Transcript

Carrot Top (0:00)

This is an I Heart podcast.

Danielle Fishel (0:04)

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Will Friedle (1:26)

But there's so much more. Whatever you love, that's what prime is.

Ryder Strong (1:30)

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Danielle Fishel (1:33)

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Will Friedle (1:52)

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Ryder Strong (1:59)

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Danielle Fishel (2:06)

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Will Friedle (2:13)

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Danielle Fishel (2:16)

Summary

Pod Meets World: "Carrot Top Meets World"

Date: August 19, 2025
Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Guest: Carrot Top (Scott Thompson)

Episode Overview

This lively episode marks "Las Vegas Week" (aka Viva Las Content) as Danielle, Will, and Ryder sit down with iconic Vegas comedian Carrot Top. The conversation dives into Carrot Top’s 20-year (!!) Vegas residency, his unique inventiveness as a prop comic, the challenges and rewards of performing in Sin City, the origins of his act, advice for up-and-coming performers, and behind-the-scenes stories from an entertainment legend with a four-decade career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Vegas Performer’s Challenge

Vegas audiences are tough and unique:
- Many arrive already exhausted or, as Carrot Top describes, “people start drinking... seven in the morning… by the time they come to your show… they’re just looking for air-conditioning.” (05:37)
- The Pod Meets World crew shares their own experiences with stiff Vegas crowds.
- Carrot Top says, “It’s hard, yeah, to blow people away. They don’t—they don’t understand it.” (06:25)
Memorable Vegas audience encounters:
- Carrot Top recounts a moment when a man jumped on stage just to give him a hug, then awkwardly lingered until security finally escorted him off. “No one’s coming to help me… So where are you from? How long you been in Vegas? Like interviewing the guy.” (08:02)
- Sleepy, rowdy, or “listening” crowds all require different energy: “You don’t want too rowdy and you don’t want too sleepy. So you want that nice in-between good comedy crowd.” (11:02)

2. Work Ethic and Sustaining a Show

Carrot Top does 240 shows a year: “My manager has a car payment, so we just... do you.” (08:59)
On stamina:
- Even Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) was blown away by the workload, asking, “How do you do that?” (10:05)
Keeping it fresh:
- “You keep the show fresh… You keep new jokes always going in. Which makes it every night a different night.” (09:16)

3. The Art and Evolution of Props

Writing and inventing:
- Carrot Top makes nearly all his props, sketching ideas by hand—no computer, just “thousands of books and notes.” (19:45)
- Some inventions are too complex and require outside help, like a briefcase with a hidden, tap-dancing mechanical leg inspired by a senator caught in a notorious airport scandal. (20:19–21:17)
The challenge of relevance:
- Outdated references (rotary cell phone, ice tray with level) are reworked as classics or “Carrot classics.” (12:20–13:41)
Invention regrets:
- Created numerous items never patented—like the "toilet paper flipper," a light-up toilet seat, and a bat that makes noise—all later commercialized by others. “They even called it the toilet paper flipper... But there’s been hundreds of them.” (22:15)

4. Family Influence

Invention gene:
- Carrot Top’s father was an engineer for NASA, working on mission-critical hardware for the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. “I probably got... my father’s... part of his brain maybe, where I create and imagine and think up this stuff.” (24:12)
- Meeting astronauts as a kid—sometimes missing the significance until later (24:57).
Stage presence:
- Credits his comedic streak to his mom’s personality: “My mom, the stripper. That’s a perfect combination of the two. I’m so sorry, Mom.” (26:46)

5. Origins of the Act

Early performances:
- Loved The Tonight Show as a kid, idolizing Carlin, Youngman, Hackett, and Rickles (27:28–29:48).
- Started with joke-jokes, then moved to observational and original material at the encouragement of other comics.
First prop set:
- The famous "cup joke" (two cups, call waiting/party line visual bit): “That was the very first prop that I was proud of myself… even Seinfeld, even Carlin would find this clever and funny.” (36:16)
- George Carlin recognized him at the Philadelphia airport and complimented the cup joke as “genius.” (37:02)
Prop comics before him:
- Credited predecessors but notes his own twist—a combination of rapid-fire invention, stand-up, and visual gags, distinct from just “pun-driven” prop acts. (38:52)
- “Anyone that does a Carrot Top thing will always do that. A pun, right? ... That cup one was not a pun, it was an invention.” (41:42)

6. Decades in Vegas: The Commitment and the Crowd

Why settle in Vegas?
- Initially reluctant but eventually embraced the full-time residency at Luxor. Credits the “perfect little room” for his success. “We did a year there and then we did another. We’re 20 [years now].” (44:13–46:47)
Fan culture and community:
- Has his own “Carrot Heads” fan base—“orange wigs... the Orange Man group.” (46:47)

7. Fame, Anonymity, and Comedy’s Double-Edged Sword

Life as a recognizable figure:
- Rarely goes unrecognized, but he’s grateful: “Once you… you realize, oh yeah, like I forget… 'Oh, I’m Carrot dude.'” (52:00)
- On paparazzi & being in public: “You didn’t wait here for me… Jennifer Aniston’s inside... I mean, you are.” (52:16)
Navigating tasteless jokes and puns:
- Turns down most prop submissions from fans (“it was like a seesaw… oh, Lord have mercy”), and only rarely takes ideas from others. (55:07)

8. The Star Search Story & Norm Macdonald Moment

Star Search:
- Everyone thought Carrot Top would win, but he lost the first round. “That was my A stuff, you know, like all my good stuff… I look up like, did I win or did I lose?” (56:28–57:50)
The viral Norm Macdonald joke on Conan:
- Didn’t bother him—he and Courtney Thorne-Smith had already made similar jokes on set of Chairmen of the Board. “I’m a comic. I can take it.” (58:15)

9. Kindness and Perspective

Known as “one of the nicest guys in comedy,” he strives to avoid mean-spiritedness in his work and personal life.
- “I don’t have a lot of mean in me. … I try not to be mean in any way with anybody.” (59:59–61:00)
Advises young comics: “You gotta do something… unless you have, you know, inherited a billion dollars, you probably should find a job.” (28:24)

10. Music and Vegas Acts

Eclectic taste: country, rock, jazz, Barry Manilow, the Carpenters (61:59–62:40).
Best acts seen: Cirque du Soleil, Elton John, Shania Twain, Rod Stewart—who once invited the entire audience on stage at Caesars. (62:43–64:54)
Shania Twain declined to be introduced at his show but “was first in line for a shot of booze in the audience.” (64:54–65:19)

11. Advice to Young Carrot Top (and New Comics)

On what he’d tell himself on his first night at the Luxor:
- “Do it all different. Seriously.... I was kind of scared to take [the residency], but also excited to take it.” (65:40–67:41)
On giving feedback to new comics:
- On “Kill Tony,” he refused to be cruel: “I’m not the mean guy... I’m the one that’s been on my whole career, so I’m coming from me.” (67:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“It’s hard, yeah, to blow people away. They don’t—they don’t understand it.” (Carrot Top, 06:25)
“How do you do 240 shows a year?... I’m very good.” (Danielle Fishel + Carrot Top, 09:08)
“You don’t want too rowdy and you don’t want too sleepy. So you want that nice in-between good comedy crowd.” (Carrot Top, 11:02)
“I don’t own a computer. I don’t write any jokes on computers... Just notes everywhere.” (Carrot Top, 19:45)
“They called it the toilet paper flipper... There’s hundreds of them [props lost to the market].” (Carrot Top, 22:12)
“My mom, the stripper. That’s a perfect combination of the two. I’m so sorry, Mom.” (Carrot Top, 26:46)
“That cup joke thing you do… That’s genius, dude.” (George Carlin to Carrot Top, 37:02)
“You are now our second guest who has appeared on Star Search.” (Danielle Fishel, 56:21)
On negative press: “I’m a comic. I can take it.” (Carrot Top, 58:15)
“I don’t have a lot of mean in me. … I try not to be mean in any way with anybody.” (59:59)
“Once you [become famous]… you just realize, oh yeah, like I forget… “Oh, I’m Carrot dude.”” (52:00)

Notable Segment Timestamps

05:33 – Vegas crowd challenges
08:59 – Number of live performances/year
19:45 – Carrot Top’s writing process (no computers!)
22:12 – Inventions, patents, and missed fortunes
24:04 – On his father’s NASA career and family brainpower
29:48 – Influence of Carlin, Pryor, Youngman, Hackett, Rivers
36:16 – The iconic “cup joke” and Carlin’s praise
41:42 – On being misunderstood as a “just-for-puns” prop comic
44:13 – How the Las Vegas residency began
46:47 – “Carrot Heads” and the Orange Man Group fandom
56:28 – Star Search experience & losing the “surefire win”
58:15 – Norm Macdonald’s Conan joke & being roasted
59:59 – Carrot Top: “I try not to be mean in any way with anybody”
65:40 – Advice to his younger self on first Vegas show

Tone of the Episode

Fun, self-deprecating, warmly nostalgic, and filled with comic asides and sharp observational humor—very much in Carrot Top’s genial, fast-talking, and inventive style. The hosts maintain a tone of playful admiration and curiosity, with plenty of friendly banter, memories, and respect for a true Vegas institution.

Summary Takeaway

Carrot Top’s steadfast commitment to comedy, originality, and working hard—plus his ability to adapt, invent, and roll with the punches—have earned him a legendary status on the Vegas strip. This episode offers not just laughs and backstage tales, but also practical wisdom and inspiration for anyone looking to create an unconventional artistic path.