Eric Andre on ‘Little Brother,’ John Cena, and a Wild NBA Finals Theory

Eric Andre, back on the show after a decade away, came to talk about a movie and ended up litigating an NBA conspiracy theory, volunteering for a World Cup broadcast booth he may not be allowed to mention, and confessing to crashing the NBA All-Star Game without a credential. The movie is real. Everything else is gravy.

The film is "Little Brother," streaming exclusively on Netflix starting Friday, June 26, with Andre playing the little brother to John Cena, who was his big brother through a charitable organization when Cena was a teenager. They hadn't seen each other in 30 years before reconnecting for the movie. "I parasite my way back into his life," Andre said, describing a character who annoys Cena the entire film. The physical comedy was real, too. "There was one take where I blasted John in the face with the fire extinguisher," Andre said, noting it landed in the bloopers. Cena, he figured, could take it: "He's been at WWE for 30 years, so he's been through much worse." When Rich pointed out Andre had grabbed Cena constantly throughout the shoot, Andre had a reason. "He's like Paul Bunyan. So you want to like grab at his muscles."

Comedy is Andre's lane, but he spent most of the interview building a case that the NBA is rigging Knicks-Spurs. The free-throw math set him off. The Spurs shot 32 to the Knicks' 22 overall, and 24 to eight in the second half. "That's suspicious to me," Andre said, then went further: "It seems like it's not in the National Basketball Association's interest to see yet another sweep from this incredible Knicks team." His theory? "I just feel like the commissioner calls the refs," he said, doing both sides of the call. "Maybe the Knicks are fouling a little bit more tonight. And the ref goes, 'You got it, boss.'"

Andre, a self-described Miami Heat fan, said this Knicks team converted him. "I've never rooted for the Knicks until now. You have to root for this team." His scouting report doubled as a compliment. "They don't look like a winning team. They have this bad news Bears quality. Where they look like a bunch of doughy guys that play dominoes outside of a barber shop, but their athleticism is unbelievable." He also unloaded on the flagrant foul rules, setting an unforgettable bar: "Flagrant foul is when Ron Artest goes into the stands and punches a fan in the face. That's flagrant."

The World Cup is where Andre's enthusiasm outran his expertise. He's headed to Philadelphia on June 19 to watch Haiti play Brazil, a homecoming of sorts. "My dad was from Haiti," he said, recalling how his father, in his final days, would spot a Black soccer player with a French last name and ask Andre to find out if he was Haitian. Andre also teased an announcing gig he wasn't sure he could confirm, glancing at his publicist mid-sentence. The pitch was clear: "I want to be the Gary Payton of soccer announcers." When Rich noted he didn't know the sport, Andre shrugged. "I'm adding entertainment value. I don't know all the history."

What followed was a genuine soccer tutorial, with Rich walking Andre through offsides, injury time, and the spray that mysteriously revives downed players. Andre's only firm take: penalty kicks have to go. "That just tells me who the best team at penalty kicks is," he said. "I think it should just be sudden death." Haiti, he noted, hasn't been to the World Cup in 52 years, which made them kindred spirits with his new favorite team. "They're very much like the Knicks of the World."