Flex Alexander

it was Staple Center. I believe it Staple Center. And that was the closest chance we had, and and and yeah we didn't get it. I got there, I got three and then yeah, yeah, yeah, but he always manipulated. He was always able to nothing. I was able to stay with certain teams. Yeah, I didn't was able to stay with certain team Dave Brown.

in that and on the outside. That extended fire and extended that. He was league. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. He shooting three. He was just like shooting three. One year I had, I was with Harvey Mason. Uh, that's all you need is Kenny Loughton was, you know, crying, that's my boy. But he was like my team because they played together and then they took him off my team and got them together. So I had it was me. It was it was Harvey Mason and Deon Taylor director he balled.

But then soon as they took Harvey, we was just like we just fell apart. It was it was. I was telling my son that I was like, yo, we felt like every Sunday we was in the league. Yeah. I mean was coming in because I would come in with my suit on from church on this it's on the table. I always take the angles and the snap away. Oh my god. That was that was beautiful. The Travel Games was dope to talk about it. Listen, I remember when we got to ask by the Chicago s guy.

I tell that story. We were in the locker room. Right, we're in the locker room. Everybody's like, you're gonna go out there, you know again, it just just give me the ball. And then Brian McKnight he's like here, we know we everybody's again, and I'm the other fellas they professional. I told you guys know, I was on your team. I was on your side. I kept screaming everybody and I was telling them to I was like, yo, y'all listen, it ain't gonna just be no walking. I mean, they ran.

They beat us by like forty seven points. It was ridiculous.

getting just get him sweating. Man. We go out there, same thing, they picking running play like yo, we're like all right. We started talking and it didn't end up good, not at all. And Lisa Leslie was just I mean just it was easy.

I'm saying. Where where does all this start? Where does all this start to be?

We got a bacon, naggy cheese, Yeah, orange juice, what ice? You know? I you know, I was trying to do my thing, man, But yeah, started in the bronx, you know, came up. You know. Mom's grandmother was the ones in the house holding everything down. Moms had like three jobs, my brothers. You know, my brother went to the service, my other brother was doing his thing, and at eighty five when crack hit. You know, it hit my family.

So you know, I just got to the point where I was like, yeah, I'm it's not what I want, you know what I mean. I want to I want to get up out of here. And I ended up leaving. I lived with my grandmother for a little bit, but I had a aunt who was an alcoholic, so I hated that. So I just went out on my own. You know what I mean. This is after going away to school, coming back and just really trying to figure out what I was gonna do with my life. I knew I always wanted to entertain. I was a hip

hop dancer. I started dancing in the clubs oh Man seventy. I got out in the parks, like I got to see everybody in the park. In the Bronx, I got to see Grand Master Flash, Melly Mel, I got to see the Furious Five. I got to see rock Steady Crew. I got to That's in the Bronx. That's in the Bronx Man, That's that was the mech birtha me Birth and Mecca. I got to see African band by all of them up close, you know personal. I mean, you know you disco Fever, you had the Latin Quarters, which

came later, but that was the thing. I was like, Yo, hip hop really hip hop molded me. Because of hip hop. Everything spawned from hip hop, everything spawned. I ended up dancing for Salt and Pepper and choreographing for you know, different groups and being in all these videos. And I was in one of the Dope his Cruise Ever, the Mop Top, my Boys, Stretch, Peter Paul Khleif Link or Ramier it was called. It was motivated on performance, uh,

motivated on precision towards outstanding performance. We all had our dreads and those are the brothers that you know who did all the Mariah Carey stretch. Would remember the time with Fatima, like we had a nice conglomerate, you know what I mean. So we would break off and go choreograph and do different things. But I just this was always in me to do stand up and and comedy. And from when I was little, I saw Eddie Murphy's Delirious and I was like, Yo, that's what I'm going

to do. My mom was like, okay, baby, if you say so. But that right there changed my life seeing Delirious. So let's start dancing. Let's start off with dance.

modern jazz for a minute. Uh but you know, Fellas was laughing at me, all you need to take it out of jazz. But I'm glad I did because I learned all aspects of a certain techniques that all that stuff. Man. But it started in the streets, man, It started right there in the school yards and the parks. That's where it started for me to dance. Who who was the There's always.

I just copied a lot of what he did. Man, he just had such you know, versatility, you know what I mean. And I was like, yeah, I need that in my repertoire. And that's how we clicked. And then the whole crew and we just all we mirrored each other, but we were still individuals, you know what I mean. So Stretcher probably one of the guys that I looked at in the Mount rushmore of dancers. Are you doing comedy at the same time? Now, I started comedy in

eighty nine. Now that came about because of my boy Khalif loose Leaf was a dancer as well. I used to be able to meet people, do impressions and you know, just have cats laughing. And he kept saying, Yo, son, Yo, you gotta get on stage and do that joint son. I'm like, He's like nah man. So that he dared me, I forget what the challenge was. But once he dared me, I was like, all right, all right, I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna do it. But he was the one that kind of push me and my cousin Grapevine, who's in the group Trends of Culture on Motown back in the day. They had a huge song called Off and On then him DJ Mowell. They used to come down to the Uptown Comedy Club. I mean in the beginning, nobody, you know, nobody was coming down there, and they would come support me. They would come week after week after week. And I just felt like I couldn't do it if they weren't there,

you know what I mean. And I went to the Uptown Comedy Club and they have a new Jack segment. You have three minutes to do your best. I went up. I did it. It was laughing. I was like, yo, you freestyle it. I did stuff that I would do in the house, you know, I had you know, I used to do impersonations of Edith Bunker had a bullwinkle selling drugs and you know, stupid stuff like that. Yeah, so I would do I would do those Jesse Jackson and all that stuff, and I would just be all

over the place. But people loved it and I got the response, and I was like, yo, and it's a different kind of high. It's different, you know, from dancing because I'm dancing for somebody else, but that I'm like, this is me. So then I was working with Salt and Pepper. At the time, they would come support up to the Uptown Comedy Club.

I was doing videos and you know chorey graph. I had done the Crystal Waters video lit out, Yeah, and Peter Paul I did that. I got the Power joint with Chill rod g Joint. I mean I did uh uh Queen Latif for fly Girl and what you call it was a dancer in that video. He was in a group on myps he probably sorry, I'm just people don't talented. Yes, yes, it was in a group. I don't know if it's men a vision or something you can sing. Yeah, So he we were in that joint

together and Peter Paul too. So I just started making a name for myself and I would end up choreographing and or have stretched it something. I would assist him. He worked with this goop Caroll Seduction, and I worked with them, and I just kept building the name. So they just they called and I was like, yeah, I'm down.

And the first trip was going to come in to LA and we did our Senio and we did the Marshall Warfield Show back when she had a talk show, and we did another show and just did the press circuit. They shot a little kind of docu video. This was like before people were doing that. And I was just like, man, I'm like, I can't believe me. I'm in LA. And I was like, this is great. This is your first time leaving. This is my first time leaving, well, not

leaving New York, but coming to California. It was my first time. Was I've been to North Carolina I was ninety five, yeah, or go down to the family reunion whatever, but this was my first time. I'm like, I'm in LA and I'm just like, Yo, this is crazy. Was just blowing my mind. Man, it was just happening, like and I'm sitting there like man, Senior Hall show and Salt and Pepper was so They was so amazing with

including their dancers. You know, because most people, you do a show blah blah blah, and then you got scurry off and then it's the artist. But when we finished, he would come stand out there on the floor and you know, they would introduce all of us. Man. It just I loved them forever. Man. They supported me. They would come up to the comedy club and then they said, hey, why don't you open up for us while we're on tour.

I was like, so I would go out, do thirty minutes comedy, go back, change, come out and dance.

so many people came into the Uptown Comedy Club. Uptown Comedy Club was iconic. A Deaf Jam was spawned from the Uptown Comedy Club. I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. We were the first, really at that time to be on the map with with comedians coming up there with Chris Rock was everybody. Everybody came up. And then we had a television show we shot right out of Halem called The Uptown Comedy Club, we had all the artists was yeah, oh yeah, yeah, okay, oh yeah yeah.

And they actually were in talks, I believe Russell and you know, my ex managers at the time in the in the owners and the creators of that, Kevin and I J. Brown, you know about he wanted to bring them on and create this thing with death Jam, and I don't know what happened. They just ended up saying we're gonna stick with ours, and then they went on

and did death Jam. But if you look at Uptown Comedy Club, it's the same setup, the comedians there, everybody surrounding, and it was just it was the dopest energy, you know, Kevin and andre A mom so they sold Buffalo Wings like it was it was hood, but it was so dope, man, it was the dopest energy ever. Man. I will never that. That was one of the best times in my life because I learned, you know, they taught me a lot

about stand up. So I was just doing impressions and I remember doing a show with this one comedian and he did the same impressions and I went after him and I was stuck, and I said, I'll never let that happen so I learned how to write jokes. I learned how to talk about life experience and add that into and if you want to throw an impression in cool. But I just didn't want to make my whole act based on that. And I learned a lot. I get

them all the credit in the world. It was. It was the mecca we had, every we had Paul Mooney was writer producer on the show. Hearing his stories, man like, it was just amazing. Like everybody came up there. When you go back and pull up Uptown Comic Club on YouTube, you see Wu Tang Clan Luke, you see Tony Terry, Every spectrum of artists came and saying and we did comedy. And that's where the battle came from. The your Mama jokes, the battle that they do on Wild spawned from that.

And Nick told me himself, he said, you know where that came from, Right, Uptown Comic Club was the first to bring your Mama jokes to television. That's great, Yes, that was part of part of history.

the material? No, Jesse Jackson is open fair play, you know. I just it just made me say, you know, I want to talk about something else. And there's nothing wrong with doing impressions, but I just said I want to I want to really talk about something. And I broke up with this girl at one time, and I just started talking about it on stage and it clicked. I was like, this is it right here? I said, this

is it truthful? Because you can't take my life, you know, that's you know, my life is my life, So you can't come up and talk about what I went through. So that's how I made that they transitioned and learned and learned how to put jokes together and learn how to just add on because there's no rhyme or reason. You don't just sit down when they go, okay, it's funny, it's little stuff. We could be having a conversation, you know, we even having to come in. I say, oh man,

that that might be funny. When they take that put that on. You know, I might be thinking of something and I just need a tag. Or in most comedians when you go out, they you know, cool dudes, be like yo, man, you throw this on the end of it and boom boom. Okay cool and it's cool like and all my cats. And you know, I got to

give love to my boy Chris Spencer. He was he was I want the guy who who said get your ass back on stage because I walked away from stand up once I got my TV show and did all that. I walked away for probably twelve years because I got to LA and I lost the that New York has just the energy of I can go through three spots to night. I could just go boom boom, boom boom, and there you make money. You know, comics in LA you don't make money. It's really like I didn't know that.

You know, they don't you really just being seen, you know what I mean. You get paid something, but until you become like a yeah. But at that time with New York, everybody was doing. Everybody was doing. They were doing comedy out of bbq's. You know, they had the

drug dealers joined out in the Queen's Manhattan proper. There was popping bottles and like it, like you, I could go make five hundred here, fifteen hundred here, you know, fifteen hundred here in the night, and I do that five days a week, and then on the weekend I'm eating I was making bread doing that. So I came here and only known there that at that time, Yeah, I had no I had done showtime at the Apollo. Yeah, I done the Apollo. So I was starting to bubble.

And this was before my first TV show where I lived with my boy Dougie Doug. Remember, Yeah, it was before that show. So I was building my name, and then once I got that show, it built more and I was still doing it. But then once I got to, you know, doing my own show, I just I was like a go out here and and chase that money when I'm making this, like and it's a grind, it's a grind. And I just didn't play it right. I remember I told DL that, man, I said, I said,

DM Man. I was like, man, I just I didn't want to leave and then come back and my child has grown and I've been going all of me and he was like, she, excuse get everybody ass a call d L that's a hard working dude. Man. I love that dude. Man. The sacrifice that thing, yes, yes, And I didn't at the time, I didn't you know, get it, you know. And and I sacrificed those years in a sense I missed an audience that couldn't ride with me.

And then once I did a show, it was just like, Okay, that's what he's doing now, you know what I mean. And brothers like Dyell and said, all of them, Uh, they've all just stayed that course. Dave Chappelle like I used to hang with day back in the day. He used to be a Boston comedy club and and and the comedy seller and go to spot to spot and I mean just one two in the morning. I remember doing Spot to be the comedy seller, performing with Ray

Romono at like twelve midnight. There's fourteen people in the audience. You know, this is before he had a show. He's working on his material, you know, and next thing, Stud's got a show. It's crazy, but you I think I felt more in love with you know, when I was doing my show, just the freedom that I had and the money that I was making as opposed to I got to go out here and grind it out. Yeah, you know what I mean, it's a different comfort level

that you can definitely fall in love. Yeah, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm cool. Mant me, look at my accounts. I ain't got to go out and do seven shows for you know what I'm saying, which was still when I look at it, I was saying, stupid.

this is flex you know. And even still in my mind it being on TV, I still was only thinking about New York, you know what I mean, Even still I was just like, yeah, man, you know, I just that's why I didn't even when I started traveling, I started seeing like, oh, people watch the show. You what I mean? It trips you out, and it still trips me out. I've never been one to get flying, but yeah, yeah, that's me. I've always been grateful, always still surprised when

people remember stuff. And I'm thankful because if not that I could not have a career. So that for me was was a big breaks. Uptown Comedy Club, showed Time to Tipolo and then doing Death Jam. I did Death Jam when Martin was there, and then I think when Ricky Harris got Rest of Soul when he and It's funny Ricky Harrison and I we had this thing, man, you know, Ricky used to have something with everybody and

and it's crazy. They were shooting this documentary on comedians or death jam or something, and he and I got to see each other. It's probably a few months before he passed, and we got to see each other man and we just laughed. I said, man, brother, I love you, Man, I love he said man. We was young and da da da, And I'm so glad that we got to had a conversation because I was so mad at his ass, because he went out and did well before he introduced me. He on purpose did one of my closing joke that

was the killer. He did it before I came out, and there He's like, yo, give it up a flesh and he came back he was like, yeah, knock it out. I was like, this, mother, what's up y'all? It was that quick. I had to adjudge. Yeah. You know why he did it though, because he was just didn't he didn't care at that time. Ricky. Ricky working with a lot of people back then, and it was it was young, was the nineties. People he had egos. It was yeah,

he was. He was all against and that was right in the height of you know, tat down and all that stuff, man, But I'm glad we got to talk and you know, we straightened all that out and was just man, it was a good brother, you know. And you you sit back and you're just like, man, you see how you matured and you know what I mean. But but those shows, uh yeah, Uptown Comedy Club because that's really it was weekly and that's when I was like, man,

I started making money. I was like whoa. And then I did show Time Me to Pollo three times I and you do Spot Simbad Malcolm Jamal Warna and Earth Kit Okay yeah, yeah yeah. Earth the Kit was like he's one of the rising TV styles from how give it that all? Flex? I was like, man, my god, that was my.

the young kid in there. It was it was fighting at his house. It was Khalil Kane. It was. It was a bunch of us man and so we all read. And I remember meeting pak and and I remember in the audition I was where I knew he was different, and I knew I was inexperienced. I'm in the room and Jackie Brown Carmen I was cast and director g Rod Brown, Ernest Dickerson. Uh directing Ernest Dickerson. So I'm

in there. We're doing the scene, a locker scene where he closed, and he was like, where you been Q And then he sees him and he know, and he's telling him, I'm crazy. I don't give it, and we're doing the scene and before he was in the movie. He walks off, flips his hood up, but he's doing the scene with me. He was behind me. He was like, well, I don't whatever, I am crazy. It's like pot none. He smacked me on the ass and walked off in

the scene. And I started joking because we were out in the hallway joking and laughing, but he was locked in. I wasn't locked in, and I was just like I look back at that and go like man and Omar you know, because he went, Uh went to Good Day to performing our school. Uh, not Julie R. But it was one of the performing on school, him and Marlin uh and all of them went to om Marbles again.

He was focused, he was you know, they was already that that's where I saw, okay, my inexperience and where I need to lock in to go to another place. And they took us all to dinner. It was like, you know, the last supper to see who was gonna make it. And then Uh, I didn't get the call and and I get the call, so I was I didn't get it, and I mean by call Shauff, I was like, I ain't get the movie. And I was so crush And this was your first audition for anything,

for anything. They saw me at the Uptown Comedy Club. They said, hey, we're doing this little movie called Juice Man, we'd like to have you come in. And that's how that's how it started. And I remember them calling me. You know, it's like a week or so later. Director go, hey, man, man, we love you. Man. Sorry it didn't work out, but we just want to you know, we want to fit you in there somewhere was back and it became this class thing class a lot of teeth and a lot

of teeth. Was like she I knew already from comedy and all, and she said, you know, don't make me look stupid. I was like, nah, got you say. Can We're gonna say this right here. We're gonna boo boom boom, just so she has the upper hand and then uh and we we we delivered. So y'all created that scene. Yeah, yeah, we came out because we didn't know what the scene was created. As far as the DJ audition and you know,

the bad DJ come out. We didn't know what we were gonna say, but she knew I was a comedian and she didn't want me like really going in, you know what I mean. So we kind of talked, but I'm gonna say this, and then it just and that was it lived And I look at it now and I see my inexperience because when I'm when I turned, I'm like, I'm like you you might have a chance. And then she was so small and then I turned with my back to the camera. That's my inexperience. I

turned and walked up. He turned the other way so they see your face. But ever became an iconic scene, that little bit. Man, No, it's viral. It's always ral.

they had everybody. Man, that's my dude. So they were doing a showcase and they did it purposely, did a showcase at City College so that the producers could see everybody and hopefully, you know, they like somebody. So I go up through my thing, you know, Doug finishes, closes out whatever, and then they say, hey, man, they like it. They want you to read for it. Like I'm like all right, cool. So I'm like, okay, I'm ready now audition in New York and uh they liked me. And

then I do it again. They're like, okay, we want to fly into LA I'm like, okay, cool, come out here. I'm staying at the Universal Hilton and I'm just like, oh man, it's I'm like I got predemned. So I'm there and then I was only supposed to be there for a couple of days. Like, I'm seeing all these dudes in the audition that I watched on The Cosby Show, and you know, established dudes. But I had that New York I was like, I don't care whatever. I was like, yeah,

I watched y'all. I was sitting in the Bronx. I was like, but I'm going to get this joint. So I had no fear. And that's the thing. It's the great thing about New York and the flip side of the downside to La. The sunshine can put you to sleep, and I kind of lost that, you know, that hunger. But at that point I was hungry. I was in there like doing doing my scenes over and they're like the boy. They laughed. I'm like, ah, and it was you know, so I was like, I know, I put

it down. So my former agent, he had the same agent as a Robin Harris, God rest his soul. Uh. They set up general meetings for me. So I go to CBS for a general meeting. So this is a few days later. I go and I'm sitting there waiting to meet the executive and an interceptionist. Of course, he's right here, gets on the place. Name is Bill Gross said hey, flex like some good man, saying no you still wait run. I'm like yeah, he'said, well yeah, I said, man,

just unfortunately you can't take that meeting, you know. And I was like, wives, because you got the show on ABC. I was like what what gave her the phone? And I was like, heah, I gotta leave because you know, I got the TV show. And I can remember the feeling I had. You know, they had to call me

a cab. Back then, it was Valley Cab. There was a red and white company and I had to take a cab all the way from CBS all the way back to UH Universal and I remember that feeling like, Yo, I'm gonna be on TV on Channels seven and thinking of all the shows I've watched on Channel seven growing up, you know what I mean, from Happy Days, you know, Fantasy all that stuff, and I'm like, I'm gonna be a part of that. And I was I called my mother my grandmother, and I was just that feeling right there.

I'll never forget that joint. It was. It was it was crazy. It was like the first time I dunked, like yo, and we uh we. I had to move out here and you know, got a place and we started shooting and understanding camera position. All that worked with a great producer and Michael Jacobs who did Dinosaurs and Boy Meets World, Don Tranovsky and brother Eric Van Lowe,

and I learned so much. I learned. I learned and my boy Sean Baker, you know my other co star man we had so in the boy Jason bow Smith who was the little bad kid and Friday on the bike. Yeah yeah, yeah, j Knocker Doyle like we had in Sovan Walker was an amazing actor and Lorraine Tussaint was this amazing actor is still killing it. And I just remember, like, yo, man, I'm in Hollywood, man, I'm doing TV. Like yo man, this is crazy. I'm like, I ain't ever going there.

And how long did that show last? Unfortunately only lasted thirteen episodes. Something happened where I won't go into that with between it, you know, started the show and the network and it just it didn't go anymore. But then I in ninety four after the Northridge earthquake, you know, we have one working and north earthquake hit, I was like, I'm going back to New York. I'm like, I ain't built for this. I come back to New York and

I get back on my stand up grind. I'm boom boom ninety four, ninety five, ninety six, boom that I get a call. Hey man, you know this is New Network UPN You know they they have a show. They will offer you a holding deal. Now this was back when you can cake up getting holding deals. I had had one at Disney for you know, a few hundred thousand and helped me for a year and a half. Didn't do nothing, they just paid me. And then this came up. So they sent me a bunch of scripts.

They said, oh, this script right here, they're really high on and they gonna probably do this call Homeboys and out of Space. So I looked at them. Now I was like, Homeboys, not a space. Then I find out it's the EP who was working on Where I Live to show that I had just done. So he hit me up. He said, flax my man, flex second, Hey man, it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be And I said, yeah, man, but do y'all have to say homeboys? I said, that's so old school. He's like, no, man, people are gonna

love it, and I'm like, all right, cool. So we shoot the pilot and Mel Jackson who was the original cast member. Mel Jackson was from soul Food. He was lem Me Well from soul Food. Shout out to Mel and shot the pilot with him, and then and Rona Bennett who's in Vogue. Rona Bennett singing sister, she was in it. Uh So shot the pilot. So we're waiting. They' say, oh, yes, you know, it's picked up. And then I get a call from number I don't recognize. I'm like, what was it? What?

Darryl Bell? Yo, what's up? Man? Daryl Bell from a different world say, man, I'm excited we're going to be doing this. And I was like, huh what. And they replaced Mel and brought in in Darryl Bell. And then we went on to shoot the show and we had fun. I mean, it ended after twenty two and then it went that dark period. It was like what's next? And to be honest, I was I was frustrated. I was like,

are you still in La? I'm still in La living just this just this spot Lastancia over, yes, right there, living right there and trying to figure it out. Man, and I remember, you know, moving in, me and my cousin moving in. Off comes the elevator, Shannice, and I'm like, I'm like, yeah, you live here. She's like yeah. I'm like, yo, I'm moving there. And I knew who she was. I didn't know her, but of course I knew she was going to see Laurence Hill. And she was like, I'm

wait for me. Was going to see Lauren Hill. Going to see Lauren Hill that night and she was like, I'm waiting for my cousin. Blah blah blah blah. Was she taking along? And I was like, well, you know, give me the number and keep in touch. And it wasn't even on like that type of thing. And she was like, all right, I'll be back. She went upstairs, took like thirty minutes like I'm out, and then you know, I see her two weeks later. I said, all right, now you ain't give me a number. Four. She gave

me a number. We just started talking and I remember but sharing with her. I was like, yo, I'm out of here, like I'm tired. I'm like trying and trying, and she said, you got to do your own thing, you got to create something for yourself. She said, you're too talented. We are you gonna go back to New York for She really pumped me up, and I was like, do you have any ideas? I said, yeah, idea about a single dad. You know. It was buddy of mine from Harlem. It was a single dad and you know,

just watching his life. She was like, there you go. And then that spawned, you know, the idea of just like, man, okay, yeah, this this is something that you know, I should get out and pitch, you know, and then this is where you start to learn all of the ins and outs about about pitching and all that stuff. So I had a friend originally from the idea write a script, you know, paid them for the script. They turned it down, but the ip is still mine, you know what I mean.

So I'm like, Okay, I want to keep going and I want to try to pitch this again. Got another deal, got a pilot, a script deal from ABC and Disney, and I got another writer. They turned that down. So again I'm like, well, hey, I still want to go out with this, but I want to take it back to how I originally envisioned it. Because you get writers and they add they had their visions too, which is which is fine. So I said I want to I

want to get back out with it. So my agent was like, all right, cool, let's let's let's go back out. So we go back out. My agent and my manager at the time, we go out pitch it. I pitched it to green Black John Lowry, Bob green Black, who was had NBC for a while, David John Lowry just done so much stuff went in. They had a deal at Fox, uh and another executive then Keith Cox. They had a deal at Fox. So pitch it like on a Tuesday, that Friday call, It's like we want to

do it. We love it, like like oh this is dope.

I met with like five six writers. Met with his sister. You need the boom got wrestled. We'll go over to her house and wife and I'm telling her the story, like, hey, this boom boom, it's dead. This is this all write it down. And then we go to shoot the pilot. So I'm doing all the deal stuff and and and I said, I created by credit. I'm like, a right, cool boom boom boom. Fill all that out. Okay, so that's throwing to the side, and now we shoot and then we get to I forgot what point it was.

Oh it was. We shot the pilot and then we didn't get picked up. We were it was uh, my wife, you were driving and I got the call. They were like, yeah, they're not gonna pick it up. And then we pulled over. Dude, we start crying because we just got married. I'm like, what am I going to do? I was like, And we put on Mary and Mary was like, God just can't give me. I come to We sit on the side of vine and like, O were crying. Man, Jesus,

I'm figuring. I'm like, what am I gonna do so then you know it's just you know, you go through that, those emotions. So they cut to a year's past. Sorry first year anniversary. We're driving back from Santa Barbara, get a call from my ex manager David. He's like, hey, hey, Flex, how you doing man. I'm like, I'm good man. He said, hey, so, yeah, would you want to still want to do your show? And I'm like we talked about I was like, yeah, Paramount's picking it up and they want to do it.

I'm like what, I'm like, what amo so? So explain how something like that. I still don't know because I've never but I've never been a part of a show shot a pilot where it didn't get picked up and it get picked up later or was it in the same place. No, it was different network, every different studio exactly same network, network, different studio, different studios. Sell you what happened. So there was the head of the network

at the time. What was his name, It'll come back to me, but but the head of the network at the time, he called me himself and he was probably said hey man, because he used to be over at Dean lit Back was his name. He used to be over at upm when I was on Homeboys. He was at Disney, so he's seen me grow, he's known me, and he's just like, man, this kid is great. But by he called me and said, hey, man, I'm so sorry.

We should we should have picked you up. You know the first time they had picked up a show called The Secret Files of Desmond Pfeifer. It was the show with Sean McBride where he was it was the Slave of Lincoln and that was the TV show that they made, and they had picked that up and he was just like, he said, yeah, you know, we shouldn't have done that. He's like, but he said, don't worry about it. You know we got you. You covered boom And I was like, I bet so. So now we're going to shoot. So

then here comes the subject about the creative buy. So the guild recognizes who put pen to paper or a finger to keyboard. It ain't about who said, hey I I I created it. When I see people young writers or people they send something or they put something up like yeah, created by means nothing until you go through the WGA register it. You do that and then you registered through is it the Library of Congress one of those other ones out of the register. It there the

Library of Congress. But it's another form that you can copyright it. That is when it's copyright And even then I for writer comes in, they're going to add their sauce to it. So together or separately you can agree say, okay, you brought this in, we've created it together, or listen, I created this, Okay, you wrote this off of my creation, and it's going to stay my creation. I didn't know any of that, and then my attorney at the time was like, yeah, you didn't have it registered. I was like,

I didn't know I had to. I had no idea. I just had an idea, you know what I mean, And that that's the difference of you know, a couple of meal on that back end, you know. But Paramount tried to make it right and as far as reflecting in points, but it was never going to be what a creator gets and a creator that just it follows you, you know, you know, it can help other other jobs. So it was a hurdle we had to get over.

So if you had to do it over again, would you have would you have written the script the pilot yourself?

At that time, I was not right and I would have read, you would have registered it, put it in the best form I could into a treatment, you know, one sheet or whatever, because at least had I had that, they would be like, oh, he already had that there, So this is a creation based off that, because back then you could still you would get uh created by based created based on the concept, based on the concept, you know what. They were still doing that, but they've

killed that credit. I would have done that, and I would have had a different conversation with the showrunner that I chose because I hired the showrunner. I brought the showrunner and I said, this is who I want, you know what I mean. I would have had a different conversation or I would have because at the time, it was like we already in motion, wheels in motion, and I could either be like, you know, man, you know, piss a bitch, and I ain't doing none of this.

Stop the train from it. You've got a hundred some people, you know, depending on you to work, just like, all right, man, let's just let's just do it. And but you know, that was the only kind of thing that stung. But we you know, went on to do great and at the end of the day, you know we needed each other, you know, showrunner myself, we needed each other. You know, I found Kylo. I didn't discover her, but I saw her on a commercial, a Nike commercial, and they were

playing the Little Rascals music. She act like the cute little girl and said, oh you Lisa Leslie, Oh you know, I'm such a big fan. Can have you autograb And she goes, sure, a little girl. She's like, well, you need to rebound better. And that's why I saw her. I was like, that's gotta be my daughter. And we reached out and sat down, had a meeting. We shot the pilot pilot. Kyla was I think twelve or thirteen man by the time we went to series. I think she was fifteen by the time we shot the first

first season. But yeah, I would That's the only thing I would have done different. But you know, I had a great time, one of the you know, the best times in my life. Seas. We did six one hundred something seventeen episodes, so syndication in the whole thing. Yeah, but it was really i'd say five and a half because you know, they tried, they wanted to go a different direction and do some different things and I was like, well, no,

I don't want to do that. So it was just an impasse where Okay, I'll agree to come back and do this is my shows, and then you know, and then y'all move on. And that's what we did, because how does that go and how does that work?

you know what I mean. And you're gonna have those bumps and you're gonna have those bruises, but all of those things that are to teach you, you know the next go round that you know better. So now I know better. I'm like, I know, before I even pitch anything, say anything, I'm going right to guild here boom, regis every which way I can, and then we're gonna talk, you know what I mean. Because it gets dicey, and people get people get funky. You can see people forget,

people forget and forget. You can sit and have a conversation, Oh, we're gonna do this, oh yeah, and then something happens that all changes. Yeah, and you talk to my lawyer. Now it's like, oh, oh we had an agreement. It all changes. Friends or no friends.

and we just put it together. But you know, people are putting time in it and helping you. That's that's that's a different thing, are you.

in it. It's like they want to meet with you. I'm like, they said who's in. I'm like, like, what they can't they want to beat other pH one, you know, Santa Monica. I'm like, I'm like, okay, they want you to meet with the director producer. I'm like, okay, cool, al right, I'll go take a meeting. Go sit down. I don't see nobody else there. It's not like I'm not reading nothing. It's like I'm just like sitting there. And the director is like, he's very earthy, like we

want to do you know. This is we're not trying to, you know, to fame him. This is you know, we love. We want to put energy in. And I was like, okay, cools energy cool. They just asked me questions about him, how I felt. I was like, come on, I met him once. Super cool. I'm like yeah, like and that's it. Just had a conversation. I leave. I think about a week later they called and they was like, yeah, they want to make you offer. I was like, come off

of that conversation. Just off of that conversation, just off of that, I'm like, I was like, come on, man, you like they know I'm six four, right, Like I can't like how they want to make an offer. And I'm like then I find out, I'm like, who else were they talking to? This would have even been really funny. I think Hill Harper was on their ring. Shout out to Hill's go Senator. He may not even know that, but I guess they were thinking about him at the time. Yes, yes,

what yes. So I'm like okay, and I'm like, all right, well whatever, you know, negotiate whatever. Clearly think we all look like yeah. And they came back with the number and I was like, yeah, I'll do it, I'll do it. Tell us what that never was? Brother, I know you can't tell us keep that lock. Yeah, it was good. It was enough for him to do it. It was a great number. Overlooked everything much what it costs for you to play Michael Jackson tap but no. But but

you know what, you gotta understand. It wasn't now, it's not about yeah. But I'm looking and I'm saying, this is before so this is and when they pitched the story and they're sitting there telling me, once I agree to do it, that like we're gonna we have, we got the songs, we're gonna be doing big performances, we got the rights to the song. I'm like okay. I'm like, okay, it wasn't just about what you could buy. It wasn't about that at that point, it's like you really can

do something. I'm like, oh, man, we said, we gotta. He said, I have this performance. You do a man in the mirror. I was like, okay, I'm gonna kill it. And they took you back to your day today, all of that stuff and the love that I have for Michael, you know what I mean. I was just like, oh, bat boom, So we go do it. I should have known first day walking in the makeup trailer and I said, I see the rubber nose sitting there, and I'm just like, yeah,

I'm not putting that on. Like, I'm not doing that. I'm not gonna make a caricature. Yeah. So I didn't put the nose on. But then they came out with the dog on the airbrush with the ashy airbrush powder and they put it on. I was like, I was like, y'all know I look ashy, right, Oh no, to'll be fun like all right, and then we start shooting. We're shooting with the intent of delivering something really good, which at the time for the time because guess this check

us out. It air on BH one, nobody had nothing negative to say. If this air on b ask me you were probably younger. You were probably Oh my listen, listen, I'm tough dude. It aired, people say, oh man, you did a great job. I mean I even even I mean sitting with La Toya talking to her and she she knew production value was crap, but she was just like, we appreciate you really, you know, trying to really channel

the one thing. People just say, it's like, yo, you really you know, channeled him just the kindness and all that stuff to make up because make it was horrible.

like yo, man. And then when people hit me up, and initially I was like, initially I was getting offended, like I got a family, But then I was like, you know what where he was getting offended at first when it because when social media started, and then when people would see it or it would came on, or they would hit me. Oh they would hit me. I would get tagged. We ain't never gonna forgive you, never forget,

never forget that you should never oh my god. And then I would be going back when and then I was like, man, I got to learn to laugh at myself. And when I looked at that com I was like this was initially, but then I was like, so people hit me, I'm like, man, you all right? I was asked you I don't know what I was thinking. And you know some of our responses. Somebody said something about uh uh I posted something and they were like, yeah, you need to post uh a piece of that terrible

Michael Jacks movie there. I said, I'll post the check stuff. How about that? You know? But then I was like, no, I don't do that, don't do that. But I just have fun with it. Now it's it's it's always around his birthday. I know yearly when it's coming. So I get ready and just sit there and just let me take it. And now that they did the movie and that's coming out, I know that they're gonna play get the movie. They did it, yes, with your Jamaine Son

and Answer Food Couad directed. It is an amazing they that was They did it right. And the thing is even in that somebody's gonna have a problem with it. Of course, sure of course sure, but it's not gonna be what I did. This is how.

a little better. But I mean, again, for my love of music, love of him, like I had, I know, there was talks of you know, Tyresee doing Teddy Panograss. I spoke to Teddy Panegrass years ago about I was submitted about playing Teddy Pentagram. This was years ago. Someone else had the rights at the time, and I knew them, and they called me and they put me on the phone with him and saw my picture. It was like, oh, Man pictures, great man. He said, yeah, we're gonna keep

you know, keep going. We're gonna figure this out. And you know, obviously he passed. But you know, I've tried to get the rights to Sam Cook at one point, but the the guy who owned it, who swindled him out of his his rights to his music, owns the music and won't let anybody. That's what if you notice, the only person who ever had the original uh rendition of Change Gonna Come is Spike Lee in X nobody else and Ali was our Green singing it. They did a ready remake of it, but they won't let that

music go. And I'm like, you can't do a Sam Cook movie without the music. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's some people I've I've tried, and you know, I just I don't know, just they just Michael got me. I love Michael Man love. Man, there's such such a it was such an amazing it.

out everything. I should have let it go, but I'm pulling from savings trying to keep it. Got to I had a twelve unit little building and four single family homes and everybody like it was. It was bad. So I'm pulling money trying to keep it going because I want to pass this down and I should have let it go. And that's what led to us, you know, doing the show on own talking about it. Yeah, talking

about what we what we went through. And because I didn't want to do reality, and so the only way I would do is if we had something to talk about. And you know, Wifey, she loves reality. She just want to do reality. Show. I wanted to the reality show. And then I said, listen, if we're going to do it, we got to tell the story because I don't want blogs and it's coming out telling our story. We're going to tell you know, how everything happened. And we did,

and for the most part, it was super positive. We had so many people who were thankful in this industry, and we both know that came to me on the side, Yo, man, I was living in my car or Yo, man, I don't know how you spoke out, but thank you and you know that gave me the confidence and you know, and I'm just like, that's the reason, if anything, that

was the reason to do it for those people. We had a couple that reached out and they told us that they told my wife that they lost everything, had kids, all that, and they were planning to mit suicide and they were writing a letter and they were going to leave the kids with her parents. They saw our show that both were They saw our show and said, hey, we saw that you guys can make it, and they just didn't do it and turn and turned things around and thrive. And I wonder where that couple is now.

I hope, you know, I know they were still going. But that that for me was was everything, you know, and that was everything. So going through that, after Michael Jackson, after that the financial collapse, everything changed, the business changed, and then it just became you know, doing a TV movie here or doing to reoccur here, and you know I would do Gray's Anatomy I did. I had a bunch of stuff. Man, I've done a whole bunch of

stuff that people forget, you know what I mean. And I was able to just continue sustain and then you know, Wifey started performing more again, and and we just kept going. Man, we just we just kept going. And people think, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you got black Ball, and I'm like, no, I'm still working black Ball for playing Michael Jackson, like really, like it didn't make no sense, but that just, you know, I led into I had another deal, create another show.

It didn't happen, but I had a deal on the table. But I just kept going. I just kept going, kept going. That's all I know how to do. You know, even in the tough times like right now, you know, so many people going through it and still trying to front. I'm like, yo, everybody getting hit hard, everyone, and this is the time where you just have to shift and figure things out do other things as well. I don't

think it's anything wrong wrong with that. I've been, you know, heavy into studying government contracting, and you know, I'm looking at the percentages of millionaires that come out of there, and I'm like, okay, all right, we're gonna learn that's something else, you know what I mean? Because as much as I love this, I know I can't sit and wait. And even if you reach out to people, those people are waiting. You know, they're not in a position to

do anything. And I'm talking about black, white everything. I got a couple of white friends, just producers. They got shows packaged with some names, and they can't sell them. So that just tells you where we are. I'm like, what do they know? Why is everybody on hole right now? What do they know? I don't know if it's the election, I don't know what it is. But it's a weird time.

And it's not saying that you can't get things done, but I just think it's we're in the time now that you have to really dig deep and and and and understand that you know, just one way is not the way anymore. Like you said earlier, you know, for you know, hit record, right, and it's like, okay, publishing company, Okay, get some artists, let me do. It's that same thing you yes, putting all these numbers, all of that stuff. You have to do. It almost like the three card mindset.

You got to you have to. And that's one thing I will never never stop doing, you know, because it's just it's just I don't know, man, I love it. I'm fell in love with getting on stage again, back doing stand up, and I just fell in love with it more this time because now I've lived life and now I have stuff to talk about, you know what

I mean. The journey is you know, my wife and I went through our kids, what we went through, and you know, and what she's come through and with this cancer thing, and I mean it's all other shit don't mean nothing to me. So I don't people can oh you did this, it's like okay, cool, it's funny. Yeah, but you know, at the end of the day, ma'am still here. You know, we're still here, and that for me is everything. This is all I ever wanted to do. So you know what I mean, this is what it's

I mean, I'm telling you like this. This is all I ever wanted to do. Man. I love it, not for the other stuff, but just to when I get on stage. Man, I'm telling my story. I got your attention. You know, you paid your money to come see me. I'm like, yoh, man, it's like you're doing a concert and Nadia and you're taking your time on a song and they're like, I'll tell you that. You know, you know, it's the same feeling, you know. I think when I was younger, it was different. When I was younger, I

was like, yeah, I get that bread. You know, people know me. You know, it's still humble. But I think now it's the love is kicked in because at fifty four is different. Fifty four fifty four, yes, sir, yes, sir, it's me. I believe you don't hope no more. I see him. I do the same thing to him. I said, Bro, you know, no hold with us, no here you text me A couple of times, I said, Jay, let me just let you know it's not happening. It's not legs, no. No.

The last time I thunk I was what forty six, and then I was doing a celebrity game in Indianapolis and next year I went, I went to go up. It was just gone, just gone. I say, you know what, I'm good. Everybody I know my age or in our age is popping achilles. I'm like, look, thank you don't need that. Don't nobody needs that.

That's the Lord's work right there. It's like it's like seeing two people that like, I don't know, like something else comes from that, something more inspirational, something deeper, just from y'all standing there together, you know what I'm saying. So I'm glad y'all were able to tell that story. And I know for a fact you've saved more people then you realize. Just your example, man, and just those smiles. So y'all walked in and she starts smiling.

purposely come in. She'll get me a note like no, no, no, no, off my note. Yeah yeah yeah, your melody.

to Michael Harrison in Harlem. He was up in this apartment. I think that the least things of Spanish. Dude named Jimmy, and there was another guy and nobody was French though No, okay, okay, she was trying to do something different. So we up in there. I mean we harmonizing. And are you really harmonized? I thought I was until I got to notice Jimmy's until I got to notice, Yeah, you might want to go ahead do this dancing thing because you yeah, we're

not going to be your services. But I knew it though. I knew this was something I had come to terms with and I knew this is not my calling. And look who got to play Michael Jackson look at that and not none of yeah would kicked me out.

did his catalog. He said, y'all might know this one.

Oh my god, she she is trade up gangsters need to balance with all the Shenanigans. I listening to Awfulish. I love it, man. I mean going from shoot Bar Skags to you know, Bobby Carwell to you Yeah, everything, man, I just love all of it. That is not flex is your top five R n B s Okay, So what do we say here because again, we've talked about We've talked about Michael and I know they said, oh, king of Pop, but Mike was so R and B and for me, he is definitely there. And Jay listen

off the walk, man, listen, I can't help it. Come on, okay, Luther, come on, get some armies in the French accent. That's okay, gotta have Luther. Uh. Oh my gosh, Jeffrey Osborne, come on, jail. Oh gosh, putting there. I gotta put Gladys Knight. Yeah, and there, gotta put Gladys Knight's incredible voice, my soul. God, have to gosh more m you got it, Shaka Khan shot check corn. Yeah, I just saw her.

I have to put my wife in there. I was going, I was going to, I'm just trying to you want to stab something? Absolutely is the turn up. You're not playing them and you talk about someone who's still who sounds probably even better now. And I told her this, after all you've been through, so you sound better now then you did back then, and you sound great, but you you've lived life. It's a different type of richness. That richness.

B Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's one of us. You've been watching y Yeah, people may not agree, but that damn cry for you by Jo you're talking to. I don't agree something cry in joy that I was in there too. I was in that group too. We're in the group. It's all of us. Yeah, I mean, yes, I was there too. Some people ain't gonna agree with you. We don't know, but i'mnna smack him. You God damn right, cry for you. Okay, so we got we got that. Uh gosh, it's not an original, but still that's the original,

was Dion Warwick. But the house is not at home. House is not doommommmmm saving all my love for you.

Come on, man, listen, man, listen Casey, Casey Killer. How could I not they talk about those dudes, I mean case like, just both of them, just the way they volley off each other. Man, and people understand the lyrics and and a lot of stuff, especially that first album, and they're known for the moms or open that's commission, That's commission, and just the fact that they threw that in there. Come real church board church womember you what do you mean in jos I'm a mixture of David

and Davante. Yeah, I'm Davante. I'm okay. I like what you do. You cannot sleep on. Jojo cannot Jojo is the is, the is the ultimate utility man. He does it all.

forget to me. God, it's so mad. She's performance style, performance style, performance style, Uh wow, m hm, got it. Throw Michael in there, Michael's voice, Michael moves, I lights some shop toaster. I want to toast it. Styling, styling would have to be like mm hmm, funky because that's thin,

but then now styling easy. I would say it. I mean because in the height Whitney mm hmm Whitney, Yeah, definitely, yeah, yeah, because she could go with the jean and the motorcycle jacket, and she could throw the gown, the gown stand flat foot off the passion of the artist, the heart. Mm hmmm, Dan, can you do a double Michael singing to your gotcha? Here's I don't think it was anybody's passionate. He meant it, He meant it, and I got I got one more

for him. You're probably about to say what I'm about to say.

wear all the stuff. Full creative director, full creator. He's a creative director for sure.

That cool? Come out like hey man, hey, let's let's get together, you know, lunch with that. I'm like bad man, all right, man? I hit you up? Hit him up? Mm hmmm, hit him up, mm hmm, hit him up. Never heard from that person again. Gave me the fool gaze, Yeah, gave me gaz. I have a pet peeve with that if you don't mean it, don't do the faking move. Don't do that. Yeah, don't leave me on red. Okay, after they tell you, after they tell me, hit me up,

after they pull out phone. Hey, okay, that's one second. One, yes, yeah, it's terrible. Second one was working for this person as a dancer, and in rehearsals, I've been doing some things. I guess they were not happy with I'm imitating them, and uh, they don't know you're a comedian yet. No, not at that time. So we have a show, we go sound check, I do it again. There was another dancer, a little hater I used to dance for Hammer, and I guess he goes back and tells said person, I

am in my hotel room getting ready for show. Blah blah blah. Get a knock on the door, pro manager, Hey man, yo, got just get your stuff together. So Yo, you know, show's not to seven thirty, not for you. He's a plane ticket. You've been fired. Yeah. I was removed from my hotel room, put on the plane back to New York. Missed out of that whole tour. Yeah, imitating? Are you doing a bad person? It was just yeah, don't do me don't do don't play with me like that. Flex.

And and they knew I was just a jovial guy.

ain't never let nobody fire me again. Yeah, let tell you after you because you're doing it. No, we never know. Okay, whatever tells, I won't tell. It's always a secret. It's a secret.

And I just look at the benchmarks and I just thank you for let me just you know, talk about a little bit a little bit of it here anytime.