The JTrain Podcast – Pop Culture Thursday

Host: Jared Freid
Episode: Alix Earle Breakup, Ozzie's Last Words, and Kyle Cooke Sleeps On A Fan's Couch
Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Pop Culture Thursday, Jared Freid dives into recent buzzy stories from Page Six and the wider tabloid universe. With his signature blend of wit and insight, he riffs on the breakups, scandals, and viral moments making headlines. This week: Alix Earle’s high-profile breakup, a viral “private jet soccer mom,” Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson’s touching post-romance dynamic, Ozzy Osbourne’s last words, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton divorce rumors, Kyle Cooke’s night out drama, and Sydney Sweeney on plastic surgery speculation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alix Earle & Braxton Berrios Breakup

[05:00 - 11:05]

• Jared sets the stage by describing his brief brush with the couple, recounting, “I met these two on the beach in Cannes... That’s the second most crazy thing said on this podcast.” (06:47)
• Breakdown of the Split: Jared frames the breakup as pragmatic and career-driven, praising Alix Earle for prioritizing her “full-on celebrity career.”
• Media & Public Reaction: Jared calls out the double standards in the audience reaction, observing a “coldness” whenever it’s a woman ending a relationship for ambition:

  "These tough talking people… now, all of a sudden, are like, 'Yeah, Alex has a big career to get to. She’s on the up and up. She’s got to go to the next level.' They all of a sudden become cold people. So that’s what gets me so annoyed." (09:10)

• Jared insists the real story is not about the couple, but the audience:

  "This is more a story about the audience than it is about the couple." (10:29)

2. Upper East Side “Private Jet Soccer Mom”

[11:14 - 18:09]

• The Viral Post: Jared dissects the anonymous Facebook post where a mom asks if her son can fly private to travel soccer games because he’s “never flown commercial.”
  • He speculates, “No one would say this unless there was something to gain. This is spreading chum in the water to make sure the sharks come and eat.” (11:54)
• Critique on Wealth & Shame:
  • Jared questions, “Can you make enough money where shame doesn’t exist? There is such a thing as being embarrassed of your wealth.” (14:52)
• Rage-Bait & Authenticity: He doubts the authenticity—“Is this a bot?... You can’t go to 35,000 people and just wonder aloud whether you should take your private jet to go to the soccer game… This has to be a bot.” (16:00-16:50)
• Notable Commentary:

  “What is real? What is fake? We always have to do that math—is this a prank?” (18:09)

3. Pamela Anderson & Liam Neeson – Sweet Post-Breakup Support

[18:09 - 22:34]

• Romantic Nostalgia: Jared reads about their brief romance on set, relishing the details of their “Lost Week” in upstate New York (“This sounds magical...that’s a movie, I would watch a movie about this.” 20:29)
• The Supportive Gesture: Liam surprised Pamela at her play; Jared muses,

  “I don’t think a normal person can go to an ex and be like, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know I’m proud of you.’ I don’t think that would be taken well. I don’t think anybody wants their ex proud of them.” (19:45)

• Adult Relationships: He admires their mature attitude:

  “It seems like two people who enjoy each other’s company but aren’t looking to get more serious than that. That’s like the sweetest of them all to me. I envy it.” (22:01)

4. Ozzy Osbourne’s (Fictional) Last Words

[22:34 - 25:43]

• Setup: Jared introduces the topic with existential humor:

  “What do we think they are? I think they are 'I love you.' They gotta be, 'I love you.' You were an amazing wife. I don’t think it’s gonna be like, ‘rock on, Sharon!’” (23:10)

• Actual Last Words (Fictional for this bit): Jared reads, “Kiss me. Hug me tight.”
  • Sharon reflects on these words with guilt, to which Jared jokes, “Maybe you hugged him too tight.”
• Jared’s Wish for His Own Last Words:

  “If I die after working out, consider the whole thing a failure… I want to die after finishing a bacon, egg, and cheese.” (24:25)

5. Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton Split Rumors

[25:45 - 27:58]

• Debunking with Skepticism: Jared scoffs at tabloids using a shopping outing as proof they’re still together.

  “If they had said, ‘Hey, stop asking us, we’re not breaking up!’—that’s different than ‘I saw them at Kohl’s.’ ... I’ve done things with people that I’ve broken up with an hour later that look like we’re a very happy couple.” (26:45)

• A Non-Story: He dismisses it as “filling space,” showing how tabloids stretch innocuous details.

6. Kyle Cooke & Amanda Batula Fan’s Couch Controversy

[28:03 - 32:43]

• Headline Confusion: Jared unpacks the convoluted wording (“Kyle Cook shares regret after wife claims he slept at fan’s apartment. There’s no excuse”) and breaks down the denial/clarification.

  “There’s no excuse for staying out as late as I did. But I want to be clear I did not sleep at a fan’s apartment” (30:20)

• Reality TV Analysis: Jared critiques the “manufactured drama” of reality TV, saying,

  "All the news is centered around 'Will they be breaking up?'...I don't like when my reality show participants become aware and become producers on their own show. It feels like they are looking to make some money off of this." (29:14)

• Relatability Factor:

  “How old are you?... Don’t talk to us like we’re all 22 years old. All the people that connect with you on this show...we don’t go out until that time of night.” (30:56)

7. Sydney Sweeney Addresses Plastic Surgery Rumors

[32:54 - 36:44]

• Jared’s Counterpoint: He challenges Sydney’s dismissal of surgery rumors as “insane,” arguing:

  "I think we're at the point where it would be more insane to say someone didn't have any form of plastic surgery than to accuse them of having it." (33:30)

• Body Standards in Hollywood: Jared points out,

  “All celebrities of all kinds are doing something to enhance their look—that is just the truth to, to me, as I see it…” (33:50)

• Sweeney’s Statement: “I have never gotten work done...I'm so scared of needles. You have no idea." (34:51)
• Notable Exchange with Amanda Seyfried: Seyfried chimes in, “Plastic surgery is really effective once you get older," which Jared finds refreshingly candid compared to Sweeney’s evasiveness.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On public breakup reactions:

  "All of a sudden these tough talking people are like, well, Alex has to go to Hollywood. She can't be with some loser, a retired NFL player. Like they get a little mean. The tinge of it doesn't taste good to me." (09:30)

• On viral “private jet” posts:

  "There is such a thing as being embarrassed of your wealth…can you make enough money where shame doesn’t exist?" (14:52)

• On reality TV drama:

  “I don't like when my reality show participants become aware and become producers on their own show…now we’re at the point where it’s like, we're playing the game too much.” (32:27)

• On death and gym routines:

  "If I die after working out, consider the whole thing a failure… Please God, please let me pass away on an off day." (24:25)

• His summary of celebrity plastic surgery culture:

  "To say these rumors about me having plastic surgery are insane. No, no, no, they aren't, Sydney Sweeney." (33:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:00] – Alix Earle & Braxton Berrios Breakup
• [11:14] – Upper East Side Private Jet Soccer Mom Story
• [18:09] – Pamela Anderson & Liam Neeson Sweet Gesture
• [22:34] – Ozzy Osbourne’s (Comic) Last Words & End-of-Life Wishes
• [25:45] – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton Rumor Debunking
• [28:03] – Kyle Cooke & Fan’s Couch Drama
• [32:54] – Sydney Sweeney & Plastic Surgery Rumors

Final Thoughts

Jared keeps the tone sharp and conversational, toggling between genuine curiosity about relationship dynamics and skeptical eye-rolling at tabloid theatrics. His commentary is always underpinned by a keen sense for the absurdity of internet and celebrity culture, making this episode both funny and insightful for anyone who cares about—or can't help annoying themselves with—pop culture news.