Michael Clayton returned to Snackin’ & Yakkin’ for a conversation shaped by grief, stand-up comedy, family stories, and a bag of candy coated juicy gummy clusters. He also discussed his album Garbage Chic, the Charleston comedy community’s support for Rossi Brown, and why humor still has a place during the hardest parts of life.

The episode moves easily between candy, movies, wrestling, and the loss of Clayton’s father, who first helped him fall in love with comedy.

A return to a newly decorated studio

Clayton was one of the first returning guests after the studio’s update. He spotted new additions around the room, including the Charleston Cup and a signed Clerks 3 VIP lanyard from Kevin Smith.

The relaxed setting fit a conversation between longtime friends. Clayton compared the upgraded space to a much swankier podcast set, while the host pointed out how much had changed since Clayton’s earlier appearance.

Garbage arrived on April Fool’s Day

Clayton released his comedy album, Garbage Chic, on April 1, his father’s birthday. He chose the date because it suited a comedy release, and because his dad was a major part of his life and his love of stand-up.

Shawna Jarrett designed the album art as a fake Men’s Health magazine cover, a joke Clayton loved because he said he had no business commenting on men’s health. Eric Rickert produced the album, which Clayton recorded in one take at Wit’s End.

He spent about a year working on the material, listened to other comedy albums to consider pacing, and asked people who had released albums, including Josh Bates and the host, about the process. Once the personal material was recorded, Clayton felt he could retire it and move forward.

Charleston comics rallied around Rossy Brown

The episode also promoted a September 12 benefit at Purple Buffalo for Rossi Brown, whose West Ashley apartment building caught fire. Brown, who shared the apartment with his sister, lost his belongings in the fire.

Clayton has known Brown for more than a decade through comedy. He described him as hilarious, kind, and someone the Charleston scene wanted to support. Sara Meagan helped organize practical support and GoFundMe efforts, while the benefit brought together a large roster of local comics.

The show was planned as a rolling, telethon-style showcase, with most comics doing seven or eight minutes and a few possible unannounced drop-ins.

• People could attend the Purple Buffalo benefit to support Brown and see a wide range of Charleston comics.
• Those unable to attend could still contribute through the GoFundMe efforts for Brown.

Candy Coated Gummy Clusters and the Fast Five

BIG Ben tried candy coated juicy gummy clusters for the first time. He liked the tart candy shell and gummy center, comparing the experience to fruit snacks with a crunchy layer. The host compared the texture to a chocolate-covered marshmallow rolled in graham crackers.

“It’s like sugar straight to the brain.” – BIG Ben’s wife Kerri.

The pair agreed on several food questions. Clayton chose breakfast for dinner, especially pancakes and breakfast sausage, because breakfast foods feel more exciting outside their usual time slot. He also picked movie snacks over gas station snacks, though noisy candy packaging and nachos can ruin the tension in a quiet horror movie. Nachos are better suited for a loud Transformers movie.

For unlimited food, Clayton chose tacos over pizza, partly because corn tortillas can work around many dietary restrictions. He would give up chocolate before cheese, although he dislikes pre-processed cheese singles. Finally, he would rather see a favorite snack discontinued than eat a stale version forever. He remembered rationing banana pudding after a local restaurant closed, and preferred preserving the good memory over settling for a lesser version.

Privacy, hoodies, and leaving without goodbye

Although stand-up puts Clayton in public, he still needs time away from people. He said he wears hoodies partly because he doesn’t always know what to do with his hands, but also because they help him blend in after his social energy runs out.

Both Clayton and the host admitted they are fans of the Irish goodbye. Clayton may text close friends after leaving, but he doesn’t want to spend 15 minutes circling a room to say goodbye to everyone. Since it is his normal habit, he doesn’t see it as rude.

Losing his father and carrying the grief

Clayton’s father became seriously ill over roughly two months. He had always been active and health-conscious, but doctors later believed he had organizing pneumonia, sepsis, and pulmonary fibrosis.

The family had to make the painful decision to remove him from life support. Clayton remembered that his father had often joked that he would not want to be kept alive if he were bedridden. His father was also an organ donor, and his kidneys and liver went to three recipients. Organ donation occurs after death is declared at a medical facility, a process Clayton described through the family’s difficult final moments and the hospital’s donor walk.

His father died within minutes after life support was removed. That speed brought some comfort because it made clear how dependent he had been on the machines, even though the loss remained devastating.

A WrestleMania memory and unexpected tears

One of Clayton’s last conversations with his father was about CM Punk finally getting a WrestleMania main event. His father wanted them to watch it together. After returning to his hotel following his father’s death, Clayton turned on WrestleMania and saw Punk walking to the ring.

Punk’s entrance began in silence, with the crowd singing before the music started. Clayton does not frame himself as spiritual, but the timing felt surreal and bittersweet.

Grief later caught him off guard while watching Greenland 2: Migration. A death scene reminded him that he did not get the long movie-style farewell with his father because organ donation required the family to leave quickly. He laughed at the fact that such a bad movie brought him to tears, but the reaction made sense. Grief does not always arrive in expected places.

His father’s humor shaped his comedy

Clayton’s father was funny, profane, and willing to laugh at himself. He introduced his son to George Carlin when Clayton was about 8 to 10 years old. At the time, Clayton thought George Carlin held the only job available in stand-up comedy.

He remembered road trips where his father cursed every toll booth in sight, then politely thanked the toll worker. On a white-water rafting trip near the Georgia location where Deliverance was filmed, his father warned Clayton he would get thrown from the raft, then became the one launched into the water in front of the late talk show host, Jerry Springer.

Those memories explain why Clayton returned to comedy so quickly. He later realized he needed more time to grieve, but the stage felt like the place where he could speak freely and feel most like himself.

Comedy needs honesty and perspective

Clayton believes personal comedy works when the audience knows the performer is okay. A comic can discuss pain, trauma, or loss, but the crowd needs to feel that the person has enough distance to laugh with them.

He praised MK Kern for putting the audience first and said he doesn’t want anyone leaving his show feeling worse than when they arrived. For Clayton, comedy often comes down to admitting, “This is me trying to be a good person. This is where it went wrong.”

His father’s willingness to laugh at himself gave him that approach. Humor does not erase pain, but it can make space for people to talk about it without pretending it never happened.

A full relationship leaves no unfinished words

Clayton misses his father, but he takes comfort in the openness of their relationship. They talked honestly, shared movies and wrestling, and never left important things unsaid.

The grief remains because the relationship mattered so much. Yet the stories, the jokes, and the love of comedy are still present in the way Clayton lives and performs.

More episodes to be found here.