Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk sit down with comedian Tom Rhodes to talk about the realities of stand-up, building confidence, and finding success in comedy. Tom shares stories from his early days performing at 17, advice from Jay Leno, the golden age of Comedy Central, and his experiences performing internationally. They also get into Kill Tony, stolen jokes, comedy gatekeepers, and what it takes to build a lasting career in stand-up.CHAPTERS00:00 Introducing Tom Rhodes & the Reality of Comedy 09:40 Starting Stand-Up at 17 & Building Confidence 18:30 Jay Leno's Advice & Finding Success in San Francisco 27:36 Physicality, Stage Presence & Making Jokes Funnier 32:00 Comedy Central's Golden Age & Tom's Wild Vietnam Story 39:00 The Internet, International Comedy & Mr. Rhodes 49:00 Kill Tony, Stolen Jokes & Comedy Gatekeepers 56:00 Comedy Friendships, Tom's New Special & Final ThoughtsFOLLOW & CONNECTBrian BogartInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brianbogartcomedyYuna PahkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yunapahk/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yunapahkTom RhodesWebsite: https://www.tomrhodes.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tomrhodes/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TomRhodesComedy/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kingofhahaSubscribe for more conversations about comedy, culture, and everything in between.#ChurchAndState #ComedyPodcast #StandUpComedy #TomRhodes #BrianBogart #YunaPahk

Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk dive into the unspoken rules of comedy, who gets to make fun of who, and why Brian thinks Asian women are the white men of comedy. The two break down the unofficial “Oppression Olympics” of stand-up, discussing which comedians can get away with punching in every direction and how race, gender, identity, and presentation can completely change the way a joke lands. Along the way, Yuna talks about trying to shoot her shot in the comedy world, getting more comfortable on stage, and learning that writing five pages of material does not necessarily mean you wrote five minutes of jokes. The conversation also takes aim at the perceived hierarchy of comedy, Kill Tony culture, Elephant Graveyard, and the difference between being told someone is funny and actually watching them perform live. Brian and Yuna also debate uploading consciousness, whether living forever would actually be worth it, Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, Yuna's rapidly expanding joke repertoire, ridiculous trivia, Bong Joon Ho, the Raygun documentary, and why being a female breakdancer might come with the same advantages as being a woman in comedy. As always, the conversation is chaotic, brutally honest, wildly inappropriate, and completely unfiltered, making for another hilarious episode of Church & State.CHAPTERS00:00 Brian's Basketball Skills & The New Live Show02:20 Comedy Success & Yuna's Growth05:06 Korean Superstitions & Haunted Real Estate06:55 The "Oppression Olympics" of Comedy11:21 Who Gets to Make Fun of Who?13:15 Brian's High School Beauty Pageant Story13:54 Yuna Shoots Her Shot at Roast Battle17:00 The Things You Can't Unsee in Comedy18:41 Kill Tony, Elephant Graveyard & Comedy Culture21:00 The Problem With "Smart Comedy"22:37 Would You Upload Your Consciousness?24:10 Why Would I Want to Live in a World Where I Can't Not?25:53 Team Edward vs. Team Jacob26:44 Yuna's Growing Collection of Jokes28:05 What Is Brian Delusional About?30:48 Are We Ripping Off Bad Friends?32:15 Ridiculous Trivia: Guess the Asian34:40 Bong Joon Ho & Korean Cinema36:00 The Return of the Alamo Drafthouse37:30 The Raygun Documentary38:16 Does Being a Woman Give You an Advantage in Comedy?39:30 Church & State Is DismissedFollow Brian BogartInstagram: @brian.bogart[www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/](http://www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/)YouTube: @brianbogartcomedy[www.youtube.com/@brianbogartcomedy](http://www.youtube.com/@brianbogartcomedy)Follow Yuna PahkInstagram: @yunapahk[www.instagram.com/yunapahk/](http://www.instagram.com/yunapahk/)YouTube: @yunapahk[www.youtube.com/@yunapahk](http://www.youtube.com/@yunapahk)Produced by Church & State Podcast#podcast #comedy #standupcomedy #killtony #brianbogart #yunapahk #churchandstate #comedypodcast

Welcome back to Church & State! This week, Brian Bogart and Yuna Pahk are joined by comedian Annie Elizabeth for a hilarious and deeply personal conversation about facing breast cancer without losing her sense of humor. Annie shares the story behind her infamous “boob funeral,” where friends eulogized her breasts and roasted cancer before her mastectomy, before opening up about chemotherapy, complications with her diagnosis, and the treatment she’s still undergoing. She explains how facing her mortality completely changed her approach to comedy, pushing her to stop waiting for opportunities and independently book an 11-city stand-up tour before she had ever even performed a full hour. Along the way, the group debates when it’s acceptable to play the “cancer card,” puts Annie through a round of ridiculous trivia, and explores whether comedians need distance from painful experiences before they can make them funny. As always, the conversation is equal parts hilarious, honest, insightful, and completely unfiltered, making for another unforgettable episode of Church & State.CHAPTERS00:00 Annie Elizabeth Joins Church & State01:15 The Breast Cancer Donation Story06:15 Annie's Diagnosis & the Infamous Boob Funeral11:26 Annie's Journey Into Stand-Up Comedy13:48 The Reality of Cancer & Chemotherapy18:43 How Cancer Changed Annie's Ambition22:19 Can You Play the "Cancer Card"?31:59 Ridiculous Trivia40:41 Can Anything Be Funny?45:26 Annie's Upcoming Shows & What's NextFollow Brian BogartInstagram: @brian.bogart[www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/](http://www.instagram.com/brian.bogart/)YouTube: @brianbogartcomedy[www.youtube.com/@brianbogartcomedy](http://www.youtube.com/@brianbogartcomedy)Follow Yuna PahkInstagram: @yunapahk[www.instagram.com/yunapahk/](http://www.instagram.com/yunapahk/)YouTube: @yunapahk[www.youtube.com/@yunapahk](http://www.youtube.com/@yunapahk)Follow Annie ElizabethInstagram: @iannieelizabethwww.instagram.com/iannieelizabeth/TikTok: @iannieelizabethwww.tiktok.com/@iannieelizabethYouTube: @iannieelizabethcomedywww.youtube.com/@iannieelizabethcomedyTour Dates & More:www.annieelizabethcomedy.comProduced by Church & State Podcast#podcast #comedy #standupcomedy #killtony #ricdiez #sadmanric #brianbogart #yunapahk #churchandstate #comedypodcast