♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from New York City,
the only city in America, it's The Daily Show.
Tonight-- Kim Jong Un works on his aim,
recasting L.A.'s mayor,
and Bobby Brown.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah!
(cheers and applause)
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The Daily Show.
I'm Trevor Noah. Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for coming in in person. Wow.
That feels amazing. Take a seat.
Take a seat, everybody. Let's do this.
Take a seat. Let's get into it.
We've got a really fun, jam-packed show for you today.
North Korea is acting the fool again,
Joe Biden wants to speak to the manager,
and we're going to explore the worst ways
to celebrate Juneteenth.
Plus, legendary R&B artist Bobby Brown is joining us
on the show, and we're going
to be having a really fascinating conversation
about the whirlwind life that he has lived.
So let's do this, people.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
-♪ ♪ -(applause and cheering)
Okay. Let's kick things off with North Korea,
voted "Korea of the Year" by North Korea Magazine
-for the past three decades. -(laughter)
A few years ago, most people thought
the only way the world was going to end was
if North Korea's marshmallow dictator decided
to kick off a nuclear apocalypse.
But since then, we've all learned
that there are actually many ways the world could end.
It could be a global pandemic.
It could be Russia starting a world war.
It could be Apple letting you edit iMessages.
"I didn't say that."
So, obviously, people haven't been paying as much attention
to North Korea lately, which is probably why
Kim Jong Un has decided to remind us that he still exists.
We're going to turn to North Korea
launching a new round of missile tests.
The regime firing off eight rockets over the weekend,
and the U.S. and South Korea launching missiles in response
in a show of force.
NEWSWOMAN: The U.S. and South Korea sent eight
surface-to-surface missiles into the sea.
That's after North Korea did the same just hours earlier.
There is no direct communication that we know of
between the Biden administration and the North Korean regime.
So instead, both sides seem to be communicating
through missile launches.
Huh. The U.S. and North Korea are communicating
using missile launches?
-That's adorable. -(laughter)
It really is. It's so different.
"Missile, missile. You up?"
"Missile, missile. Nuh-uh."
No, for real. That actually sounds like a couple
that really needs therapy. You know, it's just like,
"And what do you do when she shuts you out?"
"I launch missiles."
"And what are we are supposed to do?"
"Talk to the U.N."
(laughter)
You know, people say
that Black people and white people can't get along.
But I don't know what hope there is in the world
if North and South Korea can't even get along. Yeah.
They're both Korean looking at the other one like,
"These (bleep) Koreans, man!"
(laughter)
And you know who I feel really bad for?
Those missiles. Yeah.
The missiles that were shot into the ocean.
Because think about it.
They think they have a specific purpose
to blow up in glorious combat, but then,
they just end up being used for a show.
It must hurt their feelings.
It's like being a condom
that gets put on a banana for sex ed class.
-(laughter) -I was meant for greater things, damn it!
No, but joking aside, though, joking aside,
I want to be serious for a moment here
because let me get this straight.
North Korea and South Korea
and the United States are now launching missile after missile
into the ocean,
but I'm not allowed to use plastic straws? Huh?
Is that right? Is that right?
I'm out here trying to do my part
using a straw that dissolves the second I put it into my drink.
The second I put it in.
It's gone.
I don't even know what I'm drinking in.
"What are you having, Trevor?" Oh, a tequila paper mache.
Yeah, I saved a turtle--
the one that got shot by a ballistic missile!
And what does the ocean have to do with our beef, huh?
Those creatures are down there just trying to live their lives.
They don't need to deal with missiles from human conflicts.
Can you imagine what it's like for them?
(Jamaican accent): Ariel, life is better under the sea.
We rule in the waves,
the fish swim in the seaweed.
We're--
Aah! Aah!
Oh, no! Oh, no! Everybody's dead.
Everybody's dead!
The fish are all dead under the sea.
Ariel don't got no legs or a head.
And the worst part is having my accent
makes me sound jolly even when I'm not.
This is where I wish I was from Germany.
This accent doesn't convey the tragedy
of this terrible crime that's happened
under the sea!
(regular accent): But enough about those
North Korean missile strikes.
There are bigger threats here at home, people,
that we need to deal with.
And, yes, I'm talking about
the danger of trans children playing sports.
Which, luckily, lawmakers in Ohio
are ready to take a really hard look at.
So, as we enter Pride Month,
the GOP-controlled Ohio state legislature
passing one of the most extreme trans sports bans
we've seen to date.
Uh, that bill including a shocking provision
that calls for examining the genitals
of female athletes who are "accused of being trans."
NEWSWOMAN: The proposed rules would prohibit any trans girl
from competing with cisgender girls.
It also has a verification requirement
if I somebody is accused of being trans.
The bill says if someone is suspected to be trans,
she must go through evaluations
of her external and internal genitalia,
testosterone levels and genetic makeup.
Yeah, that's right, America, you asked lawmakers
to protect your kids from guns, and they said,
"We got you. We're gonna look at your kids' genitals."
Uh, I feel like there was a miscommunication there.
Because, which one do you think is more traumatizing
to your kid? Honest question.
What do you think's more traumatizing to a child:
them losing a race in high school
or them winning the race
and then having to get probed by a doctor
to see if their genitals are, what, the right size?
Because it's bad enough to target trans girls, but you-
you understand this law actually targets all girls, right?
Or at least all the girls who are "too good" at the sport.
Yeah, 'cause you know how this is gonna turn out.
I've seen enough American parents beating each other up
at Little League games to know
that this is gonna be weaponized to win a game.
It's only a matter of time before a softball pitcher
strikes out three girls in a row and then a parent's gonna
rush the field like, "Genital check!
"No way she's throwing 95 with two X chromosomes!
No ways! Show me that (bleep)!"
"Dad!"
Who are they gonna find to do these examinations, huh?
Who's even gonna do this? What, every dude
wearing one of those "female body inspector" T-shirts?
Are they gonna be drafted into service now?
"No, it was just a joke.
I don't actually have any training in this area."
(laughter)
So, obviously, you understand
why there's backlash to this bill.
In fact, some doctors in Ohio are saying
that they refuse to investigate children's genitals
as part of this law. Yeah.
-(cheering and applause) -Which is good, but...
I mean...
I also don't agree with it, you know.
If they wanted to stand back
and do nothing to keep our kids safe,
then they should have become police officers.
-All right, finally... -(audience gasps, murmurs)
-(cheering and applause) -Too true?
-Too real? -(laughter)
All right, finally, as you may know,
a couple of weeks from now,
America will be celebrating Juneteenth,
the holiday commemorating the end of slavery.
Or, as Tucker Carlson would put it,
the day millions of African Americans
became unemployed. Is that progress?
Anyway, because Juneteenth is now a federal holiday,
more people are celebrating than ever before.
The only problem is
not everyone knows the best way to celebrate.
NEWSWOMAN: Walmart is under fire for selling Juneteenth products
that some people say are tone-deaf and insensitive.
The products have been lambasted by many online
after pictures of Juneteenth ice cream
and party supplies surfaced.
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
is apologizing after backlash
to a Juneteenth-inspired food item in its cafeteria.
The museum offered the Juneteenth watermelon salad.
The museum released a statement saying in part,
"As a museum, we apologize
"and acknowledge the negative impact
that stereotypes have on communities of color."
Oh, this shit pisses me off so much.
How are you gonna make a Juneteenth ice cream? Huh?!
I hope they took it all off the shelves
and they got rid of it. In fact, I don't trust them.
I hope they send it here to The Daily Show,
and I'll-I'll deal with it personally.
Oh, every single one of those ice...
And any other ideas they have for ice cream,
they better send them here.
(laughter and applause)
Just what a random... What are you doing?
What are doing?
You know, apart from the watermelon,
Black people stereotypes,
it's amazing to me how America does this.
Like, they turn every meaningful holiday
into an excuse to spend money.
Like, that's part of the problem here.
You don't need to sell things for Juneteenth.
Juneteenth wasn't even a mainstream thing last year.
Think about it. But now, already,
they've turned it into a day of merch.
And-and look, I mean, I-I'm not hating.
You know? We-we do it, too, here on the show.
Yeah. I mean, this whole segment is brought to you
by Taco Bell's brand-new flaming Juneteenth gorditas.
Taco Bell: emancipate your taste buds.
-(bell rings) -(grunting)
(cheering and applause)
All right, that's it for the headlines.
But before we go, let's check in on traffic
with our very own Roy Wood Jr., everybody!
(cheering and applause)
-Hello. -What up, Roy?
What's up, man?
-Good to see you, Roy. Good to see you. -Yeah, man.
Good to be here.
-Good to be here, man. -So, uh,
let's jump into it, Roy. What's happening in the traffic?
Let's jump into these roads. R-Real quick, though,
before do I the traffic,
you got something you want to say to me?
Uh, uh, good evening, Roy.
You don't... You don't have nothing to say to me?
-Nothing like... -Like-like what?
Like I was right?
You don't... You don't... You don't...
You don't want to tell me I was right?
About... You-you remember what I said last week?
-On the show? -Yes, on the show.
Remember last week, we was talking about the-the...
Biden was sending all the weapons to Ukraine and Russia
-and all that. -Oh, yeah, the Russian... The Russians, yeah.
And I said all we had to do to get Russia to slow down
was just buck a couple of missiles in the air.
Pop, pop, pop.
And then what'd North Korea do?
What'd they do?
They shot the missiles.
-And then what'd we do? -Shot the missiles back.
Did North Korea shoot a missile back after we shot that missile
after they shot their missile?
-No, they did not. -I was right.
That's what I told you.
-I was right. -(cheering and applause)
And you don't remember that.
-No, you... -No, but you're looking--
Show him the picture! Show him the picture!
-What... -That's me.
That's me being right last week.
That's me last week being right.
That is you being right.
-Yeah, man. I got some-- lot-lot of good ideas, man. -Yeah.
-Seems-seems like a good idea. -Well, it's a good thing
that somebody from the Biden administration
is watching this show and got that idea from me.
And then went and shot the missiles back at North Korea.
I don't-- I don't know if that's happening.
That's what you supposed to do.
When somebody act bad, you supposed to bup, bup.
It's like Boyz n the Hood.
-I keep telling you. -Oh, yeah. Back--
-It's Boyz-- It's exactly like... -It's like Ice Cube
in Boyz n the Hood. "We got a problem here?
We got a problem?"
Matter of fact, let me talk to Biden. Which one--
Give me one of them cameras. The-the-- J-Joe Biden,
shoot another missile.
-What? No. -Shoot another missile. Let 'em know.
I got a lot of ideas, man. I got a lot of ideas.
You're just gonna tell him to shoot-- No. No more missiles.
I didn't say hit the country. Just, you know, phoom,
like, right past, you know?
(laughs) No.
No. No more missiles.
What's-what's happening in the traffic?
Oh, you want the traffic. That's my bad.
Want to do the traffic.
The-- Here's the thing about that watermelon salad.
Yes.
First of all, this is part of the problem
with them trying to get CRT out of schools.
Now they're just slapping it on all the food
and trying to sneak Black history on you...
-(laughs) -...in the middle of the damn day
while you trying to eat some salad.
And that-that's just too much, man.
So you-you don't want a Juneteenth salad?
No. (stammers) What-what I-- what I feel, dawg, is that...
we tried with Juneteenth. We tried.
-Okay. -We tried to celebrate it collectively as a group.
It didn't work. We got to give it back to Black people.
This is just ours and we'll just take it
and we'll just celebrate it by ourself,
-with nobody else involved. -(cheering and applause)
It's just certain stuff that just got to stay Black.
We just got to keep it Black. We tried.
(stammers) Certain stuff is just for us.
It just-- Don't make a share.
We got to keep Juneteenth. Got to keep Kwanzaa.
We got to keep Essence Festival.
We'll take Bobby Brown.
Just certain stuff is ours.
It's just ours.
So the-the holiday would only be for Black Americans then?
No, it's not f...
It's like... (stammers)
It's our holiday. It's-it's separate,
but it's... equal.
See? You're trying to throw me off.
-This is all I'm saying, man. -I-I didn't say anything.
-I just asked a question. -No, all I'm s-- all I'm saying
is that you don't have to put history in everything.
The salad looked good.
That's the thing that was so sad about it.
Had the little feta cheese. It had the vinaigrette in there.
-I saw that. -You didn't have to put "Juneteenth" on it.
All-- You had me at "watermelon."
-(laughs) -(cheering and applause)
That's all you had to do.
But it's cool.
It's cool.
I'm-a do the traffic. You want me to do the traffic, man?
-I... -Oh, man.
Do we even have time for traffic?
No, we...
I mean, it's traffic, man. If you live here,
then don't-- it's messed up. If you...
If you know where that is, then you know not to go there.
Don't go there.
Back to you.
(cheering and applause)
Thank you so much. Roy Wood Jr.
When we come back, we're gonna be taking a look
at L.A.'s biggest casting decision.
You don't want to miss it. (laughing)
(cheering and applause)
(applause and cheering)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
The midterm elections are five months away, which means
you still have five months
to figure out who your congressperson is.
But midterm primary season is already in full swing,
and in Los Angeles tomorrow, there is a major election
that will likely decide who the next mayor is.
So, let's see what's going on in L.A.
in our ongoing coverage of Votedemic 2022.
♪ ♪
(applause and cheering)
Los Angeles-- it's the best place to live
if you like sunshine, good vibes and the occasional earthquake.
Whoa! I got to tweet that.
Now, as America's second biggest city
and its number one producer of disgruntled Lakers supporters,
they, for the last eight years, have been led by Eric Garcetti,
but now's he leaving, because, you see,
being a mayor was a side gig he was doing
until he finally landed an acting role
on Grey's Anatomy. It's very exciting. Yeah.
He's the guy who comes in screaming,
"Is this the hospital?!"
Gripping performance.
Which means it's now time for L.A. to pick a new mayor,
and when this race began, there was a clear frontrunner--
Congresswoman Karen Bass, right?
She has a decade of experience in congress,
and a couple years ago, she was nearly picked
to be Joe Biden's vice president. Yeah.
-She was this close to ruining her life. -(laughter)
Now, now, Congresswoman Bass has the full support
of the party establishment in this race.
And that meant that she was going to win.
For much of the campaign, she had a clear lead in the polls.
But that was all until this happened.
NEWSWOMAN: 63-year-old billionaire developer
and philanthropist Rick Caruso is joining a crowded field
of candidates who intend to run for L.A. mayor.
Caruso is well-known for his real estate company
that built shopping areas
like The Grove and Americana at Brand.
NEWSWOMAN 2: One of the world's most successful developers.
His crown jewel-- The Grove at Farmer's Market.
The shopping mecca is said to draw
more people than Disneyland.
NEWSMAN: Caruso used to be a Republican
and only changed his registration to Democrat
one month before announcing his run.
I really want to reinvent the Democratic Party
to go back to what it was, I think, 30 years ago.
Can I... can I ask you an honest question?
Why do so many politicians want
to go back in time, but never forward?
-Like, they always say that. -(applause and cheering)
"I want to go back."
"Take the Democratic party back 30 years."
"Make America great again."
"Bring back the good old days."
People, we already tried the past.
That is how we ended up here. You realize that?
Like, for once, I want a politician to say,
"I don't want to go 30 years in the past.
"I want to go 30 years into the future,
when there's no more flooding
"because global warming boiled off all the water!
Aah! Aah!"
But I'm not surprised Rick Caruso
wants to go back 30 years, though.
Remember, he makes malls. 30 years ago
was a great time for mall developers.
Yeah, back in the '90s, you remember that?
People spent all day at the mall.
You'd spend hours there, shopping, eating,
sitting in the massage chair at The Sharper Image
with no intention of ever buying anything.
But then you would ask a lot of questions
to make it seem like you might. You'd just be like,
"So, does-does it also do the lower torso? Uh-huh? Yeah?
"Oh. Oh, yeah. And what's the power wattage?
"Oh, okay, cool. What-what time do you close?
"You know, I'm gonna go and grab-- I can't carry the ch--
"I'll come back. I'm ju-I'm-ju-
"Yeah, I'll be ba-- I want to make sure
"you get the commission. Yeah, yeah, thank you,
thank you very much, thank you, thank you."
Hard to believe that place went out of business.
So, billionaire Rick Caruso,
a longtime Republican who turned Democrat just for this election,
is now running neck-and-neck with a liberal politician
everyone expected to win.
And if you are wondering how that could happen
in Los Angeles, a city so liberal
you can legally marry your electric car,
well, it's because
he has a ton of money and a very clear message.
The most expensive race in the country,
uh, Rick Caruso spending more than any other candidate
in any race anywhere.
NEWSMAN: Rick Caruso spent nearly $40 million,
much of it his own money. Meanwhile,
Congresswoman Karen Bass and the other candidates
have spent very little.
NEWSMAN 2: He's achieved air supremacy on television spots,
most of them focusing on the top two issues
voters care about, according to the poll:
crime and homelessness.
ANNOUNCER: Murder up 54%. Nearly 1,500 shooting victims.
A wave of property crime. There's one candidate for mayor
who can turn it around. Rick Caruso.
NEWSMAN 3: Caruso's stance on public safety is resonating,
as he has four times the support
to address the rise in crime over Bass.
Normally, I would vote for Karen Bass, but I think
I'm leaning toward Caruso.
NEWSWOMAN: Why? He thinks the biggest issue in L.A. is...
LACOUR: Getting these people off the streets.
NEWSWOMAN: And you think Caruso will-will do that?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's right, Caruso has surged
to the top of the pack with a focus on crime and especially
homelessness, which is a top concern of L.A. voters.
And I guess, I mean, it makes sense
that they think the mall guy can solve the problem.
Malls solve a lot of America's problems.
Problems like how can we get people to eat Sbarro's?
-You know? -(laughter and applause)
And just to be clear, just to be clear,
Karen Bass also wants to tackle homelessness,
but Caruso has made it the centerpiece of his campaign,
spending a record of nearly $40 million
getting his message out.
And we all know if you put a lot of ads out there,
your message is gonna get into people's heads.
You can't control it. It's like those State Farm ads.
You see them all the time, all the time, all the time,
and so it's inevitable that sooner or later,
I'm gonna start having sex dreams
about Jake from State Farm. It's gonna happen.
Yeah. Oh, judge... You judge me like I'm the only one.
(laughter and applause)
Still better than my GEICO dream.
But...
Even after being bombarded by all of those ads,
some L.A. voters may still be a little wary
of a guy who has no political experience
and might be a closet Republican,
which is why Caruso has also brought out
the one thing people in L.A. trust more than anything else:
celebrities.
NEWSMAN: Major celebrity endorsement
in the race for L.A. mayor.
Oscar winner and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow
throwing her support
behind billionaire developer Rick Caruso.
L.A. is experiencing a tough time right now.
So that is why I am endorsing my old friend Rick Caruso.
NEWSMAN 2: Musician and rap artist Snoop Dogg
today endorsed businessman Rick Caruso.
There's no question. I endorse the real, and that is real.
The Latino vote
is gonna be especially important in this race.
George Lopez, uh, the comedian,
uh, coming out on Twitter, backing Caruso.
Rick Caruso did get a big endorsement
from a very familiar face.
A blonde Kim Kardashian there saying she believes Rick Caruso
can help solve L.A.'s crime crisis.
If you guys are out voting, um,
Rick Caruso is my choice,
and I really believe that he will make a difference,
and that gives me hope.
Did she say, "If you guys are out voting"?
That's-that's a fun way to, like, campaign for someone.
Like, it's almost like she wants to endorse Caruso,
but she doesn't want to come off too strong, you know?
She's like, "I'm not saying, like, go vote for him,
"but if you guys happen to, like, pass,
"like, a voting booth,
"then I guess feel free to, like, vote for him or whatever.
Like..."
(laughs) Like, it's such a weird way to do it.
(cheering and applause)
Yeah, like, Kim Kardashian is great at a lot of things,
but I don't know if I'd ever want her leading me into battle.
Can you imagine that attitude in Braveheart?
"Sons of Scotland!
"If you guys are gonna be, like, fighting any wars today,
"personally, I would fight against the English,
"because, like, maybe they might take our lives,
but maybe we shouldn't, like, take our freedom, too!"
(cheering and applause)
So, thanks to Caruso's huge spending advantage,
his celebrity endorsements and his focus
on quality-of-life issues for people who aren't homeless,
this election looks like it's going down to the wire.
Now, it is a primary, yes.
But here's the thing-- in California,
if anyone wins 50% of the vote in the primary,
the race is automatically over.
Yeah, that person is the new mayor.
So every vote is going to count.
Which, if you listen to L.A. voters,
isn't necessarily a good thing.
NEWSWOMAN: Despite several high-profile debates
and one candidate running lots of ads...
-I'm running for mayor. -...people we interviewed
in L.A. County struggled to name a single candidate.
Are you familiar with the candidates for mayor?
-Uh, I am not, unfortunately. Sorry. -Me neither.
Candidates, I'm not sure, but I prefer the one
that we have now. Newsom.
-He's the governor. -Oh, the governor? Oh, I'm sorry.
Yeah, I don't know anything about the mayor then.
No, only Gavin probably, right? (chuckles)
-Gavin is the governor. -Oh, he's the governor?
Oh, mayor? No. See? I'm way off.
Do you like the current mayor?
Gavin Newsom?
Or-- See? You guys.
(laughing)
I'm sorry.
Damn.
Forget knowing who's running for mayor.
A lot of people in Los Angeles don't even seem to know
that there is a mayor?
Like, I thought $40 million in ads sounded like a lot before,
but now I'm thinking it's not enough. Like...
And-and forget just TV ads.
I feel like Caruso should probably be doing most
of his advertising on rolling papers, judging by those people.
It's just like, "Caruso for--
Oh. Oh, boy."
(laughter, applause)
So...
That right there
is the current state of the race for mayor in Los Angeles--
a lifelong politician going up against a lifelong businessman.
And I'm not gonna tell you who to vote for,
but, at the very least,
if you guys are gonna vote,
I would say definitely make sure that you're voting for the mayor
and not the governor who already has a job.
All right, stay tuned.
After the break, we're gonna be joined by Bobby Brown.
You don't want to miss it.
-(chuckles) -(cheering and applause)
(applause and cheering)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is R&B legend Bobby Brown.
He's here to talk about his eventful life and career,
as well as the new show Bobby Brown: Every Little Step.
I was probably the premier dancer in Boston.
I won many battles.
I see myself in Cassius
so much when he dances because
he has these long legs, and I had the same long legs.
And he's just incredible.
But I think Cassius taking ballroom is beneficial because
he wants to do plays, musical theater.
And I want him to be all around.
Please welcome Bobby Brown.
-(applause and cheering) -♪ ♪
-(mumbles) -Thank you.
-How you doing? -Mr. Bobby Brown.
How you doing?
-The man, the myth, the legend. -(laughing): Yeah.
There are few people who have had more of an impact on society
and just, like, culture as a whole as you have.
You know, I was listening
to your discography just before coming.
I was like, "This is wild."
You just... you just made the music of lifetimes.
-Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. -Does that ever sink in
for you sometimes when you just realize, like, you...
how many children were made to your music?
-Ah. (laughs) -(laughter)
Now that you say it that way.
Yeah, kind of... kind of, uh, jars the mind.
-Right? Right? It's-it's... -Yeah.
You know, your, um... your biography just came out,
-you know, documentary about your life. -Yes.
And one thing that really struck me about this story--
and you've been really candid over the past few years.
You know, you wrote your memoir.
You've released this biography.
You've got this story about your family now.
-Is how little we knew about you -Mm-hmm.
...and how much we knew about the little that we knew.
-Right. -You know, we know Bobby Brown in one dimension,
the bad boy. You know, we know about all the terrible things
that happened in life, but it feels like sometimes,
the context wasn't there.
You know, it wasn't, "Bobby Brown made a mistake."
It was, "Bobby Brown is just a bad person."
Do you feel like now there's more
-of a vindication happening in your life? -Well,
yes, um, I got a chance to explain myself,
to speak about myself.
Um, that's what the, you know, documentary was about.
It was about me getting, um, the chance to speak, you know,
um, clearly and truthfully
-about everything in my life. -Right.
And, um, I'm glad I did it.
You've-you've had an eventful life as well, you know?
Oh, yeah. We've-we've lived some of it with you
from the outside, you know, with-with misinformed opinions.
What would you say is one of the biggest misconceptions
about you, as Bobby Brown the man,
that you wish people knew about you as a person?
Uh... that I'm-I'm just a softie.
I'm really not--
I'm really not a bad boy.
Um... onstage,
-Now, onstage, I'm a bad boy. -Oh, okay, okay.
BROWN: Onstage, I'm a bad boy, but offstage,
I'm really quiet.
You-you, uh, you're back onsta--
Congratulations. It was, uh, 30... 30 tour dates?
-30 tour dates, yeah, -Congratulations
-with New Edition, yeah. -on that.
-Sold out. Sold out. -New Edition-- Sold out as well.
-Sold out, as well, yeah. -That must have been
quite a journey for you, because, I mean, when you
started out, how old were you guys for your first tour?
-14. -14 years old.
-40 years ago. Yeah. -That is wild.
-That is really, really wild. -40 years ago.
Is there, like, a change, now,
when you're performing, can you feel it?
Uh... now it's a job.
-It's a job? -It's a job now.
Before, it was just, you know, fun.
-Right, right. -It was just like, you know, we just
loved being on stage. But now it's work, you know.
You got to have a lot of Bengay after the show.
(both laughing)
A lot of Icy Hot.
You know, what I-what I love about the tour is the story.
Um... and what I mean by "the story"--
it's-it's the fullness of your story.
You know, Bobby Brown is somebody who's given people
a lot of joy, and then has also experienced
-a lot of grief and sadness, you know? -Yes.
You-You've never claimed to be a saint.
You know, you've gone-you've gone through your moments
where you have to be accountable for your actions.
But one thing I feel that's different now in the world
-is how people deal with addiction. -Yeah.
And you've really been open about your journey
to s-- you know, to staying sober.
You-You've talked about how hard it is.
You've talked about how much you work at it.
Why did you open up and do you feel that people
accept your story or-or see you slightly different now?
Well, it's a everyday... everyday job, you know?
It's a everyday situation. Um, I work hard
at, every day, not picking up a drink, you know?
Um, that's something that I've have been,
uh, working on for years, you know?
And, Um, just recently,
finding the love of my life, my wife,
and having all these new kids, um,
-it's just something that, um, I feel-- -(scattered laughter)
-Why'd you laugh? (laughs) -(laughs)
Um, it's something that I have to do, you know,
-for myself and for my family. -Yeah.
You know? And it makes me feel good, you know?
-I've... -We see that... We see that on the show.
You-you have a...
a joy that can only come from a certain place.
You have a newfound love in your life.
-Yes. -How did you deal
with a lot of the grief that you experienced?
You know, you were somebody who lost, uh, you know,
an ex-wife who you loved, who the world loved.
-Yeah. -You know, you're somebody who suffered
the loss of two children, I think something no parent
ever wants to go through nor can imagine going through.
-Mm-mm. I don't wish that on anybody. -Right, right.
And-and you have had to learn how to find life
-on the other side of grief. -Mm-hmm.
How did you do that,
and how do you continuously try to do that?
Lots of prayer. Lots of therapy.
Um, I'm in therapy, you know, at least twice a week.
Um...
And praying. Praying and the love of my family,
the love of my wife and my kids.
Um, they... That just does it for me.
It really feels like it's made a difference.
You know, seeing you... I-In the biography,
you know, we see you with-with your old group.
-You know, you see New Edition back together. -Mm-hmm.
I even love the moments where some...
You know, there's one part
where I think it's DeVoe who says to you, he goes...
He's like, "Man, remember how... what an asshole you were
-on this tour?" And you guys... -(laughing)
And you guys laugh about it, and you share,
and it feels like you-you've all grown. You've all matured.
-Yes. -I mean, I know you-you both share a bond
in-in, you know, in becoming sober,
but if you could go back...
I mean, obviously, life has happened the way it's happened.
-Mm. -But if there's one small thing
at the beginning of your career
that you could have said to Bobby Brown,
"Hey, watch out for this," what would it have been?
Um, I would just tell myself to take my time,
-because I grew up way too fast. -Mm.
Um, being 14 and being on the road,
being away from your family, you get into things.
-Right. -Especially as a child, you know?
Um, I got into way too many things
too quickly in life, and, uh, I'm just...
You know, I'm-I'm not...
I'm not mad about it
because I wouldn't be the man that I am today
without experiencing
all of the things that I've experienced.
But, um, I'm just grateful today,
you know, and that's the plus.
It is a plus.
It's good to have you here to talk to you, you know?
-Yes. -It's good to see you.
It's good to see you living, enjoying your family.
So, what-what's your hope for the future, then?
You know, Bobby Brown, I feel like we've seen
have maybe two to three
different, you know, phases of your life,
which everyone has in different ways.
-Right. -You know, we've seen the young Bobby Brown.
Well, I wasn't born, but you know what I mean.
-Um, we've-we've seen... -(laughing)
-We've seen... (laughs) -Wow, that...
-(laughing) -No.
You know, I don't want to act like I was there.
I don't want to act like I was-- But I'm saying,
you know, we've seen that Bobby Brown.
We've seen Bobby Brown go through the tumultuous times.
Now we're seeing this Bobby Brown-- therapy, prayer,
family that-- you know, everyone who sees you sees that love.
What do you hope this-this next chapter in your life
will be all about?
Uh, just positivity.
-Mm. -You know? Just positive things going on.
I just want to, uh,
go about life with, um...
-Yeah. Just positive. You know? -Right, right.
Long as I keep myself surrounded by positive people,
I'll be positive, so...
I just want the positivity in my life.
And you bring that into people's lives as well, man.
Thank you. Congratulations on your journey.
-Thank you so much. -For real, man.
-I appreciate you. -Congrats on what you've done.
-You got it. -Keep going-- every single day, Bobby.
-All right, brother. -We want to keep you around, man.
-All right. -Every single day.
(cheering and applause)
Bobby Brown: Every Little Step airs Tuesdays
on the A&E Network.
And Biography: Bobby Brown is available on demand
or to stream on the A&E app and AETV.com.
We're gonna take a quick break, but we'll be right back
-after this. -(cheering and applause)
(cheering and applause)
Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go,
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Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, and, remember,
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and respond with an atom bomb.
Now here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
♪ ♪