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- [00:02]
Ernie Johnson
You're listening to DraftKings Network.
- [00:13]
Dan Le Batard
This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like Prime Video, Amazon Music and fast free delivery, prime makes it easy to get more out of whatever you're into into or getting into. Visit Amazon.comprime to learn more.
- [00:42]
Ernie Johnson
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- [01:27]
Charles Barkley
Welcome to another south beach session. I am so happy to be joined by a legendary friend. He will pooh pooh the idea of legend. He will pooh pooh poo poo with great humility. The job that he does on the longest running funny show, not just in sports, but for all of television. One could make an argument that you have the space. No, I'm gonna. I'm gonna do this introduction correctly because I want people to understand. All those guys say you're the most important piece and you say, that's ridiculous. Obviously, that's asinine. They're the stars. You're just there to serve them. But you know how to be a host. And being a host requires a decency, a kindness and an ego that you don't generally find in the television business. Because you have to be someone who brings the ball up and just passes again and again and again, does it quietly. And you built a monster. A monster. I don't know if it's by accident. I don't know how much inventory. You're very. I imagine you're very meticulous. There's just simply no way you can do the job as well as you do without caring deeply about the craft of broadcasting. But I don't think people understand how hard it is to be you. And I need you to explain it to them without being humble because it's not as easy as you make it look to do. 30 years of the greatest sports television show that there has ever been.
- [02:59]
Ernie Johnson
What?
- [03:00]
Charles Barkley
Welcome, by the way.
- [03:02]
Ernie Johnson
Thank you.
- [03:03]
Charles Barkley
I just don't want you to be a humble guy here. Like what you do is hard. And you can talk about it gratefully before God without pooh poohing how hard it is to do what you do. Because I know they make it look easy. It is not as easy as you make it look.
- [03:20]
Ernie Johnson
There's a lot of work and I love the work and I love the prep and look this. I appreciate everything you said about the show and about my role. And there's not a day that goes by that I am not as thankful as I could possibly be about sitting in that chair for that long since I was hired in 1989 by Turner Broadcasting and had to sit out a six month no compete clause because I had been working in local TV in Atlanta. So I just spun my wheels for six months, did a few stories and then it was the next season, 1991 season, they said, hey, Craig Sager is going to go on the road. He's going to be a sideline reporter because Craig was in the chair. And so you're our NBA guy. And it was. I had no idea that I'd be sitting here in 2023 talking about this run in that role that was never in the cards. And what's kept me there is being prepared. And that's the whole key to the longevity.
- [04:41]
Charles Barkley
Often without needing your colleagues to be as prepared because they're there for expertise. And I know how much Charles hates those March Madness weekends where they make him memorize all the names because you're doing the preparation in a lot of ways as is an unbelievable production team so that Kenny and Charles and Shaq can be maximum themselves. The reason that I admire it, one of the many reasons I admire it so much is because of how RA is to be able to keep those spinning plates together and working together when this is the vanity business. Ernie, like Shaq's, used to being a star. Charles is used to being the star of that show. Kenny is used to being a facilitator who understands your role better than most.
- [05:27]
Ernie Johnson
But they're. And the thing. You know why it's work? Because nobody tries to make themselves the show because they've never tried to make the show about themselves. And I'm in the fortunate position of getting us from point A to point B to point C with three guys who have been in every conceivable situation in a basketball game. And so nobody at home cares if what I think about what might be being said in a huddle with 1.7 seconds to go. They want to hear from the guys who have been there. And so it's up to Me to try to bring out the best in these three guys. And knowing your role is vital. You know, if you try to stray outside your lane and be something you aren't, then it doesn't work. And the fact that we don't rehearse and the fact that we just. Let her rip. There you go.
- [06:25]
Charles Barkley
They have such reverence for your decency, though, those. I mean, I've heard Charles speak about you. He doesn't speak about many the way that he speaks about you. Those guys would do almost anything for you and have.
- [06:37]
Ernie Johnson
And I would do the same for them. We all would.
- [06:41]
Charles Barkley
Well, that's pretty unusual in television, isn't it?
- [06:43]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. You know tv. Yes. And. But that's. I think that's what. What comes with years of being together. When you think about. Kenny and I have been together the longest because I used to do the show by myself. And then for a while, just. Here's Cheryl Miller for a while. Here's Reggie Theus for a while. Here's Dick Versace for a while. And then Kenny comes along, and we have a pretty good thing going. And then chuck. But the three of us, for more than 20 years have been doing this together, which is unheard of in tv, where the next TV executive always has a better idea. Oh, no, these three guys will work. No, this too. And you take him out and add him and then Shaq for the last dozen years. So when you have that kind of time together and you have that kind of a bond, then you just. I'm not saying it's sappy here. We love each other. We really, truly. And, you know, I grew up with two older sisters, and this is as close as I'll ever come to having brothers. And that's what they are to me.
- [07:52]
Charles Barkley
Do you tell them?
- [07:53]
Ernie Johnson
Oh, all the time.
- [07:54]
Charles Barkley
Do they tell you?
- [07:55]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, yeah. And you know what? There was a moment, too, when Kobe passed. You know, we did a show out in la, right there in the middle of the floor. The game had been canceled, but we were just going to spend that time talking about Kobe. And I remember Shaq on that night saying on the air that, I don't say this enough to you guys, but I love you, and we do. And I think one thing that whole moment in time taught all of us was that you don't know. You don't know how long you have. And it behooves us to make sure that everything's cool between us. Everything's cool. Not just between the four of us on the show, but between everybody in your Life. That if the unthinkable happens, do you want to leave that with? Man, I wish I had said this. Man, I wish I had. I wish that silly feud. I could have stepped up and defused it. I wish I would have said this. And I think that was a. It was a pretty brutal reminder of that.
- [09:17]
Charles Barkley
How important is love to any sensitive thing that happens? Because people are talking for six hours on television a night and sparks are going to be caused and disagreements happen between siblings, friends, and loved ones. There's not a bigger ingredient to why it is that it's successful than that, right?
- [09:42]
Ernie Johnson
Without question. Yeah. And that. I mean. And that cuts right through the essence of what we do. And, I mean, let's not get carried away with points in the paint and second chance points and fast break points. And who's making this decision and why is this important? Keep it where it is. Sports is a great distraction from the real stuff because there's enough real stuff going on that'll drive you crazy. And so I think it's really important that while this is my job and being in that chair has been at the center of my professional life, let's not forget what really matters. And because we're so familiar with each other and because there are times where tempers. I wouldn't even call it tempers. It's just where opinions differ and defenses are raised. We're talking sports, you know. Oh.
- [10:51]
Charles Barkley
But I found Shaq unusually sensitive. Not Charles. He is, but I found Shaq to be. I don't know Kenny this way, but I feel like Charles isn't terribly sensitive. Almost anything rolls off of Charles.
- [11:06]
Ernie Johnson
You'd be surprised.
- [11:08]
Charles Barkley
How so?
- [11:09]
Ernie Johnson
Because I think there are things that strike him, that strike a chord with him that he feels very strongly about. You know, you don't hear much about it, but, I mean, he has. Causes like HBCUs are really important to him. The donations he makes there, how the average person in the world is getting by, matters to him and matters deeply to him. And he is hurt when he sees things happen. So, yeah, there's a sensitive side to Chuck. There's a very sensitive side to Shaq. I mean, there have been times where we have felt that with him and the viewer, too. Yeah. And he'll. And we may laugh on the air about it, but he. But he may take it home with him.
- [11:58]
Charles Barkley
That's what I say when I. Charles. When I say he is insensitive. I meant sort of to criticism. I've seen Charles with whatever would be described as the little people. Charles Is extraordinary about giving of himself unlike anyone I've ever seen in fame, making. Every person who comes into contact with him makes sure that they walk away from. Okay, that was. As long as I don't disrespect him, he won't throw me through a plate glass window. But if I'm just human with him, he will be just as human back to me in a way that's moving to me every time I see it.
- [12:33]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, this is true. And with Shaquille, look, we had a huge laugh. 1. And people have seen the clip. They, hey, it's supposed to go 1 to 2 to 3, not 1 to 2 and back to 1, you know, and because Charles had taken up all this airtime on a sponsored element that we're weighing in on, and we all laughed, and we kept laughing with Shaq because it just sounded so funny. But he was. He was bothered by it and came in the next day and carried it with him. It was like it hadn't been forgotten. And it was like in the middle of these playoff runs where it's not like that happened on a Thursday now. We'll work again next Thursday. It was the next night, and he was still kind of in a shell. And so we realized, you know, that, yeah, he is sensitive to this. And I'll be honest, I had an episode with him last year when he was late for a show, and there had been traffic. We're living in Atlanta, and there's always a lot of traffic. But he showed up late for the show, and he came up with an excuse on the air about it was this or this. And we went to commercial break, and he said, how'd you like that excuse? And it had been kind of one of those days for me, too, you know. I said, I didn't like it. What are you talking about? I said I didn't like it. I said, you need to be here. He said, what am I supposed to do about 18 Wheeler turning over and blah, blah, blah? I said, you need to be here. I said, you're vital to this show. All right. Next day, dead silence. And really, the rest of that night, that's where it happened. The rest of those shows that night, he was kind of just sitting in the chair, not volunteering much, waiting to be called on, which is not the way our show works. So I knew this was me. You know, I had kind of crossed that line with him. And look, he respects me, and I respect him. I mean, I did a story with him back at his house in San Antonio before he Was in the NBA. And he always brings that up, man. You came to my house. And he always says, it's 1989, but it was like, 91, okay? So I knew that it bothered him that I had gotten on him.
- [15:10]
Charles Barkley
But he is not to. And this is not to mother bleep shack, but he is not to disrespect this thing that you care about that you guys have worked hard to build. And again, people don't have any earthly idea how much work you do. Like, you're not showing up late.
- [15:27]
Ernie Johnson
And look, it may have been very, well, a legitimate. Hey, I left. And he told me I left two and a half hours before. I said, fine. I said, gotta be here. So the next day, I'm sitting on the set. It's like 15 minutes before we go on the air. Normally, these guys come in and sit down at three minutes of. And the show open rolls, and bang, here we do the show. And he came out about 10 minutes early and came in very quietly. And I. Here's the deal. The whole crew knew there was some tension because they had heard me say that in the commercial break. So he walks in 10 minutes early the next night, and he's quiet, and he's about 10 steps away from the set. And I got up and I went over to him and wrapped my arms around him and jumped up and down with him like, hey, Shaq, Hey. And he's. And finally he laughed. And then the rest of the crew was like, yeah, like, we're back. Everything's good. And I explained to him again. Then I said, hey, that was. That's out of love, man. And that's out of our need to always be there. And it's just one of those things you learn about somebody after hanging out with them that long.
- [16:55]
Charles Barkley
You might not know this, okay, but your father is basically the person or one of the people who helped introduce me to sports, his voice. Because I'm in South Florida, we don't have any sports. And cable television is a phenomenon in a crappy America's team. I don't like just the Atlanta Braves. They were all terrible.
- [17:17]
Ernie Johnson
They were.
- [17:17]
Charles Barkley
All of those teams were terrible. But. But I loved as a kid. Like, look at Gary Matthews. He goes after a fly ball and his hat flies off because he's got a giant afro. And. And I'm, like, learning about terrible Braves baseball because it's the only thing on television. And I'm learning about broadcasting or the. The person who's teaching me, like, who's got personality and flair that's the house that you grew up in. Did you even have a choice on what it is that you were going to do? No, no, I, I mean, I don't mean a choice like did you have the freedom? I mean, once you see what your dad got to do for a living, you are like, I'm gonna be something like that.
- [17:59]
Ernie Johnson
No, it wasn't uppermost on my mind. Now, looking at his career, his playing career, that was the goal. You know, growing up with a dad who played major league Baseball, that was the goal. All I thought about was baseball all growing up. And so when I get to the University of Georgia, that's my goal. I want to play baseball and I walk on and somehow I make the baseball team as a walk on freshman. And that was one glorious season. Dan, of being a backup first baseman for the Georgia Bulldogs. Didn't get to play much. Went 2 for 18 at the plate with one career RBI, which came at Knoxville against the University of Tennessee.
- [18:53]
Charles Barkley
You remember all the details in game.
- [18:54]
Ernie Johnson
Two of a doubleheader. If we, if we sweep the double header, we win the division. Okay? If we sweep the double header, we win the division. Jim Whatley, the coach in his last year there, he coached at Georgia for about 600 years. This was his swan song. And so I'm. He puts me in, in game two, and here goes the guy who's 1 for 17 who lines a single to left center field with a runner at second and knocks in the go ahead run. And I am standing on first base picturing my name in the red and black student newspaper the next day. And I say, johnson delivers game winning hit. Johnson delivers division title. Until somebody on Tennessee hit a grand slam in the bottom half of the next inning. And we lost. But we eventually would go on to win the division. But that was. So that was the goal. That was the dream was to play baseball. So I walk on as a freshman and was told to walk off as a sophomore. My second year, I didn't make it out of fall practice. A new coach took over. Bang, I was gone.
- [20:07]
Charles Barkley
And the dream dies right there.
- [20:08]
Ernie Johnson
Or the Major League baseball dream dies. Yeah, I mean, and you know what? In all honesty, I mean, I knew what my talents were. You know, I kind of think. And I probably don't have what's, you know, what a big leaguer is made of, because any pitch over 83 miles an hour had me bamboozled. And if you, if you threw a wrinkle in it. Hello. I don't know what mistake that kid from Tennessee made. To lay one over the pipe, right down the pipe that I. That I hit into left center field. I was late on it, but I.
- [20:40]
Charles Barkley
Had a similar experience. And, like, mine was eighth grade, though it wasn't as college. It was just a kid who would go on to become a University of Miami pitcher. I'm looking. I'm sitting 02. I'm like, he's going to throw a breaking ball in the dirt or something. And he's like, no, I'm going to throw a fastball right over the plate. Because you're clueless. You don't know anything. And I'm like, oh, I was trying to. Out. Thank you. Okay, never mind. I need to put my bat down and not play this. I need to write about it. I need to do something else.
- [21:04]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. So there I am at Georgia, and I get cut. My dad took it harder than I did. You know, he was really. He was hurt for me because he knew how much it meant to me, but I was more realistic than he was. And it was like, dad, don't worry about it. You know, it's okay. I don't think. I was never going to be at that level. And so then it was, okay. What do you do? And I told myself, because I was an English major at the time, I said, I'm going to be an English teacher and a high school baseball coach. That's what I want to do. Because I had my baseball coach in high school. Jerry Queen was a teacher who got to go to the baseball field every day. And I said, that would be a blast. So that's what I'm going to do. And it was actually Skip Carey was the guy, you know, working with my dad, who was like. Because my dad never was like, okay, now do this. Now sit here. And my dad wanted me to do whatever was gonna make my heart pump a little more and get my. You know, get me going. Skip had just kind of said, you know, you got a pretty good voice. You know, you might enjoy this. You know, you might think about it. And so I did. I thought about, I wonder what this campus radio station at Georgia is all about. W U O G. And I went in there, and they can't really turn you down. You know, it was like, sure, okay, you're in sports and do this. No experience whatsoever. And I. They give me this assignment to do what's called Hockey corner at. Because the Atlanta Flames were, you know, on the ice in Atlanta, and people were learning the game. And Dan, it was probably. Probably the worst thing that's ever Been broadcast on any kind of radio station anywhere and I still have a cassette recording of it.
- [23:04]
Charles Barkley
Do you really?
- [23:05]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah.
- [23:05]
Charles Barkley
You're saying it's the worst and least interesting broadcast in the history of recorded sound, voice and video?
- [23:13]
Ernie Johnson
Yes, yes, yes. Without question.
- [23:18]
Charles Barkley
You were an incompetent, a fool. Like you'd like you have it now you don't listen to it. Why do you still have this?
- [23:24]
Ernie Johnson
The game is played on a rink 97. The puck is a rubberized disc. It was horrible. And that was what it was. And there were like three, three parts of it. And the third part was worse than.
- [23:37]
Charles Barkley
The first three part documentary on what is hockey.
- [23:40]
Ernie Johnson
What is hockey? Yes. W U o G Hockey corner. And why did I still have it? Because I have a hard time throwing things away from the past because I never know where it's going to come up. And I'm glad I held onto it because when they did the doc about inside the NBA, 30 years of inside the NBA, I was able to give that to the producers and say, here's do with this what you want.
- [24:04]
Charles Barkley
Look at what got fertilized here. You had nothing to work with and this grew into. Now, you won't say this right? You won't say that this is the best thing that's ever existed in studios sports television. I mean, the awards say it.
- [24:18]
Ernie Johnson
It's been pretty good. Yeah, no, I won't. I won't put it over anything. I'm just. I appreciate what we've been able to do. And the real, you know, I leave that up to the folks who are watching. And it's gratifying to have people say that and to describe it that way, hey, this is the best sports studio sports show of all time or whatever. That's great to hear. But now are you. Is the next show going to be just that good? Is somebody who's. If somebody reads that and says, well, this inside the NBA, I've never seen it, but they say here it's the greatest sports show of all time. I'm going to tune in tonight. It better be good and it better not be. Oh, man, we just, you know, well, we phoned this one in today or this wasn't good or I asked stupid questions. That's. It has to. You got to get better.
- [25:10]
Charles Barkley
Caring like that, though, I do believe is unusual. Adults get formed, they get on with the balance in their life and they don't necessarily hold themselves to that kind of hungry standard. Once they've already arrived at the mountaintop of where success resides.
- [25:25]
Ernie Johnson
There are too Many good shows out there. I mean, there are some. There are good shows, and there are. Don't stop me before I say this, okay? You're gonna. You're gonna want to jump in and say, you know, you're. A lot of guys could do what I do and they do on a nightly basis. There are a bunch of guys out there who are great studio hosts.
- [25:49]
Charles Barkley
Oh, Wade, this is where I disagree with you, though, and I'm gonna stop you. It's not even the mechanics of studio preparation.
- [25:55]
Ernie Johnson
I knew you were gonna cut me off.
- [25:56]
Charles Barkley
Well, because it's. Because you're a fundamentally decent person, and it's really important in that role. You don't understand. Shaq could have screwed that all up with his sensitivities coming in. Anybody being too sensitive there who's not feeling cared about can disrupt the chemistry of that. If they're not feeling loved, if they're not being taught how to be maximum prepared. No, man, you're an unusual cat in this business. Like, that's what you're saying is not true. The mechanics of television. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Because that's harder than you think. Yeah. Bob Costas might be able to do the mechanics of television, but to make your teammates feel loved. Nah. Not everyone.
- [26:35]
Ernie Johnson
Just loving them back.
- [26:37]
Charles Barkley
But not everyone can create that environment. That's just simply untrue.
- [26:40]
Ernie Johnson
You're.
- [26:40]
Charles Barkley
You're. You're underestimating what your. What your gift is, what your aura is. Ernie, it's super unusual in this business to have your likability factor. 30 years on television now. Like maybe Pat Sajak or like, game show host. No, honestly. But no, there has to be a fundamental. And this. This part I know is important to you. There has to be almost fundamental spiritual decency and depth residing deep in you that has lived some things and has learned the perspective of what's important and what is not.
- [27:16]
Ernie Johnson
Sure, the job is what I do. It's not who I am. And the job has been very good to me and my family and has paid the bills for a long, long time. Much more than I deserve. But it is. It's my job. And there was a time in my life where the job was right here. And now it's moved into its proper place because I think sometimes we get so driven and get so ambitious that it overtakes everything. And so it took me a while to learn that and to realize that you can be good at your job without being consumed by it.
- [28:13]
Charles Barkley
Do you remember when and where and how you learned it?
- [28:16]
Ernie Johnson
I remember a specific incident that kind of told me, what are you. What are you doing? I was. This is back in local tv, WSB in Atlanta, and I'm the weekend sports anchor. And they give me about six and a half minutes. Okay, out of that half hour. And on a weekend, you got a lot of stuff going on. You got Georgia football, Georgia Tech football. You got. You know, there's more than enough to fill up six and a half minutes. And I sat down to do my. To do my segment, and the producer notified me that she had mistimed the show. So you got three instead of six and a half. I said, okay. So I didn't really go off at that point, but I kind of crammed this stuff in and got off the air and in front of the production crew as she is apologizing to me, I was. I just. I got in her face. She's against the wall of the control room, and I am just letting her have it. And it was absolutely. It was off the charts vile. And I walked away proud of it. And it bugged me for years.
- [30:06]
Charles Barkley
And.
- [30:07]
Ernie Johnson
It bugged me because I had never apologized for it. And several years later, lo and behold, that producer had moved on from wsb, was now at cnn. And I reached out to her with an email first, and then later, face to face, and I said, I don't know if you remember me. And she said, I remember you. And I said, look, this is years late, but I'm sorry. And I said, you don't know how sorry I am. I can't even express it. And I'm just asking you to forgive me. And she said, I forgave you the minute you did it, because that's what my faith tells me to do. And I was, like, rocked. And it was really. That was kind of the defining moment that said, get over yourself. Get over your job, get over your ego, and realize where this fits into the big picture. And it's not at the mountaintop. There's a place for it, but that's not where it is.
- [31:34]
Charles Barkley
What happened between the obvious shame, what, you were proud of it, and then you came to be ashamed of it and regret it. How much space is in there? Because you're, I imagine, a preparationaholic. Someone tells you that you've gone from. You've prepared for six and a half minutes, you're given three minutes, someone has made you look bad, has interfered with your preparation.
- [31:58]
Ernie Johnson
That's exactly what I was thinking. Yeah, how dare you do that to me?
- [32:02]
Charles Barkley
But that's where you could have become infected by television's. Vanities with a lack of self awareness. That's where it could have happened.
- [32:08]
Ernie Johnson
But see, I was already infected with it because that was my reaction. I was already infected in it because that was. You saw my reaction to her, like, how dare you? And that's just so. And part of the reason it hurt so bad because it was everything my dad wasn't. Because I learned everything from him. Everything about how to be a professional, how to prepare, all the preparation. That's from watching my dad. That's from going to the ballpark and watching him six hours before first pitch, doing his interviews, sitting down with his scorebook, doing his notes. I learned all that there. And so when I considered what I had done to this producer, I was like, my dad never would have done that. And I, you know, thankfully was able to rectify that and seek her forgiveness. And how did I know she had forgiven me that moment it happened.
- [33:06]
Charles Barkley
Why does it hurt you still the way that it does?
- [33:08]
Ernie Johnson
Because. Because that's not me. Maybe, you know, it hurts to. I think maybe because people think, oh, Ernie's never said a bad thing to anybody in his life. Yeah, I have. And I've been a total prick sometimes. And it takes a lot of. It takes being intentional about doing the right thing and being. Doing the right thing, being the right person and not getting carried away with adulation. Because once you start getting on that train where every good thing said about you, you're kind of like, oh, here, I'm coming. I'm getting that puffed up chest again. Don't mess with my show because I might go off again. No, I can't do that. That's why you just have to take all of that with. It's very nice. I appreciate the fact that you like the show. Appreciate the fact you like me. And I'm not going to get carried away with that. And I'm not going to get carried away with the folks who say, man, you're an idiot. I hate you on baseball. You're this, you know. And so I think I've had to learn over the years just to take all of that in and not put too much emphasis on it.
- [34:29]
Shaquille O'Neal
I like my sweater vest. I think it looks cool. And I don't care what anyone on the show has to say because they're not really acting like very good friends right now. And if they were my friends, maybe I'd be spending a little more time with them outside of the show, doing things like going to the beach or maybe having a nice day by the grill. Because there's something about a perfect grilling day. Sun's out, your friends show up, and that first sip of Miller Lite just hits different I've been stocking the cooler with it for years, and for good reason. It's brewed for taste only 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs. This year, Miller Lite turns 50. That's five decades of cookouts, laughs and ice cold moments that never miss. It's the original light beer and still my Go to Great Beer, Great Times Grill on Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com beach to find delivery options near you. Or you could pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.
- [35:29]
Dan Le Batard
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- [36:10]
Shaquille O'Neal
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- [36:41]
Charles Barkley
Roughly what age were you when you arrived at the the combination of things that would resemble both gratitude and balance so that you could take your job not, you know, treat it professionally and seriously, but not have it be a competitive thing where you had to be better than Person X or had to get some better job. When I'm guessing you've you feel like you have the best job in show business the way that you Carry yourself with gratitude.
- [37:09]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, I mean, and, you know, you got into the, you mentioned the spiritual part of this equation and that was huge for me because, you know, I'm not going to turn this into sunrise sermonette. But I was, you know, I'm a good Catholic boy growing up. You know, you're going to mother good council school. You know, you're going to St. Jude's in Atlanta. You know, you're an altar boy and all this. And then when I went to Georgia, it was like, you know, Sunday mornings for sleeping off, Saturday night. And so I didn't pay God an ounce of attention for a long period of time there. And it was really, you know, in the course of how your life turns out, you know, you get married, you have kids and you adopt and you, and you feel like there's something there that you haven't really been recognizing that you know what, there's something spiritual about this. There is. You know, that was kind of an awakening for me in like 1997. You know, it was just went back to church for the first time in ages. You know, met a pastor who was kind of like me, had kids, had a wife about my wife's age and just seemed to have a piece about him.
- [38:34]
Charles Barkley
What was the impetus for going back to church?
- [38:37]
Ernie Johnson
It was to give the kids a little grounding. You know, it was like Eric and Maggie, who are our two oldest, would come back from playing with their friends and like, how come we don't go to church on Sunday? And it was like Cheryl and I said, you know, we need to, we need to give them some foundation here. So we found this non denominational church.
- [38:59]
Charles Barkley
Oh, so it wasn't even about actually being religious. It was just sort of, let's get some structure and how to raise a family.
- [39:04]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, let's give them some, you know, some so that they're not confused. When one of the kids brings up Moses or Noah or somebody, who are you talking about? So let's give them a little foundation. And within two Sundays of going there, I was being pierced as I sat and listened to this pastor, Kevin Myers, and he's talking about what's more important in your life, happiness or wholeness? Who's the provider in your family? I'm the provider. And all about happiness. And he's like, well, you miss both of those. And the more I dove into that and explored it and opened up this Bible that I'd never opened up.
- [39:52]
Charles Barkley
When you say pierced as a verb, it's because it's changing your thinking or you're being stabbed.
- [39:57]
Ernie Johnson
Like I'm being stabbed. Like he's talking directly to me. And it's just piercing my heart. And I say I'm missing out on a lot of stuff and I'm missing out on it because I think I've put this.
- [40:08]
Charles Barkley
Because your values are wrong.
- [40:10]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. I've put this job up here. I've elevated it to this, you know, and the only church, the only altar I was worshiping at was Rudy Martzky, the media critic for the USA Today.
- [40:22]
Charles Barkley
What a terrible God.
- [40:24]
Ernie Johnson
You know what? That was what was driving me at that point. I know what was driving me there.
- [40:31]
Charles Barkley
No, you deserve to be pierced for.
- [40:33]
Ernie Johnson
That was. Man, I can't wait for the Monday morning USA Today to see if I made Rudy's column in a good way.
- [40:41]
Charles Barkley
Your priorities would be wrong if that.
- [40:44]
Ernie Johnson
That's what was driving me.
- [40:45]
Charles Barkley
That's funny.
- [40:46]
Ernie Johnson
It was. How do. What do people think about the job I'm doing? And especially not just, not just viewers, but Rudy.
- [40:53]
Charles Barkley
But also not thinking to yourself, what do people think about the job I'm doing in raising kids with a wife? Where my focus is maybe my kids and my wife, but it seems to be me and my career.
- [41:05]
Ernie Johnson
Oh, yeah. And. And again. And even today, I mean, that's the question I get most. I talk to a lot of businessmen, a lot of companies, and always the first question is, how do you balance this work, you know, this work and home thing? And it's. That never. It's not an easy answer. It's not. All I can tell them is you have to be intentional. You have to make. You have to look at what your schedule is telling you you should do and saying, but is there time in here where I can do this for my wife, where I can do this for my kids, where instead of what it used to be was, no, that's a workday. No, can't do it. No. Is that for real? Could you not work something in here? Because I tell those same folks, I say that kids have superpowers. They see and hear everything and they remember everything. They remember when you paid attention. They remembered when you weren't there, when you could have been there. And they're accepting. I know, and I was too, of my dad. And I know that work took him on the road a lot and he missed a lot of stuff.
- [42:15]
Charles Barkley
I read something just the other day, actually, that the only ones who will remember 20 years from now that you worked late are your kids. That sentence resonated with a whole lot of people because of the relationship that they have with work. You have, you have six kids and you've been successfully married for 41 years. Correct?
- [42:35]
Ernie Johnson
If we make it to August, it'll be 41.
- [42:37]
Charles Barkley
Yeah. Many of them happy.
- [42:40]
Ernie Johnson
Cheryl Ann and I always say that too. We always tell people, but I also tell folks, I say, look, if you really want to score points with your wife, next time you're in a social setting and somebody, another couple's with you and says, well, how long have you guys been married? You, you're playing the role of my wife right now. And they say, well, how long have you been married? You say, not long enough.
- [43:08]
Charles Barkley
That's pretty good.
- [43:10]
Ernie Johnson
It's not bad. That's good for 36 holes.
- [43:15]
Charles Barkley
But I imagine you'd have to be a romantic. Would you give people secrets on what it is, that what is the key to loving someone for four decades?
- [43:24]
Ernie Johnson
She says that I make her laugh. And I just think, I think the key is just, you know, pulling on the rope the same way and, and, and having, having the same goal and, and, and I, look, I'm a sportscaster. My wife's a world changer. And I've told people that forever because she's the one who got us into adoption in the first place. You know, she's the one who has devoted her life at various phases to helping the addicted, the sex trafficked, and now the homeless. And she's always drawn to that. And I've always admired her for that. Looking outward rather than inward, and how can I help? And so that's been, you know, look, I out kick my coverage big time.
- [44:21]
Charles Barkley
Well, if all you're providing is laughter and she's changing the world and she's.
- [44:25]
Ernie Johnson
My point exactly.
- [44:27]
Charles Barkley
You're fairly useless comparatively.
- [44:30]
Ernie Johnson
And the thing is, I make her laugh and most of that's unintentional, you know.
- [44:35]
Charles Barkley
Well, my wife. There's nothing that makes my wife happier, and it delights me as well than when I'm a fool, which I often, often am. There is nothing that makes her laugh.
- [44:46]
Ernie Johnson
Oh, it's a guarantee for me. I can do that just by saying, hey, I'll fix that. Because me trying to repair something around the house is always fodder for the next six months.
- [44:55]
Charles Barkley
Oh, but you try at least. I can't. My father did not hand me down that one. My father taught me how to work. I was not. The thing my father did teach me is have friends who know how to fix things. Yes, I did learn that from my father.
- [45:10]
Ernie Johnson
Oh, Cheryl's dad is awesome. My father in law can fix anything and can build anything. I've returned a hammer to Home Depot because it didn't have instructions. I mean, I got clueless.
- [45:24]
Charles Barkley
It's laughable.
- [45:25]
Ernie Johnson
And I got that from my dad, too, because my mom, my late mother said, you, dad's the only man in America who's never been in a Home Depot.
- [45:34]
Charles Barkley
Yeah, well, but that's what he taught you, right? Like he ended up teaching you. You don't know. I don't know how many of our patterns from our parents we pick up, but that one, to me, was largely blind for a long time.
- [45:48]
Ernie Johnson
The.
- [45:48]
Charles Barkley
The idea that I'm slowly becoming my father in ways that are deeply uncomfortable to see in a mirror.
- [45:54]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, it's. Sometimes it's not really uncomfortable. You know, sometimes it's kind of cool. Like in the hallways the other day, there's a guy who'd been at Turner for a long time. We used to, you know, work on some of the Braves broadcast when my dad was still calling games. And I saw him the other day, and I said, how you doing, kid? And he just stopped and he said, man, you sounded just like your dad when you said that. He used to call me kid all the time. And I was like, thank you. I like that. Thanks for the reminder.
- [46:26]
Charles Barkley
You sounds like the foundation is that you make her laugh and you are awed and flabbergasted with respect for how large her love can be, because I don't know how you ended up on the adoption path, but that is a substantive undertaking to choose. I am going to love someone up here to create a home for someone so that they can have a safe environment and have a terrain that is successful or that is more helpful to happiness than might otherwise be, if not in a loving household.
- [47:05]
Ernie Johnson
No, without question. I mean, and that's, you know, when I wrote Unscripted six years ago, and, you know, kind of a term that described the show that we do, but also the way we've lived our lives. And, you know, when you. When you get married and you have a boy and a girl and you've got what everybody seems like, you guys have got it. You got a beautiful wife, you got a great job, you got a boy and a girl. Bang, you know, set sail. And then she, you know, Cheryl Ann sees 2021 night and sees all these Romanian orphans, and then comes to me and says, you know, what I think we need to do is we need to go to Romania and get one of these kids. And I'm like, no, really, what are you. Are you serious? Yeah, we really. Yeah, this would be great. We need to investigate this. And we do. We investigate it. She goes over with a group. I stay home with Eric and Maggie. She's more worried about them hanging with me with no vegetables in the house for two months than I am about her being in Romania, where back in 91. Who knows what's going on? It's not like you had. Everybody's got a cell phone. And then you're hearing about how the rules are changing all the time, and. And that experience changed the trajectory of our whole family. You know, that was for her to see this little boy who can't walk or talk. He's three years old and just makes sounds and has been in a crib since he was found in a park. Doesn't know how to chew because all they've been feeding him is out of a bottle. And he's three years old. And, you know, it's. You know, she calls me, we talk, and she's in Bucharest, and she tells me all about this kid.
- [49:02]
Charles Barkley
This is Michael.
- [49:03]
Ernie Johnson
This is Michael. And she's like, I met this kid today, and he's so much more than we can handle. And she kind of lists what's going on. And she said, but I just don't know if I can live the rest of my life wondering what happened to him. So what do you do, dad? So what do you say?
- [49:26]
Charles Barkley
I follow my wife to the end of the earth?
- [49:28]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. I said, bring him home. And even then, when the words came out of my mouth, it was like, what did I just say? But I had heard something in that. I had heard something in what she said that was like, this is. This is what we got to do.
- [49:46]
Charles Barkley
So how does that work, though, when it arrives on your doorstep? I don't know how impetuous she is or you are, because she saw something on television. We don't need to talk about this. We don't need to, like, really understand the decision we're making. No, follow your heart. Follow, follow.
- [50:04]
Ernie Johnson
Oh, no, we. I mean, we went to a big meeting. Does it. So how does this whole process work? And what are we looking at? And so, you know, you have to go through this whole home study, everything, to see if you're a fit parent. You know, if you do adopt a child, you know, what kind of a household is he or she going to be getting into? So we go through all that red tape and all that stuff, and then she goes. And so we had. Yeah, it wasn't like, wow, 2020 just ended that Was really a touching story. I'm getting on a plane. It was, no, let's look at this. But the instantaneous thing was when I heard that in her voice, it was like, okay, here we go.
- [50:51]
Charles Barkley
And can you explain to the audience what kind of undertaking. Not. I'm not talking about paperwork here. I'm talking about the commitment to raise a child under these conditions.
- [51:03]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, it was. We. One of his feet was totally turned in at the ankle, so he couldn't walk. And we knew when he got. When we got him home, he would have to go through a battery of tests from doctors here in the States to see exactly what the situation is. Why, you know, and so, like, we would be awakened in the morning and walk into his room and he's on all fours and he's banging his head against the crib. It's all self stimulation. For the first three years of his life. Nobody is paying any attention to the kid. So that's one thing that we. That we see right away. And then they run a bunch of tests and they fix his foot and he's able to walk. And then he's. He's walking with a funny gait. And they say, well, we need to do another test. And they cut open his leg and they do a muscle biopsy. And they say, he's got muscular dystrophy. And then you. You do research on MD and you talk to doctors and they. And they say, there's no cure for it. So we go from Ernie and Cheryl, Eric and Maggie, great job, boy and girl, here we go. You went unscripted, and now you've got a kid with a fatal disease who's three years old. You just go from one day to the next. He's your son, and that's what you do. And you say, we don't know how long we've got with him. A lot of kids don't make it out of their teens. But in the meantime, we need to get him in speech therapy and physical therapy, and so maybe we can. He's three years old and can't talk. He's just making noise. He finally spoke when he was 8. And we're in the van one day, and all of a sudden out of the back seat comes Mike. Mike. He just said his name. And it's like we're making progress. There's a step. And he would never be able to communicate like this. He had his, you know, but you spend enough time with him through the years, then you knew what he was, the points he was trying to get Across. And he loved. He was. He had autistic tendencies and loved cars, loved lawnmowers. If he met you, he asked, what'd you drive? And then he remembered that. I mean, I'd run into teachers of his at the mall 10 years after they taught him. And I'd say, michael, who is this coming by? And she. And she'd be waving, oh, Michael. And he'd say, chevy Astro van, light blue. And she said, yeah, that is what I drove when I taught you. It was an amazing. It was like this amazing icebreaker he had with people who were just drawn to his spirit. And I got to watch that. I got to watch that every day. So I never wanted anybody to think, oh, poor Ernie and Cheryl. Look what they're. It was like, no, see, you don't get what we get. We get to watch this every day. We get to watch this, watch him develop. We get to watch him grow. We get to watch him impact people, because we're not all here to play by the same rules. And so he was a joy and a wonder to behold. And his impact on folks much greater than I'll ever have on anybody.
- [55:03]
Charles Barkley
What did he teach you?
- [55:04]
Ernie Johnson
Unconditional love. Love of the being content with whatever you have. You know, it's. Dan. I would. A big day for Michael would be go to a car dealership, go inside and get a few brochures. And he couldn't read or write, but he could memorize all the cars. And he would see them on the road. And that's this, and that's a Toyota, and that's this. And then if you'd take it home and, like, laminate some of the pictures and put them in a binder for them, it was like he hit the lottery. It was an amazing thing. So it was be content. Don't always. The next thing doesn't have to be bigger and shinier and brighter. It can just be content with the simple things. And his spirit was just. His favorite thing to say was, love you, too. I mean, our family slogan is. And what we. We put emojis on stuff. It's always this. It's always I love you in sign language. And it's. And that's the whole. That's the foundation. That's. That's what our family's about. And. And he kind of paved the way. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile.
- [56:36]
Shaquille O'Neal
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- [56:37]
Ernie Johnson
But anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants. Switch you to Mint Mobile today.
- [56:49]
Shaquille O'Neal
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- [56:52]
Ernie Johnson
Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3.
- [56:56]
Shaquille O'Neal
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- [57:00]
Ernie Johnson
Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee, full terms@mintmobile.com you exuded.
- [57:06]
Charles Barkley
I mean I've always, I've. You have always seemed $5. You have always seemed maximum gratitude to me. Just in the way that you carry about, carry yourself and talk about some of these things. But you exude it as well. It's unspoken, it's hard to explain to you. I don't know if you have this effect on people. There have not been many people in my career in the media who have this particular energy about them that is soft and kind and generous and grateful. And I don't know if you had it before Michael. I don't know if you were the same kind of grateful when you had the perfect life as someone imagines it and then chose something harder.
- [57:56]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, it was. I think I tried to be that person. But when Michael came along, it was. He just brought us to a different place. He just brought us kind of into his world. And the best thing about it for me was it put us into a servant mentality. Every day you woke up in the morning, especially as he got older and you know, he died at 33, which was much longer than anybody thought we'd. That he'd be around but into his teens and 20s and 30s and confined to a wheelchair and the last 10 years of his life on a ventilator. You woke up, you woke up in the morning knowing you had you. My job today is to serve this guy and you had to do everything for him and that's everything. And when you have that kind of a need and a desire to serve, that's good because I think we. I wish, I wish there were. I wish everybody wanted to serve. I wish everybody woke up in the morning saying, how can I help you today?
- [59:22]
Charles Barkley
Oh, but you've stumbled upon a great secret to happiness. I don't know if you stumbled on it before Michael or not, but I mean that the rewards of giving are so much larger than the rewards of taking. I mean, if you're doing it consciously. Right. I don't. I think a lot of people get caught up on the path to unhappiness with superficialities that aren't quite that.
- [59:45]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, well, this is. This is from the guy whose week would be made if Rudy Marchy said I had a funny line to man. Michael, what am I going to do today with you? What are we going to make. How are we going to make you more comfortable? How are we going to shave you today? Is this a shave day? Is this, you know, that kind of stuff? And it was. Yeah, it just. It reinforced where everything in my life and in all of our lives, in our family, it kind of reinforced where everything should fall, you know. Are you caring too much about this? Yeah, I mean, and I listened to the audiobook, the Subtle Art of Not Giving a.
- [60:31]
Charles Barkley
You familiar with this? Yes. No, there is. I've read the book. And there is wisdom in there. Although it's got barbed wire all around it.
- [60:38]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, it does. But there are certain times when you read that, you know what. Yeah. That I could care. I should probably care less about that, you know, And I think what Michael did and what all of our kids have done is kind of put us into a position of, here's what's important to care about. Here's what's. Forget it.
- [60:59]
Charles Barkley
Well, when was the last time anything involved with your very successful, popular show has resulted in Ernie being truly enraged?
- [61:09]
Ernie Johnson
Enraged.
- [61:10]
Charles Barkley
Truly enraged.
- [61:12]
Ernie Johnson
I have a feeling that you have something that.
- [61:14]
Charles Barkley
No, I don't have anything. I can't imagine. It is what I have. It's simply. It is something that I simply cannot imagine. Although you gave us a story from a long time ago, you don't carry yourself with someone with a temper.
- [61:28]
Ernie Johnson
You know, what made. I don't know if I would call it enraged, but back when I was doing our baseball coverage and doing play by play on the playoffs, the Braves and Dodgers played one year. I can't remember the year, but there was this, you know, like our PR department said, hey, would you do an interview with this LA writer? Yeah, sure. Whose first question was, hey, your dad broadcast Braves games forever and ever. Can you tell me that you're going to go into the series with no bias? I was like, look, I'm a professional. I said, I call the games. I want the games to be competitive. I'm not rooting for anybody, so please. But. So there was these sides that had developed and you see this on social media, you know, at this point, it's like, well, before the series even starts, you know, he's going to be pulling for the Braves because of his dad. And, you know, the Braves fans got their take. But as the series unfolds, you know, and the Braves lose to the Dodgers, in the opener, and I'm on my feed, and it's like, your dad would be ashamed of you. And there was some rage there from me because that hurt. You know, I had Braves fans, you know, the organization my dad had devoted his life to saying. You know, because they expect me to be waving pom poms in the booth and go, Braves. And that's not. That's not me. I'm a national broadcaster. I'm calling this. So then when Braves come back and win the next game, then the Dodgers are. Dodger fans are like, oh, man, it's so obvious. You're so. That stuff. I don't know if it enraged me, but it bothered me.
- [63:18]
Charles Barkley
Well, but your dad. I don't. Was your daddy. Your dad wasn't as bothered. Was your dad someone who felt the need? I don't remember him being. Feeling totally impartial. I felt like he was regionally a voice for a region that celebrated a team. But I'm looking at that through a child's eye.
- [63:34]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. I mean, dad wanted the. You know, dad knew who was the. Ted Turner's name was on the check. So dad knew he was the Braves broadcaster. And.
- [63:42]
Charles Barkley
But.
- [63:42]
Ernie Johnson
But he was very fair. You know, I never got. Got that vibe from him like I got. I got that vibe from a lot of announcers you hear these days on any sport who are pulling for the.
- [63:52]
Charles Barkley
But you were getting mad because a random person had dared to say that. They somehow know that your father would be ashamed of you when all you've done, all your professional life, is make sure that that name remains pristine because of the respect you have for your father and his father.
- [64:07]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, it hurt. It hurt. And one of those things that taught me was, I just can't get carried away with this. I just can't. I'm not going to answer everybody who.
- [64:18]
Charles Barkley
And there. There goes the great story. There's not real rage there. It's just a mild. A mild. Ah. This jerk said something mean on the Internet.
- [64:27]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah.
- [64:28]
Charles Barkley
I'm gonna be an adult.
- [64:29]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah.
- [64:29]
Charles Barkley
It's very disappointing.
- [64:30]
Ernie Johnson
I know, but I tried.
- [64:31]
Charles Barkley
I don't throw your phone at somebody.
- [64:34]
Ernie Johnson
I don't. I really don't get that mad about stuff. I don't know.
- [64:40]
Charles Barkley
Well, but it sounds. But it sounds like you carry yourself with a perspective. Look, I mean, what you're talking about, Ernie, there is really hard. When you can make life distilled down to, is today a day we're shaving? Is today the day I can be of service? When you make your life that small, Everything becomes a silly thing. Everything work related.
- [65:06]
Ernie Johnson
And work becomes. Work became an escape. During that time, work became like, okay, Cheryl, you got Michael now. You know, I had him in the morning, you got him now we have a nurse overnight. I'm going to work. And that was a place to kind of just do your thing, have fun, talk, hoop, you know, and laugh.
- [65:25]
Charles Barkley
Is that when you remember the show being the best kind of distraction for you or the work being a more positive distraction because you have a better relationship with balance and perspective?
- [65:37]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, I think so. But I'm. And I'll tell you this, and it doesn't always work out that way, that it's this great, you know, like, this place to escape. Because when Michael died, I took a week off and I went back to work thinking, oh, yeah, this will be good to give this, you know, have this night to do this. And all I. All I did was wind up calling my wife during the night and saying, I wish I was home. I'm not ready to do this again, but I don't want to. But then you're thinking, you know, your dad would probably. Your dad would probably be at work, you know, and. But I was so not into it for four. For about a month. For about a month after I went back to work, I was so not into it. And I felt like I was cheating folks who were watching felt like I was cheating the guys I work with because I wasn't dialed in. And all I could because I don't want to be at work, just wishing I was not at work. And that was hard. So I think if I had had it to do over again, I would have said, look, I need a little more time, because all I'm. It's just like, there's no guide that comes when you adopt a child with special needs. There's no guide that says, here's how you do this. Just like there's no guide. And everybody knows this. When you lose somebody you love, there's no guide that says, here's how you deal with it. We all going to deal with it differently. And so there were just too many reminders during the day that had my mind anywhere but at work.
- [67:24]
Charles Barkley
What a difficult crossroads, though, to be sort of stuck emotionally between whatever this is what my dad would have done, and I should be home with my wife because that's the important place to be right now.
- [67:42]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah. Yeah, it was. And I think part of it was I was trying to proved myself that maybe I'm tougher than I really am. Like, yeah, no, a Week is fine. A week away from work will be fine. I'll be great. And I'm just. I'm not that strong. Well, work's also. I'll be the first to admit it.
- [68:02]
Charles Barkley
But work is also an excellent place to hide, usually from things less large than that.
- [68:10]
Ernie Johnson
Yeah, but it wasn't. That wasn't. It wasn't a good place for anything at that point, and I knew it. But, you know, the guys were great the way. And I'm sitting at home and they did this great. This wonderful tribute to Michael on the. On the pregame show. And I just. And I just felt so loved by the place that I've loved for ages. And. Yeah, so I work in a special place.
- [68:47]
Charles Barkley
It's a special thing that you have. It's not just a special place. You are somebody who has contributed to making it that special. You've been an anchor in the middle of that place in spirit. And I'm gonna. I'm done here hitting you with the syrupy stuff. But I do want the audience to know that you are a special human being and the work that you do in this industry is unusual for a number of different reasons. And I'd put lower on the list the craftsmanship of it. The environment that you have created that is a celebration of sport and life, where people can talk about serious things, feeling like they are in a family loving environment. Give yourself some more credit for what that is. You can be grateful about it and understand and that you had a part in. In be making it the spiritual soul of sports that it is.
- [69:35]
Ernie Johnson
I am grateful and I appreciate your words because that means the world to me. It truly does. And it's like It's a Wonderful Life, man. It's my favorite movie of all time. Here's to my big brother George, the richest man in town. That's the way I feel every day. Thank you.
- [69:53]
Charles Barkley
Thank you for your work, sir, and thank you for spending this time with us.
- [69:57]
Ernie Johnson
Always a pleasure. Thanks, man.
- [70:09]
Shaquille O'Neal
I like my sweater vest. I think it looks cool. And I don't care what anyone on the show has to say because they're not really acting like very good friends right now. And if they were my friends, maybe I'd be spending a little more time with them outside of the show, doing things like going to the beach or maybe having a nice day by the grill, because there's something about a perfect grilling day. Sun's out, your friends show up, and that first sip of Miller Lite just hits different. I've been stocking the cooler with it for years, and for good reason. It's brewed for taste only, 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs. This year, Miller Lite turns 50. That's five decades of cookouts, laughs, and ice cold moments that never miss. It's the original light beer and still my Go to Great Beer, Great Times Grill on Miller Lite. Great taste 96 calories. Go to miller lite.com beach to find delivery options near you. Or you could pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.