Whether you’re a fan of the possibilities artificial intelligence can offer humanity or you think the A.I. will kill us all one day, there’s no arguing that it’s here to stay, becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. What exactly that means — especially A.I.’s capabilities in the realm of entertainment — is the premise behind Dudesy, a podcast (which I happen wholeheartedly love) run by A.I. and hosted by longtime friends Chad Kultgen and Will Sasso. Dudesy has made headlines a couple of times since its 2022 conception, garnering strong reactions with its hour-long comedy specials featuring artificially generated versions of George Carlin and Tom Brady.
So what exactly is Dudesy? Here’s what you should know:
What Is The A.I. Podcast Dudesy?
Dudesy premiered in February 2022, with co-hosts Chad Kultgen and The Three Stooges star Will Sasso giving the A.I. — “Call me Dudesy,” it says — access to all of their digital property, including their phones, computer passwords, purchase histories, etc. Episodes are then created that cater to topical headlines and what’s happening in the hosts’ lives using their specific comedic sensibilities. This results in often-hilarious (and very ridiculous) segments like having Mad TV alum Sasso — a skilled impressionist and pro wrestling enthusiast — reading outlandish A.I.-generated material in the voice of Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Meanwhile, Chad Kultgen — who co-wrote How to Win The Bachelor and co-hosts the Game of Roses podcast (required listening for every Bachelor Nation fan) — is often called on to render his predictions for how technology will shape our futures in Dudesy’s “Nostrachadus” segments.
Dudesy’s challenges often extend beyond just the podcast space, too, as the A.I. has required activities of its hosts such as making a vegan dessert, shaving the Dudesy logo onto their heads and, most recently, getting colonoscopies. While real celebrities like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ferrari star Adam Driver have made surprise cameos on the podcast, Dudesy more often generates its own impressions to produce fake movie trailers starring Tom Hanks (aka “Toam Hain”) or Dudesy merch ads from “Not Miley Cyrus.”
It’s these types of impressions that have garnered the podcast less-than-positive attention.
Dudesy ‘Resurrected’ George Carlin For A Comedy Special, And His Daughter Was Not A Happy Camper
George Carlin is inarguably one of the best comedians to ever live. His sharp commentary on the state of the world has been sorely missed since his death in 2008, and Dudesy decided to take a stab at what the stand-up comic might have to say if he were alive today. On the January 9 episode of the podcast, “George Carlin Resurrected,” the artificial intelligence revealed to its hosts that an hour-long comedy special, George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead, had been uploaded to YouTube.
Despite the special kicking off with a disclaimer in which the A.I. explained that this is “my impersonation of George Carlin that I developed in the exact same way a human impressionist would,” in order to develop Carlin’s voice, cadence and the special’s subject matter, it didn’t take long for the backlash to start. The comedian’s daughter Kelly Carlin spoke out against Dudesy’s impression on X (Twitter), writing:
Here is my, Kelly Carlin’s response to the AI generated George Carlin special: ‘My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain and imagination. No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind that will never exist again. Let’s let the artist’s work speak for itself. Humans are so afraid of the void that we can’t let what has fallen into it stay there. Here’s an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to? But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere.’
With as much attention as there’s been lately to the use of artificial intelligence in script-writing and other facets of the entertainment industry, it’s easy to see how this is a hot-button issue. Kelly Carlin’s complaint seems to stem from the technology attempting to know what her father would have had to say about current newsworthy topics like reality TV, Donald Trump, Elon Musk and A.I. itself.
This isn’t the first time Dudesy has upset people with its comedy specials, either.
Tom Brady Threatened To Sue Dudesy Over Simulated Stand-Up Special
Last April, Dudesy removed the special It’s Too Easy: A Simulated Hour-Long Stand-Up Comedy Special from its Patreon after NFL great Tom Brady filed a cease and desist order that stated the special “blatantly violates” the ex-quarterback’s rights. The podcasters were asked to remove “Mr. Brady’s name, image, voice, persona, and likeness” from its platforms and refrain from discussing Brady in the future, under threat of legal action.
The podcasters complied with the request, but hold on a minute, brother, because that doesn’t mean they agreed with what Tom Brady’s legal team had to say. On the April 18, 2023, Dudesy episode, Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen discussed the issue, with the latter comparing it to a celebrity impersonation you’d see on a sketch comedy show. Kultgen argued:
‘Simulated’ literally means not the real thing. Means an imitation, an impression, if you will. This is exactly like anyone else impersonating or doing an impression of a celebrity. In this case an A.I.'s doing the impression.
The Patreon offering was removed, and Dudesy had not created any additional productions of the kind until A.I. George Carlin’s I’m Glad I’m Dead. These situations may have garnered the podcast the biggest headlines, but that blue-and-orange logo has started to pop up in other arenas.
Professional Wrestling Fans Have Been Showing Love For Dudesy
Dudesy may have rubbed Tom Brady and some others the wrong way, but the A.I. and its human hosts still have plenty of support from their loyal fanbase, the P.O.D.s (Pals of Dudesy). In fact, there seems to be a good bit of overlap between patrons of the podcast and pro wrestling fans, and over the past year, posters like the one below from the WWE’s Royal Rumble last February have caught the attention of the seemingly sentient A.I.:
While Will Sasso’s love for wrestling is always apparent, Chad Kultgen has even gotten into it more over time, but either way, both co-hosts have expressed gratitude for their fans’ proof of dedication. And as you can see in the image below from an AEW event, Dudesy mugs are kind of a big deal.
The Dudesy podcast is the first of its kind when it comes to artificial intelligence, thanks to Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen being game to play along with what the A.I. requests of them. While some of the more widespread attention the show has received has been on the negative side, that really proves that the question of where A.I. fits into entertainment is an important and ongoing conversation. Lucky for the podcast’s fans, we can continue to have that conversation amid Sasso’s Arnold Schwarzenegger impression and Kultgen’s latest theories about aliens.
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