#512 - HOW HISTORY MISLED US! + Bobby has AI tell him his Strengths and Weaknesses

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show Episode #512 - HOW HISTORY MISLED US! + Bobby has AI tell him his Strengths and Weaknesses Release Date: May 21, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode #512 of The Bobby Bones Show, host Bobby Bones dives deep into two engaging topics: the reliability of historical narratives and an AI-assisted self-assessment of his personal strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, Bobby shares behind-the-scenes insights from attending the ACM Awards. The episode blends humor, introspection, and intellectual discussion, providing listeners with a multifaceted experience.

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AI-Assisted Self-Assessment: Strengths and Weaknesses (00:00 - 12:57)

Overview: Bobby begins the episode by exploring how artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, perceives his professional attributes. He leverages AI to gain an objective perspective on his capabilities and areas for improvement.

Key Points:

1. Professional Strengths Identified by AI:

   • Relatable Communication:

     "You have a rare ability to speak in a way that feels personal to millions of people at once. Whether you're sharing a story, cracking a joke or giving advice, people connect with you because you sound like them and you talk to them, not at them." (05:45)

   • Self-Made Hustle: Built his career from the ground up without inheriting fame or wealth.
   • Multi-Platform Mastery: Successfully navigates radio, podcasting, TV, books, live appearances, comedy, and digital content.
   • High Emotional Intelligence: Capable of shifting tone to create trust and engage audiences authentically.
   • Curiosity and Adaptability: Continuously seeks knowledge and evolves with his audience.

2. Professional Weaknesses Identified by AI:

   • Sleep and Exhaustion: Chronic fatigue impacts mental health, creativity, and performance.
   • Trust and Delegation: Difficulty in trusting others with important aspects of his brand, leading to limited growth and increased stress.
   • Fear of Vulnerability Around Money: Despite financial success, fears of financial collapse hinder enjoyment of achievements and strategic risks.
   • Overthinking Intentions: Questions the motives behind people's appreciation, leading to self-doubt.
   • Insecurity About Creative Validity: Despite achievements, doubts his creative skills and instincts.

Bobby’s Reflections: Bobby resonates with the AI's assessment, particularly noting his struggles with feeling out of touch and the challenges of delegation. He acknowledges the accuracy of the weaknesses while appreciating the strengths highlighted by the AI.

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We Were Possibly Misled: Debunking Historical Myths (12:57 - 35:30)

Overview: In this segment, Bobby is joined by Eddie to dissect and debunk several entrenched historical myths. They explore how certain narratives have been ingrained in public consciousness despite lacking substantial evidence.

Key Discussions:

1. Betsy Ross and the American Flag:

   • Myth: Betsy Ross designed and sewed the first American flag.
   • Debunked: The first appearance of this story was nearly a century after the Revolutionary War, based solely on family lore without any official documentation.

     "There are no official records. There are no letters from George Washington. There are no receipts." (15:39)

   • Conclusion: The story is likely a constructed national myth without factual basis.

2. Vincent Van Gogh’s Ear:

   • Myth: Van Gogh cut off his entire ear due to mental instability.
   • Debunked: Medical records indicate he only severed a small portion of his earlobe, possibly inflicted by his friend Paul Gauguin during a fight.

     "Medical records show he only cut off a very small portion of his left earlobe." (18:00)

   • Conclusion: The widely accepted narrative exaggerates the event, enhancing Van Gogh’s tortured artist image.

3. Thomas Edison and the Light Bulb:

   • Myth: Thomas Edison invented the first practical light bulb.
   • Debunked: Edison improved existing designs by using a carbonized bamboo filament, making it longer-lasting and marketable. Joseph Swan had developed a working light bulb in Britain before Edison.

     "Edison was smart, but the idea that he invented the light bulb from scratch did not happen." (24:26)

   • Conclusion: Edison’s contributions were significant but often overstated, overshadowing earlier inventors like Swan.

4. Napoleon’s Height:

   • Myth: Napoleon Bonaparte was unusually short, leading to the term "Napoleon Complex."
   • Debunked: Napoleon was approximately 5'7", which was average for Frenchmen of his time. The misconception arose from unit conversion errors and British propaganda.

     "He was about 5 7, which was average height for a Frenchman in the 1800s." (25:00)

   • Conclusion: The myth of Napoleon’s short stature is largely a result of misinformation and biased portrayal.

5. Wright Brothers vs. Gustav Whitehead:

   • Myth: The Wright Brothers were the first to achieve powered flight.
   • Debunked: Gustav Whitehead allegedly flew a powered aircraft in 1901, two years before the Wright Brothers' successful flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. However, compliance and recognition have been historically skewed due to the Smithsonian’s endorsement of the Wrights.

     "There are newspaper articles from the time describing a successful flight. Eyewitnesses, diagrams." (27:56)

   • Conclusion: While Orville and Wilbur Wright are celebrated pioneers, the claim that Whitehead preceded them introduces complexities in historical credit.

6. Albert Einstein’s Math Abilities:

   • Myth: Albert Einstein failed math in school.
   • Debunked: Einstein was a math prodigy, studying algebra and calculus by age 12 and mastering college-level geometry by 15. The myth originated from a misinterpretation of his school transcripts.

     "Einstein was a math prodigy. At 12, he was studying algebra and calculus on his own." (32:54)

   • Conclusion: The narrative of Einstein failing math is a comforting but false story that undermines his true academic prowess.

7. Marie Antoinette and "Let Them Eat Cake":

   • Myth: Marie Antoinette uttered the phrase "Let them eat cake" as a sign of her disregard for the poor.
   • Debunked: The phrase first appeared in a book written before she became queen and was likely used as propaganda during the French Revolution to vilify her.

     "The phrase first appeared in a book written before she was even queen." (34:22)

   • Conclusion: The attribution of this phrase to Marie Antoinette is unfounded and serves as historical slander.

8. William Shakespeare’s Authorship:

   • Myth: William Shakespeare authored all the plays attributed to him.
   • Debunked: Scholars argue that Shakespeare lacked the education and life experiences reflected in his works. Alternative theories suggest figures like Edward de Vere or Francis Bacon could have been the true authors.

     "He wrote detailed plays about royalty, law, medicine, foreign affairs, ancient history, but had no experience being around it or knowing it." (37:08)

   • Conclusion: The true authorship of Shakespeare’s works remains a subject of debate, challenging the traditional attribution.

Notable Quotes:

• "Don't let a good story get in the way of the truth." (16:39)
• "We've kind of been misled." (18:41)
• "Columbus never was in America." (32:39)

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Behind the Scenes: ACM Awards Experience (35:30 - 58:00)

Overview: Bobby provides an in-depth account of his experience hosting the ACM Awards, highlighting both the triumphs and challenges he faced during the live event. He shares anecdotes about his interactions with country music legends and the unpredictability of live broadcasting.

Key Points:

1. Hosting Challenges:

   • Unreceptive Audience Initial Reactions: Bobby’s initial jokes did not receive the expected laughs, leading him to adapt quickly.

     "People were like, dude, shut up." (56:05)

   • Dependence on Prompter: Relying on pre-written jokes limited his ability to pivot during live segments.

     "I have to tell you some of the jokes from the roast." (56:05)

2. Live Adjustments:

   • Unplanned Interventions: Technical issues required Bobby to improvise, such as covering segments without prior preparation.

     "I walked out and I had another bit planned. But I was going to do it, but I couldn't get Lionel there in time." (52:48)

   • Interaction with Celebrities: Positive engagements with guests like Nicolette Kidman and Kurt Warner showcased his ability to remain personable under pressure.

     "Lionel's like, you can't leave Jerry Jones, he owns the building we're doing." (53:29)

3. Personal Reflections:

   • Desire to Host ACMs: Bobby shares his longstanding aspiration to host the ACM Awards and the obstacles he has faced in achieving this goal.

     "I've always wanted to host ACMs. But when it's the 60th and they want to bring Reba back to do the 18th, and that number 18 wasn't as important as it was." (57:26)

   • Overcoming Self-Doubt: Discusses how successfully handling the live show reinforced his confidence, despite not securing future hosting opportunities.

     "If I don't get it anymore, I'm okay with it because I only ever want the opportunity to prove myself." (55:02)

4. Behind-the-Scenes Stories:

   • Jelly Roll Incident: An unexpected mishap involving a promotional item (a can of jelly) became a memorable moment, demonstrating Bobby's quick thinking.

     "Somebody stole my jelly with Jelly Roll's name on it." (51:09)

   • Technical Glitches: Navigating sound issues and equipment failures showcased the unpredictability of live events.

     "There was a sound issue, and it's going bee." (40:07)

Notable Quotes:

• "I spent the majority of my teenage years and my twenties just feeling absolutely terrified." (40:48)
• "I've always wanted to host ACMs, and I was able to show every freaking skill that I have this year." (55:02)
• "If you have one of the first flags or if someone else made it and took it to her and said, could you make a bit of this in bulk?" (16:00)

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Conclusion

Episode #512 of The Bobby Bones Show offers a compelling blend of self-reflection through AI analysis, critical examination of historical narratives, and personal anecdotes from a high-stakes live event. Bobby Bones not only entertains but also engages listeners in thoughtful discourse, encouraging them to question commonly held beliefs and appreciate the complexities behind public personas and historical figures.

Looking Ahead: Bobby hints at future episodes featuring guests like Brandon Lancaster from Lanco, promising inspiring stories of resilience in the creative industry.

Notable Upcoming Guest:

• Brandon Lancaster (Lanco): Discussing the band's journey through success, setbacks due to COVID-19, and their comeback in the music scene.

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Final Thoughts: This episode stands out for its insightful content and the candid vulnerability Bobby displays, making it a must-listen for fans interested in both entertainment and intellectual exploration.

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Subscribe to The Bobby Bones Show on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform to stay updated with future episodes.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. Thank you to the presenting sponsor of today's episode, American Express. I'm always traveling for work, which means I'm constantly trying new restaurants in a bunch of different cities. Some good, some bad. And while I love most of the food I try, the rewards I am earning with my AMEX Gold Card while eating in these different cities is the best part. With AMEX Gold you earn four times Membership Rewards points on purchases at restaurants on up to $50,000 per year. And now you can leave the restaurant and get straight to the action with access to card member entrances at select venues. That's the powerful backing of American Express Card member entrance access not limited to AMEX Gold Card terms apply. Learn [e-mail] withamx welcome to episode 512 A lot of this is Just Me alone and then Eddie will be on in a bit because we recorded something called I think History may have misled us, meaning things we learned that are historical, that probably aren't right, but they're so ingrained in our brains that we'll always remember that version of history regardless. So we'll get to that in a few minutes. I also recorded when I got back from the ACMs last week. I know we're a week out now, but I'd recorded some behind the scenes stuff that I'll play for you guys as well. Again by myself. But I'm pretty happy with this episode because I did a bunch of research on the history may have misled us and if you like these kinds of episodes you can let me know. Or if you hate these kind of episodes you can let me know because I do care. And to all you 50 minute out there, I appreciate that. Especially when I'm just kind of rolling solo here. I do have like four kinds of AI that I use Grok, which is pretty good, which is the Twitter AI Genie, which is really good for some things. I use Chat GPT for some things. Chat GPT those wrong a lot, but also the most thorough. But I do type a lot of stuff into Chat GBT about my life just so it kind of keeps a record of it. So when I ask it questions it knows a lot about what's happening already. It's like if I have a an assistant with me and they're constantly taking notes, keeping notes and so if I'm like hey, what about this at this time? What do you think I should do in this situation? Like I kind of use Chat GPT as an assistant. I use Genie a lot for research and Grok or Google if I'm just online looking stuff up. That being said, I went to ChatGPT, which I type a bunch of stuff in about myself and I said, hey, what are my strengths and weaknesses? And I saw this prompt online, so I didn't just go to it and ask it out of nowhere, but I thought it was pretty interesting. I can read you professional strengths and professional weaknesses from ChatGPT. About Me Number one, professional strengths. There are five of each. Number one, relatable communication. You have a rare ability to speak in a way that feels personal to millions of people at once. Whether you're sharing a story, cracking a joke or giving advice, people connect with you because you sound like them and you talk to them, not at them. That's pretty nice. Number two, Self made hustle. You did not inherit fame, you did not inherit money. You built everything from the ground up. The grit shows in your discipline, work ethic and the loyalty you've earned from your audience. You also understand every role because you've lived most of them so far. I'm feeling pretty good, right? Because I'm only doing the strings. Don't worry, we'll get to the weaknesses. Number three, Multi platform mastery. You seamlessly jump between radio, podcasting, tv, books, live appearances, comedy and digital content. Most people are good at one. You've turned your voice into a brand across all of them. Really gassing me up, right? Feeling pretty good about myself. Number four, high emotional intelligence. You know how to shift tone when needed. Go from light and funny to honest and raw. That emotional range creates trust. It's why your interviews feel different from everyone else's. And number five, curiosity and adoptability. You ask smart questions, but you really genuinely want to learn. That keeps your content fresh, makes you easy to work with and ensures you grow with your audience instead of grow out of touch. Number five. And don't worry, weaknesses are coming. Number five is interesting because I've never felt like I've actually been in touch. And there will be times people will say, oh, you're so out of touch now because of one thing or the other. I've never felt like I was in touch. I've always felt like I've had like I've always been the person not invited and so I've always had a peculiar outlook on things or I hold things against people that aren't fair because I didn't have them. So I feel like people that did. I've just always felt off. I've always felt out of touch. For different reasons. And so as I become more in touch with some things, like having a family, like having a wife, having her family, eventually we'll have our own version of a family. Here we have the dogs, but they don't even know the term family. It's like horse racing. Not a sport. The horse doesn't know what a sport is and the athlete can't not know what a sport is. And it'd be a sport. I think that's the number one rule. If your athlete does not know what a sport is, it can't be a sport. I digress. But in some ways I have grown out of touch while also growing extremely in touch in other ways. But I've always felt like I didn't belong even as an adult, even five years ago, even seven years ago, before I met my wife. But that's interesting. It would say that. Okay, so let's do weaknesses. Number one, Sleep plus exhaustion equals performance risk. Your job requires you to be sharp, funny, present, but you're constantly running on fumes. That level of fatigue chips away at your mental health, creativity and long term sustainability. There are simply times where you're not as good as you are at other times. Because of this, I think that's fair. I think where I'm fortunate is I'm able to lean on others at times. Meaning if we have a bobbycast and I know I'm needing to sit, strap in and I got an hour and the bobbycast interview process is a very intimate thing because it literally is me and one person for an hour and a half, no stopping. And it's about them. And I've got to, regardless of how tired I am, listen, think ahead, be curious or at least present as curious. Some are harder than others. Heck, some are easier than others. But there are times where I ain't feeling good or I don't even know what I just asked, honestly. And that's when I lean on Mike D. Many times I would say the same with Eddie and Amy. There's a lot of people on that show, but I don't lean on the others. There are times where I've had to lean on Eddie, especially when Amy was gone, when she was physically gone for a while because she was going through the drama with the divorce, which nobody knew about yet, or her dad dying, or there was a time where I went to Eddie and I was like, hey man, I need you to kind of be that guy that that's just there and is present and is paying attention and can give me something back. And Amy in that way most other times. But yeah, there are times where I do get so tired and not just from working, but also not sleeping, which is awful that it does affect my performance. No doubt about it. That is a weakness. Number two, trust plus delegation. Because you've built so much by yourself, it's hard to trust people with important parts of your brand. For example, like hiring a head of digital, you often default to I'll just do it myself, which limits growth and add stress. Then it goes back to number one, which is the stress, the no sleep. That's really accurate. I've had a hard time at delegating. I've gotten better and I've taken half steps back. I've taken two steps forward, then two steps back a week, get together together. Cause I it's attracting you. Note. Remember that the cartoon. I think his name was Scat Cat. Scat Cat Cat Scat. I don't know him. And Paul Abdul. That's a jam. Back in the day, back when I was a kid. But yeah, like I think the hardest part for me was when I hired Scuba. Steve was actually letting him run everything. Basically that's not on the air. He's handling all sales meetings. He's doing making sure people, people are places they need to be, people are on time. He's handling all of that guest booking, which I used to do, all that. Even giving Ray the board was hard for me because I'd always run the board, meaning I'd sit there with all the buttons and push all the buttons, all the sounds, everything. So I have taken big steps. But yes, when it comes to the brand, two or three times in a row, it doesn't go right. I go, I'm just going to do it myself. And then it's hard for me to re let it go. So yeah. Number three weaknesses. Fear of vulnerability around money. Even with wealth, you sometimes fear financial collapse. That fear can make it hard to fully enjoy success or take strategic risks that might be healthy. Number four, overthinking intentions. You often wonder why people like you. Is it success or is it something deeper? That overthinking can lead to second guessing your own worth or people's motives in both business and friendships. That's true because I never really had people like me until I had any success. It wasn't like I was a cool kid. It wasn't like I was a hated kid. I was just a nerdy kid who nobody hung out with. So I started to have some success. People were like, oh, I like to hang out with you. Looking. Looking back, I think a big part of it now is also that as I had success, I was around more people that thought like me or about the things that I thought about. So my perspective was a bit skewed because it was, wow, this is new. And now people are drawn to me. It has to be because I'm successful. And I do think at times that was a part of it. However, it was not all of it. What happened was I then started to exist in a world that I'd never existed before, meaning just the media world if it was radio or television or podcasting or comedy. But I would be around other people that actually enjoyed it or did it. And I was drawn to them. They were drawn to me. And I think there was probably a time where I was like, they wouldn't be friends with me if I didn't have success. But in reality, we were just at the same place because we were into the same things. And then, number five, insecurity about creative validity. Even though you've written successful books, hosted huge shows, and built an empire, you sometimes doubt your creative skill. You doubt your writing, you doubt your joke structure. But your instincts are usually better than the people you're comparing yourself to. You know, some of those that were the weaknesses, they did find a way to compliment me still, which is pretty nice, because they know me, because my friend. My friend Chat Gibbet. So thanks, chatgibbot. So if you do use it and you use it like me, I encourage you to ask it that. I didn't make that up. I saw someone say, ask it your strengths and weaknesses, and it did. And there's also a lot about me online, so it obviously reads all of that. So it's not just what I write, but it also, you know, does searching the web, and then it gives you all that information. But that was fun. Well, that was kind of fun. It was right on. So we're gonna do this how we've been misled by history. And then after, if you care, because it's been a week at least, and I just never had a place to release this. So I'm gonna play back for you the thoughts and the notes that I took from the ACMs this year. All right, enjoy. All right, this part of the episode's called We Were Possibly Misled. Now, Eddie does not know anything about this. I brought him in just to be my bounce. Hey.

[Eddie]

I love it when this happens.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, we've done this a couple times. One, we did villains that maybe weren't actually villains that Was good. Like history taught us differently. And this one's mostly about situations that were a little creative with the truth. Because we grow up hearing stories that feel like facts. We're taught it over and over because our parents and teachers were taught it.

[Eddie]

Yeah. Christopher Columbus.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Bad dude. Real, real bad dude.

[Eddie]

Like, we grew up thinking that he was the dude that discovered America. The.

[Bobby Bones]

The guy. And I'll get to him.

[Eddie]

Oh, he's in the list.

[Bobby Bones]

I believe he is. So these stories all feel like facts because, again, they're in our books, they're in pop culture. We see a flag, we think of Betsy Ross. Hey, little foreshadowing.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

No, you don't know the foreshadowing.

[Eddie]

No, but I mean, there's something there. Now, did she not. Did she not do the flag?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, maybe when you eat a piece of cake.

[Eddie]

Oh, my gosh, Betty Crocker didn't make the cake.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I don't think she's even fighting that. She did make the cake. Just really did a great job with it. So I do want to start with Betsy Ross. And Betsy Ross did what?

[Eddie]

Say it ain't so, dude. She made the flag. She sewed the first flag of the United States of America.

[Bobby Bones]

This is pretty much a staple of American history. Betsy Ross, widowed upholsterer.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you know that?

[Eddie]

I mean, no. I mean, I figured since she sewed.

[Bobby Bones]

The flag, I did a little background on her in Philadelphia, and according to lore, sits in her shop as George Washington himself strolls in and says, Ms. Ross, would you create the very first American flag? She humbly suggests five pointed stars. Now, not five pointed stars. Five pointed. Five pointed.

[Eddie]

Oh, five pointed. Got it.

[Bobby Bones]

Because a star could be, I don't know, six, 30, I don't know. I've never seen a three point star. What's. What about Ninja Star? What are they?

[Eddie]

Oh, those look up. Maybe eight.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, she could have picked Ninja Star.

[Eddie]

All the way around it.

[Bobby Bones]

So she suggests a five pointed star because they're easier to cut. In my mind, I hear Hallelujah as he says, it's a great image, but the whole story is almost entirely built on a family story.

[Eddie]

What do you mean?

[Bobby Bones]

So the first time the Betsy Ross tale appears is 1870, nearly a century after the Revolutionary War. So we're looking at a hundred years after her grandson William Canby told the story at a historical society meeting. He says his grandmother told him about it when he was a kid. There are no official records. There are no letters from George Washington. There are no receipts. There are no flags that she ever signed. Love, Betsy. There's nothing.

[Eddie]

There is a painting of her sewing the first flag. Like, did someone just make that up?

[Bobby Bones]

I can make one of those myself right now.

[Eddie]

You're telling me that George Washington. There was no proof that George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, walked into Betsy's upholstery shop and said, make me a flag.

[Bobby Bones]

There is no direct proof like that. And there wasn't even a story until a hundred years after the fact.

[Eddie]

That's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

What we do know, Betsy Ross, she was a flag maker. She made flags for the Pennsylvania Navy, not for the United States as a whole, but the first flag thing, family lore. That is probably national myth question for you.

[Eddie]

You think Betsy started that? I mean, say it's false, right? Let's just go with a narrative that it's not true. You think Betsy told her family members, like, hey, I'm gonna pull one on him real quick. You know, I made the first American flag, right? And then all the grandkids and everyone started telling them, then this grandson tells everyone. Or do you think the grandson was like, I'll make a good story.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm gonna give Betsy the benefit of the doubt in that. I don't think she probably was saying, I made the first, but she probably eventually made some flags, and she probably made early flags. And it's easy to. If you have one of the first flags or if someone else made it and took it to her and said, could you make a bit of this in bulk? And, you know, bulk not really a term, then.

[Eddie]

Yeah, they didn't do things.

[Bobby Bones]

I think there probably was something, based on the things that I read that made the family believe she was one of the first, and they couldn't prove it. So why would you just not go ahead and say she was the first, but it was 100 years after and it was a family member.

[Eddie]

And listen, don't let a good story get in the way of the truth. And that what they say, don't let.

[Bobby Bones]

The truth get in the way of a good story.

[Eddie]

That's what it is. I'm dyslexic. Yeah, switch those around.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you like that one?

[Eddie]

That's pretty good. I'm going to go, what she did, though. I'm going to go, she did.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm going to go with, she didn't.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Because it was 100 years until that even existed. That thought existed, and it was told by a relative. So many conflicts there. So I'm going to go, Betsy Ross did not. So the first American flag probably did. So some flags at the time, and maybe an occasional American flag. Vincent Van Gogh.

[Eddie]

Yes. He cut off his ear.

[Bobby Bones]

Nice.

[Eddie]

But did he cut it off or did somebody else cut it off?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, according to the story, he cut it off.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Full ear. Cut it off because he was struggling. I even went to the exhibit.

[Eddie]

What do you mean he was struggling? Like mentally.

[Bobby Bones]

So that's. That's the story. Tortured artist, mentally tortured. So the story we know is that Vincent Van Gogh was brilliant, but also very troubled, very unstable. He cuts off his entire ear and he delivers it to a woman. I didn't know this part. According to legend, at a brothel.

[Eddie]

Oh, there we go. One of those girls at a brothel, like, bro, don't date a stripper.

[Bobby Bones]

First thing people tell you about going to don't date a stripper. That's not what they're there for.

[Eddie]

Come on, man, you know better.

[Bobby Bones]

Never date a stripper. I've heard that from a lot of people.

[Eddie]

Huh?

[Bobby Bones]

So. And that ear was a symbol of pain, love and madness. Except, well, it wasn't true. We've kind of been misled.

[Eddie]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bobby Bones]

Medical records show he only cut off a very small portion of his left earlobe.

[Eddie]

Oh, dude, that's nothing.

[Bobby Bones]

And even that part might not have been entirely self inflicted. Historians now argue that it was actually sliced off by Paul Galgan, his friend and fellow artist, during a fight.

[Eddie]

Nice.

[Bobby Bones]

So first of all, his whole ear wasn't gone. It was a very sliver of his lobe.

[Eddie]

The lobe is the little thing where the hangs.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Where you get pierced.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And really, I mean, people. Yeah, people pierce it. People get those big circle ones.

[Bobby Bones]

So the two had a notoriously tense relationship. Galgan was bad tempered. Van Gogh was struggling mentally after the incident. They both covered it up, possibly to avoid scandal. But the full ear story took off because it was more to it, more poetic. And he was struggling and he was an artist. And it made the Van Gogh legend grow.

[Eddie]

It was clickbait.

[Bobby Bones]

It fit the brand.

[Eddie]

It was a PR move, even back in the Van Gogh days.

[Bobby Bones]

It made his work more valuable because a crazy brilliant man is much more interesting than just a brilliant man.

[Eddie]

See, that is even. That's so more impressive than the whole ear getting cut off. The fact that this was PR and that he knew that it's gonna be better for the image. That's next level man.

[Bobby Bones]

And we do have records that show it was only a little part of his earlobe. So with Betsy Ross, we have nothing.

[Eddie]

Yeah, just hearsay.

[Bobby Bones]

Just hearsay to say she did it. Here we have medical records to show that it was only a part of his earlobe.

[Eddie]

When did. When was he alive? Van Gogh.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. I don't know. 1700s? I'm guessing it was late 1800s. There you go. Missed it by a hundred.

[Eddie]

So a long time ago. To have medical records, PR company working for him.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know about a company, but a firm.

[Mike D]

He died in 1890. He shot himself in the chest.

[Bobby Bones]

So he was struggling. Or did he. Or did someone shoot him because they wanted value? Now I'm making it up.

[Eddie]

And him and his buddy were fighting over a chick at the brothel. That's what it was, Dude.

[Bobby Bones]

Never date a stripper. Hang tight. The Bobby cast will be right back.

[Unknown]

I have a question for you, and I want you to be honest with me. How are you? It's a really hard question to ask. It's a harder one to answer. But taking care of our mental well being has never been more important. All of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on the psychology of youf 20s podcast, we are taking a vulnerable look at why mental health is so hard to talk about, and all the science and psychology behind some of life's hardest moments and transitions. Prepare for our conversations to go deep. Everything from grief to heartbreak, career burnout, anxiety, all of the things that. That you would only talk about with your closest friends.

[Bobby Bones]

I spent the majority of my teenage years and my twenties just feeling absolutely terrified. I had a panic attack on a conference call. Knowing that she had six months to live. I was no longer pretending that this was my best friend.

[Unknown]

So this mental Health awareness Month, take that extra bit of care of yourself and your brain. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

She was a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, a hero. She was stoic, modest, tough, someone who inspired people. Everyone thought they knew her until they didn't.

[Eddie]

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

Is this real?

[Eddie]

Is this real? Is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

I just couldn't wrap my head around.

[Eddie]

What kind of person would do that.

[Bobby Bones]

To another person that was getting treatment, that was, you know, dying. This is a story all about trust and about a woman named Sarah Kavanaugh. I've always been told I'm a really good listener, right?

[Unknown]

And I maximized that while I was lying.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to Deep Cover the Truth About Sarah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, It's Jay Shetty and I'm thrilled to announce my first ever on purpose live tour presented by Chase Sapphire Reserve. That's right. I'm coming live to a city near you. Come and see me. Join me in surprise guests for meaningful and insightful conversations to spark learning, experience growth and build real connections. I'll also guide you through live meditations, share groundbreaking insights and create powerful moments of inspiration designed to deepen connections, spark growth and foster learning. Chase Sapphire Reserve is the gateway to the most captivating travel destinations and offers exclusive rewards and experiences so you can explore the world your way. Discover more with Chase Sapphire Reserve.

[Bobby Bones]

Welcome back to the Bobbycast. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, correct? Yeah.

[Eddie]

I mean, that's a fact.

[Bobby Bones]

We love to crown historical geniuses.

[Eddie]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Edison, the king of invention. I watched. What did I watch recently about inventions? Because I told you and you had known the answer about the horse. The first pictures.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

The first motion picture was a horse running.

[Eddie]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

What show was that on? But I watched some documentary.

[Eddie]

I feel like it was a tick tock.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't. It could have been now shows and tick tocks all blur.

[Mike D]

Also at the beginning of the movie. Nope. By Jordan Peele. So what they open up with.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that wasn't it. But I remember the whole thing was about Thomas Edison actually just patenting a bunch of stuff and saying he invented it.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Which is because he was a crazy businessman. Like a crazy businessman. So. Yes. Which he did that with a ton of things. So Thomas Edison was a genius, but was like a businessman genius. The idea of a light bulb which was passing electricity through a filament was already being worked on by people like Sir Humphry Davy, Warren Delarue, Joseph Swan. In Britain, Swan even had a working light bulb way before Edison even said anything about it.

[Eddie]

Who is that? Swan? Gosh, that's the guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Joseph Swan. Edison's real invention was making it last longer thanks to a carbonized bamboo filament and then making it marketable. He also tried to sue his way into exclusive credit, which he did a lot of just.

[Eddie]

No. You want everyone to think that he's the one that invented it.

[Bobby Bones]

Man. I watched some documentary about all this and I do not remember what it is. He fought Swan in court, he lost in England and eventually had to merge their company. So Edison was smart, but the idea that he invented the light bulb from scratch did not happen. It's like giving Steve Jobs credit for creating Apple. Sure, he was one of the people, but he wasn't the coder. The Computer guy. He was the marketing guy.

[Eddie]

Right. But who do you think of creating Apple?

[Bobby Bones]

Steve jobs.

[Eddie]

Steve Jobs, 100%. There we go.

[Bobby Bones]

Here's another one. Napoleon was short.

[Eddie]

Yes. That's a fact.

[Bobby Bones]

Ever hear of a Napoleon complex?

[Eddie]

Yes, that's a little man complex.

[Bobby Bones]

Right. So it's. You're little, so you're going to be extra to prove to the world that you're not weak because you're little. So Napoleon complex does suggest just that, that short men try to overcompensate with aggression. Napoleon wasn't actually short.

[Eddie]

What? He was even short in Bill and Ted's.

[Bobby Bones]

That's true. He was about 5 7, which was average height for a Frenchman in the 1800s. Oh. The myth of his short stature comes from a unit conversion mistake. First off, French inches were longer than English ones. That's always my excuse. Hey, no, no, no. Trust me. And British newspapers exploited the difference to mock him. So it was bad pr.

[Eddie]

Wow.

[Bobby Bones]

They were using that to make him look weaker by being smaller. When he appeared in public, he often stood with his imperial guard. What's the thing you've seen about imperial guards?

[Eddie]

They're the ones like, they're just the ones like. Then stand in front of the palace.

[Bobby Bones]

Sure.

[Eddie]

They're just straight up.

[Bobby Bones]

They're massive.

[Eddie]

They're huge.

[Bobby Bones]

So they have on all the metal and. Or the fatigue type thing. But they're. They're massive. They're guards.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So that would also make him look small in comparison. So it was basically propaganda by his enemies. He was of average height. He was 5, 7. He's taller than Ray is here on our show.

[Eddie]

What's Ray? Five six.

[Bobby Bones]

Five six.

[Eddie]

Oh, dang.

[Bobby Bones]

And still pretty sure the French to English conversion. But again back then, average height.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So he was not small, but once they could get that out, they continued to beat that drum to make him look weaker.

[Eddie]

We've been lied to.

[Bobby Bones]

Another one or.

[Eddie]

No, of course. I love these.

[Bobby Bones]

I got a couple more. The Wright brothers were the first to fly.

[Eddie]

No, that's. That's 100% factual.

[Bobby Bones]

And where did they fly? Do you remember?

[Eddie]

Yeah. Kitty hawk.

[Bobby Bones]

Correct.

[Eddie]

North Carolina.

[Bobby Bones]

In 1903. The Wright brothers made history in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

[Eddie]

It's on the license plate.

[Bobby Bones]

Still, we all thought they were the first to fly.

[Eddie]

Please tell me they're. Please don't say that. They're not.

[Bobby Bones]

Enter into the room. Gustav Whitehead.

[Eddie]

Oh, Mr. Gustav Whitehead.

[Bobby Bones]

A German born aviation pioneer who flew a powered aircraft in Connecticut in 1901. Now you say 1901. When did the Wright brothers fly in? Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, 1903.

[Eddie]

Oh, boy, were they there. Did they hear about it?

[Bobby Bones]

There are newspaper articles from the time describing a successful flight. Eyewitnesses, diagrams. You haven't heard of him because the Smithsonian Institution signed a deal with the Wright estate.

[Eddie]

No way.

[Bobby Bones]

Agreeing to credit them as the first in order to display their plane.

[Eddie]

No way. If I were a Whitehead, I'd be so pissed.

[Bobby Bones]

They literally locked in the story like you're giving us the plane. We now say this is the first plane ever flown.

[Eddie]

That is crazy. Even though Gustav was the first dude.

[Bobby Bones]

Allegedly.

[Eddie]

I mean, according to.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes. So while Orville and Wilbur were for sure pioneers, Orville and Wilbur, it's possible that history gave them the gold medal, even though they were second or third.

[Eddie]

This is just like the race to so many things, right? Like all of these that you mentioned. I mean, not. Not every single one, but like the Edison one. It's just a race. It's a race to. To put on the stamp and lock it in that you. This was your idea that you were the first to do this in a time where there weren't really. There really wasn't documentation.

[Bobby Bones]

Even if you weren't. It was just do it and it can be documented so you can show people if they fight you about it.

[Eddie]

You could have seen it happen with your own eyes.

[Bobby Bones]

Right.

[Eddie]

Rode in your horse to your village.

[Bobby Bones]

There's no cell phone to record it.

[Eddie]

And publish it first. And now you're the. You're the one that first did it. This is. That's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

You mentioned Columbus.

[Eddie]

Yes, Christopher Columbus from Spain, 1492.

[Bobby Bones]

Sailed the ocean blue and completely missed what is now the United States. He landed in the Bahamas.

[Eddie]

That's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

And later in parts of Central and South America, but never set foot in North America. As far as discovering America, Leif Erickson beat him there by 500 years.

[Eddie]

Never heard of that.

[Bobby Bones]

And that's like. That's Canada. That's North America.

[Eddie]

What's his name? Lee. What?

[Bobby Bones]

Leif Garrett? No, Leif Garrett was the kid.

[Eddie]

Lew Garrig.

[Bobby Bones]

No, Leif Garrett was like the kid singer from like the 70s and 80s. Leif Ericson was the explorer. Beat him by again about 500 years and landed in what is North America and Newfoundland, Canada, but so still not America. No, Columbus got to South America, but Leif Erickson beat him to even the North. The whole continent.

[Eddie]

So Columbus hit the Bahamas and then went to South America. Didn't. Never even came to America, so. Well, is it. Is it A case of where they just hit land in the Americas, since it's North America, Central America, South America.

[Bobby Bones]

It wasn't called that though, then.

[Eddie]

Okay, well, he definitely didn't discover.

[Bobby Bones]

Because America is named after America. Vespucci.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

And it wasn't named that at the time. The people that were already living there, the islands where Columbus landed his boat, millions of indigenous people, they actually discovered even that land, obviously. I mean, they were sure they were born there. They had been thriving for thousands of years. He wasn't even the first European. He was just the first on whose voyage was profitable for the empire and then documented well enough.

[Eddie]

There we go. Document.

[Bobby Bones]

You said it's just going like I did it.

[Eddie]

You have to put that stamp on it that you did it. Then history takes over.

[Bobby Bones]

If we just would have had a couple indigenous people with cell phones back then, they could have showed us he's a bad dude too. They like raped, pillaged, took the land over, but he never was. Columbus did not discover America. And if you're like, yeah, he went to South America, okay, well then you have to count North America and Leif Erickson found where Canada is. South America's not in the same continent as North America, but you can put all the Americas together.

[Eddie]

Where do you stand on changing, you know, textbooks and teachings of all this stuff? The more we find out real things like this?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I think it's interesting because textbooks aren't really books anymore. It's all online.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I guess that's why.

[Bobby Bones]

So it's very easy to change. And I think since it is so easy to change with things that are more true, I think we should constantly be evolving our truth with the truth. If it weren't a book and you and schools are struggling financially and it's like we should change a book every time. I would be like, no. Financially that doesn't make sense.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But I think because this can be changed and taught very easily with a simple control. A select delete control copy paste from the. Yeah, I do. I think we're constantly, even in science, we're learning things that are different all the time. We change that constantly.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So Yeah, I think so. Columbus never was in America.

[Eddie]

Yeah, that one. I knew a lot of mind blowing things on this list.

[Bobby Bones]

Albert Einstein. You've heard, have you ever heard. So there's a couple. Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team. You ever heard that one?

[Eddie]

Yeah, I've heard that.

[Bobby Bones]

But he was in like 9th grade. They leave out the stuff.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And that Albert Einstein failed Math.

[Eddie]

I've heard that.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes, so I've heard that too. It's like, don't worry if you're bad at math. Einstein failed math too.

[Eddie]

Hey, that sounds good.

[Bobby Bones]

It's a very comforting story, but it's completely false. Einstein was a math prodigy. At 12, he was studying algebra and calculus on his own. At 15, he'd mastered college level geometry. The myth started from a misreading of a school Transcript in Switzerland. A 1 was the best grade and 6 was the worst. Someone reversed it and thought it was different and they thought the high was the low and the low was the high. And they saw the low, which was actually the high, and they gave them the low. So Einstein didn't fail math. Yeah, your math problems are your math problems. Regardless.

[Eddie]

Leave Einstein out of this.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Eddie]

Did you the crazy too? Did you know he died like the 50s? Yeah, like you think of Albert Einstein and this is. He probably hung out with Thomas Edison. Not true.

[Bobby Bones]

The two I think of in that world are Einstein and Pablo Picasso. Because he sounds like some 1500.

[Eddie]

He was big in the 60s.

[Bobby Bones]

He died in like the 60s or 70s, maybe even 1978 or something.

[Eddie]

That's crazy.

[Mike D]

73.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. But Einstein, I knew. I've seen him in enough black and white pictures to. But secondly, whenever we watch that movie that was about the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer. Yeah, terrible, basically. And it was good.

[Eddie]

Too much dialogue for my taste.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm going to bring up Marie Antoinette again because we had talked about her before where she's a villain and I'm like, I don't know, guys. She came from a bad situation and so her line, let them eat cake is basically snob.

[Eddie]

Let them eat cake.

[Bobby Bones]

Like snob central. The phrase first appeared in a book written before she was even queen, that let them eat cake phrase. And it was attributed to an entirely different French noblewoman. Historians believe it was used as propaganda during the French Revolution to vilify her. Marie Antoinette was out of touch. I can agree with that. Because she was rich. Well, she wasn't until she married into a guy she didn't even want to marry. She was a kid ripped out of her home. But the cake quote was slander. Invented to chop her head off. Because that's what happened. They chopped her head off.

[Eddie]

They were brutal back then.

[Bobby Bones]

I have two more.

[Eddie]

They would chop people's heads off. And it was an event on a whim. But I was on a whim like that too.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, like I'm the king.

[Eddie]

I don't like you.

[Bobby Bones]

You littered Bad shirt, chop their heads off.

[Eddie]

But because it also, too, was entertainment for the whole town. Like, hey, they're gonna chop someone's head off at noon. Let's go.

[Bobby Bones]

I know. Yeah, good point.

[Eddie]

And they all watch it like it's a Super Bowl.

[Bobby Bones]

Good point. I wonder if in like, 100 years, it's like, yeah, they got into a stadium and just ran into their head first and gave themselves brain damage over and over. And 50,000, 70,000 people watched and were like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

They would eat chicken wings while watching this.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. While watching people damage their brains. Shakespeare. I'm a big believer that Shakespeare was a complete fraud.

[Eddie]

What do you mean?

[Bobby Bones]

I've heard these stories forever.

[Eddie]

He's a playwright.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't think, first of all, if you look back at Shakespeare, nobody in his whole house could read. Oh, no, he couldn't read. He wasn't, like, from a rich part of town, didn't have good. Good education. Okay, so this is a big rabbit hole one. And a bunch of really famous people have spoken out about this, too. Even Mark Twain, who's not alive now, was like, shakespeare's a fraud.

[Eddie]

He said that?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, but also, that could have been hater.

[Eddie]

From. From author to author.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that could have been hater.

[Mike D]

Like, this plays are trash.

[Eddie]

It's like Drake and Kendrick.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that was the first. But one was alive and then one wasn't. But when I say Shakespeare, what do you think?

[Eddie]

Romeo and Juliet wrote it.

[Bobby Bones]

So playwright invented hundreds of words, too. Like phrases, new words, tons. And, Mike, will you look up all the words that Shakespeare invented? Finger quotes.

[Eddie]

You think?

[Bobby Bones]

But they were put into his play. But these were, like, crazy words we use all the time now.

[Eddie]

You think he'd be proud of Cap?

[Bobby Bones]

No, but some of the stuff we use all the time. Like what, Michael Pulling up. Because I read, like, 20 of them. Like, oh, yeah, we say that all the time. Let me read this. He had no university education. He was born to a glove maker in Stratford. He wrote detailed plays about royalty, law, medicine, foreign affairs, ancient history, but had no experience being around it or knowing it. So how do you know the integral if you can't read? So you're not even reading books about it to give you all these ideas.

[Eddie]

But he could write. How can you not read and be able to write?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, no, no, that's what they're saying, right?

[Eddie]

So what if he had someone else write it for him and sat there like a ghostwriter?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, there are people who they think actually were Shakespeare. And I can walk through some of these theories, some scholars argue that he didn't write them at all. So there are people. Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, Francis Bacon, or even a team of ghostwriters. There's no evidence Shakespeare even traveled ever outside of England.

[Eddie]

Whoa.

[Bobby Bones]

No surviving manuscripts in his handwriting. He left no books in his will. And the two theories are one, Shakespeare was an amalgamation of all of these people that would write and use Shakespeare because it wasn't looked at as something that royalty should do. Like writing a play was not seen. Like what I compare it to now, a basement concert, A gross basement concert. Like you didn't really do that. Okay, that's what the peasants did. Now if you write a movie, you're a great writer. It's cool, it's celebrated. But it wasn't then, I guess because it was creative. They think it was either a person that was royal that wrote and just used Shakespeare so he could get it out or she could get it out, or it was a bunch of like collective writers and they just used Shakespeare as the person that could publish their collection of writings altogether. But the interesting thing, and I don't have the exact age on this, but Shakespeare died. No, excuse me. He retired at like 30 something and then never wrote again. But at the same time, there's a couple of these guys that died right around then and they're like, oh, that was a real Shakespeare. Because he died and Shakespeare couldn't write anymore. It's a pretty common theory that Shakespeare wasn't actually Shakespeare.

[Eddie]

I mean, I can get, I can get on with this one. I mean, I feel like this one could totally just be real.

[Bobby Bones]

And again, there was no evidence of him traveling, of him having any education, learning about law or medicine or foreign affairs. Not only that, no books, no handwriting, nothing.

[Eddie]

But why would they choose him to be the publisher? The so called owner of these things.

[Bobby Bones]

Could have been a great dude. And they're just like, hey, we have connections, we like him. No, not even that. It just could have been a very I liked guy. I don't have a D at that answer.

[Eddie]

I really lucked out.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't think he made a bunch of money.

[Eddie]

Oh, really?

[Bobby Bones]

I don't think, I mean, gosh, think of.

[Eddie]

Does he have an estate?

[Mike D]

Like, is there a public domain by now?

[Bobby Bones]

He's public domain for sure. You can do any of that, Mike, words.

[Mike D]

Shakespeare invented some really common ones. I also have some phrases. Words like addiction, bedazzled eyeball, swagger, lonely, gloomy, majestic, zany critic, and eventful. And then phrases like break the ice, Wild goose chase, heart of gold, heart on my sleeve.

[Bobby Bones]

Wow. All that stuff was used for the first time in his plays.

[Mike D]

Good riddance.

[Eddie]

So, so bedazzled.

[Bobby Bones]

I like that he invented knock, knock.

[Mike D]

Who's there in a pickle cap?

[Bobby Bones]

I'm starting to believe this ain't real. Lit the bobby cast. We'll be right back.

[Unknown]

I have a question for you and I want you to be honest with me. How are you? It's a really hard question to ask. It's a harder one to answer. But taking care of our mental well being has never been more important. All of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on the psychology of youf 20s podcast, we we are taking a vulnerable look at why mental health is so hard to talk about and all the science and psychology behind some of life's hardest moments and transitions. Prepare for our conversations to go deep. Everything from grief to heartbreak, career burnout, anxiety. All of the things that you would only talk about with your closest friends.

[Bobby Bones]

I spent the majority of my teenage.

[Eddie]

Years and my twenties just feeling absolutely terrified.

[Bobby Bones]

I had a panic attack on a conference call. Knowing that she had six months to live. I was no longer pretending that this was my best friend.

[Unknown]

So this mental Health awareness month, take that extra bit of care of yourself and your brain. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

She was a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, a hero. She was stoic, modest, tough, someone who inspired people. Everyone thought they knew her until they didn't.

[Eddie]

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

Is this real?

[Eddie]

Is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

Is this real? I just couldn't wrap my head around.

[Eddie]

What kind of person would do that.

[Bobby Bones]

To another person that was getting treatment, that was, you know, dying? This is a story all about trust and about a woman named Sarah Kavanaugh. I've always been told I'm a really good listener, right?

[Unknown]

And I maximized that while I was lying.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to Deep Cover the Truth About Sarah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, it's Chase Shetty, and I'm thrilled to announce my first ever On Purpose live tour presented by Chase Sapphire Reserve. That's right, I'm coming live to a city near you. Come and see me. Join me in surprise guests for meaningful and insightful conversations to spark learning, experience growth, and build real connections. I'll also guide you through live meditation, share groundbreaking insights, and create powerful moments of inspiration. Designed to deepen connections, spark growth, and foster learning. Chase Sapphire reserve is the gateway to the most captivating travel destinations and offers exclusive rewards and experiences so you can explore the world your way. Discover more with Chase Sapphire reserve.

[Bobby Bones]

This is the Bobbycast. Okay, I have one more. Who drew Mickey mouse?

[Eddie]

Walt Disney did.

[Bobby Bones]

Absolutely.

[Eddie]

He was the creator of Mickey mouse. Even had a little relationship with him.

[Bobby Bones]

Sexual?

[Eddie]

No, no, no, no, no. They were just friends.

[Bobby Bones]

Walt Disney is the face of the entire empire, but he did not draw Mickey Mouse.

[Eddie]

He said he did.

[Bobby Bones]

The actual drawing was done by Ub Iwerks, Walt's top animator and lifelong friend. Disney came up with the idea and voiced Mickey, but when it came to pencil and paper, that was all ub, spelled ub.

[Eddie]

No way.

[Bobby Bones]

Over time, Disney became the brand, the icon, the man who made the mouse. But the mouse was actually drawn by somebody who spe life in the shadows.

[Eddie]

Yeah, see, I believe that too, because Walt Disney is such a good businessman. Yes, he was creative or whatever, but he built the empire that we call Disney.

[Bobby Bones]

He built that city.

[Eddie]

You know, like, I don't see someone. Usually the creative isn't the really, really good businessman who's going to create the empire.

[Mike D]

This is also a big debate with Stan Lee because he's credited with a lot of superheroes, but he comes up with the ideas. But he has artists who actually draw the design. So it's like, who actually created them?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, well, I would say, okay, I give a bad, bad, bad example. My kids book, Stanley the dog. First day at school, I didn't draw that crap. I can't draw. It's awesome. She did an awesome job. I can't. When I draw it, it is crap. But I don't claim that I created the drawings. It even says in your literally says illustrated by.

[Eddie]

Yeah. So do they say that in the movies, Mike, where it's like Stan Lee film, But also creating Spider man.

[Mike D]

He came up with the idea. He saw a bug crawling on the walls, like they should create Spider man. He went to an artist called Steve. Steve Ditko, who actually drew Spider man. So then they had a big debate, and now he gets credited too. It's like Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, but for the longest time, it was just Stan Lee.

[Bobby Bones]

He deserves to get credit.

[Eddie]

Stan.

[Bobby Bones]

No. Steve Gitmo.

[Eddie]

Oh, yeah. But did go.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So. And I think too, I think some nuance can be used in these situations. If Stan Lee is literally going, I can't draw, But I'm gonna give you every little element of it.

[Mike D]

That's how they create comics. He comes up with the character and the story, and he has the artist design everything and draw everything, like, from their own mind.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Okay. The artist is absolutely half the creator of that.

[Mike D]

Then he developed what's called the Marvel method, where, okay, I got these characters. Here's the idea. Here's the story. You draw all the frames and fill in the gaps.

[Bobby Bones]

So that's a co. Write.

[Eddie]

But what about, like, an architect and a builder?

[Bobby Bones]

But the architect has really. But also architects not getting publishing forever on that house.

[Eddie]

True.

[Bobby Bones]

Like writing a song or intellectual property.

[Eddie]

True.

[Bobby Bones]

Because a building is not intellectual property. A building is just property.

[Eddie]

I just feel like that's kind of the thing with so many businesses like McDonald's. You're like, I want a restaurant with the best fries and the burgers. You're a great cook. Do that for me.

[Bobby Bones]

But you're only doing the cooking, though. You're not doing. He's creating the character. That's half.

[Eddie]

You're talking about Ditko.

[Mike D]

Ditko actually drew Spider Man.

[Eddie]

Yeah. That's not cool.

[Bobby Bones]

The difference would be, without Ditko, none of that happens. Or whomever Ditko is, he's got to find somebody to do it or it never happens. Like writing songs in Nashville. Let's say you have a song idea, and you're like, got acoustic, and I've written the whole song, and I'm playing all the chords on the acoustic. And then you bring the band in, and they're playing little solos over it. And what if we change the drums up? You didn't need specifically those people to do that. But if you're like, I have all the lyrics to this song. I kind of. But somebody else comes in and goes, you know, let's go. This bridge should now be this. What you. And what if you didn't start it like this? But hit. Let's use this melody. You're now a co writer on that song.

[Eddie]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Because nobody else could have replicated what that other person did.

[Eddie]

Yeah. You changed the song.

[Bobby Bones]

So. Yeah. Justice for Mike Ditka.

[Eddie]

Steve Ditko, whatever.

[Bobby Bones]

What if we've now gone to fully, like, dissing him, too? Yeah. Overrated. What if. What.

[Eddie]

What if you sit there like, what is Stanley or Stan Lee? Or just go back to Disney. You're Walt Disney, and you're like, all right, I want a mouse. And you sit next to this artist and explain everything that this artist different.

[Bobby Bones]

That would be like, you wrote the song and you have it all. And you have the chords and the progression, and you're bringing in players to actually play and record it, but they're adding little elements to it. He could have got 10 different people that were talented as artists, as illustrators to say and do exactly what he did. But because he didn't tell him exactly what to do, he just described his vision and said, I need you to add. Because there's so much creativity that goes into the drawing that he probably didn't even mention. He gave a macro and got macro and micro. Yeah.

[Mike D]

Steve Ditko came up with the colors.

[Bobby Bones]

The blue and the red straight Ditko.

[Eddie]

Wow, man.

[Bobby Bones]

That's my new term.

[Eddie]

Justice for Ditko.

[Mike D]

Can I give you another example?

[Bobby Bones]

Please.

[Mike D]

The creator of Pokemon, he worked for a company called Game Freak. And he had this idea since he was a kid. He didn't get really credit for creating Pokemon as far as monetary value, because he was working for that company. They own it.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. So I guess I would need to know.

[Mike D]

He was just an employee there. And they're like, we need a new video game. I have an idea.

[Bobby Bones]

This is different.

[Mike D]

This is what I want to make. But he like, it's a bill. One of the biggest media franchises in the world.

[Eddie]

That's the employee deal, though, sort of.

[Bobby Bones]

So this is different. If you are hiring somebody and they know the intention is to come in and create under your umbrella, and whatever you create is theirs. Here's an example. I work for a company. I create all kinds of crap all the time. I don't own it.

[Eddie]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, I sit here and I create some good crap, some bad crap, some middle crap. My brain is working all the time to think of show ideas, concepts. I don't own it. So the Pokemon guy, depending on his contract, if it was, you create for us and we pay you and you own it, or you don't. You abide by it? Because I do. If I were to quit this job today, I cannot. I don't own this audio because I work for a company. So I would say that I don't know his contract terms, but I would say that would be the difference in that. If it were, I signed a company with Mike Ditka. What's the company called?

[Mike D]

Game Freak.

[Bobby Bones]

Exactly.

[Eddie]

It's a different, different one.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, my God. And Game Freak's company was, hey, you're going to come work here and you're going to create under us. Any intellectual property you create under our watch is we own it.

[Mike D]

That's what he did. He created video games.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

But they own it.

[Bobby Bones]

They own it.

[Mike D]

It's a 92 billion dollar franchise. He's worth about 10, 15 million dollars.

[Eddie]

I mean, they, they probably treated him well, you know, got him a parking spot.

[Bobby Bones]

Who knows? I don't know. But still, that's, that's this, it's. You know what I would relate it to again, and this is controversial, but Cheetos. Oh, I don't know that story.

[Eddie]

Go ahead.

[Bobby Bones]

I know like the janitor that created Cheetos. Yeah, I'd be curious to have you tell me that in a second.

[Mike D]

I don't think he did really well.

[Eddie]

There'S that too, right?

[Bobby Bones]

Why don't we do this first? Go ahead. What's the Cheeto story?

[Mike D]

He, the legend is that he created Cheetos. He was a janitor there and had the idea for it and.

[Eddie]

Flamin Hot Cheeto.

[Mike D]

Yeah, Flamin Hot Cheetos. That. He's like, hey, we have this new flavor. We need a bring this to the company. And he's been like touring that forever. Motivational speaker of how I went from the Janitor to being overseeing of Cheetos and creating the Flamin Hot Cheetos. But really they're already working on it.

[Bobby Bones]

And do we know that?

[Mike D]

Yeah, they were testing it. Even in the movie they made about him, they were like, yeah, they already had it in the lab. It was just him more so marketing saying, hey, we have a whole Hispanic community that would love this. We should market it towards them. Really more than marketing.

[Bobby Bones]

Didn't even Longoria do a movie on that?

[Mike D]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And whose side was she on?

[Eddie]

Janitor's side.

[Bobby Bones]

Even though it seems to be an act.

[Mike D]

Even though they put that scene in the movie where they're actually already testing it and they tell them like, we're already kind of working on this, but kinda.

[Bobby Bones]

And he was the one that kicked it. But. And again, I was. And again, I don't know enough about it. But if he works for them, but not in the capacity of the creation and he creates something and they use it, that's different.

[Eddie]

I mean, he was employed by Frito.

[Bobby Bones]

Lay and do you think he gave them like any extra they didn't already have?

[Mike D]

Because he was working on it in this kitchen, tried all these different formulas, and then went to them with, here is the Flamin Hot Cheeto.

[Bobby Bones]

So probably he didn't create the whole thing, but he ended up improving their product, which he. They probably took his intellectual property and claim they already had it all. I'm speculating and guessing and then they.

[Mike D]

Didn'T really tell him to stop, like spreading this thing. They're like, it didn't really hurt it. Like, if anything, it kind of helped the brain. But later they came out and said, like, not really true. Like, we just didn't really see any harm in him doing this whole thing. And I, I would like to side with him. He's a Mexican guy. It's inspiring to me. But when you look at the facts, they didn't really create it.

[Eddie]

The story was that he found a bunch of Cheetos that weren't flavored. You know, like the actual popcorn part.

[Bobby Bones]

Before even the orange was put on.

[Eddie]

It, before even the cheese was put on it. So he had a lot of that, took it home and said, let me try to spice this up. And perfected this flavor that we now call Flamin Hot Cheeto. Then proposed it to the higher ups. They loved it. He was already employee. And then they gave him a promotion. Promotion. So he went from janitor to executive, but doesn't own any.

[Bobby Bones]

I think it was also like head.

[Mike D]

Of marketing something too. And specifically to like the Hispanic community.

[Bobby Bones]

Can't two things be true? Meaning they were already working on it and he worked on it himself, not knowing they were working on it, and created a really cool taste. And what he did actually was a great addition that like, they learned and like, oh, wow, this is actually good. We can use this as well. And so he didn't invent the Flamin Hot Cheeto, but he actually probably improved it. So he didn't create it. And they also didn't make him the creator because they could say, no, we've already created this. So it seems like maybe he got screwed a little bit, but he also got a promote. Like two things can be true at once in this situation without knowing enough about it. I would bet that's what happened.

[Eddie]

And the marketing of a janitor creating this product is pretty good.

[Bobby Bones]

Especially if it's a Hispanic product that were marketing to Hispanic people.

[Eddie]

Boom.

[Bobby Bones]

And I don't know if that was fully true. Was it? Yeah, it was a Hispanically marketed.

[Eddie]

The first places they would put it in was Hispanic neighborhood.

[Mike D]

That's where it popped out first. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Then if I were just guessing, that would be what happened. Because if they were working on it, they had proof. Great. And if he was working on it and he didn't know they were great, they probably said, okay, we can use it to our advantage. And there's something about this that we should also use. And they don't have to pay them for it because they can claim they already had it. Because they're not gonna show the ingredients. They're not gonna show. They're not gonna show you how they made it. They can just say, yeah, we were already doing it.

[Eddie]

Then why go back and be like, ah, story's not true.

[Bobby Bones]

Because when it becomes a movie, it starts to make the company look really bad. It does then get bigger. Because social media. What year was this when he did it? Yeah. Okay, so pre social media, where it wouldn't spread. Yeah, yeah, who cares?

[Mike D]

And they didn't say anything until the movie came out a couple few years ago.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Cuz that is a company herder. That hurts your company a little bit.

[Eddie]

It's a good movie. You should watch it now.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't want to watch it. We just did it. The one comparison that I was gonna make was, and it's a controversial thing is whenever an artist like a Taylor Swift goes, hey, I own my music, I created it. And you go, and I could go back to me here. You wouldn't have been able to create that music, nor would it have been as successful the way it was. It could have been in different ways as an independent artist, but even it was impossible as an independent artist to make it. Then they paid to have the music done and paid you. But they also had to pay a promotion team. They also had to pay record executives. They also had to pay a ton of money to make that money. So even though you create it with your brain, you don't really own it. Like I don't own many things that I've said because they are paying me to perform this service which is to create using my intellectual self. So if you're like, well, no, she created all. She owns her own music. It doesn't have to be her. It can be any artist that does this. You wouldn't have had that music blow up like that had it not been for all of the resources they put into the people that were spreading that music. Now, it's not to say the music wasn't awesome or wouldn't have made it, but in that situation, it. That's not the world you live in, unfortunately.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So if you sign to a label and they pay you or pay for the music to be made, whatever the deals of that contract are. And if you go, well, so and so Taylor, for example, was a kid, okay? But she had her dad who was part of it all, and she had representation. It's not like they found a kid off the street, made her Sign papers. That's not legal. That's literally not legal. So that is. That's a problematic situation for companies. Yes. To just go wolf. They created it, they own it. Even though the company poured endless resources into it to make it as popular as it was.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

Straight Mike Ditka came up. Dude, that's awesome.

[Eddie]

Now Sam Ditko.

[Bobby Bones]

Mm.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Mike D]

Steve Ditko.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

So close.

[Bobby Bones]

We love Steve Ditko. Okay, cool. Did you have fun?

[Eddie]

Yeah, man. Good list. I like that.

[Bobby Bones]

Thank you.

[Eddie]

A little disappointed in things that I thought.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Made us all sad. Yeah. We forgot about that part. Yeah. We're definitely worse people than before we started. And we believe in just a little less, but. Yeah. Thanks. Hang tight. The bobbycast will be right back.

[Unknown]

I have a question for you, and I want you to be honest with me. How are you? It's a really hard question to ask. It's a harder one to answer. But taking care of our mental well being has never been more important. All of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on the psychology of youf 20s podcast, we are taking a Von Vulnerable look at why mental health is so hard to talk about and all the science and psychology behind some of life's hardest moments and transitions. Prepare for our conversations to go deep. Everything from grief to heartbreak, career burnout, anxiety, all of the things that you would only talk about with your closest friends.

[Bobby Bones]

I spent the majority of my teenage.

[Eddie]

Years and my twenties just feeling absolutely terrified.

[Bobby Bones]

I had a panic attack on a conference call. Knowing that she had six months to live. I was no longer pretending that this was my best friend.

[Unknown]

So this Mental Health awareness Month, take that extra bit of care of yourself and your brain. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

She was a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, a hero. She was stoic, modest, tough, someone who inspired people. Everyone thought they knew her until they didn't.

[Eddie]

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

Is this real?

[Eddie]

Is this real?

[Bobby Bones]

Is this real? I just couldn't wrap my head around.

[Eddie]

What kind of person would do that.

[Bobby Bones]

To another person that was getting treatment, that was, you know, dying. This is a story all about trust and about a woman named Sarah Kavanaugh. I've always been told I'm a really good listener, Right.

[Unknown]

And I maximized that while I was lying.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to Deep Cover, the Truth About Sarah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, it's Jay Shetty. And I'm thrilled to announce my first ever On Purpose Live tour presented by Chase Sapphire Reserve. That's right. I'm coming live to a city near you. Come and see me. Join me and surprise guests for meaningful and insightful conversations to spark learning, experience growth, and build real connections. I'll also guide you through live meditation, share groundbreaking insights, and create powerful moments of inspiration designed to deepen connections, spark growth and foster learning. Chase Sapphire Reserve is the gateway to the most captivating travel destinations and offers exclusive rewards and experiences so you can explore the world your way. Discover more with Chase Sapphire Reserve.

[Bobby Bones]

This is the Bobbycast. Okay, so it's Sunday as I record this. So as of right now, we're looking at Sunday, May 11. And the ACM Awards were Thursday night. My mind's a bit of a blur because we did I Heart country for two days, maybe I guess three days in total. I was at home for one day, then had to go to Dallas because rehearsals were on Tuesday for a Thursday night show. But on Wednesday night, I did a Brooks and Dunn tribute, a gala. And that gala was to raise money for Lifting Lives, which is the philanthropic part of acm. And so they asked me to come and host it and tell some jokes. And I know those guys pretty well. So I went roast. And so I didn't really know what the room was going to be. And I will say, when I first went out, started telling these jokes, it didn't go as wonderfully as my mind told me it might go because the people in the room weren't there to watch jokes. And it was following an auction, which went on for forever. I didn't know that. But the auction was like, all right, $300, $301, 300. And went forever. People were just ready for that to be over. So next thing you know, you got a guy there talking, telling jokes. And it was round tables and the three back doors were open and there was a bar. People going to and fro the bar. That one didn't throw me off so much. But it was not a receptive audience at first. Now where my lack of preparing and being a professional roaster hoster comes into play is that I put all my jokes that I wrote in the prompter. Why that's bad is you can't get to the next thing to talk about if you don't roll through that thing. It's not like a TED talk or a PowerPoint where you can use your thumb and just go to the next joke. There's somebody running the prompter, because there was also some business that I needed to say, and there were some things about the ACMs and Ronnie and Kick they wanted me to say, which is great. But I had, like, eight or nine jokes written, and if I thought to myself, well, this is not going well. I need to abort mission, I couldn't, because I couldn't roll past the jokes to see the rest of the stuff that I had to do. So when I went out and told these first jokes, at first people were like, dude, shut up. A couple in. I got some good chuckles because I committed. I think had I had the opportunity, I would have bailed, or if I'd have memorized the jokes, I would have bailed. And maybe. Maybe I'd done a little later, I don't know. But I didn't because I was committed, because they were in the prompter because I'm an idiot. So I can just read you some of the jokes from the roast. Say, everybody, I'm Bobby Bones. You might know me from my radio show winning Dancing with the Stars, or how most of America knows me, the gas station version of Ryan Seacrest. And that got a little laugh. But tonight, I'm here as a host, and I'm here as a fan, which is why I wore cologne, ironed my pants, and text their manager, Clarence, 14 times to make sure I was still on the list to get in. Now, Clarence was sitting right there in the front of the stage, and Clarence is their manager. Kind of famous in the manager world, I said. I told Clarence that I was going to roast the guys a little tonight. He gave me the green light, but also mentioned that if I go too far, I may not be invited back. So I guess tonight we'll call this my farewell set. Oh, that didn't go so great. Probably because it wasn't that funny. I'm not even blaming that one on the crowd. Too many Clarence jokes too inside, and not. Not that funny. But the difficulty in doing jokes that for one event is that you can't practice them on anybody. Like, I didn't get to go. And before I recorded my special, I toured, like, 15 theaters, and I could tell what was good, what wasn't, and I knew what would get laughs and what would it. What I need to work on, because I got to do it over and over again. The difficult but also the thing that's the most exhilarating is telling a joke that no one's ever heard. But I'm doing, like, eight or nine or 10 jokes in a row. That no one's ever heard. All right, back to the jokes. Now, listen, these guys are country music legends. Brooks and Dunn were gods to me growing up, but now that I've gotten to know them, I've seen things like Ronnie trying to open a PDF. Turns out they're still country music gods, but with tech anxiety. Okay, fine. I was wearing Ronnie's jacket. This is me talking to you, listening, not the joke. I was wearing his jacket from Brooks and Dunn in, like, the 90s. So when I say that I have on this. Yeah, there's some kind of patterns all over. It wasn't really flames, like vines or something. I don't know. Ronnie also loaned me a jacket to wear tonight. That's when I knew I'd made it, when an actual country legend turned me into his fashion charity case. Got a couple laughs. So at this point, I'm going, I think I can win this crowd. And then I go in because the jokes go a little harder. I say, speaking of fashion, Brooks and Dunn, they do have a style. Some call that classic country style. And I agree. If by classic country, you mean bedazzled youth pastor cowboy. Okay, I got some laughs and also got a. Like, a couple groans, which mean, like, ooh, like, too mean or mean. Guys, that's pretty funny. If by classic country, you mean bedazzled youth pastor cowboy. I liked that joke. I thought it was pretty funny. Slightly below the belt. Didn't hit him in the balls. Hit him, like, on the very. That. I don't know what you call that bone there. The coccyx, right there on that bone above the wiener. So they've earned it, though. 20 number one hits. They released reboot and reboot two. By the way, those were the albums that they did with the other artists. And the other artists came and sang their songs. Got it. Because nothing says creative like re recording your old hits with younger artists. If you can't beat them, duet with them. Got a good laugh. The guys even laughed at that a little bit. And then I said, hey, if we get a reboot 3, we're officially the Fast and furious franchise of country music. That I got a pretty good laugh because there's, like, I don't know, 10 fast and furious movies. And then I said, I do not want to see Vin Diesel on the remix of Red Dirt Road. Got a good laugh. So I got, like, four left in this set. And the crowd now understands there's content on the stage. Because at first, I don't think they understood that it was more talking. Let's just get to the music. Next joke 4 left. The guys say though, it's not about money, but if you re record your greatest hits twice, it definitely ain't about the art. Got a good laugh there. Now they know we're in roast mode. Even outside the duo, they've been busy. Kicks hosted an award winning countdown show on the weekend for years. It was a great show for people who couldn't find mine. Boom. Big laugh. So a little bit had to warm them up a little bit. A couple of those jokes were weak up front. Two jokes left. In all seriousness, Brooks and Dunn shaped an entire generation of country music fans. Oh, this wasn't a joke, by the way. This was some of the business I had to do. Here they're receiving the inaugural ACM diamond chairman's award. A well earned honor for a duo who made country louder, cooler and a little more bootcut. And then we get to the music. So that may have been all the jokes for the first. I did some other jokes later where I didn't make fun of, but I did little pokes at some of the people. Like when Eric Church writes a love song. Why should I remember that joke? And then I introduced him. So Eric Church, okay, Keith Urban plays guitar like it just stole something from him or something like that. Did one of those easy jokes which was got a pretty good laugh when introduced. Keith Urban, Eric Church can sing a love can make you feel a love song can make you feel a love song and also make you feel like you've been in a bar fight at the same time. Something like that. About when Church came out, I remember, but those were all the jokes that I told. I had another like eight or nine that I made about each of the artists, which were Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Zach Topp, Cody Johnson, pretty star, star studded night. Megan Maroney, who's awesome. Which, by the way, I'll say this about Megan Maroney. I like Megan a lot. She's super funny. And I guess I knew she was funny because there's a Bobby cast with her. You should look it up. It was really one of the first interviews she'd ever done. And I could tell then she was a little funny, but she definitely didn't have the confidence that she has now. And we sat for like 20, 25 minutes before that just in the green room, Megan and myself. And then Cody Johnson came in for a little bit and we all sat around and you may have heard me mention this. I guess there's like a code or something where like, all managers leave. Like, my team walked off to another corner. It was just us three talking. I guess they were, like, giving respect to the people who are about to go on and perform. I don't know. I thought it was cool, but we just all just kind of talked. Megan Maroney's freaking hilarious. I don't really know because I see her on social media, but I don't follow her close enough to know how funny she is online. But, yeah, when it comes to funny, she was telling some really funny stories that I will not tell because I was in, but funny. They're, like, really funny. ACMs were the next night. And what was kind of weird about the ACMs for me was my third year doing the show on Amazon, and year one and year two, I was backstage, and when someone would win, they come backstage. I do a little minute hit with them, talk to them. They'd leave. But I kind of knew who was coming, and I kind of knew what the producers wanted me to ask. Now, this year, Reboot was hosting, and they were like, hey, Reba doesn't want to leave the stage and think about Reba. She's always known for tons of outfit changes. So those times were used for Reba to get ready for whatever she was doing next because she performed as well. She hosted, she did outfit changes, all the stuff that Reba normally does wonderfully. So they have me in the audience with no direction, and I mean that in the most complimentary way as to. They were like, hey, just do what you do. And I'm like, what does that mean to you? Like, do what I do. And they're like, you know, we'll give you a couple things to say that you know how to get out. But talking to the camera, talk about the show, talk to people in the crowd, it's a big boost of confidence because I don't really know them as far as country music know them. I only know them from TV know them, and they're like, you do what you do. And I had, like, five segments through the two hours, and so that's pretty good. And each of the segments was like a minute, minute 10, which is a long time on television. And there was no script. Even during rehearsal. We didn't do it up to time because all the artists would rehearse their song up to time. We even ran the full show. But for me, when I was rehearsing, there was nobody in the seats, so I could really couldn't rehearse anything because I didn't know what I was going to do. So the show starts and I'm like, all right, here we go. And we go out, and I thought it'd be funny to get Jelly Roll to sign a can of jelly. So I'm gonna keep that in my back pocket. Luckily, it fit. And so I go out in the first segment, Jelly Roll's actually sitting right there. And I was like, oh, we're gonna do this now. Then up segment number one, I took a Sharpie and I blacked out the Smuckers. They didn't tell me to. There was no brand deal. They didn't even know what I was gonna do. That's the thing, that little bit, little corny bit. I didn't run it by anybody. I don't know what they would have said, but I just put the jelly in my pocket and walked out and said, jelly Roll, will you sign it? And he laughed. Crowd went crazy. He signed it. And then I went to look for Keith Urban. Because the tease that I had to do, like the one piece of business in that minute and 30 second hit, was to say, Keith Urban's being honored with a Triple Crown award and he's coming up. And so I can't find Keith because everybody's moved. And it's easier to find where they're sitting, where there's nobody in the seats because there are these big head cards with their name on it. And all the other seats are empty. But I couldn't find Keith, so I walked way past him. And you can see this. It's on my Instagram, too. And I'm like, where's Keith? And they're like, he's back behind you. And so I go to Keith and give him a hug. And then I have the jelly in my hand and I see Nicole Kidman. And Nicole Kidman has always been so nice to me. I've probably met her 12 or 13 times and super kind. And there have been some times where it hasn't just been like a super quick meeting. Like, I've had conversations with her. Lovely. So I felt safe that I could bring her into the bit. And so I did. And I said, oh, who cares about Keith? Here's Nicole. And gave her a hug and gave her the jelly. So the bit ends. Listen, I'm not going to win an Emmy for it. Wasn't really planning it right then, but it happened. And the bit ends. And I say, hey, you don't have to keep that, Nicole. I'll take the jelly back. You have to hold it all night. So I took the Jelly back. And some guy who I thought was a TV producer comes up and goes, hey, we need that jelly for a photo. And I don't know why. So I hand it to him. It was a photographer that stole my jelly. Somebody stole my jelly with Jelly Roll's name on it. So nothing was rehearsed. And that may be at times, why it looked a little wild, because as I'm talking to the camera, things are happening behind me. Or there was one part where they're like, hey, go out to where Blake is, because Blake's gonna do. I think maybe he was honoring somebody. He'll be there, and Blake's on. But Blake wasn't there. And so I gotta pivot. But for those asking, nothing was rehearsed, and they put no restrictions on me at all. But they actually didn't tell me what to do at all. So that can also be nerve wracking. At one point, there was a sound issue, and it's going beee. And I'm sitting backstage. I have one of my shoes off. They were new shoes. My feet were hurting, so I took one of my shoes off. And they're like, Bob, you have 30 seconds. We need you out there. And I'm thinking, no problem. Throw my shoe on. I go out to look for my camera guy because it's mobile. There's celebrities everywhere. It's easy. I can go talk to celebrities. They put me on what they call their camera on the jib, which is a piece of machinery in the corner of the room, so I could go talk to nobody. So I was just going to have to talk only to a camera and fill. Which wouldn't have been a big deal if it was like, you have 30 seconds. We need you to fill for 45 seconds a minute. But it was. We need you to fill until we get it fixed. So, look, I've been training my whole life for that. That doesn't mean that it's not a little nerve wracking. Luckily, it happened so quick, I didn't have time to get nervous about it. So I walk out and I had another bit planned. Later in the evening, had it presented itself where I had a sticker that said hello, I'm. And that sticker that said hello, I'm that people wear, it says hello, I'm. Or. And you write your name in that white block under it. I wrote Lionel because Lionel Richie was there and he has the song hello. And I was gonna do a bit with that, right? It's like, I always wanted to do this. I was gonna Put it on his jacket. And so I had it in my coat pocket in case it were to happen. So they throw me on the jib camera and they go, everything's broken. We need you to go. And I just start going, it's just saying crap. I know. I started teasing stuff. Matthew Ramsey from Old Dominion walked by and it said something about his chest hair. I. I don't even remember because none of it was planned. And not only that, it was so out of my control how long I was going to talk about what I was talking about. But we got through it. I didn't have an earpiece in, so the producer gave me hands on the shoulders, which means 10 seconds. We got out of it, went back to the room, felt pretty good about it. But the Lionel thing, why I bring that up and I had it prepared, was as they told me, hey, we need you out there in 20 seconds. And I'm putting a shoe on Tom, who is my manager, him and Morgan number one. I said, hey, can you grab Lionel? Because I think it'd be a funny time to do this bit. And he goes, got it. And he knows Lionel. Lionel is same management I am. So he goes up to Lionel and goes, hey, Lionel, Bobby is having to cover because there's a sound emergency. It's live on Amazon right now over in the corner. Can you come over? And Lionel's like, yeah, sure, absolutely. So Lionel gets up to come over, and as soon as he does, Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, sees Lionel goes, lionel, hey, I want you to meet my family. No Lionel Richie. Because Jerry Jones grabbed him. And Lionel's like, and I get it, you can't leave Jerry Jones, he owns the building we're doing. So as it was ending, then Lionel comes up and it was lovely to see him. Love Lionel, one of the nicest guys ever. But I had that bit planned. I actually never got to do the bit because Lionel left. But I was going to do it then, but I couldn't get Lionel there in time. So. But I was at. If anything bad happens, you're covering. And something bad did happen. And I covered and it went well because it may have just looked like a sloppy segment, like me just talking randomly. It did not look like something was badly broken, which temporarily it was. There was only one picture I wanted. And whenever I go to these events, I never actually want to bother people and be like, can I get a picture now? I'll take pictures with my friends sometimes. And maybe my friends are artists. But the only picture I really wanted to get was From Jessie Murph, because my wife listens to her music a lot. I like her music, too. But this Gucci Mane song I love. Play a little bit to this. So I ain't gonna play much of it because I'll cut it off the podcast. But big fan. And I said, if I see her, I want to get a picture. And so I saw her, but she was holding the pig. She had a baby pet pig. And I was like, hey. It was easy because I was like, oh, can I get a picture with you and the pig? So even if she didn't have the pig, I was still gonna get a picture. But that was the only picture I wanted. I got the picture. I thought that was pretty cool. There was one time where I'm in the crowd, and they wanted me to go up and tease that Brooks and Dunn were there. And I'm on the mic, and I'm like, hey, anybody here a legend, raise your hand. And nobody raised their hand, except for some people in the back that weren't artists. I did make a slightly funny joke because some guy raised his hand and said, you are a legend because you're, like, 52 and you're still frosting your tips on his hair. But that's pretty funny. When I watched it back, I don't remember saying it, but when I saw it, I was, like, slightly ruthless kind of funny. But I go to Ronnie and I'm like, hey. Because they had won for Duo of the Year, I said, you think you win? And he goes, what? And it's kind of loud in the room, but I forgot. Like, I think one of Ronnie's ears isn't as good as the other. I think I talked into the wrong ear, basically. And then we laugh, and I'm like, oh, I don't know why you're yelling at me, but that's why. It seemed like he either wasn't paying attention, didn't know who I was, or didn't want to talk to me. He couldn't hear me. But I'm an idiot, because I know that, and I don't know why this. Sat down and was like, hey, I'll talk to you. Normally, I should have went to the good ear. Also, Kurt Warner was in the audience. Kurt Warner played for the Rams, won a Super Bowl. Fastest show on turf. Beats Titans back in the day. Play for the Cardinals hall of Fame quarterback. The first time that I met Kurt Warner was virtually on Skype. Who even says Skype? Why did I just say Skype? I think I just read a story about them going bankrupt. Skype, what the heck? On Zoom. And Matt Castle and myself interviewed him for our podcast. Lots to say. Then when I did NFL honors, because that's the award show for the NFL players, they give out, like Rookie of the Year. It was in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Fox and NFL had me present an award to George Kittle, who's a tight end to the 49ers. But that show, they have you sit up in the first few rows if you're going on camera, because since you have to walk backstage pretty quickly, they want you to be close. So I'm seated right next to Kurt Warner and his wife, and we were there for an hour and 20 minutes, and they were awesome. We talked the whole time, and so we got to know each other that night. And then I'm there, and we were going to commercial after I'd finished a segment, and this guy comes up and hugs me. He's like, what's happening? It's freaking Kurt Warner. And he was like, I saw you wanted to say hi. And I was like, dude, what up? I went back and talked to them again later in the night. Lovely. People love them. They came in. Apparently, Kurt Warner and Blake Shelton are good friends. He came in for Blake Shelton's event that Blake did the same night that Brooks and Dunn did their event. But that's my other note about the ACMs, that Kurt Warner is awesome in general, and it was really cool that he was there because he's such a kind, kind guy. Him and his wife were so kind. So ACMs were great. I have been attached to the idea of I want to host one of these award shows, one of the big ones. ACMs, CMAs. I've positioned myself for many years, and I. There was one time, and right now, I cannot tell the story. One day I will be able to. There was a year that they said, hey, we think we want you to host the show. And then we'll say a couple weeks before the announced, there was a reason they had to pull me from hosting the show, and it was not a reason that I did not want to say too much. I didn't do anything to make them pull me off the show, but it really sucked because that's been one of the goals forever. And I've made it known that, hey, I want to host ACMs. But when it's the 60th and they want to bring Reba back to do the 18th, and that number 18 wasn't as important as it was. She's hosted that show more than anybody else. And since it was the 60th there was that the first year they did it, you know, they had Garth and they had Dolly. You can't really argue with that. It was Garth's first ever time to host. And so I'd always be like, all right, I'm waiting my time, wait my time, wait my time. I don't want to be second banana. These last two years, I tried to actually not be a part of the show. Even though I love them, I lose money by going to do it. And it takes me away from the morning show, which I don't always mind because I can do it remotely. But I just done I Hired a Country, and I'm like, I'm going to be exhausted. And if you know anything about me, chatgpt told me earlier that I get too tired sometimes, that I can't be functioning at the same level that I'd like to be functioning or that I normally function because I'm too exhausted. So I said, you know, I don't think I'm going to do it this year. But our special just got picked up for the ACMs, which they never asked us to do. We just went and shot it and presented to them, said, hey, you want to option our special? And they said, yes, we do. We were like, what? Really? So I said, okay, I'm going to do it one more year. And so I did it this year. And by the way, my plans as of now are to not do it next year. They have not asked me to do it next year. It has not even been a conversation. But my plans right now are probably to not do it next year. But I've always wanted to host it, and I was always. I wondered if I would ever be able to show them how good I would be at hosting it. And I had opportunities this year, and I think I actually succeeded in those opportunities by doing a bunch of live stuff on the show, by things breaking down and me covering it, by all those people that make those decisions, being at the Brooks and Dunn thing, when I'm telling jokes. So I'm not as married to the idea of that I'm a failure if I never get to do it, because I think I got to prove that I can do it now. I'm just not famous enough. So I think that's really what it is at this point, because the skill set. I got it. I can go live, I can tell jokes, I can write jokes. I know all the people. I have A good TV resume. I have a comedy special. I have everything you need to have to do it. I'm just not famous enough. And they really want somebody famous that they can show in the promo of it. So unless I get to be a bit more famous, which that's not even really my goal anymore, probably won't host it. And I think knowing I would have said that six months ago, I'd have been like, you're only saying that because you're a quitter and you're scared you're never going to get it. Therefore you're just going to say, I'm going to give up and not get it. But that is absolutely not the case. I was able to show every freaking skill that I have this year. The right people saw it. And if I never get chosen, I'm actually okay with it because I only ever want the opportunity to prove myself. It's not that I need to get it, it's that I need to show I can do it to the people that make the decisions that will be able to give it. And if I can do that, because sometimes I actually may not be good enough, but if I can do that and I get it or I don't get it, to me, that's the win. The win win. So I won. I won this year by performing at a high level, showing my skill set during the live show, and also showing that I can stand on stage, own the stage, write and tell jokes that are relevant to the Weeknd, the people that are there. Country music. So, yeah, if I don't get it anymore, I'm okay with it. I'm not married to the idea that I'm a failure. If I don't. Three weeks ago, six months ago, that would not have been coming out of my mouth because I would have thought, yeah, you know what? At this point, I'm probably not going to get it. But I feel like a total and complete failure because that was a goal of mine. I don't feel like a failure anymore. And if I never get it, that kind of sucks. But it's not because I suck. A little bit of therapy coming through right there too. But also because this year, more than any other year, I got to spread my wings and show that these skills that I've been developing over the past 10 years, like, they're here and ready for you. If eight people say no, I'm ready to go. Alright, that's the episode. Thank you guys, all you 50 minute clubbers. I appreciate it. We went way over 50 minutes this time. But I appreciate you guys being here and you hit me in the DMs, be like, I listen all 50 minutes and if. Give me your thoughts. Did you hear something you like? Something you didn't like? Like, I love to know whenever I'm just talking about myself because I'm not reading from a script. The only notes that I had were from the Eddie and I segment. Whenever I put together all that stuff, otherwise, I have an idea of what I want to talk about, I come in and talk about it. Sometimes I get a tangent off of it. But let me know. Thanks to all you guys and we will see you next week. We have Brandon Lancaster from Lanco, lead singer of Lanco, coming up in the next episode. What I really like about his story, what I think you'll like about his story is they were a band and they had the song I Was gonna Be your Forever, you Were gonna be my Wife number one song. They had another song that did really well. Covid hit lost the record deal, lost their management. Now they're kind of back at it and back on and doing well. And that's really hard in the creative world to be the shiny toy, completely lose your shine and then get it back. It's very difficult because you're looked at as a has been because there's 100 new people coming up that they can go to instead of. But his story's really good. I hope you listen to the next episode. Hope you liked the Jessica Andrews episode. And yeah, that's what's up. Thank you guys, and we'll see you next time. Love this episode of the Bobbycast. Subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.