The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: "Sunday Hang" (Jan 11, 2026)
Episode Theme:
This Sunday Hang episode sees Clay Travis and Buck Sexton swapping stories and opinions on everything from surging grocery prices and personal handyman inadequacy, to tech’s growing role in restaurant bookings and ride-shares, tipping culture, and the comics and calamities of date night traditions like Valentine’s and SantaCon. With their trademark blend of good-natured ribbing and candid takes, Clay and Buck offer lighthearted but pointed commentary on both national issues and everyday struggles.
Main Discussion Topics & Insights
1. Cost of Living & Inflation (00:44–04:55)
- Topic: The sharply rising prices of basic goods—specifically groceries and fast food—and how inflation continues to weigh on American families.
- Anecdotes:
- Buck shares his father-in-law’s surprise at almost "$8 milk in Florida" (01:21). Both hosts reflect on how ordinary things have become shockingly expensive.
- Broader Context: Clay links the sticker shock to Biden-era economic policy and draws parallels to the Jimmy Carter inflation era.
- Challenges: Both hosts express frustration that, once prices climb, they rarely return to prior levels—even when broad inflation eases.
- Memorable Moment:
- Buck, on Chick-fil-A drive-thru prices:
- Buck: "Do you feel like the Sultan of Brunei, though, when you buy Chick Fil A for your kids these days? Like a hundred bucks?" [04:16]
- Clay: "It's crazy. When I'm going through the drive-through and I see, like, I pull up and they're like, that'll be $64. I'm like, $64?" [04:22–04:24]
- Buck, on Chick-fil-A drive-thru prices:
2. Speakerphone Etiquette & Old Guy Tech Grievances (05:05–07:32)
- Topic: Is it ever okay to use speakerphone or FaceTime in public?
- Sides:
- Buck objects to it in public places—especially in Miami—citing noise disturbance and privacy concerns.
- Clay confesses to using speakerphone in public out of necessity, partly blaming modern earbuds for being too complicated for "old guys."
- Tone: Playful banter, generational humor, Buck doubling down on his "no public speakerphone" rule.
- Quote:
- Buck: “My objection is not to using speaker… but I assume you don't go to, like, really nice restaurant and sit there on your speakerphone and get into whatever it is you're going to get into, right?” [05:54]
3. Change and Currency Nostalgia (07:32–08:33)
- Topic: Should the US get rid of small coins like pennies, nickels, and dimes?
- Clay’s Position: Keep quarters for vending machines, abolish the rest.
- Reception: Listeners are far more animated—often furious—about the penny debate than Clay’s “Epstein analysis.”
- Notable Exchange:
- Buck: “No one's coming for your change jar. This isn't. The pennies will be taken from my cold, dead hand.” [07:46]
4. Apps, Privacy, and the Power of Data in Modern Life (08:33–13:35)
- Topic: Apps like Uber and OpenTable are omnipresent and collect lots of data—ride ratings, reservations, even wine preferences.
- Uber & Ride-Sharing:
- Clay praises ride-sharing for making cities safer and reducing DUIs ([09:02]).
- They compare Uber user ratings—Buck has a 4.95, Clay a 4.94—and debate the fairness when kids and family affect those scores.
- OpenTable & Restaurants:
- Buck notes restaurants can now see customer behavioral data (lateness, cancellations), sparking a debate about whether "review systems" (ratings) should go both ways—for customers and businesses.
- Clay contrasts Nashville’s walk-in restaurant culture vs. reservation-heavy cities.
- Memorable Exchange:
- Buck: “OpenTable Uber, these apps have all of this data about you is the point...Are you late a lot? Do you cancel same day?” [11:18]
5. Social Credit Systems & The Future of Consumer-Provider Relationships (13:35–19:10)
- Topic: Should data about consumer reliability (e.g., always showing up for reservations) be used to provide perks, or does this mirror China’s “social credit” system?
- Perspective:
- Buck favors the idea: “It’s a little bit like a credit score. This benefits those of us who do what we say or do what we're supposed to do.”
- Clay worries about abuses, such as Uber’s cancellation fee system being gamed by drivers and emphasizes the need for “mutuality of obligation.”
- Anecdote: Rapid celebrity privilege—how being with soccer star Alexi Lalas during the DC inauguration led from "two hour wait" to "best table in the house."
- Alexi Lalas Story:
- Buck: “I have never seen a trance. They had like five guys come out of the kitchen, all want to take photos with him. All so excited...and they gave us the best table.” [20:10]
- Clay: “We walked in, the entire restaurant staff posed for him...it happened in a hurry.” [20:22–20:44]
6. Tipping Culture & Listener Feedback (21:24–22:57)
- Listener from Minneapolis: “If I'm sitting down and someone's bringing me food, I'll tip them. If I'm standing up, ordering my own food and clearing my own dishes, I'm not tipping. Period. End of story.” [21:34]
- Buck’s View: Has stopped fighting the tide—just tips almost everywhere now, out of both compassion and recognition of service industry struggles.
- Quote:
- Buck: “I'm very blessed...just trying to be generous in my own community in little ways. If you're in a position where you're not worried about week to week, just tip 30%.” [22:25]
7. Dating, Pickup Lines, and Life Advice (22:57–End)
- Listener (Bob from Houston): Shares that treating girls as friends (not conquests) made relationships much easier and met his wife through friends ([22:57–23:32]).
- Buck’s Advice: Conversation matters more than pickup lines; often, "pickup lines" just give guys the confidence to approach someone.
- May I meet you?: Laughter over Bill Ackman's “may I meet you?” line—could become a meme.
- Quote:
- Buck: “Just talk to people. You'd be amazed at how much you learn and how much opens up when you're just willing to talk to folks.” [23:32]
- Buck: “The line doesn't really matter. But I wouldn't go with 'may I meet you?' For most of you out there...” [23:50]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Milk Prices:
- Buck: “A gallon of milk is almost eight bucks here in Florida. And this is at Publix. This is not at some...fancy, fancy. This is just a grocery store.” [01:21]
- On Restaurant Data:
- Buck: "Should any app that you use be able—should it share with the producer of the goods or service what the consumer is actually like as a consumer?" [12:25]
- On Getting Special Treatment with a Celebrity:
- Buck: "We went from two hour wait to best table in the restaurant in the window...I've never seen a transition like that." [20:10]
- On Date Night Disasters:
- Clay: “I just feel, in my soul, I feel bad for both the guy walking in who's like, didn’t make the reservation and the woman who's dressed up and she's like, 'This is the most important night of the year...’” [13:48]
Episode Structure & Flow
- Home/Father-in-law Stories & Price Shock ([00:16–02:20])
- Economic Frustration & Biden/Carter Comparison ([02:20–04:55])
- Fast Food Prices & Family Outings ([04:16–04:55])
- Speakerphone/Tech Rants ([05:05–07:32])
- Penny Abolition Debate ([07:32–08:33])
- The Power & Pitfalls of App-Reliant Life ([08:33–13:35])
- Restaurant Culture & Social Credit Parallels ([13:35–19:10])
- Celebrity Favoritism Anecdote ([19:10–20:44])
- Tipping Culture & Listener Calls ([21:24–22:57])
- Dating Advice & Pickup Line Philosophy ([22:57–End])
Overall Tone & Takeaways
- Humorous, relatable—peppered with personal stories and gentle mockery, especially of each other's quirks.
- Clever social commentary—real dilemmas of inflation, modern tech, and cultural expectations, but always with an eye for the absurdity in daily struggles.
- Practical Advice: Plan date nights, tip well if you can, don't overdo the pickup lines, and—never try to wing it on Valentine's Day.
For Listeners:
This episode delivers Clay and Buck’s signature conversational, thoughtful, and irreverently funny take on issues both big (inflation, tech’s role in modern life) and small (date night gaffes, speakerphone gripes, penny nostalgia), making for an engaging, relatable listen even if you missed the show.