The Yak: “Brandon Will Never Be Able to Pull Off His New Jacket”

Episode Date: February 25, 2026
Host(s): Barstool Sports’ The Yak crew: Kyle (“KB No Swag”) Bauer, Nick, Brandon Walker, Rone, Lil Sas, Kate, Steven Cheah, Big Cat, among others
Main Theme:
This episode dives into the weird, funny, and highly relatable anxiety around bold fashion choices (specifically Brandon’s new leather/wool jacket), navigating generational trends and mall culture, the pleasure of nostalgia, social media oddities, and eventually, tales of minor lawbreaking (like sleeping overnight in IKEA). The regulars riff on personal topics, pop culture, and whatever else crosses their wandering minds.

Main Topics & Detailed Key Moments

1. Brandon’s New Jacket & Fashion Insecurity

[03:57 - 12:14, 19:02, 20:11, 20:55]

• Brandon’s Anxiety: Brandon’s wife bought him a hefty leather/wool “pilot” jacket for Valentine’s Day; he’s unsure if he has the confidence to wear it.
• Described as “more wool than leather,” with a possible “John Dutton / Yellowstone vibe,” but Brandon clarifies neither he nor his wife watches Yellowstone.
• Group Feedback:
  • “You have to wear it, now.” — Titus ([11:02])
  • “She wants a suit-wearing man, but she'd still be fine with you still doing this job?" — TJ ([12:33])
  • “You have to get a motorcycle, is what she's probably telling you.” — Kyle ([12:13])
  • Jokes about whether she wants Brandon to be a "bad boy" and if he could ever pull off the look.
  • They debate where it would or wouldn’t work: country club (approved), daughter’s sports games (not approved).
• Visual Reactions:
  • Group is shown a pic of the actual jacket — “That's more wool than I thought.” — Kyle ([19:11])
  • "It’s not me, and I'm going to wear it. Y'all are going to make fun of me, but I need the confidence to wear it so I can take the lashings." — Brandon ([19:48])
• Plans: Brandon promises, "I'm wearing it tomorrow, and we're all just going to have to deal with it together." ([20:29])
• Group Riffs: On how a bold jacket changes your persona and perceived social class, and about matching clothes (“that's all I got is characters on my shirts!”).

2. Interview Preparation: Cody Rhodes & The “Five Touch Challenge”

[04:03 - 08:10, 13:01]

• Brandon’s Next Big Bit: He’s about to leave for a video interview with WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes and plans to ask, “What do you think of my sick Oilers jacket?”
• The group gets sidetracked into wild banter about wrestling gear, bulges in tights (“dick presenting vs. dick suppressing”), and wrestling lore.
• "Challenge":
  • Donnie challenges Brandon: “I don’t think you can do this interview and touch Cody Rhodes five times without him noticing.”
  • They brainstorm possible “organic” touches (hug, handshake doesn't count, pat on the back, etc.).
  • “Five organic touches.” — Brandon ([07:39])
  • “If at any point he calls you out, you lose.” — Donnie ([08:01])
  • Stakes are raised: bonus for below-the-belt (which, obviously, is a no-go).

3. Nostalgia: Department Stores, Department Store Hierarchy, and Fake Internet Videos

[14:07 - 17:33]

• Discussion of nostalgia for old school department stores: Kohl’s, Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears.
  • “Kohl’s is the lowest point of entry,” “Sears had everything, homes in the catalog.”
• Riffing on the viral AI images/videos — “I’m so reliant on the top comment telling me the truth that it’s AI. Once that’s gone we’ll have no trust.” — Max ([17:39])
• General malaise about the aging process and “never knowing what’s fake” thanks to AI, deepfakes, etc.

4. AI, Internet Weirdness, and Social Media Habits

[17:18 - 23:38]

• Admission that everyone (even the “old guys”) gets fooled by viral AI content—debate whether that’s embarrassing anymore.
• “This is our life now? Just getting older, more easily fooled?” — Brandon ([17:18])
• Growing reliance on comment sections and “community-generated truth” and what will happen when that’s no longer reliable.
• Max explains post-social-media Dante, who will only log in at night to ‘check his mentions’ and crowdsource what to post, which everyone considers a losing battle: “How much of a sacrifice are you really making?” — Max ([45:13])

5. Shrek Discourse: Internet Overthinking Pop Culture

[31:00 - 34:38]

• The crew is incensed at TikTokers “trying to cancel Shrek” for tricking Fiona into “settling” for him and allegedly turning her into an ogre.
  • Kate summarizes a viral take: “Shrek is not a fairy tale, it’s a cautionary tale… He manages to get a princess to settle for him… She’s also an ogre now.” ([32:24])
  • Max: “1.6 million likes — so it must be true.” ([32:54])
• They debate the “moral” of Shrek (love trumps all vs. generational wealth).
• This leads to a broader chat about how adults now become deeply invested in kids’ shows, which never happened in older generations.

6. Parenting, Generational Differences, and Kids' Media

[35:01 - 37:49]

• Brandon: “I think my generation is maybe the first that kind of refused to grow up and held onto the toys and things of their youth.”
• Donnie agrees: “I think parents now co-watch, my parents didn’t watch shit with me.”
• Brandon details trying to share He-Man with his kid, with varying success, and how every child is different.
• Discussion about how “co-watching” leads to much greater adult investment/agita over what children consume.

7. SoundCloud, Mashups, and Social Media Music Culture

[39:20 - 42:19]

• TJ: “On SoundCloud, every ad is like, ‘Hi friend, it’s your inner child calling… want churros and a new toy?’ What the fuck, a Disney ad.”
• Nostalgia for music platforms: Dat Piff, Soundcloud rap, mixtape culture.
• General confusion about how/why people use SoundCloud when YouTube exists.

8. Monster Trucks, Demolition Derbies, & 'Brave vs. Dumb'

[47:17 - 51:48]

• Kyle’s kids are deep into Monster Jam era — “El Toro Loco, Grave Digger… it’s their whole life right now.” ([47:40])
• Brandon is disillusioned to learn that monster trucks are “just shells” on dune buggies for stunts.
• Discussion about the decline of “true” demolition derbies and who these events are actually for.
• On the Barstool show “Die Trying” and Chef Donnie’s legendary “brave, but dumb” persona:
  • “I feel like you guys are trying to do a causation thing. To me, it doesn’t matter why he’s brave. It just matters that he’s brave.” — Brandon ([51:15])
  • Donnie: “The more you talk about how brave he is, we lose sight of how stupid he is.” ([51:42])

9. Memeable Trivia: Globetrotter Draft Picks & Pandas

[57:01 - 63:39]

• Donnie tried out for the Globetrotters, recounting the absurdity of “warm ups" and being expected to hit a half-court shot on command.
• Hilariously, they believe for a moment that the Globetrotters drafted a panda named “Sun Ming Ming”—until correcting that Ming Ming is a person, not a panda.
  • “Their first draft pick gotta be a panda.” — Brandon ([60:06]);
  • “That would’ve been funny if their first draft pick was a…” ([60:43])
• Jack and Brandon marvel that the draft picks include actual sports stars, e.g. Lionel Messi, Gal Gadot, and the whole Dude Perfect group.

10. Celebrities & Subjective Attractiveness

[66:40 - 69:24]

• The group debates why certain celebrities (e.g., Adam Driver, Barry Keoghan) are considered conventionally attractive “heartthrobs.”
  • Titus: “When he was shirtless in Star Wars, I’ve never seen a wider guy.”— ([68:17])
  • Kyle: “It’s the 2000s Miley Cyrus eyes.”

11. Historical Auctions, Statues, & Presidential Comedy

[70:06 - 76:01]

• The group toys with spending Big Cat’s money on something “historic,” like Lincoln’s joke book (“Old Abe’s Jokes, Fresh from Abraham’s Bosom”).
  • TJ finds a PDF: “The book contains stories mostly with an ethnic bent...” ([71:50])
• Discourse about whether Lincoln was really the first “funny” president.

12. Frankie’s China Adventures: IKEA Sleepover & Barstool Intern Era

[98:21 - 106:55]

• Frankie recounts hiding overnight in a Shanghai IKEA closet while interning for Donnie Does China videos — ultimately found by a terrified janitor.
  • “The guy got to mine and was more scared than I was, I think.” ([101:31])
  • He escaped undetected and said Donnie essentially “abandoned” him to make the feat extra real.
• Tells a story about nearly legally changing his name to “Frankie Donnie Enriquez” for a Barstool opportunity—stopped at the last minute by Dave Portnoy.

13. Miley Cyrus Encounter: Tech Mishaps, Near Disaster, & A Compliment

[108:02 - 113:30]

• Frankie remembers his disastrous tech snafu during a Miley Cyrus podcast taping, saved only by Miley herself providing a working cable.
  • “She literally called me a little hottie as she saved the day.” ([113:16])
  • “Probably saved my entire career,” he jokes.
  • He DMed Miley after the taping (no reply).

14. Barstool Cookbooks & Being a Published Author

[116:38 - 117:52]

• Frankie and Donnie share war stories about publishing their books.
  • Frankie: “If you have my cookbook, you keep it forever. It’s a beginner all-in-one — starts with breakfast because you can’t fuck up eggs…” ([116:48])
  • Donnie: “I won your competition and you never invited me back.”
• Debates rage about what constitutes the “best” dish, or if the contest is just the “best of the worst.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On New Experiences & Anxieties:

• “I think I’m a little chicken shit to wear it.” — Brandon ([11:06])
• “If at any point he calls you out, you lose.” — Donnie on the Cody Rhodes interview challenge ([08:01])

On Generational Shifts:

• “I think my generation might be the first that just refused to grow up and held on to the toys of their youth.” — Brandon ([35:01])

On Getting Pranked by the Internet:

• “I’m so reliant on the top comment telling me the truth that it’s AI. Once that day is gone, we’ll have no trust in it.” — Max ([17:39])

On Kids’ Viewing Habits:

• “I think parents now co-watch. My parents didn’t watch shit with me.” — Donnie ([35:04])

On Social Media Burnout:

• “How much of a sacrifice are you really making?” — Max on Dante supposedly quitting social, but continuing to lurk ([45:13])

On Being Brave vs. Dumb:

• “It doesn’t matter why he’s brave. It just matters that he’s brave.” — Brandon on Chef Donnie ([51:15])

On Celebrity Heartthrobs:

• “But he’s not conventionally attractive…that’s what makes people attractive.” — Donnie on Adam Driver ([68:39])
• “When he was shirtless in Star Wars, I’ve never seen a wider guy.” — Titus ([68:17])

On Nostalgia and Modern Life:

• “We need to rally around each other and get [Big Cat’s] money from his pocket to things that could entertain us for five, ten seconds.” — Brandon, on buying nonsense ([69:55])

On Brush(es) with Fame:

• “She literally called me a little hottie as she saved the day.” — Frankie about Miley Cyrus ([113:16])

On Breaking the Law for Content:

• “Hiding in an IKEA closet, the guy got to mine — he was more scared than me, I think.” — Frankie ([101:31])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Brandon’s Jacket Anxiety & Fashion Riffs: [03:57 - 12:14], [19:02], [20:11]
• WWE Cody Rhodes "Touch" Challenge: [04:03 - 08:10]
• Dept. Store Nostalgia/AI Pranks: [14:07 - 17:33], [17:18]
• SoundCloud, Music, Social Platform Debate: [39:20 - 42:19]
• Monster Jam & Derbies: [47:17 - 51:48]
• Globetrotters Panda Mixup: [57:01 - 63:39]
• Shrek Discourse: [31:00 - 34:38]
• Frankie’s IKEA Sleepover: [98:21 - 106:55]
• Miley Cyrus Callback: [108:02 - 113:30]
• Cookbook Authorship: [116:38 - 117:52]

Podcast Tone & Dynamics

• The Yak stays loose, silly, and self-effacing, with everyone quick to puncture egos (especially Brandon’s jacket worries) and riff on their pet obsessions/discomforts.
• They frequently spiral into sidebars but manage to loop them back to the main group’s experiences and anxieties.
• Plenty of in-group teasing, blend of high/low brow, generational confusion, and a strong sense of "don’t take yourself too seriously."

Perfect for Listeners Who:

• Love a chaotic blend of nostalgia, pop culture, and personal oversharing
• Wonder if they’re the only ones who overthink what they wear or whether they “fit in”
• Appreciate candid, often absurdist group therapy around the meaning of adulthood (or how to avoid it)

For regular Barstool Yak viewers, this episode highlights the group’s effortlessly referential, meta “hanging out after work” energy, with Brandon’s big jacket as an unexpected window into everyone’s weirdest social insecurities.