The Nerve with Maureen Callahan

Episode Summary: Meghan Markle's Netflix Split, Gwyneth Paltrow's Diarrhea-gate, and Amy Schumer's Image Rebrand

Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Maureen Callahan
Guests: Rob Shooter, Marlena (Producer)

Overview

In this scorching, irreverent episode, Maureen Callahan and guests take on the week's most talked-about (and least polite) pop culture stories. Gossip maven Rob Shooter joins to dish on Timothée Chalamet's love life and botched Oscar campaign, Meghan Markle's waning cultural power, the legendary Gwyneth Paltrow "diarrhea-gate" saga, and Hollywood's ongoing existential crisis. Later, producer Marlena joins Maureen to skewer workplace "learned helplessness" among Gen Z, and dissect Amy Schumer's dramatic body image rebrand and rumored marital troubles. The episode is packed with searing takes, industry insider anecdotes, and raucous humor in signature Nerve style.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Timothée Chalamet & The Oscar Debacle (04:38–13:48)

The Chalamet–Jenner Breakup Rumors (04:38–08:12)

• Chalamet and Kylie Jenner: Conflicting reports over whether they've broken up; tabloid sources say yes, but People (seen as celebrity-friendly) denies it.

  • Rob Shooter: "People magazine would not run any stories about it, any speculation until a publicist confirmed it. ...I don’t absolutely, totally trust when they say that they are still together." [05:17]
  • Maureen: Paints Chalamet as a wannabe "serious artiste" who can’t win an Oscar while dating a Kardashian.

• Oscars Snobbery:

  • Rob explains that “dating a Kardashian is the kiss of death in this snobby Oscar world” [08:12], suggesting Chalamet’s relationship affects his award chances.
  • “There’s still a real snobby elite group that run the Oscars... They do not take Vel to the Kardashians.” — Rob [08:12]

Chalamet’s Pr Stunts & "Marty Supreme" Snafu (09:13–13:48)

• PR advice: Maureen and Rob joke about Oscar tactics (bring your mother, get a dog).

  • "Bring mommy. If you’ve got a friend in a wheelchair... that always helps." — Rob [09:33]

• Zoom Call Leak: Chalamet released a video of himself berating A24’s marketing team, coming off pompous and clueless.

  • “He thinks he looks like a baller... He looks unwashed. He looks disgusting... we gotta be intentional, relentless.” — Maureen [13:48]
  • Rob notes, "That video has just set him up... it either rises or falls on his shoulders. This is somebody with terrible judgment. This is not how you win." [12:18]

• Marty Supreme Trailer: Maureen mocks Chalamet’s ping pong Oscar bid as “a disturbing tableau”—“He looks like a 12-year-old boy... and then we’re down in the underworld—ping pong!” [15:01]

The Broader Hollywood Crisis (16:37–20:25)

• Glen Powell’s Flop: Hollywood is panicking as even ‘sure things’ (Powell’s action movie) bomb at the box office.
  • "Glenn Powell is not a movie star. Keep making movies where you’re not carrying the whole movie on your back." — Rob [18:25]
• Movie stardom is “over”—it’s all about story, not actor, say both.

2. Meghan Markle & Her Netflix Flameout (20:33–26:41)

Netflix Severing Ties (20:33–23:43)

• Netflix Exiting ‘As Ever’ Products: Netflix refuses to carry Meghan’s lifestyle brand in its Dallas flagship store; in fact, "no stores now. That isn’t for lack of trying. There’s just no demand." — Rob [21:53]

• Even big-box stores don’t want her merch.

• Maureen: "There’s not even a hate-watching aspect. We’re just exhausted by her." [23:44]

• Interest is totally flatlining—even "the 80 in the middle" (casuals/neutrals) now don’t care, per Rob’s Substack analytics. “It’s shocking. ...Even the villains out there have kept themselves relevant. Meghan is no longer relevant. It’s over.” — Rob [23:59]

Meghan’s Ruined Cameo and Being Unhireable (25:17–26:41)

• Meghan spoiled her own Amazon cameo, revealing it too early and ruining the PR value. "She wasted the trump card... Now other studios, other people that were thinking about cameos, they ain’t gonna do it." — Rob [26:41]

3. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Legendary "Diarrhea-gate" (26:41–32:10)

• The Fallout: Socialite Derek Blasberg’s “nightmare” incident at Gwyneth’s Hamptons home: “He literally shat the bed... blast radius... like blood splatter, crime scene levels.” — Maureen [26:41]
• Gwyneth tells everyone; friendship ruined, rumors swirl it was Ozempic-related (Paltrow denies). Blasberg never apologized.
  • Rob: “He never apologized. He didn’t even send a text. She had to send in a team that cleans up death scenes.” [30:32]
• This reputation-killing incident is gleefully dissected, with Rob deploying endless puns: "He literally shat his career. His whole career went down the toilet that day." [29:55]
• Maureen: "If you were cheeky... you’d have T-shirts, you’d have mugs. ...But Derek takes himself so seriously." [31:36]

4. The Implosion of Gen Z Workplace Culture (40:57–56:38)

Modern Email Etiquette & "Triggers" (40:57–43:16)

• Absurd sensitivities: Maureen ridicules reports that saying “Need this ASAP” in a work email is now ‘triggering’ for Gen Z.
  • “If ASAP is triggering you, I don’t think you should be in the workplace now.” — Maureen [41:05]

Shocking Gen Z Parental Dependence (43:16–56:38)

• Stats: 79% of Gen Zers have parents communicate with their boss, 57% bring parents to work, 73% get parental help with work.
  • Maureen: "If my child called me and said, I want you to come to work and look over my performance review… we’re going to go take you somewhere to get some help." [43:16]

Marlena’s Media Horror Stories

• Casey Anthony Trial (44:18–47:50):

  • Employee claimed stress prevented egg freezing, blamed Marlena for her inability to have children. "She held me quote, single-handedly responsible for never being able to have children." — Marlena [47:06]

• Refusing to Buy a Charger (48:20–52:08):

  • Weekend emergency, staffer unreachable because her BlackBerry died; refused to buy a charger despite being in suburban NJ/NY.
  • Marlena: "She tried to get HR to open a file on you because she didn’t charge her phone." — Maureen [52:08]

• Diagnosis: "Learned helplessness"

  • Maureen: "Who’s responsible for this? Gen X, helicopter parenting, learned helplessness..." [52:36]
  • Marlena: "Does everybody have some sort of nepo complex?" [54:13]

• Remote work/socialization gap: Marlena argues “they don’t really interact the way you and I did”—so Gen Z leans on parents to navigate face-to-face workplace scenarios.

5. Amy Schumer’s Weight Loss Rebrand & Personal Drama (60:14–83:06)

Wiping Out the Old Amy (60:14–66:35)

• Amy Schumer deletes all old "fat" photos from Instagram after weight loss: "Four pictures… She hated herself when she was overweight." — Maureen [60:14]
• Maureen brands the old body-positivity routine a “big freaking lie”—celebs just wanted to be skinny.

Marriage Meltdown—"Autism or Assholism?" (64:45–68:00)

• Amy’s husband Chris Fisher: Maureen shares gossip he’s a “climber,” claims Schumer "settled" before weight loss.

  • Schumer’s SNL jokes about his autism diagnosis; both Maureen and Marlena skeptical.
  • "Is it autistic or is it just being a dick?" — Maureen [66:35]
  • "She’s obviously explaining away his bad behavior... She just kind of took an online survey of him." — Marlena [64:45]

• Predict Schumer may leave him as she feels her market value rises.

Amy’s Comedy, Joke Stealing Accusations, and Self-Loathing (68:21–83:06)

• Comedy Analysis: Her material lambasted as unfunny, gross, self-loathing.

  • "There have been rumors for years that Amy Schumer is an unre thief [thief] of other comics materials." — Maureen [70:43]
  • Marlena: "The only reason she gets away with it is because she’s a blonde pretty girl." [72:06]

• Both decry the trend of female comics (Schumer, Nikki Glaser) basing self-worth on sexual attractiveness.

  • "Their number one animating factor is am I effable? ...Like, how sad is that?" — Maureen [79:44]

The Inevitable Downturn

• Predict Schumer loses her "superpower" (rage at being unattractive) now that she’s thin, risking both her relatability and comedic edge.

6. Notable Quote: Billy Bob Thornton on Celebrity Obligations (85:29–86:07)

• On why he greets and takes photos with fans:
  • "Because they put my kids through school. ...Anybody who doesn’t come out of their trailer... ignores the fans and walks past them like they mean nothing, I think that’s a bad thing for our business." — Billy Bob Thornton [85:29]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Chalamet:

  • “Dating a Kardashian is the kiss of death in this snobby Oscar world.” — Rob Shooter [08:12]
  • "He looks unwashed. He looks disgusting." — Maureen Callahan [13:48]

• On Meghan Markle:

  • "Now the people that love her... it's 10. Now the people that hate her... it's 10. So it's that 80 in the middle... she has completely lost." — Rob Shooter [23:59]

• On Diarrhea-gate:

  • “He literally shat his career. His whole career went down the toilet.” — Rob Shooter [29:55]

• On Gen Z:

  • “If ASAP is triggering you, I don’t think you should be in the workplace now.” — Maureen Callahan [41:05]
  • "If my child called me and said, I want you to come to work and look over my performance review…we’re going to go take you somewhere to get some help." — Maureen [43:16]

• On Amy Schumer:

  • “Turns out Amy was full of shit all along. She just wanted to be skinny and pretty.” — Maureen Callahan [60:14]
  • "Is it autistic or is it just being a dick?" — Maureen [66:35]
  • "Her number one animating factor is am I effable? ...Like, how sad is that?" — Maureen Callahan [79:44]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Chalamet & Jenner Breakup: 04:38–08:12
• Chalamet’s Oscar Campaign & "Marty Supreme": 09:13–13:48
• Hollywood Box Office Panic (Glen Powell): 16:37–20:25
• Meghan Markle’s Netflix Downfall: 20:33–26:41
• Gwyneth’s Diarrhea-gate: 26:41–32:10
• Gen Z Workplace Critique: 40:57–56:38
• Amy Schumer Image Rebrand/Marriage: 60:14–83:06
• Billy Bob Thornton Quote: 85:29–86:07

Final Thoughts

This episode crackles with Callahan’s signature mix of cultural insight, dark humor, and a take-no-prisoners approach to Hollywood, celebrity, and society’s sacred cows. For listeners seeking a sharply skeptical, unfiltered rundown of the week’s juiciest pop culture drama—delivered with intelligence and bite—this episode delivers in spades.