Podcast Summary: The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Episode: Raging Moderates: Why Jimmy Kimmel Returned

Date: September 24, 2025
Hosts: Scott Galloway & Jessica Tarlov

Overview

This episode of Raging Moderates explores several hot-button political and cultural stories through a centrist lens. The headline topic is the reinstatement of Jimmy Kimmel to ABC after his controversial suspension, which sparked national debate on free speech and the role of corporate power in media. The hosts dive into the implications for democracy, corporate communications, and the shifting tides in political power. Other main segments include a discussion of Trump’s unproven medical claims about Tylenol and autism, and Trump’s ongoing remodeling of the White House, which the hosts use as a lens to critique both his leadership style and the state of American democracy.

Main Topics and Discussion Points

1. Banter, Rosh Hashanah, and Parenting Talk

[01:45–04:55]

• Brief and playful exchanges about Jewish heritage (“Shanah Tovah… Yes, let’s Jew it up.” – Jessica, [01:53]), kids, and personal reflections on parenting.
• Scott jokingly admits to having a favorite child, but notes, “It switches. Like, I go through phases... The reason I'm so fond of my oldest is that he's a mini me…” ([03:37])

2. The Jimmy Kimmel Suspension & Return: Media, Power, and Free Speech

[04:56–15:34]

Key Points:

• The Situation: Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from ABC after making controversial comments; the move received bipartisan backlash and public boycotts, focusing national attention on free speech and corporate influence.
• Corporate Communications’ Role: Scott discusses how the landscape of corporate communication has changed rapidly, noting, “Corporate comms… has been one of the greatest ROIs for corporate America… it's all about the story.” ([08:12])
• Disney’s Reversal: Jessica highlights the grassroots resistance, including boycott threats and an ACLU-organized artists’ letter (Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and others). She states, “You are not powerless...you can cancel your subscription… and guess what? They’re going to pay attention to that.” ([05:55])
• Failure of Leadership: Scott lambasts CEO Bob Iger, “Bob Iger, you are a terrible American. You have turned your back on the ideals… that have made you a fucking billionaire…” ([12:48])
• Implications for Media: Local TV (Sinclair affiliates) refuse to air Kimmel, favoring conservative content instead. Jessica: “When they took Jimmy off air… they aired a Charlie Kirk documentary… The CEO of Sinclair donated a quarter of a million dollars to Turning Point…” ([15:34])

Notable Quotes:

• “There has never been… a CEO in the Fortune 500 that is more ripe to be fired. There absolutely is someone at Disney right now that should be cancelled, and it should be the CEO.” – Scott ([13:55])
• “Good day for democracy. Good day for the First Amendment. A lot of pressure on Jimmy Kimmel, though.” – Jessica ([06:37])

3. Business Implications: The Decline of Local TV and Rise of Podcasting

[17:31–22:34]

Key Points:

• Scott predicts continued consolidation in traditional media (e.g., Sinclair and Tegna merger), as audiences dwindle and advertisers shift dollars to new platforms: “Ad rates and ad spending on podcasts have gone through the roof… capital is going to flow away from these declining businesses.” ([18:20])
• The Kimmel reversal as economic activism: “The most exciting thing… is that people, consumers, are starting to flex their consumer muscles. And at the end of the day… they are totally focused on nothing but the value of their shares.” ([20:37])
• Critique of corporate cowardice in the face of authoritarian moves: “People are actually more hostile towards the cowards than the strongman themselves… Those who enabled it, when tested, failed.” ([21:26])

4. Trump’s Tylenol/Autism Claims: Anti-Science, Personal Experience, and Grift

[26:07–41:16]

Key Points:

• Trump claims the FDA will warn doctors about a supposed link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use in pregnancy and autism, despite lack of credible evidence.
  • “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it... fight like hell not to take it.” – Trump ([26:53])
• Jessica offers a personal, passionate rebuttal:
  • “The anti-science angle, the stupidity, the cruelty… Tylenol is the one thing a woman can take during this nine month period… The guilt that women feel… And these guys just stand up there with nothing grounded in science.” ([27:20])
  • She draws attention to the anxiety mothers face under misinformation, critiquing the “grift element” involving RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz supplement ties.
• Scott discusses the overdiagnosis and expanded definition of autism, suggesting much of the rise in rates is due to changes in the diagnostic umbrella as well as parental anxiety (“Every parent I know from a wealthy household has had their kid tested for autism…” [33:41]).
• Jessica points to old paternal age as a more significant factor than maternal Tylenol use: “It’s old dads… are we banning Viagra or Cialis?” ([36:58])
• The hosts agree this was likely a diversion tactic: “Their job right now… is to every day release, announce something… get [Trump] to mispronounce acetaminophen and that’ll dominate the news cycle and push out the word… Epstein.” – Scott ([38:00])

Notable Quotes:

• “RFK Jr. is an idiot. He is a dangerous man who… has the potential to create more death, disease and disability than any cabinet member in history.” – Scott ([38:23])

5. Crisis Communications: The Tylenol Cautionary Tale

[41:16–41:45]

• Scott uses the Tylenol cyanide crisis as a model for corporate responsibility: “The ultimate example of crisis management, how to do it well, is Johnson & Johnson and Tylenol… even if it costs us shareholder value, we are fiduciaries for Americans. Fucking Bob Iger.” ([40:13])

6. Trump’s White House Remodeling: Tacky Taste and Ethics Failures

[43:56–50:47]

Key Points:

• Trump is installing gold decor throughout the Oval Office and constructing a lavish 90,000 sq-ft ballroom, funded by private donors.
• The hosts lampoon his “tacky” taste (“I want it to look like an Iraqi whorehouse… there was clearly no gay man involved in this process.” – Scott, [47:32]), and note the lack of historical reverence: “He has no sense of history or desire to be part of presidential history… it’s so lacking in perspective on what role he’s actually playing…” – Jessica ([45:07])
• Discussion of how Trump family wealth has skyrocketed post-presidency, exposing loopholes in ethics laws: “They are just laughing… our ethics laws… are not strong enough to meet the moment of this level of grift.” – Jessica ([46:55])
• Critique of media’s obsession with wealth and taste (“It’s wealth porn. But… do you think anyone actually believes David Hasselhoff just has incredible taste around mid-century modern architecture?” – Scott, [49:10])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Bob Iger, you are a terrible American. … You should be fired. They fired the wrong guy.” – Scott Galloway ([12:48])
• “The anti-science angle, the stupidity, the cruelty… Tylenol is the one thing a woman can take during this nine month period…” – Jessica Tarlov ([27:20])
• “RFK Jr. is an idiot. He is a dangerous man...” – Scott Galloway ([38:23])
• “He has no sense of history or desire to be part of presidential history. … It’s so lacking in perspective…” – Jessica Tarlov ([45:07])
• “There was clearly no gay man involved in this process. … This thing is so tacky.” – Scott Galloway ([47:32])

Timestamps for Core Segments

• Opening banter & parenting: [01:45–04:55]
• Jimmy Kimmel/Disney controversy: [04:56–15:34]
• Sinclair, merger, media decline: [17:31–22:34]
• Trump's Tylenol remarks & RFK Jr.: [26:07–41:16]
• Crisis communications (Tylenol case): [41:16–41:45]
• Trump’s White House redesign & ethics: [43:56–50:47]
• Closing remarks: [50:47–51:15]

Tone and Language

The episode is witty, irreverent, passionate, and often profane—true to both hosts’ personalities. There’s a genuine sense of frustration with institutional cowardice and a focus on personal stories to illustrate larger societal points. Both hosts demonstrate a clear centrist skepticism of partisan excess and authoritarian drift.

Useful Takeaways

• The Jimmy Kimmel suspension/return illustrates the power of grassroots activism, corporate cowardice, and the fragility of American free speech norms in the face of political pressure.
• Media industry economics are shifting: traditional TV is in secular decline, while podcasts and influencer-driven media rise.
• Unscientific policy stances (such as the Tylenol/autism link) can rapidly harm public health and are often stoked for political distraction.
• Trump’s material and symbolic alterations of the presidency highlight both aesthetic vulgarity and the scale of political grift enabled by weak institutional norms.

An insightful, fiery, and entertaining dissection of American power, culture, and what happens when “centrism” means holding the line for basic democratic and scientific norms.