Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona

Episode: 12-17-25 – Entertainment Drill – WED

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: John Holmberg with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo
Note: Episode covers the Entertainment Drill segment of the show's final 2025 broadcast, featuring news, comedy, and reflection.

Episode Overview

This episode marks the final Entertainment Drill of 2025 for Holmberg’s Morning Sickness. The hosts blend entertainment news with their trademark offbeat banter, covering topics such as Scott Adams’ health, the impact of pop culture phenomena, and notable changes in the music world. Amidst the news, they serve their usual irreverence, humor, and a touch of heartfelt reflection as they sign off for the year.

Key Discussion Points

1. Year-End Listener Feedback & Team Banter

• Listener's holiday email (02:14): A fan laments that the show's holiday break results in a "depressing" lack of HMS content, jokingly blaming their absence for increased seasonal sadness.
• AI-generated hosts & 24-hours of HMS (03:12):
  • The crew discusses running AI versions of themselves or looping "Best Of" episodes over the holidays, with John clarifying that he was never serious about airing 24 hours of himself.
    • Holmberg (03:14): “The last thing I think we should do is have me on for 24... spend 24 hours a day with me and I hate it.”
    • They joke about the absurdity of spending an entire day with only HMS, poking fun at the idea’s origin.

2. Self-Defense and Heroism in the News

• Active shooter scenario commentary (05:12):
  The team references a recent incident in Australia involving a civilian tackling a shooter but being mistakenly shot by police.
  • Holmberg highlights the importance of situational awareness and points to local self-defense training:
    Holmberg (06:02): “Once you get some confidence and once you get trained, boy, you can defend yourself in a whole bunch of different ways.”

3. Entertainment News Highlights

Scott Adams' Health Crisis (06:26)

• Dilbert creator Scott Adams is paralyzed below the waist due to cancer.
• He’s appealing to President Trump for access to an unapproved drug, Plavicto, delayed by ongoing radiation treatments.
  • Dark, irreverent humor from Holmberg:
    Holmberg (06:45): “I believe we blow up a boat of Plavicto on its way over from Venezuela. Sorry about that.”

Pop Culture: Zootopia 2’s Unexpected Impact (07:12)

• Zootopia 2 breaks records, hitting $1B faster than any PG animated film.
• “Gary the Snake,” a character, inspires a trend in China for adopting venomous pit vipers as pets (despite their dangers).
  • Holmberg (07:51): “I have no sympathy for anyone who buys something called a viper unless it’s a Dodge.”

Best TV Comedies of 2025 (08:05)

• Collider.com’s Top 10 comedies, with notable mentions:
  • Only Murders in the Building (#10)
  • Mythic Quest, Hacks, Abbott Elementary, and more.
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (#1 pick)
    • Holmberg (09:12): “Always Sunny is ridiculously hilarious—when it hits, it hits it out of the yard.”

Snoop Dogg Halftime & Rolling Stones Tour News (09:18)

• Snoop Dogg is announced as the halftime show for the Vikings/Lions Christmas Day game on Netflix (09:18).
  • Joked that Martha Stewart will be “pole dancing.”
• Rolling Stones won’t tour Europe next year due to Keith Richards’ declining health (arthritis).
  • Hosts riff on Keith’s age and a potential album called “Ouch. Where’s my Voltaren?”
    Holmberg (10:05): “If their album was called Rolling Stones: Pass the Voltaren ... just him pointing to the Voltaren.”

4. Year-End Reflections and Notables

Reflections on 2025 & Listener Appreciation (11:23)

• The show acknowledges a difficult year for the team, mentioning brushes with leaving but expressing gratitude to each other and their audience.
  • Holmberg (11:51): “There was a lot of strife this year. This was a tough one. We almost left ... but it was still fun. Coming in here with you guys was fun.”

“S Heel of the Year” Award (12:00)

• The team regretfully remembers missing the “S Heel of the Year” segment.
  • This year’s (unwanted) winner: a man who cruelly killed a puppy, which Holmberg recounts with disgust, declining to name the perpetrator to avoid giving notoriety.

Safety Message for the Holidays (12:40)

• Public safety encouragement regarding holiday drinking and amateur hour.
  • Holmberg (12:54): “It’s amateur hour from December 24th to January 2nd. ... Stay safe.”

Self-Deprecation on Best-Ofs and Holiday Programming (13:15)

• The team pokes fun at their own “Best Of” holiday reruns and 24-hour marathons.
  • Holmberg (13:29): “That’s just ... horrible. Turn the radio off. Enjoy Christmas with the family.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On endless marathons of themselves:
  “Spend 24 hours a day with me and I hate it. About eight hours in, I’m like, enough of this.”
  — John Holmberg (03:59)

• On Rolling Stones health:
  “If their album was called Rolling Stones: Pass the Voltaren ... just him pointing to the Voltaren.”
  — John Holmberg (10:05)

• On “S Heel of the Year”:
  “That dude is like the worst human being alive ... I want to shame his family and everybody that ever was nice to him. Ever.”
  — John Holmberg (12:00)

• On holiday safety:
  “Don’t be one of those pricks that wrecks it for someone else.”
  — John Holmberg (12:54)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------| | 02:14 | Listener holiday email & team jokes | | 03:12 | AI/24-hour HMS marathon debate | | 05:12 | Self-defense/situational awareness commentary | | 06:26 | Scott Adams/Dilbert health update | | 07:12 | Zootopia 2 & dangerous pet trends in China | | 08:05 | Collider.com’s Top 10 Comedies of 2025 | | 09:18 | Snoop Dogg halftime show, Rolling Stones update | | 11:23 | Year-end reflections, gratitude to listeners | | 12:00 | “S Heel of the Year” story | | 12:40 | Holiday safety message | | 13:15 | Self-deprecating humor re: holiday programming |

Tone and Style

The episode embodies Holmberg’s Morning Sickness’s signature irreverent, fast-paced humor. The hosts interweave topical entertainment news with biting sarcasm, self-deprecation, and the occasional sincere nod to their audience. Jokes fly rapidly—even when discussing sobering topics—delivered with camaraderie and a refusal to take themselves too seriously. As the 2025 wrap-up, the episode offers a snapshot of the cast’s chemistry and their distinct approach to tackling both the profound and the absurd in pop culture.

For listeners seeking a year-end roundup laced with adult irreverence, sharp quips, and candid moments, this episode is an apt farewell to 2025 from Holmberg and crew.