Minnesota Breaks the ICE

Summary

Lovett or Leave It – Episode 438: “Minnesota Breaks the ICE”

Date: January 31, 2026
Host: Jon Lovett
Guests: Andy Richter, Vic Michaelis

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the unfolding ICE operations and mass protests in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, reflecting on the community’s powerful grassroots resistance to federal immigration crackdowns under the Trump administration. Lovett shares first-hand reporting from Minneapolis, highlighting the impact of ICE raids, the emotional toll on communities, and the way local residents have mobilized in response. Alongside comedians Andy Richter and Vic Michaelis, the show blends biting political commentary with signature humor, empathy, and candid discussions about dealing with adversity—both personal and political.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lovett’s On-the-Ground Reporting from Minneapolis

• Lovett describes visiting Minneapolis to witness protests against aggressive ICE operations headquartered at the “Whipple Building,” noting the chilling contrast between bundled-up protesters and masked federal agents.
• Observes how the ICE presence has sown deep mistrust: “Whenever a vehicle would drive by, the protesters would all stop and scan the people inside. Are you one of us? Or are you part of the occupying force?” (03:08)
• Protesters’ motivations vary: some are veteran organizers, others are there purely out of anger and love for their neighbors: “Others I met were there because they were just fucking furious.” (03:33)
• Lovett underscores the dark, performative antagonism of ICE agents: “Some would speed by... Others would slow down to actually antagonize the demonstrators, like the WWE, but instead of John Cena, it's an angry, fragile, unfuckable zero…” (04:00)

2. The Trump Administration’s ICE Tactics and Right-Wing Rhetoric

• Lovett sharply critiques the political pretext and cruelty underpinning the ICE surge, referencing right-wing rhetoric from Stephen Miller and J.D. Vance supporting agent impunity:
  • “Solid legal advice from the law offices of Incel, Incel, and Dershowitz.” (05:13)
• Attacks the manufactured narratives claiming fraud in Somali-run daycares as racist justification for ICE’s actions.
• Notes the resignations of federal prosecutors unwilling to pursue spurious cases, highlighting the operation’s illegality and lack of just cause.

3. The Community Response: Grassroots Resistance and Mutual Aid

• Describes a city transformed: citizen “sentinels” in vests and with whistles posted outside schools and immigrant neighborhoods, union leaders organizing rides, and ongoing vigils at memorials.
• Lovett captures emotional scenes at protest sites:
  • “Every kind of person was out there…” (08:52)
  • On a silent, grieving protester: “He did not want to talk… I just watched this big burly guy carry flowers to the memorial, lay them down, stand in silence…” (09:24)
• Emphasizes the chilling effect of ICE: residents are afraid to call 911 or seek medical care; commercial districts are emptied out.

4. The Political Fallout and Media Narratives

• Critiques GOP officials (Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem) for dehumanizing rhetoric after the shooting deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy, turning tragedy into partisan fodder.
• “ICE and Border Patrol haven’t been acting like law enforcement; they’ve been acting like a gang. Here’s just one example of an ICE agent in Minneapolis proving the point.” (05:59)
• Lovett notes that ICE will have to expand its crackdown to meet Trump's deportation goals, foreshadowing continued strife nationwide:
  • “No change in tone or leadership will change the math. ICE cannot reach Stephen Miller’s deportation goals without grabbing people who are going to their immigration appointments legally…” (11:49)

5. Human Moments and the Power of Community

• Despite the surreal intensity, Lovett finds hope in small moments of solidarity and universal sadness:
  • “One person said, ‘We’re out here and we just need to know that [the governor’s] on our side and not their side.’ …Another said, ‘I guess I want him to know that we’re all just so sad.’ And then she just broke down.” (12:59)
• The episode underscores the tension between anger and grief, with Lovett concluding: “I think we should fight the urge to be sad and try to stay really fucking mad.” (16:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lovett on ICE vs. Protesters:
  “It was a stark contrast between the protesters standing in the freezing cold day after day and these masked agents in their rented SUVs, clearly getting off on playing the heel.” (04:17)

• Andy Richter satirizing ICE:
  “You erase your voice, I erase your voice. If I raise my voice, you’ll erase my. Exactly.” (06:03)

• Lovett, reflecting on community fortitude:
  “It’s inspiring to see all those people on the street, corner after corner in their vests and their whistles. It is also deeply strange and uncomfortable…” (14:44)

• Vic Michaelis (on not being subtle about resisting ICE):
  “If they can’t handle bad words, maybe they shouldn’t come here.” (03:48)

• Lovett, philosophy of resistance:
  “We’re not trapped in here with Trump. Trump is trapped in here with us.” (19:22)

• Lovett on the shift in ICE rhetoric:
  “So Trump’s immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has not been handled perfectly. The Titanic’s maiden voyage did not go as planned. Ticket sales for the Melania documentary have not surpassed our expectations.” (18:33)

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Major Segments & Timestamps

• Lovett’s Report from Minneapolis / What a Week
  [02:04] – [19:22]

• Interview Roulette: Comedic Roundtable with Andy Richter & Vic Michaelis
  Lighthearted Q&A; includes memorable celebrity stories, personal vulnerabilities, and on-stage singing.
  [23:12] – [45:21]

• Constructive Criticism: Satirical Minnesota Nice
  Panelists dish out “Minnesota nice” critiques on everything from the Melania film to Kristi Noem and animal mishaps.
  [49:06] – [57:52]

  • Noteworthy: Lovett’s takedown of corporate complicity in right-wing politics via movie “bribes.” (50:34)

• Second Thoughts: Meta-Reflection on the Show
  Hosts reflect on awkward moments and what worked (or didn’t).
  [62:32] – [66:31]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Lovett describes Minneapolis protests: [03:08]
• Contrast between ICE and protesters: [04:00]
• Stephen Miller/ICE legal rhetoric: [05:13]
• Lovett on the deceased nurse’s memorial: [09:24]
• Lovett on ICE’s real priorities: [11:49]
• Moving community vignettes: [12:59]
• Philosophy of resistance: [19:22]
• Comedic interview roundtable: [23:12] – [45:21]
• Constructive Criticism (Melania film, Kristi Noem): [50:34] – [56:12]
• Lovett’s “Second Thoughts” segment: [62:32] – [66:31]

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Tone and Language

• Emotionally Raw, Righteous Anger: Lovett’s monologue channels both heartbreak and determination: “I actually think we should fight the urge to be sad and try to stay really fucking mad.” (16:18)
• Cynical and Absurdist Humor: Retains Lovett’s trademark blend of cynicism, pop culture references, and improv-style riffing, providing comic relief even amid grave topics.
• Comradely and Empathetic: The show honors the quiet acts of resistance and the emotional labor of community members, striking an earnest, empathetic note throughout.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode of “Lovett or Leave It” is essential listening for anyone seeking an honest account of America’s escalating immigration battles and the everyday courage and heartbreak of resistance. Through on-the-ground reporting, personal storytelling, and comic relief, Lovett and guests capture a moment of crisis and resilience in the Twin Cities—reminding us, “We’re not trapped in here with Trump. Trump is trapped in here with us.”

Transcript

[John Lovett]

This episode is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Over the last year, we've seen our rights attacked, the truth stretched and access to essential health care threatened. In a blow to our already abysmal health care system, the Trump administration and Congress have defunded Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing care for 1.1 million patients across the country. But Planned Parenthood isn't backing down. They're still fighting to provide non judgmental care like birth control, cancer screenings, abortion and more to millions of people. And your support can make the difference. Planned Parenthood relies on the generosity of individuals, people like you to to power their work. Whatever you give can protect care and make sure Planned Parenthood health centers have the resources to meet the needs of patients now and into the future. Show up for patients, show up for rights. Show up for the values you believe in. Visit plannedparenthood.org defend and make a gift today. Donate now to support planned [e-mail] defend that's planned parenthood.org defend the holidays are expensive.

[Vic Michaelis]

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[John Lovett]

What's up, Los Angeles? Welcome to Love it or Leave It Live at Dynasty Typewriter. We've got a great show for you tonight. Andy Richter is here. Vic Michalis is here. We're gonna step into the interview Thunderdome. Read people to filth in the cleanest way possible and then we'll take our third shot. That's second thoughts. But first, let's get into it. What a week. There's an old line about Napoleon's doomed Russia campaign and his ultimate retreat from Moscow. The grand army, it said, arrived like conquerors but fled like fugitives. Not sure what made me think of that, but I was in Minneapolis this week because I wanted to see on the ground what it was like there for myself. I spent a lot of time talking to protesters outside the Whipple Building, the current base for ICE operations in the Twin Cities. And this is neither here nor there, but the Whipple Building is too delightful a name to headquarter a lawless deportation program. The Whipple Building is where you store your city's butterscotch reserves. Whenever a vehicle would drive by, the protesters would all stop and scan the people inside. Are you one of us? Are you part of our community? Or are you part of the occupying force that has been wreaking havoc for weeks? Some of the protesters were there to organize against ice, to be part of a community wide effort to protect their neighbors. Others set up supplies to keep people warm. And still others I met were there because they were just fucking furious.

[Vic Michaelis]

I don't want to say fuck ICE because you couldn't pay me enough to fuck anybody from ice.

[John Lovett]

I probably shouldn't say stuff what happened to Minnesota nice? This is Minnesota nice.

[Vic Michaelis]

If they can't handle bad words, maybe they shouldn't come here.

[John Lovett]

And you'd see car after car of masked federal agents. Some would speed by their heads kind of forward. Others would slow down to actually antagonize the demonstrators like the wwe. But instead of John Cena, it's an angry, fragile, unfuckable 0 who is excited to stay in a hotel because his ex girlfriend took the bed frame when she left. And even though that was two years ago, his mattress is still on the floor, pressed into the corner of his blank walled bachelor bedroom that reeks of icy Hot Takis and Dr. Release. It was a stark contrast between the protesters standing in the freezing cold day after day and these masked agents in their rented SUVs, clearly getting off on playing the heel. And it's no wonder. Here is what Stephen Miller said earlier this month following the shooting death of Renee Goode, but before the shooting death of Alex to all ICE officers. You have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties and anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony. Solid legal advice from the law offices of Incel, Incel and Dershowitz. In fairness to Stephen, you'd also be mad all the time if your fontanelle never closed. Gotta lay him down really gently. J.D. vance told them they'd have absolute immunity before walking it back last week. The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job. I didn't say. And I don't think any other official within the Trump administration said that officers who engaged in wrongdoing would enjoy immunity. That's absurd. Of course, that's assuming these clips are of the same guy. If. If there are two of them now, we're gonna need a bigger couch. I don't know. You know what's sad is like a couch joke. But I knew it would work, so it's fine. That's the fact of it. And so ICE and Border Patrol haven't been acting like law enforcement, they've been acting like a gang. Here's just one example of an ICE agent in Minneapolis proving the point.

[Andy Richter]

You erase your voice, I erase your voice. If I raise my voice, you'll erase my. Exactly.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. But Amanda Gorman's WARIO isn't just saying what they're is just saying what they're all thinking. This entire campaign has been about intimidation from the start. Minneapolis isn't a big city. It barely cracks the top 50 in the United States. It's a diverse city, but it doesn't have a particularly large foreign born population. This current ice operation was in part instigated by a conservative YouTuber who claimed to unearth massive fraud conducted by Somali run, federally funded daycares. But there were already 62 investigations underway into that alleged fraud, and dozens were already charged under the Biden administration several years ago. And even if there was ongoing fraud, that has absolutely nothing to do with immigration enforcement. Can you imagine the schmucks from ICE doing forensic accounting? Half of these guys are or in ICE because they didn't understand how interest worked before they became underwater on a fucking cybertruck. And we know all this is just a pretext because six federal prosecutors quit rather than investigate Renee Goode's widow. And one of those prosecutors was in charge of the fraud investigations that Trump claims to care so much about. Meanwhile, all the chaos on our screens has led Americans to believe that ICE is making cities less safe. And in the Twin Cities, you come to see how that is literally true. And not only in the immediate chaos ICE has unleashed. I met somebody who was part of a mutual aid organization. He had seen up close people not only afraid to leave the house, but afraid to call 911. To report domestic abuse, to go to the hospitals, to seek shelter. I talked to a police officer about all the ways this is putting pressure on the resources of law enforcement. Everywhere you go, the cops are having to do their best to keep the peace in a city on edge in what amounts to a 24 hour a day, seven day a week protest. I did take that to mean you could just park basically anywhere. Loading zones, sidewalks. And we never paid a meter once and never got a single ticket. But there are downsides. And then there was the response by the citizens of Minnesota. People on corners everywhere invest with whistles all across the Twin Cities in front of high schools and elementary schools and preschools, on corners in immigrant neighborhoods, in what would have been busy commercial districts, but now feel like ghost towns. It was a grassroots army of volunteer sentinels standing in the extreme cold for hours at a time. Los Angeles. Imagine an AMC movie theater, but you've forgotten your hoodie. Now imagine colder. Or maybe this will help. The weather in Minnesota is what cryotherapy is based on. We met union leaders organizing rides to work and supplies for their members. Native organizations doing patrols and providing mutual aid. People who have been activists their whole lives. People who began protesting after the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd. I met somebody who had never been to a protest before in his entire life. And he was like, hot. Every kind of person was out there. I, for many years was involved in what led up to Project 2025.

[Andy Richter]

And I was a straight ticket Republican voter for 25 years of my life.

[John Lovett]

And of course I'll never vote that way again. One note about that guy is I went up to him. So we were at the Alex Preddy memorial where he was killed, and it was. It's a obviously a somber place. And there are people laying down candles and signs, Some of them funny, some of them very serious, some of them sad. One thing that was just very sad to see is how many people had laid down stethoscopes at the memorial. And I saw him and he did not want to talk. And actually when I stopped him, he said, oh, I'm not eloquent. I don't have anything to say. I don't have anything to say, which is a common thing. You just. People feel like that's not for me. I'm like, there's such a humble thing about the Twin Cities. And I just seen this guy and by the way, just it's a small thing, but like it is so cold. And he's not like he's comfortable in the Cold. Like, you just tell he's just a guy that's like, used to the cold. Like, I am fucking freezing. He's like barely covered, he's fine. But I just watched this big burly guy carry flowers to the memorial, lay them down, stand in silence for, you know, 20 or 30 seconds and then just turn around to walk away. And I, like, just wanted to talk to him. And she's one of the many people that they're not being interviewed. They're not loud, but they are part of the response you see everywhere. When you would go to the Preddy Memorial, there were people there at all hours. And it may not be a big crowd, but there are all, always people just coming, taking a moment and walking away the same. At the Renee Goode Memorial, there was just a man outside the Renee Goode Memorial who had been there all night in front of a fire just to keep watch over it, to prevent anybody from messing with it, to prevent anybody from clearing anything away at all hours, everywhere. And you just saw that, that, you saw that everywhere. You just saw people everywhere just taking small moments to be part of the community and feeling like they just wanted to do some small thing. So anyway, I met that guy and he'll never vote Republic again. And congrats to Jill Stein on getting another voter. Trump relieved his commander at large, Greg Bevino. He was issued his walking papers on Monday and immediately turned back into a nutcracker after Stephen Miller called Alex Preddy a would be assassin and Kristi Noem called this ICU nurse. For veterans and domestic terrorists seeking to do maximum damage to law enforcement rather than apologize like human beings, they've both been trying to blame each other. And I say let him duke it out. I have no dog in this fight and obviously neither does Kristi Noem. Not anymore. But in some ways, Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem and Greg Bevino being despicable was useful because it made the leadership as ugly as the campaign itself. If anything, all the filler just made it worse. No change in tone or leadership will change the math. ICE cannot reach Stephen Miller's deportation goals without grabbing people who are going to their immigration appointments legally, applying for asylum, or just trying to work and just trying to live. And that means whatever happens at the top, either a policy of mass deportations will end or ICE will come to your city too. On Tuesday, court filings revealed that ICE intends to build a new detention center in Newport, Oregon. In Portland, Oregon, an entire family was detained by ICE while taking their seven year old daughter to urgent care because her nose wouldn't stop bleeding. They made it as far as the parking lot. Now that family's being held at the same Texas facility where 5 year old Liam Ramos is. That's the kid in the blue bunny hat. He's being held there with his father. ICE was already in Portland, Maine, in an operation called Playfully Catch of the Day, though apparently Kristi Noem told Susan Collins that that operation would end. There's been all kinds of speculation about where ICE would go next. Philadelphia city government is debating ways to restrict ICE as rumors swirl that that city, filled with brotherly love and great sandwiches, might be the administration's next target. Which would be pretty insane even for Trump. You just lost in a city filled with our country's nicest whites. You're going to the city with our meanest ones. Mark my words. They're going to arrest a dozen dudes in Philly for pelting ICE agents with D batteries. And then every last one of them is going to go, what is ice? We were talking to protesters at Whipple when we got word that we could run over to the Capitol and sit down with Governor Tim Waltz. And so I asked a few people there what they'd want to know from the governor, and they had a range of the most Minnesota reactions imaginable, like, oh, I don't know, I'm just here to be supportive. I wouldn't know what to ask the governor or anything like that. And one person said, we're out here and we just need to know that he's on our side and not their side. And then as we were walking to leave, we ran into another couple of protesters. And I said, like, is there anything you'd want us to the governor to know about what you're feeling and what's happening out here? And she just said, I guess I want him to know that we're all just so sad. And then she just broke down. Just broke down. And then she said she was a fan of the show, which, like, oddly, didn't help. It's a hard time for everyone. The Bruce Springsteen song wasn't very good. And I'm sure it's hard to be the guy who says, I don't know, I think this one could use another pass. Bruce Springsteen. It's kind of literal, but we all have do hard things right now. What happened to subtlety and universal truth in art? When can we be honest about Amanda Gorman's rhyming AP stories? Clearly not yet. So emotions were very close to the surface. Everywhere you went, everybody was pretty raw and angry and heartbroken about what was happening in their home. And, uh. But one thing that I thought captured the experience is, as you know, there's masked guys going in and out, and they're being yelled at, and they're taunting back, and it's. It's pretty ugly. But then there would be, say, a fire truck go by, and those guys are from the community, and the people in the protest would be like, you know, give us a horn or, like, honk or wave, right? And, like, they're not sure what they're supposed to do, right? Because they're both sort of representatives of the government, and they're supposed to be official, but they also feel a connection to the community. And just to see people feel that tension, you feel that genuinely everywhere. It was inspiring to see all those people on the street corner after corner in their vests and their whistles. It is also deeply strange and uncomfortable to see people standing on street corners forming a kind of grassroots organization to defend themselves against the federal government and federal law enforcement, because they know that that machine is not respecting court orders, not respecting the law. And so it is a beautiful thing to see, but it's also a terrifying to see. And, like, I know it's easier to be mad than to be sad. And so in our personal lives, the work often happens. We have to, like, learn to, like, stop being mad and, like, face that we're sad and really kind of sit in being sad. But I actually think we should fight the urge to be sad and try to stay really fucking mad. And I think this. This can help.

[Vic Michaelis]

This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota. I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for Alex Preddy, but I don't. I don't. Do you know why I wasn't shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations.

[John Lovett]

Boy Scout outdoorsmen, right? You know who that is? A lot of people. Dennis Raider, the BTK killer, was all those things. Trump and Noam and Miller and all these freaks. They've convinced themselves that empathy is weakness. And everything about Trump and his project is about training people to be less caring and more selfish, to be less forgiving and more cruel. But that also means they're caught off guard when kind people are tougher and braver than they are. When a nurse who cared for dying veterans puts his life on the line to help a woman push to the ground, and his death galvanizes the country. And when a city rises up to meet a hostile force on every corner at every turn, against tear gas and pepper spray and a campaign of intimidation out of love for their neighbors alone. And I saw that everywhere in the Twin Cities, too. And I also saw the governor's insane Diet Mountain Dew fridge. It's too few, but also too many. There are nine Diet Mountain Dews in there. And of course, that's a lot of Diet Mountain Dews, but not if you have a fridge for them. And so now we have Tom Homan saying this.

[Andy Richter]

That said, I'm not here because the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly.

[John Lovett]

I do not want to hear that everything that's been done here has been perfect. Shouldn't be a problem. I'd like to pause and acknowledge a technique Homan is using here. It's a turn of phrase. It's called litodes. Do you know what a litotes is? That's where instead of describing something directly, you describe how something is not. It's contrary. So Trump's immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has not been handled perfectly. The Titanic's maiden voyage did not go as planned. Ticket sales for the Melania documentary have not surpassed our expectations. And that shift from Homan is more than just a change in tone.

[Andy Richter]

This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here.

[John Lovett]

Yes, I said it.

[Andy Richter]

Draw down the number of people here.

[John Lovett]

We've conditioned ourselves not to celebrate even small victories because we don't want to seem naive and we don't want to let our guards down. And I get that. But it is worth saying that the people of Minnesota rose up against the Trump administration and the Trump administration backed down. And whatever comes next. Whatever. Yeah, and whatever comes next, whatever horrors we get to see, that ought to teach them a lesson and serve as a lesson for all of us, too. We're not trapped in here with Trump. Trump is trapped in here with us. And there's no way this gets back to Bruce Springsteen, Right? Like, there's no. Like, what are the odds? That seems impossible.

[Andy Richter]

Right?

[John Lovett]

That's pretty. Bruce is not gonna hear about this. We've got a great show for you tonight. Coming up next, it's Andy Richter and Vic Michalis. Chancel iced out now our city's heart and soul persists through broken glass and bloody tears on the streets of Minneapolis.

[Andy Richter]

Hey, don't go anywhere.

[John Lovett]

There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by Bombas. Look, we've all got resolutions for 2026. Maybe you want to read more. Maybe you want to go to the gym more. Maybe you want to eat better. Maybe you want to learn how to crochet. But this year there should be a new one at the top of your list. Getting Comfortable. That's where Bombas comes in. They're bringing serious comfort to all of your everyday go tos. The all new Bombus sports socks are engineered with sport specific comfort for running, golf, hiking, skiing, snowboarding and all sport. They're cushioned where you need it most, sweat wicking and loaded with other tech features to keep you comfy and locked in. For those every day around the house resolutions, Bombas also has you covered with the comfiest footwear imaginable. I have the the Sherpa Sunday slippers and I have the Friday slides. They're both great. I wear them both. Basically every day I wear the slippers. When I'm taking the dog out, I wear the slides. If I'm going to a gym class where I'm not going to wear shoes like Pilates or something, I really do use them all the time and they're so comfortable. They genuinely are my go tos. Plus all my socks are bombas. You can't go wrong with bombas and for every item you purchase, an essential clothing item is donated to someone facing housing insecurity. One purchase one donated with over 150 million donations and counting, head over to bombas.com love it and use code love it for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M B A S.com love it code love IT at checkout. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by Helix. I have a Helix mattress and I love it. It's so comfortable. Especially in the winter when you want to just kind of be in bed and be comfortable. It's the best. Helix offers a variety of mattresses designed to fit your sleep needs. How will you know which Helix mattress works best for you and your body? Take the Helix Sleep Quiz. It matches you with the perfect mattress based on your personal preferences, making it easy to find a mattress that suits your sleep needs. Helix will deliver your mattress right to your door with free shipping. In the us The Happy with Helix Guarantee offers a risk free customer first experience designed to ensure you're completely satisfied with your new mattress. You can rest easy with seamless returns and exchanges. They even offer a 120 night sleep trial and limited lifetime warranty. I have a Dawn Lux and it's so comfortable. I really love it. It's great. Go to helixsleep.com love it for 27% off site wide. That's helixsleep.com love it For 27% off site wide. This offer is exclusive to love it or leave it listeners. Make sure you enter our show name at checkout so they know we sent you Hel. And we're back. My guests tonight are one of the stars of Peacock's Ponies and a man who moves as beautifully as one on the dance floor. Please put your hooves together for Vic Michaelis and Andy Richter. Hi.

[Vic Michaelis]

Hi.

[John Lovett]

Hi. Thanks for being here.

[Vic Michaelis]

Thank you for having us.

[John Lovett]

Hi to you both. Thanks for being here. Thanks, John. Andy and Vic, you were both on a podcast together this week. You were on Andy's podcast?

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah. Andy said he'd never talk to me again, and here we are.

[Andy Richter]

It was too pleasant.

[John Lovett]

Now this is three Questions with Andy Richter. I've been a guest of that podcast. Vic, your dad listened to the episode and realized that the woman who redid his kitchen years ago was Andy's mother.

[Andy Richter]

My mother.

[John Lovett]

So your mother redid your dad's kitchen?

[Vic Michaelis]

My dad texts me at four o' clock in the morning and he just says, andy Richter, exclamation point. And I said, okay, I'll bite.

[Andy Richter]

Dads do that all the time.

[Vic Michaelis]

He is in Florida, so it was a little bit more of a reasonable time. And then he's like, I think his mom did our kitchen. Unless there's another Andy Richter on tv and there isn't.

[Andy Richter]

There sure isn't. I made sure of that.

[John Lovett]

But is your mother an interior decorator or designer?

[Andy Richter]

She was a kitchen designer. Yeah. She's retired now, but, yeah, she was a kitchen designer. She designed kitchens and was very good at it and also kind of like, did enough that she also was kind of a subcontractor and started to do bigger projects, but usually renovations and cabinetry, but like big, big, like, you know, 20 years ago, jobs that were like $200,000 in cabinets, you know, that's a lot of cabins. Yeah, it was boy like there. Because it's a lot of fancy places in Chicago. Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

For the big thing in the kitchen was my dad. I remember the only thing I remember from that time, it was 2003.

[Andy Richter]

And how old were you then?

[Vic Michaelis]

One.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, wow.

[Vic Michaelis]

I was a baby.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Vic Michaelis]

So tiny.

[John Lovett]

So tiny.

[Vic Michaelis]

But my skin looked exactly the same.

[John Lovett]

Same skin? Yeah, Y.

[Vic Michaelis]

Exactly like it is. Perfect.

[John Lovett]

Beautiful skin, but smaller skin. Stretch. Maybe better now because.

[Vic Michaelis]

Probably better now.

[Andy Richter]

Only 4 inches smaller though, huh? I just have the ad, like, you just be always being Sort of this height.

[Vic Michaelis]

I love that. I'm such a fan, Andy. Thank you for letting me sit next to you.

[Andy Richter]

You're welcome.

[Vic Michaelis]

But it.

[John Lovett]

It.

[Vic Michaelis]

There was these, like.

[Andy Richter]

That's the cruelest thing anyone's ever said to me.

[Vic Michaelis]

That's the coolest thing anyone's ever said to me.

[Andy Richter]

Acid in that. Such a fan. So glad you let me.

[Vic Michaelis]

Thank you so much for letting me be next to you. When I was on the podcast, I was in another room.

[John Lovett]

Oh, you were in a different room.

[Vic Michaelis]

He said you can call in.

[Andy Richter]

That is not true. That is not true.

[John Lovett]

You become one of those.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Vic Michaelis]

There was a window. He put up the blind. He said, I don't want to see you while we're doing this.

[Andy Richter]

That's right. I'm a germ freak. Yeah, I love him.

[John Lovett]

Now, Andy, speaking of you.

[Andy Richter]

They didn't finish.

[Vic Michaelis]

It's fine.

[John Lovett]

Nobody wants.

[Andy Richter]

Nobody wants to hear about pull outs. My mother talked him into. Fridge. Pull out.

[John Lovett]

You get the fridge.

[Vic Michaelis]

Pull out fridges.

[John Lovett]

What?

[Vic Michaelis]

My dad was so mad about it, he went. We spent so much more money than I was planning on spending on these pull out fridges. And then when he went to sell the house, it was the selling point. It was all people were interested.

[John Lovett]

Made the money back. What? I'm sorry. Fridge.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah, sure.

[John Lovett]

Pull it out.

[Andy Richter]

The whole shelf comes out. So that there's no digging in the back. You pull out the whole shelf.

[Vic Michaelis]

Pull out cold.

[Andy Richter]

Cold.

[John Lovett]

Fridge, shelf. Yeah, pull it out.

[Vic Michaelis]

Okay.

[John Lovett]

Okay.

[Andy Richter]

Yep.

[John Lovett]

Andy.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

Speaking of. Speaking of, the Internet dubbed you the people's princess.

[Andy Richter]

They did.

[John Lovett]

During your recent turn on Dancing with the Stars.

[Andy Richter]

They did. Thank you. Yeah. That was a surprise. That's me. That's me in my Target lemon blouse that I wore once. And my wife said, never wear that again.

[John Lovett]

Now, did your time as people's princess end better than it did for the last one?

[Andy Richter]

It did. It really did. It really did.

[John Lovett]

I'm talking about Princess Diana dying in a horrible car wreck.

[Andy Richter]

I was gonna say, I never let Frenchmen drive me anywhere, but then they maybe would've.

[Vic Michaelis]

They're making a really expensive beanie Baby of you, though, aren't they?

[Andy Richter]

I hope so.

[John Lovett]

Oh, I see.

[Vic Michaelis]

There we go. Cut that. No, we can cut that. I can leave. I'll leave.

[Andy Richter]

Elton John's writing a song. Well, he's retooling Crocodile Rock for me.

[Vic Michaelis]

Is that about Princess Diana?

[Andy Richter]

Yep.

[Vic Michaelis]

Crocodile Rock is about Princess Diana.

[Andy Richter]

It's about me now, though.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, well, it wasn't originally. It was originally. Yeah. Now it's About Andy.

[Andy Richter]

Right.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it sort of can be. It sort of adjusts.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

You know, so I wanted to ask you about this because one thing you've said is that you had to get over what you have described as fat kid programming to be on the show.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

What is that? What?

[Andy Richter]

Well, fat kid stuff is just being a fat kid and getting like a sort of like a canker of shame that just becomes like a cyst in the center of your beat of your person and you carry it around forever and you can become like a very well adjusted person and everything, but it's always there and because like, I like it the pres. Like, to me, I was. I felt like going on Dancing with the Stars would be similar to like doing the President's physical fitness test which we used to have to do. And it was like, like I could not do a pull up. I could not. And, and then, and then there was some sort of. I don't know how much of a run it was like a long. To me, it seemed like forever.

[Vic Michaelis]

There were pull ups on the test for you?

[Andy Richter]

There were pull ups.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah, they cut them when we.

[Andy Richter]

No, they, they test everything. The test went. Woke. Yeah. But there was some kind of longer run and there was. I was, you know, I wasn't even like the fat kid in our school. And in that run, the fat kid would beat me in the, in the thing which is, you know, I mean, I'm. I have the poisonousness in me too, you know, in saying the fat kid. But I just thought I'm going to be on this dancing show and all these people are going to see me and like this, you know, this horrible thing that I am because of my, my weakness and my, you know, lack of willpower and, and you know, and like I say, this is all. This is one little chunk of me and there's a whole bunch of like there's a egomaniac wandering around in the. Outside of that self loathing.

[John Lovett]

But I was like a candy shell in a sense.

[Andy Richter]

Yes, precisely. Yeah. The thing that really draws people in.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Egomaniac.

[John Lovett]

No, for sure. Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

But I just really felt like, oh, this is, you know, I felt like it was the President's physical fitness test and I was going to be like, not be able to do it and everyone would just see me and be like that slob. And of course no one really was going to do that. And then I started doing it and I could do it and it really sort of like adjusted my view of myself. And I had also too started to Just I wasn't, I wasn't exercising enough. I had gotten too heavy and I, in doing it, before doing it, I started to think about myself more in terms of my physical limitations. And it turned out too that like I needed a hip replacement, which I just got three weeks ago. And so I was, I was messed up. Like I had had all these issues with my left leg, just different things. And when I started doing the dancing, I was like, oh, I can rehearse dancing four hours a day for seven days a week. I'm not limited. Like I can do whatever I want if I, you know, if I choose to go on a strenuous hike, I could do that. I could. You know, I'm certainly not running, but, but I could if I wanted to.

[John Lovett]

You could if you want, but who would want to?

[Andy Richter]

Oh my God. Why run if not being chased?

[John Lovett]

Did they let you keep the hip? Do you get the hip in a jar?

[Andy Richter]

No. And it's just, it's just the knob of the femur.

[John Lovett]

But that's cool when you want that.

[Andy Richter]

Well, just to maybe make a stock. To put in some red beans, you know, surprise the kids.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it's because collagen is so important. Everything's about collagen.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, it gives a body to the broth.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it's a sort of a savory quality too, right? Yeah. You can't put your finger on it, but that's, it's a bone broth.

[Andy Richter]

No, they just, they, not they, they lop off the, the knob of the femur. The ball of the ball.

[Vic Michaelis]

Off the ball.

[Andy Richter]

Well, I imagine they saw it. You know, it's like that and you're out and then, yeah, you're out. And then the, the implant looks so much like a Hitachi magic wand that it's, it's, it's kind of sexy in a way. But it is a spike. It's a titanium spike. And I, my wife said, this is terrible of me, but I showed our soon to be six year old daughter. She was asking me about it and I said, well, let's see if we can see video of what the surgery dad's going to get. And it's like that thing, I said, it's a big titanium spike and there's no screws. They just go kang, kang, kang, kang. And just hammer it into your femur. And it just gets lodged in there and then eventually the bone grows around it. And my wife was like, what are you showing? I was like, she didn't mind. And my daughter was like, I don't mind.

[John Lovett]

I like that. I like that you're talking about it.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

I think that's a beautiful thing, don't you, Vic?

[Vic Michaelis]

Bone grows around.

[Andy Richter]

Around it. Yeah. Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Like ivy. Yeah. Right. I love it. Yeah, I like it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Bone grows around anything. Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Anything.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Are fingernails bones? No.

[John Lovett]

I don't know.

[Vic Michaelis]

I don't think so.

[Andy Richter]

No. Fingernails are modified hair follicles.

[Vic Michaelis]

Hair follicles.

[Andy Richter]

That's what I meant.

[John Lovett]

And our hair. Bones.

[Vic Michaelis]

Hair is bones.

[John Lovett]

Teeth are bones.

[Vic Michaelis]

Teeth are not bones.

[John Lovett]

Tiny teeth are bones.

[Andy Richter]

Teeth are not fish bones.

[John Lovett]

Hair is fish.

[Vic Michaelis]

Fish bones. Super thin.

[John Lovett]

Vic, you're on ponies on Peacock, and you speak Russian on the show. Are you as good at speaking Russian as that hot guy from that other show?

[Vic Michaelis]

No. Connor story. Absolutely not. I. I legitimately was Fabian, who was our wonderful dialect coach, I kind of sort of bullied into at the end of shooting, telling me that I was the worst Russian speaker he'd ever worked with.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Vic Michaelis]

I just. I don't know. I think if I wasn't gonna be the best, I really needed to be the best at something, and I was the best at being the worst at it.

[John Lovett]

Do you find that? I find that I've often if. That if I am gonna, like, I feel like there are, like, carrot people and stick people.

[Andy Richter]

Sure.

[John Lovett]

And like, if I'm getting negative feedback, I'm getting worse and worse till I'm the worst.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

But if I'm getting good feedback, I'm like, I'm a puppy. Like, if you tell me I'm doing a great job, I'm going to. I want that. That. That approval.

[Vic Michaelis]

But you have that, like, internal metronome of being like, I know this isn't going well. We know that this is, like, this is tough. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like I. Like when I'm playing games and stuff like that. Even if I'm, like, kind of like, I could still be. Be in, like, winning Monopoly or something like that. If it looks like it's taking a turn, I'm like, we're just. I need to be the worst, then I need to lose big.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, yeah, no, I get that. So, Vic.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

You also are a veteran interviewer.

[Vic Michaelis]

Sure.

[John Lovett]

As the host of the Dropouts, Very Important People in which you interview comedians. But they are hidden from you.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And I just want to show people a clip of what this looks like.

[Vic Michaelis]

Oh, gorgeous. Three wishes, first wish Candy bar. Biggest candy bar. Biggest candy bar.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Butterfinger. I was only able to eat, like. Like two bites of it. Yeah. And then it started to melt. It was crazy. You got a second wish? Yeah, second wish. I wish for my brother to come back from the army.

[John Lovett]

I'm a professional. Okay, so what's that about?

[Vic Michaelis]

Sort of the show in general. It really is the most fun thing in the world. I started doing improv. Have you done any improv?

[John Lovett]

Just whatever's happening now.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah. Great.

[Andy Richter]

I love that. And like, you this scene work right here.

[Vic Michaelis]

You like, you spend so long in improv, doing it for, like, five people at a theater at, like, 11pm at night, just begging people to come and watch. And so I. I ended up getting sort of swooped up into, like, a group of us that started doing stuff over at college humor that then ceased to exist and then turned into the streaming service called Dropout. And so it's like, to be able to get paid to do improv is incredible. It's a dream. I never would have even thought that that was possible, like, five years ago.

[Andy Richter]

Have you seen much of very.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, I've seen some of it. Oh, it's horrifying.

[Andy Richter]

It's really funny, folks. It's really, really funny. I love it.

[John Lovett]

Now, considering the volume of interview talent we have on stage right now, it didn't seem fair that I'd be the only person asking questions. So it's time for a segment we're calling Interview roulette. So here's how interview roulette works. We are going to spin the interview roulette wheel, which will choose both the question and the person who will ask everyone to up the ante. You might get to ask the other two a fun, fluffy softball question or be tasked with throwing us a hardball. I genuinely do not know the questions. I am in it with the two of you. That is real. Are you both ready?

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

All right, let's spin the interview roulette wheel and see if this segment turns into something.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, I wish it was a real wheel.

[John Lovett]

All right, Andy, you have to choose from the softball pile here.

[Andy Richter]

Hand me a softball. And who?

[John Lovett]

Just both of us or one of us? You choose.

[Andy Richter]

What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen a famous person do? This could be really hard ball, though.

[Vic Michaelis]

That is true, because the first one that came to mind I absolutely cannot share.

[John Lovett]

Well, why don't you just share it by. But anonymize the celebrity.

[Vic Michaelis]

Okay. I had a celebrity. And this is kind of weird, but mostly kind of mean. I had a celebrity. I. For a survival job. I worked doing, like, a brand ambassadoring and a lot of sort of, like, catering, which was mostly just sort of, like, walking around in tiny dresses handing out hors d' oeuvres to people. And there was a party where a celebrity asked if there was, like, a waffle cone with Mac and cheese in it. And they were like, is there gluten in this? I was like, yeah, probably, but I can, like, double check. And she was like, you don't know already? And I was like, no. And she goes, let me talk to your boss. And I know. And then she called my boss over, and my boss was like, you have to go home. We're still gonna pay you for the night. But this person has complained enough about you not understanding the menu, so you have to go home. So that's kind of weird.

[John Lovett]

Oh, I wanna know who it is.

[Vic Michaelis]

I'll tell you off, Mic. I'm so sorry. And it's a good one, too. It's honestly kind of exactly who you'd think.

[John Lovett]

I have.

[Andy Richter]

Wow.

[John Lovett]

Wait, is it exactly who we think? Probably. Cool. I wonder who we think it is. So I'll do this is mine is. So I'm also gonna not say who it is, but I will only say that it is someone who has been on this show.

[Andy Richter]

Wow.

[Vic Michaelis]

Did it happen backstage? Did it happen? Was it something.

[John Lovett]

It did not happen here, and I'm gonna anonymize it. You will not know who I'm talking about.

[Vic Michaelis]

This thing happened, and then you invited them on the show.

[John Lovett]

I will explain what happened.

[Andy Richter]

Okay.

[Vic Michaelis]

I don't wanna be so quiet.

[John Lovett]

I was at an event, and there was a celebrity there who was going to be on this show in a couple of weeks. And I had already known that, and we had talked about that. And this person was excited to come on the show. I was. And still excited to have them on. Would have them on again. I consider this a story I'm telling with love. And so I went up and I said, hi, celebrity. I'm John Lovett. It's so nice to meet you. I'm so excited you're gonna be on the show next week. We talked and, like, they introduced themselves back. We talked for a few minutes. It was actually an event where I had to, like, go speak. And so I went and I, like, go. Did a thing on stage, came back off, got a drink. Then I saw them again, and I walked up to them and they said, hi, I'm so and so. I'm gonna be on your show in a few weeks. I was like, what's happening? And I was like, oh, hi. Yeah, it's Right. They did it again from the top. The whole interaction. Like the first one hadn't happened. Like they reintroduced themselves. Like we hadn't had the conversation already. It was genuinely one of the strangest things. Wasn't good or bad. It was just truly one of the weirdest things that's ever happened to me.

[Andy Richter]

Did a part of you chalk it up to your forgettability?

[John Lovett]

Let's spin the wheel.

[Andy Richter]

I changed it.

[John Lovett]

A hard ball at the end of my softball. Oh, I think you have a hardball question.

[Vic Michaelis]

Thank God I said I only want a hard one. Okay. Oh, I'm so glad that I'm asking this and not answering. What is. We'll start with Andy, because you didn't get to answer one last time. What is a weakness in your talent that limits your success and. Oh, no, I'm dyslexic and. Okay, hold on. Right. And which. Stop, pause, and rewind. And which you avoid thinking about because it doesn't feel flexible. So to repeat that. What is a weakness? And so we'll take it clean. This is film.

[Andy Richter]

A weakness in my talent.

[Vic Michaelis]

So what is a weakness in your talent? You can't look at my talents. That limits your success. And which you avoid thinking about because it doesn't feel flexible. So, like, not something fixed.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, wow, wow, wow. Um, well, I mean, I have sang in public, but I am not a good singer. And I have been.

[Vic Michaelis]

Give us a note.

[Andy Richter]

There's no. I can. I can only sing. Like, I can only imitate people. That's like how.

[John Lovett]

That's how I have to sing too. That's why, like, I can't sing, but I can do Hugh Jackman in Les Mis. And then I can. And then I can do Russell Crowe. You know, I can kind of do it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So singing is. Would be one.

[Vic Michaelis]

Can I ask a follow up question then?

[Andy Richter]

Of course you may.

[Vic Michaelis]

Will you sing the Star Spangled Banner like you're about to throw out a.

[Andy Richter]

Pitch at a baseball game right now?

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Okay.

[Vic Michaelis]

At least part of it.

[Andy Richter]

Well, but I mean, you. You don't get to do both. You don't get to do both.

[Vic Michaelis]

You don't get to sing anthrotops.

[Andy Richter]

It's either or.

[Vic Michaelis]

This is a triple A.

[Andy Richter]

Let's ask.

[John Lovett]

You're a huge guest. They're psyched.

[Andy Richter]

Okay, here we go. O say can you see by the dawn's early light.

[John Lovett]

I think we gotta leave it there because I really want people to get to the next ad.

[Andy Richter]

What so proudly we hailed I saw your monologue you're an anti American.

[John Lovett]

That's right. And so now do I have to answer that question?

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, you have to answer.

[Vic Michaelis]

Do you want it one more time?

[John Lovett]

Please don't make me read it on my talent that I don't like to think about because it's not fixable. Like, I can't address it. You can't address it, so why dwell on it? Oh, my God. That's such a hard thing to think about.

[Vic Michaelis]

Should we bring one of your employees out here and ask them? I don't know if you can hear them cackling backstage.

[John Lovett]

This is a good question for Hallie. Hallie. Hallie Kiefer, everybody. After you, Hallie. The hardball question is, what is a flaw in my talent that we don't. That we don't like to. That I don't like to dwell on? Because it's not. So why think about it too much? I believe the question was, you think it's not fixable? First of all, I would say I think it's standup. I think that there is.

[Vic Michaelis]

You know what I mean?

[John Lovett]

We do this show.

[Vic Michaelis]

I think there's a lot.

[John Lovett]

There's something in you that needs to be on stage.

[Vic Michaelis]

I think that you think it's like.

[John Lovett]

A skill that you can't gain, but.

[Vic Michaelis]

Really it's just reps. But you have decided I can't be.

[John Lovett]

I don't know whether it's like doing a one man show. There's something else on stage for you, but you have decided that it can't happen. And that's as far as my insight has gotten. Does that make sense? How to keep everybody.

[Vic Michaelis]

Absolutely. All right, there's a line forming backstage of people that want to turn.

[John Lovett]

Who else has a fall? I have some friends here. They could go, all right, let's spin it again.

[Andy Richter]

Pick me. Pick me.

[John Lovett]

All right, hardball for me. All right, let's see what we got. Double hardball. All right, Vic, what's a lie you recently told?

[Vic Michaelis]

Pass. What's a lie I recently told? I. I feel like often it is funnier to be honest about something. And also it's just like. I don't know. I think I'm a pretty honest person, except if I think it's gonna hurt somebody's feelings and it's something that they can't change about themselves, you know what I mean? Then there's no point in telling the truth.

[John Lovett]

Right?

[Vic Michaelis]

So probably something about somebody. Somebody asked about something about their appearance or something like that and asked just sort of a question. And I think I just sort of was like, well, how do you feel about it? And they were like, great. And then I go, then me too.

[John Lovett]

Oh, nice.

[Vic Michaelis]

Kind of a non answer answer that.

[John Lovett]

I then though feels like it admits something. If you feel great about, then I do too. But that's not how your feelings actually work. Andy, when is the time that you lied recently? What's a lie you've recently told?

[Andy Richter]

The last one would be I was asked if I could do a voiceover session for commercial on Friday and because of the general strike, I said I was unavailable. But I did not say why. I think I said like I have something to do with my kid because I just, I didn't want to like get into for some reason, you know, like I'm, I'm, I'm a dirty commie, right? To these captains of industry.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Yeah. All right. When we come back back, we're gonna do some constructive criticism.

[Andy Richter]

Hey, don't go anywhere.

[John Lovett]

There's more of Love it or leave it coming up. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by stamps.com it's staggering that to this very day, many small business owners are still making post office runs or are stuck with expensive postage meter leases. It's 2026, not 1926. Mail and ship when you want, how you want. With stamps.com with stamps.com you can send from your computer or phone 24. 7. No long lines, no low supplies, open anytime. Print postage on demand and get up to 90% off carrier rates like FedEx, UPS and USPS. Schedule carrier pickups right from your door and get carrier compliant labels every time. No errors, no rejected mail, no wasted trips. It's perfect for your business. And certified mail. Get document tracking to confirm deliveries and analytics to make sure you know exactly what you've sent and spent. For almost 30 years, millions of customers have relied on stamps.com to make mailing and shipping faster. And so simple. If you're a small business owner who's tired of the post office eating up your day, stamps.com is one of those tools that just makes sense. You can save time, money, and you don't have to leave your home or office. Why wouldn't you do it right now? You can try stamps.com risk free for 60 days. Go to stamps.com and use code love it to get 60 days risk free. 60 days gives you plenty of time to see exactly how much time and money you're saving on every shipment. That's stamps.com code love it. That's stamps.com code Love it love it or Leave it is brought to you by Bilt. It's 2026, and if you're still paying rent without Bilt Built, it's time for a change. BILT is the loyalty program for renters that rewards you for your biggest monthly expense rent. With Bilt, every rent payment earns you points that can be used towards flights, hotels, Lyft rides, Amazon purchases, and so much more. And here's something to get excited about. Starting in February, Build members can earn points on mortgage payments for the first time. Soon, you'll be able to get rewarded wherever you live and unlock exclusive benefits. With more than 45,000 restaurants, fitness studios, pharmacies and other neighborhood partners, you can get a rent credit. You can use your points for fitness classes like SoulCycle or Berries. You can do home delivery powered by GoPuff. You can use Amazon. You can do Lyft rides, you can get gift cards. There's just a lot of ways to use the built points. It's simple. Paying rent is better with built, and soon owning a home will be better with built too. So earn rewards and get something back wherever you live. Join the loyalty program for renters@join built.com love it. That's join built. J-O I N B I L T.com love it. Make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you. And we're back. And we're back. I want to just. We're not telling saying who it is, but I have a story about the person you had a story about.

[Vic Michaelis]

Is that true?

[John Lovett]

It's a very small interaction, but I was introduced to that person at a party years and years ago. And it wasn't like I said, oh, please introduce me to this celebrity. I didn't care. I was not seeking out the conversation. It wasn't like I walked up to a group of people talking.

[Andy Richter]

You don't give a shit about that stuff. You're John Lovett.

[John Lovett]

That's right, Andy Richter. And it was a couple of people I knew and I was introduced in this conversation. And the person that was rude to you. I have never seen a person so aggressively look behind me like for someone else to talk to. And I, by the way my eyes dart, I have like kind of a meerkat energy and constitution. But this person was such. In just such. I've never gotten a worse vibe from somebody so quickly.

[Vic Michaelis]

I wonder if it was the same party. And it's because they were sort of looking at the waffle cone and they were worried about the gluten and Went well. Firing someone tonight, and it was me.

[John Lovett]

Andy, you grew up in Illinois.

[Andy Richter]

I did.

[John Lovett]

Vic, you're from New Jersey.

[Vic Michaelis]

Sure.

[John Lovett]

But you're so nice. No one would ever notice. A few days in the Midwest has really softened my edges. That or I have a debilitating frostbite. Either way, I thought we could use that Minnesota Nice to give some constructive criticism to people, places, and things that desperately need it this week in a segment we're calling Constructive criticism. So here's how it works. Reisha is going to provide some Minnesota nice criticism of something that bugged us this week. I'm going to kick it off. I'm going to talk about the Melania film briefly. And here's what I want to say to the corporations, the powerful corporations, you know, at least when Tom Homan, who is currently running the show in Minnesota, allegedly took a bribe, he did it surreptitiously in a kava bag and he hid it. He took the. We don't know what happened with it. And whether or not it's an alleged thing that happened. Seems really. Seems like. Sounds like it happened, but we don't know. But he took a bribe, but he clearly wanted nobody to know about it. That shows us at least a little bit of respect. Currently, all across America, there are movie theaters that are empty. They are empty because of a bribe. Every movie theater that has an empty room where Melania is playing for no one with empty Melania, popcorn buckets is part of a bribe. Like, they're not keeping it a secret at all.

[Vic Michaelis]

They're doing popcorn buckets.

[John Lovett]

They are doing popcorn buckets.

[Andy Richter]

Oh, my goodness.

[Vic Michaelis]

Oh, my God. And, you know, even the people designing them were kind of mad because they're not even fun ones. It's just a picture on a popcorn bucket. We could have so much.

[Andy Richter]

They're not mad. They're like, oh, okay, sure. There you go.

[Vic Michaelis]

If somebody was having fun, this would have been the top of the popcorn bucket and the chair, and she just sort of would have like, folded over onto her legs, you know what I'm talking about? And then the popcorn would have been under here.

[John Lovett]

Right? Like, could have. Yeah, right. Like a sort of a cool and interesting.

[Vic Michaelis]

It would have been really fine.

[John Lovett]

They cheaped out on the bucket. No.

[Vic Michaelis]

They said, no, thank you.

[John Lovett]

They spend time, tens of millions of dollars buying this thing. They're spending tens of millions of dollars marketing this thing. It is for no one because it is a bribe. And the bribe is just in our faces. If you go look for movie times, there's the bribe. You can see it everywhere. And also, just one note on the black and white design thing. It's like, God, they have the worst fucking taste in the world. It's like, oh, wow. I don't know. It's like, I guess she's been to the ugliest place in Vegas and got an idea that's neither here nor there. But to the corporations that are doing this, capitulating, could you do it a little bit less brazenly in our faces? Could you be a little bit more bashful about it? You're just installing your acolytes at cbs. You're actively putting fake movies in theaters as part of this scheme to gain favor with Trump. Tim Cook is going to the premiere of an Amazon. He's from Apple, a competing streaming service, going to the premiere of. At the White House for an Amazon movie. It's all just so in our faces. Be a little.

[Andy Richter]

It's true.

[John Lovett]

Yes. I'll be a little bit embarrassed about it. And then clearly he felt embarrassed about it, so he put out a statement. And the statement's like, yeah, I told him. It's like, did you, Tim? Did you tell him? And look, I don't. I got a new iPhone recently. Cause my old one kept, you don't need a reason.

[Andy Richter]

You got a new iPhone. You deserve it, honey.

[John Lovett]

You're right. I just bought it because I wanted it and my phone cracked. But so on the new iPhone, there's a button on the side that, if you hold it, I think sometimes becomes the camera. Only sometimes there's another button on the side. I don't know what that one does, but it does different things if you hold it and if you tap it, you can change the settings, but it's deeply baffling how. And you never know what setting you've turned on. I have multiple devices that are all midnight blue, but they're all different midnight blues. And all I'm saying is if Steve Jobs hadn't decided to treat cancer with bone broth, maybe we'd have a different kind of leadership at Apple.

[Andy Richter]

So bone broth is the enemy.

[John Lovett]

That's right.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

I would have had a little bit of your hip in it. I think he would have been okay.

[John Lovett]

All right, Andy, there was something that. Wait, did you have.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Kristi Noem.

[John Lovett]

Oh, you wanna talk about Kristi Noem? Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Just specifically because I heard her say, I just saw something today where she said something about how everything I've done was at the bidding of the President and Stephen Miller, which is the Beginning of the end, hun, like, you should know. And I do feel like. Cause she's from one of the Dakotas. I can't remember which. That's very close to Minnesota. So she's gotta be used to being talked to like this. Making your face look like every other woman at Mar A Lago is not going to prevent him from blaming everything on you. The only exercise this man gets is throwing people under buses. And you are next in line. So you better just start now with the mea culpas and the blaming those guys.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, I think that's right. Well, also, I just would say that this is a picture where she's pointing a gun at someone by mistake.

[Andy Richter]

Yes.

[John Lovett]

And if you watch the video of this, the guy is so uncomfortable because it's like, this is not how you're supposed to hold it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Lovett]

And like, why does she have a gun? She's the. She's.

[Vic Michaelis]

She thought he was a dog is the problem.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, she's the Secretary of Homeland Security. Her job is meetings and all of these things.

[Andy Richter]

Like, look at all the stuff on that gun. Like, it's like. It's like there's like a hot dog warmer on it or something. Like all these different tubes and all of them have these like. Like, what is in all these pockets? What do you guys need?

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah, the NRA said no gun control, but you could have a hot dog warmer.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, yeah, I. I did like that statement. Like, everything I did, I did because the President, Stephen Miller told me. And it's like, hm, Is that a statement you're making now or at a tribunal in five years? Yeah, yeah, exactly like, oh, you were just following orders. Where have I heard that before?

[Andy Richter]

Workshopping it for the Hague.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Vic, you wanted to talk about a coyote.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah. Okay, so finally, do we have a. Here we go. Hey, little guy. So this guy swam to Alcatraz and was eating birds and then was so. And just was so full on birds. And so this really isn't a note for him. I think he did an A plus job. Sort of like, you know, if you're searching for food that's kind of, you know, perseverance and made it work and made it happen. Let's get those birds an iPad. We can't be so trusting, you know what I mean? They gotta have a little bit of education. I think. I think I want them on YouTube. I want them watching video essays sort of about how the world works. Because we're sitting ducks and I think we can be Educated ducks.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

You know what I mean?

[John Lovett]

Because I do think if you're a bird on Alcatraz, you have it pretty good.

[Vic Michaelis]

You have it pretty good.

[John Lovett]

Just buses and buses of kids coming through, dropping food on the ground, dropping.

[Vic Michaelis]

Crackers and hot dog buns.

[Andy Richter]

You get lazy.

[John Lovett]

You get lazy. Your guard goes down, and next thing you know, there's a coyote from the.

[Vic Michaelis]

Mainland, and you're going up to it, and they're like, hey, here's the thing, too.

[John Lovett]

Like, the dodos. Like the dodos that would run up to the. To the. To the. To the. To the people off the boats being like, what's up? And be like, mistake. I'm terrible.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

I'm gonna kill all of you. And everyone knew you.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And here's the thing. I was thinking when I saw that a coyote had swum, swam, swim to Alcatraz, I thought it was too hard to do that and that everybody who tried that died.

[Andy Richter]

Died going the other way.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Because I thought Clint Eastwood died when he swam from Alcatraz. But it seems like, if a coyote could do it, why can't Clint Eastwood do it?

[Vic Michaelis]

I feel like that has to be a tale that just because. Have you been to the Bay Area? It doesn't look that far. And so here's my thought, is that anytime a prisoner would escape, they were just, like, died. He died. He died. I don't know. And just try and stop other people from doing it. But it was just, you know, it mostly was just pretty easy. And I think.

[John Lovett]

I think there were. I think.

[Andy Richter]

I seem to. I mean, I remember reading about it years ago, and I think there were some people that made it, but they, like, got nabbed immediately. Like, I don't think anybody made the swim and then really sort of disappeared into the vape.

[Vic Michaelis]

Here's the plan, though. You can't swim straight back to shore. You got to swim long ways.

[John Lovett]

I think that's riptides.

[Vic Michaelis]

Huh?

[Andy Richter]

What?

[John Lovett]

Okay. And that's constructive criticism.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah.

[Andy Richter]

Yay.

[John Lovett]

And everybody should catch Andy on Dancing with the Stars. There's a tour.

[Andy Richter]

There's a tour.

[Vic Michaelis]

You're going on tour.

[Andy Richter]

I'm going on tour. I'm going from the middle of February to the February to the beginning of March, and then the middle of April to the second week.

[Vic Michaelis]

You're seeing the Star Spangled Banner before they get started.

[Andy Richter]

I am. That's the first 15 minutes of the show. Because I scat a lot. No, But I'm gonna be emceeing with my former dance partner, Emma. Maybe Doing a little bit of dancing too. I'm not exactly sure yet.

[John Lovett]

I'm excited. I'm excited for you to get out there, get you greased up and out there. Hey, let's grease up Andy Richter. Get him dancing out there.

[Andy Richter]

It is a grueling tour. It is like, they're doing like 97 dates.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Like, are you gonna do all of them?

[Andy Richter]

No, no, no. I'm only doing like a total of about five weeks.

[John Lovett]

That's cool.

[Andy Richter]

In two different chunks, but. Yeah, but it's on a bus. It is not. You know, it's a nice bus, but it's a bus.

[John Lovett]

And you watch Vic on Ponies, which is streaming now on Peacock.

[Vic Michaelis]

Peacock.

[John Lovett]

Peacock has ponies.

[Vic Michaelis]

That's true.

[John Lovett]

Vic has very important people on dropout tv. Andy, you can listen to three questions with Andy Richard, wherever you get your podcast. When we come back, we have a few second thoughts.

[Andy Richter]

Okay. Hey, don't go anywhere.

[John Lovett]

There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by cookunity. It's the beginning of the year. We're all trying to eat a little better, be a little healthier, and Cook Unity is a great way to do that. Cookunity brings restaurant level flavor to your fresh start with chef designed dishes that balance nourishment, creativity, and everyday luxury. Choose your own path with new meal collections like fiber maxing mood boosting better for sleep and protein forward. Cook Unity is also launching Chef's Table the Lunar Feast Drop, a limited two week collaboration where chefs celebrate lunar New Year with symbolic fortune filled dishes and behind the scenes storytelling. Explore how chefs are redefining wellness and infusing their creativity and cultural roots into each meal. I am a huge fan of Cook Unity. I've just recently gave it a try and I really love. They had a spicy rigatoni with chicken. They had a salmon teriyaki dish that I really liked. I really liked a carne asada bowl that I had. And they really made it so convenient because, like, sometimes, like, I'll run to the gym in the morning and then I'm trying to figure out what I'm gonna have for breakfast. But I also could just pop in a breakfast burrito from Cook Unity and it's ready in minutes and it's really good. It's just a really great option. You can have a couple meals come to your house a week, and then you just know that in your fridge you have four or five or six or seven or eight or whatever number of meals that you just can reliably count on for being just really great. And it is fun to pick. You can pick a few kind of Asian inspired dishes and you can have some Italian dishes and you can have some, you can have a burger, whatever. It's like fun to pick out your assortment and know that they're going to be there for you during the week. Taste, comfort and craftsmanship in every bite. From the award winning chefs behind CookUnity. Go to cookunity.com lowly or enter code lowly before checking out out to get 50% off your first order. That's 50% off your first order by using code L O L I or going to cookunity.com l o l I cookunity is great and you know, do it, love it or leave it is brought to you by blinds.com if you've ever thought about upgrading your window treatments but didn't want the hassle, blinds.com is here to change the game. They're the only company that lets you shop custom blinds and shades online, then backs it up with professional in home measure and installation services. @blinds.com you can skip the stress and get expert design advice through their convenient virtual consultations on your schedule. Whether you know exactly what you want or need a little help deciding they've got you covered, do it yourself or sit back and let blinds.com handle everything from measure to install. Either way, you have access to experts every step of the way. Blinds.com makes it easy to get the designer look without the showroom markups. They're on a mission to make custom window treatments easy and affordable for everyone. Get the same quality and service you would at other high end stores, but at a fraction of the price. Get samples sent directly to your door fast and free. Compare colors, textures and materials right from the comfort of home to help you make the perfect selection. All blinds.com orders are backed by their 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy, they'll make it right. Right now blinds.com is giving our listeners an exclusive 50 off. When you spend 500 or more, just use code Love it at checkout limited time Offer rules and restrictions apply. See blinds.com for details. And we're back. Now it's time. Time for a segment we call Second Thoughts. Here's how it works. I say some things I think that I have some second thoughts about from this show. Here's my first second thought. You know what's funny about kitchens? We stayed on this for too long.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah, what's funny about Kitchens. Well, yeah. And then we couldn't sort of figure out where the out was. We just kept talking about kitchens kind of like right now where we sort of are like, do we move on? Do we keep on it?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, like that. Now producers are wondering if we should have second thoughts about the detail play by play on the hip surgery.

[Andy Richter]

Agree.

[John Lovett]

Don't agree. I loved every second of it.

[Andy Richter]

I thought that was good content, you pansies.

[John Lovett]

I. Let's see. Oh, I. I did set myself up for a burn by Andy in the second in the part about celebrity, because maybe I just wasn't remembered.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

So that's tough.

[Vic Michaelis]

Biggest laugh of the night.

[Andy Richter]

Did it feel that bad?

[John Lovett]

No. I could take it.

[Andy Richter]

You know I love you.

[John Lovett]

I could take it. I thought, he's here. Yeah. I thought it was a loving, kind thing. It was fun. We're just.

[Andy Richter]

Josh, my love language is leaving the house for you.

[John Lovett]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[Andy Richter]

You know, like, I do not do that for people that I don't love.

[Vic Michaelis]

And for me, I sh. I'm there even if I'm not invited. I'm at the door, I'm knocking, I'm hoping somebody will open, and I'm sitting down for dinner.

[John Lovett]

My love language is acts of service.

[Vic Michaelis]

Okay.

[John Lovett]

Hmm. Oh. Oh. One second thought I have is. I struggled to commit to the Minnesota nice style of criticism. I just kind of criticized.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, you did.

[John Lovett]

I really forgot to be constructive.

[Vic Michaelis]

We did spent a lot of time backstage going, are we doing accents for this? And they were sort of like, yes, John for sure is going to do an accent. He's really excited about it.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

And I didn't.

[Andy Richter]

And you were workshopping the accent. We.

[John Lovett]

Well, I did workshop it a little bit, but then everybody said it sounded like I was making fun of Minnesota at a bad time.

[Vic Michaelis]

Can we hear one line? Is that crazy?

[John Lovett]

Oh, I don't know.

[Vic Michaelis]

No cutting.

[John Lovett]

It was doing it. I'm doing it. That was it. That was all. Oh, yeah. Oh. I don't know if I could say anything to the governor. I don't see. It's not anything. This is why it's not. I have a second thought about doing that.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Do you have any second thoughts about the show, Vic?

[Vic Michaelis]

Just sort of in general?

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Yeah. So I was here a couple of weeks ago and I stole mugs from your show. You have mugs backstage that just sort of live back there. And as a bit, we were all sort of bringing stuff on stage when we were getting introduced. And so I had two of your mugs and I wish we had mugs here that I could hand out to the audience right now. So sort of as sort of a second thought for a different show that I was on, I'm really.

[John Lovett]

Do we have this one?

[Vic Michaelis]

Ah, yes, we do. Can I hand out all of them? Is that crazy? I only had two last time, and there's like nine.

[Andy Richter]

Because you should. You should also include that you handed them out and that the house.

[Vic Michaelis]

So I did hand them out. And then somebody in the booth, shout out to the booth, said, you absolutely cannot take those. John's going to scream at me.

[John Lovett]

I. Yeah. If you think the person we were talking about is bad, wait to see what I'm like back there about your mugs.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah.

[Vic Michaelis]

Okay. So can I. Can I give.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, give those out. Yeah. Okay.

[Andy Richter]

Wow.

[Vic Michaelis]

Here we go. Okay. I love this. And they're in the packaging, which is nice. They weren't in the packaging last time. Okay, who wants one? Okay, give me one compliment. I'm amazing. I'll take it. There we go. We have another one. Who's got a good compliment? Love my height. No, you love my jeans. Better. I'll give you another shot. You can't do the same one. You can't say jeans. Also say something about my personality. Okay, we'll take it. There we go. We have a few more. Yeah, cool. From being from New Jersey. I live there for. Let's say it with me.

[John Lovett]

Eight.

[Vic Michaelis]

Eight months. I love that we have one more up front here because then I can make my way back to my seat. One compliment for me. You're my favorite guest this week. I'll take a lie.

[John Lovett]

Andy Richter catching astray.

[Andy Richter]

Whatever. You better. You better wash those fucking things.

[Vic Michaelis]

Now that the mugs are gone, people are saying, I love Andy.

[John Lovett]

First of all, I just want to say to the. To my friends at Dynasty Typewriter, I am so appreciative that you defended the integrity of our mug. And you're like, those mugs are part of the love it or leave it thing. You leave those mugs alone.

[Vic Michaelis]

America's sweetheart, Paul F. Tompkins was like, you can hand them out.

[John Lovett]

And the booth said, no, hell yeah, have my back. I see you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Before we go, if you want more Pod Save America, we've got great news. We launched Open Tabs, our new PSA newsletter. And now, this Thursday, we're launching Pod Save America Only Friends, our new bi weekly show, featuring a rotating cast of me, John, Dan, Tommy, plus other crooked hosts. We'll dive deep into the news of the day, test out our takes, chase some tangents. Think of it as another chance to get a news update from us. So please, please, please. If you haven't yet, subscribe to Friends of the Pod. It is genuinely how we are building a sustainable, progressive media company to be part of this big pro democracy media ecosystem that's taking on the right wing. And if we can keep building it, we can get information and not misinformation to more and more people. So please, please, please help [e-mail] friends and that's second thoughts. And this has been so much fun. Vic Michaelis, Andy Richter, what a pleasure. Thank you Jazz.

[Andy Richter]

Thank you so much.

[Vic Michaelis]

What a blast.

[John Lovett]

So nice to have you. There are 276 days until the midterms. We will see you next week at Dynasty Typewriter. Have a great night and have a great weekend.

[Andy Richter]

Yay.

[John Lovett]

If you're already scrolling endlessly, which we know you are, don't forget to follow us at Crooked media on Instagram, TikTok and all the other ones for original content, community events and more. You can also find Love it or leave it on YouTube for videos of your favorite segments and other YouTube exclusive content. And if you want to type our praises or rip us a new one, consider dropping us a review. Finally, you can join Crooked's Friends of the Pod subscription community for ad free. Love it or Leave it and Pod Save It America episodes, subscriber exclusive pods and more. Sign [e-mail] friends love it or Leave it is a Crooked Media production. It is written and produced by me, John Lovett and Lee Eisenberg. Kendra James is our executive producer, Bill McGrath is our producer and Kennedy Hill is our associate producer. Hallie Keeper is our head writer. Sarah Lazarus, Jocelyn Kaufman, Peter Miller, Alan Pierre and Subha Agrawal are our writers. Jordan Kanter is our editor. Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landis provide audio support. Stephen Colon is our audience audio engineer. Our theme song is written and performed by Chercher. Thanks to our designer, Sammy Cadearna Rhys for creating and running all of our visuals, which you can't see because this is a podcast. And thanks to our digital producers, David Toles, Claudia Shang, Mia Kelman, Delon Villanueva and Rachel Gajewski for filming and editing video each week. Our head of production is Matt De Groat and our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America.

[Vic Michaelis]

It's love it or leave it.

[John Lovett]

Reggie.

[Andy Richter]

I just sold my car online. Let's go, Grandpa.

[John Lovett]

Wait, you did?

[Andy Richter]

Yep, on Carvana.

[John Lovett]

Just put in the license plate, answered a few questions. Got an offer in minutes.

[Andy Richter]

Easier than setting up that new digital picture frame.

[John Lovett]

You don't say.

[Andy Richter]

Yeah, they're even picking it up tomorrow. Talk about fast.

[John Lovett]

Wow.

[Andy Richter]

Way to go.

[John Lovett]

So about that picture frame.

[Andy Richter]

Ah, forget about it. Until Carvana makes one, I'm not interested.

[John Lovett]

Car selling made easy on Carvana. Pick up these may apply New year.

[Andy Richter]

Same extra value meals at McDonald's so.

[John Lovett]

Now get two snack wraps plus fries and a medium soft drink for just $8 for a limited time only. Persons and participation may vary. Persons may may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California. And for delivery new year same extra value meals at McDonald's now get a savory sausage McMuffin with egg plus hash browns and a small coffee for just $5 for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California. And for delivery.