INTERVIEW: Brandon T. Jackson On Returning To Hollywood, Comedy Career, Cult Community, Spiritual Journey +More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club - Interview with Brandon T. Jackson

Introduction

On the March 17, 2025, episode of The Breakfast Club, hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God, and Angela Yee welcomed special guest Brandon T. Jackson. The conversation delved deep into Jackson's return to Hollywood, his transition from acting to comedy, his spiritual journey, involvement with a cult community, personal struggles, and current projects. The interview offered listeners an intimate look into Jackson's multifaceted life, blending humor with profound insights.

Return to Hollywood and Spiritual Awakening

Brandon T. Jackson discussed his decision to return to Hollywood after a seven-year hiatus. He attributed his comeback to a spiritual journey that led him to realize his purpose extends beyond acting.

"When [you] go out and do a spiritual journey, ... I saw the whole thing trying to aggregate our people together, to come together economically. ... art is what he gave me, I believe to be a light."
[03:00] – Brandon T. Jackson

Jackson emphasized the importance of using his talents for a greater good, stating that his spiritual experiences reinforced his commitment to his heritage and community. He reflected on the industry's challenges, hinting at conspiratorial forces like the Illuminati affecting his career trajectory.

"I never felt like it's like that spiritually. ... My energy was always the most high, you know, period."
[04:05] – Brandon T. Jackson

Transition to Comedy

After stepping back from acting, Jackson fully immersed himself in stand-up comedy, which he considered his "safe place." He began performing stand-up at the age of 14 in church settings, maintaining a relatively clean act despite his father's disapproval.

"I've been doing stand up since I was 14. I actually started doing stand up in church."
[04:45] – Brandon T. Jackson

Charlamagne Tha God probed into Jackson's resilience in comedy, especially after experiencing bombing performances. Jackson attributed his perseverance to his inherent humor and a strong connection to his faith.

"Because I know I'm funny. I don't have to try to be funny. ... I have a story how I left Hollywood for seven years, accidentally joined a religious cult, ... somewhat, it's fabricated, but it's pretty, pretty true."
[07:38] – Brandon T. Jackson

Involvement with a Cult Community

A significant portion of the interview focused on Jackson's inadvertent involvement with a cult. He recounted how his attempts to build a community and promote economic unity among African Americans led him down a dark path controlled by manipulative leaders.

"I gave hundreds of thousand dollars to this dude, this cult leader. ... people tell you the truth, but then they take that truth for their own power."
[12:05] – Brandon T. Jackson

Jackson described his eventual escape from the cult through divine intervention, highlighting a pivotal moment where he felt compelled to return to his career by a vision from God.

"He said, get back to work, nigga. Get back to work. That's what he said. That's it. Go back to work."
[16:10] – Brandon T. Jackson

Personal Life and Family

The conversation also touched on Jackson's personal life, including his relationship with his wife and his role as a father. He acknowledged past shortcomings and expressed a desire to be a better husband and father, emphasizing accountability and self-improvement.

"I wasn't the best husband, and not because I was gone. ... I was Akmak Badak. I don't know what my name was at the time."
[15:09] – Brandon T. Jackson

Jackson highlighted the influence of his parents, particularly his father's entrepreneurial spirit and resilience, which shaped his own approach to business and legacy.

"We have streets named after him in Detroit... It's time to build legacy. And that's what I'm on."
[41:34] – Brandon T. Jackson

Current Projects and Future Endeavors

Brandon T. Jackson discussed his latest projects, including the film Family Business New Orleans and his upcoming comedy special, Chest Out. He emphasized his commitment to creating meaningful content that blends drama and comedy, reflecting his personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.

"It's drama, I would say. ... Leaving your wife and going to damn Nashville."
[43:59] – Brandon T. Jackson

Jackson is also involved in mentorship programs aimed at building financial literacy and business acumen within the African American community, underscoring his dedication to uplifting others.

"I have a whole mentorship program that I Do. It's called making a brand where we build in businesses and really teaching financial literacy."
[31:51] – Brandon T. Jackson

Legacy and Mentorship

A recurring theme was Jackson's focus on legacy and the importance of mentorship, especially for Black men navigating the entertainment industry. He lamented the lack of mentorship, contrasting it with his admiration for figures like Sinbad and the lessons learned from his father's experiences.

"Sinbad was. He's a great, great mentor. ... chains me, I say, the only mentor I had."
[32:06] – Brandon T. Jackson

He stressed the need for building strong family lines and businesses, moving beyond mere fame to create lasting impacts.

"We got streets named after him in Detroit, ... It's time to build legacy. And that's what I'm on."
[41:34] – Brandon T. Jackson

Reflection and Personal Growth

Throughout the interview, Jackson reflected on his past mistakes and spiritual lessons. He discussed the balance between faith and career, asserting that his relationship with the divine guided his personal and professional decisions.

"He never told me not to wear a dress. ... I'm getting to that process."
[34:33] – Brandon T. Jackson

Jackson shared anecdotes about his interactions with peers and mentors, including his desire to reconcile with Cat Williams, whom he felt had misconstrued his actions and intentions.

"Why you keep talk about somebody else. ... I'm trying to save it for the special, but we could talk."
[36:40] – Brandon T. Jackson

Conclusion

Brandon T. Jackson's candid dialogue on The Breakfast Club provided listeners with a comprehensive understanding of his tumultuous journey from Hollywood to spirituality and back. His emphasis on resilience, community building, and legacy serves as an inspiring narrative for aspiring artists and individuals facing personal challenges. The interview underscored Jackson's commitment to self-improvement, mentorship, and creating meaningful art that resonates with his life experiences.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Spiritual Purpose
  "When you go out and do a spiritual journey... art is what he gave me, I believe to be a light."
  [03:00] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Resilience in Comedy
  "Because I know I'm funny. I don't have to try to be funny... it's pretty, pretty true."
  [07:38] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Exit from the Cult
  "He said, get back to work, nigga. Get back to work. That's what he said. That's it. Go back to work."
  [16:10] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Building Legacy
  "We have streets named after him in Detroit... It's time to build legacy. And that's what I'm on."
  [41:34] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Mentorship and Community
  "I have a whole mentorship program that I Do... teaching financial literacy."
  [31:51] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Personal Accountability
  "I wasn't the best husband, and not because I was gone... I was Akmak Badak."
  [15:09] – Brandon T. Jackson

• Career and Faith Balance
  "He never told me not to wear a dress... I'm getting to that process."
  [34:33] – Brandon T. Jackson

Transcript

[DJ Envy]

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[Damien Hirst]

Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Ow. Go slower.

[Damien Hirst]

From Blumhouse TV, I Heart podcasts and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew, obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Mark Seale]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seale]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals best selling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seale]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Vanessa Marshall]

Welcome to Pod of Rebellion, our new Star Wars Rebels Rewatch podcast. I'm Vanessa Marshall, voice of Harris Syndulla, Spectre 2 I'm Tia Sirkar Sabine Wren, Spectre 5 I'm Taylor Gray, Ezra Bridger.

[Mark Seale]

Specter 6 and I'm John Lee Brody, the Ghost Crew Stowaway moderator.

[Vanessa Marshall]

Each week we're going to rewatch and discuss an episode from the series and share some fun behind the scenes stories.

[Mark Seale]

Sometimes we'll be visited by special guests like Steve blum voices Zabarelio's Spectre 4 or Dante Bosco voices Jai Kel and many others.

[Vanessa Marshall]

So hang on because it's going to be a fun Ride.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Cue the music.

[Mark Seale]

Listen to Potter Rebellion on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

The Breakfast Club.

[DJ Envy]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne, the guy. We are the breakfast club. Lauren LaRosa filling in for Jess. And we got a special guest in the building.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, indeed.

[DJ Envy]

He's on the new show on bet. Plus Carl Weber's the Family Business New Orleans, which is streaming right now. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Brandon T. Jackson.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Welcome, brother. We back. How's it going?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How you doing, my brother?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Very well, Very well. I'm excited. Show's doing good. So, you know, people are liking that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Carl Webb is a family business. What brought you back to Hollywood?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'll ask that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What brought you back to Hollywood?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what? It's so much. It's so funny because when you. When you go out and do a spiritual journey, you know what I mean? And you learn and you aggregate people and you realize that it's like God gives you a gift, right, to use. And when he gives you a gift, you're not using it. You could. You can go crazy, and you can, you know, you can, like, get depressed. You can start. And I think my gift is something that was given to do a purpose that's bigger than just acting. So I saw the whole thing trying to aggregate our people together, to come together economically. And I'm not the first one to try, and I won't say fail, but it's like art is what he gave me, I believe to be a light.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So how the industry changed, meaning, like for. For good, for better, I don't think.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I never. Here's my issue. The whole Illuminati cut off my gas. Everybody blaming some fictitious. I'm not saying it's not. I don't, you know, the whole. You know, do you have to sell.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Your soul to be in Hollywood? Is what I'm saying.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

That's a good question.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And do you still have to sell it now? That's what I'm saying.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I don't feel like it's like that spiritually. I feel like whatever you would do to. To. To get where you got to go, you got to find what energy is pushing you. My energy was always the most high, you know, period. I. I mean, my dad told me this, too. He's like, you. You got my blood, my prayers, your grandmother's prayers, your grandfather's prayers running through your veins. So when you do these other things, your ancestors are calling for you not to do. So it won't work. You know what I'm saying? I've been to many, you know, dark places in life, and I just like. It don't work for me. You know, I tried.

[DJ Envy]

Was comedy your safe place? Cause you stopped doing acting, and you totally dove into comedy.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, you know what? It's funny. I've been doing stand up since I was 14. I actually started doing stand up in church. A lot of people think I went and started doing. I started as doing comedy, and then I got the movie Road Bounds.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You said in church.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I started in church.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So you would get up in front of the congregation and tell you they.

[Angela Yee]

Honest over there, though.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I was clean. I was a clean comedy. I mean, I'm still relatively pretty clean, but not. You know, I could do better. But with. With my dad, he don't like going to my shows, but. But yeah, I talk about this in Chest Out. I got a new show. We shopping new. It's really good, actually. I would like you to watch it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Cause you. You. You're a tough critic.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Dj, he seen me perform. He seen me do well, he seen me bomb. He seen me get standing ovations, everything. But you never seen me do comedy. I would like. I'm gonna send that to you. It's called Chest Out. We shop it in Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, everybody. So it's. It's. It's looking really good. But, yeah, comedy, it was my safe place when I was going through the whole spiritual journey. I actually talk about it, and the whole thing is about that, you know.

[DJ Envy]

I thought, you know, and there's no disrespect, but I thought at one time you was gonna quit comedy. Cause I've seen a couple of shows where Brandon go up, and this was right after everything, and you bomb.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, bomb.

[DJ Envy]

And I was like, there's no way Brandon's coming back after this. And this is the bomb that you like, Charlamagne?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Like bomb.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like the bomb.

[DJ Envy]

Bomb.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

See, I got two types of comedy I like. I like when I think somebody's really funny and really making me think, I'm actually just watching. Like, I'm not laughing. Cause, you know, I like to catch everything. Yeah, but when somebody's bombing.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, you love it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I don't know why I think I like watching the person try to figure it out. That's what makes me New York.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

But New York bombers are different from a regular. New York is a different. They don't want to even let you get it out. Like, if you bomb in New York? Yeah, you could say it's like is acceptable, because a New York bomb is like, you might be good in another city. New York is a tough audience.

[Angela Yee]

How many times did you bomb in New York?

[DJ Envy]

But I don't want to say that.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I don't want to make it seem.

[DJ Envy]

Like he bombs every time.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, no, no, no, no.

[DJ Envy]

Must have DJed for his set at least 15 times.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I never knew that. Yeah, well, he does it.

[DJ Envy]

We do it on tour, so I dj. Everybody set.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Got you guys.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He's been doing it for years, though. He seemed. He. That's what he saw. New York is the. Is where I got good. Rip, Michael, shout out to him. He actually trained me to get good because I wasn't raw no more. I was doing all the movies. So it was Rocky 3, you know what I mean? Like, like, then that's. He was seeing that moment years ago.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So you was rich, you had the fame, and you kind of lost the edge a little bit.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah. And that's like a 20. Like 15, 16. But now that's, you know, that's, that's old.

[DJ Envy]

But how do you make you stay with it, though? Because, like, you, you seen it, and it would take a lot of heart from comedians if resilient.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

And plus, I already know, like, I know what is going on.

[DJ Envy]

You never waver. That's the whole thing. I've seen people, comedians, head down after this, but you always head up. I'll get them next time. But what gave you that?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Because I know, I know I'm funny. I don't have to try to be funny. I'm a funny person, you know, I mean, it's just about connecting material. I didn't have a story at the time. See, now I have a story how I left Hollywood for seven years, accidentally joined a religious cult, Ahmadak, and had to come back, and Terrence Howard saved me. That's funny. You know what I mean? Like that True story. So somewhat, it's, it's fabricated, but it's pretty, pretty true.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How did Terence Harvey save you now?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You got to watch it. You got to watch it. You got to watch it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Terrence seem like he's still in a cult right now. I love Terence, though, by the way.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Terrence is smart.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I, I, I totally agree.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I think put this number in the calculator. Five five, five, nine. Nine. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But you know why I respect guys like that is because they're at least trying to figure something else out. They're just not accepting what has been told to Us all of these years. And if there is another way, just show me.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He's dealing in the. It's deep man. Quantum, the quantum realm. And that's when you start talking about quantum physics and all that stuff. Thank you. It's a different game. You're talking a different language. You know, we, we keep talking about Republican Democrats. Y'all better be worried about these computers. These, this is, this is about to get real. I have a tech company that I, that I run and that I'm doing. And these I have machines right now. Building machines by itself. Like he's in that realm and he's talking about stuff that people don't understand. So I know, you know, I talked to him yesterday. He sent me a 40 page book about what he was talking about. I don't understand any of it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You read it though?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I read it though. It's all numbers and stuff.

[Angela Yee]

So would you read it? I was gonna ask you. So when you said that Rhett Michaels helped you bring your raw back, what, how do you do that?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Go to Jamaican clubs at three in the morning, do comedy. Go do that. See what happens. You know they're going to play the whistles on you in New York. Go to Harlem at 3 in the morning, do comedy. Be the 15,000 person up and get booed. You know what I'm saying? And then, then go do. New York is the place you get great, period. Detroit, I'm from Detroit and Detroit the place you, you have the flavor. But New York is a place you just, you just. They not going to play. Don't. They don't care. They got too many people. So we would go to comic clubs every night. Every night, all night, all night, all night. I'll be up to five in the morning. I go shoot my show called Deadbeat. At the time it's up far long ago, Dead beat. And from there I would go to the clubs all night, all night. And we Rip, say until you get standing ovations. And then, then I start. He gonna be mad at. I start killing it. Because I would take. I took his style too, because he has a New York style where he, he hit you like this. You ever see Rip? You know me, I'm actually an actor style where I act out, I'm like a richer and an Eddie. Well, we, you got to listen. So they act out. New York don't want to see an act out. They're more punchy.

[Angela Yee]

Wow, okay.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what I mean? It's a style, you know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You think LA makes You plastic a little bit.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I don't. And I'm in. I live. I'm in Michigan most of the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. I'm talking about when you, you from Detroit. But when you was out there doing the Hollywood thing.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, it did okay. Yeah, it made me. It made me. But I'm, you know, I was so. I blew up at 19, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You think it came too fast for you?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I believe on the personal level, yeah, I believe that I. I didn't stick to my core energy of what brought me here. I believe that when you centered in God. And I don't like preaching and I, I don't like.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And don't you better not be afraid to testify?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I know, but it's like sometimes people get on the radio, they always want to preach and stuff, but it's like, it's really the core of who I am. And I literally made a promise to God when I was a kid. I said, if you make me famous, this what I would do for you. Like, so if you say, is there. Is there a energy pool? I. I do believe people do make dark covenants and different things. I do think people make light covenants. In this case, My. My covenant was, Was. Was a. Was light. I was always. I was given to God as a child, you know what I mean? Simba style, you know what I mean, with the anointed oil. So when you. Not like that, but you. You can't get away from that. I've tried. I've tried.

[Angela Yee]

And so during your break away from Hollywood, that was your focus. Like, I mean, I know I saw some quotes that you said you wanted to just build community as well, and kind of like, yeah, I built a.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Community center and the community didn't show up. So I. I'm back. I tried Charlamag.

[Angela Yee]

I put in my pto and y'all ain't even pop out.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I gave hundreds of thousand dollars to this dude, this cult leader. We supposed to build a community. I could. I don't know what's about us trying to build a community together where it's like this forbidden thing in the Matrix, and I just wanted to challenge it. And I realized that it's not really because we blame a lot of other nationalities. And we got people. Oh, my God, we do, though. But at the same time, it's like, I dealt with only us for a long time, for seven years. And I realized that we have to like. I went to the mountaintop, you know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

Well, talk about what you're talking about, because A lot of people might not know. So you decided to. I tried made it a cult. So you decided to. Was it join a religion? Was it.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, it wasn't that. It's just the way. I wouldn't say religion. It was more so understand. And leaders that take the Bible and twist it to. To control people. I would say, you know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

And that's what you were in.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I didn't know I was in it. You never know when you in the call, that's what you in it now you know truth, you learn truth. Want truth. When people. When people tell you the truth, but then they take that truth for their own power. That's when the truth is not. The cult is not the problem. The teachers are usually the problem. You know what I mean? The shepherds that, that say, okay, now that you know this, you know what I mean, they start to, you know, you know what I mean? Give me your wife.

[DJ Envy]

Got you out of it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Give you a wife, right?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It becomes like, wait a minute. What. You know what I mean, says, huh?

[DJ Envy]

Did they ask for your wife?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what's funny?

[DJ Envy]

Jesus Christ.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Huh?

[Angela Yee]

You got a wife now.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You have a wife now. Listen, I'm. I'm. I'm not. If you don't roll, bounce was a long time ago, okay? I've got four children. I'm grown. I got kids.

[Angela Yee]

But I thought. Let's get back to the first question.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And if you don't feel comfortable talking about it, that's cool too.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I'm trying to save it for the special, but we could talk. I wish. I wish this was an interview for the special, but. Because I talk about it in the special.

[Angela Yee]

But we can bring it back to the.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm trying not to say jokes. That's in the special. That's right. You see me, that's why I'm pandering, because I'm like poking a little bit, but like, I did so. But you really want to know the dramatic part of it? It was more. It was more so it wasn't a whole time. Seven years I was in a cult. I literally was. I start. When you. When you're trying to go and build our community together, there's a lot of trauma. And I think people, when they hold onto the truth and understanding of some certain scriptures, they then put trauma on people. Is that the best way I could say it?

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

So. And the person wouldn't say he's in a cult, but he's definitely in the cult now.

[DJ Envy]

She asked about, you know, your wife and you know, there's a video of online talking about you re dating your wife.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah, well, it was your ex wife, technically.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

And I actually.

[DJ Envy]

I met your wife, I think, once or twice.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, you have.

[Angela Yee]

That's why I was, like, trying to figure out where y'all are.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Did y'all figure that out?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Are we back together? Are we, babe? No, I'm joking.

[Angela Yee]

You calling her babe, that's so y'all locked in.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Listen, you know, it's funny. We. We. We try to keep everything very private now because we. People can just get in the way, but we definitely are a family, and we definitely are. We love each other very well, very much. And I would say that for me, I feel like that I didn't give her the best version of myself. I would say that.

[Angela Yee]

Wow, that's very interesting to hear you say.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what I mean?

[Angela Yee]

I'm very proud of you to hear you say that. I think just accountability is hard sometimes.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, you got to be accountable. I wasn't the best husband, and not because I was gone. It wasn't the guy she met. You know what I mean? I was Akmak Badak. I don't know what my name was at the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So you was like martin with the robe on.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

That's not who she met. So, you know, it's like, we can't eat this. We can't do that. Yeah, sit down. And all the submissive stuff. It's like you women and men submit to love. I learned we gotta submit to love. And love is what's the key. And when I say that is selfless sacrifice. That's love. When you don't want to do something and you do it because you love that person. I think that's the lesson I've learned. And I'm still learning because sometimes I'm very generous. But I'm not selfless. You know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

How'd you get back to Brandon?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Some prayers. My mama. Jesus. Bring him out. Jesus.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What did God say? Like, I'm really interested in that.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He said, I went to the mountaintop and I seen it. I seen the light. You know, I seen the whole thing. I was in. I was in the Holy Land, and God spoke to me on a mountaintop. And you know what he said to me? He said, get back to work, nigga. Get back to work. That's what he said. That's it. Go back to work. I was done. You know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you do work, man. Acting.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yes. And I do the whole thing. So you say, get back to work. And I felt it. And I was like, okay, it's time. You know what I mean? And it was cool because now I know my source, you know what I mean? So what did God say to you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That made you step away then?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He just ripped everything from me. He's ripped it. It's like. Just ripped it, like, just as fast as he gave it to me. Now think about this. I did three minutes, Laugh Factory, right? And became Robin's was my sec. My first audition. Got a agent at caa, right from one. It was a miracle, the fact that I made it because they was coming to see another comic at the time. And then they were like, you know, you killed that set. You got a standing ovation. Here's our card. I'm like, what's Kai Agency? And they know what Kai was, you know what I mean? CAA, right? Yeah, @ the time. And then all my agents got me, too. So that's ridiculous. But that's another story now. Now, you know, I'm at Buckwall. Shout out to them. But I'm saying, back in the day, but that was the start of, like, the way the cosmic stuff happened, where I got moved to this, to that. And then it just. It just. It just. It happened so fast, and it was like cosmic. It was like, okay, boom. Now you got audition for Road Bounce. Now you. Boom, Got that movie. Now you go wilding out. Nick Cannon is showing you wilding out on the set of Road Bounce. Now you own that. Then you get an audition for Tropic Thunder. You don't get the part. Then they call you back, and then you get the part. You know what I mean? It was always. It was always like that I met.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

On Club Shay Shay, Cat Williams said you. You only became successful after dressing like a woman.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It is Mama's house. I mean, it's the whole woman dress thing. I'm so. It's so hilarious that this conversation that never leaves the Internet, by the way. I'm trying. I'm gonna give you all a sound bite. I'll come here and give y'all y'all sound bite. You know the cool thing about Cat Williams, he has a cool way of getting people to listen. You know, he has a really strategic way of saying things that make people go, is that true? You know, and he has a cool way of selling tickets doing that. He'd sold so many tickets. He sold my tickets with that shit, for real. When he said that my whole tour was sold, I was like, thanks, Cat. So it's kind of like One of those things where the whole dress thing, you know, I'm so partial to how you look at things, you see it. So. So you have this error, and I'm just gonna give the history. Martin Lawrence missed outfire. All this stuff in the 90s where there was no Internet. Everybody was blind to it, right? And then after that era, you have Dave Chappelle comes out on Oprah and says this thing that's. That was the start of it, saying, okay, you see what I'm saying? So I never thought about it. No one knew the conspiracies or whatever it is about this. Now think about it. A kid growing up in the 90s, right? Brandon T. Jackson watching everything. I'm watching Shanae Nay. I'm watching Martin. I'm watching everything. Mark Johnson, Mama Matt, you know, Internet.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

So you look at. You have this knowledge of you, of these things. You know, you looking at it. If there was something wrong, why don't we as men come to that person and say, hey, hey, man, look, you should do some research on this. I believe this is a dark energy with that. You know what I mean? Katt never did that. I respect him very much, but he never mentored. And that's why the mentorship in our community, especially with black men, we don't. We just want to say things in the media instead of calling somebody up. So what is your intentions? To really save me and help? Or is your intention to bash my brand so you can look better? Because when Martin came to me and said, this plate is played in the movie, I was like, yes, I'm 25. You pay me $3 million to work with Martin Lawrence. You know what I'm saying? He had this big ring. He's eating steak. I'm like, I want. I want. You know what I mean? You're 25. I did that. I did that movie at 24, fresh off Tropic Thunder. So it's like, no one's thinking about any of that stuff. So if that was the case, because he said on the interview, Zach W. Was, he said, y'all don't want me. Y'all want Brandon T. Jackson, right? And I'm looking at him on that. I'm like, so wait, you knew they were going to come for me, right? Like, and you told them to kind of you. You tipped them and say, y'all need to go get Brandon T. Jackson. So was that kind of pimping me out to the Illuminati, or was there in his mind or what I'm.

[DJ Envy]

Do you Feel like comedians wearing a dress as Illuminati, though.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I'm saying that's what he's saying.

[DJ Envy]

What do you think, though?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

What do I feel? I feel that. I feel that was it. I mean, that's what I'm saying. I don't. Is Ms. Doubtfire Illuminati like someone is black? Is Illumina like I don't know when it's us is Illuminati, but one is white people's comedy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

To your point, I'm older than you. I'm 46. But when I was younger, I just thought it was funny.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I thought it was funny.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Nothing else ever cropped by. Not even gay. Like, not even gay. It just was. I just thought it was funny.

[Angela Yee]

I feel like when I moved to LA is when I started hearing that like black men wear dresses. Whatever, whatever. And I was like, what? I just thought it was funny too.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I see both points to, to the defense. I never. In our dramatic arts doing history, we never had those type of. That came from Greek and Roman, Greco Roman, you know what I mean? So if you say you're going to be pro black and pro this and this is what we are, this is what we do. That was never our art form doing that far as. As study. When I study ancient art, ancient folk tales, ancient storytelling, we never did that as far as I know. So when people say, hey look, that is a Greek Roman situation, then you know, that could be. That's an argument there because we, we probably learned it from them. So if you, if you saying this is how our nationality and what we do and we're sticking together, then there's other nationality said we're Americans and this is his art. So I've, I've, I just say this. People think that. I think I said this one interview that the dress ruined. I think they actually, they said.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I saw you say that. You said it was a. You said. You admit. You said your career went downhill after Big Mama's house. You believe it was cursed because nothing went right since then, since you wore the dress.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

And that's exactly. Yeah, but you gotta look at it. That's also my mind was in a certain place too. So I would say, right. I would say when I strayed away from, from my principles is when. Is when I, when. When things got bad. Got you on my personal life. You can't blame. As I'm saying, you can't blame, you know, your agent, you know what I mean? Or whatever. People like to blame Hollywood, you know what I mean? It's not Hollywood. It's. It's what you do with the power. Once I learned that, I'm like, it's not. There's no Hollywood. There's no. To me, it's no invisible ghost that's trying to. It's like God, universe, whatever you want to call it. I say Most High gives you. It gives you a choice to go down these. These pathways to learn. And I don't really believe there's any wrong choices. I believe that you're learning a lesson that you have to go to get to where the Most High wants you to be, to learn as a human, because we're still learning. We still. We don't know the extent of God's love, and we don't know the extent of his judgment. We just don't know. So if you have these lessons you're learning, I know I would never do it again.

[DJ Envy]

Well, who's helping Brandon right now, going through all these and the ups and downs and the pitfalls to make sure that you mentally are okay? Like, who's helping you out during that process? Cause just talking to you, it seems like it's been a lot on a young kid in the industry that's like, I don't know who's helping Brandon, if anybody.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what? My father. I got an amazing father and mother that. That just I can talk to. Like, that's not. You know what I mean? My. And my F9 of us. I called my brother up. Like, I met Holly Berry the other day. I told her the picture you posted. Yeah. I told her. I said, listen, I'm. I'm. I'm taking. You can't. You can't have me. No, for real, though. I was. I was so nervous, man. When I met Halle Berry, I. I ratted off five movie titles for her to remember who I was. She didn't know who the hell was. She was like, who? I was like, ch. Like. I was like, big mama. She's like, huh? And she's like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was like, damn, which one did she say? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Tropic Thunder.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She knew the movie, but she didn't know you was there.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

She was like, which black guy? I'm like, come on.

[Angela Yee]

Well, you a lot younger. Like, you know what I mean?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I know I was a lot younger, but it was.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How'd that make you feel?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I mean, it's Halle Berry. I mean, I was just happy to take a picture with her. She's beautiful, man, and she's very sweet. Very, very nice. I mean, I'm not that. That it doesn't, it doesn't bother. Honestly, I hate to say it, but I really don't care too much anymore about the stuff, the Hollywood stuff.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What I got to do with how fine Holly Berry is.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I'm saying like she's. I see as a human. Oh, okay, okay. Because she was so dope.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She was fine. Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I mean, at first I'm like, damn. I like Barry, you know? And I'm like. And I found myself rattling off these things. I could see their face, like, just say, what up? You know, I mean, like, hi. My own. And when I saw that she was.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Normal, by the way, that's very Hollywood of you.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

What?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They start rallying.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I was nervous. I don't know what. Brandon, I was nervous, bro. I was. I was so nervous when I was nervous, man.

[DJ Envy]

Where was she at?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

She was in. In the Delta One Sky Lounge.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[DJ Envy]

So she was there for a minute.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You could have. I mean, she had a boyfriend now. And. And I'm, I'm. I'm. I'm taken right now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to ask you, you said, you mentioned your brothers and your father. What did they say when you put on the dress?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I mean, no one said anything. No one said nothing until Cat Williams said something.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's my point. Did it bother you? It never bothered you until somebody said something about it. Because that's, that's the most fascinating thing when people have no problem with something. Your conscience is fine with it, you know, your spirit is cool with it. But as soon as somebody else says something now you like, it's an issue now. Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Why? Well, it wasn't just that. It was more so.

[DJ Envy]

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[Nissan Voiceover]

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[Brandon T. Jackson]

Geico's motorcycle expertise gives me the coverage.

[Angela Yee]

I need like 24.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Seven claims, I'm on cloud nine.

[Mark Seale]

Clouds are wholly unable to support the weight of an adult human.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's happening?

[Mark Seale]

Furthermore, clouds are not numbered. Even if you procured a jetpack and searched, you'd find no cloud number nine. However, at that altitude, you'd likely befriend a flock of migrating snow geese. Geese who'd encourage you to leave your 24.7geico motorcycle claims insurance behind as they would take you in and even share their dinner of crickets and clovers with you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Ew.

[Mark Seale]

Geico assumes no liability for any indigestion that may occur from a clover cricket dinner. Geico expertise for your motorcycle do you.

[Damien Hirst]

Remember what you said the first night I came over here?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Ow. Go slower.

[Damien Hirst]

From Blumhouse TV, iHeart podcasts and Ember 20th comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend and Santi was gone. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew, obviously. Hmm. Pillow talk. The most unwelcome window into the human psyche. Follow our out of his element hero as he engages in a series of ill conceived investigative hookups. Mama always used to say God gave me gumption in place of a gag reflex. And as I was about to learn, no amount of showering can wash your hands of a bad hookup.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Now take a big whiff my bruh.

[Damien Hirst]

Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Mark Seale]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seale]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Nathan King]

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

That's nonsense.

[Nathan King]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

And they said, we're finished. This is over. Not only is not going to work, you got to get rid of those guys. It's just that.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire, and many others.

[Mark Seale]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I stayed in Atlanta for like eight months after that, just doing music. I don't. I lost my mind on that movie. I don't know what happened. You know what I mean? I think it was. It definitely was something that wasn't right on that movie. I would say spiritually. I will say that now. I can't explain it, bro. Because. Because. Because I stayed. My agent called me. We got this new bro. If you find out the stuff I turned down, tell us n. It's depressing, but if you found out stuff I turned down. While they were getting me to try to get out of Atlanta, my manager had to get me out of Atlanta and move me. I had this big penthouse. It was just wild. Was wilding, bro. I don't even know why. I don't know if I was subconsciously trying to escape stuff, but then that's when I had my first. My first daughter got. You know, I can't talk about it because, you know, I don't feel like no court stuff coming. I'm gonna be over here crying on here like Tyrese and stuff, but I don't wanna. I got. We have the same issues that, you know, I. I'm trying to. I can't say too much, but I would say this. That. That started my legal battles personally, that movie. When it came down to me having a child going through child support, court going through all that stuff, that was. That was the movie that happened.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But that could have been.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Because exactly. Could have been me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You're doing it with Martin. It was a big movie. It was promoted everywhere. In a lot of ways, it's like, oh, he.

[Angela Yee]

On just understanding the impact of all of that as somebody who you weren't. Like, you said you didn't have. Like, no one called you and said, hey, this is how this is going to go.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

This is how no one mentor Cat. None of them mentored us. They are just talking in the media.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You got to. I have a whole mentorship program that I Do. It's called making a brand where we build in businesses and really teaching financial literacy. I do that now because nobody be telling us how to do this.

[Angela Yee]

I get it now, though. It's kind of like you're navigating a room in the dark, trying to find the light, like the light switch, when somebody's literally over there at the light switch, and they're like, oh, he'll figure it out, because you're doing well. And that's tough.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what I can say who did mentor me a little bit? Sinbad was. He's a great, great mentor.

[DJ Envy]

Salute to Sinbad.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Sinbad is one of the dopest. And his brother, Mark Atkins, he was one of the first ones that would show me around. That was the guy that was really showing me how this works. And, you know, he. He was the only. Like I would say the only mentor I had, but 19. My dad didn't know nothing about Hollywood and how did things go. And then, you know, you. And I'm not making excuses, but we don't mentor other talents and even financially, you know. You know, I've been through so much where I lost everything with my. You know, that lottery ticket scene was real in real life. You know what I mean? I went broke. I lost everything. And then God just restored it all. Just. I mean, I'm rich again. I mean, praise God, I'm making a lot of money, and it's a blessing. I'm not saying that to. To brag, but it's like as. As. As quick as it left, it came. It came back.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I wonder, right? Because, you know, I've seen you reference the scripture, Deuteronomy 22:5, and you said that's one of the, like, I guess that. Paraphrasing. But that scripture kind of forbids cisgender men from wearing women's clothes. Am I getting that right?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Say it again.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Deuteronomy 22:5.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm rusty right now. What does that say?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hold, let me pull.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

That's. I think it's Leviticus.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is it Leviticus? Oh, but it's a line from the Bible that some people believe forbids cisgender men from wearing women's clothes.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

What? What. What's. What's the.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hold on. Let me flip this.

[Angela Yee]

Leviticus 20:25.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Is it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I thought it was Deuteronomy 20:25.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm asking N. It's Leviticus. Leviticus also.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, it is 22. Deuteronomy.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It states Deuteronomy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, it states, a woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's clothing. For anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord your God.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

According to scripture. Yeah, according to scripture.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So why didn't hurt other people. Other people's careers before?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, I'm saying. No, that. That. When did I. When I quote that. You saying, why didn't that hurt?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Said this on Comedy Hype. Yeah, okay, I'm saying, but why did. Why didn't other. Other people put the dress on? It didn't hurt their careers. So why do you think it. Why do you think God cursed you?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I mean, that's a old. That's old song. But I believe I cursed myself with. With. With. When it comes down to not following, I'll tell you this. If you don't. If you don't follow the ways for me, if I don't follow the ways of the most high, I'd have tried it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I believe you.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm just saying my shit went down. You know what I mean? I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna test that anymore. But I would say. I. I can't say it. I can't say what? God, that's what. We don't know. God's grace and his love for other people. I can't say.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You just know what he told you to do. And you.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He never told me not to wear a dress. You know what I mean? Not like that. He never said that. He never told me not to work with Martin, but he. What. What I would say is that once I had. Once I learned that scripture, that's when I started to realize, was it this? And I think a lot. I was on a lot of pre interviews while learning. Learning the learning scripture, and I think I was talking too much on the Internet without getting full knowledge of the. Of the things. Maybe it was. Maybe. Maybe it was. Maybe it was that, maybe it wasn't. But I would say this. I would say that that experience brought me to a place where I got closer. I got closer with God to understand his mercies. I know his mercies and I know his judgment from. For me, So I can't say. I mean, I've seen some people sniff cocaine and go up. I mean, you know. You know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

Did you ever get caught into that, that. That Hollywood life of the drugs and drinking?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I don't. Do not. I mean, I drink, but, like, sometimes, you know, I mean, I might have a drink after this, but we don't get drunk. I mean, I don't. You know, I smoked weed. I mean, it ain't not. But now I'm more like, you know, I'm kind of on my health stuff now. But that mean, who didn't? I never got into the. The extra hard drugs. Nah. I mean. Nah. For what?

[Angela Yee]

I have a question now, because it seems like you're in a lot. Like you're in a more restored place.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, he restored my soul, right?

[Angela Yee]

Yeah. I mean, it gives that. It feels like you kind of working through things or have worked through things. Have you had a conversation with Katt Williams at this point about the stuff that was said or what?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I've been trying to have a. He keep running around the Internet. I can't get Cat call me. Like, it's easy. It's not. I could. Were y'all cool before? I've always been a fan of Cat. He said, never meet your heroes. I've always been a fan. I love Cat Williams. Like, it hurts me to hear him say these. These are my mentors. You know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So he was a mentor before?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, in my head. In the. In my head. No, in the media. Like, these are my. My comedic mentors. I'm studying these guys.

[Angela Yee]

These are people you looking up to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I just wonder why you, though? Why did he.

[Mark Seale]

Why.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Why would you do that? Me too. My mom. Like, why Cat always talking about you? I'm like, mom, I met everybody, Cat, but not everybody. He did, but he been talking about me for years. Like, it's been. Since we was. Since I was like, 23, 24.

[Angela Yee]

You said it's been like 20 some years. Right? He keep going with it.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm like, what? Like, I don't know, man, but I. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with Cat Williams just to be like, n. Why you. What's the problem? You know what I mean? If whatever his reason is, it's like, I mean, I really don't. I really don't care, but I really want to know, like, why you keep talk. What's the. What is the. The social media allure. Allure of me. Like, talk about somebody else.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You think if the Percy Jackson franchise would have went a different way? I mean, not Percy Jackson. Percy. What was the person. What was the Percy Jackson? Percy Jackson, right.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, Percy Jackson.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

If that franchise would have went a different way, you think things would have been different for you?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

What you mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

If they would have had more success?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

What do you mean, different for me?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Career wise? Because everybody was saying that was supposed to be like, the next Harry Potter franchise and I mean you see what it did Harry Potter did for Daniel Radcliffe. Like what you think that would have been the same for you?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I don't know. I had fun. We did that in Vancouver and we had a good time. I mean, I love my path. My path is dope. Like who the comeback kid. That's the best. Who wants to watch somebody on top all the time? Michael B. Jordan always got muscles, you know what I mean? I love it. I mean I don't have muscles all the time, you know what I mean? You know what I mean? Even Jonathan Majors, you know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

He's coming back and doing his resilience and it's all about what story. I believe. I believe we actually write our stories too. I believe subconsciously we co write with God. Personally. This is my, my saying is I want none of y'all people hit me up like God ain't the Bible. But I would, I would say that we're co creators with our decision making to learn the best thing. I think I actually, I think subconsciously I wrote this story. You know, I don't like to. I mean it's not fun to watch somebody. The hero got it. The flawed hero.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what I mean? I'm the flawed hero. I might get drunk sometimes, you know what I mean? I wore a dress and got mad and got on the Internet and said everyone's going to hell. And then, you know what I mean, to come back with a number one TV show. That's, that's a cool ass story.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I agree. I mean it's interesting because it feels like you've made your own choices every step of the way.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I did probably not knowing.

[Angela Yee]

I was gonna say some of them seem like on accident.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I think it's instant. I think it's God leading me. And then I said they say lead you in the path of righteousness not to get so deep. But I mean like he, he has. And even when I make mistakes his. That's what I say. I can't say why that didn't curse somebody else. Can't say why does this. I can't say it really cursed me because I, in that interview, I was deep in new understanding. When you have new understanding, you're not supposed to even speak out about that. So I would even, I would say that that that movie led me down a path for me to learn whatever lesson I learned. Whether it was humility because I mean people said it back in the day I was cool, but I was very arrogant. Arrogant. But I was just, I Mean, I grew up in a two parent home. My dad owns a network, you know what I'm saying? He put confidence and faith in me, so I was never trying to be. And that's the thing about black legacy. We say we want family business, one legacy. But then when y'all, when people see it, they. They want to talk against it. This. Everybody want that. I watch. I watch his ig like, like. And my wife be. I can't spend like that yet. Y'all know the way. The way, yo, that y'all be. Y'all be killing it. I love.

[DJ Envy]

I love my family.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, listen, I love it. I love.

[DJ Envy]

I work for them.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I know. Me too. I'm trying to get on your level, but I'm saying what you. What you do is so dope, you know, it's such an inspiration for people with family. Family, man, you know what I mean? And we need to see that. That legacy, you know? You know what I mean? We want to see our kids live great too.

[DJ Envy]

And the reason that is because there's a lot of people that didn't show that, like, you know, Charlamagne talk all the time about raising our kids. There's no instruction manual, so you've got to figure it out on your own. Same thing with relationships. There's no instruction manual. A lot of times you think you're dealing with it by yourself. So when you do things, whether it's infidelity or insecurity or whatever it may be raising your kids, there is nobody to be like, damn, I fucked up. Is it just me? So that's why I put so much. I put the good, the bad.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I love it.

[DJ Envy]

And I write, you know, the books, real life, real. The family, real life, real love. Because I want people to know that you're not the only one. You make mistakes and it's okay to come back to me and fuck what people say. And he'll make fun of me and she'll make fun of me, but it's all love, regardless. I know that these people love me.

[Angela Yee]

Yourself. You be putting crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, exactly. Nobody makes fun of you. You just goofy.

[Angela Yee]

Tell them, like, I know what you mean.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It's leg. But legacy. They thought I was arrogant. I was walking in legacy. You see the confidence that his kids have. They walking in legacy. They can say, my. My father's there. My father, not. I was that my. My grandfather, Horace Jackson got. Rest his soul. He got. We got streets named after him in Detroit, you know what I mean? We just built a school in Ghana. Horace Jackson, technology University in Ghana. Like, we gotta do these things where it's not just about being famous, wearing sunglasses, smashing chicks. It's time to build legacy. And that's what I'm on. I'm not trying to just be okay, I'm Brandon Jackson. I'm past I'm Brandon Jackson stuff. We're trying to build family and businesses. I know that's a plug, but that's what we doing, family and business, bro. You know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But you're right. I mean, it's good to see you back in a mentally healthy, emotionally sound space. I think so anyway. I think it's dope. And that's why I don't even really want to talk to you no more because I really want to see your stand up. Because I feel like all the answers are in the stand up. And then we can have a deeper conversation.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, it's funny because it's drama and I'm funny. I'm not really. I was talking to my agent about this. I'm funny in a drama. If you notice everything I've done that was like. I mean, honestly, I'm not supposed to say this, but I don't care. I don't think Big Mama's House is a good movie. I think it's a horrible movie. Personally, to be honest with you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I don't even remember Big Mama's House exactly.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I remember it.

[Angela Yee]

Why do you think it's a horrible movie?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It's like, it's a good movie. Cause when you have a tropic thunder palette, no offense, when you're around those dudes that are writing, like Danny McBride, Justin Theroux, they writing the highest octane of high level satire. Mel Brooks. When you study comedy, slapstick. I don't like slapstick. I'm not good at.

[Angela Yee]

It was low bar comedy. Like, it was easy punchlines.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm not a slapstick artist. I'm funny in a drama. You know, the best was that was Eddie. He was always funny in dramas. Beverly Hills Cop is a drama. Martin does better and actually both. He does great with slapstick because his whole show was slapstick. But Martin's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Martin's one of the best physical comedians.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, physical comedians, but he can do both. Martin and the Drum. Bad Boys is a drama.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Life was a drama.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Life was a drama.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

So when. When. That's why I'm like Big Mama. Slapstick is, you know, green us. It's not challenging. It's phoning it in, getting a check, dressing up. So. But now with this film, I have with family business. I mean, people like, man, you're acting this. I'm like, it's good. I didn't know you can do drama. Drama's easy. Comedy's hard. So I think I'm the king of dramedy. I would say I can do both. I can do drama comedy. You know what I mean? Very evenly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's the special?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It's called Chest Out, I'm saying.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But what is it? Is it a dramedy? Is it more of a drama?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It's drama, I would say. I mean, it's not like it's not as heavy as Jamie's was, but it's definitely the through line is drama. You know what I mean? Leaving your wife and going to damn Nashville.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know what I mean? And white coats and sheets and stuff. And your wife is sitting at home like. You know what I mean? Where's my husband at?

[DJ Envy]

When does that come out? When can we see that?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

If y'all keep shouting out, we get a great deal. So we're in negotiations with, like, two networks right now. So I just, like.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I don't.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I don't. I mean, Netflix, y'all. Y'all say y'all gonna spend 18 billion on content. Come on. I really. I really like Netflix because I think they know what to do. Amazon's been great with specials lately, you know? You know what's funny? People hate on Tubi. First of all, I love Tubi movies, by the way.

[DJ Envy]

Breakfast Club is on Tubi.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I know. Yes. Love Tubi. I gotta deal with Tubi, actually. And my bros are. People in Detroit are making Mad Beautiful and they owning their piece, so.

[Angela Yee]

Directly, too. Yeah, directly.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I got a.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You should meet people where they are. And it's a lot of us on Tubi, love.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, I love to be, too. B is great, too. At first it was. You know, it kind of got random. Like, you wouldn't get Denzel Washington. You get Denzel Washington, you know, I mean, be some bootleg Denzel. And then, you know, Ethan Hawke, Evan Falcon. Sorry, Sort of Ethan Hawke. But no, but now it's like, I feel like we laugh at that. But then you start seeing all these producers come up, you know what I mean? Detroit, all my bros shout out to Dennis Reed, Man Robinson, all these guys that. That are killing it, the film game. And to be is definitely the option. I love to be. To be. Great. They're definitely an option with that. So I could keep my ownership. You know what I'm saying? So we'll see.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But was it was the special therapeutic view.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Oh, hell yeah. Yes. Yes. And you know, you know, I would say, Terence, me and Terrence talk a lot. Terrence Howard. We talk a lot about how, how we're not underst. We both Pisces. So a lot of people don't understand. You know, the vicious fishes, right. We got one fish that, you know, I would say it's very composed and other fish is a little crazy. I wouldn't say crazy, but we, we emotional, I would say. And we talk about how we. We're misunderstance. I'm eccentric, so we're misunderstood. You know what I mean? So when I went out, when Terrence me him, you know, we talk a lot about, you know, what he goes through, how he.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, he's just like. He's actually right about what he's saying. But nobody. He's in the special, actually.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. I don't think you're misunderstood. People just don't know the story. You got seven years.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm talking about Terrence. I know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm talking about you.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You got seven years to fill in. And I think that's the special is gonna do it.

[Angela Yee]

We only knew what we saw like media wise and like little bits of things here and there. Like.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

So yeah, we just randomly say stuff.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah. When you would random, you would say it. The boy would it go. It would be everywhere.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I didn't even know that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you don't want us to listen to YouTube.

[Angela Yee]

No, you don't YouTube.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know what I'm saying?

[Angela Yee]

The deep dives on you get a little crazy.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I knew he was gonna go here too on this interview, which I'm happy you did because no one really actually talk about, you know, where have I been in that. In that layers. And even to be mature enough to speak about it in a way where I'm not emotional about it. I'm not hurt, I'm healed. And to see, to see where I'm at now is a blessing. But I would say this, that I would say that I would. It was a spiritual hazing also. I think God was, was, was, was testing me. He does this a lot with, with people in. That's. You know, I'm gonna say I hate that word chosen but people that he has a purpose for. He'll rip everything from you to see if you still gonna be with him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

If you love. And I don't even say him, but it. If you love it or the most high. If you love more than Your. Your career more than everything, more than your family. And he did it to job. He ripped everything from.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

And I guess I. I think I passed this. I don't want to go through that again, I'll tell you that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you see Kyrie Irving the other night when he tore his acl. No tears in his eyes. And he went to the free throw line and you know, because he had to take the two shots before he exited the game.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, he hit both of them.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He hit one and right before the second when he said thank you God.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Wow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

With a tornado. He knew something was completely wrong. Probably knew this is really bad injury. He said, thank you God.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So just like, you know, we like to give praise to God when things are going good. But if you really truly are a believer, if you really truly have faith, you gonna thank God when things are.

[DJ Envy]

Good and bad, so called bad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Cause I don't believe in either. I don't believe in so called good or so called bad. I believe everything's just part of a process.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

That's what I'm learning. That's why I'm getting to that process. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You on a journey. We all on a journey. You had a different chapter in your life right now, btj.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Be the journey. Right.

[Angela Yee]

How did all of this though, like, the stuff that you went through and then once you're healed, like, then you come back to acting with like family business. How do. What are you channeling from all of this in your role now? Because I think in this role I was more surprised to see you be like serious. The bad guy. Like not the bad, but like there's like guns and it's like, like, I don't know. You were just always so clean to me in like a lot of the work that you did.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

Like, so how are you channeling that or is that even a thing in the family business? New Orleans, you know.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You know, it's funny because we had a, we had a. My dad had a shoe company called Wayne T Shoes back in the day in Detroit, the middle of Detroit. Place would get robbed and stuff, but we were running the store. And that, that is the like. Even though I grew up in the hood and the suburbs, I would say my, my, my, my, my seven Mile Woodward businessman. Watching my dad run a business. Guns. You know what I mean? I won't say too much, but like people would try to rob the bit. We had the gators and every. People try to. The coogees and all that. People try to rob the, you know, we would have, you know, we would have to, you know, chase them off and do this. So I. I remember the times when my dad would, you know, I remember this one time this trucker put. Put us over. My dad, hopefully he'll get mad at me telling the story, because my dad was, you know, he. From the streets before he became a pastor, drug dealer before he became a pastor, which is most Detroit preachers. So he still had that edge and everything. So I remember one time this truck put us over. I mean, ran us off the road. My dad's like, five, eight. He's like my size five, eight. And I watched him pull this trucker out, this white trucker with a trucker at. Out of the freaking car. He was like six, maybe. Maybe six, two, six, three. Pulled him on the ground and was like, nick, I can't say the N word right. He said, he's like, nick, if you ever mess with my family. I was like, yo. So I seen my dad roar as a lion, and the dude was. He was jacking him up. My mom was like, stop, stop, stop. So I. I challenge. I'm channeling my father.

[Angela Yee]

Kind of that shit character in the show.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, he's very. Yeah, I'm channeling that. That energy that is really not mine. It's really my dad's energy because I grew up pretty, you know, pretty. Pretty cool. You know, I didn't really have. I'm not gonna be like, I'm. I grew up nice. But we also grew up running businesses in Detroit. The church was over here. The shoe store was called Street. I had to watch shoe store. I had to shine the shoes. I had to watch the register. So I grew up in the family business, so I'm. I'm challenging. I'm channeling that. The white side, you see is my West Bloomfield, you know, all white neighborhood. I got both. You know what I mean? That's kind of why my jacket probably look like this. I got it. I'm a variation of things, you know what I mean? So.

[DJ Envy]

Well, we look forward to seeing you in Chris Webber's, the family business. Carl Weber's a Chris Weber. Carl Weber. And also when we. When you're special. Come on, come back up so we can talk about that special.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I would love to send it to me, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to watch it.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I am. I'm. Listen, and I. I'm. It's fine. You give me your. Your honest opinion. I've. I've. I've. I've. I've. What I would say. I. I screened it For a lot of people. And it got. It. It got in a lot of festivals. And it's. My agent said, don't put into festivals because we want to present it, you know, a certain way. But it got a lot of good reviews from a lot of people that watched it. So. I don't know. Your opinion actually counts to me in comedy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Because I know you're a tough. You're. You're. You're a tough critic. You're analytical, too, so I can see what you're like watching, you know, like you say, like when they bombing. Watching people figure it out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I do. I love dramedy, too. Dramedy's. My dramedy specials. Like, I love. I think Neil Brennan did a phenomenal job with three mics.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, he did a great job with that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love Kevin Hart's last one, the Reality Check.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, it was good.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I thought that was really good. And I like Andrew Schultz's new one to life.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah, Andrew.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Cause he's talking about him and his wife's difficulty of having a child, but it was his fault.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He had the weak sperm. And I like seeing people process their traumas through comedy.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Yeah. My next one's classy Rebel. I want to. I want to talk about. I'm talking about the. The world, man. I'm just tired of these. The viewpoints of politics and all this. I'm thinking I'm like a little political in this next one.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I remember. I remember you said you hate the fake woke. Fake woke.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Oh, I hate the fake woke movement. I hate fake revolutions.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Like, if we gonna do it, let's do it. I don't, like. I don't. I don't do fake because I was ready. I was the only one ready to really ride. That's why I was ready to go, y'all. I created my own currency. I was. We was going. And nobody came. I was the only one. Yeah, we had a whole thing. No, it wasn't crypto. It actually could still work if you do it right.

[Angela Yee]

But what was it?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It was called Love Notes. He remember that? Love Notes.

[Angela Yee]

Oh, like Usher bucks.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

No, no, no, no. It's not love. Action box.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where do you spend them?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Well, the infrastructure for was. It wasn't gonna. It actually would stimulate the American economy and our own economy at the same time. So it was. It was actually. I don't want to actually give this away because I might try to do it, but I give enough away. I would say that because I'm not gonna give you the infrastructure, but the way it will work. We were actually could pay things forward for people and from their businesses. It was creating the ecosystem for African Americans without hurting. Because when you. When you just take your own and say we gonna be our separate. Forget that. They always shut that down. So it was like, how do you barter with all Americans? How do you barter with white Americans? And how you barter with. Because you still gotta do business. So in this case it was like, let's not be just fully Marcus Garvey in a situation. Let's stimulate our economy, you know, in our ecosystem, but let's also take it and out their ecosystem. So it was more of a coupon system that. That paid things forward for people that created an economy. It was called love notes. So it was selfless sacrifice of love notes. You can, you can pay things forward and had a little card and everything I got, I got the whole financial system to help to back me and everything. And then. And then nobody showed up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I would pay to listen to a phone conversation between you and Terrence Howard. I know you told Terrence that. Terence. I got the math for that.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

You do? Yes, he actually does.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I got the math for that, man.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It actually works too. If you really. We're actually free. If you really. If you really know the knowledge of it. We're actually free guys. We're not really. I don't think we're in captivity.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I agree.

[DJ Envy]

Ms. Brandon T. Jackson, ladies and gentlemen. We appreciate you for joining us.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, sir.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

The Breakfast Club.

[Damien Hirst]

Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Ow. Go slower.

[Damien Hirst]

From Blumhouse TV iHeart podcasts and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew? Obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Mark Seale]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seale]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals best selling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seale]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Vanessa Marshall]

Welcome to Pod of Rebellion, our new Star Wars Rebels Rewatch podcast. I'm Vanessa Marshall, voice of Harrison Duelist Specter 2. I'm Tia Sirkar Sabine Wren, Spectre 5.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

I'm Taylor Gray Ezra Bridger, Specter 6.

[Mark Seale]

And I'm Jon Lee Brody, the Ghost Crew Stowaway Moderator.

[Vanessa Marshall]

Each week we're going to rewatch and discuss an episode from the series and share some fun behind the scenes stories.

[Mark Seale]

Sometimes we'll be visited by special guests like Steve blume voices Zaborillio Spectre 4 or Dante Bosco voices Jai Kel and many others.

[Vanessa Marshall]

So hang on because it's gonna be a fun ride.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

Cue the music.

[Mark Seale]

Listen to Potter Rebellion on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Angela Yee]

Hey y'all, I'm Maria Fernanda Diaz.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

When youn're Invisible is my love letter.

[Angela Yee]

To the working class people and immigrants who shaped me. Season 2 shares stories about community and being underestimated.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

All the greatest changes have happened when a couple of people said, this sucks.

[Mark Seale]

Let'S do something about it.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

We get paid to serve you, but.

[Angela Yee]

We'Re made out of the same things.

[Brandon T. Jackson]

It's rare to have black male teachers. Sometimes I am the Testament.

[Angela Yee]

Listen to when you're Invisible on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.