Adam Carolla Show: Christopher Titus + Bobby Collins (Carolla Classics)

Podcast Date: October 11, 2025
Guests: Christopher Titus, Bobby Collins
Featuring: Adam Carolla, Allison Rosen, Brian “Bald Brian” Bishop
Clips from 2011 episodes: Shows #715 and #720

Overview

This Carolla Classics episode features highlights from two 2011 shows: one with veteran comic Bobby Collins and another with stand-up star Christopher Titus. Adam, Allison, and Brian revisit heady topics ranging from cultural attitudes, celebrity anecdotes, health battles, and rants on everything from traffic laws to TV and music. The tone is Carolla’s signature blend of exasperated rationalism, humor, and candid, free-ranging discussion, with plenty of sharp asides from Titus and Collins, plus intimate moments about personal health and loss.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Media Bias, Politics, and Public Rants (00:46–15:58)

• Adam on Media Slant
  Adam opens with a pointed complaint about being questioned over associations with right-wing figures but never over left-wing connections, noting media double standards.

  • "I've been asked, am I worried about being connected with right wing whoever…a thousand times, no media members ever asked me about being too left wing…" (01:50, Adam Carolla)

• Hate Mail Over Politics
  Brian shares experiences receiving right-wing hate mail when being vocal about liberal ideas, but no comparable vitriol from the left for conservative remarks. Adam offers a metaphor about taxes and public services, riffing on paying the equivalent of “schoolteachers” through taxes and the lack of corresponding additional services.

Memorable Aside (05:19–05:56)

"Adam Carolla: There’d be no jury in the world [that] would think I should pay for 51…worth of taxes. But that does piss people off… I think they're all fuckups and greedy and they're all a mess and they're mostly sociopaths."

Car Rants & Speed Limits (08:21–18:51)

• Adam launches into a rant about driving up to Sacramento, acquiring a Porsche Panamera, and frustrations with traffic laws.

  • "This car is so packed with technology, it'd really be like if somebody said, we've got to set a speed limit for biplanes—well, I got a jet—and they went, I don't care, that's the speed limit." (13:25, Adam Carolla)

• On Radar Detectors:
  The crew jokes about the dubious value of radar detectors and storytell about parents’ nervous habits in cars.

Environmental Tangent: Leaf Blowers vs. Trucks (19:10–24:36)

• Discussion about emissions from leaf blowers versus large trucks, highlighting the inefficiency and pollution caused by outdated lawn equipment.

  • "A Ryobi four-stroke leaf blower kicked out almost seven times more oxides of nitrogen and 13.5 times more carbon monoxide than the [Ford] Raptor." (21:53, Brian Bishop)

• Adam complains about society’s selectiveness in environmental policing—“berserk over smoking, no problem with leaf blowers”—and suggests noise, air quality, and health all suffer from inaction.

Showbiz & Comedy: Bobby Collins Interview (44:08–62:09)

From Calvin Klein to Stand-Up

• Bobby shares his story of leaving a corporate VP job to pursue comedy, with Adam and the gang marveling at the rise of Calvin Klein’s business.

  • "The masses were the asses. Play it to them. That’s how they [marketed it]." (46:01, Bobby Collins)

• Collins recounts opening for music icons like Cher, Julio Iglesias, and Dolly Parton, sharing backstage stories and comic material strategies for big crowd performances.

  • On opening for Cher: "You could be clever, but you can’t be crude—because they’re judging her." (53:21, Bobby Collins)

Cruise Ship Comedy

• Bobby details the luxurious gig of working cruise ships: performing two nights during a week lounging as a guest.
  • "You're on the ship for seven days? How many nights do you perform? Bobby Collins: Two. Adam Carolla: This is where the dick’s coming out… You’re getting paid to go on a cruise." (58:50–59:17)

Reflections on Comedy Writing & Touring

• Collins emphasizes the importance of regularly testing new material, not just relying on “hits,” even in big venues.
• Anecdotes about touring culture, showbiz rivalries, and generational differences in celebrity and showmanship.

Health, Friendship, and Loss (83:13–104:35)

Updates from Brian Bishop & Allison Rosen

• Brian provides a candid update on living with a brain tumor, discussing the realities of treatment and ongoing monitoring.

  • "…I’ll never be in the clear, so to speak… but I feel great. I’m doing great, and you know, it’s all I can sort of hope for." (84:44, Brian Bishop)

• Allison shares her experience with ovarian cysts and the anxiety of testing and surgery, delving into the dark humor that sometimes accompanies medical ordeals.

Adam on Loss & Grief

• Adam shares an emotional story about his friend Philip the Juggler, a performer and companion from his pre-showbiz days who has been struck by severe dementia.

  • "He was such a life force… and now it’s like he doesn’t talk, he doesn’t walk, he doesn’t do anything. He’s… a vegetable basically." (99:02, Adam Carolla)

• The conversation is deeply personal, with nods to acceptance, gratitude, and the unpredictability of life’s hardships.

Risk, Comedy, and Cancel Culture: Christopher Titus Segment (131:50–141:49)

• Titus discusses the fallout from an onstage joke about reserving space on the grassy knoll if Sarah Palin became president. This led to right-wing outrage, O’Reilly’s “pinhead” label, and hundreds of death threats.

  • "If you walked into a building that says 'comedy' on the outside and you paid money, we get a fucking pass… If you had any concern, Tracy Morgan’s half insane!" (133:06, Christopher Titus)

• Both comics vent about cancel culture and people feigning outrage—suggesting critics use jokes as opportunistic leverage rather than expressing real offense.

• On media polarization: Titus cycles between MSNBC and Fox, critiquing both for their bias and bombast.

Societal Rifts, Work Ethic, and Money Resentment (141:49–117:44)

• Adam and Titus debate American economic frustrations, including the decline in manufacturing, the struggles of unionized labor, and misplaced resentment toward wealthy or successful individuals.

  • "What’s the problem with being rich? And why do rich people have to pretend like they’re not rich?" (110:12, Adam Carolla)
  • "The biggest trick the Republicans played is telling the roofer that because the billionaire pays 2% more tax, he’s going to lose his job. The biggest trick the Democrats played was to believe you need government to make it okay." (146:40, Christopher Titus)

• Adam rails against the hypocrisy of “American Dream” narratives fueling economic mobility, only to now generate envy and shame for those who succeed.

• Titus shares the grim realities of his divorce, false accusations, and legal battles, weaving in absurdist humor and lessons about self-reliance.

Pop Culture, TV, and Social Trends (63:41–76:57; 70:04–76:51)

• The hosts review a survey of TV shows preferred by Democrats versus Republicans, riffing on the cultural and political cues embedded in show choices.

  • "She’s one of—she’s a super smart, B. Super hot. Right there. I’m done. I’m done." (73:08, Adam Carolla on TV crime drama tropes)

• Tweet-seats debate: Adam and Bobby banter about the rise of “tweet seats” for live-tweeting at theater shows, grumbling about digital distraction’s impact on live performance.

Riffs & Observational Comedy (misc. timestamps)

• On Airport Security: Adam and the crew lampoon TSA procedures, the "sing-songy" agents, and American culture’s obsession with rights and self-victimization.

  • "We need to call the herd some time… Just shut the fuck up and die already. That’s all I’m saying." (156:12, Christopher Titus & Adam Carolla)

• Tuba Thefts & Banda Music (165:25–172:17)
  Segues into the absurd, after news of tuba thefts to supply banda groups:

  • _"This fucking music hurts my skin..." (166:17, Adam)
  • "It's making me hate my dick." (171:51, Christopher Titus)

Notable Quotes & Moments

Adam on Cultural Double Standards (01:50)

"No media members ever asked me about being too left wing…That's a little clue into the universe that they're living in." —Adam Carolla

On The Oddity of Modern Laws (13:25)

"It'd be like if somebody said, 'Hey, we have to set a speed limit for biplanes.' And then you go, 'Well, I got a jet.' And they went, 'I don't care.'" —Adam Carolla

On Grief and Appreciation (102:35)

"She’s just like, ‘I’m so thankful he came into my life’ … What a woman. … We all should adopt that." —Adam Carolla (about Philip’s wife Susan)

On Cancel Culture in Comedy (133:06)

"If you walked into a building that says comedy on the outside and you paid money, we get a fucking pass." —Christopher Titus

On Political & Economic Manipulation (146:40)

"The biggest trick the Republicans played is … the billionaire pays 2% more tax, [the roofer's] going to lose his job. The biggest trick the Democrats played was to believe you need government to make it okay." —Christopher Titus

On Drive & Entitlement (142:57)

"...if you've been working for GM for 20 years ... and the only thing I’m qualified to do is work fast food, that’s kind of where you’re at..." —Adam Carolla

On Social Media & Live Events (64:14)

"You're such heroes. You're just like the guys who went in the buildings on 9/11 because you came up with some folding chairs." —Adam Carolla (on theaters’ “tweet seats”)

Timestamp Guide to Featured Segments

• 00:46–15:58: Media double standards, social media hate, taxes as “schoolteachers”
• 08:21–18:06: Porsche Panamera road trip and car/speed limit rants
• 19:10–24:36: Leaf blowers, pollution, emissions story
• 44:08–62:09: Interview with Bobby Collins: Calvin Klein to comedy, touring, cruise ship work
• 83:00–104:35: Brian’s tumor and Allison’s health update; Adam’s loss of friend
• 131:50–141:49: Christopher Titus on cancel culture, Fox News/O’Reilly feud, threats over Sarah Palin joke
• 146:40–149:00: Debate on wealth, government, and economic opportunity
• 165:25–172:17: Laughing at tuba thefts, cultural music gripes, and “bandas”
• 172:17–176:43: Wrapping up, summary of the show’s tone and comedic outlook

Overall Tone & Final Thoughts

This episode is packed with sharp observations, raw humor, and fierce, sometimes heartfelt, candor about life’s ironies—whether in public discourse, personal triumph and pain, or the absurdities of daily living. Adam never misses an opportunity to expose hypocrisy or champion individual initiative, while Allison and Brian add perspective, empathy, and wit. Bobby Collins and Christopher Titus prove rich guests, sharing both backstage laughs and unfiltered truths.

Carolla’s no-holds-barred style is on full display—pleased to call out left and right, comfortable pivoting from lowbrow jokes to deep reflections on mortality and meaning. The episode is classic Carolla: abrasive, funny, biting, occasionally tender, and always ready to riff.

Listeners get raw honesty, legendary rants, backstage comedy tales, and a vivid portrait of American cultural anxiety as seen through the sharpest minds and tongues in the comedy world.