Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – 12-08-25

Episode Title: Details On The KUPD Concert Pass - Entertainment Drill - Recapping The Cinnabon Racist - Shirley Manson Hates Beachballs
Date: December 8, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Tone: Irreverent, humorous, edgy morning radio banter

Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness covers several themes, centering on ongoing listener reactions to the "Cinnabon racist" controversy, details about the KUPD Concert Pass, quirky entertainment news, and a humorous discussion about Shirley Manson’s onstage rant about beach balls. The hosts navigate awkward cultural discourse with their trademark snark, while also delivering lighthearted pop culture updates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. KUPD Concert Pass & App Promotion

• KUPD is offering a Concert Pass that grants access to every KUPD show in 2026. Entry is through a tap on their app, with The Offspring as the featured band of the week.
• Side anecdotes about a K-Pop/anime event in Mesa:
  • Larry recounts going to an anime event with his daughter, tying it to jokes about K-Pop fandoms, age, and crowd demographics.
• Notable Banter:
  • “We went to this like K Pop anime mini parking lot convention thing in Mesa…Human trafficking. Daughter wanted to go. Sounds human trafficking to me.” (Brett, 01:38)
  • Playful confusion over “Studio Ghibli” vs “Kimmy Gibbler” from Full House.

2. Recap: The "Cinnabon Racist" Incident and Somalian Controversy

• Listener emails flood in after a Cinnabon employee’s racist remarks go viral.
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Brett expresses surprise at the intensity of anti-Somali sentiment in the emails.
  • The team discusses bad customer relations, the GoFundMe for the employee reaching $100,000, and the broader pattern of public outrage.
• Dark Satire:
  • Numerous facetious, edgy jokes dissect American reactions to Somali immigrants, mocking conspiratorial fears and addressing racism through parody and exaggeration.
  • “I thought everybody’d kind of be on the same page with the Cinnabon girl being wrong…you can be mad at Somalians, but the way she handled it, probably not the best, right?” (Brett, 05:00)
  • Parodying paranoia: “Somebody told me they're all over here too, like on Thomas and 52nd Street…I gotta check my walls later.” (Brett, 06:21)
  • Mock prayer: “Can the Somalian overflow of Minnesota please eat our headquarters and all the Bobs and all the owners and all the people, please…” (Brett, 09:43)
• Key Message:
  • “You can’t go calling people the N-word at work, no matter how mad you are. It never works.” (Brett, 08:34; Byron, 08:39)

3. Entertainment Drill: Pop Culture & Celebrity News

• Segment Sponsor: ReactDefense.com, home of Tactical Black self-defense.
  • Jokingly pitched as a way to defend “from the Somalian guy walking around here in Phoenix.”
  • De-escalation skills highlighted as a more appropriate response than the Cinnabon incident.

News Covered:

• Trump’s Proposal to Rename American Football:
  • Brainstorming names: “pigskin,” “Trump Ball,” “Hand Egg,” “Ball of America,” “Millionaire Fight Club,” etc.
  • “Why don’t you call it American Football?” “Trump Ball.” “That’s pretty good.” (11:41–11:48)
• Us Weekly’s Top Christmas Movies by IMDb Score:
  • Fun at list’s expense, particularly It’s a Wonderful Life.
  • “It’s a movie about mental health and a deranged man…who’s also suicidal…” (Brett, 13:40)
  • Satirical summary of It’s a Wonderful Life: “He goes back and finds out his mom’s running a brothel. This is a Christmas movie? No, this is darker than Brokeback Mountain.” (Brett, 14:24)
• Bionic Woman 50th Anniversary:
  • Lindsay Wagner’s pop-up store and video chat events, lampooned for nostalgia and the reality of aging celebrities.
  • “I don’t want to see what’s happened to her over the last 50 years.” (Brett, 15:46)
• Shirley Manson (Garbage) vs. Beach Balls at Concerts:
  • Recap of Manson’s onstage rant, calling for the crowd to “punch him in his face” (the beach ball tosser).
  • “Violence is not the answer, Shirley!” yelled by a fan, ends the viral video (17:01)
  • Aftermath: She apologizes at the next show but gets booed.
  • “Get to Stupid Girl and get off the stage…I’m only happy when it rains. Okay, you’re done.” (Brett, 17:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cinnabon Incident:
  • “The N word and then go and suck it, suck it. I think that’s bad customer relations.” (Brett, 05:23)
  • “You can’t go calling people the N word at work, no matter how mad you are. It never works.” (Brett, 08:34)
• Listener Email Satire:
  • “Cockroaches aren’t scary. I can step on those too. But when you see one, there’s a thousand more in your walls.” (Listener via Brett, 05:56)
• About “It’s a Wonderful Life”:
  • “If you think you die and the world falls apart, you’ve got delusions. You’re schizophrenic.” (Brett, 13:40)
• Shirley Manson Rant:
  • “She told him to kill the guy right now. Who loved beach balls…” (Brett, 16:37)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:19 – KUPD Concert Pass promotion, Offspring as artist, anime event banter
• 04:58 – Listener email reactions on the "Cinnabon racist"
• 05:22 – Breaking down the GoFundMe for the Cinnabon employee
• 06:21 – Satirizing anti-Somali sentiment, “check my walls later”
• 09:43 – Mock prayer for Somalians to “eat the Bobs” at Hubbard Broadcasting
• 11:21 – Entertainment Drill starts
• 11:25 – Trump’s football naming ideas
• 12:32 – Christmas movies rankings debate
• 13:40 – Shellacking “It’s a Wonderful Life”
• 15:13 – Bionic Woman nostalgia
• 16:14 – Shirley Manson’s beach ball meltdown recap
• 17:12 – Aftermath and fan reactions

Episode Takeaways

• Podcast’s overall vibe: Comfortably offensive, rapid-fire riffing on social controversies, music, and entertainment oddities.
• Major recurring theme: The absurdity of outraged reactions—both to the "Cinnabon racist" moment and overwrought celebrity outbursts.
• Humor as a lens: The hosts use comedy—often dark—to dissect contemporary events and pop culture, inviting listeners to laugh at (not necessarily with) society’s excesses.