TV/Radio Host Billy Bush + Comedian Joe Piscopo

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Adam Carolla Show Featuring Billy Bush and Joe Piscopo

Release Date: January 27, 2025

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1. Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:00 - 02:21)

Adam Carolla opens the episode with his trademark humor, referencing past interactions with personalities like DJ Khaled and Larry King. He warmly welcomes his guests for the day: TV/Radio host Billy Bush and comedian Joe Piscopo. Adam expresses his admiration for Billy Bush's recent show, Hot Mics with Billy Bush, highlighting its humor and engaging content.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Carolla [02:16]: "I do not think Billy gets credit for being as funny as he actually is."

2. Billy Bush’s Experience with the Access Hollywood Tape (02:21 - 09:48)

The conversation shifts to Billy Bush's infamous interaction with Donald Trump during the filming of the Access Hollywood segment in 2005. Billy recounts the events leading to his firing from NBC amid the release of the tape, which showcased Trump's controversial remarks. He details the internal NBC response, including the discovery and handling of the tape, and the subsequent media frenzy.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Bush [15:02]: "He was the biggest star on NBC because his show cost little to make and he was making $100 million in profit for the network."
• Adam Carolla [09:20]: "I don't get what Billy Bush did in this equation."

3. NBC’s Strategies and Media Dynamics (09:48 - 18:07)

Billy discusses NBC's strategic maneuvers to manage the fallout from the tape's potential release, emphasizing the network's reluctance to air it due to Trump's status as a lucrative star. He criticizes the media's unanimous stance against Trump, suggesting a collective effort to prevent his presidential run.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Bush [17:50]: "He just loves publicity. He was a soundbite machine. And he was gold."
• Adam Carolla [18:02]: "You're talking to the guy who used to have to go to Nevada to do a show called Crank Yankers because we were calling people and you couldn't call them."

4. Personal Impact and Emotional Turmoil (18:07 - 32:43)

Billy delves into the personal repercussions of his firing, describing the emotional distress, including his struggle with anxiety and subsequent admission to a mental health facility. He reflects on the lack of support from NBC during the crisis and how public perception shifted against him despite his professional demeanor.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Bush [28:07]: "I ended up in a mental health place. I literally couldn't believe that my life had turned upside down in an instant."
• Adam Carolla [30:12]: "So you give, but by the way, it looks bad because you give a fake laugh when they tell you're insensitive, whatever."

5. Recovery and Personal Growth (32:43 - 44:02)

Billy shares his journey towards recovery, highlighting his time at the Hoffman Institute, which helped him regain stability. He credits this period with personal growth, allowing him to reconnect with his daughters and rebuild his life post-NBC.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Bush [40:03]: "What should I have done is done. What? Just gone right into hot mics with Billy Bush and done my podcast right then and there."
• Billy Bush [43:58]: "It has to be done in the dark and slid and then they have to have their PR people pile on you with other stories."

6. Reflections on Media and Public Perception (44:02 - 59:02)

The hosts discuss the broader implications of media handling of scandals, comparing Billy Bush's situation to other public figures who faced backlash. They explore themes of public sympathy, the role of personal reputation, and the unforgiving nature of celebrity culture.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Bush [56:12]: "They all united in that mission that this guy is too gauche and boorish and he should never be president."
• Adam Carolla [59:02]: "It's all about being realistic and knowing your strengths and knowing your weaknesses."

7. Career Longevity and Challenges in Entertainment (59:02 - 130:38)

Joe Piscopo joins the conversation, bringing his perspective as a fellow SNL alum. The discussion covers the volatile nature of careers in entertainment and media, comparing the average tenure of SNL members to NFL players. They emphasize the importance of work ethic, adaptability, and resilience in sustaining a long-term career.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Piscopo [99:02]: "The hard thing of all, by the way, the hardest thing of all, is going through it."
• Adam Carolla [115:56]: "If I could pivot, I have an answer because people always say to me, who's the funniest guy you know?"

8. Personal Anecdotes and Humor (130:38 - 135:21)

The episode concludes with light-hearted banter between Adam, Billy, and Joe, sharing humorous stories and reflections on personal quirks. They touch upon topics like sock shortages, live show pressures, and the quirks of public personas, maintaining the show’s comedic tone.

Notable Quotes:

• Adam Carolla [133:47]: "You sure? Do you want to go out and do the meet and greet after? Like, people are nice."
• Billy Bush [135:21]: "Pluto TV Stream now pay Never."

9. Conclusion and Promotional Segments (135:21 - End)

The podcast wraps up with promotional segments for sponsors like Homes.com and Pluto TV, interspersed with final humorous exchanges among the hosts. Adam also mentions upcoming projects and encourages listeners to engage with his content on various platforms.

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Key Takeaways

• Media Dynamics: The episode offers a critical look at how major networks handle scandals, particularly when involving high-profile figures like Donald Trump.

• Personal Resilience: Billy Bush's journey from public disgrace to personal recovery underscores the importance of mental health and support systems in overcoming professional setbacks.

• Entertainment Industry Insights: Through Joe Piscopo's experiences, listeners gain an understanding of the challenges and unpredictability inherent in careers within live entertainment and media.

• Humor and Humanity: Despite heavy topics, the episode maintains a balance of humor and heartfelt conversation, reflecting the show's blend of comedy and candid discussions.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Adam Carolla [02:16]: "I do not think Billy gets credit for being as funny as he actually is."

• Billy Bush [15:02]: "He was the biggest star on NBC because his show cost little to make and he was making $100 million in profit for the network."

• Billy Bush [28:07]: "I ended up in a mental health place. I literally couldn't believe that my life had turned upside down in an instant."

• Joe Piscopo [99:02]: "The hardest thing of all, by the way, the hardest thing of all, is going through it."

• Adam Carolla [59:02]: "It's all about being realistic and knowing your strengths and knowing your weaknesses."

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This episode provides an in-depth exploration of Billy Bush's tumultuous experience with NBC, his personal struggles, and broader commentary on media practices. Coupled with Joe Piscopo's reflections on the entertainment industry, the discussion offers listeners a blend of insightful analysis and relatable humor.

Transcript

[Adam Carolla]

DJ Khaled was like, going, hey, you know, I take care of myself. I take, you know, I take pride in my whatever. And like, Larry's like, why are you so fat? Like, Cause Larry is. Was mouth of babes, you know, I only remember that. I always remember.

[Billy Bush]

So true.

[Adam Carolla]

I remember him going, oh, God, Madonna. Your daughter lords. It's like, it's Madonna and her name is Lourdes. Okay? It's not Madonna.

[Billy Bush]

I remember when Trump was on with. With Larry and he said, first of all, Larry, you need to back up. Your breath is bad. It's very bad, Very bad. And then Larry was like, wow. And Heather Mills, Heather McCartney's wife with the. With the prosthetic leg, and Larry was asking all about the leg, and she finally said, would you like to see it? And Larry was, yeah, okay, sure. And so she takes off. Takes off the leg and hands it to Larry on the. He goes, wow. Feels like a leg.

[Adam Carolla]

All right, we'll save it for the air.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

From Corolla One studios in Glendale, California, this is the Adam Carolla Show. Adam's guest today, radio and TV host Billy Bush and comedian Joe Piscopo. Plus the news and trending topics with Jason Mayhem Miller. And now, ready for some locker room talk, Adam Carolla.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Get it on. Got to get on the trip they're gonna mandate. Get on. Billy Bush in studio. Excited to speak to you, Billy. I did Billy's show, Hot Mics with Billy Bush on TuneIn.com and YouTube as well. Very good interview. Very fun show and surprisingly funny. I do not think Billy gets credit for being as funny as he actually is, but he's very. I saw his whole opening monologue, Very funny monologue and the questions as well during the interview. So good to see you, Billy.

[Billy Bush]

Good to see you, man. Thanks for doing my show too. I'm a rookie, I'm a babe, and. And you an experienced, maybe a founder.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh, early on for sure. But, you know, reps are reps, and you're doing reps on your feet in front of the camera for all those years is really no different than, you know, there's no difference between doing terrestrial radio and doing a podcast and doing on your feet kind of hosting and stuff. It's just mic in hand, on your feet, speaking. And it's only reps will work in that department. There's no school, there's no certificate. There's no get the training or have some. Bestow some information on you. It's just those reps. Right.

[Billy Bush]

Although I'll say I've Been doing this for 24 years or something like that. And I just got this aura thing, the aura ring. And I looked at it. My daughter's showing me how to do it. I looked at it and it said, At 2 o'clock, when we went live on our show, the heart rate popped up to the top.

[Adam Carolla]

Really?

[Billy Bush]

And I was like, everything's normal the whole time, all night, all during the day. And then at 2:00, on the nose, bang. Which shows you like, I don't care how long you've been doing it. For me, definitely nervous, definitely butterflies. Bang. The heart popped. And then at 2:03, at 2:01, whatever, it's gone. Just for a second.

[Adam Carolla]

Do you find. Here's what I find. In this department of butterflies or heart rate, there are certain people who you will sit down with who are so substantial and so skilled that you realize, oh, I gotta be on my game.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

And then there's sort of stoner comedian who you can just, you know, chillax with a little bit. But, you know, I think about guys who had come in here, the aforementioned off the air, Tucker Carlson guys, Ben Shapiro. I was thinking about it the other day, Dennis Miller. Yeah, Dennis Miller is so fast and so funny that you better be sitting up and bring it when he's sitting across from you, otherwise he's just going to bowl right over you. And those guys are the guys that make my heart rate go up. Where I go, this guy's gonna know I'm a buffoon in 10 seconds.

[Billy Bush]

And is it mostly comedy people? Because you have the business card that says comedian, so, like, you have to hold your own with them or. No, it's like, see, I'm not a comedian, so I can. I'm surprisingly funny to you at times, right?

[Adam Carolla]

Because I didn't expect that Iran Bush.

[Billy Bush]

Isn'T on stage, you know, making people laugh.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, you are. You're skilled and you're funny, and you could probably go that direction. Like, you could do stand up, you could do. You could work humor, you could tack toward humor if you wanted. You have the chops to do it. Now, there is a thing of. Once you start labeling yourself as a comedian now, there's a different set of rules, which is now you have to be funny. Better to be the funniest. Fill in the blank.

[Billy Bush]

Sneaky funny, yes. Once you walk into a comedy club and Adam Carolla's appearing tonight in San Diego at the Belly up, people are expecting to laugh. And if they don't laugh, you know what I mean? Now it's different.

[Adam Carolla]

Yes.

[Billy Bush]

Expectation.

[Adam Carolla]

And I agree, it's sort of better to be Bob Uecker, may he rest in peace. You are the funniest baseball guy. You know what I mean? And everyone loved Bob Uecker. But if Bob Uecker just said, I'm never talking about baseball again, I retired from baseball. I'm doing standup. People look at him as a mediocre standup, not the funniest guy to talk about baseball. You know what I mean? I mean, I'm not trying to take anything away from him, but I'm just saying it's better to be Bob Uecker than join the ranks of all the comedians that are just sort of out there.

[Billy Bush]

Well, you had a niche, right? So you stick with your niche. I don't know what my niche is other than, you know, I've been doing. I don't know, the same thing for a long time. So this was finally, like, launching this new show. You were so nice to come over. Yeah. Is like doing what I should have been doing a long time ago but didn't have the balls to do.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, listen, I love. I love going over there because it's Howie Mandel's facility.

[Billy Bush]

I knew it had to be something. It couldn't have been just little old.

[Adam Carolla]

Me return like MacArthur returning to the Philippines. Because every time I show up at Howie Mandel's place, there's a new production, there's a new set, there's a new thing, there's a new set of guys. And I just told Mandel 10 years ago, get a warehouse. Just get a warehouse. Believe me, you will use that warehouse. And he did it. And every time I see him, he goes, that's the guy who told me to get a warehouse. And I. I've been telling everyone, just get a warehouse. It's a great investment, but you will use it. And how he's using the shit out.

[Billy Bush]

Of that warehouse, I mean, he's got. In one corner. Howie's like the Fred Trump of. Of the opera. He's the. He's the landlord that is screwing me in one corner, he's screwing Bill Maher and his company in another corner. He's got the. He's got the. The hologram business.

[Adam Carolla]

Yes.

[Billy Bush]

He's got the hologram salesman in the corner selling hologram machines. There's a lot happening. It's all weird.

[Adam Carolla]

So I wanted to talk to you. I've always wanted to talk to you on a sort of human level because of the whole Trump hot mic and how you got Just thrown under the bus, almost literally. And I've never been able to square it. And I've always. And maybe I'm always this way. But I do find myself saying, I don't get what Billy Bush did in this equation. Why does he need to be removed? But I sort of find that, like, there's certain cases. Like, there's the guy who was in Mumford and Sons, and he was like, I don't know. The banjo player in Mumford and Sons.

[Billy Bush]

And if it's not Mumford, I don't know anyone else. He.

[Adam Carolla]

He read Andy NGOs book about antifa and then commented that he was brave to write that book about Antifa and then got thrown out of the band. And I'm like, I don't understand what's going on.

[Billy Bush]

He didn't say, I support Antifa. I'm an antifa guy. He said, that dude is brave for writing it, is what he said.

[Adam Carolla]

He said the dude who wrote the book against Antifa for Less.

[Billy Bush]

This is.

[Adam Carolla]

I don't even know what's. I'm always amazed, but I know it does when the ancillary characters get fired. Like, this guy's not Nantifa and he didn't write a book about Antifa. He just said, I read a book about this guy and they threw him out. And that's the part that drives me nuts. That's why I felt about you. I don't get what Billy Bush did in this equation.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, what he did was be. He was. Look, I'll let people decide if the punishment outweighed the crime. I, over time, walked through it.

[Adam Carolla]

If you. If you don't mind, if that's not gonna send you spiraling.

[Billy Bush]

No, I'm walking. A lot of therapy. A lot of therapy, Adam. I pulled myself away, back from the brink. What do you want me to tell you?

[Adam Carolla]

I would like to just have you walk through those events and then we can go back and kind of deconstruct them a little.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, geez. Oh, my God. I feel. Well, maybe the PTSD is coming. So. Yeah, look, it's the October surprise. First of all, let's remember this is a very hot, emotional time. It's 2016, you know, so it's the beginning of Trump Derangement Syndrome. People are going bonkers over him. Some. Some are loving him, some are, you.

[Adam Carolla]

Know, and you go back like Trump.

[Billy Bush]

I go back. Way back. Listen, I was the NBC entertainment guy, the host of Access Hollywood. They'd recently named me host. I was just a little correspondent running around to every premiere, you know, kissing celebrity ass on the red carpet in New York as a correspondent. But then they named me the host of the show. I moved to Los Angeles. So I, you know, part of the reason I got to be the host is because I established great rapport with Simon Cowell, you know, huge star breakout from America, and Donald Trump. And Trump was, without question, at this time, the time of that bus 2005, the biggest star on NBC because his show cost little to make and he was making $100 million in profit for the. For the network. So he was the big guy. My job was to stay on his jockstrap, like, wherever the. Get more shoots with Trump. What are we doing with Trump this week? Because remember, every celebrity has a publicist, and the publicist threatens you afterwards. Don't use this part. Don't use that part. You will never let you get an interview with our bigger client. You know, Clooney, that, that there's always the threats that come. Yes, Trump, his. His publicist carried his briefcase. I don't even know what was in the brief, but you know what I mean? Trump was his own machine, and he just loved publicity. He was a soundbite machine. And he was gold. He was gold. He would say anything.

[Adam Carolla]

But I think more importantly, what I'm getting at is I knew Trump a bit, and you knew Trump a bit well. I didn't know Trump as well as you, but I knew him. So when people started in with sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I felt like I was semi qualified. Just like I would. Like once in a while, somebody will go like, oh, I hate that Kimmel. He's such a prick. And I'll go, he's a good dude. I know that guy. He's generous guy. He's great with my kids. He's a good dude. Now, you may disagree with him on this, that, and the other, but he's a good dude because I know. Because I know the guy.

[Billy Bush]

He's an emotional guy. He cries a lot. I notice he cries a lot.

[Adam Carolla]

He cried at the end of the man show.

[Billy Bush]

I cry a lot, too. I think if Jimmy and I got together, we would cry a lot together.

[Adam Carolla]

We just. I'd like to get you and Kimmel together and have you watch the Notebook and just see what happens.

[Billy Bush]

Rudy. Rudy.

[Adam Carolla]

Even Brian's Song.

[Billy Bush]

Brian's Song.

[Adam Carolla]

Put Brian's Song on and just film you and Kimmel Paul.

[Billy Bush]

But United Negro College Fund commercials. Remember when the first to go to college, I would cry.

[Adam Carolla]

My mind is a terrible Thing to waste.

[Billy Bush]

There you go.

[Adam Carolla]

That's right. Sponsored by Kleenex. All right. The point is, is when I know somebody, I feel obligated to sort of tell those who are saying what a bad person that person is that they're not, and vice versa. It's a two way street. Sometimes people go, you know, so and so I like that dude. And I'll go, that dude's a douchebag. Yeah, you know, I will. I feel obligated to tune you out.

[Billy Bush]

You like to balance things out.

[Adam Carolla]

Wait till you leave, Billy. Wait till you leave.

[Billy Bush]

I go low.

[Adam Carolla]

Wait till you leave. I'm gonna coach everybody.

[Billy Bush]

He's such a prick, that guy.

[Adam Carolla]

So you must have felt when Trump derangement syndrome was washing over the nation, you must have felt like, well, I know this guy and it's not what you think.

[Billy Bush]

Well, the first thing I said when he announced that he was running for President in 2015, I said on live television, cuz I was doing a daytime live show at the time. And I said, I said, I know this guy. This is a terrible idea. And I'm laughing and laughing and it's mostly, you know, humor that this is craziness. I mean, he was a big reality star. Is there any, any idea that he would be President of the United States one day? I mean, Snooki was a big reality star at that time. There'd be just about the same chances. But then it became, you know, John, I remember Jon Stewart saying in August, you know, he's like, this is gonna be over. It's called a summer fling, folks. It's happened, everybody laughed. And then it becomes, you know, this, this reality. But yeah, people lost their minds. And when it started to happen, which, meaning this, there's a, there's this week leading up to my firing from NBC where it, they got ahold of this tape and they were like, you could see them wanting to weaponize it.

[Adam Carolla]

So again, walk us through the day he's worked. It's 2015, 16. Trying to think, was it 16 or 15? I'm trying to 16, 16, 2016. We're getting to what month is it?

[Billy Bush]

It's now October. I was fired October. My Last day was October 7th.

[Adam Carolla]

So this is kind of what they call the October surprise. Oh yeah, we're going right into the election one month out.

[Billy Bush]

Two days before the second debate with Hillary.

[Adam Carolla]

Two days before the second debate. Right. And Trump is in la and he's gonna talk to you.

[Billy Bush]

Well, when he's talking to me on the bus, it's 2005. So this is an 11 year old tape.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh, that's right.

[Billy Bush]

People who don't. Who were like, wait a minute, that's 11 years old. I thought you were. Look at me, I'm wearing a baggy suit, my hair is shaggy. I haven't even started shaving yet. Are you kidding me? I'm like a different person.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh, that's right. Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

So it's 11 years later, but it was sitting around when that actually happened. I reported it right afterwards. Not reported it. Like something terrible has happened on a bus and I need to report this to the superiors. It was more like, oh, my God, that animal. Every time it was something, you know, outrageous or funny or whatever it was, he was a caricature of a person. Right. This great big blond real estate guy. He's a huge TV star now. And I say to my boss, I'm like, oh, my God, you wouldn't believe what he was talking about. He is outrageous. He was talking about Nancy Odell and how much he wanted her and he liked her and thought she was hot and stuff. I handled it beautifully. But, God, it was crazy. I don't recall him ever saying, grab him by the anything. I don't recall. I never heard that. It was always a personal thing. Like if someone said something about Kimmel and then they went on to say something else, you'd remember the Kimmel part because you're close to Kimmel. So Nancy and I were co hosts. I remember that. I report it the next day. My executive producer says, oh, my God. The camera wasn't on the bus. But your microphones. The camera was 300ft away, filming the arrival of the bus. But the camera, the audio was rolling. I heard everything you told me about, oh, my God, he's crazy. So I said, all right, well, you better put that away. You know, NBC doesn't. They don't want to hear him doing that. He's the biggest star in the network. So of course it gets tucked away because at this point, he's the cash cow of the network.

[Adam Carolla]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

Had it leaked out, then be fired for a different reason.

[Adam Carolla]

Right, right. So now you come up to the eve of the second debate and somebody knows that tape exists, but it's not that many people. Right?

[Billy Bush]

So there's an APB that goes out at NBC, all points bulletin, because a woman who was a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant had claimed that Trump did something or said something that was unflattering or not appropriate to her. And Trump responded with, I've never said anything. Like that about a woman. Now that's not only that she's crazy, I don't know what she's talking about. To which NBC says, well, we got a lot of footage between Access Hollywood and the Apprentice. And off, you know, let's anyone find something that refutes that? And remember, at opposing networks at this time, ABC News hired a 75 person team later to investigate and chase down anything that would take down Trump. I mean this was so, this is the beginning of it. And so that goes out. And my executive producer at the time was like, ah, wait a minute, that tape that's in my drawer, dust it off. You know, it's a VHS tape at this point, right? Wait a minute, here's something. And so he calls him and says, you know, calls NBC in New York because amazingly, Access Hollywood is a, the red headed stepchild of the NBC News division. A part of the division, not a big one, but still the NBC News guidelines handbook comes to everybody. And so they called the general counsel in New York and he says, hey, you know, I got this thing, it might be what you're looking for, but. And they said, okay, well let's see a transcript. He calls me in New York. Now I'm at the Today show at this time. I look at Big Billy Bush has made his way to the Today show. How important is he? Fantastic. And he says, hey, Bushy, you know the network wants never that Trump tape. I said, yeah. He says, yeah. I mean, they made me want to see a transcript of the thing. Don't worry, you don't do anything on the tape. It's nothing to do with you. I said, well, I know, yeah, okay, okay. And he said, but I'll let you know if it goes anywhere. I said, okay. The next day is a Tuesday, the week of the firing. And Matt Lauer comes into my dressing room, which is next to his, and he says, hey, what are you gonna do about the, about the tape that the, you know, that they have up there? I said, huh? What do you mean? Well, things just happened quickly overnight. And they, the drumbeat of. We got him. The drumbeat of Gotcha is going. And I, for the rest of the week, let me just, I'm playing catch up. I don't know what's happening. This thing is being weaponized and it's gonna get out. And Matt Lauer says, you should go see the chairman of NBC News. You should go see Andy. I said, well, I think I'll do that. And I run up there and look, I go from Andy Lack the chairman. I go to Kim Harris, the general counsel to the 52nd floor. I see Ted Harbert, the old executive, looking at me, hey, dead man, walk. I don't realize it, but I go up there and they're asking me. I remember the general counsel of NBC News asking of NBC, the whole corporation asking me, so tell me about this. Well, yeah, no, he was on the bus, he told me these stories. And, yeah, I mean, I had nothing to hide. I didn't do. I didn't feel like I was. Had done anything. So I said, sure, yeah, this all happened. This is 2005. And anyway, it goes on and one thing after the next, I'm playing catch up the whole time. And finally it is decided that Access Hollywood will air it on a Thursday night. And they will air it. And producer, my old producer, says, don't worry, Bushy, you don't do anything on it. It's just gonna be his parts. And I said, are you an idiot? Trump is gonna sue you. He's gonna sue NBC if he loses. He's definitely gonna sue. He's the most litigious guy there is. And guess what? You're gonna be the fall guy. When something happens in an administration, they look for, like a staffer. You know what? It was Natusnowicz's fault. You gotta go, buddy. And then they've handled it. This is what you're walking. He realized I might be right. He says to NBC, I'm not airing this thing. He takes a stand. I'm not doing it. So now they're stuck with, what do we do? Well, they're not gonna air it themselves. I mean, in what world, if you have the biggest October surprise bomb, do you not? I mean, you've got it. Why would you give it to someone else, right? You're in a tough competition for clicks and all that. But they know that Trump will sue them. And you've got. In the state of California, right, you have to have dual consent on a recording. All this stuff.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, you're talking.

[Billy Bush]

It just gets scary.

[Adam Carolla]

You're talking to the guy who used to have to go to Nevada to do a show called Crank Yankers because we were calling people and you couldn't call them, by the way. Same with radio. You can't do those LA radio shows where they're doing, like, prank phone calls.

[Billy Bush]

Those are lions, roses.

[Adam Carolla]

Those are all cooked because it's illegal to do it. You can't.

[Billy Bush]

They're fake.

[Adam Carolla]

You can't record somebody without them being aware of it anyway.

[Billy Bush]

So go ahead so anyway, yeah, so they realize this is murky waters, but we gotta get this out. It's now Thursday afternoon. This needs to get out because in tomorrow's Friday. We gotta get it out tomorrow because Sunday is the second debate between Donald and Hillary. And this needs to be the primary line of questioning for him. We gotta get him with this. So the next day it come to.

[Adam Carolla]

Me and do you have a theory as to why all of Hollywood and the powers that be aligned to decide that they must endeavor to not get him elected president? It was kind of curious how they found so much unanimous. It was unanimous. It was like, our mission from this point on is to not get this guy elected. And I was always like, it's interesting that they all arrived at that same conclusion.

[Billy Bush]

Well, yeah, that's why ABC or CBS doesn't go after NBC and say, how could you do this? I mean, look what they did to. They're all. They all would have done it. They're all united in that mission. That this guy is too gauche and boorish and he should never be president. He's, you know, disgrace. He's this, he's that, He's. So no one's calling them out. That was probably the hardest thing for me is like, no one comes to your defense. Like, no one step. Eventually everyone does later, but not when it mattered.

[Adam Carolla]

So now when do you realize or when do you find out, they gotta let you go? And then what is the reason that is given?

[Billy Bush]

So when it leaks out, Washington Post is the. You know, published it. So it was leaked to them by NBC News, and it goes out. I'm on an airplane when it happens. I'm looking at the thing. I get a million texts, you're good, you're good. We got you covered. You're good. Like, don't worry, you didn't do anything. And that's from the highest levels. That's the head of corporate communications, that's the show publicist, that's the president of news and the general manager of the Today show. You're good. And then it sort of just takes on a life of its own. There's an optical element to that tape that does not look good on me. Very. You know, I don't look good in it. But of course, context of what was actually happening is completely lost.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, I mean, I also kind of tell people all the time, if. Let's just say you're at a sports bar and you're having a few beers and obviously you don't think anyone is listening. And then some Guy tells you something you disagree with, maybe it's a racist joke or maybe it's a misogynistic joke or something like that.

[Billy Bush]

Or drunk Uncle Larry at the Thanksgiving.

[Adam Carolla]

Table, what have you. I say almost every human being, including myself, does like, a fake laugh and then thinks this guy is kind of an idiot and then makes some, I gotta use the bathroom. And then you just kind of wander out. But nobody I know would give that person some sort of morals discussion on the spot. Like, you don't use those kind of terms in front of me, or I have a daughter, or I have many friends in the African American community. You just go, yeah, okay, all right. Because we've all done that a thousand times. Anybody played high school sports? Anybody hung around with drunken dudes. Everyone knew that dude wasn't your job.

[Billy Bush]

You just want to survive the moment and get on.

[Adam Carolla]

That's right.

[Billy Bush]

Of course.

[Adam Carolla]

Right. So you give. And. But by the way, it looks bad because you give a fake laugh when they tell they're insensitive, whatever. And then you move on.

[Billy Bush]

Right. And then you move on. But now this is out there for the world to consume, so it just doesn't look good. Whatever. And, you know, the Today show is not a place that's got a thick constitution.

[Adam Carolla]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

For anything uncomfortable or. Look, they're in a shrinking world and they're competing against other shows, and the winner is the one who shrinks the slowest.

[Adam Carolla]

Right, right. In terms of viewership.

[Billy Bush]

Right. So, like, is Billy Bush, who just got here two months ago, expendable? One month ago at that point. Oh, no. Two months ago, at that point, expendable. Yes, he is. Of course he is.

[Adam Carolla]

Right. And we're also living in a world where everyone wants to make a statement about taking action. Like, this guy was relieved. That's the funny one. It's the suspended with pay. Well, we took this officer and we suspended him for two weeks with pay. And I'm always like, that doesn't sound like much of a punishment. But to you, you snapped into action. You did something.

[Billy Bush]

Well, I.

[Adam Carolla]

Or they did something is what I'm saying.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah, they did. And then I had to.

[Adam Carolla]

So you get called in, you're on the airplane. Sorry, this stuff's all coming in.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. So anyway, I land, TMZ is there to greet me, such a wonderful greeting, you know, camera up my ass as I make my way to a car that NBC, NBC security has sent. Then I go home and I'm told all weekend that things are great. In fact, Saturday. So sure That I was okay because I didn't do anything. Even though it's everywhere. Is I'm buying suits. I'm buying suits for the Today show because I'm a big deal now and I gotta have some suits for my new gig. And then Sunday, the guy. My driver is in the driveway to take me to the airport, and he says, hey, they just canceled me. I'm sorry. I said, I gotta go. I said, what do you mean, cancel.

[Adam Carolla]

You cancel the driver.

[Billy Bush]

So that's how I found out that things. I realized things were not going well. Monday, they pulled me off the air. By the following Friday, we are in a conference room at my lawyer's office with a litigator. NBC litigator. And then there's the settlement and the thing.

[Adam Carolla]

So they settled out?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

And you didn't sue them for wrongful termination?

[Billy Bush]

No. They should have.

[Adam Carolla]

And are you married at the time?

[Billy Bush]

Yep.

[Adam Carolla]

And how's that going?

[Billy Bush]

Well, that was its own. People kind of think, you know, I am divorced now. Is it because of that? And had nothing to do with that. Nothing to do with that. You know, she wasn't. Of course, they write stories that are like, oh, she's even outraged at this thing, which is crazy. Never been more supportive.

[Adam Carolla]

It wasn't a form. It wasn't a friction in the relationship.

[Billy Bush]

Not at all.

[Adam Carolla]

So. Cause that's just. That's when it gets from painful to unbearable.

[Billy Bush]

You're in a period now. Cause it's a feeding frenzy where you're reading all kinds of stories. Read like, you know, he was mean to a girl in eighth grade, right?

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, yeah.

[Billy Bush]

Literally, that came out.

[Adam Carolla]

Right, right, right, right. So you then.

[Billy Bush]

But listen, let me. Let me be clear about one thing. I am not. I don't have grievances at this point. I'm not. I've. I've talked about this a bit. I think you're fascinated with it. I get it. I've been through the process. I got great stuff going on. Life is a shit sandwich. Eat it or starve. Everybody has something that's going to hit them hard. I mean, you could have an ill child, something in your family. I don't know. This was a shitstorm for me. If you haven't had one in your life, you're going to. I hope that you're better prepared for yours than I was for mine.

[Adam Carolla]

So now you're out of work and a little bit unemployable, right?

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah. No, no, no. The phone's not ringing. There's a lot of. Billy, you're a great guy. We love you. You're so terrific. It's just not really the right time. And I'm going, no, no, wait a minute. I gotta get back. What consumed me, you know, in retrospect, I wish I just, like, went to Sweden and opened a bar and, like, did something different and enjoyed this time of life where they gave me some money and I, like, went and did something wonderful, but instead I sat and drank like a fish and pulled my hair out and said, you betrayal. God damn it. I can't believe what's happened. And I just melted down. I ended up in a mental health place. I mean, I literally couldn't believe that my life had turned upside down in an instant and I was a sad sack and a loser and pissed and all that.

[Adam Carolla]

Were you financially okay with this at the point?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I know there was. There was enough Runway that we thought it was gonna be, you know, this.

[Adam Carolla]

Was mostly or all emotional and not so much, you know, pragmatic material, like, hey, man, I gotta pay the bills.

[Billy Bush]

At the time, it was emotional. They gave me money to pay the bills for the. For the. You know what? It ended up being longer than I thought to get back into the. Into the game.

[Adam Carolla]

Was it three years?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, two years and 11 months until I got back on the air.

[Adam Carolla]

Wow.

[Billy Bush]

And I was determined. What I should have done is done. What? Just gone right into hot mics with Billy Bush and done my podcast right then and there. But I had. I was so determined to get back into the mainstream. Darn it, you bullshit. You're gonna take me back. Damn it. And it worked. But it took a long time and I wasted a lot of time. No regrets, Adam. Everything happens at the right time, I guess. I don't know.

[Adam Carolla]

So you're out. You got enough. But mentally, listen, I get it. There's something about feeling like you got jobbed that is real hard to get past.

[Billy Bush]

Now you jobbed by a shitty person. You know what I mean?

[Adam Carolla]

Are you talking about Trump? Are you talking about.

[Billy Bush]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Trump. I have no problem. People assume that I have problems with Trump. Not at all. They tried to get him.

[Adam Carolla]

I'm the shrewd person who job you.

[Billy Bush]

Were talking about the chairman of NBC News, Andy Lack, who's just a real shit.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, so here's what I'm saying. And I don't know, shit happens in life. And you could be sitting at an intersection in your car and teen driver could be texting and rear end you at 40 miles an hour.

[Billy Bush]

It's called Beef. It's a great show.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh yeah, and really screw you up. But you didn't get jobbed by somebody. You know what I mean? You just had somebody fuck up and they wish they didn't do it too. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's accidents, there's things, and then there's somebody just screwing you, you know? And I find personally the handful of times when I got jobbed by somebody, that's the part I'm not turning the page on or I can't just sort of turn the other cheek. Like that's the stuff that sticks with you. The injuries, the accidents, the shit happens. That's part of life. But it's like you think about that person and you go, what the. I did this for them. I provided that for them. Like we had this kind of relationship. Like, how could they have done this?

[Billy Bush]

Although I did a lot of work, man, I did a lot of work on forgiveness and just. And understanding myself better. I mean, I come out a better person. I hate to say it. I'm not thanking Andy Lack or anyone else at NBC News for this lovely life experience. They don't get credit for being great teachers and educators. But. But it is the fact I do. I have, you know, made amends, forgiven everyone in the whole process except Andy Lack, the chairman of NBC News. Cuz he's an asshole and he never apologized and everyone else did. The guy that worked for him, who was the president and GM at the time, he apologized and said, I'm so sorry. Jesus Christ, this got so far away from us, I don't know what happened. If you never speak to me again, I said, it's okay. We all make mistakes. My executive producer at Access Hollywood who sent the darn tape, he greeted you at the door. He's my producer of hot mics. I forgave him, but I didn't speak to him for a year and a half. Not. I gave him a Rolex watch. With my new job at the Today show, I bought a Rolex for my producer of access Hollywood for 15 years. And I said, thanks for helping me get to where I am now that where I'm going. This is so exciting. Gave him a Rolex. After this thing happened, I said, give me the damn Rolex back. I took it back. I was so mad. But I've forgiven him. I've hired him, you know, I mean, it's like anyone else, but this guy was just. It was reported to me by a very reliable source who was there when they said what are you gonna do about Billy Bush? He's a good guy. Didn't do anything here. You should probably, you know, you've saved Brian Williams before. You've saved Matt Lauer on countless occasions. Why don't you. What are you gonna do about Billy? He's a good guy. Fuck Billy Bush is what he said. And I said, okay, okay. So he won't apologize ever. And so I think, you know, just for fuel's sake, let's just keep one little corner for him. I can keep a little negative space for that guy. Is that okay?

[Adam Carolla]

Listen, I'm 1,000% fine with that. A little bit.

[Billy Bush]

It's not a lot. I never think of him until you bring him up.

[Adam Carolla]

Sorry. Look, if you apologize for me, like I said, turn the page, all is forgiven. I can handle that. It's the non apology people who job you. Those are the ones that. Even if he said, look at the ire.

[Billy Bush]

Look, I jobbed you. I like the term job. By the. You love the term job.

[Adam Carolla]

I don't use it that much.

[Billy Bush]

But you used it with me when you came to my show. You kept. You used the term to job. And I've never heard.

[Adam Carolla]

I don't recall that. That's weird.

[Billy Bush]

I know you said I jobbed you. I feel badly about it. I'm sorry. Shit got away from us and it's. I'm sorry. I would have said, okay, fine, now just find another place in the company for me and let me have a job again.

[Adam Carolla]

Right?

[Billy Bush]

You don't have to like ghost me.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, also the news cycle is so fast that we are four days away from everyone turning the page and moving on to the next outrage or whatever's going on. You really.

[Billy Bush]

But not for the jobber. The job E. The jobie doesn't get to turn the page.

[Adam Carolla]

No, what I'm saying is. Well, a couple things. Some of it is happenstance. Like there is. I'm trying to think, I always think about this. There was Gary Condit, the politician and he had the affair with the young girl, Shonda Dalimi, and she died or whatever, right? And there's a whole thing. And then there's Paula Poundstone, comedian Paula Poundstone.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I remember her.

[Adam Carolla]

She got accused of like having kids over and drinking and driving with them in the car and being inappropriate with them and like a real. Some real nasty career ending shit. Her court, the day that stuff came out in court was 9 11.

[Billy Bush]

Oh my God.

[Adam Carolla]

So everyone just went, paula who? Yeah, you know what I mean. So some of it is, if The Billy Bush thing drops with Trump and then 9 11's the next day you're off.

[Billy Bush]

It died. And then an hour later, Michael Jackson died.

[Adam Carolla]

Michael Jackson died. Right, right. And so some of it is just crazy happenstance, but the cycle moves pretty quickly. So if they just hang out with you for a week, something is gonna happen.

[Billy Bush]

Here's the problem. Cnn, msnbc, you know, they're go, they got this tape now and they roll it back every time Trump says one thing or looks a different way or something with a woman. And they just roll this back. So it is a constant loop.

[Adam Carolla]

Do you think the Bush name may have hurt you a little bit in this construct? I mean, in this.

[Billy Bush]

At the Today show?

[Adam Carolla]

No, no, not at the Today show. But I mean, the idea that, but at that point people were getting into a sort of Trump derangement frenzy and you needed to speak out vocally against Trump, otherwise you would get put into some category of Trump supporter devotee and then punished. And the fact that you were, you come from a famous family, that's Republican, and the fact that you were a Trump ally, friend, whatever it is.

[Billy Bush]

He called my cousin Jeb. Low energy Jeb, he had no love for koshers.

[Adam Carolla]

That's true. But in the eyes of the guy who ran NBC, do you think if you had been more vocal or politically different, let's just say he may have spared you?

[Billy Bush]

Ah, that's interesting. I don't think so. I often think of this. It happened on a Friday. If it happened on a Thursday, and I was on, and, you know, I was on the air the next morning and I got to explain, and this is what was happening. This is what, this, it's not good. I apologize for the way I look in this whole thing. It isn't great, but this is what, you know, was happening at the time. If you had a chance, then maybe, but the weekend swallows you up. Then Monday comes and they don't, you know, they've suspended me for Monday, they won't. So they silence me, then they pay me. They want this story to build and build and they want it to be as outrageous as it can be.

[Adam Carolla]

And they don't want some sort of explanation.

[Billy Bush]

If I was at Access Hollywood, they don't want contact. I wouldn't have been fired if I was at Access Hollywood still.

[Adam Carolla]

Right.

[Billy Bush]

But the fact that I was fresh chum at the Today show and a lot of the, there's a lot of Today show politics at the, you know, you know, Lauer runs the place at this time and you know, does he want me, you know, bopping around the joint? No, he likes it when I'm at Access Hollywood promoting him in his next special. He doesn't love that I'm taking the mic. As soon as he walks out of the studio, I walk in and say, you know, good morning, everyone, and welcome to today. So I was beyond expendable.

[Adam Carolla]

Has Lauer been. Me too, now and is somewhere in exile.

[Billy Bush]

He's. It's. Yeah. I mean, I don't dance on any of that. I did have a conversation with Matt after I left. He called me and feigned concern for me, and I let him have it. And after, I let him have it. But then months later, when he got in trouble and fired and, you know, I did send him a message saying, okay, how are you doing? You holding up, whatever. Here are three books you should read.

[Adam Carolla]

Really?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. Called in the process of putting your life back together. Don't know if I ever read them.

[Adam Carolla]

But you went to the Hoffman Institute.

[Billy Bush]

I did.

[Adam Carolla]

How is that? I've heard about it. I hear bits and snippets about it, but I don't really know what it entails.

[Billy Bush]

Well, out of respect for anyone who's been. Who wants to go, I think the magic is in the reveal because you build up over a week to a crescendo and there's a reveal, sort of. It reveals things about you.

[Adam Carolla]

But I will say you went there because you were at a kind of low point.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah. No, I couldn't put one foot in front of the other. I was, you know, I'd had a recent moment on the balcony of this, you know, apartment building I was in. I just felt, like, very unstable, and I was just trying to stay afloat. You know, there's. I was hiding in a building. Funny story, I'm hiding in this. In this tower in the living in Santa Monica. And I'm on the 11th floor or whatever, and I'm hiding. Every day I go in because paparazzi are just love to film me and follow me. And for a month, I, you know, have my visor down low, my sunglasses, my hat over, like, no one notices me in the building. I'm good. I'm private. I get into the communal laundry room on the 11th floor, and this old man comes in. And he's in there. I'm in there. And we're jogging around each other, small space. And he says, are you Billy bush? He's like, 80. And I'm like, oh, man. Shit, I made it a month. And I'm Outed by this guy. I say, yeah. And he goes, listen, I'm really sorry, I think I canceled your cable. I said shit, my cable did get canceled. Why would you do that? That was you? And he goes, yeah, cuz I have DirecTV. And I said, yeah, we don't have to go cancel my cable. Who are you? What's your name? And he says, same. I said, you're Billy Bush. And he said, yeah. I said excuse me, I'm sorry, we got a whack job in here, this is not good. I said, will you do me a favor? I don't mean to be rude, but will you go, can I see your id? And he said, sure. And the old fellow walks down the hall and he gets his license and he comes back and he hands it to me and it says William G. Bush. And I'm like, oh my God. And he's my next door neighbor. You got two Billy Bushes living next to each other. This old guy turns out to be the father of the chairman of Northrop Grumman.

[Adam Carolla]

Wow.

[Billy Bush]

Down the street. And his son, you know, took put him up here because he wanted his dad to be close to him. I mean this is, you know, I'm hiding in this place. And then finally I'm like, I gotta get my one foot in front of the other. I've got to do something. My brother had been to the Hoffman Institute years ago for his own reason when he got divorced. And it's just a place where, where people can learn to, you know, walk again. Emotionally paralyzed people. And I went to this place and the day that Trump walked into the Oval Office is the day that I walked into Hoffman Institute.

[Adam Carolla]

How long was the process?

[Billy Bush]

It's nine days. And you know, you turn your phone in and you get with small groups and large groups and it's experiential and you learn about your life and your own negative patterns and what happened in your life between the ages of 0 and 13. And it informs you of everything because everything comes from your parents. You either in life act in total rejection of who your parents are and do the complete opposite, or you become them.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, I went the rejection route.

[Billy Bush]

You rejected. I'm not gonna be like that asshole you said, or that her.

[Adam Carolla]

My parents were not impressive people by any stretch of the imagination, but they were never aggressively bad. I was just like, that doesn't seem like the way to go. I went the shun route. I'm just opposite.

[Billy Bush]

Well, it worked. You're somebody, Dan.

[Adam Carolla]

I don't know if it worked, but.

[Billy Bush]

This Got me walking again. This got me one foot in front of you.

[Adam Carolla]

What was your 0 to 13 experience like?

[Billy Bush]

Listen good, by the way. I'm in a group with people. There's, you know, in my group, there's a 27 year old young woman who's been. And terrible things happened to her when she was a girl. And we're in this experiential moment doing this anger exercise together in a group full of people. You really have to check your humility at the door. You've gotta be bold to participate in this stuff. And I'm starting to feel like, whoa, okay, I got fired, canceled, whatever. And here's this girl, she's gone through. I started to feel like, wait a minute, perspective here.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. She said real trauma.

[Billy Bush]

Some people in here have real, real trauma. And so it helped me realize. Okay, get going, man, get going. One step after the other. In the end, the best thing that happened to me in the three years off, Adam, I took, I did something I never would have done. I pulled myself together to take each of my three daughters on a two week dad daughter trip somewhere in the world. And I let them choose. So NBC, thank you for footing the bill of that. It was wonderful.

[Adam Carolla]

And so your 0 to 13 was pretty positive.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I'd say overall, I mean, like, you find out, was my dad a little emotionally unavailable? Okay, but so what? He was home for dinner every night. Did he say I love you? No, he just showed it by being there and taking me to sports. Like it's not that big a deal for me. But you learn why you are the way you are, right?

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. It's interesting because at some point you do a lot of hypotheses. There's a lot of hypotheses about nature and nurture and who you are and how you are. And then you have boy, girl, twins, like I did. And then you realize how different two people can be who were raised under the same roof by the same two parents, you know?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

And a nanny, but mostly the nanny.

[Billy Bush]

I like that you admit that.

[Adam Carolla]

Mostly the nanny, but you go, oh, these are two totally different people and their temperament. It's like saying, well, there's a Chihuahua and a Labrador. And you go, yeah, they're both dogs, right? Yeah, they are, but they are very different in terms of their temperament. And then you keep going, well, how did you raise the Chihuahua? It's like, no, same. They got raised in the same kennel, but they are very different. And my son is just detuned. He's wired, he's laid back in his wiring. And I'm detuned in my wiring and my daughter's up on her feet and wants to know what's going on. She's the kind of person that would go, hey, can me and my friends come over and stay in Malibu Saturday? And then you text her back, I'm in a meeting, but let me check it out. And then 10 minutes later, she'd write you back again, going, what's going on? She called me yesterday. I talked to her yesterday. She goes, what's going on? She wanted me to pay for something, but she was also like, what's going on? What's going on? Can you Venmo me some money? Hold on. I go, listen. She goes, what are you doing? I go, I'm going to Corona. No, wait a minute. Where'd I go?

[Joe Piscopo]

Sorry.

[Billy Bush]

Covina.

[Adam Carolla]

Covina? I said I'm going to Covina. I'm doing a show. I gotta do a show tonight in Covina. I'm doing a standup show in Covina at the Laugh Factory. She goes, yeah, okay. So then I'm getting out of my car in front of the club at seven and there's a bunch of moving parts and people are lined up and stuff and she's blowing up my phone. What's going on? Why don't you call me back? I get into the club, people are like, hey, Adam. I call. Listen, I'm in Covina. I'm at the club. I have to do a show tonight. She's going, how come you didn't call me back? People are, adam, come this way. Come to the green. I go, I'm at a club. I'm doing a show.

[Billy Bush]

Why don't you just say goodbye?

[Adam Carolla]

No, I know, but the point is, if I said to my son, I'm doing a show now, I'll call you later. He'd go, okay, cool. And he'd hang up the phone and then he'd wait and you'd never hear from him again. And so they have, by the way, one is not inherently better than the other. There's a good argument for the motor chillax guy. And then people go, what's that? My son is 18 and a half. How many arguments you had with your son? Zero.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Zero. Why? Because I'm wired. Like I'm wired. And then he's wired, like he's wired. And now we got two Labradors. And there's no arguing because he doesn't say anything. And I don't say anything. And, like, I'll say to him like, hey, you want to go to dinner Saturday night? And he'll go, I'm hanging with my friends, and I'll go, okay. Please go. Okay. He goes, yeah, I kind of want to hang with my friends, and I'll go, okay, okay. And that's about it. I went to the. Went to the UFC fight, got him tickets for Christmas to the UFC fight the other weekend up somewhere in the arena. Good tickets. But at some point, I got offered tickets on the floor with Kevin Costner and, you know, Mel Gibson and all the. All the cool guys. And I'm just sitting on the floor with all the cool guys, and my son, like, texts me. He's like, where are you sitting? I said, I'm sitting on the floor. Okay, all right, see ya.

[Billy Bush]

And your daughter would have been like.

[Adam Carolla]

My daughter would have been like, where are you? I'm coming down there. You better get me in. Who are you sitting with? You know, like, what's going on?

[Billy Bush]

Nobody Good. Right?

[Adam Carolla]

So you realize that a lot of the nurture that you hear about, which is a big. Which is definitely something. I'm now leaning more nature. And like I said, when you have twins and you really start to study just how different.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. You run a zone B. They are who they are. You run zone defense and, you know, give them a structure, and they're good.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. And I like you. Or like, you know, me and my sister were just very different and went in very different directions. Your brother and you.

[Billy Bush]

Same. Very different. Very different. And now best friends, Adversarial. Kind of. Yeah. We fought a lot when we were little. Not tight. And then amazingly, when your shit falls apart is when now we're the very best of friends. First, he went through a horrible divorce, and he came to me and he collapsed and realized he was losing his wife, and he fell apart, and he had to go to a medical, you know, healthcare conference. He's a very big, successful healthcare executive. Before he got fired and canceled. Not really canceled, but fired. Moved out by an activist investor, let's say. But I went with him to his conference. I called into work and said, I'm not coming in. I have to be with my brother. And he and I went to this conference in Palm Springs, and. And I was on the phone with him every day after that till he was healed. And then when my world fell apart, he did the same thing for me, and we became best friends.

[Adam Carolla]

That's a wonderful story.

[Billy Bush]

So there's. He's my ride or die. And I'm so grateful for that. Again, Andy Lack and NBC, you did not get credit for this. But, yes, I am not afraid to see the good that comes out of things.

[Adam Carolla]

Here's an unanswerable question.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, and now the unanswerables.

[Adam Carolla]

Does anyone feel sorry for Billy Bush? Because Billy Bush is good looking. He's last name is Bush. He seems to always be this guy.

[Billy Bush]

He's fireable. Let's be honest, you're onto something here.

[Adam Carolla]

He's fireable. But like you, there's certain people where you see him and you kind of go, oh, that poor guy. You know, I feel bad for him. And then there are guys, and I don't know that you're the poster child for this, but you're up there where people just don't feel sorry for you because they go, look at.

[Billy Bush]

I don't even feel sorry for you.

[Adam Carolla]

Just look at him. He's good looking. He's got a famous family. You know, he's got money. Why are we even thinking about him emotionally coming unraveled? Who feels sorry for that guy? Is there, like an element of that.

[Billy Bush]

That'S, oh, 100% sure. Like, you're not a sympathetic character. I think at the time you're not as sympathetic. And then later, things come around, you know, in time, and then, you know, people. I will say that 99% of my interactions are super positive and supportive. So it might have helped me in that regard to be, I don't know, more people again. Here we go. But another little thing that comes out that's good is maybe, you know, people have more of an affinity to someone who's had their ass handed to them. And there is. In my line of work, which is similar to yours, it is helpful to know what it feels like to be down. I really believe that. And I think I was living a very charmed sort of life, kissing celebrity ass on red carpets and such. And then your world falls apart completely. And mine. 360. Then maybe they. Oh, okay. You know what? I actually like that guy. What the hell? I did like him. And, yeah, so you can't control that, but I think there's definitely that arc in there.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

By the way, God's fair. Okay. I got good hair. All right, you said handsome. That was nice. I believe that there's, like, five things a man can have. All right. But no one gets all five.

[Adam Carolla]

Adam, I got five inches.

[Billy Bush]

That's good.

[Adam Carolla]

I got all five.

[Billy Bush]

All five. Baby. You can be rich. You want to be rich. Handsome, tall, hung. Right. I'm right in this great Personality. You can't have them all. You can get four. I've seen guy. I've seen guys with four. Maybe four and a half.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, to be truthful, I'm a little closer to four and a half than five.

[Billy Bush]

I know.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. So I always think about you and who we decide to be sympathetic to. And I also realize I'm not a sympathetic character either. Cause I do sort of marvel sometimes that people say horrible things to me quite a bit. And I always kind of think to myself, what is it about me that makes you feel okay with saying entitled? Saying horrible things about me, like, to me. And then I realize it's probably a weird compliment and that they just feel like you're impervious to this stuff because you're confident or smart or funny or whatever it is.

[Billy Bush]

I would think, you know, there's nothing you can say to Adam Carolla that's gonna hurt him or knock him down. That you're pretty tough.

[Adam Carolla]

Here's what I. Here's what I can tell you. Once I decide I am correct on a subject, then there's no amount of hate you can throw my way. I just went all the way through Covid yelling super unpopular things into a microphone and tweeting very unpopular things and getting yelled at by everybody. But I knew I was right. So if I know I'm right, then it doesn't matter to me. Now. It sounds evolved, but it's not really that evolved. If I sat in a room with 100 people and 99 of them said, 2 and 2 is 5, I would say, 2 and 2 is 4. And then they'd all turn and look at me. And then some would get angry, and then they would ask that I be removed from the room or whatever it is. And I would just go, that's your business. But I'm right. And I don't care how many of you don't like what I'm saying. I'm still right, and I don't care. And that's the way I feel now. If I feel wrong, then there's an issue. But as long as I know I'm.

[Billy Bush]

Right and you were. I mean that.

[Adam Carolla]

Then I was. Then I didn't care.

[Billy Bush]

I don't. At this having. I would never have had the balls to tweet. This is bullshit. Why are we wearing masks? Why am I standing six feet apart from someone? Why am I doing all. Why are we shutting down schools? Why are we. You know, I felt it. And I often didn't have my mask on, but I wouldn't have said it, I don't think. Well, we're sheep also.

[Joe Piscopo]

I.

[Adam Carolla]

Well and not. But I don't say sheep per se. But I will say you're in a business that's relying on people. Certainly in that period, you're looking to be hired and to stay hired. You know what I mean? And it's a very real threat to be removed from your livelihood. And that's a very real situation that has to be weighed in. Everyone likes to do that. I don't care what anyone says. Yeah, well, whether you're a cop or you're an entertainment host. Yeah. Getting shit can. That's a pretty big consequence.

[Billy Bush]

I don't mind being fired. I've been fired before. But that way, in that nefarious slide a tape to the Washington Post and screw a guy that's been at the company for 15 years. That kind of dirtiness. I don't know why it has to be so dirty. Why can't they come to me and say, this is a shitstorm, we're gonna leak it out there. We love you, you're a great guy. We want you to get out in front of it and talk about this thing, this moment. But we got your back because you're human and we love you and you don't have to get your ass handed to you. I would say, oh, I see. So this is happening. All right, well, I'll just. I'll talk about what it was and that's great. Thanks for standing with me. It has to be done in the dark and slid and then they have to have their PR people pile on you with other stories so that it reinforces that they got rid of a bad apple.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, this is my final before we're getting some news. I hope you stick around for that. But it's what I'm feeling. But I'm not articulating as well as I could, which is to say I just went through a shitty divorce and if I got caught cheating or had a gambling problem or something of that nature, then I would like take my lumps. But that wasn't the case. And then I got jobped. And so that doesn't sit well. But I've often said, look, if I was out there doing a bunch of really shitty stuff and then this, then I guess I would kind of deserve it and I could sort of digest it, you know, and if Billy Bush was driving drunk and killed some kid coming home from school and then they went, you know, we gotta let you go, Billy, cuz this looks bad, then you would live with that and you would understand actions have consequences. You know what I mean? But that wasn't what happened to you. You got jobped. You know what I mean? And that's sort of different than I got drunk at the Christmas party and dropped my pants and told my boss to blow me and now I'm fired.

[Billy Bush]

I did do that too, but it.

[Adam Carolla]

Was, I'm saying, feeling like you did something to kind of deserve this versus getting job.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

And that just doesn't sit well, right?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. No, I don't think that. I think that is the source of the burn and the source of the pain. And it's a violent act to do that to someone. And I would stand. I vociferously stand up for people getting jobbed these days. Right.

[Adam Carolla]

That's my version of this is you got drunk, you killed some kid walking home from school, and you're now gonna have to live with that, which is a different kind of regret and pain.

[Billy Bush]

Life is unfair though. Let's not. Billy Bush is not moaning and crying to this. He's answering Adam Carolla's question questions. Cuz he loves Adam Carolla and likes being in conversation with you. But Billy Bush is not whining and bitching about his. His life now. He's learned some great lessons. He's now going third person. Completely third person. But the Bushman believes that I. No, I really do. I feel like I'm a blessed guy, I'm a lucky guy. And yes, I got job. But you know what? Larry got job. Didn't. I'm seeing this guy in the middle. He got job. Look at him. He got. Many people get jobbed.

[Adam Carolla]

Yes.

[Billy Bush]

And I'm gonna be saying jobbed for the rest of my life, baby. It's so good.

[Adam Carolla]

All right, well, Mayhem Miller's out there and he's got some news. And I hope Billy will hang out and help us do the job of commenting on the news. Yeah, right after this. Homes.com knows that when it comes to home shopping, it's never just about the house or condo. It's about the home. And what makes a home is more than just a house or property. It's the location, it's the neighborhood. If you have kids. It's also schools, nearby, parks, transportation options, all the above. That's why homes.com goes above and beyond to bring home shoppers the in depth information they need to find the right home. And. And when I say in depth, I'm talking about deep. That's right. Each listing features comprehensive information about the neighborhood. Complete with a video guide. They also have details about local schools with test scores, state rankings, and student to teacher ratio. They even have an agent directory with the sales history of each agent. So when it comes to finding a home, not just a house, this is everything you need to know all in one place. Homes.com homes.com We've done your homework.

[Billy Bush]

Pluto TV is the place for movie.

[E]

Fans like me and TV fans like me.

[Billy Bush]

They've got something for everyone and it's totally free.

[E]

You can binge laugh out loud sitcoms.

[Billy Bush]

Like Frasier and rewatch cult classics like Higher Learning.

[E]

Whether you're in the mood to solve a little crime before bedtime with NCIS or Tracker, or curl up with a.

[Billy Bush]

Surefire hit like Forrest Gump, run for it.

[E]

Pluto TV has thousands of movies and shows, all for free.

[Billy Bush]

Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.

[Adam Carolla]

Hey, it's Adam Kroll from the Adam Kroll the show. Bet Online is the world's most trusted betting platform and your number one source for online betting. From the earliest odds to in game live betting, BetOnline provides you with all the action and the ability to watch and bet on games as they happen. With the largest selection of odds on everything from football, NBA, college basketball as well, BetOnline has NHL, MMA, and championship boxing. All your betting needs in one place. Head to Betonline today to get in on the action with America's most trusted site for online wagering. So have some fun. Make these games and these events and these combat sports a little more interesting with Betonline. Betonline, the game starts here.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

As we approach 14 years of podcasting, here's a memorable moment from the ACE Awards archives.

[Billy Bush]

And my mom was a background singer on the Perry Como show and she sang Letters. We get letters.

[Adam Carolla]

Really?

[Joe Piscopo]

That's amazing. Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Can you say am PM Too much. Good stuff, because I feel like you sound like that guy.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, let me see if I can sound like him. Am. PM Too much Good fucking stuff.

[Adam Carolla]

Is that you?

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, baby.

[Adam Carolla]

It's not written down anywhere. I don't think it is.

[Billy Bush]

I thought you were just goofing it because you knew I, I. You just got a good ear. That's wild.

[Adam Carolla]

But you're Sad.

[Billy Bush]

It's my 18th year with them.

[Adam Carolla]

Jesus Christ.

[Billy Bush]

A steady gig. And my dad, since he was an announcer, I asked him, you know, when I started doing that, I said, you got any advice? He said, yeah, show up early, work quickly, have no opinions, and don't give anybody any crap.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

The 2025 ACE Awards coming this December. Now, back to the Adam Carolla Show.

[Adam Carolla]

Billy Vera from Billy and the Beaters. And yes, I have a sonic gift that if I start hearing people, I'll attach it to something else. And I knew he was AM PM Guy.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, God, I love that. I love playing that game. Whose voice is that? Is that Jon Hamm?

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. You know, my least favorite human being is not single person, but just type of human being where you find a picture of somebody and you go, doesn't that guy look like Christopher Reeves? That looks like Christopher Reeves. And the person looks at him goes, that doesn't look anything like Christopher Reeves. You just said I was insane. You basically said I was insane. You can say, Yeah, I could see it a certain angle. I know people that just look and they go, that looks nothing.

[Billy Bush]

But nothing's better than the cross between. That guy is a cross between so and so and so and so. The perfect blend. No, I don't see it.

[F]

That's half the comedy over here.

[Adam Carolla]

Dead nuts on. No, but see, to me, I like. Now you gotta find James von Praag, who is the gay Larry Zonka. Because I like a little extra twist to it. It's not just he looks like Larry Zonka, he looks like Larry Zonka. If Larry Zonka was gay. That's who he looks like. And I need my Chris Carter and Gotzuki. That's it. I mean, if Larry Zonka was gay, that is. I don't even. I'm not saying James Von Praag is gay. Oh, that is. I'm saying if Larry Zonka was gay, he would look like James Von Praag.

[F]

I was thinking if Mike Ditka was gay.

[Billy Bush]

Wow.

[F]

Too much.

[Adam Carolla]

Okay.

[Billy Bush]

Zonka with a sprinkling of butt gifts.

[F]

You're right.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. I need. Well, we need Larry Zion. We need an A and A. We need an A and a B. So. But we also need Chris Carter and Godzooki, because that's where I really make my bones. You know what I mean? Because now I've stepped outside of the human realm and into the realm of fiction and puppimation with Godzooki, which is Godzilla's son. That's. That's.

[Billy Bush]

And we all agree that Arthur and John Legend. Right? That was a big one that went around for a while.

[F]

Sweater guy.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, I know.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. The Izod and the. The whole. He was in the singing group at UPenn. The men's acapella.

[Adam Carolla]

It was.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. John Legends. That's his. He was a. Whatever they called themselves the The Pentones or something.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh, really, Mr. Sandman, bring me your dream.

[Billy Bush]

We've got our base.

[Adam Carolla]

He' they are.

[F]

There we go.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, Arthur, spot on. All right, news, got some news.

[F]

You guys might not be following it, but I guarantee your girlfriend is. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds asked court to silence Justin Baldani's lawyer. I got more headlines. Blake Lively, you know, has a lawsuit going. The raw. And it ends with us scene. Justin claims it refutes Blake sexual harassment claim. And another headline. Blake Lively rips Justin Baldoni for it ends with us video damning clip. Proves me right.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, I don't know, Billy. You do. This is your beat, right?

[Billy Bush]

I will say this. The thing about this story is, whoever's speaking, I kind of believe them. I'm like, my gosh, he's right. Look at this guy. He's definitely nuzzling in there. A little close. How creepy. You want to go in there while she's breastfeeding? And then you see like. Like he shows the texts and he's like, no, she texted me, come in. He said, are you sure you're breastfeeding? She said, yes, come in. You're like, well, what are you talking about? She set him up. I mean, I just keep ping ponging back and forth between the two.

[F]

He kept a lot of receipts and now he's showing them.

[Adam Carolla]

I agree. I know. So what happens is a beast.

[Billy Bush]

This guy 179 page thing. This is like the most detailed lawsuit that Brian Friedman, who's represented all the grieved, has put out.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, I agree with you. Like, the first thing is like, he went and talked to her personal trainer about how much she weighed, you know, and you go, oh, man, that's not a good look. And then it's like, oh, but he had a horrible back issue and had to pick her up and didn't want to in a scene and didn't want to talk. And then. So that's the same as the breastfeeding one, right? He came in while he was breastfeeding.

[Billy Bush]

So he could practice on someone else, not be in the scene and go, oh, ow, my back. And then she says, I just had a baby. And then the whole thing falls apart part.

[Adam Carolla]

Right. It's starting to look to me like the scales are tipping his direction.

[Billy Bush]

I would agree.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah.

[F]

People on TikTok are reading out the whole indictment and. Or the. Excuse me, the. All the paper, the court paperwork, and they're going, I don't know.

[Adam Carolla]

They're.

[F]

They're trying to paint a picture that she was being Really? I guess. High maintenance and very terrible. And then. And went so far as to take Justin Baldoni's movie over, sort of. He picked this story up out of. He read the book and kind of committed to the project. Then she took it over with Ryan Reynolds help, and then at the red carpet, they ended up sticking him and his family in the basement for the premiere. It was. It's a whole thing.

[Billy Bush]

The amazing thing is the movie did really well. It made $350 million.

[F]

It's a good movie.

[Adam Carolla]

Oh, it did.

[Billy Bush]

Why don't you guys just. You should never have gotten to this point. You should be making a sequel. Isn't it all about money? It's about money, right? Let me make a sequel.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, listen, Ryan Reynolds, I've said many times, f you money is good, but F me, money is better. So, like, Elon Musk has F me money.

[Billy Bush]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

So someone goes, you're gonna buy Twitter? Yeah. What do you think it's worth? 23 billion. What'd you pay? 45 billion.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, that's a lot. Yeah, I got F me money. I want Twitter. Do you know what I mean?

[Billy Bush]

I agree with that.

[Adam Carolla]

Ryan Reynolds has F me money. And they probably have f me money from his other endeavors in business, not to mention just what he's making.

[Billy Bush]

Everything the guy does is a cell phone company, gin company, so they can.

[Adam Carolla]

Go to war for no reason, even if it costs them a lot of money. But also, you know, I said, I don't know Ryan Reynolds well, but I did do an episode of his TV show back when he was doing his thing.

[Billy Bush]

Two guys, a girl and a pizza.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, pizza place.

[Billy Bush]

Okay.

[Adam Carolla]

And I was the star of the episode. Well, I played myself in the episode. And he was there, and he was a very sweet guy. Very sweet guy. But this is pre Ryan Reynolds blowing up. This is Ryan Reynolds on a sitcom that's, you know, middle of the road sitcom. Not superstar Ryan Reynolds. And so I don't know if he's evolved into a different personality, but the young Ryan Reynolds on Two Guys a Girl in the pizza place was just super nice. Chillax.

[Billy Bush]

I mean, Pratt was on Parks and Rec. Look at him. He's every superhero, right? He's in everything.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. So this is starting to feel like. It feels like it's more her than him. Ryan Reynolds, and then more than Valerie.

[Billy Bush]

The guy was second on the call sheet for Jane the Virgin or something. And now he becomes this director, and maybe there's this feeling that, you know, they. Maybe they bigfooted him. And said, you know, who are you?

[F]

That's what's going on. TikTok. They're saying exactly. That Jane the Virgin guy, even that they, they modeled the character nice pool after Justin Baldoni to kind of troll him and make fun of him.

[Billy Bush]

Well, he calls himself a feminist and he wears the I am a feminist T shirt and he's man Bunning. He's like, is he. You know, he's a little annoying as a guy?

[Adam Carolla]

No, he gave a TED talk. I'm so tired of dudes going, you know, it takes a real man to cry. It takes a real man to admit he's a piece of shit. You know, it takes a real. I'm like, fuck that. First off, we're getting into trouble. Cause we got too many dudes turning into chicks. This is an issue. And also I just look at his ass kisserie of the highest order. You know, these are the celebrities that get up there and they get Academy award and they go, my three year old daughter has taught me more about courage. Then it's like, yeah, right, okay, shut the fuck up. Stop pretending that your wife is 10 times smarter than you. Or 10 times whatever, just fucking knock it off.

[Billy Bush]

But you're missing. There's a element here that's kind of juicy for people Net is when Reynolds and Lively call Baldoni to their penthouse suite in New York. Her best friend Taylor Swift happens to be there that night. And she, the Baldoni suit alleges heavy handed him into taking Blake's rewrites. These are way better. Trust me. You should do this. And now you got Lively. You've got Reynolds and Swift. These are three giant. And here's second on the call sheet at Jane the Virgin. Like, okay, right, who am I? I in this room? Who is anyone in that room?

[Adam Carolla]

That's why we kept it for the news. Bush newsman. We got Sonka and James John Frog next to each other, by the way, just so we can put that one.

[F]

Why did I argue?

[Adam Carolla]

Why did I argue?

[F]

I don't know who's who.

[Adam Carolla]

It's Gay Larry. You're right, you're right. The part that's the genius that should be mentioned at the funeral. You know what I mean? It wasn't just that he picked Von Pragg.

[Billy Bush]

It's Larry Zanka. If he were in Pirates of the Penzance.

[Adam Carolla]

All right, we got enough. We've done enough. All right?

[Billy Bush]

Leave Larry alone.

[Adam Carolla]

Leave Larry alone. Yeah, good name for a Sitka.

[F]

We got some more news. In the world of celebrity Yankees legend Mariano Rivera. And wife Clara deny covering up child sex abuse after a bombshell lawsuit. Yeah, yeah. This is strange. Four years later, after a sort of, like, church kind of camp, there was now a lawsuit that just came out for the sexual abuse of a minor in their Rye, New York, at a summer camp connected to the church.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, well, there is a thing. Let me just. Let me just warn everyone how stuff works sometimes, but not necessarily, but sometimes. I once gave 50 grand to a guy who was my director at the Acme Theater. All these years ago, all many years ago, after I became successful, to invest in his restaurant. And I never really suspected I'd get the money back, but that was fine. I was now successful, and I thought a lot of it was, in part the work I did in the Acme Theater. And he was the director. And so, fine. So I gave him 50 grand and he started a restaurant on the west side some years later. I never got paid back, but some years later, I got, like, a thing. Official lawsuit, lawyer, whatever. Because some company that cleaned the tablecloths and did the linen didn't get paid. And they're suing, and they see my name on the thing, even though I have nothing to do with it. I gave him some money. He started a restaurant. But my name is somewhere. And when the lawyers are looking down the list, they find the name they recognize, and then they highlight that name and they go, now go sue that guy. And I've got nothing to do with the restaurant or the linen company or who didn't get paid or any of this, but my name is on a list of somewhere. And I seem like maybe I have deeper pockets than the name they don't recognize. So then I get sued. Now, at some point, a news outlet could pick this up and go, carolla sued because he's a deadbeat, because he refuses to pay the rent. And now it's something, right? Now I don't care. It didn't really happen. I mean, that did happen to me. But it's not a sexy story about paying a linen cleaning service. But if it had been a sexy story, then my name would have been over the salacious story, right? If a woman. If one of the waitresses was sexually abused and assaulted in the bathroom of the restaurant, then my name would be right in next to the sexual assault thing, right? And that's just the way it works. So when you see stories like this, always take them with a grain of salt because we don't know if they're involved with it or it's the church they went to. And he's the most recognizable name on the list.

[F]

Yeah, it certainly appears that way because.

[Billy Bush]

Well, hopefully he gets clear about it and steps up and makes sure that our hero remains our hero. There's no one greater than Mariano Rivera. The greatest of all, all time.

[Joe Piscopo]

We.

[Billy Bush]

We need our heroes. So, you know, step up and make it clear. ASAP.

[F]

Yeah. He had a 19 year hall of Fame career with the Yankees, winning five World Series and recording the most saves in MLB history.

[Billy Bush]

The best.

[Joe Piscopo]

The best.

[F]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

There was none better than Mariano Rivera.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah.

[F]

It's not even about him.

[Billy Bush]

Eckersley was great. Great look, too.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Mustache, long hair.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

That was a good look.

[Billy Bush]

Eckersley could get it done.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. Till he ran into.

[Billy Bush]

He might have all five.

[Adam Carolla]

Kirk Gibson. Oh, yeah.

[F]

Trump tells Putin to end Ukraine war now. Or else we can do it the easy way or the hard way. Yeah. President Trump warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in Ukraine quickly or else face high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions.

[Adam Carolla]

You know, it's weird. How so funny. It's also insane how much stuff we get wrong. Like, remember, I don't know, three and a half, four years ago, whenever. Three years ago, when he began this, Biden was like, well, listen, we're just gonna sanction all the oligarchs, we're gonna take away their yachts, we're gonna take away their high rise condominiums in New York City and their pro sports teams, and they're gonna come. He's gonna come and beg into us. Then this wall, it's like, all right, that sounds like a plan. Nothing. Nothing happened. Yeah, nothing. He was telling us. And then when gas was five bucks a gallon or eggs were nine bucks, it was like, that's Putin's price hikes. Putin hiked our price of eggs. Yeah, he did. And I'm like, I wanna always say to the Democrats, stop giving Putin so much power over us, would you please? He rigged the election. He raised the prices of everything. Like, we don't have dominion over him. He doesn't have dominion over us. Remember, he was real sick. Remember we thought. Remember the stories of Putin's sick? Putin's dying. He's got a disease. He's not gonna live much longer. That's why he's doing it. That's what, what do we get right about Putin? Do we get anything right? Do we get. It's weird. We have CIA, we have informants, we have FBI, we have people who know about these subjects. Why is everything Putin wrong? Every steel dossier, Putin Election, whatever. Wrong. Four years of wrong. Then ride into price hikes and then probably will bring the oligarchs to their knees and they'll put the pressure on Putin and Putin's gonna pull out of Ukraine once the oligarchs lose their apartments. Nothing.

[F]

Maybe nothing. A Russian disinformation campaign.

[Billy Bush]

He's eternally 55. Like, he's just the same.

[Adam Carolla]

He remains 50, but the KGB go collect his poop.

[F]

That was one of the things. They collect his poop. So nobody can analyze it, I assume.

[Billy Bush]

Really?

[F]

Yeah. That was the thing. That was a story.

[Adam Carolla]

I would assume that. For me, I'm assuming Biden is lying when he's saying Putin's price hike or oligarchs or we're gonna shut him down. I'm sure he doesn't even know what he's talking about. He's just talking, but I'm just saying our batting average on Putin is back. Yeah. We in no way. Shape or. Or form have been able to prognosticate any of the movements. And speaking of movements and I think, Yeah, I think the only thing that works on that guy is a punch in the face. And so now that's coming.

[F]

So you think. So do you think that this Trump will make a change?

[Billy Bush]

He was supposed to take down the Ukraine in a week. It's been three years. We can say whatever we want about him. Right now. He's very busy.

[Adam Carolla]

I think that the reason there was hostage movement was Trump. I think internationally, there's movement when Trump starts coming in. I think with Biden and I think would have been with Kamala Harris, that the international crew just goes, yeah, it's kind of business as usual. We don't really need to worry too much about what's going on.

[Billy Bush]

Trump is a bit like Putin in that you don't know what he's gonna do. I mean, he's a little. Right.

[Adam Carolla]

That's what they respond to.

[F]

The wild man at the end of the bar.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

I don't wanna test him. I don't know what he's gonna do. Rocket Man. I mean, with the nicknames, having stuff started yet? Wait.

[F]

I know. Yeah. I'm waiting for Nick, baby.

[Adam Carolla]

Season to drop, you know? Well, I. I don't know if that's part of the 2.0 makeover.

[Billy Bush]

What did you. What are you expecting at 2.0? How different are you expecting it than 1.0?

[Adam Carolla]

I. I think somebody got to him to the extent where they just went, this part of your game is not helpful. Like, all the handles and tags on everybody. And some of the late night tweeting and stuff, he's down about 40% in the crazy rhetoric, you know what I'm saying? Sorry, personal battle department, right in the middle of this. Like, the first version of him would go, look, there's Putin, there's Ukraine, there's what's going on in Israel, there's Iran. But first I gotta get to Rosie O'Donnell and settle her hash. That bitch. That bitch is fat. You know what I mean? And it's like, I think somebody went, you know, just a little less of that, a little more of the bigger picture stuff.

[Billy Bush]

But he was shame.

[Adam Carolla]

But he was shame.

[Billy Bush]

He was president for 30 seconds before he walked into the. The adjacent room and said, all right, now, all the things that they didn't want me to say, I got to say, I think this guy's fat. This guy's short. He went right into this secondary room and started launching some bombs.

[F]

Maybe it was Melania, the unsung hero. She's like, Donald, stop.

[Billy Bush]

She looks, by the way, like a different woman. She was smiling. They look like a couple of kids on the dance floor at the, like at prom.

[F]

Yeah.

[Billy Bush]

At the inauguration. Was laughing at his jokes. He was doing the YMCA dance with the sword. And she was like, my husband is so cute and funny. I was like, wow. Yeah, she's warmed up.

[F]

The dark winged duck hat on, though. So it felt kind of strange.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, you do, Melania.

[F]

I mean, Donald, why are you talking like this to everyone?

[Adam Carolla]

Shut up or you get the sword.

[F]

Please, please be nicer to your opponents.

[Adam Carolla]

Whatever shit stack of. Stan, you're from the sword. It's the number one weapon.

[F]

Don't smite them with your iron fist.

[Adam Carolla]

I'll use my sword to do my talking. You ever see that Remington commercial.

[F]

In CNN News, boss Mark Thompson confirms 200 layoffs across cable TV network in a digital push. Yeah, 200 people are out of a job. Looks like on air talent are secure because they have contracts. But a lot of the newsroom is going down.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, they have.

[Adam Carolla]

That's your business. Billy, what do you think?

[Billy Bush]

Well, yeah, first of all, the ratings for CNN during The inauguration is one. You know, Fox News has 10 million. They had barely 2, 1.7 million people watching. It's kind of anemic there. And I think part of the push is for them to be a little less resistance, Trump resistance. But you could. I mean, I mean, you can see they're all hamstrung. They have nothing. This is what they do, Right. I Would say, dig, hang onto your resistance. Just from a strategy point, it's gonna come around. Like, right now, it feels like everybody's behind Trump. He got the popular vote, and there's a big wave in that. But, like, you'll have your chance again. He's gonna do some stuff.

[F]

So if you were to run cnn, stay your niche, what would your strategy be to make it grow in ratings? Because news and entertainment hand in hand nowadays?

[Billy Bush]

Well, the la. I think the, you know, look, the last majorly innovative thing they did was put Larry King on. That was a long time ago. And so it's just kind of the same thing. I would get all these boring people off that are just talking heads that have been around forever who are just schlubby and unattractive and not interesting. Get them off.

[F]

So a hotter cnn.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah, I would probably, a little bit, like, give me some interesting people that I think, oh, that's cool person. I like that guy. I like that girl.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. Go into the podcast world, go online, find some young people that have a motor, that are interesting, that have sort of takes, and let's revamp this thing a little bit.

[Billy Bush]

Yeah. And Fox News is doing it. They put Will Kane on, who's in his. He's now in the daytime, replaced Cavuto. Who your world with Cavuto now has this guy, Will Kane, who was it? Espn. And he has a podcast, and he's down in Dallas. And so. So I think there's gonna be a lot of repurposing podcasts or licensing them. Like, you know, McAfee has a great deal at ESPN. That guy, 17 million bucks a year, and he doesn't have to report to anyone. You put Carolla on. Let me tell you something. Carolla's not getting called into the news director's office.

[Adam Carolla]

You're goddamn right I'm gonna.

[Billy Bush]

Send me the check. Send me the check.

[Adam Carolla]

I got F Me money. All right, Joe Piscobo's waiting in the wing. So I'm going to bid adieu to Mayhem and Billy Bush. Billy Bush, the podcast, Hot Mics with Billy Bush. I did it. I was duly impressed. I really was. It's on TuneIn.com and also on YouTube. And I think you got something going there, Billy.

[Billy Bush]

Well, help me out. I need your help. Thank you, buddy.

[Adam Carolla]

I really do. We'll take a quick break. Back with the legendary SNL alumni and radio host Joe Piscopo right after this. Well, you want to start a business, your own business, a small business, and grow it this year. Let's do this and now is the best time to start. Shopify is going to help you. I started a business and I use Shopify and I'm glad I did. Shopify makes it simple to create your brand, open for business and get your first sale, get your store up and running. It's easy and they've got thousands of customizable templates that can help you with all the details like shipping taxes, payments from one single dashboard, allowing you to focus on the important stuff like growing your business because you want to be freed up to grow your business, not burdened with the nickel and dime stuff. Let Shopify help you with that. With Shopify, your first sale is closer than you think. It's Shopify, right?

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

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[E]

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[Billy Bush]

They've got something for everyone and it's totally free.

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[Billy Bush]

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[E]

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[Billy Bush]

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[E]

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[Adam Carolla]

Pluto TV stream now pay never homes.com knows that when it comes to home shopping, it's never just about the house or condo. It's about the home. And what makes a home is more than just a house or property. It's the location. It's the neighborhood. If you have kids, it's also schools, nearby, parks, transportation options, all the above. That's why homes.com goes above and beyond to bring home shoppers the in depth information they need to find the right home. And when I say in depth, I'm talking about deep. That's right. Each listing features comprehensive information about the neighborhood, complete with a video guide. They also have details about local schools with test scores, state rankings and student to teacher ratio. They even have an agent directory with the sales history of each agent. So when it comes to finding a home, not just a house, this is everything you need to know all in one place. Homes.com homes.com we've done your homework.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

The Adam Carolla show presents Joe Piscopo's birthday cocktail party for June 17th let's see who's invited. Let's welcome former king of England, Edward the first. And here's former king of Sweden, Charles xii, one of the dudes who signed the deck declaration of independence. William Hooper is here.

[Adam Carolla]

Who per.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

Here's French composer Charles Goodell. Here's the Harlem Renaissance poet who wrote the lyrics to lift every voice and sing, James Weldon Johnson, the father of modern plastic surgery who pioneered skin grafts. Harold Gillies is here. Let's welcome Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. Here's Hitler's secretary, Martin Borman. Here's the guy who played banjo on Hee Haw Stringbean, David Eggman from Laughin. It's Bill Rafferty, singer and keyboardist from Santana. Greg Rawley is here. From Mike and the Mechanics. It's Paul Young. Newt Gingrich is here from no Doubt. Eric Stefani is here from Saturday Night Live. Will Forte joined the party. Let's welcome tennis star Venus Williams. Kendrick Lamar is here. And the guy who writes the songs that make the whole world sing, Barry Manilow. Joe Piscopo is on the Adam Carolla show.

[Adam Carolla]

That's an eclectic and impressive list. Joe Piscopo. The book, by the way. Average Joe Memoirs of a Blue Collar Entertainer. And we'll talk about that. Also the radio show, the Joe Piscobo Show. I've been on many times, Always enjoyed myself. It's AM970 in New York City. What's going on, Joe?

[Joe Piscopo]

Igor Stravinsky, huh?

[Adam Carolla]

I'm feeling good, yeah.

[Joe Piscopo]

Borman, not so much Stravinsky. I'm liking that. Barry Manilow. I knew the very interesting birthday thing, huh?

[Adam Carolla]

How you doing? Well, it always stings a little for me because I got Todd Bridges from Diff'rent Strokes and that is the number one guy on my birthday list. And it pales in comparison to everybody with all their luminaries in greats like Joe Piscopo. So. It's humbling. It's humbling, man.

[Joe Piscopo]

It is. Hey, Adam, great to be on with you. Thank you for always jumping on the air with us. We always look forward to it. You're always great on the air. And let me express, you know, my heart to you of all that you went through. You were on the air throughout all of the fires, which are still continuing. But are you okay? I feel like I gotta ask you, are you doing okay? Everything okay out there for you?

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. I was pointing out to somebody about an hour ago that I'm out of socks. I'm like, I'm literally out. I don't have socks.

[Joe Piscopo]

That's the thing.

[Adam Carolla]

They're all dirty. And I Woke up at Dr. Drew's house today. What? I stay at Dr. Drew's house. I can't go back to my house and I don't have socks.

[Joe Piscopo]

You know, it's a little. I gotta tell you, I was thinking about you now. I'm out in the boondocks. I speak to you out in the boondocks of Jersey West. Jersey. And then I was thinking about the fire. And even, like, I couldn't get the propane in my house because, you know, I'm out in the country, so you can't. I want to know who's in charge. I want to know why these things keep happening, man. Why can't. Why. And again, that you put people in charge and for the fires to start at all out there. And then I'm out here and I'm in Jersey. I can't even get the propane out to the house. It's like, no, I am so ready for Trump time. I'm so ready for, you know, let's just do it. Let's just do it. All businesses should have to go on absolute Trump time, you know, rather than, you know, just. They don't care about regular citizens like this man. And you without your socks.

[Adam Carolla]

How come they're right about. Well, you know, you were starting to say it's the little things. You know, it's like, it's the little things and it's the basics, and you never really think about it. But I'm going on two and a half weeks. I've never been out of whatever home I've been in, and I've been in apartments and had roommates and lived in my dad's garage and stuff. Stuff. The longest run I probably ever made was 10 days in Europe or something. Some version of that. I'm at a personal best. I'm coming on three weeks of not having anything. Not any of my possessions. But, Joe, let's not make this about me. Let's make it about you. A legendary member of SNL, of course. Coming up on the 50th year anniversary. Are we there yet? When is the 5th?

[Joe Piscopo]

February. Right at February 14th. It starts, actually.

[Adam Carolla]

And there during interesting times. I think you and Eddie Murphy were the only holdovers from the old administration. You. I'm assuming you left snl. I'm not assuming they asked you to leave because you did so many voices and were so important to snl.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was interesting. Eddie and I came up and as you know, and then they kept us, they got rid of everybody, including Gilbert Godfrey, by the way, arrest Gilly's soul. Gilly and I came up in the clubs together back in the late 70s, man, and I was upset about that. They, they, they, they got rid of Gilly and they kept Eddie and I and then we stayed. And then Eddie said early on when he started doing the films, he was leaving. So, you know, I tell you what, the cast was great. Mary Gross, Timmy Kazarinski, a lot of the cast was great. Even Julie Louis Dreyfus was there. Everybody was nice. I just came up with Eddie, he was leaving and that was the impetus right there. They may offered me, Dick Eversole offered me a cold contract. I put it all in the book, book, you know, just to document. And I, and I walked away from it. They wanted to keep me on. But, oh, you know what? Adam too, the next year after Eddie was leaving and then I said, should I stay on? Who did they put on? Martin Short and Chris Guest and Billy Crystal. And I'm going, they don't need me here. They don't. Jimmy Belushi, they don't need me here. And that was the impetus and I just kind of left. It was all kind of friendly and kind of. But you burn out, my brother. You burn out. I don't know how guys stay there like, they stay there like nine years. Yeah, God bless them. God bless him. I was just, I think, ready to go. And once Eddie go, that was the impetus there. But it was all nice and all good. But man, oh man, I go by NBC today, Adam Carolla. And I still get anxiety thinking about what material do I have, what am I going to write for the week. Yeah, it's really nuts, you know.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. In a weird way, I guess it's like professional football. It is a young man's sport, you know, and, you know, they go, the average NFL career is, you know, three years and nine months or three years and two months or whatever. If you looked up. Here's an interesting thing. I'm put it to Dawson, but if you looked up the average NFL career and the average SNL career, you're probably about the same number because you always hear about the guy who was there for 14 years, but a lot of people were one and done done, you know.

[Joe Piscopo]

Oh, oh, you know what they. I got not to plug it, but I was, I was in it Peacock. And I think NBC is going to do it on Monday. That came out with a whole documentary. They did a great documentary on SNL and they Interviewed all of us and they. And you could hear all the angst that we all went through. I ended up watching this thing and it's a great documentary. And they did one on the writers too. Adam, coming up with the material. Waiting for your material again in. Wait till Lauren puts the board up, you know. But going back to the cast, you could see. And then, as I said, sat back the other day and I watched this great documentary that they did on the SNL50. And I said, we all feel the same way. It was like we were lucky to be alive. We were lucky to be there, we were lucky to survive. And we still don't know how we did it. Everybody felt the same way. That's what it was at snl. It was just like, you know, just the pressure of it every week to come up with. And I gotta say, Eddie and I, nobody had it easy. But I think, I think Eversole would like to turn to Eddie. And I say, what are you guys doing this week? So we had an in. But a lot of the folks, particularly like Julie Louis Dreyfus, who was like 19 or something at the time, you know, a lot of the folks had a. You have to not fight for your time on the air, but you gotta fight for your time on the air, you know what I'm saying? So it ain't easy.

[Adam Carolla]

The average tenure of an NFL player is about 3.3 years. And the average tenure of an SNL member is 3.9.

[Billy Bush]

Wow.

[Adam Carolla]

Wow.

[Joe Piscopo]

Look at you.

[Adam Carolla]

Look at you, man. It's pretty close.

[Billy Bush]

Well done.

[Joe Piscopo]

Well done.

[Adam Carolla]

Look at that. So you say blue collar entertainer. I think of myself as a blue collar entertainer just cause of how I grew up and what I did before I got into show business. But what is your version of a blue collar of you as it pertains to you, the blue collar entertainer trainer, working live.

[Joe Piscopo]

You're working live, like Rodney always said. He always said to me, you're as good, you're as good as your last show. The second you step off stage, you have to do it all over again. If that would, people would think that's like a mental illness. And I don't know why it's got to be ingrained in you, you know, But. But this isn't like going on film. All right, can we do another take? Can we do. This isn't even on television, even on radio. We, you and I, we could dance on the radio. You know what? When you're doing live and a good portion of my life is. Is doing live, you. You're sweating on stage. There's no safety net, really. And you're as good as your, your, your last show. And it's like it's never ending because you do it all over again. It's like a 9 to. It's the 9 to 5 of entertainment. The live portion, I'm talking about.

[Billy Bush]

So.

[Joe Piscopo]

And you sweat, you sweating, man. People don't understand. Now you're gonna, you could be in a tuxedo, you know, and so I would like, I was that down in Washington doing a thing, and I, I had tuxedo on. People go, oh, yeah, Joe, you look like a real blue collar guy. Hey, I gotta go on stage, I gotta sweat, I gotta work, I gotta make it work. We got minutes to make it work. You got a certain amount of time to get the crowd. It's, it's like that. I think live entertainment was what I referred to. And that's pretty much the base, you know, the basis of my life. And that is really blue collar work. It's hard work because again, it's, it's, it's, it's grit, it's, it's, it's, it's getting dirty.

[Billy Bush]

It's.

[Joe Piscopo]

And it's. And there's no mercy. There's no mercy. So that's what that reference was about.

[Adam Carolla]

So you start out where, like, what is the origin story of Joe Piscopo?

[Joe Piscopo]

Oh, you're good. Thank you. Myheritage. That's all. It's about my heritage. And we co wrote it with Scott Lamb, great writer. And that's a perfect. That's a great question because I said, how do you start it? Because I talked about my Italian American heritage, what it means to me, me, how my, my parents ingrained in me, the Italian American community, how my grandparents came over from another country, learned the language, learned the laws, and they just wanted to be American. They came with the American flag in their hand, looked at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis island, that whole story. And we drew, we draw a million analogies of, of what made me who I am through my parents and my grandparents, through my heritage, which I think translates, relates to every ethnicity because I believe the ethnicity is the foundation of America. You know, so. But to me, if I can jump Adam, the interesting thing for me, as I started to write about the early days of comedy at the improvisation man with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and Gilly Godfrey and everybody else, then I started getting into it, into Saturday Night Live. That was, I'm reading it and it was like an out of Body experience thing that I really live through that man, I lived through that. And that was the interesting. So we with the heritage, who I am, where I'm from and then how I got into the comedy clubs and wanting to just do entertainment and starting at the improvisation Hell's Kitchen in the late seventies in New York City as.

[Adam Carolla]

A standup and the voices, I find the impressions are sort of like balance in that I can't do impressions at all. But. But I always had good balance and I learned to ride a unicycle when I was nine, you know what I mean? Just cause I had balance, it kind of bubbles to the top. It's something you do. So you start off and you're doing impersonations of schoolteachers and characters on TV and things of that nature. And then you go into standup and how much of your act is impersonations?

[Joe Piscopo]

Early yeah, it's good. I'm not a stand up, I never was. I'm telling you, Jerry Seinfeld, stand up, you know, Larry David, all those guys that I came up, all that I came up with were stand up comics. Like certain in the clubs in the late 1970s. Richard Pryor would come in, Robert Klein would come in. Rodney Dangerfield, Elaine Boosler. It was like those, those, those were standups who just wrote. Matter of fact, Rodney, the most pure standup of all in my mind. We spent a lot of time. He'd come down to club, he would work out, you know, those six weeks before he went on the Tonight show was really. It was awesome to watch him watch that, watch him do that in the club. But then I would end up leaning on, if I may, leaning on the impressions. And I would do a Frank Sinatra, I would do with Tom Snider back then, you know, and we would do different impressions like that. But a lot of it was this, me being the master of ceremonies. And Chris Albrecht, you know, legendary HBO producer who really handled all of us comics at the improv at the time, said, Joe, you're going to be the master of ceremonies. So I worked the door and then I was like the MC and I would introduce. Robin Williams would come in. You know, everybody who was anybody would come. Andy Kaufman was on stage, man. And I would mostly just be like the host to welcome everybody, but not as a stand up because a stand up is a certain breed and you got to be really good at it. And I'm not a stand up, I'm more like an entertainer. So. So the impressions, yeah, that balanced me out, you know. But when I got to snl. It was just survival. Hey, who's going to do Jimmy Carter? And I would say Danny Aykroyd did Jimmy Carter, man. I can't do Jimmy Carter. You're doing Jimmy Carter. Hey, you're going to do John Anderson. Who the heck is John Anderson? You know, the independent candidate running McCarter. I had to do these esoteric impressions. It was survival mostly, where those impressions came from. And a really great makeup artist in a guy named Kevin Haney.

[Adam Carolla]

Do you think this a little esoteric? But I was talking to Dr. Drew because I'm staying at his house and I was doing his show. He has no socks.

[Joe Piscopo]

He has no socks. He can lend you. He must have.

[Adam Carolla]

Huh? Nothing. I'm sure he's lousy with socks. Sure. He has two drawers dedicated to socks. I feel self conscious going to him and going, hey, man, I need some socks. But Dr. Drew, there's nobody on the planet who would offer his socks up faster than Dr. Drew.

[Joe Piscopo]

Drew understood.

[Adam Carolla]

I heard that he was walking out the door this morning and he sent me a text saying, the lady is here if you have dirty clothes to give her. And I have a bag full of socks that are dirty. But I feel. I just don't feel right about handing her a bag of dirty socks and telling her to clean my socks when Drew pays her and there's something wrong with me. Drew texted me, said, use the lady. You may have dirty clothes. Use the lady. I just. I will. He left. I should have stolen his socks. I should have just crept up to his room and taken his socks. That's great, but I feel self conscious about it and stupid.

[Joe Piscopo]

No, your guilt is warranted, my friend. It really is.

[Adam Carolla]

Thank you.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, honestly.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, all right. So I was talking to Dr. Drew and I said. And I was doing this podcast and he was interviewing me about this dry bar special I did, which is an alt clean stand up set, very clean. And it's not. It's not, you know, it's not a PG set. It's a G rated set, you know, basically. And, you know, he said, well, how was that? How'd that go? And I was like, well, it was a challenge. It was a. It was a big challenge. I had to really get in touch with some material and it eliminated a lot of my actual. And I had to work it, but it was a challenge and I'm glad I did it because it was harder and I thought it kind of brought something out. And I said, look, it's really the equivalent swearing. And I'll circle this back to impersonations, but swearing is sort of something people fall back on. It's kind of a shock value thing. I said, look, if you're fat, you tell some fat jokes. You can kind of. It's a crutch. It's a little bit of a crutch. Sometimes women do that. With any single ladies out there. Come on, ladies. Who knows what it's like to date out there? There's a black version of it. There's a Hispanic version. There's an ethnic version of you kind of falling back onto something. You know what I mean? Now, Seinfeld doesn't do that. He doesn't have that. He's heterosexual, he's rich, he's white, he's a male. So there's. And when you go dry bar, there's nothing. There's just you. And I thought to myself, in a way, I'm thankful that I never had anything to fall back on because it made me work a little bit harder and find a voice. And if I could do impressions, I would just fall right back on it. I would be so easy. And the audience always reacts. It always gets a great. It gets a great pop, and it's easy. And so I'm just asking. It's not answerable. But if Joe Piscopo couldn't do impressions, you would probably then be pushed into the Seinfeld, Dangerfield. What you talked about when you go, I'm not a comedian. You probably would have been if you couldn't fall back on this.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, maybe. And again, making the transition to SNL and having to be the utility guy there did that. That was, again, out of necessity. They needed somebody to do characters, different characters, like the whiners with Robin Duke or. Or the sports guy like I did, or the original characters like Solomon and Pudge like Eddie and I did, or the Impressions. But yeah, that. That was like. That's very interesting analogy. You know, falling back on. You know, do you drop the F bomb or not for a laugh, or do you go to the impressions for a laugh? That's why I have immense, immense respect for comics like yourself who would just get up there and do exactly that. That's the hardest thing of all, by the way. The hardest thing of all. And you know what else out of. If I may deviate for a second, Can I. Can we pivot here just for a moment? The funniest cats at the improv you never heard from again. The funniest cats that blew that room out in 1977. 78 in the back. And I can remember the names, but I don't want mention it. They were the funniest guys. Creative. The room would blow out and nothing happened, man. Isn't that the wildest thing about the business? You know, far more talented than I was.

[Adam Carolla]

I. Yeah, well, no, I'm not agreeing with that. But what I'm saying is, is. I mean, far more talented than you. But what I. I have an answer. I have an answer because people always say to me, who's the funniest guy you know? You know, and. And they expect me to go, Norm McDonald's, Donald or whomever? And I always had the same answer. I go, you've never heard of him?

[Joe Piscopo]

Is that the wildest thing, man? I mean, I could think of the bits, I could think of the punch lines, I could think of the room, I could think of the time. 1:30 in the morning. This guy's not going to get anybody to laugh. And they blow out a room and never heard from him again, man. That's why I always say, you know, but there but for the grace of God. I said, I always consider myself so fortunate, you know, whether. Whether you're leaning on the F bomb, whether you're leaning on the oppressions, it's like, man, oh man, it's all survival. But the interesting thing is you can't put your finger on why exactly that happens. Why does that happen?

[Adam Carolla]

I believe that, and I know it does feel like a lot of luck and happenstance and grace of God because you go, well, this guy's so funny. And yet never had a tenth of the success of some of these other people. So that does seem a lot like luck. But there's kind of two parts. Well, let's look at it like athleticism, you know what I mean? You can be a great athlete or you could be Tom Brady, who doesn't rank in the top 200 of great athletes in the quarterback position. But the work ethic and the approach and. And people call it politics. There's politics and I mean, you know, knowing who to treat. You know, when I met Jimmy Kimmel, I was like, I'm going to treat this guy right because I think, I think he could help me a lot, you know? You know, and I felt that way about a lot of people I met on the way up. I'm like, I gotta stay in this guy's good graces. You'll hear stories about the guy who blew out the room at 1:30am telling the general manager to fuck off at some point, throwing a beer at him, you know, there's gonna be those stories. Do you know what I'm saying?

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, man.

[Adam Carolla]

So it wasn't all just cosmic luck of the draw. Joe Piscopo may not have thought he was as funnier, as funny as Joe Blos capo over there, but you, you, you, you did your job. You, you were sober, you showed up on time, you didn't get in people's faces. You know what I mean? Like there's a part of the job that's a job, man. Man.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, yeah. It's true. It was a work ethic. And when I went over to SNL and in the book, interesting how my friend John DeBellis, who was a great writer and a great stand up in his own right, but he got me over to SNL because they needed a utility guy. So they had me audition early on, early on to Gene Dominion after Lauren left. So I went in and I said, now what am I going to be doing? So I ended up doing characters. I ended up doing the characters. Excuse me. I ended up doing like just the Frank Sinatra character. I ended up doing the other characters. And they said, we need a guy like, like that Adam that I bypassed. I must have bypassed about a thousand auditions because they said, okay, we're going to put you at the top of the line when we have our OR auditions. So I was, so I was fortunate there as well. But when I went and did my audition, I had to do different characters and I was there. Gilly was there. Paul Rubens was there. In my, in my generation. Is that the wildest thing?

[Adam Carolla]

Wow.

[Joe Piscopo]

That I know. I don't remember Paul, but I remember Gilly and I. And then they wanted a utility guy. And you know what too? I don't know how to describe it. And I put this in the book. The book is about survival because I just wanted to survive. I, I am amazed. I'm where I, I got to. I'm amazed. I worked with like Eddie Murphy. I'm on with Adam Carolla. We're having fun. About the radio.

[Adam Carolla]

How did I.

[Joe Piscopo]

What? I don't even ask. I just do it. But I study it. I work very hard at it. I make sure I get rest. I don't do drugs. I make sure I'm on my game. And, and you know, it's just the journey, man. It's the journey. It's not like I'm going to be a star. I'm going to be that big. I'm going to be like this big comp. No, it's the journey. And it takes you years to learn that. But early on, the work ethic is what stuck with me. And. And then that happenstance, the. All those things that happened, however I ended up there, once I got there, I made sure I worked very, very hard. And again, as an aside, if I could pivot for a second second, I'm the guy that would underline his lines at Saturday Night Live. I descript. I would underline my lines. Who other Eddie would go like this. He looked at the script, go, God, throw Gilbert, too. When Gilbert was on the show, boom, it was just like me. I was so studious. And we're. And I'm still that way to this day when I do a live show, you know, but it's. It's survival and it's. And like, to your point, Adam, it's by the grace of God, I guess. I guess. Man. And you just gotta. You gotta dig every single day, you know? So that's why I'm so grateful. But it's all about survival, I think, you know?

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, well, look, I think it's about being realistic and knowing your strengths and knowing your weaknesses. And I do shows oftentimes. And I was doing. I was doing Dave Rubin show the other day, right? And somebody said, will we forward you an email with the topics? He's going to want to talk about this. He's going to want to talk about that. In which case I go, yeah, I don't need to look at that. Whatever Dave's bringing, I'll have answers to, and let's just do it. All right? So that's no homework, no studying, no preparation. But realistically, knowing this is a strength and it's something I can do. And so I'm not worried about it. I just go, that's fine. Whatever he wants to bring, bring up. Anything you want to bring up, I'll have a good answer for whatever it is you bring up then. Conversely, I was never a good reader. I was a poor reader. And I knew. I struggled with reading, and I knew it was gonna be real difficult for me to go out and do a monologue with cue cards and mow through it. It was hard for me.

[Joe Piscopo]

Interesting.

[Adam Carolla]

So I. I would find myself when I was doing the man show, we'd do a cue card session, and they'd be all locked off. And when the cue cards were locked off, I would say to the producer, okay, now get me what's on my cue cards on three pieces of paper, and I'm gonna go sit in my dressing room, and I'm Gonna read them over and over and over again? Yes, because I'm not good at this. Now if someone says come on the radio and crack wise, I don't prepare. Someone says, read cue cards. I found myself sitting in my room, my dressing room, and I would just literally, I'd read it. And when I got to the bottom of the third page, I'd go right back up to the top of the first page and I go back down. Cause I knew I was not a good reader. I was insecure about it. And so maybe I over prepared the story that always made. What always made me laugh is Jimmy was a great reader. And he's literally the kind of guy that you could just type out a page and hand it to him cold. And he'd just read it just right through with all the punctuation and pronouncing everyone's name, I couldn't imagine. So one day before season, I don't know, three or four, whatever. Well, we'd come back for the first episode of that year, and so we'd been off for, I don't know, six months. And we were standing behind the door of the set where we're about to be announced, and the door would fly open and Jimmy and I would come out and the crowd would go crazy. And so we were sitting. We're just standing back there, just sort of waiting to walk out. And his cue cards were one color and my cue cards were another color. So we wouldn't read each other other's cue cards. His was black and mine was blue. So I didn't. So it's separate. It delineated it. Right. And I just got done sitting in my dressing room for the last two hours, just feverishly reading, you know, dragging my finger, saying it out loud, you know, not wanting to flub. He was so such a good reader that I felt like I don't want to be a liability. I don't want to flub this up and screw up my line. And so we're standing by the door, we're right about to be announced. And he looked at me and he goes, which color are my cue cards again? I thought, oh, you don't have a care in the world, do you?

[Joe Piscopo]

You know, what can I tell you before snl, every single week, this is amazing that you said that, because I would. The car. You had two sets of cards on snl, you know, if you left until you. You're right. And they're, to this day, they're still just written out.

[Adam Carolla]

Y.

[Joe Piscopo]

So I would go to remember Kevin K. Who went on to, you know, work with, you know, in the business, a big executive, but he was a cue card guy at the time. Right before it was about 1120, where would. I would run down under the bleachers where they were doing the cards, doing the changes last minute after the dress rehearsal and run every single card I saw. You make me feel like I'm normal because I thought I was nuts. Every card. And I would apologize and I would say, kevin, just. And they would run it. I wanted to see where the words were placed on the cards so I knew where to go to. It's the wildest thing that you brought that up. I never heard anybody say that before. I always felt, and I always felt bad. To this day, I apologize to Kevin K every single day, you know.

[Adam Carolla]

But my point is, it's not that Jimmy's lazy or that I'm motivated. It's that Jimmy understands what he's good at and I understand what I'm bad at.

[Joe Piscopo]

Exactly right.

[Adam Carolla]

And you figure out what you're bad at and work on it. And like I said, I didn't prepare for Dave Rubin show because I knew I was good at that. And he could say whatever he wanted and I'd be prepared with an answer. But if I had to read, you know, 10 cue cards, then I would have prepared. So that's just about being realistic.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yeah, it's so true. And again, though, with going through that era of the late 70s, middle of the night, you know, just grabbing any time you can get on stage, you know, I. No one wrote about it, no one talked about it. And then like Danny Aykroyd, I asked Danny to do a. He gave me a. He was very. He's my hero. To me, Dan Akroyd embodies everything that's great about snl. He is snl. He an absolute comic genius and someone I admire so immensely. And he gave me a quote, you know, and, and, and he was, he was just saying, saying like, we're just, we're utility guys. We're just. He goes to my fellow utility guy, he used that word, you know, just to just out of survival and just to get the job done. Not looking for stardom, just driving ahead again in a blue collar sense of just the work ethic is what it is. And, and that's pretty much. I've always approached the business just like that, you know. And I think, you know what, Adam? I think I'm too dumb to get like, to worry about where I am in my career. I think I'M kind of like, you know, I don't think. I'm like, I just don't think about it, you know, I'm. If I'm working, remember Jerry Lewis, D. Martin, Frank Sinatra brings them together and you're too young, but Jerry. I remember, but what does Jerry Lewis say to D. Martin if they don't see each other for 20 years? What does Jerry go. So you're working, but that's. That's not it in a nutshell. So you work it. That was it, man. And that's where my heart is at, you know, just working on the journey and surviving, my brother.

[Adam Carolla]

Are you doing many dates per year?

[Joe Piscopo]

I do every. Every week I'm out maybe once, maybe about two to four a month. I go out so that, you know the schedule. The morning radio is. I mean, I'm like Pacino with the morning radio. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. You know, it's AM970. It's get. I'm getting up when we used to come in back in the day and, And. But we love it.

[Adam Carolla]

I got.

[Joe Piscopo]

We got, by the grace of God, four hours. And then I do the weekend show Sundays with Sinatra, you know, cross 10 town at WABC. But then I'm always out. Like, I was down in the. We just went down for the inauguration, and they wanted me to perform at the New Jersey Ball because I only played the hot spots, you know, and I just went. And so I went up and I'm on stage entertaining at the Jersey bowl, dropped by the New York Ball. And it's in my. It's in my DNA, man. I. I dig it. And. Oh, and this is it. Chris Albrecht said to me once, and I quote Chris a lot in the book, and he's the guy again. He's the guy that put Sopranos on the air, Larry David on the air, Sex of the City. And. And he was there very, very early on. And he said to me early on when I was in the clubs, and he said, joe, don't ever throw away your live show. Don't ever throw away your live show. He said to me, and I. And you know what? He's right. And you know what? By the grace of God, I'll be working. You know, I'm working and I travel around the country and we do it. It's a. It's a gas. You know, Adam, you got to dig it or not.

[Adam Carolla]

No, I agree.

[Joe Piscopo]

You know, it's got to be in your blood. You know, I always look, I think of Robin Williams. Robin would come into the club fired up right off of Moran. Mindy, rest his brilliant soul. Sweetest guy in the world. He could. He couldn't wait to get on that stage, you know, Robin, he had to be there, you know, and I think there's a little of that in all of us where we kind of have to be there. Very interested. Whether it's radio, whether it's just going and doing something on the radio or. Or live. It's just something that we have to work. But the live factor. I dig. We do live every day on the radio. It's live with, again, no safety net. And again, it's in the DNA and it's. And. And here we are after all these years later, man. Unbelievable, right? Unbelievable.

[Adam Carolla]

It is. I mean, it is.

[Joe Piscopo]

Think about it.

[Adam Carolla]

It is. Well, look, it's a.

[Joe Piscopo]

Look at you, look at you. Look at you, Mr. Big Shot. Most downloads in history over there. God bless you, man.

[Adam Carolla]

Listen, I'm. I'm saying with you. Thank you. I had the fortune and misfortune of having very humbling regular blue collar working jobs for a long time. And so when I go to Naples, Florida, and they want to add a fifth show, I go, who cares? It's air conditioned. They feed you free beer. That ain't work. And then. So. And they go, you want to work that much? I go, that's not work. It's. First off, I'm indoors.

[Joe Piscopo]

Yes, indoors. Will you please tell people that? They go like this. They always go, why are you working so hard? And now I'm telling you. And I hear the footsteps again. I'm older than you are. I hear the footsteps. You hear it? And. And my buddy, My buddy goes, qtr. Quality time remaining. I don't want to stop. I don't want to stop, man. Joe, you're pushing so hard. You know what?

[Adam Carolla]

I want to go.

[Joe Piscopo]

I want to. You know, because we do a lot of music on. And I do like. I'm the. I become the Wayne Newton of comedy. You know, I love Wayne. You know, I'm like, I do the music on stage, you know, we do the different instruments and stuff. So I'm thinking, to your point, I want to be on stage. I want to maybe do a big drum solo. I want the crowd to be there. Maybe they give me a standing ovation, you know, and then. And then I just die of a massive coronary right there. That's the way to go, you know what I mean? Just on stage, I think I could be at. But God forbid that happens. But I think I could be happy with that, man.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah, well, you wouldn't have a lot of choice in it if it did happen. But no, I mean, I agree that the saying is he died doing what he loved the book, by the way. The Average Joe is the name of the book memoir. It's coming out soon, right?

[Joe Piscopo]

Can I show it on there? The publishers are so nice and they're being so great, and it's again, it's a survival story of folks like you and me, man, just digging what we're doing.

[Adam Carolla]

And the Joe Piscopo. Joe Piscopo show. That's AM970. I had fortunate enough to be on it a few times. I'll come back anytime you like. Joe.

[Joe Piscopo]

We're honored to have you, my friend. Honored to have you.

[Adam Carolla]

JoePiscoPo.org is where you go to find out.

[Joe Piscopo]

I think Joe Piscopo us they got now okay? I think so.

[Adam Carolla]

You know what?

[Joe Piscopo]

It's put us on Instagram. It's at Jersey Joe Piscopo on X. You know what, man? It's fun. And. And I, I'm. I'm so glad to hear you say that. Add the fifth show. I know. I always do that. God bless you for that because it's. It's fun and we're digging it and it's all good and I want to embrace it and people are nice and it's a great time in our country and we're able to work. Adam Corolla. We're able to work.

[Adam Carolla]

Listen, I beat you. People are nice. People go. You sure? Do you want to go out and do the meet and greet after? Like, people are nice. They came out to see the show. Let's go say hi to them.

[Joe Piscopo]

It's so true, man.

[Adam Carolla]

Joe Piscopo. Thank you, my brother.

[Joe Piscopo]

I'll talk to you on the radio. Adam, thank you. I hope so.

[Adam Carolla]

I love doing the show. All right, that was Joe Pisco, Billy Bush as well, and Mayhem Miller, Boca Raton. That show sold out. It's gonna be sold out on Thursday. But Naples, man, six shows in Naples. So go to Naples, Florida. That'll be January 31st through February. Well, first and then second. Yeah, I think there's Sunday. There's two shows on Sunday I was informed of. So we'll tweak our stuff. Yeah. So till next time, that for Billy and Joe. Billy, Joe saying, Mahala.

[Jason Mayhem Miller]

Pick up your phone and leave us a voicemail at 888-634-1744 and then get a ticket to see The Ace, Man. Six shows in Naples, Florida at AdamCarola.com.

[Billy Bush]

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[Adam Carolla]

Hey fans of freedom and open discussion. I'm heading over to Substack and there's an ad free audio and video version of the Adam Carolla show that's going to be waiting there in the near future. You'll even be able to watch ACS Live unedited as we record it. Participate in the show via live chat. That'll be coming up very soon. You also get an ad free version of The Adam Corland Dr. Drew Show. You also get an exclusive to my new podcast, Beat it out, where I share unpolished ideas with my comedian buddies. The first series of episodes is going to be Jay Moore. You'll get all this and more for the low, low price of nine bucks a month, a pittance for all we're going to bring you. Subscribe [e-mail] substack and I'll see all of you in our new speakeasy called Substack.

[Billy Bush]

Pluto TV is the place for movie.

[E]

Fans like me and TV fans like me.

[Billy Bush]

They've got something for everyone and it's totally free.

[E]

You can binge laugh out loud sitcoms.

[Billy Bush]

Like Frasier and rewatch cult classics like.

[E]

Higher Learning, whether you're in the mood to solve a little crime before bedtime with NCIS or Tracker, or curl up.

[Billy Bush]

With a surefire hit like Forrest Gump. Run Forest.

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Pluto TV has thousands of movies and shows, all for free.

[Billy Bush]

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