"In and Out for 2025" w/ Sam & George

Summary

StraightioLab Podcast Summary: "In and Out for 2025"

Podcast Information

• Title: StraightioLab
• Host/Author: Big Money Players Network and iHeartPodcasts
• Creators: George Civeris and Sam Taggart
• Episode Title: "In and Out for 2025"
• Release Date: December 17, 2024

Overview In the episode "In and Out for 2025," hosts George Civeris and Sam Taggart delve into a comprehensive discussion about emerging cultural trends anticipated to shape the year 2025. Through a series of "ins" and "outs," they analyze shifts in fashion, entertainment, social norms, and technology, providing listeners with insightful predictions and reflections on the evolving tapestry of straight culture.

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1. Manufacturing Holiday Spirit in Los Angeles

Discussion Highlights: George and Sam explore the concept of "manufacturing" cultural elements, using the example of holiday festivities in Los Angeles (LA). They debate the emotional impact of artificial versus natural experiences, such as fake snow versus real snow.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([04:05]): "LA is so much better than everywhere else because it is upfront about manufacturing holiday spirit. It invented manufacturing the holiday."
• Sam Taggart ([05:01]): "Spirit, it knows how to manufacture better than anyone else."

2. Resurgence of Formal Wear and Elite Art Forms

Discussion Highlights: The hosts predict a comeback of formal attire, such as traditional ties, and elitist art forms like opera and ballet. They suggest that this trend reflects a reaffirmation of elite status amidst broader cultural shifts.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([18:36]): "There’s going to be some sort of virial moment or something that puts spaghetti on the meatballs back on the map in a big way."
• Hoda Kotb ([19:14]): "I really think we're going to start seeing ties. People wearing ties to their tech jobs."

3. Evolution of Sexual Identity and Visibility

Discussion Highlights: George and Sam discuss the shifting perceptions of bisexuality and the increasing visibility of lesbian identities within the community. They highlight the transition from bisexual to lesbian identities among high-profile individuals as a significant trend.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([12:13]): "I think bisexual jokes have reached a natural end point... a second round of bisexual humor has more joie de vivre because it's not as hateful and mean-spirited."
• Sam Taggart ([13:21]): "Bisexuals are nowhere in my ins and outs, but since we're on the topic..."

4. Revival of Aerobics and 3D Art Forms

Discussion Highlights: The conversation shifts to fitness and art, with predictions about the comeback of aerobics as a trendy exercise and sculpture gaining popularity as a counter to digital saturation.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([41:09]): "I think aerobics could make a comeback because it's the only form of trend-based exercise that hasn't made a comeback."
• Hoda Kotb ([84:37]): "Sculpture is in. It's like the most anti-digital thing you could do."

5. Social Media Stardom and Its Transformation

Discussion Highlights: George and Sam analyze the transient nature of social media fame, suggesting that "social media stars" are becoming more disposable and less invested in by the public. They compare this shift to the decline of the "gold rush" in fame.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([56:13]): "There's a large group of people that, like, occasionally make a couple thousand dollars doing a brand deal."
• Sam Taggart ([57:21]): "The gold rush is over."

6. Decline of Traditional Satire and the Rise of Activism-Inspired Art

Discussion Highlights: The hosts express concern over the diminishing power of traditional satire, pondering whether a new era of activism-inspired art will emerge to fill the void. They reference films like "V for Vendetta" and "The Matrix" as cultural touchstones influencing this trend.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([84:05]): "I think the movie 'V for Vendetta' is in. It's like middle school ideas of activism."
• Sam Taggart ([88:27]): "Boots Riley's shows might usher in a new era of satire."

7. AI Integration and Anticipated Backlashes

Discussion Highlights: A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into everyday life. The hosts argue that AI will remain a dominant trend in 2025, with its infiltration into various sectors likely to continue before any substantial backlash occurs.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([51:35]): "AI is becoming the new man in suit, much more difficult to take down than someone infiltrating the culture."
• Sam Taggart ([52:11]): "AI is winning, and it's going to continue to win."

8. Shifts in Entertainment and Media Consumption

Discussion Highlights: George and Sam predict changes in how entertainment is produced and consumed, including the decline of Disney’s traditional offerings and the transformation of solo shows in theater. They foresee a move towards more collaborative and less personally-driven performances.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([62:28]): "Disney is beyond out. Even adults being like, 'This animated movie is actually really good' is out."
• Sam Taggart ([80:04]): "Solo shows are out. The structure needs to evolve beyond individual monologues."

9. Changing Perceptions of Feminism and Public Discourse

Discussion Highlights: The hosts explore the evolving landscape of feminism, suggesting that public expressions of feminism are waning in favor of more nuanced and less brand-driven discourse. They argue that feminism's reclamation as a concept faces challenges in its mainstream representation.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([48:55]): "Public feminism is out. It’ll be like, 'I love men and feminists.'"
• Sam Taggart ([50:25]): "Therapy is back in, but with a subtle twist."

10. Future of Celebrities and Political Figures

Discussion Highlights: George and Sam touch upon the increasing polarization in political appointments and the complex role of celebrities in shaping public opinion. They discuss the presence of LGBTQ+ individuals in political roles and the mixed impact of their visibility.

Notable Quotes:

• Hoda Kotb ([09:46]): "Scott Besant is going to be Treasury Secretary..."
• Hoda Kotb ([25:21]): "There's a real power in mass acceptance where you're not defined by your sexual identity."

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Insights and Conclusions

Throughout the episode, George and Sam provide a critical analysis of current cultural dynamics, emphasizing the cyclical nature of trends and the complex interplay between authenticity, commercialization, and societal acceptance. They highlight the tension between genuine cultural shifts and the superficial adoption of trends for popularity or acceptance.

Key Takeaways:

• Authenticity vs. Manufactured Culture: There is a growing awareness and skepticism towards culturally manufactured experiences, pushing for more authentic and meaningful engagements.
• Evolving Identity and Visibility: The fluidity of sexual identities and the ongoing struggle for genuine representation continue to influence social norms and cultural narratives.
• Technology’s Deepening Role: AI's integration into various facets of life is inevitable, raising questions about control, ethical implications, and societal impact.
• Entertainment’s Transformation: Shifts in entertainment reflect broader cultural changes, with traditional formats giving way to innovative and collaborative models.
• Resilience of Social Issues: Persistent social issues like feminism, representation, and mental health continue to evolve, influenced by changing public perceptions and cultural narratives.

Final Remarks: George and Sam conclude the episode by urging listeners to remain engaged and critical of ongoing cultural transformations. They emphasize the importance of not becoming complacent and staying informed about the forces shaping society's future.

Notable Conclusion Quote:

• Hoda Kotb ([89:48]): "Don't accept it blindly."

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Conclusion "In and Out for 2025" offers a thought-provoking exploration of anticipated cultural trends, blending humor with incisive commentary. Hosts George Civeris and Sam Taggart effectively navigate complex topics, providing listeners with both entertainment and enlightenment on the evolving landscape of straight culture.

Transcript

[Sam Taggart]

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[George Severus]

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Put on your Ray Ban Meta glasses. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee so you.

[Sam Taggart]

Say hey Meta, how do I make.

[Hoda Kotb]

A latte brew two shots of espresso?

[Savannah Guthrie]

After Meta AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beats.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta. Play hip hop music.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You head to meet some friends but can't remember the place.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Call Eva Ray Ban Meta Glasses, the next generation of AI Glasses. Just say hey Meta to harness the power of Meta AI. Shop now at meta.com smartglasses hi everyone.

[Sam Taggart]

It'S Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Copy from the Today Show. Nobody does the holidays like today. From festive performances and great gift ideas to tips for the perfect holiday feast, join us every morning on NBC and make TODAY your home for the holidays.

[Hoda Kotb]

When you choose to earn your degree online from Southern New Hampshire University, you're saying yes to new opportunities and to new adventures. You're saying yes to something big, something you've always wanted to do. If earning your degree is one of your goals this new year, SNHU can help you get there. With low online tuition, no set class times and multiple term starts per year, you can set the pace that works for you and save money along the way. Visit Snhu. Edu today to get started. Hooty Hoo Special Announcement Alert I repeat, Special Announcement Alert. If you live in the city of San Francisco, California, we are doing a big jam packed Stratiolab live Show on Friday, January 17th at Cobb's Comedy Club as part of SF SketchFest. We cannot wait to see you guys. Tickets are available in our Instagram bios and on linktree.com stradiolab that's L I N K T R E E dot com. Tell your friends, spread the word. This is one of the biggest shows we've ever done. It's our first time doing Sketchfest. We cannot wait to see you. We can't wait to be in San Francisco in January and escape the frigid New York cold. And also, I guess, the very warm Los Angeles weather for Sam. And we can't wait to see you January 17th at Cobb's Comedy Club, part of SF Sketchfest. See you there and enjoy the show.

[Unknown]

Podcast starts now. Wow, wow, wow. First of all, happy holidays from us here at Tradio Lab.

[Hoda Kotb]

I'm feeling it. I know I said I wasn't in the holiday mood last time we spoke about the concept of being in the holiday mood, but I. I actually fully am.

[Unknown]

I'm feeling it in a big way. I think being in la, you really have to manufacture it. And so I've made a conscious choice to, like, put on Christmas music, like, to, like, pretend like it's cold out. And so I'm kind of feeling it. It's kind of working.

[Hoda Kotb]

You know, I really want to get into la. First of all, the concept of manufacturing in Los Angeles more broadly, because, of course, like so many things in la, initially it seems surface level, and then you realize it's actually the deepest possible. The deepest possible concept. It's like, at first, you know, you want to be like, well, of course everything's manufactured in la. You manufacture holiday spirit, you manufacture buzz, you manufacture awards buzz, you manufacture beauty. You go to the doctor, say, I want a new face. Okay. And so initially, that seems like, oh, it's a vapid. This vapid town. No, no, no. In fact, it's actually a window into how everything is made. You think it's just LA that's manufacturing the holiday spirit, Honey, it's all manufactured. And not just that, but LA is so much better than everywhere else because it is upfront about it. And because it invented manufacturing the holiday.

[Unknown]

Spirit, it knows how to manufacture better than anyone else.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So they can manufacture it in a way that other people can only dream of.

[Hoda Kotb]

And the fact that that is the industry, that's the town's industry, in fact, makes it not dumber, but more sophisticated like it is. Are you kidding me? Everyone else is going around thinking the holiday spirit is natural. They know it's crafted they know it's crafted and they are like, all right, let's have a meeting and talk about how we can craft it for Q4.

[Unknown]

Yeah. On the Paramount lot where I work, they set up a big Christmas tree and they had, like, Christmas tree lighting with like a band that played like, Christmas hits and they had fake snow. And I'm like, now that is genius. Like, it's fully, like 65 degrees out and they're like, having fake snow women in little, like, Santa outfits, like, singing a song about Christmas. It's groundbreaking stuff.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's interesting thinking about that. I'm thinking, am I more moved? This is a really important question. Am I more moved by the manufactured fake snow just by the human ability to create something like that? Or am I more moved by suddenly everything is fake. Everything is fake. You go outside in York, real snow is like that breaking through all the fake stuff. Is that more emotionally resonant or is the incredible effort to create something more emotionally resonant? And I don't know.

[Unknown]

I mean, obviously from my own perspective, I do feel that the natural snow feels grander. It's nice to be like, no one created this but the weather. And so it's actually. It feels like it's from a higher power.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. I think you almost have to go through both. You have to first be moved by the fake snow and go through the process of telling yourself, look at how beautiful this is. We did it. We came up with the technology to create snow and that's enough. You have a day of thinking, that's enough. Then you go outside, you see real snow. It's even more moving due to your previous. The previous process of convincing yourself that the fake snow was moving.

[Unknown]

It's like, this is what snow is based on snow. And you're like, wow, snow is based on snow.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's sort of like going to an incredible Michelin star rated molecular gastronomy restaurant, having the meal of your life. The next day, you know, you have to go to your grandma's. You're sort of dreading it. You know, it's tough seeing your family members get old. Last time you saw her, maybe she said something a little problematic. You go there, she gives you. She said, oh, I make. I made a pound cake. You're like, here we fucking go. You have a taste of the pound cake, you start crying.

[Unknown]

Exactly. Real snow is grandma's pound cake. Fake snow is gastronomy.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, let's. We are. We are in it. We are locked in. Should we just start?

[Unknown]

Well, we should start. And so Today we're going to be covering the ins and outs for 2025 because, you know, what a year 2024 has been. Experienced it in so many ways. Shout out to the new pop girls. We have a whole new generation of things all of a sudden. I would say it happened so fast.

[Hoda Kotb]

It was a. It was a good year for. What was it a good year for?

[Unknown]

I think it was a good year for change.

[Hoda Kotb]

It was a good year for change. It was a good year for. I mean, dare I say. Was a good year for pop culture. Dare I say, to phrase it in such straightforward, crass terms, like there's something about. There's something about, you know, even just the triumph of Charli xcx.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Alt won.

[Hoda Kotb]

Alt won. And it's almost like it won too much.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And flew too close to the sun. Gay guys won and gay guys won. And gay guys won in both good and bad ways. Like, gay guys also won in absolutely repugnant ways. I mean, literally, there are two gay men that are going to. Or there's one gay man that's going to be in Trump's cabinet. And now they are. I read this. If he gets confirmed, there will have been three gay men total that have been in, like, cabinet level positions. And of the three, two of them were in different Trump administrations.

[Unknown]

Who's the gay man in Trump's cabinet?

[Hoda Kotb]

It's the guy. Oh, my God. You know that hedge fund manager that beset. Oh, God, I am so ignorant.

[Unknown]

I just didn't know this was happening.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown]

So I am the ignorant one.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, no, no, no. I'm telling you. Scott Besant. Scott Besant who's going to be Treasury Secretary.

[Unknown]

Wow. You know, I hooked up with the Canadian Secretary of Treasury once.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God. Well, hopefully he wasn't right wing.

[Unknown]

I actually don't know where he stood. I just knew that he was the Canadian Secretary of Treasury.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, I've read a little bit about the Scott Besant and apologies if it's Besant, because, you know, I swear by print media, I'm not gonna turn on a television to tell me how to pronounce something, but it doesn't look like it's hers in the right place. Let's just say that.

[Unknown]

Let's just say that.

[Hoda Kotb]

But it's interesting. Of the three people, you know, Buttigieg, of course, is the one Democrat and the other two, one was in the first Trump administration, one is. Is going to be in the second. Fingers crossed he's confirmed, y'all, for gay. For gay progress. Anyway, the point is to go back to your. To your assertion gay won, both in good and bad ways.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And gay one. I mean, gay lesbians won too. I do think. Well, I think the whole Chapel thing is like. Well, at least bisexuals won. I think bisexuals really feel emboldened right now. Yeah, but.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, but I think Chapel and Renee Rapp did the interesting thing of, like, really of truly transitioning from bi to lesbian.

[Unknown]

That's true.

[Hoda Kotb]

Which is interesting because it used to be the stereotype, used to be, quote, unquote, bisexual for clout. Now, that's not something I made up. So don't come at me, folks. That used to be.

[Unknown]

Put your guns down.

[Hoda Kotb]

But it is interesting. It's an interesting thing that these two, you know, high profile bisexual musicians, both were like, I am a lesbian.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

So in that sense, lesbians did win.

[Unknown]

In that sense, lesbians won. I do think I'm feeling like bisexual women are taking on the aesthetics of lesbians more and more, even if they're not saying they're lesbians.

[Hoda Kotb]

I'm trying to think, have we had this conversation before? I'm having incredible deja vu. Like, we literally have had the conversation. Bisexual women are going from straight to lesbian. Right.

[Unknown]

I don't know if we have. If we have. I'm sorry.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, no, no. It's not your fault. But. But bisexuals, by the way, are nowhere in my ins and outs. But since we're on the topic, I'm almost like, is that is bisexual? Is our bisexuals out?

[Unknown]

I do think bisexual jokes have reached a natural end point. And with that, I also think. I do kind of think bisexual is out.

[Hoda Kotb]

Here's what I think. I think the initial round of bisexual jokes, you know, very mean spirited. Like the idea that people actually think, quote unquote, bisexuals don't exist is over. And I. Which is a great thing. And I think it's great to have bisexual visibility. Some of my best friends are bisexual. We are. Some of the best guests we've had on this podcast are bisexual. Because now we've reached bisexual acceptance. What happens is, potentially people will feel more empowered to make jokes because it's a much more stable category in the sense that you and I can make gay guy jokes and say the f slur because we're not worried that we're going to be stoned when we leave our apartments. So it's almost like maybe a second round of bisexual humor has more joie de vivre because it's not as hateful and mean spirited.

[Unknown]

I Love that theory. I hope you're right.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. But I think we should get into it because we have long lists.

[Unknown]

We have long lists. I didn't say how many. We didn't tell each other how many are on each other's lists.

[Hoda Kotb]

I haven't decided how many I'm going to do.

[Unknown]

Yeah, Okay. I have.

[Hoda Kotb]

Go ahead.

[Unknown]

You kick us off.

[Hoda Kotb]

I have an out that I think might be a good intro.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

So my first out is the paranoid defensive style of speaking. So this is something I'm very guilty of. I'll give you an example. I'm introducing the concept of ins and outs. And I say, you know, obviously, these are not literal. Obviously, we are just having fun here. And of course, some of these are not. Are not worded in a way that kind of talking. That's out.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

And it's such a. It's such a specifically millennial style of talking. I would say it is the style of talking you get from growing up with, like, digital media that is constantly telling you which things are good and which things are problematic. It is growing up with this, like, obsession with analyzing pop culture and with literally being like, I watched an episode of Friends, but having to first caveat that with being like, well, I know it's a show that can be really not inclusive at times.

[Unknown]

You know, I don't. I don't. I don't love that they, like, are all white. But it is a funny show. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And there's something about that that is actually doing the opposite of what you think it's doing, because you think that you are being so intelligent, but, in fact, what you're doing is disrespecting your audience. Because, guess what? Your audience knows Friends is white.

[Unknown]

Yeah. It's preparing for, like, the Internet, like, to consume it in a way that's like.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's exactly what it is.

[Unknown]

You don't need to do that anymore.

[Hoda Kotb]

And it's this. It's imagining the worst kind of reaction to every little thing you're thinking. And it also stems from a place of narcissism, too, because you're like. You adopt this tone of, like, giving a press release, giving a press conference, and it's like, you're just some guy.

[Unknown]

You think people are really unpacking your words, and it's like, grow up. No one cares.

[Hoda Kotb]

Exactly. No one gives a shit.

[Unknown]

Yeah, well. And actually, this kind of goes with an in that I also think is obvious.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, go, go.

[Unknown]

And almost too obvious. So I'll get it out. Up top. But casual bigot I think will be very, very in.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes.

[Unknown]

And I think like, because now there's almost like, like it's already been on like podcast culture, like calling things gay pejorative. Yeah, yeah. But I think it'll become more mainstream. I think it'll be on TV shows, I think like. And it'll be like in this way that's like self aware and they're not like trying to be problematic, but it will be like we'll look back on it and be like, oh, that was weird that that was going on.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, this is the classic. The first time this happened, then it was. There was like a famous Internet essay about this and I wish I knew where it was, but someone like coined the term ironic racism. Do you remember this? Yeah, this was like a thing people really talked about and it's very much.

[Unknown]

Like early 2000s comics.

[Hoda Kotb]

Early 2000s, yes. It's like think about the like Austin Power's humor.

[Unknown]

Think about like Sarah Silverman when like special back then.

[Hoda Kotb]

Sarah Silverman special. Blackface. Jimmy Fallon doing blackface, like this kind of thing. My worry is that this new round of it will actually be like more violent or not violent but like less ironic. Like yeah, there's a real mean spiritedness to it that's like a backlash to the kind of wave of the latest wave of political correctness that let's say was defined like the 2000 and tens and which is why your way of.

[Unknown]

Speaking I think ties into it because people aren't going to be worried about whether they're coming off as bigoted. They'll be like, well yeah, it's like I don't care if someone misunderstands me. I don't need to caveat this.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Which I mean it is a bummer for sure. It's going to be annoying and it's gonna be like, it's like a little. It's like the evil calls. Like it like it will feel fun. Like you'll wanna be bad and be like, I can do that, I can do that.

[Hoda Kotb]

But you like, well it's this false promise of freedom. Like you're sort of. It's such a warped view of freedom because what you actually want is not to be racist. What you actually want is to like be allowed to make art. And I wonder. And a certain type of person gets a rush from saying something inappropriate and that masquerades as real creative output or something.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I think you will see like a standup comedian who is straight. Like do a gay character as like and it'll Be viral. This is my prediction. These are my predictions. Just when I thought of it all, I could say, okay, yeah, let's see.

[Hoda Kotb]

I can do an in.

[Unknown]

Okay. This is like Christmas. I feel like we're, like, sharing presents for each other.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's so much fun. Okay. I have two that are very related. So I think cultural, like, elitist forms of art, like going to the opera, going to the ballet, going to the theater, but not like Broadway musicals, like, going to the theater and being, like, well versed in Chekhov's plays, but especially things like the opera and the ballet. And then related to that is formal wear. Like I said last year that workwear would be out. I'm taking it a step further. I really think we're going to start seeing ties. People wearing ties to their tech job.

[Unknown]

Ties are back in a huge way.

[Hoda Kotb]

And not bow ties, because bow ties have ironic flair. There's gonna be. It's gonna be like your father's Brooks Brothers tie.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Related to this, you know, the Met Gala theme this coming year is the Black Dandy. And I think potentially, like, the aesthetics of the dandy will really be in the cultural. In the culture in a way that will then remind people how fun it is to dress in sort of formal, over the top ways. And they'll be like, you know, opening their closets, looking at all their pairs of Stan Ray pants and Carhartt, and they'll say, oh, my God, what have I been missing out on all these years?

[Unknown]

Wow, this is an interesting theory. I think you're right. I mean, the problem with the ins and outs for this year is, of course, Trump is looming over all of it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Of course.

[Unknown]

So I do feel that, like you saying sort of the opera, the ballet is back, I do think is true. And I do think it's because people are going to be annoyed at popular culture and almost taking pride in their alienation 100%.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I think related to Trump, last time. Okay, let's say we're okay. Cultural elites. Last time Trump won, their instinct was to, quote unquote, relate to the common American. And I think this time it will be the opposite. It'll be be sort of reaffirming their own elite status with no care in the world. Like, yeah, before they weren't going to the opera. Before they were like, I'm going to travel to Kentucky and meet a farmer, and now they're going to the opera. And in hushed tones, they're like, aren't farmers so stupid?

[Unknown]

Yeah, they're kind of like, you guys Voted for him. You can have him.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes, yes.

[Unknown]

Like, we're going to the opera, right? So that's.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's.

[Unknown]

That's great. I have a related in.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, go.

[Unknown]

Being rich and not ashamed. I think before it was about if you had money, you would hide it. And now I think, well, we're going to see, like, I think early 2000s really did this too, where it's like, you really, like, are like, ooh, I want to be rich. Rich. Like, that girl's rich. And that's awesome. Like, oh, we have to go to this club where all the rich people go. And I think it'll be like, rich is in. No one's going to be. Bushwick is out, basically. And you're not pretending to be poor anymore. You are like, rich is in.

[Hoda Kotb]

Rich is in. And I think something that's semi related to that is the general exhaustion with the Nepo baby conversation. It no longer scratches an itch to be like, look, I discovered his tax returns. He's rich. No one cares anymore. The idea that. And like, did you know that actress's father is a billionaire? No one cares.

[Unknown]

No one cares. And it's like, you almost just assume it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

It's like, yeah, she's an actress.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I have an out that I can do.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

I think something that's out to me is the concept of press tours.

[Unknown]

Like, interesting.

[Hoda Kotb]

There's. I press tours now for huge movies like, you know, Barbie, Wicked, whatever. They last basically three years.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I know we just said that the kind of, like, over the top aesthetics of wealth are in, but I actually think this, the sort of over the top, like, marketing budget is out. Like, I can't. I think there's going to be exhaustion with just, like, seeing these celebrities say the same personal anecdotes over and over again. Like seeing the way we were charmed by Gaga saying there can be 100 people in a room a million times, I think was the peak of how charming that can be.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I want to agree with you. This one I'm struggling with because I am like, I feel like. I still think. I think memes are going to continue to be sort of the main Internet humor, and I think it's such a generator for that. And I think this Wicked tour almost made it so it's, like, clearer that that's the case. Like, I think people are going to try to be more insane to get press for their movie.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, maybe you're right, because, in fact, the memes that have been made from the press tour are way more sticky than the ones that have been made about the movie itself.

[Unknown]

100%.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, which is so interesting to think about. Like for, let's say for A Star is Born, which is where 100 people in a room came from. The things we remember, the things that were memes were actually from the movie. It was like her fake songs or like the fact that her name was all.

[Unknown]

Or the looking back thing.

[Hoda Kotb]

The looking back thing. Whereas now it's, it's complicated because on the one hand I see what you're saying. On the other hand I'm almost like, well, that's even more to my point because that it's going to reach a fever pitch where people no longer like, I just don't think it's a sustainable plan to have more and more complex press tours.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

People get tired of celebrities. And I, and I really like, celebrities have been out for a while.

[Unknown]

No, that's true, that's true. They have to pretend Rich is in. But you still, if you're a celebrity, you have to almost pretend to not be.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

You have to be like humble or something. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Okay. Let's see. This one's kind of complicated.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay.

[Unknown]

I think an out is queer as inherent good.

[Hoda Kotb]

Ooh. I like that we touched on it earlier when we said gay one, but in both good and bad ways.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And I think as it's like more and more mainstream. Like it's like every, every pop person is queer. Like they're queer coded or queer like it's like even like people like Charli XCX is straight, but it's like this is queer music. And I think it's going to be like, that's not going to be just like a synonym for good. I think it's just going to be like it's going to lose its power as a branding exercise.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's also just like no longer even a synonym for semi good politics. Like it just. At one point, even the word queer was like reclaiming a slur. And it meant that you had more radical politics than someone who referred to themselves as gay. Obviously, I'm painting in broad strokes. Oh, look, I'm doing defensive talking and I just think it's over and again in ways that are both bad and good. Of course.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

In some ways what we have always wanted is mass acceptance where you're not defined by your sexual identity. But in other ways, of course. I wish there wasn't a gay guy in the Trump administration.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I have two food related inns that I can do together because they're not super interesting.

[Unknown]

Oh, great. I have a food related in as well.

[Hoda Kotb]

All right, so out.

[Unknown]

Actually, sorry.

[Hoda Kotb]

Spaghetti and meatballs.

[Unknown]

Really?

[Hoda Kotb]

I think spaghetti and meatballs are in. I think that, you know, we went through the very long burger and martini era where that was like the comfort food everyone craved. And I just think the next chapter of that is spaghetti and meatballs. Like having people over and having a giant bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and like, you know, having. I think there's going to be a sort of like Alison Roman esque. Actually Alison has a great meatball recipe, but I think there's going to be like some sort of viral moment or something that. Or even like a movie moment. Like a Lady and the Tramp spaghetti moment. Like there's going to be something that puts spaghetti on the meatballs back on the map in a big way. I actually am saying this from personal experience because I had a dinner party where I served spaghetti and meatballs and I got more compliments than I've ever gotten on. Like, more difficult things I've cooked or baked or anything. That's basically all anyone wants.

[Unknown]

I think this is one of the most genius predictions of all time. The way that instantly when you said this, it clicked with me and I'm like. Because people still are wanting the simple. They're still wanting to feel that burger and martini vibe. But they've had enough burgers and they've had enough martinis. Like, I think you're so right about the spaghetti meatballs. Do you have a, like, cocktail? Like, yes. What's the cocktail?

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, it's not a single cocktail, but I think Amaro based cocktails are gonna be big. Last night I. So we sort of had just have not like restocked our alcohol in a while and we have a very random assortment of things. So when people come over, I'm constantly being like, do you want a vermouth and soda? Like. Cause I just like don't have enough stuff. And we had this random bottle of Averna and this bottle of Prosecco and I looked up and I made an Averna spritz. Last night we had a friend over and it tasted like a sort of a twist on like a diet Coke. It was this like beautiful, kind of like syrupy but not too sweet, spritzy, but wintry drink. And I mean, I think Amare have been in for a while. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, but I think specifically not on their own, not on the rocks, not just with soda. Like Slightly more complicated cocktails that are Amaro based I think could be almost like a bridge between the more simple Martini and the more complicated and outdated, like, craft cocktail culture of the 2010s.

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's almost like we went all the way in one direction, then we went all the way in the other direction. Now a Happy Medium is an Amaro based three ingredient cocktail.

[Unknown]

George, I'm feeling so electric. I'm getting chills. I like, I. I'm. You're making me, like, see the future. And I even like, I, here's a prediction on the fly. Oh, yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Go, go, go.

[Unknown]

Saying to someone, do you want to get a nightcap? Do you wanna have a nightcap? I think this is going to happen in a huge way.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wait, can I. Sorry. To get ahead of myself. I'll then give you the opportunity to do three in a row, but I have one that's related to that.

[Unknown]

Oh, great.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. One of my ins is having people over parentheses, but not for dinner.

[Unknown]

So, Ginger, what I wrote down out dinner. That is about food.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. Okay, so first of all, dinner parties. I'm not gonna. To say dinner parties are out is ridiculous. Obviously, we're all gonna still have dinner parties, but dinner parties as this, like, incredibly branded important thing is out. Like, that was very much like a post lockdown. Totally. Let's fucking do this. Roaring 20s. We're going to make shrimp cocktail, blah, blah. But what I think is going to happen to your nightcap point is having people over for drinks, having people over for tea, having people over for coffee. And then you also made a little Bundt cake. So you serve them a little. A slice of cake with their coffee, maybe a few cookies, bowl of nuts, Something where you're not even. You haven't even prepared something. You're just like, you go out for dinner and then it's like, do you want to come over for, you know, dessert? And then you just take out literally a thing of Haagen Dazs vanilla.

[Unknown]

This is. I. I'm excited. This actually makes me excited for the future because I have been a little bit like, what? What is the trendy? What's going to be fun? And I'm like, this sounds so fun.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's actually almost like sitcom level. You can walk into your friend's apartment.

[Unknown]

Yes, 100%. But you also know not to stay too long. You're like, I'll stay for like an hour and a half.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, go. You can.

[Unknown]

Okay. Okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So I said dinner. That it's about food. This is I should have brought. I'm going to do two quick ones because they were related to previous things that we talked about and I should have brought them up before. One is out is Brooklyn, and as a Manhattan is in now. That's sort of related to the wealth thing.

[Hoda Kotb]

Sure.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And then the other thing is I really. Because brat was so big, I think green is out, out, out. And I think going Charli XCX mode is really out. Like, it has been, like, market tested that it doesn't work for other people.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes.

[Unknown]

And I think people will now not try to do that again.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, it only works for her because it's, like, authentic to her experience and because she has been perfecting it for 15 years.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And people will probably still try, but in a less. Like, you won't see, like, Katy Perry do it again. You won't see who Camila Cabello do it again.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. I definitely agree about green because it's not just Brad, it's also wicked.

[Unknown]

It's also wicked.

[Hoda Kotb]

Green was just everywhere. I also. I mean, pink. The green and pink and wicked was just such an assault that I think people are going to move away from those colors. I think we're gonna be seeing blues, yellows, let's say purples, you know?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Some night reds. Even a burnt orange.

[Unknown]

Burnt orange, for crying out loud. Okay. I'm realizing that I have a few that are related for inns, that maybe I'll just combine them into one thing.

[Hoda Kotb]

Great.

[Unknown]

I think the sort of Ashton Kutcher style punk'd dressing, it will continue to be bigger and bigger, and that includes, I think, that his haircut, that, like, mop thing. I think stud earrings are going to be back.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, okay.

[Unknown]

And I think goatees.

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, you know, last year we predicted sideburns, which arguably was not a correct prediction, but I think goatees make more sense. I was actually. So I was rewatching Happy Endings and the main character, who's a complete flop, all of them around him are incredible, but the main guy is, like, by design, sort of like the straight man. And he has a goatee that he's constantly made fun of for. Mm. And it got me thinking, like, they actually have been fully out of the culture for so long that we can bring them back and really play with the forum in a new way.

[Unknown]

I think you're going to see some gay guys doing it and it's going to work.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. Gay goatees.

[Unknown]

Gay goatees on the red carpet.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow. Okay.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

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[George Severus]

Small business owners this one's for you. Chase for Business and iheart bring you a podcast series called the Unshakable. This one of a kind series will shine the spotlight on small business owners like you who faced a do or die moment that ultimately made their business what it is today. Learn [e-mail] business podcast Chase make More of what's Yours Chase Mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank N A Member FDIC Copyright 2024 for JP Morgan Chase &.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Co. You wake up, put on your Ray Ban meta glasses classic style, innovative tech. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee desperately.

[Sam Taggart]

So you say hey Meta, how do I make a latte?

[Hoda Kotb]

To make a latte, brew two shots of espresso.

[Savannah Guthrie]

After Meta AI gets you caffeinated, you start walking to work and you need a soundtrack.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Play hip hop music with the built in camera. You snap a pic of a dope mural on the side of a building that you think is worth sharing.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta. Text my last photo to Eva.

[Unknown]

Sending message.

[Savannah Guthrie]

After work you head to meet some friends.

[Unknown]

Hey nice glasses.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Ray Ban Meta Glasses. The next generation of AI glasses. Just say hey Meta. To harness the power of Meta AI. Listen to music, make hands free calls with open ear audio and built in microphones and so much more. All while staying present to the world around you. Shop Ray ban [e-mail] smartglasses hi everyone.

[Sam Taggart]

It's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb from the Today Show. We love this time of year. There's so much to celebrate. That's right, nobody does the holidays quite like today all season long. Join us for special performances with the brightest stars. Plus festive recipes to whip up the perfect holiday feast and great deals on the hottest toys and gifts for everyone on your list. So join us every morning on NBC to make today your home for the holidays.

[Unknown]

We have one more act for you this evening. I don't even need to say his name.

[Hoda Kotb]

Mr. Bob Dylan from the director of.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Walk the Line and Ford versus Ferrari.

[Unknown]

If anyone is Going to hold your attention on the stage. You have to to be a freak.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And starring Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan.

[Hoda Kotb]

Are you a freak?

[Unknown]

Hope so. Once upon a time.

[Hoda Kotb]

You just so inspired by the true story.

[Unknown]

I want to know which side he's on this Christmas. They just want me singing Blowing in the wind for the rest of my life. Bobby, what do you want to be? Whatever it is they don't want me to be.

[Savannah Guthrie]

He defied everyone.

[Unknown]

Turn it down.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Pay proud to be on your to change everything.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's our Elvis with no direction.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Timothy Chalamet Edward Norton El Fanny Monica.

[Hoda Kotb]

Barbaro make some Noise BD track Some mud on the carpet.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Complete unknown A complete unknown Only in theaters Christmas Day. Rated R under 1790 mid without parent.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, my ins are better than my outs. I have to say. I can attempt to do an out. The idea of stigma is out. Like, I think that both stigmatizing something and reclaiming a previously existing stigma are out, like, as a mode of thinking, as a way of organizing thought. It's just like, not how things are going to be viewed anymore. Because I almost think that the idea of stigma is inherently related to a monoculture. There has to be like a common language for something to then be stigmatized against the common mainstream culture. And so when you don't have mainstream culture and you just have a bunch of different subcultures, it's like something can be stigmatized in this culture, but not in this culture. And it can be like a good thing here, but a bad thing here. And unless you have the data in front of you, that's like, how many people stigmatizes and how many people don't. It just is not a useful way of thinking about anything anymore.

[Unknown]

Interesting. I mean, does this go along with like a there's no more like, canceling vibe, or is it a different thought?

[Hoda Kotb]

I think that I'm more so thinking about, like, when people are like, mental illness is stigmatized, it's like, okay, it is broadly speaking, but in fact, in the community that I'm a part of, it's encouraged. Like, in no room that I'm ever in is mental illness stigmatized. Or even if you're like, something about, even something around queerness or body type, things that are traditionally considered less than whatever the desirable version is.

[Unknown]

Yeah, okay, this is making sense to me.

[Hoda Kotb]

Obviously, people still face oppression and people still face discrimination, but the concept of a stigma, I think, is the wrong way to look at it. Yeah, yeah, that's sort of what I mean.

[Unknown]

I like that. I think this works.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Because you won't be stigmatized. You'll just move to a different culture.

[Hoda Kotb]

Exactly. That's exactly what it is.

[Unknown]

Hop on over to somewhere else.

[Hoda Kotb]

Because a stigma implies like a red, you know, a for adulterer.

[Unknown]

Okay. I have an out. I think making fun of cringe liberalism.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, so out.

[Unknown]

So out. I think, like, making fun of, like, in this house we believe, like stuff like that you're just sort of gonna be like, yeah, I get it. Like, cope however you can. I think it's gonna be like. I don't think it'll be happening as much because I think people are like, don't feel a fire under them. But I also think when it happens, you'll be like, yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Where it's like making fun of Hamilton. It's like, it's over.

[Unknown]

Yeah, totally.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's gonna make fun of Hamilton. Or like, there's just something. It used to feel fresh to rediscover things from the Obama era. And obviously we do this more than anyone to rediscover things from the Obama era and think of them in a new light. But enough time has passed that the Obama era is now basically what the Clinton era was then. Like, you just have to accept it.

[Unknown]

It happened, folks. So that happened.

[Hoda Kotb]

So that happened.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, I'll do an in. I think that aerobics could make a comeback.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Hoda Kotb]

Because I think it's the only form of trend based exercise that hasn't made a comeback.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

This is not a form of exercise. But even line dancing has become a cool thing queer people do. But aerobics, which has all the makings of something that would get a nostalgia based comeback, especially in a like post yoga, post Pilates world.

[Unknown]

Plus, we have all this dance music.

[Hoda Kotb]

We have all this dance music. I think people also, everything is a brand activation and a fashion collaboration now. So it's like someone's gonna go ahead and make some fluorescent colored aerobics clothing.

[Unknown]

I'm actually surprised this didn't happen with the Barbie movie Dua Lipa.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, yeah, the Barbie moon and Dua Lipa.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

It should have happened.

[Unknown]

Huh? I like this theory. I wonder how they're going to, like, elevate it from just nostalgia.

[Hoda Kotb]

I know.

[Unknown]

Because, like, I wonder in like a, like an allo world, like, how are they going to make it? Like, Instagram girlies love this.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And I'm not sure what the answer is, but, I mean, it'll be like in a soul cycle way. Like, it'll be like a Dark room.

[Hoda Kotb]

Right. It won't be. To be clear, it won't be cool. I'm not saying this is going to be, like, a cool thing, but it'll Soul Cycle is the perfect comparison. It'll be like some company that has seed, like, venture funding will be like, oh, my God, you know what we haven't done in a while is, like, a good aerobics craze. Like, it worked the first time. It's been long enough. You know what I predict then? There's gonna be some viral interview of Jane Fonda responding to it, and people asking her, like, so what do you think of the new aerobics craze? And she'll be like, well, you know, there's a reason it worked. Like, blah, blah, blah. And then people, like, clips from her aerobics tapes will be viral on TikTok.

[Unknown]

I love this.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And, okay, it may have missed with Barbie and Dua Lipa, but with the substance, I think it could pop off.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown]

Of course.

[Hoda Kotb]

I forgot about the substance. Yes, of course.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. All right.

[Unknown]

Okay. Let's see. I have a really controversial one.

[Hoda Kotb]

Go, go, go.

[Unknown]

Okay. This is an in. I predict there's going to be a conversation about how there hasn't been a new funny fat guy at snl.

[Hoda Kotb]

Whoa.

[Unknown]

I think in the same way that there was a conversation about, like, there hasn't been a black woman on SNL in 10 years ago when that was happening. I think there's going to be, like, a. We need a new funny fat guy at snl. And people will be, like, nostalgic for, like, John Candy. Yeah. Like Chris Farley. Like, people are going to be like, this used to be the thing, and they're going to want it again. Like, I think with the 50th, people are going to be reflecting on who used to be there. And that used to be such a thing that people would say is, like SNL always says, like, the funny fat guy. And I think that's going to be. There's going to be a conversation about how there hasn't been, like, a wild, funny fat guy in a while.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow. Fascinating. And that's. That fits it so much with the rest of where culture is going. It's like, literally, it used to be that people would be angry that there was not more racial diversity on snl. Now it's going to be people being like, why isn't there a funny fat guy?

[Unknown]

And it fits in with the casual bigotry sort of this thing of, like, I can say this why isn't there a funny fat guy?

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, let's see. I think one of my ins is. And this is controversial. I think that San Francisco has been hollowed out and sort of beaten down so much with a combination of Silicon Valley transforming and then leaving the pandemic. The various, like, controversies around local politics there just like, insane rents, people moving to Oakland. Like, it's just a sort of, like, terrible reputation both among, you know, conservatives obsessed with crime and progressives obsessed with, like, Silicon Valley taking over. Whatever. I almost think it's like it can't get any lower. And so it now will have some sort of resurgence. Like, there's going to be some. Maybe it's like a local artistic scene of some sort. Maybe there's going to be a new band that's from San Francisco. Maybe there's going to be a thriving art scene in some way. And then maybe there will be some TV series or film that's about a community that lives in San Francisco. Then maybe people will remember all the different that they loved about San Francisco. Or maybe it's an even more nostalgic thing where there's gonna be, like, a movie about, like, Haight Ashbury hippies or something, and then that'll be a trend. But I just think, like, San Francisco was so cool then. It was so uncool, and I think it has to. It has to, like, circle back.

[Unknown]

I like this, and I really hope you're right. Like, there is something. When I think about San Francisco, it is like, this is, like, so sad.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown]

It really is like, one of the bleaker things that has happened and you just, like, sort of move on because it is a fact. It's just like, yep, tech ruined an entire city.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's just crazy.

[Unknown]

And you have to just be like, okay. And it's like, no, it's like we haven't actually addressed this. Like, this used to be a thriving city with a cool vibe. One of the American city. It is completely hollowed out. It is crazy.

[Hoda Kotb]

So something, you know, it's going to. Something's going to rise from the ashes, I think.

[Unknown]

Has. This is a genuine. Has tech moved out? Is it?

[Hoda Kotb]

Well, a big part of it is like, first of all, a lot of tech has moved to, like, Austin and Miami and places like that. I mean, the big. I mean, Austin especially has just become this, like, huge tech capital. The other thing that happened, especially during the pandemic, was because everyone started working from home. Downtown San Francisco was just, like, really, like, hollowed out in this way. There's just like, there's like all these empty buildings, but then they're not being made into affordable housing or anything. So it's just you know, this sort of like, it was this, like, ghost town.

[Unknown]

That is interesting.

[Hoda Kotb]

But San Francisco's always like. San Francisco is defined back to the Gold rush by booms and busts. Like, it just isn't a stable place. Like, there's always gonna be, you know, incredible eras of immense wealth and then eras where, you know, things are not going well, and it always somehow bounces back. And it's also very, like, amenable to new ideas. So it might be something completely different. It might also be worse. Who knows?

[Unknown]

Hey, sometimes you gotta get worse before you get better. Yeah. Well, I hope they come back. It's a gorgeous city.

[Hoda Kotb]

It really is.

[Unknown]

God. And we're gonna go there soon. For crying out loud. Oh, my God.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's right. We're going to San Francisco Sketchfest. I forgot.

[Unknown]

That's the Sketchfest show.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's literally the only show I have planned for 2025. See you there.

[Unknown]

See you there. Okay, let's see. This. These are complicated. Okay. I think an out. An out is like, I think public feminism. I think we're going to have like a woman, like a high profile woman. Be like, I'm not really a feminist, like, and almost be like, there's going to be sort of a throwback vibe to, like, feminism. I actually love men. Like, I think it'll be like misinterpreting, of course, and wrong. But I think that it's going to happen where I think feminism as like a branding thing is out. And it'll be like, I love men and feminists. And then it'll be like, feminists are lesbians. I love men.

[Hoda Kotb]

Women defending men.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I love men.

[Hoda Kotb]

I think women defending men is hugely in. Yeah.

[Unknown]

And it's like, again, all this, it's.

[Hoda Kotb]

All cyclical, like, because that.

[Unknown]

And Trump is looming, of course. Yes, Trump is looming, but it is all cyclical. And I think this will come back.

[Hoda Kotb]

I know. It's, you know, it's funny. Feminism is one of those terms. Of course, there are actual. There is an actual history of feminism and there are actual definitions and you can, you know, there is. There's like, feminism is also like a lens through which to view politics and culture. It is a way. It is an academic line of thought. It is like a way to. It is a liberation movement. It is all these things, like, in actuality. But there's also divorced from that, just the Specter of feminism in, like, the mainstream popular imagination, that's almost literally a different thing. You know what I mean? Like, the actual concept, the substantial concept of feminism is so different than what? Like, than what at any given time in the 90s or 2000s or 2010s is meant when a random person on television says, I am a feminist.

[Unknown]

Yeah, 100%. I mean, I'm realizing in going through these, yours are way more optimistic and mine are really cynical and pessimistic.

[Hoda Kotb]

I don't think that's necessarily true. I mean, I'm doing much more. Many more ins. I'm trying to think, like, oh, I have a pessimistic one.

[Unknown]

Oh, okay.

[Hoda Kotb]

All right. So I think one of my ins is I think AI will be in for longer before we get a backlash. Like, I think the sort of. I think the obvious thing would be to say, everyone hates AI, it's out for 2025. But I don't think that's the case. I think that, like. Well, yeah, I think everyone's distracted by, like, oh, AI created images. And, like, look at this crazy fake image where this guy has, like, seven fingers because it wasn't created well. And like, oh, this AI created poem is, like, actually shitty. And in the meantime, AI is being used in way more nefarious ways and even way more, like, normal ways, to be honest. Like, I'm sure it's being used to make, like, incredible medical advances that I don't know about, but I just think it is gonna first infiltrate the culture way, way, way, way more before, in, like, five, ten years. There's like, a real backlash of some sort, if ever.

[Unknown]

I think you're 100% right. I think this. Yeah, this is pessimism that I agree with. It's sort of the Elon thing, where it's like, Elon shouldn't be winning. Like, everyone who we know hates him. Everyone on the Internet hates him. It's like he's a punching, like, punching bag for, like, everyone. And yet, like, he is still in charge of Twitter. He is still, like, in charge of the government picked the president. Like, he has all the power somehow still. And I think AI is like this, too, where it's like, yes, everyone posts like, oh, this sucks. This is bad. But it's like, it's winning, and it's going to continue to win.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, there's something about it that it's. It's just becoming the new. It no longer is, like, this little. This mysterious thing on the rise. Like, it's now just AI Went from being like punk rock hacker to being man in suit. And it is much more difficult to take down man in suit than like, someone infiltrating the culture.

[Unknown]

This is. I'm having the opposite reaction that I had to your spaghetti and meatballs. I'm feeling so low about this because I am like, it's true and there's nothing we can do about it. Like, I'm really, like, stuck on, like, what does this mean? And we won't know until it happens. But I'm like, it really sucks. It, like, can't be good in any way. And I feel like even with, like the Internet, we didn't know it was going to be bad. Like, the Internet was like, wow, this is so exciting. We can, like, share information and learn anything we want at any given moment. And now it's like, oh, this is kind of bad. Like, I wish we didn't have this sometimes. And with AI, we don't even have that. Like, this is gonna solve everything. It's just like, start out the gate. It is bad.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, I so agree with you. It used to be that innovations first went through a phase of utopian thinking. Even something like the telephone. It's like, first you're like, wow, amazing. We can connect with everyone. And then it's like, okay, it's like promoting misinformation and people are addicted and teens are committing suicide. But at least in the beginning, you can be like, we have a smartphone. It's a computer in your pocket.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it was magical at first.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I'm sort of like. But I also do think there's a cultural divide here because for many people, they do think of it as utopian, honest. Like, you can think of AI as like, oh, everything is going to be so frictionless. And then we're going to be free to, you know, work a three hour or work a two day work week and then spend the rest of the time painting. Like, there is that utopian element of it. But it is difficult to access that line of thinking when the people that are the poster children for it are like literal movie villains.

[Unknown]

Yeah, totally. And it just is like, so clearly not. That is not the goal. Like, it's just the goal is to, like, be the first one to do it so you can be rich before they eliminate all jobs. C'est la vie.

[Hoda Kotb]

C'est la vie. Bon voyage.

[Unknown]

Bon voyage. Did I tell you that? I can't stop saying c'est la vie.

[Hoda Kotb]

I have noticed.

[Unknown]

Because I think it's, it's such a fun way of Being like, I'm detached, like, I don't care. And it adds a little je ne.

[Hoda Kotb]

Sais quoi, you know, I think a fun trend would be to say French phrases, but not in ways that make sense. So just like, this is one of my favorites, like I just did with Bon Voyage. Like, that literally does not make sense in this context.

[Unknown]

I love to go, je m'appelle Jean, m'appelle. So that's kind of fun. Oh, it's my turn. Okay, here's an interesting out. I'm also not sure if I'm going to do all mine, because I don't know if I agree with all of them now that we're reading these out loud, but here's an out. Social media star meaning anything. I think there was a second where it was like, if you are big on Instagram, you are big. Like, this can transition into a real thing. I think social media stars is becoming more and more disposable and more and more temporary and more and more like, well, yeah, I look at you on my phone. I don't really care about you beyond that.

[Hoda Kotb]

Totally.

[Unknown]

And I think that used to be less clear. Like, it would be like, oh, I saw this guy on Instagram. I love him. And now it's like, no, I think you're. Because you're not even following. You're like, being fed stuff. And I think. So you don't feel investment. You're like, that was a funny video.

[Hoda Kotb]

You don't even look at what someone's name is.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I think this is a mistake. A lot of people we know make where they think their profile is rising because they're going viral. And then, in fact, it's just like, people might see you on the street and be like, that person looks familiar.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Actually, what's interesting about social media stardom is so I think that what we're seeing is a rise in, like, a middle class when it comes to social media performers. So the expectation that if you go viral, then you reach some higher point is almost like the promise that you'll found a small business and become a billionaire. I think there is this more consistent middle class of. In the same way that there are so many working actors that are not wealthy like Julia Roberts. I think that's what's happening with. With quote unquote creators is there's just this, like, large group of people that, like, occasionally make a couple thousand dollars doing a brand deal.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah. That's an interesting way of looking at it. The gold rush is over.

[Hoda Kotb]

The Gold rush is over. Exactly, exactly. The gold rush is over.

[Unknown]

You can still get a little gold.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

But very little.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I actually have. Okay. I have one that's sort of related to the AI Thing and also sort of related to Trump in a way. I sort of think the movie and the. I think V for Vendetta is in.

[Unknown]

V for Vendetta is in.

[Hoda Kotb]

I don't know.

[Unknown]

So what does that mean to you? I hear that, and I think, like, middle school ideas of activism.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's what it is. Yeah. There's something. There's something that's like, I don't know, so much of, like, Trumpian thinking there is so childlike. And I think V for Vendetta, as much as I really honestly enjoy it as a film, V for Vendetta just has these very childlike notions of activism, of justice, of oppression, of power that are actually so. That can actually be sort of appropriated by anyone with any politics. Like, you can read it in a left wing way. You can read it in a right wing way. It's almost like what happened with the Matrix.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I don't know, I think everyone.

[Unknown]

Thinks they're the V for Vendetta. They think they're on the good side.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. And there's also, I think I have generally noticed just like, a rise in violence being socially, like the idea of violence on both sides.

[Unknown]

Well, the assassin. We have to talk about the assassin.

[Hoda Kotb]

Right. So this is the thing, like, I think that on the right, violence has very much in the Trump years become, or even like violent language, let's say, has become way more socially accepted. And I think something that's happening now with like, with the assassin and even with the Trump assassination attempt is you see, like, respectable Midwestern moms being like, oh, you should have gotten him. There is just a comfort with almost gallows humor about violence.

[Unknown]

Well, it is true that, yeah, there's something about the system's really not working, and people are like, well, there is one thing that can work. And people are being driven insane enough to be like, okay, let's do that, and at least let's celebrate it when it happens. Because it's like, nothing good happens in systemic right now. There's very few wins for the people. And so I do think when the violence happens, it's fun to be like, hell, yeah, we got them.

[Hoda Kotb]

Totally. Yeah. Yeah. And it almost feels not. It doesn't even feel dangerous. Cause you're like, literally nothing good will ever happen.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

This is just like, we're all just doing a little Dance?

[Unknown]

Yeah, I'm, like, really trying not to. I think when this comes out, it'll be like. Like, let's see, like, it'll be in, like, two weeks or something. And so who knows where we'll be with the assassin story? Of course.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. Sorry for everyone listening, know that we still don't know the identity of the assassin of the sorry United Healthcare CEO shooter. We don't know his identity and he has not been caught.

[Unknown]

So who knows what will happen in the next two weeks.

[Hoda Kotb]

But what's currently happening is people are making jokes about how he's hot on the Internet.

[Unknown]

And I'm, like, genuinely trying not to get swept up in assassin fever because I know, like, because it is such a juicy story and it is so, like, the bullets had writing on them and it was like. It was political. And you're like, but don't you think.

[Hoda Kotb]

That'S so V for vendetta?

[Unknown]

It's so V for vendetta, the bullets.

[Hoda Kotb]

Having writing on them. Are you kidding me?

[Unknown]

That's so middle school.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And yet I'm like, finally, like, I'm like, this rules. And I'm really trying to check in with that and be like, when I'm. You know, we're almost, like, horny right now. Like, we're horny for violence. And, like, I'm. When I come, I'm gonna be like, what was I thinking? Why was I so horny for that? Yeah. And so I'm trying to not be so horny for it, but I am, like, there is something where it's, like, very attractive to me right now.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

God, they should make a horny that you don't regret later.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God. That would be crazy. I would not ever need to work another day in my life or produce art if there was a horny that did not make you feel shame later. Are you kidding me?

[Unknown]

The way that I feel like it's been happening more and more, where I will come and then I'll be like, what have I been doing the last four days?

[Hoda Kotb]

No, it's bad.

[Unknown]

I have been completely thinking wrong because I've been horny without knowing it.

[Hoda Kotb]

But also, take me back.

[Unknown]

This is. Men shouldn't be allowed in the government, folks. Okay, here's a weird out.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, go.

[Unknown]

And it's not that controversial, but Disney.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, yeah, totally.

[Unknown]

I think Disney is, like, so, so, so out. And I think before it was like, marvel is out, but I think now it's even further. Like, even, like, adults being like, well, this animated movie is actually really Good. I think that's out. I think Disney is like, beyond out.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, it's. I'm also. I mean, all these live action remakes are. It's sort of shocking how. I mean, I saw the trailer for the Snow White one and I was like, oh, God, you're doing CGI dwarves.

[Unknown]

Oh, wow. I did not see the trailer for this.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's really shocking, actually. Like. And, you know, I know we have left behind calling things problematic, but, like, I'm sorry, have little people not been through enough that now your way around it is not even casting them in case it's offense? So you're literally doing basically, like, prejudiced caricatures of little people that. As though they're animals. As though they're CGI animals. I'm actually. I was shocked when I saw that.

[Unknown]

No, that is such a great point. I'm honestly surprised they're even making this movie because you're just gonna step in it in so many ways no matter what.

[Hoda Kotb]

But maybe. But as we've said, cancel culture is over. So maybe it's literally like, it's gonna be fine.

[Unknown]

It's gonna be fine. But for some reason, they're canceling. Is that Rachel Ziegler? Is that her name? They're canceling her because she doesn't like. She's like, yeah, I feel fine about Snow White. She's like, I didn't really grow up with it or something. She's not doing the Ariana thing of crying every time she's interviewed.

[Hoda Kotb]

Totally.

[Unknown]

And people are like, she doesn't care.

[Hoda Kotb]

Something I sort of appreciate about her is that she kind of does refuse to play the game. She's always sort of saying something randomly controversial. But then she's also not being controversial enough that it's like, slay Queen. You did that. It's just sort of just putting her foot in it constantly.

[Unknown]

Sort of just being like, can we wrap this up at all times?

[Hoda Kotb]

Exactly.

[Unknown]

And I think that's cool.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. Okay. I have. Okay. I have an out. I think Sacha Baron Cohen is out.

[Unknown]

Oh, yeah. In a big way. And you know he's gonna try to do something in the Trump era.

[Hoda Kotb]

In the Trump era. But I'm. I actually think it's been a really long time coming. Like, a really long time coming. Like, it is shocking that he got away with doing Borat 2 with. And there wasn't any sort of conversation about the larger politics of his work.

[Unknown]

In fact, it got nominated for an Oscar.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. Yes.

[Unknown]

And it was like, Borat 2. There's this thing about in music where the album sales more reflect the album that came before. And I really think that Borat 2, is that for movies?

[Hoda Kotb]

That's genius.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's so true.

[Unknown]

Because people just loved Borat1 so much that then they were like, well, we have to support Borat 2 because Borat 1 is so beloved. And they're like. But I think actually, if a Borat three were to come out, the backlash would come so hard because no one actually liked Borat 2.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, it's. And he has been. He himself has been really annoying.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Very smug. And now that he's, like, divorced from.

[Hoda Kotb]

From Isla Fisher.

[Unknown]

Isla Fisher, it's like, wait, that was. You were like, it was charming to know that you were with Isla Fisher.

[Hoda Kotb]

Totally.

[Unknown]

Totally. And I was like, well, she hates you. Then I think I might hate you as well.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's such a smug little bitch. Like, he thinks he's so smart, and he's been encouraged, like, I mean, not to be so, you know, earnest. Obama era earnest. But I'm like, where's woman let a woman have that career? Where is a silly woman doing crazy characters? Like. And I'm so sick of. It's like, because he is a handsome British man, he's allowed to toe the line and to be offensive and to. It's like, fuck off.

[Unknown]

Enough, Enough. And even the whole clowning tie in to his whole deal where he's like, I trained to be a clown. It's just like, all right. I don't think this is for me. I'm also. He's like, approach the characters. I'm like, enough with the voices. Like, there's something about the voice.

[Hoda Kotb]

So 101.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's so 101. It's the first thought.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's quite. I'm sorry. The joke. I don't know. This is a problem I've always had. But it's like, I understand. I'm not an idiot. I understand that it's meant to be pointing out racism via its own racism. Like, I get it. I'm not an idiot. But the whole thing is just my wife, like, fuck off.

[Unknown]

Well, he also has, like, sort of classic south park syndrome, where it's, like, you know, ironic, like, antisemitism. And then it's like. But then people just actually do it to be antisemitic. They're like, that's so funny. And then they're, like, quoting it. And then when someone's Jewish, they're, like, doing it to them. It's like, this is so weird.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. It's also. I mean, he is doing. I mean, he is just doing a racist caricature. I mean, I'm sorry, but, like, if we're taking off hulu episodes of 30 Rock that have blackface, like, what are we doing with Borat? All right, so that's my out.

[Unknown]

Okay, let's see. What have I not done? Oh, okay, here's an in. Okay. I think male singers.

[Hoda Kotb]

Ooh.

[Unknown]

I think it's been like, the pop girlies have been such a thing. And even straight guys are saying, like, oh, the pop girlies. The pop girlies. And I think there's going to be, like, it's going to feel new and independent to Stan, a male singer. I'm kind of even thinking, like, a Bon. I like someone. Like, really? Yeah. Like, it's like people are going to want a masculine voice again.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. Okay.

[Unknown]

And it's gonna make them. They're gonna be like, I'm not like other girls. I listen to a man sing.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. Do you think, like, Iron and Wine, like, it's like that kind of thing is making a comment?

[Unknown]

I kind of do think that's gonna come back as, like, a reaction to, like, everything being so glossy and poppy.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, one of them. I mean, there's such a misogyny to the idea that, like, a male voice is more authentic than a female voice, which is basically what a lot of this is.

[Unknown]

100%.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I'm. I mean, I have something I have to say. It's already happening with, like. Like, these are people I barely. Whose work I barely know, but, like, M.J. lenderman is, like, getting big. McGee.

[Unknown]

McGee. Of course.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, also, the Bon Iver record, I think, is, like, well received.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I think it's. I think it's going to continue. I think it's going to continue trending. And similarly, I think we've seen it a little bit, but I think, like, the TikTok generation is going to continue to find 2010s indie rock and reappropriate it in ways that people our age are annoyed at. And, like, I think they're going to, like, find, like, of Montreal. And, like, there's going to be, like, a viral trend, too, of Montreal. And we're going to be like, what the hell? And. But it is, like, it's just. It's going to keep happening. They're going to, like, find, like, Beach House, Teenage Dream or whatever, and it's going to Natives.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Even, like, I saw it, like, somebody posted on Twitter the Like MGMT performing in college, and which obviously it was like, damn cocaine to me watching that. But I do think more and more of that is going to happen. Like that nostalgia and repurposing of 2010 stuff.

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, it's time for it. It's just like. It's just. There's just like a bucket of things that happen in the 2010s and where people are going to keep fishing, putting their little fishing hooks in it, and whatever comes up is going to trend for a month.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And it's going to be, like, annoying because everyone's going to have to post about how it makes them feel old. And that only adds. Adds to it. It's just going to be this whole cycle over and over again, you know.

[Hoda Kotb]

Related to that Santa gold renaissance.

[Unknown]

Now that I would love. It could fit into that trend.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. She is one of these figures that's like, maybe she could save us.

[Unknown]

You know, I think at any point she could pop in and save us.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Damn. I love her.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I know. I love her, too. Okay. Okay, here's a specific one. Do you know the actress Jane Addams?

[Unknown]

No.

[Hoda Kotb]

Look her up. She was in the Idol most recently, and she's in so many iconic. She's just like a classic indie film actress.

[Unknown]

Yes. Got it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I think she's gonna have a big. You know, when people did it with Laura Dern, where they were like, she's like, she's been good consistently, but she's never gotten her due. I mean, it's different because actually, Laura Dern had starring roles throughout her career, whereas Jane Addams was always sort of a character actress. But I think she has been so consistently good and has never had her moment that I'm like, I'm seeing it. Like, I'm seeing a sort of. Maybe it'll be some indie movie she's in that does, like, really well in Toronto. And then there's, like, a grassroots campaign and then there's like, a Vulture article that's like, Jane Addams has always been that girl.

[Unknown]

She's gonna get, like, the Melanie Lynskey treatment.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. Yes. The Melanie Lynskey treatment. Because she is so good.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And she's good at both drama and comedy. She is so, like, sort of like, effortlessly cool in her own way. She also is able to be both. She's able to not be typecast. Like, her role in the Idol is so different than she plays Hannah Imbinder's mom in Hax, and she's like, so, like, Midwestern mom. In hacks.

[Unknown]

Wow, I had forgotten about that.

[Hoda Kotb]

She's actually in this amazing movie. Well, amazing is generous, but she's in this movie I believe called the Anniversary Party, which is co directed by Alan Cumming and. Oh God. Jennifer Jason Lee. No, wait, hold on, I'm looking it up. Jennifer Jason Lee and Alan Cumming.

[Unknown]

Oh wow. You nailed that.

[Hoda Kotb]

But she's really. She's definitely the best part of it, so I just think it's gonna happen for her.

[Unknown]

I like this. Yeah, this is a fun. I like when you get really specific with it. I think that's fun.

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[George Severus]

Chase for Business and Iheart bring you a podcast series called the Unshakeables. This one of a kind series will shine the spotlight on small business owners like you who faced a do or die moment that ultimately made their business what it is today. Learn more at chase.com business/podcast podcast Chase make more of what's yours Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply JPMorgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC Copyright 2024 JP Morgan Chase & Co. You wake.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Up, put on your Ray Ban meta glasses classic style innovative tech. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee desperately.

[Sam Taggart]

So you say hey Meta, how do I make a latte?

[Hoda Kotb]

To make a latte, brew two shots of espresso.

[Savannah Guthrie]

After Meta AI gets you caffeinated, you start walking to work and you need a soundtrack.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Play hip hop music with the built in camera. You snap a pic of a dope mural on the side of a building that you think is worth sharing.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta. Text my last photo to Eva.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Sending message after work you head to meet some friends.

[Unknown]

Hey nice glasses.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Ray Ban Meta glasses. The next generation of AI glasses. Just say hey Meta. To harness the power of Meta AI. Listen to music, make hands free calls with open ear audio and built in microphones and so much more. All while staying present to the world around you. Shop Ray ban [e-mail] smartglasses hi everyone.

[Sam Taggart]

It's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb from the Today Show. We love this time of year. There's so much to celebrate. That's right. Nobody does the holidays quite like today all season long. Join us for special performances with the brightest stars. Plus festive recipes to whip up the perfect holiday feast. And great deals on the hottest toys and gifts for everyone on your list. So join us every morning on NBC to make today your home for the holidays.

[Unknown]

We have one more act for you this evening. I don't even need to say his name.

[Hoda Kotb]

Mr. Watkins.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Dylan from the director of Walk the Line and Ford versus Ferrari.

[Unknown]

If anyone is going to hold your attention on stage, you have to kind of be a freak.

[Savannah Guthrie]

And starring Timothy Chalamet as Bob Dylan.

[Unknown]

Are you a freak? Hope so. Once upon a time you just so.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Inspired by the true story.

[Unknown]

I want to know which side he's on this Christmas. They just want me singing blowing in the wind for the rest of my life. Bobby, what do you want to be? Whatever it is they don't want me to be. How does it feel?

[Savannah Guthrie]

He defied everyone.

[Unknown]

Turn it down.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Pay loud to be on your to change everything.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's our Elvis with no direction.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Timothy Chalamet Edward Norton El Fanny Monica.

[Hoda Kotb]

Barbaro make some Noise BD Track Some.

[Unknown]

Mud on the Carpet.

[Savannah Guthrie]

A complete unknown Only Peter's Christmas Day rated R. Under 1790 minute without parent.

[Unknown]

I had an out. Okay, that this is complicated, but I think Florida is out. Like Sam, I think caring about. Wait, what I have.

[Hoda Kotb]

So I have a third section called question mark which I can't decide if it's in or out. And it's just two things. It's Florida and it's satire. Florida. I literally kept going back and forth because I was like, there is an argument to be made for both. In some ways it's never been more in. It is like maga central. The like crazy. Just like the crazy like maximalism of Florida is like really having a moment.

[Unknown]

Uh huh.

[Hoda Kotb]

And of course on the other hand, it's like I'm so sick of Florida as like a signifier of that kind of American debauchery. Like it's like it's, it's, it's like everyone's like, you know, having an orgy and then an alligator shows up and then a woman with giant tits. Like one of them pops and then she like floats and it's just, it's such a, like this sort of like debaucherous like celebration of grossness and Excess.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's just like. I think people are sick of it. I think people are sick of even jokes about it, and people are sick of, like, caring about it. And so I think it's like. Like, there's going to be crazy political things that happen under Trump in Florida still. Like the book burning, whatever. It's like. Like banning all these books, banning who knows what, like, trans people from going to bathrooms. And it's like. But people are just going to be like, well, fuck it. Like, that's Florida. I'm not going to think about it in, like, a weird way, like.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

I almost think, like, it's sort of the same thing about you said going to the ballet and stuff, where there's something about Florida where it used to be like, we gotta do something, or, like. Or we gotta make fun of them, and now I think it's like they're their own thing, and I don't really want to hear about it.

[Hoda Kotb]

No. It is sort of this weird amusement park people can move to if they, like, don't want to be in the real world. My friend Tarpley, who's a journalist, wrote some big feature on how it's becoming Trump central. And this was, like, three years ago. And so through that, she met all these kind of crazy characters. And one of them is this woman. She has 1 million Instagram followers. And her thing is she is a realtor with comically giant fake boobs. Like, they're literally, like. It looks like she's a cartoon. They're so large that her dog can sleep, can lie on one of them and take a nap on top of it.

[Unknown]

Whoa.

[Hoda Kotb]

And her. And her entire feed is pro Trump and pro Israel, like, disinformation. And she's like this. She looks like one of the cock destroyers. And she's literally like, if there's three things you gotta know about me. I'm a realtor, I have giant fake tits, and I love Donald Trump. And you're just sort of like, where do we go from here?

[Unknown]

Where do we go from here? It's confusing.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, let's see. I have. Oh, this is a quick one. Solo shows are out. Like. Oh, sort of. You know, things like Nanette and everything had a long tail. Still, they're doing relatively well in Edinburgh and on Broadway. I mean, Baby Reindeer started out as a solo show, you know, but I just think. I actually think Cole doing O Mary and having it be a real play rather than a solo show was like the death knell that solo shows needed. Because what people expected from Cole was to go to O'Mary and have it be them doing like a monologue as Mary Todd Lincoln.

[Unknown]

Uh huh.

[Hoda Kotb]

And I think the fact that they were able to like not only not do that, but really succeed at not doing that means that the new thing that people are going to try is doing their own O Mary rather than doing their own Nanette.

[Unknown]

Damn, that is so smart. I think it's hard for me to. I hadn't thought about that because I. Even though I've seen O Mary and I know it's not a solo show to me, in my mind I'm like, well, that's Cole's solo show and it just fully is not. It is a play. It is a play. Yeah, people are going to do that. And I also think if there are solo shows, they're going to be very unserious. I think they're going to be silly. Silly.

[Hoda Kotb]

Silly, yeah, totally.

[Unknown]

I think the self seriousness and they're.

[Hoda Kotb]

Going to have a twist. Like, I think it could be that like partway through a second character is introduced and you're sort of shocked because you're like, I thought this was a solo show. Or it's like, actually I was thinking about this when we had Casey Jane Ellison on the pod. That type of thing could be a new take on it. It's like it is a solo show in the sense that it's a one woman show, but it is fictional and she's doing different characters. Like that could maybe work. But what's out is like a comedian having trauma and having a show shaped around that.

[Unknown]

If you have trauma, pack it up, mama.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, Literally go. See you in Florida.

[Unknown]

Oh, okay. And actually this is a. I have. Maybe this will be my last.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay, okay.

[Unknown]

One which we talked about a little bit on the Alana episode. Well, spoiler alert because this was coming out before that.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, yes, we have. We have Alana Glaser coming on.

[Unknown]

And I think therapy. But being chill about it, I think the like tongue in cheek, like, fuck, you go to therapy is out. But I do think people are going to be sort of like at a dinner party and it'll be like, I mean, yeah, I am in therapy. It's going to be like there's going to be an appropriate level of shame around it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. Therapy. Talking about your therapist in the same way you would talk about your primary care physician or your dentist. It is not a cure all. It is not like men need to go to therapy. It is not dramatic. It is like just normal And I.

[Unknown]

Know last year we said, therapy is.

[Hoda Kotb]

Out, but it was. And now it's back in.

[Unknown]

It's back in. And it's like. But with a subtle twist.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. No, I think it's back in. And I think that now that the hype around it has died down, we can just go to therapy.

[Unknown]

Normal. We can go to therapy. Normal.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. I think I can just maybe mention a couple of other ones without going into them too much. I think in the same way that gay men, in my mind, unsuccessfully, ultimately tried to appropriate pearl necklaces, I think the next stage of that is like, New Mexico style turquoise jewelry. I think it's gay men wearing, like, you know, the turquoise jewelry that like, a really liberal mom would wear in Arizona.

[Unknown]

That is so funny. That is so funny. And I was kind of thinking of something similar, which I'm not sure if I believe it or not, but I was like, where do we stand on, like, a leather bracelet? Because we've done like these sort of Tony Soprano metal bracelets. And I still like that. And I think that's fun. But I am like, there's a whole material that we're forgetting about that, like, was dominant for a while. And I wonder if it's gonna. A leather with a turquoise, I think, could really pop back in.

[Hoda Kotb]

Definitely.

[Unknown]

And I don't like it. I don't think that looks good. But I do think it could happen. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

Sculpture, I think, is in. Oh, I think it will. I think it's actually like, it's like the most anti digital thing you could do is create three dimensional art. You know what I mean? It's like the backlash against our phone addictions, against social media addiction, against, like, everything. It's like. And also against things that don't require any skill. It's like, even if your sculpture is just one cone, at least you had to carve it.

[Unknown]

You know, I like this a lot. And I even think as home decor, it's like a little fun, playful thing. Cause I've been noticing that I've been getting like, I found this, like, wooden dolphin sculpture. And I was like, this is so playful. And yet in the room, it looks amazing. You're like, this is so funny. And I like it.

[Hoda Kotb]

And then very quickly, I think that I think talking about college campuses is out, but it will come back to very quickly. Yeah. I just think an obsession with college campuses is out. But I think because this stuff comes in waves, it's like, give it a year.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

I think. I also think just like talking about Stan Culture is out. Like, I think we did it. It was sort of interesting for a second. It's such a shortcut to trying to seem interesting, to talk about, like, to talk about, like, the ills of Stan culture. And it's like, yeah, there are some people that are like kind of insane, that are on their computer all day. Oh, that. That will always exist.

[Unknown]

And I.

[Hoda Kotb]

It doesn't say anything larger about our society.

[Unknown]

And I think also with things moving away from Twitter and being more on TikTok, I think it's like less. I don't know, it feels like less faceless to be attacked. So it's like less likely. I don't know.

[Hoda Kotb]

And then my final thing is just as I mentioned, my two question marks were Florida and satire. And I want to just spend like 30 seconds on satire because I do think at some. I think we even said satire was out last year because I think its power was clearly diminished. Like, there has not been a powerful satire in a very long time. But there is something about this new Trump era where I'm like, if maybe everything is so discombobulated, everyone has sort of admitted defeat in terms of our current forms of resistance, that I'm like, maybe there will just be a generation defining satirical art object of some sort.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I even think, like, I know he's been making these types of videos forever and he's been written about a million times, but I really think it's like the Connor O'Malley style of embodying the evil man is going to continue to be more and more popular and you're going to see a lot more people doing it. And I think, and I actually think I really like his style. And I think he will. I wonder what he'll do in this new Trump era because it is like he has such a way of being insane about it that I do think is the only thing to do.

[Hoda Kotb]

I know, I know. I wonder. I've been actually really wanting to watch the Boots Riley show. I'm a Virgo.

[Unknown]

Oh, yeah. I haven't seen that.

[Hoda Kotb]

But there was a. You know, when Sorry to bother your came out, I was like, this is something like, what if this ushers in a new era of this kind of satire? And then I just think it's really hard to get things like that made.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

But I wonder if a Boots Riley.

[Unknown]

Sort of more bald facedly, like, commenting on, like, money and like, systems rather than like on like, Trump has a silly voice.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yes. Yes, exactly.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. I mean, Even the substance. I don't think the substance is an amazing satire, I'm sorry to say, but I think it is, you know, it's on the right track.

[Unknown]

Hey, the more I sit with it, the more I'm like, I love that movie.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, I liked it, to be clear. I just don't necessarily think it was like an amazing satire. I think it was like an amazing, kind of like crazy, over the top body horror movie.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Well, I mean, this has been.

[Hoda Kotb]

I think this has been good.

[Unknown]

I feel like this is an electric episode. I feel very. I think I came in, were really cynical and you've made me feel optimistic about the future. And, you know, time keeps ticking and things change and it's. There's good and there's bad and I for one, am excited.

[Hoda Kotb]

And let's just not get neutral or complacent. You can take a step back and take in what's going on around you. That's okay, but don't accept it blindly.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Have a nightcap and talk about communism while you're there.

[Hoda Kotb]

Night caps is that's like maybe the biggest idea we've had.

[Unknown]

I'm like, so excited. I'm like, like, really? I'm like imagining being out and being like, do you want to have a nightcap at our place? Like, oh, how fun. Wow. Damn. Okay, well, happy holidays. Yes.

[Hoda Kotb]

And we hope you have an amazing sort of last little stretch of the year. We hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve. We are so grateful you listen and thank you for sticking with us all these years. We are very, very thankful.

[Unknown]

And if you are in San Francisco, please come to our show at San.

[Hoda Kotb]

Francisco Sketchfest on January 17th at Cobbs Comedy Club. It's like one of the biggest shows. I mean, we have done Cobbs before, but I think the combination of Cobbs and Sketchfest, it's like we need to get butts in seats. Like, this is a big one, y'all. Please tell your friends.

[Unknown]

Yeah, great. Well, bye.

[Hoda Kotb]

Bye.

[Unknown]

Podcast ends now.

[Hoda Kotb]

Want more? Subscribe to our Patreon for two extra episodes a month. Discord Access and more by heading to patreon.com Stradiolab and for all our visual learners.

[Unknown]

Free full length video episodes are available on our YouTube.

[Hoda Kotb]

Now get back to work.

[Unknown]

Stradiolab is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money players network and iHeart podcasts.

[Hoda Kotb]

Created and hosted by George Severis and.

[Unknown]

Sam Taggart, executive produced by Will Ferrell, Ha Mansani and Olivia Aguilar.

[Hoda Kotb]

Co produced by Bay Wang Edited and.

[Unknown]

Engineered by Adam Avalos Artwork by Michael.

[Hoda Kotb]

Fales and Matt Grubb Theme music by.

[Unknown]

Ben Kling.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Comedy fans. The funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Okatsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt R, Sarah Silverman, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkius, Wanda Sykes and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You wake up, put on your Ray Ban Meta glasses. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee, so you.

[Sam Taggart]

Say hey Meta, how do I make a latte?

[Hoda Kotb]

Brew two shots of espresso?

[Savannah Guthrie]

After Meta AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beets.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta Meta. Play hip hop music.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You head to meet some friends but can't remember the place.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey Meta, Call Eva Ray Ban Meta.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Glasses, the next generation of AI glasses. Just say hey Meta to harness the power of Meta AI. Shop [e-mail] smartglasses game on because ESPN.

[Sam Taggart]

Content is now available on Disney for bundle subscribers, you can watch your favorites on Disney the boldest stories from Hulu and the greatest in sports from ESPN together like never before with ESPN. Unwrap a full day of NBA action streaming December 25th. Then with Hulu, watch the terrifying sci fi thriller Alien Romulus, now streaming and on Disney. Follow a new adventure across the galaxy in Star Wars Skeleton Crew. Now streaming terms apply. Visit Disney for details. When a person calls 988, they're connected to a crisis counselor.

[Hoda Kotb]

Crisis is completely self defined. If you're wondering if you should call, you should probably call.

[Sam Taggart]

A caller can expect to talk about.

[Unknown]

Coping skills, talk about resources and ways.

[Sam Taggart]

To move forward beyond the call.

[Unknown]

They can call us, they can chat, they can text. And when they come out on the other side, they're feeling better. Call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org Wake.

[Sam Taggart]

Up at Holiday Inn Express to a can't miss breakfast that's free with every stay. Count on all the hot fresh coffee you need and an incredible breakfast buffet that has something for everyone like eggs, cinnamon rolls and even hot fresh pancakes with all the toppings you crave. Next time, do yourself a favor and stay at a Holiday Inn Express with a can't miss breakfast that's free with every stay. So when you wake up at Holiday Inn Express, you'll wake up happy. A part of IHG Hotels & Resorts.