Good Guys Podcast — "Kiki on the Kremlin with Joey Camasta"

Hosts: Josh Peck & Ben Soffer
Guest: Joey Camasta
Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of Good Guys, Josh Peck and Ben Soffer welcome the ever-hilarious Joey Camasta—makeup artist, podcaster, and culinary aficionado. With Joey, the conversation jumps gleefully from Parisian adventures and culinary confessions to drag memories and the art of being a "performance queen." The trio riffs on everything from international tax law to kosher cooking, celebrity run-ins, and the intricacies of New York’s new foodie trends. As always, the chat is packed with sharp wit, loving roasts, and surprisingly deep dives into cultural quirks and personal dreams.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Welcoming Joey: Medical Queens, Zepbound, and Attention

• The episode kicks off with playful body talk and jokes about Hollywood physiques and weight-loss injectables.
  • Joey admits to using Tirzepatide and relishes the drama of medical routines:

    “I’m a medical queen. I get off. I love, like. I love going to the doctor. I think it’s more for the attention.” (01:36, Joey)

• The trio swap stories about childhood injuries, splints, and the drama of school nurse visits.

2. Paris vs. The World: Joey’s French Dispatch

• Joey recounts his latest Paris trip with his boyfriend, waxing poetic about the city’s inherent chicness:

  “I got to say, it’s the classiest, chicest one yet. I said it makes Italy look like, like slums of place.” (06:52, Joey)

• Observations include Parisian café culture and chain-smoking, homeless people drinking champagne, and how even the city’s down-and-out are glam:

  “There’s homeless men drinking champagne in a paper cup.” (07:01, Joey)

• Details about French cigarette packaging and how Joey adopted Parisian habits:

  “I’m not a smoker... but now I can’t even have my coffee without them.” (07:11, Joey)

3. Costco, Taxes, and International Finance

• Banter about Instacart, shopping rituals, and Costco runs, with Joey leveraging the Instacart hack to get home goods.
• The conversation pivots to state taxes, why rich people move to Florida, and Puerto Rico tax loopholes.
  • Notably, Josh on Puerto Rico taxes:

    “No taxation without representation. They don’t have elected officials… Thus no taxes, nothing.” (04:56, Josh Peck)

4. Culinary Chat: Kosher Law, Family Traditions, Celebrity Chefs

• The group goes deep on kosher dietary laws, butter, and the rabbinic logic:

  “The rabbis got together and they said... if Joey is eating a turkey burger with cheese...they could think that he was eating a beef burger with cheese.” (10:10, Ben)

• Butter alternatives, the wonders of ghee, and favorite cooking oils.
• Joey and Ben cheer their culinary backgrounds (both have chef dads!) and idolize icons like Ina Garten:

  “…it’s more about her lifestyle and how she lives and presents herself and her ideals.” (12:38, Joey)

5. Celebrity Encounters & Pop Culture Gossip

• Barbra Streisand’s house, John Stamos stories, celebrity weddings, and podcast guests:

  “Me and John Stamos, we got married at the same time. We had kids around the same time.” (23:00, Josh Peck)

• Joey’s stint on Russian Home Shopping Network and “Kiki on the Kremlin” direct from Moscow (hence, the episode title).

  “My voice never made it to air... I didn’t want to get, you know, into trouble. But I did do a Kiki on the Kremlin.” (26:25, Joey)

• Musings on Putin’s puppy video, with typical sardonic humor:

  “As long as he loves animals, I don’t care what he does to people.” (27:19, Ben – with full irony!)

6. Theatre Kids: Drag, Acting, and Dream Roles

• Josh and Joey swap stories about cross-dressing on kids’ TV, drag characters, and playing with identity.

  "On Drake and Josh, the first episode of the pilot, there was a character named Miss Nancy... I dress in dress. Original Gossip Girl to channel Miss Nancy." (32:48, Josh Peck)

• An impromptu improv scene (“Kiki on the Kremlin”) shows the group’s comic timing and Joey’s acting chops.

7. Nostalgia & Comfort Food: Desserts, Cookies, and New York Eats

• Dessert debates: apple pie versus crumble, and thin versus thick cookies. Joey shares a quick ice cream dessert recipe:

  “Take a really high quality ice cream...make a fruit kiki topping...brown sugar...brandy...put that over ice cream, chopped pistachios, flaky smoked salt." (38:05, Joey)

• New York cookie trend analysis: Levain, Tate’s, and skepticism about waiting in line for food fads.

8. Members-Only: Private Clubs, Celeb Sightings, and NYC Trends

• Inside knowledge on New York & LA’s members clubs (Zero Bond, Casa Cipriani, San Vicente), and musings on Taylor Swift’s credit cards.
• Reflections on why some restaurants shun influencer attention to avoid overwhelming crowds.

9. Big Dreams: What’s Next?

• Joey’s vision: more cooking content, brand deals, travel vlogging, live shows/podcasts, and a possible cookbook or kitchen collection.

10. Advice & Signature Segments: Moron Mail and What Are You Nuts?

• Moron Mail: Advice for a listener overwhelmed by a clingy new friend—encouraging healthy boundaries and, if necessary, “hard reset” or cut-off.

  “I would just set your grounds. Be like, listen, love your b*tch. But you need to use chill.” (63:53, Joey)

• What Are You Nuts: Each shares their pet peeve—from paper straws in plastic cups to unhelpful grocery store staff and the impracticality of artichokes.

  “Paper straw for us. No good. No good.” (66:29, Joey) “My woody nuts is the artichoke. I love an artichoke. It’s a ridiculous vegetable.” (67:54, Josh Peck)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parisian Café Culture:

  “Everyone's sitting like an audience... I had to perform the whole time. That's why I was carrying leeks around in my handbag.”
  — Joey Camasta, 08:10

• On Kosher Kitchen Rules:

  “The rabbis got together... if Joey is eating a turkey burger with cheese and somebody walks by...they could think that he was eating a beef burger.”
  — Ben Soffer, 10:10

• Joey’s Parisian Transformation:

  “Now I can't even have my coffee without [cigarettes].”
  — Joey Camasta, 07:11

• Drag Origins on Nickelodeon:

  “On Drake and Josh...I am using Miss Nancy as my secret pen name. And I dress in dress. Original Gossip Girl to channel Miss Nancy.”
  — Josh Peck, 32:48

• Joey on Performance:

  “I'm a performance artist first and foremost, so I do like to, like, do things for attention.”
  — Joey Camasta, 11:11

• On Homelessness in Paris:

  “There’s homeless men drinking champagne in a paper cup.”
  — Joey Camasta, 07:01

• On Clingy Friends (Moron Mail advice):

  “If this is an old friend, you do the hard reset...a new friend comes on that strong? Block. Sayonara.”
  — Ben Soffer, 64:11

• On Artichokes:

  “It’s a ridiculous vegetable. It’s 90% throwaway.”
  — Josh Peck, 67:54

Important Segment Timestamps

• Medical Queen, Zepbound Talk: 00:12–01:51
• Parisian Stories & Café Culture: 06:29–09:11
• Tax Loopholes & State Hopping: 04:05–05:04
• Kosher Laws & Culinary Traditions: 09:27–13:22
• Drag, Acting, and Improv Sketch: 32:28–31:19
• Celebrity Encounters & Travels: 23:00–26:38
• Dessert Debate & Cookie Trends: 37:56–39:57
• Members-Only Clubs & Taylor Swift: 56:16–58:49
• Moron Mail (Advice Segment): 62:22–65:23
• What Are You Nuts? (Pet Peeves): 65:26–68:57

Tone & Character

True to the Good Guys spirit, the episode bursts with irreverent humor, self-deprecation, and tight-knit camaraderie. Joey’s extravagant persona and quick wit keep the energy high, while Ben and Josh volley between sly jokes and genuine curiosity. The vibe is open, rapid-fire, and always “on the kiki”—whether riffing on international life, grappling with cosmetic trends, or daydreaming about culinary stardom.

In sum, this episode is a whirlwind joyride through the world of pop culture, food, drag, and friends-with-boundaries, all seen through Joey Camasta’s uniquely fabulous lens.