Some self reflection
This is going to be one of those "Michael Buckley is talking about himself at great lengths" posts. HA! But here goes....
As much fun as it was to be on TV all week and it was fun - something bigger happened for me. This experience in many ways repaired my relationship with my online persona.
In the summer of 2016, three unrelated -yet totally related things -happened. I auditioned for this show “Page Six TV”, did not get cast. I ended the "What the Buck Show" after 10 years. And I performed stand up at Carolines in NYC and then cancelled a tour of me doing stand up.
There are so many reasons but the gist was - I was sick of myself. I was sick of the persona I had created for myself and felt I couldn’t keep up with.
I had made so many jokes about the Kardashians and Miley Cyrus and my brain was fried. I was also just as uninterested in keeping up with the changes on the YouTube platform. So it was a perfect storm of “I’m done”.
Then when I started my life coaching business in November of 2016, I had to do a lot of mental gymnastics about my career and my future.
Is my entertainment career over? Maybe? Probably? I didn’t want to be a YouTube star anymore, nothing had come of my minimal effort to transition to television and I really had no desire to play the small stand up venues I was booked at so I felt pretty done and pretty peaceful about it.
When I was asked to do this show it brought up many things for me. I said yes and then allowed them all to come up and I dealt with them all.
The moment the producers asked me how I wanted to be billed on the show my brain wanted to panic and have an identity crisis.
Host? YouTube Personality? Life Coach? Comedian?
I thought Life Coach in theory. But I told them if I was watching the show and saw “Michael Buckley, Life Coach” it would not make any sense.
The producer said “Comedian?” I said “sure”.
They hired me to be Michael Buckley, What the Buck, Comedian. That is what I was there for. Although I would love to Life Coach the Kardashians! HA!
On day one when I saw my name on the screen and it said “Michael Buckley, Comedian” - it fixed a lot of things in my brain about it all and how I identify myself.
Can I be a Life Coach and a comedian? Is that weird? Thought drama! Thought drama! Blah Blah! OF COURSE I CAN! I AM. I WAS. Stop being so weird about it! HA!
I simply thought - I am being billed as a comedian. They are paying me quite well to be a comedian - just be funny Buck!
Something that had seemed complicated in my brain for the last 2 years suddenly felt simple.
The entire week was so lovely for me. I was surrounded by hardworking and delightful people.
When I thanked the host John for his kindness all week he told me “Oh you are such a pro. I loved watching you” and invited me on his Sirius XM show anytime I want. I mean. Just SO NICE!
Everybody was that warm and encouraging. The producers, the make up/hair people. Every single person was nice.
I think it repaired my relationship with pop culture as well. I loved pop culture so much and then that was my “job” for 10 years so I became disinterested. I feel peaceful about that now too.
I must also brag too that on the show tomorrow, I made a Kardashian joke that I was told got the biggest laugh in the control room ever and the show will have to have a D rating for “suggestive dialogue” vs the PG rating it normally has!
THIS IS A VERY PROUD MOMENT OF MY CAREER! HAHA!
It is funny because in many ways, I felt so out of the game when they called but then I realized, actually my head has never been more in the game so of course they called me.
My energy is way better than 2016. Thank God they didn’t cast me back then! I have so much more to offer the world now.
As. I ride to the airport, I am like - maybe I will do a new version of What the Buck once or twice a month. No pressure. No stress. Maybe I will do some stand up in Denver for fun. Why not?
I have many passions. Life Coaching. Comedy Figure Skating. Flag Football apparently (HA!)
Thank you for indulging me in some self refection. Onward we go! - MB