Trash Tuesday w/ Esther Povitsky & Khalyla Kuhn
“Dumbfounded & Jason Cheny UNLOCKED” (January 27, 2026)
Guests: Tisa Chang (Dumbfounded), Jason Cheny
Hosts: Khalyla Kuhn, Esther Povitsky (referred throughout transcript as "Kila")
Episode Overview
This lively episode of Trash Tuesday centers on themes of identity, self-acceptance, and the dynamics of family, both biological and chosen. Joined by comedians and friends Jason Cheny and Tisa Chang (Dumbfounded), hosts Khalyla and Esther blend unfiltered humor with frank talk about culture, insecurity, and personal growth. The conversation veers from sports metaphors to celebrity family feuds, immigrant upbringings, and navigating adulthood as Asian Americans in Los Angeles. The playful banter, vulnerable admissions, and wild digressions create a rich episode that’s part support group, part roast, always refreshingly “trash.”
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Unlocked Potential, Coaches, and Self-Doubt (03:01 – 13:41)
- Esther’s “sports topic” becomes a metaphor: Esther raises a story about college football coach Curt Cignetti turning a losing team around, using it to muse about needing a “life coach” to unlock her own potential. This prompts the panel to reflect on guidance, motivation, and whether anyone’s “fully unlocked.”
- “Maybe what’s missing for me in my life is I just need a good coach.” – Kila/Esther (05:44)
- Skepticism towards life coaching: Jason questions the validity of life coaches; others agree that while inspirational coaching is Hollywood gold (Ted Lasso), real change needs more than just a cheerleader.
- “I think anyone can be like, here, you know, let me coach you into what?” – Bobby Lee (07:28)
- “Unlocking” and “corners”: The group shares the areas of their lives they feel are locked away, from Khalyla’s thwarted surfing dreams to creative ambitions stifled by upbringing or self-doubt.
- “I have compartments I feel like have been like really like tucked away because of trauma.” – Bobby Lee (08:50)
- “I feel like there are dark corners...that could really be unlocked.” – Bobby Lee (09:00)
2. Extroversion, Failure, and Learning to Be Bad (09:54 – 13:41)
- From “Conga Line people” to party extroverts: Dumbfounded reflects on becoming more introverted with age, envying those who jump straight into fun.
- “I envy the conga line people, because the goofs have the most fun.” – Bobby Lee (10:39)
- Alcohol as a social crutch: Khalyla reveals that much of her perceived extroversion in her 20s was just masking social discomfort with drinking (11:35).
- Advice on failure: Esther play-therapizes Khalyla, encouraging her to “go fail” intentionally to build comfort with imperfection.
- “You need to go fail. Even if it’s just drawing a bad picture...” – Kila/Esther (12:22)
- Bobby Lee responds: “My whole life I’ve been told I was a failure.” (12:48)
- Performing and the agony of standup: Bobby Lee and others discuss being pushed into standup—how for some, being seen and perceived on stage is torture, not thrill.
3. Family Dynamics: The Beckham-Peltz Drama (19:53 – 29:27)
- Celebrity family discord triggers deep discussion: The drama between Brooklyn Beckham (son of David and Victoria Beckham) and wife Nicola Peltz’s families ignites talk on loyalty, cutting off parents, and unhealthy mother-son dynamics.
- “What would it take for you to be like, I don’t want to talk to my parents anymore?” – Bobby Lee (25:19)
- “When it’s mom versus wife, the wife usually wins.” – Kila/Esther (26:02)
- Is going public ever justified? Debate over Brooklyn’s choice to air grievances on Instagram versus handling issues privately.
- “If you’re seeing your son is pained by something, you fix it internally.” – Bobby Lee (27:29)
- Cultural elements: Tisa bridges the conversation to Korean and royal British cultural expectations of piety, respect, and family branding.
4. Sex & Insecurity: Broad Shoulders, Tattoos & Sweat (40:55 – 46:47)
- Body insecurities in the bedroom: Khalyla vulnerably shares her chronic insecurity about her broad swimmer shoulders, revealing how constant comments impacted her sense of femininity.
- “At any given time...they felt the need to remind me about my broad shoulders...when it’s time to have sex, I think of myself as just this big back dude.” – Bobby Lee (40:55)
- Tattoos and regret: Dumbfounded recounts having “Koreatown” tattooed and later removed due to acting roles and dating criticisms, highlighting changing self-image (44:21).
- Sweat and quirks: Jason hilariously reveals his methods for catching armpit sweat during sex (45:23), prompting a discussion of bodily quirks.
5. Bathroom Habits & Gender (47:01 – 49:38)
- Jason’s viral bathroom confession: Jason describes straddling the toilet to pee, finding it more “efficient”—sparking laughter, but also a serious question about why sitting to pee is stigmatized for men.
- “I sit down and I face the toilet. Straddle it.” – Jason Chen (47:59)
- “Who invented standing to pee? Sitting is cleaner.” – Bobby Lee (48:28)
- “Thank God—it’s called sitzpinkler in Germany!” – Bobby Lee (49:35)
- **The group compares bodily habits and gender expectations, highlighting how even small personal choices can feel fraught.
6. Memoir, Immigration Stories & Assimilation (50:12 – 56:38)
- Tisa’s forthcoming memoir “Spit: A Life in Battles”: Storytelling turns poignant as Dumbfounded details his new book, which chronicles his mother smuggling him across the Mexican border at age three, his LA upbringing, and family trauma.
- “[My book] just follows, you know, my childhood all the way up...to where I was battle rapping...It’s a memoir.” – Tisa Chang (49:42)
- “I interviewed my mom, and this was the longest convo I’ve ever had with her ever.” – Tisa Chang (50:48)
- Therapy and cultural stigma: Difficulty encouraging immigrant parents to seek therapy is discussed, with both Bobby and Tisa sharing stories about their moms and the cultural taboo against discussing feelings with strangers.
7. Immigrant Assimilation, Fob Guilt & Standup Comedy (56:38 – 60:38)
- The 1.5-generation “in-between”: Both Jason and Khalyla recount immigrating to the US as teens and not feeling fully “of” either culture.
- “We belong everywhere and nowhere.” – Bobby Lee (55:24)
- “51% assimilated, 49% still Taiwanese” – Jason Chen (56:24)
- Support and exclusion among Asian communities: Jason shares that when he was bullied, only his Korean friends helped him—not other Taiwanese kids. The struggles and bonds among immigrant kids are dissected with warmth and humor.
- Dark humor about death: Jason describes his “suicide bucket list”—which included standup—leading to conversation about mental health and the healing power of expression.
- “I wanted to kill myself...but I wanted to do three things: get a motorcycle license, white water raft, and do standup.” – Jason Chen (58:04)
- “I think coming here at that weird tweeny age...it was just survival.” – Bobby Lee (60:50)
8. 2016 v. Today: The “10-Year Challenge” and Nostalgia (62:25 – 73:29)
- Hosts and guests react to the viral “10-Year Challenge” social trend: Esther resists, calling it “sad.” Discussion touches on how looking back at photos is both comforting and painful, especially with personal and political changes since 2016.
- “I hate it. I think it’s weird. I think it’s sad. And I’m not into it.” – Kila/Esther (62:10)
- Fashion, feelings, and shifting self-image: The panel shares photos, critiques past outfits, and reflects on how self-perception has evolved—or not.
- “My arms were toned...I had abs that were just unstoppable.” – Bobby Lee (66:15)
- Love, heartbreak, and the passage of time: Old photos of Khalyla with ex Bobby inspire bittersweet reflection on how things change but friendships can persist.
9. Plugs and Goodbyes (73:29 – End)
- Dumbfounded’s memoir "Spit: A Life in Battles" available for pre-order; Jason Cheny’s standup tour promoted.
- Live show notice in LA, Comedy Store (for reference; omit details in summary).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On “Unlocking” Ourselves:
“I have compartments I feel like have been really tucked away because of trauma, so I have a very low level of self-belief.”
— Bobby Lee, (08:50) -
On Life’s “Corners”:
“What is something that has not been unlocked in you?”
— Jason Chen, (08:09) -
The great debate on family drama:
“If you're seeing your son is pained by something, you fix it internally...I want to do whatever it takes to get us back together without you having to go nuclear.”
— Bobby Lee, (27:29)“I do think the wife usually wins.”
— Kila/Esther, (26:02) -
“Trauma Comedy” & Performance:
“To be up there with a mic and to be perceived and seen is absolute torture for me. You're crazy, dude.”
— Bobby Lee, (13:10) -
On Sitting to Pee and Norms:
“I sit down and I face the toilet. Straddle it.”
— Jason Chen, (47:59)“Who invented standing to pee? Sitting is cleaner.”
— Bobby Lee, (48:28) -
On Parental Affection and Insecurity:
“If it’s something your parents do, then it’s no longer a thing you want to inhabit.”
— Bobby Lee, (30:33)“I think I know that, but in my head, I can’t…like, sink into my feminine self because I constantly think about my broad ass shoulders.”
— Bobby Lee, (41:40) -
Jason’s Accidental America:
“51% assimilated, 49% still Taiwanese.”
— Jason Chen, (56:24) -
Memoir Motivation:
“I interviewed my mom, and this was the longest convo I’ve ever had with her ever.”
— Tisa Chang aka Dumbfounded, (50:48) -
On Asian American “in-between”:
“We belong everywhere and nowhere.”
— Bobby Lee, (55:24) -
Comedy as Therapy (Darkly):
“I wanted to kill myself...but I wanted to do three things: get a motorcycle license, white water raft, and do standup.”
— Jason Chen, (58:04)
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment | Time | |---------|---------------| | Sports, Coaches, & Unlocking | 03:01 – 13:41 | | Extroversion & Failure | 09:54 – 13:41 | | Beckham Family Drama | 19:53 – 29:27 | | Sex & Insecurities | 40:55 – 46:47 | | Bathroom Habits | 47:01 – 49:38 | | Memoir & Immigration | 50:12 – 56:38 | | Assimilation & Standup | 56:38 – 60:38 | | 10-Year Challenge/Nostalgia | 62:25 – 73:29 | | Plugs/Outro | 73:29 – End |
Tone and Language
The tone is deeply conversational, irreverent, and explicitly candid. There’s a constant back-and-forth between heartfelt confession, self-aware mockery (“I feel like I’m just a big back dude”), and mutual ribbing. The comedians’ ability to move between light, absurd topics and raw vulnerability defines the episode’s appeal for fans.
Summary for New Listeners
If you missed this episode, you missed a smartly chaotic, astutely funny round table of comedians opening up about life, failure, cultural identity, and the weirdness of family. The gags about bathroom habits and body insecurities are as memorable as the moving stories about immigrant parents and carving out a creative space as an outsider. You’ll find yourself laughing—and relating—whether you’re an old-school slug or a new “Trash Tuesday” listener.