“She Just Kept Coming Close”: Shaquille O’Neal Recounts Being “Intimidated” by NSFW Content

The running theme was comedy when stand-up comedian Tom Segura dropped by The Big Podcast. Shaquille O’Neal’s run-in with stand-up has been both scathing and entertaining. From producing the All-Star Comedy Jam to getting roasted to the pits of hell, Shaq’s comedy indulgences have made him many friends in the scene. But sometimes it gets a little out of hand. He told Segura the worst he ever got roasted was not by a comedian. But the first time he was intimidated was at one of his many visits to LA’s Comedy Store.

Though he struggled to remember her name, Shaq dropped enough hints to reveal Leslie Jones was performing that night. She has the dubious honor in Shaq-lore as “the first time I got intimidated by a comedian.”

Apparently, Leslie got inspired seeing the giant in the audience and went a little NSFW for Shaq’s tastes. “She went off on me one day. It wasn’t a bad thing but she was like, ‘Shaq, me and you have a big old black…'” O’Neal chose to censor himself from revealing the whole punchline. It’s not clear how he reacted in that moment but the dominating sentiment he had was, “I was like, all right, next joke.”

O’Neal has a standard policy of either not standing up or sitting way in the back so his 7’1″ frame won’t block the view of the rest of the audience. Shaq sat as far in the back as he could at the Comedy Store. But that didn’t deter Jones from getting too close for her jokes. “It was funny but she was just, ‘Is that Shaq? Me and you have a big old chocolate…’ Like she just kept going. I’m like, all right, next joke. And she just kept coming close, ‘I take you home right now.'” He was not offended by it. But he re-enacted feeling intimidated being put on the spot.

The ones who intimidated Shaquille O’Neal weren’t NBA stars

Shaq has no hard feelings over being used for a punchline. If anything, he can take a joke. Unless it’s by the Inside Guys, in which case Mr Sensitive gives them the silent treatment or walks off the set.

Jones is in his close comedy social circle, too. She did him a solid and featured in one edition of ‘Shaqtin a Fool’ on TNT in 2018. They’ve had other public run-ins too.

She’s, however, one of two ladies who have stung Shaq on stage. Besides Leslie’s too-close-for-comfort standup, it was Grammy-winner Sade who roasted Shaq for the same courtesy of not blocking other’s view.