Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Jan 7, 2026

Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness features John Holmberg, with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo, navigating a typically wild set of discussions. The crew dives into listener reactions to their recent conversation on the Las Vegas shooting conspiracy theories, muses about societal distrust and erasure tactics (notably the “kid diddler” phenomenon), unpacks a bizarre medical lawsuit involving a mispronounced dead disabled child, and banters about family secrets, cover-ups, and NFL news.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Las Vegas Shooting & Conspiracy Theory Rabbit Holes

Segment begins: 01:17

• Listener reactions flood in regarding Bret’s rabbit hole dive into the Las Vegas shooting and its unanswered questions, notably the ammo and weapon procurement.
  • Holmberg: "Man, oh man, you don't want to get into this..." (01:23)
  • Holmberg expresses skepticism over suspicious details like hotel security, the ease of moving so much ammunition, and automatic weapons.
• The team dissects how the shooter's brother was quickly undermined by allegations of child pornography, shutting down his credibility as a potential witness.
  • Holmberg: "Can't a dude who diddles kids also witness something and know something about another thing?...The second you say 'he’s got some child porn,' two things can be true at once." (02:22)

Notable Quote

Holmberg (02:22): "Two things can be true at once. A dude who diddles kids can also hold the key to unlocking a massive door, but will never, ever listen to him. Right?"

2. “Kid Diddler” As An Erasure Tool in Society

Segment begins: 03:52

• The show debates how associating someone with the most vile of crimes (child sexual abuse) is the ultimate way to erase them as a credible source, regardless of what they know.
  • Example: Compares this defamation tactic to what happened with Jose Canseco (regarding steroids in baseball), noting how whistleblowers often get painted as crazy to discredit truth.
  • Holmberg: "...the only man that can ensure your freedom fiddles with kids genitals. So you're going to jail for a long time." (05:13)
• They riff darkly on how, in hypothetical situations, having only a “kid diddler” as your witness would doom your case.

Notable Quotes

Holmberg (04:20): "I always do that with conspiracies because that was the first time in my life it mattered to me was with the steroid era in baseball and one dude that was shouting from the rooftop... Everything that dude [Canseco] said was true."

Holmberg (05:13): "Could you imagine if I was in the middle of something and the only person that can free me is Father Dale from St. Tim's? ...I'm done."

Memorable Moment

• Running joke: Imagining a band called "The Heroic Kid Diddlers" and their (non-)success.
  • Dane: "Great band name. Heroic Kid Diddlers." (07:55)
  • Holmberg: "No, not a good. That's actually a terrible thing. I put it on the list still for 2026." (07:58)

3. Family Secrets: Brady’s “Conspiring” Family

Segment begins: 09:22

• The crew teases Brady about his family’s colorful and mysterious past – in vitro fertilization stories, hidden affairs, and never-asked questions about lineage.
  • Holmberg recounts: The family story of a possibly gay uncle, sperm donations, and in vitro confusion, with everyone simply “accepting” odd events. (09:32–14:36)
  • The refusal to question strange family lore is compared to society’s tendency to ignore difficult truths for comfort.
• Holmberg calls Brady’s household “the biggest conspiracy in all of America” (13:49) and jokes about the number of family secrets compared to Bret’s supposed Italian mob connections.

Notable Quotes

Holmberg (13:49): "You are the biggest conspiracy in all of America. What went on in Upper Arlington with the Bogan household?"

Holmberg (10:41): "The nurse... worked with the doctor and said, 'Can I borrow your sperms?' And the doctor's like, 'Yes, but only in a scientific manner. I would never have sex with one of my nurses. That's gross.'"

4. Medical Lawsuit: Disabled Child Incorrectly Pronounced Dead

Segment begins: 16:25

• News story: A Detroit family was awarded $3.25 million after their severely disabled daughter was pronounced dead, body-bagged, sent to the mortuary, then “came back to life.”
  • Holmberg leans into dark comedy, referencing the bizarre appearance of the “potato kids” Brady follows online and riffing on what the coroner and family might have thought at each stage.
  • Banter: Comparing the situation to Monty Python’s “I’m not dead yet!” sketch.
  • They discuss the rush of EMTs, the mistakes (especially during the COVID era), and ethical issues about life and death versus payout money.
• Holmberg jokes about the “relief” some parents might feel as caretakers and how a windfall might alter their patience if their child came back to life.

Notable Quotes

Holmberg (17:55): "They zip her up, put her in the body bag and drop her off at the mortuary to go get cut up to find out what the hell planet she was from... And then they got $3.25 million for the mistake, for the goof."

Holmberg (20:30): "If it came back, God damn. That would probably been like when they knock on the door after it comes back. What do you want? Your child came back to life… What were you painting? Yeah, I'm painting the room. Making a man cave. I thought this thing was over."

Memorable Moment

• The panel acts out the hypothetical—building a man cave, learning the child is alive again, and reluctantly undoing renovations for accessibility (22:39).

5. NFL & Underdog Fantasy Sports Banter

Segment begins: 29:09

• Brief celebratory tangent marking drummer Neil Peart’s death anniversary, with a nod to Rush's “Tom Sawyer.”
• Quick run-through of the NFL playoff situation, cap space woes (especially Lamar Jackson and the Ravens), and QB speculation for the Steelers.
  • Holmberg (30:49): "$72 million is 26% of your payroll. And it’s going to jump. Do you keep them or do you just start all over?"

6. Emails & The Risk of Public Conspiracy Theorizing

Segment begins: 25:55

• The show reads more emails cautioning the crew to avoid “Alex Jones territory.”
• They riff on how real conspiracy talk is quickly stamped out; if you dig into Saudi-owned alfalfa farms in Arizona, you’ll find yourself “erased” by scandal. (26:57)
  • Holmberg jokes about how easily controversial topics are swept aside, noting media, distraction tactics, and the commodification of public outrage.

Notable Quotes

Holmberg (27:03): "You know, that's like 30% of the Colorado river is dedicated to these alfalfa fields for Saudi Arabia. And it was like, ignore it. Okay."

Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

• Holmberg (02:22): "Two things can be true at once... Isn't it awful that we will automatically, like, this guy might hold a secret to something incredibly important, but the second you say 'he's got child porn,' ...we will never hear anything from a guy."
• Holmberg (07:58): (On band names) "Heroic kid Diddler is not a good band."
• Holmberg (13:49): (Joking about Brady’s family) "You are the biggest conspiracy in all of America. What went on in Upper Arlington with the Bogan household?"
• Holmberg (17:55): "And they got $3.25 million for the mistake, for the goof. She opened her eyes and the body bag was unzipped to, like, cut it open. They unzip it and it goes, 'thank you.'"
• Holmberg (20:30): "What do you want? Your child came back to life…What were you painting?... I thought this thing was over."
• Holmberg (27:03): "You know, that's like 30% of the Colorado river is dedicated to these alfalfa fields for Saudi Arabia. And it was like, ignore it. Okay."
• Holmberg (30:49): "$72 million is 26% of your payroll. And it's going to jump."

Timestamps for Major Topics

| Timestamp | Topic | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:17 | Vegas shooting rabbit hole and conspiracy responses | | 03:52 | "Kid diddler" as a method of erasing credibility | | 07:55 | Heroic Kid Diddler – band name joke | | 09:22-14:36 | Unpacking family secrets and refused questions (Brady’s family saga) | | 16:25 | Detroit lawsuit: disabled child pronounced dead, then found alive | | 20:30+ | Hypothetical scenarios, man caves, and dark parental comedy | | 25:55 | Listener emails – the danger of public conspiracies, Saudi alfalfa farms | | 27:03 | Speculation on Saudi farming and cover-ups in Arizona | | 29:09 | NFL banter, Neil Peart/Rush tribute, playoff talk, Steelers/Burrow speculation |

Final Thoughts

The episode is quintessentially irreverent and off-kilter: the hosts bounce between real world news, dark societal observations, and personal histories, always veering into edgy, sometimes uncomfortable laughter. They dissect how society erases inconvenient voices, joke through taboo topics, and never shy from poking fun at themselves or each other—producing a whirlwind of morning radio chaos that manages to be both thought-provoking and outrageous.

For more, tune in weekdays at 98KUPD or visit 98kupd.com.