Comedy often walks a fine line, but even fearless comics have moments of hesitation – especially when family weighs in. Bert Kreischer, known for his outrageous storytelling, faced one such dilemma when his father objected to a joke he planned for his Netflix special. The joke? A wild story involving Shaquille O’Neal and some gorillas at the zoo. 

Though the joke never made the final cut, Kreischer later spilled it on The Big Podcast with Shaq, and let’s say, Shaq absolutely loved it. It all started when Kreischer’s daughter asked why police use dogs in K-9 units instead of gorillas. That reminded Kreischer of a conversation he had had with Shaq, who claimed gorillas at the zoo always react strongly to him. According to O’Neal, the animals think he’s there to steal their females.

Kreischer’s dad, however, wasn’t laughing. “He pulled me aside and said, ‘I’m not comfortable with that joke,’” Kreischer recalled. So, he scrapped it from the special. But when Kreischer later shared story about the joke on Shaq’s podcast, the NBA Hall of Famer demanded he deliver it. “Go ahead, tell it,” Shaq urged.

Kreischer then mimicked their past exchange, with Shaq allegedly asking, “Bert, when I go to the zoo, what animal do you think responds to me the most?” Kreischer mockingly guessed lemurs, but Shaq dropped the punchline: “Do you know why? They think I’m trying to take their women.”

The joke, though risky, landed perfectly. Shaq burst into a howl of laughter, proving that even material deemed too edgy for Netflix can still have an audience in stitches. And despite his dad’s concerns, Kreischer and Shaq’s friendship has only grown stronger. Their bond? Built on humor, trust, and an uncanny ability to turn the most random stories into comedy gold.

Shaquille O’Neal went full bodyguard mode to defend Bert Kreischer over a pool shower debate

Bert Kreischer might be a wild man, but even he didn’t expect to have a 7’1″ NBA legend step in as his personal enforcer. Last year, when Kreischer joined The Big Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal, things took a hilarious turn when he admitted that fellow comedian Tom Segura had been roasting him for his bizarre morning ritual, taking pool showers.

Now, you might think pool showers are a bit odd but not Shaq. Turns out, the Big Diesel does the exact same thing. And when he heard about Segura’s relentless teasing, he was not having it. Shaq casually explained his own routine: “My gym is in the back, the pool is cold, it’s like a cold plunge. I jump in, and I don’t wanna get out and then take a shower.”

Kreischer, clearly feeling validated, jumped in with his own method: “Ice-cold pool, get in there, wake up. I got rituals. I swim from one side underneath, underwater, back to my breath holds.” But then came the confession – Segura had been clowning him for years over this. That’s when Shaq went full bodyguard mode. He snatched Kreischer’s phone and sent a voice note straight to Segura, dropping this instant classic: “Hey Tom, this is Bert’s twin brother. I take pool showers too. So f***** leave him alone. Or I’ll f****** kill you!”

Now, obviously, Shaq wasn’t actually planning a Taken-style manhunt for Segura. He immediately burst out laughing after recording it. But the funniest part? He had zero clue who Tom Segura even was when he sent the message. Absolute legend.