John Witherspoon Tells His Life Story (RIP)

all right here we go we have one of my favorite actors in the building right now John Witherspoon thanks for having me man no matter what movie you're in you consistently steal the movie well they let me add live right so that's that's my theme I can create joke run on the spot right so you like funny lines like [ __ ] this script we're gonna do with this or I can do it this way the mininum like it to do directors ever try to like argue with you about oh yeah when I was on Tracy Morgan show they say oh mrs. Witts me you guys stick to the script as a man there's nothing funny you supposed to be funny as a comedy isn't well sorry you gotta stick to the script as we go we're gonna be canceled real quick mm-hmm and we got cancelled about 18 shows in we canceled there yeah all that money I missed so you're actually born in Detroit Detroit yeah okay one of eleven children 11 kids parents boys or two girls nine boys two girls yep you got a lot of brothers a lot of brothers okay your parents got busy I see I died they never told us about sex but they apparently didn't have time they're too busy making kids too busy making key yeah okay now you actually your real name is Weatherspoon Weatherspoon so you change it to Witherspoon in our family some of our kids some of my brothers sisters were Witherspoon some of them were Weatherspoon that's how the city did it they didn't get give a damn someone were Witherspoon this is a Witherspoon there's a mother's gone they didn't know they didn't know how to spell it I guess they just changed him your names no they didn't change them at Birth it was like that okay so I got brothers who are Witherspoon and Weatherspoon's okay but your Witherspoon I'm with the spoon okay I think I might have been a weathers born in the beginning now uh your brother actually wanted to music yeah yeah and he joined Motown Motown who rules for Motown yeah I knew all the all the Motown artists right Marvin Gaye Smokey Robinson nokey timpz I just play basketball with the temptations right any any interesting Marvin Gaye stories because he's the he was the enigma not Billy he used to have this big Fleetwood Cadillac he's a bit sticking out the driver's seat driving that big feet would he's his pony one about this one day I said I want that big ass car that was funny with me Hesiod Michener parking the car one day and I had another kind of microbe one that be but he had a Fleetwood that's a big car back in 65 big car yeah okay so how initially did you actually get into comedy well I my brother I would live with my brother for about six months and his wife and their kids and they would go every Thursday to a theatre group and they would do do theater I support that's pretty hip y'all go and do theater know that stuff and so I said well I like to get a bit act in one day so what I did I got in Yellow Pages and I call John Bingaman's acting classes and so I it was $25 of session private lessons and so I went and I did it that first day I was there I asked the boy this is exciting so I and I was he but he was teaching Shakespeare so I'll be in that tearing up Shakespeare so I was there for a year and he said and when he came to me he said we have a comedy show every year I want you to do some comedy that's a man I don't do no condom barely getting past his Shakespeare so I did a he said think of something you funny you can do it so I did I went there and stole the show I had I had about two bits that I did very very funny and they died laughing and I didn't pression the Johnny Mathis back in that time it was really a big deal mm-hmm and so uh that's when I started doing comedy I said wow I maybe I can make some money doing this and the guy who was honest who's a actor who was a singer he's one of you and I go out weekends and we do show somewhere you know he's you could do comedy and I can sing I don't give a damn but you know we do old folks home man this is what comedy is all for homes but if they're like this you know what what farting farting in the room so that's how I got into comedy okay well why didn't you actually get on the whole comedy circuit you know you start out at the Comedy Store I started comstor 1974 I lived I lived in New York for about three years so I used to go to blood Freeman's 44th Street mmm to do comedy but but Freeman put me on a 3:45 a.m. oh yeah it'd be 2:00 table for the people in the room and that's it and and then I had to get up and go to work the next day see I worked at half rates for cutlery we sold knives so I did that Beckett oh man that was 72 I started years ago then I I said this is not working for me so I back went back to LA bought myself a car drove all the way to Las Vegas to see what the comics are doing yeah I went I went to Vegas first foot that shouldn't have done cuz I lost my money the first night first week I was there I lost all my money okay thank God I rented a room for 30 days thank God I did that so I had to sit in the room for 30 days and we're broke and have no money well I called people in Detroit to send me some money people get real funny when he 2,000 miles away tell me you want you to send me some money right Oh what it's a bad connection big and next click some [ __ ] give me no money so I I was it was tucked am but I I hit the hit deed I don't know how this happened I wait to see down a Ross one night and have a dollar dollar 50 cents in my pocket I said now maybe don't throw the staining machine I do it in a one of them uh because machines I think I got $7,000 Wow ain't that a big back then yeah well I pay me cash that's like 20,000 day yeah he gave me cash man I so I thought it was some dreams something I went I went back to the hotel I had them one about a week left on my hotel room I packed my bags and left that morning 4:00 in the morning I come out of that damn Las Vegas I got out of that all right you know you know they have a divider in the street with this girl with trees and stuff you know friend make a turn to come this way I went across that divider I'm getting the [ __ ] out of here I went across that damn divide it dirt all over the cops know you're not in LA okay Ellie and then you went to the comedy store I would say karma store about that first week yeah okay first week I was there and then you started doing stand-up there no I've you know you go in there and you introduce yourself to Mitzi and they put me on open mic night mm-hmm which is the lowest of the low when it comes that's when you first start yeah yeah which was out was a I have to tell everybody back in 74 we didn't have enough people to we have enough people to uh to finish them open might we call that lamb o'clock cause he'd have any more comics now they gotta wait three weeks to get a job get a open mic night right so many cana city so during that time when you were just starting off yeah was Richard Pryor and Jay Leno and David Letterman were they all they came that same year Richard burr is already there Richard Richie was there before everybody yeah Richard Mooney Paul Mooney okay yeah they were there so Missy made me an emcee cause she gave me I needed that money for a job see Mitch he gave me him she made me the emcee at The Comedy Store so I MC the second show Dave Letterman him to see the first show mmm he was a MC the first show I am the second show so that's how I got into the comedy store then I was a doorman I worked the door I had to pay my rent but I did anything I can take it to Detroit any job you could didn't job I could then I got a job at Gucci in the daytime okay so working days and then 30 Friday Saturday I worked the Comedy Store at night from Gucci okay oh yeah so I I was always a hustler where was Richard Pryor in his career during during that first year popular he was poppin what was he doing a stand-up specials yet or no oh yeah he was doing he was doing albums right he would do is help me I was his opening night mitts he made me an opening night okay try with emcee for Richard so Richard would tell me to go up then do 45 minutes this after a while after I had probably about 75 75 1975 yeah so I would he would work Richard would work six months on his album he would do it every night hmm didn't he didn't go on the road but he worked at The Comedy Store every night in the main room okay little room he was testing out his material they originally work on his material okay yeah people in the back give him some lines give him this and give him ideas he did that for six months not fail he'd be the every night I go he's just moan come a beer hang with me I go up there with him and and he did his that's why I was proud of him he was diligent well you know I was having a conversation with a with a friend of mine the other day and we were talking about Richard Pryor and I said you know I think Richards the greatest black stand-up comedian ever and he said no Richard Pryor is the best stand-up comedian ever and I thought about it and I'm like [ __ ] I think you're right you say that Richard was very popular he's revered one of my favorite well who else could it be I mean Dave I mean Eddie Murphy's obviously up there George no Eddie Murphy there he didn't he didn't do standard day long yeah Richard was standing forever George who George Carlin the George Carlin was tough yeah he was tough yeah yeah yeah he was he's funny he didn't give a damn no I mean Richard Richard Pryor he almost Berthoud a lot of the a lot of comedians you know what he almost birthed them like I feel like you know Eddie Murphy wouldn't be Eddie without Richard what take a lot of time even look like Richard right Steve Harvey and Tim Reid they all try to look like Richard Pryor I thought I taught say y'all I've got to be Richard Pryor all of them and they got overbite they were successful yeah but uh no I know Richard Richard Hammond laughing so hard oh my god him laugh George Carlin was I'm thinking but Richard Pryor had them laughing yeah they would be laughing boy and so by me being an opening act I would have a good excellent crowd the best car left think I ever had with Richard proud people every race in the world movie stars everybody come in to see Richard oh yeah everybody come to see Richard Kahui were in there and we were in the business in the original room we were in the original room you went out to the Richard Pryor show yeah yeah well you know they want funny people and so on Paul Mooney which the best one the bridges best friends cast the show fun and he put us all on there we've all on which shall we make no money but it was still fun we lasted but for weeks y'all get the [ __ ] out of here NBC we were on the Jamie Foxx show and he talked about how really Richard was so high off a coke you say he was - had to work like that [ __ ] they all McGinn giant Cobra Richard was - he would be he couldn't deliver the line he'd be slurring his words and stuff I mean Richard talked about getting high and yeah comedy he let everybody know he was getting high right he would Bill Johnny Carson saying that well you said that Johnny Carson wasn't doing coke all the time all I'm had coke Johnny Carson here the whole pudding there's no had a hole in his nose doing that that coke problems right he said Redd Foxx was heavy on it also riff Fox all I'm back then had up people that you didn't know what had him who was - neck cold trying to get some energy you know well did you uh did you ever read that interview with Quincy Jones where he talked about Richard Pryor was having had had sex with Marlon Brando I didn't I didn't I don't know you can read it ways where words of that it's an interview yeah I was a written interview I Richie used to have a party at his house every Sunday I ain't seen no Marlon Brando nowhere near that party so I think that's all I don't like that you know I thought I was [ __ ] doorman I don't know what the hell they were doing I was happy to have it the money she paid me to pay my rent right when I first got to LA so I ain't seen I ain't seen no my never met Marlon Brando I met Nikko Brando that was his son okay when I was at Gucci he would come in and say hello because I was like everybody's therapists in Gucci so I would see him all Sammy everybody come in Sam and David Jonathan winters all them cats but coming to Gucci boy that was funny job I ever had in my life they they were wonderful people treat me they let me do anything they they get the women come and say it's Witherspoon here old women so I would take him around and treat him give him a glass of wine and and I would meet all the women that come in here old women you know they want somebody say they look good that day you know so I that was my job at Gucci but uh up far is uh Marlon Brando and all this I don't know all I know is that he I never seen Marlon Brando at that party he had about a hundred people there okay well uh Richard Pryor's Widow said it was true said that Richard we get high enough Oh Jennifer the the white woman I think Jennifer yeah she but no I mean she said that Richard would get so high off of coke that he would have sex with anything pretty much he said you'd have sex the radiator by it oh but I think the next day like well you know yeah I don't know I wasn't there there you go but I know that Richard was a funny man and and and he he didn't mind me opening for him on the but he didn't want me to open for him on the road no no he's just moon I love you but you're too funny to open for me understand innovation I bet I just an innovation also so I bet it but that was good enough to I worked him let me work one week before he go on the road he would work one week in the main room before he would he would go Purdue we will go to Sunset Boulevard is a it's Theatre over there that's well he shut his that's at the Pantages might have been the Pantages I don't know what where was that but he would go to the main room and do a week or two there and that's what he and I we had great crowds yeah we had budget great crowds whenever any temperature prior coming to the Comedy Store the block the people wrap wrapped around the block yeah I better see him probably just like a Chappelle yeah same thing yeah I feel you were you still friends with him when he lit himself on fire I guess yeah yeah oh yeah I called him at the hospital you don't remember but Mooney was on the phone and loose a spoon and he let me talk to Richard Richard don't remember that stuff he was so out of it but you know that's I never did list I mean I had no money to do doing I get anyway right never had a pipe money I was struggling to make it as an actor thank God I gotta be horrible if I blow myself up in terms of acting you were in Hollywood shuffle oh yeah was that your first help no that's not the face I did jazz singer okay I did it James league with Neil Diamond mm-hmm but I would do a lot of television I was on Barnaby Jones the times right credible Hulk okay oh that's what's happening the other care P in Cincinnati I did all those show I did all that money to make me pay my rent they waived my rent they weren't paid no I won't go on back home they weren't paying a lot back then though $130 a month damn one-bedroom Hughes Hughes bathroom he was living rooms who's Daniel okay yeah well you were you were meteor man actually medium man yeah that was ridge Robert Townsend right Robert Townsend right and now is actually the was that the first black superhero movie you probably was right yeah Robert Townsend did media man he do that he did after he did Hollywood shuffle right yeah and it was after five heartbeats - yeah because I'm I think I think the meaning man was that was a medium and the first one he did no no no no there was a third one he did so he did first he did Hollywood shuffle right and we were also in a movie called rat boy no he never heard that one there was Clint Eastwood's girlfriend at the time Sonya lot call rat boy Robert Allen was a lead in it he was an actor in there and what happened was it's a boy that looks like a rat yeah look at the right kind of run for mayor okay 1986 hey there 86 yep Wow that's a long time ago so what happened was Mitsy made me the emcee of The Comedy Store see I work at the MC so she wanted to keep me around a comic store cause I was good for her so she didn't want me to be successful you know I could understand it so I've worked the door then I see MC and she would be collecting the money Mitsy being a corner collecting the money coming from Mississippi right so she's a Johnny started the show I put the rope up and walk around do the time on stage and she will holler from the booth wait Johnny there people in line that's a mr. doing my heck this is how we started miss Jenna thank God blessed she just died but but they had a show in the original room Clint Eastwood was there and his girlfriend song a lot looking for some comics to be in red boy they didn't give me a showcase showcases when you go show you stuff and see if he liked you I didn't get that I was the emcee of this show so he got there Clinton each was there at 8 o'clock ok so Robert Towne I mean so now the comics say they don't want to go going great now because there's only about 12 people in the audience and they don't want to go on now so mrs. Janny go up on the stage and do some time come on quick do sometimes we don't want me to Eastwood to be bored so Clinton Easter sit in the back I went on stage with to help people maybe 8 9 10 11 12 people and I killed I had them all down laughing dying laughing and so uh didn't it's okay then she holler from the back start the show now John and so Clinton each would come up to her you see that I'm on him she said no you still show by the start now you can pick the comment you want no no he's I want him I want just one right here he's the one I want she said well what you gonna do he said I'm leaving we got who we came to get we got who we came to see he sees he's hilarious jebraw was mad I got a showcase what did you do what'd you say as a Missy mr. dalla he come up he came up to see funny people not not uh you can be three people in order to make him laugh oh well she was mad so the showcase stays he killed a joke age wasn't a big deal she's got the movie I got the movie one of money being paid but I worked with him three or four times working him and he did bird he called me to do bird he said mom chicken wing they call me chicken wing right I won't check him into being bird so I got another job out of him well you did a bunch of movies yep but for me it wasn't until boomerang that I really started paying attention boomerang with Eddie Murphy with Eddie Murphy everybody's Halle Berry Martin Lawrence David Alan Grier David Unger Yeah right okay they're shot this movie shot this movie it was done boomerang was done yeah you weren't in Eddie said I won't spoon to play David Alan Grier is father right go spoon is crazy so he told paramount that Pam I said we don't want no spoon what is this boom we're over budget already we want to take the movie the way it is Eddie said and and Warrington Hudlin was the director reginal Hartman was was the with co-director Rachel Hartman was that director and so Warrington they told Warrington paramount old Warrington hey if y'all do it we're gonna squash this movie and Eddie said you know you don't work for a parama you work for me spoon won't do this part and so they got me it got me and again I'm late they tried to move in New York so we went he got us to fly to New York me and my the lady who played my wife Mimi B be messy Drake they says they stopped when I got to the set I it's not to set when I got to to a New York they said spoon they want you to be funny in this movie so okay when it's script that it's a no script you gonna be you go to the script there is no script watch mean on the script is it go to the wardrobe department I pick up something real the stuff you wear all the time that stunt you'd like to see those on the movies and we want you to do the same and you you do everything what you want to do so I went to the water department got the mushroom jacket a bunch of guys saw this thing nice this is the funniest outfit I've ever seen in my life I do don't I did you know you're going to think that sort of mushroom let's damn you know opening thing mushroom inside the belt it has some socks and stuff well I get two socks as I take Justin right here fit me perfect fit so pair of mom was mad oh my god sabotaging the movie they sabotage this and with luminous and then Eddie Dennis so they had some people's equity from Paramount standing behind the camera so so Eddie's Edison what do I do he's just asked me I just asked me how do I pick my clothes that's what you just do don't worry about I do the rest so you know Eddie quick like this he's quick so we open the door you know I'm trying to impress you that's how we got into the scene you know I'm trying to impress you yeah yeah you all be trying impress me look at his outfit you know that's how we got into it right mushroom this much and there was a funny thing but but the the catch line from that was bang bang bang bang bang bang bang we should do that in Detroit when I was a kid you get a girl go do the bang bang bang we get a woman boy I got me girls on good dude bang bang bang I put that in there and then tell nobody what I was gonna do and they were laughing so hard people at the table were laughing too hard yeah the shoot and when I did the first scene about you got a Kourtney the people compared them fell on the floor hey welcome aboard mr. Witherspoon thanks for coming right you said don't beep yeah well this time told me you [ __ ] wet yeah yeah and that's something I picked up right away when he says change of subject that's what BB came in she was perfect when she said dick but we didn't know what she gonna say either she said come on baby just change the subject that's okay fine bad that's why I got into that they look towards me Marcus that's a marker at the at the job got your [ __ ] whipped that's everybody they laugh so [ __ ] hard he pussy-whipped dead [ __ ] don't be pushy whip reverse it quick get [ __ ] bang bang bang bang right cuz you always kind of played the embarrassing father or the embarrassing oh yeah he did the one you invite to the party you don't want him to come but you got to invite him cuz you like his wife and he drink up all the alcohol no bring it so you go and do boomerang and you know there's a few more movies in between there I mean there's vampire in Brooklyn there that's my favorite movie oh really yeah it was one of my favorite Wes Craven was the director right oh man he's just with don't you read the script one day y'all let me but you should read the script I'm sorry well vampire in Brooklyn came right around the same time yeah but in 1995 Friday yeah we did Friday we which your most famous role you think Friday mmm yeah kids you know comics kids felling coming to that Friday mold and they love Friday even today they love Friday they love right well I guess when when the movie was coming together the the movie cost two million dollars two million dollar we got paid five thousand dollars apiece to do that movie right and I guess I he was gonna put up the money himself right but New Line Cinema talked him out they said look you know since you losing to me and I liked the movie bomb we did take the hit movie grow three hundred million he could have gotten all that and they're not going to come back and say we made a look we made a lot of money gonna give you all the bonus that [ __ ] don't happen in Hollywood okay so you made $5,000 five grand everybody else gonna sue they gonna say they made more money anybody made no money on that move okay five thousand the Chris Tucker do do about the same you think about the same thing about the same yeah did I skip how but I mean I see you've had some sort of ownership so he had royalties we hear he had ownership he and DJ Pooh Rosa movie he used his production company cube vision a vision in okay so he go get more money then you get more money when you do the second one okay well it's the second one when you guys put together Friday and I guess the whole thing was shot in 20 days which is not everything tion twenty days do you have any idea what you had on your hands no they didn't know I had to pay my rent I don't give a damn what it's it was $5,000 grant pay my rent I've been honey and $37 I'd pay to buy I paid about three see I just paid my rent six months ahead okay so I if I'm broke I still can have a place to go home and sleep that's what I used to do when I first started six months ahead what left what wedding but about thousand dollars there it was so low then well I mean this movie is in most people's top fives only love is Asian is I lived we're live I think I've watched that movie more than any other movie honestly but we ended all these comics you've got all these comics working you got Chris Tucker you got me you got blood first Friday we boo you wonder you can't Williams wasn't there no Mike Epps wasn't there but he was tiny tiny tiny funny made it was there funny we had was named Bo the crackhead I was the AJ AJ AJ Jamal that's the name right AJ Johnson AJ Johnson Edie Johnson Johnson yeah he's funny no I mean the whole thing your wife yeah Regina Hall we do daughter Gina King Regina King yes I'm making my bed um although people were in there all I'm at lived and we had been able to do an IceCube script was easy to to embellish on he had a great script he and DJ pool and oh it over oh we had macaroni all that stuff in Suffern we created when I'm right that we only seen and we started a living okay and if they if they don't like it they tell you okay cut it out don't say that say if you can say this and we do it three times different you do this this one time displayed this way this went this way and that's how we got it pick out what they like the best so what happened with Chris Tucker and his involvement Friday yeah he'd make him think we meet Jackie Chan with that Russia would make it 20 million I wouldn't go back to Friday either so that was it was just a money thing oh it's all about money oh no but but obviously he would have gotten him you know it's not like he's gonna get 5,000 to do next Friday at this point I got a four hundred thousand for the second one yeah okay so he would have gotten probably even more he probably got him oh yeah but it wasn't one no 25 20 Mille Miglia okay so are you gonna do it's gonna get a three-picture deal with 20 million each she would have been right there with him right cuz they need money talks afterwards also before the Jackie Chan movies before rush well they talk that's another mother he did right yeah right we got big butts on it with Charlie Sheen yeah I got big busts on that yeah there you go okay so at that point he was just making so much money he ain't gonna go back to the fried plus you got religious and they said you know in these they don't smoke weed they don't want kids smoking weed see so he say they smoking weed and aridity and the preachers got to him and say you can't you can't be in a movie wedding smoking weed and stuff now weed is legal yeah then you want to go back but now he got another job with Jackie Chan again okay so is he coming back and you or another Friday I don't think they come back I don't know are you doing another Friday if they do it I would you know cause I talked to you q but he talked to one a brother and say they gonna do it they were Dave you up for it yeah they want to do it so I don't know I do I be there because I need that people I bet you know and all the fans wanted to they fan one I guess so I think I get so sick of this on the road border are you gonna do another Friday Airport oh my god well you know because I've watched all the Friday's but I don't think any of them had the magic of the first one yeah the first one was were the first one what I would second where they should never move that the neighborhood stated yeah dude ain't broke don't fix it yeah man well I'm hoping another Friday with Christopher oh I hope it happens also yeah you know what it's amazing about it i'ma tell you the reason they're not gonna make another 4th Friday which is gonna be called last Friday they're not gonna make one right for two million dollars uh-uh that ain't gonna happen cuz everybody's not broke we're not young we're not this and that they're not young and they're not gonna be doing I don't need to pay my rent I got mortgages now yeah I don't need all that you know Friday wasn't the only thing that helped me I worked on I got other job ahead job before Friday I'm job after Friday but I love doing Friday people love that movie oh well her party's on Friday put on Friday well you were on one of my favorite TV shows which is the boondocks boondocks yep you play grandad McGruder now Warren original Hudlin who directed the boom he directed the boondocks he directed house party he called me for house party he told me he said man you stand in that window and you say anything you want and I keep the camera on you as long you can tolerate the kids I'll keep it on you won't do 40 minutes of that you keep doing so I went in my dressing room and start writing stuff down what I'm gonna say when I'm standing there talking to the kids on house party and public enema what's the public in my own give who give a public enema hey shut about that damn noise and then he also directed boomerang mm-hmm he also directed a commercial I had for ty because I call him and do the call he was he all we gave me all these job so when it came down to boondocks he and Aaron McGruder were partners on that so he called me said spoon you want to do a cartoon that's I dunno cartoon this means just do the pilot so within a kind of like the script it was funny cuz they were reaching out and doing other stuff that other cartoons did we did that right didn't do right cuz it was political it was critical yep and I like I like Aaron McGruder and I knew a resident Reggie so I did the FIR to pilot it's awesome man this was cool how do I do this as it's good and it was easy working you got ready and over there own whatever that Street is and you just sit up there and microphone and people in the booth they tell you what to do when I and you I believe we were there for four or five years yeah well like we were talking before I actually was on an episode yeah you said you want episode yeah I gotta go back and look at I played myself you know they got to make a cartoon oh oh man and that is actually one of my highlights in my career because I love that show so much yeah that's what a great you know I'm saying cuz it wasn't like oh I was just on a TV show I was on my favorite show right right well that's really good yeah and then it get any plus another thing about this show to give you a chance they let you ad-lib say they'll shoot it you shoot it the way it's written now you should do what you think it'd be funnier yeah so that's what we would do we would tape it tape it my way and basically do a Magoo to enable such great writers oh my god funny stuff yeah man and what's funny is that some of the stuff on that show with like like the man purse and like Oh today the feminine dressing that's all today with the young thugs in the world all that's happening today happening today they called it all right that's why they should go back and put it on Cartoon Network again just do it start from the first one and go all the way to the end yep so I mean I had be able to easy then plus the people love that show some of this stuff I've done it people love so much I support I would love this if I was not doing this if somebody else did it maybe people loved Friday they love the boondocks yeah they love Wayne Brothers they love Marlon and Shawn and and they think this how your kids doing that my kids are my friends but they know my kids are titi is doing throughout this interview we've talked about all the work that you've done and you were getting paid but you weren't getting these massive paychecks no I'm doing the ball team I made a me dollars third Friday okay but you know the IRS car that's gonna take all that money yeah they're waiting for you to come off the witness mom come in how do you feel about the whole Monique you know thing with all you know the Netflix five hundred thousand thing well I don't think she's don't David Chappelle that's what she want to be David because she got Academy Award back Kenny what ain't none buddy that thing sit in the corner somewhere what was the pre comedy it was Ferraris yeah so you if you get a Kenmore don't make don't make you go twenty million out of person no no no no they know when eight when they when they put up money for you they know what you're gonna join putting asses in the seats that's what the business is they don't give a damn about your Academy Award you can you put asses in to see where people turn on Netflix the CEOs now that's what you got it realize I would never be complaining about this and that because people they don't give a damn about me and then I do a very decent living doing stand-up but I don't have that fame that Chris took I have I mean no man and shall Chappell and who has it I mean Chris Rock yeah they are comedian they may not be funny actors Chris Rock cannot compare with other actors but he can put answers in the seat in the theater oh you know Chris Rock stand up I think was the best to end up over the last couple years yeah it was that guy T better than Chappelle stand up well you know the guy ten writers writing for most you got get writers you got get writers you want to be funny pay for them damn writers sit in the audience and and and we're can do an injured their job is the right for you right because um Richard Pryor had a bunch of writers he hit Mooney yep and they would tell him and it would do this they do do mudbone I remember when you still do my poem he didn't want to do it Richard do my mom Richard do but boom um but um all I'm head right anger I can't afford already so I just do my look thing I make my little million dollars now and just walk go home let the government take what they want I do like this are any I do count my other money go on mm-hmm they can all get writers and and it's now you can't curse everybody out in Hollywood and think they gonna treat you good Monique Chris Oprah who is she cursed every Tyler Perry will will Packer who that's director wasn't it yeah what are you doing I mean did NWA movie there's all kind of hearted roots yeah right well they go cook you son of a [ __ ] you you [ __ ] to do that I would he be ain't no [ __ ] he just an actor you that you don't like or directly you don't like well I interview live L Crawford oh wow and he kind of pointed out that in Hollywood they only give one black comedian a chance at a time looking like the comics did make it one at a time Kevin Hart Kevin Hart they think he's only comedian in the world right now for real cuz I mean he's not even if he helps out they do Kevin Hart oh he's the great as I know you're not he's good I love keV you know but he knows he's riding that vehicle Katt Williams before him and then he went he went Loco you know a little bit I don't know what happened god bless him he's my friend I love him to death but Katt Williams one comedian and it be just it's just like steps you know but you had but like when del Jeff was out remember Def Jam was out you had a few Eddie Griffin Chris Tucker Bill Bellamy all these guys blew up at one time and you we at least we knew who they were you know I'm saying it wasn't like you know dictating is not like dictating one comic gonna gonna bring all the economy to the masses and that's that's how a black comedian in spacially I'm just really meaning mainstream or you're Kevin Hart tight are you know I'm too tall to be a Kevin Hart I don't even if I can't even put my baby toe in Kevin Hart's you you know but I'm a Louisville Crawford type you know but that's a team black Cummings and I meant that and and I say that they don't they don't let you have the same I guess platform as mainstream comics you have to crossover which I'm able to crossover no you don't think it's true yeah I don't think that you know I don't think that's true one at a time yeah if you get if you two or three of them if you have you if you could put an siRNA seating got that that that star over your forehead and star over here you get in there right cuz Kevin Hart is obviously the the guy right now Kevin Hart got his audience you got your damn or he got young kids he got ten writers sitting out there writing this stuff they go through everything in a minute all that's gonna be gone you know it's like Andrew Dice Clay the end of that clay used to do to show that Madison Square Garden oh yeah he was running it in 80s 20 mm - oh he's just fooling I was I was working with him and you know the whole yet thing was Illinois here's some cinema thinking what else what else nasty I can say that's worse than what I just see and that's Hollywood that boy yep that's Hollywood he's funny man yeah old friend but I don't know about - I don't know if he may think that but Adam I don't give a damn you know everybody ain't gonna make it everybody ain't gonna be 27 at 22,000 seats I mean you've worked with almost every major comedian out yeah you know including like the Robin Williams who he said he don't steal your jokes and everything you still man it's tell other people no one he stole one of my joke right but there would be days and hate Robin Williams hmm so he would build one market meaning using everybody's lands yeah you were saying yeah if you look at all the comedian's you've ever worked with you know cuz there are certain people like I remember once we did an interview with Tracy Morgan you know when I was recording on a radio station and Tracy was always funny he wasn't he was never out of character right he was just always when's Tracy though that's Tracy I think other comedians so I'm not gonna mention when you're just hanging out with him they're not that funny if you lay them the common is overcome is uh is talent exactly turn it on and turn it off if you were to say who was the funniest person you've ever worked with off-camera anybody's ever is hilarious off-camera hmm just you know from his line he don't do his line now he's talking about you know just regular stuff he's unbelievable funny funny funny Robert will you've never turned off he's always on oh oh I knew him for years I met him everybody first came from I think came from San Francisco also doctors and but a lot of comics you know the quiet went uh the quiet when it when it lights off they don't go through all the dollies ha ha hee hee [ __ ] is over yeah Redd Foxx was funny old Fox all right he'd come to the console give me a demo come by CA and I didn't go pay for none of this she gave me end up come on coke back well David Letterman's actually the Godfather to your sons well he's not my god he gave my son up you know David I old friends mm-hmm and when my son was born he gave us on a bond that matures and it was so I know that he never seen a bond like that name at origin when I send my son to college with that money really unbelievable so turn into like oh what a $50,000 bond or something I don't know how much it cost but I know one thing we second I wish I could find him today those kind of bonds he got a new show on Netflix yeah he got a new show nothing yeah yep yeah now you're doing stand-up now all the time too much too much I guess there was a situation last year where they say you got a stroke on stage or [ __ ] they said I've been dead six times people kill me with that boy didn't my I worked in Orlando last Saturday Sunday and this guy named Sloan who was on a show of me said he saw a picture of me you know you know no we call him thing we push you in the gurney that's what you call my gurney yeah and I mean they push you to the day and push you into the ambulance mmm this got me waving at somebody waving at people I had job I had catching the I had too cold too early too quick to each other so I'm glad to get another cone I just do it it's [ __ ] cold so I start drinking I just got me a thing for the mucinex and start drinking half of it I uh drinking wine before the show so I'm drinking wine then I took my blood pressure pills so I got off stage I forgot my line I've got about 15 minutes enough I'm going no damn stroke I forgot Mac that's why I don't drink no music Nixon and wine again mixing me cynical man well your 76 years old now yeah you've been doing this for 40 years more than 40 more than 40 years oh yeah what keeps you going all these years you because most most most thirty six year olds would probably retired by that money I like that cash keep you alive you're about to get up not I mean forget doing an interview like this if I I'll be sitting home by my waterfall mmm if I if I didn't come come and do this and now tomorrow I got a drive to Oxnard I'm working in Oxnard Oxnard improv Friday Saturday no Thursday Friday Saturday so that's n its to cash and and and stay alive you know right right I mean I I saw this I saw this documentary saying that the people that live the longest are the ones who feel the most useful and they keep moving you get I don't like I got bad ankles from playing basketball in tennis all my life okay so I can't hardly walk I can't believe I can't jog on all that stuff I used to play tennis all the time in man now I had office copping surgery on my knee was hurting so bad so I'm not get out there anymore so it keeps me going plus I was broke when I was coming up all them days but we read The Comedy Store in the beginning I didn't have any money John Witherspoon man really appreciate you coming in thank you huge fan yeah bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang don't anybody go in the bathroom for the next 35 45 minutes give your boy yeah I came away UTB don't tell nobody that's old-school but what are some of the other your most famous one-liners bang bang bang bang you got a Courtney got a coordinator I wouldn't I would stop with the mushroom belt oh no you can't stop down and I see that on all I got my phone I see them I see all them lying is up I did on on the phone that's amazing YouTube YouTube yeah oh yeah I got a cooking show on YouTube also have a cooking show cooking for a poor people it's good for poor people because when you're hungry everything tastes good so I cooked see a people try to and McGruder wanted to buy this not buy it he want to be part of the show but now my I do because I want to do it whatever I want to do not I have a schedule I don't I don't want to do all that so what I want to do is just cook for poor people whenever I want to do it and I got a house next door to my house I bought old house little house I go there cook my stuff and I had my camera student on myself and I have a guy does my camera work right and you're also doing black Jesus we black Jesus we did the third season hopefully we'd be back soon we finished they rewrote all the script from Charlie Murphy yeah rest in peace Charlie Murphy I'd interviewed him before we talked a few times and we were talking before I talked to him a couple weeks before he passed and I had no no that's a maybe you know some people like that my brothers in the hospital right now in Detroit he had his guts blockage he tell his kids he any and he's like not critical but in very serious condition a lot of black people don't tell anybody nothing today they die and they know I guess you don't want people come down and hovering over his face why he lead or deity I mean I'll be honest the last season of uh like Jesus he looked kind of sick he looked a lot of people say that and also when he did the show with the three comics for comics mm-hmm with said your entertainer yeah but George George locate and Lupe Lopez Lopez Lopez and what's the name of Eddie Griffin and oh it was Eddie it's 5:00 I'm there um deal huge deal but we'll be back again on black Jesus I'm told we're gonna be back again well you guys are already filming we finished already I already finished we finished about too much I'm thinking that why haven't they put it on but they probably have to find find a slot on on they already know who Lulu yeah yeah there are we already on there but they they don't have a slot yet on the Cartoon Network yeah that's what it is John Witherspoon man truly appreciate you coming in if you I'm glad I'm glad that we finally got to do this Congrats on all your success over I want to get a copy of that 40 plus years yeah I got you you know I'm saying always stealing stealing the movie I'm sure you're holding let me ad-lib is ma'am you know you're always upsetting all the other actors bang bang bang bang that's what it is until next time thank you I'm at

Channel: djvlad

Views: 535,704

Keywords: VladTV, DJ Vlad, Interview, Hip-Hop, Rap, News, Gossip, Rumors, Drama, John Witherspoon

Id: 9o5MaSLMdsw

Length: 49min 52sec (2992 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 30 2019