The Nerve with Maureen Callahan – October 21, 2025

Podcast Summary

Episode Theme:
Maureen Callahan, joined by celebrity reporter Rob Shooter, delivers sharp, skeptical, and often irreverent commentary on a week packed with bombshells: Prince Andrew’s forced royal exile (and the power struggle behind it), the status collapse of A-list movie stars in the era of influencers, and Drew Barrymore’s polarizing Emmy victory and recent viral TV antics.

Major Topics & Key Segments

1. Prince Andrew's (Final) Royal Exit: The Power Play at Buckingham Palace

(Starts ~04:54)

• Overview: Years after Jeffrey Epstein’s scandal and civil settlement, new developments have led to Prince Andrew being definitively ousted from the royal circle—an act orchestrated by Prince William, not King Charles.

• Key Points:

  • Power shift: William, frustrated with King Charles’s reluctance to act, used strategic timing with new revelations (Virginia Giuffre’s forthcoming book and police investigations) to force his father’s hand.
  • Daily Mail bombshell: London's Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations Andrew abused protection officers to obtain dirt on Giuffre—possibly including her Social Security number.
  • Royal family dynamics: Charles remains loyal to Andrew due to family ties and the influence of Queen Elizabeth’s legacy, but William’s assertiveness signals a monarchy firmly under his future control.
  • Implications for Meghan and Harry: This “chess move” sends a clear warning—the Sussexes might lose their remaining titles and royal privileges.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “[William] sat there, he waited for the right moment... he knows his dad, a very weak man. A nice man, but a weak man.”
    — Rob Shooter, 08:14
  • “It’s chess. It’s the long game that William plays. And now one would think that the gruesome twosome in Montecito might finally get the message that they are next…”
    — Maureen Callahan, 09:50

2. Meghan Markle's Designer Freebies, Publicity Hustle & Royal Fallout

(Starts ~12:21)

• Overview: Meghan Markle’s pursuit of free designer goods and association with luxury brands is dissected, with Rob revealing insider stories.
• Key Points:
  • Meghan’s penchant for borrowing designer clothes dates back to her actress days; her reputation among designers was marred by delayed returns.
  • When she joined the Royal Family, this practice was forbidden—Kate Middleton always buys her own.
  • Post-exit, Meghan reportedly resumes the “freebie” hustle, even hitting up Hermès for a brand deal (refused). Rob recounts a pre-Harry anecdote of Meghan pitching herself as a “lifestyle expert” at the Wendy Williams Show, pitching and self-promoting her way up.
  • The Sussexes, especially Meghan, are portrayed as deeply invested in maintaining publicity and status symbols (e.g., monogrammed bags, calculated photo ops).
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Megan likes to borrow clothes. She was told by the royal family she couldn't do that. Now…she can now do what she wants. So she's back to borrowing designer clothes and sending them back.”
    — Rob Shooter, 15:44
  • “Did you see her tote bag…monogrammed with an enormous D S? Please do not pay attention to me. I fled for my privacy. But just in case you missed it, I am, yes, the Duchess of Sussex.”
    — Maureen Callahan, 17:07

3. Celebrity Crisis: A-Listers in Decline, Influencer Takeover

(Starts ~24:02)

• Overview: Julia Roberts’ new film bombs; Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s breakup; the diminishing power of Hollywood movie stars versus online creators and influencers.
• Key Points:
  • Keith Urban/Nicole Kidman: Urban’s sloppiness with drugs is well-known, but reportedly, infidelity—not drugs—killed the marriage.
  • Julia Roberts’ flop: “After the Hunt” fails spectacularly at the box office despite heavy publicity, pointing to fading commercial power for former box office royals.
  • Industry analysis: Movie stars demand high fees but rarely deliver in ticket sales; the public prefers authenticity, now found more in influencers than A-listers.
  • Cultural transition: Traditional PR strategies, stage-managed media tours, and reliance on star power are no longer effective. Streaming and digital creators shift the paradigm.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “The movie star in America is no longer what it was. And I think that's a good thing… Those days of getting $20 million a movie are over.”
    — Rob Shooter, 25:00
  • “If you look at the covers of the magazines, it's not [A-listers] anymore. The time has moved on and they have not… playing the old game with the old keys is not going to unlock the new doors.”
    — Rob Shooter, 27:50

4. Jared Leto’s Fall & Hollywood’s Accountability Gap

(Starts ~34:24)

• Overview: Jared Leto's failed "Tron" reboot, overshadowed by allegations of sexual misconduct, symbolizes a larger unwillingness for public figures to make amends or retreat gracefully after scandal.
• Key Points:
  • Leto’s reputation as “creepy” and the multiple accusations against him create a “stink” that even big-budget projects can’t overcome.
  • There’s a new arrogance: scandals aren’t addressed—accused celebrities simply try to move on, skipping public acts of remorse, and hope the audience forgets.
  • This mindset is likened to Prince Andrew’s situation: the assumption of invulnerability is no longer working.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Good. I hope it never ever goes away… It’s the Prince Andrew thing. We're repeating the show… it's that arrogance.”
    — Rob Shooter, 35:12
  • “The old ways are broken. The model is smashed to dust. We all see what we see, and we talk to each other about it online. They just skip the middle part and they're like, hey, I'm just gonna go on with my life…”
    — Maureen Callahan, 37:00

5. Ashton Kutcher, Beauty Privilege, & The Pity Parade of Hollywood

(Starts ~39:43)

• Overview: Maureen rails against Ashton Kutcher’s claim that his “looks” cost him acting roles, arguing—bitingly—that talent and character shortcomings, not beauty, are the real issue. The segment skewers celebrities who feign victimhood over trivial industry gripes while ignoring actual privilege and, in some cases, misplaced public loyalty (e.g., writing letters for convicted friends).
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Ashton, you have lost out on roles because you are a one note actor, a one trick pony. You defended your friend Danny Masterson… Maybe you're just a piece of shit, and you're not talented enough for people to put up with it.”
    — Maureen Callahan, ~42:30

6. Listener Emails: Ryan Reynolds’ Arson, Military Gossip, and Alec Baldwin’s Traffic Menace

(Starts ~47:00)

• Listeners provide legal trivia about Canadian law (on alleged Ryan Reynolds' arson), insights about handling workplace duplicity in the military, and a parsing of Alec Baldwin’s habitually reckless behavior—each letter reinforcing themes of entitlement and unaccountability in the culture.

7. Drew Barrymore’s Emmy Triumph and Talk Show Meltdowns

(Begins ~57:52; Major deep dive at 57:52–1:15:00)

• Overview: Drew Barrymore wins three Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Host, just after making headlines for “inelegant” and boundary-crossing talk show moments.
• Key Points:
  • Maureen and Rob play and break down clips: Drew sniffing her own bare foot on air and offering it to a guest (“Disgusting. It’s disgusting.” —Maureen, 59:44), physically clinging to and kneeling before celebrity guests, and performing awkward, emotional, or inappropriate acts for the cameras.
  • Drew’s “please like me” affect and lack of boundaries reflect unresolved trauma and Hollywood’s child star machine, with references to her troubled childhood, substance history, and ongoing struggles.
  • Discussion includes a viral moment with Meghan Markle (Meghan shuts down Drew’s Diana story with a flat “That’s so sweet. I’ll have to tell H”), and Martha Stewart pushing Drew away after an over-personal question.
  • Larger point: The “authenticity” audiences crave is not what makes certain celebrities thrive but what makes others unwatchable.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “You're sitting on a panel on a daytime talk show and the host rips out her own bare foot... This is why I could never be like an ER doctor or nurse... It's gross to me. It's disgusting.”
    — Maureen Callahan, 59:44
  • “Every single guest like Drew is just petting them and fondling them and touching them and crawling in their lap... It's all like, please like me, please like me, please like me. It's very off-putting.”
    — Maureen Callahan, 1:01:15
  • “Drew’s complete lack of physical boundaries and her complete lack of what's appropriate... makes me think that, you know, we know what a lot of these child stars went through.”
    — Maureen Callahan, 1:15:00

Memorable One-Liners & Moments

• “Meghan and Harry, he pulled her off. It was very, very uncomfortable. The weirdest moment in New York... Nobody understood why are they getting this award? Like why are they here?”
  — Rob Shooter, 12:28

• “If you see Kate Middleton wear something, she bought it and she bought it for retail. She did not get a VIP HRH discount.”
  — Rob Shooter, 13:40

• “Julia Roberts makes her money from... the fragrance company. So she's making millions and millions of dollars doing that. And I think this is like a hobby now. It’s not a hobby to the movie studio.”
  — Rob Shooter, 26:34

• “I used to rep Jennifer Lopez. And they can't believe that the world has changed... it's absolutely perplexing that Kim Kardashian and these young influencers... it's not them.”
  — Rob Shooter, 27:50

• “You're not really in the entertainment business. You're in the friendship business. People want a friend— the celebrities that get that... Those are the celebrities that are going to survive this massive change.”
  — Rob Shooter, 33:12

Episode Timeline Overview

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:01 | Episode intro & lineup | | 04:17 | Rob Shooter joins; intro | | 04:54–12:00 | Royal drama: Prince Andrew's ouster; William’s chess move | | 12:21–18:48 | Meghan Markle’s designer freebie hustle, brand pitches | | 18:48–24:02 | Meghan’s pre-royal publicity stunts; anecdotes | | 24:02–34:24 | Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban breakup, Julia Roberts’ flop, industry shift| | 34:24–39:43 | Jared Leto’s downfall, masculinity of movie forgiveness | | 39:43–47:00 | Ashton Kutcher’s ‘looks’ complaint & celebrity beauty privilege | | 47:00–57:52 | Listener emails (Ryan Reynolds, military leadership, Alec Baldwin) | | 57:52–1:15:00| Drew Barrymore’s Emmy, talk show criticism, boundary issues |

Concluding Thoughts

Maureen and Rob dissect the high and low moments of celebrity and culture with signature acidity, exposing the gap between public image and truth, the end of A-list invulnerability, and the complex appeal (and repulsion) of “authenticity.” Whether eviscerating Drew Barrymore’s oversharing, parsing the Sussexes’ status anxieties, or lamenting Hollywood’s lost glamour, "The Nerve" lives up to its name—skewering those with none.