Though he’s made a career out of making people laugh, Sebastian Maniscalco means business in all aspects of his life. 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the actor and comedian — who is starring in Apple Podcast’s first scripted docudrama, “Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story” — opened up about his new role, how his approach to social media and comedy has shifted throughout the years and why it’s necessary for him to be “half-psychotic” when it comes to parenting his two children. 

“I think kids need structure, they need discipline,” said Maniscalco, who shares two children — daughter Serafina Simone, 8, and son Caruso Jack, 5 — with wife, Lana Gomez. “They actually thrive on it. I think if you’re a pushover or you’re soft with your kids… I come from a middle-class working family who gave me chores to do. I had to cut the lawn, I had to make my bed. I had to vacuum on Saturday. I remember I had to vacuum all the carpeting in the house on Saturday. And my kids are living a different life.”

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“They’re growing up with really no struggle,” he continued. “I mean, we’re not struggling for food here or shelter or what have you, but I’m instilling the values, the core values, and the work ethic that I grew up with in them. And the parenting, it’s 24/7. It’s like you can’t take a day off.”

“If they don’t say ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you,’ I’m there beating that into their head,” he added. “So it becomes just the standard.” 

He continued, “The parenting that I see, we just had a party here at the house, and the kids are in the pool — ‘get out of the pool’ and the kid — ‘NO’… no, it’s like, you’ve got to be firm.”

Maniscalco, who’s currently on his “It Ain’t Right” stand-up tour, said he often pokes fun at his parenting style during his sets. 

COMEDIAN SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO REFUSES TO EDIT JOKES FOR THOSE WHO ‘GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE’

Maniscalco, with his family in 2022, says it’s important to teach his children proper manners.  (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Hammer Museum)

“I joke about it in stand-up. I mean, you have to be half-psychotic almost,” he said. “When you talk to your kids — ‘GET OUT OF THE POOL’ — they have to know when you’re serious, and they have to know when you are joking. And the way you do that is tone, pitch, volume. I take it very seriously when I’m on the road.”

“If they don’t say ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you,’ I’m there beating that into their head. So it becomes just the standard.”

— Sebastian Maniscalco

“It’s very difficult for me because my wife’s fantastic. She’s not the disciplinarian in the relationship, and I think that’s good to have that yin and yang,” he continued. “My wife is more of a nurturing, loving… and I could be that way. But I also have another side.”

“[Parenting] is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life, being a parent,” he added. “Just to see your kids, kind of mold them and give them the tools that they need to be their own people. It’s great. But it’s no joke. It’s a lot of work.”

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Similar to parenting, his approach to comedy can have its serious moments, too. 

The comedian says he often jokes about his parenting approach in his stand-up routines. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for “Nobody Does This Tour”)

As his career has progressed throughout the years, Maniscalco said he’s become “more reluctant” to post certain content on social media for fear of how people may perceive things. 

“It’s like what I perceive as funny and postings on social media, I’m a little bit more reluctant. I’m reluctant to do that because social media, you don’t know how people perceive things and it’s there. Once it’s out there, it’s out there,” he said. “When you do stand-up comedy, it’s more of a performance. The stuff I’m saying on stage sometimes never happened to me. It’s a story I heard, and I interpret it as if it has happened to me. So it’s more of writing involved, but you go on social media and you want to comment on maybe something that’s happening in the world, and you don’t know how people are going to perceive it. You just don’t know..”

Maniscalco said he’s “reluctant” to post to social media due to fear of how people will “perceive things.” (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for “Nobody Does This Tour”)

“I’m trying to just make people laugh, not stir up the pot,” he added. “But it’s sad. It’s sad that you even have to think this way because people are so sensitive nowadays. So it’s tough. It’s tough to be a comedian, at least for me. Not so much the performance, but just going online, trying to just joke around. Those days are not over, but limited.”

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On top of being a family man and stand-up comedian, Maniscalco is also focusing on his latest role in Apple Podcast’s “Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story.”

The eight-part series, which is set to premiere Monday, traces the rise and fall of Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant who defrauded the modern-day equivalent of a quarter of a billion dollars.

“I’ve always been a fan of kind of Ponzi schemes from afar,” Maniscalco said. “Like the [Bernie] Madoff thing really fascinated me that he bilked all these people out of all this money. I was almost part of a Ponzi scheme in the early 2000s. I saw it up close and personal, and I saw a lot of money being exchanged and was very enticed to get involved as an investor. I ended up not doing it, thank God. But it intrigued me.”

Maniscalco stars in Apple Podcast’s first scripted docudrama, “Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story.” (Apple Podcasts | Getty Images)

Maniscalco, who voices Ponzi, said the experience of recording a scripted podcast was one unlike any other role he’s taken. 

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said. “I was in a sound booth with no real actors around me and trying to visualize these scenes. And, in my head, I go, ‘Is this any good?’ And then when I listen back, and I’m like, the sound effects that they put in and the investigative journalism that they did, I mean, it’s really an interesting listen over eight episodes, and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

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“I describe it as an audio motion picture, basically. Although there’s no motion, it’s like watching a movie. It’s funny when you listen to it, you visualize where these people are. At least I did,” he added.

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Juror issues marred the 21st day of testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial for sex crimes.

Before cross-examination continued Wednesday of Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, who testified using the pseudonym “Jane,” the defense told Judge Arun Subramanian that they’d like to respond to the government’s attempt to dismiss a Black juror from the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office allegedly told the court that while the situation was less than desirable, they were compelled to because of a lack of candor.

The judge told the court he would rule on the issue if there was any basis for removing a juror and once the defense submitted a letter.

New York attorney Nicole Brenecki told Fox News Digital that complications with the jury could lead to severe problems down the road, including a possible mistrial.

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“Every time that we engage in a jury trial, there’s a process called voir dire, which is a process that both attorneys engage in, under the supervision of a judge, where the attorneys have an opportunity to question the potential jurors and ask them questions to make sure that they are not biased, that they’re truthful, and that they are capable of adjudicating this case on its facts and not based on their individual biases or prejudice or whatever,” Brenecki said. 

DIDDY’S ALLEGED ‘SEXUAL DEVIANT’ BEHAVIOR DOESN’T PROVE GOVERNMENT’S CASE: EXPERT

“If there’s a letter discussing lack of candor, that means that maybe that juror just wanted to be on the jury because it’s a high-profile case or because it involves a celebrity or perhaps for other personal reasons, but the lack of candor has to go to the fact that that juror potentially is biased in one way or another.” 

In court on Tuesday, Diddy’s lawyers objected to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s request to remove Juror No. 6 from the case.

“We object to ask Juror No. 6 being stricken, and I understand the colloquy is under seal, so I don’t want to explain further on the record now, but if the government is going to put in a letter … we’d like the opportunity to be heard either in writing or tomorrow morning,” Diddy attorney Alexandra Shapiro said. 

Judge Arun Subramanian said a ruling on the juror would be made once a letter was filed in court. (Jane Rosenberg)

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The judge said “everyone will be fully heard on this issue” once a letter is filed with the court.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani highlighted the negative effects a tainted jury may have on a case.

“The big news of the day is that the judge is considering removing Juror 6 for lack of candor. That means he lied, in layman’s terms. … This request was made by the prosecution, and the defense is trying to keep him on. For what it’s worth, Juror 6 is a Black male and a ’90s hip-hop fan.”

On Wednesday, Jane continued testimony about “hotel nights,” where she claimed one time there were three entertainers at the party, and she allegedly did not take any drugs. She testified that while she agreed to the party, she also resented Diddy “for knowing how much I loved him and knowing how I couldn’t say no to him.”

Diddy listened to testimony from an ex-girlfriend who testified under the nickname “Jane.” (Jane Rosenberg)

“Jane” testified on behalf of the government. (Jane Rosenberg)

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Under direct examination last week, the government asked Jane if she and Diddy experienced “hotel nights” without drugs. Jane explained that the former couple attempted the nights a handful of times, and it was at Diddy’s request in October 2023 that they tried a “sobriety party.”

“Around this time, I just really wanted my partner to get sober,” Jane testified. “I just really cared so much about Sean’s health, and I could see that he just, like, was excessively partying on top of just so many pills that he takes daily for I don’t know what. And I just really wanted him to get clean and just get better.” 

She continued, “And he said, ‘OK, I’m going to do like 30 days without anything, and I’ll be sober. But let’s just have, like, one more, one more sobriety party, just one, like, sobriety party.'”

When asked what drugs Diddy used during the “sobriety party,” Jane replied, “I believe ecstasy and cocaine, I don’t know.” She also alleged the party lasted “too long,” claiming it was “close to 12 to 18 hours.” 

Diddy was arrested and charged with multiple counts in September. (Shareif Ziyadat)

Before cross-examination began Tuesday, Subramanian denied Diddy’s second request for a mistrial. Diddy’s legal team had argued that the prosecution knowingly presented false testimony to the court in a letter filed June 7 and obtained by Fox News Digital.

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In a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.

He has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, in which witnesses have testified to alleged rape, sexual assault, severe physical abuse, forced labor and drug trafficking. The trial is expected to wrap by July 4.

Jane’s cross-examination is expected to finish Thursday morning, and the government indicated they will rest their case by next Friday, but as early as next Wednesday.

Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.

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LOS ANGELES – Josh Duhamel admitted that it has gotten “tougher and tougher” for him to balance his career in Hollywood and his family life.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, the Bobcat brand ambassador shared that balancing his work as an actor and director while launching a company named Gatlin has proved challenging, but he knows being a father and a husband comes first.

“I have to constantly remind myself how important it is – the most important thing I do – is be a good husband and a good father. So yeah, it’s a balance, but it’s been a good life,” Duhamel said.

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The “Ransom Canyon” star, his wife Audra and their 1-year-old son Shepherd live 40 minutes away from civilization in their “doomsday cabin” in northwest Minnesota. 

During the interview, Duhamel praised his wife for not getting caught up in the “BS” and being a straight-shooter.

“I have to constantly remind myself how important it is – the most important thing I do – is be a good husband and a good father.”

— Josh Duhamel

“Audra is just one of those girls who we get each other. She’s also from North Dakota, she’s a very practical thinker, she’s great with the kids, she’s an amazing wife, she’s beautiful, and she doesn’t get caught up in all the BS you know, she’s very straight, and I love that about her,” he said.

WATCH: JOSH DUHAMEL PRAISES HIS WIFE FOR NOT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE ‘BS’

Duhamel purchased some land in Minnesota and spent the last 15 years building a rustic cabin. He eventually added a second parcel that came with a hunting shack and a third parcel that came with a home. 

During his interview with Fox News Digital, Duhamel shared that he went into business with the Bobcat Company, which makes tools, machines and equipment, to help transform his Minnesota property more efficiently.

Josh Duhamel and Audra Mari have been married for three years. (Arnold Jerocki/WireImage)

“So, I have a cabin out in the woods, in Minnesota, right across the border, and I needed help shaping the land. So I bought a Toolcat and then started talking to some of the people over there, and we started working together,” he said of his six-year partnership with Bobcat.

WATCH: JOSH DUHAMEL ADMITS IT’S ONLY GETTING TOUGHER TO BALANCE HIS FAMILY AND HOLLYWOOD CAREER

As part of Bobcat’s 2025 “Work Worth Doing” campaign, Duhamel is honoring the firefighters who battled the early 2025 Los Angeles fires with an equipment donation valued at $28,000.

Josh Duhamel is working with Bobcat to help give back to firefighters who fought the 2025 Los Angeles fires. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

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A UTV is a “much-needed tool to support this crew as they fight future fires on the ground,” according to the company. 

“Hand crews use hand tools and chainsaws to construct firelines, burn out areas, and perform mop-up work after a wildfire is controlled,” they stated.

Josh Duhamel starred in the Netflix series, “Ransom Canyon.” (Netflix)

Duhamel told Fox News Digital he was happy to join Bobcat’s campaign because he is very proud of the firefighters in Los Angeles.

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“I think that we all can appreciate how important a strong firefighting community is, and these guys are some of the best in the world at it. They have to be. So I’m very proud, very grateful for their work, as are most people in this town. 

Josh Duhamel “jumps” at any opportunity to give back to the Los Angeles Fire Department. (Reuters)

“So, I think any time I get a chance to support them, I jump at it. I think Bobcat has been great about helping in doing work that matters in these small communities and big communities like Los Angeles,” he said. 

WATCH: JOSH DUHAMEL DETAILS SIX-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BOBCAT

“So when I heard that they wanted to do this here in Los Angeles, I thought it was an amazing idea because this equipment is so important. It really is.”

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