Danny DeVito is a man of extremes. On one hand, he hates all the crap Trump’s right-leaning Supreme Court did early in the summer. On the other, he loves the new (and shocking, to some) animated show he does with his daughter so much, he went off a delightfully bizarre Twitter tear. The actor and filmmaker also loves hoagies. Who doesn’t?! Hoagies are great. He likes the delicious/unhealthy sandwiches so much he’s shilling for one of the better hoagie chains.
On Monday, DeVito revealed he’s cut an ad for Jersey Mike’s, the chain that leans more into the unhealthy end of hoagie-dom. Where Subway claims you can actually lose weight by eating their hoags, Jersey Mike’s goes all-in on such fattening meats like pepperoni, cappacuolo, and prosciuttini. They’ll even throw some hoagie relish on there, which is probably not great for your blood pressure either.
Anyway, the ad finds DeVito completely freaking out over his freshly-prepared hoagie, making goo-goo faces, licking his lips, pacing back and forth through the joint as his meal is prepared layer by layer. It actually seems like he’s doing the ad out of genuine love for the product.
The combination of DeVito’s enthusiasm and tasty/bad-for-you foodstuffs may even make you want to go to Jersey Mike’s and get a hoagie or whatever you call them based on where you’re from — a hero, a grinder, a torpedo. Did you know some places call them a wedge (Westchester or Yonkers, NY) or a spuckie (Boston, natch) or (allegedly) even a gondola (Peoria, IL)? Pretty messed up.
Harry Styles’ acting has been abuzz lately for his role in the upcoming film Don’t Worry Darling directed by Olivia Wilde. And let’s be real, everyone was really just talking about the “Spitgate” fiasco with co-star Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival that consumed the internet for far too long before it was finally debunked. Now Styles has just claimed his first ever acting award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), although it’s not for his supporting role in Don’t Worry Darling, but rather for his starring role in My Policeman.
Styles, along with co-stars Emma Corin, David Dawson, Linus Roache, and the entire cast of the film were awarded the TIFF Tribute Award for Best Performance. In an unprecedented move at TIFF, they were honored for the film as an ensemble cast, which received a standing ovation following its premiere at the festival, according to Deadline. My Policeman, which arrives in theaters next month and then on Amazon Prime in November, is about a closeted policeman (played by Styles) who is married to a woman and grapples with his homosexuality amid a love triangle. At a press conference for the film, Styles spoke of the chemistry that the cast had and how it played into their performances: “I think having a base of a real friendship outside the characters obviously allows for the friendships scenes, if you will; doesn’t require much acting. And then in the more intense scenes, there’s a lot of trust and safety there. All of that benefits from a real connection.”
Low-proof bourbon has been kind of pushed to the sideline as high-proof and massive barrel-proof bourbons (and all whiskeys for that matter) have skyrocketed in popularity. As people get further into their connoisseurship of the brown juice, tastes change and the desire for cask-strength single barrels and blends grows along with it.
Still, some of us don’t like being slapped in the face with 55, 60, or even 70% ABV (alcohol by volume) when we take a sip of whiskey, no matter how long we’ve been drinking it. That’s where lower-proof bourbons come in. They’re easier to drink by design.
But as with anything whiskey-related, not all lower-proof bourbons are created equal. That means it’s time for a blind taste test of some classic and new low-proof bourbon whiskeys.
Before I dive into this blind tasting, let’s get the logistics out of the way. In bourbon (and whiskey in general), “low-proof” is anything from 40 to 49.99% ABV or 80 to 99.9 proof. Bottled-in-Bond offerings sit as a sort of bridge between low proof and high proof at exactly 50% ABV or 100 proof. High-proof whiskey then ranges between 50.01% and 69.99%, so 100.1 to 139.9 proof. 70% ABV/140 proof and above are called Hazmat whiskeys due to their volatility (seriously, you cannot take them on a plane or store them on their side).
With very few exceptions, that low proof is achieved by proofing the whiskey with water before it enters the barrels and then after the juice is blended, or some combination therein. And that’s the rub. Often that proofing water washes out some key components of the flavor profile. As folks try more and more whiskey, this becomes more and more apparent, and higher-proof and barrel-proof whiskeys become more sought after. It’s the circle of life.
For this blind tasting, I grabbed 10 low-proof bourbons off my shelf and tasted them side-by-side. The ABVs ranged from 40 to 46.85%, or 80 to 93.7 proof. So this is well under the 100-proof/50% ABV mark of a bottled-in-bond. And surprisingly, the lower proofs didn’t lose out to the higher proofs. It was way more of a mix-and-match when it came to the ranking, which was based on both overall taste and how washed out the sip became.
Our lineup today is:
Weller Special Reserve
Benchmark Old. No. 8
The Original Silverbelly
High West Bourbon
Chicken Cock
Dragon’s Milk Beer Barrel Bourbon
Michter’s Small Batch US*1 Bourbon
Nashville Barrel Company 86 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Evan Williams Black Label
1792 Small Batch
Okay, let’s dive in and find you a whiskey that’s not going to burn your face off.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
There’s a hint of old oak next to sweet cherries, classic bourbon vanilla, and a twinge of wet leather (Hello, Buffalo Trace). The taste has a nice and creamy texture with apple pie filling, plenty of wintry spices, and chocolate nut clusters. The end returns to that cherry with a syrupy feel as chewy pipe tobacco, dry leather, and old wicker round out the finish.
This was soft and obviously proofed but didn’t wash out really at all.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There’s a bit of old lemon candies (this is cheap) on the nose with a touch of vanilla wafer, oatmeal cookie dough, and maybe some honey. The palate hints at dry cornmeal, some vanilla extract (again, this is cheap), caramel, and buttered popcorn. Hints of leather and “spice” move around on the palate but the finish is ultimately more like vodka than bourbon.
This is super washed out on the finish. There’s definitely a black label involved and it’s not from Bardstown, Lynchburg, or Clermont.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a nice mix of leather and caramel with a touch of orchard fruits — apples and cherries mostly — next to a whisper of creamed corn and maybe some bran muffins. The palate leans into woody Christmas spices with a hint of oatmeal raisin cookies dipped in caramel with an underlying vanilla presence. The end brings about a soft sense of leather and caramel apples dusted with cinnamon and a thin line of mineral water.
This is a pretty good sip overall. There’s a little water at the end, but you can hide that in a good cocktail very easily.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
New leather and vanilla pudding cups mingle with buttered sweetcorn and a hint of yeasty funk on the nose. The palate is very supple with a nougat base and Pillsbury biscuits next to buttery honey and vanilla pods. The end moves on from the vanilla toward a hint of cedar bark and apple chips with a touch of salt and dry straw.
This was a solid sip again. Still, I feel like I’m very much in the “fine” section of the tasting.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Tart apples and sharp cinnamon open up on the nose with a hint of anise and vanilla wafer, sweet oak, and maybe some salted caramel. The palate is full of buttery toffee with a hint of burnt sugar, dried figs, walnuts, and some minced meat pies. The end smooths everything out with a nice sense of vanilla next to dried tobacco just touched with that hot cinnamon.
This is way better and probably the best pour since taste 1.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a clear sense of dark chocolate powder next to a very mild vanilla latte with a hint of winter spice and some nuttiness. The palate largely follows that pattern with a little creamier chocolate and sharper spice. The end ultimately sort of washes all that away and you’re left with a sense of chocolate powder and cinnamon but little else.
This was unique and promising but sort of just… petered out. Shame. There’s a lot to like here otherwise.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Oh, here we go. The nose on this has a mix of woody maple syrup over buttery pancakes cooked on a griddle with a hint of peach compote and maybe a whisper of marshmallow. The palate has a vanilla cake vibe with a hint more of that stewed peach next to a dash of black pepper, fat whipping cream, and some campfire singed marshmallow. The end softens with buttery toffee, more of that vanilla cake, and a solid counterpoint of old cedar bark wrapped up with maple syrup tobacco leaves.
This is the good stuff. There was exactly zero sense of proofing water on this one.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a mix of soft oatmeal cookies with a hint of rum-raisin, almond, and wintry spices next to a hint of worn leather, dry tobacco stems, and maybe some grape leaves. The palate leans into the grains with a soft brown bread vibe (straight from the can) next to a hint of dark sugar before a moment of Red Hot cinnamon arrives and moves the mid-palate back toward soft oatmeal cookies cut with vanilla and orange zest. The end lingers and sweetens toward a fruity end that’s almost grape soda.
This is a great one again. There’s no wateriness at all.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Dry corn husks and vanilla pudding cups dominate the nose with a sense of caramel apples and… mineral water. The palate hints at lush eggnog but doesn’t quite get there as pear/apple candy keeps things sweet on the tongue. The end has a nice note of buttery toffee and roasted almonds with a dash more of that dried corn husk before the sweet pear/apple candy kicks in and washes out.
This washes out pretty hard by the end. You can sense it coming on the nose too. That said, this has a lot going on, it’s all just a little muted overall.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a clear sense of cherrywood and sour apple with a note of fermented beer and caramel/vanilla cookies, which all leads back to Cherry Coke. The palate feels like a classic bourbon with plenty of vanilla and cherry next to winter spices, soft oak, worn leather, and rich toffee. The end creams the cherry and vanilla together with some butter and layers it onto dried tobacco and wicker braids.
This was also pretty damn good. No watery end. Nothing washed out. It was just good, ol’ bourbon whiskey.
The juice in this bottle is from the famed Buffalo Trace Mash no. 1, which is very low rye (supposedly). This is a standard straight bourbon. Once the barrels are vatted, the whiskey is proofed all the way down to 80 proof for bottling.
Bottom Line:
Ah, the old black label from Frankfort. This was just too washed out to really be a contender. I can see mixing this with Coke or ginger but I’d probably avoid mixing it with fizzy water or into cocktails.
This is the entry point for Evan Williams. The juice is a mix of four to seven-year-old barrels of the standard Heaven Hill bourbon. The bourbon is proofed at a slightly higher 43% before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was miles above the last entry but still had a fairly washed-out end. That said, this felt like it could work in a simple old fashioned or with some good, fizzy mineral water. Or just mix it with Coke. It’s fine.
This is New Holland’s big swing at the stout barrel-aged bourbon market. The juice is made with a high barley mash bill. After maturation, the whiskey is vatted and re-barreled in New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk Stout barrels for a final rest. Finally, those barrels are blended, the whiskey is proofed way down, and it’s bottled.
Bottom Line:
This had a lot of promise. There’s a good and unique profile here. It just doesn’t land the finish thanks to all that proofing water. Still, I can see this working in an old fashioned if you wanted a nice chocolate note.
This whiskey is a sourced Kentucky bourbon that’s built for country music legend Alan Jackson. The juice is named after the color of Jackson’s iconic “silverbelly” hat. That juice is made in Owensboro, Kentucky, and then built from barrels that Jackson hand-selected with his daughter Mattie Jackson Selecman, who’s a certified sommelier by day.
Bottom Line:
This had a unique flavor profile that ultimately ended up classic. Overall, this was a nice sip with a soft landing of a finish. I’m only going to say this once. I wanted this at a higher proof. That said, this is perfectly suitable for cocktails and mixed drinks. Hell, I’d even sip it on the rocks with a dash of Angostura Bitters.
High West Bourbon is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after sourced/own-make whiskey blends. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of two to 13-year-old barrels rendered from high-rye and low-rye mashes alongside undisclosed whiskeys, some of which are sourced from MGP. Those sourced barrels are mixed with two-year-old barrels from High West before proofing and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is a very solid, albeit average, bourbon. There are no faults. It tastes perfectly good. It’s just not arresting. I’d even argue that the little bit of water on the end doesn’t distract from this one.
Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills. Educated guesses put the wheat percentage of these mash bills at around 16 to 18%, which is average. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown. We do know that they cut down those ABVs with that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the good stuff. This hit pretty well. It’s complex and very classic. And that’s about it.
Chicken Cock has some serious bourbon history going back to 1856. It was also the bourbon of the infamous Cotton Club in Harlem during Prohibition. Fun fact, the hooch was smuggled into the club in tin cans that they cracked open tableside. The juice in this bottle is being contract distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company, where it’s also aged before blended, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
I was kind of surprised to see this so high. I rarely reach for this bottle but it really stood out today as a classic pour of bourbon. That said, I think I’d mostly use this for cocktails though. It feels like something you build upon.
This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown but Sazerac does mention that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could be exactly the same as Kirkland Signature Small Batch — or not. The juice is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as is.
Bottom Line:
This had serious depth and flavor. It wasn’t washed out at all. In fact, the proofing water was barely noticeable. Overall, this felt like a solid workhorse whiskey for cocktails and sipping on the rocks.
Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Bottom Line:
I was shocked this wasn’t number one. This is damn good bourbon with a fully-developed profile that has no hints of proofing water. This is a winner but it didn’t quite reach the same depth as the next entry.
Nashville Barrel Company has been raking in the awards for their single barrel releases (mostly from MGP). With all of their releases at barrel strength, they figured it was high time to offer a blend that’s proofed down a little more for the folks who don’t want that ABV slap in the face mentioned above. This whiskey is a blend of five or more year-old barrels (only a handful of them) and then masterfully proofed down to 43%.
Bottom Line:
This felt perfectly rounded. It was low-proof but didn’t feel like it was washed out by water thanks to a unique and deep flavor profile. It’s also bold, which is what we’ve all come to expect from an NBC release.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
This really was a mixed bag when it comes to those low proofs. One of the lower-proofed bourbon whiskeys won the day.
Overall, this showed that it is less about the proof and more about the hand at the water spigot when it comes to how these whiskeys are blended and proofed down. This blind tasting also showed that low proof doesn’t mean low flavor. Most of these whiskeys had a great flavor profile with the top really shining brightly.
It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.
There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves “love” and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.
That year, Betsy was at home singing and dancing with her refrigerator door as one does when looking for food, when she was sexually assaulted at knife point by none other than star Penn State football player, Todd Hodne. When Irv heard the evidence against Hodne during the trial, he knew he had to do something about it. In fact, he was the only one on the team who did.
After the assault Betsy moved back on campus, and that’s when she met Irv, a burly football player who understood what it was like to be outcast. He knocked on her door, introduced himself and offered to essentially be her protection as she traversed through campus. The pair were glued at the hip until graduation. Irv went on to play for the LA Rams and Betsy went on to work in human resources. They hadn’t spoken since, until 44 years later when ESPN decided to cover their unique bond that helped Betsy get through college.
Hear directly from Betsy Sailor and Irv Pankey as they discuss their relationship in my recent interview with them (created by director @nicole_noren ): 12/12pic.twitter.com/GmWVIYp38O
And that’s when this already compelling tale became a love story.
Irv and Betsy stayed in touch after the documentary was filmed, and when ESPN did an update, Betsy became emotional while talking about Irv. The two smiled and said they spend as much time together as possible. Irv said “We’re riding off into the sunset. Calling it a day. Peace out! I hope we can enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives and just move on,” He continued “We’re 65 years old. We ain’t got time to be messing around.”
If that isn’t a love story to write home about, then I don’t know what is. Best wishes Betsy and Irv. You both deserve a lifetime of happiness.
Brendan Fraser is opening up about the “disappointing” decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to shelve Batgirl, and he’s not afraid to name names. While promoting his new film, The Whale, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Fraser was asked for his thoughts on the fate of the DC Comics film that would’ve seen him play the classic Batman villain Firefly. Right out of the gate, Fraser fired a shot at WB Discovery’s chief financial officer.
“Well, stop talking about it ’cause Gunnar Wiedenfels does not want people thinking about this. That’s what I read,” Fraser said. While the remark was said jokingly, it did reflect that the actor is aware of Wiedenfels’ recent remarks where he essentially accused the media of blowing the Batgirl situation out of proportion.
After the thinly veiled shot, Fraser expressed his disappointment that fans would not get to see Leslie Grace in the title role.
“The fans really wanted to see this film made. Leslie Grace is a dynamo,” Fraser told Variety. “The movie was shot and conceived for a smaller screen. In this age that we’ve come out of now between streaming service versus theatrical release, it wound up being the canary in the coal mine. What did we learn from this? Work with trusted filmmakers, like Darren [Aronofsky].”
While DC Comics fans have been denied a chance to see Fraser’s villainous performance in Batgirl, the actor is doing pretty good all things considered. He’s racking up accolades for The Whale and took home his first trophy since elementary school at TIFF. It’s one heck of a comeback, and if two standing ovations are any indication, people are here for it.
Britney Spears, who at press time had deactivated her wildly err…popular, Instagram account (it will surely be back in due time), took to the platform before she logged out to air out some more grievances regarding her conservatorship. Spears has been very vocal in venting about the constraints that the conservatorship had on her and especially about the effects it still has on her even now that it’s over.
She sent a pointed message to both of her parents on Sunday night before deactivating her account, saying, “I will say it loud and proud … I pray you both burn in hell.” But she did not stop there, and also added a parting shot on a different post about her Pepsi ad from 2018 that appeared among New York City’s flashing lights.
Apparently, Spears was not fond of how her photo superimposed in front of Radio City Music Hall looked in the Pepsi ad. After airing out some thoughts on the conservatorship and how she’ll probably never play another live show again, she addressed her father, who seems to have masterminded the Pepsi ad: “Psss … and father the beautiful picture you guys put up of me in New York City for Pepsi making me cry looking 80 years old … see this picture right here … kiss my God damn mother f*cking ass you f*cking bastard.”
It’s almost time for the BET Hip-Hop Awards, the only awards show dedicated specifically to the world’s most popular genre. A week after announcing the host of this year’s show, Fat Joe, BET has announced the nominees for the awards on Twitter and Instagram. Drake leads the way with 14 nominations, Kanye West has 10, and Kendrick Lamar has nine. The show will air on October 9 at 9 pm ET.
Baby Keem
Benny The Butcher
Drake
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Jay-Z
Kendrick Lamar
Best Hip-Hop Video Of The Year
ASAP Rocky — “D.M.B”
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
BIA — “London” Feat. J. Cole
Cardi B — “Hot Sh*t” Feat. Kanye West & Lil Durk
City Girls — “Good Love” Feat. Usher
Drake — “Way 2 Sexy” Feat. Future & Young Thug
Future — “Wait For U” Feat. Drake & Tems
Best Collaboration
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Benny The Butcher — “Johnny P’s Caddy” Feat. J. Cole
Cardi B — “Hot Shit” Feat. Kanye West & Lil Durk
City Girls — “Good Love” Feat. Usher
Drake — “Jimmy Cooks” Feat. 21 Savage
Drake — “Way 2 Sexy Feat. Future & Young Thug
Future — “Wait For U” Feat. Drake & Tems
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
Drake — “Churchill Downs” (Jack Harlow Feat. Drake)
J. Cole -– “Poke It Out” (Wale Feat. J. Cole)
J. Cole –- “London” (Bia & J. Cole)
Lil Baby — “Girls Want Girls” (Drake Feat. Lil Baby)
Kanye West- – “City Of Gods” (Fivio Foreign, Kanye West & Alicia Keys)
Drake –- “Wait For U” (Future Feat. Drake & Tems)
Jadakiss -– “Black Illuminati” (Freddie Gibbs Feat. Jadakiss)
Best Duo Or Group
42 Dugg & Est Gee
Big Sean & Hit-Boy
Birdman & Youngboy Never Broke Again
Blxst & Bino Rideaux
DaBaby & YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Earthgang
Styles P & Havoc
Best Live Performer
Cardi B
Doja Cat
Drake
J. Cole
Kanye West
Kendrick Lamar
Tyler The Creator
Producer Of The Year
ATL Jacob
Baby Keem
Hit-Boy
Hitmaka
Kanye West
Metro Boomin
Pharrell Williams
In something that sounds like the plot of a Disney+ romcom starring Anna Kendrick, Anna Kendrick got stuck in an elevator over the weekend while attending TIFF. Chaos ensued! Kendrick was promoting her new film Alice, Darling and it seems like having the word “darling” in a title at a film festival this year is just the unlucky thing to do, for some reason!
The actress ended up being stuck in a very crowded elevator alongside some of her team. She uploaded a video to her Instagram, making jokes about having to ration food (sticks of gum) and “just vibing.” Eventually, Kendrick and her crew then had to use a ladder to get off the elevator, when she made a joke about not wearing pants: “the Lord said to me, choose the long skirt.” So talking with a higher power is also a talent we can add to Kendrick’s resume.
Kendrick later told EW that the whole thing was just bad luck, and not some mean elevator controller getting revenge for having to sit through Pitch Perfect 3. “I got in the wrong elevator at the wrong time. I got out. Some lovely Canadian firefighters had me crawl out the top of the hatch. But, yeah, it was, like, seven of us in an elevator just waiting to be rescued by firefighters. It was so absurd that it would happen on a film press tour that it just seemed so immediately comical.” Indeed, being stuck in a box is funny for some. Not for others, though.
At the end of the month, Kid Cudi will be dropping both his long-waited Entergalactic animated series, as well as an eponymous album of the music that accompanies the show. The Netflix series features Cudi (billed by his legal name, Scott Mescudi), along with Jessica Williams, Timothée Chalemet, Vanessa Hudgens, Ty Dolla Sign, and Laura Harrier. Created by Cudi, the “Man On The Moon” rapper has called it, “The greatest piece of art Ive ever made,” and now the newly-released expanded trailer gives us a closer look at exactly why he believes this.
Cudi voices the main character, Jabari, a BMX-riding, city dwelling dreamer and romantic who meets a gal in the city (Meadow, voiced by Williams) and they navigate the wavelengths of newfound love together surrounded by colorful supporting characters. The series is directed by Blackish creator Kenya Barris and is coming to Netflix on September 30th — the same day that the album drops. Other artists involved in the project in some way, shape or form include 070 Shake, Jaden Smith, Teyana Taylor, and more.
Watch the new expanded trailer for Entergalactic above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Reggie Bush is one of the greatest college football players of all time, but the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner doesn’t show up in official record books or in the official list of Heisman winners after being stripped of that title following an NCAA investigation into impermissible benefits during his time at USC.
Bush was made to return his Heisman Trophy by the Heisman Trust and was issued a 10-year ban from associating with his alma mater by the NCAA, effectively being shunned from the sport that he was such an integral part of in the mid-2000s. In 2019, after a 12-year NFL career and a brief tenure with NFL Network, Bush joined Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff show and made his return to the college football world, fittingly making his first road show appearance at the Coliseum for a USC game.
Now, three years later, Bush is still healing from the wounds of old brought by the NCAA, but is loving being back in college football and watching games from the sidelines as part of Fox’s road show — most recently being on hand for Alabama’s escape against Texas. On Monday, we got a chance to sit down with Bush over Zoom on behalf of Wendy’s, who he’s partnered with once again for their ad campaign for college football season, and talk about his return to the college football world. Bush was extremely candid about his mixed emotions returning to the college game initially, his feelings towards the NCAA, and his excitement seeing kids getting the opportunities he never did to profit off their name, image, and likeness.
I want to start with this Wendy’s spot, because it seems like you had a lot of fun with it and the entire premise. What did you think when they came to you with this idea and then how was it executing it with the team?
I thought it was great, man. I thought it was awesome. You know, when they came to me with the idea of just doing a comedy skit around the Heisman Trophy, but with the pretzel pub, you know, that was genius. And then when we got a chance to get on set, do the spots and the scenes, they were a lot of fun, man. Honestly, I had so much fun with it. You know, I got a chance to, I think, work on some comedy that I wasn’t sure I had in me [laughs].
But just pushing myself to different limits, and now stepping into this kind of this comedy role through commercials while promoting a brand like Wendy’s, it’s awesome. It’s an awesome opportunity. And the director was great. Really made it easy. A lot of it was improv too, honestly. So that’s the other part as well, like the commercials that we that we shot, most of them were improv. I didn’t get a script a week before or even a day before. I actually called when we had a conference call — I was a little worried cause I hadn’t seen the script yet and I was like, ‘Hey, you know, we gotta do a commercial, obviously, I know it’s a big deal and I want to really do a great job.’ And I’m a perfectionist. I like to work hard. And I was just thinking, ‘Hey, I probably need a couple of days with the script so I can just like get into the right mindset and just think about some of the things.’ But I just showed up on set and just go you know, and so I thought that was awesome. It definitely tested my comedy acting skills and my abilities because, you know, there’s something that just I wasn’t sure I had in me as well. But I was able to, I think just push the envelope with my abilities on the acting side and the comedy side and it was a lot of fun.
I gotta say, I knew you had you because going back through preparing for this I found an old ESPYs ad where you did a Reggae Bush bit that still kills me. So I don’t know if you remember that but I knew you had the chops because the delivery on that was perfect.
[Laughing] Yeah, I forgot about that, man. Yeah, that was definitely a fun opportunity as well. But you know, to me, it’s kind of scary sometimes doing improv. You know what I mean? Because it’s like, you got to [snaps fingers], you got to just come up with it, whatever it is. But Wendy’s was great, they allowed me to also add things that I just wanted to do within a scene. It was like, here’s kind of the script, but if there’s things that you want to change or add, go ahead. And I just thought that freedom really allowed me to, you know, be my best.
You play on it with the ad, but what has it been like being able to be back in the college football world and being on sidelines for these big games after you were effectively shunned for a decade from the sport?
Yeah, it’s umm…man, it’s definitely been full circle. Full Circle, unique opportunity. Because I have to be honest, when Fox first came to recruit me for this show I had a lot of reservations about it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it because I was doing Thursday Night Football for NFL Network. And I was just retired from the NFL. So it’s like, I didn’t know college, wasn’t really studying it as much, you know, and the players always changing, coaches as well. So I just wasn’t sure.
And then also at the same time, there were reservations about everything that I had been through in the college space, and you know, how tough that was on me, spiritually. And just how tough that was on me and my family. It was it was something that definitely scarred me on the inside, but also at the same time, I’ve always felt like, at the end of the day, the facts and the truth were gonna come out. And most recently, the facts and the truth have come out with my former running back coach, Todd McNair, who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for defamation of character for them basically trying to pin the case on him and making him kind of the link between USC and me and being able to penalize our school. And most recently, he won that lawsuit [Ed Note: McNair’s case was settled with the NCAA in July 2021 in mediation]. I think the kicker is, at the time when when T-Mac filed the lawsuit, I wasn’t sure how long it was gonna take but I don’t think it’s gonna take 10-plus years for him to finally win that lawsuit and win that case.
And I think it just speaks to the NCAA and who they are and they did everything they could to get the case thrown out of court. They tried to get the judge taken off the case. They delayed and delayed and motioned and motioned for as long as they could. But the inevitable happened and T-Mac won that lawsuit. They had to pay him $8 million. And I think that money that they had to pay and I think the case is proof that my story is, one it’s crazy, but the NCAA lied about a lot of things that happened. And you know, so that case, T-Mac winning that, I think speaks volumes. Did the NCAA come out and release a statement and say, hey, we just had to pay T-Mac this and that or, you know, we were wrong for this and that? No, they didn’t. They got a nondisclosure agreement with him and tried to sweep it behind closed doors. But we’re not gonna let it get swept under the rug, because it’s too big of a story.
And that’s what’s unique about my story is that nobody knows all the facts. Nobody knows the truth, because I’ve never spoken about it. I haven’t done any interviews on it. Because I knew there’s gonna come a time and a place where the facts and the truth are gonna come out. And, you know, now with the NCAA, the ruling from the Supreme Court, 9-0, I think that’s that piece of it also shows you that they were basically violating kids’ human rights, basic rights, you know what I mean to go make money off their name, image, and likeness. And so here we are. They didn’t want to be in this position. They were forced in this position. And so now the bridge beneath them is crumbling, as we’ve seen. And I’m so happy, so happy, for these kids to be able to now go make money for themselves, for their families. I’m hearing great stories about kids donating money to foundations and donating their time and that’s what it’s about. I’m so happy that these kids get a chance to go and make money off their name, image, and likeness now, because they deserve it.
You know, in our country we’ve been told a lie, that your scholarship is a fair trade. And that’s not true. That’s the narrative that the NCAA wanted to push, but now, here we are, you know, and it’s proof that these kids deserve more. They’re working their butts off. They’re grinding for these universities. They’re bringing in millions for these universities and billions for the NCAA. And so, they were put in a position where — we were put in a position where we were broke, hungry, starving, literally, I don’t mean that metaphorically. I mean, that literally. Literally broke, hungry, and starving in college, while making millions and billions for universities. Somebody’s benefiting? And it’s just now the times have change. So, with my case, NCAA, again, they swept T-Mac’s win under the rug, but we’re not gonna let that stay quiet. There are legal things happening right now behind closed doors with my legal team and the Heisman Trust, and NCAA, as we speak. And I feel confident that some things are gonna happen, some things gonna change, for me with the Heisman Trust and Heisman Trophy.
And, you know, that’s why I say, it’s full circle for me. You asked me the question earlier, what it was like for me to go back in the college space, honestly, I can’t explain it. I feel like this is all part of a bigger plan, bigger purpose, made by God to put me in this position to have me here back in this college space, when I never in a million years imagined I would come back after some of the things that I had to go through and dealt with. So, for me again, now that I’m here and now looking at it, I’m so glad I made that decision. Because out college football show, Big Noon Kickof, I can’t imagine a better job. To be able to go to work and have 10-20,000 people behind you screaming their heads off. You know, the energy is amazing. The reception by the fans everywhere we go, we’re now treated like ambassadors of the sport. And I appreciate the fans for that. Appreciate all of it.
And, again, this, I promise you, this was not my plan. You know, my plan was not to go through what I went through in college, and then into the NFL. You know, getting drafted to New Orleans, that was crazy in itself. I went there five months after Hurricane Katrina. When New Orleans looked like a third world country, you wouldn’t even recognize it. You know what I mean? Water lines on every house, spray painted with numbers of bodies found in those houses. No restaurants, no businesses open. It was crazy. And I think just, again, the plan, the journey that I’ve been on, that God has taken me on has been so amazing, and just something I could never have have imagined. But I think going to New Orleans, and the time period I went to it, I felt like I went there in a time period where they needed me and I needed them. I needed to go to a place that needed me, because I really felt kind of outcast by the things I was dealing with with college football. And so I think going to New Orleans was such an amazing time. And just something I could have never imagined but it was like once I felt that purpose of okay, I’m here for a much larger purpose, much bigger than football you know, playing for people who lost businesses, homes, family members, all kinds of stuff. It really just, right away I had to change my focus. I had to shift my focus and New Orleans became this perfect marriage at the perfect time and we were able to go win a Super Bowl for them. And that was…that was the best experience of my life. Doing that four years after Katrina for a city that really desperately needed some good, some hope, you know, and now look at this, the organization and team man. It’s just, I’m glad I was a part of that change.
Yeah, I was gonna ask about just what the transition is like going from being a college football legend and a guy who when you walked on the field, you were absolutely the best player on the field. And you go to the NFL when you’re a top pick, what was it like going into a league where there’s guys at your level and how do you mentally adapt to that and deal with that change? Because obviously there’s a big difference there.
It was. When you’re a top pick and you come in the league with a lot of notoriety, everybody taking shots at you. At you. And I mean that on the football field. Everybody wants a piece of you. Everybody wants to measure, I think, themselves against you. And I felt that my rookie year. I felt like guys was trying to kill me on the football field. I felt like I survived maybe one of the hardest hits in NFL history in the NFC divisional game against the Eagles where I just got absolutely destroyed, you know.
But I felt that energy all season long. And I liked it, you know, because it reminded me that I was a problem on a football field to a lot of defenses and for a lot of defensive players. And all I ever wanted to do was just go make plays, you know, go make highlight reel style plays, go do the unthinkable. I said in high school I was gonna win the Heisman Trophy, before I even really understood what that even meant. I was just like, oh, that goes to the best player? I want to win. But I didn’t even really understand like the magnitude of what that meant, what that was gonna take. You know, I said I wanted to win the Super Bowl. I didn’t understand the magnitude of what that was going to take now looking back on it. You know, I said I wanted to play in the NFL for a long time. I played 11 years as a running back. That’s a long time, that’s double digit years, you know, which you don’t see a lot of that anymore. I’ve been blessed and now I work for some great networks work the NFL Network on Thursday Night Football and now with Fox so I’ve been blessed man. The journey and a ride has been amazing. And you know, again, this definitely, the way is gone, is I could have never imagined that or planned it.
You were at Alabama-Texas, which was a crazy game. You’ve been in that spot that Alabama was in where you are the team that everybody’s hunting and you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. When you go into an environment like that, and you don’t have your best game and you suddenly find yourself in a dogfight, what does it tell you about this Alabama team that they were able to still go out and get that win despite not playing what we think is their best?
It’s a unique position to be in, because you see everybody’s A-game. You are the measuring stick for everything you’re gonna play. My last year in college we dealt with that every single week. It felt like we were down at halftime, every single week. And we had to fight, claw, scratch our way back into a W. I remember playing Oregon on the road, we were down at halftime and then we came back. Oregon State in the Fog Bowl, where it was literally so foggy on TV you couldn’t see anything and I couldn’t even see the ball, you know, when it was being punted and kicked in the air. We played Arizona State that year, we were down at halftime. They were just taking it to us and it just felt like everybody is giving us their championship effort. You know what I mean?
And that’s what Alabama has to look forward to. Every single week they’re gonna be tested and everybody’s gonna want to knock them off. Especially when they go to other stadiums, you know, like at Texas, hostile environment, the fans were loud the entire game so the fans they effected — I think the fans effected this game a lot. You know, they had some offsides, false start penalties. You definitely saw Alabama out of character, and I think out of their element in that game. But you know, Bryce Young was great when they needed him to be great. And that’s what great players do. They’re great when your team needs them most. And that’s something that won’t show up on the stat sheet. It won’t show up in a contract. But, you know, I think that just the heart of Bryce Young in those moments, and that final minute and a half spoke volumes. And so being in that position — again, like I said, we were in that position my last year, we had to face Virginia Tech Week 1 on the road, and that was a dogfight. But this is the way it is for Alabama. For those teams. Georgia, same way, they’re gonna see everybody’s A-game too, they won the national championship last year. But they look good. They look really good [laughs].
Kirby [Smart] got them turned around real fast. He got them on track.
He got them on track quick. But yeah, you know, that brings out the best in the best athletes. I love every second of it. You know, Iappreciated the time that we blew teams out, but I really loved those games where we had to fight, claw, and scratch our way back into a W. Just because that really tests your spirit. It tests your willpower. And, you know, anytime you can win those games, it’s just like, one more step. You know what I’m saying? It’s like one more step, one more chapter you feel like you’ve you’ve closed and just gives you that much more confidence on a football field.
Lastly, I got to ask about SC. Obviously a good start to the Lincoln Riley era there with what you’re seeing with Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison. As an alum, as somebody who cares about that program. Does it does it feel different this time? Does it feel like it’s really got a chance to get back to where everybody at USC wants it to get to?
I think it does. It feels like the direction of the program is going up. And with Lincoln Riley’s history, we know him to be a great coach. And I mean, I think this is one of his biggest accomplishments. You know, obviously having Heisman Trophy winners is amazing. You know, I think just what he’s been able to do in a short period of time, in a landscape that’s very different, you know, full of transfer portals, transfers and this landscape is so different, to be able to go and I think shift the roster in one year. And to completely change the offense, the look, just everything about it. That’s awesome. It just leaves me wanting more and wanting to see what they’re going to do next. They already look like they’re in postseason form. And I know, Stanford, we’ll see how good or or not good they are throughout the rest of the season, but man, I think this was just a great showing of what they can do. And Caleb Williams looks awesome. He looks really good. And just the offense looks good. They’re playing in space. I’m such a fan of Lincoln Riley and his just offensive brilliance. It’s just a breath of fresh air. When you see, it’s like, this is how football supposed to be played. I love that they’re running the football again. You know, we haven’t had a good run game at USC in a while. And now the run game is taken off, you know what I’m saying? So now that’s going to attract more recruits. So it’s just, it’s awesome to see, you know, man, what a difference a coach makes in a program and a university.
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