Eric André Says He Returned to His Adult Swim Show Because He Made No Money Off ‘Bad Trip’

“Why permanently close the door on a show where I have full creative freedom?” the comedian said of “The Eric Andre Show”

eric andre The Prank Panel
Eric Andre stars in the ABC unscripted comedy, "The Prank Panel" (ABC)

Comedian Eric Andre is returning to Adult Swim for a sixth season of his absurdist talk show “The Eric Andre Show,” and he says his reasoning is partially financial. In an interview with the Associated Press, published Saturday, Andre said he would’ve called it quits earlier had his 2021 film “Bad Trip” been at all lucrative for him. 

“I was going to end [‘The Eric Andre Show’] after five seasons and then I didn’t make any money on ‘Bad Trip,’” Andre said. 

The film, which André co-wrote, produced and starred in, was never released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hidden camera comedy went through distribution issues before eventually being released on Netflix in 2021. In a recent interview with Howard Stern, André said the film took nearly a decade to make, but he only made around $17,000 from it. 

Despite its delayed release, the film was at one point the No. 1 movie in the world on Netflix, and Andre said this streaming success opened the door for new, yet-to-be announced projects.

André added that in addition to a steady paycheck, he appreciates the autonomy of “The Eric Andre Show.” He hasn’t ruled out more seasons of the Adult Swim comedy following Season 6. 

“Why permanently close the door on a show where I have full creative freedom?” he told AP. 

“The Eric Andre Show” premieres its sixth season on Sunday on Adult Swim, with stars like Jon Hamm, Lil Nas X and Natasha Lyonne set to appear as guests. 

Comments