Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "If Kenny G Had Balls!"

Date: October 8, 2025

Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode tackles a wide array of cultural and political topics, focusing primarily on a viral street interview at a pro-Palestinian protest and its disturbing antisemitic content, the media's selective outrage, and government hypocrisy. Armstrong & Getty, with their signature sardonic style, pull apart the rise of "Red-Green Alliance" activism, examine uncritical media coverage, poke fun at cultural phenomena (from clown school to fake résumés), and highlight the ironies of modern outrage culture.

Key Discussion Points

1. Viral Street Interview: Trans Activism, Pro-Hamas Protest, and Open Antisemitism

• Segment Start: 00:28
• The hosts introduce a viral man-on-the-street interview by Nate Friedman at a massive pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel demonstration in NYC.
• The person interviewed claims to be a trans woman with overt pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish, and bizarrely ahistorical views about Islam and LGBTQ rights.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Is he crazy? Is he stupid? Is he ignorant?… Or is he a mixture of all three?”
  — Joe Getty [00:28]
• “Islam is a trans idea, is a trans religion. Mohammed herself was a proud trans lesbian.”
  — Nate Friedman (interviewee), [03:23]
• “I mean, I think they're secretly Jews if they do that, because no Muslim would actually do that. Like, Islam is a gay religion.”
  — Nate Friedman, [03:38]
• “Put pressure on the Jews who control the world to make this happen. Like, they own everything.”
  — Nate Friedman, [05:11]
• The interview takes a darker turn as the interviewee openly advocates antisemitism, referencing witch tests and advocating violence.
  • “We should kill all the Jews though?” “I think so.”
    — Interviewer and Nate Friedman, [08:07–08:09]
  • The person proposes repurposing fast food ovens for mass murder, referencing Hitler:
    “Now that we have all these fast food chains with their own ovens, like Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, we could repurpose fast food chain ovens to be the new ovens to do this and it would go so much faster.”
    — Nate Friedman, [10:28]
• Hosts express outrage—not just at the comments, but at the broader crowd's lack of objection and the media's indifference.
  • “Joe Biden claims he ran for president because people were saying less than that at Charlottesville… this guy just said, we should kill all the Jews. And everybody just ignores it.”
    — Joe Getty, [08:42]

Perspective on Protester Dynamics

• The show discusses the phenomenon of LGBTQ+ support for deeply anti-LGBTQ+ regimes ("Trans for Palestine") as a contradiction and anomaly.
  • “That's like a combination, an anomaly, non sequitur contradiction… there’s not a more anti-LGBTQ group in the world than your Islamic fundamentalists.”
    — Joe Getty, [04:05]
• Connection to atrocities on October 7th and the lack of critical engagement from fellow demonstrators.

2. The "Red-Green Alliance" and Lessons from Iran

• Segment Start: 07:12
• Hosts reference Eli Lake’s reporting and an Iranian immigrant’s warning that leftist/Islamist alliances repeat the mistakes seen in pre-revolution Iran.
  • The alliance between the college progressive crowd and Islamists is likened to the “Red-Green Alliance.”
  • “I see that happening here. That is exactly what it is.”
    — Joe Getty relaying Iranian immigrant's perspective, [07:38]

3. Hypocrisy and Media Double Standards

• Segment Start: 11:15
• The lack of media coverage for open antisemitism at left-leaning protests is starkly contrasted to the wall-to-wall reporting of far-right extremism.
  • “If you got, you know, a preacher somewhere, say one thing, or a military dude or whoever, giant national story representing millions of MAGA people's thoughts.”
    — Joe Getty, [11:15]
• The hosts suggest that radical left views, if they were on the right, would trigger a media firestorm.
  • “The big danger in America's white supremacy.” — Michael, [11:41]

4. Brief foray into Business, Science, and Popular News

• Segment Start: 13:33
• Costco to sell Ozempic/Wegovy; confusion about pill forms and pharmacy distribution.
• Discussion about Nobel prize in quantum physics and its indirect role in today’s AI-driven economy.
• Warnings about potential AI bubble and economic uncertainty.
  • “Gold at $4,000 (per troy ounce)… if I had dang gold fillings I’d be prying them out.”
    — Joe Getty, [15:47]

5. Government and Credentials: Media Beclowning Itself

• Segment Start: 17:12 (Teased), main discussion [33:55]
• Discussion of media incompetence/credulity: the story of the Des Moines superintendent who lied about credentials.
  • “He claimed he had a PhD but didn’t.”
    — Joe Getty, [17:17]
  • The New York Times is mocked for calling degree fraud “a misstatement on your resume” and hiring regardless.
    • “He just completely lied about his degrees... How New York Times is that?”
      — Michael, [36:53]
• Steven Pinker’s critique of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) playing to a reluctant audience and host agreement.
  • “Diversity, equity, inclusion is... an intellectual monoculture. It favors certain groups over others…”
    — Steven Pinker, [37:33]

6. Theatrical Moments & Pop Culture Sidebars

• Segment: Fun & Light-Hearted Intermissions throughout
• Amusing tales:
  • Ex-boyfriend attended clown school:
    “He could juggle like nobody’s business.”
    — Katie, [31:11]
  • Discussion of a musical juggling act:
    “Kenny G, if he had balls, man!”
    — Michael, [32:44]
  • Circus nostalgia, Ringling Brothers’ Wisconsin roots.
• Threaded through, the show’s distinctive mix of irreverence and pointed cultural critique.

7. Congressional Hearings, Political Grandstanding, and “Lawfare”

• Segment Start: 19:24; resumes 20:08
• Recap of recent Senate hearings featuring Pam Bondi, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy, and Dick Blumenthal.
  • Discussion centers not on policy outcomes, but on political posturing and theater.
  • “None of these hearings matter. Freaking at all. They're barely a story. The day they happen they disappear into the ether and then that's it.”
    — Joe Getty, [20:08]
  • Review of Blumenthal’s repeatedly debunked Vietnam service claims.
    • “He claimed he served in Vietnam. He did not.”
      — News Reporter, [21:39]
    • “But he’s a US Senator, still gives lectures…”
      — (Hosts riffing) [22:27+]
• Broader point: American institutions and media now just accept low standards and move on.

8. Weaponization of the Justice Department

• Segment Start: 24:34
• The hosts assert the political weaponization of justice isn’t new, but has become more blatant and media-partisan.
  • “It’s just a common thing. It doesn’t mean it’s good… it’s just getting more and more common over the years. It is not a new phenomenon.”
    — Joe Getty, [25:05]
• They lament the lack of substantive debate or principled leadership—anger and hyperbole drive online activism and small-dollar political donations now.
  • “If you say Donald Trump is Hitler and he needs to be in jail, that's somebody he'll pour in.”
    — Michael, [27:14]

9. Media Coverage, Government Shutdowns, Airline Delays

• Segment Start: 27:34
• Armstrong & Getty debunk narratives around government shutdowns—air traffic control workers have not missed a check yet, but networks play up hardship interviews.
  • “You haven’t missed any money yet. All right. And not until the 14th, when the next check comes out…”
    — Joe Getty, [28:16]

10. Young Activists, "Queers for Palestine," and Dissonant Protest Movements

• Segment Start: 28:16
• Foreshadowing (“coming up next”) coverage of more radical protest messages, including chants supporting renewed attacks on Israel.
  • “People with ‘Queers for Palestine’ signs cheering October 7th.”
    — (Paraphrased forthcoming coverage, [28:16+])

Memorable Lighter Moments

• Clown school and juggling Kenny G band reminiscence:
  “Kenny G, if he had balls, man!”
  — Michael, [32:44]
• Hosts riff on fake fans, sports bandwagoning, and circus nostalgia.

Episode Notables & Tone

• The episode is marked by irreverent, critical humor, and frequent incredulity at modern politics and media.
• The hosts are openly skeptical, sometimes caustically so, in discussing political movements and media trends.
• Language occasionally turns hyperbolic (e.g., “throw the Jew down the well”), always for critique and not endorsement.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:28 — Introduction of the street interview and protest topic
• 03:23 — “Muhammad was a trans lesbian” claim by interviewee
• 05:11 — Openly antisemitic statements from interviewee
• 08:07 — “Should we just kill all the Jews?” interchange
• 10:28 — “Repurpose fast food ovens”—Holocaust reference
• 13:33 — Costco, Ozempic/Wegovy, economic digression
• 19:24 — Congressional hearing sound bites
• 21:39 — Blumenthal’s Vietnam controversy revisited
• 24:34 — Weaponization of the Justice Department discussion
• 27:34 — Government shutdown and media spin
• 31:06 — Amusing clown college anecdotes
• 32:44 — “Kenny G, if he had balls” juggling band story
• 33:55 — Media beclowning: Des Moines superintendent scandal and DEI critique
• 37:33 — Steven Pinker on DEI

Overall Takeaway

This episode shines in its unvarnished, confrontational assessment of radical protest rhetoric, the odd alliances of “intersectional” activism, and media selectivity. Armstrong & Getty employ humor, historical perspective, and pointed incredulity to dissect how the extremes of outrage culture now set the tone in politics and the press. Interleaving political outrage with lighter sidebars, the show offers both critique and comic relief, making for an episode that's as bracing as it is entertaining.