Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

Episode: A Smokey Eye & A Whiz Whiz (w/ Stavros Halkias)
Release Date: October 30, 2025
Guest: Stavros Halkias
Podcast Network: SmartLess Media

Main Theme & Episode Purpose

In this candid, laugh-filled episode, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally are joined by comedian Stavros Halkias for a raw, honest, and frequently hilarious conversation about the ongoing struggles of health, weight, willpower, addiction, and the pursuit of wellness—especially for people in comedy and entertainment whose relationships with food, body image, and party culture are complicated. The trio trade stories about their bodies, mental health, family trauma, and the role that food, weed, and modern drugs (notably new weight loss medications) play in their lives, all while never losing sight of their signature irreverence and empathy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Guest Intro

• The show opens in classic Staying Alive form: plenty of food jokes and wild riffing as Stavros enjoys a sandwich.
• All three bond over their “fat guy energy” and the way genuine personalities (rather than on-stage personae) draw them together.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “He’s not like a persona.” – Gabrus on Stavros [01:53]
  • “We’re open books about ourselves. We’re curious about other people.” – Gabrus [02:43]

2. Wrestling, 80s Villains & Physical Decline [03:10 – 05:35]

• Brief riff on aging, wrestling, and Vince McMahon—using these to poke fun at macho self-destruction.
• The hosts joke about American dietary changes, the decline of beef tallow fries, and “beef towel” as a gross hotel image.

3. Weight Loss Drugs, Food Obsession & Changing Habits [06:29 – 18:21]

• The meat of the episode: a brutally honest roundtable about the new generation of weight loss drugs (Wegovy, Ozempic), emotional eating, and the “math” people do justifying meals.
• Stavros and Adam share deeply personal stories about growing up weight-obsessed, lifelong calorie tracking, and cycles of bingeing and food restriction.
• Notable Exchange:
  • “I ate a healthy lunch, so I’m allowed to go nuts, right?” – Gabrus [07:23]
  • “The math is completely wrong.” – Adam [07:31]
• Adam recounts how his best comedy years overlapped with periods of extreme unhealthy living—partying, overeating, and “my dick barely worked.”
• Stavros reflects on family legacy: his father’s weight monitoring, his own health scares, and being put on weight loss medication due to severe family history of heart issues.
• Notable Quote:
  • "[The drugs] are miracle drugs... with your genetic history, it's dangerous for you to be walking around without it." – Stavros, on his father's advice [15:04]

4. How These Drugs Change Life [18:22 – 22:40]

• The downsides: the trio trade horror stories about what happens when you try to “overpower” the medication—suffering, food poisoning-like symptoms, and punishing digestive distress.
• They unpack the internalized shame and fatphobia of feeling like they “deserve” these punishments for over-eating.
• Quote:
  • “It feels like you’re the guy in Da Vinci Code... I deserve sulfur breath. I deserve to be on the toilet for nine hours.” – Adam [19:53]

5. Maintaining Willpower on the Road and Life on Tour [16:34 – 18:21, 24:15 – 26:59]

• The challenges of keeping healthy while touring, living on buses, crashing in hotels, and the huge infrastructure required to avoid weight gain.
• How fleeting healthy habits can be, and how drugs give a “jetpack” effect—short but effective—before real life undercuts them again.
• Stavros: “The only times it really kicks in is when I really overdo it.”

6. The Reality of Modern Medications & Fatness [24:15 – 26:59]

• Why are we suddenly meticulous about researching weight-loss drugs when we’ve taken sketchy substances (or even got vaxxed) without a second thought?
• The team reflects on commodification – are they just “livestock” being dosed to fuel entertainment for others?
• The existential anxiety of being “medicated to be profitable” for others.

7. Fatness, Identity & Comedy [28:07 – 34:12]

• The risk of defining oneself by fatness or unhealthy habits—vs. seeing it as just one part of life.
• Stories of being the “funny fat guy” - the party cannonballer, the target for fat jokes.
• Notable Quote:
  • “I was doing like fat minstrelly... I was like a fat snake, shirt off at every party.” – Gabrus [33:34]
  • “I've been called fat by strangers since 1988.” – Gabrus [33:10]
• Important insight: Letting go of the myth that their humor or creative spark depends on being unhealthy or self-destructive.

8. Cycles of Self-Sabotage, Late-Night Eating, Shame & Relapse [34:51 – 47:43]

• Gabrus and Pally share vulnerable stories about breaking promises, late-night bingeing, waking up filled with shame, and how it feels to “know better” but not change.
• Quote:
  • “I'm like a vampire for melted cheese.” – Gabrus [37:56]
• The discussion on how weed plays into poor decisions about food, and how willpower falters late at night or at low points.

9. Sobriety as a Tool, Addiction Transfer, and How to Actually Change [41:26 – 47:43]

• Adam notes that complete sobriety (even from weed), more than moderation, is often the only way he can function healthily.
• Gabrus admits how daunting the idea of quitting weed forever feels, while all acknowledge it's the clearest answer.
• Use injury metaphors to underline the need for proper “healing time” before attempting lifestyle changes.

10. Career, Comedy Scenes, and Upcoming Work [50:41 – 57:14]

• Stavros discusses touring, favorite cities, and love of performing across the country—from big market shows in NYC/LA/Chicago to weird little venues in Arkansas.
• Plug for Stavros’ podcast and upcoming tour dates.
• Interesting insight into the Venice Film Festival, the reception for “Begonia,” and stories of working with top actors and directors.
• Quote:
  • “A true performer—the Rock knows how to make an audience do whatever he wants.” – Adam Pally [54:49]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My goal weight is still a BMI that would make me uninsured.” – John Gabris [30:51]
• “I'm a generous laugh for people... but it's real, you're just providing a laugh track, right? And then I was like, no, I'm a stand up comic.” – Stavros [29:18]
• “If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t jog on a broken leg.” – Adam Pally, on respecting behavioral recovery [42:16]
• “We completed the fat guy group chat: Zach Cherry, Mike Mitchell, and Stavi.” – Gabrus [58:23]

Important Topic Timestamps

• (06:29 – 18:21): Weight loss drugs, family health anxieties, breaking cycles
• (18:22 – 22:40): Overeating on medication, shame, bodily punishment
• (24:15 – 26:59): The existential weirdness of medicating for others’ profit
• (28:07 – 34:12): Identity, comedy, and the myth of “needing” to be unhealthy
• (34:51 – 37:56): Shame spirals, late-night eating confessions
• (41:26 – 47:43): Sobriety, addiction transfer, and introspection
• (50:41 – 57:14): Career highlights, touring, performing, and the Venice Film Festival

Tone & Style

• Conversational, brutally honest, and often profanely funny—with fleeting moments of genuine vulnerability
• The hosts and guest riff, interrupt, and self-deprecate, but never lose empathy for themselves or each other.
• Often switches between gross-out humor (“beef towel,” “shitting blood,” late-night binges) and sincere admissions of mental health struggles.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has struggled with food, body image, or any type of self-control, especially in an entertainment context. Gabrus, Pally, and Halkias expertly balance humor with real talk, offering an unvarnished look at the battle to take care of yourself—physically, mentally, and emotionally—when your instincts, habits, hormonal drugs, and the demands of a comedy career all pull you in the wrong direction. The result is cathartic, touching, and consistently hilarious.

For New Listeners

You’ll enjoy it most if you appreciate confessional comedy, “fat guy solidarity,” or want insight into the health journeys of working comics, with enough inside-joke riffing and personal story to keep both diehard and new fans entertained. This episode distills what makes “Staying Alive” unique: jokes and shame, wit and self-awareness, all in a single, highly relatable package.