Leaked audio from former Brendan Schaub’s assistant Mark Harley has surfaced online. It was recorded during a private meeting in which Schaub spoke about Theo Von, longtime co-host Bryan Callen, and the declining state of his podcast operation.
Harley, whose career has since grown to include Super Bowl commercials and Saturday Night Live appearances, reportedly recorded the conversation after a falling out with Schaub, who was attempting to bring him back to work together.
On Theo Von, Schaub was dismissive. When the subject came up in relation to a potential Barstool Sports deal, Schaub said, “Don’t even give a f**k about Theo. You know what type of person Theo is, so don’t worry about that.”
The remark came around the time Von had departed to pursue his own path, and Schaub appeared unbothered by the split.
On Bryan Callen, Schaub was more measured but clearly frustrated. During a discussion about a podcast episode featuring Frank Grillo and comedian Sam Tripoli, Schaub described how Callen responded after Tripoli made a comment that led to the episode being demonetized.
In the video, someone says, “It’s funny how Bryan too is like almost like one foot or one foot out of it. Like, he’ll seem like he’s okay, but then like he’ll think about it, you know, and be like, ‘That’s not okay at all.'”
Schaub agreed with him, saying Callen’s concern was rooted in Hollywood perception. He stated: ” And he’s like, “Then other big time actors won’t come on.” I’m like, “Good.” It’s not a fit, dude.”
Schaub continued: “Like I kept throwing jokes out all night and Frank wasn’t picking up on it. He was Sam like I got you, man. Like a real comic didn’t get that. And I kept saying, get a load of this guy.”
On the Tripoli episode itself, Schaub noted he had warned everyone before recording not to say anything demonetizable, only for Tripoli to do exactly that within the first minute.
“I told the guys before the show started, ‘Hey, don’t say anything or get demonetized.’ Say less. One minute in.” He still defended Tripoli’s comment: “People’s feeling it was fat shame but him saying he likes fat chicks. He’s not calling anyone fat.”
On his media situation, Schaub acknowledged real struggles following his departure from Showtime. “I think what hurts my ego and obviously I do have to check my ego when I jump ship from Showtime. Now I’m against opponents I didn’t think I’d have to face. YouTube. Instagram, social media. Reddit.”
He admitted considering walking away entirely: “Man, maybe it’s just time to walk away. Like every show has its course. Like what are you going to do next 10 years? There’s no way.”
He also addressed the view decline head on: “If you’re going to predicate views off the first year, whether this was the right choice or not… you guys win.”
