PHOENIX — Valley resident Frank Caliendo is known as one of the funniest comedians on the planet. But most people around the Valley probably didn't know he actually went to high school in Milwaukee.
He sat down with ABC15's sister station TMJ4 to discuss, and joke, about his loyalty to both the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
TMJ4's Lance Allan: "When you tweeted at me, I couldn’t believe it. Two, I almost forgot you lived in Phoenix. Bad on me."
“A lot of people forget,” Frank Caliendo says. “Your reporting prowess, you jumped on that immediately.”
Allan: "Hey, it’s Frank. It’s a fresh piece of meat. I gotta get him."
“Yeah, a microcosm of your career, Lance!” Caliendo says with a laugh. “Sorry. Ask your questions. I’m getting a little bit of heat exhaustion.”
Allan: "So you’re a Waukesha guy. And you’ve got the pride of Pewaukee down here now. JJ Watt and you guys are like best of buds?"
“Yes, let’s just pretend that’s the truth,” Caliendo says. “JJ and I hang out. Every day. We lift together. I spot him. I went to UW-Milwaukee. Graduated from there. Summa cum laude. Whatever that means. I don’t know. Mass communications, journalism degree. Could you try not to ruin the sound, Jeremy!”
Photojournalist Jeremy Dunk: "I knew you were going to say something!"
“Absolutely,” Caliendo says. “This is going to tell you how much of a fraud I am. I bought season tickets from the Suns, just a few weeks ago, almost as an investment because they went up almost $5,000 the next day. So that was a couple weeks ago. So I think I have to root for the Suns right now, which might be better for the people of Milwaukee because when I root for teams, they tend not to do so well. So I’m not rooting against the Bucks in any way shape or form. I’m trying to look at it as a win-win.”
Allan: "You’re almost picking the Suns?"
“I feel like I am because I have more money invested,” Caliendo jokes. “I mean if the Bucks want to give me a free suite. Let me hold. I’ll bring JJ. We’re not that good of friends.”
Watch the full interview here:
“I’m almost going Barkley. I think it’s going to be a really good series. Look at these guys. We don’t know if Giannis is playing or if he’s going to play. Or what’s happening. By the time this airs, there’s a chance we do know. That’s me. I always break the fourth wall. Especially when there’s a plug. What do you think Shaq? Mumbles. I agree with the first half of that. But the second half makes absolutely no sense Shaq. C’mon. Don’t be a knucklehead," Caliendo impersonates. "And what was the Stephen A. Smith thing?”
Allan: "So basically he was like, there’s no way I want to go to Milwaukee. That’s basically it in a nutshell."
“Oh he was like Barkley with San Antonio,” Caliendo continues impersonating. “I have to say I don’t even understand what’s going on. I do not want to go to the Brewers city. I don’t want to go where beer and cheese are more important than anything else on this earth. That’s what I have to say. I think it’s a suburb of Chicago. That’s how bad it is.”
