KFC Radio: "KFC on the First Ever KFC Radio Callers Who Changed the Trajectory of Barstool"

Release Date: December 2, 2025
Hosts: Kevin Clancy (KFC), John Feitelberg, Jackie
Podcast: KFC Radio by Barstool Sports

Overview of Episode Theme

This episode dives deep into the origins of KFC Radio, reflecting on the show's earliest days, the unique personality of its audience, and the listener-generated content that helped define its style and influenced Barstool Sports as a whole. The hosts reminisce about the power of Stoolie Voicemails, the evolution of podcasting, and how KFC Radio set the tone for much of Barstool's later content and talent. The conversation also humorously breaks down some viral and absurd pop culture moments, explores TV and film trends, and discusses the future as the show nears its end.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Birth of KFC Radio and Its Callers

• Stoolie Voicemails Set the Tone

  • The show’s earliest episodes relied heavily on anonymous voicemails from listeners, creating a raw, unfiltered bar conversation atmosphere.
  • Kevin recalls (01:08) how the first episodes weren't structured by themes—callers simply "did like hypotheticals, would-you-rathers. There was not... like, sports talk or deep questions... just all silly like that. That's what the first episode's gonna be."

• A Legendary Hypothetical

  • The first ever episode featured the now-iconic hypothetical:
    "Would you rather walk around with one rollerblade on your left foot for the rest of your life, or always have a midget with a bad attitude walking just slightly slower in front of you?"
    • [01:08–02:04]
    • Kevin: "It was like, wholly unique. Never became a big thing, but it's like that's... creative and interesting."
  • This set a creative tone for an entire genre of podcast content—inventive, weird, and authentic to the Barstool audience.

• The Influence and Legacy of Callers

  • Kevin reflects on the "butterfly effect" of those earliest callers and how a handful of drunk Boston guys in dorms leaving hypothetical questions helped launch not only KFC Radio, but entire Barstool podcast brands.
    • *[126:19] Kevin Clancy: "There is probably, like, a handful of dudes who called into this show... not much of a claim to fame, but you could be like, 'I was one of the guys who, like the first podcast at Barstool... really started because of those dudes.'"

2. Absurd Pop Culture Digressions

• The Mormon ‘Fruity Pebbles’ Gossip

  • The crew goes on a wild tangent about a viral reality show where drama centers around a woman allegedly letting her husband drink her urine, with ‘Fruity Pebbles’ as the codeword.
    • Kevin: "Fruity Pebbles is piss. Her old ass husband is drinking her piss. Good night." [03:39]
    • John: "Wait, hang on. This whole room gonna pretend we wouldn't try piss?” [04:52]
    • The entire exchange is classic KFC Radio: deadpan honesty, escalating jokes, and zero filter on taboo subjects.
    • They even dissect the logistics: "Is it straight from the tap?... If it's sexual, usually it's more your face." [05:55–09:10]

• Reflections on Oversharing & Scandal in the Modern Age

  • The hosts muse on privacy, cancel culture, and how nothing embarrassing is private anymore—particularly among internet personalities and reality TV stars
    • Kevin: "Those are things that, you know, maybe in the short term... you can make it a little more reasonable with normal sex stuff... you can get your followers and that's a short term exchange for long term problems." [10:42]

3. Nostalgia and the End of an Era

• Emotional Responses to the Show Ending

  • Kevin shares genuine emotion over the overwhelmingly positive fan response to the show's end announcement—contrasting public hate versus private love:
    • “Public hate and private... ‘Hey, dude, I love you so much.’ Like, you could just tweet that!” [21:00]
    • John describes a DM: "'Thanks for KFC Radio. Without that, I wouldn’t have been introduced to better podcasts.’ And I was like, fuck this shit." [19:36]

• The Burden of Legacy

  • The hosts realize how many careers and relationships the show helped create—internally at Barstool and externally among comedians, fans, and the broader podcast scene.
    • Nick, a longtime producer, is credited for hiring several future key Barstool staff. [49:16]

• On ‘Grassroots’ Support and Changing Consumption

  • The group laments the modern attention span for podcasts:
    • "Podcasting, like, this podcast has become shows. Every podcast is a show now... The three hour rogue rambling, that's over for the normies." [95:34]

4. The Evolution of Podcasting (and Barstool)

• How KFC Radio Pioneered Listener-Driven Content

  • Kevin credits the Google Voice voicemail system for unlocking fan-driven episodes; Dave Portnoy initially praised the creative solution.
    • "This is a great idea. This is really smart. Like, let me know what comes of it." [98:24]
  • The Would-You-Rather, hypotheticals, and irreverent content style quickly became standard at Barstool and imitators.

• Gatekeeper & Launchpad Effect

  • Many later Barstool personalities, comedians, and editors got their start through KFC Radio.
    • "It was just a very big gate opening type show. Internally and externally." [49:27]

• Changing Fashions in Comedy

  • Discussing why ‘silly’ film comedies are rare now; the rise of character-based internet comedy over performance-based physical comedy.
    • Kevin: “Comedy is almost like 100%... reliant upon clever jokes, writing... instead of, like, it’s funny that, like, he’s a big guy in a little dress.” [73:59]
    • John: “There’s really no new girl at least... Nothing that’s that level right now. I think that’s... the internet. You’re following the influencer who’s doing this show.” [76:04]

5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Body Fluids and Reality TV

  • John: “Wait, hang on. This whole room gonna pretend we wouldn't try piss?” [04:52]
  • Kevin: “You can pee on me. I'll pee on you. I'm not drinking it.” [04:56]

• On the Show Ending

  • Kevin: "I felt like I'm going through, like, all the phases of almost, like, the seven stages of grieving in a way…" [17:40]
  • John: "'Thanks for KFC Radio. Without that, I wouldn’t have been introduced to better podcasts.' And I was like, fuck this shit." [19:36]

• On Early Days of Listener Calls

  • Kevin: "Everybody did, like, hypotheticals. Everybody did ‘Would You Rathers.’ There was... not, like, sports talk or deep questions... That's what the first episode's gonna be." [01:08]

• On Podcasting’s Evolution

  • Kevin: “Podcasting, like, this podcast has become shows. Every podcast is a show now, but like the three hour rogue rambling... that's over for the normies.” [95:34]

• On Gatekeeping at Barstool

  • Kevin: “It was just a very big gate opening type show. Internally and externally.” [49:27]

• On the Silliness of Early Hypotheticals

  • Kevin: “Unique and... like, timeless hypothetical that was—would you rather walk around for the rest of your life with one rollerblade...” [01:08]

• On TV & Movie Comedy Trends

  • Kevin: “Comedy is almost like 100%... reliant upon clever jokes, writing... instead of, like, it's funny that, like, he's a big guy in a little dress or something like that.” [73:59]
  • John: “There’s really no new girl at least... Nothing that’s that level right now. I think that’s... the internet.” [76:04]

• On Finding Your Audience, Even If It’s Weird

  • Jackie: “Like, there’s more weirdos out there than normal.” [84:54]
  • Kevin: “Sometimes I’ll even say about my own stuff... There’s nobody out there that likes that ... Yes, there is... You find out there’s 1.7 million people that want to do it.” [84:50–87:52]

• On the Show's Influence

  • Kevin: “There is probably, like, a handful of dudes who called into this show... not much of a claim to fame, but you could be like, 'I was one of the guys who, like the first podcast at Barstool... really started because of those dudes.’” [126:19]

Hilarious or Impactful Exchanges

• How the Early Show Attracted Drunk, Hypothetical-Loving Callers

  • Jackie: “I've listened to, like, some of the first episodes, and the callers are all just like, the drunkest guys.” [126:21]

• The Magicians Hypothetical Becomes Canon

  • John (on which type of people to wipe off the face of the earth): "Magicians."
  • Kevin (praising the creativity): "It's obviously a loaded question... Magicians is okay." [121:53–122:19]

Noteworthy Segment Timestamps

• [01:08] — How the first episode’s tone was set by listeners with would-you-rathers and hypotheticals
• [03:39] — Discussions about Mormon reality shows, ‘Fruity Pebbles,’ and scandal overshare
• [17:40] — Kevin on the emotional process and audience response to the show ending
• [21:00] — The public hate vs. private appreciation dynamic among fans
• [49:16] — The show’s impact as a launchpad/gatekeeper for future Barstool staff
• [73:59–76:31] — On the decline of physical/character comedy in movies, rise of internet performers, and shifting standards in humor
• [84:50–87:52] — Facebook “Ant Colony” cosplay group: musings on finding weird communities online
• [95:34] — The evolution of podcasting, and how podcasting as a medium has become a YouTube-driven, clip-heavy operation
• [121:53] — The classic ‘Magicians’ hypothetical, an example of early show creativity

Conclusion/Tone

The episode was self-aware, irreverent, and nostalgic, blending classic KFC Radio banter about the shame-free absurdity of the internet (from Mormon wives oversharing to Facebook ant cosplayers) with heartfelt gratitude for its roots and deep fanbase. KFC and Feitelberg maintain their signature mix of deadpan, self-deprecating humor and honest introspection about podcasting’s roots, evolution, and their legacy at Barstool Sports. This episode is an essential listen for anyone interested in internet culture, the art of conversational comedy, and the DNA of Barstool.

For longtime fans, this episode is a celebration of the weird, wild spirit and unique sense of audience connection that KFC Radio imprinted on Barstool and the broader podcast world.