Jeremy (3:16)

Welcome back. It's a brand new episode. This is Laugh With Me, a podcast with Jeremy Odom. I'm your host, Jo, and we've got a banger for you here this week. We are going out on the new on 25. So we're going into the new year with a lot of fun. We've got some friends here from the Inflection Network and I Heart Media, the Black Guy who Tips podcast, Rod and Carrot. You may have heard, I was on their show a couple of weeks ago where we're paying the favor. They will be right here on Laugh With Me in just a few moments. Oh, man, I can't wait to talk to them. So they're actually, they're based out of North Carolina, I think Charlotte. So just to give you a little bit of background, they have been in the game here, the podcast game for over 16 years. So you could say they were there before. Well, really, any of us. I mean, before a lot of the things going on in the podcast world, they were there. And now it's so cool to kind of, to talk to them and just kind of hear their story and how they got started and then to where they're at now. Now it's, it's quite the production they've got going on over there at Black Guy who Tips Podcast. And we got to hear about this name too, because I didn't, I meant to ask them when I was on their show, like, what's up with the name? Like, where'd that come from? I just, I've been thinking about it ever since, ever since I was on their show a couple weeks ago. I'm like, I never even found out where the name came from. We'll make sure to, we'll make sure to follow up with them, see what's going on. But before we get to them, what's going on, we are finishing up 20, 25 and we are doing it strong. Lots coming up in 26, all kinds of episodes coming your way. Right, Johnny? I mean, Johnny, Johnny, here's the thing. When, when Rod and Karen call, I don't need you piping in, okay? Let's not, let's not mess this up. We're gonna, we, I'm Excited to have them on the show. So let's not mess it up with your ill timed sound effects. Ill timed jokes. You've got this, isn't it, buddy? Been dealing with him lately. Been dealing with him in a lot of ways. Right, Johnny? Son of a. Well, Rod and Karen are coming up and just. Honestly, I'm just. Once they call, we're gonna hop right into it because I think you're really gonna enjoy their story. Really funny, both of them. Their. Their chemistry is incredible. But yeah. Johnny. Noah, how was your. How was your Christmas? Was it good? It was a joke, huh? Okay, it's too bad. Hopefully you liked my gift, which was absolutely nothing. I'll tell you what, Johnny. One thing that you should learn is not to expect a Christmas gift from those who employ you. Ask Clark Griswold, for example, had he really thought about this and not expected this bonus. And you can't really guarantee and plan on bonuses that fella did and he tried to put in the pool and ended up with the. The gift certificate or the, the subscription or whatever. He ended up the jellies a month or whatever it was. Just don't guarantee those. That's all I'm going to say next year. 26. Johnny, do not expect a gift. I know you did this year. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just don't think that's how it works. I don't know how we got sidetracked on this, Johnny. All right, all right. We. They are calling in right now. Let's get to it. It is Rod, Karen, the Black Guy who Tips Podcast. And remember, you can hear them anywhere that you listen to your favorite podcast, including the free iHeartRadio app. Erotic Care of the Black Guy who Tips Podcast. Welcome to Laugh with Me. It was awesome to be on your. On your show here a couple weeks now ago. I guess first thing I want to know is like, where did you get the name? Like how. What was the inspiration behind your podcast name?

Rod (8:08)

I used to have a blog on Tumblr back in the Tumblr days and it was called the Black Guy who Tips because I was a waiter for many years and there's a stereotype that black people don't tip. And you know, there's a bunch of other, you know, stuff to it, but I was like, well, if you know me, I disagree. I think black people do tip, especially if you give us good service. But if you know me, then you know at least one black person who does tip. So maybe stop saying black people don't tip. You know, just start with me and then branch out, get them on, no more black people. And you realize that many of us tip, many of us over tip over compensate for a bunch of stuff we can't control. Yeah. Even when we get bad service will over tip. Yeah, sometimes. So it's just, you know, that's how it started. And then the podcast. When I started the podcast, I would have named it the Rod and Karen show or something, but Karen wasn't sure she would be the co host. She thought I would get rid of her because she wouldn't be funny enough. Now, 3,000 episodes later, she's never not done an episode with me. He tricked me because I was like, what is this? Out of any rules, any regulations? I was like, I'm gonna be terrible. So we named it the Blackout Tips. Basically, I named it that so that she wouldn't feel like any pressure to be a part of it. But obviously she's half of the show.

Jeremy (9:37)

Oh, yeah. Well, it's super interesting because as soon as you, like, read the name, you're like, okay, where, where is this going? But if, you know, like kind of where that's from, I mean, it's. It's funny though. It's really funny. So you, you thought you were going to get kicked off the show?

Rod (9:56)

For me, when we first started podcasting, podcasting was a thing that people did, but it wasn't the thing that common people did. Most celebrities, you know, like people that were already established, kind of did podcasting. I understood radio, but I didn't understand the full concept of podcasting. So I was like, what are the rules? What are regulations? You know, how your brain processes as radio. I was like, I don't know if I'm be good. Like, so, you know, I don't, I don't want to make an obligation because if I suck at it, I'll do behind the scenes things like, because my brain was processing it as, hey, I don't really know. I'm confused. So I don't want. I don't want to quote, unquote, make a fool, make a full commitment. But that was his way of tricking me to get me to do the show. I didn't know it at the time.

Jeremy (10:46)

That's awesome. Well, Rod was smart to have you on there because, like, and obviously your chemistry is incredible. And it's obvious reasons, but to have somebody with you to, to bounce off of, you know, and just kind of go back and forth with it just makes it so much better. And then to be doing it for so long. So if I remember correctly, you guys said you started what, 16 years ago or so?

Rod (11:11)

Basically, yeah. 2010, January10, somewhere out in there.

Jeremy (11:16)

Holy cow. And what. So and it went from, went from the blog to the podcast, I guess. What was rod, when you were like, okay, I'm starting a podcast. What, like what was the inspirations there? I guess what was your thought process of here's this thing, let's go with it, this is the next move.

Rod (11:38)

So for me it was, I listened to a podcast called Keith and the Girl, which was two people in there that weren't celebrities that were doing a podcast in their spare bedroom and they got a hate listener, like some hate email one time. And the person was like, your job is so easy. You work an hour a day, you don't do anything and you expect to make money off of this. And this was before podcast was lucrative. Right. And their response was kind of like, hey, if it's so easy, you do it. Like there's a lot of work behind the scenes you guys don't see. It's not just sitting down and coming up with an hour bs. And so when they responded to that person, I took the part of it that was, hey, if it's so easy, why don't you do it? And I went, oh yeah. I mean, no one's stopping me from doing this. No, there's no gatekeepers, there's no radio station, there's no person I need to impress, right. If I believe that I have the gift of gab and I can be funny, I can at least throw my ring in the hat and buy the microphone and recording equipment and try it. And so that was the impetus to take the blog, which was mostly just random thoughts, funny stories and just, just random things, and said, hey, maybe people listen to me and my wife talk about these random funny things and, and, and serious things sometimes and all that. And that's really where it started.

Jeremy (13:05)

Yeah, that's all it's. And back then, 16 years ago, microphones, the recording equipment like for this weren't necessarily readily accessible. Like now you can find them at Target, you know, you find at Walmart, there's like a all encompassing kit to get going.

Rod (13:22)

Yeah, we were pre Skype. We were, we were pre a lot of things, pre stitcher. We were pre, a lot of things that don't even exist anymore.

Jeremy (13:32)

So where did you go? Like where, like where did you go to look for equipment? And then how did you decide from there?

Rod (13:40)

Well, there's a few phases but the first episode we ever recorded is probably the one that ensured that we would be podcasters professional because we had to buy all the stuff and try to record multiple times with that without it working. So we had a desktop microphone that was really just designed for, like, rudimentary, like maybe gamers of the old days, like, little microphone on your desk and you wear some headphones. We couldn't record with that. We had to go get a new computer. The computer sound card we bought didn't work. We thought, this is that. Try recording two or three times. We thought it was our fault. It was the computer's fault. We returned it back to Best Buy that night with about 20 minutes left before they closed for the night. Yep. And they. They switched it out for. For a different model of the same one. We brought it back home. It did work this time. We ended up recording that first episode three or four times. And if you ever listen to our first episode, it's called the Love Cast, you can hear it in our voices because it was like 11 o' clock, midnight or something. We weren't sure that was recording because we had already recorded, like, three or four hours that day that no one heard. Right. And so we were like, hey, I hope this is working. And then we looked at each other after we. How did we get it up on itunes? Yeah. So it was like, really building the ship as it came together. And then over the years, we learned through trial and error and some different, like, techniques to record. We used to use a blue Snowball USB mic, and we would record with our desktop speakers so we could have guests and play music in the background. Just so we would just sound boards. Yeah. Just random stuff before we even had a mixer or anything. So that was like a lot of the old school, like, mentality. And I think it's been beneficial to us because as podcasting grows and changes and evolves, we can always go back to our base of, you know, we did this when it was much harder to put together. So we will always have those skills and they can't leave us. Right. You have people now that jump into podcasts, and it doesn't even know what RSS feed is. So it's like, oh, okay. They truly streamlined it, simplified it.

Jeremy (16:00)

Yeah. I mean, even like a few years ago when I got started, my. My first guest, I had on by putting my cell phone speaker up to the microphone and hoped it would translate, like, hoping it would record. You know, I was like, I don't know if anyone's ever going to hear this. Because it may not actually record, but this is what I got. Here we are. We're going to roll with it.

Rod (16:25)

Absolutely, man.

Jeremy (16:26)

So, I mean, it's perfect too, because you got. Your setup now is awesome. You've got a beautiful, you know, video that people can watch as you're recording. And I, it was like, oh, when I first logged on to your guys's show, was it like you had like music going in the waiting room? Is that just like a, like a pre game? Like, hey, we're gearing up, we're getting listeners kind of logged in. Is that kind of the thought process there to kind of build the party so. So to speak?

Rod (16:55)

Yes, because we've been using crowdcast. We've been around so long that some of the other video type recording things like vocal, a lot of them don't even exist anymore. So what we do is we use crowdcast IO and they have an app, so when we go live, it pushes emails out and then it pushes through the phone, letting people know that we're live. We also post on social media, so we want to give people time to actually be like, hey, they're live. Let me check in from wherever they are. So about 15 to 20 minutes, Roger will kind of warm up and play music and things like that to give people time to, you know, come in and check in and things like that. And yeah, we've come a long way now. We have like, it's. We're actually in the same room. Because sometimes people ask, are y' all in the same room? Yes, we're actually in the same room. We have like two separate monitors and all that stuff. So that's why I look like we're in like two different worlds, but we're actually in the same room. Yeah, I think the other thing too is playing the music and whatever when I'm show prepping, it gives people time to come in the room. And then that chat room has gotten very familiar with each other. Yes. So it's become like a little bit of a communal space and you'll see people checking in and being like, hey, how your grandmama doing? You know, and it's like, well, that's a, that's like a cool thing that it wasn't something intentional, but it's been a cool side benefit of building a community.

Jeremy (18:12)

Yeah, you can't beat that. When you get to the point of building a community and you've got your fans just kind of chatting amongst each other, you know, with each other, like there's. Oh, there's something special you guys have built there the. The black guy who tips. Podcast new episodes weekly. You got to check it out. We're actually. We're both a part of the inflection network, and I heart media, so that's how. That's how we met. But make sure to check them out weekly. I mean, you guys tend to go through, like, pop culture topics from time to time, you know?

Rod (18:43)

Yeah.

Jeremy (18:44)

What are some things you guys are.

Rod (18:46)

Pop culture.

Jeremy (18:47)

What's some things you guys got your eyes on right now?

Rod (18:51)

Oh, man. So it's politics, pop culture and comedy is our main things on our. On our main feed. Pop culture stuff, I feel like, is really intertwining with politics so heavily now. Oh, yes, that is. It's like it's dragging both things down, not up. You know, I like. I like, kind of, like, don't like my peanut butter mixed with my chocolate when it comes to my politics. My, my, my. Like, Nicki Minaj has decided that she's gonna be, like, a Trump MAGA person. And it was already, like, bad when Nikki was just like, a regular troll crazy person on Twitter, like, celebrity. But now she's branching into, like, politics, and you're like, man, like, this just sucks both ways. Like, it does. I don't want to listen to your music because it wasn't good lately. Right. But now I don't want to listen to your music because I gotta make some type of political stance. Like, what are you doing, buddy? Calm down.

Jeremy (19:45)

Yeah.

Rod (19:46)

So those kind of things infiltrate.

Jeremy (19:48)

When I saw her on stage, it was with Erica, I believe, right? And yeah, she. She was going on. And then immediately the next day, she's deleting her Instagram. I'm like, well, that didn't go over well because you have to either be all in or just stay out of it altogether. And she couldn't handle that. So that's interesting.

Rod (20:07)

In my mind, I'm like, what was her end game like? In her mind, if this thing went perfectly, was she supposed to get off stage? Everyone's on Instagram cheering her, and they're. Everyone's like, thank God you finally said something, Nikki. We were all just waiting for you to say it. Yeah, the rest of us were just pretending not to like this stuff. But now that you made it okay, we're, you know, nothing but likes and heart emojis all over your Instagram. Like, what were you paying attention to, buddy? And both of those women, in my opinion, are delusional. And I think that's what it is. Like, I think Nikki has been In a bubble where no matter what she did, good, bad, or indifferent, she was consistently praised. So. On social media. On social media. So in her mind, she's like, why is this any different? I'm still doing me. Why is this any different? And people was like, no, you kind of crossed the line with this one.

Jeremy (20:57)

Yeah, it's. It's. It is interesting because these types of topics, especially in that world that she has stepped right into, is so, like, polarizing. You know, it is not a. It's not a mix of. Like you said, hey, I was already kind of not listening to your music just because of the music, but now I'm avoiding it.

Rod (21:17)

Right.

Jeremy (21:17)

And some people can, I don't know, take the art and, like, Kanye, right. Like, he's done so much to drive away people, but then you can go back and the catalog so good. Like, do you.

Rod (21:32)

Do you. Yeah.

Jeremy (21:33)

Can. Can you, like, separate that? I guess the. The crazy in life versus the art? Or does that really reflect, you know, is Nikki. Are you done with Nikki now if she continues down this path? Like, do you not separate that?

Rod (21:47)

For me, it's been really simple. I can separate art from. From people's whatever. Like, I feel like I've been doing it my whole life. Yep. I think a big part of that is being a child of, like, the hip hop era. I. Most of the stuff I listen to in a hip hop song is stuff I would not do. Right. You know, like, my whole life has been like, no, I don't want to sell drugs. Right. I'll listen to you rap about selling drugs. Actually, pimping is pretty bad. Yes, it is. I don't know if you guys are read up on this pimping thing, but it's pretty abusive. Yeah. Don't beat the hoes. What are we doing here, sir? So I think. I think I've just kind of been prepared my whole life for this idea of like, oh, no, I enjoy this thing. But this is not something. This is not a person I will hold in high esteem for their. For any, you know, their politics or their morals. And so maybe it's like the rest of the world is kind of coming into this era of like, oh, I see what you mean. Like, I. It's nice when you can listen to somebody, like, say, a Beyonce and then go, man. And I really like how much charity she does, or I really like the political stance that she takes. That's nice. It's a luxury, but it's not my default at all. So it's actually very easy for Me to, like, play old Kanye west or something. The only stuff that. That will really get through is when the art is the politics. Yes. So, like, if, like, Kanye's newer stuff is him trying to be a troll, I can't listen to that.

Jeremy (23:16)

Right. Same.

Rod (23:17)

Because it's like, this isn't as good as the old stuff. And I. I'm not following you because I'm interested in what you think about maga. I'm completely turned off by that. So, you know R. Kelly singing about little girls. Right. I'm never gonna be able to listen to that. Right. Because in my opinion, that blends together, which is a completely different thing. Like, your art is actually the crime, if that makes sense. That's different. And also for a lot of people, but depending on your age, you have always separated it. Because if you ask me about older artists that they love, a lot of those artists beat women. A lot of those artists did drugs. A lot of artists did a lot of things. But for some reason, because they were, quote, unquote, of a certain time, people mentally have these separations. I think we didn't know, and I think also we didn't have social media. Agreed. So, like, there's a difference between, like, knowing James Brown beat women and, like, it being some article you might. Did that happen? And then, like, going on Instagram live and James Brown's like, I be beating women. You're like, damn right. Yeah. That ain't the same.

Jeremy (24:17)

Well, it's like Michael Jackson, the, you know, the king of pop, the biggest pop star in the world. You had him in the news, you know, with his allegations. But then again, there wasn't social media, so it's not like you were directly hearing, you know, things from him.

Rod (24:32)

Right.

Jeremy (24:32)

But then you go to the music and you're like, damn. Like, this is too good to not listen to.

Rod (24:37)

It's kind of wild. With Michael Jackson, I saw. We go to the movies a lot. We see a lot of movies. And the last movie I went to, there was a trailer for a Michael Jackson biopic. And I was just like, this feels like something that should never happen. Right. Because how are you gonna carpet. How are you ever gonna cover that period of his life with those allegations? Either it comes off heartless, like, you're just like. And kids just be lying. Or. Or you're like, his music was so good. We don't even carry what. He just don't even. Unless you're gonna, like, end the biopic in, like, 1988. Right. I just don't even understand how they got it, but, yeah, they keep trying to make it.

Jeremy (25:16)

Yeah.

Rod (25:16)

And also, I think I've come to a conclusion that. That great people do terrible things. Disagree. There's all kinds of great people. No, that's. That's terrible people can do great things. It is not all. There's a lot of great people that. That are probably fine. That's what I'm. I said at the opposite. Like, my brain. My brain. That's what my brain was thinking. It's like they have terrible people that actually can make great things. I agree. So, you know, I'm like, yes, you're a piece of. But I also. I understand that this art is good, right?

Jeremy (25:50)

Yeah, I. I could totally see that. And honestly, not everybody needs a biopic. I mean, it seems like they want to. They want to crank out movies of everybody.

Rod (25:59)

If you have some sticky situations, man, I. I don't know, man. I just feel like Hollywood should just stay away from some of these stories. It can't be. It can't. What's the best case scenario is that the movie does well, and then the conversation that we have is about how you left out all of this abuse, so you can't even really enjoy the fruits of your labor. Like, we've seen that with so many movies over the years, like the Green Book or something, where the movie does okay in the theaters. Some people think it's like, oh, it's a pretty good story. And then the whole story becomes about what was left out. Right. So by the time you win an Oscar, like Mahershala Ali wins an Oscar, and we're all like, are you gonna apologize, Marshall? That was the happiest moment of your life. But do you want to say you're sorry for being in this movie? It's too much.

Jeremy (26:48)

It is too much. Not everybody needs it, that's for sure. Okay, so you talk about separating the art and whatnot. And, like, we didn't know. Here's an. Here's an instance that I think is very possible. And we will have known. And then the audience is going to have to decide if they can get in. Okay, so we know what the deal is with Diddy, right? And he's serving his time. He's going to get out at some point. I mean, he's just. He's going to get out at some point, and he's going to go right back to work. Do we? Do we? Then you think, like, even if it's. He just starts putting out some bangers, you know, are we going to. Do you think As a. As a society, are we going to listen to it? Are we going to embrace it and be like, did. He's back. He did it. He served his time. Or do you think he's pretty much. He's pretty much toast?

Rod (27:40)

I think it's going to be somewhere in the middle. Yep. I don't. Like. I don't. Because, one, I don't think he's ever going to make good music again, if we're being honest. He hadn't made good music before he went to jail. Like, it's been a while. I'm trying to think the last time Diddy was. Was popular might have been when he made that Godzilla song or whatever. It's been a long time.

Jeremy (28:00)

Yeah, that was the early 2000s.

Rod (28:03)

Yeah, bro. It's been a minute. And so I don't. I doubt he'll be able to, like, make it back musically in that way. But what I do fear is that he'll socially make it back, meaning you'll start seeing people that take a picture with them or he was invited to this event or, you know, or. Or just. Maybe even just a statement of like, oh, Diddy is very hurt that he was not invited to the Soul Train Awards or what. Just some like that. I think you'll see. But I. I think it'll kind of be like how Kanye is a little bit where he's around, but nobody's really messing with Kanye like that. Yeah, you don't see artists signing up to do things. Nobody's, you know, clawing at him to make their beats and then that stuff. Yeah, he has songs that come out every once in a while, but none of them are charting. Which, I mean, if you would have told me 10 years ago, even I would have said, you're a damn liar. Right. Like, 10 years from now, nobody's you. Kanye west will have a whole year with not one song on the top. However many hip hop. I'll be like, that's impossible. Is. Did he die? Like, what is. And now I'm like, oh, no, I totally see it. So I'm hopeful Diddy just loses his cultural relevance even more and that it just, you know, he just starts looking like a clinger on loser that he probably always has been, but now people will be able to see through it.

Jeremy (29:29)

Yeah. To your point about Kanye, the next time his music truly is relevant probably will be when he dies. I mean, that's usually when. When an artist passes away, that it just. They explode again for a period of time, you know, as people remember. Yeah, I would imagine that's got to. I mean, he says, I just saw something from yesterday that he's got a new album he's working on or one coming soon. And, I mean, it's just. There's no way he's gonna get the full on press tour and whatever it takes to make it work.

Rod (30:00)

But you know what? I want to work. You know, it's bad for Kanye because people do work with him on his albums, and I don't even get mad at them because I don't listen. I don't know. Like, yeah, I'm sure if I go look him up on Spotify right now, his last album probably has some features on it where I'm like, oh, wow, Chance the Rapper or whatever. And no one's even mad at those people. We're all just like, whatever. Yeah. And I guess in my mind, when it comes to Kanye, I'm like, y' all do know he's office meds. Like, Like. Like, in my brain, I have some form of empathy to an extent, because I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like, this is not a normal functioning brain. So I can't really give you all my undivided attention. You know, for me, personally, yeah.

Jeremy (30:48)

Hey, audiobook lovers. This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with musician, producer, and walking encyclopedia Questlove. We're talking about Mark Ronson's memoir, Night how to be a DJ in 90s New York City. All right, like we talked about before, Mark Ronson found sanctuary in the DJ booth. What's a tool or piece of equipment in the studio or on stage that gives you the most control?

Rod (31:11)

So I have two microphones on stage. We have the microphone that you hear as the audience. Then we have a second microphone in.

Jeremy (31:19)

Which we communicate with each other.

Rod (31:21)

I feel like that second microphone kind of saved all of our friendships. No band likes each other after 20 years or 25 years. The Beatles broke up in seven and a half years, and we're going on 35.

Jeremy (31:36)

Listen to earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts. So you're telling me that the AI that's meant to make everyone's job easier to manage just adds more to manage on top of the thousands of apps the IT department already manages? Funny how that works. Any business can add AI. IBM helps you scale and manage AI to change how you do business. Let's create Smile to Business. IBM. Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. 5. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved. Did you know that parents rank teaching.

Rod (32:51)

Financial literacy as the toughest life skill? That's where Greenlight comes in the debit card and money app made for families. With Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance.

Jeremy (33:04)

And track spending with real time notifications. Kids learn how to earn, save and.

Rod (33:09)

Spend responsibly while parents have peace of mind knowing smart money habits are being built with guardrails in place.

Jeremy (33:17)

Try Greenlight Risk free today@greenlight.com iheartra that's greenlight.com iheart hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Flu season is here and the in store pharmacy has you covered with a free flu shot with most insurance plans. And as a thank you, get up to $20 off your grocery purchase. Plus it's cough and cold season. Stock up on all the season's essentials and get ready for relief with discounts on items like Halls, Menthol cough drops, Tylenol Cold and Flu and Mucinex Fast Max products. Offer ends December 30th. Restrictions apply and offers may vary by location. Visit Albertsons or safeway.com More details well, one of the like ways I guess those artists are the the kind of canceled artists are still getting out and finding I guess a level of income that they need is like going overseas or going to Saudi Arabia, you know, going somewhere and performing and get and getting paid handsomely for it. Some blowback from that, you know, for, for a lot of folks that just had a comedy festival in Riyadh, you know that that all the comics were just getting crushed for going over and performing there. But on the flip side, for years pop stars like Beyonce have gone over and performed for the Kings and not necessarily gotten that long standing like blowback. Why why do you think that is that the like that right now comedians in general are getting seen or being held to a higher standard in that regard. Are you familiar with that story?

Rod (34:54)

Yes. For me personally a lot of these comedians they stood, they stood on business. They consistently would talk shit about other comedians about how they were doing it wrong. A Lot of them stood on. They were very righteous about their decision making and things like that. And so going over there was the opposite of everything that they stood for for some of them. And like, the thing is people say that, but nobody said it about Kevin Hart. Why? Because they know Kevin Hart's about that money. So it don't matter where he pop up.

Jeremy (35:20)

That's right.

Rod (35:21)

You know what I'm saying? Like, like he's very neutral, you know what I'm saying? He's not trying to offend nobody and not trying to make nobody mad. So for he, he was kind of the exception to the rule. But a lot of these people have very big podcasts, very loud voices and they talk a lot of. So people are going to be like, hey, I'm your audience member. I follow you. Going over there is the opposite of everything you just told me on your podcast. And so that's why a lot of them got the blowback. Yeah, I think it's very interesting. Like, Bill Burr is one of the people who derided Beyonce for perform. Performing at like either in a wedding or something like that. And then he's now defending himself, performing at the behest of the Saudi prince and that fund that, you know, comes directly from the people that, you know, murdered journalists, you know. So, like, it is, I think it's more interesting to me that comedians, and I'm a big fan of comedy, big fan of stand up, big fan of Bill Burr even. Right. Big fan of Chappelle, you know, as well. But is this greed? Right? Like, we want it all. We want to be seen as the philosophers, the moral arbiters, the people that tell the truth no matter what. Right? But then it's like when it's their turn, they're like, I just need to get a check, man. Y' all calm down. What's the problem? I can't go get a check. You guys are getting checked. Yeah, right. I'm accepting to the rules. So I think that's why they're catching more heat. Because somebody like Beyonce, she's not really like, her job in a song is to do one thing, but it's not the same as like getting up and doing a stand up set or doing a podcast or whatever where you're like, let me call some balls and strikes, tell you guys who's right and wrong. And so maybe in that way, some of these artists get to live in a gray area where they make music, but you don't really know what they're about. Comedians are kind of like, no if you listen to my stand up, you know what I'm really about. So I think maybe that hurt them a lot. And then also you have the inter. Comedian jealousy and other stuff where, like, comedians that didn't get the call or comedians that turned the call down are like, well, how the hell are you going over there? So I think that's another reason that that thing caught fire in a way that it might not with music. Because, like, if Rihanna wants to go over there and perform, maybe there's some artists that calls her out, but none of us is really, like, listening to that. What Rihanna did perform, did you know that Amari said she don't like that. We'll be like, whatever, man. But when Bill Burr doesn't perform and then the person calling him out is like, the number one podcaster in the world or whatever, it's like, okay, yeah, that. That might get a little bit more traction.

Jeremy (38:14)

I thought it was interesting the, like, all the comedians that were just. That were not on the show, that were hating on those that were on the show, and I'm like, do you think they're not gonna do another one next year? Like, you're. You're hurting yourself to get booked or you're gonna make yourself look like an idiot when you do take the booking now is. Yeah, it's gonna be an opportunity.

Rod (38:32)

I mean, the truth is, like, if you're morally convicted in a way that says, I would never take that money no matter how much it is, then you have every right to say how you feel. You know what I'm saying? Like, because you're right. The ones who are taking shots and then next year, they'll be over there. They're gonna catch hell when it's time. Yes, they are. You know what I mean? But the. But it's like, if every year they have that festival and every year Mark Marin is like, f those guys, I'll be like, I can respect that too. Because he's. There's no price. He'll ever say, okay, I'm. I'm compromising my morals. I'm. I guess I was wrong. So it really just depends. But I think comedians, and I'm sure you know this, it's so cutthroat and competitive. There's so many that, like, pretend to have super high morals. That really is just like, I didn't get offered that payday because I. I've seen people, like, chastise comedians for taking roles in movies or something. They're like, you took that role. That movie's not even Good. And I'm like, so are you telling me you turn down the Pluto Nash money? Is that what you're telling me? You're gonna be like, no, I. I refuse. I'm. Listen, I'm an open micr, but I refuse to work with Eddie Murphy and Pluto Nash. No, you're gonna take the money you take. Not better than that.

Jeremy (39:51)

Yeah.

Rod (39:52)

Yeah. So I. I definitely will. We'll find out who's real and who's not when that next round of. Of opening shows up, I guess over there. Right?

Jeremy (40:01)

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, honestly, because there's going to be a lot of receipts in regards to this. But I. I always thought that, you know, more work, more opportunity, more, you know, more of these festivals, like, that's a. That was a big festival. Like, more opportunity to spread your art was a good thing. You know, the. The opportunity to have a new audience hear and see you and listen to you and buy into you was a good thing. And maybe you could make change that way. But it just. In this.

Rod (40:34)

I think it depends, right? Because, like, I, like, I work for. I wrote for a sports show on hbo, Game Theory with Bomani Jones, and we used to do these, like, essays at the end of each episode, like, sometimes 10, sometimes 20 minutes. And one of them was on sports watching, right? And how sports watching is basically when very powerful people that may have nefarious agendas align themselves with something very, very popular that everyone loves, and then vicariously, we. We end up loving. We love the thing so much, we overlook the people and the flaws of those who hold it for us. Right? And at the time, a big thing was like, Saudi Arabia and golf, right? Yes, that. Live golf. Y. Yeah, live golf. And. And. And. And, you know, I understood the misgivings about it, but, like, Phil Mickelson went over first, and he caught. Hell, yes, he did. Like, everyone was just like, Phil Miles. He ended up being right. Well, I won't say right, but he was just early, meaning if he was wrong, then a lot of other people joined him in being wrong, because the money is the money. And eventually everybody was golfing over there with Liz after at first being kind of like, listen, no, not on my American soil or what? They were like, okay, you know, how much are they paying again? So I think the. And then what we related it to, which is one of the reasons I love working on that show, we didn't just go, oh, Saudi Arabia. These other people across the globe, this other country, their beliefs and their religion and their brownness, they're bad people. That's not like us in America. We went back to, like, American sports and we were like, what do you think SEC football is?

Jeremy (42:24)

Right.

Rod (42:26)

Like, the southeastern part of the United States has a long history of racial terrorism in America.

Jeremy (42:33)

Yes, it does.

Rod (42:34)

Look, but, you know, but you know what makes that wash? Would that go down a little bit smoother? Look, nice long sip of football, you'll kind of forget that, like, the black people can't sit with the white people in this stadium. If nothing, we're all just here to watch a good old game of the pigskin. And so I like that we were able to talk about the moral relativism, because sports washing works. And in this case, comedy Washington, it works. And it will work eventually. And it'll be interesting to see who thinks they're winning, because once again, the most positive spin is, hey, maybe somebody over there hears the freedom coming out of Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle's microphones and they go, man, that's giving me some ideas to change my society. But the other part is maybe the rest of us here, Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr chastising us forever having a problem with them going. And it makes it seem like sometimes it's okay to kill a journalist, you know, like, like, like, hey, look, if Bill ain't got a problem with it, why should I? And so it kind of, it's kind of catch 22. And you don't really know who's going to win that battle for, for years, if anyone ever does.

Jeremy (43:46)

Right? No, it makes a lot of sense. I, I love you brought up that Phil Mickelson was the first, like, one of the first guys that went over there. But when you think about it, he had to be. I mean, he was a big star and he's got a lot of gambling debts. I mean, how is he going to pay for all that if he doesn't have a giant source of income? Yeah, that's awesome.

Rod (44:05)

Listen, I'm sure when he looked at his checking account and he looked at that, that, that, that check they were going to write, he was like, I don't think anything is wrong with society. Come on. He's seen this, Thomas. He was like, it is all good. I think we should be a lot less judgmental around here.

Jeremy (44:21)

Oh, yeah. So in regards to, like, the, the comics and everything, that before and after now of this, this comedy festival, do you think they're gonna be a little more hesitant on what they say on their own podcast, like, on their platforms? Because it felt and it has been. Podcasts are an easy form without restriction to kind of just say what you think. Do you think there's going to be a little more hesitancy to that now?

Rod (44:48)

I think so. I mean, just because they won't be able to help it. Like, like they've, they're caught so much flack and let's face it, comedians are extremely self interested.

Jeremy (45:00)

Yeah.

Rod (45:01)

You know, you don't get on a stage because you don't, you know, that's right. So, like, that's one of the things.

Jeremy (45:08)

They say is that they like the solo feel of it. Like, this is me, I'm here, this is my show. Yeah.

Rod (45:14)

And they're obsessed with the feedback. Right. Like, like, you know, it's one of the beautiful things about Stand up is you get immediate feedback. So I have a hard time believing that they won't feel some level of at least like, man, if I say this after what I did and the way I got pushed back, I'm gonna get pushed back again. I don't know that it'll change their point of view 100%, but I'm sure there'll be some things they think twice about saying. I'm sure. You know, like, I love Bill Burr, but I'm sure there's just, from the way he's bristled at some of the critique, there's no way he's getting on a microphone and not thinking, like, am I the one to say this thing now or will I be immediately laughed out the room when I'm telling people billionaires are terrible people, but not the Saudi billionaires that pay for my comedy. That's right.

Jeremy (46:05)

Sometimes you just gotta throw that, that, that bit away, I guess, and know what's best for it. Yeah, that's funny. So you guys, when I was on your show, you were talking about you live either in. You live in Carolina, right?

Rod (46:22)

Yes, North Carolina.

Jeremy (46:23)

Charlotte. Yeah. The Panthers, man. Still alive for the playoffs. How do you feel about their chances.

Rod (46:33)

Playing for it all this Saturday, man? Against the Bucks? Yeah. Didn't they move that game or something like that? Like. Oh, they moved it. I don't know, but I know it's Saturday. Yeah, no, I don't think it was originally for Saturday, but I think they was like, hey, this is going to be a big game. Let's put it on prime time.

Jeremy (46:50)

Oh, yeah.

Rod (46:50)

Oh, I did not know that. That's, that's really dope. Yeah. So we, I, I mean, I'm excited for it because we haven't had good football in Charlotte, North Carolina. For a long time. So us having even a chance at making the playoffs is much more than anyone had us penciled in for. And I don't know that it'll necessarily mean anything, but once you get in the playoffs, you know, you have a chance at the super bowl like anybody else. So I think we're. We're actually in the best part of being a fan, which is this part where you had extremely low expectations and your team's not necessarily good, but they're beating all the expectations so you can have a fun time at the end of the year. And I think that's all you can really hope for from sports.

Jeremy (47:43)

Yeah, you're in the absolute, like, gravy right now where you just have what we're good. Oh, we're going to make the. Oh, we're have a shot at the playoffs. And you didn't expect that at the beginning of the year. Oh, that is the best feeling that you can have as a fan.

Rod (47:59)

Yeah, it's like the opposite of the Steelers, right? Yeah. Like, the spillers keep finishing above.500, going to playoffs, but those guys could not be more miserable.

Jeremy (48:08)

Correct.

Rod (48:08)

Like, they. They're. They're ready to fire everybody, get rid of everything. And it's just like, man, I. You know, to me, from my perspective, I'm like, I kill for that level of consistency of, like, the consistent at least every year, you know, to buy your round one playoff ticket. But not us.

Jeremy (48:23)

Nope.

Rod (48:24)

We don't know what's happening, man.

Jeremy (48:26)

As a Chargers fan, I got. I always know we got a shot at a playoff, you know, game. But the question is just, how are we going to lose it in dramatic fashion to just crush us for the entire off season? Like, that's just every year. It doesn't matter. The coaching staff, it doesn't matter. The player, the stud at quarterback, it doesn't matter who it is. We will lose in devastating fashion.

Rod (48:53)

It is kind of crazy that that happened to y'. All. Like, it is that it doesn't matter what happens, but the charges have been the same my entire life. That's crazy.

Jeremy (49:03)

My wife, the other. At the. We played Houston on Saturday, and it felt like that it's just like, what could go wrong, went wrong. And she goes, man, I think. I think this game's cursed. And I'm like, this game, this team, this team's been cursed forever. Like, it doesn't matter. The week, it's. This is what it's like. It's just terrible. I don't know. And I Mean, my poor son, he. He didn't choose this life. He was born into it. It's just terrible for him.

Rod (49:31)

Do you feel bad as a parent for putting that on your kid? Like, you could have picked any team to make him a fan, but you were like, no, you're gonna follow in Dad's footsteps, and you're gonna like this misery?

Jeremy (49:42)

Well, yeah, because, like, as a father, like, that is the dream. You got the. You know, you got your son, and it's like, oh, he's gonna love your teams, and we're gonna root for him together. But then. Then once you know that happens, then you realize, well, you picked, like, teams that are just devastating to you, like, dear to your mental capacity. Like this. This is not good. Like, you. Look what you've done to this kid. Like, it's. It's very depressing.

Rod (50:07)

I wonder if there's any. I wonder if there's any parents out there that broke the cycle, you know, like, they were a Jets fan, but they were like, I'm not raising my kid to be a Jets fan. It's not gonna happen to them. What happened to me. My kid is a Chiefs fan, okay? He's gonna like Patrick Mahomes, and damn, well, he better. He better get used to winning around here.

Jeremy (50:27)

Well, you know, to. To your point, my dad was a Padres fan, so I grew up a San Diego Padres fan. But my younger brother, he's four years younger, he never got into the Padres, so he. He was growing up, as in elementary during the 90s, and became a Yankees fan in the midst of everything that happened, you know, with the Yankees there. So he's had all these championships and all this fun and all the. The shit talk, and I'm just like, you're lucky, bastard. Like this. This is not. You're supposed to be depressed like me.

Rod (51:01)

My dad's a Duke fan, and I grew up a Carolina Chapel Hill fan. And, man, it was. It was. It was the bomb. It was way better than being a Duke fan at the time, you know, even though Duke, like, won some championships, man, but, like, Carolina at that time was just so much cooler. It's like, all right, like, I wanted to be like, the players that played at Carolina. It's like, oh, man, Vince Carter, Rashid Wallace, Antoine James. Like, these are all fun guys. And then Duke guys, except for Grant Hill, were all guys that I just looked at. Like, I don't ever want to even hang out with them. So, you know, shout out to my dad for not trying to force me into being a Duke Fan.

Jeremy (51:41)

Yeah. That's legit. Because I was going to ask you, like, how did he allow this? Like, that's the complete opposite of what.

Rod (51:48)

He couldn't stop me once I got out the house and saw how cool everybody else was. No one thought Duke players were cool. That was not. That's nothing he can do about that.

Jeremy (51:57)

How is it that Duke consistently and it doesn't matter the era, it doesn't matter the season. I mean they keep getting these, these guys every year and they're always different. Dude, they come in and you just hate them. There's not a thing to like about them. It's always a short hair white guy every time and he's awful. Awful. Like I just.

Rod (52:24)

I feel like they, they have successfully transitioned to the one and done thing. Yeah. To where they didn't care too much for that at first. Yeah. But where you can't. They're not sticking around long enough to hate them anymore. Not anymore. Yeah, yeah. Like it used to be like if now if you find a guy who stays for more than two years, you will hate him. Yeah.

Jeremy (52:46)

Yeah.

Rod (52:46)

Like it's just. They just. Their best players are no longer those guys anymore. But those used to be their best guys. Like. Like, yeah, those guys will stick around. Like JJ Reddick stuck around so long.

Jeremy (52:58)

Yeah.

Rod (52:59)

I was like, don't leave. Get the hell out of here. Nobody wants to see you doing this three point BS anymore. He just kept doing it. So. Yeah, it's. Something changed in the last like 10 years. To where like, I mean you look at the NBA, like half of the guys are just Duke guys. But you wouldn't know it because you're like, did this guy even. When did he play there? I don't remember. When did he play there? I remember Jalen Johnson playing a game for Duke. I don't. Shaden Sharp went to Duke. When. When was this?

Jeremy (53:26)

I don't.

Rod (53:27)

Zion Williams to play like four games. Kyrie Irving like got hurt. Barely. Like, so. So I don't hate those guys.

Jeremy (53:36)

But.

Rod (53:36)

But it's mostly because they weren't there long.

Jeremy (53:38)

Yeah. I was just gonna say Kyrie. I forgot he was even at Duke, but he only played like eight games. He was just so freaking talented. He's still pixel high.

Rod (53:47)

Yeah.

Jeremy (53:48)

Cooper Flag's probably the last guy that you can remember then that was like a Duke guy that you hate. And I don't even think he was there all that long.

Rod (53:58)

He was there for one year and he's not even. To me, he's not even that hateable. Like, he. And I think a big part of why he's not that hateable, though is because he hung around with a bunch of NBA players and played in like those like Team USA scrimmages and all those NBA players. Like, this guy's the real deal.

Jeremy (54:19)

Yeah.

Rod (54:20)

So it's kind of hard to hate a guy when like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are telling you like, this guy's really cool.

Jeremy (54:26)

Yeah.

Rod (54:27)

But I feel like the last one they had was Grayson Allen. He's the last real, like Duke. The last OG of Duke is Grayson Allen that. I don't know anyone who likes them. And if you do like them, I don't like you.

Jeremy (54:42)

Yeah, he, he was trying to be hated. I mean, he was really leveling up to that, being the devil out there, you know?

Rod (54:52)

Yeah, he's out there tripping people. And.

Jeremy (54:57)

Speaking of NBA, I was just seeing this morning Kevin Durant. I don't know if it was a podcast or a show he was on, but he was talking about how he doesn't really like to shower. Now he's, you know, I don't know, sometimes I wonder if guys or gals that are like on another level of income that just, they're not really, you know, they're not grocery shopping, you know, they're just, they're on this other level that sometimes they say things to try to feel like they are relatable.

Rod (55:29)

Right.

Jeremy (55:30)

Do. Do you think maybe that's what this was and he got it wrong? Because we still like showering. Right. Isn't that our thing? We're still showering out here.

Rod (55:40)

If there's anybody who believes ball is life is definitely. Katie.

Jeremy (55:44)

Katie.

Rod (55:44)

Ok. Yeah. Well, Hoopers, the people that love Kevin Durant, the reason they love him is because he's there. We've never seen a guy so dedicated to only basketball. That's the only basketball, you know, like everybody else that we love is like kind of a mogul, you know, like. Yeah, it's like Steph Curry has his shoes. He's got a movie coming out. There's like a cartoon movie. Yeah. His wife's like a chef, you know, of course, LeBron's his fingers and everything with Hollywood and all these other sports leagues. Kevin Durant just likes basketball and talking about basketball and going on Twitter and harassing people about basketball. That's it. So if you would have give, I believe without knowing, if you would have given me a multiple choice test that. And he was one of the answers of like, which one of these basketball players said they don't shower. I feel like I would have picked him.

Jeremy (56:39)

Yeah.

Rod (56:40)

So, so I, I, maybe that's how he's, like, getting by with it. We all kind of have the same, like. Well, what are we gonna tell Kevin Durant? He clearly doesn't, he doesn't care about his hair. No. Doesn't care about putting on lotion. They be joking him. Yes. Yeah. Like, this guy just is an all time basketball is the only thing that matters to me guy. Right. And so maybe that's why he gets the slide because, I mean, he's still so good and he's all like, who gonna look him in his face and be real life? Yeah. Be like, you need to shower. But it's funny though, because like, we gave, we gave LeBron hell for his hairline. We still do.

Jeremy (57:16)

Yep.

Rod (57:16)

And we're. And he's tall, too. Yeah, he is. But we all know Kevin Durant. It won't even bother him. Kevin Durant. Look at you, like. And what, what you gonna do? Nothing, sir. Nothing, man.

Jeremy (57:27)

He's a sniper out there on the court. That's for sure. He's awesome.

Rod (57:31)

Yeah.

Jeremy (57:33)

All right, well, Rod and Karen, the black Guy who Tips podcast. Tell, tell us, what do you got coming up? Let's, let's promote it out to the people.

Rod (57:42)

Okay. Yeah. So the first thing we have coming up is in April, from the 9th through the 12th, I believe we're gonna be in Las Vegas for something called Pod Jam 3. Google Pod Jam 3. You can see what tickets cost and all that stuff. So we're definitely looking forward to. That is our next, like, big event. And then of course, we'll just be doing our podcast at the black guy who tips.com or just search the blackout tips everywhere. You get podcasts and check us out. I know. Tomorrow we're having Pete Dominic on as a guest for our show. So we'll be talking to him about his life story and interviewing him and maybe do some current events and whatnot. And, and so those are the main things to look out for with us.

Jeremy (58:31)

That's awesome.

Rod (58:32)

Those are the main things. And we also, in addition to that, we also, if you want, like, additional shows, we also do premium shows. We own Patreon and things like that now, so you can find us if you want, like extra Rod and Karen outside of our regular shows that we do.

Jeremy (58:48)

Very nice. We got the Patreon. You can find them on the iHeartRadio app and anywhere else that you find your favorite podcast. Las Vegas. You guys, do you play blackjack?

Rod (58:59)

I'VE never been to Las Vegas before and I've never really gambled. So I'm terrible. I'm waiting to see what what it looks like I hear is not it's more expensive than it used to be. So may, you know, maybe I'm I'm going at the right time because I'll be like, oh no, I don't need to gamble. I scared to lose all my money that I just made off this gig. I have a budget, so it's like when my, when my, that last dollar leave, like, all right, I'm gone. You go, no, my, my budget went bye bye, so that means I go bye bye.

Jeremy (59:28)

Stick to the budget. That is the plan. Stick to the budget. That's awesome. All right, Rod Carrot, thank you so much for giving me some time here today. Big awesome. All right.

Rod (59:39)

Thank you for having us, Jeremy.

Jeremy (59:40)

Absolutely. We will. We'll talk again. Thank you so much. Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

Rod (60:30)

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Jeremy (60:45)

Fill your prescriptions and here to fill.

Rod (60:47)

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Jeremy (60:57)

So Visit us@cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you.

Rod (61:02)

Store hours vary by location. Okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first, There the last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes with Venmo. Stache a taco in one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking cash back. Nice. Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo stash on your favorite brands. When you pay with your Venmo debit card, credit card, from takeout to ride, shares, entertainment and more, pick a bundle with your go to's and start earning cash back at those brands. Earn more cash when you do more with Stash. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply. Max 100 cash back per month. See terms at Venmo Me Stash terms. Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry.

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