TCB Infomercial: Rickey Smiley

Summary

The Commercial Break – TCB Infomercial: Rickey Smiley

Original Air Date: August 12, 2025
Hosts: Bryan Green & Krissy Hoadley
Guest: Ricky Smiley (comedian, radio legend)

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Episode Overview

This special "TCB Infomercial" episode brings comedy icon and radio legend Ricky Smiley into the virtual studio with Bryan and Krissy. With typical TCB energy, the conversation blends chaos and warmth as the group riffs about Southern culture, comedy, decades in radio, grief, gratitude, the art of radio, and the shared madness of pop culture obsessions. Ricky discusses his career journey, his unique approach to radio, his new Hulu comedy special, and the deeply personal story behind his latest book.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ricky Smiley's Atlanta & Southern Roots

• Birmingham to Atlanta: Ricky expands on his close relationship with Atlanta despite being a Birmingham native.

  “Everybody that live in Birmingham went to Atlanta every weekend... We grew up in Atlanta also.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 12:20

• Cultural Crossovers: “Once you get past Six Flags, you in the game, you're there.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 13:08
• Atlanta's influence: Outlines the intertwined atmosphere and community between Birmingham and Atlanta, especially in music, radio, and Black culture.

2. The "White Thanksgiving vs Black Thanksgiving" Bit

• Comic Take on Food Traditions: The episode opens with a riff from Ricky’s comedy special, humorously dissecting the contrast between the simplicity of "white people Thanksgiving" and the lavish, all-day feast of "black people Thanksgiving."

  “Why we can't do that?... Why we be doing the most on Thanksgiving?”
  — Ricky Smiley, 00:42

• Food List Run: A rapid-fire, hilarious recitation of dishes that show Southern and Black household extravagance.

3. The Radio Legend: How Ricky Smiley Has Lasted

• Secrets of Longevity:

  “Mastering the art of being funny. People want to laugh. I found out...people want to be entertained in the morning...you got to have a good balance...make it about the listeners and not me.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 14:43

• Audience Engagement: Describes creating “must-listen” radio through unpredictability, audience involvement, and performing both on-air and on stage to keep current with listeners’ moods.

  “When you get text messages while you're on the air...people are talking about the show.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 16:40

• Transparency: Ricky’s open discussion of heavy topics—autism, childhood cancer, grief—blended with fun and lightness, keeps his bond with fans strong.

4. Grief, Loss, and Using Pain for Purpose

• On Losing His Son:

  “I lost my son on a Sunday. Wednesday I was back on the air... That’s the reason why I've had a lot of success in radio, because I had to realize that I'm not the only one that lost a son.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 42:08

• Radiating Resilience: Ricky emphasizes the importance of channeling personal tragedy into helping and encouraging listeners, especially those with similar experiences.

  “Our job is to make people laugh while we're crying on the inside.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 41:44

• Power of Connection: Shares how book signings brought catharsis for others coping with loss, and how vulnerability has become part of his healing and his gift to the community.

5. Mentorship, Fraternity, and Career Breaks

• Mentorship from Steve Harvey:

  “Steve called me one day and he said, ‘Hey, I'm getting ready to go to Clear Channel...I recommended you for this job.’ ... His bodyguard Boomerang cursed me out... ‘If you don't have your skinny black ass in Dallas by tomorrow morning, we ain't effing with you no more.’”
  — Ricky Smiley, 21:03

• Omega Psi Phi Brotherhood: Ricky describes the supportive fraternity network (with famous brothers DL Hughley, Steve Harvey, Shaquille O’Neal) and how it’s influenced his growth and opportunities.

6. Crafting a Comedy & Radio Career

• Comedy Playbook:

  “I have a playbook...I have like six different acts...it depends on the audience and where you are and who you’re performing with that decides what you're gonna do on stage.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 33:59, 35:01

• Pressure of Standup vs Radio:

  “Radio is less pressure...people pay money to come see you [on stage], so the expectations are like right here. Radio is free.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 26:11

• Early Start: Started at age 20, doing “roasting sets” in college dorms, inspired by watching others try stand-up and realizing he could do it too.

7. Comedy Special, Pop Culture & TV Obsessions

• New Hulu Special — "Foolish":

  “It is so funny and it is so fucking true...Stovetop stuffing, that’s what we like. We don't want any oysters or old bay seasoning.”
  — Bryan Green quoting Ricky’s special, 49:28

• Favorite TV Shows: Ricky (and Bryan) bond over obsessions with "My 600 Pound Life" and "7 Little Johnstons."

  “All the women that's on there, they all got a man...but all the men over there don’t got a woman. None of them.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 50:01

• Nostalgic Music Talk: Ricky’s joy at sharing soft rock classics and MTV with his grandkids, stories about radio’s crossover of genres ("Fleetwood Mac on Black radio").

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Power of Comedy and Grief

• “Our job is to make people laugh while we're crying on the inside.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 41:44
• “If you can't handle this, you're not ready to go to the next level that God have for you.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 43:15
• “I lost my son on a Sunday. Wednesday I was back on the air.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 42:08

On Why He Still Loves Radio

• “You have to have a good balance… make it about the listeners and not me.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 14:43
• “Mastering the art of being funny. People want to laugh.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 14:43
• “I get up, take a shower, get dressed… I would never disrespect radio to walk in here and do the show in my pajamas.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 26:11

On Mentorship

• “If it’s uncomfortable, lean into it. That's where you need to be.”
  — Bryan Green, 31:43

On Atlanta-Birmingham Culture

• “Everybody that live in Birmingham went to Atlanta every weekend... We partied in Atlanta. We grew up in Atlanta also.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 12:20
• “Once you get past Six Flags, you in the game, you're there.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 13:08

On Thanksgiving

• [Ricky’s classic riff listing endless Southern/Black Thanksgiving dishes—see 00:48 for full comic rant!]

On Legendary Syndication

• “To be syndicated in five stations is a big deal...Ryan Seacrest, Howard Stern, Joyner, Ricky Smiley, Steve Harvey... That's amazing.”
  — Bryan Green, 24:06

On Influencing and Being Influenced

• “I got a playbook...I have like six different acts...I knew what they had a taste for. I think they. He had swung the audience in this direction, so I need to be over here.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 34:02

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–03:06 — Ricky Smiley’s Thanksgiving Bit
• 10:19–11:40 — Hosts hype and intro to Ricky Smiley
• 12:20–13:08 — Culture talk: Atlanta, Birmingham, and music
• 14:43–16:40 — Secrets to powerful radio longevity
• 18:04–18:22 — Importance of transparency on-air
• 21:00–24:00 — Ricky’s radio break & Steve Harvey friendship
• 26:11–27:52 — What he loves most: radio vs. stage
• 33:59–36:04 — Comedy “playbook,” prepping for shows, and adapting to audiences
• 41:44–44:33 — Grief, his son’s loss, turning tragedy to purpose
• 49:20–50:31 — TV obsessions ("My 600 Pound Life" and more)
• 52:03–53:14 — Nostalgia, soft rock, and sharing music with family

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Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Ricky Smiley is both a towering radio presence and a deeply transparent, generous soul. His blend of humor and humanity is universally resonant, whether he’s riffing about Southern holidays or opening up about his own pain.
• Connection, community, and authenticity are the pillars that have sustained Smiley’s multi-decade career.
• His new comedy special and his book, Sideshow, are both extensions of his versatility—offering side-splitting humor and emotional candor.

  “Our job is to make people laugh while we're crying on the inside.”
  — Ricky Smiley, 41:44

• Bryan and Krissy’s easy rapport with Smiley brings home the sense that the best comedy comes from lived experience, shared pain, and genuine warmth.

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Episode Links

• Ricky Smiley on Hulu – "Foolish"
• Sideshow — Ricky Smiley’s book on grief and growth
• Find Ricky Smiley’s syndicated show
• All links are in the show notes

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For fans of Southern comedy, radio nerds, or anyone needing a dose of laughter, resilience, and real talk about surviving and thriving through life’s toughest moments, this is a not-to-miss entry in The Commercial Break’s archive.

Transcript

[Ricky Smiley]

Next year I'm having Thanksgiving with some white people.

[Unknown Guest]

Hey, hey, hey, hey. I need a break. We be doing too damn much.

[Ricky Smiley]

White people keep Thanksgiving simple.

[Unknown Guest]

Here's they man, give me some white people.

[Ricky Smiley]

Thanksgiving music. Here we go.

[Unknown Guest]

Turkey stuffed with stovetop stuffing. Honey baked ham, Libby's cranberry sauce in the can. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Pumpkin pie, dinner rolls Tab and Fresca to drink. Four to eight people dinner start at 4 o'.

[Ricky Smiley]

Clock. That's it. Why we can't do that?

[Unknown Guest]

Why we be. Why we be doing the most on Thanksgiving? Can I get some black folks Thanksgiving music. Can I get some. Say what? Fried turkey, baked turkey, Roasted turke broad turkey, barbecue turkey, Smoked turkey wings, Honey glazed ham, baked ham, Kusher ham, Green eggs and ham, Fried chicken, baked chicken, barbecue chicken, Lemon pepper chicken, smothered chicken, rotisserie chicken, monkey chicken, Chicken gizzards, chicken tenders, chicken and dumplings, Chicken pot pie, Cornish hen, British ham, Roast beef stew meat beef stew Turkey and gravy, Beef grav, Chicken gravy, Pork gravy, onion gravy, Shepherd's pie, Macaroni with yellow cheese, Macaroni with white cheese candy yams, candy burns, Sweet potato soup, Oxtails, pigtails, ducktails, chinners, catfish nuggets, whiting salmon patties, Flounder snapper, trout, baked tilapia, wagon tilapia, fried tilapia, deer meat, barbecue ribs, meatloaf, turkey meatloaf, country fried steak, smothered pork chops, fried pork chops, Green beans, butter beans, navy beans, kidney beans, pork and beans, nigger jelly beans, carrot greens, collard greens, mustard greens, baked cabbage, more cabbage, raw cab spinach, Brussels sprouts, asparagus pills, fried squash, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, sweet tea, Kool aid, Minute maid, fruit punch, Dr. Thunder. Somebody had to go to the dollar Tree.

[Ricky Smiley]

On this episode of the commercial break.

[Brian Green]

I watched 20 minutes of. I watched that part. That part of it was part of the 20 minutes. It is so fucking funny and it is so fucking true. Stovetop stuffing, that's what we like. We don't want any oysters or old bay seasoning. We just want bland stovetop stuffing.

[Ricky Smiley]

Come on now.

[Brian Green]

A little man.

[Ricky Smiley]

When I tell you that about white people out I talk about my 600 pound Life TV show. That's my favorite show.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's his favorite show.

[Brian Green]

My favorite show, bro.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's his favorite show.

[Ricky Smiley]

All the women, all the women that's on that, they all got a man.

[Brian Green]

Yes, everyone but all the men over there don't got a woman. None of them, not one of them has a woman. It's weird. It's so strange.

[Ricky Smiley]

The next episode of the commercial break starts now.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, boy.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Green]

Cats and kittens, welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the co host of this show, Chris and Joy Hoadley. Best to you, Chris.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Best to you, Brian.

[Brian Green]

Best to you out there in the podcast universe. Thanks for joining us. It is a TCB infomercial Tuesday. We are very excited to have radio legend, local hero and overall good guy Ricky Smiley here in the studio with us. Two, well, three radio legends meeting together for the very first time. Me, of course, WW LG The Legend, Chrissy, of course, one episode of www G the Legend and some simple scam. Cole fm, if you don't mind.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's right. I was on there a little bit.

[Brian Green]

Yes, you were. And then Ricky Smiley who has been in 162 radio stations for 30 years. But let's not talk about details because it's just legend to Legend to legend having a conversation about what it's like in the world of radio. He is the biz, as they say, the radio biz. We would call it Hollywood, but it's more like Hollywood, Florida than Hollywood, California. But you get the point. No knock on Hollywood, Florida. Lovely place.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I can't wait to talk to you.

[Brian Green]

If you're looking for crystal meth. Okay. I can't wait to talk to Ricky either. And here's why. Will you share?

[Ricky Smiley]

Why?

[Brian Green]

Why are you excited?

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Well, I mean, exactly. Local radio legend, he's just, he's been around forever, has deep ties to Atlanta. I know he's originally from Birmingham, but just I can't wait to pick his brain and just see what made Ricky Ricky.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, absolutely. So Ricky Smiley has done a syndicated morning show forever, I think for like 24 years. I don't know. I don't know. The. I think 2000 is when he started station out of Dallas and then he took off and I think I believe. And we can ask him. He's syndicated in almost 100 radio stations currently in the morning show and he's been just like a solid foundation of Atlanta radio for a long time, including when Chrissy and I worked in radio. And one of the things I want to share with him is even when we worked at Clear Channel, he was not on Clear. I think he was on maybe V103 at the time. I think so. I think so. Radio 1. Is that V103? Radio 1. Okay. We'll ask him. I don't want to get it wrong.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

But that's Odyssey now, right?

[Brian Green]

That is Odyssey now. That's right. Is he on Odyssey? No, I don't think he is. I think he switched to a different station here in Atlanta. I don't think it's V103 anymore. Yeah.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

It's not the same company throughout the whole country, right, that he's syndicated on?

[Brian Green]

No, he's syndicated on a bunch of different radio stations. Yeah. I mean, with a hundred and some odd radio stations. There's no way it's just one company. But he was talked about in our building. Even though he didn't work at our company. And when you kind of get that kind of cachet, you know that it's a big deal. Like the syndicated Big Big Boys and Girls of Radio. Ricky is one of them. So it's exciting to talk to him. He's also a very funny human being. He's got a brand new book out. Not a brand new. It's been around for a while, actually. I'd say brand new. It's brand new to you, the listener who hasn't heard of him. It's about grief and life. Being Ricky Smiley. He lost his son at 32 years old from an overdose. He was an addict. He was struck with the terrible sickness of addiction.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

As many people in this country unfortunately have. Have relatives that that happens to.

[Brian Green]

Yes. And one of the things that I've read about Ricky. And that's part of the reason why I'm grateful to have him here. Is that he's been very transparent about his grief, about his son's passing, about the circumstances and the addiction that his son had gone through. He's also gone to N A with family members. He talks about that in his book that's spoken about. He's just one of these people who likes to shower the world with his own perspective. Regardless of how easy or tough that those conversations might be, has a connection to people. I think that's why he's got an audience that has stuck. That is huge and stuck around for a long time. He's also on tour. I think he does a number of shows a month or a year. We'll ask him more about that. But you can go to the links in the show notes below. We have a link to all of Ricky's information. Where you can find the book. He's got a special on, which looks really funny.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I watched the trailer. I'm going to watch it because it looks hilarious.

[Brian Green]

I watched 20 minutes of it. So I just kind of, I didn't have enough time to watch the whole thing, so I just kind of and jumped in. And at some point he starts talking about the differences between white people Thanksgiving and black people Thanksgiving. And he says that he likes white people Thanksgiving because they come in, no muss, no fuss, you know, turkey, stovetop topping, stovetop stuffing. Yeah. Cranberry in a, in a can and just get on with life. Say your hallelujahs and leave. And then Black people, there's 75,000 different versions of food. It lasts all day. There's three different feedings. People carry on in drama. And he said, I kind of like the white people Thanksgiving. Get in, get out. Real simple, straightforward, everyone does it. And I having been to both black Thanksgiving and white Thanksgiving, he's right. I think really more than white and black Thanksgiving, it should be Thanksgiving for most people. And then like a deep South Thanksgiving.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I was gonna say that it's something about the south.

[Brian Green]

Something about the South.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Thanks. Because I have to say, growing up, I remember us having a ton of different dishes too, and it being an all day affair. You're, you're watching football, you're, you're eating. You watching more stuff at the parade, you're eating.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it's just when you put mussels or oysters in the turkey stuffing, it's a different kind of Thanksgiving. Do you know what I'm saying? And I have been to those vers of Thanksgiving and then I have had my own, what I grew up with, very bland Irish Catholic Thanksgiving, you know? Amen. Holy. Let's eat the dinner and hit it and quit it. Amen. Holy. Eat the dinner and get the out. So anyway, it was really, really funny and I, I look forward to seeing the rest of it. So he's got this special on Hulu, this book about grief and growth. And then of course, he is very popular on the radio show, morning show.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

For a lot of people.

[Brian Green]

I'm excited about this one. So let's do this. Why don't we take a break and then through the magic of telepodcasting, we'll have Ricky right here in our own studio. Why we did not ask him to come and be with us in person, I have no idea. But we'll fix that moving forward. We must ask him. He's in Atlanta.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I know.

[Brian Green]

We should have just had him here. Let's take a break and when we get back, Ricky Smart. The legendary Ricky Smiley.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Let's do it.

[Brian Green]

We'll be back.

[Rachel]

Hey there, cats and kittens. It's Rachel. I have a terrible cold. But Brian wanted me to pass along the message that tcb's exclusive merch drop happens Friday, August 8th through the 22nd. You can pre order your limited edition commercial break hat, hoodie, university sweater or T shirts and get an excellent exclusive TCB sticker free with every purchase. Go to shop tcb podcast.com Friday, August 8th through the 22nd to pre order your merch because when the window closes, it closes for good. So mark it on your calendars Friday, August 8th through the 22nd. Shop tcb podcast.com Now I'm gonna go take some DayQuil and feed Axel more pork chops. Best to you, foreign.

[Brian Green]

The legendary Chrissy Ricky Smiley here with us now. Hi, Ricky. How are you?

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Hi, Ricky.

[Ricky Smiley]

Hey, man. Thank you so much for having me. How y' all doing?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, we're good.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Fantastic.

[Brian Green]

We're better now that Ricky Smiley is here. Because as Atlanta, not natives, but we lived here for a long time. Me 30 plus years, Chrissy. 30 plus years.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Y.

[Brian Green]

You have been in our ears and a part of the culture here in Atlanta for a long time. Share with me a little bit about what Atlanta means to you because I like when Atlanta natives come on and talk about Atlanta, man. You know, I know you're not native, but you're a big part of the. You're a big part of the.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh, no, no, no. We. We almost native. Everybody that live in Birmingham went to Atlanta every weekend when we were able to get in the car and drive. We partied in Atlanta. We grew up in Atlanta also. We love outcasts also.

[Brian Green]

Y.

[Unknown Guest 2]

So.

[Ricky Smiley]

So we also. We go to Lake Lanier, too. We go to Lennox and Greenbrier Mall also.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's right.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. Yeah. I remember going on stage at birthday bash at the. What is it, the State Farm Arena.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Half of the audience was from Birmingham.

[Brian Green]

Really?

[Ricky Smiley]

You know.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh, man. Man's a big. A big. A big concert in Atlanta. They run advertising in Birmingham. Everybody's on the highway. We're gone.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

It's such an easy drive. It's such. You drive over. Yeah.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Once you get past Six Flags, you in the game, you're there.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

And.

[Brian Green]

And actually, yeah, I. The Atlanta and Birmingham do share. There's this, like, sinew between the two of us. This thread between the two of us. So many people from Atlanta go to school over there and party over there and hang out over there. It's an easy drive.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Jump on Interstate 20.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's true.

[Ricky Smiley]

All right, let me. Let me get One thing straight, because I see people in Atlanta wearing these hats. You see this right here? Yes, that's that. That's the Braves. That's the Crimson Tide.

[Brian Green]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Ricky Smiley]

Roll Tide. Go Braves. Roll. Tightness. Let's be clear.

[Brian Green]

Thank you.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's right.

[Brian Green]

Thank you for clearing that up. Because a lot of people, you know, here's a, here's a funny thing. So it was like, my brother in law, who's Venezuelan, lives in Houston, works in Indianapolis, came down to Atlanta. He likes to rock his Atlantic gear because he loves it. And he came in with an Atlanta an A shirt one time and I was like. And he goes, look at my Atlanta shirt. And I go, that is not an Atlanta shirt. And he goes, it is an Atlanta shirt. It's got nay on it. And I said, no, that's an Alabama shirt. Yeah, there's a big difference. And the big difference is the swoop at the top. There you go. Look at that.

[Ricky Smiley]

Get it. Get them together, my friend.

[Brian Green]

How have you managed to keep yourself so in? You are like a radio legend. You have been around for so, I mean, I don't want to date you, but you've been around for so many years rocking that radio show. How have you weathered, weathered so many storms that so many other people have? Not as, as radio as former radio people. We have seen a few of these storms come and go. You're just good.

[Ricky Smiley]

That's, that's really a good question. And you know what the answer is. I was talking to one of my co hosts yesterday, Alfreda's, about that. Mastering the art of being funny. Yes, of being funny. People want to laugh. I found out through research and through morning show boot camps. People want to be entertained in the morning, they want to be uplifted. They don't want to talk about heavy subjects all the time. You got to have a good balance on the show and you have to have somebody that really knows how to, number one, stir the pot. Number two, make it about the listeners and not me. You know, taking phone calls, getting the audience involved, audience participation. You know, the, the PD is gonna always program the music. But like, for example, this week I'm doing Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, Soul week. Right. I'm gonna do it for two weeks. So these are white artists that was played on black radio stations.

[Brian Green]

Ah, so cool. You know, what a good idea.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. I did Tina Marie. I would play two songs at the top of the hour, in the 8 o' clock hour, like Tina Marie and. And when the show becomes unpredictable and I cannot miss The Ricky Smiley Morning show. Because I might miss something. Because they're crazy and they're outside of the box, and we just don't allow, you know, we just kind of do radio. And I have a good feel of the audience because I'm a performer, Right. I perform on the weekends. So when you perform on the weekends and you do karaoke shows live during the week and in comedy clubs, you get a sense of what the audience.

[Brian Green]

Want, what they're talking about, what they're feeling. It's like an energy in the room, and you can feel it across the radio waves. I know that sounds weird, but, you know, you got your finger on the pulse.

[Ricky Smiley]

Absolutely, absolutely. When you get text messages while you're on the air, that means that. And you getting messages on messenger, on Facebook, people are talking. They're talking about the show. So it's really important to have your finger on what people want.

[Brian Green]

That's very interesting. So I used to listen to Stern for years when he jumped over to Sirius, and we didn't have him in Atlanta until he went to Sirius, but I listened to him, started listening to him when he came on Sirius, and I got really invested in this show, and I noticed that a bunch of other people also were invested in the show, had to listen to it. It was kind of like a must listen type thing. And I asked myself one why am I so invested in the show? And here's why. It becomes like a family. It's a soap opera that you want to keep up with. It's unpredictable. It's something reliable. Right. It's something I can rely on. I can rely on them to entertain me, make me happy, maybe even occasionally make me cry. But I can rely on it every morning. And I'm invested in the characters of the show. I'm invested in who's telling me what. And it's like a little soap opera that you just keep up with. It's not, you know, overdramatic, but I think, Right. You probably have a very similar relationship with your audience. You're reliable, you're there, you're funny, you know, you're open. And I think that's part of what you're known for also, is that you are transparent, right? You're not.

[Ricky Smiley]

Absolutely. You have to be transparent. Like, we laugh, we cry, we talk about things, we talk about autism, we talk about. We have a partnership with St. Jude where we raise money for the, you know, the kids that's battling cancer.

[Brian Green]

God bless you.

[Ricky Smiley]

We do a lot of stuff on the radio, man. And I just Always try to make it about the listeners and make it about the people and not myself. But I get a kick out of it. I have a great team. I have Gary, I have the world famous Da Brat co host. Brett is the first female rapper to sell over a million albums. You know, and I have a really, really great team and great producers. So putting a show together is a lot of fun.

[Brian Green]

How many, how long will you do this, Ricky? The audience wants to know, will you do this until they literally drag you out of the studio? Is that, do you feel that kind of passion for it still? Or is this something they might have.

[Ricky Smiley]

To drag me out?

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I like it.

[Ricky Smiley]

Do y' all know that I'm up around 3:30, 4:00 every morning? No alarm clock, never. My whole life.

[Brian Green]

Whoa.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Your body's just built that way.

[Ricky Smiley]

But I was like that as a kid. I was raised by grandparents. So I'm up drinking Cinco Brand coffee with my grandma.

[Brian Green]

I remember Cinco. My grandfather used to drink that too.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Mine too.

[Brian Green]

I remember those commercials. I remember the smell, the instant coffee.

[Ricky Smiley]

Remember at first everybody was drinking Taster's Choice and then they went to Senka Brand.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's it. Sanka came along and it's just.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I remember Sanka and Sweet and Low.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

And your grandma, your grandma would give you a little coffee in a bowl and while you have your little coffee in the morning, up watch some TV with your grandma.

[Brian Green]

Yep.

[Ricky Smiley]

And stuff. So I have been an early bird, a natural early bird my entire life. So since I'm up, I might as well do radio.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Yeah, there you go.

[Ricky Smiley]

You know what I'm saying? It. Keep getting your name out there and your brand out there and working Monday through Friday, whether you perform or not, you get up and go to work, you get up and go do radio. It's a lot of fun.

[Brian Green]

Well, I think you're smart too. Is that you know, like a lot of people who have been on the radio who have gotten successful careers on the radio, you parlay this, you've got almost like a huge megaphone to promote the other things that you do. Also, you've made a little cottage industry out of Ricky Smiley.

[Ricky Smiley]

Right?

[Brian Green]

You're on tour, you've got the book, you now got the Hulu special. You do these things and then you can go on five days a week and you tell people about it and you've got this built in audience for what you do. I, I think that's, I'll tell you.

[Ricky Smiley]

I'll tell y' all something. Y' all might be interested in knowing. You know how I got. Well, I started on a local station in Birmingham, but you know how I got the job in Dallas?

[Brian Green]

No. That was your flagship for a while, right? Dallas.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, Dallas, Texas. And so I get a phone call from Steve Harvey. Steve Hart. Yes. Steve Harvey is one of my. My mentors and he's my fraternity brother. We're. We're all omegas. We're all in the same fraternity. DL Steve Harvey, Shaquille o'. Neal, Michael Jordan, Anthony Anderson, Joe Tory.

[Brian Green]

Whoa.

[Ricky Smiley]

We're all numbers. That's all numbers.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Fraternity.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, we. Charlie. I can go on and on. Charlie Ward, the 2 live stews. We are all members of the same fraternity and, you know, a wonderful organization founded at Howard University in nineteen nineteen eleven.

[Brian Green]

Yes. Famous Agency.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, I was. I was open, opening up for the Kings economy. I got really, really close with Steve, and Steve called me one day and he said, hey, I'm getting ready to go to Clear Channel. I'm leaving Radio 1 and I'm going to Clear Channel. He said, I recommended you for this job. And I told him, I said, you know, I just bought a house in Birmingham. Let me think about it, or whatever. So he handed the phone to his bodyguard, Boomerang, who's about six, eight.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I love it.

[Ricky Smiley]

Boomerang cursed me the hell out. He said, let me tell you something, ML. Yeah. He said. He said, you don't tell nobody like Steve Harvey. What you gonna think about? He said, if you don't have your skinny black ass in Dallas by tomorrow morning, we ain't effing with you no more. It hung up in my face.

[Brian Green]

Did you get in the car and start driving to Dallas?

[Ricky Smiley]

I was sitting on the back of. On the last row of Southwest Airlines with tears in my eyes because I felt like I never lived anywhere outside of Birmingham. I knew I was gonna probably get that job and end up there. I didn't wanna disappoint them. And Steve was still on the air when I landed. And when I was walking up, the radio station was inside of a mall. So when they saw me walking, they all looked and they were shocked, like, he really showed up. And I went and did the interview and got the job. And I did my last. I did Steven Harvey last two. I did the last two weeks with him on the air to make a smooth transition.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, smart.

[Ricky Smiley]

So, yeah. And.

[Brian Green]

And.

[Ricky Smiley]

And that's how it happened. And I won in Dallas. And then the owner decided that he was gonna syndicate me. He put me on all of his stations. And then I went on all of Mr. Perry station out of Oklahoma. And then next thing you know, I. I ended up on Cox, the Miami station. And. And when Tom Jonah retired, they slid us over into that slot.

[Brian Green]

That's right.

[Ricky Smiley]

So now I'm at, like, around 100 affiliates. It's crazy.

[Brian Green]

That's amazing. Insane. There are very wildfire. That's a wildfire. And I know that just from my understanding of the radio business, my small understanding of the radio business, having worked there for a while, like, to be syndicated in five stations is a big deal. Very few like Ryan Seacrest, Howard Stern, Joyner, Ricky Smiley, Steve Harvey. These are names that Casey Kasem when he was alive. Those are names that get syndicated like that. It's very difficult. Yeah. Delilah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Why do I listen to Delilah almost every night and wait for her some guy to call up and talk about he's in love with a chick from the third grade with eight kids and he still want to marry her? And she plays, and she plays Air Supply.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

It's so good. It's so good.

[Brian Green]

It is woven into our fabric. If you grew up at a certain time and you don't know who Delilah is, your parents were not raising you correctly. I mean, Delilah is amazing. She also has been around for. And listen, then there's other, you know, radio cucks that we could talk about, like Dr. Laura and Rashim Limbaugh. But syndication is very difficult, and you have done it very well. Hundred plus radio stations is amazing. Your longevity speaks to how the connection your audience is with you in Atlanta. You're legendary. I mean, people would talk about you at Clear Channel even though you weren't at Clear Channel. And. And so that. That's quite a. That's quite amazing. Do you enjoy, for you, is it the microphone or is it the stage that pulls you a little bit more when it comes to, like, being with the audience? I'm sure you're more familiar. Like, it feels.

[Ricky Smiley]

It used to be the stage, but now it's the. Because, man, when I tell you, I am like, I have a studio. This guy named John Matthews built a studio in my house, right?

[Brian Green]

Oh, yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

But wait a minute. People like, oh, you can do the morning show in your pajamas.

[Brian Green]

I'm like, no, yeah, we know.

[Ricky Smiley]

I would never disrespect radio to walk in here and do the show in my pajamas. I get up, take a shower, get dressed, cleaned up, walk down the hall, cook my coffee on the stove. No, Keurig, I have your grandmother's percolator.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, you Got the Senka?

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I make my old school coffee. You know, I might order some donuts from Krispy Kreme or Dunkin or whatever. They'll put it on the porch or whatever. And I got my little fruit. And I'm in there watching way too early on NBC. And I got the other TV on ESPN. Yeah, I am ready to roll at 15 to 5. My show starts at. I'm looking over my script, making sure everything is straight, and I'm ready to go. And I really enjoy that, that job on radio because you can sit. You don't have to get on the plane, train, automobile to get there. And it don't give me the anxiety that I get when I get ready to perform. Because on stage, people pay money to come see you. So the expectations are, like, right here. Yes, radio. Radio is free, but when people pay $40 to come see you perform. So now you got to get on the plane, you got check in a hotel, you got get dressed, you got to memorize your act. I'm on stage like an hour and 15 hour, 20 minutes.

[Brian Green]

That's a long show, Ricky.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. Blood, sweat and tears. Like, I mainly do casinos now instead of coming to the venue, theaters and casinos. So you got to give people what they paid for and you got to perform. Like.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, like, yeah, yeah. So we've talked.

[Ricky Smiley]

Radio is less pressure.

[Brian Green]

We've talked to a few comedians and they have said something very similar. Is, is that, you know, they get excited when a special comes out and it can kind of live and breathe on its own for a while because there is always this expectation. You don't want to ruin somebody Saturday night that they paid, you know, a hundred dollars with them and their. Their loved one to come see you. You don't want to let them down there. They get dressed up, they come out, they go out to eat, they make a night of it, and then they come and you have an off night and they go, you know. But when you're on radio, we feel the same way when you do four days a week, it pays to be mediocre, right? Just be mediocre and just. I mean, not that you are, but we are. Just be. Just be funny enough if you can. If you can make them laugh once or twice during the show, you'll do it again tomorrow and they'll get another. They'll get another shot at it. But, you know, but it's good that you can. That you have the audience to go out there and fill casinos and theaters, because that's an Extra. Yeah. Hey, listen, let's be honest about. It's an extra revenue source. It also gets you out of the house. That gets you out of your.

[Ricky Smiley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Gets you out of your Sanko routine.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

How often do you do those shows where you're getting out?

[Ricky Smiley]

Probably now three or four times a month. I just did the casino, some big casino in Phoenix, Arizona, and I ran off stage and jumped on that red eye into Atlanta Airport. You know what I found out? That even if you die, if you die, you have to go through Atlanta Airport to get to heaven.

[Brian Green]

It's true. Yes, it's true. Atlanta Airport takes you to hell. Just there the other day, all roads lead to Hartsfield, Jackson. It's 100% true. Yeah, well, it's because Delta is, you know, it's just Delta. That's the reason. Delta, the world's largest airline, Delta. It's. Everybody goes to Delta. When I got to say something about, you know, you being an Omega and the HBU and all the very famous, amazing entertainers that have gone with you, DL has become my favorite Instagram account ever. I just gotta say that right now. Ever. He knocks out of the park. And I know it's probably not him posting every single time, but I. I'm sure you follow him on Instagram. That guy is on top of it. I love it. I love his. His content. It's great.

[Ricky Smiley]

He is a big brother. D.L. hughley is a big brother. D.L. hughley is a mentor. D.L. hughley Is a big. Is a friend. D.L. hughley IS a genius comic. There have been times where I found out DL Hughley was performing somewhere. I just want to go and be quiet and sit in the dressing room and watch him sit over there with his. One of the nice. One of the cleanest, most nicely dressed comedians in the country.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Oh, yes.

[Ricky Smiley]

Cross his legs, have him a drink, smoke a cigar. I remember when he was opening up for the Kings of Comedy, man, I would copy his style. Like, that's where I got a lot of my style from. Because I've really gotten into fashion now. You know, checking out D.L. hughley. I remember when he had the twist with the fade. I went and got when I became the host of Kennedy. I had to twist with the little. With the fade on the side. Like, D.L. hughley is a mentor. D.L. hughley challenges. He would challenge you to be better. He will. I remember we went to Houston's restaurant. We were having lunch, and I just wanted to sit with the bodyguards or whatever, but nah, DL's like, nah, we're gonna go sit over here. And I was like, oh, Dad, I already know. I already know what's gonna happen, because if I sit over here with him, he's gonna grill me.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Him and Steve, there's so much alike when it comes to having someone to challenge you and to make you better and to make you uncomfortable.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's where the growth happens.

[Brian Green]

That'.

[Ricky Smiley]

Absolutely.

[Brian Green]

I had a friend who said, if it's uncomfortable, lean into it. That's where you need to be.

[Ricky Smiley]

Absolutely.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. And. And I remember after that dinner, sitting in my car for 20 minutes, and that's when I start the ball rolling for that comedy special.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

That David E. Talbot and Lynn Talbot directed. Produced it. But it was DL that put that fire under me and was just getting on to me about a lot of stuff. Stuff. A lot of things that I could be doing that I was not doing. I just have so much respect for that. Yeah. It's easy to tell somebody, hey, man, you're doing a good job. Whatever. But when you get somebody to say, hey, man, you ain't doing nothing, and you could be doing. He named about 25 things and was grilling me, and I felt like a dumbass. He wasn't trying to make me feel that way, but, like, I really needed that challenge. And, And, And I tell you what, if you don't hit him up and check in with him here and there, I can feel when it's time for me to send a text message or call or whatever, I'm always in a group text with him and Steve or whatever. But I. I check in. I check in with Martin Lawrence. You know, I send courtesy text message and check in and. Just a hump. I went on tour with Martin Lawrence. That was the biggest thing I ever done since the King of. And to have Martin Lawrence host and D Ray Davis, Adele Givens. Bruce. Bruce. Michael Blackstone.

[Brian Green]

Michael Blackston. Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. In arenas where the NBA teams play. But I'll never forget Ashley, Larry, Donnell, Rollins.

[Brian Green]

We had Donnell a couple weeks ago. Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh, my God. He got a standing ovation in front of me. And. And I was enjoying. I was laughing at him, and I was like, oops, I'm next.

[Brian Green]

I gotta follow that.

[Ricky Smiley]

You're in it. You're in Atlanta. All the bloggers on the first three rows, all the celebrities on the first three rows. You cannot have a bad show in Atlanta. If you do, your career is screened.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, but.

[Ricky Smiley]

But I apply Alabama football to everything. I'm a big fan of Nick Saban. Guess what? I have I have a plate. I have a playbook.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Oh, wow.

[Brian Green]

For your. For your act.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

I have. I have like six different acts. Right. And I'm watching Daniel Rollins on stage, and I go and I get my playbook. And I said, well, I can't do what I was going to do because he literally killed the audience. And I knew what they had a taste for. Right. Like the audience not going to have a taste for what I had planned. I think they. He had swung the audience in this direction, so I need to be over here.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

Where they are.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Strategy.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. I threw it out of the notebook. And when he got a standing ovation, my road manager ran in front of the stage and took that piece of paper and laid down my one through 10. I only got 20 minutes on stage, but I did that one through 10. I had enough sense to. To say, hey, let me put this together. I think this is the act that's appropriate for this particular audience, especially after what he just did.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

And I went out there and got a standing ovation also.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Oh, I love it.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. It's a lot of preparation. Go into the comedy because you just can't. It depends on the audience and where you are and who you performing with that decides what you're gonna do on stage. You know what I mean? You have.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's so smart. We had a comedian on, and he. He said to us that it's like a choose your own when you get good enough at comedy. We've done it a long time. You've got a lot of material. You got a lot of resources in your brain and in your. In your back pocket that. It's like a choose your own adventure. And depending on the vibe, it's like you're walking through the forest and you're moving left and right. Right. You're choosing your own path as the audience. You feel them out and you see how it is. And I imagine, like reading a putt. I'm sure you do some golfing, like reading a putt. You read Donnell's putt thought and you said, okay, I gotta. I gotta hit it this way.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yep. Super smart. The experience is everything. I've been performing for 35 years. This November, it will be 36 years. I started November 13, 1989.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's incredible.

[Ricky Smiley]

That's when I went on stage for open mic night. And listen, I tell you, that experience in those years and years and in. In those comedy clubs and had people to try. I used to open for Rita Rutner. I used to open for. For Ali, Joe Prater.

[Brian Green]

Whoa.

[Ricky Smiley]

And Jeff Foxworthy. I used to open for those guys.

[Brian Green]

And you opened for Jess Foxworthy. Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

At the comedy club in Birmingham. That's what did.

[Brian Green]

That's crazy. Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. I was. I was a young cum. A young skin color.

[Brian Green]

How old were you?

[Ricky Smiley]

I had to be about 20.

[Brian Green]

When you got on stage for the first time, you were about 20 years old?

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, probably about 20. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

What made you do. What made you want to do this? Yeah.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

You always knew you wanted to do this.

[Ricky Smiley]

I went to a comedy club with a guy that was on campus at Miles College. I was finishing up college at Miles College. He said, hey, I'm a comedian. He said, I knew him, you know, from being on campus. Hey, come right over to the company club with me. I didn't have a car. I was like, sure. I didn't have nothing to do. I went over to the comedy club and I saw him on stage. I'm like, if they laughing at him doing those jokes. Cause he was funny, I know I could do that. Because that's what we do. I would charge people to come in the dorm room and roast. And we would have roasting sets. We had the first wilding out in the dorm. I would sit on one bed, and somebody on another floor down the hall would sit on another bed. We would face each other and we would roast.

[Brian Green]

Just go at it.

[Ricky Smiley]

And so. And I was. I was always known for telling funny stories and doing funny things because one of my classes, I was doing music in a music class. Zebedee Jones. He's also a member of omega 7.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

And that was my music teacher. And he was like, hey, why are you late? I said, listen, everybody's. Everybody's broke. I said, I had death in the family. He said, oh, my God. He said, I am so sorry. Go ahead and have a seat, Mr. Smiley. If you need anything, let us know. He said, you know, he said, I feel bad for you. He said, who was it? I said, it was my uncle. We were really, really close. I said, but they got him a hearing aid now, and I think he's gonna.

[Brian Green]

He had a death in the family.

[Ricky Smiley]

It took him about three minutes. Three minutes. Three minutes. That. That thing. The thing started hitting, like, microwave pop on. How about. He dismissed class.

[Brian Green]

Oh, no. He was dismissed. Oh, my God. That's too funny on a deaf in the family. That is dad joke level funny. All right, so here's a question, and this is. We're calling back to the beginning of this interview. You know, call back. You've been on radio for a long time. I'm calling back for a second. Holland Oates on your blonde haired blue eye. You know, I don't think either of them are blonde hair. Oh no, I guess, I guess, I guess Daryl would be blonde hair. Blue eyed is hollow notes. They're early stuff. Like, I mean, I'm not talking like they're poppy 80s shit, but they're early stuff. Do you consider that, do you consider that good R and B was that.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh yeah, yeah. They played all of this stuff on like. I grew up, I grew up listening to a radio station founded by Dr. A.G. gaston. Okay, you got to Google Dr. A.G. gastON. He was a grandson of slaves and he a self made millionaire. He lived not far from my grandparents, but he lived in a big mansion and that I would listen to when radio station and they would play those songs by Daryl hall and John Oaks and they would play. I remember growing up as a kid, they was playing Fleetwood Mac on black radio station.

[Brian Green]

Oh yeah, it's good.

[Ricky Smiley]

You would hear Christy McVeigh singing you make Love and Fun and To Dreams by Stevie Nicks. Oh, they played all that stuff in between Marvin Gaye and the Commodore. So, you know, and then when MTV came out, you had to watch all the videos to get to Michael Jackson.

[Brian Green]

Thriller. That's it. That's it. It. I was just watching, you know, this is crazy. Like earlier this morning I was watching a real. I mean, Instagram. One of the Instagram accounts I watch is like found footage. And it was found footage of Michael Jackson and his choreographer doing the smooth criminal dance work, like figuring that out and this choreography he had used. And listen, we all talk about Michael's personal life, so we're blue in the face. But the truth is that he blessed us with some of the best music and some of the best dancing that has ever been seen on Earth. Earth. And watching him figure all of this out with his choreography, it's like watching Van Gogh paint. It's like quite crazy how he moves his body. And I, I have, you know, I don't have admiration for some of the things he was accused of doing. Never found guilty. But I don't have admiration for that, obviously. But I have admiration for the way that he just used his mind and his body and his voice to create these works of art. It's quite frankly, it's crazy.

[Ricky Smiley]

One of the best of all time.

[Brian Green]

You. You better believe it. So you have a book out?

[Ricky Smiley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

What's the title of the book? I'm sorry, I don't have the. The.

[Ricky Smiley]

The name of the book is called Sideshow. Now, I don't know if you know anything about. I think the group is called Blue Magic. They had a song called Let the side show begin. Hurry, hurry. Step right on in.

[Brian Green]

Yes.

[Ricky Smiley]

Can't afford to pass it by. Guaranteed to make you cry. Right. So that song is about a clown that's sad. And if you ever listen to the. The songs, a sad show sometimes. That's a story of a lot of our great comedians. Our job is to make people laugh while we're crying on the inside.

[Brian Green]

Yes. Don Al Rawling said the same thing while he was here.

[Ricky Smiley]

Oh, man. Listen, I lost my son on a Sunday. Wednesday I was back on the air. I was. I was back on the air Wednesday. Tuesday night. I picked out his clothes, put them. Put the clothes in the car. Wednesday I did the morning show and I was. I went to the funeral home to do. To help with final arrangements. But I have a job to do because that's, that's this reason why I've had a lot of success in radio, because I had to realize that I'm not the only one that lost a son.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

A lot of listeners that have lost a son also, they could relate to what you're going through. And your job as a human being is to use your situation and not as a human being, as a Christian, is to use your situation to bless others. It's not about you. It's not all about you. Somebody in Chicago, somebody in Charlotte, somebody in South Florida, somebody in Indicator and Bankhead and Buckhead and, you know.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Somebody in Dallas, Texas and Houston have lost a son or daughter also.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

And my job is to get on the air and get people motivated and encouraged and let them know if I can make it. You can make it also. And remember, everything that we all go through as human being is only a test. How. But. But it don't feel like a test when you're going through it, but it's a test. God watches us and say that, say, hey, I really like the way he's handling that situation. Because if you can't handle this, you're not ready to go to the next level that God have for you. And so we have to always be mindful of that. Of having a successful podcast, having a successful radio show. We have to sometimes make it about. Make it not about you. And let's find out how can we find a way to help other people. Share your story to help other people and bring people closer to God and save lives. Because my son died from an overdose. But like my mom said, I would go to NA meetings with my mom. And one thing I learned in NA meeting is some have to die so others can lay. Now, my son died and I saved a lot of lives because he died.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Ricky Smiley]

And you know, that's the responsibility that we have as radio personalities is to have these real conversations about things that really hurt us in order to make the world a better place.

[Brian Green]

It's a very powerful reminder and my. I think it's a very powerful reminder too. We get a lot of email like you do, a lot of emails, a lot of text messages. Most of them, hey, great job. Love the show. That was funny. This is interesting. But some of them are really powerful that, hey, having a bad day and you made it a little brighter. Or some of them have even been more intense, like, hey, having a bad life and you made it a little bit better. And thank you for that. But for you to use your shared ex. For you to use your experience and share that shared experience, that really is what being human is all about. And I do think that God is found in those moments. Moments when we can use our own experience to comfort someone, make them more wise, give them a different perspective, or even just have the ability to hold space for them. Like, you know, you're going through this too, and I just want to tell you that I'm here with you and I see that pain and I feel it. You're not alone.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And that's.

[Ricky Smiley]

And I went on that. When I went on that book tour, I was. Because that's my. I wrote my. That was my second book. Book. I'm thinking, I'm thinking you're gonna sign the book and go to the next person. Sign the book. Go to the next person, sign the book. Oh, no, no, no.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Oh, I can imagine.

[Ricky Smiley]

These people have, have lost. I had a lady. I'll never forget it. Nashville. Two. Two that stick out when it was a couple, because I found a sense of gratitude. There was a couple that lost their three year old son. He drowned. And they were sitting in the back of the book signing. They were both in tears the whole time. And I'm sitting here like, well, their son was three years old. They didn't get to see their kid get on the school bus. My son was 32. His son was three. Man. Like, like. And, and how is it that I was able to find gratitude from that?

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

The fact that they did not get to see their son graduate middle school, elementary school, high school. I was able to take my son, drop my son. I off, you know, off college and, you know, when I met a lady said she lost her son and her husband and she said, I don't want to talk about. She had tears in her eyes. She just stopped talking. Yeah, I said, I said, I said, ma', am, are you okay? She just shook her head. She wouldn't say anything or she, she wouldn't speak another word. I grabbed her and I stood her behind me. I said, I want you to wait. I don't want you to just, I want you to wait. She had purchased a book.

[Brian Green]

Yes.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. I, I, I politely, I say, is there a therapist in the room? And it was like two. And the fact that I was able to connect her to a therapist to get her, you know, the help that she needs, that was so important. That is my responsibility as a radio personality, as a human being, as a Christian, as a comedian, is to put people in the right place. So, you know what I'm saying? Everything is orchestrated absolutely by God. But anyway, and you have to, I had to let God allow God to use me, you know, in order to, to help people, whether it's on the radio or in person. So I, I just give God all the glory for, for if I were a, if I was able to help anybody with my situation. You know what I mean?

[Brian Green]

Yeah. Well, serendipity is the case of heaven. Yeah. And it's like the, it is inspiring. And there is, we do often find purpose in the depths of darkness.

[Ricky Smiley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

That is, you know, I used to say this very simple phrase. I thought I was wise at the time. I was probably 15 when I thought it or said it for the first time. There is no light without the darkness. Right. It's just, you don't know what it is. You don't know what it is to have a good day unless you've had bad. Now take that and put it on your worst day. And you know, that's, those are the times when I think you can find some real purpose and be grateful for all of the things, times and, and other things that, that you've got. I think you're really brave to talk about this so openly, to be so transparent about it. And I think it's probably why you have such a dedicated and loyal audience and they're going to have to drag you out of that radio studio.

[Ricky Smiley]

Right.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Right.

[Brian Green]

Ricky Smiley has a brand new Hulu special. I'm not brand new. We actually came out in May. Did it?

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

But man, let me tell you something. It's still new because a lot of people have not seen. Listen, listen.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Yeah, tell us.

[Ricky Smiley]

I tell you what. You. You're gonna be laid out. Is. Is.

[Brian Green]

Is.

[Ricky Smiley]

Is solid, funny. When I talk about the white version of Thanksgiving versus the black version of Thanksgiving.

[Brian Green]

I watched it. I watched 20 minutes of it and I watched that part. That part of it was part of the 20 minutes. It is so funny and it is so fucking true. Stovetop stuffing. That's what we like. We don't want any oysters or old bay seasoning. We just want bland stovetop stuffing.

[Ricky Smiley]

Come on now.

[Brian Green]

A little man.

[Ricky Smiley]

When I tell you that about white people, out. I talk about my 600 pound Life TV show. That's my favorite show.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

That's his favorite show.

[Brian Green]

That's my favorite show, bro.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Yeah, that's his favorite show.

[Ricky Smiley]

All the women, all the women that's on there, they all got a man.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I noticed that.

[Brian Green]

But all the men over there don't got a woman. None of them. Not one of them has a woman. It's weird. It's so strange. I agree with you.

[Ricky Smiley]

I talk about that for probably about 10 minutes.

[Brian Green]

Oh, I'm gonna go watch that part. I'm gonna go watch the rest of it. Yeah, I got to about 20 minutes of it.

[Ricky Smiley]

I go through every single part of my 600 pound life. I am obsessed.

[Brian Green]

Me too.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I mean, you found a brother over here.

[Brian Green]

Me too. We should have a watch party. We'll get on Zoom. Next time you're in Atlanta, we'll do a watch party. I love it.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

I love it. That doctor. Now, Zarden, you know, you know. Hello. Hello. His voice.

[Ricky Smiley]

He said, I can't stay here. He said, I have to eat something. He said, you have ate enough to last you the next 40 years.

[Brian Green]

I know. He told one lady, she said, but I can't. I can't do the diet. I'm. I find myself starving. He goes, you could not starve in the next 10 years. You've eaten enough food for 50 people. He does. He calls it like he sees it. And it's not like Dr. Narsardan is like, you know, two pounds sopping wet. The guy has got a little weight on him, too, but he just calls out all of their bullshit. But I guess when you're 90 and you've seen it all, you've heard it all.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, that's my show. You know, I had this little spin about little people that crack. Crack people up. That had people, like, in tears.

[Brian Green]

Wait, do you watch the seven Little Johnstons?

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

You have found your team.

[Brian Green]

I found my soulmate.

[Ricky Smiley]

I used to watch Little Women Atlanta.

[Brian Green]

I watched that for a while. Little people, Big world. I get. I fascinated. I'm fascinated by all of it.

[Ricky Smiley]

I used to call them the Baby Housewives.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

They were. That's, like, what it was.

[Brian Green]

They were flipping small tables.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. So, yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

My comedy special on Hulu is crazy. If you have not seen it, make sure you go to Hulu and watch it and just go to Hulu. And when you go to Search, you can pull up Ricky Smiley or Foolish.

[Brian Green]

Foolish. Foolish. Or links in the show notes, as they always are. Links in the show notes to the books. Links in the show notes to find Ricky on a syndicated radio station. You're you. He is legend. He is comedy gold. I. I feel really honored to have spoken with you after so many years of knowing about you and listening to you. And it's the myth, the legend. Yeah. They say sometimes don't meet your heroes, but this has turned out just fine. You haven't spent enough time with us for either of us to screw it up. So congratulations.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah, I gotta come hang out with y', all, man. We gonna play all soft rock. You know, Delilah played Aha. She played Aha yesterday. She played take on me. My kids was in the car. They love Aha. They love. They know all of the words.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

And that video. Speaking of videos from back in the day, is that the one where they.

[Brian Green]

It was drawn, half drawn, and they move in and out. That was amazing technology for the time. Yeah. Because, you know, someone had to draw it all by hand.

[Ricky Smiley]

I have kids and grandkids, and they are all in the kitchen. They love Benny and the jets by Elsa John, and they love. I've been waiting on a girl like.

[Brian Green]

You to come into my life. That's Foreigner, isn't it? I think that's Foreigner. Yeah. Foreigner. Yeah.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

So good.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, man. Yeah.

[Ricky Smiley]

Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, we got to catch up.

[Brian Green]

All right. Next time in a couple of months when you're in Atlanta. I know you come here often when you're in Atlanta. We'll coordinate because we. We're right down the street. We have a studio right down the street for you.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I mean, I'm downtown and.

[Brian Green]

So we'll do it. Ricky Smiley, Hulu book tour, radio legend. Thank you.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Thank you so much, Ricky. Pleasure.

[Ricky Smiley]

Thank y'. All. Thank y' all so, so much for having me, man. Y' all be blessed anytime, too.

[Brian Green]

Bye.

[Ricky Smiley]

Ricky, you make this rather snappy, won't you? I have some very heavy thinking to do. Before 10 o'. Clock.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Hi, cats and kittens. Rachel here. Do you ever get the urge to speak endlessly into the void like Brian? Well, I've gotten just the place for you to do that. 212-4333. TCB. That's 212-433-3322. Feel free to call and yell all you want. Tell Brian I need a raise. Compliment Chrissy's innate ability to put up with all his shenanigans or tell us a little story. The juicier the better. By the way, we'd love to hear your voice because Lord knows we're done listening to ourselves. Also, give us a follow on your favorite socials hecommercial break on Insta, TCB podcast on TikTok. And for those of you who like to watch. Oh, that came out wrong. We put all the episodes out on video, YouTube.com thecommercial break and tcbpodcast.com for all the info on the show, your free sticker, or just to see how pretty we look. Okay, I gotta go now. I've got a date with my dog. No, seriously. Axl needs food. Today is pork chops day.

[Brian Green]

Well, that was an interview I won't soon forget for all the right reasons.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Yeah. So inspiring. I mean, he just had a smile on his face the whole time and what incredible energy.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, you can feel it coming through the screen like. I just don't know how to explain it. Ricky was a breath of fresh air in a room that is dark and full of wires and black curtains and Brian, it was good. It was good. I really liked Ricky. I look forward to the follow up interview where we have him in person. Yeah, I kind of felt like I want to give him a hug at the end. Like high five him and give him a hug and I don't know, I'm gonna invite myself over to his Atlanta home to watch My 600 Pound Life and 7 Little Johnston when the new season comes out. Because it's coming out soon. It is? I think so, yeah. Isis expect. My spidey sense tells me. Yeah, my TLC meter tells me that there's a new. Well, they do like half seasons. They'll do like eight episodes at a time. Yeah, they record I think 16 or 20 of them and then they put them out 10 at a time so they can stretch it out throughout the year. Same with my 600 pound life. And I think both of those are coming back. When the kids go back in school, new episodes come out because people aren't. Aren't out around parents like to watch that. That's right. I'm so happy. He's a my hunter. My I'm so happy. I'm so happy. Ricky Smiley made me smiley. I have a new Starbucks boyfriend. Even though he drinks Senka. I have a Senka boyfriend and a Starbucks boyfriend. There you go. All right, Ricky Smiley, all his information is down in the show notes. His Hulu special that just came out a month or two ago. Go watch it. Ricky's funny. Rita's book about grief and forgiveness, gratefulness. I think we should get a copy of that.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I'm gonna check it out and then.

[Brian Green]

You can go see him on tour again. Links in the show notes as always, much thanks to Ricky and all the people who made that happen. Really grateful we got the time with him today. Really grateful we got the time with him today. All right, the window is ajar for our mercy church. So now that we've talked about Ricky, let's talk about us for a minute. Let's get back to the important part. Legend to legend to legend. Let's get back to the other legends. 96. 7 the Legend Shop tcbpodcast.com that's shop tcb podcast.com available now. Go get your TCB merch, please. And thanks. We would appreciate it. Pre order now. The merch will be on its way very soon. Chrissy and I wearing our merch as we speak.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

Yes, I love it.

[Brian Green]

University sweaters, piggy fronting T shirts, commercial break T shirts, hats and a free sticker with every single order. Go there. Support the show. Rock your gear, you know, because we've been talking to you incessantly about it for two weeks. So there you go. Go now. Buy it now. Link by now links on the [e-mail] text me if you need me to send you the link. 212-433-TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Add the commercial break on Instagram, TCB podcast on tik tok and YouTube.com the commercial break for all the episodes on video including this one right now. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for you today?

[Chrissy Hoadley]

I think so.

[Brian Green]

I will tell you that I love.

[Chrissy Hoadley]

You and I love you.

[Brian Green]

I will say best to you and best to you out there in the podcast cast universe. Until next time we will say. We do say and we must say goodbye.

[Ricky Smiley]

Sam.