A (3:34)

Got a girl.

B (3:34)

I know. But he could make a video about something about his diet, about his hair plugs, about something. I wish Frankie B. Would make a video. I'm like, almost tempted, almost tempted to write him and say, we're out of content to review, bro. What's going on?

A (3:50)

Give us something.

B (3:50)

We're out of content to review. Give us something while I've got you. And before Trey gets here, I'll remind you that on May 31, the 12 hours of TCB, celebrating five years of the commercial break and 12 additional episodes in Mental Health Awareness Month, which is, of course, May. We're gonna do it on the last day of May because that's the kind of people we are. We wait till the very last minute to tell you about mental health. Aware that's how much we care about your mental health is that we'll wait till the last minute to get it all said and done. And. No, this is for an important reason. And we're gonna be raising money and awareness and talking to some celebrity guests about their own chall and. And thoughts on mental health. And so we're super excited about this. 12 straight episodes recorded that day that we will put out. That's a Saturday. So we'll give you. We'll give you the right day. I hope there's no, like, major sporting events or anything, is there? I don't know not on May 31st. It's after memorial Day, I will tell you that. So it's not. Don't worry. It's not a Memorial Day weekend. We did it the weekend afterwards so that we. We knew you would have plans.

A (4:57)

Tune in. Driving back from your.

B (4:59)

Yes, from your vacation. That's right. Whatever your vacation plans are. We'll give you three long days to digest all 12 hours of the commercial break. Don't ask me why. Don't ask. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. Thank God we have Five Hour Energy here in the studio.

A (5:16)

Boxes of it.

B (5:17)

I think we'll need all of it to get through that 12 hours of tcb. So Trey Crowder. Trey Crowder dot com. That's where you find more information about Trey, all of his tour dates. There's a link to his special trash daddy up there. Let's do this. Why don't I know that this is a short intro, but, you know, we don't always need to blab on forever. We do that. We'll do that on the 12 hours of TCB. How's that? So why don't we take a break, Chrissy, now? And then when we come back, through the magic of tele podcasting, very popular overnight. I say overnight. I'm sure there's some story behind that. But overnight sensation Trey Crowder will be here with us in studio. He's been on Bill Maher, he's been on msnbc, he's been on in movies and documentaries, and he's a hot commodity. Why he's showing up here, I have no idea. But maybe we'll ask him that, too. Which agent are you going to fire after this appearance? All right, we'll take a short break and we'll be back. What do you think?

A (6:18)

I think we should do it.

B (6:19)

All right.

A (6:20)

You make this rather snappy, won't you?

B (6:21)

I have some very heavy thinking to.

A (6:22)

Do before 10 o'.

B (6:23)

Clock.

C (6:24)

Hi, cats and kittens. Rachel here. Do you ever get the urge to speak? Peek endlessly into the void like Brian. Well, I've got just the place for you to do that. 212-4333. TCB. That's 212-4333. 822. 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 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 chop day.

B (7:28)

Trey, thanks so much for your time today. How are you doing?

A (7:31)

Welcome. I'm doing all right, all things considered. Hanging in there.

B (7:35)

What are all the things to consider when you say that? What are all the things to consider?

A (7:38)

Just the general. General dissolution of society and the general breakdown of democracy.

B (7:43)

Is that what you're talking about?

A (7:44)

Yeah, that type of thing. We ain't got to, you know, not to get. Just dive right into politics or nothing. I just mean, you know, I don't. There's feel like a good chunk of people are generally feeling like things are not entirely great. Let's put it that way. It's like a, you know, that's a one way to put it.

B (8:02)

I agree. We've talked about it. It just feels soupy out there, right? It's just everybody feels a little bit on edge right now. Just like the general energy in the room. If you, like, read the room. It feels like everyone's one step away from a nervous breakdown. From the Starbucks to. Even when you drive, it feels like people are just, like, getting aggressive for no reason. And it feels weird. But let's start with easy stuff. I agree with you. 90 Day Fiance is the greatest example of what is going on here in this country and how proud we should be as Americans of what we've built because so many beautiful men and women seem to want to hang on to dum dums in this country. Just get in the front.

A (8:42)

Yeah, yeah, I've got a. Yeah, there's a bit about that on my new special, Trash Daddy. Because that's what I always thought whenever I watch 90 Day Fiance with my wife. That was always the thing that, like, struck me the most about it was I was. It made me feel, like, oddly patriotic or whatever, because, like, you know, you just watch these people, these, like, gorgeous people from, you know, all over the world who are just, like, just attaching themselves to complete jabronis, you know, just loser. Just. Just so they can get into America. And it's like, man, people will go to great lengths to get into America. And it's, that's got to be indicative of something. And I'm sure for a lot of those people in a lot of those places, even now that holds true. But that it's funny, like that bit, the special that bits on, I recorded it a few months ago and it like just came out and I've been feeling like, you know, I wonder how true that still is or feels now like I bet there's at least some of those people in some of those places are rethinking their decision to try to, you know, infiltrate over here.

B (9:45)

You know, my wife's listeners of the show will obviously know this, but my wife is Venezuelan. And like when I say Venezuelan, like when I met her, she was living in Venezuela and then moved to, to get her master's degree. And I chased her around Europe for a couple months, brought her back to the United States. But when we first started watching that show, which kind of the beginning of that show coincided with our own story, we were like, that resembles nothing like anything that we went through. These people are, I mean, the chances of their success in their marriage is zero to minus seven on a good day. Like, it's just so clear that some of these people are ill fitting and it makes for great television. But you wonder how in the world they're gonna stay together, right?

A (10:29)

And I think they don't. And I think that's a secondary concern to the producers of the, of the show. You know, like they, they ensure they specifically select the, you know, the wildest pairings that they can. But since you have some personal experience, like I don't even know the like foundational premise of that show. Like, is that accurate? Like that, you know, the whole 90 day window thing and all that.

B (10:54)

Yes, it is. So. So there are multiple ways to bring your love, specifically someone you want to marry or you're married to over to the United States. There are multiple paths to get there. 90, the 90 day visa is one of them. It's an option that can be considered. And you do have 90 days as the clock starts. And it does take a process. There is a process by which you, I mean, it's really strict. You have to go by it, but that's not the process by which we accomplished being able to live together here in the United states. But that 90 day visa program is no joke. And it's 90 days and you're out. And I've heard from other people, if you do that 90 days and you don't get married, Your chances of getting back in the country and from some countries, even on a tourist visa, are slim to none because they imagine you're coming in now just for other purposes, right? To. To be in. It's really. You know, it's such a stressful thing to go through when you fall in love with somebody from another country and you have to get lawyers involved. And so many people, I would imagine, did not have the same resources that I did to, like, actually hire an attorney to walk you through the steps and all that. And you would think that it would just be a little bit easier that if you actually fell in love with somebody and the relationship was real and you could prove that to whoever you needed to prove it to, that it would just be, you know, okay, you know, go on about your life. But it's not that way. It's an unduly stressful situation to go through. And luckily it worked out fine for us. We didn't have any drama. But so many of our friends and family members who have been through similar things have been through so much drama. And now today, 2025, I couldn't imagine going through. I couldn't.

A (12:28)

Yeah, well, it's funny. I mean, I totally believe you, obviously, but I just always think about this buddy of mine. Now, this was years ago. I mean, it's like 2005. It's like 20 years ago. We were at 19, 20, 21, something like that at the time. And I had a friend that was in the military, joined the army and was, you know, not the sharpest tool in the shed. Bit of a wild card, this guy. Like, he would get, like, a signing bonus and just like. Like buy kayaks from gas stations that he would crash. Crash into embankments immediately. And he'd take, like. He'd rent cars and take them like, off roading and mudding and stuff, and then just bottom them out and get sued and like that all the time. So, you know, not the soundest decisions. But I always remember he showed up when he didn't even tell us this was gonna happen. He, like, came to a get together we were having or something with this. This girl none of us had ever met. And she was from, like, Colombia or Bolivia or some. Some South African or South American country, I can't remember. And it was totally out of the blue. And he was like. He was like, hey, guys, this is my wife. And we were like, you're what? And he was just openly talk. Discussing how, like, he was like, yeah. So she gave me, like, 200 bucks, right? It was literally, like $200 or something. He's like, she gave me, like, 200 bucks so we could get married so that she could have, like, whatever, you know, a Visa or Green card, however it works.

B (13:56)

Yeah.

A (13:57)

And it's like. And he. He was just talking about very casually and, like, shrugging it off. And then I. You know, I. I never. And I don't think he. I don't know if he ever saw that girl again, like, after that. But, like, I. I'm assuming in retrospect, they probably were not doing it right.

B (14:15)

But, like.

A (14:15)

But the way he was, like, I know. I mean, I know it was. I know it was, like, shady.

B (14:20)

Sure.

A (14:20)

But I mean, in terms of like, even, you know, accomplishing it properly, they probably were not. But it always just seemed like the way he. The way he presented it and the way I experienced it, it made it just seem like the most easy, breezy, casual, ridiculous thing in the world. He's like, yeah, she gave me 200. We got married. Now everything's. She got what she wanted, and then I don't care.

B (14:42)

So, you know, here's the crazy thing, a similar story. When I was. I'm twice married, right after I got a divorce, I met a girl through some friends, and then we started, like, loosely dating. But I. She'd always come over to my house. I was never invited over there. And then one day she said. I said, well, why don't we swing by your house for something? And she said, I feel like we're far enough along, like, fourth date. I gotta tell you something, I'm married. And I thought to my. And she goes, but before you freak out, before you freak out, I'm married for the green card. And I go, for your green card? I thought, you know. And she was like, no, for this. For my husband's green card. And we lived together for appearances. And I was like, oh, okay. I had no experience with this. I had no idea. But they lived together. They had businesses together. They had, like, a business together. They had bank accounts together to give the appearance that all of this was real. He paid her bills.

A (15:37)

Right.

B (15:37)

And he got to stay in the country, essentially. Now, I understand this is 1,000% illegal. Right. And we didn't date for very long after that because I got comfortable. I got uncomfortable with the idea that there was some. Her husband was in the house. But then later on in the. Like, you know, two dates later, she explained that that was not the first time that she had been married for those purposes.

A (16:00)

Wow.

B (16:00)

So I totally understand that there is Fraud that happens, obviously, in this process, in this system. 90 Day Fiance, it's a really hard way to commit that. You know what I'm saying? To commit that fraud. Like you would think if you're gonna go through all that drama to be on TV for 30 episodes of 90 Day, there's some attraction or at least the willingness to go through it there. But, you know, it's flawed in a lot of ways. But at least for me, when I went through it being. Obviously it was kind of a light. Felt life or death for me when I went through it, it felt very stressful and we had to, you know, have reams of documents and pictures and interviews and we. But we never got hassled, to be fair to the immigration. We never got hassled. Everybody was always like, it seems like you have a beautiful start of a beautiful family. Congratulations. You know, your. Your visa is approved. Which is like the biggest relief you can ever feel when you're in that situation is when an officer or someone in charge says, you're good. And it's like, oh, thank God, we can kind of rest. But, you know, I imagine that. I always thought to myself, wouldn't Donald Trump just put a stop to that 90 Day Fiance show immediately? That felt to me like a. Like a place to start. Like low hanging fruit for him. He hasn't attacked it yet, though.

A (17:17)

Yeah. I don't know. Well, you know, he loves ratings and stuff. Like, he loves a hit. And even though it seems like antithetical to their whole general immigration philosophy, it's a TV show that people like. And so he probably thinks they're, you know, doing great work over there or whatever, I would imagine, which, I mean, from a TV perspective, you know, not that they're not. There's like, like eight spin offs or whatever. There's something.

B (17:39)

We get something. Does she watch?

A (17:42)

No, we didn't watch out. We just went through a little spell there where we were watching it. You know, I actually. It actually wasn't even her. It was. I was gonna.

B (17:52)

We.

A (17:53)

It's doesn't make any sense. We were trying. Yeah, we were trying to do a. These. Me and these two guys, other comedians, Corey and Drew, that I have a podcast with and collaborate with and stuff. We were trying. We were doing these digital sketches for Comedy Central at the time, and we were thinking about doing one that was. Drew had the idea to do one based on 90 Day Fiance, and I'd never seen it, so to like watch it or to research it, I mean, I watched it and then ended up, you know, getting sucked into it. Yeah, I got hooked a little bit and like watched a whole season or two or whatever and then we never even did that sketch, by the way. So I just watched it. It. Just to watch it.

B (18:33)

You wasted 36 hours of your life.

A (18:35)

Well, I mean, the episodes too are like almost two hours.

B (18:38)

Yeah, it's too much. Yeah, it's too much. It's Jump the Shark. I'm done with it. But anyway, you. You have quite the career. Trey, I have to ask, I've been watching you for a long time and I really think you're very smart, very, very sharp, and you've got a political flavor of comedy. In 2016, I think it's 2016, you kind of had this video go viral, right?

A (19:02)

Yeah.

B (19:04)

And what was that like? Because you kind of went from zero to a thousand overnight. Imagine. I mean, I know you probably have been doing comedy for some time, right? I don't. I know that overnight stories take a lot longer than one night. Success stories. But what was that like, to go through that in the moment?

A (19:21)

No, yeah, you're right. I mean, it was. Both of those things are true. Like, I had started. I started stand up in 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I was living at the time. And. And I had been doing it for like, you know, six years or whatever, and it was going fine, like for All Things Considered. I lived in Knoxville and I had like a manager in la and I'd gotten into this writers development program that NBC had and all this stuff. So I was feeling pretty encouraged by it, but I was in, you know, complete anonymity. Like, I had no following. No one, no one knew who I was or anything like that. Couldn't sell any tickets or nothing.

B (19:58)

And.

A (19:58)

But I still, you know, was pleased enough with how it was going. And then I decided to make these Internet video. At the time, in Stand Up, I was closing with this bit about simplest thing, but it was basically just on a set list. If I wrote it out, I called it the liberal redneck bit, but I never said the words liberal redneck on stage. It was basically I said, you know, everybody that hears this accent assumes I'm one type of person, like a bible thumping troglodyte, because that's the only. Every time you ever hear this accent in the media, it's that type of person. But I'm not that type of person. So I gotta. I gotta figure something out to try to like, balance the scales. I gotta find a way. I need to go out in public and, you know, Be just as loud and rednecky as they are, but just say a bunch of super liberal shit to, like, you know, try to balance the scales. And then I would literally just scream a bunch of, like, really, really liberal political talking points, but in the most redneck fashion that I could. And it, like, I closed with it. It always worked. Even in, like, like small comedy clubs in, like, Southern cities and stuff like that. Like, it always worked because it's wild to say now, but in that time, you know, 2015, ish. Like, it wasn't as, like, charged. The politics divided. Yeah, right. So, like, people would. There'd be plenty of people in the crowd who were like, they were conservative, but they would still laugh at that bit because it was just like, that's just a funny juxtaposition, you know, so it, like, it worked as a stand up bit. And I had the idea to try to make, like, Internet videos out of it. And at first I was like, ah, man. But, you know, I'll have to buy a fancy camera. I'll have to figure out how to edit things and light things. I don't know how to do any of that. And it just felt like a barrier to entry or something. And then one day I saw this. I saw this, like, preacher guy, like a deep south preacher somewhere in North Carolina who was standing in the woods by a big truck, like, just yelling in his phone about, like, he was, you know, preaching fire and brimstone about the dangers of, you know, transgender people using the bathrooms with their little girls and all this type of stuff. And it's like, not. Not a dick joke inside. Wasn't funny at all. Just. Just, you know, just spewing venom. And it had like 20 million views or something like that on Facebook amongst, like, you know, people on the right, obviously. But when I saw that, I was like, oh, wow, okay. Like, I don't. If. If that guy doing that thing, like, if that's what I'm trying to, you know, like, make fun of or whatever, then I don't need to do anything fancy about it. In fact, that would be a mistake. That would be the wrong thing to do. Like, I should just do exactly what this guy does. I should just pull my phone out and yell at it. Right? And once I had that sort of realization, I made the first one, like, in the next couple of days. And the first one got like 50,000 views or something, which I was over the moon about. I was thrilled with that. And then the second one I made was also about the whole transition gender bathroom Law thing. And that one, like, went to the moon. It like 30, 50 million views or something and just like, went like crazy, you know, megaton viral. And like, changed my life literally overnight. So it was like zero to a thousand. So I'd been working at for a while, and it was a very deliberate thing, but I also did not expect it to. To work like that. And then when it did, like, I still had a day job at the time, and. And I posted it the night before, and I was sitting at my day job the next day, and it was like an office job. I worked for the U.S. department of Energy, which I'm sure won't exist soon, but I used to work there. And I was sitting in a conference room in some meeting, and my phone got hot in my pocket. So hot. I don't know if you remember, around this era, phones would sometimes just explode. Remember how phones used to just blow up for a while? So my phone got like, real hot in my pocket, and I, like, freaked out, put out, threw it on the table or whatever. Like, you know, told everybody to duck, get down. It's gonna blow. But it didn't. It wasn't exploding. It's because I had, you know, I got like, notifications and stuff, and it, like, overloaded my phone, you know, when it all, like, started. And it. The phone never did explode, but it got like. It ran the battery completely down in like 15 minutes or something, and my phone died. And I'm still it, and I'm still at work knowing that something is happening, but, you know, now my phone is dead, and they're the rest of the day. And by the time I got off work and got home, it was like, you know, I mean, like I said, my life had changed. I wasn't ready for it either. Like, I. I did. Now I have a fan page on. First of all, at this point in time, Facebook was still the main one.

B (24:58)

Yeah, that's what I keep hearing, like, on Facebook. And it's like, Facebook, who uses that for anything but dating and buying old shoes?

A (25:05)

Yes. Well, 10 years ago, almost 10 years ago, Facebook was still the main one. And so all this was on Facebook, and I didn't even have a fan page or nothing. That first video that went viral was just on my, like, personal Facebook page. So I maxed out my number of Facebook friends, like, immediately. First of all, I shouldn't have been accepting all those people's friends because it's different. You know, followers and friends, they're like, it's two different things. But at the Time, I was like, I got, you know, I gotta accept everybody, accept everybody. But I maxed that out immediately. And then it was just nuts. And I was getting. I got contacted by Warner Brothers. They signed me to a development deal. I signed a book deal with a publisher. I started touring. I quit my day job, started touring. I didn't think anyone was gonna. Even in spite of all that, I didn't think anyone was gonna come to the shows. I was like, you know, dude, look, it's one thing to watch somebody, like, to click play on a video on your computer, on a phone, right? Like, it's a very different thing to spend 28 hours, spend 20, $20 and get a babysitter or whatever and come to a. Come out to a comedy show. I was like, nobody's gonna do that because of these. And we posted. We did, like, a trial run, one week of dates, and the very first tour date I ever had as a headliner was at the Punchline in Atlanta. And it sold out. It sold out like, almost immediately. And we had to add a second show, and it sold out, too. And that. And that's when I was like, holy shit, this is. This is wild. And then how long does it take.

B (26:31)

You to get that? Like, does the development deal. Do they, like, does you agent just, like, send that over to you the next day? They're like, oh, my God, they want to sign you to a development. Does that happen just so quick, that first one?

A (26:40)

So, thankfully, I said I did beforehand. I had a manager already who lived in Los Angeles, but she was very green and new. She was like a rookie manager herself, you know, so. But she was. But she.

B (26:54)

Still.

A (26:55)

She helped me navigate all that because she at least, you know, had some notion of how things were supposed to work. But, like, I didn't even have an agent yet or anything thing. And the. The Warner Brother, the. The, like, assistant to or secretary of or something like that of the president of Warner Brothers Television, like, sent me a message on Facebook is how that. Is how that happened initially. And then. And then I got contacted by a literary agent because she knew that, you know, there was whatever publisher wanted to do a book deal or something. And. Yeah, and it just. I mean, it was wild. And then I was on, you know, a couple months later, I was on, like, Real Time with Bill Maher the Friday after the election in 2016, like.

B (27:47)

Three days after the election appearance. Do you remember that? I think that's my. That was my introduction.

A (27:53)

That was crazy. Like, the. The whole. That was so surreal. That whole Thing because I mean, you know, everybody was pretty gobsmacked and in that audience or in that production staff and everything, like people were not expecting that to have happened. And the, the mood was just, was wild. And especially added to it is the fact that I'm fresh out of the holler and I'm, you know, I'm nude, all this. So just the experience of even being there was crazy to me. And then add on top of that the larger societal context and the energy and everything and it was like, I mean, it was nuts.

B (28:29)

I remember that day after the election, like we had just moved into to a house, my wife and I freshly, you know, married, basically, and we were sitting on two patio chairs because our furniture hadn't shown up yet. This big screen TV in this huge living room and watching and clear by 9 o' clock at night. And I was like, this is fucking insane. I don't know what happened. And the next morning I took a run down at the park where I've been running for years. And I just remember everybody looked shell shocked. It felt to me similar to the day after 911 when everyone was like, what just hap. What hangover are we in? What universe did we end up in in such a weird time? But then you go, okay, well here it is. Let's hope for the best, right? Let's wish, let's wish that everything, let's hope that, that someone, there's an adult in the room and everybody figures it out. Did you, did the, when did the. For you. When did you sense the energy started changing and becoming more divided? Like I, I think it's clear that right now there's a lot of I'm on this team, I'm on that team. You know, there's a lot of tribalism that goes on in this country, whether that, that be real sports teams, religion, politics. There's so much tribalism. We all have to identify with some group of people so that we have something and identify an enemy that we have to fight, real or imagined. After that election, did the crowd start to change? Do you feel the energy of the crowd start to change?

A (30:07)

I mean, I don't know. I really do think like, I know I just said a minute ago, like right before I went viral and I was doing that bit on stage in 2015 and it was fine. That is all true, but it still does feel to me like it A, happened pretty quickly and B, like, you know, coincided with the rise of Donald Trump and MAGA specifically. And I feel like the reason for that is all the people who are not on board with it were so. Just so powerfully like, you guys are joking, right? Like, that's. You cannot be serious. And then the people who are on board with it are. We're already so sensitive to feeling condescended to or however you want to put it, by the same people that. That, you know, that really struck a nerve with them, the general reaction to it. And also they, like, liked it in a way that we were so put off by the whole thing. And it just, like, it was kind of woven into the whole MAGA experience from the very beginning, I feel like. And then, so it, you know, as that got to be more and more of a thing leading up to the election, and certainly after they won, it was like we were kind of in it at that point because. Because I. I had all. I had been doing that bit in front of live shows and never had a single problem with it, ever. But now that I have an Internet presence, I mean, I'm. That whole time, you know, in 2016 and everything. Like, I mean, I'm getting death threats and crazy stuff all. All the time, you know. So, yeah, I felt like it happened pretty early on in the process, and it has only gotten worse over the intervening years.

B (31:45)

I feel like, yeah, it's gotten super intense. And we do a particularly bland form of humor here. We don't talk a lot of politics generally. I think if you listen to the show. What's that?

A (31:58)

It's a good call.

B (32:00)

Yeah.

A (32:01)

Well, it was 2020.

B (32:02)

It was 2020. Right. And so, you know, things had. We were leading up into change, and you could feel the tone and texture of the. The country was different than it was in 2016. It was clear that a lot of people wanted to move in a different direction, and it was the pandemic. And so we just made a decision. There's so much of that is on television in people's ears. So many people are talking about it, and so many people are smartly talking about it. What are we going to add to the noise or are we going to cut through? And it was just clear that we were going to add to the noise. So I was like, let's just leave it alone. Let's not talk about it. Let's give people a break from it. The name is the commercial break. Let's give people, like, a real life commercial break from all this drama that's going on right now. Now since this last election, you know, I think our opinions are known. You know, I think one of the mistakes that was made in 2016 is that we all, a lot of us on with certain feelings did go, what the fuck are you thinking? Like, you're clearly not well in the head if you think QAnon is coming. You know, so there's some day of judgment coming with some guy that's talking on Reddit. Like, I mean, you know, it just doesn' make any sense. I think the mistake early on was believing that everyone who felt supportive of some of these initiatives or felt a certain way was just an idiot. Right. Because that obviously turned out not to be true. Many people felt like some of the ideas and principles that the conservatives believe in or that Trump specifically believed in was something they also felt strongly about. They felt left out by the process, and MAGA let them in. And so now it's a form of populism, in my opinion. Right. And so is that. Is it really? I gotta imagine I probably know the answer to this, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. It's gotta be really tough sometimes to have this brand of comedy in this moment in 2025, because you do get death threats and people wanna. And you don't know who's out there. You don't know who's taking it more seriously than the next guy. Right.

A (34:09)

Well, I mean, honestly, I probably should, I guess, but I don't. I don't really worry about that part of it too much. And I guess it's because in nine years in, I thankfully, you know, knock on wood, haven't had any kind of, like, real life experiences or anything that made me realize, like, oh, this is, you know, this is a serious concern, but it still is, like, tough. I mean, that's why I said. You said, yeah, we don't do politics. I was like, yeah, good call. It's like, because I. I mean, there's a lot of aspects to it. Like, honestly, before this most recent election, it's not that I, I did not think I knew what was going to happen. I didn't know what was going to happen. I was like, I, you know, this could go either way in my mind. We'll see. But had it gone the other way, I had fully intended to. Like, I kind of had a plan in my head for, like, pivoting away from politics. Cause in my head, it was like, had it gone the other way, it's like, okay, we could put all this nastiness behind us and just kind of go back to the old boring version where people care as much.

B (35:10)

Politics, corruption happens behind the scenes.

A (35:13)

Yeah, right. Yes. And then I could do Like I was gonna do like, you know, cooking videos and just more standup clips and that type of thing, but then that didn't happen. And now I feel like almost obligated to, you know, keep because of my brand and what I do. It's like, well, I can't stop that now. So I'm even, you know, I'm deeper in it now than I have been in recent years. But it is, you know, it's obviously it is, it's divisive. So it's like I'm on. There's a huge chunk of people I'm never going to get on board no matter what because of that. But then also a massive part of it that I frankly never saw coming is that there's been a huge influx of like right wing stuff in the comedy world. Specifically, like, and that never used to be the case. It used to be like it was like a stereotype or a cliche even that it's like, are there any conservative comedians? Is there anybody funny that's conservative? It's like it just, it just doesn't happen. And there'd be like a couple of token ones you could throw out or whatever. It's like, well, post 9 11, Dennis Miller is, you know, he's pretty good, or he's like, you know, Nick DePaolo or Adam Carolla or guys like that. But like, they were very much the minority and now the. Objectively, the biggest people in the comedy world are like, at least, at least somewhat associated with like the right or if not all the way on the right, at least they're like, they're like, you know, anti woke or whatever, they're flirting with it. They're, some of them, some of those guys that get categorized over there, I don't think it's fair. I don't think they, they are actually like that. But they do have a lot of fans that believe they are like that. And then, and then some of those guys, I mean, it's, you know, they just are that way.

B (37:04)

Are that way.

A (37:04)

Yeah, right. But there's a huge chunk of them and they're like some of the biggest names in comedy and serious power brokers and all that. And it's like I, I never ever would have anticipated that that would happen when I was getting started.

B (37:19)

Absolutely right. And it's kind of strange. It's like it's flipped upside down. And part of me thinks that some of the podcast, comedy manosphere, whatever they're calling it, these eight bros, Fear Pro, Podcast Fear. I don't even Know what? The new name, you know, everything. Everything's got a name. I don't know what it is. Part of me believes that. That it's in fashion to troll and to press those buttons.

A (37:46)

Yeah.

B (37:46)

That's where the clicks and the likes are. And the more you can flirt with it and be controversial while maintaining a brand that can be on SNL or wherever, then.

A (37:58)

Right.

B (37:58)

The better off you're going to be. So it's like one foot in, one foot out, and, you know, in for a penny, in for a pound kind of thing. Like, we're here now. So this is what I'm gonna do. Do. And then five years from now, it'll be another thing. And then five years it'll be another thing. Feels disingenuous to me. And I think I can see through it with some of these folks. And some of these folks, I believe they really believe it. Right. It's it. That's the way it is. And there's no doubt that, you know, Rogan has had an influence on all of that. He has become a serious power broker in comedy. No more Carson. Now it's Rogan and others. Right. But. But you have main. You have been faithful to kind of these causes that you have always, I imagine, believed in. You say that you grew up in a rather liberal household, and that may have been strange for where you grew up. I mean, I think it's a stereotype to say that the entire Deep south is, you know, conservative Bible beating, you know, troglodytes, as you put it, because there are a lot of people who don't think that way or feel that way. We live in Atlanta, we know it even in the deep, Deep South, Valdosta, Georgia, or, you know, North Lake, Florida. Yeah. In the rural areas, I think they also get a bad rap sometimes, too. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have liberal leanings that live in those areas also. But when you were growing up, did. It did. And I guess politics wasn't as much of a conversation starter back then, but did you ever feel like a fish out of water, believing and feeling certain ways, but yet being around in areas where there was a lot of. Of conservative conversation?

A (39:33)

Oh, yeah, all the time. But even though it wasn't as much of a thing, you weren't supposed to talk about, like religion and politics. Right. But. But still. But the main thing for me, I've talked about this a lot, but it's true. The thing that made it different is that like. So I was raised by a single father and My dad had only one sibling, a younger brother, my Uncle Tim. And my Uncle Tim is openly gay and has been since, you know, I was born. So. And this was, you know, I'm growing up, I'm a kid in the 90s in the rural south, so there's like, I mean, just rampant homophobia, you know, and. And I, you know, I always loved Uncle Tim and was always just very opposed to that. And part of that also is that so like, I also, I did not grow up in the church at all. So those two things definitely made me sort of stand out. But the thing. And also I was very. I. Combative is not the right word, but I was very open with how I felt about that stuff and my disagreements. And a lot of people are, a lot of times the people in places like that who are on the other side or on the left or whatever, they just, they never speak up. And I don't blame them. It's like you don't want to be the one that ruins Thanksgiving dinner or whatever or just gets yelled, gets ganged up on. So I get it. But I never had that problem when I was growing up. And what I've always chalked that up to is the other thing that was going on with me as a kid was that like I was the smart kid in my school. And which I say now, I realize now looking back is like being the straightest guy at a Cher concert, you.

B (41:08)

Know.

A (41:10)

It'S not really that impressive, but I didn't know that I had no frame of reference. So like at the time, as a child and as a teenager, like, I literally left that town. I left high school genuinely believing that I was like goodwill hunting, like a prodigy level intellect. Like that's what I. That's how I thought of myself. And then realizing in my 20s that that was not the case, like really screwed me up and engendered a major quarter life crisis that fucking me for. Like a lot of gifted kids have that problem. You just end up being like a, you know, just a burned out husk at 26 or whatever. But anyway. But as a kid and as a teen, I thought very, very highly of myself in terms of intelligence and intellect. And so it was always a thing where it's like, well, yeah, all these, so many of these people surrounding me, they disagree with me, but like, you know, of course they do. They're all idiots and I'm brilliant, you know, like, so it makes sense that I would be the only one who's right about this thing, you know, like that's how I looked at it, which.

B (42:16)

Is like da Vinci and they're the dum dums, right?

A (42:18)

Yes, exactly. And it's like that. That's. You know, I realize now that's. I mean, I'm very self aware of how douchey and insufferable that is now. But at the time, I wasn't aware of that. So, like. So because I felt that way, I had. I just had no qualms about. About just being up front with, like, that's ridiculous. That's. You know, you're wrong, I'm right, whatever. And pushing back on people. So, like, I remember one time, a story I always think of. We had a. Our English class, like, one Friday a month. English class in high school became debate class. Because they couldn't justify an entire, like, debate team or debate class.

B (42:57)

Right?

A (42:58)

But, like, one Friday a month, it'd be like, okay, today's debate day. And we came in there one day, and it was that Friday. And she goes, this is, you know, 2003 or whatever the timeline was for this. We were just gearing up to. We were debate. The country was debating whether to go to war in Iraq, right? Like, weapons of mass destruction and all that. And she's like, who all here thinks we should go to war with Iraq? And roughly half the kids raised their hand, and she was like, okay, who thinks we shouldn't? And it was literally just me. Like, I was the only one who raised my hand in the whole class. And she goes, and who doesn't have an opinion? And the other half of them raised their hand like, I don't care. And she's like, okay, you guys are on Trey's team. You get over here on. You guys get on this half of the room and everybody else on this side. But, you know, they had all just said they didn't even care. So it was literally just me. It was literally just me versus the other half of the team. But. But I was completely unbothered by that, you know? Well, I ended up getting bothered by it because I was like, oh, you know, they're over there yelling like, they knocked their damn towers down. We got to do something. And it's like, no, they didn't. Like, I was bothered by the idiocy of it all, but, like. But I wasn't bothered by the prospect of having to, like, you know, be alone and. Yeah. And push back on that, because I've been doing it my whole life. So I, like, yes, I was very aware of being like, I've been. It's Like, a running thing with me is I'm kind of a man without a country. I've been that way my whole life because I never really fit in in my hometown. And like, now I. I live in la. And, I mean, you'll be surprised to hear I don't super fit in here either. So I just kind of never really have. So I'm adjusted to it.

B (44:45)

Do you have any. Here's my sense of it. And like you, I grew up. I mean, I don't say when. I grew up in a liberal household. I grew up in an Irish Catholic household, and my father leaned conservative. My mother was liberal about almost every sort of social issue, which I think I picked up on that kind of empathetic nature of hers. And it made me really see the world in a different way to put myself in other people's shoes before speaking. And, you know, all that stuff like do unto others, the stuff that Jesus taught, the pretty simple stuff.

A (45:18)

Right.

B (45:19)

But, you know, I always felt strongly that, you know, the government, a political faction, shouldn't be bullies. That was just kind of my thing. And so I never really felt strongly about conservatism because I always felt there was a little bit of that in it, always. But that being said, I don't disagree with everything that the conservatives have to say. I don't think government should. I don't think we should have to fill out a piece of paper and triplicate to walk across the street. Right. I think the government needs to be smaller. It needs to work more for the people in the middle and down below. And I think that, you know, there is a lot of waste that goes on in government. And so for me, I don't totally disagree with. I hate Doge and everything that it stands for. Under the under musk. Right, Right. But because I just don't agree with the methodologies and the way he's going about it and the reasoning that he's going about it. I don't think. I don't think it's as simple as I want to cut waste and fraud. I think there's very complicated reasons in this own man's head. But I agree that we could probably get rid of some of the stuff that we just don't need or we're spending too much money on. Do you feel that there is any common ground with the current administration? Do you feel like. Does Trey agree with any of the things.

A (46:41)

Oh, the current administration? I mean, kind of just to steal your answer. I mean, like I mentioned earlier, I used to work for The Department of Energy. So, like. Like, I know firsthand, like, I'm sorry if it's inconvenient for anybody, but, like, it's just true. There's a lot of areas in the federal government that could be tightened up, let's say. Like, it's pretty bad. Like, I got a political podcast and my co host on there, he's the smartest guy I know, and he's very. He's very anti all things, you know, Trump and MAGA and all that. And he hates Elon and he hates Doge. And when we'll be talking about it, I'll tell him, I'll be like, well, look, you know, to be fair, man, like, there's there, you know, we could clean some of it up. And he just, you know, he's always like, you know, he don't want to hear it. He's like that just. Feet don't.

B (47:33)

You know, it feeds into the narrative.

A (47:34)

Feeds into the narrative, whatever. And. But my whole thing with that, it's like, okay, but I. But it. I know that it is true, though. Like, I. Yeah, like, I've seen it. So I'm not gonna. I'm not going to act like it isn't just because, you know, it's, like, inconvenient for my political beliefs or whatever, but like you said, the methodology is insane, and the way they're going about it is ridiculous, so it kind of doesn't matter. It's also like, I mean, even going back to the very beginning of Trump, it's like the town that I'm from in Tennessee was wrecked by NAFTA and everything and opioids and all that. And just it was actually a blue county for years, up until, like, around the turn of the century, like, Southern Democrat, working man type shit. And then now it's hardcore Trump country. And it's like, I was always sympathetic to the reasons that they felt because my town has been, like, utterly decimated, and people there have been really screwed over through no fault of their own. They have a very valid beef with, like, things that have happened in this country. I just was always like, but this dude is not the answer for any of that, you know, like, so there's a lot of it that I'm sympathetic to. Like you said, populism, a general, A like, more leftist populist message. Like, obviously, like Bernie Sanders or something. I'm. That's really more aligned with where I'm at. There's plenty of things people do actually agree with. If you take the letters out of It. You take the R's and the D's out of it and all that, it's just about like, you know, most people agree with regular, you know, everyday Americans having more money in their pocket, getting paid better. You know what I mean? Most people are okay with taxing the rich and corporations, but it's more, you know, I'm kind of a no war, but a class war type person. Like, I think it all really comes down to that. I believe that. That most of the culture war things are just purposeful distractions, you know, that, like, turn people against one another. And it's like, don't get me wrong, that's not. I think the trans people should have rights. I'm just saying the whole narrative around even debating it in the first place is just s. Mean, you know, just serves to, like, distract people from stuff that really matters, is my opinion. So. And I think there's a lot of people like you. I've heard Theo Bond talk about how, like. Or on his show, like, a lot of people on his show, they. They, like, you know, they hate, like, oh, the. The billionaires that are really in charge or whatever. But the people that I'm talking about, they think that those billionaires are all like, you know, liberal elite billionaires, like George Soros and that type of thing.

B (50:04)

Yeah.

A (50:04)

And it's like, I hate the billionaires are in charge, but I'm like, but I'm talking about, you know, the one that we see being in charge every day who's like, like, clearly on the right. Like, I got a problem. Like, I've seen people tweet out. You know, it's like, Elon's gonna, you know, finally get rid of all these corrupt billionaires that are ruining our government. You know, and it's like, it's such a.

B (50:25)

It's. It is such a dumb, dumb thing to say. And I agree with you 100%. I. I know a conservative that's that, you know, yelling and screaming on. On Facebook, Elon saving us. He's got a great plan. He's gonna get, you know, get rid of the billionaire class. And it's like, he is the epitome of the billionaire class and that kind of power unchecked on either side of the aisle. We should all have a healthy dose of skepticism about someone that wants to amass as much wealth as possible and make everybody else under him uncomfortable for no reason. That's it. Government is not, unfortunately, is not a private company. It's not Not. It's not a startup. It's not a, you know, it's not a small business mom and pop shop. It doesn't work and operate the same way. And you can't treat it as such. You know, there are things that the government does it in the public eye and behind the scenes that just need to be treated differently because it's serving the people that elect it to happen. And it can't be treated like that. Right.

A (51:31)

You can't be motivated by profit margins and stuff. Like some things are just not meant to be motivated by that. So you can't. Yeah, you can't treat them the same way.

B (51:39)

I totally, totally agree with you. And, and you know, and I think it's important, I mean, my opinion is it's important that when we find common ground with the other side of the aisle or people that we don't agree with, that we recognize that common ground because that's the way that we get less tribal. Right? Is by saying, yeah, he's just like me. I think by and large the people who voted for Trump, I imagine by and large those people, they're good, hard working people who just want better for their families and realized that it doesn't. That for some reason have been told or whatever that, you know, this particular version of it, the Kamala Harris version or whatever, the Biden version, didn't work for you. And they got convinced of that, but they wanted something different. They felt like they needed someone to shake that up and, you know, hopefully maybe they'll see that this is kind of a little bit of a screwy mess right now. Who do you think leads the liberal party into the next generation? Like, do you, do you think it's kind of like a little like maybe the old guard is afraid? Yeah.

A (52:47)

Oh, I definitely think it's time for the old guard to move on. I don't know, other than, you know, a couple that are obvious that already are there, like I mean, AOC and Jasmine Crockett or whatever. And I like like Eric Swalwell out here in California and some other people. But like I did. One of the videos I just made recently was about how the Democratic Party needs like a complete paradigm shift. In my opinion, they need their own version of the Tea Party moment from the early 2010s, you know, where it's like some new faction or force needs to establish itself and shift them in a different direction because they're like completely lost at sea right now. And the, and yeah, the old guard, you know, the Chuck Schumer's of the world are just like, I Just. I'm just ready for them to go on some. I don't. I have no interest in those people being around if I get a double.

B (53:38)

Talk out of their mouths anymore. I just. It. It does frustrate me to no end. And I don't believe in the. Their ability to lead. And it's driving me crazy. They were good for 1989, not for 2020. And I think it's time for, you know, there's got to be eternal, there's got to be a reckoning if there's going to continue to be a strong, you know, liberal party in this country. And that liberal party needs to understand that most people agree with smaller government. You know, there's things that they need to work for the middle class again and not be so concerned.

A (54:09)

Yeah, that's the biggest thing to do.

B (54:12)

Yeah, totally. And, you know, we do, you know. Channel 5 News, Andrew Callahan from Channel 5 News News, the YouTube channel. Channel 5. Do you know what I'm talking about? No breaks.

A (54:22)

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.

B (54:25)

Yeah, it's called Channel 5. So he came on the show and he was really interesting. He's another smart guy. I think of you as a smart guy also, you know, that guy who debated the entire half of the class on the war in Iraq. But he's another smart guy and he said, I don't even think there'll be a Democratic ticket in 2028. And I was like, wow. He's like, not the way it looks right now. I think it's. To be going.

A (54:46)

Got a.

B (54:46)

It'll be a totally different thing. Right? And I was like, wow. He's like, there's just no strong leadership in that old guard anymore that can take you into this next version of what politics looks like. And I. I think he might be right about that. Yeah, I really do. Your new special, Trash Daddy is on YouTube. Are you on the Neverending Tour? Do you always? Always, perpetually.

A (55:09)

Yeah, I'm always go, you know, three weekends a month at least. Sometimes all of them. I'm out and about around the country doing. Doing shows. So. Yeah, you can see all that@treycrowder.com.

B (55:22)

I'M sorry, I don't know this, but you have a wife and do you have children?

A (55:26)

Yeah, they're middle school boys are 12 and 13.

B (55:30)

Oh, yeah, you've got teenagers. What's that all about?

A (55:34)

Tell me. I don't know. I'm living in fear. Constant fear of staring down the barrel of teenager dumb. And I'm hyper aware of it.

B (55:41)

So you know that at Some point the lion cubs become the lion, right? At some point the old lion died, like is eaten by the younger cubs or something like that. My friend who's had. I have small children. They're like half your age, but I have a million of them. But one of my friends who had children young had a son. And when the kid turned 13, he got big. I mean, he got big, he got strong. And you know, they would get into little fussing matches about, you know, cleaning the room or whatever and he's like, I'm honestly scared. The lion cub has become the lion. Like he now leads to pride. He's like, if you want to take me, he could.

A (56:16)

My 13 year old is like, he's taller than my wife and he's, you know, approaching my height. So he's definitely shooting up. But he's also, he's like, you know, he's a little Timothy Chalamet. He's, you know, he's kind of, he's kind of a bean pole. So I'm not worried about that part just yet. But yeah, no, it's wild. I've got two good friends, the guys I mentioned earlier, the comics that I toured with, they both had babies in the past like 18 months. Their first children, their first babies in the past 18 months. And so I've just been really, really. I've been thinking a lot about like, you know, the inexorable march of time and that type of thing and just the fact that, you know, kids are only, they're only little once and then, you know, and that's for me, that's over. And now they're becoming hormone monsters and all that. It's just, it's wild, it's all part of it, but, you know, it's pretty crazy.

B (57:07)

Yeah, I'm an older dad and I was talking with someone about this the other day. I think that has, has benefited me in one way is that I do understand at 20, I didn't understand my own mortality. Even at 30, right. My age, I definitely understand my mortality. It's a double edged sword. I can see time marching quickly toward my end. But when they're young, I think I'm appreciating those moments right now because I see that mortality. So Trey Crowder, I think you're one of the great voices of a generation. I really do. And I think it's important, you know, not everyone chooses this road, but it's not the easy way out. And I think that you are saying some things that people need to hear and I hope that you know, I hope that even if our listeners are conservative, that you go, trey's pragmatic. He's practical. He's not out that. You know, he's not out there there, you know, on the far fringes of conversation. He's saying things that make a lot of sense. And I hope that you go follow him, Trecom. You can find out where he's coming so you can get tickets to go see him. And please watch the new special Trash Daddy. You're welcome here anytime, Trey.

A (58:14)

Thank you guys so much. I appreciate it.

B (58:16)

Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

C (58:19)

Let me do something Brian has never done beyond brief. Follow us on Instagram at the commercial break. Text or call us 212-4333, tcb. That's 212-433-3822. Visit our website, tcbpodcast.com for all the audio, video, and your free sticker. Then watch all the videos@YouTube.com thecommercial break and finally share the show. It's the best gift you could give a few aging podcasters. See, Brian, that really wasn't that difficult, now, wasn't it? You're welcome.

B (58:53)

I do like Trey's outlook on things, and I. I think he's a smart guy, and, you know, he just kind of got thrown right into the middle of it, and now here he is. But he's not shying away from the spotlight or the fire. In fact, he steps in, says he's stepping into it because he feels now it's more important than ever. And, hey, listen, braver than I am, that's for sure. I mean, but no one wants to hear my opinion on any of that shit, not even my wife.

A (59:19)

Life. I like Trey. He's a. He's a Tennessee connection for me.

B (59:23)

Yeah, there you go. All right. Okay. Well, Tre crowder.com that's where you find out more information. You can get tour tickets to his tour. You can find a link to his special trash daddy on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, that's on YouTube also. And there's lots of other stuff to digest out there. Trey Crowder on Instagram, on Tik Tok Tock, on YouTube. He's got his own podcast. He makes appearances on a lot of other podcasts like ours. So there's lots of Trey Crowder out there for you to digest. We would appreciate it if you do. All right, 12 hours of TCB coming up May 31st. Don't want to miss out. Set your calendars, put an alarm on kids, get up early, get your coffee, take a shower. Clean your ass. It's going to be a long day for all of us. Us. And I hope that you join and we may do a live show also. So stay tuned for more information about that. We'll get it to you just as soon as we have it. Probably just a few weeks before the event. TCB podcast.com that's where you find out more information about Chrissy and I. All the show notes, all the guests, all the links to the guests information. It's all there@tcb podcast.com you can also get your free sticker. I just saw Astrid. One of my kids was helping Astrid pack stickers into envelopes and I thought that was so cute. And she. I did. And she was very excited about it. But we don't share that kind of stuff on Instagram.

A (60:51)

Okay.

B (60:51)

Yeah, but she was so cute and she was so excited about it. She's like, I'm helping. And I'm like, oh, thank you. Can you do an episode for me because I'm really tired today. Add the commercial break on aforementioned Instagram TCB podcast on tick tock and YouTube.com the commercial break for all the videos the same day they air here on the audio. Go there, check it out. We got a new studio. If you want to see Trey's pretty face, you want to see Chrissy's pretty face, you want to see a face of mine, you can go check that out on YouTube.com they come. Commercial break 212-4333 tcb 212433, 3822 questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. We'll take them all via text message or leave us a voicemail and be the next voice of the commercial break. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for now.

A (61:45)

I think so.

B (61:46)

I'll tell you that I love you best to you and best you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time, Chrissy and I will say we do say and we must say goodbye.

A (62:19)

Ra.