. Right.. I'm just saying. You are a politician. I'm just saying. Yeah, I didn't say it.
Starting point is 00:16:25 You said it. You said it. Go on. Right. So now you're the president of the United States. Now, you can do some things and you can't do other things. And the country is a similar state. What do you choose?
Starting point is 00:16:37 What is your first option? What do you think is the first thing we've got to get done right now? First thing we would have to get done is voting rights. Yeah. Immediately. I think that's fair. And probably the second thing, no matter how I got an office,
Starting point is 00:16:49 I would get rid of the electoral college. I think one vote, everybody should get one vote and your vote should, the person who gets the most votes should be president, period. And then that takes away all the shenanigans.
Starting point is 00:16:59 Then you have to campaign in every state. You can't just pick the three or four that, and I think everyone should get to meet you and kick the tires and find out what you're really about. So those are two state. You can't just pick the three or four. Yeah. And I think everyone should get to meet you and kick the tires and find out what you're really about.
Starting point is 00:17:07 So those are two things. I don't think that there's any really, I mean, I think that's a rational thing. Right. But let's look at democracy a little bit because it's brutal. Let's do it. Democracy is a very brutal system.
Starting point is 00:17:20 It is. You know, if it is the majority want a thing and if that thing is hateful, and the majority want it, then democracy wants a hateful thing. It's not inherently, there's no inherent goodness to it. I mean, it's better than anything else we have lying around. Right. But it's not foolproof, is what I'm saying. Listen, there's been a few times in my life as a voter that the person I wanted to win did not win. It sucks, but I accepted it. So it's not so much that
Starting point is 00:17:50 you have to get everything you want every time. You just want a shot at getting what you want. That's what democracy is. I'm going to go out and I'm going to vote. And I hope that enough people think like me and this person or this thing can get in, right? And then if it doesn't, most people, barring the orange thing, accept it. And they say, I lost and it sucks, but I'm going to now get behind the person that won or the issue that won and I'm going to support it. So I think we're broken right now because now we- Very tricky. Yeah, we say- Everyone's so- Yeah. And it's-
Starting point is 00:18:23 Fair and angry. Yeah, but the thing is, if we get back to I am my brother and sister's keeper, I think we lost that. If we get back to thinking like that, I say this all the time when I talk about politics, and then we can't move on after this. I don't have any kids, right? But if there's a school board issue on the
Starting point is 00:18:37 ballot, I vote for it. Because I want other people's kids to have what they need. They're our future. You're not a monster. Absolutely. But there's some people that are like, if I don't have kids, why am I voting for better schools kids to have what they need. They're our future. You're not a monster. Absolutely. No, but there are some people that are like, if I don't have kids, why am I voting for a better school? I don't have kids. You see what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:18:50 There are a lot of people that vote that way. So it's like you have to think of the greater good of other people as you move to life. I remember having a discussion with a family member about that. He said, I shouldn't have to pay for their, I can't remember what it was. And I was like, no, no, you do have to pay for their you know, I can't remember what it was. And I was like, No, no, you do have to do that. That's the deal. The Craig Ferguson fancy rascal stand up to continues throughout the United States in 2024. For a full list of dates and tickets
Starting point is 00:19:20 go to the Craig Ferguson show.com slash tour. See you out there. I'm edgy Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between. This life right here, just finding myself, just relaxation, just not feeling stressed, just not feeling pressed. It's not feeling stressed. It's not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things. That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being
Starting point is 00:19:59 you. So you got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder so if you have a story to tell if you come through some trials you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone you're going to you're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up to not quit listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app Apple Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, everyone. I am Lacey Lamar. And I'm Amber Ruffin, a better Lacey Lamar.
Starting point is 00:20:34 Boo. Okay, everybody, we have exciting news to share. We're back with season two of the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network. You thought you had fun last season? Well, you were right. And you should tune in today for new fun segments like Sister Court and listening to Lacey's steamy DMs. We've got new and exciting guests like Michael Beach.
Starting point is 00:20:55 That's my husband. Daphne Spring, Daniel Thrasher, Peppermint, Morgan Jay, and more. You got to watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you gotta listen. Like, if you're watching us, you have to tell us. Like, if you're out the window, you have to say, hey, I'm watching you outside of the window.
Starting point is 00:21:13 Just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Guess what, Mango? What's that, Will? So iHeart is giving us a whole minute to promote our podcast, Part-Time Genius.
Starting point is 00:21:34 I know. That's why I spent my whole week composing a haiku for the occasion. It's about my emotional journey in podcasting over the last seven years, and it's called Earthquake House. Mango, I'm going to cut you off right there. Why don't we just tell people about our show instead? Yeah, that's a better idea. So every week on Part-Time Genius, we feed our curiosity by answering the world's most important questions.
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Starting point is 00:22:32 I don't know. Are you a religious person? I am a person of faith, yeah. Are you a Christian? I'm a Christian. So if you're a Christian, and many people, a lot of people profess to be Christians. And are not following Christ at all. A lot of people profess to be Christians. And are not following Christ at all. I think that, well, that's your thing. That's the whole thing.
Starting point is 00:22:52 I'm interested, by the way, in Christianity. I've been looking at it a lot. Because I'm not, am I a person of faith? No, I'm a person of doubt, which is almost a person of faith. That's kind of the same thing. Yeah, yeah. It really is. Because faith is about believing things that you can't see. Right.
Starting point is 00:23:03 And also, God doesn't have a problem with you doubting. Like, there's moments in the Bible where it's like people are saying, Lord, please show me. Please make it plain to me. So, the fact, he knows this is difficult things to grasp. Man, something in the sky made everything. And, you know, it's hard to grasp. I just look at my life and know how miraculous everything that has happened for me has been. And I am not a person of ego. So the person of ego will go, look what I did. I absolutely know that there's
Starting point is 00:23:32 no way I could have crafted this career or my life. The fact that I am talking to Craig Ferguson in LA. In his very own building. In your very own building. The evangelical brown building in Hollywood. Exactly. I could not have fashioned this. There's nothing within me that could have brought me to this place. So I know that I'm walking in my call and I know that it's a call that was placed on me. Now, that's my faith. Now everybody got to work it out their own way. But I know that to be true for me. I think that's fine.
Starting point is 00:23:57 I'm glad to find myself at the point in my life where I don't have to challenge anyone on anything they believe. Same. Right. But I am interested, though, in what you believe. Are you a person of a recognized church? Are you a Catholic? Are you a Baptist? I'm Baptist. Oh, you are a Baptist. Yeah, I'm Baptist. But I'll say this. When I was younger, like in my 20s and 30s, I was there every time the church opened, every day with what we're doing today.
Starting point is 00:24:23 there every time the church opened, every day with what we're doing today. And I've gotten to a point now where it's more of a spiritual journey than a religious journey for me. So it's not so much about- You find the difference, would you for me? Spirituality is having your own relationship with God or with Jesus for me and God and Jesus for me. And religion is more about go to church on Sunday. You have to do this. You have to wear. It's more. It's tradition. It's more. And a lot of the stuff that churches do is not in the Bible. You know, Jesus said where two or three are gathered.
Starting point is 00:24:53 I'm there also. We are the church. The fact that we're having a conversation about him right now, church is happening right here. So this idea that we have to be in a specific building to it. I don't know that I believe in that anymore. Now, I'm not against going to church. I'm not against having the gathering of saints and getting a good word, but I also realized the more I went to church out here, the word started to change because they were trying to curry the favor of man instead of respecting and honoring God. So it became more
Starting point is 00:25:19 about what can I say to get butts in these seats so I can get money. And you have to say certain things to get butts in the seats. And then it's less about how can I be a better. The love of money is the root of all evil. The love of money. People forget that. They think it's money. It's not money. It's the love.
Starting point is 00:25:34 Just if you love it too much. Absolutely. It's the love. And also speaking of that, a lot of Christians who say they're Christians don't love. If you look at a lot of the evangelicals that are following Donald Trump and MAGA and all that, they hate everybody. They hate everybody and everything. Westboro Baptist people.
Starting point is 00:25:51 Come on. How can you say you're following Christ and you hate people? How? It's a tricky one. I don't know how you work it out, but my guess is that it's probably to do with a lack of understanding of what the teachings of Christ was, are, I should say. I became fascinated with Christianity during the lockdown, I think. And I started reading, did you ever read any C.S. Lewis?
Starting point is 00:26:17 Yes. I started reading C.S. Lewis, and C.S. Lewis, what Christians believe. And then I read Bertrand Russell's counteraction to that, which is why I'm not a Christian. And I was like, it's not a great argument, Bertrand. I mean, you're a very clever man.
Starting point is 00:26:33 Principle of Mathematica is very clever, but I'm not sure that I'm... And then from C.S. Lewis, I went into G.K. Chesterton. Have you been there? No. Oh, you got to read that. I got to go there?
Starting point is 00:26:43 You got to text me and tell me. That, G.K. Chesterton, have you been there? No. Oh, you've got to read that. I've got to go there? Yeah, yeah. You've got to text me and tell me. That, GK Chesterton is kind of like the Velvet Underground for C.S. Lewis. Come on, bring it. Yeah, I mean. Put it in my veins. Yeah. So, I mean, they're fascinating Christian apologists. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:57 And so I thought, I just started reading about it. And it led me into pre-Roman church Christianity, which I've now become fascinated by, which is obviously up until the 300 years before Rome adopted Christianity. And what I think about it now is that Rome adopting Christianity is kind of like Starbucks opening a store at Burning Man. Like it changed the face of everything. Yes, everything, yeah. Because the Romans thought that the Christians were atheists. Really? Yeah, they thought, well, they've only got one God.
Starting point is 00:27:33 That's crazy. Right. You know, you can't have one God. What about, you know, the God for your hat? And the God for cheese and all that. Because they had so many different gods. And they thought, this is the thing about propaganda. They thought the Christians were cannibals because they misunderstood the Eucharist.
Starting point is 00:27:55 So when they're saying. This is my body. This is, eat the body. They're eating people. Yeah, they're eating people. Quick, quick, nail them. They're very bad. Right.
Starting point is 00:28:03 And I think that missing and clearly christians are not cannibals or most of them that i've met but misinformation makes behave people behave very badly absolutely and we live in an interesting time yeah my dear friend yes we do in the sense that there is information everywhere and most of it is horseshit. Let me tell you something. I found my way down a YouTube rabbit hole. Oh, I've done that so many times. Oh, gosh. And you know, I finally get the algorithm because when I first got on YouTube, I was picking what I wanted to see. And then one day I woke up and realized that I hadn't picked in hours, that YouTube was just, and it wasn't even like the same person, like the third video from the same person.
Starting point is 00:28:47 They were like, oh, you like her? Okay, let me show you him. Oh, you like him? Okay, let me show you this. And then by the time I woke up at midnight, I was on something that I never would have chosen. It was like bits and pieces of what I started with. And had I probably watched the transgression of where they were taking me, a progression of where they were taking me,
Starting point is 00:29:07 I probably would have been brainwashed into believing that whatever that person at 2 a.m. was saying was the God's honest truth because I'd gotten little kernels of other nonsense from all these other people that they chose for me. How do you protect yourself from it now? You know, I'm realizing what it is. Like, I'm realizing what it is.
Starting point is 00:29:27 Like, I'm realizing that this is entertainment. Yeah. And these people, I think somebody, they think that when you see the sheer microphone in front of someone and a ring light and they have theme music. Now, these little talkers, they have their own theme music. They're influencers. Right. And you see it and it looks like a television show. And back when I was a kid, you had to have some substance to have a television show. You had to know what you were talking about to have a television show. So you're watching it and you're going, oh, but wait, this is someone in their bedroom with a $200 mic they bought. And that doesn't mean what they're saying is true. Right.
Starting point is 00:30:00 So I just look at it now as entertainment. I think of it as well as a little bit like when people get themselves into trouble by saying something ill-advised. Yes. Or perhaps clumsily thinking they're funny. Sometimes, I don't know if you've ever noticed this, sometimes people think they're funny and they're not funny. And they're not funny. Everybody thinks they're funny. Everybody thinks they're funny. It's the craziest thing.
Starting point is 00:30:23 Yeah, they're laughing at their own jokes. I're funny it's the craziest thing yeah they're laughing at their own jokes I know it's the weirdest thing but when somebody gets into trouble I think you see now this is why you have
Starting point is 00:30:30 a producer yep did you ever meet Peter LaSalle who was he was my producer at the late night show I had two of them
Starting point is 00:30:37 because I did this show once you definitely did but Peter was Peter was is an extraordinary story he was he's an older gentleman and he was captured by the Nazis with German Jew.
Starting point is 00:30:48 Holy crap. He was in the concentration camps. Oh my God. He was in the same class as Anne Frank in Amsterdam. Oh my God. I mean, like a horrendous story, but his family made it to the United States. And he got in the show business. Eventually, through a series of adventures and America being America,
Starting point is 00:31:09 he becomes Johnny Carson's producer for 35 years on The Tonight Show. Wow. And then, you know, his career goes into the doldrums and he has to produce me. No, no, I will not allow it. I will not allow it, no. But Peter was a fabulous, well, I'm trying fabulous one. The point is he understood the talk and late night was was the beginning of YouTube, I think, right? Yeah, talking to
Starting point is 00:31:33 Yeah, yeah. And he would say to me, sometimes out of joke and cuz you know, you're bullshit in your community thing. I'm gonna do the joke, Pete. And you go, really? Because we got tomorrow night. Yeah, don't do it. There's always another joke. Yeah. And it's not that great a joke. And this is how long ago it was. He would say, look, just don't say anything that make the people at PETA get mad. Just listen.
Starting point is 00:31:57 Oh, man. You don't want that smoke. You don't want that smoke. You don't want it. Do you have animals? I do have a dog. Right. So you know.
Starting point is 00:32:05 Yes, I do. I just had a moment when you were talking where I was, I got a little misty that we didn't find each other earlier. Because I'm sad that I only got to do your show that one time. Like we've done a thousand different things since then. You're kidding me. You only did it once? I only did it once because I couldn't get arrested in late night. And I'm really good on late night.
Starting point is 00:32:22 So I couldn't figure out why. That's crazy. Yeah. And it was, and I don't even know, I think I got your show from a cancel. I don't think it was, I think it was like a cancellation or something. And then you realize like this magic between us, you realize it. Of course, yeah. But you were, I remember you said to me like, why am I just meeting you now?
Starting point is 00:32:37 Like, why is this the first time? And I think your show, you were ending your show like maybe a year after that. So I only got to go on once. Wow. Yeah. You know, cause it shows you have perception of memory. because if somebody had said to me who were you know you know give me a list of people who were regular guests you would definitely be in there i would have been had i gotten on i know that i would have been if i would have gotten on early yeah yeah one time i
Starting point is 00:32:57 had one time with you i mean i did celeb name game like 50 times right that's right but our show your show was only once do you still watch the game shows? Do you still do that? I do. I've been. You've gone a little more serious and grown up since the last time I saw you. My mood has been a little dour in the last few years. Yeah. It's like, I think I'm an adult now and I think I'm fully grasping how serious all this stuff is. I hope that I haven't lost my joy.
Starting point is 00:33:22 No, you haven't. How you like that? You have. It's good. And you still got the show business. I joy. No, you haven't. How you like that? You have, it's good. Yeah. And you still got the showbiz sleep. I do. I do. So I haven't lost my joy, but I feel like I'm supposed to sound the alarm and I've been sounding the alarm for the last eight years. I think also you are, it's very, this doesn't, this is not you different to when I first met
Starting point is 00:33:39 you. I don't feel like you've dropped anything. I think that you're, as the PicoTube watchers say, you're approaching your final form. Do you know what I mean? Yes, absolutely. And I think that that's all right. I mean, people used to talk about it. People say so much, stick to comedy. And you go, well, no, really?
Starting point is 00:34:01 Yeah. I don't do politics in my stand-up. Yeah. But that's a stylistic choice. Right. Because you're very politically aware. Sure. Like, you always have been that.
Starting point is 00:34:12 Sure, I know what's going on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I have a, my position on it is slightly different. Okay. And it is actually, if we're being honest, I think it's to do with a sense of being a person of faith or a person of doubt or a person of trying to find out what I'm meant to be doing. What am I here for? What's my purpose?
Starting point is 00:34:36 What's my job? What have I got to do? And I feel like when I was younger, I thought it was for something very noble and maybe they would carve statues. But now I'm beginning to think your job is to give people a break. That's your job. Craig, also noble. Yeah, but in a slightly different way. So my job, if I'm doing 90 minutes on stage, I'm going to stand up. My job is for 90 minutes, you laugh,
Starting point is 00:35:08 and you forget all about that stuff. And then when you leave, all of that stuff you're mad about is still there. It'll be right there waiting for you at the door. It's right, you can pick it up at the coat check. It's right there. Absolutely. And I think that there's a certain growth of that sort of thought. It's not that it's bad.
Starting point is 00:35:29 But I wonder, because I think, see, politics is always, I've always thought, this is not the case with you. Yes. But politics, I've thought, this is where people go sometimes when they want to appear smarter than they are. Because if you pick a side, then you immediately have a bunch of people who are going to agree with you. And so you're like, yeah, he's talking sense. Is he though? The guy with the who farted hat? Is he talking sense?
Starting point is 00:35:54 I don't know if he is. Maybe you just agree with him. But there is a movement and this convoluted route I'm taking you on is because I look at my younger brothers and sisters, my children's generation and people younger than me, and I look at their earnest beliefs. And some of them I don't understand.
Starting point is 00:36:12 And manners are moving very quickly. And that's appropriate. I'm older. They're younger. That happens. How old are you, do you say? 61. You're a baby.
Starting point is 00:36:18 No. Sweet, sweet little baby. The only place I have a baby is maybe a couple of retirement communities in Florida and some Buddhist temples in Nepal. I might be the kid. Other than that, but the thing is, is I look at the changing manners of people in our business. Like the words you can't say, the ones you can't. Some of it is admirable.
Starting point is 00:36:41 Some of it is correct. Some of it is a correction. And some of us think, are we losing naughtiness? We are. Is that necessary though? Is that okay? I don't think it's necessary to lose naughtiness. I think losing naughtiness is as detrimental as losing shame.
Starting point is 00:37:02 Okay. And we lost shame around the same time we lost naughtiness. And there's one thing to be naughty with a twinkle in your eye and the understanding that you know you're tiptoeing right up to the edge, but you're not tiptoeing up there to harm anybody. Right. It's all silliness and it's fun. And even if you're a really good person or a really goody-goody, you know what I'm talking about. It's that, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:25 It's that little twinkle. And I think people have course-corrected to the point where they believe that if you're naughty, you're dark. And I don't—I mean, there's probably some that are, but I don't think those that were choosing that for their comedy were doing it for that reason. choosing that for their comedy, we're doing it for that reason. Going back to the shame thing, I feel like in this idea of telling people you shouldn't feel bad about anything, we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater. There are some things you really should feel bad about. If you are stealing from people or stabbing people in the back, or you're sleeping around with somebody else's wife or husband, you should feel bad about that. That's shameful.
Starting point is 00:38:02 It's shameful. Yeah. So this idea of, I need to be free. No, no, no, your freedom should not cover somebody else's ability to be free. Yeah. Your search for love should not take love from someone else. There's things that do what you need to do for you, but you should do no harm in doing what you need to do for yourself. That's a Buddhist tenet, isn't it? Is it?
Starting point is 00:38:19 I believe it is. But it's also, I think it's every faith. It should be a part of every faith. You should walk out your door going, I don't want to hurt nobody today. I want to get what I want. I want to build a life that I think would be amazing. But for me, I can't sleep at night if to get what I need, I have to step on someone's neck. I don't believe that that's the way I have to get it. If I have to step on someone's neck to get it, I don't want it.
Starting point is 00:38:45 Yeah. I don't want it. Yeah. I don't want it. Yeah, you got to get past that. What? No. No, I don't. No, I'm kidding. I feel, though, that I'm refreshed to hear.
Starting point is 00:38:55 I find it refreshing. I'm not refreshed. I find it refreshing. I'm slightly refreshed. I have a little water here. I'm slightly refreshed. I find it refreshing that you say that we need a little more shame. We do.
Starting point is 00:39:07 Because I agree. I think that, you know, you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself. Well, you should be ashamed of yourself for that. Right. But what you did, that was bad. Absolutely. And I think that what I'm fascinated by, when I was talking to you about the early Christians, pre-Roman Christianity, that there was a theologian, a gentleman by the name of Evagrius, from a town called Pontus,
Starting point is 00:39:36 which I think was in northern Turkey. It's not really important where it was for the extent of the story. And he came up with the idea of the eight thoughts. And he came up with the idea of the eight thoughts. Eight thoughts which take the forms of demons. Okay. Which separate you from God. Oh, what are they?
Starting point is 00:39:53 They are, you'll recognize them. Envy, sloth, lust, greed, all that, avarice, all that stuff. And they became, of course, later on the seven deadly sins in the church. And the eight went to seven because they put sadness, which was one of the eight thoughts, was folded into sloth. Well, if you're sad, you are just laying around. Right, right. You're laying around. But also, I think there's a little bit of a hint about self-pity in there as well.
Starting point is 00:40:17 Because self-pity, I got to tell you, when I let myself down, it's always self-pity. Right. Well, it's not always self-pity. But it's often. Recently, it's self-pity. it's not always self-pity but it's often recently it's it's like recently sometimes i just let myself down because i'm just so hungry i gotta cry but the but the the idea of the demons and the the thoughts the early christians when they were
Starting point is 00:40:43 thinking about that they didn't think of these things in moral terms they think about these are things that will separate you from oneness from God from the universe and it was only in later in the medieval church that it became a moral kind of you are naughty and bad yeah if you have these things it's like no this is this is just something that's separating you right from something that's pretty great. Yeah. And actually the reason why you're here. But you know what the deepest thing about Christianity for me and the way and people that I feel are doing it wrong.
Starting point is 00:41:14 It's funny I said that as I'm about to say what I'm about to say. You're not supposed to judge people. You know, Christ made it very clear. God made it clear that we're ill-equipped to decide who's getting it right and who's getting it wrong. And one of my favorite scriptures is take the plank of wood out of your eye before you fiddle with someone else's splinter. A plank of wood is huge. A splinter is tiny. So in that scripture, the Lord is saying, whatever is on your plate is huger and more imminent and needs to be dealt with right now more than what your neighbor is doing down the street.
Starting point is 00:41:48 And if you need something to put your time, your mind on and spend time doing, work on you. I'm Angie Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between. This life right here, just finding myself, just relaxation, just not feeling stressed, just not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things. That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being you. So you've got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly.
Starting point is 00:42:41 Life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder. So if you have a story to tell if you come through some trials you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone you're going to you're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up to not quit listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts. built successful brands. Now I want to share what I've learned with you. And on Butternomics, we go deep with today's most influential entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders to peel back the layers on how they use culture as a driving force in their business. On every episode, we get the inside scoop on how these leaders tap into culture to build something amazing. From exclusive interviews to business breakdowns, we'll explore the journey of turning
Starting point is 00:43:44 passion for culture into business. Whether you're just getting started or an established business owner, Butternomics will give you what you need to take your game to the next level. This is Butternomics. Listen to Butternomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Guess what, Bingo? What's that, Will? So iHeart is giving us a whole minute to promote our podcast, Part-Time Genius. I know. That's why I spent my whole week composing a haiku
Starting point is 00:44:11 for the occasion. It's about my emotional journey in podcasting over the last seven years, and it's called Earthquake House. Mango, I'm going to cut you off right there. Why don't we just tell people about our show instead? Yeah, that's a better idea. So every week on Part-Time Genius, we feed our curiosity by answering the world's most important questions. Things like, when did America start dialing 911? Is William Shatner's best acting work in Esperanto? Also, what happened to Esperanto? Plus, we cover questions like, how Chinese is your Chinese food? How do dollar stores stay in business?
Starting point is 00:44:44 And of course, is there an Illuminati of cheese? There absolutely is, and we are risking our lives by talking about it. But if you love mind-blowing facts, incredible history, and really bad jokes, make your brains happy and tune in to Part-Time Genius. Listen to Part-Time Genius on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about working on your net. So because you are self-professed, a person of faith,
Starting point is 00:45:17 what does it look like for you? Tell me if I'm getting too personal with this. No, you never do. What does it look like for you when that faith is tested? Can you give me an example when you say, I don't see how this person being sick or this thing happened in my life or this disappoint for me? How can that? Well, it always hits me when someone wonderful passes away
Starting point is 00:45:38 and someone that really has no desire to help anyone just thrives. And they're around the same age. Or I'll see people, and I'm not ambitious in the industry at all, so I don't mean this like I'm not harmed by it. You have a building named after you in Hollywood, right? What more do you need? And you have Arsenio Hall's hall named after you in Arsenio Hall. What I'm saying, though, is if I see someone that I know is not kind
Starting point is 00:46:03 and has not ever, in my opinion, tried to think of other people, rise, have like a meteoric rise in this industry, I'm always like, oh, their platform's going to get so big and they have nothing. They're not using it to help anybody. It's just look at my lip gloss, look at my dress. So part of me feels like that doesn't feel fair to me. It feels like the people that should have the platform, like you said, the people that should have it are the people that don't want it. The people that should be famous are the people that don't want to be famous. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:46:33 The people that don't desire to be famous. I think fame is, the nature of fame is very different than it was even 10 years ago. You think? Yes, I do. I think that certainly, maybe not 10 years, but certainly when I was a kid, which is I'm afraid a lot further ago than 10 years, being famous was something that I wanted because I felt it would remove for me the difficulties of my life. It would make
Starting point is 00:46:59 me feel special and it would, the honest truth is I thought I wouldn't have to go to the dentist. When I was a kid, I thought if I'm famous, now, what I didn't know is I'd end up in Hollywood, which, you know, you go to the dentist a lot. You better go to the dentist. Yeah, you're going to the dentist nearly every day. Absolutely. Especially if you arrive from Scotland. Absolutely, you better go.
Starting point is 00:47:17 Okay, first thing you will be doing, we're going to do about a couple of years in the dentist. Right. But I thought it would separate me and make me special and i think it does or it used to and i don't think it does what do you think it does now i think it exposes you and i think it makes you vulnerable to your mistakes and what i mean by that is when i was a kid when i was in my 20s i drank two months drank a lot i got myself in a lot of trouble with alcohol. And I, you know, I got into fights and I behaved like an idiot.
Starting point is 00:47:51 And I fell down and I made a fool of myself and I peed my pants. There's no footage of that. Right. You know. Well, maybe after this. I had mental footage. I just had a mental. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:48:03 There's no actual footage of me doing that. Right. And with the kids now, like when you talked earlier about the Karens, I saw one recently. It's a drunk woman on a train just yelling at these German students. Did you see this one? It's kind of interesting for our purpose because it contains racism, but not black-white racism. It's a drunk woman, white woman on a train,
Starting point is 00:48:26 yelling at some German students because they're speaking a different, you know, and she's yelling, go back to your own country, and all of the usual phrases and all that stuff. And I thought, yeah, that's horrible, what you're doing, but she's drunk off her ass, and she should learn a lesson from it. But you don't believe in vino veritas?
Starting point is 00:48:49 No, I don't. Really? I don't believe in that because I've said a lot of shit when I was drinking that wasn't true. I don't think in vino veritas is true at all. In wine truth, I don't think it's true. I think for some people it may be true but for people like me alcoholics when i start drinking i'm not home it ain't me now i have to deal with behavior they call them spirits they call it the demon drink yeah that's what they say and i think that you know when i start drinking the drink starts drinking drinking, and then the lights are on, but I'm not home.
Starting point is 00:49:26 And that doesn't mean I'm not responsible for the actions that I take. I'm not saying that. But what I'm saying is it's just not what I want for myself. I wasn't even aware of some of the things. I got in a fight. I remember particularly talking to a friend of mine who clearly had taken a couple of severe punches to the face. And we were talking about it. And he was pretty mad at me because it was me that had done it.
Starting point is 00:49:51 Right. And we were out and it happened. And I was like, that's terrible. Yeah. So I don't believe in wine truth. I think in vino madness. If I knew the Latin for madness. Well, you know, you open my eyes to that because I have always believed that.
Starting point is 00:50:07 But I also believe you. And so if you're saying that that's not true all the time, then I'm now going to think about it in a different way. Because that does make sense. If someone is blacking out and if it is something else taking over, then that thing, whatever that thing is, is saying whatever it, you know, it's an id type moment at that moment. It might not even be your id. But now what I'm also saying is in part of the way that I lived my life since I got sober when I was 29 was that it doesn't matter.
Starting point is 00:50:37 You're still responsible. And I had to go back and clear up all the mess that I'd made. And, you know, that was, it doesn't absolve me from it. Yeah. But it explained it to me a little bit. Yeah. Because I was thinking, you know, when you get in a fight with your friend that you adore. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:54 You know, and you guys end up in a fight because you're drunk. Mm-hmm. That why would I want to behave like that? Keep doing that. Right, right. Why would I want to keep doing that? What is it in me that happened? and what it was in me was alcohol yeah but i think you know i i became quite pious when i got sober for a while and i you know i said that so i was talking to a very good friend
Starting point is 00:51:18 of mine still a good friend of mine who had also gotten sober some years before me, and I said to him, I said, you know, I think alcoholism is a low-level search for God. And he said, I don't know about that, he said, but he said, in your case, I'd stick with a low-level search. I like him. Did you ever run into trouble with anything like that? Did you ever find yourself in a set of behaviors when you thought what's going on with me
Starting point is 00:51:46 why am I doing this you know probably food for me because I ate myself into diabetes food that's a legitimate demon it's a good one
Starting point is 00:51:54 yeah I think it's a horrible one it is yeah so I think that I never dabbled in alcohol
Starting point is 00:52:01 and drugs because my grandmother was an alcoholic and she died of that. And so I often heard that it was genetic and I was like, well, I got a predisposition.
Starting point is 00:52:10 So much so that when I was in seventh grade, my neighbor, remember when they used to put the free cigarette things in the magazines, you could go take the, rip it out and open it up.
Starting point is 00:52:19 So she had gone and got a free pack of cigarettes and she was like, we're going to smoke after school. So I went over and she had gotten a pack of menthols and when i tell you i took one drag on that minty goodness of that and i said to myself never again because i'm also the person that believes that if it can
Starting point is 00:52:35 happen to anyone it will happen to me so i had seen the commercial the lady with the little trach i saw that and i was like that happened because because of smoking. So if I go down this road, that will be me. And so I just never smoked. I think that that's good. But I'm going to steer you back to the food. Oh yeah, come on back. Because that's the one that bit you. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:59 And I understand that. I behave sometimes around food. I hate that. I behave sometimes around food. I hate that. This is true about me. I behave sometimes around food. And I think, what are you doing? What are you doing? Why are you?
Starting point is 00:53:14 Like, I'll tell you today, I just ate a whole Toblerone. Because I'm in a hotel and they're… And it's there. And it's there. I'd never buy a Toblerone. No, but it's there. It's right there in the room. Yeah, but there's also bottles of hooch in the minibar.
Starting point is 00:53:27 I'm not tempted to go in there. Yeah, but I don't think the Toblerone has the stigma in the history. It doesn't have the power over me. You don't have the power over you. I've got a little bit of shame about Toblerone, but I think if it was tequila, we wouldn't be talking. We wouldn't be talking right now. I wouldn't have turned up.
Starting point is 00:53:41 I would not have turned up. Yeah, you'd be on a bender, yeah. But I think that, how how did you or have you found a way to be at peace with that or i mean that's the dangerous one too i think because you can't stop eating you can stop drinking you can stop doing coke or whatever your thing is but you can't stop eating you have that's right it's a it's a addiction that you have that you have to always continue to do or you die right so i think for me i had to i went got into therapy because the question is why are you doing whatever the addictive behavior is why right if you're a sex addict alcohol whatever why what is going on in your life or inside of you that you're using
Starting point is 00:54:16 behaving in a way that's abhorrent exactly and so i got into therapy and just realized that i was like i had low level sadness like i was just sad and bored or whatever. Bored's a great one. Thank you for saying that. Yeah. And it's like, well, I can fill this space with something instead of picking up a book, calling a friend, taking a walk. It was donuts, you know?
Starting point is 00:54:36 And so what scared me straight was my diagnosis when I got diagnosed with diabetes. And I just, I was like, I don't want to be sickly. You know, I don't, I don't want to be sickly. You know, I don't, I'm not a athlete. I'm not like in the gym and I'm not that kind of person, but baseline, I don't want to have chronic diseases as I get older. Right. But I don't think that we always think about it like that. Like we think that we're going to be the lucky one or we're going to be the one that beats whatever the thing is. Again, my mindset is it'll be the thing that takes me out. So when I got diabetes, I'm like, well, they're cutting off
Starting point is 00:55:06 my legs. They're taking my legs. Did you think when COVID came out, did you think I'm going to die of this? Absolutely. I'm like, it's absolutely going to get me. I'm going to die of this. Oh yeah, I was totally... You obviously got it, right? I got it once. Yeah, I got it. I have had it twice. Yeah, I'm a bit of a germaphobe anyway. So I already was wearing masks on planes because I had just booked a kid's show and was flying back and forth from New York doing this kid's show. And I knew kids were petri dishes. So I was like, I need to wear a mask to protect myself from these babies who could have Lord
Starting point is 00:55:33 knows what. And that was in October of 2019. So I came back to LA from New York and the world blew up, but I already had masks. So I already right in that mindset of you have to protect yourself but yeah i did i did all i did the vaccines the social distancing i'm still spritzing everything like i'm still in it i i'm kind of a bit like that yeah well i i mean that i wash my hands when i get home yeah you know i mean like i have they haven't been anywhere things we probably should have been doing anyway though like when you about, what I think about now is how many times I walk through sneezes. And, you know, you don't want to. But if you're on a plane and a person next to you sneezes, I didn't used to cover myself.
Starting point is 00:56:15 I would just be like, okay, the person sneezed. But now I'm like, the droplets. You know, like your mind is like literally thinking about what's. I get like that, too. I get the idea. When I hear someone coughing, but it's funny enough enough it's always in an airport or a plane i'm like oh god damn it just stay home yeah you know it just makes me take my mask and like pinch the nose a little tighter and yeah take it a little more it's funny i i people got even mad at that i know i was like
Starting point is 00:56:43 i don't right are you mad at that yeah but i. I was like, what's wrong? Why are you mad at that? Yeah, but I think also, going back to how we've lost ourselves in the last eight years in particular, you wear the mask, when they said that you wear the mask to protect others, I was like, this is the perfect reason to say it. Because I'm thinking everybody wants to make sure that they don't harm other people. So, of course, you say, and that was the reason people didn't wear it. They were like, oh, well, if I'm fine, I don't have to wear it.
Starting point is 00:57:08 I don't know them. And I'm like, why don't you? You don't want the person down the street to be okay? It's foreign to me to not want other people to be okay. How do we inject more decency into society? Gosh, I don't know. Senator Brown. You know gosh i don't know senator brown you know i don't know like i kind of feel like and i hate to say this because this is like defeatist but i feel like you either come here with a heart for people or you don't i think it's you can because i remember one time oh come
Starting point is 00:57:36 on you're a christian you gotta have redemption i mean there may be redemption but i'm saying it's like a muscle i think if you don't come here with it, you can exercise it to learn how. But I remember I was on set one day and I don't even know what I did, but one of my cast members said, yeah, you're really nice to people. And I said, mm-hmm. And she said, I don't really know how to do that.
Starting point is 00:57:57 Oh, wow. And I was like, what? I think I can almost name this person for you. What do you mean? You don't know how, like to me, it just seems like air to breathe. You just put other people's needs ahead of your own. And then if I put your needs ahead of you and you put my needs ahead of me, of you,
Starting point is 00:58:13 we're both taken care of. It's the same way in a love relationship. If I love you with all I have and you love me with all you have, we're both okay. The problem is when I love you with all I have and you also love you with all you have. It's like you know me. No, what I'm saying, then I'm left. So if we all would be outward facing and look around and go, who can I help today?
Starting point is 00:58:33 What can I sow that's good today? Because even coming here, I get to see my buddy Craig and I get to have this conversation, but I didn't come here going, how can I make myself great on his podcast? I'm like, how can I say, I hope I can say something that sparks something in someone's mind and it takes them down a path that's better. I think that's right.
Starting point is 00:58:52 You know what I mean? You know, when I talk to my children and when I talk to myself, because inside me is a self-pity, I'll be a little boy. So let's not make it about your kids, Greg. Let's tell the truth. What I do is, self-pity is a real legitimate demon, I think. And what I try and do is find a way to be of service. Yes.
Starting point is 00:59:18 Like you're talking about for another human being. I'm lucky because the way I, you know, as a sober alcoholic, there's an obvious way for me to go, which is, you know as a sober alcoholic was an obvious way for me to go which is you know find find a drunk help be a mentor yeah um what service does i think it doesn't take away your problems no but it stops you thinking about absolutely absolutely it takes your mind off and it gives you perspective that's the word i was. And it gives you perspective. That's the word I was going to use. It gives you perspective. It gives you perspective. So, you know, if I'm talking to someone who suffers from the same condition I have, who's just come in the door. Like, so for example, when you arrive into sobriety in the way that I did,
Starting point is 00:59:58 you know, that you get arrows in your hat and you're all like burnt and stuff like that. And, you know, time goes by, you get a nice suit, you comb your hair, you get a haircut that clears up and you kind of forget a little bit. So if you spend time around the people that are still got arrows in their hats, it's a good reminder of what's available to you if you want to go back the way. Yeah. So we're coming to the end of this now. No.
Starting point is 01:00:25 Well, the end of this episode, this will go down as this episode will be the last one you did before you ran for... Now, I do know one of the senators in Ohio. You do? Which one? Sherrod. Yes.
Starting point is 01:00:39 Now, Sherrod, he's a nice man. He's a career politician. He's been there for a long time. Now, who's, he's a nice man. He's a career politician. He's been there for a long time. Now, who's the other guy? Who's the other senator in Chicago, in Ohio? The guy that just, it's not Vance. No, Vance is the, I think Vance is in that.
Starting point is 01:00:57 Anyway, what I'm saying is this. You know Sherrod Brown? I don't know him personally, no. Well, his name is Brown. Yes. And your name is Brown. It is. And I like Sherrod, and he's got a sense of humor, and I think you'd get a kick out of him.
Starting point is 01:01:09 Really? I think the two of you represent the great state of Ohio in the Senate. So wait, I have to leave L.A.? I have to go back to Ohio? I think you should. I have to run in Ohio? Yeah, I think you have to. You can keep a place here and pay California taxes, but I think you should think about it. I mean, look, there'll always be the Yvette Nicole Brown building here in Hollywood.
Starting point is 01:01:30 People are literally going to start looking for this building. It does not exist. It's in Cosmo Street in Hollywood. The Yvette Nicole Brown building. I adore you. I adore you. I'm always fascinated by our discussions Because they always end up going somewhere I know
Starting point is 01:01:46 I never even planned what I'm going to say When I come to see you Because I think I've done every iteration of this That you've done since your show I don't even plan I just go I'm going to talk to my buddy I'll talk to my buddy for it We're going to shoot the
Starting point is 01:01:59 Shoot the poop I was going to say shoot the And then I thought no I don, because you're a Baptist. I don't like to swear in front of people. I said those words. Yeah, but I, you know, when somebody says they're a Baptist, I feel like I shouldn't swear in front of them. Well, that's, I mean, you can, listen. I've got a highly developed sense of shame.
Starting point is 01:02:17 I feel like the Lord would strike me down if I said, how dare you cuss? And he'd be like, really? Really? I think if the Lord is going to be striking people down, he's got a long list of people he's got to get through. Here he goes to you for cussing. Absolutely. All right.
Starting point is 01:02:30 I love you. I love you, honey. Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the We'll see you next time. Wild for divorce. Whoa. I said the words that I've said like in my head for like 16 years. Wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Angie Martinez. And on my podcast, I like to talk to everyone from Hall of Fame athletes to iconic musicians about getting real on some of the complications and challenges of real life.
Starting point is 01:03:27 I had the best dad and I had the best memories and the greatest experience. And that's all I want for my kids as long as they can have that. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For 10 years, I've been obsessed with one of the most bizarre and audacious cons in rock and roll history. We were all facing 20 years and all that good stuff. The lead singer tried to pull off an English accent, and they went on the road as the zombies.
Starting point is 01:04:00 These guys are not going to get away with it. The zombies are too popular. I'll show you everyone. It's that time. These guys are not going to get away with it. Zombies are too popular.

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