Million Dollar Extreme by Jiv Johnson
"It's a mandate from heaven."
When I was 19, Million Dollar Extreme — a sketch comedy trio comprised of Sam Hyde, Nick Rochefort and Charls Carrol — landed a show on Adult Swim called World Peace. This was massive. World Peace wasn’t just comedy — it was a jester’s critique of a kingdom gone awry, dancing as the castle burns; a circus clown accurately predicting the future while honking a horn in your face — and all on syndicated television. It was also too good to be true and we all know what happened. There were scandals and cancellations, sharply reversing an inspiring upward trajectory. In the time since, MDE has been slowly rebuilt, becoming bulletproof in the process. There is a new season of World Peace. Standup shows are selling out all over America. And they are still the funniest guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
This is one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever prepared for in my life. You guys put me through a real one-hour workout before this.
Charls: Yeah, initiation!
Sam: What’s on your mind, Jiv? What are you thinking?
Start with the story of how you met.
Sam: Chuck [Charls Caroll] and Nick had known each other since they were little kids. I went to college with Nick’s cousin Brian, who was an artist, and my thesis was a comedy pilot called Million Dollar Extreme.It was really, really bad. Nick caught wind that I was doing comedy videos and we started kicking around sketch ideas.
Nick: Sam was working a motion graphics job and I was selling Acuras. And all I had was Sam’s office line so we’d just be sitting at work, saying sketches. We’d wake up and it would be like, “Yo, I see the ten things you wrote, what are those?” We finally met at Clinton Crossings [Mall] in Connecticut, halfway between New Haven, Connecticut and Rhode Island. And we were just pitching sketches in a pizza bar.
Charls: It’s weird because at the same time this was happening, in that two- year period, I was making the improv videos in the basement with Eric [Hayden]. It was all bubbling at the same time.
Nick: Same level of insanity, too. No idea on how to do production. Taping ourselves to things and thinking, “That’s perfect. That’ll work.”
Sam: The only thing we actually knew was that we did not want real jobs. Like, it’s not an option.
So from the very beginning, it’s DIYas fuck.
All: Yeah.
What’s changed since then?
Sam: We just have a better idea of how to monetize. And we know what the customers want and how to get it to them. The problem is keeping quality high and keeping the output fast. If you want the quality to be high, it takes time.
Nick: To put out bad production, where it’s not intentionally bad, would be catastrophic.
Sam: We take it extremely seriously. We know that people need something like this.
I was introduced to you all through World Peace on Adult Swim. How the hell do three random dudes practicing sketches in a pizza bar end up on TV?
Sam: A lot of that is thanks to Nick because he regularly punished these guys on the phone, the Adult Swim executives. Nick did a car deal on them, and that’s how we got our first talk to shoot something. They finally were like, “Fuck it, we’ll give you $15,000 to shoot a handful of sketches.”
Charls: It exceeded their expectations because it was like a regular test, but it came out super high quality.
Nick: We were running four wheelers and renting buildings, shooting bombs past pools. LA shot in LA.
Sam: We gave them their money’s worth. And we’ve always had a fan base that is much stronger than the numbers say, and they got wind of that. Our fans are kind of rabid, they’ll jump on whatever we produce.
What was it like, going from literally not funded to Adult Swim?
Sam: It was the same thing.
Nick: It was just more output.
Sam: There were people in the process that sucked that had to be steamrolled, like, costume people that didn’t understand. I would rip a costume and the costume guy would be like, “That was $40!” And Nick took this guy aside and made him cry for fucking up the sketch.
Nick: We were like, “Dude, we all know this stuff goes in the trash. Stop it.”
Charls: He was a bit legendary.
Sam: There were a bunch of people involved who were there for a paycheck and didn’t give a shit about our swag at all. And they were also entitled, because they were entrenched in the beginning of DEI culture.
Charls: It was really fun.
Sam: We had a saboteur, too. One lady tried to break into the editing suite to delete all our shit. To take a show they spent a million dollars on and delete the footage.
Nick: Like a magnet gun. [imitates gun shooting sound] We took it in stride, though.
I think what gravitated me towards World Peace and your older stuff is the fact that it seemed like you guys would face bullshit every single step of the way. How do you survive against that?
Sam: You know what I was thinking? It’s everybody’s duty to charge forward through adversity because that’s what God does to hold reality together.
Charls: It’s what God would do.
That’s your final answer?
Sam: I think it’s your duty to do your best no matter what. It’s a mandate from heaven.
Charls: No matter what weaponized machinery rhetoric is coming out, you just have to put a smile on your face because you’re a funny guy. Right?
Sam: You have to do your best.
When did you first figure out that you were funny guys?
Charls: I guess you gauge it based on how much teachers hate you.
Sam: That is exactly how. If a teacher shows up outside your personal home to have a word with your parents...
Nick: You’ve got a career, kid.
Charls: If you mix that with, “I’ll kill myself before I get a regular job,” then this is my only option.
Sam: Shout out to Mr. Hilliard.
What was it like in those years between Adult Swim and now?
Sam: Varying degrees of punishment but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Charls: Some blasted, punishing years. But things moving forward, no matter what. And then getting into that light, more than anything.
Nick: Working with the public again is crucifying. It’s like grabbing hot iron.
Sam: Are you talking about standup or streaming or what?
Nick: No, like opening an antique store. All you can think about is breaking plates over women’s heads.
Do you think that kind of punishment was necessary to keep you going?
Sam: Probably. I do think that success and everything else is unpredictable. The most you can do is be prepared, be conditioned.
It sounds like, if anything, it’s a spiritual pursuit for you all to just keep doing this.
Charls: Fulfillment that cannot be derived anywhere else, really.
Sam: I don’t think any of us could imagine a path through life that would be satisfying that doesn’t involve making people laugh. I have nothing else that I could or would ever want to do.
The amount of things that you all put out in such a short time, it really is prolific. With World Peace 2 coming out, there’s still a million other projects you’re doing: the podcasts, the streams...
Sam: We’re trying, man. We’re on the come up right now and we’re aware of it.
Sam: That’s why I try to keep a level head. When people get cozy with success, that’s when they start to —
Charls: Tempt hell?
Sam: — be gay. It’s flirting with disaster. The times in my life when I’ve been satisfied, happy, comfortable... disaster next week. Disaster coming!
Charls: It’s a long game. You can’t always be on the come up because you just can’t survive that.
And you’re saying the drive really is just to keep at it.
Sam: Keep at it, pay attention to
what’s happening. And don’t be a drug addict, you can fuck yourself up.
Charls: Easily, quickly, innocently.
[Pause] Nick, do you mind if I bum one of those American Spirits?
Nick: Oh no, please!
The vape’s not doing it for me.
Nick: Sometimes it takes more than it gives.
Sam: You gotta stop vaping, Jiv.
But one thing that I noticed, I think at least in some of the podcasts or interviews earlier on, is questions asking about your inspirations —
Sam: Can I hit your vape? Can you lemme see it?
Sure.
Sam: [smashes Jiv’s vape]
Charls: Hey, he’s saving a life!
You are kind of saving my life.
Nick: It fucks with your blood flow.
— but at this point, you guys are practically the inspirations for a lot of young artists.
Sam: Yeah, brotha! I see it all the time. I see people jacking our graphics style, too, who don’t follow us on Instagram. That pisses me off.
I’ve seen it a lot more in the past two, three years. How does it feel?
Sam: We all stand on the shoulders of giants. It’s just how it be. I wouldn’t have any funny shit if I didn’t see, you know, Wonder Showzen and stuff
like that.
Nick: Weekend at Bernie’s was too good.
Sam: 80s movies, old SNL... Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, that’s a big influence. That guy killed himself for the role.
Charls: One of the greatest performances of all time.
Sam: Jeremy Brett was so dedicated to the role that he referred to Sherlock Holmes as “you know who.” He smoked 60 cigarettes a day as he was dying. He was on lithium. That’s why he’s bloated up in the last season.
Really?
Sam: He just had to be the character. He had to be Sherlock.
You guys touched on what happened with Adult Swim. What was it like, then, going back to just being DIY after being at “the top”?
Sam: We were ready for it because we were not at the top. We got $80,000 each for Season 1. It was a bad deal. We definitely were not at the top.
Charls: No residuals, no nothing. And they’re still selling it!
Nick: All of us had jobs that made more money than that.
What were y’all doing?
Charls: Construction!
Sam: I was taking credit cards out to buy Bitcoin.
So it was pretty easy then, readjusting to being on your own.
Sam: We just continued to build a resilient fanbase. It was definitely needed for what we have now, and that’s how we’ll continue. I mean, there’s no way we would have survived the current era of cancellation. Even if we had ridden through that one, they would have got us in 2020 or whatever.
Charls: No matter who you are, no matter what, there’s a sabbatical at points — it’s just one of those things.
Nick: And I think that the gravity of a decent Adult Swim show in the real world doesn’t hold up. It’s not that important.
Sam: You don’t get a big reward, there’s not a big game day where everyone’s clapping for you. You get to the top and you see John Krasinski sprinting to get to the bus with two Aldi shopping bags full of cat litter. That’s the current state of mainstream.
Nick: It’s a mule job, unless you break to something else.
Sam: And we’re a Dakar Rally Truck.
How do you keep going?
Nick: Being genuine.
Sam: We do really try to make people happy.
Things have changed since then. The post-apocalyptic hellscape predicted in World Peace 1 — I mean, that’s effectively the environment you guys are trying to make World Peace 2 in.
Sam: A lot of the sketches we had in the back pocket for World Peace 2 are not really usable because they’re really doing it, you know?
So how was it making World Peace 2 while living in the world of World Peace 1?
Sam: It was super easy!
Nick: We did it all here [in Rhode Island], which is what we tried to do originally for World Peace 1. And when we did what we said we were gonna do, it was easy.
Nick: You don’t need to go to Atlanta [to Adult Swim HQ].
Sam: Rhode Island is the only place to make cinema.
Nick: And, honestly, knock on wood, it went swimmingly?
The first bit that I saw was good. It reminded me of World Peace 1. But is it weird seeing the times change back into something where you’re allowed to be, like, fucking funny?
Sam: No, it’s awesome.
Nick: You’re allowed to exist again.
Charls: Joy is the word, it’s beyond happiness. We’re grateful to be allowed to exist.
What’s it been like to pay it forward to these new comedians who are finally able to express their art, in an environment that was outright hostile to you all?
Nick: You don’t want bad comedy to have to pass. It’s just such a fucking disappointment when you really reach for anything and it’s like, “God, this is still safe.”
Sam: The bar has never been lower.
Here’s something for your readers [leans in]: When the times are good, that’s the time to slam the hammer on the anvil. Time to put the pedal to the metal. There’s a clear runway in front of you: sprint. The bar has never been lower. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care how weak you are, or if you have bad teeth, or if you’re stupid, or whatever. You can probably get everything you need through a minimal amount of consistent effort, right now. There’s never been more losers getting more money! More losers with a higher price tag on them! Kill them, kill them!
Nick: You’ve never seen this ever in Hollywood, where like, Tom Selleck couldn’t go sell baseball bats.
Sam: Seth Meyers desperate for 20 people to come to his show... It’s time to kill them and take their money. Two-step plan.
I just watched a bunch of cable TV at the hotel. I don’t know who any of these people are... and who is watching this?
Sam: The answer is, nobody and nobody.
Nicks: That’s like the 60th-place Disney star that didn’t give good head.
Sam: It’s the 700th face that some guy at Netflix threw a dart at.
Nick: The genuine attention grab...isn’t there anymore. It doesn’t even have like, Jack Black level of grab.
Sam: Anybody reading this? People are not flirting with girls. People are not trying to go above and beyond at their job. People are not focused. Now’s your time to shine, even if you’re a loser!
Break the fucking vape.
Sam: Yeah, break the vape. GO NEG A HOT GIRL. Go neg a hot girl right now, if you’re reading this. Tell her: she’ll never have anybody like you.
Nick: Then do a Jim Carrey impression. You’re gonna get laid in one hour.
Sam: 1 out of 20 times, it’s gonna work.
I also had the displeasure of going to Saturday Night Live last month. I just don’t get how this stuff survives.
Charls: Pareto Principle. Just the illusion of bigness.
Sam: It’s hard to lose Monopoly when you have all the properties.
Nick: I think it’s just from being safe. I don’t know how they get away with it, it’s not 2011. There’s been way too much exposure of why it’s bad and even theory on how “safetyism” has killed them.
Sam: It’s also a generational thing. For young people, I don’t think SNL is on their radar at all. It’s like polio.
Nick: Who was the host?
He was like a Muslim actor. He has a
TV show that’s named after him.
Nick: Oh, Ramy Youssef. He did the “Free Palestine” thing in his monologue, right?
Yeah, he did the “Free Palestine”
thing but immediately afterwards, he also said “Free the hostages!” The crowd was really confused as to how to react to both. It was mad funny.
Nick: Were they like, sweating in New York?
They were like, “I don’t know which part of the monologue to cheer loudest.”
Sam: Sounds like they gave people a good time. Good, keep it light. He should’ve done a statement on every sketch, just ruining every sketch to do “Free Palestine!” Badass.
You all are on the come up right now. What’s the endgame?
Sam: The endgame is to keep bringing the heat. Then fall off, become insufferable...
Charls: Come back!
Sam: Then bring more heat.
Nick: Go to the Super Bowl.
Sam: Then fall off again, die...
Charls: Then do a halftime show at the Super Bowl.
Sam: Not even on the field, in the concessions.
That’s not the most outlandish idea...You mentioned earlier that you never want to be working a real ass job. But now, you’re running a real ass business. Real ass people are involved. Real jobs are involved. What’s that been like?
Sam: It’s annoying. I don’t get to do any creative stuff for like an hour a day. Our crew’s the best, though. Nobody’s better.
Nick: The kids? Yeah. You can throw the hardest shit at them and they won’t miss a beat.
How do you keep the culture of everyone in there going?
Sam: We doxx each other all the time. We’re always threatening each other.
Charls: I get rape charges thrown at me all the time.
Sam: I bully them.
I mean, you guys had me just max out my squatting weight before this interview.
Sam: Honestly, I take my business
ethic very seriously. These guys are giving me their 20s. I try to reward that in a way that would be better than anything they would get at Adult Swim or Netflix. Jet [Neptune] is basically running a multimillion dollar company right now. I just create an environment for them to flourish, really. And we keep it very good natured, too.
Charls: Yeah, with spirit!
Sam: Everybody’s on the same team. We’re trying to raise all the boats with the water levels.
Nick: Funny wins. It’s a comical meritocracy.
Sam: AFATT. All Funny All The Time.
Comical meritocracy... yeah, that’s good.
Sam: We give up ideas all the time. If somebody laughs, we’re like, “What is that? What made you laugh?” That’s what goes in the cut. It’s never, like, “Our way or the highway.” Someone comes with something better, you run with it.
Sam: World Peace 1 was more rigid. This time around, we have takes that are like 40 minutes long and it’s just me, Nick, and Charls yelling at each other, going back and forth trying to figure out what the funniest two-minute thing is.
What’s it like trying to translate that sketch funniness into standup? Do you guys still see yourselves primarily as sketch comedians?
Sam: The standup is a money grab, to be honest with you. We’re journeymen for sure.
Nick: It’s not easy. But the more shows you do, you’re like, “Okay. It’s a different animal.” One is like a snowmobile and one is juggling apples.
Sam: It’s completely different.
Do you rehearse?
Charls: You just gotta do shows.
Nick: You can be in your room with the boys and shit, but it’s really the mic-hand-stage-people pressure cooker that cooks the fucking meat.
Sam: If there’s more people, it’s kind of easier because you see them less. You don’t see as many people not laughing, you just see a crowd not laughing.
That’s pretty sound advice.
Sam: Yeah, if you’re starting out in stand up, you should do it in front of a sold-out 400 person show. That is the way to do it, for sure.
Nick: 100%. You’ll feel better.
Just go up there and try it.
Sam: But I would say that stand-up is harder than fighting.
Charls: It’s the hardest, it’s the top of the comedy [food] chain.
Nick: And there’s a lot of resistance. So you don’t want to do it? Like, “That’s gay”? It’s actually because it’s the hardest.
What’s it like being back on tour?
Nick: It’s the best. We’re usually home bodies, we don’t travel a lot other than tour.
Charls: It’s fun to be in a hotel with your boys. Everyone’s always in a mirthful mood. Everything you do is funny, even crossing the street.
Do you guys rough it at all?
Nick: No, we try to do the opposite.
Sam: We get the most expensive hotel.
Nick: Has to have a sauna.
So you never hit up a late night diner?
Charls: It’s too much work to be fucked up by bad food.
Nick: Harnessing your energy levels with bad food is a fucking mental hell. Water, staying healthy, working out in hotel gyms...
Sam: Making sure you pee before you go on.
Nick: Taking vitamins.
Are you hitting the road again anytime soon?
Sam: We’re hitting Florida in May.
Charls: We’re looking to cement the tradition of the road... permanently, while we still have legs to walk on.
And you’re gonna keep selling out shows, I’m sure. Come to Kentucky.
Nick: Small town America is the best.
I imagine that’s where a lot of your fans are.
Nick: Regular small towns are way primo.
Sam: Way better.
Nick: Way better.
Charls: It’s the best.