Laugh with Me – Episode 3197: Laugh with Us

Host: Jeremy Odom
Date: December 22, 2025
Podcast: Laugh with Me by iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this lively and humor-filled episode, host and comedian Jeremy Odom joins another podcast to candidly discuss his journey from grocery store manager to podcaster and standup comic. The conversation covers wild tales from his grocery days, navigating comedy and podcasting in the social media era, adjusting to post-pandemic public life, and celebrating the power of laughing with others. The episode also features sharp observations about sports fandom, the changing landscape of comedy, and the joys and sorrows of rooting for chronically underachieving sports teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremy’s Journey: From Grocer to Comedian

• Early Career and Radio Aspirations ([04:34])
  • Jeremy shares that he originally studied radio communication but took a detour into grocery management for a more stable family life.
• Rediscovering His Creative Side ([04:57])
  • Podcasting offered a way to leverage his storytelling talents without fear of being “fired for a format change.”
  • “I knew I could do that. I know it would be fun. It's something I could do at home. It's something I could create the format. I want to worry about getting fired because the format switched. I can fire myself if I want to.” (Jeremy Odom, 04:34)

2. Wild Grocery Store Stories

• The “Birthday Cake Pepper Spray” Incident ([06:09] – [08:59])
  • Jeremy recounts how the pandemic transformed routine shoplifting into blatant, sometimes violent thefts.
  • “She turns around from her purse with a pepper spray and just starts soaking me.” (Jeremy Odom, 07:19)
  • He shares an unexpected safety tip he learned: pepper spray can reactivate and harm you again when you shower the next day.
• Escalating Customer Behavior During Covid ([10:20], [11:05])
  • “People were just causing mayhem... I'd be like, 'I'm just going to walk back inside. This is not worth it.'” (Jeremy Odom, 10:24)

3. Workplace Policies and Retail Realities

• The Perils of Loss Prevention ([12:10] – [14:36])
  • Both host and guest agree retail workers are trained not to physically confront shoplifters, though adrenaline sometimes takes over.
  • “I was just making it worse. I was trying to...wait, did you just get beat up outside?” (Host 1, 14:04)
• Impacts on Employee Pay ([18:31])
  • Policy differences between insured and self-insured businesses:
    • “A lot of those bigger companies...were self-insured...as the store manager, it did impact how I was paid.” (Jeremy Odom, 18:31)
  • Parallels drawn to restaurants that take dine-and-dash costs out of servers’ paychecks.

4. Pandemic Attitudes & Public Interactions

• Customers’ Changing Expectations ([15:03])

  • Jeremy and the hosts discuss how simple kindness became shocking to service workers during the pandemic.
  • “We'd go to places, and they would...give us [stuff] for free. Because they were like, 'You're not freaking out?'” (Host 2, 15:44)

• Vaccine and Mask Debates Endure ([16:23])

  • Even years later, customers still bicker with pharmacy staff about vaccines.
  • “Because, man, it's never changed. It has just moved on. And that's the way it is now.” (Jeremy Odom, 16:40)

5. The Laugh with Me Philosophy

• Laughing With, Not At ([34:06])
  • Jeremy centers his podcast and standup approach on inviting the audience into the fun and fostering community—not humiliation.
  • “I've never enjoyed people laughing at me because that sucks. And I want my kids to grow up not feeling that way...But I love it when they laugh with me. Like, that's community.” (Jeremy Odom, 34:06)
  • Host 1 connects this to the trust between a comedian and an audience.
• The Social Media Shift in Comedy ([31:36], [39:10])
  • Viral crowd work clips have changed audience expectations, sometimes making people anxious about attending live comedy.
  • “It started looking like you go to comedy shows and they just ask you about you or whatever, which is not true...most comedians planned a set.” (Host 1, 30:45)
  • The discussion contrasts the old “keep your material secret” era with today’s clip-centric, crowd work-heavy social media feeds.

6. Comedy on Stage & in the Grocery Aisle

• Early Pranks and Growing as a Comic ([27:03] – [28:58])
  • Jeremy describes harmless workplace pranks and learning the hard way that not everyone shares his sense of humor.
  • “What I learned in that process was what's funny to me isn't funny to everybody.” (Jeremy Odom, 28:48)
• Navigating Roast Battles ([49:28])
  • While not his usual style, Jeremy embraced the roast battle format as “an art” where “no feelings [are] to be hurt.”
  • “Bring the heat…the cutthroat. As long as the audience laughs or goes ‘whoa’ or whatever…it’s the art.” (Jeremy Odom, 49:28, 51:35)
  • He explains why he’d rather roast friends than strangers (“I would have come in hard if it was somebody I knew… the jokes are easier.” [52:37])

7. Podcasting Then & Now ([40:08], [44:22])

• From Audio Roots to Video Revolution
  • The hosts reflect on the evolution from the early, DIY days of podcasting to today's multi-platform, social media-clipped world.
  • “When podcasting started, it was audio only…now it’s like, I recognize it’s something you kind of have to do. I’m not gonna be an old man fighting change.” (Host 1, 40:19, 41:24)
  • “When we started, you had to learn some of the fundamental things…” (Host 2, 42:34)

8. Sports Fandom, Losing, and Community

• The Pain & Joy of Rooting for Mediocre Teams ([63:10])
  • Jeremy—diehard Chargers (NFL) and Padres (MLB) fan—shares his lifelong hopes and disappointments.
  • “It's gonna end up being Colts, Chargers in the playoffs…and Phil's gonna beat us, and it's gonna be the most Charger thing that's ever happened.” (Jeremy Odom, 62:42)
• Enjoying the Game for the Game’s Sake ([66:43])
  • “Something about that…that I don't ever want to take for granted because when I was a kid, I watched these people on TV and stuff. Couldn't afford to go.” (Host 1, 66:43)
• NBA Chatter: Jokic & the Modern League ([73:06])
  • Lighthearted admiration of NBA stars, “sports hate,” and what makes the current NBA era unique.
  • “The league’s fun. I just love greatness. And you’re seeing a lot of the greats…in person. It’s incredible.” (Jeremy Odom, 76:14)

9. Sports Betting and Podcasting Expansion ([83:10])

• Jeremy plugs his sports betting podcast “Where’s the Line?” and shares success with “player props.”
• “This year has been odd, but in NFL props, we have been on fire.” (Jeremy Odom, 84:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the "Big Redhead Energy" and Laughing Together:

  • “But I love it when they laugh with me. Like, that's a community...something we can all really relate to…that's the environment I wanted.”
    (Jeremy Odom, 34:06)

• On Social Media Changing Comedy:

  • “You can't plan crowd work. Like, you can't. Like, he would have basically had to…hope some funny people are in here...to put into the world forever.”
    (Host 1, 32:00)

• On Shoplifters in the Pandemic:

  • “People were just filling up carts and just straight up walking out. I mean, literally, it wasn't even about hiding it anymore. I mean, they would wave on the way out, like it was just a whole thing.”
    (Jeremy Odom, 07:18)

• On Changing Times in Podcasting:

  • "When podcasting started, it was audio only...now video just comes in. It's like, now this is what a podcast is. Like, no, that's not..."
    (Host 1, 41:24)

• On Fandom & Losing:

  • “Just give me one super bowl run. I was so young [in 1994]...I also remember being just so crushed when we got annihilated...here we are, many years old and we’ve never been back.”
    (Jeremy Odom, 64:21)

Segment Timestamps

• [04:34] – Jeremy’s career shift and radio dreams
• [06:09] – Pepper spray and pandemic grocery nightmares
• [12:10] – Loss prevention: training vs. reality
• [16:23] – Pandemic vaccinations and customer behavior
• [27:03] – Early comedy and workplace pranks
• [34:06] – Laugh With Me ethos explained
• [39:10] – Comedy’s social media revolution
• [49:28] – Roast battles: fun and philosophy
• [53:05] – Sports fandom highs and lows
• [73:24] – NBA talk: Jokic, Tatum, hates, and threes
• [83:10] – Jeremy’s sports betting podcast and success

Closing Thoughts

This episode captures Jeremy Odom’s disarming blend of wit and warmth as he reflects on wild grocery store experiences, the shared catharsis of laughter, and the new rules of the comedy and podcast game. With open, candid discussions on post-pandemic retail, the joy of laughter with others, and raw sports banter, Episode 3197 both entertains and connects on a human level.

Follow Jeremy:

• Twitter: @JoFromNebraska
• Podcast: Laugh With Me (all platforms); Where’s the Line? (sports betting, Nebraska focus)

Listener takeaway:
If you’re looking for a podcast that’s about community, shared humor, and real talk about the absurdities of public life (and sports), “Laugh With Me” delivers with heart—reminding us all that the best laughs are the ones we share, not the ones at someone else’s expense.