The Matt Walsh Show – Ep. 1737: Catching Up With Brett Cooper

Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Matt Walsh
Guest: Brett Cooper

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh is joined by Brett Cooper for an in-depth and lively conversation about rural farm life, recent online controversies, the rise of internet subcultures, generational challenges around technology, and Brett’s work on the new series “Pendragon.” The discussion flows from anecdotes about animal antics to deeper commentary on modern culture, streaming personalities, and the shifting landscape of entertainment. The tone is candid, conversational, and often wryly humorous.

Rural Life, Farm Animals, and Living Off the Land

[00:30 – 05:00]

• Brett shares colorful stories from life on the farm, from wrangling an escape-artist pig (Patsy) to managing a growing menagerie of cows, chickens, ducks, geese, and mules.
• Geese are highlighted for their dual role as comedic puritans and flock-protectors.
• Matt jokes about goats being “satanic” and useless, reflecting on his own misadventures with animal care.

Notable Quotes:

• “She’s now just neighborhood pig… Alex is convinced that now she’s bacon. She needs to be bacon. But now I have, like, a fondness in my heart for her.” - Brett (00:50)
• “Geese are the most obnoxious animals. They’re loud, they smell. They on everything.” - Matt (02:13)
• “So they’re like the grumpy puritans of the bird kingdom.” - Matt (03:23)
• “[Geese] are you. They’re you.” - Brett (03:28)

Brett’s Viral “Scandal” at New York Fashion Week

[05:00 – 08:30]

• Brett recounts her online “controversy” after greeting “clavicular,” a streamer/looksmaxer, at a fashion show.
• She critiques internet reactions and describes the outsized backlash simply for greeting someone she’d previously criticized.
• The incident reflects current online culture—where context is lost and simple politeness can be scandalized.

Notable Quotes:

• “The Internet lost their mind because Alex was not at the fashion show with me. They thought that it was, like, disgusting that I would say hi to this individual and that I smiled.” - Brett (07:12)
• “One way I avoid these kinds of things is I just don’t say hi to anyone ever. And I’m not nice to anyone ever.” – Matt (08:32)

The Rise of Streamers, Looksmaxing, and Niche Fame

[10:15 – 15:00]

• Matt and Brett dissect the phenomenon of "looksmaxing" (the obsessive effort to optimize appearance for social advantage), with particular focus on the influencer clavicular.
• Brett explains the extremes some go to—like "bonesmashing" (literally fracturing one's jaw in hopes of making it more masculine-sharp).
• They discuss how internet personalities develop their own insular language, and how figures like clavicular cross out of their niche into wider cultural awareness.

Notable Quotes:

• “[Looksmaxing] is just the crazy idea of taking pride in how you look. And as a man wanting to look good.” - Brett (12:13)
• “There’s this whole world of streamers who, as far as I can tell, don’t really do anything… And yet they have millions of fans.” – Matt (12:15)
• “It’s kind of like the male version of… TikTok girls filming their day from 6am to 9am.” - Brett (13:26)

Fragmented Internet Culture & Viral Micro-Trends

[15:00 – 17:59]

• Matt introduces the idea of the “death of the monoculture,” replaced by fragmented online micro-cultures and rapidly mutating sub-languages.
• Brett provides examples—TikTok algorithms create unique bubbles, and niche trends can feel huge to those inside them yet invisible outside.
• Notably, she references a bizarre TikTok trend in which users claim to have been “diagnosed as Chinese,” satirizing the performative adoption of cultures.

Notable Quotes:

• “Your algorithm looks nothing like somebody else’s…and you’re being fed this type of content and there will community within that.” - Brett (15:36)
• “There’s this whole trend right now where people are adopting aspects…of Chinese culture…they’re saying, ‘I was just diagnosed as Chinese.’” – Brett (16:32)

Digital Nihilism & Gen Z/Alpha: Changes in Youth Culture

[19:48 – 23:05]

• Matt expresses concern that internet-driven youth culture is less about politics and more about a nihilism where “nothing matters.”
• Brett agrees, describing Gen Z as rejecting political labels, with many veering toward apathy and disengagement.
• Discussion pivots to Gen Alpha (“real iPad kids”), who are growing up with unprecedented tech immersion, and describes challenges like increase in behavioral problems and tech-driven disconnection.

Notable Quotes:

• “It seems like the ascendant philosophy… is less leftism and more a kind of nihilism…” – Matt (19:48)
• “This is the first generation of real iPad kids who have been raised by interactive devices… Many of them are violent, like causing teachers to have to quit.” – Brett (21:03)

Screen Time, Parenting, and Old-School Tech Solutions

[23:06 – 25:18]

• Both speakers agree on the harms of unmoderated screen use and recount their low-tech upbringings.
• Brett proposes using landlines, VHS, and communal TV watching as safer alternatives to personal devices for children.
• There’s hope that new “retro” technologies will help parents regain control over family digital habits.

Notable Quotes:

• “Most of the pitfalls come from these handheld interactive devices. Like, it’s less about sitting and watching a movie with your kids… it is the putting an iPad in front of them and letting that piece of equipment parent them.” – Brett (23:35)
• “I love the idea of going back to more antiquated technology…” – Brett (24:01)

“Pendragon” – The Experience of Filming and the Future of Conservative Storytelling

[25:18 – 36:16]

• Brett offers an inside look at her role as Ganietta (Merlin’s wife) in Daily Wire’s ambitious new series “Pendragon.” She describes the production process, emotional resonance, and rewarding collaboration with cast and crew.
• Both reflect on the unique challenges of “big swing” projects and the pride of seeing hard work materialize after years.
• Brett is glad to have participated but isn’t pursuing more acting unless the right project arises.

Notable Quotes:

• “My best friend, Rose Reid, I met her while working on Pendragon, but she actually wrote this episode, which was very, very special.” – Brett (27:05)

• “You pour all of this energy, like this love and blood, sweat and tears into this project... and then you just leave.” – Brett (28:48)

• Matt expresses skepticism but hope that conservatives can break into entertainment, with Brett pointing to real signs of progress both in and outside conservative media circles.

Notable Quotes:

• “I think the conservatives are taking real strides… Even going back to what we were talking about with New York Fashion Week, the designer… is very publicly not in lockstep with the left…and she had an incredible show that was totally sold out…” – Brett (34:10)

Humorous Closing: Matt’s Death Wish On-Screen

[35:52 – 36:44]

• Matt asks if he can star in a future medieval epic purely to be killed onscreen (“my dream has been to die a heroic and gruesome death in a battle scene”).
• Brett jokes about filming creative death scenes for Matt on her farm.

Memorable Moments & Soundbites

• “I have been pretty upset at you for a while… for being such a bad influence on my wife and encouraging her in her delusions of being a farmer.” – Matt (03:36)
• “[Goats] smell. They’re ugly. They look satanic. Like, goats are a symbol of Satanism. Okay? They have these weird slit eyes…” – Matt (04:15)
• “My dream has been to die a heroic and gruesome death in a battle scene. I don’t need to be a character. I just want to die.” – Matt (35:52)

Key Timestamps and Segments

• [00:30 – 05:00] – Farm animal stories & rural life
• [05:00 – 08:30] – Fashion Week “controversy” & online outrage
• [10:15 – 15:00] – Looksmaxing, streaming personalities, and internet subcultures
• [15:00 – 17:59] – Death of monoculture & TikTok trends (e.g., “diagnosed as Chinese”)
• [19:48 – 23:05] – Nihilism in digital youth culture & Gen Alpha challenges
• [23:06 – 25:18] – Parenting, screens, and technology nostalgia
• [25:18 – 36:16] – The making of "Pendragon," conservative storytelling, and hope for the future

Summary

This episode delivers a blend of sharp-witted banter and meaningful cultural analysis, moving from amusing tales of animal husbandry to the complexities of online identity, media trends, generational divides, and the state of conservative entertainment. Brett Cooper provides insight into her personal and professional life, while Matt offers his trademark skepticism and humor. Together, they highlight the sometimes absurd nature of current culture—and the hope that creative work can make a difference, even in a fragmented world.