The Read: "Best Of 2025" (Published Dec 25, 2025)

Podcast: The Read
Hosts: Kid Fury & Crissle
Episode Type: Annual "Best Of" – listener-chosen standout moments and classic Read-style advice

Episode Overview

This "Best Of 2025" episode is a festive, wide-ranging compilation of the year’s funniest, shadiest, and most candid moments as chosen by fans. Kid Fury and Crissle revisit everything from messy hip-hop beefs and pop culture showdowns to their signature advice for listeners in sticky personal situations. True to their style, topics move from sharp cultural commentary to playful roasting, all filtered through their irreverent NY-by-way-of-Miami-and-Oklahoma personalities.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Segments

1. Pop Culture Shade: Sydney Sweeney, The White House & American Eagle Ad Backlash

• Timestamps: 03:14–08:37
• Hosts clown recent American Eagle ads featuring Sydney Sweeney, along with the bizarre spin-up from conservatives and even the President’s social media comments.
• Kid Fury critiques the ad’s racial undertones:

  “Y’all have for so long deluded yourself and attempted to delude the rest of the world into believing that white, blonde, blue-eyed women are so beautiful that y’all bitches just look at any blonde white woman and think, ‘oh, she's so pretty.’ It is not hard to be quote unquote pretty… when you're white and blonde.” (05:04)

• Crissle skewers Fox News’ priorities:

  “It was the ridiculousness of the content of the ad... and the way y’all are acting like this is bigger news than what Trump is doing as president.” (07:21)

2. Beef Breakdown: Cam’ron vs. Omar Gooding

• Timestamps: 08:51–28:46
• A wild digression covers Cam’ron’s seemingly random shade towards Omar Gooding, leading to music industry-level pettiness.
• Omar fires back with multiple rap diss tracks—hosts debate who’s actually “winning.”
• Kid Fury:

  “He spent real money to put together an audition, a booking, a shoot… just to be like, hey nigga, that movie you thought that you got booked for, it's not coming out. Well, he still got paid. You paid him right after he made 3, 4 diss records towards you.” (16:32)

• Crissle, on Cam’s elaborate (and ineffective) prank:

  “I cannot believe what I'm looking at right now… It's beyond childish.” (17:47)

• Ultimately, the consensus is Omar came out on top, getting paid and putting out music, while Cam’ron looked pressed and unbothered.

3. Chloe Bailey & Burna Boy – International Love & Cultural Humour

• Timestamps: 29:10–31:45
• Crissle loses it over photos of Chloe Bailey cozying up to Burna Boy.
• “It is something about African and Caribbean genitals. Dick especially.” (29:13)
• Multiple comedic anecdotes about friends lost "to Jamaican dick... Nigerian dick."

4. Interview Excerpt: Ms. Tina (Knowles) Remembers Friendship, Family, and Beyoncé’s Touch

• Timestamps: 31:47–40:01
• Ms. Tina Knowles shares heartwarming stories about her late friend Johnny, family support for LGBTQ relatives, and the serendipity of Beyoncé's album release.
• “He prophesied that he manifested it, and she came out with that record, and then I would go to these concerts, and... that picture at the end of the concert of me and him…” (33:51)
• Reflection on familial acceptance vs. societal expectations and how her progressive upbringing shapes her advocacy to this day.

5. Black Church Critique: Marvin Winans’ Building Fund Antics

• Timestamps: 42:52–54:10
• The hosts react to viral clips of Pastor Marvin Winans scolding a church member for only bringing $1,200 instead of $2,000 for a building fund.
• Kid Fury:

  “$1,000 as a nigga in this economy on this nation, for the building fund, mind you... To me in this economy is so past bold... It’s so brazen… venomous.” (45:51)

• Crissle emphasizes empathy for working people—memorable biblical allusion:

  “It will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to see the kingdom of heaven.” (50:00)

6. Cardi B Antics: Lawsuits, Shade, (Maybe) Pregnancy, and “Growth”

• Timestamps: 68:04–78:30
• Cardi B dodges a $24M lawsuit, but immediately gets into more hot water for throwing a pen at a reporter upon leaving court.
• The hosts roast Cardi’s claims of “learning to control my emotions” (73:32), question her maturity, and bemoan her recurring legal issues.
• “You are 32 with three and a possible kids. I’m not seeing the growth here.” (76:00)

7. Advice Letters: Relationship Woes, Petty In-Laws, and Messy Proposals

a. Masturbation Drama in a Lesbian Marriage

• Timestamps: 85:13–97:50
• Listener’s wife is scandalized by revelation of solo play.
• Crissle, candid:

  “I’m not explaining to no 67-year-old dyke that I like to touch myself... I’m not going to feel bad about it.” (93:04)

b. Mother-in-Law Oversteps with Pregnancy News

• Timestamps: 98:15–114:01
• Another listener’s MIL repeatedly steals milestones; hosts advocate for setting boundaries and letting the husband lay down the law.
• Kid Fury:

  “I’m setting the boundary with no sugar on top. I'm setting the boundary and I'm standing 10 swollen toes on the top of that.” (102:16)

c. Unimpressed with Proposal, Demands a Do-Over

• Timestamps: 116:07–134:26
• Sandra’s fiancé flubs a surprise proposal; she wants a redo.
• Both hosts encourage reflection:

  “It sounds like you want all that so that Instagram and Facebook give you the compliments you want.” (125:57) “You could have an engagement party… all these other things you’re gonna have pictures and glam and stuff for anyway.” (132:16)

d. Friend's Creepy Boyfriend Sends Wild Texts

• Timestamps: 137:01–146:06
• Listener debates telling her friend about the boyfriend’s bizarre “parallel universe” love texts.
• Kid Fury:

  “The longer you take to say something, the longer you are going to exist in the middle of it.” (139:48)

• Crissle:

  “Why wouldn’t you just say, if something happened, I would regret not expressing how I really felt?… Why would you say, if Donald Trump walked up to you on Fifth Avenue and blew your brains out, I would just be devastated that I never told you how perky your titties are.” (143:05)

Other Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Cam’ron’s pettiness:
  “God help me if I ever think that putting money in my ops pocket is the way to win a beef.” (23:28)
• On church-building scams:
  “That church still not done after 20 damn years? But you have a home.” (51:58)
• On setting boundaries with elders:
  “I’m not allowing you to set no standard of how this family thing is going… You already getting too spicy...” (105:01)
• On messy proposals/weddings:
  “You want a Disney story. Tiana without the frog.” (118:38)

Episode Tone

True to The Read’s brand, this episode is both hilariously petty and radically affirming. Shade is thrown with wit, but the hosts always drop deep, sometimes tough advice, centering self-respect, boundaries, and community support. Whether dissecting pop culture or weighing in on listener dilemmas, Kid Fury and Crissle are candid, compassionate, and absolutely unfiltered.

Recommended Segments to Listen To:

• American Eagle ad/White House tangent: 03:14–08:37
• Cam’ron vs. Omar Gooding saga: 08:51–28:46
• Ms. Tina Knowles interview: 31:47–40:01
• Advice Letters (especially Mother-in-Law drama): 98:15–114:01

If you want a mix of pop culture hilarity, sage advice, and razor-sharp commentary about Black life and celebrity, this “Best Of” is a perfect sampler plate of what makes The Read beloved.