WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.819 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Our mission today, 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.379 it's pretty laser focused. We are plunging right 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:11.000 into the, well, let's just say complicated, often 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:14.259 hilarious, and yeah, sometimes controversial 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:19.480 world of Ari Shaffir, comedian, writer, and really 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:22.420 a digital pioneer. We've got a big stack of source 00:00:22.420 --> 00:00:25.019 material here. Covering his whole trajectory, 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.420 we're going to distill the key facts, biography, 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.539 his stage work, how he uses podcasting. Trying 00:00:30.539 --> 00:00:32.719 to get to the core of the material that really 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.280 defined him, his public image. Exactly, what 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.060 made him him. And setting that context is, I 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:40.320 think, absolutely the bedrock for this deep dive. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.380 Because, you know, when you look at modern stand 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:44.979 -up, Shafir represents this really distinct path. 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:47.280 It's becoming more common, actually. One that 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.659 relies, you know, less on the traditional structures, 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.759 late night shows, network gatekeepers, that kind 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:55.060 of thing. Right. The old way. Totally. And it's 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:58.179 almost entirely about cultivating your own digital 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:01.240 space, your own multi -platform ecosystem. So 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:03.619 our focus today is figuring out how those pieces 00:01:03.619 --> 00:01:07.959 fit together, the building blocks. Yeah, exactly. 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:10.959 How did these seemingly contradictory things, 00:01:11.180 --> 00:01:13.659 his intense personal background and then this 00:01:13.659 --> 00:01:16.739 long kind of painful grind on stage, how did 00:01:16.739 --> 00:01:19.700 they let him? create, and importantly, control 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:21.739 his own content. Okay, let's just dive right 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:24.200 in and give you, the listener, a few surprising 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:26.480 nuggets right at the start. Good idea. I'll come 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:29.879 in. Because this journey, it is anything but 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:32.819 conventional. Seriously. Far from it. The story 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:37.019 involves this huge transition from a really specific, 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:40.599 observant, orthodox Jewish upbringing. Which 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:42.579 is critical context. We absolutely need to unpack 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:44.870 that. Definitely. And then somehow... That same 00:01:44.870 --> 00:01:47.890 path includes a stint as an NCAA athlete. And 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.310 get this. What? He reportedly claims he was the 00:01:50.310 --> 00:01:52.689 lowest ranked NCAA athlete, like, in the whole 00:01:52.689 --> 00:01:55.730 country. Lowest ranked. That's a bold claim. 00:01:55.969 --> 00:01:58.069 Isn't it? And then after all that, there's this 00:01:58.069 --> 00:02:01.230 long, like, brutally tough apprenticeship he 00:02:01.230 --> 00:02:03.590 served at the legendary comedy store in L .A. 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:06.310 Wow. Okay, that combination. Religious rigor, 00:02:06.590 --> 00:02:12.620 academic study, athletic failure. Huh. Alleged 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:14.500 failure. Lowest ranked anyway. Right. Lowest 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:18.360 ranked. And then just pure artistic tenacity. 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:22.139 It creates this like fascinating profile. Totally. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:24.280 Those foundational contradictions, you can see 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:26.780 how they fuel his unique perspective. Often pretty 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:28.699 aggressive, right? So sure. And to really understand 00:02:28.699 --> 00:02:30.379 that, we got to start at the beginning. Okay. 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:34.639 Section one, the foundations. Let's dig in. Ari 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:38.759 David Shafir, born in New York City, 1974. Sources 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:41.349 note his family was Jewish. Romanian descent. 00:02:41.409 --> 00:02:42.990 That's sort of the background detail. That's 00:02:42.990 --> 00:02:45.810 the stage. But the defining element really cited 00:02:45.810 --> 00:02:48.289 everywhere is the family history. His father 00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:50.710 was a Holocaust survivor. Right. And that immediately 00:02:50.710 --> 00:02:56.009 sets this incredibly weighty context into specific. 00:02:56.189 --> 00:02:59.500 It just creates this sense of like. gravitas 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:01.879 in history that you feel permeates his identity 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.159 later on it has to but what's really formative 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.120 here i think is the evolution of his religious 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:08.879 experience the family initially followed conservative 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:11.379 jewish practices which is you know generally 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:14.340 more modernized maybe less demanding than orthodoxy 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:17.360 but then when ari was nine they moved to maryland 00:03:17.789 --> 00:03:20.770 and at that point his parents adopted orthodox 00:03:20.770 --> 00:03:23.889 jewish beliefs whoa okay that's a massive shift 00:03:23.889 --> 00:03:26.969 for a nine -year -old especially huge fundamental 00:03:26.969 --> 00:03:29.550 we're not talking about like changing synagogues 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:33.969 this is adopting a highly structured strict all 00:03:33.969 --> 00:03:36.509 -encompassing way of life Right. During those 00:03:36.509 --> 00:03:38.509 really critical developmental years. That's got 00:03:38.509 --> 00:03:41.009 to leave a mark. Exactly. This foundational pivot. 00:03:41.090 --> 00:03:43.750 Right. Moving from relatively accommodating conservative 00:03:43.750 --> 00:03:48.090 practice to the intense demands of orthodoxy. 00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:51.789 It means he was steeped in deep structure dogma. 00:03:51.789 --> 00:03:53.909 Only to later become someone who questions absolutely 00:03:53.909 --> 00:03:56.830 everything. Precisely. It almost inherently installs 00:03:56.830 --> 00:03:59.110 this perspective of critically analyzing rigid 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:01.789 systems, which is, I mean, pretty much the mission 00:04:01.789 --> 00:04:04.150 statement of his later comedy and definitely 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:06.430 his podcast, Skeptic Tank. So he didn't just 00:04:06.430 --> 00:04:08.830 grow up in one environment. He experienced this 00:04:08.830 --> 00:04:11.969 deep cultural, spiritual, like, rerouting. Yeah, 00:04:12.009 --> 00:04:14.189 a complete shift. And it's interesting how that 00:04:14.189 --> 00:04:16.410 then kind of informs his academic journey, too. 00:04:16.509 --> 00:04:18.449 He went to high school in Rockville, Maryland. 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:21.230 But the religious pursuit didn't stop. He went 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.319 deeper. spent two years at a yeshiva in Jerusalem 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.579 studying sacred texts. Which is an intensely 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.420 rigorous academic environment. Yeshivas are all 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:34.040 about deep text study, analysis, commentary, 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.720 philosophical debate. It's serious stuff. So 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:40.740 imagine taking that super structured... ancient 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:43.860 method of deep textual analysis. Right. That 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:45.480 way of thinking. And then returning to the U 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:47.279 .S., transferring to the University of Maryland 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.240 College Park and pursuing, you know, standard 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.759 modern academics. It's quite a contrast. He eventually 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.439 graduated in 1999, degree in English literature. 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:58.420 So you've got this background, intense religious 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:01.160 study, discipline, analysis, interpretation. 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:03.899 Followed by literature. Both fields all about 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:06.500 narrative, context, the power of language. It's 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:08.699 like perfect training for crafting stories, right? 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:11.180 Even if the stories end up being told on a comedy 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:13.939 stage. It absolutely trains the brain for complexity. 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:16.180 And here's that weird bit of trivia again that 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:19.759 just makes his path so odd. The Arlington Cemetery 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:22.000 thing? Yeah, when he was just 16, he worked at 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.339 Arlington National Cemetery. Wow. That's a very 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:28.930 somber place. Historical. Structural. Especially 00:05:28.930 --> 00:05:30.850 a teenager, right? Yeah. Especially one who'd 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:33.629 just been deep in religious structure to then 00:05:33.629 --> 00:05:37.110 be in a place dedicated to national memory and 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:39.250 mortality. Gives you a unique perspective, I 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:41.629 imagine. Has to. A perspective most comedians 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.310 probably don't have. But the real curveball, 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:47.189 especially given what he does now, is the NCAA 00:05:47.189 --> 00:05:49.769 connection. We got to talk more about that. Okay. 00:05:49.810 --> 00:05:53.819 Lay it out. his collegiate athletic career. So 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:56.040 sources confirm Shafir played on the University 00:05:56.040 --> 00:06:00.879 of Maryland's NCAA golf team, 1995. Golf, okay. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.560 Precision, focus, internal discipline. Right, 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.000 and it puts him inside that structure of serious 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.199 college athletics, commitment, practice, the 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:10.139 whole deal. What the anecdote everyone remembers 00:06:10.139 --> 00:06:12.800 is his own claim about his rank. Exactly, that's 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.220 the defining part. His assertion that he was 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:17.980 at that time the lowest ranked NCAA athlete. 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:20.649 Which, I mean... Whether it's literally true 00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:22.509 or not. Doesn't almost matter, right? Yeah. The 00:06:22.509 --> 00:06:24.310 fact that he champions that detail tells you 00:06:24.310 --> 00:06:26.290 so much about the narrative he embraces. Which 00:06:26.290 --> 00:06:29.050 is what? Ambition meets reality. Yeah, and like 00:06:29.050 --> 00:06:31.569 the willingness to just keep grinding even if 00:06:31.569 --> 00:06:34.470 you are objectively dead last on the scoreboard. 00:06:34.649 --> 00:06:37.290 That low ranking thing, it almost sounds like 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:40.649 a perfect comedy origin story. Like intentional 00:06:40.649 --> 00:06:43.189 branding. It does, doesn't it? It takes incredible 00:06:43.189 --> 00:06:46.129 persistence to keep showing up knowing you're 00:06:46.129 --> 00:06:48.560 the worst player. Which sounds exactly like, 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.459 well, the first few years of trying to make it 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:53.120 in stand -up. It's a flawless psychological segue, 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:55.519 isn't it? If college sports was about persistence 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:58.040 at the bottom. Then comedy was about the relentless 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:01.699 multi -year hustle just to earn the right to 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:04.720 maybe move up one tiny step. Exactly. The grind 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:07.759 is legendary, especially in L .A. And the sources 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:10.720 tell us his very first and only stage time before 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.500 moving to L .A. was in his early 20s, an open 00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:16.540 mic. At a sports comedy place in Northern Virginia. 00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:19.579 Wow. One night. Yeah. Probably forgettable. Highly 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:22.620 specific, likely forgettable venue. Yeah. And 00:07:22.620 --> 00:07:24.240 that's important because it means he didn't like 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.199 hang around his hometown scene trying to figure 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:28.759 it out. Right. After graduating in 99, he made 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:31.800 the big move. Straight to Los Angeles. Explicit 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.800 goal. Improved his chances as a stand -up. He 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:37.930 knew he had to be where the action was. The epicenter. 00:07:38.069 --> 00:07:40.250 The major leagues. And the epicenter back then, 00:07:40.449 --> 00:07:42.490 I mean, arguably still is, but especially then, 00:07:42.589 --> 00:07:45.910 was the comedy store. Right. The legendary club. 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:48.490 But getting in there wasn't some big stage debut. 00:07:49.449 --> 00:07:51.569 The sources really paint this picture of starting 00:07:51.569 --> 00:07:54.250 at the absolute bottom. He answered phones there. 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:57.129 Entering phones at the comedy store. Not exactly 00:07:57.129 --> 00:08:00.170 glamorous. Not a shortcut. It was pure immersion. 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:02.889 He wasn't performing. He was taking reservations. 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:05.870 Then he worked his way up cover booth, taking 00:08:05.870 --> 00:08:09.209 cash, managing the list, then working the door. 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:12.189 These are like the classic unglamorous essential 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:15.579 jobs that keep a club running. Totally. But they 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:18.139 put you inside, you breathe the air, you watch 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:20.139 the masters work every single night, you see 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:22.600 how it all operates. Okay, but this is crucial 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:25.560 for understanding that painful grind idea. What 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:27.920 does working the door actually teach you that 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:31.000 doing open mics wouldn't? Oh, loads. It teaches 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.679 context, control, crowd psychology, stuff no 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:36.480 comedy class can touch. How so? You're not performing, 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:39.470 you're observing. managing the flow. You see 00:08:39.470 --> 00:08:42.149 how crowds arrive, why they laugh, when they 00:08:42.149 --> 00:08:44.730 bail, what mood they're in. It's like this immersive 00:08:44.730 --> 00:08:46.809 education and audience mechanics, the business 00:08:46.809 --> 00:08:49.190 side. And here's the stat that just captures 00:08:49.190 --> 00:08:52.009 the brutality of it all. It took four and a half 00:08:52.009 --> 00:08:54.590 years before the owner, the legend Mitzi Shore, 00:08:54.830 --> 00:08:59.470 finally made him a paid regular. Four and a half. 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:02.919 Years. That is an eternity in show business time. 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:05.059 It really is. Four and a half years of working 00:09:05.059 --> 00:09:07.139 those club jobs, probably doing unpaid spots 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:09.620 whenever he could, just to earn the right to 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:11.379 be on the schedule and get, what, like 50 bucks 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:13.580 for a set? Something like that, yeah. Maybe less 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:16.240 back then. It just speaks volumes about the persistence 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.519 needed for even the smallest bit of recognition. 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:20.899 It proves that discipline, right? The yeshiva, 00:09:21.019 --> 00:09:24.240 the golf course. That long, sustained effort, 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:27.299 even without immediate reward, it was perfectly 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:30.100 transferable to comedy. Absolutely. So moving 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:32.679 from that intense prep period, you see his influences 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.360 start to solidify. He mentions watching showcase 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.659 comedy shows on TV, comedians on Carson. The 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:41.620 classics. Tight jokes, mass appeal lineage. Right. 00:09:42.009 --> 00:09:45.330 But his taste clearly evolved. He cites Bill 00:09:45.330 --> 00:09:47.950 Burr as his favorite living comedian. OK, that 00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:52.049 tells you a lot right there. Burr's style. Unfiltered, 00:09:52.049 --> 00:09:54.889 aggressive, opinionated, challenges assumptions. 00:09:55.370 --> 00:09:57.769 Exactly. Not just observational stuff. And that 00:09:57.769 --> 00:09:59.750 aggressive style definitely informed his own 00:09:59.750 --> 00:10:02.269 early breakthrough. Which wasn't on TV initially, 00:10:02.409 --> 00:10:05.379 right? Unlike a lot of his peers waiting for 00:10:05.379 --> 00:10:08.700 that sitcom or late night spot, Shafir's wider 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:11.740 recognition really started online in the viral 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.000 digital space. The Amazing Racist. The Amazing 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:17.360 Racist. Classic early viral hit. It was him in 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.240 like heavy prosthetics and makeup. Yeah, we're 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.620 onto that. Approaching strangers, trying to provoke 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:26.240 reactions based on stereotypes, racial. Cultural. 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:28.340 Super controversial. Totally. But it was his 00:10:28.340 --> 00:10:31.159 first big demo of using that aggressive premise 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.120 work combined with self -produced video to just 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:36.779 bypass the gatekeepers entirely. And it worked. 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:39.539 It got attention. Massive accelerant. From there, 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:42.120 the road visibility really picked up. And critically, 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:45.120 it linked him to that whole burgeoning comedy 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.720 ecosystem built around Joe Rogan. Right. The 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.200 Rogan connection is huge. He became an opening 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.899 act for Rogan in the late 2000s. And that meant 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:55.750 touring with this like. crucial group of comics 00:10:55.750 --> 00:10:59.450 who basically defined the next wave of podcast 00:10:59.450 --> 00:11:01.960 driven stand -up. Who was in that group again? 00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:05.460 Joey Diaz, Duncan Trussell, Tom Segura, Brian 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:08.500 Redman, Eddie Bravo. Wow. That's like the Mount 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.080 Rushmore of early comedy podcasting almost. Pretty 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.340 much. That touring group is the foundational 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:16.740 DNA of that whole scene. Getting into that circle 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:19.279 just accelerated everything for him, gave him 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:21.480 a network, a built -in audience for later digital 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:23.679 stuff. You also got some traditional validation 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:25.720 there, right? Montreal? Yeah. Appeared at the 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:28.320 Montreal Comedy Festival in 2009, part of The 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.559 Nasty Show, which kind of confirmed... okay, 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.860 this guy can handle dark, explicit material even 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:36.440 in a more mainstream festival setting. And all 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:38.899 this success meant moving around. Yeah. Needed 00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:41.220 geographic flexibility, kept a strong L .A. presence, 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:44.620 but went bi -coastal in 2012, L .A. and NYC, 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:48.019 then moved full time to New York in 2015. So 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.360 established player on both coasts, diversifying 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:53.360 his audience, his opportunities. Right. But Shafir 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:55.480 wasn't just going to be a road dog or an opener 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:58.220 forever. Section three is where he really shifts 00:11:58.220 --> 00:12:01.720 from performer to like actual content creator, 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:05.600 executive producer. And the big one here is this. 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:08.580 is not happening that show was a massive pivot 00:12:08.580 --> 00:12:11.080 because it proved the power of a simple universal 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.519 format he created it produced it hosted it started 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.519 as a monthly live show in 2010 with eric abrams 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.000 and the concept was just brilliant in its simplicity 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:23.320 totally stand -ups telling true stories often 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:26.080 totally wild, unbelievable, hilarious, sometimes 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:28.659 shocking stories, all centered around a theme 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.519 each show. It tapped into that raw personal narrative 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:33.779 thing. Let comics be storytellers, not just joke 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:36.419 machines. Exactly. And that live show caught 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.659 on, became a fixture at big comedy festivals. 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:41.759 Then by 2013, it debuted as a web series. And 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:43.700 then The Big Leap. The Big Leap premiered on 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:46.259 Comedy Central January 2015. That solidified 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:50.080 him. Major network creator, host. Big deal. OK, 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:52.120 but this leads to that tension, right? Creative 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:54.600 freedom. versus network constraints. Always the 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.399 tension. And Shafir made this key career move 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.799 in 2017. He left the show, voluntarily walked 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.000 away as producer and host. Wait, hang on. He 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:06.980 left his own hit show on Comedy Central. That 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:09.759 seems like a huge gamble, professionally, financially. 00:13:10.649 --> 00:13:12.570 What did the sources say about that risk? It 00:13:12.570 --> 00:13:15.129 was definitely a calculated risk, but it reflects 00:13:15.129 --> 00:13:17.590 that growing power shift towards streaming platforms. 00:13:18.129 --> 00:13:20.950 And the core reason he left, it speaks directly 00:13:20.950 --> 00:13:23.730 to platform loyalty and content ownership. Okay. 00:13:23.909 --> 00:13:26.549 He sold his third special, Double Negative, to 00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:29.149 Netflix, instead of keeping it in -house at Comedy 00:13:29.149 --> 00:13:31.450 Central. Ah, so that was the breaking point. 00:13:31.590 --> 00:13:34.470 Seems like it. He basically prioritized the global 00:13:34.470 --> 00:13:37.450 reach and presumably the creative freedom Netflix 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:39.990 offered for his standup. Over his executive role 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:41.909 on the successful format show, The Traditional 00:13:41.909 --> 00:13:44.230 Network. Exactly. He chose to protect his own 00:13:44.230 --> 00:13:47.009 material, his special, rather than his showrunner 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.509 gig. Performer's freedom over executive security. 00:13:49.850 --> 00:13:52.090 Makes sense for him, actually. Totally fits his 00:13:52.090 --> 00:13:55.309 trajectory. And after he left, Roy Wood Jr., 00:13:55.309 --> 00:13:58.070 Fantastic Comics, stepped in as host. Which kind 00:13:58.070 --> 00:14:00.649 of proved the format itself was strong. It could 00:14:00.649 --> 00:14:03.389 survive its creator leaving. The show lived on. 00:14:03.529 --> 00:14:05.549 Yeah. Okay, but before you get to that point, 00:14:05.610 --> 00:14:09.350 that platform power, we should mention the side 00:14:09.350 --> 00:14:12.049 hustle. The thing most comics have to do to survive 00:14:12.049 --> 00:14:14.799 the grind. Commercial work. Oh, yeah. The sources 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.139 definitely highlight that. He spent several years 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:19.980 making apparently pretty good money as a commercial 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.360 actor. Paying the bills while funding the dream. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:25.139 Absolutely. And these were big, visible ads. 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.879 Coke Zero, Subway, Domino's, Bud Light. Huge 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.100 brands. Which requires a totally different skill 00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:33.340 set, right? Yeah. Like a sanitized, marketable 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:35.500 persona. Yeah. Nothing like his stand -up. Complete 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:37.559 opposite. Was that ever a distraction? Like, 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:39.820 did he risk becoming the Subway guy instead of 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:41.970 Ari Shaffir, the comedian? Well, it certainly 00:14:41.970 --> 00:14:44.529 provided opportunities. He even did a small part 00:14:44.529 --> 00:14:46.830 in a feature film, Keeping Up with the Joneses, 00:14:46.830 --> 00:14:50.190 in 2016. But by 2017, he was really clear about 00:14:50.190 --> 00:14:52.470 his priorities. He stated pretty explicitly he 00:14:52.470 --> 00:14:54.970 had no interest in pursuing acting work if it 00:14:54.970 --> 00:14:57.370 took him away from standup. So standup was always 00:14:57.370 --> 00:15:00.519 the core mission. Always. The acting, the commercials, 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:03.779 that was a means to an end. Pragmative way to 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:06.340 survive financially while building the comedy 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:09.059 career he actually wanted. The destination was 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:11.860 always the stage, amplified by his own platforms. 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:14.279 Which brings us perfectly to the absolute engine 00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:17.299 of his modern career, the podcast ecosystem. 00:15:17.929 --> 00:15:20.110 This is where he truly cemented his relevance, 00:15:20.409 --> 00:15:23.429 his creative freedom, and crucially, his ability 00:15:23.429 --> 00:15:25.830 to build long form context around his comedy. 00:15:25.990 --> 00:15:27.809 And you can't talk about his podcasting without 00:15:27.809 --> 00:15:30.669 starting with the Joe Rogan nexus. That connection 00:15:30.669 --> 00:15:32.889 isn't just a footnote. It's like foundational. 00:15:33.129 --> 00:15:35.769 Totally foundational. Shafir appeared on the 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:38.389 third ever episode of the Joe Rogan experience 00:15:38.389 --> 00:15:42.429 back in 2010. Wow. Episode three. That's ground 00:15:42.429 --> 00:15:45.169 floor. absolute inception of what became you 00:15:45.169 --> 00:15:47.669 know the biggest podcast on earth and by showing 00:15:47.669 --> 00:15:50.529 up consistently he's been on what 59 times since 00:15:50.529 --> 00:15:52.629 something like that yeah he benefited massively 00:15:52.629 --> 00:15:55.450 from that cross -pollination built an audience 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:58.710 of people already into long -form rambling boundary 00:15:58.710 --> 00:16:01.370 pushing chats and that collaboration became even 00:16:01.370 --> 00:16:04.090 more formal recently right Yeah. In 2021, he 00:16:04.090 --> 00:16:06.529 joined Rogan, Mark Norman and Shane Gillis as 00:16:06.529 --> 00:16:09.230 a regular guest on the Protect Our Parks episodes. 00:16:09.490 --> 00:16:12.230 So now he's part of this recurring comedy roundtable 00:16:12.230 --> 00:16:15.590 within the massive JRE structure. Constant fresh 00:16:15.590 --> 00:16:18.570 exposure to millions. Huge platform boost. But 00:16:18.570 --> 00:16:20.970 crucially, he also built his own long form thing 00:16:20.970 --> 00:16:24.230 in parallel. And this show, Skeptic Tank, really 00:16:24.230 --> 00:16:26.850 speaks volumes about his intellectual curiosity. 00:16:26.990 --> 00:16:30.909 He hosted that solo from 2011 to 2023. That's 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:33.990 a 12 year run. which is ages in podcast years. 00:16:34.289 --> 00:16:36.789 Phenomenal run, especially in that rapidly changing 00:16:36.789 --> 00:16:39.230 digital landscape. And Skeptic Tank wasn't your 00:16:39.230 --> 00:16:41.629 typical comedian interview show, was it? Not 00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:43.429 at all. The format was kind of brilliant, actually. 00:16:43.570 --> 00:16:46.350 Really lent itself to deep, sometimes philosophical 00:16:46.350 --> 00:16:48.830 talks. You'd pick a subject, and the guests, 00:16:48.990 --> 00:16:51.169 usually other comedians, would discuss it as 00:16:51.169 --> 00:16:53.830 if they were genuine experts on that topic. Okay. 00:16:54.190 --> 00:16:57.000 The comedians as experts frame. Yeah, that's 00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:59.580 the comedic utility, right? It allowed for these 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.120 deep meandering, often hilarious discussions, 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:05.559 but without the pressure of needing like actual 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:08.400 verifiable facts all the time. It was about exploring 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.000 the idea, the theme, the personal take. And the 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:15.359 range of topics is huge. Show the power of that 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:17.559 long form medium. Sure, they need comedy stuff, 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:19.920 road stories. Of course. But the sources confirm. 00:17:20.650 --> 00:17:22.869 The show tackled really serious issues, too. 00:17:23.170 --> 00:17:25.589 Stuff maybe too sensitive or complex for a stand 00:17:25.589 --> 00:17:28.430 -up set. Exactly. Episodes digging into mental 00:17:28.430 --> 00:17:32.470 health, suicide, rape, prison life. Heavy subject. 00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:35.210 The podcast format gave him the space, the time, 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:37.650 the context to handle that stuff more comprehensively. 00:17:37.670 --> 00:17:40.009 Maybe not always perfectly, but with depth. It 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:41.970 let him explore that intellectual, skeptical 00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:45.609 side. Questioning dogma, which links right back 00:17:45.609 --> 00:17:47.609 to his yeshiva background, his academic side. 00:17:47.789 --> 00:17:49.869 Makes sense. Oh, and a fun little detail. The 00:17:49.869 --> 00:17:51.670 comedy team, Danish and O 'Neill, they were on 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:54.130 every 50 episodes, like a recurring tradition. 00:17:54.509 --> 00:17:56.789 Nice. He also did collaborative stuff early on 00:17:56.789 --> 00:17:59.950 too, right? Punch Drunk Sports. Yeah. Co -hosted 00:17:59.950 --> 00:18:02.849 that sports pod with Sam Tripoli and Jason Thibault 00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:05.630 starting back in 2013. Showed he could play in 00:18:05.630 --> 00:18:07.450 that collaborative space too across different 00:18:07.450 --> 00:18:09.569 genres. But he kind of faded from that one. His 00:18:09.569 --> 00:18:11.750 appearances got less frequent after he moved 00:18:11.750 --> 00:18:14.509 to New York full time in 2015. Makes sense. Harder 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:16.910 to coordinate probably. Gotcha. And we should 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:20.319 also mention... His ties to that broader network 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:23.579 of, let's say, edgier comics. Yeah. Like being 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:26.180 voted president of the Legion of Skanks podcast. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.099 Right. Reinforces his place within that specific, 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:32.039 often controversial corner of the comedy world. 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:35.039 OK, so after 12 years of Skeptic Tank, we see 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.980 the next evolution. A new podcast launched in 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:42.119 2024. You'd be tripping. This feels like a significant 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:45.059 shift for a solo venture. The focus moves from 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:47.279 abstract themes or concepts. Like in Skeptic 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:49.980 Tank. Exactly. To really experiential narratives, 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.259 grounded in shared global experience. It's a 00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:55.880 travel podcast. Okay. What's the angle? Exploring 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.500 travel experiences, guests from different backgrounds 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:00.599 talking about their journeys, personal stories, 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:02.660 the pitfalls, the do's and don'ts of moving around 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:04.619 the world. And he's got the experience for it 00:19:04.619 --> 00:19:07.440 himself, right? Definitely. On that first episode 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:09.559 with Andrew Santino, it was mentioned, Shafir 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:12.460 himself has traveled to something like 42 countries. 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:16.450 Wow. That's serious mileage. So a new context 00:19:16.450 --> 00:19:19.230 heavy direction focused on what connects and 00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:22.329 divides people across borders. Interesting shifts. 00:19:22.450 --> 00:19:24.549 OK, let's pivot to the recorded work itself, 00:19:24.609 --> 00:19:27.470 because ultimately, even with all the podcasting, 00:19:27.470 --> 00:19:30.309 Shafir is still defined by his stand up. Right. 00:19:30.430 --> 00:19:33.430 The specials, the albums. That's the core output. 00:19:33.589 --> 00:19:36.029 Yeah. And it's extensive, often conceptually 00:19:36.029 --> 00:19:38.569 ambitious, really leverages his personal history. 00:19:38.650 --> 00:19:40.950 His first big release was Revenge for the Holocaust. 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:44.980 2012. I mean, that title alone tells you everything. 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:46.799 Right. Immediately signals, I'm going there. 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:49.019 Tackling super sensitive, intensely personal 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:51.660 stuff, using his family background as premise 00:19:51.660 --> 00:19:53.779 material. And it worked. Commercially. Big time. 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:56.259 Number one comedy album on iTunes and Amazon 00:19:56.259 --> 00:19:58.900 its first week. Confirmed he could mobilize that 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:01.220 growing fan base from touring and digital into 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:03.460 actual sales. And then he moved pretty quickly 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:05.559 into film specials. Yep. Passive Aggressive in 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:08.859 2013, produced for Chill .com. Then two years 00:20:08.859 --> 00:20:11.059 later, Paid Regular premiered on Comedy Central 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:14.099 in 2015. And that launch was timed perfectly, 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.940 wasn't it? Masterclass in Synergy, Paid Regular 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:19.559 premiered the same week his show, This Is Not 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:22.220 Happening, debuted on the same channel. Dual 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:24.930 -pronged attack. cemented his Comedy Central 00:20:24.930 --> 00:20:27.329 presence. And that title, Paid Regular, obviously 00:20:27.329 --> 00:20:29.829 calls back to that intense four and a half year 00:20:29.829 --> 00:20:32.809 grind at the store we talked about, using that 00:20:32.809 --> 00:20:35.890 earned status as the theme. But the most unique 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:40.369 project, conceptually, was Double Negative. Netflix 00:20:40.369 --> 00:20:44.259 2017. The one that caused the split. With Comedy 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:47.299 Central. Right. This was a statement about format 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:50.059 just as much as content. How so? It challenged 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:52.680 the standard hour -long special. Double negative 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:56.220 was two distinct 45 -minute shows based on the 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:58.559 idea of a double album, which you rarely see 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:00.559 in comedy. Okay. What were the two parts called? 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:02.519 Part one was children. Part two was adulthood. 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:04.839 What was the idea behind structuring it like 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:07.140 that? What was the ambition? It let him build 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:09.880 a real narrative arc across the two linked pieces, 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.960 gave it more thematic depth. Children focused 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:15.420 on, you know, innocence, the absurdities of being 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:18.500 young, while adulthood went darker. More complex 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:20.960 realities, responsibilities, maybe some of the 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.920 nihilism that comes with maturity. It felt like 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:25.900 a conscious effort to make it more than just 00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:29.099 a string of jokes. A cohesive story. And his 00:21:29.099 --> 00:21:31.480 later work keeps mining that personal territory, 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:33.700 right? Always bringing his identity forward. 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:37.740 Absolutely. By 2019, he was touring Ari Shafir. 00:21:38.669 --> 00:21:41.710 Jew, which is now up on YouTube, like revenge 00:21:41.710 --> 00:21:44.190 for the Holocaust. The title just puts it right 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:46.470 out there. Grappling with his religious cultural 00:21:46.470 --> 00:21:49.490 identity provocatively, personally. He also uses 00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:51.769 international stages a lot, doesn't he? Testing 00:21:51.769 --> 00:21:54.009 grounds. Yeah. Affirms his status as a global 00:21:54.009 --> 00:21:56.410 comic. He premiered both Double Negative and 00:21:56.410 --> 00:21:58.970 Ari Shaffir, Jew at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 00:21:59.210 --> 00:22:01.470 Which is known for being a tough crowd, a real 00:22:01.470 --> 00:22:04.509 trial by fire for hour long shows. Exactly. And 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:06.710 we know he's still working. Upcoming special, 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:09.349 America's Sweetheart, apparently slated for 2025. 00:22:09.869 --> 00:22:13.130 So the output continues. Okay, so this deep dive, 00:22:13.190 --> 00:22:15.470 looking at a career often marked by provocative 00:22:15.470 --> 00:22:18.609 material, it wouldn't be complete without addressing 00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:21.549 that specific public incident, the one that really 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:24.000 complicated his standing for a while. Yeah, we 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:25.839 have to cover it. And it's really essential here 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:27.859 that we stick purely to the factual account, 00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:30.519 the direct consequences detailed in the sources. 00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:34.480 Maintain an absolutely impartial, objective tone, 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:37.960 no taking sides. Agreed. This is just reporting 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.000 what the sources say happened. The incident was 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.859 January 2020, right after the tragic death of 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:45.700 Kobe Bryant. Right. Shafir posted a video on 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:49.019 his Twitter and it caused this immediate, massive 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:51.859 public reaction. Outrage, really. Yeah. And the 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:55.220 sources give the specific unedited text of what 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:57.680 he said in that video, which we need to include 00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:59.960 for accuracy. OK, what was the quote? He said, 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.420 Kobe Bryant died 23 years too late today. He 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:05.380 got away with rape because all the Hollywood 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:07.400 liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:10.180 the Lakers more than they dislike rape. Big ups 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:12.440 to the hero who forgot to gas up his chopper. 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:15.220 I hate the Lakers. What a great day. Wow. OK, 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.400 that's direct. Extremely direct. And the public 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:21.319 outcry was instantaneous, severe, and it led 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:24.279 to immediate real world consequences in the stand 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:26.759 up world. A New York comedy club where Shafir 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:29.279 was scheduled to perform shortly after, they 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:31.890 canceled his shows. Pulled the plug. And the 00:23:31.890 --> 00:23:34.789 sources are clear on why they canceled. It wasn't 00:23:34.789 --> 00:23:36.609 just the club deciding they didn't like the joke. 00:23:36.730 --> 00:23:38.829 No, the sources confirmed the cancellation was 00:23:38.829 --> 00:23:42.089 due to external pressure. The club reported receiving 00:23:42.089 --> 00:23:45.049 phone threats related to Shafir's upcoming adherence. 00:23:45.309 --> 00:23:47.869 So direct threats to the venue itself because 00:23:47.869 --> 00:23:51.190 of the comedian book there. That shows the immediate, 00:23:51.369 --> 00:23:55.549 tangible blowback digital content can have on 00:23:55.549 --> 00:23:58.369 physical venues. It really does. This whole incident 00:23:58.369 --> 00:24:01.519 kind of functions as this. critical case study 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:04.000 in modern comedy dynamics, doesn't it? How so? 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:06.779 Well, the digital platform like Twitter gives 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:09.220 you this incredible freedom, incredible reach, 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:12.380 bypass censors, say whatever you want. But it 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:15.279 fundamentally strips away the context, the nuance 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:17.619 of a comedy club environment, the delirium, the 00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:19.920 stage, the darkness, the shared understanding. 00:24:20.119 --> 00:24:22.500 Yeah, it's just raw text or a raw video clip 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:26.299 circulating online. Exactly. And that provocative 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:28.220 statement, totally divorced from its intended 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:31.720 context, just exists as pure data. It invites 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:34.920 this unmoderated public reaction, retaliation, 00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:37.740 and real consequences for the venues trying to 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:40.079 host the performer. It really crystallizes that 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:42.400 tension, doesn't it, between platform freedom 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:46.059 and, I guess, contextual responsibility. Right. 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:47.859 Or maybe just the reality of context collapse 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:51.460 online. Hashtag tag Galtro. Yeah. Context collapse 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:54.240 is a good way to put it. Okay. Wow. We have covered 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.940 a ton of ground here, tracing Ari Shaffir's path 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:59.440 all the way from, you know, an Orthodox Jewish 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.079 community in Maryland. To the global comedy stage. 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.420 Yeah. His career is really this testament to 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.740 adaptability, isn't it? Spanning deep cultural 00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:09.460 roots, then viral videos, hitting network TV 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:12.099 success, pivoting to Netflix, and maybe most 00:25:12.099 --> 00:25:14.619 importantly, building this really complex, dynamic, 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:17.680 self -owned podcast network. The synthesis seems 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:20.019 pretty clear, right? His career really demonstrates 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:21.559 how you almost have to integrate traditional 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:23.680 stand -up, that painful apprenticeship grind 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.680 he did, with self -produced digital content. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:30.000 That integration is what gives guys like him 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.099 relevance now, and crucially, the creative freedom. 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:35.680 Freedom to tackle the kind of difficult, challenging 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:37.500 material he wants to do, the kind of stuff that 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:39.480 was the hallmark of Skeptic Tank. Exactly, that 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:41.559 intellectual exploration. But that freedom... 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:43.299 as we just discussed with the Kobe incident, 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:46.079 clearly comes with some complex responsibilities, 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:49.500 or at least consequences, regarding audience 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:52.839 reception context. Or, as he himself was quoted 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:54.440 saying, when you lose context, you definitely 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:56.720 lose comedy. Which brings us right to our final 00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:58.559 thought. Something for you, the listener, to 00:25:58.559 --> 00:26:01.059 kind of chew on. Okay. We know Shafir built his 00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:03.619 career moving from these really specific context 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:07.779 -heavy roots, orthodoxy, NCAA golf failure, the 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:12.059 LA grind, into super provocative comedy, often 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:14.819 delivered on his own controlled platforms. So 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:17.720 given his own quote about needing context, how 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:20.339 might his newest platform, UB Trippin, which 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.720 is all about global travel, shared experiences, 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:24.359 talking to people from different backgrounds. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.400 How might that challenge or change the kind of 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:29.380 content and context he deals with moving forward? 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:33.019 Interesting. Will focusing on like shared global 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:36.940 experiences maybe dilute that specific aggressive 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:39.779 voice he's known for? Or maybe it enriches it. 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:42.980 Provides a whole new framework for looking at 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:45.460 human contradictions just on a global scale instead 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:48.799 of a personal one. Fascinating question for a 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:50.759 comedian who's pretty much always defined himself 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:54.680 by walking right up to that line. Often stepping 00:26:54.680 --> 00:26:58.180 over it. Food for thought. That is all the time 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:59.940 we have for this deep dive. Thanks for joining 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:00.839 us. We'll see you next time.