My Momma Told Me: "The C**n Landing" (w/ Vincent Bryant)

Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Langston Kerman & David Gborie
Guest: Vincent Bryant

Episode Overview

In this episode of "My Momma Told Me," comedians Langston Kerman and David Gborie welcome fellow comic Vincent Bryant for a witty, freewheeling exploration of the classic conspiracy theory: “Was the moon landing faked?” The trio weaves in personal stories, Black cultural perspective, and a healthy dose of skepticism, while riffing on everything from Atlantis, to Black family dynamics, and, inexplicably, crispy wigs and crunchy cereals. As always, the conversation marries sharp, irreverent humor with pointed cultural critique.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

Introducing Vincent Bryant & Table-Setting Banter

• [03:55] - Langston shares an encounter with Jesse Lee Peterson, sparking jokes about “coon legs” and the dynamic of Black public figures who "sell out."
  • Quote: “He had on shorts. You could see his little coon legs.” — Langston Kerman [05:03]
  • The hosts riff on aging, "acting a fool," and generational shifts in masculinity and responsibility at home.
  • Running gag about parental roles, home repairs, and not living up to fatherly stereotypes.

TV Nostalgia and Cultural Commentary

• [10:10] - Joking about theme song-writing: Would you rather have written "Thriller" or the "Fresh Prince" theme?
  • Group unpacks how sitcom intros used to be full songs, which inspired more connection than modern themes.
• [13:27] - Transition to how TV, stand-up, and social media have shifted audience expectations—audiences now expect interaction and personalization, often wanting to be part of the show.
  • Quote: “But you see that audiences are being trained now to talk back to the comedian because that's what they seen on social media.” — Vincent Bryant [13:27]
  • Quote: “You should just witness the magic that I'm able to spin in front of you... no, bro, you're a fly. Be a fly on the wall.” — Langston Kerman [14:49]
  • The group laments crowdsourcing in art: “Nothing good gets made by crowdsourcing.” — David Gborie [14:10]

The Moon Landing Conspiracy

Setup

• [17:11] - Vincent brings his mother’s claim: The moon landing was faked.
  • They retrace the space race context, huge costs, and political motivations (“Niggas asked for segregation. They was like, we’ll go to the moon on y’all bitch-ass.” — Vincent Bryant [18:18])
  • Discussion on how Black women mathematicians (“Hidden Figures”) made the landing possible—Black genius saves the day but Black people are never the face of progress.

Motives & Alternative Theories

• [19:16-21:34] - Joking hypothetical: the moon as a place to "segregate" Black folks or as an escape for the rich.
  • Segue into the theory that humans are the actual “aliens” who landed and destroyed Earth (killed the dinosaurs, buffalo)—absurd but satirical.
• [23:24] - The “Black people can’t swim” trope as coded messaging for an Atlantis/Black underwater civilization.

Blackness and Cultural Transmission

• [29:03] - Discussion on wanting better emotional health for their kids than they had: “I want, like, an actual version of happiness for her.” — Langston Kerman [28:42]
• [30:22] - The value and complexity of “cool” in Black culture: hard to attain, can drive people crazy, desirable even for suburban kids with resources.

The Moon Landing Conspiracy—In-Depth

• [41:00] - Langston shares that the modern conspiracy theory originated with Bill Kaysing’s petty pamphlet, not with a coordinated anti-government movement.
• [42:14] - Possible true/false compromise: the US may have landed, but faked the broadcast due to poor camera tech.
  • Quote: “We might have landed, we might not have, but if you prove that we did or didn't, it don’t help you none.” — Vincent Bryant [42:06]
• [43:32] - Was it all just about spending money? “It's a waste of money. Unless … where is this money really going?” — Vincent Bryant [43:03]
• [45:38] - Satirical tangent: What if crack came from the moon? (“Crack came like a meteor.” — Vincent Bryant [45:29])

Dissecting Common Arguments (Debunked)

• [51:21–54:38] - They review classic "proofs" of a fake landing:
  • No stars in moon photos: It's daytime, so the stars are washed out.
  • Flag waving: “They don’t like wavy people... man, breathe a wave.” — Vincent Bryant [52:01]
  • No crater beneath lander, shadow direction, and suspicious technical leaps by NASA.
  • Recruiting Nazi scientists for NASA (Operation Paperclip): evil intelligence often gets repurposed for power.

Media, Propaganda, and Believability

• [59:38] - The myth that “20% of Americans think the moon landing was faked” originated from Fox News, but true stats are 4-5%.
  • Mass media and misinformation: massaged statistics can create a sense of community for fringe beliefs.
  • “4-5%... that's extreme outliers.” — Vincent Bryant [60:14]
• [61:26] - The abundance of streaming/content choices now feels overwhelming: “We gotta cut back on them channels, man.” — Vincent Bryant [60:55]

Voicemail Segment: “Hard Wigs, Soft Lives”

• [70:49] - Caller posits: Black women who wear “hard wigs” (stiff, "wiggish" weaves) attract rich men and thus end up with “soft lives.”
  • Panel analyzes: is it about self-hate/predation? Is it a coded marker to non-Black men that they will assimilate more easily?
    • “That self-love ain’t there always.” — Vincent Bryant [72:41]
  • Parallels with Black men: unkempt hair is favored by “others.” “Unkept black people are favored by the others.” — Vincent Bryant [74:48]
  • Obama’s hairline and social politics (the “C-cups” joke about not keeping a sharp edge to avoid threatening white Americans).

Closing Banter: Black Legends & Legacy

• [66:46–70:41] - Entertaining stories about James Brown and Little Richard, the contradiction of being a musical innovator and a social outcast.
• Discussion on Al Sharpton and media attention in Black tragedy: “When I see him or Benjamin Crump show up, somebody ain’t getting no justice.” — Vincent Bryant [78:18]
  • Danger of “awareness” as substitute for action—just “seeing” injustice doesn’t guarantee change.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:03] Langston (on Jesse Lee Peterson): "He had on shorts. You could see his little coon legs."
• [13:27] Vincent: "Audiences are being trained now to talk back to the comedian because that's what they seen on social media."
• [14:49] Langston: "You should just witness the magic that I'm able to spin in front of you... you're a fly. Be a fly on the wall."
• [18:18] Vincent (on US race priorities): "Niggas asked for segregation. They was like, we’ll go to the moon on y’ all bitch-ass."
• [23:24] Vincent: "Atlantis is real. Cause n live down there. And we say we can't swim so we don't get the white people down there fucking with us."
• [29:03] Langston: "I want, like, an actual version of, like, happiness as it has been defined for me. For her."
• [42:06] Vincent: "We might have landed, we might not have, but if you prove that we did or didn't, it don’t help you none."
• [45:29] Vincent: "Crack came like a meteor, destroyed the community. Come on, man. Walk with me."
• [60:14] Vincent (on fake moon landing stats): "That's extreme outliers. 95 to 96 on their phone, I'm leaving. It's not a factor."
• [74:48] Vincent: "Unkept black people are favored by the others."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:55 – Spotting Jesse Lee Peterson at LA Fitness; Black public figures and "coon" stereotypes
• 10:10 – Fresh Prince vs Thriller: TV theme songs and Black pop culture
• 13:27 – Social media’s impact on live comedy & crowd work
• 17:11 – Vincent’s moon-landing conspiracy theory
• 18:18 - 19:29 – Race, government priorities, and “Hidden Figures”
• 21:34 – "We the aliens" theory and animal comparisons
• 23:24 – Swimming & Atlantis: Black coded secrets
• 29:03 – Generational happiness and avoiding inherited trauma
• 41:00 – Bill Kaysing and the pamphlet origin of moon hoax theory
• 43:32 – Crack came from the moon (satirical bit)
• 51:21 – Debunking moon landing hoax “evidence”
• 59:38 – Fox News inflates conspiracy numbers; making stats believable
• 70:49 – Voicemail: "Hard wigs make soft lives" and cross-cultural dating
• 74:48 – Hair, class, and identity for Black men and women
• 66:46 – Music bio: James Brown, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry anecdotes

Tone & Language Notes

• Highly irreverent, quick-witted, and full of roasts—especially on Black cultural stereotypes and political cynicism.
• Warm, conversational, and generous in personal stories.
• Absurdist humor sits alongside genuine moments of vulnerability and critique.

Takeaways

• The moon landing conspiracy, like many others, is examined as both a social phenomenon and as comic material: less about what’s true, more about why people need to believe it.
• The conversation always circles back to Black resilience, culture, and the ways Black people shape and are shaped by American society.
• Silliness aside, "My Momma Told Me" finds space for serious reflections on family, self-perception, and surviving societal nonsense.

If you love sharp, Black-centric comedy and rich, layered discussion of how history, rumor, and culture intersect—this is an episode not to miss.