Lovett or Leave It: “O Say Can You UFC”

Podcast: Lovett or Leave It (Crooked Media)
Date: August 16, 2025
Host: Jon Lovett
Guests: Mayor Karen Bass, Ron Funches, Tom Papa
Location: Dynasty Typewriter, LA (live show)

Episode Overview

This episode of Lovett or Leave It is a sharp, comedic, and biting look at the latest in political news and culture, with a heavy focus on the spectacle of American politics under Trump’s second administration. It’s a live show in Los Angeles featuring Mayor Karen Bass and comedians Ron Funches and Tom Papa. From the Trump-Paramount-UFC-White House circus to LA’s response to federal ICE raids, homelessness, and the state of the film industry, Lovett and guests deliver a mix of trenchant political critique and absurdist humor.

Key Discussion Points

1. Political Stunts and the UFC-White House Fiasco

• Paramount’s $7.7B UFC streaming deal and plans to broadcast a UFC fight live from the White House on July 4th (America’s 250th).
  • Lovett describes it as “the perfect embodiment of the two great engines of Trump’s life, corruption and stunts.” (02:40)
  • Satirical Trump and Lee Eisenberg impressions run with the idea, mocking the event as a distraction and symbol of Trump’s media manipulation.
• Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in DC and threats to do the same in blue cities.
  • Lovett: “It’s a stunt to deploy the national guard and 700 marines to Los Angeles in response to a few protests that the LAPD made clear it could handle on its own…” (10:50)
• Real-world consequences of “governing by stunt,” including ICE raids and damage to trust in institutions.

Notable Quote:
“Stunts are exciting. Stunts get attention... Stunts change the subject. But the subject doesn't disappear.” — Jon Lovett (13:33)

2. The State of Los Angeles: Mayor Karen Bass Interview (17:11–36:15)

a. Federal ICE Raids and Legal Showdowns

• Bass calls ICE raids and Border Patrol stunts “bullshit” and recounts ICE’s provocation at a press conference on redistricting at LA’s Japanese American Museum (17:36–18:27)
• Describes a Penske truck ICE raid at a Home Depot, agents in masks “bundling out” to chase people—filmed and seemingly in “open violation” of a court order. (19:09–19:32)
• Discusses legal status: LA has an upheld restraining order on such targeting, but the administration continues raids to “give a big FU to Los Angeles.” (19:49)
• Legal recourse pending: Supreme Court appeal, potential for a trial to make restraining order permanent (21:28).

Notable Quote:

• “It was basically to give a big fu to Los Angeles to say that we don't care what the courts say.” — Karen Bass (19:49)

b. Limits of Local Power & Democratic Crisis

• Lovett asks about LAPD’s role in protecting Angelenos from federal agents breaking the law. Bass stresses: “...our democracy right now is being challenged, because we've never been in a situation where... an administration... is not abiding by the rule of law.” (22:33)
• Bass: LA can keep ICE out of city/school buildings without warrants but not open parks. (23:30)
• LA’s crime stats improvement vs Trump’s “war zone” rhetoric: city homicide rate at 60-year low despite official claims and “terror” from raids. (25:39, 25:56)

Memorable Exchange:

• Lovett: “So, as I said, Stephen Miller says the crime stats in big blue cities are fake. … Where are you hiding the bodies?”
  • Bass: “If you find them, let me know.” (25:39–25:56)

c. Homelessness & Housing

• Street homelessness has declined for two years; challenge is lack in interim/permanent housing and insufficient funding. (26:41–27:50)
• The “mansion tax” and unintended consequences—revenue cliffs, impact on multi-family housing development, complications for fire survivors. (28:24–29:22)
• Cumbersome governance: ballot initiatives, overlapping city/county roles; Bass calls LA’s democracy “messy.” (30:39–31:07)
• Lovett floats (joking) secession of LA from LA county; Bass notes serious intergovernmental collaboration is vital. (31:26–32:35)

d. Film Industry & Bureaucracy

• Bass: Film tax credit expansion is good; LA is hiring a new “point person” to help productions navigate red tape. 11 TV shows have come back to LA recently. (33:21–34:17)

e. Unusual but real mayoral problems

• Lovett rants about illegal window tinting on LA roads. Bass shares the public safety concern but is wary of adding enforcement burdens. (34:25–35:48)
• Complaints about Waymo (self-driving cars) presence in parts of LA (35:44–36:09)

3. News It or Lose It!: Panel Games and News Quiz (40:05–62:45)

Panel: Jon Lovett, Ron Funches, Tom Papa, Lee Eisenberg

Sample Segment Timestamps & Highlights:

• 41:17 – Inside jokes about Ivanka Trump’s supposed jiu-jitsu skills; Ron Funches, a jiu-jitsu practitioner, rates her (AI-generated?) moves.
• 43:11 – News story about a man throwing a Subway sandwich at a CBP officer in DC: “Attacking with a sandwich is always funny.” (Lee Eisenberg)
• 45:03+ – Prolonged riff on Los Angeles driving habits, window tinting, and the lack of traffic enforcement.
• 47:13+ – Tom Papa on Trump-fueled urban “hellscape” rhetoric: “It is complete, utter optical bullshit.” (48:46)
• 49:59 – Stephen Miller’s condiment of choice? Mayonnaise.
• 52:07+ – Bread banter: differences between real bread and processed bread, the food pyramid, and artisanal baking.
• 54:15 – Controversial plans to re-erect Confederate statue of Albert Pike in DC; collective agreement this is “stupid.”
• 54:48 – Ron Funches talks about being on The Traitors TV show: “I didn’t enjoy it at all. I got to be in way too much contact with Michael Rappaport.” (54:59)
• 56:28 – Quiz on Trump’s Kennedy Center honorees; Lovett confirms Trump genuinely loves “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.”
• 58:40 – Jellyfish—yes, jellyfish—shutting down a French nuclear plant.

Humorous Banter:
The segment is interspersed with playful ribbing, improv, and quick pivots from politics to the absurd (e.g., bread ingredients, bagel flavors, or complaining about McDonald’s menu logic).

4. Rant Wheel (65:41–75:00)

a. Tom Papa: Flying with a Rabbit

• Papa vents about airlines only allowing rabbits on Spirit Airlines—"Spirit is basically whenever Indiana Jones wakes up on a plane, it's chickens." (67:24)

b. Ron Funches: Stop Being Surprised

• Funches draws a parallel between his own divorce and America’s stunned response to “unprecedented” Trump actions—at some point, you have to stop being surprised and start taking the threat seriously:

  “You’re gonna have to stop being blindsided by every single thing... We need to start acting accordingly and start protecting each other and stop acting like this is normal.” (69:30–70:45)

• Lovett and Funches agree: individual and community action is crucial because responses always feel "too early or too late." (71:00)

c. Jon Lovett: The Confusing McDonald’s Menu

• Lovett, in classic style, rants about the new, nonsensical McDonald's combo pricing logic:
  “It used to be you get two things for $3.50… Now you can buy one at full price and the second one is only a dollar. But every item on that list is not the same price!” (72:47+)

Notable Quotes (by Timestamps)

• On Trump’s governing style:
  “Stunts are exciting. Stunts get attention. ...But the subject doesn't disappear.” — Jon Lovett (13:33)

• On ICE raids:
  “It was basically to give a big fu to Los Angeles to say that we don't care what the courts say.” — Mayor Karen Bass (19:49)

• On breaking rules:
  “We used to have a society, there’s no rules here.” — Jon Lovett (45:33)

• On media “hellscape” narratives:
  “It is complete, utter optical bullshit.” — Tom Papa (48:46)

• On coping with abnormal times:
  “You're gonna have to stop being blindsided by every single thing.” — Ron Funches (69:30)

Memorable Moments

• Lovett gets smashed with a (breakaway) bottle by Ron Funches on stage “to demonstrate the power of stunts.”
• Judges and audience jeer John Lovett for admitting to being pulled over for texting while driving. (46:22)
• Extended, philosophical-absurdist bread discussion with Tom Papa.
• Lovett and Bass roast “tinted Teslas” as a new street menace.
• Papa laments flying Spirit Airlines for his daughter’s rabbit, comparing the airline to an Indiana Jones cargo hold. (67:24)
• Funches’s impassioned plea: “No one redecorates a place they don’t plan to stay in.” (implying Trump intends to never leave the White House again) (69:30)
• The panel’s gleeful confusion and catharsis over the “Rant Wheel”—and over McDonald’s math. (72:47–74:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Lovett’s monologue & Trump/Paramount/UFC satire
• 13:33 – Lovett on “stunts” and their impact
• 17:11 – Interview: Mayor Karen Bass (ICE raids, legal battles, housing)
• 40:05 – News It or Lose It (panel quiz and discussion)
• 65:41 – Rant wheel: Tom Papa & Spirit Airlines/rabbit
• 69:30 – Ron Funches: Stop being surprised, call to action
• 72:47 – Lovett’s McDonald’s menu rant

Tone and Style

Lovett or Leave It continues to balance pointed political critique with irreverent, improvisational humor and a sense of communal catharsis. The panel format and live crowd foster a sense of unpredictability—combining genuine outrage (over legal abuses, ICE raids, etc.) with comic relief (absurd news, food and bread tangents, and group rants).

Summary for the Uninitiated

This episode is both a crash course in the spectacle and consequence of “government by stunt” under Trump and a snapshot of Angelenos’ civic resistance. It’s a blend of high-level critique, personal and local stories (especially around LA’s struggles with homelessness and ICE), and comedic relief—from a bottle smash to a failed attempt to understand McDonald’s pricing. If you want to see how politics, culture, and civic life collide (and laugh about the absurdity along the way), this episode is an excellent entry point.