MBMBaM 778: Face 2 Face: Yellin’ at the Kellen Felons

Podcast: My Brother, My Brother and Me
Hosts: Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: Live show in Atlanta, Georgia at DragonCon

Episode Overview

This raucous live episode showcases the McElroy Brothers' signature blend of chaotic comedy, real-time riffing, and earnest advice. Taped face-to-face in Atlanta before an enthusiastic crowd, the show features surreal celebrity news, interactive audience Q&A, and irreverent explorations of topics ranging from 3D-printed toilet seats to the proper etiquette for sampling grapes at the grocery store. As always, the brothers walk the line between sincere advice and wild goofs, with their rapport and quick wit keeping the energy high throughout.

Main Themes & Purposes

• Absurdity of Celebrity Culture: Opening with a deep dive into a viral story involving Harrison Ford and Jay Leno.
• Destigmatizing Bodily Functions: Cheeky but genuine advice about discussing hemorrhoid surgery at work.
• Navigating Social Etiquette: Advice on talking about game show winnings, handling pet encounters as a postal worker, and eating grapes before buying.
• Video Game & Nerd Culture: Segments inspired by DragonCon and the world of esports and Star Wars.
• Audience Interaction: Live advice and direct engagement with witty, brave question-askers from the crowd.

Key Segments & Insights

1. The Madcap Saga: Harrison Ford’s 3D-Printed Toilet Seat

[02:00–22:30]

• Story Recap: Justin brings a bizarre viral news clip: Harrison Ford calls Jay Leno after 12 years to 3D print a discontinued toilet seat, as recounted in an NPR interview.

• Discussion Breaks:

  • Celebrity Name-Dropping: The gang riffs on the surreal status of Jay Leno as the go-to for toilet seat emergencies.

    “If you found out the Judeo Christian God was calling Harrison Ford to talk about his toilet seat, that's the reaction.” — Griffin [04:02]

  • Why a Phone Call?: Wondering why Ford calls Leno instead of texting, querying relationship logistics.

  • The Reveal: Harrison simply “asked Jay Leno,” because he’s the only guy he knows with massive 3D printing capacity.

    “My toilet is so old, they don't make toilet seats for it anymore.” — Justin [15:09]

  • Reflection on Interviewer’s Regret: The McElroys dissect the moment the interviewer realizes she's been drawn too deep into "toilet tech" tales.

• Memorable Moment: Visualization of Leno assembling an engineering team to tackle Ford’s toilet problem.

  “He's got a team of engineers. For a toilet seat.” — Travis [19:12]

2. Advice Segment: Hemorrhoid Surgery at Work

[23:00–30:25]

• Question: How to talk about hemorrhoid surgery with coworkers—destigmatize or keep it discreet?
• Anecdote: Justin recounts a real-life, awkward green room moment at DragonCon involving Preparation H—right as Katie Sackhoff sits down.

  “Just when you think your brand can't get any more in the toilet. Literally.” — Travis [24:40]

• Advice: Honesty is good, openness can help destigmatize; don't overshare unless asked, but don't be ashamed.

3. Advice Segment: Game Show Winnings & Mortuary School

[30:30–34:55]

• Question: Is it weird to say “mortuary school” as your game show prize goal?
• Advice: The brothers affirm it's memorable and cool, encourage embracing the unusual answer.

  “Your answer for what you're gonna do with $10,000 is go to mortuary school and you're like, but what can I say to stand out?” — Griffin [33:03]

• Goofs: Various escalating “alternate purposes” for the money, culminating in over-the-top schemes (“saving the orphanage”).

4. ‘Work of Fart’ Game: Star Wars Edition

[35:00–45:24]

• Segment: Travis hosts the classic bit "Work of Fart"—transforming Star Wars names into fart or poop puns.
• Highlights:
  • “Poobacca,” “Chewbacca the Wookiee,” and “Choda” ignite riffing and good-natured mockery.

    “Travis, I think you were high when you wrote these and you were thinking about Jabba the Hutt.” — Griffin [42:11]

  • Group discusses the importance & evolution of the bit, with Travis defending his pun honor.

5. Advice: Elevating Esports to a ‘Serious’ School Sport

[45:25–50:10]

• Question: How to get an esports team recognized as a legitimate school sport?
• Advice: Emphasize the skill, injuries (tendons!), and team aspects; jokes about gamer-centric pep rallies and mascots.
• Memorable Goof: Imagining the team fighting off Space Invaders in real life as a way to prove their “athlete” status.

6. Advice: Petting Dogs on Postal Routes, Grapes, and Pinecone Calamity

Petting Dogs ([50:15–54:00]):

• Want to pet customer dogs without chatting? Suggested: Joke that “this is just between us,” make it a dog-postal worker secret.

Grocery Grapes ([54:05–59:40]):

• Key debate: How many grapes can you sample before it becomes theft?

  “You couldn't walk up to a watermelon and take a big bite out of it to be like, I wanted to see how all the watermelons are.” — Justin [56:30]

• General consensus: 1 or maybe 2; three is “pushing it”; try before you buy, but don't go wild.

Pinecone Injury ([59:45–1:05:00]):

• Corbin bravely asks: After breaking a toe trying (and failing) to kick a pinecone in front of a friend, how do you emotionally recover?

  “The human desire when you see a pine cone right in your way... That’s a Voigt-Kampff, like, human test.” — Griffin [1:02:50]

• Advice: Use it as a great story in future icebreakers and let memory smooth over the embarrassment.

7. Jewelry Store Owl FOMO

[1:05:01–1:08:36]

• Gideon missed meeting a coworker’s pet owl and yearns for a second chance. The brothers commiserate, joke about elaborate ruses involving fake sons or a vole infestation to draw the owl back.

  “You don’t bring an owl into a jewelry store unless it’s part of some sort of heist, I think.” — Griffin [1:08:01]

8. Sonic Ad Campaign Roast

[1:09:01–1:14:10]

• Discussing a real Sonic ad about “saving pumpkins” by drinking caramel coffee instead of PSLs.

  “Are you sure, Sonic? That’s a lot of shit to put in one thing, Sonic. Are you sure, Sonic?” — Griffin [1:10:02]

• The brothers mock the overwrought premise and pitch their own absurd ad campaign ideas.

9. Audience Q&A + Live Bits

[Throughout — highlights at 1:14:30 onward]

• Rapid-fire, heartfelt, and unruly advice for audience-submitted questions, with crowd reactions and “fan clubs” (e.g., “the Kellen felons”).
• A live reading of an email roasting Justin for looking like “Donald Duck without the Speed Racer helmet,” which the brothers and crowd embrace warmly.

  “That's right. You're correct. It's so good, Katie. And you've brightened my day tremendously.” — Justin [1:16:30]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Jay Leno’s Makerspace Prowess:

  “Jay Leno, already made so much, and he is a participant in the maker space. That’s so fucking cool.” — Justin [09:04]

• On Toilet Tech:

  “A toilet with depth, width, and height. Well, and technically, duration. So really, 4D. All toilets are 4D.” — Justin [19:50]

• Wistful Reflection on Missed Owls:

  “It's like owning a wizard…they're so wise, and big, and weird.” — Griffin [1:07:49]

• On Living with Embarrassment:

  “This is a kick ass story…It's going to serve you so well at so many corporate icebreaker events. And what's wonderful is memory can be very malleable. But now this one is recorded in a podcast. Corbin, this is forever.” — Travis [1:03:51]

• On Destigmatization:

  “I don't think we should stigmatize hemorrhoids and hemorrhoid surgery. To suggest, however, that there is not a sliding scale of virtue upon which all surgeries are judged seems wild to me.” — Justin [24:14]

Recurring Goofs & Running Jokes

• “Try before you buy” repeated ad nauseam regarding grocery grapes.
• Riffing on "Chewbacca the Wookiee" as if Star Wars characters have literal species surnames.
• The “Kellen Felons” – in-show fan club supporting audience questioner Kellen.
• Frequent references to bodily functions, but always with warm amusement rather than ridicule.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Harrison Ford/Jay Leno toilet seat saga: 02:00–22:30
• Hemorrhoid surgery advice: 23:00–30:25
• Mortuary school game show winnings: 30:30–34:55
• Work of Fart – Star Wars edition: 35:00–45:24
• Esports legitimacy: 45:25–50:10
• Dog petting for postal workers: 50:15–54:00
• Grocery store grapes: 54:05–59:40
• Broken toe kicking pinecone: 59:45–1:05:00
• Jewelry store owl longing: 1:05:01–1:08:36
• Sonic “Save a Pumpkin” roast: 1:09:01–1:14:10
• Live Q&A, audience roasts: 1:14:30–end

Tone & Style

• Warm, irreverent, rapid-fire banter; deeply silly, occasionally thoughtful.
• Heavy audience participation and self-deprecation.
• Willingness to chase the weirdest, most unexpected angles on mundane questions.

Conclusion

“Yellin’ at the Kellen Felons” is peak MBMBaM, brimming with the McElroy brothers’ sharp improvisational comedy, affectionate audience rapport, and their unique capacity to treat both the surreal (Harrison Ford’s toilet seat) and sincere (embarrassing injuries, social anxieties) with warmth and delight. Whether recounting bizarre celebrity interactions or offering practical advice for outlandish predicaments, the show’s blend of honesty and absurdity brings the crowd (and listeners at home) in for a collective, cathartic laugh.