Hour 2: Dan Is Thankful (feat. Jemele Hill)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: Dan Is Thankful (feat. Jemele Hill)

Date: November 26, 2025

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Overview

This episode, broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their usual crew joined by acclaimed journalist and cultural commentator Jemele Hill. The discussion weaves through Detroit’s sports renaissance, the cultural significance of the Lions on Thanksgiving, racial dynamics in sports commentary, the complexities of Shador Sanders’ emergence in the NFL, pop-culture tangents on movie franchises, and an extended segment reflecting on gratitude and family amidst workplace hilarity. The episode maintains the show’s trademark blend of sharp insight, humor, and irreverence.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Detroit’s Sporting Resurgence and Urban Renaissance

(01:57–08:50)

• Detroit’s New Narrative:
  • Jemele Hill underscores the pride and optimism surrounding Detroit—not just because of its sports teams (specifically the Lions) doing well, but also because of broader city revitalization.
  • Notable changes include Detroit’s first Black female mayor, the opening of luxury stores and hotels, and significant business investments expanding from downtown into neighborhoods.
• Sports as Cultural Engine:
  • Hill reflects that, while the city’s downtown revival started more with business than sports, the Tigers’ past competitiveness spurred community energy (06:06).
  • “Detroit has a Gucci store downtown. I never thought I would see that. When I was growing up, there were no major department stores in downtown Detroit.” — Jemele Hill (04:21)
• Hierarchy of Sports Fandom:
  • Despite love for the Pistons and Red Wings, Hill reaffirms the Lions’ central place in Michigan sports and culture.
  • “The Lions are the team of the state. If they were to ever go to a Super bowl, it would by far be the biggest story in Detroit sports history. Maybe the biggest story in Michigan history, period.” — Jemele Hill (03:32)

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2. Shador Sanders, Race, and Polarization in Sports

(08:50–12:34, 14:50–17:22)

• First Browns QB to Win on Debut Since ’95:
  • Dan probes Jamel’s reaction to the much-discussed debut of Shador Sanders as Cleveland's QB.
• Navigating Criticism as a Black Journalist:
  • Hill describes the challenge of offering balanced critiques without inciting criticism from within the Black community and from broader audiences.
  • “Shador Sanders is the Black community's nephew. Like, everybody has adopted him, okay?” — Jemele Hill (10:42)
  • She points out a recurring tension: if she is not “positive enough” on Sanders, she gets labeled a sellout; too positive, and she faces different kinds of backlash.
• Conspiracy or Not?:
  • Hill rejects outright conspiracy theories around Sanders’ treatment, but notes the deep emotional investment the Black community has in his success due to his and Deion’s symbolism.
  • “I don’t believe that there’s some league-wide conspiracy against him... NFL conspiracies do happen and aren’t true. I just didn’t see it with this particular player.” — Jemele Hill (11:22)
• Don on Stakes in Women’s Basketball:
  • Playfully, Don asks if an Angel Reese loss to Caitlin Clark in basketball would “set us back as a race.”
  • “It might have to be... a Black people’s meeting, an important one that will be called the next day.” — Jemele Hill (14:58)

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3. Pop Culture Sidebar: Trump and the Rush Hour Franchise

(17:22–19:22)

• Trump’s Hollywood Interests:
  • Dan introduces a story about Trump pushing for a ‘Rush Hour’ reboot. Jemele is bemused by Trump’s unexpected focus on Hollywood IP.
  • “Normally this would be something that I would use to clown the president about, but honestly, I’d rather him sort of govern over film than govern over the other things he’s governing on.” — Jemele Hill (18:02)
• Aging Action Stars:
  • The group riffs on the possibility of a 71-year-old Jackie Chan doing another ‘Rush Hour’ sequel, comparing him to Tom Cruise and Liam Neeson still doing action films.

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4. Stephen A. Smith, Michelle Beadle, Kerry Champion, and Media Beef

(19:37–25:06)

• Background of the Dispute:
  • Dan brings up the show’s prior (and in his mind, clumsy) handling of the Stephen A. Smith vs. Michelle Beadle/Kerry Champion conversation, turning to Hill for personal experience.
• Jemele’s Perspective:
  • She explains: her name entered the conversation because Kerry Champion referenced her when arguing that Stephen A. has responded more harshly to Black colleagues than to Beadle (20:39).
  • Hill shares her experience with Stephen A., distinguishing between public disagreements and deeper respect.
  • Critiques focus not just on perceived unevenness in criticism but also on Smith’s tendency to overstate his role in colleagues’ careers:
    • “Especially... when he’s discussing women, especially Black women, he gets very... he puts a... it’s a lot of cap going on in terms of how he built our careers. Like, I’ve heard him refer to building my career before. And I just think that was weird of him to say that.” — Jemele Hill (24:30)
  • Ultimately, Hill expresses admiration for Smith’s rise, but hopes he can receive fair critiques.

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5. Thanksgiving, Gratitude & Family Traditions

(28:54–34:27)

• Food as Ritual:
  • Jeremy describes his elaborate, multi-day turkey deep-frying ritual for Thanksgiving, enthralling the crew with food talk (27:56).
• Dan Opens Up About Gratitude:
  • In a rare earnest segment, Dan thanks staff and listeners for their support through five challenging but ultimately successful years at Meadowlark (29:14–30:55).
  • Delivers a funny yet heartfelt anecdote about his father’s communication style in retirement:
    • “I’m not ignoring them. I’m just not answering them.” — Dan’s father (30:55)
• Thanksgiving Quirks:
  • A discussion on the weirdness of Thanksgiving food choices (double carbs, obsessive plate-separation) brings out confessions and playful generational jabs.

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6. Sports Families, Nostalgia, and Show Dynamics

(34:29–41:31)

• Bosa and Watt Brothers:
  • Dan marvels at the success of siblings in the NFL, particularly the Bosa and Watt families, and reflects on the peculiarity of sports genetics and legacy (34:29–35:57).
• Inside Jokes and Show Banter:
  • The crew revisits Greg Cody’s “obliviousness” as both a running joke and a beloved part of the show’s dynamic. Dan describes Cody as the “weirdest character in sports radio history” for perpetually missing the show happening around him (41:20).
  • “He’s just starring in his own play all the time. Like, it’s one of the weirdest characters…” — Dan Le Batard (41:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jemele Hill on Detroit’s Changing Narrative:
  “Detroit was in bankruptcy financially... It just wasn’t a whole lot of investment happening there... I see Detroit being embraced now and people understanding that what’s happening there is not a fluke.” (04:21)
• On Shador Sanders’ Cultural Impact:
  “Shador Sanders is the Black community’s nephew. Like, everybody has adopted him, okay?... If I don’t praise him enough, then I’m a race traitor. If I praise him too much, then I’m a bunch of other racist names as well.” — Jemele Hill (10:42)
• On Media Representation Critique:
  “Especially... when he’s discussing women, especially Black women, he gets very... he puts a... it’s a lot of cap going on in terms of how he built our careers.” — Jemele Hill (24:30)
• Dan’s Thanksgiving Message:
  “I wanted to thank the listeners for supporting us the way they do… I’m grateful for it… And I bring all of this up as I bring up my father… he’s like, ‘I’m not ignoring them. I’m just not answering them.’” — Dan Le Batard (30:55)
• On Jackie Chan Reviving Rush Hour:
  “Let’s bring back an old ass Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker. Let’s run it back one more time.” — Jemele Hill (18:02)
• On Thanksgiving Food Habits:
  “Double carbs is aggressive. And no vegetable is aggressive.” — Dan Le Batard (32:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:57]–[08:50] — Detroit’s revitalization and sports pride (Jemele Hill)
• [08:50]–[12:34], [14:50]–[17:22] — Shador Sanders, race, and polarization in sports
• [17:22]–[19:22] — Trump’s Hollywood ambitions and Rush Hour reboot
• [19:37]–[25:06] — Stephen A. Smith, media critiques, and Hill’s career reflections
• [28:54]–[34:27] — Thanksgiving foods, gratitude, and family memories
• [34:29]–[41:31] — NFL sibling success, show dynamics, and ‘Greg Cody as character’

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Tone and Show Vibe

The episode balances thoughtful analysis (especially from Jemele Hill) with the Le Batard Show’s hallmark absurd and self-deprecating humor. The hosts freely mix serious cultural insights with nonsense about food, aging action stars, radio beefs, and inside jokes about show members’ quirks—delivering an experience that’s as entertaining as it is occasionally enlightening.

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Closing Highlights

• Jemele Hill offers a window into Detroit’s comeback and navigates candidly the minefields of race and media in sports.
• Dan Le Batard shares a rare earnest note of gratitude to his team and audience, providing a heartfelt Thanksgiving reflection.
• The cast’s playful banter and running gags make the episode accessible even to first-time listeners, with inside jokes that enhance, not obscure, the themes of friendship, resilience, and cultural observation.

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For the full experience, listen to the entire episode, but this detailed summary catches all the essential moments, insights, and laughs!

Transcript

[Chris]

Hey, Chris here. Black Friday game day is coming to prime and it'll be an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is at the center of it with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern. That's followed by the final night of the Emirates Cup NBA group play and a doubleheader starting with the Bucks and Knicks at 7pm and the Mavericks and Lakers at 10pm What a nightcap game that is. But the whole day starts with the return of the Capital One skins game as four elite PGA golfers face off with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day tees off with Capital One skins game at 9am Eastern before the Big Bears Eagles game at 3pm and it culminates with a double dose of Emirates NBA cup action featuring Bucs Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm Only on Prime.

[Don]

Now's a good time to remember where Tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila. Cuervo, what are you doing here?

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Don]

Well, I do know that to be true, but even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think you could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Don]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo.

[Don]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo, Cuervo the tequila that invented tequila. Roximo Cuervo.com, please drink responsibly.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo.

[State Farm Announcer]

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[Dan Le Batard (Ad Read)]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugarts Podcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

Haven't had her perspective around here in too long. Do not like going months without speaking to her. You can watch new episodes of her podcast Spolitex live on her YouTube channel Jamel Hill. She's also a contributing writer for the Atlantic. Any thoughts? Football Thanksgiving Detroit Thanksgiving As a as a person who has her allegiances to Detroit and the end of the Dan Campbell era here because I don't believe we're all looking at the same team, we were at last year. Welcome, Jamal. And what are your thoughts about Detroit playing on Thanksgiving and not totally being an afterthought and laughing stock and really being host to the country before we get to the super bowl before the games that have the real giant entertainment value?

[Jamel Hill]

Well, it is a welcome change and certainly my husband is very happy being a die hard life Lions fan his whole life. But you know, one thing about this team is like it's matching. And a lot of people probably aren't aware of the tremendous momentum that's happening in Detroit just as a city overall. I mean, Detroit just elected its first female mayor's first black female mayor, to be specific. And just a lot of great things are happening in the city. They're getting a new five star hotel. I mean, everything that I'm seeing happening in the city and the neighborhoods, it's great that it's happening in conjunction with the team that has probably caused the most misery for everyone in the state, is also doing well. And I've said this repeatedly for people who have, you know, just kind of a passing interest in Detroit is like, yeah, I know we're known for hockey town. Yes, we know the Pistons have won in championships. The Red Wings certainly had a very dominant run that everybody witnessed. But the Lions are the team of the state. And if they were to ever go to a Super bowl, it would by far be the biggest story in Detroit sports history. Maybe the biggest story in Michigan history, period. So to have all these wonderful things happening at once and for the Lions to actually be treated with respect on Thanksgiving, what can I say? It's just like, mama, we made it moment for the entire city.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can you tell me, because I haven't. I have not been back to Detroit since they started what was a sports inspired revitalization of downtown that began with the baseball team. Right. It wasn't even like what you're talking about when you say Detroit feels like it's back. Detroit's been pushed around for a long time.

[Jamel Hill]

Yeah, it has. Listen, Detroit was a laughing stock, especially when we were going through the recession in sort of the early 2000s and people naturally made note of the fact that you could at that point buy a home in Detroit for $1,000. They were listing homes in Detroit on Craigslist, like that's how bad it was. Detroit was in bankruptcy financially. It just wasn't a whole lot of investment happening, happening there. And it had been a long standing sort of problem that Detroit only being recognized nationally about our crime rate and about things that were not very Positive, you know, and so like people see the movie robocop, the original robocop, I think they may have remade it or whatever, but they see RoboCop and they think that's Detroit. I mean, I don't even think RoboCop was actually filmed in Detroit, but it's based in Detroit. The story is. But that's how people came to think of Detroit as just this barren, crime ridden hellscape and that didn't deserve anything. And so it is with a lot of pride that I see Detroit being embraced now and people understanding that what's happening there is not a fluke. We have been through some stops and starts before. Listen, Detroit has a Gucci store downtown. I never thought I would see that. All right. When I was growing up, there were no major department department stores in downtown Detroit. And now there's a Gucci store and an Apple store and a 50 store. And so while some of this also signals agentification that can be create and cause some uncomfortable questions, I think I'm generally more positive about saying it because I do see that growth spreading out to other parts of the city because that's where you want to see, you want to see the neighborhoods come up. If there's a revitalization downtown. But downtown is cracking. Detroit is the place.

[Dan Le Batard]

But did it start with sports?

[Jamel Hill]

It. No, not really. I mean, I think there was a lot of investment things that were, that were happening downtown. But to your point, it's like the Tigers being good, like when your baseball team is good, that is a different type of renaissance that the city will see because you have more opportunities to be in that area. You know, you're talking about 160, you know, two game schedule. You got 80 home games. So that's 80 opportunities for people to be downtown. As opposed to say the Lions who are playing eight or nine home games and then that's it. Or even the Pistons who are playing like, you know, 40 something games. And that renaissance, that turnaround only happened in the last two years. But I think really what, what started all of it was just people understanding the business opportunity. Detroit has a beautiful riverfront that borders Canada. Like we can get to Canada in 10 minutes. And so that property has always been bought up, but it started with the investment from Dan Gilbert, from Mike Ilitch, from a lot of really big business leaders that are in the Detroit community. And it's spun into what we see now. And now that the sports teams are good, it's like it's all kind of clicking together finally at the same time.

[Greg Cody]

How does Detroit compare, care about the Pistons right now compared to the Lions?

[Jamel Hill]

I mean, listen, people are obsessed with the Pistons, but I mean, the Lions are kind of the number one team in town. I mean, because again, that's a town. That's a, that's a team the whole state loves, right. Is the Lions. And I think because the futility has been so much longer with the Lions that them being good is always going to be the number one story. The Pistons is an incredible story, especially seeing where the Pistons were just three years ago and to see where they are now. The city has certainly embraced Kate Cunningham hard. This whole team, you know, the franchise, it feels like, it still feels like they're a player away, but the way that they're playing now, I mean, I think they still at this point may still have the second best record in the East. They're not in the league.

[Dan Le Batard]

They're not a player away in this East. They're not a player.

[Jamel Hill]

No, not in this ease. You're right. You're not, you're right. Not in this ease are they a player away. But when you just start thinking about like, can they win a world championship? I think they're a player away from that. But nevertheless, like to your point, this is, it's, it's, this is the best sports feeling I've ever seen Detroit have that's so sustained. Right. It's like the Pistons are good, the Lions are good. I know the, you know, the Red Wings are kind of in and out there. But to have those two teams, the two most popular probably sports in the state, be good at the same time.

[Dan Le Batard]

And Tigers and all of them young.

[Jamel Hill]

And the Tigers, yes. Like the Tigers being good this year. Like it is. This is, this is a level of positivity around Detroit sports I haven't seen in a really long time.

[Dan Le Batard]

What are we to do with the Shador Sanders start? No. Cleveland Browns, first time starting quarterback, had won a game since 1995, 17 straight starts at a first time quarterback and made a start without winning before Shador Sanders. What did you do with that result?

[Jamel Hill]

Okay, so one I said last week on my YouTube show that you mentioned politics Live. I was like, Shador Sanders has the opportunity to do the funniest thing in the world, but also to do something that's very common and known to Browns fans, which is to make the Browns look stupid. And I think he kind of did that in the sense of we know about how he hasn't been developed under Kevin Stefanski and you know, Dan, the Shador Sanders, as you know, there's always an athlete or a couple athletes in sports that generate a level of polarization that sometimes is baffling to understand is he is in that space of like, every time I talk about him, I have to think very carefully about what I'm saying because if I don't praise him enough, then I'm a race traitor. If I praise him too much, then I'm a bunch of other racist names as well. So it's like, it's this weird spot that he's in and me even saying that, like, yeah, he got treated like a fifth round pick. People were mad about that. Like, like I was saying something that, you know, that some people labeled me a sellout for saying that. I was like, no, he got treated that way. Like, I don't think Kevin Stefanski. And again, people hate it when I said there's like, I don't think he's trying to sabotage him.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, wait, Jamel, but what's happening here? Are you telling me that he's supposed to be such a symbol for black excellence as the son of Deion Sanders and as they came up through a program that like, was thicket of racism, what it is that they were doing that last year in Colorado, you think that he's so embraced by black people that to criticize him as a black person is something you have to be careful about?

[Jamel Hill]

Yeah, I do. I mean, look, Shador Sanders is the black community's nephew. Like, everybody has adopted him, okay? And so you have to be really careful about what you say because just in what I consider to be just mild critiques, Dan is like, I have been labeled a sellout and being anti black and I, I'm disappointed. You. I don't got all the speeches. I'm like. Because I, I said it's not a. I don't believe that there's some league wide conspiracy to keep this kid down. If anything, he makes the NFL money. I mean, I can't think of a fifth round pick whose jersey sales go off like his. Like, there's a lot of reasons why the NFL would want Shador Sanders in the league. And because there are a lot of people who have said, listen, I get why people are willing to believe in the conspiracy theory based on what we've seen before. We saw Colin Kaepernick get blackballed. The story came out about Lamar Jackson and about how other teams were trying to sabotage his negotiations. So I'm not saying NFL conspiracies don't happen and aren't true. I just didn't see it with this particular player. And whenever I bring that up, I get. Well, they just don't want to see a confident black man, and they hate his father and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, guys, I need y' all to get a little more emotionally uninvested in this. But there's no question because of his father and how much he is beloved, just period, by football fans. And for a lot of black people, they look at Deon, they look at the relationship that he has with his sons, and they feel like this is such a positive example of a black fatherhood, of black fatherhood, and that they feel very understandably, a lot of our community feels very protective over Deion and Shadour Sanders. So, yes, I do have to watch what I say, and I have to make sure I'm being thoughtful and careful because a lot of. A lot of people are very. A lot of my people are very emotionally invested in his success.

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[Chris]

Folks. Fuel your game day with the unbeatable crunch of Hampton Farms, the official peanut of bowl season. Perfect for sharing with friends, tailgating outside the stadium, or cheering from the couch. Grab a bag from the produce aisle of your local grocery store and savor the game one peanut at a time. Let's get nutty. Hey Chris here. Black Friday game day is coming to prime and it'll be an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is at the center of it with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern. That's followed by the final night of the Emirates Cup NBA group play and a doubleheader starting with the Bucks and Knicks at 7pm and the Mavericks and Lakers at 10pm what a nightcap game that is. But the whole day starts with the return of the Capital One skins game as four elite PGA golfers face off with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day tees off with Capital One skins game at 9am Eastern before the Big Bears Eagles game at 3pm and it culminates with a double dose of Emirates NBA cup action featuring bucks Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm only on Prime Don Leo.

[Don]

Are the stakes that high that if Angel Reese loses to Caitlin Clark you need to start over again as a race St.

[Jamel Hill]

I don't know that we have to necessarily start over, but it might have to be. It will be a black people's meeting, an important one that will be called the next day where we might have to put some things on the agenda. Get it on the table.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the ST Gods. You can't just say it was the Raiders.

[Jamel Hill]

You said that. I didn't.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so it can't just be the.

[Jamel Hill]

Put that on you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. It's funny though. I don't see you afraid of anything though. Like the part that I get. I understand. I guess I can't possibly understand but from where I am I can understand a little bit how you find this one volatile. But it's silly.

[Don]

I can't believe she said it. She said it had a feeling this was going on and Jamel just said it.

[Dan Le Batard]

But Jamel is fact based so when she comes over I knew this was a thing.

[Don]

I knew that's what was happening that now that just Josina tweets make all the sense in the world. Jamil cop to it. Don't forget what happened here today.

[Dan Le Batard]

I can't believe that Jamel it is a conspiracy. This is the hard just said it that the Kaepernick thing is so stupid that of course it could morph into and they would do this to Shador too because we got to find a.

[Don]

Better quarterback to do this for. I'm just saying we can't Be going down with Shador.

[Jamel Hill]

Listen, though, I want people to understand this is. I thought Shador would get his opportunity because it's Cleveland. They haven't developed a quarterback, like, literally never. Okay. Like that. We know what they have done at that position, and it's ugly. It's brutal. Right. The fact that he was able to already have that historic marker of being the first Browns quarterback. Quarterback since, you know, I was in. I was leaving high school to actually, like, win their debut start. I mean, this is. This is who the Browns have always been. And I think that there has been so many racial conversations about Shador Sanders without them being explicitly racial. And, yeah, like, I wouldn't say that I'm afraid to say my honest opinion of Shador Sanders. I believe I'm given that. What I am saying is that I'm more careful with my words because I realize for a lot of. A lot of black people are projecting things onto this situation that are not even part of the conversation. And so I'm able to say, like, oh, y' all too emotionally invested. Like, I'm gonna let y' all have this one. Y' all too emotionally.

[Chris]

That's why I always defended Andy Dalton.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's move on to a pop culture subject that I wanted to ask you about. The idea that Trump would be soliciting Larry Ellison to bring back rush hour, the 90s comedy. Rush hour. It's 90s, right? Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Is that. That's not late 80s? That's 90s, correct?

[Jamel Hill]

No, it's 90s. Did you say late 80s?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. I don't. Well, okay. Forgiveness. 30 years ago, not 40 years ago. What are your thoughts here on Trump trying to revitalize this franchise? Is he using the Paramount plus, is he using the license to try and revitalize it?

[Don]

It was 98. Closer to 20 years ago. And then 30 or 40.

[Jamel Hill]

Okay. I mean, I didn't realize that there was. It's so odd that this would be the fight that he sort of chooses. And apparently from the article that I read, is that apparently he's been offering his creative thoughts on a lot of different film projects and things he wants them to bring back. Like Bloodsport was one he mentioned. Like, he wants to bring back those type of movies, and he thinks that they should do that. And to be honest, like, normally this would be something that I would use to clown the president about, but honestly, I'd rather him sort of govern over film than govern over the other things he's governing on. So, like, fine, be busy. With that, maybe you will make it less hell on the rest of us in every other area if you get your new rush hour, if a new rush hour, if Rush Hour 4 is what it takes to get this man off our neck in other ways, let's do it. Let's bring back an old ass Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker. Let's run it back one more time.

[Dan Le Batard]

To make how old is Jackie Chan? Because it's old ass Chris Tucker too, even though she wouldn't do that. But no, Jackie Chan's got to be older.

[Jamel Hill]

He's not as old as Jackie Chan, though.

[Dan Le Batard]

Older than 70. One year old Jackie Chan.

[Greg Cody]

Really?

[Dan Le Batard]

71?

[Jamel Hill]

Let's pull it off, dad. He could pull it off.

[Dan Le Batard]

He could pull it off.

[Jamel Hill]

Yeah. Look, he came back for Karate Kid Legends, right? Wasn't Jackie Chan in that?

[Greg Cody]

Nobody watched that movie we talking about.

[Jamel Hill]

Okay, all right, fine. Okay. I feel like he's still got a few more stunts in him. So bring back Rush Hour.

[Dan Le Batard]

Put it on the poll at Lebaton show. Does Jackie Chan at 71 still have a few more stunts in him?

[Greg Cody]

I never seen Rush Hour.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, my God.

[Jamel Hill]

Cruise is 60 and he's still, like, hanging on the side of airplanes. Why can't Jackie Chan do this?

[Dan Le Batard]

I think that we retired Liam Neeson last week because he's 73 and Odenkirk is now doing action films. That's fine. We'll allow it. I didn't feel very good the other day. It's actually stuck with me for about 10 days. I'm not even kidding. I can be hard on myself about these things. I did not like the way me and our show talked about the Stephen A. Smith, Michelle Beadle, Kerry Champion, and I'm gonna say you, but I really don't remember Stephen A. Smith ever going after you and Kerry Champion. I do know that he gets critiqued for never having anything for Michelle Beadle and then coming after with some more intensity. Black people. I know it's a critique that he gets a lot. I know it's a critique you get a lot. That whenever you're talking about ESPN or anything, that's just critical analysis. Hater, bitter, whatever. It's the same thing that I get. But how did you get ensnared in that? Because from what I've ever seen publicly between you and Stephen A. Smith, he respects your journalist credentials too much to ever have anything bad to say about you.

[Jamel Hill]

Well, I mean, I got snared in it. And I'm not saying this to call her out, but just to give People, the origin story of this is because Kerry brought my name up when she did the video addressing the fact that Stephen A. Has never responded to Michelle Bido with the same level of harshness that he has responded to some other black folks, some of which were just offering a critique of him. Obviously, a lot of people pointed to what he had to say about Jasmine Crockett, which I also was disappointed in, like a lot of other people. And so Kerry's. The base of her criticism was really about that, about the unevenness of. She felt like his critique between what he said about Serena Williams, what he said about Michelle Obama, Jasmine Crockett. People are sensing a thing, and I definitely understand what that's like. Hell, we just had a little conversation about Shador Sanders and how I realized I got to be careful how I talk about him because of how possessive and protective that a lot of people in our community feel about him. And so when you're Stephen A. Or me or anybody that's in the sports media space, it's like the majority of athletes we talk about are going to be black. We're going to say more positive things about black athletes than we do about. Than we do negative. But it's the negative ones that tend to sting a little more. And. And so with that said, I mean, I thought what Carrie said was a fair critique, and she brought me into it by talking about how Stephen A. Has come for us and really what. And I don't want to speak for her, even though that's one of my closest friends, but I think what she was talking about was some of the things more she experienced behind the scenes on first take and where she felt like there was a lot of times that Stephen A. Was not as supportive as he said. And as her friend and being there at ESPN when she was on the show, that's how our friendship blossomed. And seeing what she went through on a daily basis, being between Skip and Stephen A. Not just on tv, but behind the scenes, like literally having to navigate both of their very big personalities. It was tough. And she was very much. There was a lot of professional experiences that she had that were not great. And so I think she was more or less speaking to that. Now, Stephen A. And I have gotten into it a little bit back and forth on social media. He's had some opinions of Colin Kaepernick that I thought were thoughtless and a little inaccurate, and I made that publicly known. It was about addressing his opinion. He had his thing, or so to say about me. He suggested the next Time I call him or that I do call him if I have a critique. I did call him after we had that exchange on social media, and he's a busy man. He didn't answer. I texted him. Never heard back from him. It's fine. I'm not. I don't expect. Stephen A. Doesn't owe me an answer, but since he brought up the fact that I should call him, I actually did it, and he didn't respond. I think a lot of people think that I have some negative opinion of Stephen A. I don't. I think he's done remarkable. He's had a remarkable professional career. And I think him as a black man, being the face of espn, that is really encouraging for younger black journalists who are aspiring to be in these positions of authority and ownership. And he's been able to give them an example of what's possible. And he's opened up a lot of doors for people. But the part that sometimes made me cringe about him is that especially not only sensing the uneven critiques that we talked about from a racial standpoint, but also it just felt like sometimes when he's discussing women, especially black women, he gets very. He puts a. He. It's a lot of cap going on in terms of how he built our careers. Like, I've heard him refer to building my career before. And I just think that was weird of him to say that. Certainly I was able to be on the show, quite frankly, which I've greatly appreciated it. But when I was on quite frankly, I was already talking to ESPN about being at espn. And so he's just taken this weird ownership of my career that, you know, just makes me cringe a little bit. And he's done it with Monica McNutt, and he's done it with Carrie as he did it. And it's like, why are you putting 100 on 10? It's like, okay, if we. You don't need to do that. And so I think it's kind of unbecoming. But I have no animosity for Stephen A. I don't have any beef with Stephen A. But I hope that he's able to accept some of the critiques that people have of them, because I think some of them are fair.

[Dan Le Batard]

Politics is the name of her podcast. You could catch it on her YouTube channel. We, of course, at Meadowlark Media, discovered Jamel Hill. She would not have had a success without.

[Jamel Hill]

Would have never made it here.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dan, thank you for being on with us and thank you for allowing us to discover you. We Appreciate it.

[Jamel Hill]

Appreciate it.

[Don]

It's the holidays and the 50th anniversary of Miller Lite. The holidays are all about gathering around with family and friends. So why don't you bring out a cornucopia of that beautiful white canned Miller Lite or draft, whatever it is. You know it's going to be a special time when you bring out Miller Lite because Miller Lite makes special time. Miller Time Whether it's a late night hang after the holiday party or standing around a fire pit with a fam, Miller like just fits. It's a taste you know you can depend on. Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients like malted barley, rich balanced toffee notes and that iconic golden color. And at 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, it lets you enjoy the season without weighing you down. The original light beer since 1975 and still hidden different 50 years later. The best holiday beers are the ones you don't expect. Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com Daniel to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tis Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

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[Don]

Don Le it sounds to me like everybody could use a hug because a hug is always the right size. St All I have put in My body today is three cups of coffee.

[Dan Le Batard]

And an entire cup of honey.

[Chris]

Don't let him fool you. He said in the break that he's jittery.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levitar show with the stugats.

[Jeremy]

Deep fry my turkeys. Done with the same oil for the last five years. So it's full of seasoning. It has the perfect seasoning, perfect everything with it. And it's a 72 hour process. Okay. Where it goes into a brine that's homemade, then sits in that brine for about two days, and then I take him out, then I inject him, you know, with a homemade injectable marinade. And then it sits for another 24 hours wrapped in the refrigerator. And all the. The marinade is getting into the joints, the juices, and it's really getting into the. The breast and the thigh and so forth. And then I take it out that morning on Thanksgiving and I dip it in the hot oil and then it's. And then it's delicious. And it's going just like that, you know, I mean, I can cut it with a plastic butter knife. It's so tender, you know, so I've been doing that for the, like, the last almost 20 years.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, that's pornographic. And I don't think that Chris Cody just realizes how terrible his judgment has to be for me not to know when that clip is going to end. And Chris Cody's last words to me so that I don't hear the ending of it are him just saying to me privately, I'm hard right now.

[Don]

That was uncalled for.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, it just seems like bad judgment seemed pretty called for and also understandable. And I think after having heard that, all of our mouths are watering. And I do want to say at a time of great gratitude, because Thanksgiving is that for me. Every year, my parents, their favorite holiday was 120 people over at the house for Thanksgiving because it's specifically such a time of gratitude. I want to tell all of you who work with us here at Meadowlark over the last five years of great difficulties and great success because we're on the other side of it. Numbers are great. We are growing in a way that is hard to believe honestly, in. In the modern streaming media, because people believe in this thing. So I wanted to thank the listeners for supporting us the way they do. Oh, you want to do this centrally. You want to give me some central music for my gratitude?

[Jeremy]

I just like this line and I dip it.

[Don]

So just glad you broke that up.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. Thank you, Chris. Good Timing by you. You're really killing it today in a number of different ways. You've mailed it in just like it's.

[Don]

Been a bad day.

[Dan Le Batard]

And Jessica, it's been a bad day for you. But I did want to thank both the audience and you guys at this time of year because the workload around here has been crazy and there's been a lot of change and the show's in a good place. It's in a wildly successful place. And so I'm really happy that we've endured the last five years together to get to this point. And I'm. And I'm grateful for it. And I bring all of this up as I bring up my father, because my father tricked me. I'm not even gonna say tricked me. Just for an 82 year old man, he's still sharp, funny. And the other day I accused him of ignoring my texts. And he looks at me because I'm like, dad, what are you doing? Like, you're in retirement. You're not doing anything. He's like, I'm not ignoring them. I'm just not answering them.

[Don]

It's a bar.

[Dan Le Batard]

I get them. But he let the I'm not ignoring them stay. And I'm like, like I didn't understand what he was saying. Like, he's not replying to me. And he's like, no, I've seen them. I'm just not answering you.

[Don]

Yeah, I had this very same conversation with my dad. She was on the other foot though, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

You were mean to your father. You.

[Dan Le Batard (Ad Read)]

A little bit.

[Don]

I mean, but you know, he means well. I took him to highlight on Friday.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I wanted to say to you guys in. In an area of gratitude as it relates to the Cyclones. I'm proud of the way that you guys have owned that team. Keeping something alive in South Florida that is meaningful, that isn't in a lot of other places in the country. The Cyclones being in first place and you guys caring about ownership of that team, you've shown great pride in owning that team.

[Don]

We. We do and we're very proud of this team. We got two more weeks until the. The. The playoffs. And hopefully this regular season is predictive to how that goes for us. But I want to talk to you about spending time with my dad at the Fronton. We met at the brand new prefab construction outback that was built in about two days right across the street. And my dad had one of the more psychotic orders ever and he left me with this order. He got up to go to the Bathroom. Have you ever been with someone that did this? He asked for the 8 ounce filet. Okay, cool.

[Dan Le Batard]

Hell, yeah.

[Don]

I had to assume what the temperature was, but I did a good job with that. But he was like, son, this is very important. I want two sides. I want a sweet potato. Gotcha. And then I want a baked potato. I want the baked potato. No salt. And again, all the fixins. All of them on the side.

[Jamel Hill]

Fixins.

[Don]

He went sweet potato, no salt is crazy. He went sweet potato, baked potato. As a sides. I'd never seen that before. I'm not, I'm. Before I decide whether or not this is weird because it felt weird and, like, the waiter looked at me, like, strangely, and I had to make this order for him. I'm like, my dad's weird. Have you ever seen anybody do that?

[Dan Le Batard]

I have not. But double car. Double carbs is aggressive. And no vegetable is aggressive. But Zaslo, do you think Zaslo's way of eating Thanksgiving is weird? Because Zaz, I think, thinks it's weir. Not sure how weird it is. Zsas is very compartment about how he eats his Thanksgiving food. Nothing is to mix with anything else.

[Greg Cody]

That's right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Except for the gravy. Everything else stays apart and he eats them in little compartments.

[Greg Cody]

Well, the gravy has to mix with something. Otherwise it's soup. Not having gravy.

[Chris]

I'll admit something I've done, I've done, I think at Outback specifically, I don't know if we named names before. I've done baked potato. Love baked potatoes. My steak. Then I'm also going Mac and cheese.

[Dan Le Batard (Ad Read)]

Yeah.

[Chris]

So those are two carbs.

[Don]

That's a great job. That is indeed. The Outback. That was built in two days. It was astonishing.

[Greg Cody]

But for Thanksgiving, I, I, I don't mix any of the foods. I don't put them on top of each other.

[Don]

17 plates around.

[Chris]

You don't like a spoon with a little potato.

[Greg Cody]

And I don't dip, like, in both. I don't, I don't do, like, here's some stuffing. Oh, and, and you're not living on this.

[Don]

You are cranberry.

[Greg Cody]

Oh, I don't eat cranberry.

[Don]

What?

[Greg Cody]

I don't eat cranberry.

[Don]

All right, so I'm a late convert. I used to avoid this. Like, why would I want this fruit paste? I gotta tell you, it does. A little sweet, a little sweetness.

[Greg Cody]

I've never even had it before, but I know I don't like it.

[Dan Le Batard]

You can't do that. You do this dodgeball. You're close minded this way.

[Don]

I used to be the same way I used to be. So what is this?

[Greg Cody]

I don't like gelatinous.

[Dan Le Batard]

You open up the.

[Don]

The can and it just like plops right out.

[Greg Cody]

No, I don't need that.

[Don]

Like a, like a used condom.

[Dan Le Batard (Ad Read)]

I hate.

[Greg Cody]

I know what I like. I know what I like, and I don't like that.

[Don]

How many plates do you have during Thanksgiving? I need to know because you're sitting.

[Chris]

There basically with eight different plates around.

[Greg Cody]

No, I got one big plate.

[Don]

Nah, you don't have a big plate.

[Chris]

You just have corn. Like a bite with just corn.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, I don't mix.

[Don]

That's right. Use condom. Happy Thanksgiving.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't do that. Okay, you've got five sounds there I want to hear, and one of them was not me. Looking into the 49ers suites and seeing that Fred Warner and Joey Bose are hurt, but they're still 8 and 4.

[Jamel Hill]

Sorry.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes. Joey Bosa is a Bill now. My fault, my fault.

[Don]

You called him Billy Bose.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did I call him Billy? No, I called him Joey Bosa twice.

[Don]

All right, cool. I thought I heard Billy Bosa, which actually makes sense and a good way to distinguish who is who. You know Billy Bosa, he is from.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you, guys. I've done this. I called Brandon Cooks. Brandon Cook, the old guy. Things that happen to me are that I take the whole Bosa family. Their father was a bust with the Dolphins. Two brothers are in the NFL sacking people. I didn't even get this week to a great moment from last week, which was J.J. watt watching his brother break his sack record and saying with a strip sack. He's like, well, I guess if you're going to break my record, that's the way to do it. Strip sack. Touchdown. T.J. watt. Like J.J. watt calling that two brothers being able to be at the height of that sport and T.J. watt somehow being better at sacks than J.J. watt.

[Don]

The. The two brothers are the best we've ever seen at strip sacking the quarterback and taking it to the house. It's crazy. And they weren't even like highly touted prospects. This family just birthed the two greatest.

[Dan Le Batard]

To ever do their father, their father was bust with the Dolphins. The two of them, I confused them. The bosses Boses are great and the Watts are even better. So how many different sounds of mine do you have back there to make fun of me so that we could just spill all of this for Thanksgiving?

[Don]

Remember when you said Danny Amendola or.

[Dan Le Batard]

Whatever, Damien Amendola, the famous Damien Local legend Damien Amendola. Damien Amendola, D A. Damien Amendola. Mike Inglis, a South Florida legend.

[Greg Cody]

Yes.

[Dan Le Batard]

Greg Cody, a South Florida legend.

[Greg Cody]

Yes.

[Dan Le Batard]

That didn't even hurt you to say Dave Van Horn, a South Florida legend?

[Greg Cody]

No, he's a hall of fame Montreal legend.

[Don]

Whoa, Montreal, Hello.

[Dan Le Batard]

David Horn is not a legend.

[Greg Cody]

Montreal legend.

[Dan Le Batard]

Steve White.

[Jamel Hill]

No.

[Greg Cody]

Owes me money.

[Dan Le Batard]

He owes you money?

[Don]

You too?

[Greg Cody]

Of course.

[Dan Le Batard]

How much money does he owe you?

[Greg Cody]

I mean, enough that I went to the bank with a check to cash it and they told me there's no money in that account. Embarrassing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Suck a move radio in the 90s, baby.

[Don]

So yeah, mid 2000s, boss writes you a personal check.

[Dan Le Batard]

So did we.

[Greg Cody]

No money in the account.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was my favorite sound of the week right there. Mike, being totally reasonable. This is about somebody else level headed. Listen, just so that you have the context for this on this is Mike Shrill and how much worse it's going to get over the last month. This right here is Mike very reasonably saying of Notre Dame's record. Well, they were just starting. There was a new coordinator. They had a new coordinator.

[Don]

So did we.

[Dan Le Batard]

Just wild, wildly defensive.

[Don]

So did we. I've been very level headed today. So did we. I have not caped up for Miami again. I just focused with chuckle on the broadcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

So did we.

[Don]

I did not once today. I made it my mission. I am not going to lobby for Miami as it pertains to the CFP rankings. Have you heard a single complaint about the obvious? No, you have not.

[Dan Le Batard]

So did we.

[Don]

I will not do that on this show because I had a new bold strategy, Dan. I was going to let Jeremy talk and the results are incredible. I think I've won the audience over by just him speaking.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jeremy disagrees with just about everything you've said and has eaten it for two years.

[Don]

But I found the one guy that is somehow more unlikable delivering college football takes than I am on. So did we. Wonder how that happened. What? I was really likable. Until where?

[Chris]

Where this place. Until your brother showed up.

[Don]

I like George Harrison. I like.

[Chris]

How much did you resent how the audience took to him?

[Don]

We like how they took to him. How you took to him. Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

You guys are so nice.

[Chris]

I saw so many comments. Jeremy's crushing it today. And Jeremy's in the back just like this is great. Took me seven months to get approval.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you know how good a show has to be in order for what I remember from that not being any of that. Right. Because that was charming. You've got George Harrison Being vastly more likable in costume than his brother is like just net. Well, but this is. Has this been a lifelong affliction? Because while you're someone who's I imagine popular with all of your friends, I imagine he's probably been more popular.

[Greg Cody]

He is funnier, cooler.

[Chris]

Cooler, better looking, more normal.

[Dan Le Batard]

He was like my brother. My brother was always those things.

[Chris]

Everybody likes him.

[Don]

What does more normal mean? I don't know about that one.

[Dan Le Batard]

But in the middle of that, we really have let Greg Cody skate on this like his complete torpedoing. Torpedoing.

[Chris]

Talked to him at dinner about it last night with my family.

[Don]

Is this like kicking my wife to.

[Chris]

Buy in on it?

[Don]

I'm trying to get inside his head a little bit. He talked to George thinking that it was actually Jeremy Te when it was Jeremy's brother. Jason.

[Chris]

I'm telling you what happened there was. My dad didn't know he was the only one being fooled. So he kind of like thought you guys were all being fooled too. So he kind of just like, I'm going to lay out here.

[Dan Le Batard]

I disagree. I believe the psychoanalysis I would do of your father is he's so self involved that he doesn't care enough to notice whether he, Jeremy or someone else talking. Cuz it's just another voice getting in the way of when he has to talk. And so when Jeremy also popped up, he wasn't able to register everything that was happening there. And all we were do was bullying an old man.

[Don]

Part of it was, you know, I've had some of these conversations lately. I think it was an older guy like, you think I have dementia, don't you? I don't.

[Jamel Hill]

Yeah.

[Don]

I don't.

[Chris]

I know everything.

[Don]

Yeah, no, I know what happened there. I'm not impressed because I'm now whipped with it. Like quick as a whip.

[Chris]

You can't fool me. So annoying.

[Dan Le Batard]

Zazlow, when, when I talked about it beforehand with Zaslow Zaslo because I was worried about it. And Zazlow Zaslow says to me, but it'll also be funny if he has no reaction. But him having no reaction. The worst of all possible fighting could have. Could have been there.

[Chris]

I watched the social video we put out now and I get angry because I'm just like, that's, that's the payoff. Look at this buildup that we had.

[Don]

Would have been incredible. I'm not asking be Simon Cowell when someone, a magician does a trick on stage. But you know, give me something.

[Dan Le Batard]

Here's the, here's the thing though, that I've said to a number of people recently who've been asking me for show secrets behind the show, the people who get the show the way that they love the show the best that I was trying to articulate gratitude for before Chris Cody sabotaged me earlier and I dip it. Those people look at Greg Cody and say to me marvel in the street. They're like. Like, he still doesn't really know you guys are doing show around him.

[Chris]

Most genuine character we have.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like it. He still. So you. You have to eat some of the places where he betrays you because he forgets he's doing the show. He's just starring in his own play all the time. Like, it's one of the weirdest characters.

[Greg Cody]

The play where he's always the star in his mind.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's one of the weirdest characters in the history of sports in this market. And it's why Zazzle has to eat it and say, Greg Cody's a legend. A South Florida legend. Unlike Chuckle.

[Don]

Now's a good time to remember where tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila. Cuervo, what are you doing here?

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Don]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Don]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo.

[Don]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo.

[Don]

The tequila that invented tequila. Proximo, Cuervo.com, please drink responsibly.

[Dan Le Batard]

Cuervo.