The Bonfire w/ Big Jay Oakerson & Robert Kelly

Episode: Moonwalking With The Stars
Date: September 17, 2025
Network: SiriusXM Faction Talk Channel 103

Episode Overview

This episode sees Big Jay Oakerson and Robert Kelly riffing with their trademark unfiltered banter about workplace drama, the hazards of lateness in radio showbiz, and, pivotally, the surreal anticipation of Corey Feldman’s appearance on "Dancing with the Stars." The crew is joined by their regular contributors and listeners, focusing on pop culture, the comedy scene, and their own self-deprecating routines. Expect candid, often hilarious discussions of show business, celebrity reality shows, and some uniquely Bonfire-style listener interactions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Radio Show Drama: Lateness and Office Politics

• Big Jay’s Lateness: Jay opens up about being consistently late and how it’s become a point of contention with SiriusXM management, leading to staffers (especially Jacob) being asked to deliver gentle reminders.
  • Big Jay Oakerson (01:52): "Ten years I've... my job's been called into question here four or five times. Never once has anybody been like, ‘Yo, the show's doing great.’"
• Office Communications: Christine’s role as the executive producer is lampooned, as Jay and Bobby joke about the awkwardness of enforcing “on-time” policies:
  • Christine (06:36): “Jay was great. I was great.”

2. Listener Interaction: Bobby’s On-Air Chewing

• Call-in Critique: Long-running listener J.D. from Jacksonville calls to complain about Bobby’s pervasive on-air eating, spawning a hilarious meta-discussion about quirks and fan obsessions.
  • J.D. (09:55): “You chew on every single show… Over and over. Everybody calls you out, but you take it personal.”
  • Bobby Kelly (10:44): “Am I really smacking like my dog’s licking his dick?”
• Self-Deprecation and Resolution: Bobby, ribbed relentlessly, jokes about his inability to stop eating on air, likening himself to Brad Pitt’s character in Ocean’s Eleven.
  • Bobby Kelly (14:08): “I am eating udon noodles and... chips constantly. Like Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven.”

3. Dancing with the Stars: Corey Feldman Fever

• Listener "Hope": Boston Accent and Feldman Anticipation
  • Hope (15:06): Chimes in to start a lively chat about Corey Feldman joining "Dancing with the Stars," expressing deep disappointment the show hadn’t covered it yet.
  • Big Jay Oakerson (15:34): "I'd like to... get a grassroots movement going to make sure everybody votes for Corey Feldman. Because... he's going to fall to pieces when he's not Michael Jackson dancing. We've seen this before."
• Predictions and Comedy:
  • Big Jay Oakerson (16:51): “My guess… he’s going to flat out do ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ by Michael Jackson… and then it starts getting hilarious.”
  • They bet on whether Feldman will use all his “Michael Jackson moves” in the first episode, debating if he’ll try and moonwalk, possibly lose composure, and blame his partner or the judges.
• Show Format Dissection and Celebrity Lineup:
  • They poke fun at DWTS’s ever-looser definition of “star” as they go through the cast.
    • Bobby Kelly (20:31): “It’s not really Dancing with the Stars anymore. It’s Dancing with kind of stars.”
    • Big Jay Oakerson (20:53): “Like the Masked Singer. The guesses are like, ‘Is it Oprah?... Brad Pitt?’... and it’s one of the workaholics.”

4. Michael Jackson, Corey Feldman, and Pop Nostalgia

• Moonwalk Debate: The hosts pull up videos, critiquing Feldman’s awkward Jackson impression/moves.
  • Big Jay Oakerson (31:14): “He definitely has the high-knee stepping in place. Oh, my God. I’ve never seen him actually when he thinks he’s doing Michael Jackson.”
  • Bobby Kelly (31:43): “He moonwalked right there. Wow… It was not a good moonwalk.”
• Jay’s Theories on Feldman:
  • Big Jay Oakerson (32:27): “When he thinks he has to… do a Michael Jackson impression, it kind of falls apart because… he believes when he’s doing it that it’s him.”

5. Reality TV, Celebrity, and Plastic Surgery Tangent

• Dancing with the Stars Cast Analysis:
  • Extended jabs at the cast for their celebrity status and appearance, poking fun at Zac Efron’s rumored surgeries, and a tangent on Hollywood’s obsession with "buccal fat pad removal."
  • Christine (40:16): “There’s a pocket of fat in your cheek and actresses are having it removed… now their faces look skeletal.”
  • Hosts weigh in on which stars “improved” their look and which surgeries have “gone too far”.

6. Pop Culture Reviews: Spike Lee & Denzel’s "High and Low" Remake

• Movie Roast: Bobby and Jay tear apart the new Spike Lee movie starring Denzel Washington, especially an out-of-place battle rap finale.
  • Bobby Kelly (46:50): “At the end of it… he battle raps.”
  • Big Jay Oakerson (48:07): “You don't know this, by the way, but that actually is how the original also ended. With a battle rap.”
• Cultural Taste and Legacy:
  • The pair argue over Denzel’s acting legacy, riff on film remakes, and lament how modern streaming movies rarely live up to their classic inspirations.

7. Deep Cuts: Race, Comedy, and Social Commentary

• New Orleans/Katrina Documentary: Briefly pivoting to serious topics, they discuss Spike Lee’s Katrina docs and the fate of black neighborhoods post-gentrification.
  • Big Jay Oakerson (53:50): “A lot of people aren’t going to buy [in New Orleans] because it’s still inside of a bowl. God’s cereal bowl.”

8. Comedy and Wordplay

• Barry Pepper/Bay Leaves Bit: Jay tries out a cooking pun about actor Barry Pepper, spinning it into absurd territory.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jay’s Job Security:
  Big Jay Oakerson (01:52): "Never once has anybody been like, 'Yo, the show's doing great.'"
• On Listener Criticism:
  J.D. (09:55): "You chew on every single show over and over. Everybody calls you out, but you take it personal." Bobby Kelly (14:08): "During The Bonfire and all my shows, I am eating udon noodles and... chips constantly. Like Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven."
• On Corey Feldman’s "Dancing with the Stars" Debut:
  Big Jay Oakerson (15:34): "We gotta get this guy through a few rounds because he's... going to definitely fall to pieces when he's not Michael Jackson dancing." Bobby Kelly (18:13): "[Corey Feldman] is going to eat shit when they're like, this week: we're gonna do the Hustle."
• On Plastic Surgery in Hollywood:
  Christine (40:16): "There’s a pocket of fat in your cheek and actresses are having it removed and now their faces look like skeletal."
• On Modern Movies:
  Bobby Kelly (46:50): “At the end of it… Denzel battle raps.” Big Jay Oakerson (48:07): "You don't know this, by the way, but that actually is how the original also ended. With a battle rap."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:06]–[03:27]: Jay’s lateness, office wrangling, and SiriusXM’s response.
• [09:39]–[14:26]: J.D.’s call about Bobby’s on-air chewing, group hilarity.
• [14:34]–[18:13]: Listener Hope introduces Corey Feldman’s DWTS run; strategizing fandom support.
• [24:31]–[32:38]: Extensive Michael Jackson talk, Feldman’s dancing/psychology dissected.
• [39:44]–[44:13]: Hollywood plastic surgery, celebrity faces, and the “buccal fat pad” debate.
• [46:46]–[61:30]: Spike Lee’s "High and Low" remake critique; Denzel’s career; film remakes.
• [53:17]–[54:32]: Katrina’s real estate aftermath; gentrification and social commentary.

Recurring Themes and Tone

The banter is unsparing and playful, filled with mutual ribbing, digressions, and deeply “inside” comedy scene humor. Pop culture is filtered through grizzled comic sensibility—skeptical, aware of its own absurdity, and delighting in pointing out pretensions of others. Bobby and Jay’s friendship and ability to bounce jokes off real-life moments (their lateness, eating, listener grievances) is the heart of the show.

Final Notes

This episode’s highlights:

• Self-roasting about radio professionalism and lateness
• A hilarious deep dive into Corey Feldman’s career and "Dancing with the Stars"
• Gags about Hollywood beauty trends
• Listener participation that becomes part of the act
• Candid critiques of new and classic film culture

If you want inside access to comics talking candidly about comedy, pop culture, and their own flaws—tempered with sharp and authentic humor—this is classic Bonfire.