Tosh Show: “My First Farewell Tour: Midwest Run”
Host: Daniel Tosh
Guest/Co-Host: Eddie Gosling
Date: April 14, 2026
Episode Overview
In this episode, Daniel Tosh and comedian friend Eddie Gosling debrief their whirlwind “first farewell” Midwest tour. Across 11 days, the pair performed 16 shows in 11 cities, encountering classic backstage mishaps, regional quirks, disastrous and delicious local eats, and plenty of Midwest oddities. Interspersed with fan emails from each stop, this episode is an uncensored tour diary and travelogue with Tosh’s trademark biting humor. Nothing is off-limits: fitness routines, bad pizza, local customs, and near-medical emergencies become grounds for jokes and stories.
Highlights and Key Discussion Points
1. Tour Structure & Introduction
- Tour Recap: 16 shows, 11 days, 11 cities.
- Dynamic: Daniel immediately riffs on waking up in bus lots wedged between Outback and Longhorn Steakhouses – “This is perfect. Tosh Show, for sure.” [01:00]
- Crew Chemistry: Eddie Gosling, Daniel’s longtime collaborator, banters throughout – “Crazy. We got the same middle name.” [01:46]
2. Midwest City-by-City Breakdown
Each city features: local flavor, fan emails, behind-the-scenes hijinks, and food reviews.
Ames, Iowa – Night One
- Arrival: Brand new tour bus, delightful bus driver Charles, “I was the first person to sleep in it. I showered in it. Spoiler alert, never pooped in it.” [03:41]
- Iowa State: “This is where Rice Krispie treats were invented...Some co-eds were working at Kellogg’s and they came up with a recipe.” [05:00]
- Brutal honesty: Original Rice Krispie treat “could have told me it was a rice cake... so dry…before fun or taste.” [05:55]
- Fan Email: “Eddie was looking mad sexy.” [06:52]
Davenport, Quad Cities, Iowa
- First Impression: “You can’t eat it inside the restaurant...I like coming to a town where you have rules.” [08:10]
- Bowling Adventure: “Our hotel has a bowling alley...They opened it up, we got to bowl one game… I won with a 118.” [10:52]
- Show Routine: Sprints to bus after show, “no encore, no curtain call.” [12:51]
- Playlist Q: Daniel’s curated pre-show playlist—“all folksy acoustic covers of nostalgic dirty hip hop.” [11:05]
- “Disdain” Fan Email: “I never have disdain on night two of the tour…might have been teasing the city…but they deserve it.” [12:10]
Peoria, Illinois
- Vibe: “Zero people. Zero cars...probably just work from home Thursdays.” [13:02]
- Scenic walk: Attempted to see river but almost had bathroom emergency in the cold.
- Richard Pryor Statue: “Placement...is unimpressive. Put it in a park or by the water.” [14:42]
- Parenting Question: Fan asks if son is old enough—Tosh: “If you’re going to see a movie, do you call Will Ferrell? ...I think you should be at least 16 to see my show.” [15:08]
St. Louis, Missouri
- “Freaknik” Hotel: “Tour buses everywhere…New Edition is in town…Salt-N-Pepa is here...what year is it?” [20:10]
- Cardinals Game: “Got to sit in the players’ family section…was thinking we’d see some smoke show wives—not a hot one in the bunch.” [21:06]
- Ballpark Eats: “Ordered Hawaiian food just to annoy my father...St. Louis had a whole Hawaiian restaurant.” [22:02]
- Fan Hack: How to upgrade ticketed guests to better seats, “If you want my hack in the age of electric tickets…just doing shifts, bringing different people in.” [21:08]
- Laundry Backstage: “People want to know what’s going on backstage…I’m sure tons of cool people have whores and cocaine…but Eddie and I, we’re doing laundry.” [23:46]
- Fan Comments:
- “My wife did too. Now listens to the podcast!” [24:05]
- “Please don’t make it your last farewell tour…considered buying tickets to Peoria!” [24:34]
Evansville, Indiana
- Bleakness: “Guys, when I tell you this town was depressing...Where are the people coming from?” [26:51]
- Pizza Disaster: “Stromboli pizza...bad. Bunch of meat and squirts of red sauce on a saltine cracker crust.” [28:19]
- Fan Email: “I’m gonna whip my dick out in the middle of your show tonight. Love you, Fireman Dan.” [29:31]
- Tosh: “Leave your hose in your pants, Fireman Dan.” [29:36]
Lexington, Kentucky
- Bad Lunch: Dismal Mexican food spot with “mac and cheese donuts”—waitress calls them “evil,” implying she’s had digestive disaster. [31:19]
- Venue: Small, old. Two shows. “They gave me a whiskey barrel lid—which’ll be a fun thing to re-gift.” [32:13]
- Family at Show: “As soon as family comes, time to censor, there’ll be reports back to figureheads.” [32:28]
- Fan Email: “Wore my nice Baby Billy tee…” [32:28] (Tosh notes seeing many fans in old show merch.)
Bloomington, Indiana
- Strong First Impression: “Can you find a better city? ...linear park, skate park, pickleball, bookstore…” [33:04]
- Jogging: “I hate jogging on a there and back...I went out three miles...so did a 10k.” [33:04]
- Audience: “Not my best show, audience was a little reserved.” [34:55]
- Fan Comment: “Looked up your wife’s Twitter and got a scam pop-up...I assume your wife isn’t an Indian man working for Microsoft.” [34:55]
- Tosh: “Stop looking up my wife and trying to get her information. Creep from Bloomington.” [35:20]
Cincinnati, Ohio
- Break from Bad Food: Eats at Reds game (thanks to friend Andy from Live Nation).
- Gambling: Pete’s obsession with buying 50/50 raffle tickets at games. [36:22]
- T-Shirt Cannon: “Vehicle on field with an automatic T-shirt cannon...should get that on the front lines over in Iran.” [37:10]
- Fan Comments:
- “Seen all the greats, yours was outstanding.” [37:28]
- “Your comedy’s been a positive impact through some hard years.” [38:03]
- Tosh's Take: “Let’s be clear: Columbus is the best city in Ohio.” [38:38]
Akron, Ohio
- Rough Encounters: “Woke up, immediately met by an unhoused woman…then another person real aggressive.” [39:47]
- Library Hack: “Bakery workers told me to walk through the library to get to the street—no way. I’ll keep walking.” [40:48]
- Pokémon Store: First time in such a place. “I was blown away...guy sells a card for $210 right in the store…There’s a whole economy here.” [43:33]
- Fan Email: “Who made that plaid zipper blazer and pants? Want to buy it.” [43:38]
- Tosh: “You’re not finding it in Akron…It’s Theory…Idris Elba wore it in a commercial.” [43:51]
Toledo, Ohio
- Dismal: “One side of the bus: Outback Steakhouse. Other side: Longhorn Steakhouse. Not getting off the bus.” [01:00, 45:25]
- Gym Experience: “Every TV on the ellipticals preset to Fox. Rather get fatter than listen and see this.” [45:25]
- Show Interrupted: “Barely into my set, someone’s screaming ‘Medic!’ Two different people at once! ...Had to step off stage.” [51:50]
- Fan Email: “Are we going to talk about you causing someone to nearly die in Toledo?” [52:17]
- Tosh: “There’s no scenario where that is my fault.” [52:23]
Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Contrast: “I don’t know if it’s coming from Toledo, but Grand Rapids is beautiful…still, Pete found us the worst Uber, a van with a tiger’s mouth wrap, like we’re entering its mouth.” [53:10]
- Hotel & Gambling: “Michigan’s where my gambling went off the rails. Ultimate Texas Hold’em, hit a straight flush but didn’t have enough money on it to make it exciting.” [54:06]
- Fan Email: “Came for gender reveal, got the best comedy show I’ve ever been to.” [54:48]
3. Recap: Best and Worst Tour Stops
- Eddie:
- Favorite: Lexington (first show) [55:58]
- Least Favorite: Bloomington (“could never get momentum”) [56:05]
- Daniel:
- Favorite: Grand Rapids (second show) [56:11]
- Least Favorite: Toledo (“because someone almost died”) [56:20]
4. Other Notable Segments, Themes & Quotes
- Online Gambling in Different States: “As godless as everyone pretends California is, we don’t allow those. You go to these red states, you can do whatever you want…” [01:48]
- Food Recurring Theme: Disgust at both good and bad local specialties.
- Comedic Honesty: Routinely trashes towns, food, and audience members—but always with a sense of fun and self-awareness.
- Fan Interaction: Email readings are a recurring bit—sometimes sincere, often absurd.
- Merch & Patreon: Quick plugs for Tosh Show merch and Patreon in closing.
Memorable Quotes
- “I throw 'em all away. You could've told me this was a rice cake.” – Daniel Tosh on OG Rice Krispie Treats [05:55]
- “No one leaves a pizza restaurant with half of the pizza you ordered just on the table.” – Tosh on Evansville pizza [29:23]
- “Just every inch of the interior...covered in construction paper. It made no sense.” – On the Grand Rapids Uber Van [53:10]
- “I mean, I appreciate the gesture, though.” – On overdone customized cookies from fans [57:20]
- “Stop looking up my wife and trying to get her information. Creep from Bloomington.” [35:20]
Key Timestamps for Major Segments
- 01:00 – Midwest tour context, bus, Outback vs. Longhorn intro
- 03:41 – Ames: Rice Krispie Treat origin story
- 05:27 – Food tangent: overpriced Rice Krispie treats
- 08:38 – Davenport: hotel bowling, breakfast sandwich, music playlist
- 13:09 – Peoria: emptiness downtown, Richard Pryor statue placement
- 20:10 – St. Louis: New Edition in hotel, Cardinals game hacks, laundry
- 26:49 – Evansville: bleakness, bad pizza adventure
- 30:12 – Lexington: “Mac and cheese donuts,” worst lunch, family at show
- 33:04 – Bloomington: city beauty, bookstore, low-energy show
- 36:22 – Cincinnati: baseball, 50/50 raffle, fan love
- 39:47 – Akron: run-ins, Pokémon economy, plaid suit
- 51:50 – Toledo: “Medic!” show disruption, worst show
- 53:10 – Grand Rapids: beauty after Toledo, worst Uber, gambling
- 55:58 – Recap: hosts choose best/worst city
- 56:59 – “Do They Love Me Not?” – Negative fan feedback
Tone & Style
Irreverent, acerbic, honest, and frequently self-deprecating. Constant comedic riffing between Daniel and Eddie but with warmth for the crew and fans. No city—nor fan question, nor bad food—is safe from their sarcasm.
For New Listeners
This episode gives a revealing, no-myths-inside look at the life of a touring comedian—through Daniel Tosh’s dry, candid, and frequently outrageous lens. It covers each city with specificity and blends on-the-ground anecdotes with entertainingly brutal honesty. Whether you live in the Midwest or just love comedy, this is Daniel Tosh at his most unfiltered.
End of Summary