Rich Man Poor Man

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Rich Man, Poor Man"

Date: June 10, 2026
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts
Special Segment Featuring: Adam Carolla

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Brief Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty centers on Adam Carolla’s acclaimed “Rich Man, Poor Man” comedy routine, a bit celebrated by Jerry Seinfeld as one of the top five comedy routines ever. The hosts discuss Carolla’s satirical observation that, in many ways, the lifestyles of the extremely rich and extremely poor have surprising overlaps, while it's the middle class that differs most. Interspersed with humor and personal anecdotes, the conversation offers both analysis and direct excerpts from Carolla’s bit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Adam Carolla’s “Rich Man, Poor Man” Routine (02:47–08:10)

• Introduction to the Concept

  • Adam Carolla is introduced as a comedian known for his conservative views, with the hosts reflecting on his and Jimmy Kimmel’s friendship.
  • Jerry Seinfeld’s praise for Carolla's routine is highlighted:

    “Your rich man, poor man routine is one of the top five comedy bits of all time.” – Jerry Seinfeld (paraphrased at 03:24)

• Main Concept
  The premise is that both the ultra-wealthy and the very poor share habits and circumstances not common among the middle class.

2. Examples from the Routine (04:42–08:09)

• Wearing Pajamas All Day

  • Both the idle rich and unemployed poor can remain in pajamas, while the middle class must dress for work.

• Always Having a Dog Nearby

  • It’s common for both groups to have their dog with them constantly.

• No Use for Kleenex

  • Rich: Monogrammed handkerchief.
  • Poor: Shirt sleeve.
  • Middle: Kleenex.

• Eating Unusual Animals

  • Either a delicacy in fancy restaurants or “something you shot yourself or found on the road.” (05:30)

• Car Rarely Driven

  • Rich: Collector cars (e.g., a '62 Porsche driven once a year).
  • Poor: Car that can’t be fixed and thus sits unused.

• Not Knowing the Cost of Things

  • The rich don’t care, the poor don’t pay attention, but the middle class does.

• (Not) Affected by Minimum Wage Changes

  • Both super rich and poor are affected; the middle class not so much.

• Driving Nonexistent Car Brands

  • Both may have cars from brands that no longer exist (e.g., Duesenberg, AMC Matador).

• Never Eaten at Outback Steakhouse

  • Unique to the middle.

• Spending Thanksgiving in a Soup Kitchen

  • Rich might volunteer, poor might dine there.

• On First-Name Basis with a Judge

  • Either rich and socially established, or poor and in court often.

• Using a Ladder on Wheels

  • Rich: In their mansion library.
  • Poor/Middle: At hardware stores for work.

• Knowing the Going Rate for Copper

  • From trading copper on the market (rich) to stealing it from infrastructure (poor).
  • “Know the going rate for copper? Oh, that is so good.” (07:57, Adam Carolla)

3. Meta-Commentary and Adam Carolla Anecdotes

• Hosts’ Reflections on Carolla’s Intelligence

  "Adam is one of the most amazing combinations of intelligent but not really like quote unquote educated that I've ever run into. He's absolutely brilliant." (06:45, Co-host)

• Infamous On-Air Anecdote

  • Recollection of Adam Carolla urinating while live on the show:

    "He takes a weird break. There’s a weird sound. We find out later...I had to take a leak." (04:24, Adam Carolla) “I wouldn’t hold my pee for us either.” (08:22, Co-host)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Seinfeld’s Endorsement

  "Your rich man, poor man routine is one of the top five comedy bits of all time." (03:24, paraphrased)

• Eating Unusual Animals

  "Either it's a delicacy at five star restaurants or something you shot yourself or found on a road." (05:30, Adam Carolla)

• Unused Cars

  "You got the car you just have never got around to getting it fixed because you're broke. Or you got the 62 Porsche that you drive once a year." (05:42, Adam Carolla)

• On Not Knowing Prices

  "The rich don't care. The poor just don't pay any attention or aren't buying a lot of stuff." (05:57, Adam Carolla)

• Copper Value

  "Know the going rate for copper? Oh, that is so good." (07:57, Adam Carolla)
  "You're either trading shares in copper or yanking it out of vacant homes and street lamps." (08:02, Co-host)

• Peeing on Air

  “He urinated while we were interviewing him...That’s how much he cares about us.” (04:24, Adam Carolla)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:47 – Segment introduction: “Rich Man, Poor Man”
• 03:24 – Seinfeld praises the routine
• 04:42 – Wearing pajamas, dogs, handkerchiefs vs. sleeves
• 05:30 – Unusual animals and rarely driven cars
• 05:57 – Not knowing prices, minimum wage discussion, car brands
• 06:45 – Hosts reflect on Carolla’s intelligence
• 07:32 – Library ladders, plantations, copper value
• 08:09 – Hosts wrap-up with meta-humor about Carolla's quirks

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers a humorous yet sharp look at social class differences and similarities, as distilled through Adam Carolla’s wit. Rich with punchy examples and light-hearted banter, it's a tribute not just to the observational power of comedy, but to the universal quirks that transcend wealth—sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Adam Carolla]

Rich man, Poor man From Adam Carolla. It's one more thing.

[TNA Wrestling Commentator]

Armstrong and Getty. One more thing.

[Adam Carolla]

Get to that in just a second. Now, we are recording this podcast Wednesday morning, the 10th of June. Donald Trump just said, well, today's Wednesday. When's it Wednesday in Iran. Donald Trump just said, we are going to be hitting Iran very hard on Wednesday. Why would he say that? Why would he announce that before it happens?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Final, last ditch, come to the table play. I don't know.

[Adam Carolla]

Okay, well, we'll have that on the next Armstrong and Getty show. I do not understand. So I came across this the other day. I don't think I'd ever heard it before. So Adam Carolla, comedian, now podcaster, and he's famous for being a conservative. So he's a funny guy, conservative. It's interesting that him and Jimmy Kimmel were such buddies back in the day. They were young, probably didn't talk politics much back then. Any still friends? Jerry Seinfeld was on Corolla's podcast and said, your rich man, poor man routine is one of the top five comedy bits of all time. And Adam Kroll said, wow, thanks for the compliment. He said, no, seriously. He said, I quote that to people more than any other comedy bit I've ever heard from Jerry Seinfeld. And I was unfamiliar with it and could have grabbed clips of it. I'm just going to read you some of it. The concept is just pretty funny. I kind of feel bad about, you know, you hearing this material and kind of ruining it. If you ever go see Adam Carolla. On the other hand, Adam Carolla urinated while we were interviewing him. So that's a good point. We had him on the air. He takes a weird break. There's a weird sound. We find out later he talks on his podcast. I was on with the two radio guys. I had to take a link. So I just took a link while

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I was saying, can I got some on my shirt.

[Adam Carolla]

As I recall, that's how much he cares about us. So I will tell you his comedy routine, but it's kind of a funny concept. It's the idea that the very rich and the very poor share a lot of things. It's those of us in between that don't. Some examples, wearing pajamas all day, the idle rich and the unemployed Poor. Both never change out of them. Working class middle has to get up and put on clothes and go to work. Always having your dog with you everywhere. Which is pretty funny. No Kleenex. Rich man has a monogrammed handkerchief. Poor man uses his shirt sleeve. The rest of us use Kleenexes. I thought this was really good. The very rich or the very poor do this. Eating unusual animals. Either it's a delicacy at five star restaurants or something you shot yourself or found on a road. Wow. A car that's rarely or never driven. Oh, that's a good one.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That's so good.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. You got the car. You just have never got around to getting it fixed because you're broke. Or you got the 62 Porsche that you drive once a year.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Also 1945, blue to marker. It's got 11 original miles on it.

[Adam Carolla]

Not knowing how much things cost. The rich don't care. The poor just don't pay any attention or aren't buying a lot of stuff. So. I thought this was a really good one. Are affected by minimum wage changes. That's true. The change in the minimum wage has had no effect on me since I was 18 years old.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Other than burger prices.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. But if you're super rich. Yeah. The company you run and employees and all that, but. And if you're poor and obviously making minimum wage. The super rich and the super pole both drive a brand of car that no longer exists. Whether it's a classic Duesenberg like Jay leno or a 74AMC matador.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Wow. Adam is one of the most amazing combinations of intelligent but not really like quote unquote educated that I've ever run into. He's absolutely brilliant.

[Adam Carolla]

Neither the super rich and the super poor have ever eaten at Outback Steakhouse. I have, but they haven't. Spend Thanksgiving in a soup kitchen. That's pretty good. Rich. Like Floyd Mayweather or whoever. Helping out at a food kitchen, you know, and they show you on the Thanksgiving Day parade or something. Or obviously the poor getting a meal on a first name basis with a judge. You're either rich and live in the same neighborhood or you're poor and you're going to court all the time.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Wow. That is so good.

[TNA Wrestling Commentator]

I know.

[Adam Carolla]

That's why Seinfeld calls this one of his top five comedy routines he's ever heard.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Adam Carolla]

Use a ladder on wheels. Either your mahogany one in your big library at your estate or you work at Home Depot helping customers get stuff down off shelves. Wow. Used to live on a plantation. That's A pretty obvious one. This is my favorite one of all. And I'll end with this one. Know the going rate for copper? Oh, that is so good.

[TNA Wrestling Commentator]

You're either trading shares in copper or

[Co-host/Interviewer]

yanking it out of bacon homes and street lamps.

[Adam Carolla]

Yeah. Ah, that is funny.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Well done, Adam.

[Adam Carolla]

Sorry, Adam, for stealing your comedy routine for which you made no money. Here. On the other hand, you urinated while you were. While we were on the air with this. You couldn't even hold your urine. He had to pee. What do you want out of him? It's not that old.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I wouldn't hold my pee for us either.

[Adam Carolla]

You wouldn't? Yes, Michael, that's something that rich people and poor people have in common, don't you think? Just go ahead and whiz.

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[Co-host/Interviewer]

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[Adam Carolla]

There you go.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Now we're even.

[Adam Carolla]

Well, I guess that's it.

[America 250 Announcer]

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[Podcast Host]

with

[Parent/Advertiser for Lingokids]

my mom and dad living in Orange county, when we bring my five and seven year old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two hour drive that could feel like 10.

[Camper/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Oh, as an avid camper, I know all about this. We'll pack up the RV and know this is either going to be the trip of a lifetime or a complete disaster.

[Parent/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingokids before we even pull out of the driveway.

[Camper/Advertiser for Lingokids]

It's what dreams are made of. Lingokids keeps kids engaged and quiet with over 4000 interactive games, songs and shows that kids simply cannot get enough of.

[Parent/Advertiser for Lingokids]

You can pack whatever you think you'll need, but Lingokids is the only entertainment you'll need for a stress free car ride.

[Camper/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Or really any ride, plane, train, hovercraft, whatever.

[Parent/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Download Lingokids for free today or unlock

[Camper/Advertiser for Lingokids]

even more amazing content with LingoKids.

[Parent/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Plus choose the yearly plan and save up to 60%. Search LingoKids in the app Store or

[Camper/Advertiser for Lingokids]

Google Play Lingokids everything kids love.

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