HATE TO BREAK IT TO YA with Jamie Kennedy

This week on Hate To Break It To Ya I sat down with Jerry O'Connell — actor, TV host, husband, dad, and one of my genuinely old friends from the Hollywood trenches — and we went for almost two hours without coming up for air. That's always a good sign.

Jerry and I go way back to the Scream 2 days, and we've never really told this story in public before. So we did. All of it. Growing up as a child actor after Stand By Me, what it actually felt like to step into the Scream universe, how that cast became a real family, and why Hollywood friendships drift even when they shouldn't. We talk marriage, kids, L.A. loyalty, gender, social media, getting older, and what it means to still be working and still be standing after decades in this industry.

Jerry's one of the most naturally funny, disarmingly honest guys I know. He's also not afraid to go there. This one's got some real moments.

About Jerry O'Connell Jerry O'Connell is an actor, producer, and television host whose career spans four decades. He broke out as a child actor in Rob Reiner's Stand By Me alongside River Phoenix, went on to star in Scream 2, Sliders, and Kangaroo Jack, and has remained a working force in Hollywood ever since. He currently co-hosts The Talk on CBS and is married to model and actress Rebecca Romijn, with whom he has twin daughters.

Follow Jerry O'Connell 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjerryoc
X:https://x.com/MrJerryOC

Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Reuniting after the Scream 2 years and how they bonded on set
00:10:00 – Growing up as a child actor, Stand By Me, and River Phoenix
00:20:00 – Stepping into the Scream franchise and trying to fit in with an established cast
00:35:00 – Scream 3, the sequels, and what the cast thinks of them now
00:45:00 – The Scream 7 premiere invite situation and Paramount years
00:55:00 – Hollywood friendships, dating in L.A., and the single years
01:05:00 – Rebecca Romijn, marriage, and life in the Valley
01:20:00 – Getting older, social media, and why Jerry doesn't post
01:32:00 – Stand By Me memories and being recognized by sanitation workers
01:37:00 – A debate on gender, speech, and saying what you think
01:45:00 – Never leaving Los Angeles and the state of the city
01:52:00 – Jerry's new movie Last Resort and the wrap-up

Support the Pod 💥 Patreon: patreon.com/thejamiekennedy 

🎟️ Tour Dates: jamiekennedy.com 

👕 Merch: jamiekennedy.com/merch 

📺 Subscribe: youtube.com/@jamiekennedycomedy

Jerry O'Connell, Hate To Break It To Ya, Jamie Kennedy podcast, Scream 2 cast, Stand By Me, Hollywood friendships, The Talk CBS, child actors Hollywood, Rebecca Romijn, Los Angeles podcast, 90s actors, Jerry O'Connell interview 2025

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This week on Hate To Break It To Ya I sat down with Concrete, comedian, content creator, and Power 106 morning show host, and we didn't stop talking for almost two hours. That's usually a good sign.

This one covers a lot of ground: growing up first-generation Mexican-American in San Fernando, rapping alongside Nipsey Hussle as teenagers, losing his best friend at the peak of everything, walking away from music, picking up a camera, getting every piece of gear stolen on Miracle Mile, and then sitting in a Jack in the Box drive-thru at 33 years old deciding to bet it all on comedy. Two and a half years later, he's selling out theaters.

We also get into what's actually happening in Latin comedy right now. Why the audiences are there, why the industry is finally catching up, and what it means to build something real without the machine behind you. Concrete is one of the most honest guys I've talked to on this show. You'll hear it.

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About Concrete
Concrete is a comedian, content creator, and morning show host on Power 106 in Los Angeles. A San Fernando Valley native and first-generation Mexican-American, he spent over a decade directing music videos and building a following through character-driven sketch comedy before transitioning to live stand-up. In under three years, he went from bombing his first set to headlining sold-out theaters and casino rooms across the country. He stars in Clicker, released through Sony/Columbia Pictures and currently streaming on Netflix, and his next self-produced project Match Included is heading to Amazon Prime.
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Follow Concrete
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concreteliveYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@concretecomedyPower 106 – Morning Show, Mon–Fri, 6–10AM PT

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Discussed in this episode:
00:00:00 – Growing up in San Fernando and the Vegas Horseshoe billboard moment
00:11:20 – Rapping with Nipsey Hussle, getting signed, and losing his best friend
00:24:00 – Walking away from music, faking an accounting job, and picking up a camera
00:34:45 – Directing music videos, learning film at the New York Film Academy
00:43:00 – How social media replaced the club circuit as the new audition tape
00:53:30 – Bombing his first comedy set, then selling out eight shows in two hours
01:04:00 – The difference between being funny online and being funny on stage
01:13:30 – The Clicka movie, Hollywood agents, and why he's still unsigned
01:23:00 – The Latin comedy explosion, arena dreams, and a possible collab

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Support the Pod
💥 Patreon: patreon.com/thejamiekennedy
🎟️ Tour Dates: jamiekennedy.com
👕 Merch: jamiekennedy.com/merch
📺 Subscribe: youtube.com/@jamiekennedycomedy
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In this solo episode of Hate To Break It To Ya, I get into the fireball and UFO footage that keeps showing up on TikTok and disappearing just as fast. Orbs, plasma, fireballs over Indonesia — and nobody's following up. Not CNN, not Fox. I'm starting to think we're right on the edge of the biggest disclosure in human history and everyone's just watching the national championship.

From there I react to Trump's Easter Sunday press conference — delivered with a giant Easter Bunny standing right next to him. The speech itself was fine. The visual is something else entirely.

Then we get into Coachella, which I think has become the Olympics of narcissism. People aren't going to experience things anymore — they're going to prove they were there. I tell a story about Leonardo DiCaprio that I think explains the whole thing better than anything else I could say.

Sabrina Carpenter gets canceled for her reaction to an Arabic vocal trill during her Coachella set. The internet goes after her hard. I break down why that reaction is overblown, what actually happened, and why we've handed microphones to people who have nothing useful to say.

Then Ali Siddiq drops some green room truth that shouldn't even need to be said — and I back him up completely. The green room belongs to the headliner. Full stop. And the fact that young comics are arguing about this tells you everything about where we're at as a society. We don't live in a meritocracy anymore. We live in an inclusive autocracy where everybody gets a trophy. The problem is, if everybody's special, nobody is.

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Timestamps:

00:02 UFOs, fireballs, and why nobody's following up

05:42 Waymos, delivery bots, and GTA in LA

08:48 Trump's Easter Sunday speech with the Easter Bunny

12:01 Unhinged political freakout clip

14:53 Sunflowers turning away from the sun

15:20 Cows avoiding sunlight after the eclipse

17:47 The pool pee debate

19:42 People losing it at fast food restaurants

20:01 Phil's Coffee pulls pride flags

26:08 Jaden Ivey fired by the Bulls over NBA Pride comments

32:42 Coachella is a narcissism competition

35:10 What actually makes something cool

39:38 The Leonardo DiCaprio story

46:52 Sabrina Carpenter gets canceled at Coachella

53:43 Green room rules every comic should know

55:24 Meritocracy is dead — we live in an inclusive autocracy

57:08 Popularity vs. greatness in the social media era

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Support the Pod

💥 Patreon: patreon.com/thejamiekennedy

🎟 Tour Dates: jamiekennedy.com

👕 Merch: https://jamiekennedy.com

📺 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@jamiekennedycomedy
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In this episode, I sit down with Jamie Hanshaw Dyer for a conversation that goes way beyond surface-level takes on Hollywood and culture. We get into her personal journey from falling deep into conspiracy research to exploring spirituality, religion, and how she now sees the world.

We talk about what it’s actually like to go down the rabbit hole, how media and symbolism shape the way people think, and why so many people feel like something isn’t quite right with modern culture. This one isn’t just about theories—it’s about what happens when your entire perspective on reality starts to shift.

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About Jamie:
Jamie Hanshaw Dyer is a writer, researcher, and content creator known for her work analyzing Hollywood symbolism, media influence, and cultural narratives. She has spent years studying conspiracy theories, religion, and philosophy, and now focuses on discussing spirituality and Orthodox Christianity alongside her husband, Jay Dyer.

Follow Jamie:
X: https://www.x.com/@JamieLHanshaw

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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction, Oscars & Hollywood Symbolism

09:10 Conspiracy Curiosity, Self-Education & Early Research

18:45 MKUltra, Trauma & Personality Fragmentation

28:30 Celebrity Alter Egos, Media Programming & Disney Influence

39:15 Magic, Occult Practices & Writing Her First Book

52:00 War, Mysticism & Hidden Motives Behind Conflict

01:06:30 Religion, Orthodoxy & Finding Meaning

01:20:45 Gender Roles, Feminism & Cultural Shifts

01:36:40 Work, Family Structure & Industrial-Era Changes

01:46:00 Hollywood Symbolism Revisited & Closing Thoughts
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Support the Pod
💥 Patreon: patreon.com/thejamiekennedy
🎟 Tour Dates: jamiekennedy.com
👕 Merch: https://jamiekennedy.com
📺 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@jamiekennedycomedy
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In this solo episode, I react to the Druski controversy and get into a bigger question that comedy keeps running into: what counts as acting, what counts as parody, and where people draw the line. I talk about transformation, hidden camera, why I’ve always seen character work as real acting, and why comedy still doesn’t get the same respect as drama.

From there I get into some of my old JKX characters, the Virginia Ham clip, social media backlash, internet comedy culture, Hollywood’s obsession with safety, and why so much of the entertainment world feels arrogant and out of touch right now. Then it turns into one of those classic Worlds on Fire rides through media, scandals, airports, culture, and relationships.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Druski controversy, dark parody and where comedy crosses the line
04:42 Why transformation, disguise and comedy still count as acting
14:52 Virginia Ham, JKX and the blackface vs character argument
24:24 Tropic Thunder, hidden camera logic and responding to critics
28:24 Kimberly, New Orleans and the new internet comedy culture
46:40 Mormons, reality TV scandal and why ABC dropped the ball
55:58 Hollywood, originality, Oscars politics and safe entertainment
59:24 Australia shelves, airport chaos and what the news is missing
1:13:11 Provider culture, Burger King hypotheticals and dating standards

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Support the Pod
💥 Patreon: patreon.com/thejamiekennedy
🎟 Tour Dates: jamiekennedy.com
👕 Merch: https://jamiekennedy.com/merch/
📺 Subscribe: YouTube.com/JamieKennedyComedy
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