Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Book Lisp with Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna
Episode: Super Bowl, Backhanded Compliments & Vodka Shortages
Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna

Episode Overview

In this lively and humorous episode of The Book Lisp, hosts Jon Ryan (NFL Super Bowl Champion) and comedian Sarah Colonna share behind-the-scenes stories from their action-packed Super Bowl weekend, riff on the realities of showbiz and performing, and spiral into a hilarious exploration of backhanded compliments and awkward social interactions––all loosely inspired by the month’s murder mystery book selection. True to their natural chemistry, the episode weaves together NFL escapades, stand-up comedy life, and relatable everyday predicaments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Super Bowl Adventures: Seahawks Style

• Travel Chaos, Comedy Club Gigs & Cold Season (00:20–03:35)

  • Sarah jokes about catching a cold after “five planes in three days” and the Super Bowl: “The Iowa, the five planes that I took in, five planes, three days or so, and the super bowl and all that has caught up with me. I'm a little stuffy, but I don't feel bad.” (00:27)
  • She plugs her busy stand-up schedule, noting family appearances and Midwest club stops, stressing she isn't contagious: “I took a test. It's not Covid or anything like that. It's just a little annoying cold.” (02:43)

• Comedian’s Family at Shows: The Front Row Problem (04:59–06:08)

  • Discussion about strategically seating family away from the front row at comedy clubs to avoid awkward eye contact, referencing Sarah’s mom: “I don't want to look at my mom when I act out doggy sex. Doggy styles.” (06:29)
  • Exchange about how club staff sometimes think they’re being helpful by placing friends/family up front, when it’s truly a comic’s nightmare situation.

• Super Bowl Week: Seattle Seahawks Hospitality (08:45–14:44)

  • Jon shares the team’s exceptional treatment of alumni, with all-expenses-paid trips and lavish events for not just players but extended support staff: “They brought cooks from the kitchen, they brought the security guards, the guys that run the field out front...the whole...entire hotel, 23 stories... just for the team.” (10:29)
  • Tells a comic mishap of paying his own way into a Seahawks event and being put to work signing autographs: “John ryan just paid $25. He's probably getting paid 10 grand to be at this event. I paid $25 to get into this event, sitting there signing autographs, taking pictures.” (12:32)
  • A hilarious on-the-street interview with ex-teammate Jermaine Kearse while Jermaine’s “edible kicked in”: “My edible just seriously kicked in. So he's doing an interview with me, who's clearly been drinking for a long time, and him who's, like, stoned.” (13:28)
  • Emphasizes the Seahawks’ loyalty: “I thought I'd be doing appearances...Nothing. It was just purely for my entertainment to be there, which was so nice of them to do.” (14:03)
  • On insane ticket prices: “We had good seats. We're in the eighth row, right there on the field. They were like $5,000 tickets or something, but...selling for, like $10,000...We couldn't have sat there if we just went on our own...at least $9,000 each.” (14:50)

• The VIP Experience: Pre-game, Post-game & Vodka Shortages (15:08–19:30)

  • Super Bowl parties detailed: exclusive Seahawks and Patriots tents, celebrity run-ins, and opulent amenities.
  • The one (hilarious) complaint: bar logistics and beverage snags, including Green Day missed for a vodka drink:
    “Sarah missed Green Day. She's very upset...to be clear about it...On Game day like this, we don't need a mint garnish.” (17:18)
  • Sudden vodka shortage before kickoff: “It was a kettle one stand. And...we actually ran out before the game started. I'm like, you guys know that today's the super bowl, right?” (18:46)
  • Comparison to older football venues being unprepared for NFL-sized events, with lines for snacks blocking stairways, mustard in tiny home bottles, and running out of water in the first quarter. (20:13–22:13)

• Fandom & Celebrity Sightings (25:00–26:32)

  • Brushes with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Burke, Joel McHale.
  • Notable Seahawks superfans discussed: “There's like five, like, really main Seahawks fans that are kind of famously fans. I didn't see Adam Ray. I didn't see Rainn Wilson. I didn't see Spencer Pratt—Chris Pratt. Not Spencer Pratt. Please do not get those two mixed up.” (26:05)
  • Discussion of eye-watering luxury suite prices: “A million...50 grand a seat in there.” (26:32)

• Jon Watches Football from the Stands (27:08–27:19)

  • Remarkable moment: Jon shares he hadn’t watched a football game from the stands in 23 years—usually in a suite or on the field. (27:19)
  • Sarah notes how special the day felt, being among fans and sharing the live experience.

2. Backhanded Compliments & Social Oddities

• Book-Inspired Conversation: “Don’t Take This the Wrong Way...” (28:42–33:11)

  • The triggers: Book line about “no one ever starts a conversation with ‘Don’t take this wrong way’ and then follows it with a compliment” sparks a heated, funny riff on classic backhanded setups.
  • Jon: “With all due respect. Oh, here’s the best one: ‘No offense, but...’ I’m about to offend the out of you.” (28:42)
  • Sarah: “In stand up, people love to tell you they’ve never heard of you...people’s favorite thing. But, the one thing I think I get a lot is ‘Gosh, I don’t normally like female comedians... or I didn’t expect that.’” (29:43)

• Backhanded Scenarios and Quotes (31:26–32:36)

  • Jon tells of the worst celebrity reporter question intro:
    “She asked...‘Why don’t you have abs? If you work out so much, why don't you have abs? Someone just like, sent this to me as a thing to ask you.’” (31:26)
  • Compliment pitfalls: “If someone says, ‘You know who you look like?’...90% chance you insult that person.” (32:04)
  • Classic John Ryan self-deprecation: “There’s only one right answer I’ll take, and it’s Prince Harry...So many times when you have white skin like I do, very pale red hair, people just see someone on the street with red hair, ‘Oh, my God, that could be your brother...’” (32:48)
  • Anecdote: “Hey, Prince Harry, you!” shouted at Jon by a neighbor with mental health issues—hosts find it both hilarious and oddly flattering. (33:17)

• Rapid-fire Backhanded Compliment Examples (34:35–37:24)

  • Sarah reads a list of accidentally brutal remarks from the internet:
    • “Your haircut really slims your face.”
    • “I’m sure the food is still better than what you would have made at home.”
    • “That blouse is so nice. My grandmother would love it.”
    • The infamous “You look great for your age.”
    • “I wish I was as comfortable as you are wearing that outfit.”
    • “You seem so relaxed. I wish I was retired without responsibilities.”
  • Jon notes, “People say that to me every day.” (41:14)

• Workplace Compliments & the Me Too Effect (37:24–38:25)

  • Jon: “In corporate America now, you’re not supposed to compliment anyone on their appearance ever. Like, ‘Oh, I like your blouse today,’...Nope.”
  • Sarah and Jon muse on how only creeps ruined simple compliments: “If what you're doing is so offensive that it comes off as sexual harassment, then no, you should never flirt...you're just being a fucking creep.” (38:03)

3. Anecdotes from Stand-up & Everyday Life

• Bar Encounters: Accidental Groping and Generational Differences (38:25–40:25)

  • Jon gets his shoulders rubbed by an older, drunk fan who then laments, “you can’t really just touch ladies out at bars anymore either...these millennials.”
  • Sarah: “Nobody wants strangers coming up and just groping them. That’s just not what anyone wants. It was never cool.” (39:21)

• Parenting, Pressure Olympics & Social Comparison (41:49–44:14)

  • Sarah on child-free lifestyle and tired parent one-upmanship: “Sometimes when a very tired parent can kind of try to make you feel like shit about yourself...” (42:29)
  • Jon’s take on stress across jobs: “Everyone thinks their job is...more stressful than everyone else’s. But I can relate to almost every job...That’d be stressful. Everyone’s waiting in line.” (44:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Seahawks Super Bowl hospitality:
  “A guy like me who retired eight years ago, they just called me up and say, we're paying for the entire trip. Bring your wife to an entire trip to super bowl is like $25,000. And it's like, here you go, everything's taken care of. Don't worry about a thing. And it's crazy.” — Jon (09:25)

• On poorly timed event logistics:
  “It was the kettle one stand. And we actually ran out before the game started. I'm like, you guys know that today's the super bowl, right?” — Jon (18:46)

• On backhanded compliments:
  “No offense, but I'm about to offend the out of you.” — Jon (28:42)
  “Gosh, I don't normally like female comedians...” — Sarah (29:43)

• On being mistaken for other famous redheads:
  “There's only one right answer I'll take: Prince Harry...But so many times when you have white skin like I do, very pale red hair, people just see someone on the street with red hair, ‘Oh, my God, that could be your brother.’” — Jon (32:48)

• On brutal compliments:
  “Your haircut really slims your face.”
  “You look great for your age.” — Sarah (34:35+ selections)

Highlighted Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:27] Sarah on catching a cold post-Super Bowl travels
• [06:29] Sarah on not wanting family in the front row: “I don't want to look at my mom when I act out doggy sex.”
• [10:29] Jon on Seahawks’ inclusive event hospitality
• [12:32] Jon: Pays to enter an event, ends up signing autographs for free
• [14:50] Eighth row Super Bowl tickets, value estimate
• [17:18] Sarah & Jon lament vodka shortages and missing Green Day
• [26:34] Super Bowl suite pricing: “A million...[for] a 20 person suite”
• [27:19] Jon watches a football game from the stands for the first time in 23 years
• [28:42] Intro to backhanded compliments discussion
• [31:26] “Why don’t you have abs?” media anecdote
• [32:48] Redhead mix-ups, the "Prince Harry" story
• [34:35] Sarah reads internet’s most brutal backhanded compliments
• [38:03] Sexual harassment ruined workplace compliments
• [41:14] “You seem so relaxed...wish I was retired”—Jon says he hears this daily

Tone & Delivery

The episode maintains a laid-back, irreverent, and bantery tone. Jon’s deadpan stories and Sarah’s comedic riffing create a space where inside-NFL stories blend with relatable everyday awkwardness. Listeners come away feeling like they’ve spent an evening at the bar with witty friends—who just happen to know half of Seattle’s sports and Hollywood royalty.

Final Notes

While the episode only briefly touches on the month’s murder mystery book (teaser: “lady’s body hanging from a ceiling in a Halloween costume” [07:08]), the bulk of the conversation is an entertaining, personal recap of life around the Super Bowl, work-life quirks, and the artless art of the backhanded compliment. As always, Sarah and Jon’s chemistry and candor are the show’s star attraction.