Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast

Ep 593 – Nollywood (feat. Ben Avery & Kevin Iso)

Release Date: January 8, 2026
Hosts: Matt McCusker & Shane Gillis (Absent)
Guests: Ben Avery & Kevin Iso

Episode Overview

This episode is a fast-paced, unfiltered comedy roundtable featuring Matt, Kevin, and Ben, centering on scams, cultural peculiarities, and observations on modern society—all with an undercurrent of playful banter and occasionally outrageous comedic improvisation. The crew dives into hot-button news, “Nollywood” (Nigerian cinema), tales of daycares, scams from Minnesota to Nigeria, the strange world of OnlyFans, and what it means to grow up, raise kids, and handle generational trauma—all delivered in the show’s irreverent, riff-heavy style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Interracial Girlfriend” Comedy Cold Open (00:02–02:36)

• Kevin riffs on the supposed cultural cachet of having a Chinese girlfriend in a black family, suggesting it's seen as an unusual victory:
  “If I had a Chinese girlfriend, my family would be like kinda sick…In a black family…you’d get a mega high five...” (00:15)
• The crew jokes about the reactions of different communities to interracial dating, emphasizing that women, in general, "don’t like seeing their men date outside the race.”
• Casual, comedic analysis of relationship heartbreak—whether it stings more for the young or old.

2. “Look at Her Mother” – Absurd Dating Advice (02:37–03:40)

• Ben brings up the cliché advice to “look at her mother” before settling down; Kevin runs with it, deadpanning an Oedipal twist:
  “I thought the saying was fap to her mother...” (02:43)
• The gang riffs on the unpredictability of genetic inheritance, italicizing how Italians “just wait for that meatball to cook.”

3. The Minnesota Somali Daycare Fraud Scandal & American Scam Culture (04:13–18:43)

• Kevin, Matt, and Ben dive into the viral Minnesota Somali daycare fraud allegations.
• They discuss the multiple recent welfare and medical frauds attributed to Somali communities, such as the “Feed the Future” COVID scam totaling $250 million.
• Insightful comedic take:
  Matt: “I personally, I just don’t care about people stealing my taxpayer dollars. I don’t know where them shits is going anyway.” (08:48)
• They draw a line between visible “street level scams” and hidden “white-collar/bureaucratic” scams, concluding:
  Ben: “Everybody’s scamming. Nancy Pelosi’s scamming…It’s going everywhere but us—to roads, to our children.” (18:04)
• The group playfully weighs which types of scams are worth getting worked up about and whether the media fixations have a racial or political bias.

4. Nollywood and Nigerian Scammers: Cross-Cultural Comedy (25:45–31:47)

• Kevin shares an outsider’s perspective on Nollywood after visiting a Nigerian restaurant, expressing awe at the low budgets and creative hustle:
  Kevin: “You can film a movie in Nigeria for like 15 grand…” (25:45)
• Matt describes typical Nollywood movie plots—cheating husbands, witchcraft—and the widespread cultural tropes involving witches and the supernatural.
• Ben and Kevin marvel at legendary Nigerian scammers, including one who “sold an airport that didn’t exist” and the infamous “Hush Puppy,” netting millions from Premier League clubs.
• The crew jokes about the evolution of Nigerian email scams and their secretive upgrades:
  Matt: “Everybody still think that’s the scam that Nigerians is doing. We left y’all in the 90s thinking that, and now we doing new stuff.” (31:25)

5. Scams 2026: From OnlyFans to Catfishing & AI Romance (33:04–36:44)

• A discussion on the economics of OnlyFans, immigration, and how adult content creators can more easily get US visas than legitimate performers.
• Ben explains, “OnlyFans is $13 billion a year. ... Comedy is way under here,” (36:44) listing porn, video gaming, and gambling as the dominant digital revenue streams.
• They touch on Asian call-center scams, advances in AI-driven romance scams, and the ever-evolving ways people try to hustle.

6. Generational Parenting, Childhood, and the “Hot Car Punishment” Era (40:19–45:17)

• Ben and Kevin reflect on their own upbringings—locked in rooms by parents, left to roam, or punished by being sent into hot cars—and how they hope to break cycles of trauma.
• Ben: “You like to think you’re not your parents, but…every now and then you go, I’m the exact same guy.” (42:05)
• The trio riffs about the future of parenting, how not to “repeat the traumas,” and compares American generational changes in discipline style.
• Sardonic joke about kid safety:
  “I do dry saunas every day. I’m fine. 25 minutes. If anything, the baby just activated his heat shock protein.” (45:09)

7. Hallucinogens, Ayahuasca, and DMT Entities (54:22–57:53)

• Discussion turns to trips and spiritual journeys:
  • “You ever go underwater for like a little too long and you’re like lightheaded? It’s almost romantic… Burning alive is literally the worst of the worst.” (48:03)
  • Is ayahuasca a scam or spiritual experience? Matt and Kevin are skeptical of people returning for “75 trips.”
  • Kevin relates his own DMT experience: “It was literally, probably like 15 seconds of just a … multi-headed jester … being like ‘Dude, you’re a loser.’” (56:24)
• Ben and Kevin wonder whether trips involve contacting “angels or demons.”

8. The Aging American Empire & Political Speculation (63:00–66:48)

• Ben and Kevin segue into big-picture speculation on the U.S. as a declining empire—the rise of scams, resource grabs (like Venezuela for oil), and the cyclical nature of “creating problems to act as if you’re fixing them”:
  • “They’re really good at creating problems to then act like they’re fixing the problem.” (64:26)
• Ben brings up recent police violence in Minneapolis, lamenting government bureaucracy’s complicity and cyclical self-justification.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Scams:
  “Everybody’s scamming…It’s just that when it’s so obvious what the scam is…everybody gets a little tight.” – Matt (18:21)

• On Hallucinogens:
  “Once you get the message, hang up the phone…So why do you pick up the phone 75 more times?” – Ben (54:36)

• On Parenting:
  “You like to think you’re not your parents, but…every now and then you go, I’m the exact same guy.” – Ben (42:05)

• On Old Age:
  “When everyone gets really old, they become very racist.” – Ben (61:17)

• On America:
  “We hit the lottery being born in America…We’re a empire, dude. Russia’s busting moves and China’s busting moves. It’s time America bust a move.” – Kevin (63:06)

Funniest/Most Memorable Segments (Timestamps)

• Dating Advice Gone Wild:
  “Fap to her mother…” – (02:43)
• Nollywood Plots and Witchcraft:
  “Believe in witches is crazy. ... It’s actually real for real.” – Matt (27:21)
• Nigerian Scams & Hush Puppy:
  “He sold an airport to somebody…He sold an airport that didn’t exist.” – Matt (29:38)
• DMT Entity Bullying:
  “Multi-headed jester…‘You’re a loser.’” – Kevin (56:24)
• Ayahuasca Skepticism:
  “I think it’s just a giant party, though.” – Kevin (54:36)
• On OnlyFans and Money:
  “OnlyFans is $13 billion a year…Comedy is way under here.” – Ben (36:44)

Listener Q&A Highlights (67:11–73:03)

• The show closes with several outrageous “premium subscriber” questions, including morbid tales about cremation, a bizarre question about being an only child after a sibling’s accident, and one about whether a boyfriend is “turning black” after watching interracial porn—all addressed with the hosts’ signature mix of bemused shock and sardonic amusement.

Closing

Matt, Kevin, and Ben wrap up by plugging upcoming shows and projects, maintaining the loose, riff-driven style typical of MSSP. The episode is marked by its wild comedic energy, candid social commentary, and memorable digressions—from African cinema to the most American of scams and generational trauma.

For listeners looking for:

• Deep-dives into modern scams, both low-level and systemic
• Cultural riffs (from Minnesota to Nigeria and Thailand)
• Stand-up-level jokes about parenting, aging, and tripping
• Raw, hilarious, and very unfiltered comedic conversation

This episode stands as a prime showcase for why the podcast boasts what they call “the funniest podcast out there.”

For press inquiries or more highlights, see patreon.com/mattandshane.