Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Bobby Bones Show
Episode: EP 61 ANJELAH JOHNSON-REYES: Comedy & Motherhood, Massages Gone Wrong, Cheering at the Super Bowl, Working on Friends & More
Release Date: November 9, 2025
Host: Bobby Bones (Premiere Networks)
Guest: Anjelah Johnson-Reyes
Co-hosts: Taryn, Mari

Overview

In this lively and candid episode, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes joins the hosts to discuss her journey through comedy, motherhood, and unexpected life adventures—including the highs of cheering at the Super Bowl and the lows of massages gone wrong. With her trademark humor and honesty, Anjelah shares insights on balancing touring with parenting, facing vulnerability in standup and podcasting, and stories from iconic sets like Friends. The group dives into practical life (from workout struggles to TikTok gadgets), the importance of gratitude, and the messy reality of personal growth.

Key Discussion Topics & Insights

1. Life as a Touring Comedian & Motherhood

• Workout and Health Struggles:
  • Anjelah is candid about not prioritizing workouts despite knowing she should.
    • “I gotta start working out again. And I don't do it. Like, I just don't do it...I feel my body, like, atrophy.” (03:52)
  • The hosts relate, joking about their own gym habits and self-care.
• Motherhood on the Road:
  • Anjelah talks about her 18-month-old daughter, Rosie, and managing time apart while touring.
    • Rosie sometimes accompanies Anjelah on the road, especially for trips longer than two days.
      • “The longest I've been without seeing her is three days... Even that was kind of like an accident.” (20:51)
  • Next year will be her first tour on a bus with a toddler—a new, exciting family adventure.
    • “It'll be an adventure. The family band—traveling all over the country.” (21:12)
  • Anjelah’s husband will join as part of the “whole team,” though she jokes about his sense of humor not always landing.
    • “He probably thinks he's funnier than he is. I think that's men.” (21:45)

2. Comedy, Beauty, and Skincare on the Road

• Hair & Makeup Routines:
  • Anjelah shares beauty mishaps and makes light of travel difficulties: wrong products, forgotten hairbrushes, and surviving with claw clips.
    • “Forgot my hairbrush. I had a claw clip, so I was using my claw clip to brush through my hair.” (25:10)
• Doing Her Own Glam:
  • While she's sometimes offered professional makeup, Anjelah usually prefers doing it herself.
    • “I'm wearing my Lululemons and a hoodie on stage. I don't need my makeup done.” (23:51)
• Relatability & Honesty:
  • She expresses discomfort with always having to look put-together—balancing vulnerability and presentation as a woman in the public eye.

3. Vulnerability, Podcasting, and Gratitude

• Why Start a Podcast?
  • Anjelah hesitated to start one, fearing soundbites taken out of context or offending people:
    • “I was nervous about...someone taking something out of context...I'm always too concerned with offending people.” (25:32)
  • Over time, she recognized that her perspective could help others—deciding to launch a gratitude-focused show, Fungila, blending comedy and mental health.
    • “Gratitude is one of my tools for mental health...So I said, okay, I'll do a mental health and comedy podcast.” (28:33)
  • The format includes “matitudes” (what’s giving you a bad attitude) and “gratitudes,” leading to deeper stories:
    • “It’s really just elevating your vibration and putting good vibes out there into the world.” (29:33)

4. Massage Stories—The Good, Bad, and Bizarre

• Massages Gone Wrong:
  • Mari shares an uncomfortable massage story, prompting an honest conversation about freeze responses in such moments, the importance of setting boundaries, and why women often don’t want to “make someone else feel bad.”
    • "If you are ever in an uncomfortable situation...just say those words: I'm sorry, I feel uncomfortable with that." – Anjelah (11:19)
• Comedic Massage Mishaps:
  • Anjelah recounts more light-hearted tales: a masseuse eating an apple mid-massage, another bringing in food, and someone falling asleep while massaging her.
    • “She’s massaging me...all of a sudden, she started eating an apple.” (11:58)
    • “He was rubbing my feet and he started to, like, slow down...And I was like, oh my God, he's asleep.” (14:13)

5. Early Career: Cheering at the Super Bowl and Working on Friends

• Not a Traditional Path to Comedy:
  • Anjelah admits she dreamed of acting, never comedy.
    • “No, I wanted to be an actress...I was a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.” (34:32)
• Raiders Cheerleader—A Pivotal Year:
  • She joined the Oakland Raiders as a cheerleader on a whim, making the team without formal dance training but with undeniable charisma.
    • “Clearly, you have no dance training, but you have something that cannot be taught.” – Cheer director, to Anjelah (38:21)
  • That rookie season included cheering at the Super Bowl—then she moved to LA to chase acting.
• Becoming an Extra on Friends:
  • Thanks to a clever introduction (and some cookies), she landed an extra spot on Friends—eventually appearing for all of seasons nine and ten.
    • “He sees my Raiderette headshot and he goes, Raiders? No way...my first time doing anything in the entertainment industry.” (41:18)
  • She recalls being on set, eating tea cakes with Lisa Kudrow, and navigating the strict “don’t talk to the cast” rules, but “they would talk to me.” (44:16)
• Entry-Level Showbiz Realities:
  • Extra work paid about $125 per day for union, less for non-union; days were long but formative.

6. Personal Growth & Mental Health

• Seasons of Motivation and Lulls:
  • Anjelah is honest about the cycles of feeling motivated (working out, dreaming big) and feeling adrift or uninspired.
    • “I think I have seasons of [manifesting]...and then seasons of what am I doing?” (45:41)
  • She connects her motivation, physical health, and dreams—admitting that if she isn’t working out, “my insides are not 100.” (46:22)
  • The hosts reflect on the challenges of consistency, personal development, and the reality that “healing” and “inspiration” come and go.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Setting Boundaries in Uncomfortable Situations
  • “If you are ever in an uncomfortable situation while you're getting a massage...just say those words: I'm sorry, I feel uncomfortable with that.” – Anjelah (11:19)
• Comedy as Connection and Healing
  • “There is—your voice is needed for someone. It’s not for everyone, obviously, but there are people who need what you have to say.” – Anjelah (27:51)
• Cheerleading Tryout Feedback
  • “Clearly, you have no dance training, but you have something that cannot be taught.” (38:21)
• Manifesting and Motivation
  • “I have seasons of that—of being a manifester, and then seasons of what am I doing, and then seasons of, how do I do that?” (45:41)
• On Self-Doubt & Growth
  • “Every good thing you say about me, I have a negative one to go right with it.” (24:38)
• On Comedy, Podcasting, and Heart
  • “I would want to do something with heart as well...That’s where it came to gratitude...focused on gratitude and mental health.” (28:33)

Important Timestamps

• 03:52 – Anjelah on her lack of exercise and the toll it takes
• 04:41 – Introduction of Anjelah’s daughter, Rosie, and traveling as a mom
• 09:02 – 11:19 – Discussion of awkward and problematic massage experiences; practical boundary advice
• 14:13 – 16:13 – Funny stories of massages gone wrong: masseuses eating, sleeping, or bringing snacks
• 20:51 – 21:12 – How she juggles motherhood with her touring schedule
• 23:17 – 24:07 – On doing her own makeup/hair and the exhaustion of beauty routines
• 25:32 – 29:33 – Starting a podcast, vulnerability, using gratitude as a tool
• 34:32 – 38:00 – Path from high school to Raiders cheerleading, lessons in self-belief
• 41:18 – 44:16 – Starting as a Friends extra, set life, Lisa Kudrow encounter
• 45:41 – 47:38 – Personal growth, creative lulls, and manifesting
• 47:38 – 48:39 – Discussion about motivation, making space for personal practices

Episode Highlights & Tone

This episode is a warm, empowering, and laugh-out-loud look inside Anjelah Johnson-Reyes’ world. From unexpected massage mishaps to her path from NFL cheerleader to comedy star, Anjelah’s openness about vulnerability, motivation, and gratitude provides listeners with both inspiration and solidarity. The camaraderie with the hosts is genuine and playful. Candid conversations about boundary-setting, mental health, and the realities of pursuing creative dreams will resonate with anyone navigating the ups and downs of modern womanhood—or just looking for a great story and a good laugh.