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Tom Segura
What's up? Are you in Austin? Are you visiting Austin? Do you live in Austin? Well, I welcome you to. Please come check out Ciccio Bomba. That is the Italian bakery that I have opened in Austin. We are now at three locations. We're at the fairground food hall underneath the Wells Fargo building downtown. We are in the lobby of the Scarborough building and we have our all new flagship location at 1100 South Lamar, right, right in front of the Alamo Drafthouse. We have pastries, we have coffee, we have homemade Italian sandwiches, we have pizza, we have pasta. So just come in, rub my big belly, which it's in our statue. Eat some food and enjoy yourself. And I hope you have a good time at Chicho Bomba, which means little fat ass.
Ron Taylor
Well, welcome. Welcome to your mom's house.
Tom Segura
Welcome to another episode of your mom's house. I am here today joined by the winner of Netflix's own Funny af. It's the great Ron Taylor, everybody. Yeah, listen to that. Listen to that.
Ron Taylor
Appreciate it.
Tom Segura
It's pretty crazy that I can say I was there. Yeah, I was there. And if you don't yet follow Ron, follow him on Instagram. Comedian Ron T. You can get all information for shows there. It was a. I have to tell you before I get your take, I did an episode early on in the season where I did like the showcase in la.
Ron Taylor
You were the LA one.
Tom Segura
Yes. So in la, I flew out, I went to the improv. It was like during the day and Kevin and I watched like, I don't know, like a dozen or so comedians. And it was fun, you know, it was like, it was a good atmosphere. And I was like, oh, this is cool. And you saw like, some people had great sets, people had good sets. People were like, okay. Kind of like what you expect.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And for whatever reason, you know, I just expected kind of like the same sentiment, you know, the same kind of energy and everything on the finale. I just, I didn't know what to expect. I was like, oh, it'll be like that, right? So we go to this theater in downtown la and I'm just like getting ready to like kind of go through the same thing. And when we, we walked out as the, like the guest judges, like, we weren't really judging, but, you know, Nikki and I walked out first. I was like, oh, shit. The. The energy in here is pretty hot right now.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. I was like, yeah.
Tom Segura
Which like, you don't always get at taping. Sometimes tapings fucking blow.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And so I'm like, oh, fuck. Okay. This Is cool. And then there was four finalists. And I'm sitting there on the couch with her and like after every set, I'm like, oh, my God, like, these guys are destroying. It was electric in there.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, it was. And all the crowds, especially once it got to the theater shows. So we had the roast in the theater, the topical in the theater. They made the semifinals in the finals.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And because we were still in production of the show, we didn't really see the warm up guy go out there and do it. So when we got out there, we kind of were just feeling like, God damn, this warmup guy is amazing.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
I don't know what he did. I don't know if it was all him or if it was just like you said, the environment, the energy. But something was going on. Like they really wanted to laugh and it was a bunch of them, you know, it's theaters. Like all of us at that point had played a theater before, but they didn't come for us. They just happened to be there.
Tom Segura
That's right. That's right.
Ron Taylor
So it was kind of different when,
Tom Segura
you know, because now they decided to see you guys, Right? Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Right.
Tom Segura
And I, I said this, I think I said this to you later that night at the Comedy Store, but I don't remember because I was telling other people. But when I left there, I feel like whenever you see good stand up, no matter who it is, if you're a stand up, it makes you want to do stand up. Like you feel inspired.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. That was the interviews afterwards. I saw that.
Tom Segura
Yeah. And I was like, I want to go do stand up. So I went to the store and did a spot because I was like, I felt so fired up watching you guys. I was like, I gotta get on stage.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I just thought too, but it was like, oh, I gotta get to work now.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Burnt 30 minutes of what little time I got and I gotta, you know, either rebuild or replenish. So.
Tom Segura
Yeah, well, it's a good to have that mentality, you know? Know, it's definitely good to have the mentality of like, accepting that you, first of all, that you can. Right. Like that. Some people go like, I'm done. Like, I burned it. And you're like, it's not how it works. Yeah, you can, you can keep doing it, but we'll get all into it. I'm just going to play you an opening clip here and, and then we'll, we'll get into the show. Here's our opening clip of the show.
Ron Taylor
Hey, get up, get up, get Up. We got money to get, bro. Get that out of here. No, we got money to get. No, we got money to get. Hey, bro, you better. You better. You better watch it, bro. Yeah, you're gonna around and find out you. Don't bring anyone mother into this. Well, welcome. Welcome to your mom's house with Tom Segura and Christina Pajit. Welcome to your mom's house.
Tom Segura
It's kind of a long intro.
Ron Taylor
Hey, that's all right, man. We hear a hip hop remix.
Tom Segura
We have a. A sick kid at the house. So Christina's not here today. Oh, he's got the hantavirus or whatever it's called.
Ron Taylor
Jesus.
Tom Segura
Yeah, whatever that. Well, I'm not getting that. I was like, you can stay around that. So I got it. So I gotta tell you, first of
Ron Taylor
all, that video, I feel for that guy.
Tom Segura
Oh, yeah.
Ron Taylor
Right. I have to say.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
As a fellow van dweller.
Tom Segura
Yeah. You are a van dweller.
Ron Taylor
That was mean to be woken up.
Tom Segura
Oh, it's the worst.
Ron Taylor
And you always think it's the police. Yeah. So to see somebody messing around saying, we got money to get. If I had money to get, would I be in a fucking van?
Tom Segura
I know, I know. It's both upsetting and funny because, like, you. It's funny to wake someone up and who is clearly napping and be like, we got. We got money to get. But. But there's nothing worse than being woken up for no reason. Like, if somebody just fucks with you to wake you up, it's one of the meanest things you can do. It's, you know, probably right there with disturbing while you're taking it shit. Because that's also a really fucked up thing to do.
Ron Taylor
I dated a girl who did both of those.
Tom Segura
She would fuck with you.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. She had no sense of, like, privacy when it came to the bathroom.
Tom Segura
That sucks.
Ron Taylor
She would come in and it's like, I could be doing anything in here. Is nowhere sac. And she would wake me up. Now, granted, I get this, but this is almost worse because it's like, you could wait, she would wake me up and try to fuck. Try. She'd try to suck my dick awake. Which is like, it's fine. But the only thing better than a blowjob is. Is sleep.
Tom Segura
Sleep's amazing.
Ron Taylor
Like, fucking. Just hold your horny horses.
Tom Segura
I would say you're an evolved man. A lot of people would. Would contest that. Would it be like, she's like, well, I'm up, so let's do this? Is that how it would be?
Ron Taylor
That's how it would be expressed. But if I'm being real with you, I think it's, fuck him. I'm going to wake him up and have it be in a way that he can't be mad at me.
Tom Segura
Oh, right, right. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Well, I just wanted to suck it. You could have waited.
Tom Segura
How early would she be doing this to you?
Ron Taylor
You know when. When you wake up? Before you're ready to wake up.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
You feel like you could sleep another six hours. You. Yeah, it might only be 30 minutes in real life, but it's just like an hour. Yeah. You know, if you see I'm dead,
Tom Segura
sleep dead and then like wake up.
Ron Taylor
It'd be different if I rolled over. Yeah, bitch, I'm dead.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And you're fucking with stuff. And then when I'm wide awake and I grab you, my head hurt. I was asleep.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Stop.
Tom Segura
You see, this goes back to my review after seeing you. That you are, you have the soul of an older man. Because a young man would be like, dick sucks all day. But an older guy goes, you know what? Sleep first. I want to sleep first.
Ron Taylor
We need that.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
If I don't sleep at this point, especially in my life, all the drinking and drugs I've done, if I don't sleep, I won't be able to get it up anyway.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
I need to recharge my body. Give me a break, please.
Tom Segura
That makes a lot of sense. I like sleep more than anything. Sleep over everything, man. Yeah. I mean, sleep over food. Sleep. Yeah. Sleep is. It's the best. There's nothing greater. And also it fucks. It dictates the day.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
The whole day is dictated by sleep.
Ron Taylor
Your mood, your energy, everything, your. Your mental clarity.
Tom Segura
Do you have. Are you just like a crash guy or do you have like a sleep routine? Like, do you prepare yourself for sleep
Ron Taylor
at this point in life? I'm trying to, you know, but the only thing I could do is, like, try to just. Just regiment the amount of sleep. That's kind of the only thing I can control at this point. You know, there's times where I'll have a spot at the mothership at like 11:50. Yeah. So I can't have a bedtime of 10 o' clock if I'm still trying to get up. Yeah. So it's like, hopefully I don't have anything to do in the morning and then I can, like sleep at least at this point. I really want seven, but if I get six, I'm good.
Tom Segura
That's my cutoff point too. Everyone's different. Six to me is I can still have a productive day.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Less than six. I feel like absolute. And if I can get seven or eight, it's golden.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, man, it's. It's definitely needed. Like I said, I've kind of beat my body up, so it's going to take some time.
Tom Segura
Were you like a big partier?
Ron Taylor
No, but. Drinker. Yes, drinker.
Tom Segura
What was your drink of choice?
Ron Taylor
Whatever's free.
Tom Segura
Free stuff.
Ron Taylor
I mean, throughout my drinking career, like if I started drinking at 21, about when I worked at the store, when I became a door guy. So about 24 to about 20. I'll give it 30. Yeah, I'll give it 30. I was, I was going, I was going hard, but I didn't know I was going hard.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
You know, it was like, I mean, I guess I kind of knew, but I didn't know that your body would react like that. Yeah. You know it's funny when they say like addiction, I'm thinking like, oh, that just means you can't stop. No, it means if you stop, your body stops working. Yeah, like I can stop doing anything but when you're shaking or whatever, the you can't wake up.
Tom Segura
So you were drinking like that?
Ron Taylor
Yeah, well, I mean I did a lot of stuff. Like that's a whole nother story. Like 2020, you know.
Tom Segura
Well, 2020 up a lot of people.
Ron Taylor
We had fun, but yeah, you know. Yeah, I've got to sleep.
Tom Segura
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Ron Taylor
Yeah. Correct.
Tom Segura
How did. When. How were you when you first got up?
Ron Taylor
18.
Tom Segura
So how long you've been doing stand up now?
Ron Taylor
16. Okay.
Tom Segura
So that makes sense to me why you're so polished. Well, that makes sense.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
You also. I couldn't tell if you were, like, 19 or 38.
Ron Taylor
I can't tell.
Tom Segura
That's funny. But it's one of those things where, like, were you also. Because I, I felt this way from the couch watching you guys. The finalists were Usama, you, Caitlin, and Reg Thomas.
Ron Taylor
Reg Thomas. Yep. Yep.
Tom Segura
I was fucking.
Ron Taylor
Honestly, man.
Tom Segura
Like, I've said it, but, like, I was blown away. Were you, like, impressed with how good people were?
Ron Taylor
I don't know about impressed because these are my peers.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
So I can't. I kind of personally knew, like, what everybody could do.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
I guess I was impressed with all of us, myself included.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
At how we especially come the finals and how we all recognize, like, the moment. And like, it was, in a way, it was almost easier than some of the other stuff. You knew it was it.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Win, lose or draw, this is it. I'm going balls to the walls. There's nothing left for me to hold on to which strategy of winning a competition. And that's a whole nother conversation we can have. But, like, it's kind of when you've got you know, I don't want to say limited material, but you. When you perform in an hour, as, you know, like, there's some jokes that work because they're here.
Tom Segura
Yes.
Ron Taylor
Or at least they work really well because they're here. Once you start isolating things from a constructed hour, it's very different. Is different. So how do you plan, Pick and
Tom Segura
choose who's going to do plan when you're going into this and as you're progressing. Save this. If I get that far, like a little bit.
Ron Taylor
Right. So quick backstory on that. Long story short, I did a competition years ago, like in Kentucky or somewhere like that, and it kind of was like a play system until the finals. So, you know, the first three get. Get, you know, move to the next one. And I was getting first place. First place, first place. The last one. First place winner wins it. But all the people who were coming in third and second were saving material for the finals, and then I lost. And people were like, what the hell? This guy was great. But it had nothing to do with the last ones. It was about this one.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
So I kind of learned from that. I ain't gonna call it mistake, but from that situation going into this competition, there were some things where I was like, I think I can get away with not doing this one yet, but I can't say, like, oh, yeah, I know I'm gonna make it. Then I'd.
Tom Segura
But you had the thought at least of, like, you gotta have something super put together, solid to perform later on.
Ron Taylor
Right. Either that or which. I kind of did both. Whatever I do, I'm gonna have to beef up, like, it's a closer.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Like, you know, sometimes, I guess when you're trying to get. I heard Louis CK Say this when he's trying to beef up. Joke. Yo. I forget where he put it.
Tom Segura
He put it at the front.
Ron Taylor
He'll put it at the front.
Tom Segura
I heard that too.
Ron Taylor
Right. So I kind of was, like, doing these jokes that sometimes would go in the middle of my actual act as if they were my big closer. So I kind of beefed them up. And, you know, you turn it on a little more, you just turn it kind of turn up the volume. So between that and, like, saving some, in a way, that's what ended up happening. But more than all of that, the biggest thing that happened to me in this competition, that I think that helps me win, other than support and, you know, me working hard and all that stuff. The sets were five minutes. So what you saw in la, that was five minutes and then in la we did the callbacks. That was five minutes. That second five minutes in la. I just didn't. I'm not used to doing five minute sets, right? So I had planned three jokes. I only got to two. I couldn't get to the closer of that five minute set. Had I known I wouldn't get to the closer, I wouldn't have picked these first two jokes. I did it, but I got through anyway. Now I still got that closing joke. Then it happened again. Oh, I'm trying to get to this joke. I don't have time. I'm running out of time. I ended up still getting through anyway. I got these two closing jokes that I actually meant to do earlier in the competition and that's what I ended up closing with, like the final semifinals.
Tom Segura
Wow.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Wow. Just poor time management.
Tom Segura
Well, I noticed this regularly when I'm on tour. So when I'm on tour, I'm doing an hour a night, right? You're doing an hour, hour. Like you just get like into this thing of like, I'm doing an hour, five, six times a week, right? And then you come back home and you're like, I'm going to go do a set. And then you start to go like, wait, how do I do a 15 minute set? Yeah, like your brain kind of goes like, do you try to do these chunks? And what I found was that it was, a lot of times it felt more challenging than going into like the hour. You just go, first of all, you can breathe, you can set the table and you can just like get into your thing. But the, the shorter time makes you really start to do the math of like, how will I start the set, how do I build it, how do I close it? And within this, these parameters.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. And I guess it really gave me an appreciation for the start of a comedy career. My comedy career. A comedy career. Because you start doing small amounts of times and the small amounts of times are the more are. You know, it's the important stuff. You get three minutes at the store, you go to open mic, you get five minutes. Like you said, you're on the road, you're doing an hour. And I didn't even realize that sometimes I'm like, I'm doing a five minute setup. You know, it, it, yeah, it'll pay off. But it's like, I forgot. Oh, like you can make things funnier, faster if need be. Like, it's almost like a skill that I just stopped working at because I'm trying to work at the skill of doing an hour.
Tom Segura
Dude, I just did this. I did an interview in. In LA during Netflix as a joke, and they asked me, like, what have you. Like, what is one of the things you've learned from doing specials? And I was like, well, the. The thing. One of the things that stands out, aside from, like, the, you know, the writing, performing thing, I go is I'm better at editing. Right. Because editing is essentially what you're talking about.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And not just like, on stage. Even in the edit, when you sit in the bay and you watch a special when you're a younger guy, anything that gets a laugh, period, you're like, yeah, leave it in. Right? You gotta laugh. And what I. What I noticed was that I developed a skill over time to watch the. The. The first cut of a special, this obviously the longest version, and go like, yeah, that got a big laugh, but it doesn't. It doesn't tell you anything. It's not. It's kind of like, it's not the best joke. Like, just cut it. And sometimes, like, the editor will be like, cut that. I'm like, yeah, cut it. It's not. It's not helping. This hour set, let's make it as tight as possible in the edit. So every special I've done actually gets shorter, huh?
Ron Taylor
Interesting. Obviously, I have not had that situation. I haven't done a bunch of hours to even think about that. But that's. That's. That's pretty interesting. Well, I get to.
Tom Segura
I also thought that, like, I think about that in the special. The other thing that I realized in live shows was there's this thing amongst comedians of, like, almost like a sense of pride and, like, bragging sometimes, of, like, how much time you can do. Right? So, like, comedians will be like, I did. I did 70, I did 80. I did an hour and a half. And this is what I. I've discovered about live headlining in. In big rooms, you can. If you have an hour and a half, you can do it and. And perform it. The difference is if you cut it down to the tightest 60, like, the tight. Like, it's a tight 60. When you say good night, a. They'll pop out of their seat like it's a boom. And they'll leave going like, that was awesome. I wish that was longer.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
When you see an hour and a half. And I've. I've been in the audience for that as well as on stage for that. When you say good night, they go like this. They stand up and they don't go, God, I wish there was More.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
They're like, God damn, we got to get to the fucking car. That's funny. And I just feel like it's something that I've noticed over time, that there's a reason that, like, it's called, like, an hour should be, if you can get it there, the polished, tightest version of that, set anything over. I mean, you know, Obviously, you do 62, 65, but once you start getting into, like, 75, 80, 90, I think it's just gratuitous, masturbatory, like.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. And there's definitely some of that. And I know, especially in, you know, black comics, we. You know, because, like, I remember hearing that Chris Rock would do two hours.
Tom Segura
Really?
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Well, Dave would famously do, like, six sometimes.
Ron Taylor
I've been there for that. I've never seen Chris Rock do two hours, and I might even have that run. But I remember hearing that, and it's like, you know, it's. I don't know if it's like, hey, look how long I can captivate these people's attention. Or maybe.
Tom Segura
And I should probably say, like, look, those guys can do whatever the fuck they want. I'm talking about the rest of mortal people. Like, I feel like you can just tell if you're, like, dialed in, you're paying attention, that people want can pay attention and laugh and have a good time for about that amount of time, and they start getting antsy and looking at their phones and, like, kind of wondering when this is wrapping up. If you start going well over that.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. I found that, like, when. And again, I think this was Chris Rockerheart. Say this, like, there's a difference between, like, a special and a collection of jokes. And that's what I've been trying to work on, like, for the last 10 years at this point. It's like, if I just do every joke that I've ever wrote that I remember and that works, I could probably do, like, two and a half hours.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
And I'd still be forgetting some stuff. Yeah. And if they're not, you know, if they care at all, they'll probably still laugh, even at, you know, two hours, 30 minutes. But that's not special.
Tom Segura
Yeah. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
That's not. There's no cohesive story. There's no point. Like, you say there's like, okay, that was fine, or maybe even that was good, and then they're ready to go. But trying to make a hour that, like, almost has an arc, has a story at the. Like, you said at the end, like, oh, man, I wish I had more or like, oh, that's what you're. I see it now.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
That is what I understand. To be a special. Trying to craft that. I don't, I don't know, I haven't, I don't want to say I haven't done it because I don't want to crap on anything I've put out before. But I look forward to mastering it.
Tom Segura
Oh yeah, and you will. You have the fucking goods, man. You're going to, you're going to kill this special for sure.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I appreciate it.
Tom Segura
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Ron Taylor
Huh?
Tom Segura
It was like bar shows and stuff like that.
Ron Taylor
Okay. So the first place I technically did stand up, I went to Wayne State for theater arts. I should have went for engineering or something. That's a whole nother story. I went there for theater arts, I think then one semester. The next semester, I think I forgot to enroll or something stupid. But there was a comedian named Mike Green who came to our school. Now, I was in college for theater arts because I wanted to be a comedian. And I heard Dave Chappelle say in a James Lipton interview or something like, if you want to be a comedian, you got to go to school for theater arts. Whatever. So that's what I did.
Tom Segura
Wow.
Ron Taylor
So now I'm just in school learning about plays and the Stanislavski Method and all this stuff, but I'm just trying to tell jokes. I'm now technically out of school, but I'm hanging around the campus. This guy Mike Green comes to the school. He's doing a show. I get friends in the audience, and they're laughing about something or whatever. Looking back on it now, I know they were heckling, but, like, the comedian Mike Green, who's probably just collecting a check, who's a great guy, but he's like, whatever. Hey, what are you kids laughing at? My friends are like, he's got a joke he wants to tell you pointing at me. That wasn't true. I don't know why they said that. And he said, hey, you.
Tom Segura
Thinking you.
Ron Taylor
You think you're funny? You think you can tell a joke? I didn't say nothing. He said, you guys want to see him tell a joke? Yeah. And that went up on stage. So that was my first time getting on stage. Seriously? Yeah. Which is just. It's a weird. But you had nothing planned? No.
Tom Segura
And did your. So your friends knew you had this comedy aspiration, like, that's why they did that?
Ron Taylor
Correct.
Tom Segura
So what'd you do when you got on stage?
Ron Taylor
I had just told stories that I had told people before that kind of got me into. That's how people even knew I was funny, from just talking Stuff. I think I had made something. Well, I had embellished something about, like, going out on a date and not being able to get it up. Pissing in a condom, jerking off on the toilet and sneezing. Just potty.
Tom Segura
You said all that?
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And wait, how did it go?
Ron Taylor
I don't know.
Tom Segura
You blacked out.
Ron Taylor
It's completely blacked out. I don't know if they laugh. I don't know if there were people there.
Tom Segura
Do you remember how Mike responded to you at all?
Ron Taylor
Vaguely. I think he just shook my hand and then. And then I came back.
Tom Segura
Wow.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And then. Did you befriend him from this?
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tom Segura
So what, you went and talked to him after the show?
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I think so. And he told me some different places, and I think it was him that told me about Joey's comedy club. Yeah, right. Yeah. So back then, you know, smartphones weren't as prevalent as they are now. But, you know, I had this GPS app, and I just put in the word comedy in GPS and everything that came up, I just called or went to. So I went to a bunch of stores that just sold comic books and stuff like that. I had called people. There were people who put their business information in the gps. So it went directly to comedians. I'm like, hey, are you guys a comedy club? Said, no, I'm a comedian. Are you trying to book me? I said, fucking no.
Tom Segura
Wow.
Ron Taylor
So, yeah, I went to Joey's and I took a comedy class. Yeah, you know, I read all the books in the library about comedy. So those are the first places I went up at Joey's comedy club, like Mark Ridley's. Then I met a white comedian named Jeff Horst who showed me the black rooms in Detroit.
Tom Segura
He showed you?
Ron Taylor
Yeah. I didn't even know they existed. Yeah, I knew black comedy existed. I was just like, I guess black people don't do comedy in Detroit because the black comedy comedy rooms weren't clubs, they were bars. Yeah, I'm 18. I haven't been to any of these bars. How would I even know?
Tom Segura
Sure.
Ron Taylor
Then I go to Starters with Tony Roney and start hanging out around Mike Bonner, you know, Def Jam guys, Comic View guys. And then now I'm doing bakers with Kool Aid. He was a Detroit legend, God rest his soul. And I'm just. Now I'm getting. Now I'm doing both. But that's what kept me comfortable in both worlds. That technically, I started in mainstream clubs. Yeah, naturally, you know, I can do black rooms. That's kind of What I am.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And I think that's helped me progress throughout my career outside of, you know, unlike some of my good friends and peers. You know, it's a comfortability level. It's not.
Tom Segura
You feel comfortable in both rooms.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah. I feel home in both. It's like, oh, hey, my cousin. Oh, hey, the play I place I started.
Tom Segura
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that. Yeah, that for sure gets you way further than somebody, because what. The thing that happens to most comedians, I feel like, especially early on, is they go like, okay, this. I'm only comfortable here. I'll perform here. And then they hear about, this is a gay show or is the black show. And they're like, it's not for me. I want to go over here.
Ron Taylor
I hate that.
Tom Segura
Yeah, I know.
Ron Taylor
I hate that. And I'm. Especially now because of this competition. One of the craziest things about winning, people do change up, but they change up in such interesting ways. No one's asked me for anything. You know, what do you want to open up for my special? You know, it's not like there was a lottery or prize money, but people now, people I've known forever, are now acting as if the information I have is more valid. So now they ask me questions about comedy or whatever. It's like, you didn't care yesterday. Yeah, the information is not different at all.
Tom Segura
Right. I have the same opinions, but I would.
Ron Taylor
I'd have people come up to me, and I have been over the last couple of days, over the last week, ask me like, hey, well, how can I get up? How can I get better? I'm like, you don't. You don't do the store.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
You hate the store. Yeah, you need to crack that nut like that. That's your issue. You hate chocolate sundaes. Go do that. Like, oh, well, they don't get my stuff. That's the point. Once they get it, Once you make them get it, then you can take that and take it elsewhere. Like, there should not be a place in comedy that you cannot make those people laugh.
Tom Segura
Well, now they just feel like you're credible. You know, they're like, before, you're just another guy. And now they're like, well, he's. He's won this thing, so he's credible
Ron Taylor
now, which, I mean, I guess.
Tom Segura
I mean, yeah, that's how people think, you know? Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Just. Just get up. Like, you can have your favorite places. Yeah. Like, I've got rooms that I like over other ones.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
But if somebody said, hey, go make them laugh. Yeah, I Can do it. I've. I've practiced it.
Tom Segura
Yeah, well, that's why you're. That's why you're good, man.
Ron Taylor
I'll take it.
Tom Segura
Yeah. I mean, that's. That's definitely. I gotta say, also the thing that. So I'm. I'm. I'm on that couch. I'm watching each of you guys. Right. And every set I'm like, this is fantastic. And then we're sitting there and they get to the voting.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And. And, man, Kevin milks that moment like a real showman.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Where it's like. And the tension, I. I found myself going, like, read the envelope, man. Like, he was really building it up to. He eliminated two, and then it was you two. And then he was like, now, let's see. But first.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. And like, what are you doing? And.
Tom Segura
But it really worked where, like, the tension built so much in that moment. When you hear your name called, are you like, oh, my God. Like, is it heart racing?
Ron Taylor
I don't know if it was heart racing. All right, I'll tell you the truth here. I figured it was possible during the semifinals to what?
Tom Segura
To win?
Ron Taylor
To win.
Tom Segura
Okay.
Ron Taylor
It was. It was feasible.
Tom Segura
What made you think that?
Ron Taylor
So throughout the entire competition, there were fan favorites. If you're just watching it as a show, those favorites were Usama and not Olivia. Well, she was another one. But Caitlyn. Right. Both of those people got pushed through in some part immediately. And the audience is watching this as pre recorded, so you already know that these are the favorites because they're technically. I mean, they're Kevin's favorites. He said, hey, there's no deliberating this next round you're going through. It happened with Osama twice. I'm not sure how many times it happened with Caitlin, but they also were killing.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Osama's getting standing ovations damn near every set. Caitlyn is getting standing ovations damn near every set. And everybody else is killing on top of that.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Once we get to the semifinals and they're getting ready to do the first runoff voting or whatever they call that style of voting. I know that it's gonna be because when they first split us, it was black versus white. That's inside. They had us draw numbers and it just happened to be like, me, reg, Osama versus the three white people. So they had to.
Tom Segura
Good.
Ron Taylor
I'm like, no, keep it that way. If that was random, they had to switch it around and. And Caitlin was in one group and Osama was in another group from both Group, one person gets moved on immediately, then you got four people left and two more go forward from that four. In my mind, Usam and Caitlin are going, duh. Like, they already killed it. And they're the fan favorites. I just got to try to get in to be one of the other two out of the four left. So a lot of explaining to say. When they called my name during the semifinals instead of Caitlin, that's when I knew, like, oh, this, this might have something to do with these sets right now. Nothing else matters, right. So if I have the best, anybody can have the best set, you know, that night, if you know it's anybody's game, if I can have the best set during the finals, I could win. So when they called both of us up, I'm like, I know it's possible, but Usama's got people chanting for. Chanting, like, before he went up. Yes, after he went up.
Tom Segura
Oh, yeah.
Ron Taylor
And during the voting.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
They're chanting.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
The only name I hear is Osama. Why would I think they're going to say Ron? I already made it this far. This is crazy. I should have been eliminated after I forgot my jokes.
Tom Segura
Yeah, yeah.
Ron Taylor
So when they said. When they said Ron, I hadn't. I hadn't really thought about winning at that point.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
I knew it was possible, but it never entered my brain what to think. I would have, like, prepared some cool moment or something. I was just like, what the fuck is going on?
Tom Segura
One of the things that also stood out to me about especially watching on that finale was I realized, oh, I'd never seen, like, at least a big type of competition where it wasn't, like, clean comedy.
Ron Taylor
And, yeah.
Tom Segura
Talking about that, that was like such a. A cool thing. I was like, oh, that's part of why I'm enjoying this so much is that they're just doing the sets. They would. This is like club comedy, you know?
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah. Afterwards. There's a lot of things that we all realize afterwards, like. Oh, yeah. When, like, I don't think there's ever been voting immediately.
Tom Segura
Yeah. From viewers.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Like, I've never seen a competition where people were saying the stuff we're saying. Like, yeah, I. I did a. I did a dick joke. Yeah. Like, extensively. Just yelling about my dick.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
In a competition while wearing a suit dressed like Richard Pryor.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
I've never seen this before.
Tom Segura
No.
Ron Taylor
So it was, it was, It. It was intense. Like, was my heart racing? No, not when they called my name. But as it continued, like Kevin Hart's, like, what the Fuck, he's running around. Yeah, I got the comics from like la. They're standing up, pointing. I'm seeing people crying. I hear Kevin's voice start to wiggling. I didn't even really know there was like rafters. They're all standing up. I'm like, now it's like building up. I'm like, yo, what is fucking cool? I didn't know this was this big. What is going on?
Tom Segura
Yeah, congratulations, man.
Ron Taylor
Really appreciate it.
Tom Segura
It's really, it was really cool to be there and watch that. And do you have a plan now? Like, is there a plan for how you want to approach, you know, I mean, obviously it involves touring, but do you have it like a, a strategic plan for how do you want to do it?
Ron Taylor
You know, I've had representation for about 10 years now and you know how that is. They, they, they make money from, with off you. Yeah, I've, I've been, I've been less than helpful at different points throughout the years. Right.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
But now it's like, like, you know, I feel like today with management or even agency versus, I don't know when Michael Jackson was coming up or Elvis, you know, managers had a different job, maybe they created something or whatever. But now it's like, hey, just make content, get famous and we'll manage that. Which is like, well, I mean, then it's just hard to do. Right. So I've never really managed. I mean, I've never really created a bunch of content and stuff like that. So there was nothing for them to manage. Now there is something for them to manage. Like there's dates, like there's a special to do. Like, so the plan of attack.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Is being created. Whereas before I was just doing stand up.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Right. So like I've gotten what I want to do. I got my desires and stuff.
Tom Segura
Well, your focus should stay that way. You shouldn't be, I mean, my opinion, don't become a content creator guy. You should, you're so good at stand up. Keep focus on that.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I appreciate it and I don't want to be that guy, you know, wagging my finger and whatnot. But the space to create content leisurely is what I would like to do. And if I were to, you know, kind of ramp up the production of leisurely creating content, great. But creating content like a crackhead, like I never wanted to do.
Tom Segura
No. And you know what's funny about production content? I find that like I've discovered sometimes you can put like real production into something, then you're surprised that, like, online, I'm saying people don't always respond to it as much as, like, just holding your phone and, like.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Saying some shit about, like, whatever you had for breakfast, as long as you make it, like, you know, deliberate, engaging, and funny and, like, you're yourself. Sometimes, like, just talking to the phone is what people like. You'll see the engagement be, like, 20 times higher.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I've seen that somewhat this week, you know, because I've kind of, like, when we were trying to win the competition, there was kind of a campaigning, you know, you had to say, hey, guys, vote for me. Yeah. Even my last day in LA doing the festival, you know, I had to, like, announce some of my upcoming tour dates and, like, that video alone, like, kind of went crazy, as opposed to me doing some funny bit and editing and stuff like that, so.
Tom Segura
Well, look, here's some content this guy did. This is lo fi. But it's cool,
Ron Taylor
right?
Tom Segura
If you could do something like this, and he can just sit like that.
Ron Taylor
This. I can't imagine this ending well. Please don't tell me he hurts himself.
Tom Segura
I think he's just showing off.
Ron Taylor
I'm scared for this. Just tell music you only hurt himself.
Tom Segura
I don't think so.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
All right. But he's balancing with a. Like a tree in his asshole.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
I mean, it takes tremendous core strength.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. But what do you. Why are you practicing that?
Tom Segura
I mean, he's clearly practiced a lot.
Ron Taylor
What are you. What. What is to be gained from that, man? And this will have a million views.
Tom Segura
Absolutely. Can you imagine you announcing your dates like that?
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Drew Ski, he could do something like that. Recreate that video.
Tom Segura
God, those keep getting better.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. That is. That's a skill.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And I think. And tell me what you think. I think there's a. Because at this point now he's doing production, right?
Tom Segura
Yes. Now that it's evolved. Yes.
Ron Taylor
Before, it was just doing something whether it was funny or not. Yeah. But I think there's a skill, or maybe it's just a lack of fear in being able to just make something, just have it exist. I guess from me crafting jokes, I feel weird, like, just making something.
Tom Segura
I get. I get what you're saying 100%.
Ron Taylor
It's like, I want to at least have it decent enough to where I'm like, this is good. Not simply this exists, but it's like this volume, like, approach to things that I've never wanted to do. Now Drew Ski is in the place where it seems like it's all quality and, you know. You know, volume.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
But to go past that moment or that time frame of where you just throwing shit out, I don't want that to exist.
Tom Segura
But see, in if I were analyzing what you're talking about and say it in regard to Druski, one thing that you notice that I've noticed is that he's not just daily going, here's some shit. Here's some shit. Here's some shit. These releases are quality. He's put time into whatever the bit that he's gonna do, the actual execution and then the edit itself, everything does have real thoughtfulness. And then when it comes out, it become. It's like an event to watch these things. So he's not. But he's not just overdoing it, you
Ron Taylor
know, now he's not.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
And that's the thing. It's like he took the time to just throw shit at the wall.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Because it. To gain a following, it would be like, you know, black girls drink coffee like this didn't matter how much thought it was. But beyond like, that surface level. And I think there's a. A skill in being able to just. Just put stuff up and just a fearlessness, too. Fearlessness. Just like. And it's hard to do that for me, man. I look at a video like, this isn't perfect.
Tom Segura
Oh, I see. Yeah. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Why did. Why would I even put this out when I should be thinking about the next one?
Tom Segura
You probably should. Yeah. But you have to. There's a balance. What you're saying you should maintain, like, some of your standards. Right? Like where you go. Yeah. I'm not just going to put out any bullshit that I think of or whatever. Yeah. But you can't get to the point of, like, it's not perfect. So therefore nothing goes out. It's a balance.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Yeah.
Tom Segura
But what he's done is incredible now.
Ron Taylor
I mean, he's like a studio at this point.
Tom Segura
I know. And I always think about too, like, you know, like, endgame. Like, people are seeing most of the end game. And I'm like. I feel like what he's doing is an end game.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
I don't. Like, there's nobody doing it better than him at what he's doing.
Ron Taylor
This last one I saw when he was talking about British actors, I was like, this is. Do a movie. Just do a movie, brother.
Tom Segura
It's so funny. I know. You know what? He kind of like, even saying it now. Do a movie. I'm like, oh, this is kind of the closest Thing we've had to Sasha with like Borat and Ali G in years.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tom Segura
It's really fucking funny though, man.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. And I'm not big into politics for reasons, but when he did that, Eric.
Tom Segura
Oh yeah.
Ron Taylor
Erica.
Tom Segura
Oh, yeah.
Ron Taylor
Just seeing people that mad, Matt was so great.
Tom Segura
It was so great to see people so mad.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. What a. What a. What a person. I don't want to call. I don't want to call it unattractive,
Tom Segura
but Jesus, man, that bit was great, man. He's killing it, dude.
Ron Taylor
Is it, Is that offensive to white people? Is that continuous?
Tom Segura
Well, a lot of people that are like very far right, I think postured as if it were offensive. I think if you took. If you go like the majority of white people, there's no way they were like offended by.
Ron Taylor
Is whiteface a thing to you?
Tom Segura
No, no.
Ron Taylor
You know what I think, and I don't want to get canceled by the black community.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
For this take. I think blackface is blackface. White people playing black people is not blackface.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
Like What Robert Downey Jr. Did is not blackface. Obviously. And people like it.
Tom Segura
Well, you're getting into like the nuances of like the term.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And like, I am. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
But Right. So this or anybody else, he's got
Tom Segura
like Ron Taylor hair
Ron Taylor
or even if. What was the. The Paul brother? Was it Logan or Jake Paul that said they were gonna dress up like Drew Ski?
Tom Segura
Uh huh.
Ron Taylor
One of the Paul.
Tom Segura
Yeah, you're right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ron Taylor
If they put on makeup to make themselves look like Drew Ski.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
That is not blackface to me.
Tom Segura
It's. It's different because, like, for to understand, I think you have to understand what blackface, the origins of it were and what that. It's. It's part of the way that blackface evolved was doing it in this kind of careless, ridiculous manner. Like one of the things you're seeing with, with Robert Downey Jr. Here is that this isn't like just thrown together like where they would literally take like shoe polish and be like, I'm black.
Ron Taylor
It's blackface. Right. And that's the only distinction that I make now. If somebody did what Dave Chappelle did, like in the last season of Chappelle's show when he was like, he was
Tom Segura
a. I'm a white guy now.
Ron Taylor
No, no, it was like the one that he. The season where he wasn't doing it was just Charlie and Donnell. There was an episode where he was playing a pixie in blackface. That shit is blackface. Now, if you did that, if Jake Paul did that, that I can imagine how one would get offensive or get offended. But if somebody made themselves to truly
Tom Segura
look like a black person, like he does there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ron Taylor
Then it's like, even if they do that and they say something racist, okay, sure, you are racist, but to me, you didn't do blackface. And the only reason I make that distinction is because if that's blackface, what do you call the shoe polish and white lips?
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
That is something that.
Tom Segura
So essentially you're saying, like, I think part of what you're saying is that if the effort is made to make it, like, believable, like, if it's high level makeup and there's an attempt to actually look like a black person, like in this image here, right? Like, he's. This isn't like shoe polish and white lips. Like you're saying. This is like a high level makeup artist doing something.
Ron Taylor
I'm saying I'm going a little deeper than that. I'm saying this. We can call it whatever and you can still be offended. Beat them up. I don't care. Yeah, yeah, but this is blackface, right? I. If you want to be offended at both, fine. That's blackface. The difference.
Tom Segura
Do you remember when we had Ari and he was talking about in Estonia, can you pull that up? We're like, in. He said, like in their singing competition shows or like, whatever, their variety shows.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
They'll just have someone be like, I'm James Brown. And like, they'll do that and he'll perform like, I don't know if you could see that guy. Can you make that bigger? Like that?
Ron Taylor
Jesus, that's horrible.
Tom Segura
Yeah, he's like, I'm James Brown.
Ron Taylor
I mean.
Tom Segura
Yeah, now, see, but see, like, that's so poorly.
Ron Taylor
It's poorly done, right? He's trying to be a black person. Maybe we should call that Brown face.
Tom Segura
Brown face. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
You know that that's horrible. But no, that's not blackface to me.
Tom Segura
That's not blackface to you, because what. It's not.
Ron Taylor
Because it's not black.
Tom Segura
I got it.
Ron Taylor
Like, blackface was the red lips, white gloves, minstrel shows. Minstrel. That's blackface. Yes, you do that. We got a problem. You do this. Perhaps you're being insensitive. Maybe you're making fun of black people. Maybe you are a racist. Yeah, but that minstrel show shit is different. Is wild. There are toys and figurines from that time of blackface.
Tom Segura
Yes.
Ron Taylor
Bamboozled, a movie by Spike Lee, that shit was blackface.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
What Drake did, that was blackface. That is just. That's just something that.
Tom Segura
That's just Italian.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah, that's just what it is.
Tom Segura
It's a guy from Sicily, man. What are you doing? That's crazy, though. That's crazy. He's like, get on up with that makeup on. It's insane. It's insane.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. That's horrible. How much would it. How much would. Would it take to get you in blackface?
Tom Segura
In real blackface? I mean, Enough where I didn't have to ever work again. A pretty substantial amount.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Enough where I could hide and everything and have a security detail. It'd be a lot. It'd be a lot, man. But I feel like doing what Robert Downey did, like, in my opinion, like, I'm not. I'm not black, so I can't. But I go like, oh, that's. That's doing, like, fully committing to a character.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
I didn't. I never interpreted as, like, he's doing. I know. It's like, even in the movie, they're like, what are you doing? You know, he's like, I'm the character right now.
Ron Taylor
Have you ever seen, like, the deleted scenes. Yeah.
Tom Segura
Of.
Ron Taylor
Of him in that character? It's. It's so skillful, so masterful that, like. I mean, obviously there's people who wouldn't even know that's not a black dude. Yeah. Yeah. Like, so. And still, he could be a dirty fucking racist for all I know. But that by itself, I don't think Robert Downey is. But that by itself is like. That's just. It's just imitation. It just happens to be good.
Tom Segura
He's happy to be good at it.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
I mean, that's the whole thing about when you do any. Whether it's black, Asian, Latin. If you're not one of these things and you do them, you do the voice or you're. You're doing an impression, the more skillful you are at it. Where like, that group goes, damn, that's good. The less it's perceived as you being offensive, and the more it's viewed as being skilled and accurate, the more accurate you are, the more it's celebrated.
Ron Taylor
You know what? I think we could relate this to, like, trans. Trans people. The more you pass the. Trans women are women.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Blackface people. If they. If they pass enough. You know what? Fudge it. You're black. Yeah. Now you're. You're blackface people are blackface. Trans women are women. There it is. I'M very progressive now.
Tom Segura
There you are youe want to see? We did a game where we record. It's called Tom or Black, and I play an audio clip, and then you guess if it's me or a black person.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
Do you want to play?
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Yeah.
Tom Segura
All right.
Ron Taylor
I don't see how I would not immediately know that if it's you or
Tom Segura
a black person, but that's the right mentality.
Ron Taylor
Okay. Okay.
Tom Segura
You keep score. Okay, Here we go.
Ron Taylor
All right.
Tom Segura
I'll play it as many times as you want.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
Okay.
Ron Taylor
Play again. You know, I just remembered one of your albums, the one where you were wearing braids and, I think, dressed like Michael Jackson.
Tom Segura
Oh, well, that's like two different albums. There's white girls with cornrows, and there's Thrilled.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. Okay. I forgot. You can do a very good black guy.
Tom Segura
Why do you think we came up with this thing?
Ron Taylor
Okay, play it again, one more time.
Tom Segura
So it's either Tom or a black person.
Ron Taylor
All right, One more time. Damn. Hey, yo. I'm gonna go Tom.
Tom Segura
Okay.
Ron Taylor
I left a wallet there. That's Tom. That's Tom. Sup Kane? Say it again. Sup Kane? That's. That's Tom. That's Cricket right there. That's. That's Tom.
Tom Segura
You writing that down?
Ron Taylor
Okay. Cry, he came through. Do it again. Cry, he came through. That's got to be a black guy. What's going on here? Play it again. What's going on here? I hope that's not Tom, but I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say a black guy. I hope that's not you. I think that's a black guy. That's the only Richard Pryor. Play again. There's a lot of bass. There's got to be a black guy. All right.
Tom Segura
You did? Okay.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
I'll tell you, I was scared for a minute, Josh.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Yeah. So you got. So that was Tom. That's me.
Ron Taylor
That's you. Okay. I left a wallet there.
Tom Segura
That's me.
Ron Taylor
Okay. Sup, Kang? That's you.
Tom Segura
That's me.
Ron Taylor
Right? That's Cricket right there.
Tom Segura
That's you. That's me.
Ron Taylor
Cry. He came through.
Tom Segura
You said black guy. Yeah, that's me.
Ron Taylor
Oh, yeah. What's going on here?
Tom Segura
That's a black guy.
Ron Taylor
Is it? Who's that?
Tom Segura
Right? Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I think so.
Tom Segura
Yeah. That's just a guy from a video. Okay. You said black eye, right? That's me.
Ron Taylor
Wow.
Tom Segura
And then that's me.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
So you did.
Ron Taylor
Okay. Wow.
Tom Segura
How many did he get? Right? Like five. Five. Okay. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You get five out of eight.
Ron Taylor
You know what? I don't know if you've done this already or not, but you should do, like, some voiceover work and play some black characters. Man.
Tom Segura
That would be a dream come true.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
One time we were. But, you know, that's, like, very looked down upon.
Ron Taylor
Is it?
Tom Segura
Oh, yeah. Because what happened. What the general feeling from, like, industry is when you. When you do something like that for any. Not just for a black. If you. If you go, like, I want to. Especially when it's a. A different race, they go, you should. That role should go to somebody of this group, and you're taking the job that could go to. Let's say, if you're like, I'm gonna do an Asian woman, I'm gonna do a Latin guy, I'm gonna do a black guy. They're like, yeah. Or you could just hire somebody who could actually. Who is that? To do that job?
Ron Taylor
I heard that. Yeah, I get that. But if the creation of the joke comes from you, comes from the fact that this person is doing this job, so then this is a insert person job. This character is voiced by a white person. This black character is voiced by a white person. That's the joke. That's why this exists. Cause what is that? American dad? The. I think Chris is the character's name, and he'd be singing all this R and B, and it's a white dude who, like, be singing R. Kelly. Like, I don't want that to be a black dude. It's less funny. It's funny because it's a white dude singing like a black guy.
Tom Segura
Yeah, exactly. No, I mean, I'm not opposed to it. I always thought it'd be fun to do.
Ron Taylor
Hey, man, I'll support you.
Tom Segura
Thanks, man.
Ron Taylor
I like to do it, although I have to be careful about that. You know, I. I just got some notoriety, and now there's a lot of my black friends and family and colleagues and co workers and comedians who are looking at me like, so you. You down with Tony Hinchcliffe? Oh, like, yeah, I don't want to be.
Tom Segura
How do you answer that one?
Ron Taylor
I don't really. I just, like, man, you tripping. And. Because it's just happened. Yeah, Roast just happened.
Tom Segura
Yeah. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
The competition just.
Tom Segura
There was. I didn't realize there was a lot of. At least I saw online. I haven't had a lot of personal conversations about a lot of blowback online about.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Roast jokes and, like, it was written by white writers and these Things are racist. I. I didn't have. It wasn't on my radar, but scrolling, I saw a whole bunch of stuff about it.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. And like, I mean, people get mad at whatever they get mad at. We as humans, we enjoy being angry and having a righteous fury. So I get it. But, you know, they don't know who wrote each joke. I know, like, David Lucas was on there. Jaron Horton was on there. Which jokes did they come up with? Yeah, they don't know.
Tom Segura
They don't know.
Ron Taylor
I don't know. And I know these people. But. And I was at the roast. This stuff was racist, of course, and all that stuff, but that kind of was the name of the game. So I don't. I've never understood the idea of, like, you know, these people are anything because of their jokes, even sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic. Even if that's true, I've never got that. Because they're joking about this.
Tom Segura
That's what they are.
Ron Taylor
This is what they are.
Tom Segura
I feel the same way. I also feel like, look, I'm not a roast expert, but what I do know about roasts is if you've been around them, if you go to them, even the best roast writers will tell you that you go always to first thought and what is obvious. Like, if, like, if you are roasting a black guy, you're gonna have black jokes. If you're roasting a fat guy, you're gonna have fat jokes. You're gonna have. If he's gay, you're gonna, like, that's
Ron Taylor
the name of the game.
Tom Segura
That's how.
Ron Taylor
That's.
Tom Segura
That's literally how it's played. So I. Not. I'm not saying that, like, something can't be overboard or overdone or thought. Like, it can, but these jokes are going to be a part of. Of. Of who you're roasting. What. What is it about them?
Ron Taylor
And if you're famous. Yeah. Like, the deus was. You kind of gotta do your thing somewhat too. So Tony, in order to be Tony Hinchcliffe.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Has to give you some Tony Hinchcliff isms. And I think that's where that George Floyd joke came from. Like, it put like this. There are some jokes that I heard, and this how I. This is how I know. We just like to be angry at different things. There's some jokes that I heard and I was there that I just laughed at or winced at and thought nothing about.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Then I go online and I hear people repeating these jokes or saying, like, how could he say something like that. And I am like, yeah, I could fuck him.
Tom Segura
How can he say?
Ron Taylor
But it's like, you weren't there.
Tom Segura
Right, Right. It's different in the room.
Ron Taylor
I'm telling you. If you were there, you wouldn't be. You would not feel that. Your brain is not registering these jokes like that. And if your brain isn't the person who said it isn't like, you know, it's just. It's just different. I. I think the George Floyd thing was it. So when we did the roast in our competition, I was thinking about stuff like that. And before it was the roast of Marshawn lynch, it was the roast of Kevin Hart. But then Kevin Hart was having an actual roast, so they made the competition roast Marshawn Lynch. But while I was thinking about Kevin Hart, I was thinking about, like. Because I'm not a roaster, so I had to watch roast and see, like, what people were doing. And it. People were talking about death and everything. So I'm thinking about stuff like that to write for Kevin. I didn't do it because I'm like, I don't want to drag dead people into it. Yeah, but if it worked, then you pop like Nikki Glazer, then. Then what? You don't know. It's a joke.
Tom Segura
Yeah, I totally agree. I gotta take a quick piss break, dude.
Ron Taylor
Hey, man.
Tom Segura
And we'll be. I'll be right back. I want to ask you, do you. I'm just curious, from your perspective, do you notice. Do you feel, as somebody who worked the store and here Mothership doing sets, do you notice any note, like, is there a notable difference for you, like, doing.
Ron Taylor
Oh, yeah.
Tom Segura
What do you. What do you pick up on? Just curious.
Ron Taylor
The store. Not the store. The mothership is. And it's not a bad thing, necessarily. This is just a thing. It's like a homogenized audience and crowd. They're essentially one organism of. I feel like that about Austin comedy as a whole, to tell you the truth. It's one type of audience. Now, what that type of audience is, that's one can decide. But in la, I feel like it's a different type of audience that all kind of share a mentality. And that mentality may be, I don't know, progressiveness or whatever, but there's different type of people out here. It's like a cult of. I mean, to be completely, completely honest, it's like a cult of the Rogan sphere and kill Tony, which is, you know, part of the Rogan sphere, which is great, but it's almost like Some of these people aren't necessarily coming to see comedy. They don't mind comedy. They might even enjoy comedy. But they came to be a part of the fucking shit. Yeah. And they're excited and they're appreciative, and they're like, yes, let's eat elk. Yeah, let's fucking. Let me see some wild shit.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And it's great. I mean, I'm still here.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
I enjoy it. And you need those different, you know, sectors of comedy. And, you know, you're going to. You're going to have that. But I mean, Austin is just smaller. Yeah, we're talking about L. A. We're talking about a scene that's existed, what, since. Since stand up or whatever, you know, so it's not even comparable. Like, the fact that you can have a scene of this quality this fast is amazing in itself. So, yeah, it'll take a while for, you know, something to branch off in Austin as big as Jre and Kill Tony, but in a completely different, you know, sphere. There's no black shows out here.
Tom Segura
Right.
Ron Taylor
You know, so that's a whole sector thing.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
I don't know where the gay shows are. They might be out here, but. Yeah. So it's. It's one type of crowd out here, it seems like. And I could be wrong, but it seems like that. But no, that's. It's. Yeah, it's definitely different.
Tom Segura
Yeah. Yeah. I want to show you before we wrap up, a couple these we call horrible or hilarious, and we just show you videos.
Ron Taylor
Are people going to get hurt? I don't know. I haven't seen them because I, you know, I've. I've had a parasocial relationship with you, obviously, for years.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
And I am aware that pain is funny to you. No, it's not to me.
Tom Segura
Okay. I'll tell you how this is done every day.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
They put a folder together. I have not seen them. And we watch the videos and we actually genuinely react to whether it's funny or not.
Ron Taylor
Okay.
Tom Segura
So I don't know what I'm gonna see. So I can't even tell you. I can't tell you if someone's gonna get hurt.
Ron Taylor
Okay. Beautiful.
Tom Segura
Okay. Okay. He got hurt.
Ron Taylor
I didn't even see him.
Tom Segura
This guy at the bottom, right. The tire just rolled off the highway and he was, like, having lunch or something. Wait,
Ron Taylor
Jesus Christ.
Tom Segura
Clocked him. I will say this. You laughed. You laughed.
Ron Taylor
Because I didn't see the person at first. I thought it just hit something and the guy standing was like, oh, but you know what?
Tom Segura
This is the kind of video where you don't see like a leg break, you know? At least it's grainy. Yeah, it's like. It's grainy and at. I think he might have a concussion.
Ron Taylor
I don't know, man. Those tires move, brother.
Tom Segura
Yeah, those were really hauling.
Ron Taylor
Jesus Christ.
Tom Segura
I was trying to be optimistic. He might be dead. Okay, here's. Is he. Did he die?
Ron Taylor
Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Man, I hope all these people are alive.
Tom Segura
All right, next one. Let's see. I'll tell you if I. Something bad. Oh, okay. This might be good. Here we go. Here we go.
Ron Taylor
Where is it?
Tom Segura
Oh, that's bad. You shouldn't do that.
Ron Taylor
What the fuck?
Tom Segura
That was a bad idea.
Ron Taylor
Why does he have an opossum in a bag trying to kiss it?
Tom Segura
Because he was. He was trying to show off, that's why. This is what happened. He got that. It was probably, you know, somebody called him his fucking lip off and then he had to go get a rabies shot. Yeah. Yep.
Ron Taylor
Oh, God.
Tom Segura
Don't show off. Especially with wild animals.
Ron Taylor
Why are all these brown colored people doing this ridiculousness? Show me some white people doing some ridiculousness. They supposed to know better, man, you don't handle no damn, no possum in
Tom Segura
a bag funny to you or not funny?
Ron Taylor
Not funny.
Tom Segura
Not funny. Okay.
Ron Taylor
Rabies is a horrible way to die.
Tom Segura
Thailand.
Christina Pajit
Let's go.
Ron Taylor
Oh, he said, let's go.
Tom Segura
Ron liked that one.
Ron Taylor
It's official because it looked like it hurt, but he got up immediately.
Tom Segura
See, once you see someone recover, you can enjoy it more.
Ron Taylor
And it's like the more show offy you are, it's like more earned. It's like, what are you even. This is. There's no part of this that is safe. Yeah, at least with the possum, it's like maybe you were trying to show the possum love and you're just stupid. That is just complete buffoonery.
Tom Segura
Yeah, he's.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
And here's the. He was not okay. He. What?
Ron Taylor
What?
Tom Segura
Well, he had to go just, I think seek some medical attention. He didn't die. Oh, yeah.
Ron Taylor
Oh, God.
Tom Segura
Let's watch it again because this is in Thailand. They're all having fun.
Ron Taylor
Hold that motherfucker real quick.
Tom Segura
Hold that motherfucker real quick.
Ron Taylor
These are some chocolate.
Tom Segura
Let's go.
Ron Taylor
Oh, he said, let's go.
Tom Segura
He landed on his face.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, yeah. Probably broke a tooth or.
Tom Segura
Yeah, yeah. Me wild. One more. Here we go. This one I have no idea.
Ron Taylor
This is so dangerous. Please don't stab yourself.
Tom Segura
Stabbing a tire stop like a truck. I saw the extended version of this. He actually. He gets up. Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Now this is up. You know what makes that funny?
Tom Segura
What?
Ron Taylor
And all that African they were saying. I don't know what they were saying, but it's. It sound like a warning.
Tom Segura
That's a lot of pressure, man.
Ron Taylor
You saw his feet to the side, Both feet in the air.
Tom Segura
Yep.
Ron Taylor
Angle.
Tom Segura
He walked away from that. I should say crawled. He. He left the scene. He was not there.
Ron Taylor
What was he trying to do?
Tom Segura
I think this is a. It feels like it's a. A protest of sorts against either this company or like this, you know, I mean, like.
Ron Taylor
Oh, yeah, like.
Tom Segura
Like these guys.
Ron Taylor
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. It looks so war torn now that you said. Oh, take it back. That's not funny.
Tom Segura
No, he already left. He liked it. He liked it.
Ron Taylor
Damn.
Tom Segura
Yeah.
Ron Taylor
Why did it do all that in sandals? I don't get that.
Tom Segura
And sandals everywhere, man.
Ron Taylor
You had no Jordans, no Timberlands. Let's send some Timberlands to Africa.
Tom Segura
That could be like your charity that you start Timberlands to.
Ron Taylor
And who else be using sandals? Working on cars. Indians. Yeah.
Tom Segura
Yep.
Ron Taylor
We need boots in India and Africa. That. That's. That's how we. We gonna advance as. As a. As a world.
Tom Segura
This will be Ron's like, version of Meals on Wheels.
Ron Taylor
Yeah.
Tom Segura
Tim's to the motherland. Well, look, dude, this was. I'm. I'm so happy for you. Congratulations. You deserve it. You earned it. You're ready for it. I'm so excited to see what you do with your special, but I hope you. I hope you savor the moments, like everything you're going through now. It's. It's so cool to see. And you. You were amazing on that stage, man. It was really awesome, man.
Ron Taylor
I appreciate it. Good, brother. I thank you. I want to thank all the people that was in the show, period, you know? Yeah. The top four, Reg, Caitlyn Usama who were killing it. My buddy Steve Fury was in the top 10. Felicia, folks, everybody, obviously, I can't name everybody, but those were comedy store people. So that was a fun time, man, and I'm glad that you were a part of it.
Tom Segura
I was thrilled to be there. And there's dates. They're. You can. You can see them go to. At comedian Ron T. I can see that from this drops. You'll be at Levity live in Huntsville, Alabama. You'll be at Zany's in Chicago, the improv in Tempe, the Funny Bone in Albany. So you're. You're out there, you're working, man. It's gonna be. Yeah, it's gonna be a different experience for you now. It's gonna be pretty cool.
Ron Taylor
Yeah. You know, to have the people come to me. That'll be interesting.
Tom Segura
Yeah. I think you're gonna have a lot of fun with it, man. Well, congratulations and thank you guys for watching. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.
Ron Taylor
Peace.
Christina Pajit
Thank you. Jeans. Every Friday night, you're always asking me the same dumb question about you. Now look in your jeans? And I always say, yeah, you look so great. You could look more amazed, really, if you just would keep those jeans high and tight? Keep those jeans high and tight? Keep those jeans high and tight? Keep those jeans tight? It's so tight? Christina thinks Tom's a psycho? But who really knows? Red was for dentures? He's the hydra master? Keep those jeans high and tight? Keep those jeans high and tight? Keep those jeans tight and tight? Keep those jeans high fucking tight? Keep those jeans high and so, Yeah.
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Your Mom's House Ep. 860: Ron Taylor Is Funny AF
Hosts: Tom Segura, Christina P (absent this episode)
Guest: Ron Taylor
Release Date: May 20, 2026
This episode celebrates Ron Taylor’s recent win on Netflix’s "Funny AF" and dives deep into the craft and hustle of stand-up comedy. Tom Segura hosts solo (Christina is absent due to a sick kid), and together he and Ron explore the energy of comedy competitions, the nuances of performing in different rooms, the art of assembling a killer set, how the industry shifts with success, and the intersection of race and comedy both on and off stage. The tone is candid, funny, and insightful, offering insider perspectives on the comedy grind from club beginnings to the national spotlight.
[00:55–04:21]
Tom recounts the unexpectedly electric atmosphere at the "Funny AF" finale:
“When we walked out as the guest judges... the energy in here is pretty hot right now.” (02:37 – Tom)
Both agree: live tapings can often be flat, but this one inspired Tom to rush out and do stand-up himself after feeling “fired up.”
Ron describes how the live audience at the theater for the finale was uniquely invested:
“There’s something going on…They really wanted to laugh and it was a bunch of them, you know, it’s theaters.” (03:24 – Ron)
[06:10–09:04]
Tom jokes Christina can’t attend due to a sick kid (“hantavirus or whatever”), and Ron lends insight from his own life as a “van dweller.”
Ron shares a hilarious story about an ex-girlfriend waking him up for sex:
“The only thing better than a blowjob is sleep.” (07:40 – Ron)
The two agree on the primacy of sleep, especially as aging, hard-partying comics:
“Sleep over everything, man. Sleep over food.” (09:04 – Tom)
[13:31–16:29]
“There were some things where I was like, I think I can get away with not doing this one yet, but I can’t say like, ‘oh yeah, I know I’m gonna make it.’” (15:23 – Ron)
[19:36–23:48]
Both discuss the tighter, more disciplined structure required for competitions and specials. Tom notes:
“I'm better at editing...you develop a skill over time to watch the first cut of a special...and go, it doesn't tell you anything, cut it.” (19:57 – Tom)
Ron reflects on the distinction between a "collection of jokes" versus a "special" with a coherent arc:
“That’s not special...there’s no cohesive story, there’s no point.” (24:00 – Ron)
[27:22–33:46]
Ron’s origin: thrown on stage by friends at Wayne State, then navigating both white and black comedy rooms in Detroit.
The value of being comfortable in all types of rooms, not just one’s own “lane”:
“There should not be a place in comedy that you cannot make those people laugh.” (33:27 – Ron)
Observations on how winning competitions changes how peers treat you:
“Now…people I’ve known forever are now acting as if the information I have is more valid.” (32:37 – Ron)
[34:09–42:15]
“Don't become a content creator guy. You're so good at stand up. Keep focus on that.” (41:02 – Tom)
Ron: “I’d like to create content leisurely…Creating content like a crackhead, like, I never wanted to do.” (41:11 – Ron)
They compare the value (and sometimes absurdity) of low-fi vs high-production content.
[47:11–55:03]
Lively, nuanced talk on “blackface,” “whiteface,” and the difference between minstrelsy and high-skill character impersonation.
Tom and Ron agree that intent, context, and quality of execution matter more than simplistic labels. Ron:
“If you want to be offended at both [high-quality makeup versus minstrel blackface], fine. That’s blackface. The difference…” (50:51 – Ron)
The role of offense in comedy and why some routines cross lines:
“If somebody made themselves to truly look like a black person, even if they do that and they say something racist, okay, sure, you are racist, but to me you didn’t do blackface.” (48:58 – Ron)
[55:15–58:12]
Tom plays the "Tom or Black" audio game to see if Ron can distinguish between Tom doing a “black voice” and real black men. Ron scores 5/8.
Tom muses on the controversy of non-black actors voicing black characters:
“When you do something like that...they go, that role should go to somebody of this group, and you’re taking the job.” (58:19 – Tom)
Ron’s viewpoint: Sometimes the joke is, intentionally, a white guy voicing a black character, which makes it funnier in context.
[60:09–64:02]
Ron responds to post-roast backlash (notably about Tony Hinchcliffe's set):
“People get mad at whatever they get mad at...But, you know, they don't know who wrote each joke.” (60:33 – Ron)
Tom and Ron agree that within roast culture, jokes take the most obvious shots (race, sexuality, etc.) and are not necessarily indicative of real beliefs.
“That’s literally how it’s played...these jokes are going to be a part of who you’re roasting.” (62:04 – Tom)
[64:23–66:56]
Ron finds Austin’s comedy scene excited but homogenized:
“Mothership…is like a homogenized audience…It’s like a cult of the Rogan sphere and Kill Tony…they came to be a part of the f**ing sht.” (64:28 – Ron)
Notes differences in diversity and longevity compared to LA’s historic scene:
“There's no black shows out here…So it's one type of crowd.” (66:39 – Ron)
[67:04–73:15]
“It's like the more show offy you are, it's like more earned...That is just complete buffoonery.” (70:16 – Ron)
On Simplicity and Stand-Up:
“It's sleep over everything, man.” (09:04 – Tom) “The only thing better than a blowjob is sleep.” (07:40 – Ron)
On Editing Comedy:
“I'm better at editing...I developed a skill over time to watch the first cut of a special...that got a laugh, but it's not the best joke—cut it.” (19:57 – Tom)
On Race & Comedy:
“There's a difference between blackface and someone making themselves to truly look like a black person...If they say something racist, okay, you're racist, but to me, you didn’t do blackface.” (48:58 – Ron)
On the Austin Scene:
“It's not even comparable...the fact that you can have a scene of this quality this fast is amazing in itself.” (65:58 – Ron)
The episode is a rich blend of backstage comedy process, real career advice, and boundary-pushing conversation on race and material in stand-up. Tom and Ron are open about their own insecurities, ambitions, and insights—making this a standout, revealing listen for anyone interested in what it really takes to break through (and then survive) in the world of professional comedy.
Find Ron Taylor on Instagram: @ComedianRonT — Tour info and updates there.