ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — “Tom and Dan,” as they’re known, have been a staple on the Orlando radio scene for years.

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The duo has been hamming it up with celebrities, comedians and local figures since their early days of their podcast, “A Mediocre Time With,” which began in 2009. Well before podcasting became cool or a way to earn a living.

Through the years, Tom Vann and Daniel Dennis gained a local, then worldwide following on streaming sites. Their listeners are drawn to them, the politically incorrect banter in their show people usually reserved for closest friends and the mayhem it usually leaves in its wake.

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None of it has matched the attention they’ve received since the death of actor and comedian Bob Saget, also known as “America’s Dad,” Sunday afternoon.

“Everybody does want an answer, and we just can’t give it to them,” Vann said, leaning back in his studio chair early Monday night.

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Last Tuesday, the pair recorded a routine interview with Saget promoting his stand-up show that Friday night at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando.

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Little did they know that it would be one of the final interviews the comedian would ever do.

On Sunday, Ritz Carlton staff discovered Saget’s body in his hotel room after his family asked them to do a welfare check. A report released Monday described Saget laying in his bed with his arm over his chest and the lights off. The report said there were no signs of trauma, drugs or foul play.

The podcast hosts, who knew Saget through the local comedy and radio scene for years, were stunned.

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“I thought it was fake,” Dennis recalled. “I didn’t believe it. Then it’s like, when it was confirmed, you’re like, how does this happen?”

As the news ricocheted around the internet, the online community began turning over every possible stone. Through Saget’s own Twitter feed, they uncovered Tom and Dan.

TMZ ran with it — and other news outlets followed.

READ: Medical examiner’s office investigates death of comedian Bob Saget

Video: Medical examiner’s office to investigate comedian Bob Saget’s death (Chantelle Navarro, WFTV.com)

During the 30-minute segment, which was recorded for Orlando’s 104.1 FM and other platforms, Saget brought Vann and Dennis down a lighthearted, but dark path discussing the eventual end of his career and death multiple times.

“I don’t understand retirement, so I’m never going to be done,” Saget said during one of his first comments, revealing he was working on multiple new projects and professing a rekindled love for stand-up. “I’ve always been a workaholic. I’ve just been on tour like a banshee.”

The conversation got eerie later on, when the trio began talking about crowds in the COVID-19 era.

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“The thing is with audiences, I don’t care,” he said. “I’m going to entertain that audience to the best of my ability for whatever’s there. If it’s half full, I go, wow, that’s disappointing. Then all of a sudden, 200 more people show up. Because they decided at the last minute, ‘What the hell, when are we going to see Bob? You know, he might die from COVID.’”

The actor revealed he had tested positive for the virus in the recent past, though he didn’t elaborate on when. He said it wasn’t a pleasant experience and indicated he had recovered.

However, Saget sounded noticeably congested during the interview, which the hosts noted on-air after the interview ended.

Photos: Bob Saget through the years

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Looking back, both agreed whatever he was fighting likely wasn’t that virus.

“I don’t think Bob would ever travel or do, you know, two comedy shows over the weekend [if he was battling it], Vann said.

Listeners who attended the show also reported that the comedian sounded in full form. Saget himself posted a photo of him standing on stage Friday night, praising the audience. He repeated the gesture after his Jacksonville performance Saturday.

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The hosts said it was hard to tell which comments of Saget’s were jokes and which had a deeper meaning, which was on-brand for a guest they’d rely on to join their airwaves with guns blazing and wild, often morbid stories.

Regarding the recent media attention, Vann said it was hard to meet the expectations set by the questions being asked.

“We can’t definitively say much of anything, because we just don’t know,” he said. “That’s the hardest part, because I think people everybody does want an answer.”

Video: Medical examiner’s office to investigate comedian Bob Saget’s death (Chantelle Navarro, WFTV.com)

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