New Rory & Mal – Episode 426 | "Pizza Hut"

Release Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Rory & Mal (featuring Damaris)
Podcast Description: New stories, laughs, and random hot takes with Rory & Mal.

Episode Overview

This post-Thanksgiving episode serves up an energetic blend of personal updates, music debate, messy celebrity relationship drama, and humorous listener interactions. The crew reflects on Thanksgiving plans, dissects viral internet moments (notably the Summer Walker/Pizza Hut saga), reviews Complex’s "50 Best Albums of the 21st Century" list, and closes with candid, often hilarious advice to listeners. As always, the tone is playful, irreverent, and deeply rooted in hip-hop and pop culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Recap and Personal Updates

[03:22 – 10:12]

• Rory jokes about his imminent dental upgrades, saying, “I’m going to two different houses for Thanksgiving. I’m gonna do a little teeth tour.” (03:41)
• Damaris vents about the relentless work of hosting Thanksgiving: “Everybody gets excited about Thanksgiving—I cook every year. There’s nothing exciting… I barely eat on Thanksgiving.” (06:38)
• Holiday travel woes and the pain of last-minute flights, with talk of a looming "winter vortex" heightening the stress.
• Discussion of being vegan at family gatherings; Mall admits to having recently broken vegan protocol for a slice of NY pizza: “I’m from New York, man. You can never give up New York pizza.” (06:03)
• Thanksgiving food debates: Rory defends ham as a vital (annual) side, comparing ham-lovers to “cigarette smokers” in the modern age. (07:54)

2. Brandy, Monica & Kelly Rowland Concert Adventure

[11:14 – 19:00]

• Rory and Damaris share their escapades at the Brandy & Monica concert, including brushing shoulders with Patti LaBelle (“Patti LaBelle walked past me and her leg brushed my leg—I almost passed out…” – Damaris, 13:19).
• Emotional highlights: Damaris gets teary hearing her top 10 songs live, and both hosts agree Kelly Rowland left a powerful impression.
• Starstruck moments: Rory fanboys hard upon meeting J.D. Williams (Bodie from "The Wire"): “I was definitely fangirling a little bit … maybe put my hand on my heart.” (16:14)
• Backstage shenanigans: Suite-hopping and accidentally ending up in Mona Scott’s suite, joking they're auditioning for "Love & Hip Hop New Jersey."

3. The Ja Rule “Fight” at the Brandy & Monica Show

[19:17 – 27:32]

• Discuss the viral report of Ja Rule getting “jumped” at the Barclays show (not Newark, as they attended).
• Rory breaks down the facts: "Ja Rule did not say who it was or why. He just said ... some dudes tried to jump him. No one really got the best of anybody." (22:07)
• They lampoon the idea of older R&B crowds fighting: “This wasn’t the YN's. There were no shiestys in the building... faces were out, cologne and perfume, everyone looking up.” (26:20)
• Clear up rumors about Max B’s alleged involvement (he wasn’t there).
• Agree that neither 50 Cent nor Max B were involved, with Rory noting, “I think Ja knew who it was, but he didn’t say.”

4. Concert Recap: Who Had the Better Set—Brandy or Monica?

[27:54 – 31:21]

• Both Damaris and Rory refuse to say who “won,” but Rory leans Brandy, recounting her opening with "Wanna Be Down" as “a tough night” for Monica to follow. (28:34)
• Fun digression about Monica’s iconic white sandals and 90s R&B style.

5. “Best Albums of the 21st Century” – Complex’s Controversial List

[31:40 – 43:49]

• The hosts react to Complex’s ranking of Kanye’s "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" as #1:
  • Rory supports it: "My generation, '88 to '93 babies, that's like a biblical album." (34:43)
  • Mall prefers Jay-Z’s "Blueprint" or 50 Cent’s "Get Rich or Die Tryin’."
• Damaris and Rory call out the disrespect of Usher’s "Confessions" being ranked 34: “That needs to be closer… Having Confessions at 34 is insane.” (35:42)
• Disagreements around the inclusion of SZA’s "SOS" over "Ctrl," Playboi Carti, and Tyler’s albums.
• Nostalgic reflection on the powerhouse music year of 2011: “2011 might be an underrated year that we don’t bring up.” (41:48)
• Insight into the criteria for the list, with Complex leaning more "culturally relevant" than musically comprehensive.

6. Sampling, Credits & WhoSampled.com

[52:35 – 58:49]

• Rory praises WhoSampled, recently acquired by Spotify, and discusses how discovering samples introduced him to new music (“The amount of artists, albums…I've discovered because hip hop producers sampled them, I couldn’t even tell you.” – 57:43)
• Mall shares a story: “My homegirl that’s autistic can hear shit and tell you the sample, what year it came out…” (53:15)
• Both advocate for proper artist credit, referencing Smokey Robinson’s openness to being sampled, with Mall saying: "Let these younger generations, let them use it. My music lives forever." (58:12)

7. The Summer Walker / Pizza Hut Voicemail & Rich the Kid Drama

[59:35 – 75:51]

• Deep-dive into leaked voice notes & DMs revealing a messy love triangle among Summer Walker, Rich the Kid, and his fiancée Tori Brixx.
  • Damaris as transcription queen, reading the actual Shade Room transcript: “I want you to be with your family… I just want to f--- with you. You can save my number as Pizza Hut.” (61:15)
  • Mal: “We all need a chick like Summer.” (63:31)
  • Both women defending Rich on social media—Rory: “Both women are defending him in this entire thing... He’s the illest of all time.” (71:18)
  • They crown Rich the Kid a future legend for this play, joking about how Summer’s unapologetic personality only boosts her appeal: “She’s devious. Her brain works different.” – Rory (67:43)
  • Damaris: “Another reason why people love Summer and Sza is because of their imperfections and honesty.” (74:12)
• Discussions center on the shifting narratives of R&B women, double standards, and social media’s role in celebrity drama.

Notable Quote

"Nice titties, big butt, stole my name under Pizza Hut. Twice a year, didn’t even nut. Summer is sick."
– Mall (74:54)

8. Listener Voicemails: Being a Stand-Up Guy, DM Etiquette, & New York Stereotypes

[91:16 – End]

• One listener asks about DM etiquette, accusing Mall of being in his girlfriend’s DMs “for years.” Hilarious debate ensues about how men and women interpret DM activity.
  • Damaris calls out the fine line: “If you like the photo, you could just hit the little, like, button…but you know that goes to my DMs…” (97:39)
  • Rory: “If your girl is replying, now I'm mad—and I'm not mad at you.” (102:43)
• A self-described Southern listener asks curious questions about New York stereotypes—rats, living over pizza shops, high rent, etc.
  • Both hosts confirm: “It’s all real. Everything you’ve seen on shows and films, it’s all real.” (108:42) Rory adds stories of rats “the size of dogs” above his first Jersey City apartment.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Rory on Thanksgiving and his teeth:
  “I’m going to two different houses for Thanksgiving. Like, I’m gonna do a little teeth tour.” (03:41)

• Damaris on holiday labor:
  “I barely eat on Thanksgiving. I eat leftovers the next day.” (06:50)

• Mall on cheese pizza and being vegan:
  “You can never give up New York pizza. That’s like something that you can’t get away from.” (06:03)

• Damaris on brushing past Patti LaBelle:
  “Patti LaBelle walked past me and her leg brushed my leg—I almost passed out.” (13:19)

• On Ja Rule’s “fight”:
  “Ja Rule did not say who it was or why they did it. He just said just randomly... tried to get sucker-punched and jump him. No one really got the best of anybody.” – Rory (22:07)

• Mall on Thanksgiving crowd at Brandy & Monica:
  “This wasn't the YN’s. There was no shiestys in the building. Everybody's face is out in the open... got cologne, perfume, smelling good…This isn't a jump-this-nigga-tonight audience.” (26:20)

• Debating the best album since 2000:
  “My generation, '88 to '93 babies, that's like a biblical album.” – Rory, on “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (34:43)

• Damaris on Usher’s “Confessions” placement:
  “That needs to be closer [to #1] because having Confessions at 34 is insane.” (35:42)

• On sampling:
  “Let these younger generations, let them use [my music]. My music lives forever.” – Mall (58:12)

• Summer Walker / Pizza Hut voicemail, Damaris reading:
  “I just want you to be with your family. I just want to f--- with you... You could buy me a new phone... and save it under Pizza Hut for all I care.” (61:15)

• Mal on Rich the Kid’s game:
  “This nigga is putting up legendary numbers. You treat me good, I treat you so good. I know what that means.” (66:09)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:22] Thanksgiving chat, teeth, family plans
• [06:31] Damaris on cooking and cleaning every year
• [11:14] Brandy & Monica concert recap
• [13:19] Damaris’ Patti LaBelle “almost faint” moment
• [19:17] Ja Rule “fight” at Barclays vs. Newark
• [27:54] Brandy vs. Monica debate
• [31:40] Reaction to Complex’s Best Albums list
• [41:48] Deep dive into 2011 as an amazing music year
• [52:35] Sampling, WhoSampled.com, credits
• [59:35] Summer Walker / Rich the Kid / Pizza Hut saga
• [74:12] The modern R&B “imperfect heroine” (Summer & Sza on relatability)
• [91:16] Voicemails: Stand-up guy, DM etiquette, NY stereotypes
• [108:42] Are NYC stereotypes true? Yes—rats, pizza shop apartments, rent
• [110:54] Closing Thanksgiving wishes

Summary Judgment

This episode delivers true-to-form New Rory & Mal: unpredictable, insightful, deeply pop-culture literate, and always a little messy. Whether discussing teeth, turkey, or tangled DMs, the crew blends music nerdiness, personal confessions, unexpected social debates, and punchy commentary on the internet's latest scandals. A must-listen for fans wanting a comedic yet real-time snapshot of music and New York culture in late 2025.