Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Episode Summary

Episode: 01-22-26 - New Zealand Airline Weighs Passengers / Pilot Tells Passengers To Stop w/Diapers / Wife Whips Out Cans
Air Date: January 22, 2026
Main Hosts: John Holmberg (C), Brady Bogen (D), Bret Vesely (A), Dick Toledo (F)

Overview

In this episode, the Holmberg’s Morning Sickness crew dives into a string of bizarre, provocative, and humorously exasperating airline stories in the news—anchored by New Zealand’s new policy of weighing passengers before boarding, a viral incident involving in-flight diaper changing, and a Memorial Day email about a wife’s proclivity for toplessness at pool parties. As always, the group uses their signature irreverent humor to tackle social norms, personal hygiene, body image, and family boundaries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Zealand Airline Weighing Passengers

[01:38–15:42]

• Airline Policy: New Zealand is experimenting with weighing passengers before flights to gather data about average traveler weight—not to single out individuals, but for future interior design and safety research.
• Personal Experiences: John recounts being weighed on small regional flights, especially in Puerto Rico, and shares how passengers sometimes fib their weights, but staff routinely check.
  • "I've been on a plane where they had to weigh me, it was a little jumper... they had to weigh your bags... and then you had to climb on a scale." —John Holmberg [01:47]
• Public Reaction: The team jokes about how only people insecure about their weight would be truly outraged, dubbing them “pigs.”
  • "The only way you’d be upset is if you hate yourself… The only people who are worried that it is an affront to their privacy are people who are huge." —John Holmberg [04:24]
• Seat Sizes & Airline Comfort: They riff about bigger seat sizes if averages increase, suggesting a world of “love seats” for heavier passengers.
  • "If you people keep getting bigger...Brett, you and I are gonna be in love seats in these. This is great." —John [06:08]
• Solutions for Airline Crowding: The cast muses about “pay by the pound” ticketing, fines for lying about weight, and putting the heaviest passengers up front or even in the cargo hold for airplane balance.
  • "Pay by the pound...it’s like going to the deli. It’s the air deli." —John [11:07]
• Social Commentary: They reflect on privacy, embarrassment, and the normalization of obesity on flights.
  • "You are pointing it out with every step you take in public." —John [06:52]

2. Airline Hygiene: Diaper Changing in the Cabin

[17:17–31:51]

• Disgusting Passenger Behavior: The hosts react in horror to a viral story where a woman repeatedly changed her baby’s diarrhea diapers on the fold-out tray in the main cabin, despite complaints.
  • "A couple... had to ask the people next to them if they could stop using their fold out in the center seat to change their goddamn baby’s diapers... The second time the lady decided to reach into the diaper bag… they got the flight attendant involved." —John [17:22]
• Flight Crew Response: Eventually, the pilot had to announce over the PA that diaper-changing should be done in bathrooms only.
  • "We had to go all the way to the pilot to have the common decency not to change diapers in the middle of the goddamn plane on the serving table." —John [20:53]
• General Lack of Decency: The hosts swap more horror stories: a woman licking trail mix off a tray, a guy with a bloodied napkin, and changing diapers in restaurants.
  • "I watched a lady eat her trail mix off of that thing once... And then she licked her fingers and got all the dust off..." —John [19:15]
• Holmberg’s Outback Steakhouse Story: John describes witnessing a woman changing her 4-year-old’s pants in the waiting area, accidentally exposing herself in the process.
  • "Is that a butthole? … Sure, that's a butthole...Meanwhile, mama June, who just got done cleaning this pig, is bending over, and the more she bends... there's a second butthole out." —John [23:44–24:30]
• Social Critique: John rails against selfishness and filth, saying people with babies shouldn’t inflict their struggles on others, especially in public travel or dining spaces.
  • "Just because you made that error in life doesn’t mean we have to be subjected to the pains of your parenting struggles." —John [26:17]
• Travel Advice: The importance of bleach wipes, personal hygiene, and enforcing basic decency.
  • "Bleach wipes. That’s the key to flying. Just show up and do the job..." —John [31:06]

3. Memorial Day, Pool Parties, and “Cans Out” Wives

[33:44–41:46]

• Listener Email Setup: A man writes in, frustrated that his wife—known for getting topless at parties—plans to do so again at their Memorial Day pool party with his veteran brother in attendance.
• Hosts’ Take:
  • The crew jokes about the classic “shirt-off taker” personality and how it rarely changes, morphing the topic humorously into familial boundary issues and “fantasies.”
    • "Once you're a shirt remover, you're always a shirt remover… some girls' nipples just need to feel air when they’ve had a few drinks." —John [35:24, 36:06]
  • John suggests pride may play a role: sometimes the husband wants to suppress toplessness only when he’s no longer proud of his wife’s body.
    • "Maybe he's saying the kids chewed the nipples up... Let's keep that thing on. Maybe they embarrass him now, that's what you have to be honest about." —John [38:28]
• Boundary and Social Arguments: The group skewers “proud” husbands vs. those with embarrassing secrets and riffs on whether toplessness is appropriate “for the troops.”
  • "If you’ve got nice ones, if you don’t, let’s keep them hidden, huh? Prop them up... There’s an industry that helps..." —John [40:11]
• Memorable, Outlandish Suggestion:
  • "If you wear a bra and take a bra off and they don’t move, I think you need to show our military those boobs as much as... maybe even just go over here to this base... wander around topless for the men over there." —John [40:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Airlines Weighing Passengers:
  • John Holmberg: "If you're upset about being weighed before you get on a plane, it's just an insecurity you have." [05:34]
• On In-Flight Decency:
  • John: "We had to go all the way to the pilot to have the common decency not to change diapers in the middle of the goddamn plane on the serving table." [20:53]
• On Parenting & Public Nuisance:
  • John: "Just because you made that error in life doesn’t mean we have to be subjected to the pains of your parenting struggles. Stay home." [26:17]
• On Marital Toplessness:
  • John: "Once you're a shirt remover, you're always a shirt remover... some girls' nipples just need to feel air when they’ve had a few drinks." [35:24, 36:06]
  • Brady: "You know what better way to help out struggling servicemen with PTSD than sister in law running around the pool." [34:10]
• On Hygiene and Air Travel:
  • John: "Bleach wipes. That’s the key to flying... maybe even just raw bleach in a rag. I’m not gonna lie." [31:06]
• On Boob Types & Service:
  • John: "If you wear a bra and take a bra off and they don’t move, I think you need to show our military those boobs as much as..." [40:12]
  • Bret: "Do it for your country.” [40:51]

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Segment | Start | End |
|--------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| NZ Considering Weighing Passengers | 01:38 | 15:42 |
| Airplane Diaper Changing Outrage | 17:17 | 31:51 |
| Outback Steakhouse “Butthole” Story | 23:44 | 25:15 |
| Pool Parties, Topless Wives & Email | 33:44 | 41:46 |
| Inappropriate “Cans-Out” Humor | 34:08 | 40:12 |

Tone & Style

The show is candid, raucous, and occasionally abrasive—using hyperbole, dark humor, and a refusal to be politically correct while calling out societal absurdities. The tone is conversational, at times crude, and brimming with banter and sarcasm—typical for this long-running Arizona morning radio team.

Recap

This episode highlights Holmberg & crew’s irreverent take on the ridiculousness of public travel, body shame and acceptance, the horrors of public parenting missteps, and the complexities of marrying the “fun” girl. Nothing is too taboo—the show skewers fat-shaming, classlessness, and even family nudity with equal parts shock and laughter. If you like your radio comedy raw and unfiltered, this episode delivers.