Two Hot Takes – Episode 251: Am I Overreacting?!

Host: Morgan Absher
Co-host: Justin
Release Date: January 15, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Two Hot Takes features Morgan Absher and co-host Justin as they explore Reddit threads and listener stories centered around the theme: "Am I Overreacting?!" They dissect some of the juiciest and wildest user submissions from relationship quandaries to workplace drama, offering hot takes, empathy, and humor along the way.

The episode covers a milestone in Morgan’s podcasting journey, reactions to pop culture moments (including the Golden Globes introducing a Best Podcast category), and four Reddit stories ranging from grieving widowers to shocking family secrets and workplace sagas—with a detour into one of Reddit's most bizarre cult classics.

Main Themes & Highlights

• Celebrating milestones in the podcasting community and Morgan’s career
• Dissecting hot takes on award shows and podcast legitimacy
• Deep dives into AITA, relationship, and workplace Reddit stories
• Navigating tough situations: grief, family secrets, betrayal, and office absurdity
• A now-legendary story about a man in love with a giant imaginary cockroach

Key Segments & Summaries

1. Podcasting Milestones & Golden Globes Discussion

[01:15 – 08:27]

Discussion Points

• Morgan reconnects with Justin after the podcast's holiday hiatus.
• Morgan shares her experience as a correspondent at the Golden Globes’ Spotify party and aspiring to meet Amy Poehler.
• Debate: The "Best Podcast" Golden Globes category win by Amy Poehler.
  • Morgan: Inspired by Amy Poehler’s interviewing style.
  • Justin: “She’s amazing... I do understand some people being like, she just started, or it would have been nice if it went to... a podcaster who built the forum...” ([03:47])
• Reflection on the state of Hollywood and podcasting’s rise post-writers strike.

Quotes

• "It almost validates podcasting as being this medium." – Morgan ([04:27])
• “People were commenting, and they’re like, Morgan, you manifested this.” – Morgan ([02:29])

2. Segment: Am I Overreacting? (Reddit Stories)

Story 1: Boyfriend Won’t Remove His Late Wife’s Ring

[09:21 – 18:47]

Summary:
A listener’s boyfriend still wears his deceased wife’s wedding ring, causing tension as their relationship deepens.

Discussion Highlights:

• Both hosts empathize with both parties.
• Justin: “This is hard because I don’t think either of them are wrong.” ([11:52])
• Morgan: “He’s just not ready. Grief is not a linear thing.” ([14:17])
• Consensus: It's an issue of compatibility, not blame.
• Reddit comments referenced, including insight from widows.

Notable Quotes:

• “He’s not your boyfriend, he’s her husband.” (Reddit comment read at [15:52])
• “I definitely wouldn’t move in… if you care for him… keep on dating. But if you can’t move past the ring issue, then I think you are just incompatible.” – Morgan ([17:53])

Story 2: Exposing a Sister’s Cruel "Burn List" Finsta

[21:14 – 33:34]

Summary:
A woman finds her sister maintains a secret Instagram where she ranks her fiancé’s family by who she hopes will die first, then exposes it to the fiancé.

Discussion Highlights:

• Justin admits to once having a “dark sense of humor” online but finds the sister’s behavior extreme, especially at 29.
• Morgan: “You’re giving psychopath… hoping his grandma dies so you can get the ring. Psychopath.” ([25:37])
• Both agree this is “breakup worthy” but debate the approach to revealing the secret.
• Emphasis on knowing who you’re marrying.

Notable Quotes:

• “Mean girls shit—burn book to burn list.” (Reddit commentary, [29:13])
• “She went on Canva and made a pyramid. It’s giving Dance Moms.” – Morgan ([31:56])

Timestamp Highlights

• [23:44] Story Introduction
• [27:50] Differentiating finsta/group chat/mean-spiritedness
• [31:56] Canva pyramid/Dance Moms reference

Story 3: Couple Discovers They Are First Cousins Before Their Wedding

[34:25 – 70:59]

Summary:
A woman and her fiancé, after years together, discover their mothers are estranged twins—making them first cousins—just months before their wedding.

Discussion Highlights:

• Both hosts staggered by the real-world implications: legal, ethical, emotional.
• Justin: “I don’t think you can get past this. They certainly can never have biological children together.” ([44:41])
• Deep dive into family history, generational trauma, and possible undisclosed abuse.
• Morgan: “I do think you have to go low contact, if not no contact… pursue other means of having kids. But we’re in so deep it wouldn’t change anything for us.” ([64:18])
• Justin: “If they do stay together, it’s not their fault… I want to know what they end up doing so badly.” ([49:03])
• OP’s dramatic update includes violence from her mother and acceptance from her fiancé’s family— unprecedented layers of family and psychological tension.

Memorable Moments:

• [46:53]: Historical examples (Einstein, Poe) and changing attitudes toward cousin marriage
• [48:53]: “So in one situation you’re hiding a secret, in another you’re cut off from your family… This is a no-win.” – Justin

3. Work Stories & “Nightmare Fuel”

Story 4: I Had My Coworker Arrested for Stealing My Chair

[74:02 – 79:30]

Summary:
A worker brings in an expensive chair, has it stolen by a coworker, and calls the police, resulting in the thief’s arrest (and their own firing).

Discussion Highlights:

• Both agree it was an overreaction, even if justified in principle.
• Justin: “At first with the title, I was like, okay, this is definitely overreacting. Then they were telling the story. I was like, you know what, I’m on their side. Then it got to the end and I was like, nope, I’m off again…” ([78:57])
• Workplace chair theft: a thing?

Notable Quotes:

• “It’s too much drama for a chair.” – Morgan ([79:15])
• “At what point do you also drop lower than their level?” – Justin ([79:25])

Story 5: Coworker Claims We’re Married—We’re Not Even Dating

[84:00 – 99:23]

Summary:
A woman returns from leave to discover a coworker has convinced the office they're married.

Discussion Highlights:

• Creepy, violating, and professionally damaging.
• Morgan and Justin support the OP’s response and critique workplace inaction.

Notable Quotes:

• “He’s publicly saying this… She’s trying to privately handle it.” – Justin ([86:21])
• “I think the conversations maybe would be fine. But the kill list is still where it gets tricky.” – Morgan ([31:22], about previous story but echoes workplace rumor absurdity here)

Timestamp Highlights

• [87:00]: OP’s confrontation in the break room
• [88:03]: Op’s update: retaliatory workplace dynamics

4. Reddit Lore Detour: Ogtha the Imaginary Cockroach Wife

[102:18 – 128:41]

Segment Summary:
Morgan introduces Reddit legend “Ogtha”—a poster who reveals he can only be intimate by imagining his partner is a giant intelligent roach named Ogtha (inspired by Kafka’s The Metamorphosis). The obsession deepens across years—he “marries” Ogtha, introduces her to his coworkers and parents, and describes her as his life partner.

Hosts’ Reaction:

• Justin oscillates between fascination, empathy, and horror, calls it “the romance of a century… the most faithful a man’s ever been to anybody.” ([107:49])
• Morgan: “I would be so distraught and grossed out if… my partner told me, ‘every time we have sex, I envision you’re a roach.’” ([109:41])
• Both agree the poster is likely struggling with serious mental health issues.
• Discussion about niche kinks, therapy, VR, and the uniqueness of Ogtha’s legacy in Reddit lore.

Notable Quotes

• “He keeps thinking it’ll go that way for him...” – Justin ([122:36])
• “For me, it is Ogtha forever.” (Ogtha poster, read at [116:53])

Timestamp Highlights

• [104:04]: Story introduction
• [106:50]: Depth of delusion revealed
• [111:40]: Update—“I married her... I’ve not had a real girlfriend again since...”
• [121:29]: Sidetrack about how VR/future AI could bring Ogtha “to life”

Memorable Moments & Quotes (With Timestamps)

• “I think she came up with a good compromise… Actually, it is normal to be jealous of a dead woman.” – Justin ([11:52])
• “He’s not your boyfriend, he’s her husband.” (Reddit user, read at [15:52])
• “She went on Canva and made a pyramid. It’s giving Dance Moms.” – Morgan ([31:56])
• "If I were to get realistic about it, I'd be like… something really off there." – Justin, on Ogtha ([126:30])

Notable Audience Engagement Points

• Morgan encourages listeners to submit work stories and “weirdest kinks/fetishes” for future episodes: “Please, if you’ve experienced something goofy along these lines, please put it in the comments.” ([127:37])
• Repeated curiosity for updates from story submitters: “OP, if you’re out there, would like an update.” ([20:29])

Episode Structure Map (Timestamps)

• [01:02] – Catching up & Podcasting milestones
• [09:21] – Reddit Relationship Story 1: Late wife’s ring
• [21:14] – Reddit AITA: Sister’s “burn book” about in-laws
• [34:25] – Reddit Bombshell: Engaged couple are first cousins, with update ([50:36])
• [74:02] – Workplace Reddit: Chair theft turns criminal
• [84:00] – Workplace Reddit: Coworker claims marriage
• [102:18] – “Ogtha” Reddit Lore Detour
• [129:19] – Episode close

Overall Tone

Casual, irreverent, candid, and empathetic—ranging from dead-serious to laugh-out-loud, with signature “hot takes,” genuine audience engagement, and memorable pop-culture references.

“Banger after banger today. Let me know what you want to see... And if you’ve got a weird story, tell us.” – Morgan ([128:41])

Bottom Line

This episode perfectly encapsulates Two Hot Takes’ blend of unfiltered advice, offbeat humor, and genuine curiosity about the complexities (and absurdities) of modern relationships, work life, and human psychology. Whether you want agony aunt realness, audience confessionals, or a crash course in viral Reddit folklore, you’ll find it here.