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Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Rip Michaels
Hey, it's Howie Mandel, and I am inviting you to witness history as me and my How We do it gaming team take on Gilly the King and Wallow 2, 6, 7's million dollars gaming in an epic global gaming league video game showdown. Four rounds, multiple games, one winner, plus a halftime performance by multi platinum artist Travy McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the championship match against Neo right now@globalgamingleague.com that's globalgam gamingleague.com everybody. Games hold up. Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up.
Charlamagne Tha God
The Breakfast Club.
DJ Envy
Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yes, indeed.
Rip Michaels
We got the brother, Rip Michaels. Welcome. Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it, man. I tried to bring y' all breakfast, but it got messed up, man.
Charlamagne Tha God
I'm just happy to see you in good health.
Rip Michaels
Absolutely. Thank you, man.
Charlamagne Tha God
Simple as that.
Rip Michaels
And thanks for Envy coming to visit me in hospital and all that. And appreciate it, man.
Podcast Host
That is so nice.
Rip Michaels
I'm still on heart transplant list, so it's not over with yet. So how you been? I'm hanging in there, you know, just one day at a time.
DJ Envy
I did see some.
Rip Michaels
You know what?
DJ Envy
She reported a story, and I even commented. She reported a story that somebody got a heart transplant a couple of months ago. And I was like, how do they beat Rip on the list?
Rip Michaels
So how does the list?
DJ Envy
Like, how does it work? Like, how. How do you know where you are on the list? Are you next? Are you fourth?
Rip Michaels
Are you fifth? Like, how does that work? Well, number one, it's a life organ, so you really don't know. And they give you, like a male score, so they don't really tell you. And it's kind of based on necessity and you know what your needs are. Being that I'm more functional and I'm at 19%. So it pushed me a little further down the list than someone who's bedridden and more critical and different things.
Podcast Host
It was kids from kids.
Rip Michaels
But at one point, I came up to here because this is I heart. So I thought y' all could hook me up. So that's why I'm here. No medical equipment. We have no heart.
DJ Envy
So for people that don't know, explain to them what happened with you while you needed heart. Cause you were perfect help in the gym. Me and you were going city to city doing shows, and then all Of a sudden, something happened.
Rip Michaels
I had a heart attack. And it started when Jesse was there when we did the state farm. And she saw me on the side of the thing. She was like. She was making jokes like, rick, what's wrong with you, man? Yeah, I know.
Jessica
That's when I didn't know what was going on.
Rip Michaels
So I had a heart attack. And that was right before I did the Apollo show. Oh, Jess been killing me the whole time. When I looked in there, I had a blue hat on. She was killing me.
Jessica
I'm sorry. But I'm glad.
Charlamagne Tha God
You was literally having a heart attack.
Rip Michaels
Yeah, but now you're stronger, Jess. What did you say? What did Jess say? Yeah.
Jessica
So sad.
Charlamagne Tha God
You remember what you mean?
Rip Michaels
No, but I like that. But honestly, see, I appreciate that because it's, you know, it's trying to get you out of it that, you know, humor helps. You know, it does. A lot. So when Jessica crack, I'm like, not right now, baby. Not right now. Just. She was like. But you ain't. You ain't gonna do another season.
Charlamagne Tha God
So. Never heard humor helping no heart attack
Rip Michaels
because it just takes you out of it. So, Rip, I ain't get my back in.
Jessica
I'm having a heart attack.
Rip Michaels
Nah, Brady, you give me your daughter for my. For my money. Please shut up. Just to come down your funeral and get it. Don't believe I'm sorry for your dad's loss. Did he leave a check in the coffin? So is every.
DJ Envy
So nothing's the table today, right?
Rip Michaels
Nothing's off the table. I know. I know. We're going in with everything. So I expected. But, yeah, that happened at the Apollo. So that had the heart attack. And then I tried to go back and film this special at the Apollo, and right after I filmed my Apollo special, I had to be rushed to the hospital. So I was ending up in a Mayo Clinic. Big shout out to the Mayo Clinic. I was living in Arizona for, like, six months on a list getting well enough to even just come back out. And big shout out to LIJ. So.
Charlamagne Tha God
And you said. You heard of that?
Rip Michaels
19. Yeah.
Charlamagne Tha God
What is it? This is gonna be a stupid question, but what does it need to be at the function?
Rip Michaels
Way more than I do. 60, 50.
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, okay, okay.
Jessica
Yeah.
DJ Envy
Why did they say you had the heart attack? Was it a particular reason or.
Rip Michaels
It's congenital heart failure. So I have congenital heart failure, which means that, you know, it's inherited. So I got it from my dad, apparently. Gotcha.
Jessica
And then all you do is keep going and keep going and Keep going. Like, all you do is working. Like, I mean, all you do is work. So did you have down time? Did you give yourself down time in between that? Because you have ambulance at every show?
Rip Michaels
I honestly, I have to. And if you notice, the American Heart association was at the Apollo. We teach CPR and a lot of that. It has to be like that. So I have a helm nurse and a healthcare provider. I keep constantly going back in. So some days are really, really good, and some days are just really, really bad.
Jessica
But do you add to it from. Keep going. Like, you just. All you do is work.
DJ Envy
He was way worse before. He was way worse before.
Rip Michaels
I really had to take it down. So I do one show at a time and said, like, when we did the Wild N Out tour and I produced the whole Wild N Out tour, he was going to 30 cities, 40 cities at a time, and setting out the garden in like three weeks. But now it's like, do one show, pull back, and, you know, check your health to make sure. Because I want to. I want to be here. Yeah. Because when I was in the hospital, I thought I wasn't honestly coming out. I really thought that it was just. This was it. I was like. I was praying. I was getting my will together. I was like, I get it. Because when you're that low, it's just nothing. I mean, you know, it's bad when they start giving you. Stop giving you prescription and start giving you scripture. So it was, hey, I go front. I don't go to the hospital.
DJ Envy
I called Rip one day, and Rip sounded so damn bad. I'm like, I gotta go see this brother, man. I drove from Long Island. They let me in, but I said, I gotta go see him. Cause I just felt you just heard it in his voice. And Rip, somebody that speak to all
Charlamagne Tha God
the time, he let you in.
DJ Envy
When I got there, I didn't know Rip Michaels real name. So I got there like an idiot. But I'm here to see Rip Michaels. They like, there is no Rip Michaels. I'm calling Rip.
Rip Michaels
Rip.
DJ Envy
Don't answer. I'm videotaping. So I couldn't get in, so I had to leave.
Charlamagne Tha God
But how do you know he was really there?
Rip Michaels
Rip?
Charlamagne Tha God
How do you know he.
DJ Envy
I sent him a video and everything that I was there.
Rip Michaels
And he actually did. He filmed it right outside. He was like, I'm right here. They won't let me in. Cause they won't say your real name.
Charlamagne Tha God
I visited it too, but I didn't. I was like, damn, man.
DJ Envy
You know what? I Wanted to ask. So last time you were here.
Rip Michaels
Can I get some water? I'm so.
Charlamagne Tha God
Get Rip some water, please. The man's heart is at 19%. What the hell's wrong with y'?
DJ Envy
All? Last time you were here, you talked about that you were upset with your wife. At one time, you said that she ran off because she was scared. She didn't know what happened. But you guys have recently made back up, and you're back good.
Rip Michaels
Oh, yeah. My wife left me in the hospital, but she came back pregnant. So what? It's my baby, though. Don't look at me like that. It's my baby. It's mine. This is mine. I got a black Indian baby coming. He gonna have a turban with a durag underneath this mine. I said I gave everybody heart attack. Breaking news. So how did y' all make up? Because I know.
DJ Envy
I know that hurt you at one time, and you felt away, but you also said that she was scared, didn't know what to do.
Rip Michaels
Yeah. When you just get recently married and you. You. You go through, you know, something that traumatic, like, it's a lot. You know, one day you're married, your husband's fine, because it's a general. I didn't know. I didn't know. You know, that's nothing I was doing. I wasn't eating bad. It wasn't a diet I could fix. It was just because my mom just, like, I guess chose a dude with bad dick and a good heart. I don't know. She's good general. I don't know what.
DJ Envy
That's water, by the way. It says monster, but it's water. But go ahead, make sure we, you know, make sure.
Charlamagne Tha God
I got an issue like that, too.
Rip Michaels
My.
Charlamagne Tha God
My arteries are aging faster than me, but it's literally just all hereditary. Like, my uncle had mad heart surgeries. My dad, like. Like, it's just in my family.
DJ Envy
Back to the thing. So how did y'.
Rip Michaels
All.
DJ Envy
How did y' all make up? Because I know that upset you one time, Y' all were.
Rip Michaels
You.
DJ Envy
You were down by that.
Rip Michaels
I wasn't really upset about it. It's just when you get. You know. Because first of all, I went in. I'm thinking I'm gonna be fine. I'm thinking that, you know, I'm going in there. I'm thinking they're just going, you know. You know, it's an artery thing. I'm thinking it's cholesterol. I'm thinking it's like, you know, okay, cool. I'm gonna get a Stent. I'm saying, oh, you gonna get a stent. People telling me about the process and then when they were doing the right heart calf, they literally. Cause when they take it and go on your thing and they show your heart, and they literally just stopped everything when they put the thing in, it was. The whole ER and cardiac team just ran in. It was just like, no, no. And then from that moment on. And I did that by myself. So it was just a. And just to hear that. And then it was like, who do you want to call? Like, because you're not coming at us for a very long time. And it just. Thank God they held my hand. I was. It was. It was just bad. It is so to. To. To process that. Because the one thing in life you think is that when you go through something like that, you're going to have somebody there.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
Rip Michaels
And it was just me and God. And I thank God for my daughter because she literally, every day, every day she was there, she took off and almost flunked out of school trying to be there for me. So to answer your question, to work through it, you know, I had to understand because, you know, your own issues, but you got to understand other people's issues. To be married and your husband, like a four or five months later, just in the hospital, what. How do you deal with that? What do you do?
Charlamagne Tha God
Sickness and the health. Like, how do you. How do you even get trust? How do you rebuild trust to even want to be with her after that?
Rip Michaels
Communication and understanding, everyone's understanding of what that is. Like, not every. Everyone can deal with that. Right. Right away. You know, my wife is diagnosed with bipolar syndrome. You met my wife a million times, so. And you know, her explaining everything and what it was for her and understanding her side. Like, we got a whole podcast about it now call kind of sort of married, so. Yeah.
Jessica
And then also, like you said, kind
Rip Michaels
of sort of, because we talk about the whole thing and how we got through it.
Jessica
Yeah, but like you said, she came back pregnant. She probably was undergoing all types of hormones, not knowing what was happening, like, if she was pregnant this whole time, not justifying.
Rip Michaels
I don't make a joke.
Jessica
She came back pregnant, so she was probably. She probably didn't know at the time, you know, like, you know, so hormones be off or whatever.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
Rip Michaels
But I'm. But I'm happy. She's super good, you know, working on things, getting together and taking it day by day. I've been in therapy a lot, you know, going to church a lot, just, you know, Accepting what is. What's next for me, man.
Charlamagne Tha God
What's your lifestyle now, though? I mean, just as far as I guess you said operating at 90%.
Rip Michaels
Like, what do you.
Charlamagne Tha God
What can you can do? What can you can't do?
Rip Michaels
Like, it goes by day by day. I wish I could tell you, like, I definitely go to rehab and I definitely try to. You know, my diet is completely different now. But that really doesn't help when it's the organ that's failed. So it's really nothing you really can do except take 40 different types of medicine every single day. And just like, you know, take at home IVs and different things like that. So, you know, and sometimes when I go on stage, I have to have a backup person to host. Now, like, the day before, they got somebody that if I can't complete it, I do my little jokes here and there. And then I'd be like, okay, you gotta take it from here.
DJ Envy
You know, another thing I wanted to discuss. And you know, we know Rip Michael's a comedian, but also how you raised your daughter. So you were the sole custody of your daughter, correct? Yes, you have sole custody. So talk about raising her as a father with a young girl, being on the scene, being a comedian, doing all that, but making sure that your daughter still had the values.
Rip Michaels
I think that was God, like. Cause that was like the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It gave me purpose. Cause I came to New York. I'm not from New York. I came to New York, I was homeless, sleeping on the streets, and my daughter was with me the whole entire time. So all the stuff I do, my daughter was with me. Like when I started the Wild out tour, she was the one helping me on the side of the highway, giving out flyers and promoting the show. So when I used to do comedy, she would be right there in the car. Just. Cause I ain't really trust people around her. So she'd be right there in the car and she was good. She wouldn't get out to go pee. She wouldn't do nothing. She peed on herself waiting for me one time. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, but that's how dope our relationship was. So I think it was a complete blessing. And, you know, I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I still got to produce some of the biggest tours in the country, create some of the biggest platforms for people. And I think that's. She was a part of that whole thing. So now when they See it like you said, you be like you seen on the side of the stage, and now she's all grown right there, still working for her dad.
DJ Envy
So not mad at that.
Podcast Host
I have a question, but it's about the heart stuff that you guys are talking about. Both of you guys. You're saying that these things are hereditary. That's my first time ever hearing that conditions like that could be hereditary. So.
Rip Michaels
Really?
Podcast Host
Yeah. I know that certain things go through genes and DNA, but I've never heard someone say it was hereditary, was nothing I could do with heart stuff or even artery stuff. What do you do when you find out in the early stages that it's hereditary to, like, slow it down? Like, is there anything you can do so that you're preventative and not proactive? Like, you're not reacting to it a thousand percent?
Rip Michaels
So when I said there's nothing I could do because I didn't know, I wouldn't know, that would be something I need to be checked for. I didn't know because you didn't have any symptoms. You just don't know that information. So that's why my shows, I have the American Red Cross. I have cpr. I teach preventative. I teach go get a checkup. Go, go do these things. Go find out what. What's going on with your body, and that's how you do it. And then there are a lot of things you can cut back on, a lot of things you can do to preserve your heart and do in those checkups.
Podcast Host
Are you asking for blood tests specifically? Like, what. What should we be asking for to, like, to find these hereditary things that could be that, like, oh, echo.
Rip Michaels
So echocardiogram will show what's going on in your heart. Not ekg. Ekg, they just put it on. You shock it for two seconds, like, ah, there's nothing. But the echo will show exactly what's going on in your heart, what it's functioning at. And then if it's serious, you'll get a right hard calf, a left heart calf, and they'll show you. They'll put the wires in your. And they can see the movement and how it's retraction and stuff like that.
Charlamagne Tha God
But the worst part, we tell people to go to Dr. Puma all the time.
DJ Envy
It's all medical.
Rip Michaels
But then when your heart fails, your kidneys go out. So now my kidneys is failing. So it just. That muscle controls so many different things. So it just gets worse and worse.
Charlamagne Tha God
Does it give you a new sense of urgency?
Rip Michaels
It does, man, because like, to be totally honest with y', all, when I was in the hospital, I lost my health insurance. So, you know, I'm sacked. So to get. To get health insurance, and if you're sac, you have to do movies and films, make a certain mile and a half. You have to do certain things, and there's nothing you could do. There's nothing you could pay for. So I lost my health insurance. And when I lost my health insurance, I reached out to every single person I ever known that had anything to do with film. And I was like, just put me as an extra. Put me as whatever. I'll park the cars. Just give me the SAG thing. I'll give you the money to pay SAG so I can get my insurance. And no one, really. No one. Not one.
DJ Envy
Not even Nick.
Rip Michaels
Single person put me in nothing. And that's why I was like, you know what? If I ever get out of this hospital bed, I'm gonna make it. And because my whole thing, I've always been pushing everybody. It's always been, like, pushing this, Push Monica, push this, whoever, you know, starting so many different things. And when that happened, I was like. I was like, okay, God, if you let me make it through this, I'm gonna do what you asked me. I'm gonna actually care about my career and not just push everybody forward. I'm gonna take a stance. And that's what I started doing. I was like, okay, now it's Rip Michaels. Now I'm gonna do my special. Now I'm gonna do this. Now I'm gonna show the world what I was supposed to do in the beginning.
DJ Envy
But not even Nick. Cause even Nick is, wow.
Rip Michaels
I know you're trying to throw him on the bus, but not one. No.
DJ Envy
I'm just asking. Cause I know y' all had it. Like, if I was going through something, I know I couldn't rely on Charlamagne.
Jessica
No one means.
Rip Michaels
But as a one. Not Brandon T. Jackson. No one. And Brandon was doing the BET show at the time. He had the whole Carl Weber family business.
DJ Envy
What's your relationship with these guys now then?
Rip Michaels
I understand that everybody in this business, sometimes it's just business. Sometimes you think it's personal, but it's not. Sometimes handshakes just mean a handshake.
DJ Envy
That's crazy.
Rip Michaels
And, you know, and big shout out to Dick. They came to visit me and everything. But then sometimes, you know, I don't know. That's a question for them, why that didn't happen. But I know I got it back, and it Was funny. Who actually helped me, it was Justina. Justina filmed. Yes. A white lady. Justina Valentine. She filmed a movie in New Jersey. Yeah. No, she's straight white. Just cause she got the black ass, she's white. Her and Gary Owens used to have the same ass.
DJ Envy
But how did she help you?
Rip Michaels
Yeah, so she had a movie, independent movie that she filmed in New Jersey. And when I told her, she was like, rip, don't worry about it. I'm gonna write you in a movie. Tell me what you owe sag. I'll make sure you make that.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Rip Michaels
Wow. And then like, come on. I wrote for Branon's whole specials. I took. You see me take Brandon around the whole thing and helping him. Cuz I gotta keep Brandon on shows.
DJ Envy
You know why?
Rip Michaels
Cuz no matter how many times they boo Brandon, he still come back and he keep going on. So I'm like, you know what? I admire that.
Charlamagne Tha God
I'm gonna say something though. Salute to Justina Valentine for that. That was incredible. Maybe those other people weren't in position to be able to hire you again.
Rip Michaels
That's a question for them. Yeah.
Podcast Host
Did they understand the seriousness of at the time? Like did everybody know how I knew it was in the news.
Rip Michaels
But I think it's just that, you know, everybody says, yeah, I got you. And then you know that and they don't. You call, then they don't got you. It's just more like, I got you, I got you. And maybe it slipped their mind or whatever. That's just, you know, I don't harbor on it. I don't feel a way towards that. It's just, you know, I reached out, I begged and. Okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
It is what it is, Justin. That's solid though.
Rip Michaels
Put me in a whole series and did it like instantaneously. Instantaneously.
Jessica
It's gonna be great. I'm actually in a movie too.
Rip Michaels
Yeah, that's right. She put us all in the movie. So big shout out to her.
Jessica
But I love her for that specifically.
Rip Michaels
And Justina, my girl, like I've been rocking with Justina where I write her jokes and then she's gonna. She's getting there in the comedy thing. So I'm always trying to and that to see that come back from a person, you would never.
Jessica
Yeah.
Rip Michaels
Think, wow, you know, a white lady saved my life. White girl magic. Now I got it now every time I send her, she's talking spit spin in most minds. Like when a white teacher endangered mine.
Charlamagne Tha God
Can she say it around you? Can she say it around you? What since she saved your life, can
Rip Michaels
she say she does it? She says it all the time. She says it all the time. She's like, rip, where your black friends at? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That's an Andrew Schultz thing. Andrew shows y' all be doing a podcast, and the nigga said, no, he ain't.
Charlamagne Tha God
Know what he said.
DJ Envy
Now, the April Fool's Day comedy show
Rip Michaels
is coming back to New York City April 4th.
DJ Envy
Now, you're one of the first ones to mix comedy and musicians performing. TI Said he didn't like it. He said you set him up.
Rip Michaels
You know, that was straight bullshit. And the fact that you didn't say nothing in me was crazy. What? Cause we say. Okay, first of all, let's be super clear. Every single person on that show knew TI Was doing comedy. I got the drop. It was said, TI Doing comedy for the first time. That was the whole advertisement push behind it. And he knew damn well who was on the show with him. And he just got booed. It was simple as that. He went on stage, did his jokes, and the crowd was like, nah, you can have whatever you like, but it ain't comedy. And Tiny was on the side, and she was trying to escape. So it was just. He couldn't even. Who could she run to? And it wasn't her. This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives, and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show today@spreaker.com spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it. Segregation in the day, integration at night.
Podcast Host
When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules.
Jessica
We didn't worry about what went on outside. It was like stepping in another world.
Podcast Host
Inside Charlie's place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.
Rip Michaels
You saw the kkk?
Jessica
Yeah, they was dressed up in their uniform.
Rip Michaels
The KKK set Out to raid Charlie, take him away from here. Charlie was an example of power.
Charlamagne Tha God
They had to crush him.
Podcast Host
From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's Place, A story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Charlamagne Tha God
Bring incredible sound into every corner of
Rip Michaels
your home with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $299. From Quiet Mornings to lively family gatherings, Whimsound makes every moment sound better and feel better too.
Charlamagne Tha God
Create a home filled with with sound you love. Ready to upgrade your sound?
Rip Michaels
Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S O U N D and he should have just took it. It happens every wind got booed. He took it. Let me. I'm about to have a heart attack getting all this. So Blake. But he literally took it. And when he came on breakfast, I was like, why would you say. I said you. I gave you a great amount of money and you just. You just ate it. Like, it was a tell. You heard the joke. He was talking about something about like heated seats in the Greyhound bus station. And the crowd was like, what is that?
DJ Envy
What the fuck is TI Talking about?
Rip Michaels
It just got really weird. And they was like, yeah, enough, Enough. Yeah, enough.
Charlamagne Tha God
I know he's always a big joker, though, and thank you for giving him the opportunity.
Rip Michaels
It's a double sided compliment. He's like, I thank Rip Michaels for bringing me on his show, but he put me on his show at a time that was particularly articulately not ready. And it's just weird that he said that he got booed. And it just happens. It just happens. And you know, Charlie man was one of the first shows, the April fool show. We did it West Barry. It's a tough crowd. Just. You've done it sometimes and you just gotta bring it. And I think that it got. He was just in a relaxed zone. Didn't realize how you gotta bring it. You ain't got time to just. You ain't got but like 10 minutes, so you ain't got but a second. And then we saved him by saying, all right, we not gonna let nobody boo TI we not gonna let. And we did that. We did the whole music salute. And instead of roasting TI saying anything about him, I didn't do that.
Podcast Host
Oh, so nobody that came on the stage after him was able to, like, talk about.
Rip Michaels
No, I. I kept it like that.
DJ Envy
After T.I.
Rip Michaels
got off.
DJ Envy
Well, T.I. i was DJ. He came and said he played my record. I played this record. The crowd went crazy. He said, you know, basically, he was joking, y'.
Rip Michaels
All.
DJ Envy
I ain't giving y' all that.
Rip Michaels
Everybody laugh.
DJ Envy
He got off. And then after Rip did like, a. A TI Tribute, play some of his music and joke. Yep.
Rip Michaels
Nobody. Nobody.
Charlamagne Tha God
Didn't come back out to perform while you play.
Rip Michaels
Oh, no, no, no. He didn't want no more. No more of that. What you know about that was not comedy for him that night. But, T.I. if you're watching, I got that same bag for you to come back and you could redeem yourself at the April Fool's. Because I thought he took it personal, because next thing I know, I saw the interview and we had a show in Chicago. Next time I saw him, he cut his hair off. He did a Britney Spears. He cut his hair off. He back rapping.
Charlamagne Tha God
Got the number one back rapper.
Rip Michaels
He fucked this comedy.
Charlamagne Tha God
You got a number one record right now.
Rip Michaels
Fire.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Rip Michaels
Number one record. Not comedy. But now I'm joking, Oti. But, you know, welcome them into the franchise. But, yeah, that did not. And we did not set TI Up. And he had a great. You can see it. He was there. They listened to a few.
Jessica
She wouldn't have done anything like that anyway. Like, you don't bring. Put people on your show.
Rip Michaels
Why can't I book somebody to get booed? I still gotta pay this man. Yeah, what is that gonna do for me?
Podcast Host
But that doesn't happen in the comedy clubs on y', all, like, where there is, like, a level of like, all right, you new here. We gonna let you, like. All right, go ahead. We gonna see that doesn't happen.
Charlamagne Tha God
I don't think crowds care, especially black crowds.
Rip Michaels
Nah, hell no.
Jessica
Like, if you're not funny, you're not funny. It don't matter what your name is, what you're known for, but if you're not funny, you just not. I've never, you know, been booed, but I know that it happens for sure.
Rip Michaels
You know what I mean?
Jessica
And if it ain't hitting, it's not hitting.
Charlamagne Tha God
I think there's only a couple of comedians who probably can get grace, you know what I mean?
Rip Michaels
And I don't even.
Charlamagne Tha God
I don't know. That's very rare. Like, you know, like, I talk about somebody like Chappelle, right? Chappelle can get on stage and just talk.
Rip Michaels
Who?
Podcast Host
No, that was.
Rip Michaels
No no, no, no, that was the speaker.
Charlamagne Tha God
I had to think about it because I didn't know she had that shit that the girl had at the back, the bafta.
Rip Michaels
I don't know.
Charlamagne Tha God
I was like, damn.
Rip Michaels
I thought it was T.I. i was like, yo, set me up, T.I. did. Y' all don't even tell. No.
Charlamagne Tha God
But no. I remember when Dave used to come out on stage and just talk and people would give him grace. Cause he's Dave Chappelle. I don't think that too many people can even do that.
Rip Michaels
Dave's gotten booed. Cool. Besides Jess, I don't know any comedian that hasn't gotten booed.
Jessica
But Dave is a storyteller too. So his buildups are, you know, they've all.
DJ Envy
I was gonna ask, is it more difficult to do your show because you don't have a long period of time? You're giving people 10 minutes and for a lot of people, if it's 10 or 15 minutes, they don't have the time to set up that joke.
Rip Michaels
Well, I think that the way I set it up was because I have so many friends in hip hop, I have so many friends in R and B, and I have so many friends in comedy. And when I started first doing my career and I started just selling out little stuff and me and me, we'd sell out every club, we'd be everywhere. And then I was making it about me and everybody was like, can I be on this and can I be on that? So I was like, you know what, let's do it together. Let's collectively come together and let's show people that we can make these record breaking do 17, 18,000 people. Like Jesse, you came to me at the Garden, he was like, rip, how the hell is it 22,000 people in the Garden?
Jessica
And he did that in less than a month, three weeks, sold that out. And that's what I'm saying. I always love to tell that story. I really was in a sold out venue, the biggest venue in New York City, like Madison Square Ed Garden, thanks to Rhett Michaels. Cause he started promoting it like three weeks before the event. And he sold this shit out. It was amazing.
DJ Envy
The one thing I would say about Rip is, well, we started this probably 20 years ago where we would do a weekly club. I would dj, he would host, and he would bring up comedians and it did well. I don't know why we stopped it, but the one thing I love about Rip is he goes back to the old school. Like you see flyers on walls, you see poster boards up, you See, hand to hand, he puts it on car flyers. Like, the things that people don't do now, most people now, they just go on social media and post and be
Jessica
like, I'm gonna get 20,000, expect forward to sell out.
DJ Envy
No, he's gonna go to the malls, wherever people are gonna be the let out of the clubs, let out at restaurants, he's gonna do that. And that's. That really works when it comes to
Podcast Host
really consistent on social too. Like, even with, like, all everybody that's on your lineup, like, you promoting things they got going on, like, you share your platform, which isn't common for a lot of people too, because that's what
Rip Michaels
it was always about. It was always supposed to be about us, you know, proving that you don't need this. Like, I'm probably the only comedian that you ever seen sell out his own arenas. There has never been another comedian. If you look, it's a live nation, it's the aeg, it's someone behind him. But I've been the only comedian to just be like, you know what? It's the Barclays Center. I'm gonna do that. And they look at me like, what are you talking about? How are you gonna do the Barclays Center? Like, when I did the Wild N Out thing, it started at Amazur. We did it at Amazur in front of 1500 people. And what made that turn into a huge thing was I was sitting there and I was like, you know what? Let's do this. And I was sitting there talking to all the agents and all the people that was, you know, part of the team. And I was like, I think it was ICM at the time. And I was talking to them. I was like, yeah, look, these. It's gonna be big. We could turn it into this and this. And it was like, these people don't matter. And I was like, what do you mean, these people don't matter? He's like, we in Queens. We in Jamaica, Queens. Look at the people here. I was like, these are. These are postal workers. These are people that matter. So the very next day, I took everything that I own. I took all. I sold my cars, I took every dime I had. And I went and I put us on a. I think I was like, a 15 city tour. And to this day, we started selling out, like, every single arena. We did two arenas in one night. Like, we sold out Upper Marlboro arena, and we did 14,000 there. And then the same night, we took a police escort and did Capital One arena, and we did the whole thing, it was like 19,000 people. And I remember Arenas used to treat me so bad. Cause they ain't believing it. They didn't know what the name of it was. They just knew Nick's name. And it was like, well, we were just gonna call it. I was like, nah, it's not that. It's entertainment. It's this. This is what we gonna do. We gonna have musical guests. I'm gonna formulate it and take a TV show and put it like this so it could be on his feet. And they would make me pay everything up front. They'd be like, well, we don't believe it's gonna happen, so we need to pay. We need the entire fee up front with a cancellation fee. And that's how they used to treat me. But now, you know, doing it for so long, it doesn't work like that.
Charlamagne Tha God
How do you make money, though? Cause I'm looking at this lineup rip, man, you got some heavy hitters, bro. You got Tommy Davidson, Michael Blackson, Justina Valentine, Little Duvall, Marlon Wayne, Brandon T. Jackson, Bill Bellamy, Bruce Bruce, Emmanuel Hudson, Envy, Pretty V, Jacob Williams. Then you got performing Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and Kodak Black.
Jessica
And you just said that TI can
Rip Michaels
come back caus Come back and get that same money. So when I get into it and I keep my chick, I. I keep my tickets cheap, so they actually start at $30. I keep it where everybody can afford it. It was never something I was trying to get rich off of. It was like, I'll start a show, and I hit Jess, and then Jesse be like, I'm doing it. And then another person be like, you know what? I want to get on it. Another person like, I want to get on it. So then I just keep opening it up and keep opening it up. So it was never about that. It was about showing what we can do collectively when we come together. Like, even whether it's the April Fools, whether it's the Fall Back in Love thing, where you look and you'll see, like, I think I had Brandi on the first show ever, and she hadn't performed in, like, 10 years. She was backstage like, what am I gonna do? I'm so nervous.
DJ Envy
That was a dope thing. That's what I missed, though. That was. You started that. That was a dope thing.
Rip Michaels
Yeah.
DJ Envy
The comedy and R and B tour, that was. Oh, man, we had a great time.
Podcast Host
So it's the amount of people that come, and they pulling up because the tickets are affordable.
Rip Michaels
I always make it affordable. So I Wasn't. It was never something I was trying to get rich off. It was something I was just trying to elevate us all so we get us out of the nightclub. So a lot of people that I put on my shows, they had actually, you know, weren't doing great jobs at the time. They were just, you know. And I was like, collectively, we can do this. Do this and make this huge and show people that we could do numbers. So it was never about that for me.
DJ Envy
Yeah, I was very impressed. Rip called me probably about 10 years ago, was like, yo, you want to do this thing with the ball glass? I was like, yeah, let's do it. He was like, all right. He said, we need $82,000 by Friday. Cause we got to pay them 82.
Rip Michaels
I said, what? You got the whole bar clearance right now?
DJ Envy
He goes, yeah. I said, I'll call you back. I never called him back since.
Rip Michaels
No, no.
Podcast Host
Damn.
Charlamagne Tha God
Bleep the number, Eddie.
Rip Michaels
Why? It was like, 82,000 Barclays. 175 Barclays. 175. The garden is like 500,000 to rent, so these are expensive.
DJ Envy
He takes care of all.
Jessica
He lets him listen. I know because I've been on this.
DJ Envy
Yes.
Jessica
He said, and he don't wait to send your. Like, as soon as you say you doing it, he's sending you that. He don't play around with the money.
Rip Michaels
He don't play around with his.
DJ Envy
He don't send it to me to the night of.
Jessica
Oh, that's crazy.
Podcast Host
That's you. He probably won't make sure you actually gonna come, because Envy has stood me
Rip Michaels
up a couple times. Envy has stood me up a couple times and be like, yo, Rip, I'm not gonna make it. Remember the last.
Jessica
Remember the last time he came here?
Rip Michaels
Had no voice. I had no voice.
DJ Envy
Ri was like, yo, you did it.
Rip Michaels
But you. You didn't speak. I can't pay the full amount.
Jessica
I was talking for you while you was. It was doing your thing. I'm like, you got a point.
Rip Michaels
What? Right?
Charlamagne Tha God
I think Group got a hell of a point, right?
Rip Michaels
Like, yo, you know you came every time I say, what up? He like, you can't talk. It's like, you supposed to host with me.
DJ Envy
You can't talk, so I got to document.
Rip Michaels
Yeah. Not in Demons. I didn't play today. I did not get. Trust me. Envy don't play with his money. He get. Envy act like he don't want his money, but he got a dude named June run up on Envy, Always acting like it Ain't nothing. No, don't worry about. Whenever June comes up like this. So what are we doing? He'll act like it's the coolest guy. Whatever, man. We can pay me.
Charlamagne Tha God
Whatever.
Rip Michaels
It's cool, man. Whatever I get Monday. June's like, we can't leave here without the money. All of the money. Yeah. I got cash App, Zelle Venmo, Apple Pay cash, ebt. June, do not mess around.
DJ Envy
No, I bet.
Rip Michaels
And the Envy smile. What did June say? He didn't say that. I'm gonna go talk to him. Get the money from Rip. Rip, we not leaving. But Envy just said. Envy drove away. See, he laughed because he know that's how it works.
Charlamagne Tha God
Of course that's how it works. All I'm getting from all of this is, Rip deserves a heart, man.
Rip Michaels
Yes.
Charlamagne Tha God
That's it. No, for real, yo, you doing some good work out here. I didn't. I didn't. I mean, I knew, but I didn't know. Especially the fact that you're just doing this because you want to show that we can, you know, come together to do great things. That's big, bro.
Rip Michaels
Well, thank you, man. It's just been a huge ordeal, like, especially when I got sick. I had shows that I was supposed to do when I got sick. It's people that still owe me money to this day that because I was in the hospital, they didn't think I was gonna survive. And I can't get my money back to this day. Damn.
Podcast Host
You asked for.
Rip Michaels
I've asked for the millionaire back. I was like, can I have. I did it for medicine. Can I have my money back from the show that you couldn't do because I was in the hospital. And I tried to re. Like, Monica. Monica, to this day, owes me almost $50,000, and she will not give it back to me. And every time I see it, a new wig in the coat. I'll be like, you got new wig Money and coat money. Monica, Monica, Monica, Monica, Monica. The RV singing Monica turned me into one of her songs. I'm so gone. I'm driving past the house in an unmarked car,
Jessica
and she just had that big toy.
Rip Michaels
Yeah, she had that big toy. That was. We kind of started, and I'll tell you that we had it. And then I got sick, and I was like, we can't, you know, do the show right now. And then next thing I know, I was supposed to do that whole, you know, the tour with them, and then I got too sick to do that. And I've been trying to get My money. I showed up to, like, three cars. She was like, crap, I got you. Let me just put this new wig on. I got.
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, you was banner up front.
Rip Michaels
So everybody gets a deposit. So I'm deposing my deposit back from Monica.
Podcast Host
You think she held onto it? Cause she probably blocked. Said no to other money for around the.
Charlamagne Tha God
No. They thought he was going. They thought he wasn't going to be here. They thought he was going to be there, Right?
Rip Michaels
So I did the show. I. She'll tell you, I'll give you your money before. Sometime before the show even start, I'd be like, here you go. You know what I'm saying? I got you. We gonna do a show. I'm. Put it together. I call you with the dates, but let's lock it in because, you know, I gotta do something. Then I had the heart attack, did nothing. So then I got out. I was like, all right, I'm out. Let's do the show. I didn't want my money. I said, let's do the show. Oh, man, you. Do you really want to do that show? That's what you're trying to. So you try to do it still, huh? Yeah. And it's just like. Yeah. So, you know, if she lets you.
DJ Envy
Money.
Charlamagne Tha God
$50,000 is a lot of money. That is a lot.
Rip Michaels
Who else? Trey songs owe me money. Damn.
Jessica
Probably ain't gonna get that.
Rip Michaels
I know, right? Damn. I know. 90 grand. So.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, well, him and Bow Wow got an album coming out, so they might can do a show or something.
Rip Michaels
Yep.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Jessica
You are hilarious.
Rip Michaels
I asked my mother. He was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. But it's just weird. And they. Because every time I will say about this, every time I try to do a show, Trey was like, all right, I'll do the show. But then he was like, I got more money over here. I do a show. Then I was doing Fall Back In. He's like, then he picked up the Love Hard tour, then he picked up this other tour, then he picked up this other tour, then another tour. So every time he tried to, you know, do the show, he just gets more money elsewhere.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, but he got. He owe you. If they owe you 90 grand, there ain't no play Play numbers.
Rip Michaels
Oh, my God.
Jessica
Damn.
Charlamagne Tha God
50,000. 90,000.
Rip Michaels
It's not. But it comes at a time because I'm like, a real person. So when that happened with Trey, he was at a time when Trey was like, you know what? But I'm going through a lot right now, you know? You know, Trey we all know Trey
Charlamagne Tha God
with this thing, you was going through a lot too.
Rip Michaels
Yes, but this is before I had to. So Trey was like, I'm doing this and if I could just get the money now. I was like, all right, cool, cool. Here you go. And we'll work out the shows later. I got you, bro. Let's go. We gonna do. So we doing business together. We had just did ubs and I was like, all right, cool. We gonna do a whole bunch of days. And then I got sick. And then I think he just was like, oh, okay. Well, so got this. Damn. Then court case after court case, things after thing. And I still rock.
DJ Envy
April 4, the April Fool's Day comedy show. Brandon T. Jackson, Justina Valentine, Tommy Davidson, Lil Duvall, Michael Blackson, Marlon Wayans, Rip Michaels, of course, Bill Bellamy.
Rip Michaels
Bruce. Bruce, yes.
DJ Envy
Emanuel Hudson. Me, I'll be DJing pretty vee and Jacob Williams. I also perform in Jadakis, Fat Joe and Kodak Black. I DJ and host the whole time with Rip. So if the show's at what time the show start?
Rip Michaels
8 o'. Clock. 8 o'. Clock.
DJ Envy
Rip has me there at 6 o' clock going over everything and it's a vibe.
Charlamagne Tha God
I got a feeling Kodak Black gonna be the funniest person on that stage.
Podcast Host
Oh, yeah.
Rip Michaels
Just to be clear. So people think Kodak is doing comedy. He's doing music. I don't wanna know the TI situation. He's doing music at the show.
DJ Envy
Can we have a pair of tickets to give away right now?
Rip Michaels
Of course we can give away tickets. I got the new special. You see my Apollo special? It just hit over 2 million on that. So I got another City winery tour that. That sold out. Got two more specials coming out of that. Because when it comes to crowd work, I've kind of was like just to tell you how kind of that was. My. That was actually the crowd work woman guy for wilding out. That's how I got.
DJ Envy
So 800-585-1051. You get a pair of tickets to RIP Michaels April Fool's Day comedy show at the Barclays center. Call it 105 right now. Those tickets are yours.
Charlamagne Tha God
And where they go to get tickets,
Rip Michaels
RIPMichaels.com or I didn't go to AprilFoodsCamedy.com April Fool's comment.
DJ Envy
Yeah, and also if you're a business and you need Rip for the street marketing, Rip does that too.
Rip Michaels
My digital market is good too, because we in London. So we doing London. We got Amsterdam, we got Germany.
Jessica
London right before April Fools the day after.
Rip Michaels
So we gotta take a ride. Okay, right after. That's me, Marlon, Mike Epps and Eddie Griffin. The next day in London, and then we go. I'm picking up some other dates. I'm trying to get just on some of that. So we have Germany and we have Amsterdam and we have Japan that we just about to. That's dope. You know, as long as I'm alive, I'm gonna keep putting out specials. Keep doing.
Charlamagne Tha God
You will be Alive speaking.
Jessica
Cause you talking about catching a red eye that same night after this show. So just take care of yourself, brother.
Rip Michaels
Absolutely. Hey, if I can't make it, I just can't make it. So, you know, see me while you can.
Charlamagne Tha God
Jesus Christ.
Rip Michaels
My baby will be here. No, my little Indian baby will be here with a turban and a durag underneath. Jesus Christ.
DJ Envy
All right, it's Rip Michaels. Get your tickets. Barclays, April 4th to April Fool's Day Comedy Jam. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.
Rip Michaels
Hold up.
Charlamagne Tha God
Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club.
Rip Michaels
Do y' all finished or y' all done?
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Episode: INTERVIEW: Rip Micheals Talks April Fools Comedy Jam 2026, Wild'n Out, T.i. Comedy Controversy + More
Date: March 17, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Guest: Rip Micheals
This episode welcomes comedian, producer, and promoter Rip Micheals. The discussion centers on Rip’s health journey following heart failure, navigating the entertainment industry, his relationships with colleagues, organizing large comedy and music shows (with a focus on the April Fools Comedy Jam 2026), and addressing controversies—including T.I.'s foray into comedy. Listeners gain insight into Rip’s resilience, the realities of the comedy business, and the importance of collaboration.
Heart Failure & Recovery
Family Dynamics & Therapy
Innovative Show Production
Collaboration and Inclusivity
Incident Recap
Handling Aftermath
This episode is a candid, humorous, and sometimes raw look into the personal battles and business realities Rip Micheals navigates as a headlining comedian and promoter. He spotlights the lack of support in the industry but also the power of resilience, community, and genuine friendship. The T.I. anecdote provides both comic relief and a window into challenges that come with mixing genres and pushing boundaries in entertainment.
For tickets and info:
Tone & Takeaway: The episode blends vulnerability, resilience, and comedy. Rip’s journey is a testament to fighting for your health, dreams, and integrity, even in an industry where commitments are often fleeting. A must-listen for fans of showbiz, comedy, and stories of overcoming the odds.