Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Episode: JAY DUPLASS Went On a Jamaican Puke-A-Thon
Hosts: Seth Meyers, Josh Meyers
Guest: Jay Duplass
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode welcomes filmmaker, actor, and writer Jay Duplass, who joins Seth and Josh Meyers for a hilarious and heartfelt journey through family vacation disasters, formative childhood moments, and the delicate art of traveling (and suffering) with family. Jay shares tales of a calamitous Jamaican "puke-a-thon," impulsive adventures inspired by dumb movies, epic New Orleans road trips, and the evolution of what makes a perfect vacation as families change. Woven throughout are sharp reflections on movies, sibling relationships, sports fandom, and why bad trips make for the best stories.

Major Discussion Themes & Key Moments

1. Jay Duplass: Balancing Busy Creative Life and New Projects

• Launching "Baltimore Ons"
  Jay’s latest film, Baltimore Ons, has just premiered—his first solo directorial project in 14 years (08:52). He describes the exhilarating but exhausting experience of guerrilla-style marketing: "The entire marketing and advertising campaign, just me going around to different cities, old school." (09:13)
• Baltimore Ons is described as a not-quite-Christmas movie set against the backdrop of Baltimore and twinkly lights, with layered themes around sobriety, menopause, romance, and comedy (11:39).

2. The Duplass Family’s Formative Movie Memories

• Growing up Catholic in New Orleans, the Duplass family had a Christmas tradition: mass, followed by a movie—a double religious experience (13:16).
• A fateful year: After a soul-numbing Christmas mass with “Father Ralph” (aka “Marble Mouth”), their family went to see Dumb and Dumber in a packed theater, which left a deep impression (14:18).
  • "It was like the amount of joy that was pumped into us...just mind blowing laughs." – Jay (15:10)

3. “Dumb and Dumber” Inspires a Real-Life (Ill-Advised) Adventure

• Immediately post-movie, Jay and brother Mark, then in their late teens/early 20s, set out for a spur-of-the-moment winter camping trip in the mountains of Tennessee—ill-equipped, inspired by the film’s antics (16:18).
  • They nearly freeze, subsisting on Oreos and granola bars, clinging to survival: "We were literally holding onto each other and like, shivering...I definitely should have known better." (17:54)
• Seth observes: "It's so great that you guys saw that movie and weren't like, we should make comedies. You were like, we should also be dumb guys." (17:49)

4. The Power of Laughing Together in a Movie Theater [21:19–23:31]

• Jay movingly describes dragging his kids to see Best in Show in a packed theater:
  “Their minds were blown because they had never had that experience of a fully packed, hard comedy. Laughs. Just wall to wall laughs and, you know, investing emotionally too, you know...It reminds me of like, what I've always felt, which is like, you know, for $15...the bang for your buck is astounding.” (21:29–23:31)

5. Sports Fandom as Family Torture

• Outspoken Saints loyalty, lifelong sports agony, and sports-related familial trauma (24:26–27:06).
  • Jay on the Super Bowl: “By the time they won the super bowl, it was just like a fucking relief. More than a celebration.” (34:57)
• The painful ritual of recording games, then checking the outcome before deciding whether to watch (35:00–36:25).

6. The Jamaica “Puke-A-Thon”: A Legendary Family Disaster Story (41:53–49:37)

Segment Begins: [41:53]

• The Duplass family's first trip abroad, lured by a new direct flight from New Orleans to Jamaica:
  "None of us had passports. Nobody's ever left the country before...And of course my parents are like, well, we can go to Jamaica. Like, why can't we go to Jamaica?"
• First night: Jay eats banana cream pie at the hotel restaurant. That night, he wakes up and projectile vomits (43:33).
  • “Painting the wall with banana cream pie. I’ve only had banana cream pie one time in my life. The association is so extreme. I can never [have it again].” – Jay (43:33)
• Each subsequent day, another family member succumbs—first Mark, then their mom; endless rain, "classic pukeathon," fighting over the toilet, stuck in one hotel room (44:47–46:52).
• Dad attempts to charter a plane home, but musters on; he only gets sick upon return to New Orleans (48:26–49:37).
  • “There is something about a parent's will to just like not get anything...I gotta get my kids on terra firma. And then I can, you know, go to hell.” – Jay (49:13)

Notable Quotes:

• “We're fighting over who gets access to shit or puke in this toilet...You may have to cut this whole story.” – Jay (46:14)
• “If you go to Jamaica, don't you get the banana cream pie.” – (Musical recap, 82:16)

Memorable Moment:

The Puke-a-thon becomes a recurring punchline—Jay’s ban on banana cream pie lasts to today

7. Road Trips & The Evolution of Family Vacations [56:31–67:56]

• Post-Jamaica, family reverted to Florida until venturing to Cancun, the only other international trip—where “the only puking was from Senior Frogs.” [56:39–57:10]
• The archetypal American road trip: Driving a brown station wagon to the Grand Canyon after National Lampoon’s Vacation (58:10–60:43):
  • Endless driving, Mark and Jay invent a private language to communicate and avoid parental eavesdropping (60:15).
  • Parental bribes: “We would get, like, a nickel every hour if we would shut the fuck up.” (60:26)

The Great Houston Mall Solution (62:01–65:42)

• Grand Canyon trip ends with two days at the Houston Galleria mall. Each family member fends for themself; total freedom, only required to meet for dinner.
  • “That became our vacation from then on out until Mark and I went to college...you can do whatever you want....The only thing that's expected is we go to a restaurant at 6pm in the mall.” (62:01–63:44)
• Jay notices the pattern: “Every crazy trip we took was sparked by a movie, and generally went badly, so we just started keeping it simple.”

8. Reflection on Vacation “Success” and Best Family Memories [66:42–68:57]

• Jay reflects on how their family decided to abandon the forced, tightly-programmed vacation and switch to “laissez-faire” trips—everyone does their own thing.
  • “Vacations are now about sitting around and just having food together, and people can do whatever they want.” (66:25)
• The comedic irony: The best stories are always the disasters, often the forced “peak” vacations gone awry.
• Seth & Josh note: “Nobody has ever said, ‘And our trip to Disney was the most memorable trip we ever took.’” (67:56)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Movie-Induced Impulsiveness:
  • “We should also be dumb guys, wheezing to death in the woods for no reason whatsoever.” – Jay (17:54)
• On the Power of Comedy in Theaters:
  • “The bang for your buck is astounding. You know, it blows a sporting event out of the water.” – Jay (23:31)
• On Sports Suffering:
  • “Being a fan of the Saints is a very punishing experience...it was just like a fucking relief more than a celebration.” – Jay (34:57)
• On the Great Jamaica Disaster:
  • “Banana cream pie is off the hook. And what is on the hook is there’s a virus in this room.” – Jay (45:02)
  • “We’re fighting over the toilet...You may have to cut this whole story.” – Jay (46:14)
• On Parental Power:
  • “There is something about a parent's will to just like not get anything...I gotta get my kids on terra firma. And then I can, you know, go to hell.” – Jay (49:13)
• On Evolving Family Vacation Philosophy:
  • “Vacations are now about sitting around and just having food together, and people can do whatever they want.” – Jay (66:25)

Speed Round & Closing [76:55–79:57]

Favorite funk band name: Thunder Chicken
Vacation preference: Relaxing
Favorite transportation: Electric bicycle
If stranded with one family member: Wife (or son, for endless entertainment)
Pitching New Orleans: “A more fun Vegas...the best three day weekend vacation...you don’t need a car, you don’t need anything.” (78:15)

Grand Canyon verdict: At 13: No. As an adult: Yes.

Musical Recap (80:58–82:30)

A playful musical summary revisiting Jay’s misadventures:
"Jay Duplass. Oh, yeah / A Christmas Day bummer with Father Ralph's lackluster mass / But they saw Dumb and Dumber...They drove to Gatlinburg, Tennessee / Turns out their plans were so misguided...A trip down to Jamaica where it never rains. Two days in a row / Family watch Kramer vs. Kramer cause out of their room, they couldn't go...Classic pukeathon!"

Final Thoughts

Jay Duplass’s stories epitomize why family trips are uniquely unforgettable—teetering on the edge of catastrophe, yielding lifelong in-jokes, and ultimately reinforcing the bonds of love and laughter. Whether freezing in Tennessee, losing bodily fluids in Jamaica, or finding bliss in the mall, every mishap is an investment in future family lore. As Jay puts it, "That's where you get your money back—when the disaster becomes the story you tell forever."