Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the Enhanced Games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kier Gaines. This space is about Black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit of armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability, that does not mean that you need to. Listen to Learn the Hard Way on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports, and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source— the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on: a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.
Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion-dollar fraud.
But how long can this alliance last?
Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?
Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the iHeart on the Hey Jonas Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey Jonas! Hello and welcome back to the Hey Jonas podcast. Um, hey Jonas, this is very, very exciting. Uh, we have a guest on, on the pod today who I've been spending a lot of time with And no, it's not Kevin or me, Joe. Kevin or Joe Jonas.
I kind of feel like the guest 'cause I'm on Zoom, but yes.
Yeah, well, tell us where you are first before we welcome our guests, just so people know why you're not here in person with us.
I'm in the other room.
Oh, that's right, you're taking a shit.
Paul has a strict contract against me that's keeping me at least 20 feet away, so.
I felt that was really inappropriate of me. I'm regretting laying down those rules, Because it seems as if we would have some sort of personal beef.
What is the beef?
Too many handsome guys in one room at the same time, I think it was the real beef.
That's the beef.
Cat's out of the bag, our guest today is Paul Rudd.
Yeah! Give it up, welcome!
Make some noise.
Woo-wee!
Thank you guys, I'm so happy to be here. Yeah.
We're so glad you're here, thanks for doing this.
Oh my gosh.
It means a lot.
Thank you for having me.
And you guys are having a busy day.
Busy day.
So it's a press junket day, right?
Yeah, but it's, you know, as far as press junkets go, I feel like it's been manageable.
Okay, that's good.
And this part is really actually fun. This feels separate from—
we did that on purpose so far.
Yeah, yeah, we'll see how this goes. Yeah, this could, this could all go south.
So, so we are on the, the press tour, press junket for our new film Powerballad, which, which comes out June 5th. We shot this movie in Dublin, uh, 2 years ago. It's hard to believe. I know, time has flown. And it's so exciting to, to have you on, on the pod. We have a lot to discuss. Now we've been answering a lot of questions about the film, which we're going to talk about at some point, but we've been kind of talking about it so much recently. We'll start in some other places, I think.
Great, go somewhere else for a minute.
Absolutely.
What did you do last night in New York? Did you guys get in yesterday? I know you did, because we were on the same plane.
Well, I have been here. I live here, so it's kind of great.
That's wonderful.
You and Joe are both in Brooklyn, is that right?
Yeah.
And what's your home address?
Oh, okay. I did ask that one time in an interview with someone. I kind of realized during an interview I was hosting someone, hosting Live with Kelly, they were talking about their kid going to college, and I was like, oh, that's so great, where's she going? And then she looked at me like— the guest looked at me with the eyes of like, how dare you ask where you're— and I'm like, it was conversational, it was new. I've lived that moment in my head.
Shame on you, Kevin.
Shame on you.
We have, uh, Brooklyn has the— I won't say where, but we have the best Hollywood neighborhood, I think, in Manhattan, or New York City, I should say.
It's kind of chock full of actors and— yeah.
Do you guys get into the decorations for Halloween?
We do.
I thought you said Hollywood. You said Holly— Halloween.
For Halloween. For Halloween.
Halloween. I know what you're talking about because kind of like where we are too, it's, um, Hollywood.
If there's a lot of actors and famous people, we decorate, we decorate our house with pictures of actors from many different, like, old Hollywood, new Hollywood.
Uh, very Hollywood-y. It's very hot. We're very— we go very Hollywood. We really celebrate Hollywood in our house.
Oh, so break this down.
So you guys So it's— you live in a community that goes hard for Halloween?
Yeah.
Yes. Oh, I love it.
Same. Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh, you do too? It's epic.
Yeah. Out in Jersey, we have like a safe zone.
Uh-huh.
They shut down all the streets.
Oh, it's great.
It's the greatest thing ever. House parties.
I am not a fan of Halloween. I'm sorry, I'm gonna say it. I know it's gonna get me canceled by all the people that might wanna, you know, spend money on the podcast.
You've dressed up like 3 times, like in his entire life.
Really?
Like only 3.
We weren't really allowed to dress up as kids. So our dad was a pastor, and so we had this, this, uh, thing at our church.
It's the Harvest Festival.
Yeah, instead of Halloween, it was Harvest Fest.
And it sounds worse.
It's dressing up for Harvest Fest.
Yeah, it's, it's, it's basically the same thing.
You dress up, you get candy, and there's haystacks and pumpkins, but it's not, uh, demonic. Like, what differentiates it?
It's at the church.
And the only thing is it was at the church, and you weren't allowed to wear like a ghost costume or Oh, I see.
So you kind of, you didn't—
Never trick-or-treated.
No, I didn't really want to do it. And then as I got older and it was more about like going to Halloween parties and stuff, it was not an area of interest to me. I did, however, dress up one year as Marky Mark or Mark Wahlberg. I did finger quotes there for people that can't see, which was basically just me in a t-shirt and jeans and a backwards hat.
Right. You also did Hamburglar, if I do remember.
I was, yeah.
What's your favorite Halloween costume? What do you go as? Do you guys do themes as a family?
Sometimes, you know, because, you know, with this, we give out candy and all that stuff, and so it's part of the deal. You do kind of dress up, and I have had a theme. Like, last Halloween, I was Fran Leibovitz, and my wife was Annie Leibovitz. So we were Leibovitz and Leibovitz.
That's nice.
The year before that, I was Quint, She was Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws. We usually kind of do it together. And this year I got it. I picked out, I got a Halloween costume and I didn't kind of consult with my wife.
Uh-oh.
Oh, oh. And I go, I've got the costume. And she goes, what? What? And I was Post Malone. And she was like, well, who the hell am I gonna be? I was like, you could be, what about Jelly Roll? And she was like, fuck you, Jelly Roll. She was furious, so she kind of dogged me and I was just kind of by myself.
Oh, I'm so bad at this.
I was Post Malone.
She could have gone as a Bud Light.
Yeah, that's actually pretty good.
Post Malone and Bud Light would have been a great.
Like, yeah, I went as, uh, Tigger Woods one year. I was Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, obviously Winnie the Pooh. How's that work? And I was dressed as a golfer.
That's pretty good. I like those kind of really kind of clever.
And my date was Reese with a Spoon, and she just covered— carried a spoon around, but that wasn't that creative.
That's great.
Well, do you have to, like, now, you know, with your daughter, it definitely— do you get— do you dress up or do you— I do.
Um, I, I dress up, you know. Last year she wanted to be a spooky princess. So she was basically just a princess, but with— I did her makeup. It was like, you know, spooky makeup.
Yeah, but she did the hands.
The hands kept doing this.
Spooky. It was this.
And I got all these brownie points because I was, you know, here in the city with all the dads, and we left Malty's, you know, school and went to one of the family's homes and had some pizza for the kids, and the adults all wanted, you know, like a quick drink, like a beer or seltzer or something. And so I sort of had like a setup where I had like a little cooler. And as we were walking around, I was passing out beers to the dads on the walk and they were very thrilled about it.
It's the greatest thing ever.
And it was, yeah, it was a good time.
The boozy walk with like, we do the red wagon. It's just full.
Oh yeah, nice.
There's a lady in our neighborhood that does it, but full margarita, like, setup.
That's too much.
And like shaking the ice, the whole salt, all of it. It's fantastic.
That's pretty great.
All right, so speaking of— now that this has become a Halloween episode, I'm gonna switch gears real quick and ask a question related to your movie because I'm quite interested, but it's not related to your movie at the same time. Um, Nick tells us, Paul, that you're a big fan of Dublin.
Yeah, very much.
And a fan of Guinness.
Yep.
Which we are big fans of Guinness. Um, I got to tour the factory a couple years ago was one of the most amazing things. What about Guinness do you love?
There's really nothing like it. I mean, I know there's like, well, you could have Murphy's Stout, there's stouts and things like that, but Guinness, it tastes great. It has that history, as you say, which I find very interesting. I think that Guinness is, it really is kind of a part of Ireland's, not just identity, but its DNA. It is kind of, they've, they're synonymous with one another, they go together. And you know, it's like you feel like when you, if you're drinking a pint of Guinness, you're taking part in something even bigger than just sitting and having a beer. There's just something about it. There's, I love it. I just love it.
Have you been to the Devonshire in London?
I have, yeah.
The one, oh, so great. So they have, I guess, Osh, who's a friend of mine who started that pub, they are awarded the best pint. I'm doing Nick's Marky Mark air quotations for those who can't see that, because I guess they clean their pipes and their barrels every day rather than like once a few days or once a week, which is what Guinness Factory— obviously when you have a pint there, it's so different.
Yeah, that's it.
Go ahead.
Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.
That's okay, I'm excited about Guinness.
Go for it.
I am too, which is why it's my enthusiasm is boiling over. Yeah, to clean the lines every day is a real, that's amazing.
That's a journey.
That is, and people often say that the Guinness in Ireland is better and that it's made differently. People think that when you have it in other parts of the country, like if you have it in the US—
It's like bagels in New Jersey, just better.
But the reason that it tastes better in Ireland, it's not because it's made differently, it's fresh. You know, they drink so much Guinness in Ireland that if you go into any pub in Ireland, there's a really good chance that that was made that week. When you're drinking a pint of Guinness in the States or somewhere else, it's had to come over on a ship and it's still really great, But it's just, it was made a little while ago.
It's just fresh.
And it makes you stronger, right?
Makes you stronger.
It makes you stronger.
It's got iron in it.
It's got iron. It makes you stronger. It makes your life better. It solves all of your emotional problems.
Just drink a lot more of it.
You'll feel better.
Yeah, yeah.
You can split the G like a pro these days.
Splitting the G?
Yeah. I tried to split the G. We had our big premiere for Power Ballad in Dublin, um, a couple months ago. It's at the Dublin International Film Festival. You know, the social media team came up and said, hey, we want you to try to split the G for this thing, and I failed miserably. Um, and I watched you do it a few times while we were shooting and with such ease and, uh, became honestly quite jealous of your ability and, and Joe's to, to split the G. So the next time we're all together, I'm going to give it my best shot and we'll give it another go. But a question on that front: do you have a Guinness on draft in your house?
I do.
That's so cool.
Oh, yeah. In my house, I have the—
Do you change the keg out yourself?
Every day.
Yeah.
In the bar?
No, this is why I know what it's like to clean the lines. I get the lines cleaned. Weirdly enough, a guy who lives around the corner from me cleans lines.
He's very Brooklyn.
It's like there's a guy that cleans the pipes. There's a guy. He does a lot of the pubs around it.
Sounds like a medical procedure.
Yeah. I have a guy come over to my house to clean my pipes. Clean my line.
I pay him for that, actually.
Clean my lines.
You guys really do live in a rich neighborhood. But I do.
I go and get the kegs. And the tanks that get the oxygen and nitrogen mix. Wow, it's a process. Yeah.
I put a keg in my house and I did it once and I was like, cool, I'm buying bottles from here on out.
Yeah, it's a bit of an effort.
It's a journey.
Yeah, and you feel, you kind of need a lot of people to come over because you're not gonna just kill that thing by yourself.
If you do, there's a hotline for that. Yeah.
And then there's sometimes you go in and it's like, oh, I haven't touched any of this in a long time, or I haven't been around. And then I have to return the keg. And when you return a keg of Guinness that's like 3/4 still full or like half full, you feel like it's embarrassing and you feel like a failure. And I feel very self-conscious to the guys at Thrifty Beverage.
I'm like, sorry.
They're like, "What happened?" I'm sorry.
They shake your keg. You have the greatest excuse ever.
It's like, oh, I was filming a movie.
Yeah, in Ireland.
I had to be like, I'm— I was on set a lot.
The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garros. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchenko went—
I mean, she went down in 3 to Rybakina.
But I'm delighted.
She's an outsider to win the French for me.
And she likes clay.
Listen, Elena Rybakina is arguably the best player in the world right now and actually can win on any surface because if she's serving well, good luck. Consider this your courtside seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeartWomen's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the Enhanced Games. Some call it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way, with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. 'Cause you find it important to be a good person while you here on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? 'Cause that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that, that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kier Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hard Way, and listen now.
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear, the laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow @TimboSliceLife12 in the and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Kevin, Joe, just to update you, me and Paul, we've been doing interviews and talking about the film a lot. We could probably both kind of list what the sort of top 5 questions were.
I can try. Can I try?
I'd love for you to try.
I guess we'll try our best and we'll tell you if you're right or wrong.
Paul and Nick, thank you so much for your time. I promise I won't take too much. I know you guys are doing a lot of interviews today.
Oh, you're playing the interviewer. Okay, copy, copy.
I know we can't tell sometimes when Joe's acting.
I just wanna know like, Did you guys jam on set? Because I know you both love music.
That was one of them.
Yeah.
OK. Another one is, Paul, have you or your family been to a Brothers show before?
Have not been asked that.
Not been asked that.
Why have I not been asked that?
A lot of what's your favorite Jonas Brothers song type stuff.
OK. You are a wedding singer in the movie. So it's got to be like, what songs do you like to sing that are not your own? Like karaoke. Is that a song?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Is that a question?
Yeah, that's actually—
You asked that question to us. I know I led myself to that. That's what I just did.
Yeah, last night they said, "We have a question from your brother," and it was that question. But one question that I found to be really interesting, because it was fun to talk about the movie, but there was one that just came up in the thing, and I would love for you to speak more about it. It said, "Who is a surprisingly good singer in your circle?" And you had a few great names that I was surprised to hear. And if you don't mind, you can—
Sure. Well, I was saying, you know, Steve Carell is a great singer. And it can go really high, does harmonies and everything. He's just really talented, really good singer.
Didn't he tell you not to audition for The Office or something?
Is that? Did he? I told him.
You told him not to?
Yeah, what a— Whoa. We were filming Anchorman. That's crazy shit.
He sings in Anchorman.
Yeah, yeah.
What's the song? What's it?
Afternoon Delight.
Yeah. Afternoon Delight.
He does the harmony.
He does the high harmony, yeah.
Yeah.
So you're doing that and you told him.
He said, They're doing The Office. They're interested in me doing The Office. And it was the time that they were showing it on BBC, the Ricky Gervais one, which was so great. And I heard they're just gonna do those for American. I'm like, oh, you don't wanna do that? That's such a great show. Clearly I was the idiot in that scenario because he knew obviously a lot more than I did. It was an interesting lesson. One, who am I to tell anybody what they should or shouldn't do? It's a terrible decision. But most of all, thank God he didn't listen to me, right?
That shows that he's—
That shows that he's a genius. And the show's amazing. And I look back and go, yeah, all right, that one was a lesson.
Yeah, no, I'm kind of with you. He shouldn't have done that.
Yeah.
Has there been roles for yourself that somebody said, hey, you shouldn't do this, and you did? And you're like, "Haha, in your face. Look at me, I'm Steve Carell now." No.
There have been things that people say, people that I know say, "Oh, you shouldn't do that role." But it's generally after I did the thing and it came out.
We've gotten a couple of those.
Oh, that's always great when you're look, like there's a film I was in, or it was a movie I was in, Like, somebody walked up to me and you could tell they didn't know what to say, but they're like, that, that is a film.
That's, that's— wow.
But I gotta say, technically, that was a film.
Credits and everything, huh?
Wow.
I mean, I was sitting there, it was projected, it was right there up there on the screen. I couldn't believe it. And there's popcorn, all those people. No way. That's crazy.
Okay, well, so that's— so Steve Carell, that worked out just fine, but Who else were those names that you mentioned were great singers? 'Cause I feel like the world needs to know.
Yeah, Bobby Cannavale is a great singer.
Bobby Cannavale, we love Bobby.
With a name like that.
Yeah, you know, I've worked with Ken Marino many times. He's a dear friend of mine. And you know, he's a great singer. And he actually sings in this thing called the Middle-Aged Dad Jam Band with David Wayne and some of these. You could see it on like—
That's so cool.
They tour, it sounds, Yeah, you can check him out and he's really good. He's really good. He can also sing exactly like James Taylor, which is really weird. We used to do karaoke a lot together. I said, "Put in a James Taylor song," and it sounds like the record. It's crazy. And then the other one that he can do, like to a T, will surprise you. Macy Gray.
That is range.
That is serious range. This is how talented Ken Marino is. Great actor. Actor, great writer, hilarious, can sound exactly like James Taylor and exactly like Macy Gray, and he might be the only person on the planet.
He should do a recording of a duet between the two.
That's a good idea. That's right. Maybe he could do "Hertown 2," but instead of J.D. Souther, do Macy Gray and James Taylor. That's a great idea.
That's amazing. Yeah.
Now, speaking of Impressions, natural segue. You're, you're part of the Five-Timers Club. Yeah, yeah, for SNL.
Yeah.
Which is—
did you get a jacket?
I, I did.
Yeah, they didn't give Nick a jacket.
I'm not a part of the Five-Timers Club, that's why. But this is a thing that I wanted to discuss with you. I have been a musical guest more than 5 times now. I don't know if that counts, but they gave—
wow, Jack White, they gave him a jacket. They did. Didn't— is he the first musical guest to get a one of the jackets?
Well, he's certainly not the first to do it.
Clearly. 5 times or more. How many times have you done it?
I'm not bitter.
I think it is about 5 times that I've been a musical guest.
Wow.
And I've hosted once. Yeah. But you have the jacket.
I have the jacket. I hosted, you know, my 5th time now.
Give Nick your jacket.
Give Nick your jacket.
The 5th time I hosted, it was during COVID And it's actually the only, the first show in SNL's history that they actually, we still did it, but everyone was sent home. So we kind of had to cancel the show, sketches and everything. And we were scrambling to rewrite what the show might be. So it was pretty wild. Walk us through that.
You told me the story before, it's incredible.
Yes, there was enough.
Yeah, no, walk us through. What is COVID again?
Oh God.
First, let's go back to the wet markets. Ah, ah, ah. So you've got these bats, I'm gonna do your air quotes.
Air quotes, there's some bats out there.
It's Marky Mark's fault.
Yeah, Marky Mark and the Funky Bats. Five-Timers Club, we had a big opening sketch and Tom Hanks was in it and Tina Fey was in it and a bunch of people that were, you know, and The show at about 2 or 3 got canceled. They told other people that were in the sketch not to come in.
Some they said—
This is day of.
This is the day of.
So someone, do you think there was an exposure? Is that what was happening at the time?
Well, it was just when the Omicron variant was kind of—
Was popping up.
Popping up.
We were on a musical tour at that point and the Omicron version was like—
A musical tour, Kevin?
Yeah, we were on a, we were doing shows for the—
Are we on a cruise?
Like the C-100, the jingle balls? The jingle balls. Uh-huh. And people were dropping like flies.
And the cast was really nervous, and understandably, and there was a lot of confusion and people didn't know what to do. So everyone kind of went home, but Tom Hanks and Tina Fey were already in the studio because we were gonna rehearse and do all of that, and so they wound up staying.
No way, wow.
And we were coming up with what the show might be, And Tina wound up doing Weekend Update with Michael Che, 'cause Colin Jost had COVID and wasn't there. And it was weird. And then Tom Hanks, Kenan Thompson, and I, it was just the three of us sitting in the audience, watching Weekend Update with the two of them. And it was just like five of us. It was so surreal.
Wow, that's incredible.
That is wild.
Yeah. Charli XCX was supposed to be the musical guest. They sent her home. Um, we had already filmed a couple of pieces that week, so they aired those, and then we talked about favorite sketches from Christmas shows in the past, 'cause it was a Christmas show. And it was a real amazing example of the show must go on, um, but a very, very unique experience.
That is wild. I'm gonna have to go back and watch that.
I gotta watch it too.
The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garros. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Genciu won. I mean, she went down in 3 to Rybakina, but I'm delighted Yeah, she's an outsider to win the French for me.
And she likes clay.
Listen, Elena Rybakina is arguably the best player in the world right now and actually can win on any surface because if she's serving well, good luck. Consider this your courtside seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeartWomen's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamist sect.
We were God's chosen kingdom on Earth.
He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.
Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.
I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies conspiracies I've ever come across.
When Jacob met Levon, this went to a billion-dollar fraud.
But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive?
The largest tax investigation in American history.
You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?
Jacob told Levon, "You're ruining my life." Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way, with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you're here on Earth, are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that, that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kier Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hard Way, and listen now.
We have a tradition on our little pod here, a new tradition. It's just a bowl of stupid questions that have nothing to do with one's career.
We don't know if they're stupid, actually, Nick.
They might not be stupid. They might be important. Okay, pull a question in. Here we go.
This one's for you, sir.
Okay.
What's your most irrational fear that you know makes no sense?
Starting off with a light one.
SNL. SNL hosting.
An irrational fear that makes, uh, no sense. Just doing podcasts.
Honestly, I get it.
Clip it. Um, I feel you on that. No, no, we were recently in our, our our, you know, sort of album promo. I guess it was last year, and I, I really enjoyed the podcast form. Otherwise we wouldn't be doing this. But some of them that touch on some of the more emotional things, you know, it got really real. I found myself kind of really taken by it. Used to be, right, we just do interviews and it was all surface level fun shit. And now we're asking you questions out of a bowl, like, what's your most irrational fear?
It's a great question, by the way. And it's— and I wish, you know, I wish I had like a more entertaining answer, like, you know, pinto beans or something weird, right? Like, what? That makes no sense.
Do you have an irrational fear that you can't—
where do you want to begin? Well, yeah, I mean, yeah, I think we all do, but, um, it's a strange thing to have to come up with in the moment and then answer it, or, or have it in the back of your mind, you know it's there, and say, well, now I'm telling the whole world.
Yeah.
So why don't we pull another question?
Okay, I can do that, but I, I respect the answer.
No, no, I mean, I really— I was being facetious, but I can't— I'm trying to I will have many rational fears, irrational fears.
This one may or may not fully apply, so we're gonna figure this out. Would you rather accidentally like an ex's photo from 8 years ago or send a voice memo you didn't mean to send?
Well, you know, I've been married for quite— Yeah, my wife and I have been together for so long.
So put the number, whatever that is, plus like 4 for like an ex.
Well, if I did that, this would be a child. It's the ex-child. I've been with my wife for 13 years. Longer than I've not been with her. I love that. My wife and I have been together for over 30 years.
Congrats. Let me pick another one.
No, no, no, no, no. Let's talk about, I guess, an ex before that. I did, I mean, this is how old I am. I actually did have exes before my wife. And we've been together for 30 years. So I guess it would be, yeah, just an ex of my girlfriend I dated, Jessica Tandy, back in the day.
Tandy. What a name. Isn't it weird, like, those names just like, they stay there?
And the home phone number.
So would you rather accidentally, yeah, I can do that one. Oh, would you rather accidentally like that or send a voice memo you didn't mean to send?
No, I think, you mean just getting a picture?
Like, you just like, you know, you scroll on Instagram and you like heart a photo.
Oh, if you heart it.
From 8 years ago, which means you're deep in the feed.
Oh, see, this is how, again, I'm a fossil. I don't, what is this Instagram you're talking about?
Copy, copy, understood, yes.
It depends what do you say in the voice memo, you don't mean it.
Or send a voice memo, you do mean it.
It depends on what the voice memo is.
That's totally true.
I mean, if it's like, if you're sending a voice memo that's just like, hey, wanna say hey, see how you're doing, and you send it to somebody, great. If you're talking shit. If you're talking shit or you're like, there's something going on with my colon, and then you send that to like, you know, like your kid's dentist. Your kid's dentist. And he's like, I fix teeth. And the dentist says, Well, that's a different line of medicine.
You—
are you sure you meant to— I think I can check your teeth.
Yeah.
Um, I mean, I'll see how the chair adjusts. Come on in.
Come on.
I do have a lot of equipment here, a very bright light. Although when I say rinse, definitely don't go near— don't go near the bowl. Or do.
Oh, I gotta say, the voice memo thing, my wife was in her bedroom with her sister the other day, and they were up there for like an hour and a half. They come down, she grabs her phone, she didn't realize she— they were definitely up there like being sisters talking shit, and they had recorded about you and probably about everybody and anyone, who knows.
You know, they're just about Paul Rudd, Nick.
Yeah, exactly. They recorded on accident the entire conversation. It was, it was recording for an hour and 40 minutes. Oh wow. I was like, guys, before you delete this, I was like, let me listen to it.
Did they let you?
No, they were like, absolutely not. And they're like, so I knew that they were definitely talking. Oh wow.
Have you guys used any of those, like, um, there's like a sleep app where you can record your sleep talking?
Oh yeah.
I'd be kind of curious. Do you talk in your sleep? Do you guys talk in your sleep?
I think everyone does and doesn't realize because I thought I didn't really speak in my sleep, talk in my sleep. And little things like You know, just—
you're—
you're— I, I can probably pull it up.
I want something recording me while I'm sleeping.
There's a lot of fart noises and a lot of like— yeah, it's like just— yeah, a little of that.
Ant-Man.
Yeah, yeah. And speaking of Ant-Man, you saved a candy store.
Yeah, I've been to the candy store actually. Joe and I both went.
Oh yeah, we, we should be big supporters.
You—
I know, I was very touched that you did. And you're sneaky 'cause I was like, oh, let me, you know, hook you up.
To be fair, I didn't know it was yours until afterwards because I saw there was candy with your face on it. And that was kind of a, I was like, oh, this is their big candy store.
Seems a little self-congratulatory, doesn't it? Welcome to my candy store. Get a Rice Krispie treat with my face on it. Yeah.
That's incredible.
I was jealous.
I didn't know the story.
I was just confused. I was like, this small town in upstate New York has this cute little candy store and they really like Paul Rudd.
That's amazing.
I'm into it.
How did that happen?
How'd it come to be?
Yeah, how it happened, it's in Rhinebeck, New York.
Love Rhinebeck.
And this store existed before I became one of the co-owners. There are a couple of us, but the actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife Hillary Burton, they are also owners. Our friend Andy Ostroy, and then my wife and I. And this store was owned by a guy named Ira, who was kind of a fixture in the town and the loveliest guy who sadly passed away in his 50s. And the town isn't that big, and the candy store is so kind of crucial, I think, for the town. We didn't want to lose the store for the town. And so we, took it over just with the hopes of it not, hopefully not losing too much money, but keeping it for the kids that work there. Totally. And for the town and people go in.
Part of the community.
And it's been really one of the great things that we share, all of us, in our lives. And it's so nice because we're in there all the time, but nobody's in a bad mood when they're in a candy store.
Nope, no way.
That's true.
And they actually, there's a bag of candy here.
By the way, I did spy the sticker on that bag.
So I've been wanting to open the bag of candy and see what's inside.
Yeah, man, I'm curious.
Goodies here for us.
See what you picked up.
So these are— oh, this is from your shop.
This is from the shop. This is from Samuel's.
Samuel's Enchastity.
So if you're ever in Rhinebeck, everyone, make sure to check out Sam's.
Those are Clodhoppers. I noticed them right away.
Clodhoppers are a big winner. Big winner in my life.
Clodhoppers are killer.
Oh, love the Lego blocks.
Hell yeah.
The non-branded Lego blocks. Yeah.
They really— those, um— This is, I love candy. I have a real issue, like, and I like candy that is really meant for little kids. I love those Lego candies and they actually do click together like Legos.
They're incredibly fun to play with and eat.
That's quite good. Well, it's a beautiful story. We loved going there. We were at your candy shop during Christmas time.
Yeah, I get mine flown to New York City, as you can see.
We were clearly not locals when we went because We went out for lunch on the day after Christmas, and, uh, at about 3 PM, weather started to change and this, this snowstorm started.
You kind of sound like you're telling a children's Christmas story, Nick.
I kind of am. It's the day after Christmas, and we basically sit at the restaurant and the, the, the people that work there like, hey, you know, you might want to go soon, it's going to get pretty bad. We're like, ah, it doesn't look too bad yet. So Joe and I decided to walk around the town with my daughter and parents, and, um, and this thing kicks up. Yeah, storm kicks up. And so we go into the pizza shop to get a, quote, emergency pizza in case the power shuts down everything else. And then we stalled even further and went to your candy shop, and that's when they were basically like, you should probably get home now.
It was— that storm was crazy.
It was wild.
Wow.
We got— we— our car got stuck at the base of this hill, and we had to walk up about a quarter mile in the snowstorm. And there's some photos that you can see if you're watching the pod. Put them up there. Okay, let's move on to—
Oh, we saved the pizza.
We saved the pizza and the candy.
And by the way, I just had a pizza. It's a Christmas miracle. It was incredible. Would you like these right now, or are you not really saving for later? Oh, great reflexes.
So these, this is the thing about these candy Legos. I really like the yellow ones 'cause they're kind of banana flavored. The red ones are really good.
I think that might be my—
oh, Kevin hates banana. Good thing you got those. Kevin's fake allergic to bananas.
Banana candy?
Just banana everything.
I have a way of eating these too where it's like I scrape the little tops off.
My daughter does that.
The blue ones will turn your tongue bright blue.
You should eat that before the premiere tonight.
That'll look good. Let's do it.
All right, so I have some questions from people.
Okay.
And this is what they want to know. This is from Sarah. Clueless is iconic. Of course it is, Sarah. And everyone loves it. But did anyone ever bring up on the set that Cher and her stepbrother dating was maybe a little weird?
I think maybe they did. I definitely heard about it after the movie came out. People would say.
Yeah, that's a thing. That's kind of strange.
Yeah. But it's a bold choice.
Not their fault they're attracted to each other.
And they, you know, technically. Clip it.
Clip that. Technically.
Not blood related.
That's what I'm saying. Weird, all the same.
I see what you're saying.
Yeah, it's about—
by the way, what a horrible thing decision this was to eat a piece of candy next to a microphone here, especially one of these Legos, which takes a while. I'll take it out.
You know what though, you did, you did good. You committed to it. I saw you, like, you started scraping.
The worst part is, is that I sucked away so much that then now it doesn't stick together anymore.
Okay, uh, this one's from Mary. This is for Paul, Nick, Kevin, and Joe. What musical do you think is genuinely Perfect.
Les Mis.
I'm with you, man. Dude, Les Mis is so—
it's fully there.
Yeah, I just saw a production recently up in Vancouver, um, the touring production, and I've seen the show and performed in it, you know, probably 400 times. Yeah, 500 times. It never gets old.
Yeah, it's one of my all-time faves, I gotta say. And I know it's, you know, Hamilton is—
it's great.
It's great. Hamilton is really—
I just saw Titanic.
Oh, what'd you think?
So fun. Yeah, it's incredible. You seen it yet?
I haven't seen it yet. I remember it was off-Broadway and I wanted to see it.
It's so incredibly fun and so like— everyone in the cast is incredible and it's, it's definitely a great time.
Yeah, you gotta see that.
You gotta go.
All right, our movie is not a musical per se, but there is music in the movie. Um, I had an incredible time working with you on this project. I am so thrilled that it's, it's finally coming out.
And, uh, it's great. I got to see it. I will say I saw it. I got a link. I shared the link to a lot of the people that I know on the internet. They love it too.
Oh good.
And yeah, my feed is— they're liking it. But it was phenomenal. I think it's great. And it's also something that, like, oddly, we watched it and this happened to our friend, a songwriter. So it was like, oh, Yeah, I don't think it happens quite a bit. I know, not like give any spoilers away, but it's definitely something that I think, you know, a lot of people out there that are creatives will relate to and also feel like, wait, is— did this already happen to me? Is this what this happened to me? And a lot of new songwriters that we meet and artists are always like, what are some advice? What's some advice? And I think since this film, Nick, Kevin, and I have both been like, um, get a good lawyer. But it's, it's really great. You guys should be so proud. It's really exciting for people to see it.
I'm coming to the premiere tonight. Thank you. Oh great, my link was broken. And that's not like a real, like, I didn't want to watch it. I sat down to watch it and it was totally not working, right?
Link was broken.
Well, you know, you'll see it tonight in the theater. Yeah, yeah. And you really do— this is one, I gotta say, I think when when you do see it in a theater, they always say, "Oh, you don't—" You want to say, "Go see it in a theater." But I think the musical element of it, and there's a real kind of crowd-pleasing thing that's happening that you do experience it differently. I can't wait. And so I hope you like it. It was very fun to do, and it was great getting to do it with you, Nick. And you're so nice to me, and, you know, this is not my— This isn't— this is not my day job, what I'm doing in this thing, and you made me feel super comfortable. Um, and, uh, and so I, uh, appreciate it.
Just to give you some flowers too, I remember I watched the movie over the summer— or summer last year with Joe and some other friends and family, and, um, everyone came up to me afterwards and said, Paul's singing is incredible. And we, we all know you as Paul Rudd, you know, the Paul Rudd, as I've said million times last couple days.
Candy store owner.
Yes, inspired by you. Samuel Sweet Shop's own.
Yeah, off-brand Lego candy consumer.
A big fan. And to get to work with you is a dream. But then for you to jump out and sing like you do in this movie and take on this, this, this character, it was just incredible to watch. So please go see our movie, everybody, and see the theater, because it is a heartwarming classic John Carney film that I think is, is best watched on the big screen.
In words of Tom Cruise, go to the movies. Yes, yes.
As someone from New Jersey, I just gotta ask though, bagel order before we go. Last thing. My bagel order? Like, you're like Taylor Ham, egg and cheese?
Like, what are you getting? Dude, I, I really think I'm straight up, uh, I'd like an everything bagel and cream cheese. Clean, classic. Yeah, but I like a salt bagel and I like a garlic bagel too. Both are great. But I also do like a— I like so many different orders now. I'm just gonna go down the list. I'm gonna stick with my original. I'm going everything bagel and cream cheese.
Done.
On that note, give it up for Paul Rudd, everybody!
Yeah! Thanks, guys. Thanks, Brad.
Thank you.
Thanks for coming. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the Enhanced Games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kia Gaines. This space is about Black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men Carry a suit of armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability, that does not mean that you need to. Listen to Learn the Hard Way on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on: a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.
Multimillion-dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets. A billion-dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last?
Tell me what you know.
Is somebody coming after me?
Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And for more, follow @TimboSliceLife12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
POWER (Ballad) Move… Paul Rudd is our first guest. Power Ballad -- In select theaters May 29, everywhere June 5. Get tickets now. Don’t miss this episode of Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.