The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 1 - What a Year!
Date: December 19, 2025
Host: Clay Travis (Buck Sexton on vacation)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this final show of the year for either host, Clay Travis reflects on a tumultuous 2025, diving into major news stories with his signature blend of humor and blunt commentary. The hour tackles breaking developments in high-profile shootings, the much-anticipated Epstein file release, debates around election integrity in Georgia, criticism of failed gun control responses in Australia, and cultural commentary ranging from movies to corporate “wokeness.” Listeners join in through call-ins and talkbacks, adding spirited reactions to the year’s events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brown and MIT Shooting Case

• Update on Gunman: The suspect, Claudio Neves Valenti (48), a Portuguese former Brown University student living in Miami, killed himself late the previous night ([02:37]).

• Brown University Security Failure:

  • Lack of functioning cameras at Brown’s facilities delayed Valenti’s apprehension and, Clay argues, directly led to a subsequent murder of an MIT professor.
  • The case was moved forward not by authorities but by an observant homeless man who reported Valenti’s suspicious behavior, potentially earning a $50,000 reward ([06:41]).
  • Clay criticizes both the university’s preparedness and the media for “moving on” now that the suspect is dead.

  “It appears that this case was basically...solved by a homeless guy on campus who just thought this dude was behaving in a strange fashion.” – Clay Travis ([06:41])

• Press Conference Clips:

  • Law enforcement asserts cameras were helpful, but Clay presses the absence of footage from inside the critical building as a clear failure ([08:43], [09:38], [10:07]).

  “Just say it so we can get us over. ...You didn’t have cameras in that building.” – Clay Travis ([09:38])

2. Epstein Files Anticipation

• NYT Investigation:

  • The New York Times, after exhaustive review, finds “no evidence of criminal wrongdoing from President Trump” in any Epstein materials ([03:23]).
  • Clay emphasizes this is what he and Buck said all along, arguing that if Trump had committed crimes, his opponents would have used it against him.

  “The New York Times...said hey, there’s absolutely no suggestion of any criminal wrongdoing from the president associated with Jeffrey Epstein.” – Clay Travis ([03:23])

• Expectation for Closure: The full release is expected by day’s end, likely bringing no new revelations.

3. Australian Bondi Beach Shooting & Gun Control

• Incident Recap:

  • A mass shooting by “terrorists” with illegal weapons on Bondi Beach; Clay points to the inadequacy of current gun laws ([11:20]).

• Criticism of Response:

  • Australia’s reaction is to further restrict gun ownership for law-abiding citizens, ignoring failures in enforcing existing laws.

  “Do you ever notice how almost always the people who have guns and engage in illegal acts are breaking the law?” – Clay Travis ([11:31])

  • Clip of Australian official outlining new mass firearm collection plans ([13:15]).

4. Georgia Election Integrity & Uncounted Ballots

• Fulton County Ballots:

  • Clay highlights a story about 315,000 ballots in the 2020 election that didn’t comply with state law but were nonetheless counted ([15:50]).
  • He links this directly to Senate losses for Republicans, arguing it handed Joe Biden control of the Senate and enabled his agenda.

  “This was incredibly consequential...it wasn’t just the presidency that was impacted by the fraud in Georgia. It was also directly the Senate.” – Clay Travis ([15:50])

• Listener Question:

  • A listener named JJ asks why Georgia’s Governor Kemp or his Secretary of State won’t address these concerns; Clay theorizes they’d say that’s why election laws have since changed ([22:00]).

• Data Comparisons:

  • Clay compares Trump’s historic vote totals with “incomprehensible” 2020 Biden numbers, likening the 2020 election anomalies to steroid-era baseball stats ([23:20]).

  “There’s no way Biden got 81 million legal votes.” – Clay Travis ([40:34])

5. Call-Ins, Talkbacks & Pop Culture

• Christmas Movie Debate:
  • Listener Kiera supports Clay’s affection for Love Actually ([20:43]), while Ken from Lincoln, Nebraska, debates Clay’s jab at R&B music.
• Lighthearted Banter:
  • Clay mixes serious discussion with riffs on Christmas routines and self-deprecating stories about family chaos ([21:10]).

6. Nike and “Wokeness” in Business

• Nike Stock Plunge:
  • Clay previews a discussion (to follow in next segments) about why Nike’s stock is “collapsing,” blaming its embrace of progressive politics ([21:40]).
  • “Once your company goes woke, the culture is such that you’re going to collapse.”

7. FBI and Mar-a-Lago Raid

• Uneven Justice Critique:
  • Clay reads from a Wall Street Journal editorial describing the lack of probable cause for the Mar-a-Lago raid; he sees this as pattern of Democrats’ willingness to bend legal norms to pursue opponents ([28:40]).

8. Election Security Looking Forward

• Clay’s Prescription:
  • Wants a return to in-person voting with ID, very limited exceptions for absentee ballots ([42:00]).
  • Asserts that unless there’s a landslide in 2028, no one will replicate the “incomprehensible” 81 million votes supposedly received by Biden.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Brown/MIT Shootings

• “I’m surprised that there isn’t more discussion about why he chose to. It’s as if now that he is dead, everybody is just going to move on and pretend that we still don’t know.” – Clay Travis ([10:20])

On Election Fraud Allegations

• "So I'm sorry, when I look back at this, what seems to happen is we're all right, right? All of us out there..." – Clay Travis ([29:50])
• “Everyone knows Trump is right. On this election day, you should have to show up with an ID and cast a ballot in person.” – Clay Travis ([42:00])

On Gun Laws

• “The law-abiding gun owners are going to be the victims here of increased attempted regulation.” – Clay Travis ([12:12])

Pop Culture Sidebar

• “I appreciate Kiera coming into my defense after I was savagely attacked for saying that Love Actually is a good, funny Christmas movie.” – Clay Travis ([20:08])

Timestamps: Important Segments

• [02:37] – Clay opens the show, updates on the Brown University/MIT shooter, and previews Epstein file news.
• [06:41] – Details on case breakthrough by campus homeless man.
• [08:43] – [10:07] – Press conference and criticism of Brown security.
• [13:15] – Australian official’s clip on gun buyback post-Bondi Beach shooting.
• [15:50]–[16:30] – Georgia election integrity, impact on Senate, and broader implications.
• [20:08–21:10] – Listener talkbacks: Christmas movies and R&B debate.
• [22:00–24:00] – Listener asks about Georgia's governor; Clay breaks down voter numbers and anomalies.
• [28:40] – Mar-a-Lago raid editorial and government “double standards.”
• [40:34–42:00] – Recap/final thoughts on 2020 and 2024 election numbers; Clay's call for secure voting.

Tone & Style

• The tone is direct, wry, and occasionally combative, with Clay mixing in lighthearted banter and pop culture asides.
• Listener interaction is spirited, reinforcing the community feel of the show.
• Clay’s delivery is rapid-fire, always circling back to his central themes of election skepticism, media distrust, and the pitfalls of reactionary policy.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode encapsulates the show’s core formula: headline-driven, unapologetically opinionated, and reliant on both serious analysis and crowd-pleasing humor. Clay Travis delivers a highly partisan narrative but encourages listener participation and isn’t afraid to digress into cultural commentary, making for a lively, conversational hour.