KFC Radio: Big Cat Returns for His Final Appearance — Detailed Summary

Podcast: KFC Radio
Episode: Big Cat Returns for His Final Appearance on KFC Radio
Release Date: December 16, 2025
Hosts: Kevin Clancy (KFC), John Feitelberg (Feitelberg)
Guest: Dan "Big Cat" Katz

Episode Overview

Big Cat returns to KFC Radio for an emotional, hilarious, and nostalgic episode marking his last-ever appearance. This finale is a fittingly chaotic reunion for the show's original trio, marked by technical issues, construction noise, and classic self-deprecation. The episode serves both as a trip down memory lane through Barstool’s early podcasting days and as a heartfelt farewell to an era, punctuated by legendary listener voicemails, old controversies, silly hypotheticals, and the trio’s trademark blend of absurdity and warmth.

Major Themes & Discussion Highlights

1. A Fittingly Chaotic Sendoff

• Setting the Scene: The episode opens with all three hosts suffering minor personal calamities—canceled flights, construction noise, someone recording from a nursery—all feeling perfectly on-brand for KFC Radio's low-fi legacy.
  • Quote: "It could not be a more fitting calamity." — KFC [01:40]

2. Reflecting on the Birth and Impact of KFC Radio

• Early Chaos: Building something out of nothing, operating beneath Dave Portnoy's nose, sharing offices, and using GChat and early Slack before it was cool.

• The Original Format: The show’s trajectory was largely shaped by listener voicemails, which veered toward absurd hypotheticals and barstool-style “would you rather” debates.

  • Quote: “We used to be the extremists, and now we're the middle.” — Feitelberg [07:33]

• Barstool's Reluctant Embrace of Podcasting:

  • Dave Portnoy's skepticism is recounted, and Big Cat credits Kevin and John for pushing forward and helping revolutionize how Barstool created content.
  • Notable: The hosts acknowledge the show's pivotal, often overlooked, role in Barstool’s growth from a blog network into a media powerhouse.
  • Quote: “Podcasting was a blind spot for him [Dave], but Kevin was like, 'I want to do this.'” — Big Cat [10:37]

• Nostalgia for the Early Days:

  • Stories of drinking through nerves, hiding from bosses, struggling to make blogging quotas, and feeling isolated but finding kinship with each other ("self-enforced COVID for five years").
  • Quote: "We basically had self-enforced Covid, our own quarantine for like five years." — KFC [17:07]

3. Barstool’s On-Air Culture and Evolution

• Hypotheticals That Aged Badly—and Some That Didn’t:

  • Discussing infamous discussions like “how much money would you need to put a baby in a microwave,” punch-for-punch with Mayweather, outsmarting Christopher Columbus, and more.
  • Quote (about the microwave hypothetical): “Maybe not the smartest thing you said.” — Big Cat [09:22]

• Changing Social Context:

  • The trio reflect on how what once seemed edgy now feels pretty mild amidst today’s online extremes.
  • Quote: “We were the maniacs and we became the middle.” — Feitelberg [07:33]

• Barstool’s Origins and Lore:

  • Many Barstool traditions—notably pizza reviews, playoff beards, and various ongoing bits—were incubated on KFC Radio long before becoming network-wide phenomena.

4. Memorable Stories & Moments

• First Realization of Fandom:

  • Big Cat recalls being recognized for telling a story about drunkenly trying to poop in a trash can, marking the moment “people are really listening.”
  • Quote: “No one was watching—probably the best thing that could have ever happened to us.” — Big Cat [12:27]

• Truly Awful Early Live Shows:

  • Tales of disastrous first live appearances (“worst live shows ever”), cocaine-fueled camaraderie, technical disasters, and feeling both proud and mortified.
  • Quote: “We gave them the worst show of all time.” — Feitelberg [20:02]

• Humble Beginnings:

  • Stories of living in condemned apartments, drinking at Applebee’s all day, and scraping by in the early Barstool days, despite being locally “famous.”
  • Quote: “It sucks being a celebrity and not having any money.” — Feitelberg [55:18]

5. The Growth—And Limits—Of Success

• PMT's Meteoric Rise:

  • PMT’s origins, early successes, legal battles with ESPN, and the importance of fan loyalty over chasing mainstream approval.
  • Quote: “The best thing that could have happened … fans that are listening, that's more than enough.” — Big Cat [75:18]
  • Discussion of longevity: “Do it for five straight years, then talk to me.” — KFC [77:18]

• Balancing Fame, Friendship, and Leadership:

  • Big Cat discusses the loneliness and social awkwardness of being "the boss" at Barstool, missing the freedom of being one of the crew.
  • Quote: “It's way lonelier than I thought.” — Big Cat [67:54]

6. Listener Voicemails and Hypotheticals

• Recurring bit: Answering new and ancient listener questions, from “Could Barstool land on the moon?” (absolutely not) to “Would you read your own life story if you found it as a book?” to optimal snow-shoveling workout regimens.

  • Quote: “If you gave Barstool a rocket ship … we still wouldn't reach the moon.” — Big Cat [42:06]

• Identity-Preserving Debates:

  • The trio closes the circle by earnestly re-engaging in timeless debates: how to pee in jeans, using the fly or not, why toilet streaks increase with age, and the subtle skill of noticing universal quirks for comedic content.
  • Quote: “Fifteen years in, we're still like, do you piss with your dick like this?” — Feitelberg [116:53]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On the Show’s Legacy and Friendship

• “This show … we don't get to where we are without this show, and what it built.” — Big Cat [125:36]
• “I always will know … we have shared experiences that no one else has. … You guys are … foxhole guys.” — Big Cat [126:27]
• “Your friendship has been enormous for me, and this show has been enormous for me, and I'm going to miss it.” — Big Cat [126:57]
• “As guys, we could go our entire life without saying … thank you so much for inviting me on this podcast back in 2013. … No, let's say it. Say what you mean.” — Big Cat [127:41]

On Early Days and Podcasting

• “The perfect finale for KFC Radio.” — KFC [01:40]
• “I think the reason why this worked is because it wasn't a dream that you fixated on … it just happened.” — KFC [65:12]
• “At that time, I was living in a truly dilapidated apartment … I joined a gym so I could use a shower. I was pretty down in the dumps, boy.” — Feitelberg [52:29]

On Hypotheticals and Absurdity

• “There's a lot of things that as I've gotten older, I've been like, yeah, that was pretty stupid … But I still think I'm smarter than Christopher Columbus. And I do think I could go punch for punch with Floyd Mayweather.” — Big Cat [44:51]
• “If you gave Barstool a rocket ship and a manual… we still wouldn't reach the moon.” — Big Cat [42:06]
• “There's not many things. I'm not a manly man, but snow shoveling I can do.” — Big Cat [95:14]

On Changing and Not Changing

• “It is remarkable that what that little conversation we just had was exactly the same in 2013 … grown up, marriage, divorce, kids, money, … and we're still the same.” — KFC [48:09]

Key Segments & Timestamps

• Opening: Tech difficulties & show chaos: [01:40]
• The show’s DIY beginnings, GChat gang, hiding from Dave: [03:18 - 05:00]
• Notable early Barstool drama ("who gets the blog?") and tribal stress: [05:24]
• Reflecting on controversial bits and how times have changed: [07:06 - 08:36]
• Big Cat gets sappy about being asked to join: [08:36]
• Podcasting’s impact on Barstool: [10:37]
• First times realizing people actually listened: [12:27]
• Early days: poor, anxious, scrappy: [13:41, 52:29, 55:18]
• The infamously bad first live show: [19:46 - 22:22]
• Formative Barstool moments (pizza reviews, playoff beards): [23:21]
• Impactful interviews and guest handling: [34:44, 35:46, 36:02]
• The PMT rocket and its viral controversies: [28:32]
• How the show changed as the hosts aged & fans aged with them: [47:56, 49:02]
• Emails from Dave & the culture of being “scared” of him: [67:08]
• Listener voicemails: moon landing, snow shoveling, “reading your life story” books: [40:50, 93:36, 82:15]
• Pooping, peeing, and classic TMI hypotheticals: [123:11, 116:07]
• Final heartfelt farewells and legacy talk: [125:07 - END]

Tone & Noteworthy Moments

• Nostalgic, heartfelt, irreverent: The episode swings between raw honesty (“we all kind of grew up together with our audience”) and classic Barstool crassness (closing with an in-depth debate about how grown men pee in jeans).
• Truly “quintessential bar conversation”: The balance of emotional gratitude and idiotic bickering captures the show’s unique appeal.
• Running Gags: Hypotheticals about violence, bodily functions, and irrational self-confidence return as “bittersweet comfort food.”

Final Reflections

KFC Radio’s send-off with Big Cat encapsulates why it became an institution for its fans—chaotic, relatable, full of inside jokes, humility, and an undercurrent of genuine affection. The trio’s honesty about their vulnerabilities, victories, and embarrassing missteps proves the enduring value of authenticity and “just guys being guys.” The legacy, as they conclude, is one where fans and hosts alike can look back—at the pizza debates, the infamous “moon landing,” and the moments of crisis and camaraderie—with sincere gratitude.

“Congrats, boys. Hell of a run. Hell of a legacy.”
— Dan "Big Cat" Katz [130:03]

For Newcomers

Why Listen:
If you want to understand the birth of the sports/personalities podcasting boom, the unique culture that made Barstool what it is, or just want to hear three guys process what 15 years of public, ridiculous, and deeply personal content feels like—this is required listening. The stories are hilarious, the nostalgia real, and the chemistry unmatched.

Skip to:

• [01:40] Show chaos & setting the scene
• [20:00] Nightmare first live show
• [34:44] Celebrity interviews and handling fame
• [47:56] Growing up with the audience
• [93:36, 116:07] Voicemails and classic hypotheticals
• [125:07] Emotional farewells and legacy statements

KFC Radio bows out as it began: not-changing, ever-changing, and always taking dumb hypotheticals a little too seriously—for the love of the fans.