The Bert Show – “Vault: He Lied To His Boss But For Good Reason”
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: The Bert Show Cast (Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & Team)
Main Theme:
Dilemmas at the intersection of personal life and work—specifically, whether it’s justifiable to lie to your boss to prioritize family, and how the nature of the lie affects the ethical stakes.
Episode Overview
This episode features a caller, Larry, who shares the moral quagmire he faced after lying to his boss in order to attend his son's school event. The Bert Show team and listeners weigh in on the ethics, parental priorities, and the emotional fallout that comes from “white lies” of varying gravity—particularly when those lies involve invoking emergencies or illness related to family. The discussion explores not just whether it’s wrong to lie, but whether a lie’s specific content (i.e., saying your child is in the ER) impacts its moral weight.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
[01:33–02:21] – Introduction to the Dilemma
- Bert (Host D): Introduces the recurring segment about personal dilemmas and calls for listener input.
"We've all been in this situation before where we're struggling with some kind of scruples like dilemma..." [01:33]
- Larry (Caller E): Describes his situation: torn between mandatory work event and his son's school show, he fabricates an emergency to get out of work.
[02:21–04:12] – The Confession
- Larry: Outlines how he waited until the last minute, felt cornered, and “charged into his boss’s office” with the excuse that his son was in the emergency room.
"I told him, I just got a call. My boy was in the emergency room. Ever since then...I'm waiting for a phone call where...my poor baby's in the emergency room." [03:04]
[04:12–05:53] – Team’s Reactions: Family vs. Honesty
- Bert / Cassie (D/A): Team debates: Is it justified to lie for family? Is using a serious excuse (like the ER) going too far?
"Lying, you know, isn't always the right thing. But I think he did the right thing because he put his family first.” – Cassie [04:27]
- Bert: Raises question of how the magnitude of the lie affects its justification:
“What if it was a bigger lie than that? What if it was an emergency room...What if he said he thinks that his son has come down with cancer?” [04:43]
- Abby (C): Pushes perspective: Would Larry be more upset if he missed his son's play?
[05:53–06:35] – Guilt and Karma
- Larry: Expresses anxiety not about the lie itself, but about the “karma” of invoking a family emergency.
“See, I'm thinking like, it's the whole karma thing. Since I put it out there in the world, I'm bound to get this phone call now.” [05:53]
- Cassie: Asks if the boss would have let Larry go had he told the truth.
- Larry: Sure his boss would have said no and the excuse was necessary.
[06:35–08:24] – Listeners Weigh In: Creativity in Excuses and Consequences
- Christina (Caller F): Asks what Larry told his boss the next day.
- Larry:
“I said he got hit by a car.” [07:06]
- Bert / Others: Express concern that the explanation “stretched the lie a little too far.”
“That's a crappy lie.” – Several voices [07:19]
- Cassie: Worries about needing more drastic excuses in the future.
“How many accidents can your kid… walk out in front of?” [08:24]
[08:24–09:19] – More Listener Insights: The Reality of Working Parents
- Robbie (Caller F): Shares perspective as a single parent—can’t risk telling the truth because employers penalize prioritizing family.
“When they do a review… they penalize you for it because you’re not making the job a priority.” [08:38]
- On Karma: Robbie avoids “fatal” lies but would use “car trouble” or other creative excuses.
[09:19–10:32] – Gender, Work Environments & The Justification
- Bert: Asks if Larry’s boss would meet his son and discover the lie—Larry says it’s unlikely.
“Young boys, their bones heal quickly these days. It's milk...” [09:27]
- Jeremy (Caller H): Military father—says the end justifies the means:
“You gain so much more by spending with your son. And if you come back and you get hit, it's not him that's going to get hit, it's you.” [10:32]
- Cassie: Sums up: “So the end justifies the means.”
[10:32–11:04] – Resolution and Reflection
- Bert: Concludes that nobody was harmed, and Larry’s conscience should be a little clearer.
“You didn't harm anybody here. You just told something that was…” [10:43]
- Larry: Thanks the team, leaves with slightly more peace of mind.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Larry:
“I'm waiting...for my poor baby's in the emergency room.” [03:04]
- Cassie:
“Lying, you know, isn't always the right thing. But I think he did the right thing because he put his family first.” [04:27]
- Larry (on follow-up):
“I said he got hit by a car.” [07:06]
- Robbie (listener):
“Because when they do a review for a promotion...they penalize you for it because you're not making the job a priority.” [08:38]
- Jeremy (listener):
“You set a lie so that you could spend time with your son...[if something bad comes] it's you. I mean, not to say you're going to get hit. But you're the one that made the line, not your son.” [10:32]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:33 – Introduction to dilemma segment
- 02:21 – Larry’s story begins
- 03:04 – Larry details the fabricated ER emergency
- 04:27 – Hosts’ moral debate begins
- 05:53 – Larry on karma and guilt
- 07:06 – Larry admits to lying about a car accident
- 08:38 – Robbie’s working parent perspective
- 10:32 – Jeremy justifies the means by the ends
Tone and Takeaways
- Conversational, humorous, and supportive: The cast jokes about the extremes one might go to (“...his son has been exorcised by demon aliens…”), while always circling back to the importance of family and empathy for working parents.
- Realistic: Listeners and hosts recognize the tough choices many face balancing work and kids, and agree that sometimes the workplace leaves little alternative.
- Main Message: While "white lies" at work aren’t ideal, many agree the intent—to support a child—matters most. The group, with some reservation about the severity of the excuse, ultimately supports Larry’s decision to be present for his son.
For anyone who struggles with drawing boundaries between work and family—or weighing “harmless” lies for the greater good—this episode offers laughter, camaraderie, and sincere debate about doing right by the people who matter most.