Our 2025 Predictions!

Summary

Podcast Summary: Good Guys – "Our 2025 Predictions!"

Episode Information:

• Title: Our 2025 Predictions!
• Host: Josh Peck & Ben Soffer
• Release Date: January 9, 2025

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Introduction

In the premiere episode of the year, hosts Josh Peck and Ben Soffer dive into a mix of personal anecdotes, health discussions, pop culture commentary, and their bold predictions for 2025. The episode is lively, filled with humor, and showcases the dynamic chemistry between Josh, an actor and writer, and Ben, an entrepreneur and social media personality.

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Health and Wellness: Caviar Mishap and Supplements (00:55 - 08:33)

The episode kicks off with Josh sharing a personal story about writing the podcast's new theme song, highlighting his dedication:

Josh (00:32): "Josh literally wrote it. I want you guys to know he was up all night, every night, writing by hand."

Ben transitions into discussing a New Year's Eve mishap involving excessive caviar consumption:

Ben (06:02): "I bought five of them, six of them. OK. I bring them home... From 12:30 in the morning until 2:30, your boy is just throwing up."

Josh and Ben humorously debate whether their sickness was due to caviar or other factors, touching upon the interaction between high-fat diets and medications like Ozempic:

Josh (07:53): "It's because it was so like, the 1 Kryptonite for Ozempic is high, high fat, right?"

They conclude with a light-hearted acknowledgement of their own health journeys and the importance of balanced nutrition.

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Ad Breaks: Sponsored Segments Skipped

While the transcript includes several ad segments promoting products like Nutrafol and Element, these are omitted from the summary to focus on the core content as per the instructions.

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Personal Anecdotes: Helping a Stranger and Public Behavior (04:11 - 05:54)

Josh recounts an encounter with a genuinely blind individual at the airport:

Josh (04:11): "He can see light. I've heard he can see light and dark. I mean, what are we talking about?"

Their conversation humorously explores societal perceptions of disabilities and appropriate public interactions, blending empathy with their trademark banter.

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Pop Culture Commentary: TV Shows and Celebrity Gossip (17:09 - 19:54)

Josh and Ben delve into TV show favorites and celebrity happenings:

• Curb Your Enthusiasm: Ben references an episode involving Larry and a hooker, praising the show's humor.

• Sex and the City: Josh and Ben discuss rewatching the iconic series, with Ben critiquing Sarah Jessica Parker's character:

  Ben (18:09): "Except there. I'm sorry. Like, Sarah Jessica Parker is insufferable. Like, she's the one."

• Blake Lively Scandal: A significant portion is dedicated to discussing the smear campaign against Blake Lively, with Ben explaining how Justin Baldoni allegedly orchestrated negative publicity:

  Ben (33:19): "He paid publicists to put together a smear campaign against her. And that's why all of this stuff came out."

Their exchange highlights the challenges celebrities face with public relations and media portrayal.

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Political and Economic Predictions for 2025 (26:08 - 43:09)

The core of the episode revolves around the hosts' predictions and opinions on political and economic issues:

• Healthcare System: Both Josh and Ben express frustration over the U.S. healthcare system's inefficiencies, citing its low global ranking despite high GDP:

  Ben (36:06): "We are 46th in healthcare. That's bananas."

• Mortgage Rates and Housing Market: They discuss the soaring mortgage rates and the housing affordability crisis, attributing some issues to corporate entities like BlackRock:

  Josh (37:58): "I think it's because the system is gamed and BlackRock is buying up all the houses."

• Billionaire Influence: The conversation shifts to the disproportionate influence of billionaires, particularly Elon Musk, and the barriers they create for the middle and lower classes:

  Ben (41:23): "They're so rich. They're so rich."

• Pharmaceutical Advertising: Josh criticizes the effectiveness and motives behind pharmaceutical ads, suggesting they primarily benefit pharmaceutical companies rather than consumers:

  Ben (28:21): "There's no way. I was watching the other day, Josh. I was watching CNBC."

• Optimism for the Future: Despite the challenges, Ben maintains an optimistic outlook for America:

  Ben (35:21): "I am optimistic to my core..."

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Woody Nuts: Gripes and Pet Peeves (43:29 - 45:58)

In their weekly segment, "Woody Nuts," Josh and Ben share their pet peeves:

• Public Decency: Josh describes an uncomfortable encounter at Equinox with a naked individual in the locker room:

  Josh (43:32): "He was bending over. He was at the water fountain... What's your priorities?"

• Supplement Overdose: Ben humorously warns about the dangers of overconsumption while sharing his experience with magnesium overdose:

  Ben (44:49): "I overdosed myself on magnesium... I had to go up and. I could have just had 250 milligrams."

The segment combines relatable frustrations with their signature humor, providing a lighter counterbalance to the heavier topics discussed earlier.

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Conclusion and Listener Engagement (25:03 - 26:10)

As the episode wraps up, Josh and Ben encourage listener interaction by proposing a community-driven approach to selecting future shows to watch and discuss. They invite listeners to vote via YouTube comments, emphasizing audience participation:

Josh (24:31): "Let the people decide. Do not lead them anymore."

They also hint at making predictions for the year and checking back on these predictions in future episodes, adding an element of continuity and anticipation for their audience.

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Final Thoughts

"Our 2025 Predictions!" offers a blend of humor, personal stories, and insightful discussions on pressing societal issues. Josh and Ben's candid conversations about health, celebrity culture, and systemic economic challenges provide listeners with both entertainment and food for thought. Their approachable demeanor and engaging banter make complex topics accessible, ensuring the podcast remains both informative and enjoyable.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh (00:32): "Josh literally wrote it. I want you guys to know he was up all night, every night, writing by hand."
• Ben (06:02): "I bought five of them, six of them... and then my boy is just throwing up."
• Ben (33:19): "He paid publicists to put together a smear campaign against her."
• Ben (36:06): "We are 46th in healthcare. That's bananas."
• Ben (44:49): "I overdosed myself on magnesium... I could have just had 250 milligrams."

Timestamped Quotes Reference:

• Key quotes are highlighted with their respective timestamps to provide context and reference to specific segments within the episode.

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Recommendation

For fans of candid, humorous discussions intertwined with substantive topics, "Good Guys" continues to deliver engaging content. This episode sets the tone for the year, promising a blend of entertainment and meaningful conversation.

Transcript

[Josh]

The following podcast is a dear media production. Two Jews, both big and tall. No subject too small for the good guys. A mother's dream. Premium podcast team. Make it your weekly routine. It's a good Guys.

[Ben]

And if you don't give us five stars.

[Josh]

What are you nuts?

[Ben]

What are you nuts? Yeah, we're the good guys.

[Josh]

They're not the great guys.

[Ben]

We're just the good of the good guys.

[Josh]

Happy New Year, Benjamin.

[Ben]

Happy New Year. I mean the song. We have to talk about the song. Yes, we pre recorded the first two. It is what it is. The theme song. The new year new theme song. Josh literally wrote it. I want you guys to know he was up all night, every night, writing by hand. He got hand cramps. He called me Ben, how many Advil can I take for my hand cramps? And then he found, by the way.

[Josh]

Four is the maximum Advil.

[Ben]

Okay, well, I'm on three Advil and one Tylenol. We'll get into that. I'm on a rotation around the clock. That's. That's the killer combo.

[Josh]

I can talk about it all day. I could talk about non steroid, steroidal anti inflammatories all day. Sorry, sorry to interrupt.

[Ben]

No, but Josh, literally, like, you just need to get your flowers. You wrote. You wrote the intro song of a generation. Like, this will be. This will be what my son. And we can finally say son, because the last time we were podcasting, we couldn't talk gender.

[Josh]

So true.

[Ben]

This will be what my son listens to. I'm going to walk into the room, he's going to be listening to it. How big of a narcissist am I?

[Josh]

Josh, God bless you. Thank you. I did write it. And let's give. Give the flowers to the great Super Chris Abraham. C.J. abraham. If you know, you know behind some of the greatest songs ever, from Drake and Josh to all of Nickelodeon, to the great Kim Petras, Just an incredible music producer and a really close good friend of mine. He's brilliant. He put it all together, did all the accompaniment and the mixing and just made it fly. So we love you, super Chris. And I gotta tell you, Ben, you really have a good voice. We knew. But your cantorial tones translate so beautifully to high pop that I don't know. I don't know. It makes me feel. It makes me feel some kind of way. As the kids say.

[Ben]

Bless you. Bless you. Look, this is a great time for us to announce that Josh and I are going on tour. Yes, Strictly for singing. It will be a karaoke tour. Can you imagine? We'll sing Strictly Meatloaf, and then at the end of the tour, Josh is going to jump off a bridge.

[Josh]

That's the thing that I have. I contend with. And to be honest with the audience, I sort of resist when Ben brings up a live show, only because I don't know what the fuck we would do for an hour that's more elevated.

[Ben]

We'd sing, we'd schmooze. I mean, have you seen Luann De La Sep? She literally throws on a dress and does cabaret. We could do whatever. You want to do cabaret. You want to cross dress and do cabaret? We could do that.

[Josh]

I do, but not with an audience.

[Ben]

Why not? It's fun. Who cares? Who cares?

[Josh]

I want to do cabaret for us. Can't we have something for us, Ben?

[Ben]

I guess we can. Okay, so we can cabaret just for ourselves, or we can invite all of our blind listeners to come to a live show. How many blind listeners do you think we have?

[Josh]

As many as we have deaf listeners. We have all disabilities represented in this podcast.

[Ben]

All I know is that if we don't have blind listeners, we need to tap into the blind community, because they probably love podcasts. I would think that it would be their ultimate medium. And I'm just saying I want to be a podcast for the blind.

[Josh]

Can you imagine? Good Guys, the official podcast of the Braille Institute.

[Ben]

Yeah, this is what I'm saying. No, this is what I'm saying. New year, new dreams, Josh. This is my dream. Bring the podcast to the blind. Done. We're doing it. We're in.

[Josh]

I won't get credit for it anymore because I'm sharing a good deed, but I was at the airport months ago with my family, and there was a guy, a blind dude, fully, like, seemed pretty, like, good and blind with the cane and the whole thing. Not. Not one of these fakers like Stevie Wonder.

[Ben]

What are you nuts?

[Josh]

He can see light. I've heard he can see light and dark. I mean, what are we talking about?

[Ben]

How can he play the piano? How can he know where the piano is? I've had enough.

[Josh]

Continue us disparaging one of the greatest performers to ever grace our earth.

[Ben]

Fun.

[Josh]

So anyway, I had this. So I have this man that I see, and he seemed to be struggling a bit, so I ran up to him and I said, sir, can I help you through the line? Because, you know, he's gonna have to navigate TSA and the whole thing. And he's like, yeah, actually, that would. That would be great. And I'VE done this before, like, with someone who's blind in an intersection or whatever. I'll say, like, here, would you like to take my arm? Or whatever. And so I kind of went to, like, do like, the thing. Like, I almost, like, it was almost as if I was. We were about to take a prom picture. Like, I tried to put my hand on, like, the small of his back and like, slowly. This guy, this blind dude is working out. He manhandled me in the way that he wanted me to lead him because clearly he was like, no, no, there's a way. There's a procedure. He, like, slam me in front of him and then he, like, put his hands on my shoulders, which, if you think about it, it's pro. The smartest way.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And I was like, okay. And he's like, I'm from Baltimore. I'm like, well, that explains it. And he pushed me through the tsa.

[Ben]

Wow. Good for you. Honestly, I'm now just thinking about how you put your hand on the lower back of a random blind man. What are you nuts? It's called the sea. He probably thought you were trying to grope him. Like.

[Josh]

No good, Dean. No good, Dean.

[Ben]

Josh, I almost gave myself gout on New Year's Eve.

[Josh]

Tell me more.

[Ben]

I. I went to Whole Foods. First of all, shout out Whole Foods and Amazon, okay? The way that they have just come together. Scan your Amazon. I'm sure you do this. QR coded a Whole Foods. And you get such amazing discounts. Fantastic. Even discounts on caviar. Josh. I went on New Year's eve. I saw 79.99 discounted 20%. I got it for 59.99. 25%. Whatever it is. I bought five of them, six of them. OK. I bring them home. I'm ready. I'm making a gorgeous caviar board. Caviar spread. I get a text from a friend. He says to me, why are you buying your caviar at Whole Foods? Are you crazy? I have a caviar guy. So, Josh, we. Now you know how we're always talking about have a guy. We have a guy. I texted the guy. His name is Kobe. He goes by Mr. Caviar. I got wholesale pricing. Josh, 8 ounces of caviar, 400 bucks sent. This is the top of the line stuff. Top of the line stuff sent to me. I'm having a party, made my board. It's amazing. I sit down for dinner and I'm eating caviar on caviar on caviar. And, oh, my God. From 12:30 in the morning until 2:30, your boy is just throwing up.

[Josh]

Throwing up.

[Ben]

Toilet.

[Josh]

No bueno or you were actually throwing up.

[Ben]

It started off with I thought my butt was going to throw up and then I ended up throwing up and then my butt threw up. It was one of those. It was like full blown norovirus level shit. And I have to blame the cav. It wasn't the caviar's fault. It was me. I should also share with the audience that not only am I back on Ozempic, but we have upped the dose. This is the year of shedding, so I think my stomach got a little bit tighter. I ate too much caviar. All I had earlier in the day was an egg white omelette. And I went from having 100 calories in the day to 1500 calories in caviar. And I just couldn't take it. So. Oh, I also made steaks. That's why it was a gout meal.

[Josh]

It's because it was so like, the 1. The 1 Kryptonite for Ozempic is high, high fat, right?

[Ben]

Yes.

[Josh]

And like, caviar is keto friendly. It's keto season, the ultimate. And it's kind of a superfood, but it is. It does have high fat.

[Ben]

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Maybe I'm blaming the caviar and I should be blaming the bellinis. I should be blaming. I made chicken fingers to put on top of it. Maybe it wasn't the cavia.

[Josh]

What are we throwing out here? It started with just caviar, then we.

[Ben]

Got ribeyes, chicken fingers. I'm waiting for nachos. No, I'm blaming the caviar was obviously the very illustrious accoutrements like that was the problem, by the way. What a word. Accoutrement.

[Josh]

Accoutrement. Unbelievable.

[Ben]

Unbelievable. Tremont.

[Chris Abraham]

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[Ben]

Through whole body health.

[Chris Abraham]

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[Ben]

Goodguys, what'd you do New Year's Eve?

[Josh]

Wait, wait. We are not leaving.

[Ben]

So continue. Sorry.

[Josh]

Do you think you. It was food. You. Not food poisoning.

[Ben]

But you poisoned yourself with food, not food poisoning. I ate too much. I ate too much. And there's also something going around. I don't know if you have it. It is a light head here.

[Josh]

There's a head.

[Ben]

Okay. Yeah. There's a head cold and a lower back situation going on here. Head cold in lower back. So I still have the head cold in lower back. That's why I said I'm on three Advil, one Tylenol, and if you must know, two turmerics and a lion's mane. Okay, but the question is, is, was the diarrhea. Sorry. And vomiting a part of the illness that also included the headache and the lower back, or are they separate incidents? One to blame with the caviar bellini chicken finger steak extravaganza or they want in the same. I don't know. All I know is that only happened that night. One and done.

[Josh]

Very interesting. Because I get. When I know something bad is about to happen, I start getting leg pain. Like I get leg soreness and I go, oh, no, I have food poisoning and or stomach flu.

[Ben]

You feel it in your legs. That's very interesting.

[Josh]

My body surgically to feel flu. Ish. It feels sore, like everything starts to hurt.

[Ben]

Okay. So I did feel like I. I felt like I had the flu. It was awful. And I'm still. I still have a bit of a sore throat, still have a bit of a head cold, but I'm telling you, turmeric, lion's mane. Oh, and quick defense. Gaia herbs. Love them. Wow. Love them. Wow. They kill it. You're taking 10 pills a day. They're 44, 95 at Whole Foods. You take it for four days, your cold is evaporated. I've spoken about them before it's. And yet they still haven't sent me one free thing. Not one.

[Josh]

I just don't. Because you are a bigger boy in the best way, like I am. And I have no doubt that you could put down a 2000 calorie meal like it was, you know, like just another day in July. So when you say this 1500 calorie meal after only having an egg white omelette, it's just not tracking for me. The clues aren't cluing. The Mariska is not Mariskane. This is not svu. This is our lives, Ben. So my question is, I think you could be right. I don't. I'm not so sure. You overeat and we FaceTimed after all of this. And you see, you were walking your beautiful dog.

[Ben]

I was.

[Josh]

You didn't have a sheen to you. You weren't sweating.

[Ben]

I was fine. I'm gonna teach you a quick. It wouldn't be the new year without a quick Jewish phrase. This is a talmudic phrase, Josh, called Kal v Chomer. If something happens, something else happens. Kal vhomer.

[Josh]

Love it.

[Ben]

So the question is, I ate the chicken fingers and the caviar. I got a stomach bug. Or I had a head cold and lower back pain and threw up and had diarrhea. Kal the homer who is probably norovirus.

[Josh]

And as the great Robbie Hoffman would say, is Yiddish gay.

[Ben]

I. I think so.

[Josh]

How great was that episode?

[Ben]

The great Robbie Hoffman, I loved her and I told this to her and she was very excited to hear it. The morons loved her. That episode people loved. I thought she was so fun. So great. Our fakta video crapped out and what you guys didn't see was Josh and Robbie threw on yarmulkes with the menorah. It was quite the sight to see.

[Josh]

The great Robbie Hoffman wearing a kippah as she looked like a reconstructionist reformist cantor.

[Ben]

Like, like, like the rabbi in every Adam Sandler movie. Yes.

[Josh]

Like in a Williamsburg synagogue. I'm telling you, like, it's a shunta. It was too good that maybe technology just said, we can't. We can't allow this. It was too good.

[Ben]

By the way, Josh, I'm reminded that I didn't give $500 away to five people yet.

[Josh]

Oh, I knew that was a big mistake. I have to. I have to.

[Ben]

I have to do it. How do I pick them? What do I go into the YouTube comments? It was a huge mistake because I'm going to get called. I called it on the day I'm going to end up sending it to, like, people that don't need it. Okay? And then I'm going to be framed one day like, why'd you venmo this hooker a hundred dollars? I didn't. She said she needed it. I didn't know what she was doing with the money. Use it to buy, blow and crash your car into a museum.

[Josh]

No idea. That's worth it. You should be subsidizing hooker's bad decisions. Well, you shouldn't be subsidizing it some, you know, Fortune 500 asshole who just wants to add more money to his bitcoin pot.

[Ben]

I just started rewatching Curb Josh and I just watched the episode. Are you a big curb guy?

[Josh]

Of course.

[Ben]

Okay, I just watched the episode where Larry becomes friends with a hooker that he ends up giving to Funk Houser's son to have sex with because he broke his arm. Ends up dying in the race of the bulls. Whatever. But Larry goes to the hooker who's dressed in fishnets and like, classic hooker look, and he's like, you know, you would do much, much better if you ended up dressing just like a housewife. Say that you bought your dress at Saks Fifth Avenue. She ends up making 10 times. I thought of that because we were talking about hookers. What a great show. So good. He's so good.

[Josh]

Genius. And I, funny enough, my wife and I, Another HBO top five greatest shows ever. My wife and I just started rewatching Sex and the City from season one.

[Ben]

So good.

[Josh]

So good. Wow.

[Ben]

Yes. Except there. I'm sorry. Like, Sarah Jessica Parker is insufferable. Like, she's the one.

[Josh]

How do you say that and say so good? Or is she the character insufferable?

[Ben]

Oh, the character. The character is insufferable.

[Josh]

Carrie.

[Ben]

Carrie. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Not sjp. No.

[Josh]

Shout out as Harry.

[Ben]

Carrie is insufferable.

[Josh]

Sure.

[Ben]

In the show she just like, can you make more bad decisions, woman? Can you stop? But the show itself is so frickin good. I love it. Who's your favorite character?

[Josh]

I mean, it was a perfect show. It was like one of those rare things. Like, you couldn't replace anyone on Friends. You couldn't replace anyone on that show. And even the men, the, the, you know, the Steves, the Aiden's, the who is so good.

[Ben]

By the way, before you go on, you used Reba in an ad, but you don't like to talk about Reba, but you like to use her. I'm Reba no, you don't love her. Lover.

[Josh]

Lover love her.

[Ben]

You don't. Every time I bring up Reba, you say, ugh, I don't want to talk about Reba.

[Josh]

I know.

[Ben]

And all of a sudden I see you talking about Reba with everybody but me.

[Josh]

You rewatching Reba Glee. It makes me deeply uncomfortable. You'll never know how much but it makes me. I need three Advils and a Tylenol. I think about you rewatching these shows.

[Ben]

You should also know that when I rewatch them, I'm completely naked, skin to skin with my dog. I don't blame you to skin.

[Josh]

If you zoomed in on me at 9pm on any weeknight, it's me watching the Hallmark Channel. And my goal for 2025 is to get back in with Hallmark. I see it. I know.

[Ben]

It's Josh, you're going to do it. You're going to do it.

[Josh]

I have a whole movie idea pitch. I just. I think Christmas 2025, I'm manifesting it now. Here I am out on a limb. I'm getting vulnerable. I see myself as the star of a Hallmark movie that then turns into a 3, 5, 10 picture deal. Sky's the limit.

[Ben]

Good. And all I want is a small part as the cantor. You will have a canter. I want to be. I. Maybe I could even be the cantor's apprentice. Is that a good name for a Hallmark movie, the Cantor's Apprentice?

[Josh]

No, but it's a great. It's good for a bigger movie. I'm talking. You are.

[Ben]

You are the cantor, and I am your apprentice. And I'm just trying to please you. I'm just trying to show you that I'm good enough for one moment on stage during a high holiday. And it all comes to this culmination at Rosh Hashanah, where I show you my full pipes. Wow. Yeah.

[Josh]

You've lost your faith, and we have.

[Ben]

To bring you back the Cantor's Apprentice. I love it.

[Josh]

Love it. It's like. It's like the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but with people with flat feet.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Chris Abraham]

This episode of the Good Guys podcast is brought to you by Rocket Money. The start of a new year is the perfect time to get organized, set goals, and prioritize. What matters most for me, a top priority is my financial wellness, which feels more important than ever. Thanks to Rocket Money, my goals feel achievable. They show me all of my subscriptions right in one place and help me easily cancel ones that I forgot I've been paying for. Rocket Money also pulls together all of my spending across all of my different accounts so I can clearly track my spending habits and see where I can cut back. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. How easy is that? See all of your subscriptions in one place and know exactly where your money is going. For ones you don't want anymore, Rocket Money can help you cancel them. Rocket Money's dashboard gives you a clear view of your expenses across all of your channels. Easily create a personalized budget with custom categories to help keep your spending on track. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Fabulous. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com GoodGuys today. That's RocketMoney.com GoodGuys RocketMoney.com/good guys this episode of the Good Guys podcast is brought to you by our friends at Good Wipes. Folks, somebody once told me, if you.

[Ben]

Got a piece of duty on your.

[Chris Abraham]

Hand, if there was duty smeared on your hand, would you simply just wipe it off with a piece of paper? Would you wipe it off with plain.

[Ben]

Paper towel or toilet paper? Hell no.

[Chris Abraham]

You would go in there, soap, water, scrub, pray to God that you don't get some disease. And why aren't we doing the same thing with our butts, folks? Why are we only doing it for babies? We wipe our butts as babies, but why do we stop wiping ours when we're adults? Okay, we're going out. We're in these gross bathrooms. We're in public places even when you're in private places.

[Ben]

What are we doing?

[Chris Abraham]

We've lost it, folks.

[Ben]

We've lost the plot completely.

[Chris Abraham]

Being clean feels good.

[Ben]

Don't we want to feel clean?

[Chris Abraham]

You want to really just like move things around down there with dry toilet paper? Hell no. Hell no.

[Ben]

These are so much better though, than.

[Chris Abraham]

Baby wipes because they're for adults and.

[Ben]

Smell so much better.

[Chris Abraham]

They feel better. Better ingredients.

[Ben]

And you can actually flush them totally flushable, which is really important.

[Chris Abraham]

They also smell amazing.

[Ben]

Naturally scented, hypoallergenic.

[Chris Abraham]

Plus they're made for sensitive skin. And of course, folks, I know you've been wondering, what do they smell like?

[Ben]

Ben, they come in a variety, okay?

[Chris Abraham]

Rose water, shea cocoa, lavender, cedar, plus brand new botanical Bliss. How unbelievable is that? And they are super soft. And did I mention that they're completely flushable? Totally 100% flushable. And folks, I use them. My butt loves me for it. And your butt will love you, too. Okay?

[Ben]

So go and use them.

[Chris Abraham]

And if you want to upgrade, okay, if you want to upgrade your restroom ritual, you can grab good wipes at Target, Walmart, Kroger, and most local grocery stores. Just head to the toilet paper aisle and look for the bright aqua, rose and emerald packages. They're also available on Amazon, if you're.

[Ben]

More of an online shopper.

[Josh]

Speaking of, I think for this year, for 2025, because I think we would be really good at this. I think people need to vote, and they can comment on YouTube because it's probably the best way we would see it. And whatever gets the highest vote. Don't DM it, comment on our YouTube channel. Go to our YouTube and comment. I think we should agree on a show that we should watch together. I think it should probably be reality. I think it should probably be a Housewives, but I'm open to whatever. And I think the moron should decide what we watch and that we start recapping the show weekly.

[Ben]

I like doing that. Especially if we pick something that is not topical, not something currently on, something old. Because otherwise we're going to be. But then we're going to be commenting on something that was three weeks old. Like, I know us. Like, the episode will air, we will watch it. And then the episode that we talk about it on, they'll already be on episode four.

[Josh]

But that's the bane of our existence with certain things where you'll be like, you'll never guess this episode of Glee. And I'm like, you're right. I don't think anyone. That's not fun for the audience. They want to know what we think about the goings ons.

[Ben]

Fine. Okay, I'm in. Let's try it. Why not tell us what show we should attempt to be current on and talk about. I like that. Let's do it.

[Josh]

Let the people decide. Do not lead them anymore. And I want to bring this up. I, you know, it's 2025, and I think we should make some predictions here on our first episode back of the new year. And we'll check back in on our final episode of this year, if we make it that long. That's right, guys. You never know with us. We might just be over this in two months. So make sure you listen.

[Ben]

You'll never know.

[Josh]

So I have A couple things that are topical today that I'm wondering if we want to make a prediction on what it's going to be like in mid December at the end of the year.

[Ben]

I love it. I love it.

[Josh]

Okay, the cutie assassin, Luigi Mangione. What do we think?

[Ben]

No, he won't be relevant at the end of the year. He won't be. And I also, not to get too into it, just, it's very like. It was an awful thing.

[Josh]

Awful, awful.

[Ben]

We don't need to see any. We don't need to see any more of it. I don't need to see 45 armed guards surrounding him. I don't need any of it. I don't want to see it. It's awful. Go away, Luigi. You're gone. I no longer want to give you any FaceTime. I don't want this. I want Luigi gone. So maybe it's me manifesting that I don't want to see him anymore, but I don't be talking about him in December. What about you?

[Josh]

Fair enough. I say Luigi is not relevant. I agree. Not relevant in December. And I think he's a real sick fuck.

[Ben]

We can't reward just. We can't reward people. And, like, I see this. It's weird. Like, I saw it on TikTok. People are like, the UnitedHealthcare CEO deserved it because of what UnitedHealthcare does. Like, are you. Are you all brain dead? Are you brain dead? It's his job. Do you know how many people do jobs like, he's. He's a worker. He was a worker. Like the shareholders, the board, the. The ownership. Like, they murdered a worker. I don't care if he was number one worker. They murdered a worker who easily could have been in a different job another year. He's just a worker. That's all. That's all. And it was so fucked up. It doesn't matter how you feel about pharmaceuticals. You don't. You don't murder CEOs of public companies. It's awful.

[Josh]

Look, the healthcare.

[Ben]

Damn it, Josh. God damn it.

[Josh]

I love this country. I feel very lucky to be born here. That being said, the fact that every American is not insured is insane. That our GDP is so absurdly high that we can't figure out a way to make sure that you are not going to either go bankrupt or die of a heart attack when we can give you the proper service and we can make sure that you're going to live. I mean, obviously there are things outside of our control, but if we can intervene we should be able to. And it shouldn't bankrupt you.

[Ben]

Full stops. No question. And by the way, we are the greatest country in the world. We are USA. USA. USA. That said, we're 46th in health care. That's bananas. Bananas. There are 40. There are 46 countries that do healthcare better than us. Bananas. Something's gotta change. There's too much money in pharmaceuticals. There's too much money in pharma advertising. There's no way. I was watching the other day, Josh. I was watching cnbc. We're watching Shark Tank reruns. Best show ever to watch reruns, by the way. If you haven't done it, do it. So fun. CNBC was either was either doing a pharma ad or a buy the CNBC course, like some course on how to be an entrepreneur. That's how you know that CNBC is tanking. They're going under because they're selling their own. Their own courses or pharma ads. And I thought more about pharma ads. Pharma ads. You've always been told that pharmaceutical ads, you're supposed to see this drug and then go to your doctor. That's the funnel, right. Tell your doctor that you saw this ad for Zepbound and ask him or her to prescribe it to you. That's not how it works. Have you ever walked into a doctor's office and said, hey, I just saw an ad. I'd love to learn more about this medicine? No. Your doctor tells you. It's always the doctor telling you. So all that I can conclude is that the only reason why pharmaceutical ads are running on TV is a payoff, because there is no way that it's from you to the doctor. That doesn't work. It only works from the doctor to you. Otherwise you'd be the doctor.

[Josh]

Well, yes, but do you think that ozempic and all GLP1 drugs have uniquely had the greatest ascension ever just from doctors suggesting it to their patients? It's word of mouth. It's the amount that people see it on television.

[Ben]

Agreed. Agreed. Ozempic aside, I agree with you completely. I think.

[Josh]

I think you're underestimating.

[Ben]

You think so?

[Josh]

100%. I think people see it, and then they go to their doctor and they ask their opinion, and then if the doctor's being paid off by that company, then they go, yeah, you should go for it. No, I'm kidding. I don't know.

[Ben]

Okay, so maybe, maybe, maybe. All right.

[Josh]

It's a wild, wild world. And speaking of cnbc, you know, during New Year's Eve. Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper did their thing with the drinking and the New Year's Eve show.

[Ben]

By the way. By the way, we can't get a New Year's Eve co hosting spot. Come on. They'll put anybody up there. It is nuts.

[Josh]

It's nuts. It's.

[Ben]

They bring up diploma. They bring up diploma on lsd, they're like drunk, cracking Vanderbilt jokes. We could do that. We could do it better. No question.

[Josh]

Could we do it better? And I would go. I would be interviewing, like, the guy that's right against the fence, who, you know, has been there for 12 hours and locked in. I'd be like, sir, how hard do you have to pee right now? And what would you do if I were to give you a small trash bag? Would you pee on air? Would that be hot?

[Ben]

Did you. Did you watch New Year's Rockin Eve? Did you watch that crap?

[Josh]

No.

[Ben]

Okay. I watched it. And they are. Their star of the show was Rita Ora, who. I'm sorry, I just. I don't know what she sings. I don't know what she's ever sung. No shade on Rita Ora.

[Josh]

No, she's lovely and she is stunningly beautiful.

[Ben]

Yes. Whatever token celebrity, though, she's there. She's interviewing people. Up against the gate. Right behind her is a handicapped gentleman in a wheelchair. You can't see him at all. You just see his wheels. And occasionally you see his head. But she is 100% blocking him. Poor guy stood at Rito or his back the whole time. He didn't even see the ball drop. He just saw or took us.

[Josh]

I mean, that guy has stared at a lot of backs throughout his life. So at the very least, he got Rita or is for 90 seconds. I guess that's true, but it was interesting on. I guess it was on cnn, but, you know, they had, like, Whitney Cummings, come on. Who basically, like, talks shit about the Democratic Party. And then Roy Wood Jr. When everyone was offered shots, he was like, no, no, I'll pass. The last guy, the last black man who took a shot on your network was fired, intimating Don Lemon. And I don't know if the CNN executives are freaking out over stuff like this, where I'm like, if this is the show, I'm okay with that. If it's them roasting you guys kind of like within. Within a limit. It's not the craziest thing. I'll watch that.

[Ben]

I just didn't realize that TV could actually be that live. Like, that is just raw. Totally Raw and, And nuts. It's nuts. Totally nuts. So, yeah, I don't know. I'm out. They. They need to redo it. They need better acts. They need better singers, songwriters, performers, hosts, everything. Dick Clark's dead.

[Josh]

I know.

[Ben]

Move on, Move on. Rest in peace. By the way, R.P.

[Josh]

Dick. What about. Let's do more predictions. How about Blake Lively?

[Ben]

Will we still be talking about her?

[Josh]

About what's going on with Justin Baldoni and the whole magilla?

[Ben]

I love her. Like, I, I always. I think she's amazing. I think her and Ryan Reynolds are amazing. The more I've sort of learned, really, from my wife about the whole situation.

[Josh]

I saw that, like, Claudia, the great Nick Viall and his wife, like, promptly said, we felt this the whole time. Glad that the public is finally seeing, like, the real side of things. What did they see and know that.

[Ben]

People weren't getting completely out of nowhere. We were never talking about Blake Lively. And then out of nowhere, there was a monster smear campaign. You could not look anywhere without seeing a negative headline about Blake Lively everywhere. And then all of a sudden we were like, what is going on here? Like, she's never. Like, she's been perfect forever. And now all of a sudden, all of these negative things are coming out about her all at once, everywhere. And she proved via emails that he paid publicists to put together a smear campaign against her. And that's why all of this stuff came out. There are physical, there are emails showing him paying somebody to put negative press out about her. And that's the core of everything. So when everybody started talking about Blake and it could have been just for more views on the movie, it could have been a publicity stunt at Blake's expense, because then everybody was talking about it. But regardless, that's what I know, that he paid a publicist to go on a witch hunt against Blake Glively, and that's what she's suing him for. Slander.

[Josh]

Not good. Not good.

[Ben]

No, not good.

[Josh]

Unacceptable. Unacceptable.

[Ben]

Not good. And he seemed. Not seemed. He definitely fucked with the wrong people. Like, if I'm going to pick two people, I'm not picking to fight against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. So famous, so popular, so rich. No, no, no. I'll pick any. Pick anybody else.

[Josh]

What do we think about President Trump not to be political? Is he just kind of doing the same thing? Is there something incredible that is revealed or is it just kind of more of the same?

[Ben]

I said this. I'm trying to remember who we had on. Maybe it was Was it Helen? I'm trying to remember when. What'd you say, Yvette? Yvette? Yeah. I'm trying to remember when we spoke about it. But I will say again what I once said to root against the next four years is anti American, no matter who was in office. I'm rooting for a great four years. So I'm. I'm long on America and I'm hopeful that things are wonderful because I'm not a. I'm. Am I. Do you know a bigger optimist, Josh? Like, I am. I am optimistic to my core, even though sometimes I come off negative because I think it's funny. But, like, I really am an optimist and I'm that way about. About our country. Like, I root against it. That's what I'll say. What do you think?

[Josh]

Yeah, I mean, my question was more about, like, is there something like. I think it will probably be more of the same. Like, I don't think we're going to. I think the entire presidency is going to be more of the same. You know, the plus or minuses will. Will be revealed on, like, what happens in a positive way and what people feel are negative. But I think overall it's just going to be kind of like. I think we had a preview of it, you know, during this first term, and I think it's going to be more. More of that. I don't think it's going to be terribly explosive in either direction.

[Ben]

Yeah, I know that. No matter what, we gotta. We have a big debt problem, obviously, that we need to solve, and inflation is so bad.

[Josh]

And by the way, both sides love debt.

[Ben]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Everybody does. We gotta solve that. So who knows? All I know is mortgage rates are too high, Josh. They are too stinking high. Seven and a half percent. How are people supposed to buy a house? So how do you buy a house?

[Josh]

Those rates are not high if you look at anything before 2008.

[Ben]

But we've become accustomed.

[Josh]

But we became accustomed to massive economic disasters within 12 years.

[Ben]

But the price of the homes went up, Josh, since 2008. No. I would assume that in a place like Austin, for example, they've almost tripled. So now if you're taking the same 7.5% and 7.5%. Seven and a half percent on 200,000 versus 700. Two and a half percent on. Or seven and a half percent.

[Josh]

Excuse me.

[Ben]

And 200,000. Seven and a half percent on 600,000. All of a sudden you can't afford the house.

[Josh]

I totally agree with you. But I think they're separate issues in that homes in general have become exclusionary. You can't, people can't afford homes in general anymore, which is I think its own problem a way. I don't think that's because of mortgage rates. I just think it's because the system is gamed and BlackRock is buying up all the houses. I digress.

[Ben]

Yeah, I hear that. But don't, I hear that. But don't you think though, not, not think like if a mortgage rate is lower, an expensive house is more affordable. Like that's a, it's just a fact, right?

[Josh]

It is, but it's never been below 5% unless there was an economic crash and there just happened to be two back to back. But like if you zoomed in on the 80s and 90s, the rates were 6, 7, 8, 9, 10%. But the homes were cheap.

[Ben]

But houses were, but houses were so cheap. Like we're now in this new normal for whatever reason. Like definitely BlackRock buying up all the homes is a reason. Like we're stuck where houses, the median house is something like $500,000. If you have, even if it's normal, an 8, 9, 10% mortgage rate. The, like, even the middle class family just can't afford it. Like they're just, they're just screwed because you're now paying $7,500 a month for the house that you own. It just, just, just sucks, that's all the problem is. I hear you though.

[Josh]

I was talking about this with my buddy Jared the other day. How many day. How much time do you think a million seconds is? Just take a guess.

[Ben]

How much time do I think a million seconds is?

[Josh]

Like how many days or weeks or months do you think a million seconds is?

[Ben]

Oh, quick math.

[Josh]

It's 11 days. Okay, now let me do that because I want to get this right. Okay? Billion divided by 60. Okay. And then divided as if this was going to help me. Okay, divided by 30 equals. What am I doing? Hold on.

[Ben]

I have no idea. I have, I have, but I'm excited.

[Josh]

To see 31 years. Beautiful. You smart. You fucking smart. You fucking smart. Okay, so a million seconds is 11 days. A billion seconds is 31 years. So the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is on such a different. You are living on different planets. And when someone, and this is no, you know, this is nothing against the great Elon as I know you love your Elon of billionaires of this type, when we're talking about people that will potentially be trillionaires within the next 10 years, the system has been gained. It's over. The legacy. The 12 must kids and their kids and their kids will be the richest kings of the world forever. This whole idea, like, unless you got a jump shot or you can sing like Ariana Grande, there's no. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do it. I'm going to pick myself up on my bootstraps and be incredibly successful because I'm really going to put my, my what's it Ear to the grindstone. I don't really know. I don't know phrases. But like, it's over. Like, it will be such legacy wealth when we get that high that like, that money will just continue to make money and the barrier to entry will be impossible.

[Ben]

There's always been that though, right? Like for the longest time. Like, you can pick the Rothschilds if you want to. Like the Rothschilds were as rich as an Elon per the time period, and still an Elon emerged. I agree with you that it's very, very hard to become a billionaire. Facts like borderline impossible. We will have new billionaires. That's totally separate from the fact that the Kingdom of Musk is here. It's. It's nutty. They're so rich.

[Josh]

But when you have someone that rich, they can make the barrier to entry for millions of people just like impossible, where you can't buy a house. Like, they can all make it if.

[Ben]

If they want to. If they, if they want to.

[Josh]

For sure it's just going to make it like that. Yeah.

[Ben]

I just think if he, if he wants to.

[Josh]

I just think he wanted to.

[Ben]

If, like, if he wanted to buy up real estate, he could for sure.

[Josh]

But what I'm saying is, is like that's what we're seeing with a BlackRock, right? Is that these companies become so successful that their final stage is gaming the system that the middle class and the lower class are trying to work for themselves.

[Ben]

Totally agreed on. Massive corporations. Agreed on a BlackRock.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ben]

I haven't seen Musk do anything that wasn't just for the people, like a Starlink or regardless of what he's done with Twitter, the intentions were different, like I think at least. And the space stuff. And hopefully he tackles something really sick, like he has enough money to tackle something epic. I don't know what that is, but we wonder, right?

[Josh]

Like, I guess you pick and choose your thing. Like Starlink is incredible, right? Like beyond incredible. Spectacular thing that he's given the world. I mean, I think, like, wasn't he put In a position where it was something like $6 billion could solve world hunger. And Elon was like, if that's true, I'm in. Like, because.

[Ben]

Because it's not true. Like, he calls bullshit on these things, Right? Like, it's not. How is that possible? It's not true. It's not. So I'm curious. That's one thing that I'm excited about. Just because I do love Elon Musk and I think he's really smart. And I have gone on record saying I don't like villainizing smart people. Like, which I think we just do. Of course he has his quirks. Like, what genius isn't nutty? But I'm excited to see what he does over the next four years with more power. It could be the ultimate villain story, or it could be really cool. Who knows? That's. I'll do that prediction. I think it's going to be really cool. I think he's going to do something really cool.

[Josh]

Should we get to our Woody nuts?

[Ben]

Yes, please.

[Josh]

Okay, our Woody units moment of the week are our gripes with people, places and things, big or small. Whatever's currently sticking in our craw. Let me find mine. I know I've got a good one. I've been to. Oh, the other day, I was at Equinox. The great Equinox. Shout out. Love it. The best. Love it, love it, love it, love it. I was at Equinox and this guy was in the locker room. Fair enough. Wasn't wearing the towel, walking around naked. That's cool. And he went and stopped for a sip at the water fountain. Big and fucking naked. He's bending over. He's at the water fountain. Look. Look what I'm doing here. He's like this. And I'm like, if you fucking sit from that. And all of a sudden I'm getting this.

[Ben]

That's bad. For those that can't see clearly. The man had exposed cheeks. Exposed cheeks.

[Josh]

I was getting sack.

[Ben]

That's a lot.

[Josh]

And he had long hair. I was like, sir, he had hair down past his shoulders. I was like, you're naked, you're drinking from a water fountain, and you have long hair. What's your priorities?

[Ben]

That's nuts.

[Josh]

I know.

[Ben]

Absolutely, absolutely nuts.

[Josh]

Oh, I know.

[Ben]

That said before, you spoke about him showing his sack at the water fountain. You can't dilly dally like that around the men's room. But I am at a place in my life where I will just get naked in a men's room. I used to think that was insane.

[Josh]

Whoa.

[Ben]

But now, but now I just don't care. I don't care at all. But I do care enough. I'm not leaving right in front of my locker. Like, that's crazy time. The guy that walks up, goes to the urinal, has a party. No, I don't want it out. My woody nuts is me. I overdosed myself on magnesium. I had been taking close to 750 milligrams a day. I did not realize that that, at least for my body, was too much. I started to feel incredibly sleepy last week, Josh. Incredibly sleepy day in and day out. And I looked it up and it seemed that I had overdosed myself on magnesium over a period of time. I'd done this over a two month period. My magnesium got a little bit too high and then I cut it out, Josh. I cut it out and I felt unbelievable. And now I need to start reintroducing magnesium into my life. But what am I, nuts? I take a good thing and I make it to. I could have just had 250 milligrams. Helps me sleep. No, I had to go up and.

[Josh]

Up and you're a junkie. You're a junkie.

[Ben]

I became a magnesium junkie. So let that be a warning to you. You can overdose on the good things too, folks. And overdose on the good things too. One thing that you can't overdose on though is the Good Guys podcast. Absolutely not. And folks, that is our show. That is our show. Rate, Review and subscribe. 5 stars. Just like our our intro song says otherwise. What are you nuts? Listen to us on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. Watch us on YouTube. Watch our clips. We now have fun YouTube shorts that are doing really well because clearly your attention spans are zero. Can't do a 60 minute episode. You can do eight, but they're great. Love it. You love it. Share with a friend Mondays and Thursdays, folks. See you next time.

[Josh]

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