Holmberg's Morning Sickness

Episode: Using Drone Tech To End Gender Reveals - BO

Date: January 2, 2026
Host: John Holmberg
Co-hosts: Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the absurdity and social spectacle of gender reveal parties, with the HMS crew thoughtfully (and humorously) proposing how drone and missile technology could put an end to this modern ritual. The conversation blends satire, social critique, personal anecdotes, and some classic HMS irreverence, focusing on why gender reveals have become so prevalent, who's to blame, and why men should just say "no." The team also shares a wild prank involving a Monster Truck as a testament to questionable but hilarious decisions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Inventing Tech to End Drones — and Gender Reveals

• [02:30] John Holmberg opens with a tongue-in-cheek proposal: inventing a “small heat seeking missile for home use” to shoot down drones. “Some people would use it for bad, but for the most part it’s just taking down kids’ stupid drones.”
• Brady points out that “they’ve been using them for gender reveals for years”—referencing the drones that drop colored powder—prompting John to quip about weaponizing that tech for public good.

Notable Quote

“Just build these little thumb-sized heat seeking missiles to drop drones that are sitting above us and just be a hero. Designed for specific batteries. These are the ideas I have, but I’m not smart enough to ever figure out how they work.” — John Holmberg, [02:50]

2. The Ridiculousness of Gender Reveals

• [03:45] The crew riffs on the excesses of gender reveals, lampooning a gender reveal during an NFL pregame show and noting how the reactions are always overblown no matter the result.
• John pokes fun at the idea that, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl, parents will feign happiness:

  “That’s what I hate about gender reveals. No matter what was said next, they were going to be happy.” — John Holmberg, [06:40]

• Brady conjures up scenarios where the reveal is actually meaningful only if the parents show disappointment—satirically suggesting a more Maury Povich-style reveal: “And you are not the father!”

3. Social Media & Performative Parenting

• [09:10] The show skewers gender reveals as an Instagram-driven phenomenon—a “look at me” event nobody truly cares about except the parents angling for more gifts.
• John warns of the dangers of “dangerous to ever announce your pregnancy, like, on Instagram… and then a few weeks later… something terrible happened.”
• The crew agrees these parties are really about getting attention and more presents:

  “It’s just to get more stuff. It’s another princess party… Dudes have to stop it because nobody really cares what the gender of their kid is.” — John Holmberg, [11:35]

4. Men: Just Say No to Gender Reveals

• [13:20] The discussion shifts to social pressures on men, with John advocating resistance:

  “Men be men, for God’s sake. We’re not doing a gender reveal.”

• Stories of being “dragged” to couple’s showers and endless baby gift-giving:

  “That’s enough. They get one present.” — John Holmberg, [17:10]

• The team laments the co-opting of traditionally female events like baby showers and how gender reveals are a fleecing of friends.

5. The Satirical “Gray Smoke Program”

• [20:00] John pitches a hilariously dark “gray smoke program” for gender reveals—where in addition to blue or pink, gray smoke might indicate “bad news.”
• The hypothetical scenario conjures up a doctor breaking the news:

  “For an extra hundred dollars… after blue, you get some weird gray. What’s that like? Well, I’m gonna reveal something else… This one’s missing a limb.” — John Holmberg, [20:45]

6. Tyreek Hill, Nick Cannon, and the Real MVPs of Procreation

• [23:15] Celebrity gossip pivots to NFL player Tyreek Hill’s “stat line”: five touchdowns, five babies in a season.

  “Tyreek could get… he gets women pregnant. What’s the stat? Five babies this year. Five touchdowns. He tied it last week.” — John Holmberg, [24:10]

• The show compares his output to Nick Cannon, musing on the economics for the mothers and the impact on gender reveal culture.

7. Gender Reveals = End of Civilization?

• [26:00] The hosts close the segment with a plea: guys need to put their foot down (“No more baby showers. No more gender reveals for men. It’s a woman thing. Don’t drag your husband”), blaming the proliferation on men’s willingness to be dragged in.
• Comic reference to Belichick at a gender reveal and couples’ bachelor parties, underscoring how “men have lost control.”

8. BONUS: The Monster Truck Prank

• [30:15] The team shares an audio segment (3:31 a.m. on a Friday) where they woke up their elderly boss Chuck with a Grave Digger monster truck for his birthday.
• Chaos ensues: car alarms scream, neighbors are enraged, and Chuck explodes:

  “This is that last damn mistake you’ll ever make. What the hell is wrong with you guys?” — Chuck, [31:45]

• The hosts immediately agree: “Such a terrible, terrible idea. I don’t know what we were thinking there, boys.”
• No regrets—typical HMS.

Memorable Quotes

• [02:50] John Holmberg: “Just build these little thumb-sized heat seeking missiles to drop drones… These are the ideas I have, but I’m not smart enough…”
• [11:35] John Holmberg: “It’s just to get more stuff. It’s another princess party… Dudes have to stop it because nobody really cares what the gender of their kid is.”
• [20:45] John Holmberg: “For an extra hundred dollars… after blue, you get some weird gray. What’s that like? Well, I’m gonna reveal something else…”
• [26:00] John Holmberg: “No more baby showers. No more gender reveals for men. It’s a woman thing. Don’t drag your husband.”

Notable Timestamps

• [02:30–04:15] – Heat-seeking missiles for drones / gender reveal tech crossover
• [05:30–07:20] – NFL gender reveal story & reactions
• [09:10–12:10] – Instagram and performative gender reveals
• [13:20–18:00] – Men’s role (or lack thereof) in gender reveals and baby shower culture
• [20:00–22:00] – The “gray smoke” bad-news reveal concept
• [23:15–26:30] – Tyreek Hill, Nick Cannon, athletes as procreation machines
• [30:15–33:00] – Monster Truck boss prank gone wrong (with Chuck's reaction)

Tone & Language

• Sarcastic, irreverent, satirical
• Blunt dismissal of social media trends and “look at me” culture
• Raucous camaraderie and self-deprecating humor
• Willingness to “go there” with dark comedy (gray smoke program, Tyreek Hill jabs)

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is classic Holmberg’s Morning Sickness: outrageously opinionated, brutally honest, and full of quotable moments. They lampoon modern parenting performativity, targeting gender reveals as vapid spectacle and inviting men to reclaim their dignity by just staying home. Add a monster truck birthday prank gone wild, and it’s essential listening for fans of off-the-cuff, unfiltered morning radio comedy.