DEI Didn’t Start The Fire

Summary

Podcast Summary: "DEI Didn’t Start The Fire" | Lovett or Leave It

Episode Release Date: January 18, 2025

Introduction: Setting the Scene in Los Angeles

In the latest episode of Lovett or Leave It, Jon Lovett welcomes listeners to a Los Angeles grappling with devastating wildfires. Recorded live at The Elysian, the show captures the city's resilience and the community's response to recent disasters.

Wildfires and Leadership Critique

The episode opens with a somber discussion about the two largest wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area, which have destroyed neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, resulting in at least 27 fatalities and over 12,000 structures lost.

Jon Lovett critically examines Mayor Karen Bass’s absence during the crisis, highlighting her trip to Ghana during the emergency. He questions her commitment, stating:

"Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars?" (04:15)

Lovett delves into the mayor's previous statements, clarifying that her international trips were not formal pledges but predictions based on her role shift from Congress to mayoralty. He also addresses the complexities of the LAFD’s budget, explaining that while there were cuts, overall funding actually increased by 10% for the fiscal year 2024-2025, covering salaries and new fire trucks.

Political Fallout and Republican Rhetoric

The discussion shifts to the Republican response, particularly Senator Tommy Tuberville’s critique on Newsmax:

"Why should other states be bailing out California for choosing the wrong people to run their state?" (09:22)

Lovett juxtaposes this against the misinformation spread during emergencies, noting how both sides exploit tragedies for political gain. He emphasizes that climate change, land management, and local policies are the true culprits behind the worsening wildfires, not DEI initiatives.

Donald Trump’s Legal Battles and Inauguration

Transitioning to national politics, Lovett covers Donald Trump’s upcoming second-term inauguration amid multiple legal challenges:

• Unconditional Discharge: Trump received an "unconditional discharge" in his New York hush money case, a lenient outcome Lovett mocks:

  "The minimum sentence Trump deserves is uncontrollable discharge." (15:45)

• Jack Smith’s Report: The Special Counsel's report on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election is also discussed. Trump’s dismissive response on Truth Social is highlighted:

  "Jack is a lame brain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the election, which I won in a landslide." (17:03)

Lovett sarcastically comments on Trump’s ability to downplay significant legal findings and his focus on personal grievances, such as the distraction caused by Jimmy Carter’s death.

Supreme Court Satire: Pornhub Case

In a humorous segment, Lovett and host Langston Kerman mock the Supreme Court’s handling of a First Amendment case involving Pornhub. They recreate a fictitious courtroom exchange between Justice Samuel Alito and attorney Jia Tolentino, emphasizing the absurdity of certain legal discussions:

"It's like the old Playboy magazine... you have essays there by the modern day equivalent of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr." (22:11)

Community Resilience and Cultural Insights

Shifting from political turmoil, the episode celebrates Los Angeles's vibrant culture and community spirit. Guests share personal anecdotes demonstrating LA's unique architectural diversity and the solidarity among residents during crises. Lovett emphasizes the importance of community support:

"The people of Los Angeles who immediately turn to their communities to contribute, to donate, to volunteer, and to show up instead of immediately using their neighbor's pain for political gain." (20:45)

Guest Appearance: Ron Perlman

Ron Perlman joins the conversation, engaging in light-hearted banter about Los Angeles lifestyle, dog culture, and personal experiences. Their interaction provides a balance to the episode's heavier themes, showcasing the show's blend of humor and insightful commentary.

Combatting Misinformation

Lovett underscores the pervasive issue of misinformation during emergencies, commending reliable sources like the LA Times and local journalists. He criticizes the spread of unfounded rumors on platforms like TikTok, advocating for informed and responsible media consumption.

Closing Remarks: Hope and Unity

As the episode concludes, Lovett reflects on the duality of Los Angeles—its capacity for both chaos and community strength. He urges listeners to support local disaster relief efforts, highlighting the collective effort needed to rebuild and move forward.

"This is why we need a functioning government. This is also why we need each other." (27:30)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Mayor Bass’s absence:

  "Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning?" (04:15)

• On Trump's legal outcomes:

  "The minimum sentence Trump deserves is uncontrollable discharge." (15:45)

• On misinformation:

  "Everyone is playing experts on social media and spreading scary, sensational rumors and lies." (19:50)

• On community resilience:

  "The people of Los Angeles ... show up instead of immediately using their neighbor's pain for political gain." (20:45)

• On the importance of unity:

  "This is why we need a functioning government. This is also why we need each other." (27:30)

Conclusion

In "DEI Didn’t Start The Fire," Lovett or Leave It delivers a compelling blend of political critique, community stories, and cultural reflections. Jon Lovett effectively navigates through complex issues, offering both humor and depth, making it a must-listen for those seeking insightful and entertaining political discourse.

Transcript

[John Lovett]

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I've used One Skin. I really, I really like it. You're glowing. I really though I will say this if you are somebody, especially the guys, because a lot of guys don't do this like John. You have no fucking. I do now because I have been using it. But you should cleanse, you should use a moisturizer, you should use sunscreen and you should make OS one part of it. Founded and led by an all women team of skin longevity scientists, One Skin is redefining the aging process with their proprietary OS1 peptide. The first ingredient proven to help skin look, feel and behave like its younger self. Get 15% off with code love it at OneSkin co. That's 15% off OneSkin co with Code Love It. After your purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Invest in the health and longevity of your skin. With One skin, your future self will thank you. Hello Los Angeles. Thanks for coming out to the Elysian tonight. How's everybody doing? Everybody enjoying a deeply contentious and also quite vague debate about air quality. Everybody love inconclusive scientific advice that acts as if we are all both in a war zone and at the beach in a county that is larger than Delaware and Rhode island combined, providing one kind of guidance. Even though some people in this city and county live as far apart from each other as New York City and Philadelphia. Everybody loving that part of it. Welcome to Let or leave it. It's 2025. Are we having fun yet? Jimmy Carter did it right? He got out. Got out at the perfect fucking moment. In all seriousness, you all know that we record this show in Los Angeles and the fire sent the city into mayhem this past two weeks. So many people, from first responders to civilians are doing everything they can to help and volunteer and donate. And then there's me on this stage because it takes all kinds. We love la and that's what this show is about tonight. Ron Perlman is here, Langston Kerman is here. And Los Angeles at this episode is her own character. Kind of like Sex and the City, Louisiana Is obviously a Carrie, and Ron Perlman is not so obviously the Samantha. Get to that later. Also, Vote Save America Action and Cricket Ideas started a disaster relief fund last week. It's already raised almost $200,000 to provide critical aid to the organizations making a difference on the ground in our communities, including the Los Angeles Regional Food bank, the Latino Community foundation, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Inclusive Action for the City. These donations are making a difference and Cricket's proceeds from your tickets tonight are going to support their work. So if you and if you can, Please [e-mail] Relief. Really appreciate everybody donating to the fund and everybody's tickets tonight from our are gonna go. So I appreciate that, appreciate you coming out. But let's get into it. What a week. Yes, the biggest news here in Los Angeles, other than Justin Baldoni's countersuit, are the wildfires fueled by drought and intense Santa Ana winds that have devastated Southern California and which continue burn as we speak. But tonight, we're going to put all that aside and have a good time. No, I'm kidding. We're going to talk about the fires. The two largest fires in the greater Los Angeles area destroyed neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing at least 27 people and burning down over 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures that have been counted so far. Also, with all these parks empty, the coyotes are thriving. I look forward to having to beat one to death with a bat if it comes anywhere near my dog or takeout. As fires broke out across the city, Los Angeles residents were forced to evacuate. Celebrities like Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, Joshua Jackson, Anna Faris, and friend of the show, Ricki Lake lost their homes to the blaze. Also, some normal people who I'm told live in Los Angeles as well. And when a tragedy strikes a city, the nation's eyes turn to its mayor. But we had to turn our eyes pretty far because she was in another country. Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their Homes were burning. Do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars? Madam Mayor, have you nothing to say today? Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today? Come on, you're the mayor. You're out of the country. When the city that you're the mayor of burned down, you gotta say something. My thoughts are with the city. We will rebuild. It's a me, the mayor, anything. Now, where was the mayor at the inauguration of the new Ghanaian president as part of a delegation for the Biden administration? You know, basic mayor stuff. Critics pointed out that Bass left for Ghana on January 4, despite the National Weather Service issuing warnings about an upcoming windstorm headed towards la. She's definitely gonna regret that. And then the New York Times reported that in a 2021 interview, Karen Bass promised not to travel abroad if she was elected mayor. When asked by the Times about the downside of being mayor, Bass, who traveled extensively as a congressperson, said of the job, not only would I, of course live here, but I also would not travel internationally. The only places I would go would be D.C. sacramento, San Francisco and New York. In relation to LA, everyone has characterized this as a promise or a pledge, but she really wasn't making a pledge. She was saying compared to being a congressper, she wouldn't really be traveling abroad if she were mayor. It was a prediction, not a pledge. When I walk out of the Cheesecake Factory and say I'm gonna have life changing diarrhea tonight, I am not making a. I am not taking a solemn diarrhea oath.

[Langston Kerman]

Now.

[John Lovett]

I'm not defending Bass for this trip. I just think the facts are bad enough. Also, as that reporter said, the Los Angeles Fire Department did have its budget cut last year, but even that criticism isn't so cut and dry. If it was cut and dry, it would have burnt. Yes, Bass financial plan for 2024 did cut the fire department budget because there was a big budget deficit. But the City Council also approved an increase of over $53 million for firefighter salaries and benefits as part of the firefighter union contract, as well as $58 million for new fire trucks and other department purchases. According to the Washington Post, overall funding for the LAFD went up by $80 million, or almost 10%, in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Plus, there's probably going to be even more money available. Schools burned down On Friday, when asked by reporters that the city of LA had failed, the Fire Department, Fire Chief Kristen Crowley told the press, yes. But the department itself was also criticized for not having pre positioned resources in the Palisades given the extreme conditions. The truth is we will learn over months what we should do differently next time and what we could have done better this time. Which is very different for people on their phone seeing a terrible calamity and deciding they know exactly who to blame. For example, expert say the sudden increased use of fire hydrants across the region caused the water pressure to drop. But Donald Trump blamed Gavin Newsom specifically demanding that the governor immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, even though no such main exists. And while terrified citizens evacuated their homes and entire neighborhoods burned to the ground, the GOP took the opportunity to leverage the tragedy against Democrats. Here's Senator Tommy Tuberville on Newsmax. Why should other states be bailing out California for choosing the wrong people to run their state?

[Langston Kerman]

We shouldn't be. They got 40 million people in that state and they voting these these imbeciles.

[John Lovett]

In office and they continue to do it. We didn't vote for the win. Tuberville conservatives also blamed DEI initiatives for the wildfire, singling out fire chief Crowley in particular for being a lesbian. Of course, they all dropped that complaint once she turned on the mayor. Besides, don't ask. Besides, has there ever been a more soothing and calming phrase than lesbian fire chief? Once I heard it, I too became enraged. Enraged that there are fire chiefs who aren't lesbians. In reality, researchers have connected worsening wildfires not to lesbians, but to climate change, tracking how Southern California's hottest, driest season has shifted to overlap with the region's windy season. And then there's the mayor's absence. She has said that she was in constant contact with officials on the ground, and perhaps her being away at the beginning of the emergency didn't impact our response. On the other hand, is that really such a great argument? I'm the mayor and it didn't matter that I wasn't fucking here, right? I don't know. Seems like you want someone who's going to be adding value. No? Okay. Regardless, throughout this unfolding disaster, we were reminded that there is no crisis or emergency too serious to stop people from playing experts on social media and spreading scary, sensational rumors and lies. While the best place to get information has remained the reporters at the LA Times, at the local television stations, other journalists on the ground, along with volunteers at sites like Watchduty taking their responsibility to the community seriously. We personally got a small window into this at Crooked Last week, a bunch of accounts accused crooked media of using Vote Save America's disaster relief fund, which I just mentioned, which is currently collecting money to distribute to local organizations of scamming people. And then when we said in no uncertain terms that crooked vote, Save America, crooked ideas. We take zero dollars. We take zero dollars. It was then that we found out the reason we started this fund is that we saw our city burning and we decided it was a great opportunity to trick people into giving us their email addresses. That was our plan. We were worried about the air quality, hearing that our friends houses were burning and we're like, this is a great opportunity to get those sweet, sweet email addresses. Just one example, we heard today from LA Food bank that because of donations from all of you, our relief fund has funded some 148,000 meals, which is really great. The right accuses us of using horrific tragedy to trick people out of their money. And it's like, no, no, no, that's your side's thing. Not that the left doesn't fall for it too. TikTok was full of misinformation about the fires, and people of all political persuasions were sharing it freely. Emergencies polarize and magnify everything, including our desperate need for a villain. That's the flip side of a conspiracy theory. Sure, they're scary, but they're also deeply reassuring. The truth is, there is no one villain. The best mayor on the planet would still have watched the Palisades burn, but that doesn't mean she didn't fuck up. Climate change is absolutely a factor, but so is how we manage land in our state. And so are housing and zoning and insurance and water policies. And so is the fact that we live in a place that is prone to wildfires. The saddest part of all the misinformation and finger pointing is that it obscured the truth that amidst the chaos, we also got to see the government at its best. The firefighters, the utility workers, the men and women who work for the city, the county and the state, who leapt into action to keep the disaster from becoming an even worse catastrophe. And then there's the people of Los Angeles who immediately turn to their communities to contribute, to donate, to volunteer, and to show up instead of immediately using their neighbor's pain for political gain. This is why we need a functioning government. This is also why we need each other. Because when this crisis is behind us, a lot of coyotes to kill. And while hopefully Los Angeles has begun getting these literal fires under control, the more figurative fires in our politics are at 0% containment. Yes, on Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term and we'll all feel like number two. And he can be sworn in knowing that the last legal cases against him have all been wrapped up with a bow. On Friday, Trump was sentenced to nothing in his New York hush money case. Technically, this is called unconditional discharge, which is shameful. The minimum sentence Trump deserves is uncontrollable discharge. And just after midnight on Tuesday, the Justice Department released Special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which said that the evidence would have led to Trump's conviction in trial if he hadn't won reelection in Novemb. Good stuff, good stuff. Does anyone else want to try ketamine? Oh, this just in. We have Trump's response to the Jack Smith report. No, no. Trump actually wrote on Truth social shortly before 2am Jack is a lame brain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before election, which I won in a landslide. The voters have spoken. Despite being the luckiest man in the history of the world, the incoming president has already found plenty to complain about, including the distraction of Jimmy Carter's death, Trump said on Truth Social. The Democrats are all giddy about our magnificent American flag potentially being at half mast during my inauguration. Actually, it's half staff, said a local giddy Democrat before returning to the fetal position. But don't worry. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the U.S. capitol will raise its flags for Trump's inauguration. Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting worked up about this. Trump allies have done way worse stuff with flagpoles at the Capitol. Hmm. That was better than your response. I know sometimes you're correct, but that time you were wrong. Also, Jimmy Carter was 100. It's not sad. Flags should go higher when a 100 year old dies. Sure, a lot is wrong with our society, but a lot has to be right for anybody to make it to 100. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will reportedly attend the inauguration, where they'll be seated with elected officials and Trump's Cabinet Nightmare blunt rotation meet nightmare blunt occasion. Both Michelle Obama and Nancy Pelosi will reportedly skip the event. I can't be in the same room with him, they both said about Biden. Speaking of skin, this week marked President Biden's final week in office. But on the bright side, it's the first week of the rest of his life. On Wednesday night, Biden delivered this cheerful farewell address from the White House.

[Langston Kerman]

I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. This is a dangerous concert. And that's the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people. The dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence.

[John Lovett]

Okay, thanks for the heads up. Biden also warned Americans about the spread of unchecked misinformation on social media.

[Langston Kerman]

Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling, editors are disappearing, social media is giving up on fact, fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told.

[John Lovett]

For power and for profit, continued Biden. But let's wrap this up on a high note. Let's see here who's excited for this Robin Williams monkey movie? Speaking of oligarchy, Senate confirmation hearings for Trump's Cabinet nominees began on Tuesday, the day before defense nominee Pete Hegseth's hearing. The New Yorker reported that Hegseth ordered three gin and tonics at a weekday breakfast meeting as recently as spring of 2023. All of you are being very judgmental about these gin and tonics. Does he have a drinking problem? Maybe. But does he have malaria? Absolutely not. Here's what his breakfast acquaintance told Jane Mayer from the New Yorker. It was an extremely strange experience. We met at Fox News in New York for breakfast and he suggested we go across the street to a bar. It was like 10 in the morning. Then he ordered two gin and tonics at the same time for himself to be polite. I ordered one too, but it was so strong I couldn't drink it. So I ordered coffee. Then he had a third gin and tonic. I don't know how he could pass a security clearance, but they're trying to create a culture where whistleblowers are uncomfortable coming forward. I love the idea of ordering a gin and tonic at 10am to be polite. Jane Mayer's anonymous source. You're such a people pleaser. Don't be afraid to take up space. Jane Mayer's Anonymous source here's Arizona Senator Mark Kelly asking a series of true or false questions about Hegseth's alleged drunken behavior. You needed to be carried out of the event for being intoxicated, Senator Anonymous smears Just true or false. Very simple. Summer of 2014 in Cleveland, drunk in public with the CVA team. Anonymous smears Anonymous smears, also known as what's left of a group of protesters after Hegseth throws back a few gimlets and presses the big red button. I know I'm sensing that I am a little darker than where you're at right now. And I'm actually. That's okay. That's part of. That's why we do it live. I appreciate that's learning. I'm getting that. I'm also realizing that that was also the true in 2017, that there was a brittleness at the beginning of the Trump administration. And here's the good news. I'm not gonna meet you. You're coming to me. You can do it tonight, you can do it next week, you can do it a year from now. But where I'm at, you'll be here. So just keep that in mind. After senators questioned Hegseth over his marital infidelities and alcohol consumption, Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen accused Democrats of being hypocrites. How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? No, but it's for show. You guys make sure you make a big show and point out the hypocrisy because a man's made a mistake and you want to sit there and say that he's not qualified. Give me a joke. First of all, love. Give me a joke. Love our language. Love how it changes. That hearing was all over the place. I don't know about going after him for marital infidelities, but senators voting drunk once in a while after dinner isn't that big of a deal, because their job is to vote. And if you fuck it up because you're drunk or 1000 years old or just dumb, there's an exhausted, broken type A staffer right behind you to tell you you voted incorrectly. So you could fix it. But it would be a problem if your senator threw back a few cocktails at breakfast before heading to the hearings. And that senator wouldn't be in charge of one of the largest bureaucracies on earth and responsible for life and decisions. I don't want to be flip about alcoholism, but that's not what we're doing. That's what Republicans are doing. By pretending this nomination isn't a disgrace even before the nominee actually says some version of if you make me defend secretary, I'll give up alcohol. A sad promise when the stakes are far lower. You would not be reassured if you receive this promise from a candidate for, say, neighborhood crossing guard or dog sitter. So what are we fucking doing here? Oh, that's right. Losing. Despite his disqualifying statements, personal misadventures alleged drinking issues and more. Hegseth's confirmation is likely because Trump has successfully bullied and or coaxed Republicans into submission. Hegseth no doubt went home and slept like a baby. A baby who just pounded seven gin and tonics. Sleepy baby. Then on Wednesday, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

[Langston Kerman]

Are the felons convicted of breaking into.

[John Lovett]

The Capitol on January 6th hostages or patriots?

[Langston Kerman]

Quoting Trump as President Elect Trump has said repeatedly, do you agree with his characterization of the felons that I referred to?

[John Lovett]

I am not familiar with that statement. Senator. I just familiarized you with that statement.

[Langston Kerman]

He has also said illegal immigration is poisoning the blood of our nation. He said that in December 2023.

[John Lovett]

Do you agree with that statement, Senator? I am not familiar with that statement. I can't wait to see who will play her on Saturday Night Live. You whisper over my grave. Parker Posey, perhaps. Also on Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a First Amendment case challenging a Texas law requiring age verification to access pornhub. Then next week, the court will hear the anal arguments. Come on. If only Learned Hand was around to hear this one. Alright, that's jokes for a very small subset of people. And if you're one of those people. See at Trivia Night, the pornhub hearing brought us this incredible question from United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. So one of the parties here is the owner of pornhub, right? Yes. And what percentage of the material on that is not obscene as to children? Well, you, Honor, if we're talking about the youngest minors, I would agree that most of it is. And that is how we refine it. Is it like the old Playboy magazine? You have essays there by the modern day equivalent of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. Overall, 10 out of 10, an Oscar worthy performance of Supreme Court justice who has never been on porn. Yeah, man, Gore Vidal's right now says the modern day Gore Vidal. Said the lawyer in response. Yes, it's like the old playboy. Your Honor, just scroll a little further, you'll get to Jia Tolentino's new piece on irony poisoning and climate change. In international news, negotiators from Israel and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement on a multi phase ceasefire deal after more than a year of war in Gaza. Some people think Trump deserves the credit for this. Some people think Biden does. But I think we all know who really got this done. Thank you, Jimmy Carter's ghost In chemical news. What? The FDA announced that it will ban red number three, a synthetic food dye made from petroleum that's already banned or restricted in other parts of the world because it's been linked to cancer in animals. Also banned after it was linked to brain cancer. Red one. And finally, te itnivest JT died wyard denal adljom denat skiptvip ver rot d'erecte I de illus diwad. And now let's reverse it. David lynch, the legendary director of Twin Peaks, and Muhammad. What? He's dead. And sometimes he did stuff backwards, right? So what's your problem? You just said he's dead. Yeah, he said nobody with that head of hair should be allowed to die. That was a beautiful head of hair. You can't take that into a coffin. That should be in the world. Sucks. Plus the art. Rip, rip to a real one. David lynch up there in heaven, creeping out God. All right, up next, he's beauty and he's beast. It's the one. It's the only Ron Perlman. Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up. 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This deal is not available on their regular website, so you have to go to hi Y A Health. H E A L-T-.com love it. L O V E-T T and get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA auto insurance, you'll get great service that is easy and reliable all at the touch of a button. Get a quote today, restrictions apply. It's like, what's the theory? The theory is that there's an invisible layer of asbestos. That the asbestos fell when we weren't looking and now it's on the ground, but we're kicking it up. Where's the asbestos? But then it's like, maybe there is asbestos. I don't. It's all. By the way, I obviously don't have any children, but a lot of my friends have children and my understanding and anyone here can tell me if this is wrong. The mom group threads are out of control. Out of control. Right. It's about air quality, everybody. And it's very passive aggressive. It's like you have to read more closely. And actually, well, we wouldn't let our madison go outside. But you do you that kind of thing. Yeah. 200 messages an hour blowing up and no. And everybody is just. Everybody's on the fly and like, and. And everyone's a doctor. Everyone's a doctor. And your kids are going crazy. Here's the joke I was gonna make. Here's what I was gonna say, which is, are you letting your kids play outside or are you good parents? See, that's. And we're back. He's been to Hellboy and back. Please welcome back to the stage, it's Hollywood's own Ron Perlman. Good to see you again. Thanks for being here. Oh, it's funny. I didn't real. This is not a plant. This is a temporary chair. What a. I like the power dynamics.

[Langston Kerman]

But I'm watching a lot of like revival, you know, Instagram. You get to see these great clips of stuff that you know from yesteryear and stuff. You notice that Dave Letterman is always up here and his guests are always, like, down here. Yeah, same thing with Johnny Carson, I think. Do you do that? You guys do that shit on purpose?

[John Lovett]

I've never done it before, and I love it.

[Langston Kerman]

It's kind of.

[John Lovett]

I usually like to be lower, like a. Like a. Like a beta dog on my belly so that the guest feels like they're in control. That's usually my strategy. Go the other way with it. And yet tonight, I'm in the power seat.

[Langston Kerman]

You're the dominatrix.

[John Lovett]

And before we move any further, what is your safe words?

[Langston Kerman]

They seem to be intrigued.

[John Lovett]

Do you have a. They're enjoying.

[Langston Kerman]

I have no safe words.

[John Lovett]

Oh, that's exciting.

[Langston Kerman]

Anyone who follows me on social media knows there are no safe words. With the pearl.

[John Lovett]

That's good. That's good.

[Langston Kerman]

I thought that was my dead aunt over there, but she's still dead, I guess.

[John Lovett]

Wouldn't that be something? Do you have any unfinished business with her?

[Langston Kerman]

Talk about revivals. Huh?

[John Lovett]

Huh?

[Langston Kerman]

Oh, yeah, no. I still owe her money.

[John Lovett]

Oh. Do you think she's in hell with David Lynch?

[Langston Kerman]

You know, there's too soon and then there's that. No, the guy is still smoking.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, for sure. No, for sure, for sure. Yeah. He was famously sensitive. I'm sure it's. But what did you. There were rumors online that you were gonna play Tom Waits in a David lynch movie. Have you heard those rumors?

[Langston Kerman]

What do they call those? Urban myth.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it's like an urban legend.

[Langston Kerman]

This was one that really, like. I wish I like. Oh, wouldn't that be cool?

[John Lovett]

Be awesome.

[Langston Kerman]

Wouldn't that be cool?

[John Lovett]

Not gonna happen now.

[Langston Kerman]

No. Somebody made that shit up. I can still play Tom Waits. What's his son? His brother? What was. What was the rumor?

[John Lovett]

It was Tom Waits, I think. You were gonna play Tom Waits.

[Langston Kerman]

I was gonna play Tom Waits for David Lynch.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Wow.

[Langston Kerman]

I'm gonna. Before the night is over, I'm gonna give you a version of what that might have looked like. I am John. Right?

[John Lovett]

Ah. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Gotta. I mean, other people could direct it.

[Langston Kerman]

Who needs a director?

[John Lovett]

Yeah. So you've lived in LA a long time? Originally from New York, but you lived in LA a long time. How long have you been. How long have you lived here?

[Langston Kerman]

First came out here in 1985. So no applause for that.

[John Lovett]

So this is. This will be your 40th year in LA.

[Langston Kerman]

I'm asking for applause for 1985. They didn't even write a book. Like 1984 at least got a book. Yeah, I came out here in 85. I was 35 years old doing math.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, we can all do it.

[Langston Kerman]

Or don't.

[John Lovett]

And was it hard living in LA for 39 years before the Sabrina Carpenter smoothie came to the Erewhon?

[Langston Kerman]

It was. I'll put it to you like this. It was a hard slog. Yeah, it was a hard fight. But I'm really glad we stuck to it. And you know, the next smoothie's on me, baby.

[John Lovett]

It's $23 and it contains marine collagen, pearl powder and blue spirulina.

[Langston Kerman]

Where do you go from there?

[John Lovett]

I think they're important ingredients.

[Langston Kerman]

I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't. I've never heard of any of those.

[John Lovett]

No, no, no. They seem like a fad, you know, it seems like we've lived a long time on this planet without knowingly conj. Eating blue spirulina.

[Langston Kerman]

I like how, you know, the world seems to conspire be conspiring with shit like that to, to, to remind you of how ill informed you are. Like, like here's something you don't know. Oh, okay, what's that? And then blue spirulina comes along and you say, I'm so small.

[John Lovett]

God, I'm so.

[Langston Kerman]

I'm so worthless.

[John Lovett]

Hey, hey, Ron.

[Langston Kerman]

Everybody knows Bruce.

[John Lovett]

Hey.

[Langston Kerman]

Can't even say it.

[John Lovett]

No smoothie can make you feel inferior without your consent.

[Langston Kerman]

There's a waiver you sign when you get that. Right.

[John Lovett]

That's right. That's right.

[Langston Kerman]

Now I still feel really small.

[John Lovett]

It's so. Yeah, you're so much taller than me and yet here I am so high up. And now I'm sitting even higher.

[Langston Kerman]

This chair's no better, otherwise I'd move.

[John Lovett]

Well, it's the same chair.

[Langston Kerman]

Same exact. I noticed that.

[John Lovett]

I mean, I could.

[Langston Kerman]

I don't know shit about blue spirulina, but I can see, I can see the leveling out of furniture when it's right in front of my nose.

[John Lovett]

When you first moved to Los Angeles or was there a moment where you had like your. A quintessential LA experience?

[Langston Kerman]

Oh, fuck, yeah. The best. The best. You know, when you live in New York, you know you have, you have stores that you go in to buy a magazine, to buy a newspaper, but here you put 50 cents into a thing and you can get eight or 10 papers, you know, just like. Yeah, eight or 10 papers, you just.

[John Lovett]

Pull them right out, right? You just steal you have to buy.

[Langston Kerman]

Them individually in New York.

[John Lovett]

No. Yeah, yeah. They have an honor code here.

[Langston Kerman]

That's how I. What do you mean?

[John Lovett]

What?

[Langston Kerman]

What do you mean? What do you mean, an honor code?

[John Lovett]

Never mind. Nothing.

[Langston Kerman]

You open the machine, there's eight or ten papers there. Yeah.

[John Lovett]

You bought them.

[Langston Kerman]

It says, take me.

[John Lovett]

That's right.

[Langston Kerman]

And I'm saying, la, baby. This, I think. I think, to quote my hero, Frank Sinatra, L.A. is my lady.

[John Lovett]

Oh, because of the newspapers. And what do you do with the second one?

[Langston Kerman]

I sell those.

[John Lovett]

Oh, you sell those.

[Langston Kerman]

Well, how do you think I got through those first, you know, really hungry years in LA when no one knew me.

[John Lovett]

Was there a moment when you finally felt like the fear that being an actor wasn't gonna work out was behind you?

[Langston Kerman]

As I was walking onto the stage.

[John Lovett]

That's cool. Now you feel like you've made it?

[Langston Kerman]

No, I feel like, you know, the imposter syndrome is flaring up.

[John Lovett]

As I'm gonna run through a quick list of LA dog culture behaviors that I've observed and committed, and I'm gonna need you to give us a quick thumbs up or thumbs down. Are you ready? Letting your dog sleep in your bed?

[Langston Kerman]

Oh, fuck, yeah.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Taking.

[Langston Kerman]

I have three very large dogs, and God help me when I get up to pee at night. My spot has been co. Opted.

[John Lovett]

I have a small goldendoodle. I feel like you having three big dogs and me having one tiny little fag of a dog. I think that, like, tracks. Tracks with our personalities. I don't know. I don't know if she's gay, but.

[Langston Kerman]

The point is she has a doodle in her name.

[John Lovett]

She is. She is a doodle. She is a doodle.

[Langston Kerman]

She's.

[John Lovett]

Because as I show. Because, listen, shop, don't adopt. It's important. Look, there's a. Gotta be careful. Buy a dog. There's a lot, a lot going on in this world, but there's one thing you can do. Use your money to buy a dog that was made to be sold to you. I really. I'm really gunning for a backlash tonight. I can't wait. I can't wait. Yum, yum, yum. All right, next up, taking your dog to a restaurant. Yes. A thumbs up. Taking your dog to work. It's a yes. I don't do this, to be clear, but kissing your dog on the mouth, thumbs up. Now, if there's one improvement Los Angeles could use this opportunity to make. What do you think it should be? What would you like to see change in Los Angeles? That we're in this period of rebuilding. We're going to be in this period of trying to figure out how to do things better. What bugs you? What would you like to see? Change.

[Langston Kerman]

Non staggered street light. Traffic lights.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, you want to. You feel like you're getting jammed up?

[Langston Kerman]

Well, in New York, you know, like the light turns green, you start going, get halfway down the block, the next one turns green. The next one. And they kind of. I mean, not that that's helped with New York traffic at all. But here, these motherfuckers, these diabolical piece of shit motherfuckers, city, city fathers motherfuckers, they sit there, you know, I'm sure that they're, like, eating something when they're just plotting, like, how do we fuck the average motorist? I know we'll have a light turn green, and then just as he's getting to the next street, red. And then that one turns green, and just as he's getting to the next street, red.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, it sucks. Do you think that people have gotten meaner on the roads since you've been in la?

[Langston Kerman]

Oh, shit, man.

[John Lovett]

What's going on out there?

[Langston Kerman]

It's nothing compared to what it's gonna be like after January 20th. I mean, you talk about road rage, man, but.

[John Lovett]

But it's interesting you make that connection.

[Langston Kerman]

But the Democrats are gonna be the ones pulling out fucking guns, you know? What'd you say? I know this for a fact.

[John Lovett]

I do think people take their rage out there. They take. They excise it on the roads, like, everyone's so nice. Interpersonally, it's a nicer city than New York. Just sort of casually. There's a softness to the way people interact in Los Angeles, but not on the roads. On the roads, my goodness.

[Langston Kerman]

Well, they think that they're in that car and that makes them superhuman. And it's just.

[John Lovett]

So.

[Langston Kerman]

Get out and walk toward one of them. After they've done something really, really, like, untoward, their true self comes out really fast.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, I'm not gonna do that.

[Langston Kerman]

All right, I'll do it. I'll do it.

[John Lovett]

You can do it. You can do it.

[Langston Kerman]

I'll start a service. I'll ride with you. And if somebody pisses you off, I'll go. I got this.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

Hey, get out of the car. Let's talk. Come over here. Nice suit.

[John Lovett]

It's intimidating. And it sort of works. Whether they recognize you or not, you're good either way.

[Langston Kerman]

Doesn't matter. How do you think I got these parts?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, you're the tough. You're the muscle.

[Langston Kerman]

That's right.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

I'm the muscle in this organization, see? Can we talk about David lynch first?

[John Lovett]

Yes. What do you want to say about David Lynch?

[Langston Kerman]

I was talking to Langston.

[John Lovett]

Langston, yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

Who's about to come out and he mentioned, you know, have you ever met David Lynch? Have you ever worked for David Lynch? I had dinner with David lynch one night and, you know, beautiful, beautiful man. But the thing I liked about him most is that when we got finished eating, he needed to go out and have a smoke. Now I still smoke and there's something about smokers that really endear me. Like there's something about people who. I'm gonna fucking die. I don't give a shit, you know, I'm gonna stick around here for, you know, like there's something about the non preciousness of. Of playing Russian roulette with your life that makes me trust you. And that was like one of the things I truly loved about David lynch until this morning when I went to ChatGPT because nobody was listing his cause of death and, and I, you know, I wasn't up on what is his. His last kind of hell. Conditions were. It was emphysema. I don't know why I just laughed at that, but because it's sort of.

[John Lovett]

Dramatic irony in a sense. What do you think people get wrong about la?

[Langston Kerman]

Oh, anybody.

[John Lovett]

Well, people think la. People think of LA as a.

[Langston Kerman]

What is it called when you call somebody? Because you don't.

[John Lovett]

I phone a friend.

[Langston Kerman]

Yeah. Can. Can I phone a friend for that one?

[John Lovett]

Well, what do you, what do you think? What do you. What is the thing that people that you came to learn love about la, that you didn't understand before you got here.

[Langston Kerman]

The only thing that kept me in la, there were two things that kept me in la. Having grown up in New York, getting a parking spot, which is really important to me.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

And the weather.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

You know, here's the weird thing. I lived in los Feliz for 39 years and I didn't realize there was a theater right around the corner from me. And then I realized, like, how uncultured I am. Like how like for somebody who's like in culture, should know better.

[John Lovett]

Right?

[Langston Kerman]

You know. Sorry, man. I'm sorry.

[John Lovett]

No, this is good.

[Langston Kerman]

It's turned pretty dark, hasn't it?

[John Lovett]

That's the energy. It's fine. You gotta let the thing become what it. You can't make something, something it's not. And you can't make something that it's not become something that it is. You know what I mean? This is the moment.

[Langston Kerman]

I don't give a shit.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, what do you care?

[Langston Kerman]

I totally don't give a shit. Lifeline. What do people get wrong about la Somebody?

[John Lovett]

They think it's vapid.

[Langston Kerman]

They think it's vapid. Well, did you ever give somebody a $10 bill for something that cost 382 and see how long it took them to make the change? It's fucking vapid.

[John Lovett]

When we come back. When we come back. Langston German. That's so funny. Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or leave it coming up. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by Prolon. A lot of folks make resolutions to be healthier in the new year but have trouble following through with their goals. It's unlikely that your resolution is going to stick if you don't have a plan. That's where Prolon's five day program can help. Prolon provides a clear plan with specific daily meals, making it easy to stay focused and achieve results. Prolon's Fasting mimicking diet is a revolutionary plant based nutrition program that nourishes the body while making cells believe they're fasting. You gotta trick them. Researched and developed for decades at USC's Longevity Institute and backed by leading US medical centers, Prolon helps promote healthy blood sugar, enhanced skin appearance, fat loss and improved energy focus. It all starts with their five day program. Snacks, soups, beverages. Designed to keep your body in a fasting state. No guesswork or planning required. Which is a relief after the busy holiday. Three consecutive cycles of Prolon have been shown to reduce your biological age score by an average of 2.5 years and your waist circumference by 1.5 inches. Just in time for the new year, Prolon is offering Love it or leave it listeners 50 off their five day nutrition program for your post holiday. Glow up when you go to prolong. Life.com love it. That's P R O L O N life.com love it. For 15 off prolon. Life.com love it. Auto insurance can all seem the same until it comes time to use it. So don't get stuck paying more for less coverage. Switch to USAA auto insurance and you could start saving money in no time. Get a quote today, restrictions apply. And we're back. Please welcome to the stage it's Lancy Kerman. Yeah, okay, sure. Good to see ya. Hello. Come on in, Ron. Okay, thank you. Noticeably less applause for me than Ron Perlman. No, no fuck faces. You can't Fix it. Yeah, you can't fix it. You can't fix it. Hi, Langston.

[Langston Kerman]

Hey.

[John Lovett]

It's good to see you. Have you. Have you had a moment where you said, oh, this is la. I live in la. I'm having an LA experience. I had a really nice one today. I was coming back from my gym, and I saw a man in a very full argument with his Waymo. Oh, yeah. Like, legit backseat yelling at the driver. That is not there in the Waymo. I like. I know. I know intellectually that ultimately driverless cars are safer than cars with drivers, that it will save lives, it will save pets lives. Like, it is ultimately good. I know that on an intellectual level. And so I. And I know that at some point I'm gonna get into one of these fucking things, but I can't right now. I just can't. Ron, have you ever been in a driverless car?

[Langston Kerman]

No.

[John Lovett]

Any interest or you.

[Langston Kerman]

No, no, no. I have one of those cars that has that option. And I opted to know I'm a complete control freak. And, you know, I don't like. I don't like relinquishing that kind of control on that level.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. If you get in the backseat, the robots win. I say, yeah, we gotta fight this, you know? Yeah. I guess it's like, I think the problem is that, oh, autonomous vehicles as a theoretical and actual practical way to get to safer streets and different ways of. Of commuting and traveling, like, that's a good thing. But it's hard to process that getting there is through Elon Musk's company, or basically a business that wants to profit off of basically getting rid of taxi drivers. And it's like, that's our path. Makes me comfortable. Yeah. I want a stinky man driving me around the way it's supposed to be. You know what I mean? Yeah. A guy who's mean to his family and then I. And then he gives me a ride and. And we bond over something trivial. It really. That's what it's all about.

[Langston Kerman]

And you get to guess what he just ate for lunch.

[John Lovett]

Come on.

[Langston Kerman]

Whole car smells of it.

[John Lovett]

Yeah, there's a lot of smells in here, but one of them was lunch. It is an interesting thing about getting into a car with paparazzi that's been in that car all day, which is sometimes the smell is not bo, but not, not bo. It's BO adjacent. It's one step over. It's a clean car. But there's been BO here. Yeah. You know, like, what's the AQI in these fucking cars. Nobody's studying that. Not coming up on the mom text chain, is it? Step up, science. If you really want to do something, science gotta step up. Gentlemen. It's only the second full week of January, but it feels like it's been 2025 for an eternity. So much non wildfire news has happened, and I'm gonna quiz you about it right now in a game we're calling la la Learn. Mmm. That's nice. That's nice.

[Langston Kerman]

I can't tell if I'm Emmett Stone or Ryan Gosling.

[John Lovett]

I think that's two Ryan Goslings. I think it's two Ryan Goslings because that's what I see in my mind when I watch the movie. I didn't realize until this moment that Emma Stone was in it. All right, first question for you, Langston. Thanks to a $27 million grant from the Biden administration, three more trains will run per day between Los Angeles and what city. I'm hearing very rude whispers from people who don't presume that I things. Thank you. The answer? San Diego. Yeah. Thank you to the racist in the audience that assume Langston didn't know that. Thanks. You showed them. That's right. See what happens when you yell an answer out? You want to be anti semitic next? Because I have a question for Ro. Ron Broman. Los Angelenos are currently planning their celebrations for Lunar New Year, which kicks off on January 29th and runs through February 16th. According to the Chinese zodiac. What is the official animal for 2025?

[Langston Kerman]

The scorpion.

[John Lovett]

So, so close. Want to steal, Langston? Let's go, tiger. It's a snake. Bam. Nice. All right. It's a snake. All right, Langston, over to you. Which director allegedly walked out of the Golden Globes held at Los Angeles breathtaking Beverly Hilton Hotel after his film was snubbed for Best Motion Picture, Musical or comedy? An award which, in surprise upsets, went to Amelia Perez. Well, that's easy. Tyler Perry wasn't Tyler Perry. It wasn't Tyler Perry. He said madea goes to jail, too. Should be the champion, no? Do you know it was Ron.

[Langston Kerman]

No, it was. It was James Mangold.

[John Lovett]

No, it was challengers director Luca Guadagino. Guadagnino. Luca Guadagnino. Say it three times fast. Luca Guadagnino. And we have a clip. Luca Guadagnino leaves the Beverly Hilton ballroom after rival film Emilia Perez is named Golden Globe Best Picture, Musical or Comedy over Guadagnino's challengers. Yeah, I love that. Can I Say, I do really like that. Like, walking out. Yeah. Yeah, me too. I think there's a competitive nature to this that we don't acknowledge of. Like, people do get their feelings hurt, and then they have to sit there and smile and pretend like everything's okay. And I like a dude throwing a little tantrum in a shiny shirt. Yeah, I agree with that. I agree with that.

[Langston Kerman]

That.

[John Lovett]

Ron, what do you think?

[Langston Kerman]

And he said, va falo. As you all said, I'm a Luca Guadagino.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. He lost.

[Langston Kerman]

I win.

[John Lovett]

That was fun. It was like he was in that movie. Yeah. I think it's also like, I. I want to see Emilia Perez, but the clips. Holy. Have you. I. I am excited. I'm excited. Have you seen it? It's so bad.

[Langston Kerman]

Wait, what? Oh, my God. Where am I?

[John Lovett]

Wait, did you see it?

[Langston Kerman]

My favorite movie of the year.

[John Lovett]

Hell, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's right. That's right. Ron Perlman loved it. And you didn't get it. You probably thought Mulholland Drive was confusing, too. One of those people who thinks Twin Peaks didn't wrap it up correctly. Cause he didn't think I didn't get it. Next up, did you really like it or you had not seen it?

[Langston Kerman]

Favorite movie of the year.

[John Lovett]

Really? Whoa. That's cool.

[Langston Kerman]

By far.

[John Lovett]

Wow. Interesting. That makes me twice as excited that I get to watch this movie that people on the Internet hate and that Ron Perlman loves, because I can't go wrong. Yeah. Yeah. But I don't know. I don't trust him.

[Langston Kerman]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

I don't trust these people. They're also downloading an app called the Little red book, because TikTok's gonna go away, and it's like, out of the frying pan, you know?

[Langston Kerman]

Right?

[John Lovett]

Yeah, I didn't see it. I don't know. I got no take. Next up. All right, true or false. Langston. In a recent viral video, police can be seen dragging a thrashing coyote out of an Aldi's produce aisle in the Los Angeles area. Oh, that's true. It's false. It was in Chicago. Oh. But it feels like it should have been here. Damn. I didn't know we had. We had coyotes in Chicago. Yeah, at least one. Oh, no, it was a trick question. Fuck. We have the clip. Oh, wait a sec. Oh, my God. This is nice. Because he goes back in. Wow. You guys cut it off. But he jumps right back in the freezer. And then they have to figure it out again. Know they're wy. Ron. That's the thing about Him. Ron, do you ever have run ins with coyotes in the neighborhood?

[Langston Kerman]

All the time.

[John Lovett]

What's your. What's your.

[Langston Kerman]

My favorite movie of the year. Thought he run ins with coyotes.

[John Lovett]

What's your. What's your stance towards the coyotes? Friend? Foe.

[Langston Kerman]

N, man. No, I mean, you know, there's a part of me that. That thinks that I, you know, I can domesticate them.

[John Lovett]

Whoa. That you'll be the one. You'll be the one.

[Langston Kerman]

But then there's a part of me that thinks I can't.

[John Lovett]

That's fair.

[Langston Kerman]

I have dogs. They come after my dogs, and it gets very gnarly.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. They're apparently the only predator that pretends to be your friend before they kill something.

[Langston Kerman]

No. You know, there's honor in the animal kingdom.

[John Lovett]

Yeah.

[Langston Kerman]

Unless you're a coyote. They don't. They don't.

[John Lovett]

They don't respect it. The rules of the kingdom.

[Langston Kerman]

They're duplicitous motherfuckers.

[John Lovett]

Yeah. Yeah. Not a good episode for coyotes, this one. All right. It's a weird show. Sometimes. It's okay. You having fun? Your audience turns on you so fast. I know, I know, I know. You have built no rapport with them. No, no. But I'll turn on them, too.

[Langston Kerman]

Yeah.

[John Lovett]

Cause next week, there'll just be another group of. Of nameless, faceless people right where you're sitting. You're a tool to me, Langston. If you're like me. Wait, who went last question. I went to last. Ron. If you're like me, you've been keeping up with the complaint made by Blake Lively against. It ends with me. Director Justin Baldoni, which of the following is not an actual rule of conduct that Lively asked Baldoni to abide by based on his alleged behavior on set? Just to note, Blake Lively is referred to as BL in the list. So this is A. Blake Lively had a list of demands. The Baldoni agreed to them. Which of the following was not on the list?

[Langston Kerman]

Eminem, Blue, M and Ms. Oh, Buckle up.

[John Lovett]

A. No more pressing by Mr. Baldoni to sage any of Blake Lively's employees. B. No more private multi hour meetings in Blake lively's trailer with Mr. Baldoni crying with no outside Blake Lively appointed representative to monitor. C. No more inquiries by Mr. Baldoni to Blake Lively's trainer without her knowledge or consent to disclose her weight. Or D, no more mentioned by Mr. Baldoni speaking to Blake Lively's dead father, end quote. Or E, all of the above.

[Langston Kerman]

It's all of the above.

[John Lovett]

That is such a funny list of things to have to ask someone to stop doing. Can you believe that? Do you know that? None of you know that, right? None of you know that. Gotta read the complaint. Gotta get in there. Gotta read the actual complaint, which, based on my defamation training, is a public legal document that I'm allowed to refer to. What a funny thing to give. To give a man an award for being a champion of women for. Yes. You know what I mean? No, I know. They were like, this is our best guy. He's. He's number one. He hosts a feminist podcast. Yeah. Ah, twist. There's a twist. Fun Hollywood.

[Langston Kerman]

Was it all of the above?

[John Lovett]

That was all. Those were all in the document that Blake Lively.

[Langston Kerman]

Could you do me a favor and read the first one again about saging?

[John Lovett]

Yes. No more pressing by Mr. Baldoni to sage any of Blake Lively's employees. So he was, I guess, asking to sage people, which is just not his ritual. You know what I mean? How up are you on stage politics? Not up enough. Get informed. Get educated, Langston. Yeah. And finally, former reality star and would be pop diva Heidi montag saw her 15 year album hit number one on the iTunes chart, beating out the new Bad Bunny EP after her husband Spencer Pratt asked fans to please stream her single I'll do it to help the couple financially after the loss of their home in the California wildfire. To either of you, what is the name of that 2010 Heidi Montag album? Nobody's gonna know this. Ron, you must have. You must know it.

[Langston Kerman]

Was it the Connie Francis story?

[John Lovett]

So close. Do you want to steal Langston? I'll pass. It was superficial. And you can stream it today because they lost their house. All right, well, I was. I like that. That's how much y'all feel for Heidi Montag. Just one lady going.

[Langston Kerman]

Were you the one that didn't like Amelia Perez?

[John Lovett]

All right, one more time. Thank you to Ron Pearlman. Thank you to LA and Kerman. We'll be right back. Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love it or Leave it coming up. Love it or Leave it is brought to you by Ship Skis. If you've ever gone on a ski trip, you know that traveling with your gear can be a hassle. Sure can. Who wants to lug around oversized bags for a crowded airport? Thankfully, Ship Skis came up with a solution to get all of your winter gear to your destination. You'll be shoop, shoop, shooping in no time. No troubles. We're not just talking about your skis and snowboards. They'll even ship Your boots, boots, jackets, snow pants, goggles, all of it including your luggage so you can focus on the adventure, not the hassle. Just schedule your shipment, attach your label and Ship Skis handles the rest. Delivering your gear directly to your destination. 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Here in Los Angeles, it's very easy to make one donation that's split among incredible charities doing critical work for our neighbors and first responders. Thanks to you, we have already raised nearly $200,000 for these great groups so far. And you can learn more and make a tax deductible [e-mail] relief. We really appreciate if you've donated, so go to votesaveamerica.com relief. All right. Also this week on Assembly Required, our show with Stacey Abrams. As Republicans and all these opportunistic freaks claim that DEI is the cause of all of our problems. This week, Stacey Abrams and NYU law professor Kenji Yoshino tackle the myths, legal arguments, and share why DEI hasn't been the problem. It's a solution. You can tune in to this great episode now on the Assembly Required feed. All right, here we are in our beautiful, slightly charred city, which has seen obviously better days. But while first responders work to extinguish the fires, our love for the city burns brighter and fiercer. Much like Sabrina Carpenter's official $23 Erewhon Smoothie, L.A. is a delicious combination of flavors, protein, and things that sound nice, but do nothing. And tonight on the show, I would like to invite you to share what you love about this town in a segment we're calling I Love it la. All right, so let's can we bring the lights up? If you have a favorite restaurant or cultural quirk or LA story that you'd like to share, just raise your hand and our producer Chris will come find you. Also, if you like the design of this graphic. Not with my face, though. If you like the design of this graphic, you can buy it as a shirt from the Cricut store. There it is. 100% of the proceeds go to the disaster relief fund. So if donating isn't your thing, this is technically intentional shopping. So win, win. All right, who out there? Just a quick something you love about la, something very LA that happened to you. Ryan Gosling changed your tire. Ryan Geisling hit your car, whatever it is. We got one right over here. We can go right there. Her hand went up, went up with confidence. I moved here during the pandemic and we were just walking around a neighborhood to have something to do out of the apartment. And there's this really beautiful house. And my friend that was walking with me, she's lived in LA for decades. And she was like, oh, I think I know someone who, like, did the garden on this house. And she was showing it to us and the owners were like, hey, we're home. And my husband's an architect and he built this house. Do you want to come inside and get a tour? We were like, okay. And we went inside and it was like the most beautiful, like, unexpected, like, avant garde house that I've ever heard of. And I looked the guy up and he was like a famous architect. And so I was just like, oh, I guess I'm just going to walk around a neighborhood and get a personal tour of this incredible home by a famous architect. Okay. That never happened to me anywhere else. That's great. Well, I think it is something. There's something about, like, other cities, they have a design style or a look or a culture that you see in its architecture. But in la, people come here from all over, and you can see in a lot of the houses that people came here with an idea of either what LA would be or what they would be. And so you can walk down a street in Los Angeles and there'll be houses of every different kind. They'll be like a strange Gothic house next to a Spanish bungalow next to an ultra modern home. That's the flip side to the idea of LA being a transient place where no one's from here, which is obviously not true, but that there is a feeling here. Like, you know, New York. It's. If you, if you make it here, you can make it anywhere. It's like, well, fuck you. Like, why is New York's like kind of cultural slogan a dare? Right? And I think what's that? LA is more like kind of spiritually welcoming. And people. I think that's an unspoken thing. People appreciate about it, that it's understood that you came here from somewhere with a very difficult thing to do that you may not ever do, but it's good that you're here to try. And that's, I think, why, like, all these stories every once in a while about LA being over, it's like, okay, you think this is the first time that people have said LA's golden age is over? Have you not seen Sunset Boulevard? Not on Broadway, because it's kind of a mess. Hi, Betsy. Hi, John. I love how dog friendly Los Angeles is. Oh, yeah, I like that too. You can take your dogs into Trader Joe's, you can take them into restaurants. Nobody cares. Yeah, nobody cares. You're not supposed to take the dog into the Trader Joe's. In a sense, that's also an argument for how you can rob banks anywhere somebody else. We were, like, recently walking down the street in Highland park and ran into, like a kind of famous Nepo baby, and she ended up giving us her French bulldog puppy and a super expensive French bulldog puppy that we're obsessed with, and we named him Goblin, and he's perfect. First of all, love that. There's something funny about LA too, when it comes to the Nepo babies and it's this. Everyone. There's a. Everyone's allowed to make fun of the Nepo babies and root against the Nepo babies. But everyone's goal is to come to la, become so successful that if you have children, those children will have your advantages. Everyone comes here to make Nepo babies. That's the dream. You come here and you hate the Nepo babies. Your dream is to love a Nepo baby more than anything else on Earth. Can't make sense of it. You just simply can't. I live in Pasadena, and my neighborhood was affected by the fires. We lost about 13 homes about one block north of my house. But the thing that I'm loving is that my neighborhoods come together. And I met some neighbors who live across the street. I've always loved their house. And the woman who lives there is the head of the Altadena seed library. And so you may have seen some stuff about her online and discovering that she was doing this awesome thing and the seed library was burned down, and so she's collecting seeds. So I gave her all the seats that I had, and she came over to say thank you. And I mentioned to her that Hannah Einbinder had reposted some of her stuff and said, oh, my God, I love her. So just that kind of weird conglomeration of celebrity culture, but also helping the community, but also our neighborhood coming together in the face of this immense tragedy is amazing. So I'm so glad to. I love my neighborhood, and that's beautiful. How many seeds did you have? Not enough. Right. Presumably it's a seed library. Do you have one of each? How bad of a is this? Like, when Alexandria burned down, none of these were in danger. This isn't like the seed vault in Svalbard, I assume. I don't know about that, but she's trying to help reseed urban lawns with native plants that are less likely to burn. Oh, I like that. I like that. I like that. You can get fresh fruit from a fruit cart in any part of the city whenever you want. And it's the freshest fruit you've ever had, and it's better than any fruit in the grocery store. And it's between 6 to $12, depending on where you are for the same size fruit. I love that, too. I love that, too. So I love movies, and I love of, you know, just all of the theaters here, all the repertory ones. The 12AMCs in Burbank and stuff. Yeah, yeah. The 6, the 8, the 9, the 12, the 15, 16. Yeah, yeah. And I love that, you know, you can just like go to a screening and like randomly there will be the director there, like doing a Q A afterwards and stuff. Like I've seen Guillermo del Toro three random times in Q and A's afterwards. One of them unpopular opinion, but was after Amelia Perez, which was a very good movie. Hell yeah. Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. I want to. You keep the mic, keep the mic. Hold on. Can everybody who has seen Amelia Perez applaud. To everyone who has a positive review, applaud. Everyone who fucking hated it, applaud. That's a good movie. That's a good movie. That's a good movie. It's either gonna be great or it failed while daring. Great. And I'm excited to find out. I'm excited to find out. Go on, sir. Well, that was about it. But one more unpopular opinion is I don't like dogs at Trader Joe's. So it's not everybody. There's one of me. Los Angeles is a city of contrasts. Hi, I think I'm Ron Perlman's dead aunt. He was staring right at me. Wow. So that was a big part of your night. That's a big part of your night. I get that. Yep. I saw David lynch in the Wild once and it was at the Hollywood Arc Light. So rest in peace to two Hollywood legends. Yep, that's right. That's right. Capitalism took what fire couldn't with the arclight. What? I still don't get why the Arclight closed, by the way. Made it through the whole fucking thing. Then I was like, oh, we're out. What the fuck? We're right near the end. I want the arclight back. What's going on in that dome? Nothing. I can't see the mic. Oh, hi. This is just a silly LA story. When I first moved here, I was cruising Facebook Marketplace a lot for furniture for my house and I found a listing for a 8ft tall, 250 pound gorilla lawn ornament. And I showed the listing to my husband and we agreed that we needed it. So we went to this guy's house and there it was in his front lawn, this 8ft tall gorilla. And he showed us a tour of the rest of his house. He had some couches for sale as well and lots of other random lawn ornaments. And he told us that he bought his first gorilla eight years ago and he had it in his backyard and he showed us that to see how it aged over the eight years. And he was like, well, I have one for my backyard now. I need One for my front yard, and he got one for his front yard, and then this just became a rotating gorilla for him. And now it's like his side hustle that he will get this gorilla, and he loves having it for the time that he has it until he sells it, and then he gets another gorilla. And this just became his side. I'm sorry. So I guess he's making it on volume. What are you talking about? What is the business? He buys them, and then. Then people pass by and buy them from him. Yeah, he lists them on Marketplace, and then he just, like, makes a couple hundred dollars on them. He flips them. Exactly. Okay, good for him. So this is what I love about la. That's what you love about la. I will. I will do one, and then we gotta. We gotta call it a night. But I remember when I moved to LA and I had. I moved here, I didn't know anything about Los Angeles, and I was working so hard as a speechwriter. It's hard to believe now, but it was true. I was working very hard and wearing a suit. And then I left to come out to LA and I sold a script, and that allowed me to come out here, which was a very fortunate thing. That doesn't happen, but I felt it was, like a crazy thing, but I didn't know what I was doing. And so I'm, like, freaking out. And I write a pilot, which I've never done before, and again, that becomes a show called 16 Under Pennsylvania. And I get to. And I'm living out here for years. I would say that my writing career had its ups. And then the other thing that happens, I can't remember what they're called the opposite of ups. And then we start, and years go by, and I'm like, like, learning about the city and making the city. But then we start this podcast, and somehow, because of the podcast, I end up at a very fancy party. And it's the kind of party where there's, like, a lot of celebrities. And Josh Gad, who I worked with on 1600 pen on that one perfect season, is at this party, and he introduces me to Rachel McAdams, and he says, rachel, this is Jon Lovett. He hosts Pod Save America. And she doesn't know what that is. And Josh Gad says it's a podcast. And he might as well have said, like, he's a proud boy. You know, it's like, you know, like, he builds model trains. Like, it was so not. It was just like. It was so the opposite of what she wanted to hear in that moment, with all love and no disrespect. Totally appreciate it. It was a very funny interaction. And then Josh realizing that it's not that he didn't. He goes, no, no. Like Rachel, it's very popular. And she's like, oh, how? Like in a sweet way, how popular. And I was like, how popular. I'm at this party. Do you see any other podcast hosts here? And that's our show. Thanks everybody. Coming out. Go to go to votesaveamerica.com relief. We'll be a Dynasty typewriter next week. Thanks to Ron Perlman and Langston Kerman for being here. There are 654 dates until the 2026 midterms. Yeah, that's right. The House. When you're thinking to yourself, all is lost, you remember that we can win the House. When you think, oh my God, does anything matter? Remember that there are Republicans in vulnerable district, that we can win the House. It's not going to be easy, but we're going to fight and win the House. 654 days till the 2026 midterms. Have a great night. Thank you for coming out. Hang in there. Thank you very much. Have a great weekend. 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, Chris Lord is our producer and Kennedy Hill is our associate producer. Hallie Kiefer is our head writer, Sarah Lazarus and Jocelyn Kaufman, Peter Miller, Alan Pierre, Will Miles and Mohana Del Shiki are our writers. Evan Sutton is our editor. Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landis provide audio support. Stephen Colon is our audio engineer and Milo Kim is our videographer. Our theme song is written and performed by Shore Shure. Thanks to our designer Bernardo Serna for creating and running all of our visuals, which you can't see because this is a podcast guest. And to our digital producers, David Toles, Claudia Shang, Mia Kelman and Matt De Groat for filming and editing video each week so you can it you see where your business can go. To get there, you may need another 10 trucks. At Sentry Insurance, we put more than 115 years of industry experience to work to help protect you as you launch a new delivery service or expand into a new region and reach your business goals. Sentry Right by you Property and casualty coverage and render written and safety services are provided by a member of the Sentry Insurance group, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. 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