The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H1 – Jennifer Welch is Awful
Date: December 13, 2025
Host: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on cultural and political debates swirling around masculinity, gender roles, and the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Clay and Buck break down viral left-wing commentary, particularly targeting progressive podcaster Jennifer Welch’s harsh attacks on Erica Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk. The hosts analyze wider trends in Democratic politics—focusing on masculinity, cancel culture, and perceived cultural missteps—while mixing pointed critique with humor. The episode also explores issues of declining birth rates, gender expectations, and virality of “toxic” leftist influencers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Masculinity, Gender Roles, and the Left’s “Disconnect”

• Tim Walz’s Masculinity Debate (05:55–08:00)

  • Clay and Buck react to resurfaced comments from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claiming Republican criticism stems from being “intimidated by his masculinity.”

  • Clay satirizes Walz, arguing Democrats misunderstand what appeals to men and manufacture inauthentic masculine personas for their candidates.

    • Quote – Clay Travis (07:01):
      “Tim Walz is a lesbian woman's idea of a man that will appeal to men. … They end up picking guys like Tim Walz who they think … ‘Oh, see, this is a normal guy’ and he's not a normal guy. Because normal guys don't think that dudes with penises should be in women's locker rooms …”

  • Buck critiques the Democratic Party for making authentic masculinity incompatible with public support for party orthodoxy, especially regarding transgender issues.

    • Quote – Buck Sexton (08:30):
      “If you're going to be somebody who is on board with the Democrat agenda in public, you're going to have to take positions that normal masculine men find preposterous, find demeaning, find abhorrent.”

• Toxic Masculinity & the Erosion of Gender Roles (10:01–15:36)

  • The hosts lament that positive aspects of traditional masculinity are being stigmatized.

    • Buck recalls a Bill Maher appearance where he challenged the left’s view:
      • Quote – Buck Sexton (10:01):
        “You can't say masculinity is courage because then feminists and left wingers go, ‘Well, what about courageous women?’ … So nothing is allowed to be specifically masculine that is good. Normal guys see that. They think that's absurd.”

  • Clay ties these cultural trends to declining birthrates and societal instability, warning that chasing “career at the expense of having children” leads to regret.

    • Quote – Clay Travis (14:12):
      “It's actually good to get married in your 20s if you're a girl. It's actually good to have children in your twenties if you are female. … But this idea men are going to get married at 32 or 33 or 45 or 50 or whatever it is. … You don't know, I thought I was just being super nice.”

  • The hosts defend traditional gender roles as “a very good thing,” with Buck offering a domestic anecdote illustrating natural differences.

    • Quote – Buck Sexton (14:58):
      “At nighttime duty, speed calls out for mama... If something goes crash, bang... dad grabs his Glock 19 and goes to check it out.”

2. Viral Critique: Jennifer Welch’s Attack on Erica Kirk

• Set-Up (25:41):

  • Clay brings up a string of recent, highly vitriolic attacks—especially one by left-wing podcaster Jennifer Welch—leveled against Erica Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated 90 days prior.
  • Notably, Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, called out the attacks as “gross and dehumanizing”—an unusual bipartisan defense.

• Welch’s Diatribe (audio clip at 25:42):

  • Welch accuses Erica Kirk of being a “grifter” and makes broader attacks on her character, faith, and late husband:
    • Quote – Jennifer Welch (25:42):
      “She is a grifter. And just look at the costume changes, look at the affect... This woman should be kicked to the curb, she is an absolute grifter, just like Donald Trump and just like her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was.”

• Clay and Buck’s Analysis (26:37–30:06)

  • Buck: Welch represents “modern Democrat Party leftism, like built in a laboratory … the ultimate Democrat Female in 2025, going into 2026.”

    • Quote – Buck Sexton (26:37):
      “This absolutely nasty, ignorant, heinous woman is really the perfect Democrat. Yes, she's actually the distillation. She is purity.”

  • Clay calls Welch’s logic “the opposite of grifting,” arguing Erica Kirk’s advocacy is selfless, not opportunistic:

    • Quote – Clay Travis (28:00):
      “Advocating on behalf of your spouse who can no longer advocate for himself is one of the great aspects of marriage... Erica Kirk, to me, is trying to ... ensure that her husband did not die in vain...”

  • Both denounce the left-wing ecosystem that amplifies such attacks and question why more on the right resist strongly.

3. The Rise of Toxic and Superficial Online Influencers

• Buck and Clay comment on the virality and superficiality of new “top of the charts” left-leaning female influencers and some non-political creators—suggesting a degradation in quality, intelligence, and moral fiber of online discourse.

  • Buck Sexton (31:10):
    “This woman has sold millions of books. She knows nothing. She knows nothing. I do not understand. She's a huge, huge podcast … this whole like ‘let them’ theory, this is like… this is brain damage. This is idiocy.”

• They note a disturbing “preachy” echo chamber mainly targeting and influencing left-wing women.

4. Defending Widows and Legacies—What Would You Do?

• Buck expresses shock that even people close to Charlie Kirk are not vocally defending his widow against these attacks:

  • Buck Sexton (35:13):
    “Your buddy got taken out and there's lunacy all over the place. And this woman is going after Charlie's widow. And you're not going to… take that up? You're not going to say anything?”

• Clay adds that the scale of hatred and gloating over Kirk’s death (and now targeting his widow) among some left-wing circles shocks him, stressing that reciprocity on the right would be unthinkable.

5. Lighter Interludes & Listener Engagement

• Banter about Christmas music, Christmas gifts, and masculinity as reflected in preferences for handguns and holiday rituals.

  • Clay Travis (43:08):
    “Tell my wife all the time, living with me every day is a gift. Why would I need to give you an additional one?”

• Their signature jocular tone and direct rapport with listeners, including reading emails and playing listener messages, maintain a conversational and accessible atmosphere.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Paraphrase | |-----------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:01 | Clay Travis | “Tim Walz is a lesbian woman's idea of a man that will appeal to men…” | | 08:30 | Buck Sexton | “If you’re going to be somebody who is on board with the Democrat agenda….” | | 10:01 | Buck Sexton | “You can’t say masculinity is courage, because then feminists…” | | 14:12 | Clay Travis | “It's actually good to get married in your 20s if you're a girl…” | | 14:58 | Buck Sexton | “At nighttime duty, speed calls out for mama… dad grabs his Glock 19…” | | 25:42 | Jennifer Welch | “She is a grifter… this woman should be kicked to the curb…” | | 26:37 | Buck Sexton | “This absolutely nasty, ignorant, heinous woman is really the perfect Democrat.”| | 28:00 | Clay Travis | “Advocating on behalf of your spouse… is one of the great aspects of marriage...”| | 31:10 | Buck Sexton | “This woman has sold millions of books. She knows nothing. She knows nothing…”| | 35:13 | Buck Sexton | “Your buddy got taken out and there's lunacy… And you're not going to take that up?”| | 43:08 | Clay Travis | “Tell my wife all the time, living with me every day is a gift…” |

Memorable Moments

• Mockery of Tim Walz’s “performative masculinity” and the Democrats’ inability to connect with “normal dudes.”
• Sharp counterattack on Jennifer Welch’s smear of Erica Kirk, reinforcing the line between robust advocacy and what they see as slanderous, opportunistic activism.
• Playful, irreverent banter about gender roles in the home, holiday customs, and interactions with listeners—softening the heavy political topics with their familiar wit.

Conclusion

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dissect what they see as the American left’s drift into “toxic” cultural politics—from confused gender roles and contrived masculinity to the rise of abrasive, agenda-driven influencers like Jennifer Welch. The show’s spine is a defense of traditional gender norms, family structure, and honoring the legacies of those who are lost—contrasting what they view as self-serving activism from the opposing side. The tone is punchy, partisan, and sprinkled with humor, offering regulars a sense of camaraderie and those new to the show a comprehensive window into their brand of cultural critique.