'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast

Episode 4: Going Super Sonic! with Ben Schwartz
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Host: The Grinch (voiced by James Austin Johnson)
Guest: Ben Schwartz

Episode Overview

In this festive and irreverent episode, the Grinch welcomes comedian, actor, and “Sonic the Hedgehog” voice Ben Schwartz up to Mount Crumpet for a delightfully chaotic, joke-packed conversation. The Grinch dishes out his signature holiday rants, banters with sidekicks Cindy-Lou Who and Max, and tries to rope Ben into both a wild Sonic movie remake and the existential debate over Christmas music. The episode combines playful jabs at holiday traditions, showbiz, and Ben’s iconic hair, with plenty of Christmas mischief—and unexpectedly, a “heart swell” moment engineered by Schwartz himself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Grinch's Rants and Lists

Timestamp: 03:18 – 10:57

• Name Trends: The Grinch airs out his annoyance about modern kids’ names, lamenting the move away from classics like "Cindy" and "Max."
  • “Parents, your child is not an aerodynamic machine that is ruining our environment… Kids’ names these days are crazy.” (Grinch, 03:33)
• Naughty/Nice List with a Grinchy Spin:
  • Naughty: Teenagers who say “bruh,” office workers who over-email, Lorne Michaels (unless the Grinch gets to host SNL), Mr. Beast (“Stop appropriating beast culture!”)
  • Nice: Confusing pharmaceutical name writers, people who chew with mouths open, his garbage man Ken.
• Holiday Obsessions: Grinch mocks doorbell cameras ruining classic pranks and denounces celebrity three-name syndrome.
  • “Middle names are not first names for a reason. They’re embarrassing and they’re supposed to stay hidden.” (Grinch, 04:27)
• Memorable Quote: “How about you circle back to talking like a human being? Okay, C3PO.” (Grinch, 08:16)

2. Introducing Ben Schwartz: Hair, Heritage & Hollywood

Timestamp: 11:03 – 12:27

• Ben’s Iconic Hair: Grinch claims to be a huge fan—not of Ben’s comedy, but of his hair, leading to a playful exchange about genetics, Jewishness, and Bumble & Bumble Sumo Tech.
  • “It’s Judaism. And then I use something called Bumble and Bumble Sumo Tech. Those are the two things that I do.” (Ben Schwartz, 11:18)
• Family Banter: Ben asks if the Grinch is close to his family, prompting the Grinch’s evasive (and hilariously vague) answer about parents in Boca Raton.

3. Sonic, Jim Carrey, and Movie Mayhem

Timestamp: 12:27 – 16:41

• Jim Carrey Connections: Grinch bristles at Carrey’s portrayal of him in 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” calling it “propaganda.”
  • “They basically made him out to be this kind of romantic, quixotic hero…that’s not it at all.” (Grinch, 12:54)
• Ben’s Movie Snacks Hack: Schwartz shares his move of mixing Reese’s Pieces into popcorn, skipping fake butter.
• On the Children’s Taste for Legacy IPs: Grinch and Ben mock Hollywood’s obsession with “Intellectual Properties” and joke about the next classic (Chess: The Movie, anyone?).
• Favorite IP White Whale for Ben: Schwartz wishes to be in a big Disney animated movie, calling “Sonic” a dream come true, but “Aladdin” or “Lion King”-level Disney is his holy grail.

4. Wild Movie Pitches & Sonic Goes Full Hedgehog

Timestamp: 16:08 – 18:32

• Grinch's Pitch: The Grinch jokingly pitches a “Sonic” remake where all live-action roles are CGI, but Sonic is just a real English garden hedgehog jazzed up with movie effects and rockets.
  • “The magic hedgehog who runs really fast—that’s a real hedgehog in front of a green screen.” (Grinch, 16:41)
  • “So you’ve just lost me as an actor.” (Ben, 17:53)
• Ben’s Role? Not as Sonic’s voice anymore (“It’s a real hedgehog, so we’re gonna lose your audio track”), but The Grinch says Ben can finance the production.

5. A Very Sonic Christmas — And the Christmas Conundrum

Timestamp: 18:32 – 20:35

• Grinch Gotcha Question: Grinch playfully confronts Ben about participating in "A Very Sonic Christmas" as a nice Jewish boy.
• Ben’s Defense: Schwartz confesses to loving the classic Coca-Cola Santa/polar bear ads and Christmas music, though he jokes about separating the art from the artist.
  • “That really got me into Christmas… I like the music from Christmas very much.” (Ben, 19:30)
• Christmas Music Debate: Ben serenades the Grinch, trying to warm him up to the genre. Grinch is momentarily thrown: “Oh my gosh, you have a beautiful voice.” (Grinch, 20:29)
• Memorable Joke: “I’m still so mad about what Leslie Odom Jr. did to Alexander Hamilton.” (Grinch, 19:52)

6. Unexpected Heart Swell: The “Dad” Moment

Timestamp: 21:22 – 23:12

• Fake Out or Not? Ben claims to have brought in the Grinch’s dad (actually a quick voice bit). The Grinch has a classic “heart swell” and gets emotional.
  • “Son, Dad, I love you.” (Ben, as Grinch’s dad, 21:56)
  • “Heartswell.” (Grinch, 22:01)
• Unwilling Sentimentality: Grinch debates whether the moment was real or just Ben’s impression, but ultimately decides to believe (sort-of).

7. Chill Vibes, Goodbye Banter, and BBQ Plans

Timestamp: 23:12 – 24:08

• Both declare each other “chill dudes” and joke about grabbing Korean BBQ—though Grinch worries (or relishes) that his fur will smell of Bulgogi for days.
  • “We’re gonna get Bulgogied… Bulgogi, to the dome!” (Grinch, 23:46)
• The friendly, absurd rapport continues right up to the end.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Stop appropriating beast culture. It’s not cool. Double Naughty List.” (Grinch, 10:11)
• “Kids are into IPs. Kids are always looking at Daily Variety; they’re going, what is Iger gonna do with Spider Babies?” (Grinch, 14:54)
• “I’m kind of inspired by you. I thought I was gonna come in here being like, this is a tough dude, but… off the pod, you seem like a pretty chill dude, man.” (Ben, 20:49)
• “Normally, these people, they come on the show, they give me all this guff about how I got to like Christmas… and it makes my heart swell, and that causes a cardiac event.” (Grinch, 21:01)

Segment Timestamps

• The Grinch's Rants: 03:18 – 10:57
• Meeting Ben Schwartz & Hair Talk: 11:03 – 12:27
• Jim Carrey & Movie Banter: 12:27 – 14:52
• Hollywood IPs, Sonic Pitch: 14:52 – 18:32
• Christmas Music & Ben’s Serenade: 18:32 – 20:35
• The Grinch “Dad” Heart Swell: 21:22 – 23:12
• Chill Ending & Korean BBQ Plans: 23:12 – 24:08

Tone and Style

The episode is filled with witty, rapid-fire jokes, playful contrarianism, and a satirical take on both Christmas traditions and pop culture. The Grinch maintains a sardonic, self-deprecating persona, while Ben Schwartz meets him with genuine warmth and quick improvisational humor. Their chemistry drives the episode, balancing roast-y banter and surprisingly sweet moments.

This summary covers all the memorable banter, Grinch-isms, and Ben Schwartz’s best comedic moments—perfect for listeners who want every laugh (and brief moment of Grinch vulnerability) without sitting through the full show.