Vault: Bert talks to the mystery texter

Summary

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The Bert Show: Vault - Bert Talks to the Mystery Texter

Date: June 25, 2026
Hosts & Cast: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & others
Main Participants: Host Bert, Leslie (listener/subject), "Mystery Texter" (voice disguised), Call-in listeners

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Episode Overview

In this episode, The Bert Show dives deep into a real-life office drama sparked by a cryptic, possibly threatening text message received by listener Leslie. The text reads, "It's not all about you. Leave it alone." Leslie has no idea who sent it or what it's about, so Bert and the team try to unravel the mystery by contacting the sender, sparking speculation about workplace conflicts, jealousy, and anonymous warnings. Listeners join in to theorize, making this a tense and intriguing exploration of miscommunications and gossip gone awry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting Up the Mystery (01:02–03:36)

• Bert recaps Leslie’s dilemma:
  Leslie received a text from a 678 area code saying, "It's not all about you. Leave it alone." She insists she has no idea who sent it or what it means.

  • Bert: “We’ve all been here before…you get a random text. But sometimes you get one that’s really intriguing…” (01:15)

• Leslie’s confusion is real:
  Leslie maintains she has "zero idea" about the sender or the message’s intent (02:38–02:41).

• Escalation by Bert:
  Bert calls back the number, gets a response from the texter (who is then voice disguised), and prepares to play that call for Leslie and the listeners.

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2. The Call with the Mystery Texter (03:36–06:52)

• Mystery Texter’s Tone & Accusations:
  The mystery texter claims Leslie knows exactly what the message is about, is lying about her ignorance, and accuses her of backstabbing coworkers:

  "That's a point. She knows exactly what it's about. And for her to feign, you know, ignorance is just insulting to me and to all my co-workers." (05:44)

  • The texter refuses to discuss specific details but implies serious workplace strife—possibly suggesting consequences:

    "Next time it would be a lot worse than a text message, so she should consider herself lucky." (06:25)

• Bert’s approach:
  Bert tries to clarify whether Leslie would have the texter's number, and questions if Leslie could truly be unaware:

  “She was under the impression that this came in randomly. So now that she knows that it came from someone that knows her, maybe she’s lying.” (06:18)

• Call Ends with Tension:
  The texter is unyielding, saying Leslie is "just lying" and "deluded" (06:25).

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3. Leslie’s Reaction & More Details About the Office Drama (06:55–10:48)

• Leslie denies involvement:
  Leslie appears genuinely rattled and states again that she doesn’t know the texter or what she’s being accused of:

  "I have not played a heavy hand in [the office drama]…this is so weird." (07:06)

• Office context emerges:
  Leslie describes recent drama about a conference in London:

  • Only two employees can attend, with one spot in question.
  • Leslie feels she deserves it due to her hard work, but a new, perhaps less qualified, male coworker is a frontrunner.
  • Rumors abound that the boss favors the new guy, possibly due to personal interest.

  “I've been working there for a long time and I sort of feel like I deserve to go, but I haven't done anything…[just] vented to one coworker.” (08:46)

• Leslie adamantly denies undermining anyone:

  “I haven't done anything…all that I’ve done is vented to one coworker and she’s like a really close friend of mine.” (08:46)

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4. Theories from Bert, Co-hosts, and Callers (10:03–12:43)

• Speculation about the sender:

  • Was Leslie’s close friend the “backstabber”?
  • Could the overachieving colleague or even the boss have sent the text?
  • Host Bert suggests that maybe Leslie’s own friend isn’t so trustworthy, as the sender referenced "all my coworkers" being insulted (09:14–09:33).

• Callers weigh in:

  • Amy (11:22) suggests the hardworking “shoo-in” employee might think Leslie is campaigning against her and sent the text in frustration.

  • Jill (11:51) posits the boss sent it, interpreting the “threat” (“next time could be worse than a text message”) as a veiled risk to Leslie’s job.

    "I think it’s the boss…The threat at the end…sounds like it could be your job or something." (11:51–12:08)

  • Lauren (12:12) agrees, emphasizing only the boss could threaten someone’s employment.

• General consensus:
  The text is a symptom of deeper, poorly concealed workplace drama centered on the coveted convention trip.

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5. Resolution & Next Steps (12:43–13:08)

• Hosts recommend Leslie call back the number:
  Use a random phone to see who answers—the direct route to uncovering the mystery.

• Follow-up planned:
  Bert encourages Leslie to call back in after investigating at work.

  "So, Leslie, let’s talk to you tomorrow morning and find out how things go today in the office, okay?" (12:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mystery Texter (via voice disguise):

  “It’s unbelievable that she’s gonna say she doesn’t know why she got it…It’s just insulting to me and to all my co-workers.” (05:28–05:44)

  “Next time it would be a lot worse than a text message, so she should consider herself lucky.” (06:25)

• Leslie (on feeling accused):

  “I have not played a heavy hand in that…I haven’t done anything that anybody else hasn’t been doing.” (07:06)

• Bert (about workplace drama):

  “It doesn’t sound like it’s a you and one other person problem…it sounds like there are a bunch of coworkers that are unhappy with your behavior and she was the only one that text you.” (09:14–09:33)

• Caller Jill:

  "I think it’s the boss. The threat at the end... sounds like it could be your job or something." (11:51–12:08)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:02 – Episode begins; Bert and co-hosts introduce Leslie’s mystery text
• 01:41 – Leslie reads the mysterious text message aloud
• 03:36-06:52 – Bert’s call with the mystery texter (voice disguised); accusations and implied threats
• 06:55 – Leslie reacts to the texter’s claims
• 07:33 – Leslie explains the London conference context and associated office politics
• 10:03–12:43 – Co-hosts and callers propose theories; debate who sent the text and why
• 12:56 – Plans for Leslie’s follow-up; episode wraps up content

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Tone and Style

Staying true to The Bert Show’s conversational, authentic, and slightly gossipy style, the segment balances empathy for Leslie with playful speculation and invites the audience’s theories. The episode is engaging, drawing listeners into a classic "whodunit" playing out in real time, with an invitation for follow-up as the mystery remains unsolved.

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Summary:
This Bert Show episode masterfully teases out the drama and tension behind a simple but sinister text message, opening up questions about trust, office politics, and the dangers of venting to the wrong coworker. With no clear villain or resolution, listeners are left as eager as the cast to discover what happens next.

Transcript

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[Host Bert]

All right. I've been eager to get to this today. This went totally in a different direction than I thought it was going yesterday, man.

[Co-host]

Because whoever thought got the original text. What was her name?

[Host Bert]

Leslie.

[Co-host]

Leslie thought it was from a stranger and it wasn't intended for her.

[Host Bert]

We've all been here before, right? Like where you get a random text from somebody and it's not intended for you, so they screwed up one number in the whole thing. And it's just generally a hey, meet you out at 7, or hey, what's going on? And that doesn't intrigue you? It's just a wrong text, big deal. But from time to time, you get one that's really intriguing, like, I gotta know what this is all about. And Leslie called us yesterday and this was the case for her.

[Leslie]

I got a text about three weeks ago, and it was a number that I didn't recognize. It was a 678 area code. It just said, it's not all about you. Leave it alone. What is this? So I texted back. I was just like, huh, who is this? And all that I got back was, seriously.

[Host Bert]

So we got three calls, but this one here was the one that I called back and I got an answer to the other ones just they all went to voicemail, so. Hey, Leslie.

[Caller 1]

Hi.

[Host Bert]

How are you?

[Leslie]

Good. How are you doing?

[Host Bert]

I'm doing okay. Now I'm gonna play the audio back for you of the call I made yesterday. But according to this person, you already know what this is all about.

[Leslie]

Really?

[Caller 2]

Mm.

[Host Bert]

You have no idea, Zero idea what that number was and what that message meant?

[Leslie]

I have no idea at all.

[Co-host]

Otherwise, why would she have called us?

[Host Bert]

Well, somebody here is really confused Somebody's very confused.

[Leslie]

Wait, they said that? I know what it's about.

[Host Bert]

Well, I'll play the call for you. But she said you know exactly what this is all about.

[Leslie]

Wow.

[Host Bert]

And you know that it was intended for you as well.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Whoa, whoa.

[Leslie]

I have no idea. I have no idea who this person is or what they're talking about.

[Host Bert]

Okay, well, I'll play the call for you. Her voice is disguised, but there was no way to disguise her voice and not disguise mine. So mine's on. The voice disguise are also here, I think. Tweaked everybody's voice. So this is the call that I made to her yesterday. And I'll just play it for you. It's like four minutes long. And then we'll come back to you and we'll get your reaction to it. Okay?

[Leslie]

Okay.

[Host Bert]

Okay.

[Caller 2]

Hello.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Hi. This is. This is an awkward. This is going to be an awkward conversation. I'm actually calling from a radio station here in Atlanta. My name is bert, and it's Q100 and the Bert Show.

[Caller 2]

Oh, gosh. Yeah, I know.

[Host Bert (on call)]

You know what?

[Caller 2]

I know your show.

[Host Bert (on call)]

You know the show.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, but I'm not on the air or anything, right?

[Host Bert (on call)]

No, you're not on the air right now, but there's a reason why I'm calling you, and it's a strange one. So just hear me out for a second. One of our listeners called us up.

[Caller 2]

I heard. I was listening. I'm a listener, too.

[Host Bert (on call)]

So you heard what happened on the air with the whole text message and everything?

[Caller 2]

Yeah, I did.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Okay, so I'm not going to use your name. We're going to tweet your voice and voice disguises so nobody knows who you are.

[Caller 2]

What are you talking about? I told you, I don't want to be on the air.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Well, I won't. I won't use anything at all if you say that I can't use it. But just hear me out for one second is I was going to put you on tomorrow if you even want to talk about what the text message was all about, but I was going to use a fake name for you, and I was going to voice disguise your voice so nobody will know it's you. And if not, then I just. I mean, I'll stop recording and this conversation goes nowhere.

[Caller 2]

Okay, you can use a voice disguiser, but I don't really want to go too much into this, but.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Okay, here's what she told us. She said that. So you know who I'm talking about. You know, it's Leslie. That call and she said that she got the random text message that said something like, it's not all about you let it go or something like that. And she says she has no idea who it came from or what it was all about, but obviously you were listening this morning, so you knew this call was coming.

[Caller 1]

She.

[Caller 2]

It's unbelievable that she's gonna say she doesn't know why she got it and what it. What it's about. It's really unbelievable.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Does she have. Would she have your phone number? Like, it obviously wasn't in her contact list, so why would she even have your number?

[Caller 2]

That's a point. She knows exactly what it's about. And for her to sane, you know, ignorance is just insulting to me and to all my co workers.

[Host Bert (on call)]

To your co workers?

[Caller 2]

You know, I can't really go into any detail, but basically you can just let her know or she's probably listening right now that you know, it's not a good idea to backstab your fellow co workers. It will come back to you. And she knows what? She absolutely knows what's going on.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Okay. She was under the impression that this came in randomly. So now that she knows that it came from somebody that knows her, maybe she's lying.

[Caller 2]

She's just lying. She's just, you know, deluded and thinks she can do whatever she wants and it won't ever come back. And it's time for her to wake up and know that's not the case. And next time it would be a lot worse than a text message, so she should consider herself lucky.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Wow. Okay, I'll let it go with that. So she should at least understand what it's about now.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, she already knew, believe me.

[Leslie]

Okay, thank you so much.

[Host Bert (on call)]

Thank you.

[Caller 2]

Bye.

[Leslie]

A lot of animosity. Oh, my gosh.

[Caller 3]

So does that ring a bell?

[Co-host]

Do you know who it is?

[Leslie]

I have no idea who that is.

[Co-host]

Are you serious? Come on.

[Leslie]

No, I really. I really don't. I mean, this is so. It's so weird because there's been, like, a lot of drama in the office, but I have not. I have not played a heavy hand in that. I mean, I haven't done anything that anybody else hasn't been doing. I've talked to a couple co workers about it, but what is it?

[Co-host]

What's been going on at work?

[Host Bert]

Yeah, what's the drama going on?

[Leslie]

So there is this convention in London in the next couple months, and my. Our boss chooses two employees to go with her. And there's one girl who is. She's like a shoo in. She's like amazing and she should be going. You know, she deserves it because she works really hard and she should be going. And then the second spot was a little bit up in question and there's this new guy there who's like really good looking and you know, really smooth and it seems like he might be the one getting to go to this convention, which is kind of ridiculous, you know, and there's just been kind of rumors going around and.

[Host Bert]

Are you, are you dating this guy in the office by any chance?

[Leslie]

No, no, no.

[Co-host]

Why would you get the text message? It's not all about you. Leave it alone.

[Leslie]

I don't know.

[Co-host]

I mean, do you want to go to the conference and you've been pitching so that you could go?

[Caller 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Leslie]

I mean, I've been working really hard and I've been working there for a long time and I sort of feel like I deserve to go, but I haven't done anything, you know, all that I've done is vented to, to one coworker and she's like a really close friend of mine. So I don't, I don't know who, I don't. I really have no idea who this person is who is, who is so vindictive.

[Host Bert]

She might not be that close a friend because it sounds, didn't it feel to you guys like this was a problem within the office? Like she said something about the co workers, so it doesn't sound like it's a you and one other person problem. It sounds like there are a bunch of coworkers that are unhappy with your behavior and she was the only one that text you.

[Leslie]

I mean, that is what it sounded like. But I really am kind of dumbfounded because, I mean, I don't think that I've acted out of turn. I don't think that I've been crazy or anything like that. But I work really hard and it is upsetting to me because there's rumors circulating around and this, this guy is.

[Caller 3]

I don't know, this guy's what, with the boss or with what?

[Leslie]

Yeah, with the boss.

[Caller 3]

I mean, that's why she's taking him.

[Leslie]

Really good looking and I. There's no other reason why she would take him because he's, he's new and he's not as qualified as I am or even someone else would be.

[Host Bert]

Well, it sounds like there are two different, two totally different stories going on in the office. I mean, either way it's going to be uncomfortable when you walk in the door today.

[Caller 3]

Is everybody vying for the slot to go to London. Is everybody qualified, try to go?

[Leslie]

Well, some people more so than others, but, yeah, there's. I mean, there's a few. There's a few that could potentially go, but this guy is not qualified to go.

[Host Bert]

And you haven't mixed it up at all? Like, you haven't gone to the boss and said, look, this dude doesn't deserve to go, or she doesn't deserve to go? Nothing like that?

[Leslie]

No, I mean, no, that would be. That would be totally out of place for me to do. I mean, I would. I wouldn't. I would never be able. I don't. I don't have that relationship with her where I could do that.

[Host Bert]

Hey, Barbara, this is pretty simple, isn't it?

[Caller 1]

Yeah. I mean, why don't you. I mean, she knows your number now, so you can't call from your number, but call from a random number. She'll either pick up or go to voicemail, and you'll know who it is and then go deal with it.

[Host Bert]

That seems pretty easy right there. Yes. She's from Conyers.

[Caller 3]

Yeah, I'd rather you call her.

[Host Bert]

I mean, that would make things pretty easy. Hey, Amy. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller 2]

Hey.

[Caller 1]

Okay, so this is just one possible scenario. You know the lady that you were talking about who works really hard, who the shoe, and she might have maybe just heard a rumor that you were trying to take her position to go to London. Maybe that's her calling in and being like, why are you trying to, I guess, like, mess with my, like, trip that I might be getting that I worked hard for.

[Leslie]

That's a good scenario.

[Co-host]

That is a really good theory.

[Caller 3]

It's obviously, obviously misunderstanding if you have no clear idea of what's going on.

[Host Bert]

Hey, Jill. Good morning. You want in on this?

[Caller 1]

Hey, good morning. I had just the most out there thought, but I think it's the boss. The only person she's questioning is the boss's choice of the guy and the threat at the end that next time it's gonna be worse than a text message. Sounds to me like she might be saying, next time it could be your job or something.

[Host Bert]

You know what? You're not the only one with that theory. Hey, Lauren. Good Morning. You're on Q100. Hey.

[Caller 1]

I actually agree. I was just about to say that I think it's the boss simply because of what she said. It could be a lot worse than

[Leslie]

the text message, and it, you know,

[Caller 1]

would be her job, especially if there's

[Leslie]

rumors around about the dude and the boss, you know, hooking up or. I think that's what she had said.

[Caller 3]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Right.

[Host Bert]

Well, we're gonna have to catch up with you maybe even tomorrow and find out how today went. And also call that number when you get off with us and if you find anything, then give us a call back.

[Caller 3]

I think. I think your theory about waiting till you get in the office to call the number.

[Host Bert]

Why?

[Caller 3]

Because you get to see who answers the phone.

[Host Bert]

Yeah. You know, I'm just afraid that that person I called yesterday has already changed the voicemail to something that's not personalized at all.

[Caller 3]

But still. Yeah.

[Host Bert]

Pull that tiger thing. Please. Please change your outgoing voicemail message. This is big.

[Caller 3]

This is big.

[Host Bert]

This is big. You got to do this for me. So, Leslie, let's talk to you tomorrow morning and find out how things go today in the office, okay?

[Leslie]

Okay, great. Thanks for. Thanks for your help.

[Host Bert]

Okay, good luck.

[Leslie]

Thank you.

[Host Bert]

Bye. Bye.

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I've got ideas.

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