Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Episode Summary

Episode: 11-21-25 - BR - FRI - It's Natl Stuffing Day Though We Debate It - Pepperoni Is Spelled Differently By Italians - Sci News On Mistletoe And Kissing History And On Ancient Art - Brady's Monkey Joke Thuds In Smuggler's News Story
Air Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogan, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Overview

In this raucous episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness, the crew dives into the absurdity of “National Stuffing Day,” debates food traditions, explores quirky holiday science—from the origins of kissing to new findings on mistletoe—and unpacks a medley of weird news, from Italian-American food etymology to ancient erotic art. Classic HMS irreverence is on full display, punctuated by banter, jokes, and wild video reactions, culminating in a particularly thudding punchline from Brady during “Smuggler’s News.”

Segment Highlights

1. National Stuffing Day & Thanksgiving Traditions

[03:45–05:42]

• Brady greets the audience and notes it's National Stuffing Day.
• John is indignant: “How's today National Stuffing Day? That's Thursday. You don't jump the gun here.” (03:53)
• The group debates the merits—and timing—of serving stuffing before Thanksgiving, with John proclaiming, “Stuffing is special…you don't eat stuffing any other time of the year.” (04:16)
• Discussion veers into personal Thanksgiving menus, the delegation of cooking responsibility, and humorous family anecdotes.
• John: “Turkey’s just Cobb salad. Cobb salad, no dressing. No bacon.” (05:38)
• Playful ribbing about health, family roles, and diet.

2. Fun Food & Sports Facts

[06:06–07:55]

• Brady drops trivia:
  • Al Michaels is the only broadcaster to call all four major US sports championships.
  • Of 14 “dot-com” Super Bowl advertisers in 2000, only 4 are still active.
  • Pepperoni's Italian spelling (“peperoni” - bell peppers) vs. the American version.
• John and Brady wrangle over the correct number of P’s in “pepperoni,” with John refusing to back down:
  • “I bet you a billion dollars there’s two P’s in pepperoni.” (07:55)
• A brief, comedic rabbit hole on language, food, and word origins.

3. Weird Science & Holiday Kissing

[09:00–16:49]

• Brady: Possible breakthrough—garlic extract mouthwash may reduce bad breath better than conventional rinses.
  • Skepticism from John: “Kills the bad breath stink. But then you have garlic breath!” (09:27)
• Science News:
  • Kissing may go back 20 million years, predating humans entirely.
  • Rich channels the song: “Birds do it. Bees do it. Kissing.” (12:01)
  • Theories swirl about the evolutionary purpose of kissing and comparisons to animal behavior.
• NASA update: New photos of an interstellar object ("Atlas 3 Eye Atlas"), Harvard scientist speculates on unusual comet behavior:
  • “Comets don’t turn corners. Like, what’s it doing?” (14:12)
• Art and archeology:
  • Study: neither kids nor adults can convincingly mimic Jackson Pollock.
  • Archaeologists in Israel interpret a 12,000-year-old figurine as “a woman being mounted by a goose”—which John lampoons as “a pervert looking at a rock, seeing what he wants. That’s a Rorschach rock.” (16:21)

4. Smuggler’s News — And A Joke Flops

[17:49–20:12]

• Brady introduces a segment about animal smugglers in Thailand.
• Story fizzles humorously as Brady’s monkey joke fails to land, leading to banter:
  • “That thing peter out. When we didn't react to your delivery of Max, you really didn't have anywhere to go there. Not even a pun. Just dirty. Just being dirty.” — John (18:39)
• Discussions follow on what happens to rescued animals, leading to yet another riff on monkey resilience.

5. New York's Subway Scent & Miscellaneous Oddities

[20:29–21:19]

• Bath & Body Works makes Grand Central smell like pine trees for Christmas, replacing “the normal smell, which is homeless anus.” — John (20:44)
• The crew imagines confused New Yorkers missing the “authentic smell of piss.”
• Quick detour to “band name” jokes (“Homeless Anus”).

6. Radio Video Mayhem

[21:30–34:46]

• The team watches and narrates viral and bizarre videos, including:
  • A playground bully gets knocked out by a kid in jeans and work boots: “Never mess with dudes playing basketball in jeans and work boots. That is...a pride party. Not like the gay one either. Like proud boys.” — John (22:24)
  • An '80s anti-marijuana PSA spirals into absurdity (wood chipper incident), with John critiquing its unreality:
    “That commercial’s wrong in every direction. Here’s the most inaccurate portrayal of the ‘80s of all time. We were hiring women to do men’s jobs...” (24:54)
  • Multiple NSFW clips dissected with explicit humor and exaggerated disgust, culminating in John’s exasperated: “I’ve seen too much. All right, well in there, too much.” (34:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• John (On stuffing before Thanksgiving):
  “That's the premature ejac of Thanksgiving. You don't stuff in the Saturday before. Then you've overstuffed.” (04:02)
• On American vs. Italian food names:
  “There's no salami named pepperoni with three P's used on a pizza topping.” — Brady (08:21)
• Exploring ancient erotic art:
  “If you see sex in this rock...that's a pervert looking at a rock, seeing what he wants. That's a Rorschach rock.” — John (16:21)
• On New York subway scents:
  “Rather than the normal smell, which is homeless anus.” — John (20:44)
• On surprising video content:
  “That's the biggest wiener I've ever seen on a midget. That thing is huge!” — John (26:24)
• After a string of explicit and bizarre video descriptions:
  “I’ve seen too much. All right, well in there, too much.” — John (34:46)

Key Timestamps

• 03:45–06:00: National Stuffing Day and Thanksgiving debate
• 06:06–07:55: Sports and food trivia
• 09:00–16:49: Science News (garlic mouthwash, history of kissing, NASA’s investigation, abstract art, ancient erotic figurine)
• 17:49–20:12: Smuggler’s News (wildlife trafficking, monkey joke fail)
• 20:29–21:19: New York subway scentification with pine trees
• 21:30–34:46: Radio videos (bullying, anti-drug ads, NSFW clips, escalating gross-out reactions)

Tone & Vibe

Irreverent, quick-witted, and often filthy—this episode is a classic slice of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness: the humor is rapid, the references are local and pop-cultural, and the camaraderie between the hosts is palpable. Expect a blend of genuine knowledge, raw comedy, deliberate shock value, and moments where the fourth wall crashes as jokes misfire or get pushed too far.

For New Listeners

This episode typifies HMS’s trademark blend of current events, everyday absurdity, offbeat science, and boundary-pushing banter. If you’re coming in fresh, prepare for lots of Arizona local flavor, heaps of sarcasm, and segments that ricochet from wholesome to wild without warning. (Skip if easily offended!)