Scrolling with Hayley – Episode 231

Olympians ICE Out America on World Stage
Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Hayley Caronia

Episode Overview

Hayley Caronia combines conservative commentary and cultural critique, focusing this episode on recent controversies around the Milan Winter Olympics, the politicization of U.S. athletes on the world stage, the "ICE House" name change following protests, Winter Olympics diversity narratives, and a recap of Super Bowl 60, including halftime show performances and the growing schism in American pop culture. Hayley navigates these topics with her characteristic wit, skepticism of “woke” media, and a call for patriotism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Olympics & "ICE House" Controversy

[01:18 - 08:45]

• ICE House Renamed Winter House:

  • U.S. Olympic organizations (skating, hockey, speed skating) renamed their hospitality venue from “ICE House” to “Winter House” after protests in Milan, due to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security agents.
  • Hayley mocks the uproar, noting the agents are there for security, not politics:

    “ICE isn't the distraction, it's the liberals' reaction to ICE” — Hayley Caronia [02:32]

  • She empathizes with organizers wanting to avoid disruptive and potentially dangerous protests but criticizes the knee-jerk reaction to distance from ICE.

• Athlete Protests:

  • Gus Kenworthy (“British-American” freestyle skier) stages social media protest by writing “F*** ICE” in the snow. Hayley calls it “gross and ineffective,” and questions why a dual citizen so privileged is protesting legal immigration enforcement.

• Media Focus on Athletes' Sexuality:

  • Coverage (Out Sports, USA Today) hailing figure skater Amber Glenn as the “first LGBTQ Olympic women’s figure skater” strikes Hayley as performative and overblown.
    • She finds the topic irrelevant to sports:

      “What does sexuality have to do with anything? … I want to know how you got there. I don’t care who you sleep with.” — Hayley Caronia [07:20]

2. Olympian Political Statements

[08:45 - 16:37]

• Amber Glenn on LGBTQ Rights:

  "It's been a hard time for the [LGBTQ] community overall under this administration ... I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times." — Amber Glenn [08:45]

  • Hayley criticizes Glenn for "out of touch" comments, arguing America is among the most tolerant countries:

    “How out of touch do you have to be to be on the world stage to talk about how hard it is to be gay in the most tolerant country on earth?” — Hayley Caronia [09:34]

• Michaela Shiffrin on Representing America:

  “I think there's a lot of hardship in the world globally... I’m really hoping to show up and represent my own values, values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness and sharing.” — Michaela Shiffrin [10:29, 11:00]

  • Hayley lampoons the “pre-emptive disclaimer” trend and the need for athletes to distance themselves from U.S. politics, attributing it to social media cancel culture:

    “I see Olympians as representatives of America, but never as representatives of the government … It’s stupid.” — Hayley Caronia [12:26]

• Hunter Hess, Freestyle Skier, on ‘Mixed Emotions’:

  “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now. … Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.” — Hunter Hess [14:14]

  • Hayley retorts that the flag represents all Americans and the disclaimers are more about appeasing social media than real public sentiment.

• Lindsey Vonn Positive Statement:

  “It's a privilege to represent your country. … I always feel incredibly lucky that I'm even able to compete at that level.” — Lindsey Vonn [16:37]

  • Hayley praises this as the “normal, correct answer” and laments Vonn’s withdrawal due to injury.

3. Media Narratives: Diversity in the Winter Olympics

[17:01 - 24:14]

• AP News Article Critiqued:
  • An AP feature faulted European Winter Olympic teams, like Sweden’s, for lack of racial/ethnic diversity.
  • Hayley finds the premise absurd and “racially obsessed,” arguing that participation is naturally linked to geography, economics, and majority population demographics.

    “I feel racist reading that article … It’s just basic math.” — Hayley Caronia [19:57]

  • Criticizes attempts to force diversity where it doesn’t organically exist, and opposes the “participation trophy” mindset.

4. Super Bowl 60 & Halftime Show(s)

[24:15 - 37:28]

• Game Recap: Seahawks defeat Patriots; Hayley happy to see different teams in the mix, expressing preference for underdogs and “new blood.”

• Halftime Show: Bad Bunny v. TPUSA Alternative:

  • Players and coaches, including Christian McCaffrey, don't know Bad Bunny or his music, which Hayley finds telling and slightly amusing.
  • Bad Bunny's halftime show was largely in Spanish; Hayley expresses mixed feelings:

    “Do I think that the super bowl halftime show should be in a language that the majority of the country can't understand? No. … Did I enjoy the halftime show? Yes.” — Hayley Caronia [30:52]

  • Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin join as guests, which Hayley appreciates for their talent.
  • Super Bowl show seen as celebrating Puerto Rican culture and, surprisingly, “was not political… except for ‘the only thing more powerful than hate is love’” displayed on screen.
  • Social media backlash both for and against the show: not “political enough” for some on the left, while the right found the cultural distance alienating.

• Turning Point USA’s Competing Show:

  • Massive online viewership; Hayley loved the patriotic feel, the music, and wants more “country music, country-pop, or country-hip hop crossover” in future halftime performances.
  • Praises Gabby Barrett, Kid Rock, Charlie Puth’s rendition of the national anthem, and especially the harmonies and flyover.

5. Ongoing Protest Culture: Minneapolis & Activism in Schools

[37:29 - 43:56]

• Minneapolis Protests against ICE:

  • Protesters now throwing sex toys at cars they presume to be associated with ICE (!). Hayley finds this bizarre and “absolutely disturbing.”

• Law Enforcement Response:

  • ICE’s Tom Homan highlighted for his decisive approach:

    “The vast majority of the American people think criminal illegal aliens need to leave.” — Tom Homan (quoted by Hayley) [41:32]

  • Hayley supports prioritizing the deportation of criminal aliens and “humane deportations.”

• School Activism:

  • Waukegan High School in Illinois hosts a walkout featuring a Trump effigy on a cross as an “anti-ICE” statement.
  • Hayley calls it “demonic,” slams teachers and adults for enabling, and cites abysmal proficiency stats:

    “Only 11% of students at that school in that district are proficient in reading. 7% in math ... your kids are stupid.” — Hayley Caronia [46:16]

  • Mocks the focus on protest over basic academics, claims “these are their auditions to be paid protesters for the rest of their lives.”

6. Savannah Guthrie’s Family Crisis

[48:21 - 55:15]

• Guthrie family facing ransom situation for missing mother, Nancy Guthrie; vague, emotionally fraught video pleas for her safe return.
• Hayley speculates on motives, suspects, and the strangeness of the circumstances—notes conspiracy theories (Epstein-related, inside job rumors), but ultimately pleads for prayers and hopes for Nancy’s survival and safe return.

7. Viral Videos & Satire

[55:58 - End]

• Liberal Super Bowl Satire:

  • Hayley plays a video mocking "woke" liberal aversion to standard football culture and commercials, finds it painfully accurate and “physically hurts to watch.” [55:58]

• Athlete Priorities:

  • Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk, asked if he’d rather win the Super Bowl or have dinner with God, replies:

    “Win the Super Bowl. Thousand times over.” — Kyle Juszczyk [57:31]

  • Hayley finds this response “sad” and interprets it as a symptom of misplaced priorities and spiritual emptiness:

    “For him, winning the super bowl—that is his God.” — Hayley Caronia [57:38]

• Man-on-the-Street on ICE Deportations:

  • Interview reveals some activists reflexively want to “bring everyone back” deported by ICE—even when some were convicted criminals.

    “That shouldn’t be a hard question for anyone … these people are crazy.” — Hayley Caronia [60:05]

• Don Lemon’s Dance Clip:

  • Hayley roasts Don Lemon’s fashion and rhythm in a goofy viral video, joking about him headlining the next Super Bowl halftime:

    “For posting that online, I actually do think you should be jailed.” — Hayley Caronia [60:37]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Ice House would have been just fine, but they did this because ICE Agents and Homeland Security Investigations agents are in Milan providing security which has sparked protests." — Hayley Caronia [03:22]
• “You look stupid. You're making us all look stupid. There are 65 countries that have anti-homosexuality laws ... and this woman is talking about how hard it is to live in a country that has a whole month dedicated to celebrating people who sleep with the same sex.” — Hayley Caronia on Amber Glenn [09:44]
• "I feel racist just reading that article ... It’s just basic math." — Hayley Caronia [19:57]
• “Do I think that the super bowl halftime show should be in a language that the majority of the country can't understand? No.” — Hayley Caronia [30:52]
• “Your skin color doesn't matter. Your time does. Where you grew up doesn't matter, how hard you trained does.” — Hayley Caronia [22:43]
• "Only 11% of students at that school are proficient in reading. 7% in math ... your kids are stupid." — Hayley Caronia [46:16]
• "For him, winning the super bowl—that is his God. That's the God he's following." — Hayley Caronia [57:38]

Important Timestamps

• Ice House / Winter House controversy: [01:18 - 06:35]
• Athletes’ anti-ICE / LGBTQ protests: [06:36 - 14:40]
• Diversity in Olympic teams / AP slam: [17:00 - 24:14]
• Super Bowl talk (halftime, artists, reactions): [24:15 - 37:28]
• Minneapolis protests, ICE enforcement: [37:29 - 43:56]
• Student walkouts / Trump effigy: [43:57 - 46:16]
• Savannah Guthrie / Nancy Guthrie missing case: [48:21 - 55:15]
• Satirical videos & viral moments: [55:58 - End]

Tone & Style

Hayley’s signature approach combines sarcasm, culture war polemic, and unapologetic conservative rhetoric. She expresses frustration at "wokeness," perceived media hypocrisy, and the tendency to politicize every aspect of sports and pop culture.

Summary Takeaway

Hayley Caronia’s episode is a brash, energetic dismantling of what she views as excessive politicization and identity obsession in American sports and culture. She pushes back against narratives around ICE, athlete protest, the supposed “hardship” of LGBTQ Olympians in the U.S., and diversity quotas at the Winter Olympics, while providing a conservative counterpoint to mainstream coverage of both the Olympics and the Super Bowl halftime show. The overarching message: appreciate America, enjoy sports without disclaimers, and don’t let “the woke” ruin your fun—or your country.