TCB Infomercial w. Poppy Liu

Summary

The Commercial Break — TCB Infomercial with Poppy Liu

Episode Summary
Podcast: The Commercial Break
Episode: TCB Infomercial w. Poppy Liu
Release Date: December 26, 2024
Hosts: Bryan Green, Krissy Hoadley
Guest: Poppy Liu (Hacks, No Good Deed, Dead Ringers, iCarly, and more)

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Overview

This episode of The Commercial Break features the charismatic and hilarious Poppy Liu, known for scene-stealing roles in "Hacks", Netflix’s "No Good Deed", "Dead Ringers", and more. Hosts Bryan and Krissy dive into a lively, meandering conversation with Poppy, riffing on everything from life skills and post-apocalypse readiness to guilty pleasure TikToks, showbiz, and—yes—pimple popping. True to TCB’s improv-comedy roots, the episode flows with unpolished, self-aware banter that blends pop culture, personal anecdotes, and offbeat humor, making for a joyously unpredictable listen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcome and Vibes Check

• Post-holiday mood: Bryan jokes about recording on Christmas and powering through seasonal blues. (00:11)
• Poppy’s local proximity: Amused discovery that Poppy is recording just miles from the Atlanta studio.

  Poppy: “I can basically see into your window… I’m basically outside your studio.” (02:09)

2. "Trad Wife" Aesthetics & Parenting Realness

• Poppy self-deprecates about her appearance:

  "I look like a full trad wife right now… like I’m gonna sell you a toaster oven…" — Poppy (02:24)

• Confessions of non-domesticity: Poppy and Bryan admit their lack of cooking skills, relying on others (Poppy’s nanny, Des) for survival.

  "I thought after I had my child I would like learn how to cook… It just doesn’t happen." — Poppy (03:01)

3. Apocalypse Bunker Skills & Vibes Societies

• What would you bring to the end of the world?

  "I think most honestly the thing that I bring is vibes. I really think I can bring some solid vibes." — Poppy (04:22)

• Discussion: who does what in the bunker?
  • Chrissy: the cook
  • Poppy: the vibe curator (but not until noon)
  • Bryan: tries to be the optimist (06:10)
• Humorous bunker drama: Only room for one “vibe person” in the apocalypse, otherwise “the vibe gets bad and we both get kicked out.” (17:52)

4. Doomscrolling & Mental Health Rituals

• Anxiety routines:

  "I do a really good pre-bed routine in which I doom scroll for at least an hour and then have incredibly bad anxiety dreams." — Poppy (09:07)

• Therapist advice: Schedule worry-free hours; meditation, TikTok “black holes,” and self-care strategies are discussed.
• What’s on their For You Pages?
  • "North Sea TikTok" — Poppy’s feed is full of dangerous ocean videos (11:12)
  • Bryan: Urban climber and perilous ocean TikToks
  • Chrissy: Just cooking TikToks, to everyone’s envy (14:43)

5. Guilty Pleasures: Pimple Popping and Hoof Cleaning

• Poppy and Chrissy bond over their love of gross-yet-satisfying TikToks:

  "Now it's all about ingrown hairs… It's so satisfying to release it.” — Poppy (18:43)

  • Bryan recoils, feels outnumbered.
• Discussion about TLC’s Dr. Pimple Popper:

  "I hate it too. I actually think it’s disgusting, but I love the Doctor…” — An unnamed TLC producer (as relayed by Bryan) (20:58)

• Bryan jokes all women in his life are "pimple popping" people; Poppy says that's on him.

6. Why No One (Here) Wants to Go to Space

• Poppy emphatically declines space travel:

  "Hell no. I don’t like being spun around...I basically sleep plugged into the wall in a heated vest.” — Poppy (22:53)

• The hosts fantasize about a cruise-ship style space travel, but for now agree Earth-lounging is preferred.

  "All the cool stuff… you could also do on Earth. So you’re just up there with vertigo, potentially doing the same stuff." — Poppy (24:43)

7. Hot Takes on Streaming & Modern TV

• Flabbergasted by how much content is produced:

  "Disney… will spend $25 billion on content in 2025. Netflix…$17 billion.” — Bryan (28:30)

• Poppy describes the streaming “arms race” and how viewers can’t keep up; hosts lament about never finishing shows.

  "There's so much stuff. I remember books. They exist too." — Poppy (30:45)

8. Chickens, Silky Chicks, and Bunker Provisions

• Poppy’s real, charming apocalypse skill:
  • She owns chickens (soon, silky chickens too!) and will provide eggs in the bunker.

  "Silkies are like me...our contribution is mainly vibes." — Poppy (34:18)

• The new race will begin! (A running bunker joke.)

9. Career Highlights and Fandom

• Bryan gushes over Poppy’s resume, from Better Call Saul to iCarly and Narcos fandom is confessed.
• Poppy shares her amazement at the sheer number of new shows and gratitude for the opportunities (and glam budgets!).
• Details on upcoming projects:
  • No Good Deed on Netflix (out Dec 12)
  • Hacks season 4 shooting
  • Space Cadet

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Memorable Quotes

• On parental skills:

  "I thought after I had my child I would learn how to cook… It just doesn’t happen."
  — Poppy Liu (03:01)

• On bunker life:

  “Most honestly, the thing that I bring is vibes. I really think I can bring some solid vibes.”
  — Poppy Liu (04:22)

• On doomscrolling:

  “I do a really good pre-bed routine in which I doom scroll for at least an hour and then have incredibly bad anxiety dreams.”
  — Poppy Liu (09:07)

• On the streaming arms race:

  “There's so much stuff. I remember books. They exist too.”
  — Poppy Liu (30:45)

• On chickens and life skills:

  “Silkies are like me…our contribution is mainly vibes.”
  — Poppy Liu (34:18)

• On pimple popping content:

  "I love when the hair is—there’s a lot of hair in there. Sometimes it gets really twisted."
  — Poppy Liu (19:07)

• On ‘inviting’ Bryan to the bunker:

  “We can't have two vibe people. One vibe person is enough.”
  — Poppy Liu (17:52)

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Intro and Poppy’s "Trad Wife" Aesthetic — (01:43–03:02)
• Bunker Skills, Nannies, and Apocalypse Planning — (03:18–04:56)
• Doomscrolling, Anxiety, and TikTok Habits — (09:07–14:33)
• TikTok: Hoof Guy, North Sea, and Urban Climbers — (10:57–13:04)
• Gross Relaxation: Pimple Popping Talk — (17:13–21:27)
• Space Travel? Hard Pass — (22:22–24:57)
• The Streaming Content Explosion — (28:00–31:47)
• Poppy’s Chickens and Bunker Eggs — (32:01–34:10)
• Show Plugs, Goodbye, and Afterglow — (35:12–36:59)

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Tone & Style Notes

• Playful, irreverent, self-deprecating, and unfiltered—very much in "Cheesecake Factory of podcasts" vein.
• Conversation bounces between deep thoughts (mental health, societal overload) and gleefully weird/lurid internet obsessions.
• Banter and long-running in-jokes between hosts and guest add to a feeling of “you’re just hanging with friends after midnight.”

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For New Listeners

If you haven’t heard the episode, expect a lighthearted, zany, and authentic group chat with pop culture riffs, apocalypse joking, unconventional life skills, and some seriously specific TikTok rabbit holes (from dangerous ocean videos to silky chickens and the art of ingrown hair removal). Poppy Liu brings quick wit and warm, offbeat energy; the hosts keep the laughs and left-field questions coming. Perfect for a post-holiday pick-me-up.

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Where to Find More

• Poppy Liu: @poppyrepublic
• No Good Deed: Netflix
• Hacks: HBO, Season 4 in production
• The Commercial Break Podcast: tcbpodcast.com

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Brian]

Foreign.

[Host/Announcer]

Oh yeah. Cats and kittens. Welcome back to yet a regular episode of the commercial break. I'm missing my co host because I believe she will never return after the 26 days of TCB. But in the low light of the post Christmas glow, we must fully forge on, my friends. We must forge on. You didn't ask for it, but I don't care. Gonna put out an episode on this Thursday anyway. And while I sit here recording on actual Christmas day, I know tomorrow I will be full ablaze in the post holiday depression that's sure to overtake us all. So while the ladies take some well deserved time off, I'm going to try and cheer you up with a few interviews we recorded but haven't gotten to because for some incredibly dumb reason, I decided to put out 25 episod the month of December. But just a few weeks back, before all of the high drama around 12 days of TCB, Chrissy and I did get an opportunity to sit with the lovely Poppy Liu. Poppy is stealing scenes in hacks. She's currently on The Netflix top 10 series no Good deed. She starred in Dead Ringers, the afterparty Space Cadet and Mercy Mistress. She's a Peabody award winner. She's known for her sitcoms like Sunnyside Hacks and and icarly. And she's always making things interesting on her Instagram opyrepublic. I'll put it all in the show notes, but let's not dwaddle today. Let's get right to it. I know you've got batteries to buy and things to return, so we'll make this quick and easy and hopefully put a smile on your face as we talk to Poppy.

[Brian]

The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Poppy is here with us now. Thank you, Poppy, for joining us.

[Poppy Liu]

We really appreciate it. Hi, thanks for having me.

[Brian]

We're so glad that you're here. And just as we were coming on to record, we learned that Poppy is just a few short miles away from us here in the Atlanta studio. Had we known this, we would have brought you in because you just look lovely today.

[Poppy Liu]

I can basically see into your window.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

I'm basically. I'm outside your studio.

[Brian]

Yeah. Listen, you would have come on here and you would have outshone the entirety of this studio because you love.

[Poppy Liu]

That's very nice, Poppy.

[Brian]

You really.

[Poppy Liu]

Thank you. Well, I do feel like I should let your listeners know that I look like a full trad wife right now, just so you have a visual behind this voice is a trad wife. Yeah, I Look like I'm gonna sell you a toaster oven or like I.

[Brian]

Would buy it a toaster oven or you're gonna pack me up deviled eggs when I come home in my three piece suit for my job at the ad agency.

[Poppy Liu]

100%. Or are we both models and we're both coming from our joint modeling jobs?

[Brian]

Cough, cough.

[Poppy Liu]

Nara Smith. Lucky Bl. I'm really like, I know that I'm really deep in that lore.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

I say this as someone who like doesn't have any trad skills. I can't. I really can't cook. I have a child too. And I thought after I had my child I would like learn how to cook. Like some maternal instinct for cooking would kick in and it just doesn't happen.

[Brian]

How old is your child? I mean, I read that you had a baby. Almost two. Congratulations.

[Poppy Liu]

Thank you so much. Love of my life.

[Brian]

Yeah, of course, I have a number of them also. We joke that I. 12 to 13.

[Poppy Liu]

We don't know how many. Yeah, we don't know how many and.

[Brian]

Either do the listeners. But at two years old, you know, I thought also, for some reason I thought I would also gain some cooking skills once I had kids. I'm like, well, now I really have to learn how to cook something besides, you know, microwave pizza, milk and cereal. But I have, I have learned nothing. In the many years that I've now had children, I've learned nothing. I can't do it.

[Poppy Liu]

I am, I don't have the, the je ne sais quoi for, you know, like, I feel like you just need. Some people don't have it and I really don't.

[Chrissy]

And that's okay. You've got other.

[Brian]

You've got other skills. So who does the cooking? How do you. How does the child get fed? Exactly.

[Poppy Liu]

Amazing question.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

I do have an. I do have an amazing nanny and she feeds both my child and me.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

So thank you. Thank you to Des. We love Des.

[Brian]

Wait.

[Poppy Liu]

Actually, that's funny though. Me and my friends were just talking about like what all of our skills would be in the apocalypse, like what we would contribute to the commune. And like I have, I really spent a long time trying to think what my contribution is and really, really struggled. I. I think most honestly the thing that I bring is vibes. I really think I can bring some solid vibes. And also I was like, I guess I could start a thespian society.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Producer/Announcer]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

Which the apocalypse needs.

[Chrissy]

Yes, for sure. And laughter.

[Poppy Liu]

I think I do love a hehe and a Haha.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Brian]

You know what? This is a great question. So you're stuck in a bunker. The apocalypse has happened. It's you and like 50 other folks, right? 50.

[Poppy Liu]

Too many.

[Brian]

Too many. Okay.

[Poppy Liu]

Too many.

[Brian]

Okay. It's you and 10 other folks, right?

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah.

[Chrissy]

Okay.

[Brian]

It's you and 10 of your best friends, your nanny, right? And you're all in there and everybody's going to need Elaine. You're going to need a lane, and somebody's going to have to be cooking. Someone's going to need to be MacGyver and fix shit and turn on the electricity and all that. Someone going to be, you know, the quiet, introspective one who's thinking of a way to get us out of here.

[Chrissy]

Positive.

[Host/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brian]

And then you're definitely going to need a vibe human, like a vibe chick.

[Host/Announcer]

Or a vibe guy who's going to.

[Brian]

Wake up every morning and give us. Give our mind, tickle the insides of our brains, so to speak. Positivity. That is just as important as maybe not cooking, but it's just as important as the MacGyver guy, I'm sure.

[Poppy Liu]

I would say right below cooking. And like electrician is the vibe guy.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Which is me. But I. Interesting to say first thing in the morning. My vibe guy would probably come in around noon to start the vibes. So the people that wake up in the morning, you don't get the vibes until a couple hours later.

[Chrissy]

I'm with you on that.

[Brian]

Are you I need my cup of coffee before anybody talks to me kind of person. Do you drink caffeine?

[Poppy Liu]

Definitely. I'm like, I need my coffee and I need my Vyvanse before I talk to anyone.

[Brian]

Yeah, Vyvanse. Yeah. I don't think I've heard that shit is great. I've got friends who just, like, they swear by it. They're like, just take a half of Vyvanse in the morning and you'll be twice as effective as you already are. And I'm like, do you see how fast I speak? I don't need to go any faster.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes. Well, the thing with Vyvans is it can. You can accidentally use it for the wrong things. So, like, I have sort of my productivity window after I take it. And like, on a good day, I can really get all my shit done during that window. On a bad day, I really waste my Vyvanse productivity on like a super animated conversation. And then I'm like, oh, God, now. Now it's, wait, what would both of your skills be? What would your Contribution be to the bunker.

[Chrissy]

I actually love to cook.

[Brian]

So, Chrissy, you are a good cook.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Brian]

That is, you are a good cook.

[Poppy Liu]

But I. I would like to recruit you.

[Chrissy]

Okay. Yeah, I love it.

[Brian]

I have a poppy bunker.

[Chrissy]

I have a full test kitchen. I test out new recipes. Some work, some don't. But, yeah, I love it.

[Poppy Liu]

I will eat them.

[Brian]

I think Chrissy would definitely be the chef of the. If I had to pick a friend that I would bring along with me to the bunker, I'd bring Chris. I mean, obviously I'd bring Chrissy. You know, we've been friends forever and now, you know, 8,000 episodes.

[Chrissy]

We would be in the bunker together.

[Brian]

Yeah, we'd be in the bunker together, driving each other crazy.

[Host/Announcer]

But.

[Brian]

Oh, no.

[Poppy Liu]

But you would also do the bunker podcast with every bunker niece.

[Brian]

Yes. I'm like you. I think that on. If you catch me in the right moment at some point during the day, I can be the vibe guy. I also think I always see things. I always see the cup half full. Even when I'm in a bad mood, there's some kind of light. I can see. There's something I can see. That's right.

[Chrissy]

Yeah, we need that. We would need that.

[Brian]

And I like to pull it out. Like, I've been spending the week trying to pull Chrissy out of a terrible depression. I've been spending the week trying to pull America out of a terrible depression. I wonder.

[Poppy Liu]

I wonder, in a terrible depression, Christy, was there something really apocalyptically terrible that happened?

[Chrissy]

Yeah, I mean, now that you mention it, I can think of something.

[Brian]

Okay, ready? So here it is. We have a conversation yesterday with, like, a noted pundit commentarian about current events, like, someone you would know. And I'm not only not saying his name because I don't want people to get messed up when they hear the order of the which these are. These are put out. So he has showbiz baby. Yeah, showbiz baby. He has this conversation with us, and it makes us both feel so much better. He's like, democracy holds. Don't worry about it. It'll be tested, but it'll hold. We'll figure it out. And so we get off and we're like, that's fantastic. We feel great. And the second we open our fucking phones, it's like, oh. Oh, no, it's not gonna hold. It's not holding. It's not holding. It's terrible.

[Poppy Liu]

I do a really good pre bed routine in which I doom scroll for at least an hour and then. And then have incredibly bad Anxiety, dreams. And that's just a little bit of my evening routine that I love to do.

[Brian]

Oh, my God, Poppy.

[Poppy Liu]

You know it's called sleep hygiene.

[Brian]

Yeah. Cleaning out the good vibes, bringing in the negative ones.

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brian]

My therapist said to me, she said, and this. And she says it to me actually a lot. But the first time she said it, I wasn't convinced. But now, like the 30th time I've heard it, I'm getting more convinced. She says there needs to be at least two hours of your day when you give yourself a break from all the worrying. She's like, so just tell yourself this is a worry free hour of the day and just go, you know, zone out or do whatever. Now. It doesn't work all the time, and it certainly hasn't worked in the last week.

[Poppy Liu]

Do you do that?

[Brian]

Meditation? What does one do meditation? Kundalini. Yoga With Kundalini, Totally.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay, question. Does then, does TikTok black hole count?

[Brian]

Yes, of course. It's a. It's a way of zoning out.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay, good.

[Brian]

But my algorithm is on fleek because I don't really like. My algorithm is not necessarily political, but because of the topics we have on the commercial break, I tend to scroll into deep, weird areas of the world, right? So I see a guy who's like. Let's just say he's talking to. I don't know, he's talking to Emily Radajowski about their marriage. And he has two views and one follower, but he's having a. He's telling Emily through the screen how he's gonna cook and clean before she gets home. Right? And I'm like, that is amazing. This is a national treasure.

[Poppy Liu]

I actually want to know this about everyone is when you. When you, like, scroll on TikTok for long enough, what is the specific niche that starts showing up on your for you page? Because for me, It's North Sea TikTok.

[Brian]

North Sea TikTok. Oh, go ahead.

[Poppy Liu]

Like about just. It's the most dangerous sea.

[Brian]

I also have a lot of dangerous sea shit show up. I am fascinated by it.

[Poppy Liu]

Wait, it's all of us?

[Host/Announcer]

Because I'm scared shitless of it.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Are you. What's your for you page?

[Brian]

I'm sorry. Yeah. So I. I have on my personal Instagram and on TikTok, I have a lot of dangerous ocean, like, dangerous ocean conditions. People who put out those videos where they show.

[Poppy Liu]

I get so much of that. And I love it.

[Brian]

I know, like, cruise ships tilting sideways and people sliding down the Banister.

[Poppy Liu]

It's always. It's always that sound of those baritone singers that are like your.

[Brian]

Slowly at the bottom of the sea.

[Poppy Liu]

I get really like, like intellectually aroused by it.

[Brian]

Yeah, it's. There's something that does. It's. It's definitely a form of doom scrolling. But I know. You know what, the other thing. But I know that I'm. I'm not going that. Like, I'm not in that.

[Poppy Liu]

You're not gonna go to the North Sea?

[Brian]

Yeah. No. The first time I flew to Switzerland, for some reason we flew over the North Sea and it was a terribly like choppy day. And all I remember seeing like through the airplane window were these waves that to me looked 100ft high. It was crazy. Yes, I know. And I thought to myself, thank God no one that I know is. Is doing that. The other thing I tend to end up on is guys and girls that are climbing those construction cranes.

[Chrissy]

Oh God.

[Brian]

With not. Not a chain on them. Like just, you know, these like urban.

[Poppy Liu]

Climbers that has never appeared on my page.

[Brian]

That's a near fear unlocked. Poppy, go watch.

[Poppy Liu]

What are they called? Urban climbers.

[Brian]

Urban climbers.

[Chrissy]

Like scaling the size.

[Brian]

Scaling the sides of buildings or they go to construction sites and you know that like you spent time. You were. You lived in Shanghai, right?

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Okay. So in Shanghai they have. It's a terribly crowded city, I imagine, with lots of buildings or so I see. And there's always one under construction.

[Poppy Liu]

I know the building that everyone likes to climb in Shanghai. It literally. But they built it in such a way that like you want to climb it.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Like it's basically like ladder sized. Like like footholds the entire length of the building. They basically. I hate to say it, but that building was kind of asking for it.

[Chrissy]

Yeah. Sounds.

[Poppy Liu]

I would never say that phrase in any other context. Or that building. It's saying climb, try to climb me. Get to the top.

[Brian]

That building is the apple and the climbers are the Eve. It's just good. They gotta take a bite out of it.

[Poppy Liu]

Literally.

[Brian]

I. And I am terrified of heights. Terrified of heights. So for me, watching those videos gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I'm getting over my fear by watching someone on a five minute screen do what I would never.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes.

[Brian]

My hands get sweaty, my heart starts.

[Poppy Liu]

To race and you know, that's really brave of you.

[Brian]

Thank you, Poppy.

[Chrissy]

Facing your fears, Brian.

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah. Thank you for being vulnerable one TikTok at a time.

[Brian]

You know, this show is largely about me being vulnerable to the rest.

[Poppy Liu]

Wait, Chrissy. Are you on TikTok? Do you doom scroll?

[Chrissy]

I do not get on TikTok and deemed skull. I look at cooking things on TikTok and that's it.

[Poppy Liu]

And then I you're better than us.

[Chrissy]

I close out. Yeah, I close it off. Yeah, I try. I protect my emotions.

[Brian]

Yeah, I'll come in all charged up about something, you know, whatever the news of the day is because I've been doom scrolling for days in a row because it's what we do here. So I just feel it's part of my job to kind of look.

[Producer/Announcer]

Well, thank the baby Jesus. Brian took a breath. And now I will use this opportunity to let you know that we've got a brand new phone number. That's right, it's 212433. And you can text us anytime you want or you can call and leave us a voicemail and we might just use your message on the show once Brian gets through all the messages he missed last year, of course. Anyway, you can also find and DM us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok, CBpodcast and of course all of our audio and video is easily found on tcbpodcast.com now I'm going to thank G one more time that we have sponsors. So thank G. And here they are.

[Brian]

A lot of times Chrissy is like, I'm so jealous of how blissfully unaware she is. I'm like, did you hear about Chicken Fry and Zach Brian? And she's like, wait, what about Chicken Fry?

[Poppy Liu]

Zach Brian?

[Brian]

Do you know about Chicken Fry and Zach Brian?

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Do you know about this whole situation?

[Poppy Liu]

I don't know why I know the song.

[Brian]

No, you're thinking just like we did.

[Chrissy]

We did too.

[Brian]

Exactly. Brown sang the song Chicken Fried.

[Chrissy]

I like my Chicken Fried.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes, yes.

[Brian]

Zach Brown. Zach Bryan is a different guy who I continue to mess up with. Zach Brown. And he dated this girl, Chicken Fry. I'm not gonna get into the whole story. You can read about it. I'll, I'll, I will on Instagram send you an article. See, she didn't know about it either. That's right. But maybe.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay, Chrissy doesn't know about it because she has good. Has a good relationship with technology. It's a healthy relationship. I don't know about it because my TikTok becomes Nate the hoof guy instead of that. And then I watch this man like clean and shave horse and cow hooves for hours. And do you know about Nate the hoof guy? I love him.

[Brian]

I do know about Nate the hoof guy. I am constantly.

[Chrissy]

I could watch that.

[Brian]

You could watch that?

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah, I could watch that. Wait, do you like pimple popping TikTok? I love it.

[Chrissy]

I do. But I don't like to watch it.

[Brian]

At a conference, though.

[Host/Announcer]

I met the girl.

[Chrissy]

But I do.

[Brian]

I don't want to know you two. You're no longer invited to my bunker.

[Poppy Liu]

Well, I get Chrissy in my bunker, so I win.

[Brian]

Fair enough. No, yeah, that's true. You never invited me to your bunker. So I guess I'm in my own bunker without pimping.

[Poppy Liu]

That's actually true. If you listen back. I never. I only invited Chrissy.

[Chrissy]

That's right.

[Brian]

I'm still feeling hurt. I'm still feeling hurt because you and.

[Poppy Liu]

I both don't have skills. We can't have two vibe people. One vibe person is enough.

[Brian]

I feel like two vibe peoples are just going to try and out vibe each other and then we'll just hate each other. Within months. We'll be.

[Poppy Liu]

And then the vibe gets bad and we both get kicked out. So I'm actually looking out for us. We got to be in separate funkos.

[Brian]

Look at her dressing like a Chad wife trying to get a chance.

[Poppy Liu]

Look at her with a cheeky drag. Yeah, like, who am? Like, what is this Marilyn Monroe beat that I have?

[Chrissy]

That's right.

[Poppy Liu]

I just need everyone to really understand what it is that I look like.

[Chrissy]

So beautiful.

[Poppy Liu]

Talking about pimple popping.

[Brian]

Go to YouTube and check out the video. But she. You look beautiful. I mean, there's no doubt. Showed up looking lovely.

[Poppy Liu]

Wait, can I segue back to one thing about pimple popping talk, which is that now it's all about ingrown hairs.

[Chrissy]

Oh, and ingrown, good ingrown hair.

[Brian]

It's so satisfying.

[Poppy Liu]

Oh, my God. It's so sad to release it. It's so satisfying to release it. And it's always someone being like me picking my boyfriend's ingrown hairs while he plays video games.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Brian]

I have lost all control.

[Chrissy]

And I.

[Poppy Liu]

Just go, oh, God, I wish that was me. I just want to get that on.

[Chrissy]

Get it in there.

[Poppy Liu]

Get it. Follicles all like juicy.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

I love when the hair is. There's a lot of hair in there. Sometimes it gets really twisted in there.

[Chrissy]

And it's a double hair.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes. Sometimes it's really about. Oh, my God. Like, speaking of which, one day on set for the For Boots movie, my makeup artist was like, oh, my God, Poppy, if something in your eye. And I felt it too. It's kind of like, it's like a hair or an eyelash or something. She pulls it, it comes out like five inches. Long hair.

[Chrissy]

Long, yes.

[Host/Announcer]

How does that happen?

[Poppy Liu]

How long it's been in my eye for? It must have been. And then it got me thinking. Think about, like, your eye literally is outside, inside.

[Brian]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

So I was like, what stuff has gone to the inside that never came out, came back because I feel like that hair was in there for a while.

[Chrissy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brian]

I guess because your eye is constantly washing itself, it probably like a little bit of it got stuck and then it just started sucking it in while you were sleeping.

[Poppy Liu]

Oh, it's in the brain. It's in the brain, yeah. Something I want to leave you with.

[Brian]

You know, I was at a conference one time and I met a girl, a young lady who worked for the TLC network for Discovery, hbo, Max, whatever the they're calling it these days. And what is it called? I don't want to talk because you might actually have a future with the company. Streamer, where I will never. But so I met her and we were talking. Lovely person. And then I said, so, what are you working on? And she goes, oh, you know the show Pimple Popper? And I was like, I had the same reaction. I just had there. I'm like, Dr. Pimple Popper. Dr. Pimple Popper. There's a show on TLC called Dr. Pimple Popper.

[Chrissy]

Oh, yeah, I know her.

[Brian]

Okay. So I. So I say, it's a disgusting show. I can't believe that's on air. What is anybody thinking? Oh, my God. She's like, I'm the executive producer. I brought it to air. I was like, well, in open mouth, insert foot. I go, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.

[Chrissy]

She goes, other people seem to.

[Brian]

This is what she said. And I'm not going to name her name and there's a couple executive producers, but she goes, I hate it too. She goes, I actually think it's disgusting, but I love the Doctor. She's a great personality. And that's why we put it on there, is because we knew personality was going to sell the show.

[Poppy Liu]

Personality.

[Brian]

Yeah, she does. I've seen a few seconds.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay. I will say, I really don't like it when it's too big and it's too juicy.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

No, like when it's really pus filled, I don't like it. Brian's, like, about to puke.

[Brian]

I know. I really am.

[Poppy Liu]

Your bulk is really switched tight right now. But I don't like, I don't like that. No, I, you know, I do have standards.

[Chrissy]

Yes, that's right.

[Brian]

You know, I think every woman that I've ever had a relationship with is into this and I'm wondering if it's like, I don't know, maybe it's just the kind of people I attract into my life are pimple popping kind of people.

[Poppy Liu]

100%. So it's actually, I think you should. Yes, I think you should reflect on yourself, Brian. It sounds like this is actually a you thing. Well, listen, you're the one attracting them in. So what's going on with you?

[Brian]

I do know something about myself. I'm the problem that I'm convinced of. No matter what the relationship is, I'm the problem. As a matter of fact, that's what I said to my wife when I asked her to marry me. I said, just, I'm just gonna let you know, I'm the problem.

[Poppy Liu]

I am the problem.

[Brian]

I'm the problem.

[Poppy Liu]

Correct. And I.

[Brian]

Do I have to tell you this. I gotta talk to you about one thing you said in an interview. And I don't know where I saw this, but a couple days ago I saw that and you shared that you would not want to go to space. You would never go to space. It's not a thing that you're.

[Poppy Liu]

Hell no.

[Brian]

I am so with you. You are on my team, invited to my bunker. If you choose to leave Chrissy's bunker and come over to my bunker, you're welcome to come to my bunker. Because one way we will not get out of the bunker is being ejected into space.

[Poppy Liu]

That's right.

[Brian]

I have no interest in this.

[Poppy Liu]

No, I don't like being spun around. I have a very specific contact lens that I need to wear. Otherwise I'm blind.

[Brian]

Okay.

[Poppy Liu]

I have a minimum five step skincare routine.

[Chrissy]

Oh yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

I basically sleep plugged into the wall in like a heated vest. Vest that I wear.

[Brian]

Oh, you wear a waist blanket with hot. With heat.

[Poppy Liu]

It's not a weight one, but it's like, it's like a heated. It kind of like buckles up here and there's like a strap around the waist and it's all along your back and your neck and it heats up.

[Chrissy]

And I sleep cozy.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes, Cozy thingy. So I have so many little thingies that I really like.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

That I don't think I could do in space. I don't think I would even make it out there. Because. Because the like dizziness getting. I would think I would just like, my body would just be like, now.

[Brian]

We'Re talking about this the other day. We're like. It just seems terribly boring. Like, the space travel available to regular human beings that are not trained astronauts right now, and even the ones that are trained seems terribly boring and awful, technical and not interesting. Like, you go up, you come down. It's very minimalist. There's nothing there to entertain you or make you. They don't even have a couch you can sit on. It's not even a couch.

[Poppy Liu]

Like, you're strapped to the walls because of the gravity stuff.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

And, like, I get it. Amazing views, but just go to a fucking IMAX theater, right?

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Chrissy]

Planetarium.

[Host/Announcer]

I am with you.

[Brian]

When I think of space travel, if. If and when. When I think of space travel, like Chrissy and I were talking about, I think of, like, a big ship, like a cruise ship, like, oh, icon of the seas out in space, where I can go to, you know, three different coffee shops and 12 different bars and. And then I can go, you know, on a wave pool if I choose to. That's the kind of space travel I'm looking forward to.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Brian]

And when that happens, probably not in my lifetime, when that happens. Happens, I might. Might consider it. But space scares the out of me.

[Poppy Liu]

All of the cool stuff that you just named, you could also do on Earth. So, like, you're just up there with, like, Vertigo, potentially doing the same stuff, doing your favorite Earth things, but, like, with Vertigo.

[Brian]

Yeah, that's true.

[Poppy Liu]

Like, RSVP No.

[Brian]

For sure. Hey, you. You have been in some. Some iconic television shows, but I do have to say, well, you took a wonderful.

[Poppy Liu]

Name them all.

[Brian]

Now, alphabetical order, better call Saul. ICarly. You want me to go on? And I'm not looking at any notes, actually.

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah, you actually came in real strong.

[Brian]

Oh, thank you.

[Poppy Liu]

Better Call Saul. It's kind of a deep cut, too.

[Brian]

What's that?

[Poppy Liu]

A Better Call Saul is kind of a deep cut.

[Brian]

I watched every episode three times, and yours I watched four. I just. I had to wait.

[Poppy Liu]

You watched all of Better Call Saul from start to finish. Three times?

[Brian]

Twice, yeah.

[Chrissy]

Wow.

[Brian]

I loved the Breaking Bad Better Call Saul saga. I just really did. And in some ways, I thought Better Call Saul was just a little bit better than Breaking Bad. No, no. Knock on Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. They did a great job. But there is something about better. There's something about the storyline in Better Call Saul that I felt was just a little bit more juicy and tangible and interesting. The love story between Saul and And what was her name?

[Host/Announcer]

Re.

[Brian]

We love.

[Poppy Liu]

Yeah, we love drug stuff. Drug stuff is always.

[Chrissy]

Oh, yeah. Always interesting. Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Better call. Sal to you is like narcos to me.

[Brian]

I love narcos.

[Poppy Liu]

I love narcos.

[Brian]

I know my wife and I love narcos. It's so she's from Venezuela, so sometimes so. And we speak Spanish and understand it. So we will like it's. Narcos is a fantastic show.

[Chrissy]

I know.

[Brian]

I want more. So do you watch all of the narcos like or just the ones I've.

[Poppy Liu]

Watched all of them.

[Brian]

Yes, you watch all of them. Just an incredible show.

[Poppy Liu]

Incredible. A deep dive. Like I felt like parasocial relationship with like Pablo Escobar.

[Brian]

Pablo's incredible. Mary, there's something to be said. Listen, I think it was Pablo who said, I am just a vessel for getting people what they want. Me and Pablo. Me and Esco. Me and Pablo Esco. He said that he was. If there was no. If there was no Americans, then Pablo Escobar wouldn't exist in the form that he. When he was the padre. Right. And the truth is that he was just a really good entrepreneur who had great organizational skills that included an HR department that would fire at people's heads with a shotgun if you didn't do the things.

[Chrissy]

Murderous tendencies and murderous tendencies.

[Poppy Liu]

Murderous tendencies.

[Brian]

All billionaires have murderous tendencies.

[Poppy Liu]

Tendencies physically. Can't become a billionaire without murdering. Murder.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Murdering people. It's not possible.

[Chrissy]

Yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

And I like. Okay. I heard someone just really put it into perspective and I'm actually gonna really butcher the actual math of it, but you get the idea all the time.

[Host/Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian]

Don't worry.

[Chrissy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay.

[Brian]

Facts don't matter on this podcast.

[Poppy Liu]

But someone was like, a million seconds is like 11 days.

[Brian]

Okay.

[Poppy Liu]

Or 11 minutes.

[Brian]

A million seconds is 11. 11.

[Poppy Liu]

11 minutes is two 11 days. But a billion seconds is like 36 years. Wow. That's a big difference.

[Brian]

It's a huge difference.

[Poppy Liu]

So to become a billionaire, you're fucking up. No one is fucking people up. You have here.

[Chrissy]

You have to. Yeah, you have.

[Brian]

Let me share. Well, I. I just. We just talked about this in the intro to this particular show and you. But which you didn't hear Disney just released that they are going to spend 25 billion dollars on content in 2025. 25 billion dollars on producing content in 2025. Netflix is going to spend 17 billion. Netflix, who you're working for, is going to spend $17 billion on content production. $43 million just between the two streamers. That's an insane amount of money.

[Chrissy]

A million of it is Poppy's glam.

[Brian]

Yeah. A million.

[Poppy Liu]

Just for today. And that's just for today.

[Brian]

That's right.

[Chrissy]

That's wild, Miles.

[Poppy Liu]

Way too much content, that.

[Chrissy]

It's a lot we just shared.

[Poppy Liu]

It's way too much employers.

[Brian]

Yeah. I'm like, meanwhile, she's running around Atlanta doing 14 different movies all by.

[Poppy Liu]

That's true. And I'm like, for what? I'm like, yes, I'm. But this is sending my child to college. But that, like, I. That blows my mind. I actually think this, like, how every week there's like a new sort of like, hot thing that happens. I saw this, like, on TikTok. I saw one of those, like, time lapse graphs of like, starting from the early 90s or maybe even the 80s. What, like the hottest, the most watched shows were every month, okay. From then until now. And it's like, you can see in the 90s, there's like, you know, like Friends really, like, kind of like had a stronghold and it was like the top show for a really long time. And like kind of Grey's Anatomy came up and it was up there and like, you know, like, blah, blah. You saw this. And then as we get into sort of the streaming era, the graph starts going crazy. Every week it's a different thing. It becomes like, yeah, it is like. And you're like, oh, God, we're just. There's just so much stuff to watch.

[Brian]

I have 15 different shows that I'm watching currently, and then I have 20 shows that I still haven't finished, forgot about.

[Chrissy]

Yeah. Or the season, the second season of something comes out and I'm like, oh, yeah. Two years later, I wait, I loved that show. Now what happened? Because I've watched so much stuff in between then I can't remember.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Poppy Liu]

There's so much stuff. I remember books. They exist too. I was supposed to be a plug down.

[Brian]

You know, it's. It. I, I, when I, like 10 years ago, a friend said to me, he said, our children will never watch a commercial if they don't want to. And I thought that was crazy talk. I was like, oh, commercials are what makes the world go around. Advertising. But it's so true. They'll see it in some other format, but this, the streamers have broken the model. They have done, they've disrupted it and now it's just a crazy hodgepodge. It's an embarrassment of riches, quite frankly. There are so many great show. I mean, it's good for Poppy shows because Poppy gets work. Right?

[Poppy Liu]

25 works in.

[Brian]

Yeah. Think.

[Poppy Liu]

Think about showbiz, if you will.

[Chrissy]

Yes.

[Brian]

$43 billion. Poppy. If in 2025, you just make 1/2 of 1/10 of 1% of that of their overall budgets, you are going to be living the high life in the hog. No problem.

[Poppy Liu]

I mean, it probably won't be me. It'll probably be like the Disney exec that's making that, but.

[Brian]

Well, that's true. Well, the Disney exec's making 1% of 40% trickle down.

[Poppy Liu]

Ye be able to, you know, put my kid through school.

[Brian]

I don't think you're going to have a problem. Streak.

[Poppy Liu]

My. My chickens.

[Brian]

Chickens.

[Poppy Liu]

I have chickens. Oh, I have three chickens. But my best friend just told me that for Christmas, he's getting me three more chickens and he's gonna get me. This is actually one of the nicest things, one of the nicest, most thought out presents I've ever gotten. But do you know about silky chicken?

[Brian]

No. Oh, my God.

[Poppy Liu]

Okay. Look them up and then like, maybe, like, add a image of them. If this is gonna also be on YouTube right here. It's okay. Chickens. They're gorgeous. They're little pom poms as chickens.

[Brian]

Oh.

[Poppy Liu]

They're like five different poms put together. They're incredibly hot. And so, like, you can't. Once they become like an adult or even teenager, you basically can't get them.

[Chrissy]

Oh, my God.

[Poppy Liu]

So I know, right?

[Brian]

That's adorable. That's adorable.

[Poppy Liu]

Drive two and a half hours out of LA to go to a silky chicken farm and to get three silky chicks. And it's a bit of a gamble because you can't tell, like, the sex of the chicken until they get a little older. And I don't really want roosters because they're going to impregnate on my hands, and then I'm going to have 1,000 chicks.

[Brian]

You're going to have a million chickens.

[Poppy Liu]

A million. But again, you can't tell. And once they are adult, they're just snapped up. You can't even get them. So they're like. Statistically, if we got three baby chicks, at least one or two of them will be hens.

[Chrissy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Poppy Liu]

And we just have to take the gamble. So I'm getting three silky chickens, one or two or three of which may be a rooster and I might have breed them. Yeah, totally. I have a lot of.

[Brian]

And then give them to your friends. And then definitely when we get to the bunker, we'll have food and company. Oh, my God.

[Poppy Liu]

Wait, that is my contribution. My contribution is eggs.

[Chrissy]

That's right.

[Brian]

You bring, eg. You bring your silky chickens. And they're silky.

[Poppy Liu]

Yes, because I come with chickens. I also come with a toddler, and so that's that. But, you know, the.

[Chrissy]

The new race will begin.

[Brian]

The new race will begin. You.

[Poppy Liu]

You will have the new race chicken. But I'm gonna have. And they all give me. At least they give, like, one egg a day. Oh, I get a lot of egg.

[Brian]

Well, one egg a day.

[Chrissy]

Listen, I can do a lot with it.

[Brian]

I can do a lot with one egg a day.

[Chrissy]

With my cooking skills, I can do it with.

[Brian]

Well, I can't do a lot with it, but I hear people can do a lot with it.

[Poppy Liu]

Chrissy, can you. Christy, who is in my bunker, can't. Silkies don't lay that many eggs. I think they lay like. Like, maybe three a week. And they're really, really small, so they don't contribute that much. But silkies are like me and that. Our contribution is mainly vibes.

[Brian]

That's right.

[Chrissy]

That's right.

[Brian]

And now we can say for sure, having met you, the vibe is on fire. You are.

[Host/Announcer]

Yes.

[Brian]

I love you.

[Poppy Liu]

Invite me to your bunker.

[Chrissy]

I feel like we should just hang out after we finish talking, like we literally should.

[Poppy Liu]

I'm here for, like a month. I'm here for so long. They live here? Yeah.

[Chrissy]

We'll show you around.

[Brian]

Oh, well, welcome to our city. You are just absolutely lovely. I am. Oftentimes we are pleasantly surprised by our conversations with people, but I am very pleasantly surprised by my. Not that I didn't expect you to be anything.

[Chrissy]

And we have the apocalypse worked out.

[Brian]

And we have the apocalypse and boom.

[Poppy Liu]

Sorry, Brian, but it's okay.

[Brian]

Just. Can I be in the bunker next to you?

[Poppy Liu]

So that next door is fun? Next door is good.

[Brian]

So then I can put a cup to the wall and listen to your vibes. We do.

[Poppy Liu]

Our bunker has lights out at 10pm and then doors are closed. They're guests. So you're.

[Brian]

Well, I have 30 children, so yes, my lights out is going to be more like 7pm so don't. Don't worry about it. I'm an old man. No good deed is coming out on Netflix in just a Couple of days. December 12th. Poppy is in that. Are you hacks? What? Can we talk about hacks? How is. Is there another. Are we going for another?

[Poppy Liu]

Season four is. We're.

[Brian]

We're.

[Poppy Liu]

We're filming. Yeah, we filmed for a little bit in Vegas in September, and that was Awesome. I love Vegas.

[Brian]

Vegas is incredible. Vegas is a three day town, but it's incredible. So hacks is upcoming. You've got space cadets that's currently out right now, and all the wonderful stuff that you've been in. Check out. Go watch Better Call Saul for the third time. Brian, check out Poppy in the scenes.

[Poppy Liu]

And then, yeah, find me. I'm in like season season three, episode six or something. Don't put me on that. Yeah, so you gotta. You gotta get in there.

[Brian]

You really have to dig into Better Call Saul, but it'll be well worth the wait. And then, Poppy, I'm gonna send you some. I'm gonna. I'll Instagram you some urban climbers that you can get your hands sweaty about.

[Poppy Liu]

I can't wait.

[Brian]

But no pimple poppers. Don't send them back to us. I don't want it. I don't want it. I don't want it.

[Poppy Liu]

That's gonna be in a private thread between me and Chrissy that it's gonna. It's gonna be at our bunker group chat. That.

[Chrissy]

That is. We will have the bunker group group.

[Brian]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm jealous of your relationship already. But it's. I'm no stranger. I'm no stranger to this particular vibe, so that's okay.

[Poppy Liu]

The ingrown hairs will be plucked and they will. Yes, I add that too. I will pluck ingrown hairs in our bunker.

[Chrissy]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian]

Oh, that's going to be something. Because that can cause a really big medical issue. So you got to get 100.

[Chrissy]

We could do it. You got to get the tweezers. You got to get the whole situation, you know? Yeah, we'll. I'll be your assistant.

[Poppy Liu]

My mom let me pop a blackhead for her once and it like made. I mean, I'm obviously still thinking about it.

[Brian]

I think Poppy's actually on a mission to make me puke.

[Host/Announcer]

Poppy, you're lovely.

[Chrissy]

We just thank you for coming.

[Brian]

We love you. Have a wonderful time in Atlanta. We look forward to speaking with you again soon. When Hacks is going to come out. Then please come talk to us again and we'll. We'll wrap up this conversation about all the disgusting things you got. You girls are popping.

[Host/Announcer]

It's Poppy.

[Brian]

We'll put all the links in the show notes. Check out no good deed coming out on Thursday. Thanks, Poppy.

[Producer/Announcer]

Thank you.

[Poppy Liu]

Thank you.

[Producer/Announcer]

Well, thank the baby Jesus. Brian took a breath. And now I will use this opportunity to let you know that we've got a brand new phone number. That's right. It's 212-4333, TCB and you can text us anytime you want or you can call and leave us a voicemail and we might just use your message on the show once Brian gets through all the messages he missed last year, of course. Anyway, you can also find and DM us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok, CBpodcast. And of course, all of our audio and video is easily found on tcbpodcast.com now I'm going to thank G one more time that we have sponsors. So thank G. And here they are.

[Host/Announcer]

See, I told you I'd make you feel better the day after Christmas. Poppy was wonderful. And while I did not make the Apocalypse Cave, I do understand why. As my cousin Mel used to say, too much mustard sours the dog. And while I always wondered what that meant and why cousin Mel wasn't related to us, I think I got the point. All right, my friends, all the pertinent details will be in the show notes for Poppy. Check out her Netflix special now. No good deed. Please do follow her on her socials and check out hacks as the new season rounds the corner. Well, unbelievably, we kept it short and sweet today. I can't say that for the other 680 odd episodes of the commercial break, but don't worry, I'll have another chance to ramble pointlessly for hours tomorrow when we bring you another TCB infomercial with comedic superstar Felipe Esparza. He's a household favorite around here and I think you'll understand why after you hear our interview. Hey, while I've got you, I thought I'd let you know that we have two very special episodes coming up. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We're a hot drunk mess. Trust me, you're not going to want to miss this. Okay, go to the website tcbpodcast.com all the information, the show notes, the links to our sponsors, sponsor special codes, and all that good jazz. All the audio, all the video right there from one location. TCB podcast.com you can also get free TCB schwack by going to the contact us button drop down menu. I want my free sticker. Give us your physical address and we'll send it away. 212-4333-TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. We are taking them all. Voices, mail or text message right there. And thank you to everybody who's been writing over the holidays. If we haven't gotten back to you, I promise we'll do it in the new year. Add the commercial break on the ever popping Instagram TCB podcast on the not so Popping tick tock and YouTube.com the commercial break for every single episode moving forward on video on the YouTube channel the same day they air here on the audio for feed and then on Spotify just a couple of days later on video on Spotify. It's true. You can turn your phone sideways and watch us on video. And when you get sick of looking at my ugly mug, just turn it back straight and away I will go. Okay, on behalf of Chrissy, I must bid you adieu and tell you that until next time I will say, I do say, and I must say goodbye.

[Brian]

Sam.