Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "COY: Clips of the Year 2025 #1"
Date: December 19, 2025
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Episode Overview
This end-of-year episode kicks off Armstrong & Getty's much-anticipated "Clips of the Year" (COY), 2025 edition. The hosts, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, reminisce through curated audio highlights—absurdities, low points, and bizarre turns—from January through March 2025. The show blends fast-paced banter, satirical commentary, and their signature skepticism as they relive the year's news, politics, and pop culture moments.
You'll hear them debate annual predictions, react to political chaos, riff about celebrity gossip, and lampoon everything from government dysfunction to viral pop songs. It’s a nostalgic, irreverent, and sometimes somber look back at what they largely describe as a “dumb, very dumb year.”
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Setting the Tone: Was 2025 a Good Year?
- Getty announces: Last show of 2025, “Live from Studio C” (02:36).
- Armstrong calls 2025 “a very good year. If you like crap, it was a rotten year. A dumb, very dumb year.” (02:54)
- They hint at the clips' power to prove the year’s idiocy:
- “Listen to our blockbuster award winning, painstakingly prepared clips... then tell me it wasn't a dumb year...” – Armstrong (03:13)
- Getty jokes about listening to Air Supply for comfort—cueing up their trademark meandering, skeptical humor. (03:34)
Predictions for the Coming Year (Life, Politics, Pop Culture)
- Armstrong claims to have prepared predictions—"With one exception, they're all fairly grim." (04:34)
- Getty is "bullish" on some topics; Armstrong, pessimistic (04:49).
- A lighter prediction: The hosts confidently predict a Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce baby announcement in 2026, with Armstrong noting, “Her clock’s a ticking. She’s accomplished anything professionally she would ever dream of. Trav is about to leave the field.” (05:21)
- They debate the ethics and spectacle of celebrity baby photos, suggesting the couple should auction them for charity. (06:55)
Notable Quote
“Might be the most in demand baby one ever, though. Taylor Swift's first kid with Travis Kelsey. That's going to be pretty huge.”
– Getty (07:20)
First COY Segment: January 2025 (08:06–11:04)
Major News Themes
- Deadly New Year’s Day terror attack
- “The country is on edge after a deadly New Year’s Day terror attack… inspired by ISIS.” – Narrator (08:17)
- Ceasefire between Israel & Hamas
- Palisades fire destroying homes – "The word to describe what we're seeing is just apocalyptic." (08:48)
- Fentanyl crisis: “We got a quarter million Americans dead from fentanyl across the Open border. Where's the tears?” – Armstrong (09:59)
- Ditching 3rd-party fact checking on social platforms: Armstrong quips, “This is like Chipotle announcing that it’s ending health inspections.” Getty: “You know what I'm saying?” (10:14)
- Political dysfunction & ephemeral controversies discussed as evidence of a “dumb year.”
Hosts' Reactions
- Biden was still president at the year’s start; “Trump didn’t become president until the 20th of that first month of January.” (11:06)
- They jokingly recall the miscommunications, awkward CEO statements, and the “moronic” soundbites that filled headlines.
- The hosts revisit a particularly “unwatchable” movie that won an Oscar, poking fun at trans cultural debates:
- “And the Amelia Perez song, the transgender drug cartel movie that won the Oscar.” – Armstrong (12:14)
Gender & Culture Debates
- Getty critiques NPR’s coverage of gender-affirming care, frustrated at mainstream framing:
- “So RFK Jr... they're going to pull all kinds of funding for any states that don't outlaw what he is calling sex denial procedures...And NPR said...it's called gender affirming care... it was just horse crap.” (13:25)
- Armstrong responds: “Yeah, they are liars and fools. They are such liars they've blinded themselves to the truth.” (13:40)
Notable Quote
“They are liars and fools. They are such liars they've blinded themselves to the truth.”
– Armstrong (13:40)
January’s End & Into February (16:37–21:52)
Political Summaries & Satire
- The month “when Joe Biden was removed from his taxpayer funded care facility. Also the White House.” – Armstrong (16:37)
- Trump becomes president Jan 20th. Notable COY clips include:
- Trump’s Inauguration: “The votes for President of the United States are as follows. Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes.” – Jack Armstrong (16:58)
- Melania moment: “She calls me sir when she’s angry.” (17:24)
- Surreal policy pronouncements: “We need Greenland first for national security purposes. We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.” (17:32)
- “One of the dumbest phrases in military history is our diversity is our strength.” – Trump (17:40)
Satirical Banter
- Absurd Senate moments, drinking on the job, and vaccine onesies with velcro in the crotch (“What's wrong with snaps?” – Armstrong, 18:35).
- Garth Brooks performing “Imagine” at the Jimmy Carter funeral is mocked:
- “Imagine. There's no heaven to the most religious president that we've probably ever had.” – Getty (20:14)
- Reflections on unprecedented political chaos:
- “Sort of stuff right off the bat, annexing Greenland.” – Armstrong (21:14)
- “Mark my words, she's going to judge what you've done as one of the most significant contributions that's been made by all of America. That's got to be in the finals for clip of the year...” – Getty (21:24)
Notable Moment
“Garth sang Imagine at the inauguration.”
– Getty (20:07)
February Highlights (25:00–29:05)
Major Themes and Absurdities
- Trump’s foreign policy shocks: “President Trump sending shock waves throughout Europe…” (25:17)
- Ukraine war and Zelensky labeled a “dictator.”
- “The war on women’s sports is over, man.” (26:41)
- Satirical griping about bureaucracy and kleptocracy in government spending.
- “How far are we from a kleptocracy?” – Armstrong (27:49)
- “We don’t live in a democracy. We live in a bureaucracy.” – Jack Armstrong (27:52)
- "Doge protest singers" and culture war moments. (28:21)
Key Quote
"We don’t live in a democracy. We live in a bureaucracy."
– Jack Armstrong (27:52)
Emotional Reaction:
- Getty expresses sadness about the “way Doge went.”
- Armstrong reflects on “kleptocracy or bureaucracy” being obvious in government.
End of February & Early March (31:52–43:00)
Cultural & Political Commentary
- Criticisms of free speech boundaries and the chilling “60 Minutes” story:
- “‘Free speech needs boundaries.’ Oh, it was absolutely chilling. Orwell rose out of his grave and committed atrocities across the German Plain or he certainly should have.” – Armstrong (35:23)
- Riffs on trending news: Super Bowl, NBA trades, pop music, and fitting sheets.
- “Is there anything more annoying than putting a fitted sheet on a mattress? Oh, God, I hate that sheet.” – Getty (33:23)
- Recounts wild NFL plays and sports quirks. (36:46)
March COY Clips Highlights (40:05–46:45)
- Viral ignorance: “What shape is the U.S. pentagon building? Isn’t it just a square like my lazy husband hot dogs?” (40:16)
- Grown-up toy market: "Kidults." (41:01)
- State of the Union address: “America is back... and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy.” – Jack Armstrong (43:03)
- Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and border policy: “President Trump has a clear message for those that are in our country illegally. Leave now.” (44:15)
- The Tesla controversy: “Yes, Tesla is a peaceful company. We’ve never done anything harmful.” – Armstrong, parodying Musk (45:58)
- “Always look on the bright side of life...” sung after recounting dire news. (46:06)
Summary of Tone & Themes
- The hosts treat 2025 as a year of rampant stupidity, contradiction, and political chaos—with clips proving their point.
- There’s persistent humor, skepticism, and affectionate mockery of both pop culture nonsense (Air Supply, Kelsey/Swift baby rumors, Oscars) and grave issues (gender care debates, fentanyl crisis, government waste).
- Deep frustration at media framing and government dysfunction is evident and recurring.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)
- On 2025: “It was a very good year. If you like crap, it was a rotten year. A dumb, very dumb year.” – Armstrong (02:54)
- On political chaos: “Mark my words, she's going to judge what you've done as one of the most significant contributions that's been made by all of America...” – Jack Armstrong (21:21)
- On the state of politics: “We don’t live in a democracy. We live in a bureaucracy.” – Jack Armstrong (27:52)
- Pop culture: “Her clock’s a ticking. She’s accomplished anything professionally she would ever dream of. Trav is about to leave the field.” – Armstrong on Swift/Kelce (05:24)
- Media critique: “Yeah, they are liars and fools. They are such liars they've blinded themselves to the truth.” – Armstrong (13:40)
- On pop music’s intrusion into politics: “Garth sang Imagine at the inauguration.” – Getty (20:07)
Essential Timestamps
- Initial tone and setup: 02:36–04:55
- Predictions for 2026 (Kelsey/Swift baby): 05:12–07:28
- First clips of January: 08:06–11:04
- Reflecting political stupidity: 16:37–21:52
- Key February moments: 25:00–29:05
- Free speech & cultural debate: 31:52–35:17
- Super Bowl and cultural riffing: 36:46–37:08
- March and State of the Union satire: 40:05–45:58
For Listeners New & Old
This episode perfectly encapsulates Armstrong & Getty’s year-end tradition: a rapid-fire, humorous, and biting retrospective with little patience for the self-seriousness, incompetence, and culture war insanity they see as defining the times. Both regular and new listeners will gain an audio time capsule of 2025’s absurdities, and plenty of pointed opinions delivered with deadpan mockery.
If you missed the year, or just want a sharp, irreverent refresher—this is your guide.