Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – 11-26-25 (BR – WED)

Episode Summary & Key Moments

Overview

In this pre-Thanksgiving episode, John Holmberg and the crew (Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo) riff on holiday traditions, family quirks, workplace laziness before big holidays, and a national poll asking which age range people consider the best years of their life. The group also discusses ratings quirks in radio, dives deep into Thanksgiving traditions (and their weirdest memories), shares "fun facts," and concludes with their signature blend of offbeat video reactions and darkly comedic asides.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pre-Thanksgiving Vibes & Workplace Apathy

• The show opens with banter about how empty offices are the day before Thanksgiving, likening the vibe to someone "quiet quitting" a relationship. The crew guesses how many salespeople will show up or stay for a full day (“over/under on salespeople showing up... Four… none stay longer than two hours.” — 01:50).
• John quips about their role:

  “We have to entertain America, Brad. Entertain America.” (02:03, John)

2. Podcast Ratings Rant

• John vents about corporate disconnect around podcast ratings, lamenting the rule that only listens within 24 hours count:

  > “If you’re going to listen to the podcast, do it within 24 hours of the show airing or else it doesn’t count. …this is how dumb our goddamn bosses are...” (02:06-03:08, John)  
  

• The crew jokes that their success is paradoxically punished by giving content away for free, leading to rating confusion.

3. Listener Emails: ‘Dead Dad Club’ and Accessibility

• John reads an email from Harley Hornecker, humorously welcoming Brett to the "Dead Dad Club” and jokingly calling out Toledo (“your grandfather did... my dad’s alive, he’s coming out... nice job, you effing show off. Welcome to the club, Brett” — 04:34).

• An email from Joshua, a hard-of-hearing listener:

  > “I listen to your podcast on full blast in my headphones. Doesn’t count for ratings, so I can barely hear you, but from what I’m gathering, you’re amazing. Keep it up.” (05:08)  
  

• John riffs, “Joshua’s headphones probably count for ratings because it’s so loud it actually penetrates the air.” (05:16)

4. Thanksgiving Commercials, Arizona Weather, and Family Tradition

• John and the crew riff on how guests from the Midwest can’t handle the Arizona “cold” (“Midwesterners think 60 degrees is like being on fire to them...”) and awkwardly swim in November (07:13).
• Brady plugs his new motorized shades and outdoor lights:

  “My shade goes out, also has lighting underneath... The bar’s extension.” (08:28, Brady)

• John counters:

  “You should be like Brady and unlike Toledo and have nice things.” (08:34, John)

5. Holiday “Fun Facts” Segment

• A string of quirky facts:
  • Wild Turkeys have 5,000–6,000 feathers
  • The FDA allows calorie labels to be rounded down to zero under 5 calories
  • The Las Vegas Strip isn’t technically in Las Vegas, but in Paradise, Winchester, and Enterprise
  • Columbus mistook manatees for mermaids (1493) and was disappointed:

    “But they weren’t so beautiful as I was told they were.” (10:54, Brady)

  • John riffs: “They’re fat and blue... they don’t look like Daryl Hannah.” (11:07, John)

6. Thanksgiving Traditions and ‘The Recipe’ Survey

• Story about Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton (the viral “wrong number” Thanksgiving)—10 years running (12:22).
• Black Friday is nicknamed “Brown Friday” (for plumbers, not shoppers) due to post-Thanksgiving plumbing issues (13:14).

• Poll: “52% of Americans will have at least one recipe at Thanksgiving that’s 25 years old or older.”

  > “Aren’t all half meals old recipes? …Technically, yeah.” (13:45, John)  
  > “But if it’s a family recipe... that surprised me.” (13:52, Brady)
  

7. Changing Gender Roles and Family Cooking

• Brady shares how his mom is disappointed his sister never learned to cook a turkey:

  > “My brother-in-law makes the turkey. But your sister has never made a turkey...” (15:43, Brady)  
  

  • John interjects:

    “She didn’t turn into a good woman, is what your mother’s saying.” (15:55, John)

8. Poll: Best Decade of Your Life

• A national poll asked which decade was people’s “best years.” The 20s won (22%), 30s next (20%), then 40s (12%), 50s (9%).

• John reflects:

  > “If you’re looking back at your 20s as the best time in your life, it’s because you don’t like responsibility.” (17:02, John)  
  

  • And on high school nostalgia:

    “I always look at people who get excited about high school reunions. You peaked in high school... peaked in high school is a very bad thing. ...You’ve got 60 years left.” (19:39, John)

9. Radio Videos: Viral Coconuts, Mall Fights, and Outrageous Gross-Outs

• Various video reactions, including:
  • A guy getting hit with falling coconuts
  • Mall fight:

    “He punched the little dude first, and the little dude... turns his lights out. …Don’t judge that book by its cover, ’cause you’d have walked past that guy thinking… he knocks him out.” (23:53, John)

  • Bizarre/gross viral videos (pee on windshields, Raid cans and Fruit Loops used in sexual ways)
    • John’s reaction:

      “That’s a lot of pee. …Some chubby girl peeing on my window.” (26:17, John)

    • On the crazy finale:

      “...Froot Loops out of the butt. And then we go right to sex. And there’s Froot Loops everywhere. ...Loads of milk. Still, he didn’t finish that bowl. ...The metaphoric nature of Froot Loops up your ass should have been homosexuals.” (27:11–27:12, John)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Pre-Thanksgiving Office Laziness:
  “If they're [salespeople] there, it’s jeans and sweatshirts. It's like when your wife quits... she's just in a t-shirt and shorts that you wouldn't touch if they were on the floor.” (01:41, John)

• Corporate Ratings Frustration:
  “If you're going to listen to the podcast, do it within 24 hours or else it doesn't count. ...this is how dumb our goddamn bosses are.” (02:06–03:08, John)

• Thanksgiving with Midwesterners:
  “God forbid they're sitting on a patio with that sun cooking them at 60 degrees. They'll burst into flames.” (07:13, John)

• Columbus’s Mermaids:
  “But they weren't so beautiful as I was told they were.” (10:54, Brady, quoting Columbus) “They're fat and blue.” (11:07, John)

• Discussion of Family Recipe Tradition:
  “Aren’t all half meals old recipes?” (13:45, John)

• Poll on Best Decade:
  “If you’re looking back at your 20s as the best time in your life, it’s because you don’t like responsibility.” (17:02, John) “Peaked in high school is a very bad thing.” (19:39, John)

• On Bizarre Viral Videos:
  “...He punched the little dude first, and the little dude... turns his lights out.” (23:53, John) “That’s a lot of nuts in your face...” (23:14, John) “...Froot Loops out of the butt. ...Loads of milk. Still, he didn’t finish that bowl.” (27:11–27:12, John)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:13 — John’s reflections on the “half-assed” holiday workday
• 02:03–03:56 — Podcast ratings rant
• 04:33–05:08 — Listener emails: ‘Dead Dad Club’ and accessibility
• 08:51–13:59 — Holiday fun facts, Thanksgiving traditions, and viral story of Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton
• 15:28–16:08 — Family cooking roles & generational shifts
• 16:08–19:40 — Poll: Best years of your life & high school “peaking”
• 22:25–27:12 — Radio video reactions: coconuts, mall fights, and extreme internet weirdness

Tone and Style

The hosts maintain their characteristic irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes crude humor throughout, using quick banter, deadpan, and dark comedy as they bounce from personal stories to social commentary and viral video reactions.

If you haven’t listened: This episode is a classic pre-holiday HMS: equal parts cultural commentary, workplace satire, relatable family nonsense, and their infamous boundary-pushing video round-up. The Thanksgiving episode is jammed with jokes about family dysfunction, generational divides, and pure nonsense—delivered with gleeful disregard for political correctness or politeness.