Podcast Summary: I’ve Had It – “New Year, Same A*sholes”

Hosts: Jennifer Welch, Angie “Pumps” Sullivan (absent), Kylie, Seth
Date: January 1, 2026
Special Guests: E. Jean Carroll, Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Episode Overview

In this lively New Year’s episode, Kylie and Seth step in for Jennifer and Pumps, delivering a mix of signature irreverent humor, fan interactions, and reflective moments on the past year’s most memorable guests. They revisit classic games and highlight conversations with their favorite thinkers—including journalist and feminist E. Jean Carroll and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Themes of identity, resilience, activism, and political anxiety thread the discussion, all underlined by the hosts’ trademark wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kicking Off 2026 with Inclusive and Irreverent Banter

• [00:09–00:34] Kylie opens with a playful roll call: “Patriots, gaytriots, natriots, Black triots, Brown triots... NB triats”—riffing on inclusive fandom terms and lightly mocking podcast traditions.
  • Seth jokes: “My claps are uncaged.”
  • Kylie: “In place of had its today... I realized there was something very important that I had not shared with our listeners” (regarding the Buzzfeed ‘How Gay Am I’ quiz).

2. Fan Mail and Listener Interactions

• [02:49–03:55] Kylie reads fan comments about Seth, poking fun at parasocial relationships:
  • “We do all kind of look like a weird, dysfunctional family.” – Seth [03:22]
  • “No, Kylie and I are actually one and the same. Interchangeable.” – Seth [03:47]
• Humorous anecdotes about how their presence online causes listener confusion and affection.

3. Highlight: E. Jean Carroll’s Hilarious and Candid “Had It or Hit It” Segment

• [04:25–14:14]
• Had it or Hit it: Dick Pics
  • E. Jean Carroll: “It’s like the cat bringing in a dead rat and dropping it right in your lap. So I’ve had it with dick.” [04:46]
  • [05:24] Angie recounts her one unsolicited Instagram dick pic: “I was, like, so terrified. But then I have a girlfriend that gets them all the time, and she’ll send them in a group text with no warning.”
  • E. Jean Carroll analyzes: “Men think they would like to get a picture of our breasts. So what we’ll do is, here’s a gift... That’s how they think.” [05:55]
• Had it or Hit it: Aphrodite
  • Aphrodite is E. Jean’s shotgun (“...sits by my bed. That's what I do.”) [06:38]
• Had it or Hit it: Revenge
  • “I think we gotta hit it... Our country is being torn apart at the seams. Are we going to sit still? No. What gives that feeling? Revenge.” – E. Jean Carroll [07:16]
• Cheerleading Nostalgia
  • E. Jean details her cheerleading royalty past, the pageant, and water-skiing at Miss Cheerleader USA. [08:30–10:12]
  • “That is some drag queen shit right there. That is straight up drag show. I’m here for it.” – Jennifer [10:05]

4. Reflections on Female Philanthropy and Activism

• [14:07–15:28]
  • E. Jean Carroll discusses using her settlement from Trump to help women’s rights:
    • “That’s where that $83.3 million is going. You know, that is not right. I just [am] stunned that Mark Zuckerberg said that, that his reality is so warped.” [13:37]
  • Jennifer lists impactful women like MacKenzie Scott and Melinda Gates who quietly invest in social change.
  • “Now we add E. Jean Carroll to this list of boss bitch philanthropists...” – Jennifer [14:50]

5. Women's Rights and MAGA Christian Cruelty

• [15:28–17:55]
  • They discuss the loss of abortion rights in Oklahoma, systemic attacks on poor women, and the Christian right’s contradiction:
    • “This whole MAGA movement is an attack on the poor. And if I were a Christian, I would be so furious at these MAGA Christians...” – Jennifer [17:15]
    • E. Jean Carroll emphasizes the importance of treating even those trapped in “news bubbles” with dignity as a way out of cult-like thinking.

6. Global Authoritarian Trends and Resistance

• [17:55–18:56]
  • Jennifer points to global pushback against Trumpist or authoritarian trends, expressing hope.
  • E. Jean notes, “Something’s the matter with Americans. We’ve been entertained into... hypnotized. We just don’t stand up anymore.” [19:25]

7. Guest Highlight: Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Authoritarian Warning Signs

• [21:04–34:22]
  • Split-Screen Reality
    • Ruth: “On the one hand... everything’s normal and great... and then you can leave here and look at the news headlines...” [21:04]
  • Red Flags
    • Trump’s open fandom of dictators:
    • “We’ve never had an American president who’s so openly a fan of dictators... That is new.” – Ruth [22:26]
    • Loss of normal government safety nets:
    • “Things that we expected, good things that government did... Many of them are disappearing.” [23:34]
    • Politicization of the military and judiciary
  • Economic and Societal Breakdown
    • Jennifer and Ruth discuss how undermining the judiciary and the Fed can destabilize the economy:
    • “If you undermine confidence in our regulatory and financial institutions—including the Fed—if you try and politicize them... businesses are going to be harmed...” – Ruth [28:27]
  • Strongman Playbook
    • “The thing about strongmen is that there is no end to their adulation that they need. They need constant acclaim.” – Ruth [31:40]
    • Comparison of Trump’s theatrics to historical dictators’ need for ‘temples to themselves’ and public displays of loyalty.
    • Consequences for sycophants and oligarchs: demotion, exile, or worse (“a lot of oligarchs have fallen out of windows or... you never want to go into the hospital...”). [34:09]
  • Hosts praise Ruth’s clarity and ability to make history “understandable and digestible.” [34:23–34:25]

8. Personal Updates, Moving, and New Year’s Resolutions

• [34:50–36:16]
  • Seth jokes that his New Year’s resolution is to “come up with one” [34:53]
  • Kylie vows (again) to quit vaping: “You fucking watch, listener.” [35:14]
  • Kylie shares she’ll soon be relocating to New York City with her girlfriend and dog: “Next time you see me, I’ll be with Jen and we’re gonna be some lesbians in the big city.” [35:27]
  • Light-hearted anxiety about losing their Oklahoma “hick” accents, with everyone imitating the local drawl for laughs [36:11–36:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• E. Jean Carroll on Dick Pics:
  • “It’s like the cat bringing in a dead rat and dropping it right in your lap.” [04:46]
• E. Jean on Philanthropy:
  • “That’s where that $83.3 million is going. ... I don’t need the money. ... Women need us. We’ve lost half our rights in the South.” [13:37, 15:12]
• Jennifer on MAGA Christians:
  • “This whole MAGA movement is an attack on the poor. And if I were a Christian, I would be so furious at these MAGA Christians...” [17:15]
• Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Red Flag:
  • “We’ve never had an American president who’s so openly a fan of dictators.” [22:26]
• Ruth on Authoritarians:
  • “The thing about strongmen is that there is no end to their adulation that they need. They need constant acclaim.” [31:40]
• E. Jean Carroll on American Apathy:
  • “We’ve been entertained into... hypnotized. We just don’t stand up anymore.” [19:25]
• Kylie, wrapping up her move:
  • “Next time you see me, I’ll be with Jen and we’re gonna be some lesbians in the big city.” [35:27]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:09 – Inclusive “triots” opener
• 02:49 – Reading fan comments about Seth
• 04:25 – “Had it or Hit it” with E. Jean Carroll
• 07:16 – Revenge, cheerleading, and nostalgia
• 14:07 – Philanthropy and women’s rights discussion
• 15:28 – Oklahoma abortion laws and social critique
• 17:55 – Authoritarian trends, activism, and global perspective
• 21:04 – Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s segment begins
• 22:26 – Ruth’s red flags on Trump-era authoritarianism
• 28:27 – Economic impacts of undermined institutions
• 31:40 – Authoritarian leader behavior explained
• 34:50 – New Year’s resolutions and Kylie’s move
• 36:11 – Oklahoma accent jokes
• 36:35 – Farewells and episode close

Tone

The episode is equal parts biting, witty, and earnest. The hosts expertly balance comedic takedowns (“That is some drag queen shit right there”) with candid engagement on politics, social justice, and personal change. Guests like E. Jean Carroll and Ruth Ben-Ghiat bring gravitas and historical perspective, matched by the hosts’ raw, relatable commentary.

Takeaway

A signature I’ve Had It blend of laughter, real talk, and solidarity as the hosts ring in the new year—reminding listeners to stay awake, stay active, and never lose their sense of humor (or their resolve).