Young Men Leading a Religious Resurgence + Rickey Smiley + Kirk Cameron

May 28, 2025

Rickey Smiley, a legendary comedian and radio host, shares heartfelt stories about grief and his journey through tragedy, revealing how faith and comedy intertwine. He reminisces about his Alabama roots while discussing the importance of therapy and stability in the chaotic entertainment world. Kirk Cameron, known for his roles in faith-based projects, delves into family dynamics as a grandfather and the challenges of modern parenting. He highlights his new children's show and advocates for leadership grounded in competence amid societal shifts.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Rickey Smiley on son's loss

Rickey Smiley shared the heartbreaking loss of his son Brandon who was a comedian.
He explained how this tragedy tested his faith and motivated him to keep working and inspire others.

ANECDOTE

Rickey's Alabama Roots and Family

Rickey Smiley was raised by his grandparents after his father's early death.
He described his Alabama upbringing and his mother's long-term job at Arby's, shaping his views on fast food.

ADVICE

Therapy as Active Self-Care

Adam Carolla emphasized the therapeutic value of dedicating time weekly to self-reflection.
He likened therapy and church to important routines for mental clarity and personal growth.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Legendary comedian and radio host Rickey Smiley joins Adam in studio to talk about his new comedy special FOOLISH, dropping May 30th on Hulu. Rickey opens up about grief, faith, and the heartbreaking loss of his son Brandon in 2023. He shares how leaning on his spirituality has helped him—and others—through tragedy, and why therapy, faith, and hands-on work like being a pilot or a mechanic can keep comedians grounded. Adam opens up about his own envy of Rickey’s faith, and the two connect over the importance of staying sane in a chaotic world. Rickey also shares stories from his Alabama upbringing, being raised by his grandparents, and why his mom working at Arby’s left him with strong opinions about fast food.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller jumps in for the news of the day, including a $30,000 cocktail, Joe Rogan’s turn toward Christianity, the DNC’s multi-million dollar plan to figure out how to talk to men, Russia’s continued Olympic ban, and Adam's take on a controversially named pill.

To close out the show, Kirk Cameron zooms in to talk about becoming a grandfather, the pitfalls of relying on Alexa to parent your kids, and his hope for a country led by competent adults. He also plugs his new kids’ show Iggy & Mr. Kirk, now streaming on Brave+. Get it on.

FOR MORE WITH RICKEY SMILEY:

INSTAGRAM: @rickeysmileyofficial

HULU SPECIAL: Fool-ish

FOR MORE WITH KIRK CAMERON:

INSTAGRAM: @kirkcameronofficial

BRAVE PLUS: Iggy & Mr. Kirk www.braveplus.com

FOR MORE WITH JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER:

INSTAGRAM: @mayhemmiller

TWITTER: @mayhemmiller

Watch The Adam Carolla Show:

youtube.com/@TheAdamCarollaShow1

rumble.com/TheAdamCarollaShow

Thank you for supporting our sponsors:

LIVE SHOWS:

May 30 - Tacoma, WA (2 shows)
May 31 - Tacoma, WA (2 shows)
June 1 - Spokane, WA (2 shows)
June 11 - Palm Springs, CA
June 13 - Salt Lake City, UT (2 shows)
June 14 - Salt Lake City, UT (2 shows)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.