Podcast Summary: The Toast

Episode: The Story Of Us: Friday, December 12th, 2025
Hosts: Jackie & Claudia Oshry (with guest Jenny McCarthy)
Date: December 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This lively year-end episode of The Toast is a celebration of reunion, pop culture rundowns, personal milestones, and a special interview with Jenny McCarthy. Jackie returns from maternity leave to join Claudia, and the duo reflect on the year, recap headlines, and dive into fan-favorite banter. The episode closes with an in-depth and refreshingly candid conversation with Jenny McCarthy, spanning her career, motherhood, pop culture, and clean beauty entrepreneurship.

Key Moments & Discussion Points

1. Jackie’s Return & Sisterly Catch-Up

• [00:25–03:01] Jackie returns from maternity leave; playful banter about their families and inside jokes about "Max and Ruby" (their kids' names matching the cartoon).
• [01:46] Notable: Claudia teases, “Jenny don't give a—she’ll talk about anything,” referring to their guest interview.
• [03:07–05:59] Reflections on publicist nightmares and the honest realities of working with celebrity interviews; both hosts grateful to not host an interview-based show.

2. "Co-jouner's Truth" Segment

• [04:07–06:16] A recurring segment where Jackie and Claudia share a secret or confession, ranging from postpartum weaning tips (cabbage in the bra!) to Jackie’s busy-mom reality ("I have a brisket in the crock [pot]").
  • [05:02] “You don’t know it because… I’m covered in cabbage. Like, there’s cabbage everywhere.” – Claudia
  • [06:03] “You’ve got a built-in snack.” – Jackie
• [06:19–07:10] Jackie’s “truth”: Excitement to be back, mom life logistics, and making time for TV and podcasts.

3. Pop Culture & TV Roundup

• [07:12–14:14]
  • Discussions about Bethenny Frankel’s media presence (“I’ve become a superfan…”) and a serendipitous Bethenny sighting on the beach.
  • Review of podcasts and YouTube cookery; cooking inspiration from Alison Roman.
  • Claudia notes today's headlines (“The stories are more of a springboard for what we care about”).
  • Charlie Puth's upcoming national anthem performance at the Super Bowl is debated:
    • [09:06] “He’s a great vocal talent, and I think he’ll do a great job at the Super Bowl…” – Jackie
    • [09:32] “Unlike Illyria, I do discriminate based on gender…the fact that he’s a man is weird, but he sings well…” – Claudia

4. TV Hosting Shakeups: Jenna & Friends

• [10:07–13:08]
  • Chanel Jones is revealed as the new co-host with Jenna Bush Hager (“Duh. She’s the host…”).
    • [10:21] “She’s worked her way up, she’s friends with Jenna…” – Jackie
  • Transparency issues with the process; Justin Sylvester’s Instagram comeback using a “Devil Wears Prada” meme is highlighted.
  • [12:21] “It wasn’t an audition.” – Claudia

5. Celebrity Relationship News

• [13:19–14:30]
  • Glenn Powell & Michelle Randolph’s relationship compared to “the biggest ship in the port.”
  • Braxton and Alex (“Bralecks”) breaking up; Jackie is “in mourning”
    • [14:19] “I’m not cheering on the breakup…I liked it. So I’m just in mourning.” – Jackie

Fast Five Stories Rundown

1. Time’s Person of the Year: The Architects of AI

Discussion: The impact of AI and those leading its advancements.

• [21:07–26:04]
  • Breakdown of those featured: Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Lisa Su, Jensen Huang, others.
  • [22:51] Quotes: “This year I stopped being all about the future and roared into the present.” – Claudia
  • Personal AI stories: Claudia asks ChatGPT to tell her “what you learned about me this year,” sparking laughs and relatability.
  • [25:03] “You care deeply about home, how it looks, feels, and functions…” – Jackie reads ChatGPT summary

2. Personal Picks for "Person of the Year"

• [28:53–30:10]
  • Entertainment: Alex Earl ("she entertained me in all formats.") – Claudia
  • Breakthrough: The Nader Sisters; CEO: Ben Safran (Spritz Society).

3. Khloé Kardashian Shoots Her Shot

Khloé Kardashian publicly flirts with teacher Jacob Myers Norris on Instagram.

• [31:18–34:13]
  • [32:28] “I’m so obsessed with this. It’s so pure, it’s so beautiful. They have to meet now.” – Jackie
  • Speculation whether this storyline will appear on Kardashians; both hosts agree Khloé should date a “regular guy,” but maybe not that regular.

4. Paramount's Hostile Bid for Warner Bros.

Streaming wars heat up as Paramount attempts a major takeover.

• [35:38–38:38]
  • [37:23] Jackie: “Big news…but it’s a little too much for my foggy mom brain to compute at the moment.”
  • Discussion on dominance of streamers, Netflix’s growing power, and why competition among platforms matters.
  • [38:07] “The fact that there are so many streamers keeps pricing competitive.” – Claudia

5. Summer House Drama: Loverboy vs Truly

Reality TV scandal as Kyle (Loverboy founder) caught shotgunning a rival drink (Truly).

• [38:57–45:55]
  • Summer House trailer breakdown; Amanda and Kyle’s on-again, off-again relationship:
  • [42:10] “He drinks a lot of his own beverage. Now, Kyle Cook famously allegedly got Hannah Burner fired…because she took a deal with Truly…”
  • Fan theories about what Summer House cast actually drinks for appearances.
  • Deep discussion on Amanda’s motivations for staying with Kyle. Jackie: “I don’t read it as she’s so in love with him… She barely likes him.”
    • [45:06] Claudia: “I don’t know. I kind of ship them.”

[Other Notable Segments]

• Reality TV Corner:
  • Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Monica drama/“Monica Gate”), Jen Shaw’s exit.
  • Bravo and The Kardashians relationship analysis (Chris Jenner inviting exes, family divides).

Year at a Glance & Closing Reflections

• [59:07–61:38]
  • Jackie and Claudia reflect on personal milestones: two maternity leaves, the durability of their audience, new show formats, and thanks to their listeners.
    • [60:10] “Shout out to the toasters for sticking with us from two maternity leaves in one year.” – Claudia
    • [60:45] “We’re gonna do a lot of ‘at a glance’ on Patreon this month…our favorite stories, top stories of the year.” – Jackie

FEATURE INTERVIEW: Jenny McCarthy

[63:17–97:50]

Main Topics:

• Career Highlights & Pop Culture Journey:
  • [63:59] “[The View] was really difficult…like, I was hired to say, ‘who’s the best dancer on Dancing With the Stars?’…next thing, I’m talking hostages and politics.”
  • [65:27] Meeting Donnie Wahlberg on Watch What Happens Live; their first flirt; pop culture dream story.
  • [67:30] “If you haven’t seen it, please look up the Jenny McCarthy Show on VH1… we’re laying on the ground licking lollipops…”
• Masked Singer Era:
  • [69:14] “There’s a lot of times where I might guess too soon, and they’ll remove it out of the edit.”
  • [72:11] “I’ve had execs come to my dressing room and say, ‘you need to calm down.’ But it’s my job to guess who’s underneath the mask!”
  • [73:03] Claudia shares she once auditioned for Masked Singer; both agree she’d win.
  • [74:51] Dream costumes: “I would be a cheeseburger—I’m a Wahlberger!” – Jenny
• Motherhood & Clean Beauty:
  • [76:22] “I wanted four kids…when they handed me my son, I was like, this is what life’s all about.”
  • [77:19] “Giving it time and being good role models” – McCarthy’s blended family advice
  • [95:00] Launching Formless Beauty: “I created this out of a desperate need… if you want to get pregnant…please test for [MTHFR]”
• Pop Culture Takes:
  • [82:03] “I’ve never been a Swiftie…But now, I’m singing along, and I realized, that was Taylor Swift!”
  • [84:51] On Harry & Meghan: “I have empathy…but my diagnosis…there might be a bit of narcissism in there.”
  • [88:24] On Kardashians: “I love Chloe. I want her to branch outside her family for guests.”
  • [90:24] On Kardashian family dynamics: “I think therapy is its own main character in the show.”
• Bravo Rumors & Reality TV Rejections:
  • [93:46] “Bethenny emailed me and said, ‘I’d love for you to come on Housewives of New York’...but I was living in Jersey.”
• Clean Beauty Deep Dive:
  • [95:00–96:34] McCarthy’s passion for developing clean products, especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
  • [96:58] “We followed the environmental working group guidelines—they gave us a 900-page list of unacceptable ingredients. We have none of them.”
  • Special code for listeners: 10% off Formless Beauty with code TOAST.

Memorable Quotes

• Claudia:

  • “Jenny don’t give a—she’ll talk about anything.” [01:46]
  • “I don’t know. I kind of ship them [Kyle & Amanda].” [45:06]

• Jackie:

  • “You’ve got a built-in snack.” (About cabbage bras for weaning) [06:03]
  • “Possession is 9/10ths of the law.” (On Netflix taking over HBO content) [37:45]
  • “It’s entertainment. I want to watch my show!” [46:49]

• Jenny McCarthy:

  • “I was hired to be a pop culture…bring the light to The View…then it went back to political fighting. I could not handle that as a human being.” [64:15]
  • “We are as females—we are creators. We create a human being.” [76:22]
  • “There’s a lot of times I might guess too soon, and they’ll remove it out of the edit.” [72:01]
  • “If there’s any haters, they’re definitely quiet…the sisterhood [Donnie’s fans] would attack the one.” [80:09]

Highlight Timestamps

• Jackie returns & Max and Ruby banter: [00:25–02:36]
• "Co-jouner’s Truth" confessions: [04:07–06:16]
• Bethenny/Beach encounter: [07:20–07:58]
• Time’s Person of the Year, AI Chat GPT fun: [21:07–26:04]
• Khloé Kardashian’s viral comment: [31:18–34:13]
• Paramount vs. Netflix streaming wars: [35:38–38:38]
• Summer House / Truly scandal: [38:57–45:55]
• Year-end reflections: [59:07–61:38]
• Jenny McCarthy interview: [63:17–97:50]

Tone & Style

• Conversational, irreverent, honest, and hilariously relatable.
  The sisters’ chemistry is punctuated by inside jokes, self-deprecating humor, and quick pivots from personal anecdotes to headline analysis. Jenny McCarthy matches their warmth, offering refreshing transparency and depth—especially in her discussions about motherhood and the struggles behind TV glamor.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode is a perfect slice of The Toast’s signature blend: sisterly hijinks, astute pop culture commentary, real-life parenting confessions, plenty of “did you see?!” debates, and a star guest segment that peels back publicity to reveal real-life laughs and lessons. Whether you want to catch up on what mattered in pop culture this year—or just need a reminder that even celebs are winging it—this Friday episode is a warm, funny, and satisfying send-off for 2025.

Final Notes

• The year in review continues on their Patreon: Deeper dives, favorite stories, and more personal glances promised for members.
• Listener Engagement: Multiple calls to connect via Patreon and social, including unique discount codes and community Q&As.
• Star Interview: Jenny McCarthy’s warmth, candor, and business insights cap the episode with inspiration for anyone balancing “all the eras.”

Happy Holidays, Toasters! See you in the New Year!