01-15-26 - Akaash Singh - Stand Up Live - In Studio

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona
Episode Title: 01-15-26 - Akaash Singh - Stand Up Live - In Studio
Date: January 15, 2026
Host(s): John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Guest: Akaash Singh (Comedian, Flagrant Podcast)

---

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian Akaash Singh, co-host of the Flagrant podcast, in studio promoting his shows at Stand Up Live. The discussion jumps from his recent meteoric rise in podcasting and interviews with major political figures to life as a stand-up, sports fandom, conspiracy theories, personal stories, and playful debate about Tim Tebow. The tone is quick-witted, irreverent, and occasionally provocative, in classic "Morning Sickness" style.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Akaash Singh’s Journey and the Flagrant Podcast

• Recent years have seen the Flagrant Podcast explode in popularity, moving from sports and comedy into headline-making interviews with political heavyweights.
  • Akaash reminisces missing the days when the podcast was mostly about sports. (01:10)
• The shift from basketball and comedy to front-line political conversations (e.g., interviews with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders).
  • Singh describes how once they hosted one or two prominent guests, suddenly "everyone else wanted to come." (01:36)
  • There was no pressure from Trump, Sanders, or their teams regarding what questions could or could not be asked. The Flagrant team assures political guests it's not a "gotcha" set-up—"We want to try to make you feel like a human." (02:42)
  • Singh reflects on shaping American presidential conversation:

    "The next week, you literally shaped the American presidential campaign. Do you realize that?" – Holmberg (02:01)
    "I don't know. We tried to ask most of what we wanted to ask, that we thought he would not get up and walk out for." – Singh (02:07)

Meeting and Assessing Presidential Candidates

• Akaash found Donald Trump’s presence and quick wit memorable.
  • Trump joked, “That would’ve been bad. I tell you, Joe Biden would have tripped on that thing,” after being warned not to trip. (04:13)
  • Holmberg and Singh discuss the commanding presence Trump has—even before politics—echoed in anecdotes from longstanding professionals (04:42).
• What surprised Akaash: Even those rumored to be “in decline” are often sharp—singling out Trump as "keenly aware" and "very sharp." (03:37)
• Comparison between Trump (charismatic, wants you to like him) and Bernie Sanders (authentic, focused and uninterested in winning you over personally):

  "Bernie was not [trying to be liked]. Bernie's like an old man. He's like, look, I care about what I care about. Let's talk about that." – Singh (22:55)

Sports, Fandom, and "The Joy of Hate"

• The hosts and Akaash bond over classic sports rivalries (Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers, Ravens, and more), with Akaash openly lamenting his "break-up" with the Cowboys and turning into a more neutral but still passionate NFL observer (09:17).
• Joy in sports comes not just from loving your team, but hating your rivals:

  "My hate breeds my happiness." – Holmberg (10:30)
  "Hate is so entertaining... Without hate, you can't find happiness." – Holmberg (11:09)

Tim Tebow, Cynicism, & Conspiracy Jokes

• John Holmberg launches into an over-the-top, satirical riff about not trusting Tim Tebow’s extreme wholesome image, claiming Tebow is “too nice” to be real, and jokingly accusing him of nefarious deeds.

  “I can't watch Tim Tebow do anything. I firmly believe Tim Tebow is a... bottom and he's been planted here and he's programmed and he's got an agenda and it's all going to hurt us eventually. ... I think he's trafficking kids.” – Holmberg (06:00, 06:48)

  • Akaash lightly pushes back, maintaining Tebow was “the kindest guy,” obsessed with helping kids escape trafficking, and fun to talk to. (06:14)
  • The back-and-forth is playful, with repeated clarifications it's all in jest:

    "No, I don't think he's trafficking children. Let's be clear." – Singh (08:02)

Fertility Struggles and Relationship Dynamics

• Akaash shares personal insights about trying to start a family, acknowledging both he and his wife faced challenges and the emotional toll it took.

  “It's rare as a man that you're like, I wish this is my fault. I wish my sperm didn’t work. But I wish in that moment my sperm didn’t work.” – Singh (13:18)

Conspiracies, Suspicion, and the Moon Landing

• Akaash admits he tries not to dive into conspiracy rabbit holes (“You could get me with a conspiracy, so I try not to go down that…”). (13:59)
• Holmberg humorously confesses to losing faith in the moon landing, prompted by modern moon mission hype and inconsistency in messaging.

  “Over Christmas break, I realized I no longer believe in the moon landing. ... I just don't anymore.” – Holmberg (14:05)

Wild Personal Story: The Cameraman Debacle

• Akaash recounts how his lead cameraman with a gambling problem pawned tens of thousands of dollars' worth of his equipment, initially denying theft:

  “He goes, I didn't steal it. I pawned it.” – Singh (17:58)

• The ordeal resolved (mostly), but Akaash laments the breach of trust and offers practical, if resigned, solutions for the future (18:48–19:05).

The Aftermath of High-Profile Interviews

• The pressure, scrutiny, and responsibility that came after hosting political megastars:

  “Now you become a target. Now there’s articles written about you... Deciding who you are. ... And it’s like, I truly don’t really like either party and I don’t want to be that. ... At the end of the day, we want to be standups.” – Singh (20:29)

• The danger of being seen as a political voice rather than a comedian:

  “...At the end of the day, it's like, dude, I'm a human being who's just as flawed as anybody else. ... There was a cost to that.” – Singh (21:15)

Humanizing Politicians

• Being in the room with someone as prominent as a president revealed their basic humanity:

  “He is warm... They're chameleons, but in the room with us, he was a warm guy. ... Everyone is a human being.” – Singh (21:59)

• Bernie’s authenticity stands out:

  "[Bernie] cares about what he cares about. ... The most authentic to me." – Singh (22:55)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On podcasting with political heavyweights:

  “The next week, you literally shaped the American presidential campaign.”
  — John Holmberg (02:01)

• On interviewing Trump:

  “I tell you, Joe Biden would have tripped on that thing.”
  — Donald Trump via Akaash Singh (04:13)

• On engaging with enormous political egos:

  “Some of us are wired very differently. Because the stuff that you gotta go through... I don't want it.”
  — Akaash Singh (22:17)

• On the joy of sports hatred:

  “Hate is funnier, and it's more fun, and it actually makes you happier. Without hate, you can't find happiness.”
  — Holmberg (11:10)

• On skepticism about saintly public figures:

  “I can't watch Tim Tebow do anything... I think he's trafficking kids.”
  — Holmberg (06:00, 06:48, running gag)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:59–03:45 – Origins of Flagrant's political pivot; booking Trump, Sanders, and more.
• 03:37–04:55 – Akaash describes his impressions of Trump’s sharpness and the energy of powerful people.
• 05:21–09:41 – Sports fandom, football rivalries, and hate as happiness.
• 06:00–08:02 – Playful debate: Is Tim Tebow too nice to be real?
• 12:00–13:36 – Akaash discusses fertility challenges and relationship effects.
• 14:05–15:50 – Conspiracy theories: Moon landing skepticism and black hole humor.
• 16:23–19:05 – Akaash’s cameraman pawns his equipment: trust and betrayal.
• 19:16–22:17 – Post-Trump interview reflections: fame, responsibility, and the cost of being taken seriously.
• 22:51–24:00 – Bernie's authenticity and old Brooklyn Dodgers stories.

---

Tone & Final Thoughts

• The episode stays fast, loose, and wide-ranging, blending comedy, real talk, and satire, with Akaash Singh easily matching the "Morning Sickness" crew's tone and pace.
• While irreverence is constant (with recurring barbs about Tebow and playful shots at public figures), there’s an undercurrent of thoughtful reflection on the oddities of sudden fame, media responsibility, and the nature of power.
• Singh’s takeaways are grounded: respect for the human side of public figures, and a desire to keep his craft rooted in stand-up, not punditry.

---

Closing

Akaash Singh’s advice for changing the world:

“Come to Stand Up Live. Thursday, Friday, Saturday. You lobbed it up, I dunked.” (24:36)

Holmberg: “Thank you. I'm so impressed... It's been awesome. Leave us with words of wisdom, all you've been through.”

Singh: “Great to be here. Y'all are my favorite.” (25:47)

---

For anyone who missed the episode, this rundown captures the mix of celebrity insight, sports banter, bold humor, and real-life stories that define both Holmberg’s Morning Sickness and Singh’s comedic persona.

Transcript

[John Holmberg]

You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories. It's John Holmberg here, seeing clear as a bell, thanks to my friends at the Schwartz Laser Eye Center. Well, here we are looking at a brand new year. Can you see yourself in 2026? Can you see it all? I mean, really, maybe in 2026 you should see yourself seeing. Fix those eyes. Vision changes are gradual. You might not even know how bad it's gotten. I know. That was my story. So start the new year by seeing clearly. Visit Dr. Jay Schwartz and his team, Schwartz Laser Eye Center, 480483 Eyes Schwartz Laser Eye center, the official eye center for your Diamondbacks and sons. I'm gonna say this out loud here. You're the most important guest we've had in this room, maybe ever. Policy shaper. Political pundit.

[Akash Singh]

Idiot.

[John Holmberg]

Idiot.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Gosh. Thing is here from the flagrant podcast. You and Schultz are doing that still.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And over the last. I remember when you first came here and you were doing that podcast, I thought it was great because it was a lot of basketball.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, yeah, dude, I, I miss the sports, to be honest.

[John Holmberg]

It was a lot of basketball talk. Gosh. It's a stand up live tonight, tomorrow and Saturday, if you want to go standup live.com and then like in the blink of an eye, there you are with Donald Trump and you, Bernie Sanders down the front. Bernie Sanders, I forgot about. Yeah, we did all of them and they. Did you ask for them or did they come to you?

[Akash Singh]

I think they came to us and then once a few came, once one or two came, everybody else wanted to come. And then once, you know, they saw that it was effective for Trump, then everybody wanted to come. So, yeah, it's everybody, which is. It's an honor. It's cool. It's amazing how much comes after that. I wasn't aware.

[John Holmberg]

What was the show before Trump? I don't even know the month or week before because you guys had to be talking about, like, alien babies and something crazy.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Holmberg]

The next week, you literally shaped the American presidential campaign.

[Akash Singh]

You did.

[John Holmberg]

Do you realize that?

[Akash Singh]

I don't know. We did tried to ask most of what we wanted to ask that we thought he would not get up and walk out for. Yeah, I remember. And we had a bunch of calls before the episode, but he said something that was like, look, everybody's gonna want you to ask what they want to ask, so don't worry about that. Ask the things you want to ask.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

So we tried to do that. There was one or two times where it's like, yeah, I think maybe I'm wording this more softly, because, again, I don't want to get up and walk out. I want to ask the things I want to ask that I think people would be interested in. So you just do that.

[Guest/Producer]

Were you given any parameters? We're saying if you go down this line.

[John Holmberg]

He said, go with Bernie. No parameters.

[Akash Singh]

None of Bernie, none of Trump, none of them. Think a lot of them gave us parameters, to be honest. Now we'll tell them, like, we're not trying to do the Gotcha thing. Right. It's just not us. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

You're just going to sit in here and. And do our show.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. We want to try to make you feel like a human, and we feel like that's the best way to get things out of you that might, you.

[John Holmberg]

Know, authenticity, open books. Yeah. That's the whole thing. And it was fantastic. Like, that's the crazy part.

[Akash Singh]

Well, thank you, man.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. But the last time I saw you, we were talking about whether or not Kevin Durant was going to make a difference for the Suns.

[Akash Singh]

I miss those days.

[John Holmberg]

Now I'm like, hey, when you met the president and shaped the election, did you ever imagine your life going down that road?

[Akash Singh]

No, I did not.

[John Holmberg]

Standing up at the Comedy Store and doing stuff and struggling and being.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, exactly.

[John Holmberg]

Here we are.

[Akash Singh]

Opportunity presents itself.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

You take it. You don't know what's going to happen. And then, sure enough. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Of all of them, who was the most impressive of all the people that rolled through during that whole thing? Because I.

[Guest/Producer]

Still.

[Akash Singh]

Very sharp. Yeah. I remember thinking, like. Because people were like, oh, I think he has dementia. Blah, blah, blah. When I sat next to him, I was like, oh, no. This guy's keenly aware of every single thing happening around him.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, dude. And he's just quick. Before he even sat down, he had to, like, make his way around a lighting fixture to get to his seat, and a Secret Service guy had tripped on it, and it was right next to me. He was like, hey, can you just make sure that the president or whatever doesn't trip here? Just say something to him. So I get up, I shake his hand, and then I say, hey, by the way, watch your step here, and I don't want you to trip on it. And then Trump goes, oh, thank you for telling me that. That would have been bad. I tell you, Joe Biden would have tripped on that thing.

[John Holmberg]

Camera Is not even on swing.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Just a little pause and then bang, right out of the gate. And I was like, oh, no, this guy's not. He's not slow.

[John Holmberg]

Back a long time ago, my dad was in construction and they built a casino in Palm Springs that Trump bought at Spotlight 29. Turned into Trump 29 for like a minute. He bought it and then sold it for a ton of money. And my dad said, you know, he was very. He demanded attention the second he walked in. Not verbally.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And he said, and my dad was one of those type A guys. And he's like, he's one of the few people that I didn't know that made me pucker. This was 20 years prior to him ever being in politics. Because that guy came into a room and you just realized, he's in charge of this.

[Akash Singh]

Wow.

[John Holmberg]

And my dad was one of those I'm in charge here guys.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And he's like, yeah. You just kind of felt like you got it. He's, He's, He's. He could get you.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And he was like. He just. He was in charge.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And that was the one thing he.

[Guest/Producer]

Was good and bad.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. I lived with that the whole time. Because he's like my dad. My dad admitting that. Admitting that someone puckered him.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Was not his brand.

[Akash Singh]

Right. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And so it was very strange. But, yeah, I watched it. Any of them make you feel like, oh, Jesus, don't know. No.

[Akash Singh]

Moments. I think they're also like, they're in politics modes. They need you to like them.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

They're aware of that. Like, Trump in business mode is probably. I want to get my deal. I want.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

And then they. These guys are. They're socially not dumb. That's how they get to their position. So they're probably thinking, I need these guys to like me.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Let me present my best self, etc. Etc.

[John Holmberg]

Are you guys going to stay on the political track or you get. You talk about it?

[Akash Singh]

I think we hit. Everybody wanted to hit, and we're good.

[John Holmberg]

And you're just going to keep going like Tim Tebow was on your podcast? I can't watch Tim Tebow do anything. I firmly believe Tim Tebow is a. As a bottom and he's been planted here and he's programmed and he's got an agenda and it's all going to hurt us eventually.

[Akash Singh]

He's.

[John Holmberg]

You know what he is? He's Damien from the Omen.

[Akash Singh]

Grown up. You sound. You sound exactly like anti Trump people. But about Team Tebow, it's random.

[John Holmberg]

Tebow is the one that I'm like, nothing he does. That's not a human being. Human beings don't do or say those things.

[Akash Singh]

So he's.

[Guest/Producer]

Either way, he can be that nice.

[John Holmberg]

No, he's either. I don't trust it.

[Akash Singh]

He was so nice.

[John Holmberg]

Don't trust it.

[Akash Singh]

He was so nice.

[John Holmberg]

I don't trust it. Yeah, I need somebody to be a little bit of a dick now and again to make me go, okay, cool. You're not programmed.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

Off the record.

[John Holmberg]

Tell me a off color joke, something terrible.

[Akash Singh]

He didn't. Yeah, none of that. He's just the kindest guy. It was really just like. He cares about kids getting trafficked. It seems like.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, he. And that was his big thing.

[Akash Singh]

That's all he cared about.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

And it's helping kids.

[John Holmberg]

But nobody cares that much, do they? That much people care, but that much like to tour.

[Akash Singh]

I hope so.

[John Holmberg]

I. I think he's trafficking kids. I think his cover is carrying.

[Guest/Producer]

The one that's caring so much is.

[John Holmberg]

The guy that you care that much.

[Akash Singh]

Exact.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. You can't hear that much.

[Akash Singh]

Anybody who cares that much about kids getting diddled is.

[John Holmberg]

And he's like, here's the other thing about a trafficker that would. I've uncovered this is that you would go on a tour to tell people how you don't like trafficking. Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And then you get free flights. All the while you're moving the kids on the tour.

[Akash Singh]

Tour van full of kids.

[John Holmberg]

I go do flagrant. Drop a couple kids off there. I gotta do the homework show over here in Phoenix. Drop a couple kids off there.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, man, I. I hope not. I hope there's no. I hope not ever with Tim Tebow. He was the kindest guy, and it was fun to have someone that sweet and Jesus loving just demolish everybody in college football. It was like a really funny. I was a fan still bitter about.

[John Holmberg]

The 2012 playoff game against the Broncos with the Steelers when Ryan Mundy. Ryan Mundy stepped up where Ryan Clark could have been. But Sickle Cell ruined that game, and it was in the wrong spot. So Demetrius Thomas slipped behind him.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It's brutal.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

So I hate Tebow. I'm sorry that he's a friend of yours, but I can't like it. I can't lie. He's a human trafficker. We established that immediately. Akash didn't defend it.

[Akash Singh]

No, I don't think he's trafficking children. Let's be clear.

[John Holmberg]

All right. Well, all right. That's what? A guy who would defend a guy. That's exactly what.

[Akash Singh]

Timo.

[John Holmberg]

I didn't mean to twist your words, but it sounds like he knows something. Akash sings at Stand Up Live tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. Standuplive.com is where you go, what else is going on in your world that this is an explosion in the last few years for you. You guys had.

[Guest/Producer]

His guest tomorrow is Timothy Busfield.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, are you going to bring him in? He did it. The Timothy Busfield. You've been watching that one?

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, I'm unplugged.

[John Holmberg]

Good move. Yeah. He was Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds.

[Akash Singh]

Okay.

[John Holmberg]

They just. He's. He ran from the law for three days because he's been accused of diddling kids.

[Akash Singh]

I knew it was kids. Yeah. I knew kids.

[John Holmberg]

He's ginger.

[Akash Singh]

He.

[John Holmberg]

You knew it. We all knew it. We're just waiting for the Andy Dalton news to break.

[Akash Singh]

You know, the playoffs have been amazing. I hate that you're out because your team lost, but, yeah, that was the best in college football. Playoffs have been great. The NFL playoffs have been great.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Except for one game, the one my team was against. Yeah. It's been. Sports is my thing. I disappear and now I'm back in society and I don't like it.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. See, I've just. I've remembered how fun it is to disappear into sports.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. And I'm like, oh, this is great.

[John Holmberg]

Who's your team?

[Akash Singh]

I don't really. I'm kind of agnostic as a football fan.

[John Holmberg]

Really? How is that possible?

[Akash Singh]

I'm a born and raised cowboy fan.

[John Holmberg]

Oh.

[Akash Singh]

And then after that Green Bay loss two years ago, I was like, oh, it's never going to change.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

The ownership is. The ownership. It sucks. They don't care about us. I'm very disillusioned with it.

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Akash Singh]

I don't want to be a fan of theirs anymore. I like when they lose.

[John Holmberg]

So you just watch.

[Akash Singh]

So now I have an interest every game. If I had to choose a team right now, be the Bills, I hope they win it.

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Akash Singh]

But I wouldn't be mad. The only thing I know is I hate the Eagles.

[John Holmberg]

Yep.

[Akash Singh]

And.

[John Holmberg]

And that's your Cowboys love.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, that's my Cowboys love. And I married a girl from Philly whose whole family is Eagles fans. So both Super Bowls, they won. I've had to watch with them. And it was just like, I can't do that again, dude. No, I can't do it.

[John Holmberg]

They can't. Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

And my nieces are so cute. But they're, like, in Eagles cheerleading outfits, and it's like, this is a nightmare.

[John Holmberg]

They sound. They sound inbred to me. See, that's how much I hate the other teams, and that's too much love for one team. I wish I could pull back a little.

[Akash Singh]

Dude, I was in Pittsburgh last week and they really thought they were going to go. Somebody in the Uber for my. My feature was in an Uber to the club, and the guy was like, it's written. People don't realize it's written. For the super. To win the super bowl, it's like, it's destined. It's destiny. And then they got trounced.

[John Holmberg]

The Texans didn't read the script. They had something else happen.

[Akash Singh]

They had a different destiny in mind.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. So I. My love, I. I tell people, as I've mentioned this a million times, my hate for the Ravens, Lamar Jackson, things like that. My hate breeds my happiness.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. I'm like that.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. So if I see the. I get so much more of the Ravens losing than I do the Steelers winning.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Well, the Cowboys don't win, so I don't know.

[John Holmberg]

So you don't have that anymore.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. So. But now Eagles hate. I hate the Niners, but I hate the Eagles so much. I'm fine with the Niners.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, but your hate becomes your joy.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It can't live without the other.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It's so great.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Hate is the answer. We have had this lie told to us by John Lennon and everybody else that love is the only way it's never worked.

[Akash Singh]

Hate is so entertaining.

[John Holmberg]

Hate is funnier, and it's more fun, and it actually makes you happier. Without hate, you can't find happiness.

[Akash Singh]

That's why you don't like Tim Tebows. Too much love.

[John Holmberg]

Well, he's way too much love. Like, I just don't believe it.

[Akash Singh]

Maybe he's. He's actually hateful. And then you guys can. You can find your.

[John Holmberg]

Find out what he hates if he's on the show and he'll say, human trafficking.

[Akash Singh]

Exactly.

[John Holmberg]

All right.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Besides that. Like, what about, like, mundane life that you could tell me that he hates? And if he said nothing, I'm like, you're not real. Everybody hates someone.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, man. I don't know. Beautiful wife. Seem. They seem very in love.

[John Holmberg]

I don't buy it.

[Akash Singh]

He doesn't want.

[Guest/Producer]

He doesn't want that to be true.

[John Holmberg]

He's a human trafficking homosexual. That's what I think. That's just me, though. And you're married. You don't have kids yet.

[Akash Singh]

No. We're hoping soon.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. What's holding you up?

[Akash Singh]

We tried for a while. It wasn't really happening. I think both of us have maybe some stuff.

[John Holmberg]

No kidding?

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. I got checked a year ago and it was good. Then I got checked again recently and it was not as good.

[John Holmberg]

Really?

[Akash Singh]

It was fine. But like the motility or something was a little low. But I had also been in a sauna a bunch and they said that could affect it.

[John Holmberg]

Really?

[Akash Singh]

I don't like working, lifting weights or running. Obviously you can tell by looking at the sauna. It's just nice, relaxing.

[John Holmberg]

And that makes your sperms go away.

[Akash Singh]

Apparently.

[John Holmberg]

I thought that was an old wives tale.

[Akash Singh]

Sauna, the doctor told us. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

So you can't do that. You gotta ice them up.

[Guest/Producer]

If you're trying to have a kid.

[Akash Singh]

Stay away from the sauna. Yeah. For this little time.

[John Holmberg]

I liked how you kind of low keyed. Blamed your wife a little too.

[Akash Singh]

Well, she had issues too. But this is what I was. And I put this. I'm working on my new hour. This is in there. She was like, this is where I was like, we need to take a break. After like three or four months. We. It wasn't happening. I got my sperm checked, numbers were good. And then she goes, am I even a woman if I can't do the one thing. Oh, that was so sad.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Akash Singh]

I was like, sorry. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My bad. That was so sad. I was like, we can't do.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, you can't keep putting her through that.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's take a break.

[John Holmberg]

What? 98. No way. Holmberg's morning sickness. Then you got to take all the blame.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

My God, am I even a woman if I can't do that?

[Akash Singh]

It's rare as a man that you're like, I wish this is my fault. I wish my sperm didn't work. But I wish in that moment my sperm didn't work.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Because you gotta like have lazy, awful sperm. Have the doctor tell you you're useless.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Come back and go, it's me.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, exactly.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. So you guys will get back on it soon.

[Akash Singh]

So. Yeah, maybe we'll do IVF or whatever. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Get one of those deals. No. Or not have kids. Which is also a path to happiness.

[Akash Singh]

It is a path, but I genuinely think kids are the best.

[John Holmberg]

Really?

[Akash Singh]

I'm a little Tim Tebow.

[John Holmberg]

But Tim would say they're the best to move from A to B for financial reasons.

[Akash Singh]

Now what he thinks Tim Tebow Is what I believe Tim Tebow is, which is a nice guy.

[John Holmberg]

Do you find your. Are you conspiratorial? Do you have.

[Akash Singh]

You could get me with a conspiracy. So I try not to even go down that. Because I fear that it's endless.

[John Holmberg]

It is.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Over Christmas break, I realized I no longer believe in the moon landing. Oh. And I used to all the time. I just don't anymore.

[Akash Singh]

Why?

[John Holmberg]

Because the dudes going to the moon now. The new crew. Out loud, the captain said twice, people will be on the moon. Can you believe this? Humans will be on the moon. And I'm like, why are you so excited about that? Like, you will be on the moon. I'd understand that.

[Guest/Producer]

Today they announced a hotel.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. They're still talking about building hotels in 20, 32.

[Guest/Producer]

Oh, no. 36.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

That. It's 250,000 per person. Just for the room. For the room. And then there's, you know, it's a million bucks for the travel or something like that.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. It's a little heavy, right?

[Akash Singh]

I don't understand how you build with no gravity.

[Guest/Producer]

They're gonna do inflatable. They're saying the first. The temporary stay is like an inflatable place. You can.

[Akash Singh]

I'm not doing that.

[Guest/Producer]

They say activities that you could do is you can drive on the moon on a cart. You can golf.

[Akash Singh]

I'm not doing any of that. That's insane. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Why would.

[Akash Singh]

There's no gravity. No. I don't know where I'm gonna stop. What? Is it tethered?

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

On some strings.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. How do you keep those down?

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

You got to anchor it to Earth.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Well.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

The new 16 is evacuated.

[John Holmberg]

The new thing that's going to happen in August is we're going to get two black holes too close to each other. And scientists say that there's a chance someday in August we'll have 6 to 10 seconds of no gravity.

[Akash Singh]

That'd be sick.

[John Holmberg]

That's what I.

[Akash Singh]

That'd be sick.

[Guest/Producer]

Listen.

[John Holmberg]

Awesome. It's going to rain cars.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

This would be how many million?

[John Holmberg]

Well, I remember the number, but we'll go up. We'll go up 30 meters. If you're outside, you'll go up 30.

[Guest/Producer]

So it's like 60 million deaths.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, that. Okay. That's not as cool as I thought it was.

[John Holmberg]

What did you think was going to happen?

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

I'm just standing.

[John Holmberg]

You're in the air.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. Dude.

[John Holmberg]

It's like being at the. The trampoline place for a minute. This is great. Yeah. Burp And I kind of root for it. I think it'll be cool.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, dude. Hey, listen, if you're here, you just, you'd be in the studio. It's what a ten foot drop gets. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

You know, it's fizzy. Lifting drink from Willy Wonka. Float a little bit, we burp, we come back down, everything's fine.

[Akash Singh]

Wraps and pillows around your body. You're good.

[Guest/Producer]

So I can tether down.

[John Holmberg]

You know, what is your. What is the one thing in your life that you're like? This makes me a little crazy, but I think this.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, conspiratorial or just general? I'll tell you what, this actually has just happened to me. Last week, I was doing a corporate gig out of the country. I get a call from or text, three in the morning. This is not related to conspiracies, but I think it's kind of funny and awful and just a little, whatever, stressful. But I had a camera guy, my lead camera guy, my lead editor. I brought him on a year and a half ago. He called me like a month and a half ago and he was like, hey, just want to come clean. I had a gambling addiction. I had some debt. I'm working through it, but I just wanted to come clean with you. And I said, hey, I appreciate you coming clean. Yeah, cool. And then all of a sudden, the work kind of wasn't there and I get a little worried. I call his friend who works with him a lot, and I was like, hey, man, I need you to get my camera equipment back. This guy has all of my equipment, all of my hard drives, all of my lenses, everything, like a lot of money. And all of my shows that I pull clips from, I watch down for the special, whatever. And he's like, yeah, let me see what I can do. And I get a text message from my cameraman. He said, dog, I would never steal your equipment. That's crazy, right? Ten days later, I get a text. Hey, man, I don't know how to tell you this. Your equipment is all in pawn shops. It's going to cost X amount to get it back. I'm laying like a lot, like tens of thousands of dollars to get it back. I don't know. I'm very embarrassed by this. I'm so sorry, blah, blah, blah. I call him. I go, do you know how insulting that is? How, like, disgusting that is that you made me feel bad saying I would never steal your camera equipment? I felt guilty about, yeah, even the.

[John Holmberg]

Slightest when it was gone.

[Akash Singh]

And then he goes and he Goes, I didn't steal it. I pawned it.

[John Holmberg]

Oh.

[Akash Singh]

Oh, yeah, you're right. I'm the ass. That's on me. I'm the one. You're right, dude.

[John Holmberg]

I mean, you were a little pushy. You were kind of being a dick about it. He was gonna get it back.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

Horrible.

[Akash Singh]

Unbelievable.

[John Holmberg]

And he got it all back.

[Akash Singh]

I think I'm getting back today. I'm getting most of it back today.

[John Holmberg]

Did you tell Tim Tebow about that? And have Tim go, what a dick, because that's all I'd need.

[Akash Singh]

Did you say, I'm sorry. I'm praying for you press charges. But that's the thing. First of all, he's in Canada. He's a Toronto kid.

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Akash Singh]

So they said you could press. The only way to get it back from the pawn shop without him is call the cops.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

But then the cops will confiscate it, and I don't know what I'm getting back.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Ronaldo.

[Akash Singh]

Police officers. So I just have to kind of let it slide, I guess.

[John Holmberg]

Eat this.

[Akash Singh]

I think so.

[Guest/Producer]

And what happens with the interviewing process for the next guy?

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Akash Singh]

He's got his own equipment.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, yeah. He brings his own stuff.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And you keep, like, one of you keep your phone on one of those casino gambling things.

[Akash Singh]

Here's how lazy I am. I'm probably gonna still bring in my own cameras and stuff, but, like, the reason I have them take it is I don't want to lug it around.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, it's heavy.

[Akash Singh]

So I'm probably just gonna be like, hey, man, please don't pawn this.

[John Holmberg]

Put. Get one of those sticky things and put your name on everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. That sucks.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. It was a wild three in the morning. I get that text, and I was just trying to sort through it, like, what's going on here? Yeah. Nothing.

[John Holmberg]

Saying, yeah, what do you want to happen with the podcast next? Where are you guys when I have to ask you this? When Trump left the room, what did you guys say? Like, did you. It almost probably feels like we got to button it up. Like, what do we do?

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, yeah, we. So we don't often, like, go eat. Go out and eat after, like, an episode and chop it up for, like, an hour or two. We all. We were at Trump Tower, so we just went and got lunch and just talked about, like, what a crazy experience that was.

[Guest/Producer]

Was it one of the best lunches you've ever had? It was best food. It was incredible.

[Akash Singh]

It was good food. And it was like, yo, yeah. Whether and, you know, I didn't necessarily want him to win or whatever, but, like, I didn't like the other option either.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

But it was like, that's so cool. And we were trying to get her on the podcast too. I would have loved to have both of them. She. Yeah, they. Her team ducked us. I didn't have direct contact to her at all, but we were like, that's so cool. What a cool.

[John Holmberg]

It's incredible.

[Akash Singh]

Like, whatever you think. Who cares? You got to talk to this guy as a human being who was president.

[John Holmberg]

Of the United States and insert yourself into the world.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. That I don't like.

[John Holmberg]

You were, though.

[Akash Singh]

There's a cost to that that you think about these things. You're just like some. I don't say bright eyed, bushy tailed, whatever. Like you just. You're excited to be a part of this thing. So you don't think about getting involved in the politics world.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Now you become a target. Now there's articles written about you. The brocaster was. Whatever they're calling us the pod bros, Whatever they call this. And it's like, I don't even use the word bro. And I'm not saying I don't align with like some of that stuff, but, like, it's a little douchey. Yeah. Just to see others just deciding who you are. And then you, you're the reason this guy got elected or you love him or you're. You're Maggie or you're a line that. And it's like, I'm not either. I truly don't really like either party and I don't want to be that. So I would love. I think we're, as a pod, we're not trying to be as involved in that because we're like, at the end of the day, we want to be standups.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

That's the thing. It's stand up comedy. And the danger is like, it becomes that. The voice of reason.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And then people lean to you to go, oh, what is he thinking? And it's like, it's. It becomes a man. Like, it can manipulate you.

[Akash Singh]

You're thinking, wow, my important, intoxicating voice of reason. We're this, we're that. And then at the end of the day, it's like, dude, I'm a human being who's just as flawed as anybody else. So, like, I don't want to be the voice of reason or. That was cool to hear for a while, but now I'm like, there was a cost to that.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Isn't it Weird, too, though, that when in the room with somebody who's about to potentially take that position and he. Did you. I don't know if you did, but what did you realize at any point? Oh, my God. We're not that far apart. You know what I mean? Like, there's no extraordinary humanity to what you were with. As far as, like, in my mind, I would want the president to make.

[Guest/Producer]

Me feel like superhero.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, my God. I can't. I can't even. I can barely have a conversation.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

But he. He's. It humanized him probably a little. Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. No, it definitely. And again, he's like a.

[John Holmberg]

In.

[Akash Singh]

In person, he is warm.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

He's not like a. I mean, maybe. And again, these guys are. They're chameleons. There's a reason successful politicians. So they can be whatever they want. Yeah. But in the room with us, he was a warm guy.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

This is a human being. And then you're like, oh, everyone is a human being. I guess. But then some of us are wired very differently.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Because the stuff that you got to go through as an imagination. I don't want it.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

I don't want it.

[John Holmberg]

I had a lunch once with a quantum physicist.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And at first we were talking about hamburgers and normal stuff, and then he broke into some sort of laser talk.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It was another language. And I'm like, oh, I'm the dumbest person in the room. And you realize at that moment, oh, this is extraordinary.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Like. And I don't. I'm not in this regard.

[Guest/Producer]

This again.

[John Holmberg]

So more time, I found since I met a couple of politicians, and most of the time they're, like, interested, like you said. They want you to like them. They're more interested in you than you are in them.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And Bernie was probably that way. I'm fascinated by your world.

[Akash Singh]

Bernie was not. Bernie's like an old man. He's like, look, I care about what I care about. Let's talk about that. He wasn't interested in us. And I don't mean that like he's rude. I mean, he cares about. He's the most authentic to me in terms of. I care about the things I care about.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

I want. This is a problem. Let's talk about that. Everything else.

[Guest/Producer]

And that's his life.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. And everything else is noise. I don't care about the noise.

[John Holmberg]

Like a dog with a tennis ball.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah. He didn't ask us any questions about us. He didn't care if we liked him. He didn't he liked us enough.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

But I don't think he was, like, trying to win us over in that. Right.

[John Holmberg]

Did you have anything where he was like that? You found his sense of humor?

[Akash Singh]

We, you know, Andrew had a great opening thing where, like, he opened up because we talked to him about him really liking the Brooklyn Dodgers and the team getting sold. And that was like, he was really upset about it. X, Y, Z. And like, that's the thread. That's where you became this anti billionaire guy.

[John Holmberg]

Really?

[Akash Singh]

It wasn't real.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, no. I know.

[Akash Singh]

But interesting way. And then he kind of opened up and laughed and then talked about, like, old baseball stuff. And, like, you saw that. Oh, yeah. This was a kid who grew up whenever.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

Early 1900s or whatever. You know what I mean? Was it 1940? He was born.

[John Holmberg]

It had to be before that. Maybe not. That's about right.

[Akash Singh]

It's 2020.

[John Holmberg]

I don't know. He's like, I think people live to be a thousand.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

I don't know.

[Akash Singh]

And I forget. It's 2025 and I'm 42.

[John Holmberg]

It's 2026.

[Akash Singh]

2026. And I'm 42 in May. So, like, I'm still living on a timeline where it's the 90s.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

That's when I was a kid.

[John Holmberg]

Because it stops.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It's the weirdest thing, man. You're. I'm loving what's happening. The success is all good.

[Akash Singh]

Thank you so much.

[John Holmberg]

Everything's great. We're rooting for you. It's been awesome. Leave us with words of wisdom, all you've been through. Tell us something that will change the world.

[Akash Singh]

Change the world. Come to Stand Up Live. Thursday, Friday, Saturday. You lobbed it up. I dunked.

[John Holmberg]

You learned that from Bernie.

[Akash Singh]

Yeah, I did.

[John Holmberg]

I don't want anybody to know, but just listen to me. I only have one thing to do. Stand up live. That's all we are.

[Akash Singh]

That's phenomenal.

[John Holmberg]

I know.

[Akash Singh]

Phenomenal.

[John Holmberg]

Thank you. I do.

[Akash Singh]

I'm so impressed that I've been here three times. It's the first time you've done it.

[John Holmberg]

That's. I do loads of impressions. I just don't do it with guests. That's. It's your time to.

[Akash Singh]

I would.

[John Holmberg]

If it's like I do the whole time, sort of just be.

[Akash Singh]

I mean, I would. I'm just saying. I would be so obnoxious if I had that time. I would never stop doing it.

[John Holmberg]

It is obnoxious.

[Akash Singh]

No, no, no.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Akash Singh]

You don't need the validation that we need because I would always want to do an impression. Press the people.

[John Holmberg]

You know, It's a magic trick.

[Akash Singh]

And you just ask you to, you.

[Guest/Producer]

Know, dance like a monkey.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And then they start hitting you with stuff, and then they're like, caliento does a better one. I'm like, God damn it. Then you're into that world, and I.

[Akash Singh]

Just don't make everybody happy. But that was really good.

[John Holmberg]

Well, thank you. Is there anything you want to ask Bernie?

[Akash Singh]

What do you think of aoc?

[John Holmberg]

Oh, I think she's got a great set of cans. First of all, that's the first you knew I was going to go down that road. You know me.

[Akash Singh]

You ally with me. I alley of you, baby.

[John Holmberg]

Akash Singh, stand up live tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday. Always a pleasure, man.

[Akash Singh]

Stand up so much, man. Great to be here. Y' all are my favorite.

[John Holmberg]

All right. The best. Thank you. It's out of control now.