Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell - S8 EP10: Jason Bell

Episode Date: February 9, 2024

Joining us this episode to discuss the highs and lows of parenting (and life) is the former NFL player Jason Bell. Jason now presents the NFL coverage for Sky, he also appeared on Series 18 of Strictly Come Dancing, and has one daughter with Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle. Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xx If you want to get in touch with the show here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] INSTAGRAM: @parentinghell MAILING LIST: parentinghellpodcast.mailchimpsites.com  A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello I'm Rob Beckett and I'm Josh Willicombe. Welcome to Parents in Hell the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent which I would say can be a little tricky. So to make ourselves and hopefully you feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting each week we'll be chatting to a famous parent about how they're coping or hopefully how they're not coping and we'll also be hearing from you the listener with your tips advice and of course tales of parenting woe because let's be honest there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing hello you're listening to parenting hell with henry can you say Joshua Willicombe?

Joshua Willicombe! Can you say Rob Beckett? Rob Beckett! Well done! What is going on there? Go, there we go. Pig in the background. Hi, Rob and Josh.

This is my very nearly eight-year-old Iris and asking my very nearly six-year-old Henry your names. Henry will be six on the 7th of February and Iris Anne will be eight on the 14th of February, Valentine's Day. So the same ages as Rob's daughters, so can very much relate to him. Love the podcast. Work days are always more manageable on a Tuesday and Friday. Thanks for all the laughs. Zoe from Gosport, Portsmouth.

Gosport, Portsmouth. Thank you very much. What's that in the background? It sounded like piglets. Yeah. Oh, yeah, they are piglets. That's from Peppa Pig. P.S. We're piglets.

P.S. Little known fact, we are the first piglets to listen to podcasts. How are you, Josh? You teased us with a Jason Bell story last time we spoke. Yeah, I've begun Project Girls Aloud, Rob. Okay, what's Project? This sounds like the start of a stalking case. No, it's to get my daughter into Girls Aloud, Rob. Okay, what's Project? This sounds like the start of a stalking case. No, it's to get my daughter into Girls Aloud. Right, so, Lou, I didn't realise, mine are.

Ah, there you go. I mentioned, because I was like, oh, you know, I spoke to the guy who went out with Nadine from Girls Aloud. Do you like Girls Aloud? I was like, yeah, play Sound of the Underground, play Love Machine. So they're quite into it. So you're trying to get your daughter into it

so you can go to the show? she's up for it i'm taking it's going to be a first ever gig it's going to be this is girls allowed lou i didn't know this either lou's i think taking them as well is she i'm not i'm not around on that day um that she's going i think she's she does she planned to get w i won't be around then um no i'm i'm filming those days that's a filming block for me so I can't make the evening gig but yeah I think

so that's weird isn't it first ever gig but it's quite nice I think Gladiator has inspired this of like well why don't we just

go and do something we both enjoy because they've had some bangers as well you know I was listening to the hits on the way to the Kent coast

towards Dungeness Power Station I think beyond the Beatles and Blur hits on the way uh to to the kent coast to the towards dungeonous power station beyond the beatles and blur and possibly the smiths they've got more good songs than any british band in history how close were you to the power station fucking hell their songs are good i don't hit after hit yeah but i would say they're the fifth best British band of all time. They are so... The show is one of... Might be one of my Desert Island discs. What show? The song The Show.

Right, okay. I don't know if I know that one. How does that go? Nobody sees the show until... Oh, yeah, that's a good song. It's just got so many different bits. Which is the chorus? Which is the verse?

I genuinely, Rob. Yeah. I think the people that write those songs are called Xenomania, who are based in Kent. Xenomania? That sounds like a problematic kids entertainers. Xenomania. I'd like to make a complaint about what happened

to my kids at Xenomania. You said it was a ball pool. Oh, so they helped write the songs? Or did they write all the songs? Well, they're the writing team that Girls Aloud work with, and they do the Sugar Babes, and they did Believe by Cher. I think they're up there with Lennon and McCartney, Rob. Really?

Who is Xenomania then? Who's in Xenomania? There's a bloke called... Brian Hughes. Brian Higgins, sorry. Brian Higgins, sorry. I remembered his name because there was aes brian higgins sorry higgins sorry i remembered his name because there was a comedian called brian higgins and a woman called marina or something like that um and uh i just think girls are loud are incredible i just think the songs are unbelievable

well yeah well i do feel a bit mean though we're We're just literally talking about Jason Bell's ex's music before his interview. Sorry. Sorry. Okay, let's move on. Project NFL. I've been having Clancy on and then going, I'll tell you what, that volley that Crouchy did. Yeah. Okay, let's move on. Project NFL, Rob.

Talk to me about your favourite Jason Bell NFL play. Project NFL's hit the skids a bit, wasn't it? Yeah, so what's going on with Project NFL? Because it's Super Bowl this weekend. We've got Jason Bell on. You're a huge NFL head. Well, I'm not a huge NFL head, Rob. You love the Bengals, isn't it? I love Gridiron.

I tried it, Rob. I tried my best. It's on too late, isn't it? It's on too late. It's too long. It is good sport, but... It is good sport but it is good it is good sport it is good sport but fucking hell mate have i got time for good sport i think i'm just dapping out of good sport until well i do think if you're into football and i'm into football and boxing it does limit opportunity to watch more of i love basketball but it's not too late mma i watch mma boxing and

football my main ones but that there's football on every night this week yeah well i don't even do that i just i i just haven't got a life rob well yes you have i think it was what should what do you do you go what do you do when you get a bit you went yoga this last night we went to watch uh we watched the end of the pamela anderson documentary have you watched that no but i wouldn't use as an example of the lifeela Anderson documentary. Have you watched that? No. I wouldn't use that as an example of the life you've got. It's a good doc. I know, but I'm trying to think, like, what's your hobbies? I just don't have any.

What sport do you do? Do you do peloton on your own? No. No, okay, you've stopped doing that. Yoga? I do a bit of yoga. Anything else? I play five-a-side football.

Yeah, I go to the gym. My children go to school. Yeah, well done, yeah. You've only got a five-and-a-side football. Yeah, I go to the gym. My children go to school. Yeah, well done, yeah. You've only got a five-and-a-half-hour gap in between. It's not long enough. No, but then I do mine sort of in the evenings when they're in bed or Lou puts them to bed. At 9pm?

I play football at 8pm. Do you? On Sundays. Yeah, I think. And Tuesday football. Why don't you come play Tuesday football comedians because it's

the whole afternoon I've got to go there and back also it's a hobby you've got to put yourself first I find contact sports

stressful go and goal then I broke my wrist once when I went and goal in five-a-side football because someone hit a hard shot and it bent my fingers back and that broke your wrist

right so you don't like contact sport right so what it's taken me about I'm 40 it's taken me about 38 years to realise I don't like playing football okay right so what do you fishing I think that's cruel fishing we could go golf like ronnie

barker and ronnie corby i just think fishing's cruel okay right fair enough i'll get that if you're golf i think i haven't got the mentality for golf i think it would stress me out too much yeah i think you're you're too competitive and i what if i hit a bad shot it's going to get to me i'm not going to be able to put it behind me your neck if I hit a bad shot, it's going to get to me. I'm not going to be able to put it behind me. Your neck's going to be in pieces. My neck's going to be in pieces. Okay, what else could you do then?

Are you looking for companionship? No, I've got Rose. No, not like that. But are you looking to hang out with people as well as do a sport? Quite like being on my own. Right, okay. Why don't you get a dog and go for dog walks? Because they're a big commitment.

That is too big. You could just walk without a dog. Yeah. But the walking's boring, and I think everyone gets a slight PTSD from lockdown walks. Yeah, I do think. Especially if you haven't moved. I've got back into walking since I moved, but when I lived in my old house,

I was so bored of that. Anywhere within a five-mile radius of that area, I had covered. A postman by the end of it. So, in conclusion, I've got nothing going on. You've got nothing going on. You watched the end of a documentary. We're watching a good series. Which we watched over three separate nights.

Well, Rosie's only at home twice a week, isn't she? We're barely together. Is she at home now? Yeah. Oh, that's nice. we've got the evening together no i've got gigs fuck you now you're gigging's your hobby oh because it come to that that's what used to be a hobby i know that's to get to do that's the problem you turn your hobby into a job and then suddenly i've got a hobby. Exactly. Because there's too much on the line. There's too much on the line, mate. That's why I won't go pro as a boxer or footballer. I don't want to lose it.

That's why Morrissey never played my instruments. He still wanted to love music. Oh my God. I was in a taxi the other day talking to Morrissey. Okay. And the guy went, I just did the class. We were driving along and he was like, I'll tell you who I picked up there. Johnny Marr from the Smiths.

Yeah. And I was like, fucking hell, that's cool. Yeah. What was he like? Yeah. And he went, oh, he's the weirdest thing.

Dropped him off, went around the corner. Guess who I picked up? Neil Morrissey. but he didn't put two and two together oh he just thought it was weird it was someone who's famous he just thought it was weird there was two famous people mate you're telling an anecdote here you've got an open goal here did you say that to him no because i couldn't believe i was like i did i was like i didn't want a trampoline punchline also you're trying to keep chat to a minimum really aren't you yeah exactly i didn't want

to go i'll tell you what it is a chopper for you mate do you know what i find quite stressful if you get picked up and they recognize you is when they go like oh i had so-and-so and they'll say like billy conley or a comedian or something, and then he goes, oh, they were so funny. Yeah. So, you're like, well, now I feel like I've got to put a fucking shift in there. Yeah. And I feel like I've got to start doing a little bit of new

in the back of the cab to win him over. I got in, and he said, straight away he went, you know, fair enough. He was like, oh, how's the comedy going or whatever? And I was like, yeah, good. And then I was like, I want to move the conversation away from me. And I was like, so have you had anyone exciting in your cab? I had a classic question. And he went, well, no disrespect, but I think everyone's as exciting as each other.

I don't think famous people. I'm like, come on, mate. I wasn't. Oh, so now you're like, oh, yeah, I am special. Anyone else special in there? Yeah. That wasn't what I was saying. I just didn't want to talk about, if anything,

I'm turning the fucking spotlight off me. You put it on me. Now, tell me your anecdote about Ronnie Marr and Neil Morrissey and we can enjoy ourselves. We're completely being oblivious to the punchline. Yeah, about the time you met fucking Ian Brown and Martin Clunes on the same night. Right.

fucking Ian Brown and Martin Clunes on the same night. Right. Yes. I mean. Because the delivery there needs to be, I dropped Jeremy Maroff, you'll never guess who I picked up around the corner, Morrissey.

And you go, no. I go, yeah, no. It was Neil Morrissey. And then he turns on the men behaving badly music. Teed up. Yeah. Right. Well, should we get Bell on?

Yeah. Legend. Let's get the Bell on. Wonderful man. Incredible bloke. Jason Bell. Please welcome to the podcast, Mr.

Jason Bell. Now, Jason, I've got a lot. There's a lot on your resume here. You're ex-NFL, strictly come dancing, now a presenter and a pundit for NFL in the UK and I think in the US as well.

And on top of that, you went into Wall Street or something, but I don't understand money, so you're some sort of big city player as well. And you've got a kid, which really helps this episode anyway. That helps it all. So how would you describe yourself to a newcomer to the world of Jason Bell? What's your number one thing? Oh, right now it's definitely the NFL.

It's definitely presenting in football. Everything's seasonal to me. And I've lived by this schedule my entire life, you know, from August until mid-February, it's all NFL. So I kind of lock in. And then the off-season, I start diving back into my other business in the U.S., which is finance, private wealth management for athletes, entertainers. So I went into that when I retired.

I had a passion for that, so helping people like myself. And I enjoy it. It all kind of works together and intertwines all the same lessons and tools oh you're so fucking positive jason i love it i love americans i feel like you're like a drip of like vitamins you don't people go on an iv drip just to get pumped up i feel like i could take on the world after that just hearing about you hey you know what's funny is everybody's got a role so when i was on team, my role was to bring energy. Even when, you know, I'd come on the field,

maybe we were kicking off or I'd play, you know, on third down. It was come on, bring energy, make sure everybody feels it. You had a position as well, though, didn't you? You didn't just shout. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was out there balling now. Don't get it twisted. I was making plays, but, you know, it's just,

what do you bring in practice when nobody's up for it? You know, when it's a hard day to work out and you got to run in the summertime, I was always that guy. Just come out there at the beginning in the morning and just start yelling and just, hey, let's go out and do this. And, you know, it's natural to me. So, yeah, thank you for saying that.

Do you bring that to parenting jason i do and that's why my daughter looks at me like i'm crazy half the time so how old you've got one child how old's your daughter she's nine she'll be 10 tomorrow oh what are you doing for it tomorrow yeah we had a big birthday party on the weekend. So she did tea with her friends. It was really cool. But she wants sushi after school. What kind of sushi is she eating? Because my kids like sushi,

but it's strictly just the bottom squashed down bit of rice and I have to take the salmon off the top to eat. What your children like is rice, Rob. That's what your children like. Hey, my... She likes the sushi, man. She likes salmon, sashimi. She's into that.

She'll try it all, but yeah. She got into it early when we were living back and forth to New York and she just started getting into it then. And yeah, she got a great pal like her mom, not her dad. Do you spend your time, so are you between both countries? No, I'm here full time. Once you start at school, you have to kind of lock in and make a decision. So I've been here once school started.

And yeah, this is home to me. Yeah, because you're separated from her mom. But I read, so you were like in LA for a bit. Is that right? And then you um so you're here now she's at school but you moved in together as well over covid as well is that correct yeah we were all you know covid everybody's figuring it out yeah we've always been close uh tight knit so yeah yeah it's an amazing though to be able to even though you're not together anymore to still

have that connection where you can you know live in a house together and put the child first it's a really not many not many people have that so it's can, you know, live in a house together and put the child first. Not many people have that. So it's really impressive and quite special. She's, you know, I always look and I tell Anaya, my daughter, all the time, man, you just got the best mom in the world. You know, you're so lucky. And when you see someone parent and you see how they put the child before everything, especially someone as busy as her mom,

it just makes you very proud to know that person. And it's been an honor to have a mother like that for my daughter. Oh, that's amazing. It's a weird thing to say, but if I ever split up with Rose, I hope it's as good as that. That's what I hope. Because obviously your career in the NFL and her mom was a pop star and stuff like that is is is your daughter heading to one of those directions or somewhere else is it music sport or

business she's definitely got the music she's definitely got the music side um her writing is unbelievable her understanding of music is is just it, it's, she's inherited it. You can see it. So I think she'll definitely be on the art side. I could see her writing music. I should, I could see her going that direction for sure. I try to push her into sports, but she always goes, I don't have to like it because you do dad. And I was like, that's true. That's very, very, very, very true. I'm always like, do you know you're fast?

She's like, yes. I was like, okay. And I put track and field on all the time i say you see them run and jump would you like to do that she's like yeah i was like okay all right i just i'm always showing her stuff introducing stuff like can we do this you know i'm trying to get her into a flag football she's kind of on the fence with that so yeah well i suppose it's harder to play it over here though it's not that much of it going on i mean and that's what you're trying to do you're involved in the nfl academy and are you involved in nicking that welsh rugby player that's been quite funny for someone i wish i could take credit for that but that dude is talented man i'm really interested to see how he he does um he looks really focused he's got all the skills so that'll be cool but flag is

really growing over here there's a lot of opportunities for that especially for young girls when i came to this country that was my main concern i was like where are the sports for all the young girls because in america yeah i got tons of sports uh so but it's it's starting to happen and they're pushing it and uh the opportunities are there so yeah just trying to get her involved with everything that's the key and when you're working with the n Academy, what are the parents like? How intense are some parents living through their children there? You don't see that at the Academy because it's different. They're away from home.

They're at the University of Lafayette. So they're just chilling up there doing all that. So it's just the kids locking into school. A lot of them, it's just fascinating how determined they are and how focused they are because all of them want to go to a university and continue to play a sport they love. So they're just so driven with that. I mean, their schedule is demanding, but they love it. They meet the challenge.

And you're seeing all the stories of all these kids going on to colleges, especially in the U.S. playing football. And it's the opportunities. I mean, it's changing lives. It changed my life. especially in the US playing football and it's the opportunities I mean it's changing lives it changed my life if I playing the sport I love going to school at UCLA opened up everything for me everything changed then because of what I what and who I was exposed to and what kind of parent are you on the sideline like in the uk soccer football you know here is the big is the

biggest biggest thing but the dads especially get embarrassingly loud and aggressive you know they're horrible jason they're horrible every like every sort of dad i know around this area has got a story about the time they've been on the touchline when a dad's gone like walked on and tried to fight the ref it's insane does that happen in america as well and what are you like oh for sure you see it all the time i mean you sports in america you know i'm loud and aggressive when it comes down to school plays and performances i'm jumping up clapping yelling i know i know everybody in there is like that's that american dad right there like sit down brother sit down come relax i'm in there cheering for the kids ah you know so

and that i'm crazy but as far as sports is concerned like even when they have a sports day i just chill out like i'm i'm never going to and i will never be that kind of parent because i've seen it before i didn't have pressure when i was playing my parents were always there, but they weren't overly involved unless I needed them to be. And I think it helped me because I had to figure it out myself. Kobe Bryant, the late Kobe Bryant, I read somewhere where he was talking

about coaching his daughter and how he had this hands-off approach because he was like, she needs to figure it out in there. I can't tell her the answer. And I think sports as for kids, it teaches you a lot of things, a lot of lessons that you will have to learn in life. And if you learn them there and you figure out how to handle them in those

situations, it helps you when you're an adult. So you can't give them the answers. They just got to figure it out themselves afterwards. You can replay it and talk it through but in the moment it's it's on them and i believe that you kind of just need to relax as a parent and let them do that as you said sports day there did you do that was there a father's race yeah it's father's race and did you win man i'm not going to do those fathers like that you know i'm saying'm saying? Like, why would I ruin the day? You know?

Even they try to tell me, they're like, you're going to do the race now? I'm like, I'm not going to. I'm not going to. I want you guys to enjoy yourself. Like, go enjoy yourself. Go enjoy yourself. Either way, that's more of a power play than winning. Yeah.

I'm like, go enjoy. All I can do, Rob, is go out there and lose. That's all I can do. Like, if I win, everybody's like, you won, George. All I can do, Rob, is go out there and lose. That's all I can do. Like, if I win, everybody's like, you won. Cool, show off. If I lose, it's like, oh, man, he lost. But when you're not racing, for them, for those dads, whoever wins, there's that asterisk there, isn't there, going,

it's basically like winning a medal at the Moscow Olympics when USA won there. It doesn't really count because it's been boycotted by the big guy. Also, as well, those other dads, if they're up against you, they've got a chance of beating the NFL guy.

They are going to put everything on the line. They don't care about hamstrings. They don't care about injury. They're going to be going at it like animals. Man, the physical therapist I go to is like, oh, I always know when sports day's around, all the dads start coming in again. I'm like, see, they're out there blowing out hammies,

ACLs getting torn, Achilles popping. Nah, I don't got time for that. None. You're super sort of positive and confident, and I think that's an American trait as well as yourself. With your daughter, obviously she's you know european and american sort of has she got that sort of inner confidence like from you because she sees how you act with people and things like that and also her mom's super confident as well but is it do you think it's a british thing or it's sort of

a parent thing of like instilling that self-confidence that americans seem to have but british people can be quite awkward and over polite and things like that. Have you seen that much? I love the difference in cultures. I appreciate it. And I think the more you're exposed to it, the more you're able to understand how the world works. So me being over here, I look at British culture and I enjoy it. I enjoy how different cultures behave and how they handle certain situations, how they

look at certain things. And I think with my daughter, you know, she spends a ton of time in Ireland. I think being exposed to all of that, it just it just helps her be more dynamic of a person. You know, being over here is open my eyes to a lot of things in the world and, and change my perspective on how I would see things. So I appreciate the difference in how the cultures, um, deal with things. I mean, it's, it's fascinating. Even, you know, when I first came here and I wasn't doing the media stuff, I was, you know, heavily in finance, even how people talked about their finances in this country i was like that's different you know it's a different approach and i was like okay and i started to dive into the behavioral side of that and it was fascinating how how were brits then how how were they approaching it compared to americans differently a bit more embarrassed yeah they just don't talk about it you know and especially on the athlete side you know

that's that was the core of my business so i would look at footballers and other people in sports i was like nobody really is talking about this stuff or you know how does this happen in the in the locker room or the changing room like what what's the dynamics and yeah just it's just that stiff upper lip we don't have these conversations but yet we're all having the same problem and if we all talked about it we'd all probably find the best solution because all of our shared experiences together would give us you know some kind of core understanding but yeah so that that was the thing it's changing but when i first got here i witnessed that and if your daughter was if there was uh it's the world cup semifinals and three of the teams are England, Ireland, and America.

Who's your daughter supporting in that situation? Ireland. Ireland. Yeah. Just 100%. Yeah. She's Irish, man. She's Irish.

I love that she spends so much time there. I am so happy. When I first started going over there, I was like, man, these, these people are so nice. I loved it. I was so every second. I remember the first time my mom went over there, I was like, you're going to love it, mom. It's going to be great. Just like my mom loves coming over here. She's here as much as, I mean, she's here like every three to three months and she loves it over here in the, in the UK, especially being in London.

So yeah, I mean, but my daughter, yeah. She'd be Ireland for sure. I'm answering for her. And she would get upset that I'm answering for her, but I'm answering right. And what about, because you seem to love Ireland. If it was Ireland versus America in the World Cup final, who would you be supporting?

America. Laughing in your daughter's face. Yeah, I got to hold the fort down, you know? I mean, at that point, that's what it's about, right? I remember being in New York in the World Cup and all my friends from all over the world, and you'd be at this bar at this time in the morning, you know, watching their team.

And I was like, this is just cool. Like, everybody, you know, it's your time. So we don't win much in America on the men's side. So, you know. So she's 10 now, so she's still at primary school, but secondary school is sort of looming. Yeah. How different is the schooling here to America?

Like have you noticed those differences when you're dropping her off compared to like your experiences growing up definitely my experience is growing up a little different but you know I I went to private school when I was younger so I remember that I think the the biggest thing for me is understanding you know how they have to change schools so that secondary school thing just trying to understand that and catching up with that. So I'm always asking a bunch of questions. Cause that whole process is, is just new to me. And how intense it is for parents, you know,

they're just losing it right now. I mean, I'm, I'm staying as calm as possible. And I mean, maybe that's, maybe I should be losing it and starting to panic a little more, but you know, they're serious. Like, I didn't think it wasn starting to panic a little more. But, you know, they're serious. Like, I didn't think it wasn't like this until I was choosing what university I was going to go to. Not like this. You know, I'm like, it's like, man, it's like it's going to change their whole life. What secondary school they go to.

But it's just a part of how it is out here. So I'm catching up and I got a lot of people educating me on it and trying to learn more every day because it's right around the corner i do think it's got a bit over the top i think people didn't really care about education that much a few years ago now everyone is going mad and like they've got to do this so that they can get the right level they need to go to that primary school to get the right level plus because if they pass that they can go to a grammar school and then once they're in the grammar school they've got to make sure they get those SATs so then they can sit those GCSEs incses and that and oh my god it's a lot of pressure on the kids man so much pressure and we don't even know who they are as far as

what they want to do like let them let them figure out their path the best thing is if they identify what they want to do and then you support them like isn't that what we're here for like okay this is what direction you want to go let me do everything i can to help you get there at what age did you go this is it i'm going for this this is what i could be an american footballer well not a footballer you just said yeah really weird yeah um when i was young i the sport, and I loved playing with the sport with my friends, and all I wanted to do was continue to do that. So because I had so much joy playing this game, I wanted to do it and continue, so I had to do it in high school, and then I wanted to keep going.

I had to go to college, and in college, I wanted to go pro because I never wanted it to stop. So I never told myself I want to be a professional athlete. I want to be a professional football player. I just wanted to keep playing football. And I never skipped a stage or a step. And I think that's what gave me an advantage because I knew what work it took that day to get to tomorrow. And tomorrow I could see it wasn't like this futuristic thing. to tomorrow and tomorrow i could see it wasn't like this futuristic thing and i think a lot of people they had this end goal so they got caught up and consumed with that which i was like i don't

know what the end is going to be but i know if i do these things i can play tomorrow and that was the whole thing i remember i just want to go to college because i want to continue my education I remember, I just want to go to college because I want to continue my education, want it to be free, but take that pressure off my parents. And I want to, you know, and I want to play football. So once I was in school in UCLA and I knew I was good after about my second year, I was starting and I was young and I was like, I think I can make it to the pros. And I got hurt. So I almost didn't, but everything I did at that point in time was I wanted to keep playing. I just wanted to keep playing. It wasn't even about the money or anything like that.

I just wanted to play the game. And that was always my approach. It's everything I do to this point is do I want to do it? And then I put all my effort towards that and then the monetary gain usually just comes because I've worked really hard that's the thing isn't it it's doing it for the sake of wanting to do it and then you're enjoying it and you're passionate about it and you're that there's such that's such a good lesson across everything you do as a kind of in life that you'll get so much more out of it it's like you know when you see parents pushing their kids into something if that

kid's not passionate about it they're just going to resent it they've got you've got to be doing the thing you want to be doing otherwise it's pointless i like watching like football when you see like players that look sad and i feel like i feel like they've had too much pressure from their parents as kids and they don't enjoy playing and then you see people like Jack Grealish who plays soccer like just loves it smile on his face and how does the education work in America then if you're really talented at football um and you're like 13 14 in the UK if you're super talented at football you're with a club at Arsenal, Chelsea whatever

they don't even bother going to school really you just think fuck this I'm just going to play football get my pro contract and when they turn pro at like 17, 18

they've only got any qualifications and don't care and often they don't turn pro that's the thing the pick up's so small so it's really like

you're going all in right yeah that's the thing exactly but in america you you you stay in education all the way through to like college university before you get picked for the nfl but what if you're not very academic and you get shit grades they just ignore it and let you let you play because you're a good player how does it work there must be a bit of a conflict

oh you gotta have to get the grades yeah you gotta go to school and get the grades because the way the system's set up they don't have a feeder system the same way football does in this country, right? Like baseball kind of has that in America, but they don't have a system like that. So to kind of be involved to where you can be picked up, you have to be in the college system or something like that. And obviously the game of football in the NFL is such a physical game. Like from a skill set, you can't look at a 13 year old and really know if they got it or they don't. I mean, there's certain things because, you know,

football in this country is such a skill sport. Let's be honest. It's a skill sport. But when you talk about American football and the NFL, I mean, think of all the different body types, think of how physical it is. Right. It takes a while for those things to happen. You can see like quarterbacks that might have it, you know, you can, you can see that, but then they got to grow. Right. And then that, that happens later on in life and things like that. So yeah. Um, most guys have to be good in school and have to focus on it. And it says a lot about you, period, because it's such a cerebral game that in the NFL, the guys that last are smart in all honesty.

And it's because we're playing chess on grass. Right. At any moment, we have to adjust. Like I'm eliminating things you can do when i'm on the field i've studied so much that i can look at the situation where we are on the field what's on the clock down in distance what your formation is and and all of this is happening in 20 30 seconds i can now say these are the three things you can do to me right and i've seen really athletic people that can't do that well now you're playing everything you're playing every odd. When I've just eliminated half of it. Yeah, so it doesn't matter how physically talented you are if you can't narrow down what they can do.

I got you. I got you. So, like, a friend of mine just got the head coaching job for the Las Vegas Raiders. He's a tough player. His name's Antonio Pierce. We grew up together. Smartest guy I've ever seen on the field

we'd be in the game and he'd just tell you it's going this way do this stop look at that just amazing and

that's how he was in the classroom same guy so I mean you know smart players last right

so they sort of need that you know it's almost like a physical equation that you're working out mid-game. Yeah, always. So, yep, the smartest players.

Who's your team? Josh, you've got a team, haven't you? Who's your NFL team? I like Cincinnati too. I like their quarterback. I like Joe Burrow. I'm a big fan of his. Well, I came back to NFL this year because I've become a bit disillusioned with the Premier League and I was like, I'm going to start

watching NFL again. And Cincinnati went down the fucking pan. Well, your quarterback got hurt early, you know. I know, I was like, what's wrong with me? He got hurt, but he'll be back. You're in good hands. He'll be back. No, but surely if you're British, you're allowed to glory hunt

and pick the best team. It's not like... I liked their helmets when I was a kid, Rob. And then when I came back, everyone was like, you've got a good team here, mate. Yeah, yeah. You deserve, y'all deserve to pick whoever you want because, you know, you were born into your, you know, to your English clubs, man.

Oh my gosh. I know, it's tribal, isn't it? I love it though. It's mad. I think it's so cool. Have you taken your daughter to any games? Yeah. She's been,

she's been to, she's been to a few. And what's it like? Does she enjoy it? Or her first game was an Arsenal game. I took her. She was very young. And she,

a friend of mine who's American, uh, loves Arsenal season ticket holder. And we had her drawn stuff. We had her having all the food. She got the full experience. Um, then I took her to Tottenham game and she was the mascot oh wow she walked out and i'm like so i know harry

kane because he's a big football fan and i'm like harry this is my daughter you know and he's like okay i might get her and he walked out with her she comes back she was like i hope my partner does well i was like you don't even know little do you know that's a it's a it's mad though isn't it because like you know from your connections and your career in finance and football and then um her mom who's a world famous pop star the opportunities and experiences she's getting at the age of 10 is mind blowing. Do you worry sometimes that she's living this world

that it's sort of alien to most people and she might not be even realising it yet? I would love to hold Harry Kane's hand and I haven't had an opportunity. I know. I'm 40. It was so cool, man. Her grandfather's a big Tottenham fan,

so it was good for the whole family. Do I worry about that? No, because she doesn't live like that. These are moments, right? They're just things that happen, and they're moments. But that's not the day-to-day. The day-to-day is she's on the bus with me, you know, literally. I mean, it's normal.

It's normal. And that's because of her mom. I mean, it's normal. It's normal. And that's because of her mom. Her mom is just relaxed and normal. And, you know, she's the star, but she operates just low key. And that's why. And are you going to go and take her to watch Girls Aloud at the O2, Jason? Because I'm trying to get my daughter into Girls Aloud.

She's into the Spice Girls. I'm like, if I can go into Girls Aloud before June, then I'm trying to get my daughter into girls allowed. She's into the spice girls. I'm like, if I can go into girls allowed before June, then I can take her. But if I go without her, I'm going to look fucking weird. It's a good show, man. It's a good show. Back in the day,

I took like four of my teammates. They, and they were like, this is amazing, man. This is cool. I was like, I told y'all,

um, Anaya is going with her mom. She's getting a whole, she's, she's going to be living a different life for that. So I'm trying to get a ticket too. That's a great experience. Me and you both.

I think Josh has already got the tickets. He just needs to convince his daughter that she likes him. Otherwise, he looks like a nutter. Hey, call me. I'll go with you. Let me know, man. Imagine you two walking into the O2 together and just people going going are those two mates

we'll have a good time man we'll have a good time i know all the songs yeah we all know all the songs oh they're great oh man rob you should come your daughters can get into girls aloud um they like girls aloud already yeah well yeah I want to take them to a concert but yeah normally you normally wait for your child to say I want to go and see this band rather than you convincing them

like Girls Aloud I mean we're having a conversation about letting them be themselves and look at us yeah exactly just constantly let them be themselves

as long as they go to the right gig because that's what I say oh man so because you work with the NFL Academy at Loughborough and so

what is like if I had a kid here who was really good showing a real interest in American football like what would be the route for them

I'll be honest it's hypothetical my daughter's not even into girls allowed let alone NFL she's got a tough weekend right get this helmet on and listen to the sound of the underground I'll be honest, it's hypothetical. My daughter's not even into Girls Aloud, let alone NFL yet. She's got a tough weekend. Right, get this helmet on and listen to the sound of the underground.

We've got a busy weekend. Why are we on the train to Loughborough, Daddy? Shut up. Just be yourself. Oh, that's good. What's the kind of route for a British child if they're really into American football then oh well luckily they have tryouts which don't really exist anywhere else where you can just go try out and they go try out you know how fast can you run how can you jump and we understand

that most kids aren't trained to do it so they can look at uh the core skill sets and say there's something there and that's a lot of them have been discovered like that. They play different sports. So you can look at the cross-pollination, you know, if you're a rugby player, you know, a lot of guys that play football have great footwork, you know, short area quickness, which is all NFL stuff. So, yeah. And in reality, a lot of big guys out here don't have anywhere to go.

Like they don't have a sport, you know, it's basically heavyweight boxing. Right. I see kids walking down the street. I'm like, have you ever tried football? And they're like,

Oh, I've seen you before. I'm like, I should just say that's creepy than me going to girls allowed alone. I know. I'm not, I didn't think it through. I was,

I'm just like, have you ever seen an offensive tackle before? Yeah. You should just go to like, you should wander around nightclubs and speak to the bouncers, the younger ones. They're serious. That's a good move.

That's a good move. Just get the 18, 19 year olds. I know they can get, they don't. Also, I think most of the people that are that big that would be suitable to NFL are criminals

because they're used to fear. To bailiffs stuff like that uh i was thinking of it because i don't go to nightclubs anymore but this could be my excuse i was looking for the big guys this is what we're doing me josh jason to go to the club let's go to a nightclub after girls are loud. We'll go to the venue in New Cross and we'll go scouting for NFL players. We're trying to help the kids. Exactly. Let's be honest. We're trying not. The kid who's gone, the Welsh kid, was a rugby player, rugby union.

He's super talented. One of the best young players in the Welsh rugby union team and was going to get called up for the Six Nations. And, you know, essentially in rugby, it doesn't get bigger than that. There's the World Cup and Six Nations is mega. Now he's gone to NFL on like a development programme. I know that's not necessarily the thing you're involved with in Loughborough, but like the money difference to play in rugby union to NFL is insane.

So even if he goes there for a few years, could he become sort of financially stable just by getting drafted for a couple of years and then drifting back to rugby? Is that something that you could achieve or do you have to wait to get to the top before the money comes? I mean, obviously at the top, the real money is there. And I'll be honest, I don't know rugby salaries and wages, so I can't speak to that,

but I know the minimum salaries in the nfl are pretty high compared to other sports what's the minimum salary is that is that public knowledge the minimum it's public knowledge yes public knowledge it goes up every year so it could it could change next year so i could say something that is is wrong um but it's it's it's quite high and it goes up every every. I think it maxed out around year 10 for the minimum. But if you last that long, you've probably signed a significant deal. So, yeah, it's some crazy money out there. It really is.

Have you got a ballpark figure for that, or should I try and look it up? You try and look it up. Yeah, I don't want to just say something. Minimum salary? Yeah. Because it's just so huge in uh in america and around the world i mean it's like oh in 2021 it was like that is in 2022 it was 705 000 a year and that's the minimum you can get paid if you get drafted exactly blimey you know yeah so you know i mean quarterbacks your

top quarterbacks are getting 50 plus-plus million a year. Jesus. That's your top quarterbacks. And to be honest, the next guy that gets paid is, we call them the defensive ends. It's what my buddy Osi played, and you're on defense, and you're trying to rush the quarterback. So quarterback gets paid the most, and then the guy that gets the quarterback is number two, you know?

And then everything works out. And usually the guys on the outside get paid more than the guys on the inside because if you're on the outside, you're kind of in one-on-one situations, right? You don't have help. So that's kind of how the game works besides the quarterback. And yeah, so a lot of money.

You got injured. It sort of cut your career slightly short. How old were you when you had to retire? I retired at 30. Yeah, so you were younger than it should retire i retired at 30 30 yeah so you were that was younger than it should have been and how did that affect you how old are you how do you know jason sorry i'm 45 but i would have retired probably i had maybe a year or two left yeah i mean 30 in the nfl is you made it to 30 i was getting called the old guy you know oh really

yeah yeah well you're like 27 28 no i'm 38 i thought i give it up it's a young man's game i'm quite brawled i thought i might have a go at the one in the middle jobs it's a young man's game it's the recovery from the you know from week to week it's just it's tough you can still run jump and all that but it's just bouncing back you know quarterbacks they can play into their 40s because they're protected and the way the position is. But, yeah, when you're out there trying to have speed and reaction time, it changes quickly. Look, I play five-a-side football. I know it's different, Jason, but, like, I'm 38.

But when a 29-year-old turns up, and even that's old, I'm like, this fucker's too quick. That shouldn't be allowed. Imagine you had to play five-a single day you know i i i didn't play for a little while jason right um about six months i had a bit of an injury and then i just fell out the loop of it and i'd been a bit unhealthy drinking and going out partying my mate went you want to come and play five aside i went yes i want to play five aside right loved it didn't stretch obviously scored a couple of guys i've got it back here we go

didn't warm down went to bed woke up in the middle of the night went to the kitchen to get a drink i i was i was naked okay but this is all you understand why it's more keep you late a minute and i sneezed and this the sneeze hurt my whole body so much from when i played i fell to the floor you know when schwarzenegger at the start of Terminator is naked on the floor of that? I was like that. I thought, this is not okay. You were done.

I sneezed and fell to the floor. It was pathetic. You see, it's the recovery. It feels like you've exposed yourself to a neighbour through the window and this is your excuse. Like, you go, no, no, no, no. You go, I sneezed and I fell.

And the hoover was up my arse. That was just a mistake. I was just walking past it. Just trying to clean that shit in the middle of the night. Stop judging me. Shut your fucking curtains. What did your daughter make of you going on Strictly? She loved it.

She enjoyed it. She was a fan of the show. Yeah, that's part of the reason I did it. I knew how much of a fan she was. Yeah. We'd watched it a lot. It was one of the first shows I watched when I came to this country. I was like, Oh, this is cool. Um, and I was that, that was a part of it that I was really nervous about, but yet I knew I had to do it because I'm telling her every day when she goes to school, be resilient, try new things. You know, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, you know, successes in taking on the challenge. And then I have this thing I'm really scared of that I'm intimidated by. And I'm like, I'm not going to do this. And then I'm thinking, well, I'm not doing it because I'm scared. But I can't, I've always lived this way where when I feel really nervous

about something I evaluate it and if it's because I'm scared I just do it if it's because it isn't good I won't but if it's if I'm finding excuses because I am intimidated I'm like I have to do this because I gotta learn from it and that was strictly

and so if I don't want to be a fraud to my daughter, every time I've taken her to school and the words I'm coming out are authentic because I know deep inside, I'm scared of, I just, I just punked out, you know, I didn't do something because I was scared. That's why I did it. And I'm so glad because I learned some things about myself that I thought I knew they were confirmed, but yet I also learned other things about myself that I wouldn't have learned if I wasn't on that show because it was completely out of my comfort zone.

Yeah. And what did you learn about yourself? I learned that I always thought I ran towards the challenge and I confirmed that, um, when the pressure was on, like when it was at its height, I just was like, yeah, let's go. You know, like the click. And I thought I had it in football. Right. I knew I had it in the game I love. And you're like, is that just something

that I'm comfortable with? Or is that just me? And it's strictly, I realized, no, I'll run, I'll run towards the wall. Like I'll do it. And I also learned that I am really good if I have a good teammate. And I've always been a person that found great people to follow. Yeah. That's why I'm struggling with this on this podcast. I wouldn't consider, I follow leaders. I'm a leader myself, but I follow like real leaders. Like I find myself, those are my best friends. And my partner Luba was a leader and she had that, she had that thing.

And I could, and I, and I, I could feed off of it. And that's why we're friends today, really close. And it's because she just like, I could see it in her, like, I got you. And I was like, yeah, you do. Let's go. You know, and it just, yeah, it was really cool with that. And I fight for people more than I fight for myself. And so I knew it was important for her that we did well. And I was like, it made me work hard.

Yeah, same thing with the professionals. It's like, you hard if it was for me care the professionals it's like you know it's their thing isn't it it's like if you're training someone nfl and they're like not really put the effort it frustrates you so you said josh should do it as an example i'm not doing because i've like if he keeps saying to his kids no you've got to sometimes when it's tough and you're scared you've got to do it and it's okay to be scared. If he's not doing it, what kind of fucking shit is he talking? Dancing is embarrassing. That's the first lesson I give them. Dancing is embarrassing.

No, it's not. I'm joking. You know, you know. Hey, go out there and do it. Have a good time, you know. That's it, Josh. I'll go and watch you. Yeah, that'd be the worst bit, Rob.

I'd be struggling around the dance floor and we'd catch eyes and I'd think I wish I was dead. You'd be like, look at me. You'd catch eyes and I'd think I wish I was dead you'd be like look at me you see these feet I think Josh should be quite good at it though you're pretty good at music you can play the guitar you've got rhythm

I haven't got rhythm Rob I like listening to music but you can hear it you can move man he goes to glastonbury sober jason right let me ask you a question let's let's move the conversation on this isn't about me doing we were right there too yeah nearly going um does it feel like years ago when you had a baby and you were up at night and all kinds of

stuff what was you what were you doing with your life at that point how difficult was that must have been a hell of a kind of change oh yeah but i was prepared because my friend who's the coach that i said that got the job in um las vegas the smart guy he calls it team no sleep he's like oh get ready for team no sleep and i was like what are we talking about he's like oh you just better get on team no sleep man and. And just, and just embrace it. I was like, okay. And it was, you know, it was, it was, you were just in it, you know, luckily her mom was brilliant and all that. But yeah, just you're in it and it flew by and I look back at it and I just, I enjoyed it. I loved it. It was, it's a challenge for everybody in their own unique way,

but I'm just so happy that I was able to partake in it all. Right. It just is. It's like an honor to be a parent. It really is. It's just an honor. Like, and you know, you look at all those things and you just go, wow, I survived it. We made it through, you know, kind of. Cause if he was playing football, it's supposed to be so hard to have a family and keep that schedule

because it is nonstop when the season's on. Yeah, I was retired luckily, you know. Yeah, yeah. So I was able to be there and be locked in. But yeah, I've seen some of my teammates during the season and they'd come in the locker room and you just looked at them like, oh no, this is going to be a hard day for you buddy you know you didn't sleep did you oh man no i think

that's quite key if you just accept that you will probably get about six hours sleep a night and you're up from 6 a.m if you're lucky and that's the rest of your life yeah yeah it's it's one of those things where i feel like the resilience comes from, from it's not all, it's not, I'm not by myself. I'm not the only one. Like people have done this and they survived and they made it and having those conversations with people that have, and then reminding you, it's going to be okay. When you're in it, what do you tell yourself? It's going to be okay. I know I feel like this, but it's going to be okay.

Tomorrow's going to be all right. know I feel like this but it's going to be okay. Tomorrow's going to be alright. And I think reminding yourself those things it's key. So that's why I always said team no sleep. I would say it in my head, team no sleep. This is just what it is. All of my friends that have been through it, everything's okay. So it's going to work out. Because I'd say there

was bits when I thought this isn't going to be okay. This is the worst no sleep anyone's ever had. No anyone's ever had. No one's ever had it as bad as me. I think you and Jason might have very different mindsets. It doesn't mean I don't question myself like that. At what point do I say there's a solution to this or it's just going to be a problem?

And I, and I go, I got to, I know it sucks, but I got to see that there's the other side of midnight and there's a solution. Yeah. Um,

are you going to the Superbowl, Jason? I am going to the Superbowl. Yes. Oh, in Vegas with your mate who now runs the team. I will see him. I will see him early in the week.

He is focused. He's working. I'll go to his office. We'll have a big congratulatory hug and yeah, go to dinner with him and his wife and his kids and everything. And then just, you know, lock in, to be honest, every Superbowl, I'm sleep by like seven because I'm so jet lagged. I got all these plans. I got dinner set up with my old teammates.

I make none of them. I'm so disappointed got all these plans. I got dinner set up with my old teammates. I make none of them. I'm so disappointed in myself every year. In the daytime, I'm full of life. And then all of a sudden, I go back, get ready to go to dinner, passed out every night, every single night. Because I travel to America a lot for filming and stuff. And a lot of times I wake up at like 7 a.m. I'm like, right, I'll go to the gym, go for a walk.

Who wants a coffee? I'll have a coffee. Fuck it up. This is easy. And then I'm like, shake at a dinner. You see, you understand exactly what I'm talking about. In the morning, you got everything. You got all the life.

I think this should be like a jet lag support group where you can just message other people and go, let's hang out and never get on time. You see what we just figured out here? You see what we just did? Oh, man, that's good. I like that. We'll get that little WhatsApp going.

Yeah. Can we get a prediction? Because this is hopefully going to go out before the Super Bowl. Can we get a prediction of the final? Oh, man, this is tough because... You want to go against your mate. I haven't thought about it, but you'll be the first to know I'm going with Kansas city to win because I

love Patrick Mahomes. I think he's destined for greatness. And if you're going to chase Tom Brady, the greatest of all time, you got to win back-to-back super bowls and you got to get another trophy. If that happens, we can continue to have that conversation until he retires. And I know people are tired of this.

I know people are upset about this. But Taylor Swift mania, I'm here for it. I'm all for it. Oh, I love it. It's just more eyes. I tell people, we, as NFL players, we fought for this. We fought for this. we've had helmets on our whole life nobody knew what our faces look like but you know social media it took the helmet off

and now we got guys bringing pop stars the biggest pop star in america one of her and beyonce to the game jay-z is already bringing beyonce there we are we're locked in and in vegas as well it's sort of perfect, really. We got Usher at halftime. I'm going to be partying at halftime. You can count on that. I'm really excited about that. Full time, you'll be a kip in the cab. Oh, man.

I'll be done. Done. But it'll be fun. I mean, that Super Bowl, it's like no other event. My mom finally begged me. She's like, I'm coming to this game. I was like, oh, no, I got to get you these tickets. But begged me she's like i'm coming to this game i was like oh no i gotta get you these tickets but yeah she's ready we went to um i went to it last year and it is

insane and we went to the good they had that that sort of like corporate vip um event beforehand and it was like the black keys were on doing a gig then jason derulo what i couldn't get my head around was it was free beer and free but it was all free but when i turned around to the bar there weren't a queue i was like we're definitely not in england yeah yeah yeah that's because everybody's just rolling through it's just cranking out when they don't have i've never seen anything like they don't have to take currency. It's just handing out stuff. Yeah. You know? Exactly. No, that was, it was unbelievable. And it's an amazing event.

So, yeah. So you think Mahomes is going to do it? I want that. I want that. You want that. Very, very good sitting on the fence. It's not your first time giving a prediction. No, it is.

I want, rather than what will. I have to go with my emotions right here. My emotions say I want, I want to continue to have this conversation about Patrick Mahomes and his greatness. But he's's got it he's got to win this one um and do you think usher would do a better or worse uh super bowl show than girls allowed if they were doing it oh girls allowed would be it would be amazing yeah you're insane josh imagine if you went yeah no actually it would be usher man those shows i mean i've been to a lot in the past it is you're locked in it is entertaining

it is something else the songs the i mean they really you i i see why uh they are what they are i mean it's just it's it's just amazing it's great and i've been to a lot of shows so it's it's a good time and they're not paying me anything, by the way. This is personal experience. This is great. I'm just telling you. I loved it. Have you got anything more you want to promote from people who are paying you?

And then we'll finish the interview. No, man. I'm just hanging out with y'all. This is good. I'm promoting your podcast. I like it. Any products you like, go for it. No, we got a free sandwich maker the other day, didn't we?

A Breville sandwich maker. Do you know what happened earlier? Did you see this, Rob? When you did a thumbs up, a thumbs up came on your screen. Who, me? No way. No, Jason. Jason, come here now.

Do it again. Oh, yeah! What is that? So we always finish with the same question, Jason. Also, how did that thumbs up work? Is that something set up on this? I definitely didn't put that on here. Whose studio is this you're working in?

This is our studio at the NFL office, actually. Nice. Last question, basically, what's the one thing that um your daughter's mother does parenting wise when you go oh this blows me away she's such an amazing mom this she's unbelievable and what one thing does she do that you go not really a big fan of that and if she listened back she'd go we've probably got a point well the one thing she does really well and i try to copy and emulate is understanding how to be calm intense situations with her with my daughter it's like it's you know because in those you're

teaching them something this this core skill on how to manage stress. And she does such a good job at that. Like if it's too, you know, we don't need to rush here. We don't need to panic here. You know, why teach them that? And I have learned by watching to copy that. Right. You know, cause that's not how I am. I operate from this standpoint and the NFL does that where it's like, we're rushing to do this.

So I got to be on time or this has happened and or whatever, like, you know, everything's tense and nah, she doesn't, she doesn't allow that. And it's really, it's very smart. I'm so glad that she does that. As far as things she doesn't, she does that. I don't like nothing. Of course. Why did I put that? Are you serious? That's not something you're going to get me to say to it? Come on.

Give her the thumbs up, Jason. Give her the thumbs up. Give her the thumbs up. There it is. Jason's been absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for doing this. Thanks for giving us your time, Jason. Hey, man, this is a good time.

Keep it going. Great conversations, man. Y'all doing a good thing. Cheers, Jason. Thanks, mate. All right, man. Appreciate it. Jason Bell.

I fucking love Americans. I'd run through a brick wall for that man. I'd have kids of him. You see that wall behind you? I'd be through that. You'd run through that with Jason. I'd be straight through that. And he's single.

If Lou leaves me, I want Jason Bell. He's not. He's probably not single. I don't know if he's single, actually. I know he's not with his I'd be through that. You'd run through that with Jess. Straight through that. And he's single. If Lou leaves me, I want Jason Bell. He's not. He's probably not single. I don't know if he's single, actually. I know he's not with his daughter's mum. No. He can't be single, not for long. Do you...

Not with a smile and a thumbs up like that. Big question, Rob. Big question, Rob. Yeah, yeah. Do you reckon you and Lou could have a relationship like that if you split up? Depends the reason for splitting up, doesn't it? The reason she splits up is because she just can't stand you anymore oh god my biggest fear unlocked um well no but yeah i mean every relationship is different

i'm so respectful of that but yeah it's yeah because also really the reality is i think it's easier to say when you're still in a relationship than not being in one but ultimately the focus is the child yeah so whatever makes it easier for the child i sort of feel like you need to leave that any sort of problems and arguments at the door yeah you know uh but yeah that's amazing that he can talk you know he you know he moved back in with him in covid and they get on so well but we'll have to have nadine on as well. See what her side is.

She's going, I can't. But if she was like, well, we don't talk anymore. I'm like, oh, OK. Have you told her? You might want to talk to him for a bit to tell him that because he seems to think you are. Yeah, he's coming to watch you at the O2. And if you don't want him there, that's...

Yeah, well, imagine if you actually met up with him to go and then you're like, yeah, it's just this way. And they go, sorry, no entry. He's like, oh, don't worry about it. Come around this way. You'll find out he's not allowed in. Right, I'll see you on Tuesday, Josh. Oh, yeah, I'll see you on Tuesday.

All right, bye. Bye. Do you ever feel like topical comedy only ever tends to come from one angle? Well, I'm Geoff Norcott, host of What Most People Think. And my show jokes about all sides. Jokes about Tories. Jokes about Labour. Jokes about everyone.

If there's any Lib Dems listening, there isn't. We're returning guests from across the political spectrum, including Romesh Ranganathan, Simon Evans, Catherine Ryan, Constantine Kissing, David Baddiel, Andrew Doyle, Al Murray, and more. Sometimes we'll make good points. Sometimes we'll make cheap jokes. But whatever we do, we'll be trying our best to get to the heart of what most people think.

Andy Bush here from Guestimators, the brand new game show where guesswork beats Google. Join me, our resident quiz master Statman Matt, and a celebrity guest as we dive into the brains of the great British public. Statman, what sort of questions have we been asking? Well, Bush, here are some of my favourites. Who's the best Irish person? Which finger would you chop off if you had to? And how many human-sized corgis could Prince William beat in a fight? To play along at home and listen to the podcast, just visit guestamators.com. I think I'd chop off my left little finger, by the way.