#638 - Kevin James

Summary

Podcast Summary: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Episode #638 – Kevin James

Recorded: February 9, 2026
Host: Theo Von
Guest: Kevin James
Episode Theme:
A candid, humorous exploration of Kevin James’ new film Solo Mio, deep dives into love late in life, personal growth, comedy origins, food obsessions, and the camaraderie of standup—plus plenty of classic Theo Von tangent storytelling.

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Main Theme and Purpose

This episode centers on Kevin James’ recent journey as the creator and star of Solo Mio, a romantic comedy set in Italy. Kevin and Theo delve into what it means to find love later in life, the quirks and anxieties of dating, the dynamics of comedy as a pursuit, and the role of food in their lives. Lighthearted stories and playful banter reveal the vulnerabilities and humor behind both their successes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Concerts and Growing Up (00:40–04:45)

• Kevin shares his first concert experience—seeing Kiss with friends and their mothers, highlighting the wild, new-stimulus energy of early concert-going.
• Theo recounts his own first concert, Marilyn Manson, chaperoned by a local religious man—leading to tales of youthful misadventures.

Memorable Quote:

"He dropped you off religious?" – Kevin James [02:52]

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2. Food, Prime Rib, and Horseradish Tangents (05:00–10:34)

• The duo riff on a recent night out in Nashville after a movie screening, waxing poetic on horseradish, prime rib, and shrimp cocktail.
• The conversation pivots to Filipino cuisine, with Kevin explaining what lumpia is (and Theo’s enthusiasm about Filipinos being “the smiling people”).

Memorable Quote:

"It's like an egg roll from heaven... you put it in the dip." – Kevin James on lumpia [10:18]

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3. Love, Marriage, and Finding ‘The One’ Late in Life (08:29–15:59)

• Kevin opens up about marrying at 39 and finding lasting love without rushing:

  "I found my wife later in life... Honestly, it's never too late. When you loosen up and relax, give yourself up to giving it a shot, you do better." [08:56]

• Theo reflects on being single, contemplating fatherhood, and what holds him back.

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4. Cultural Backgrounds and Family (09:53–12:05)

• The joys and uniqueness of being part of a multicultural family (Kevin’s wife is Filipino and Alaskan Indian).
• Theo humorously says, “I wish we were all Filipino… Name 60 bad Filipinos!” [11:30]

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5. Movie Talk: Solo Mio and Its Surprises (12:05–16:30)

• Theo mistakenly calls the film ‘Salamio,’ which snowballs into a recurring inside joke.
• Both discuss the movie’s emotional resonance, the importance of uplifting stories, and bringing out hope for love.

Memorable Quote:

"It made me think about love and just the choices that we make." —Theo Von [13:38]

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6. Paths into Comedy, Siblings, and Early Hustles (17:23–21:49, 26:24–29:53)

• Kevin recounts growing up on Long Island, the influence of a funny family, and finding standup after football hopes faded.
• Theo details his own comedy path, endless college stints, and the bug that bit him watching live standup.
• Kevin’s brother played a big role, pushing him to put himself out there for gigs.
• Both reflect on the difference between being funny with friends and cracking jokes in front of a crowd.

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7. Comedic Vulnerabilities and Dating Anxieties (29:53–33:40, 63:00–68:40)

• Both share painfully funny stories about dating: women who stood in the way, dated by food quirks, and hilarious dealbreakers like a girlfriend with a tiny head.
• Deeper talk on social anxieties—Theo struggles with eye contact and pauses in conversation.
• Extended riff about never being the 'cool guy' and making peace with who you are.

Memorable Quotes:

"I have to fill the space up. I can't sit in the pocket." – Kevin James [63:30]
"If things get real quiet, that's a weird thing, huh? But I think that's what makes you. Your brain is like, we got to come up with something. What are we doing here, boys?" – Theo Von [67:19]

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8. Friendships in Comedy: Joe Rogan, David Spade, and Community (43:47–45:46; 68:02–68:40)

• Kevin reflects on Joe Rogan as a confidante, mentor, and truth-seeker in comedy and life.
• Discussion on how Rogan inspired him to be himself on stage, not just deliver jokes.
• Jokey admiration for the cool confidence of friends like David Spade.

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9. Sports, Jiu Jitsu, and Standup Touring (49:19–52:26)

• Kevin’s love/hate for combat sports, especially after befriending fighters and not wanting to see them get hurt.
• Both joke about the “smell” of jiu jitsu gyms at their age, and the odd intimacy of grappling.

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10. The Comedian’s Road Life: Early Gigs and Struggles (58:42–63:00)

• Stories about living out of grimy comedy condos, driving endless miles to shows, losing money in Vegas, and sleeping in roach-infested hotel rooms all for the stage time.
• Theo confesses to repeatedly wetting the bed while on the road due to nerves.

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11. Food as Comfort, Temptation, and Discipline (82:00–88:19)

• Kevin and Theo bond over their complicated relationships with food, routines, and the struggle to maintain discipline, particularly as Kevin gears up for his next role.
• Kevin on his non-stop food thoughts:

  "I could eat constantly if you change the food. Like a shark. I don't get full, really. It's scary. I need to stop." [82:22]

• Props to routine and accepting imperfection in habits and discipline.

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12. Blindness and Inspiration (89:31–90:49)

• Theo and Kevin share admiration for people living with blindness, and discuss how challenges can offer a unique perspective or resilience.
• Insights into how blind guests describe navigating the world ("like a video game").

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13. Final Reflections on Solo Mio and Upcoming Projects (74:36–81:26)

• Kevin describes Solo Mio as his proudest film to date, because of its realism and personal connection.
• Upcoming projects include a country music drama with Jelly Roll—Kevin jokes about the need to get in ‘prison shape’ for the film.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Later-in-Life Love:

  “Once I found her… I could tell because I just didn’t want to be away from her.” – Kevin James [56:00]

• On Comedy Success:

  “He was the one who got me out of, like, ‘Standup in a suit’ mode… Joe Rogan just always said, ‘Make them come to you.’” – Kevin James [43:21]

• On Anxiety:

  “If there’s any space here, she’ll not like me.” – Theo Von [63:21]

• Self-Deprecation:

  “I've never been a cool guy… even at times I thought I was that guy, I was like, that's insane that you thought that, dude.” – Theo Von [68:18]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:40–04:45 | First concerts & early wild nights | | 05:00–10:34 | Nashville dinner, prime rib & horseradish/lumpia | | 08:29–15:59 | Finding love late, hope in romance, impact of film | | 17:23–21:49 | NY upbringing, comedy beginnings, influence of siblings | | 26:24–29:53 | Kevin’s first standup, brother’s help, open mic hustle | | 29:53–33:40 | Dating quirks, anxiety, the struggle to “sit in silence”| | 43:47–45:46 | Joe Rogan’s early influence | | 49:19–52:26 | UFC, jiu jitsu, being ‘too old for the smell’ | | 58:42–63:00 | Road stories, bad hotels, bed-wetting confessions | | 82:00–88:19 | Food struggles, preparation for dramatic movie roles | | 89:31–90:49 | Blindness, admiration for resilience |

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Tone & Style

The episode is comedic, self-deprecating, and bouncing between heartwarming sincerity and absurdist storytelling. Both Kevin and Theo are open, unguarded, and unafraid of revealing their social awkwardness, insecurities, and humanity.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This conversation is for people who love honest, funny dialogue. You’ll get a big picture of Kevin James as a comic, family man, and creative, alongside Theo’s trademark left-field humor and sincerity. Expect plenty of laughter, food tangents, and a surprising amount of heart about love, careers, and accepting who you are.

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Not to be missed if you’re a Kevin James, Theo Von, or standup comedy fan—or if you just want encouragement that it’s never too late for love or a career change, and that everyone, even celebrities, gets anxious on dates.

Transcript

[Host]

Today's guest is a comedian and an actor. You'll know him from everywhere, from grownups, King of Queens, Chuck and Larry. Paul Blart. His new movie is out, that's right now in theaters. It's called Solo Mio. And it's. It's great if you want to go check it out. But right now, let's get to know Mr. Kevin James. Final song I've been singing. That's my coffee cup right there. Con Dios toros espos.

[Kevin James]

Possibly. It is, yeah. What is the middle word?

[Host]

Todo.

[Kevin James]

S. Todo S. Todo S. Everything is. Everything is.

[Host]

That's cool with God. Everything is possible. What does yours say?

[Kevin James]

Mine's pretty. I just have no answers. That's. That's what it comes down to.

[Host]

Oh, yours is one of those mad lib mugs, huh?

[Kevin James]

Each day is something different.

[Host]

That's not Italian, but that's. That's almost sounds a little bit Italian, like your movie.

[Kevin James]

It does. It is very close. Deal.

[Host]

Deal. Like Rodney James deal. Like lock up the wolves.

[Kevin James]

Yes, yes. But much different. Yeah.

[Host]

Do you ever listen to that?

[Kevin James]

I remember him. I mean, he was crazy, right?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. He's yelling, lock up the wolves.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. That's right. You cannot be crazy. And. Yeah, lock up the wolves.

[Host]

God, that album. My brother used to beat me to his music.

[Kevin James]

That makes. It makes sense.

[Host]

You remember your first concert ever?

[Kevin James]

No. Yeah, it was Kiss. Oh, I saw Kiss in. It was like, right after. I think maybe after Kiss Alive. It was like. It was after that or Destroy, one of them early, early albums. And I went with my buddy, and I remember my buddy broke his arm, and he wasn't gonna be able to go, but we convinced him to go. He was in a cast, so I was there with my mother and his mother, and he was just rocking his cast the whole night to Kiss. It was fun.

[Host]

God, that's good.

[Kevin James]

It was a good one.

[Host]

There was nothing like that time when you were going to a freaking concert.

[Kevin James]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

When you were just a kid. And so, like, you got, like. If the air hit you and it was dope in it, it just hit you.

[Kevin James]

Everything was weird.

[Host]

Everything was crazy.

[Kevin James]

Did you. What was your first concert?

[Host]

I went to. Oh, Marilyn Manson. And it was. Yeah, they had a guy in our town and he took us over there. Me and other young kid dropped us off.

[Kevin James]

You were there Just with his.

[Host]

With me, my buddy. This guy dropped us off, this religious guy or whatever.

[Kevin James]

He dropped you off religious?

[Host]

Yeah, he had A car.

[Kevin James]

Religion.

[Host]

He had a car. I don't know. Last Baptist, I think. I have no idea what it was.

[Kevin James]

You know, I don't know, man. He's dropping you off at Marilyn Manson.

[Host]

Nothing decent.

[Kevin James]

Oh, dude, I take off fast. Like, was he like, go.

[Host]

Yeah, he drove in a convertible.

[Kevin James]

Oh, wow.

[Host]

Yeah, he dropped us off. He said. He said he could get a tickets there. And we'd heard a couple of their songs and we were into them and we were underage and we got in. But it was like being in a concert when you were a kid and everything was going on. If you were young, it was kind of wild because you were kind of free in this place that was caged, there was music, you know, sometimes it was like pot in the air, you know, just like a lot, you know.

[Kevin James]

People were like a lot of new stimulus. Yeah, right. A lot of weird stuff that you, you know, you're a little bit scared, right?

[Host]

Yeah, you're a little bit scared, but you're excited.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

And then if you get, you know, somebody passes you something or your buddy brought something or whatever, then you getting lifted. And now, dude, one time we ate something. I don't know what we had or some, you know, we caught a whiff us something, and we might have brought it with us and lit it up, but whatever it was, it got into us, not me. And, dude, I couldn't, like, I couldn't see anymore, Right. And I was like, oh. But I still had to pee.

[Kevin James]

Okay.

[Host]

That's one thing I noticed. If you can't see, you still have to. If you.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, One doesn't stop the other.

[Host]

Yeah, right.

[Kevin James]

I don't know. I never got lifted. But if I couldn't see and I had to pee, how did you do it? Did you have a. Did you just kind of walk out with a friend? I remember the direction where you were.

[Host]

I remember the direction of the back of the venue. And I put my hands like this, Right.

[Kevin James]

Oh, wow.

[Host]

And. And I was going back and I remembered feeling like a badge and I was feeling a cop.

[Kevin James]

I'm sure he liked that.

[Host]

Oh, dude, I'm so glad he didn't like, you know. Yeah, he recognized it.

[Kevin James]

I was. Yeah.

[Host]

I wasn't doing.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, yeah. He saw you in a bad way and he helped you.

[Host]

Yeah. And I went into the bathroom. I thought I was a raccoon. Whatever, dude. Yeah, that was a long night. Anyway, Kevin James. Good to see you, man.

[Kevin James]

Good to see you. Yeah, yeah, Nice. Nice to be here. Thank you very much.

[Host]

Thanks for coming, man. I appreciate it. Did you guys go? We saw each other with. Last night at your. You showed me and Nate Bargazi and some other friends here in Nashville. Your movie.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, we just went. We went out to dinner. Yeah, we just hung out. Had a good night.

[Host]

Where'd y' all go?

[Kevin James]

Oh, gosh. What was the name of that place? It was a Gannon. Gannon. Gannon's in Nashville.

[Host]

Is there on a lake?

[Kevin James]

I. I don't think it was on a lake. I mean, we didn't take a boat to get there. Right? We didn't. It was. It was. Yeah, it was.

[Host]

Sounds nice.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it was cool. It was a cool place. Yeah, it was nice. They gave us a little room, and we just had fun. It was prime rib. Oh, it was everything, man. It was good.

[Host]

Did it have that white sauce with it?

[Kevin James]

It did. It did.

[Host]

What is that?

[Kevin James]

It's. That's. It's a. It's like a tartar. Yeah, but it's not. It's. It's got a W. What is it? Or a horseradish. Horseradish. Not a W. Where's the W coming from? But it's white. That's where it comes from. His W is white and it's horseradish. And they give you the chunks of horseradish, which is like. That's like the. The nucleus of it. That's the. Bernie, you never. What are you talking about?

[Host]

Now bring up. Bring up a natural horse horseradish in its natural habitat or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. And then. And then they have a white, like, horseradish sauce that kind of blends it. See, that's the. That's. That's the stuff.

[Host]

Yeah. God, that's good.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. And it. And you spread that over your. Your prime rib.

[Host]

Oh, I love that. That thing. I just. I never know what it is, but they have it and I love it.

[Kevin James]

What's that?

[Host]

That.

[Kevin James]

Oh, the horseradish.

[Host]

Yeah, I know.

[Kevin James]

So you've had it.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, but I just forgot. I just.

[Kevin James]

Oh, what it is.

[Host]

But I know you only see cocktail.

[Kevin James]

No, you see with your cocktail, too.

[Host]

Oh, that's the same.

[Kevin James]

Yes. It comes out the same way. They give you the chunks. A little thing. Do you do shrimp cocktail?

[Host]

Yeah, I do some cocktails. All the time the shrimps are hanging out, showing their legs or whatever off the edge of the thing. Yeah, yeah.

[Kevin James]

You split them, you pop them, and you dip them in the thing.

[Host]

Dude, I had no idea that was the same thing.

[Kevin James]

That's the. That's the. That's the wasabi. Version of whatever it is for this stuff. It's like wasabi. It's like a spicy hit that you do that. It's really to get you to forget the fact that you're eating fish.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. I guess. Because some of it doesn't taste great or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

Horseradish is a perennial plant of the family brass. It's not a vegetable. It is. Oh. It is a root vegetable cultivated and used worldwide as a spice and as a condiment. Yeah, dude, I like that, man. I like it when I just really. But I only see one prime rib, and I guess it always. To me, that always looked more like a milkier sauce.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

Something different.

[Kevin James]

Well, there's both. There's. There's that. That's the. The. The. The. There's like, little chunks when you see that, and then they give you, like. It's like a main. Like a cool whip, like a mayonnaise style that blends with that. You put them both together.

[Host]

Oh, I haven't done.

[Kevin James]

And it gives you. Yeah, it's a good. It's a good cover.

[Host]

I'm missing. Maybe I'm. I'm not looking around when I see that.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

But I love that you get to talk to the person they cut it.

[Kevin James]

Yes. It's a lot of fun.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

You know? Yeah, it's. It's a lot of fun. It was. It was a good night, man. We have fun. We missed you. And. And thanks for coming.

[Host]

Yeah, dude, it was great to come over there and see the film and just see the. Had you seen it a bunch already?

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I've seen a few times. Yeah. I mean, I.

[Host]

Did you help edit it?

[Kevin James]

Oh, gosh, yeah. I did everything, you know, helping them all on every step of the way. We've been, you know, babying this thing for. For a while now, so it's. It's. It's. I'll keep seeing it. I'm gonna see it again, and, you know. You know, it's. It's basically just your baby. You know, you. You work it, and you just kind of try to bring it to everybody, and you want it to be right. And I don't want to. You know, I want everybody like you. I want people to see it, to. To, you know, to see what they think, what they can change it. Yeah.

[Host]

But now we felt the magic of it yesterday, man. It felt good. It was a love. It's a. I don't want to give anything away. I mean, it's a love story. Yeah. It's got some sweet moments that were Surprises, I thought, good. You know, it definitely made me think, like, dang, I gotta get. You gotta get into love, man. That's what it makes you feel. Hopeful that. That the. That people are getting into love out there in Italy and. In Italy.

[Kevin James]

Yes. That it's. Honestly, it's never too late. That it's like. It really. I mean, I really. I found my wife late later in life, too, and it was. It's one of those things where it's like, it's. It's possible for all. You know, like, people, they. When they get older, they start gripping the bat too tight, getting worried that I'm not with anybody, and so they don't know whether to make that decision, jump or whatever. I'm just going to be alone. And I think when you loosen up and kind of relax and just give yourself up to, you know, given a shot, you do better and, you know.

[Host]

Did you feel that ever?

[Kevin James]

Oh, yeah. I was definitely. Definitely. You know, I got married at like, 39. 39, I think. Yeah. And I had my first kid at 40.

[Host]

But do you still have your wife?

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I met her last night. Yeah, she was there.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good.

[Kevin James]

I kept.

[Host]

I hope that was her, otherwise she wouldn't be happy hearing about it.

[Kevin James]

No, no, no, no, no, no. That's her. And.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

I mean, it's 21 and change now. 21 years. Yeah. Yeah. It's great. Four kids. It's fun.

[Host]

And is your wife from another country or parents?

[Kevin James]

Well, she's Filipino and a little bit Alaskan Indian.

[Host]

Dude, I love Filipinos.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, you do.

[Host]

Dude, are you kidding me? How could you not, right? Dude, they're the smiling people.

[Kevin James]

Yes. Very happy people. Oh, very fun people.

[Host]

And they make lumpia and they make what?

[Kevin James]

Lumpia.

[Host]

Oh, I've never even heard.

[Kevin James]

Can you look up lumpia? Lumpia is. Is.

[Host]

What is it, like a dip or something?

[Kevin James]

It's like an egg roll from heaven. And you put it in the dip.

[Host]

Oh.

[Kevin James]

And it's nothing like the. The horseradish one. It's a beautiful sweetie spike. It could be a little spicy if you want, but it's a fun one. It's a good. It's a good. It wowed me, like, you know.

[Host]

Yeah. I would mule one of those in my ass, I think. But those things look good, brother, I'll tell you that. You know, I'm saying. But you brought one of those into prison, you could sell it for a lot.

[Kevin James]

I don't know. It was going in a lot went out my ass. But yeah, oh, dude. Sorry.

[Host]

God. No, those look that good.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, they're good. They're very good.

[Host]

There's not a lot of food you'd put in you. You know what I'm saying? Because that's total reverse route. That's like, when you see somebody's driving up the interstate the wrong way, you're like, what are they doing here? You know?

[Kevin James]

How did you get on this road? Yeah, yeah, it's real good.

[Host]

God, that's nice. Yeah. See, I think if somebody tricked me enough with a. You know, with some sort of fancy little Oriental baklava like that, they were.

[Kevin James]

You really. Oh, really.

[Host]

That they could get me to love them more.

[Kevin James]

Right.

[Host]

You know what I'm saying?

[Kevin James]

If. Yes.

[Host]

If somebody had a recipe of something that you just loved. Yeah, I would give in more, but. Yeah, Filipinos, dude. I wish we were all Filipino.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, sure.

[Host]

Because I think it would be great.

[Kevin James]

It would be great.

[Host]

Name 60 bad Filipinos.

[Kevin James]

I can't name one. I don't know any. Yeah, well, I really don't. I don't know what. I can't name one.

[Host]

So do. Are your kids a little bit Filipino, too?

[Kevin James]

They have to be, I hope, because that's so good. Yeah, they're fun.

[Host]

Oh, I can't even imagine.

[Kevin James]

You should see them. You like them?

[Host]

Oh, yeah. I'd love to see them sometime, but. Yeah, the eight. Yeah. I would love to have an. Like a semi Asian or off Asian. I don't know exactly what the terms of a Filipino, but I would love to have a child like that.

[Kevin James]

It's a. It's a cute mix. It's a fun. You know, and good.

[Host]

They seem like such good, good people. Yeah. Beautiful. Dude, I know that you grew up over in New York. Oh, dude, I forgot to even tell you this. I saw the movie. When I first saw your movie. Solo Mio. It's called.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

I thought it was Salamio. I thought it was a. Oh, that.

[Kevin James]

Would be an old. Yes.

[Host]

Like a Marvel character, by the way.

[Kevin James]

I could do that one next. Yeah, that is not salami. It was a.

[Host]

That's what I thought. I was like, dude, what is he doing?

[Kevin James]

I'm not doing Salamio. How did you guys not think of Salamio?

[Host]

I just thought it was like, oh, this is his, like, superhero type of guy, you know?

[Kevin James]

Did you think it was, like, just one word and it was an Italian word, or did you think it was the. The meat.

[Host]

Oh, I thought. I thought it was like the K. Like the. Like the. The master. Like the Like. Like.

[Kevin James]

Like Salamio.

[Host]

Yeah. Like, Salamio shows up and rescues, like, the. Like, the Italian Parade or something. Something happened at the Italian Parade.

[Kevin James]

But is the Italian meat involved? Or you. Is you.

[Host]

No, this is his name.

[Kevin James]

Okay. Does he have a cape?

[Host]

Yeah, he may have a cape. Yes, he has a cape. Like, maybe a fine pressetta or whatever. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Salamio is insane.

[Host]

Yeah. So anyway, I thought that, but I had my glasses on when I saw it, so. Yes, Salamio. That's crazy. I was like, but it's awesome. And it was like, I could see it being super exciting, you know?

[Kevin James]

I'm regretting every choice we made now that we did not go with Salamio. It really is hitting me. Salami was, I don't know, I hope.

[Host]

From the land of Mortadel.

[Kevin James]

Yes. Yes.

[Host]

Your backstory could have been sick, but when I got there and I saw the. The image and it was like, oh, solo mio.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

And it was good. Yeah, it was cool, man. Yeah. And it just made me. It didn't make me think about love and made me think about that kind of stuff and like. Yeah. Just the choices that we make. I think I've watched a couple of movies recently that kind of, like, got me in, like.

[Kevin James]

So you're single now?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Okay. And you're. You're looking or you're just like.

[Host]

Yeah, I'm looking. You know, I got to get married at some point, right?

[Kevin James]

You know, Kids.

[Host]

Yeah. I think I want to have some children.

[Kevin James]

I love it.

[Host]

Yeah. Did you always want to have him, you think?

[Kevin James]

I did.

[Host]

You did.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I did. I always wanted kids. And I'm again, I was getting worried. I was, you know, 39. It was later for me, and then four. But it's. You have so much time you could have, you know, it's. You're great. You can go as long as you can, and then you adopt or do whatever. It's. It's amazing.

[Host]

Yeah. Some of the adopt, there's a lot of returns over there. You know what I'm saying? I'm not. No judgment. And some of those are Russian, but people know it. It's on a chart. But, yeah, dude, I do think. I know. I would like to. You know, I think it's just making sure I can get into that place where go ahead of myself and knowing, okay, I can do this, you know, And I have to. I have to really, like, fine tune my behaviors and what I. What I need to be doing and how I kind of put myself and take care of Myself and everything. It's like. Because this is going to be a thing, you know?

[Kevin James]

Right, right. You want to stay in it. Right. So you want to. Are you putting yourself out there, though, to. To. To. In the right places to see these people, to meet these people? Because now you. I mean, it's.

[Host]

It's some.

[Kevin James]

Because you're so famous now. It's like. It's a different take on. You got to be careful. Right. So I guess.

[Host]

I mean, I still probably date the same types of gals as when I wasn't popular, you know, I think so. That. I don't know if that changes, but I wouldn't date somebody. I think I would know if somebody was like, you know.

[Kevin James]

Right. I hope so. You definitely would.

[Host]

After me for my podcast outtakes or whatever. So. But yeah, I thought it was a great movie. It was really sweet. It had some good sur. So, yeah, I'm glad that I've. I left feeling glad that I went. I saw it.

[Kevin James]

That's good.

[Host]

And it made me think about some things. That's when I noticed something's nice for me is if I leave and it makes me like, you know, kind of think about myself in certain. Certain situations or something.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. And. And hopefully uplift, up, uplifting, if you know what I'm saying. If it feels, you know, that you can. That there's possibility out there, you know?

[Host]

Oh, dude. And the singing, the part where you guys were singing. Dude, I thought it was going to turn into one of those, like. At the Crescendo. Yeah, I thought at the Crescendo is going to be like. There was going to be one of those 4.4K theaters or whatever. Like the 4D or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And it was just gonna, like a huge thing of like, pasta sauce. It's gonna hit us all in the back of the head. That's what I thought, dude, that would happen, bro.

[Kevin James]

Dude, that and Salamia. What's his name?

[Host]

Salamio.

[Kevin James]

Salamio. Salamio. Okay, so it's Salamio.

[Host]

That's what I thought.

[Kevin James]

Oh, dude, that's a guy. How do we not do Salamio, bro?

[Host]

I'll tell you this.

[Kevin James]

I want the leg muscles.

[Host]

Oh, you got those.

[Kevin James]

No, I don't, man. I'm losing them. When you get older, you start losing the leg muscles. Abs I got, obviously. You know, I have the abs. Yeah. And the biceps and all that stuff. But the leg muscles.

[Host]

That's a lot of leg.

[Kevin James]

It is spotty fat. He's got a lot of clogged Arteries. I like it though, man. I'm in with this guy.

[Host]

I think he's just. He's just. His only thing he does is just go to the doctor to get his levels checked.

[Kevin James]

Just panels of blood everywhere.

[Host]

Dude, those aren't even muscles. That's just a chunk of gout.

[Kevin James]

Yes, that's all gout and cholesterol.

[Host]

But no, dude, it was cool. So thank you so much for inviting me, man. It's enjoyable. It's a nice movie. You could take your lady, you know, you could take your lady. Go with your family. Go with almost anybody, really.

[Kevin James]

Right?

[Host]

It was sweet.

[Kevin James]

Good.

[Host]

It was sweet and good, man. Did you grew up in Mineola?

[Kevin James]

Oh, no, I was born in Minneola. I grew up out. Yeah, I. I bounced around Long island for a little bit in New Hyde park and then. But you, you don't know this stuff.

[Host]

We just had a fireman on. This is how I know this. We just had a fireman on. And he mentioned that you were from that area because I said, well, Kevin James might be coming on. He's like, oh, he's from New Hyde Park.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And we had this guy, Tony Bonfiglio. He was. There he is right there. He was a firefighter during 9 11. He did 22 years on Ladder 34, which was Washington Heights. And he just had the best stories about growing up in New Hyde park and where he went to like interview to be the fireman and him and his buddies just screwing around in the area and just going to like different music club, listening to cover bands and stuff.

[Kevin James]

Oh, I love it. What a dude.

[Host]

It was great.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, that's. That's a lot of good people from there. Really? Yeah, it's. It's really cool experience.

[Host]

Feels like that.

[Kevin James]

It is. It was. It was fun growing up, man. Which for me like helped in. In stand up and help everything. Like, just had a good fun childhood. It was really, really cool. Funny people.

[Host]

Were you. Was your brother funny or something? You got a sister?

[Kevin James]

My brother was funny first. He, he, he. Yeah, we're all funny. Like, we always. It's all the dinner table stuff and, you know, putting on little shows when the rel over that type of stuff. And then eventually I was playing football in college and I realized the dream when you're. When you're not starting in division three.

[Host]

Were you at Oneonta?

[Kevin James]

No, I was at Cortland and I never finished. I was. I was drinking a lot. Like we were partying up there. It was crazy.

[Host]

It was by.

[Kevin James]

That's up there By Syracuse and all that stuff. And Cortland. Ithaca.

[Host]

Ithaca, isn't it?

[Kevin James]

No, it's near Ithaca.

[Host]

Oh, bet.

[Kevin James]

Oh, yeah. There I am. That was me playing football in. Yeah, I think that that's high school, but, yes, that was what I played. And then once I realized there was guys so much better than me, I go, this is. I'm not gonna do this anymore. What do I do?

[Host]

Did you have a nickname on a team or not?

[Kevin James]

I think it was the Hydrant.

[Host]

Because you were.

[Kevin James]

I don't think it was because of what you think. I think it was just a different reason. I don't know. I'm not sure. The reason, huh? Yeah. Because I was low. I was low to the ground and I wet myself a lot.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

So, I mean, it was just. It was just a weird thing, but. No, I mean, once I realized that wasn't going on anyway, I never finished Cortlandt, too. I got out of college.

[Host]

Did they give you an honorary thing like that in the mail?

[Kevin James]

They would give it to me now, but I don't want to go back now. I don't want to.

[Host]

I'll get your degree, man.

[Kevin James]

Really? Should I go back?

[Host]

I mean, I wouldn't say. I'm not going to tell you not to get your education.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, maybe I should, right? No, I shouldn't. For what? What am I gonna use it for? I don't know.

[Host]

I got Urban planning. That's mine.

[Kevin James]

Did you go to. Do you finish college?

[Host]

I finished college. Almost 11 years.

[Kevin James]

Where'd you go?

[Host]

I went 11 years for college. I went offline also.

[Kevin James]

Oh, you did?

[Host]

Yeah. I went to a lot of schools. I went to Arizona.

[Kevin James]

Where else did I go?

[Host]

I went to Santa Monica College. I went to University of New Orleans.

[Kevin James]

Why did you not finish at 1?

[Host]

LSU College, Charleston? I don't know why. I just. Oh. I started doing comedy, so. And I would hit the road and I'd be like. And then I'd have to pick back up and do a semester, and, like, it was just piecemeal.

[Kevin James]

Did you get into, like, through improv or just right into stand up or.

[Host]

Like, just got into stand up? I was just like. You know, I think I. The first Mark Gross, I think, was the first comedian maybe I ever saw. Bring him up. Bring up a picture.

[Kevin James]

What year did you start?

[Host]

I started in 2005.

[Kevin James]

Oh, my goodness. That is so crazy.

[Host]

I saw this guy perform, and I was. And I'd seen, like, Chris Rock's my favorite comedian growing up. I'd seen, like, you know, I'd seen comedy, but I'd never seen it live.

[Kevin James]

Right.

[Host]

And we went to college where it was like, at LSU, they'd call you and be like, you got 30 free tickets tonight. Right.

[Kevin James]

Right.

[Host]

What? Because it is paper in the room. But you'd be so excited.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. You just. To get a gift then. Yes. So you go.

[Host]

And I went and I saw him and I was like.

[Kevin James]

And it changed you.

[Host]

Yes. I was like, oh, this can really be, like, a thing that you.

[Kevin James]

You wanted to do right away, or you thought.

[Host]

I don't think I knew I wanted to do it, but I just. I liked being funny. And then I was like, oh, this can. Like, there's a. This is a real path. I just never connected the dots. I need, like, dot to dot to dot. I need dots between the dots to connect them, you know? And. And yeah, so that. That made me, like, start to, I think, have the bug. And then I got to la, and then. And then I started just going up, you know?

[Kevin James]

Dude, I was in Vegas when I saw you and heard about you. You know how I heard about you or saw you? Your face was the whole side of the hotel.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Kevin James]

But you remember. Did you see that? That was badass. I was like, who's this? I was like, my goodness. I know, dude. That was awesome. That's really cool, man.

[Host]

That was crazy.

[Kevin James]

That's it.

[Host]

Just to think that you saw that stone.

[Kevin James]

That's cool. I was like, whoa. I don't get that. I never got. Yeah, big man. No, no, no, no, I'm serious. That was cool.

[Host]

Oh, that is. Yeah. I think. Yeah, some of that stuff is pretty cool. It's, like, impossible to live up to that kind of hype, that is.

[Kevin James]

But it's still. Man, that's cool, man. You know?

[Host]

Yeah, Stuff like that's kind of interesting sometimes, I guess.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. There it is. See? It is.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Look at that, man. That's exactly what I saw. And I was like, whoa, this guy looks like Salomeo.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Hey, look at that look, right? That's a hero.

[Host]

I'm looking for the shooter from that shooting they had a few years ago.

[Kevin James]

That's right. That was rough.

[Host]

Yeah. That was a surprise. Anyway, I can really ruin that compliment you were giving me, but thank you.

[Kevin James]

It's true. It's true. I remember seeing that being there, Vegas, and I was like, whoa. You know, it's. It's an instant bit of like, who's this guy? Like, a little bit of fear. I'm always like, oh, my gosh, this New guy. You know, I'm trying to fill this room. I hope I do well tonight. And this guy's got the side of a building. I'm like, good for him.

[Host]

Because we needed that much advertisement.

[Kevin James]

True.

[Host]

We started small. We started on thimbles.

[Kevin James]

Handing them out on guitar picks.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah, That's a great idea. This episode is brought to you by Pepsi. And we've actually got their super bowl commercial that premiered last night. Let's take a look at it right here. Oh, blind taste test. My whole life's a blind taste test. This bears in therapy, or bear a fee, I think they call it. I don't even know whatever this is about. I'm in cheap furniture. Tell me about your mother. Oh, yeah. Mother longing. Is this me. Staring at women through windows? Yup. Oh, that's sweet. That's nice. Let's go bear with your lady at a concert. Oh, that's a pretty cold play right there. Me and this bear are really similar. Drinking games, therapy, cheap furniture, and longing for a woman through a pane of glass. Peeping tomming, we call it. But I guess in the animal kingdom, it's more of like a acceptable pastime. All right, moving on. But actually kind of staying right here. Some of my friends bug me that I choose Pepsi over Coke. But there's actually been blind taste tests that prove that Pepsi zero sugar tastes better than Coca Cola zero sugar. There's even a name for it. It's called the Pepsi paradox. It's the idea that once bias and labels disappear, cola drinkers prefer the taste of Pepsi Zero sugar. Yep. Pepsi first showed this 50 years ago with their iconic Pepsi challenge when they had people try Coke and Pepsi without the labels. And the results were clear. When you take labels out of the equation and you just focus on taste, people choose Pepsi. I mean, that's what the super bowl commercial was showing. There's a blindfolded cola loving polar bear and he chooses Pepsi zero sugar. Dude, my fricking blind cousin chooses Pepsi. He just emailed me. How? How can he email? Maybe you could pep c for a second. Hey, quiet down. Bad joke. It's the question that Pepsi's putting out there. Is your Cola choice actually about taste? Because they redid the Pepsi challenge in 2025. And guess what? 66% of people chose Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coca Cola Zero Sugar. And it just makes you think, if nobody told you what you were supposed to like, what would you actually choose? The public has spoken. And Pepsi zero sugar tastes better than Coca Cola zero sugar. If you're curious. Go try Pepsi, zero sugar. Let your taste decide. When your comedy first started, was it just something you wanted to do? Do you know it kind of. I know it's such an old question, but you and I don't really know each other.

[Kevin James]

I, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew when I got out of college, I left college. I didn't, I didn't finish. I went home for the summer and my brother started doing improv. And I was like, I was bouncing at the time and I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I didn't want to do this. I just wanted to try something. And I always follow him into other things so he'd be like, you coming into, you know, whatever it is, you know. So I ended up doing a small community theater play. And I said this, you know. Then I started doing an improv group with him and their buddies and I fell in love with. And then it just progressed into stand up Now. I did my first stand up first night was in 1989. July 26, 1989. That's how long I've been doing it. And no, I loved it. I mean, and I crushed the first night I ever did it, which I'm thankful for because the second night I ate it so bad with the same material and I didn't know, you know, and if I would have ate it first, I think I never would have done it again. But so I'm thankful. Thankful that I did okay. And then. No, I love it, man. I love it. And then, you know, just.

[Host]

Was your brother weird about it that you came in and liked his thing?

[Kevin James]

No, you know what, I, I gotta say, he was really cool about it. He actually, he, he would tell me, you want to do this? Okay, if you want to do this, come and do it. And I would start to do it. We, you know, back then we would buy these calendars completely empty. And you. I was working at Granger and it was like my last day job. I was like, I wanted equipment. Yes, that's what I was in the back. It was hot as can be. And I had to fill. And I hated everything about it because it was miserable. I was just trying to work my way up to the air conditioning.

[Host]

There's hella mice in there too.

[Kevin James]

There's everything in there, you know, so I'm just driving hella mice a forklift. And I'm, I'm working hard and I'm trying to get fill my calendar with these stand up dates. And it would just be like once a week or whatever it is. And then my brother called me one night and he goes, what are you doing tonight? And I go, I'm staying home. He's like, what? Because you have to sign up for, you know, open night, open mic night.

[Host]

Yeah, you gotta sign up sometimes in advance or that sort of thing. You gotta get there early.

[Kevin James]

He's like, why aren't you out at the club tonight? And I go, I didn't. I didn't get a spot. He's like, that doesn't matter. So. So what? Why aren't you going out there making something happen? Go look. And you know, you made somebody falls out, or you meet somebody or talk to somebody. And I'm like, all right. And I. And I went that night and I met somebody and I became like my first agent. And so he was right, man. He helped me, you know, a lot in. In that. And he was cool with, With. With helping me out.

[Host]

And he was the funny one. You said he.

[Kevin James]

Yes, he was. I mean, we're all funny. The whole family was funny. He was the first one to start it, like, to get going that.

[Host]

That direction because it's interesting how. How like, that happens. And I was like, yeah, like, my brother was a funny guy. And so I think that's why, like, you know, I think of why I.

[Kevin James]

Wouldn'T want to be like, yeah, yeah.

[Host]

I think you're just trying to like.

[Kevin James]

Did your brother do stand up?

[Host]

No, he was just, like, probably just desperate for attention, like me. But he was also, you know, he was a funny guy.

[Kevin James]

Right. There are a lot of funny guys I knew in school that were.

[Host]

He didn't get a stand up. Oh, dude.

[Kevin James]

Right. That would be. I'm like, the best. You didn't.

[Host]

That'd be the best. And I'm so glad you didn't do it. Oh, dude. My friend Scott was like the funniest kid to me. And I'm like, I am. Some of these people are like, theo, you're funny. I'm like, dude, I. There's so many people who just never really. Just went and did it.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. Because I mean, honestly, being funny with your. And making that leap to doing it in front of people and developing it is a different thing, though. It's like you've got to create it and kind of get used to. It's a different animal. Right. When you're. Oh, yeah, I know. My. My buddies are so funny. I got a buddy who's so funny, but when he doesn't, I go do that impression in front of someone else. He can't do it. He folds like a house, man.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Kevin James]

He's just. It's rough. It's rough. And I look bad.

[Host]

Oh, dude. The worst is when. Oh, sometimes you do look bad because of other people. I remember this. I dated this girl. She didn't know how to stand out of the way of where people were walking.

[Kevin James]

Oh, see, that would drive me. That would. That would drive me nuts, bro.

[Host]

I would have to go hide in the bathroom.

[Kevin James]

No, that's. That's brutal. That's.

[Host]

We'd be talking. She would, like, take a step back. I'm like, this is where all the people are walking. And it was like. And people bump anywhere. And then guys would, like, you know, and then it just. Like.

[Kevin James]

I dated a girl who would take five seconds before she would realize that a waiter is there asking her for, like, some. And every time. And I'd have to go, he's looking for. You know, and she'd just be like this. In a daze every time. Five seconds. And then she'd come out of it, and I'm like, I can't go on. I can't go on. Oh, I couldn't be married to that. So I was like, there's no use of me being here.

[Host]

It's the little things, dude. I dated a girl that I was in love with, and then we kind of Canoe noodling or snuggling, whatever they used to call it. I think they don't. I don't know why they don't call it that, but we're canoodling, I guess now it's called. And then. But her head was really small. She had big hair, and her head was so small.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And I was like, I. I.

[Kevin James]

Did you like that, though, or you just was like. It was like a. It was a. A point where you go, I want to help her and be with her. Or, you know, or. Is it like, that small or like.

[Host]

No, like.

[Kevin James]

Like a. Like. Like how small, though?

[Host]

Like, it was a ballpoint pen.

[Kevin James]

Or are we talking, like, you know.

[Host]

With that day when you. You only knew about baseball, and then one day, you're at PE and they show you softball.

[Kevin James]

Yes. Okay.

[Host]

And you get that ball, and you're like, what the. What is this? You know, and you're like, oh, this is like a baseball with, like, intestinal issues or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Right?

[Host]

I'm saying, like, it's.

[Kevin James]

It's. It's. Yeah, it's a. It's a. It's a baseball with inflammation and.

[Host]

Yes. Yes. It's a baseball that has, yeah. That has not had proper dieting.

[Kevin James]

I, I, My heart melts for the physical things more. But I dated a girl once who would just say the phrase rattle your cage every time. She's like, hey. And I'm like, what are you doing? And she's like, I'm just calling a rattle your cage. And I'm like, I can't go on. That's a buddy of mine's joke. He's.

[Host]

Oh, it is.

[Kevin James]

Oh, it happened to a buddy of mine. But that's, that is a thing that I would, I would literally get out of.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

But yeah, wouldn't that be something like that? She goes, hey, just calling a rattle your cage.

[Host]

I would.

[Kevin James]

No, no.

[Host]

Rattle my phone against the wall. I would rattle my freaking head out of my. Off a balcony, dude. Yes, I would. Also, I dated a girl. We would be sleeping. She'd get up in the middle of the night, put a bunch of M&M's and chocolate in her mouth, and come right back in a bed. She said, like, sometimes I can't fall back asleep unless there's chocolate in my mouth. And I was like, that's crazy.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, there's a lot of problems with that.

[Host]

But it was, that was crazy, dude. I had had a girl who made me roll her up so she could go to bed at night burrito style. Yeah. Or like lumpia. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

No way. Like the lumpia.

[Host]

Yeah. I had a girl just. I didn't even realize that till just now.

[Kevin James]

Did you have to unroll her in the morning or you just left it? No, you just leave her.

[Host]

Look, dude, I didn't even know her that well.

[Kevin James]

You can't get out.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, she's. Get out of your own room.

[Kevin James]

She doesn't have claustrophobic issues, though. You know that. So if you ever stuck in an elevator with her, that she's, you're the one, she's the one you want to be with.

[Host]

She's dynamite. Yeah, you're right. I need to look at the other side of the coin.

[Kevin James]

Yes. But definitely, there's always a bright side.

[Host]

Yeah. I sometimes get stuck on the other side and I'm like, I know it's brighter over there, but.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

Let me mill around over here.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

In the shadows.

[Kevin James]

Well, look at both. I mean, little head, you know, burrito girl, all these things can be. There is a positive side to it, right?

[Host]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, dude. I mean, her, I just, yeah, that was a lot for me. But then also, I'm like, I Don't know. But there's a lot of things that I think have probably kept me kind of single over the years, you know?

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

Did you ever. Do you ever try one of those matchmaking services or. No, because I get approached by those all the time now.

[Kevin James]

I was before them, I think. Yeah. I don't. I don't. Maybe they existed. But, I mean, I was before the. I think the Internet and all that crap, you know, I got married in 2000. What is it, three or four? Is it. What was going on 2004 I got married. Was that. What was a. What was around then? I don't even know if anything was around, but I never used them anyway.

[Host]

Yeah. How would you. Even loitering or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it was. You know, we. We tried. I mean, I met my wife on a blind date. I went. Someone set me up because Leah Remini, who was on my show with me. The King of Queens.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

She saw that I had nobody, and she set me up with.

[Host]

No. So it was one of her good friends.

[Kevin James]

No, it wasn't hers. She set me up. She didn't set me up with a girl. She did over the years. She tried to, but she set me up with a house decorator. Because she came to my. When we had the King of Queens, I got my first place, and she saw how it was decorated, and it was terrible. I had, like, prong lamps and posters, like I was living with my brother. And it was like. She's like, you can't do this. You can't decorate. So she got a decorator for me, Me, which I never knew about or anything like that and wasn't me. And this decorator came into my life. She was a horrible decorator, but she set me up. She really was. She wasn't great either. I didn't like it, but she. She saw that I was lonely and, like, I had nobody, and she. She set me up with somebody she knew. And it was like. It was amazing.

[Host]

Did it change like that for you when you kind of realize, like, this is something. Because it's funny how you people go. From a moment. I have a friend, she's a comedian. She was like, I don't know what's going to happen. You know, I'm gonna sell my eggs or I'm gonna bury them over here, whatever, you know, And. And then out of the blue, one day I called her. She's like, yep, I'm moving to Florida. We're getting married.

[Kevin James]

And just, like, it can turn on a dime.

[Host]

That's the thing.

[Kevin James]

It Can.

[Host]

That's the thing you got to remember.

[Kevin James]

And by the way, I think it. Most of the time it does.

[Host]

When.

[Kevin James]

When you're not trying. Right. I mean, the thing you're not.

[Host]

Yes, they say, right?

[Kevin James]

I don't know. I think for me, it did. I was just kind of lost. And she was like, try. And I was like, ah, I'll give it a shot. Never thinking anything would come of it. And then I never left her. That was it.

[Host]

Did you. Were you kind of a romantic guy? Are you kind of like that guy or.

[Kevin James]

No, I don't think so. I. I had to fake like she. She wanted to go out. And we went to a sushi restaurant the first night, and I didn't. I never ate sushi. So I. She's like, do you eat sushi? I go, yeah. I lied right out of the gate.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Kevin James]

Just for. Because, you know.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

I wanted to make things smooth. And we got there and it was a. It was just a rough. It was.

[Host]

Oh, yeah. Everything.

[Kevin James]

You don't want to eat at a sushi restaurant made an appearance, you know, it was. It was rough and I had to fake it and get through it, but I was drinking a lot of beer to get through it and kind of taking. I was taking a pill, you know, like, I would take the sushi. Like a pill.

[Host]

Yes.

[Kevin James]

And. Yeah. And I got through that night.

[Host]

You're holding your neck.

[Kevin James]

I was lying about everything. She's like, do you jog in the morning? I go, I jog every morning. I never jogged. We started jogging. I was like, what the. I got to keep it up. And finally we were close enough where I go, I gotta. I gotta tell you some things here. I don't do a lot of the stuff we've been doing. You know, I sit a lot more than we have been sitting. And that was it. I was like. And she. You know, I was in enough of the relationship, though there, where she was, like, good with it. You know what I'm saying? Like, we knew each other, so she's like, okay. And then the active things kind of fell off, and it was fun.

[Host]

That's cool, man.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. You got it. Yeah. I mean, how are you looking right now?

[Host]

Right now?

[Kevin James]

I'm actually trying to need to get back into it again. I know you don't want to.

[Host]

Yeah, no. I'm actually just trying to take a step back right now, and I'm just gonna, like, spend a little bit of time with myself. Yourself. And see what's kind of going on.

[Kevin James]

You working out you taking care of yourself?

[Host]

Yeah, I'm doing pretty good, man. I'm fasting today, actually.

[Kevin James]

You fast? I fasted yesterday.

[Host]

Did you?

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

Let's go.

[Kevin James]

Let's go, baby.

[Host]

Dude. Yeah, I fasted today. I fasted. Let me see. I did, like, three days last week. I just got into it this year, and so it's been interesting. I feel super dehydrated today.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

But it's like, some days that happens.

[Kevin James]

That's the biggest thing. You got to replace the water and. And by the way, if you do fast the next day, you don't go to Nashville. Just Nashville. I just went to the deli here and crushed it. It was great. Yeah, well, that's the thing. Like, I bounce back and forth. I can do a day fasting, and then the next day you should just kind of be good on your body because it's like, it digests it. Like, it's feeling good, and then you can't put crap back in, so I gotta stop doing that. It's obviously the battle for me, the food. But that's awesome that you're fasting.

[Host]

Yeah, I like it.

[Kevin James]

What do you fast for? Because you don't need to lose weight. So you're fasting for.

[Host]

Just for health reasons. Just because they say, like, autophagy, your body gets into. And then it helps fight, like, cancer, cel cells and things like that. Like, your body starts taking care of itself and. Because my brain gets clear. I have noticed. It's funny, I just noticed this the other day. I think I'm having dreams that seem more relevant to, like, direction in my life and, like, some sort of, like, information. Not all the time, but a little bit more than just, like, dreaming that I'm, like, attacking somebody with an. You know, like a. You know, fighting a neighbor.

[Kevin James]

Exactly.

[Host]

Regular shitter. Waiting in line or whatever.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. Yes, yes. But you have dreams of waiting in line?

[Host]

Oh, yeah. Lou Ferrig knows in a lot of them. No. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

You and Lou Ferrigno are waiting in a line.

[Host]

Yeah. At the post office. And his wife's mad. At him?

[Kevin James]

No.

[Host]

At him or you at him?

[Kevin James]

Are you in front of him? Behind him?

[Host]

Huh? I'm behind him, yes. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

And I know you see it going on. You see the whole relationship. And then is the lady behind the counter going, like, next or. You never get there. Never get there there.

[Host]

We never get there.

[Kevin James]

Dude, that is the greatest dream of all time.

[Host]

It took. Dude, I've had. I probably had it 300 times where I finally was able. You ever had A dream so many times, you're just on the edge.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

When you wake up, you're like, what? Yeah, I've had it so many times. What is it? You know?

[Kevin James]

And you're like, it's horseradish.

[Host]

Dude. Yeah, that. That's one of a big one for me.

[Kevin James]

I love it.

[Host]

But recently I've been getting. I've just been getting a little more information. Anyway, I just think it's. I feel clear in a lot of ways. It's helping me feel a little bit more inspired, I think, to take care of myself, because I think it starts to show me that I'm willing to make some sacrifices, even in little ways. That.

[Kevin James]

That's what it is. Yeah, man. That's.

[Host]

Have you done it?

[Kevin James]

You're a. Yeah, I did fasting. Like, I do it, like, every once in a while, I'll do it. But I did a really long one, and. And it was great. And then I got fat again. I told Rogan this. I did 41 and a half days, just water and. And. And. But honestly, I didn't rid myself of, like, I was doing it for, like, different, like, spiritual reason. Like, I wanted to clear out everything. And. Because the whole journey, I was watching, like, food, pictures of food, and going, this is what I'm going to eat when I'm done. I can't wait to get back to. I never really broke the habit of going, I don't need food. It doesn't matter. I would feed, you know, I would cook food for my kids. And the smell of food, I'd be like, hey, can I make you a sandwich? Because I was living through that, and I wouldn't eat it, and I was fine with that, but I needed to see the food and hold it. I'd smell it, you know, and then I hand it off, and it didn't break the. The real bind, you know what I'm saying? The. The cord of. Of being detached from. From stuff, you know? And that's what I got to do in my life with everything, you know, Because I'm. I'm addicted. A guy, like, I'll just be like, I got to cut it off. That's it. It.

[Host]

Yeah, I think that's what I'm doing, kind of do. Trying to do with dating right now is just like, let me take a break from, like, if I put myself into a moment over here and I'm engaged, I mean, this over here, and then I'm going on maybe a date that I'm not interested in, but maybe over here, somebody I am interested in. But now I don't have time because I'm kind of dividing it up. And then I'm like. I'm like, let me just see what's going on, you know? That's here at the factory, you know.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. By the way, I had a dream that I was on the ledge of a building and I'm falling. I've had this one a few times. I'm falling, but I never leave the ledge. I'm just yelling the whole time, like, I'm falling down. You do what I'm saying. So I'm like. But I didn't. I never jumped. I'm just looking. Yeah. And then I wake up. That one comes back anyway. I just want to throw that in there.

[Host]

I'd be so pissed if I'm down there. I'm like, what is this? Yeah, look at this poser.

[Kevin James]

Yes, exactly. You're looking like. Is he doing it? He's just yelling. He's giving. You know, he's got all the accoutrement. But no, no fall, dude.

[Host]

The weird guy at a suicide dump is the guy who's just waiting down there for the guy to jump.

[Kevin James]

Yes. They're just like this. Not doing it. Yeah, that's what you should do. Because this guy's not either helping or pushing. You know, either one. He's not doing anything either. Run upstairs, do something, make a move. But he's just waiting. These are the people in life we don't need.

[Host]

Eating. And the guy that's eating and waiting.

[Kevin James]

Eating. If you get nachos and you're pulling up and you're waiting for a guy to jump.

[Host]

Yeah. You're like, hey, I can't. Me. Give me 30 seconds. Let me grab this nachos ledge. To dream of standing on a ledge represents being on the verge of something. Is it you or someone else may be very close to finally making a big decision. You may be feeling tense or experiencing anxiety about a difficult change. Alternatively, a ledge may reflect how close you or someone else isn't close to going in a far stitch.

[Kevin James]

Wow.

[Host]

I. I messed up the sentence.

[Kevin James]

That's okay. It doesn't. Because you know what? It still kind of hits the area. You know what I'm saying? I kind of got the gist of it.

[Host]

Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. Rogan's crazy. Had you been on his show before?

[Kevin James]

I did Joe's show. I've known John for. Gotta be 35. Maybe more than 35 years, I think.

[Host]

Wow.

[Kevin James]

Well, it's. What's 1990? No, maybe 34. What is it with 1990s? 36 years, right? 26.

[Host]

That's so wild.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. Yeah. I. He's the one who got me, I mean, really with my manager, and he's just. He's always been the guy that's just like, go follow your own path. And, you know, he was the one who got really out of. Yeah, he got me out of.

[Host]

Did he always seem so confident?

[Kevin James]

Yeah, he did. He just did. He was the one who got me out of, like, I was the stand up comedian behind the mic with the, you know, the, the sleeves pushed up and the bolo tie. I don't know if you remember these comics, these comics where the jackets, the funny jackets, the color. And he just wasn't that guy. He was just a hat backwards guy. And just go out there and he always tell me, like, don't. I was always, like, so desperate to get laughs and trying so hard, and he was like, you know, don't. Don't give them your jokes on a platter. Like, he was one that told me, like, basically make them comfortable knowing that whatever you say, you know, is funny. And if they don't know, like, they got to catch up and be part of it, you know?

[Host]

Right. Don't make it about the jokes.

[Kevin James]

Make it be you that they're there for. Yeah. And he, he was such an influence on.

[Host]

So was he. Did other people see him? Because now people see him. I mean, and I certainly do, like, as a, you know, I don't know if it's a pioneer as much, but, like, I mean, he's the best in his space. Like in podcasting. His standup is just. I mean, he's just a killer.

[Kevin James]

Like, he's always been, you know, he's.

[Host]

Was. He always.

[Kevin James]

He just was like, he's super, super intense in anything. He, like once he locks on doing.

[Host]

It, I think just seems so confident.

[Kevin James]

Confident. I told him, I think, like, when he. I think God's gonna make him one of the greatest saints of the 21st century. I really do. I think this guy. And I keep saying, because God's gonna use him. He's like, I don't know what the hell you talking about. He just goes. And he seeks truth. And he's a guy that is just like, when he seeks it, he knows it's true.

[Host]

He.

[Kevin James]

He's unrelenting. Like, he just doesn't stop.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

And it's like, that's who, like, he. He'll go. So he's. He's crazy. Like, I. I knew it was martial Arts. It was Jiu Jitsu. We started, we started Jiu Jitsu together. By the way, I'm a blue belt.

[Host]

Belt.

[Kevin James]

I'm a blue belt. 30 something years. He's crazy black belt.

[Host]

He's beyond, you know, he's dark black belt.

[Kevin James]

Dude. He's so. He's.

[Host]

He's Cafe de Negron.

[Kevin James]

He is badass. He is the real deal. He really is. And, and he was getting into the Internet before anybody and just searching these things in truth and that, that. I mean he was crazy about it and I was just like, I never, I'm always behind the curve. Way behind the curve behind it.

[Host]

Well, we need sleep. I think he's like the kind of guy, he's like, I don't know. He always just seems to me like he's so. And he. And I know, he and I know each other pretty well now, but he just is always go. He's always go. And he's so curious and he remembers everything. That's the craziest thing. You can't lie to him because he remembers everything. So you're about to lie and you're like, oh no, he's.

[Kevin James]

And he'll call you out. That's what I love about it. Like, you know, even me, like I'm there. I known him for 30, 36 years now even doing his podcast. It's like you, you got to be care because he'll be like what? What do you mean? And it's like a dog, you know, it's a dog that caught you and you're like not, you know, and you got to come, you know. But I love that cuz he's in. There's such an innocence behind that he just wants to know the truth. He's like, that's not true. You didn't say that or you didn't do it. So you got to.

[Host]

He's kind of an oracle. Like I don't know if it's an or, but he's kind of like a mirror of something. You know what I'm saying? There is something about that. I think it's super. I, I totally believe, but some people give him a hard time, whatever. But to me he's always seemed very altruistic as just to who he is, you know, or trying to be the best of who he is.

[Kevin James]

That's it. And it's not. Everybody falls, everybody makes mistakes. He, you know, and does things wrong. But I, I know this guy is searching for truth and he, he, he's always just calling it out and he's an astronaut, man. He's everything, dude.

[Host]

Yeah. I was at the UFC the other day and he brings these big bags of beef snacks. And it's just beef and salt. That's dried out Beef, beef. And he brings.

[Kevin James]

Because he wants to get down from 2% to 1% body. Is that it?

[Host]

He's doing. He's doing something.

[Kevin James]

Wow.

[Host]

He's always over there, you know, drinking bat saliva or something. Doing something. Trying to get an upper.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

But anyway, yeah, there it is. Carnivore snacks. So he has three bags and he gave one to Daniel Cormier and then Daniel traded one of his and traded for what? I had a tub of popcorn.

[Kevin James]

And.

[Host]

He couldn't keep away from it.

[Kevin James]

Oh, I love it.

[Host]

He's like, my hand just keeps ending up in there.

[Kevin James]

D.C. yeah.

[Host]

But anyway, that was pretty great, dude. But I got to eat a whole bag of those beef snacks.

[Kevin James]

How are they?

[Host]

You know what? They're really good. They're not too salty, so you don't get like, like chip fatigue, you know?

[Kevin James]

Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, some. It's like you're chewing on a. The top of a shoe and it's just tiring. It's exhausting for the teeth.

[Host]

Oh. And it's not like jerky. Jerky. To me, sometimes at a certain point seems like, what are we doing?

[Kevin James]

Yes. It's a give up. You give up.

[Host]

Yeah. But this is nothing like that.

[Kevin James]

That's cool.

[Host]

Yeah. And it feels kind of carnivorous, I guess, in a sense. Yeah. I enjoyed it.

[Kevin James]

Right.

[Host]

But it's fun just seeing them over there with their snacks. But sometimes you'll see Daniel Cormier over there. He'll have a thing of summer sausage.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host]

And it's freaking February. He dips and he's over there just slicing it off, you know.

[Kevin James]

But I love it. He's a good man. He's. He's like me and in that he loves his food. We golf together. I golf with. Yeah.

[Host]

Are you golf with him?

[Kevin James]

I did golf with him and Chris Wyman. Chris Wyman loves you too, by the way.

[Host]

Chris Wyman's a cool guy.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, he loves you. I know Chris for Long island guy. So he's. Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

And so whenever you were training, was he training too then?

[Kevin James]

Always training with him in their group. Ray Longo and over there.

[Host]

Dude, that's cool.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, they're fun. They're a fun group. Long island is tough guys, man. A lot of good guys came out of Long Island.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

So. No, but it was. It's you know, fun him. And in D.C. we all went out and golfed and had a blast, and. Oh, does that mean next to Wyman?

[Host]

Yeah, Wyman is hilarious, dude. He's got the best energy, bro.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, he's a great guy. He's. He's incredible. And, yeah, he.

[Host]

They have a great show now. That they do, too.

[Kevin James]

Yes. He was just telling me that they're doing more and more with him. He's. And I said, man, I'm so happy that he stopped fighting. I. I want them all to stop fighting because I don't want anybody get hurt. Like, you get to know all these guys, you're like, please don't. Just don't fight anymore. I can't. That's why I stopped watching. I. I don't go anymore. I used to go all the time. Oh, you did With Rogan. Oh, I went, dude. There was no. Yeah. I would go to these fights before anybody was even there.

[Host]

Oh, wow.

[Kevin James]

I would hear, you know, the stomping on the canvas. There'd be nobody there there. Yes. I love that. I go in the quiet, and you hear a crack of a, you know, a fist into a jaw or something, or. And I love. I loved every moment of it, but I. I just couldn't do it anymore because I would get to know these fighters, and I was like, I couldn't. I'm Randy Couture, and. And. And, you know, Chuck Liddell, Those fights.

[Host]

I just saw Chuck Liddell. I thought he passed away, and I was like, holy.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. No, I couldn't. Look at you. You are there early.

[Host]

Oh, dude. I go early, dude.

[Kevin James]

I love that.

[Host]

Last time I got there too early.

[Kevin James]

I love that, man. So you're not showing up at the main event, going in there.

[Host]

I think this is amazing. These are, like, these people that are doing the thing that they love the most, right? And some of them in the earliest. They're coming out for. For the first time into this ufc, like, and they come out and nobody's there. It's like. And. But, dude. Yeah, Sometimes you see some of the best fights early.

[Kevin James]

Yep.

[Host]

Yeah. I love it, dude.

[Kevin James]

Good for you. Yeah. That was it. And then I would start to know these fighters, and I couldn't watch them anymore. I was there with Rich Franklin when he got knocked out by Anderson Silva, and it just. I was. There was his wife, you know, watching this, and just, like, you just stunned, and I'm like, I can't do this anymore. So I stopped going, and I couldn't do it. I didn't Want to see these guys? And I was telling that we. I wanted to say that I wanted to get Chris out of fighting because I was like, he's had so many surgeries, broken leg, you know, all these things. And it's like just. He's a good looking guy, man. Do. Do, you know, get on tv. And he's funny and he's, you know, personable. So I'm glad to see he's doing TV stuff.

[Host]

Yeah, there's a lot of great guys over there. Angry girls. It's been fun. Yeah. Being associated with that whole thing has been just so exciting just to get to go watch, you know?

[Kevin James]

Do you train?

[Host]

No, I trained for a little while and then I just kept getting hurt. Yeah, it's like my ribs and I'd be having like in. Some huge guy would be rolling over on me or something, and it was just like. It was a lot. So I think I'll do it again whenever. I don't have so much responsibility.

[Kevin James]

I got to do it when. When this. When they work out the smell. You know what I'm saying? The smell of the room.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Kevin James]

Just. I can't do it. Not at 60. Like, when I was younger, I was like, hey, you got to be. It doesn't matter what it is, you know, to. At 60, you go, I don't. I don't need to smell this anymore.

[Host]

You hit 60?

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I hit 60. You believe that? Yeah.

[Host]

No, not at all.

[Kevin James]

Yes. You're a baby. I'm telling you. I've been around a long time. So what I'm saying is I don't need the smell of a jiu jitsu room anymore. Yeah, I gotta. I'll do it privately. I'll do it like that way for a while and once, you know, because a wet ghee. I don't think there's much worse than that. Going up against a guy with a wet. Right. And you're like. And you're in there and he's got your face and he's cranking it and. And all you got is like, like wet ghee and. And. And chest hair.

[Host]

And it's like past gay. It's past, like a gay feeling. I think.

[Kevin James]

Again, it's not even.

[Host]

It's beyond romance.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it's not. Yeah, it's. It's a control thing. And it's just.

[Host]

Yes, some guys.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it's just not good.

[Host]

And he got wet and then got cold and wet.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

That's the thing. If somebody's warm and wet, at least.

[Kevin James]

You'Re like it's actually a bath. Yeah, that feels like a little bit more like a bath would feel cold and wet is just. It's bad. And the smell.

[Host]

Yeah, that's tough stuff, dude. Not my favorite.

[Kevin James]

Nope.

[Host]

We've got another segment now brought to you by Pepsi. You saw the bear, the myth, the legend in the super bowl commercial where he chose Pepsi zero sugar. And now we've got him in studio here. What's up, bear? First off, thanks for coming. I don't even know how you got here. Well, actually, we just had a huge freeze here, so. Oh, you can't talk. Okay. I think what will be easiest to get to know you, I think, is if I ask you questions and you just use these paddles. This or that. Does that make sense to you? Okay, let's get started. Okay, I gotta ask you out the gate. Big dog. This Female polar bears or that Thick raccoons. Female polar bears, huh? Okay. But if you get one of those snow racks going and show it. Okay, let's keep it moving. This Polar Express or that Tokyo Drift. Tokyo Drift. Really? Oh, yeah. But Tom Hanks narrated Polar Express. Yeah, you're right. Kinda. Dude, this is just for me. Have you ever had penguin? How is it? I knew it. They won't let us have it. Dude, what's your stripper name? You think?

[Kevin James]

Think.

[Host]

What do you mean? You live at the North Pole. It's the biggest pole in the world. You never even thought about your stripper name? It's the last thing you ate in the street you grew up on. Yeah, I think so. Yours, it would probably be like snow way zero sugar. Coming to the main glacier. I like it. I like it. Zero sugar. That's what I'm talking about. Get that sugar out of here, boy. Don't be crazy around me with that sugar. I don't want no sugar bear. I want my bear to be sugar free. Sugar free. Sorry, something took over me. Okay, that's not edible. Or you can. I don't care. I think we have another one. So this the first sip or that? That the last sip. All sips. All right, this is the last one. This is a big one. This Coca Cola, zero sugar or that Pepsi, zero sugar. It's the truth. Pepsi zero sugar tastes better than Coca Cola. Zero sugar. That's his take. That's my take. But let your tastes decide. Hey, yeah, Jeeps. Where you going? Oh, wherever you want, I guess. Where does a polar bear situation? Wherever he wants. Yeah. Was it hard for you to adapt to married life once you got married?

[Kevin James]

No, no. Once I, Once I found her, like, it was like, I remember I went away, I was with her for a while. You know, it's like, this is it. I knew this was it. And it wasn't because, oh, I got to get married or anything like that. I could tell because I just didn't want to be away from her. And I had to do, I think, a couple gigs or whatever. I was on the road for a while and she couldn't go, and, And I. I just hated being away from her. I was calling her every night and I was like, wow, I gotta get back there. You know?

[Host]

And you had that feeling in a long time.

[Kevin James]

I hadn't, you know, not. Not with who I, you know, was dating and, and going out with. So, no, it wasn't there. It was. It was totally different. And you just click on so many different levels, and it's like, it just becomes apparent, like, man, I got. I need this person in my life. This is. You know, they make me better too. You know, They're. You know what I'm saying? We're like, yeah, that's it. So it's. She's. She's amazing that way. So that was it. I was like, I'm done. I'm happy. Gosh.

[Host]

Oh, that's a great thing to say.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. No, I am. It's amazing.

[Host]

Yeah. When you get excited, when you see your wife, you get excited, you give her a hug.

[Kevin James]

It's. Yeah, I'll give her a hug. I, I. But sometimes, you know, it's also, it's not, you know, all the time. It's not crazy romantic all the time. You know, it's life. You know, you're tired. It's like, you know, you just pass each other sometimes. It's, you know, it's a fist bump. It's like, all right, get out of here. Whatever it is. But. But I miss her. This morning. She left this morning. You know, we were out last night, and then I was like, wow. You know, I. It's, It's. It's, you know, you're gonna have all those feelings. It's, you know, all, all the, the, the. The. The emotions and, and everything and all the cooking or this, that, the, the things that you love them so much about it. It's. It's a bounce of them all. It's everything. It's the good, it's the bad. And you just realize, overall, it's like, I never want to be without him. You know, even in the, in the worst moments, it's like, so you know that. And it's. It's real.

[Host]

You think you can fall on, like, a different type of love when you're like. Like in your late 30s or as you get older than you came. When you're younger, you think, first for.

[Kevin James]

Me, I. I think I matured. I'm still not that mature, you know, I'm 60, and it's like. So I still think like a kid, like an idiot. So. So for me, I'm glad it happened later. You know, some people are able to. To know what they want when they're younger and much more mature. I was not there, you know?

[Host]

Yeah. I think. And your career might not have happened the same.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, that's for sure. I needed to be kind of by myself and get it going and because.

[Host]

You might have left your family all the time to go war, it would have just been really different.

[Kevin James]

It would have been rough, for sure. Yeah. So I'm glad I got the. The grind out. Now. I take them with me if I'm, you know, doing a movie, you know, I'm never away from him for that long, which is good.

[Host]

Do you miss some of those days? Like the road days back in the day? Like, do you ever. Are there any of them that you kind of romanticize a little bit?

[Kevin James]

I still do them. You know, it's like the. The days.

[Host]

But I mean, like, clubs that weren't just like, you know, I'm talking about.

[Kevin James]

Like, you know, the condo and all that stuff.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. Like, did you ever stay in Michigan?

[Kevin James]

Condos?

[Host]

Oh, yeah. You. Did you ever stay in Michigan?

[Kevin James]

Where's that?

[Host]

Indiana. Like, right outside of Notre Dame is right there.

[Kevin James]

No, no, but I. I mean, crazy, crappy condos and stuff like that. But it was exciting. It was me, my brother, couple other guys, comedians that were, you know, we. We. Rogan, you know, but never went on the road with Rogan. But, yeah, it was great. It was fun. You know, you stay at Casino. Like, I used to play the Tropicana in. In Vegas.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

And I was. I never gambled. I'd never been to Vegas, and I remember losing my week. You do two shows a night for seven days, man.

[Host]

You have to eat downstairs with the staff.

[Kevin James]

Yes, exactly.

[Host]

There's no food, and they're asking you for food.

[Kevin James]

Yes, yeah, exactly. It's rough, but you're excited to be there. It was like 103 degrees. This is. I remember when OJ. When they were chasing OJ. I was in Vegas at the Tropicana and we were drinking. We got A, you're staying in your hotel. You cut. No, I think you're getting maybe. I don't know how much money you're getting, but I lost in the first night. I've lost my entire week's worth of money. I'm not kidding. So we got a case of Bud Light Ice, which was the beer then. It was so good and frosty at a gas station.

[Host]

I remember that beer.

[Kevin James]

Do you remember that?

[Host]

Yeah, they discontinued it. It was great.

[Kevin James]

Yes, I liked it. I did, too. Bud Light Ice. And picture of it at least. Can you please something. What it looked like and they had met.

[Host]

There was something dog at the same time. Another.

[Kevin James]

Oh, yeah, Red Dog.

[Host]

Red Dog, Yes.

[Kevin James]

I love that.

[Host]

You know, that dog was disgusting. It was supposed to be for, like.

[Kevin James]

Disabled Bud Light Ice. There you go. We got a case of that and we sat in my. In my hotel room and we just pounded it. And it was like, still 103 degrees at night. I remember that. And O.J. was being chased or whatever. It was just crazy, dude.

[Host]

I remember I would be in my hotel. 1. I remember this one hotel I stayed at. I think it was in. Outside of Syracuse, in, like, Liberty, New York or something. And they gave you a cup of water and. And it was filled up when I got in the room was like, a cup of water. I was like, it wasn't even, like, a bottle of water. And I was like, oh, that was.

[Kevin James]

For you in your hotel? Yeah.

[Host]

Like, if you're thirsty, we poured you a cup of water and put it in there.

[Kevin James]

Did you stay in some rough places?

[Host]

Yeah, just places where you, like, would have to walk on the interstate to get there, Whatever. Like a highway to get there. Just some places that were a little bit like, what is going on here?

[Kevin James]

I drove eight hours to a. A gig that I had to do. One gig. It was one night. Was making, like, no money. I get there early before the gig, and it's a crappy motel type thing. I pull the bed back because I'm tired. Just drove eight hours. Gonna take a nap before the show. Yeah, there's a roach in the blanket. I mean, I don't even know what it was. It was this big. I literally just put the blanket back. I went to the show. I just sat in my car in the parking lot till the thing was ready, did the show, drove home eight hours, man. I'm not staying with a roach. Couldn't do it. There's some miserable places.

[Host]

Yeah, dude. I remember we were. To save, like, a hundred dollars, you'd fly Into a city that was like four hours. Like if you could figure out the math.

[Kevin James]

Yes. You could make. Drive here and get a ride.

[Host]

Then you're like, oh, I'll just finish a show. I'll drive and catch a flight out of Indianapolis at 5, 8. It's just like. Everything was like, did you, did you.

[Kevin James]

Have a buddy, did you like a comic buddy that you go with? Are you by yourself?

[Host]

I didn't. I was out there. And I'd always pee in the bed. I'd always pee on, on my cell phone once it came out. So I'd miss certain calls or wake up alarms.

[Kevin James]

Back that up. Oh, wait a second. What did you say?

[Host]

I would wet the bed.

[Kevin James]

You would wet the bed?

[Host]

Yeah, wet the bed.

[Kevin James]

Let's start with this one first and then we'll back it in there. Why is your cell phone in the bed?

[Host]

Can I put it on the counter? No, I'd fall.

[Kevin James]

Put it on the counter. But that's not that close. You shouldn't have that close to you anyway. Put that on there. And by the way, you won't pee on it then. But. But why are you wetting the bed?

[Host]

I was wetting the bed.

[Kevin James]

Were you drunk or just letting it go?

[Host]

I was drunk and I wet the bed till I wet the bed for a long time.

[Kevin James]

Okay.

[Host]

I was in it just cuz you.

[Kevin James]

Got used to it when you were younger and you're like, let's just keep going with this.

[Host]

I can't remember. Dude. I just think I just was always so nervous.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And whenever I was asleep at some point, finally I wasn't nervous and my body's like, well, this is when we gotta urinate.

[Kevin James]

You know, you seem like a guy that operate from a place of fear. Right. Everything. If like I. I'm that way. I don't know about you, but I get worried about everything. Or. Or you're not worried about everything.

[Host]

Oh, I would get worried like if I'm with a girl and there's like a moment of silence, it makes me silent.

[Kevin James]

So you gotta feel that.

[Host]

I get so scared.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

I'm like, I just don't want to give a room not to like. It was almost like I'm that way. If there's any space here, she'll not like me.

[Kevin James]

That's exactly. I want to get a room.

[Host]

Not telling.

[Kevin James]

So you got to fill that space up.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

And I would do it with one word for the next set. So it's like if we were talking, I'm like, yeah. When I went to The. The other day, the game with my brother, and it was a lot of fun, and then it gets quiet. And I would go, because. And I would say, because.

[Host]

To give you moments to start.

[Kevin James]

Yes. And. But I don't know what I'm saying. And she's like, what do you mean? And I'm like, because, like, in my head, I'm like, hey, because it has to follow. You got to follow with something. If you say because. I was like, because, you know, we. We just like the. The team that was playing something, and then it's like, dead again. And I'm like, I do another one. So. And just those little words, like, just shut up, man. Sit in the pocket. I can't sit in the pocket.

[Host]

I can't sit ever pocket, dude. It's same with baseball. I would get up there, I would swing three times before even threw it. And I would go sit down.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

And if they had problem with it, I love it. I'm going home. My mom would sit in the distance. She would be in the van, and she would honk. She's like, if you don't hit it, we're leaving.

[Kevin James]

I love it, dude.

[Host]

I never hit it, dude.

[Kevin James]

I love that.

[Host]

I never hit it, dude. But, yeah, there's something about that moment where it's like, I just can't. And, like, especially if it's like, looking at a woman in the eyes, too, that's always been, like, super tough. It's just like something. It's like, yeah, I just always had a tough time with that. But I can't let there be a thing.

[Kevin James]

Well, I couldn't.

[Host]

Didn't.

[Kevin James]

If. If the woman didn't, like, in high school or even beyond, I had to know the girl. Like, she had to come over to me. Like, I could never be one of those guys to go up. I'd be like, ask my friends. She's like, she likes you. Go talk to her. You know, I'm like, couldn't talk to her.

[Host]

Around her in a big circle.

[Kevin James]

Oh, gosh, yes. That's funny. That's great, though. That's.

[Host]

Yeah, that's insane.

[Kevin James]

That's marking your territory, and you're trying to go in, and you don't even know how to do it. Yeah, I. I would need her to come over, and I would need confirmation of, yes, I like you. Yes, let's go out. You know, I couldn't. I'd be like, you sure? I'd give her every out. Like, we don't have to do this. You don't want to yeah. Go out.

[Host]

Are you okay? That's what I was. If anybody hangs out with me a lot, I'm always like, are you okay?

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

There's a. I don't even do it on purpose. I just. There's a part of me that just asks them that.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

But.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, sweetness, man. But it's a. It's a worry that you're not good enough. Right. I mean.

[Host]

Oh, I'm sure. And I think it's not even on the front of the. My thoughts anymore, but it's still just this old thing that's just built in me, you know, I've had it. But that looking in the eyes, like. Yeah, I couldn't look a woman in the eye. Just like. I don't know what it is if I. If they. I don't know what I'm afraid they're going to see. You know, they're just going to see that something's wrong with me probably or something, you know, Or. I'm going to. Or I'm going to see them. Here's what I think it is too. I'm going to see them see that something's wrong with me. Right.

[Kevin James]

You would look for signs. She saw me just like she. She knows I'm. I'm weak.

[Host]

Like, I'll know the look in her eyes. I'll know the look in her eyes when she sees that. When she realizes that there's something wrong with me. So I got like. I don't know. So I don't want to lock out something like that. I don't know what it is. Anyway. Sorry for talking.

[Kevin James]

You don't. No, no, it's the truth. I'm the same way. You don't want to give yourself the. The possibility of failing. So it's like you kill it before it happens.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

You go, I'll self kill it before then. I didn't fail. It just went down. Yeah. I don't know.

[Host]

Then did. Life gets. But then life gets along. You're like, what kind of. What theme park am I living in here with myself until you get out of.

[Kevin James]

I'm out of it now. I'm coming out of it. I really am. I don't let those things that scare me anymore. Like I. I don't care anymore. I do it. And that's. It's a. It's been helping a lot.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

I mean. Yes.

[Host]

Just by just.

[Kevin James]

Just doing. Yeah, you figure it out. You go, I don't care. She said no. She said no. This one. This. Whatever. I don't get this. It doesn't do well. Well, I don't care. Moving on. What's next? Let's go. We know what we got. God is good. Go, go, go.

[Host]

Yeah. Get stuck so much on the think inside.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, yeah. You got to get out of your own way. I'm the same way.

[Host]

Yeah, that's interesting, dude. But yeah, that would be a lot of it. God, yeah, that would be a lot of it. But yeah, that thing. I'll be like, what else is going on? I'll say that all the time.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

If things get real quiet. That's a weird thing, huh? But I think that's what makes you. Your brain is like, we got to come up with something. What are we doing here, boys? You know?

[Kevin James]

Yes. Yeah. And I. I'm telling you, you look calm outside, but inside it's like, there's a fire. What do we do next? Like, she's not like, I remember it all. I remember it's over. It's cortisol shooting out of your. Your. Your face, you know, it's like, ah, I don't know what to do. I can't control myself. You know, just when you think back.

[Host]

On it, it's so insane. That's means nothing.

[Kevin James]

It meant nothing. Don't worry. Just calm down. Sit in the pocket.

[Host]

Yeah. Spade does a good job of that, man.

[Kevin James]

He's always been that guy, right? Just very cool. And. Yeah, I've never been a cool guy.

[Host]

So cool. Yeah. My friend was the cool guy.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. All my friends were the cool guy. Like, it was never me, me. I was never that guy.

[Host]

Nuh. Even at times when I thought I was that guy, I was like, ah, that's insane that you thought that, dude. You know, because it just. Just doesn't fit.

[Kevin James]

Right? Yeah, yeah. I don't. I don't. I don't. And then it worked for me to not be that guy. Then it's like when you admit it.

[Host]

Yeah. Once you realize, oh, I'm not. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

Once you're not trying to be something.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it feels better, right? And it's like, it's all right. That's why it happened.

[Host]

It makes things every. A little bit better. Did you feel like a little bit of like your character? Matt. Matt Taylor. That's. The guy's so funny. Because I know three Matt Taylors, but everybody does. Maybe that's why they picked the name.

[Kevin James]

It's a lot of them. There's a lot of.

[Host]

How many are there? Bring that up, please. How many Matt Taylors are there? I know three.

[Kevin James]

There's got to be 14 or more in the world.

[Host]

There's. I bet there's 140,000.

[Kevin James]

I know, I'm joking. It's got to be like Matt Taylor's, right?

[Host]

Hang. There's no precise global account for the name Matt Taylor. A conference of worldwide name database do not exist. Estimates can be derived from available national data and name frequency tools appear in.

[Kevin James]

The public records about 3,700 times. That's it? Yeah. There's no way to figure it out.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

There's a lot of them though.

[Host]

Matt as a first name alone has an estimated living population of 207,000. I bet it's more than that. 207,000 Mats there was that Kyle meet up in Texas. Do you see that?

[Kevin James]

That.

[Host]

I did not bring that up. All the ky's, all the Kyle's met up.

[Kevin James]

Really?

[Host]

Yeah, bro.

[Kevin James]

If we were to to branch out now and like go to try to figure out how many Matt Taylors there are currently living in the world. How, like what is the first step? Like the first step is do what? Do I go, okay, like if we just decided right now we're doing it. Yeah, but do I, like would I say to my guy, like all right, call his agent, like we're going to do this thing? Like what is the first step? Do we book a hotel and we say we're going to talk about it or like we need a first meeting of how we're going to go about the thing?

[Host]

Is that the first step? Probably agreeing that we're going to do it together.

[Kevin James]

Right. And that would take some time though. Right? Because we'd be like, are we really doing this? And then it's like, right, well we got to talk it out. Let's think it and the logistics of it. Like how would we do?

[Host]

Okay, so then get in uniforms too.

[Kevin James]

Searching for Matt Taylor uniforms. Every Matt. That would be sick. Would it be a jumpsuit or is.

[Host]

It like two pieces every Matt Taylor? I think it's a one Lindsay. Oh, what's a one piece? Like a car Heart. It's hard work.

[Kevin James]

Yes.

[Host]

Dude. You know me. Matt Taylor's or ours at least 2007 000.

[Kevin James]

I love it.

[Host]

Searching for the. Yeah, like the best Matt Taylor. Like. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

So the uniform would be probably the first thing we're working on.

[Host]

What are we looking for him for? Maybe we got a piece of mail for him.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, just something like we can. Yeah. Or just to give them a, you know, a pat on the back for being Matt. Like being part of the team.

[Host]

Yeah. Being in the army, that's a militia. That means it is. Bring up that meeting of the Kyle's again. What did they do too? Somebody said that.

[Kevin James]

That is cool. They're all Kyle's.

[Host]

Yeah, those were all Kyle's. And Sugar Ray performed, I heard.

[Kevin James]

Oh, I love it.

[Host]

706 people named Kyle got together in Texas, but it wasn't enough for a world record.

[Kevin James]

Oh, how sad is that? First of all, let me tell you something. These guys put together. 706 of these people had the dream of becoming a world record breaker with the most Kyle's in a certain area. And they missed it. Look at that. By the way, as bad as we feel about everything that happened in our lives, if I had that one, that that would tip it.

[Host]

It'd be tough to lose.

[Kevin James]

Come on. No. You're second place for most Kyle's.

[Host]

Second place for most Kyle's. The crown is currently held by a town in bosnia. They got 235 people named Ivan in 2017.

[Kevin James]

So it's any name. It's not just Kyle. So it's like it's just a certain name.

[Host]

But this is, I think, one of the largest groupings. What did it say about Kyle? Did it say anything else? Go back to that original article.

[Kevin James]

How does that start? Where is that first meeting?

[Host]

Oh, Kyle. Well, it's right here. It's not the first time the Kyle's have come gunning for the Ivans. Last year, the official count at what has become known as the gathering of the Kyles clocked in at 1490 in the fast growing Texas city that is about 37 miles of Austin. Oh, the city's called Kyle Kyle.

[Kevin James]

So they.

[Host]

They did it in Kyle Texas.

[Kevin James]

But. But are they named Kyle?

[Host]

They're all named Kyle. That's got to be crazy. Dude, when you see who all the other freaking Kyle's really are and you.

[Kevin James]

Dude, you go door to do. Are you knocking and going?

[Host]

No. I'm sure they met. I'm sure there was something online that announced it.

[Kevin James]

Okay.

[Host]

And then they all showed up. I guess you have to register.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, that would seem a lot more efficient.

[Host]

Oh, dude, that'd be so crazy. You look around and everybody's a Kyle and you see some. You're like, whoa, whoa. Or they put one person out there that's not a Kyle.

[Kevin James]

And the whole day there's anybody in that group of 706 that's not a Kyle. Really. That's like Kyle was his nickname. It wasn't even his real name. And he knows it. He's there. It's not on his birth certificate. And he's kind of, like getting around, like, not wanting to get caught. And people are looking around. And other Kyle's know if you're not a Kyle, so they're just kind of like. And you're like, what's your name? And you're like, I'm Kyle, too. And they're like, I don't know if he. You know, and they're like, hey. They go to get his buddy, like, I want to check you out. And then he leaves. He like, I'm going to the bathroom.

[Host]

I'll be back.

[Kevin James]

And he's just. Yeah. Goes to a different area of the field. It's so stupid.

[Host]

It's so crazy to be a fake just to fit in.

[Kevin James]

But people have nothing to do. Look at what they're doing.

[Host]

I. They're just trying.

[Kevin James]

I love it, man. I love it.

[Host]

Desperate for connection. This is how it's getting, by the way.

[Kevin James]

This is beautiful. To me. This is.

[Host]

But the worst part is, though, imagine they're. It's old, dude. You go there hoping you can meet a chicken chick. There's some chicks named Kyle.

[Kevin James]

Oh, do you think so? Is that.

[Host]

There's a cop. Met a couple.

[Kevin James]

Okay.

[Host]

I met a couple for sure.

[Kevin James]

Who performed.

[Host]

Who performed? I think Sugar Ray, but that's a missed opportunity.

[Kevin James]

Shouldn't they get a Kyle? Isn't there a Kyle performer?

[Host]

Kyle Kanane could have.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I don't know. That's a missed opportunity, man.

[Host]

It won't try to break the same name gathering record this year. Okay, so Kyle's out.

[Kevin James]

Oh, so they're switching names. By the way, why don't you go with a Bob or something, like, you know what I'm saying?

[Host]

That's because. Oh, because the city of Kyle, Texas. Put it on. It looks all right.

[Kevin James]

We'll find the better name.

[Host]

The city has been hosting the gathering since 2017.

[Kevin James]

All right.

[Host]

When you look back, this movie, what was different about making this movie than some of the others? Did you find it that it's easier? Do you have a different, like. Like ownership of this film?

[Kevin James]

It was. It was. It was something that. It came together really quick, but it was. It was. It's the first movie that, like, I'm really, like, proud of that. Everybody who worked on it was just amazing. And it was just different than every. Any other movie I've done. And the story's not that. It's not even that crazy different or anything like that. It's not. It's. But it's It's a classic. We hit every mark that we wanted to hit. And doing this in a different way. I hired, like, we got the best cast, the best crew. And again, it's not me. It was them. And it was everything coming together in Italy that just made it. I. I just couldn't believe how great it came out. And it was like. I know. I think, honestly, for the rest of my. Like, this would probably be the best move I've done. For me, it. Like, it's the best I've done so far. Yes. I.

[Host]

Without the best you've done, like, even in your acting, you think, or just, like, in, like.

[Kevin James]

Because. Well, it's the most. Where I'm real. You know, you do different movies for different reasons. Right. Like, you know, when I did All Cop, you know, I'm doing it for families and kids, and you're being goofy and broad and this and that, and a lot of stuff, you're getting that. You know, that's your. Kind of what they expect from you. But this was one where I was able. There's still comedy, but, like, I don't hold the comedy as much as, like, Kim Coates and Jonathan Roomy. These guys and Allison Hannigan and.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. Which allowed me to kind of play more of a real guy, which. Which was fun for me.

[Host]

Jules, what was that guy's name?

[Kevin James]

Kim Coates from Sons of Anarchy.

[Host]

He's just.

[Kevin James]

I've known him for 35 years. Like, he's. I did a movie with him and Ray Romano called Grilled. Yeah. And it never went anywhere. We were meat salesmen, and I met him, and he. He is. He is the greatest. He's an insane, insanely intense actor. I don't even even know what he's gonna do, but that's why I want him for comedy. Like, he looks at you and he's. He's just. He's just gonna go a certain way, and you're gonna go with him. And he was the perfect guy to play that role.

[Host]

Yeah, that was great, dude. He was really, really. He was a good.

[Kevin James]

He's.

[Host]

Yeah, his comedy was right on.

[Kevin James]

He's incredible. He's.

[Host]

He's.

[Kevin James]

He crushes it.

[Host]

Whenever you made. What's another favorite? Like, just take me through one more favorite film that you like. An experience that you had.

[Kevin James]

I mean, Hitch. I mean, all the. You know, the stuff with Sandler, you know, like, that stuff. No, no. I mean, it's like doing stuff with Sandler's the. The best always.

[Host]

What about, like, a Hitch Reboot today. Would that work, you think?

[Kevin James]

I mean, I don't know how you do it with me, but yeah, I guess. You could do it. I think so. I think it was great. Well, that was my first movie, so, I mean, I was thankful for that one. That was. That started out like.

[Host]

Like.

[Kevin James]

Like I had, like, one line or something. It was like a very small part. And then Will and I just connected, and he. He was so nice and. And given me, you know, some freedom to be funny and kind of try different things and.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Kevin James]

Oh, dude. And it. It just. It. It made everything for me. So I was. I was really excited about that.

[Host]

A lot of pressure when you just have that. That much of a part to try to make it perfect in some way.

[Kevin James]

In Hitch, you know, I. Coming in, you know, Will was a massive, you know, movie star.

[Host]

Yeah, he's been one of the biggest.

[Kevin James]

And movie stars were different then. It was like. It was just in the theaters. It was like, they were special. You didn't see them much, you know, And I remember we were doing a big table read in New York, and he walked in with his crew, and I'm like, whoa. You know, my eyes are like, whoa, that's him. You know, it's like one of those things and just happy to be there, you know, trying to pitch things, but, you know, don't want to get thrown out of the room, you know, try and, you know, timing and stuff like that.

[Host]

That.

[Kevin James]

But he was great. Like, we would write after in his trailer. He'd go, come back, and we, you know, we'd work on some material and. And rewrite it as we were doing it, and I was just in it. It was a dream for me. It was really great. And. And it had that special feeling that I have in this movie, honestly, where you feel things are coming together. Because I've done a ton of movies where you go, man, this is just not working. You know, it's like, yeah, you just feel like you're muscling through. You're pushing the comedy too hard. Hard. This one felt so real to me, and it was just so much fun to be a part of.

[Host]

Do you have other projects that are already. That you already have on the docket, Kevin?

[Kevin James]

Yes. Yeah, we're working on one with the jelly roll that I'm gonna be. It's actually a drama, country music drama that we're working together.

[Host]

And you see that video of him the other night, the Grammys. Were you there?

[Kevin James]

Yeah. No, I wasn't there. He is amazing, man.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

He's great. Just. I got a shirt. I bought a shirt at Walmart before coming here, and I already stained it up a little bit, but y. Yeah, let's go, Jelly.

[Host]

He sent me a pair of those shoes as, like, they're like, hat. They're like. I don't know what they're called.

[Kevin James]

Oh, yes. Yeah, his. The boots that he wears.

[Host]

Yeah, they're something like that. Yeah.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, they're. They're great. He. He's. He's an amazing human being, man. I'm so proud of him and so excited to do this, and in this drama. Here's the thing. We both. He goes, hey, if we're going to do this, we got to get into, like, prison shape, because we go to prison. We're both in prison in the movie, and it's real.

[Host]

Where? At what city?

[Kevin James]

In Nashville.

[Host]

Oh, nice. So I haven't been in the prison here.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, it's a. It's a whole thing about getting to the. The Opry, and it's a really. It's cool story, and there's a lot of drama in it, and it's exciting, but we said, okay, we're gonna commit now to doing this. And he went out and lost, like, 300 pounds, and I am up seven. I'm. I gotta get down.

[Host]

You're up seven pounds right now?

[Kevin James]

Yes. He's down like, 300. I'm up seven. Like, I.

[Host]

That's a crazy.

[Kevin James]

So now. So, yeah, it's a big spread. We went the wrong way, and you already. No, no, we didn't shoot anything yet. We shoot, like, we're hoping to do seven, eight months. We're gonna be. We're gonna be ready to shoot.

[Host]

So do you think you can get to that?

[Kevin James]

I know I can. I'm gonna do it right now. I'm literally. After I promote this movie, which I'm doing, I'm shutting down from everything else, and I'm going into training mode like never before. I'm gonna work out. I'm gonna change everything. I'm gonna be unrecognizable. I have to say it. If I don't say it, I'll never be accountable. Accountable.

[Host]

What will you do? Like, what do you have?

[Kevin James]

Do you have, like, I'm gonna do. Yeah, I'm gonna do everything. Like. Well, I'm gonna go easy, though. You know, it's like. That's the one thing. I'm very eclectic when I work out. Like, I do. You know, I'll do a little bit of jiu jitsu, and Stuff like that. Light stuff, though, now, and boxing and, and then stretching and a little bit of stuff. Bike riding, things like that. Pool is insane. I, I, you know, I. Swimming, not swimming, I'm not a swimmer, but just getting in a pool and stretching and moving a little bit.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

If you can do that, you have access to that. That too. But it's also like, you burn a lot of calories and it's therapeutic because the water holds you, so it's like your body feels good, stretching and moving. So. Yeah, doing a lot of that and. No, I gotta, I gotta get on it, though. He's, he's, he's like, he's lived up to his part of the bargain.

[Host]

Or you can have a trainer. Like, what do you, what else do you do?

[Kevin James]

I do, but training trainers get annoying to me. I gotta be honest, like, after a while.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

And you know what? If I'm being completely honest, I've done it before. I know what to do, I know what to eat. I know what you know, but I am using Dolce. Do you know Mike Dolce? He's got the Dolce diet. He's trained all these UFC athletes.

[Host]

Oh, wait, I have met him before.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, he's awesome. He's going to help me. Yes. He's a badass. He's a really good.

[Host]

So he's going to help.

[Kevin James]

He is going to help. He's frustrated with me because I don't, I haven't been doing. He knows I haven't been doing it.

[Host]

You're up seven.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. So he, he, I don't think he knew that. I guess he's going to know that now. All right. Sorry, Dolce. I'm up 7, but I didn't lock in yet. When I lock in, I promise you, it's going to be six, six months. I'm going to be a different person.

[Host]

So where, what would be the hardest thing for you to give up?

[Kevin James]

You think food wise or just, I.

[Host]

Mean, probably food wise. Yeah. Or is it a beer wise or what is it?

[Kevin James]

No, no, it's not drinking. I'm not a big, big drinker. It's just food and it's just amounts of food. Like, I, I could eat constantly if you change the food. Like a shark. Like, I would just keep swimming. Like, I would just keep.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

I don't get, I don't get full, really. You know, it's scary. It's something in me that, you know, I need to stop. But, but are you a big eater? You know, you look great, man.

[Host]

I like to Eat some. But I don't care that much.

[Kevin James]

You don't?

[Host]

I like beef quesadillas and I like smoothie.

[Kevin James]

Okay, but. So you're not. That's a great guy.

[Host]

Those are the two things I eat every single day. Do you really? If I'm eating, that's what I eat. We have seven ingredients, but you don't think about it.

[Kevin James]

See, look at your face. You. You kind of like, that's your face when you know that's not my face with food.

[Host]

But I think it's lame to not care about food. Sometimes I think, like, dude, get some zest in your world.

[Kevin James]

No, I think. I think we should think about a no sauce or something. No, I think that's. I would rather be like that because, you know. Know, why am I so concerned about what I'm eating for lunch? Like, I'm thinking about it constantly. I'm looking at you right now. Yeah. But I'm thinking tonight where, like, you don't want to make a mistake. You don't want to go.

[Host]

That's a good point.

[Kevin James]

Right?

[Host]

Nothing's worse than making a mistake.

[Kevin James]

Especially when you're like, we're in Nashville now.

[Host]

Oh, dude.

[Kevin James]

So we gotta pop.

[Host]

You gotta find something good. Dude. I went to. I. I ordered a steak from this place, STK, last night.

[Kevin James]

Oh, SDK's great.

[Host]

This was not. Dude, this.

[Kevin James]

Oh, really? SDK, Ms. Just didn't they have a place in the. They have a few of them, right? They're a chain.

[Host]

Yeah, it's. I mean, it's not.

[Kevin James]

Not.

[Host]

Not a. Oh, it still makes me sick. It tastes like. I don't even know.

[Kevin James]

Oh, SDK. Sorry, I'm out then. I'm out. If you had a bad one.

[Host]

Oh, it tasted like.

[Kevin James]

No, I'm done.

[Host]

It tasted like.

[Kevin James]

Okay.

[Host]

Vagina.

[Kevin James]

If they had one in la, I think I went to it.

[Host]

Hundreds or whatever. Like, Game of.

[Kevin James]

Really?

[Host]

Groans.

[Kevin James]

Dude, it was a horrible game.

[Host]

Oh, dude, I can still. I had one bite and I was like, oh, maybe I got a bad.

[Kevin James]

Wait, what was wrong with meat or whatever? It tasted bad. Or it was.

[Host]

Tasted bad and it just had this, like, aroma or.

[Kevin James]

Oh, no.

[Host]

Or door or whatever with it. And dude, that ordor hit me, and.

[Kevin James]

I was like, wait, what is the order? Oh, you're seeing the odor order.

[Host]

Yes, it hit me, dude. I. My knees shook a little. Oh, my God.

[Kevin James]

But do you think it was like, Like. Like just bad tasting or. It was bad, like, like, you're gonna get.

[Host]

I couldn't tell. I couldn't Tell dude. But I had one more bite because I was back. I was, I was like, dude, I was treating myself to something, you know.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

I hadn't really eaten all day and I was coming home and I was like, I'm gonna treat myself to something tonight. I'm gonna order steak cuz I still have to work. I was gonna try to go somewhere to eat, but it was getting. It was so late.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And I was like. And they sent it and I was.

[Kevin James]

Like, no, no, you can't.

[Host]

It made me. When you do that kind of like you turn into your own chiropractor and.

[Kevin James]

See, I wouldn't get upset. Like once it was bad. I'm. I have no problem switching foods. Like I would go to right to peanut butter and jelly and I would make a massive sandwich.

[Host]

God, now those are good. They. I guess they're as good when you're a kid, but I just quit eating them years ago.

[Kevin James]

What?

[Host]

Peanut butter? Why you still eat them?

[Kevin James]

Yes, I do. Yes, I do. What is your ratio of peanut butter to jelly?

[Host]

Oh, I used to think. Oh, I think I go thick on both. And I'll put. If I'm really gonna have one. I haven't had one in years. But I would. Would put butter on the jelly side as well. Butter jelly. And then the other bread has peanut butter on it. My grandmother used to do that.

[Kevin James]

Toast or.

[Host]

No, no, sometimes my mom used to grill them with bananas in them though.

[Kevin James]

That's insane. It was stuck on butter. Right now like my mind is going like A Beautiful Mind right now. It's seeing all the equations of like why I didn't do it. But I gotta tell you, first of all, I go much thicker. Peanut butter. Like I thick it up.

[Host]

Oh, really? It's a lot. Yeah, you choke a little.

[Kevin James]

Yes, that's fine. I get it down and then it's worth it though. And I get a little jelly in there just to get that sweet going. But it's a big one. And I'll do toast sometimes. But if you do too hot of a toast. I know this is a little bit too much information, but then you get the wet peanut. Like it melts and it comes right out, squeezes out the side.

[Host]

How do you feel when peanut butter started doing that thing a few years ago where it was like they put just two parts of peanut butter into a jar and it's like the oil and the part they.

[Kevin James]

No, I can't stand that.

[Host]

That's insane.

[Kevin James]

Yeah, I can't stand that.

[Host]

What is that?

[Kevin James]

I don't I don't do it like. I. I don't want to do the Skippy. Yeah, there you go. That's the drip. There you go. That drip is good, but if it's. If it goes out of the sandwich, it's useless. You lose it. It's like that could have been in me.

[Host]

Yeah. God, yeah.

[Kevin James]

I don't like that.

[Host]

Stuff like that.

[Kevin James]

I don't like that at all.

[Host]

I do miss those kid foods, those lunch.

[Kevin James]

Why did you stop? I mean, when you say kid foods.

[Host]

Like I forgot about it.

[Kevin James]

They're foods. They don't. I mean, macaroni and cheese with the. The craft like that, with the powder, it never stops. Why to. When do you go? What? At what age is it appropriate to go? I'm not eating the powdered cheese.

[Host]

Something happened to me, I guess. I just.

[Kevin James]

I don't know.

[Host]

I just. I just started. I. You know what? I just like working so much. I just don't think about food that much. But maybe this will start, you know, Maybe I'll start falling in love with some new things, you know?

[Kevin James]

I would like to go the other way. I would love to be like that. I wish I had that where I wasn't thinking about it so much.

[Host]

What's going to be the toughest part for you with the. With the. With this coming up, change. I know you got to get out of here. It's literally your toughest part.

[Kevin James]

It's just going to be the food. It is. It's going to be cutting that out, being. But once I get into a groove, it's routine. Routine and discipline, man. That's all it ever. It is, right? So if you do it a little bit and you do it enough and, and, and, you know, you don't need it perfect every day. But that's the other thing too. I let the perfect be the enemy of the good, which means if I'm not perfect that day, I go screw it. And I eat like crazy that night and I blow it and I, you know, if I get a flat tire, Weidman always says, you go always. You know, if you get one flat, you. You just pop the other three tires. Like, you know, you don't. You don't just fix that one. I do. Like. So if I go off my diet a little bit, I go out that night, I'm eating, drinking, having a blast, and I'm like, I'll start tomorrow because it's a fresh start that I'm looking for always. I love that start fresh because I've always been that Guy. I've always been the guy to never do the homework, you know? But when I should, it's Monday morning, I get it done, and then I get it again, and it's like. Because I can do it.

[Host]

That's. Dude. Yeah. I was always a guy. I wrote every answer on my finger. I go in there.

[Kevin James]

Yes, yes.

[Host]

Like that little bitty words on there.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

Cheating. Well, dude, thanks so much for Solomio, man. Thanks for all the entertainment of the year. Sorry, I was a little bit tired today.

[Kevin James]

No, I'm. I'm sorry. I was. I'm. I'm a little weak, too. And I said a lot of things that I rambled for a while that if you want to cut out, you can cut out. Because I was a little bouncy, dude.

[Host]

I. Yeah. I don't know. I just didn't feel like I didn't have it. A lot of gas, a little leaning me today, but sometimes that's the day, man.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

You know, it was great.

[Kevin James]

You were great.

[Host]

But I'm grateful that we got to spend some time together, man. I really am. And thanks for all the entertainment over the years and.

[Kevin James]

Salomeo. Salomeo, right?

[Host]

Salamio.

[Kevin James]

Salamio.

[Host]

But thank you.

[Kevin James]

It's Salamio.

[Host]

Thank you for solo meal.

[Kevin James]

Yes. Okay. There. We're. That's even.

[Host]

And there's. There's a. There's a musical ensemble. You wouldn't even imagine that this happens in this movie. That's great.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

And that guy's blind. You know it.

[Kevin James]

Yeah.

[Host]

I didn't know. Finally, I'm looking. I'm looking at him like, this guy's nonchalant, you know, about everything. And then I'm like, oh, this guy's blind, or whatever. My friend's blind.

[Kevin James]

You have a friend that's blind?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Kevin James]

How. How blind? Like, completely.

[Host]

Nothing. It's off.

[Kevin James]

But has he always been that way?

[Host]

Yeah, he's always been blind since he was. Yeah. I mean, he could Maybe had vision when he was very young, but he's always been blind.

[Kevin James]

Wow.

[Host]

As far. As long as I've known him, he's been blind. I thought it was amazing. Anytime I met somebody with, like, a deficiency, I always, like, admired it so much in some way.

[Kevin James]

My sister lost her sight. Like, she's like. But she, you know, she was born with sight. She was fine. And now, you know, it's. She's got retinitis pigmentosa, where it's like, it goes away and it's. It's. And I'm wondering if it's like, more difficult to have seen or to never have, you know, and just know. It's just. Yeah. My heart goes out to all of them.

[Host]

We had a blind girl in here one time, and she was talking about how she, like, learns things. Like, it's almost like a video game. It's like, that's how she kind of remembers things and where to go and different, like. And so, like, she can slowly build, like, spaces to, like, walk in and things like that. She said. And then she said the worst animal that she's. She's, like, petted all kinds of animals, except a snake. Doesn't give any energy back to the blind. Blind. That's what she said.

[Kevin James]

Yeah. It doesn't give any back to the seeing, either.

[Host]

Yeah, that's what I said, right? Yeah. 100, Tanja. Yeah, right there.

[Kevin James]

Wow, that's really. That's cool, man. You can feel that.

[Host]

She's awesome. I got to check back in with her, but, yeah, guys, go see Solo Mio. You'll enjoy it. Take your lady. Yeah, take your man. Take whoever you got. Take your son. Take his stepson. That's who needs to.

[Kevin James]

Yes. Bring your stepson.

[Host]

Take your freaking steps. You haven't taken that kid.

[Kevin James]

That's all I want. Stepson's in free. We should do his whole thing.

[Host]

Right, dude? Yeah, right.

[Kevin James]

Stepsons get in free. I wonder if angel could work that out.

[Host]

And blinds get in free.

[Kevin James]

Sure. Absolutely. Let's do it. I appreciate you, man.

[Host]

Yeah, thank you, too, man. Thank you so much.

[Kevin James]

Appreciate it. Falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone.

[Host]

Oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this peace of mind.

[Kevin James]

I found I can feel it in my bones but it's gonna take.