'Ghosts' Star Richie Moriarty on Why He's 'Worried' After Pulling Pranks on Brandon Scott Jones (Exclusive)
When it comes to on-set shenanigans among co-stars on our favorite TV shows, the cast of the CBS sitcom Ghosts might just take home the top prize for nonstop hilarity. With the ensemble cast constantly raising the bar with their sharp comedic timing in every episode, the fun taking place behind the scenes is something fans can't get enough of thanks to series star Richie Moriarty's pranks on fellow castmate Brandon Scott Jones. But as Jones exclusively told PopCulture he has a plan in the works for Moriarty and Asher Grodman — though he isn't sure what it is quite yet, co-star Moriarty tells us he is "worried" about any upcoming revenge plans Jones has in-store.
"I am worried now. This started, I forget why it started — I think the genesis of it was that I went into his little tent where we hang out in between scenes. I went in at one point and totally by accident just scared him," Moriarty told PopCulture. "He wasn't expecting me to come in, but he scared pretty easily. So I was like, 'Wow, I really gave you a shock and I don't really understand why.' And then I was just like, 'Well, let me see if I can recreate this one time just as like an inside joke.' Hey, I come in and I scare you and then we started noticing that every time I did it, he would say the same exact thing every time. He says, 'Oh my God,' twice. That's what he says every single time he's scared and so then it became, 'Well, let's really test this. Let's see if you really are going to say that every single time you're scared.'"
Moriarty adds how Grodman also got in on the prank. "He would be recording video from different angles. I'd be like, 'Okay, I'm going to scare him. Why don't you record? Give me 30 seconds, but you start rolling on him surreptitiously.' So it just snowballed," he said. "But I am scared now because it has gotten to the point where every press appearance Brandon has the, 'So what's Richie's deal? Why is he scaring you this much?' So I'm a little concerned as to what I'm going to be met with in Season 2, but, hey, we'll see."
Joking how he would need to nap with one eye open, Moriarty further reveals how Grodman was every bit the enabler in the pranks on "more than occasion" when teasing Jones. "[Asher] found it very funny, as did the whole cast. I mean, I'd scare him and he'd scream and then everyone who was close to us on set would be like, 'He got him again! He got him again!' and then I'd be showing everybody the videos. It became a thing. Poor Brandon. I feel terrible. I've ruined his life."
Fans will recall this past November that Moriarty gifted fans with a compilation of Jones getting scared 21 times in two minutes, often with Grodman in the background cheering the jokes on. When asked if Jones would ever get back at his co-stars and why was it that he was always an easy target, the actor who plays beloved Revolutionary War ghost Isaac Higgintoot admits he's unsure. "I mean, it's probably something I need to take a hard look in the mirror, right? And I'm like, 'Oh, they're so funny.' But then I'm like, wait a second. I am the target of all these.'"
But Jones has a plan up his sleeve as he told PopCulture. "I do want to get them back. Actually, I think I'm going to try the long con, the long game, right, with Richie. And really just slowly start to plant some seeds this year. I don't know exactly what, but I feel like whatever it is, I want it to pay off in Season 5, and it'll be thrilling."
For more on Ghosts and all things Richie Moriarty, stay tuned to the very latest about the show, news about the cast and everything in between only on PopCulture. In the meantime, relive the first season of Ghosts on Paramount+ and get an exclusive streaming offer here.