Staying Alive – "The Funniest Guy At The Cooling Tower" (with Sean Clements)

Podcast: Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally
Guest: Sean Clements
Release Date: February 5, 2026
Network: SmartLess Media

Episode Overview

In this candid and hilarious episode, Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally reconnect with their longtime friend and fellow comedian Sean Clements (Hollywood Handbook, Making History). They reflect on two decades of friendship, the realities of health and wellness in middle age, the complexities of addiction and sobriety, and their respective journeys in comedy. The group dives deep into the strange intersections of professional success, personal demons, and practical health routines—while reliving classic behind-the-scenes stories and bits from their shared past.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Friend Dynamics

• Checking in with Old Friends
  • The hosts talk about how podcasting lets them reconnect with old friends, including Sean (00:09-01:28).
  • Adam: "When we met Sean in ‘05, he had already lived a kind of life that … I didn't know a lot of people who did." (01:05)

2. Weight Loss Journeys & GLP-1 Drugs

• Sharing Their Experiences

  • Adam and John discuss their trials with weight loss medications (like Wegovy, Mounjaro), side effects, and the psychological impact (03:00-06:17).
  • Adam: “I’m not feeling the fuller sooner vibe as much as I’m feeling full for the first time in my life.” (03:09)
  • They share weight updates and milestone victories, celebrating being under 300 pounds for Adam and under 200 for John (04:31-06:03).

• Changing Relationships with Food & Drinking

  • Both comment on how their approach to eating and drinking has shifted: "The power of feeling bad is stronger than the pull of the food." – John (03:39)
  • They recount moments of turning down drinks and leaving leftovers—a significant change from their "no wounded soldiers" 20s (08:02).

3. Addiction, Sobriety, and Mental Health (w/ Sean Clements)

• Sean’s Honest Account of Addiction

  • Sean opens up about being a drug addict and his experience getting sober just before entering the comedy scene (15:47-16:23).
  • “I felt socially extremely uncomfortable… drugs and alcohol… I feel like I can talk to people, I feel like I’m being funny. … That led to wanting to die.” — Sean (16:29-17:11)

• Coping & Finding Comedy as a Lifeline

  • Discusses therapy, inpatient recovery, and finding improv as a "safer addiction" (21:29-25:55).
  • “Long-form improv, which I found close to a year in, in some ways saved my life.” — Sean (36:21-36:26)

• Humor as Survival & Connection

  • They riff on how being the "funny person" can be both therapeutic and alienating, in rehab, construction sites, or with new parent friends (38:53-43:52).
  • Sean: “I'm not a good cook, but that doesn't mean I can't cook... make it simple so you'll do it.” (61:04)

4. Comedy Industry Real Talk & "Making History" Nostalgia

• Behind-the-Scenes Stories

  • The trio deconstruct the cancellation of their show "Making History," the emotional fallout, and the “dream job” that unraveled (29:41-33:42).
  • Sean recalls the unmade “Nikola Tesla at MTV Spring Break” episode arc, blending absurdist comedy with sharp writing (62:12-63:58).

• Camaraderie & Surviving Setbacks

  • Adam: “Mostly the one I’ve gotten to is, well, this is the thing that happens before shit really takes off for me. ... Well, from here on out, I’m cruising. ... Nope. Okay, hold on.” (65:11)

5. The Real Health Routine: Consistency & Simplicity

• Sean’s “Staying Alive” Answer (53:24+)

  • Twice-a-week, 30-minute Zoom workouts with his wife and a personal trainer (M+Power for Her, based in Kentucky).
  • Cooking 4-5 nights a week—simple, repetitive meals (ground beef, sweet potatoes, arugula salad).
    “On the weekends we might go out, but Monday through Thursday, we're always cooking in.” (58:56)

• Hosts Reflect on Food Habits

  • John: “I really only eat three things myself. ... We live in New York City—it’s like, that’s what we eat.” (57:37)
  • Adam explains the discipline of eating simply at home to make “fun meals out with friends” more special and sustainable (57:59-58:56).

• The Value of Routines

  • Sean: “When you cook the same thing all the time, you get better at it. ... And then you perfect it over the years.” (61:31)

6. Parenting & The Search for Meaning Beyond Addiction

• “Coaching my son’s basketball team... that's what I am thinking about at rest.” — Sean (52:18)
• Discusses mental "safe places," sports as healthy obsessions, and creating stability as a parent post-addiction (52:51-53:37).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sobriety and the perils of moderation:

  “If I did that because of the way I’m wired...what I know is the other 29 days of the month would be me planning out... Like, you are not free from your obsession. You’re just in the state of withdrawal and obsession.”
  — Sean Clements, (51:03)

• On finding the right path in comedy:

  “The only thing I ever really think is: I had no choice. ... I found this thing and it was like, that’s the only thing my mind would let me explore to do.”
  — John Gabrus, (47:32)

• Absurdist Comedy Gold:

  Sean pitches the lost episode:
  “We got to get Nikola Tesla laid. ... You guys take him to MTV Spring Break, and through physics, he figures out how to surf the break perfectly and becomes the star-studded beach hero.”
  — Sean Clements, (62:12-63:58)

• On being the “funny one”—and its pitfalls:

  “My personality is unpleasant.” — Sean Clements (42:28)
  “The line of comedy and like a funny person is razor thin of just behaving correctly. ... We do it on stage, but when you meet someone’s funny cousin… it’s such a turn.” — John Gabrus (41:36)

• Coping with addiction in showbiz:

  “I think I have been freed from the phenomenon of craving, which… thanks to these gummies, something…” — Sean Clements (35:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09-01:28 — Reunion with Sean; reflecting on old friendships
• 03:00-06:17 — Weight loss drugs, food psychology, and milestones
• 15:47-18:24 — Sean opens up about addiction and getting sober
• 21:29-25:55 — Therapy, finding improv, and comedy as a lifeline
• 29:41-34:42 — Stories from “Making History” and the rough side of Hollywood
• 36:21-41:15 — The role of group dynamics, “being the funny one,” and rough jobs
• 53:24-57:37 — Sean’s health routine: training, diet, and food simplicity
• 62:12-63:58 — The Nikola Tesla/MTV Spring Break lost episode pitch
• 65:01-66:19 — “Dream jobs” and professional real talk

Tone and Style

The episode is equal parts nostalgic, vulnerable, and side-splittingly funny. The hosts and Sean share a relentless honesty about their health, struggles with food and substances, and the weirdness of showbiz. Their rapport is irreverent and warm, laced with dark humor, inside jokes, playful ribbing, and occasional heartfelt wisdom.

For New Listeners

If you want a deep dive into the realities of health for comedians, an honest portrayal of addiction and recovery, plus a window into the writing rooms and green rooms of alt-comedy, this episode delivers on all fronts. It’s a celebration of friendship, survival, and self-improvement with plenty of laughs—and a few cautionary tales about Sulfur burps, overcooked sweet potatoes, and why sometimes, the key to health is knowing when to leave half a beer on the table.

Guest: Sean Clements
Hosts: Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

“I became totally obsessed. I became totally addicted. … That became my new addiction and my passion. And then that led into … now I have a life.” — Sean Clements (46:13-47:19)