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Morgan
This episode is brought to you by State Farm. We love a hot take. We do not love a complicated decision. That's why State Farm makes bundling easy. With a personal price plan, you can choose the coverage you need and get a price that works for you. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on ratings plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state. This episode is brought to you by Credit Karma. When it comes to your money, Credit Karma keeps you ahead of the game. You can count on Credit Karma to keep up with your financial needs. As they evolve, they'll help you monitor your progress and give personalized recommendations so you can make strides towards your goals and find your way to money. Make sure you're on the right track, no matter where you are on your financial journey. Intuit. Credit Karma. Karma you can count on. Would you like a cake pop?
Lucas Zelnick
Yes, please. Now you're just. Now I'm feeling kind of seen by you, to be honest.
Morgan
That's what we aim to do here.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I just feel like you've kind of read my vibe correctly and you're like, today is about treats.
Morgan
Every day should be about a sweet treat.
Lucas Zelnick
Every day should have the capacity. But I think if it's at a regular time every day, it no longer becomes a treat. So treats have to be sporadic? Definitionally, yes. Surprising or irregular in nature to be a treat.
Morgan
I like that.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Well, this is a treat.
Lucas Zelnick
It's a treat to be here.
Morgan
Now we're rolling.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, let's roll.
Morgan
We're ready.
Lucas Zelnick
Let's do it.
Morgan
Welcome back to another episode of Too Hot Tastes. You guys. I'm your host, Morgan, and today I've got Lucas Zelnick in the house.
Lucas Zelnick
Thanks for having me.
Morgan
That was really good. You might put me out of a job with that.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, I think a soundboard would be the best, but I know the buttons are.
Morgan
They're too far.
Lucas Zelnick
They're so far. And we're so comfy already.
Morgan
I know. And we don't wear headphones. I used to wear headphones, but no headphones anymore.
Lucas Zelnick
This is like, I'm. I'm. It's already my favorite podcast I've ever done. It's. I'm reclined. I have a blankie.
Morgan
I love a blanket. Your favorite. Holy smokes.
Lucas Zelnick
I love a blankie. I mean, I do my work from bed, like, most of the Work I do is from bed. So to feel bed adjacent. Obviously, I don't feel bedridden right now, but to feel bed adjacent is meaningful.
Morgan
Bed adjacent. That. That's got a ring to it.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
I'm bed adjacent most of the time. Even the couch. I'm, like, kicked out. Kind of reclined on the couch as I'm working. I need to get a standing desk. I need to be more functional.
Lucas Zelnick
You really want to do that to yourself, Let yourself enjoy life a little bit?
Morgan
I feel like I'm getting a hump. A hump where, like, you know when you get. You have bad posture, like the.
Lucas Zelnick
Like the. The hunch. You mean a. Like the Hunchback of Notre Dame? Yeah, like that.
Morgan
Yeah. And everyone's like, get trapped. Botox. And I'm like, I feel like I could just maybe change my posture a little.
Lucas Zelnick
Trap Botox. That's real.
Morgan
They'll literally inject your traps with Botox.
Lucas Zelnick
So you, like. And then you just have to be.
Morgan
You're more erect.
Lucas Zelnick
You have to be like.
Morgan
Yeah, yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Positionally erect.
Morgan
Yeah. So I'm like, I think the standing desk is gonna come Q3.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, listen. Alternatively, you could just not inject Botox into your traps and not get the standing desk and then just kind of see where gravity takes you.
Morgan
Oh, okay. People are like, where are you guys going with this? That's a great question. You know, you might feel at this point in the episode, I'm heckling you. I'm giving you a hard time, and that is something you come into contact with. I feel like every show.
Lucas Zelnick
Nice. That was a good transition.
Morgan
You get the best hecklers.
Lucas Zelnick
Well, I.
Morgan
At least from what I see.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess I don't love it when they talk first, but if I'm talking to them. Fun, fun, fun.
Morgan
You have to initiate it.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, yeah, yeah. On my terms. Okay, on my terms. But all those clips are, like, the whole amount of that that's in the show usually. So it's not like all that, but it is always fun. And I think people enjoy. I like learning about people. And doing a regular standup show without it can be a little bit monotonous because you know what you're gonna say. I mean, you know, your goal is that everyone else is surprised and loves it. But when you get to meet people in the audience, especially when you meet people with, like, crazy stories, it is. It's. It. Hopefully you can make it funny. But I'm also just, like, sometimes fascinated. Especially, like, I was just In Oklahoma.
Morgan
Oh, wow.
Lucas Zelnick
And it's like you talk to anyone from Oklahoma and I'm interested just cause I'm like, what is your.
Morgan
What's your vibe?
Lucas Zelnick
Life.
Morgan
Yeah. I grew up with my neighbors being from Oklahoma and they talked about like skunk busting and possum hunting and like crazy stuff.
Lucas Zelnick
I met a guy, so I was in. Wait, where did you grow up?
Morgan
Minnesota.
Lucas Zelnick
Maybe I should know this. Where in Minnesota?
Morgan
Duth.
Lucas Zelnick
Duth. Okay. I've been to Duth. Waterfront. Well, yeah, I performed at the University of Minnesota. Duth.
Morgan
Oh my God. It was Bulldogs.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, yeah.
Morgan
You know, Duluth.
Lucas Zelnick
And so there's that water. It's. I mean, it's freezing, obviously.
Morgan
Yeah. Canal Park.
Lucas Zelnick
But there's that lake, all Lake Superior. And I would. Right, that's. I should know that anyway. But. But then there's like all those good food places kind of right on the lake. You know what I'm talking about?
Morgan
Canal Park.
Lucas Zelnick
That was awesome.
Morgan
Duluth is really underrated. It's very niche. It's practically Canada. But really crazy. You went there. But yeah, Oklahoma's wild.
Lucas Zelnick
So I was. I was in Oklahoma and I was in a vintage store. Cause sometimes what I do when I go on tours, I go to vin. I go vintage shopping. Cause it's my belief that that will lead me to the cool neighborhood. Sometimes true, sometimes isn't. But like, if there's a lot of vintage stores next to each other, usually you're in the kind of like trendy part of town, then there's good coffee, then there's good brunch. So it's like vintage is for some reason the thing I picked.
Morgan
Because vintage is the gateway to everything good in a community.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Cause I've picked good restaurants that aren't around other good restaurants, and I've picked good coffee shops that aren't around other good coffee shops. But vintage seems to be around both of those things.
Morgan
It's upping your odds for sure.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, so I go to a vintage store and I'm looking at like, I don't know, T shirts or something. And then I see probably a three month old kangaroo hop into the door of the vintage store.
Morgan
Real wasn't taxidermied real.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, it's a kangaroo hopping kangaroo or wallaby kangaroo.
Morgan
How did they get that?
Lucas Zelnick
So I obviously am looking for his owner and I find the owner. The kangaroo is also wearing a diaper.
Morgan
And the owner was just on its own.
Lucas Zelnick
Kangaroo was on its own. Just hopping around freely in the vintage store. Not even on a leash or Anything?
Morgan
No chaperone in a vintage store is actually wild.
Lucas Zelnick
The guy was like two rows down, just, like hanging out, and he was like, oh, yeah, you want to hold my kangaroo? And I was like, yeah, I want to hold your kangaroo.
Morgan
Picture of the kangaroo.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I have a picture with me and the kangaroo. And so I end up getting to talking to him. And he is, in fact, the owner of an exotic animals ranch called HQ Ranch in Oklahoma.
Morgan
He knew Joe Exotic.
Lucas Zelnick
He knew Joe Exotic because Oklahoma is where Joe Exotic is from. And the reason why all these exotic animal ranches exist in Oklahoma is because of their laws.
Morgan
He. Yeah, sorry. It's gonna take kind of the wild West. Maybe if you type kangaroo in pictures, it'll pop up. That helps sometimes.
Lucas Zelnick
So. Yep. Well, this is me on the ranch. It didn't pull the wall.
Morgan
Okay, wait, so you got invited to the ranch?
Lucas Zelnick
So he. So I get to talking to him. He's like, what do you do? I'm like, I'm a comedian. I'm just in town for the weekend. He's like, I've got this ranch. Do you wanna come out and see the ranch? I was like, yeah.
Morgan
So, okay, this is my dream.
Lucas Zelnick
This is me in a giraffe.
Morgan
Oh, my gosh.
Lucas Zelnick
First of all, like, I was a little nervous when I met him.
Morgan
Cause they. Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Cause he was like, f. Like, I was like, I'm in Oklahoma. We had to drive, you know, an hour out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into just.
Morgan
Were you in his car? Yours?
Lucas Zelnick
No, we had a rental.
Morgan
Okay, that's positive at least.
Lucas Zelnick
So we drove in ours. And I was like. Part of me was. I was like, is this guy, like one of these, like, doomsday prepping white supremacist freaking?
Morgan
Like, I mean, it could have been a Noah's ark. Modern day Noah's ark.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Or like. Yeah, like a religious thing or like flags with groups that I don't. You will, you know, that I want to stay away from. And so I was nervous, but I get there. It's first of all, beautiful.
Morgan
Boom.
Lucas Zelnick
Of who? It's his. It's him and his wife. They're taking amazing care of the animals.
Morgan
I was going to ask. I'm like, how ethical?
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, no, ethical. Like, I was shocked. They do a lot of education. They do a lot of work for zoos. So they're like, are they on TikTok? It's called HQ Ranch. Shout them out. Shout out. I told them I would promote them always because they were just so sweet to me. And they took such good care of me.
Morgan
Oh, my God. Yeah. Oh, my God. This is him.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, that's him. That's my guy.
Morgan
Wow.
Lucas Zelnick
And it. It was just. This is me in a Mongolian camel.
Morgan
Oh, my gosh. I can send you the time of your life.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, it was a blast. And I had this local opener, this guy named Caleb, who was, like, hosting my shows out there. Very quiet guy. Sweet guy, Very quiet. And he hadn't said much, kind of like the whole weekend. But we invited him out because we being the opener that I brought from New York who's like a friend of mine that I bring out.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
And then you always, like, you kind of meet a local who's working it from.
Morgan
I love that.
Lucas Zelnick
And I was like, yeah, do you want to come out? And then when we got out there with Caleb, he just had this, like, special bond with all the animals. Like, he didn't say much, but all the animals, like, gravitated towards him in a really strange. He was like a silent savant. Look, this is him. Like, all the kangaroos were, like, flocking to him. And he had this really peaceful energy.
Morgan
He must have, like some aura like that. Just like he's putting off some energy. Horses can hear your heartbeat from like eight feet away.
Lucas Zelnick
Really?
Morgan
Yeah. So I wonder if he's just like, emitting some energy. That's super cool. Super cool.
Lucas Zelnick
Whatever it was, I wasn't admitting it. Although this giraffe liked me.
Morgan
And giraffes can be mean. They can headbutt.
Lucas Zelnick
He. He could whip his neck up like.
Morgan
Yeah. It was a girl in la. I ended up, like, at a promoter dinner with her and she got her nose broken from a giraffe. And, like, Malibu.
Lucas Zelnick
Really?
Morgan
Yeah. Swung and just took her out.
Lucas Zelnick
Wow.
Morgan
I know, I know. But let's get into these stories. They're all crazy. Off the charts, kind of like, don't be a heckler vibe.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay?
Morgan
And we're gonna. We're gonna see what you think about. This episode is brought to you by 20th Century Studios. The Devil Wears Prada too. Only in theaters May 1st. Twenty years after the generation defining classic Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the iconic streets of New York and the chaotic halls of Runway magazine. But here's the situation. Miranda Priestley is in trouble. Like, career on the line, company might collapse, major scandal kind of trouble. And good old Andy Sachs, now an award winning journalist, is called in to do damage control. Can she save the magazine and restore Miranda's reputation in an industry that's Completely changed where digital's now running the show and the power dynamics are even more cutthroat. No pressure, Andy. It's the reunion fans have been waiting two decades for. Don't miss the Devil Wears Prada 2. Only in theaters May 1st. Get tickets now, our first one we've got here coming from Am I the Asshole? It is titled Am I the Asshole? For refusing to eat my wife's spaghetti after I found out what she put in it. Last night, my wife made spaghetti and it smelled amazing. She said she tried something new and wanted me to just eat it before asking questions. I had a few bites and it kind of tasted off, but not terrible, just weirdly sweet and earthy. I asked what she changed, and she told me that she blended up leftover spaghetti from six days ago and mixed it into the sauce to thicken it. I immediately stopped eating. I know it is technically the same ingredients, but the idea of blended old noodles mixed into fresh sauce made me feel sick. She got offended and said, I already ate half of a plate, so clearly it was fine and I was just being dramatic. Now that I knew, I told her, that is exactly the point. I did not know. If I had known beforehand, I would not have eaten it. She said I was being wasteful and disrespectful and acting like she served me garbage. I ended up making a sandwich because I could not finish it, and she got really upset and barely talked to me the rest of the night. Now she told her family and they think that I embarrassed her, but my mom thinks it's gross and I should not have been tricked into eating it. I feel bad for hurting her feelings, but I also feel like I should get a say in what I'm eating. Am I the asshole?
Lucas Zelnick
Wow. Are they lesbians?
Morgan
No mention of gender or ages.
Lucas Zelnick
I just can't picture a man stopping eating that if he was hungry.
Morgan
The minute I find out something's old, though, like, I love a leftover, but six days, you're kind of bordering on mold.
Lucas Zelnick
Well, it's definitely yucky. I feel like I have a girlfriend and she often. She's a great cook, but she oftentimes likes to throw things in that's like, oh, let me experiment. Like, that's part of her.
Morgan
What's she doing to your food?
Lucas Zelnick
I'm trying to think of, like, a time where I was like, what did you put in here? A lot of like, okay, I'm gonna. I don't know anything about cooking, so I don't know how normal these things are.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
But I know that, like, reusing the oils and the pasta water.
Morgan
Oh, yeah, that's.
Lucas Zelnick
And pouring that kind of stuff in. She does a lot of, like, she drains it out, and then she takes the drained thing and then she drains that again. And then. Then there's like a.
Morgan
That seems legit. I mean, that's how, like, you make gravy by, like, draining fat and whatever.
Lucas Zelnick
This sounds like a person that thought they were gonna. I know. We were just doordashing before this.
Morgan
We don't cook.
Lucas Zelnick
Both of us trying to talk about cooking, we're like, what is that? I'm like, I don't know if you're the asshole, because I don't know the culinary arts. I mean, it's gross. You think six days is mold. Mold prone?
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay.
Morgan
Right.
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. I mean, I don't. Like, I'll. I'll leave a pizza on the counter, not refrigerate it and eat it for a few days.
Morgan
Days or one night.
Lucas Zelnick
One night. Now that I've seen your reaction, you days, maybe like, definitely the next morning and maybe more that day later.
Morgan
Oh, no.
Lucas Zelnick
So, no. I don't know. I don't. I guess you're not an asshole. Because you should decide. I think it's all. To me, it's all in the messaging. Like, you have to be grateful that your significant other is cooking for you, because that is never expected.
Morgan
True.
Lucas Zelnick
So I think along with a healthy dose of gratitude, it is fair to say, now that I know it's in the food, I. I don't want to eat it. Especially if you're worried that the food is unhealthy.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
So I don't think that makes you the asshole. However, I think if someone feels disrespected when they cook for you, based on your reaction, it's possible that your reaction is erring on the side of disrespectful. I think you have to be a little extra thankful when anyone cooks for you.
Morgan
How are you envisioning the reaction? Are you envisioning a. Like, yuck, I'm disgusting? Like, are you envisioning, like, outrage or just like, I'm envisioning, like, a slow push the plate away. Like, hmm. Not gonna. Not gonna be able to finish that
Lucas Zelnick
with a slow push the plate away. I think you're so not the asshole.
Morgan
Okay, so reaction would matter here. According to Google, cooked pasta usually only lasts three to five days in the refrigerator before spoiling.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, no.
Morgan
And this was day six.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay. You're not the asshole. Especially if you knew this. I didn't know this. I mean, if you know that pasta goes bad within a few days.
Morgan
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I would have thought to Google it quickly before I'm like, let me blend up this old food that's kind of starting to stink into my new food. Because wouldn't that make the new food spoil faster as well?
Lucas Zelnick
Probably, yeah. I mean, if you're introducing, like, mold to it, for sure. Because then the mold could grow in the new food.
Morgan
Also, I have some unfortunate news about pizza.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, no.
Morgan
Yeah. It's not good. Michigan State did a study. They sampled the pizza.
Lucas Zelnick
Spartans.
Morgan
I don't know.
Lucas Zelnick
Or the state of Michigan.
Morgan
Michigan State. The school.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay.
Morgan
Michigan State.
Lucas Zelnick
Michigan State Spartans.
Morgan
Yeah. Food safety expert, Dr. Teresa Burgh holes. And they swabbed pizza just six hours after it being out on the counter.
Lucas Zelnick
Why was in the swab?
Morgan
Bacteria cultures already.
Lucas Zelnick
Does that mean that's gonna. You know what. You know what that's gonna do to me?
Morgan
Make you eat the pizza right away and then put it in the fridge.
Lucas Zelnick
That is gonna change the way that I eat leftover pizza forever.
Morgan
I mean, six hours, you're still. She says it's still, like, very low level.
Lucas Zelnick
Mm.
Morgan
But I put.
Lucas Zelnick
I closed the box. I don't like the bacteria. I think it's more like fly in through the box.
Morgan
I think it's temperature. I think it's temperature.
Lucas Zelnick
Fuck.
Morgan
I know.
Lucas Zelnick
This is, like, one of those things. So, like. So my girlfriend's British, and when I travel all around, like, America for comedy, she wouldn't want to drink the tap water in certain hotel sinks. And I was like, no, if it's, like a big hotel chain, it's totally fine. Marriott's not gonna let me sue them because I got sick from their tap water.
Morgan
I honestly don't think they're putting reverse osmosis systems in their stuff.
Lucas Zelnick
Reverse osmosis systems?
Morgan
Yeah, it takes pfavs. And, like, how do you know all this about this? I don't know. I'm weird with water. I, like, don't drink tap water.
Lucas Zelnick
So. Okay, so this hap. So I start calling hotels, like, gradually
Morgan
and asking them about their.
Lucas Zelnick
Asking them how the water is. And, like, at least 50% of the time, they were like, oh, don't drink that. And I was like, really?
Morgan
Yeah. She was right.
Lucas Zelnick
And then I was looking up, like, different states. It turns out, like, many states have water that's sort of in violation of what you'd want it to be.
Morgan
Yeah. Think about poor Flint, Michigan. How long they went without clean water, of course.
Lucas Zelnick
But I thought, like, in my mind, I'm like, well, flint was a national news story because they didn't have clean water. Ipso facto, the assumption is it does. But I'm from New York, so it's like New York has some of the
Morgan
highest rates about the tap water there.
Lucas Zelnick
Tap water?
Morgan
Yeah. People are kind of snobs about New York's tap water. They're like, I can't eat bagels anywhere else because the New York water makes the bagel.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, yeah.
Morgan
So it's raved about.
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. So now I'm like, kind of off tap water. And then you're drinking bottles, and now you're into microplastic veil.
Morgan
I know. Yeah. You have to get glass jugs, which they do have, but then if you look at the brand of water that's in the glass jugs, they have a class action lawsuit for, like, chrome on or something.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, no.
Morgan
It's just a whole thing. We can't escape it this way.
Lucas Zelnick
So what do you do? What's your practice? Do you ignore the microplastics thing?
Morgan
You know, I try to, yeah. I try to, yeah. It. They're already in my brain, clearly. I think we see that every week. You can only do so much.
Lucas Zelnick
Sure.
Morgan
So it's hard, but this is why, like, I think colon cancer's shooting up. Just everyone's getting, like, yeah, I'm, like, always constipated. How old are you?
Lucas Zelnick
30.
Morgan
Have you talked to a GI specialist?
Lucas Zelnick
No, I don't really go to the doctor.
Morgan
What do you mean?
Lucas Zelnick
Because I find that more often than not, they tell me everything's fine.
Morgan
Unfortunately, you do have to advocate for yourself. It's very unfortunate. Colon cancer is a big care in the two hot takes universe. And March was colon cancer awareness month. And so we talked a lot about that, and we've had a lot of listeners, because of the show go and get, like, diagnosed with colon cancer.
Lucas Zelnick
Really?
Morgan
So I'm not saying that's what you have.
Lucas Zelnick
No, but it's.
Morgan
If you have stomach bowel irregularities, you should.
Lucas Zelnick
Constant constipation can probably increase your risk.
Morgan
Do you get enough fiber?
Lucas Zelnick
I do, but isn't fiber one of the.
Morgan
This.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, this is where I go with every health thing is, like, you look into fiber. They're like, okay, if you eat fiber, it makes you poo. If you eat too much fiber, it constipates you.
Morgan
It's a fine line with everything. So it's like, where's the balance?
Lucas Zelnick
Where's the balance and then I feel it out. I hope that I'm just getting enough fiber, but last time I went to get a physical, my doctor, I think I was like 23. So it's been a while. It's been like seven.
Morgan
Seven years, Lucas. I know, it's time.
Lucas Zelnick
It's probably time.
Morgan
It's time. Just like even, like, get your blood work up. Your normal preventative care dentist, you should be going every six months.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm not doing that, but I am going probably once a year.
Morgan
Oh, do you get cavities often?
Lucas Zelnick
I do usually have them when I go back.
Morgan
Maybe every six months would be better.
Lucas Zelnick
No cavities, Unquestionably so. And
Morgan
there's probably so many people listening where they're like, I haven't been to the dentist in four years.
Lucas Zelnick
I guess, right in, like, am I driving you nuts? Right. Are you feeling seen? Or maybe it's 50. 50.
Morgan
We could do a poll.
Lucas Zelnick
We could do a poll.
Morgan
When was the last time you went to the dentist?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Are you being driven nuts by this lack of medical attention or are you?
Morgan
I will say I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so, like, don't let my anxiety rub off on you.
Lucas Zelnick
Well, LA in general is a different culture around self care, physical self care. And so I think when I come out here, I just feel like a total piece of shit. Because in New York it's like everyone's like, well, whatever. We're all, we live, we are the rats, you know? But then out here, it's like amazing all the time.
Morgan
The rats are gonna hate to see you coming or whatever that, like, what was that clip? It was like one of your, like, mayors or like public health workers.
Lucas Zelnick
I know what you're talking about.
Morgan
The rat press conference.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Insert clip here.
Lucas Zelnick
It's a big problem.
Morgan
The rats are absolutely going to hate this announcement. The rats don't run this city. We do.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, last time I went for physical, the doctor tried to put his fingers up my butt. He said, I'm gonna look around. Prostate exam. He said, prostate exam. I said, well, what is the risk of prostate cancer for a 23 year old? He said, almost zero. I said, let's pass. Then I said, maybe we could not do this, you know, no wonder why
Morgan
you didn't go back.
Lucas Zelnick
And I swear to God, I go, can we skip it? And he goes, okay. I was like, are you bummed?
Morgan
Yeah, he is. I was like, either he wanted to palpate your prostate.
Lucas Zelnick
I was like, if you tell me you need to do this. You better not be like, what was the medical indication?
Morgan
Like what? Like what.
Lucas Zelnick
What was the way.
Morgan
Like, what was his indication that he needed to do that?
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. I think he just felt it would be good to start.
Morgan
Were you constipated back then too?
Lucas Zelnick
No. No.
Morgan
Why? Is it happening?
Lucas Zelnick
No, I think he just wanted to see what was going on.
Morgan
Okay, well.
Lucas Zelnick
And I was like, that's scary. It scared me that backed off of it so quickly.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Like, it's like if you're a doctor and I say, I don't want to do this, he. He should go. Well, really, you know, it's. It's important to do this. But instead he was like, it's fine, whatever. He was like. He was like, we don't even have to do this.
Morgan
That's crazy. Oh, my God. I don't even know what to think about this. Wow. If we have any MDs in the. In the chat, let us know what that was about.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, let us know how normal it is for a 23 year old male to get a prostate exam. Am I the asshole? God, is my asshole the asshole?
Morgan
I'm just perplexed. The spaghetti, though. Top comment. Not the asshole. They quoted what OP said it tasted kind of off, but not terrible, just weirdly sweet and earthy. And then they go, you want to know what that earthy taste probably was? Mold.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, no.
Morgan
Next comment down. Yep, next comment down. This is the one. You get an earthy taste in something that shouldn't taste earthy if you are tasting mold and fungus. Now I'm like, I've. I've definitely took a bite of some earthy bread.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, listen, earthy is not always bad, but. Well, or so it is.
Morgan
I mean, in this case, it is. Oh, my God. God.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm gonna leave here like a different guy for the. I'm gonna be like, I'm gonna be like a germaphobe when I leave here.
Morgan
Well, this is. I think this is the only, like, gross one.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, good.
Morgan
This is. It's okay.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I. I guess. Yeah. We should all take good care of ourselves.
Morgan
Take good care of yourself. Not the I know, like, people comment. They're like, I know times are tough, but, like, you maybe saved $2 by doing this and like, your health and like, getting food poisoning is not worth the incur.
Lucas Zelnick
More cost than you will.
Morgan
Yeah, yeah. So they're like, do not do this, people. Earthy taste would most likely be mold. Mold and rot.
Lucas Zelnick
Mm, rot.
Morgan
Not the asshole. Leftover pasta can Actually make you very sick. That's that thing. If you leave pasta out on the counter, even like there's a time limit. It can have this like, rare bacteria. You can like die pasta and rice. There's like a cool down period. You can't put it in if it's too hot. And it has to be in within like 30 minutes of it becoming room temperature. This is like the food safety stuff they don't teach us and they really should, I think.
Lucas Zelnick
I guess I would rather they not because I would like, never function. Like, it's like the tick. Have you heard of the tick that if it bites you, you get allergic to red meat forever?
Morgan
No.
Lucas Zelnick
There's a tick and it's a. You can look it up, but if it bites you, it's in the northeast.
Morgan
Like, is it a version of Lyme disease?
Lucas Zelnick
I think it. It is. It's. It's certainly.
Morgan
It's called alpha gal syndrome. It's from the Lone Star tick. Potentially life threatening allergy to red meat and dairy for the rest of your life. Oh, that's really tough.
Lucas Zelnick
And I love a steak.
Morgan
That's crazy.
Lucas Zelnick
That's scary. For me, that's like a big piece of my food triangle.
Morgan
Yeah. Wow. Okay, we're gonna stop giving you guys nightmares and new things to worry about and move on to this next one. Okay. This one is coming from Amethyst. It is titled Am I the asshole for drinking the beers I brought to a party, even though it was more than people were allowed to drink. I, 30s, male. I'm in a graduate program where most of my classmates are either fresh out of college or. Or have had one or two years since graduating. I was invited to a party by one of my classmates. Early mid 20s male. He said everyone was going to bring a six pack of beer and we would all swap and try each other's. My partner, 30s, male, came with me, but he said he didn't want to drink because he wanted to work on something. The next morning, my partner and I Both chose a six pack of beer to bring. Nothing fancy, just two types of IPAs. We showed up and hung out and had a good time. I thought everyone put their six packs on the table and everyone would just walk up and grab one when they needed another drink. I ended up having eight beers that night. My partner, my partner didn't have any. But then my classmate who invited me got mad because I had eight and we were only allowed six each. I said that since my partner and I brought 12, it was okay that I drank eight. Because my partner didn't drink any. Like, as a couple, we brought more than we drank, but my classmate told me that was bullshit and asked me to pay for the two extra beers I drank. Am I being crazy or is this whole thing unnecessary?
Lucas Zelnick
Uh, you're not the asshole. You're just an alcoholic. You ended up having eight. Who blinks and is eight beers in?
Morgan
I mean, we don't get a mention over how long it was.
Lucas Zelnick
It would have to be but so long for eight beers to go down without noticing.
Morgan
See? And then I'm like, this is how I know. Like, I'm not maybe the best response on this because I'm like, I'm from the Midwest and people there will bring a pack of Natty Light and just,
Lucas Zelnick
I'll have eight beers. But that's behavior when you're trying to get shit faced.
Morgan
It's. Yeah, no, it's binge drinking for sure.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
And they're IPAs, which have like a higher alcohol content.
Lucas Zelnick
Usually you're drinking like eight hamburgers. Like, those are like, those are meaty beers.
Morgan
Yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah. But I, I will say, overall, the concept, regardless of him being, you know, maybe having a drinking problem, I think there is a little bit of injustice here.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, there's great injustice. Because if you bring 12 beers and you drink eight, you should never be on the hook to pay, no matter what the formulation of the party is. That makes no sense.
Morgan
What about those four other beers he left behind? Yeah, what about that? Are you going to pay me for the four?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. In fact, let's make a deal. You have those four.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And we're even.
Morgan
Like, what? What?
Lucas Zelnick
No, that doesn't make any sense.
Morgan
I'm like, are they just.
Lucas Zelnick
They might just hate you.
Morgan
Yeah, they're kind of like, I don't know, they're heckling, but like, just kind of like a. Mentally fudgeing with him a little.
Lucas Zelnick
Are you leaving out the part where you were so drunk that you punched a hole in the wall at this guy's house?
Morgan
I know. I'm curious if there's other.
Lucas Zelnick
Like, am I the asshole? Because I have eight beers.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Sure.
Lucas Zelnick
There's a couple hours of the night I don't really recall, and then everyone's mad at me. The next day feels like it's about something else. If it's just about this. No way. You're the asshole. But it can't be just about this.
Morgan
I mean, maybe it's an age thing, though. They're kind of younger, 20s, he's mid-30s.
Lucas Zelnick
But everyone's what? This is a graduate program. Everyone's getting an advanced degree.
Morgan
I'm surely you think they could count?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. And understand, I think this wouldn't be a contentious issue. If everyone's paid for a six pack, they've paid for two six packs. This is something basic math going on here.
Morgan
Some people cannot do basic math.
Lucas Zelnick
Though I'd be curious what kind of graduate program it is. Is it like anthropology?
Morgan
Let's see if we have any comments from OP the top comment is not the asshole. First of all, that's a ridiculous level of bean counting for a party set up in this way.
Lucas Zelnick
Agree.
Morgan
Secondly, couples contributions do count together, but never mind any of that. I would just tell this guy, okay, I don't agree with this, but I'll be the bigger person and give money to whomever ended up short. Oh, and by the way, partner brought six and drank zero, so when should he expect to get his money back and from whom?
Lucas Zelnick
Ooh, ooh.
Morgan
Yeah, someone responds to that and goes, oh, devious little creature. I love this. Yes, the partner should definitely get back money for four beers if they want a tango this way.
Lucas Zelnick
Mm.
Morgan
Mm. Okay, let's see if there's any comments from OP here. Don't know where this guy's coming from. Maybe he's still drunk. Lol.
Lucas Zelnick
Mm.
Morgan
Yeah, this whole thing's weird to me. Like, okay, if you want to be mad I drank too much, that's your prerogative. But it's not like you're the one who paid for it. Question mark.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, that, that I agree with. It's like if this is about something else, then tell him if you're mad he drank too much because this was a six pack party. Well, admittedly, if this is a six pack party and everyone's supposed to have six, eight's not crazy. Because once you're having six, like six beers is to me like a chill night is like two, maybe three.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
And I say this as a six foot two man, you know what I mean? Like, I could have more, but that's. It's just not chill to have five plus beers ever, in my opinion.
Morgan
Yeah, okay, so I'm, I'm, I was trying to like put in a concept how many drinks that would be because I'm not a beer drinker. I have like no idea the concept of beers. So I'm thinking like, oh, 5% alcohol, like, whatever. But if it was eight 12 ounce beers, that equals eight standard drinks. But if they were stronger beers, like an IPA and larger eight beers could roughly equal 10 to 16 standard drinks.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, yeah. If they're drinking tall boys, that's.
Morgan
Okay. That's insane. That's a problem. But I. Okay. I'm going to assume they were just the regular, like 12 ounce.
Lucas Zelnick
I assume they were. Yeah. I'm picturing like a regular, like a can of this size, but it's an ipa.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
So you're not. That's not Eight Bud Lights. And by the way, eight Bud Lights, also a problem. Yeah.
Morgan
Okay. I'm getting more on. I'm like, oh, fuck.
Lucas Zelnick
You know what I mean?
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Because even six to me, drinking a full six pack.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Is like I'm watching the super bowl with my friends.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And I. I'm not too heavy of a drinker, so maybe I'm being a little prude in the eyes of the listeners.
Morgan
I think this is probably a healthy good take.
Lucas Zelnick
I feel like now that I'm 30 at least, like in college, of course you, you know, you're trying to binge drink pretty much every time you go out.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
But we would drink hard liquor in college just to like actually get drunk. Cause we were in such good drinking shape at that time that probably six beers would have just taken too long and my body would have been processing it too quickly. But these days, graduate school is kind of a. I went to graduate school. Same. Okay, nice. Where'd you. Or what'd you do?
Morgan
I got a doctorate in occupational therapy.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, shit. Okay, so you're.
Morgan
I don't use it, so it's weird.
Lucas Zelnick
Yes, you do. This is. Wait, occupational therapy is different than talk therapy? Yeah, the occupational therapy is like speech pathology.
Morgan
Speech pathology is different. It's. It's more comparable to like physical therapy, but we focus more, I would say, on like neuro and in the context of like functional activities, like your day to day tasks or things like that. We don't help people find jobs. We could, but it's more so like dressing, bathing, grooming, things like that.
Lucas Zelnick
Got it. So there's not much connection between that and reading Reddit stories and then analyzing them.
Morgan
I would say very little. Okay. Very little.
Lucas Zelnick
Sure. Well, I went to business school.
Morgan
Okay, cool.
Lucas Zelnick
Which teaches you nothing about anything.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
So don't worry. I never have to wonder if I'm using. You're using it because you can't. There's no way to use it.
Morgan
I feel like you couldn't stand up, but okay.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, stand up's a little like entrepreneurial in a sense. I can't necessarily point to too much that happened in business school that, you know, I couldn't have learned with my
Morgan
own economics of it all. Micro macro. What's going on there?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, the Fed rates don't really impact my. My ticket sales for my toy bros, but it was a big drinking culture.
Morgan
Is that a finance thing? More so than like grad school?
Lucas Zelnick
I think it's also like, I went. Cause I was at a bit of an impasse of like, what to do. I had just started doing standup comedy, but I wasn't ready to go all in on it and I wanted a plan B. And I think it was sort of. I was a bit lost and I think a lot of people go and they're a bit lost and a lot of people go and they're single and they're lost and it's all of that kind of contributes to like a bit of a party party and hookup culture. It can be like college round two for people that felt they didn't do college. Right. Which wasn't how I used it, but some people do.
Morgan
Yeah. Mine, I would say was not super drink heavy. Like there were definitely nights out. But I would say, like, my. My group was probably a little more nose to the grind. What's that?
Lucas Zelnick
To the grindstone?
Morgan
Yeah, that one. So I didn't have that College 2.0 experience, but I also had friends that were like, in my area because, like, my grad school is here, so.
Lucas Zelnick
Right.
Morgan
So you didn't always.
Lucas Zelnick
You weren't like, in the community as much as some people might have been if they were away from home.
Morgan
Exactly. OP does have an edit on this post. Lesson learned. Don't party with grad students.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, well, that I will say this, like, so OP sounds like he's in a good relationship.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And I think grad school partying can be a bit of a single man's game. Like, it can be. It can be clicky. It can be. I noticed that when I was there.
Morgan
Well, like, when people put it into perspective in the comments too. Is this really worth the confrontation over $4? People are like, just pay it. Never party with these weirdos again. They sound lame as. Yeah, and that's also true. Like, if you have to be in grad school with them for another two years. Yeah, just pay it four bucks. Like, maybe he really, like, definitely pay it.
Lucas Zelnick
Because then otherwise they're gonna go around and be like, he fucking didn't pay us for the. You know there's gonna be a story. Yeah, you know there's gonna be a story that like, isn't what happened? So you always just pay it. Unless it's an amount of money that's like you. You simply have.
Morgan
What's the limit? Like, I feel like the most they could ask for. I mean, a six pack. 20 bucks.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I think unless you're in Canada, they're saying the two beers. Oh, this is in Canada.
Morgan
No, no, we don't know. But like, Canada beers.
Lucas Zelnick
Unless you're.
Morgan
Yeah. Like, how much are they really asking? Like, Molson's so expensive.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Two beers would be maybe eight, tops. Yeah. Probably because they're like they bottom in six pack formation.
Morgan
Divide by six.
Lucas Zelnick
I think if it's over 20 bucks, you have to be like, guys, what's going on?
Morgan
Okay. I think.
Lucas Zelnick
I think under 20 bucks, as it approaches 20, like, 20 would be kind of an annoying amount because keep in mind, you've already each bought two, so now you're in for like 40. Or maybe if you and your partner split it, 30 each for this party that, like, you've left with a bad taste in your mouth.
Morgan
I think 10 bucks would be my limit. I'm willing to pay $10 to not deal with drama, but after that, I'm like, the injustice and the principle of it all. No, fuck you.
Lucas Zelnick
I think 20. Well, I've definitely paid more to not deal with drama for sure. But I also think it depends. I don't know. I had, like, a situation where someone that was working for me, we had a misunderstanding.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
Where I had. I had offered a bonus for a certain project, and this person took it to mean that this bonus exists for all of his work. Like, I basically, he had been making clips for me.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And I said, for every clip that does this, well, I'll give you a financial bonus. Yeah. But it was attached to a certain batch of clips I was giving him. And then like three months later, he had a couple clips perform that well. And he was like, can I get the bonus? And I was like, you know what? You can.
Morgan
Because I was a little bit of a miscommunication. Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
I was like, one, I don't think you're acting in the wrong. And also I'm like, you did get the result that I was attaching a financial bonus to, but this isn't the same thing. You know what I mean? This is very different.
Morgan
Move forward.
Lucas Zelnick
So I just paid him and I was like, I want to have a relationship with you over the long term. Like, I'm sure if I tried to explain my perspective, yeah, he might understand. But I'm sure he Also wouldn't feel good about it.
Morgan
Exactly. Yeah. No. So there's. I mean there's times. Pick your battles and this might be one of them. If it's under $10, that's my hot take. But not the asshole. I think these people are weirdos.
Lucas Zelnick
I agree.
Morgan
But we'll see what we think about the next one. This episode is brought to you by Skims. I know it can be hard to feel confident in what you're wearing sometimes, and when you have good undergarments you can feel so empowered and comfortable and confident in what you're wearing. And I love all of Skim's undergarments, but especially the shapewear and the bodysuits. How smooth and seamless they look under whatever outfit I'm pairing them with. Especially when you're wearing something a little more form fitting. I want to feel confident and love what I'm wearing, not have to worry about anything. Which is why I recommend Skims to all my friends. I also have been really loving the bras. I have this black lace trimmed unlined demi bra and it is so flattering, so comfortable. I don't race to take it off when I get home at the end of the day. The fits everybody scoop bralette has become a staple for me. I feel like I just can't go wrong with skims. Shop everyday cotton and all of my favorite bras and underwear@skims.com after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Thank you. This is coming from R slash Relationship Advice. It is titled I 29 female slept with a new guy, 34 male for the first time and felt he was rude to me was he dated a new guy for a month. He was a gentleman and very kind towards me. He very recently just told me how much he liked me and that I'm pretty but most of all I'm a kind person with a good heart which is most important above anything. End Quotes his intentions seemed genuine towards me. We had texted, spoke on the phone every day up until Thursday when I came to his side of the city we live in and went out for cocktails and to watch a band. Afterwards we went back to his place which was around the corner from the venue. Everything felt right and we slept together for the first time. First time I had had sex in nine months. It was very good, passionate. We both enjoyed it, everything. I thought it would be the second it was over and he had finished he exclaimed how good it was, then got off me and walked into his kitchen to check his phone which was charging on the kitchen worktop. He lives in an apartment so I could see this from his bed. He then stood there and watched the football highlights. Then he started to type for a while so I assumed he was replying to text messages. Then he went and sat on the sofa for a few minutes. He eventually came back in his room, didn't say a word, just plugged in his phone charge and set an alarm for 7am we both were off work the next day. He said, quote, you can stay if you want, but just so you know, I'll be up at 7am I want to go to the gym night. He said this while his back was to me, then went straight to sleep, not facing me. I stayed on the other side of the bed and eventually fell asleep myself. I felt awkward being there. Alarm went off at 7am we both woke up. I said good morning. He replied in kind again, no touching or looking over at me. He jumped straight out of bed. We got to sleep at 2am so I'm pretty tired, but I get out of bed myself and go to his bathroom. By the time I get out, he's looking through his wardrobe deciding what he wants to wear for the day. I sit on my bed and book my Uber. I attempt to make small talk and ask more about his plans for the day with his friend. Again, doesn't look at me while replying, just looked through his wardrobe. At this point I felt like I had served my purpose the night before and was no longer necessary. My Uber arrives. He walks me to his door. The Uber driver has parked at the end of his street due to the road work that had taken place over the week. He says bye to me as I walk down the road. This was on Thursday night. Friday morning. No quote. Did you get home okay? Or I had a good night text. Nothing. Nothing for over two days until an hour ago when he texted simply quote recovered yet? I have not texted back and I don't think I even want to see him again. My friend is trying to convince me that he was just busy today, but being busy has never stopped him before. We had texted every day and to be honest I'm put out by how distant he was after we had sex for the first time. He knows I don't have casual sex and I hadn't slept with anyone for over nine months. I felt like his behavior was inconsiderate and I feel quite used. I wasn't expecting a marriage Proposal after sex, Just basic eye contact, conversation. Maybe a hug. My friends think I'm overreacting. Am I?
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, here's what I'll say. She's describing a lot of micro moments. And so it's hard to say without being there how all these micro moments might have felt to him versus you. Like, I think when you're getting to know someone, especially early on, especially the first time you sleep together, there could be a lot of moments that you may read as distance, that he may feel vulnerable in or shy in. Just. Here's where I'm. Before, before I get in trouble with the girlies, I want to say this. I am leaning towards saying that she is not in the wrong at all. But before I do that, I just wanna.
Morgan
Are you devil's advocating a little bit?
Lucas Zelnick
I mean, I'm a white man. This is my job to devil's advocate. This is. This is. I went to Devil's Advocate University. You have to understand this. Ladies, ladies, quiet down. It's man time.
Morgan
Now, ladies, let me mansplain this for you.
Lucas Zelnick
Let me explain something to you. No, but this is important to know. Okay? First of all, he should have texted. I think he should have texted that day.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
So I don't think you're overreacting in that regard. I think it's a polite thing to do. Did you get home safe? Any of those? Yeah, I think waiting two days is rude. I think waking up at 7am is a little psycho if it's not normal for him. But you've gotten to know him a little bit. Some guys are kind of psycho like that. Like some guys have the day off work and they do want to wake up and I wouldn't, you know, I want to. I would want to sleep in and get brunch or something. If I, If I were into you, like, I'd. I'd be excited about spending the morning together.
Morgan
Yes.
Lucas Zelnick
So clearly there's something going on, which is that he's not gushing. This did not bring him closer to you in the way that it felt like maybe it brought you closer to him. So that's, that's without question. And I don't think you're crazy for picking up on that, noticing that and feeling some type of way about it. I think that's a pretty reasonable and, and, and normal way to react. The one thing I will say is when you come as a man, we. We do not unlock physiologically the same feelings that women. You do. I'm assuming this woman didn't come because it's the first time we. They had sex.
Morgan
I don't know. I mean, she said it was passionate.
Lucas Zelnick
She did say it was good.
Morgan
It was very good. Passionate. If.
Lucas Zelnick
If. If women. If you enjoy having sex with a man, it seems. And I think this is backed up biologically, a lot of oxytocin is released.
Morgan
Yes.
Lucas Zelnick
You want to cuddle. You're feeling connected.
Morgan
Yes.
Lucas Zelnick
And I do think. And this, I think, is also backed up by science, that the second we come, we feel shy, distant, like a little bit vulnerable, a little bit embarrassed, like we want to get lost.
Morgan
Yeah, no, it's. It is backed by science. It's like, literally, women have the love hormone and men get the opposite hormone. And they're like, yep, I'm good. Bye.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. And so I'll say this. Okay. When I really like someone, like my girlfriend, now I remember I was so nervous having sex with her for the first time because I knew I was so into her, and I was like, ugh, I don't want to fuck this up.
Morgan
Yeah. Like, it's got to be good.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. And it was kind of clunky.
Morgan
As a result, I feel like most first times with a new person are totally.
Lucas Zelnick
And when I came because I was so into her, I didn't feel that I want to get out. So I think these things always come down to, like, if he were obsessed with you, you'd know. And clearly it's not that. But what I will say is, I'm not sure you can know right now how bad it is, because if it's anywhere from he's still getting to know you all the way to he's really not into it. These behaviors could possibly be. I'm not gonna say reasonable, but they could be. I wouldn't be shocked to see them out of a man who's maybe not the most socially aware and not the
Morgan
most thoughtful person, do you confront him? Cause I agree. I don't think she's overreacting at all. My instincts say he was just looking for sex, and you kind of got love bombed in all of this. I mean, the line here, it's a beautiful line. Beautiful line. I mean, who doesn't want to be told this? You're pretty. But most of all, I'm a kind person with a good heart, which is most important above anything, like, wow, okay, Mr. Darcy. Like, okay. But I'm getting like. I'm like, was that real, or was that just to get in my pants? Because then once you did, you're like, okay, take it or leave you.
Lucas Zelnick
I think she said that she doesn't like to have casual sex. From what I'm hearing, this is a pathway to casual sex.
Morgan
It's giving. Let me put you in the friends with benefit box.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Especially the texting pattern recovered yet? It's just ew.
Morgan
It's also ew.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, it's just not. It's not warm. And if you're looking for warmth, I think you shouldn't go see this guy again. And truthfully, if he really fucked up and he seemingly has no self awareness over that, if you say, hey, that, you know, I had fun getting to know you, but I think that's it for me, ironically, he'll probably be like, what? And he'll probably, like, try and chase you down and love bomb you again. Because these kinds of guys find it pathetic when they have the full attention of someone, but they find it completely hard to put their finger on when they don't. And these guys have, like an insecurity problem. So when someone doesn't like them, when someone does like them, they're like, oh, of course. But when someone doesn't like them, they're like, what the hell is going on? So my guess is if you tried to poo poo him, he would come running. But I think you might as well do that because whether you're into him or not, he's not showing the signals of someone that's looking to date you. And it sounds like that's what you're looking for. And off that alone, you know, if you're interested in casual, solid sex with someone that's like, not gonna treat you like shit, I'm not sure he's treating you like shit. Like he's just being distant and not particularly warm. If that's what you wanted, like someone that you could just hit up and have sex with, then it could be up to you to suss out, okay, does he like, did something happen when we had sex that made him this way? Or are we just going to be like buddies who fuck? Sometimes. But if that's not what you want, I would cut it right there.
Morgan
You are on the money. So top comment says, recovered from what his personality. And Opie responds like the. The laughing, crying emoji. And then someone down after that goes, like someone said in another thread, you really ought to reply, sorry, the sex wasn't good enough for me to be interested in anything casual. Good luck to you.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, well, that. That is some wild.
Morgan
It was kind of similar to what you were saying.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, that's what you're thinking. But you don't have to say that to this fucking guy.
Morgan
Someone does respond and goes, yeah, this is a devastating maneuver. Do it, Opie. Just like little pot stirrers.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I think. Yeah. Simple, like, hey, I'm. You know, this isn't exactly what I'm looking for right now, but it was really nice getting to know. To know you is the most courteous way to go.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
I just.
Morgan
You don't think he needs a punch to his ego?
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. Because the only.
Morgan
Kill him with kindness.
Lucas Zelnick
The only thing that I know for a fact.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
Is the texting. We know the texting for a fact. You know, if I were there and he literally didn't look at her once. But I think a lot of these, like, micro things of, like, he had his back turned to me, or he was texting on his phone and sitting on the. I don't want that. I mean, I can already tell I'm gonna get in trouble for invalidating the experience of a woman. But I'm just saying that when two people have sex, they may be experiencing very different realities. But I think the texting tells you exactly what you need to know.
Morgan
Well, yeah, I think I agree. There's one more comment where someone's like, op. You could put it this way. Our experience answered all of my questions. I'm not looking for a repeat. Good luck to you in the future. It'll kill him. And it's a whole lot more subtle than the other one. But I will say, I think that's, like, almost something with anxiety, too. Like, I. I think what she went through is probably pretty damn near close to how it happened. But maybe, you know, she had anxiety after. Like, was it good? Is he still into me? And then she's looking at the micro, like, things in this experience, and it's like, oh, my God. Like, I feel like anxiety can do that to a person. Like, yeah, you go to a family event, and you're. I don't know, your partner isn't holding your hand as much in front of family, and you're like, oh, my God, is he mad at me?
Lucas Zelnick
It's like, retroactive.
Morgan
Then you just spiral or, like, you know, so maybe that happened because, like, sex, especially if you're not into casual sex, is, like, very vulnerable.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
And so she could have, you know, gotten one thing inspired. But overall, looking at it, I'm like, no, he went to the kitchen immediately after. He hopped off her, climbed off her. Whatever she said.
Lucas Zelnick
No, no. I mean, I think without question, like, this is not the behavior of a guy that you're gonna want to be dating for sure. But I will say this, though. This is the last thing.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
Is if you really want to, like, chew this guy up and spit him out, you don't say from the man's perspective. You don't say something like, sorry, the sex wasn't good enough for me to do this again. Because when a man reads that, they go, oh, she's like, bitter or something. That what you do is you act sweet as pie. You go, oh, my God, it was so great getting to know you. I just, you know, I really am. Like, I just don't think we should hang out again because then it looks
Morgan
like you lost a big catch.
Lucas Zelnick
Well, it looks like you don't care, literally at all because you're being so nice.
Morgan
And.
Lucas Zelnick
And that's. That would drive me nuts as a guy is like, oh, no. Like, she. Like, I fudged up the.
Morgan
Yeah, the Jedi mind trick of it all.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Because if you read to me as pissed off, I know you cared, at least somewhat.
Morgan
That's true.
Lucas Zelnick
And I know that it was me that did this to you. If you don't read at all as pissed off, I really wonder, like, almost like you feel bad. Like, you're like, oh, how do I let this guy down? Picture, picture it flip. Say picture. What would be the message you sent if you guys had sex and this guy was so clingy, the sex was bad, and it was, like, a total turn off. What would be the message you would send then? Send that guy that text and you will make him think about you for the rest of his life.
Morgan
But do not go back down the road.
Lucas Zelnick
But don't. Yeah, don't fight that guy again.
Morgan
You can't, like, then get love bombed again and go back down the road, which can happen. Like, I went through the most horrific friends with benefits situation and, like, it went on for three years. Like, it was brutal. And, like, it started I visited him in Germany and had this horrible, like, last day of the trip where, like, I was like, this guy's an asshole. And then he came back to LA when I was here and, like, lived here when I was in grad school. And so it was just, like, it was convenient, it was easy. And it literally took me meeting my partner and being like, oh, my God, it actually feels great when you're treated nice and someone likes you. I'm, like, kind of, like, reminiscent of this guy. Like, yeah, there's road work on the street, but the fact he didn't walk you to the Uber. Like, oh, yeah, yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm just like, fair enough.
Morgan
Chivalry is dead in this, man. And, like, thinking about my partner now, it's like, he would have walked me to the Uber. He would have actually probably called me the Uber or driven me home. And, like, I'm just like, find someone that likes you, because when you do, it feels really nice.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Don't go back to this. Well, don't go back to this. Well, especially unless you know exactly what this is and you're okay with it.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Which it doesn't sound like you are.
Morgan
No.
Lucas Zelnick
But on the message front, if you really want to fuck up that guy's
Morgan
day, I like this tactic.
Lucas Zelnick
Do not send a message that reflects your state of mind. Send a message like, that you. That you would send to someone who you think is pathetic.
Morgan
Yeah. I really like this.
Lucas Zelnick
Destroy him.
Morgan
I'm game. I'm game. I think a lot of people. I think you can take notes out there.
Lucas Zelnick
Take notes on that tactic. For real.
Morgan
Take notes.
Lucas Zelnick
Picture him as the worst fuck you've ever had and think about the message you would nicely send to let that guy down.
Morgan
It's not.
Lucas Zelnick
And send every guy.
Morgan
It's mean.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I just have to work on myself right now. I'm so slammed. I'm so sorry. Like, I'm sure maybe in the future we could, you know.
Morgan
Is it a little, like, toxic?
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
I.
Morgan
No, honestly. Because he was an ass. I like it.
Lucas Zelnick
To me, it's less toxic than being like, you weren't even good enough for this.
Morgan
Like, yeah. Cause he's gonna hear that and be like, I know that's a lie.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, exactly.
Morgan
Oh, my God. Okay, wait. I love this.
Lucas Zelnick
Yep.
Morgan
We don't have any updates from OP. We have a lot of comments, and I'll be sure to share the link for the post in the YouTube description. But, I mean, the comments are never ending. Like, OP at certain points, looks like she's fighting for her life. People being like, after a month, you had slept with. You slept with him. That is casual sex. And she's like, we were talking every day, three dates a week for three weeks. I didn't feel like it was super casual.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I think it so depends, like, the circumstances and the culture of the place. I mean, the more I travel, the more I realize in New York, it would feel very rare for me, whether you're serious about each other or casual about each other, to be seeing each other for a month and not have already had sex in New York. I think people are dating very frequently and you would go on maybe two or three dates over the course of two weeks and then sleep together is, I would think, the most normal cadence. And then when I was in Oklahoma, I asked my opener how the dating scene is, and he was like, girls only want men with land. And I was like, oh, my God, who was that?
Morgan
What was his name? Caleb.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
So it's a different world down there for Caleb.
Lucas Zelnick
I was like, I. This is not a one size fits all approach, but if they're in a medium to large city, I don't think by having sex with someone in a month, you're sending a message that you want casual sex. I think it's a natural, you know, raising. Yeah. Stakes of. Of getting to know someone.
Morgan
I know. Especially if you live in a city that has decent public transportation because you see each other a lot more, you can cover a lot more ground. There's one comment where Op just says not only was he rude, he was cheap too.
Lucas Zelnick
Ooh.
Morgan
And he's also 34. I like how he should have bought his Uber too.
Lucas Zelnick
He should have bought the Uber.
Morgan
Come on.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, you played an away game. He should Uber you home.
Morgan
That's what I'm saying. I did send Op a message. I was like, girl, I need an update. Did you ever respond back to this horrible man? So we'll see if anything comes through.
Lucas Zelnick
Did. Now people do. Do you have a fancy Reddit? Do they know you're you?
Morgan
Yeah, but I have a fake one too.
Lucas Zelnick
Which one did you use?
Morgan
My real one.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, so they know.
Morgan
Yeah. I feel like that encourages responses a lot of times.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay, so don't fault me for not knowing this, but are these coming from just the Reddit community or are they. These are all Reddit for this.
Morgan
They're all just coming from Reddit. But we do have our own subreddit now because, like, I wanted a place for listeners to submit their write ins and I used to have a Google like form and that just got.
Lucas Zelnick
It got blown up.
Morgan
It got way. It was too much. So then we started our own subreddit so then people can go and post.
Lucas Zelnick
But these aren't out of.
Morgan
Not yet. Not yet.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay.
Morgan
Hi, friends. Popping in for a quick story with Justin and Lauren because it is time for the value vibe check brought to you by McDonald's. As you all know, we live for drama on this show, but every once in a while, things feel a little bit too unhinged. So we need something to ground us again. Enter the McDonald's McValue menu. It's consistent, dependable, there for you when everything else is not. We're talking your favorites for under $3 value. That's always a win, but especially when you're mid spiral. And I love nothing more than a McChicken mid spiral, let me tell you. And this person. This person was definitely mid spiral. Okay, this is titled Am I Wrong for Not Leaving Work to Help My Wife when she Ran out of gas? My wife, 38, female, and I, 41, male, have been married for 11 years and have two kids, 9 and 7. I work full time and she works part time while also doing online classes to finish her degree. She dropped out of college after two years and now wants to finish. She has ADHD and anxiety and if I'm being honest, sometimes it feels like our entire lives revolve around her symptoms. Last Friday, my wife didn't have to work and decided to go visit her sister, who lives in a small town about 45 minutes away. She didn't tell me she was going, so I was very surprised when she called me shortly after noon. She was obviously upset when I answered and between sobs I was able to make out that there was an issue with the car. Eventually she calmed down and told me that she ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere and didn't know what to do because she hadn't told me she was visiting her sister. I was very confused and had a lot of questions which only made her more upset. I was getting frustrated too, so I finally just asked her what she wanted me to do. She told me she needed me to come and get her. I told her I was at work and had meetings in the afternoon that I couldn't skip. I suggested she call her sister, but she went to work after my wife visited and my wife didn't want to bother her. I suggested she call roadside assistance to come and help, but she said she didn't know how to do that. I suggested she call an Uber, but she said she was in the middle of nowhere and it didn't show any cars available. I suggested she call a friend or someone else that might be able to help and she yelled at me to just come blinking get her. I tried to remain calm and reiterated that I am sorry she's in this position but at this moment I'm unable to help her. I told her I'd offered numerous suggestions that she could try to help herself, but I can't just leave work. She then hung up on me. My first meeting of the afternoon was starting in five minutes, so I tried Calling her back, and she didn't answer. I kept trying to text her during my meeting, too, but she never responded. I tried calling again between my meetings, and still no answer, which I admit pissed me off, because even if I was trying to come help her, at that point, I couldn't reach her. She is the one who picks up our kids from school. So I was kind of freaking out at this point because I was completely in the dark about whether I would need to get them or if my wife was even okay. So I called the school and asked them to please let me know if my wife comes to get the kids because I can't reach her. I didn't include any details about why the school called me back at pickup time and told me that my wife was there for pickup. When I got home at the end of the day, my wife refused to talk to me. She gave me the cold shoulder the entire weekend. I apologized for not being able to help multiple times. Finally, this morning, she spoke to me, but all she said was, I can't count on you anymore. Did I really mess up that bad? Am I the jerk?
Lucas Zelnick
No.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
This is excessive on her part. There were many options of things that.
Morgan
So many. Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
So this is.
Morgan
This is a rough one. She created so much chaos. And I understand being, you know, panicked in the middle of nowhere. You ran out of gas. What do you do? Like, I understand that I've got ADHD anxiety as well. Like, I kind of run. Run it close, sometimes putting my car on. On empty. But your husband just provided you with so many options, like calling roadside assistance, and your response back to him was, I don't know how to do that. Yeah, that.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
That gets me. Like, that would really bother me, because if they didn't have that set up and if sister was out of town, if, you know, then I understand being in the middle of nowhere and wanting your partner to come help you, but the fact that your partner is working hard, which is also helping to help you, provide for you, and you're asking your partner to drop everything before trying an alternate solution that would even. That would work just as well.
Morgan
It's gas.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
You know, it's not. The car didn't go and drive into a pond.
Morgan
Ooh, that would have been worse. Yeah, that definitely would have been worse. Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
I'm saying it didn't. She's not in a place where at least it doesn't sound like where she's in danger. She just needs gas.
Morgan
It could be so simple.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Yeah. And so I think the fact that she's Giving him such a cold shoulder afterwards for like an extend, Extended period of time is not. I don't think it fits the quote unquote crime.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
It's not constructive.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
No.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
Yeah, I think even if let's say you weren't at work, let's say you were at home. It's the weekend, you're chilling still. Probably. If you already have the roadside assistant set up, it's still probably more convenient for both of you for them to just come put gas in real quick and you just come home. I know it seems like that's probably more convenient all around if we're considering all of our time. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere and it's gonna take forever for them to get you. But it wasn't that impossible because you still made it to the school to
Morgan
pick up the kids.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
So what method was chosen?
Morgan
I completely agree with the both of you. Also, looking at the way he got ignored, stonewalled, like, ma', am, it does not need to be that big of a deal. You ran out of gas. That was on you. And maybe the car didn't beep at ya sometimes they're quiet and sneaky. I get it. But that is still on you. So to freak out and create such madness and spiral out to where you don't talk to your husband all weekend. Insane.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
I also don't know how people get away with that. Like, I couldn't get away with that even if I wanted to. Like, kind of a side note. But, like, my, My partner would literally not leave me alone. He. He would just be like, can we talk?
Morgan
Can we talk? Can we talk?
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Like, I don't know how people get away with this.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
Mine.
Morgan
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. I, like, I. I couldn't.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
I literally couldn't, like, cold shoulder him for a weekend.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Even if I wanted to.
Morgan
I mean, it's so unhealthy when you're just taking.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
I mean, you can be upset about the, about the one instance that this happened, but you can't go. But you can't take it to I can't depend on you. Because now we're casting this huge thing over the entire relationship of I can't depend on you after. You've probably been able to depend on him many, many, many, many times before.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
So the one time that you made a mistake and it wasn't convenient because he's at work, has meetings, and you're far away, it doesn't mean you can't depend on him. And that's a low Blow.
Morgan
I feel like she could have been hangry in that moment too. She could have just been so hungry and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. But it still doesn't excuse the behavior. That is when you go and get yourself a McChicken and McChill. There is a comment here that says need more info. Did she ever explain how she resolved her issue? How did she get the car working again? How did she pick up the kids on time? Where exactly was she when she called? And OP responds? She has not given me answers to any of those questions and I've asked multiple times,
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
what's the point?
Morgan
Why, why isn't she telling him?
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
I do I, I, I'm kind of curious because this move, is this to teach him a lesson so that he never does this again? Or is it just like so angry that you can't, you can't, you just can't get yourself to speak to him?
Morgan
Or is she embarrassed and it's an equal thing? Because, like, I think about it and
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
like, I, I, I get really angry sometimes. But like, but being angry for, for like a whole weekend, like, that's a lot of that stuff that hurts me. Like, that hurts me where it's like, it's like, I, I don't want to feel that angry for that long. And so I'm just curious if, like, she really couldn't help herself or if she was like, no, this is going to teach him a lesson so he never does it again.
Morgan
I feel like it's an ego thing. I feel like it is teach a lesson. Top comment. Not the. Your wife just proved that she was in fact able to deal with the situation herself. I have zero patience for adults who can't manage situations like this. A it was of her own making. And baby, there were so many options for solving it and dropping everything to go save her. That just enables her dysfunction further. It teaches her that she doesn't need to be responsible for herself.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
What if she never actually feels supported from him in a time like, in general? And it's been building up where in, in terms of like, his language? Maybe, you know, maybe like when she's sad, she feels like he's really dismissive and this was finally like the last straw for her, even though it sounds ridiculous to us. What if she's just was like, if she, if he hears me crying scared on the road, will he actually help me this time? And he didn't. And then she's just like, screw it.
Morgan
I don't know. That would be pretty diabolical if it was a test, of course.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
Yeah. And I feel like it'd be mentioned if it's a pattern when people write these. It would say, and this is just another thing in the string of this happening many times. Whereas it's not so much we need the other side's perspective to gain that. It would. I feel like it would be part of it maybe.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
It wouldn't be so isolated.
Morgan
Right. Yeah.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
And I mean, this is just like, I'm just throwing stuff out.
Morgan
Yeah. We can advocate, you know, a little advocation for the other side.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
It's not even like, I don't. I wouldn't even call it advocating. It's just kind of more of like, I'm just curious because we were talking about it a lot lately about, like, when we listen to these stories, we're always curious what the other side would say. And like, how would she write this in? Would she be like, I've been begging him for five years to just show me any ounce of support rather than just question me and be like, well, why were you out there anyway? I just want him to be like, hey, like, let me, like, let's talk this through. Like, deep breaths. We can do this. And like, maybe she, you know.
Guest or Additional Commentator 2
Yeah.
Morgan
You're trying to rationalize why it got so crazy when it didn't need to be.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Right.
Morgan
Was it inconvenient? Was it annoying? Yeah. Yeah. Running out of gas is not fun. It's happened to me. I drove an old car and my gas gauge was broken and I thought I had gas and I didn't. And right in the middle of Dinkytown's. Actually, I was passing by a McDonald's in Dinkytown and put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put. Real bad place for your car to stop.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
The Dinky Town is the best McDonald's it was. I have great memories there. I'm not even kidding.
Morgan
I know. That's where everyone used to hang out.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
No, literally, I'm not kidding. I actually kind of forgot about this. But truly, did you.
Morgan
You were.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
No, you were St. Thomas.
Morgan
So he missed out on that great experience. It was great.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Like, specifically when you were like, nevermind. It was just so fun.
Morgan
Well, we don't have an update from OP. That is all we got. That is your value vibe check. Brought to you guys by McDonald's. Because when it feels like everything is spiraling out of control, it's nice to have something simple, satisfying, and actually reliable. Unlike this gal's car. Head to your nearest McDonald's to try the under $3 menu and the $4 breakfast deal. McDonald's just gets it limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher for delivery. This one is also coming from Am I the Asshole? Titled Am I the Asshole for refusing to cat call a customer's wife even though he asked us to catcall.
Lucas Zelnick
Okay.
Morgan
I, 32, male, work as a cook in a restaurant with an open kitchen so guests can see us and even talk to us while we work. Two days ago, while things were slow, a guy walks past our station and asked us for a favor. He tells us his wife would be walking by in a few minutes and he wanted us to catcall her while she walked past. Stuff like whistling and telling her that she looks good. There are three of us on the stations at the time. Me, I'm black, a Hispanic guy and a white guy. Before I could even process what he was asking me, the white guy speaks up and says, yeah man, we got you. After the customer left, me and the other cook approached the white cook who had agreed and told him we were not comfortable with what he had agreed to do and that we were not going to do it. He got mad and said we already agreed, but we reminded him no we didn't. He agreed. Before he could reply, a server came and told us the guy's wife was about to walk by. I guess the server who took him to his seat told the other servers what was happening. A few minutes later his wife walks by and honestly, she was gorgeous. She was basically walking like she was on a Runway and it was pretty obvious that she knew what her husband had asked us to do because she was smiling the whole way to her table. But only the white cook who had agreed was whistling and cheering. Me and the other guy just stayed quiet and kept working. Once she sat down, the cook who did it and some of the servers who knew about the plan actually got on our case. They said we were spoil sports and made the whole thing awkward by not joining in. But I just didn't feel comfortable as a black man catcalling a white woman in a public space and felt it was totally different to situation for me than my white co worker. Now the vibe in the kitchen is weird because they think we were being too serious. Am I the asshole here for just staying silent?
Lucas Zelnick
You're so not the asshole. First of all, before the racial stuff which totally changes it, like totally makes it a different thing. But before that, you're a cook, it's not your. You don't have to catcall you don't have to do anything other than your job there. And I get it. It's like, oh, yeah, well, we're all trying to have fun, and we're doing it. And there's, like, a culture of the kitchen. This is so far beyond the bounds of where reasonable fun can be had. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then to add to it, you're a black man who would be catcalling a white woman in public. Yeah, totally. You don't have to do that.
Morgan
No, not at all. You're there to work and make food, not participate in some customer's weird side quest slash kink. Yeah, Like, I don't want to be a part of this.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
I didn't sign up for this.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. And also, everyone gets their own answer on that one. No one can answer for the three of you guys to say, we're all gonna do this.
Morgan
No.
Lucas Zelnick
And the guy did it. She laughed. Great. They all had fun. You guys didn't want to do it. You didn't do it. That's fine too.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Sounds like everyone. It actually sounds like it was the best case scenario because the guy got one person in on it.
Morgan
Someone participated.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm still shocked even that I don't know where this happened. I can tell you that in a restaurant in New York, if you asked cooks to do that, there's no fucking way they would say yes to that.
Morgan
They'd be like, get the fuck out of here.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. They would just shut the fuck up.
Morgan
I'm very curious where it is. Also, you don't know when you're getting approached with this situation. You don't even know if the wife knows. Like, you don't know if the wife is on board for this. And if this did happen and goes wrong. Sexual harassment.
Lucas Zelnick
Totally.
Morgan
Like, then you're fired. You're without a job for someone's silly little prank.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
No.
Lucas Zelnick
I also fucking hate that shit when, like, a couple's like, oh, come on, mess with. Mess with my. It's like, I don't know your. You know, I get this at shows where. Where people, you know, will be like, fucking destroy my boyfriend. Destroy my boyfriend. And I'm like, like, roast him to shred. And I'm like, I don't know your boyfriend. First of all, I'm not in the business of wanting to destroy anyone, but, like, I'm not here to set. I'm here to do what I do. And if that so happens to intersect with what you want it to happen, wonderful. But I'm not taking requests. And nor should these people specifically. I mean, in my case, it's a little more reasonable because they're like, oh, he's a comedian. That does crowd work. Maybe he would take requests. I don't. But it's at least more reasonable to think I might. If you're a cook, you do not have to take requests for social things that happen at the restaurant.
Morgan
No. Also, I'm, like, so confused about the roast. My boyfriend. Roast my boyfriend. I'm like, do you like him? And I get some people, like, have that sense of humor, but I'm like, I feel like that's a paid for request. Like, you should find someone on.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, go to Cameo. Find some dominatrix to do that, you know?
Morgan
Yeah. I don't like his alley.
Lucas Zelnick
It's also not my. Yeah, it's not my style.
Morgan
You don't know him. What are you gonna.
Lucas Zelnick
Exactly.
Morgan
I feel like roasts are kind of like, a little personal.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
And like, they have an inside scoop on the person.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
How do you roast a stranger?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. You can, like, do like, oh, you look like, you know, blah, blah, blah. And if it ever jumps out to me, like, if I see someone that really looks like someone that I'm thinking of that I think is funny, I might say it.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
But, like, I err on the side of never talking about how anyone looks, which I think is a good thing for everyone.
Morgan
I love that.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. This is so crazy.
Morgan
It's insane. Top comment. You do not have to participate in other people's kink. Resounding. Not the asshole. The whole situation was weird. Always follow your instincts when it can be twisted out of perspective into something nefarious. And a lot of people then start commenting about recording and how the husband could have been recording this to then put it on social media for, like, fake rage or whatever. Like, I just saw this video coming out of New York where this person was, like, walking in front of a restaurant and they were like, they just turned me away because of blah, blah, blah, blah. And then the restaurant posted their security footage and was like, he never came in. He actually didn't step foot in our restaurant. So not sure what's happening.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I didn't. I'm probably, like, too naive to even think about that scenario, but that's, like, totally valid.
Morgan
Yeah. Do you. I mean, I feel like every person has their own rules with recording, but, like, no recording at your shows. It's typically a standup thing.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I mean, I don't. I'm not like, A bulldog about it in that, like, I know at certain points I've been on stage and I have seen someone with a camera out, and I sort of just keep an eye on it, like, if it's. If it's out and then down pretty quickly. The. The original risk, I think, with Stand up is like, if someone would record one of your jokes and put it out, and then it would go viral and sort of like, quote, like, burn that joke. Right. Because, like, I don't. So I do a lot of jokes at the live show, but I don't put them out for free. I save them.
Morgan
Yeah. You have your set.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I want to sell them to, like, Netflix or someone and. And put them out as a special when they're ready. And to have someone capture them either when they're not ready or when I didn't consent to them being captured. It's like, it's a minor concern, but the truth is, like, if you want to record my joke and you want to put it out and it goes so viral that that joke is burned, I do see it as kind of helping me. Like, all views sort of help. So I'm not crazily, you know. But one thing that does happen is sometimes I'll be talking to someone or, like, doing crowd work with someone, and someone next to them will record me. That just gets me in my head.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
It's not that I care, but I'm like, what I say nicely is I go, I'm recording it, and I can get you guys a copy of it.
Morgan
I watched one of your segments with that. I think it was in, like. Was it in Canada or something?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, exactly. And it's like, I say things live on stage that I wouldn't put on the Internet.
Morgan
Well. And I think there's, like, a lot of, like, context within that room. And when you clip one little thing, it's like, well, you don't know what happened 15 minutes earlier that led us to this moment. Totally. And how comfortable the room is with this train of comedy and where we got to. So it's really hard when people then start recording, but when. When, like, with this one, you're like, oh, no. Like, this is actually, like, this could have been disastrous.
Lucas Zelnick
Totally.
Morgan
Especially, like, all of these race implications, which someone does say, like, not the asshole. Very easy way to get fired. Someone else responds, plus, Jesus Christ. Asking a black and Hispanic man to sexually harass a white woman is absolutely a dumbass and potentially dangerous thing to do.
Lucas Zelnick
Agreed.
Morgan
You absolutely made the right call.
Lucas Zelnick
Plus, you probably feel this way being, you know, the public facing nature of what you do similarly. But like, you probably give more thought to being recorded, being paid attention to in public, how you act in public. Would you say that's correct?
Morgan
Yeah. Yeah. I think, like, I'm still. I'm in a really, really sweet spot where, like, I really don't get recognized that much. Like, it's. It's really nice. People will recognize my voice quicker than they'll recognize my face, which is great. I can still grocery shop, I can go to Costco. I can do these things. But once I notice that someone has kind of seen me and like, you get that like double or triple take and you're like, oh, fuck. And then it's like even more mentally goofy when they don't say anything. And then I'm in my head, I'm like, well, did they. And I'm like. And then I'm hyper aware of how I'm acting, which isn't so different. But it's a weird concept when you feel that everyone's watching you.
Lucas Zelnick
Totally.
Morgan
Even if they're not. Like, it just.
Lucas Zelnick
Exactly. All it has.
Morgan
I have anxiety.
Lucas Zelnick
All that has to happen is it happens once.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And then you're just more attuned to it than you would have been.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Even if you're wrong, it's still the feeling that it might happen. But that causes you to be more thoughtful about these things. Probably.
Morgan
Like, absolutely.
Lucas Zelnick
In my instance, I'm like, if I'm at a restaurant and I think the service is bad or someone's being rude to me, I do think about the fact that it's like, in addition to you should always do the right thing. Even when I'm frustrated or having a bad day, I try to remember.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
That in addition to doing the right thing, it's best to just. Just ignore and keep a low profile.
Morgan
And I know.
Lucas Zelnick
You know, but the people that don't have jobs like these probably don't give these things a lot of thought. And then it's like someone puts you on the spot and this is an
Morgan
easy thing that he could have been like, yeah, okay, whatever. Just like to.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Just exactly.
Morgan
And not make everything uncomfortable. But like, it's so sad that him standing his ground is getting him all this flak.
Lucas Zelnick
And like, you're actually a good guy for saying no. Like, it was smart. Snap decision to immediately go, absolutely not.
Morgan
Overall vote on it is not the asshole.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, you killed it.
Morgan
There's no update. It's 19 days old. this point in time, we don't know where it is. It's just kind of. That's where it ends. That's where it ends for us. Also, I feel like you have a pretty high emotional intelligence.
Lucas Zelnick
I do.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm still reflecting on the fact that I'm gonna get killed over what I said about the fuckboy guy.
Morgan
I think you're fine.
Lucas Zelnick
I think I'm gonna get killed.
Morgan
Well, here, I'll give you another opportunity to make amends.
Lucas Zelnick
The guy was a dick. The guy was a dick.
Morgan
He's so scared. You guys Be nice, okay?
Lucas Zelnick
The guy was a dick. No, I really do think the guy was a dick. I guess I'm just saying that, that when people are meeting each other and they're dating early on, you some. Everyone is overthinking what's happening and looking at the small stuff and wondering if there's meaning ascribed to it. And sometimes there isn't. Sometimes there isn't. That's. That's my take. Um, but do I hear often that I have a high emotional intelligence? I do hear that often.
Morgan
Okay, I like that. I can see it.
Lucas Zelnick
I do think I'm. I'm a little bit more logic oriented than I should be in terms of relationships.
Morgan
Maybe did that to you? Numbers. Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Like a lot of times when I have fights in my relationship, it's about the fact that I'm sort of trying to walk out the logical steps. And sometimes it's not about that. It's about how someone's feeling. Whether or not you get on board with their rationale, it's kind of irrelevant. So I come up short sometimes in that department.
Morgan
But self awareness, though, like, I mean, even your self awareness, you're like, I try to do this. Which I know, like, isn't what's needed in that moment. It's more about the feelings. Like, I mean, you're saying it, so. Which means, like, you're aware of it and working on it.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, working on it.
Morgan
We all fall short from time to time.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
No one's gonna have a perfect response 100% of the time.
Lucas Zelnick
It's so interesting. Cause like, in my relationship, we. What we need from each other are the opposite of what we need for ourselves. So like, when I. When something like, really pisses me off, I want my girlfriend to call me and be like, hey, it's not a big deal. Yeah, you're gonna get through it. It's gonna be fine. She doesn't do that because what she needs for herself in that circumstances is the opposite. So when she's Go.
Morgan
Is she solution based?
Lucas Zelnick
What?
Morgan
Like, have you ever heard like the, like the question you should ask someone, like, do you want a solution or do you want comfort?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, exactly.
Morgan
And like, she's solution based.
Lucas Zelnick
No, no, she is emotion based. So like, so when she, if she calls me and she's like, this fucked up thing happened, the last thing she wants is a solution. The thing she wants is me to go, you're right. That is so fucked up.
Morgan
That's what I want.
Lucas Zelnick
And how you're feeling is absolutely valid. And what I want is for her to go, forget about. It's not a big deal. It's gonna be solved this way. Sometimes what she does is she reacts the way she treats me the way she would want to be treated. And I treat her the way I would want to be treated. And it's not the golden rule. Does not apply in relationships all the time. You got to treat them how they would want to be treated, not how you would want to be treated.
Morgan
I know. I honestly think it's just like best to ask too because like, I'm immediately like, my brain jumps to solutions. I'm like, oh my God, how can I fix this? It's going to be fine. You can do X, Y and Z. And then the person is like, I just wanted you to tell me that was fucked up and let me vent. And I'm like, okay, I should have asked.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm bad at that. I'm bad at, at being like, yeah, that. Because to me it, it doesn't feel productive and I feel concerned that I'm just winding this person up.
Morgan
True. It's like you're increasing, like, I'm not helping them feeding into it.
Lucas Zelnick
Whereas, like, to me it feels most helpful to be like, well, let's just take a breath and like, let's. But I think to some people it's like, no, see what this is and be upset on my behalf and don't just tell me to wind down. I don't wanna wind down. I'm wound up, you know, and so that's. I struggle with that a lot. But I have learned. It's so funny, as you stay in a relationship with someone for longer, you learn to do it. And so like, I am learning to be like, fuck him. Like, fuck him.
Morgan
How long have you guys been together?
Lucas Zelnick
Two.
Morgan
Oh my gosh. Yeah. Okay, so you're kind of in that spot of like, we're really starting to understand each other, anticipate needs.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, we're cruising into that like long term relationship where it's like, you've had
Morgan
the fights now you are like, okay, we needed that growth.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I feel like you have the fights, then you have the fights again, then you have the fight about how you keep fighting about the same thing.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
And then it all comes to a head and you're like, are we going to learn how to avoid these fights or are we going to break up?
Morgan
Yeah, you learn eventually.
Lucas Zelnick
And then eventually, like, I think we're entering this phase where it's like, oh, right, we've had this fight before and we've had the fight about this fight before and we've had a fight about the fact that we've fought about this a bunch before. And now I'm finally realizing, like, okay, this is how we avoid this fight.
Morgan
I like it. Yeah, it takes time. Two years. You're like, I feel like by the three year mark you're like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, we know what a boundary is now we can do this. Yeah, I love that. So you're about to be a best man.
Lucas Zelnick
I am.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
I've been before too.
Morgan
Have you?
Lucas Zelnick
This is my second.
Morgan
Another sibling?
Lucas Zelnick
No.
Morgan
Because this one's for your brother.
Lucas Zelnick
Best friend.
Morgan
Okay. Not your first rodeo. Yes, this one. I'm very curious what you think of coming from Am I the asshole? Titled am I the asshole for making a kind of snarky comment at my sister's engagement dinner and now everyone's mad at me. Okay, so this literally just happened last weekend and it's still blowing up in my family group chat, so I need some outside opinions. My sister, 31, female, just got engaged and we had this dinner thing at a kind of nice place. Like, not a crazy fancy place, but still the type where you feel like you shouldn't laugh too loud. Lol. Everything was fine. We were doing toasts and stuff. Her fiance's giving this speech and at one point he says something like how much he loves that she's so honest and never hides anything, which, I don't know, just kind of hit me weird because, like, she absolutely has hidden stuff before, specifically from me. Basically when we were younger, like 10 years ago, she secretly dated one of my close friends for months. And I only found out because I walked in on them, it caused a whole thing, and I lost that friendship over it. She really never apologized, just kind of brushed it off as we were young, which. Okay, but still. Anyways, I wasn't planning on saying anything, but I'd had a couple of drinks and I just kind of muttered something like, quote, yeah, unless she decides to keep it a secret. And it got quiet fast. She immediately got mad and was like, are you serious right now? And her fiance was confused and asking what I meant. I didn't fully explain it. I just said it was old stuff and whatever. But, yeah, the mood was dead after that. Dinner ended pretty awkwardly, and she texted me later saying that I humiliated her and that I always do this, which I don't. Question mark. Question mark. My parents are also on her side, saying I picked the worst possible time and should have just let it go. I mean, maybe the timing sucked, but also, am I wrong for still being annoyed about something she never actually owned up to? I don't know. Am I the asshole?
Lucas Zelnick
Yes. Yes. To me. Yes. Because, yeah, there's a different venue for this conversation. You're. You're not the asshole for feeling some type of way about this. This is way in the past and taking a moment that she is celebrating a big moment for her when any day of the week you could have this conversation in the past. I mean, I understand why you were spurred by this comment of I never hide anything, and why that might have rubbed you the wrong way in the moment, and you'd had a couple drinks, and fine, like, it was that comment that triggered you to respond. But you don't have to respond. You don't have to respond. This is her day, her moment, and you can. You can fix the relationship or not. Is this something that's on your mind a lot? If not, you can let it go. I actually think it's totally fair to hold onto something that happened when you were way younger, but not to air it out in front of your family, in front of the fiance. That is a private conversation. Yeah. Like. And clearly you didn't say it really in jest, because it was received in jest, and you didn't even seem to think you said it in jest. So, yes, you're the asshole.
Morgan
Also, you didn't say, like, oh, you lied to me about your ex. You literally said, yeah, unless she decides to keep it a secret. No context.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, it sounds very ominous. It's like, it almost sounds like you're accusing her of, like, cheating on her fiance.
Morgan
Thank you. Yes. Like, in my head, I'd be like, oh, my God.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Did you just drop a bomb?
Morgan
Are you accusing her of cheating right now on him?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
That's horrible. Also, this is where I might have my hot take for the day. I might. I don't know. You might yell at me. You guys, I do think she's kind of Ridiculous. For holding onto this 10 years later. Sister was 21 at the time. And you're mad 10 years later that she lied to you about hooking up with one of your friends?
Lucas Zelnick
I will take the other side of this, okay? The reason is not because of the incident. Wait, was it hooking up with one of the friends or someone that she was hooking up with too?
Morgan
I think it was just one of her friends.
Lucas Zelnick
It was just one of her friends?
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, I thought she had, like, stolen.
Morgan
She secretly dated one of my close friends for months.
Lucas Zelnick
Listen, when someone does some, like, shady secret shit, whether how shady it was is debatable.
Morgan
Like, it still hurt. Okay? It still hurt.
Lucas Zelnick
No, no, no. My view is I just like when someone who's like, if it's my sibling or a best friend keeps something from me like that, I'm just like, okay, now I know this about you. That you're, like, willing to.
Morgan
To lie to me.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
In that way, like, the trust is gone.
Lucas Zelnick
Like, yeah. Like, you don't think I could have handled it if we had just had a mat conversation. So, like, I understand why that might be buried somewhere within her. Same reason why, like, you know, every once in a while, I mean, I don't know if you've ever had, like, the misfortune of. You know, I've been to my grandparents funerals, and you, like, know that your mom or dad has, like, a complicated relationship with them. And then you watch these, like, all ultra positive eulogies, and I just see my mom like, well, that's not always how he was. It's like, I understand why these moments where someone. Where you see praise being hept upon someone whom you have certain issues with. I understand why that's challenging because you're like, okay, we're just gonna ignore all the negative stuff. And the answer is yes. At an engagement dinner, you ignore all the negative stuff. At a wedding, you ignore the negative stuff. At a funeral, in the eulogy, you ignore the negative stuff, or you say the negative stuff as a joke, really diplomatically. But these are not the moments, you know, where you. Where you air out the shitty things about someone. They get these days to. To be. To. To have the record whitewashed a little bit.
Morgan
I completely agree. Like, time and place for everything. I also just feel. I'm like, if you're still dealing with this 10 years later, like, it doesn't sound like she ended up with that friend anyways. I'm curious if it impacted their friendship so greatly that, like, you lost that best friend of yours. Then, okay, that really sucks and is obviously maybe more justified. We don't have any comments from OP highlighting or alluding to any of that. But I would say, like, if you couldn't keep it in at this very important dinner for your sister, you need to go to therapy. Like, you need to address this. And maybe it's therapy with her. Maybe you literally go and you're like, we need to hash this out. Because this feels like shit.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, you gotta hash it out.
Morgan
But, like, not there.
Lucas Zelnick
Not there. Not in these moments. Like, whether you still have a little bit of hurt inside over what happened 10 years ago. It shouldn't be so close to the surface that you're willing to just kind of refer to it to backhandedly undercut her in this moment. It should be, you have to process it enough over the course of 10 years that I don't blame you one bit for that little light bulb going off where she goes, I never hide anything. And you're like, fucking. Yeah, you fucking do. But that is not a moment for you to mention it.
Morgan
And overall vote. Did agree? Overall vote Asshole.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Big red banner at the top. Top comment. You're the asshole. It wasn't kind of snarky. It was, I'm intentionally going to ruin this night for my sister because she hooked up with someone over 10 years ago and I reacted so poorly to it that I lost a friendship over it. Now you get to lose a sister, too.
Lucas Zelnick
That might be a little harsh. Hopefully their relationship can recover.
Morgan
This episode is brought to you by McDonald's. The best way to start your day with the under $3 menu at McDonald's. You can get a sausage McMuffin for just $1.50. McValue lets you eat like a queen without spending like one. And here's my hot take a sausage McMuffin beats breakfast at home any day. Especially when you add on that hash brown. Get even more value with McValue. Only at McDonald's. Ba da ba ba ba limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher for delivery from this next comment. You're the asshole. You held a grudge for 10 years and decided to make a snarky remark at her engagement dinner. How childish. Next comment. Hard. You're the asshole. Grow up. You were kids. Choosing her wedding event to make a public snarky comment is appropriate and immature. And they just keep just pounding, pounding it on, adding it on. Okay, I've got one last one for you. It's titled, am I the asshole for not putting a garden gnome on my lawn. I only ever take to this subreddit for stupid things it seems. Hi, 26 female here. I recently bought my first house in a cute little neighborhood. There's 12 houses in our street. No HOA, no rules about lawn design. Only a rule that roofs can't be black. Cool. Whatever. My neighbor, we'll call him Mr. Thomas, 65ish male, right across the street, has his garden stuffed. And I mean stuffed. All caps with garden gnomes. They're everywhere. They climb up the water drain, they're on the porch, on the grass. It's a whole thing. Not my style, but fine. I moved in the first week of March and the day after Mr. Thomas came to say hello. He introduced himself and brought me a garden gnome as a welcome gift. I thought it was absolutely hideous, but I thanked him and then I put it in the shed after he left the following day I brought all neighbors some self made cookies. Mr. Thomas and his wife got some too and they seemed happy about it. Two or three days later I was walking my dog and Mr. Thomas stopped me and asked why I hadn't put my gnome in my front yard. I didn't tell him I hated the gnome, I just told him I had something else in mind for my garden, which I just hadn't gotten around to yet, and the gnome was doing a formidable job guarding my tools in the shed. He got really upset and snappy with me and told me that he's been living on this street for 30 years and every neighbor gets a gnome as a welcome gift and every neighbor puts them up in the front yard. I hadn't really paid it any mind up until that point, but once he mentioned it, I noticed that there was a garden gnome in every front yard. He mentioned how it's tradition and everybody's gotta do it. I asked him if he wanted the gnome back if he didn't like where I put it. He said no. So I just calmly told him that I most likely wasn't going to put the gnome on the front lawn, thanked him for the gift again, wished him a nice day, and I left. Ever since then I noticed that a handful of other neighbors have let their gnomes disappear and now Mr. Thomas hates me. I get a stink eye every time we spot each other and my neighbor next door, the sweetest old lady, bless her heart, told me that he's apparently complaining about me on the regular. I told my friends this story and one of them said I should have just put the gnome on the front lawn to make the old man happy. Am I the asshole for not doing this?
Lucas Zelnick
This is fascinating. First of all, you're not the asshole. You're not the asshole. That's just goes without saying.
Morgan
Okay?
Lucas Zelnick
This guy's obviously mentally ill. I mean, obviously this guy has a thing with gnomes and it's not your job to appease his thing for gnomes.
Morgan
No.
Lucas Zelnick
That said, if you had taken me back to the day, here you are, you've made your bed and clearly you've started a bit of a revolt among the neighbors.
Morgan
Oh, they are rising up. Yeah. Bye, bye gnomes.
Lucas Zelnick
If the other gnomes are disappearing, everyone went, wait, wait, hold on. She's just not gonna do this. So then none of us have to do this. So you've actually, you've started a movement, a revolution. A revolution. And you are the messenger that will be killed as a result. I think at this point you've taken a stand and I respect the stand you took. And I don't think there's anything to do from here. I think he doesn't like you because he's a sick man. He's sick and he's not, you know, it doesn't.
Morgan
The gnomes are a disease.
Lucas Zelnick
The gnomes. He's not, he's not. Well. Well, people don't behave this way.
Morgan
So he's obviously have gnomes or react badly to not putting a gnome gifted in correct.
Lucas Zelnick
Both. Being overflowing with gnomes is weird and it's a disease. And then caring whether you, you know, how you use his gift and actually being public facing about it, like badmouthing you is weird and not. Well, what I would have said if you had if we were all to go back in time. But again, this does not make you the asshole is. I would have said just put out the fucking gnome. Because you just moved into this neighborhood and the last thing you want is a guy that lives next to you being pissed off at you for like some stupid reason. And maybe over time you can slowly move it a foot back every day until it's behind a bush. Until. Yeah. Or just deal with it. Like I. So I move. I live in a co op in New York City.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
And it's New York City co ops are very famously, like very beefy, crazy, hard to get into, fun. And I have. There's only four units in my building.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
And I have one of them. So, you know, tight knit group. Yes. And my unit has the roof on it. Oh. And there's two portions of the roof.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
There's an unfinished portion of the roof that Is basically like, where the H vac stuff, you know, like all the machinery that kind of the generators and stuff lives.
Morgan
Okay?
Lucas Zelnick
And technically, when you're in a co op, everyone owns one fourth of the building. So technically, we all own one fourth of the back portion of the roof. And then I have a private area that it came with my apartment that is my private roof deck. And when I was getting the place, all of the people who were on the board to approve me were like, hey, one thing we've been thinking is we should take the portion of the roof that we all own and build it out and put, like, different stuff there and furniture and make it like a shared roof deck. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, like, no fucking way. Because, like, I'm paying for a. My thing was advertised as you have the private roof. And though on a technicality, we all own this, like, 1 4th area of the roof. Like, I don't want that to be public access because one, it's right next to my bedroom. My bedroom's like this.
Morgan
I was gonna ask, like, is your unit still, like, you'd hear them tromping around.
Lucas Zelnick
I would lose a lot of privacy. A lot. And I was not okay with that.
Morgan
So you lied.
Lucas Zelnick
So I was like, yeah, let's just see. Like, let's just vibe it out. Like, I'm totally not opposed to that. Meanwhile, in my head, I'm like, I'm totally opposed to this, but I'm like, let me just get into the building. Let me a relationship with these people. And as I built a relationship with them, first of all, no one has mentioned it since. And I've been in there. I mean, granted, I got in in the. In the winter. So is this your first summer? Yeah, it's gonna be my first summer. So maybe it comes back. Maybe I'll be watching this podcast. Like, fuck, I handled this wrong. But.
Morgan
But so far, no, because you got in.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, I got in.
Morgan
There's no contract, you didn't sign anything.
Lucas Zelnick
And so far no one's mentioned it. And I think what I would do is. And now that I've built a relationship, now that I have a good relationship with these people, and they're not unreasonable people. Do you. So it's like, I just think you never want your. The first thing you do in a relationship to be like, you poo pooing someone, because they will read you as a person, even if you're totally in the right, which you are in this case. It's like, by no obligation. Do you have to have a Gnome in your yard. But you never want that to be, like, the first thing that people know about you is that you're, like, a no person.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
So instead, you know, that I've said yes to now so many things that I'm hoping that if the roof conversation is raised again, I could politely be like, hey, guys, I've given it some thought. It's really close to my bedroom. And, like, I'm not gonna fight you tooth and nail on this, but, like, if we could not build that unfinished portion of the roof into a shared roof deck, that would really, really mean a lot to me. And the way that I conduct myself in my apartment. And my hope would be, and I think this is correct, that they'd be like, yeah, fair enough, you know?
Morgan
Yeah. My fingers are crossed for you.
Lucas Zelnick
Mine are crossed for me, too. Well, I also have neighbor beef now, but it's from the other building because I have a dog, and my dog pees on the roof. And on the unfinished part, actually. And this neighbor, an older lady, has started to open up her window and just scream, get your fucking dog off the roof. But she doesn't live in our building. And so I've never seen her. It's only my girlfriend that's seen her. I've been on tour every time.
Morgan
But it's your roof.
Lucas Zelnick
It's our roof. She has nothing to do with it.
Morgan
Where does pee go? Do you wash it? Do you, like, have a hose and spray down?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, we have a hose.
Morgan
Do you have one of those grass pads they mail you?
Lucas Zelnick
We did get those. Real grass, but then we just kind of. There's drains up there, so we just kind of. It's not a roof that anyone inhabits. Like, there's no furniture on this.
Morgan
Gotcha.
Lucas Zelnick
So it's like, trash goes there, pee goes there. In New York, it's so different because,
Morgan
like, I know we don't have a
Lucas Zelnick
yard we can just let her out on.
Morgan
So I literally was walking down the street the other day and, like, just. I mean, dogs just have to poop on the sidewalk. It's. It's a tough life for a city dog.
Lucas Zelnick
I wish, like, we could just have a doggy door to a place where she could freely run and anytime she needed to go.
Morgan
I like the grass pad. When my dog had surgery on her hip, we ordered, like, the grass grass subscription. It's like, it's literally real grass.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, that's what we did.
Morgan
Got a tray. And you rinse the tray, which I guess. I don't know, maybe it's the same if you're just rinsing your.
Lucas Zelnick
We ordered it, but then eventually realized that it was ultimately kind of the same.
Morgan
Same.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, like, like, because we didn't need that space beneath the grass to be clean.
Morgan
Oh, that's crazy.
Lucas Zelnick
But so she yells.
Morgan
Sitting at her window waiting for you.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. And she. I think her issue is, like, one time our dog was barking, so she yelled. But it was barking at 4pm on a Tuesday. And it's New York City. Like, dogs bark in New York City. And then she was like, yelling about the barking. But then the more she yelled at our dog, the dog started barking at her.
Morgan
Well, of course.
Lucas Zelnick
And then now the dog. When the dog sees her, our dog barks at her. And so that makes her even more angry. And then the other problem is, like, the roof doesn't have, like, adequate guardrails.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
So she's worried that our dog will
Morgan
run off the roof, which, like, that might be valid.
Lucas Zelnick
Fair. But she doesn't have to like, scream at us about it. And also, like, our dog's not gonna run off the roof because, like, our dog has walked up to the edge and looked over and realizes that it's a building. So our dog's not gonna, like, kill herself.
Morgan
Well, I don't. I don't want to scare you.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm gonna get in trouble.
Morgan
No, no, no, no, no. I. Well, I think some sort of railing would be advisable.
Lucas Zelnick
Well, yeah, our roof portion has. So the back area has no adequate railing.
Morgan
Okay.
Lucas Zelnick
She just goes out, pees, and then we leave.
Morgan
Gotcha.
Lucas Zelnick
She doesn't like, play out there or anything where she plays. We have railings.
Morgan
Yeah. So I had a shepherd, he loved balls. Loved a ball. And his ball rolled off of our deck. He jumped off the deck and broke his leg. So they're smart until they're not.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, well, definitely. We're never gonna throw balls.
Morgan
Not unattended. Yeah, there you go.
Lucas Zelnick
Off of our roof. Cuz it is.
Morgan
We didn't throw it. He pushed. He just like pushed. He pushed it off.
Lucas Zelnick
We don't have balls up there for.
Morgan
There you go. You're fine. You're fine.
Lucas Zelnick
But she's a puppy still. And I'm a new dog owner, so now that I think about this, I go, so, yeah, I've definitely seen her walk up to the edge close enough that I've screamed at her.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
And I've been like, don't. Yeah, you stay away. And now she stays away. But it did. It is occurring to me, as you say this that that's not an adequate
Morgan
level of just a fence. A little fence. She's less likely to hop a fence. I'm so sorry. I'm, like, literally sending you out of here with so many new fears.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. I'm so fucked up.
Morgan
I'm so sorry. This is just the way my brain thinks. I catastrophize everything.
Lucas Zelnick
No, but this one. Well, kind of all of them. You've been right on.
Morgan
So I don't know if I'm right.
Lucas Zelnick
I might be unreal. Catastrophizing things. I might lack a level of anxiety I should have.
Morgan
No, no, please don't. Don't. No. It's an unhealthy world to live in anxiously. Because you want to know what my first thought when I heard this story? I go, what's in those gnomes? Is there a microphone in those gnomes? Is he spying on all the neighbors? Is that why every neighbor gets a gnome? And he's so adamant. Put it on your front porch.
Lucas Zelnick
He totally could be, but it's like.
Morgan
I know, but that's. I don't think Mr. Thomas is miking up the gnomes.
Lucas Zelnick
I think it's just like, neighbor shit is so weird and it's political. Yeah. Because people. Their head, and this isn't where their heads should go, in my opinion. Yeah, but your first thought when you have any kind of issue with a neighbor isn't just, are we having an issue? It's. And then it's forever next to this person. It's like a marriage you didn't sign up for. And so people get extra worried because it contains all this heightened emotion of forever, when in reality, a lot of things are forever and relationships can be repaired as can be. You know, I've been watching this documentary, Neighbors On.
Morgan
I was gonna bring it up.
Lucas Zelnick
It's amazing.
Morgan
It's so good.
Lucas Zelnick
It's so good.
Morgan
Did you see the Judge Judy one about the cast?
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Morgan
Okay. It's unreal, you guys. Neighbors on hbo.
Lucas Zelnick
Check it out.
Morgan
So funny and palatable and craz. Crazy and just.
Lucas Zelnick
It's like kind of a weird mix to me between, like, documentary and reality.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Because it's got kind of a reality element, but it's fundamentally shot like a documentary. It's great. But my view is, like, things can be fixed. And, like, if. If this guy starts to make your life hell, or like, if you're anxious walking out of your house cause you're like, fuck, I'm gonna run into this fucking guy, then I bet you could still, like, Take the gnome, put it out somewhere where he wants it, and be like, hey, you know, I thought about it and, like, it was really considerate of you to get us a gnome. And I'm sorry for putting it in the shed. Like, that was really. You could just say something you don't believe. Just tell this old man what he wants to hear. If you want.
Morgan
Or if you want. Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Or you can just be. But you're not the asshole.
Morgan
No, not the asshole at all. And, like, I think in some cases, I do like placating people. There's a story I have saved, and it's this person who's like, me and my, you know, ex, we're getting divorced, and he's making me sign a stipulation that he'll only agree to the divorce if I change my last name. Name. And I'm like, what? Like, just lie. Just say, like, don't put it in the contract, because then if you sign it, but just say, yeah, okay, I'm. I'm for sure I'll change it.
Lucas Zelnick
Of course. I'll change my life.
Morgan
You don't have to change it.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Just lie. And I'm like, people. People probably like, lying's bad. I'm like. But in certain cases, with certain people, it's just kind of the easiest way forward. And if it's a lie, that's like, I don't know. Doesn't hurt anyone.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. Or even, you know, I'm probably down. You know what I mean?
Morgan
Like, you know, non committal. Yeah. Yeah, I'll get to it.
Lucas Zelnick
Because you don't know how you'll feel. Maybe you'll want to change your name later. You probably won't. But it's like, just.
Morgan
I like the non committal.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Don't lie. Just be non committal.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
That's a happy medium for everyone. Top comment on this one. I love that the other gnomes have been disappearing once they saw you take a stand. The idea that this gnome guy has been bullying the whole neighborhood with gnomes for years, and they were just waiting for a hero to come along to free them from the gnomes is so funny. Not the asshole. Amazing.
Lucas Zelnick
Agree. Not the asshole.
Morgan
We do get an update. Thanks all for the input. I gave the gnome a new home at my local secondhand shop this morning.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh. Oh, shit. You've raised the stakes.
Morgan
To the people asking about the roof color. Yeah, it's a heat absorption thing. And to the people worrying about me being ostracized from the community, it's literally just Mr. Thomas that I have an issue with. The rest is friendly towards me. Even Mrs. Thomas smiled back at me last night when I got home from work while Mr. Thomas ignored me. So I think I'll be fine.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, it's fine. As long. Yeah. The biggest thing is, like, you don't seem anxious about it. So if it's not ruining your life.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
Then it's totally fine.
Morgan
I honestly wish I had this level of. Of confidence.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah, me too.
Morgan
Security.
Lucas Zelnick
I'm anxious.
Morgan
I'd be like, oh, I would have put it out. I would have folded.
Lucas Zelnick
Me too.
Morgan
I'm a bit of a people pleaser and I would have definitely put that out.
Lucas Zelnick
I respect her for not. But yeah, I agree. I would have just done it.
Morgan
Yeah. No update. So, I mean, beyond that.
Lucas Zelnick
I mean by soon, I mean. Yeah.
Morgan
He's only 65.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, really?
Morgan
65? Ish.
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. Just like people that.
Morgan
You were so optimistic a second ago. Don't wish death upon him.
Lucas Zelnick
I don't know. I don't wish death upon him. I'm just saying don't do that. Once you get to the phase of your life where you're like, hoarding gnomes, it feels like death is not far.
Morgan
Do you not hoard anything?
Lucas Zelnick
No, I don't think.
Morgan
You don't have any yogurt collections?
Lucas Zelnick
No,
Morgan
that was a big story. This guy had a yogurt collection.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, really?
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Yeah.
Morgan
Yeah. Do you hoard any.
Lucas Zelnick
Anything
Morgan
vintage furniture? I unfortunately collect vintage furniture. That's cool with my dad. And we ran out of space, so we had to rent a airplane hangar. And now that's full. And so now I have to stay off Facebook Marketplace.
Lucas Zelnick
Whoa.
Morgan
It's a problem.
Lucas Zelnick
That's really cool, though. Have you thought of selling it?
Morgan
So that's our plan, but we have to refinish it.
Lucas Zelnick
Whoa. Hit me up. I love that.
Morgan
I'll show you. I'll show you some stuff.
Lucas Zelnick
Like some 70s, it's 60s.
Morgan
70s. Yeah. It's from this one designer that was like, in la and.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, I love that. I love. Like, that looks like it's built in.
Morgan
Yep.
Lucas Zelnick
You know what I mean? Oh, seats within, larger wood things.
Morgan
Yeah.
Lucas Zelnick
I'll show you the design on my house because we did like a 70s inspired LA type of vibe. But you can't go all the way in New York because it's New York. Yeah. You just can't have too much wood inside New York because then you look outside and it's concrete and it's all wrong.
Morgan
Interesting.
Lucas Zelnick
But we did kind of that and you might be into it.
Morgan
I'm excited to see it.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah.
Morgan
Lucas, thank you so much for coming on. Where can people find you? You're on tour. You have a podcast with your mom.
Lucas Zelnick
Oh, yeah. So I'm dropping. It's gonna be a limited series. If you liked my advice vibes. It's gonna be an advice podcast. Not dissimilar from this format.
Morgan
Love it.
Lucas Zelnick
But with listener advice, questions, but done by myself and my mother. And we're gonna do a limited three to four episode series in the three to four weeks leading up to Mother's Day. So it'll be there, put on YouTube, and then never again.
Morgan
Oh, it's like right around the corner too.
Lucas Zelnick
Yeah. It's not gonna be recurring. It's just gonna be those few episodes. And then besides that, I'm a standup comic. Check me out. Lucaszelnik.com is all of my tour dates and Luke Iselnik on Instagram and TikTok, and then I'm on YouTube. Forget what my YouTube handle is, but just look up Luka Zelnick.
Morgan
It'll all be tagged in the description. Super easy for you guys to find and check out a show. I. I like, need to come to a show and witness all this in person because your inquisitive. Inquisitiveness. I don't know, you're just so inquisitive with people and the way you can handle such awkward situations and like, sit in it and yet comfortably ask questions and move through it while being funny is just like such an art and a gift. So you guys definitely want to check out a show you're doing, like Netflix as a joke. So much cool stuff. So be sure to look at Lucas's links in the description. And other than that, until next time, guys.
Guest or Additional Commentator 1
Bye.
Lucas Zelnick
Sa.
Release Date: April 23, 2026
Host: Morgan Absher
Guest: Lucas Zelnick (Comedian)
This episode delves deep into the world of hecklers, boundaries, and hot takes on internet relationship drama. Host Morgan Absher welcomes stand-up comedian Lucas Zelnick for an engaging, candid conversation. The episode balances zany personal tales (including one about a kangaroo in vintage Oklahoma) with detailed dissections of Reddit’s juiciest “Am I the Asshole?” and relationship threads. Lucas’s comedic expertise and quick wit fuel honest, sometimes contrarian perspectives on etiquette, boundaries, and healthy relationships.
[03:12]
Lucas on Heckling: Lucas discusses his experience with hecklers at shows. He prefers audience interaction "on my terms" and often initiates engagement, finding wild audience stories fascinating, especially when touring places like Oklahoma.
Wild Travel Tales: Lucas shares how vintage stores help him find ‘cool’ neighborhoods on tour and recounts a surreal encounter with a diapered kangaroo at an Oklahoma vintage shop, leading to a visit to HQ Ranch (an ethical exotic animal sanctuary).
[13:40]
Situation: OP’s wife blends 6-day-old leftover spaghetti into new sauce. OP’s grossed out and stops eating; wife’s upset.
Key Insights:
Microbial Facts: Morgan shares research on bacteria growth and the risks of leftover pizza, prompting Lucas to reconsider his habits.
[29:15]
[45:56]
[62:00] (with co-hosts Justin & Lauren)
[75:26]
[92:15]
[103:59]
This summary captures the spirit, content, and memorable moments of Episode 265—engaging for any fan or listener new to Two Hot Takes.