Lovett or Leave It — "More Like Pete Hague-seth"

Crooked Media | December 6, 2025

Episode Overview

Jon Lovett returns to Dynasty Typewriter for another live episode, delivering his signature mix of sharp political satire, queer commentary, and pop culture banter. The show opens with Lovett roasting the latest chaos and scandals from the Trump administration, then welcomes drag superstar Trixie Mattel and comedian Aparna Nancherla for candid, hilarious conversations about drag, maximalist home decor, holiday movies, and surviving family gatherings. A new segment, “Go Down That Chimney, Bitch,” has the panel queering classic holiday characters, before the crew offers tongue-in-cheek gift ideas in “Love it or reGift it.” Bursting with wit, anecdotes, and playful energy, this episode is a high-spirited guide to the news and the holidays for your chosen family.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “What a Week”: Satirizing Trump’s Second Term Chaos

• Lovett’s Recap & Commentary (02:11–18:57)
  • Trump’s approval hits a record low (36%), with Lovett quipping:

    “Don’t think of it as the lowest approval rating of your second term. Think of it as the lowest so far.” (02:17)

  • Cabinet drama: Trump dozing off during a Cabinet meeting, with Lovett joking about "painting pupils on his eyelids" (02:56).
  • GOP infighting: Lovett lampoons Elise Stefanik and Mike Johnson’s public feuds:

    “Why do birds shit on cars, Mike? For the same reason Elise Stefanik has taken a shit on your car. It's who they are.” (04:18)

  • Radical policy moves and xenophobic rhetoric—attacks on immigrants and crackdowns following a DC shooting. Lovett skewers collective blame and war crime allegations swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
  • War crime scandal: The administration faces backlash after allegedly ordering the killing of survivors from a suspected drug boat.

    “Killing survivors of a shipwreck is what's known in military and legal circles as a war crime, with penalties ranging from prison time to a spot on the rotation on The Five.” (07:41)

  • Hegseth’s defense and AI trolling; mix of farce and horror as the White House first denies, then doubles down on its actions.

    “Look, Hegseth not a serious person, so he thought he could handle this by owning the libs.” (08:46)

  • Lovett skewers the administration’s inability to admit error:

    “It took like a day to go from the Washington Post is fake news to there was a second strike and it was good.” (11:52)

  • FBI in turmoil: Lovett lampoons Kash Patel’s “small jacket” meltdown and Bongino’s clownish reputation, concluding:

    “...scratch the surface of any Trump agency... one layer below the Kash Patels and Pete Hegseths is a body of angry, disgruntled people, just like you and me.” (16:41)

  • Closing this section, Lovett sums up why the Trump clique is careening toward buffoonery and isolation:

    “The more isolated, extreme, and buffoonish this Trump clique becomes, the harder it will be to find people willing to go along with it... until only the biggest morons and zealots remain.” (17:40)

2. Interview: Trixie Mattel on Drag, Home Decor & Millennial Angst

• Intro & Banter (22:03–44:43)
  • Trixie Mattel joins and they riff about millennial skinny jeans and the trauma of adjusting to changing fashion:

    “When I put on the wider leg pants, I feel like a clown in them. I feel like I'm in Guys and Dolls.” (23:13, Lovett)

  • Trixie on Drag Race’s evolution:

    “When you go work in drag shows, that's what's really happening. So now it just all matches. It's all congruent.” (27:52)

  • Anecdotes about Larry King misgendering Trixie on air, and pearls about RuPaul’s behind-the-scenes magic.
  • DJ gigs, drag hospitality (the elusive “yurt backstage”), and running into Betsy Johnson (who, Trixie jokes, resembles Katya).
  • Home decor maximalism: Lovett reveals he and Trixie have bought all the same furniture, culminating in a Single White Female moment:

    “There's something really strange happening because these are not normal... Like, we found strange things to put in our homes.” (40:52) “Maybe we really thought we were pick me special girls. I guess we're just Pinterest faggots.” (41:06, Trixie)

  • Heartfelt admiration for RuPaul and reality drag as an extreme, aspirational pursuit:

    “We all do not deserve to be alive at the same time as RuPaul.” (44:16, Trixie)

3. “Go Down That Chimney, Bitch”: Holiday Characters on the Kinsey Scale

• Segment with Aparna Nancherla (46:49–61:01)
  • The panel playfully rates classic holiday film characters’ queerness.
  • Buddy the Elf (Elf): “Kind of higher on the Kinsey scale. Just… reading fabulosity.” (47:53, Aparna)
  • The Grinch: Consensus he’s a “six”—super gay energy.

    “I think he went to Coachella and was carried out of Charli XCX on a stretcher.” (51:26, Trixie)

  • The Snowman: “Zero. Heterosexual energy... like Nick Offerman, libertarian.” (51:59, Trixie & Aparna)
  • Hot takes on Hallmark holiday films; Hot Frosty from Schitt’s Creek, and the “single woman” trope.
  • Old Man Marley (Home Alone): “She’s the day shift at the Eagle, honey.” (54:48, Trixie)
  • Pigeon Lady (Home Alone 2): “Liking birds is gay, first of all.” (55:45, Trixie), unpacking the “Cape Cod lesbian” archetype.
  • Martha May Whovier: The straight “boozy gal with the gays at brunch.”
  • Krampus: Cheerfully labeled a “10/10 homophobe” (“It’s gay to be like, I'm gonna fuck with these kids. Those aren't his kids.” 60:01, Trixie)
  • General theme: Subverting holiday heteronormativity with wit and insight.

4. Love It or reGift It: Irreverent Holiday Gift Guide

• Gift Ideas Roundtable (64:41–72:59)
  • Aparna wows with the “SitBit”—a device reminding you to honor your seasonal depression by sitting more.

    “You've only sat for two to three hours today. Are you okay?” (65:07, Aparna)

  • Trixie’s proposal: “I Do Crew” diamond chastity cage (“You need to go to bed knowing, like, he's gonna be with you, because if he ever wants to pee again, you have the key.” 67:07)
  • Lovett’s “get out of convo free” cards, for changing topics at difficult family gatherings (68:25).
  • Aparna’s “QuitBit” that blocks you from joining a gym you’ll never attend: “When you try to join a gym, it says you’re not gonna go. You better not.” (69:18)
  • Trixie pitches a heavy-duty ShamWow makeup wipe for drag queens and the landfill of wipes with her name on it (71:35).
  • Lovett’s “Re-Santa”—someone repackaging your unworn clothes as gifts, giving old clothes a second life (72:02).
  • Cheeky, community-minded twist: “Don’t you guys have clothing where it’s like you would never wear it, but just the idea that you own it gives you a little pep in your step?” (72:46, Aparna)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Administration’s Logic:

  • “This is not a movement that is capable of admitting error. And that means doubling down and defending the indefensible. The failures actually feed the extremism.” (11:24, Lovett)

• On Interior Design Déjà Vu:

  • Trixie: “Maybe we really thought we were pick me special girls. I guess we're just Pinterest faggots.” (41:06)
  • Lovett: “Gay people are supposed to be so creative, and we're like, I'll take that bed.” (41:24)

• On Drag’s Evolution:

  • “In my real world experience with drag, most the people we worship, the people we wished we were like, were all the trans girls in the show. So now it just all matches. It's all congruent.” (27:52, Trixie)

• On RuPaul:

  • “We all do not deserve to be alive at the same time as RuPaul. I really feel that we're gonna lose her someday and we're all gonna be like, that was the best fucking thing we could have ever had in our lives.” (44:16, Trixie)

• On Queering Holiday Icons:

  • “Liking birds is gay, first of all.” (55:45, Trixie on Pigeon Lady)
  • “I think it’s gay to be like, I'm gonna fuck with these kids. You know what I mean? It's gay. Those aren't his kids.” (60:01, Trixie on Krampus)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• What a Week — Satirical political round-up: 02:07–19:34
• Trixie Mattel Interview — Drag, fashion, & home décor: 22:03–44:43
• Go Down That Chimney, Bitch — Queer coding holiday characters: 46:46–61:01
• Love it or reGift it — Irreverent holiday gift guide: 64:41–72:59

Energy & Takeaways

• This episode is lively, irreverent, and packed with biting insight—and love—for both community and resistance. Lovett’s tone is arch and surreal, balanced by Trixie’s playful candor and Aparna’s dry wit.
• It’s both cathartic and celebratory, offering solidarity and laughter in dark times, plus sneaky good advice on how to survive (and subvert) the season’s forced traditions and strained conversations.
• For anyone who needs a dose of queer joy, political exasperation, or permission to buy a peacock for their living room, this episode delivers.

For further amusement and catharsis, catch the full video for visual gags and crowd reactions. And subscribe for weekly doses of laughs and political survival tips.