Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim – Episode Summary
Guest: Ron Funches
Date: November 18, 2025
Episode Overview
In this heartfelt, hilarious, and candid conversation, Ego Nwodim sits down with comedian and actor Ron Funches to discuss fatherhood, gratitude, resilience, family dynamics, and personal growth. Ron reflects on his own upbringing, experiences as a dad of two boys (one of whom is on the autism spectrum), overcoming major life challenges like divorce, and how his relationship with his mother and absent father shaped his perspective. The two also riff on ice cream preferences, cake vs. pie, and why leadership (and knowing when to fire someone) is more complex than it looks. Expect vulnerability, wisdom, and plenty of trademark Ego and Ron irreverence.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Gratitude & Support Networks ([14:20])
- Ron’s Gratitude List: Ron shares his appreciation for his friends and work circle, especially for stepping up when he injured his back before a big show.
“It was just nice to be like, oh, I don’t have to carry everything on my own.” – Ron Funches [15:22]
- Thankfulness for Family: He’s grateful for quality time and adult conversations with his mother (“learning more from her now as an adult than I did as a kid”).
2. Navigating Challenging Times & Values ([16:24], [19:02])
- Living Through Hard Social Times: Ron acknowledges the heartbreak and chaos in the wider world (e.g., ICE raids), appreciating how these circumstances clarify who shares his values:
“It really indicates and lets me know, like, who is following on the same path that I’m trying to go on, who I should spend more time with…” – Ron Funches [17:08]
- Speaking Up: He encourages not staying silent in the face of injustice, even if it costs you followers or popularity.
“What’s the point if you’re gonna lose? Lose swinging is what I would say.” – Ron Funches [19:52]
3. Learning from His Mother ([21:04])
- Perspective on Tough Times: Ron recounts how, during a painful divorce, his mother offered grounding perspective:
“She just looks at me and she goes, I had breast cancer longer than that.” – Ron Funches [23:01]
- Her Many Roles: His mother’s resilience (surviving abuse, cancer, working in a prison, social work) guides her strength-based, survivor’s outlook.
4. Father Relationships & Family Dynamics ([25:11])
- The Absent Father: Ron’s dad was mostly absent but came through in a critical moment—when Ron’s mother, escaping an abusive relationship, moved Ron and his sister to live with their dad in Oregon:
“He wasn’t there for most of the time that I needed him. He was there for me in a time where I needed him the most.” – Ron Funches [25:50–26:03]
- Impact on Identity: That move helped Ron discover his individuality, sense of humor, and eventually, his path as a comedian.
5. Parenting Two Sons—Different Needs, Same Empathy ([30:42])
- Value Emphasis: Ron strives to instill empathy, hard work, and collective responsibility.
- Parenting a Child on the Spectrum: Shares practical and emotional concerns for his older son, Malcolm—his safety as a large Black young man with autism, social situations, and long-term support:
“I worry about his interactions with police. … When someone doesn’t get him and then they’re, like, aggressive about it.” – Ron Funches [33:00]
6. Divorce and Rediscovering Himself ([42:52])
- Personal Growth Through Pain: Ron describes the end of his second marriage as the worst experience of his life but ultimately transformative.
“It was the worst thing I’ve been through in my life. That turned out to be, like, the biggest blessing for me.” – Ron Funches [42:52]
- Reclaiming Joy: Divorce forced him to rediscover his identity, recommit to what he loved (comedy, jiu-jitsu, Pilates), and set firmer boundaries.
7. Dating, Fatherhood, and Openness ([49:03])
- Being a Transparent Dad: Ron is upfront about his kids in dating and waits about six months before a new partner meets them.
“To not be connected to them would be the worst thing in my life, because I would feel like I had a disconnection from myself.” – Ron Funches [50:30]
- Single Dad Appeal: Ego and Ron joke about the erotic cachet of being a caring, involved father.
8. Financial Literacy and "Real Dad Stuff" ([52:19])
- Allowance: Ron is generous (“Can I have a hundred dollars? … I just give it to him”) but admits he hasn’t taught much about saving yet, outside of trust planning.
- Providing More Than He Received: Ron’s goal as a dad is to provide what he lacked growing up—including financial security and present parenting.
9. Leadership & Firing People ([59:11])
- Management Philosophy: Ron learned reluctantly to embrace inspiring others: “Leaders aren’t necessarily born. You grow into it.”
- Trust and Boundaries: He focuses on hiring self-motivated people, trusting them, and has learned not to shy from making tough calls (even asking his manager to fire a misfit assistant who uploaded a parakeet video to his Instagram! [62:21]).
10. Music, Food—and Debates with Ego ([65:33], [66:22])
- Kendrick or Drake? Ron refuses the binary, instead framing Kendrick as music for “the bus ride” and Drake for “popcorn…movie theater” vibes.
“They’re just two different modes… Kendrick’s a real bus ride… Drake is just popcorn.” – Ron Funches [65:58, 66:22]
- Desserts: The two debate cake vs. pie (Ron dismisses cake as “needy” while Ego defends it), with both agreeing donuts are overrated ([70:08–71:37]).
11. Listener Advice Segment ([67:32])
- Listener Asks: What to do when there’s no Haagen Dazs chocolate swirl vanilla available?
- Ron’s Take: “Step your game up… Try fish food, motherfucker. … Have you heard of Ben and Jerry’s?” ([68:17–68:46])
- Supporting Local: Advises supporting mom & pop ice cream shops and trying new flavors.
Notable Quotes & Moments
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On setting boundaries and authenticity:
“If you’re gonna lose, lose swinging.” – Ron Funches [19:52]
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On his mother’s hard-won wisdom:
“I had breast cancer longer than that.” – Ron Funches’s mom [23:01]
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On being a single dad and the appeal:
“Either you’re gonna find a really good… grateful woman that is, like, good with kids, or you’re gonna get a lot of casual sex because you’re a good dad.” – Ron Funches [50:30]
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On cake vs. pie:
“Cake to me is like, love me, love me, love me. I’m coming at you with sugar and icing and frosting. Love me so much. I’m cake. … Pie or a cobbler… on the inside is where delicious is.” – Ron Funches [70:39–71:14]
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On parenting and legacy:
“If he comes to me as an adult later and he was in this type of relationship… the advice I would give him would be to leave. And if I can’t give him that advice, if I don’t follow it…” – Ron Funches [47:27]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [14:20] – Ron’s gratitude (friends, family, this moment in history)
- [21:04] – Lessons from his mother
- [25:11] – Relationship with his father, moving to Oregon
- [30:42] – Raising sons with differing experiences (one on the spectrum)
- [42:52] – Divorce and personal growth
- [49:03] – Dating as a parent; threshold for meeting his children
- [52:19] – Providing for his kids, allowance, trust funds
- [59:11] – Leadership style, hiring, and firing stories
- [65:33] – Rapid-fire: Kendrick vs. Drake (Ron’s music taste)
- [67:32] – Listener Q&A (Ice Cream Emergency)
- [70:39] – Cake vs. pie, donuts, and more food philosophy
Tone & Takeaways
The episode is a blend of comedic banter, vulnerable self-reflection, and practical wisdom, true to both Ego and Ron’s voices. Listeners get a window into the complexities of modern fatherhood, the nuances of being a supportive friend, the journey toward self-worth after heartbreak, and genuine gratitude for the “village” it takes to thrive.
Final note: The Drake conversation, teased in the intro, appears at [65:33] and is more about comparing "vibes" than picking sides—see timecodes and quotes above!
For those who haven’t listened: This episode offers a rare, honest perspective on modern fatherhood, relationships, resilience, and community—with plenty of laughs alongside the insight. Highly recommended for anyone navigating family, change, or just in need of some big-hearted humor.