Episode 499 | Brad Williams

Summary

New Rory & MAL – Episode 499 | Brad Williams Release Date: May 28, 2026 Guest: Brad Williams (Comedian)
Hosts: Rory & Mal

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Brief Overview

This episode features comedian Brad Williams, who dives into stories from his career, the realities of being a little person in show business, navigating fetishes, the evolving world of stand-up, and the impact of cancel culture. With characteristic candor and humor, Brad interweaves personal anecdotes, reflections on the comedy scene, and hilarious interactions with the hosts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting Fetishes, Phobias & Hates (03:37–09:57)

• Multicultural Comedy: The hosts joke about representing all communities and fetishes, with Brad riffing on how the show is covering "redheads, black people, dwarves" (03:37).
• Phobias about Little People: Brad shares that while outright hatred is rare, many people have a phobia of little people—referencing a story with John Stamos:

  "One of my most viral jokes ever was about a celebrity I met who... used to have this phobia. He has since overcome it, and he is doing very well now… John Stamos." (04:26)

  • Brad helped John Stamos overcome his fear at a charity event by humorously humping his leg. Stamos later embraced encounters with little people, sending Brad a red carpet video surrounded by little people, ribbing him good-naturedly (07:07).

2. Fetishes & Role Play (09:04–12:54)

• Experiences with Fetishizing: Brad talks about people’s fetishes, especially when he was single, and how direct some DMs were.

  “They are way direct about it. There were DMs like: ‘Hey, I've always wanted to dress a man up as a Smurf… and you qualify!’” (11:09)

• Limits of Dwarf Roleplay: Jokes about the limited variety of roleplays dwarves are cast in (elves, leprechaun, Oompa Loompa, Smurf).

  “If you want a man to work in a chocolate factory, I could do that… Smurf… now we’re getting thin, though.” (12:32)

3. Acting & The Comedy Grind (12:54–14:40)

• Losing Out on Roles: Brad reveals that many dwarf roles circulate between the same dozen actors, referencing losing out on a part in Joker, but expressing gratitude for stand-up which relies less on gatekeepers.
• Meritocracy in Comedy:

  “Stand-up—I tell joke, you laugh. If you laugh—successful transaction. …Now, there’s no real gatekeepers anymore; you just put stuff online, it could catch fire, and suddenly you’re selling tickets.” (14:04, 14:23)

4. Navigating Sensitivity and Labels (14:40–17:13)

• Awkward Liberalism: Rory shares a story about an overly liberal producer referring to a little person as “our special friend” on a game show. Brad points out the irony:

  "That’s more offensive." (15:36)
  “You can go so liberal that you end up… just saying, ‘Do you have our special friend?’ Like, what are we doing?” (15:39)

• Human Dessert: Brad riffs:

  “Dwarves are... human dessert. Not really needed, but it's going to be the most memorable part of the meal.” (16:58)

5. Breaking into Stand-Up & Scene Evolution (17:13–19:57)

• Brad’s Start in Comedy: He likens wanting to be a comic to “wanting to be an Avenger” as a kid—not knowing how. His advice:

  "If you want to start doing anything, you just start doing the thing." (17:19)

• Scene Expansion: The U.S. comedy scene is less centralized with great scenes now in Austin, Denver, Nashville, etc.
• Positives & Negatives of No-Gatekeeper Era:
  • Positive: Direct path to an audience.
  • Negative: Some comics go viral too early before they’re seasoned—“You kind of have to be in anonymity for a while in comedy as you’re learning…” (19:00)

6. Bombing, Authenticity & Learning on Stage (19:57–23:00)

• Bombing in ‘Urban’ Rooms: Brad details a catastrophic bomb performing at a black club after inaccurately adjusting his material, underscoring the importance of authenticity:

  "Just be yourself. Do what you do—people will respect that. Don’t go changing just because..." (22:10)

• Live Reps Matter:

  "The mirror isn’t gonna heckle you... you need to be on stage in front of people." (21:52)

7. Code-Switching & Comedy Faux Pas (23:00–26:49)

• Quentin Tarantino Example: The hosts discuss Tarantino code-switching on TV, highlighting how inauthenticity and stereotyping are instantly visible (“He puts on the craziest black accent…” 23:33).
• Brad on Dwarf Code-Switching:

  "As a little person, I don’t get that... Quentin Tarantino wouldn’t put his knees on his shoes and talk about ‘dwarf representation’" (24:59)

• Accidental Accents: Brad admits slipping into a Canadian accent on Canadian stages.

8. Encounters with Heroes (32:43–37:15)

• Meeting Robin Williams:

  “Robin Williams burst into the green room… runs up to me, goes, 'Oh my God, Mr. Williams, you’re like Prozac with a head.' …I want that to be on my gravestone.” (33:11)

• Comedy’s Unique Highs: Stories about spontaneous sets with the likes of Seinfeld, Chappelle, Chris Rock, and others—comedy’s club circuit allows legends and newcomers to rub shoulders.

9. Roast Culture & Comedian Rivalries (40:15–48:30)

• Thoughts on Roasts:

  “A, it’s a roast. This is where we say inappropriate shit. …That’s what you do there.” (40:37)

• Roasts work best when the comedians know each other personally—“…then you know it’s all love.”
• Post-Kevin Hart Roast Drama: Recaps how the fallout seemed rooted in a lack of real relationships among panelists.
• Effects on Careers: Roasts can launch or elevate comics (Nikki Glaser, Anthony Jeselnik, Greg Giraldo).
• If Offended:

  “If roasts offend you… just don’t watch it. Don’t rage-bait yourself.” (45:04)

10. Cancel Culture and Stand-Up (63:20–67:46)

• ‘Cancel Culture’ Not Killing Stand-Up:

  “Let’s go through a list of comedians who have been canceled… Rogan, Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Shane Gillis… they’re all doing arenas.” (63:25)

• Evolving Material: Brad says he tweaks material not from fear of cancelation, but to entertain his audience. “It is the comedian’s job, in my opinion, to adjust and… find your audience too.” (65:16)
• Comedy’s Diversity:

  "You can have country and hip hop… all these different types of comedians can exist." (66:15)

• You just have to be funny:

  “You can tell an abortion joke… a George Floyd joke… it’s just gotta be funny.” (67:18)

11. Remembering Patrice O’Neal (67:46–70:10)

• Patrice Stories:

  “You talk about cancel culture, like, yeah, he pissed a lot of people off for sure… But he was authentic, not a different way off-stage versus on.” (68:49)

• Multiple wild Patrice anecdotes traded by the hosts.

12. Life at USC During the Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush Era (58:14–63:15)

• Brad reflects on the USC football as NFL-level celebrities era, its wildness, and thoughts on NIL/athlete pay. He draws sharp contrasts with NCAA responses to infractions at different schools.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On phobia origins:

  “I can't walk into a barbershop, scream the N-word, and be like, ‘they all got mad at me, do you believe that?’” (08:32) —Brad Williams

• On relationships and assumptions:

  “So now my life is explaining that my wife does not have a dwarf fetish... My wife is Asian, she’s Chinese, so everyone thinks I have an Asian fetish... they’re right, but it’s not healthy!” (10:05)

• On authenticity in comedy:

  “Be authentic, just be yourself. Just do what you do. People will respect that.” (22:10)

• On Code-Switching:

  “If Quentin Tarantino went on a dwarf talk show, he wouldn’t suddenly put his knees on his shoes..." (24:59)

• On club comedy’s magic:

  “For 30 people, this show could fill an arena.” (37:36)

• On roast culture:

  “Roasts are supposed to be the craziest, worst, most insane jokes ... that’s where you do them.” (40:37)

• On the comedy scene’s resilience:

  “Comedy is wonderful... even if the name opens you a door... you still have to deliver.” (50:09)

• On cancel culture impacts:

  “Let’s go through a list of comedians who have been cancelled… Rogan, Chappelle, Louis CK, Shane Gillis… they’re all doing arenas.” (63:25)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & All Inclusive Comedy – 03:37
• John Stamos’ Phobia Story – 05:07–07:24
• Role Play & Fetish Confessions – 09:04–12:54
• Meritocracy in Comedy – 14:04–14:40
• ‘Special Friend’ Label in Media – 15:00–16:18
• How Comedy Scenes Have Changed – 18:23–19:57, 26:26
• Bombing in Urban Rooms & Authenticity – 19:57–23:00
• Robin Williams Encounter – 33:08–33:42
• Pop-up Legends at Comedy Clubs – 36:16–37:36
• Thoughts on Roasts & Planted Panelists – 40:20–48:30
• Cancel Culture/Impact on Stand-up – 63:20–67:46
• Patrice O’Neal Anecdotes – 67:53–70:10
• USC Football Celebrity Era – 58:14–63:15

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Final Thoughts

Brad Williams offers a candid, hilarious, and thoughtful perspective on the comedy industry—respecting its traditions, embracing its diversity, and always advocating for authenticity. The episode is packed with stories both relatable and unique to Brad’s own life and career, balancing laughs with nuanced takes on modern hot-button issues in stand-up. The chemistry between Brad, Rory, and Mal keeps the conversation lively and accessible to diehard fans and newcomers alike.

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Where to Find Brad Williams

• Tour dates and links: bradwilliamscomedy.com
• Watch the latest special: Live on Short Street (YouTube)
• Podcast: Height and Babble

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“Every city that has a lot of entertainment... I’m always honored that people still buy tickets to see me. If you spend your hard earned money, you get a babysitter, you pay for dinner, the subway, parking, I have a responsibility to give you the damnedest show I can.” (71:48) —Brad Williams

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Rory Mall]

Daniel Cormier from the Daniel Cormier Show. This podcast is sponsored by Total Wireless, the official wireless partner of ufc. Power doesn't wait in the octagon or outside of it. You either make the move or you miss the moment. That's why you need a network that's just as powerful as you are. With Total Wireless, you get unlimited 5G data keeping you in the action from the walkouts to the knockouts. Now that's a total power move. Make your total power move today. Visit totalwireless.com or stop by your neighborhood Total Wireless Store. Additional terms apply. See total wireless.com for details.

[Podcast Announcer]

Picture this Me, Reese Witherspoon in London ordering fish and chips so often they might start wrapping me in paper. I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, so I earn rewards wherever I book travel five times points with hotels four times with airlines three times on restaurants and other travel and one point point on other purchases. Imagine getting rewarded for eating a toad in the hole. Wait, what is a toad in a hole?

[Brad Williams]

Visit Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.

[Sponsor Voice]

Now streaming on Paramount+ Beth and Rip are back in Dutton Ranch.

[Brad Williams]

This life here is gonna work, isn't it? We'll make it work. Starring Kelly Reilly.

[Podcast Announcer]

A legacy is a beautiful thing, but

[Brad Williams]

only if it's survives Cole Hauser. What's going to work? Ed Harris family is the only thing worth fighting for. And Annette Benning.

[Rory Mall]

I can make this a lot harder for all y'.

[Brad Williams]

All. And peace will have to wait.

[Sponsor Voice]

Dutton Ranch new series now streaming on

[Brad Williams]

Paramount no Warrior Now.

[Rory Mall]

No conductor.

[Brad Williams]

No warrior.

[Co-host (Mall)]

All right, welcome back to another episode of the new Rory Mall podcast. I am Maul.

[Rory Mall]

I'm Rory.

[Co-host (Mall)]

And today, Rory, we are joined by a very funny guy. He's currently on tour. He has a special alive on Short Street. I didn't get a chance to check it yet, but I will check it out soon. We are joined by the very funny. Brad Williams is in the building today, ladies and gentlemen.

[Brad Williams]

Listen, man, today on this show, we're just handling all the fetishes. You like redheads. We got you black people, got you dwarves. We got that.

[Co-host (Mall)]

We got every. We got everything covered here. This is a very multicultural, multi dimensional show to.

[Rory Mall]

This is a weird episode of Bang Bros.

[Brad Williams]

Very weird. There's an amputee Jewish person that's gonna come out later. So if your fetish isn't covered right now, we got. We got people coming.

[Co-host (Mall)]

We're gonna get everybody settled in and comfortable first.

[Rory Mall]

Israeli Muslims gonna walk in. You never know.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, we're. So we have everyone's fetishes, but also everyone's hates. Yeah, yeah, we have. We have something that everyone hates on the show.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, we gotta do that.

[Rory Mall]

Is there a community people that. That hate you because of your height?

[Brad Williams]

Oh, there's gotta be. There's gotta be.

[Rory Mall]

That's a weird hatred. Like, not that I understand hate groups, but that's a very weird one.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, if you're just like, I hate puntable things. I don't like things that I could kick and send a good country mile like. Yeah, that'd be very. That'd be very strange. But okay, so there's not hatred for little people, but I have run into a lot of people who have a phobia. They have a phobia of little people, which. I don't know how that develops, but it h. Like, one of my most viral jokes ever was about a celebrity I met who I will say this used to have this phobia.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

He has since overcome it and he is doing very well now.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Did you help him with that?

[Brad Williams]

I did.

[Rory Mall]

Okay. All right, cool.

[Brad Williams]

John Stamos.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

John. John Stamos.

[Rory Mall]

Wait, hold on. I'm not just going to skip over the John Stamos. That's a phobia.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, he has a phobia of little people. I talked about this in my first special. I did. I. I told the story where I did it. I did a comedy show. It was a charity show with Bob Saget. And I had never met Bob or John before that. He's Bob Saget.

[Podcast Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And then Bob just burst into my dressing room. He goes, brad, come meet John Stamos.

[Rory Mall]

And I'm like, definitely sober.

[Brad Williams]

I'm like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's like, no, you understand. Stamos is terrified of little people.

[Rory Mall]

I can hear about. Second statement.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And it's. And it's Bob. So I'm like, is this a bit. Is this a joke? He's like, bro, it's real. So I go into the dressing room. I go into Bob's dressing room, and Stamos is there, And I don't even say hi. I just run up and start humping his leg. And I don't know if he's gonna

[Rory Mall]

introduce yourself, at least.

[Brad Williams]

I'm terrified. I. I don't know if he's terrified of little people or just strangers humping his leg.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

That could also be very uncomfortable. Right, Right. Like, I don't care who you are unless you're Margot Robbie. I'm probably gonna have a problem with my leg, with you humping my leg randomly. But, yeah, no, he's really. He was really scared of little people, but.

[Rory Mall]

Well, phobia confirmed.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

Once someone just walks in and starts humping your leg.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

Like, I'm right about my phobia.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And then. But. But. But then we. We. Like, there is a photo on my Instagram of us that night, and he looks very uncomfortable. But then. Then I saw him again, like, a couple of years later. It was at a different charity dinner. I wasn't performing. I. John saw me, ran up to my table, grabbing by my hand. It was like, come with me. So, okay, so he drags me over to Jimmy Kimmel's table, and he look. He goes, jimmy, look, Pump his leg. I'm fine now.

[Co-host (Mall)]

I'm fixed.

[Rory Mall]

I'm fixed out of rehab.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And then. And then even more recently, at the Kevin Hart roast, Stamos sent me a video of him on the red carpet with, like, six little people around him going, brad Williams, eat your heart out. And I'm like, oh.

[Rory Mall]

And Lizzo had.

[Brad Williams]

Yes, yes.

[Rory Mall]

I thought he was about Kevin Hart.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just Kevin Hart.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Just Kevin came out, dude.

[Brad Williams]

That's why, like, if they had asked me to do the roast, I would have fucked up the roast. Because now you can't do short jokes about Kevin Hart.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Right.

[Brad Williams]

Because I'm right there. Like, I'm the one. Like, if Kevin was smart, he would have had me on the rose.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Because then at like every short joke his way, be like. And look at Brett.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And look at Brad. Hey. Oh, he's not here. Knock on the door, on the shoe box, he'll come out like that. Yeah. So I, yeah, I would have up

[Rory Mall]

the whole roast, but did you ask John Stamos, like, where the phobia, like, is it Olsen twin trauma? Like, why does he have a phobia?

[Brad Williams]

I don't know. Like, a lot of fans will confess to me where their phobia comes from. A lot of times it's because, like, they were a kid and they saw a dwarf in a supermarket and they ran up and said some inappropriate and, and the dwarf shockingly got angry at it, you know, and they're like, they were mad. And that traumatized me.

[Rory Mall]

Insulted them and they were mad.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. It's like, well, yeah, I, I can't, you know, I, I can't walk into a barber shop, scream the nword and be like, they all got mad at me. Do you believe that?

[Rory Mall]

Well, that, that's, that's chud's right now.

[Brad Williams]

They all chased me and they beat me down. So now I'm scared.

[Sponsor Voice]

I'm scared of them.

[Brad Williams]

Scared of them. It's like, well, yeah, you with them. Like, you know, don't poke the bear.

[Co-host (Mall)]

But there has to be also like a, A, a huge amount of people that have a fetish.

[Brad Williams]

Back in my single days, thank God for those people. They, they, they kept me going. I, I was fueled on fetish. And you're like, brad, why are you toured in this random?

[Rory Mall]

He's always on the road. Such a hard worker.

[Brad Williams]

I got a dm and people be like, don't you feel exploited? I'd be like, having orgasms. No. Back when I was single, I, I, I, that was fine. I'm all, I'm all for whatever. Like, dude. Like, because the same thing is for the, the people that were like, oh, you shouldn't have done that. It's like, why she would have a need. I feel the need. I get something out of it. She gets something out of it. This is, we're two adults having a proper transaction. Yeah. Like, no one. Like, when you buy a bagel from a bagel shop, you don't look at one person like, you're, you're exploiting that bagel shop. Why a man of money they give me something. Everyone gets something out of this.

[Rory Mall]

I'm her everything bagel.

[Brad Williams]

Yes, yes. So now. But so now my. My life is explaining that my wife does not have a dwarf fetish. Because. Because whatever you. If you're in a mixed race relationship or differently abled relationship, that's what immediately people assume, like, my wife is Asian, she's Chinese, so everyone thinks that I have an Asian fetish just because it's like, well, look at his wife. And I mean, they're right, but like, it's not.

[Rory Mall]

It's not a healthy one.

[Brad Williams]

It's a healthy, healthy fetish.

[Kal Penn]

Love.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. My wife wasn't like, scrol. Through like the cast of. Of Game of Thrones just like. Or like, like looking up Austin Powers. It was like, that's it. Looking up the cast of Willow IMDb page. Where are they now? And trying to find a. Like, no, that wasn't her thing. Yeah, like, she found me and I found her, and now it works.

[Rory Mall]

What were the DMS in your single days? Like, how did they typically lead with the fetish?

[Brad Williams]

Oh, see, here's the thing. So when a woman has. Not just a woman. Dude, let's definitely throw dudes into this. But like, when people have a fetish, they. They are way direct about it. Like, there was not a lot of, like, beating around the bush. There were dms just like, hey, so I've always wanted to dress a man up as a Smurf or whatever the hell and like, and. And you qualify. And I'd be like, well, get the body paint. Yeah, let's. Let's send some photos and let's see. Let's see what we're working with here. And if it was all right, I'd be like, okay, let's go. Call. Call me Papa Smurf.

[Rory Mall]

Is Smurf the weirdest role play that you had to do?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, well, it's not. There's not a lot of role plays dwarves can do. You know, it's like, if you're like, I want you to be a fireman. It's like, that doesn't look that maybe a fire hydrant. Yeah, I can be a hydrant.

[Rory Mall]

And then she can piss on you.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I could Dr. Dress up as the Dalmatian, maybe do some puppy play. But like, I'm not, like, I'm not gonna be a fireman.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, that just doesn't check out.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, it's like, you know, like, oh, I. I want a cop to. No, they're not putting pedal extenders on squad cars. You don't see any cop hopping off a booster seat.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's not, that's not, it's not gonna work.

[Brad Williams]

Not gonna work. So there's only so many fetishes. It's like, I, I, I can do Game of Thrones. If you have something where you want a man to work in a chocolate factory, I could do that. Yeah. I can do Smurf. Now, now we're, now we're getting thin, though. Those are the main ones. Leprechaun, elf, sure. But, yeah, that, yeah. Not. There's not a lot out there.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Have you ever seen, like, a role that you auditioned for and you didn't get and then seen the guy that they, they went with and was like, what, the man?

[Brad Williams]

Oh, so many. Yeah, I don't want to. I want to. Drove out there. But, like, there, There, there, There have been a lot. And. But what, what happens a lot of times is that, especially for dwarf roles, it's the same 12 guys. It's the same, like, the same guys at every audition. Like, we all know each other.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

We know each other's family. Hang out on the weekend. Yeah, yeah, I see him at the meetings. Yeah. You know, like, Lizzo just booked all 12. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, hey, we all, we all got a lizard job. Y. You know, so you can't, you can't really get too mad. I'm, I'm friends with him now. He, he, he, he didn't do a bad job. But so don't think I'm saying that, but if you watch the first Joker, the Joaquin Phoenix. Okay, There's a dwarf role in that, and I auditioned for it, and the guy that got it, I feel I could have done better. But he did a great job at

[Co-host (Mall)]

the comedy club, right?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, dude. He knocked it out. So he did a great job. But that was one where I'm like, like, oh, I wanted that.

[Co-host (Mall)]

That's a big movie.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I wanted that one. But that's why. That's why I love Stand up. Because it's like, stand up. I don't need a casting director. A director, whatever the hell, to approve of me. It's a very simple transaction. I tell joke, you laugh. If you laugh. Successful transaction. No one's being exploited.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

In the transaction. And that's why I like that, because. And also with comedy now, there's no real gatekeepers anymore that, like, you, you just put stuff online. It could catch fire, it could go viral, and all of a sudden you're selling tickets. Yeah, it's A little more merit based, which I really do. Which I really appreciate.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. I worked on this. This really terrible show on MTV called Broke Ass Game show in like, 20. I don't know, 12 maybe.

[Brad Williams]

Okay.

[Rory Mall]

And it was kind of like a. In the street game show thing where people would win money if they do certain things. And one day they had dwarfs involved with one of the games.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

And the producer was like, this over overly liberal lady that didn't want to insult anyone. So we. So we had like a whole meeting before of, like, how to refer to everyone. And she was so liberal, she didn't realize she was being offensive because on our walkies and on set, she referred to him as our special friend. Oh, do we have eyes on our special friend? Anyone have eyes on the special ye. L. The special friend? I'm like, he's a grown man. Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

You can't just say Richie. Like, it's got to be.

[Rory Mall]

That's like, everyone was on the walk. He's like, that's more offensive.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Like, you can go. It goes both ways where you could definitely go so liberal that you end up just like. And do you have our special friend? Like, okay, what are we doing? What are we doing? And then you can go, like, so conservative that now you're like. There's a great sketch online about how, like, far right and far left actually agree on everything. Yeah, I think we've seen it. But yeah, it's like, yeah. You can go so far that it's like your intent.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Is fine, but it's your intent is not to hurt, which is good. But then at the same time, oh, my God, our special.

[Co-host (Mall)]

That's just crazy.

[Rory Mall]

I was offended. He has a name on the call sheet.

[Brad Williams]

I'm pretty sure if he knew that it was, like, a special friend on the way, like, I'm sure he'd be like, oh, my.

[Rory Mall]

I'm cool.

[Brad Williams]

And he. And. And the. The role was probably worse. Like, I'm trying to remember.

[Rory Mall]

We were in Washington Square Park. I forgot.

[Brad Williams]

What if it was a dating show? It was.

[Rory Mall]

No, they would just have, like, random games for, like, tourists that would have to do to, like, win, like, 10 bucks. And I feel like he was just, like, holding a. A pillow with a ring. I forgot what it was, but it wasn't really needed. Yeah, well, that was really, like, an intricate part of.

[Brad Williams]

That's what dwarves are. We're like, human des. It's not really needed, but it's going to be the most memorable part of the meal. Like, and you're Going to be happy afterward. Yeah, we're human dessert.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brad Williams]

The cherry on top.

[Co-host (Mall)]

So you went to, you went to usc, Cali native. When did you know you wanted to get into stand up?

[Brad Williams]

I. I always liked it. I always liked stand up. But stand up comedy is a job. Like, saying you want to be a comedian as a kid is like being like, I want to be an avenger. You know, you're like, how. Right. Like, yeah, sure, we all want to Captain America, but yeah, how? Like. Like, now there's millions of podcasts and everything, and you could kind of listen and know how to break into the business, but at the time, like, Like, I wanted to, but I didn't know how to do it. And the. The answer that I have now, the knowledge I have now is just like, anything. Like, if you want to start doing anything, you just start doing the thing right. Like, you want to be a comedian, Go to anywhere that has a microphone. Any open mic night. It could be a poetry slam. You don't give a crap. Go on stage, start telling jokes. Like, if you want to be a director, start directing stuff. Like, be. Put yourself out there as someone who can direct a music video, a short, or whatever the hell you know. You want to start a podcast, just start by microphone. Start. Start yapping. And then you never know. You can end up on Netflix. You know, you never know what could happen.

[Co-host (Mall)]

But, yeah, and Cali's a great city. Cali and New York are great cities to start in comedy.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And now that, thankfully, it used to be like, just New York, just la, but now there's wonderful scenes in Austin, Denver, great scene. Nashville, like, so you don't necessarily have to be on one of the coastal cities. You can go, you know, obviously Chicago's always had a great scene, but now it's like, like I said earlier, no real gatekeepers anymore. You can do. You can be wherever.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Do you feel like that's a negative or positive?

[Brad Williams]

Both. Like, it's positive because it used to be you had to impress an executive.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

You know, or someone that. Whatever. To get your break, whether it be a set on the Tonight show or a Comedy Central Presents or something like that. But now you can just go viral however you can. But also it's a negative in that a lot of people, they start putting themselves out there way too soon, way too early. And if you get seen too early, you're not good yet. It takes a while. Like, you kind of have to be in an amenity. I can't say that word. Anonymity. For a while in comedy, as you're learning, because you're gonna make. You're gonna make mistakes. Like, dude, it. If they. One of my biggest bombs ever. If they had a camera and I record it and I posted it. Holy crap. One of my biggest bombs ever was at a comic club, and it was urban night. And we all know what that means. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Rory Mall]

It means a white exec put it together.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. That means some white comedy club owner was like, how do we sell more chicken wings? Yeah. So it was bad. And then I was booked on the show because. Sure, right. And then my mistake that I made on that show, and I made this mistake very early, thankfully, is that I thought I needed to change my act to appeal to the audience. I thought, well, it's a mostly black audience, so I'll, I'll, I'll dance a little more. I'll say this. I'll do this.

[Kal Penn]

Yeah.

[Podcast Announcer]

Bomb.

[Brad Williams]

Horrible bomb. To the point, like, the worst kind of bomb that. Where they didn't even stare in silence. They started ignoring me and having side conversations, and it was. Oh, my God, it was crazy. Like, do you know how bad you have to bomb to be a dwarf on stage? And everyone goes, nah. Yeah, I'm gonna pay attention to mozzarella. Like, that was, it was bad.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

So, but, like, I'm glad that I didn't be one of those guys that, like, recorded that set and then put it out there, because any view is a good view, you know, like, that. I, I'm, I'm glad that that was able to live. And I could just talk about it now and not have it, actually. Well, I mean, out there, if you

[Rory Mall]

started break dancing, I would fall on the floor laughing.

[Brad Williams]

I, I, I used to be really good at it. Now I'm 42. I got sciatica.

[Rory Mall]

Aren't the same.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, it's not the best. Now, my worm isn't as good. It's a little like.

[Co-host (Mall)]

It's worm like a snail now.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I'm doing that. It's not quite so good for. But. But for a while, I could pop and lock, you know, it was all right. But. Yeah, but in you, in comedy especially, you have to learn and fail, hopefully without a lot of people knowing. Like, it's a weird business because you also have to be in front of people to do it.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

You can't just, like. Do you practice in front of the mirror? No.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

No.

[Rory Mall]

Can't really rehearse.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, the, the, the mirror isn't gonna heckle you. The mirror Isn't gonna laugh too long or not laugh or whatever. Like, it. The mirror is just there. It exists. Like, you need to be on stage in front of people. You need to know how. Gauge how they're reacting. And for that, you need a live audience.

[Rory Mall]

Have you redeemed yourself in the black rooms?

[Brad Williams]

Yes, I have been back. Yeah, I. I welcomed you back. I've done chocolate sundaes at the Improv. That's a real name. Chocolate Sun. Yeah, chocolate sundaes. We. We've done mo better Mondays. Okay, that. That. That's another one. Yeah, it's. But like. And the advice I got, certainly that night, that works not just in urban rooms, but all rooms and all comedy is just to be authentic, just to be yourself. Just. Just do what you do. And then people will. Will respect that. They will respect the authenticity. Don't go. Don't go changing just because you feel like, oh, well, this is.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

You know, this is. This is Jewish night. So I'll do. I'll do these jokes like. No, just. Just don't just do you.

[Rory Mall]

Don't treat the room like your special friend.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, exactly. Isn't that. Isn't that more condescending? Yeah, My. My attempt was to bring joy, but at the same time, my. The way I was going about it was. I know what you people like.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

What do you mean, you people like? It's. It's that. It's. It's that kind of.

[Rory Mall]

If you're ever feeling down, just YouTube Quentin Tarantino on 106 and park, and it will lighten up your day.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Classic.

[Brad Williams]

He.

[Rory Mall]

Oh, he's with Samuel Jackson. Jamie Foxx.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, no.

[Rory Mall]

Was it the Django that they were.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rory Mall]

Promoting.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

He puts on the craziest black accent. Oh, to talk to Lil Bow Wow. It's the funniest clip of all time. Like, he just gets in his mind of, like, what a 70s pimp would sound like and just starts talking that way.

[Brad Williams]

I gotta watch.

[Rory Mall]

And it just cuts to Samuel Jackson's face the whole time. Like, I cannot believe he's doing this.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, so it's like a. Oh, boy. Here it is. Yeah.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

So it's like a code switching, but in the worst.

[Co-host (Mall)]

In the worst way ever.

[Rory Mall]

Insane.

[Brad Williams]

Well, and I mean, to be fair to Quentin, like, I don't know if this is.

[Rory Mall]

He has a fetish.

[Brad Williams]

He does.

[Rory Mall]

And the fetish is the N word.

[Brad Williams]

Yes. He loves saying it.

[Rory Mall]

Can you put the volume on?

[Brad Williams]

All right. Hey, download this. I don't know how to do that. All right. You know, so he put it on a cassette tape. Then my man.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Comes back with Rick Ross. Rick Ross and the whole posse.

[Rory Mall]

This is real, Brad. This is real.

[Sponsor Voice]

Is it just me, or does he switch characters?

[Brad Williams]

That.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah,

[Brad Williams]

he doesn't say posse like that all the time.

[Co-host (Mall)]

He doesn't say posse at all.

[Rory Mall]

He wanted to say another word instead

[Brad Williams]

of posse, a word that he's written many times. Wow.

[Rory Mall]

And just made Leo say instead.

[Brad Williams]

That's got. Yeah. That's got to be so weird as. As, like, as any, like, as any race to have someone, like, just do what they think. Because, like, as a little person, I don't get that. Like, if. If Quentin Tarantino went on a dwarf talk show, he wouldn't suddenly, like, hop on, like, put his knees on his shoes, be like, so jungle and sand. What really represented. We know how you guys like to represent. Like,

[Rory Mall]

you probably dress as mini me.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah. Come out humping a laser. Like, that's wild, man. Like. And so sometimes, the only time I've caught myself doing this, thankfully on a black room. But anytime I play Canada, I don't know why, I slip into a Canadian accent real easy. Like, you know, I'll. I'll be up there talking like me. Then all of a sudden, I'll start to, you know, I'll just, you know, talk about certain things in a certain way, and it's. It's all right. It's great fun. You know, we. We have a great time up there, eh?

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And, yeah, it's like, I'll feel my voice. The Timmy Hortons just flows through me. I feel so bad because I love going to Canada, but, yeah, sometimes I. So sometimes I start talking about, like, you know, playing Puck with the boys.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And it's just. I like. And I have nothing Canadian in my background. You look at me, you're like, o. Because your family's from. No, my family's from Georgia. Texas. Like, it'd be more authentic if I started talking like that. Like, it'd be closer to that. That'd be more authentic to me. But that was a weird clip.

[Rory Mall]

You're just so used to. To role playing that you just get into.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I don't know. No warrior Now, Ma.

[Rory Mall]

I had had to have a heart to heart with Damaris, man. I found out she was overpaying for great wireless. Not.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Not Damaris, too.

[Rory Mall]

I told her to unlock the savings. $25 a month for the Forever Unlimited plan. It's a permanent price, Damaris, with no contracts, no price hikes. You can keep the phone you have in your hand right now, but you can save up to $600 a year. I wish you would listen to me more.

[Co-host (Mall)]

It's not listen to you.

[Rory Mall]

It's crazy.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Stop overpaying Based on average annual single line payment of AT and T, Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com mall

[Rory Mall]

Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet, which is Florida's sportsbook which everybody knows and we are in the Eastern and Western Conference finals NBA playoffs. Hopefully our Knicks are going to get there. But in the meantime you can go to Hard Rock Bet every single night, right? And you can do same game parlays even if you show up to the game late. You can bet every single quarter. You could bet ON Somebody dropping 30, somebody getting at least 10 rebounds. Hard Rock gives you tons of ways to stick your picks into same game parlay built for the playoffs. Try your first bet on Hard Rock Bet today and you can score $150 in bonus bets. If you win mall just place a $5 bet and if it hits, not only do you get your winnings, but you also get an extra $150. Who knows what you could do with that one?

[Co-host (Mall)]

Show it to me.

[Rory Mall]

I already know. You go crazy with that.

[Co-host (Mall)]

You know it. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and let's get the party started. Pairborn Bonus Bets Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida Offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? You call 1-833-PLAY-WISE in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

[Sponsor Voice]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] Disclosures

[Kal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project Hail Mary, Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo, yo, yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it.

[Brad Williams]

I was like, no.

[Ray Porter]

At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah, dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Paramount+ Promo Voice]

Now streaming on Paramount plus from Executive Producer Lena Waithe, the acclaimed series the Shy reaches its final chapter. For seven seasons, we've lived these stories, walked these streets, become part of this community. Now it all leads to this. Friendships will be tested, families will evolve, and secrets refuse to stay buried. As the past catches up and the future comes into focus, one truth remains. The Shy is more than a series. It's a legacy. Don't miss the final season of the Shy, now streaming on the Paramount Premium Plan.

[Rory Mall]

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. May is mental Health Awareness Month, so this is a reminder that whatever you're going through, you don't have to go through it alone. Life is a journey. Some days feel good and others feel overwhelming. Whatever's keeping you up at night. It's easy to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is no one has all of the answers and no journey should be alone. Having someone with you to listen to, understand and support you can make all the difference. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, anxious or unsure, those feelings are more common than you think. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps you identify your needs and preferences and their 12 plus years of experience and industry leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recommendations. You don't have to do this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10 off at betterhelp.com Rorymal that's better. H-E-L-P.com Rorymal

[Co-host (Mall)]

have you ever had a chance to meet some of your comic idols?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Who are some of them?

[Brad Williams]

I got to the coolest one for me was I performed in Mill Valley, California, a small theater called the Throckmorton Theater just north of San Francisco. And I'm on stage and the theater only holds like 175 people. It's not that big. And I didn't know this at the time, but Robin Williams was in the audience.

[Rory Mall]

Oh, wow.

[Brad Williams]

I did not know that.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Wow.

[Brad Williams]

And I got done with my set and I go backstage, the green room. And he burst into the green room. Didn't know he was there. And all of a sudden like Robin Williams. And he runs up to me, goes, oh my God, Mr. Williams, you're like Prozac with. And I'm just like, well, okay, thank you.

[Rory Mall]

I don't know how to take that.

[Brad Williams]

That is the best compliment ever. Like, I don't know how to beat that. Like, if, you know, when I finally leave this earth, I want that to be on my gravestone. Here lies Brad Williams, Prozac with a head.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Not beloved husband, Prozac with a head. Right. I, I love it. But one thing about comedy is you will meet your heroes if, if you past a certain level. Now we're like, we're all because like comedians, one thing is that when we have to work on stuff, we're all doing the same thing. Like every comic goes down to the seller and goes and works out Their stuff. Every comic matter, what level, goes to the Comedy Store to work out their stuff. So it's like they'll be on the same stages. You never leave that. You can take a break. You have, you know, you do movie, a tour, theaters, whatever, State stadiums now for some people. But you'll always go back to the clubs and to, to work out stuff. So you'll always run into really cool people. There's one time I did a show at the Miami Improv, and I'm about 10 minutes away from ending my show, and then the manager comes up to me and just hands me a note. And I open the note and it says, seinfeld here wants to go on. And I'm like, yeah, all right. So I had about 10 minutes left, so I go, I'm gonna finish my set because, you know, I got an ego. I'll make Jerry. And then I, I, I finish and I go, ladies and gentlemen, weird stuff happens. So please welcome stage Jerry Seinfeld. And in my head, I go, he better be here, because if I.

[Rory Mall]

That'd be the worst prank ever.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, my God. In Miami, just being like, ladies and gentlemen, Jerry Seinfeld. And then, then no one walks out. Oh, I would, oh, my tiny fists would have done damage that night.

[Rory Mall]

But meanwhile, he came out and said, what's the deal with dwarves?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, what's the deal with your people? Yeah, they want to be called little people. I thought little people are just Puerto Rican

[Rory Mall]

that kill in Miami.

[Brad Williams]

It would kill Miami. Supposed to be a little coffee. This thing's cocaine.

[Rory Mall]

Cubans are just Republican Puerto Ricans.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, you're not wrong. Yeah, it was, it was great. He came up, he did a set, and then, then afterward we talked for a little bit. Talk comedy. And, you know, we took some photos and stuff. It was great. You'll meet, you'll meet your heroes. You go down, you go down to the cellar here in New York. And any given night, there's going to be some legends.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Oh, yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Stopping by and it's awesome because I'm still a fan of comedy. Yeah, I love it. I do it. But I also love it. It. So when I get to see certain people working on their stuff or get to see, you know, you're at the Comedy Store and Chris Rock is hosting the Oscars and he pops by to do his monologue when Nikki Glazer is working on her Golden Globes monologue and, and she's popping by there, there's, there's been some crazy pop ins where like, one time Chappelle came by and ended up doing a show at the Belly Room. That's only like 100 people and less than that. What am I talking about? And, yeah, but he did, like three hours and, and he was literally calling friends from the stage to have them come by and pop on stage with him. Like, John Mayer showed up. Tiffany Haddish. It was the weirdest night. But, like, those nights are those only in Hollywood, only in New York, only in wherever. Like, they're, they're just awesome. I, I, that's one of the coolest parts about this job.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, we were, I think we had a show in LA or something, and we, we were staying at the Mondron and the store's right across the street. And last minute, I was like, oh, there's an 11pm show in the Belly Room. I'll just walk across the street. Probably, I don't know, maybe like 30 people in the crowd. Bill Burr, Mark Maron.

[Brad Williams]

Yep.

[Rory Mall]

I think Eddie Griffin showed up. It was like, what the fuck is going on right now?

[Brad Williams]

For 30 people, this, this show could fill an arena. And then it's 30 people.

[Co-host (Mall)]

I feel like comedy is the only, like, genre that can do that, though, though.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Like, you're never really at a rock club.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And all of a sudden, yeah, I'm just gonna try some riffs. And then after that, yeah, like, David Lee Roth shows up. He's gonna do it. And now here's Paul McCartney. Like, like, that doesn't happen.

[Co-host (Mall)]

No, no.

[Brad Williams]

At the, at the Whiskey a Go Go or whatever. Yeah, yeah. Like, it does. Or, you know, you're, you're not going to certain playgrounds, and it's like, well, here, well, here's LeBron. He's gonna play for a little bit.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Steph showed up. Anthony Edwards is waiting.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Jordan's in the car.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, Jordan's in the car. He's gonna watch.

[Rory Mall]

But, like, ironically, you'll see Adam Sandler at the basketball court before.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, you'll see, you'll see Adam Sandler. So it's like as, as big as you become in this business. Like, if you look at the, the app, the people doing arenas right now, your Kevin Harts, your Dave Chappelle's, your Shane Gillises, like, they're all popping. So you're all still going to see them working out their stuff. It's, it's truly an amazing time.

[Rory Mall]

Do you prefer the smaller rooms? Because, I mean, I, I've been, I saw L. I saw Lucy.

[Brad Williams]

Careful, careful.

[Rory Mall]

I talked to L. I talked to Lucy K on the Phone.

[Brad Williams]

Okay. Okay.

[Rory Mall]

I saw Lucy K at the Garden, and it was good. Don't get me wrong, but I don't know. Comedy in an arena, it's not really the same.

[Brad Williams]

It's not. It's. It's not the same. I have done a couple of arenas. Never my show, but opening up for people or doing guest spots, and it is different. I. I will say, right now I'm in theaters. That's kind of a nice little sweet spot.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Where it's still. There's still some intimacy there. Yeah. But then it's a large crowd, you feel like a rock star, and you could have, you know, it's a very nice payday, and it. It's a good balance. I'm not saying I'm turning down arenas, cuz I've seen those checks and they are. They are good. Yeah, but. Yeah, but then you go back and you do a smaller room, 100 seater, 150 seater, and you're like, oh, this is like, yeah, I'm. I'm. I'm gonna go back to clubs soon. Not the whole time. Like, right now I'm in theaters in large casinos, and it's great. And. And. But I'm gonna go back. I'm. I'm doing a bunch of club stuff soon. Soon. Just because I want to feel that.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Again, like, I don't want to be so separated that I kind of forget where I came from.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. You brought up the Kevin Hart roast.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

Have you been paying attention to the post Kevin Hart roast?

[Brad Williams]

Yep.

[Rory Mall]

With the Chelsea Handler verse. Tony Inchcliffe versus Shane.

[Brad Williams]

Well.

[Rory Mall]

And Kevin versus the Breakfast Club.

[Brad Williams]

Sure.

[Rory Mall]

It's.

[Brad Williams]

This is my. This is my whole thing with the roast. Yeah. I'm. I'm not gonna take, like a side. But here's my thing with the roast. A. It's a roast. This is where we say inappropriate. Yeah. You can't be shocked that. It. It's basically getting upset, you know, like Wemby dunked in a basketball game. That's what you do. Right, Right. That's what you do there. He disrespected the pitcher when he hit a home run off of him. That's what he's supposed to do in that thing. Roasts are supposed to be the craziest, worst, most insane jokes that you can come up with, and then that's where you do them. The other thing that I think would be better in the roast form is that it felt like for this roast, they got a lot of just the. The most popular people and not necessarily people that know each other get along.

[Rory Mall]

Like.

[Brad Williams]

Like, I loved the James Franco roast. That was one of my favorites because everyone on that panel knew each other, and when they were with each other, they were all laughing. They were all friends. They're all like, oh, yeah. You know that about me, and I know that about you, and you knew it was all good. Like, the old Dean Martin roasts when Don Rickles is roasting the same.

[Rory Mall]

Same thing when he was here.

[Brad Williams]

And Frank Sinatra, like, they're all friends. And I think that helps a roast be even better because it's not me walking out and making fun of someone who I don't know.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Right.

[Brad Williams]

It's like, no, I know you. Yeah. So I know.

[Co-host (Mall)]

And then you knew I was gonna say this.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And the jokes get crazier because then, you know, like, if. If I were to go on stage and do a roast with Andrew Santino and Chris Porter and, like, guys that I. I really know know, like, oh, man. The places we would go and. And. And the places they will go with me. Right. Would be awesome, because once again, as we said, it all depends on where the joke is coming from and from. If you all know each other and you're all friends, that's when it all comes from love. So I would love for the roasts to continue because I really enjoy them, but also, I would love for there to be more friends. Like, I love the fact that Kevin had Big J Okerson on.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

A guy he's known. Yeah. For 20 something.

[Rory Mall]

Where you get the personal stories of the 10K that he lent them. Like.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

There's a you history there.

[Brad Williams]

You get, like, that. So then when Big J goes in on him, then, you know, like, yeah, but there's nothing but love here, right? Yeah, man. I. I remember watching the Rose. The cr. The craziest moment for me was, like, I was watching the roast with my wife, and we're cracking up. And then Cat came out, and I. And she's. My wife, literally noticed my whole body change. She's like, what? And I'm just sitting there like, they hate each other. This is gonna be weird. This is gonna go. Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

I thought it was a joke when they had his voice, like, before he came out, I thought someone was just joking on Kev. Like, oh, cat's here joke. When he came out, I watched it live, too. I was like, what the.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Like, I thought it was Dan Soder in the background to be like, oh, yeah, player. We're gonna come out here and do some real in this. Like, we all thought. Yeah, that's what I thought, too. And then Cat comes out. I'm like, hey, they hate each other. Yeah. And then, like, they squash the beef. Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

No, it was the same way Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft at the Tom Brady roast.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. They still hate each other.

[Brad Williams]

The cameras are on, right? Yes. I'm friends with this person. Yes. No, I. It, like, they can't stand each other. So I. I would like to see more roasts where, like, you know, and if you did a roast with kind of like the Rogan crew, I think that'd be fun. If it was Joe, Tony, Ari, Shane, Mark, Norman, like, that whole group, I think that'd be fun because they all know each other.

[Co-host (Mall)]

It kind of feels like a roast will kill Tony anyway, with the way they have it set up, the panel, everybody's there. It's kind of like a roast every episode.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Is that. It's more of an instant roast, because you don't really know. You don't really do research, just kind of see people do their thing. But I. I enjoy the rose culture. It's just one other part of comedy. It's like, the same way I enjoy a prop comic. I enjoy, you know, roasts. If you have a podcast, like, whatever form of comedy, it's just different types of comedy. And. And if you like it. Awesome. If roasts offend you, that's totally okay. You're allowed to be offended.

[Podcast Announcer]

Just don't.

[Brad Williams]

Just don't watch it. Right. You know, don't, don't, don't. Don't rage. Bait yourself and engage in the thing that you know is going to piss you off if you're a little sensitive to outlandish jokes, because that's what's there.

[Rory Mall]

And, like, I. I can totally understand and empathize with people that were upset about the jokes Shane made about Cheryl. But if Cheryl's on Shane's podcast afterwards.

[Brad Williams]

Yes.

[Rory Mall]

Laughing about it.

[Brad Williams]

Yes.

[Rory Mall]

How am I about to be offended for somebody else? Correct. That isn't offended.

[Brad Williams]

Yes.

[Rory Mall]

By the joke.

[Brad Williams]

Yes. And as Shane said, that's an arrogant

[Rory Mall]

thought to be like, I'm offended.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

The person it's about isn't.

[Brad Williams]

Well, it's that thing where you're going so far one way that it ends up going the other way.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Where what you're telling Cheryl Underwood in that scenario is, is you're not smart enough to know that you should be offended.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Right.

[Rory Mall]

Like, I don't know your husband.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

So why. If you're not offended, why the would

[Brad Williams]

I Be that you're the like. And as Shane mentioned, he called her right to say, hey, I wrote some jokes about your husband. Right. Is this okay? Cheryl said, bring it. Okay. If I get the green light, I'm swinging. Right? And then in the, at the roast, Cheryl's laughing and then they do a podcast afterward. Cheryl's laughing on the podcast. Cheryl. Cheryl's awesome. I've worked with her multiple times and she's always got a great attitude. She crushed on the roast. She's so happy.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Absolutely.

[Brad Williams]

Because you could you. If you've known Cheryl for a while, you, you might think, oh, she's only about like the Talk. That's. That's who she is. The host of the Talk or whatever. The View. I don't know what she did, but she did one of them. But then it was so nice to see her do that. Be like, nah, guys, this, this is

[Co-host (Mall)]

where she comes from.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, she's a comic.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

He can go, yeah, love seeing it.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And.

[Rory Mall]

And my thing with Chelsea Handler, like, I loved her set and I love the angle that she took. I thought she killed and gave the other angle of it of kind of that what they consider, I don't consider, but the alt right comedy scene. I think she smoked her set. It was good angle. It got weird. When was it? Was it Dion Cole's pod that she went on? Yeah, like, you're set. Said everything. You said it already said it already. Like now it's not even like funny like now this is like weird.

[Brad Williams]

But yeah, it's like the same thing where it's like, now you're going off the show and now you're complaining about the show.

[Rory Mall]

It's like she started with Pete Davis is our, our moral compass tonight. Which was hilarious.

[Brad Williams]

Great.

[Rory Mall]

Like, she killed her. Everything she said on Dion Cole she said on that set and it was funny. Now it's just odd to me.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. The. About Tony or like, like guys going to Saudi Arabia to get a bag of money, but they won't go fight wars.

[Rory Mall]

Hilarious.

[Brad Williams]

Brilliant joke. I love that. But then it's like, okay, you said it right. We're good now. When. And that's my, my point where I, I want people to be friends or, or know. Or know each other or cool with each other or like what we saw with Cheryl where then she goes on.

[Paramount+ Promo Voice]

On.

[Brad Williams]

Because now I want Cheryl and Shane to go on a podcast and talk about. Yeah. How much fun they had and all the behind the scenes stuff. I want that to happen. Yeah. But, yeah, so, you know, but Teach their own. She. Chelsea's made an entire career of not doing what exactly what was expected of her. So maybe I'm wrong in the whole thing, but to me, it rubbed me the wrong way. But I enjoyed the roast. Yeah, no, it was really good. I enjoyed it.

[Co-host (Mall)]

How much can a roast help a comedian's career? Like, post roast, like, how was that beneficial for me?

[Brad Williams]

Comedian? Look. Look at Nikki. Yeah, yeah, look at Nikki. N. It got her to host the Golden Globes.

[Rory Mall]

She killed that set, too.

[Brad Williams]

Killed that set. And now she's gonna. She's moving on. She, like, she was doing theaters, and I believe she's gonna start going to some larger venues now, which I'm all for. Nikki opened for me back in the day, one weekend, and even at the time, I was like, oh, this just.

[Co-host (Mall)]

She's a star.

[Brad Williams]

She's. She's awesome. Yeah, she's great. So I really enjoyed it. So, yeah, you're. You're. I mean, Anthony Jeselnik was launched from Roasts.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Greg Giraldo would consistently go have the best set and start off every roast.

[Rory Mall]

Like, his son is hilarious, by the way.

[Brad Williams]

I haven't seen him yet, but I

[Rory Mall]

saw a set of his son. It's super funny.

[Brad Williams]

I love hearing that because whenever a family member or a legacy or Nepo tries to, like, break into comedy, I'm always like, oh, boy. Like, like, like the. The fact. The. The fact that Tony Rock is so good at comedy is such a relief because you're like, your brother is one of the best of all time. And then you're still awesome. Like, that's. That's really cool. Like, I always get nervous when, like, people come in there. Like, I'm so and so's kid. You're like, yeah. Oh, boy.

[Rory Mall]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

I've. I've seen.

[Podcast Announcer]

Seen.

[Brad Williams]

I've seen some legendary children. Yeah. Try to do stand up and it not go very well.

[Rory Mall]

And I mean, respectfully, his Nepo is a little different because you can definitely draw some funny pain of your father dying of a drug overdose when you were a teenager.

[Brad Williams]

Like, thousand percent.

[Rory Mall]

Like, he's been.

[Brad Williams]

That one's also a little different because it's not like Greg is still around, and he went to clubs and went, give my son a spot or else I won't do it. Like. Like, it's not that he still had to kind of get his way in. The name will open a few doors for you, but comedy is wonderful in that way where even if the name opens you a door, even if I initially got booked on shows because I'm a dwarf. And they think, well, that's different. That's like, I still have to deliver.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

I still have to be fun.

[Rory Mall]

It only works once with that.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rory Mall]

You don't get invited back when you're not fun.

[Brad Williams]

Like. Yeah.

[Rory Mall]

We'll give you this.

[Brad Williams]

There are certain people that come from different venues of entertainment, reality stars, other forms that they decide maybe the career has dried up a little bit, and now. And now they're just gonna do comedy. Good luck.

[Rory Mall]

Say their names. Say their names.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, there is.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. Comedy. Comedy has gotten close to the celebrity DJ worlds. I have seen a lot of people now doing stand up was like, okay,

[Brad Williams]

I'll use this as an example, because he's already talked about it. Like, when. Then Charlie Sheen did his whole thing and then got fired from Two and a Half Men.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And then was like, I'm going on a comedy tour.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Next week. Wait, what?

[Rory Mall]

Well, he also had Jeff Ross writing for him. Yeah, that helps.

[Brad Williams]

It does help. He had. Yeah, yeah, he had Ross writing. But it's like, you have not done this ever. Yeah, like, I, I. I feel a lot about that. The same way I, I imagine a lot of boxers feel about Jake Paul and Ray J and all these guys going, I'm gonna box now. You're like, no, you're not. It's not gonna go hurt. Yeah, you're gonna get hurt.

[Rory Mall]

Like, and Brendan Shaw did the opposite.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Like, when. When you go and you do comedy and you've never done it before, and you're. And. And you're not working out in the cl. Like, you're not working out building a set.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Like, props to. I'll shout them out. Comedian Michael Yo. Because he came from the world of, like, red carpet interviews.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

And then he was, like, moving into the world of stand up. And when he started, he would do a Michael Yo Presents, and he would host the show.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And then he'd have great comics come out, like Sarah Tiana and, like, Kill. But then as he's doing that, he's getting better. So now. And then he got to the point where he's like, all right, now I can go out on my own. And he had chops.

[Rory Mall]

Smart. Cipher Sounds did the same thing. Pip was hosting at the store, and Cy is a great standup comedian. Like, he really put in the hours to host everything, and then now can, you know, full sets.

[Brad Williams]

You, You. You can't just, you know, get fired from a show on HBO because of problematic behavior and then just go into standup comedy. You can't, you can't just be like, well, now I'm gonna headline and, and, and then hopefully they can. I can't see through my hair plugs under the hot lights. You know, as a random example. Random example.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brad Williams]

There. I did the thing without doing the thing.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, no, I understood it.

[Brad Williams]

No worry.

[Rory Mall]

Now mall summer is here and it's time to have my beard shimmering in the sunlight. I don't know if you can notice now. I know you noticed, but it's school. You can play koi. I have the Baskin lather growth oil in as far as the beard softener. I'm ready to be outside at the festivals. I don't have a care in the world at this point. Look, look, look at this.

[Co-host (Mall)]

You ready to show off?

[Rory Mall]

Look at the growth. Yeah, look at the inches.

[Brad Williams]

I see you.

[Rory Mall]

That is because I have the basque and lather in right now. Natural beard growth oil for fuller, thicker facial hair. A blend of vital nutrients to help nourish and increase the blood circulation right to the hair follicles. So you could have this right here. Mo, you could have my red beard if you wanted to.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, I got to start using that.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, man. Softening of beard hair and dandruff reduction so you could wear a black T shirt and feel completely fine that you're not just gonna be flaky when you walk outside.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, that's nasty. That's bad business.

[Brad Williams]

We don't need that.

[Rory Mall]

It's wild.

[Co-host (Mall)]

And this is also a black owned and family operated brand. Shout out to the CEO Shayna and her mother. They researched and formulated their own scalp and hair oil to stimulate growth and to retain length. So we want to keep using this product because it is black owned and we appreciate that.

[Rory Mall]

And no, I use it daily. Daily. It's been great. I've struggled with certain beard products. They don't work on my skin with my hair. This has been great. It's definitely my favorite beard oil right now for sure.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Explore viral bestsellers and products of healthier hair of all types from Baskin lather. Go to baskinlathercode.com and use code Rory Mall for 20% off. That's 20% off at Bask Lather co.com code Rory Mall.

[Sponsor Voice]

Support for the show comes from public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset set portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks Clicks Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] Disclosures

[Kal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Cal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary, Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it.

[Brad Williams]

I was like, no.

[Ray Porter]

At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that, deeply emotional, affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Hearsay. The Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Paramount+ Promo Voice]

Now streaming on Paramount from executive producer Lena Waithe, the acclaimed series the Shy reaches its final chapter. For seven seasons, we've lived these stories. Stories walk these streets, become part of this community. Now it all leads to this. Friendships will be tested, families will evolve, and secrets refuse to stay buried as the past catches up and the future comes into focus. One truth the Shy is more than a series. It's a legacy. Don't miss the final season of the Shy, now streaming on The Paramount Premium Plan.

[Rory Mall]

Folks knew the colonel approved of his

[Brad Williams]

new Honey Chili Crisp and Jalapeno Ranch sauces the moment he tasted them and said, that's right. No notes, just absolute silence. Turns out some flavors don't need explaining, they just need dipping. It's saucy season at KFC with new Honey Chili Crisp and Jalapeno Ranch. Get dipping with a boneless bucket today.

[Sponsor Voice]

Prices and participation vary.

[Rory Mall]

What years were you at USC?

[Brad Williams]

2004 to 2006. So that was right in peak. Matt Liner. I was Reggie Bush.

[Rory Mall]

You knew exactly where I was going.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. What.

[Rory Mall]

What was the Reggie Bush, Matt Leonard campus life like at that time? Because, bro, they were bigger than a NFL team.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, me and Matt were friends at the time.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Say roommates. I was about to say, what the.

[Brad Williams]

Not roommates, but, like, we would meet at this bar.

[Rory Mall]

We found out Pac Man Jones and Jelly Roll were roommates in college.

[Brad Williams]

What?

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Yes, I know Jelly Roll. Yeah. I didn't know that.

[Rory Mall]

Pac man on the show, he's like, yeah, I was roommates with him. Like, wait, what?

[Brad Williams]

I gotta call Jelly.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, that's insane.

[Brad Williams]

How is he not just doing. How is Jelly not written? The Pac Man Shuffle or whatever jokes like, oh, my God, Jelly. Call me, man. We're going out. We're.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, we gotta talk.

[Brad Williams]

We're gonna share some stories. But, yeah, like, Matt and I were friends at the time because I would go to this bar called the 901 Club. It's a classic dive bar. Every. Every Trojan goes there and. And, like, we would post up and have a great time, and it was. It was a lot of fun. And then Matt and I, like, went off and did our own thing. You know, him going to the NFL and all that, and then me working my way up. But now, because we're both, like, now he's doing the college football thing, and I'm a little more popular now, like. And we're neighbors. He lives not too far away from me. Okay. So, yeah, like, now we're, like, now we're reconnecting, which is really. Which is really cool. Dope.

[Rory Mall]

What. Like, what is that we've talked about on the show? Being at USC in Los Angeles and being like, did Matt go to class? Like, how the are you in Los Angeles and that? Famous. And a teenager.

[Kal Penn]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

It's wild that that was the thing, because this. Because this is before the Rams came back.

[Rory Mall]

Yep. They were the NFL team.

[Brad Williams]

They were the NFL team in Los Angeles, and they were awesome. So, like, I know a Lot of football players went to class because those are the types of classes that I was in, let's just say.

[Rory Mall]

Wasn't Matt le. His fifth year? He just took ballroom dancing, if I remember correctly. Like, he literally took one class.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Hey, he qualified. Hey, man, that's why I love where college sports is going now. Or now it's like, it's. It's nil. We're not dancing around this.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Co-host (Mall)]

I love it.

[Brad Williams]

We're just. Hey, hey, the athletes, you know. Yeah. Get paid. You're. You're an unpaid player for. You're basically a minor league football team, and you're not being paid paid. And you're bringing in, like, all the money for. For the university.

[Co-host (Mall)]

I mean, Matt, Lana and Reggie Bush, the amount of money they brought to us.

[Brad Williams]

Come on, man.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Insane.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, that. That's like. So. Yeah, it was, like, the secret you're not supposed to talk about. Now it's like, cool. Get it out in the open. Let's pay these players. Let's have Indiana, with the largest alumni association in the country, come back and go, you know what? We haven't been good at football forever, but this. Right, Natty? Yeah. Mark Cuban throws that them, Natty? Yeah. Like, oh, okay. Cool. Wild West. Let's go. Right?

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

I love it.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. No, I mean, I'm sure Reggie Bush. His mom bought him that Hummer when he was in.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. When he was in college, they got that house. You know, they were in the hood

[Rory Mall]

in San Diego and they, you know.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. They just. They figured it out.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Ironically, that year, some good investment, good

[Co-host (Mall)]

moves, good management in.

[Brad Williams]

In investing in your superstar athlete, son. Nothing wrong with it. Yeah. Dude. Bro, this. This is. This is where I get mad. This is where I get really upset because you look at the sanctions that the NCAA threw down to USC for buying Reggie Bush a house, and it was, like, damn near crippled the program. Pete Carroll leaves because of it.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

He said he didn't.

[Co-host (Mall)]

He did.

[Rory Mall]

He did.

[Brad Williams]

He saw the writing on the wall. He's like, well, we're not going back to the national title game anytime soon.

[Rory Mall]

Right?

[Brad Williams]

Deuces and then Penn State. What happens there? Like, they had, like, a year of, like, all right, you're not Bull. Eligible. You're. And then the next year, they're like, we were a little hard on you. Let's. Let's. Let. Let. Let's retract the sanctions. Let's get you out there again. I'm like that. You were hard on them. I think they were hard on the Kids.

[Rory Mall]

I, I think that was hush money or hush pedophilia.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I think that was the problem is you literally had a hard. So I think that's the issue here. Yeah. So, like, that's, that's where I get super pissed when people like, well, USU cheated. They paid the players a. Every college was doing it. Yeah, every single one, you know? Yeah, they, they. They were slapping down stacks of cash. Penn State was slapping cheeks in the shower. It's a little different. Which would you rather your kid experience? I'd rather my kid get a bag. Personally. My publicist is off camera, very worried right now.

[Rory Mall]

We're gonna make it a clip. What are you doing, Brad?

[Brad Williams]

Hey, man, I'm gonna. I'm gonna sell tickets in la, that's for damn sure.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Absolutely.

[Brad Williams]

Absolutely. I, I will rip for my school. Yeah.

[Co-host (Mall)]

How much of cancel culture kind of ruined, like, stand up comedy?

[Brad Williams]

Hasn't ruined it at all, really. No, here's. Here's my opinion on that, because let's go through a list of comedians who have been canceled. You have Joe Rogan, Dave Chappelle, Louis ck, Shane Gillis. They're all doing Hinchcliffe, they're all doing arenas. Okay.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, cancel me too.

[Brad Williams]

Cancel me too. Show that Penn State clip and cancel me, because then I'll be selling out arenas and I. And, and I'll. And I'll get my back.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

What, What. What is going on right now in. Com. Somebody is. You have, like, you always had the people out there that didn't like certain things or got offended by jokes or didn't want comedians to say certain things. You know, like, literally, you go back. Lenny Bruce was prosecuted by the United States government for. For what he said. So there's always been a cancel culture, but now there's just a whole. Now we hear all of the objections because of social media, because everyone has a voice, because everyone has a podcast, because every podcast needs stuff to talk about so we can talk about it. But, like, o. Overall, it's not like if Bill Cosby put on a show tomorrow, he said he shows up. Exactly.

[Rory Mall]

He's buying a ticket.

[Co-host (Mall)]

He already said not to go.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, because you're like, what is he gonna talk?

[Co-host (Mall)]

We just got to see what this. This may be the only night this happened.

[Brad Williams]

Yes. So. So that's my example of, like, can't, like, if you are good, certainly in stand up now, in other forms of entertainment, I'm not going to say that cancel culture doesn't exist because like we talked about, there's a Lot of gatekeepers in other forms of entertainment that can say, no, we don't like that for our brand, our image. You have sponsors that you have to uphold to. So I'm not going to say this for all walks of entertainment, but for stand up comedy. Yeah, you're not canceled.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Did it ever affect the way you wrote some of your material, though?

[Brad Williams]

Well, sure, but not in. Because I didn't want to get canceled because I want to entertain my audience. So if the lines change, that's okay. It's my job as the comedian to entertain my audience. If you don't like certain types of jokes, well, okay, thanks for telling me. I will write certain types of jokes. Jokes that, that will appease to you. And so it is the comedian's job, in my opinion, to adjust and. But, you know, you still stay true to your laurels and find your audience too. That's the important thing. Because there are some people, they're like, I don't like cursing in my comedy.

[Rory Mall]

Cool.

[Brad Williams]

Go watch Nate Bargazzi. He's a brilliant, clean comedian. Go watch Jim Gaffigan. Brilliant, clean comedian. Go watch those guys and though. And you'll have a great time. You want a little more edge. Okay. Go watch some of the other guys that, that the Nate Bargazi crowd wouldn't necessarily enjoy. It's okay. It's like genres of music. You can have country and hip hop.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

They don't have to be like, well, we have hip hop, so country needs to go like. No, everyone can have their thing.

[Rory Mall]

That's where you get jelly roll.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Everybody.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, that's sweet spot right there.

[Brad Williams]

Everyone could have their slice of the pie. It's totally fine. All these different types of comedians can exist. I love like, like, I love the fact that you could watch, watch a Nate Bargazzi. You could watch a Shane Gillis, you can watch a Taylor Tomlinson all do their own thing and all be great at it. It's a wonderful time. So, yeah, there are vocal people out there that don't want to hear certain jokes and wish that certain comedians would go away, whatever. But there's also a lot of people that are still buying those tickets. So comedy's at a really great time right now. I'm not gonna rant about we can't say what we want is. Yeah, yeah, I hate that. Yeah. When people say, like, you can't even, you can't even talk about certain things anymore. You can, you just have to be funny. Right? Like, because you can tell, you can tell an abortion joke. You can tell a George Floyd joke.

[Co-host (Mall)]

It has to be funny.

[Brad Williams]

It's just gotta be funny. Yeah. And you have to understand that as soon as you bring up certain topics, there will be certain people that immediately, when they hear a word, they go, nope.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, right.

[Brad Williams]

And they cut you off. If you are okay dealing with those consequences. Yeah, yeah. Do your thing. Live your art. Because as soon as you say you can't joke about X topic, I'll show you nine comedians that are doing that topic and doing it brilliantly. Yeah. So you, you just have to be good at it.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, yeah. Every time we've had a comedian on here, I've always asked, I know you're LA comic, but do you have any Patrice o' Neill stories?

[Brad Williams]

I never met Patrick.

[Rory Mall]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

I never. I, I, Every time I hear it. Patricia Trees story.

[Rory Mall]

They're the funny. Every time we ask, it's always the wildest story ever.

[Brad Williams]

There's one where one of my favorites is he saw a comedian shadow boxing in the wings, ready to go on, and he just walked up to just hurry up and bomb n word like. And I'm just like, didn't know the guy. That's one that I've heard that I, I, I really enjoy. But they're. There's certain comics out there that were just. And Patrice is a prime example of, like, you talk about, like, cancel culture. Like, yeah, he pissed a lot of people off for sure.

[Rory Mall]

But he defended Don Imus on Fox.

[Brad Williams]

Yes. You want to talk about.

[Rory Mall]

Didn't give a. Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

But he was authentic because he, he wasn't like that on stage in a completely different way. Off stage. That was always got a hundred percent of that gu. So, yeah, like, oh, and I know the exact clip you're talking about where he was on Fox.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Defending Imus. And he's making jokes. And there's someone there that's the advocate

[Rory Mall]

for people, the special friend lady.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And then he's making jokes and the crew is cracking up. He's going, don't laugh at these jokes. You can't laugh. These are not funny. Brilliant. Yeah. Just brilliant. Whether it be Patrice O', Neill, whether it be Norm McDonald, Ronald, these are comments that were so authentically themselves that if you don't like them, totally fine. But the people that get it and who love it are, oh, really good.

[Rory Mall]

One of the funniest, Patrice, I think it was Kev telling it on Rogan's podcast that he was bombing at the Comedy Cellar, and Patrice threw a phone book at him when he was on stage and Kev looked at him like, what? In the middle of a set? And he said, read it. There's better material in there.

[Brad Williams]

I thought he was going to throw the phone book and be like, stand on it.

[Rory Mall]

They can't see you.

[Brad Williams]

That'd be a great heckle for me. Yeah, I. I'll. I'll throw that out there. If any of my audiences.

[Rory Mall]

That's the new trend, is throw a

[Brad Williams]

phone book on stage. I'll get on it and then tell some more jokes. It'll be fun.

[Rory Mall]

Kev. Kev had some of the funniest Patrice stories in that same episode too.

[Brad Williams]

I think.

[Rory Mall]

Patrisse was staying at Kev's house in LA when he was with his first wife. And they walked into the house and Patrisse was jacking off in their house. They caught him jacking off,

[Brad Williams]

knowing Patrice,

[Rory Mall]

and after he was done, he looked back at Kev's wife at the time, and Kev was like, nothing I say is going to change what happened here.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Nothing. It doesn't matter what you say right now.

[Rory Mall]

Nothing's going to change.

[Co-host (Mall)]

It is what it is.

[Brad Williams]

Very true.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Brad, let them know where we can catch you at, man.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, go to Brad Williams, comedy dot com. That is. That is the website that. That'll have all the tour dates for the Tall Tales Tour. That's where you can watch my. My most recent special, Live on Short street, which is on my YouTube channel. That's where you can get my new podcast, Height and Babble with me and my opening act, JB Ball. We're exactly the same because I'm a 4 foot 4 white guy from Orange County. He's a 6 foot 3 black guy from Florida.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Exactly the same.

[Brad Williams]

Exactly the same. So it's a lot of fun. And yeah, bradwcommy.com that's where you can go for everything.

[Rory Mall]

When are you in New York?

[Brad Williams]

I'm in New York and he's in

[Co-host (Mall)]

portchester on the 31st.

[Brad Williams]

I'm in. I'm doing New York proper, doing Town hall. I think it's in September.

[Rory Mall]

Okay.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Okay.

[Rory Mall]

Oh, yeah, we'll definitely be that town hall.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. No, come out.

[Co-host (Mall)]

We gotta for that one.

[Rory Mall]

The long Long Island Railroad's on strike.

[Brad Williams]

I don't know if I'm going to Portrait,

[Rory Mall]

but Town Hall, I would definitely, definitely want to go to.

[Brad Williams]

It's really fun venue. I've played. I've played before.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, we. We did a live show there, too.

[Brad Williams]

The thing about whether I play New York, Nashville, Vegas, any of these cities that have a lot of Entertainment. I'm always so honored where. Because it's like New York. You're competing with Broadway. Every live comedy venue, like there's so much. Every music venue, there's so much going on and that people still buy tickets to see me. I'm forever grateful. I know a lot of people are. Are, you know, times are tough for them right now. So if, if you spend your. Your hard earned money on a ticket to see me, you. You get a babysitter, you pay for the subway ticket, the parking ticket, you get dinner beforehand. Holy. I have a responsibility to get. To give you the damnedest show I can give you, and that's what I'm gonna do for you.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah, no, I hear that. We, we really appreciate you coming through.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Appreciate you. Right, man. This was great, man.

[Rory Mall]

Yeah. Look forward to seeing the live show as well.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, man. Thank you guys for having me. Thank you to my publicist. Who brought a dog.

[Rory Mall]

Yes. Noodle.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Shout out to Noodles.

[Brad Williams]

Noodle. Thank you for your. The Asian guy on staff that went and got me a slice. Thanks, Ryan. Dude, I walked in, you guys were eating the most amazing pizza ever. Shout. What's industry Lind Street. Shout them out. They're. They. He ran and got me a spice.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Some of the best piece in New York.

[Brad Williams]

Right.

[Rory Mall]

I don't want to shout them out because the line is already too long. Okay.

[Co-host (Mall)]

Yeah, but if you're in New York, you know about Lind.

[Rory Mall]

It's one of the famous.

[Brad Williams]

You can get great, man. Such good pizza. So. Yeah, that, that. Thank you guys for. Thank you guys for having me.

[Co-host (Mall)]

No, this is Brad Williams. I'm that nigga. He's just Ginger.

[Brad Williams]

Peace. No worrying now.

[Podcast Announcer]

Hey, did you know Dietzen Watson has been family owned for over 85 years? To us, that means it's more than a business. It's personal. We make our premium meats and cheeses the right way, even if it's slower or inconvenient or hard, because that's how you get the highest quality. If it's not good enough for our family, it's not good enough for yours. And while others cut corners, we keep raising the bar. So if you see the Dietz and Watson name, you'll know every slice has my family's seal of approval. Dietz and Watson. It's a family thing since 1939.

[Brad Williams]

Okay.

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Rory Mall]

M&M's popped caramel do sound different.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, no.

[Rory Mall]

People are gonna be obsessed.

[Brad Williams]

What do you mean?

[Rory Mall]

People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch.

[Brad Williams]

Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute.

[Rory Mall]

Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time?

[Brad Williams]

Mmm.

[Sponsor Voice]

So tasty.

[Rory Mall]

Hands off us.

[Brad Williams]

M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together.

[Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.