Famous comedian and podcast host Adam Carolla recently made an appearance on the Sage Steele Show where he talked about how fed up he is with the state of California.
In his comments, Carolla called Governor Gavin Newsom a “narcissistic empty bag” and insisted that it’s “time to move.”
How Can You Live There?
During the podcast, hosted by Sage Steele, Adam Carolla was asked how he can still stand living in LA given all its current issues.
Carolla let out a groan at the question and responded with “It’s horrible.” He proceeded to tell Steele his story of growing up in LA and resolved to himself that it was “time to move.”
Couldn’t Leave Before This
Carolla offered the excuse to the host that his family’s needs came first over his desire to flee the state, joking that as soon as his kids graduate he will be ready to go.
“I have twins, and they’re in their senior year of high school and I couldn’t- I didn’t want to pick up and, you know, tear up their roots, you know? So people always go, ‘When are you leaving?’ And I go, I will be attending their high school graduation in a U-Haul,” Carolla said.
Culture of Staying
On the podcast, Carolla outlined a long-held cultural attitude in LA that has kept people in place despite what he sees as problems and a recent downturn.
“That’s a sad testimonial about California and sort of recent downturn in L.A. as well, because growing up out here, nobody left. You’d be a fool to leave, you know,” Carolla said. “And the notion of moving out of L.A. and going to like one of the Carolinas or Nashville… You watch the beginning of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ they lived over here and then they came to where we are, and I was already there…Moving to a place like Wyoming or something would have been unfathomable, unheard of.”
No Place to Go
In the interview, Carolla teased several places that he might consider moving to, though he hasn’t made a decision. Carolla feels less like he is drawn to go to a specific place and more like he just can’t stay in California.
“And that’s sad because I don’t even have a place that I need to go,” Carolla said. “There’s a difference between going ‘I want to live out my retirement years in Maui’ or ‘I got to move to Arizona because I have bronchitis’ or something. This ain’t that. This is just I have to leave. I don’t even know where I’m going. This isn’t me cheating on you for another woman. This is ‘I hate you so much. I’m moving into a motel room and not dating for six years,” Carolla quipped.
Self-Imposed Problems
Carolla lamented that California has become too ambitious with its desire to keep pushing things forward, viewing the problems the state now has as “self-inflicted.”
“I say to a lot of people like, when’s it end? When do we change course? And the number one answer is, ‘We haven’t bottomed out yet. We’re getting near it. We haven’t totally bottomed out.’ And then I say, ‘Why is it necessary to bottom out?’ said Carolla.
We Get What We Deserve
Another point Carolla brings up is the people voting for politicians like Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are doing this to themselves.
“We get what we deserve, and we deserve it,” Carolla said. “And I’m like, that’s how we vote. Like Dumbo moms. It’s like ride or die with Gavin Newsom. And it’s like, can you just admit you made a mistake and try something else? And it’s like, no, we cannot.”
Railing Against Newsom
Carolla in the appearance unleashed invective insults against Newsom, who he views in the worst possible terms. In the interview, he called him a “narcissistic douchebag” and “slippery eel of nothingness” among other choice phrases.
“He says nothing. He says nothing,” Carolla said of Newsom. “He’s a sociopathic, narcissistic, empty bag. And we vote for this guy. He says nothing.”
Newsom Doesn’t Have to Say Anything
Carolla was critical of voters who he says continually vote for Newsom who never has to say anything besides being a Democrat to earn the votes of California residents.
“He doesn’t have to. That’s the scary part of this equation,” Carolla said in response to Steele saying Newsom doesn’t have to say anything. “My mom is voting for Gavin Newsom no matter what that pile of s— does. And he’s insane.”
Previous Interaction
Carolla told Steele about one interaction he had with Newsom back in 2013 when he interviewed him in an exchange that went viral.
“He’s a buffoon. He’s an idiot,” Carolla said. “I said to him what’s going on with traffic? We have such horrible traffic in L.A., especially, the worst in the world. Like, why aren’t we doing something about it. Why isn’t there a plan? Where’s our traffic czar? What’s going on? He goes, ‘I saw this billboard. I kind of liked it. It said, ’You’re not in traffic. You are traffic.’ It doesn’t mean anything. The point is, that’s how he talks.”
Reaction Online
The interview was seen positively by commenters online, with many agreeing with Carolla’s critiques of modern California.
“I was driving home from Tahoe yesterday and near Sacramento was a homeless encampment about 10 yards from the freeway. There was a man and his dog and I thought, what 3rd Country am I living in,” said a user on X.
Hate For Newsom
Many commenters honed in on Carolla’s takes on the state’s governor, feeling like he was expressing their own thoughts.
“He’s just saying what every OG Californian thinks every d*mn day,” said one X user. “He was 100% accurate. Gavin is a fraud with 0 leadership experience,” said X user Aleks Taldykin.
