The Karol Markowicz Show: Reflections on Hollywood and Comedy's Evolution with Allen Covert

Hi, and welcome to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio.

It's hard to avoid the election.

I'm super in it like many of you, and I try to keep politics out of this show, but obviously it seeps in from time to time, and a few days before major presidential election is just that kind of time.

I'm already hearing.

From people who are saying that their relationships, their friendships, their family connections are getting strained.

Because of the election.

On News Nation the other night, jd Vance said, if you're discarding a lifelong friendship because somebody is voting for the other team, then you've made a terrible, terrible mistake and you should do something different. Don't cast aside family members and lifelong friendships. Politics is not worth it. I love that he said that, especially because he's on the ticket obviously and should want people to care more about voting for him than their friendships. It was nice of

Really just sheer luck.

Ha ha. What I want to say, though, is that we've been talking on the show about making friends in adulthood, and I actually think it's completely okay to not pursue friendship with people on the opposite political side. I know it doesn't make sense that I would say that, because I just said I have lots of friends on the left, So why am I dissuading you from friend making.

Across political lines?

And look, if you meet someone, you're playing tennis with them, you meet them at work, whatever, you hit it off, and they have opposite politics but you like each other.

Of course, go for it friends.

But friendships in adulthood usually take more work than this. So if you meet someone and before you really know if they're funny, or if you have things in common or any of that, you find out you're not politically aligned, I think it's fine to say, eh, not going to pursue this friendship, especially if your political ideals do really

Hi, Alan, So nice to have you on.

Hey, Carol, thanks for having me.

I was thinking about this this is I've had a lot of well known guests on the show, but you are the guest.

That I cannot wait for like my group of.

Like non political, non twitter nerd friends, like my real crew of friends.

To see this, and they're gonna be like you had Grandma's Boy on. It's going to be a very exciting moment.

Well, thank you. I mean, you know at cult. Look, I'll take the cult.

Oh for sure.

I don't need to be that famous. It's too much of an infringement on your life.

I like, are we not supposed to drink the kool aid during the movie? Because I thought that's what?

Oh no, no, no. I'm like the cult thing because you know, it's small enough and rabid enough that I can, like, you know, get a good seat at a restaurant if there's a big line in the hosts, but not enough to where like people bother me non stop. I've been around people like that. Yeah right, I've spent a good chunk of my life around people who can't go to the mall. And I like going to the mall. But yeah, but it's I'm glad people like it, and it's always fun to have people mention it to me.

So I did some research on you before the show. Learned a lot of things I didn't know. You were born in Florida.

Yes, sported rays. Actually I didn't grow up on pum Beach where Mark Lago is. I grew up where the people who had jobs live. As if my dad had a job.

Most poor people yeah, but.

I knew a lot of people who lived on Palm Beach. You know, it's it's a funny town. Uh so, But I remember when Marlago was empty. That kid was an abandoned mansion and no one lived there. And then Trump bought it. He bought it after I had moved and stuff. But yeah, I grew up in South Florida.

I love Palm Beach.

I you know a lot of people compared to like other rich you know enclaves like the Hampton's or whatever.

But Palm Beach is so colorful and unusual. I just I love it there.

I mean, if if funny were no object, I'd live on the island.

A friend of mine from high school had hit it big and he's got a house a block off the beach about Worth End.

I didn't even mind, like three blocks off the beach.

I'll take it. But it's like he bought that not because he cares about living on Palm Beach, but because the there is it's a public beach. But to actually get there, you'd have to walk like five miles and there's nowhere to park, and yeah, they know what they're doing over there.

Yeah, so how did you get into acting. What's your path here?

It was something I always wanted to do. As a kid, I did plays, and it's just always fascinated by movies. I mean, I was telling someone yesterday, we were talking about old movies that we saw in the theaters, because that's part of my home thing I'm trying to do, which we'll get to eventually, gotta. I remember like just riding my bike to the movie theater alone to see a matinee of Young Frank and stuff. You know, I remember running home to get home in time to watch.

Do people still try to be funny? I feel like a lot of funniness has been lost. Do you see that or do you still find funny around.

There's so much funny a round. Yeah, but right now it's pretty right now, it's pretty much in the stand up realm and in the podcast and independent realm. Look, some of the funniest people I've read are on Twitter.

Right, so you enjoy the Twitter?

Any of them? Three year Wetterman, Oh nobody.

I love three year Letterman so good.

And I just go, wow, you're a great writer. Yeah, they're iowaha.

Oh yeah, so's the.

You know, autism of the cars where he can literally see a fender and be like nineteen twelve Henry Ford's personal you know, I mean I knew the guy free Twitter. Yeah, I don't know him, but I mean, h and I remember I think he was the one who did Zark Carwe's Mom's letter or letter to the press or something.

Yeah, there's a lot of funny on Twitter.

Actually, went so many funny people out there, and people are dying to be funny. And one of the reasons. One of my big things in life right now at this moment. Look, I worked at Happy Madison before it was Happy Matts.

That's Adam Sandler's that's.

Adam Sales coming production company. Basically the people who there from the beginning. We were all in college together, and then after the movie started it and then Happy Madison got formed. But I mean we were involved all the way through.

Yeah, and they were okay.

They're all okay with like you being an outspoken conservative on Twitter.

That's well.

You know, there was a period of my life where I didn't go as nuts on Twitter because I knew that I that I represented Adam in the company, and so I tried to be as respectful to him in the company as I could. Uh, you know, at the end of the day, I'm an adult, but I also understand that I'm associated with a brand that you know, it's not my position to go out there, so I would try to keep things, you know, look like what sorry.

Right, arguments are fun?

Yeah, I have now that because what happened was just not to but to kind of get to what I'm trying to explain to you is that three years ago I had to take time off to deal with some family issues. I thought it was only gonna be a little bit and we here are. We were here three years later, and I think it's time for me to get back to work. I think I'm Kate, I think that the situation I was dealing with is almost done

While you really you do not look sixty.

I feel like I'm look eighty.

But the people watching this on video will know.

Oh yeah, but we'll get it. I know I have like two overnight bags. I take my own luggage with me. But so I I said to him, my go look, I said, I just I want to do something. I just want to do something. I was like, I did everything that was on my list of things. I said, So now I got a new list of things, and that involves I want to I just want to make R rated comedies and bring them back to theaters. Yes, that's it, that's amazing. And here's why this to me,

Making money?

Is that bad?

I have no fublem, But yes, I wouldn't think if.

It comes with money, why not you know.

Money, I wouldn't have been able to be in the position to take three years off to care for my family, right, I'm very eager to prop it off of my work, sure, sir. And so that's my whole goal. And it's because my daughter graduated high school this year. She's a film nerd. Her friends are film nerds. They do not have a single movie to call their own from her. I had ten, Yeah, I had.

So that's really what I was asking was that nothing seems like the funny.

Kind of our radar.

Actors are riddy, Yeah, directors already. The studios are stupid. I are.

I'm clear that hurdle.

That's why I'm here talking to you.

Yeah, all right, I love it.

Any billionaires listening, Yes, we have, Holly would. There's always money and disruption, guys, Hollywood's broken distribution is broken. I know a lot of Look, I've been out here for thirty five forty years making movies, thankfully and luckily I know a lot of the people who run the studios, just because I've been out here so damn long. Right, you know the guy like one of the you know, you meet a guy who's someone's assistant. Twenty five years later.

They Haney Wall Show yeah, and you know, and these.

Are people who came out here to make movies and they get it. But there's this whole generation under them that's making the decisions of what scripts get through the filter. Right, have a clue, what's fun? Yeah?

That filter is holding up everything.

Well, it's sad because look, I'll tell you this, This isn't me. Everyone knows how I feel about things. My daughter's friends are very artsy high school. They're begging for already comedies. Right, These are not maga kids.

Yeah, let me think it's funny.

A lot more conservative than people would think they are, because the things they are conservative about are the things that they're pushing back against that they feel are being shoved out in their throats. Because these kids, who all want to be filmmakers, they all watched Granmar's Boy a few Oh yeah, it was the first time my daughter had seen it. Oh wow, she's on the state team.

I thought it like played on like on loop in your house.

Oh god, my son is like, why do I watch any of your movies?

He told your son?

Okay, so I'm just getting them through the Happy gil Mores. Yes, with water boys. I would't even let them watch Billy Madison.

Oh yeah, I mean I think, yeah, I'm almost ready for my kids to see Billy Madison. I remember laughing my face off at Billy Madison. That was in college when it came out, and just like my best friend and I just doubled over in pain.

Laughing in the movie theater.

And I just that's what I mean when I say I don't think things are funny, because I can't imagine that seeing a movie that I would find that funny today.

I just I can't even remember the last movie I saw like that.

May look and I but I've seen I've seen stand.

Up guys, Yeah, stand up in a good place.

Script I have scripts.

Right, Well, stand up is I think harder, harder to cancel because it's one guy and it's like or girl, and you're either laughing or you're not.

Like movies, I'm gonna I'll go do an arena to weeks.

Yes, yes, exactly.

But movies you have the gatekeeper and you have the people who put it through the filter. So I just and none of it's and not just movies, but TV shows or late night shows, like my god, these late night hosts are.

Not just not funny but like unfunny, deeply, deeply unfunny. They're angry and they're not at all humor at his And yeah, I've known the Jimmies, both of them, huh.

I've known both of them for thirty five years. Tweet. I met Jimmy Fallon when we were shooting The Wedding Singer, and he was a stand up comic who had been in town about two weeks. These guys are funny guys.

So what happened to them? Why are they not funny anymore?

It depends on what you watch. I mean they're we're both I mean they both still do things that make me laugh.

Yeah, Jimmy Kimmel completely to me funny, come to.

And it's part of the problem with Hollywood. Look, I love Jimmy Kimmel. If I called Jimmy Kimmel and said I need you to come be in this movie today, he'd probably do it. He's always like friendly and sweet and so nice. And you know, I don't agree with his politics. Look, his old partner Adam Carolla doesn't really with his right. Yeah, I just think that like when when you're supposed to appeal to everyone and you make

But I wouldn't even care.

I would not even care if it was going after one side, if it was funny, if he made me laugh, I wouldn't care if you attacking my politics, like it's just it's so, it's just political ranting.

Like I said, Look, I love those two guys. I've known Val since he was a kid. I remember talking to him when he was nervous doing Saturday a lot. You know, he's a great impressionist, he's a great writer. He's really Look, you don't get to be that job unless you actually are charming and can appeal to people. Yeah, and uh, I just yeah, I think Jimmy was nice to Trump.

Right, and then he had to apologize for that.

Just got destroyed, Yeah, he cried in his apology.

We a lot of people they look at their life getting destroyed and they get scared.

Yeah.

So when they ask you if you're not scared.

Because I don't care, I mean I really just don't.

I've had that not caring a little far, but a great life, you know, said, I've lit a great light.

We're going to take a quick break and be right back on the Carol Marcowitch Show.

You know, your first question was what do you worry about?

Yeah, we go and get to that. What do you worry about?

Alan only thing I worry about my kids, that's it. Yeah, that's it. But that involves so much, right, involves everything? Yeah, you know, but that's it. I don't care about my job. I'll go get another job. I'll find us to do. I'll be your co host.

Yes, you'd be my co you know, I really.

Don't care all those autographs that conventions every weekend to put over my kids head. All I care about is my kids, right, that's it. That's all I worry. I worry about their future. I worry about what they're being taught.

Yeah.

My oldest daughter forced me to let her get vaccinated so she could go see Harry Styles at Madison's Square Garden and gets sick.

Yeah.

I feel guilty. No, really, it's because I get vaccinated and I worry about or constantly because of that. Yeah, because the other three.

I was just like, no, right, if it makes you feel better, I think that the you know the time period has been long enough that.

You know the problems would have potentially developed by now. So now, don't beat yourself up over it.

But I also I vaccinated my oldest two with the pediatric vaccine to send them to sleep Away Cam And I you know, I'm like, why didn't I just spake a vaccine card like everybody else, what are they doing?

Well, yeah, that's all I'm worried about. That's it my kids, their future, their health and you know, And but also this relates, like me wanting to do these R rated movies relates to that because here's my theory, mind, my theory in my stupid head of why I think this is important. These kids, I mean, all they do, all they hear all day is how horrible everything is. Yeah, and how they need to save the world because their parents let them down. I mean, pressure on these kids

He has some of the better jokes about the right.

I think he's the reason Ilbur's jokes are funny about Trump is because they're funny, right, and he doesn't use them to try to make people hate m But I personally think I have a movie called Scavenger Hunt. It's the most simple movie there is. It's Scavenger Hunt, Senior Night, Scavenger Hunt, Lady School. That's it. Cars full of kids, you got the jocks, you got the nerds, you got the arts sees, you know, and all the chorus have titles. It's like, you know, great writers. I don't have their

It's just for me, not cringe. That's the best complimented teenager could give you.

Here. Here's what one of her friends, who I know for a fact is probably voting for Kablas, said to me. A guy, He's like, you need to make more funny movies. He said, uh, he said, all we ever get is literally he said this to me. He said, all we ever get is gender in suicide.

Yeah, it's all so dark. It's like they're supposed to be worried all the time.

And it's just like I tell my son every day, I go, who cares you ten? Go play baseball as a google, plant the tree in the backyard and pretend you're a pirate. That's all I tell them all the time.

Yeah, but they get They just get this kind of pushed on them their whole lives. I mean, just the fact that we, for example, teach climate change starting in kindergarten, Like, why, even if you're a super pro climate change, you know, pro telling everybody about it, why start telling them in kindergarten that the world is in trouble.

What is the kindergartener going to do for you? How are they going to help to solve this problem?

I have one of these crazy memories, not like I'm a photographic, but I just like to no, trust me, if you had me read something, gave me quiz on it, I'd probably answer, well, but I just remember stuff for my life, and I know for a fact that one night I was watching All in the Family, which was one of my favorite shows ever. Well, I was I think nine, maybe my son's age ten, and it was the first time I'd ever heard about the ozone hole.

Yeah.

Yeah, it didn't help anything, right, You've being scared did not prove little in the O zone.

I was watching an adult show, but I remember that fear. Yeah, I remember sitting here at sixty going, what happened with.

We fixed it? We like patched it?

Right? Oh, look at ares movie. Yeah, not one prediction in that movie came.

Trip And you know it's not true because al Gore continued living however he wanted and didn't change any of your Yeah, right, So how concerned is he really?

It's by the way, I wonder about that.

Look I fly regular back in the day when I was going around with sailor a lot. I will tell you right now that there is no greater luxury on earth than flying.

I've only done it twice in my life and it was magical. Magical. Yeah, Oh, it's so good. The car just meets you on the tarmac. I mean unfeatable.

Today, Okay, I mean it's literally like the most like like the Pharaoh of Egypt did not live as well as that, not even close.

Yeah, it's amazing.

I'm not going to sit here and tell other people you can't go on vacation.

Right, I know we'll go on vacation.

Just don't lecture me while you're flying on your private jet alone.

Leonardo DiCaprio like a lot.

Of others that I'm yeah right, and I mock them. By the way. Look, mostly a lot of people are friends. There's people out here that do horrible things that I'm not friends with. There's Hollywood is not It appears evil because the people who are evil seem to be the loudest.

Right now, there's almost true for every everything.

So many good people out here. But the but the problem is not so much evil. Is did he evil? Apparently?

Yes, sounds like it Yeah, sounds like it.

Yes, evidence pointing to it. Yes, is bob Iger evil?

No?

Is Bob Iger arrogant and deluded? Completely Wabiger thinks it's his job to mold the brains of America's youth to agree with what he agrees. That's right. I thinks that's the right thing, and.

So is that. I don't know.

You know, well, that's ship up. I agree, and to mock it ruthlessly. But you know what's great right now is uh uh Maya Rudolph and Dana Carvey on SNL. Yeah, Oh my god. He's doing the Biden they should have been doing for three and a half years, and she's doing the Kamla that they.

Have to watch.

It clicks, they get a couple of cold openings, and the reason they're good is because they're not doing it out of hate. Yeah, cure to you. Maya does not hate Kamila. Great. Of course, I don't know what Dana thinks, but his impression is not about a man he hates, right, He's doing an impression about a man he observes. And that's why guys like Shane Gillis and Bill Bill Burr and these guys can make jokes. People love Shane.

Gillis, Yeah, I love Shane Gilloss Trump ruthless all the time. Yeah, but he does it in a.

Way that you're that's like, not like this, matthe receival Man on Earth. It's like, listen funny this.

Yeah.

So what would you what advice would you give your sixteen year old self coming.

Up in this avon TI. Honestly, like I said before, I've my life since sy from the time I was ten. I mean I've I've I'm a lucky man. I ended up in crazy places that I had no business being long.

And some business no no, long.

Before I was ever in a movie. I mean, I just was never afraid to go on adventures. I was never I don't know, I really was dumb and had no fear and I looked, you know, I don't want to be like some Oh, but I you know, look, I've been in and out of rehab. I was in a mental institution of a rehab where they blocked the doors every night. Uh. I hitchhiked across the country when I was eighteen. Wow, I mean I just was like,

And I think you're not giving yourself enough credit.

Yeah, maybe you've had some some setbacks in your life.

But when I.

Didn't weasel your way in you you watching.

Talented your way in my way in you charmed.

Maybe.

Okay, I'll give you that.

Every every mistake, I'm ended with the lesson nothing killed me. People were like, do you wish you'd never done drugs? No, because I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday who I've been friends with forty years, that I met in rehab, you know, and there's no time in my life when that's the only guy who understood what I was going through. He's amazing. I love him, and I would have. I have at least fifteen people in my life like that that. If I hadn't gone to a

Don't hurt your leg, it's not that funny.

I always forget to give him his bike helmet though, Oh no really, people are like, he needs a bike helmet.

I'm like, yeah, well, I've loved this conversation. I just think you are hilarious, one of the best people ever. I will absolutely send this to all the billionaires I know, hopefully get.

You some funding for that. What in our movie? That makes a lot of sense.

I dollars, that's like, and I know how to market it where you don't have to spend money on TV.

There you go.

I feel like that that is an easy proposal for somebody to have.

The gate keepers, let's get around them. Like, right, but podcasting didn't exist ten years ago, yeah, and now it's literally the biggest thing driving media today.

I think it's going to make it.

Let's find a way to do it. Yeah, thank you so much. I've always been and I I mean we've been mutuals on Twitter for how long?

I mean a long time. Yeah. I have always loved following you. You're always again. I love the funny. Funny is most important to me.

Oh, I get violet when I here's the listen. If you see me on Twitter going after someone, just remember this. I'm laughing because I quote from it.

I know they're laughing, but you're laughing.

I'm laughing. I live from a stand up point of view. If you're going to hackle me, I'm going to destroy it. Right. It's like I'm not over here, a you're over here going look at this idiot? What else can I?

Well? And here with your best tip for my listeners on how they can improve their lives.

Don't listen to the haters. I know it's hard and you don't have to be like supremely self confident, but they don't. They're jealous, they're they're full of hate, They're sad about their own lives. Don't don't let people look. I would equit. I would equit the movie business thirty five years ago. Because every movie I've ever made is one of the lowest rated movies of all time.

I'm not joking, is that true?

Oh yeah, how's that talk about?

Find somebody hits?

People are like got the rare zero and rotten tomatoes? I think I have three zero Grandma's Boys, I can eight?

No really?

Oh yeah, yeah yeah. Don't listen to the haters. They're stupid. Just enjoy your life, find find the things that makes you happy, and that's it. That's the only thing I can do.

Love it.

Thank you so much for coming on, Ellen Alan Colbert, check him out.

Give him funding for a funny movie. We really really need it.

Awesome, Carol, thank you so much.

Thanks so much for joining us on the Carol Marcowitch Show.

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