Podcast Summary: Son of a Boy Dad #386

Guest: Nick Mullen
Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Barstool Sports
Special Co-hosts: Dave Portnoy, Francis, Harry

Overview

In this episode, comedian Nick Mullen joins the Son of a Boy Dad crew for a freewheeling, hilarious conversation that ranges from chance celebrity encounters and comedic war stories to ruminations on modern masculinity, podcasting culture, and utterly deranged hypothetical scenarios. The group moves at breakneck speed through barstool history, cultural references, strange jobs, pop culture, adolescence, and the absurdities of adulthood—anchored by Nick's sardonic, razor-sharp commentary.
Throughout, the tone is irreverent, quick-witted, deeply unserious, and quintessentially Barstool.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Running Into Jerry Seinfeld & Comedy Fandom

• Francis recounts a breakfast encounter with Jerry Seinfeld in Minneapolis. Jerry’s standoffish reputation led to a convoluted “Trojan horse” introduction via opener Ryan Hamilton, resulting in a moment of relief from Seinfeld when he realized Francis didn't want a picture.
  • "I could see Seinfeld relax. He's like, 'Oh, he's not gonna ask me for a picture.'" – Francis (03:46)
• Nick Mullen jokes he’d act like “bad Kramer” around Seinfeld until Jerry snapped, poking fun at comedy heroes and how too much reverence can be silly.
  • "I would act like Kramer... not even good at it." – Nick Mullen (01:48)
• The group debates whether Seinfeld has truly done anything legendary since the show.

2. Early Barstool & Internet Culture

• Nick's first exposure to Barstool was seeing raunchy, viral videos on his cousin’s phone, expecting the brand to be entirely shock-value clips.
  • "My cousin showed me a video... That was on—I was like, 'What is this website?'" – Nick Mullen (05:49)
• Discussion of the evolution of Barstool: from wild viral clips and Chive adjacency to a complex, multi-platform media business.
• The chat touches on catchphrases like "Viva La Stool" and trends like "Keep Calm and Chive On," debating their origins and odd appropriations in American internet culture.

3. Comedy Circles & Sketches Never Made

• Nick & Francis reminisce about a sketch idea ("Trans Terminator") that never made it past the concept stage, and discuss the difficulty of finding comics to play physically imposing roles in sketches.
• Aaron Berg's legendary crowd work is dissected:
  • "If you repeated any of it... people would be like, 'and then he went to jail.'" – Nick Mullen (14:01)
  • Multiple stories are shared about being roasted mercilessly at clubs by Berg.

4. Old-School Internet & Viral Moments

• Barstool’s early viral videos: Women at bars, surprise nudity, even a legendary fish at the Jersey Shore—all part of the pre-social media scramble for attention.
• Discussion on early internet phenomena, how brands like Barstool and Chive defined masculine internet humor in the late-2000s/early-2010s.

5. Counterfeiting Stories & Law-Bending Antics

• Dave Portnoy shares a wild firefighter banquet story—local legend, counterfeiting, buying up watermelons at Chinese markets with fake $100s, and mafia run-ins.
  • “He’s actively counterfeiting. And he only hits Chinese markets because he’s like, ‘they can’t tell the difference.’” – Dave Portnoy (16:25)
• Group reminisce on their own (failed) forays into making fake IDs or printing money as dumb kids and the fear that every minor crime would bring the FBI to their door.

6. Japan’s Modern Problems: Sex & Media

• Japan’s male porn star shortage is riffed on, segueing into the broader “crisis” of young men worldwide not having sex or social lives.
  • "30 to 40% of the male population in Japan has never fucked." – Nick Mullen (21:10)
• The hosts (in jest and seriousness) tie this to technology, anime, and a global swing toward asceticism or religious devotion.
  • "Everyone’s going to be Muslim and like… heavy on religion. Religion’s back." – Harry (22:33)

7. Consumer Culture: Water, Clothing, and Apartment Woes

• Extended riff on the absurdity of bottled water preferences:
  • "Arrowhead is like filtered through a coal miner's... it's foul." – Dave Portnoy (29:07)
  • "Evian's disgusting... there's like baby oil in it." – Nick Mullen (29:15)
• Japanese denim, Muji, and fashion: Nick jokes about "being too fat for Muji," comparing Japanese brands to Kmart, the odd cultural reverse-exoticism.
• Multiple stories about buying, moving, and destroying couches, with Francis warning about couch doctors who nearly sawed through his floor (and his security deposit).
  • "They just went too far... I lost my whole security deposit because of it." – Francis (51:49)

8. DIY, Tinkering, and Old Jobs

• Nick details his love of fixing things, from couch repairs to custom building a TV console with matching speaker stands:
  • “I built the television console... two towers... bookshelf speakers I built stands for...” – Nick Mullen (73:06)
• Anecdotes of call center jobs with “dumb nerds” (32:17), pizza retention attempts, and competitive eating contests gone wrong.
• Soldering irons, hot tweezers, and tinkering with electronics—Nick is deep into the DIY life.

9. Fake IDs & Adolescent Paranoia

• Multiple hosts recount failed attempts at using fakes, the petty tyranny of bowling alley bouncers, and the childhood fear of “being arrested for printing money.”
  • "The guy comes back with photocopies of the IDs. You're like, it's over, we're going to jail." – Harry (59:20)
• Reflection on growing up, learning you can “get out of trouble without calling your parents,” and the ever-present anxiety of youth.

10. Pop Culture Deep Dives & Absurd Pitches

• Whiplash (the movie) is debated ad nauseam—its title, plot, drumming, acting, Oscar history, and why it’s so re-watchable.
• Hilarious, satirical pitch for a “black guy on the Titanic” film that would weave through all the major plot points of Titanic, offering a parallel, progressively absurd narrative.
  • "The group would find out... there's a black guy on the Titanic running around and they're trying to capture him... The reason Billy Zane's OK with Jack [is] at least she's not that black guy." – Nick Mullen (89:01)
• The gang riffs on Blippi (the children’s YouTuber) and his notorious pre-kid’s-content "Harlem Shake" scat video:
  • "He projectile [defecates] into a guy's ass... And now he's the biggest children's content creator in the world." – Dave Portnoy (63:59)
• Revisiting the Coney 2012 doc and the fate of its creator.
• Retrospective on “cause bracelets”—from Livestrong (testicular cancer) to Save Darfur, riffing on the contrivance of cause-marketing.

11. Late-Night Chatter: Cabs, Ubers, and Lost Comfort

• Complaints about Uber rides, Tesla’s bumpy rides, and nostalgia for full-size American sedans—especially the Crown Vic.
  • "Teslas are way more herky-jerky... the Princess and the pea!" – Harry (75:43)
• Nick laments his totaled 1994 Grand Marquis:
  • "I had that car... before it got totaled. Wasn't my fault. I was devastated." – Nick Mullen (77:08)

12. Bits on Masculinity, Purpose, and the State of Adulthood

• Underlying everything is the show’s running joke: Lil Sasquatch (Sas) has dropped out of college and tumbles through adult life looking for meaning, while Nick, Rone, and guests impart questionable wisdom ranging from “eat more groceries” to “learn to 3D print a ghost gun.”
  • "We gotta 3D print them. You gotta learn how to make your own gun... the era of buying a gun is over." – Nick Mullen (56:35)
• Frequent reminders that nobody really knows what adulthood means, punctuated with perfectly deadpan asides, e.g., “I signed up for the Nathan’s contest and you eat the bread but shove the hot dog up your ass...” (35:54)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "Just act like Kramer badly... just follow him around the hotel." – Nick Mullen on meeting Seinfeld (01:48)
• "If you repeated any of [Aaron Berg’s bits]... people would say, ‘he went to jail.’” – Nick Mullen (14:01)
• "Why can't I print money? The government's allowed to print money." – Nick Mullen (18:49)
• "Thirty to forty percent of Japanese men have never fucked." – Nick Mullen (21:10)
• "Everyone’s going to be Muslim. Religion’s back!" – Harry (22:33)
• "Arrowhead is like filtered through a coal miner’s, it’s foul." – Dave Portnoy (29:07)
• "I'm trying to trick other people into becoming pipe guys." – Nick Mullen on his latest hobby (39:24)
• "The era of buying your gun, that's a thing of the past." – Nick Mullen (56:41)
• "What if a black guy was on the Titanic? No one could let the passengers know." – Nick Mullen, pitch for a parallel Titanic movie (89:01)
• "He projectile [defecates] into a guy’s ass. Now he’s the children’s content king." – Dave Portnoy on Blippi (63:59)
• "I had a Grand Marquis, before it got totaled... I was devastated." – Nick Mullen (77:08)
• "[Schindler’s List]... it’s a bit of a romp!" – Nick Mullen, deadpan about the Holocaust film (83:11)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Running into Seinfeld in Minneapolis: 01:04 – 04:40
• Nick's first exposure to Barstool, early Barstool culture: 05:49 – 07:19
• Aaron Berg crowdwork stories: 12:41 – 14:38
• Counterfeiting anecdotes, childhood fears: 15:47 – 19:15
• Japan's sex crisis talk: 20:56 – 23:35
• Water and bottled water preferences: 28:14 – 31:09
• Old nerdy jobs/call center, competitive eating: 32:17 – 35:39
• Pipe smoking, tinkering, and home DIY: 39:24 – 73:20 (recurring)
• Fake ID paranoia: 58:12 – 59:20
• "Black guy on the Titanic" bit: 89:00 – 92:52
• Review and riff on Schindler’s List: 83:04 – 87:59
• Crown Vic/Grand Marquis nostalgia: 75:59 – 78:16

Overall Tone & Style

• Language & Tone: Irreverent, dryly sarcastic, self-deprecating. Nothing is sacred; everything is up for a bit.
• Pacing: Fast, tangential, filled with callbacks and recurring inside jokes.
• Chemistry: The hosts and Nick Mullen spark off each other for nearly ninety minutes without flagging, barely missing a comedic beat.
• Content: Bursts from cultural critique to utter absurdity, never taking itself too seriously but always insightful in its own unique way.

For New Listeners

If you’ve never heard Son of a Boy Dad or Nick Mullen before, this episode showcases their highly specific style: whip-quick ADHD jumps between personal humiliation, brutal honesty, ridiculous hypotheticals, and inventive, off-the-wall comedy. It’s a blend of internet history, stand-up shop talk, lowbrow social psychology, and gleefully irreverent banter.

You’ll enjoy this if:

• You appreciate anti-earnest, self-aware podcasts
• You’re interested in the comedy world, internet culture, or the weirdness of adulthood
• You like deeply unserious, offensive humor delivered with craft and intelligence

You might cringe if:

• You can’t stand profanity, dark humor, or inside-baseball comedy talk
• You expect consistent structure or linear storytelling

-- End of Part One with Nick Mullen. For more, listen to Son of a Boy Dad wherever you get podcasts.