Cody Rigsby

Episode 93: Author, dancer, and Peloton superstar Cody Rigsby joins the AH"M crew to discuss confidence, the definition of 'throwing shade', and the importance of not taking yourself too seriously. Cody's book, "XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness" is available now!
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Transcript

Modi 0:03

Welcome to and here's Modi. Welcome to and here's Modi. We are in the studio today, leo Periel Cody, but we of course begin by thanking our collaborators, sponsors, creative, a&h Kosher produce. It's the provisions. Sorry, it's been a minute since we've been in the studio In a while. A&h provisions best hot dog, cody, you'll ever eat in your life. Even non-juice have figured out that this is the hot dog to eat. Their website is available through Periel.

Periel 0:48

First of all, 30% off with code Modi at wwwkosherdogsnet, and also their Glock kosher.

Modi 0:59

Their Glock kosher, yes, and the delicious, and they send a beautiful package whenever they send. And whites and Luxembourg the law firm you want on your side are the Luxembourg fan of the podcast and it's a law firm that's not only doing well but also does good. Besides doing being a great law firm, they also are very philanthropic, and do we qualify as their philanthropy?

Periel 1:21

No, yeah, this is a charity case, no Hospitality no, no, no, no.

Modi 1:27

Hospitality no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They're just fans and we love them, okay.

Periel 1:32

And we can find them at whitesluxcom Whitesluxcom.

Modi 1:37

And we messed up their website so many times they had to buy a new dough name so that people would be directed to the social whites in. Luxembourg, okay, hi.

Periel 1:45

Hey, how are you, Cody? Nice to see you, nice to see you with clothing on.

Modi 1:47

I haven't seen you since Fire Island.

Periel 1:49

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 1:51

We were just walking around with shorts. Shorts, you were wearing shorts. Yes, I was probably in a speedo.

Modi 1:57

As you should be, absolutely as you should be. Your book is out. My book is out.

Periel 2:03

I love a speedo.

Modi 2:04

Yeah, I thought I did something wrong, I don't know.

Periel 2:07

I love a speedo.

Cody Rigsby 2:08

You got to let it. It's Fire Island, you got to show as much as you possibly can.

Modi 2:12

We did, we really really did. Your book is killing it. Huh yeah, cody has a book, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, it is an XOXO.

Cody Rigsby 2:20

XOXO Cody, an opinionated homosexual's guide to self-love, relationships and tactful pettiness.

Periel 2:25

Whoa.

Modi 2:27

I haven't said that full line in a few weeks, so I feel like it was like back into it, as if bam you went right into it.

Cody Rigsby 2:32

Yes, we're here Like riding a bike pun intended the whole book tour in September. Yeah, I left Fire Island. I had a stressful week before and then I did two weeks of nonstop, took a little break, went to LA, took a little break, went to Chicago and now I'm back in New York. It feels good.

Modi 2:48

And what's that like doing the book tour and meeting people and signing the books and speaking to everyone.

Cody Rigsby 2:55

Well, okay, little insider trading. I spent all of August with these little papers and you just sign your name and then you send them back to the publisher and then they put them in the book so that when you get to the event the book is already signed. So then it was just taking pictures, kissing babies, all that sort of stuff. It was great though.

Modi 3:17

And what are some of the things that people tell you?

Cody Rigsby 3:20

That I changed their life.

Modi 3:21

Yes.

Cody Rigsby 3:23

Most importantly, they love to tell me how tall I am, because I guess on camera I don't look as tall.

Periel 3:27

That's not true.

Cody Rigsby 3:28

I'm six two and a half, I agree. And then the other one that I really do love is they are like oh my God, you're so hot, like you're so much hotter in person, which is always a good thing to hear.

Modi 3:39

You know what I'm saying? It's a little backhanded, but we'll take it. We take it. Yes, no, I'll definitely take it.

Cody Rigsby 3:44

You definitely want to be hotter in person than on camera. My mom, when my mom first met Perrielle.

Modi 3:49

She said to her you look much better live than you do on camera.

Periel 3:52

That's a compliment.

Modi 3:53

In her way. For my mother that is a compliment.

Periel 3:56

It's very warm, 100% warm for her.

Cody Rigsby 3:58

Yes.

Modi 3:58

But yeah.

Cody Rigsby 4:01

Some people you don't always find your life.

Periel 4:02

you know angles, but the interpretation of that can also be. I was not expecting you to be attracted.

Cody Rigsby 4:10

Yeah, you look like a hot guy, but here I am in the flesh and I'm hot. So what does it matter? You know.

Modi 4:14

We're here now and let's deal with it. So wait, repeat the whole title of the book. That was so good.

Cody Rigsby 4:20

XOXO Cody, an opinionated homosexuals guide to self love, relationships and tactful pettiness.

Modi 4:29

So let's walk through some of those, let's unpack all of those one by one. I think we'll go with the ending. Yeah, the pettiness.

Cody Rigsby 4:38

Okay, Give it to us. No, I believe in like. What it comes down to is like shade with intention. So you want to like throw a little bit of shade at your friends so that they get better, look better, do better For my audience.

Modi 4:50

shade is a little lush and horror a little, a little gossip at this a little, okay. So just so you know shade, when you throw shade you throw a little a little. You know a little iron horror a little Okay. So now I don't agree with that, but we'll go ahead.

Cody Rigsby 5:06

You understand these words?

Modi 5:07

Yes, yeah, oh, I'm in deep Cody.

Cody Rigsby 5:09

I see.

Modi 5:11

I see.

Periel 5:11

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 5:12

That's the title of. We are, so go ahead. What's the?

Periel 5:14

pettiness.

Modi 5:15

What's the pettiness?

Cody Rigsby 5:17

Well, it's like, yeah, you want to, you want to throw a little shade, so people, so people do better and be like you know, looking at someone's outfit and being like that's a choice. Or, if a girl got bangs, being like, okay, maybe not next time.

Modi 5:27

Okay, you know so it's truthful, it's just so. Yeah, there's truth in it, yes. But it's, it's from a place of love, right, Right, we'll leave the regular pettiness for people we don't care about, right, right, and what was it like writing this book? Like how long did it take? You have you always wanted to write a book? Or is it something that was like, hey, you should write a book, like okay.

Cody Rigsby 5:48

I don't think it was like something I always thought of doing and like I always consider myself kind of dumb, like I need a a grammarly to finish an email, so like writing a book is a challenge. But when I was like had the opportunity, I was like, oh, this is another way to tell my story. I feel like a lot of people, either through social media or through my classes at Peloton, they only get little snippets, and so now I had 220 pages to like sit down, tell my story, go deep, but also keep it light and funny. I actually feel like I completed the book pretty quick. I had this is we're in 2023.

Periel 6:22

Yes, I was doing like proposals. I can't remember either.

Cody Rigsby 6:24

I'm going to publish yours in 2022, end of the summer. So I had probably signed my deal September of 2022 and I had launched by September 2023. That's very fast.

Modi 6:37

And so people who don't know who you are. Just the story is, during COVID you became a positive energy in the world. Yeah, I think so.

Cody Rigsby 6:45

Yeah, I've been at Peloton for nine years. Peloton is a stationary bike that streams fitness classes to people's homes and when we're in lockdown. A lot of people bought the bike and I became a light for people going for it.

Modi 6:56

You became people's favorite thing in the pen. Like you got people, I'm sure they told you in the book tour. You got people through the pandemic.

Cody Rigsby 7:03

Yeah, which you kind of like. I guess we also forget that it happened, like not forget, but like.

Modi 7:08

You forget. But then there's moments, out of nowhere, you have something, will remind you a picture. Yeah, like Leo sends me a land. Leo, my phone has a picture that Leo took of me doing a Zoom show. Oh, me, in front of 500 people in my apartment, you know, set up with the lights and everything, doing a Zoom show. You forget that, that that that nightmare happened.

Cody Rigsby 7:27

Did you have pants on though?

Modi 7:29

Sure, I was sweating. I just put a lot during those.

Cody Rigsby 7:33

Okay, yeah no. I definitely remember all the, so you were a.

Periel 7:36

Peloton instructor for years.

Cody Rigsby 7:38

Yeah.

Periel 7:39

Yeah, I remember the pandemic. Yeah and then it just like blew up.

Cody Rigsby 7:43

Yeah, essentially. I mean I'm glad I had those six years because I had a lot of mistakes to make. I had to figure out who I was Like. If you look at my classes from seven years ago, it's a fucking mess.

Cody Rigsby 7:53

So yeah, but they were in person, yeah, well it's always been streamed, so like we've always been streaming classes. But before the pandemic we were at an old studio and it was full of people. Then during the pandemic and afterwards it was empty and like this, probably this time last year, we started inviting people back to the studio, so it's been nice.

Modi 8:12

And people obviously love you because you're just sort of very unfiltered and funny, and were you surprised that Peloton gave you that much free reign, or was it something that you had to? Once they saw it was working, they kind of were like OK, let's do this or did it just happen.

Navigating Comedy, Controversy, and Empowerment

Cody Rigsby 8:28

I think it's a little bit of both. I think I've always like towed the line a little bit. I think when my new boss, jen Cotter, came in she let me out of the cage a little bit and was just like go for it, and so I feel like I had permission. But I also just feel like that's what people resonated with at home. If I would share a funny story about my mom or talk about pop culture or be a little petty about ex pop star, they would really resonate with that and so I would just kind of double down on it and I think it's always a finessing of. I'm sure you feel this way of comedy. It's like you kind of tow the line of how much can you press it without with also being a little bit respectful. It's funny.

Modi 9:12

The closer you are to the line, the funnier it is. If you pass, you can't go back, Exactly. But if you're back here you're parve, You're like there's no flavor to you whatsoever. But if you're right by that line, playing with it and teasing it, then that's when it's really funny.

Periel 9:25

And that gets it the same way with the word Going back to the first part of your title opinionated homosexual.

Modi 9:29

How much trouble have those opinions gotten you in within the gay community? Because you do are very open about how you feel about a lot of this.

Cody Rigsby 9:37

I don't think the gays have really like no, no, I don't think it's the gays. Ok, that's good to know.

Periel 9:42

What are the opinions that are so controversial? Or?

Modi 9:45

allegedly.

Cody Rigsby 9:46

They're wide ranging. They're wide ranging, I think it's more. I don't think that they're controversial, I think that they're just blunt and forward. I think, as a gay man, we're always kind of like Sex is so embedded in our culture and we talk about it pretty openly and freely, whereas I'd say the majority of my audience is probably more so women, and I don't think women in our society get a lot of permission to talk about sex freely without being reprimanded or calling a slut or whatever it is. And so I think when I talk about that so freely, it kind of empowers women or they see something that they want to try and they go for it, because I'm out here just talking my truth and being a slut.

Modi 10:35

Well, yeah, I saw in an article you said you did not survive a pandemic to not have an orgasm.

Cody Rigsby 10:39

Not to fake an orgasm.

Modi 10:40

Not to fake an orgasm.

Cody Rigsby 10:43

So, ladies, we didn't go through two years of lockdown to now have sex with people who are making you fake an orgasm.

Modi 10:49

Yeah, because then your live streams took on this like advice column, yeah, and that's kind of where the book came from.

Cody Rigsby 10:55

It's like people would send me relationship questions and I would give them a brash While you were spinning. While you were spinning, I love that.

Modi 11:04

Isn't that multi-tasking? I want to tell you that I once taught a spin class. You did what? I don't know this, you don't know this. I once taught a spin class. We were doing a comedy show, taping it for Comedy Central in Guantanamo Bay, cuba, oh my. And they had a gym. They had a gym. It's a naval base, but they had a gym. I went to this gym and I see there's a spin class set up and everybody's in there. But I said, yeah, I'm taking a spin class. I walked in there and I keep in mind there was this thing called when spin first came out and this was in like for me. I think it was around 99, 2000, something like that. I even took those classes red dog, okay.

Cody Rigsby 11:42

You know what red dog is. I mean, I was so into spin.

Modi 11:46

I took their classes. How to be an instructor. Mad dog, Mad dog, that's it.

Cody Rigsby 11:50

Yes, yes, yes, that's it.

Modi 11:51

And I had, I had on my MP3, my little set list, not MP3.

Cody Rigsby 11:55

It wasn't even an iPad Nano.

Modi 11:57

No, no. It was like those little old ass and I had my own whenever I was in my own spin class, always. And then we went to this class in Guantanamo, big Cuba, and the instructor just didn't show up. And I got it. I said I'm ready, put me in, put me in.

Cody Rigsby 12:12

Put me in and I went up there.

Modi 12:14

I went up there and I plugged in my music. What?

Cody Rigsby 12:16

was the music.

Modi 12:18

Oh, I don't know. Oh wow, hattikva, no, hilarious, no it was. This is the rhythm of the night. It was very bad. It was very bad, do you have complete control of the music on your stream.

Cody Rigsby 12:29

Yeah, yeah, it's you. I couldn't let anybody touch me.

Modi 12:32

But don't they make you pay royalties and stuff. That's not my job, that's not your job.

Cody Rigsby 12:35

Yeah, that's not your job. Let's leave that job to somebody smarter.

Modi 12:38

Okay, got you, got you, All right.

Cody Rigsby 12:40

Someone's dealing with that.

Modi 12:41

I have a question that I kind of always ask people who have a really large online following, which you obviously do how do you balance all of that? Because it can become real toxic, real fast. And are you in the DMs? Do you read the things that people send, do you like? Oh, I'm going to log in For 20 minutes and then log out.

Periel 13:00

I'm asking for a friend. Do you have it?

Modi 13:03

Do you have it on your? Some people just have deleted Instagram from their phone. They have someone else.

Cody Rigsby 13:07

I've gone through phases. I definitely need to get back into deleting Instagram, and not not because I have a lot of toxicity thrown at me. It's just that I'm addicted to it and I'm on it too much, so I need to like create a boundary there. I'll be honest, most of people that follow me or interact with me are pretty kind, sweet, like they are impacted by the things that I do in a positive way, so I don't really get a lot of like negativity. I think when I was doing dancing with the stars, I did make the mistake of going on like Twitter and looking at my name and some people were not very nice and it was just like a very emotional draining time.

Cody Rigsby 13:39

Basically emotionally draining time. So I remember like having a little like meantie B followers at home, that means mental breakdown. Yeah, we learned that from the young generation. So From that point on I kind of like knew to not like look up my name or Google my name because if I wasn't in a good place or willing to look at it most of the time, no, everyone's pretty positive and aren't nasty. And then most of the time like if you got time to fucking type something to a stranger, your opinion like maybe like you need to find something to do A full half Torah.

Modi 14:16

they write the entire the pages and the way to use like context clues. Listen yeah, you think he knows what have to do.

Cody Rigsby 14:24

Yeah, they're a whole like a Bible. They write it Got it. Well, Torah, I got the Torah.

Modi 14:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah and half is half, so you go half there you go there, we go.

Periel 14:35

It's like who's reading these things, like what are these people think?

Modi 14:38

But once in a while I get one that is great and we just had shows that was once in a while. They're great. They're not Leo handles at all, but I do pop in there and look at the stuff and sometimes they're great, Sometimes they're like the brilliant.

Periel 14:54

They're great because he's deleted all of them.

Modi 14:56

Yeah, I've deleted all of the questions once. So when you're doing this book tour and you're doing, you did like the Today Show, you did all these other shows I saw you on. You don't seem nervous at all, Do you ever?

Periel 15:08

get nervous.

Modi 15:09

He's a spin instructor.

Cody Rigsby 15:10

I know, but it's different. He's an audience. It is a little bit different.

Modi 15:14

You seem like it was your when I was on the Today Show clip. It was like your set and you're like well, it was very impressive.

Cody Rigsby 15:22

We'll let the producer that today know, although I'll be honest with you. So going knowing that had a lot of press and high profile like press coming up for the book tour, I was nervous Kind of like mid like throughout the summer. I'd like to think about it and have a little bit of a panic attack.

Modi 15:37

A minty Just a minty attack.

Cody Rigsby 15:40

We didn't get to minty be just yet, so I had to like breathe through it and process it. But to be honest, when it came time for it I don't know, I kind of just something when you like step into the moment and like do it it felt like there were no nerves. I was like super excited. It felt really natural.

Modi 15:57

So I was like you're in your element and you deserve it. I was.

Cody Rigsby 15:59

I was out of myself tackling the anxiety showing up and like figuring it out and, honestly it feeling really really good.

Modi 16:06

So yeah, it's not like showing up is a big part of it.

Cody Rigsby 16:11

Showing up is the hardest part. You can get that. Once you get there, you'll figure it out.

Modi 16:15

That's actually great advice.

Cody Rigsby 16:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's my, my friend Miles Miles Red.

Modi 16:19

Yes, we know miles.

Cody Rigsby 16:21

So one of my like everybody asked me like what advice has someone given you? And he always was like what his dad told him? Like show up and you'll figure out the rest. And that's always stuck with me. If it's a social event that you're like nervous about being at or being on TV, like just show up and you'll figure it out.

Modi 16:35

Yes. I live that advice. Great for miles red, unbelievable Into the decorator.

Cody Rigsby 16:42

Iconic honest.

Modi 16:44

Iconic and so Gentile. Yes, he does. He's the most like, the most non-Jewish wasp type. He's going forever and he always tells me about, like, when he does for Jewish, when Jew people hire him. He has just so many things. Yeah, he's the maximum, so there's lots of things and colors and the Jew people was like how do you clean that there's so much?

Periel 17:03

dust in it.

Modi 17:04

Why do you have all the books out here on the table with candles on top of them? The girl's never going to be able to clean it all the girl, the girl. How did you clean that? How do you clean that?

Cody Rigsby 17:14

He always as if she's worried that less.

Modi 17:16

So what was your experience on Dancing with the Stars? You had to. You got COVID.

Cody Rigsby 17:20

I got COVID. Yeah, oh, wow. So when it was like, well, yeah.

Modi 17:23

Well, you were in the middle. There must have been crazy to do a production like that in the middle of a worldwide yeah, well, I think that was what 2021. Just walking around the Q-tip 2021.

Vaccinations, COVID, and Success

Cody Rigsby 17:32

So, like it was a little bit, we still weren't completely. I think we were all vaccinated at some point. We were vaccinated by then, but there was still all these regulations. And yeah, the first week went, and then second and third week I had to like they took one of my, I got COVID. Well, my partner got COVID, so then they had used rehearsal footage. Then I got COVID and I had to do my dance from my living room and my partner did her part of the dance from her living room in Los Angeles.

Modi 17:59

Very RuPaul's Drag Race, very, that, very RuPaul's Drag Race.

Cody Rigsby 18:03

I had to set up the lights oh my God. I had to like take my living room, take everything out, put up the lights, like all of it Same and then hope that it was a day.

Modi 18:13

Our living room we have, like these two pieces of art and when you take them up, just pins and we put flags up for whatever character I was doing, whatever thing we just the room just turned into a studio. Yep, it shows doing Zoom shows out of that living room. What a nightmare. But both of us did very well because of COVID, yeah. Yeah, we pivoted, as they said, and to a positive, to helping people, absolutely.

Cody Rigsby 18:38

That's what I always like try to like, hold on to.

Modi 18:41

And I have a Leo. I have a Leo in my life, so I have Leo, not a Leo, because then people don't think it's a Leo sign.

Cody Rigsby 18:48

Yeah.

Periel 18:48

I'm a Leo, I'm a Leo.

Modi 18:51

But, do you have somebody to running? You need a team in place.

Cody Rigsby 18:54

Well, I've got my beautiful assistant Ren Anders here Jens' assistant, as known on my Instagram page, so we know we're always running the show. Peloton has a great production team so they help with things. I got my agent, I got PR Like there's a whole machine by now. Yes, because it literally does take a village. You can't do this.

Modi 19:13

Team.

Cody Rigsby 19:15

You can't do things without people behind you.

Modi 19:17

Yeah. It's never like so how is it being around a Gen Z person all day long?

Cody Rigsby 19:22

You know, we have great, we have arguments generational arguments.

Modi 19:26

Do you say you're welcome? Do you say no worries?

Cody Rigsby 19:29

I think she's you say you're welcome, yeah, you're welcome. I don't know that is a joke about that. That is a thing, though.

Modi 19:34

Marty has a joke about that. That's why.

Cody Rigsby 19:37

Yeah, I've read this that younger people don't like to say thank you. They say thank you, Sorry, you're welcome.

Modi 19:41

They don't say you're welcome and I've seen this now in other countries In Paris also. Oh really, paris must say merci, mais c'est de rien. That's the way you're welcome. Now they say like ne peut pas, ne peut pas. So it's every place. Now the younger generation.

Periel 19:56

What is the logic there? I?

Modi 19:57

have no idea.

Periel 19:58

One second. I'm sorry, the video is running right, okay.

Modi 20:03

This is not really. It's usually on there. I'll cut that. Okay, I'm just, it's okay. No, no, it's fine, she wants to see herself.

Periel 20:12

I just almost had a no, no, no, I just almost had a mentee be I just like had like a flash of being like oh, and we didn't.

Modi 20:17

Tell me something. So what's your next thing? There's a book. You're still selling this book. Yeah, you're still. You're still. You're still teaching.

Cody Rigsby 20:23

No, yeah, I'm teaching today.

Modi 20:25

Teaching today. Even Okay, Glass, yeah, and then and then. What's next?

Cody Rigsby 20:30

A few things. A few things. I'm trying to use this book to get into more like speaking engagements. I just did one at Google last week, so that was really great.

Modi 20:39

Yeah, what'd you talk yeah?

Cody Rigsby 20:41

It was great. I think it was also something that, like when I was doing press, I was like nervous about, but once I showed up and did it, I got it done. It's just like you know, a 30 minute keynote and what were the highlights?

Modi 20:51

But what's your?

Cody Rigsby 20:52

thing I mean. I think it's mostly about what's your miles?

Modi 20:54

red advice for people.

Cody Rigsby 20:55

To not take life so seriously and to be able to laugh at themselves. And I feel like that's how I've been able to have success is not taking like, obviously life is deep and serious and we should put our work into it. But when we let it overpower us, I think it defeats us. But when we can, kind of like, set step back and laugh at it, that we really empowered and I think that's really like how I've been able to find my success. That, like when things go wrong, I was like shit happens, you know. So I want to get more into that.

Modi 21:24

So being a positive, a self-help kind of a speaker.

Cody Rigsby 21:29

Yeah, but not. I feel like a lot of self-help become so I don't know like boring or serious, like I always want to infuse laughter and levity into it Of course, but I think with self-help, you still have one point, one thing to head on, which is you, yours is don't take yourself too seriously. Yeah, like laughing yourself.

Modi 21:48

When they get too much in one, when they're trying to give too much advice on everything. You have one topic and keep trying to get there.

Periel 21:56

Yeah, do you grow up exercising Like, did you discover?

Cody Rigsby 22:02

No, I always say this. Like people ask me if I do sports, I say that I was the tetherball champion of Guilford Middle School. So you know what tetherball is this like? Did you have this? It's a metal. It's a metal bar in the ground with a string and a ball. Oh yes, and you gotta loop it around.

Modi 22:17

I've seen that.

Cody Rigsby 22:18

Okay, yeah, I was really good at that. Because I'm tall, I would slay all the fifth graders and just like I was really good at that, but beyond that I never played sports.

Periel 22:27

How did you come to exercise like in the world of exercise?

Dancing, Fitness, Kindness

Cody Rigsby 22:33

It's an interesting journey. I was an eccentric child. I loved to perform and be in musical theaters, and then I got into what Shocking. Yeah, I know really, and then I, but I was really good at dancing so I started to study dance here in New York City. I came to New York in 2006 to internet Broadway Dance Center, so then I started dancing for, like artists like Nicki Minaj, katy Perry, pitbull, saturday Night Live. That kind of not stale, but I wasn't making money and I wasn't like really finding like anything.

Modi 23:07

But now, later on, you can say that you dance from Nicki Minaj. Of course, of course he goes into biography. It's in the speech. You know it all helps.

Periel 23:13

Yes, yes, so that's kind of when I so they're disconcerting that Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry and Pitbull aren't paying their dancers.

Modi 23:21

No, I think.

Cody Rigsby 23:22

Well, I just think artists are probably not writing the checks for their dancers? Yeah, they don't know, they don't know. But the life of an artist is just, especially a dancer. Like you're just moving furniture and you're going from gig to gig to gig, that like you're not making a ton of money.

Modi 23:38

You're working because you're passionate about it.

Cody Rigsby 23:41

And I was like passion ain't paying the bills, so I got to figure out what's next. And then I was working at the box here in the lower side like front of the house, and the choreographer there knew I was a dancer, he had a connection to Peloton and it was like they're looking for performers that are into fitness.

Periel 23:58

And I went to the gym.

Cody Rigsby 23:59

So it was like right place, right time and having everything from I learned from my dance career. Then I applied that to fitness.

Modi 24:07

That's amazing. Yeah, I know when.

Cody Rigsby 24:08

I think about it. I'm like it's like so serendipitous, it's just like-.

Modi 24:12

And this all happens at the box.

Cody Rigsby 24:14

All of the box.

Modi 24:14

I mean that part did.

Cody Rigsby 24:16

That part did amongst any other I used to take the spin class.

Modi 24:19

When I lived in LA for three years I took a spin class at the Equinox there and there was this one spin teacher who was known as a guru, yosoto Yoga, and the whole nine yards and everybody loved him and there was one woman that always drove him crazy. One woman always come to the class late. She would always and he would set him off.

Cody Rigsby 24:41

I'd watch him In a very out of character way for him.

Modi 24:48

And it always happened. And I actually approached him. I said to him let me ask you a question. Don't you think you have some crazy karmic energy with this woman? I said to him try to Just an advice. I know you're the guru of all goodness and levitating on above ground without touching anything, but it just be super nice to her. Next time she comes late, make sure she gets a bike, make sure she and he says he did that. And he said he said to me I used to see her everywhere. She was in my soup. I was looking in my soup and seeing her there In the parking lot whenever I'd pull in. She'd pull in. I'd be at the juice. She'd been vancing with the juice. I haven't seen her in months. He goes. I said yeah, you had something with her. I could tell.

Cody Rigsby 25:30

I could tell you. So you stopped just from that little act of kindness.

Modi 25:33

He the opposite. He always made sure when she came late he almost knew she was gonna come late and had a bike for her. He went and took this one over here and he put an extra towel there for her and it was a whole little thing, and it was it was Well, speaking about act of kindness, yes, I have a story about you actually. Yeah, we, it's a good story. It's a. It's a really cute story actually. Oh, it is. Yeah, I didn't know who you were. This was like pre-pandemic. This is no. No, this is a while ago and I was at the knockdown center.

Cody Rigsby 26:05

Okay, yes, okay, ringing a bell. You've been there Many a time, okay, under many different circumstances.

Modi 26:09

Yeah, so the people listening at home. The knockdown center is a music venue where all sorts of things go down and the crowd gets very lively, but in this particular event you weren't with me. I was with Evan, by myself, for some reason, okay, and I was outside by the food trucks Come and I was like sitting there and you were in front of me and you had a plate of tater tots.

Cody Rigsby 26:31

Okay, and Was this pride? It might have been pride, are you sure?

Modi 26:36

It might have been pride, yeah because you met me later.

Periel 26:37

That's the day you lost your wallet. Daytime yes, it was a daytime moment.

Modi 26:42

So that then food is in the equation. And you had a plate of tater tots and you turned around and I was like, wow, that looks good. And you didn't even say anything, you just grabbed one and you put it in my mouth and you kept walking.

Periel 26:53

And.

Modi 26:53

I was like I don't know who that is, but it's an angel. And then, so that anytime your name has come up, I was like I'm a huge fan.

Periel 27:01

And that's why I'd be like, well, one time he gave me a tater tot.

Modi 27:06

One tater tot. What's his name? It has a whole thing. Ron White has a whole tater tot. But that's something you would do, absolutely. Yeah, you fed me a tater, your hand fed me a tater tot. We did not know each other and that's a full circle moment.

Periel 27:18

Now we're doing a podcast. And then what happened?

Modi 27:19

Yeah, that's amazing.

Periel 27:20

I love that. It just takes a tater tot.

Cody Rigsby 27:23

The superior form of fried potatoes, in my opinion.

Modi 27:26

Ooh, what exactly is a tater tot? It's the round like cylindrical nuggets.

Periel 27:32

It's like a long. Jewish version of a potato vodka oh you know?

Cody Rigsby 27:36

oh my god. No, there's a. Have you ever been to Edis?

Modi 27:39

It's a Jewish like a deli counter Jake keeps telling us we need to go there.

Cody Rigsby 27:42

It's really good, it's right around the right around the block for my place. Ok, they have latke tater tots which?

Periel 27:48

are incredible. They're the same thing. They're applesauce on it.

Cody Rigsby 27:51

It's like a lot. They take the latke, they cut it into fours and then they also put some sort of cheese sauce on it. That's delicious.

Periel 27:59

It's literally a potato latke, wow, ok, wait, you're from sour cream, or was it?

Cody Rigsby 28:04

No, I think you can get sour cream.

Modi 28:06

Sour cream is what you put on.

Cody Rigsby 28:07

You're from North Carolina, right, north Carolina Do they have waffle house there. They sure do, oh, with waffle house.

Modi 28:12

I, so I'm from Florida, but I did a lot of time in Georgia.

Cody Rigsby 28:16

I went to the university of Georgia.

Periel 28:18

I am enjoying themselves.

Cody Rigsby 28:21

Listen. And so what? Wait? Smothered cover, dice. What's your thing, you guys not doing a go-ahead? I can't even remember. They have a really good hash brown, though.

Modi 28:27

Yeah, they have good hash brown too, See see.

Cody Rigsby 28:29

It's an omelet. Uh, how are the pain? I don't, I'm a pancake girl, I'm a waffle girl.

Modi 28:34

They don't do pancakes.

Cody Rigsby 28:35

I know I'm a I'm a pancake girl. I'll take a waffle, but I prefer a pancake.

Periel 28:39

This is the most non-Jewish conversation that has ever happened on this podcast.

Cody Rigsby 28:43

Why the two? It's very, it's very gentle, it's very American.

Modi 28:47

The waffle house the waffle house. I'm going to bring you two to a waffle house and it's going to change your life. It's amazing. I'm sure it looks, it's disgusting and it's all $3.99.

Periel 28:56

Yeah.

Modi 28:56

You get the whole world done, absolutely Every part of the pig, every, every, every sauce on top of it an extra stack in this stack and the coffee $3.99.

Cody Rigsby 29:06

You can't, you and your waitress will have three teeth.

Modi 29:08

Yeah, if parking with everybody and a house or a bracelet and a house Anklet, but you know same thing.

Periel 29:15

I have a question which might not be super machiave energy but, I, have to ask what is the most insane thing that somebody's like said to you? Like wow, because it's it seems like you have this like incredible, like free, amazing, and sometimes people are you know.

Cody Rigsby 29:37

I don't know, I can't like nothing's popping off. I think one that like got under my nerves was someone like hey, you're Cody Rigsby. And then I'm like yeah, and they're like no, you're not. No, you're not, no, you're not yeah, I'm like bitch, you just asked me that's so funny, that's their way of like here's what drives me crazy. Is it yes or no? I'm like okay, bye. And then like, can we take a picture? I was like no, you don't even think I am who I am Like hilarious.

Modi 29:59

So I get this. I get people recognize me and then they go. Can I get a picture for my aunt? Not for her.

Cody Rigsby 30:07

Not, not for her. They ask you to be in the picture, or they just want to take a picture of you.

Modi 30:11

Oh, oh one time in the restaurant, over my friend Lucas's head, this woman goes oh my God, it's you. I want to get a picture, just so that I saw you. Yeah, and she takes a picture over Lucas's head. Yeah, and you were just saying it was so awkward. I go. Do you want me to? I was ready to come up with a picture no no no, no.

Modi 30:27

Just so that they see that I saw you take a picture. That was it. And then I get the ones like this for my, for my aunt. She loves you. I go, not you, right, but my aunt, my aunt loves you. Yeah, and now my aunt. So what's your favorite story in the book, without having to give anything away or like what would you say we have not read the book yet and I haven't said sorry, don't worry about it.

Cody Rigsby 30:44

We're going to. We're going to worry about it, even if you don't know, I will and I love that you bought us a copy too.

Modi 30:49

That's how deep he is. In this tour he stopped carrying a copy of it with him.

Cody Rigsby 30:52

Yeah, we did. We forgot.

Modi 30:54

Yeah, look at the both of them.

Book Signings

Cody Rigsby 30:55

I left it on the box on the on the. It's okay. Um well, I did say this on my Instagrams. I don't know if it's my favorite story, but it's a very pivotal one is that when I was in college, when I tried to hook up with a girl, I couldn't get a boner. So that's when I knew I was gay.

Modi 31:08

Oh really, yeah, Couldn't get it up you didn't know before that I knew before.

Cody Rigsby 31:12

but like I was like you know, I'm still straight Like maybe there's a chance, but then, like when the vagina how do you say that in Hebrew? Okay Is in front of you.

Modi 31:22

You cannot get it right. Oh Med.

Cody Rigsby 31:26

Okay, uh, wow, where you're like hey, I am a gay Really. And what year was this 2005. Wow, six, it was 19, 18, 19.

Periel 31:39

And had you hooked up with guys by that point?

Cody Rigsby 31:42

Yeah, I had a boyfriend at some point in high school.

Periel 31:44

That didn't give it away.

Modi 31:45

That didn't give it away, no, but you know, you, I respect you giving it the literal college guy. The literal college guy, I respect that you're like. Let me revisit this. You never know, I get it.

Periel 31:55

So when I was in my twenties, one of my best guy friends, who's gay, came into my apartment and I was butt naked and he goes. Oh my God, disgusting. Put that thing away.

Modi 32:08

Well, you do have a book called the only bush I trust is my own, so that's what. That's speak for itself. Yeah, you should read that. Well, we'll do a book exchange, but your book I'm going to read on a flight.

Periel 32:19

Yes, 220 pages. I know it could be good at LA, yeah, but I do like the idea which is Saturday, oh yeah.

Modi 32:26

We have, speaking of North Carolina, I'll be Charlotte North. You better plug, your better Plugging the hell out of it.

Cody Rigsby 32:33

Yeah, I love a shameless plug. Oh, if you don't, you know, if you don't do it, no one or some. You just do it, Just go for it. Yeah, and I think that's a motto for life. You don't have to be whatever you got going on and you want to do, fucking plug it.

Modi 32:45

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 32:46

I've been cursing a lot, sorry, it's fine.

Modi 32:48

It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.

Periel 32:49

Yeah, perry, I was usually the idea of signing the actual book.

Modi 32:55

Oh, I was going to bring that back to it. I was going to go back to it. I was going to go back.

Cody Rigsby 32:58

So you know when you're selling so many books. Maybe you don't know about that, miss Bush lady.

Modi 33:06

Okay, this lady and he. I was going to say something before, but I said you know what, shut your mouth, modi. I think you went for it. I was just. I did a store in.

Modi 33:19

Israel now, right before the war and they had me sign these posters for the big doors or whatever, and I was just. I was so bored backstage. We got there early and soundchecking was done. Soundchecking was two seconds and I was just signing. I was writing help, help Modi, I go. Don't believe anything. They tell you, modi. I was like Masiya energy Modi.

Cody Rigsby 33:47

I was writing Now I have people coming to the Halt on studio and they'll have a book and I have to sign it and, like I'm, I get nervous of like, what is that part, that part, the part that's not my name, like, yes, wish you like what the like?

Modi 34:01

you have to have a go to what's your thing. You don't have a go to go to. That's what I got to figure out. I would literally write XOXO, it has been, it has been.

Cody Rigsby 34:10

XOXO is the easiest thing in the world. Okay, okay, we're fine on that. I thought there needed to be more Wait what's your?

Modi 34:15

You're roasting me for not doing it and then you're like do less. Okay, he's going to say there's this and don't ever bookman a pushy Jew podcast again.

Cody Rigsby 34:24

Which one is it? What do you want? You have to have something you write I've been doing XOXO, Cody, but I have like best wishes or like oh, love you.

Modi 34:32

I do encode it, stay safe, which I hate. But now it's coming back and then I say stay safe.

Cody Rigsby 34:40

I say stay safe to Uber drivers when I get out of the car. I mean it's a tough job.

Modi 34:47

I don't think that's a weird thing. There's some of them are horrible drivers, some of them are horrible A lot of things.

Cody Rigsby 34:51

No one taught them how to drive. Very kind.

Modi 34:53

I'm going to give a shout out to my father. Okay, my father was a driving instructor in Israel.

Modi 34:59

Okay, he had the lemon in the back of the car. Like that's how you know, like it's a driving, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, he taught me how to drive, okay, and he always taught me how to think about being the passenger in the car. So when you squeeze in the brakes, you're holding a wheel. These drivers have no idea what the passengers going through we're literally nauseous in the back of their cars. We're literally vomiting back there with that pumping the brakes.

Cody Rigsby 35:23

What Is that? Because you're on your phone, oh right.

Modi 35:25

My, I'm not on my phone. Okay, great, I'm not on my phone.

Cody Rigsby 35:27

I don't. I'm not, he is. That makes me nauseous.

Modi 35:30

when I'm on my phone in the back of an Uber, it makes me nauseous, for sure I'm not, but they're pumping the brakes Like it's also New York City, but you know it's that it was. But what's your sign?

Cody Rigsby 35:38

Gemini.

Modi 35:39

Wow, what's your sign? Oh, that's great, that's good for you.

Cody Rigsby 35:47

Yeah, gemini, you know I get it. Gemini is a little challenge. You, I'm a Taurus, okay, scorpio. Oh yeah, it's a Scorpio. A November Scorpio. End of October. Score is coming up, or is it already happened?

Modi 35:59

Scorpio you'll be. You'll be born to Scorpio.

Cody Rigsby 36:02

Yeah, which is, I think, Not compatible within the astrological really what is he no? He's in school right now. He's getting his master's for interior design.

Modi 36:12

Wow, just, is that gonna come in handy when you redo your?

Cody Rigsby 36:17

Absolutely together. I know, I've seen and and yeah, it's something I think. I'm if we're going down passionate about it, but he's way more like talented wait, is your house on the water?

Modi 36:28

No, absolutely not. Oh my god, I know the videos that came out. I am dying.

Cody Rigsby 36:32

They need to, they gotta figure that out. I kind of it's kind of a thing that I'm just like all right, I'll figure out how cool is it that you're a fire island Homeowner.

Modi 36:39

now what? How cool is it?

Cody Rigsby 36:40

It's so close. I was been a dream like ever since I went out there like ten years ago. I thought it was the most magical place and I was like I want something here.

Modi 36:47

It's very. It might be a horrible investment, but as long as you're not on the beach. You'll be on the beach in a few years Before you know, it, you will be Know it. Before you know it, you will be wow, yeah, yes, that's an amazing thing, um you said how does it feel to be a fire?

Periel 37:04

I went home, owner. And I thought you said how does it feel to be a fire? I went home. I mean that's redundant. Yeah, that's a little redundant.

Modi 37:12

But no, there's we. I did a show for the non-gap area all the way down there. You did you. I remember you said that Wow, it was like you're always really no. Not this, not where we were not where we were. No, it looked like long island, staten Island, had a baby, and that's what it was. Did the jokes land, though?

Cody Rigsby 37:29

Yes, I would be amazing. Have you ever had to play for like a very non-Jewish? Yes, I do comedy clubs.

Modi 37:35

I used to towards it did comedy show, yeah, yeah, but you found your niche within.

Cody Rigsby 37:38

I found my niche. Yeah, that's great, that's it.

Modi 37:40

Yeah, yeah, okay, I just wasn't I just and let me tell you a lot of non-Jews coming to my shows. That's good and this past week we were what my. When my show was cancelled I was on Mateo Lane show.

Cody Rigsby 37:49

Oh.

Modi 37:50

Mateo was in Paris as well, okay, and my show was cancelled because there was a protest outside the, the, the theater not your, because of you.

Cody Rigsby 38:00

No, they were not.

Modi 38:03

They weren't protesting me, although that would have been great.

Periel 38:05

Yeah, we would have. We hate Mori Mori. Yeah, I'm at mori livecom for all upcoming shows.

Modi 38:12

But I popped on Mateo's show. I did 20 minutes up front for him. It was so much fun and we got such nice DMs from that. But I have a big following of non-Jews. Now to also what's your? What's the most surprising place that you've been clocked the way you're like, oh I.

Cody Rigsby 38:30

That someone's clocked me.

Modi 38:31

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 38:33

Um, maybe, like last time I was in Brazil, someone stopped.

Modi 38:37

Brazil.

Cody Rigsby 38:38

Yeah and like, not an American, like a Brazilian, brazilian, that like lived there. Wow they had like access to the Peloton app and they were like I love your classes.

Modi 38:46

She's Mr.

Cody Rigsby 38:46

Worldwide.

Periel 38:47

Yeah, come on. That's amazing for the title honey.

Modi 38:51

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 38:52

Brazil.

Modi 38:52

I think that was just surprising, I think yeah, surprising, like we're like oh yeah it's nice, it's good, it's fun and you deserve it and you're adorable and sweet and the positive and machine energy, just that's what you put. You put out there. Yeah, that tater tot was machine. I thought that was machine energy a little.

Cody Rigsby 39:14

I'm sorry I just don't know.

Modi 39:16

It was a tater top great, great sandwiches.

Cody Rigsby 39:18

Yeah they used to have a restaurant restaurant, but they, I think they close it down to focus on other things. Both were in my neighborhood, so I went up, wait so I also saw.

Modi 39:26

I also saw that you mentioned that you had audition for the Barbie movie. I did yeah, is that something you want to keep doing, like auditioning for stuff, or was it?

Cody Rigsby 39:35

Listen, I am not like the greatest actor, but I'll make it work. I, I'm I. I have two things that are that I've in the works. Well, I've done them already, so come out soon, Okay one is coming out soon and got announced, but I don't think I can talk about it because I'm a SAG member and I don't want to get in trouble.

Modi 39:52

Okay, don't. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true, I forgot and then so I'll do it.

Cody Rigsby 39:58

If it's there and Barbie movie, I was like, look, it's gonna be one of the biggest movies. I might as well fucking.

Modi 40:02

I was gonna audition. I was gonna audition for Ken.

Cody Rigsby 40:05

I did audition for Ken's one of the Ken's lawyer.

Modi 40:13

The machine mobile on set the pink machine mobile you know what you're joking, but that's actually a great thing. Yeah, I'm a sheikh, barbie, I'm here for it, and I'm here for it too. And since you are here, tell us where can they see you buy you be you? Okay, all of that, yes, like away, oh, to the camera, oh yeah.

Periel 40:37

At.

Cody Rigsby 40:37

Cody Rigsby on Instagram, at I think it's at Cody dash Rigsby on TikTok, because some bitch took my name before I got. It's okay, the Peloton app if you want to get into fitness, and then you can go on On to wherever books are sold and buy my book. Xo, xo, cody, thank you.

Modi 40:54

Wait, is that tick-tock person like holding it hostage?

Cody Rigsby 40:57

I haven't reached out like you know, when I got what I Resist a tick-tock for such a long time and then when I was like, okay, let me get into this, I went to like do my full name.

Modi 41:05

It's a scary place. It's a. That's a dog place.

Cody Rigsby 41:08

Yeah, you know, like I think it can be really fun, but the minute that you interact with content that is Controversial, political, whatever then it starts feeding it to you and then you get stuck in this loop, and so I am a little bit nervous of how that will be Harnessed in the future. Yeah not to not to like make a really serious pivot. But sometimes I sit there and I'm like, oh, this content is, yeah, getting a little spooky and scary and it's hard to like break it. So you get stuck in the loop.

Modi 41:39

I don't, I can't look at that for you. I can't look at it, it's so nauseating. Yeah, yeah, yeah, anyway, I'm so happy for you. Sell books, sell your your machine, energy. You're amazing public.

Periel 41:49

Thank you, babe.

Modi 41:49

XO, xo.

Periel 41:51

Yeah, and I'm a secret fire around with.

Modi 41:53

We have two weeks to go and be there as well.

Periel 41:54

Okay, and I just.

Modi 41:57

I didn't do a full quarter share, I just did two weeks Okay.

Periel 41:59

Yeah.

Cody Rigsby 41:59

I will align.

Modi 42:00

Yeah, I am at modi, live calm and we have shows in Brussels, atlanta, charlotte, north Carolina and Milwaukee, and then we are announcing by this. By the time, making a lot of this is a non-juice. By the time this comes out, we'll be announcing the tour and there'll be over 12 cities near you. Be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show. Get tickets for not just yourself, for a bunch of friends. Especially at these times, people need a break from their phone and just a time to laugh. Thank you very much to a and h provisions for being our, our partners, and whites and Luxembourg Thank you very much for being a part of our podcast. Thank you, cody, leo and Perrielle. Bye, bye.