02-16-26 - Woman Getting Flamed Online For Not Leaving Tip Because Waitress Called Husband Sweetheart - BO

Summary

Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona

Episode: Woman Getting Flamed Online For Not Leaving Tip Because Waitress Called Husband "Sweetheart"

Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: John Holmberg (D), Brady Bogen (B), Bret Vesely (A), Dick Toledo (C), Unnamed Humor Contributors (E, F, G)

Episode Overview

This episode zeroes in on a viral incident where a woman refused to leave a tip at a restaurant simply because the waitress called her husband "sweetheart." Rather than gaining the online support she sought, the woman was widely ridiculed. The hosts leverage their backgrounds in the service industry to unpack customer entitlement, tipping etiquette, and public blowback in the social media age. Their banter is sharp, irreverent, and occasionally veers into ruthless comedic critique.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Viral “No Tip” Incident ([01:14] – [04:07])

• Story Breakdown:
  • A woman posts a restaurant receipt online showing a $0.02 tip, captioned: “Don’t call my husband sweetheart.” Her intention was to rally support for being “disrespected” by the waitress.
  • Hosts immediately call out the pettiness and insecurity behind her reaction.
  • Holmberg: “Whenever two people can eat dinner for $40.23, the waitress calls you sweetheart. That's just… that’s what it is.” ([01:37])
  • The group jokes about the restaurant likely being a casual chain where affectionate terms like “doll,” “honey,” and “sweetheart” are part of the culture.

2. Cultural Context: Affectionate Speech in Service ([02:49] – [03:36])

• Commonplace in the Industry:
  • In certain regions—especially the South—terms like “sugar,” “honey,” and “sweetheart” are just customary.
  • Quote: “Don’t ever vacation in the south, sweetheart, 'cause you’re called honey, sweetie, sweetheart… and my personal favorite, sugar, all the time.” ([04:32] - F)
• The group lampoons the notion that these expressions signal sexual intent.

3. Internet Backlash ([02:49] – [03:36])

• The woman's TikTok, despite her “support me” intentions, drew over 10 million views—almost all critical.
  • Holmberg: “Almost all of them said, get therapy, lady. It’s not that deep, sweetheart.” ([03:20])
• The hosts relish the poetic justice: An attempt at public shaming backfires, exposing her insecurity instead.

4. Gender and Insecurity Humor ([03:36] – [04:51])

• The incident springs further discussion about relationship insecurity and body image.
• Holmberg (ribbing): “You know those sweatpants aren’t Lululemon.” ([05:33])
• The hosts digress into comedic exaggerations about the woman’s presumed appearance, fashion choices, and marital dynamics—not sparing any biting remarks.

5. Tipping in the Service Industry ([05:54] – [07:13])

• Zero Tips as a Rite of Passage:
  • Many hosts have worked in restaurants and share that getting stiffed on tips is part of the job.
  • Holmberg: “A zero tip happens to all of us at one point or another, and usually we deserve it.” ([06:23])
• They reminisce about workplace games where staff would see who could get a zero tip first (without overt rudeness).
• There’s advice against writing notes on receipts or airing grievances online, as it rarely turns out well.

6. Critique of Social Media “Victim” Mentality ([06:23] – [09:45])

• Holmberg draws a parallel between seeking validation online and deeper insecurity.
• The term “typical toxic femininity” is thrown out ([09:28] – F), used tongue-in-cheek as the group lampoons both the influencer culture and reality TV tropes (“TLC would hire her for one of those 600-pound sisters shows” – D, [09:30]).
• There is teasing about making excuses for poor fitness or appearance, extending to pop culture references.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Whenever two people can eat dinner for $40.23, the waitress calls you sweetheart. That’s just... basically that's what it is."
  – John Holmberg ([01:37])
• “Don’t play with me,” she wrote in the caption of her TikTok... 10.5 million people followed and almost all of them said, get therapy, lady. It’s not that deep, sweetheart.”
  – Holmberg ([03:20])
• "Don’t ever vacation in the south, sweetheart, because you’re called honey, sweetie, sweetheart… and my personal favorite, sugar, all the time."
  – F ([04:32])
• “A zero tip happens to all of us at one point or another, and usually we deserve it.”
  – Holmberg ([06:23])
• "Don't leave notes on receipts. And for God's sakes, if someone calls your husband sweetheart and it pisses you off, look in the mirror and realize why you're mad. It's you. Your ass is gross. Your hips are too big."
  – Holmberg ([08:13])
• "So what this bitch needs to do is only eat at restaurants that respond with 'my pleasure.'"
  – F ([08:31])

---

Segment Timestamps

• Viral Incident & Table Setting: [01:14] – [04:07]
• Southern Culture & Service Terms: [04:17] – [04:44]
• Jokes on Insecurity & Stereotypes: [04:45] – [05:54]
• Tipping Etiquette & Industry Stories: [05:54] – [07:13]
• Further Social Commentary & Pop Culture Bits: [07:13] – [09:45]

---

Tone & Atmosphere

The vibe is relentlessly irreverent, darkly comedic, and at times, brutally honest—very much in line with the show’s reputation. The hosts riff off each other, drawing from personal experience while never missing a comedic beat. Jokes fly quickly, ranging from industry insight to honest, if unsparing, social commentary.

---

For Listeners Who Missed It:

• The episode is a comedic, sometimes harsh, critique of customer entitlement, the proper context for affectionate language in service, and the pitfalls of seeking online validation for personal insecurity.
• Rich in anecdotes and industry experience, the conversation also highlights how social media can backfire spectacularly when the crowd sees through a self-serving narrative.

Listeners new to the show should expect sharp humor, no-holds-barred opinions, and insight wrapped in rapid-fire banter.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by mmpguns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories this President's Day.

[B]

If you're shopping for a new truck, suv, electric vehicle, or crossover, you owe it to yourself to check out your Valley Chevy dealers during the President's Day sales event. Live life bigger in a Traverse or the roomy and dependable tracks where versatility meets agility, or the Silverado or Colorado trucks that fit your lifestyle. Don't miss your chance to drive yours away this President's Day. See your Valley Chevy dealers or visit valleychevy.com for the President's Day sales event going on now. Together. Let's drive.

[A]

Hey, it's Brett Vesely and I'm here with Byron from MMP Guns. Look, Byron, I have a friend wanting to sell some guns he inherited. What's the best way for him to do that?

[C]

Brett, the last thing you want to do is sell the gun to someone who can't legally own one. Tell him not to put himself at risk and come into MMP Guns where he'll get a fair offer and he can rest easy knowing it's not getting into the wrong hands.

[A]

Okay, but what if he lives out of state?

[C]

Easy. Legalgunbuyer.com and he can do it all online. It's really that.

[A]

There you have it. MMP Guns or legalgunbuyer.com the safe and legal way to sell your firearms.

[D]

The Best of the Morning Sickness is on the air.

[B]

Do any of you people do any actual work?

[D]

The Best of Holmberg's Morning Sickness I did see this as well. And Brett, your lady works in a bar. Brady, you used to own that restaurant. I've worked in restaurants. Toledo's worked in restaurants. There's nothing worse in the restaurant business than a customer who is dissatisfied and seemingly for a stupid reason. You just have to eat that when they are. There's a story going around right now that a lady and she did this to herself and this is a great moment for anyone who's ever worked in the service industry where this lady got her comeuppance for what she thought was going to be a big viral social media support me moment. She posted her receipt at a restaurant where she left no tip, but then accidentally wrote down like the bill was 4221. And for some reason she wrote like 4223, took a picture and said, I did this for everybody who feels disrespected by yeah, it looked like a 2 cent. It looked like a 2 cent tip, but it was actually a zero. But she did the math so she. Even worse, she left her 2 cents and on the receipt it says, don't call my husband sweetheart. So evidently the waitress at one point said, here you go, sweetheart. And the lady is so insecure and crazy that she thought that this meant that there was. They're gonna have sex, they're gonna try and sleep with him. First off, let me tell you this. Whenever two people can eat dinner for $40.23, the waitress calls you sweetheart. That's just. Basically that's what it is.

[A]

Tip at raising Canes.

[D]

Yeah, right, exactly. Yeah, you're dying in at raising Canes. Somebody's going to call you sweetheart. That's a group. That's a place where she walks around with a coffee mug or a big coffee pot all the time. How you doing today, doll?

[B]

What's up, sweet?

[C]

Sweetheart?

[B]

Good. Flow.

[D]

She's flow. Yeah. You're at a place, you're spending 40 bucks for dinner for two people. Either there's a buy one, get one or sweethearts on the table. That's happening. Darling, sweetheart, honey bun, sugar. The flo is she's probably chewing gum and she's going to call you something. Well, she goes, she tries to go up there and viral out this don't play with me. She wrote in the caption of her TikTok thing. Miserable 10.5 million people followed on there and almost all of them said, get therapy, lady. It's not that deep, sweetheart.

[A]

Good.

[D]

Yeah. So she got trashed for trying to blast somebody and not tip them. And it wasn't cause of the service and it wasn't because of the food. It was because she has a problem with her husband being called sweetheart. You know why? I'm guessing she wears sweatpants to dinner. She doesn't try anymore and she hates it with somebody good looking. Yeah, exactly. Somebody good looking just paid attention to her husband and she realized, I'm not trying anymore. So he can't be looking at that. That's tight little ass walking around here calling him sweetheart.

[E]

She gets nothing.

[D]

Also, husband didn't pay for dinner. That's a little bit tough too. She dropped her card, her tip, and signed it.

[F]

Why the hell are servers always held hostage by assholes like this woman?

[D]

Well, the good news is this asshole tried to go viral with it and get support from the ladies who are just tired of these young, tight bodied women coming on to our man.

[F]

Don't ever vacation in the south, sweetheart, because you're called Honey, sweetie, sweetheart. And my personal favorite, sugar all the time.

[D]

Sugar's a big one. Here you go, sugar. Thanks a lot. Oh, bless her heart.

[E]

She's sad because she's fat and ugly.

[D]

Now, pretty woman called her husband sweetheart.

[A]

No, she's never gonna eat a Texas Grill again.

[D]

That's exactly right. I guarantee she's that size. She's been in multiple locations where fire trucks have taken out other patrons.

[E]

This happening again. And there's a fire truck here and some EMTs taking out another customer.

[D]

What in the world's this world coming to? It's where you eat, lady. I drive by that Texas grill quite often, and I'm telling you, the percentage of times I go by Texas Grill and there's an EMT or a fire truck in front of it, the exact same as Diana Tausi. Shooting percentage last year, about 33% of the time I pass it. There's a truck there picking up one of the fat people and pulling them out. And I was nearly one of those.

[A]

People, insecure and crazy. So a normal woman, huh?

[D]

Yeah. Yeah, right. Well, exactly. But it's a woman who's spending 40 bucks, her life's not working out. She's buying $40 dinners for her husband. You know those sweatpants aren't Lululemon.

[A]

No.

[D]

You know that she's probably wearing his shirt. She's got hair, but all over. It's not good.

[F]

The article posted another one from a different restaurant that says no tip because it was very rude to ask my wife and I if we wanted separate checks.

[D]

Why? I see your. Your nose, sir. I assume you want to pay half. I look at your wife and I think, good God, he can't possibly be. You want separate checks, right? You're a decent looking man.

[F]

There's no way you married that.

[B]

There's no way you guys are together.

[D]

No way you're paying for her dinner. That's very rude. Don't write notes on the receipt. Just put a zero and leave. Don't. Don't make your mark. And if you want to put it on the Internet later, you're gonna get. You're gonna get flambed. I love it. A lot of people have had to work in the service industry, and a zero tip happens to all of us at one point or another, and usually we deserve it. A zero tip usually was like, oh, boy, have I blown it here. And there's. I got stories. I have a. I have a few hundred zero tips under my belt. Sometimes. We actually had a contest where it's like, first One to get a zero tip gets the other guy's tips. But you can't be blatant. You can't cuss. There were rules. Like you had to just give service, but you had to get them their food. The kitchen had to be. But you had to do stuff that like maybe zeroed it out.

[F]

Multiple zero tips here. The champ for the week.

[D]

Like saying something like, my God, that's a low cut shirt. Like one of those things. My. Oh, I have to keep my eyes up when I deliver your food. Things like that where you're a little bit offensive, but some people liked it. And then you had to run your risk. Yeah, I forget if it was my buddy. Hard times. I forget who I. Oh, it was a. I can't remember who had the bet with. He walked up to a table of old people and he said, I understand it's somebody's 100th birthday here. Sir, he was very old. What? Oh, it's your wife. What? And they were like. And he just hit him right over the head immediately. Now it's nobody's birthday. Oh, I was told it was somebody's 100th birthday. I thought it was you guys. What? And I'm like, he's going to win today. I think they tipped him. Can't remember who that was.

[A]

Eric.

[D]

I don't remember remember who it was. Eric Christensen might have done it. We had some ballsy dudes over there, Rome. Either way, it was before the Internet. We couldn't get flamed like that. So don't leave notes on receipts. And for God's sakes, if someone calls your husband sweetheart and it pisses you off, look in the mirror and realize why you're mad. It's you. Your ass is gross. Your hips are too big. That bubble that hangs over your pants is not from the babies you had 30 years ago.

[A]

You need to go to yo's fitness, baby.

[D]

Exactly.

[F]

So what this bitch needs to do is only eat at restaurants that respond with my pleasure.

[D]

Exactly.

[A]

You ain't getting anywhere for 40 bucks that has my pleasure.

[E]

Let's see what she looks like after she has a couple of kids.

[D]

You've got two grandkids like it. The weight is no longer the child verse fault. If it's a. If it's a go to for you to have as an excuse and it's been 25 years. You gotta drop can be argued. Jesus. Hilaria Baldwin is Alec Baldwin's wife. She's 40 something and she's got seven kids.

[E]

Well, if I had a million dollars and had to work out eight hours a day.

[D]

I don't think she's doing that. I'll give it to you. That, you know, can change your body. Couple years, you're like, jesus, it never really snapped back like I wanted. But when your kids are in their teens or twenties and you're still saying baby weight. No, no. Not a valid excuse anymore.

[F]

Typical toxic femininity.

[D]

Exactly. It'll come up soon that liberals are the blame on my email. But I guarantee if you took a Look at her, TLC would hire her for one of those 600 pound sisters shows.

[E]

I saw you looking at her bottom. I know what's going on around here. I'm gonna leave her no tip for being prettier than.

[D]

It's out of control now. 98.

[B]

The Winter Olympics have begun. And you want to know why? Betting the Winter Games on FanDuel just makes sense. It's Dick Toledo from Holmberg's morning sickness. And from game lines to medal counts to finding your angle on the events you care about most, FanDuel gives you more ways to stay connected to the action. That's right, the Winner Games are on. And there's no better way to follow them than with a little wager on FanDuel. The winner games and FanDuel Play youy Game 21 in President Arizona. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Next Step or text next step to 53342.

[D]

Hey, it's Brad.

[B]

Hi, I'm from HMS and I'm here with Christy Hayden from the AZ Wildlife World Zoo.

[G]

This is the best time of year to come out to Wildlife World. The weather's great and you have to come out and see our new baby pygmy hippo. And if you want to book a private encounter while you're out, you can book one with a sea lion, a sloth, or our new black footed penguin encounter. Or you can dine next to our shark tank at Dylan's Barbecue by going to our [e-mail] we're located off the 303 and Northern Avenue in the West Valley.

[B]

Check out wildlifeworld.com do it today.