In short
Hour 3 of The Rich Eisen Show focuses on NFL Week 9 and a guest interview with actor Gabriel Luna. Topic highlights: Ravens vs. Dolphins Thursday Night Football; Cowboys’ inconsistent 3-4-1 start and the idea that offense/defense must improve together; Washington’s injury woes (Jaden Daniels hurt; Terry McLaurin quad injury after scoring); and “Higher Register” takes about the Texans’ AFC South chances and JJ McCarthy’s future with the Vikings.
Key claims
Daniel Jeremiah says the 2025 QB class is still waiting for a clear top prospect; Dan Lanning insists he’s staying at Oregon and references coach contract extensions (Matt Rhule through 2032).
Notable examples
McLaurin’s two big catches followed by another quad injury; Cowboys’ upcoming stretch including Cardinals, Raiders, and a Week 12 swing with Eagles/Packers/Lions context.
Guest
Gabriel Luna, Austin-born actor, plays Detective Tovar in Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy; discusses researching the case, re-entry after intense roles, and working on The Last of Us and FUBAR.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONFL Week 9 Preview
0:31 to 0:54
Rich discusses the rapidly approaching NFL Week 9 and tonight's game.
“Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy, all in one place.”
NFL Week 9 Preview
1:27 to 2:25
Rich discusses the rapidly approaching NFL Week 9 and tonight's game.
“Austin down the middle, he goes to win the game!”
Highlights from Previous Guests
2:25 to 3:49
Rich shares key points from earlier guests Daniel Jeremiah and Dan Lanning.
“I already said that I think the Ravens are going to win.”
Critique of Brian Kelly
3:49 to 4:58
Rich discusses the negative perceptions surrounding Brian Kelly's coaching.
“It's just, is there anybody in Brian Kelly's circle that would raise their hand and say, he's a good coach, he's a good dude, he did this for me, he did that for me?”
Gabriel Luna's Upcoming Appearance
4:58 to 6:06
Rich teases the upcoming segment with actor Gabriel Luna and discusses Cowboys.
“Yeah, there's nobody crying any tears for Brian Kelly.”
Dallas Cowboys' Team Dynamics
6:06 to 8:14
Rich elaborates on the Dallas Cowboys' performance and team issues.
“Just had a nice chat with Gabriel Luna, who's coming out here shortly in support of Devil in Disguise, John Wayne Gacy, available now for streaming on Peacock.”
Discussion on Injuries and Team Health
8:14 to 12:31
Rich analyzes the injury challenges faced by various NFL teams including the Giants.
“Yes, that was definitely what I was saying.”
Caller Interaction: LSU and Game Dynamics
12:31 to 13:45
A caller shares thoughts on sports media and rooting for different teams.
“They're playing a lot of good teams so they could really, you know, kind of throw a wrench into things.”
Merging Topics with the Caller
13:45 to 14:00
Rich discusses game attendance with a caller who is an LSU fan.
“I was calling to say that all sports media and everything that you've made your career on is based on friends rooting for different teams.”
Sports Passion and Rivalry
14:00 to 17:10
Explore the intensity of sports fandom and friendships amid rivalries.
“The heart of sports passion is I don't want to hear it.”
Show all 21 chapters
Higher Register Segment Introduction
17:10 to 22:00
Delve into the concept of 'higher register' in sports commentary and its origin.
“the Texans are still in the mix to win the South.”
High Register Takes of the Week
22:00 to 25:30
Hosts share their high register takes on NFL teams and upcoming games.
“You know what your higher register should be half the time on this show?”
Interview with Gabriel Luna
25:30 to 28:01
Actor Gabriel Luna discusses his role in 'Devil in Disguise' and the process of portraying real-life figures.
“Yeah, I think, you know, we were, because elements of our story are somewhat fictionalized, so it's not a one-to-one to the true events.”
Gabriel Luna on Balancing Work and Home Life
28:01 to 28:57
Gabriel discusses how he balances his work on set with his personal life.
“And that kind of helps me just let everything kind of diffuse.”
The Impact of 'The Last of Us'
28:58 to 29:54
Gabriel shares his experience and insights on the success of 'The Last of Us'.
“And they do what they need to do to make sure that they achieve that and meet that bar.”
Behind the Scenes with Pedro Pascal
29:55 to 32:07
Gabriel recounts a humorous and touching moment with Pedro Pascal on set.
“No, no, no, we premiered the trailer there.”
Gabriel's Relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger
32:08 to 33:22
Gabriel shares personal anecdotes about working with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“My father passed before I was born, and my mother's 15 when she had me, so she was a 15-year-old widow.”
Lighthearted Moments with Arnold
33:23 to 35:30
Gabriel shares funny interactions with Arnold that showcase his personality.
“Which is obviously a line from Kindergarten Cop.”
Gabriel's Sports Fanhood and Cowboys Discussion
35:31 to 39:52
Gabriel and the hosts discuss sports, focusing on the Cowboys and Spurs.
“So in the few minutes I have left, Gabriel Looney here on the Rich Eisen Show.”
Phil's Rangers-Islanders Game Experience
42:04 to 44:32
Phil shares a personal story about taking friends to a Rangers game, highlighting the challenges of team rivalry.
“I'm interested to hear what Phil has to say.”
Nostalgic Concert Memories
44:33 to 45:59
The hosts reminisce about concerts and personal experiences in New York, including a trip to Nassau Coliseum.
“shoot the puck Barry and you know, Potvin sucks.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Uncovered windows can make your home feel up to 20 degrees hotter. Stay cool and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the 4th of July mega sale at blinds.com. From outdoor shades to room darkening blinds, finding the perfect fit is easy. Get free samples, expert design help and professional measure and install services or DIY with confidence and support every step of the way. Shop up to 50 % off site wide plus huge savings on door busters right now during the 4th of July mega sale at blinds.com. MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand. Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy, all in one place.
0:48Sign up now for MLB.tv in the ESPN app. Separate subscriptions required, blackouts, and other terms apply. Visit stream.espn.com slash MLB TV for more information. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Austin down the middle, he goes to win the game!
1:34To win the game! From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Vladdy rocks the ball. It is gone again! Back-to-back blasts in the first. Earlier on the show, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. Coming up, actor Gabriel Luna. And now it's Rich Eisen.
2:00Rich Eisen:Our number three of the Rich Eisen show is on the air. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. Whether you're listening to us on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance or you're watching us on the Disney Plus or the ESPN app, 844-204-RICH. Number to dial Thursday Night Football tonight to kick off week nine. Week nine is going too fast. Final game of October in the National Football League. season is tonight. Ravens and Dolphins. I already said that I think the Ravens are going to win. As a matter of fact, I think the Ravens are going to go on a run. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. If you missed the first two hours, I'll give you the couple of headlines, if you will, from our guests.
2:40Rich Eisen:Daniel Jeremiah says, at this point, he has no earthly idea who's going to be the first overall pick in next year's draft and thinks that this year's quarterback class that everybody thought was going to be good is, they're still waiting for the good. They're still waiting for this class to show itself to somebody that might need a quarterback, the top five picks of next year's draft. And then Dan Lanning came on and said for sure he's not leaving Oregon. By the way, Matt Rule has been extended through to 2032. And, you know, it's kind of by Nebraska. So he's out of the Penn State mix. And I just got to tell you something.
3:17Rich Eisen:You know, since Brian Kelly's firing at LSU, I'm still waiting for one person, former player, current player, coach on his staff, anybody to raise their hand and cape for Brian Kelly. As a matter of fact, the stories that you hear about Brian Kelly have been universally beyond negative. It's just, is there anybody in Brian Kelly's circle that would raise their hand and say, he's a good coach, he's a good dude, he did this for me, he did that for me? Nobody. The latest one, Andrew Whitworth. Did you see this one? No. Yeah, Witt on his pod. Well, LSU legend. Yeah, Witt mentioned on his pod with Ryan Fitzpatrick that I don't know Brian Kelly at all, but what I do know is I reached out multiple times to say, I'd love to help you and gotten lots of that's great, I'll keep that in mind type stuff.
4:28Rich Eisen:I haven't heard a single story, Whitworth says. Here we go. I've only heard stories to the other side of it. You've even seen some current players who just played for him coming out and saying it was one of the worst experiences they've ever had as a human being. And the leader he was.
4:45Brockman:That's not good.
4:47Rich Eisen:I mean, is there anybody out there? Bueller? Is there a guy named Bueller who played for Brian Kelly? He's getting hammered right now. Hammered. Yeah, there's nobody crying any tears for Brian Kelly. Wow. I don't, as a Notre Dame fan. Yeah. So that's what's up. That's what's up. So LSU shouldn't be knocking on the door of Dan Lanning or anybody else. He's not going anywhere. Why would he leave Oregon if he loves it up there in his family? He said, because we were going back and forth in the conversation, if you were just joining us, I referred to his kids, you know, at one point meaning his own children, and then referred to his players, his kids.
5:26Rich Eisen:And at one point he goes, which kids are you referring to, mine or my players? Right? And at one point, then he responds to about these jobs being open or all of a sudden, you're one, as James Franklin learned, three-game losing streak away from like, hey, great job. We're getting Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter and taking the team to the college football playoff semifinals and all that stuff. Three-game losing streak, see you, James. You're out. We'll buy you out for a gajillion dollars. Lanning said at one point, he tells his own kids, he tells my kids, you know, as long as dad's winning, we're at Oregon.
5:58And if not, not at Oregon.
6:02Rich Eisen:So that's what we've done over the first two hours of the program. Just had a nice chat with Gabriel Luna, who's coming out here shortly in support of Devil in Disguise, John Wayne Gacy, available now for streaming on Peacock. It's a limited eight-episode series. You're about to get some reinforcements in here, TJ. I need it. Because he's from Austin, Texas, and he's a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I know.
6:27Brockman:We have to ask him the question.
6:29Rich Eisen:get your damn act together. We will drag him down to our level about would you take a dear friend as a plus one if they are actively rooting against the team that you have the tickets to go see. But this is about a Dallas Cowboys team that's just one minute they're up and then the next minute they're down. That's what we call a 500 team. They're 3-4-1 which is a half game under 500. Boy those pesky ties. Make sure that these fans who thought there'd be no math in the test. There's always math. And he had an interesting way of saying that he doesn't want to hear it that the offense is so damn good and the defense is not supporting it.
7:10Rich Eisen:It's a team effort, don't you know? It's a team effort. That's one way to put it. Here's another way to put it. None of us have done good enough. I mean, coaches, players, head coach, none of us have done good enough. That's real. I mean, our scorecard is what it is. And that's not just defensively, that's offensively. We're a football team. That's three, four, and one. You can take the stats on offense and as far as I'm concerned, I mean, is what it is. We want to win. And people talk about MVP and this and that. Dak Prescott doesn't want to win MVP. He wants to win a Super Bowl. And that's what we want to win.
7:46And we're not there yet. We've not played that consistently well enough to certainly be in that discussion. But it doesn't mean the journey stops. It certainly doesn't stop. You get more focused, you get more intentional, and we've got to do it together.
7:59Rich Eisen:In case you're wondering what we bleeped out, he told you to place the offensive stats in a certain orifice where the sun doesn't shine.
8:09Rich Eisen:Or place that up where the sun doesn't shine. Was that the old George Carlin bit about the words you can't say on television? Yes, that was definitely what I was saying. There's a certain body part that you can mention. Cam Ward mentioned it to describe the way the Titans were playing recently. But once you use a directional in relation to that body part. Steve Sable used to put it perfectly. You can use it certain ways. Right. But you can't use it certain ways. Right. He's usually a better wordsmith than that. But I think I understand that. Way better than me, Rich. Well, I mean, he's the one who came up with that the autumn wind was his pirate.
8:50Yes.
8:52Rich Eisen:at any rate the Dallas Cowboys have an Arizona Cardinals Monday night visit to finish up this weekend's action before a bye and then a Monday night visit to Vegas while Philadelphia is on a bye this week before returning against Green Bay and Detroit at Green Bay for the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit so that's the next three weeks before they see each other in week number 12 Dallas must win their Monday nighters around their bye and then sit back and watch the Packers and Lions do their thing against the Philadelphia Eagles. That simple. It is that simple because Dallas tied their game against Green Bay and they both have yet to play Detroit.
9:38That's it.
9:38Rich Eisen:And that's the way that the Dallas Cowboys can go into that contest in week 12, 5-4-1 and have the Eagles being 6-4 and off you go. And they still have a shot at the division. Because I'll tell you what, man. I know it's a higher register Thursday, so I'll say this in a higher register form before we get to the actual segment. I don't know if the commanders are going to come back from this this year. And this is Jaden Daniels is hurt. His second time this year, he's missed a game, and then you're wondering, is he going to come back? And then he's saying, you know, I wanted to play medical staff, this.
10:19Rich Eisen:I got to listen to these guys. I got to long-term this, long-term that. Terry McLaurin's holding out. Then he gets hurt. Then he scores a touchdown, comes out. Terry McLaurin, and again, I have him in not just one but two fantasy leagues, so I'm clearly invested in his. Will be. Right. As well as, you know, what he's doing. Both times Marcus Mariota is starting, the Washington Commanders are taking on the Vegas Raiders, and here goes McLaurin into the end zone. He's tackled at the half-yard line. I thought it was a touchdown. It wasn't. Poof. On that play that he almost scored, it was a quad injury, and suddenly he's standing on the sideline, yada, yada, yada.
11:07Rich Eisen:He's back a month later. And then he has two incredible catches, one for a touchdown, one on a sideline. Yeah, the toe tap was insane. And then the knee getting down before the rest of his body gets down. That was an incredible catch. Holds on to the ball. Next thing I know, he's out with a quad. Two incredible plays he makes, and the quad doesn't survive the ground each time. The ball does. He's out again. Defensively, they can't stop anybody. Running, they can't consistently do anything. They haven't done anything consistently. Stay healthy. stop you or run it against you sometimes they can sometimes they can't they got the seattle seahawks this week on sunday night seattle's coming off of a bye and they are the kings of coming east and beating you and your building so i'm concerned about them the giants i think are out of the mix now because they can't keep anybody healthy there that can help jackson dart whether it's Malik Neighbors or Cam Skatiti Bo.
12:14Brockman:You gotta remember though, Tyrone Tracy balled out last year. He did. He came out of nowhere. I got a feeling, man, I really wanted to pick him up. I couldn't get him. I had a feeling Tyrone Tracy's gonna show and prove.
12:25Rich Eisen:That's not winning the division. No, no, no. Still have some hope. But they could play spoiler this year. I mean, the Giants... They have a hard schedule. They're playing a lot of good teams so they could really, you know, kind of throw a wrench into things. Actually, take a look at who they have left. they've got San Francisco this week just to again forget about where and who San Francisco Chicago Green Bay Detroit New England Washington Minnesota Vegas and Dallas the only one that's currently you know so far away that you're not thinking they've got a shot to do very much this year is Vegas in week 17 otherwise the Giants are front and center playing a crucial role interesting 844-204-RICH number to dial here on the program who's hanging on for for a bit here um let's let's go to dan in orange county california right down the road here what's up dan
13:22Brockman:hi rich great job with uh coach landing that was a fun interview thank you sir
13:26Rich Eisen:that was very wrong that was a very rome call right there was it epic dan dan was it epic Was the chat epic?
13:33Brockman:I wasn't going to go that far.
13:35Rich Eisen:Was it phenomenal? See, I can take it. I can take it. Good interview, Rich. Epic? Phenomenal? Eh, not so much. But good. I'm fine with it. Solid.
13:44Brockman:It was solid, right, Dan? It was solid. Stop it. I was calling to say that all sports media and everything that you've made your career on is based on friends rooting for different teams. So I hope to change your mind on that one. And friends rooting for different teams and going to the game is the heart of sports passion. Really?
14:05Rich Eisen:The heart of sports passion is I don't want to hear it. I'm so locked in and I'm so fervently needing this victory. I don't need you sitting there next to me actively rooting against it. I just don't need it.
14:19Brockman:Maybe so, maybe not. I happen to be an LSU graduate. You mentioned Brian Kelly. You're not going to hear anybody running to his defense. I don't know that anybody really knows exactly what happened down there, but I think over time you're going to get some reporting, and none of it's going to be positive. We don't know what happened, but it doesn't look like he knew what was going on.
14:41Rich Eisen:Okay, so Dan, Dan, let's just meld these two topics together, and then I'll send you on your way in Orange County. You're an LSU fan, right, correct? Yes. Okay, let's just say you get two tickets to the SEC championship game. And your best friend roots for Alabama. You're bringing that friend? Yes?
15:02Brockman:Yes, because that's the entire fun of sports. That's why you're famous, is because fans root for different – friends root for different teams. Okay.
15:12Rich Eisen:Dan in Orange County. I'm beginning to think we're less than a human being, Christopher. I'm okay with that. Okay. It's a Thursday. This is our favorite segment. We love to do – is this our favorite segment? or did I just go higher register? It's a solid segment. We like the voice. It's more than a solid segment. I don't know where this is born out. I think it was born out of... I remember where I got born.
15:35Brockman:I said something to you, and then you were like, you know what you just did, right? You went higher register, and we were like, that should be a segment. You literally came up with it. What did you say?
15:44Rich Eisen:I forgot what you said, but I pointed out that I noticed, and I'm talking with friends, regardless of which team they root for, that if you go higher register, it's you not really truly believing what you're saying. And you concocted it just sitting right there. And then we talked about it at length, and off the air I said, you know what, that should be a segment. Yeah. And then we asked... We asked... Well, Frank was doing... Frank Caliendo. Was doing the Schefter voice the one day. Right. About sources and all that stuff. Oh, so did we take that straight from an interview? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I think we took that from an interview.
16:20Okay. Or he was doing Schefter.
16:22Rich Eisen:Regardless, it's one of our fun segments to do where we take a take that we kind of believe about the upcoming week of football and go higher register to believe it. Hit it. There's a chance. The Rich Eisen shows that there could be higher register. Take of the week. I think also my favorite part is the running man shrugging. There's a chance. No, no, there's a chance. He looks like the old N1 guy. Right? All right, Chris, what's your high register take of the week? Okay, this team is kind of balling, but they're still under 500, so they're not getting a lot of pub. CJ Stroud has taken a lot of grief last year, this year.
Read the full transcript
17:04He was really excellent against San Francisco last week. True. And if they can beat the Broncos on Sunday, the Texans are still in the mix to win the South. If you look at the schedules coming up for Houston and then for Indianapolis, Okay. Yes. If Pittsburgh somehow beats Indy and Houston beats Denver.
17:26Rich Eisen:Okay. The next month is going to decide the South and Houston, I think, can do it. Because they haven't played Indianapolis yet. They haven't played each other yet. Dude, there's a game. There's a visit. There's Buffalo visiting them on a Thursday night. So Houston beats Denver, right? That's two in a row. Jacksonville, Tennessee. Hold on. That's suddenly. Go slow here. Houston beats. Beats Denver. They're four and four. Now 500. Correct. Division games, very winnable against Jacksonville and Tennessee the next two weeks. They're 6-4 against Buffalo with Indy and KC after. Now you say the Colts lose in Pittsburgh.
18:03Rich Eisen:They're 7-2. Yeah, now go to the Colts schedule, okay? And then they have to go to Berlin to take on the Falcons. You're saying that they lose in Germany? I'm just saying weird stuff happens in the international games. Maybe they drop that because Atlanta gets rolling, okay? Suddenly they got KC. Their sprockets was pretty weird. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. It could get a little hairy in the next month. Okay. Okay. I just went higher register for, you know, moving on to TJ. Yeah.
18:29Brockman:Okay. What do you got, TJ? All right, guys. So the National Football League, the trade deadline's coming up, right? In a few days, really. Next week. Next week, right? And we've got a huge game between two, you know, I'd say Super Bowl favorites. The Chiefs and the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are playing on Sunday. and it's going to be a huge game, right? And I'm completely convinced that the loser of the Chiefs-Bills, they definitely won't make a panic trade deadline deal and, you know, try to get their team a little bit better.
19:02Rich Eisen:The loser of the Chiefs-Bills game totally won't make a panic. So I'm trying to figure out here, you're going cutesy sarcastic? They're definitely not going to make a deal to get their team a little bit better.
19:16Brockman:Follow that one, bud. You didn't get it? No, I got it.
19:21Rich Eisen:So what just in all sense, what do you mean? This game is going to make a panic deal and trade for someone.
19:29Brockman:Like a panic move to try to get better. Why didn't you just say that?
19:36Brockman:I told you I don't like this. TJ does not. I don't like this thing.
19:40Rich Eisen:Because he's a lower register guy.
19:41Brockman:Because he says, like, it's got to be this. I don't know.
19:43Rich Eisen:If you want to just tell us if you don't want to do it.
19:45Brockman:I mean, I'm in it.
19:47Rich Eisen:Okay. Like, guys are in. All right. Sorry, guys. You know how I feel about this guy. I've been caping for him for years. For years. Because he made me a very happy guy over and over and over again. As a matter of fact, this October could be my final full month in which I'm able to dine out on a Wolverine victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes year in and year out. as you know okay he um he didn't look very good in week two after a terrific week one start for the minnesota vikings and now he's back this this team for the minnesota vikings they need him and everything is going against jj mccarthy right now a lot of people are thinking that you just had a sabbatical and if carson wentz wasn't hurt he'd still be starting and all this stuff about him.
20:40Rich Eisen:And I keep saying he over and over and over again. Okay? Believe in him. But that offensive line is not protecting anybody. And it's just a lot of ups and downs. So I'll just say this. I'm not worried about J.J. McCarthy at all. As he's returning to the Minnesota Vikings. I'm really not worried about him. You know what I mean? I hear you. I hear you. I'm not worried about the organization getting ready to get rid of him. I'm not thinking of the organization looking at what's the Adles doing with Darnold and what the Colts are doing with Daniel Jones and sitting there thinking anything about JJ other than the fact that he's their future.
21:24Rich Eisen:I know their head coach once upon a time on this very show said that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations. And I really believe he means that. But with the Detroit Lions coming off their buy, having paid their Michigan man 180 million bucks, not worried about J.J. McCarthy at all. That's my high register.
21:51Brockman:This wasn't our best one this week. I don't know about you,
21:55Rich Eisen:but mine looked like money. Are you sure? Sure about that? Mm-hmm. See, he's bitter. What am I bitter about? You know what your higher register should be half the time on this show? I'm not bitter about this at all. What am I bitter about? No, no, no, no. You keep doing what you say about the Dallas Cowboys, but then I'm suddenly happy. Oh, no, no, no, no. Don't say what you can. No, no, don't. I don't. You are the king of saying you don't care, but you read every Internet comment that's ever been said with a T or a J in it. Okay. And then you get that. So then I know the way you operate. I don't know that you do.
22:35Rich Eisen:Oh, I'm not sure.
22:36Brockman:He just went higher register about it. I kind of think you like this segment. I mean, you know.
22:44Rich Eisen:All right, let's get all of our ducks in a row again. Okay. Yeah, we've got a guest, guys. We do. It's Gabriel Luna. Come on out, Gabriel Luna. Let's go. Yet more standard light fare. John Wayne Gacy. It's coming up.
23:00The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
23:06A bandwagon fan. The biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never watched soccer before? Perfect. Think a corner kick is a karate move? Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks? Now we're talking. So grab a bag of Lays and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lays, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
23:36Rich Eisen:While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. Because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. A radio audience has just returned here on ESPN Radio. We're talking to Gabriel Luna, who plays the lead investigator on the famed John Wayne Gacy case of the 70s.
24:19Rich Eisen:In Devil in Disguise, John Wayne Gacy, available now for streaming on Peacock. And just again, the way it is shot, it looks like a film. It looks like a movie. yeah and i mean the the 70s get-ups that you're in as well i mean it's spot on the whole thing well i showed you backstage i mean that's all you know that was his style he was he was a um you're the detective detective tovar yeah he was he was just uh you know he was former vice you know he was a narcotics cop well he was a beat cop and then he got promoted and continued to get promoted because he was just he was very ambitious and very good at his job and um he He, you know, in a room full of suits, he was the leather jackets with the fly lapels and the full-on Fu Manchu mustache.
25:05He was just a really cool cat. And I had a lot of fun. Thankfully, I had my mustache and facial hair from The Last of Us. And then my long hair and everything else. So we just kind of, you know, tailored it around.
25:22Rich Eisen:And if you wouldn't mind, share with me what you share, share with everybody what you shared with me in the green room about your character's daughter. Oh, yeah. Having reached out to you. Yeah, I think, you know, we were, because elements of our story are somewhat fictionalized, so it's not a one-to-one to the true events. we made sure that you know ahead of time Patrick was like maybe we reach out to these individuals after the fact just to because my character is primarily Detective Tovar's experience but it's a bit of an amalgam of a few people's experience and so I was really looking forward to meeting him and I wanted to speak with him and I was just waiting until the show came out and now that the show is out I have every intention of going down to Kerrville, Texas where he now resides but But, yeah, his daughter reached out to me on Instagram, and it just filled my heart with pride, and I was so honored that she would do that because she herself was very prideful of the depiction.
26:26And that's all you really want.
26:29Rich Eisen:You've got to be so pleased about that. Oh, man, I mean, you know, because I was just going off of a lot of interviews that he had done and photographs and just tailoring it and then trying to infuse my own experience. But to hear her say that it really was, she felt that she was watching her father up there was the highest praise I could get. And then she was like, do you want to see photos of him from back then? Because the photos I have are just kind of public photos of him in the case. But these are all these really, really awesome photos. Just he and her brother Rodney, who I believe has passed.
27:03and the kid in the show who plays my son, just to see kind of where that all is derived. And it's just him in these really touching personal moments with his family. And so she's able to send me all those photos. Really cool. That's pretty cool.
27:23Rich Eisen:Gabriel Looney here on the Rich Eisen Show. So how do you, again, dovetailing again, what this show is about, devil in disguise john wayne gacy and also the last of us when you come off the set do you like watch a comedy what do you do oh yeah do you do you pour yourself a drink i don't know if you're a drinker because this is some really intense stuff that you're you're doing i think uh you know i it's always it's like re-entry you know it's like i always liken it to kind of an astronaut not coming back and um and you hope that because truly you know if if if you immerse yourself deep enough you're you are kind of returning from just in this other world that we've that we built you know and um thankfully my wife is wonderful and she just yeah helps to kind of uh i like that just to kind of pull me back into it and okay um but uh and and i bring home with me so we all we We always travel together on these jobs.
28:21Okay. And I just, I play the guitar a lot. Okay. And that kind of helps me just let everything kind of diffuse. What do you play on the guitar?
28:29Rich Eisen:What do you do? I play a lot of country tunes. I'm from Austin, Texas. All right. All right. A lot of George Strait and Dwight Yocum. Okay. I like it. I like it. When did you realize The Last of Us was a massive hit? Oh, man. I mean, I guess week one when it finally premiered. Week one. I think. Do you get a sense on the set when you're shooting it with Peter Pascal and the rest of the crew? I've worked with HBO three times now, and they have a dedication to maintaining a standard. Sure. And they do what they need to do to make sure that they achieve that and meet that bar. And I had no question that the production itself was going to be what it was.
29:12But, you know, Craig Mazin, our showrunner and the writer, is just genius. And we'd get these scripts coming in. And, you know, he writes every letter of every word of every script. He does. And just to, you know, just, I mean, when the guy, when you're on a plane and you're tearing up in front of the public in front of people, just because you're reading in black and white, you just kind of know it's there. But I guess until you finish it, until it's front of the people, you can never, you don't want to count your chickens, you know. But when we released the trailer in Brazil, we were in Sao Paulo at, I guess it's the biggest Comic-Con in the world.
29:47I think there's like a quarter million people.
29:48Rich Eisen:Well, there's nothing little in Sao Paulo. Yeah, no, they do it big when they do it. Like the city, just like everything. I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. No, no, no, we premiered the trailer there. And just to see the response, I guess when it hit YouTube, it's like, okay, people are pretty excited about this. If we deliver, I think it has the potential to catch fire, and it did. You got a good Pedro Pascal story? Give me your favorite one. It's about him as a person or about him as an actor working with him in a scene? He's just a sweetheart, man. He's just so talented and so present, I think.
30:25But also just really playful. I guess one story I have. We were doing this scene where Catherine O 'Hara, who plays Gail, the show's been out for a while, so I don't know how to get away, but we return her husband, played by Joey Pants, turn his body to the community. And it's this really dramatic scene where she's confronting him, and she smacks him, and she's weeping in my arms, just completely bawling, you know? And she's a legend. I think it usually takes a comedic genius to be able to achieve those like high dramatic, you know, peaks. And she's just like she's crying and crying and crying in my arms.
31:12And then Neil, who was directing it, he's the creator of the game. He was directing that episode. He calls cut, but he's a bit of a soft spoken guy. So she doesn't hear him. And I thought she did, but I thought maybe she was just kind of still in it. And she's just crying, crying, bawling. Oh, my God. I could, you know, my shirt is soaked. and then I look over at Pedro and he looks at me and he just he's just like he's holding it in trying not to laugh and he's and then he's getting Bella cracking up and then and then he's like just tell her just tell her I was like okay Catherine uh they called cut she's like oh they called cut oh and she just like wipes away the tears instantly just snaps out of it and then he just like rolls on the ground literally rolling on the ground laughing and uh and now you know That's just kind of the sense of play that we kind of, you know, you ask about how you come back from these really dramatic things, and I think it's important to just, you know, kind of be loose and be willing to laugh for sake of crying.
32:11Rich Eisen:What was it like in FUBAR with Arnold? You got a good guy? Oh, Arnold's my guy, dude. He's my, you know, I've grown up. My mother raised me. My father passed before I was born, and my mother's 15 when she had me, so she was a 15-year-old widow. And so throughout my life I've found different father figures, football coaches, professors. And then here at 42 years old I'm just like, who is that in my life? And it's him. No kidding. I couldn't be luckier, man, because he certainly embraced me when we did the Terminator film. And then we did FUBAR together and then we did an animated show called Secret Level for Amazon Prime directed by Tim Miller who directed us in Terminator.
32:53and so we've worked together a lot and now i'm working with his son-in-law chris uh chris pratt on on the terminal list which is going to come out next next year yeah and um and he's just uh you know he's he's he's so disciplined he's just so funny like his his modus operandi is kindergarten cop arnold or or like last action hero like that's who he is you know commando and terminator all that stuff those are constructs that he built characters he built but who he is is him in those comedies you know so that was great to see that you know that return to form in foobar to have that kind of you know the comedic kind of side of him um i guess one of my best arnold stories is so he loves to quote himself like he'll do it anywhere anytime drop of a hat so uh you know we'll be on we'll be on set and you know grip will be carrying a c-stand and they're like come on i need that seat stand and he'll be like do it do it now what are you waiting for and uh and so but my favorite story is we're at we're at uh brunch after training in budapest we're doing terminator nice and uh and a friend of his from austria was was in town and i'm sitting across arnold he's eating his oatmeal and my wife's next to me and then his friend clemens was sitting next to him and they're having a conversation about their families and they get to the conversation about their fathers and so she says to him she's like so what does your father do talking to clemens and then like mid-bite of his oatmeal, Arnold just goes, who is your daddy and what does he do?
34:24Which is obviously a line from Kindergarten Cop. But yeah, he's just, and his timing is impeccable. That's how he rolls.
34:35Rich Eisen:Mid-oatmeal eat, he quotes himself, inserts himself into someone else's diet. He didn't even look over there. He just kind of just, and then just continued eating his oatmeal. That is amazing.
34:46Brockman:You got to tell him about the baby chair.
34:48Rich Eisen:Oh, yeah. When Arnold came on the show, he saw the seat in which you are currently sitting. Yeah. And he says, I cannot sit in that. I'm like, what do you mean? He goes, that's a baby chair. Baby chair. I don't want to sit in the baby chair because he was concerned about his energy and he wants to be up as opposed to sitting. You could see you kind of reclining in his chair. Yeah, I'm just like laying back. So he, that's the only time in the history of this show he walked over to Chris's chair and he wheeled it over. And we just, okay, sit however you wish to sit, sir. You can tell the governor that you can't use your chair.
35:17Rich Eisen:This is him doing it. There it is. We removed the chair and he brought his chair over, man. Like, okay. I love that. And then a few times he did quote himself. He told a bunch of great stories and obviously he's Arnold freaking Schwarzenegger. He said, love him. All right. So in the few minutes I have left, Gabriel Looney here on the Rich Eisen Show. You know, we just met. TJ, I'll share with you what he told me in the back. He took the last of us thinking it was about the Cowboys secondary. That's what he thought. Wow. That's what he thought it was.
35:47Brockman:You're going to disrespect our guests like that?
35:49Rich Eisen:I'm looking at you, fellow Cowboy fan. I'm throwing it in your direction. How about them Cowboys, TJ? But really, tell me, how about them? How are they doing? Can we revive them?
36:00Brockman:Maybe next year we can. Oh, man. But Dak is slinging that thing around. He is indeed. Say that again, man. That's a true story. And I swear, the first time I saw him, they were playing the Rams at the Coliseum in preseason, his rookie year. Oh, yes, I remember that. He came in, man, he threw a 20-yard rope to the sidelines. Yes. And I was like, holy moly, this guy. And he's just, his composure, everything. I was like, man, this guy's really.
36:26Rich Eisen:Yeah, that was when Romo got hurt in the preseason, right? Right. And is that, was the Ascension was beginning at that point, Tom, or was it the year after? No, I think he got hurt a little later in the season. I see what you're saying. But I just saw him throw that out route, and I was like, wow. And then he just kept this whole drive. He put together a great drive. I was like, man, that guy is really well composed. And even the Rams fan behind me was like, yeah, man, he's poised. And from that day on, I've always been a Dak guy. And he started to dial in those long balls. He was kind of overshooting a lot of guys.
36:57But now it's just everything's on the money. And I just wish that one thing is working, the other thing isn't working. That just seems to always make it. No, I know it's a little bit off.
37:06Rich Eisen:But before I let you go in the few minutes we have left, let's let's let's crow a little bit about what you wanted to crow about. You're telling me in the back there. What's your Spurs fan? You're a Spurs. Oh, come on. Oh, yeah. Big time. I mean, I'm a Longhorns fan because that's our professional team in Austin. Nice. But but I'm just like, you know, I work by proximity. So Spurs are I've always been my team and I've always been a Cowboys guy because I wore number 12 for Roger Stahlbeck. Why not? As an outside linebacker, strong safety. Nice. But they also needed me because I was kind of the insurance policy quarterback, so they always needed me to wear a quarterback number.
37:44And I loved the Oilers before they moved because Warren Moon had my name. My name was Luna. Nice. So I was a split. Well, when they moved, so I just became solely a Cowboys fan. But the Spurs have always been just my heart. And the fact that we have just an absolute once-in-a-lifetime. He's a unicorn.
38:09Rich Eisen:Victor Wambanyama is a unicorn. And we all knew it coming in. And I'll say it again. Like right now, early in the NBA season, there are some people and teams to talk about, but none of them compare to Victor Wambanyama, what we're seeing through the first two weeks of this season and what we've expected from him up until this point. and what we're seeing is just... Yeah, I think tonight we have the chance to go 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Which we couldn't, yeah. We have a long-time listener and viewer of the show, Jimmy in San Antonio, who came on the air and mentioned that. We're like, really?
38:43Rich Eisen:Yeah. You'd think the Admiral would have done it. You'd think, you know, Duncan would have done it. You'd think any of the pop teams would have done it. I mean, Monumentham boys, yeah, I guess not. But I loved his response. He was like, wow, that's crazy. I would have thought that that's been done before. But, you know, let's go beat that record. just very nonchalant about it. I love his confidence. I love his dedication, his training. And then he's put on like 35 pounds, it looks like. And it still looks like he still needs to put on. I know, right? I guess what happens when you're 7 '6". Everything he does is just...
39:15Rich Eisen:Look at that picture that's right there. Look where his hand is. That's what we were saying the other day. Over the box. It's over the box. I love it. I love the way he... Yeah, just people think that they have a sliver of light and it just closes up on them. And it's just amazing to watch. I got the league pass this year because I've been out of the country for the last three years, and I miss basketball season most times. And I'm up at 3 a.m. watching games, and I have to work in the morning. And now I can actually watch it when it actually airs. There you go. And get your sleep and get all that stuff.
39:47Rich Eisen:Hey, man, congrats on everything going on in your career. And, again, all episodes of Devil in Disguise John Wayne Gacy He dropped just last week or a couple weeks ago on October 16th. It's a limited series. It's eight episodes. It is beautifully shot and obviously acted. And everybody check it out. Available streaming on Peacock. At I am Gabriel Luna on Instagram. Be one of the gajillions who follow this man. Congrats on everything going on. And come back anytime you want, man. Thanks, brother. Because I think, you know, I think Wemba and Yama might be still undefeated. He'll probably need your chair, too.
40:21Rich Eisen:Yeah. Everything's a baby chair to him. Gabriel Luna here on The Rich Eisen Show. We're back up to wrap up this Thursday in a second.
40:33The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
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41:56Rich Eisen:Presented by Progressive Insurance. Take the next step forward in your career with great benefits and an award-winning workplace. Apply at careers.progressive.com. Phil in New York City. I'm interested to hear what Phil has to say. What's up, Philip?
42:13Brockman:Rich. First time, long time. I'm also a fellow member of the tribe who happens to be a Yankee and a Jet fan as well. So I have to say, I appreciate a lot of your takes. Simpatico. I like it. Yes. I wanted to add some real true context to this debate that's been going on between the three of you. I do feel like sometimes you and Brockman give TJ a hard time. Okay. So I do want to say I understand TJ's perspective about, you know, if you have the tickets, do you bring a friend and all of that. And it sounds good in theory. It does. But as somebody who actually did it in real practical terms, I'm telling you right now the worst thing you could possibly do.
43:02Rich Eisen:All right. Tell me, what were the circumstances? You took a friend of the game that was actively rooting against which team? Yankees, Jets?
43:09Brockman:I had the chance to take three friends to the world's most famous arena for a Rangers-Islanders game. And we not only had four seats, but there were four sweet seats. So included was food, drink, above 21, drink.
43:26Rich Eisen:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
43:28Brockman:As an active Ranger fan, my friend an active Ranger fan, we thought this would be fun, a little friendly competition. It turned out to be the opposite. The Islanders proceeded to win like 5-1. And not only was the game terrible, my two friends who are Islander fans proceeded to drink themselves under the bar, laughing and smiling the whole way. No way. And I've regretted it ever since. Let me hear the end of it. I'm telling you, it sounds nice, TJ. I hear you. It sucks when you're on the wrong side. Exactly. We need a New York City man to show the lights on this subject matter. But also it seems like Phil's friends, you know, they hit the bottle a little too hard.
44:10Brockman:They didn't know how to act in public. Me and my friends know how to act in public.
44:14Rich Eisen:I don't know. Phil's kind enough to call in and add perspective. Phil, thank you. Don't throw his friends under a bus. They can drink themselves under it. He just did it themselves. Thank you, Phil. Thanks, Phil. And this is decades after the Rangers-Islanders rivalry actually meant anything. back in the day when shoot the puck Barry and you know, Potvin sucks. All of that stuff. The blue seats back in the world's most famous arena. That used to be nasty when the Islanders drive for five when that's all they did was win cups out there on Long Island. That was nasty. And then of course the subsequent years were but now it's like, okay nice arena you're playing over there right now.
44:58Rich Eisen:Very nice. By the way, Nassau Coliseum is where I saw my first concert back in the day. I saw Chicago. Oh, really? Yeah. You know who opened for Chicago? The Pizza Terra era? Steely there. Nope. No, they wouldn't open. A comedian. Dice Man. I went to my first concert. No, it wasn't. I don't even remember who it was. Just a comic. I don't even remember. Nope. A comedian. No, it's just a comedian. You don't remember who it was. Yeah. Person telling jokes. Yeah, my dad drove me and my, This is the story of my life. A friend who I wanted to be more than just friends with out there. In a red limo? No, no, no.
45:38Rich Eisen:My dad was not in a red limo. My dad didn't drive a red limo. He drove me and Kristen out there together. Yes, indeed. And we went there together. This is before cell phones. My dad probably just drove around Long Island for two and a half hours and said, meet at this payphone at this time. Like almost famous. Unbelievable. See? But we're right. A New Yorker, a Northeast guy feels that way. I think it's geographical. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app.
46:17The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
From the publisher
Rich weighs in on the Dallas Cowboys chances to turn things around and win the NFC East this season, and in the NFL Week 9 edition of ‘Higher Register’ Rich, Brockman and TJ offer up their less-than-ringing endorsements of Minnesota Vikings QB JJ McCarthy, the Houston Texans, and the loser of the Bills-Chiefs game. Actor Gabriel Luna
joins Rich in-studio to discuss his new ‘Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’
series on Peacock, the popularity of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ reveals how
‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ and ‘FUBAR’ co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger shows his funny side on-set, talks Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, and more.
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