Lovett or Leave It: "Don't Believe Your Lying Eyes"

Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Jon Lovett
Guests: George Civeris, Andy Kindler, Jamila Jamil
Location: Dynasty Typewriter, Los Angeles

Main Theme / Purpose

The episode launches the 2026 season with Jon Lovett’s unique, comedic take on the week’s most troubling and absurd news stories. In the aftermath of a high-profile police shooting and new political controversies, Lovett and guests George Civeris, Andy Kindler, and Jamila Jamil use wit and pointed discussion to help listeners process, laugh at, and resist the misinformation that dominates public discourse. The episode explores the impact of media narratives, government gaslighting, the ongoing erosion of truth, and the cultural moment’s obsession with trends and humiliation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Week in Review: State Violence and a Media War on Truth

[01:29 – 10:55]

• Trigger event: Shooting of Renee Nicole Goode by an ICE officer in Minneapolis and ensuing media/political distortion.

  • Trump administration instantly spins the story, claiming self-defense despite video evidence.
  • Trump on Truth Social: “The woman driving the car was very disorderly... I’d say more, but they’re telling me I can't use my phone in the MRI machine for my weekly still perfect exam.” [03:00]
  • JD Vance doubles down, labeling Goode a “deranged leftist” and the act “classic terrorism,” despite factual contradictions in video evidence.
    • Lovett: “You don’t get to do wild speculation and then say, 'I’m not gonna do wild speculation.' The horse is out of the barn; the toothpaste is out of the tube…” [07:35]

• Media Literacy and Surveillance Society

  • The ubiquity of personal cameras means the public can directly witness events and compare them to official narratives.
  • Lovett notes the administration’s push to “tone down the temperature” is hypocrisy, deflecting blame while stoking division.

• Active vs. Latent Errors

  • Insight from ‘The Happy Urbanist’: “The shooting is the active error. Donald Trump is the latent error. He is creating the underlying conditions that make events like this possible.” [09:15]
  • Lovett’s takeaway: “You can be scared and still in the wrong. No one knows that better than me—a coward with strong opinions.” [08:22]

• Systemic Radicalization

  • ICE agents’ anonymity and a militarized mentality are fueled by an administration that defends its own regardless of the facts.
  • The culture Trump fosters: “He is creating a culture in which federal agents go door to door wearing masks in an American city.” [09:50]

• Lovett’s Resolution:

  • “In 2026, our world and our butt are what we make it. Generous, welcoming, and juicy as hell.” [10:55]

2. Comedians as Cultural Judges – “Is This Good?”

[14:46 – 41:00]
Guests George Civeris and Andy Kindler join Lovett for a recurring game evaluating recent trends.

a. Being Dumb After The Pandemic

• All three reflect on feeling “medically dumb” and whether it’s aging, long COVID, or societal stress.
  • Civeris: “There was a point when I thought to myself, I’m hungry, what should I have for dinner? And then I realized I was inside a restaurant...” [17:58]
  • Kindler: “I’ve been on Prevagen for about five—wouldn't you know exactly when you started Prevagen?” [18:32]

b. Gay Couples, Equal Rights, and Children

• Lovett and Civeris discuss the emptiness and fulfillment found in different queer adult paths (child-free vs. parenting).
• Civeris: "Is it good that I said that? Is that progressive? I'm not sure." [19:16]
• Lovett: “By achieving equal rights, we kind of just put ourselves in a different bind.” [20:36]
• The group notes how societal progress can bring new existential and community challenges.

c. Trans People in Sports

• Discussion on the recycled bigotry and public obsession over trans participation in sports.
• Civeris: “It's sports, okay? It's not like the church. Like, since when are sports so sacred?” [22:48]

d. The Comedy Industry’s Decline

• Kindler laments the disappearance of the old-school club scene and the challenge of “dated” jokes:
  • Kindler: “If you go into show business, take the high road. There's no traffic.” [25:10]

e. Game: ‘Is This Good?’ Segments

1. RFK Jr.'s Food Pyramid

   • Satirical debate over the new “inverted” food pyramid.
   • Lovett: “First of all, I’m very surprised there’s no corn on this thing…”
   • Civeris: “I actually think that… the liberals changed it so much that it made no sense.” [28:57]
   • The group lampoons the politicization of nutrition science and RFK Jr. as “bizarrely influential.”

2. CBS's ‘Ultimate Florida Man’ Marco Rubio Segment

   • Reflection on dying old-media formats trying to capture new audiences with “memeing.”
   • Lovett: “Who is this for? We all get the news all day on our phones." [35:40]
   • Civeris: “It’s a dying thing, and this is a sad end to a dying thing.” [34:47]

3. Maduro’s Nike Sweatsuit

   • Viral photo of Venezuelan politician’s sweatsuit sparks “bulge” discourse.
   • Civeris: “The whole thing with gray sweatpants, of course, is that you want to see bulge. And I think it’s good that… we did not see Maduro's bulge.” [37:05]
   • Lovett and Kindler riff on “tech wear” as a fashion trend and its oddities.

3. Humiliation, Wrong Turns & Internet Trends

[43:03 – 59:35]

a. Jamila Jamil’s ‘Wrong Turns’ – Embracing Humiliation

• Jameela explains her anti-“inspiration” philosophy.
  • Jamil: “I’m done with inspiration. I’m pro commiseration. I think that I can't make lemonade out of lemons—I just make a bigger mess!” [44:01]
• Shares a risqué story involving a “balls deep” neck tattoo before a Martha Stewart event.
  • Jamil: “No amount of wipes or alcohol… could get it off. I had to claw it off. So I lost several layers of skin, and then it just looked like I’d been choked in front of Martha Stewart.” [51:22]

b. British Comedy and Humiliation

• Group discusses the British style of cringe-comedy, The Office, and differences in sensibility.
• Debate erupts over whether Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld is superior.

c. “Hey, Have You Heard About This?” – Trend Watch

• Andy Kindler reacts to Gen Z/millennial TikTok and online phenomena:
  • Trad Wives: Social media influencers who preach 1950s housewife values while profiting from brand deals. [54:08]
  • Fujoshis: Japanese term for women who enjoy gay male romantic media; a rising trend with the show Heated Rivalry.
    • Civeris: “There’s this epidemic, the real epidemic, actually, which is women writing gay male stories.” [56:03]
  • SkinnyTok & “Stay Skinny Stay Safe”: Dangerous trend equating thinness with physical safety; Jamil debunks this with a personal anecdote—her “bigger body” saved her from an attempted kidnapping.
    • Jamil: “Stay sturdy, stay safe. I was living in a bigger body, and I'm alive to tell that tale.” [58:31]

4. New Year, New Pet Peeves: “New Year, New Ew”

[66:04 – 73:13]

• Andy Kindler: “Let’s get rid of slang like ‘my bad’ and ‘it’s been a minute’… No Holocaust survivor, if you ask them, ‘what was it like?’ would say, ‘It was a lot.’” [66:29]
• Jamila Jamil: “People—I’m done with them. Bring the big quake, bring the floods, the volcanoes… we suck.” [67:30]
• George Civeris: “I don’t like Nespresso. Coffee should either be amazing or shitty diner coffee—I don’t like things that are almost good.” [68:51]
• Lovett: Annoyed by people using their phones while on a beautiful beach: “You flew here from far away… How is it you have not figured out to leave this in your room for this one precious moment?” [71:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jon Lovett:
  • "These people are bullies... What they mean is for us to shut up and take it, to be dominated, to accept reality as they describe it. But that’s just not going to happen." [11:54]
  • "Because in 2026, our world and our butt are what we make it. Generous, welcoming, and juicy as hell." [10:55]
• George Civeris (on vaccine/aging brain):
  • “The vaccines interacting with being gay—I think that’s what made me dumber.” [17:29]
• Jamila Jamil:
  • “Stay sturdy, stay safe. All right? I was living in a bigger body, and I’m alive to tell that tale.” [58:31]
  • “I like to raw dog—just get it out right in the middle.” [44:52]
• Andy Kindler:
  • “If you go into show business, take the high road. There’s no traffic.” [25:10]
  • (On British shows) “Explain Ricky Gervais to me. Thank you. I can’t. It goes over my head.” [46:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:29] Show begins, Lovett’s monologue on Minneapolis shooting and media distortion
• [10:55] Lovett’s closing on resolutions for 2026
• [14:46] Comedians George Civeris & Andy Kindler join for “Is This Good?”
• [28:08] “Is This Good?”: RFK Jr.’s food pyramid
• [32:02] “Is This Good?”: Marco Rubio as “Florida Man” segment
• [37:09] “Is This Good?”: Maduro’s Nike sweatsuit
• [43:03] Jamila Jamil segment on humiliation and “Wrong Turns”
• [54:08] “Hey, Have You Heard About This?” Gen Z/Millennial internet trends
• [66:04] “New Year, New Ew” – Panel’s first pet peeves of 2026

Episode Tone

Lovett’s signature blend of mordant, acerbic political humor and earnest progressive outrage saturates the episode, balanced by guests’ offbeat, personal, and often self-effacing comedy. The overall mood is cathartic, world-weary, and ironic but ultimately anchored in a call for community, resistance, and mutual commiseration.

Useful for Non-Listeners

• Political satire and progressive perspective on current news/culture.
• Panel-style debates that filter serious issues through personal anecdotes and comedy.
• Fresh takes on familiar social (and internet) trends with pointed critiques of both the right and left.
• Accessible, unvarnished accounts of embarrassing moments and the value of embracing imperfection.

Listen if you need a laugh—also if you want help deciphering the week’s weird news.