Why Chris Cole Quit Zero After 13 years

[@shawnfromportland]

its awesome they can talk objectively about what happened like men side by side, no hard feelings

[@RollForever88]

The sickest!

[@zaem12]

Gentleman

[@hankhill3126]

Yeah, C. Diddy is a real gentleman 👏

[@rememberedtoys]

I love how transparent Jamie is. A lot of guys beat around the bush so much and are so ambiguous with their answers that they might as well just plead the 5th.

[@CurbBlurbs]

Sounds like an FBI (or any USA government gustapo) agents’ response !! Just plead it

[@el-bro818]

Yea he has obvious wisdom that I’m sure has come from age and some much time in the industry

[@808kicks2]

Totally

[@jxshkxng]

well hes no stranger to fumbling the bag....

[@FirstName-zt2my]

Now all Chris Cole beats is his wife 🤣

[@nickmaatjes5611]

the amount of healthy self reflection and mutual respect between these two legends is amazing, and quite honest really inspiring.i want to be more like this, thnx Cole and thnx jamie!!!!

[@MontaukFilms7]

That's very cool of you to say. I think if more people in skateboarding, would conduct themselves like these two gentleman-- there would not be HALF the drama there is in this industry. I sincerely agree with nickmaatjes5611 here. Listen and LEARN. This entire episode is fantastic. Great job guys-- as usual.

[@nickmaatjes5611]

thank you for the sweet response, i was a little concerned i came across as preachy and fan boy-ee , have a nice weekend and stay rad! @@MontaukFilms7

[@johnsausage]

the "healthy self reflection" didn't age well for "chris".. 🤮

[@nickmaatjes5611]

@@johnsausage don't believe everything your read lol

[@johnsausage]

@@nickmaatjes5611 true, it's good to have some skepticism. so the same goes for you ;-): don't extrapolate someones behavior from KZbin videos 😉

[@Blane_be_fishin]

Chris was at the height of his career. Zero was dying at the time and couldn’t pay him much. Chris chose to make the most money that he could for his family at the time. No shame in that. Now he’s back to just having fun.

[@adams8847]

So true!! Retire comfortably shout out Jamie la defense Paris wat up

[@jamesberardino5420]

Thank you for recapping the 10 minute video we all just watched

[@Blane_be_fishin]

@@jamesberardino5420 I was recapping for the people that think Chris made a shitty decision.

[@Mike-wc3jo]

@@jamesberardino5420 hey he saved me 10 minutes from having to watch this

[@markstaud]

It’s weird that being on Street League wasn’t selling a shit ton of boards for Zero. I guess Zero isn’t the audience for street league. Cole seems like such a Zero rider, but Street League doesn’t seem like a Zero thing.

[@lobes117]

Chris Cole--one HELLUVA legendary skater. Hands down. The Wallenberg tre-flip, and all the takes it took him to actually pull it off taught me a valuable lesson in life about falling and getting back up. Thanks Chris.

[@jacobsims8307]

Man I was skating this little gap with my son yesterday kept busting on my trick and I kept thinking about those slams. What a legend.

[@JasonJebezSam]

Good on these men for sitting next to each other and talking this thing out and letting it be known to the skateboarding community that there were no hard feelings and that it was just time for change. We love you Chris and Jamie!

[@bunyann90]

u still love chris?

[@Mvr245]

Jamie's honesty and transparency about the company is amazing, I'll definitely buy Zero boards just from that.

[@THEjoelivingstone]

dis a comment, she no a age so good

[@holdmusic_]

JT has dealt with so much shit over the years, his ability to do the business end of things and be a legendary shredder at the same time is amazing. Huge amount of respect for him, and it's really cool to have been a fan since Thrill Of It All and to feel proud of that.

[@DaveRichardsonFitness]

So true I felt so sorry for him when Trevor Colden was leaving to Skate Mental after already having his pro Mystery boards ready to go ( and Forrest Edwards) plus the Jimmy Carlin stuff. Tough break for such a legendary skater and legendary brand

[@ryanvideooo]

The Chief! Thrill of it all and Misled Youth yee

[@autoenthused]

Love to see your heroes end up being the bad ass dudes you had imagined as a kid. Like just good dudes who love skating w their friends.

[@alexrekzu4079]

yeah Cole is a solid dude through and through 🤙cool SLS commentator too

[@UTCSB]

& then if your lucky you cross paths bc you both love skating and get to meet

[@RookCustoms]

This didn't age well....

[@autoenthused]

@@RookCustoms why not?

[@AjAparicio1331]

@@autoenthusedcame out Chris Cole would beat his wives ass

[@josephcurran9924]

Its a shame that the business part of skating gets so messed up. It's inevitable, a guy gets older and has to take care of a family.

[@dougwalters2680]

Its only inevitable when you're a pro. For the rest of us skating stays the same as when we got into it. The older/busier you get you love it more due to how infrequent you get out there.

[@josephcurran9924]

@@dougwalters2680 correct.

[@matthewmanning8413]

If you want the money then it happened

[@Chaptown]

I agree... Business is business and when you're trying to progress in anything especially something you're super pationate about you don't always get the benefit of choosing to build up yourself and others (especially when it has to do with a volatile market). The "headroom" isn't always there so any variable/risk can't be comfortably accounted for on either side especially for niche businesses (ie skate only companies). Each entity has to count the numbers and make efficient trades to get to the next chapter

[@josephcurran9924]

@LockdownSpinning I watched a video of Mike V. Talking about how business on tour put a strain on his relationship with Tony Hawk for a little while. Some guys get taken care of, some guys gotta struggle.

[@ETHAnanschreier]

Back when I was 12 I went to a zero demo at oak park Kansas and I remember everyone was so hype to see Chris Cole and he never showed but Jamie showed out and gave me a bracelet he was wearing. Made him my favorite skater. I felt like the coolest kid around. I wouldn't take that braclet off for nothing😂

[@FirstName-zt2my]

Would you take the bracelet off if you knew he beats his wife?

[@deathpunch23]

@@FirstName-zt2my lol did you even read what he wrote?

[@Tsudkyk]

The bmx community loves Chris, he is one of the first big name skaters to really bridge the gap between bmx and skate. Mad respect,

[@dylanpatterson3975]

David Gravette too tho 🎉

[@Bigdangle]

And believe it or not Lizard King too

[@cameronclarke7028]

^ All fuckin’ legends 🔥👑💯

[@sandhanitizer15]

Jon Allie.

[@zzeronerzz]

aah dope had no idea!

[@ReggaeRedeemer]

dude ……..jamie talking about how zero be camping in sites they will probably get kicked out of in the morning makes me like zero even more…….thats some real skateboarding right there

[@masterofnone1481]

Facts

[@rootedbelow2927]

Chris Cole is the man. Such a sick skater

[@scottbradford4130]

Yea he is. Pretty good on a bmx too

[@thomaskunz8029]

I just read he owns or owned CULT bmx. Had no idea lol.@@scottbradford4130

[@simonreilly213]

Wow this is such a mature conversation. Way to handle it like pros. Great people.

[@duncanhenderson7094]

I appreciate their maturity, and it’s great to hear both sides of the story. They are clearly good friends now.

[@smizzomgmt9957]

Jamie will still always be a big brother type to him because of how they met. And there's always a special love for the 1st guys that showed you love and helped you get into that amazing dream

[@secretsoftheages6136]

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness one of the greatest albums ever released. Nice Shout Chrissy.

[@maxsmart9116]

Chris Cole came up right after I fell away from skating so I missed out. Now with youtube I can catch up on the 2000s and early 2010s.

[@turdferguson2]

Me too, I got apathetic around the same time, the whole dropping hammers era lol. Im 40 now and catching up

[@Hogib35]

​@@turdferguson2brooo yeah I'm 35 and stopped skating for a while.. started playing ball.. now I'm catching up with all this.. it puts you to think why did I ever stop

[@magichandsx5674]

My buddy got chris cole to do a cameo as a birthday gift to me. It was so awesome, one of the best gifts i've gotten.

[@kevinguzman7588]

Hlbd

[@bunyann90]

u want another ?

[@salvispot90]

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

[@CyrusCageSCWS]

Do you still have my old deck? I should very much like to hold it again..

[@kingraptor11]

@@CyrusCageSCWS if the only place you can reach them is KZbin comments…. It’s probably time to move on

[@squigpeels.1021]

​@@kingraptor11 dude, you're more tone deaf than Lars on the Black album.

[@CyrusCageSCWS]

@@kingraptor11 lol dude I haven't thought of Chris Cole since Skate 2. I just ride zero decks and this came up in my feed.

[@guyhenderson2978]

@@CyrusCageSCWS butter spread over too much......bread.

[@THRASH3D]

from the Ritz-Carlton to getting kicked out the campsite lmao, hilarious

[@THEslashman]

To think that while all of this was happening, I was just skating, unaware of anything I didn't see in a magazine or interview. It's a testament to how multi-faceted skateboarding really is. Thanks for this interview. It was amazing.

[@smizzomgmt9957]

We just didn't have internet and KZbin like this. There is crazy stories behind the scenes in every industry. If you're a professional you shut up and work when it's time

[@Hoosierdaddyjones812]

I will never forget seeing chris cole do kickflip 360 down a 8stair set at ultraviolet skatepark in Indianapolis with the whole crowd around the set. Same demo jamie thomas gave me a zero board i got signed by most the team. Skateboarding has given me a lot of great memories. I first started skating when h-street was new with the fish tail shapes and rail gaurds lol.

[@smizzomgmt9957]

That's sick. Me too bro. Smaller Canadian city where we hardly see anyone famous ,they did a demo here. They skated through the streets with all the kids and all gave away multiple boards. They skated hard too!!

[@d0ggr]

Lmao Chris with the insane LOTR metaphor 🤣 legend

[@cookedondacouch791]

This is blowing my mind. These guys were my hero's going up. I can't wait to listen to the full episode

[@DomePieceRecka]

This is how two grown ass men talk straight honesty on both sides and ownership

[@chosenone8408]

Just in case someone doesn't understand the Bilbo Baggins analogy, I'll quickly explain it. You are the butter, your problems / career / friends / choices, etc., is the bread (toast). The butter (you) is being spread over a massive piece of toast (your problems), and you can't successfully be spread that far. There is just too many obligations to fulfill. It's no different than saying, "I can't be everywhere at once." But the Bilbo analogy adds a sense of exhaustion, because you are trying to be everything to everyone ... but you just can't. It's not possible.

[@julianmitchell5776]

Did you really just sit there and explain what someone saying they’re being spread too thin means ? Lol

[@CosmicGranfalloon]

@@julianmitchell5776 Just 1% Autism barely noticeable, unfortunately. Bilbo Baggins is a character in the Hobbit which they failed to clarify... hahaha.

[@joelglanton6531]

No. Shit.

[@Nuttyirishman85]

I remember Chris walking out a demo covered in sweat and yelling “ I GUESS IM TAKING A SHOWER IN A GAS STATION SINK AGAIN.” He was not happy with Jaime that day😂😂😂

[@babalous7479]

I heard that sponsors dumped him due to many allegations, including domestic violence, dating a minor, sexual abuse, etc. Very disturbing.

[@chasebrown7130]

Being a pro skater a dad & husband can be alot to juggle no matter the amount of money on the table no one can buy more time so delegating where we focus most of our time becomes more important as we get older its a double edge sword

[@Pasuhdina]

Cole literally…. Was the best in the world…. It is what it is. Loved the journey man. Love these guys could talk this

[@ianfacerollsyou]

Chris Cole is the GOAT

[@Pasuhdina]

@@ianfacerollsyou could def put him up there man! Like all time IMO!! He was just the PERFECT skater

[@Blane_be_fishin]

There ain’t a trick that Chris Cole couldn’t do. Biggest bag of tricks. He had it all.

[@Pasuhdina]

@@Blane_be_fishin ALL FACTS NO CAP! 🔥🤌🏿 a true aspiration

[@LaurenceHoneytoast]

Chris is my fav skater if I ever had to choose one. I grew up watching his parts in amazement fallen ride the sky was my fav even remember the music he chose just resonated with me. My last skateboard I bought was a Zero cruiser fish board with a giant cobra on it and it says Cole it’s hanging in my home office.

[@AltarWz]

I watched ride the sky every single day after school in 7th grade. Got me so hyped to go shred. Gilbert Crockett, James Hardy, and Billy Marks all had incredible parts too.

[@smizzomgmt9957]

I grew up watching Rodney on plan b. Those 1st 2 vids !!. It's easy to copy what you see other people do knowing it's possible , but to invent those tricks ,the whole foundation of skateboarding is mind blowing. The biggest advancement of any Era for skateboarding

[@smizzomgmt9957]

As I got older and didn't skate anymore because of injuries, I would still watch tho. And Chris Cole was 1 of the few guys I became a fan of and searched for in that generation. His documentary was really good too.

[@dvespursfan8922]

The way these 2 handled the situation is awesome! Thanks for the memories of skateboarding!

[@EmillionWayz]

So nice to hear about the behind the scenes of skateboarding and personal decisions like these.

[@dolamike584]

These guys being so honest goes to show how real their friendship is.

[@luciddreamin6923]

I’ll never forget the tre flip on wallenberg gap. Also Jamie Thomas’s leap of faith! 2 dudes that were huge back in my youth and I’m 33 now. Crazy.

[@Hrod24]

Zero is the best! Love their decks. Respect to these two being grown adults about it and hashing it out together

[@NittyGritty420]

Wish they were still with tum yeto. Nothing beats their wood imo

[@rolandbruegger4482]

Thank you for sharing this not easy interview. I wish the best for both these guys.

[@geoffcasias9367]

I remember going to a demo Cole wasn't there cause a competition. Was a bummer but at the same time I couldn't be mad at him getting a bag, dude was winning most

[@BLVCKSEA]

Just admit that Plan B was offering more money.

[@tylerriggs95]

Right…Chris has a family and kids. He did what a lot of athletes do.

[@averyprice9422]

You ain't never lying...

[@overdueresidue]

I mean - they did. Jaime said he couldn’t compete with other offers at the time.

[@kevinfortsch]

Most kids forget, you're getting g paid to play with a toy every day. If someone's willing g to pay even $100 more for a pay period as a skater..your gonna jump ship. Pros have been doing this forever...this is also old news because he's back on zero...

[@bondalero0074]

⁠Caballero is the only person I can think of that was smart enough to rat-hole money so he could stay with Powell during hard times even when George couldn’t pay him. True “G” shit…..#PowellPeralta#BonesBrigade#🛹❤️🤘🏻

[@zimiani]

Wow, this clip was mature! Kudos to you guys on handle this as grown people! I'm so proud of you ;*

[@Matt_tenny92]

So happy he’s back on Zero now In my opinion he should have never left to begin with but I get why he did leave now

[@YupItsMeWill]

Cole is my guy with that Bilbo Baggins reference, love you dude.

[@Juliano_DJOL]

Chris Cole = the Jam Format slayer! I remember for like 6-7 years Cole was unbeatable in the Jamz!

[@thepancakemann]

I wasn't expecting to wake up today to Chris Cole spitting bars straight out the Shire. Bilbo Baggins on Zero, when?

[@Pasuhdina]

As a lotr fan: this is my fav comment this year lololol

[@BlackJacketJones]

Skateboard companies are very different from other companies because the consumers are weird. Skateboarders expectations of skate companies are not the same type of expectations we have for any other type of company.

[@YesSir-vs9ub]

This was the adulting I needed to see from my heroes

[@acidtv596]

Jamie thomas is a straight up guy. Zero was dying, he owned up to his mistakes and he wanted to see his best friend go on and keep killing it while his ship was sinking. Thats a real friend.

[@kashmchan11]

I can relate, thanks for sharing guys, bros, brothers and sisters

[@marktwain-ik6vp]

'hard hitting questions' oh the irony Chris.

[@TheEric826]

man that’s awesome their conversation went so well for such a rough topic

[@zzeronerzz]

grew up on these guys man. i love this

[@mikelange676]

The people that get it will get it...thats my guy. Cole is still so awesome

[@chakrabeatzv3100]

Chris cole was always my favorite skater.. I remember he had a clip in 411vm that blew my mind.. never liked zero tbh they’ve been around forever and literally never changed or grew

[@bee444skate9]

Love them being open. That was nice

[@thequestlivetolearntolive.8555]

As a teen you dont know this stuff. You just want to be like the skaters we admire. I only seen your skating not your problems. Crazy and thank you.

[@toft5320]

I wonder if Zero gave him an opportunity to leave before the domestic abuse allegations surfaced..? cant wait to hear the result of all this

[@VagabondandZen]

One of the top interviews for sure

[@TheInfamousTub]

Could you imagine you cut through the woods and the whole zero team is camping there lol

[@jamievaldez2903]

There needs to be an episode on nine club that addresses the abuse allegations.

[@deanpetersen4226]

This didn't age well.

[@Babyhipp0z]

Ayo 😂😂😂😂😂

[@adamsims6490]

never liked this dude

[@Dylandontplay]

@@adamsims6490 straight up ….when all this shit came out I wasn’t surprised at all…. Dude has always seemed like a fuckin weirdo

[@JohnSmith-m5v9f]

What am i missing? What happened with Cole?

[@AntonioSkater123]

Please tell why it didn’t age well!!!

[@anthonycorallo209]

A lot of OG skaters kinds faded into obscurity now but Cole and Thomas are still going strong. Koston, I'm looking at YOU. Actually Koston makes me more okay with me not skating anymore.

[@jaysant6958]

How does Koston make you more okay with that?

[@virgilhawkins5680]

@@jaysant6958lol and how has Koston faded into obscurity?

[@Jgriffy]

So cause Koston ain't dropping video parts he faded into obscurity? Dude is almost 50, still skates and has 1m insta followers, yeah he sure faded into obscurity.

[@drivermodmyles]

The butter spread over too much bread line is not only understood but funny as hell 😂😂😂

[@brianjones9392]

I love the old Zero videos .

[@RookCustoms]

Hmm did he leave or did this catch up to him

[@StuBusDriver]

Love Chris but I have a rebuttal. I need you all to do a comparison. 1281 vs. Debunker. Two of the best that inspired me.

[@kashmchan11]

I like it when Chris answers a question while looking into the camera.. felt like he was talking to me personally, heh

[@knightofbrokenglass9237]

I love Zero and Nine Club

[@bill2471]

Looks like a normal guy. Then u watch his parts and realize he's no mere mortal

[@DownLow_SanDiego]

Its crazy seeing how far Jamie has come since the pre zero days. I feel old as shit.

[@jackj147]

Fucking love that Chris is such a bad ass but still also randomly quotes LOTR haha

[@emmanueljames9029]

"You got all my fruits, I have nothing on the tree left to give"...so, i left ZERO!!

[@Mr.paint123]

The best answer Chris could have given would have been “Just because, I left ZERO doesn’t mean that I will never comeback to ZERO” Enough said

[@levi_pop13]

He already is?

[@mattglover3178]

I got to see the zero team in like 2008 at a demo in Massachusetts it was fucking rad

[@popthatbeep]

The dads vibe for a mutual agreement between these two is so strong

[@jamestown6966]

Bruhh...I didn't even know til I watched this 😅😂

[@CurbBlurbs]

How sick is that Members Only jacket Cole is rocking!

[@WhatisReal11]

bilbo Baggins reference on point

[@MichaelBullins]

I dig the members only jacket Chris is wearing. I used to wear them every day.

[@julianmitchell5776]

One of the goats that’s for sure

[@BlackJacketJones]

Is anyone else old enough to remember when Chris cole dressed like Colt cannon? There was a time when he dressed lie Kerry Getz and Colt cannon and then all of a sudden he was this slightly emo tight pants rocker dude

[@Vomitbukkake]

Right 😂

[@TheDealer1228]

He mentioned in Motivation 2 that he dressed like that because it’s what he had and what kids around him wore, but once he got on Zero he felt he was able to outwardly express what he was like internally.

[@stevec8192]

That was the transition from Chris Cole skating for Enjoi then going to Zero

[@RollForever88]

Believe he skated for World at the time. Big yellow shirt is what I remember

[@JacobCapper]

That was 100% JT's influence haha

[@adams8847]

I can understand that I mean Chris was huge in the peak of career..zero my team from Chris and Jamie but I totally after the maloof cup…in the end it’s an industry

[@BRINK2011THEGAME]

2 legends 👑

[@erskateco.5883]

Chris cole looks like a dad not even a skater but still a goat at skating lmfao

[@barryallen8088]

Remember the Agent part when u watch back to Cole reminiscing about how he lucked out and got on Zero

[@TyBraek]

The butter over bread reference was perfect!

[@wanderingmako]

Chris Cole is a legend for that Bilbo quote.

[@ErmackDaddy]

Chris you da man!

[@ParkayCollecttibles]

Chris cole was cool af in person!

[@HighGroundArmwrestling]

Jamie thomas is the man!

[@Throawei]

Weird how they talk about each other as if the other guy isn't there.

[@wrxzboost]

companies need to evolve. kids buying skateboards don't know 95% of the pro skaters. they shop brands for the graphics and for the company notoriety. zero was my first skateboard back in 2002. the only reason i bought it was because of the graphics. zero can survive on making general decks and contracting out skaters for video parts and running their social media based on company legacy. unless you have a nyjah houston, forget the pro models.

[@josephchalifoux7930]

I get the Bilbo reference...Love it. Love Cole. love ZERO.

[@beatsbykana]

oh yeah. I definitely get the bilbo baggins reference. what a boss

[@shineperishingrepublic]

Until you have a family I don’t you can understand what a man does for his family. Jamie understood that. So much respect for them both navigating that without bad blood. This is how gentlemen conduct themselves. Cole, where’s the bs 360 fs 50/50. C’mon who else is gonna nbd that shit?

[@blingviera7925]

He's so good.

[@devinparker-rb8by]

Bro that bilbo reference was 10/10.

[@Yungwalt]

It’s got to be more than 13 years.. I swear he was riding for zero all the way back when I was in like 5th grade.. and that would’ve been in like 2007.. or was it Blind..? hmmm idk..

[@benderrodriquez2014]

That sucks Jamie had to talk to Chris's agent in the end.

[@phibu7517]

despite what's been said, seemingly not a single look exchanged between the two of them.