The Boy Friends Podcast

O-Town's Trevor Penick: Boy Bands, Diddy & the Pop Star Life

Trevor Penick of O-Town sits down with Matt, Corey, and Marcus to tell stories that only a 2000s pop star could tell — and things get wildly entertaining fast. Trevor was one of the original cast members of Lou Pearlman's Making the Band on ABC, the show that predated Diddy's version and launched O-Town into arenas worldwide. He walks us through what it was really like: zero singing experience before the auditions, crying every time he made the next cut, and learning harmonies on the fly while the cameras rolled. Before the fame, Trevor was collecting trash in a tuxedo at a minor league baseball stadium in Rancho Cucamonga — and managed to dance the chicken dance on a dugout with Halle Berry. After the fame faded and Lou Pearlman's financial mismanagement left the band short-changed, Trevor pivoted to stand-up comedy and MC work, eventually hitting the road with podcast host Marcus Monroe for shows in Chicago, Houston, Boston, and Mexico City. In this episode we cover: • Trevor's path from zero vocal training to making O-Town on national TV • Lou Pearlman's Making the Band vs. Diddy's version — what really happened • Opening for Britney Spears on a 50-city arena tour and what she was allegedly like backstage • Dancing the chicken dance with Halle Berry at a minor league baseball game • The Diddy party invite they turned down — and why Trevor doesn't regret it • Stealing from Hollister, corporate wage debates, and whether billionaires should exist • Veganism, lab-grown meat, and the McDonald's human-meat conspiracy theory • A blind boy band ranking: New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, New Edition, and Manudo • Whether blink-182 counts as a boy band • O-Town's 25th anniversary album shows, re-recorded songs, and the Pop 2000 Tour • The rumored boy band Super Bowl halftime show — who should be on that stage? O-Town is currently touring on the Pop 2000 Tour and performing their debut album front to back for its 25th anniversary at select City Winery shows. Find tickets and dates at pop2000tour.com.

Lil Mo Mozzarella Returns: Kill Tony, Road Life & Comedy Respect

Lil Mo Mozzarella is back on The Boy Friends, and this episode goes everywhere — from savage "your sister" roast battles to genuine, hard-won wisdom about what it takes to survive and thrive as a touring comedian in 2024. The Boy Friends welcome Mo back for a conversation that starts with laughs and gets surprisingly real. Mo details his legendary journey to appear on Kill Tony: a car breakdown in Oklahoma, four hours of waiting in line alone, getting messaged by Tony Hinchcliffe at the last minute, and ultimately going viral from the appearance. The crew digs deep into what it actually feels like to be a social-media-first comedian trying to earn respect from the traditional stand-up world. They debate whether that stigma is fading, why LA might be more welcoming to character-driven performers, and how killing it at festivals like Moontower starts to make the doubters go quiet. Mo and the guys also get brutally honest about the business side of touring — the venues that overprice tickets without telling you, ticketing sites that silently reject American Express, how to read a contract, and the smart way to scale up your ad spend in the final days before a show. There's also a genuinely unhinged Airbnb horror story set in San Francisco involving miniature figurines, a hundred identical mugs, automated locks, a spiral staircase, and a host who gave them a two-hour tour at 1 a.m. In this episode we cover: • "Your sister" roast battle to open the show • Mo's wild Kill Tony origin story — car breakdown, 4-hour wait, last-minute save • Going viral from Kill Tony and what it did for ticket sales • Social media comics vs. traditional stand-up gatekeepers — is the tide turning? • The stress of performing in your home city and selling tickets • Creepy San Francisco Airbnb horror story • Best and worst cities on the road (crackhead city rankings included) • Smart ad spend strategy for comedy shows • Bad venue contracts, overpriced tickets, and broken ticketing sites • Gas station snack power rankings and New York pizza debates • Pasta with peas, Formica chairs, and Italian food authenticity • Mo's Northeast tour preview including Buffalo theater show • The "Indicted" tour series and the upcoming "Not Guilty" chapter • Kill Tony at Madison Square Garden excitement Follow The Boy Friends for new episodes every week. The Boy Friends: comedy, friendship, and absolutely zero filters.

Max Davidson is a Wizard

We had magician/mentalist and star of his upcoming show at the Edinburgh fringe on the podcast this week and we still have not yet recovered. Our minds were blown. Matt what his pants and Marcus and Corey and still in shock. Max is a delight and you will love this episode. Make sure to check out Max on his US tour and see us on tour while you’re at it!

Josh Glanc is a Family Man

Australian comedian (now living in London) Josh Glanc, joins us in our NYC studio to talk about his one man show Family Man which premiered in NYC at the SoHo playhouse last year. The same was so well recorded he came back this year for another off-Broadway run. Josh is know for his one man showed characters and is a silly boy and isn’t afraid to admit it. We love Josh and think you will too!

Adam Gilbert doesn’t know Dolly Parton?!

This weeks pod guest is the very funny Adam Gilbert!! He’s a very funny guy you know from Don’t Tell, he’s the winner of the New York Comedy Club competition and he has a special dropping soon on Only Fans! We chat about dating, comedy, NYC and play some fun games!