Blocks: I Wish I Knew w/ Neal Brennan Podcast By Neal Brennan cover art

Blocks: I Wish I Knew w/ Neal Brennan

Blocks: I Wish I Knew w/ Neal Brennan

By: Neal Brennan
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Summary
 Comedian Neal Brennan interviews people about the things they wished they'd realized sooner in life.Neal Brennan Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Bobby Lee: I Wish I Knew

    Bobby Lee: I Wish I Knew
    Oct 29 2026
    Bobby Lee joins Neal Brennan to share what he wishes he knew sooner: worrying about his career wouldn’t change its course, asking for help mattered, and the life he built could look different from the one he imagined. He still likes the MadTV tattoo, though. They talk about Bobby’s first stand-up special, learning to watch himself on screen, sobriety, his father’s death, and the unexpected emotional impact of a trip to Build-A-Bear. Plus: homemade glue hands, a swimming pool full of coffee, Neal’s place in the comedy police, and whether he’s allowed to speak at Bobby’s funeral. -------------------------- CHAPTERS 0:00 Aging and Korean Skincare 1:16 The LeBron James of Podcasting 3:20 Navigating Hollywood and the Comedy Police 9:39 Why Bobby Waited to Make a Stand-Up Special 20:29 Wishing He Worried Less 23:35 Gluin' 26:02 Filling His Swimming Pool With Coffee 30:18 Sobriety 33:23 Sensitivity, Shane Gillis, and Public Shame 36:13 Learning to Be Proud of Himself 40:25 Why Bobby Avoids Negative Comments 42:40 Was All That Worry Worth It? 48:14 Sponsor: Lucy 51:07 The Real Bobby Versus His Public Persona 52:35 Letting Go of the Movie-Star Dream 53:19 Losing His Father and Relapsing 57:38 Asking for Help and Starting Therapy 59:42 Recognizing Childhood Trauma 1:01:02 Intensive Therapy and Build-A-Bear 1:04:39 Porn, Relationships, and Regret 1:10:22 Family, Self-Blame, and Avoiding Conflict 1:12:04 Can Neal Speak at Bobby’s Funeral? 1:13:28 The Future of Bad Friends and TigerBelly ---------------------------------------------------------- Follow Neal Brennan: https://www.instagram.com/nealbrennan https://twitter.com/nealbrennan https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnealbrennan Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557 Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234 Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased). Edited by Will Hagle (wthagle@gmail.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors: Head to Superpower.com and use code NEAL at checkout for $20 off your membership. Get 150+ biomarkers tested every year across two tests, plus a personalized health plan and on-demand care team. Detect early signs of 1,000+ conditions. #superpowerpod Go to https://www.cookunity.com/NEAL or enter code NEAL before checkout for 50% off your first order. 3 Million Butts Love TUSHY. Get 10% off TUSHY with the code NEAL at https://hellotushy.com/NEAL Build credit fast and get your first month for just a dollar at getkikoff.com/neal today. Thanks to Kikoff for sponsoring us! It’s time to upgrade your nicotine pouch. Get 20% off your first order by using code NEAL at Lucy.co #ad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • LL Cool J: I Wish I Knew

    LL Cool J: I Wish I Knew
    Oct 15 2026
    LL Cool J joins Neal Brennan to talk about what he wishes he knew sooner: knowing his value, learning how to lead, and being a better friend. They get into growing up in Queens, the family lessons that shaped him, getting his start in hip-hop in the late 1970s along with a (too) long list of legends, the writing behind songs like "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "Rock the Bells," and the honest vulnerability behind “I Need Love.” Plus: Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, Beastie Boys and Def Jam stories, the greatness of Bruce Lee, the business of touring, becoming a sex symbol and then an actor, and the night an intruder broke into his home. -------------------------- CHAPTERS 00:00 LL Cool J joins Neal 01:16 Opening up about his childhood 07:50 Lessons from his family 08:31 First turntables & the trappings of success 13:16 Discovering hip-hop 17:27 Def Jam & owning his music 18:57 Making demos & writing rhymes 23:09 Wanting to be seen 25:33 Representation & giving back 30:21 Sponsor: BetterHelp 32:29 Sponsor: CookUnity 35:10 Creative freedom & songwriting 36:13 I Need Love & vulnerability 40:53 Acting, working out & Bruce Lee 45:16 Building a career without a blueprint 48:08 Knowing your value & saying no 52:06 Comparing careers across generations 54:32 Why he avoided headlining tours 56:21 What makes a great live show 58:38 Sponsor: Mars Men 1:01:15 Sponsor: Ethos 1:03:18 Learning how to lead 1:08:16 Respect, manners & staying grounded 1:15:03 Learning how to be a friend 1:17:46 Becoming a sex symbol 1:20:13 The home invasion 1:26:05 Acting projects & wrap-up ---------------------------------------------------------- Follow Neal Brennan: https://www.instagram.com/nealbrennan https://twitter.com/nealbrennan https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnealbrennan Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557 Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234 Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased). Edited by Will Hagle ---------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors: Visit https://www.BetterHelp.com/NEAL to get 10% off your first month. Go to https://www.cookunity.com/NEAL or enter code NEAL before checkout for 50% off your first order. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at Mengotomars.com Go to https://www.Ethos.com/NEAL to get your free life insurance quote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • Mark Normand: I Wish I Knew

    Mark Normand: I Wish I Knew
    Oct 1 2026
    Mark Normand returns to Blocks with Neal Brennan to talk about what he wishes he knew sooner: how much time a phone can steal, why trying so hard to be the funny guy can backfire, and why getting older doesn’t automatically make you feel like an adult.Mark and Neal also get into fatherhood, anxiety, drinking, the old New York comedy scene, taking more photos, and trying to raise a kid without passing down all your own baggage. ---------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to ⁨@marknormand⁩ -------------------------- CHAPTERS 00:00 Mark Normand returns / I Wish I Knew 03:46 Always needing to be productive 05:49 How fatherhood changes you 10:21 Netflix, YouTube & building a comedy career 12:12 “I thought the world would be more fun” 21:40 Sponsor: Huel 23:57 Sponsor: Tushy 26:03 Sponsor: ZocDoc 28:20 Phone addiction & the pressure to post 35:40 Trying too hard to be the funny guy 40:07 Coming up in New York comedy 44:48 The old Comedy Cellar atmosphere 47:42 Friends who tell you the truth 50:14 Sponsor: Quince 52:04 Sponsor: Ultra 54:12 Remembering your life & taking photos 58:42 The pressure to be a good parent 1:04:01 Getting older doesn’t mean feeling grown up 1:11:40 Podcasts & staying connected 1:15:14 Wrap-up ---------------------------------------------------------- Follow Neal Brennan: https://www.instagram.com/nealbrennan https://twitter.com/nealbrennan https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnealbrennan Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557 Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234 Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased). Edited by Will Hagle ---------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors: Visit https://www.Huel.com/NEAL and use code NEAL for 15% OFF online. Over 2 Million Butts Love TUSHY. Get 10% off TUSHY with the code NEAL at https://hellotushy.com/NEAL Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅ : https://zocdoc.com/neal Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches New customers get 15% Off with code NEAL at takeultra.com! #UltraPouches #MarkNormand #NealBrennan #iwishiknew #BlocksPodcast #StandupComedy #MentalHealth #ComedyInterview #regrets #PodcastFullEpisode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 18 mins
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Big fan of Neal, he does a great job interviewing his friends and bringing them to surprisingly emotional places. It's like listening to someone else's therapy sessions.

Great Interviews with Emotional Depth

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This was an excellent listen and one of the best interviews I have ever experienced. Neal and Pete had a phenomenal connection and the energy was palpable. I am better mentally for having listened to this and I am very grateful. Thank you Neal and thank you Pete.

FANTASTIC

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The Brenaissance man maintains a comic essence that he's perfected in a way that you don't see with regular people in other podcasts. I'm agnostic-ish but mostly athiest, and now I'm side-eyeing that kokopelli pipe he's smoking (𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐡𝐮𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚), because he was in a similar situation with god, but not "God" god. No shade, though! Maybe some shade, actually (muscle memory catholic sign of the cross, chain kiss, sky point). Neal's story, which he shares openly in his special, is the only creator-related story I've given some thought since the big No Santa in '88, and my mute years that followed.

He's just ahead of the game by a decade or something. He's my hero, and I'm not even into comedy/jokes etc.

The point of the show, to me, is to give audiences, guests, and sweet Dr. Neal a chance to get as deep or dark as they want, without judgement. I doubt that dumb people aren't into this shit, so the comments probably aren't as toxic, but only a liiiitttle less usual. That's why you gotta join the army, bro. if you are into visuals, one can watch it on a popular video platform, Or Audible! You're already here, stranger!

Now, if there's a guest who ends up being kind of a dud, this podcast is a safe space that person to roll up their sleeves and share some of the shit that's hit the fan in the past, or maybe the fan isn't on and they're too scared to turn the fan on and spray the shit everywhere, so they can stay cool and clean up the shit. Stay with me. The dud guests are there to face the blocks that causing them to be 'more dudley. ..So it never hits that awkward cringe egg fart silence! I personally live for that stuff, but I'm trying to say that there's a tone you can count on if you leave it on for an entire workday without feeling gross.

if you fw youtube, find his older podcast, 'how feel neal', because it;s somehow better with video. Ahem.

Blocks w/ Neal Brennan is Big City Vulnerability Porn for tortured, jaded consumers like me (and you, soon). It's a weird time in history, so it's addictive, and ok to binge without feeling buttery,because we all grow and shit.

There was, in my opinion, a dud guest on very recently. Things never got 90s Spears/Sawyer weird because Neal exorcised any demons as the whites of their were starting to show. It was like, "Who you gonna call?"

Neal keeps the pace, and I'm mentioning all of it because the show wouldn't work with any other person I can name without literally having a brainstorm session when I'm not as high. He's definitely the comedian/therapist/writer's Rogan, and POLITICS? (eagle cry in distance... not quite cliche yet) are nowhere to be seen. He's the coolest white guy we got, folks. Kid Rock has been dethroned, and with Chris Rock having ruled the other side for decade, we may finally be stuck between a Rock and a... nm.

Neal keeps the everybody on track, like a dungeon master for the soul. Start from the beginning.

Neal's a genius, sharp as a tack, Give it a shot.

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I originally left a good review after the David Letterman episode. The next two shows were trash. Neal and his guests were trying to be edgy with gratuitous (explicit) sex bamter. Boring. What a shame. I won't be back.

Don't be fooled by the first episode

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