KFC Radio — “Michael Chiklis Won An Emmy After Being Told It Was Impossible”

Date: September 18, 2025
Host(s): KFC and Feitelberg (Barstool Sports)
Guest: Michael Chiklis (Emmy-winning Actor)

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of KFC Radio, KFC and the Barstool crew host acclaimed actor Michael Chiklis. The group covers a mix of signature Barstool banter—dog/cat energy types, awkward live show stories, and Meditations on self-worth—before diving deep into Chiklis’s career, his new sports film, and his unexpected Emmy win. They talk Boston sports fandom, acting, Hollywood perceptions, and the teamwork needed for a successful TV show. Chiklis reflects on his unconventional route to stardom, the realities of being an actor, life lessons from team sports, and what it was really like to win a “can’t win” Emmy.

Table of Contents

1. Opening Banter & Core Crew Topics
2. Boston Sports, Rivalries & Fandom (w/ Chiklis)
3. Inside Hollywood: Actors, Rivalry, and Teamwork
4. The Shield, Camaraderie, and Winning the Emmy
5. Making "The Senior" & Team Sports Lessons
6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
7. Episode Highlights by Timestamp

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1. Opening Banter & Core Crew Topics

• Dog/Cat/Crew Energy Types (03:14–07:41)

  • The team debates whether they're more "dog-like" or "cat-like" in group dynamics.
  • Jackie: “You guys could kidnap me any day. Like I have fun just hanging out with you guys, you know, and like seeing the whole thing.” (02:06)
  • Pav: “It's sick when you're everyone's dog all the time.” (03:51)

• Introvert vs. Extrovert, Self-Energy, and Boundaries (07:41–11:17)

  • Discussion of how different generations define and set boundaries for alone time.
  • Pav: “I think there are definitely some people who like hanging out with other people, but they feel like that is draining their energy.” (08:45)
  • Jackie: “I love hanging out with other people. It drains my energy.” (08:50)

• Matching People’s ‘Frequency’ & Self-Worth (11:32–18:02)

  • Jackie on social adaptation: “I think I try and like, almost like match their frequency...and the only way to have a conversation with somebody is if they’re like across me.”
  • Crew muses on the concept of self-worth and social adaptation.
  • Jackie: “I swear to God, I'm happy as long as you're happy.” (17:08)

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2. Boston Sports, Rivalries & Fandom (w/ Michael Chiklis)

[Begins 59:01]

• Growing Up in Boston Sports Drought, Then Title Town (59:01–60:03)

  • Chiklis shares how Red Sox and Patriots losses shaped his childhood—the pain and then the 2004 breakthrough.
  • “My kids have this totally skewed understanding of Boston. They think like, oh yeah, we're title town and we are—for the last 22 years we've been insane.” (59:35)

• Experiencing Patriots Super Bowls Up Close (61:36)

  • “I sort of had a backstage pass...I missed two of the Patriots Super Bowls, and there were two that we lost, by the way. One against the Giants.”

• On Boston/New York Rivalries (64:26–66:39)

  • Relates Boston’s chip on their shoulder to Yankees/Red Sox rivalry.
  • Adds perspective on learning to “tip the cap” to legends (Jeter, Rivera, Brady, Manning).
  • “If you can't tip your hat to a Mariano Rivera or a Derek Jeter, then you're not really a baseball fan. You're an asshole.” (65:23)

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3. Inside Hollywood: Actors, Rivalry, and Teamwork

• No Real Rivalries in Acting (68:32–69:49)
  • Chiklis: “Jealousy is a worthless emotion and it really doesn't get you anything.”
  • Squashes rumors of beef with “The Bear” actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach: “We took some pictures together...it was a love fest.” (69:16)
• Hollywood Perceptions & Realities (80:57–85:09)
  • Chiklis expresses frustration at public perceptions of “Hollywood elite” and describes the real, grueling work of making TV/film.
  • “Most of the time, it's 14 hours a day, and you're in soaked alleyways, trying to bring you shows like The Fucking Shield, you know what I mean? ... You've never seen people work harder than on a film set.” (82:22)
  • On empathy: “What we do is we get a chance to walk a mile in another man's shoes...it's why we have such deep feelings for people.” (84:27)

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4. "The Shield," Camaraderie, and Winning the Emmy

• On "The Shield": Chemistry, Teamwork, & Lasting Bonds

  • “We still talk three times a week, all of us.” (75:08)
  • “Making television and film is a team sport...If you don’t have that alchemy together, you’re screwed.” (75:20)

• Winning the Emmy “When It Was Impossible” (107:07–111:55)

  • The FX president called to say: “Just want to let you know— you can't win. There's no...just, I hope that you have your expectations—not low, zero, no. Because you can't win.” (107:31)
  • Chiklis describes being up against Martin Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, James Gandolfini, and more. Thought he truly had no chance.
  • “I was so prepared not for it...I knew it wasn’t happening. And [Kim Cattrall] goes, ‘Michael...Chiklis,’ and it dawned on me...‘Oh, shit. This just happened.’” (111:39)

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5. Making “The Senior” & Team Sports Lessons

• New Movie: "The Senior" (True Story of Mike Flynt)
  • Chiklis plays Mike Flynt, oldest college football player ever, a story of redemption and breaking cycles of violence.
  • Insights into the physical demands: “I was sprinting, doing linebacker drills...I lived in the cold plunge. Let me tell you, I'm in better shape now, but...the first minute sucks.” (89:04, 95:19)
  • All the football sequences were authentic: “Those guys all played. My stunt guy who did like four shots where I got my clock cleaned, and thank God I let the kid do those shots because Willie cleaned him out!” (92:52)
• Sports & Acting: Parallels in Teamwork
  • “Making television and film is a team sport...that comes out in casts, too. When you're in a cast, you could see that we loved each other. You got that chemistry.” (75:20)

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6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can't tip your hat to a Mariano Rivera or a Derek Jeter, then you're not really a baseball fan. You're an asshole.”
  — Michael Chiklis (65:23)

• “Making television and film is a team sport...If you don’t have that alchemy together, you’re screwed.”
  — Michael Chiklis (75:20)

• “...You have to have chemistry to win a championship.”
  — Michael Chiklis (64:43)

• “Just want to let you know—you can't win. There's no...just, I hope you have your expectations—not low, zero, no. Because you can't win.”
  — Michael Chiklis, on FX President’s call before the Emmy (107:31)

• “I honestly thought, well, no, yeah, that's my name. That's not the right name. They've misspoke.”
  — Michael Chiklis on hearing his Emmy win announced (111:37)

• “I was like, this is so great...Then Kim Cattrall goes, ‘Michael...Chiklis,’ and I went, oh, shit. This just happened.”
  — Chiklis (111:39)

• “...Walking in another man's shoes...I think it’s why we have such deep feelings for people, is because we see people's plights wherever they come from and what they go through...It’s our job.”
  — Michael Chiklis (85:09)

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7. Episode Highlights by Timestamp

• 01:14 – Jackie feels “out of it” after joining a live show unexpectedly; talk about being “the dog” of the group.
• 05:15 – The crew debates if their social energy is more dog- or cat-like.
• 08:04 – Crew discusses introversion/extroversion and recharging social batteries.
• 12:26 – Jackie elaborates on adapting to others and “matching their frequency.”
• 17:08 – Jackie acknowledges her self-worth struggles: “I swear to God, I'm happy as long as you're happy.”
• 24:21 – Jackie talks about her fledgling meditation practice.
• 59:01 – Chiklis enters: Growing up with Boston sports heartbreak and eventual glory.
• 61:36 – Chiklis’s “backstage pass” to Patriots Super Bowls.
• 65:00 – Chiklis on Yankees/Red Sox, tipping the hat to rivals.
• 68:32 – Actors, industry (lack of) rivalries, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach quashing drama.
• 75:08–78:25 – The lasting bond of "The Shield" cast and the role of real-life camaraderie.
• 89:04 – Prepping for and shooting the football scenes in "The Senior."
• 95:29 – Surviving intense physical training—“Saved by the cold plunge.”
• 107:07 – Chiklis breaks down the night he unexpectedly won an Emmy: “It’s an out of body experience...”
• 111:37 – On hearing his name: “I honestly thought...they’ve misspoke. It dawned on me...Oh, shit. This just happened.”

Summary Conclusion

This episode offers classic Barstool comedy, heartfelt mental health talk, and an in-depth, refreshingly candid interview with Michael Chiklis. It’s a must-listen for fans of sports stories and true behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Chiklis’s humility and perspective—having won an “impossible” Emmy and lived through both heartbreak and glory—shine through. You’ll come away understanding why chemistry matters, why taking pride in your craft is timeless, and just how wild the ride of showbiz can be when you finally “win the unwinnable.”