Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: “Penis Ebola”
Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty, with guest Judge Larry Goodman

Episode Overview

This episode dives deeply into a slew of hot-button topics, with the main focus centering on the debate over cameras in courtrooms following the high-profile Utah murder case of Charlie Kirk. The hosts are joined by retired California Superior Court Judge Larry Goodman, who gives expert insight into why courtroom cameras can be problematic. The show then pivots into a range of current events, including newly released Jeffrey Epstein photos, food dye bans at Walmart, discussions on AI regulation and the American healthcare system, and a controversial lawsuit involving a secretly recorded surgery and the hot topic of gender identity in medicine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cameras in the Courtroom & the Charlie Kirk Murder Case

Timestamps: 02:44 – 14:17

• Opening Context:
  Discussion begins with the emotional statement from Charlie Kirk’s widow about the omnipresence of cameras in her life, and the question of whether the accused murderer’s trial should be televised.

• Guest Appearance:
  Judge Larry Goodman weighs in, drawing on his judicial experience to discuss the problems cameras create — from influencing jurors to encouraging grandstanding by lawyers and even defendants.

• Major Arguments:

  • Cameras can turn trials into circuses, harming victims, families, and even innocent bystanders.
  • Joins the hosts in recalling the O.J. Simpson trial as a classic example of media interference gone wrong.
  • Judges maintain courtroom order, and discretion over cameras is an essential tool to protect the integrity of trials.
  • Televised snippets create misleading public impressions — a juror’s comprehensive view is often reduced to a viral smirk or laugh for TV or internet fodder.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Judge Goodman (04:22):
    “That’s one of the reasons you don’t want cameras in the courtroom. … It never ends well when you have a camera in the courtroom.”
  • Joe Getty (07:52):
    “You’ve never seen it work to the advantage of the justice system, which is the whole point of any of this.”
  • Judge Goodman (09:20):
    “I would caution, Erica, be careful what you wish for. … It could take a case of your husband’s murder and turn it into a circus and cause more pain than before the trial.”

• Key Moments:

  • Reminiscence about the O.J. Simpson case’s “grandstanding” (06:51 – 08:54)
  • Goodman’s experience rejecting cameras and the reasoning behind the judicial discretion (07:13 – 08:54)
  • Discussion about how even witnesses or bystanders have had their lives derailed just by being publicly visible in infamous trials (09:40 – 10:13)
  • The problem of partial, context-free video clips (12:31 – 14:08)

Epstein Photos & Celebrity Associations

Timestamps: 19:20 – 20:39

• Newly released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate include images with Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and others.
• Hosts agree this development will keep the rumor mill active but doesn’t prove wrongdoing:
  • Joe Getty (20:36): "This is nothing. Pictures I’ve never seen before. No, it doesn’t mean anything. Of course not.”

Walmart Removes Synthetic Food Dyes

Timestamps: 20:39 – 22:17

• Walmart announces plans to remove synthetic dyes from food; hosts digress into the implications.
• Discussion about how visual expectations of food (color, uniformity) influence American shopping habits.

Time Person of the Year & Advancements in AI

Timestamps: 25:12 – 26:40

• Time's “Person of the Year” is awarded to the creators of AI.
• Hosts joke about a possible future where AI earns Person of the Year repeatedly.

Trump’s Executive Order & the AI Legislative Landscape

Timestamps: 25:40 – 29:17

• Trump signs an executive order aiming to override state-level AI regulation and ensure U.S. dominance in AI technology.

• Broad bipartisan pushback expected; states’ rights and federal overreach debated.

• Discussed the general confusion and performative nature of most AI legislation.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Joe Getty (28:47):
    “You can pass every law you want. I'm gonna ask my ChatGPT — ‘Hey, how do I get around this law?’ … It's all performative.”
  • Jack Armstrong (29:05):
    “The broad bipartisan opposition is mostly … scared voters who have no idea what they're even scared of … And nobody knows how you would regulate it.”

The Health Care System: Illusions and Realities

Timestamps: 30:12 – 34:01

• Discussing Yuval Levin’s analysis: Americans want unlimited healthcare they believe to be “free,” which is unsustainable and results in a confusing, subsidy-driven system with no price transparency.
• Joe contends that the political appetite for hard reforms is non-existent.
• Personal anecdotes about insurance deductibles and the “free stuff” illusion.
• Joe Getty (33:45):
  “That prescription wasn't $2.40 — it was $375, you idiot. Wake up.”

Transgender Lawsuit: “Penis Ebola” and Medical Drama

Timestamps: 40:43 – 46:34

• Story of a transgender woman secretly recording doctors during cancer surgery; lawsuit filed based on alleged misgendering and unflattering private remarks, including a previous case where a doctor joked about a patient having “penis Ebola.”
• Hosts analyze both the legal and social implications, discussing medical care differences by sex/gender, consent, privacy, and mental health.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong (42:19):
  “She said a rash on the patient's genitals was probably penis Ebola. Wow.”

• Joe Getty (46:07):
  “This is a story about a mentally ill man. It's a shame.”

• Case raises broader questions about medical records, gender identity, privacy, and intent in secret recordings.

Other Noteworthy Moments

• Self-driving Cars:
  Jokes about a baby being born in a Waymo taxi, and cars “evening things out” by hitting a pedestrian (18:26 – 18:55)
• Food Appearance Across Cultures:
  Discussion about Americans’ obsession with perfect produce and differences compared to grocery shopping overseas (21:28 – 22:17)
• Republican Party & Trump:
  Preview of upcoming discussion: Is Trump losing his grip on the GOP? Marjorie Taylor Greene’s growing independence. (34:16 – 35:58)
• Boot-licking Idiom Digression:
  “If you were ordered to lick my boots clean, I would say that's a bit of a statement of dominance.” (36:10)

Highlighted Quotes with Timestamps

• “It never ends well when you have a camera in the courtroom.”
  — Judge Larry Goodman [04:22]

• “You’ve never seen it work to the advantage of the justice system, which is the whole point of any of this.”
  — Joe Getty [07:52]

• “I would caution, Erica, be careful what you wish for. … It could take a case of your husband’s murder and turn it into a circus and cause more pain than before the trial.”
  — Judge Larry Goodman [09:20]

• “You can pass every law you want. I’m gonna ask my ChatGPT — ‘Hey, how do I get around this law?’ … It’s all performative.”
  — Joe Getty [28:47]

• “That prescription wasn’t $2.40 — it was $375, you idiot. Wake up.”
  — Joe Getty [33:45]

• “She said a rash on the patient’s genitals was probably penis Ebola. Wow.”
  — Jack Armstrong [42:19]

Summary Table of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Main Points | |------------|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:44–14:17| Cameras in the Courtroom | Guest judge on risks/circuses, O.J. as cautionary tale, victim impact, judge discretion | | 19:20–20:39| Epstein Photos | New photos emerge, celebrities included, “doesn’t prove anything” | | 20:39–22:17| Walmart Food Dyes | Food appearance standards, dye bans, America’s obsession with visual perfection | | 25:12–26:40| AI as Person of the Year | Time’s winner, future of AI, humor about chatbot winning repeatedly | | 25:40–29:17| Trump’s AI Executive Order | Federal/state jurisdiction, performative laws, no one really understands what to regulate | | 30:12–34:01| Healthcare Illusions | Illusion of free care, lack of real prices, depressingly entrenched system | | 40:43–46:34| Trans Surgery Lawsuit | Secret recordings, inappropriate comments, misgendering lawsuit, blurred lines in medical records |

Tone & Style

The conversation flows with Armstrong & Getty’s trademark mix of wry humor, no-nonsense skepticism, and provocative candor. The hosts balance expert opinion (via Judge Goodman) with everyday analogies and personal stories, often shifting topics quickly but remaining deeply engaged.

For listeners:
This episode offers an irreverent but substantial look at the real-world effects of technology and media on society and the justice system, along with a sampling of cultural and political news, all delivered with the wit and insight Armstrong & Getty fans expect. The “Penis Ebola” story exemplifies their willingness to tackle the absurd and controversial with both curiosity and skepticism.