The BOB & TOM Show – B&T Extra: Greg Warren with The Warren Report – History of Pies
Date: January 22, 2026
Featuring: Greg Warren, Tom Griswold, Bob Kevoian, Josh Arnold, Chick McGee
Overview
This episode of The BOB & TOM Show’s “B&T Extra” segment features comedian Greg Warren with another installment of "The Warren Report." The focus is the unexpectedly rich, humorous, and sometimes bizarre history of pies—from ancient Egyptian beginnings and medieval meat pies to pop culture pie-throwing and unsettling Royal banquet practices. The segment is loaded with jokes, wordplay, personal anecdotes, and plenty of off-beat historical facts, all seasoned with The BOB & TOM Show’s signature humor.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Warren Cromartie Sidetrack [05:42–06:30]
- Bob is impressed by Greg’s backdrop, featuring ballplayer Warren Cromartie.
- Bob and Greg briefly discuss Cromartie’s MLB career and his stint in Japan, followed by a comedic tangent about gardening and peonies.
Bob Kevoian [06:16]: “I think he was a gardener, actually. He raised peonies there.” Greg Warren [06:22]: “Have I made you happy, Warren? Peony king.”
2. Pie: A Brief History [07:00–08:52]
- Greg explains pies’ ancient origins: Egyptians, then Greeks, then Romans (who invented the top crust).
- Crusts were originally not intended to be eaten; they acted like ancient “Ziploc bags”—a way to store and preserve food, especially meat for winter or voyages.
- Early pies contained more crust than filling.
- Oxford English Dictionary says a “pie” requires a top crust, making most modern U.S. pies (with no top crust) technically tarts.
- Early pies often featured meats and birds.
- Jokes ensue regarding wordplay around “hair pie” and “tart.”
Greg Warren [07:15]: “The Romans were the first ones to put a cover on the pie, a top crust. And they had the first recorded recipe for pie. It was rye-crusted goat cheese with honey.” Greg Warren [08:36]: “By definition, the Oxford English Dictionary, to be a pie, you do have to have a top crust. So most of what we eat in the US is technically a tart.”
3. The Wild World of Medieval Pies [08:52–12:48]
- Discussion shifts to the function of “pies” as food but also as party entertainment.
- Elite hosts would have pies open to reveal live animals (birds, frogs, turtles, rabbits), referencing the nursery rhyme “4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie” and confirming there is historical truth to it.
- Things get weirder: Charles I once hid a young boy with dwarfism inside a pie, who would emerge costumed and perform.
Greg Warren [09:54]: “The upper class entertained their guests by having a pie open and birds flying out, or frogs or turtles or rabbits... That was a way to entertain the guests.” Greg Warren [11:35]: “Charles the First... put a young boy with dwarfism in a pie... dressed him up in armor, and he got out and recited poetry and marched around.”
Notable Jokes:
- Josh & Tom riff about “hair pie,” “fur pie,” and “fur burger” as running wordplay gags.
- 28 musicians were once allegedly hidden inside a gigantic pie for dramatic reveal—a possible early ancestor to the “woman jumping out of a cake” at parties.
4. When Pies Became Familiar Sweets [14:06–15:16]
- Fruit pies appear in the 1500s.
- The first Thanksgiving (1621) involved no pumpkin pie—a fact often omitted from U.S. schools.
- Heated debate over the merits of pumpkin pie versus other flavors; Tom is a staunch pumpkin pie defender.
Greg Warren [14:30]: “1500s were the first times there was a fruit pie. And then 1621, of course, was the first Thanksgiving. And we were all lied to in grade school. There was no pumpkin pie at that affair.” Tom Griswold [14:48]: “I love pumpkin pies. You shut up, Tom.”
5. Pies in Pop Culture – The Pie in the Face [15:25–16:41]
- Greg traces the history of pie-ing in movies:
- 1909’s Mr. Flip (possible first pie-in-face scene; footage lost)
- 1913's A Noise from the Deep (Mabel Normand pies Fatty Arbuckle)
- The Great Race and Laurel & Hardy’s Battle of the Century (1927) with 4000 pies thrown
- The Three Stooges’ Sweet Pie and Pie (1941)
Greg Warren [16:09]: “1927, Battle of the Century... a Laurel and Hardy film. 4000 pies were thrown at each other in that.” Bob Kevoian [16:32]: “Oh man, those guys could really write comedy, couldn’t they?”
6. Pie Rankings and Boston Cream Debate [16:46–17:48]
- Official pie flavor rankings are chaotic, but apple pie generally holds the top spot, followed by pumpkin, chocolate, lemon meringue, and cherry.
- Boston cream pie isn’t a pie—it’s a cake, according to Greg and the internet.
Greg Warren [17:06]: “Apple is the number one pie. Then pumpkin, and then it gets a little hazy after that.” Greg Warren [17:34]: “It’s not a debate. It’s a cake. Yeah, well, it’s not... not a pie.”
7. Personal Pie Preferences [17:49–18:31]
- Greg likes baking sweet potato pie but eating French silk pie.
- Bob swears by pecan pie; Josh’s favorite is apple (immediately mocked as “dumb”).
Greg Warren [17:52]: “Well, to bake, I would say probably a sweet potato pie.”
Greg Warren [18:22]: “To eat, Josh, I’d say probably a French silk pie. Oh, that’s a fine choice, that is.” Bob Kevoian [18:32]: “Pecan pie. Begins and ends with pecan.”
8. Obscure and Regional Pies [18:38–19:29]
- Shoo-fly pie is explained: a molasses-based, “wet-bottom” pie, once used to attract flies away from the kitchen.
- Joking reference to “Molasses Wet Bottom” as a blues musician name.
Greg Warren [19:12]: “Shoo fly pie is... a molasses wet bottom pie and they baked it. They would put it out in an area to attract the flies to get them out of the kitchen.”
9. Pie Gifting Traditions and Pie-less Pie Eating [19:36–20:27]
- Tom shares his annual tradition of gifting pies at Christmas (“our pie lady”).
- Clarity that the fan-favorite peanut butter “pie” is technically a tart (no top crust).
- Greg discovers during quarantine that pie filling is good enough to eat straight from the jar.
10. Greg’s Legendary Pie Feat [20:46–21:29]
- Greg describes eating an entire French silk pie in one sitting at a Perkins, post-comedy show—on a dare from fellow comedian Eddie Ifft.
- He admits (with laughter and groaning) to gastrointestinal rebellion after this sugar overload, relating it to years of weight-cutting as a wrestler.
Greg Warren [20:55]: “It was a French silk pie… and I ate an entire French silk pie.” Greg Warren [21:18]: “There was about a 10-year period after wrestling that I rebelled against all the weight cutting... Yes. It wasn’t good, but man, it was fun.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On early pies:
“The crust was more of a Ziploc bag; they didn’t eat the crust. It was made to preserve things for the winter or for sea voyages.” — Greg Warren [07:36] -
On elaborate feasts:
“They put live animals in the pie. And that was a way to sort of entertain the guests.” — Greg Warren [09:54] -
On Charles I’s unique ‘entertainment’:
“He put a young boy with dwarfism in a pie…he got out and recited poetry and marched around to entertain the guests.” — Greg Warren [11:47] -
On Boston cream pie:
“It’s not a debate. It’s a cake…The Internet says it’s a cake.” — Greg Warren [17:34] -
On devouring a whole pie:
“I think I could eat a whole pie tonight. And he’s like, no, you can’t. And I ate an entire French silk pie.” — Greg Warren [20:55]
Memorable Wordplay & Running Gags
- Frequent wordplay around “hair pie,” “fur pie,” “fur burger,” and tarts—classic B&T innuendo thread.
- “Peony king” and “Molasses Wet Bottom” as comedic asides.
- Jabs about who qualifies as a “real” baker and friendly insults about pie choices.
Timestamps – Important Segments
- 05:42: Warren Cromartie and sports banter
- 07:00: Pie origins (Egyptians to Romans)
- 08:52: Top crust/tart debate & medieval meat pies
- 09:54: Four and twenty blackbirds and live animals in pies
- 11:35: Charles I’s “human-in-pie” act
- 14:30: When pies became fruit/sweet
- 15:25: Pie-in-face slapstick history
- 16:46: Pie flavor rankings and Boston cream “debate”
- 17:52: Personal favorite pies
- 18:38: Shoo-fly pie explanation
- 19:36: Tom’s Christmas pie tradition (tart v. pie)
- 20:46: Greg’s legendary Perkins full pie story
Tone & Style
The segment is a lively, irreverent, and joke-heavy riff on the history of pies. Greg Warren’s meticulous (if weird) research gets continually sidetracked by the cast’s wordplay, pop culture references, and self-deprecating humor. Even the most educational moments are played for maximum comedic effect, fitting with the show’s legacy of blending trivia and goofiness.
For a fun, chaotic exploration of why, how, and what we call a “pie,” plus about as many jokes about “tarts” as you’ll hear in one broadcast, this episode is a treat—if you don’t mind your history raucously offbeat.