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You warm me up, I say you're a nice guy.
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I really felt we were about to be friends.
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And now I'm back in the gutter of my hatred for Sean Evans. Um Oh god damn.
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Hey, what's going on everybody from First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
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It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
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And today we're joined by Ken Jeong.
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You know him from massively popular films like The Hangover and Crazy Rich Asians.
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His many hit TV shows and even the stand-up stage.
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Speaking of, his first ever comedy special is set to Netflix this month.
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Ken Jeong, welcome to the show.
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Um The air is already too spicy, so Uh-oh.
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It's I know that you're a licensed medical doctor.
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Out of curiosity, have you done anything special to prepare for or recover from today's meal? Um I cried this morning.
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Um I had three silent panic attacks so my kids wouldn't hear me. Let's want to be here.
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And I am scared of you, not you as a person.
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We had a great talk before. Mhm.
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You sound amazing and lovely and nice. But scared of this.
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Scared of the brand and I'm scared of at least three of these. Handle. Started handle. Mhm. [ __ ] yeah, okay. All right. Okay.
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It's just like on the Michael B.
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Jordan one where he just you know he just kept on just gauging you and then I'm just like Okay.
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We're going to play Sean Evans. We're going to play.
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So comedy is rife with intense origin stories, but it's hard for me to think of anything more grueling than attending the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine while also doing open mic sets.
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Are the things that you find funny about being a doctor now different than the bits that you were doing in medical school? That's a great question.
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I think the bits I was doing in medical school I really did I really did any medical bits during medical school because I I thought it was it was really too soon.
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So, I really I really just I just did a lot of dancing. That's all I remember.
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I just danced and played some guitar.
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Like nothing was too hacky for me, you know?
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I wasn't doing any Carlin-esque writing.
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It was just more therapy just to be on just to kind of It was a great outlet. It was my golf.
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I remember thinking that the whole time.
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I like the caution that you take with each wing, you know?
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I'm a [ __ ] doctor, dude.
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You got to be careful with this stuff.
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So, your career's checked so many boxes from breakout roles in blockbuster films to cameos in Enrique Iglesias music videos.
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So, here we'll dive into some of the finer notes of your acting resume.
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What was the best and worst thing about sharing a trailer with Donald Glover during your time on Community?
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That's the best question ever.
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The best The best thing he'd be working on his early Childish Gambino albums.
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I got to hear just through the walls like early tracks of Freaks and Geeks.
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Whenever he wasn't working, he was writing.
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And And I really respected that.
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And And that inspires me to this day like if I was on Crazy Rich Asians or doing something, you know, I was actually working on a script myself.
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So, that was directly inspired by, you know, by what I saw Donald do for 5 years on Community.
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But, having said that, the music got kind of loud.
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And um I think I became grumpy old man. Well, I don't know.
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Who's funnier behind the scenes, Zach Galifianakis or Shaq?
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Well, Shaq, he's a legend, but in terms of pure comedy, Zach Galifianakis is he's probably the funniest person I've ever worked with, period.
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What's the movie quote that fans yell at you most in the wild?
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Um A lot of it's you know, "Toodaloo, motherfuckers." I get that a lot.
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I do remember um maybe it's because we're having food here.
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I do remember early on right after the right after the first Hangover, well, we were at a food court with my wife and kids and my daughter was 2 years old at the time, Zoe, and someone was yelling out from the mall was just like, "Hey, you're going to [ __ ] on me?"
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And then Lily, my Zoe, my daughter without not knowing it was a bad word, without missing a beat, she goes, "No, he won't [ __ ] on you."
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I'm like, "Zoe, let's just come on.
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Just eat your waffle fries, all right? Just just take a beat.
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I mean, this is more hot chest than hot ones.
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I'm just kind of looking at your move. All right. Patio's potion.
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What's harder to deal with as a performer, getting savagely heckled on stage or seeing someone have a medical emergency in the audience?
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I did a show in last year where someone in the third row had a seizure and it was um it was a it was a petit mal seizure, thank god.
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thank god. It was just very, very mild relative, you know, to that condition, but I the whole crowd just stopped and I dropped the mic, went into doctor mode, and jumped off stage to try to help out the person and uh you know, just still I still think about her
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all the time and I actually flew her out to and her boyfriend out to New York to one of my shows the following week and just treated her and her boyfriend out to like a whole week in New York to enjoy the sights and paid for their hotel room and flight and everything and um she never came to a [ __ ] show. And then stand-ups are as good as anyone
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And then stand-ups are as good as anyone is complaining.
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Do you ever find that comedians share their ailments with you backstage?
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Every single [ __ ] time.
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Every time I've ever done stand-up, movies, TV.
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I remember this was like 18 years ago.
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I was at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and I had a set, but I did very well.
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I you know, I really guitar'd it up that night and this national headliner, comedy legend was like, "Hey, come here."
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I was like, "Oh my god, maybe maybe he'll take me on the road with him and I could be his opening act."
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So I went to the bathroom with him.
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He literally lifted up his shirt.
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"Hey doc, do you think do you think this is do you think this is skin cancer or do you think it's just a mole? Is there anything?"
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And I I was like, "You know, it's it's just a mole." "Did you see the set?" Nope.
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You know, then walked away.
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Which comedian do you think would make the worst patient?
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Um oh god, there's so many.
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I mean, I'm putting myself too.
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We're we are all broken toys and we're all neurotic.
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So um I would have to say all comedians make the worst patients.
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I would never want to be a comedian's doctor. Chewbacca. It's a great name.
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So far I think that's the best name.
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I just I just feel like these are these are like landmines of like it's almost like designed to Speaking of neurotic.
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We need a hot wing, please.
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So it's not every day that we have a doctor in the hot seat.
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So what I want to do is hit you with some popular internet folk wisdom and you can just tell me if it checks out with your medical training, okay? Okay.
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You can get the flu by getting a flu shot. Nope.
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Nope, it's a recombinant artificial vaccine.
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It's not a live attenuated vaccine.
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So that is the biggest myth.
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Sugar is just as addictive as heroin.
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Sugar is addictive, junk food is addictive.
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Um but I would hasten to say that heroin is is by far the most addictive.
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We only use 10% of our brains.
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Well, you maybe you don't.
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Yeah, to you, but it's um I don't know if this is a Chiba gold talking, but um I think I that number does sound right, 10 to 15%. That does sound right.
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I don't know the exact percentage, but that's that's as a spectrum of truth.
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Blue balls are very serious medical condition. Very real.
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it is not a very serious medical condition. You know, sorry fellas.
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Spicy food gives you ulcers. Yes, absolutely.
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You know, which is why I'm [ __ ] worried right now.
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Breaking the seal makes you have to pee more. [ __ ] no.
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That's like You don't want to You you could you could get into I mean if there are there are horrible cases of urinary retention that could lead to kidney failure if you could hold it in and and like if you have the kidneys and then your ureters go down to the bladder and then if you if it gets so congested, it could it could actually reflux back into the kidney and and blow out your kidney.
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So, break the seal everybody.
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You will break that seal, dog. Break it.
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Doing better than you thought you would so far? Actually, I am.
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Yeah, I'm doing better than I thought.
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I really thought that you know, cuz I watch the show and I am I am a legit fan, but I've seen people I've seen friends of mine buckle and it's it's painful to watch.
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And um it's painful to see my friends suffer and um But brave of you to take it on, Ken. Yeah.
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All right, Ken, we have a recurring segment on our show called explain that, Graham, where we do a dive on our guest Instagram pull interesting pictures that need more context and today we have a theme.
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It's an all sports edition of explain that gram.
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So I'll bust out the laptop, I'll show you the picture and you tell me the bigger story. Does that sound good? Nope. What's going on here? Aha.
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Here you are with Kevin Durant.
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Yeah, that was at a GQ party that I crashed.
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I do remember going a little bit on and on about like I was a little bit too nerdy about how how amazing a shooter He was like, you got really into the weeds with him.
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I got really into the weeds and he was completely bored, you know, by minute three.
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Like I mean Reggie Miller's amazing, but you have the athleticism and that you could go post, you can go so many ways and no one has had the combination of like your athletic skills and your basketball IQ and you just complete package and literally I while I was saying that, he was just like looking around to see if there's like, you know, more just more entertaining to people to talk to.
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I just remember him going, yeah, man. See you later, dog.
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And then like just walked away.
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And my wife was there who was there and she goes, how did it go?
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I was like, it was great. We're like best friends.
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You know, he's he's you know, he's just like You know, I just repeated what I said to him, you know.
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And then she started scanning the room.
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And then she started scanning the room and then Oh. Yes.
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Your day with the Dodgers.
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There is a story behind that.
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Um I was there for game seven and I was carrying the flag and Carlos Correa He and it I think Sports Illustrated has a photo.
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He shoves a cup of ice water in my face. Unprovoked.
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You know, while I'm doing it, boom. Boom. Savage. Savage. Savage AF.
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And I'm with like I think Rob Lowe's on the other side and I'm like we're just carrying like and you know, they won't I guess they won't shove water in Rob Lowe cuz he's Rob Lowe, you know, he's Rob Lowe.
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But they'll do it at Chao anytime.
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So I was trying to be respectful, but Carlos Correa did shove it and it totally startled me.
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I was still wiping off all the water off of my Dodger jersey and my jeans and my face.
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And by the time I got to my seat the the Astros had already scored like three runs.
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Now first minute, you remember like in game seven, they had a quick lead. And I'm like, "Wow. Carlos, come on. Can't we be friends?" Brutal.
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You want a mild hot wing, Carlos? Take that one.
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I know that you're a SportsCenter obsessive.
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Rest in peace, Stuart Scott.
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All right, I'm a North Carolina native.
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Stuart Scott, also North Carolina.
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I just guest co-anchored SportsCenter um I think a few months prior.
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And he came up to me out of the blue.
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Um both he and Scott Van Pelt said, "Hey, you know, I respect you because you really I tried hard."
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Like I I actually went to the pre-production meeting.
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I was trying to pitch out like NBA storylines, you know, and and I and I was writing my own copy, you know, like any I was really trying to trying to do it.
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And um for Stuart Scott to say, "I've seen a lot of celebrities come here and you're the only one that really respected what we do."
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To this day, I'll never forget that and we just kept in touch ever since and uh just a shout-out to everybody in the Scott family.
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Stuart Scott is just uh he really is a pioneer for sports journalism. So so much love. Adobo Loco. I [ __ ] know. Yeah. I could see that coming.
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Stop thinking about everything. You relax me.
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And then you Adobe Loco'd me.
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Could probably go for that ice water bath right now.
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I could probably go, you know.
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So, I know that in addition to being an actor and a comedian, you're a loving father.
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Have your girls seen The Hangover yet? No, they have not.
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They're 11 and I'm I'm I am I am I am nervous as to You know, that eventual day.
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I'm nervous about that eventual day.
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I mean, that's that's more stressful to me than the birds and bees talk, you know.
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Oh man, this is one This is all right. All right. All right.
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What's the most honest feedback they've ever given to you about a TV or movie role?
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Do you ever find that they can deliver a harsh truth when your team can't?
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I was doing I was doing a on the set of a music video for a friend of a family friend of ours, Laura Marano.
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She's star of Austin & Ally and and the Marano family they're good family friends of ours.
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So, they featured Zoe in the video and me.
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And so, I wanted to it was a nice father And they wanted to do a nice father-daughter video.
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And we were doing all these over-the-top takes.
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Me and Laura and her mother Ellen were just crying, you know, like having a fun time just improvising and and uh And literally Zoe was on her iPad like completely unimpressed and just looked at me and she said, "Are we done? Are we done?" I got to nut up. Do this.
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Torch bearer garlic reaper. What's wrong with you?
15:02
Careful around your eyes. Yeah. Right. Right. Don't touch it. No.
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I'm looking out for you, man. Thank you, Sean. Thank you.
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Thank you for being kind of an ally. Yeah, that too. Uh yeah.
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Now it's getting This is like This is getting like fourth quarter pepper right now. Mhm. I see.
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It starts out a friendly exhibition game.
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Technically third quarter still. Shut up.
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Shut the [ __ ] up, Sean.
15:33
So, you have the rare distinction of having degrees from both North Carolina and Duke, but you make no secret about where your allegiance lies.
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What's the most classless thing you either participated in or witnessed as a member of the Cameron Crazies?
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Well, two things offend me.
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Um, you know, you and also um saying that anything the Cameron Crazies did was offensive. We're satirical.
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And we one of my favorite um a a guy from Clemson was inbounding the ball.
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Clemson versus Duke at Cameron.
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The guy's name was Howling.
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None of us knew who the Clemson players were. They weren't our enemy.
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We didn't hate them at all.
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They just started howling.
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THEY JUST GOING AH I JUST REMEMBER LIKE 50 guys going And I I was just crying laughing while they're inbounding the ball.
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And every time he touched the ball, they would just start howling.
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And I just thought that was the funniest that was the funniest thing ever.
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So, nothing not no NBA game has ever competed with me coming back to home.
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Do you remember your first impression of Coach K when you did his Sirius XM show back in 2013?
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Dude, although I hate you, I respect you.
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Thank you for knowing that.
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Um I just stood there and I just did not speak unless spoken to.
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I was a willing wallflower.
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Even if he was right here, I wouldn't even try to make eye contact.
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You know, like you know, it's like I wanted to be that respectful and he came up to me and talked to me and he's just so chill, you And then while we're on the topic of college, I think some of you are more casual fans might be surprised to learn that you directed an excellent ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Notre Dame football's Reggie Ho.
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What can you tell the people about his story and why were you drawn to it?
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Uh, you know, all credit goes to ESPN for that because they reached out to me and they they asked for me to direct this um 30 for 30 short film about Reggie Ho who is their star kicker in Notre Dame in 1988 who he was a walk-on.
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His whole goal was just to be a doctor, but he was a kicker in high school.
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And he tried out unsuccessfully for the first 2 years and then he tried out the third year, I believe got in and he scored four winning field goals against Michigan that won that Michigan game early on in the season.
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That momentum of that game propelled them to win the national championship and Reggie Ho is a national hero and he became a cardiologist.
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And thank you for for shouting that out because um it's one of my favorite things I've ever done, you know. story.
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Yeah, and I and I it's not like and I wasn't in it, you know, it wasn't like jumping out of a field naked, "Hey, I'm Chow."
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You know, it wasn't like that vanity project.
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I was very respectful to to Reggie and his life and uh it was really just a a labor of love. So, thank you.
18:16
I'm beginning to I'm beginning to like you. You're uh Well, Yeah.
18:19
Well, hold on to that thought. Yeah. Oh. [ __ ] you, Sean. [ __ ] you.
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You said the nice You said student athlete you bring up the years You warm me up. I say you're a nice guy.
18:47
I really felt we were about to be friends.
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And now I'm back into the gutter of my hatred for Sean Evans.
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I mean Oh god, I mean Uh-huh. Mhm. Is that time? MHM. WOAH.
19:08
Since we've touched on a little bit today, you're with NBA super fan.
19:10
I've seen you giving out alternative awards on ESPN like best free-throw shimmy shake and best hairline. Yeah?
19:16
But let's focus on the current crop. Yeah.
19:22
Which NBA player do you think would be the most fun to do karaoke with? Um Oh man. Ah. Mhm. Um Shaq.
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Who do you think would have the best chance at making it as a comedian? That was a leak, dog.
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That was a leak between Ah. Wow. You are good. Respect the enemy. Uh Oh, [ __ ] me. Best villain. Oh god. Uh-huh. Oh god. Laimbeer. Bill Laimbeer.
20:17
That's the only They're doing a number on that picture, can't I?
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Hey, go [ __ ] yourself, Sean.
20:26
Why do you think everyone should study the teachings of legendary Bulls coach Phil Jackson?
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Because of his marriage of Zen Christianity and the art of basketball and the fact that there are five people to a team which is to work in concert like five fingers to a hand.
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Most notably, the important one is the middle one. That was insanity. I'm looking at my wife. It is that hot. This is no joke. Okay. Oh, man. Okay.
21:18
I'm trying to let out the bomb and Oh, wow. You took a big hit. God, Sean. You can joke on. You don't have to go. You want to?
21:32
God, look in your eyes, dude. I I feel empathy. I can't help it.
21:44
But, I can see that you're strong.
21:47
So, with that I feel some comfort. Shut up, you. Uh-huh. You're good.
21:57
So, you've carried a passion for music throughout your career, from acoustic sets about the history of hip-hop Yes.
22:04
to most recently judging the singing chops of costumed celebrities on The Masked Singer. Yes. Yes. Thank you for asking.
22:10
I heard that the first real concert that you ever went to was Prince on the Purple Rain tour.
22:15
I love that album so much.
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I listened to it so many times when it came out.
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I bought it on cassette tape and remember him playing Darling Nikki.
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And I remember he was stroking the uh the neck of the guitar and then out just came out like fluid. And I was like, damn.
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What the [ __ ] And then uh everything was perfectly choreographed, synced.
22:39
I mean, it was the perfect show.
22:42
It's still the best concert I've ever been to.
22:44
A real showman, that Prince. All right, Ken. I love you, Tran. This is the last dab.
22:57
We call it the last dab because it's traditional around here to put a little extra on the last wing. kidding?
23:04
You don't have to if you don't want to. Okay.
23:06
You don't have to if you don't want to. Huh. Okay.
23:17
I'm afraid I'm going to have to go to a burn unit if I use my pinky.
23:18
Is there like a maybe a There it comes. Okay. That's good. That's good. Yeah.
23:30
All right, what a journey it's been, my man. Shut the [ __ ] up. Bottoms up. Bottoms up, buddy. Bottoms up. [ __ ] All right, Ken.
23:51
Here we are on our journey's I know.
23:54
And here we are at the end of the line, and people are always telling me, "Sean, you need to see a doctor.
24:00
Eating spicy chicken wings, weekend and wing out, it cannot be good for you."
24:04
And even though I recently received a clean bill of health, I think that it's only fair that we show the people.
24:08
The people, they're never satisfied, so we'll lean on your medical background here.
24:15
Let's see if you can do a basic physical with a trillion Scovilles running through you.
24:20
Nurse, bring out my stethoscope.
24:26
Actually, use your stethoscope. Oh my god. Ken, where'd you go? Like right-hand school?
24:41
Come on, put my I left handed, dog. Come on, man. Okay.
24:53
I think Well, let me Let me just do a little bit doctoring here.
24:57
Let's listen to your stomach. Huh. Hear your bowel sounds.
25:12
You actually got decent bowel sounds.
25:13
So, good for good good on you.
25:17
Well, if you hear it from Dr.
25:17
Kan, then you know it's the truth.
25:19
Here I am soldiering on, and look at you, Kan.
25:21
10 chicken wings up, 10 chicken wings down, and even a full pitcher of ice water.
25:29
Now, there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you, my friend.
25:32
This camera, this camera, this camera.
25:34
Let the people know what you have going on in your life. Did In general? In general?
25:36
What do I Do you have any plugs or anything? Okay.
25:45
Um yes, I my my Netflix special uh is is coming out.
25:49
My first stand-up hour special ever.
25:52
So, it's one of the most fun things I've ever done, and I hope everyone enjoys it.
25:57
You know, it's it's just kind of rekindled my love affair with stand-up, and I'm still doing it to this day.
26:02
And all my material will be about you. YOU KNOW. GOOD JOB, KAN. GOOD JOB. DUDE, thank you. I love this man. Oh my god. I got legit scared.
26:17
Like, I went Hey, what's going on, everybody?
26:22
This is Sean Evans checking in to say thank you so much for What's up, Spice Lords? Camera Guy Bill here.
26:29
I just couldn't get enough of this glitz and glamour, so I came back to tell you if you want to buy some official Hot Ones merchandise, go to shop. firstwefeast. com.
26:39
If you're lazy, you can just click one of these t-shirts down there.
26:43
This is Camera Guy Bill here saying, "It's good to be Camera Guy Bill."