Good Guys – "Happy Shaqsgiving!" (November 27, 2025)

Hosts: Josh Peck & Ben Soffer | Dear Media

Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving-tinged episode, Josh and Ben dive into the joys (and foibles) of Halloween with kids, the culinary wonders of diners and Jewish food, celebrity sightings at sports events, and answer listener questions about family drama and “moron mail.” As always, they bring their signature blend of self-deprecation, Jewish humor, and pop-culture savvy, peppered with memorable rants and hilarious food talk.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Halloween Recap & Shaq Gummies

• Kids’ Costumes & Parenting Joys:

  • Josh’s kids dressed as a glow stick ninja, Elmo, and a cow.
    • Josh: "Halloween and Christmas Eve are the two greatest nights when having children." (01:13)
  • Ben recounts last-minute candy shopping, ending up with Shaquille O’Neal double XL peach gummies.
    • Ben: "The only thing they had a surplus of was double XL Shaq gummies." (02:01)

• Costume Mishaps & Cross-Dressing Themes:

  • Ben talks about his recurring cross-dressing on “The Toast” and wonders what it says about him.
  • Josh recalls his own attempts, landing on the hot, itchy discomfort of wigs.
    • Ben: "There's nothing better than when you don't have to say anything, but you're just funny." (04:14)
    • Josh: "As much as I sound like a 12 year old with emphysema...If I was a woman I’d just wear athleisure all day." (03:34)

2. Jewish Nostalgia, Family, & Food

• Jewish upbringings surface repeatedly, with stories about mothers, busybody relatives, and BBYO (youth group) nostalgia.
  • Josh references “speaking to the day, we got shingles youth." (07:11)
• Plans to meet each other's families in New York—a "Jewish-coded" episode by their own admission.

3. Courtside Envy & Star Sightings at NBA Games

• Ben discusses going to a Knicks game, seeing Andrew Schultz and Ben Stiller, and compares seat locations.

  • Josh: "If I show up and Stiller's row one, Schultz is row two, and I'm row 10...comparing despair." (10:06)

• Self-reflection on privilege and gratitude for even getting to go.

  • Ben: "Somebody needs to shake me: Ben, are you OK? Now you're complaining about free tickets right in the 100 section?" (09:33)

• Star encounter:

  • Ben walks behind Spike Lee: "Did he smell amazing! ...Like he just showered. I bet he layers—Jo Malone." (11:11)
  • Josh: "I wear a cologne from Jo Malone called Scarlet Poppy, which is also my rap name." (11:46)

4. Old & New Diner Culture: The Phil Rosenthal Diner Tour

• Josh attended a preview event at Max & Helen's, a new LA diner by Phil Rosenthal’s family.

  • Standout items: Reuben sandwich, sourdough waffle with maple butter, iceberg wedge with horseradish Russian dressing, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and an Oreo milkshake.
  • Josh: "You had me at Reuben...A freshly made, beautiful, like a sourdough waffle Belgian waffle with maple butter. Gorgeous." (17:08, 17:23)

• The decline of diners, especially in New York:

  • Ben: "The only way you really make money in restaurants is through liquor. Most diners don't have alcohol licenses...and it's hard to make money." (20:38)
  • Emotional attachment to diners as a cultural staple, despite economic challenges.

5. Best Shareable Appetizers – Around the Table

A roundtable where each picks the ultimate group appetizer:

• Ben: Spicy tuna crispy rice ("Look, you snooze, you lose, Josh! If you don’t get the spoon in faster than me…") (25:00)
• Josh: Classic spinach artichoke dip. (25:53)
• Olivia: Nachos ("It's a crowd pleaser…can be vegetarian-friendly.") (26:21)
• Kevin: Potato skins with cheddar, bacon, sour cream—"Super Midwest." (26:44)

6. Pop Culture & Gossip: The Justin Baldoni Lawsuit

• Josh recaps Justin Baldoni’s $400M countersuit ending quietly against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

  • Ben's analysis: "There's Blake Lively/Ryan Reynolds money and it's very hard to compete with that...They can both just return to their jobs as actors and actresses and moguls." (33:13, 34:05)

• Reflections on how media drama that seems huge is quickly forgotten, except for serious issues like chronic illness (with the recurring diabetes bit).

7. Listener Q&A & Moron Mail

a. Watching “Nobody Wants This” (Jewish TV show)

• Mixed reviews—Ben loved season 1, but season 2’s plot fell flat ("He’s a rabbi dating a non-Jew? Like, why wouldn't she convert if she’s dating a rabbi? Just feels obvious.") (38:27)
• Josh draws parallels to not watching Billions because he lives that 'world': "I'm married to an Irish Catholic broad...when you’re living it constantly maybe you’re not as incentivized to watch it." (41:10)
• Commentary on representing only “rich, entitled” Jews on TV versus actual diversity within the Jewish community.

b. Thanksgiving Family Drama ("Moron Mail")

• Pregnant listener bullied about eating by a distant elderly relative; wants funny comebacks.
  • Ben: "Somebody needs to step in on her behalf...when somebody else corrects, they stop." (49:05)
  • Josh: "The old shitty Aunt Caesar putting food on her plate, she goes, 'There she blows.'...We heard you." (49:53)
  • Advice: A family member (not the listener herself) needs to step in and say, "That wasn’t nice."

c. Family Inheritance Dilemma

• Listener’s parents inherit $1M but don’t offer to help pay daughter’s college debt, despite previous promises.
  • Ben: "It’s not your money...but as a parent, I would want to help immediately." (52:04)
  • Josh: “Play psychological warfare...itching powder in the driver’s seat of his new truck…He’s gonna think God’s punishing him.” (52:40)

8. What Are You, Nuts? - Weekly Rants

• Josh: Medical ad for HIV prevention says requirement is “you must not have HIV.” (54:22)
  • Josh: "What are you, nuts? It's to prevent, yeah, gotcha. Check."
• Ben:
  • Woman comments his dog looks like a squirrel: "What are you nuts?" (54:40)
  • Comparing dogs to kids: "It is nuts for you to compare being on the other side of it as if you have a child...Sorry, what are you nuts? Growth, Josh. That was growth." (55:51)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "There's nothing better than when you don't have to say anything, but you're just funny." – Ben (04:14)
• "Halloween and Christmas Eve are the two greatest nights when having children. And it’s true. It lives up to it every time." – Josh (01:13)
• "Somebody needs to shake me—Ben, are you OK? Now you’re complaining about free tickets right in the 100 section?" – Ben (09:33)
• "We've done other cool stuff. Jewish leader Karl Marx created communism. Heard of it?" – Josh (42:03)
• “If I show up and Stiller's row one, Schultz is row two, and I'm row 10...comparing despair. Where's Josh yet? Why is Joshi not enough?” – Josh (10:06)
• "You snooze, you lose, Josh! If you don’t get the spoon in faster than me, you’re just not gonna have as much tuna." – Ben (25:00)

Memorable Segments & Timestamps

• Shaq Gummies Halloween Story: 02:01
• Courtside envy, star spotting & "comparing despair": 10:06
• Nostalgic Jewish food and new LA diner review: 16:17
• Diner economics & demise: 20:35
• Group Appetizer Roundtable: 24:41–26:50
• Listener Q&A — Elderly Relative Comments: 47:36–50:59
• Listener Q&A — Family Inheritance: 51:01–53:39
• Weekly "What Are You, Nuts?" Rants: 54:22–56:15

Tone and Style

Lively, irreverent, deeply Jewish in both content and humor, the hosts blend everyday realness with self-effacing wit and warmth. Food, pop-culture, and family are ever-present, providing a welcoming atmosphere for both Jewish and non-Jewish listeners.

Summary

“Happy Shaqsgiving!” serves up classic Good Guys dynamic: hilarious parenting fails, food worship, pop-culture asides, and empathetic but brutally honest listener advice — all seasoned with inside jokes and self-mockery. If you love a dinner table-style ramble bouncing between Shaq-shaped gummies, existential questions of cross-dressing, and heartfelt listener mail about generational drama, this one’s a holiday feast.

Memorable, quirky, and always relatable—this is Good Guys at their festive, nutty best.