Warning: Me and Eric Andre talk a lot about playing tennis with your dick in this interview. The topic is in reference to a bit on The Eric Andre Show (which returns Sunday at midnight on Adult Swim) that could really and truly only be found on that specific show, which is now entering its sixth season as late night’s most chaotic and creative exercise in shocking the hell out of audiences and guests. That’s “Sexy Season Six” as Andre calls it because they were hopped up on Prince videos, Eric’s rockin’ bod (the press release announcing this season declared that Eric was “stripped, shredded, full of energy, complete with beads of sweat dripping down from his taut nips onto his glistening six pack abs”), and a durable leopard print speedo that pops up so much it might be third in the credits beside Eric and sidekick Felipe Esparza. Thank goodness it’s back, bringing the awkwardness with a smashing guest list including Blac Chyna, Diplo, Rico Nasty, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Yachty, Jon Hamm, and Meagan Good.
In addition to Andre’s speedos and stewardship of genital sports, trying to shock Lil Nas X, breaking Jaleel White, aka Stefan Urkel, and the difference between playing on Adult Swim’s dime and working for ABC with The Prank Panel.
Season six. I think you referred to it as “Sexy Season Six.” What is it about season six that is so sexy other than yourself, of course?
I lost weight and I got sexy.
You did.
And also we were watching Prince videos and PM Dawn videos and it just felt good to say “Sexy Season Six.” It’s completely based on alliteration.
How much time did you spend in the Speedo?
I wore that every day. The leopard print I wore every day. That was Emily Ting’s, our stylist, our wardrobe head’s idea. And she was like, “You get naked so often, you should have a little sexy leopard print in the melee.”
I’m curious about the logistics of the ping pong ball that you were able to fire from your nether area. How does one propel a ping pong ball?
There are women that can actually do it out of their vagina. And there might be men or women that can do it from their anus. Our special effects guy was a wizard, so it was like a ball return on a tennis court but for a ping pong ball, it looked like a shop vac. I think Felipe (Esparza) was distracting Lil Nas X and I ripped off my pants and I had those fishnet stockings with the high heels and he was distracted by that. I think we usually create a distraction and then set the guest up for a ride.
Is there extra motivation to shock Lil Nas X or do you have to go a little higher?
Oh, yeah. He’s a savvy guy, so he is a little bit harder to shake, but he had great reactions when they happened and I’m always swinging for the fences with every guest.
Where do you find Penis and Sir Weiner Williams (the cock tennis players)? Because that’s a pretty specific skill set.
They were male strip strippers. They were strippers and I think we have, I would have to ask somebody in my casting department. But we go on Craigslist and there are also sex worker adjacent websites, sex performer websites, but they’re available. Actually, let me text my producer. I want to bring them to the premier. We’re having a little premier party. Can we invite Penis and Sir Wiener Williams and dress them up and have them play cock tennis for everyone?
What’s it like watching cock tennis in the room?
I was so happy with Jaleel White’s reaction that I was just like, I won the Super Bowl. He was so genuinely shocked. He was like, “I have to pick up my daughter from school after this. I feel like I need to take a shower.”
I thought he was pretty cool with it though. He handled it.
He was cool with it, but he was like… I wish we had more time to show you more footage. He never recovered. He was like, “What show is this?”
Jaleel White is next to Kendall Roy on a bench just staring off into the distance and the Hudson River. He’s broken forever by cock tennis. It’s blurred, obviously, but they’re really just cocking it up?
Full Monty. Yeah, Full Monty. I want to leak the unblurred version, but I don’t even know how, where the footage is.
What kind of ball is that? An actual tennis ball? I imagine that might hurt.
We had a ping pong tennis ball.
Like hard or a Nerf-y thing? Nerf should do a cock tennis ball.
There’s a whole market that they’re not tapping into. It’s a shame.
It is, yeah. So hitting the streets this season, love the EMS stuff, the coroner stuff.
We had a tremendous amount of emergency vehicles called on us this season. I think somebody said 33 calls. I got to get the actual number, but it’s the most amount of cops and firetrucks and ambulances dispatched on our behalf.
Do you guys get hit with any fines or anything like that?
We’ve gotten in a little trouble. You got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.
With your other show, The Prank Panel on ABC, I’m curious about that as well. How is it to work within the structure of a network as opposed to what you’re able to do with Adult Swim?
Adult Swim gives me full creative freedom. They haven’t given me a single note in 10 years, I don’t think. I have full artistic and creative freedom. So what could be better? I’m spoiled.
But this deal with ABC, do you have to feel like you have to change it up a little bit?
A lot of the creative stuff goes through many more layers of filtration at ABC, but the big battles Johnny Knoxville and some of the producers were taking on. So I didn’t have the burden of fighting for creative victories over there. But yeah, you can do whatever you want on Adult Swim versus ABC, but you have a lot more money at ABC to play with. That’s the deal. The more money you ask your overlords for the less creative freedom you typically have. That’s how it’s worked since Beethoven when he was writing for the King and Queen.
‘The Eric Andre Show’ returns Sunday on Adult Swim at midnight.
