“The View” MELTSDOWN Over Babies, Jimmy Kimmel Insults Blue Collar Workers, Kamala Plots 2028 Run, and Sage Steele Joins

Summary

Spot On with Link Lauren — Episode Summary

Episode: “The View” MELTSDOWN Over Babies, Jimmy Kimmel Insults Blue Collar Workers, and Kamala Plots 2028 Run
Host: Link Lauren
Guest: Sage Steele
Date: April 1, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Link Lauren offers his sharp, comedic, and often irreverent takes on the week’s political and pop culture turmoil. After a brief monologue about the overwhelming state of April Fools pranks, Link dives into headlines: Kamala Harris’s rumored 2028 presidential ambitions, Don Lemon’s presidential delusions, Chick-fil-A’s phone-free ice cream initiative, The View’s anti-nuclear family segment, Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes at blue-collar workers' expense, and the ongoing debate about biological males in women's sports. Special guest Sage Steele joins Link for an authentic conversation about family, career, womanhood, social issues, and the disconnect between America’s coastal elites and everyday Americans.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. April Fools Exhaustion & Show Intro

• [00:59]–[01:19]
  Link opens with a comedic rant about April Fools Day, expressing exhaustion with pranks in the midst of a chaotic news cycle.
  • “Can we just suspend April Fools for this year? Okay? There's so much going on. I don't have time for the games, the buffoonery, the tomfoolery, the malarkey.” —Link Lauren [01:00]
  • Humorous anecdote about being pranked by his partner Chris, highlighting the episode’s light tone.

2. Kamala Harris and 2028 Presidential Run

• [05:10]–[08:52]
  Link skewers Vice President Kamala Harris’s rumored plans to run for president in 2028, speculating that campaign attention is addictive for politicians.
  • "She thinks she's going to run for office because why the hell not?... she has no policies, she has no plans, and she has absolutely nothing going on." —Link Lauren [06:39]
  • Satirical commentary linking Harris’s public appearances and fundraising tours to a not-so-secret presidential ambition.
  • Critical note about Democratic Party's donor class and their likely lack of enthusiasm for Harris: "The last thing they probably want is a Kamala Harris nomination in the Democratic Party." [07:45]

3. Don Lemon’s Presidential Aspirations

• [08:52]–[09:41]
  Link mocks Don Lemon’s assertion that he could run the country better than Donald Trump.
  • Plays Lemon’s podcast clip: “I think I could be President of the United States. I could definitely run this country better than...than...than Donald Trump.” —Don Lemon [08:52]
  • Link derides Lemon’s employability and self-perception:
    • "This is a man who couldn't even keep his job at CNN... you have to be so terrible to get the can from the mainstream media." [09:18]
    • Humorously attacks Lemon’s public contradictions and controversial statements about white men.

4. Chick-fil-A’s Phone-Free Challenge

• [09:45]–[13:30]
  Segment delves into Chick-fil-A’s initiative to reward customers who put away their phones during meals with free ice cream.
  • Link shares nostalgia about pre-cell-phone family meals and the impact of screens on today’s kids.
  • "Don't make me choose between gay rights and Chick Fil A, okay? Because I might be choosing the latter..." [10:26]
  • Recognizes parental reliance on screens but advocates for more in-person family interaction:
    • “There’s nothing wrong with [arguing or laughing at dinner]; that’s part of growing up, part of the human experience.” [12:05]
  • Personal anecdote: Link drove 90 minutes for Chick-fil-A, declaring, “I’m living the American dream. Chick-fil-A, Lowe’s, Costco...I’m in heaven.” [13:03]

5. Sage Steele Interview (Begins)

• [16:36]–[40:21]
  Sage Steele, a veteran sportscaster, joins for candid commentary on family, motherhood, The View, class, higher education, and women’s sports.

a. Scheduling Woes & Relationship Relatability

• [17:06]
  Light banter about managing household calendars and the challenges for couples with different schedules.

b. The View’s Viral Meltdown on Family Values

• [18:06]–[27:30]
  Link and Sage analyze a segment from The View where panelists disparage the nuclear family and family aspirations.
  • Steele criticizes The View for “smug and condescending” responses, highlighting hypocrisy in their attitude toward motherhood and working women.
    • “It actually breaks my heart...not just what they said, it was the way they said it—so smug and condescending towards Isabel Brown.” —Sage Steele [19:33]
  • Both advocate for bringing everyday women into public discussions about family, not just influencers or political commentators.
  • Steele shares personal story about raising three children while working full-time:
    • “Was it hard when they were little and I was working full time? Yes...there’s nobody who ever after having their child regrets it, but there’s millions who regret not trying.” [23:22]
  • They emphasize sacrifice as core to parenting and personal growth.

c. Birthrate Concerns & Value of the Nuclear Family

• [26:13]
  Both express concern about America’s falling birthrate, with Link framing the nuclear family as the “foundation of society.”
  • Steele: “Now I know why I'm on this earth. It is to be a mom to Quinn, Nicholas, and Evan...also learning that I'm here because I have a big mouth. Let’s use these big mouths to talk about what we can do better.” [26:45]

6. Class Warfare and Jimmy Kimmel’s Elitism

• [29:25]–[35:15]
  Discussion pivots to Jimmy Kimmel mocking Senator (and plumber) Markwayne Mullin.
  • Kimmel joke: “We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism. Now I work for Super Mario. Why not?” [30:11]
  • Sage finds the joke mean-spirited given Kimmel’s political history, pointing to attitudes of Hollywood elites:
    • “He looks down on people like that.” [32:02]
  • Link decries the diminishing respect for trade skills, advising young people to pursue trades over expensive college degrees:
    • “Plumbers in New York City...are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year...you're knocking these plumbers—you're gonna need plumbers in the future, Jimmy Kimmel...” [32:41]
  • Sage discusses the high cost of four-year colleges versus guaranteed jobs with trade school training.

7. Biological Males in Women’s Sports

• [35:15]–[40:21]
  Final segment addresses Minnesota’s legal conflict over allowing biological males to compete in female sports.
  • Sage, a former ESPN sportscaster, is unapologetically forthright:
    • “This is the hill that I chose to die on...they refuse to acknowledge anything that might halfway align with President Trump, even if it's something that is based in fact, based in science.” [36:56]
  • Both disparage virtue signaling by politicians at the expense of women's rights and safety.
  • Link: “I'm never going to apologize for defending girls and women. They should be able to feel safe in their locker room. They shouldn't have brain damage because they're forced to compete against men.” [39:51]
  • Sage: “It's the least I can do with this God-given platform and my history covering women's sports for 30 years.” [37:50]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Tell me you have no personality without telling me you have no personality. Some of these people, they're writing paragraphs on Facebook and at the end, April Fools. It's not funny.” —Link Lauren [01:09]
• “Don Lemon—This is a man who couldn't even keep his job at CNN as a black gay liberal man, you have to be so terrible to get the can from the mainstream media.” —Link Lauren [09:18]
• “Don’t make me choose between gay rights and Chick-fil-A, okay? Because I might be choosing the latter, okay? Honey. Polynesian sauce, Spicy deluxe chicken sandwich nuggets...Don’t make me choose, okay? I will die on this hill.” —Link Lauren [10:26]
• “Like, it actually breaks my heart, the fact that it wasn’t just what they said, it was the way they said it—so smug and condescending towards Isabel Brown...” —Sage Steele [19:33]
• “There’s nobody who ever after having their child regrets it, but there’s millions who regret not trying.” —Sage Steele [23:28]
• “If we don’t have the nuclear family, what do we have?” —Link Lauren [27:30]
• “Plumbers, we’re going to need more plumbers in the future...You're knocking these plumbers, you’re going to need plumbers in the future, Jimmy Kimmel, because you and your friends have no real world skills.” —Link Lauren [32:41]
• “This is the hill that I chose to die on...they refuse to acknowledge anything that might halfway align with President Trump, even if it's something that is based in fact, based in science.” —Sage Steele [36:56]

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:59 – April Fools commentary, intro to show topics
• 05:10 – Kamala Harris 2028 speculation
• 08:52 – Don Lemon’s presidential ambitions
• 09:45 – Chick-fil-A’s phone-free challenge
• 16:36 – Sage Steele interview begins
  • 18:06 – The View and anti-family talking points
  • 19:10 – Sage critiques media negativity toward motherhood
  • 22:46 – Everyday women and motherhood, personal stories
  • 26:13 – Birthrate and the value of family
  • 29:25 – Jimmy Kimmel and snobbery toward blue-collar workers
  • 35:15 – Women’s sports and biological males, Minnesota lawsuit
  • 40:21 – Farewell to Sage Steele, episode closing remarks

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Tone & Style Notes

• Direct, irreverent, and humorous, with personal anecdotes woven throughout
• Takes a critical stance on elitism, virtue signaling, and the cultural backlash against traditional families
• Celebrates everyday Americans, blue-collar workers, and the value of sacrifice—whether in parenting or professional life

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers both laughs and serious cultural critique. Link Lauren’s playful but sharp tone, combined with Sage Steele’s heartfelt, no-nonsense perspective, make for a lively exploration of current political and cultural divisions. Highlights include their shared nostalgia for family meals, defense of blue-collar work, and unfiltered advocacy for women’s opportunities and rights.

Transcript

[Link Lauren]

Wasn't that delicious? So good. Your bill, ladies.

[Sage Steele]

I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I assisted first. Oh, don't be silly. You don't be silly.

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[Link Lauren]

Rock, paper, scissors.

[Sage Steele]

Shoot. No.

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[Link Lauren]

Hey everyone, welcome back to Spot on with Link. Lauren. Happy hump day. Also, happy April Fools. Can we just suspend April Fools for this year? Okay? There's so much going on. I don't have time for the games, the buffoonery, the tomfoolery, the malarkey. You don't have to come up and tell me some joke. April Fools.

[Sage Steele]

Ha ha ha ha ha.

[Link Lauren]

I woke up this morning, okay? I was barely awake. And Chris leans over and looks at me. Now, if you follow me on Instagram, you know Chris, we love Chris. So Chris looks over at me and he goes, link, Link. I said what? He said, mark Levin is doing a sit down interview on Megyn Kelly today. And I'm. I'm going, oh, okay. And he goes, april Fools. I thought you'd be more surprised. I said, honey, I am still in REM sleep. You could tell me they found Nancy Guthrie. And I'd be like, oh, great, great. What was she wearing? Like, I. If I am asleep, don't come around here with the games, okay? I don't have time for it. I don't have time for the nonsense. Like, if I'm asleep, you could tell me Siegfried and Rory are back on tour with their lions, tigers, and bears. I'd say, oh, good, good, good. You could tell me Liberace been named Secretary of the Interior. If I'm asleep, you could tell me anything. So I don't have time for the april fools at 6:15 in the morning when I'm barely waking up. And there's some people, they're taking April Fools so seriously. Like, tell me you have no personality without telling me you have no personality. Some of these people, they're Facebook paragraphs, writing paragraphs all the way at the end. April Fools. It's not funny. Have y' all turned on the news? We have enough going on in our lives in this country, around the world. Everybody has enough shit on their plates. Okay? So I don't need the April Fools. So don't come with the April Fools in the comments. But I know you guys are going to agree with me, but that was my wake up call this morning. On today's episode, we have a star joining us and a superstar, Sage Steele. She'll be joining us later in the show. I know so many of you love Sage Steele. She's one of those, those women who just seems so wise. She has all this wisdom and sage advice. So I'm excited to talk to her. Sage advice, pun intended. So we have Sage Steele coming on. We're going to discuss the View. The women of the View apparently hate the nuclear family. They don't want anyone having children, even though I think every woman on the panel has multiple children. So we'll get into all of that with Sage Steele. We're going to talk about what's going on. Also with Chick Fil A. Okay. Chick Fil A has this new rule where apparently you can get free ice cream and some free desserts if you don't use your cell phone. And I know parents are loving this. Some parents are hating it because they want to just enjoy their meals in peace. And now the kids don't have the tablets or the phones. So we'll have that debate. And also, apparently Kamala Harris thinks she's going to run for president again, which I'm in favor of because I need the content, I need the material, and I think it'd be entertaining. But I don't know. I don't know if there's enough liquor. I don't know if there's enough liquor in America for Kamala Harris to run for again. But we're going to pay some bills really quickly and then we'll be right back. This spring. If you want real results, better gut health, glowing skin, stronger hair and steady energy, start with Colostrum. When your gut is balanced, everything else improves. Today's sponsor, Cowboy Colostrum offers premium bovine colostrum sourced entirely from American grass fed cows and made in the usa. Unlike many brands, it uses true first day whole colostrum packed with bioactives like immunoglobins and growth factors. Don't worry, only surplus colostrum is collected after calves are fully nourished. Cowboy Colostrum is unprocessed, full fat and protein rich for maximum nutrient density. Supporting your gut can boost immunity, reduce bloating and improve skin, hair, nails and energy levels. Results you can actually see and feel. It's also easy to enjoy with natural flavors like chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, matcha and strawberry made from real ingredients. Just add a scoop to your coffee or smoothie and feel the difference. For a limited time, our listeners get up to 25% off their entire order. Just head to cowboycolostrum.com link use code link at checkout. That's 25% off when you use code [e-mail] link well, Ms. Kamalamity Harris, cabernet Kamala, apparently she thinks she's going to run for office in 2028. She wants to run for president again. And let me tell you, okay, a tale as old as time. Once you get that bug of running for president, you get all of that attention, you're not going to let it go. Kamala, she ran for president in 2020. Okay? I think she got 2% of the votes, 1%. She ends up being VP1 to skip a few. She slotted in in the last election, in the last 107 days, she slotted in and then she gets all of this attention again. And I think that dopamine hit that rush to your head. It's just so addictive. And it's why women like Kamala Harris and men as well, they get that bug to run and they want to keep running and they want to be on the road. They want to be out there doing rallies. You know, you get to sort of live this infantilized life. If you run for office, in a way, because you're not so much a part of nine to five modern society. You know what I'm saying? It's fun, it's exciting, it's super hard work. But you get to do these rallies and you get to live a little bit like a rock star. And I think for Kamala Harris, because she has no policies, she has no plans, and she has absolutely nothing going on. She, she thinks she's going to run for office because why the hell not? So let me read you this. So she's been slammed online for sending out a bizarre text announcing that she's going to swing across some states in the deep south for Democratic events and fundraisers. She'll take trips to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, et cetera, to uplift Democrats and continue building our power in the South. Now everybody's saying, listen, you're only doing these types of things if you are Running for president, right? There are certain dinners politicians go and speak at to signal, hey, I'm running. I'm going to run. And so I think Kamala Harris is trying to stay active because she hasn't caught on to the fact that she's an idiot. Okay? You are a fool. We've all known this for years. But Kamala Harris, I think she's so hungry to be back on the road because, number one, lots of open bars at campaign events. Okay? Lots of alcohol, open bars, and past hors d' oeuvres at fancy Democratic fundraisers. So it's probably why Kamala Harris wants to stay on the road. Her husband Doug is an alleged wife beater, and he seems like a bore and a snooze. So she wants to get out of the house, away from him. So, Kamala Harris, I think you should run. Because her last campaign was so entertaining. I mean, she could barely form coherent sentences. So if she wants to run again, I fully support it. But it'll be interesting to see what happens, because the Democrat Party is this elite cabal. It's almost this cult where you can't question things. You have to stay in line with the doctrine. And there are people who pull the puppet strings in the Democratic Party, right? The top donors like the Soroses and et cetera. I think those folks are not so enamored with Kamala Harris. But she's going to try to buck the system anyway, right? The last thing they probably want is a Kamala Harris nomination in the Democratic Party. And I think those billionaires are in donors. They're going to let her have some fun, go on her tour through the south, you know, have a good time, go to the state fair, eat a turkey leg, eat some chicken wings, have a couple of beers, and then when she gets home, maybe they'll have a Come to Jesus with her. Now, someone else we need to have a Come to Jesus meeting with is Don Lemon. Okay? Don Lemon thinks he can run for president, too. He thinks he can do a better job than President Trump. This is what he said on his podcast. I guess now that he's been let go from every other network and every other platform, he's doing his own deal on the Internet, which is great. Welcome. Come on. Everybody's got a podcast nowadays, but on this podcast, he had the audacity to say he could do a better job than President President Trump. Take a look.

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So do I ever think about it? Yes. Could it happen? Yeah, it could happen. If the opportunity presented itself. The right opportunity presented itself. Look, if I wanted to, I know people are going to think I'm crazy. This is going to be the headline, and people are going to laugh about it. I think I could be President of the United States. I could definitely run this country better than. Than. Than Donald Trump.

[Link Lauren]

The fact that Donald Trump. The fact that Donald Lemon. The fact that Don Lemon thinks he can run the country better than President Trump is laughable, you idiot. Don Lemon, okay? This is a man who couldn't even keep his job at cnn. You know how hard it is to get fired from CNN as a black gay liberal man, you have to be so terrible to get the can from the mainstream media. I mean, he checked every single box that they would love, and they were still like, we gotta let you go. The audience hates you. You're so unlikable. Even CNN is kicking you to the curb. So Don Lemon, I don't see him running for office anytime soon. I think he would be an abject failure. An abject failure. And also, he apparently hates half the population almost. He says he hates white men. He has these, you know, major issues with white men. And remember a couple months ago, he said things were deeply broken inside white men, and there's something broken inside of you white men. And I thought, well, this is ironic, because Don Lemon has white men inside of him almost every night, allegedly. So you're married to a white man. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Don Lemon. So anyway, Don Lemon, I wish you well, Boo Boo, running for office, but I don't see it going very well. But I think you should maybe raise some money for your legal bills, because it looks like you're going to be spending a little more time in court. Now, pivoting from Don Lemon to Chick Fil A, we have to talk about what they are doing to incentivize more conversation around the table, more children interacting with their parents. I was at Chick Fil A over the weekend, okay? I love Chick Fil A. I've said it before, and I will say it again. A lot of these liberals on the left, they tell me, as a gay man, I shouldn't be eating at Chick Fil A because apparently they support anti gay groups. Apparently, Chick Fil A doesn't support gay people. Allegedly. Allegedly. But here's my thing. Don't make me choose between gay rights and Chick Fil A, okay? Because I might be choosing the latter, okay? If I have to choose between gay marriage and Chick Fil A. Honey. Polynesian sauce, Spicy deluxe chicken sandwich nuggets. The macaroni they also have a new sriracha sauce. Don't make me choose, okay? I will die on this hill. I love Chick Fil? A. Another reason I love Chick Fil? A, they're in the news right now. They're in the news because they're encouraging human connection. They're offering free ice cream to those willing to share a meal without screens. Now, Brad Williams, who owns two Chick Fil? A restaurants in Georgia. Hey, Brad. Was inspired to implement this after witnessing a mother of two spend an entire meal on her cell phone. Well, honey, first off, we don't know what that mother was doing. Okay? I'm thinking now that mother might have had some games she was up to. She might have been scheduling a date for later. You got a single mom with her kids at the table. She might have been working, okay? She might have been hustling. So we don't know what she was doing on the phone. So let's give the mother a little bit of grace. But I do agree with the sentiment as a whole, because when I was a kid, we didn't have cell phones at the table. Okay, I was right before that. Now everyone has a tablet. We had to sit and listen to the adults converse and talk and what was going on in the news and the daily dramas. And I think it's why now, I'm not a shy person. I can go up and talk to people and look them in the eye, and I talk for a living. And I think a lot of kids now, of course, the tablet is okay here and there. The parents need a problem break. Okay? Give the kid, you know, a children's show to watch. But I do think there's some parents who are allowing the iPhones and the iPads to raise the kids. And I think therein lies the problem, because you got to have a meal every once in a while as a family. And whether you guys laugh and get along or you fight and you yell at each other like some families do, there's nothing wrong with that. That's part of growing up, and that's part of the human experience. So shout out to Chick Fil A for doing this. Apparently, they've built what they call a coop, almost like a chicken coop with wire, that you're supposed to put your phones into and put them on silent. They say you're supposed to surrender your phones. So I have no problem with this. I don't think I would last very long. I'm gonna be honest. I put my phone in there. And then what happens is, nowadays, do y' all Ever have this thing you're hanging out with your friends and because information is so accessible, you go, oh, well, let's look that up real quick. Who was in that movie? And then you're asking, you know, everybody's pulling out their phones to look something up nowadays. Half the time when I'm with my friends, like, who was that? Did they win the Oscar? So I do think I wouldn't last very long in this. But I love this idea that more kids are going to be conversing and having a good time and enjoying some good old fashioned Chick Fil a. There's no Chick Fil A in my town. We actually drove 90 minutes over the weekend to get Chick Fil a. We went to Costco and Lowe's. I talked about it on our last episode. And so the guy at Chick Fil A, there's this older man working there. He said, where did y' all drive in from? And we told him. He goes, oh my God. That's probably our longest trip today. And that's how committed we are to Chick Fil A. Okay, I'm living the American dream. Chick Fil A, Lowe's, Costco, A Good old road trip on a Saturday afternoon. I'm in heaven. But we got to pay some bills really quickly and then we'll be back with Sage Steel. Debt can feel like everything is piling up. The bank fees. The collector calls like it's getting worse every month. And if nothing changes, it will. 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[Link Lauren]

Car. Car.

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[Sage Steele]

Car.

[Link Lauren]

Come out, come out, wherever you are, please.

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[Link Lauren]

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[Link Lauren]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Link Lauren]

How did I not know Rack has Adidas?

[Sage Steele]

Because there's always something new.

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[Link Lauren]

You guys, I could not be more excited for this next guest. Act com. Act like we've been here before. We got a celebrity guest on today's episode. Okay. We got some star power. We're gonna get some sage advice, some sage wisdom from none other than Sage Steele. I'm so excited to have her. I've been following her for years and years and years, and the fact that it worked out with scheduling is amazing. I thought it was an April fool's joke, but she is here. So, Sage, welcome to the show. How are you doing? Thanks for being here. I.

[Sage Steele]

Okay. Best intro ever. Thank you. This is exciting for me because I've been following you forever, too, and I so appreciate your patience with my stupid schedule. Right now, I have a fabulous. I'm a newlywed. My husband is trying to fix me with many in many other ways too. And it is to try to figure out a better way to manage the calendar. So a year from now, this will be much easier.

[Link Lauren]

Sage, I'm so glad you brought this up because my boyfriend would say the same thing. We have tried to do the Google calendars and sync them and do my schedule with his because we both have very different careers and then we go in different places, and then I have bought multiple big calendars to go, you know, in the kitchen. Let's keep it in the kitchen. I said, I think it's better if we just write on it. He's like, oh, he's. He's so gay. He's like it's gonna throw off the look of the kitchen to have this big ugly calendar. And I'm like, honey, it's what we gotta do because the Google isn't sinking in the cloud. So I understand trying to merge calendar stage. I really do.

[Sage Steele]

It is a first world problem.

[Link Lauren]

I guess it's a first world problem. So speaking of a problem, we have to talk about the women of the View, and this has gone totally viral over the last few days. Apparently they just really hate the nuclear family. And we've seen this even from New York magazine recently and some other publications. They're doing stories on how basically, as a woman, your life will be over. You'll be miserable if you have kids. And so I want to play you this clip of the View and then get your reaction.

[Sage Steele]

Perfect. What is she? What the what? What? What? That it wraps a woman's worth up in her ovaries. Bottom line, if you're not paying my bills, you don't get to tell me what I do with my uterus. If your mar. I have a lot of questions about your husband. Would you say, Isabel, maybe let's check in with your boobs in a year

[Link Lauren]

and see if you still want a lot more kids.

[Sage Steele]

And for a two person household, a married household, you need over $400,000 for childcare. So she's advocating for people to be born into poverty. People not being able to feed those children, people not being able to educate those children, and people not being able to house those children.

[Link Lauren]

Okay, so first off, I want to read you Isabel Brown's response, because we love Isabel. And they were calling out Isabel, who's the least problematic person ever. She's one of the most kind, at least problematic people. So she said it was high time to start encouraging your children to grow up and have the courage to get married and have kids, more kids than they can afford, before they think they're ready. Now, Sage, I imagine you have some thoughts on this.

[Sage Steele]

I, you know, I struggle so much with this for obvious reasons, but also because the ladies of the View are such an abomination right now that then I get mad. I'm like, okay, are we making it worse and contributing to it by talking about all their stupid. But I can't help myself because they need. They need to be called out. Like, it actually breaks my heart, the fact that it wasn't just what they said, it was the way they said it. So smug and condescending towards Isabel Brown, who, if you don't follow her, you should. And she is A brilliant young woman. I had her on my show late last year, and she. She taught me so much about the Catholic faith and just life in general as a young mother. What they want is for us to believe those very scripted talking points. And I think deep, deep down, you know, most young people understand. Yeah, this isn't really adding up. I don't know. Like, my upbringing wasn't perfect, but look, my mom did it, and the marriage. We have to continue to have women like Isabel speak up and then continue to fight back, as she did after they went after her like that. There's so many things there. I love how Ana Navarro's like, unless you're paying my bills, you don't have control of my uterus. And so what happens when a man's paying your bills? Does he have control? Because you tell him he can't either. So which one is it? There's so much hypocrisy there. I love how Sunny Hostin goes down the list of all, you know, is life expensive today? Yes. And it's easy to say that from her glass house with millions of dollars and the staff and the help and, you know, so just stop. Like, just stop with the condescending, very hurtful takes when. Why aren't we celebrating the fact that all those women on that panel are badasses who are doing it and who did struggle along the way to get to that beautiful set there on abc? It's the same crap from them, Link. But I also think we must continue to blow them up when they say things to try to scare women away from trying to have a family and a career. It's okay.

[Link Lauren]

No, 100%. I feel like the View is just totally out of lockstep with the majority of the country. I feel like the View is just pandering to a very small group of liberal elites who live in urban enclaves. I mean, even the way they speak, you know, 400,000 a year to raise your child. Well, do you have, like, a personal chef and trainer and multiple properties? I mean, who is spending $400,000 a year to raise the child? You know what I'm saying? So I have. Yeah, I have so many friends who are young moms, and they're people who work on this show who are soon to be moms. I mean, we support so many young moms, and none of them are spending that kind of money to have kids. But I think one thing that could be interesting for these panels at cpac. Right. I'd be curious to hear what you think about this what if they had some women who weren't in the influencer podcast space to come up on the panel with them? Because then the View couldn't just say, oh well, you're a podcaster or you're an influencer or you're this and that. You have other women who might be working that 9 to 5 outside of the home, or woman who's working at McDonald's and said, you know what, I was scared to have a kid. I thought I couldn't afford it. And my life is so much more meaningful now because I have one. You know, what do you think about that?

[Sage Steele]

Yeah, no, that's a great point. Getting or everyday women up there. And, and also one thing that I have really tried to talk about a lot and my kids are older, they're, we're in birthday season right now, so they're about to be 24, 22 and 20. And I mean, was it hard when they were little and I was working full time? Yes. And oh my goodness, the biggest blessing of my life, of course, was it really tough for us to afford a lot of things then. We didn't take vacations, we did not drive nice cars. Yes. What I try to tell young women who ask and even men I had, there was a photographer here last night doing a shoot for me for this TV thing and he's like, yeah, we have a two year old, but I don't know, it's expensive. And I'm like, dude, go home right now and have sex with your wife. Like have the baby. There's nobody who ever after having their child regrets it, but there's millions who regret not trying. The reality that I try to share and I will continue to as long as I have a platform to do so, is yes, women can do it all and have it all. It's just not going to be perfect and there's going to be sacrifices along the way. So drop that very high bar of perfection which I had for such a long time. Like I try to share because I screwed up and I was so hard on myself to try to be perfect as a wife and as a mother. And when my third kid was born, my first was still three, I had had them back to back to back and working a full time job and I was trying to be the room mom and make everything from scratch. When you bring it to the classroom, you don't go to the grocery store and you do, oh my God, like I did this life so you can do it. What are you willing to sacrifice? Maybe you won't Live in that big mansion, but you can have an extra child. So let's be realistic with how we talk about it, right? Not that we're all going to be millionaires with these fabulous careers and four kids and the picket fence and the great husband. There's sacrifices, but you can do it. What are you willing to live without?

[Link Lauren]

Well, I think anything worth doing in life is going to come with sacrifice, whether it's career, family, anything you're interested in. You're going to have to make sacrifices. And it's interesting. I'm so grateful and thank you for sharing your story about rearing your kids. But as I've grown up, I've realized the same thing. My mom isn't infallible. My mom isn't perfect. I sometimes ask my mom, you know, when she was raising us, were you ever nervous if you were taking us through the airport and dealing with the tickets and getting through security and one's crying and one needs the diaper change? She's like, oh, you're totally nervous sometimes as a young mom, but you better push through and just figure it out. And so I think now my mom and I are such good friends. My audience knows she's my best friend. But it's interesting. I think we do need to have more of these open conversations. It's okay to say, you know what? I'm scared, I'm nervous. I've got the bills, I've got a lot on my plate. And I think that's what the View could have done. The View could have Isabelle on. They could have other women on to have this open dialogue and conversation. But the View is like, all five of us have the same view in viewpoint, which is not what Barbara Walters intended. And they could have had a more nuanced conversation because I'm the same way. I don't. I'm not going to shame women for choosing to not have kids or for any medical reasons. If they can't have kids, don't. I mean, I'm a gay guy with no kids. Who am I to speak and who am I to judge, right? But I do think it's concerning when the CDC says that birth rates are at an all time low. You see these polls that people aren't happy, they're depressed, they're not having kids. If you erode the nuclear family, that's the foundation of society. Going back to caveman times, Sage, I mean, it's horrific. We need to be having more kids.

[Sage Steele]

We do. And I'm glad that those numbers are out there now for all of us to see. And then we got to, you got to think about some things. And again, it goes back to what we're willing to sacrifice. Some of it is physical. I know many women who are afraid to let go of control of their bodies and will I be able to get my figure back and all those things and you know, yes, that is the reality of it. But I love your suggestion with CPAC in anywhere. And maybe I need to be doing a better job on having people on everyday women to talk about those fears because it is real. But you know, you talk so much about how this country is going in the wrong direction in so many ways and it always does come back to that. And that's the, that like this sounds cheesy and you might laugh. I know you won't laugh at me, but I now know why I'm on this earth. It is to be a mom to Quinn, Nicholas and Evan, even though they're basically adults now. I'm also learning that I'm here because I have a big mouth. So like let's, let's, it took me a while to learn that too. So let's use this big mouth, right? And you and your big mouth, we all have these big mouths to talk about what we can do better to help encourage, you know, the nuclear family to come back, to get back to where it was. And that is part, by the way of making America great again.

[Link Lauren]

That is totally, absolutely. If we don't have the nuclear family, what do we have? And it's like I even look at some of this data, you know, kids who grow up in a two parent household are more likely to commit crimes. They're more likely to not finish high school. And I grew up, you know, living with my mom. I was raised by my mom, but she did a great job, you know what I'm saying? And so I do think we got to push for the nuclear family. Everybody's talking about weight loss injections because the results are so dramatic. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite. But what if you're looking to lose weight but not interested in painful weekly injections, especially when you hear about some of these intense side effects? Well, listen up because that is exactly why doctors created a weight loss supplement called Lean. And the results are remarkable. The studied ingredients and Lean have been shown to lower your blood sugar and burn fat by converting it into energy and curb your appetite and cravings so you're not as hungry. But listen, Lean is not for the casual dieter with only a few pounds to lose the Doctors at Brick House Nutrition created Lean for frustrated dieters with 10 or more pounds to lose. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add Lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit take lean.com and enter link for a discount. That's promo code [e-mail] When I damaged

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[Link Lauren]

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[Link Lauren]

But I want to move on. Okay, while we have you, I have to get your reaction to Jimmy Kimmel. Speaking of another ABC Disney show. So Jimmy Kimmel, I've said for years, I don't even think this country is so much Republican versus Democrat, black versus white. That's not my experience. When I go out into the world, I think there's sort of a class warfare. And the people like Jimmy Kimmel, these elites who live in these mansions in the Hollywood Hills, I feel like they just look down on everybody else. They look down on working class Americans who aren't in Los Angeles or New York. And Jimmy Kimmel, he's gone viral for taking a swing at Mark Wayne Mullen, former senator, now the Secretary of Homeland Security. Because Mark Wayne Mullen had a career for a little bit of time being a plumber. And I want to play you this clip of Jimmy Kimmel before he was

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elected to the Senate. Mark Wayne Mullen was a low level MMA fighter and a plumber. That's right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism. Now I work for Super Mario. Why not?

[Link Lauren]

Mark Wayne Sage, I will give you the floor.

[Sage Steele]

Well, you know, it's interesting because I do, I love comedians. I love comedy. That is what he is there to do and paid handsomely to do. So two things. Number one, as my kids always tell me, jokes are supposed to be funny and that was not. And I'm like, wait, I am funny. My kids are like, no, no, no, mom it's not funny. Jimmy Kimmel, you're like, wasn't that funny? Like, I can take a joke. I think if we can't, then we gotta look in the mirror. Like, let's all calm down a little bit. I think it would be different if someone else were saying it. But because of his recent history, because of how he chose to handle himself and double down and continue to double down after the assassination of Charlie Kirk with Erica, with all the things. That's why it doesn't hit like it maybe would have a year ago with Jimmy Kimmel. It's funny. I was on his show in 2014. It's been 12 years. It's been a very long time. And I remember it was such an honor for me to, to go on. I feel like I, I'm pretty sure he was doing a favor for a co worker of mine who knew me and said I was nice. Take her out. Didn't matter. He was kind, he was welcoming. It was an honor to be in that studio. Like it was really cool. And I'm just like, what happened? What changed to where the jokes weren't always, always political and so one sided. But then I answer my own question. What happened was Trump and people like Jimmy had complete and utter temper tantrum meltdowns. It just makes me sad. So I can take a joke. I get it. Plumber, fine. But it's Jimmy, so it hits different because you know deep down he means it. He looks down on people like that.

[Link Lauren]

Well, absolutely. What I found so interesting is he probably has a staff of 100 people, 150, at least a dozen writers, in my opinion, work on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. These people have tons of writers. Which means this went through so many producers to get into the prompter, to make it into the show notes to sit around. They probably thought this is so funny. From their sort of liberal elite, ivory tower at ABC Studios, they thought this is so funny. We're going to make fun of this guy for being a plumber. Are you kidding me? Plumbers, we're going to need more plumbers in the future. More electricians, more carpenters. You know what I'm saying? I tell so many young people who follow me, if you don't need to go to a four year university, go to a trade school, learn how to do something. Because those plumbers in New York City where I used to live, they're making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year because you got folks like me, I can barely screw in a light bulb. I'm going to need Someone who knows how to do things. And so it's like you're knocking these plumbers. You're going to need plumbers in the future, Jimmy Kimmel, because you and your friends have no real world skills. Okay. So it's going to be troublesome for you.

[Sage Steele]

I really want to know what happens next time he has to call a plumber when he doesn't even toilet. Like, what's, what's that guy gonna say? I hope he charges double, by the way. My middle child is about to graduate from college. He's at High Point University. My older daughter went there too. It's been an incredible experience. Like, I have nothing but great things to say. And it's $80,000 a year.

[Link Lauren]

Wow.

[Sage Steele]

For this school. So many schools now are 50, 60, 70, 80. Like, it's insane. And the trade schools, you are guaranteed a job when you graduate from one of those schools. I think it is so smart. And I was already along that track. Right. As a parent. Well, this is what you do. And when they're born, you start a 529 plan to send them to this four year university. I would probably do things differently and if they wanted to go, fine. But I really wish that I had encouraged it more to look at all different types of schools, not just a traditional four year university, especially considering what comes out of those universities. But I digress.

[Link Lauren]

No, I, I'm glad we're having this conversation because you're going through this now and people comment. Sometimes some of my haters will say, you know, you rail against higher education in these universities, but you went to a university. I'm like, you guys, that's why I've been in the room where it happens. I can tell you be warned, because I remember going to some of my classes and we'd have these adjunct professors, they would just be pushing their own political views, their own ideologies. Remember one of my classes, we had to go around and do our pronouns for an hour and a half. And I'm like, oh, my God, this class is so expensive. We're spending so much money going into debt, and we're going around doing our pronouns. I learned nothing in the class. I think we watched movies half the time. And so I do tell young people, yeah, I did go to a university. That's why I'm trying to tell you, unless you want to be, you know, a doctor, a lawyer, you really need that degree. Just give it a second thought. Because I have plenty of friends now who are going in a different route and they're Actually getting jobs and working. They're not having to be influencers in life, but they're getting real jobs. Sage. So it's interesting.

[Sage Steele]

They're smarter. They're smarter than we are because they knew that they would have a guaranteed job. Not have to go work at Starbucks, right?

[Link Lauren]

Absolutely. No, it's funny. It's. Half the kids I think I went to college with, they are working either at Starbucks or at a restaurant or something like that, which there's no shame in. But now they have all this debt and they don't get to use the degree that they thought was going to be so useful in the real world. But I think Covid just came in like a wrecking ball and ruined everything. So, Jimmy Kimmel, we will pray for you. Because to have that kind of mindset, there's clearly something wrong. And I just. It's this sort of elite attitude where you fly between LA and New York and you look down on everybody else. And that's just never gonna fly with me. But this last topic I want to get to really quickly. Okay. Apparently there are some states that are still fighting to keep men and women's sports. I don't know why we're still having this conversation in 2026, but this is like the Hill that the radical left wants to die on. So the DOJ actually sued Minnesota on Monday for discriminating against female athletes by letting biological males compete against them and enter their bathrooms and locker rooms. The suit, filed in Minnesota federal court, alleges that the state's Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League have been implementing policies and practices that ignored undeniable physiological differences between male and female athletes in violation of. Of Title nine. Now, Sage, okay, You know much more about sports than I do. Okay. My knowledge of sports is cursory. You are genius. When it comes to sports, how are we still having this debate nowadays? Are we living in the Upside Down?

[Sage Steele]

This is the hill that I chose to die on. A sportscaster for 30 years. The last 16 at ESPN, at the Worldwide leader who proclaimed to stand up for women and defend Title 9 and celebrate Title 9. And then with this basic topic, they can't do it. They can't. They choose not to. I guess I'll start by saying I'm not surprised that it's the state of Minnesota. We know who leads that state, aside from Tim Walls, Amy Klobuchar, the senator from there. She has been very vocal about this from day one. And I know deep, deep down, she knows the differences between men and women. And boys and girls and why men and women voice should not be allowed in our sports. But I think it just goes back to two things. Virtue signaling and ego. And they refuse to acknowledge anything that might halfway align with President Trump, even if it's something that is based in fact, based in science. I'm saddened for the people in the state of Minnesota because I have a lot of people come up to me and airports, when you live in an airport, people will say things. And usually it's about this topic. Thank you for standing up for women in sports. And I'm like, thank you. That's my job. It's the least I can do with this God given platform and my history covering women's sports for 30 years. But I think the vast majority of people in Minnesota are like us. They have common sense, they're normal and they know that this is wrong and it's sick, actually. But it's the Minneapolis St. Paul area. It's just like the state of Virginia and what happened within the last election in the state of Virginia, it's because of D.C. right? And the suburbs of D.C. and Virginia, not the entire state of Virginia that made it go blue. It's the same thing in Minnesota. There's so many good God fearing Americans who just want their daughters to be safe in sports. So from day one, I've been blown away about this topic. And when you look at what the ioc, the International Olympic Committee did last week, I mean, once they do that and along with the executive orders and everything else, just stop. You don't even have to announce that. Okay, we agree with you. Just go dark. Just shut up and let women's sports and spaces still an issue, locker rooms, et cetera, be for us. So it's very disappointing. But because it's Minnesota and Tim Walls and Amy Klobuchar in particular, who I believe has daughters as well. Shameful.

[Link Lauren]

Absolutely shameful. Well, I think you're one of those people who is put here to speak about this. I feel like God put you in this position to have a platform and speak up for this issue. It's not an issue that I thought we'd ever have to be fighting for. Even 10 years ago, no one was really discussing this, but you're one of the loudest voices on the front lines of this issue. You, Riley Gaines and so many others. I always look to you guys, okay, how are, how are you guys feeling? What are you guys saying? Because you are the experts, but I'm never going to apologize for defending girls and women, you know, What I'm saying they should be able to feel safe in their locker room. They shouldn't have brain damage because they're forced to compete against men. And then the left will say things like, well, it's only a couple of girls who got brain damage. Only a couple of girls who got brain damage. That's where we are. So these are people that I will pray for also. But as for you, Sage, I will give you the last word and I'm so grateful that you came on. Please have an amazing rest of your week. Thank you so much for coming on on.

[Sage Steele]

Thank you. And I just want to hang out with you at some point. Can I?

[Link Lauren]

We need to hang.

[Sage Steele]

We find a way to do that.

[Link Lauren]

Yes, 100%. We need to hang out in person. I feel like we have so many mutual friends. We all need to get together, phones off at the table, have some fun conversation. But I absolutely adore you. I didn't know you had so you had three kids in college. God bless them because they're probably figuring out who they are and they have an amazing mom. I have a cool mom too. So your kids are lucky they have a cool mom. But we're going to let you go. Thank you so much and we'll see you soon. Well, thank you guys so much for tuning in to Spoton with Link Lauren. I'm so grateful to Sage for coming on the show. She is an icon, she's a legend and I don't use those terms loosely. As for you guys, I can't wait to read all of your comments and hear what you think about these topics. We will see you on the next one. Bye.

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