The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: 2025 Year End Precap Hostravaganza

Date: December 15, 2025
Hosts: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Josh Johnson, Michael Kosta

Overview

In this special year-end episode, The Daily Show’s rotating hosts—Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Josh Johnson, and Michael Kosta—gather to recap and roast 2025’s wildest (and weirdest) news moments. The team reminisces about major headlines, their favorite stories and segments, how their on-air chemistry works (or doesn’t), and even plays an in-joke game about how they describe the political cast of characters. The episode’s tone is classic Daily Show: snarky, rapid-fire, and steeped in gallows humor about the current political circus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Host Camaraderie and Working Together

Timestamps: 01:13–05:44

• The hosts joke about the misconception that they're always hanging out together.
  • Michael Kosta: “Everyone thinks we're always hanging out. I say, I don't know who you are.” (02:02)
  • Ronny Chieng: “We don't hang out as much as the public thinks, but we hang out more than would be normal in the same job.” (02:21)
• Fan interactions are shared, highlighting how the public ranks their favorites and how hosts often get asked about each other.
  • Josh Johnson: “At my after shows, they always tell me to tell you [Jordan] that you're brave.” (03:03)

2. Reflecting on the Chaos of 2025

Timestamps: 07:25–15:11

• None of the hosts can remember everything that happened this year—news was relentless, stories blurred. “It’s all a complete blur to me.” (Desi Lydic, 07:40)
• Major events are recalled haphazardly, such as:
  • LA fires, the “Gulf of America”, US-Canada conflict, Panama Canal drama (09:09–09:44)
  • “Liberation Day” and ongoing confusion over tariffs
  • Luigi’s legal troubles and “trial imminent”
  • Michael Kosta: “The saddest one was Charlie Kirk… probably the story that dominated the year.” (10:28)
• They discuss the normalization of previously absurd or shocking developments (Elon Musk, Trump, and the Epstein files, 10:48–11:24).
  • Jordan Klepper: “There is no ideology… you can’t burn any of these bridges when money is the true currency.” (11:24)

3. Media Personalities, Administration Characters, and Political Arcs

Timestamps: 16:19–35:51

• Favorite and envy-worthy segments are discussed:
  • Ronny Shout-outs Desi and Troy’s “Freedom Awards” coverage (16:19)
  • Desi praises Ronny’s unique take on Pete Hegseth's comments to the military (“no fatties” bit, 17:09)
  • The comical mess of RFK Jr’s “bear in the car” and swimming-in-sewage stories and their cross-host handoffs (17:58–19:51)
• Discussion about the insanity of political news and segment assignments—sometimes only the host’s own sensibility can truly roast a story.
• On future major players and fallen stars:
  • The strange “character arcs” of Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG), who may be leaving Congress, and predictions on her move to right-wing media.
    • Josh Johnson: “She’s probably the best room-reader we’ve seen—she’s jumping ship before it’s obvious.” (27:01)
  • Pete Hegseth as a rising media force favored by Trump
    • Michael Kosta: “I think Trump loves Hegseth. I don’t love Pete Hegseth. But I think we’ll see a lot more of him.” (30:52)
  • Watchfulness around Kash Patel’s “chaotic-but-loyal” tenure, and the legal misadventures of Lindsey Halligan.

4. In-Joke Segment: “Who Am I?”

Timestamps: 35:53–39:45

• The team plays a guessing game using their own show-writer descriptors for prominent public figures—a rapid-fire roast factory.
  • “Scrooge, if the ghosts never visited.” (Correct answer: Donald J. Trump) (36:17)
  • “Half-melted Bob Barker.” (Incorrect guesses: McConnell/Biden) (36:47)
  • “Friendless Ziploc bag full of jizz.” (Answer: Elon Musk) (38:33)
  • Jordan Klepper: “Friendless is a good specific there. The rest is just, we’re just being mean.” (38:45)
• Self-deprecation and writer-room meta-commentary abound.

5. Predictions and Lingering Dread for 2026

Timestamps: 41:02–47:01

• Tongue-in-cheek “hopes” for Trump’s redemption—no one believes this (41:02)
• Anticipation of escalating instability:
  • Michael Kosta: “I think he’s going to start to become a little more unhinged and really test our legal system’s ability to handle how far he pushes. I think it’s gonna get gnarly.” (41:53)
• Economic concerns and potential midterm fallout:
  • Jordan Klepper: “You’re going to see a party attempting to distance itself from Donald Trump.” (42:32)
• Discussion of political language they’re sick of (“Trump 6767”, “anti-vaxx,” “executive order,” “plausible deniability,” and “over-celebration of AI”).
  • Michael Kosta: “I hope we lessen the over celebration and marketing of AI.” (46:09)
  • Jordan Klepper: “I choose humans.” (46:37)
• Ironic predictions about more Diddy documentaries and even darker news cycles.

6. Closing Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

Timestamps: 46:59–47:17

• The hosts acknowledge the nonstop, overwhelming news cycle, thank their audience, and promise to return in 2026, humorously referencing smaller, sweatier rooms and “more human” space.
  • Jordan Klepper: “That is every single thing that happened in 2025 and probably also 2026.” (47:01)
  • Michael Kosta: “Merry Christmas.”
  • Ronny Chieng: “Happy January 6th.” (47:18)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “You realize how terrified people are of talking to other people.” —Jordan Klepper (03:34)
• “It’s like a sexy baton toss.” —Jordan Klepper on hosting rotations (02:38)
• “Fire has been around a very long time.” —Michael Kosta, on repetitive news topics (07:58)
• “The absurdity of this administration knows no bounds.” —Jordan Klepper (17:28)
• “She’s probably the best room-reader we’ve seen—jumping ship before it’s obvious.” —Josh Johnson on MTG (27:01)
• “I choose humans.” —Michael Kosta (46:37)
• “We wanna thank you for watching and/or listening... That is every single thing that happened in 2025 and probably also 2026.” —Jordan Klepper (47:01)

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Content/Highlights | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 01:13 | Host Introductions & Banter | Chemistry, misconceptions about always hanging out | | 07:25 | Year-In-Review: 2025 News Highlights | Fires, Gulf of America, Canada, Panama, MTG, Elon | | 16:19 | Segment Envy: Assignments and Segment Jealousy | RFK Jr, bear story, sewage swimming, Freedom Awards | | 26:23 | “Characters” of 2025 Retrospective | MTG’s arc, Pete Hegseth rise, administration flops | | 35:53 | “Who Am I?” In-Joke Game | Roasting politicians with Daily Show writer jokes | | 41:02 | 2026 Predictions & What’s Next | Trump’s path, party schism, Diddy docs, language pet peeves | | 46:59 | Wrap-Up & Holiday Wishes | Human touch, recapping the recap, signoff |

Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode maintains a playful, ironic, and often sarcastic tone. The hosts mix gallows humor with genuine exasperation at the state of politics in 2025, highlighting both the absurdity and exhaustion inherent in the year’s news cycle. For listeners, it’s an unfiltered look behind the scenes of The Daily Show—a blend of comic riffs, sharp critiques, and reluctant nostalgia for the chaos they continue to chronicle.

For anyone who missed the episode:
Expect a hilarious and chaotic roundtable of the year’s wildest political theater—with enough self-aware cynicism and behind-the-scenes confessionals to make you both laugh and wince at what’s still to come.