DOPE AS USUAL Podcast

Episode: Devious Activities
Hosts: Thomas "Dope as Yola" Araujo & Marty O'Neill
Release Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this high-energy, off-the-cuff episode, Thomas and Marty dive into "devious activities" both personal and cultural, offering a blend of personal stories, sharp commentary on pop culture, streaming, health, and some wild philosophical tangents. There's commentary on YouTube’s evolving landscape, streaming stars, flawed healthcare, and the sociological layers behind everyday life. All interwoven with hilarious asides, raw honesty, and the duo's signature irreverent humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. YouTube & Podcast Visibility Woes

• Frustration Over Algorithm: The guys lament their dip in YouTube numbers, blaming changes to the platform and algorithms suppressing notifications.
  • “I know all the tricks, I know all the boosts. I know all the shit. What is happening to our YouTube channel? ... You’re never going to get [a notification]. YouTube just doesn’t like us like that.” — Thomas, [01:18]
• Resistance against Irrelevance: Despite lower views, they double down on consistency, exploring plans to go live soon.
  • “We don’t like to miss episodes. This sweat is just the sweat of sickness coming out. It’s health.” — Thomas, [00:24]

2. Hollywood Accidents & On-Set Tragedies

• Recent News: Tom Holland (“Spider-Man”) concussion anecdote transitions into stories of onset safety disasters.
• Twilight Zone Movie Tragedy: Thomas tells the harrowing story of a helicopter accident on set that killed actor Vic Morrow and two children.
  • “The blades cut off the actor’s head and cuts the two kids right in half ... the actor from Bad News Bears ... got killed on set with two other kids.” — Thomas, [06:02]
• Hollywood Risk: The hosts question negligence and reminisce about infamous cases (Alec Baldwin/Rust, Brandon Lee/The Crow).

3. Philosophical Tangents: Death, Reincarnation, Simulation Theory

• Do We Live in the Matrix?
  • Thomas and Marty share personal “glitches in the matrix” stories, including Thomas’s vision of a plane about to crash that then vanished.
  • “I know what I saw was a plane coming straight into the neighborhood ... I just left it. I didn’t know what else to say.” — Thomas, [11:12]
• Reincarnation & Existence:
  • “Karma’s weird. So many things, dude. ... Like, what if you’re a dog and the owner’s a bad dog owner?” — Thomas, [09:08]
  • “I told her, you signed up to be here. You’re just here to learn some lessons for your soul.” — Marty, [10:13]
• On Perception:
  • Discussion of how the brain fills in details, misfires, and the subjectivity of lived experience.

4. Health, Food Deserts, and Soda Addiction

• Obesity & Poverty:
  • Stories of growing up with EBT, “food deserts,” and unhealthy eating cycles.
  • “I’m addicted to soda. Like, I will drink it over ... I’ll drink soda all day, every day.” — Thomas, [25:53]
  • Vivid stories about childhood malnutrition, sudden access to junk food, and generational cycles.
• Diabetes Tragedies:
  • “My grandma was hella big. She didn’t tell anybody she had diabetes. We found out when she was dead ... I would clean it every fucking night.” — Thomas, [30:20]
• Policy Discussion:
  • Talk of new moves to ban sugary items from EBT and the socioeconomic structures enforcing illness in poor communities.

5. Celebrity Culture & Absurd News

• Cardi B & NFL Scandals:
  • Cardi B’s pregnancy with Stefon Diggs’ child (& mention of Diggs’s other pregnancies) as emblematic of chaotic celebrity news culture.
  • “If you watch our show and you’re gonna go to any kind of sport, go get a vasectomy right now...” — Thomas, [21:14]
• NBA/NFL Baby Drama:
  • Discussion of women inseminating themselves with NBA players’ discarded condoms, leading to more children and financial exploitation.

6. Streaming Superstars & Internet Fame

• Financial Realities of Streamers:
  • Deep dive into the astronomical monthly earnings of top streamers (Kai Cenat, IShowSpeed, Aiden Ross, Neon, XQC, MoistCr1TiKaL).
  • “How much do you think this kid’s making a month?... Okay, times 10 that, Marty. On the lowest month!” — Thomas, [41:03]
  • “These kids are bringing in more views than the biggest shows on earth. And that’s why these celebrities are sitting there going ha in the camera.” — Thomas, [61:28]
• Celebrity Infiltration:
  • Twitch and YouTube personalities now outdraw late-night shows, making mainstream celebrities seem out-of-place on new media.
  • “It’s getting real sad that these celebrities are sitting next to these streamers ... It’s just like two of these ... got no shirts on, just sitting at home.” — Thomas, [44:13]
• Notable Quote:
  • “Kai Cenat is like Kevin Hart in terms of these streamers ... IShowSpeed is like Kobe, Aiden Ross is Dana White ... Jack Doherty is the Chet Hanks of streaming.” — Thomas, [46:24–54:00]

7. Ethics of Fame, Followers & OnlyFans

• Debate on Authenticity:
  • Thomas questions the value of social media followers attained via sexuality alone vs. "real" content creation.
  • “If you’re showing your body and you’re pretty and you have a following, I don’t count your followers. Those are irrelevant to me.” — Thomas, [56:14]
• Commentary on OnlyFans/Porn Stars:
  • Not a knock, but rather a critique of conflating beauty-based fame with accomplishment or skill.

8. Health Insurance, Social Policy & Society’s Contradictions

• The Scam of Insurance & Healthcare:
  • “Car insurance.” — Thomas, [100:34], on everyday scams
  • “We should have free health care. We have enough money for it... We can’t have free health care because who’s gonna pay for it? But we already put so much money into taxes... Why can’t we do that?” — Thomas, [100:41-102:43]
• Cultural Paradoxes & Burning Out:
  • Honest dialog about drug policies, economic incentives, food deserts, and the exhaustion caused by systems not built for health.

9. Hobbies, Wealth, and Meaning

• If I Was a Billionaire...
  • Thomas and Marty riff on how they’d blow or not blow a fortune, the emptiness of material abundance, and the simple pleasures they'd return to.
  • “There’s not even enough stuff I like ... I couldn’t smoke that much weed. I can’t drink that much juice.” — Thomas, [70:20]
• On Hobbies:
  • Pottery, sneakers, the childlike joy of simple routines, and the holds of OCD.

10. Audience Engagement and Upcoming Projects

• Comedy Milestone:
  • Thomas recounts performing at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory alongside Mario Lopez and other celebs, finding reward in connecting with fresh audiences.
  • “That was the most fun I’ve had on stage, hands down, my favorite show I’ve done.” — Thomas, [120:35]
• Brand Announcements:
  • Tease for their new line of rolling papers and official deal with clothing brand Ethika.
  • “Ethika, dope as usual in a store near you by the first quarter. If not, hopefully December.” — Thomas, [144:11]
• Meet & Greets:
  • Upcoming events in LA and New York teased.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Glitches in Reality:
  • "Have you ever seen any Matrix glitches in real life?" — Thomas, [11:07]
• On Streaming Money:
  • “You’re getting 100 million views a month. You’re making like …” — Thomas, [39:36]
  • “Say you make $10 million a year. Are you gonna bat your eye at a million? No, you’re like, ‘oh, let’s go.’” — Thomas, [39:40]
  • “A tip is huge when you’re working in the food industry … for you, it’s like, you already ate out … is it going to break your pockets? If it’s not, then tip more. … It’s like the universe, like, good. Thank you. Keeping it going.” — Thomas, [69:28]
• On Childhood Food Trauma:
  • “My mom used to put a bike chain and a padlock on the fridge so we wouldn’t touch anything when they weren’t looking.” — Thomas, [26:54]
  • “I was chugging two sodas back to back, every hour on the hour, at least. Eating out three times a day, at least. By the fourth grade, I was so fat.” — Thomas, [28:16]
• On Cultural Decline:
  • “It makes me feel like idiocracy is … so close. We’re so close.” — Thomas, [46:23]
• On Health & Longevity:
  • "He's addicted to his health ... doing blood transfusions from his kids because they're 18 ... his skin is glistening." — Thomas, [64:36]
• On Prison Hustles:
  • “Ready? Reevaluate all prisoners paperworks for a fee. And I’d use Chat GPT in the computer to do it. … I’d use five of it to hire the biggest guy ever … the other $5, I’d be like, dude, I’m gonna get some toys. And this cell is looking lame.” — Thomas, [111:18]

Timestamped Highlights

• YouTube & Podcasting Realities: [00:00–02:49]
• Hollywood Set Accidents (Spider-Man, Twilight Zone): [03:45–08:33]
• Matrix Glitches & Meta-reality: [11:07–16:28]
• Food Deserts & Soda Addiction: [23:50–34:36]
• Health Insurance & Universal Care Debate: [100:34–108:59]
• Streamer Earnings & Twitch Culture: [37:40–61:13]
• Ethika Sponsorship Reveal: [144:11–145:11]
• Thomas’s Stand-Up Set at The Laugh Factory: [113:09–120:35]

Tone & Language

The episode is fast-paced, explicit, and deeply personal, often blending humor with heavy topics. The banter is authentic, occasionally wild, and full of pop culture references, rapid-fire jokes, and unfiltered opinions. Listeners are treated to both nostalgia and blunt, real-world critique—“Dope as Usual” style.

For New Listeners

You don’t need prior episodes to jump in—this episode gives a strong taste of Thomas and Marty’s chemistry and broad range. It’s a blend of podcasting inside baseball, the real talk behind fame, health, vices, and a rambunctious exploration of internet/streaming culture.

Skip if: You’re sensitive to explicit language, crass humor, or unfiltered debates.

Recommended if: You want an unvarnished, comedic deep-dive into today’s media, health debates, absurdities of social trends, wild childhood stories, and honest human reflections.

Upcoming

• Thomas’s new rolling papers brand (launch pushed to mid-October)
• Ethika X DopeAsUsual apparel collection
• Upcoming events in New York and Southern California (Comedy and promo appearances)

“Have a dope-ass day!” — Thomas, [151:46]