Ep 31: The Politics of Healing - Featuring Rickey Smiley

On this week’s filibuster, Jemele examines the 5-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, reflecting on how athletes' activism helped power a worldwide movement and why their efforts weren't sustained. Jemele is then joined by actor and comedian Rickey Smiley, whose network comedy special “Fool-ish” premieres on Hulu on May 30. Smiley explains why it’s taken him over a decade to record a new comedy show. He also explains why he tempered his response to Katt Williams, whose viral interview with Shannon Sharpe included harsh criticisms of Smiley. Plus, Smiley opens up on what his healing journey has looked like since losing his son to a drug overdose and how he discovered recently he was the father of twin girls.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, what's up everybody. I'm Jameel Hill and welcome to politics.
And I heard podcast and unbothered production. Time to get spolitical.
Minnesota Link starred Nfisa Callier led a moment of silence

(00:21):
to honor George Floyd on the fifth anniversary of his death.
And based off the reaction, you would have thought Fee
and the Links did something far worse than, say, a
police officer killing a man in the middle of a
Minneapolis street by kneeling on his neck for nine straight minutes.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
And to make the league even less appealing, the Minnesota
Lynks decided to hold in front of a mostly empty
stadium a moment of silence for George Floyd. You remember him,
the fella who died with a fatal level of fentanyl
in his system and who had a long record of
criminalogy and violence, including against women. Yes, the WNBA thought

(00:58):
this was a good idea.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Of honoring our fallen heroes, our real fallen heroes. The
WNBA chose to honor George Floyd instead of honoring the
men and women who sacrificed their lives. So I have
the freedom to talk about this dump of a league,
the WNBA decided to honor Jorge.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
Can I get a moment of silence for the WNBA
who is no longer going to be with us because
they are self destructed.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Things sure have changed since that alleged racial reckoning that
supposedly took place back in twenty twenty. We had celebrities
thinking they were freedom fighters because they posted black squares
on Instagram, had Nancy Pelosi and Congress thinking they were
members of the Door of Malaja, and NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell out here cosplaying as a white abolitionist from the

(01:53):
eighteen hundreds.

Speaker 5 (01:55):
We the National Football League admit we were wrong for
not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to
speak out and peacefully protests.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
In twenty twenty, the entire world protested the horrific murder
of George Floyd, and what was especially powerful was seeing
so many and sports use their platform, their voices, and
their resources to draw a line in the sand about dignity, decency,
and humanity. But on this fifth anniversary, the Lynks largely
stood alone in honoring Floyd. There was barely a mintion
of Floyd anywhere else in the sports world. Besides, it's

(02:26):
not like this is the first time the Lynks found
themselves willing to stand alone. In twenty sixteen, months before
Colin Kaepernick took a knee, it was the Links, led
by superstar Maya Moore, who spoke out after Alton Sterling
and Filando Castile were murdered by police, causing the Minneapolis
Police Department to walk off their post at their game.

(02:47):
I was among those who knew that twenty twenty wasn't
a movement. It was sadly only a moment when we
briefly exceeded expectations. But it's easy to stand with black
people and against white supremacy when it's a popular trend
and there's some widespread agreement that what happened to Floyd
was wrong, even though that isn't the case now. But
the real separates from the fake when there is little

(03:09):
support and being in alignment with black empowerment and social
justice lessons, power freezes opportunities and loses political and social capital.
It certainly didn't take five years for the script to
be flipped, but this country is in the midst of
one of its deepest embraces of white supremacy, starting with
the current president, who most recently unapologetically spread the lie

(03:31):
that there is white genocide taking place in South Africa
in order to justify welcoming white South African quote unquote
refugees into the country with expedited paths to US citizenship. Meanwhile,
this administration is trying to end a program that revokes
the legal status of over five hundred thousand migrants who
are mostly from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Speaker 5 (03:53):
Gee.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
I wonder what the difference is. The Sports world boldly
took a stand five years ago. We literally went from this.

Speaker 6 (04:00):
Three team members, Marcus Smart, Vincent Poorier, and Ennis Canter
all came out to join peaceful protesters downtown in Boston. Yesterday,
Cantor was seen at the State House wearing his Celtics jersey.

Speaker 4 (04:11):
He chanted, I can't.

Speaker 6 (04:13):
Breathe with the other protesters. Cantor also tweeted a video
of himself speaking to a crowd, saying, quote, be on
the right side of history.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
To party with Donald Trump at Mara Lago. We also
went from this.

Speaker 7 (04:26):
It's been ten days since George Floyd was brutally murdered.
How bit the Cubs do we need to ask you
to listen to your players, What would it take you
for one of us to be murdered by police brutality?
What if I was George Floyd, If I was George Floyd.
What if I George If I was George Floyd, If
I was George Floyd, If I was George Floyd. I
am George Floyd. I am I am About Aubert, I

(04:49):
am Erica, I am Tam or Right, I am.

Speaker 5 (04:53):
Trayvon Martin, I am Walker Scott, I am Michael Brown,
I am Samuel the Boys.

Speaker 7 (04:58):
I am Friend Smart, I'm Philip White, Georgie Baker. We
will not be silent. We as a peace from the protests.
It shouldn't take this long A little bit so on
behalf of the National Football League. This is what we
the players would like to hear. You stay.

Speaker 5 (05:13):
We condemn racism and the systematic oppression.

Speaker 7 (05:17):
Of black people. To this.

Speaker 5 (05:20):
He's a handsome guy, but I wouldn't want to tackle him.

Speaker 7 (05:24):
Shake Kwan Barkley, Where's shake one?

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Every turn of progress in this country has been met
with backlash that is just as formidable. Jim Crow followed
the end of slavery and reconstruction, the Southern Strategy, mass incarceration,
and the war on drugs, followed the Civil Rights movement,
the MACA movement formulated after the election of President Barack Obama.
Eventually there will be another moment when progress is popular,

(05:49):
and when that happens, remember all of those who obeyed
without being asked in this current moment.

Speaker 4 (05:56):
I'm Jamel Hill, and I approved this message.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
My guest today has been making people laugh for decades,
but it's been well over a decade since he had
a comedy special on network television, and on May thirtieth,
he has a brand new comedy special dropping on Hulu now. Currently,
he has one of the most popular urban radio shows
in the country. Or on a daily basis, he talked
about current events and even his own healing after tragically

(06:24):
losing his son.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
To a drug overdose.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
He's been very open about his grief journey and for
the purposes of this pod. He's also a huge fan
of Alabama football, and he has no shortage of opinions
about his squad. Coming up next Onspolitics, Ricky Smiley. All right,

(06:49):
Ricky again, thank you for joining me. I really appreciate it.
I'm going to start this podcast by asking you a
question I ask every guest that appears on politics and
that is name and athlete or a sports moment that
made you love sports.

Speaker 5 (07:04):
Oh god, you know what the gold line fan nineteen
seventy nine Alabama versus Penn State, and Penn State had
the ball like on the one yard line and Alabama
stopped them. And then I think that was Yeah, that
was seventy eight and seventy nine when Alabama beat Arkansas

(07:27):
in the National Championship and we had this running back
named Major Ogilvie and he was number forty two and
he was toting that rock and I will never forget it.

Speaker 7 (07:40):
I was at my god Risen Saw.

Speaker 5 (07:42):
I was at my uncle Jesse's house sitting on the
edge of the bed watching the game and been Obama
fan since.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yeah, I knew something told me that it was going
to be related to Alabama football because I know that
you're such a huge fan and you have been a
lifelong fan of Amma back to Alabama. So I have
to ask you, then, what has the post Nick saban
era been like for you?

Speaker 7 (08:06):
You know what?

Speaker 5 (08:08):
You know, I played little league football my whole life,
and the discipline is just not there and I don't
see no, it just seems like gentle it's like gentle
parenting and that's not the Alabama football as we know
it or whatever. And if you ask Derrick Henry and

(08:31):
mark Ingram and some of those other guys or whatever.
I remember Julio Jones was telling the players, like some
of those young players, like, hey, that ain't how we
do this here. So Obama football has a certain standard
even before Nick Saban came, when Bear Bryant was the
head coach. I remember because my uncle played for Alabama,

(08:52):
Anthony Smiley, he just passed away a couple of months ago.

Speaker 7 (08:57):
He was sixty. We grew up together, and I remember them.

Speaker 5 (09:02):
They couldn't have mustache, they couldn't have beers, they had
to wear suits. And it was like I remember looking
at the program looking at all the other teams with
mustache and beers and Alabama players looking like kids, and
they would just kill these other teams. And I was
just so amazed by that, you know, and the reason
I'm a big Bama fan. I went to Alabama State University.

(09:24):
I went to an HBCU, but when they come to
Ex's and Olds football, Alabama University of Alabama was the
first college campus.

Speaker 7 (09:33):
That I visited.

Speaker 5 (09:34):
I went on a bye week when Bama was getting
ready to play was Bama was getting ready to play
Penn State. So I went on a bye week and
I had a chance to spend the night on campus
and spent the weekend in the dawn with the players.

Speaker 7 (09:48):
I went to my.

Speaker 5 (09:48):
First step show that weekend, and that's the first time
I saw the Alphas and the Akas and the and
the you know and the Delta's and Sigma game roll.

Speaker 7 (09:58):
That was That was my first step show.

Speaker 5 (10:01):
And so I was just so inspired and wanted to
go to college because I was growing up in the
projects and I was like, I got to do something
with my life because this is the light that I want.

Speaker 7 (10:11):
So I became a Bama fan for real.

Speaker 1 (10:14):
You know, Alabama has such a such a legacy, and
I know for fans this has not been an easy transition.
Is this something, like you said, the same level of
discipline that you are customer to seeing is just not there.
Is this something that you feel like is a leadership
issue as in a coaching issue?

Speaker 7 (10:34):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 5 (10:36):
When they when Alabama beat Georgia last year, you would
have thought that they won the national championship. They on
the internet with necklaces and they was fleaned down.

Speaker 7 (10:46):
They was doing they.

Speaker 5 (10:47):
Had two whites, not one white, and then got with
by Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt like the next week or a couple
of weeks later, you already up. You lose the Vanderbilt.
Tennessee is gonna thank that. But as well, and and
I'm looking like I'm looking at the players, I'm looking

(11:09):
at the vibe and the energy. From what I know,
I'm like, the discipline is not there, you know, and
we need a Nick Saban like or Dionne Sanders, like
a no nonsense, not catering, not baby sitting.

Speaker 7 (11:23):
Hey, we need a military style like that.

Speaker 5 (11:27):
Really, discipline really is really really important.

Speaker 4 (11:31):
In the program now, Ricky.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
You know, in this day and age with nil, that's
a little that's a little more challenging than it used
to be. You know, I've been covering sports now for
almost thirty years, which pains me to say in many regards.

Speaker 4 (11:44):
Yeah, I know, right as I tell people, I'm older
than I look.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
And I remember I spent about six years covering college
football and college basketball.

Speaker 4 (11:52):
And when you would go in the parking lots, you would.

Speaker 1 (11:54):
See players that had hoopties like we all did in
college if we even had a car, right, and so
that's what you would see in the parking lots. But
now when you go into the parking lots, especially if
we're talking about a major institution like an Alabama like
a usc these kids got range rovers, they got lambos,

(12:14):
they have They're living a much different life. So it
almost feels like that level of discipline is a little
bit harder to come by because the players are making
so much more money.

Speaker 5 (12:26):
Yeah, yeah, you know, the hunger is, you know, like, hey,
I already have everything I need, so why do I
need to do certain things?

Speaker 7 (12:36):
It is totally different, and I don't know how it's
going to be managed because some of these guys are probably.

Speaker 5 (12:42):
Making more more money playing college ball than they would
that they go to the next level. So it's just
a different time and we just have to figure out
how to adjust, you know.

Speaker 7 (12:53):
To the time.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, and I want to ask you in a moment,
will definitely get to the new comedies that show you
have coming out on Hulu, but I wanted to get
your thoughts on this, and especially you're in radio, so
I know you talk about a variety of topics every
single day on your show as somebody, as a black
man who went to the h went to an HBCU.
I'm sure you have heard the conversation in our community

(13:15):
about why more young black men aren't looking at college
as a viable path to success. That doesn't mean that
they can't find success elsewhere, of course, But this is
of course based off a New York Times article in
which it stated that you know, on Howard University's campus
right now, there are more non black men on the

(13:37):
campus than actual black men.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
I believe that's the case, right, and so as it is.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
Yeah, so this was a big issue and just the
number of young black men going to college overall, whether
it be at a predominantly white institution, a PWI or HBCU.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
It's declining.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
As a black man who went to college and went
to an HBCU in particular, and it's in these community
conversations all the time. What do you make of the
fact that, you know, given these statistics that show a
declining enrollment, you know, by young black men in college,
and you know, obviously you got benefit out of their

(14:15):
college career, what do you make of the fact that
young black men seem to be a little less interested
in going to college these days.

Speaker 5 (14:21):
Yeah, I think you know, we have a financial expert
to come on on one show all the time it
was talking about student loans one day, more towards a
trade instead of having that debt that you uh, you
know that you you have all those student loans and

(14:42):
stuff like that, and a lot of kids are are
thinking about just finding either junior college or some kind
of trade to get into so they can start making
money instantly.

Speaker 7 (14:52):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
And because a lot of kids just can't afford to
go and they just feel like they don't want to
start their career all in debt, you know, with a
big college laws. So I think that's that's probably the
main part of it. I don't know about if kids
are joining the military or will, but I know for
sure that because we get a lot of college talking about,

(15:16):
you know, encouraging their kids to go ahead and go
to trade school or job care programs, building a lot
of those uh, you know, because a lot of people
go to college and graduate college. And I also hear
from college is that when they graduate college.

Speaker 7 (15:32):
And they still can't find jobs.

Speaker 5 (15:36):
And so that's probably one of the one of the
main issues.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, I mean, it's no one size solution for everything.
Like college is a pathway, just like as you mentioned,
trade school is community college. Like it's a lot of
different pathways. But you know, beyond all that, just this
idea that at a black college like Howard, that you
might have less black men there than you know, non
black man is It's just kind of a crazy concept.

Speaker 5 (16:04):
But we definitely want to encourage people to please go
to college and support our HBCUs and we want to
encourage alumni to always give back or whatever, you know,
because you have this administration and everything is like if
you look at what's his name video when he was
talking about what they were trying to do to FAM,

(16:25):
you will packer Will Packer, will packers a video and
what they were trying to do, you know, to FAUND.

Speaker 7 (16:34):
You in a lot of other universities and stuff.

Speaker 5 (16:38):
But we definitely want to encourage our youm in because
one thing about college, even if you don't graduate and
I end up getting a job in your trade, it's
just something about going to an HBCU and some things
that you learned that you would carry for the rest
of your life. If I didn't learn anything else, which
I didn't do nothing in college at Alabama State.

Speaker 7 (16:57):
I didn't do nothing enough thing.

Speaker 5 (17:06):
I was just I was just there wilding out in
the band, trying to get a girlfriend that was pledging
or talk to you know somebody knew from out of town.

Speaker 7 (17:17):
You know.

Speaker 5 (17:18):
I did nothing, But anyway, I learned how to act.
I learned, I learned etiquette. I learned how to be
proud and comminess. I had some professors that would sit down,
sit us down and talk to us about.

Speaker 7 (17:34):
Certain stuff that I had with me and used to
me used to this day.

Speaker 5 (17:40):
And uh so even as I operate, being fifty six
years old, I still just.

Speaker 7 (17:46):
Kind of operate knowing that I don't want to embarrass
any of my college professors or the university.

Speaker 5 (17:52):
And I just had it's like a badge of honor
and just the fact that I went to Alabama State
and have some Tuskegee in Mouth College affiliations as well
where I take classes, took classes and stuff like that.
I'm held accountable. I'm held to a certain standard. So
how you know, that's why I carry myself to certain way.

(18:12):
So God bless anybody that decide to attend HBC. My
daughter graduated from Tennessee State. My son graduated from Alabama State.
I have nieces and nephews that graduated. My other daughter
pledge akah, she graduated Bailer.

Speaker 7 (18:28):
So I got a whole wall of degrees downstairs in
the basement.

Speaker 5 (18:31):
So you know, so we support our HBCUs for real.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
Now, as I mentioned at the top of this podcast,
is you have a comedy special coming out May thirtieth
on Hulu foolish. It's been a long time since she
had a comedy special. So why the long layoff?

Speaker 5 (18:52):
She mean, I just got caught up in radio. You
got new comedians coming out.

Speaker 7 (18:57):
I was in the.

Speaker 5 (18:58):
Spotlight in two thousand and two thous four, you know,
and I started to just focus on radio.

Speaker 7 (19:04):
I was still performing on weekends.

Speaker 5 (19:06):
I was still doing shows, but you know, when the
new generation came, you just kind of sit back and
kind of enjoy them and give other comedians an opportunity
to be in the smilight. I never wanted to live
in la I never wanted to be you know. I
was real comfortable doing radio and focus on because things
certain things come with radio, like serving the community, you know,

(19:29):
doing things out and it just felt more I can
perform on the weekends and be half way famous, but
I can also raise my kids and have some simplicity.
So radio gave me balance. Radio kept me from you know,

(19:50):
from the Hollywood scene. And I don't feel like I
really missed anything, you know. You know, I did my
little parts in movies and first Sunday and Friday up
and next and all of the television appearances and different stuff.
I think I did enough and got a good balance

(20:11):
or whatever.

Speaker 7 (20:12):
Because sometimes you can chase that star.

Speaker 5 (20:13):
It's a lot of people in the cemetery that have
chased that star too hard, and Hollywood.

Speaker 7 (20:20):
Is really weird. And I'm just glad that I.

Speaker 5 (20:24):
Was able, you know, to do radio still and perform
on weekends and raise my kids and just have some balance.
So I just thank God for the choices that I made,
because all money ain't good money, Jamil, you know what
I'm saying, Like, I'm glad. I love who I am,
and I'm glad and I'm proud of the decisions that

(20:45):
I made. But but I was I went out on
a with a fishing trip with David and Lamb Talbert.
You know they am David and Tavert. So we was
out on the boat. We was watching some will swim,
you know, my boat capin. So we were driving over
to the Bahamas. The ocean was flat to day. He said, hey, man,
you need to do a comedy special. He said, you
haven't been presented the right way.

Speaker 7 (21:06):
I was like, what do you mean?

Speaker 5 (21:07):
He said, I've seen your other comedy specials or whatever,
you know, you know, laying as a fan or whatever,
my prank phone calls, all of that stuff. And he said,
you still a great performer. Like I like when I perform.
I really performed. I put on a show, I have music,
I do characters, I played the piano on stage, all

(21:28):
of this stuff. And it was like, you just need
to be shot on film.

Speaker 7 (21:32):
You need to be.

Speaker 5 (21:33):
Presented the right way. I was like, okay, let's do it.
So we got together and we shot. We shot it.
It killed, and I don't know if you've seen the clips,
but you know when people like Bill Bellamy, Rashan McDonald,
earthquake deal hugually, Steve takes texting me back like fire emojis,

(21:56):
I'm talking like Steve, pick up the phone and call,
and DL was like, Disney, look good.

Speaker 7 (22:03):
I heard.

Speaker 5 (22:03):
I talked to Earthquake about thirty minutes yesterday you know,
a lot of people don't know earthquake. We were roommates
in Alma. That's the first person to take me to
a strip club. Quick, say, you got to get rid
of some of those old church because I was still
a church musician back in the back in the early nineties.
I was still playing the organ and piano at church

(22:24):
and directly because you know, I'm minded the music, you know,
symphony and arcs. Like I go to this applay instruments
and read music and stuff. It's like, yeah, you you
you you're on party. You need to come hang out
with me. I went went to the strip club and
ended up in the VIP and went to sleep.

Speaker 7 (22:40):
I was so sleepy, it was like eleven o'clock. He's like,
come on, man.

Speaker 5 (22:44):
But anyway, Uh, everybody was proud of it, de bailing
me earthquake or uh like big brothers and mentors and
dal Husley. And when they say that they're proud of it.
I haven't heard back from Said and Eric wrong yet.
But I'm waiting a big bruh because I was said.
I used to be said opening act back in the day.

(23:05):
So I'm waiting to hear back from them. And once
they give the stampable approval. Anthony Anderson called me or whatever,
so he liked it. So I'm really excited about it.
It's funny, but I'll see you the clip. It's hilarious.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
So what made now a good time for you to
step back out in this way?

Speaker 7 (23:28):
You know, legacy stuff?

Speaker 5 (23:30):
You know I have, you know I have grandkids and stuff,
and I haven't done a special in twelve years. And
you know, my team thought it was a good idea
for me to shoot another comedy specialist to say, you're
just as funny as everybody else, and you're really really talented.
You know, I am funny, like for real. I'll tell

(23:50):
you what. You wouldn't want to sit next to me
at a funeral?

Speaker 4 (23:55):
You definitely wouldn't. I could definitely see.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
That I would make like like you look like the
type of person that I could not make eye contact
with in a moment.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
That's real serious, That is true because as my friends
have told me, and even my husband tells me, he's like,
you are just the most giggly person. It doesn't take
a lot to make me laugh. And considering how much
I've laughed at your humor throughout the years, I know
you would be cutting completely.

Speaker 5 (24:21):
Up when I tell you I like the brat that's
on my morning show. They cannot have a meeting with
us there together. It don't work, It don't I can't
stand her. I can't stand for the brat to be
in my periphtal vision. I can't be in a room
with Smilah. I can't be in a room with Porscha Williams.

(24:43):
I can't stand them. I can't be in a room
with candy birds. These are my enemies when I'm trying
to be productive. I can't be in a room with them.
I'm not I haven't matured yet.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
This comedy special.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
You know, as you mentioned like you're like a real
performer who does a lot of different things. What are maybe,
without giving too much away, what are maybe some different
wrinkles that you put in this that people might not expect.

Speaker 5 (25:15):
Oh, I told some real stories. I'm a great storytelling.
It was an eighty HD set. It was all over
the place. It was not structured, just like my papers
in college and my homework from subject to subject, from
this to that, from that to this.

Speaker 7 (25:35):
You laughing at this because you think I'm talking about
old people.

Speaker 5 (25:38):
Now I'm over here talking about little Daryl something over here.

Speaker 7 (25:42):
Now I'm talking about, you know, being.

Speaker 5 (25:45):
Older and having a small good and all of this
stuff is just.

Speaker 7 (25:53):
You know how Dave Chapelle set is just so structured
and him and Dion call nah, it didn't. It don't
work out for me that way.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
I was I may, I may sees and C minuses
and sometimes a C plus.

Speaker 7 (26:11):
Maybe a beat every now and then. But it was funny,
that's all that matter. It was. And of course you know,
I'm not in no shade on them. They are hilarious.

Speaker 5 (26:23):
I wish I could have a structure set like Deer
and Cold and Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock and all
those guys. I was all over the place, and that's
who I am. That's who I've always been for thirty
five years of send up.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
So it sounds like back in school, Rickie, you was
the class cut up.

Speaker 4 (26:40):
That's what the guys sound like.

Speaker 7 (26:42):
You already I can't tell you.

Speaker 5 (26:43):
I was not allowed to go to assembly programs in
the twelfth grade.

Speaker 7 (26:47):
I was a food real real skinny, had the high
box fade. I was a hype man at the basketball
games in high school. Come on, everybody had one.

Speaker 1 (26:57):
Yeah, I can definitely see you doing that to that end.
The title of it, you know, foolish is what I guess.
Explain what that is about.

Speaker 5 (27:08):
One time we did a live broadcast from somewhere. I
was doing the morning show. I think we was in Greenville,
South Carolina. We have this event where we're supposed to
where they're mentoring young men at risk kids and they
bring them to this event.

Speaker 7 (27:28):
I was cutting up so bad.

Speaker 5 (27:30):
I was doing comedy, hosting the radio show, roasting people
in the audience. I had a whino that I meant
I invited him. He was drunk, his girlfriend was drunk.
I had them dancing, and my producer said, you know
what her name is, Kim.

Speaker 7 (27:44):
She said, you know what she said, You're foolish. You're
really foolish.

Speaker 5 (27:49):
She was like, I can't say I'm disappointed because you
were funny, but I can't keep you on track. She said,
you're foolish, And that's what that said is and I
always think about it.

Speaker 7 (27:58):
I thought about her when I can't with the.

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Title foolish, all right, that seems appropriate. Now, you know
you said that any your special that you're telling, you know,
real stories, and I think one of the more recent
stories that people have seen about you is that you
discovered that you had some some more children.

Speaker 4 (28:20):
You had some kids.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
So what has fatherhood looked like for you at this stage?
And especially because these are young kids? So what does
that look like for you?

Speaker 7 (28:30):
Fun when I tell you we went to I was
I was doing.

Speaker 5 (28:34):
Backwards flips on trampoline yesterday at the Tampline Park.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
Ain't hurt nothing.

Speaker 7 (28:41):
Then you didn't break that still athletic.

Speaker 5 (28:46):
Still could talk for football fifty yards down the field,
still got to eat on the on the football. They
started basketball training tomorrow. I met a lady in the grocer.
I said, no, offense, man, did you play?

Speaker 7 (28:58):
Did you ball? She said, here, sir, I bought it.
It was some college in Mississippi.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
I said, I'm looking for a private basketball coach for
my twins because I got them already signed up for
tennis and I have them sign up for gymnastic because
I think sports saved my life. And by the way,
my son played college ball at Alabama State. He played basketball,
and I want I want my girls out there on
the floor. I want them on the tennis court because

(29:23):
discipline just I don't know what it is about sports.
It just brings out the best in people. You know,
it's a lot of It would take two hours to
just break down when I, you know, with sports mean
to me and a lot of other at risk kids

(29:43):
or whatever were they But I just want them to
have the best. But being a dad having dinner ready
when they when they get out and they get here
about three point thirty, they're hungry because they don't.

Speaker 7 (29:56):
Get lunch until like eleven o'clock.

Speaker 5 (29:58):
So when they come in the I always make sure
I have a skill of the corn bread coming out.

Speaker 7 (30:02):
Of the oven.

Speaker 5 (30:03):
They love pinto beans, smoke, turkey necks and corn bread,
and I swear I have to cook it once a week,
maybe twice a week. They absolutely love it and they
just a lot of fun. They're beautiful girls. It's like
I'm in love. I hug and kissed them all day,
all day, every five minutes, I cannot stop hugging and

(30:27):
kissing on them.

Speaker 7 (30:28):
And we get bathtime at six point thirty.

Speaker 5 (30:31):
I got them all a tight schedule and it's been
one of them. I feel like I feel like God
gave them to me to save my life because I
was just shraught when my son died in mind. You
you know, I've been knowing them their whole life, but
I didn't know that they were my biological daughters. And

(30:54):
when we found out about it, I remember exactly where
I was standing. I remember it watching the sun turn
back to its original color because everything was black and white.

Speaker 7 (31:09):
You know, and it that's my life now. I love
them and hugs and kisses all day.

Speaker 5 (31:20):
At one o'clock in the morning, they're climbing over me,
a knee in my face, coming out of their room,
coming they getting into bed with me, and they curl
up under me. They looked just alike. I'm talking identical, identical.
They they don't know who they are, that's how much
they look alike. So, uh, it's a lot of fun.
It's a blessing.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Well but still though, how how surprising you know, was
that to discover that you had twin girls that you
didn't know about.

Speaker 7 (31:49):
Yeah, I was. I was real surprised. I was.

Speaker 5 (31:53):
I was shocked, and uh, and and not in not
in a bad way. It just gave me life and
I just into action and was trying to think of
every single thing that I could do.

Speaker 7 (32:04):
But I was I was really, really, really surprised.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
You mentioned how it seems like they were a part
of your healing process.

Speaker 4 (32:13):
You you know, you lost your son to an overdose.

Speaker 1 (32:15):
You've been extremely transparent about what that grieving journey has
looked like in your transparency and that you know, that's
something that is so unimaginable for any parent to go through.
But what made you want to through both you know,
videos you've done talking about it publicly, your book A

(32:36):
side showed what made you want to be really transparent
about what this grieving process looks like for you?

Speaker 5 (32:41):
Well, well, I'm a public figure. I'm a radio personality.
I'm on the radio every morning. Other people have lost
kids also. Some people kids were murdered. Some people had
to go to the morgue to identify their children's body.
Some people have lost more than one kid.

Speaker 7 (33:00):
Yeah, you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (33:02):
And I had to figure out how to talk about it.

Speaker 7 (33:07):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (33:07):
That was part of my therapy. And I'm in therapy. Uh,
and I have to just I have to talk about it.
I have to learn how to feel and speak about it.

Speaker 7 (33:19):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
It has definitely helped helped with the healing process.

Speaker 7 (33:24):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (33:24):
And I talk about it a lot, especially on my
radio show because there's thousands of parents out there that
have lost kids, and I'm getting calls and on a
messenger on Facebook and Instagram, and I really click on
that little call but and call people back, and I
have to talk to hundreds and hundreds of parents who

(33:44):
have lost kids. A lady in La lost to of
her sons. They were both killed at the same time
a week or two after my son died, and she
had absolutely no resources, and it wasn't hard for me
to do. I got focused on her and her situation
because I had two sons and my other son if

(34:07):
it would have been my two sons, so I had
to find a way to help her to make sure
that since she lost everything that you have, that her sons.

Speaker 7 (34:15):
Were able to get buried.

Speaker 5 (34:18):
I just think about that stuff because it's not about you,
and sometimes God allows situations to happen to use you
to see how you can help others, and also use
you to save, to try to save people, like to
get people to talk to people about Narkham, to talk

(34:38):
to people about going to NA and AA. The Wednesday
before my son's funeral, I went down to the Salvation
Army to serve and I just wanted to show God
that despite of everything that I'm going through, I'm still
willing to serve. I'm still here and I'm still a servant.
And I had all those I get real emotional talking

(34:58):
about this. I had all those homeless people coming through
the line trying to get a hot dog, a handful
of chips, some soud Kraft, a slice of cake, and
a cup of punch to come through that say hang
Rick side by your son, man, I lost my son too.
He lost his son and he's homeless. And that's why

(35:21):
you have to do this stuff. That's why you have
to get out here much as given, much is required,
and get out here and do the work for the people.
Because God is looking at all of us in all
of our situations. This is a test and what are
you going to do when that test comes? Sometimes the
tests come losing a loved one. How are you gonna

(35:42):
handle this situation? So if you handle this situation, are
you ready to go to whatever? The next level?

Speaker 7 (35:47):
Is a test? A test is not.

Speaker 5 (35:50):
Just your washing, your your your washer, your dryer breaking down,
and your car not starting. Sometimes it's something that that
will that that you will be and what's crazy.

Speaker 7 (36:02):
The test continued because.

Speaker 5 (36:04):
On the two year on the two year anniversary of
my son's death, the day of my son anniversary, January
twenty ninth, I'm dropping off clothes at Davenport and Harry's
funeral home for my uncle Bruce that I was raised with,
the one that played Forbama, that died a couple of
months ago. You know, I'm dropping. I'm literally dropping off clothes,

(36:28):
you know. And but God is so good he let
the sun shine that day. I turned the R and
b stationed on. He didn't allow me to feel sad.
I just went on with business.

Speaker 7 (36:39):
I liked.

Speaker 5 (36:40):
My uncle would have wanted me to do. My uncles
like my big brother, we shared rooms together. We slept
in a bed together in the dorn at Paul Brown
Hall when he was playing Obama. When I went down
there that weekend, women two beds and I had to
sleep in the room with him and big old Mark
Jackson played center and Bruce played outside linebacker.

Speaker 7 (37:00):
And I'm squeezing over in a corner and I had to.

Speaker 5 (37:05):
I had to to make sure that his funeral was
what he wanted.

Speaker 7 (37:09):
He was a heart transplant recipient.

Speaker 5 (37:13):
And the one year anniversary, you know, the whole, big, shunning,
sharp interview that blew up the shot heard across the world.

Speaker 7 (37:22):
And it wasn't the fact that the interview, was the
fact that it was.

Speaker 5 (37:25):
All lies and everybody believed it and attacked me and
my family. And that was the one year anniversary of
Brandon's death when I actually felt Brandon's death. You know,
you don't feel it until a year later, because the
only difference is you don't have a casket, and you
don't have flowers, and you don't have condolences. So you're
trying to heal that one year anniversary. It's like it

(37:47):
happened all over again, exceptly you don't have a funeral
arrangements and you're not busy comfanying your other kids and
your family members, and this interview come out and not
only are you being attack, your kids being attacked, your
family's being attacked, and it's.

Speaker 7 (38:04):
Like, you know, another tense. How are you going to
overcome all of these obstacles? What what are you going
to do?

Speaker 5 (38:14):
You know what I'm saying, You can't get enough beat
with nobody you got. I have to answer to miss
cat the Hughes. I don't want her call to me.
You know, because I work for people. I work for
Miss Captain Hughes and Apple Biggins and and we're trying
to close a deal with Disney and stuff and whatever.
I got to move a certain way. I don't, you know,
work for myself or whatever. And I'm not going to

(38:34):
get into no beef that will get other people hurt
and killed and harassed and all this kind of stuff.

Speaker 7 (38:40):
I had to keep it moving, you know.

Speaker 5 (38:42):
So it's just stuff that that that you know, that
you go through. But yeah, that's why I talk about
it because other people out here going through worse and
h you know, you just.

Speaker 7 (38:53):
Have to do it right.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
And obviously you put yourself in a situation where you've
seen what people are going through in an up close way.
I want to ask you more about that, and definitely
about some other topics. Got a couple of football topics
for you as well, But we just have to take
a very quick break and we'll be back with more
with Ricky Smiley. Ricky, before we went to break, you

(39:23):
were talking about, you know, obviously referring to kat Williams
and some of the things that he said when he
did the interview with Shanna Sharp. He had a lot
of criticisms for not just you, but a lot of
your comedian colleagues. You chose to, you said, respond in
a way because you have to move a certain way.
But sitting back now seeing that all that's been said,

(39:45):
is there any part of you that wishes you would
have responded differently?

Speaker 7 (39:50):
Nah?

Speaker 5 (39:51):
Nah, no, because that wasn't a good time for me
to be responding to nothing like that. I was going
with through grief. Yeah, you understand.

Speaker 7 (40:00):
I was. I was going through a terrible time, you know,
and you can't you can't crash out.

Speaker 5 (40:08):
I just had to stay focused on, you know, stay
in therapy and stay.

Speaker 7 (40:12):
Focused on what I was focusing on.

Speaker 5 (40:14):
It was always like you was fighting that, but you're
dealing with the pain of losing your son that one
year anniversary and all of a sudden lies and you're
being attacked on the internet.

Speaker 7 (40:25):
And it's crazy.

Speaker 5 (40:27):
Because I was on the radio and I was having
a because I saw my first fifteen my first thirteen
minutes of the Ricky Smiley Morning Show with gossp Music,
and I was really having a moment where I was
I'll never forget it. Jonathan mc reynold's Mayor bad days
prove that God is good. That's one that's a record

(40:50):
that I that I really go to when I think
about that situation with my son, and people took that
clip of me crying and made it as if that's
because of what was said on the Shannon Sharp interview
and how people would just lie. The only thing that

(41:13):
bothered me about that is just the lies and how
people would just take a clip of anything and put
it with that just to create something to get clicks to.

Speaker 7 (41:23):
You know, but my fans know me, My fans know
who I am.

Speaker 5 (41:26):
I'm not trying to get new fans and all of this,
and some fans I don't even want because if you
believe anywhere in your heart all of this stuff that
was said about me, then you know you you entitled
to that or whatever. And I'm not out here to
change to try to change nobody in mind that's already

(41:47):
made up.

Speaker 7 (41:49):
You know what I'm saying. I'm focused on my fans
or whatever.

Speaker 5 (41:52):
If deal humanly say I'm good, if Pastor key On
say I'm good, a bitious Joseph Walker say I'm good.
If Ben Crump say I'm good, David Talbot, will Packer,
people that mattered to me, Barack and Michelle Obama.

Speaker 7 (42:07):
You if I'm good with y'all. If you said that you.

Speaker 5 (42:11):
Don't want to have anything else to do with me,
I would lose a lot of sleep because I have
a lot of respect for you.

Speaker 7 (42:16):
I've been following you a long time.

Speaker 5 (42:18):
It's people like yourself, and mentors and people like Steve
and Said and.

Speaker 7 (42:27):
Mayor Randall Wolfing, whoofan.

Speaker 5 (42:31):
Mayor Keisha lance Bottom that went to work for that
Biden administration, President Biden who wrote me a personal handwritten
letter when my son died.

Speaker 7 (42:42):
That stuff matter.

Speaker 5 (42:43):
If any of those people had said something about me
like that or decided that they don't fool me because
of what was said, I would actually lose sleep. I
don't care about what people think. I'm the grandson of
Maddie and Ernest Smiley and Damy Armor. I'm proud of
who I am, and I don't have no regrets about

(43:06):
anything because that ain't That don't make me less of
a man. You could use single out one of my
characters to try to emasculate or whatever. That's fine. I
do Little Darryl. I do Joe with It from Joe
with It, and then do the rauma theres. I do
mct bag. We Miss Roberts do a lot of characters.
I was raised by grandparents and great grandparents. Me imitating

(43:28):
them started out with a prank phone call. So it
started out doing prank phone calls on the radio. And
then Bernie Jenkins came into and I got kids, I
got grandkids.

Speaker 7 (43:39):
I raised, you know, young man.

Speaker 5 (43:42):
I had three college athletes to come out of my house.
I had a running back Middle Tennessee State University. My
nephew there was raised here, you know, football practice. TJ
played for my house college, Milique lay for Alabama State.
Did a good job as the best I could as
a parent. Took it kids that was not mine, biologically
raised them and they are successful adults now.

Speaker 7 (44:06):
So if I'm such a bad person, then why God
keep blessing me?

Speaker 1 (44:15):
As you look at this part of your career, You've
accomplished so much, You've been on radio for a long
time and been a real staple in people's lives.

Speaker 4 (44:24):
What at this stage in your career continues to keep
you excited.

Speaker 7 (44:29):
I like performing.

Speaker 5 (44:30):
I just have a good time walking on stage. It's
that simple. Television shows not so much because you're trying
to memorize lines and hair and makeup and all of
that stuff and wardrobe or whatever. I love to get
shop and walk out on stage in front of a
live audience. The Martin Lawrence Tool was probably one of.

Speaker 7 (44:51):
The greatest things that I ever done.

Speaker 5 (44:54):
The Martin Lawrence Tour had opportunity to open for the
Kings of Comedy, you know, back in the day or whatever,
and the opportunities. I was out on tour with Fantase,
I tour it with Mike Epps. I did the Southern
Soulfest tour with Earth, Wind and Fire and like thirty
five years or whatever. So I've had a great time.

(45:18):
I have nothing else to prove. I'm just trying to
have a good time. I love working with the Disney
Dreamers Academy. I love being in a position where I
can help out with the.

Speaker 7 (45:30):
It's a girls' school. I can't think of the name
of it right now, but it's in Kenya.

Speaker 5 (45:34):
These young ladies are saved from arranged marriages and rape
or whatever. So we got you know, We've been donating
to that every single year and just doing stuff in
the community.

Speaker 7 (45:48):
And so just get out here and show that you're
still funny. Or whatever.

Speaker 5 (45:52):
But what happens is you put yourself in a position
so you can help others.

Speaker 7 (45:57):
You know, I don't need anything else. I have my
own you.

Speaker 5 (46:00):
Know, I have, you know, all the little things that
I like to do, and I just like keeping my
life simple. But I can make a difference in other
people lives who can't do anything for themselves.

Speaker 4 (46:12):
As I'm sure you have observed.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
Even though you didn't have a specialist, you said you
still have hadn't had a special in twelve years. You've
still been out there performing. But I'm sure you've observed
how the climate and how comedy has changed. A lot
of comedians have made note of the fact. Some have
observed or complained, depending on how you think about it,
that the audience these days is way more sensitive and that, yeah,

(46:39):
so I need I would love to hear your perspective
about comedians that feel like they can't be themselves on
stage because of how the audience responds to certain comedy.

Speaker 7 (46:52):
I agree with them, and I I was with Dave
Shapel every single step of the way.

Speaker 5 (47:00):
Somebody went on says and talked about tall, skinny people
with a beard that wear glasses, I would crack up.
And my thing is if you sensitive and you can't
take a joke, stay at home. You can't tell people
what to say. You want to go and attack somebody,
to go attack some of the mag of people with

(47:20):
all that racism. Stop worrying about what comedians that we
trying to entertain and get your line.

Speaker 7 (47:24):
Away from all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 5 (47:26):
And you want to pick about everything and don't say
this this way.

Speaker 7 (47:31):
We say what's funny, and I'm not changing.

Speaker 5 (47:34):
If I think something is funny, I'm going to talk
about it because the only thing that I'm saying is
what everybody else is already thinking because it comes because right,
because that's.

Speaker 7 (47:44):
Why it's funny, because hey, yeah.

Speaker 5 (47:46):
That makes sense, you know. But but yeah, people are
way too sensitive. I do miss comedy from the nineties.
You said whatever you wanted to say it and it
was worse than the seventies when Richard Pryor was on
stage and Eddie Murphy the things that or whatever, And it's.

Speaker 7 (48:04):
Still funny to this day.

Speaker 5 (48:05):
And I laugh and I laugh if it's funny period.

Speaker 1 (48:09):
Well, I think you said a key phrase there, if
it's funny, because sometimes I wonder and this is just
this is just my outside opinion. Is it about the
audience being sensitive or is it about the fact that
some people try to be funny, And especially if we
talking about more taboo provocative things where you have to
like really nail that joke. If you won't go there,
you gotta nail it. And a lot of comedians can't

(48:32):
do that.

Speaker 5 (48:33):
It's got to be way more funny then it is offensive.
And let me give you a good analogy what I
give to young comedians that I'm mentoring. If I give
you an onion and I say, eat this onion, how
would it taste bitter?

Speaker 7 (48:49):
Right? Correct? We'll make your eyes water? Right?

Speaker 5 (48:52):
But what if I take that same onion and chop
it up and sawtead with some gravy and some chicken
on top, and put the top on there that thing
smother smother real good or whatever. You eat the same onion, right,
you got to make you got to make it taste good.

Speaker 7 (49:09):
It just can't be a raw onion. It's got to
be wrapped up. And they got to be so busy
laughing till they're not offended. You understanding, because because shock don't.

Speaker 5 (49:19):
Equals laughter, Like I like I was coaching a comic.
I was like, hey, you got a lot of cuss
words in there, but the cuss words need to be
wrapped in the joke.

Speaker 7 (49:29):
The cuss word need to be the plunchline.

Speaker 5 (49:32):
And when I explained him and gave him an example,
he was like, own, that makes sense. I said, yeah,
take those other cuss words out because you don't need them,
because you're just cussing just to be cussing. But if
that cuss word put some sprinkles on that donut for you,
then yeah, use it.

Speaker 7 (49:51):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (49:52):
So it's not about It's all about it's about how
you do it, and that's important.

Speaker 4 (49:59):
Well, the men I you.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
You know, you've seen how comedy has evolved from a
content standpoint, but it feels like the pathway that in
which comedian has become successful has also changed a lot.

Speaker 4 (50:10):
So from your perspective, what has been the biggest.

Speaker 1 (50:13):
Change from when you were making your way as a
comedian to how comedians have to get on now?

Speaker 5 (50:19):
Oh man a coming now can get on the internet
and make funny skits and just have an audience. They
just have to play ketch up learning how to perform.
That makes sense. We had to learn how to perform,
and we had to play catch up learning how to
act and do skits. So it's just everything just kind
of in my opinion, everything just kind of reversed.

Speaker 7 (50:41):
Like Daisy Vans is. This is one of my mentees.
That's like my little nephew.

Speaker 5 (50:47):
Was doing skits and I hit him up when there saying, hey,
you need to come over here and let's get you
on stage so you can do concerts. I said, you
have a big fan base, but you're missing out of money.
And he came to Birmingham. I was the first one
to good Daisy Banks on stage and stuff. So you
know when I see the Daisy Banks just hilarious to
beat someone was a real good.

Speaker 7 (51:11):
Mentee.

Speaker 5 (51:12):
I need to call having and talk to her while
I'm gonna text her. I gave her some little notes
we were on tour, and I was like, why did
you do this? Well, why didn't you do this like this?
You had the audience right there, like I was on
her one night so bad. I put her in my
dressing room and close that door, and you would have
thought I was Nick Saban. I was giving it to her.

(51:32):
I didn't think nothing else of it. So the next night.
I think we were on the Martin launch to the
next night. She went out on stage and did exactly
what I advised her to do, and.

Speaker 7 (51:44):
It blew up.

Speaker 5 (51:46):
She came off stage and she grabbed me and hugged me,
and we were chopping around. You would have thought that
we had won the national championship. And that's what mentorship
is all about, you know, pulling people to the side.

Speaker 7 (51:58):
If you want help, you're willing to listen, if you're willing.

Speaker 5 (52:02):
To to try to gather some wisdom and figure out
you do this better than me, How can I do
what you do? Help me out or whatever, you know,
So anybody's willing to listen.

Speaker 7 (52:15):
There aren't comings out here that.

Speaker 5 (52:16):
Will share the information just to see them get better,
because you know, when we're not selling tickets anymore, we
might they we might become their opening act and then
we could still.

Speaker 7 (52:25):
Work because people.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
You know, sometime at Flip I've had people open for
me where I was be opening at you know, so
you just never forget how they treated you.

Speaker 4 (52:35):
Right, Pivoting is something a little bit serious. I know.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
I know that you're a proud member of Omega SCI five.
My husband is also a cue by the way, and
you know, obviously you know somewhat recently there's a very
serious situation at Southern University. Caleb Wilson, former student there,
allegedly killed during a hazing ritual while pledging.

Speaker 4 (52:59):
For me scide Fi. What were kind of your thoughts.

Speaker 1 (53:02):
I know you've been kind of public and vocal about
offering support for the family and just expressing your condolences,
But what were your thoughts about this, especially considering naturally
this brought people to a place of questioning the purpose
and the legacies of some of these black fraternities and sororities.

Speaker 7 (53:20):
Oh, what's hurtful is here's what's really hurtful.

Speaker 5 (53:23):
I came to Omegas, I find because of what it
was founded on, not the culture that was created. I
don't think Bishop at the a Love would have punched
nobody in the chest, you know, just love Cooper and
Coleman found it or make us I find, you know,
Howard universe in nineteen eleven, and I don't think. I

(53:46):
don't I don't a lot of these guys that started
this culture. I don't care if it started in the eighties.
I don't care if it started. I don't care when
it started.

Speaker 7 (53:54):
It is wrong.

Speaker 5 (53:56):
In twenty five years in the frat, I have never
put my hands on anybody.

Speaker 7 (54:01):
And let's talk about it for a second.

Speaker 5 (54:04):
You don't know what somebody went through to get to
where they are, And who are you to put somebody?

Speaker 7 (54:10):
You are already a man. If you make it out of
the projects and make the college, you are already a man.

Speaker 5 (54:15):
Who are you to put your hands on somebody swinging
wood and all that stuff. I understand the culture of everything,
it's traditionally been done. People was traditionally molested or whatever,
and rape and stuff by family members.

Speaker 7 (54:32):
But that don't make it right. That don't mean you
continue the tradition. Not our pastors.

Speaker 5 (54:37):
We grew up in a church where pastors talking about
breaking the generational curse, the curses, and it's just wrong.

Speaker 7 (54:44):
And I support Cavid with the family.

Speaker 5 (54:46):
And I will say, some of these people and a
lot of these organizations, the founders never would have picked founders,
never would have picked them. And some of these people
entered the organization and make all of these Greek organizations
that's set out to do good or whatever. And I'm

(55:08):
still I'm still an active member of Alpha Phi Chapter
I came in Spring Sorrow chapter two thousand, twenty five
years in whatever. But I'm not going to be a
partner of a culture, and culture starts with cult.

Speaker 7 (55:26):
You understand, it's gang activity.

Speaker 5 (55:32):
I deal with my fraternity brothers one at a time,
no more than two, maybe three or whatever. Because man,
the last five physical altercations I've gotten into.

Speaker 7 (55:46):
It with as a man was with you. Why why
I need the kind of play feeling like? Now what
am I a part of? Right?

Speaker 5 (55:56):
I'm a member of KK Side. I don't have no issues.
I'm a member of the SCLC. I don't have any issues.
I'm a member of the NAACPE. I don't have no issues.
I'm marched with Alabama State and be around band members
and former band members.

Speaker 7 (56:13):
There are no issues. I'm a march and Crimson piper.

Speaker 5 (56:16):
I can go to Tuskegee and be around former band
members and band members.

Speaker 7 (56:22):
I don't have no issues.

Speaker 5 (56:24):
Right, Why is always some issues with my fraternity and
my brothers Because that's a culture, you know, giving people
access to be disrespectful and to say stuff. Man, this
don't represent James Clyburn. This don't represent being crump.

Speaker 7 (56:43):
So how James.

Speaker 5 (56:45):
Clyburn, who went out there and campaigned for Joe Biden
and Barack Obama and they both became president. Look at
me and say, hey, brother Smiley being crump was at
in the audience when I shot My special stayed.

Speaker 7 (56:59):
At my house.

Speaker 5 (57:00):
Nothing but love and respect, and Lord Jordan's and all
of these other people, all of these other people that's
out here doing stuff, seeding people in the community.

Speaker 7 (57:11):
The Bishop Joseph Walker, the senior pastor of Mount.

Speaker 5 (57:16):
Sign Missionary Baptist Church in National Tendessee, and he's the
presiding Bishop of full A Gospel, who is.

Speaker 7 (57:22):
My friend, brother and my best friend. Never had any
issues with him, Never had any issues with Pastor keep Norman,
and we out here doing community service.

Speaker 5 (57:35):
All of these great Omega men, never had any issue
with But there's always some actually ass do.

Speaker 7 (57:43):
And them damn Greek letters is all they have to me.
They don't have nothing else. They came in second place
in a step show in ninety two and you can't
tell them shit. I'm over here feeding kids in Africa,
doing community service and.

Speaker 5 (58:00):
Out here trying to help folks, and you get in
pull it to the side and being disrespected by in.

Speaker 7 (58:06):
This game like mentality in mindset, and I'm.

Speaker 5 (58:10):
Not throwing my friend under the bus because everything that
the founders founded and on I'm with it. I believe
and I'll be a cute forever. It ain't nobody gonna
do nothing about what I just said. I called Caleb
Wilson's dad and offered my condolence because I'm a dad
that also lost his son. Know what he said, you

(58:30):
are the first member of your fraternity to call and
offer your condolence. And then mister Walker called him right
after me. I don't have to go along and get along.
Call me Kat, put me on purple alert, call me
whatever you want to call me. I'm comedian Ricke Smiley.

Speaker 7 (58:48):
I know who I am. I'm the grandson of Ernest
and Madismid. See. I know who I am.

Speaker 5 (58:54):
I don't need no or no organization for validation. Said,
I can say good night and throw up the peace sign.
I don't have to throw up the hook, and I
don't have to wear a shirt. But I'm gonna go
to frank meeting if I feel like they're going to
help somebody in the community. My mentor, my one of
my mentors, Pastor John Kane, a great Reverend John King

(59:15):
in Birmingham, Alabama, who's a father figure than me. He's
my brother, I'm not his biological son. Man, he don't
treat he treat me with respects. So why why should
I be into it with something as she has doue
with some Greek letters on and some gold.

Speaker 7 (59:29):
Boots, answering answering his question?

Speaker 5 (59:32):
And I mean that, and I said on that in
every queue know where I live in Birmingham, come see me.

Speaker 7 (59:37):
You don't like when I said, I meant when I said,
come see me?

Speaker 4 (59:41):
Are these are these concerns that you have?

Speaker 1 (59:45):
Are these things that you have brought to the larger
membership to say, hey, we need to address.

Speaker 7 (59:49):
This, Jamille. I spoke about this at the undergrad summit.

Speaker 5 (59:53):
I said, stop putting hands on people. I said, we
are one pleasure process away from somebody going to the
trump and clearing out a whole chapter. What if somebody
grew up and they don't have a father and they
felt that have been beating him in his mama his
whole life, and he get online because he's looking for

(01:00:14):
everything that I was looking for in the frat or whatever,
only to get the hell beat out of them, Right,
and somebody snapped and clear out.

Speaker 7 (01:00:24):
A whole chapter. I try.

Speaker 5 (01:00:26):
I'm I'm doing that to try to save lives. You
understand what it's already these organizations. Nobody even wants to
give these organizations insurance. And if I'm not mistaken, it's
down to one insurance company asking us your husband and myself,
that ain't what we represent.

Speaker 7 (01:00:46):
This stuff is just wrong. It ain't no sin.

Speaker 5 (01:00:48):
That kid was supposed to graduate college. Did you see
the video of his mother walk across the stace.

Speaker 7 (01:00:53):
I think she felt, Yeah, how do you think she felt?
I can't imagine. I know how I feel losing my son.
I can't imagine how my son mom feel. She carried
him for nine months. Man.

Speaker 5 (01:01:07):
That's that's that's hurtful, It's insulting, it's embarrassing. And make
all the bruhs that's out here really trying to make
a difference, good.

Speaker 7 (01:01:15):
Brus or whatever.

Speaker 5 (01:01:17):
No matter how they came in, some of them came
in and said, hey, you know what, I'm gonna make
a change.

Speaker 7 (01:01:22):
I'm not gonna do what was done to me.

Speaker 5 (01:01:24):
There are a lot of bruhs out here that's trying
to break the generational curse of hazing.

Speaker 7 (01:01:28):
Hazing must stop. I don't care if you remember alpha
phi alpha.

Speaker 5 (01:01:33):
I don't care if it's capa alpha si, phi beta
sigma ioda phi theta or making sigh five de sigma
theta alpha, kap alpha zeta, phi beta delta, sigmund theta
ti beta sigma kk signed five.

Speaker 7 (01:01:48):
U alpha delta omicron. I don't care. It's wrong. Stop
putting your hands on people.

Speaker 5 (01:01:56):
People coming to these organizations looking for something that they
never had, And the only thing you could think to
do is is my nephew.

Speaker 7 (01:02:03):
I got a nephew, one of the kids that I raised,
put through school. He's a Q.

Speaker 5 (01:02:09):
We don't talk about it. He come over here alls
and he's one of my favorite nephews. We're really close.
I crossed him, but it's like an unridden rule. We
don't discuss it.

Speaker 7 (01:02:20):
We don't talk about it, we don't take pictures throwing
the hooks up. He was beat in the chest, he
had bruised ribs, he had Bruce ribs. His mom called
me crying. I'm like, what's going on. She didn't even
know he was online. It was underground and he had
Bruce Ribs. My chapter know about it. No reflection on

(01:02:40):
my chapter AMPI five.

Speaker 5 (01:02:42):
They corrected the situation, but he was coming in a
chapter where that's what they did.

Speaker 7 (01:02:47):
It don't make it right. He could have died and
his line brother had to go to Atlanta to our
hospital because he had a burst appendix.

Speaker 5 (01:02:56):
He could have died.

Speaker 7 (01:02:58):
So am I wrong? Am I cat? Did that make?
Did that make me cat?

Speaker 5 (01:03:03):
Now?

Speaker 7 (01:03:05):
And and and you could anybody can come on here
and take anything that.

Speaker 5 (01:03:09):
I said out of context or whatever I said when
I said, it's just absolutely is wrong for you to
be putting your hands on people. You understand that's not
what the organization was founding on. Hell, you ask the
people questions and stuff. Why don't you gonna read your history?
Because I don't see nowhere. I ain't ready nowhere. We're
punching somebody in the chest. I don't have no material,

(01:03:32):
and I got some material, but I don't see nowhere
where it talked about beating somebody up to be a
part of this organization, and.

Speaker 7 (01:03:43):
Somebody got to say it. Somebody got to say it, Jamila,
somebody got to speak out. I'm sure your husband's not happy.

Speaker 1 (01:03:49):
Yeah, Well, hopefully what this will do is not paint
a broader negative perception on not just Omega's but also
on whoever is involved in a black sorority and fraternity,
because I, even though I'm not a member of one,
I do believe that their mission and their purpose is
still being carried out in more positive ways than negative ways.

Speaker 5 (01:04:13):
The part that make me mad is so many good
things that the ques are doing in the community.

Speaker 7 (01:04:18):
The only thing you have to do is read the Oracle.

Speaker 5 (01:04:20):
If you get the Oracle and see all of the
wonderful positive things that members of Omega Sci Fi is
out here doing day after day after day after day,
week after week, it makes us look bad.

Speaker 7 (01:04:32):
I'm a part of that. I'm a part of the
community service.

Speaker 5 (01:04:36):
I might not get to go to everything, but I
promise you I will send that cash out to my
chapter brother. They out here trying to do something and
create shows so our chapters and this stuff can make money.

Speaker 7 (01:04:47):
But it's just some game members that have snuck in
talking about somebody else snuck in and then't get beat up.

Speaker 5 (01:04:53):
You got beat up, and now you're beating everybody else
up and making the front lose money because all of
these tug going to they just spending millions of dollars.

Speaker 7 (01:05:02):
Paying out people that have sued these organizations.

Speaker 1 (01:05:06):
Why, yeah, that's definitely a financial drain. And as you mentioned, uh,
the insurance that will also create another issue.

Speaker 7 (01:05:14):
Yeah, just call me president.

Speaker 4 (01:05:18):
See see you you talked them up and he talked
him up.

Speaker 7 (01:05:22):
Felt me talking about it, Lewis.

Speaker 1 (01:05:26):
Before we close out this episode, there's two things I
want to ask you. One, I saw you know there
was a somewhat recent announcement that they are doing another
Friday called I think last Friday.

Speaker 4 (01:05:36):
Uh, will we see you?

Speaker 5 (01:05:39):
And I don't think they started auditioning yet or whatever.
I know Ice Keep and I are with the same agency,
so I'm sure I might.

Speaker 7 (01:05:50):
Uh get you.

Speaker 4 (01:05:52):
Are you open to it though?

Speaker 5 (01:05:53):
What? Yeah? Okay, come on, Hey they should do an
ether version or whatever Bunny Rabbit this time.

Speaker 4 (01:06:03):
Robin folks at the Bunny Rabbit hostile.

Speaker 7 (01:06:08):
Yeah, I would love to do that, all right, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
Now here's my last question. I usually the last question
I call a messy question.

Speaker 4 (01:06:18):
Rickie. This is our opportunity to make the shade room.
It's gonna be messy. So here's the messie question.

Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Now, you are a very knowledgeable, a deep rooted Alabama
football fan. I am so, who is the greatest Alabama
wide receiver of all time? You got Amari Cooper, you
got Davonte Smith, you got Calvin Ridley, you got Jerry Judy,
you got Julio Jones.

Speaker 4 (01:06:42):
Who is the greatest Alabama wide receiver ever?

Speaker 7 (01:06:47):
You know? You know what is? That's a hard question.
You got to go with Smithy. You got to go
with Smithy.

Speaker 4 (01:06:55):
Okay, DeVonta Smith all right, and let me let me.

Speaker 7 (01:06:58):
Say this like like see you you you you you.
You put that question out there wrong. It's got to
be some contexts.

Speaker 4 (01:07:08):
Okay, give me the context give.

Speaker 7 (01:07:10):
Me Jones is one of those gonna go up in
the air and get the ball, right.

Speaker 5 (01:07:16):
Cavin Ridley runs like a deer like he runs nasty routes,
those routes, So clod, I got a workout video. I
got a video with me throwing Cavin Ridley a pass
or whatever. You have to go to my my Instagram.

Speaker 7 (01:07:29):
You have to find it. Cavin Ridley.

Speaker 5 (01:07:31):
You got Cooper that that that will break, He will
break your ankles trying a couple of him running the rocks.

Speaker 7 (01:07:38):
Then you had, oh God, Jerry Judy, Jesus, whoa man?

Speaker 5 (01:07:44):
That's one of my Jerry Judy one of my all
time favorite receivers, uh Cavin really Jerry Judy, Julio Jones,
Minty and who else.

Speaker 1 (01:07:52):
Uh you know, dj Hall, Ridley, Judy, Julio Jones. I
mean like the list, Jaylen watt On, I mean the
list kind of.

Speaker 5 (01:08:00):
Oh god, yeah, I love Jaylon water Dolphins. But you
you got, you got, you got to go with Smitty.
You got to go with Smitty. Not only he's a
Heisman Trophy when he's a Super Bowl champion. He made
that big catch against Georgia. He made a catch against Mississippi.

Speaker 7 (01:08:14):
State to win the game.

Speaker 5 (01:08:15):
It was a cross route, a slant that he ran
with Jalen with Jayalen Hurst through and the ball and
because they was about to lose Mississippi State that night
in Starkville, Mississippi.

Speaker 7 (01:08:26):
And then that clutch catch one time his freshman year.
He was a freshman when he caught that ball.

Speaker 5 (01:08:33):
But earlier in the year, I was watching the players
go in and he came up and he was like,
it's a players media and he gave me his gloves.
I got, oh yeah, But I didn't know that he
was gonna end up winning the Heisman Trophy and be
a start. But that was the only time I met
him and I haven't seen him since. And I'm such
a big fan. I would love to have him on

(01:08:55):
the Morning Show man, but Smitty Man, when I tell you,
I absolutely and that's that's that's a big guy. That's
that's that's a big the smallest either smallest and man
he fast as him.

Speaker 4 (01:09:09):
Well, Ricky, I just want to thank you so much
for joining me.

Speaker 1 (01:09:12):
Like a lot of people who've been watching your comedy
over the years, we're all looking forward to your new
comedy special again.

Speaker 4 (01:09:18):
It's called Foolish.

Speaker 1 (01:09:19):
It's out on Hulu May thirtieth, and considering all the
good reviews and text message you've got your phone, I
know that this is gonna be something special.

Speaker 4 (01:09:27):
So good luck with that.

Speaker 1 (01:09:29):
We're gonna support and you know, make it number one
streaming on Hulu and everything.

Speaker 4 (01:09:33):
So thank you for everything and for spending this time
with me, and thank you.

Speaker 7 (01:09:36):
For having me and congratulations. And I saw you on below, Dick.
I loved that.

Speaker 4 (01:09:39):
Oh you did, Okay, yeah, yeah, we we had we
had a blast.

Speaker 1 (01:09:43):
You know, they have asked we had a time, They've
asked us to come back several times.

Speaker 4 (01:09:48):
One of these times we go, we're gonna be able
to h to make it fit. So maybe maybe you'll
see us do it again.

Speaker 5 (01:09:54):
Now that's my one of my favorite storkuse. I am
a boat captain, so I, oh yeah, Ricky, you need
to go on there. I would definitely love to go
on below day.

Speaker 7 (01:10:02):
So now there I'll go.

Speaker 1 (01:10:03):
Let me know, all right, listen, we'll connect. Don't worry
about it, all right, take care, Rickie. One more segment
to go, coming up next, the Final Spin. All right,

(01:10:24):
time for the Final Spin. I tell you the topic,
the spin, and then the truth the topic. By the
time this podcast airs, the iconic NBA studio show Inside
the NBA will have air its final broadcast on tn T,
thus ending the networks thirty five year relationship with the NBA. Now,
the spin is that nothing will change when this show

(01:10:44):
is moved to ESPN next season, and I don't believe
that that's the truth. Yes, the chemistry and productions should
still remain the same, since TNT will maintain creative control
of the show despite it being on ESPN.

Speaker 4 (01:10:59):
But here's what I'm afraid of is that while the
show will look the same, It won't feel the same now.

Speaker 1 (01:11:04):
I do believe ESPN can get out of the way,
so to speak, because it seems they've done that with
the Pat McAfee Show.

Speaker 4 (01:11:09):
But inevitably Charles is going to clown the NBA product.

Speaker 1 (01:11:12):
He's gonna clown ESPN itself and make fun of them
as he often does on TNT, and he's gonna clown
whoever thinks they're in charge. Can ESPN's ego handle all
of that? A lot of people look forward to watching Ejchuck,
Kenny and Shack after games. Will ESPN continue with that tradition,
even though they're accustomed to going right to Sports Center
after games? Now there's going to be a lot of

(01:11:34):
pressure on ESPN to make sure inside the NBA doesn't
miss a beat. I'm just wondering if they can actually
live up to that now. I still love hearing from
all of you. You can hit me up on social
media or email. I'm at Jamail Hill across all social
media platforms, Twitter and Instagram, fan based Blue Scott hand threads.
Please use the hashtags politics. You also have the option

(01:11:56):
of emailing me as Politics twenty twenty four at gmail
dot com. You can also send me a video of
your question, but please make sure it's thirty seconds or less.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe to Politics on iHeart
and follows Politics Pod on Instagram and TikTok.

Speaker 4 (01:12:10):
Politics is spelled s PO l I TCS.

Speaker 1 (01:12:14):
A new episode of Spolitics drops every Thursday on iHeart
Podcasts or wherever.

Speaker 4 (01:12:19):
You get your podcasts.

Speaker 1 (01:12:21):
This is Politics, where sports and politics don't just mix,
they matter. Politics is the production of iHeart Podcasts and
The Unbothered Network. I'm your host Jamel Hill. Executive producer
is Taylor Schakoigne. Lucas Hymen is.

Speaker 4 (01:12:39):
Head of Audio and executive producer.

Speaker 1 (01:12:41):
Original music for Spolitics provided by Kyle Visk from wiz
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