The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: Hour 3 – The Lost Generation
Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Buck Sexton (Clay Travis absent this hour)

Episode Overview

In this hour, Buck Sexton dives into current events and societal trends gripping America, with particular focus on political violence, false moral equivalence in media narratives, the interplay of diversity hiring (DEI) and generational opportunities, and reactions to terrorism and cancel culture. With intelligence and humor, Buck challenges mainstream media narratives and articulates the real-world impacts of ideological trends—especially on millennials. The episode's anchor is the idea of a “lost generation” derailed by institutional priorities that, in Buck's view, value diversity over merit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Political Violence, Media Reactions, and Trump Criticism

[02:35–12:10]

• Brown University Shooting & Bandai Terrorist Attack: Buck recaps recent events—an unresolved shooting at Brown University (potentially a targeted assassination of a Republican student leader) and a terror attack in Bondai by a father-son duo with connections to Islamic radicalism in the Philippines.

  • “…there's Islamic radicalism in the southern part of the Philippines that has been long, long since well established. It's likely that that's why they were there…” [03:12]

• Trump’s Controversial Statement about Rob Reiner: Buck addresses the uproar over Trump’s comments regarding Rob Reiner’s death, clarifying that while he would not have made those remarks himself, Trump’s style is inherently combative and different from his own.

  • “…he's a little more of a brawler than I am with the words…But…sometimes you really need that. That all said, you know, I didn't think this was right. I didn't like it.” [04:15]

• Calls for Basic Sympathy & Humanity Across the Political Aisle: Buck argues that, in instances of real tragedy (such as the murder of Rob Reiner or Charlie Kirk), sympathy should transcend partisanship.

  • “There are things that are so terrible and so sad that just as a human being, I think you would extend your sympathy to someone or their family, regardless of the political rhetoric that they have used in the past.” [05:14]

• Rob Reiner on Forgiveness after Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Audio plays of Rob Reiner expressing horror and forgiveness following another high-profile political murder, underscoring the theme of shared humanity.

  • Rob Reiner: "It's beyond belief what happened to him, and that should never happen to anybody. I don't care what your political beliefs are. That's not acceptable… I believe in forgiveness." [08:45]

2. The False Moral Equivalence “Both Sidesism”

[10:58–18:54]

• Questioning Charlie Kirk’s Widow: Buck highlights a moment where the widow of Charlie Kirk is pressed to condemn Trump’s rhetoric as equivalent to left-wing political violence. He rails against what he sees as a contrived moral equivalence.

  • “The false moral equivalency gets me very fired up because it is a game that the left plays constantly to…evade accountability at all costs.” [12:10]

• January 6 and Media Double Standards: Buck contrasts the media’s endless focus on January 6 with their relatively muted response to the left-wing BLM riots, asserting that only Trump supporters died as a result of violence that day.

  • “There was one riot that involved Trump supporters and the only person who died was a Trump supporter, Ashley Babbitt, shot in the neck…The left had gone through months and months of far more destructive violent rioting and they celebrated it…” [15:20]

3. How DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Policies Created “The Lost Generation”

[21:04–41:12]

• Overview of Matthew Schmitz’s “The Lost Generation” (CompactMag.com): Buck praises Schmitz’s article, highlighting how DEI hiring essentially punished a swath of white millennial men, locking them out of career opportunities.,

  • “…this is the story of a generation derailed by DEI. This is what I have observed… they did everything possible to avoid hiring white millennial men.” [32:01]

• Personal Insights: Buck recounts how diversity hiring usually targeted entry-level positions, not executive/boomer ranks, and how friends in sectors like finance and academia were squeezed out of opportunities.

  • “…all the guys who were at the very top, once they started doing this stuff 10 years ago, the people who were the fat cats who were making the big bucks, they got to stay. No, no, diversity did not mean we were replacing the CEO.” [34:06]

• Cultural Impact: He ties the decline in TV, movies, publishing, and academia to prioritizing DEI over talent.

  • “These institutions…became a lot less impressive because they got rid of standards. They started making decisions not based upon excellence at the craft or the ability that one has, but on skin color, explicitly racist policies.” [35:06]

• Concluding Thought: Buck frames this as both an economic and cultural tragedy—millennial talent was sacrificed for “the madness of DEI,” and cultural output has suffered as a result.

  • “…everybody else… it was the millennials who got fed, you know, into the wood chipper of DEI madness professionally. And this piece goes into details about it. And these places are not elite anymore. And Hollywood TV writing got really crappy and we all noticed, we have all in fact noticed.” [36:37]

4. The Media’s Failure on Terrorism and Honest Debate

[21:29–32:00]

• Buck’s Throwback to CNN Terrorism Panel (2016): Buck shares a flashback to his CNN appearance, where, during a discussion of the Nice truck attack, the media and academics emphasized Islamophobia and failed assimilation rather than confronting Islamic radicalism directly.

  • “Anytime someone says it's about gun control. The Nice terror attack involved a truck. It killed 86 people, 15 children, injured 450 people. It was a rented truck. Didn't need a gun.” [24:41]
  • “…there is this knee jerk reaction… constantly trying to sort of wrap all this around the bad rhetoric of people who want to speak openly and honestly about terrorism.” [26:36]

• Buck’s Response to Media Spin and “Islamophobia” Accusations: He laments how the default reaction is to worry about “Islamophobia” rather than acknowledge the ideological roots of terror. He sees this as emblematic of the Western elite’s self-defeating tendencies.

  • "This is the. I mean he did some great stuff. Norm MacDonald did some great stuff. I think maybe his all time great is that the real threat is that they're going to detonate a nuclear bomb in an American city. And just think of all the Islamophobia that will happen. Because that really just gets to the core of this, of this insanity.” [29:25]

5. Emails, Listener Calls, and Cultural Musings

[42:13–44:07]

• Women in Law Enforcement and Combat: Buck reads an email from a listener concerned about women in frontline roles, agreeing that there are real physical limits in policing and combat that can’t be ignored, but affirms he’s “not taking shots at anybody, just saying what it is.” [42:13]
• Musicals for Men: A lighthearted caller asserts the only “musical that men should proudly love is the Blues Brothers.” [43:26]
• AR-15 Registration Correction: A Connecticut listener corrects Buck on the state's gun laws—owners had to register rifles, not turn them in. Buck admits, “I was wrong. So I'm not always right. But most of the time. Shh.” [43:58]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Tone:
  “He’s a little more of a brawler than I am with the words…That all said, you know, I didn’t think this was right. I didn’t like it. But…he’s a politician, he’s the president, you know, he’s not my dad.” [04:15]
• On Political Violence:
  “There are things that are so terrible and so sad that just as a human being, I think you would extend your sympathy to someone or their family, regardless of the political rhetoric that they have used in the past.” [05:14]
• Rob Reiner (audio):
  “What happened to him, that's not acceptable…And I believe in forgiveness. And what she [Charlie Kirk’s widow] said to me was beautiful and absolutely, you know, she forgave his assassin. And I think that that is admirable.” [08:45]
• On False Equivalence:
  “The false moral equivalency gets me very fired up because it is a game that the left plays constantly to…evade accountability at all costs.” [12:10]
• On DEI and Millennials:
  “This is the story of a generation derailed by DEI…I was only able to escape it because of some good luck, some great mentors…But I saw it all around me. My, my peers, my colleagues…no chance.” [32:01]

Major Timestamps

• [02:35] – Introduction & current events: Brown University & Bondai attack
• [04:15] – Trump’s statement on Rob Reiner and Buck’s reaction
• [08:45] – Rob Reiner’s response to political violence
• [12:10] – Buck on false moral equivalence and political rhetoric
• [15:20] – Discussion of January 6 and media coverage gaps
• [21:04] – Vanity Fair piece on Trump admin, segues to DEI
• [32:01] – Full rundown of how DEI created a “lost generation”
• [42:13] – Listener emails on women in policing/military & cultural sidebar
• [43:58] – Correction on Connecticut AR-15 laws

Tone and Style

Buck Sexton employs sharp wit, directness, and a blend of frustration with restrained optimism. His style is conversational, occasionally irreverent, and deeply rooted in cultural critique. He’s unafraid to call out perceived hypocrisy and frequently connects current news to larger cultural trends impacting everyday Americans—especially millennials.

For listeners new to the show or this episode:
This hour pieces together a worldview: one that finds danger not only in physical threats but also in what Buck sees as the moral and institutional missteps of American leadership, media, and elite cultural institutions. It’s as much about defending common sense and basic humanity as it is about politics—making a case for sanity, merit, and authentic sympathy in a divided America.