Podcast Summary: Laugh with Me – 2025 Guest of The Year

Podcast: Laugh with Me
Host: Jeremy Odom
Guest: Eric Larson (2025 Guest of the Year)
Date: November 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Laugh with Me features the much-anticipated announcement and celebration of the podcast’s 2025 Guest of the Year. Host Jeremy Odom welcomes transportation industry leader and recurring guest Eric Larson to the studio, bestowing him with the coveted “Golden Microphone” (a.k.a. the Laffy trophy). What follows is a hilarious, meandering deep-dive into their personal lives, grocery store tales, football banter, and the hilariously drawn-out story of Larson’s “low point” at the grocery store. The banter is warm, self-deprecating, and peppered with witty quips, making for a signature “Laugh with Me” episode where laughter is shared, not at anyone’s expense.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Announcement of the 2025 Guest of the Year (03:29–08:38)

• Jeremy sets the record straight: This is not a typical year-end wrap-up or clip show, but rather a special episode to crown the Guest of the Year.
• Nominees Recalled: Five nominees, including DEZ Pearson, Grant Pearson, Joe Exotic, Nathan “Bob” Roberts, and Eric Larson.
• Eric’s surprise win: Jeremy reveals the award in-studio, with playful debate on the significance of the "Laffy" trophy.
• Eric’s Reaction:
  • "Within five minutes already getting the award. I’m gonna hold this over Kyle’s head, your brother’s head, forever." (09:16)
  • Only two people have a Laffy: Last year’s winner “Lavetti Vegas” and Eric.

2. Trophy & Show Banter / Running Jokes (08:38–13:16)

• Design and portability of the trophy: Jokes about bringing the “gun-shaped” trophy to Thanksgiving and possibly alarming airport security, paralleling it with professional wrestling champs who must carry their belts everywhere.
• Show marketing and merch: Jeremy jokes about giving out “Laugh with Me” stickers while Eric suggests using the trophy as a marketing tool.
• Shots in the Studio: A callback to a chaotic, unaired “drunken brunch” episode (10:59–11:44).

3. Football Talk & Segues (13:40–20:20)

• Minnesota Vikings woes: The conversation swerves to local NFL football, including injured quarterbacks, possible recruits, and coaching comparisons—typical of the show’s improvisational, topical style.
• Tangents on coaching and quarterback development: Touches on coaching differences, prepping game plans, and the fortunes of Daniel Jones.

4. The Infamous Grocery Store Story – Build-Up (13:24–14:27; 20:25–44:55, 53:38–61:45)

• Eric Teases a Humbling Experience (13:24): "At my highest moment, receiving this award—but this story is going to take me down to my lowest moment."
• Discusses shopping routines, basket/cart preferences, and insider knowledge from Jeremy’s time as a grocery store manager, including why little carts are positioned last ("get a big cart, you buy more," 21:27).
• Banters on bagging etiquette: Witty suggestions for training staff and how to properly bag groceries (“Jeremy-style”: 41:26).
• Blind Bagger Anecdote: Eric recalls a cashier–blind bagger duo and the endless “I’m twice your age” cashier joke (41:39–43:56).
• Grocery customs abroad: Eric shares stories of shopping in London, paying extra for bags, and unintentionally giving away their American-ness (44:53–46:13).

5. Grocery Story Climax: The Middle-Age Bombshell (61:45–65:10)

• After a sprawling preamble, Eric finally recounts his "humbling" incident. At checkout after a rough Vikings loss, a young cashier makes small talk (62:06):
  • "The cashier is just like, ‘Oh, have you been watching some football today?’ … She was just like, 'I figure, my dad’s middle aged and he watches football all day.'"
• Eric is stunned—this is the first time he’s been spontaneously pegged as "middle-aged," triggering a crisis of mortality and self-identity.
  • "Just all these things going through your mind." (62:39)
• He later gets asked if his White Claw and Oktoberfest are "alcohol," capping off his descent from “guest of the year” heights to mundane grocery store humiliation.

6. Cereal Tangents (47:00–55:55)

• Dissect the state of breakfast cereals—shrinking box sizes, evolving tastes.
• Eric details his go-to cereals, particularly Honey Nut Cheerios; Jeremy recommends adding bananas (49:04–50:23).
• Classic debate: how to pour cereal and milk, “second bowl” techniques, and milk-drinking habits post-Crohn’s disease.
• Memorable quote:
  • Jeremy: “I get excited talking about bananas. I’m not even a monkey.” (49:32)

7. Reflections: Personality, Age & Lasting Impressions (63:19–64:06)

• Eric recalls his father’s “not old, just a young punk kid” schtick and notes he’s inadvertently become that guy.
• Jeremy: “That’s a pure example of—you are, in fact, middle aged—because you’re throwing out those clichés and you believe them.” (64:06)

8. Classic Album and Artist Nostalgia (58:40–61:30)

• The two riff on the trajectories of bands like Eve 6, Everclear, Goo Goo Dolls, and Eminem—how musical styles evolve and influence personal nostalgia.

9. Jelly Roll's Beard – "Worst of the Year" (67:54–69:52)

• Jeremy laments country star Jelly Roll’s beard shave: “He looks like a ball sack. His face!” (68:10)
• The beard removal meets with both amusement and genuine admiration for Jelly Roll’s weight loss.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Winning the Laffy
  • “I’m gonna hold this over Kyle’s head…forever.” – Eric Larson (09:16)
• On Bagging Training
  • “Just train the people bagging it. Bag it right. And then they’re going to hand out less bags…an investment in this, and it’ll save your company millions of dollars.” – Jeremy (39:33)
• On "Middle Age":
  • “My dad’s middle aged and he watches football all day.” – Anonymous teenage cashier (62:27)
  • "[Being called middle-aged]—this is a tough thing, like mortality, just all these things going through your mind.” – Eric (62:39)
  • “You must think you’re just going to live forever.” – Jeremy (63:04)
  • “Anytime I call him old...he’d always be like, ‘Oh, it’s not old, I’m a young punk kid.’” – Eric (63:36)
• On Bananas in Cereal
  • “Slice up a banana and put it in your Honey Nut Cheerios and you’ll never go back.” – Jeremy (49:14)
  • “I get excited talking about bananas. I’m not even a monkey.” – Jeremy (49:32)
• On The Trophy’s Portability
  • “You’re like the…pro wrestling champ…you have to go everywhere with that belt…That’s you now.” – Jeremy (32:59)
• On Jelly Roll's Beard Shave
  • “He looks like a ball sack. His face! … That beard was cool. It’s kinda the look.” – Jeremy (68:10)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Golden Microphone Award/Intro: 03:29–08:38
• Trophy Banter & Stickers: 08:38–13:16
• Vikings & Football Sidequest: 13:40–20:20
• Grocery Store Build-Up: 20:25–24:00, 26:39–32:00, 41:26–44:55
• Grocery Store Story Climax: 61:45–65:10
• Cereal Deep-Dive & Pouring Rituals: 47:00–55:55
• Jelly Roll’s Beard, “Worst of the Year”: 67:54–69:52

Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

The episode perfectly captures the show’s ethos—self-deprecating humor, celebrating life’s “small” moments, and the comedic highs and lows that come with being a middle-aged guy with a passion for banter, football, and cereal. The chemistry between Jeremy and Eric shines, as does their ability to stretch a one-minute story into a winding, hour-plus comedic odyssey. For listeners craving warmth, authenticity, and real-life laughs, this episode truly delivers.

Tip: If you love observational humor about mundane life, aging, and the universal grocery store experience, this is an unmissable installment of Laugh with Me.