The Bonfire w/ Big Jay Oakerson & Robert Kelly

Episode: Failed Influencer
Date: October 3, 2025
Platform: SiriusXM Faction Talk 103

Episode Overview

In this episode, comedians Big Jay Oakerson and Robert Kelly dive into the concept of being a “failed influencer”—someone who constantly witnesses viral moments but hesitates to pull out their phone and document them. Through their irreverent, brutally honest banter, Jay and Bobby riff on everything from wild encounters on the NYC streets to the absurd expectations of influencer culture, peppered with self-deprecating humor, vivid storytelling, and behind-the-scenes tales from the comedy world. The show oscillates between the hilariously grotesque, the socially critical, and the deeply personal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reluctant Influencer

• Jay describes a missed viral opportunity: He witnessed an obese, homeless woman brazenly urinating between cars on a busy NYC street—an undeniably “viral” moment—but couldn’t bring himself to film it, fearing public judgment.
  • “I’m bummed because I’m going to tell you the story and everyone's going to be like, you jerk off. Why did you not pull out your phone? Why did you not start filming or take a picture immediately?” (Jay, 02:07)
• Bobby’s reaction: Mockingly berates Jay for his hesitation, framing it as a symptom of not being a “real influencer.”
  • “If you don’t take your camera outside… you’re a loser.” (Bobby, 03:27)
  • “You could film someone getting killed, beaten to death if you want. As long as you film it, they don’t get upset with you.” (Jay, 03:30)

2. Street Life: The Grotesque and the Viral

• The incident unfolds: Jay graphically describes what he saw—in typical “Bonfire” fashion, no detail spared—as crowds gathered but nobody intervened.
  • “All I see when I look to the right is her spreading her huge ass with her hands. Shitty asshole… that homeless shit where it’s like super bright…like mustardy…” (Jay, 06:44)
  • “She had her grotesque pussy and thighs just mushed together and just taking a... a two gallon piss in the street.” (Jay, 06:53)
• Why Jay didn’t film:
  • “I can’t be the guy who pulls the phone out…they’re gonna say, you can't just film someone’s pussy in the street. I’m like, but her pussy’s in the street. I think I can.” (Jay, 07:34)
  • Bobby and the crew debate the morality, legality, and hilarity of filming such events.

3. Competing Urban Nightmares

• Christine’s filmed encounter: The group is shocked as Christine reveals she once filmed an actual assault between homeless men. The segment is both jaw-dropping and darkly comedic, as Bobby waffles between horror and intrigue.

  • “Christine filmed a man raping a man... on the street in New York, a block from our house.” (Jay, 07:58)
  • “I don’t know if I want to see someone being... a man raping a man. Yeah, it was wild. You’re right. I do want to see it.” (Bobby, 08:17)

• Urban life riff: Jay and Bobby recount subway horror stories—public urination, fights, insane subway encounters, and the germs potentially contracted from simply riding the train.

  • “That’s why I got styes for a while. Maybe I had bum ass juice in my eye.” (Jay, 16:25)

4. The Absurd Rules of Celebrity and Social Media

• Failed Influencer Regret: The crew ponders missed opportunities for viral content and how, nowadays, not capturing an outrageous event on video is almost seen as negligence.

• How influencers succeed:

  • Bobby: “We have the video…millions of people finding where we are from one video, one opportunity that you see.”— Dreaming up a viral plan for Bonfire (13:01)
  • Jay: “It’s only the second time I’ve seen [a fat woman piss in the street].” (Jay, 14:14)

5. Comic Camaraderie and Loss

• Bittersweet Sidebar: Lenny Marcus & Leslie Jones
  The conversation segues to comedian Lenny Marcus’ close work relationship with Leslie Jones, focusing on the shifting dynamics of friendships in showbiz.

  • Bobby tells a story of seeing Lenny serving Leslie refreshments—his “friend reduced to being a gopher.”
    • “It made me so sad. Lenny had a…I mean…” (Bobby, 41:33)
  • Jay teases, “He lives by the code of Leslie Jones.” (Jay, 41:57)
  • They riff on missed chances for Lenny to have stuck with Bobby, and whether fame, race, and success have altered their friend group.

• The Comedy Writer’s Plight:

  • “I just feel like if I was more successful, Lenny would have stayed with me as friends.” (Bobby, 43:28)
  • The segment blends humor, humility, and a tinge of show-business melancholy.

6. Identity, Fandom, and Influence

• Christine’s “sports allegiance” banter:
  The crew discusses how women “inherit” sports fandoms from men, half-joking that allegiances can be “fucked into” or “out of” a girlfriend.
  • “All information that is related to anything interesting to a man is things that have to be fucked into or out of a chick.” (Jay, 35:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“You can film someone getting killed, beaten to death if you want. As long as you film it, they don’t get upset with you.”

Jay Oakerson, 03:30

“If you don’t take your camera outside for—you’re a loser.”

Bobby Kelly, 03:27

“I’m bummed because I’m going to tell you the story and everyone’s going to be like, you jerk off. Why did you not pull out your phone?”

Jay Oakerson, 02:07

“All information that is related to anything interesting to a man... is things that have to be fucked into or out of a chick.”

Jay Oakerson, 35:09

"Your buddy's gone. He lives by the code of Leslie Jones."

Jay Oakerson, 41:57

“It made me so sad. Lenny had a... I mean..."

Bobby Kelly, 41:33

"That’s why I got styes for a while. Maybe I had bum ass juice in my eye."

Jay Oakerson, 16:25

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:07–03:35] – Jay’s confession of missing a viral moment and influencer anxiety.
• [06:44–07:42] – Graphic street urination story and the ensuing crowd reaction.
• [07:58–10:06] – Christine’s recording of a street assault and group’s reaction.
• [13:01–14:18] – Bobby’s “influencer plan” for viral promotion; repeat street urination tales.
• [16:25] – Jay blames subway grime for his eye infections.
• [29:40–31:20] – Lounge life, airline food banter, and Delta stories.
• [34:13–38:07] – The “sports fandom” monologue; influence passed between couples.
• [41:33–43:28] – The Leslie Jones/Lenny Marcus story and the sadness of shifting showbiz friendships.

Tone and Language

The episode is robustly explicit, vividly descriptive, and steeped in the comedians’ trademark sardonic, self-effacing style. Jay and Bobby openly mock themselves and each other, deploy biting social commentary, and unflinchingly delve into the grotesque and taboo—all while maintaining a palpable camaraderie.

Summary Takeaway

“Failed Influencer” is a raucous meditation on the tension between wanting to capture outrageous public moments for fame and the embarrassment (or decency) of old-school restraint. Through personal anecdotes, urban horror stories, and tales from the green rooms of comedy, Jay and Bobby underscore both the absurdity of viral culture and the enduring, complicated bonds between comics. For all its shock value, the episode is ultimately an ode to friendship, missed chances, and the ridiculousness of public (and private) life, New York style.