Even though things didn’t turn out so well for Mignogna during the lawsuit against Jaimie Marchi, Ron Toye, Monica Rial and Funimation, he still seemed to be in good mirth during his visit to Hawaii for the Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament during Hawaii Con 2019. He also had a half-hour interview with the Kasanova podcast, where he talked about his influences, his love for music, Star Trek, and a message to fans during these trying times.

You can view the full 28 minute segment from the Kasanova Podcast in the clip below, where Mignogna is interviewed about a couple of topics within the time span of just a half hour.

The highlights mostly come from the very beginning and the very end.

At the start Mignogna talks about being “blessed”, even with everything going on. Mignogna explains his current state of mind and how he was feeling, saying…

“I am blessed. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I’ve always felt such gratitude to do what I do. As I’ve told people many times in many interviews and panels over the years, I didn’t set out to become a voice actor. I didn’t expect that, I didn’t go knockin’ on production doors and sending out demos – you know, beatin’ the pavement. An opportunity arose and I took it, having no idea where it would lead, and here we are. And daily I have to pinch myself mentally to remind myself that even when things are rough, even when things may be tough or bad, or unfortunate, there is so much to be grateful for.”

The meat of the interview centers around Mignogna’s discussion about how he got into music in high school, what led him to become a fan of Star Trek, and eventually how he was able to meet Star Trek veteran William Shatner in 2007 during a convention.

At the end of the interview when he’s asked about what message he wanted to leave for fans, he reiterated what he had mentioned in other recent convention panels, telling his fans to stay positive and to avoid negativity.

He also likens the current crop of cancel culture cultists to attention-starved kids who will do anything for attention, even if it’s negative attention.

Mignogna said…

“There’s a lot of negativity in the world. Don’t let it suck you in. It’s easy. It’s quick. It’s cheap. You may get a quick rush but it does nothing but hurt. And I want to encourage everyone to be voices for good. To sow positivity and encouragement into people. “There are so many people out there, so desperate just to be acknowledged. Just to feel like they matter to someone. And that desire to mean something is so strong that it literally drives some people to be negative, or to talk garbage, or to do negative things just to get attention. […] “[…] Everyone single person, wherever they are, you can do enormous things to encourage and make people’s lives better all around you. So be that person. That would be my greatest wish and encouragement to the fans out there. “And thank you. Thank you so much for your encouragement to me over the years. I’ve never imagined that things would happen that would happen over the years for me, and I’m extremely grateful, most of all for you, your support, and your encouragement over the years. So thank you.”

The interview took place just before the judge dismissed the remaining claims in Mignogna’s case against Funimation and the heads of the #KickVic campaign, but he still seemed to be in good spirits when he was attending the Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament over the Hawaii Con weekend, where he presented the winner with the grand prize.

So far there hasn’t been any major news on what Mignogna will do next, but he hasn’t shown any public discontentment with his current situation despite it being as dire as it is.

(Thanks for the news tip Mekel)