"When people watch the show, that's who we are. That's who we've been, to some degree, for 30 years."

I'm a New York City-based Staff Writer who enjoys covering lifestyle, relationships, and women's content.

Frank: I was working full-time. I went to college and got my degree while Joey stayed back and did what we now consider content creation. And after college, I was pretty gung-ho about what I believed success looked like. I was trying to work in the world and build a life for myself. I was doing podcasting on the side for fun about professional wrestling, movies, and video games. Then Joey approached me about joining full-time. I was scared at first because I took the approach of like, "Oh my god, I need to be funny. I need to take every moment and punch it up, make it interesting and whimsical." But my wife said to me, "You guys have known each other for so long. You don't need to be anything outside of what you already are." And that put me at ease. 

So we went in there and did what we felt was natural to us, our chemistry, and our friendship, which is going on 30 years at this point. We really just focused on being authentic and real to who we are. With that, if people like it and listen, they come along for the ride. And here we are. 

Frank: "Chaotic," I think, is a good one. "Fun." I like to think that it's pretty fun, but I don't want to toot our own horn too much. I think there's a sense of relatability that people get when they watch the show. We hear from a lot of people that say, "It's just like when my friends and I are chopping it up and talking." And that's something we take really seriously and have a lot of pride in. So I'd say "relatable" is in there.

Frank: There's so much that we talk about off-camera that we're just like, "We need to save this," or "We need to bring this up," but we never end up getting to it because, as you've seen the show, it's so quick and so rapid-fire that there's a lot we don't get to. And there's also a lot of great things that we talk about off-camera that just never get onto camera, but that dynamic is there. 

When the cameras are on, it's polished to a point that's just a little more digestible. Imagine you and your closest friends sitting down. You have great, funny conversations, you talk about topics that get goofy, but that doesn't mean they're going to translate well to a general audience. 

But it's pretty consistent because that's who we are. When people watch the show, that's who we are. That's who we've been, to some degree, for 30 years. Obviously, we weren't having these same conversations when we were 10 years old, but it's a similar energy. It's a similar dynamic. It's not like cameras turn off, and then we hide under our desks, and we don't talk to each other. It's pretty consistent.

Frank: I don't know if I went in with specific goals. I think the only thing that I really wanted to do was have fun with my friend. Our parents' generation loved to say, "If you enjoy what you're doing, you'll never work a day in your life." So I viewed it as just having fun with my friend during a chaotic time and as something to do on the side — a break from my, at the time, "normal" job. 

There was a good following before I joined, and as people continued to watch, enjoy, and resonate with it, it felt like, "Let's just keep being ourselves," you know? I think when it comes to music or TV or anything in pop culture, once it gets big, to a certain point, there are people who felt like it was niche who now feel like, "Oh no, I lost it. It's become a different version of what I liked." We've always kept the approach of being who we are. We're not trying to give people something other than what they liked in the first place. We started noticing the following, the passion, and the support, and we continued to try and give people what got us there in the first place. 

I know Joe's in a different position because he's a business owner. He has to think from a different perspective, but I'm watching it all happen, and I'm like, "Oh my god, this is crazy." I had a young family, young kids at the time. So, I didn't have the ability all the time to sit down and plan forward because I was going home. I had two kids in diapers, and I was still working my job for a couple of years into doing [the podcast]. So, looking back and seeing the progress and the growth — it's weird to look back on. I was living through that. We were living through that. Hindsight is 2020. 

BuzzFeed: You recently signed with Reign Maker Talent. Could you talk a bit about this career move and why you felt it was the right time for you? 

Frank: It really has to do with Robin Hellmann, my manager. I've worked with her for less than a year, but the impact that she's made... She is so intuitive. She's straight-up with me, and she's just so good at what she does. When I heard that she was jumping over to Reign Maker Talent, and she had more resources and opportunities, it was a no-brainer. I was like, "Can I come?"

Frank: What keeps me grounded is my family. I have three kids. I have an incredible wife. I don't want to be like, "They're my connection to the real world." But it's weird when you go and act like yourself, and you get attention for that. You kind of can't escape it. And when you see people in public making their own TikToks or content on social media, they want you — they want that person who has gotten you there. It can be a little anxiety-inducing for me. So, I'm very, very, very protective of the life I've built at home, and I want to make sure that I give my wife a normal husband when I can be a normal husband, and my kids a normal father when I can be a normal father.

So, coming home, it's more of a recharge than anything else. And there's definitely whiplash sometimes, but it keeps me feeling normal to some degree. And also, it's a blessing that this stuff is happening, too. I'm trying to strike a balance where I do it all and don't lose my mind at the same time. 

BuzzFeed: This is a new concept still — the "internet personality" — this person who has become famous for just being themselves. We've always had celebrities, but they're often associated with characters. You might love a specific character, so you think that you know and love the actor, but you're seeing a portrayal that they've taken on. For you and Joe, and other people in this space, it's a totally different vibe. It's like you're always on, and you're never on.

Frank: Two things can be true at the same time. Joe and I are very appreciative and consider ourselves incredibly lucky, but sometimes you just want a day where you don't want to be bothered. Sometimes you're stressed and want a down day. So it's weird, because looking at celebrities up until, like, the '90s, maybe even the early 2000s, they were "over there." You never saw Jack Nicholson, for example, unless he was in a movie or at a Lakers game. Now, we have access to everyone on our phones 24/7. So it's a little difficult to escape. It's a whirlwind. But then I come home, and my youngest daughter, who is a character, will run up to me and say, "Where's my carrot? I want a carrot!" So it keeps you humble, and it keeps me on my toes, which is good.

Frank: Our team had heard from them back in January, and we're like, "We're available, let us know." But then every step of the process, it just felt more like whoa, whoa, whoa. And Seth Meyers in particular...you know, Joe and I grew up idolizing Saturday Night Live, and comedy as a whole. We would sit there, go sketch by sketch, and talk about our favorite cast members, who the best guest hosts were, and stuff like that. So when we saw Seth Meyers, who had an incredible run on Saturday Night Live, we were just like, "Oh my god. This is crazy." Also, because you know, [Late Night with Seth Meyers] is so close in proximity to where SNL tapes. It was nuts. 

I tend to try to temper my excitement until something is happening. I don't like to count my eggs before they hatch. But then we were getting picked up, going into the building, and stuff like that... The team over at Late Night with Seth Meyers was so cool and kind, and Seth himself was incredibly kind and took a moment to talk with us. He didn't need to do that, but it's so heartwarming. You grow up your whole life idolizing these people and seeing people on that stage, and thinking, well, it makes sense for those people, and then you get the opportunity to do it, and it's just like, well, I don't know if I deserve to be here. Here's this guy we've watched for 20-odd years, and he's being kind, talking to us and our partners about life, and congratulating us. It's all crazy, and it's heartwarming. 

People have always said, "Don't meet your heroes," and you get afraid, wondering what it's going to be like. But if this is just a glimpse into what meeting people we've idolized could be, boy oh boy, we can't meet them quickly enough. The team, the experience, everything, was so incredible, and it felt validating. We don't feel crazy for loving these people for what they did professionally. They're seemingly good people, as well.

On the ride home with my wife, I got a little emotional because it's validating. Everyone, as a kid, has these dreams and these hopes. Bottom of the ninth, game seven of the World Series, bases are loaded, you swing, and you hit a grand slam. Then, when that opportunity actually presents itself, and it's happening, you're like, "Oh man, I wasn't crazy for thinking I could get there." 

Of course, it's easy to say from our perspective because we have gotten to these opportunities, but I'd be lying if there weren't times when I didn't overthink, or think, "Maybe I'm just gassing myself up." So it was validating, it was emotional, it was fun. If they ever had us back, that'd be incredible. I don't even want to think about the possibility of Saturday Night Live because I might start convulsing and going into shock right here on the floor.

And my approach to the whole thing, as well as all of our live shows, is: The moment is coming. There's nothing you can do to escape it. So, how are you going to approach it? Are you going to go out there and do your thing, or are you going to let the moment be bigger than you?

Frank: It's a crazy concept: You can watch this thing for free, or you can pay and take time out of your schedule to watch and support it in person. I think that sometimes there seems to be a natural expectation that it's going to be the podcast, but live. The team that we put together — myself, Joey, Greg, our videographer Mikey, our photographer Zach, and our opener Ahmed — we said we need to make this more than just the podcast. It needs to be bigger and different enough so people are going to show up and not leave, like, "I could have gotten that for free at home." 

So, the approach: We're going to give them what they like, but we're also going to play around with the format. We're going to give them interactive stuff with the crowd. You remember at Radio City, we brought some people up to play Flip Cup. There was a show where we did karaoke. We played around with the format to make it feel new and fresh. We also used it to be experimental. Years ago, I had tried doing open mic standup. I didn't feel it was right for me at the time, but then we went out there and tried it as a duo. Then we tried it as solos — [Joe] having his set, me having my set. 

We wanted to hone in on what we could do to make [the live shows] feel unique, fun, and memorable, and in doing that, each one truly was different. Of course, there were little sets and moments here and there that were us working out our own material, but we wanted to do what we could to give every single show a truly individual, unique experience.

BuzzFeed: Having been to two of your live shows, the room is so supportive and so excited. And everyone who is there is there because they truly want to be. 

Frank: I can't speak enough about our fanbase and the people who have been around since day one, and the people who'll find us today or tomorrow, and get into the show. They have been incredibly supportive. When we record the podcast, for a while it was just Joe and me in the room, and now we have our producer Ant in there, and it's just us three. So, you don't know what's going to resonate. After that first show, where people showed up and showed out, we were like wow. And I think every show that we've done, we've been consistently amazed at not just the people that physically show up, but, like, the energy they're bringing, too. It's overwhelming. And again, I don't want to toot our own horn, but I do think a part of that is because they know they're getting real people. 

Frank: We ended our Radio City show with it, and it's a go-to: "Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen. I mean, if we're gonna throw some Hamilton in there, I will do almost anything from Hamilton, but definitely "My Shot." I can kind of show off with the whole performance part of it. Then I gotta slow it down. I've been listening to a lot of yacht rock lately, and a song that I love so much is "Brandy" by Looking Glass. It's a song that everyone kind of knows. You're at a karaoke spot, you had a couple of drinks, you hear that, and you're just like, this is setting a nice mood and vibe. 

Frank: Anyone from SNL. I mean, again, we grew up idolizing all of them. I think we'd be great friends with Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, and anyone from that crew. The Lonely Island guys are also incredible. They do a show with Seth Meyers. Those would be awesome. I think we'd get along with someone like Kevin Hart. He's a funny guy. He seems to have a good sense of humor. Jack Black. These are people we've grown up idolizing. 

Frank: The Dr. Mike thing and the Rhett and Link thing were so cool because they are such a standard for what people are trying to do in this age of social media. And when we met them, they're kind, incredible, funny, and smart. And it's like, whoa, they know us. That was cool, plus there've been some random ones online, like follows and stuff here and there, that are really cool.

But memorable interactions with fans: We get letters at a lot of our shows — just people explaining how much they appreciate what the show did for them. We stop, we read them, we reflect on them, and it means a lot to us. We are really appreciative. 

There was one show where someone had written a card in, and they said, "I was supposed to come here with my brother, but then he unexpectedly passed a couple of weeks ago. But I'm still here, and I brought his ashes." It's just, wow. We were a connection for that familial relationship, and then for that person to still want to experience that with us; it's sobering, you know. And then we also needed to be ourselves with it. So, we're just like, alright, we'll give them a little shit and joke about it. I don't want to [joke about] overly personal things, but you need to take the piss out of it a little bit because if you sit there and you wallow in it with that other person, then it's going to be like, "Well, this is sad." 

Frank: I get so much joy out of this thing my wife and I have where we'll lie in bed, she'll watch her programs, and I'll sit there and play video games on the Switch or something. I'm a big, big fan of video games. I'm a huge baseball fan, too — baseball's back! I love playing Pokémon; obviously, it's the 30th anniversary this year, so I've been playing a lot of Pokémon. MLB: The Show is out. I've been playing a ton of that. 

I go through and rewatch shows randomly. So, I just did a rewatch of The Office. I just did a rewatch of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I also just did a rewatch of all the Jackass movies. It's such a weird thing to get comfort from because, like, you're seeing people put themselves through intense bodily harm or things that are disgusting and make you want to throw up. It's just fun, goofy stuff that keeps it light. I mean, I would be lying if I didn't say that the world and its current direction are a little scary for me. So I really try to watch things that keep it light and fun. I try to stay off my phone as much as I can. Like I said, I protect my time at home as much as I possibly can.

Frank: I am a huge fan of Arrested Development. It's so, so, so good. I would like to think that Joe and I would have a podcast, and we would talk smack about the Bluth family and basically be at odds with them. Michael's trying to get us on his side and help with the family image, Gob's trying to do something to get back at us, and then Buster accidentally gets us into a seal tank, and we get our arms bitten off. 

Frank: The award was presented to us by Hannah and Paige, from Giggly Squad, which, you know, speak of a dream collab. That would be incredible. People have consistently brought up us being two sides of the same coin — gender-swapped versions of each other. We got to meet them before the show and talk back and forth. Again, incredibly nice people, funny, kind. 

The presentation of one of the awards happened first, and we didn't win that one, and I mean, oh man, to lose to Amy Poehler! But I went in pessimistic, like, "We're not going to win anything, guys." But like, truly feeling that. But then [the win] happened, and having [Hannah and Paige] present it to us was cool. I just turned around, kissed my wife, and then I blacked out a little from there. I think on stage I said I was going to piss my pants, which, you know, hindsight, uh, probably not the best move. But it was just, again, a moment of validation. A moment like that, and to be awarded for what a lot of people have expressed is the core of the show, our dynamic, while up against the people in that category that have great dynamics, too, was sobering. For me, it invites a moment of reflection. Like, okay, you're doing something right, you're not crazy, your world's not going to crumble tomorrow. It was nice; it was really nice.

Frank: She is such a source of comfort for me. I go and do the show and try to be goofy and silly and funny, but then there is a bit where you have to come down to reality. And I got lucky where I not only met but married someone who truly makes me feel like the person that I am. I don't need to be a character for her. And that sense of comfort, it's priceless. 

And, the same dynamic that Joey and I have, where we'll riff and we'll make each other laugh, Becca and I have that, too. We sit there, and we make each other cry laughing. Obviously, it's about different things, because we have a life with kids, a home, and stuff like that. But she has consistently been the person who has motivated me to step out of my comfort zone. I am a scaredy-cat when it comes to decisions in life. The only decision I never, ever thought twice about was proposing to and marrying her. Everything else, in terms of leaving my job in order to do The Basement Yard full-time, and other things, she's been the one that has always motivated me and given me not a push but a calm, reassuring hand on the back, or she's been holding my hand and saying, "Let's go through this together."

I love love; I'm a big fan of it. One of our buddies got married in the fall of 2024, and I was very emotional, and everyone was just like, "Are you all right?" And I was like, "I just love that somebody else is going to find their version of what my wife is for me."

Everything that we have gotten the opportunity to do wouldn't be possible without her. When we see people at the shows, and they're like, "Oh my god, congrats. You guys put together a good show," the reality is: I'm not doing that if my wife isn't holding down the fort at home, and doing it with grace. For anyone who has kids, solo parenting is wild. Now, solo parenting, on top of having a husband who has notoriety online, that brings its own struggles. Just the way that she's handled all that and motivated me — I don't know how I got so lucky.

And there are times when we get to do some of the stuff together, and it makes it even more rewarding. She was able to come to the iHeart show in Texas, and that made it 50 times better. Same with Seth Meyers. A lot of the shows I've done where she can't make it, I feel like there's a part of me missing. Sometimes, for work, you need to bury that to go out there and do your thing. So when she's able to make it happen and be there, it's the best. 

The dynamic you get with me and Joey is really us, and a big part of who I am now is the woman I married. I'll sing her praises because there's nothing I can do or say that would truly make up for what she has given me in life. Not just with this, but, like, three kids, you know? She's an incredible wife. She's an incredible homemaker. She gave me three children. She's made every dream of mine come true. So, I will always sing her praises because it'll never be enough. 

Frank: Honestly, the way that life has worked out, I don't know if I would say anything to kind of steer [myself] in any other direction. It has all led me to where I am today, which is unlike anything I ever could have imagined. And I'm an overthinker. So if I tell myself something at 13, he's gonna figure out a way to screw it up. 

I think: Continue to live life with positivity, joy, and humor, and see where that takes you. And allow [yourself] to make the mistakes that [you're] going to make, because boy oh boy, there were a couple when I was 13, and between then and now. Twenty years. Jesus Christ. 

Frank: I want to, for lack of a better term, strike while the iron is hot. I think that we have a lot of momentum as a unit, but also as individuals, and I want to explore some different skills — that I may or may not have —and see where that may take me. I think that Joey and I, all of us, have an interesting story, and we're just trying to figure out what we can do to convey the messaging and the themes of that story. I think people will see our situation and be like, "Oh man, it's incredible." But there's a lot that goes into it. The way that people are trying to make money today on social media and gain a following online brings its challenges, trials, and tribulations. So, I don't know. Let's see where things may take us. But I definitely know that I want to try to flex some creative muscles and see what skills we do or don't have.

Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.