Nick Bakay Meets World

Summary

Pod Meets World: "Nick Bakay Meets World" Summary

Release Date: March 31, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Guest: Will Friedle

---

Introduction

In this engaging episode of Pod Meets World, hosts Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong, and Will Friedle delve deep into the illustrious career of actor, voice artist, and writer Will Friedle. Known for his iconic roles in "Boy Meets World" and voicing Salem Saberhagen in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Friedle shares behind-the-scenes insights, career pivots, and personal anecdotes that have shaped his journey in Hollywood.

---

Early Career and Writing Beginnings ([11:02]-[16:22])

Will Friedle opens up about his initial foray into the world of comedy and writing:

• National Lampoon Contribution:
  "I was a young actor in New York... started by writing fake letters to the editor... became a contributing editor."
  (11:45)

• Transition to Television Writing:
  "That portfolio caught the eye of people at what is now Comedy Central... got my first TV writing job."
  (12:47)

Friedle recounts his early days working on Comedy Central's late-night talk show with Alan Havey, highlighting the vibrant and unjaded atmosphere that fostered lifelong friendships, including meeting his wife, Robin.

• Memorable Colleagues:
  "Jon Stewart got his start... met Steve Higgins, Jimmy Kimmel... They became some of my best friends."
  (15:14-16:22)

---

Collaboration with Comedy Legends ([16:22]-[25:30])

Friedle discusses his experiences working with legendary comedians and television personalities:

• Dennis Miller's Show:
  "Dennis hired me to write and be his sidekick on his talk show in LA... This got me to LA."
  (16:55)

• Interaction with Jim Carrey:
  "Shared a writing office... wrote sketches together like the Menendez brothers dancing to 'Risky Business'."
  (23:36-24:32)

• In Living Color:
  "Joined 'In Living Color' through Les Fierstain... Collaborated with David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson... A year of intense pitch sessions."
  (25:16-25:51)

Friedle highlights the creative synergy and challenges faced while working in high-pressure environments, shaping his comedic voice and prowess.

---

Voice Acting: Bringing Salem to Life ([32:27]-[39:41])

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Friedle's role as Salem Saberhagen, the witty cat from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch":

• Voice Recording Process:
  "Didn't tape night; went on set off-camera with a boom mic... collaborated closely with the puppeteer."
  (32:27-34:05)

• Realization of Salem's Popularity:
  "Bought a silver credit card at Billy Martin... Salesperson recognized my voice as Salem."
  (34:37-36:18)

• Impact and Challenges:
  "People wanted to tell their kids I was Salem... Balancing voice work with other writing responsibilities."
  (36:19-39:41)

Friedle shares humorous and heartfelt moments, illustrating the unexpected fame that came with voicing Salem and the delicate balance of maintaining the character's mystique.

---

Expanding Horizons: From Voice Acting to Producing ([39:43]-[47:59])

Friedle elaborates on his ventures beyond acting, including writing, producing, and creating new content:

• Bookie on Max:
  "Created 'Bookie' with Chuck Lorre... A show about a bookie in LA navigating the gray areas of the gambling world."
  (46:32-49:40)

• Animated Projects and Guest Appearances:
  "Voiced Salem on 'The Simpsons' during a cameo at the Smithsonian... Participated in various animated series and movie references."
  (43:02-44:47)

• Sports Commentary:
  "Wrote for ESPN's 'SportsMonster' and hosted segments like the 'Bad Beats' on SportsCenter... Engaged audiences with satirical takes on sports events."
  (50:18-54:38)

Friedle highlights his versatility in the entertainment industry, seamlessly transitioning between writing, voice acting, and producing, while maintaining a commitment to comedic authenticity.

---

Reflections and Future Endeavors ([55:00]-[60:37])

As the episode draws to a close, Friedle reflects on his career trajectory and shares insights into his future projects:

• Creation of Paul Blart:
  "Developed the concept with Kevin James... A dreamer mall cop inspired by our experiences as security guards."
  (54:45-55:00)

• Legacy of Salem:
  "Grateful for the lasting impact of Salem... Surprised by how enduring the character has been across generations."
  (57:08-57:39)

• Upcoming Projects:
  "Shooting a new show on Netflix with comedian Leanne Morgan... Excited about the multi-cam, audience-driven format."
  (59:44-60:26)

Friedle emphasizes the importance of adaptability and embracing unexpected opportunities, underscoring his passion for creative storytelling and audience engagement.

---

Notable Quotes

• On Career Pivots:
  "You never know what door B opens..."
  (59:15)

• On Voice Acting and Fame:
  "I did something with legs... Realizing I actually did something with legs."
  (57:39)

• On Writing for TV:
  "Writing is like being a left-handed pitcher. There's a need."
  (12:47)

---

Conclusion

This episode of Pod Meets World offers a comprehensive look into Will Friedle's multifaceted career. From his roots in comedy writing to his beloved role as Salem and his ventures into producing impactful television, Friedle's journey is a testament to versatility and perseverance in the entertainment industry. Listeners are treated to a candid and insightful conversation, enriched with personal stories and professional milestones that highlight the breadth of Friedle's contributions to television and beyond.

---

Connect with Pod Meets World:

• Instagram: @podmeetsworldshow
• Email: [e-mail]
• Merchandise: podmeetsworldshow.com

Follow Will Friedle:

• Instagram: @willfriedle
• Twitter: @willfriedle
• IMDb: Will Friedle

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

It's Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and Will.

[Ryder Strong]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

I have a sourdough lady.

[Ryder Strong]

All right.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have a new sourdough lady. Will, you're gonna. You're gonna freak out.

[Ryder Strong]

Peanut butter and jelly on sourdough or just white bread?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I yesterday just had white bread. I was in a real rush. Also, it. So the.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, is the lady made of sourdough? I have so many things. I have so many questions.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have a sourdough.

[Ryder Strong]

You take a little piece of her finger and you can make of bread. Like, what is a sourdough lady? What is that?

[Danielle Fishel]

She's a woman who makes sourdough, and it's divine. She has a couple different flavors. I, to start with, ordered a loaf of hot honey, which is got spicy and honey in the sourdough loaf, and then also just a plain sourdough loaf. And then she also makes English muffins.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, cool.

[Ryder Strong]

So.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I ordered.

[Ryder Strong]

I love a nook and cranny.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, a nook and cranny. I ordered a hot honey, a sourdough, and some English muffins. Every single morning, I open my eyeballs, and the first thing I think is, I can't wait to go down and eat some bread.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, when you say you have. Does she give you the starter? Does she deliver it to your house? How does this happen?

[Danielle Fishel]

I order it via my phone. I send her a text. They go, hi, I'd like to place an order for.

[Ryder Strong]

Do you have to, like, be a special person? Do you have to. Do I have to, like, say, I'm Topanga's friend?

[Danielle Fishel]

I'll tell you. I mean, you have to live locally because she lives near us. She lives in the San Fernando Valley.

[Ryder Strong]

She does.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Yeah. And then she delivers it on Friday to your door.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. Oh, my. How big the business is getting.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, it's a pretty new business. She's doing it from her house. She wakes up super early because she has like a bunch of loaves now she's making. And she doesn't have like a, you know, huge kitchen. She has just a house kitchen. And, and it's.

[Ryder Strong]

Is she called the sourdough lady?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I just call her that. She has a name, I'm sure.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, no, but we got to give her business a name or something. We got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'll tell you, I'll, I'll find it right now. Give me, give me a second. But will you have to place an order? And I know that writer, you know all about making sourdough.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

You lived closer and would deliver it to my house on Friday.

[Ryder Strong]

She'd have a sourdough guy. What about, what about need for bread?

[Danielle Fishel]

Her.

[Ryder Strong]

Get it K N E four bread. Come on.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. So her, the name of her bakery is Fresh Start Bakery. She's on Instagram at Fresh Start Bakery. Underscore at the end in home Micro Bakery located in Woodland Hills. Porch pickup or local drop off available. Here's some things on her menu. Her, her sourdough is classic cheddar jalapeno, roasted garlic and herb hot honey, parmesan and black pepper English muffins. And then she also has pastries. I haven't dipped my toe.

[Ryder Strong]

English muffins are cool. That's that guy. I, you know, because a lot of people like a lot of bread. Places have kind of sprung up in the last couple years, but I haven't heard of like a good English muffin. That's a great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Are you going to try to make your own English muffins now?

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know. I don't know what's involved. Yeah, you got to get the nooks and crannies. Just was inspired because we had friends come for the holidays and one of them brought his own loaf of sourdough and I was like, oh my God, this. I haven't done it for years because my wife doesn't eat sourdough. My son, now, I think he'll like sourdough but like he used to not like sourdough. So I would make sourdough bread and nobody would eat it but me. So. But I think, wait, why doesn't Alex.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like sourdough or won't. She doesn't like sourdough bread. Bread.

[Ryder Strong]

She likes, you know, other types of bread, but not. My son in law introduced me to the joy of the cheddar jalapeno bread bagel which I, I'd always walked away from it Seemed like it was too much going on. And he's like, just try. He's like, just try.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right?

[Ryder Strong]

But both hats are delicious.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

It was so good. I want to try that. I want to try that. That. That. Her jalapeno. I want to try that woman's jalapeno loaf.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's really good. This is not an ad. I pay for it directly. She's wonderful. I'm very excited about it.

[Ryder Strong]

She's in Woodland Hills.

[Danielle Fishel]

She's in Woodland Hills.

[Ryder Strong]

She needs an extra hand because I'd love to go. I've wanted to learn how to bake and do the pastry. Like, I wouldn't charge her. I just go and be her soon.

[Danielle Fishel]

She does it early, early in the morning, so you probably have to be to her house at 5am I don't know if she'd like to welcome you into her house, to be honest.

[Will Friedle]

But I'll.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sure. I'll make. I'll ask. I'll ask.

[Ryder Strong]

I'll find out this morning at 5am when I just show her. Just give her a bunch of business, hopefully, so she kind of owes.

[Danielle Fishel]

If you live local, that's where you should be getting your. Oh, I can't.

[Ryder Strong]

Please send me that. Please send me that link, because I want. There's.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know you guys will place an order. You can place your order today for Friday.

[Ryder Strong]

Also come over. I'll teach you how to make sourdough bread.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

I know how to do. No, sue makes good bread. Sue makes good bread.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, okay. I will. I'll go.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, well, then I'll see you.

[Ryder Strong]

She doesn't make sourdough because she doesn't have a starter.

[Danielle Fishel]

That was the weirdest thing.

[Ryder Strong]

All right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Writer offered something that you were saying you wanted to do with someone else, and then you were like, no, no, I got.

[Ryder Strong]

My wife doesn't have a sourdough starter. Writer. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

She doesn't have a sourdough friendship movie.

[Will Friedle]

Are we.

[Ryder Strong]

What's that?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, okay, never mind. Anyway, what does that mean? There's a new movie coming out called. I think it's called Friendship, and it's about, like, a grown man, Tim Robinson, who becomes obsessed with his new friend Paul Rudd. And it is, you know, it's a funny story about how it kind of ruins both their lives when Tim Robinson becomes obsessed with Paul Rudd and.

[Ryder Strong]

Tim Robinson. Or Tim Robbins.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, Tim Robinson.

[Ryder Strong]

Robinson. Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Tim Robbins is the guy who broke out of Shawshank.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right, Right. Correct.

[Ryder Strong]

Different person.

[Danielle Fishel]

There are. There are totally different people with those.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. Yeah, okay, fair enough.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I did just watch that happen.

[Ryder Strong]

Tom Robbins, the novelist. Oh. Or Tony Robbins, who is the self help guy. A lot of Robins. Yeah, Robin Givens. Totally different. We're just saying Robin. Now we're just Batman and Robin. Batman's got a pal. It's his ward. A pal.

[Will Friedle]

A pal.

[Ryder Strong]

Come on, come on.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome to POD meets Robin. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong. And I'm Will Friedle.

[Danielle Fishel]

TGIF had a handful of iconic faces over the years. Cory Matthews, Uncle Jesse, Cousin Balky. Mr. Cooper. The aliens from Aliens in the Family. And yet there was one face, a furry one, that reigned supreme for many, many years. And it's hilarious that the man who voiced this iconic feline is known to a majority the world as Salem Saberhagen, the talking cat from the long running hit TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Because his resume is not only wildly impressive outside of that show, at times it's unbelievable. A one time contributor to the National Lampoon magazine, he was a young writer on Sabrina who then somehow became one of its stars. But before that, he was a writer and guest star on the iconic In Living Color, while one of his first ever acting jobs was Somehow Seinfeld. Then after Sabrina, the hits just somehow kept coming. The King of Queens till Death. Two and a Half Men, Mom, Young Sheldon, Paul Blart. And his newest creation, Bookie on Max. And he somehow finds time to be a sports expert on espn. This guy sure has a lot of somehows in his career. And today we want to find out how. Let's put a face to this renaissance man of Hollywood who voiced the rascal of a cat that forced us to time travel back to World War II. This week's guest is Salem the cat himself, Nick Baquet.

[Will Friedle]

Hi.

[Danielle Fishel]

How you doing?

[Will Friedle]

I'm great. How are you?

[Danielle Fishel]

It's so good to see you.

[Will Friedle]

Good to see you too.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you so much for joining us. In addition to reuniting with our normal Boy Meets World cast and crew, we have been very excited to catch up with other TGIF legends. And it would certainly be hard to remember the programming block without your contribution. So thank you for being here with us.

[Will Friedle]

My pleasure.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's first get into how you got started in writing comedy. I was hoping you could tell our listeners a little bit about the National Lampoon magazine, which you were a contributing editor and has produced some of the biggest names in the history of comedy. So how did that happen?

[Will Friedle]

Well, you know, I was a young actor in New York back in that era and, you know, really, really scratching my way through life. And I knew a guy who worked there and they used to see him at parties and he thought I was funny and he used to always say to me, you should try writing for us. And I grew up reading that magazine. I'm the generation that graduated from Mad to the Lampoon. And I revered wasn't exactly in its heyday, you know, And I'd be stumbling back down Broadway at three in the morning and I'd look at it on the newsstand and it was always somebody with huge jugs on the COVID And I'd be thinking, I don't know, you know. Yeah, you're so stupid when you're young. You know, I'm waiting tables at Ernie's, but I'm like, I don't know, you're so stupid, you know. But you know, I got a call back for, you know, the Actors Theater of Louisville. It's so stupid. So I finally said, what am I doing? And I went and I. And you'd start there by writing fake letters to the editor.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

And I started doing that. And it's the weird thing, it's like I started to realize the world may not need another 23 year old actor like me who wasn't quite as pretty as you guys at that point, but if you can write a joke, it's kind of like being a left handed pitcher. There's a need. So there was a stunning contrast. And within a very short amount of time, I was a contributing editor, I met wonderful people, I got to write lots of really interesting stuff there. And that's what led me to write for tv. Because I got out of that with an interesting, strange, unique portfolio that caught the eye of people when they were starting what is now Comedy Central. And that's a whole different story. But it got me my first TV writing job. And, and, and then, and, and it was, you know, your life takes little pivot points. And you know, that's the point when I realized I think I'm done with theater because it had never really been interested in me to begin with. But, you know, I thought we had a relationship.

[Ryder Strong]

That's interesting. So you actually started acting, went into writing and then came back to acting. You were acting just enough to keep you in writing, which is, I've always.

[Will Friedle]

Said my acting career. I was just good enough to have my heart broken. You know, it's like writing is the only thing that's actually let me have a decent life, you know, but, but there's always been Great acting stuff along the way.

[Ryder Strong]

You mentioned that it led you into your first television writing gig, which. What was that?

[Will Friedle]

It was the original late night talk show on Comedy Central, which was then the Comedy Channel. And it was with Alan Havey, who you may know from Mad Men and a lot of cool things, but he's a great stand up comedian to this day. And he was. We did a strip show, five shows a week at a late night. He was the host, I was the writer, sidekick. We had a producer and a PA and we had do five shows a week. Yeah, it was great. It was like doing TV in the 1950s. It was great. We had a studio on 23rd street in New York and it was sort of collegiate. Everybody there was young and cutting their teeth and there was no. Nobody was jaded. Everybody was so thrilled to be there. And I met my wife Robin there. I made friendships for life there. So it was wonderful.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who were your crew? Like, who were you coming up with around that time?

[Will Friedle]

Well, it's interesting at the channel at that time, interesting people were there. Like, that's where Jon Stewart got his start. He hosted this show called Short Attention Span Theater.

[Ryder Strong]

Theater, yeah. Great job.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Which was comedy clips. The Higgins boys and Gruber, who are still like Steve Higgins, who is, you know, produced SNL for years and is balanced. Jimmy's. He's Jimmy psychic. Steve is one of my best friends. He was my best man when Robin and I got married. Dave Higgins, you know, Eddie Gordetsky, who's a writer of great renown. There's so many people. Scott Carter was the producer of my shows and went on to produce Politically Incorrect Forever. It was a hotbed of complete unknowns and many, many people from there. I know, I'm forgetting tons of them went on to do very interesting things. But at that point, it was this little fledgling cable network, very poor distribution, but they were fighting to get it on. And there was a rival one called ha. And it's back when Viacom and Time Warner were at battle for the soul of cable tv.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God, I remember ha. It was the BET Max of the TV channels.

[Will Friedle]

So we were. And they were just like, if you guys don't burn down the studio, keep doing what you're doing. We're trying to convert cable operators in Nebraska. And I was Alan's sidekick and I did a show called Sports Monster there as well. And that's what caught Dennis Miller's eye. So when Dennis left SNL to do his original talk show in la, he hired me to write on It. And be his sidekick. And that's what got me to la.

[Ryder Strong]

Geez.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Was that. Was the first one. The first show that Dennis Miller did? Was it the one where Robin Williams was his first guest? Was that the. Was that the first one?

[Will Friedle]

You know, I was there. I should remember. I know I met you briefly in Tampa. Yeah, I know you remember things better about me than I do.

[Ryder Strong]

I do, I do. I'll do all your lines from Seinfeld.

[Will Friedle]

Raider if you want. No, I think it. I think it was Tom Hanks.

[Ryder Strong]

Was it. Okay, that might have been his second show then that. That he had it. Were.

[Will Friedle]

They pulled out the heavyweights to try and get us jump started and lasted a little less than a year. It was interesting timing. We concurred with Johnny's retirement, and then Leno came in and it was a whole. It was fascinating, though. It's a fascinating experience. Dennis was with Bernie Brillstein and Brad Gray and I. It was interesting. You know, I came in the deep end, but it was good. It's good. Good way to come to la. And I'm grateful to Dennis and Alan. Those guys hiring me and shifting me away from the pretensions of my youth really led me to who I am.

[Ryder Strong]

That's amazing. What kind of theater were you hoping to do? Were you hoping to be, like, a dramatic theater?

[Danielle Fishel]

I said, he didn't really like it. He wasn't hoping to do anything.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, you say the pretensions about you. What does that mean?

[Will Friedle]

Like, were you. Theater for me was like Tennessee Williams plays. Yeah, no, I was going to be Hamlet, pal.

[Ryder Strong]

Come on.

[Will Friedle]

I trained him. I'm a classically trained actor. I would get gigs. Like, I would get, you know, Shakespeare gigs in Syracuse. You know what I mean? It's like, it was just brutal. But, like, theater for me is like that old girlfriend that you liked a lot better and she liked you and she would bang people in front of you.

[Ryder Strong]

It was just not off the rails.

[Will Friedle]

I don't really know. I don't understand the lanes of this podcast.

[Ryder Strong]

There are none. Don't worry.

[Will Friedle]

Good. Honestly, it was like the minute I realized, oh, I'm just a. I am meant to be an anarchist in this comedy mode. It was, you know, we all. We. We got plans. We all have plans. But, you know, the world's gonna say to you, nice try. It's over here. And if you're smart, you listen. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

So how did. So then you moved to la. How did one of your first acting gigs end up being on Seinfeld what was that like?

[Will Friedle]

Well, you know, at that point, I was still really going hard at trying to be on camera. And, you know, I had auditioned for that show, like two or three times, and it always went well. And I knew they liked me. And then I got that part as a phone. I got a phone call, you know, I just got it. And I had done a lot of stuff and it was on their radar from, you know, I think Larry and Jerry knew I was well known in the standup community, you know, and so I was a proven entity from a lot of things I've been doing. And so then I just got the call and they said, you know, you got cast. And. And that was funny because when I started in my relationship with my wife, she said, you know, what's it going to be like? I'm done. I haven't had a relationship with an actor when you have to kiss somebody. And I was like, I love you so much. That's not. That's not a big part of my career, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you for thinking about that. But don't worry, you're fine.

[Will Friedle]

We're safe, you know. And then I had to kiss Elaine. So I said, good news, bad news. I got the red. But.

[Ryder Strong]

It'S still one of my favorite episodes ever. It's an episode called the Smelly Car.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love that episode.

[Ryder Strong]

It is great. I can do all your lines. My wife and I still to this day are one of our ongoing jokes. We'll hug each other and pull back and go, it still smells like we still. So we do. You're quoted often in our home, just so you know.

[Will Friedle]

That's delightful.

[Ryder Strong]

But, yeah, what a way to jump onto the scene is to do one of the well known episodes of Seinfeld, which is great.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that was a great week. It was fun. And, you know, having written a lot of these things now, I'm also looking back on it, and you know, that script did not change a lot during the week. What we read at the table was really close to what we shot, which was great because you got to really work the material. And you guys know how often things change overnight and you get new pages and then in between takes, right? I mean, I do that. It's such an elusive process and the rewriting never ends. But that one, we got to really lock it down.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's cool. That's so great. So then where does one of your next early jobs. In Living Color, which is like one of the greatest shows of all time, where does that job fall? And what Was that experience like that must have been pretty incredible. They were firing on all cylinders by the time you joined.

[Will Friedle]

It was wonderful. And it came to my rescue. It was, I think, really my first main job after the Miller show went down, as I recall. And I remember it was one of those gigs that came in, and I remember how little there was in the checking account. And I was, you know, it was one of those, like, oh, good enough to tell Robin, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I got the job. I don't have to tell her. We had 8 cents.

[Will Friedle]

And that's. Les Fierstein brought me in on that. And Les had worked a lot at the Lampoon, although I didn't really know him that well. We. That relationship really was essential to me getting hired there. And. And that was an incredible year. I ended up, you know, and that was at the point where, you know, writing was starting to really eclipse my on camera stuff. And then, you know. But it's always happened. I ended up doing more than I thought I would, and I did the Dirty Dozen sketches and things like that. Things fell into my lap there that I didn't plan on. And it was a great year.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you get to work with Jim Carrey?

[Will Friedle]

I did. He was doing the Mask and Ace Ventura that year.

[Danielle Fishel]

So Jim.

[Will Friedle]

I know, it was like he was turning into.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So Jim was not around a lot, but when he was around, I had. He and I shared a writing office, and so I had intense doses when he. And what we would do is we. Which I don't think there's another kind. And we would stockpile sketches. He'd come into town and we'd shoot as much as we could with him, and it was great. And I got to be in some with him. It's really funny. It's that long ago. I'm digitizing some stuff and throwing some things on there, and I'm in sketches with him. He's in some of the dozens. We did one where he and I were the Menendez brothers and we're dancing to the Risky Business song we Shotguns.

[Ryder Strong]

And there's another one.

[Will Friedle]

We're like. We're like the awful white cops in the wake of the riots in jail. Getting, you know, introduced to jail in the old classic way, you know, And. And I remember there's another. We wrote a sketch that never made it, but I remember we were up a long time because then I watched him at his best and his most obsessive. And we wrote a really funny sketch about a late night used car salesman who did his own Ads, but he had Tourette's and you know, everything about it. But I'm sure deeply cancelable now, but watching Jim try and sell you on a car and having these outbursts in the middle of, you know. And I think I'm the only person on earth who actually saw him perform that sketch in our office while we were writing it. And I'll never get over it was amazing.

[Ryder Strong]

That show to me was so. I'm that guy where I always liked Futurama more than the Simpsons. I always liked In Living Color more than snl. It was just my, it was my thing. And as amazing as Jim Carrey was and he, God, he's so good. He's just proven himself time and time again. David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson, to me were two guys to where every time they were on screen, I mean, they're both amazing. But David Alan Greer, I couldn't stop laughing every time this guy did anything. And when I saw him then in Amazon Women on the Moon, which is one of my favorite, favorite movies of all time, he's just. That cast was incredible. I mean, so amazing at everything they did. I'm curious, what was it like working? Because I know that Keenan Ivory Wayans was really in charge of the, the show. Right.

[Will Friedle]

Well, you know, here's the fun fact. I, he wasn't there. I was there one year, Will. And it was when the Wayans family had essentially recused themselves.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, you're kidding.

[Will Friedle]

It was a really strange deal. It was the final year, which is really interesting because they had Jim Carrey under contract. But I think Fox was like, let's not alienate this guy. But they could have gone fourth. So it was a show was run in sort of a three headed hydra. Greg Fields, Pan V, say, and Les Fierstein.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

And they assumed that position. So I wasn't there. There were no weigh ins. I didn't get to work with Damon Keenan, Kim, anybody, you know. So, yeah, I can't, I can't fill you in on that, although I do know a lot. I worked with a lot of the guys who were there and a lot of those guys remain friends of mine. And those and pitch sessions in that era were legendarily brutal. I do know that. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh man.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, just two years after In Living Color, you get the job for a little show called Sabrina the Teenage Witch. How did that job come to you?

[Will Friedle]

Well, you know, it's interesting, you know, unlike every other show ever, there was no traditional pilot of Sabrina. They, Paula and Melissa had done this movie For, I think, Showtime. And it was single cam and it's a very different animal. But I think on the premise of that, they sold it to abc.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And then they had to do the half hour version. And while all of that was kind of percolating, I worked on this very strange, interesting, great project called the TV Wheel with Joel Hodgson, who you probably know from Mystery Science.

[Ryder Strong]

MST. Hell, yes. MST3K.

[Will Friedle]

Joel was one of the original comedy channel. That was the lynch pin show when we started. That was the one everybody knew and loved. And he's the man and he's, you know, the greatest on every level. And he did this very interesting project where he built this rotating set like an old viewfinder. And the camera was locked down and the set rotated and locked in. And there were all these weird perspective sets and little sketches would play and then rotate. And I wrote on it for a couple of weeks, and then I'm in sketches. And this strange thing was, I think for HBO ended up running on Comedy Central. And it was like a lot of interesting people were there. I know David Cross and Paul Feig before he became the auteur. A lot of interesting people involved. And one of the people who was writing on it was Nell Scovell, who ended up writing the Sabrina show. And it was interesting because I felt like Nell and I kind of locked horns creatively writing there. I had no idea who she was. I was. I just, you know, we were philosophically not exactly aligned. But then when she took over the Sabrina project, my manager's phone rang and I had just had one of those kitchen table talks with my wife. And it was, you know, is every year going to be this terrifying one of those talks? You know, are you always going to be reaching for another Vine? Because I had done so many things and none of them stuck to the wall. And I never wanted to write half hours. I was like, oh, no. You know. But I said, I think just as a responsible human being, I gotta open my mind to this. And then the phone rang. I talked to my manager at the time and I said, I think I gotta open mind of this. And then the phone rang and I got hired to write on the show. I was already doing a lot of voice work. I was an Angry Beaver, already a Nickelodeon. I was doing a lot of that stuff. So I was writing on the show. They didn't have a pilot, they were casting it. I read for the cat. Bit of an inside job, but I got it, and that's how that happened. Wow. Yeah. You know, you Know, I. I struggled a lot of good things in life. I found I have wrestled with, you know. You know, I have these beautiful kids, and my wife had to read me an ultimatum on that. We adopted these beautiful boys, and, you know, I was Dean Martin, man. I was like, we're going out hard, and we're going out ugly, you know, and she just said, have we had enough? You know, And I fought and I. And, you know, But Robin's always been the architect of all the smart moves in our life. And I listened, and it's been the best thing that ever happened to me. And I have wrestled a lot of good things, and I wrestled that one one. But, you know, I was Mr. New York, Mr. Late night, Mr. All this crap and then living. And, you know, I was like, oh, my God, I'm writing a half hour, and I'm on TGIF and Model, you know, and, you know. But it just goes to show how stupid I am, because all of a sudden, I'm like, that's. I worked with wonderful writers that they helped me learn how to write half hours that bread and butter. I worked with great people. I got to be on a show that people love as opposed to all these disposable things I'd been doing. You know, I'm happy to admit how wrong I was to be hesitant, because it was a beautiful experience.

[Ryder Strong]

That's great. How was it learning how to write half hour? Because this was the first time you were coming into real storytelling of that extended storytelling, because everything had been sketches up until then.

[Will Friedle]

Everything had been sketches and character comedy. And that's how I survived for years. I was always valuable because I can write in character and I can pitch jokes that are in character. They're not those jokes that, like, that's great, but it stops the scene dead. I can. If you're playing a character, I'll give you gold. And it's on story and it's on point. What I couldn't do is break story. What I couldn't do is, you know, this. I mean, I didn't run a show until I was in my 50s, and I felt like it took me every minute to learn how to do that. Some people, I guess, are born with that gift. I wasn't one of them. I had to learn slow and hard, but there's a lot to it. And I also had to learn different ways of storytelling. I feel like in that era, storytelling was very plotty, very, very much about clever turns. And I always joke, like, back in that era, when it was Story breaking. I used to have to burn myself with cigarettes to stay awake. You know, it was like, you know, what are we gonna do with these suitcases? And I'd be like, oh. I'd be like, I'm gonna kill myself. You know, and I just hated it. And. And you'd be there at two in the morning and I'd be like, this is not why I got into showbiz. Right. This is really not the plan, you know, but. But then, you know, I. I've been exposed to other approaches, and when I started to track story from just a sincere place, it got good to me. Jeez.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I want to talk a little bit about you doing the voice. How did you do that then on tape night? How was. What was the process for, like, you actually shooting the show and being the voice of Salem?

[Will Friedle]

Well, we didn't tape night because of all those old school special effects.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

You know, and. And a live cat and a deeply unconvincing puppet cat.

[Danielle Fishel]

I want to know every detail about the animatronic puppet cabinet.

[Ryder Strong]

That was a puppet.

[Will Friedle]

No, I'm sorry.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, no. World destroyed.

[Will Friedle]

A puppeteer was jammed inside that kitchen cabinet for hours. It was, you know. So we didn't do tape night, but the first four years, I was also writing there, and I would go down to set and be off camera with a boom mic in the script. Beautiful thing, as you guys know. Voiceover. You never have to learn a line. It's beautiful and it's glorious. But we were. In the end, there was a puppeteer who did the voice, and he would watch me like a piano accompanyist, and we had a great groove going. And then in the last three seasons, I had moved over and was writing on King of Queens. So then he would lay down a track and I would come in and loop it. And so that was different. But in the early going, I go down there. There was one scene I remember where I think Salem, you know, had his head jammed in a fishbowl or something. So I'm, like, sitting there with a script and a boom mic and there's a, you know, somebody holding a. A fishbowl, a big tank over my head for this, you know, it was deeply practical magic.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, I love Hollywood. The magic of Hollywood. You gotta love.

[Danielle Fishel]

Were you a cat person at all?

[Will Friedle]

I am a cat person.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

I've always grew up with cats. We never had dogs. I have two enormous Maine coon cats right now.

[Ryder Strong]

Beautif.

[Will Friedle]

Wow. We. And dogs have worked their way into the picture too. But, yeah, I'M a cat person at heart. Very much so. So that was easy.

[Danielle Fishel]

When did you realize that this was becoming a phenomenon? Like, at what point did it hit you that like, oh my gosh, this is Master Cat forever. Yeah, I'm going to be this cat for the rest of my life.

[Ryder Strong]

This isn't, this isn't a 13 episode gig. This is.

[Will Friedle]

I think it was a slower reveal for me than for guys like you because I'm you. You're out with your faces. You guys could go to 711 for a pack of smokes and people would wet their pants, I'm sure, you know, but I don't look like a cat. Nobody vibes me that way, you know. You know, it's pretty anonymous work, but people would hear my voice because I don't do it. It wasn't like I'm doing one of those Nickelodeon boys, you know. Right. It's pretty much me with more sauce on it, you know, and, and you know what would happen is I remember going, you know, it's funny because as much as our shows, I know you guys know this one, it owned a generation of kids and girls in particular Friday nights, but there was also a generation of girls who were getting dolled up on Friday to go out. And they love their TGIF too. Right?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And I remember going to remember Billy Martins on Sunset Plaza. No, it was, it was a really, it was Billy Martin, the old Yankee manager. Had one in New York and one in la and it was great. Elite Western wear. Really good boutique store right up at Sunset Plaza with all the Euro trash weirdos and all that. There's like cowboy boots. Anyway, I go in there and I bought something and I put my credit card down and the, and the, and I got name recognition on the credit card from of the salesperson and she melted down. And that was, was for me that moment where I went, oh, this is getting interesting. And when people pay the credit card bill.

[Ryder Strong]

So that was nice.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, exactly. Yeah, exactly. And not the one that pays you. It was like a silver one, you know, it was really cool and it didn't bounce and I wasn't thrown out.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it was fantastic.

[Will Friedle]

But there were also bad moments with that. Like, you know, people would want to tell their young kids, much like the experience you just had. Well felt that I, you know, was the cat and the cat wasn't real. And there'd be a kid who wasn't ready to handle that information, let alone look at me and associate, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

No, no, no.

[Will Friedle]

And they go, no, he's the cat, Billy. He's the. And there'd be tears. Don't. Don't.

[Ryder Strong]

Please don't ruin it for me.

[Will Friedle]

I don't need this. I don't need it. He really doesn't need this. I'm good. I'm good. Oh, man.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you know Caroline Ray from the comedy scene before you worked on that show together?

[Will Friedle]

Not really. I remember she came in on a 23rd street one week. I think she hosted Sassy, as we called Short Attention Span Theater. And I think I might have met her fleetingly there, but I didn't. I didn't know anybody over there before that. But as you know, we got to know each other. Well. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, of course.

[Ryder Strong]

Did it. Did it change the dynamic on the set at all or how you were with the cast and the writing crew when you left to go right for King of Queens but were still doing the voice of the cast? That.

[Will Friedle]

No, because we. It was. I was really isolated. You know, honestly, I would go in on Friday mornings before my King of Queens shoot day or tape night, and it was me and Jim Hilton, who was our post producer, and we'd go over to Paramount to a soundstage, and we'd roll it and we'd be done. So I could be at my other job by 10. So I was really isolated other than, you know, Christmas parties and here and there. Right. And I remember going to a party once when it moved over to the wb.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

But honestly, you know, and, you know, there's. The writing gig on these shows is there's no time, you know, and doing like King, Queen. So, you know, you're, You're, You're. There is no hiatus, there is no downtime, and you're there. You're locked down. So it wasn't like I was avoiding people at. It was that I was in a gulag. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Was there ever any jealousy with the other writers that you were the voice of the cat?

[Will Friedle]

No. You know, everybody was thrilled. And it's nice when you can have the voice in the room.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I was just gonna say. I mean, that must be so great when you're writing or pitching lines. To actually have the voice there with you has got to be incredible.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I'm sure there are scenarios where that would be the case, but that. That first. First the staff, that first four years was wonderful and really into it. And the other thing is that, you know, that character was a great get out of jail free card for the writers on so many levels. You know, you want exposition Tell it to the. There's a cat that can do it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

You know, that just got easy. And also, you know, it's that old, like, showbiz thing. Like, you know, puppets just get away with more. So, you know, if you had a little edge, if you had a little. A joke that might not quite, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

Give it to the cat. The cat gets away with murder. So.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

The cat was quite popular with the writers for writerly reasons.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, God, that's amazing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Not only then did Salem become a star on Friday Nights with Sabrina, but then you start doing TGIF commercials and you even enter the world of Boy Meets World when you become the connecting connective tissue for all of the shows who are doing time travel episodes. Do you remember anything specific about that?

[Will Friedle]

I had to watch a little this morning. I'll be honest with you. I was like, I remember. I didn't, I didn't remember the premise that well, I knew that he was running through the shows and there was a time element, but I, I had to brush up on my Shakespeare a little bit. And you know, again, especially in those cases, it was very disembodied. I think I recorded the. I can't. You know, it's funny. I was watching like, you know, when he's in the trash can at the end of your episode. I was like, wow. I, you know, no memory. I think that is that Paramount. I don't know where that is, but, you know, it was fascinating. I love seeing you guys in the old stuff, though. It was great. I kept thinking about that original Star Trek 40s episode. It was like you guys really did something cool with it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, man. We, we. It's not one of our favorite.

[Ryder Strong]

Want to the best.

[Will Friedle]

That side told me everything. Yeah, that Beloved, huh?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, there were, there were other eras. People got to go back to that. You know, we got. We had war. Like we would walk.

[Ryder Strong]

Let's go to the. The tunnels of World War II where all the comedy takes place. So funny. You need to tell me.

[Danielle Fishel]

There was a 70s and. And we somehow got World War II.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, that's true.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

You know, you're right. I forgot that we got the swing in 60s.

[Ryder Strong]

We were told we got to pick last our show.

[Danielle Fishel]

So it was like we literally got what was left.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, we had. What was left was the 1940s. By the way, speaking of 40s, neither of them understood your Star Trek 40s reference. I got it. It was great. But they. You just blew right by.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that, that's, that's going back Away it is.

[Ryder Strong]

It's not as good as a piece of the action where they're the, the actual gangsters, but it's still great. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Was there ever talk of a Salem spinoff? Like a, you know, an ALF thing? How alpha, that holiday special?

[Will Friedle]

Nothing. Oh, you know, it's. It's interesting. I think there, there was, I think a little tension over the character's popularity. You know, it was always an interesting gig. I was very grateful for it and it was nothing but good for me. And, you know, we used to get two year pickups. You know, it was just. Oh, you know, there's nothing, nothing to complain about. But it was always interesting because, you know, the show was produced by a wing of Viacom at the time that was particularly ruthless and mercen. And I always knew, you know, I better mind my P's and Q's here because they'll get Billy west in here in a minute. You know, he can do anything.

[Ryder Strong]

Can he?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, they'll do something. They'll get, you know, the shows launched. They could, they could have, you know, pig fart my voice. Now they don't care. They are not about quality. So I said, you know, pick my battles.

[Ryder Strong]

Did they now? Wasn't there at some point. I don't know if there was talk of or they actually did. Did. Wasn't there an animated series or some sort of.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah, that happened.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was hilarious.

[Danielle Fishel]

Movies, video games, an animated show.

[Will Friedle]

There was tons of stuff, you know, looking back on it. No, they got glue out of the hooves of that stuff, you know, And I did the animated series too. And that was surreal because I'd done a lot, done a lot of animated. And that one, I never got a script. It was what they had, the whole thing. It was like they're like 60s, whatever, eight episodes. They were all written. I mean, this thing was done so on the cheap. And I would just get these sessions where they would give me wild lines. I would go there for three hours and just do wild lines with no context. And yet I knew the character enough that I was like, boys are confusing. Be careful. I wouldn't if I were it just, you know, I knew all the lines almost. It's like handicapping football without knowing the team. Teams. Oh, it's a divisional home game. I'll take the plus three. I don't even know who's playing. It's that kind of thing. But I would do like 40 lines. And then the director would go, oh, oh, oh, you're angry. Here I go, oh, okay. You know, I wouldn't know what or who. And I just go, careful. All right, moving on. You know, we bang that whole thing out. Surreal. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

That was like the old stuff. It was. I mean, just. Just say words. Just say words. Yeah. I mean, exactly.

[Will Friedle]

And I watch them and, you know, not the world's greatest cartoon, but my character makes sense. And that is just as baffling as anything to me. It's like this, you know, this thinking and this acting. It's highly overrated.

[Danielle Fishel]

You were also on the Simpsons as Salem.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. Yeah. That was in a brief moment where there was some scene where they're. They're at the Smithsonian Institute, and I can't remember what Simpson character knocks over. A domino effect display of things that were on TV shows that aren't supposed to talk. And, you know, I can't remember what that's. In Salem. There's a Salem doll. Was one of them. Like, hey, you know, that's the whole thing, you know, but that's great. It's like the robot from Lost in Space and Salem and something else. It's like things that aren't supposed to talk. Oh, that's awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

My gosh. Well, we have forced you to focus on very specific family shows, but as we have mentioned, you've had a wildly successful career in Hollywood as a true Renaissance man. You went from Sabrina to writing and producing King of queens till death, 2 and A and a Half Men, Mom, Young Sheldon. You also, like, appeared in almost all of them. So you've consistently partnered with TV legend Chuck Lorre, most recently on a show you created with him, Bookie on Max. And you never gave up voice acting, most notably Norbert and Angry Beavers. How many of these people that you work with now and over the years have known you were also Salem the Cat? All of them.

[Ryder Strong]

Them.

[Will Friedle]

No, it comes out eventually. You know, it's very interesting. I actually, it's funny. I went down to. I'm working right now. Thank you for plugging Bookie, by the way.

[Danielle Fishel]

I want to talk about it.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, Yeah. I went down the hall. There's a woman who works in our building who worked in PR for years, and I said, I. I have to pick your brain for my wife life about this Baldoni situation. And we were talking and, like, I got her inside scoop, and there are two younger women who work with her. She came up to me later and said, you know, I told them, and there's a meltdown. So, you know, it's like, you know, so it happens.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't Think about secret identity. You can. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I'll tell you. I. I failed. I think I failed this country a little bit because I always said, you know, my voice has a subliminal effect. I should have run for office. Office there. People would have gone. It's persuasive and I don't know why. I don't agree with them on anything.

[Danielle Fishel]

I like them.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know why.

[Danielle Fishel]

Something so comforting deep in my soul.

[Ryder Strong]

You're going to have to come back better. No, you're angry. You're angry. You're angry.

[Will Friedle]

Sabrina, there's an answer.

[Ryder Strong]

No, you're gonna have to come back at some point because I'm dying to know what the PR person take was on the whole Baldoni situation. Brought it up right before, right before you came on, we were talking about it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, we'll talk about it off the record when we're done with this beautiful. I want you to talk to us about Bookie on Max.

[Will Friedle]

I'm thrilled to. We just rolled out the final episode of season two. Stars Sebastian Maniscalco, one of my favorites of all time, people are aware of. And he's out on the road right now, now playing all the, as I call them, hockey rinks and Omar Dorsey, but an amazing cast. You know, Vanessa Ferlito, Jorge Garcia, Andrea Anders and Rob Cordray. It's, you know, the kind of thing I've always wanted to write. You know, a lot of this job is I always say, you know, if you're on a show, it's a little bit like you have to be tofu. You got to absorb the flavor and make it work. And I love doing that. But this is kind of, if I had been left to my own devices, what I would have come up with. And it's about a bookie in LA and people who don't know gambling on sports is still illegal here, which is one of the rare places in America. That's true. And it's about this guy and his partner sort of struggling to get over in sort of crime gray light area. And they have complicated families and they're just trying to get over and there's this looming specter of what's going to happen. And like, Jorge plays a guy who used to be a very successful weed dealer and now is driving a Lyft car when he meets them and they hire him, you know, it's just. And I think there's something relatable because I think all of us look, you know, as a writer, I just was on strike for a long time. With the fear of AI if, you know, Viacom and Paramount had had access to AI when I was doing the cat, they probably would have bounced me after two years because they would have been able to. You know what I'm saying?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

It doesn't matter what line of work you're in. You wake up one morning, there's an app, there's an algorithm, there's something that might make you obsolete. So there's. Is. Is. But. But it's also, It's. It's a big. It's a big funny show with lots of delicious violence. I highly recommend it. I think it. I'm very proud of it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, you've dropped quite a few references. People may have been able to pick up on it at this point. But you are also a sports expert. You've written for ESPN and the NFL, and you're an actual, actual Sports center commentator. Where do you find time for this? How do you keep up?

[Will Friedle]

You know, I, I no longer do. Once children entered my life show running, that fell a little bit by the wayside, although they still get me in certain fantasy magazines for the expert polls, which, you know, makes me catnip to the ladies. But no, when I was. That's right. Right. Wait till you see my wide receiver rankings. It's all over. That's my closer. That's my closer. What are you drinking and what do you think about. All right. But when I was. Like I said back in New York, I did this show at Comedy Channel. I did the late night show, but we also did a show called Sports Monster that was a parody of Sports center. And it caught the eye of ESPN at the time. And also Keith Olbermann, believe it or not, who was at that point in time on the road to. He was working in LA as an anchor, but he was on the road to becoming sort of the. The uber Sports center anchor with Dan Patrick. And when they launched ESPN2, Keith and John Walsh, who. They were really my, My mentors over there, they brought me in to do stuff. And I used to do a department there a lot called the Tail, the Tape. And I did a book for Hyperion that collected the ones I did over the years and some other ones. It was basically taking the tail of the tape boxing thing of like, who's got the advantage? Reach, height, weight, all this stuff. But doing absurdist categories. We could do one right now on Lively Baldoni. Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

So it's an absurdist breakdown and you declare a winner at the end. And it's really good. And I would Do a very clip driven. So. So if you're watching SportsCenter, you didn't hate my guts for just talking, you know, And. And through that, I started to do a ton of stuff on espn. I worked the draft. I used to sit in for Jim Rome on Talk two. I mean, it blossomed into this thing. And it was the thing that when I started to write a lot on half hours, it was sort of my sanest sanity pressure valve. I still got to go write and perform this stuff that I had control over. And. And I got to put this sort of funny satirical op ed voice out there. And I was very opinionated on the world of sports. And ultimately it led to the most popular thing I did. My wife Robin and I did a segment on SportsCenter about NFL bad beats. I mean, Ben Pelt's doing it all the time now, but I was the original Bad beats guys on SportsCenter where I would show the game footage and say, if you had Carolina minus three, here's where it came. Kicker destroyed your dreams. And Robin and I were sort of the sketch element where I was the degenerate and she was my wife. And it was wildly popular. And the NFL eventually shut us down when their. Their deal was up. They had a show on at the time called Playmakers that was set in a mythical NFL where guys are like smoking crack at halftime. And when the game deal was up with the NFL, the commissioner said, look, you can get games back, but you're canceling Playmakers and that bakai gambling segments out. But for four years before that. And now, of course, everybody's, you know, ESPN has a gambling app, the NFL has an official gambling partner. It's hilarious now, but, you know, back then it was very edgy stuff, but we were the only thing on SportsCenter where it's like, if you bet this game. Watch our segment Monday. And if you get. If you've got a bad beat at the end of the game, game, I'm there now.

[Ryder Strong]

Are you. Are you a Bills fan? Is that what I see? The helmet in the back?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's the real reason he doesn't talk sports.

[Ryder Strong]

Sorry.

[Will Friedle]

No, no. It's not easy now. You know how tough I am.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, it'll be. It's getting easier. These last few years, it's getting easier.

[Will Friedle]

You know, I'm, I'm, I'm. I'm. I've been around this planet a while, and I always say being a Buffalo sports fan is like being the hero in a film noir, you know, It's. It's really exciting in Act 2. It's great. You're fighting people and you're getting laid. It's amazing. But it doesn't end well for you.

[Ryder Strong]

Or I guess you could. Same thing. Say the same thing about being a Buffalo Bill's kicker. So kind of the same life, isn't it?

[Will Friedle]

It's not easy.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have to ask you about Paul Blart, because I think our listeners would be very bummed if I don't mention it at all. Did you. Where did that idea come from? Did you meet him on King of Queens? Is that where your relationship with Kevin started?

[Will Friedle]

That's where I met him, and we worked there for years together, and we developed a really beautiful bond and a great comedic relationship. And, you know, that grew out of. He had done really well in Hitch, remember? He was just great, and he was sort of poised at that point. And the idea was to do something to sort of. Before that momentum evaporated and we sat down and we were throwing things around. And I actually worked as a security guard in Buffalo. You know, I had lots of great jobs. They still help me write things to this day. And. And I. I spent. And the way you made money on that job was you did your regular gig and then you got time and a half if you worked nights and weekends and those gigs, I was always paired with other security guards. And you'd be like, all night I'm, you know, like in. In the hall of Records downtown with some crazy security guard. And. Or I was all over the world with these guys, and they were all. Many of these guys took the job very seriously. And so I developed a profile, and so Kevin and I started talking, and I said, you know, but. And Kevin's bread and butter is sincerity. And so we just started talking and we got into this. And I have to say, Kevin's the one who said. Said I should be on one of those, you know, vehicles. And he's. He's just funny. We did it. There's a King Queens where the whole tag is just Kevin screwing up on a forklift. It's the funniest thing. He's funny physically. He's funny on vehicles. We knew this. Put him on a golf cart, put him on a forklift, it's gold. And we just quickly arrived at, okay, it's a dreamer, delusional mall cop, and let's just make it Die Hard in a mall, you know, And. And we sold that fast. We wrote that fast. And it was. But we did not expect it to Be as popular as it was. That was really kind of a deeply exciting moment that opening weekend. That's cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, finally, before I let you go, looking back now at specifically Sabrina the Teenage Witch, TGIF Friday nights, a job you could have never seen coming. It is obviously an iconic character for an entire generation. And now, thanks to streaming for generations to come, what are your emotions or thoughts when you look back at young Nick and you think about those opportunities and you voicing Salem so early in your career?

[Will Friedle]

You know, it's. It's really interesting. You know, you start out with this career dream and you just, you know, my original dream was, man, I just don't want to work a square job. You know, it's like, you know, if I get an equity card, you start in those small increments. Increments. And the milestones change on you. So much of it was just. I'd love to not have to spend as much of my energy doing things I don't care about. And that fruition is the best part always. But, you know, and you know, it's funny. I met you guys down at that convention in Tampa. I don't get to go to those things. Things. That's the only time I ever got to. And that was really interesting for me because that was my opportunity to see that the show has this. I mean, I've done so many interesting things, but, you know, look, I'm so proud of Bookie, and I loved every minute of doing it. But Sabrina's the thing that this lasting impact. You guys see this all the time. I don't. When I met people who love the show and then they're introducing it to their kids and the. And the way they express their appreciation for it and you see it manifested that way and you realize, well, you know, I actually did something with legs. That's a whole other level. I never expected that. And to come full circle, you know, it's the thing that I didn't expect it to be, you know, that the one I went in going, okay, you know.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

You know, you're never going to get it right when you try to predict your outcomes. So try things. Right, Try. Because this one's been just beautiful.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow. Well, Nick, thank you so much for coming and spending so much time talking to us. A pleasure to talk to you. You've had such an interesting, fascinating career. It's great to. Great to hear you reminisce on it all. So thank you.

[Will Friedle]

Thanks for having me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Go check out bookie on Max.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Where else can we Find you. Where else can we see you? That's on Max Bookie. What else?

[Will Friedle]

You know, I'm. Right now we're shooting. I got a show coming up on Netflix. It's a half hour with the comedian Leanne Movie Morgan. And you guys will like this. It's an old school multi cam with an audience.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, thank God.

[Will Friedle]

We're just. We're shooting, I think, our seventh or eighth episode next week. So we're back in the old. Back in the belly of the beast. And it's been really fun and she's been delightful. It's on Netflix, so, you know, it'll take them three years to translate it into, you know, every language under the sun, but it's coming at you, and it's really fun.

[Ryder Strong]

Thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wonderful. Well, thank you again for being here with us, Nick. We'll look forward to seeing you next time.

[Will Friedle]

You guys are a blast. Thanks for having me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you.

[Ryder Strong]

Bye. Bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

I still do want to know what that PR person said about the Baldoni situation.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm the same way. He's also one of those guys where I feel like he and I speak the same language.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah? Does that make sense?

[Ryder Strong]

Like you meet somebody and you're like, it'll be like Ryder meeting another professor or.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, we picked up on that. Right. And I just stayed pretty quiet.

[Ryder Strong]

It's like we speak the same language. I know this guy. Okay. Yeah. Just the old school kind of comedy and the really random references. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Love that for sure. He's so interesting. So many interesting careers. And it's funny that how much what he said at the very beginning of the episode reminded me of what Rusty says. It's like, you can bang your head against door A, but eventually if, you know, door B opens and you don't walk through it, like. Yeah, you know, it's. It's just.

[Ryder Strong]

It's funny you say that. He said a couple things that reminded me of Rusty. The other thing Rusty used to always say to me was, I knew when I was coming up, I just never wanted to wear a suit to work.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

He's like, I just knew he would always say that to me. He's like, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I just knew I didn't want to wear a suit to work. And you got that same kind of vibe from Nick, where it was just like, no, I. I don't know exactly what it is. Yeah. Yeah, right? Yeah. It's like, I just don't want to wear a suit to work. So the same kind of thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your emails. Pod meets worldshowmail.com and we've got Merch.

[Ryder Strong]

I still don't believe Salem was a puppet merch.

[Danielle Fishel]

Pod meets worldshow.com writer send us out.

[Ryder Strong]

We love you all. Pod Dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L And Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, Producer and Editor Tara Sub Baksh, Producer Matt Engineer and Boy Meets World superban Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworld show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com Honestly, honestly, honestly. No one wants to think about HIV.

[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

It means routinely taking prescription medicine before.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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