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The Edit Alaverdyan Podcast
Welcome to "The Edit Alaverdyan Podcast," the podcast where insightful conversations unfold, and the depth of the human mind is explored. In each episode, I sit down with a diverse range of individuals—thinkers, innovators, and captivating personalities—who share their unique insights and experiences. Together, we embark on a journey of discovery, unraveling the complexities of the human psyche and uncovering the untold truths that influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
The Edit Alaverdyan Podcast
Jack Jr. | Comedy, Addiction, Family | The Edit Alaverdyan Podcast #18
What if you could turn your darkest moments into a thriving career? Renowned comedian Jack Jr. joins us for a heartwarming and candid conversation about his journey from battling addiction and depression to finding solace and success in comedy. Jack opens up about his tumultuous marriage, the pain of losing contact with his son, and how the stage became his sanctuary. His story is not just one of survival but of using humor and resilience to transform his life and inspire others.
In this episode, Jack also shares the unique dynamics of his blended family, his Armenian heritage, and how he strives to preserve cultural traditions through language and education. He gives us an intimate look at his life on the road, the pursuit of happiness amidst relentless hustle, and the struggle of maintaining balance in a demanding career. Jack’s anecdotes and reflections paint a vivid picture of the highs and lows of a comedian’s life, from the loneliness of travel to the bittersweet nature of success and the crucial importance of self-improvement.
Listeners will gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of a comedian’s world, enriched by Jack’s authenticity and kindness. We discuss the evolving fashion industry, societal changes brought by COVID-19, and the pursuit of contentment in a fast-paced life. Whether you’re a comedy enthusiast or seeking inspiration from a remarkable personal journey, this episode promises laughter, insight, and a renewed sense of hope. Join us as we celebrate Jack's story and the indomitable human spirit.
People are poor, people are hungry, people lose no jobs. Everyone needs something to laugh about. So you always got to. There's always, they say, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. So you always have to just keep pushing forward and never give up.
Speaker 2:I always say this to people Strive to be the most successful person. Don't be a plain person, be something.
Speaker 1:I don't go downstairs until I make the bed, I brush my teeth, I wash my face and I look ready to go.
Speaker 2:I'm going to hit him with the left hook and then he's going to fall, and then he's going to drop, and then I'm going to do this. He's just literally reading to him verbatim everything he was going to do that day of the fight, Everything that he said before the fight actually happened.
Speaker 1:When you first start doing comedy, it's not easy at all. You need to take all these L's in order to get the big win, and the win is so much sweeter. Now I'm selling out shows all over the country.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, thank you for joining me today. Today's episode was with Jack Jr, a comedian who has sold out Netflix, amazon, hulu. He's known worldwide Incredibly kind, genuine, authentic, loving father, human and comedian. We had a conversation today and he was very meaningful. We talked about comedy I had a few comedians on the show but obviously everyone's experience is different and we talked a lot about his personal life story about drugs, alcohol, depression, this sadness that he overcame, and comedy genuinely helped him overcome these struggles and it was really interesting to hear his story. We talked a little bit about the fashion industry and why we're failing and what's going on, why our health is failing, why we're failing overall as human beings, what's really happening, and it was really interesting to see his comments about COVID and how COVID can be responsible for all of this. We dived about his fatherhood and it was so meaningful to hear how important fatherhood is for him. It's so amazing to see good fathers like this that hold incredible purpose and his modeling wonderful behavior so that his children could also learn, and it was just overall, a very genuine conversation. It's a very personal podcast today and I really wanted to have him on the show so we can see this other side and he really eloquently portrayed that other side of him very well. I hope you guys enjoy today's podcast.
Speaker 2:I certainly learned a lot and I think sometimes it's not really about the education of what's written in books. Sometimes you hear people's stories and you learn a lot because they're very relatable and it was really wonderful to see this relatable side and I genuinely did learn a lot from him. What I appreciate most about him is his genuine side and he talks about his kindness and I really do want you guys to see this because I do kind of mention to him, like you know, being so famous. How is he able to be so kind and be so relatable and talk to everyone? And his answers were so nice and I think you guys are really going to find this podcast very warm. It's not as serious as the other ones, it's just very light and he does crack a few jokes that made me smile and there's a lot of laughter. So I don't want to keep you too long from this beautiful show. I hope you enjoy today's episode with Jack Jr. All right, hi, jack.
Speaker 1:Hi how are you? I'm good.
Speaker 2:It's nice to meet you.
Speaker 1:Nice to meet you. We just did this earlier. Jack Hi, how are you? I'm good. It's nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. We just did this earlier, by the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is for the camera. It's for the show, yeah yeah, so it's so nice having you, though, by the way.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:You're such a lighthearted person to be around.
Speaker 1:You're not like… All like… Ser like serious former guests. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
Speaker 2:I don't know who you have in the podcast they're all been good, but you know how like sometimes you're around people that make you feel really like yeah, like heavy, like you can't really be yourself. 100 I feel like I could be myself be yourself.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, did you? Are you like that with your husband?
Speaker 2:be myself. Yeah, that's amazing. There you go. I was worried it weren't wearing. Do I give off that vibe?
Speaker 1:no, no, you're a very happy person, yeah I am really happy. I felt the energy as soon as I walked in your camera crew, though not so much how you doing.
Speaker 2:Oh, my god, you're so funny. So, anywho, let's get started, you guys yeah I mean, I'm gonna, you're gonna have an introduction in the beginning, so I don't have to introduce you and all that great stuff, not that you need an introduction.
Speaker 1:Are you going to edit this later? No, okay, I love that Everything is just raw and uncut, raw and uncut and whatever, we say, we say, let's go.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, meaningful A hundred percent. Again, it's so nice to meet you.
Speaker 1:Nice to meet you too, work, thank you.
Speaker 2:Can you tell me, how did this all start? But?
Speaker 1:she hasn't been to my, one of my shows I'm going tonight she loves my on both cameras. She said she loves my work, but she's never been to a show, so how much does she really love me? I love your Instagram Instagram Okay, cool.
Speaker 2:But I am going tonight because you're getting me tickets.
Speaker 1:I'll get you tickets tonight.
Speaker 2:You promise you're not going to make fun of me.
Speaker 1:I promise I will make fun of you. I won't, won't, won't, won't.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, we have to be ready for this.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 2:But anywho.
Speaker 1:I want to understand how did you get into comedy? Okay, it's a long story. Tell me, it's pretty crazy. So my parents own a comedy club down the street called the Ha Ha Comedy Club.
Speaker 1:No way yeah so I grew up in the business. But when I was 18 years old, you don't want to do what your parents do. You don't want to be, you know. You want to do your own thing, you know. So I was very good at selling cell phones. During selling T-Mobile. I was like really good, I'm trilingual, I'm Armenian and Mexican, so I speak three languages. I'm doing sales, I'm killing it. I end up opening my own cell phone store. I'm living this like crazy life. I have two businesses in the gallery. I'm 24 years old, I'm making six figures uh working in the mall.
Speaker 2:It's crazy how old are you now?
Speaker 1:I'm 30, I just turned 39 wow, we're the same age, yeah, so you're 24 entrepreneur entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:I'm crushing it. Uh, I get married, I have a kid, um, and then just somewhere, like a year later, it wasn't working out. We and her, we were. It was a. It was a very toxic relationship, um, she and I. We broke up and we got a divorce and I went to work one day I came home and she was completely gone and took my newborn son with me and was just disappeared like, disappeared for like you didn't know where he was.
Speaker 1:One year I didn't know where she was, or my son, for a year. Um, I hired private investigators at this, that's. I started doing drugs, alcohol. I was really depressed. I was almost like suicidal, like you could say. It was pretty dark and I went and asked my parents for money for therapy. I said I really need therapy, I'm thinking about hurting myself. And then my dad goes. You know how expensive therapy is. He goes, come to the club, go on stage and cry, you're kidding, really.
Speaker 2:He said that.
Speaker 1:I saw, started doing stand-up comedy. This was 15 years ago and it's a crazy story. Uh, I ended up. I ended up becoming a career and now I have my own family. Now I have a beautiful blended family, I have five kids and, uh, I've never been happier. Right now I'm, I'm touring, I'm traveling all over the world, performing, like all over the US. I performed in Dubai, london, paris, so it's just it's been amazing.
Speaker 2:How did you overcome that difficulty? Yes, comedy helped.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But how did you motivate yourself to get on? That takes a lot.
Speaker 1:It was.
Speaker 2:Comedy comes from a dark place, so even for you for everybody for all comedians, all good comedians, all great comedians, all great comedians um even dave chappelle 100, all of them.
Speaker 1:They all have a dark, dark sadness or they need to get stuff off their chest like you talk about. Like no one never watches a comedy show. Oh my god, that guy is really happy. It's more like you're complaining about everything. Like my stand-up comedy you watch. I complain about my ex-wife, my kids being Armenian, being Mexican, being this, being that. It's just. It all comes from like complaining my wife always goes. No, you're always complaining, I go. If I had nothing to complain about, I had nothing to talk about. You know, like that's so interesting. Yeah, no one's up there like, hey, I have a Porsche, is that funny?
Speaker 2:No, Exactly, I have a big house.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it's always like I don't have a house. I lost my house.
Speaker 2:But how do you turn that into something so like laughable, such a tragic story?
Speaker 1:Because it's relatable and people all over the world, unfortunately are a lot of people aren't happy out there, you know, and so it's like people are poor, people are hungry, people lose no jobs, like everyone needs something to laugh about. So, like you always got to, like there's always, they say, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. So you always have to just keep pushing forward and never give up. And I'm happy. I almost quit comedy so many times because I was like, dude, it's almost like it's 10 years, nothing's really happening. I'm not really making a lot of money. I'm check to check. I'm still broke, I'm credit card debt, but I, I fought through it and, uh, it's been, it's been great right now and I'm so happy I kept at it. You know, that's one thing I'm very proud of is this industry difficult?
Speaker 1:oh, it's very difficult. I remember when I first started comedy, like the group of guys that I first started with, like maybe one or two, are doing this as a career. Now a lot of them just went back to their nine to five.
Speaker 2:What's so difficult about? Is it the competitiveness or something else?
Speaker 1:I mean just, it's really hard to like, uh, like, when a comedian, like, is really vulnerable. We talk like that's how you know you're good when you start talking about personal stuff and you really like you know A lot of comics talk about general stuff oh, asians, bad drivers, blah, blah, blah, blah. Those are really hacky general jokes. That's not going to get you to the next level. It might get you a few dollars at a show, but it's not going to get to the next level. So a lot of people are, I think, are afraid to kind of just let loose and kind of just let it all out. You know, um, it's very competitive. There's a lot of people in the industry, you know. And the thing is, with comedy, it's it's not even just comedy.
Speaker 1:I, I also write scripts. I write I'm trying to sell a tv show right now about my life, about being Armenian-Mexican. I wrote a reality show like a cartoon. It just leads to acting and to more things. Like that's what I want to do. I want to be like, like if I had to compare my career to someone right now, like maybe like a Seth Rogen.
Speaker 1:He's an actor, he's a producer, he's a writer.
Speaker 2:Does everything Does everything.
Speaker 1:I think he has a family, but yeah.
Speaker 2:That's my goal. How do you come up with the ideas of what to write about?
Speaker 1:I live it.
Speaker 2:So personal 100%.
Speaker 1:I've tried to sit down in a room with other comedians and write jokes. It's impossible. The way I write, I walk around Americana, I walk around Burbank. I write, I walk around Americana, I walk around Burbank. I go to the mall, I'll take my family out, I'll go visit my ex-wife and hang out with her family and I just see stuff and it just clicks. You know like I'm going to talk about this today.
Speaker 2:for sure, it's very Armenian in here. What's Armenian?
Speaker 1:in here. He's Armenian, you're Armenian. The cameras you're wearing black, the walls are black, the cameras are black.
Speaker 2:You know, I call this place Yotu Karsung, which means, like you know, after death.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:When they go visit, like you know, the grave again.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, oh my.
Speaker 2:God, why is it? Because it's that dark.
Speaker 1:It's pretty dark in here, ain't the walls black?
Speaker 2:My father-in-law did oh, he's Armenian, yes, he's Armenian. So tell me a little bit about the blended family life. Blended family life, because that's challenging.
Speaker 1:It is pretty challenging. It's challenging. How is that?
Speaker 2:going.
Speaker 1:So the short version is I dated. What's that? There's no short version. It's pretty long. So, my high school sweetheart. She's the one with now. So we were together like right after high school. We dated for like four or five years and then we broke up and got back together nine years later.
Speaker 2:If it's meant to be, it's meant to be, and then we started.
Speaker 1:we had our own, so she had a family and I had a family. We got together and then we started. We had our own, so she had a family and I had a family. We got together and then we had two kids together recently yeah so that's how it's a blend of family, but I love it.
Speaker 1:I love one thing I love about I've always wanted it. I've always wanted that full house life, the show, full house. I've always wanted a lot of people over. I love, I love it and I complain about it a lot, but but I love it and I just like people around. I love it. It's awesome.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:Being a father is probably one of the best gifts Seeing your kids grow up and watch their struggles and give them advice and being able to do stuff for them that maybe weren't done for me. I just love watching them grow up. It's like it's just great.
Speaker 2:How would you describe yourself as a father?
Speaker 1:Very silly, Not your normal father. I'm very. I'm always joking. I am very strict, though too. I'm very strict because of my past, of the dark side, you know like the drugs and the alcohol and all that. I've seen it firsthand. So I'm trying to protect my kids and keep them away from that stuff. So I am more strict than my wife, um, but I'm also. I'm like there's no middle. It's either I'm really strict or I'm really playful what do you mean? You're strict on your wife no, no More than my wife.
Speaker 2:More than your wife. Oh, I'm just like oh, let me hear this. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:That's Armenian, that's you. No, no, no.
Speaker 2:What a way to throw it on me. I'm not straight.
Speaker 1:I'm not straight Me with your kids.
Speaker 2:you are my wife is she gets? Is she?
Speaker 1:Armenian? No, my wife's Filipino, portuguese, that yeah, I tried dating Armenian, but we can't because hair on hair causes fire it does cause fire. It's too much hair.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Ew.
Speaker 1:But yeah Got a visual. He's like.
Speaker 2:Okay, so Filipino, and what?
Speaker 1:Portuguese.
Speaker 2:Wow yeah, did you go to school? Out here I what I was.
Speaker 1:What a switch I just we're having a conversation, right yeah, I went to burbank high oh no way I went to burbank high. Yeah, burbank schools, oh so you're born and raised in burbank born in armenia okay raised in armenia. Wow, somewhat I mean, I was Raised in Armenia.
Speaker 2:Wow, somewhat. I mean, I was 11 when I came here.
Speaker 1:Got it.
Speaker 2:And then went to schools in Burbank. But my time was so different I'm turning 40.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:My time was so different. I mean, you know, school was so different. Back, in the day. It's just crazy now.
Speaker 1:Well, I have a similar story. I wasn't born in Armenia, I was born in Glendale. I wasn't born in Armenia, I was born in Glendale. So it was close, armenia and I went to school public and private Public and then I went to a private Armenian school.
Speaker 2:What private.
Speaker 1:I went to Pini Bos.
Speaker 2:Really, alex Pini Bos, like did you graduate from there?
Speaker 1:No, I went there from third to eighth grade. I left in my senior year.
Speaker 2:No, I left my freshman year of high school. Why?
Speaker 1:It was a weird time. Back then I was really a lot more Mexican growing up Not by choice, it was more my Mexican family was closer. My Armenian family was in…. Who's?
Speaker 2:Mexican for you, my mom Dad's Armenian.
Speaker 1:Dad's Armenian, lebanese Armenian. So all my family was in Beirut or Armenia. So I never really got to see them growing up. So I grew up more. My Mexican grandmother raised me and we spoke Spanish all the time. So my dad took me to private school to learn Armenian, which I learned it, but back then I want to say you could say bullied. I guess I was picked on, I was treated a little differently because I was half mexican. You know, imagine going to a school and everyone's armenian yeah, I could and I stood out like a sore thumb, you know so did you have hair like that?
Speaker 1:No, I had short hair. I was really skinny. Yeah, I got bigger, but it was just. It wasn't like it's just something that didn't click. Going there, I look back and I had some great times there, yeah. But when I went to a public school, I was like, oh my God, look, there's black people, there's different people.
Speaker 2:I felt like you were so shelter.
Speaker 1:So so sheltered uh at a private armenian school do your kids go to private no, they go to public are you happy? That they go to public. Um, you know what's funny? Um, yeah, I like right now with my two little ones, I kind of want to put them in a private armenian school you do I kind of want to why.
Speaker 2:Why that?
Speaker 1:kind because, uh, it just when I was a kid there like I felt, like when I went there it was different, because I went in there like fourth grade. Everyone already grew up together.
Speaker 1:You know, I feel like I want my kids to learn armenian, you know, yeah, and I feel like if they go there, if they go there as babies, they'll learn the language and I can pull them out, you know, like in fourth, fifth grade, and then go to public school. Yeah, so that's a conversation I have to have with my wife. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but right now I want my kids to learn as many languages as possible. I think having that capability to be like speak multiple languages is huge. It's huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. You don't want to lose that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what's funny? My Armenian kind of went away for a while Like I forgot it almost. Can you speak it, because I didn't practice it. I can, sometimes it depends on the Do you have an accent. I have an accent sometimes. You know what's funny? Because I hang out with so many different Armenians. Yeah, and they'll rub off on me Like, and I'll be like, oh, pareva, anotian, and they're like, oh, it's.
Speaker 1:Obatzes, obatzes and it's just like yeah, so it's funny because our Armenian language is-up, it's brought it back together, so it's kind of cool.
Speaker 2:You know it's interesting you talk so passionately about your family.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I could see that they're very meaningful for you. Think about it. I always want to ask questions that kind of like hit the core because it's important. Then it's more relatable and people kind of understand where you're coming from, because people see this Jack right, funny, wonderful bubbly. But to be on more personable side, I want to ask this like where would life take you if you lost it all?
Speaker 1:Lost what my family Like the single be a single dad and my wife divorces me. Yeah, like lost that It'd be terrible.
Speaker 2:Terrible yes.
Speaker 1:It would be the worst thing in the world. I need my family. My kids are the.
Speaker 2:Why do you need them?
Speaker 1:They're my fuel. They make me want to wake up every morning and be successful and be great. Because now that my kids are older, they're watching me. They see how much of a hustler I am. I'm always working. You know, I need to do this and do that. I set goals, I have vision boards, I read books. I do that. And if I didn't have them watching me, what's then? What's the point? Like what am I working so hard for? I've lived both lives before I. I was a divorced guy. I lost it all man with my ex-wife, uh, with with my baby mama and my first son. I lost them and I. That was the worst feeling in the world. I, right away I turned to substance abuse, alcohol, nightlife thinking and I was masking it. I was like, oh, I'm having fun, I'm not.
Speaker 1:Oh, vegas but deep down forget the pain, but deep down I was hurting inside, so I couldn't imagine a world without my family or my kids.
Speaker 2:What about comedy?
Speaker 1:Give up comedy. I couldn't give up comedy ever.
Speaker 2:What would you do if you had to?
Speaker 1:What would I do?
Speaker 2:I mean, I would never what other jobs would you want to do I?
Speaker 1:mean I'm trilingual. I mean you know what's funny? I actually get texts still to this day like oh, we found your resume on this, you're trilingual in sales.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:I mean, I could always do something.
Speaker 2:I mean it just wouldn't be meaningful, huh.
Speaker 1:I just forgot how to have a nine to five. Like I can't do that. I'm always working. Like DJ Khaled said, I work all shifts, seriously, another one.
Speaker 2:It is like that yeah.
Speaker 1:Like I don't, I work all day long, so I just I would probably open a business, or I don't know.
Speaker 2:What's the most difficult part of being in comedy?
Speaker 1:Traveling, being alone away from my family.
Speaker 2:Wow, it's sad Traveling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, imagine like you fly to a city. I it's sad traveling. Yeah, imagine like you fly to a city. I'll give you an example. Like I'm going to toronto soon.
Speaker 2:I'm going to toronto for four days by yourself I'll take my camera crew with me yeah, but you're by yourself.
Speaker 1:My family's not coming, so I fly there. What is it like? Four or five hours, six hour flight. Whatever I get there, I get in my hotel. I'm in my hotel all day long. I wait. I'm there watching Shark Tank, law and Order, family Feud Suits, and then I go to the show. Then I go to the show, do the show, go eat, go back to sleep, do it again. Imagine it's so boring and everyone's like oh my god, you're living like a rock star life. I go. That gets old after a while. You know like uh, it's fun, though sometimes, because I get to bring like some gigs, I'll like, I'll sacrifice the money and I'll just bring my whole family with me. Like last year, I took my kids to new york, new jersey, boston and rhode island. I took them to the whole thing. Did I make money? Yeah, but all the money went back into the to the family for just pay for hotels and everything. So it was a break even, but it we built a lot of memories which is worth more than anything More than anything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I'm taking, like we're planning a trip this year. I'm taking them all to Hawaii, you know. So I'm able to do these things now because of my sacrifice I did it for 15 years of getting booed on stage, booed off stage.
Speaker 2:Were you ever.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, booed, how was that? I got a cried after. So like, oh my god, everyone hates me. Like when you first start doing comedy, it's not easy at all. You need to take all these l's in order to get the. The big win and it's the win is so much sweeter now. Now I'm selling out shows all over the country. I just came back from chicago. We sold that out, um, last year I did 32 cities. I think 29 of them were all sold out. So it's, it's been. I've been so blessed and I'm all about giving back. So I always take new openers with me and I put people on and, um, you know, I think that's what this, this business, I think that's what this world needs. A lot of people need to start helping each other more out. You know, like I've always, I've always looked out for all my friends, you know, so yeah, how do you think that we're failing each other now?
Speaker 1:I think people are a lot of people are fake right now and, uh, people will pretend to be your friend. I'm just talking about me personally please people, this is about you. Oh yeah, I'm just'm just saying like people pretend to be your friends as long as you're underneath them, and once you start taking off, then they just have you noticed that 100% Isn't that?
Speaker 1:horrible. Yeah, they go. Oh, jack's only doing that because of this, or those aren't his real followers. Those are paid. Those are bots. Those are robots. I just hear so many people talking. Those are robots. I just hear so many people talking. And it's cute because, uh, I used to let it bother me and it would bother me so much and I was trying to like, why are you so mad at me? Like now, I just I don't have time to to sit back and like I saw a video on instagram I forget who said it, um, but they said that, uh, like you're, like I'm a rocket, right, I'm going up, and then your friends are on. Are those boosters, right? Yeah, when your boosters fall off eventually and the rocket keeps going up, yeah, so the reason why they fall off is because they're not purpose.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they don't serve a purpose anymore, right?
Speaker 1:totally like they're not. They're not ready to go where you're going. So it's like I feel like everyone comes in your life for a reason and they leave for a reason, and the people that are still around you are your real friends. You know, like Ara Ara Zayda. Yeah, him and his dad were my dad and his dad were best friends, so we grew up together.
Speaker 2:Wow, two successful best friends.
Speaker 1:So his dad passed away and he went to live with his mom. Yeah, and I didn't. I never saw him. There was no, there was no, my space, there's nothing. Back then we were kids.
Speaker 1:So crazy how this all happened. His, his wife d, took him to a comedy show and he walked to the haha comedy club and he goes oh my god, I know this place. And then he picked up his phone and he searched me on instagram. He goes oh my god, jack is a comedian now. And then he messaged me I happen to be in dallas about to perform. And otta messaged me and he goes yo, what up, I go. And I looked at the picture. I go no way, I haven't seen him since. We're like 14. And I was like I'm about to go on stage, like hold on. I was like give me one second. And we're texting back and forth and we just like this happened like two years ago and we became best friends again, like that, because I chose this comedy lifestyle. Imagine if I didn't do comedy. So it's just crazy, man. It's just crazy how people come and go in your life and everything. There's a purpose.
Speaker 2:Do you agree that they say success is the loneliest pursuit?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you a loneliest pursuit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exactly what you're talking about. Yeah, you lose so many people in your life so many people.
Speaker 1:It's like it's, but that's why it's good to keep it's supposed to be the opposite yeah, but then again, like it's, it's all.
Speaker 1:I even do a joke about this. Like I said, like you know, I remember when I when I first I just bought a house, I bought a house and uh, I remember when I bought my house I was looking back at all my friends that I was like I want to invite them to my house. But then I'm like they already started changing. Because I started changing, there's certain people that want you to fail and I didn't want that energy in my house.
Speaker 2:Do you believe in that energy?
Speaker 1:100% I believe in energy. 100% I believe in manifesting. I believe in manifesting, I believe speaking to existence.
Speaker 2:That's why people say oh, that's why you have a vision board.
Speaker 1:Yeah, people say, oh, why doesn't this happen to me? People that are negative, and then you're always going to be negative, you know. But people that are talking like you know, like today, I said yesterday I said I'm going to sell the Alex Theater in Glendale. I did it already with Antique, we all did Army and Kings of Comedy, I know. But I said you know what, I can sell it out by myself.
Speaker 2:Yes, you can Jack.
Speaker 1:And it's already happening. We're going to book a date there and it's going to happen later this year.
Speaker 2:Did you hear that you?
Speaker 1:guys. Yeah, my agent's working on it right now. I want to sell out the Venetian or the Wynn in Vegas.
Speaker 2:You will.
Speaker 1:I'm already talking to them right now. My agent's working on it. It's just a lot of just speak. Everything to existence. I'm going to live a long, healthy life 100%.
Speaker 2:Universe hears you. There's this really cool thing that I was watching. It was an interviewer who was asking Conor McGregor a question and this guy was just… literally repeating every single thing he said before the fight. I'm going to hit him with the left hook, and then he's going to fall, and then he's going to drop, and then I'm going to do this. I mean, he's just literally like reading to him verbatim everything he was going to do that day of the fight.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And everything that he said before the fight actually happened. And this journalist was like you know, mr McGregor, how did you, how did you know? And he was like you know, mr McGregor, how did you know? And he's like you, just say it. Man, just say it, like the universe hears you. And it's so powerful so powerful. People really need to understand, even like the words of a parent, like whatever you say to your kid just be mindful. Like be careful, the universe hears and everything comes true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I solely believe in that. What do you, what do you think?
Speaker 2:prayer, prayers yeah, when you pray, yeah, I believe in god, I but did you always believe in god always I went to army. In school they put it down our throat but do you genuinely feel like close to your religion? Christianity I mean, are you catholic, are you christian?
Speaker 1:so you know it's funny, I'm Christian Orthodox, yeah, but I was raised Catholic because my mom's Mexican. Yeah, but it's very similar.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:And unfortunately I haven't gone to church like I wanted to. I mean, for a while, when I was in my dark phase, I went to Christian church, the one with the band. You know you know what I'm talking about. Yeah, christian church, the one with the band, you know, you know what I'm talking about. Yeah, I went to that for a little bit, but then I that's not Orthodox, no, no, it's yeah, I noticed that I could pray anywhere.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And I just feel like manifesting and speaking to existence and praying. Thank you for this, thank you for that. Like I just feel, like it's you know, it's just, it's like putting the words out there, like it's just like you know, like.
Speaker 2:I'm really happy you said something here. You said thank you for this, Thank you for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:A lot of people think prayer is asking yeah yeah, asking for things. No, no, no, and it's very powerful and God hears and prayers are answered. I would say I don't want to use the word faster, but for the lack of a better word, I'm just going to say faster, when you actually are grateful for things that you have. There's nothing like it.
Speaker 2:And once you're grateful, like I'm sure, like you have moments when you're driving you just get hit with this power and you're just like I'm just so grateful for my family. I'm just grateful for this moment. I'm grateful that I have this position. There's something happens to your body and there's a lot of science and research and data backing this up that once you become more grateful, better things happen to you Once you stop complaining in general.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the more you complain about your problems your problems become more and more and more it does Absolutely. What got you to really understand these things from someone who's complain about your problems? It's just your problems become more and more.
Speaker 2:It does absolutely what got you to really understand these things from someone who's really sad and depressed, I uh, shark tank.
Speaker 1:The show shark tank amazing. Yeah, I watched it a lot I said all these guys are successful they are how do I become one of these guys?
Speaker 1:I just watched it over and over and I would hear people's their ideas and I'm like I have ideas, I, I'm gonna write these guys. And I just watched it over and over and I would hear people's their ideas and I'm like I have ideas, I, I'm gonna write these down. And then I remember one episode. They said read this book called think and grow rich. And I read that book and it changed my life yes, I bought the vision board.
Speaker 1:I wrote on it, I looked at it every single day, I would update it. I'd okay cross that I did that, and the only one that I haven't conquered yet is lose weight, and that's been a struggle with me like crazy really. It's just so hard because I travel so much and I'm eating bad food probably all this bad food because it's like when I like tonight, like I'm gonna do a show, I'm gonna drive home around 12 o'clock at night, everything's closed. What's open?
Speaker 1:yeah, and you're gonna be hungry starving, and that's why I eat fast food all the time. I've actually been, uh, intermittent fasting lately yeah, I was gonna say fasting's really yeah, I've been doing that right now. So I'm hoping, um, I'm hoping I lose 50 pounds, uh, by october.
Speaker 2:That's my goal, but uh, we'll see is it for weight purposes or health purposes?
Speaker 1:Both, both. I just I want to. Part of performing is feeling good. If you don't feel good, if you don't look good, you don't feel good, you feel insecure, you're going to have a bad set. I think that with anybody so lately I've been I want to be able to go to the mall and buy something that I actually want. I'm not able to do that right now. I'm a large guy, I'm wide, you know, and you're tall tall, wide.
Speaker 1:So it's like and a lot of big people can agree with me on this we don't shop for things we want. We shop for whatever fits. Yeah, you know, I'm saying like this is this is kirkland, this is costco. I saying I want to shop hey there's nothing wrong with. Costco. I want a Zara, I want H&M. I get what you mean. I can't.
Speaker 2:You want the Banana Republic stuff.
Speaker 1:I can't even get Banana Republic.
Speaker 2:So what's keeping you from doing?
Speaker 1:it, the weight loss, I think they don't carry my size and I think that's a lot of things where people aren't happier about. Uh, it's about the way they look. That's what people get plastic surgery, boob dub but you know everything like this uh, that's another thing too. I learned to love yourself. Love yourself, uh, I, I love myself. But you know, I love myself. I tell my kids, my my, tell my wife she's perfect. I tell everyone that's.
Speaker 2:I just, I just feel like, uh, yeah, that's just, that's me since we're on this topic, I want to ask you a question, but before we dive into that question, something I posted a few days ago and I heard you know Jordan Peterson.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:So he's a clinical psychologist and he was on an interview like a podcast like this and the podcast host was asking him lately. He's like I've been walking around he's not from here, by the way, the host from like I think east coast, like I think maine was it, I don't remember but he's like I've noticed in la, lots of people are in their pajamas. People be going to the grocery stores, the mall, just you know, nail places hair up the restaurants and they're in their pajamas. Have you noticed that people have lost their way of how to look?
Speaker 1:People just don't care, no more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because that's why I'm adding to that, like people don't care anymore, but what's going on?
Speaker 1:COVID.
Speaker 2:You think COVID?
Speaker 1:COVID changed everything.
Speaker 2:I think it was way before COVID just exacerbated everything that was happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just feel like people just stopped caring, but isn't that an excuse that we're using, jack?
Speaker 2:What do you think? I think we can blame it on everything. Yeah, but why are we letting society and COVID and all these things like conquer and win? Why aren't we standing and saying like, okay, why would I leave the house with my pajamas? Let me just put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Yeah okay, why would I leave the house with? My pajamas let me just put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let me brush my teeth yeah, why are we doing that to ourselves? I don't know, maybe it's there's a bunch of excuses, I don't know. I just, I just think that's uh. I think we just lost that old school mentality, you know do you think that the old school mentality kept us going?
Speaker 1:I think it did. Me too, I think it did. Uh, you know, you wake up in morning, you brush your teeth, you fix yourself, I like, I'm. I'm. The same way like when I I don't go downstairs until my I make the bed yeah, my teeth, I wash my face and I look ready to go exactly I tell my kids all the time some of my kids come down, come down, I go, I go. Would you make your bed? He goes. No, I said, go back upstairs, you're not eating yeah not eating.
Speaker 1:I just think the little details like that, that's right. People just got lazy?
Speaker 2:I think I don't know People out here trying to change the world.
Speaker 1:It could be anything. Everyone's high on marijuana. They just don't care. You feel lethargic, you're tired.
Speaker 2:It's more in this state, though.
Speaker 1:California. Yeah state though california, yeah, los angeles, la. I mean I I haven't lived anywhere else, but la is really very hippie, you know. If you notice too all the fashion to it, everything looks homeless but hippie used to be so beautiful no, hippie was homeless no, I've seen.
Speaker 2:Well, maybe I'm confusing bohemian style with hippie I'm thinking like 1960, 70s hippie which was really cute with like the bell-bottom jeans, like flary tops, that's what I'm looking at Hippie that's still stylish and presentable. Yeah, I guess what I'm talking about is like women going to the grocery store with like a bun With their curls. And like this, or just disheveled, like we look disheveled Like we look disheveled yeah yeah, it's heartbreaking and like our names are out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe these.
Speaker 2:You know USA, the fattest country in the world.
Speaker 1:I mean it could be a million things you could say like oh, her husband's insecure and he doesn't want her to fix stuff out in public. You know, it could be that I.
Speaker 2:There's so many factors absolutely. Yeah, I don't know, but just when I hear stories like your story.
Speaker 1:Or maybe people are sad, everyone's just sad and depressed.
Speaker 2:But you were sad.
Speaker 1:You were sad too, maybe all the pharmaceutical pills, everyone's taking pills and this, and that there's so many things it could be.
Speaker 2:There's so many things, but when I hear stories like your story, like you were in the most darkest place of your life, but you worked on it, jack, you didn't give up on yourself like something, even if it's like your wife, maybe your, whatever, it is something clicked in your mind that I don't want to be here. You were not a victim yeah like.
Speaker 2:You decided to stand up, take charge and do something for yourself, and you did look at how successful you are. That's the thing that I think people have it in them. Everybody has this resiliency I'm a victim.
Speaker 1:I'm this. It's not, it's today's society yeah, yeah, I agree with you on that everybody's a victim. It's like no like wake up always complaining and oh, it's not. Oh, it's, it's happening to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get it yeah, like what's going on? You guys control. No, no, they don't. People don't you guys, people don't take control?
Speaker 1:No, no, they don't. People don't take. You know what it is. People don't take responsibility.
Speaker 2:And we normalize these things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:We normalize everything. Let's normalize obesity. Yeah, talk to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Is that okay?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Why should we normalize unhealthy living?
Speaker 1:Why do we have 300 women on sports illustrated magazines? And we think that it's okay remember back in the 90s dude everyone. Yeah, like you would put. You would put a sports illustrated magazine like that was like my first love, the victoria's secret magazine.
Speaker 2:Everyone's very healthy attractive looking women. I'm not talking about the anorexic you know like, but they were, they took care of themselves. Sometimes you would even see back like they were working out yeah what are we normalizing?
Speaker 1:we're screwing up today's society I think it has to do with a lot of uh, like you hear this, like all this food is processed food, all that stuff. That is just I hear stories like someone told my buddy, anthony told me yesterday I go, aren't you italian? He goes, yeah, I go. I have a question how come italians like aren't all fat?
Speaker 1:and you guys eat so much spaghetti If I go to Olive Garden and have spaghetti if I go to Olive Garden and have spaghetti, wine and cheese and that I'm going to feel like Because it's not spaghetti, but it's not spaghetti. That's what I'm saying If you go to Italy and you get breadsticks and real food it has to do with. It's the US man.
Speaker 2:It is the US. Our food is so compromised, there's too many of us.
Speaker 1:There's too many of us and you know I'm not trying to get all conspiracy, but that's maybe that you know, it is what it is it is what it is. It is what it is.
Speaker 2:That's why I only eat Armenian food yeah, like the meats Homemade Armenian food Khororaz.
Speaker 1:I'm like whoa Dude. If I ever get hungry, I go to Aura's house. He's always cooking.
Speaker 2:He's always.
Speaker 1:You know, I've got a deer, Don't worry I know, dude, he kept sending me pictures of him Like he went hunting recently, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:I'm so proud of him and he keeps sending me pictures of him.
Speaker 1:I got one. I go leave them alone. I go give them a bow and arrow, making a fair fight oh my god, how's your friendship?
Speaker 2:by the way, is it a good friendship with aura?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah man uh, it's actually like it's very uh, it's like it's a, it's a real friendship what do you think makes a good friend?
Speaker 2:since you've had shitty friends and I have to I've had my share a good friend is someone that calls you and asks about you.
Speaker 1:You ever have a friend that calls you and goes hey, guess what happened to me?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like they're just always trying to like get a pat on the back. Or when I call her, I check in on him, see how the family is doing the kids this, that it goes back and forth. We never ask for anything from each other. The other day I um, I hit him up, I go, I'm going to the lafc soccer game for armenian heritage night yeah I go, do you want to come?
Speaker 1:and I bought two tickets for us and it just goes like both ways, like that, like you want to go here, you want to go there, you want to get together, you want to have lunch, it's just. I think that's a good, for it's a healthy relationship be honest, did you?
Speaker 2:hey, hadid called me for a podcast too.
Speaker 1:No, I actually told him today.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, we talked today earlier.
Speaker 2:Is it okay if I go? Is it trustworthy? He goes, what are?
Speaker 1:you doing today. I go remember that podcast you did with the dark room.
Speaker 2:What's up with everybody bullying my dark?
Speaker 1:room. I want to go. I want to go to this podcast. He goes. Oh, he said a lot of good things about you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Ara.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was yeah.
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So what do we talk about next? There's so many topics.
Speaker 1:Whatever you want, what's it? I'm an open book.
Speaker 2:You know what I wanted to ask. Actually, I'm glad it popped up in my mind what makes a good comedian, other than bringing your life stories Like? What skills does a comedian need to have?
Speaker 1:a good comedian yeah I mean, it's just, it's so much there's like. There's like I have different style of. I have so many friends that are amazing, uh, very talented. There's different styles. There's one lighter convenience it's all about their delivery. It's all about you know it's like like mark norman right now is one of my favorite comedians right now. He's so funny, can I?
Speaker 2:Google him. Mark what Mark?
Speaker 1:Norman.
Speaker 2:Norman, yeah, you know what comics? I like.
Speaker 1:I like the comics that are like old school and they don't give a shit, this guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love him.
Speaker 1:He's so funny.
Speaker 2:I've seen him on Instagram. He's hilarious. Age 40.
Speaker 1:He has a Netflix special right now. Really Hilarious Age 40.
Speaker 2:He has a Netflix special right now. Really, you're going to get one too. I am going to get one, that's right 100%.
Speaker 1:It's in the works already. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I actually just sold.
Speaker 1:I want to see that I sold three theaters out for the Netflix festival recently. I was the first Armenian to be on the Netflix.
Speaker 2:Who I mean? Do you have more of like Armenianmenian crowd fans or other?
Speaker 1:so that's, that's in la. It's so funny in la. Uh, like well, ark started last night, it was like 75 latino and 25 armenian, but in glendale, like it's always bro, it's armenian, like crazy ontario. A little it depends on where I'm at, you know, when I go over out of town, like in chicago, it it was Assyrians, armenians and white people. So it really depends. But I do have a lot. I have to say I did really this past year. I really went into the Armenian stuff because I had so much. You know what's crazy. I've been doing comedy for 15 years. I never talked about being Armenian up until two years ago.
Speaker 1:Because it was very. I was bullied. Like I said, it was a lot of like Trauma.
Speaker 2:I was trauma Like you know. Like Was it bad? Jack Was the bullying bad? Yeah, it was Like really bad.
Speaker 1:I mean, it wasn't. What would they do, like, if they did what they did to me now at the like, the schools, now, how they are all woke and all that? You know, yeah, it'd be a huge, big, huge deal. But back then for me I just, you just let it go. You know, I still like, you know, like it's not normal for you to call a kid a beaner when you're like 10 years old, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what does a kid do? How do you respond to something like that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's like I go Mom, what's a beaner? Like I don't know, you know. So it's like just it was bad, but, like I said, it made me Do you remember who it was Call? Him out. It was like a lot of people, so many. It's you, you, you, you. They call me Lobby. You know, playing basketball, that they were saying kobe, that's a true story what yeah?
Speaker 1:I was playing basketball and I'm making threes and then they're like loby, loby and I'm like kobe, but uh, it's it. Just. It made me the whole. I'm not mad about it, I forgive you can't be forgiving everybody, yeah because it takes too much time to like dwell and just be like oh how did you forgive?
Speaker 2:just forgive, hard comedy comedy.
Speaker 1:So that's what happened these past two years I just been, I've been talking about what it's like being armenian, what's it like being mexican, and comparing the both and talking about the school. I went to people's and how girls, how guys were, you know, like how they are today, and it kind of like I wrote a whole hour of just Armenian content and I've been posting it and I've been very, very successful, because I don't think anyone's ever done that. You know, everyone is very like I opened a whole new world with Armenian comedy. You know it's like I'm teaching people, like what I'm doing with my stand-up. I want to be like the Sebastian Maniscalco for Armenians. I want to be the Joe Coy for Armenians. You know how Joe Coy talks about Filipinos, sebastian talks about Italians. I want to do that for Armenians. You know I want to teach people. You know I I get away with saying a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2:Uh, I say I say some really really I say some stuff have you ever gotten trouble for those?
Speaker 1:100 by fans armenians. What do they say? They want to fight me, and all that are you serious in the show? Afterwards. But uh, but they're cool, they like me. Now, you know, I make fun of them. I make fun of our high estantes, or uh, I talk about how, growing up, I used to be afraid of high estantes when I went to hoover high school and you know you went to burbank when high estantes were at school.
Speaker 1:What would they carry? Never a backpack. They just had a folder right, and in that folder were cigarettes Yep Right.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:That was tough. That was a tough guy. Now, today, 2024, you go to the Americana. You see all these high-ass men with purses you know what I'm saying? The cash-flowing purses, yeah, so it's like I talk about it and I go dive into it.
Speaker 2:Do you feel like people don't, the comedians don't want to talk about it because of controversy and what it's going to do, Because you got some guts when you you know.
Speaker 1:I make fun of Turkey. I make fun of them all the time, and I was in New York. I was in New York and I never met a Turk.
Speaker 2:Really, I had two Turkish women on the show.
Speaker 1:So it's crazy I never met one, and as a kid I went to pd boss. All we learned was they're bad 1915. They're bad. They're bad protest. They took our lands, blah, blah. So that's all I was in my head. Yeah, so I went to new york and I do my first joke. I'm a half armenian, half mexican. I'll sell you a cell phone, but I'll steal it right afterwards, right, and then this, this guy stands up, he goes I'm turkish and I went, and I went oh, oh fuck I go.
Speaker 1:Uh, I don't know how to react to you.
Speaker 2:I never met one before and did you say that?
Speaker 1:on stage. Yeah, everyone starts laughing and I go. I've never met one I go, I go, can I touch you? And then I go, he I go, bro, you killed my ancestors and he goes. That was 100 years ago. I said you admit it. That's so funny. But, like that's how. Like you know, like in LA, I feel like the Turkish people are like in the closet, they're hiding, but in New York there's a lot of them.
Speaker 1:There is they're out. You know, you know. So it's just. I just feel like I get away. I say I don't care, that's the problem it's not a problem, it's good. I don't care, I say whatever I want to say but then you the.
Speaker 2:The issue here is that you're not saying anything. That's not that it's real, it's what's happening.
Speaker 1:Like you're speaking on things that's happening yeah, like during the, during the, the armenian war, yeah, uh, I was at a show in san diego and this guy goes. I go, hey, what are you? He goes. I don't want to say I said gay, and he goes. No, he goes azerbaijan, I go what? And I got triggered. I go. What'd you say he was as? As azeri, I go, come here, I just stand up, give me your chair, give it to an Armenian. And I was just joking with him.
Speaker 1:And I brought him on stage and it's actually my Instagram. It went viral. I made the Azeris sing the Armenian national anthem.
Speaker 2:Stop where.
Speaker 1:It's on my page. I'll show it to you.
Speaker 2:Yes, I want to see that.
Speaker 1:Later I'll show it to you later. Yeah, but don't know, is it?
Speaker 2:well, you're gonna fucking learn it and he was cool with it totally cool with it I mean he's in a comedy show, he's in a comedy show and it's a long story short, I end up getting more information from him.
Speaker 1:He actually married an armenian yes, there's a lot, there's a lot so it's uh, it's just crazy, like, like I said, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't hate turkish people, I don't hate azeri people yeah, it's the government. We don't like.
Speaker 2:You know, they're the ones yeah, the land and people really have nothing to do with it.
Speaker 1:I think people are just brainwashed you know, and it's unfortunate like yeah and people actually think like there's because I I had to block the azeri and turkish flag off of my page because they would just flood it like robots. Yes, those bots, and it's dangerous too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like steal your page or something all right there's a lot. Yeah, I mean, my original page was hacked during the war, oh wow, so I had to recreate. It was just a mess, yeah, anywho. So your show today? Yes, tell us a little bit about that, we didn't you know, for everybody watching so I, I have shows every night.
Speaker 1:I, I, uh, I perform at least six days a week.
Speaker 2:I have to. How is that tiring?
Speaker 1:it's exhausting, but I, I need it. I it's like it's my reps and I just talk about what's what's going on. Like this sunday I'm going to vegas. I'm opening up for fluffy in an arena. This is gonna be my third time doing it.
Speaker 2:That is amazing.
Speaker 1:Gabriel Iglesias, thank you. I'm opening for him Really. Yeah, I'm in Vegas. We're doing the Cosmopolitan the theater arena. He's there all weekend and he's going to let me work with him on Sunday, so I'm excited. Wow, I leave for Vegas tomorrow morning.
Speaker 2:So you being in this place which it takes a long time for somebody to be this successful level, how are you so easy going? And when someone says, hey, you know, jack, I would love to have on my, have you on my show, and you're just easily like, okay, let's go. Yeah, how do you find space to be that?
Speaker 1:I remember when I was nobody, so is that what you?
Speaker 2:think. Is that why you came today? No, no, you're doing me a favor. No, I remember when I was nobody and nobody wanted to be the worst comedian. No, I remember. So is that what you think? Is that why you came today? No, no, no, you're doing me a favor. Is that what it is?
Speaker 1:No, I remember when I was nobody and nobody wanted me I'll be the worst comedian. No, I remember when I was nobody and nobody wanted me. Am I nobody? No, we're not listening. I remember when I was nobody and nobody wanted me.
Speaker 2:No one wanted to book me.
Speaker 1:No one wanted this.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I also said if I were to ever be successful. When people direct message me, I answer to everybody.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm the same, it might take forever but I'll get to you. Yeah, I respect that.
Speaker 1:And I feel like one thing I never understood. I'm not going to say who, but I've worked with comedians sometimes and I go, hey, are you going to go do the meet and greet after the show? And he goes nah, I'm all right and I go, but these people paid money to come see you. So after all my shows I'll spend an hour after the show to take a picture or hug or this.
Speaker 2:Yes, respect your guest.
Speaker 1:Some people I remember, like last night in Oxnard. She was oh my God, my daughter loves you, but she's not older than me. And I said give me your phone, she's not older than me. And I said give me your phone, facetime her. Hello, hey, what's up? I said I quick, you know why? Because these moments it can never happen. You don't even know my career, you never know.
Speaker 2:Yeah you didn't want to say that. Don't say that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just like your career is going to be amazing back. You know, like I love, like when we did the alex theater, man, I went out out there and I took pictures of everybody 1400 people. It was crazy. I was like I took so many pictures, I, but I, I, I love the fans, I love, uh, and I don't even call them fans, I call them friends, uh, I support businesses. Um, I raise so much money For Armenia and Artsakh and Hike, for our heroes and All this AGBU, all of them. There's so many Organizations. I've Donated my time, I've donated money. I've raised Over I'll probably I'm not even making this number up Over $200,000 At least, and this is just in the past two years. I do shows. I raise money for Pilibos, ferrarion, all these schools, man, and it's all about giving back.
Speaker 2:Why do you believe in that?
Speaker 1:Because I feel like it's my duty at one as a parent, as an Armenian, as a father, is just to lead by example and to show your kids. You know like, hey, I'm not just a comedian, I'm helping these people, like you know, I'm just that's it. I just like like when you hit me up, I was a no-brainer. I said, of course, you know, I'm not going to pay to do this, I just came here at my own time, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's free, it's free and it's not.
Speaker 1:But I'm, I'm just, I'm just putting a point like yeah when people ask there's a reason why you hit me up, right of course imagine there wasn't a reason I would be by myself. Like you know, like anyone asks me, I'm there, man, I'm there. If I can make it, I'll be there, you know what do you think makes Not being selfish? You know, I feel like love, you know.
Speaker 2:Love for yourself or other people.
Speaker 1:Just both. What's more important, you think, to love yourself first.
Speaker 2:Why do you think that is you need?
Speaker 1:to love yourself first before you can love anyone else. You know, I tell that to a woman all the time, to my guy friends all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If you're awful to yourself, how are you going to be this other person? You know, you know, yeah, I tell my kids that all the time, and two of the kids aren't even my biological kids, they're my stepkids and I love these kids so much, you know. So I just feel like I'm I one thing I wish they would call me dad. They don't call me dad, they'll be jack. I get it, I'm not my dad, but yeah, that's probably.
Speaker 1:It's hard, but that's so meaningful that you desire that from them yeah, it's like a you know like, it's like calling your coach, coach.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what about a partner?
Speaker 1:Like, what type of a partner are you I'm? I wouldn't be anything without my partner right now. So she was always the one she broke up with me the first time. Really, yeah, she broke up with me the first time, and then it yeah, she broke up with me the first time, and then it was. And I was confused. I didn't know why. I was like I'm doing everything right now, I'm working at the mall, I'm selling all these cell phones, and then I was paying all the bills. I was 23 years old, I was doing really good, and then we broke up and then, nine years later, she came back and you know, it's just crazy Like she's always been the one. Even my mom my mom loves her so much.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful.
Speaker 1:And I brought a lot of girls over.
Speaker 2:My mom hates all of them. That's amazing, jack. I want to talk about something that I've been thinking about for a long time and referencing comedy. Is it true that many and we kind of covered it in the beginning but is it true that many comedians majority of them do struggle with depression?
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. What is this though?
Speaker 2:Why do you think people in this state use comedy to overcome or to heal themselves? As you said, it's therapy.
Speaker 1:It's therapy, Like I said. I think a lot of comedians are depressed. We're out there chasing this invisible like there's this invisible trophy. We're trying to, we're trying to get somewhere what do you think that is what trophy?
Speaker 2:what to tell me about that trophy? Is it? Is it?
Speaker 1:I just figured it out a different version of yourself. I just figured it out recently yeah I finally accepted it. I'm never gonna make it there. I'm never gonna be happy, because I always want more. That's what it is before. It's like I want to get there and I'll be happy, but you never get there ever do you?
Speaker 2:do you think that you can be content?
Speaker 1:your priorities change, your goals change. You're always revolving. So I finally accepted that I'm never gonna get there, because I've always want more. I thought buying a house would make me happy. I bought a house. I thought buying a second house would make me happy. I bought a second house, but now I want another house. Now I want five houses Before I go to the next world. I want to have a house for all my kids before they leave. Will that make me happy? I don't know what if I get those five houses next year. It's a constant grind. I sold out. I remember when I was telling my wife this I remember I would sell out one show a month and I'll be so happy. I'm selling out shows almost like three, four a week. Right, but I'm still not happy. I still want more.
Speaker 1:What do you think that happiness is? Well, you know what makes me happy.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:When I'm at home with my kids and looking at them enjoy stuff. I got this, I got that. You know, like my wife was like Tristan needs braces. I go put it on the cart. I'll add a show. Oh, we need this. Put it on the cart, I'll add a show. Oh, we need this. I want to go to Hawaii. Let's go to Hawaii, all of us. Let's go Put it on the cart, I'll add a show. I love being able to do that for them. You know, that's what makes me happy. That's what makes me happy. Am I tired? Yeah, am I exhausted? Always, but I feel like any good father or any good worker is always going to be exhausted. You know, I probably get like four or five hours of sleep a night because I'm always thinking, I'm always creating.
Speaker 1:I'm always writing, you know.
Speaker 2:Right now.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to dabble in the acting side so I can stay local, so I have to travel, that much I can film a tv show or movie in la and be with my family, you know. So I feel like a lot of comics are depressed because they're chasing something that's not, you're never gonna get, you know is that all people, you think all people who report you know symptoms of depression or are diagnosed with depression?
Speaker 2:Do you think, from your perspective, it's all because of this chase, like just never really being content with what they have?
Speaker 1:Yeah, like all these famous people always say oh, like it's not about the destination, it's the journey, or what is it? It's not about the what is it? Yeah, I get what you mean the journey, it's the journey, it's not about the what is it? Yeah, I get what you mean the journey, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 2:What if you just stop for a minute though?
Speaker 1:Three years ago 2020,. We had no shows. All comedians were depressed. I was performing in front of a laptop for people from home. On Instagram, I wasn't making any money and I really thought, oh my god, if this continues or this happens forever, comedy is done. What I need, what am I gonna do? So I sold gold and silver, I sold cars, I was a salesman and I did good to provide for my family yeah but then did it make me happy?
Speaker 1:no, then god comedy back and I feel like people appreciate entertainment a lot more now, because we were stuck at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people are depressed because they think that this is going to make them happy. This is going to make them happy.
Speaker 2:It's not you know who, I think, woke this up? Robin Williams. Oh, yeah, I was going to bring him up when you said, yeah, yeah, yeah I think he he genuinely brought this up because his suicide was just shock to the world, like what this guy's like the happiest you did. You know he was, I didn't know no, but I heard he was.
Speaker 1:Uh, he was diagnosed with something.
Speaker 2:I mean he was taking medications and stuff, but that's after.
Speaker 1:But he was diagnosed with something I think something awful.
Speaker 2:I don't know what it was, I don't know, I'm not sure, I didn't know, I don't know yet, but I think his death really woke people up Like wow, but you got to think about comedy back then too.
Speaker 1:Back then they were using a lot of substances, they were always high, they were drunk and unfortunately, that's how this game is. Imagine I'm not saying I'm perfect, I mean, I still drink like I.
Speaker 1:I got, I got, I, uh, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm dieting, but yesterday I had a few shots and then I felt like today I felt awful yeah so I'm saying, like there's all this nightlife, the nightlife, because when people go to a comedy show or any, and out, and when they go out, what do you do? You drink, you eat you know, you have fun this that. Imagine me. I'm doing that every night.
Speaker 2:It's not healthy, you know is it hard to uh perform sober?
Speaker 1:it's not hard. But what's hard is telling people no tell me about that. You know like I want to buy you a shot. Come here, I don't know, I'm okay, oh, oh. You know they get mad telling people no, it's like I really, I really don't want to do you struggle with that? No, no, I mean I, I. It's not that I I feel bad, like they think I'm turning down their drink it's disrespectful.
Speaker 2:You know, our means are too.
Speaker 1:They get so mad, yeah um, so I, I usually you know it's, I end up drinking sometimes with them, and it just gets oh too much what?
Speaker 2:what parts of yourself do you accept now that you couldn't accept maybe 10 years ago?
Speaker 1:What do you mean?
Speaker 2:So you know how we have like personality flaws, Like there's parts of ourselves that we're working on and we're like like I don't like this people-pleasing part. What do you think you've worked?
Speaker 1:on now that you can like fully accept that you didn't accept 10 years ago. I used to be really insecure.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Super insecure.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:I was very jealous, jealous, really insecure, yes, super insecure I was very jealous, jealous like I'd go through my wife's phone and this that really, really like that, and then, uh what?
Speaker 2:why were you like that?
Speaker 1:because I was insecure because of your insecurities do you think that's what it is?
Speaker 2:yeah, a jealousy someone's gonna take her away yeah type of mentality as soon as I I'm the, I'm, the shit I'm.
Speaker 1:Why wouldn't you want?
Speaker 2:to be with me, yeah I've been. I've been happier than ever I think that you said something so important that people really need to work on themselves, because that insecurity just oh my god it's the worst it is the worst thing ever yeah it puts you in a really dark place in all aspects, not just relationship. Look at you know you walk in a room and you're in a wedding and you know you feel a certain way. Go to a restaurant, like it just does something to you negatively.
Speaker 2:I always say this to people strive to be the most successful person. Don't be a plain person yeah be something because it does like success. You feel it on your skin. It's done something to you. How good do you feel walking somewhere and people are like hey, I know you let me take a picture with you. Don't you feel amazing?
Speaker 1:feels amazing and I always stop and take pictures yes, always, as you should absolutely you want to hear a funny story. So when I was uh speaking of that, uh, when I was uh, when I was about to get a, an agent and a manager, they're like, where do you want to meet? I'm like, oh, let's meet at the Americana, just so they see that. Oh, my God, like Jack Jr, jack Jr. That's funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a good feeling, man. It feels so good. It feels like the 25-year-old me 25-year-old alcoholic drug addict, jack Jr is like whoa, you made it, you overcame all, and I had friends that passed away, you know, because of drugs. So it's like I did this for them too. I did this for them, my best friends, my old roommates. They passed away and it just just it really uh, my buddy, it's crazy man. He like saved my life, dude, he uh did he I was.
Speaker 1:I was supposed to go to dubai, uh, to do shows in dubai, and I said, uh, I really don't want to go to dubai feeding for drugs or alcohol, so I'm gonna go sober. So I went sober for like 30 days and then I went to dubai. I came back and when I came back I told them yo, let's freaking party, come on, let's go blah blah. And then my buddy, rico, grabs me and he hugs me and he goes jack, you're doing so good, you're sober, you're gonna be a star kid, you're gonna be a star. Go home, go home, he hugs me. They died that night no from from fentanyl and their cocaine.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, this was 2021 are you proud of yourself? I'm so proud of myself and I know, I know that they're they're. They have a lot to do with what's going on lately, like that's, it's crazy, like my whole life changed. Uh, it just changed. You know, as soon as I, as soon as I started being true to myself and really putting the vision board and all these goals and this and that, and surrounding myself with people that are winners, and I got rid of all the bad people.
Speaker 1:You know I would go up to people hey man, how do you, how do you, how do you get a house? I want a house. How do?
Speaker 2:you do this. Yeah, the winners right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I love how you had no ego. Yeah, you just straight up like ask questions. That's so beautiful.
Speaker 1:I just literally go up to people like that's a lot of courage for a man to do that. 100% I want a Porsche. What do I got to do to get a Porsche? What do I got to do to this?
Speaker 2:You're like a sponge. Give me the info.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I surrounded myself with these people. And in 2021, I lived in an apartment in Glendale. I bought two homes in three years.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to go for number three later this year. I'm investing, I'm learning, I'm learning. I'm just everyone's like. Why are you working so hard? You know you just sold out. You just sold three shows off for Netflix a week ago. Why are you doing John on Friday in Glendale? Why are you going to go to? You know like why I go why not? You think I'm happy with where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say do you think it's that chase that you were talking?
Speaker 1:about A hundred percent. Tomorrow's just another show.
Speaker 2:What happens if you are still? I can't be still why?
Speaker 1:That's funny. Why not? Because my wife's like we'll be like watching TV and if the Netflix tells me are you still watching, I go. I'm fucking lazy as fuck. I'm so lazy right now.
Speaker 2:I know right.
Speaker 1:Are you still watching?
Speaker 2:Yeah, how does it?
Speaker 1:detect that when.
Speaker 2:I read that when that thing comes up, I go.
Speaker 1:You know how much money I wasted right now, how much time I could have been on a call. I could have been this. I could have been up to my website, I I could have been replying emails. I could have been doing this, but I'm spending time with my kids. I'm going to do something else. I give myself a goal every day.
Speaker 2:I need to sell this many tickets per day, but what does happen to you when you are still?
Speaker 1:I have never still. This is as still as I can get.
Speaker 2:Like this.
Speaker 1:That's it. I'm literally always working.
Speaker 2:Do you think that's healthy, Jack?
Speaker 1:Healthy? No, I honestly don't think I forgot how it is to be lazy. I always like like. Like earlier today I was working, I was writing jokes, I spent time with my kid, and then I wanted some me time, so I went outside and I shot basketball for like 15 minutes. That was my still basketball true basketball, even it's so active.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about like just doing nothing.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't know, I don't know how to do that doing nothing. I'll take a nap. That's my nothing sometimes doing nothing is doing something, they say yeah, even when, even when I take a nap, I have my dog and I've got my dog why do you look like that? I'm thinking about. I don't think, I don't, I don't stay still. It was just like oh that's funny, yeah, wow.
Speaker 2:So depression, then comedians this that's a way of coping. Basically it's like a coping mechanism, like a defense mechanism. Let me laugh, let me smile. You know, a comedian told me that he's into comedy and he has created this vision of himself, but he wants to be the guy on stage. That's that's, and it was kind of interesting to hear that he's like. You know, the guy on stage is not me. I naturally want to be the guy on stage, and that's what the sadness is.
Speaker 1:I know you're talking about which is really interesting, it's like I'm the same way really. So on stage off stage, I'm the same way Really. On stage off stage, I'm the same person.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, so you are the same. I thought you said I'm the same way, like you're a different person.
Speaker 1:No, I feel like a comedian is always on. I'm always on. Yeah, like you're the same person, I never turn it off Because you're pretending to be someone else, that you're the same person. I never turn it off because you're pretending to be someone else that you're not. It's like hey, I want to go, oh, I'm gonna, I'll be back, I'm gonna go be a comedian real quick. You're not. You're not being a comedian or happy be a comedian, you gotta be true to yourself yeah, you know, and I think that that takes time with, with, with the practice.
Speaker 1:No, I mean, I remember when I first started I wasn't, I was pretending to be a comedian, you know, like.
Speaker 2:But you feel like naturally you have that skill though, you have that muscle.
Speaker 1:Well, now I do. I mean, when I first started I was like I used to like like one of my first jokes I wrote was I go, oh see, it doesn't even sound like me. Hey, I was, uh, dating this girl and your house was nasty. She had like pizza boxes everywhere. Her floor was dirty. But then she was kind of bougie, like she'd be like oh, before you come in, please take off your shoes. I'm like don't clean your floor with my socks. That is how silly it is.
Speaker 1:It's a joke, but it's not me yeah, it's something I wrote, but it's not my personality, but you saw I how I was talking like oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I see what you mean.
Speaker 1:Now I'll talk about. Oh, the way I talk now is like my son has a stepdad and I love my son's stepdad. He's cool. The other day I went to go see my son's soccer game and when I went up to my son's soccer game my son's like daddy, come meet my coach. I'm like like all right, so I walked over there. As soon as I walked up, oscar walked up and then my son grabs my hand and also goes coach these are my dads, but see, that's more true story.
Speaker 2:But that's so cute. Did this really happen? How old's the kid?
Speaker 1:well, this is when he was like six, that's so cute.
Speaker 2:These are my dad's. How did you feel in that moment?
Speaker 1:I'm like eh but yeah it just.
Speaker 2:That's what you just said oh my god, he looks back, he's like what applause break you know I have a very loud laugh and I'm trying to contain myself yeah oh my god, that's hilarious well, yeah, these are my dads. These are my dads did you say that too on stage? Yeah, the second part 100% you would have pulled it. That's like an innocent, cute joke it's like it's not that rated R-ish no, but it's like it's personal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's funny yeah.
Speaker 2:I think anybody would probably like I mean, you cracked me up, even though I'm not showing like my genuine laugh it's still cute. It's cute, it's a cute jack, it's been an awesome conversation thank you I'm so glad you came because you're definitely you're you're successful already, but you're gonna be more 100 and then I can say oh, he was on my show.
Speaker 1:It was on my show, no brainer, I'm gonna take this show to a higher level you are, you are so thank you so much, I appreciate it.