This podcast features an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation with actor and comedian Tom Arnold, hosted by Rick Glassman. The interview takes a surprising turn with an unannounced in-person appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Tom Arnold speaks candidly about his personal life, detailing his multiple surgeries for skin cancer and a septic infection, his ongoing eight-year custody battle with his fourth ex-wife, and his experiences as a single father. He also shares stories about his family's history, including his sister's life as a major drug dealer, which was the subject of the documentary "The Queen of Meth." On the professional front, Arnold recounts his journey into comedy and provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of his career-defining audition for the film True Lies.
The podcast's highlight is the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who first calls in and then walks into the studio. He corroborates Tom Arnold's audition story, and the two friends reminisce about filming True Lies, their decades-long friendship, their collaborative charity work, and share various lighthearted anecdotes from their careers.
Tom Arnold on Life, Career, and a Surprise Reunion with Arnold Schwarzenegger
0:00:58 - Personal Health Struggles: Tom Arnold discusses his history with significant health issues, including multiple surgeries for skin cancer resulting from a childhood on a farm without sunscreen, as well as a life-threatening septic explosion that required six subsequent operations.
05:10 - Directing His First Film: Arnold talks about directing his movie, The Breakup Pill, a comedy about a man who takes a trial drug to forget an ex, only to find out it was a placebo all along. This leads to a tangent about the potential side effect of "anal leakage" from certain real-life diet drugs.
10:10 - Grueling Custody Battle: Arnold explains his current stand-up comedy tour is financially necessary due to an eight-year-long, costly custody battle with his ex-wife, whom a court psychologist diagnosed as a "sociopath." He recounts incidents of her "swatting" his home, leading a judge to legally forbid her from calling the police.
28:08 - Family History and "The Queen of Meth": He reveals that his younger sister was a notorious meth dealer, whose story is told in the Discovery documentary The Queen of Meth. He touches on his family's history with drugs and prison.
37:53 - The Journey to Fatherhood: Arnold shares a personal story about being told in college that he had a low sperm count ("two swimmers") and would likely never conceive naturally. He later had children through IVF.
58:54 - How He Got into Comedy: He was inspired to become a comedian after seeing how much his father laughed at Bob Hope specials and after a chance encounter with Andy Kaufman in his small Iowa hometown.
1:02:40 - The Audition That Changed Everything: Arnold gives a detailed account of his audition for True Lies. Convinced it was a "mercy meeting" and that he wouldn't get the part, he didn't prepare. However, his natural chemistry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was secretly watching from a loft, was so strong that director James Cameron cast him in the room.
1:11:41 - James Cameron Fought for Him: He reveals that the studio, 20th Century Fox, initially refused to cast him due to tabloid stories. James Cameron stood by him, threatening to move the entire production to Paramount, which forced the studio to approve the casting.
1:14:56 - Surprise Call to Arnold Schwarzenegger: Host Rick Glassman calls Arnold Schwarzenegger on the phone, who confirms the stories about the True Lies casting and the studio's initial hesitation.
1:19:33 - Arnold Schwarzenegger Arrives: In a stunning surprise, Arnold Schwarzenegger walks into the studio to join the podcast in person.
1:27:17 - Decades of Friendship and Charity: Schwarzenegger and Arnold discuss their long-standing friendship and their work with the charity After School Allstars, which Schwarzenegger started and has raised over $1.6 billion for children's programs.
1:51:25 - Origin of the "Ice Cube Tray" Line: Arnold reveals his famous line from True Lies—"What kind of a sick bastard takes the ice cube trays?"—was inspired by a real-life event where his then-wife, Roseanne Barr, had someone empty his house that very day, taking everything down to the ice cube trays. He and Schwarzenegger then re-enact the scene.