The Glenn Beck Program: Best of the Program | Guest: Bridget Phetasy | October 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode blends cultural commentary, political analysis, and humor as Glenn Beck, alongside Stu and special guest Bridget Phetasy, tackles the week's big stories. The conversation covers a recent school superintendent scandal, the legacy and memorialization of Charlie Kirk, the controversy around Western comedians performing in Saudi Arabia, and the evolution of American culture in turbulent times. Phetasy joins to offer a uniquely irreverent and candid perspective, particularly on the ethics and optics of American entertainers in authoritarian regimes.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and Memorialization

• Florida Renames Highway:

  • Glenn reports that a section of Wellness Way in Lake County, Florida, has been renamed the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.” Governor Ron DeSantis announced the honor, with Glenn championing further adoption across conservative cities and states.
    • “It should happen in every state. In every state. So good news there.” — Glenn Beck (03:42)

• Contrasting Legacy Narratives:

  • Glenn and Stu discuss media comparisons between Charlie Kirk and George Floyd, firmly rejecting the analogy.
    • “Please don't say that we found our George Floyd. No. And don't try to make me feel bad for looking at Charlie Kirk as a hero. I think he was.” — Glenn Beck (06:26)

• Heroism and Role Models:

  • Glenn spotlights Lydia Kaiser, a 12-year-old who shielded a friend during a shooting, as the type of hero society should celebrate. He highlights the outpouring of support through platforms like GoFundMe, marking a positive shift in public action for victims and their families.
    • “I want my kids to be able [to] look at … Go. Wow. At 12, she's putting her body in front of her friends. Amazing.” — Glenn Beck (09:01)

2. Cultural Upheaval: From Woke Commercials to National Trauma

• Changing Cultural Landscapes:

  • Stu and Glenn reflect on the past five years as uniquely tumultuous, citing the COVID era and the “peak wokeness” era as periods that will appear bizarre in hindsight.
    • “Our children and our grandchildren are going to go, what the hell were you thinking?” — Glenn Beck (13:41)

• Pendulum Swings and Societal Shocks:

  • The trio muses on whether society will continue moving through wild, rapid shifts, with Glenn asserting that electoral outcomes will determine if America remains the “last outpost of sanity in the free world.”
    • “If we can stay on this path for another six years…we have a chance of being the last outpost of sanity in the free world.” — Glenn Beck (16:53)

3. Bridget Phetasy on the Riyadh Comedy Festival

• Hypocrisy and Risks of Performing in Saudi Arabia:

  • Bridget Phetasy criticizes prominent Western comedians for performing in Saudi Arabia under speech restrictions, noting the hypocrisy of accepting lucrative deals from an authoritarian regime.
    • “They all had to sign documents that they wouldn't, you know, make fun of religion, they wouldn't make fun of Saudi Arabia, wouldn't make fun of the royal family, et cetera, et cetera…Would these guys have signed the same exact thing [for a Trump comedy festival]? No, they wouldn't have.” — Glenn Beck (20:32)
    • “If I'm somebody out there … screaming about the rights of women ... it would be very hypocritical for me to go stand on that stage and say whatever I want.” — Bridget Phetasy (21:15)

• Double Standards for Entertainers:

  • Both Bridget and Stu query why entertainers face more public scrutiny than businesspeople or athletes when engaging with regimes like Saudi Arabia.
    • “Why should Jared Kushner be allowed to make money with the Saudis and not the comedians?” — Bridget Phetasy (24:17)
    • “Do the people of Saudi Arabia not get to laugh? Do they not get to go to comedy shows?” — Stu (27:00)

• Cultural Export vs. Cultural Import:

  • Glenn laments a perceived asymmetry: America exports culture but is increasingly asked to “import” illiberal values.
    • “I am really sick of everybody else taking our culture and then giving us theirs. We seem to be taking all of the Saudi culture…you want to borrow some of ours and see and go, that's great…They keep sending us all of their crap and saying, you take it. No, no, you keep your stuff. I'd like to keep ours.” — Glenn Beck (31:00)

4. The Ian Andre Roberts/Des Moines Superintendent Scandal

• ICE Arrest of a High-Profile Superintendent:

  • Glenn and Stu detail the stunning story of Ian Andre Roberts, the Des Moines Public Schools superintendent, arrested by ICE and now exposed as a serial liar with a problematic past.
    • “He didn’t go to any of those schools, and they didn’t have any of that. He came over from Ghana and overstayed his visa, was here illegally under the Biden administration.” — Glenn Beck (34:05)
    • “He knew he was going to be deported and he was found hiding in bushes...The school-owned vehicle…contained a fixed blade hunting knife, a loaded Glock 19, and $3,000 in cash.”— Glenn Beck (35:51)

• Institutional Failures and DEI Critique:

  • The story exposes failures in vetting, and Glenn connects these to “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hiring practices, arguing that identity allowed red flags to be ignored.
    • “This is why you must be a merit based society. Because if you're just going to say, well, dei, he's, he's good at dei, which apparently he wasn't…until America comes to a place to where they can recognize this is all a sham and you actually have to have real standards based on real merit, this is going to continue to happen.” — Glenn Beck (43:20)

5. Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Comedy and Conscience:

  • “They're getting paid to legitimize these people. The quotes that are coming out of there...‘The royals were very happy’ is not great coming out of your mouth.” — Bridget Phetasy (21:48)
  • “I can't. You can't fix that kind of stupid. I can't even...it's like listening to a 19 year old in their first year of college who just smoked a bong.” — Bridget Phetasy (22:52)

• On Cancel Culture and Exposure:

  • “‘I’m just glad they were all there for me back in...You know, he's my brother and being canceled now, you know. He was canceled for what? What was that, 48 hours? Mine was a couple years, but no big deal.’” — Shane Gillis (impersonation of comedians’ hypocrisy) (25:26)

• On Societal Turbulence:

  • “We have a chance of being the last outpost of sanity in the free world. But if we don’t continue down this path, we will swing so hard back the opposite direction.” — Glenn Beck (16:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Charlie Kirk Highway & Heroism: 02:57 – 12:49
• Cultural Shifts (COVID, Woke Era): 12:49 – 16:06
• Riyadh Comedy Festival w/ Bridget Phetasy: 19:00 – 31:08
• Ian Andre Roberts/Des Moines Scandal: 31:16 – 45:19

Tone & Style

• The episode blends Glenn Beck’s irreverent, polemical style with Bridget Phetasy’s sardonic wit and Stu’s skeptical asides.
• The discussion is fast-moving, pointed, and occasionally caustic on issues of hypocrisy, bureaucracy, and cultural decay, but moments of optimism are also offered regarding grassroots action and common sense.

Conclusion

This episode offers listeners a survey of cultural and political flashpoints, balancing serious analysis with humor and incisive critique. The discussion of the Riyadh Comedy Festival is particularly insightful for those interested in the intersection of entertainment, ethics, and geopolitics. The school superintendent scandal serves as a cautionary tale about institutional accountability and the pitfalls of prioritizing identity politics over merit.

If you missed the episode, this summary captures the heart, controversy, and character of the conversation—and highlights why "The Glenn Beck Program" continues to spark debate across American culture.