Podcast Summary: Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
Episode: Bunny, Breakup, and Kanye's List
Date: October 6, 2025
Hosts: Dana Carvey & David Spade
Theme: A comedic deep-dive into current pop culture events, showbiz behind-the-scenes, touring life, and rapid-fire banter on trending topics, with the classic Spade-Carvey wit.
Main Theme / Purpose
This episode revolves around Dana and David’s trademark rapid-fire riffing on current showbiz news, celebrity encounters, and behind-the-scenes tales from the comedy circuit. They discuss Adam Sandler’s tour, encounters with celebrities backstage, pop culture’s current obsessions (Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, NFL globalization), and the quirks of modern celebrity, before giving their irreverent takes on recent headlines—Nicole Kidman’s breakup, Kanye’s infamous “betrayal list,” Saudi investment in entertainment, the growing presence of AI in Hollywood, and bizarre medical advancements.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Stand-Up Life & Touring with Sandler
- Tour Stories: David recounts recently joining Adam Sandler on tour, performing in huge venues, and the surreal backstage environment—semi-trucks, monitors, and a rotating cast of comics and musicians.
- “Adam is such a gigantic star... They're just so lasered in, like, are you in our town?... and then when they leave, they go, ‘Oh, hey, this fucking guy.’” (12:10, Spade)
- Celebrity Drop-Ins: Fun backstage cameos from David Letterman (for Sandler’s upcoming J. Kelly movie with George Clooney), Taylor Swift’s dad (who gifts David Swift guitar picks), and other big names.
- Memorable Heartfelt Moment: Spade shares how Letterman complimented his SNL throwaway line—“He came in and he goes, ‘There's been no better use for a cast member than to have you do a throwaway line from the audience.’” (6:43, Spade)
- Comedic Camaraderie: Nick Swartzen's antics, group chat hijinks, and riffing about self-liking their own jokes in text chains (26:12, Spade & Carvey).
Celebrity Culture, Branding & Pop Phenomena
- Taylor Swift & NFL: The guys marvel over Taylor Swift’s insane global stats—comparing (and refusing to compare) her with the Beatles, the pop-culture dominance of “Swiffers,” and Travis Kelce’s own fame as “the football player.”
- “Taylor Swift...has so many stats that have never been achieved before...but there’s only one Beatles. She’d agree, I’m sure.” (8:45, Spade)
- Branding/Commerce: Entertainers are now “businessmen” with brands and partnerships—think Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds—and how the landscape’s changed from their own early years in Hollywood.
Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban Breakup
- The guys share comedic takes on Hollywood divorces and the added discomfort of being a spouse with a partner doing racy scenes.
- “That is hard, even though you’re faking it, I think.” (29:21, Spade)
- “That's Hollywood, you know—average two years, no joke in Hollywood.” (28:23, Spade)
- They riff on Kidman being the “queen” of mature actresses doing “highly sexualized movies,” and reflect on fame, relationships, and career choices.
Super Bowl Halftime: Bad Bunny
- Name Game: They riff on Bad Bunny’s stage name and joke about runner-ups like “Cruel Rat,” “Misbehaving Aardvark,” and “Good Bunny,” humorously revealing their disconnect from his music genre.
- “Can somebody...Heather or you...tell me? His real name is Bad Rabbit.” (32:39, Spade)
- Cultural Commentary: They note the globalizing trend of the NFL, mock the logistics of international games, and bemoan streaming fragmentation.
Kanye West’s “Betrayal List”
- The hosts have fun exploring Kanye West’s viral list of people who “cannot be fixed,” joking about odd inclusions (Trump, Kim, Harriet Tubman, LeBron, his own kid).
- “He went deeper...Harriet Tubman. She’s been in the stars for Curious George.” (37:45, Spade)
- The absurdity and meme-ability of modern celebrity drama is underlined.
Saudi Investment in Entertainment
- Discussion on Saudi Arabia acquiring EA Sports, Saudi “normalization” via sports and entertainment, and comic’s personal invitations to perform there—mixed with Spade & Carvey’s trademark discomfort with money and cultural appropriateness.
- “Saudi Arabia is sort of running the table lately…they’ve got Tom Brady out of retirement, they’re just normalizing Saudi Arabia...” (43:00, Spade)
AI Actors & The Future
- Spade brings up “Tilly Norwood,” the emerging AI actress now being shopped around to agencies, and they question the future of acting—and comedians(!)—in an AI world.
- “If an agency signs an AI actress, it’s pretty much over.” (49:23, Spade)
Quirky News Items
- Bone Glue: Quick riff on Chinese medical innovation—“bone glue” fixing fractures in minutes. Of course: “Well, bone glue, I call Viagra.” (47:56, Spade)
- John Malkovich’s Century-Locked Movie: They laugh about a movie made but locked away until 2115, joking about time capsules and PR stunts.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Letterman’s SNL Praise:
- “He came in and he goes, ‘There's been no better use for a cast member than to have you do a throwaway line from the audience.’” (6:43, David Spade)
- On Taylor Swift vs. the Beatles:
- “Taylor Swift...has so many stats that have never been achieved before...but there’s only one Beatles. She’d agree, I’m sure.” (8:45, Spade)
- On touring with Sandler:
- “He’s got two, literally two semi trucks. It’s like a whole concert...We went out at Mohegan Sun, CT, and Letterman came.” (5:28, Spade)
- On Kidman-Urban’s Marriage:
- “That is hard, even though you’re faking it, I think.” (29:21, Spade)
- On texting etiquette:
- “My trick on the group chat...I write my joke and then guess what I do, Dana? ...I put a ha ha on it on my own.” (26:18, Spade)
- On NFL going global:
- “Maybe not everything has to be worldwide. I mean, a small thing is you go buy a razor, and...next time you see [the] place, they sell everything under the sun. Just do the one thing you do right.” (35:26, Spade)
- On celebrity names:
- “I heard one was...Misbehaving Aardvark.” (33:43, Carvey)
- On Saudi Arabia's Entertainment Spending:
- “I guess you don’t like money, you don’t like work. I guess Saudi Arabia don’t want to work.” (43:49, Carvey)
- On AI actors:
- “If an agency signs an AI actress, it’s pretty much over.” (49:23, Spade)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Touring War Stories & Celebrity Encounters: 2:17–13:50
- Spade describes Sandler’s tour, Letterman drop-in, Taylor Swift’s dad (8:16)
- Taylor Swift/Beatles/NFL Branding: 8:40–11:21
- Hotel Woes & Travel Frustrations: 20:07–25:39
- Spade on QR code breakfast (22:49), Dana’s Vegas sewage suite (23:43)
- Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban Divorce & Hollywood Marriages: 27:47–30:56
- Super Bowl Halftime/Bad Bunny Name Riffs: 32:33–34:51
- NFL International Expansion: 35:26–37:11
- Kanye’s Betrayal List: 37:11–38:43
- Saudi Arabia Buys EA Sports: 42:36–45:17
- AI Actress News: 48:57–50:17
- Closing: Malkovich Movie, Film Chat & Outro Banter: 51:13–54:54
Final Thoughts
A classic, lively Carvey-Spade “Monday riff” episode—packed with sharp observations, behind-the-scenes comedy gossip, celebrity name-dropping, and the kind of banter that alternates between self-mocking industry wisdom and flat-out absurdity. If you like inside Hollywood, curmudgeonly (but warm) takes on celebrity culture, and rapid-fire jokes, this episode delivers.
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