Modern WisdomThe Rise Of NELK, Donald Trump & Global Chaos - Kyle Forgeard (4K)
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,001 words- 0:00 – 4:43
The Downfall of Trudeau
- CWChris Williamson
Trudeau is out. Talk to me.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Right away, we're just getting into it?
- CWChris Williamson
Dude. This is it. This is the biggest thing that's happening.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Bro, I feel like we all knew it was gonna happen. Um, but yeah, just to see it finally go down is just, it's refreshing. I mean, like you guys know I grew up in Canada. Um, I moved to the States about 10 years ago when I was around 20. I'm 30 now. And it's just like the last 10 years what's happened has just been devastating, honestly. Like, Canada is not the same country that I knew when I was grow- like growing up.
- CWChris Williamson
How much do you lie at the feet of Trudeau?
- KFKyle Forgeard
What do you mean?
- CWChris Williamson
How much is it directly, he directly responsible for what's happened?
- KFKyle Forgeard
I mean, if you're the commander-in-chief, you gotta, you gotta take some blame for sure. And yeah, I think all Canadians agree, it's just, it's just a totally different place.
- CWChris Williamson
How so?
- KFKyle Forgeard
I think Canada just lost its sense of identity a little bit, you know. I think being a little too politically correct, you know, whether it's not letting people say Merry Christmas, or we have a poppy that people wear every November, Remembrance Day, which is supposed to, like, support the fallen troops. Just, like, things that make us Canadian and, like, little bits of Canadian culture are just getting lost and stuff like that. There's obviously just, you know, a lot of immigration. I think immigration could have been done a little better. Um, but yeah, I think we're gonna see something in Canada really good. I'm really optimistic about it. I think you see... It's happening all over the world, right? Not just the US. We saw the results of this election, and I think Canada's going to be following suit. I think Canada's in for a big comeback. I'm really excited about it.
- CWChris Williamson
You're bullish on Canada?
- KFKyle Forgeard
I'm bullish on Canada, yeah. I think, I think it's gonna make a big comeback. I think Trudeau is just a complete loser.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, I don't know. I don't know what's up with that guy. I don't know if he just wanted to stay in power, but, I mean, his wife left him. I mean, that guy just needed to get the hell out of the, out of parliament.
- CWChris Williamson
I saw him correct somebody's language for saying "mankind".
- KFKyle Forgeard
Shit like that. That's what I mean. So that, that's what I mean.
- CWChris Williamson
"We, we, we don't want to use that. We need to use 'peoplekind'."
- KFKyle Forgeard
That, so that type of shit has been happening just all over Canada.
- CWChris Williamson
It feels like a Babylon Bee sketch. It doesn't feel like a real politician saying something.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. That's what I mean. It's just like you need someone that's gonna stand up for Canada, um, and I think there's, there's some good choices. The Pierre Poilievre, I think he would do a really good job at kind of giving Canada a big comeback.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm. Yeah, I don't know, man. It's a, it is kind of like a, a... Everywhere, there's America and then every other English-speaking country is kind of coming second at the moment. Nobody... The same with Britain, the same with Australia. Again, their stock went down an awful lot after COVID and sort of this overreach and lockdowns and stuff like that. No one has really had a fantastic, uh, four years when it comes to branding.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. Unless, unless Canada becomes the 51st state, right? We don't know, but... (laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. Yeah, well, it could, it could be 52nd if Greenland goes first.
- KFKyle Forgeard
It's weird 'cause like I just went home for Christmas and, like, it's kind of like 50/50. Like, a lot of people are actually like, "Yo, that'd be kind of sick." You know? 'Cause I think a lot of Canadians want to come to the States.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, you know, we love traveling here and stuff like that. But then, obviously there's a lot of Canadians that's like, "No, what the fuck? Like, this is our country." But I think, I think Trump's just trolling when he says that type of shit.
- CWChris Williamson
Well, you'd know.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I would know.
- CWChris Williamson
You've spent enough time with him.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I would know. And I, I think... I've spent a lot of time with him, but the last time that I was with him was which is when we flew on his plane right before the election, I got to see, like, a more real side of him, kind of like a button-downed, literally, version. Like, he had his jacket off, he had a few buttons off and he was just himself.
- 4:43 – 9:16
Spending Time With Trump
- CWChris Williamson
since being around him, watching the way that he operates, watching his systems, his staff, his demeanor? Was there anything that you took away from spending time with him?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. That guy's like... I mean, when that guy walks into a room, obviously he just soaks up obviously all the attention in the room. That's one thing I noticed too. One thing I noticed about him too is like, yeah, he's very... He likes to get everybody's opinion. Whether you're like his most trusted advisor or someone like me or someone that is just in the room, he's always asking people, "What do you think about this? What do you think about this? What do you think about this? What do you think about this?" I notice that he does that a lot. And I think he's just, like, subconsciously like kind of collect... It's like a poll he does. And, um, I've noticed that he does that a lot. He's always asking people what they think of something, and then I think that's how he kind of makes decisions as well.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
It's interesting.
- CWChris Williamson
I've heard a lot of criticism around, you know, a sort of shallow, fragile ego thing, not necessarily wanting to hear other people that tell him no or that say things that he doesn't fully understand. But on the flip side, I've also heard a lot of that, that he's always asking, like, servers in restaurants and, and the golf caddy for what their opinion is on stuff.
- KFKyle Forgeard
For sure.
- CWChris Williamson
So you have this odd...... dichotomy thing going on.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. Yeah. He definitely, he definitely loves himself. There's, there's no question about that. But you're right, yeah, exactly. If you're at a golf course, he's talking to, like, the back shop guys. Like, he's a people's person, which, which I find very interesting. I think that's one of his, his little secrets.
- CWChris Williamson
And you guys got kind of involved in politics-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... a little bit.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, we did. We, um, yeah, we worked with, like, uh, an organization called Send the Vote. Um, so they were, like, a bipartisan organization, and it was just about helping people register to vote. So, we kind of pushed that on our, like, social media and stuff, 'cause obviously Nelk, you know, we kind of own that male 18 to 35 vote. So, yeah, we are responsible for, like, hundreds of thousands of people registering to vote, which was pretty crazy. Like, af- after the election, like, people were coming up to me on the street and, like, thanking me. Like, I'd be at the gym and people would, like ... People were, like, walking up to me being like, "Yo, thank you." Like, "Thank you for what you did." Like, it was kind of, like, weird, you know. I don't know, I just feel so normal and we're just kind of doing what our heart felt. Like, we were obviously big Trump supporters. So, yeah, that whole election was crazy. And then Dana White shouted us out, in that, um, the post-election speech. Like, we were the first ones to get shouted out. So, that whole thing was just surreal.
- CWChris Williamson
This pr-
- KFKyle Forgeard
And I'm from Canada, so like-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
... I'm not even, I can't even vote.
- CWChris Williamson
The first person that you need to speak about-
- KFKyle Forgeard
I can't even vote.
- CWChris Williamson
... is a Canadian.
- KFKyle Forgeard
So, like, to me, for me to get shout out, shouted out in the post-election speech-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... like, my parents are like, "What the fuck?"
- CWChris Williamson
Hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, everyone's just like, "What? This is a fucking simulation."
- CWChris Williamson
It is bizarre, the crossing over of independent media with mainstream political discourse.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Well, that's what-
- CWChris Williamson
Like-
- KFKyle Forgeard
That's what we saw this election, right? I guess, yeah, all the, the old news networks now are fascinated. And I had to do a bunch of interviews after that election too, and they're all fascinated with, how did the internet win this election? Why are young people so obsessed with the internet? Why, why do they watch podcasts? Like, these people are old, they have no fucking clue what, like, you and I are doing. Like, they really don't. For us, it's so, it makes so much sense. Like, Trump goes on Joe Rogan, like, obviously that's gonna be big.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
But for them, they're like, "Why was that Joe Rogan thing so big?" Like, they're that stupid.
- 9:16 – 12:48
The Responsibility of Having a Large Platform
- CWChris Williamson
this sense of responsibility or obligation with sort of what you're doing, what you're saying? We were talking about this in the gym earlier on, that as the platform grows-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... how much of a obligation do you have? Or is it, can you still just, "I'm here having fun, just doing my thing, bro." Like, I don't know, if you reach a couple of hundred million people a month, that-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... it changes.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I ... The, the key to Nelk has always just been, as best as we can, just trying to stay true to, like, what I think and what I think is funny. Like, I actually like Trump. That's why I fucking supported him. I didn't do it for any other reason. You know what I'm saying? If I didn't like him, I wouldn't have supported him. S- simple as that. So, I try to stick to that as much as I possibly can. But yeah, obviously as you get bigger, I guess there is more responsibility. But we're so lucky with our fan base that we've always been, like, the quote unquote, like, bad guys or, like, scumbags. So, it's not like we were like Jake Paul or like Logan Paul or like David Dobrik, that were more-
- CWChris Williamson
Squeaky clean.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... squeaky clean. You know what I mean? And you're waiting them-
- CWChris Williamson
What did you expect?
- KFKyle Forgeard
You're waiting for them to make a mistake.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, they're perfect, and then boom, when they make a mistake, they get canceled. For us, we've just been scumbags.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, we started as scumbags. We've never been good guys. Like, we've been getting arrested since 10 years ago.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We've been messing with people, messing with people. So, if anything, we've gotten, like, we've actually improved.
- CWChris Williamson
More responsible.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We've im- Yeah, we've improved as people.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, like how much have you matured?
- KFKyle Forgeard
We're, we're, like, we're growing, we're maturing.
- CWChris Williamson
Oh my God, yeah, yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
So, I think that's one thing that I'm always feel blessed with too, is that, yeah, our fans just don't really give a shit.
- CWChris Williamson
You mean you set such low expectations.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We set such low ex- low expectations. That's the key. Set low expectations.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs) Then you can't ever get worse.
- KFKyle Forgeard
And then, then you can never fuck up.
- CWChris Williamson
Okay. Yeah, that's funny. I, uh, I remember Rogan saying something along the lines of, "Everybody should always do a comedy set. Everyone should do a comedy set once so that you can go, 'Hey, what do I know? I'm just a comedian.'"
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
And you get the, like, comedian ejector seat-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- 12:48 – 22:53
Kyle’s Experiences in LA
- CWChris Williamson
to me about that sort of trip out to LA and sort of what you learned about LA scene. You've done a few. You did the, like, LA full degen mode, then the Orange County thing, now the Miami thing. What have you learned? Like, take me through the different eras of-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Stage- stages?
- CWChris Williamson
... of scenes. Yeah, exactly.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Fuck. I mean, yeah, the first... I'm trying to think of the first time I... Yeah, the first time, it was me and Jesse at the time. We had, um, I believe we'd road tripped there from Toronto to LA, so 36-hour drive in his, like, shitty car. Um, we called it The Toaster. It was, like, a Nissan, like one of those boxy-ass cars. We had, like, a cooler of food, just like we packed a bunch of food, put it in the cooler 'cause like we were dead broke at the time too, and we road tripped to VidCon. Um, and his- we would stay at fans' houses along the way too, so we'd just post on Snapchat and say like, "Hey, who wants to- we're gonna be in St. Louis tonight. We need to crash somewhere," and then I would, like, add them on Snap. I'd FaceTime the people, like make sure they weren't, like, a fucking psycho, and we ended up staying at over, like, probably 30 fans' houses throughout like our little trips, and none of them were ever weird. Um, and then his car broke down in like the middle of the desert. We got stuck there for a week, and like we posted again on Snapchat, and fans had to come pick us up from Palm Springs and drive us to LA. Um, and then we made it to VidCon. So that was like our first time kind of being around, like, other YouTubers and seeing, like, people that were like really popping, successful. I think that was at the time, like Faze, like we met like all those guys. Um, and I remember those guys came up to us too, like someone, Faze Adapt, he was like really, really big at the time, and he told us like, "Yo, we watch your videos like every night when we're high and shit." And like, just to see like respect from other big YouTubers at the time, I think that really motivated us. So after that, for the next probably five years, we would do like- we would be in Canada. I was working at a golf course, so I worked, like I did events, I did the back shop, and I would just save up money, and then we would do a trip to LA for like three months, however long we could afford. Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, go back to Canada, try to keep it going, and that went on for like five years until we officially, um, moved to LA. Yeah, so it was like- it was a crazy time, and every time we'd go home to Canada, things would kind of slow down a little bit, you know, 'cause you're living at your parents' house. Um, your parents are kind of in your ear a little bit. My parents were super supportive, but I know Jesse's parents were a little bit in his ear. Um, but yeah, when we got out to LA the- the very first time full time, it was like definitely a big game changer for us.
- CWChris Williamson
Which one felt like real life? Did going back home to Canada feel like real life, or did LA feel like-
- KFKyle Forgeard
I guess, I guess at the time, probably going back to LA felt like real life, I think. I think- and that- I guess that's kind of sad in a way, right? But yeah, you- you kind of just- you kind of just outgrow it a little bit. I think- you know, and I- I was so blessed to grow up in Canada. The way I grew up was just like completely normal middle class, like just playing street hockey every day after school, running way too much Call of Duty. Just normal shit, you know? So- but then you kind of just outgrow it, and I think- yeah, we'd go home and things would just kind of slow down. Everyone around you is kind of- you know, they're all in university too, so then when- when you go to your friends' houses, like their parents are asking you like, "Oh, like what are your plans? Like what are you doing? Like are you gonna go back to school?" Like you're kind of- everywhere you go, you're kind of hit with that question, like, "Oh, are you going to school? What are you doing? What- what's your plan?" And I think that kind of subconsciously like eats at you a little bit too.
- CWChris Williamson
I think a lot of people get stuck in that messy middle period, that sort of lonely chapter.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Maybe they're doing something that's a little bit different to what their friends around them are. Maybe there's some pressure from family, girlfriend-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Everyone.
- CWChris Williamson
... society-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... to do something that feels a little bit more safe.
- KFKyle Forgeard
They're kind of making you feel a little bit like a loser, right?
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
And then you're telling them like, "Oh, well, I'm doing this YouTube thing," and they're like, "Ha." Like even your friends are kind of like-
- CWChris Williamson
Come on, man.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... you know? Uh, my friends always fucking supported me, so I never had like-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... people putting me down, but you feel it a little bit, right?
- CWChris Williamson
What would you say to someone who's sort of a little bit younger and has those dreams of breaking out from the mold, but is- is kind of uncertain?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Damn, I think there's almost- I mean, I know in Canada especially, there's almost like more security in like chasing your dream now. Like I think it's- it seems so hard to get a- a really good job coming out of school now, especially where I'm from back home. I know people who are coming out of school, and they just can't get jobs. So I would say, I mean, to me, you only have one life. The scariest thing to me, more than like being broke for a little bit, is like living a life that you don't want to live, you know? I think a lot of people, the main thing is they're just scared to be broke for a little bit. Like they're like, "Well, how am I gonna pay my bills? What am I gonna do?" And it's like, I mean, we were broke for a long time. Like we were struggling. Like we would sleep in cars. We would sleep at fans' houses. Like you gotta go through that stage of being broke, being- having no money to- to kind of get to where you need to be, right?
- CWChris Williamson
What was the scene in LA like? 'Cause you w- you guys were there pretty much in sort of the golden era of DGen influencer partying.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We were there, we were there when YouTube was probably its biggest. It was, um, like Jake Paul was just probably biggest, doing daily vlogs every day. David Dobrik, and then they had the Cloud House. So Faze Banks, I don't know if you know him, but he's like the owner of Faze. I give a lot of credit to, to him. He basically tweeted out at us and just said, "Hey, do you guys wanna move into the Cloud House?" And that was like him, Alissa Violet, RiceGum, uh, Summer Ray, Wolfie, who was huge at the time. So these were like the biggest YouTubers. And we're like nowhere on their level. And yeah, we land in LA, start driving, and we're driving up through the Hollywood Hills, and then we pull up to this massive mansion that we see in all these people's videos. And that, that was just like completely surreal. Like I couldn't even believe it. Just walking into that house, like it's a completely insane house, $100 million. And, and we got to live there for like six months, rent free. Shout out Faze Banks, he's a fucking legend. Um, I owe him for life. But yeah, that was a crazy time, just like ... It was Hollywood shit, like house parties, and like you never k- knew who was gonna pull up, like Lil Uzi would pull up to your house, or like rappers, all the girls. It was pretty crazy. It was a crazy time.
- CWChris Williamson
And then you go to Orange County.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. So we stayed in LA for a little bit. We got our own house there too after that. We had like ... The first house we ever signed a lease on too, I think we had like probably 20 people living in there, in like a eight bedroom. So that was like our very first house. We had one room with like three, or like two three-story bunk beds. So like six guys sleeping in a movie theater room.
- CWChris Williamson
Wow.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. We were ... It was just like, it was kind of like the LA Nelk frat house. So that worked for a bit.
- CWChris Williamson
And were they staff? Friends?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Staff and friends. I mean, I, I live with four of my boys that I grew up with here. But yeah, we probably have like seven of my boys that are on, that work for us and do different things, whether it's social media or merch or different stuff that we have going on.
- 22:53 – 28:23
The Secret to NELK’s Growth
- CWChris Williamson
that you broke through, do you think? Obviously-
- KFKyle Forgeard
With Nelk?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. You know.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I don't think so. I think the secret to Nelk and why we have such a cult following is that there's never been one moment that made us. It's just been like this the whole time. There was never like a huge thing. So I think when you blow up that fast, like these like, like Hawk Tuahs or, or whoever have you, they're, they come and go so fast, right? They get so famous so quickly and people become obsessed with them, and then they're just gone.
- CWChris Williamson
I think there's also-
- KFKyle Forgeard
You gotta build, you gotta build that foundation.
- CWChris Williamson
In other news, this episode is brought to you by LMNT. You've probably heard me talk about LMNT before, and that's because I am frankly dependent on it. And every single morning for the last three years, I've started my day the exact same way, which is with one of these in a cold glass of water. LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything that you need and nothing that you don't. Each grab and go stick has a science-backed electrolyte ratio of sodium, potassium, and magnesium. No sugar, no coloring, no artificial ingredients, or any other junk. Plays a critical role in reducing muscle cramps and fatigue while optimizing brain health, regulating appetite, and curbing cravings. This orange flavor in a cold glass of water is like a beautiful, sweet, salty, orangey nectar that I can't wait to start every day with. And I genuinely feel the difference when I take it versus when I don't, which is why I'm not shutting up about it. Best of all, they have a no questions asked refund policy with an unlimited duration. So you can buy it and try it for as long as you want. If you don't like it for any reason, they will give you your money back. And you don't even need to return the box. That's how confident they are that you'll love it. Right now, you can get a free sample pack of all eight flavors with any purchase by going to the link in the description below or heading to drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom. That's drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom.... modern wisdom. There's a bit of low-key resentment that maybe the audience or the wider world has for somebody that appears to have achieved so much fame so quickly.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
So they go, "Huh." I'm not-
- KFKyle Forgeard
I wish that was me. Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
If, if you get picked out of obscurity because you said a funny sentence on a street interview-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... everybody knows that if not for the chance of God-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... that could've been-
- KFKyle Forgeard
But-
- CWChris Williamson
... one of 100,000 other people.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I agree. I agree with that too, but I think, um... I mean, you know how much work this is behind the scenes and how strategic you have to be too. For us, like, we've been doing this for 10 years, so like, you also learn along the way, right? So now where I am, where I am, where the stakes are the highest and like you said, there's more responsibility, I've learned so many lessons.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Don't do this. Don't... You know, maybe don't trust this person, don't-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... get into business with this person. These people, overnight, 24 hours, they're super famous and they have no clue-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, they've got no ability.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... how this business works-
- CWChris Williamson
How to discern-
- KFKyle Forgeard
... who to trust-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... who to let in. They have no clue. So they're like, they're pretty much-
- CWChris Williamson
So you're saying y-
- KFKyle Forgeard
... they're gonna get screwed, unless they're a genius, right? Some of them last, but most of them don't.
- 28:23 – 36:42
The Most Amount of Money Kyle Made in a Day
- CWChris Williamson
what's the most revenue that you guys have generated in a day?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Revenue? I mean, our merch business, I don't think anyone's ever really... I feel like we were putting up like Kylie Jenner numbers at, at that time, in the, in the peak of our like merch business, when we were uploading NELK every week-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... um, on the road. Uh, I think our biggest, our biggest was 30 million gross in about 30 minutes. 30 million in rev- We had 350,000 people waiting on the site at the time of the drop. Like even Shopify was like, "What the fuck is going on?" Yeah. And th- and that's revenue, right? So that's-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm. It's top line.
- KFKyle Forgeard
That's one thing I've never really talked about too much too is, and I know my part- my old partner Jesse could, would agree too, is that the revenue sounds nice, but when you talk about profit and how much we were spending on videos, maybe people that we pranked were suing us. Like-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
... there's s- there is so much. When you... That number sounds amazing-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... but in terms of what me and Jesse were-
- CWChris Williamson
Chipped away and chipped away and chipped away and chipped away.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... able to pocket, and you know, like Steve will do it, he was getting paid directly off merch. So what me and Jesse were even able to pocket was like nowhere even near that.
- CWChris Williamson
It's that line about, uh, revenue is vanity, profit is sanity.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. I don't even like talking about revenue too much-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... to be honest. It's just-
- CWChris Williamson
Uh-
- KFKyle Forgeard
It sounds great and it's great to brag about-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... but...
- CWChris Williamson
But I think it's a good... I understand what you mean, and it's nice that you're like sufficiently humble that you don't want to flex the biggest, uh-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Uh-huh.
- CWChris Williamson
... number that you can.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
But on the flip side, what it teaches people is what you can drive in terms of just raw traffic.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
Right? Like e- in order to take 30 mil, you need to be able to have-
- KFKyle Forgeard
350,000 people on the site. Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Correct.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, that, that's impressive for sure. Like we'd look at the map of the Shopify, I don't know if you've ever done like a live drop and you can see all the little... It shows where people are-
- 36:42 – 42:36
The Most Money Kyle Has Spent in a Day
- KFKyle Forgeard
- CWChris Williamson
Talk to me about the other side then. So if that's the most revenue that you've made in a day, what about the most money that you've spent in a day?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Most money I've spent-I'm not, like, a huge... I have a few watches, and I have, like, a car. But I think, yeah, the most money I've spent, I guess, was probably, it's not like a purchase, but probably, I retired my parents in the same day, about four or five years ago. So, that took about $700,000.00. So-
- CWChris Williamson
That's a-
- KFKyle Forgeard
... one, one year at Christmas, I just, I had enough money to do it. And, like, one thing about me is, like, a lot of people said their parents never supported them. But for me, I would be, like, nowhere without my parents. I got so fucking lucky. And, like, my mom just says too, like, they just had blind faith. Like, they just believed in me, and they supported me. So, when I kinda had enough money to do that, I just did it. So, that took about, yeah, like, $700,000.00-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... to do that.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, that's a big expenditure.
- KFKyle Forgeard
And then my mom got, my mom got carried away. She, I guess, she has the free spirit like me. She, like, invested it in, like, a bunch of, like... She didn't retire.
- CWChris Williamson
Ethereum.
- KFKyle Forgeard
No, she put it in-
- CWChris Williamson
Fucking crypto tokens.
- KFKyle Forgeard
She put it in the housing market, and Trudeau fucked us over the last five years.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs) Come on.
- KFKyle Forgeard
So, now I gotta... I just told her this Christmas, I gotta re-retire her until she can sell those houses. So, when, when, uh, Trudeau gets the fuck out, she'll be able to sell the two houses that she bought. And then, uh, yeah. But that's probably... I like spending my money more on, like, memories and, like, taking all my friends on, like, a trip.
- CWChris Williamson
What about some of the trips?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Um, I mean, we just had a... Yeah. Like this week, for New Year's, like, we just went, like, a bunch of different places. Like, we did, just did, like, fun shit with everyone, like yachts and, like, stuff like that. Or, like, we'll go to Cancun and rent a house and just, like, chill, stuff like that. Like, I feel like spending your money on memories and, like, I love bringing my friends with me and just, like, having, like, a sick-ass time. I feel like I spend too much money on that type of shit. But in terms of, like, watches or jewelry or shit like that, I'm not super into that. I don't hate it, but-
- CWChris Williamson
Well, that's a good... I guess, yeah, what i-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Memories is the best, bro.
- CWChris Williamson
I was gonna say-
- KFKyle Forgeard
It's the fucking best.
- CWChris Williamson
... is the lesson from that, that as somebody who's come into young wealth, you've tried, I'm gonna guess, buying expensive ca... You just got a new car, uh, new watches, clothes.
- KFKyle Forgeard
But Steve will do it. He bought me my first car. Shout out, Steve. So, I've actually... This is actually the first car I've probably ever bought, to be honest. 'Cause Steve will do it bought me my first car.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
He bought me a Audi RS7. So, that was like 140 grand. Shout out to Steve. He's bought like 40 people cars. So then, this, the Audi just shut down. Thing, thing was a piece of shit over, like, four years later. So, I was able to just trade that in as the down payment, and then just get this new car. My business manager said it was a great investment to just finance it, so this is actually the first car I've ever bought.
- CWChris Williamson
Thank you, business manager.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Uh, but yeah, the, the overall lesson there is, as you start to accumulate some spare wealth, that you think, on balance, spending it on experiences, especially experiences that you can share with your friends, is a, the best way to do it!
- KFKyle Forgeard
I love that, yeah. Uh, that's my favorite thing. It just... 'Cause you never forget that shit too, you know? And it's like, "Yeah, not everyone can do that shit." So, to just... I don't know. That, to me, is just stuff you never forget, and it just makes you so happy. Having a good-ass time with, like, your boys, nothing beats that.
- CWChris Williamson
What are some of your favorite memories from the last few years? Maybe ones that haven't been captured on camera?
- 42:36 – 52:01
What Kyle Has Learned From Dana White
- CWChris Williamson
Talk to me about what you've learned since being friends with Dana White.
- KFKyle Forgeard
A lot. I've, I've looked up to Dana White, like, my whole life, honestly. Like, I've... Me and my dad would, would watch UFC, like, when it was on Spike TV, when it was just, like, it was nothing, you know? I've been watching since I was probably in, like, eighth grade.So, I've looked up to Dana White and a lot of... The UFC is like way bigger now. I don't know how long you've been following it. But it wasn't the UFC that it was today. Like right now it's just, like, it's such a big brand and stuff. But they had to, like, battle to build that. So I've kind of seen the evolution of the UFC as I'm sure a lot of people have listening. And like this shit wasn't even like legal in states. Like it used to not be legal in New York. Like I watched these guys like battle state by state, never give up, and just build it into this like incredible fucking brand that it is today. And you see all these other MMA organizations now, it's never gonna compete with the UFC. Like the UFC is fucking unmatched. But yeah, so I've always looked up to Dana White for that and just what he's been able to achieve, and he's just... You can see he's not a quitter, uh, from the outside. And then when I met him, you can really see, like, that guy's not a fucking quitter.
- CWChris Williamson
How so?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Well, even like look how he handled COVID, right? That's what blew up the UFC so much. Like every other sport shut down, the UFC was the only one that kept going. Like Dana White was the only commissioner of a sport that was able to keep that sport going all throughout the heat of COVID. Not only keep it going, blow it the fuck up. Like COVID was actually a good thing for the UFC because it was the only thing on. Um, and that guy, yeah, just behind the scenes too, he doesn't quit, you know. And he'll call me and give me advice whenever something's going on that, that he'll see. And yeah, he's... Like I told you before, he is just the most loyal fucking guy you will ever meet. Like it's so crazy. Like for us, he'll just... I don't know, it's almost like blind loyalty too in, in the same way. It's just like he's always there for us no matter what. And even sometimes like he just doesn't even need to be, you know. Even if I'm like sick, he'll like call me and be like, "Yo, you good bro?" Like, "You need an IV?" Like I'll send... Like he's just always there for us. So having a friend like him is, it's truly like insane. Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
What about the way that you've observed him sort of operate from a business perspective? The way that he runs the UFC, the way that he sort of deals with his own, um, rea- interaction with press, with exposure, with scrutiny, with stuff like that?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, I think... I mean, he's obviously a savage, right? Like even though I'm friends with him, like I'll literally watch almost every Dana White, like, post-UFC press conference because the guy's just a fucking savage. Like if, if a media guy goes at him, he's gonna fucking ream them out. You know what to get with Dana White, right? He's himself, he speaks his mind. So with the UFC stuff, we don't... We kind of stay away from that. We let him handle the business of that. We don't even really talk UFC business with Dana ever because he talks about that shit all the fucking time. When we're with him, if we're talking business, we're talking about Happy Dad, we're talking about Howler Head, we're talking about the podcast or we're talking about maybe new ventures that we want to do together in the future. And we've never had like any type of partnership like with Dana or the UFC besides like some clothing. But there's no like-
- CWChris Williamson
Formal agreement.
- KFKyle Forgeard
There's no formal agreement. Like even with Happy Dad and Howler Head, um, I know Dana had offered me like a little piece of Howler Head back in the day. And like, I kind of just told him in the most respectful way, like, "I'm really appreciative of this but, like, I just want to do whatever you want me to do and I don't want to take a percentage of your company." Like I just want to remain friends and like let's just-
- CWChris Williamson
Help each other.
- KFKyle Forgeard
He... And he was on the same page. And I think, I think he, like, really respected that. So with Happy Dad, he's fucking helped us so much. Like we'll go and do Happy Dad Howler Head tours together and stuff. So he's kind of like the uncle of Nelk, right? He's pretty much like an elk boy.
- CWChris Williamson
A big scary uncle of Nelk.
- KFKyle Forgeard
The big, big scary uncle that you don't fuck around with.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. No, that guy's... He's a legend. Everyone that knows him in real life knows like how great of a person he is.
- CWChris Williamson
It's wild, you know, to think that that's able to come across. I haven't met Dana, but from conversations that I've seen him have, from stories that I've heard behind the scenes, from stories that I've heard in public, uh, it is absurd to have somebody that's kind of at the, the head of an organization like that-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
... who's the one that seems to have the most credibility, this sort of unwavering commitment to his word, like even to a fault a lot of the time, even when he fucks up and he just-
- KFKyle Forgeard
I know.
- CWChris Williamson
... decides to be as upfront as possible about it.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I don't know how he does it, but he does it, and that's why he's Dana White. He's just a fucking-
- CWChris Williamson
Well, I think what people are-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Savage.
- CWChris Williamson
... really desperate for is authenticity.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Like they're really, really hungry for authenticity. One of the problems is that if you realize that authenticity is something that people like and resonate with, you can try to sort of speed run it or, or growth hack it somehow, which is the exact opposite of authentic. You can't inauthentically be authentic.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Right.
- CWChris Williamson
You know?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Uh, and I think people can just tell. They know when you're playing a game when you're trying to manipulate them.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Mm-hmm.
- 52:01 – 1:02:01
The Situation With Bob Menery
- CWChris Williamson
Can we talk about the Bob situation?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
That full-
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... arc thing?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
- CWChris Williamson
So, give us the, give us the 30,000-foot view of Bob Menery.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I still don't really understand it.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
I mean, we still, like, chirp each other about it. I, I don't know what he was looking for. I mean, if you ask Drew, our guy, like, he s- he said that we owed him money and we just didn't.
- CWChris Williamson
So, he's a part of the pod.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
He started the pod, then he was a part of the pod?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Bob was doing his thing, right? He, he was... Bob's f- and Bob, me and Bob are great friends now, and, like, I hope we're, I, we will remain great friends hopefully. Um, he's a great guy, he's talented, he's funny. So, I wanted to start a podcast and I was always thinking of who to start it with and I was like, "Yo, I think this Bob guy is really funny, right?" So, we gave him a great fucking deal. I think it was, like, 7 f- 7,500 or $10,000 an episode, 30% of the ads. And by the way, he has no YouTube channel. He's launched, like, four unsuccessful pods at this point, like four different ones. So, it's like, "Bob, just show up."
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
"Make some good money. Let, let me keep this consistent, let me bring the structure to this." So, we're doing good and then, yeah, I think... I don't know if he had bad people in his ear that were kind of telling him stuff or whatever it was. But, um, yeah, I don't know. I think he just thought for some reason we were screwing him and, or he was missing out on money that he just wasn't missing out on and he just freaked out. I don't know. I don't know if he was at a bad place-
- CWChris Williamson
And then everything went nuclear.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah. I don't know if he was at a bad place in his life or something as well too, but, um, yeah. We weren't cool for a while. And that was, like, the first time I ever really went through some, like... I've stayed quiet for a while, which I always will. Uh, I stay quiet until someone really fucking pushes me to the edge, you know? 'Cause I don't wanna... Na- I never got big by, like, attacking people online or, like, airing out personal shit. So, that's just not... Even though I could get views doing it, you know? That's just not me, so I kinda just had to sit back and wait till Bob kind of forced me to a point where I had to, like, just kind of own his ass a little bit.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
And people kind of saw right through it and we just came with the receipts. And that was it. And, yeah, we weren't... Then he, like, sued us and shit and it was a whole thing. We, (laughs) we did, like, a thing that we, like, joke about now too. We had to do, um, a mediation. So, which is like, that was, like, part of the clause, like, if there's ever a diff- disagreement, you guys have to go into mediation. So, we had to get onto a s-
- CWChris Williamson
It's like divorce counseling.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... to a Zoom call. Divorce counseling. So, we had to get on, like, our side and his side with this lady, Judge Nagel, who we, like, joke about now. And, like, he got on his side and was just, they were, like, internally arguing, like, in front of, like, all of us. It was just, like, it was a complete mess. And the judge told us, she came into our room and told us like, "Listen, I'm not gonna lead a horse to water, but they have absolutely no case against you guys whatsoever." Like, the judge told us that. I don't even know if she was supposed to. But that's what she told (laughs) us. So, to me, the whole thing was just hilarious. But we both wasted legal money for no reason. So, we eventually came to-... just agreement to drop it, and I was like, "Bob, if you wanna come on the pod whenever y- whenever you want, like, come promote whatever you want. You can bring ads on the podcast if you want," like, just like any other guest, you know? Like, if Wiz Khalifa comes on and he wants us to talk about his weed, go ahead, but he hasn't... He's been on the pod and he hasn't brought one single ad, so he's just-
- CWChris Williamson
But he's back on the pod now.
- KFKyle Forgeard
He's, he's back on, like, in and out. Yeah. I mean, we're cool. It was kinda just... I don't know. We'll see what happens. But he's not back on, like, full-time. He's just-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... kind of in and out.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
But, yeah, it was a very... It was an interesting situation.
- CWChris Williamson
One of the things that we were talking about in the gym earlier on is keeping your private life private.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Mm-hmm.
- 1:02:01 – 1:07:32
YouTube’s Cancellation of Steve
- CWChris Williamson
Talking about YouTube and stuff, is it weird having Steve ... I mean, we bumped into Steve this morning in the gym.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Is it... How odd has it been-
- KFKyle Forgeard
It's, yeah, it's-
- CWChris Williamson
... playing that balancing game now where-
- KFKyle Forgeard
... it's, it sucks, bro. I mean, you know, Ste- like, NELK's not the same without Steve. Like, there's no-
- CWChris Williamson
And you can't show him on YouTube.
- KFKyle Forgeard
There's no, there's no question about it. I mean, SteveWillDoIt was like... He was like the biggest one in NELK. I mean, like, he was like, he was mor- he was bigger than me, like, at the time too. Like, so, yeah, it's, it's a very weird situation. I don't, I don't quite understand it. I mean, I guess he was banned for, like, putting a gambling link in his URL, but I don't know. I think, I think that was just an excuse-
- CWChris Williamson
There's something deeper going on?
- KFKyle Forgeard
... to be honest. Yeah, I think... I mean, he was repping Trump pretty hard at the time, and that, that was a different time back then too. And then Steve is just like... A lot of people... I don't know if people know, but he is one of the most, like, naturally, like, funny guys in, like, his own way. Like, he has, like, very dark humor. And like, I, I personally love his dark humor too. Like, I think it's hilarious. But I guess there's just certain shit that you just can't say on YouTube. You know what I'm saying? So, I think YouTube was seeing, like, some of his dark humor shit, and they're like, "This is a ticking time bomb waiting to happen." And one thing I've learned from YouTube too is they don't... YouTube doesn't like negative press-
- CWChris Williamson
About YouTube.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... about YouTubers.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
YouTube... 'Cause that's gonna fuck their... Right, right? Like, their advertisers don't like that press too. So, I know we learned that, um, during COVID. During COVID, we were like kinda traveling still making videos, and we showed up to a college, um, to film something, and we didn't even post any things o- ourselves. Like, we just, like, went to the college, and we were filming, but other people were taking Snapchats of us. And through that, it gained a huge crowd. So, it looked... The, all the articles were, "YouTubers host mass gathering," YouTubers this, YouTubers that. And we got, like, a manual email from YouTube, which you never get. You always know when it's, like, automated, right? And this said, like, "Hey, NELK Boys," which is like... NELK Boys is not even on our channel at YouTube at all. It's like NELK. So, and it was a custom email that said, "You guys need to watch your o- off, off-platform responsibility," which basically means like, "We're giving you guys one last warning before you, we delete you," or they're like, "Or your channel's deleted." So at that time, this was... And we're like, "Jesus," like, "we're walking on eggshells." So, I think since I've had that experience, it's kind of the... At the end of the day, they're just trying to make money in that YouTube office, right? So if they're looking at Steve, and they're saying, "This guy's making a bunch of crazy jokes-"
- CWChris Williamson
Flying close to the sun.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Flying v- ... And look, probably flying in the sun.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- KFKyle Forgeard
He flies in the fucking sun, bro.
- CWChris Williamson
He's going straight through it.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, like his videos were fucking hilarious. Like, the, and the jokes that he makes are fucking hilarious.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
So he was flying in the sun, for sure, probably right in the fucking center. And I think, I think they just used the gambling thing as an excuse, to be honest.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
And then I think Steve knows probably... He probably could have handled after the, the strategy of after getting deleted, he probably could have handled it-
- CWChris Williamson
A bit more diplomatic?
- KFKyle Forgeard
... a bit more diplomatic and strategic. But still, I think, I mean, for them to take his channel down is just like-
- CWChris Williamson
All of them?
- KFKyle Forgeard
All of them. It's fucking crazy. And then not only that, to tell us that we can't even have him in our videos-
- CWChris Williamson
So the editors-
- KFKyle Forgeard
... or, or our channel will be deleted.
- 1:07:32 – 1:13:46
Zuckerberg’s Transformation
- CWChris Williamson
let's talk about Zuck's-
- KFKyle Forgeard
It's time to, to bring Steve back on.
- CWChris Williamson
... the, the Zuckerberg-Chad transformation.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Uh, I'm conflicted about this Zuck thing because part of me thinks moving in the right direction, nice to see, um, a return to freedom of speech, et cetera. But another part of me thinks this is just blowing with the wind. You were cucked when the cucks were in office, and you're bigoted now the bigots are in office, like, judgmentally. Uh, only half-joking. And I, I don't know. I, I get it. I get that people like the idea of it moving in the direction that they want, but it does seem like kind of a, a pretty thinly veiled, now that, that free speech people are in power, will just do whatever they think is cool. Uh, does no one see that? Like, doesn't it-
- KFKyle Forgeard
I see it, I see it. And I kinda saw it coming too. And like, I, I think that's what people don't get too is like, at the end of the day, these are all companies that just wanna make money. Like, whether it's YouTube or Facebook, Meta, right? Like, I don't, I feel like it's not really a personal vendetta they have against these people. It's just like they're sitting in a boardroom and they're trying to figure out how to make money, right? So, they're gonna follow, they're gonna follow the money. So now like, obviously Zuck sees what's happening with X. He's smart too, and at the end of the day, it's a W for everyone.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Like, we, what was about to happen if Trump didn't win was fucking scary. Like, we, we-
- CWChris Williamson
To go further down that road.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We were about to lose, like, free speech. Like, I think we would've lost it completely. I mean, it's hard to imagine, but thank God, like the, he won and the way that he won reflected where culturally we're at. But yeah, I think Zuck obviously, he probably sick of just getting chirped all the time too at the same time too, right? Like Elon Musk gets to be the man and gets all this praise, and like-
- CWChris Williamson
That is true.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... everyone, everyone's always ripping on Zuck, and Zuck's probably just like, "Fuck, I wanna be the man too, like Elon."
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
But I think it was very smart. I mean, there's no better person again to bring on than Dana. I think that was, that's so smart. 'Cause Dana's always gonna be for the people. Um, he loves social media too. Like, he gets a kick out of just like seeing, like he's always showing us numbers and stuff too, like-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- KFKyle Forgeard
... we're sending like our biggest Reels that do well and shit. So, he understands social media. And then yeah, he's, he's for the people. He's always gonna be for, uh, for free speech, like UFC is for free speech. So, yeah, I think Zuck just, he had no choice, right?
- CWChris Williamson
That transformation is crazy of his, visually, ideologically, uh, in terms of the way that he presents.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Zuck?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Crazy.
- KFKyle Forgeard
I know. I, I think it was just that. I think he just wanted to like, I think he just wants to be kinda cool, right?
- CWChris Williamson
Boys club.
- KFKyle Forgeard
Yeah, he wants to join the boys club.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs) Yeah.
- KFKyle Forgeard
We'll see. We'll let him in, right?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. Well, I'll tell you what's weird when you're thinking about the ecosystem of social media that you don't have an equivalent front and center person on YouTube. You know?
- KFKyle Forgeard
True.
- CWChris Williamson
You don't have... I mean, is it still that Susana lady?
- KFKyle Forgeard
Maybe Steve will do it soon.
Episode duration: 1:43:18
Install uListen for AI-powered chat & search across the full episode — Get Full Transcript
Transcript of episode UkHhOTX_-yE
Get more out of YouTube videos.
High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.
Add to Chrome