
Neal Brennan has a new special on Netflix, and the first place he came to discuss it is The Commercial Break...right? A screener account P Diddy The bridge collapse (eclipse season) NFTs Doing ayahuasca by a six flags Irish Catholic Crazy athletes & sports that should be illegal Breaking norms Mike Tyson coming out of retirement Writing for nickelodeon Peanut butter and fluff Exposure therapy NEAL: Watch Neal’s special Crazy Good on Netflix! Neal’s website LINKS: Send us show ideas, comments, questions or concerns by texting us 212.433.3TCB text or leave us a voicemail Watch TCB on YouTube Watch for Live Show info at www.tcbpodcast.com Hosts Bryan Green & Krissy Hoadley Producer: Christina A. Producer: Gustavo B. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Neil Brennan
While I haven't been gay, I have experienced a ton of homophobia. Cause I have a bidet. Yeah. And my straight guy friends will be like, can't do it, bro. Can't have water shooting up my. I'm like, are you worried about. Look, if the only thing keeping you from being gay is water hitting your. You are gay.
Brian Green
On this episode of the commercial break.
Neil Brennan
I'm dating someone with a kid. I relate. She, the kid, the boy. Her son is like three and a half. And it's just, like, incredible.
Brian Green
That's the age. That's the age.
Neil Brennan
I keep hearing that. That's why I'm gonna break up with her.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
He's four now.
Neil Brennan
Because I'm not gonna stick around for a bunch of garbage ages.
Brian Green
The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Yeah, boy. Oh, yeah. Kids and kittens. Welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and of this silly show, Kristen Joy Hoadley. Best to you and best to you out there in the podcast universe. Thanks for joining us on today's TCB infomercial with one of my faves, Neil Brennan is coming on the show. He is funny. We've been headlong into his material for, you know, a couple weeks now that we've been preparing for him to come on the show. And I do have to say he's one of my faves right now. I think he's one of the most intellectual comedians on the circuit right now. And I'd be happy to pick his brain about it when he gets here in just a few minutes. And coincidentally or not coincidentally, his new special comes out today on Netflix. And feel free to go give that a gander because I think you're gonna like it. Chrissy and I had an opportunity to get a look in.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, we preview felt very special.
Brian Green
I did feel very special.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I do have to say that preview of this.
Brian Green
After months of interviewing celebrities, after weeks.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
And weeks promoting Netflix, of promoting Netflix.
Brian Green
They finally gave us an opportunity to take a look at what we're talking. We got one of those screener accounts which, you know, they give them to everybody. I mean, they give them to anybody. I don't know about anybody who wants them, but, you know, they will say to certain outlets, they'll say, hey, if you're gonna do promotion on this particular show, why don't you let that show take a look at what you're promoting ahead of time so that you can go and look at it? And so it doesn't look anything like a screener account. It's just, you know, Netflix screener account. There you go. And then. But your name is bouncing all around the screen while you're watching it, which is the only like a little bit. The thing that was a little bit off putting I guess, is that your name is there. And that's. So of course you don't then release that material out there.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Who did?
Brian Green
If you did it, if you did it, you get caught and you will be in trouble and you will not have that account anymore. But I do have to say Neil was nice enough and Neil's people were nice enough to let us in on that screener account so we could watch his special before coming on the show. And it is hilarious.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Jeff and I, we were saying we haven't laughed like straight through a comedy special in a long time. And it was the whole time we were laughing.
Brian Green
It's ball bustingly funny. You have to watch it. So go now and search that Neil Brennan special on Netflix, available today, April 9th. As you're listening to this, what is going to be old, old news by the time we get there, but I think we do have to talk about it at least just a little bit. Is P. Diddy getting busted?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I know by the time this comes.
Brian Green
Out, he'll already be in jail. Yeah, who knows?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Just getting this today, we're just getting the snake.
Brian Green
And I'll breeze all over all the details will change every minute from here until, you know, when we actually release this. But I will say this is that his drug dealer got busted with him. He's, he's got a private jet which people tracked as this, as this is happening over the last couple of days that people tracked down to the Caribbean. So they thought, well, he flew the coop, he went down to the Caribbean. But not true. He was in Miami waiting to get on a separate plane to file to fly to the Caribbean. I guess he decided, well, everyone's going to know my jet. So let me get on another jet and I'll fly down there. And he decides to take his drug dealer with him.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Well, his drug dealer, we saw a picture.
Brian Green
Looks like a kid bumming a cigarette from me outside of a bar. This does not look like a drug dealer. He's like 24, 25 years old, white is the driven snow, wearing a hoodie, clean shaven, doesn't look like he could grow a mustache if he tried. And I'm like, that's your drug dealer? All the people you know, you were all the people you know, Diddy. And that's the guy that's bringing your shit with you. It's silliness. Don't do that. Well, can't you get it where you go? I mean, honestly, if you're going down to the Caribbean, it doesn't it make sense that you would be able to like, find somebody to get you a little. Yeah. Whatever it is you're into blowing strippers. I don't know whatever it is you're into. But let's, let's wait and to see how all this pans out before we talk more about it. But I will say that if true, whatever he's being investigated for if true is pretty fucking horrific. And there are so many people now coming out of the woodwork saying I told you so and pointing to past media or posts or whatever that they put out there, including that Danity Kane, remember that Danity Kane band that he put together? And then they had like the girls group, you know? Yeah, no, Forever or something like that. I don't know. Maybe I'm mixing up a Netflix show called Five Forever. Is that it?
Neil Brennan
Oh, yeah.
Brian Green
Five Ever. Five Ever. Maybe I'm mixing that up with. With the P. Diddy special, with the PDD group that he put together on mtv making the band. All right, I forgot, but that, that girl came out and she said, hey, listen, I told you guys this long time ago. And there's a lot of other people who are saying this too, including now Cuba Good.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Gooding Jr. Is getting wrapped up into it as well.
Brian Green
I think Cuba, I mean, I think this is true. I hope it's true. If it's not, then I'm allegedly Cuban. Gooding Jr. Didn't he. With. Didn't he like grab some molest some girl at a bar at one point, then got arrested for and then he had to like pay a fine or something? I can't keep up either, but I haven't seen Cuba in too many movies lately. So I think that generally people have shied away from working with Cuba after this whole incident occurred. But then there's like the. That preacher that Oprah loves is now was hanging out with everybody was hanging out with Diddy at Diddy's parties.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
William, Huge parties.
Brian Green
What's that?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
He had huge parties.
Brian Green
Apparently the best parties. But you know, the best is like a. I don't know, it's a pretty loose term when you're talking about parties, right? You go to the best party and it could have half song Hoadley and Brian half drunk looking to score blow from D. Or you go to the best party At a mansion in Miami where there's lots of illegal things going on that, that clearly you would have to have a more no moral compass to avoid, you know what I'm saying? So I don't know. When they say the best parties, I think that's just code word for was way too crazy for me, bro. Sorry I even showed up. Erase the video. You know, I'm saying I think there's a lot people right now wishing they didn't go to the craziest party that did. He threw for sure. And you know what else is just happening now, in case we mention it to Neil, is that bridge collapse that just happened in Baltimore. And the thing that I find interesting about the bridge collapse, clearly I don't think it was terrorism or anything. I think it was just a captain who lost control of his ship. But the thing that I do find interesting about that is like, how are they going to get all those other ships out of port? Like, if that's the port, where do they send all the other ships? Yeah, yeah. It's like my kids running up and down the hallway right now. I have a gate and I close it so the kids can't get out of the port. But now clearly they've been let loose inside of the port. Release the hounds. Indeed. So listen, you know, I just got to say to Diddy, if you manage to get out of this without being in cuffs or in a courtroom, then we were all wrong and we're very sorry. But you need to change your drug dealer. This is not the guy you want running around with you in a group with P. Diddy. That's the guy. I'm pointing out as this one is not like the other. You know what I'm saying? This guy something is not like the other. And it's this kid, 25 years old, just fresh faced. I mean, I went to Catholic school with kids like this. But then again, the Catholic school kids did get the best drugs.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
That's right.
Brian Green
So. Yeah, because they could buy them from their parents. You know what I'm saying? That's the way that it went. Speaking of Catholic school, Neil went to Catholic school. We'll talk to him about it. It's going to be a fun time with Neil Brennan, his new special out today on Netflix. Go watch it. I promise you you won't be disappointed. Grab your wife, Grab your loved ones. Grab the kids. Probably not the kids. Grab them all up. Put them all up there on the bed and watch this Netflix special. It is ball bustingly funny. So let's Take a break, Hoadley, and then we will be back with Mr. Neal Brennan.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Let's do it.
Christina
What? Oh, hi, it's Christina again here to remind you to go to TCB PO for all things audio, video and tcbdo. Give us a follow on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok CBpodcast. And guess what? We have a new phone number. I know what you're thinking, but I promise this is the last TCV 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 thecommercialbreak. That's all for now. Let's listen to our sponsors and get back to the show.
Brian Green
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Neil Brennan
It's a pleasure to be here, guys.
Brian Green
How you ended up here, we have no idea. But fire your manager immediately if not sooner than. So, Neil, in these I have a question. It's, it's a burning question. In these times of uncertainty, bridge collapses and Diddy collapses and all kind of.
Neil Brennan
All this look like, I gotta say, pretty well made bridge.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
I could see.
Brian Green
Well, we just heard it. We were just listening. The side note here, we were just listening to a press conference and one of the reporters asked that bridge, it fell so quickly. Was there something wrong with it in the first place? And I'm like, did you expect a bridge to fall slowly? How does, how was a bridge supposed to.
Neil Brennan
Well, no, will say, I will say it just looked like it was made of wicker collapse.
Brian Green
It did look like a movie. It did look like something out of a movie.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
It's got keybridge. So maybe it's been around since that long.
Brian Green
It's been around for a while. So Neil, where are you keeping your bored Ape NFTs? What crypto wallet are you using?
Neil Brennan
I. Well, you know what's funny is there's more. They're joking about the fact that I have crypto jokes in my new Netflix special crazy good April 9th. And the, the I had more to that joke, but I wrote it so crypto could go either way up or down.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Good thinking.
Neil Brennan
So I omitted the, the part about it being down and how watching crypto go down was like watching the fyre festival from a nearby boat. How it was enjoyable for those of us not invested. But now we're all idiots.
Brian Green
Now I'm a moron because I divested of all my crypto at the very bottom. But you know, I never got into. NFTs are a whole different animal. Never got into that.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm stupid, but I'm not exactly.
Brian Green
I figured a collection of pixelated PDF dicks is probably not going to make me any money in the first place, so I chose not to collect.
Neil Brennan
I, I. You couldn't, you could have talked to me about NFTs for a million years and it never would have made sense.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Exactly.
Brian Green
It still doesn't make sen me, I think, I think it's. Anyway, I'm sure there's some.
Neil Brennan
Thankfully, people have just stopped talking about it. Thankfully people, they don't want you to.
Brian Green
Know what a fucking moron they are that they had spent $30,000 on a picture of an ape. So Neil, you did ayahuasca a number of times. Our intrepid researchers have figured out and listening to your specials. Have you done it quite a bit?
Neil Brennan
15Ish.
Brian Green
So when you do ayahuasca Are you doing the, like, the legit ayahuasca down in a ceremony? Mixing up the te. Throwing up everywhere.
Neil Brennan
It's. It's. I mean, it's. I'm doing it. It's legitimate in that it is the tea. I don't mix it. It's in North America. In fact, it's by Six Flags in California.
Brian Green
All right.
Neil Brennan
And. And it's. Yeah, it's as legitimate. The juice that. What, you. You just want the juice. And none of it, how it gets created or whatever is. Is less important than the actual meat of it, as it were.
Brian Green
I did. I've done ayahuasca a number of times, and I did it in. Yeah. In a ceremonial setting. I did this, like, I want to say, 15 to 18 years ago. I get invited to do ayahuasca in a ceremony. They're gonna. We're gonna bring some dude up. He's gonna bring the ayahuasca with him, make the whole tea right in front of us. And there were doctors like.
Neil Brennan
Like. Like guacamole.
Brian Green
Kind of like guacamole.
Neil Brennan
Yeah.
Brian Green
Only I got to be honest, I would have rather thrown up from the guacamole than from the ayahuasca, but, you know, same principle. And.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, beggars can't be choosers. You want to meet God or not?
Brian Green
So people have asked me, like, how. What was it like to, like, you know, do ayahuasca? And I had to go to a meeting before we did the ayahuasca because they had to tell us about the things that could or could not happen. There was a paramedic in the room. So I tell people this. I say it was kind of like getting invited to the can't miss party of the century, only they explain on the fine print on the bottom of the invitation may die a million deaths, and they conveniently leave that part out. It's an intense fucking experience. And just the number of times that I've done it, it's been both helpful, revelatory, incredible, but also very scary and intense. Did you feel the same way?
Neil Brennan
I mean, scary is not even scary. I would have paid for what I went through was worse than scary, but. But the same. All the upside, and it was worth it for me.
Brian Green
Did you. Great. Did you find that it helped? Were you a different person after you did ayahuasca? I felt I was. I felt I was not it.
Neil Brennan
Yeah.
Brian Green
Like, I just looked at the world in a different way. It was hard to shake it for a long time. And I think that kind of Got built into my, my DNA somehow. Did you find that also?
Neil Brennan
Yeah, I think it changes your brain.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
So I know that I'm different. People that don't know I did it perceive me differently. If you watch three of the, if you watch my three Netflix specials, like, this one is like the brightest and fastest and most fun. And there's none of the emo on that emo garbage I was doing. There's none of the, There's. It's kind of like, Like a buddy of mine said it was like, guilt free.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
And, and, and I think that's correct. And it's a combination ayahuasca. I did DMT once. Exploded my brain.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
And then I've done md. I've done MDMA a few times this year. And that's been really helpful as well.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah.
Brian Green
Yeah, I think. But I, I, I do. There is a notable difference in the new special that's out today on Netflix. There's a notable difference in the, the other specials and then the new special, but I do think that three mics. It was a revelation for me. I mean, just like the refreshing nature, your honesty on stage, it's not all yuckles and laughs, even though some of it is. It's really you just kind of opening yourself up to the audience and saying, here is what I struggle with. Here is what I deal with. Did you. And I know that's hit a note with so many people. I've seen you on so many shows and so many podcasts and everyone says kind of the same version of what I'm saying, but did it feel better or different to you to do this new special, or is it just like, this is just where I'm at right now and I'm gonna, I'm gonna be there.
Neil Brennan
It's where I'm at. Yeah, it was where I'm at. I don't want to disavow that. In fact, the reason I have an announcement at the beginning of the special going, like, if you're here because I'm sad, I'm not. I have some horrible news. And I put that in because someone complained. What a guy DM me and was like, where were you? Came to the show and was like, well, I was waiting for you to show up. Basically was complaining that I wasn't sad enough.
Brian Green
What?
Neil Brennan
So I. Yeah, basically. So. So I put that in and I don't, I don't not like. That guy that, you know, you may like from the other two specials is dead.
Brian Green
Right.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I don't think there was the same.
Neil Brennan
I'm just saying, like that's. Yeah. It's all. I'm. It's. I'm the same guy now. There's just no heaviness or there's significantly less heaviness than normal.
Brian Green
Yeah. Can I ask a question? Like piggybacking on that. When you deal with such clinical depression and something that really resonates with me is, I think something that you said in three mics, which is my self esteem. I don't have a floor. Right. It's just a hole that I'm constantly trying to feel. It's something that I identify with. At times. When you are. Are out so publicly in front of people and kind of speaking your mind, does that twist you sometimes when people have these expectations that you're going to somehow help them fix them, do this or is it. Does that just bounce right off you?
Neil Brennan
I don't really get caught up in people's expectations like, like that when I'm doing a show, I'm trying to do a show. You know what I mean? Like, even when I toured blocks, I didn't have the blocks. So I just did stand up and it was like a good hour. It was like, you know, and it was just as effective, so somewhat or so to speak. So the. With this, I'm not like, the people are out there and they're waiting for me and they need me. I just like, I'm gonna do a show and hopefully. I think a lot of what people remember is like that I was confessional and maybe something that they remember. And then. And then. I think most people dislike jokes.
Brian Green
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you sure you're clinically depressed or where you just have a bad case of Irish Catholic?
Neil Brennan
I mean, look, where does. Where does one end and the other.
Brian Green
Begin as an Irish Catholic? I don't know.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, that's the. That. That sure is a good question. And I. Yeah. I don't know. People like, are you sure that more than anyone Irish Catholic or How do you know? How do you know you're depressed?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I don't want to get out of bed.
Neil Brennan
I can't like technically prove it, but like it seems. I mean, there. It's like trained professionals have told me I am.
Brian Green
It's probably a good indication. Yeah, yeah.
Neil Brennan
Pretty good start.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
Yeah.
Brian Green
Irish. You know, Catholic is. Is a religion. I'm not gonna say it's a strange religion because I think they're all a little bit strange in their own way. And you know, it's. But when you grow up and you hear this messaging kind of repeatedly that you are the original sin and that. That, you know, these things are to be repressed and we don't talk about this. These things. And then all the other that comes along with being a Catholic. My, you know, my family life was. Was affected by the scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in such an intimate way. What's that?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Which one?
Brian Green
Oh, the one about the great question. You know, the one about the priests running around touching everybody. Which one? Yeah, which one? All of them. But then you, you know, it's. It's just kind of this.
Neil Brennan
It's not a good.
Brian Green
It's.
Neil Brennan
You're not supposed to feel good.
Brian Green
No.
Neil Brennan
As a cat. That's, again, that goes against the. The entire ethos. So. And you're not. And literally, it's in the Bible. Spare the rod, spoil the child. So you're supposed to feel bad. You came out broken and you're to be beaten into submission. And anyway, church is open nine to five. Yeah. So I don't. It's not a great. It's not a great religion. And it's. I. I think it's. It's. It's. I had some positive, some negative, you know.
Brian Green
Yeah, listen. I mean.
Neil Brennan
Yeah. Like, I don't put it. Yeah, it's. Christopher Hedgeon said it's like. It's like celestial North Korea. You're bad. And he goes, but the difference is you can escape North Korea. You can't really escape thinking you're bad. It's hard. You have to do a lot of ayahuasca.
Brian Green
Yeah. You have to do a lot of ayahuasca and it gets beaten into your head. I think you say something in one of your specials and you're like, listen, like, all good Catholics, I left at 12th grade or something like that. And I think that is so. I mean, I didn't believe it from about seventh grade on, but then at 12th grade, I went to Catholic school also. And it's like, you know, the daily mass and the. And the. And the. But after 12th grade, I'm like, I'm out of it. My parents didn't even like the Catholic.
Neil Brennan
It's like, yeah, the joke. If I can put it in joke for. If I can just get. If I can defend my honor real quick. The joke is that I. Being Catholics, like, playing trombone after 12th grade, you're like, I'm not doing that. Thank you. April 9th on Netflix.
Brian Green
Youngest of 10 children. That's way too many.
Neil Brennan
It is a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. I can't Really, I don't, I. That's the only way I grew up, so I can't really compare it. But are you close with 10 kids and you know, with that, those numbers you don't have.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, that's what I'm. That's what I'm thinking.
Neil Brennan
You couldn't be. It would be a full time job and. But yeah, 10 kids in 16 years, which is insane.
Brian Green
10 kids in 16 years. Yeah. So it's like by the time you're born, one of the kids is almost out of. Heist is almost out of.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, yeah.
Brian Green
What do you have in common with them? Almost nothing.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, my oldest brother Joe was like, I just realized, like, we barely grew up together.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Like, you just realized, like, I forgot about you.
Neil Brennan
Yeah. By the time I'm conscious, he's gone. So.
Brian Green
And did you.
Neil Brennan
So, yeah.
Brian Green
Did you guys like. I. I'm curious about this. Did you guys like share bedrooms? You must have like. Or did you have.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, I shared a bedroom for probably half my childhood. Like from 0 to maybe more than half. 0 to 0 to 12. And then around 13 we moved and I got an upgrade.
Brian Green
Yeah, sweet.
Neil Brennan
Out of the hostel into my own room like the king of England. So, yeah, so it was like, I guess it was what you call hard scrabble.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
I'm kind of, thanks to the Ayahuasca and the DMT and the mdma, I kind of don't think about it as much anymore or like feel a ton of negative feeling around. Almost feels like a hazy memory. That's the other advantage or one of the advantages of age is like you forget everything. You forget everything. So. And now I've stopped holding my mother. My standard now for parenting is it is did they make an effort and is it better than their parents? And I, my, my parents, for all of the, you know, not grief I've given them, but all of the sort of taking the task in these specials, you know, they were better than their parents.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
So that's something.
Neil Brennan
And it was hard. Yeah, they made it hard on themselves and also Catholicism made it hard on where like they couldn't. I don't think my dad wanted kids at all, so.
Brian Green
So yeah, that's familiar to me. I don't think, I don't think my parents wanted. I don't think my dad wanted kids. And then I don't think that he even liked the Catholic Church. But it's like a cult. We grew up in Chicago. When you're there, you're there. And it's. What else are you going to be. What else?
Neil Brennan
I gotta. I grew up in Chicago. Grew up in well Met.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
Yeah. Grew up in well Met. The funny thing is when you say your dad didn't even like Catholicism. I remember toward the end of his life, my dad, I said something about. He said something about, I'm beating. I'm. I'm not beating cancer. Cancer. I'm not fighting cancer. It's beating. It's whipping my ass or something. Go. I go, that's actually a Christopher Hitchens line. And he goes, oh, I know. I loved his book God is not Great. I was like, why did I. Why was I an altar boy? So. Yeah.
Brian Green
Were you an altar boy?
Neil Brennan
Yeah, man.
Brian Green
Yeah. What a What. What a weird time. Like, I. I'm lucky to have avoided any mischievous. This with.
Neil Brennan
Yeah.
Brian Green
Priests.
Neil Brennan
I have a joke where I say, people, everybody asks, were you molested? I'm like, I didn't get molested. I. A few. But I get molested. So. So, yeah, like, I wasn't molested, but it's just a weird. I don't know, man. I don't know what to make. Life's incredibly odd.
Brian Green
It really is. And the older I get, the. The more it unravels a little bit. But the more, more I don't know, for me, the more purpose I find in the small details and the less I understand the big stuff, right. The more it seems like the big stuff is very complicated. But the small details, like, I know you don't have children, but I have children in like moments. In the children or moments of beauty that I see. And then I go, oh, that's it. That's it. That's what this is all about. But the big complicated.
Neil Brennan
Well, the level of complexity is in about everything is incredibly massive. And anyone who claims it's not and has a solution is lying. So keep that.
Brian Green
So you said you were dating someone.
Neil Brennan
I'm dating someone with a kid. And I relate. She. The kid. The boy. Her son is like three and a half. And it's just like, incredible.
Brian Green
That's the age.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
That's a good age.
Brian Green
That's the age.
Neil Brennan
I keep hearing that. That. That's why I'm gonna break up with her.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
He's four now.
Neil Brennan
Because I'm not gonna stick around for a bunch of garbage ages.
Brian Green
Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems. But that's the age when they are starting to wake up to the world. And then you can. Like these little moments that they have or these little interactions that you have with them. You're like, that's pure. That's good. That's the thing. And all the other. And you know, Trump and Biden and all this other. That's all the bullshit. Right. I don't give. It's like, what am I gonna do about this? That I wish I could do something about it, but I can't do anything about it. So I'll sit here with my hand side like the rest of the world. Yeah. Yeah, that's. That's kind of how it rolls. When. How long have you been dating this girl?
Neil Brennan
A couple weeks now. Like a year.
Brian Green
Sorry. Having moments with the child. Couple weeks. Yeah.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, couple. Like.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
And it's been, yeah, it's, it's an amazing relationship and I don't mind the kid. Even though I, I don't want my own kids. I really, I get it. People have told me kids are great and they were, they were, they were.
Brian Green
They were right 1000%. Hey, you mentioned this in a couple of your specials in a couple different ways. And I'm not going to bastardize your joke so you can tell it. You.
Neil Brennan
Why, why stop now?
Brian Green
You say that you like your, the athletes. Athletes, the crazier the better. They're, you know, it's just, that's the way that it should be. And I kind of agree with you that like these, these men that were out there, you know, killing each other on the, on the football field. Or you do this bit about Tiger woods that is so hilarious. I'm not going to ruin it for everybody. Go watch it tonight today on Netflix. But you do these bits on these athletes that are so funny and so absolutely true.
Neil Brennan
Like they're not. You're lying to yourself if you think that these people are normal or can be held to a normal standard. And I include women in it as well, where it's like the gymnast girls that should be illegal. It stunts their growth.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
They don't have, they don't menstruate for eight years. Like, it's, it's like what, like veal look and are like, hey, relax with those little girls. So gymnastics, those figure skating girls look like they're under duress. And yeah, every, you know, Tiger woods and Tom Brady and Michael Jordan.
Brian Green
And.
Neil Brennan
Kyrie Irving and Oscar Pistorius and Lance Armstrong and Dennis Rodman and I don't even mention Mike Tyson or, or, or Ray Carruth or the O.J. simpson or just like the guys that are convicted of crimes. But this idea that they're, that they are somehow, it's like so dishonest.
Brian Green
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
You Know what I mean? It's like expecting extraordinary things from, from ordinary people. And it, and I end up talking about comedians in the same vein where it's like, what do you. This is not normal. What I can do isn't normal. And I'm not breaking any laws. But comedy, a few comedians have, and by the way, they're really good at comedy. So I don't know if there's a direct correlation, but if you're, if you're, if the job is to question and break norms, you can't be upset when they break norms.
Brian Green
It is, you know, so 1000% true what you're saying. And when, when you say it and you, when you say it like that, it becomes blatantly obvious. Yeah, that, that is true.
Neil Brennan
Yes. Like, what are we taught? Everything I say in the special, like, get, Go to therapy, get, you know, take medication, just know that everything good on earth is from psychopaths and drug addicts. It's just always been true. It's always been true. So, so. And then people go, well, you know, is Michael Jordan a good husband? I don't care. I'm not gonna marry him. I have no plans to marry him. So it's a joke I didn't do because it's too elitist. But when people are like, is Ellen nice? I wanted to go, don't worry, you're never gonna meet her unless you're a 50 million dollar house in Santa Barbara. She's not interested in you. So, so this idea that they need or I do a joke. Is Kevin Hart humble? Why does he have, why would you think that billionaire is humble? Where did you get that? It's like a word job. Just like a spin. A wh. Is Kevin Hart humble? How did you get humble? How did you get humble from that person? What has he ever done that would lead you to believe he's humble?
Brian Green
Yeah, exactly. What have you, what has he ever done that makes you believe that he's there to serve everybody else's interest? Yeah.
Neil Brennan
Yes. When he popped out of a stage. What a sign. Well, that's a pure side. That's a sign of pure humility. Last time I saw that do that was Michael Jackson. Before that, Gandhi.
Brian Green
Right.
Neil Brennan
So that's the, that's humility. That's the, that's the dead giveaway of raw humility.
Brian Green
Are you a huge sports fan?
Neil Brennan
Pretty. Yeah, I like, I, I, My interests are fading in it. In that Jay Leno has a hilarious joke. I don't even. He just says it in conversation. He's like, what do I care if the oranges beat the peanuts? But, but yeah, I still like basketball.
Brian Green
Do you? I'm just asking. This question is completely random, as the show usually is. What do you think about Mike Tyson coming out of retirement?
Neil Brennan
What's funny is I just happen to like Mike Tyson for. I think he's a. I think he's had it. Having a very difficult life experience. Yeah.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
And. And the problem is if that kid.
Brian Green
Beats him, he's not going to get better. Yeah.
Neil Brennan
Meaning. Well, no, but I'm saying, like, it's going to be worse. I'm. We're going to have to deal with that kid for 10 more years.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, exactly.
Neil Brennan
So I'm hoping to. I'm praying to. To. To the good Lord, the good Catholic Lord, that, that Mike. That Mike can beat him up.
Brian Green
I find that Mike in his older age and I think we're of similar age and we grew up and Mike Tyson was destroying human beings. I mean, he's just a. Like a wild man. Wild man. A monster.
Neil Brennan
The most exciting athletic events ever were Mike. Mike Tyson first round.
Brian Green
And we all watched them and then in. And then he kind of had this super rough patch. Right. But then I find him to be a bit philosophical now. Like, I find him.
Neil Brennan
He's totally philosophical. He does dm. He's done DMT a hundred times. I did it once. It broke. And yeah, I think he's. I like how he's. He's just living publicly, I think, and it's. He's. I, I'm like rooting for 100%.
Brian Green
And I do hope he kicks that kid's ass because I think that we just need a little less Paul in our life. A little as Paul.
Neil Brennan
Sure do. Sure.
Brian Green
I want to ask you about your early days. I just found out that you lived with. With Jay Moore. Is that right? For a period. Where was it?
Neil Brennan
We were roommates. Yeah. I, I. And I also wrote for all that.
Brian Green
I saw that.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Oh, you did?
Neil Brennan
I'm Jay More. I live with Jaymore. I live with. In New York for a while and we. I think we were only roommates for a month, but it felt like a decade.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
So I'm just not watching that Netflix. I think it's on Netflix. The Nickelodeon thing.
Neil Brennan
No, it's on hbo.
Brian Green
Yes.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, the Nickelodeon thing is a odd. I wrote there and I wrote for that guy, Dan Schneider and I received a full salary. I think. I don't remember. It wasn't a ton of money.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Right, right.
Neil Brennan
And I don't really know what to say about it other than I will say Dan Schneider was the greatest crank call maker I've ever witnessed in my life.
Brian Green
Oh, really?
Neil Brennan
Yes. I don't want to say anything else on in public.
Brian Green
Fair enough.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, no problem. I just happened to fall asleep the other night.
Neil Brennan
Oh yeah. Women pick horrible. I know.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I was like, what am I? And then I couldn't stop watching it.
Neil Brennan
And then it's getting, it's getting worse.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
And worse and worse. And I was like, yeah.
Neil Brennan
Something about watching five hours of murder documentaries makes it hard to get REM sleep. Yeah. Do better, ladies.
Brian Green
So he's just making prank calls for no reason.
Neil Brennan
He would know in the middle of writing days. He'd be. He was a great prank caller. He. I once heard him convince a guy to go outside and measure his driveway. He was extraordinary.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Oh, wow.
Neil Brennan
This is not going to be use. I mean, I, I have stories.
Brian Green
No, you know, I don't want to, I don't want to hear them. We don't for that kind of popularity.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, you don't want those kinds of hits.
Brian Green
We're not that kind of podcast, if you know what I mean. We're like, you know, listen in the morning with your kids in the car while we tell dick jokes kind of podcast. Morning Zoo crew kind of morning.
Neil Brennan
Wonderful. Wonderful.
Brian Green
Are you taking this out? Are you taking this out on the road? Do you intend to tour? Tour?
Neil Brennan
I've already toured. This, the crazy good show I've toured for. I toured from 2023 and filmed it in the end of 2023. And now and then I'm gonna, I'm like taking my time writing a new hour because I don't wanna. The temptation, I think, is to like take the positive attention and sell tickets. But I don't want to sell tickets on a show that's not done yet.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah.
Neil Brennan
So I'm throwing away perfectly good momentum. But you can go on neilbrennon.com and join my mail.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I just signed up.
Brian Green
I just signed up.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yep, we're in Atlanta.
Brian Green
There you go. You're over a hundred.
Neil Brennan
Oh, great. Yeah, I was at the Varsity Theater last year.
Brian Green
No, the Variety Playhouse was. Yeah, it was awesome. I wish we had.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, that's walking distance from where I live.
Brian Green
So we had caught you.
Neil Brennan
If only you had walked past it every day for three months and saw.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Me on the door.
Neil Brennan
It was unavoidable. There was nothing we could have done to make the game get you to the show. Good attempt. Pretty half assed attempt at lying, but God bless.
Brian Green
Well, I have 13 to 15 children. So I don't go out anymore. Blame her.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, Great.
Brian Green
Yep.
Neil Brennan
Fantastic. Fine.
Brian Green
Fair enough.
Neil Brennan
You're forgiven.
Brian Green
Neo Special comes out today, April 9th on Netflix. Please go watch it. It's hilarious. It's the first time my wife and I have laughed in the same room.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Seriously, I couldn't stop laughing.
Brian Green
Yeah, it was. It was. It was great. Watching it is so different than what you do. I think you're one of the smartest comics working today. And, you know, that's just my own personal perception. But I think the fact that you're willing to take the camera and point it at yourself in a very real way and then keep everybody abreast of what's going on along the way is refreshing and funny and at times heartbreaking. And it makes you. I don't know. It's a very intimate type of comedy, in my opinion and I really appreciate it. Neil. It's very.
Neil Brennan
Yeah, this one's just funny. So there's not.
Brian Green
Yeah, this one's just funny that he's not. There's none of that I just talked about does he do on this particular show. But please go watch that one. It's really good. You are awesome, Neil. Thank you for joining us today.
Neil Brennan
Thank you so much. You got it.
Brian Green
Bye.
Neil Brennan
Okay, bye.
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 commercialgrake and and on TikTok at TCB podcast. 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
All right. And we're back. Neil Brennan was wondy full. I do have to say Neil is still one of my faves even.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I'm sure he's going to be happy to know that.
Brian Green
Yeah, I'm sure he's going to listen. I'm sure that's the first thing that he' going to do. He's putting it on his calendar. He's like, well, got to listen to the commercial break on April 9, make sure that I sound Great on the show. Yeah. It's probably his 12th podcast today. He's probably like, I'm done with podcast today.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Exactly. But he's, he is great. I mean, his delivery is just so funny and it's very dry, you know, very dry wit humor. But the things that he says are so resonate so much.
Brian Green
I know. It's all very like, I, I don't know, I feel like his sense of humor feels, feels right to me. Like it's, it fits for me. Right. I like his sense of humor and he's kind of smartassy. He has these whip, whip smart comebacks. But the, the, I, I wanted to say this to him, but then I didn't find that maybe that was, it was like I had the, the feeling that it was the appropriate place to say it. He reminds me of my aunt and I don't know why. It's not because he's like, looks like my aunt, even though his mannerisms are like my aunt. And she has a very similar sense of humor. My aunt does. And he grew up in Chicago. She grew up in Chicago. So I don't know. There's something about him that.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
They could have known each other.
Brian Green
Yeah, they could have known each other. They could have been twin sisters. He, she might be one of the 10 children. You never know. 10 children. Can you imagine? I can, I can. And let me tell you something right now, more than 7 is, is a brood too many. But I guess when you do have 16 years of age difference in there, it's kind of like, you know, the first ones are leaving the house when you're just kind of coming into your existence.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah, that seems crazy, isn't it?
Brian Green
Isn't it insane? Yeah.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
It's the house, the household, all at once.
Brian Green
Yeah, but that's what I, that's what Irish Catholics did back then. Yeah. They were like, have as many as we can. We'll populate this, this half of the United States with all Irish Catholics, and everything will be fine. And the Catholic Church encouraged it because the Catholic Church said, you know, hey, listen, prophylactics not allowed. Well, right. Abortion, not allowed. Birth control, not allowed. So they kind of encouraged this, you know, dramatic fertility. Of all people. It's just like a go, spread your seed as far and wide as it can come. And then you have a family with 10 children. I don't even know how, how you pay for 10 children. Even back then. I don't know how you pay for 10 children. Yeah, but Neil's special is hilarious. And you do have to go watch it. Or I would encourage you to. Why? You have to go watch it. Like I'm your dad. Go. You have to go watch it.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
It's your homework.
Brian Green
Go watch it. One of the things I wanted to ask him, too, is he says that his dad had sandwich rules, or his mom or his dad had sandwich rules. I had sandwich rules. Also. Also, you could only use a certain amount of meat when you were making your sandwich. You could only, you know, there were certain things that you could do or couldn't do when you were making your sandwich. And then I still somehow always ended up with a peanut butter and fluff marshmallow sandwich for lunch, which is not that good. I mean, it's fine. It's fine. It's like Cheesecake Factory. Yeah. Of sandwiches. And then my mom would go get these big packs of, like, you know, Cheetos, Doritos, whatever. And if you were lucky, there were still some of those left, and you'd have one of those in your bag. If you were unlucky, then she'd take, like, some shitty old, stale potato chips and just throw them into a Ziploc bag, and that's what you'd get. And I was always disappointed by that. So you. You. Only for the. Like, my mom would go to the store, and then only for the first two or three days after the store visit would you get the good stuff?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Of course.
Brian Green
But then you knew when my mom had to go to the store because you would start getting shitty stuff. Yeah.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
To the bare bottom there. The bottom of the cabinet.
Brian Green
Yeah. I think a couple times it was peanut butter and fluff sandwich minus the fluff. You know what I'm talking about? It was just like, peanut butter with a woof of.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Are you a crunchy peanut butter or a smooth, creamy butter?
Brian Green
Well, I used to be a smooth peanut butter guy, but now I do crunchy peanut butter. But one of my kids is allergic to peanut butter peanuts. Oh, that's peanuts anymore. Yeah, you got to be really careful. And we're putting her through that. Like, you know, here, eat some. A little bit of peanut every day so that you can hopefully build up a tolerance. And so far, so good.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Oh, good.
Brian Green
But it always feels to me like walking the edge. Yeah. Like, we have to take her to these appointments where then she gets a high dose of peanuts, so we give her a small dose, and then once a week, we take her and she gets a high dose, and they keep increasing it every time.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Interesting that they treat food allergies like that now.
Brian Green
Exposure therapy yeah, they're doing it for cats and all different kind of stuff. I mean, they don't actually put a cat in your face. They just, you know, I guess. I don't know. They blow some cat dust around or something. Yeah, some dander. I'm not looking to do that because I've had a really serious reaction to cats, and I'm. Never again am I interested in having that reaction. But they. They take her. But it always feels like we're walking a knife's edge. You know, you come in and they're like, do you have your EpiPen with you? And I'm like, I'm at the doctor's. Don't you have an EpiPen? Aren't there professionals here that would take care of that should it happen? And then their answer is, yeah, we have a doctor here, and if she has a serious reaction, we'll get her to the hospital. Hospital. I'm like, get out of the hospital. You're at the place where you're supposed to know what to do when someone has an allergy attack that's this serious. There's nothing. There's nothing you can do here. You.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
You.
Brian Green
You're relying on my EpiPen and my knowledge of how to get to the hospital from here in order to protect my child. This doesn't feel very legit to me. This exposure therapy seems like. Exposure therapy for your wallet. You're exposing my money to your wallet. I mean, honestly, I'm just. I'm saying. I'm just saying if you've had exposure therapy. Don't. Don't yell me. I'm just a thing. I'm just a person trying to make it in the world. Chrissy.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Fine for your lives.
Brian Green
Fine for my life. All right, well, we do want to thank Neil. Go to Neil Brennan dot com. Join the mailing list. He'll make you join the mailing list. Don't you worry about that.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I joined.
Brian Green
I joined.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yep.
Brian Green
There's two more. He's probably up above 100 now.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Still more than we have.
Brian Green
Well, we're getting close. We're at 57 now, 42 of which are Neil's brothers and sisters. Right. I mean, you would hope that at least he has, you know, a couple of his. And I realize he can't be close to all of them, but you would hope that at least a few of them are on his side.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Yeah.
Brian Green
Paying attention. Yeah. I think his brother is a comic, too. Okay, so. Neilbrennon.com go watch the Netflix special out now. Today. Delay no longer. Wait. No longer. The moratorium is over. Neil's new special can be watched right this second. So go and watch it. We certainly would appreciate it. We'll put all the links in the show notes. Make sure you got the proper information. Yeah. What else is there to say?
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I think that's it.
Brian Green
It was great. Thanks. Great. Thanks, Neil, for coming on the show. And we'd also like to tell you we'd like you on the show. How do you do that? We gotta text us. You gotta text us us at 212-433-TCB. That's 1212-433-3822. For those of you that can't spell TCB, let us know you want to be on the show. You have an ask tcb. You'd like to tell us a story. You have anything interesting, we'll take it. We want you here just as much as we want our famous friends like Neil Brennan on the show. We want our unfamous friends on the show too. So text us and let us know. Comments, questions, questions, concerns, contents, ideas. You can leave us a voicemail, all that stuff at that phone number, 212-4333, TCB. You can go to tcbpodcast.com if you want more information on the show. All the audio, all the video right there, one location. You can also get your free piggy fronting sticker if they're still around at this point. When we release this show, hit the contact us button. I want my free sticker on the drop down menu. Give us your address, we'll send it off to you. But those piggy fronting stickers, if they're still around, will be gone soon. And we'll have to think of the next one. We're already working on it. You can also find us@YouTube.com the commercial break at the commercial break on Instagram and TCB podcast on Tick Tock. We would appreciate it if you patron our sponsors. Thank you so much to everyone. All right, Chrissy. I definitely know that all I can do today.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I think so.
Brian Green
All right. I'll tell you I love you.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
I love you.
Brian Green
Best to you.
Kristen Joy Hoadley
Best to you.
Brian Green
Best to you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time. Chrissy and I always say, we do say and we must say goodbye.
Neil Brennan
Oh, hell yeah.
Podcast: The Commercial Break
Hosts: Bryan Green & Kristin Joy Hoadley
Guest: Neal Brennan
Date: April 9, 2024
Episode Theme:
A characteristically chaotic and funny TCB “Infomercial” featuring the comedian Neal Brennan, discussing his brand-new Netflix special, mental health, religion, psychedelic experiences, and hilarious observations on pop culture and celebrity. The hosts blend irreverent humor with real talk about family, depression, and the value of irreverence—showcasing Brennan’s wit and the disarming honesty that’s become his hallmark.
Neal Brennan joins Bryan and Kristin to promote his new standup special, "Crazy Good," out on Netflix April 9th. The conversation roams from comedy craft, childhood in an Irish Catholic family, mental health, and psychedelics, to the absurdities of celebrity culture and sports. The trio riff on current pop happenings (e.g., the P. Diddy scandals) and poke fun at themselves, Catholicism, and the expectations fans and society put on performers—always maintaining the show's signature blend of rapid-fire banter and heartfelt insight.
New Special:
On Honesty and Evolution in Comedy:
Experiences with Ayahuasca & DMT:
MDMA & Therapy:
Family Dynamics:
On Catholic Guilt and Institutional Repression:
Parental Standards and Trauma:
Of Athletes, Artists, and Public Personas:
Neal’s famous bits on sports icons return—he doesn’t wish to normalize abnormal talent or behavior.
On fame:
Comedy’s Special Place:
On Dating Someone with a Child:
Why He Didn’t Want Kids Himself:
On Bidets and Homophobia via Bathroom Fixtures:
Catholic Humor and Escape:
Psychedelic Wisdom:
Celebrity Reality-Check:
On Parenting Standards:
On Artistic Honesty & Growth:
The episode maintains The Commercial Break’s signature blend of sharp sarcasm, self-deprecation, and improv-comedy. Neal’s humor is notably dry and cerebral (“dry wit humor…resonant”—Kristen, 41:43). Subjects are treated forthrightly but never self-seriously. The overall tone is irreverent, personal, and a bit chaotic—exactly as fans expect.
This conversation will be especially enjoyable for fans of sharp comedy, behind-the-curtain talk on standup, mental health, and anyone with a complicated relationship to religion or celebrity. Neal’s rare openness combines with witty banter and the TCB hosts’ “messy” humor for a listen that’s equal parts entertaining and thoughtful.
Recommended action: Go watch Neal Brennan’s new special on Netflix “Crazy Good,” and check out his mailing list for future tour dates at nealbrennan.com.
End Summary