09-29-25 - Entertainment Drill - MON - Riyadh Comedy Fest Kicked Off w/Notable Names Not Performing

Summary

Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Entertainment Drill – 09-29-25

Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (98KUPD, Arizona)
Main Topic: Entertainment news with a focus on the Riyadh Comedy Festival and other entertainment headlines

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the HMS crew brings their irreverent and unscripted comedic take on the latest entertainment news. The main focus is the controversial launch of the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, featuring major stand-up acts—some performing, some declining—and plenty of ensuing debate over the ethics of performing there. The hosts also touch on pop concerts canceled due to sporting events, comedic roles in upcoming golf movies, and lighter entertainment headlines, always maintaining the show's trademark blend of wit, sarcasm, and locally-flavored commentary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jonas Brothers Concert Cancellation

• [00:51–03:50]

  • The Jonas Brothers canceled their Phoenix concert to accommodate the Mercury (WNBA team) in the finals. The crew jokes about why major events can't be set up and torn down overnight, referencing a recent boxing match and NFL game at the same stadium in Las Vegas.

  • John Holmberg sarcastically notes the unreasonable complexity:

    “Canelo Alvarez fought Terence Crawford on a Saturday night at, like, 11 at night. And the Raiders played there the next day, same place. ...You can't get that done in a day. They built a gondola for that fight that hung down almost to the ground.” – John ([03:00])

  • Multiple bits riff on a fictional "Tommy Lee Jonas," the lost Jonas Brother, mocking pop culture and boy bands:

    “I'm Tommy Lee Jonas, the third Jonas brother no one ever talks about.” – Bret ([01:37]) “I'd go to that concert. I'd follow them all over the world.” – John ([01:49])

2. Owen & Luke Wilson’s Competing Golf Comedies

• [07:05–07:50]
  • Entertainment Drill segment kicks off with news about both Wilson brothers starring as golfers in separate streaming comedies.
    • Owen is cast in Stick (Apple TV), while Luke has joined a Netflix comedy with Will Ferrell.
    • Holmberg finds the premise amusing in a characteristically dry way:

      “You sold me. I'm completely sold at the comedy there. Yeah, that's gonna be the beef, he says. So Luke beats Will twice in what, 55-plus golf.” – John ([07:38])

3. Riyadh Comedy Festival Controversy

• [07:53–09:56]

  • The crew unpacks the ethical debate around big-name comedians performing in Saudi Arabia for significant paydays.

  • Notables like Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis CK, and Pete Davidson performed; Shane Gillis turned it down, while Tim Dillon pulled out last minute.

    • Marc Maron’s critique:

      “How do you promote that? From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert.” ([08:14])

    • John’s take on going for the money:

      “If Saudi Arabia offered me enough money, I'd go over there and do a show. ...If the whole government isn't trying to stop Saudi Arabia from everything, what am I going to do if they want to give me a few million dollars?” – John ([09:25], [09:37])

    • The hosts note broader U.S. acceptance of Saudi investments in sports and entertainment:

      “You got the soccer league, they got... WWE is running shows there and including WrestleMania 43 in 2027.” – Dick ([09:56])

  • Notable Quotes:

    • “So what if they have slaves? They're paying me enough to look the other way.” – attributed as a joke about Jonathan Kite’s comments ([09:17])
    • “The joke about Tim Dillon is he never pulls out. And he's also gay. The last place he needs to do comedy is Saudi Arabia.” – John ([09:07])

4. Other Entertainment News Highlights

• [10:05–11:03]
  • Tina Turner Statue:
    • A 10-foot statue is unveiled in Brownsville, TN, with 2 feet attributed to her hair.

      “Look at that hairdo on that statue. That's amazing.” – John ([10:27])

  • Snoop Dogg Returns to NBC’s Winter Olympics Coverage:
    • Sklar Brothers' behind-the-scenes scoop: Snoop and Kevin Hart are back for the 2026 coverage.
    • The crew finds it both surprising and entertaining, with Holmberg expressing mild bemusement.

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Memorable & Notable Quotes

• On the Comic Ethics of Riyadh Festival:

  “How do you promote that from the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert.”
  — Marc Maron, quoted by Dick ([08:14])

• On Accepting a Saudi Gig:

  “If Saudi Arabia offered me enough money, I'd go over there and do a show.”
  — John Holmberg ([09:25])

• On the Jonas Brothers Cancellation:

  “You can't get that done in a day. They built a gondola for that fight that hung down almost to the ground.”
  — John Holmberg ([03:00])

• On Pop Culture Crossover:

  “I'm Tommy Lee Jonas, the third Jonas brother no one ever talks about.”
  — Bret Vesely ([01:37])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:51–03:50: Jonas Brothers concert cancellation, arena/set-up logistics, Tommy Lee Jonas riff
• 07:05–07:50: Wilson brothers’ golf comedies news and banter
• 07:53–09:56: Riyadh Comedy Festival details and controversy, comedian reactions
• 10:05–10:57: Tina Turner statue, Snoop Dogg’s Olympic coverage return

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Tone, Style & Takeaways

The episode is fast-paced and irreverent, mixing entertainment news with relentless sarcasm and improv bits. The group tackles serious undercurrents (ethics of performing in Saudi Arabia) with humor, often working in pointed social or political commentary, but always returns to their familiar banter and laughter. Listeners will be informed but mostly entertained, with the show prioritizing comedy above all.

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For more Arizona-flavored comedy and off-the-cuff celebrity banter, tune in weekdays 5:30a–10a on 98KUPD or check the podcast feed.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the HMS podcast brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories.

[B]

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[C]

Still streaming, Homberg's morning sickness [e-mail] man, it is weird.

[A]

Radio used to be a place you'd go and breaking news, stuff like that would happen and we'd be the ones who go, this just in. And then you'd hear from us for the first time. Today I get to break news twice that nobody knew until they first, obviously the Mercury in the finals. And I know no one knew that until we talked about it. Second, this just happened a little bit ago because the Mercury are in the finals. That Jonas Brothers concert that was supposed to happen last night was going to happen tonight. Now the Jonas Brothers canceled because they're like, well, it's just a nightmare. You got to keep the floor down here and we can't. So now the Jonas Brothers won't even be here. They're not going to be seconded. And one up by the Merchant. I think they knew that it was Nick. Good guys. And Frank and Tommy Lee. I'm here.

[C]

Tommy Lee Jonas, he's always out there doing his thing, bro. Singing songs about girls dancing and ponies and such. I'm Tommy Lee Jonas, the third Jonas brother no one ever talks about.

[A]

I wish that were true. I'd go to that concert. I'd follow them all over the world. I'm Nick. I'm Ronnie, whatever their names are.

[C]

I'm Tommy Lee. I'm Tommy Lee Jonas. You remember me from no country for Old Men. I don't know what songs we're gonna do, but I'm sure we're gonn.

[A]

Amelie. Jonas is my favorite because they dress him up, all Jonas Brothers. And he'd have to do the dances. I don't know any of their songs. Jonas Brothers could have been a halftime show.

[C]

Yeah, we're about 3, 2, 3, 4. Let's get right to it out the door.

[D]

Maybe he'll bring them out there.

[A]

Tommy Leach, ladies and gentlemen, is my sons.

[C]

Tommy Lee Jonas boys, the Jonas Brothers.

[A]

Thanks, dad.

[C]

You're welcome. Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike. Spot like a girl who cares. You like Cool it.

[A]

Now. They were originally. You didn't know that, but that was originally who the Jonas Brothers were. Was new edition. Then they changed it to the Jonas brothers. Learned something new every day. Anyway, if you had tickets to the Jonas Brothers, that's canceled. Now for some reason, they can't. I don't understand it. Like, here's what I don't get. Canelo Alvarez fought Terence Crawford on a Saturday night at like 11 at night. And the Raiders played there the next day, same place. Full setup and breakdown of a boxing arena. Clean the whole place up. Got it done. You can't get.

[D]

You have to flatten it out a little bit. Then they roll on the field. Good to go.

[A]

Okay. But it still takes some time. All you have to do is take out, like 35 blocks of wood and.

[C]

Set up a sound system.

[A]

They can't get that done in a day. They built a gondola for that fight that hung down almost to the ground.

[B]

I think it would be.

[D]

Well, depends on how complex the whole.

[A]

It doesn't make any sense, brother.

[D]

Lighting and structures that they come out in and.

[A]

Oh, yeah, I guess that's true. They could fly in on a spaceship.

[D]

Well, they Parliament.

[C]

Yeah, we're gonna capture the spaceship right in the middle of PHX arena. I had two dreams about this, and we didn't play these shows either night. I canceled it because of them lesbians.

[A]

Tommy Lee Jonas not happy at all. He's storming around downtown. If you want to meet him. He'll probably be at the arrogant Butcher right next to the Palomar.

[C]

Supposed to be singing and dancing, which is what I love to do. They took that away from me. Oh, shoot. I don't care.

[A]

I like that impression. My favorite one. It's 9:55. We got the entertainment drill coming up in a minute. Sorry, Jonas fans. It's 98.

[C]

Holberg's Morning Sickness. Holberg's Morning Sickness.

[A]

98.

[C]

Can you PD Holmberg's Morning Sickness.

[A]

That's got Taylor. I guarantee you that Scott Taylor. Brett just had to endure somebody's ass issues. By the way, back to the what would Brady do? The good news for the guy who dropped the N bomb in the thread and nobody is favoring you at all on my emails at all. Dude, who threw that out there? But the good news is you probably don't have to worry about Laurent for another hour and a half when he gets to work.

[D]

Didn't get him?

[A]

Well, he's. No. No. Well, how if he doesn't show up until 11 or so?

[D]

Well, 10:30. He's on the road.

[A]

No, he's not. I could be there for a while. You got time to gameplay? I'm allergic to our phones. Didn't get them fixed. Guy said if you're calling the West Valley John, there's a good chance that one of the mercury actually answers because that's where they can afford to live. Buckeye even further. I don't know. I'm gonna give it away or I'm not gonna give it away. 500 grand. $500,000. Getting excited. It's time now for the entertainment drills brought to you by our friends [e-mail] that's the home of tactical black self defense training. Get on out there and get yourself in great shape doing some stuff and get you, you know, more prepared for walking around these beautiful. You know, we're gonna be on trails now. The weather's getting nice. You're gonna be outside more often. You know there, Brady, the Looney Tunes, they're hanging around in weird stuff, doing weird things with weird objects and they train you for all of them up there. Best part is you're probably not gonna need it. That is the best part. You have fire alarms in your house. You probably have a fire extinguisher in your house. You have carbon monoxide in your house. Why? Just in case. Doesn't mean you're rooting for it, but it does mean it might happen. So why not be a little bit prepared? It's not paranoia to be prepared. Why not treat your body the same way you treat your possession and start making it so it's you're able to defend, you know, yourself in case something goofy happened like that Machete attacks. I've seen those on tv. People getting goofy. What do you do if somebody comes in and starts screaming and yelling road rages. All these other things. How to de escalate and how to take care of yourself in case the escalation meets you. That's all you have to do. And be in good shape while you do it. It's just a great workout routine. Can't wait. Go in there later today, it's reactdefense.com that's your home. Tactical black Brady entertainment.

[D]

Owen and Luke Wilson are now each playing golfers in separate streaming comedies.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. How about that?

[D]

Yeah. Owen's in the Apple comedy Stick.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

And now Luke has just joined Will Ferrell's upcoming golf comedy for Netflix called Stick Other Stick. They don't have the name yet, but I guess Luke, his character, is going to basically beat Will's character for a tour championship twice. And so that's the. The beef there.

[A]

You sold me. I'm completely sold at the comedy there. Yeah, that's gonna be the beef, he says. So Luke beats Will twice in what, 55 plus golf.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That's gonna be exciting.

[D]

Jonathan Kite was telling us the story about the big comedy fest that happened in Saudi Arabia.

[C]

Huge.

[D]

The Riyadh Comedy Festival kicked off this weekend. Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis ck, Pete.

[A]

Davidson all took Giant money to go.

[D]

Shane Gillis turned it down. He said, I took a principal stand. You don't 9, 11 your friends. Marc Maron. His quote was, how do you promote that from the folks that brought you nine, 11, two weeks of laughter in the desert.

[A]

Don't more than nine, 11. I know, isn't it? I mean, they're deaf, but I mean, we still don't go. From the folks who brought you Nazis. We like Germany now. It's been 25 years. I think we can start going. All right. Have they been pretty good since then? As far as we know, most of it.

[D]

I see. Like, like, I think Jonathan was talking about that some of these comedy comedians upset because they weren't offered. They're. Tim Dillon agreed to do a set at the festival, but he pulled out last minute because of the comedy. But he was offered $375,000.

[A]

The joke about Tim Dillon is he never pulls out. And he's also gay. The last place he needs to do comedy is Saudi Arabia. They don't. That is one thing.

[D]

He said he was uninvited because Jonathan mentioned. He said, they. So what if they have slaves? They're paying me enough to look the other way.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. If Saudi Arabia offered me enough money, I'd go over there and do a show. It doesn't seem.

[D]

Well, you got the soccer league. They got.

[A]

Yeah, I'm not stopping that. Yeah. I mean, if, like, if the whole government isn't trying to stop Saudi Arabia from everything, what am I going to do if they want to give me a few million dollars to go talk to Saudi Arabia and say, okay.

[D]

WWE is running shows there and including WrestleMania 43 in 2027.

[A]

Yeah, there's where that's a thing.

[D]

There's a 10 foot bronze statue of Tina Turner that was unveiled in a ceremony on Saturday in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee. And it's a 10 footer and I think 2ft of that is the hair.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Surprised you didn't have one already.

[A]

Look at that hairdo on that statue. That's amazing.

[D]

Long fingers. 50 donors contributed to the statue, including $150,000 donation from the Ford Motor Company. It's like Paul Stammer because you're building.

[B]

An electric truck factory there.

[A]

Looks like she's wearing one of them new Guardian helmets.

[D]

Yes, Romeo Dobbs.

[A]

Yes, Romeo Dobbs in a dress. That's not the first time somebody said that, Romeo. You remind me of Tina Turner with that hat on.

[D]

And it's confirmed. Snoop Dogg will return NBC's Winter Olympics coverage. He'll be dealing.

[A]

Yeah, well, the Sklar brothers told us about that with Snoop Dogg. And then also the, the Kevin Hart and Keenan Thompson shows back. And they're going to be a ton right in that. And they're going to do their own thing. But they get to write with Snoop Dogg in the Olympics. They get job at the Olympics. Great. That's neat. All right, that's it for us. I, I'm sorry that Merc Mania didn't get a chance to go off today. We'll have our engineers. Don't give up. We're not. Don't give up on Merc Mania. The price has doubled from initially my 250 to 500,000American dollars.

[C]

There we go.

[A]

That's right, Brett. I'm comfortable with it. And by the way, see if you can catch me because once if you answer that, I'm just running. I'm just going to run away. You see, what's it me was. But I'll be like gone. I'd start looking in Saudi Arabia. Oh, look, I'll join Al Qaeda to get out of this pickle. It's 1108. We're done. You guys have yourselves a grand Monday and we'll see you tomorrow right here in the morning sickness.

[C]

Arizona's most powerful rock radio station.

[A]

He said fully erect.