TCB Infomercial w. Brad Williams

Summary

The Commercial Break: TCB Infomercial w/ Brad Williams

Original Air Date: February 22, 2024
Hosts: Brian Green & Kristen Joy (Krissy) Hoadley
Guest: Brad Williams (Comedian)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Commercial Break features an energetic, wide-ranging conversation with seasoned comedian Brad Williams. In the spirit of TCB’s unfiltered and improv-heavy style, the hosts riff with Brad on everything from the realities of touring as a working comic, to how oversharing builds good comedy, to navigating bullying growing up as a little person, and how wrestling fandom mirrors reality TV. As always, sharp banter, sardonic wit, and surprising confessions keep the vibe as chaotic and “just fine” as listeners expect from the show.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Comedy, Expectations, and the Creative Process

• Low expectations can be freeing:

  • Brad comedicly applauds the unpretentious aims of the TCB show:
    • “Put out a good product and…if you guys suck, you’re expected to suck. So anything that you do, anything that you…which now sounds like a completely different kind of description…but now, like, if you guys are any good at all, it’s just like, hey, look at them and their little podcast.” (11:29)
  • Brian echoes the sentiment, saying the podcast thrives on no one expecting much and being surprised if it delivers.

• Joke construction & truth vs embellishment:

  • Brad firmly defends exaggeration in storytelling:
    • “Yeah, you…you exaggerate, you elaborate, you make a point…Did you hear the story? Did you feel something? You felt something. Did you feel good afterward?...Fantastic. Then we did our job.” (16:02)
  • “If I told the story exactly as it happened, no one would laugh. Because generally, people’s lives aren’t that funny.” (16:51 — Brian)

2. Touring, Success, and the ‘Overnight Sensation’ Myth

• Touring as a way of life:

  • Brad details the demands of his current tour: “This next year is going to be crazy. But I’m prepared for that because of all the work I’ve put in previous [years].” (45:10)
  • He relishes experiencing the country: “I love going out and seeing our country…when you actually go to these places, you find out…everyone wants the same thing.” (47:20-48:25)

• There are no real ‘big breaks’:

  • “People have asked me before, ‘Oh, what was your big break?’ And the answer is, I don’t have a big break. I have about eight little breaks, and each one led to the next one.” (40:17)
  • He discusses ‘Taylor Swift of comedy,’ Matt Rife, and the misleading perception of overnight success:
    • “All the comics out here in Los Angeles know Matt has been at this since he was a teenager…He’s been broke. He’s been at the Laugh Factory…So, there it is. Not an overnight success with that guy.” (43:05-43:57)

3. Wrestling Fandom, Entertainment, and Outrage

• The soap opera of wrestling:

  • Brad connects the emotional investment of wrestling fans to that of reality TV audiences, e.g., The Bachelor:
    • “It’s a soap opera. People take it—it’s a soap opera, that’s what it is. It’s a sport. But people really do fudgeing wrestle.” (28:25)
  • On fan outrage at The Rock’s return over Cody Rhodes: “I was invested in Iron Man…Not necessarily into Wolverine right now.” (24:39-27:02)
  • Brian: “I honestly think it’s the most honest sport, because you already know it’s dishonest.” (27:48)

• Roasting Vince McMahon at sea:

  • Brad recounts writing a roast joke about Vince McMahon on the Chris Jericho Rock and Wrestling Rager at Sea, where the audience chanted “Holy sh*t!” in response (21:00-21:25):
    • “Only way WWE could do that is if they filled an arena with Vince's accusers.”

4. Personal Stories: Disability, Parenting, and Resilience

• Developing a thick skin through comedy and comebacks:

  • Brad credits his father for preparing him for a tough world:
    • “He was telling me, no, I’m making fun of you so when other kids make fun of you, you’re ready and it doesn’t phase you. And it worked…He and I would literally sit down and write jokes together, write comebacks.” (35:00)
  • Now, as a father to a little person, he’s passing the strategy to his daughter:
    • “I’m literally already doing it. I’m already writing these like roast joke style comebacks…[If a kid calls her a midget,] she could be like, ‘Yeah, I am. And I’m here because my parents love each other. You’re here because your mom doesn’t know how to swallow.’” (36:15)
  • Quote: “My father prepared me for the world that is, and not the world that should be.” (36:38)

• Origin story: Carlos Mencia & first laughs:

  • Brad shares the story of being called onstage by Mencia, leading to his comedy start:
    • “…And I just answered the questions honestly. But my answers got laughs…I stopped, looked at the audience, and went, ‘Fuck you. I’m not one of the seven.’ That was it.” (39:06)

5. Comedy as Cultural Commentary and Bridge-building

• Risk, conflict, and social progress:
  • Brad: “The intent is always to entertain…But like you said, if you don’t have conflict, there is no punchline, there’s no risk…If you just tell the average story…Today, I woke up, I had tea, I walked my daughter to school, and now I’m talking to yahoos in their basement.” (30:56-32:13)
  • Brian: “I do believe that societally, since the age of jesters, comics have helped us expand what we think is okay, not okay or right…by telling stories in a way that takes risks and allows you to think and laugh at stuff that otherwise is just too serious.” (33:32)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Brad’s take on TCB’s mediocrity:
  • “But if you guys suck, you’re expected to suck.” (11:29)
• On Cocaine Bear expectations:
  • “Did the bear do cocaine? Yes. Was it a bear? Yes. Did the bear kill people that were not on cocaine trying to run away from the bear? Yes. Cameo from Ray Liotta—done. Okay.” (13:19)
• On joke-telling as survival:
  • “My father prepared me for the world that is and not the world that should be. The world that should be is a wonderful, amazing place…but the world that is is fucking cutthroat as hell.” (36:38)
• Spectacular opening tale (Urinals):
  • “There’s always one [urinal] that’s way the fuck down there. That’s mine. That is my urinal. Do not use that urinal. That is reserved for me, for your five-year-old son Zachary, and that is reserved for any man with a two-foot dick, okay?” (00:00)
• Brad’s first killer comeback:
  • “‘Fuck you. I’m not one of the seven.’ That was it.” (39:06)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Urinal Anecdote & Parenting: 00:00–08:00
• Intro to Brad Williams & Comedy Philosophy: 10:11–12:38
• Cocaine Bear, Fact vs. Fable, Exaggeration in Stories: 12:38–17:23
• Wrestling Cruise, Vince McMahon Roast, Wrestling Fandom: 17:52–30:40
• Comedy and Risk, Personal Stories, Parenting Lessons: 30:56–38:13
• Brad’s Comedy Origin Story: 38:13–39:24
• On Success, Touring, and Overnight Myths: 40:16–45:35
• Cultural Bridge-building via Touring: 47:20–49:27
• Rapid-fire Extras (Cirque du Soleil, AVN Awards): 50:54–53:07
• Wrap-up & Final Thoughts: 53:29–end

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Summary Tone and Style

True to TCB’s blend of irreverence and raw honesty, the conversation showcases Brad’s sharp wit, self-deprecation, and a practical, self-aware philosophy about comedy and life. The hosts riff, interrupt, and go on tangents, but the episode never loses momentum or sincerity.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

• Expect digressions, self-aware meta-comedy, and genuine insight into the grind of show business and resilience in the face of adversity.
• Brad Williams offers both outrageous gags and thoughtful commentary, moving deftly between crude punchlines and inspiring perspectives on overcoming obstacles.
• Wrestling, comedy, parenting, and crude bathroom humor all have a place, reflecting both the chaos of TCB and the range of Brad’s stand-up.

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Final Note:
Brad Williams is on tour with a new special, “Starfish,” on Veeps, performing across the US and abroad. If you enjoyed his candor and comedy here, check him out live for a full-force experience.

Transcript

[Brad Williams]

There's two or three urinals that are way up here and there's always one that's way the fuck down there. That's mine. That is my urinal. Do not use that urinal. That is reserved for me. That is reserved for your five year old son, Zachary. And that is reserved for any man with a two foot dick, okay? That is all. Now in this airport bathroom, it's all open urinals. It's a cornucopia of urinals. One might even say they have a plethora of urinals and they're all wide open. Only one is being taken up. Guess which one urinal's being taken up?

[Brian Green]

Mine.

[Brad Williams]

All right, so now I'm behind the guy, gotta do this like, dwarf, I gotta pee dance, like right behind him. Now other people are walking into the bathroom. They see a dwarf dancing right behind a guy. You see a dwarf dancing behind someone, you think I'm casting a spell on them or some shit. And then I just had this moment where I couldn't take it anymore. So I just looked at the dude, I was like, excuse me, sir. He turned around and this is exactly what he did. No exaggeration. He just turns around and goes, no fucking way.

[Brian Green]

On this episode of the commercial break.

[Brad Williams]

Man, the kid that makes fun of her first, that's not gonna go well because I'm writing. I'm all, I'm, I'm literally already doing it. I'm already writing these like roast joke style comebacks. So if, if someone, you know, some kid walks up and goes like, ah, you're a, you're, you're a midget. You know, she could be like, yeah, I am. And I'm here because my parents love other. You're here cuz your mom doesn't know how to swallow. So.

[Brian Green]

The next episode of the commercial break starts now.

[Brad Williams]

The 30 of the morning.

[Brian Green]

Oh yeah, kittens. Welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green and this is the dastardly duo partner over here, Kristen Joy Hoadley. Best to you, Kristen, the best of you out there in the podcast universe. How are you this morning? How you feeling?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I'm feeling good.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, you look good.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Feeling good.

[Brian Green]

I just thought I'd share that with you. Thank you. You look good. You look fresh and ready and ready to the opposite of what I'm feeling.

[Brad Williams]

I heard.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it's been a. It's been a. We have one kid who all of our children have been relatively good when it comes to going with strangers.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That does sound funny.

[Brian Green]

That does sound funny, doesn't it? Yeah, I'm father of the year award over here. They're completely fine with strangers. They literally run right up to them and say, mommy, Daddy. Do you mind watching them for a few minutes while I head into the Titanic club? I'll be right back as soon as I drop a grand. Making it rain. No, they've been good when it comes to like, you know, even though we don't like. I don't know about any other parent here, but as a helicopter parent, I don't like to leave my children with actual strangers. I won't hire a babysitter out of the yellow pages. That's not how it works. I don't care how many background checks you've done. You have to be connected in some way to my family and I have to understand a little bit about who you are and, and then even then, because we have small children, you got to spend some time with us together before we leave any of our children with you alone. So we've only really had a good.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Rule of thumb, I think.

[Brian Green]

So we've only really had three or four babysitters in the entirety of our, you know, we also had pandemic babies too. A lot of them. Many of them, many more than science would suggest you could have during a three year period. I don't know how that happened, but Astrid's double fertile, I think. So we have this babysitter, she comes in and she's a friend of the family. We've known her, she's been with the children before, at least some of our children before. And we have this newest one and that kid just does not want to have anything to do with her. As a matter of fact, the other day Chrissy and I were recording and I had to take a 40 minute break because the babysitter who was here to watch one of the children while we recorded could not get the kid to settle down. I mean, screaming bloody fucking murder. But then, so, you know, we do this like exposure therapy where now I have to go in the room, hold the baby, you know, then send the baby over the bring the baby back and all this other stuff. But she just will not send the baby back. I wish I the baby back, hand her back. We're like tossing, we're like playing hot potato with a baby right when she looks like she's about to get upset, we pull her back and then we throw her in and then we follow her back and she just will not calm the down. And even after the babysitter Left we. The b. The baby. She would not calm down at all. She was screaming bloody murder. It's like, okay, the lady's gone now. It's all good. You're back here with mommy and Daddy. Maybe that's why she was screaming in the first place. Thank you. Two morons. I actually wanted to go with that lady. I was screaming because she wasn't running out the front door with me in her arms, so. And then on top of that, then we have Blue, the dog, who is. So I asked this babysitter. I said, hey, listen, you want to take this dog? Because I asked everybody who walks into the house, would you like to take the dog? And she goes, oh, no, no, no, no. Never again. And I was like, never again, what? And she's like, never again will I have a Yorkie ever again. And she's like, Gets worse as they get older. And I thought to myself, that is exactly correct, because Blue is getting worse as she gets older. This is a dog who was on psychiatric medication for her behavior, and she's getting worse and worse. I think I'm gonna double the dose. I'm not even sure the fucking medication works at all. I think I'm just paying $80 a month for nothing.

[Brad Williams]

Placebo.

[Brian Green]

It must be. It's like a sugar pill to her. She's like. She just wants the pill pocket that it comes in, because it's a treat. But, you know. But then I do have to say that one time early on, we were, like, maybe six months into giving the do dog. By the way, this dog has been through many training programs, had many, like, dog therapists, dog psychologists, dog psychics. I know.

[Brad Williams]

We've had everybody hopeful, too.

[Brian Green]

Yes. At every time.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Until that one guy just dragged her across the pavement, and I was like, oh, okay. All right. I don't like her. But, like, don't drag her across the pavement. Let's not do that. He thought the old pavement therapy. Yeah, the old pavement therapy. Lift her up, throw her down, drag her across the pavement. That guy, he. He was like. He wanted. I told him that.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Him, like, you vetted them?

[Brian Green]

No, no, no, no, no, no. But he was doing a television show, and then he asked if he could bring these other two ladies with him that were going to be part of the television show. They were like dog therapists in training or whatever. And he got so irritated by Blue's behavior. Literally lifted her up and then put her back down, and then was. Blue was, like, dragging across the thing, and I was like, that's exactly What? I said, hold on. Hold on, bro. I don't know, but this ain't the way to do it. So let's just part ways amicably, because I'm not gonna have you torture a dog in front of me. This is not gonna happen. I thought you were like, Mr. You know, dog Whisper or something. Yeah. You know how many times I've written into that Caesar. Whatever name his name is to try and get him here to the front door to take care of?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Fantastic. If anybody could do it, he could.

[Brian Green]

But I think even he knows, because I sent videos I like, I submitted multiple times. He's like, yorkies, they can't be helped. And this one's out of her mind. This dog can't be helped. So a year into taking, or six months year into taking this medication that had been prescribed to her to hopefully, like, calm her anxiety down a little bit, which is why they think she barked so much. No Sherlock, by the way. No. So we try. I take. We missed two days. Two days of giving her the medication because we were just kind of getting into the routine. Right? Whatever the deal was. New baby. I forgot what happened. But we forgot to give her the medication for two days in a row. And I'm telling you what, that dog started to twitch.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It was really.

[Brian Green]

Yes. And I thought to myself, oh, I'm putting that dog through withdrawals. I remembered. And then I was like, oh, my God, you can't just take the dog off psychiatric medication. You can't take anybody.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Maybe it is doing it. Doing something.

[Brian Green]

Yes. Not making her twitch. But it's not the twitching that bothers me. It's everything else. All right, It's a TCB Infomercials episode. That's what we've decided to name our new. Our new. When our guests come in, TCB infomercials. Okay, I like that.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I like that, too.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, we thought about it last night. I'm telling Chrissy about the change right now. Well, to be fair, you just walked in the door. We started recording, so. TCB infomercials with Mr. Brad Williams. He is a comic. He's got a new special on veeps. He's doing a 780 is the ticket.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Master platform and not the show that was on hbo? Because that's what I keep thinking.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I know. Why would they name it Veeps? I don't understand. And it's spelled the exact same way, too. It's V, E, E, P, S. Yeah, I don't understand. Whatever. Anyway.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

But still, that's very Close.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it's too close. It's like you're on. Congratulations. Yeah. I didn't even know that they had a new season for you, but now this is like our third comic who's been in here with a Veep special. So Brad Williams new special is on Veeps. You could go, you could order it, download it. You can also go to one of his 787,000 shows that he's, he's like the commercial break he's doing Monday through Saturday every single week for the next number of months.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

He's going everywhere.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. So you can get those tickets. And he's going everywhere. Not such as the big cities, but the small cities, too. I'm sure we'll talk more about that when we get him on in here. But let's do this. Why don't we take a short break and then we can visit with Brad and then, you know, we'll wrap it up afterwards, we'll come back, we'll talk to you. We'll talk independently to you. The listeners will whisper behind Broad's back after we get done with that. Sound like a good one?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Sounds good.

[Brian Green]

Okay, we'll be back after this, after these messages. We'll be right back.

[Christina]

Well, thank the baby Jesus. Brian took a breath. And now I will use this opportunity to let you know that we've got a brand new phone number. That's right. It's 212-4333, TCB. And you can text us anytime you want or you can call and leave us a voicemail and we might just use your message on the show once Brian gets through all the messages he missed last year. Of course. Anyway, you can also find and DM us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok, cdpod. And of course, all of our audio and video is easily found on tcbpodcast.com Now, I'm going to thank G one more time that we have sponsors. So thank G. And here they are.

[Brian Green]

Hey, Brad, how are you?

[Brad Williams]

Hello. Good.

[Brian Green]

Thank you very much. Hello. Good to have you. Thank you very much for joining us here on the commercial break. You've certainly, certainly hit the top. Now, Brad, there's no place else to go. Conan invites you. You have to decline. That's our, that's right.

[Brad Williams]

I've always said, I've always said when people have asked me, like, what are your career goals? And I go, do, you know, you know, podcast, commercial break. Like, I don't really care about a Netflix special, HBO special sitcom. I just want to do this podcast, it's so great. It's so wonderful. And that's what I want to do. I. I don't want to demean you guys. You guys have. You guys have established yourself, and you guys.

[Brian Green]

Thank you.

[Brad Williams]

Put out a good product and. Yes.

[Brian Green]

And we have no idea how that happened. Wait. I often say we're the best little mediocre podcast that could. And I don't mind that because I think average is like, you know, when you're down the middle, you're with the rest of the people, so why not? You know what I'm saying?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. And like, if. Because, like, some of these podcasts come out and they have these huge corporate entities behind them. Yes. And then they're. Then they still stink. So when you have all of that and then you suck, it just sort of exaggerates the suck. But if you guys suck, you're expected to suck.

[Brian Green]

We sucked on our own.

[Brad Williams]

So anything that you do, Anything that you. Which now sounds like a completely different kind of description, but now, like, if you guys are any good at all, it's just like, hey, look at them with their little podcast.

[Brian Green]

Brad, you're. You're a. You're a man after my own heart. Because I'll. I'll. I'll explain this as I've explained it to Chrissy at our audience a million times. If. If no one expects anything out of us, then if they get a laugh or two, a right dude, then it's great. But if they don't get anything out of it. And a lot of. One person wrote a comment the other day, and they said, I like my podcasts with purpose. This does not have it. And I was like, yeah, me and.

[Brad Williams]

My friend talking about, yeah, man, low expectations. Low expectations. Set them low. That. I mean, that. That sounds like a name of one of my comedy specials, to be honest with you. But, yeah, just like, I can enjoy any movie as long as I go in with the right expectations. One of the most fun I've had at the movies recently is, do you guys see the film Cocaine Bear?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yes. Dying, laughing.

[Brian Green]

It was so good.

[Brad Williams]

I had. I went and saw it with a bunch of friends, and there. And of course, there was that one friend that walked out of it like, it was just, like, it was just dumb. Like, okay, so a bear is on coke. It's like, yes, it's a cocaine bear. They told you in the title. Who. Who watched the previews and was, like, looking at that, like, you. You expected Sir Lawrence of Olivier.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

To cut. To cut. To come out there and deliver us soliloquy. Like that's not what we're doing here. We're not making a Kurosawa film. We're making cocaine Fl.

[Brian Green]

Bear.

[Brad Williams]

Did the bear do cocaine? Yes.

[Brian Green]

Did a bear.

[Brad Williams]

Was it a bear? Yes. Did the bear kill people that were not on cocaine trying to run away from the bear? Yes. Cameo from Ray Liotta done. Okay.

[Brian Green]

Yes. Yes. People came in there expecting Daniel Day Lewis. It wasn't Daniel Day Lewis. They took a news story clipping from a South Carolina local article and then made an entire movie out of it called Cocaine Bear. Go in expecting.

[Brad Williams]

So here's a fun fact about me. I've actually seen the real cocaine bear.

[Brian Green]

No.

[Christina]

Wow.

[Brad Williams]

Cuz the. Cuz the real cocaine bear is stuffed in a small tourist shop in just outside of Louisville, Kentucky.

[Christina]

You're.

[Brian Green]

No way.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Really?

[Brad Williams]

I was in Louisville. Louisville. I don't know how you pronounce it.

[Brian Green]

But either way, I don't even think they know how to pronounce it.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, you kind of have to put a cue ball in your throat. And I, I was there and this is about a month or so before or a month after the movie came out and I had seen it and I found out the cocaine bear was there because I did a joke on stage and someone yelled out, you know it's here, right? Like the hell it's here. And it's a stuffed bear. It's a taxidermied bear. And people have left offerings like bags of cocaine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's quite a few bags of flour.

[Brian Green]

Fl hour.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I. It's one of the best. I bought so many chachkes from that damn gift shop.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Oh, I would have too.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, coffee mugs, stickers.

[Brian Green]

The story, if I'm not mistaken, is bear finds a load of cocaine that was obviously meant for someone else. Like a drop off point or something. Gets into the cocaine, then has. Runs around for a few minutes and has a massive heart attack. Right. Is that basically like the story?

[Brad Williams]

That's. That's what actually happened? Yeah, but, but, but they're like, how can we make this into an hour and 20 minute feature? Let's have them kill people. So, yeah, it. The. I love that they said based on a true story. And at the beginning it's like, okay.

[Brian Green]

Based on a true story. Like Fargo was based on a true story. Got everybody. Yeah. Got me for years.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. So now crazy. And, and, and this will lead me into a different topic because now it's like you have people that tend to be Coming after comedians like Hasan Minaj saying, like, oh, he. He. He made up stories. He told stories on stage that weren't exactly true. Yeah, no shit. That's what we do.

[Brian Green]

We did the thing.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, you. You exaggerate. You elaborate. You make a point. Did you. Did. Did you hear the story? Did you feel something? You felt something. Did you feel good afterward?

[Brian Green]

Did you.

[Brad Williams]

Fantastic. Then we did our job. Who watches Cocaine Bear and goes. And when it says based on a true story, goes. Well, I did some fact checking. Turns out the bear did not actually go on a murderous rampage while on the Colombian. Bam. Bam.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it's what so true.

[Brad Williams]

Guys, I know.

[Brian Green]

I was talking about this with Chris the other day. My dad was asking me, how do you get all the content? You know, we do four days a week, which is way too many episodes of commercial break, but that's another story.

[Brad Williams]

Way too many days, way too many.

[Brian Green]

So leave them wanting more, but we decide to give them the most so.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

The or people can't even.

[Brian Green]

So my dad says, yeah, so my dad says, hey, how do you come up with all the content for the show? Like, do you literally walk around your entire day, like, thinking, this could be a good story for the podcast? I say, no, it doesn't work like that. I reflect at the end of the day, find out if there's a little nugget somewhere that then I can blow V8 about for another 30 fucking minutes. Because if I told the story exactly as it happened, no one would laugh. Because generally, people's lives aren't that funny. I don't walk around. I'm not Larry David. I don't walk around making everything hilarious. Right?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. You know, I mean, yeah, because although you may punch Elmo as well.

[Brian Green]

I would love to punch Elmo. I have small children. And I would love to punch Elmo. And a couple of the other ones, too, while we're at it.

[Brad Williams]

Peppa Pig.

[Brian Green]

Peppa Pig. Oh, it's big in my household. Don't get me started on Peppa Pig. Brad, I have a question for you, because Chrissy and I are talking about this last episode, and I know that you have some loose connection here. You just got off the Jericho cruise, is that right? Like a week and a half ago. Something like that.

[Brad Williams]

That is completely incorrect because it has to be called by its proper name.

[Brian Green]

Go for it. This.

[Brad Williams]

This is the Chris Jericho Rock and Wrestling Rager at Sea.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Whoa, That's a mouthful.

[Brian Green]

Your videos, I watched, I saw pictures. I went on other people's Instagrams. It looks Like a hairy guitar. I mean, music meet and greets. And as I would expect it to.

[Brad Williams]

Be live wrestling, cruise wrestling on a boat. Yeah. And wrestling fans on a boat. And they do stand up comedy and, or like they, they don't do it. I do it and thank God they don't do it. And, and, and I bring a bunch of comedians with me and it's unbelievable. It's amazing. I got to check off definitely a few things on my bucket list. There's so many times that in my adult life I just turned 40 that I wish I could go back, find, you know, 14 year old Brad Williams. Dude, it's gonna get sweet. Like, it's gonna like, here's a preview, shit's gonna get really cool. And I'm like, I would go back to my 14 year old pubescent self and if I can catch myself in between masturbation sessions, I would say, hey, you know how you like to watch pro wrestling? Yeah. Do you like the Dudley Boys? Yeah, I love the Dudley Boys. Well, guess what? You're gonna be in the ring with the Dudley Boys. Oh, and do one of their, one of their signature moves, which now don't get me wrong, the signature move is that I did at the, on the Chris Jericho Rock and Wrestling Rage at sea is it's, it's, it's called the what's up Headbutt. That involves me going to the second rope diving and then my head landing on the genitals of another wrestler. So that was fun. So as I say, what a signature move. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

So gonna go out, go out with nuts in your face. That's right, man.

[Brad Williams]

That's how we do it. And I'm pretty sure all those people, you know, they saw a dwarf give a headbutt to the nuts of a pro wrestler at that, at that point, do you need three wishes? They've already been accomplished. But it was awesome, man. It was truly amazing. And wrestling fans, I, I want to take these wrestling audiences with me everywhere. They were so encouraging for those unfamiliar with wrestling culture. Fans, fans like to chant. Fans do like chants. Like if they see a match that they are really liking, they'll, they'll go, this is awesome. Like that, like that's what they do. So they love chance. And then, and that's a real basic one. Some of them get really creative. So I did a couple of his lap. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brian Green]

Got it.

[Brad Williams]

Okay. I, I did. Whenever I do the Chris Jericho Rock and Wrestling Ranger at sea, this was my fourth time, I always write roast Jokes about the wrestlers.

[Brian Green]

Sure.

[Brad Williams]

And this time I wrote a joke. And thankfully, the news about. I mean, not thankfully, but you'll understand. The news about Vince McMahon had just broken before the boat. So I did a roast joke about Vince, and to. To hear a theater of about 900 people chant, Holy.

[Brian Green]

Holy.

[Brad Williams]

That's. Oh, my God.

[Brian Green]

Tell the joke.

[Brad Williams]

Okay, hold on. I actually have it here.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Talking about.

[Brian Green]

That's what I was gonna ask you about. You were. You were heading in the direction I was.

[Brad Williams]

Hold on.

[Brian Green]

Take your time.

[Brad Williams]

Let me find this.

[Brian Green]

Great news about podcasting is you can edit if there's. If there's lulls.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

But there's no lull with Brad. I love having comedians on.

[Brad Williams]

Okay. Yeah. All joking aside, AEW wrestling is amazing. They have accomplished wonderful things. They hold the record for the most attended wrestling show of all time. This year, they set it 80,000 people in Wembley Stadium. Only way WWE could do that is if they filled an arena with Vince's accusers. Yeah, there you go.

[Brian Green]

Have you ever met Vince McMahon? Have you ever been in the same circles? Vince McMahon?

[Brad Williams]

No. I mean, I've. I've never met him. It's kind of like. So there's a few people in this business. I was actually a part of a documentary one time that the. The name of the documentary is Everyone has an Andy Dick Story.

[Brian Green]

Oh, I know this. I know this documentary.

[Brad Williams]

Yes. And because if you meet Andy Dick, you don't have a story. You have a story. You don't just say, hey, Andy, and he says, nice to meet you, and then you go in your separate ways. There will be.

[Brian Green]

He pulls down his pants and he sticks his dick in your ear. Something along those lines.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

That's wild.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, I mean, that's. It's funny you say that. That's how I got a couple of gigs. Not. Not because I did that, but because Andy did that. So he got fired. So then they brought me in. That.

[Brian Green]

That.

[Brad Williams]

That's true. So it wasn't dick in the air. It was balls and a drink. But that's besides the point.

[Brian Green]

Andy. Geez. Radio. To balls and a drink.

[Brad Williams]

What are you doing? So from what I've heard, that is kind of how Vince is in that you never just have a interaction with. A basic interaction with Vince McMahon. You will always have a story, whether it be. It could be something as horrific as the allegations in the lawsuit and now. And now the federal probe, or. Or it can be something where you're afraid for your life, like Bob Costas. Although he. Although he handled that very well. Or it could be hilarious or it could be live, you know, like life threatening. Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Green]

He runs swings one way or the other.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

So if, so if you understand the wrestling world a little bit. So we were just talking about Vince, talking about all his drama.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I don't know much about it. So fill me in.

[Brian Green]

And I'm like a, a child of the 80s and 90s and WrestleMania was the event you had to watch, right? We're, and we're talking about, you know, Jake the Snake and Iron Chic and, you know, all those great wrestlers. So why, do you understand why everyone's so upset that the Rock all of a sudden showed up in the ring? Do you understand this?

[Brad Williams]

Do you get this?

[Brian Green]

Do you see how, like, people are threatening his dog? Like, death threats against his daughter? For what reason? Because someone else earned it and he didn't or something along those lines.

[Brad Williams]

So. All right, how, how can I. Oh, okay. So, so let's say that, that. Okay, let me try to put this in terms that you would, that the casual person would understand. Let's say you're, you're watching the Marvel movies, right? And you're watching it from day one, okay. And all of a sudden, like, they, you built up these relationships with these characters, you know, Iron man, you know Captain America, and they're gonna defeat Thanos. You, you have watched 10 years of Marvel movies, okay? Like, like, you're just, you're in it. You're invested in these characters. You're invested in their stories. You want to see Iron man finally defeat Thanos. And right before Iron man fights Thanos, Wolverine comes in and goes, don't worry, I got this. Now, would you have liked to have seen Wolverine fight Thanos? Yes, it sounds great. It sounds awesome. But I was invested in Iron Man. I, I wanted, I, I, I was dedicated and I wanted this. And, and I was into Wolverine, you know, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, when the, when, when those act, when those X Men movies came out. I'm not necessarily into Wolverine right now. So, yeah, that, that is the best way that I could tell you what's happening is that Cody Rhodes is the baby face of baby faces. Everybody is into him. They all thought he was going to win the title. Last year at WrestleMania, it's been another year. And his thing, he keeps saying is, I'm gonna finish my story. Finish my story. And as fans, we're all just like, we want you to finish the story. And like, he's the most. The term is over. But the, he's the most popular babyface in modern era. The most popular good guy. He literally comes out dressed kind of as Captain America. And now we're gonna get, you know, you know, Cody Rhodes versus Roman. Cody's gonna finally win the belt. Everyone's gonna go absolutely nuts. This is what we want to see. And then right before you hear the rocks music and you're just like, ah, shit, great. Like Rock Roman would be good.

[Brian Green]

But didn't the Rock move on to movies? Can't we just leave it alone?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah. So that. So that's why people are upset. That's why people. It's hashtag, we want Cody. So that. So that's what's happening in that world now. There are. If you read wrestling Twitter, which I do, because it's very entertaining. There are entertainment. There are so many. If you thought Alex Jones had conspiracy theories, oh, this is. Yeah, there. There's a lot of stuff about why they're doing this, what they're going to do, what the plan is. Some sounds great, some sounds very nefarious. So it's. It's really interesting.

[Brian Green]

I see this as the plus and the minus of the WWE or wrestling in general is that I honestly, I was talking to Chrissy and I'm like, I think it's the most honest sport because you already know that it's dishonest, right? You already know what it is on the surface, or at least you should know what it is on the surface. Right. I don't think death threats is necessarily a great way to get out your anger about a storyline, but I get it. You know, people are upset. But then also that gives people license to then go and have their own storylines going on in their own head. And I think some. Obviously, it's a soap opera. People take it. It's a soap opera. That's what it is. It's a soap opera. It's a sport. But people really do. Fudgeing wrestle.

[Brad Williams]

I mean, they get the same way, the same. If one of the Bachelorettes picks a bachelor, that's like, not the one that they all thought that she was gonna pick.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Totally.

[Brad Williams]

Then the fans go apeshit.

[Brian Green]

Right?

[Brad Williams]

Like, this is that. Yeah, this is that. So.

[Brian Green]

So this is a crazy story that you bring this up and it's a great example because my wife is watching the Bachelor and I. I hate laugh. Watch it, right? I think it's hilarious. I just love to watch the. The silliness of it all is interesting to me. My wife gets into it. So there's this year, the Bachelor. There's there's two girls, they're sisters. It's the first episode of the Bachelor, and the two sisters have met with the Bachelor. And one of them is a real hahu, and the other one's very sweet and very nice. And so my wife is like, oh, he's definitely kicking off that mean sister. Everyone hates her. She's a. They didn't even connect. Blah, blah. And I said, esther, you have no idea how this works. The producers have predetermined that these sisters will make it pretty close to the end because that is the kind of drama. Drama that drives ratings. And when it came time for what rose ceremony or whatever it is, of course he picked the sisters because the producers said, we can't miss this opportunity to make a great story, so.

[Brad Williams]

Exactly.

[Brian Green]

Maybe they're jobbing you, maybe they're jobbing everybody by throwing the rock in the ring and saying, meet me at WrestleMania, you know, and everyone's like, ah, I like the rock, but I don't like this.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, the thing, the thing about, the thing about wrestling is it's kind of like comedy in that you never. It's. You. You never know what's real and what's not. You never know what's. What's a bit, what's a work. You never know. You just never know. So I just like to sit back and enjoy the fireworks. That. That's what I like to do. And if, if. And, and like, kind of like you touched on earlier, wrestling is a sport that, because it's predetermined, people feel like they have a little more control over it and a little more ownership of it. But really, it's guys, it's like, guys just sit back, relax and watch the show.

[Brian Green]

Watch the show.

[Brad Williams]

Watch the show.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

That's what makes it.

[Brian Green]

If it always turned out the way you. You would like it to, then you.

[Brad Williams]

Would never watch it because you would never watch it.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, it's like, it's like an episode of Breaking Bad that always ends with, you know, with Bryan Cranston getting away. Well, when's he not going to get away with it? The fact that you never know if he's going to get away with it or not makes it interesting. So I totally agree.

[Brad Williams]

It's something. And I'm glad you brought that up because it. It's something that I like to tell people when it comes to joke writing, when they're like, I didn't like that joke. Why didn't. Why did you do. Why did you do that joke? Or why did you Expand on this thing. It's like, here's the thing. The intent is always to entertain. But like you said, if you don't have conflict, there is no punchline, there's no risk.

[Brian Green]

Yeah. You're not falling off the edge.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Yes. So you have to create those risks. You have to create those circumstances. You have to stretch the rubber band and get the tension as tight as possible. Because then if you could hit that joke, it's, it's a release. It's such a big release where if you just tell the average story of like we said earlier, of like, if I just did jokes about what I did every day, it's boring as hell. Today I have woken up, I have had a tea. I walked my daughter to school, and now I'm. And now I'm talking to yahoos in their basement. That is what. That is my day so far. Now I can expand on that and I can make it like, yeah, I walk my daughter to school and we're both dwarves. And so people that are driving by, see to two dwarves walk to school and they're, and they're, they're like, oh.

[Brian Green]

Let those two kids, you know.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They say that they, they, they say, oh, do they go to a special school that's just a mushroom with the door in it. Like, like, like, like, what do they do? Like, and it's raining in Southern California, so. Oh, my God, do they have their floaties? Because those puddles look dangerous for them. Like, it's like, you, can you expand? And that, that's, that's how jokes are written. That's how story is created. That's how conflict is done. Nothing is gonna be exactly as you want it to be, because if it is, it's gonna suck.

[Brian Green]

That's right. And you have to walk that line sometimes. And, you know, we understand, we understand this, doing a lot of content, there's some places you never want to go, right? And if, if, if that's your brand of comedy, you never go there, right? And then there's some places where you just kind of. You walk the line. Because the risk in the joke telling is that you may offend some people, but that you're going to make a lot of people laugh. But that's also how you push the envelope there. I think there's a real psychology to comedy and joke telling. And I do believe that societally, in. Since the age of jesters, comics have helped us expand what we think is okay, not okay or right because they have been telling stories in a way that takes risks and allows you to think and laugh at stuff that otherwise is just too serious to wrap your head around. And so that's why I think comedy, you know, not what we do, we just sit behind a microphone to nobody. You go up on stage and you actually have to take the risk of laughter, not laughed.

[Brad Williams]

Right.

[Brian Green]

We don't get to hear what happens in people's cars or their jog or whatever. But I think that the, the storytelling in and of itself, the risk in and of itself is that you fail, but then the reward is that you open people's minds in a way they don't see it. I think one of the things I appreciate about your comedy is that you are, you don't shy away from the fact that you're a little person. You don't shy away from it at all. You really talk about your life in, in kind of sometimes brutal terms. Right. I, I think you were telling a story about how your dad was your first bully. He was like, if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen here where we can practice, right?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

When you said, I wish I could go back and talk to my 14 year old self, I actually do this sometimes. I actually sometimes tell myself, my 15 year old self, it will fucking get better. My child was a little rough around the edges. It will fucking get better. Brian. Just hang tight, hang tight. Don't jump off the cliff, don't do that, don't do this. Just hang tight, right? It will get better. It's going to take a very long time, but it's going to get better. When you were a kid and you're, did you see what your dad. Do you now see what your dad was doing as noble or do you see it as tough or both?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, thankfully, thankfully. He was explaining it to me like, as it was happening. So I got it kind of in real time.

[Brian Green]

Okay.

[Brad Williams]

So he, he was telling me, no, I'm making fun of you as a kid. You got, because you gotta understand, my dad's not a dwarf. He, he was average size. So, so he would tell me like, no, I'm making fun of you. So when other kids make fun of you, you're ready and it doesn't phase you. And it would. So like, it worked. So like he would, he and I would literally sit down and write jokes together, write comebacks. So then when a kid came up to me and said something mean, boom, I had a response. It was quick, it was good. And, and then the kid cried and I would go to the principal's office. It was a great, it was a great thing. So that, that's what. So I look back on and go, it was genius. So now with my daughter, who is also a little person, man, the kid that makes fun of her first, that's not gonna go well because I'm writing, I'm already, I'm, I'm literally already doing it. I'm already writing these like, roast joke style comebacks. So if, if someone, you know, if some kid walks up and goes like, ah, you're, you're, you're a, you know, she could be like, yeah, I am. And I'm here because my parents love each other. You're here because your mom doesn't know how to swallow.

[Brian Green]

So.

[Brad Williams]

I'm gonna do.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

With each age that she gets at.

[Brian Green]

You can kind of accelerate it a little bit.

[Brad Williams]

Oh, no, I'm, I'm gonna go with that one. I'm gonna go with that one. When she's five. Yeah. I'm gonna make sure that every kid that makes fun of her pays for it and knows that that's not a good idea.

[Brian Green]

What?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, so I, I am, I'm stoked about that. And I think that that's a healthy way to look at the world. I, I said it. My special daddy issues, where my father prepared me for the world that is and not the world that should be. The world that should be is a wonderful, amazing place where no one gets made fun of, no one gets hurt, and everyone looks out for each other. The world that is is fucking cutthroat as hell. And you have to like, be, be a good person, be considerate to others, but you gotta look out for number one. And, and, and there's scammers out there, and there's so much, there's so much bad out there that you have to be aware of it so that when it does happen, you are, you are, you are prepared for it.

[Brian Green]

True or not true? You got your start because you were at a live Carlos Mencia show and he started making fun of little people and he was, then he started directing that toward you. He was essentially roasting you there in the audience and you were like, well, if I'm going to get roasted, I'm going to banter back and forth, forth. Is that true?

[Brad Williams]

To some. To some degree. What I tell me was he was on stage as at the brae improv in 2000. 2003, I want to say. Yeah, yeah. March 2003. And I was in the audience and he started making jokes, not knowing I was there. And half the audience was laughing. And the audience that was sitting by me was like.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

And he noticed that. And he's like, why? He's like, why aren't you guys laughing at these jokes? And he actually said the line. He goes, what is one of them here? And I. And I just was. I raised my creepy little hand in the air, like, yep. And he called me up on stage, and he started asking me questions. And I didn't try to be funny. I just answered the questions honestly. But the. But my answers got laughs. I still remember the question that did it. It was. He said, what do you do for a living? And I grew up in Southern California. I was living in Orange county, and I did what a lot of teenagers did when you grow up in Orange County. As I looked at him, and I was like, I work at Disneyland. And then I got laughs like that, like little Snickers. I stopped, looked at the audience, and went, fuck you. I'm not one of the seven. That was it.

[Christina]

That was.

[Brad Williams]

And I got that laugh. And I was like, oh, that felt good. Yeah.

[Christina]

I felt really addictive.

[Brian Green]

Oh, it's addictive.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Then I started doing that. Then I started looking up open mics and doing that. And. And here we are 20 years later, talking to you guys, which was my plan the whole time.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's right. All come together.

[Brian Green]

And then he, like, took you under his wing, and you were on his show, too. Right. And then. So that kind of furthered your career, I would imagine, when you're on. The Carlos Mencia show was hot for a period of time, and.

[Brad Williams]

It was great. It was wonderful. I got to be his opening act. And then sort of. That was my version of college. And then I sort of spread my wings, went out on my own, and got to make a little money performing for no people. And. But you do that for a long time and you cut your teeth.

[Brian Green]

Oh, we know.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yes.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah. Build the audience. Because, Pete. Because people say, like, people have asked me before, like, oh, what was your big break? And the answer is, I don't have a big break. I have about eight little breaks, and each one led to the next one.

[Brian Green]

Yep.

[Brad Williams]

So I could tell you, like, a few times. Like, a few times where it's like, oh, cool, that happened. So now I got. I raised up a level. It's nothing. It's like when someone loses a bunch of weight, they all. They always get asked, how'd you do it? The. And people ask because they want the answer to be, I did nothing. I took. Yeah, I took Ozempic. I kept eating ice cream. There was no side effects.

[Brian Green]

And I myself to Sunday, but I made it work.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, Yeah. I lost 40 pounds and I got rock hard abs. Like that's what, yeah, that's what they, they want to hear.

[Brian Green]

But that's not the truth.

[Brad Williams]

That's not the truth. The truth. More often than not, especially with weight loss as well, I had to diet, I had to exercise, I had to really watch what my caloric intake. I had to avoid, you know, fats and sugars or not fats, but you know, sugars and carbs, stuff like that. So that's, that's the answer. But we don't want that. And so when, when people, when people say what was your big break? They want me to say like, oh, I was at a gas station, I told a joke and the vice president of show business was there and he decided to make me a star like that. That's not what happened.

[Brian Green]

All right, sweetie, you're gonna be a star.

[Brad Williams]

Come on with me. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Heather McMahon was just saying the same thing the other day on her show. She was like, people just all of a sudden think that it just happened overnight, but it didn't. And it's. I've been working at this for years and years and years.

[Brian Green]

Well, I think we all want to believe in our, that there, you know, all the dreamers and all the people who are out there that want this some kind of, in anything that they do. I suppose it could be guitar playing, it could be shoveling, I don't know. And you want to be the best shoveler that ever lived. You want to believe that you can walk in to your first day at shit shoveling and that you're the best that ever lived. But that's not how it happens. It's not one big break. It's many small breaks that break in your favor. And by the way, as we've learned on this show, oftentimes the big breaks are followed by huge disappointments that then you have to pick yourself up and get and do it again, Right? And okay, now we got to go again. I'm sure still to this day probably you walk some, some nights are great and then some nights you're like, man, I just didn't have it tonight. Right? Oh yeah, absolutely.

[Brad Williams]

And in terms of the overnight sensation with comedy, I'll give you a perfect example. Is right now one of the hottest comedians in the world and I, I call him the Taylor Swift of comedy. Yes, yes, Matt Rife. And, and, and he's selling out shows all over, and people like, oh, my God, this pretty boy with high cheekbones just started selling tickets. But all the comics out here in Los Angeles, no. Matt has been at this since he.

[Brian Green]

Was a teenager being.

[Brad Williams]

Yes, like, teenager. He was the opening act for Dane Cook for years. Like, he, like, he's been at. He's been broke. He's been at the Laugh Factory. He's been like, I saw Matt. So in 2020, when the lockdown happened, the Laugh Factory started doing these virtual shows where they would put. Oh, yeah, TVs in the laugh Factory that would have screen like, that would have the zoom. So we kind of had an audience, but not really. And Matt was hosting those shows for nothing. Just to get. Just to get the reps. Yeah, keep the reps going. So that dude has worked so hard.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Part.

[Brad Williams]

So there it is. Not an overnight success with that guy. And, and you. And you can look at almost any comedian and find very similar stories.

[Brian Green]

I think those overnight sensation stories, they are so few and far between. And there are a few of them. They're. They're, you know, you walk onto Americans Got Talent, you got a record contract the next day or whatever, there are stories like that. But that is not the norm. That is the exception. Like with sometimes, you know, ridiculously sometimes. Oh, how did your podcast get so popular? I don't fucking know. 600 hours of content. Like, 600 hours of content. I guess with just blunt force trauma to the head, people started listening. Right. And that's the way that it is.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, it's Malcolm gladwell stuff, but 10,000 hours. But thankfully now I've. You cut your teeth. So when you get to the point where you're popular or you start being successful, you're prepared for that. So now when I'm. When I'm. When I just put out my new special on Veeps, and then. And then we have this whole tour that's like insane coming up.

[Brian Green]

200 nights or something.

[Brad Williams]

And that's not all of them. We haven't even announced.

[Brian Green]

Wow.

[Brad Williams]

We haven't announced the overseas dates yet. But you have a.

[Brian Green]

You have a wife and a kid.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know. How does this work?

[Brad Williams]

At some point, I would like to meet them.

[Brian Green]

Hey, that's a novel idea.

[Brad Williams]

I hear they're wonderful people. But. Yeah, so. So this next year is going to be crazy. But I'm prepared for that because of all the work I've put in previous and now. So when I had to write essentially a whole new hour in about seven months from when the recording of the new special to the current hour that I have on tour. I was ready because I've learned how to do that.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

So now I'm really happy with the hour. We've been. And you know, it's been getting great response on the, on the tour dates so far. And so, yeah, I'm giving the people a good show. I. I don't want you to watch my special starfish on Veeps and then come see me on this crazy tour and then see the exact same material. I want it to be different. So thankfully it is.

[Brian Green]

So let me ask you a question. So Veeps is the new. It's the new Ticketmaster live platform. Am I right about that? Okay, so we've had. We've had a couple other comedians who have Veep Veep specials. I think Blair Saki was on. She has a Veep special. Yeah, Blair was great. Blair is wonderful. And so. So when you go out and do these like, back to back to back to back to back. Are. Have you done this kind of like back to back to back traveling before? Are you excited about it? Do you find it to be very stressful?

[Brad Williams]

I'm just. Listen, it's all of those things. It's very stressful because, you know, you're. I'm used to going to a comedy club and then just being in that comedy club for three, four days where I'm in the same hotel room. I kind of, you know, my home because becomes, you know, the Hilton Garden Inn in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that weekend, which, by the way, I'm coming to Tulsa, buy tickets. But so, like, I'm used to that. This is more like, all right, this day you're in Charlotte, the next day you're in Atlanta, and the next day you're in Savannah. It's like, okay, okay, let's go.

[Brian Green]

Let's go.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, it's a lot, but I always, when it. Whenever it seems to be a lot, I always try to sit back and go, but this is what I wanted. This is what I work for. I'm being compensated very well. And, and I'm not, you know, I can't be mad about that because I'm doing this all. I'm doing this all for my kid and, and her future.

[Brian Green]

Her future.

[Brad Williams]

So. So, yeah, like, and I get to see the country. It's. It's amazing when I meet people and they go, yeah, I've been like, my mother in law has been to like three states total, and I've been to all 50 and I've been to 18 different countries to do stand up. So it's like, wow, I really got to experience things. And I love going out and seeing our country because especially with I. I won't get too political, but especially with the upcoming election, there's a lot of people that think that this one part of the country is so different from this other part of the country. These people are good. These people are just bad. And there's a lot of that mentality right now, unfortunately, gonna get worse. But when you actually go to these places, you find out, hey, everyone wants the same thing. They want to earn a living. They want to, you know, they want their kids to. Kids to succeed. They pay their taxes, hopefully. And they want, you know, they. They want safety and security for their loved ones. That's what everyone wants.

[Brian Green]

That's it.

[Brad Williams]

Disagree slightly on how to achieve that safety and security, but the goal is the same. And I've realized that touring the country is. You go. And people go, what's it like when it. When. When you go to Alabama and then say, that's fun.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, there's humans there. There's humans.

[Brad Williams]

They laugh at jokes. Jokes are good, you know? And then the people in Alabama are like, what's it like up there in New York City? Are they just a bunch of cuckold lib tards and you're just like, no, they're cool, too.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, they have a few of those, but they're. They're mainly good people. Yeah, my wife, thankfully.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, thankfully, comedy kind of, for the most part, there's always exceptions, but thankfully, comedy for the most part, kind of weeds that out because, yeah, you. You kind of know what you're getting into. Very few people walk into. Because I'm doing a lot of theaters on this tour. Very, very few people buy a ticket for a comedian at a theater, and then when they hear a joke, go, what?

[Brian Green]

Because they've already seen that. Yeah. There's so much. So much research out there that I.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Know they want to come to your show.

[Brian Green]

Absolutely.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

And I find, like, my father, I'm married to a Venezuelan woman, and her father, who's still in Venezuela, has said this from the day that I met him. He. He wants to talk about politics. And that's what he says to me. You. But he also says this. He says extremes on both sides end up in the same place. Right. You end up in the same place. No matter which way you go left, right. You're gonna. It's a circle. You're gonna end up in the same place. But 99% of people are not there. They just want to live their lives, to be happy and to feel like they're free and secure. That's it. We all want the same things. It's. There's a lot of reasons why we're so politically divided. But when you do go and you travel, you realize that humans are just humans all over the place. They're not much different from each other. You know, regardless of your skin color, your size, your weight, your hair, your hair length, everybody just kind of wants the same things. And then of course, there are always outlying dipshits that just make trouble for everybody. But, you know, I guess that's, that's the risk you take. Just like when you get on stage and you make a joke. Brad, I feel like we covered exactly 1% of what I wanted to in this 45 minute period of time.

[Brad Williams]

Unfortunately, that's what kind of happens with me.

[Brian Green]

I feel like I could have done an hour with you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I know about Cirque du Soleil. Yeah, the AVN Awards. Words I wanted to know about. All right, I'll.

[Brad Williams]

I'll do all that. So Cirque du Soleil was awesome. I was the first comedian ever, first stand up comedian in a Cirque du Soleil show. I did stand up comedy. I didn't get fired out of a cannon and yell wee wee show. The show is called Mad Apple. It's still going on in New York. Hotel and Casino. I'm not a part of it anymore. I've, I've moved on.

[Brian Green]

But you did Mad Apple. Is that the, like the sexy version of the, the Cirque du Soleil?

[Brad Williams]

It's the new.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Aren't they all kind of sexy?

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, they're all.

[Brian Green]

It's always in New York. New York. Right.

[Brad Williams]

I've seen the backstage. Yeah, but so the, so the, the sexy one was the one before us. That was a show called Zoo Manity.

[Brian Green]

That's humanity is what I saw.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah, yeah. There was nudity on stage, but. Yeah, so. But it was very challenging. Whereas a stand up comic, I had to go on after the two guys that juggle each other with their feet. That's new. But it was a wonderful experience. I like doing things that challenge me. Whether it be that, whether it be going on a 70 city 200 show date tour or launching a special on a new platform and helping them get off the ground. I like doing things like that. I like doing things that challenge me. Now you mentioned AVN Awards. Now those are like the. Now those are like the porn Oscars. Right? Maybe I. Maybe I don't know my own bio. What, what does it say about me in the AVN Awards that you were.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Like a host, a part of it at one point?

[Brad Williams]

Oh, oh, oh. They asked me to host one year.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Okay. They just asked.

[Brad Williams]

I was not able to do it because my wife.

[Brian Green]

Yeah.

[Brad Williams]

Not a. Not a huge fan of me being around a lot of very attractive women that.

[Brian Green]

Sexually liberal women.

[Brad Williams]

With very low self esteem and they want to try things like I'm not. And I totally get that. It's probably a great idea because I love my wife very much and I would like to keep half my show.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

And she's a black belt writer of fourth degree.

[Brad Williams]

It is. If I, If I turn the camera, you'll see the awards. So. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fourth dawn, black belt. I have to say, not just black belt, fourth dawn. So I sleep in between a fourth dawn black belt and a 90 pound pit bull. I sleep like a baby.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, you are protected. All right. Brad Williams is on a epic Coming to Atlanta. Coming to Atlanta. That's where we are. So we're in Atlanta.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

For two nights. Two different theaters, actually. I saw that you were in two different places.

[Brad Williams]

I'm going nuts.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, I mean, just wherever you can get them. Brad was on does the check Clear.

[Brad Williams]

I'll go there. People are like, oh, so you're going to like all the major cities like Atlanta, Denver, New York, L.A. seattle, Miami. Yes, I'm going to all those. But I'm also going to Terre Haute, Indiana.

[Brian Green]

Right.

[Brad Williams]

Terre Haute Boat. I didn't know what that was.

[Brian Green]

I know. I didn't know what that was either, until you just said it, so.

[Brad Williams]

But I, I'm excited though. Yeah. I'm stoked to go there. So. Yes. I'm excited for the big shows like in Nashville. We're doing like the Ryman Auditorium, the home of country music. And that. That I might cry on that stage. I'm not gonna lie.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

It's amazing.

[Brad Williams]

We're also, you know, we're also going to Grand Rapids and like I said, Terre Haute, Indiana, and Omaha, Nebraska, and all these, all these other cities that maybe a lot of people kind of, kind of pass over. I don't care. I'm going there.

[Brian Green]

You're gonna fill it because they're gonna find it extremely fun that someone's coming to their town. That's gonna make them laugh. And I think that's a smart move, actually. Yeah. So he's going on a epic tour of the country. Check him out, get tickets. I believe you can get them through Ticketmaster, through your local ticket broker, Veeps. His new special is out. You can go watch it on Veeps. There's a bunch of comedians but Brad is got a new special out and we hope that you go watch it. Brad, you must come back because I will. I asked one of the questions and I had 30, so I know but that's the sign of a good interview. We just, we just wrapped. That's it.

[Brad Williams]

Do we'll do a rapid fire at some point. But yes, I would love, I would love to come back back. I've got some exciting stuff that are, that's coming up that I, I, I'm not literally not allowed to mention.

[Brian Green]

So why don't you check in when you're coming back to Atlanta and that would be good. Maybe you even come to our basement. That's not a basement.

[Brad Williams]

Buckhead theater.

[Brian Green]

That's right.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Brian Green]

Yeah, that's right.

[Brad Williams]

So yes, I, I will. We'll talk about the world of Coca Cola. We'll talk about Ted Turner. It'll be cool. Great.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Nice.

[Brian Green]

Brad Williams on beeps. Go check it out or live at a local near you. Thanks, Brad. We appreciate it.

[Brad Williams]

Thanks, guys.

[Christina]

What? Oh, hi, it's Christina again here to remind you to go to tcbpodcast.com for all things audio, video and TC BDO. Give us a follow on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok @TCB podcast. And guess what? We have a new phone number. I know what you're thinking, but I promise this is the last TCB phone number you will ever have to remember. So call us and leave us a voicemail or text us at 212-4333, TCB. Once more for the people in the back. That's 212-4333 TCB. Oh, and check out our YouTube channel at YouTube.com TheCommercialBringer Take. That's all for now. Let's listen to our sponsors and get back to the show.

[Brian Green]

Wow, Cool.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

All right.

[Brian Green]

Like Brad, Brad was cool. Yeah, yeah. Brad's got so yeah. In case you didn't know what to say, he's got a lot to say. But in case you didn't pick up on this, I'm sure you must have. But if you don't know Brad Williams, you didn't pick up on the interview because we didn't focus on it because there's no reason to focus on it. But Brad has dwarfism. He's a, he's a little person. And so that's why we were talking about when his dad was. Was bullying him. And I found that to be really fascinating to me. I don't know that I would necessarily take that direction with my children, but I also don't have children that were born as little people.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Right. He was trying to prepare him for what other kids might say to him and then come up with comebacks.

[Brian Green]

Comebacks that he. So that he was like a natural instinct of response. And I see, like, defusing with humor or a comeback, how that could be a really good trick to just. Just make people think, wow, he's just like me, you know? And he actually. He has better comebacks than I do. He has better insults than I do. And I do. I did want to ask him one thing, and we'll ask him this. Maybe if he ever comes back. But maybe if he ever comes back, like any of our guests, they all agree to. And then one of our producers pointed out, of course they do. You ask them on air, Brian, like, they're gonna say, no, I'll see. I will see.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

He is coming to Atlanta.

[Brian Green]

He is coming to Atlanta. So maybe we'll hook up with them then. One of the things that I wanted to ask him was, is whether or not he thinks that television shows like the ones that I watch on tlc, fetishize little people or do they break barriers down. And I bet he would say both. Right. But I love those shows. And the reason is, is because the personalities are fascinating, and I do like to watch how they navigate the world. Yeah, they. And they navigate the world like anybody else would. You have a problem, you know, you can't reach the top. You get a ladder. Right. It's like anybody would do. I can't change the light bulb. I get. I grab a step stool. Well, I. You know, they have to grab cups out of the, you know, the house.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That was made for normal people differently, maybe. And. Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Oh, man, I wish I could have asked him that, but, you know, I didn't. Just didn't get a chance. But I didn't get a chance to ask him anything that I wanted to ask. There's one thing I do have to say about Brad is that guy can fill the. The dead air. He knows how to do it.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

He does.

[Brian Green]

And as a guy, I was all very interesting.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I. I didn't realize that it breezed.

[Brian Green]

Through 42, 48 minutes, something like that. We said, hey, can you give us 30 minutes? He said, yeah, 48 minutes later. And I feel like we just. He was just finished wrapping the first question, but as people who have to fill dead air for a living. That feels really nice, actually. I'm like, okay, all right, somebody else do the talking for once. I like that. And. And also, what you didn't see or you might see if you watch it on YouTube.com the commercial break is that he had a painting of Robin Williams behind him done by a fan and his last name is Williams, too. And Robin and him have actually, I believe, met.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I read that.

[Brad Williams]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

Because he called. What did he call him, like, Robin Williams called him Prozac with a head.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yes.

[Brian Green]

I don't even know what that means, but it's kind of funny, isn't it? All right, well, there you go. Little Brad Williams for you. Thanks to Brad for coming in. We do appreciate it. Go check out his Beep special. Go see him live in concert. He is coming to Atlanta and he is playing two different theaters.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

That's.

[Brad Williams]

Isn't that weird?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, but maybe he couldn't get one theater, he got the other theater. Or maybe he sold out one and then he decided, let me book a second gig.

[Christina]

1.

[Brian Green]

I don't know how all that works. We're trying to get into that. We're, like, thinking about doing live shows, and it already feels like too much work for me. I'm like, ah, really?

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Can't we just show up?

[Brian Green]

Yeah, the. Well, the promoter was like, well, he's. First of all, we asked the question, like, how much money do we have to spend to do this? And he's like, oh, nothing. And I was like, thumbs up. Tell me where to be. I'll be either. I mean, we're talking about 200 check, right? We're not talking about big money.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

Yeah.

[Brian Green]

But then. Then he was like, yeah, all I need you to do is go ahead and tell me which cities that you think you could fill a room. And I'm like, what kind of room are we talking about? And he's like, well, let's start small. And I'm like, a bar with three tables or are we talking like 200 people? And he said, well, that really depends on how much. How many people are actually listening to you out there.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

And then we realized, yes.

[Brian Green]

And then we realized this is probably never going to happen if someone pays me $200 to show up to a bar and tell some jokes. I will do that, though, no matter where it is, even if I had to spend $700 an airfare to get there. Because that was the other caveat. They're not going to pay for your travel. And I was like, oh, so you want me to pay to show up? How does this work? How does it. So it's already a headache to me. I'm like, ah, such a good idea.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

But think about it.

[Brian Green]

Let me, let me be like so many other people who do this for a living and never leave the studio for fear that something different might happen, something wrong might happen. Anyway, tcb podcast.com that's where you go. You find out more information about Chrissy and I. All the show notes, the video and the audio all there, one location. DCB podcast.com we would appreciate it if you would go there and also get your free piggy fronting sticker. Hit the contact us button. Drop down menu says I want my free sticker. Give us your physical address, we'll give you the sticker and everything will be right with the world. 626. Ask ECB the number 31626. Ask TCB the number three questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. Ask Brian's mom. Ask TCB. You can send them all via text message or voicemail at the commercial break on Instagram, TCB podcast on tick tock and YouTube.com the commercial break. Wow, that was a mouthful. All right, Chrissy, I guess that's all I could do for today.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I think so.

[Brian Green]

I'll tell you I love you.

[Kristen Joy Hoadley]

I love you.

[Brian Green]

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