Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: "Either Fake or Being Paid"
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Co-hosts: Armstrong & Getty
Episode Overview
In this episode, Armstrong & Getty take a deep and often humorous dive into the changing landscape of influence on social media—particularly focusing on how AI-generated influencers are overtaking real people and exposing the shadowy, often paid underbelly of political and cultural influence across platforms. The hosts grapple with issues of authenticity, manipulation, and the philosophical implications of who shapes our opinions online.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
The Unbearable Stickiness of Being
- [01:15-03:27]
- Getty shares his strong dislike for stickiness after eating a caramel bread treat:
"Everybody's picking them out of there with their fingers and you get caramel on your fingers and my hands are sticky and I can't get rid of it. Sticky." — Getty [01:29]
- Armstrong relates, telling a golf story about sticky steering wheels and how universally appalling the sensation is:
"He's appalled. It's not like, oh, that's weird. It's wet. No, it's like, oh my God, why is it sticky?" — Armstrong [02:31]
- They muse humorously about whether this revulsion has evolutionary roots, joking about diseases and even dinosaurs.
- Getty shares his strong dislike for stickiness after eating a caramel bread treat:
AI Influencers: Real Money, Fake People
- [03:35-07:45]
- Armstrong brings in a New York Times piece about AI influencers, like Lil Mikayla and Mia Zilou, who boast millions of followers and real-world income despite being entirely virtual constructions:
“They mention that a couple of these people...have millions of followers and are generating serious income despite the fact that they don't exist. They're entirely created by AI.” — Armstrong [04:13]
- Armstrong and Getty are both amazed and slightly perturbed by how lucrative this "fake fame" has become:
“A Brazilian AI influencer with more than 8 million Instagram followers...rakes in $34,000 per post, while Lil Mikayla...makes about $74,000 per post.” — Armstrong [06:20]
- Armstrong jokes about planting a fake conservative AI influencer. Getty points out the potential of a "fake baby trying out baby products" as a goldmine.
- Getty’s take is bemused but resigned:
“This has got to be scaring the hell out of actual influencers that—whoa, is this over already? Did the era of the influencer come and go this quickly?” [06:09]
- Armstrong brings in a New York Times piece about AI influencers, like Lil Mikayla and Mia Zilou, who boast millions of followers and real-world income despite being entirely virtual constructions:
The Deeper Issue: Who Pays the Real Influencers?
- [07:45-12:27]
- Armstrong transitions to another article about paid political influencers, focusing on both left and right wing actors who are paid (often secretly) to push talking points:
"There's this organization called Chorus that pays as much as $8,000 a month to these people to just constantly hammer left wing talking points online." — Armstrong [09:11]
- Getty lays out the rules of these secret contracts:
“Part of the deal is you're not allowed to say we're paying you. Well, of course.” [10:38]
- Armstrong relates how the nonprofit status of organizations shields the identity of funders and enables message coordination at scale.
- The discussion broadens to include foreign influence campaigns, referencing the notorious Russian disinformation campaigns:
"We caught a fleeting glimpse of how foreign money is spent on the right...Russian intelligence used Canadian cutouts to recruit...to record commentary pieces about topics the Russians selected and scripted to advance Russia's geostrategic interests among the MAGA right..." — Armstrong [11:57]
- Armstrong delivers a memorable analogy about hidden influence:
“Let’s stick to the sort of unpleasant insectoid analogy...if you see one inside your house, rest assured he brought company. There is far more and worse that you can't see lurking, hidden within your walls...” — Armstrong [12:17]
- Armstrong transitions to another article about paid political influencers, focusing on both left and right wing actors who are paid (often secretly) to push talking points:
The Big Question: Who Can You Trust?
- [12:27-13:53]
- Armstrong reads a reflection from the article casting doubt on the authenticity of all influencers:
“I ponder the message coordination of so many rhytoid influencers and I begin to wonder. I wonder who on my side, or anyone I’ve taken on good faith, in fact secretly practices the world’s oldest profession.” — Armstrong [13:03]
- The hosts joke about how easy it would be to sell out for money, riffing about suddenly praising random regimes if the price was right.
- Getty closes the bit by looping back to the baby joke, adding a humorous touch to the heavy topic.
- Armstrong reads a reflection from the article casting doubt on the authenticity of all influencers:
Memorable Quotes & Lighter Moments
- [08:21] Getty: “Our dog ate all the Scrabble pieces the other day. We had to take him to the vet. No word yet.” (Repeats at [13:53])
- [13:09] Armstrong: “My only question is when do I get my prostitute myself?”
- [13:24] Armstrong: “Put your scruples aside, take the sad Russian money, and tell everybody online how Putin's really standing up for Christianity.”
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [01:15] – Getty on why stickiness disgusts him
- [03:35] – Intro to AI influencers and their huge earnings
- [06:09] – Actual influencers reacting to being replaced by AI
- [09:11] – Paid influencers and secret contracts (left and right)
- [11:57] – Foreign/hidden influence and analogy of pests
- [13:03] – Philosophical question: Who is truly authentic online?
- [13:53] – Segment closes with lighthearted humor (baby joke reprise)
Tone & Language
The conversation is irreverent, skeptical, and quick—Armstrong & Getty blend dry humor with moments of genuine concern about authenticity and manipulation in the digital age. They punctuate serious points with banter and self-deprecation, making complex issues both accessible and engaging.
Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This episode explores the startling rise of AI-generated influence, lifting the curtain on hidden networks of paid shillers across the political spectrum. It’s both a warning about manipulation in the age of deepfakes and a playful meditation on how little we can trust what we see (or who we follow) online.
If you're interested in how AI is changing culture, politics, and even humor—or just need a laugh about sticky fingers and baby jokes—this one’s for you.