Pablo Torre Finds Out – "Share & Christmas & Tell"

With Katie Nolan, Michael Cruz Kane (and Jordon Hudson)
December 23, 2025 • The Athletic Podcast Network

Episode Overview

This festive, freewheeling holiday episode of "Pablo Torre Finds Out" brings together Pablo and his regular collaborators Katie Nolan and Michael Cruz Kane for an end-of-year roundtable full of laughter, meta reflections, listener engagement, and playful chaos. What starts as a loose, boozy holiday hang evolves into a meta discussion about their roles in sports media headlines, an actual call-in with a beloved fan, and an extended showcase of the community that’s grown around the show.

Highlights include: behind-the-scenes revelations about the year’s biggest stories (like the Bill Belichick/Jordon Hudson saga), the crew’s Hollywood doppelgängers, hilarious listener voicemails, a heartfelt call with superfan Cletus, gift exchanges, and a musical Omnichord finale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Festive Kick-Off & Studio Banter

• In classic "Share & Tell" fashion, the group begins with lighthearted chaotic energy: Katie opens champagne (with danger to the tech!), and they roast each other’s drinking habits.
• [03:00] Katie: "In a room full of this much expensive equipment? I could try."
• Michael jokes about the champagne's effect on his personality:
  [04:32] "My genetic makeup will be drunk from this much. It will change my personality."

2. Meta Commentary on the Jordon Hudson Story

• The crew returns to their headline-grabbing reporting on Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson’s relationship, noting how they’ve become part of the story, parodied on CBS’s "Elsbeth" with a character clearly inspired by their podcast and reporting.
• [08:09] Pablo recaps:
  "A consultant detective for the NYPD... There's an episode... the episode involves a young character whose name is Peyton Ramsey... may or may not be looming behind Katie Nolan at this moment."
• They react in real time to how their real podcasting (and personas) have inspired the TV depiction. Katie riffs on the character design:
  [10:11] "If I may, and this is editorializing immediately—more stylish than her inspiration. You know, cooler. She walked in the room, I was like, oh, it's a cool lady."

3. Life Imitating Art (Michael's Near-Stardom)

• Michael reveals that he auditioned for the TV role based on himself:
  [12:07] Michael: "I'm going to tell you the God's honest truth. I auditioned. I'm pretty sure. I mean, I haven’t heard this character talk yet."
• They read and reenact fictionalized lines, then watch the "Elsbeth" scene and compare notes, laughing at life’s recursive loop.
• Pablo offers context for new listeners:
  [12:59] "Michael is an actor...half of his face was in Severance."
• Katie: "Also, he had a line that got cut from Succession." ([13:30])

4. Show Impact & Jordan Hudson's Response

• They discuss the real-world ripple of their show, referencing:
  • Their reporting on Mike Lombardi being fictionalized and then killed off on TV.
  • Jordan Hudson’s cheeky engagement:
    [17:52] Pablo: "Jordan Hudson on November 19 at 8:45am said, quote, 'You're welcome.' Period."
  • An Instagram post with her “band” necklace and the caption:
    [18:20] Katie: "P S. I'm suing you. Heart hands."

5. Listener Hotline – The Community Speaks

• Pablo’s podcast voicemail (51385-PABLO) is celebrated, featuring earnest and wacky calls:
  • Tony P: heartfelt thanks for an episode about transgender issues
    [24:41] "My child is trans, and this one touched home a lot."
  • Tim Donaghy: the disgraced NBA ref calls in!
    [25:22] “Hey, Pablo, this is Tim Donaghy...”
  • Cletus from Navarre, FL: the breakout fan-star, repeatedly asking Pablo to “find out” stuff like "When did women start stinking?"

6. Live Call With Cletus – The Heart of the Episode

• In an unscripted, magical moment, Pablo calls back Cletus on his birthday.
• Cletus describes himself as a working-class feminist, Filipino food fan, and environmentalist ("I sling grease" – recycles restaurant oil), expressing deep affection for the show and its community.
• Cletus relates their success not just in sports talk but in creating "family":
  [35:01] "I wish I was there that night with y'all smoking bowls, man."
• He opines on gendered body spray ads ("I don't know no women that stink...I know a whole lot more dudes who smell"), making the hosts laugh and bond.
• Pablo names him the show’s "Florida Panhandle Correspondent" (unpaid, of course).

7. Segment: Gifts, Callbacks, and Podcast Lore

• Michael, Katie, and Pablo exchange presents:
  • Michael receives a suspiciously dense burger ("It has the density of...a space rock!” — Michael, [45:51])
  • Katie gets an Omnichord ("Why would you do that? I mean, you do owe me..." — Katie, [47:05])
• The conversation spirals into Pablo eating the burger live and the group serenading the audience with a Christmas standard on dueling Omnichords.
• They reminisce on a year of viral segments, like planting a tree outside the Clippers’ arena (which is promptly removed, only to be replaced).

8. Showcase: Listener-Made Music & the 50 Cent of Journalism

• Andrew Streeter gifts the show with an original podcast jingle, mashing up news moments and inside jokes (refs to Giannis, Riley Gaines, etc.).
• Pablo recounts being called “the 50 Cent of journalism”: [31:26] "I have been called...the 50 Cent of journalism."
• More listener music closes (and the running joke about being the “greatest sports journalist in the world”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Katie Nolan, on Christmas podcasting:
  "This is what we have." [06:18]

• Michael Cruz Kane self-deprecating re: acting:
  "Half of his face was in 'Severance'." ([13:06])

• Voicemail from Cletus, on anti-women’s-body-spray ads:
  "I've noticed on the TV in the last year that they don't talk about men stinking, but women all of a sudden stink. I don't know no women that stinking...it's like, why? I mean, because I know a whole lot more dudes that smell." ([36:17])

• Cletus, defining the community:
  "Y’all called the worst person if you didn’t want adulation, because I am like Katie Nolan." ([34:30])

• Jordan Hudson's Instagram caption, via Katie:
  "P S. I’m suing you. Heart hands." ([18:20])

• Pablo, on the surreal TV adaptation:
  "Very vaguely, I was going to say. So is this play about us?" ([14:08])

• Michael, on the density of his gift burger:
  "If you held this, you’d be like, it’s crazy how heavy it is. It defies all logic." ([45:37])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:00] — Champagne-opening shenanigans
• [06:44] — Meta reflection on how the show’s reporting has become part of the pop-culture story
• [08:09] — Deep dive into "Elsbeth" TV parody
• [12:59] — Michael’s actor backstory; Severance and Succession cameos
• [17:52] — Jordan Hudson’s reactions to media attention
• [24:41] — Moving listener voicemail about trans acceptance in sports
• [25:22] — Tim Donaghy, disgraced NBA referee, calls in
• [26:45] — Legendary Cletus voicemail (“When did women start stinking?”)
• [33:06 - 37:59] — Live call with Cletus: birthday, grease-slinging, unsolicited family invite
• [45:04] — Gift exchange: Michael's mysterious burger and Katie's lavish Omnichord
• [47:52] — The Omnichord Christmas musical finale

Tone & Vibe

This episode is peak end-of-year "Share & Tell": rambunctious, self-aware, warm, and unpredictable—with the hosts fully leaning into their comedic chemistry, absurd tangents, and affection for their strange, devoted audience. The tone remains irreverent but genuine, with moments of real community, reflection, and gratitude peeking through the boozy goofiness.

For New Listeners

This episode is a microcosm of what Pablo Torre’s show has become: hard-hitting sports/culture journalism, self-referential media critique, oddball community-building, and hilarious deep dives into the weird corners of fandom. Even if you’re not up on every inside joke, there’s plenty of heart and entertainment here.

Closing Note

Whether you come for the journalism, the chaos, or the surprise connections (like a surreal live call with Cletus, the "Florida Panhandle Correspondent"), you’ll leave with a sense the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” universe is as much about its listeners as its newsmakers—a found family, awkward Christmas gifts and all.