This article appears in the new issue ofDEN OF GEEKmagazine.
Im polluting my body yet again, Andre tellsDen of Geekmagazine.
I dont think Ive ever had a Newport in my life.
[Laughs] Im a poser.
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The new season arrives at a time when Andres career continues to ascend.
In 2021, his long-gestating prank filmBad Tripwas released on Netflix.
Den of Geek: The question on everybodys mind right now is, how did you do it?
How did you get swole, jacked, goosed for season six?
Eric Andre:Oh, its just food and exercise.
I was looking into doing steroids.
But Im scared of cancer.
So I just ate a ton of meat.
I constantly snacked on meat.
Did you go the Kumail Nanjiani route and spring for Marvel Cinematic Universe trainers?
No, I had trainers that I worked out with before.
I tried to get jacked.
So they really helped me, but its mostly just like you gotta eat meat all day.
I wasnt good at it.
Season five, I gained 40-45 pounds.
But I wasnt even good at that.
My weight fluctuated throughout the shoot.
How did that feel?
It felt good, but I was hungry.
And its no quality of life.
Because you cant drink alcohol.
You cant go out to restaurants.
The joys of life are taken away from you.
Seems like youre taking it back with this [gestures to Erics Newport Cigarettes tracksuit].
Yeah, so Im polluting my body yet again.
I dont think Ive ever had a Newport in my life [laughs].
Were there any guests that actually validated you?
I got completely naked in front of Jon Hamm.
He complimented me, and hes a handsome man, so it meant more.
He saw my whole cock.
We had this gag where my clothes were attached to a fishing line.
And right when I got up to greet him, our special effects team pulled all my clothes off.
And he was shocked.
But he said I was in great shape.
You guys pulled some really good talent and guests on the show this season.
Tell me a little bit about what your producers did to…
Our producers lie.
They lie to every publicist and agent.
Is that the only way?
[Laugh] Its the only way to get people on there.
Nobody knows what theyre getting into.
Some peoplethinkthey know what theyre getting into.
But a lot of people wouldnt even tell them my name or the name of the show.
And Im meeting them for the first time on camera.
So they walk onto set, and then they realize theyve been lured intoTheEric Andre Show?
No, as long as the guest is over 35, they have no idea who I am.
Daymond John fromShark Tankhad no idea who I was.
Meagan Good had no idea who I was.
Daymond has a moment where he looks directly into the camera lens like hes questioning his entire life.
He goes, Ive never experienced anything like this in my entire life, and I never will again.
And I was like, Thats accurate.
And he was really cool.
At the end, he was like, I gotta have your number, man.
We got to hang out.
[Laughs] He was shook.
He was in too deep.
I think at the end of the day, people know Im just joking around.
Theres no malicious intent.
You dont want them to call the cops because then the bit is over.
So you gotta throw them off the scent and keep confusing them.
And then theyll walk away just to keep the person on the hook.
Or Ill say to the person, Dont call the cops.
The cops arent who they say they are.
Or Ill say, Dont call 911.
Call the better cops.
Just to keep their brain scrambled.
The pacing of this season is noticeable.
It just seems like you guys were packing a lot more into these episodes.
I think were yielding a higher result than the previous seasons.
So I think its more pound-or-pound quality per square inch.
Does that mean youre doing more or leaving less on the cutting room floor?
So, just add a bit more quality from top to bottom.
Do you feel pressure to top yourself?
I always feel a massive amount of pressure.
We heard you landed your dream interview this season: Chet Hanks.
[Laughs] My dream interview.
I dont know if it was my dream.
It was a nightmare.
It was a wet nightmare.
Did he bring his emotional baggage?
Yeah, he brings it everywhere he goes.
Hes always bringing his suitcase.
It was difficult, though.
Our crew was very upset.
He stole a motorcycle and almost knocked a bunch of light operators off their ladders.
Was that the craziest on-set guest interaction youve had?
Sometimes you do the show, and sometimes the show does you.
Now that youve had this experience, can you rank the members of the Hanks family?
I will put Tom at the top and Chet at the bottom.
And Colin and Rita somewhere in the middle.
I try not to pit the Hanks against each other.
Your new co-host this season is Felipe Esparza.
What qualities do you look for in a new co-host?
Hes really fucking funny.
Felipe has a little bit of something that Hannibal has where theyre both completely unpredictable.
They never take a stab at be funny.
Theyre just naturally funny.
Theyre not trying to be clever or witty.
They exist in their own world, in their own space.
Felipe is just like, completely, uniquely him.
Theres no one on television like him, and hes just completely unpredictable.
Hes just incredibly talented and funny and sweet and easy to work with.
And I just really enjoy his company.
And hes got crazy stories.
He used to like speedball heroin and meth and stuff back in the day.
How did you come up with that?
I cant remember who it was.
Somebody in the writers room was like, Why dont you do a cold episode?
I was like, Like, the temperature?
I was like, As related to winter or Christmas?
Theyre like, no, just purely like the idea of the temperature.
The episode introduces a new character, The Fridge Keeper.
Is the merchandising ready to go?
Tell that to Adult Swim.
Get that budget going!
The sixth season of The Eric Andre Show premieres June 4 at midnight ET on Adult Swim.
