The Brilliant Idiots Podcast
Hosts: Charlamagne Tha God & Andrew Schulz
Episode: Holy Tres
Date: August 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Brilliant Idiots is a fan-driven Q&A special: “Ask An Idiot.” With Andrew Schulz dialling in from Australia (prepping for Street Fighter), Charlamagne and long-time collaborator Chris tackle an overflowing mailbox of listener questions. Themes range from parenting and relationships to building a media career, the evolution of faith, viral media culture, sports debates, and social commentary—delivered in the show’s trademark blend of humor, candidness, and cultural critique.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Parenting & Fatherhood

• Advice to Girl Dads (02:25–07:58):

  • Both hosts, as fathers to daughters, reflect on advice relevant to parenting, emphasizing love, grace, and putting oneself in the child’s shoes.
    • Charlamagne: “Just love your child, man... Give your child grace. Understand that they're just children and that's it.” (03:07)
    • Chris: “Just try to teach your son to look at girls or young women as people first.” (04:00)
  • They joke about the complexity of advising on sons, given their lack of personal experience.
  • The show discusses openness in talking about “uncomfortable” topics with kids—e.g., sex, drugs, birth control.

• Letting Go as Parents:

  • Charlamagne recounts his mother’s perspective on relaxing as a parent, learning to trust and let children make their way:
    • “You just got to let go. You just gonna scratch yourself out. ... You got to really remember that Serenity Prayer...” (07:33)

• Carving Space as a Parent/Partner (08:17–11:48):

  • There’s debate about whether dads ever really get “space.” Andrew claims you need a hobby that looks legit (“Pick up a sport ...your wife can't really be upset”). Charlamagne insists, “there is no space.”
    • The concept of self-care is explored—workouts, date nights, and the podcast itself.

2. Career, Hustle, and Finding Traction

• Getting ‘Traction’ in Your Career (11:39–22:49):
  • Begins with a trademark raunchy joke, then pivots to real career talk.
    • Andrew: “You… gotta be a self-starter. ... Now, you really gotta build it yourself.” (13:05)
    • Charlamagne: “There’s a million—about 100 podcasters that are hotter than radio personalities, right? ... There’s nobody in the way.” (15:15)
  • Discussion on “gatekeepers” in media being obsolete in the internet era.
  • The importance of perseverance, patience, and not comparing your journey to others is emphasized.
    • Chris: “I didn’t feel my first traction till 36.” (22:42)
    • Andrew: “Work every day, your life to be an overnight sensation.” (21:17)

3. Advice & Life Lessons

• Best Advice Ever Received (26:53–32:56):

  • Andrew credits his dad for teaching the power of saying sorry.
  • Charlemagne credits his mother for inspiring curiosity (“read things that don’t pertain to me”) and his father for the harsh reality check about lifestyle and consequences:
    • “If you want to see how other people are going to eventually treat you, watch how they treat others.” (27:34)
    • “If I don’t change my lifestyle, I’m end up in jail, dead, or broke sitting under the tree…” (27:47)

• Charlamagne’s Early Hustle:

  • He details his path from warehouse jobs, to telemarketing, to getting his start on radio—all foundational to his career resilience.

4. Faith, Religion, and Spirituality

• Evolving Beliefs (33:11–44:42):
  • Listeners ask about changing views on religion through the 20s and 30s.
    • Andrew shares his increased openness to faith and its role in society: “You almost like, hope there’s something else out there...” (33:29)
    • Charlemagne expresses spiritual rather than strictly religious belief, questioning religious contradictions.
    • Chris, Jewish, relates a sense of exclusion from Christian American culture.
  • Comedic, irreverent debates spring up around Jesus, the Trinity, and “blind faith:”
    • “The Holy Trinity is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. This sounds like a trans discussion.” – Charlamagne (38:10)
  • They muse on finding the presence of God in sex, music, and the miraculousness of existence.

5. Viral Media, Platforms, and the Marketplace of Attention

• On Building a Platform (12:32–22:45):

  • The podcasting and online world is democratized: “If you're sitting around and you're like, okay, that person's in the way, you not moving the way you should be moving...” – Charlemagne (15:31)
  • New platforms like TikTok and short-form media are described as necessary to build an audience early.

• Nuance vs. Viral Clicks (53:08–65:02):

  • They discuss the entertainment-infused nature of viral political shows ("20 versus 1"):
    • Andrew: “Nuance doesn’t get clicks. ... You want two reasonable positions...I want to learn both sides.” (57:01)
    • Charlamagne: “We get too caught up in slogans, and we end up arguing about things, and nothing ever gets solved.” (63:44)

6. Relationships & Double Standards

• First Jobs & Sexual Double Standards (87:23–90:18):
  • Andrew’s first jobs as a delivery boy come with nostalgic, inappropriate stories—prompting reflection on male/female double standards around early sexual experiences.

7. Current Events & Sports Debates

• Shannon Sharpe/ESPN and Athletes’ Legacies (67:10–86:28):
  • Is ESPN still relevant for culture-shifting sports personalities? They debate the intersection of sports, pop culture, and the security of a broadcast “check.”
    • Charlamagne: “$6.5 million a year is a lot of money to lose for a 19-year-old OnlyFans girl, bro.” (67:34)
  • NFL ranking debates: Cam Newton, Jalen Hurts, and whether championships should define athlete greatness. They list all-time greats with and without rings.
    • Charlamagne: “You can’t use the ring debate, bro.” (81:23)
  • The cultural importance of athletes’ off-field personas and fashion (Cam Newton, Andre 3000, etc.).

8. Social Commentary: Policing, Slogans, and Public Policy

• Defund the Police / Refund Social Services (59:44–65:02):
  • They explore the pitfalls of political slogans and the necessity for nuanced solutions:
    • Charlamagne: “Don’t even focus on defund the police... refund social services.” (63:44)
    • “Police need mental health resources, and I think police need more pay.” (64:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Charlamagne on Parenting:
  “Give your child grace. Understand that they’re just children.” (03:07)
• Chris on Openness:
  “Everything, as far as I can tell, is 100% out in the open, discussed. Even like boy stuff. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, everything.” (06:01)
• Andrew on Modern Media:
  “You relentlessly build it yourself. And you gotta use probably short-form media in the beginning...” (13:22)
• Charlamagne on Media Gatekeepers:
  “There’s nobody in the way... when you build up your own audience... these people that you were chasing or you thought was in the way, they come after you.” (17:46)
• Chris on Late-Blooming Success:
  “I didn’t feel my first traction till 36.” (22:44)
• On Faith:
  – Charlamagne, irreverently: “The Holy Trinity... sounds like a trans discussion.” (38:10) – Andrew: “I think as you get older and reflect on the absurdity of your life, you hope there’s something else out there.” (33:50)
• On Slogans and Nuance in Politics:
  “You get too caught up in slogans, and we end up arguing about things, and nothing ever gets solved.” – Charlamagne (63:44)
• On Athlete Greatness & Rings:
  “You can't use the ring debate, bro.” – Charlamagne (81:23)
• Andrew, on Cam Newton’s fashion:
  “If you see Cam, it works for him. That shit works for Cam.” (80:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:25] Parenting advice for girl dads / raising children
• [08:17] Carving out space as a parent and partner
• [12:32] Building media careers & "gatekeepers"
• [22:44] Persevering in creative/entertainment industries—late success
• [26:53] Best advice ever received
• [33:11] Evolution of faith & views on religion
• [53:08] Viral media culture & the “20 vs 1” debate
• [59:44] Slogans vs. nuanced debate ("Defund the Police"/Public Safety)
• [67:10] Shannon Sharpe, ESPN, cultural relevance in sports media
• [75:09] Cam Newton, Jalen Hurts—debate over NFL greats and "ring" culture
• [87:23] First jobs & stories about early work experience / double standards

Tone & Takeaway

The episode is a classic Idiots blend of real talk and raunch, wisdom and wildness. Charlamagne and Andrew, with Chris chiming from his unique perspective, offer unfiltered truths sprinkled with self-aware humor, raw honesty, and a genuine interest in tackling big questions without pretending to have all the answers. The insights on parenting, success, faith, and the new rules of media resonate especially for listeners navigating similar crossroads. The tone is irreverent, heartfelt, and always, always hilarious.

If you missed this episode, this summary covers the big questions, best jokes, and moments you’ll want to revisit, minus the ads and intros. “We’re smart. We’re idiots. Thanks for listening.”