Mafia Sunday, with Michael Franzese and Sammy "The Bull" Gravano - Megyn Kelly's "Double Feature" of Fascinating Interviews

**Megyn Kelly** (0:00)
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**Megyn Kelly** (1:01)
Welcome to The Megyn Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Channel 111, every weekday at NewEast.
Hey everyone, I'm Megyn Kelly. Welcome to The Megyn Kelly Show and today's Double Feature episode. This is a good one. It is Mafia Sunday. Yes, we're going into the archives to bring you two fascinating conversations with two former members of the mafia who opened up in a very transparent way about their lives before and their lives after their time in the family. First, Michael Franzese, and then Sammy The Bull Gravano. I mean, I can't tell you the number of times I have referenced that interview with Sammy The Bull Gravano. It was truly one of the most memorable exchanges I've ever had in my entire career. You listen to this sampling and you will see why. Enjoy. Today, we bring you the fascinating story of a man born into the mob. Imagine that. Michael Franzese grew up as the son of the notorious underboss of New York's Colombo crime family and became extremely successful himself. He's been called one of the biggest mob earners since Al Capone, but he has since left his life of crime behind and is now a best-selling author, speaker and host of Sit Down with Michael Franzese on YouTube.
Michael, welcome to the show. Nice to meet you.

**Michael Franzese** (2:37)
Well, nice to meet you, Megyn. Thanks for having me.

**Megyn Kelly** (2:40)
What a fascinating story you have. So let's start at the beginning. You were born into the mob. Describe your dad and how he came into it.

**Michael Franzese** (2:51)
Well, my dad, my father actually immigrated here in about 1902, 1903
He was a prominent guy in Brooklyn, even though he wasn't a member, he certainly knew a lot of the guys. My dad, my grandfather had a bar and a bakery, and a lot of guys would come in and associate with him. And my dad started to meet them through my grandfather. And my grandfather was known as Tootie the Lion. So he was a pretty substantial guy. And my father got drawn in, you know, he was just that type of guy, had that type of spirit, and they saw something in him before you know it. You know, he became a maid man, and eventually rose up in the ranks to captain and an under boss of the Colombo family.
And you know, Megyn, I grew up a lot differently than most people. I grew up, you know, hating the government, hating the police because my dad was constantly under surveillance. We had law enforcement around us all the time. And I always viewed them as harassing my dad. So, you know, I kind of grew up, you know, from the time I can remember, you know, in that lifestyle.

**Megyn Kelly** (3:57)
So how, talk us through, like, your earliest memories of your dad and like, okay, my, my childhood, my family is not like all the others.

**Michael Franzese** (4:09)
Well, you know, my very earliest memory, and this, this, it's amazing how you can remember some things that just really impact you. I was probably four years old and my dad had, we were in Brooklyn at the time, but my dad had moved us out to my grandmother's house who lived in Long Island. And I hadn't seen him for a couple of days, I assume, again, I was four years old. But then one day, he comes into my grandmother's house. He hadn't shaved in a while. His right-hand guy, a guy by the name of Joey, who is, again, my dad's right-hand guy, was out on the porch and I can see through the window, and he was kind of like standing guard. My dad comes in, hugs my mom, and they talk for a few minutes, then he comes over to me. I was sitting on the steps, and he gives me a big hug, and I love you, son, and all of that, and I didn't know what was going on, and then he left. Well, what I realized later on, it was that was during the Profaci-Gallow War, and they had taken to the mattresses, as the saying goes, and my dad wasn't around for a while. That's the earliest memory that I have, and it just continued there because my dad was so high-profile. He was always under investigation, always a major target of law enforcement. He was kind of like the John Gotti of his day.