Podcast Summary: The Bert Show – Vault: We Can't Believe The Double Lives These Listeners Are Living

Host: Pionaire Podcasting
Date: January 7, 2026
Cast (as identified in transcript): Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and additional callers/listeners

Episode Overview

Theme:
This episode delves into the fascinating, often shocking reality of people living double lives. Inspired by discussions of infidelity and hidden lives on an Oprah episode, the Bert Show cast—led by Bert—opens up the phone lines for listeners to call in anonymously (with voice disguise) and share their own stories of secret identities, infidelity, or parallel existences. The cast reacts candidly and often humorously, exploring the why and how behind these double lives.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Double Lives: Inspired by Pop Culture ([01:44]–[02:59])

• Bert recounts watching an Oprah episode on infidelity featuring men who had families in different cities, sparking the episode’s theme.
  • Reference: "One guy was talking about how he had been messing around on his wife for like five years and he was living like a double life." – Bert ([01:44])
  • Book Mention: The Pilot’s Wife—story of a pilot with multiple families in multiple locations.

2. Personal Anecdotes from the Cast ([03:14]–[05:04])

• Bert shares a personal story about his own father, a traveling salesman who maintained relationships with multiple women while married, including showing nude photos to Bert as an adult.
  • Notable Moment: Bert's discomfort and subsequent estrangement from his father due to these revelations.
  • Quote: "He showed me pictures of the woman that he'd been living with in Vegas for, like, years, years and years and years." ([04:11])

3. Setting up Listener Calls ([05:06]–[07:46])

• The show invites listeners to call in and confess their own double lives, promising anonymity and voice disguise.

Types of Double Lives Discussed:

• Romantic/sexual secrets (affairs, open marriages unknown to outside partners)
• Job secrets (e.g., lying about being in the CIA, false professional identities)

Notable Listener Stories

4. Caller “Mary/Marie”—Open Marriage with a Hidden Twist ([07:46]–[09:19])

• Marie reveals she’s in an open marriage (her husband knows), but her outside partner does not know she’s married.
  • Quote: “I’m kind of seeing somebody else, and he doesn’t know that I’m married.” – Marie ([07:58])
• Open marriage is on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” basis with her husband.
• The cast is both fascinated and perplexed:
  • Kristin: “What if we just, you know, sex with other people?” ([09:19])—pondering how the conversation even starts.
  • Concern about honesty and the emotional implications behind open relationships.

5. Caller “Kathy”—Married 24 Years and Secret Five-Year Relationship ([09:46]–[12:25])

• Kathy has been with her husband for 24 years, while maintaining a five-year relationship with another man. Both families are unaware.
  • Quote: "I've been married 24 years to the same man, and I've been involved with another man for the past five. And neither one know anything about each other, nor do our families." – Kathy ([09:57])
• She admits to loving both men and feels fear, confusion, and guilt, but can’t bring herself to leave her husband—partly due to their shared child.
  • Memorable Exchange:
    • Kristin: “Does guilty come up anywhere in there?” ([11:32])
    • Kathy: “Yes. It does… I didn't mean to fall in love with another man and I didn't want to, but it's happened.” ([11:35])
  • The cast challenges the notion of loving someone while hiding such a major secret.

6. Caller “Jay”—Student and Secret Escort ([13:58]–[20:15])

• Jay, a college student, shares she receives money from her well-off parents while also secretly working for a male escort service (suggested by a friend). Neither her parents nor most friends are aware.
  • Quote: “I'm a student in school and my parents are pretty lucky. They give me some spending money, but I'm actually making money on my own. I'm a part of a male escort service.” – Jay ([14:14])
• Jay clarifies escort work is sometimes just company, sometimes sex—“It’s a mix of both.” ([16:08])
• She makes enough to be fully financially independent (“could pay off all my tuition, all my bills… and still have plenty of spending money.” [16:31]) and has tens of thousands saved.
  • Quote: "I really do get a lot of money and I like the fact that I don’t have to use my parents’ money because it gives me a little more independence from them." ([18:40])
• The hosts’ curiosity is piqued: They plan to follow up after the show to discuss the specifics more openly.

Additional Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Navigating Secrecy and Justification:

  • Bert: "How could a guy not know that you’re having an affair for five years?" ([11:05])
  • Caller Kathy: "He just has no idea." ([11:07])

• Emotional Conflict and Decisions:

  • Kristin challenges Kathy’s logic: "You didn’t just happen to fall in love with someone." ([13:13])
  • Kathy: “Well, you’ve never met someone that just makes you fall in love with him as soon as you meet him.” ([13:29])

• Escort Realities:

  • Jay: “I’ve lost track… but it’s definitely in the high thousands.” ([19:22])
  • On personal feelings: “Yeah, I like a lot of issues with it, but at the same time… it’s not like I like what I do. It’s more that it’s–I really do get a lot of money and I like the fact that I don’t have to use my parents’ money…” ([18:40])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:44]—Introduction of the double life theme
• [03:14]–[05:04]—Bert's story about his father's double life
• [07:46]–[09:19]—Caller Marie: Open marriage, secret from lover
• [09:46]–[13:29]—Caller Kathy: Two relationships, both unaware
• [13:58]–[20:15]—Caller Jay: College student, secret escort life

Tone and Style

The Bert Show maintains its trademark blend of empathy, directness, and humor. The cast often reacts with genuine curiosity, flashes of incredulity, occasional playful banter, and respect for privacy. The callers are candid and sometimes vulnerable, giving unique insight into the emotional realities of living a double life.

Conclusion

This episode provides a riveting look at the hidden corners of listeners’ lives, exploring stories that range from the daring to the heartbreaking. By inviting honest confessions, The Bert Show delivers both entertainment and pathos, giving voice to the secret struggles and choices many face but few speak about.