The Joe Budden Podcast — Episode 882 | "The Cooling Board (You Too?)"

Release Date: November 29, 2025
Host: Joe Budden
Guests/Crew: Mona Scott-Young, Ish, Parks, Mark Lamont Hill, and others

Overview

This post-Thanksgiving edition of The Joe Budden Podcast is an expansive, raucous, and highly personal episode blending comedic banter, family holiday recaps, generational perspectives, relationship debates, and hot takes on pop culture. The crew convenes in high spirits, reflecting on their holiday experiences, discussing the social politics of family gatherings, food etiquette, exes, and digital privacy, along with takes on podcasting's current landscape and some headline news from the week.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Recaps & Food Talk

Timestamps: 00:30–38:58

• Different Family Traditions: Everyone shares how they spent their Thanksgiving—who hosted, what was cooked, and at what time the meal was served (most notably, some families eating as late as 9:45pm).
• Food Standards: Mona Scott-Young and others lament poor holiday food (“no mac & cheese in a Black house?”), discuss the sacredness of certain dishes (stuffing, collard greens), and the pros and cons of "potluck" style vs. solo-cook homes.
• Appetizer Etiquette: Debates arise over whether and when to serve appetizers at Thanksgiving and the culinary status of dishes like bone marrow.
• Leftovers & Plates-to-Go: The unspoken rules around taking leftovers become a hot topic: When is it acceptable to pack a take-home plate? Should you hide your best leftovers for yourself?
• Family Dynamics: Joe speaks on how hosting can sometimes be less depressing than anticipated, and "getting everyone out" is often the best part.

“The best part about hosting is watching everybody get the fuck out.”
— Joe Budden (37:46)

2. Generational Differences: Fights, Parenting, and Growing Up Hood

Timestamps: 10:00–17:00; 49:00–54:00

• "Have You Ever Fought?": The crew jokes about the supposed rite of passage of having a fight growing up (and how some kids today skip this).
• Parenting Styles: Debates ensue over whether it’s character-building for kids to fight or whether times have changed (with increased danger in schools today).
• Urban vs. Suburban Upbringings: Stories about street smarts, jokes about tools/weapons of “broke” youth (batteries in a sock, etc.), and how Black and Latino communities approach conflict differently.

“Some of these new school niggas are tougher than we was, but back in the day if you fought at school you had to see that person again all year. Nowadays, niggas come back and shoot the whole school.”
— Joe Budden (14:36)

3. Podcasting Landscape: The Great Cull

Timestamps: 140:10–147:56

• Podcasts Folding: Joe reacts to recent podcast cancellations ("The Bigger Picture" among others) and predicts that nearly 40% of podcasts will fold in the next 6 months as the business sharpens its focus only on top performers.
• Market Consolidation: There’s a consensus that unlike the early boom days, only podcasts with major traction, big numbers, and substantial influence will survive.
• Content & Chemistry: The crew credits their own chemistry and unique blend of serious and silly for long-lasting success while noting that too many shows all sound alike.

“If you’re not at the top of the top of the top, you’re done, bro. It ain’t the same as it was.”
— Joe Budden (142:55)

4. Relationship Issues: Exes at Holidays, Family Boundaries, and Going Through Phones

Timestamps: 49:00–54:00, 175:55–199:58

• Exes and Family Gatherings: Discussion on whether exes are welcome at holiday events and the various levels of comfort/discomfort this brings, especially when children are involved.
• Healthy Boundaries vs. Tradition: Mona delivers her annual "Thanksgiving Manifesto" encouraging listeners to avoid toxic relatives and create their own joy around the holidays.
• No-Contact Family Trends: They react to an Oprah clip discussing the new phenomenon of “no-contact” between family members, with practical, sometimes harsh wisdom about when to cut off relatives for one’s own peace.
• Phone Privacy in Relationships: A listener letter about discovering a boyfriend’s bisexuality by snooping brings up a deep dive into whether couples should ever search each other's devices, the emotional consequences, and the definition of “transparency.”

“Stay home. If that bi dude makes you happy, stay with the bi dude.”
— Ish (187:17)

“Some people are just relatives. That don’t make them your family.”
— Mona Scott-Young (179:57)

5. Pop Culture, News, and Social Commentary

a. Ray J & Princess Love Domestic Drama (Live on Stream)

Timestamps: 68:54–86:14

• Real or For Show?: The hosts weigh in on the recent very-public argument between Ray J and Princess Love, which played out on a livestream and ended with the police involved.
• Streaming Culture & Boundaries: Mona notes how streamers instinctively leave "big moments" on for maximum drama, criticizing the trend of sacrificing family privacy for viral content.

b. Diddy’s Good Deed Behind Bars

Timestamps: 113:13–118:13

• Diddy Cooks in Prison: The crew jokes their way through news that Diddy helped prepare a Thanksgiving meal for over 1,000 fellow inmates, noting that celebrity status changes what’s possible behind bars.

c. Angola Prison Daddy-Daughter Dance

Timestamps: 118:11–121:45

• Restorative Moments: The prison program allowing dads and daughters to reconnect for a special dance brings heartfelt reflection on family, incarceration, and the power of keeping bonds alive.

d. Jim Jones’ Turkey Giveaways

Timestamps: 167:44–171:54

• Attitude and Authenticity: The hosts debate whether it’s ever cool to have an attitude or spark up a blunt at a charity turkey drive. Most agree: as long as the community is served, let people be themselves.

e. Ticketmaster & Resale Reform

Timestamps: 173:14–175:46

• Olivia Dean Influence: Singer Olivia Dean’s successful campaign to have Ticketmaster refund fans for gouged resale tickets leads to a larger convo about fair access to live shows and business ethics.

6. Running Comedy: “Manscaping,” Grooming, and Sex Talk

Timestamps: 93:00–113:00

• Bald vs. Hairy: An enthusiastic sidebar arises around men (and women) shaving all their pubic hair, with Mona adamant about preferences (“I want bald, completely bald!”) and the guys trading roasting jokes about grooming, maturity, and sexual preferences.
• Strip Club Anecdotes: Joe reminisces about “old school” strip club tactics and etiquette, bringing out both comedy and male vulnerability.

“Let me completely—tell me when I can unmute! … When hair grows on a shaft, like your penis, that’s painful!”
— Mona Scott-Young (96:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Thanksgiving, Food & Family

• [03:50] Mona Scott-Young: “Still reserve is like the old school crackhead beer.”
• [09:00] Mark, on poor childhood fights: “That’s the brokest fight ever. They couldn’t even get a knife.”
• [14:36] Joe Budden: “Back in the day if you fought at school you had to see that person again all year. Nowadays, niggas come back and shoot the whole school.”

Relationship & Family Boundaries

• [51:57] Mona Scott-Young: “If y’all were just dating and I met the bitch and I called her sis? The minute you don’t fuck with her, she not my sis. Like, that moment, it’s nothing.”
• [182:02] Mona Scott-Young (her Thanksgiving Manifesto): “Don’t go over them people house just because you technically supposed to. Don’t deal with them people. Especially your nigga’s mom. Your boyfriend’s mom’s a bald head, hateful, jealous, and she don’t even know who her baby dads is…”

Podcast Industry Real Talk

• [143:12] Joe Budden: “Where’s the money coming from? They just have figured out who’s a major player in it and who ain’t.”
• [143:54] Joe Budden: “Podcasting is tough. I know people think you’re just sitting on the couch yakety-yakking.… It’s a full time job.”

Gender, Privacy, and Sex

• [96:44] Mona Scott-Young: “When hair grows on a shaft, like your penis, that’s painful. … If it’s hair on the shaft, the actual penis—that is painful.”
• [189:54] Mark Lamont Hill: “I don’t want to be in a relationship with somebody’s going through my phone.”
• [195:16] Mona Scott-Young: “I’m not a phone looker. I think it’s stupid to look through the phone because you ain’t leaving. You’re not going to go nowhere.”

Honest Self-Assessment

• [152:45] Joe Budden: “I feel bad for some of y’all out there, but only like half the way. The other half of me, I’m rooting for all of y’all to fail… You don’t believe in yourself, you’re not trying to get better, you don’t know nobody, you don’t network, you don’t do shit. Move out my way!”

Important Segment Timestamps (Quick Guide)

• Thanksgiving Banter & Food Rules: [00:30–38:58, 25:09, 32:00, 36:00]
• Fighting, Parenting & Generational Gaps: [11:00, 14:00, 16:00]
• Podcast Industry Chat: [140:10–147:56]
• Manscaping & Sex Comedy: [93:00–113:00]
• Ray J & Princess Drama: [68:54–86:14]
• Prison News (Diddy, Angola Dad Dance): [113:13–121:45]
• Turkey Drives & Charity: [167:44–171:54]
• Listener Letters (Relationships, Phones): [185:25–197:25]
• Family Cut-Off & Holidays: [175:55–184:15]

Overall Tone & Vibe

• The episode maintains the irreverent, boisterous energy expected from The Joe Budden Podcast.
• Conversations swing easily between jokes and authentic, poignant truths about culture, relationships, and growing up.
• The crew continues to set themselves apart with a mix of old-school insight, new-school honesty, and ongoing banter that feels both barbershop and family living room.

Summary

Episode 882 serves as a classic JBP blend of laughter, real talk, and cultural commentary. From dissecting the rules of Thanksgiving leftovers to exploring digital privacy, podcast industry upheavals, and the fine print of relationship boundaries, the episode is a time capsule of 2025’s Black culture, internet trends, and straight-shooting wisdom—with just enough randomness, oversharing, and hilarity to make it a uniquely “Joe Budden” holiday gathering.