Patreon EXCLUSIVE | The Danger Zone (feat. KevOnStage) | The Joe Budden Podcast

The thoughts, views, and opinions

expressed by this podcast whose bullets

its hosts are for entertainment purposes

only. I repeat, it is not serious. It is

not real. No one is exposing, revealing,

indicting or telling you anything about

themselves. Also, we do not encourage

you to try this at home. We are trained

professionals who do not have your best

interest at heart or our own. Enjoy the

show.

Check. What is this?

JB back to business

right now. We should start the show.

Celebrate. That's what you [ __ ] up.

Not going out. No party. No invite.

Patron. Patron.

Hey, Patron. [ __ ] this nigga's birthday.

Damn.

Yeah. Y'all [ __ ] be trying to pull on

the heart, tug on the heartstrings. I

saw the last episode where Mark was

like, "Yo, is that are we all friends?

Is everyone friends?" No.

I was devastated.

No, nobody's friends.

That's what I found out.

Hell no. It's over, friends.

It's over. When I said it when when I

said it, I was being uh emotional, but

it's the truth.

Friends, Millie Mark

associates now, right?

No, I'm joking. Kind of

a little bit.

I'm kind of joking.

A little bit.

These are my friends,

right? Most of them.

These are my friends. Most of them.

However, work comes first.

Yeah.

Friendship comes right under right under

work.

I have that same problem.

I didn't realize that about myself

because I I don't really differentiate.

Like it's work and I invite my friends

to work, but it is work for me. And

that's how Joe started,

huh? Oh, that's how you started.

Work comes first. Yeah.

Yeah. Work comes first. And I didn't

realize like, you know, it's not always

like that. You know what I'm saying? You

know, it gets mixed up. And I don't mean

it like that because I work with

talented people and I want, you know, we

feel it feels like friendship. You know

what I'm saying?

That's the trick.

That's the

But it feel like friendship.

That's real. It feel it feels like

friendship. I don't know if I even know

the difference.

Hey, let's go have a drink.

Yeah,

you [ __ ] that friendship [ __ ] Mark

asked and the room kind of like right

now.

[ __ ] everybody.

Yo, I'm being rude. Ladies and

gentlemen, we have a very very very very

special guest here. Make some noise.

Kev,

welcome man.

I I a shot in the dark DM.

I hit Joe. He said, "Yeah." I said this

is God is good. God is amazing.

Yo, you got to understand he doesn't do

that a lot.

Word.

I I thank you.

Like a thousand people probably do that

and you might get like two yeses.

I you you can

I follow Kev. I know. But I'm just

saying people but you follow a lot of

people don't bring that won't come up

here.

I follow Kev and Kev is about good black

[ __ ]

Oh, he really is. So when I'm not when

I'm not like evil or whatever the public

thinks about me, I'm with good black

[ __ ]

He trying to lean on his FBA [ __ ] now.

You trying to get

I'm on good black [ __ ]

And I'm highlighting black [ __ ] Ke is

married.

Yes.

Ke is from church. A good church.

Good church. Good wife.

Now

kids at home.

Now I do have beef with you.

Oh, let's hear it.

Cuz I invite people up here when this

beef too.

You said Kevin, this hurt my heart.

Okay.

You said and you sent about three shots

this way, but the first one was, "Yeah,

man. I see some idiots saying something

on Twitter." I'm paraphrasing. I seen

some idiots saying something on Twitter

and he say such and such. And I'm

thinking, listen, if you don't like Cat

Mustads, then that must mean you watch

the Joe Button podcast

or you and I didn't even hear the second

thing,

but I'm like, why would you say that?

You're right, Joe. That's my bad.

That's so unfair. I think we get a bad

rep. What made him say that? What made

you say that? So, I get I get pulled and

dragged on Twitter probably about every

six months. It's like after a while,

people just like, "What's this [ __ ]

Kev, man?" like why y'all really like

him and stuff. And I notice a lot of

times when I go to that person's

profile, I follow down his battle rap,

his Joe Bunny podcast clips. Like the

the profiles are very similar. So it was

research. It wasn't just out there. Like

you know, they be arguing and stuff and

it so that was my data driven thing. I

was just like, bro, I'm I'm just like a

[ __ ] your data, man.

Your data be wrong sometimes.

Data be wrong. So what happened was when

I said that in my own Patreon, my people

were like, "Nigga, I watch Joe Button

podcast. Like, what's up with that?" I

was like, "Ain't nobody told me nothing.

Ain't nobody told me nothing." So that's

all I had looked at them Twitter

profiles and it was a common denominator

at times, not every time. So that's all

I meant to the fellas. A lot of eyes

looking at me at the same time. We look

I feel it. You know what I'm saying?

Warranted. Warranted. Um, so I I found

out in the moment that that's not

necessarily true. And also people are

not one thing. Nobody's just one thing.

Even I found this a lot of pastors

follow me and they'll be like, "Yo, I

love you on roast me." And I'll be like,

"What? Roast me?" And they'd be like,

"You know, that's a very, you know, cuss

first. You know, we talking crazy to

each other, but they're like, I can't

publicly talk about it, but like y'all

be y'all be cracking me up." So I

realized we are not all one thing. You

know what I'm saying? So Joe,

I accept your apology.

And I'm g tell you another thing. This

is something I learned about myself and

this is also part of it. I don't even

see myself as like someone like you

would see that. So I think for me it's

like there's celebrities and then

there's like people like me and you

don't realize how far your voice carries

at time. You don't realize like

celebrities are just people who are

everybody wants to cool off on the gram

when they're in the car on the toilet.

Everybody's watching something. But I

still like I don't see myself like that.

So, I don't realize how far stuff that I

say will ever go.

Hey, Kevin, I see you're a hand talker.

Maybe move the mic a little closer.

My bad. I'm not a big hand talker.

Yeah, I see that. I see that.

I'm a big uh annunciator, but that's a

big thing that I'm working through. My

wife has been on me about that. She was

like, Kev, for years. She was like, you

got to stop talking like you ain't

Yeah.

You don't have millions of followers.

Doubt in your reach. Yes.

Yeah. This stuff is going farther than

you think. Just cuz people don't hear it

like say something to you doesn't mean

they haven't heard it. But I if I don't

I got to butt my head a few times to

learn my lesson. You know what I'm

saying? So I think that's a lesson that

I'm still learning. And especially on

the podcast like me and Angel on the

podcast and there's been a couple of

times we just riffing and that they had

pulled those clips and put them in

documentaries and we found out like we

were saying something about Lizo one

time and we were just reading the tweets

about what people said and they chopped

out a piece and it was like it made it

seem like I was saying here's what I

don't like about Lizo. And when actually

I said here's what I like about Lizo but

here's what the internet is saying about

her. And I was like, "Oh, dang. Y'all

don't cut the the middle part out." And

then they made it look like she was

listening to the podcast. And I was

like, "This is terrible." And they ain't

asked no opinion for like this public.

They just threw this up. And I found out

on HBO like, "Nigga, why you say this

about Liz?" I was like, "That ain't

going to be terrible for your brand

because you're so supportive of all

black spaces, women, and just marriage

and church and like it's positive [ __ ]

Positive stuff." Yeah. So, it was

damaging. People were people, it was

inongruent. You know what I'm saying?

And you know what? The thing also I've

learned

the clip is it.

Like people aren't going to the full

show.

The clip is is the whole thing. It

doesn't matter how it's framed or what

the context is.

The clip is the

clip is the context. Now

the clip is the context and people are

not like watch the whole interview. I'm

not no

I'm not looking for it. I saw it on

Twitter and they'll take the whoever

posted it. Whatever framing they say is

their first whatever they quote with it.

Whatever they quote with it. You don't

you don't even listen. your mind's

already like, "Oh, this is how I feel

about it." And it's rare that people

even go listen for themselves and

determine their own goal.

So, so all this stuff is happening in

real time. But the biggest thing is I'm

not

uh aware of my voice. I'm becoming more

aware of my voice. That was just the

first shot. There was more.

There was more.

Oh dang.

There was more. I bookmarked them. I

could find them. But I mean, I don't

know how important it is. And I don't

think they're important, but uh

for the people watching that may be

unfamiliar with you, I see you and Mark

know knew each other, but

Yeah, Mark show.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Which one? You got a lot of shows.

Uh was it Grio?

The go was the go.

Yeah.

Mark going to keep a check with that

boy. That boy right there. He don't

play. Got to you get fired a lot. You

get a lot of jobs.

And Joe keeps us on week to week

contracts.

So

I was curious about that. It was week to

week.

When I saw that thing, when that leaked

and then the stuff came out, I was like,

my heart started pounding cuz I'm like,

how do you navigate that?

Oh, I got him locked in.

Locked in.

Yeah. There ain't nothing to talk about.

Okay good.

He got He got options everywhere.

He waited till he locked [ __ ] in to do

that.

Yeah right.

You got to have everybody under

contract.

He did that, but but we we discussed

things at our latest union meeting. So,

we

It's coming. Things coming together.

Yeah. Now, we got some things in the pip

meeting. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Local 542.

Yeah.

Teams.

See, I would have thought that you would

even have seen that leak.

Everybody has come up here since that

leak.

What I told you?

Yeah. I seen it.

Yeah. Because I, you know, I have

employees and stuff and I'm like, man, I

don't know how you could explain that

like what it is cuz they go more places

than just y'all. You know what I'm

saying?

You want to hear that [ __ ]

That's what I'm saying. [ __ ] ain't

trying to hear none of that.

Don't piss us off again.

I'm not trying to overhead. That should

be inspiring. No, it is. Oh, no, it is.

It inspiring the union.

And I've been inspired a lot before we

moved too far.

We as a podcaster, you have been like a

your deals even back before 2013, 2014

when I worked at all. We had meetings

like here's what we trying to get, man.

Joe Button has this. I was about to come

over there.

Yeah. We was we was

It was It was a thing.

It was a thing. We when it was over, it

was little brother was gone. Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? And then when

the stuff came out, we was like

on death is where I was supposed to get

my big deal,

bro. They had the horses

ready. We was like, we get Joe,

it's going to change the music. It's

going to change the content. You know

what I'm saying? And then when it didn't

happen, it was just like there was no

other deal.

Yeah. I know.

Like when it happened, it was just like,

all right, [ __ ] Will, what y'all going

to put up today? You know what I'm

saying? So, uh, but then in Forbes, it's

like, bro, this is, even as a podcast,

it's like, bro, this this media is

changing underneath our feet. You know

what I'm saying? We're talking about how

like late night is is dying. No

disrespect.

Yeah. But like Coar getting cancelled is

one thing,

but that slot being removed after they

just removed the the slot after that,

they're just saying we don't

we're not doing that.

Yeah. It's the removal of the slot more

than the cancel. They just said, "Okay,

he's gone, but the next person's in."

There's no replacement yet. That's

that's always happening.

Well, they're pulling that money off the

books, right? You're just saying,

"Do you think John Stewart stays?"

I don't

cuz that's a CBS too, right?

Paramount. It's not CBS. That's comedy.

I think I think um after this cuz you

know most of those dudes are older, you

know, further in their career. I think

the move of the slot from Coar, who was

the leader of the ratings, the networks

take tales from other people. So, I

wouldn't be surprised if like when that

contract ends, they they pull them off

and redistribute that somewhere else

because I think the viewers are not

growing up like that anymore. Like when

I was a kid, we grew up Arino,

even Carson, Leno, Letterman. Right now,

digital media has taken those same

things. Letterman's big thing was 10

things. That's just a listical on

YouTube, right? Digital basically

that's a thread.

Yeah, it's a thread,

right? all that stuff that Fallon and

them do that that exists on Buzzfeed and

Wired and all that. And then the the

because it's digital,

your centers cast is going through

BuzzFeed complex, uh, GQ, Wired, Hot

Ones, all that stuff. That's their

marketing plan. They don't they don't

have to go on late night as much. And if

the celebrities don't have to go there,

the viewer doesn't have to watch it. And

the worst part is you watching their

show on your phone.

Yeah.

You're watching the clips on your phone.

Jennifer Hudson show. Most people watch

that hallway on TV.

I've never seen I've never seen anything

else on her show, but literally never

watching that on TV.

People are watching.

I don't even know what channel it come.

Yeah.

And fill that hallway up for some of our

black favorites.

It be a little

It be a little light.

Usher level highway support for

everybody who jumps out there.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? So, I think uh

it it's just interesting to be a part of

digital media as it changes and um I'm

happy to be, you know, doing my thing.

But you also are like, "Dang, this is

what you could get to." You know what

I'm saying? Y'all got food and stuff.

People coming to work. You know what I'm

saying? Two days a week.

We order our own food.

Yeah.

During our 8 minute lunch break. Yeah.

You don't get PDM?

No. No. We don't get any of that.

You order the food.

[ __ ] if you listen to these,

I'm not paying these [ __ ] It's hard

up here, man.

You're not paying us nothing, actually.

Technically, I got to regular job. I

bought my own lunch, you know.

But you get a lunch break.

I got lunch break.

Yeah.

Designated fighting for.

We we we eat lunch in like cycles. Like,

yo. All right. You talking? Let me go

get a couple bites real quick.

When the camera cuts away shocked, y'all

need to eat as much as you do.

See?

Water. Get it done.

Uh, last thing on Coar. Do you believe

that uh do you believe that the show was

losing what did they say 40 to $60

million? I believe that the network will

tell you whatever they want you to

believe

for a real reason to get a bit of video

to justify it.

That show all of a sudden was losing $50

million. But with Creative Hollywood

accounting, you can make something look

like it's lost. They probably charged

everything in the world to that show.

Same [ __ ] NBA owners do. They all act

like they're taking a huge loss to

justify doing [ __ ]

That's why I was talking about the WNBA.

Like you think owners of course want to

write off a loss?

Losses are tax liability. It's you you

only want to write off something if you

can. If you're making so much revenue,

then you're like, "Well, now I need the

gains." But Hollywood accounting, man,

they they rent their equipment, their

lot from their companies, and they'll

make as little amount of money on the on

the movie as possible while paying all

the other subsidiaries. So technically,

that's why Hollywood movies got to make,

you know, make $200 million. You got to

make 400 50, you know, 500 to make

money. They made money the whole time.

They made money the whole time. You

think Warner Brothers wasted $90 million

on Batgirl and didn't make no money,

just wrote off 90? Oh, Warner Brothers

lot made money. They written costumes

from their self. They're written their

own makeup. All that stuff. Like they

they that thing might have lost money.

But like, did you hear the Red Lobster

dude? He said why they stopped in the

shrimp?

No.

The previous owner of In the Shrimp, he

owned the shrimp supply. So, he was

buying the shrimp from himself and

selling it to Red Lobster, operating Red

Lobster at a $20 million loss.

But his shrimp company going crazy.

Shrimp company going wild. So he's like,

I don't care if Red Lobster lose 20

million if I'm 20 million to the

positive. Like nobody knew that until

that dude said that. So it's like

you operating that company at a loss on

purpose, but you're not. Nobody's going

to lose money on purpose year after year

after year after year. You'll shut down

and 20 million, $50 million a year.

Ain't no way them big garments. Ain't no

way they losing that kind of money on

coar. Now I believe his show is

expensive.

Then they always leave it to the brother

to fix it. Now the brother got to come

in and bring stuff.

He's doing all right.

What's up? What's up?

Yeah.

I might even go to Red Flavor. He put a

little hot mouth on it. He go eat there.

No.

Oh, me and Ian went there. That [ __ ] was

delicious.

The crab boy.

I bet.

No. I'll go get the cheddar bays and

Oh, the biscuit still popping. Yeah.

Lobster always good in my book.

Yeah. Always.

Yeah. You talk about movies, you got a

project.

Yeah, I got Churchy. It's on BET coming

out August 21st. Uh, all episodes are

going to be streaming on the 21st. So,

get BET Plus. It's It's basically my

life in show form. I'm a church kid. Uh,

grew up in church. You play the drums in

church, play the bass in church, play

the keyboard in church, whatever the

church needed.

You got the church drummer look,

bro.

Everything.

[Music]

trying to get on.

Don't let him get a solo.

Look

them gigs. Them gigs play bad, right?

Well, back in the day, you didn't even

get paid.

When I was growing up, like you did this

for God.

What does you talk about? Money? Are you

crazy? This is for God.

That's why people left the church to go

to R&B. Like, that's how you got paid.

But as I got older, you know, became

$50. Now you if you on staff at a at a

big church, bro, it's 80 grand, 100

grand for for certain people, worship

leaders,

it's it's really lucrative. And I was

never that good. I appreciate you for

believing in me. I was I was I was just

keep the service going kind of drummer,

you know.

What about bass though?

Keep the service.

I was the best.

Okay.

But I was not good.

That was just my best instrument. Like I

realized playing

You got bass vibes.

Big bass vibes. That makes sense.

That makes sense. Cuz I got

I got familiar with you through

critiquing a lot of singers. So that

makes sense to why you were that

equipped to do that type of

critique. I love music. Love musicians

and you know that's a big part of the

church obviously.

So yeah, that's that's something I love

and that's that's when I knew I wasn't

going to be

like a musician. Like to me if you can't

and this is not a good a good um trait,

but it is how I am. If you're not going

to operate at the best, then for me it's

it's pointless.

Like if I'm not

the best basist, if I'm not that [ __ ]

on bass. And I remember that's why I

stopped. I was this old dude uh his name

was Brother Hall. He was playing the

bass. He was showing me something and he

was just going crazy. And I was like,

"How you do that?" And he got

frustrated. He was like, "Man, I don't I

don't know, man. I just I just played,

man. I can't think about everything I

do." And I was like, "Oh, bro, I can't I

can never operate. If I'm not doing

that, then I'm just, you know, [ __ ] I'm

not doing it." I was a youth pastor for

years and stuff. And that's when I

started working in the church. And

that's when I really learned

way more than I ever knew as an

attendant.

How old were you? What year is this when

you were a youth pastor? I was a youth

pastor from probably 26 25 26 to 29 when

I moved to LA.

I just don't know what year that is.

Oh, that was uh that was like 2008 to

roughly 2012.

You know what I'm saying?

That's when the new kids came out.

Yeah. My my my kids were jerking. That

was a big thing. We took to LA. They

wanted to go get

to get jerking shoes. Meet up with

jerking crews. That was like the best

thing in the world was jerking. They was

like

I forgot that that's LA.

They're going to clip the clip. Okay.

I'm not aware of pause. I just be I just

be talking. I saw the eyes and I was

like "What?"

Oh, yeah. You like especially in the

church context.

Yeah.

Mark Lamar.

Yo, Mark. What the [ __ ] What?

I grew up in a cult. [ __ ] was different.

Excuse me. No, they were dead ass mother

[ __ ] Just the way you said it.

You said you grew up in a cult.

Another story for another time. You

mentioned Yes. But yes,

I was very casual and the responses

didn't work. I mean, we used

that. Their responses didn't didn't seem

connected to what you saw. No, like one

of them like one of them. Well,

he [ __ ] us up when he first told us.

Oh snap.

Now we're kind of

No, they were still laughing the first

time though, just for clarity. But back

to you. The um you talked about the

brother with the base.

Yeah.

And you're not that. In what areas are

you, Brother Hall? Like what? Cuz you do

so many things.

That's a good question. Um I think my

brother Hall is marketing.

Interesting. I think I'm a better

marketer than I am anything else.

Marketer, businessman, probably one,

two, comedy wise, I could name 10, 15

[ __ ] men and women, funnier than me,

but not many that I can name that are

like

market.

Yeah. Who could like

build what I built, do what I've done,

or work harder, work as hard as I work.

That's key.

But I think marketing wise, that's my

big differentiator. I can see, you know,

and I believe it's God. I ain't going to

hold you. ideas just pop into my head

about how to market stuff, how to get

things out that's different than

everybody else.

So, give us some game on that because

there are people who know, they see you

on TikTok, they see you on Instagram,

they see your clips, but they don't

actually understand the angle that you

take or your approach.

So, for like the Ball Brothers story,

the uh

Okay, my bad.

Hold the mic.

Am I messing up?

You got to jerk it this way.

Yo, what the hell?

Freaky [ __ ]

What's up with you, mom?

You want to take it from the question or

the response?

The response.

We down. I said we was off air.

Down. What? [ __ ] don't touch me.

We're still rolling.

Okay. This is awkward.

So, for like me and Tony are doing the

Ball Brothers tour this this fall,

right?

Uh, and he's just not going to stop.

I know.

We're doing the Ball Brothers.

You can't say the jerk.

Oh ball.

Oh god.

Y'all not listening. Y'all listen, man.

Y'all just listen. Listen to the country

accent.

Y'all just listen to the list.

Put the Put the D on the word. I didn't

say

y.

Okay. And shout out to Tony. Shout out

to Tony Baker, my guy. Tony, um,

who's one of the comedians I think is

funnier than me, but it's a pleasure to

stand next to him. But to market that,

we could easily put a flyer up.

Instagram is not going to show that to

anybody. Your flyers are literally dead.

It's disrespectful. They do not care

what you talking about. You do a video

saying, "Yo, we going on tour, blah,

blah, blah." Doing nothing. So, we h we

got my home girl, Angel, who's probably

one of the most talented people I've

ever met in the world, her husband

Marcus, me and Tony, and we did a scene

from Sinners and re reworked it to make

it seem like we we was planning the

tour. Come inside, blah blah blah. What

you looking for? When he handed him the

uh money, I'm handing him the tour

dates. I got blood all over me. I got a

vest. Angel's amazing. She's killing

Annie's role. So, that thing did like

1.2 million views because people are

watching a sinner's parody that is baked

into a tour promo.

Whereas I would just say, "Hey, come to

our tour." That's not going to do

anything. So, when I was doing Keep Your

Distance way back in 2020, 2021, we

parodyied all these black movies. Like,

that's how we got people going. And at

that time I was still I'm still a clean

comedian but my church audience I had to

let them know that the comedians are

going to be cussing cuz I hadn't put

people on that cuss before cuz we always

worked in the church but I was like I

didn't want comedians to have to adhere

to how I did my thing for them to do

their thing. Like I want you to have

your best shot.

So we did like a BET promo like we

bleeped out the words how BET used to be

like mother Mickey Mouse like that.

Mickey.

Yeah. So we did an ad like that so

people would know hey it's not going to

be like that. So if you don't want to

watch, you know, do that. So I think

over the years, me and Angel did a BB

and CC parody that was done really well.

Yeah. So like people are and they don't

always

do the thing, right? They don't always

buy the ticket or go to the show, but

awareness wise, you at least know what

I'm trying to do. And I think that's the

hardest part in social media. Like the

reason those ads don't work is because

if they're not if it's not even their

city, the the algorithm is like, get it

out of here. You know, back in the day

when it was Facebook and all your

friends lived in your city. When I was

in Tacoma, I could post a flyer because

everybody who followed me lived in

Tacoma, it applies to everyone.

It's only probably been the last 5 years

where they've really started making it

like and it's been getting worse and

worse. And the truth is they want you to

pay pay. If you don't cuz when I buy

ads, they're wildly effective. Like when

I buy it in Target, like when I'm going

to New York or Houston or whatever, like

they steal that data. You play the game

they want to play. For sure. This it's

wildly impactful.

It don't be that expensive.

It doesn't. It's not expensive at all.

Like overall per day a dollar or $5

really has impact. But if you don't want

to do that, they're like, "Then we're

not showing it to you,

period." You know what I'm saying? So I

think

understanding how that works is

I understand on principle with them

Instagram [ __ ] They be like, "Do you

want to boost?

You want to boost this?" No, I do, but

[ __ ] y'all. Right.

You got to target it. You have if you

don't use Facebook is effective with it.

Facebook is Facebook is the best.

Listen,

Facebook I love Facebook.

Facebook and Instagram is one platform

as far as ads go. You know what I'm

saying? So if you buy it on Facebook,

they'll show it to people's Instagram

and stuff. And I'm telling you, when

they steal that data, they stole it for

a reason.

Oh yeah.

Like they they know where you are. Like

you'll get an ad when you're in a city

that you don't even live in for a show

tonight.

You know what I'm saying? They're not

supposed to be able to know how to do

that.

But they do. They do. They absolutely do

cuz they want you to pay and that's

their real that's how they make their

money.

So understanding how that works and

stuff like that is probably my my

brother hall. You know what I'm saying?

In doing that what do you what did you

learn about audiences? Like who who are

audiences?

Man, I think the first thing you need to

know who your audience is. My audience

is 7030 black women 25 to 44 which to me

is the best audience to have because

they're loyal.

Black women they're loyal. Even as a

comedian you look out in the the crowd

women will pull up six feet deep. They

won't think about it. Six men are not

Imagine y'all be like, "Nigga, we going

to the club together as boys."

We not even friends.

Yeah, we get in the elevator with them.

Me neither.

Girls will go by themselves. They'll

also go with their their man. And they

also come alone. Men will usually only

come with their partner. They'll they

rarely go

a table of eight men. You you never

seeen you never see that at a comedy

show.

So that's that's really I mean I didn't

really seek out the audience. it it it

found me and I think that's part of the

marriage part and stuff like that, you

know, and the church part people and the

content, you know what I'm saying? But

if I were to choose an audience, that's

who I would have chose.

Uh then you just drill down to the city

and and you know, likes and stuff like

that. So I think

you said you you usually do like a clean

show yourself. Do you ever feel like

that holds you back from reaching

clean? No, I No. Yeah.

I don't think it holds me back at all. I

think whatever I'm supposed to be and

get is because I'll be authentic. You

know what I'm saying? Uh, and Simbad's

one of my icons. Most people don't even

realize Simbad's not cussing

because he's not like corny clean. He's

just not cussing. And I think there's a

difference. And I say [ __ ] and I talk

about coochie and stuff like I just

don't use cuss words cuz I don't really

cuss like that.

Can I ask you a question about that?

What's the

Why are you comfortable not cursing but

comfortable saying [ __ ]

You know what? As a church kid, I could

not cuss, but I said [ __ ] at school

always. So interesting cuz I didn't used

to say [ __ ] on platform. So people

think I just started saying it. I just

It struck me when you said it. Yeah, I

didn't say it on platforms because they

would take your videos down. So, it's

just out of habit more than anything

else. But now they're not as strict

about it as they used to be. Um, but um

I think I mean I'm I'm glad you know we

was we were saying [ __ ]

they auto corrector too.

Yeah.

No [ __ ] you man.

You ever had a closed caption when they

make you rethink it?

You ever had a closed caption on on the

show when they say it?

No.

Oh no. And they they throw the ER on it

every time.

Yeah, they will.

Oh, so does Siri when you read it in the

car.

Yeah, they will throw the ER on it.

Yeah.

Yeah, Siri be bugging me. So,

Mark, [ __ ] just learned you say [ __ ]

too.

Yeah, but I say [ __ ] right? But I cut

you. I mean, so it's not inconsistent.

Like I just I'm always struck by people.

Well, I think cussative like in my

family saying pissed off was not a cuss

word. But a lot of people feel like

pissed off.

My dad, you couldn't say pissed off,

right?

My mom said pissed off. So I grew up not

thinking that was a cuss word at all

until I grew up. Even some kids couldn't

say lie in their family.

We couldn't say lie now.

My kids can't say lie now.

See what you're telling the story. Tell

the story fibon or whatever. But I

didn't get some real

[ __ ] Why? Why your kids can't say lie

today? I understood it from my

granddaddy and

well from it. It was disrespectful and

and coming up it was disrespectful the

way it was presented to me for kids even

be saying the word lie. You say telling

a story and I passed this [ __ ] right on.

What if someone's lying though? You're

telling us they're not telling the

story. You're telling the story. You're

telling the story. You're not telling

the truth.

What age is it okay to be like, "Do

man, you a [ __ ] liar."

Yeah. What age is all right? When you

ready to catch the chess shot that come

with that,

right?

It don't make sense. It never made sense

to me as a kid. I never got a good

answer for it. So, I just passed it. We

just passed it down.

You pass it down, too?

Yeah.

No, I didn't pass it down. But, when you

hear kids say that's a lie, it does make

you mad as [ __ ] when your kids say that.

I I see what you're saying,

man. We couldn't say hell. Like, it

definitely couldn't say hell. Yes.

Even your family is church church, too.

Not at my not when we were younger. My

moms didn't get into the church until I

was grown.

Got it.

It was just It was just

certain [ __ ] we couldn't do. Like I

don't curse in front of my mom to this

day.

Me either.

I'll be mad when my mother be saying she

watched the pot. I'm like, "Uh, you

heard me say certain stuff?"

Wow. I have a question for you, Kev.

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh man.

Yeah. I'm going to ask it.

Yeah. So, some church people now

are

they are what's the word? Not sassy, but

some church people hide behind the veil

of the church and get their [ __ ] off.

Like in the church, rest in peace to

Pastor Ron, but in the church, if you

sit in the back, you'll hear how they

really talking about some of the people

in the church. Yeah.

So, my question to you is about Tyler

Perry.

Okay.

No.

What? Yeah. Wait, threw me off, [ __ ]

He gave all the context.

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry recently sat

down with Kirk Franklin.

He sat down with I think Jeezy was there

and another from Big Dave.

Yeah. And they were having a really

great conversation and in which

um Tyler said, "Hey, everybody was

gushing over the Ryan Cougler deal, but

been there, done that.

I did that 20 years ago. I taught him

how to do it. I just did it quiet. But I

mean, you got to give and then he did

the whole church thing. He does it.

Tyler Perry is the best edition.

And then he went back into the church.

No, you got to give the message and

share and yada. But I feel like I heard

the

shade

the shade towards Ryan. Just not toward

Ryan or but just shade in

the message.

It was shade in that message, right? Or

it could be shade in like y'all

highlighting this when I been did this

and nobody highlighted it. It could just

be shade there.

Like why you getting the attention for

some [ __ ] that I been did?

Yeah, but he didn't need to do that.

No, he didn't need to. He also he also

didn't make it public.

So you gave

He did make it public.

No, no, he didn't now. Tyler made it

public now when he was speaking to them

about But you didn't make it public

before that. And you told Ryan behind

the scenes for him to have the

information do on his own. So now that

he do it, why you feel like you need to

get the credit for that?

Because I agree with that. I agree with

that.

Like you did it quietly. Continue to be

quiet about it and move along.

I know that's your man, but I would like

to hear the question. How what does the

church have to do with it?

No, no, no, no. Just

Oh, why did he do that?

Or did did you hear the shade in that?

I didn't I didn't hear the shade. I I

think it's actually interesting. Um it's

an interesting point of view. I didn't

really hear the shade or take it as

shade. Um Tyler is usually pretty um

open about like I made the most

millionaires. I' I've hired the most

black people. So to me, you know, I I

went and got these actors who hadn't

been working and put them on like the

dude from the Cosby Show when he was

working at Trader Joe's. Like Tyler

would go and put you in a movie right

away. He's actually put some influences

on as well. So to me that was just

Tyler's consistently like here's what

I've done. You know what I'm saying? The

Ryan Cougler thing is is interesting

because you know he he has had those

deals but I've always heard like Tyler

did those first 10 episodes of Meet the

Browns and then the network bottom like

I've always heard it like that. I think

Ryan's thing was that's not usually done

at that scale for that type of thing,

right? Tyler came in independent,

right? He partnered with Lionsgate. He

came in, you know, 4 million 840. That's

always been his story. But Ryan was like

traditional studio model with Fruit Val

with with with Black Panther, with

Creed, they're not giving you no points

off nothing. So then to get, you know,

first dollar gross

is you can't even lie. like backend

participation them studios can charge

anything they want. They can charge

y'all like I worked at a company we you

you'll be surprised how creative account

it can get when you don't want to pay

somebody.

We charge myself

right there.

Can you say that again?

Oh my god.

Thank you for coming today, man.

Wow. This is driving knowledge.

But in Hollywood, bro, they not like

they charging the light, the light bulb,

the lunch, the secretary, you know, the

assistant who works your assistant who

who might order lunch for the star, they

now charging her whole salary for the

day to the project. Like now nothing

made no money, right? But first dollar

gross means the moment somebody buys a

ticket to centers, Ryan gets a

percentage of that. You cannot hide that

type of money. So that part of the deal

I haven't heard I'm not saying doesn't

exist but I haven't heard Tyler get that

part of the the the deal. Um so maybe

you know because even Ryan was like he

was big on what Christopher Nolan you

know helped him negotiate. I don't know

if that was the IMAX or the deal part

but Nolan be getting those things but

again it's it's not always the same for

black people and white people in in

Hollywood especially with back in

participation. But no I didn't take it

as shade. I that was pretty consistent

with what I've heard from Tyler over the

years, but just specific to that deal

was like, "Oh, I didn't know." Maybe in

part cuz I didn't Nobody knew he he did

it. He brought up. But I have heard that

dialogue about people like, "If you was

helping them, why'd you

why'd you just help?"

Why we turn it down? Just do it.

Yeah. Yeah. Church people got that that

righteous shady that they It's for It's

a little It's a little

Black people have that.

Black people have

It just look different in the church.

Yeah.

That's because you expect

Do you think it's because people expect

church people to be different than

because they say they are.

Yeah. Yeah. I think that's the biggest

thing. Church people are no different

than any other people.

Of course.

You right. And like it's and and I do

agree with you. Like church people can

be shady. We can put on like the whole

PK thing. We expect the pastor's kids to

be better than our kids. Right. Your kid

can have six kids out of wedlock, same

age as the pastor's son. He kisses

somebody.

But if TD Jake's kid has a baby, it's

like the world's acting like the world's

over.

The world's acting crazy. But that was

not really uncommon in America nor the

church. But we think because TD Jake has

a daughter, his daughter should be

what? Special and different and perfect.

But the the Bible talks about none of us

are perfect. You know, all have sinned

and fallen short of the glory of God.

But I think as people, we put those

people on pedestals and the expectation.

But church people are just people, man.

And

so where do you fall on Hulk Hogan's

death? Oo, I think it's a it's a case of

multiple things are true at one time. It

is absolutely true that Hulk Hogan

changed the game of wrestling. He was

the biggest superstar, he made it bigger

than it ever was. Also, in the same

breath,

the reason wrestlers don't have unions

is also because of before he even get to

the race stuff. So, he also he made it

bigger, but he also stunted the

business.

He made it bigger for him.

He made it bigger for him. bigger for

everybody as a result, but he made it so

that he ate more than everybody else. As

a wrestler, he's wrestlers don't really

are on record for not liking Hulk Hogan.

He didn't want to put people over for a

long time. So, just as a wrestler, only

as a wrestler, it's murky.

And then racewise, obviously, the stuff

he said about black people, it's so

interesting how people want when you

die, a lot of people just want you to

talk about the positive part of your

legacy. The your legacy is the totality

of you. Mhm.

Not just the good and not just the bad.

We have that talk up here a lot when

people pass, right? And it normally

splits the room in how we feel. But this

is important.

Your legacy is the totality of who you

are. Right. For for all intents and

purposes, I have for the most part a

good rep right now. Right. If I were to

die right now

with no smut on name, people like Kev is

a solid dude. If all of a sudden in 10

years I start cheating people out of

deals, start pushing babies down,

punching dogs or something. I'm

consistently doing that. People who love

dogs be like, "Man, that dude used to

punch dogs." It don't matter that he

used to hire black people like he used

to punch dogs. Like Mike Vic, who I

love, his legacy also includes the dog

part. Now, black people, if you

depending on how you feel, you may

forget.

I think that's fair.

But it it's it's true, though.

It's true.

Yeah.

But who made it true?

But what if I'm a super dog lover? If

you're a super dog lover, I am a super

dog lover, right? Like white people

level super dog lover like like dogs

over people kind of person.

It's unforgivable that I don't know if

you know that.

Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. I am that.

Then then if you stood up and said I got

issue with this thing and I'm mentioning

it at the time and said I don't think

that's crazy. You know what I'm saying?

I I don't think you have to do that.

There are plenty of people that died

that I don't speak of their worst

moments, but I don't get mad at people

who do if their legacy impacted them in

that way. So there's nothing you can do

within that time to the to your passing

to at least redeem or kind of like

mend some of that over

I think you can. That's why I don't

reduce people to their worst moment.

Like if Hulk Hogan had one one day said

some racist [ __ ] and that's all he did.

I wouldn't say anything about it on his

death. I I probably would just mind my

just continuous.

But when you have a pattern of harm,

I don't think it's wrong for the people

who were harmed. That's why I used

Ronald Reagan's example last week.

Black people don't have to pretend

Ronald Reagan wasn't wasn't a monster

when he dies. I think we have every

right to say something about it.

You know, at some point, I mean, I hate

to go to the extreme example, but

Hitler, Hitler was really bad, dude.

I don't think people have to be quiet

when he dies and be like, you know what,

for this week, we just not going to say

nothing.

Yeah.

Queen of England, bro. Like, the people

who the English people love her,

but all the black English people don't

feel so strong. And people who live in

the colonies that they were still over,

who got independence from them in their

lifetime, they did not feel bad when she

died.

Yeah. Right. She's not a positive person

to me. And I think black people I feel

like our emotions are policed more than

other people. Yes. But Hogan didn't rock

with black people ever that I've seen

that he said racist stuff recent like he

didn't he never really stopped like he

let me tell you something allegedly

something to like a waiter called a

waiter [ __ ] or something like that. So

it's like and also I don't think he ever

showed that remorse like I'm Mike Vic

did like he he did his time in prison.

He did all this stuff changed ways but

Hulk Hogan never really did that stuff.

I understand when people like I'm not

letting them off the hook. And also it's

the internet. People are more

forward with what they say on the

internet.

Especially if you're just tweeting it

like there's no consequences. So I think

that gives us a

misrepresent misrepresentation of how

people

act face to face. I'm saying I think the

internet you get the jokes off you don't

feel bad but you you wouldn't

necessarily say that in real life.

I'm seeing a lot of people say that for

them Hulk Hogan died a a long time ago.

Yes. Like the idea of Hulk Hogan was

dead about 10 years ago. I can

understand why now people feel so

adamant about wanting to speak so loudly

about

why he died 10 years ago to them.

Kazim said that thing said something

similar. He said he felt the same way

about Bill Cosby. Like

for a lot of us he was

perfect the model the the Cosby show.

And you know a lot of people when he

passes away it's going to be the same

thing. Like he did a lot for black

people did a lot for scholarships. I

went to college because of a different

world. Just because that show existed, I

was like, "Dang, this looks like fun. I

want to go to college." That was the

biggest impact on me because my family

didn't go to college. Like him in

college was made me want to go to

college. But then he he also was doing

other stuff. At the same time, he was

making a different world.

He stole that idea, too.

And see what I mean? Now, that was the

one good thing I still had left. I

didn't even know that stuff.

I'm not saying he did. I don't know that

story. I was part of it.

Technically, he stole the idea of

different world from uh school days. I

didn't even hear that.

Yeah.

Dang.

Me neither. He might just be

freestyling. No, I'm dead. I'm serious.

No, the the production, the casting,

director, and everything. He stole her,

brought her over because

Okay, I get he was inspired by it and

and then hired. I guess it's a little

different.

He stole tomatoes to my

inspiration, man. School days wasn't

necessarily the same.

No,

I can see how if you see school days and

it's about to drop and do

Oh, like black people in college.

Yeah. You can 100% take that idea and

try to run it and turn it into your own

[ __ ] Got it.

But I think if Hulk Hogan had a heart

attack at 50 and died 20 years ago, the

way people talk about him would be

totally different. All that stuff

started coming out as the internet.

Yeah. The story that killed him in in

the 80s or '90s. Yeah. He'd been a whole

different person cuz all them other

people who died, Macho Man, like them

stories, I don't know that he did

anything, but those stories

Oh, no. Macho Man was a monster, too.

Ask Elizabeth and Lex Luger. They both

used to miss Elizabeth.

I just found the Ultimate Warrior was

terrible like two weeks ago. He was

worse than Hulk Hogan. He was a me and

him used to argue. He was a diehard

racist. Ultimate warrior.

Yes.

Argu which one?

He was a big Fox News watch.

The only one.

The Ultimate Warrior used to literally

call me after like Fox News Bill

O'Reilly appearance and like argue with

me about why black people are [ __ ] up.

Wow.

Yeah.

The ultimate warrior.

The ultimate warrior. Chicken road.

Yeah. Ultimate warrior. Body slam Hulk

Hogan and Wrestlemania 5. Yes. What

about Ravage Rick Rude? didn't really

know him, but

that video of him pretending to eat the

girl out while he's carrying across the

stage without consent. Dink the clown

was cool.

Yes, Undertaker was good, man.

Undertaker's good money.

Undertaker's good money.

He's been Lanny Po. You're good.

Uh, Undertaker. He be a little MAGA.

He's a little MAGA.

Oh, they're all MAGA.

We just be like, just don't say nothing

was racist.

Wait, we not [ __ ] with people cuz

they mega.

Don't play with counting. Okay.

Then you start telling everybody who's

maggoting and that's the whole

I got to get rid of some of my Puerto

Rican friends that's mad now.

I had at least one cast member here who

voted for Trump.

You keep saying that. And I think it's

true.

I I think you trolling when you said

I think he is. Okay.

You know, I almost thought to call you

and say, "Hey, man. Who is it?"

Was you trolling?

If you called me, I told you it was.

Say word.

Yeah, I'll tell you. You know for sure

somebody told me.

Are you joking? They might have been

lying to you though.

No, no, they weren't. I promise you they

weren't. They were

Why would somebody confide in you that

works up here?

Because they know I wouldn't tell them

who it was. They know I my my my my word

of sacros.

Tell me.

Well, I'm tell you

they're on the cast or they just work up

here.

They have a microphone.

Oh [ __ ]

Oh [ __ ] Nah, they are fired.

Oh, you know what? I'm not telling you.

No, I would do that. Nobody's fired.

Nobody's fired. And I believe that. I

believe that. I believe I do believe

somebody

trying to do I don't even I don't

I thought you were talking about someone

off camera before you thought it was

Kee.

No,

you thought it was Cory.

Oh yeah. Actually,

you think Cory Cory voted Cory don't got

to vote.

Cory can't vote. Cory three time

one more strike. He one strike away.

Um I was trying to say uh for the people

that are unfamiliar with you watching,

give me your start. What was your start?

What was your what's your big break?

You know, that's so interesting, man. I

don't I don't even know how to like

encapsulate it as one moment. I've never

had like the like Tiffany hadis girls

trip, you're out of here. I I don't have

that like one thing. Um I've had like

viral videos, but it never felt like

something changed immediately. I feel

like I've just been steadily, you know,

making videos. Like I I did a Neahoo

video that went viral. What happened to

Neahoo? And I found all the neoos in

'90s R&B. Remember that?

Yeah. But that didn't like I still had

to go to work for 2 years.

When did When did you start seeing more

people at the Comedy Tour?

Ooh,

I guess when I first went on tour for

myself. I guess that's probably the

moment. 2018,

2017, I was on tour with four other

people and a promoter. This is something

I talk about in my book, Successful

Failure, coming out September 23rd. Um,

he made a grave mistake with me.

Uh, and he didn't realize he made it. He

was paying four of us and we were

splitting half the take four different

ways and he kept the other half. And all

he did was rent the venue and and uh,

book the flights and book the hotel.

Something like that. And we were doing a

show in Houston, Dallas, and San

Antonio. I'll never forget. And he sent

us the numbers.

I was about to say the email.

He sent us the numbers how many tickets

we were selling. And it was like we were

getting like six grand a show. And at

that time in my life I was like this is

crazy. Somebody's giving me $6,000 a

night. Like I started off getting zero

dollars for years. I was at Dad Jackson

happy. Shout out Nate Jackson. Super

funny comedy club. This is no shade. I

needed stage time more than money at

that time. He let me do 20 m 20 minutes

for two years. I developed the most as a

comedian at the time. Never cared about

money. He eventually paid me. Um but it

was you know $50 to $100 to $200. For

years I made $500. So all of a sudden

I'm getting $6,000 a night. So coming

home with, you know, 12 grand. This is

crazy. I'm going to my wife like, "Man,

we made $15,000

this month for three shows in a tour."

And we were going to Houston in Dallas,

which today to this day are some of my

biggest markets. And he was like, "But

San Antonio wasn't selling well." And

San Antonio still never sells well.

That's why I don't come here. I'm sorry

y'all. Um, and he was like, "Just get

Houston, San Antonio up to just Dallas

and look how much y'all make." And I saw

how much the numbers were at once. It

was like 40 grand. And I'm like, "Hold

on now. Wait. He's keeping half of this

for renting the church and giving us

some chicken and buying a flight. Like

he and he needs us to market it,

right? Without us, he can't market the

show. Back in the day, I get it. Like

you you was getting James Brown. Not

James Brown cuz he did it himself, but

they're flying you marketing by the

radio like you couldn't do it by

yourself. But I'm like he needs us to

market this." uh to sell this out. I

don't even need to sell this many

tickets

to make more than $6,000. If I can get

the venue for $1,000 or $2,000 and I can

get this whole thing,

do it yourself here.

I can do it myself. Especially if you

need me to market and he needed all of

us, but I'm like

I know at that time I couldn't sell what

all three or four of us could sell

together right?

But I don't need to. Nope.

Cuz I don't have to I don't have to

split it.

Yeah. If I can pay a flat fee and get a

good deal on the churches and I got good

relationship with the churches. I'm

getting churches for $1,000 at that

time.

$1,000 and I sell 800 tickets, 900

tickets. Bro, I'm I'm good. So, I did

that tour, finished that out, and that

was the last time I toured where

somebody paid me from that moment on.

Um, and we went from at that time we

were selling out maybe 300 seats and I

was like, "This is crazy. We're selling

300 tickets." They were selling out all

over the place. Then 300 became 600. 600

became 1,000. And this last tour we did

like 3,000 in Brooklyn. We did 3,000 in

London.

Oh, come on. Stop playing.

Yeah. It was like

stop playing.

Crazy. Now, at the same time, I got to

bear the whole weight of all those

flights and hotels and it doesn't it

doesn't do well. Like that's the those

are the good shows. I I'm not talking

about the Kansas City, you know, 712

when I'm running discounted tickets and

I don't make that. You know what I'm

saying? So it it es and flows, but

that's probably the biggest thing for me

is going out on tour by myself because

that allowed me the money that I, you

know, saved to make Churchy, you know,

um cuz the first time I made Churchy, me

and my wife paid for it ourselves and

then we licensed it to BET. So that was

a lot of comedy shows, a lot of Spectrum

commercials, you know, saving all that

money. Um, and I think that that allowed

me to get into media the way I wanted to

versus having to wait for somebody else

to, you know, pick up my show and stuff

like that. So, I think that's probably

the biggest thing was uh that tour 2018,

the real comedians of social media.

Is that guy taping our whole show?

No, no, he's getting like some clips.

Okay.

Yeah, he he was he was watching for 20

30 minutes. Yeah, he's just making a

vlog for my pat.

No, no, no. Turn it off, man. Just put

it down. Put it down. Put it down for

the rest. Normally when them [ __ ] come

with the side cam, they tape the whole

show. It drop before we drop the car on

the way.

What the [ __ ]

The whole [ __ ]

I wouldn't even mess up the air

schedule. That's why I always ask where

y'all, but he's just doing a vlog for my

Patreon.

Speak to me about um Damn, Mark is not

here on that on that episode. I wasn't

here. Oh man, he left.

Y'all got He'll be right back. He does

what he wants up here.

Okay. Uh Mark, somehow it got to Mark

talking about how important his wife is

to him and like the moment they met and

how he knew it was love. I y'all bodied

that.

When I watch your clips and your wife

happens to pop in the frame,

Yeah.

I be like that's the key that it looked

like it just it comes off like

again like the planner and the thinker

and behind the scenes behind every

strong black man. It comes off like if

there's ever a time where you hang in

your head or just self-doubt. Yeah.

Or it looks like the great ortor is

there to just dispel. Speak to me about

how important

that role is and the fact that that's

your wife that does it. I I think it's

amazing.

Bro, thank you for noticing.

Absolutely fire.

It is the outside of like marketing and

the other stuff I was saying about me.

My biggest differentiator is her. is her

1,000%

brilliant business mind.

Brilliant. And and more than business,

her gut, her instinct is is more sure

than mine.

I'm so ambitious. I will like, you know,

boguard and make it. She'd be like,

"Something's off about this." And she

has never in any business dealing ever

said something's off about this

and been wrong and been wrong. M

even if I and and it's always not only

she been wrong eventually whatever she

thought she might not even know but it

would be like dang that's what it was

just something about him something about

her something about this deal feels off

uh and I'm you know I'm I'm ambitious

I'm you know stubborn she'll be like

she'll know when when for me when to

lean into that or when I'm tripping it

you know what I'm saying going to a

meeting like Kev you should lay back or

you should be aggressive don't send the

email do this and then just also I think

for me. I don't waste energy with other

women. I think creatively I don't waste

I'm allowed to be creative because it's

just her. I'm not trying to juggle

different women. I don't lie. You know

what I'm saying? Like

I'm glad for that.

I firmly believe

See, that's where we I mean that's

that's never

I'm coming home like I I'm on the first

flight on the road. I want to get home

to the kids, the dog.

You know what I'm saying? I'm focused.

But like to your point and honestly I

couldn't have been a standup comedian

without her. Like she was, you know,

when I got fired from my job, she was

the job. She was the healthcare. She

watched the boys cuz you know I'm a

father first.

You making having a wife fire.

No, you don't play.

She was like legit everything. Like I I

would have been um better off if I

listened to her all the time. I don't

listen to her all the time. I've made

some mistakes. Uh some have cost me

hundreds of thousands of dollars. uh one

deal where I didn't listen to her. Her

gut was like, "We we should pay like for

the first um one of these productions

we're doing, we we were talking the

person, they were like, "We we'll take

we'll take over financing." And my wife

was like, "Nah, Kev, we shouldn't we

shouldn't do that." I was like, "Well,

we ain't never done it. Like, I don't

even know how to do that." She was like,

"I'd rather us figure out how to do it

than to give that up." And I I mean,

like three times she was like, "We

should not do it like this." And I

didn't listen. and I got beat out of a a

good amount of money, right? And I can't

legally say they stole it.

I can only legally say there has not

been an accurate budget account for all

the f the funds this person had. Had I

just listened to her though,

you would have been in that different

position. But now that was the last time

that was the last time I ever did that.

Like we we talked about stuff like we

don't agree, we'll talk about it till we

come to a plan. But I I've never stepped

over her

since that moment. Never since that

moment because she's Yeah. Lesson

learned.

Oh yeah.

But she's like super sharp, super smart,

super funny. Um contentwise, some of my

best videos are her ideas. Um sometimes

I'll ask her, "Hey, is this video timing

wise? Can I post this?" She's like, "You

can't make that joke or you can make

that joke." You know what I'm saying? So

just to bounce stuff off of her, like

that's probably my my most secret power

outside of like being a hustler and

marketer and businessman. I have another

person who's equally or if not smarter

than me who is there, you know, to give

me advice. She's like a consiliary.

She's like a mob boss's right-hand man.

Like she

goes to war. And in our marriage when we

was writing this book, I realized she

was like, I don't want you cuz you know

I'm, you know, black man. I want to

provide for my wife. I want to protect

you. She was like, I don't want you to

put me up in this castle to protect me.

You go on the battlefield. If we're on

the battlefield, we're on the

battlefield. You got a sword. I got a

sword. we should be back to back

fighting. You don't need to be out there

taking this alone. Like, I want to be

out there with you. And I'm like, but

I'm a man. She was like, yeah, but I'm

telling you, like,

this is not how I want our relationship

to be. I want to be out there with you.

If we take the L, we take the L

together. She's never said I told you

so. If we agree,

that was my next question. Has she ever

hit you with the I told you so? Even

when that deal lost?

Never. That's fine.

She's had me dead to rights on I told

you so. Sometimes the most powerful I

told you so. We both know she could have

just be quiet and she don't even have to

like when that when that person got away

with that bread.

You don't got to say you don't have to

be shady. We both know if you would have

just listen. She's just in there making

breakfast like everything all good like

a

I ain't got to say nothing for the rest

of our life. We both know, right? But

she's never even when I got fired in my

like to your point about confidence.

When I got fired uh back in Washington,

I was like I was a shell of myself for a

minute because like I had always worked

I'd always been good at everything. When

I got fired, I'm like I'm not good at

something. I had previously been like

seller of the quarter and now I'm

getting fired in in the economic

downturn. I don't have a job. I got to

go to labor ready. I felt like a Tyler

Perry movie. I had to take my sons

to the job place. A bus drove by

splashed me with water. I'm like, man,

this is unreal. Like I have my sons in

here. Y'all sit down. I got to talk to

the man. Do the paperwork. Stuff wasn't

even online yet. Like I got to do the

unemployment stuff at some place.

Yeah. Yeah.

Right. I got to I got to take that L.

And I was like, I ain't going on the

unemployment. She was like, who ain't

what?

Like brother, you got to put that ego to

the side. Like we got to we got bills to

pay.

But she never was like making fun of me,

beating me down, none of that stuff.

Like she really held me down. So that's

why when we come up, it's not like I'm

up now. It's like we've we've risen and

fallen together. Can't stunt on that

person.

No,

you can't. There is no such thing as a

stunt on that person, guys.

No, that that we're a team. I feel like

I'm Yeah. I say it sound like you got a

partner, like a real partner.

A real

That's my wife, my friend. And in this

business, too, in Hollywood, you you

know, and in this industry, you you

never know who's like friend for real,

who's in it for the wrong reason.

Who's in it for the wrong reason, who's

just hanging around to eventually ask

you for something. I'm not even saying

that's wrong, right? But you got to have

somebody a a group of people who you

know that

if we lost everything if I was no longer

camp on stage and I had to work at a

grocery store or Uber or you know a

trash man whatever I had to do

right

you be like well [ __ ] we when we was up

we was up though

you know what I'm saying? So I got your

lunch when you come home but we ain't up

no more. You know what I'm saying? So I

think that's that really

sets me apart from a lot of people.

What' she say when you told her you was

coming up here?

She was excited.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

She actually told me, she was like,

"Kev, I she told me when I hit I was

like, I'mma hit Joe." She was like,

"I think he might respond." She was

like, "I think you you downplay who you

are." Like even if he even if he says

we're busy or we can't do it, she's

like, "I don't think he'll leave you

unread." Like I need you to

look is she right about that.

Yeah. And I didn't know like I never

asked for nothing like that Kevin Hart

Isa Ray clip. I don't know if y'all saw

that where Issa was saying she don't

want to ask for help. I I saw that and I

was like dang that's and Kevin Hart was

like no ask ask you never know who you

might do like changed my life and then

my home girl Nina Parker said there's no

award

Nina Parker we love Nina

solid she was like there's no award for

doing something with no help

and I was like dang

can I can I cuz you said you moved to LA

when did you move to LA

I moved to LA in 2013

what was your Cuz I'm not sure where you

came from but what

Washington state

okay Tacoma

okay so what was your experience just in

that move I moved to LA for a little bit

and I hated the experience.

Really?

Yeah. It It's cool.

Well, he put all his energy in his wife.

He said,

"Yeah, it was a little different."

He said he wasn't spreading it spreading

it around.

Let's have a Let's have a good

conversation, guys. Let's focus on

He works He works in film though, so

it's a slightly different thing.

Well, I mean, entertainment you feel as

entertainment. You still kind of deal

with the same nonsense, but how was your

adjustment from going from Tacoma to the

biggest adjustment for me that made it

tough? We both worked at Boeing at the

time before we moved

at Boeing. at Boeing, the Boeing

company.

Airplanes airplanes.

Oh, you see you seen some shady [ __ ]

You went from Boeing to entertain

[ __ ]

Yeah, we were I was on the commercial

side. She was on the defense side. Even

at that time, she made more money than

me. Had a real job. And I was like,

"Nigga, I can't believe I'm here." Like,

I was watching YouTube videos at work.

Uh it's not why the planes fell. It had

nothing to do with that. Um but it was

for us, we was really locked in as a

family. Like I wrote out a whole plan

for how we were going to move cuz this

was still the housing crisis. Our house

was upside down at the time, but it was

it was smooth, but I think it was smooth

because it was we had each other. Like I

know it sound cliche or whatever, but me

and Melissa, the two boys, like we was

focused on, you know, building. At that

time, my boys were working at Austin SV.

So, I was getting paid to write, direct,

edit, produce their sketches. And we was

getting paid $500 a video and she was

working a regular job. And it was like

we had goals. I was building Kev on

stage page at the time. I ended up, you

know, working with Tracy Evans at the

time,

but it was like, I remember we first

moved here. We didn't have no money. We

cashed out our 401k and I was like, "We

need to go to the Lakers game."

She was like, "Are you dumb? Like

Lakers?" And I was like, "Kobe going to

retire." Like, "We got to see Kobe

before he retired." Bro, we sat

literally at

nose bleed.

I mean, hunched over. Kobe hit the

game-winning shot. It was a only Laker

game we went to for like 10 years,

right? Until we, you know, I got a show

on TBS and they they let us go in the

box seat. before that we did that spent

like it was like 600 bucks but at that

time it was like kev come on I was like

bliss it's Kobe

like we got to see Kobe before he