1. Thank you all for coming
to the show tonight. I do appreciate it.
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2. In case you guys don't know
why I'm on tour right now,
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3. as of a couple of months ago,
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4. I've been doing stand-up comedy
for 20 years.
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5. - Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.
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6. Thank you.
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7. My agent said to me, "Anthony, 20 years is
a major accomplishment for any comedian."
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8. "You gotta celebrate."
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9. "Pick some of your favorite cities,
go perform for them."
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10. And I said, "No, thank you."
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11. - "I'd rather go to Milwaukee."
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12. But look...
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13. I am excited to be here tonight.
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14. I've got great news.
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15. After 20 years of stand-up comedy,
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16. just last weekend,
I finally perfected my act.
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17. Don't get me wrong.
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18. I thought it was perfect before.
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19. Ran into an audience member
after my show last Saturday
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20. who told me different.
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21. Last Saturday night,
I'm doing a show in New York.
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22. After my set,
I'm trying to get out to the car.
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23. A woman from the audience chases me down,
practically tackles me.
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24. She says, "Anthony, that last joke
you told tonight, your closer."
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25. "I've gotta tell you,
that joke is problematic."
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26. "You need to think about it,
and you need to change it."
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27. So I changed it.
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28. And now it's my opener.
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29. So, what I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna tell you that joke.
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30. Explain what happened with that woman.
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31. And then nail home
the point that I'm the best.
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32. Now, as a comedian,
I've got a responsibility.
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33. A responsibility
that I take very seriously.
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34. The responsibility to get up
in front of a group of strangers
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35. and give you my opinion
on the trans community.
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36. - Yeah. That's right.
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37. Look, guys. You've got to do it now.
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38. It's in the handbook.
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39. Now, I feel...
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40. I feel like the trans community
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41. are the new pregnant women.
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42. Just in that...
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43. it is never polite to guess.
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44. Guys, you've got to trust me on this.
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45. You never... you never want
to be like, "Hey."
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46. "How far along are you?"
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47. "Are you going to keep it or...?"
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48. - No.
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49. No, don't do that.
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50. Even if you're right, it's rude.
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51. Do what I do.
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52. I'm smooth with it.
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53. I don't ask the question.
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54. If I want to find something out,
I just offer you a drink.
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55. "Here, have this glass of bourbon."
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56. And if they say, "Actually,
Anthony, I'm seven months pregnant,"
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57. then I get to be like,
"Oh my God, you look amazing."
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58. But if they take the drink, they're trans.
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59. Now, obviously...
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60. obviously,
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61. that's a closer.
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62. I could leave right now. It'd be fine.
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63. But this woman grabs me.
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64. Starts arguing with me.
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65. She says, "Anthony, I've gotta ask you,
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66. what is your intention
with that trans joke?"
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67. I said, "Well, my intention
is to make trans people laugh."
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68. I mean, could you imagine?
That would be historic.
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69. And she says, "Well, Anthony..."
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70. "Anthony, you're probably
not even aware of this,
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71. but the problem with your joke
is some trans people are insecure
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72. about the fact
that they can't have kids of their own."
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73. "And your joke
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74. makes it sound like you're saying
the opposite of a pregnant woman
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75. is a trans woman,
and that could be hurtful."
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76. And I agree.
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77. That could be hurtful.
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78. But not coming from me.
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79. You see,
I love trans people.
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80. I empathize with the trans community.
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81. I'm not trans myself.
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82. But I, too, am always getting yelled at
for walking into the wrong bathroom.
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83. I love trans people. You know what I hate?
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84. Pregnant women.
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85. I mean, fuck those chubby bitches,
am I right?
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86. They shouldn't be allowed to play sports.
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87. Now, look.
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88. Look, I will admit...
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89. I will admit
that was a learning moment for me.
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90. Before that woman grabbed me,
I didn't know that trans people
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91. hated pregnant women as much as I do.
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92. Makes me respect them all the more.
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93. So, just in case
anyone here tonight is trans
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94. and you were offended by my first joke,
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95. here's a joke
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96. I tailor wrote just for you to enjoy.
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97. Last week I saw
a pregnant woman get hit by a bus.
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98. Or as I like to call it,
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99. a gender reveal party.
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100. What are you guys laughin' at?
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101. That's not for you.
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102. That's just for my trans friends.
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103. Don't like pregnant women.
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104. Don't like kids.
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105. One of my friends just asked me
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106. if I would be the sperm donor
for her baby.
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107. I said, "I don't know.
That's a pretty big decision."
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108. "How old is your baby?"
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109. If you're walkin' in late, I hate kids.
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110. I hate them so much. It's my whole thing.
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111. And what surprises me
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112. is now that I'm getting older,
I've got friends,
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113. family members having kids of their own.
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114. And I don't judge.
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115. Throw your life away.
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116. What surprises me is these people
will text me pictures of their kids.
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117. "Anthony will want to see this. Send."
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118. I never want to see that.
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119. The only time a kid shows up on my phone
and I'm happy about it,
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120. Amber alert.
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121. - Otherwise...
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122. Otherwise, do not get my hopes up.
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123. I used to ignore
those texts from my friends.
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124. Pretend I didn't see 'em. Never respond.
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125. Then my sister had a kid.
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126. Started getting mad at me.
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127. She'd be like,
"Really, Anthony? No response?"
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128. "You got nothing to say about this picture
of your beautiful niece
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129. fucking up finger painting?"
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130. So I came up with a plan.
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131. Now, anytime,
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132. anytime anyone texts me
a picture of their kids,
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133. I write back the exact same response.
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134. "Thanks."
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135. "Gonna save this one for later."
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136. - Yup.
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137. No, that works.
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138. You guys can use that. It works.
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139. I haven't heard from my sister in a year.
It's the best.
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140. Mm-hmm.
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141. Like a lot of people,
I spent most of the pandemic stuck inside,
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142. starin' at the walls, goin' crazy.
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143. I started buyin' weird shit online.
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144. Decided I was gonna redecorate my place.
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145. I don't know anything
about interior design.
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146. But I know what I like.
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147. So I went on eBay, and I paid $500
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148. for a child's coffin.
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149. I thought, "This'll be great.
It's vintage."
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150. You put that in your living room,
it's a conversation starter.
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151. - You know?
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152. But like so many of the things
we bought online during the pandemic,
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153. I regret it now.
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154. Thing finally showed up in the mail.
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155. Empty.
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156. - I know.
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157. I know.
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158. Look. Guys, guys, guys.
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159. I hate kids so goddamn much.
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160. I can't talk to kids these days.
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161. The other day,
my little nephew came up to me.
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162. He said, "Uncle Anthony,
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163. I've been getting bullied
by another kid in school."
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164. I said, "Don't put up with that."
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165. "Break his nose."
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166. "He'll leave you alone."
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167. He said, "Uncle Anthony,
that's toxic masculinity."
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168. Well, I wasn't gonna put up with that.
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169. Listen, you guys came out here
to have a good time on a Saturday night.
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170. I know what you want.
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171. You want to talk politics. Let's go.
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172. Let me tell you
what's wrong with this country.
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173. Let me tell you what the problem is
with the United States of America.
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174. In this country,
you've gotta be 16 years old
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175. to drive a car, right?
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176. That makes sense.
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177. But you've gotta be 18 years old
to be considered an adult. To vote.
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178. I think that's fucked up.
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179. I think if you're old enough
and mature enough
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180. to safely drive a car on the street,
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181. then I should be allowed
to have sex with you.
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182. Right?
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183. Anyway...
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184. That's the only problem with this country.
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185. Now, as of this weekend, I've been on tour
with this material for 18 months.
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186. And my favorite thing
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187. about touring around the country
with these jokes the past 18 months
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188. has been telling
that last joke in the South.
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189. Guys, I have learned so much
about this great country of ours.
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190. Right at the beginning of this tour,
18 months ago,
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191. I was doing a show in Alabama.
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192. Told them that joke.
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193. Guy in the audience stands up and says,
"Anthony, I hate to break it to you,
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194. but the age of consent in Alabama is 16,
so you gotta change that."
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195. I said, "Oh, yeah?"
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196. You got to change that.
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197. And then a couple of weeks later,
I did a show in Mississippi.
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198. Told them that joke
then told them about Alabama.
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199. Guy in the audience stands up and says,
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200. "In Mississippi,
the age of consent is 14."
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201. And I said, "Ho-ly shit."
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202. That's perfect.
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203. - I mean...
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204. That is what the Founding Fathers
were all about.
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205. You know?
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206. I have a friend who works for the FBI.
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207. He pretends to be a 12-year-old girl.
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208. Goes on the Internet
and chats with child molesters all day.
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209. I don't know what he does for the FBI,
but it's gotta be...
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210. I feel like the big new thing
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211. I keep hearing more and more about
these days is porn addiction.
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212. I feel like every time I turn around,
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213. someone is complaining
about their porn addiction.
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214. Not me.
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215. I can handle my shit.
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216. But a couple of months ago,
I'm at a family reunion.
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217. Big Jeselnik family reunion.
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218. Everyone is there.
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219. And the very first night,
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220. we're all in this giant ballroom,
eating dinner together as a family
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221. when my cousin stands up.
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222. He's 15 years old.
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223. He says, "I have an announcement to make."
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224. "I just want to tell you all
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225. that I've been suffering
from a porn addiction."
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226. "And it's terrible."
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227. "But I'm doing my best to get over it."
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228. No one in my family knows what to say.
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229. Generations of Jeselniks
are just staring straight ahead.
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230. Trying to eat their dinner.
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231. So I stood up.
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232. I said, "Hey, man."
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233. "We can watch something else."
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234. "Look, I can put the game on if you want."
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235. But when's the next time
we're all gonna be together, you know?
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236. I don't have
a porn addiction.
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237. I watch a healthy amount of porn.
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238. I've got my favorites.
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239. Hell, I was in a bar the other night,
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240. saw my favorite porn star of all time
sitting at the end of the bar by herself.
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241. I couldn't believe it.
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242. I called the bartender over,
"Man, I'll have another beer."
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243. "And see that girl down there?"
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244. "She shouldn't be here. She's 13."
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245. Now, this is where audiences
traditionally start to complain.
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246. They'll say, "Anthony, why do you have
so many jokes about abusing children?"
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247. "And why do you do them all
in the beginning?"
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248. And this is where I kind of have
to stop the show for a minute.
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249. And I explain to the audience
the concept of gallows humor.
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250. Gallows humor is what I'm all about.
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251. Gallows humor
is when you see something in the world
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252. that is so horrible
that you have to laugh at it.
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253. Otherwise, it would destroy you.
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254. A couple of months ago,
I'm reading the newspaper,
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255. and I come across an article
about a priest in my hometown
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256. who just got arrested
for molesting an altar boy
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257. at the exact same church
where I was an altar boy growing up.
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258. That was horrifying to read.
That could've been me.
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259. If I had become a priest.
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260. We like to have fun.
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261. I'm proud to say
that I've never once in my entire life
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262. paid money to have sex with a prostitute.
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263. And I'll tell you this.
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264. They get so mad.
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265. You know, there's one thing
I like about Milwaukee.
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266. And there is one thing
I like about Milwaukee.
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267. Seems like a safe place to live. Yeah.
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268. Maybe not to you, but compared
to where I live in Los Angeles,
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269. oh my God, this is paradise.
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270. My neighborhood's really gone to shit
in the past couple years.
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271. Gotten dangerous.
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272. The other day, a woman
in my neighborhood was walking her dog,
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273. had the dog stolen from her at gunpoint.
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274. Now it's my dog.
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275. I actually do love it here in Milwaukee.
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276. I enjoy any time I get
to come and perform.
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277. One of the all-time great
stand-up comedy towns, Milwaukee.
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278. Yeah.
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279. It cheers me up to be back in Milwaukee.
I'll tell you that.
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280. I've needed cheering up lately too.
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281. I've been a little down lately.
I'll admit it.
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282. Lost a friend recently. Stupid.
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283. Friend of mine went to the hospital
for an elective surgery.
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284. A simple breast reduction surgery.
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285. Did not survive the surgery.
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286. Died right there on the operating table.
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287. As far as I'm concerned.
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288. Yeah.
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289. Somehow that's become
one of the most polarizing jokes
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290. I'm gonna tell all night.
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291. And if you didn't laugh at it,
that's okay.
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292. But what the fuck do you know?
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293. I've been doing this for 20 years.
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294. And I'll be honest,
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295. I had no idea it had been 20 years
before my agent told me.
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296. I never thought of 20 years as a goal
I should be trying to achieve.
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297. I've never defined success by longevity.
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298. I've always defined success
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299. by how long has it been
since I had to have a roommate.
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300. - Yeah.
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301. It's true.
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302. I haven't had a roommate in 15 years.
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303. I'm 45. That's not a flex.
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304. Last roommate I ever had...
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305. Last roommate I ever had, he had a video
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306. of every single person
he'd ever had sex with in our apartment.
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307. Yeah. It's a betrayal of trust.
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308. But it was hilarious.
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309. He had no idea.
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310. Another way I define success as an artist.
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311. How long has it been
since I had to have a day job?
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312. Again, 15 years.
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313. I hated the day jobs
I had to have coming up.
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314. Imagine what I was like
at a day job 15 years ago.
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315. I had this one day job.
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316. Someone kept stealing my lunch.
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317. Someone stole my lunch every single day,
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318. even though I clearly had
my name written on it.
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319. And I was pretty sure I knew who did it.
I just couldn't prove it.
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320. So, one day before work,
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321. I crushed up
an entire bottle of laxatives.
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322. Enough laxatives to cripple a man.
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323. And I put them in my food,
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324. and then I waited
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325. until this guy got up
to go to the bathroom.
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326. And as soon as he did,
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327. I shit all over his desk.
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328. Yeah, I got fired
from most of my day jobs.
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329. All of them, really.
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330. All of them except the last one.
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331. Last day job I ever had,
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332. I worked in a giant,
soulless corporate office building,
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333. and I quit in the middle of the day
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334. after I watched a 60-year-old woman
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335. accidentally step
into an empty elevator shaft
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336. and plummet 30 stories to her death.
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337. I just walked right the fuck out.
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338. And that was my last day
in elevator repair.
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339. If there's one thing I'm getting sick of
after 20 years of stand-up comedy,
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340. it's the travel.
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341. I always say I do the shows for free.
You pay me to travel.
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342. And that is certainly true tonight.
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343. Two nights ago,
I fly from New York City to Milwaukee.
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344. Two-and-a-half-hour flight.
It's direct. It should be easy.
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345. I get on the plane.
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346. The woman sitting
next to me has a 100-pound dog
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347. curled up in her lap.
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348. And I say, "Excuse me,
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349. but what the fuck is this?"
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350. This woman, I swear to God,
she rolls her eyes at me,
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351. and she goes,
"Uh, this is my emotional support animal."
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352. "I have a note from my doctor."
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353. I was like, "Note from your doctor?"
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354. "Do you really need an
emotional support animal on this flight?"
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355. And she goes, "No."
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356. And I thought
my head was going to explode.
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357. I don't like when people
take advantage of the system like that.
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358. It's a two-and-a-half-hour flight.
I talked to her about it.
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359. I'm happy to report by the time we landed,
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360. she needed that fucking dog.
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361. Air travel has gotten so uncomfortable
in the past few years.
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362. But everyone I know
who flies a lot like I do,
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363. they always have a little trick.
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364. Everyone's got their own unique trick
to make flying easier for them.
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365. Like, I'm friends
with a very wealthy married couple.
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366. They're millionaires.
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367. And they got six kids
in between the two of 'em.
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368. They're always flying off
on some exotic family vacation.
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369. And whenever they fly, their trick is
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370. the family flies
on two separate airplanes.
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371. That way, worst-case scenario,
one of those planes crashes,
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372. they don't have to deal
with their kids anymore.
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373. - Uh-huh.
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374. But look, if I'm being honest
with you guys...
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375. If I'm being honest,
I don't actually have any married friends.
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376. I used to.
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377. Used to have a lot of married friends.
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378. But all my married friends
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379. have gotten divorced
in the past two years.
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380. All of them.
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381. But I've noticed something.
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382. All my friends' divorces,
they all had two things in common.
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383. Infidelity and me.
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384. Hey, listen.
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385. All right, listen.
You guys have been great so far.
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386. I hate to do this to you,
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387. but this next joke is gonna be
too smart for the crowd.
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388. Don't worry. I will explain it to you.
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389. And after all,
aren't those the best jokes?
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390. Sigmund Freud's mom
must've been so fucking hot.
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391. - Okay?
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392. Get that?
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393. A lot of you were faking it
for the cameras. Let me explain.
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394. Dr. Sigmund Freud.
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395. The most famous psychoanalyst of all time.
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396. His main theory, his main claim to fame,
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397. was the theory that every young man
wanted to murder his own father
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398. and have sex with his own mother.
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399. Imagine.
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400. Imagine how hot his mom must have been
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401. for his colleagues to go, "Publish that."
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402. I was 14 years old
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403. when I walked in on my parents having sex.
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404. That's a big moment for any young man.
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405. That moment when you realize your parents
are more than just Mom and Dad.
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406. They're also swingers.
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407. Yeah, that was a core memory, for sure.
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408. Never forget that.
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409. I'll never forget
the night of my senior prom.
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410. Night of my senior prom. I'm 18 years old.
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411. I'm at home, putting on my tuxedo
when my dad walked in the room,
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412. and he handed me a condom.
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413. Snuck it to me in a handshake.
So fuckin' gross.
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414. Then he looks me right in the eyes,
and he says, "Anthony,
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415. do you have any questions?"
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416. I said, "Yeah, Dad."
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417. Do you have one
that's still in the wrapper?
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418. Yeah, my dad was fuckin' weird, okay?
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419. All your dads are weird.
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420. When you're a kid, you can't recognize
how weird your parents are.
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421. It's not until you get older
that you figure it out.
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422. Like, when I was a little kid,
every year on my birthday,
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423. my dad would take me into the kitchen,
Copy !req
424. put me up against the kitchen wall
and make a little mark
Copy !req
425. to measure my girth.
Copy !req
426. Mm.
Copy !req
427. And maybe that messed me up a little bit.
I don't know.
Copy !req
428. I feel like I'm a pretty normal guy.
Copy !req
429. Although I do get angry
when people try to talk to me about sex.
Copy !req
430. I was having lunch
with a friend the other day.
Copy !req
431. And he says, "Anthony,
Copy !req
432. I've been havin' trouble
with premature ejaculation."
Copy !req
433. I said, "Oh, yeah?"
Copy !req
434. "Why don't you try
talkin' about baseball?"
Copy !req
435. He said, "Anthony, don't you mean
thinking about baseball?"
Copy !req
436. And I said, "I don't give a fuck
what you think about."
Copy !req
437. "Just don't talk to me
about your premature ejaculation."
Copy !req
438. When I was growin' up,
Copy !req
439. I had a sibling rivalry
with my little brother.
Copy !req
440. Got out of hand, to be quite honest.
Copy !req
441. One day, my little brother
went into the backyard,
Copy !req
442. took my dog's collar off,
and let it run away from home.
Copy !req
443. So I poisoned his fish.
Copy !req
444. I think I won that one.
Copy !req
445. 'Cause the next day,
I went out, and I found my dog,
Copy !req
446. put his collar back on,
brought him back home.
Copy !req
447. But my brother,
Copy !req
448. he died from the salmon.
Copy !req
449. Yeah, it's a banger.
Copy !req
450. Last year, my parents lost
all of their money in a Ponzi scheme.
Copy !req
451. So, of course, they came to me.
Copy !req
452. Their wealthy, successful son.
Copy !req
453. And asked me why I did that.
Copy !req
454. Mm.
Copy !req
455. Mm.
Copy !req
456. Yeah.
Copy !req
457. My family didn't have a lot of money
when I was growin' up.
Copy !req
458. My dad was a volunteer firefighter.
Copy !req
459. Do you know
what a volunteer firefighter is?
Copy !req
460. It is exactly like a regular firefighter.
Copy !req
461. Except your son does not respect you.
Copy !req
462. My mom's been having a hard time.
Copy !req
463. She's gettin' paranoid in her old age.
Copy !req
464. Can't sleep at night
'cause she gets too scared.
Copy !req
465. So every night,
around bedtime, she calls me
Copy !req
466. to complain on the phone for hours
Copy !req
467. that she's too afraid
to fall asleep in her own home.
Copy !req
468. So finally, after months of this,
Copy !req
469. just to get her off my back,
Copy !req
470. I bought her a gun.
Copy !req
471. And now she's scared about that.
Copy !req
472. She said, "Anthony,
what's the matter with you?"
Copy !req
473. "Don't you know
that people who live with a gun
Copy !req
474. are more than twice as likely
to be shot in their own home?"
Copy !req
475. I said, "Mom,
Copy !req
476. I am counting on it."
Copy !req
477. And look, maybe,
maybe I'm being too harsh.
Copy !req
478. I have trouble sleeping sometimes too.
Like the other night.
Copy !req
479. The other night, I'm lying in bed,
and I cannot fall asleep.
Copy !req
480. I'm just staring out my bedroom window
for hours.
Copy !req
481. And I swear, I saw my next-door neighbor
murder his wife in their kitchen
Copy !req
482. then dispose of the body in garbage bags.
Copy !req
483. Now I'm worried I'm next.
Copy !req
484. Like, I don't think he saw me,
but he sure as shit heard me clappin'.
Copy !req
485. Now, here's a joke I like a lot.
Copy !req
486. My cousin Randy
Copy !req
487. is maybe the dumbest person
I've ever met in my entire life.
Copy !req
488. Dumbest guy I've ever met.
Copy !req
489. The other day, he comes up, and he goes,
"Anthony, check out my new tattoo."
Copy !req
490. "It's the Japanese symbol for awesome."
Copy !req
491. "No, Randy."
Copy !req
492. "That's a swastika."
Copy !req
493. "I mean, fuck, man. Everybody knows."
Copy !req
494. "Everybody knows
Copy !req
495. that's the German symbol for awesome."
Copy !req
496. Now, I said I liked that joke a lot.
Copy !req
497. Here's how much I like that joke.
Copy !req
498. I used to open with it.
Copy !req
499. Right at the beginning of this tour,
18 months ago,
Copy !req
500. Kanye West came to one of my shows.
Copy !req
501. I had no idea he was even there.
Copy !req
502. I didn't find out until the next day
when Kanye went on a podcast.
Copy !req
503. And he said, "I went to go see
Anthony Jeselnik last night,
Copy !req
504. and his opening joke is so high level
Copy !req
505. that it made me realize I'm not funny."
Copy !req
506. Guys, that blew my mind
Copy !req
507. That's the best compliment
I've ever gotten in my life.
Copy !req
508. I humbled Kanye West.
Copy !req
509. - You know.
Copy !req
510. Yeah.
Copy !req
511. I'm not gonna lie. I was so excited.
Copy !req
512. I watched that clip 100 times.
Copy !req
513. I sent it to my manager.
I said, "Put this on my website."
Copy !req
514. "Put it on social media."
Copy !req
515. "Let's sell some fucking tickets...
Copy !req
516. with a little help from Kanye."
Copy !req
517. And my manager says to me, "Anthony,
are you out of your goddamn mind?"
Copy !req
518. "Don't you know what's been going on
with Kanye lately?"
Copy !req
519. And I said no. Honestly.
Copy !req
520. I used to be a huge Kanye fan,
Copy !req
521. but I stopped paying attention to him
when he went Christian.
Copy !req
522. And my manager says,
"Well, in the past two weeks alone,
Copy !req
523. Kanye's been wearing
White Lives Matter T-shirts
Copy !req
524. and saying wild, anti-Semitic shit."
Copy !req
525. And I was like, "Oh."
Copy !req
526. "He went super Christian."
Copy !req
527. That crazy son of a bitch
finally finished the whole book.
Copy !req
528. My manager said, "Look,
Anthony, you can use this clip of Kanye
Copy !req
529. to promote yourself if you want to,
Copy !req
530. but if you do,
you gotta drop that swastika joke."
Copy !req
531. "You gotta stop doing it for sure."
Copy !req
532. "Otherwise, you're gonna start
to attract the wrong kinds of fans,
Copy !req
533. and your current fans
will take the wrong lesson
Copy !req
534. from what you're doing."
Copy !req
535. And that's how much I like that joke.
Copy !req
536. I'm against cancel culture.
Copy !req
537. Thank you.
Copy !req
538. That's my impression of a shit comic
trying to get on Rogan.
Copy !req
539. In 20 years of stand-up comedy,
Copy !req
540. I've been asked the same questions
over and over and over again.
Copy !req
541. The question I get asked the most by far
Copy !req
542. is, "Anthony, what do you think
about cancel culture?"
Copy !req
543. "Does it make you mad?"
Copy !req
544. "Aren't you scared?
What do you think about cancel culture?"
Copy !req
545. So, let me be clear.
Copy !req
546. I don't give a fuck about cancel culture.
Copy !req
547. What I am sick of are comedians
complaining about cancel culture.
Copy !req
548. It's not that hard. Do your job.
Copy !req
549. Comedians are supposed to be
unparalleled badasses.
Copy !req
550. I know this
because I have a fucking mirror.
Copy !req
551. Cancel culture is not scary.
Copy !req
552. It's also not interesting.
Copy !req
553. And it's definitely not new.
Copy !req
554. Back when I was in college,
I had this crazy professor.
Copy !req
555. Made all of his students
fill out their own suicide note.
Copy !req
556. Then he would read them out loud
to the rest of the class.
Copy !req
557. As soon as the parents found out,
he got fired immediately.
Copy !req
558. And I was the only one
who stood up for him.
Copy !req
559. Because, hey, he made math fun.
Copy !req
560. And yes, I did mention Joe Rogan, guys.
Copy !req
561. Do not get me wrong.
Copy !req
562. I like Joe.
Joe's my friend. Joe's a good guy.
Copy !req
563. But if you listen to his podcast,
you're a fucking loser.
Copy !req
564. My brother-in-law
is Joe Rogan's biggest fan.
Copy !req
565. Never misses an episode.
Copy !req
566. Doesn't think four hours is long enough.
Copy !req
567. But my brother-in-law is Joe Rogan's
target demographic.
Copy !req
568. My brother-in-law
is a conspiracy theorist.
Copy !req
569. A crazy conspiracy theorist.
Copy !req
570. Like, my brother-in-law refuses
to become an organ donor
Copy !req
571. because he swears
that if you get into an accident
Copy !req
572. and the paramedics see
that you're an organ donor,
Copy !req
573. they won't try to save your life
Copy !req
574. 'cause they want to use your organs
to help someone else.
Copy !req
575. It's insane, but I can't argue with him.
Copy !req
576. He's a paramedic.
Copy !req
577. Another question I've been asked
a million times in the last 20 years,
Copy !req
578. "Anthony, what's your favorite joke
you've ever written?"
Copy !req
579. It's easy. The first one.
Copy !req
580. Twenty years ago, when I started this,
I started from nothing.
Copy !req
581. I was nothing.
Copy !req
582. I was just going around
to open mics in Los Angeles,
Copy !req
583. performing for bitter open-mic comedians
who never reacted to anything.
Copy !req
584. I was just trying to find my voice.
Could I be good at this?
Copy !req
585. Could I make it a living?
And it took a while.
Copy !req
586. Until one night, I went to a coffee shop,
tried this joke out for the first time.
Copy !req
587. Changed my whole life.
Copy !req
588. I said, "Guys,
my girlfriend loves to eat chocolate."
Copy !req
589. "She's always eating chocolate,
Copy !req
590. and she likes to joke
she's got a chocolate addiction." Hmm?
Copy !req
591. "'Keep me away from those chocolate bars.
I'm addicted to 'em.'"
Copy !req
592. "And it's really annoying."
Copy !req
593. "So one day I put her in the car,
and I drove her downtown,
Copy !req
594. and I pointed out a crack addict,
and I said, 'Do you see that, honey?'"
Copy !req
595. "'Why can't you be that skinny?'"
Copy !req
596. And I will never forget telling
that joke for the very first time
Copy !req
597. to a room full of bitter
open-mic comedians
Copy !req
598. who never reacted to anything.
Copy !req
599. And the whole room just went, "Ooh."
Copy !req
600. I was like,
"Oh, I'm gonna be a fucking star."
Copy !req
601. And then, of course,
a couple years later, I got my big break,
Copy !req
602. and I got to do some roasting.
Copy !req
603. Got to roast Donald Trump,
Copy !req
604. Charlie Sheen, Roseanne Barr,
all the greats.
Copy !req
605. People still ask me, "Anthony,
which one was your favorite?"
Copy !req
606. Charlie Sheen.
Copy !req
607. But not because of Charlie Sheen.
Copy !req
608. I didn't give a fuck about Charlie Sheen.
Copy !req
609. I remember a couple days before
that roast, I'm at home writing jokes.
Copy !req
610. And I get a phone call from the network.
Copy !req
611. And they say, "Anthony, I know
you only have a couple days left to write,
Copy !req
612. but we just added Mike Tyson to the dais."
Copy !req
613. "Will you be able to write yourself
any jokes about Mike Tyson?"
Copy !req
614. Two days later,
Copy !req
615. I am walking into that roast
with 100 jokes about Mike Tyson.
Copy !req
616. I am so excited.
Copy !req
617. And right as I go to sit down,
guy from the network comes back.
Copy !req
618. He goes,
"I'm just double-checking with you."
Copy !req
619. "You don't have
any Mike Tyson rape jokes, do you?"
Copy !req
620. And I said, "Why?"
Copy !req
621. And he said,
"Well, it was almost impossible
Copy !req
622. to get Mike Tyson to agree
to appear on a televised roast."
Copy !req
623. "We had to promise him
there would be no rape jokes."
Copy !req
624. I was like, "Are we talking
about the same Mike Tyson?"
Copy !req
625. So now the roast has begun.
Copy !req
626. I'm up at the podium. Cameras are rolling.
Copy !req
627. I have zero jokes about Mike Tyson.
Copy !req
628. And I am mad about it.
Copy !req
629. But out of the corner of my eye,
I can see Mike Tyson sitting on the stage.
Copy !req
630. Mike's been drinkin'.
Copy !req
631. Mike's been smokin'.
Mike's laughing at everything.
Copy !req
632. Mike's responding to jokes
that aren't even about him.
Copy !req
633. Mike Tyson was having
the time of his life.
Copy !req
634. So I think, "You know what?"
Copy !req
635. "I can do one."
Copy !req
636. So I said,
"I think Mike Tyson's biggest problem
Copy !req
637. is Mike never had
a strong male role model growing up."
Copy !req
638. "Mike's dad walked out on the family
very early on
Copy !req
639. after Mike raped him."
Copy !req
640. Now, as soon as I tell this joke...
Copy !req
641. As soon as I tell this joke, I regret it.
Copy !req
642. I am afraid.
Copy !req
643. And I turned to look at Mike Tyson
to see, is he coming at me?
Copy !req
644. Am I about to die?
Copy !req
645. And I just see Mike Tyson
throw his head back, and he goes,
Copy !req
646. "He got you, Charlie."
Copy !req
647. Guys, in 20 years of stand-up comedy,
I've gotten to meet so many famous people.
Copy !req
648. Haven't given a fuck about any of 'em.
Copy !req
649. Except for one,
and that was Norm Macdonald.
Copy !req
650. - Yeah. Yeah.
Copy !req
651. All right.
Copy !req
652. Long before I ever even considered
becoming a comedian,
Copy !req
653. I worshiped Norm Macdonald.
Copy !req
654. He was my hero when I was a kid.
Copy !req
655. He's still my hero today.
Copy !req
656. Never got to meet him
for the longest time.
Copy !req
657. Then a couple years ago,
I get a phone call from my agent.
Copy !req
658. He says, "Anthony, how would you like
Copy !req
659. to be the new host
of Last Comic Standing?"
Copy !req
660. And I said, "Why the fuck
would I want to do that?"
Copy !req
661. "That show sucks."
Copy !req
662. And he said, "This year,
it's gonna be different."
Copy !req
663. "This year, they have
Norm Macdonald as a judge."
Copy !req
664. "Would you like to work with Norm?"
Copy !req
665. And I signed up on the spot.
Copy !req
666. Norm and I made eight episodes
of this TV show together.
Copy !req
667. Eight straight nights
of eight-hour tapings every night.
Copy !req
668. And for the first four episodes,
Copy !req
669. Norm Macdonald and I
do not get along at all.
Copy !req
670. We get into fights every night on the air.
We get into fights every night backstage.
Copy !req
671. We flat-out do not like each other.
Copy !req
672. And it's killing me.
Copy !req
673. He's my hero
and the only reason I took this job.
Copy !req
674. So for those first four episodes,
Copy !req
675. I am working at it,
and I'm working at it hard.
Copy !req
676. Norm's working at it too,
just not nearly as hard.
Copy !req
677. But after four episodes,
for whatever reason, something clicks.
Copy !req
678. Finally, Norm and I are laughing together.
We're getting along. All I ever wanted.
Copy !req
679. After the show was finally finished,
Norm and I had to go and promote it.
Copy !req
680. And the last time
I ever saw Norm Macdonald,
Copy !req
681. we are backstage at Larry King.
Copy !req
682. I'm getting interviewed first,
and then Norm.
Copy !req
683. Right before I go out, Norm says to me,
Copy !req
684. "Hey, Anthony, I know
we haven't always gotten along
Copy !req
685. or seen eye-to-eye,
but if you're up for it and you trust me,
Copy !req
686. I thought of something really funny
that you and I could do together."
Copy !req
687. I said, "Oh my God, Norm.
Of course. You're my hero."
Copy !req
688. "Tell me what you want to do."
Copy !req
689. He says, "I think it'll be funny
Copy !req
690. if instead of promoting the show
by talking about these other comedians,
Copy !req
691. why don't you and I just promote the show
by publicly insulting each other?"
Copy !req
692. He says,
"Don't even try to be funny, Anthony."
Copy !req
693. "Just be mean."
Copy !req
694. And I said,
"You know what, Norm? I can do that."
Copy !req
695. I sit down with Larry King.
Copy !req
696. Larry says, "Anthony,
what you think about Norm Macdonald?"
Copy !req
697. And I said, "Larry,
Norm Macdonald is a piece of shit."
Copy !req
698. And I can hear Norm laughing backstage.
Copy !req
699. I finish the interview.
I go backstage. Norm is still laughin'.
Copy !req
700. He says, "Anthony, that was perfect."
Copy !req
701. "Now, watch this."
Copy !req
702. Norm sits down with Larry King.
Copy !req
703. Larry King says, "Norm, what do you think
about Anthony Jeselnik?"
Copy !req
704. Norm says, "Larry,
he's one of the greats."
Copy !req
705. I've never been more pissed off
in my entire life.
Copy !req
706. Can't believe I fell for that.
Copy !req
707. You have been an amazing crowd today.
I'm going to leave you all with this.
Copy !req
708. This is my new closer.
Copy !req
709. Don't worry. It is trans-proof.
Copy !req
710. About a month ago, I went to a wedding.
Copy !req
711. Craziest wedding I've ever seen.
Copy !req
712. After the ceremony,
every single person there took Molly.
Copy !req
713. The bride took Molly.
The groom took Molly.
Copy !req
714. The parents, the grandparents.
Every single person there was on Molly.
Copy !req
715. Craziest shit I've ever seen.
Copy !req
716. I blacked out around midnight.
Copy !req
717. Woke up the next morning
in a fucking hammock somewhere.
Copy !req
718. Went and found the bride and groom,
and I was like, "Hey, guys."
Copy !req
719. "Did I do anything embarrassing
last night?"
Copy !req
720. And they said, "Yeah, Anthony."
Copy !req
721. "You spiked the punch with Molly."
Copy !req
722. Thank you very much, Milwaukee.
Have a great night. Thank you.
Copy !req