So True with Caleb Hearon – "Gavin Matts Got Scammed"

Release Date: August 21, 2025
Podcast Host: Caleb Hearon
Guest: Gavin Matts

Episode Overview

This episode finds comedian Caleb Hearon joined by fellow comic Gavin Matts for a wide-ranging, funny, and self-reflective conversation centered on being scammed (often), minor regrets, the shifting world of comedy, and why being a “sellout” has lost its weight. What emerges is an honest, at times deeply silly, but always insightful look at vulnerability, trust, masculinity, and the weird places empathy can lead us. The duo swap stories of being taken advantage of, process regret, muse on video games, Canada-vs-US quirks, family, and what’s really “so true” about entertainment now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Getting Scammed as a Modern Rite of Passage

• Gavin’s In-Person Scam Experience

  • Gavin shares the memorable story of being scammed out of $800 in Brooklyn.
    • He was approached by a stranger, “Henry Glover” (which both agree is a hilariously fake name), and through a classic “money order scam,” Gavin walks with him to an ATM and hands over the cash.
    • Caleb: "It doesn't sound like you got scammed. It sounds like you just gave a guy $800." (04:36)
  • Gavin frames it as being a mark for kindness and guilt, not stupidity: “There was so much stuff I was personally feeling guilty about,” (02:40) explaining how feeling bad about the world leads to sometimes questionable generosity.

• Other Scams and Street Encounters

  • Both swap stories about being pressured for money, including Caleb’s Bushwick patio scenario and the “student buying a mixtape in Times Square for $400.”
  • International scams: Gavin describes the infamous “tea scam” in Beijing, where he ends up spending $500 CAD after being lured to tea by friendly English-learners. (11:01)

• Memorable Quotes:

  • Gavin: “I think the problem is, is my thing is that it feels like I’ve always, like, just, like, taken out an air, like AirPod or something...once you get to know me, I’m, like, really mean.” (13:24)
  • Caleb: “You do look like an easy mark. You’ve got sweet eyes and you’ve got a vibe that says, this guy will take me to tea.” (13:18)

2. Regret, Empathy, and Masculinity

• Regret & Processing

  • Gavin and Caleb reflect on personal regrets with comedic candor, ultimately circling back to the idea that “everyone just take solace in the fact that I’M the most affected” (14:42) and that, often, the storyteller’s embarrassment remains long after others forget.

• Masculinity, Community, and Vulnerability

  • The two joke about “sorting out” men and boys, with Gavin admitting, “I feel like I’m in, like, a good place emotionally with my friends. Pretty vulnerable guy.” (18:08)
  • But also, he admits, the friend group decompresses by playing the right-wing video game “Ready or Not,” leading to a riff about inventing the “purple pill” (a mash-up of red and blue video game ideologies): “We’re, like, creating a new kind of red pill where it’s like a combination...that’s how we’re fighting back.” (18:57)

3. The Canada–U.S. Divide & Family Talk

• Life as a Canadian in America

  • Gavin’s conflicted identity as a Canadian immigrant surfaces (“You could not pay me to go back.” (07:58)), including passport woes and the challenges of staying in the US during green card processing.
  • They riff on quirks in Canadian football, education, and pronunciation differences: “You know when you pronounce a place wrong and then people act like you. You’re doing it to them on purpose.” (33:17)

• Family Dynamics & The “Sluttiness” of Puppies and Sisters

  • Amusingly, the two discuss how straight men appear suspect when posting with puppies or expressing love for sisters:
    • “The two sluttiest things that a straight man can do is have a sister that he loves and post pictures with a puppy.” (15:47)
  • Gavin talks about his visiting sister and his adorable, chaotic niece with “bangs, always sweating and yelling for help.” (17:00)

4. Comedy, the Entertainment Industry, and Sellout Culture

• The Death of the “Sellout” Insult and Shifting Economics

  • Gavin’s “So true” moment: "The entertainment industry has started to suck once we stop calling people sellouts." (49:24)
  • Caleb adds: “I think that we can't call people sellouts anymore because the entertainment industry sucks. I think we have to sell out because [...] a staff writer for Modern Family was making so much fucking money. [...] Now there's full on TV writers...can't make a living to even live in LA.” (50:30–51:14)
  • Discussion around creators feeling forced into branded content as “the money that used to exist for people to just be actors or just be standups is really not there anymore.” (51:21)

• Integrity vs. Advertising

  • Gavin and Caleb debate whether even “evil brands” should be avoided for money, while also poking fun at their own complicity doing ads.

5. Lighthearted Bits & Notable Moments

• True or False Game (54:14)

  • Gavin answers a fast-paced quiz for a chance at $50 but comes up short (“You needed at least 10 [answers correct],” 56:14).

• Random Fun and Riffs

  • Discussing the design flaws of Canadian football fields (20:01)
  • Pondering the appeal (and pitfalls) of cherry-dip ice cream (31:22)
  • The idea of a “cleaning fetish” as encountered on Grindr, leading to a hilarious hypothetical (47:03)
  • Gavin's phase of "getting cut a lot" because of kitchen mishaps, which segues into marveling at the body’s ability to heal (43:18)

• Buttoned by True Crime Tangents

  • They digress into true crime, discussing the Netflix doc on Amy Lynn Bradley, the “poop cruise,” and absurdity of cruise ship mysteries.
    • “He was like, that's crazy. But we're not doing that. 7:00am yeah, yeah, yeah.” (39:31)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Being Scammed:
  • “It doesn't sound like you got scammed. It sounds like you just gave a guy $800.”
    — Caleb (04:36)
• On Generosity:
  • “You look sweet because you did something nice and someone took advantage of you.”
    — Caleb (03:25)
• On Masculinity and Vulnerability:
  • “We’re, like, creating a new kind of red pill... a combination of, like, red and blue, where it’s like a purple pill.”
    — Gavin (18:57)
• On Regret:
  • “But to everybody, I am sorry to all involved, but know that I'm the most affected by it.”
    — Gavin (14:30)
• On the End of ‘Sellout’ as an Insult:
  • "The entertainment industry has started to suck once we stop calling people sellouts."
    — Gavin (49:24)
• On Comedy Economics:
  • “We can't call people sellouts anymore because the entertainment industry sucks. I think we have to sell out...”
    — Caleb (50:30)
• On Cleaning Fetish Culture:
  • “I want to come over and clean your house. Make me clean your house…be mean to me while I clean your house.”
    — Caleb (47:03)
• On Healing from Cuts:
  • “I do think the craziest thing about it...is like, you can heal. Like, you heal. You know what I mean? Like, this was way bigger. It's going away.”
    — Gavin (43:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Scam Stories & Empathy: 01:37–12:06
• Regret & Reflection: 14:09–15:03
• Canada vs. U.S.; Immigration: 06:56–07:59, 33:05–35:20
• Video Games, Masculinity: 18:08–19:36
• Comedy & Entertainment Industry Rant ("Sellout" Culture): 49:24–52:15
• Cleaning Fetish, Housework: 46:47–48:51
• True or False Game: 54:14–56:14
• Show Plugs & Upcoming Gigs: 57:16–58:09

Closing & Plugs

• Gavin shares he’s “doing really good right now... pretty happy and doing a lot of stuff for myself” (57:00), and plugs his upcoming stand-up dates in Vancouver and Toronto.
• Find Gavin on social media: @gavinmatts (58:11).

Tone & Style:
Playful, self-deprecating, conspiratorial, emotionally honest, full of absurd jokes and unfiltered reflections. The podcast’s rhythm is conversational, with deeply personal admissions cut by bits and asides, so the listener feels included in an intimate, ongoing banter between old pals.

For listeners new and old, this episode is a gem: a backstage pass to the secret vulnerabilities and existential doubts of two smart, funny people—and a handful of outrageously “scammable” moments you’ll never forget.