Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness (11-14-25)

“Holmberg's Night Hosting The William Shatner Tour w/Frank Caliendo Almost Took A Turn For The Worst Before It Even Got Started As John Has A Story For The Ages From It”

Date: November 14, 2025
Host: John Holmberg, with Brady Bogen, Frank Caliendo, Producer Ethan, and Dick Toledo
Guest/Focus: Frank Caliendo, William Shatner (event recap)

Overview

In this special episode, John Holmberg recounts—alongside Frank Caliendo—the dramatic, hilarious, and terrifying events of hosting William Shatner’s “Wrath of Khan” screening and Q&A in Phoenix. From backstage banter and plans to a near-disastrous medical emergency with Shatner right before showtime, the episode captures the tension and relief experienced by all involved as the 94-year-old icon narrowly avoided catastrophe, then delivered a memorable live show.

Key Discussion Points & Timed Highlights

1. Setting the Scene: Back With Shatner (03:38–06:30)

• John Holmberg is invited for a second time to moderate a William Shatner Q&A, this time with Shatner at an astonishing 94 years old.
• The event: “Wrath of Khan” screening followed by an audience Q&A and stories, alongside comedian/impressionist Frank Caliendo.
• Insight: The historical weight of sharing a stage with someone “famous since 1951… the male Betty White.” (06:05)
• The preparations: Sifting through 400+ audience questions, prepping for both structure and spontaneity.

2. Backstage Mayhem & Shatner’s Force of Personality (08:00–12:30)

• Shatner arrives lively, cracking knock-knock jokes (including “Interrupting Khan”—08:44), riffing with Frank, and dictating he wants a free-form, “organic” show, not scripted Q&A.
• Producer Ethan is anxious about the sudden format change, but Shatner’s confidence wins out (“We're just going to wing it.” – Frank Caliendo, quoting Shatner at 09:33).
• The trio enjoys a backstage dinner—Shatner jokes about the food and ends up eating just an apple, signaling his low food intake.

3. The Pre-Show Crisis: Shatner Collapses (15:30–21:15)

• With ten minutes to showtime, in the elevator on the way to the stage, Shatner collapses suddenly (“William Shatner is out cold…drops down.” – John Holmberg, 15:35).
• Anxious chaos ensues: Holmberg, Caliendo, Ethan, and staff scramble, fearing the worst as Shatner is unconscious just moments before being introduced.

“There’s nothing funny about a 94-year-old man who's out cold in front of you…This is how old people die.”
— John Holmberg (16:12)

• A terrifying silence, then from the floor, Shatner croaks: “Pick me up. Pick me up.” (19:54–20:29). He is physically lifted by John, Frank, and crew—his complete deadweight jarring to all.

4. The Show Must Go On (21:00–29:00)

• Despite the fall, and clearly out of sorts, Shatner insists on continuing (“We’re doing it!” – Shatner via Frank Caliendo, 21:05).
• “There's no possible way I’m going to sit on stage in front of a nearly part of this desk. There’s a thousand people sitting there waiting for him to come out and watch this guy drop dead on stage. I don’t want to do this.”

— John Holmberg (21:22)

• Holmberg and Caliendo go onstage, acting composed, all the while terrified Shatner could collapse again, especially with a tripping hazard (the infamous throw rug) in their path.

5. Navigating Anxious Laughter—Surviving the Show (26:00–32:00)

• The Q&A goes forward, audience none the wiser. Shatner is animated, telling stories, but keeps glancing at Holmberg as if to say “keep an eye on me.”
• “I've never been so anxiety-riddled in my life.” — John Holmberg (28:25)
• Shatner meanders through stories, sometimes forgetting details or losing his train of thought (“I see that he has no idea what story he's telling.” – Holmberg, 31:30–31:33) but the crowd loves it.

Memorable On-stage Moment:

“I'm onstage half-emcee, half-EMT.”
— John Holmberg (28:24)

• The show runs long, ends with Shatner abruptly closing with a half-finished racing story, the crowd erupts, oblivious to the behind-the-scenes ordeal.

6. Aftermath, Relief, and Comic Decompression (32:42–41:00)

• Backstage, Shatner jokes, “I didn’t tell the story at all, did I?” (32:42), relieved and unfazed.
• Caliendo and Holmberg, on their drive home, are still shaken. They repeatedly relive Shatner’s collapse, still amazed and on edge.

Quote:

“It was a night of comedy and terror… The comedy happened subconsciously because the stage lights are on, but the terror was real.”
— John Holmberg (34:48)

• They process the risk and their role: If Shatner had died, they’d be immortalized as “the gray, nameless faces in the photo.”
• The now-legendary phrase “Pick me up” becomes an uneasy running joke.

7. Reflections: The Risks and Resilience of a 94-year-old Legend (41:15–51:04)

• Insights on the immense toll and vulnerability of elderly performers; the perils of pushing one’s limits.
• Frank cracks, “If I'm booked, I go on!” (43:44) summing up Shatner’s show-must-go-on spirit.
• Holmberg’s reluctant resolve: “Never again agreeing to do anything with a 94-year-old.” (40:13)
• They speculate on production responsibility, crowd management, and whether Shatner’s team is overextending him.
• Ends with appreciation for Shatner’s indomitable showmanship, a sense of accomplishment at having averted disaster, and exhausted gratitude for not becoming headline news.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (w/ Timestamps)

• “Knock, knock… Interrupting Khan!”
  — William Shatner, recounted by Holmberg and Caliendo (08:44)

• “Pick me up. Pick me up.”
  — William Shatner on the floor, just before being lifted (19:54–20:29)

• “There's nothing funny about a 94-year-old man who’s out cold in front of you… This is how old people die.”
  — John Holmberg (16:12)

• “I'm onstage half-emcee, half-EMT.”
  — John Holmberg (28:24)

• “It was a night of comedy and terror… The comedy happened subconsciously… but the terror was real.”
  — John Holmberg (34:48)

• “If I’m booked, I go on!”
  — Frank Caliendo channeling Shatner’s unstoppable attitude (43:44)

Tone and Takeaways

• Hilarious yet genuine: True to HMS’s irreverent style, the episode balances wild humor with real fear and respect.
• Anxiety & Relief: The hosts’ storytelling is both self-deprecating and sharply aware of the gravity (and absurdity) of the situation.
• Affection and Awe: Even as they joke, the admiration for William Shatner’s stamina and stage presence is palpable.
• Camaraderie: The bond between Holmberg, Caliendo, and crew is heightened by their shared “trauma.”
• Behind the Curtain: Listeners get a unique, unvarnished look at the chaos that can unfold moments before the house lights go up.

Episode Timeline

• 03:38–06:30 — Setting up the night, revisiting history with Shatner
• 08:00–12:30 — Backstage banter, Shatner’s comedy, deciding to “wing it”
• 15:30–21:15 — Shatner collapses: chaos and panic
• 21:00–29:00 — Composure, commitment, terror: the Q&A begins
• 26:00–32:00 — Stage fright behind the scenes, Shatner’s wandering stories
• 32:42–41:00 — Debrief, disbelief, and gallows humor
• 41:15–51:04 — Final reflections, never again with 94-year-olds, admiration for Shatner

FINAL THOUGHT

This episode stands as one of the most suspenseful, chaotic, and funny behind-the-scenes stories HMS has aired, where John Holmberg, Frank Caliendo, and crew go from sharing laughs with William Shatner to scrambling to keep a living legend on his feet—literally. Both tribute and cautionary tale, it’s an unforgettable window into “show business at the edge.”