Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Arizona

Episode: 09-11-25 – Opening the Phones to Listeners to Share Their Thoughts on the Charlie Kirk Shooting
Date: September 11, 2025
Host: John Holmberg with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This emotionally charged episode departs from the usual “flippant nonsense” as the crew opens the phone lines to listeners, inviting the Arizona community to share their reactions and perspectives on the shocking public shooting of political commentator Charlie Kirk. The hosts encourage candid dialogue, a range of opinions, and mutual respect—even across deep political, religious, or generational divides. The episode becomes a moving forum grappling with collective trauma, the role of free speech, the impact of violent content online, political polarization, and the fragility of civil society in today’s America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Pitfalls of Broadcasting Tragedy

• Community Connection in Crisis:
  John reflects on radio's unique ability to unite and process difficult events in real-time, something podcasts can't replicate.

  “We also have this awesome thing called radio that unites a local community...The objective of this is to hear people you might disagree with. And that’s gotta get...something you get used to.”
  (01:10 – John Toledo)

• Social Media Trauma:
  A listener email highlights the damage of viral violence:

  “A nine-year-old kid just watched Charlie Kirk get half his head blown off on Instagram… What is this psychologically doing to regular people?...As a society, we’re normalizing stuff like this because we get to see it. Think about that for a minute.”
  (02:00 – Listener Email Read by John)

• Children & Exposure:
  Brady and others wrestle with protecting kids in this digital landscape:

  “You still see her as a 9-year-old kid…you want to just kind of smother that and protect it as a parent.”
  (03:32 – Brady and John Toledo)

  “Let's talk about it.”
  (03:35 – Brady)

• Permanence of Violent Images:

  “If those things live on the Internet, Charlie Kirk’s kids will eventually get to [see them].”
  (03:43 – John Toledo)

2. Motives, Division, & the Dangers of ‘Othering’

• Speculation vs. Fact:
  The hosts urge caution about jumping to political conclusions before motives are confirmed:

  “We don’t know [the shooter’s] motive…that is part of the issue—the assumptions we make based on the words we’ve heard.”
  (12:53 – Brady)

• Political Blame & Both-Sides Arguments:
  Multiple listeners challenge each other and the hosts on whether acts of violence are partisan, pushing back on “both sides” narratives.

  “If Republicans ever do this, it's 1% of the violence the left does. See this is what we got to stop doing. Your side didn’t win or lose yesterday. Some nut shot a guy.”
  (05:47 – John Toledo, reading email)

• Celebrating Violence as a Slippery Slope:

  “When you start othering people and when you start celebrating [death], that's how you end up people getting loaded on the box cars being shipped to camps, and it's terrifying.”
  (09:11 – Donovan, Listener Caller)

  Holmberg cautions against constant Nazi/Hitler comparisons, urging focus on dehumanization itself.

3. The Human Cost and Psychological Fallout

• Veteran Perspective:
  Donovan, a veteran of the last Iraq combat operations, gives a raw account:

  “If people saw what I saw, we would all be a lot calmer…There is nothing glorious about it. It’s disgusting…I lost my faith in Iraq...if there’s a malevolent being that loves me and lets that happen, they don’t deserve to be worshiped. That’s just my personal opinion.”
  (09:42 – 11:09 – Donovan)

  “Don’t be scared. You have to just recognize the world sucks a lot of the times and just got to bravely walk through it. You'll be all right.”
  (11:42 – John Toledo)

• Intergenerational Trauma & Desensitization:
  Jake (age 25) reflects on receiving the shooting video, being desensitized by the internet, but still shaken by the violence:

  “I'm pretty desensitized to a lot of things that I see on the Internet, sadly. But I saw that, and I'm like, man, that is horrifying."
  (21:52 – Jake)

4. Freedom of Speech, Respect, and its Limits

• Respectful Disagreement:
  The hosts demonstrate, and explicitly discuss, facilitating open but civil disagreement about religion, politics, and morality:

  “I have no issue with that. And if it, you know what, to quote the song, ‘Whatever gets you through the night, I'm fine with that.’…I admire anybody who has a belief so long as it doesn't make it so they react violently or angrily towards me not having one.”
  (17:41 – John Toledo)

  “This isn't hard. It's just we got to pull our heads out of our asses and stop saying Toledo so wrong, even though he is.”
  (20:32 – John Toledo)

• Limits of Speech and Responsibility:
  Brady draws a line:

  “The Constitution gives us a freedom of speech, but not the freedom to say whatever. When it incites violence or causes damage, there are consequences, or at least there used to be.”
  (12:59 – Brady)

  The team references the example of shouting “fire” in a theater, emphasizing context, intent, and consequence.

5. Religion, Transformation, and Faith

• Faith Amidst Tragedy:
  A self-described late-life Christian calls in, explaining how faith and Charlie Kirk’s articulate defenses of belief changed his life:

  “I wasn’t a believer in God for the first 35 years of my life… I feel that God spoke to me…And I got baptized soon after and left the sport of bodybuilding. Cleaned up my act…”
  (16:32 - 19:14 – Late Life Christian Caller)

  “[Kirk’s] faith…and he would pull from just the verses and…it just solidified my belief even more. And I just really enjoyed the dialogue."
  (19:20 – Late Life Christian Caller)

• Coexistence of Belief and Nonbelief:

  “I am a staunch atheist…I didn’t once—and he didn’t once—sit back and say, ‘You’re an idiot. You’re wrong.’ I heard him. He heard me, and we both are fine. We can do this.”
  (20:32 – John Toledo)

6. Media, Viral Video, and Collective Grief

• Video’s Impact vs. News Alone:

  "The Kennedy assassination made everybody sad and miserable...I've never known the Kennedy assassination without having seen it...video changes things.”
  (28:01 & 29:41 – John Toledo)

  “The [Ray Rice video]...before they saw it...he's suspended for a game or two, and then they saw the video, and they're like, he's gone...the video is pretty extreme. It changes things.”
  (30:33 – John Toledo)

  “Yesterday, you heard Charlie Kirk got shot...you see it [on video]…"
  (30:33 – John Toledo)

7. Humor, Coping, and the Need to ‘Exhale’

• The show’s trademark dark humor appears, even in the midst of tragedy, as a source of release.

• John repeatedly thanks listeners for “getting it off your chest” and notes the communal benefit:

  "This is a little experiment...I kind of like the idea of saying, hey, everybody should have a voice. Let's let him have it on a day like this crappy day. And it's starting to make me feel a little better."
  (16:07 – John Toledo)

  "Hopefully we can walk away at least for 24 hours and say I had to exhale and reset."
  (32:54 – John Toledo)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dehumanization & Violence:

  “When you start othering people and when you start celebrating [death], that's how you end up people getting loaded on the box cars being shipped to camps, and it's terrifying.”
  (09:11 – Donovan, Listener Caller)

• On Accepting Disagreement:

  “You have to hear people you disagree with, roll your eyes, and then recognize: If I’m getting mad, I have to get a better foundation of what I believe.”
  (05:07 – John Toledo)

• On Speech & Consequences:

  “You do have a right to say whatever you want, but that doesn’t mean it’s consequence free…That’s what they mean by freedom of speech.”
  (14:10 – John Toledo)

• On Seeing Tragedy:

  “This one actually got me. I was—put on my ass. It was a 10 count. I didn't get up. I just sat and took it. I don't like this for one...”
  (30:54 – John Toledo)

• On Hope and Football:

  “You know what? I just got an email that said, thank God for football, because that'll make us all feel a little better later.”
  (25:50 – John Toledo)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:10 — Opening: The role of radio in crisis and initial emails.
• 02:00 — Listener email: Child exposure to violence; normalization concerns.
• 03:35 — Parental reactions; talking to children about tragedy.
• 05:07 — On tolerating disagreement and developing personal foundations.
• 09:04 – 11:41 — Donovan’s veteran perspective: dangers of dehumanization, trauma of war, loss of faith.
• 12:53 – 15:38 — Limits of freedom of speech; inciting violence; intent and consequence.
• 16:19 – 20:22 — Calls: Late-life faith journey; coexisting respectful disagreement.
• 21:13 – 26:11 — Jake, age 25: Desensitization, shock, and fear for personal safety after seeing the video.
• 28:01 – 30:33 — The unique impact of viral video vs. traditional news, historical analogies.
• 32:54 — Reflecting on collective exhale, returning to normalcy.

Tone & Style

The conversation toggles between serious, raw vulnerability; heated but respectful debate; dark humor; and occasionally irreverent banter. The hosts champion openness, self-reflection, and the messy process of community dialogue, openly confronting their own discomfort and confusion to model the very discussion they're inviting from their listeners.

Conclusion

This episode stands as a powerful example of why live, open radio remains vital in moments of societal crisis. By amplifying a range of listener voices, the Holmberg crew fosters honest conversation about trauma, grief, freedom, and the shared need for compassion—even when opinions clash. The day ends not with answers, but with a collective exhale, a reminder that talking—and truly listening—is itself healing.