99.) Trump Doesn't Care About Americans Costs Rising + Chris Brown's Album (5/13/26)

Summary

The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show – Ep. 99: “Trump Doesn't Care About Americans Costs Rising + Chris Brown's Album” (May 13, 2026)

---

Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode, Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenberg dive into current events shaping music, politics, and culture. They tackle the political indifference to rising American costs (with focus on Trump and international relations), break down Chris Brown’s controversial Pitchfork review, chat Jamie Foxx baby rumors, dissect comedy’s limits after Kevin Hart’s Netflix roast, and offer commentary on NYC’s new political landscape. Throughout, the hosts’ candid and unfiltered debates highlight their signature blend of humor, skepticism, and social awareness.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Netanyahu’s 60 Minutes Appearance & Israel’s PR

• Summary: The hosts discuss Israeli PM Netanyahu’s recent media appearance, highlighting his defensive position on global criticism and his claims that negative sentiment against Israel is largely due to social media manipulation ([00:47]–[01:48]).
• Quotes:
  • Pete: “He was… basically, you know, the anti Israel sentiment is because of, you know, algorithms and algohost people. People manipulating TikTok.” [01:16]
  • Ebro: “So their PR team has fallen off.” [01:45]

2. Chris Brown’s Album Reviewed Harshly by Pitchfork

• Segment Timestamps: [02:37], [35:45]–[39:11]
• Summary: Discussion centers on Pitchfork’s viral 1.3/10 rating for Chris Brown’s “Brown” album, which the reviewer labeled “a real piece of sh—”. The crew see this as pure clickbait intended to provoke Brown’s immense fanbase.
• Quotes:
  • Laura: “…Pitchfork is catching a lot of attention after giving Chris Brown's album… a 1.3 out of 10. That’s hate out of 10.” [35:45]
  • Ebro: “Whoever did that is straight algo. That's clickbait. You're playing to the anti-Chris... algo.” [36:18]
  • Pete: “Alphos Pierre is not a fan of Chris Brown, clearly…” [36:51]
  • Ebro: “Strong 7.5–8 [out of 10],” contesting the review. [37:08]

3. Trump’s Iran Policy & Disregard for Americans’ Costs

• Segment Timestamps: [02:39]–[03:49]
• Summary: The show reacts to a Trump soundbite where he dismisses the impact of Americans’ financial situation when negotiating with Iran, focusing solely on preventing a nuclear Iran.
• Quotes:
  • Trump (clip): “Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters… Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about America's financial situation…” [02:47]
  • Ebro: “Not thinking about you at all out there, Maga… You thought he was going to think about you. No more wars. Guess what? You played yourself.” [03:22–03:43]

Related: US–Israel Nuclear Realities

• The hosts point out the hypocrisy of US policy in the region, noting Israel’s unmonitored nuclear arsenal and heavy US financial support.
  • Pete: “They truly have made the US Their bitch many times.” [04:00]

---

4. NYC Budget, “Mom Donnie” Momentum, and Taxing the Rich

• Segment Timestamps: [10:04–18:03], [19:47 onward]
• Summary: The hosts break down “Mom Donnie’s” (Yusuf Mamdani, NYC’s new mayor) budget announcement, celebrating the closing of a massive deficit without slashing essential services. They credit new taxes on vacant luxury apartments and increased state support, while discussing public skepticism and political maneuvering.
• Quotes:
  • Rahsaan (clip): “We inherited a $12 billion budget deficit… After months of painstaking work, that deficit is now zero. Our city is now on firm financial ground.” [10:04]
  • Pete: “Is this real or is this slick marketing?” [12:04]
  • Ebro: “I haven't heard any… blowback… from the police union.” [17:12]
  • Laura: “…only people who don’t like Mom Donnie are either really wealthy, far right, or very, very pro-Israel. Or don’t live here at all.” [16:47]

Luxury Tax Details

• Laura: “The ones that have a second home that's worth over 5 million…” [15:06]
• Pete: “If you can afford that, you can afford to support the city. Thanks. Appreciate you.” [15:51]

Skepticism vs. Optimism

• Pete: “In our reality, he definitely seems like he's doing great… I want to see it. It's been four months. I want to see it. I want to see it keep going.” [24:25]

---

5. Candace Owens, MTG, and Politically Engineered Personas

• Segment Timestamps: [06:07–09:57]
• Summary: The crew humorously dissects the performative sideshows of right-wing pundits Candace Owens and Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG). They explore Owens’ performative “pivot” and “fast-talking,” question her credibility, and note Greene’s sudden retreat after being labeled a “traitor” by Trump.
• Quotes:
  • Pete: “Candace and Tucker are bad people. Marjorie Taylor Greene is dumb.” [09:13]
  • Ebro: “She's like the fireman… Ed of Maga. She was M – A – G – A…” [09:40]
  • Laura: “She's up there with Marjorie Taylor Greene, bro. Who cares? I don't care.” [08:47]

---

6. Comedy, “Cancel Culture,” and Kevin Hart’s Netflix Roast

• Segment Timestamps: [39:01–51:45]
• Summary: The panel debates the fallout from Kevin Hart’s Netflix roast, the boundaries of comedy, and the inclusion of problematic comedians. They discuss negative audience reactions, the sensitivity of certain jokes (especially related to race and police violence), and the economic priorities that shape big platformed comedy.
• Quotes:
  • Rosenberg: “Do we need a white comedian who already has said questionably racist things… to make a not funny joke about the murder of a civilian by a police officer…?” [42:44]
  • Ebro: “I just don’t need white people making overtly deep slavery, lynching, murder by police [jokes]. Like, I’m just good on it right now.” [47:29]
  • Laura: “Comedy should be Free. No subject should be off limits. And I’m just like, I don’t agree with that.” [48:19]
  • Ebro: “As soon as you say roast… my brain automatically goes to… no holds bar… That’s why I’ve never participated in one.” [49:10]

Kevin Hart Critique

• Pete: “One of the jokes… is that he’s a whore. There’s a reason… it’s never stops, the money, money, money… When you choose… not really take a stand on big things, then… people are ready to turn on you.” [46:55]

---

7. Jamie Foxx Baby News & Reflection on His Career

• Segment Timestamps: [52:09–54:57]
• Summary: Jamie Foxx is rumored to be expecting his third child, news which surprises the crew. The hosts reminisce on his exceptional crossover as an actor and artist.
• Quotes:
  • Laura: “Jamie Foxx… Baby number three... fitness influencer... God bless.” [52:13]
  • Ebro: “I had no idea he was even thinking about becoming a new dad.” [52:56]
  • Pete: “…in the middle of being, like, one of the biggest actors in the world, he was like, yo, let me drop this album. And it had multiple hits on it.” [54:30]

---

8. Music Leak Crime – Beyonce’s Unreleased Tracks Theft

• Segment Timestamps: [56:52–58:52]
• Summary: The man who stole Beyonce’s unreleased music gets a two-year sentence. The hosts discuss how music theft often happens at random, especially with rental vehicles targeted across urban centers.
• Quotes:
  • Laura: “The man accused of stealing Beyonce’s unreleased music… is getting two years… he breaks into cars.” [56:56]
  • Ebro: “He robbed Ebro before he got off the plane. I never seen anything like that.” [58:31]
  • Pete: “He could have sabotaged the queen.” [57:30]

---

9. In Memoriam: Barry Blaustein

• Segment: [59:05–66:38]
• Summary: Rosenberg mourns the loss of writer Barry Blaustein, best known for “Coming to America,” “Boomerang,” and wrestling doc “Beyond the Mat.” They replay a heartfelt scene from the documentary and reflect on legacy in comedy and storytelling.
• Quotes:
  • Pete: “He made Nutty Professor, made all these movies, but this [wrestling film] was his baby.” [66:04]
  • Ebro: “He was really like, still boxing every day… He just loved it.” [59:44]
  • Pete: “‘Beyond the Mat’… is amazing.” [61:13]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Single-Mindedness:
  “‘Not thinking about you at all. Out there, Maga… No more wars. Guess what? You played yourself.’” – Ebro Darden [03:22–03:43]

• On NYC’s New Leadership:
  “I haven’t heard any… blowback… from the police union [about Mom Donnie].” – Ebro Darden [17:12]

• On Ultra-Luxury Taxation:
  “If you can afford [a $12 million vacant apartment], you can afford to support the city. Thanks. Appreciate you.” – Pete [15:51]

• On Comedy’s Current Landscape:
  “As soon as you say roast… no holds bar… That’s why I’ve never participated in one.” – Ebro Darden [49:10]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Netanyahu 60 Minutes/Israel & PR: – [00:46–01:48]
• Trump Iran Clip & Disregard for Americans: – [02:44–03:43]
• NYC Budget, Mom Donnie’s Achievements: – [10:04–18:03]
• Algo Hustle Candace Owens/MTG: – [06:07–09:57]
• Chris Brown’s Pitchfork Review: – [35:45–39:11]
• Comedy Limits, Kevin Hart Roast Discourse: – [39:01–51:45]
• Jamie Foxx Baby News: – [52:09–54:57]
• Beyonce Music Theft: – [56:52–58:52]
• Barry Blaustein Tribute: – [59:05–66:38]

---

Tone and Flow

The episode maintains the ELR show’s trademark: irreverent, comedic, and sharply skeptical of official narratives. The crew banters with rapid-fire jokes, pop culture references, and personal anecdotes, balancing serious political discussion with light-hearted takes on music and comedy. They're transparent about their biases, occasionally poke fun at each other’s “algos” (algorithm-influenced feeds), and always keep it real for their audience.

---

Takeaways for Listeners

• Trump-era politics continue to breed cynicism as leadership appears disconnected from economic hardship.
• NYC is at a potential turning point with impactful progressive leadership—but skepticism (“let’s wait and see”) abounds.
• Online “algo hustle” culture war strategies (be it from Pitchfork or pundits like Candace Owens) shape headlines as much as reality.
• The boundaries of comedy are tested on big stages like Netflix; public scrutiny and cultural sensitivity clash with “anything goes.”
• Legacy matters—in politics, art, and life; the episode closes by reflecting on the late Barry Blaustein’s unique impact.

---

For full takes on these topics, also check the following time markers:

• Trump on Iran: [02:44]
• Chris Brown review debate: [35:45–39:11]
• NYC budget analysis: [10:04–18:03]
• Kevin Hart roast fallout: [39:01–51:45]

Follow The ELR Show for more:

• X: @theelrshow
• TikTok: @ebrolaurarosenberg

Transcript

[Ebro Darden]

Just don't call it a podcast. The Ebro Laura Rosenberg show. Okay.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Good morning.

[Ebro Darden]

Good morning to the ELR team, the ELR Family Army, Fox, the EL Army. Yes. Subscribe and like and share. Tell a friend to. Tell a friend to tune in, man. We having good numbers. We having a good time. And we made it to Wednesday, man, halfway through the week.

[Pete]

God bless.

[Ebro Darden]

Shout to the sponsors on the program. Cozy Earth and just thrive. We got to talk about just thrive later on show today. We never talked About Netanyahu on 60 Minutes earlier this week.

[Pete]

I didn't see much of it.

[Ebro Darden]

Didn't care. What's he going to say?

[Pete]

I don't know. I can get lied to so many different ways in different times.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

So honestly, I don't think he was lying as much as, you know, from the clips that I saw is basically like, yeah, no, we're not stopping. And who's gonna stop us? Was kind of the, the feedback I was seeing. I didn't watch the whole thing.

[Pete]

Well, the club I saw was him,

[Ebro Darden]

you know, still trying to act like it was everyone else.

[Pete]

Yeah. And just trying to like, how should I say this? He was, you know, basically, you know, the anti Israel sentiment is because of, you know, algorithms and algohost people. People manipulating TikTok.

[Ebro Darden]

Manipulating TikTok.

[Pete]

And when the interviewer was like, well, could any of it be because. And he was kind of like, no. I mean, it's. We've. We haven't done a good enough job fighting the lies on TikTok. That's it. They just haven't done a good enough job.

[Ebro Darden]

So their PR team has fallen off.

[Pete]

Which, by the way, I do agree their PR jobs done a terrible job. But that ain't the only thing going on here, buddy.

[Ebro Darden]

Laura, what you working on for the rundown?

[Laura Rosenberg]

We will talk about a particular review about Chris Brown's album that set the Internet on fire. There were some harsh words included in that. I was like, oh, okay. Also, I'll let you know. What a list. Actor's expecting a baby after a long time and he's had a lot of ups and downs. We were very scared at one point because he got very sick. And I'll give you the scoop later on.

[Pete]

Okay. And now he's got a baby on the way in. Teresante.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yep. And. And also give you guys an update. Remember the guy who stole Beyonce's music? No, they broke into his. They broke into one of her dancer and choreographers.

[Ebro Darden]

I do remember that. Okay, okay. Yes.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll give you the update. What's going on with him? Not bueno.

[Ebro Darden]

No bueno.

[Laura Rosenberg]

No bueno.

[Ebro Darden]

Speaking of no bueno, let's go to clip number nine. This is not what you want to hear from the President of the United States.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, boy.

[Ebro Darden]

You don't know that when you're negotiating with Iran.

[Pete]

Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a. Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about America's financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.

[Ebro Darden]

That's the only thing that motivates me.

[Pete]

I only think about what Bibi told me to say every time we talk. That's what he's been doing. So it's worked for him for 30 years. So I'm going to do the same thing.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I know.

[Pete]

No, he's not thinking about it.

[Ebro Darden]

Not thinking about you at all. He's not thinking about you at all out there. Maga. You maga maniac. Look, I did the political hand.

[Pete]

Look, that's it. That's it right there.

[Ebro Darden]

You maga maniac. You. You thought your prices were coming down and your gas prices coming down. He thought he was going to think about you. No more wars. Guess what? You played yourself.

[Pete]

Yeah, not. Not so much. She's not thinking about it even a little bit. Just the. Just the nuke. They can't have a nuke. Just everybody else can have a nuke.

[Ebro Darden]

Hey, guys, they don't have a nuke. And you know. And you know who has nukes and nobody knows how many they got? Israel. You know why? Because they don't even allow the United States to do inspections.

[Pete]

Yeah. No, it is true. You got to give Israel credit for something. They truly have made the US Their bitch many times. Like other people should take note of how you can. You can do it.

[Ebro Darden]

Eyes. Here's wool. You know what I mean? Like, we can't see nothing over there.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

And meanwhile giving Israel mad cash.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Taxpayer dollars.

[Pete]

Well, listen, you got to bring something to table, you know, I mean, Israel's came with. Israel has this science, this technology, this stuff that was able to allow them to probably get things on all these American people.

[Ebro Darden]

Yo, leaders speaking of technology, you know, they said there's a. You know, I go in the conspiracy algo.

[Pete]

Yeah. It seems like that. That and people yelling. You're in the yelling.

[Ebro Darden]

I got some yell I got some yelling. Oh, Mania is ready to yell. But this one was basically saying that Charlie Kirk was not shot.

[Pete]

I've seen that. I've seen that many times.

[Ebro Darden]

I saw it for the first time.

[Pete]

You had never seen that? No, that was an exploding device.

[Ebro Darden]

An exploding device, bro.

[Pete]

Ebro, come on, get your conspiracy up, bro.

[Ebro Darden]

Yo, hit me with the button.

[Pete]

Yeah, that was Earl. That's first week. Really? Oh, yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I just saw it recently. Maybe like two weeks ago.

[Ebro Darden]

Come on, spit that. Yo, spit.

[Pete]

Louie, where are all these people? Was right after. Right after.

[Ebro Darden]

Spit that exploding device and that and the.

[Pete]

They show the guy. You can see the guy who did it. There's a guy that.

[Ebro Darden]

Oh, they give us the baseball.

[Pete]

He does like, an arm pull, and then it explodes. And there's no, like, sign of stuff behind him. And.

[Ebro Darden]

And then that's why they, you know, cleaned up the cement. Because the shrapnel pieces were in the cement.

[Pete]

Yeah, well, they literally, like, completely eliminated the place where it happened the next

[Ebro Darden]

week or the next, like, within days

[Pete]

that the whole area didn't even exist anymore, which is insane. They had, like, a construction and it was like, all right, gone. This place doesn't exist.

[Ebro Darden]

A crime scene turn.

[Pete]

Disappeared. So, like, there is weird stuff there for sure. Yo, you should, you know, you should talk to Candace Owens. She's reliable.

[Ebro Darden]

You think we should have her on?

[Pete]

Oh, yeah, if you want to have a good, intelligent conversation. I mean, she talks to everybody.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. All right. If you. You guys want to outgo hustle in the cat and Candace Owens world, you guys want to bring that in here and see that? You see what the chat feels about that?

[Pete]

No, I'm good. People probably be up for it, you know?

[Ebro Darden]

No, they'd be up for the shenanigans of it all.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, I think that's really.

[Pete]

I don't think she'd be interested either. At this point.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I don't really care.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't think I have the temperament for it. I'll be honest.

[Pete]

Yeah, I don't. I don't think you do either.

[Ebro Darden]

It would be one of those. It would be exhaustion. I'm exhausted thinking about it.

[Pete]

Yeah, the fast talking. The like, smart, fast talking that, like, you don't. You like.

[Ebro Darden]

But hang on, lady, you're just saying a bunch.

[Pete]

Have I sent you guys any of the videos of the guy pretending to direct Candace Owens?

[Ebro Darden]

No.

[Pete]

And then he. And he's correcting her. No, because she has these. She has either these gaps in her vocabulary or she's reading off paper and when she reads certain things, she reads them wrong. So he'll like make. He makes these videos. All right, Candace, I know we talked about it last time. Make sure you pronounce the word. And I'm talking about it's a simple ass word that is. And then he's like, let's. Here we go. And then it's her just saying it wrong over and over like she has many words.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't watch her, so I don't know.

[Pete]

Me neither. But when I. He has a collect bro. It's. Most of his page is in fake directing. Candace Owens.

[Ebro Darden]

Wait, you're off in the algo. Deeper than that.

[Pete]

This is why. This is a while ago someone said, oh, yeah, this is old too. But I didn't know that she didn't

[Ebro Darden]

know you was up on all this.

[Pete]

I didn't know. She says so many things wrong.

[Ebro Darden]

I didn't. Still don't care.

[Pete]

But I think it's right. No, I think people should know that the person they get a lot of information from can't speak basic, like words.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't know if I think. I don't know if I believe in the people who. You don't believe it of Candace Owens. I don't know if I believe it. Like, I don't know. And I'm. I'm being literal. I don't know. Like, I hear you. You got. This is your person. Because she's saying some stuff.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, that.

[Ebro Darden]

One or two things that you agree with. But what about all the other things that she said? Like, how did you. The reason why she went up here

[Laura Rosenberg]

is because she was heavily pushing for Trump. Hello, Trump.

[Ebro Darden]

And you know, anti blackness. The whole George Floyd thing, Kanye west, like, it's all been a shame. The whole thing. Like, what are we talking about? And so now all of a sudden, because she can see that Israel is a sham and the government there is. It's terrible. I'm supposed to think you're like, now we're lined up now we're all aligned now.

[Pete]

But I will say, like, when this stuff does hit my algo and I look at the comments. Cause, you know, I always want to say something. I always want to be like, this is. And I hit that little bubble. It is all just man. People, they love it.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah. No, she has a hardcore following. Hardcore following.

[Pete]

They think she's the cat's pajamas.

[Laura Rosenberg]

She's up there with Marjorie Taylor Greene, bro. Who cares? I don't care.

[Ebro Darden]

Marjorie Taylor Greene's been slow. Like, yo, Marjorie. Yeah, Shane, John Blaze.

[Pete]

Well, she's not.

[Ebro Darden]

I'm saying when you did your pivot, like Tucker's pivot. It's getting coverage.

[Pete]

Got big coverage.

[Ebro Darden]

It got coverage. But she didn't do anything.

[Pete]

Follow up. She didn't follow up.

[Ebro Darden]

You know what I'm saying? You had the algo moving. Yeah, but didn't bring it home.

[Pete]

But respectfully so. But here's the thing.

[Ebro Darden]

Mtg.

[Pete]

Candace and Tucker are bad people. Marjorie Taylor Greene is dumb.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Nah. She's also white supremacist.

[Pete]

No, no. They're all that. What I'm saying. What I'm saying is Tucker and Candace do have, like, there's something there. They have a plan and a plot. She was literally. Yo, guys. She was at the State of the Union wearing the hat.

[Ebro Darden]

No, mascot. Straight mascot.

[Laura Rosenberg]

She was.

[Pete]

She's honestly. She was elected by like 12 people.

[Ebro Darden]

She's like the fireman. She's like the fireman. Ed of Maga. She was M A G A Maga. Maga. Maga.

[Pete]

She was the fireman out of Maga. And then she literally just flipped. But she didn't have a follow up, though. For her, you need to have a John Blaze follow up.

[Ebro Darden]

Speaking of John Blaze, Mom. Donnie, Update. Let's go to clip 10 there. Rahsaan,

[Rahsaan]

New York. It's executive budget season, and I'm proud to announce that our city's budget is fully balanced. This budget isn't just about numbers on a page. It determines if our libraries get funded, if a street is safe to cross, if snow is actually shoveled after a storm. And you deserve to know exactly how we got here. We inherited a $12 billion budget deficit. We are speaking about a fiscal crisis at the scale greater than the Great Recession. Was the Great Recession. Great Recession. Many said the only way out of this was slashing services and passing an austerity budget. We rejected that. After months of painstaking work, that deficit is now zero. Our city is now on firm financial ground. We achieved this in two major ways. Increasing revenue and support for Albany and cutting waste and finding savings here in New York City. Thanks to Governor Hochul, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Hastings, and months of organizing from New Yorkers. We tax the rich. That tax alone will raise half a billion dollars per year. And that's not all. Thanks to Governor Hochul and our partners in Albany, we finally got a better deal for New York City. We're getting billions more from the state to help tackle the gap. At the same time, we've been poring over the city budget to identify savings we reduced unnecessary overtime and found smarter ways for government to deliver services. This all added up to 1 tax point. 77 billion in total savings. Our budget isn't just about closing deficits. It's about building a city New Yorkers can actually afford. On day eight of our administration, we announced a historic partnership with Governor Hochul to finally deliver universal childcare. That's $1.2 billion in new funding from Albany. And this was just the beginning. Investments in citywide trash containerization, cheaper groceries, safer streets, relief for taxi drivers are all on the way. And we're increasing funding for libraries, parks, and cultural institutions. I promised to make sure you were part of this budget process every step of the way. This is your city. These are your tax dollars, and this budget should reflect your priorities. We're proud to put forward a budget for the working people of this city, and we're going to do it again next year and next year and next

[Ebro Darden]

year and next year. Mom. Donnie. With the W claiming victory, I mean,

[Pete]

it's a claim W. Is it. Is this. Is this real or is this slick marketing?

[Ebro Darden]

I don't know.

[Pete]

I don't know either. It looked great, though. His content.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't know. Look, he said 12 billion. I remember when they talked about the Adams thing, and they were saying, We're 12 billion in a hole. After Adams, it was deficit.

[Pete]

Yeah, there was, there was. He left.

[Ebro Darden]

Then there was like. Then all of a sudden it got slashed to like, 8 billion. Like, they were like, you know, we. We found, you know, whatever. And I remember that number quickly jumped to like, 8 billion.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Then the numbers he just ran through are like, it's about $8 billion. The numbers he quoted, like Hoko and them chipped in 4 billion. Now, there's a lot of people who don't live in New York City that are claiming fuzzy math that's definitely on the Internet. Then you have people who are like, yeah, New York State's bailing you out. Hang on, buddy. New York City, I believe the number is in. Griff, check my data here. New York City delivers more to the state of New York to finance the rural areas of the state of New York than New York City receives back from the state of New York. Meaning we give. I think New York City supplies 60% of the state of New York tax revenue.

[Pete]

Okay. Yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I mean, it sounds, right.

[Pete]

Yeah. How else would it be?

[Ebro Darden]

And then. And then trying to get that money back is always the challenge. Trying to get the state of New York to say, hey, we're going to Put more in your till. Yeah, And I think that's what. What do you got there, Griff?

[Pete]

The New York city contributes roughly 54.5%, or 68.8 billion, of the total state revenue.

[Ebro Darden]

So late 2025, almost 55%.

[Pete]

And then personal income tax, it's almost 60%.

[Ebro Darden]

Personal income tax is almost 60%.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

So for the State of New York to say, and Kathy Hochul, who's, you know, you know, running for reelection, and that's gotten dicey in the last couple of weeks. According to polling heard she needs New York City to vote for her.

[Laura Rosenberg]

She does. Where, where are we at with her? Who's running against her? Nobody.

[Ebro Darden]

A Republican. The. The Democrat that was going to run, the Lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. Remember he stepped out.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah. I liked him a lot.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, because he saw, I think he saw Mom Donnie and Hokul moving together on child care and these other issues.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

And. And Mom Donnie and Hoko moving together didn't leave him any alignment with Mom Donnie.

[Pete]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

So he had to be like, well, what am I doing? What I'm gonna do with this? Go against Mom Donnie and Hokel.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right, right, right, right. No, I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it. I hope she delivers, though. I hope she delivers.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, look, she didn't want to tax the rich until they just put this thing in place where they're going to tax these wealthy, you know, residences that nobody's living in.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah. The ones that have a second home that's worth over 5 million. I believe it is.

[Ebro Darden]

Was it over 5 million? Is that what it was?

[Pete]

Yeah, that, you know, second home. I got to tell you, I think that's a good standard for rich.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Pete]

Because sometimes they get loose and they'll be like, you make a million dollars in New York, you're rich. And I'm like, I don't know. That's quite rich in New York City.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right, right, right.

[Pete]

Second home over five mil. That's not good.

[Ebro Darden]

You like?

[Pete]

Nah, that's good.

[Laura Rosenberg]

And those are the apartments that nobody is living in. You know what I mean? Like, it's just when they want to come for their little trip to New York.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. It's really an investment property or like a vacation home.

[Pete]

Well, yeah. And can't they get that from a lot of, like, international people who just keep their place here?

[Ebro Darden]

Well, I think that's the plan.

[Pete]

That's the plan. Right.

[Laura Rosenberg]

That's the point.

[Pete]

It's like oligarchs who just have like a 12 million dollar apartment. They show up in, like, six times a year.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Pete]

I mean, if you can afford that, you can afford to support the city. Thanks. Appreciate you.

[Ebro Darden]

Thanks for coming out.

[Pete]

Now, listen. Looks it sounds like it's off to a good start.

[Ebro Darden]

Sounds all we got to go on for now. What are we, five months in?

[Pete]

I thought. I thought for a time de Blasio was doing good work. And then afterwards, everyone said he was the worst thing that ever happened.

[Ebro Darden]

So now do you believe that, though?

[Pete]

No.

[Ebro Darden]

In retrospect, no.

[Laura Rosenberg]

No.

[Pete]

No. I don't think he was the best thing ever, but I don't think he was the worst either.

[Ebro Darden]

But I think. I don't know of a New York City mayor that while they're. Well, so far, while they're on the job, everyone unequivocally is aligned with them. I don't think. There's no version of a New York City mayor that. I've never seen this.

[Laura Rosenberg]

No.

[Ebro Darden]

I've never seen this much momentum and.

[Pete]

But what are you seeing? That was a video that he made.

[Laura Rosenberg]

No, no, just positive support.

[Ebro Darden]

That video. I meant the total tone of Mamdan. Mostly what I'm seeing, the people who don't like Mom Donnie are either really wealthy.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Far right. Or very, very pro Israel.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Or don't live here or.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. Or don't.

[Pete]

Yeah. Don't live here at all, even. Nobody does. Yeah. No, it does seem like the momentum is pretty good.

[Ebro Darden]

Like, I haven't heard any that. You know, like, when de Blasio was on, it was. I mean, that was a different time. There was a lot of protests. Blue Lives Matter and all that stuff was moving. So. Because the block. De Blasio got a lot of blowback from the police department. I haven't seen the police union.

[Pete]

No, it doesn't.

[Ebro Darden]

Mom Donnie. Have you guys seen that?

[Pete]

No. I see, like, the New York Post continue to try to attack him, but I haven't.

[Ebro Darden]

That's expected.

[Pete]

I haven't seen it actually coming from, like, the police. And by the way, for the people who just say I'm being a hater, the only reason I'm pushing back on any of the things you're saying is, is because we are also very algorithm affected. So you're like, I'm only seeing. It looks great. And what I'm saying is we also don't live in reality. We live in our reality. And in our reality, he definitely seems like he's doing great.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I do see some of the negative comments, but every time I click, it's somebody that lives Somewhere else.

[Pete]

Yeah, I believe that too.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Like 50% of the time I believe it.

[Ebro Darden]

I mostly. Look. Yes.

[Pete]

My phobes, don't forget about them.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

My algorithm. Yes. But then W's on the board. Like if he's claiming W's and there's no kind of pushback against the wood to win.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

And then I listen to 1010 wins a lot. So I spend a lot of time listening to 1010 WINS. And I gotta say, usually they're. They're having people on or union representatives or someone going at the mayor. I haven't heard that either.

[Pete]

Right. Listen, I'm. I'm guessing if we were to search to places we don't choose to go, there's plenty of pushback.

[Ebro Darden]

Curtis Lewa is hanging out with him.

[Pete]

Well, him and Curtis kind of ended up being so semi cool against with their mutual hatred of Cuomo.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right? Yeah.

[Pete]

So they kind of like, you know, were at least respectful of each other. Well, Mamdani is respectful of everyone. Sliwa ended up respectful of Mamdani.

[Ebro Darden]

That's right.

[Pete]

By the end of the election.

[Ebro Darden]

Until Trump wasn't. Yeah, but face.

[Pete]

Trump will come back, though.

[Ebro Darden]

But by the way, face to face, Taco Momdani pulled up and was Mano Imano and you was kissing his ass. Then Trump, you jumped on social media and wanted to talk greasy, but you wasn't talking that greasy way. Your man was right in your face. You had nothing to say. Speaking of Mom, Donnie W's, since we're on it, go to clip 11 for me, brother.

[Pete]

Oh, here we go. What's this gonna be?

[Ebro Darden]

You got it. So close. Soccer with the kitty.

[Pete]

We'll just be honest. You are gay for movie. Let's just. I mean, that's just full stop. You are gay for. He's just sending soccer to be like, look, he's doing it again.

[Ebro Darden]

No, but look, kids play soccer in the summer.

[Pete]

I like that. We like soccer. That's great.

[Ebro Darden]

Got to get a kid's Activity W's on the board.

[Pete]

I'm going to start posting W's on the board.

[Ebro Darden]

W's on the board.

[Pete]

Y' all didn't hear what happened? I did it.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Listen, after the last administration, I'll take all the W's, man.

[Pete]

Well, I mean, come on. That's not even a real.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I mean, it's reality.

[Pete]

It was not an actual mayor that we had previously, but we lived through

[Laura Rosenberg]

it and we had to deal with it.

[Pete]

He was a guy who went to clubs, Laura.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, I know, but he did a

[Pete]

Great job at that. And you didn't give him the W's he deserved. Who did hookah more than Eric Adams? Who hung out with French Montana more than Eric Adams?

[Ebro Darden]

Who. Who.

[Pete]

Who is outside more than Eric Adams, but who's Albanian more than Eric Adams?

[Ebro Darden]

And so. And so now. And now. Now that we have somebody who's putting W's on the board. Yeah, I want to cover it because I want to show. I want people to see the difference. If you don't actually. Or we don't use our platform to show people the difference. And all we do is talk about the negative, negative, negative. And we don't take somebody who's a. Who was termed as, you know, it was gonna. The Muslims are taking over New York City. Yo. I can't believe after 9, 11, we. We elected a Muslim.

[Pete]

They're still doing it. Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

I can't believe this is what the city's come to. Eh. A fucking Muslim. Yeah, we're not gonna. We're not gonna go and push the other way. We're just gonna. We're just gonna act like that. That's. We. We want that to be a loud narrative. No, we're gonna. I'm. Or at least me. I'm gonna.

[Pete]

I just don't believe everything I see posted. He's a. He's a bandani, does great social. That's literally why he got popular. He is a social media master, I think.

[Ebro Darden]

What are you seeing that you don't know?

[Pete]

He seems. He seems really cool. So far in the first, you just said you.

[Ebro Darden]

You don't believe.

[Pete]

No, no, I just. I'm. I'm watching.

[Ebro Darden]

You don't believe him singing with Ms. Rachel. You don't think Obama was singing Wheels on the Bus? That wasn't him.

[Pete]

No, I think he's doing a great job. I'm just saying. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not seeing.

[Ebro Darden]

That wasn't him. That was AI. He's not playing with Crystal wins. He did it.

[Pete]

I.

[Ebro Darden]

What?

[Pete]

Every politician, if they make a video and tell you they did it, you know they did it because he's on our side. And our side. We always tell the truth. No, it seems like so far, it seems awesome. Seems like we are on the right path. He went to Cardi B on the subway, yo.

[Ebro Darden]

What? Other mayors hanging out at the Wu Tang. He went to the Wu Tang, too.

[Pete]

Yeah, but Mayor Adams would have been outside after the show ended, smoking a black and mild. Different level. He would have been hanging out with the wheelchair guy outside.

[Ebro Darden]

Mom, Donnie showed up at 7:30 and

[Pete]

had to be in bed. He probably was out before the show even was done. Adam shows up for the second half. I want to say it sounds like it's going great.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Look, I get it because I appreciate it. Because the messaging is clear. Right? We all can received the messaging because no other mayor has done a job like this. Right. When it comes to messaging, social media. But I think that people hate him so much and he's under a microscope that you would see tons of people tearing if he was lying.

[Pete]

True.

[Laura Rosenberg]

They would be tearing his ass.

[Pete]

Oh. Oh, yeah. I mean I definitely don't think.

[Ebro Darden]

I think. I think I'm biased because he is Muslim and he is brown and he is.

[Pete]

Oh, you don't say. Use that.

[Ebro Darden]

Super biased. No way.

[Pete]

I wouldn't have ever engaged that because

[Ebro Darden]

he wasn't supposed to win based on. Based on our knowledge of where we are as a society today and what in the energy we feel. This isn't supposed to be happening. Oh, and he's a Democrat. He's a socialist.

[Pete]

He's a socialist. He's a socialist.

[Ebro Darden]

Socialist.

[Pete]

He wants to steal everything from everyone.

[Ebro Darden]

Everything.

[Pete]

And just give it all and give

[Ebro Darden]

it to drug addicts and oh, by the way, the other, the other shoe we're waiting to drop, this is what I'm really watching for. All the billionaires are gonna leave New York.

[Pete]

They're gone.

[Ebro Darden]

New York's finished.

[Pete]

Empty buildings, finished. They're all out.

[Ebro Darden]

So I'm waiting. I want to see if that actually happens. Maybe it does. Maybe. And maybe this is the, the, the, the. What am I trying to say? This is the. This is the highlight of his term. Maybe this first five months. We don't know where Mom Donnie's going to be in two years.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Yeah, this.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Rosenberg said.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

He could crumble.

[Ebro Darden]

He could fall apart.

[Pete]

Everyone in the chat gets mad at me when I give any pushback to the. This guy like I did. We have to do a show that's.

[Ebro Darden]

You want me to just push back to what guy? Mom, Donnie.

[Pete]

No, you. Like if I, I'm seen as the pessimistic guy because you're, you're giving him all the. Oh my God, it's all so great. I'm going, yeah, it looks good. Let's see where it goes. The exact same shit that he would do if I was completely right. If I was completely so like it's just providing a little bit of contrast to the. I mean, what do you want me to do? Ebro says he's he loves what he's doing. You want me to just straight get down on my knees, bring in the lube. Eye contact. I want to wait and see it. And basketball. Why did Ron right away go, yeah, I want to see that. That's crazy. No, Ron was like, yeah, smiled. Ron was like, that sounds good.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Ebro Darden]

What's wrong with this guy?

[Pete]

I'm just trying to provide a little balance because we do all live in our own world where like, you're like. All I see is it's awesome. That is mostly what I've seen as well. But I'm just. I want to see it. It's been four months. I want to see it. I want to see it. Keep going.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, that's it.

[Pete]

It seems like it's really is. It seems like when something crazy happens. We saw it just recently with the whole Chiyo say thing. It seems like he is in touch with the things that matter and then he gets aggressive, makes a move and we see change so far. It seems really awesome.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, and I think too also I'm a. I'm really, really passionate about anything that's helping work it families like somebody. That's whether they put the wins on the board or not. But that's the drum they're beating is like working.

[Pete]

That's why we voted for him.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. Like I'm so any. And I think we live in a time a political. I'm gonna say it again. We live in a political cycle where it's just like there's nothing. It feels like nothing's happening on the algorithm. Right. That is putting wins up for people, for your regular everyday people, especially black and brown people. Just doesn't feel like a win.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, man. I mean, and it's like what he's been doing and not just him, because de Blasio did it. I don't want to say he did it first, but he was the first one to. Or maybe he did do it first. Yeah. 3K.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

And then. And then Azoron brought 2K, which is life changing for people. You know, Pete, now that you're a brand new parent, you see how expensive

[Ebro Darden]

everything crazy he doesn't know about.

[Pete]

Which part? No, the other which stuff you don't know.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Just like, you know, you don't know about this.

[Ebro Darden]

You don't know about this daycare, summer daycare.

[Pete]

I do. That's what I'm looking at now.

[Ebro Darden]

So you just looking.

[Pete]

It's crazy.

[Ebro Darden]

You haven't actually looking is when you

[Pete]

find out how bad it is.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

That's just one part.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

The other part is when you actually hit submit on that website.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, man.

[Pete]

The price.

[Ebro Darden]

That reoccurring fee pops on the sad like yes.

[Pete]

No, it's crazy. It's absolutely.

[Ebro Darden]

No, it's out of control.

[Laura Rosenberg]

So what I mean is like these things that he's. Why I'm waiting are life changing.

[Pete]

She'll figure out how to hang with you. Sorry Laura said no.

[Laura Rosenberg]

That's why I said these things are life changing for people. And I love that he's kicking off these programs specifically in the much needed areas in the Bronx and in Queens.

[Pete]

Yeah. But what a lot of people don't understand is, is that he has to start slow. You can only do a few kids and he only had enough spaces for Rahaan's family after that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh my God.

[Ebro Darden]

That's a good point. And you would think people like Rah who see these prices would stop having kids.

[Pete]

No, he's like, oh. He's like, oh, I added a program. Let's have some more. That's the problem.

[Ebro Darden]

Facts. What we got going on. Super chat. You got it. You got it. In your face. You're reading all the comments. They're distracting me.

[Pete]

Let's see the super chat. We have Alex Rodriguez who says hola

[Ebro Darden]

and really that's a rot.

[Pete]

Hola. And good morning to ELR and the EL Army. Can you please shout out my daughter Isabella on her big 12th birthday and officially becoming a preteen.

[Ebro Darden]

There you go.

[Pete]

I want to say happy birthday. And also officially becoming a preteen is not a thing, sir.

[Laura Rosenberg]

It's okay. Happy birthday.

[Pete]

Eleven is officially a preteen also.

[Ebro Darden]

Is it?

[Pete]

They're all preteen. There's no official and preteen.

[Ebro Darden]

Is there that for some people there is. I'm with you. I've had this debate before and I kind of lost because I have an 11 year old now and they are very different than nine year olds.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah. Yes, yes.

[Ebro Darden]

And 12 is like 11. Well, no, and it's really the, the child and the world around the child. Right. Because when you're 11, you have 13 year old friends.

[Pete]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

That are doing teenage things. When you're 12, you have 13 and 14 year old friends that have definitely leveled up and you're still kind of like, my parents won't let me do that yet. You know what I mean? So these things are happening. So I think it's, it's twofold. Yes. The individual, the child starts to change. And also the parent, your mentality has to start to shift. As well, because you're dealing with a different individual now.

[Laura Rosenberg]

You're right. I always saw Preteen as a 12 year old.

[Ebro Darden]

Me too.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I didn't even consider an 11 year old. But it's true. It's true. They have 13 year old friends. It's just what you do.

[Ebro Darden]

And then you have. And you also, you have the, the, the. The young girls that have started down their path of womanhood.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Which is some girls is 9 and 10, right.

[Pete]

Sure, sure.

[Ebro Darden]

And so you're having real, super real combos and they're talking to the older girls and having even realer convos with their cousins. Things like that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Happy birthday.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah.

[Pete]

No, well, Ebro, it's always going to go into some. Really.

[Ebro Darden]

Guys, I'm in it. Guys, I'm in it. You're always, you're always pros. You got to stay, stay ready. So you ain't got to get ready. That's my advice.

[Pete]

No, that really. That is truly your advice. That is your life advice when you're 35. Get your will.

[Ebro Darden]

Let's start talking about 40. Let's start talking about 40 dot why not?

[Pete]

Cone Artistic said. Congrats on 70,000 subscribers, Lynn. Linda Rivera. There you go. Says my last live show is I return to work tomorrow. I've been on leave. I'm gonna miss the chat. See you all on Wednesday. Is my day off. J Real says shout out to pessimistic Pete. Let us just have one W. And J Dubs, you know, just shows up and gives a couple.

[Ebro Darden]

J Dubs.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Thanks, J Dubs.

[Ebro Darden]

Pessimistic Pete.

[Pete]

No, I think he's doing great.

[Ebro Darden]

Yo, aren't we approaching our 100th episode?

[Pete]

We are. Think of Friday.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Ebro Darden]

Plan. What do we do for 100 episodes?

[Laura Rosenberg]

We got something cute.

[Pete]

We celebrate the Iceman. Celebrate.

[Ebro Darden]

Drake, don't be a hater.

[Laura Rosenberg]

We're gonna do something cute. Don't hate.

[Ebro Darden]

Wait, so you already have a plan?

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, we've been talking behind the scenes with producer. Oh, God, he's chat. He's gonna be such a hater. But it's gonna be cute.

[Pete]

It's gonna be cute.

[Ebro Darden]

Are you in on this, Rosenberg? The hundredth episode planning. Are you on the hundredth episode planning committee?

[Pete]

No, I'm not. No, I'm not.

[Ebro Darden]

They didn't invite you?

[Pete]

No, they know better. Why waste their time?

[Ebro Darden]

No, it's amazing, man. 100 episodes happen fast.

[Pete]

Well, because that's. Because we literally didn't take a break.

[Ebro Darden]

Well. And Drake's hating on our 100th episode. How dare you put out an album on that same day. Let's be honest.

[Pete]

Iceman coming exactly on our hundred. That's crazy, bro.

[Ebro Darden]

Man. Yo, Drake won't leave us alone, man.

[Laura Rosenberg]

You're so down.

[Pete]

So true.

[Ebro Darden]

He won't.

[Pete]

I can already see the clip getting pulled. Yes. Ebro says.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, you know they are.

[Pete]

Yo, bro, we should just do a moment every day where we make something up for two minutes and just let you do it. The other day. What was it? What did you.

[Ebro Darden]

When I called it. When I threw out that sickness thing again and they clipped.

[Pete]

No, they didn't. They clipped again.

[Ebro Darden]

Yes. And said Ebro doubles down on Drake's sickness. Because I. Cause I said the fans. I remember you guys were talking about Kendrick's thing being pulled. I was like, how do people even know know this? Like, how did somebody. And you were like, somebody must have tweeted that they couldn't find Kendrick's music. And then the bots or the fans went and found it. I was like, it must be a sickness. They took that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

But you should know there's people watching right now. Ready? Just clipping our stuff.

[Pete]

Really. They're really, really obsessed. Yeah, it's crazy. I'm sure the Candace Owens is going to get clipped.

[Ebro Darden]

Candace Owens gonna move out.

[Pete]

I don't think somebody's gonna clip that. I don't know. If I see kids.

[Ebro Darden]

Listen, you guys know I'm down for a good algo hustle from time to time. At least a couple times a week.

[Pete]

Your whole life is the algo. What I'm down for. That's like Tom Brady being like, you know, I'm down to throw the football around every once in a while. What?

[Ebro Darden]

I'm down for another super bowl run.

[Pete]

That's crazy. By the way, Natalie said one of the reasons she texted me. I don't know why this made it to her algo that one of the reasons Marjorie disappeared and her follow up mixtapes have not been dropping is she went out and said that she claimed that her son had received death threats, including graphic threats to, quote, put a bullet in his head after Trump labeled her a traitor. So she decided to get.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Pete]

She got quiet.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Welcome to the life of everyone else.

[Pete]

Well, I mean, no, listen, if you decide to be one of them and go against it, that's a bigger risk than starting out on the other side.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah, you're basically, you know, it's a cult.

[Pete]

It's a cult. Trader for the cult is worse than an op for the cult.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pete]

So I do Get. And I wanted to talk there, but.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Wow, that's sad, though.

[Pete]

Yeah. You guys, listen.

[Ebro Darden]

She still made on that job, let's never forget.

[Pete]

Yeah, I believe, a lot of money.

[Ebro Darden]

And Griff, check, check. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Money made while in office and stocks and all that. She made millions.

[Pete]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, of course.

[Pete]

Well, the grift works.

[Ebro Darden]

She made millions running before she got out.

[Pete]

She ran the play.

[Ebro Darden]

She ran the play. Then she said, I'm out. Griff, what you got?

[Pete]

Her net worth drop jumped from 700,000 to as much as 25 million. Wow. As much as. Though. I need specific.

[Ebro Darden]

All right, so call it 10, call it 5.

[Pete]

Sounds great, considering. I think they make like 250.

[Ebro Darden]

Right.

[Pete]

Her base salary was $174,000. Base 74.

[Ebro Darden]

174 base salary. And by the time she left office, with all the, you know, trading that, you know, elected officials can do, and they sit on those. And just so you understand, it's not illegal. They sit on the committees that decide how our tax dollars are invested in certain companies and certain things and to, you know, help our economy, help infrastructure, whatever. They're able to invest in those companies because they know those companies are going to get an influx of contracts from the government. They end up making tons of money. And that's not illegal. Crazy.

[Pete]

Crazy. So she did good is what you're saying.

[Ebro Darden]

She'll be all right.

[Pete]

Yeah, yeah. She made her money.

[Laura Rosenberg]

She walks away her little 25 mil.

[Pete]

Well, no. And then one day, I assume at some point things will calm down, she'll return to giving speeches and. And things like that and make a lot of money.

[Laura Rosenberg]

You already know. You already know.

[Ebro Darden]

Listen, it's time to talk to you about your gut health. Just Thrive. Oh, I just dot com.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Me too.

[Ebro Darden]

And clapped it gummy before the show.

[Pete]

I did.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, that's right.

[Ebro Darden]

Get your probiotic situation together, Laura. You swear by probiotics? Matter of fact, I think you even got me moving on probiotics.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes, because I. My stomach was always just not right, unsettled. Just didn't feel good. And then finally my girl told me about probiotics, and I asked my doctor and she was like, yeah, have to do it. And I was like, I never thought it was something that I would need in my everyday life. And now Just Thrive just delivered.

[Ebro Darden]

The gummies are amazing. We keep them here in the studio. We also have them at our crib now because we're working with Just Thrive. And you should check them out for yourself. Just Thrive Health, dot Com. Go ahead over there. Check it out. Promo code is ELR that's right. You know, I mean. And Rosenberg, the gummies, you're hitting them every day.

[Pete]

First thing I do, walk into the stew, pop myself a little just Thrive probiotic gummy.

[Ebro Darden]

First thing I do when I walk into the stew.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I know. And they taste good too.

[Ebro Darden]

Pop a gummy.

[Pete]

And they taste good too.

[Ebro Darden]

Pop a gummy. Makes sure my doo doo.

[Pete]

No, no, no, no, no, no. What you can do though is start your 90 day risk free trial [e-mail] ELR so listen guys, if you've been thinking about a way to. To improve your gut health and you want to support the program, just thrive health.com ELR and you save 20% on your first order. That's justthrive health.com promo code ELR be the best you with just Thrive.

[Ebro Darden]

Let's get to the rundown. Laura got the rundown.

[Pete]

Turn that up. Screens on glow when she pull up

[Ebro Darden]

headlines heavy but we still caught up Light still flashing we don't slow up.

[Laura Rosenberg]

So it's funny because we were just talking about Chris Brown's album. Now Pitchfork is catching a lot of attention after giving Chris Brown's album Brown A 1.3 out of 10. That's the rating. 1.3. Now that's hate out of 10. And they tweeted. Wait, wait, wait. They tweeted and said this album is a real piece of sh.

[Ebro Darden]

No, that's Algo Hustle. Whoever did that is straight algo. That's clickbait. You're playing to the. To the anti. Chris. You know, Algo.

[Laura Rosenberg]

They called the 27 track project soulless and hitchasing. And yeah, they were just like, not. Yeah, I just can't believe they called it a real piece of ish.

[Pete]

Well, listen, that's strong. Was there one specific writer? Everyone just keeps saying it's Pitchfork.

[Ebro Darden]

Who.

[Pete]

Who wrote the article.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Where's this guy's name?

[Pete]

Because everyone's just labeling it Pitchfork.

[Laura Rosenberg]

But someone Alphos Pierre.

[Pete]

All right, well, Alphos Pierre is not a fan of Chris Brown, clearly, and had a. You know, and listen, maybe he just purely thought it was a piece of dung one.

[Ebro Darden]

But nah, that. That's it. That right there's too far out of 10.

[Laura Rosenberg]

It's 1.3.

[Pete]

What do you think it is? You think it's like a seven. Eight?

[Ebro Darden]

It's a strong seven and a half eight.

[Pete]

You think it's that good?

[Ebro Darden]

I. I think it's that good. The Only my only critique with Chris Brown albums is usually comes back to how much music is on there.

[Pete]

Too much. Too much always.

[Ebro Darden]

Because I think there's just filler songs and it's like, yeah, you don't. You know, this is redundant. You can get this out gets out. But the things that are super fire are super fire.

[Pete]

I. I always wonder why artists struggle so much to. To cut stuff down.

[Ebro Darden]

I think it's algo hustle back to the algo. I think it had something to do with how in the stream how streaming works and well, because I think the more material you have in the. The streaming and you know, people are just kind of kickback and listening. Your stuff just pops up more frequently.

[Pete]

Right, right. But it's.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's not known for that. He does.

[Pete]

You know, he's. What was the one he did like 40.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In a sense.

[Ebro Darden]

And by the way. And guess what? Chris Brown's fans love it. So it doesn't really matter what anybody else thinks. That's the thing about the Pitchfork thing. Why I say it's kind of an algo hustle because they know he has a rabid fan base. No dude, you think like play around with Chris Brown if you want to

[Pete]

see what I have.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Many times his fan base support.

[Ebro Darden]

But it's at a new level now after this last tour and like, you know, it's been rabid. But now a monumental tour has happened. And right now we're looking at arguably the greatest R B tour maybe ever about to happen. Usher and Chris Brown, like, what's big? What. What is happening in that genre other than Michael Jackson and Prince. That is a straight R B.

[Pete]

But that's not Michael Jackson stadium.

[Ebro Darden]

That's what I mean, the stadium status.

[Pete]

I mean we're not gonna. We're not gonna include Janet. She's her own thing. Also Usher and Chris. That's. It's huge.

[Laura Rosenberg]

It is.

[Pete]

It's huge.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

So like, yeah. Pitchfork knew they were gonna get the

[Pete]

Usher thing was not it on the.

[Ebro Darden]

The Kevin Hart. Nah, man.

[Pete]

Not his fault, yo. That badly produced, like that was just a. The start of it was just not funny. The Usher Tom Brady. The start of the show was just like a womp womp to me.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, that sucks.

[Pete]

It got better. It gets better once they get into the show and has some ups and some down. But like you should it. It's not Usher's fault. He ushers funny. He comes out, he does let it burn. Blah blah blah.

[Ebro Darden]

With like change lyrics to like fit the roast and kind of going at

[Pete]

Kevin Hart, but Kevin Hart then comes out and is ad libbing and yelling at him as he's doing it. And it just feels like very fake, forced. And not. Not in the spirit of a roast too planned, I guess.

[Ebro Darden]

I'll tell you what, though. I, I am pessimistic. P. I, I am. I am pretty surprised about the amount of negative feedback towards Kevin Hart, specifically after the roast.

[Pete]

Why are you surprised by that part?

[Ebro Darden]

People are blaming him for certain things that happened at the roast. Like, things comedians.

[Pete]

Well, he, he. I mean, ultimately, he's choosing who's going

[Ebro Darden]

to be at his roast, right?

[Pete]

With Netflix, I assume.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. And so. And then I saw headlines that were like, about, you know, his, his movie company and the finances of his. Like, there's this kind of like anti Kevin Hart motion. I didn't know was out there like that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I just saw a lot of people upset that he, quote, unquote, allowed people to tell certain jokes. But I don't think it's a roast.

[Pete]

I don't think he allows me to prove every. What he does is approve the talent. And he did approve talent, most notably Tony Hinchcliffe, who people think is, at the very least, okay with racism.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Right, right, right.

[Ebro Darden]

You were, you even said that yesterday. You were like, I'm not into this guy. Didn't like the jokes.

[Pete]

I don't, I don't like the Hinchcliffe thing. I don't a. I don't like his delivery. I don't think he's a talented comedian. Some people think he's hilarious. I think the way he plows through jokes is not funny. It's not for me. And he's done so many things that are, like, questionable and then all. Nah, bro. I just. No, I'm good. I'm not saying he's evil or the biggest problem in our country, but I don't know if you're honoring Kevin Hart if you needed that. But again, Tony Hinchcliffe, Kill Tony is on Netflix. I don't know if you know this. There was a part at the end of the Kevin Hart thing, God bless him, where Kevin shouted out his sponsors, yo. I couldn't tell if this was meant to be a joke or not. It goes on for, like, guys. He's like, I want to thank my partners. These are like his big sponsors. We're talking like 20 brands that he goes to. Gigantic. One after another, after Chase, JP Morgan, this car dealership, this drug, this alcohol, it goes on and on. So Kevin's about that guap Everyone knows that he's doing it with Netflix, who does the roast thing. They have killed Tony.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, and Kevin Hart, he does. What's the Kevin Hart comedian show where he's like, finding comedians. What's it called? He's got a show on Netflix, too. Like, it's just a.

[Pete]

It's all.

[Ebro Darden]

It's all a Netflix commercial. The whole thing.

[Pete]

Yeah. So it's. So I guess be. You have the right to be mad at them if you know, like, but at the same time, why would you be surprised? Why would you even watch it? That's what it is.

[Ebro Darden]

And you know what? Thinking of the. Of. I guess I've seen so many roasts where I was not into the jokes. That. That's my expectation. I've seen so many roasts where I was like, yeah, that's not fun. I wouldn't joke about that. I don't like. I. It's not a roast, in my opinion, if there's things up there that everyone thinks is funny.

[Pete]

Right, Right. Sure.

[Ebro Darden]

You know what I'm saying? Like, it's just.

[Pete]

Here's the thing. I'm gonna try to walk through this. We don't need as a society. Do we need a white comedian who already has said questionably racist things and empowered other questionably racist people to make a not funny joke about the murder of a civilian by a police officer that really not only harmed him and his family, but really caused harm and trauma to all black Americans. Do we need that joke in this

[Ebro Darden]

roast when the answer is no, clearly. But I think the reason I started this by saying that line, the amount of blowback I'm seeing on Kevin Hart, I think people will go, yo, Kev, you didn't say to these people, I don't want that guy on the thing.

[Pete]

Or if I'm.

[Ebro Darden]

No, no.

[Pete]

How about this? That guy's with Netflix. That guy has a show. Cool. Tony, do me a favor. I know you like to do this edge of racial stuff. I'm not saying you can't say anything about me being black or anything like that. It's a roast. Do me a favor. Don't. Don't push the most sensitive, offensive buttons that need to be pushed because we're living in a time when the death of George Floyd is being justified by the government every day.

[Ebro Darden]

But he doesn't care. This. This comedian. So his brand is not caring. Right.

[Pete]

But Kevin Hart tells him he's.

[Ebro Darden]

He's going to do it.

[Pete]

People are going to do what Kevin Hart says. I believe.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't.

[Pete]

I Kevin Hart has more power than Tony Hinchcliffe. If Kevin Hart says, oh, but so

[Ebro Darden]

then Tony Hinchcliffe in that regard would be like, well, I don't want to be a part of it, then. If you're going to control my. What my content is, that could happen in that one.

[Pete]

It could, but, like, we're jumping. I just think there was a way to have a. I think Kevin believes in no cancel, no con, just do whatever. I think there is a world where Kevin could have spoken his mind and been like.

[Ebro Darden]

And I think that's the problem that people are having. Why I say there's this kind of like, blowback on Kevin Hart energy is because people are struggling with this conversation we're having right now, which is you're saying Kevin Hart has more power than that. Right. I'm saying the individual Tony Hinchcliffe doesn't give a fuck about. Oh, excuse my language. Doesn't care about that. I got my show on Netflix. What do you. What are you gonna do, Kevin? I'm up here open. I'm open. I'm. I'm opening for Trump. I got my jokes. I'm selling out my shows.

[Pete]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

So if you, if you try to tell me I can't do anything, I'll just make that.

[Pete]

But that to me. And I just. This is where I disagree. The hierarchy of the comedy world does exist. Kevin Hart gets immense respect. I think if he had come to Tony, been like, here's what I think we should do. We can still do X, Y and Z. Let's just be mindful right here. I have to think it wouldn't be. Nah, walk away right now. That would be such a heavy handed card to play.

[Ebro Darden]

Ron Baskey.

[Pete]

If you want to kill Kevin on anything, you could kill him on the writers. Because I see a lot of people saying, like, why weren't there more black writers?

[Ebro Darden]

I saw that too.

[Pete]

And if you heard a lot of the comment, the comedians on the rolls, they were saying like, oh, sort of teleprompter. I have to say it. So I don't know if they came up with all the jokes. I think they were relying on the writers.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Pete]

That was hired for the role.

[Ebro Darden]

I think it depends.

[Pete]

It was person to person, obviously. Draymond Green. Well, you've done, You've done Roast before. I have not. Not at this level.

[Ebro Darden]

But you've done Roast before.

[Pete]

Yes.

[Ebro Darden]

And so are you. Are people okaying their material in the roast that you've been a part of?

[Pete]

Yeah, yeah. And you would be like, I'm not doing this. I don't want to read this. Or. Yeah, for sure. Normally.

[Ebro Darden]

So they're. So both. You're writing your own stuff and people are presenting stuff.

[Pete]

Yeah. Draymond Green is reading what they wrote on the paper. Chelsea Handler is reading what she wrote and what they wrote on the paper, and she's telling them, I don't want this one. I don't want this one. I want this one. So I think it's a mixed bag, but, like, one of the main jokes about Kevin. And listen, I love Kevin Hart. Always been a good dude. Had a lot of great moments with him. Remember, we all remember his ascent very well. Saw him a million times. Did a lot of funny stuff with him. One of the jokes about him throughout the whole thing is that he's a whore. There's a reason they make that joke.

[Ebro Darden]

I mean, as far as sponsors and money. And it's all.

[Pete]

It's never stops, the money, money, money, money, money, money, Sequel, sequel, sequel, whatever. The thing is, he's doing it that he has made that a major priority for him. When you choose, we talk about this with so many people. If that's where you choose to sort of lead and not really take a stand on big things, then when there's a moment that people are upset about and they find offensive, they're ready to turn on you. You haven't. You haven't built enough equity with the things that are really important that you care about. Not unlike the Drake conversation, where then people are kind of ready to be like, not only that, we live in a social media world. People are sitting, they're watching the roast, waiting to crush people, and they're seeing clips just move around like I do. I listen. There were things that were offensive about it, but if you sat and watched it, you probably would have thought some parts were funny and some parts were not funny. I just don't think it's right in 2026. I just don't need white people making overtly deep slavery, lynching, murder by police. Like, I'm just good on it right now. Like, there were racial jokes that were funny. They weren't the ones that toy in and play around with the violence to black bodies. Like, could we just leave that? That's like, it's too important with what's going on every day in our government to, like, have people turn that off. And that's okay.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I'm with you. I'm with you. I also see. I also saw a lot of the comments, like, comedy should be Free. No subject should be off limits. And I'm just like, I don't agree with that.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, and that's why when we talked about it yesterday.

[Pete]

Laura, I'm with you.

[Ebro Darden]

That's why when we talked about it yesterday, we, you know, we were very, I think, clear that not everybody finds everything funny.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Like, it's just. And there's comedy. You said what you said. There's a comedian that's going to be like, that's what I like to do most. Now that I know that that triggers people. And then there's people who want the most awkward, offensive. Like, they love to laugh at things that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

You know, are controversial. Like, that's a thing. Like, do I like it? No. But do I understand that it exists? Yes.

[Pete]

Yeah. And there are times when it feels like there's a place for it. And then, like, that's another thing.

[Ebro Darden]

As soon as you say roast, I'm telling you, as soon as you say roast, I'm brain. For the, you know, 50 years I've been on Earth, my brain automatically goes to. They're pulling no punches. Like, there's no. It's no holds bar, guys. That's why I've never participated in one.

[Pete]

Right. Not. Not where you're interested in going.

[Ebro Darden]

I'm not like you. Certain things, like, I'm not okay with you playing with. I'll just tell you right now. So we not roasting me. Most things, fine. But certain things. Nah, not good with it.

[Pete]

We gonna fight, right?

[Ebro Darden]

Not good with it. So, you know, you're not playing with my lady. You're not playing with my kids. Yeah. You know, I'm saying there's certain things you. Soft limits.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pete]

I'm with you.

[Ebro Darden]

And if I don't really know you like that, then I don't really know you like that.

[Pete]

I.

[Ebro Darden]

Listen, that's a trust thing. Is big.

[Pete]

But that's why that. It being on Netflix and it being so big is sort of like what's made it even weirder. It used to be on Comedy Central, the early ones, and they were big, but they were like, late on, like, a Wednesday. I feel like. Yeah, it didn't have the level of everyone's watching that this has, which does sort of, like, up it to me. And then there's just other stuff. Like, I just don't care about Tom Brady, bro. Like, I just. I don't need you. I. I just.

[Ebro Darden]

No, he's a celebrity. So big. And now why is Tom Brady catching it? I've come. I've turned 180 on Tom Brady.

[Pete]

I don't hate Tom.

[Ebro Darden]

180 on Tom.

[Pete]

I, I, I met him last year.

[Ebro Darden]

Owner of the Raiders.

[Pete]

Nice. Nice guy.

[Ebro Darden]

You know what I mean?

[Pete]

I don't. Well and again. But that goes back to Kevin. Kevin's friends with everybody. It's always the biggest. The rock comes out of the thing and I love the rock. Did like, yo, the rock. They could have trimmed the rock by what basket? 15 minutes.

[Rahsaan]

Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

How long was he up, Mike?

[Pete]

Yo, the rock might have been up there for 35 minutes, bro.

[Ebro Darden]

So he was doing stand drunk.

[Pete]

Doing stand up drunk. No, he was drunk. Said it and was. And like, it was, you know, it was fun. It's exciting to see him.

[Ebro Darden]

He was drunk and he said he was drunk.

[Pete]

He said he was drunk.

[Ebro Darden]

Yo, man, good for the rock, bro. You don't get to do that.

[Pete]

The rock.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, I mean, I've never seen the rock. Rock doesn't get to just go out and be like, yo, I'm wasted right now.

[Pete]

I don't know. Go on to social media. You see or share.

[Ebro Darden]

Oh, really?

[Pete]

Yo, have you seen how yo on a rock cheat day. The glass of Tara Mana, my man. Poor. Oh, he's a big man, though, so he could probably handle.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah, but, but being saying I'm drunk. And was he cursing true.

[Pete]

Yes. Oh, cursing up a story.

[Ebro Darden]

He doesn't get.

[Pete]

That's true.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Soft the goo.

[Ebro Darden]

I never said I've never seen him like that. I've only seen him in character as I'm promoting movies.

[Pete]

Right.

[Ebro Darden]

Working out wrestling. Like, I've never seen him do that.

[Pete]

Yeah. Yeah. I guess I see so much rock stuff that I know that he's. I know that he would likes doing stuff like that. He was having a good time.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. I've never seen.

[Pete]

And it was good. But again, they just like, don't. Everything just keeps going, going. That's why the thing ends up being three hours. You end up fast forwarding through people too. Like, I got it. I got to choose here.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I'm tired.

[Pete]

Yeah. Like, who's this person?

[Ebro Darden]

Well, look, all of this talk has really just got people going to watch it on Netflix. So Netflix wins either way. What else you got? Laura Stash.

[Laura Rosenberg]

All right, let's go. Also, guess who's expecting a baby, guys.

[Ebro Darden]

Who?

[Pete]

Here we go.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Jamie Foxx.

[Pete]

I had a hunch. I had a hunch.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Baby number three.

[Ebro Darden]

What?

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes. There's. Well, this is the big rumor. Tmz everyone's reporting it with. You know, he Broke up with this woman, and then he got back with her. I don't know nothing about Alice Huxtep. She's like a fitness influencer, her.

[Pete]

God bless.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah. Blonde hair. Like, he was seen.

[Pete]

When you say blonde hair, what do you mean?

[Laura Rosenberg]

Blonde hair?

[Pete]

Oh, you mean. Yes. You mean.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Pete]

Because these days, a lot of people do blonde hair.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Pete]

You don't know.

[Ebro Darden]

I honestly am. So I had to look, and I was like, I saw Jamie Foxx at. When I. At the tank. Tyrese.

[Pete]

Yes.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Ebro Darden]

And he said he would come on the show.

[Pete]

He didn't look pregnant.

[Ebro Darden]

He didn't look pregnant, so I'm shocked. He said he would come on the show.

[Pete]

Would love that.

[Ebro Darden]

He was very happy to see me and asked about y', all, and so I had no idea he was even thinking about becoming a new dad.

[Pete]

That's awesome.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Maybe he wasn't and it was a surprise.

[Rahsaan]

Yeah.

[Pete]

Who knows?

[Ebro Darden]

Oh, right. Because it's not like, wait, no, but the baby's been born.

[Pete]

No, no, no, no.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Pregnant.

[Ebro Darden]

Pregnant.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Pregnant. Pregnant.

[Pete]

Well, if that's true, God bless. That is awesome.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes, yes.

[Pete]

So happy. He's doing good, man.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah.

[Laura Rosenberg]

And I will say, you know how when people ask you guys, like, oh, what's your favorite interview? Who's one of your favorite?

[Pete]

I know. You always bring up the one I wasn't here for.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Sorry. Okay, I'll talk to you, bro. I always say it's Jamie Foxx because it was one of the best ones we've ever done. Sorry.

[Ebro Darden]

So hopefully we did the high five.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah. They're going to meme that we'll bring him back so you could be part.

[Pete]

Will we? I don't know.

[Laura Rosenberg]

He said he was going to come.

[Ebro Darden]

Wait, so you've never interviewed Jamie Foxx?

[Pete]

Well, I don't know. Did he do real late? No, he didn't. Yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

No, no, no. Like an album or something.

[Pete]

We only had him once.

[Ebro Darden]

Really?

[Pete]

Yes. And I wasn't here.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, Just one time, bro.

[Pete]

Whenever you talk about Jamie Foxx, you always just, like, describe it like, he was here 30 times. He was here one time.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, because I see him a lot and it always comes up and he's always just kind of like he knows the show. And so in my brain, it's like, we always see Jamie.

[Pete]

No, it looked awesome. I watched. It was great. But I never, never met him. Thanks, Griff. Yeah, appreciate you, pal. Oh, the Mike Tyson thing. I know. Who would want to talk to about Jamie Foxx about Mike Tyson? Not me.

[Ebro Darden]

Still pops up. Still Pops up.

[Pete]

No.

[Ebro Darden]

Matter of fact, here's a clip of it.

[Pete]

I was thinking about him the other day, though, because I was out somewhere and blame. It was playing, and I'm like, we don't really take enough time to appreciate that. The middle of being, like, one of the biggest actors in the world, he was like, yo, let me drop this album. And it had multiple hits on it.

[Ebro Darden]

Haters.

[Pete]

Yeah. Like, we don't. It's the same way, you know, even Eddie Murphy, party all the time, doesn't get the love it deserves. That's a smash that lasted for a long time. Everyone kind of laughs at it. But Jamie Foxx, like, really a good artist.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Pete]

Like, really, really solid. You know what I mean?

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah, I do. You bringing up Eddie Murphy and then talking about Jamie Foxx and. And even just Netflix. Kevin Hart, Roach. Just thinking about how many great comedians. Like, we're living in a time of, like, legends like Tony Hinchcliffe. Why'd you do that?

[Pete]

Sorry.

[Ebro Darden]

This is why we can't have.

[Pete]

But what do you. I don't know.

[Ebro Darden]

It struck me because the Eddie Murphy thing he did on Netflix recently, where it was kind of. What was. It was like a documentary. The doc was like, yo, Eddie's still with us. Like, we still have Eddie. And he's like, clear and cold.

[Pete]

We live. But we being old and washed, we. We were around for prime or not prime, but Richard Pryor and of Richard Pryor.

[Ebro Darden]

Yes.

[Pete]

George Carlin.

[Ebro Darden]

Yes.

[Pete]

Like, we.

[Ebro Darden]

Red Fox.

[Pete]

There was a. We were around for a lot. Bernie.

[Ebro Darden]

Bernie Mac.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Bernie Mac.

[Pete]

That was a great joke. I forgot who did it because they were just killing Cheryl Underwood all night. And because she was like a woman who's all, like, a comedian who, like, they felt like they could go at. And one was like, one of the kings of comedy is here. Cheryl Underwood. They just kept making dumb jokes like that. But she's such a good sport to end up being a pop. See, those are jokes that are light and funny.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Yeah.

[Pete]

Still kind of rude, but funny. But we saw everybody. I mean, I'm out on Seinfeld now, but Seinfeld.

[Ebro Darden]

I've been out on Cheryl Underwood for a long time.

[Pete]

Wait, what happened?

[Ebro Darden]

Cheryl Underwood? None. It was years. Many years. Many, many, many, many years ago when she was hoping. Just being a black Republican, she was like, I'm a black Republican.

[Pete]

I was like, oh, that was a thing.

[Ebro Darden]

That was.

[Pete]

They made a joke about that. I thought was a joke.

[Ebro Darden]

No, it was a thing like, she's been like a Republican for a long time.

[Pete]

But not still. Is she? I don't know.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Look at Peter's face.

[Ebro Darden]

I have no idea. But I was out back then because I didn't trust. I haven't trusted Republicans for a long time because white supremacists like y' all too much. I'm always uncomfortable with that.

[Pete]

Yeah, listen, I'm aware of not trusting Republicans.

[Laura Rosenberg]

All right, so the. The man accused of stealing Beyonce's unreleased music, his name is Kelvin Evans. He's going to jail, guys. He was supposed to get six years. He's getting two. Apparently. He. This is what he does. Just a bunch of break ins.

[Pete]

So he's only.

[Ebro Darden]

Listen, I know it's Beyonce's music and there's many people out there that think he should probably get, like, death penalty, I think.

[Pete]

Death penalty.

[Ebro Darden]

And unfortunately, though, it is still just death penalty. He stole some equipment, but it's more deeper than rap. That's what you're.

[Pete]

That's what he deserves, a flogging.

[Laura Rosenberg]

You know what it is? He could have sabotaged the queen. Oh, my God, you're right. Rosenberg. No, I'm just kidding.

[Pete]

Think about what he could have done. How did he steal it, by the way?

[Laura Rosenberg]

Broke into the car of, like, her team when they were on tour, the

[Pete]

rental car, and actually got it.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I guess they took all the luggage,

[Ebro Darden]

bro, you know, so. Pretty impressive, you guys. In certain cities in America, I'm not gonna. You know, in certain cities in America, there's a racket where when you rent a car, the rental car license plates. It might be certain states, certain cities, the people who break into cars know which license plates are on which cars, which means they're looking for these cars. They go through the downtown areas. I've been hit before, like my luggage, my passport, my everything, because. And it was, by the way, I'm like, Yo, it's 12 o'. Clock. I remember broad daylight. I'm at a big intersection. Congratulations, you played yourself. I wasn't thinking, like, somebody's gonna break up my car in broad daylight, where mad people walking by.

[Pete]

He robbed Ebro before he got off the plane. I never seen anything like that. Yeah, it was crazy.

[Ebro Darden]

Crazy. But by the way, it's the thing.

[Pete]

Yeah, it's the thing. Beyonce's stuts.

[Ebro Darden]

Well, no, he hit a car. No, it happened to be.

[Pete]

I thought you said he'd also done other artists though, too.

[Laura Rosenberg]

No, no, no other art. The break ins, that's like. That's his thing. He breaks into cars.

[Pete]

It was random that he got her stuff.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Pete]

Oh, damn.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Yeah, anyway, that's the rundown.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah. Intro for the outro.

[Pete]

So, guys, I lost. We all the world lost an incredibly talented guy yesterday who actually relates to the conversation we're having about great comedy. And I was. I was lucky enough to be friends with him over the last several years because he was a big listener to my Cheap Heat podcast. His name was Barry Blaustein.

[Ebro Darden]

Shout out to Barry.

[Pete]

And he died yesterday of. He got a late stage pancreatic cancer diagnosis, which is pancreatic is.

[Ebro Darden]

They say that's like, it's evil.

[Pete]

That is as bad as it gets. And he. He had been fighting Parkinson's since, like 2017, 18.

[Ebro Darden]

How old is he?

[Pete]

He was in his early 70s.

[Ebro Darden]

Okay. But he.

[Pete]

I talked to his wife and he. She said that he was really, like, still boxing every day. He was teaching his class, he couldn't drive anymore. But everything else he was still doing with Parkinson's just, like, beating it. And then a month and five days ago, he got this diagnosis, and they were just like, it's too late for anything, and we can't. We can't do anything here. And so she reached out to me, like, Sunday, she sent me this email, and it was really, really touching about, like, how he. What the podcast meant, because over the years, like, so she was telling me yesterday, she's like, I know everything about your podcast because I had to drive him. And she was like, in. The days when your podcast came out were always like his, you know, favorite days to drive Barry. Barry, he. He co wrote some things. I think you guys are both probably familiar with him coming to America.

[Ebro Darden]

Oh, wow. Heard of it.

[Pete]

Boomerang.

[Ebro Darden]

Oh, wow. Heard of that too.

[Pete]

Nutty Professor Crazy. Yeah. Wrote for a little outfit called Saturday Night Live.

[Ebro Darden]

Heard that. Actually smoked weed in the hallways.

[Pete]

And I heard about that. Yeah. You know what? You didn't know? It was an honor to Barry.

[Ebro Darden]

Put one in the air for Barry in the.

[Pete]

In the room. But he got huge in my world because he made the wrestling documentary beyond the Mat. It came out in 99. And I don't know how this man was able to convince Vince McMahon to let him up in the hallways backstage.

[Ebro Darden]

It is probably his credential. I mean, exactly.

[Pete]

Because he had the big time Hollywood credentials and he loved love, love, love, love, love wrestling. And so he was this Jewish guy from Long island who just loved it.

[Ebro Darden]

The way I say blouse, Barry bloused.

[Pete]

Can you believe it? And so he. He made this movie. If you've never seen it, it's amazing. I brought a clip to show at the end of the show if you wanted. But it's a longer clip, so I figured we could end with it because I didn't want to, like, well, you

[Ebro Darden]

guys want to throw it in the air now?

[Pete]

It's a couple minutes long. And this is. This is a clip in the film. He's following around the legend, Terry Funk. And Terry Funk is having his last match at that time. It wasn't his last match, but it was his last match at that time. And he ends up meeting this dude named Dennis Stamp, who's a random, you know, guy who wrestled, who wanted to be a part of the show. And Barry met him, and it's his. This is him talking about not being a part of Terry Funk's last match. Are you coming to the show Thursday night?

[Guest or Interviewee]

No. No, I won't be. Why not? I'm not booked, for one thing. And what really.

[Ebro Darden]

What.

[Guest or Interviewee]

What really bothers me is Dorie Funk, Jr. You know, I have nothing against this, the man he's wrestling, but I can swear to you, I could guarantee to you that nobody, no one could have a better match with Dory than I would have. So that part hurts. So. But I. I really wanted to be on as a referee, but this. The people who make the decision, whoever that would be, didn't offer me any position. So I'm not booked. I won't be here. I don't do any tricks, but I just jump. I stay fit. I watch what I eat because I never know when my next match is going to be. You know, I had. My last match was 1991, so it gets to be a lot longer between matches, but I never know when I'm gonna have my next match. So I've got to stay in shape for that. I've got to be ready.

[Pete]

He's a job, you know, I'm only

[Guest or Interviewee]

50 now, and the phone could ring at any time.

[Ebro Darden]

Job.

[Guest or Interviewee]

How's everything going?

[Pete]

That's terrible.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I'm not gonna be here. But why aren't you? Because I'm not booked. You're not gonna be here? Why aren't you gonna be here? Please be here. I'm not gonna be here, Terry, because I'm not booked. That's a. That's.

[Pete]

That's an old rule.

[Guest or Interviewee]

That's an old rule I've had for a long time. Because I'm not involved. Involved. I want you to come. Please. Well, I'm asking you, please come. All right. I've already. I already have other. I already have other arrangements. And, And. And don't take it personally because I used to be in the dressing room and I used to see the old guys and that's where I am now. I used to see the old guys that came in the dressing room that come around and they looked like old dogs, just hoping somebody would recognize them. Here Spot who wants to come and see us. I really have to be involved. And I'm not. Not.

[Pete]

I want you to be there, you

[Guest or Interviewee]

know, And I did. And I did ask you in April if I could referee some matches on

[Ebro Darden]

the card, which would have been.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Which would. Would have been. But I'm not on the card. I'm not booked. You want to referee me and Brett,

[Pete]

Referee me and Brett. That's the main event.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I already have. Terry, I want you to referee me and breath.

[Pete]

I'm just.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I guess. Okay. So. So what happened? I guess you didn't. Here's else. I guess it was just. I guess you just didn't. Didn't hear before. I don't. Or didn't.

[Ebro Darden]

I didn't even know about it.

[Guest or Interviewee]

But I want you to. I want you to. I appreciate that.

[Pete]

Okay?

[Guest or Interviewee]

I want you to. Will you please do it? Appreciate my last match.

[Pete]

It's my last match.

[Ebro Darden]

Okay.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I appreciate that. Terry to be there. I appreciate that. Were you serious?

[Pete]

Yeah, I'm serious.

[Guest or Interviewee]

It's cost me $134 to change my ticket. Will I make that much? Well, I was gonna pay you close.

[Ebro Darden]

I was gonna pay you 50.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I'll get half of it back, right?

[Pete]

I was gonna pay you 50.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Thank you. You mean you're gonna double pay me? My wife says, do you really want to do it? I almost broke down and said, it's the main event. It's the main event. You think I'm not gonna be in a main event?

[Pete]

Thank you.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I'd rather be in the main event than breathe.

[Laura Rosenberg]

Aw.

[Pete]

It's just. And so rest in peace. Barry Blouse. He caught. Just catching that moment. Like, that's so an embodiment of what the whole thing is all about. Like these people who just want to be a part of this.

[Ebro Darden]

This thing, you know, like yourself.

[Pete]

Yeah. That's why it chokes me up so much. I understand it. Like, you know, everyone wants to be involved. That's what. That's so much of what it is. People just want to perform. It's like. My wife always makes fun of it when she comes around it for a while. She's like. It's like a big high school play. Everyone's just jockeying to get their position and Be it to be a part of it.

[Ebro Darden]

That plays a good point.

[Pete]

But the whole movie, he follows Terry Funk. He follows Mick Foley. My friend Noel Foley's a baby in the movie. Oh, my God. And she's there watching her dad take chair shots from the Rock as a two year old. It's insane.

[Laura Rosenberg]

That's crazy.

[Pete]

Follows Jake the Snake and he just shows all the sides of the. Of the mov of the wrestling business. And his wife told me that he made Nutty professor, made all these movies, but this was his baby. This was. This was his.

[Ebro Darden]

Well. And I can't even trash this moment where we're so deep off into wrestling that you're speaking Japanese to me because of Barry Blaustein.

[Pete]

Yeah, it's pretty cool. Pretty cool run to.

[Ebro Darden]

Yeah.

[Pete]

Imagine being a part of. Right. I had him on my show and asked about writing the. The dinner scenes in Nutty Professor. I mean, he's literally a part of some of the funniest things that have ever happened in American film.

[Ebro Darden]

For sure.

[Pete]

Like coming to America. And Nutty professor literally provided some of the fun.

[Ebro Darden]

And boomerang.

[Pete]

Well, Ben Boomerangs is one of the best movies, period. So they're gonna have a memorial for him in LA at some point.

[Ebro Darden]

And I look forward to recipe.

[Pete]

Good man.

[Laura Rosenberg]

All right, thanks.

[Pete]

Thanks for giving me the room to do that. Of course.

[Ebro Darden]

You blew off the guru for some in depth wrestling.

[Laura Rosenberg]

I know it may come for you

[Ebro Darden]

in the chat because I framed it like that.

[Laura Rosenberg]

We'll be back tomorrow.

[Pete]

That's right, Ebro Rosenberg always does do that. We'll bring the guru back tomorrow.

[Laura Rosenberg]

All right.

[Ebro Darden]

I don't know. Tomorrow we have a very controversial conversation.

[Pete]

Oh, yeah.

[Ebro Darden]

Rosenberg Berg goes face to face with someone who has called him a culture vulture.

[Pete]

Oh, I can't wait. It's going to be fun.

[Laura Rosenberg]

All right, guys, see y' all tomorrow.

[Ebro Darden]

Tomorrow morning, 8 o' clock ELR. Subscribe and like and hype. Thank y' all for locking in. Just don't call it a podcast.