Laughing Through My Pain (w/ Kier "Junior" Spates)

of you. Now, I'm not talking about losing your keys, your phone, you can't find your parking spot. I'm talking about those big losses like a loss of a loved one, a friend, a career, a bad health diagnosis, whatever the case may be. We're living in a series of a crisis worldwide. It's causing us to open our eyes and to see what's going on around us. So today I want to focus on the positive that can come out

of pain. Because while pain is inevitable, suffering isn't. While we will be hurt by major losses in our lives, it doesn't have to rule us out. While we may be hurt by the major losses in our lives, we don't have to be ruled by them. You know, I came across this broat and it goes. If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for

better days to come. Let me say that again. If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for better days to come. You are going to have to stand tall for better days to come to that end. I'm talking to a friend, a mentor, a colleague, and too many known as your favorite play cousin from the Steve Harvey Morning Show and Mr Kid Junior Space.

You don't know I've almost died seven times. I'm almost We're gonna talk a little bit about his life here. Has been in the comedy world for over twenty years. He's traveled with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Keith Sweat, and even Steve Harvey. I mean, the list truly goes on and on. But what you may not know from Kiras that in eighteen he found his best friend dead in an hotel room. It talks about how he overcame that he also talks about how Steve Harve you invested

in his acorn. I'm telling you this conversation is riveting. There's gonna be a lot of inside six on pool at your heart strings. But guess what, you are going to walk out feeling excited about your life. So, without further ado, it's time for your dogs vitamin dam right with me and get excited about what's happening. How are you doing? Good? My best life? I can tell you all your future so bright they'll starnish shames on boys stall.

I just walking the house. I just got half I've been at all day like that, I've been been in these I just walked in the house, got all my laptop. Look, you're done, date doing thank gird. I know, girl, how many studio days I've seen you in all kinds of shapes and forms. You've seen it from the but get into right. The first person I saw with it a contra tattoo in your mouth, I was like, get out of here now, black panther, go, oh my god. Can you believe that it is in there? And you know

what it says? Life? Because I speak life. You know what I'm saying, speaking life forever? What kind of baby, yeah, what kind of what ever? We just you know, this goes right in the topic because talking about Chadwick Boseman and rest in peace to him. But this going signs with that of why you gotta live your best life. So let me tell you. Vitamin D is a pun off my name. You get vitamin D from the sun. So I shed light into your life three podcast. Uh

huh huh. So what we're gonna talk about today is just everyday life of what you've been through. And I want people that here, you on the radio, watch you on TV, go to your comedy specials to know a little bit about you and like, oh K did it?

So can? I absolutely absolutely all of that is feasible people, Um, I mean, look at that, look at that mean, look at that leader, look at that mentor you know, the confortence of me and Mrs Harvey had or the reason why you think about your entire existence, not just your life but Geren types isn't because to me, one person who can project you to another didition. What I mean, my whole life that I have been living before him was just to meet this one person who could change

the projection of my entire existence. That's what Harvey is. That's what you have to acknowledge because not only did he jam my lifetime, but but whatever situations I've been going through, and we talk about these things, this is a public part. This is this is not about this is a private part. This is things we talk about that I know I've said to him, and trying to move through so many different things in life. And see, I didn't have a father like that, I didn't have

a friend like that. You know, you know you was there when when my my friend died, the one I had, Brian Look died and then I had Harvey, and Harvey what people know when I was at the lowest at that point in time, Mr Harvey called me every day and he just kept saying words of encouragement, like, Man, we need you. Then is showing the same without you on it? Man, I'm trying to move past the situation that I was not prepared for. Nobody's prepared to lose

their best friend. You ain't prepared for that part. And and as much as you're trying to think about it, what it could have felt like, it knocked the wind out of you. You know it's gonna it's gonna take everything, man, because I had never been to a situation like that. You're not prepared for what Brian had gave me. And I was talking to somebody earlier about Brian today actually, but when he when he had gave me was a sense of you belong where. You don't get that all

the time. And just because when I first started telling Joe's Bryan was dude over there since day one and then God snatched him. Are you trying to figure out how do you make it pass like this? With everything else you got going on? I just wish I had him back, man, because he was a sense of base. He gave me a base. He gave me a base about everything. We talked, talked about some man different things about how I handled this whole startom how do you

handle this and that? And hey man, you just gotta continue to be in you. But the way he was saying it different days and we would laugh at all these different things, and then that's gone. And you're not gonna attest to that because because you met him toil, you know, it was around when I first started. He always talked so highly of you, and he said, how y'all went way back and started in the business and how he said. He was like, that's my boy. He was like, I believe in my boy. I'm a stand

by my boy no matter what. The first fan I ever had. So when your first fan you ever had get slashed away from you, it's very difficult. Because when I couldn't see he had the vision, I couldn't see that far because I was like, yo, dude, I'm tired of this. He's like, hey, man, you can be tired. You can't stop you, but you can't out stop. But he would say you can be tired talking about I'm

here for I'm here to hold you up. And he would do that, and we and and in the the places we had been and the and the the the when we were doing the things we were doing and I was trying to make a name for myself. He was there at every stage, at every point, Like when I would come off from opening up for Frankie Beverly and Maids. He he was right there. When I open up for Keith Sweat, he was right there on the side. When I came off for BB King, he was on the

side when I opened for Bretha Franklin. He was on the side Anita Baker. He was right down the side. That was the dude that would turn to. But he taught me so much about encouragement, which led me to keep going on the mission. And then when we got to the morning show, when I got the news that Steve was gonna hiring me, He's the first person I called and he was the happiest. He was like, what did I tell you? You had a real chill leader, somebody that was down for you. I had, but he

was like, what did I tell you? And then I appreciate it more on that day, because there was the day we were talking about. See what I'm saying. We drove everywhere, we were flying. He was driving across to from from Houston, from Texas to Birmingham to Virginia to uh North Dakota to Arizona to New Mexico. We was driving all of these places. So he used you mentioned. So just for those who are unaware what happened with Brian,

how did Brian pass? In Atlanta? Um? We had went to uh Sear City Club six one seven that night, I went to dinner, you know, just you know, because we was living in California and just just places when I was living here before, we just frequent these spots. We go there, we had a couple of cigars. You know, Brian never drank, but we just from the cigar. He just enjoyed from cigars. Ain't we're gonna go here, we gonna smoke here, never drinking in at that. So we're

at six one seven. He was about eleven o'clock and I was asking was he good? I said, man, you're good. And for some reason, Brian was moving to slow motion like everything else was at regular speed, but his head and on was so slow. He was like, I was like, this ain't normally What's stop going on? Because I'm looking at everything else. But I was like, why is this too? Moving in slow motion? This dude is what is he doing? And so we get back to hotel about twelve something,

about twelve fifteen, he on the sixth floor. I'm on the third floor of the w here in Atlanta, and I was like, hey, man, see the morning. His last words was, hey man, don't be late. Twelve o'clock. Car be here to pick us up. Go back to the airport. I was like, dog one am I ever late? You know, just being me just well, I'm an ever late, don't I ain't knowing late damn well and be downstairs at twelve o'clock. He was like, hey man, I'm just telling you twelve o'clock. They said, I love you man. I

was like, hey man, what you too. I didn't even know that was on the last time we spoke. And then I woke up that ext morning and I was downstairs and eating breakfast for the friend of mine about a business preposition. We're talking about this, and I just called him. I said, hey, you know, come down breakfast. Let's to eat breakfast because we gotta leave. And he never showed up. And then about twelve something two months later, when they came to me and said, hey, you might

want to come see this. I never ran so fast in my life. And I knew that I knew what it was. I knew that he was having I knew he had problems with seizures and stuff. I knew because it was the one that so I ran to the womb. I rolled him over and it just was what it was. And it was like I was asking him to get up. I asked him, coll Man, we gotta go, we gotta fight the KTCH, we gotta go. And it was like when need you leave? The room. I was like, I'm

not leaving room. I was about bed friend, did y'all leave? I'm not leaving him? And that's when I realized that my first cheerleader was gone. I realized he was just he was just gone. You know. It was just one of the thing we realized, like, hey, for the first time in my life, I never felt so alarm. And then you know tim z videos and yeah, I was like, I hated. I hated that part about my life. I hated because the hardest thing was to call his parents

and say, Hey, your son's gone. But at the same time, I never gave them any details about what I saw in the room, and I knew somebody, you know, Joel, had sold the story, and I just couldn't believe people could be like that in a very private moment, extremely private moments. How long did you stay in there with him? Oh? Man,

there was the longest day of my life. Um, I'm probably only in the room about fifteen minutes because they they had to the fourth beam the room and then I just remember going outside his room, was on my knees, just bawling. But the assess for that day for the corner to come all the types of it was a it was a whole day process. It was one of those things like you really are getting the fact that he was going. So Mr Harvey was in Atlanta to at that time. He didn't come to the hotel because

it has been a new story. But we talked about it. He's like, man, I can't come, I said, Harve, I don't want you to come. He said, but I'll sit in Blue And Blue came. Uncle Harvey's want his friend. He came. Blue came and helped me through the whole situation because you don't know how to deal with somebody dying, like I don't know how to find the body. I don't know, I know corner, nothing about that. And Blue helped me and assisted me for that whole day because

I had to worry about all those different things. You know, I just knew that I didn't even get I didn't even I don't know how they got the better that I didn't have to see it. This just just the thing was just you didn't want to see it. A lot, Loan, you don't even know if you're really there and seeing what you're saying, What are you hearing? What is everybody talking about? Yeah, everybody was talking all these different things, you know, and they were saying all these different things,

and you can hear the conversations. I just was in a corner. There's one Atlanta police officers set with me for the whole day and I can't remember his name, but this officer sat with me for the entire that he came at twelve. He lead to ten something because they took about ten hours from as to be over. Um, you know, I had to get Brian's parents. His dad came down, and his sister came down because she didn't want her dad to be alarmed. So the ways everybody

got there, everybody had a hotel room. It's one of the day. It was just a long, long day. It's one of the hardest things. But I learned so much during that day about what your tolerance is. Sometimes you have to look at what's the stress level, Like everybody has a stress level. You've got one level you're at, and so you look at what Brian Sting was, like, what's the breaking point? You know, what is your breaking point? A lot of people don't know where the breaking point

is because they have not put at that level. Well, that day, I learned that my my stress level is this part my breaking point is this high on, way above my stress level, because I had to experience something that showed me that how much you really can tolerate, even as other as it is, you know as it is, you know, you know, I'm sidday go by that I don't think about the first person that I had as a fan and a friend. You know, you know, spar from friends. You was sixteen, you know the end of that.

So he said, that's my boy, he he said, that's he said. I always got his bad a lot of times when I was on stage. I was point, I'll just performing for him because we would we would be riding in the car, right kneed jokes and like Dog Washington do this tonight? Won to say it. I'm gonna say we talked about on this little five hour ride. I'm gonna say it, and he could like say it, say it and it would go just like we're playing,

you know, it would go just like we're playing. And then I just learned so much from that one loss about who I was as a person. It's funny that you can lose something and discover something about yourself. What you say, say that again? I lost something that was important. But what I learned was in the process was how big of a person I was through the loss doing wrong. The hurt is there still there. It's a daily hurt.

What I found out was I can absolutely respect the fact that he meant that much and he showed me exactly who I was by the loss, not by while he was here. C he was just my dude. We were running together. I went to other he was gone, that I realized how much he taught me and by how much I was of a person. If I never would have lost him, I never wouldn't realize with all.

And so God has a way of giving you something to build up to, and then you lose it, and you can realize that in that loss, oh my gosh, I'm way much stronger than I am. Come on, but one person it was. It was the one person that gave me the most. And and then you lose that part. Well, well, well I gonna have those experiences. That's just what life. You are blessed enough to have a relationship like yours. Whoever you love the most, think about the day they're

gonna be gone. It's not it's not they on you thinking about like what This is what I loved about this person. This is what I appreciated about this person. This is what this person actually showed me. And then I think everything I did from Brian, I take it and I get to invest it in a new person. See, now I found somebody else. The lessons that Brian taught me, I get to invest because I didn't look at everything

the way Brian looked at everything. Some stuff, you know, just for just for Drine, I just I was just selfish by some things. For Brian, part was quit being self That was his response, quip, being selfish, don't this is what you do? This is it? Is it? Hey man? Look at this. I was like, hey man, you're right because when you start this journey out, you're selfish because you only had you um and you started this journey over twenty years ago. Yeah, I started this journey out.

We're just looking for how I can be one thing that don't go no different for for for actors, you don't got different for for for comedians, don't go to musicians. All of us started out as a selfish journey. That's how the journey starts. There ain't nobody to say, hey man, no matter what my family going through I must do X, Y and Z. But then you guys a body on the journey with you, and they show you that, hey, dog, you have messitioned now that it ain't about you no more.

Now it's about X, Y and Z. And this is how you want to help other people. This is why you're gonna do this thing. This is why you're gonna do this, This is why you're gonna do that. And that was a constant thing for a purpose. Why I became a bitter person because I lost something that told me that it ain't about you no more. The first five years about me. I can't get that how you feel. I'm not get somewhere. I'm trying to get out of poverty. That's that's gonna see w Priorty being on your way.

It's don't you damn what you're going through all out? I want altum give me out now, Hey man, you need to do you need you need to do this that Hey, hey, hey, I want out. I don't have no time for nothing. El I'm sick it is. I was sick of it. I'm sick of sleeping at wrist stops. I'm sitting driving four hundred miles for two hundred dollars then all this dome. Well what got you started and doing it? The dream? The vision? You just you already

knew that. If I'm a little kid, you said, I want to be a comedian, I want to be funny, Like, how did that happen? I probably have about fourteen, about fourteen years old, and I knew this is just what I was gonna be doing. But it's one thing to say, you know what you'ven be doing, what you're gonna do, what it take to get there is a whole another. What you say. I was just talking too J about that had a dream done? You can have the dream, Come on, you can have it. So Katy, have a dream.

I'm telling you. I'm like, nobody different. It's okay for God to tap you and show you exactly what you're gonna be doing. God tap me in fourteen just like this. Hey, oh God, that's what I'm doing because I love doing it. I love watching this. I'm watching depth coming jam. We're not gonna TV. He's like, you're gonna be doing I was like, oh God, that's great. What it took to get there? Hey guy, are you sure this? Mate? I

don't you know, Um, can we backtracked? Because I think that being uh this person would be great for me. I think that would be uh. I go. You gotta continue, get continue to path, you gettat. You got to be on it. You gotta be on it. Why why I got to be on it? Because because you know what this ain't. I'm time to sleep at risk stop. I'm tied to uh it. But I'm I'm wait a minute, I'm sick of all this stuff because this ain't what I had playing for my life. Lord, I'm only twenty six.

I'm trying to Hey, hey, trust me, It's gonna pay out in the end. You gotta keep going, well, God, to keep going parties, but you keep going with I don't really carefully. To to to be going and keep going is tough because I don't have anything to show for it. All you got is that feeling in the vision to know that it's yours and nobody can identify with that

feeling that you have. But then you're you're talking about, Oh god, I'm I'm tired of doing this party, this party, this is really uh gotta lee man, I'm look God, I'm on I twenty in the middle of uh Jas and Mississippi, or you're in you're the middle of nowhere, in the middle you have these conversations in the middle of nowhere. You sure because I can't see it, but that one little voice of it, Yes, keep going, just

keep going. Yeah, I promise you. I probably you don't see it today, but hey, hey, hey, hold on, I'm going down here for sevi five dollars of them. I'm gonna get seventi five dollars. I'm gonna drive this far. It's the middle of the night, it's two in the morning. I'm gonna rest stop, I'm gonna driving this other far. And you're telling me it's all right, yeah, yeah, trust me, it's gonna be it's gonna be good. Yeah, trust me. You can't see it right now. I'm telling well, this

is years of those conversations. God, I'm I'm onna sixty five ninety five. I'm only God, I'm just tying. I'm tying. Just see why I just go back and beat No, No, it's not. You have to go down because guess what's

gonna happen. And then you start realizing the other part when you get there, like this that happen You're gonna help uh, so many people once I get you where you're going, But I need you to go through a lot of different things that you're not gonna be comfortable with, but the impact you're gonna have, and when you get there, you're gonna see that I had to have you go through all these different things so you're tough enough. And then when you get there, watch the thank yous. Yeah,

watch the thank you You're gonna get watched. And so gets what I get the experience today, all of the thank you is I get all the thank you is not just for being on the morning show, but the thank you of thank you for helping me tell the story about Signal Selle, thank you for being an authentic person. Thank you for reaching out to me, thank you for helping me with this, thank you for donating to this. Thank you for that I don't even know you just gonna help me with so all of the thank you.

Oh I keep going on. I do it for all of the thank you, Like all the thank you is like getting now. Uh, I wasn't getting twenty years ago. Whom twenty years ago, I was just actually having a comment. God, I'm so tired. This this is come on. Now, I can't do another rest. I got twenty five dollars. I got to side between food and gas. Well, um, I ain't got to be over here to this date and do this part. Okay, so if I get see that's why I think McDonald for the dollar menu, I had everything.

Come on, no, people understand that dollar mean you mean a lot. And then I sent cheeseburger, n sent fries and a night ninth cent. So for three dollars, I'm gonna eat. Probably not the healthiest choice, but I'm gonna eat, and I'm gonna make it to the next des amation. I'm gonna get the way I gotta go. I'm gonna do this is the best way I can. I did that for years and then what happens? How did you and how did you mean? Harvey? How in the world?

How in the world this brother is out on the road sleeping the rust stops driving for seventy five and maybe that was a good night. How do you get in the room with Mr Steve Harvey? Men, Harvey for the first time? This is why I loved by heart. Harvard been the same dude so eighteen years ago, I meant the same dude he's been the same. I'm telling something. Harvey been the same cat Harvey been. I'm just laughing because hard Be the same dude that I met that we get to hear every more. But but I met

this dude. He was a Richard Kings of comedy all that. He was a comedian like you know, like he was like, Yo, I started I started doing Coming nine and nine. So three years later I meet Hard So I was like, oh my god, this dude is like oh. I was saying, Hey, what happened? Are you at the club? What are you at. I've seen the Mike Tyson I joke, I've seen the Kings of Coming, you know, I seen out all that

I said, and I'm a fan. I first meet Harder because Rushan McDonald all this stuff from Sean Talk Houston, and he was man just Steve at the time, and Sean McDonald was having they were at Steve's company was having a showcase. But because I knew Sean McDonald, they called me like, Yo, come down to l A. We're gonna do the showcase. This is what we're doing. We're showing off to NBC, ABC, CBS, WB Young Talent. So that that was the showcase. He was push back. That

sounds like an upfront or something like that. Yeah, something like that, you know, But I don't know all these terms. I'm just oh, I'm glad they asked. Now, I don't know I'm gonna see Steve. I don't know that Sean had come down there because we were the only group. Uh that was me and Al Freeman, was only two people outside of Los Angeles. I was coming from musing

to come down there. So I was standing with Sean McDonald in his house in l A. And we go there to Sherman Oaks, to the theater where we were rehearsing it and stuff like that. Like I didn't even know. I ain't seen Steve. Since this is two thousand and two. I ain't seen Steve yet. One day Steve content of rehearsing, he was doing them. He was just finishing up his business on his day job radio show, all this type of stuff. I am saying that, man, I going to

rehearsal one day and Steve is sitting in there. So Steve was so fly then everybody knew who the hell that was. That's like, it's like, I ain't no guessing. That's why I'll be laughing because at Hard Hard ain't no guessing. When you walk in the room, you'd be like, that's see her, like it ain't know, Um, that's so and so. No, you say that's that's Steve Hard. You know he's sitting there cool. I'm talking about cool. He had on his blue silk suit. I don't silk, but

it was shiny. It was like like' just so now I'm a fan again, like little cheese at its fine. Oh, I'm like, oh my god. He's actually watching the talent. He's got in there for nothing else. He's actually studying and seeing what the project is, what they're doing. See, he wasn't about him. He was in there trying to help us. So I watched this do us like, you know, I was so young then, you know, I gotta say I was like twenty two, twenty years. I was like

twenty years. I was like, but when I walking that, I was such a fan. I was like, oh and stay was so cool. That's all just like oh it's so good. Hey man, just did out man? You good? Na not good? It's you. Oh my guys. Then if you know I'm at lunch with Steve, then you go to lunch, went to the Rainforest Cafe. Off of being through bulletbar. Exactly what I said over here having lunch with Steve her, I can't believe I'm calling. I'm on the phone calling my mom Mom. Now I'm not whispering.

He's sitting across me. Mom, you ain't gonna be home sitting and having lux spit. Who Steve Harder So hear his name all goddamn. Then two hours later he was getting ready. It was a Wednesday. We would getting ready for him to do go do the l Ray theater. He would do the l Ray on Wednesdays for like they're there, showtime deal, Paulo night. So we go to

his penthouse in Beverly Hills. So in one day with the lunch with Steve, I saw a rehearsal and now I'm at the penthouse in Beverly Hills overlooking the Pacific. Oh what? And one day I'm like, you got you got to stop, said the ben hoouse. He goes back in the back, he got the blue suit, put on this nice little gray suit with the white. He said, yeah, let's roll. So we go back downstairs on ste four the penthouses. But I had to note beside I started

learning how to dream. There's only four apartments on top of his his building in Beverly Hills. On four apartments. They all look out over the over the Pacific. I was like, this is what this is how you live? Oh my god, like that. Don't even worry about that. Get back downstairs. This is pre talk show Steve. This is pre and lazy Steed. This is pretty little big shot Steed is pretty Steve maybe a long long time. I've been staying the dude since and so he was

always his clud. So then he takes me to the l A Theater where it's sold out. We're going to the back of the l Ray Theater in l A. Steve walks out on stage and walking the back door, walking back on stage and he does this show like the Apollo, but it was in l A. And he does his show and it shows like two and a half hours, right, Steve, like that killing him. I'm talking about I'm on the side stage walking now. I'm saying, I have no name, nobody nothing. The question becomes at

that moment, why are you here? Why are you getting to see this? What is what? What is what is your role in this? Whole procest and you know, I was just thinking, and why did he take a liking to you? I don't know. There's nothing fact that he took it like it. It's very very when he showed me, come on, he just showed me something that I had no clue about. So in the middle of a plaque and cheered all that, I said, what you doing here? M all the people everybody in this country? Why are

you this close? Have you ever thought about that part for your own life? Sometimes you'll be so up close to the fire that you can you forget the ass? Why ain't lit it? WHOA? First of all, you know white here. Don't be coming out here spending these gems like that because in the minute I'm gonna have to bring out a pen and paper. Why are you hanging around with all these people to fire and you ain't lit you? Why you ain't let it? Oh? I just had enough sense to know, I enough since to know

why I was there. You can recognize I get it, And guess what favorite ain't fair? Come on, say a favorite ain't fair? Sometimes you're in positions in your life because they you need to get the lesson. Harvey showed me something now I was, yeah, stand I was twenty one years old. So then when people say, hey, man, where you come from, I've been here the whole time. If saying, oh my god, you we love you, where

you come from? I've been here the whole time. You ain't come out of nowhere, done you ain't come out nowhere. I ain't come out nowhere. He's been here the whole time. It's just the focus shifted. What's that's it? So now you're gonna at me and he's like, oh my god, um, oh my god, we love you, Junry. No, I've been here the whole time, though. What's the difference between cre space and nothing? Ain'tnohing? Same dude, same dude, same exact person,

same exactly, everything, same exactly, And ain't nothing shifted. I've been here the whole time. People telling how how did you Harvey find you? Don't nobody know that me Harvey men in two thousand two mm, because you know, I was just listening on the show the other day. He said, you're the youngest on the show, and the youngest on the show by age, and how long you've been on the show. Yeah, exactly, I've been on the show nine years. Now, But I've been to Harvey. Harvey didn't hire me on

the ratio to two thousand eleven. I've been to Harvest's to tell them too. So what happened in the nine years? What happened in those nine years? You tell me what did you have to get to deserve that seat? I went did comedy, I went and did plays. I want about my career. All of a sudden, I get a phone call um and to sell and ten to open up for Harvey in Miami. Right, So Harvey calls me,

his people called mean j T. Hit me up. Hey, Yo, Harvey want to know if you want to open up for him in Miami at the bis Can with the with the Marriat connects to it bis Can Theater in Miami. I get the phone cars like, um, why is he asking me? Do I want to want the obvious answer? Yeah? But here's my question? Who all said no? Right? That even gotta be a question? Yeah, I asked who all said no? Because y'all reach your way down here to find a cat like me to open up for Harvey

in Miami. He got said, d L burning Matt. You think about all these people he can call, So you can't come. What the hell did you reaching back to Houston, Texas but to find me? But okay, yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. So I get to Miami after Harvey and my Ami and I've seen him over the year and being just talk but I see him. You know who I am. I mean, we have a cordial relationship at this point. Hard what Julian what sad? Man? Ain't the man? What's going on with Man? Now? I

let you man? Lady two is back people breakfast film, we eat breakfast, munch and get did we go to the show in the same hotels? Right about six thirty? I get my stuff together, I'll go over to the venue. Show started eight. I love this damn crown on fire Man just set five. Harvard was on the side of stage when I come on stay. He said, Man, what the fund is you saying? No, I don't come in montressing room for nobody. Wow, your ways out here saying I heard all this noise. I had to come see.

I'm like, Man, we're just at telling jump Hard That's all I'm doing. So when I live in Miami, Hey, man, you want to do Philly Love Philly? Hey, man, you want to do Oklahoma City, hert Olahoma City, you want to do duns Live, O'Dell, you want to street Port. Harvey was touring, so he was paying me beating all the show. So in five weeks I had made by sometimes what mind you just the same brother that was driving at two o'clock in the morning for seventy five dollars?

What you say? And that's why for me and Harvey relationship and you've seen it, you know, hard relationship is where it is. And I get a call one day in two thousand eleven, in August and two thousand eleven, sure enough, I say, this is per Steve Harvey. Uh, Steve Harvey would like to uh help you with your career. Wow, that's it wasn't a job, he said, it's with your career. And that's when I knew that two thousand and ten

I was gonna grow that. Then to Donard Living, he gave you a job, and that's how Junior became to be. It's so interesting, and I guess, you know, I just I just get worked up Tomes because I just think about how you just gotta live your life and pursue your dream and to hear you say this, and this is you know, if you're listening, go check out this YouTube video where Harvey put up and he talked about how you gotta find somebody to invest in your acorn. Yeah,

he invested in your acorn. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, And I was actually that's acolutely true. That was um, that's actually I know it was with me him. This is why it's hard to pigeonhole this man in one way, because he does so many things because because he had invested in me, then all things that he cared about, I invest in them too, because he just just because he just took a chance. So I'm never not busy to go down there to the mintering camp. I mean, man,

we're gonna have fun anyway. So I go down to the mentoring camp and I hang out with those kids I see down You know, we don't publicize any of these things that we do. The thing about it is that because he invested in me, and I invest in other people. So you may run across people you be like they may sending like, oh my god, Junior invested in you. You shouldn't be shocked because you be like, it's some people are in this business because she gonn run across the people like, oh my god, I've been

doing the same thing. I've been doing the exact same thing, and I don't I don't do anything uh differently than what I'm doing now, you know, I just I mean, everybody focuses on the position. We just focused on the word M. So Harvard said something to me one time. He was like, he asked me a question. This is when I first started working. I probably had been working for hard Fain about six months and we're sitting in the studio in Atlanta, and he says, hey, man, why

are you doing this now? Probably right remembers that. But he was generally asked me a question because he was trying to figure out what my intent was, because a man just look making people admount to say, man, that's all good what you're doing this The focus was he was trying to get me to say, because I want to build a better life in my family. And I was just over here, just dedicated to the fact that you gave me a job to give it up too. But no, no, no, that name of the folks. See

the folks ain't to be famous. The focus is to build a better life for your family. Which spoke to why he does everything he does and why he does that, why he does it. I was so caught up on hey man, I was so glad to have a job. He's like, no, no, no, no, you're missing the point. And he taught me that five months as I started working, that the focus is to build a better life for your family. And that's for any man, that's for anybody working.

I don't care what you do. Don't get caught up in the fame of the position, which was the liston he taught me within the first three months of working for him. We're not doing this for fame, though, We're doing this to build a bit of life. Five families. Any hard working man or woman wants to build a bit of life. And so I was young at that point, I didn't understand what he was saying. I was thirty three years old. I had no clue. But now that i'm what you too, I can see there and say

I get it. I know why I do the work. I know why I get up in the mornings, I know what the y it is. It's a bit of a bit of life for my family. That's the enjoyment we get out of what we do you ain't doing this done on this podcast and talking all the people just could have done one talk. You're build a bit of life for your family, That's what we're doing. Yeah. I was telling Carla that and she's like, you know, darn, you know taking easy. I do think there's a level

of balance. But I was like, Carla, there's so much I want to see and just like that thing that you talked about, that voice that's saying there is more to travel the world to have these experiences. And the plus is that I get to inspire people like, come on, how how dope is your purpose when it gives to other people? Stop playing with me? No, I told to get it. I mean I can see up and say, man, sometimes they get the quiet moments when I wake up

on Saturday. Well, I said, there's that. I'm just like, yo, for real, for real, real, let's just admit, let's just all just admit you got a dope ass, Like dude, Wow, I was sitting back to stay Yeah, yeah, this is pretty dope. I mean, just to be honest, in those quiet moments, you have to take that in. But you guess one though, at least recognize the journey that you've been on and how far you come? At least recognize that every now and then it's okay to say, hey, godly,

look how far we come? Hello, it's your girl, bro supermodel his lyrics cross representing all my Curry girls out there. Hey, what's up? And you are tuned into Vitamin D That don Jay Captive. I don't care who you are as a person. I don't care if you used to work on fries and own the McDonald's. Just look at the journey man. It's okay a little best that man. Look

how are we calling? If used to be the mechanic and you own the dealership, let's just say, man, used to be the janitor and now you own the build man, It's okay to look back and say, Kyle Lee, I had a pretty dope life because the process, the process is what you look forward to. The process is what you are um um smiling about the process of you getting from point A to point B. And then you

ain't even through. It ain't even through. You're just looking at the process because one thing you do, the one thing you do, you do it. But guess what everything that got you from point where me keep replicating it and you'll be. You would never never say it once you got to the phone. For success, which is very simple. The form of successor that keep doing the same thing you've been doing. You got to keep doing. You have to keep the see the success part. I'll tell you

when I knew I was successful. This is when I knew I was successful. I was very successful way before I realized, before the morning show, I was already successful because I had done for the things I didn't realize. Give it to me what you do I'm saying it didn't. It didn't take me being on the Steve Harry Morning Show for me that we already a successful I hear you, I hear you. I was already successful in my mind.

I kept chasing something because guess what, I looked back over a long period time, all of them driving in the rest stops for seving five, and you was already successful because you were producing something that most people cannot produce, a chet and sacrifice. At the same time, it didn't take me get into the c Hard Morning Show to

say you successful. I had to realize that I had already been successful in two thousand and six because my work ethic and my attitude was already in the successful position. Who now had manifested was the dollars. That was it. I already had the work ethic that with Steve came around of manifest for me was the dollars. But I didn't owe anybody. I don't owe anybody seat at the table. I had to come to table say shoot, so lad

I'm here, Steve. I want to show I'm successful. No, no, no, I had already been successful because I sacrificed already to get to this position. And is that everything that you thought it would be? I had already done everything. What I learned from being on the morning show was you don't stop here. There's more, you know. You know, it's funny done and it's just fun of the state where you just sit back and laugh. It's one of those things just just in your grant. It's funny to land

in Chicago and hear your voice on the radio. It's funny to go to New York and you and then you need the car to ar It was like like like an to go to d C and hear your voice on the radio for a commercial, you know, and they're like I'm here for real, Like I literally am across the Country. Yes all because the one dude, but all the commercials, I'll be gooding. It's funny to go to Birmingham, or to go to Sreeport, or to Montgomery or Detroit, Detroit. You get it mixed thing two point three.

All that you get in the car closing out and then heyybody, I'd be like, that is me, that's that boy Jr. That all across It's just one of those highs, like I'd be laughing. I'd be like, oh my gosh. To the point where I go Atlanta trying the radio. It doesn't matter Savannah, Charlotte Jackson, Nashville, Memphis, people City, we ain't on it because just then you get in the car, you got the airport and they're listening, and

you'd be like, that's me. That's to me. Oh you get you get the car and you get the morning show, and it's just like one of things like at one point in time that was not even possible. So now you get to enjoy it two point where like you're know, you just be like, I just be laughing. I've been I've been in the back seat with Ubers and I'd be like, I would be like, way, it's so funny, and he don't know that's me. The hein't got no

clue that's me. They don't even know that part, you know, and you get to you get to experience, Uh, all of those euphori is just say hey man, hey man, No matter what happens at this point, going somebody after I'm long gone gonna stay. I remember when, and they're

gonna say my name hello. Here's the thing too. You've talked about your journey, You've talked about the successes, and even with the recent passing with Chadwick Boseman, you realize that this brother was battling stage three kids and for the past four years of its life. To highlight because I thought about Chadwick because it's so crazy, I put

them on my pages. But even when he was battling those things, when he came on on Steve Talk Show, I went down there and and met him and taught to him, and I went down there as a fan and and really dating a friend. He was you know, the creep from about like it's so crazy, but like he enjoyed his craft, right, he enjoyed the acting part. You could see in his one But when you see the person and you meet him as a person, he was so humbly. I was like, dude, you black panther,

what did you boring to me for? Like old dog, what's you doing? But I mean, I can't out here him meet you. And he was open up. He was like, man, he was glad to meet you. He was that open and he was that charing. And I just remember all the conversations we had the three times we met up, the conversation he was having, and just all I can remember is the laughing, Like we laughed so hard. I was like, hey man, somebody come get Chad. Chad crazy.

Chad was that ignorant, he was that funny as a person though, but he was there promote give him giving the world was but you know he was sharing his art and you know, giving somebody a mode to escape. And I feel like that's why it's so important the job that you do, because on any any given night,

you could be saving countless of lies. Somebody that said, oh it's over, You didn't put a smile on their face talking about your family, something that you've experienced, laughing at your pain, and it's something that I even think about because you look at you like you're saying, here he is humble. You don't even know his brother is experiencing a fight. And I think about your talking about the fact that how you lost your best friend, how

you on the road trying to make it work. My god, come into the realization that you are in the room, and Steve Harvey is saying, I'm taking a liking to you dealing with those pressures on top of the fact that you battle with sickle cell. Yeah, tell us a little bit about that, because you have a foundation. And I don't know the first time I ever heard about sickle cell when I was a kid, was probably looking on listening to TLC and t BOS would always talk

about her battle. But I'm not sure people really understand what it is because she had signal cells as well. We weren't played together long time ago, but the I focused more on and just this did not go for every single cell warrior. This does not go for all of us. You know, It's it's just the way the carpets ruled out. It's just the cards you dealt Okay, So I was born with sickle celle. Their parents didn't

know what's wrong with me. I wasn't diagnosed till I was eight years old, seven years old, and so they said, get your son had sickle sales and your parents don't understand what what was going on with you? Well, I was in the in the paying crisis, and you know they thought it was all ordered to milk, oatmeal, all kinds of stuff. So you couldn't walk. Your head was hurting walk. He was in paint. It just couldn't touch me,

none of that thing we're going on. You know, you got a kid that's been doing it since he was born. You know, five coca cola, all types of stuff. It's all these different things that happened. And then and a doctor diagnoses you at seven years old. The reason why you don't don't understand because your son had signal stell. There's not a lot going on. And then the doctor and to your parents said hey, well prepare to die. The letter whoa stopping eleven? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Every kid was. It's funny because we all make fun of it, but every kid was sickle ass Like hey, just like a running joke in the in the sick like, hey, what was your death date? They say twelve nine three. Everybody got one. Mine was a letter. So my parents allowed me to go out and do everything I want to do because at one point in time they ever believe that I was going to be going to a living so I was trying to leaven and then it happened. So they're like twilve and like this here. I mean,

I'll tell you the truth. Like they were really somber, like everybody tiptoeing around you, like we have to be nice because you believe turned thirteen. Okay, hold on, my mother, Mom, wa go to diney world. We're going the world something they think the man, you're not gonna be he man. Everybody tempting around you, right, but I'm sure you got a lot what you wanted. Oh. I was just saying I didn't know that they were doing it at the time.

I just looked there. Only I know why they were doing it, because she was telling me, like, who's doing to think? Because well, he said to you to diet. The doctor said it the whole night. Everybody knows at eleven, you're not going to be here because a doctor said it. That's the whole thing. A doctor said. It wasn't something I said. The doctor said, hey, man, your son will not live past eleven. Well, I may eleven my football number, my basketball number, wherever that got that right now he

is right now, thirty one years behind. Not wow, you know eleven is a special number. He said that it enabled everybody to act a certain way towards you because fifteen fifteen I'm talking about they speaking that, are you okay, how are you feeling? Yeah, I'm good. What's what's going on? They're just expecting you. Yeah. Now, did you ever catch any wind or know how sick you were? No? No, no, I mean I had the crisis that had everything. I had all that, all those problems issues, but nothing was

to death. But then two at the same time, sus So it's a very hard disease that people have to deal with. Start a lot of information on it, but at the same time, it's very hard to deal with because there's no words to explain the type of pain that they go through. I can't tell you. So if you say, what's it like to be in sickle set prison, I can't give you that. But I have to take my sickle sell and give it to you. Then you get back and said, um, that's enough. Did you be like, Okay,

I have an idea. I can't tell you how these people survive these things. But one thing about it is it builds the character. Uh. Little things that you may take in for for branded in your life and little things we don't really even look at those as problems. Right, It's funny because it's just how it is. Like you know, oh my god, they're gonna turn my lights off. Turn them off, because fighting for your life is way harder. What you say, Come on, you don't know, I've almost

died seven times? What do you mean? I've always died seven times from second so I've almost seemed so killed me, almost killed me seven times. What do you mean? What I mean? You can't grasp that, come sept because you haven't been there. You're looking around somebody, what do you mean? No, I mean just what I said, I've almost died seven times. Well, you've never been to the point of death and the brand of death, So what do you mean is a

natural response for you because you've never been there? Why do you think done? I'm always happy all the time. Right, you're gonna come in with a smile and a joke. Nobody, what do you think? Why do you think you think that's on accident? Throw it up. How do you see it? Yeah, because I've almost died seven times. For my appreciation for life, it's way more understandable than the man average person. So you come to me and you say they cut your

lights off. I said, what, what did you do it though? Tuesday? Well, damn it, I then did that too. I don't like that. You get me laugh at that, But that's just like it just there's nothing wrong with that done. It's just how it is. There is nothing wrong with that. That's the absolutely truth. So while you're talking about almost that they cut your lights off, don't cut my life off. You gotta just and it just makes you look at

things and a whole other perspective. And just like how you were talking about losing Brian, you you gained something the fact that you were just sitting there. You didn't know if your life were gonna be off on your life, and its press every moment that I'm doing all this with no life insurance, no, no no health insurance. So they're probably times on the world that you're aching in pain on stage and performance crisis gotta be all with

no health insurance. So when I say everybody believe me, I mean everybody I was doing all of that, not even I can't even forgot sick. Still, crisis didn't stop because I started telling jokes around the company. Stop. None of that. All of that happened the way it happened, my attitude towards that happened, do what happened. But in the end, See, the other reason why I'm so great for ris Hard is because I gotta help insurance playing Come on, Oh, I can't wait to get sick. I'm here,

I'm early. Oh, I'll be there. I'll bet merged from way for what happen there. I could be rotating. You're like, where'd yet? Yeah, I got sick, don't worry about I'll be back there because they're gonna get ready back. I got health insurance. Oh, I want a good bed. I want to be picking up. I'll be in that bed. Shot me hot down. I need the astra confidence. Can I please have my breakfast at its room three open?

I'll want to get room three please. They got to ask some Oh, I'll be oh, I could different, play different. So your foundation creous hope is all about, you know, just spreading awareness from it, right, because I'm sure there's a lot of people that you know, may not have no where the resources are. No, no, no, it is um. My foundation started back into down the fourtee. It was done out of a friend of mine pushing me and said, hey man, you have to start foundation. You have to

do this. You have to show other people how to live with sickle cell because as hard as it is, a lot of it, a lot of it is um mental mental game that you have to play with your own life, you know. I mean the hard part about is that I know that I process things a lot differently than people with no health conditions. They just you know too go around and take life ran it. See my my weight. When I wake up in the morning, I do this. I go through the window. When I

do this, my hand on the window. Because weather plays a big factor. So I checked temperatures, I watched I watched the weather channels and what's the turning where I'm going I'm traveling because as cold weather it's not good for us with citizens. Uh you know, co worker, constrict your veins, the veins and the blood cells where they're shape and everything think gets getting blockage. I can help sile crisis. If it's third degrees outside fifty degrees outside

seety degrees that if it's hot, I'm good. See you go swimming in the avenue if you want to, you can go jump in the pool swimming. I ain't been swimming in the afternoons in years. I've never done. I ain't jumped in a pool at five o'clock because I was about twelve. Wow. Well if it's twelve o'clock hot noon, I'm in there because the water is hot. See, those are things that people don't even have to worry about. Going to the beach. Oh five o'clock and it you

gonna run off and just get in the ocean. People sire cells. We ain't weren't going out to huh. So what's the minute that your temperature get you know? It hurts immediately. You asked me if I'm going to Chicago in February. You think I'm going? Nope? So I guess what. I don't book a show in February in Chicago. That's how much sickle Sale has a way all my life. I can't go to Chicago in February. I go to Chicago in June July, but I ain't going in March.

I ain't going in February. I ain't going in jailary. See those things you don't even worry about. See how you're looking at those things. You don't even have to work. You don't even have to consider these things. That's not something I said that single Sale consue these things all the time. You know, my foundation, I do a great job of raising awareness and I put a lot of money into it, and we do all different things. But the families that meet, they understand that I was saying.

It's like, I know, I helped these families in June, in December for christoaller Than because most kids during the holidays with single sale or in the hospital. Oh oh, I give him a Christmas before they go into the hospital. So that's what the foundation does. I sit there, I talked to all these families. I take ten families every year around the holidays, not by the entire Christmas. Wow. Here, that's amazing. I'm doing it for the last six years.

Tears whole foundation. Wow. I go to UM. I've done in Austin, I've done in Memphis, I've done it in Dallas. I've done in Atlanta. I've done in Charlotte, done DC, Jacksonville. I just don't matter. Just go. So what's the plan for the foundation this year? I am picked the city yet I haven't picked the city yet. Then in Chicago, I haven't picked the city yet this year. Um, normally my daughter kor my foundation Rosaling and she does the picking of the cities. Doesn't matter, it's not my job.

Picked city because I ain't get time to do it it. She goes to researches all the needs, all the different things, and we do it. But I do that every year. And you think about where we are with the morning short of that Heartvey just told me to dog, you can't get to the top of the mount and not reach back and showing how to get up there. So that's how I start the foundation. You know, my foundation is six years strong. I'm proud of it. My walk is on September nineteen, Yes, to run the five k

run and fun walk in Dallas. You know, check it out a register. Oh it's cures Hope dot org. K I e r s Hope dot org. And this will be my third year. Um, black people don't know that in the state of Texas that every month of June it's a national holiday for my foundation in the state of Texas. Every gym. Here's Hope Month. Here's hope. Um, Here's hope. Sign silabaratis month is every gym in the state of Texas. Wow, Okay, that's amazing. To Orange Texas every month. Here you got all I got all the

awards on the wall everything. I mean, you know it's funny, man too, to see that type of thing. Royce West helped that make possible to the the Roychwest states to the Roycewest and make that possible. I mean, man, but could you believe one guy in Houston, Texas would do all these different things? But that was that one guy with a big dream. Man, it was one who had a y. I mean sometimes I just sit back and pitch myself because I'm still the same guy. Man. I

love it. But at the same time, like I'm looking at some stuff like, you know, like I have you know, like I'm an Emmy nominated producer. I didn't win an Emmy, I still was nominated for people got the whole created, I mean, just the invitation along to the Emmy's because you didn't see Steve's I'm the same dude that is us in Texas, that the same that same damn dude let's just be for real, like come on now, like, dude,

you got to be tripping on some many stuff. Man, do you sit back and then you go out on the weekends and then you pull up to the comedy club and your name is on the marque and then you then you come on and say morning everybody. Then you're talking about and it's so let me ask you this, when did okay? So you know how like singers are performer, right, and you know how like you said, oh that when I'm in the car and I hear myself on the radio,

when was the first time like where were you? Where were you at that you realize like, quote unquote I made it, even though you were already successful in the mindset. But was it like you saw yourself at the Fox Theater? You did used to yourself, you know, where was it? And it could be a small time, but you was like, damn, it was in Dallas, Texas. It was the first time I saw my name on the top of the marquee

that I'm selling tickets. I'm people are paying. It's great because people playing twenty five dollars a ticket to hear me come tell jokes. And then I walked out that comedy club that weekend. What about I did Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and I walked out of about seventeen five? Are you? That's when I knew something, because my whole I was like, there's no way you saying I ain't never made any seventeen five hold on, wait a minute, how old are you right now? At this point? At that point, I

was thirty five. God dog, but I'm telling you, that's what what I mean. That's when I know. I said, Okay, I don't know if I had made it, but I knew. I said, we're definitely in the right neighborhood. I don't know my name. And then Harvey was talking about it. He said, dog, stop you. You know, he was telling that you have no idea what you're about to gonna be done. So in Prime in Dallas called me and they said they want me to come headline the club

that weekend. I ain't had no manager and that they just say, hey, I'm gonna offer you, uh this much money and then if you sell this main tickets, we're gonna give you this and the this and all the types of hurting of this. I'm just glad to go down and just do the show. Yeah, okay, I had no idea. You know I'm genius. Yeah, all right, I mean that's done everything ready, hold night. But on that Sunday, when we still up at the club, they gave me they gave me ten thousand cash whom they gave me

seven thousand five hunting in the check. I said, no, dumb, I got same time I got. I walked around, UR said, and I was hoping I was gonna say, like we made a mistake, because I'm sitting here. You gotta said, there's ten thousand casts here, then you gotta check. Just got to be a mistake where there's got to be a mistake. I got ten k here, seven thousand in a check, so it's a seven teen Thollard final off. Definitely me walk out here. If you never made that

much money before, that's your natural action. I ain't made no seven team five and no one weekend in a weekend. That's happened somebody's salary in the year. I don't know what it is. All I know was I didn't know if I'm walking out of here, because this feels like I set up. I tolast time leaving done. I said, just gotta be see how they get set up on first for the eight sting operation going on. It wasn't gonna walk out of here, somebody who I gotta get

back on the plane back to Atlanta. But I'm getting on flame with ten k cash and you know you always start you can't flying more than ten thousand dollars and you all these things got check. I got the sick at the whole non so I got a book bag. Talking about book back I got. I've never held my book bag tighter that I got. I got this whole book back when I put it through that damn u X right, we're saying, I waited for that bag to

come out. I got ten kane here man bag maybe un say, I said, Oh, they're gonna stop me because they're gonna see that, They're gonna see the money on the xtra man that bag, that said agent was trying to talk me. I ain't here an there. Give the bag, thank you, becoming I'm on the two o'clock I got back home and hardly tell you if they're a chart to take, he said. The fun thing working. I call and I said on I had made and he was like, yeah, don't yeah, that duce forc to me, wow, And that's

when I knew that my life was completely different. Oh, I had made a couple grand for a weekend. Three day I did that. I ain't never went from five grand to seventeen five my first weekend telling Joes as a headline. I ain't even know. And once I saw that, I said, Okay, I don't know if I ride. I just know we're in the right neighborhood. I'm in the right neighborhood. And that's how it started from there. It was funny. Why so now that that you accomplished all us,

what's next? Movies? Movies? I'm gonna do movies? You're working on anything right now? In these scripts? Uh not? We in co it. You know, soon as over know what we're going on, you know we'll get there. It just takes time. M You know. Um, I've done a lot of plays and stuff like that, but I really like to solidify myself on a film. Just see what I could do just just from the things that I'm doing. I mean, it's just what I want to do. I

want to do at the acting in plays. I've done that, and people in all the plays and they courage Johnson plays you know, um, I just want now on the next step. I want to gradually. I just want to do it. I just want just I just want to go through the process. So just because I gotta I gotta support my what kind of quote unquote tattooed that I got before Black Panther came out about speaking life. So that's all about the affirmation. So you will have

this movie. Is it an action movie? Is a comedic movie? What is this movie that you're doing. I think the movie I was doing was I would like to play opposite someone and I want to be a regular day in the neighborhood type of film, like how even we

act in the neighborhood. And I just want to just, you know, bring up some of the events that we've done and things I've done been a part of, and just put those on film and you know, just make that funey and it works with some of the greatest people that you can work with, who are great at these roles. You know, I'm saying I want to do I want to do that, but I really want to do that part because for one, I want to just

see want to put your stuff on film. You're gonna live forever last ye, it's gonna last every so I want to do that part. That's the babies when I want to do it. But whatever film it comes, action, comedy, a movie like Friday or anything like that, I'm I'm

gonna do all of them. You know, I want to do all of it because I just think that, you know, I ain't really mad, but I said, like, okay, you're playing me short, play me short, Just open them the camera and let me getn't hear because I'm gona ShW. Youre the big food I am. I'm not. And that's all. Let me be let me be unerstand. Let's just put this out here. All the movies I'm doing, I'm not going for oscars. Just so we're clear, let's not get

any expectations. This, all these movies I'm doing is going for this for a goddamn food. That's what the food, that's what that's what I'm my roles. I'm doing this for crazy, this for damn. That's the rules I'm going for. I'm not going for father for I don't none the roles. I don't want Father, look at me, you give me Father. I'm not one to ask you. I want to be in the roles. Uh, just boy crazy, this boy got problem,

Hey's something wrong with him? A bona five food. Yeah, that's all I want, all my roles, it's all one. It because I believe in the magic of storyteller. I just want. I just wanted. That's what you do that all day, every Joe, every script you right in these movies that I do, these jokes I tell terming the movies. You know, turm into two projects. I was dying laughing you were on the stage. I don't know if you're just talking about when you're dating somebody that snores. I died.

I would love to see that. You know, a snore was the thought of a piece of food that was though those type of moments, though type of moments, or the one who want to bring um to the to the best print. We we want to do those. We want to little stories as crazy as they are, there are stories to be told behind all those things. I get it. So you appreciate it for that. That's for sure that you are. You know. I don't know what I expected from this conversation, but I'll say this that

I came out a better person. Just I never knew your story like that. I didn't know the things that meant you. I didn't realize how Harvey invested in you like that of just giving the opportunity. And now it makes sense. And then this whole thing that you said, I think a lot of people gotta realize. It's the whole thing that the birsteather flock together. And when you kept you riding with people that own fire, it's only

a matter of time when you're gonna get lit. But like you said, it's about the work and not the position. It's not that I'm absolutely I believe that whole hard. You know, we don't get in this to be famous. We hinted the work. Um, I'll show you this. I'm sure this. This is what i'mnn show you. And if we can close it with this, this is if you think this is perfect. I was gonna ask you if there is a quote or anything that you could leave people with, what would it be. Um, I'm gonna show you.

Is it my life and health, my family, my gratitude for God, my life and health, my family, for my relationship. We went fast, grateful for the people. Thank you for the abundance. Oh amen, you praise them in advance this is it. Wow, Lord, I love you God, I will define. That's what I read every morning, and a lot of things on that list has come to pass. So whatever you, whatever your assumption is about me, I have no I take no part in that part. But he know exactly

who his steward is. Well, he's given me how I do it. I can't take criticism from anybody who ain't doing nothing. I cannot take criticism. I'm sorry. Whatever you're here is about me, But what are you doing? Let's see, I just showed you my entire gratitude list for God that I keep adding to my health, my life, my grandmar all the things that we sat here and talked about. Someone has passed. Some of the things have not passed, still greatful for him. Some things I'm just wishing. That's

the difference. But what you think you know about me? But you don't know. I ain't here. I ain't here to impression you. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you thinking? I deserve you deserved my attention. I ain't here for you. So you weren't nowhere near when I was seeming in the wrist stops. See, you wouldn't you weren't nowhere around. And I was trying to get seventy five dollars, you wouldn't nowhere around. I'm not impressed with any of that. I've heard everything, But what do

you think I ain't heard everything. I've heard everything. I've heard it all. I heard everything, how they say about me, what they feel about me, from colleagues to family, two friends. And you can't disturb what I'm doing. I just showed you because my gratitude for God. And guess what, why why you keep talking on them? Can't you see publicly how He keep blessed me? And you know what I've realized. I don't know the exact Bible verse, but it gives me to the thing of how your enemies will be

your footstool. Not because I'm gonna stump on you. It's because I am obedient. You will have no other choice but to uplift men. So I don't have to worry about raining down on you. It don't matter what you So let's get off to do you. It'll serve you better, serve you better to talking about me. Man, I'm already good about who I am at that they already now and and and as I say this and they're probably

gonna see it on social media any type. So then but then no, exactly what I'm talking to they they ain't got thought you. I don't know when y'all gonna realize that this dude ain't for y'all. I don't need your round the blows. I don't need I don't need a clap from you. I just need the people to clap for me. So I'm keep doing what I'm doing, right. I don't do this for you, dude. We're in the

same business. One surgeon don't watch another surgeon do surgery because what you say, the focus, the focus, Well we act so yeah, so they you know, they probably look at said like, I don't know they say these things about me. I get it, So I'm cool. But you see the public blessing he keeps now you have never stopped to ask yourself how come that keep happening? And that's the man of leadership. That's the magic of being the right place at the right time, and that's the

magic of being focused on one mission. I never asked God to be famous. I just wanted to ask me, give me the gift that I have, let me keep it backy, so you can bless it so I can change lives through laughter. That's it. And and look what happened, care junior spates, ladies and gentlemen, That's what happened. I enjoyed.

I enjoyed. Thank you. Let me thank you. I know you talked about I'm gonna be on mush, but thank you for pouring it to me because you spoke on so many ways of just the transition, just my grind, like I don't know what's about to happen. I'm just going because I know what I feel, and I'm just on a prayer that whatever happened, it's gonna work out. Has to write, come on, And that's what I try to tell me. There, don't care what they say, Stay

doing done. Girl. Do you know you have no idea, you can't have ain't no way, it's not whatever you're done, the way, the way you do things, the way you operate, the person you are, the light you shine. Do you know how hard it is to be positive every day? Do you know how hard it is? Of course, I know you're positive every day and even when it's not well received, you got to show up again and do it again the next day. And even when they receiving that day, you show up a third day done, you

have to continue doing that. Guess what it ain't about what they're doing, so so what they don't see it, it's not for them. Come on, you're not doing all of this to impressing anybody. You're doing this to expose people about what do positive people have to say? Yes? And why it's important? Oh well done? Got to stay. This is ain't your thing. That's where they lose at stop a even about what you're doing, it's about what

you're showcasing. And if you can't see what don is showcasing, you gotta add to that you're not gonna benefit from from the first place because your attitude in the wrong place. But for you and end, get all this stuff together that take word to take a schedule, coordinating people, but don't allow anybody to tell you what your mission is. That ain't for them to dictate. If I got time to sit up and judge done, what what's she doing? I must not have nothing to do? Right, I clearly

don't have hing to do. You gotta be thinking that you gotta be doing something if you've got somebody else's attention, If you if I had time to sit here and talk about what's gone doing. I a must not be doing nothing. You just called and said you're gonna do this for me. Yeah, just for the phone talk about two minutes. M Yeah, don't do that for it. Thank you? Oh my gosh. Care like, okay, So this is what happened.

You called me. You said, Dawn, you met me. The first time I met you, you kept saying how it was wonderful and how it was amazing. Listen, I didn't take me three and a half almost four years to see that, because look at us right now. You can't tell me because I knew. I knew, I felt it, and when you got somebody that's talking to Brian, I felt it and like you said, being humans. So care, thank you, Thank you for investing in yourself, thank you for feeling like you're worth it, and thank you for

being a beacon. I like the inspiring other people. I see you and we'll see you, man. That's what vitamin D is about. That's it. How do people follow you? How can I get you? What's I you know? You can find me on social media? Junior and Junior h mess everything, mess find me, how me find me? Timmy and messins say what's up? I say, what's up? You know I ain't hard to get at. I ain't not you know, we just we just wanna keep going, you know.

And you know what my cousin the right to She always tell me tell to hell, Junior, I said, have Remember we met her of Sanding so last year. So yeah, how she doing. She's doing real good. She's doing good. She's gonna love to hear this. Don't care, I said, so she can still love me. Sorry, you know, you know I love me. This just gonna be going in the saying something. You love me. That's just love me. Take me go ahead and see how you feel about me. I like that, so to see your him and see

what I'm doing. Listen, let me have I hold. You know who she gonna but you can't being started. I don't write him, indeed, I don't know. I love myself. Care. Thank you so much for this opportunity you will. Oh man, I don't know what I expected from Care, but that was everything and more and it was right on time. And I'm just so grateful that I was here ready to receive it and that I can offer it to you.

And that's the one thing that's so amazing to me about vitamin D. When I created it, it was all about shutting light to others, and little did I know that I was going to receive that on the back end as well. And I think that's one of the amazing things about gifts and when you're giving and you're walking in your purpose, because your purpose not only feeds others, but in in turn feeds you. It's like a cycle. It's it's it's it's a never ending life cycle that

continues to pour and fill up, poor and fill up. Now, if you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did with Kire and you're like, hey, I want to keep up with him, you gotta follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Junior s h M S. And if you want to learn more information about his foundation, Cares Hope, go ahead and check them out online at cares Hope dot org. Now, I want you to remember life is

for the thing. If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, and yet they stand tall and wait for better days to come. Your better days is coming. Peace be still, you know in the Bible and the Scripture it says, see, I'm doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you

not perceive it? Well, that's it for your dose to vitamin D. As always, you can catch us where you get your podcasts every Monday for more inspiring conversations and insights, and of course if you're looking to get even more vitamin D in your life. You can also follow me on all social media at Dawn day Speaks. That's Dawn d a I Speaks on all social media. Until next time, always remember you are your greatest asset.