Sunday Papers w/ Greg and Mike – Episode 300 (2/8/26) Summary

Podcast: Sunday Papers
Hosts: Greg Fitzsimmons, Mike Gibbons
Date: February 8, 2026
Episode Theme:
A milestone 300th episode, where Greg and Mike deliver their signature irreverent, fast-paced rundown of the week’s news straight from the “Sunday Papers” – riffing on everything from the Super Bowl, pop culture happenings, and bizarre news items, to the state of media, personal stories, and their favorite comics. The humor is sharp and self-deprecating, joined by playful banter and the occasional deep-dive into sports, politics, and ethical quandaries.

Episode Structure

• Technical Upgrades & Studio Banter
• Super Bowl & Sports Chatter
• Podcast Shoutouts & Comedy World News
• Listener Feedback & Show Corrections
• News Roundup—Layoffs, Scandals & Wild Stories
• Entertainment & Culture
• Florida Man Segment
• This Day in History
• Cartoon Caption Contest & The Funnies

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Studio Upgrades, Banter, and Book Talk

• The duo jokes about their new production (“Gotham Podcasts”), improved video quality, and competing recording software.

• Playful exchange about reading habits:

  • Mike claims to read more, admits to favoring audiobooks.
  • Greg ribbing Mike for multitasking while “reading”:
    • Greg: “No, does not count. Because I know with your ADHD, you’re incapable of sitting down and concentrating…” [02:27]
    • Mike’s defense? He rewinds a lot and is “most dedicated” listening in the car.

• Sleep hygiene talk: Greg’s cure for insomnia is listening to “the driest, most boring biography… Gerald Ford.” [03:12]

Super Bowl Plans, Gambling, and Watch Parties

Timestamp: 04:03–13:00

• Mike shares plans to watch the Super Bowl with his dad in Florida, reminiscing about odd country club parties with “the whitest crowd ever.” Best moment:
  • “The woman, old woman next to me… horrified… she leans over, she’s like, ‘And they want to defund the police.’ That was the highlight…” —Mike [05:23]
• Mike’s dad throws a surprise rooftop party, turning a hoped-for easy day into party planning chaos.
• Greg is a genuine Sunday football fanatic, preferring to watch games recorded, skipping commercials/halftime, and hates spoilers from friends.
• Playful confusion as they (badly) try to explain betting odds—Mike attempts to check a $2 million Super Bowl bet payout for “Mattress Mack”.
  • “People’s heads are exploding listening to you say this.” —Mike [08:39]
• Sports trivia: This Super Bowl features the youngest QB ever if Drake May wins, and both teams have coaches in their first or second season.
• Side bet: Greg and Mike wager $10 on the game, recalling Mike still owes Greg paddle tennis money.

Comedy World Shoutouts

Timestamps: 12:22–19:52

• Shout-outs to Bert Kreischer for podcast love on Joe Rogan:
  • Bert Kreischer: “When people say I listen to Sunday Papers… I go, you’re real comedy fans. Those are the two funniest human beings alive ever.” [12:58]
• Mike jokes Rogan likely has no idea who he is.
• Greg talks about being a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience, fans pushing him to “push back” on Rogan’s politics. Greg explains he usually avoids political friction unless it comes up organically.
• Reader praise for Greg’s Rogan appearance; no backlash from Rogan’s fanbase — “It was big picture, they view you as one of the best guests he has.” —Mike [16:23]
• Bert also gave Mike and Greg props on Spade and Carvey’s "Fly on the Wall" (hilarious Frankenstein bit).

Listener Stories & Life Updates

Timestamps: 18:14–22:19

• Greg describes a sunset beach hangout in LA — “Me and Aaron and Tom and then Tom’s nephew… water packed with people, tons of surfers, and then Mao’s Kitchen for dinner.” [18:25]
• Jim Norton gets high praise for his latest comedy special, both for its tight writing and personal evolution as a comic.
  • “Jim Norton was born with a point of view… he just started leaning into that and never looked back.” —Greg [19:52]

Listener Mail, Corrections, and Ongoing Bits

Timestamps: 25:01–27:01

• Running joke: A listener “didn’t get the promised koozie” and thus won’t donate $500 to a cause, sparking a (mock) feud over who is responsible for lost mail.
• Corrections corner: Listener Lee rants about a movie ("Train Dreams") being “ungrounded, unreal, self-indulgent” — hosts riff on whether its supposed morals are truly offensive.

Major News Stories

1. Washington Post Layoffs & Media Decline

[34:13–36:42]

• The Post is laying off a third of staff, scaling back news and books.
  • “Basically taking a liberal media outlet and getting rid of it.” —Greg [35:18]
  • Both mock that Amazon (which owns WaPo) cut the “books department”.

2. Bizarre Suicide at Olive Garden

[36:48–39:21]

• News story: An Olive Garden cook died after thrusting his head into a deep fryer in an apparent suicide.
• Greg jokes the cook was likely a true Italian, realizing the “shrimp scampi” meat was the same as chicken parmesan.

3. Bill & Melinda Gates and Epstein Files

[39:21–42:47]

• Melinda Gates comments post-Epstein files mention Bill Gates requesting help for “illicit trysts”, Adderall, and even “sneaking antibiotics” to Melinda.
• Greg: “You’d think paying a woman $50 billion in alimony buys her shutting the fuck up.” [41:53]
• Both marvel at Gates’ resourcefulness—“One of the smartest guys… can’t figure out how to get Adderall without Epstein?” —Mike [41:00]

4. “Ethical Question” Segment

[42:57–44:47]

• Classic moral dilemma: Do you tell your friend’s spouse if you know about cheating?
• Mike hedges: “You talk to your buddy first. What’s the plan?” [43:45]
• Both admit no real-life friends cheat or maintain multiple families: “I don’t have the bandwidth.” —Mike [44:47]

Cultural Picks & Recommendations

• Secret Mall Apartment (Netflix):
  • Mike highly recommends this “inspiring” doc about creatives who hid an apartment inside a mall: “It gets more and more inspiring as it goes on… it’s about the little guy against big corporations.” [23:36–24:22]
• Discussing Spade and Carvey’s podcast & Bert’s Frankenstein bit.

Entertainment & Superbowl Culture Wars

[48:00–50:09]

• Mocking Turning Point USA’s “All American Halftime Show” (Kid Rock, obscure country acts) as a protest against Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl (“Even though Puerto Rico is American!”).
• Point out that the NFL has long had non-American halftime acts (Stones, U2, Shania Twain).

Florida Man & Philly News Bites

Florida Segment

[50:40–53:01]

• Florida GOP candidate James Fishback used Tinder “to meet young female voters,” claiming it’s to share his platform on paid maternity leave.
  • Also accused of past inappropriate conduct with a 17-year-old when he was 27.
  • Mike deadpans: “He’s trying to get in the daughter’s pants and the mom’s… running out of likes and asks for Tinder Plus donations.” [52:21]
  • “A hedge fund manager who can’t afford Tinder Plus.” —Greg [52:25]

Philly Segment

[53:05–55:25]

• Naked man in Norristown, PA, hit by a police car while vandalizing traffic—cell phone video goes viral.
• Greg speculates: “If this happened at night… you would have seen his pasty white body. This might have been a black man.” [54:52]

“This Day in History” Quiz

[55:31–58:47]
Greg and Mike quiz each other on:

• Hank Aaron’s birthday
• Date of Patriots’ Super Bowl comeback
• Historical boxing upsets (LaMotta vs Sugar Ray Robinson)
• Conan O’Brien’s succession on The Tonight Show
• Bob Marley’s birthday
• Ancient Roman battle dates

The Funnies & Comedy Caption Contest

[59:56–end]

• Review of last week’s caption contest:
  • Winner: “I like my chances.” —Tim McCain [60:18]
  • Honorable Mentions: Bruce Wise’s limerick, Will Hansen’s acne joke.
• Set up for next week’s caption: Drawing of a dog pooping with Greg’s lookalike in the door.
• Comic strip commentary:
  • Hagar the Horrible, Lockhorns, Blondie
  • Greg: “Dagwood… get your hands out of your pockets and go make some goddamn macaroni and cheese for the family.” [63:15–65:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mike (on audiobooks): “Well, if listening also counts…” [02:22]
• Greg (on insomnia): “I take a sleeping pill every night and then I put on 45 minutes of the driest, most boring biography I can find.” [03:12]
• Mike (re: Super Bowl party planning): “All of a sudden, we’re like, it’s the exact opposite of what I wanted.” [05:59]
• Greg (on Bert’s podcast compliment): “Could not get higher praise from Bert that we are… the podcast to listen to.” [13:19]
• Mike (on Rogan podcast): “Well, also pushback implies you’ve been pushed.” [15:13]
• Greg (on Jim Norton’s comedy): “He is so fucking boiled down and tight. Every word counts.” [19:29]
• Greg (Olive Garden suicide): “I’m guessing this guy was Italian, like from Italy Italian… and he realized the shrimp scampi was the same meat as the lobster ravioli and the chicken parmesan…” [37:59]
• Greg (on Bill Gates divorce): “You’d think paying a woman $50 billion in alimony buys her shutting the fuck up.” [41:53]
• Mike (on Tinder GOP candidate): “This is the resourcefulness that I’d be voting for—this guy who can’t figure out on his own how to get up to the X level of the dating app.” [52:34]
• Greg (on cheating): “Then you need two phones… Charles Karault on the road…” [45:10]
• Mike (caption contest): “Sounds like ChatGPT… I’m kidding!” [61:15]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:18] – Podcast opens with studio tech/banter
• [04:03] – Super Bowl party stories/gambling talk
• [12:22] – Shoutouts from Bert Kreischer and Rogan discussion
• [18:14] – Beach night recap, Jim Norton comedy praise
• [25:01] – Listener feedback/koozie runaround
• [34:13] – Washington Post layoffs
• [36:48] – Olive Garden suicide story
• [39:21] – Bill & Melinda Gates, Epstein news
• [42:57] – Ethical question: do you tell if you know a friend is cheating?
• [48:00] – Super Bowl Halftime “culture war” (Bad Bunny vs. Kid Rock et al)
• [50:40] – Florida Man GOP candidate on Tinder
• [53:05] – Philly “naked man hit by police car” video
• [55:31] – This Day in History quiz
• [59:56] – Comedy Caption Contest & Funnies

Tone and Takeaways

The episode flows in the show’s trademark mix of absurdity, self-aware tangents, sharp news commentary, and genuine camaraderie. Greg and Mike bring wit to even the darkest news items, ground pop-culture stories in personal anecdotes, and holler at their listeners to join in caption contests or check out their sponsors. The show never drags or talks down—every bit is an excuse for a fresh joke, a callback, or affectionate razzing.

Takeaways:

• Super Bowl fever runs hot—even while deconstructing bets and diffusing family drama.
• The decline of mainstream media is mourned, but also mined for punchlines.
• Comic tributes are heartfelt and personal (Bert, Jim Norton).
• The culture war over halftime shows is as ridiculous as it sounds.
• Listener engagement (caption contests, mail) is given real airtime and brings in ongoing jokes.
• The episode is chock full of quick wit, playful argument, obscure trivia, and a heavy helping of “funnies” to close.