Holmberg's Morning Sickness — Episode Summary

Date: December 1, 2025
Episode: 12-01-25 - WWBD (What Would Brady Do)
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness — 98KUPD (Arizona)

Episode Overview

This episode of “Holmberg’s Morning Sickness” features the recurring "What Would Brady Do" segment, where the crew fields bizarre or uncomfortable listener dilemmas and offers their own comedic, honest takes. This time, the team tackles three big topics: a best friend coming out as bisexual after decades of friendship, an intolerable dad as a holiday houseguest, and whether to confess about unknowingly giving someone herpes years ago. The group’s trademark mix of irreverence, humor, and candor is on full display throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. My Best Friend Just Came Out as Bisexual — What Do I Do?

[02:01 - 13:12]

• The Scenario:
  A listener named Steven writes in. After 26 years of friendship, his best friend came out as bisexual and shared his first experiences happened in their church youth group. Steven wonders how to handle this revelation.

• Initial Reactions:

  • Brady: “It’s an adjustment.” [02:52]
  • The hosts joke about being surprised not by the friend’s sexuality, but by not having been "hit on" during all their years of friendship.
  • Holmberg draws a food analogy: “It’s just not right. At least get me in... Why never give me any food?” [04:09]

• Deeper Insights:

  • There’s a lighthearted, yet real, reflection on trust and the closeness of friendships:

    “You thought so little of me that you couldn’t tell me your deepest secret. Meanwhile, you’re blowing everybody all through high school except me.” — Holmberg [05:02]

  • The crew debates whether it's about not being attractive to the friend, or about the friend’s worry of losing the friendship.
  • Brady observes: “There’s a slight bit of, like, almost betrayal.” [09:42]
  • The group agrees the most important question is:

    “How come you didn’t trust me with this? What did you think I would do?” — Holmberg [06:09]

  • The discussion segues into adjacent territory—friends and even ex-wives who later come out or transition.

• Memorable Quote:

  "Hand jobs change friendship." — Holmberg [10:46]
  (This gets repeated, and the crew jokes about making T-shirts and using it as a show motto.)

• Summary View:
  Ultimately, the team lands on “it’s an adjustment, but it doesn’t really matter—your best friend is still your best friend. Talk it out if you need to, be real, and ask the questions on your mind.”

2. My Dad is a Terrible Holiday Houseguest — Help!

[13:44 - 16:27]

• The Scenario:
  Rodney writes in: his dad is coming for two weeks over the holidays and is messy, inconsiderate, and generally an awful guest (he leaves unflushed toilets, makes messes, hogs the couch with his bed blanket). Rodney can’t afford to put him up elsewhere, but dreads the visit.

• The Crew’s Counsel:

  • Brady: "You gotta pull the scab off and tell him: Dad, I don’t want you staying with us.” [14:44]
  • Holmberg is blunt: “You’re the worst house guest in the world. Clean it up or you’re out. Treat my house a little respect.” [14:49]
  • The group jokes about the boundary between houseguest and stayer, noting that two weeks is “way too much” for anyone.
  • Brett offers this: “If he can’t afford it, he shouldn’t be coming out for vacation…He’s freeloading.”
  • They all agree on a classic line:

    “House guests are like fish. After three days, they stink.” [21:57]

  • The conversation ends with the idea that it’s not unloving to set boundaries, even with one’s father.

3. I Think I Gave a Woman Herpes 7 Years Ago — Should I Tell Her?

[16:27 - 21:41]

• The Scenario:
  Ross writes in, wracked with guilt about giving a woman herpes years ago—she thinks she caught it from someone else, but Ross is almost certain it was him.

• Arguments and Humor:

  • Brady wonders why he wants to confess now. “Are you feeling empowered enough that you want to tell her?” [17:00]
  • The crew agrees:

    “Why tell her? Why bring it up?…She ain’t getting rid of it. Who cares?” — Holmberg [19:03]

  • They debate the ethics of informing past partners, but swing back to practicality:
    • “Maybe you didn’t give it to her. Maybe it was the Dude in Florida.” [18:18]
    • “Let it go. What you don’t know won’t kill her. And herpes won’t kill her either.” [19:29]
    • If Ross is thinking about rekindling things with her, Holmberg jokes, "If you bang her, you two just swapping back and forth, nothing’s changing." [19:31]
  • The crew jokes about gaslighting the woman by “getting her to pay you because she gave you herpes.”
  • Final consensus: It’s been so long, there’s no proof, and nothing is gained by reopening the wound.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | 02:52 | “It’s an adjustment.” | Brady | | 05:02 | “You thought so little of me that you couldn’t tell me your deepest secret. Meanwhile, you’re blowing everybody all through high school except me.” | Holmberg | | 06:09 | “How come you didn’t trust me with this? What did you think I would do?” | Holmberg | | 09:42 | “There’s a slight bit of, like, almost betrayal.” | Brady | | 10:46 | “Hand jobs change friendship.” | Holmberg | | 13:44 | “Dad, I don’t like—I don’t want you staying with us.” | Brady | | 14:49 | “You’re the worst house guest in the world. Clean it up or you’re out. Treat my house a little respect.” | Holmberg | | 19:03 | “Why tell her? Why bring it up?...She ain’t getting rid of it. Who cares?” | Holmberg | | 21:57 | “House guests are like fish. After three days, they stink.” | Holmberg |

Important Segments with Timestamps

• [02:01 - 13:12] — Friend Comes Out as Bisexual
  • Navigating surprise, trust, and “hand jobs change friendship.”
• [13:44 - 16:27] — Holiday Houseguest Dad
  • Setting boundaries, family awkwardness, classic “houseguest” advice.
• [16:27 - 21:41] — Herpes Confession
  • Ethics of disclosure, practicality, humor, and why “letting it go” is often fine.

Tone and Language

The episode is packed with the show’s irreverent, quick-witted banter, occasionally irreverent but always honest. There’s a blend of real emotional insight and outrageous humor, embodying the “entertain, question, disturb” purpose noted in the podcast description. The participants don’t shy away from sensitive topics but always manage to bring comic relief and down-to-earth perspective.

Summary Takeaways

• Friendships survive big surprises, but honesty is valued—ask the real questions, don’t be afraid of “the adjustment.”
• Set boundaries with family, no matter how awkward—it’s your home and your holiday too.
• When it comes to messy histories, sometimes it’s okay to let sleeping dogs (and viruses) lie.
• And above all: “Hand jobs change friendship.”

Holmberg and crew deliver another episode that’s blunt, hilarious, and occasionally heartfelt—making awkward questions a lot more approachable.