Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: What's Our Podcast? with Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney
Episode: Claudia O'Doherty
Date: September 10, 2025
Guest: Claudia O'Doherty
Theme: In this episode, comedians Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney continue their quest to figure out what their podcast is actually about, inviting Claudia O'Doherty to help them decide. The episode takes an inventive turn as Claudia pitches “jeans” as the topic, leading the trio down a hilarious, digressive rabbit hole about denim, personal insecurities, family, and style. Playful self-deprecation, improvisation, and earnest moments of friendship abound.

Episode Structure & Key Segments

1. Opening Banter and Show Dynamic (00:36–07:00)

• The episode opens with Beck and Kyle playfully addressing the show's loose format, poking fun at themselves and their dynamic.
• They recount a humorous off-camera moment involving their producer, Anya, setting the relaxed, semi-chaotic tone of the show.
  • Quote: “If it felt that way, I apologize.” – Kyle (01:32)
• The hosts play with their “intros” and do playful impersonations of each other and Michael Keaton as Batman.
• Quick detour into a physical comedy moment with a dropped energy bar, joked about as “dookie.”

2. Podcast Self-Reflection (07:00–10:29)

• Beck and Kyle reflect on their evolving podcast style, their previous guests, and their personal interviewing quirks.
  • Discuss the difference between relating to guests and asking genuine questions.
  • Quote: “I will relate similar experiences to create conversation as opposed to asking questions. So that's something that I'm going to work on.” – Beck (08:19)

3. Iconic Commercials & Impressions Segment (10:29–15:00)

• Playful improv as Beck and Kyle recreate and riff on classic commercials (“It's Dumas,” “I ate the Bones”).
  • Quote: “Can we do a little...I'll do my impression, you do yours...” – Beck (11:12)
• This segment reinforces their SNL roots and love of character work.

4. Welcoming Claudia O’Doherty (15:05)

• Claudia joins and immediately jokes about being on the show at last.
  • Quote: “Finally. You have a podcast.” – Claudia (15:09)
• The trio discuss their podcast-listening habits and preferences.
  • Claudia mostly listens to “boring informational podcasts,” not comedic ones, and is cagey about her podcast history.

5. The “What Should Our Podcast Be About?” Bit (19:00–31:13)

• Claudia is asked to suggest a podcast topic.
• After playful buildup and clarifying “jeans” means denim, not genes, she suggests the show should be about jeans.
  • Quote: “I think your podcast should be about jeans.” – Claudia (30:34)
• The hosts gleefully accept and begin their improvised “Jeans” podcast, complete with a faux intro and character introductions.

Main Discussion: “Jeans” Podcast with Claudia

Claudia’s Background and Artistic Family (19:11–24:09)

• Claudia’s father played in the Australian new wave/party rock band “Mental As Anything.”
  • Quote: “Those three words together, I’ve never thought about what that means...that’s my dad’s job.” – Claudia (20:08)
• Describes her non-musical talents and her artistic sister.
• Her comedy roots: Started in Australia (alt-comedy, festival circuit), moved to the UK (bigger, more established scene), then the US for work (“Love” on Netflix).
• The friends compare their own journeys away from home and “turning their back” on their hometowns for comedy ambitions.

Early Comedy Groups & Partying (26:10–28:37)

• Claudia describes her college sketch group “Pig Island.”
  • They partied a lot, did comedy festivals, and won awards; classic sketches often ended in a dance.

The Jeans Deep-Dive: Preferences and Insecurities (31:13–41:21)

• The “Jeans” podcast “begins.” They share their complicated relationships with jeans:
  • Claudia feels Levi’s “don’t really look good on me” due to her body shape.
    • Quote: “All I want is to look normal in jeans. I can imagine never getting to do that.” – Claudia (35:38)
  • Beck prefers dark jeans to hide what he calls his “donkey legs.”
  • Kyle is more of a “jean guy” than his friends but is body-positive towards others.
    • Quote: “Everyone here has a wonderful shape that’s perfectly them...just know that you’re amazing inside and out.” – Kyle (36:54)

Iconic Jeans, Styles & Segments (41:22–47:00)

• Play a segment: “Skinny or Boot Cut?”
  • Consensus: Boot cut is more forgiving; skinny jeans may be coming back.
• Another segment: “Hottest Celeb in Jeans?”
  • James Dean is the unanimous classic pick, with references to Cindy Crawford’s iconic Pepsi ad and the low-rise era.

Denim Culture Around the World (47:01–51:04)

• Discuss “Canadian tuxedo” (matching denim outfit).
• Jeans as an American icon (cultural export, connection to cowboys and Bruce Springsteen).
• Aussie equivalents: Flip-flops (“thongs”), board shorts, and surfwear like Mambo (Claudia’s dad designed for them).
• Quote: “I just imagined everybody in Australia walking around in thongs. That would boost tourism through the roof.” – Beck (48:43)

Fashion Mishaps, Tailoring, and a Podcast “Miracle” (51:04–56:07)

• Beck and Kyle offer to sponsor Claudia to get a pair of perfectly tailored jeans.
  • Quote: “We would like to sponsor a tailored pair of jeans for you.” – Kyle (51:29)
  • Claudia is game, saying, “If we make this happen, would you feel comfortable sharing a photo?” – “Absolutely.”
• Dream of a “miracle jeans makeover” podcast, like Property Brothers but for denim.

Reflections, Friendship, and Authenticity (56:07–61:32)

• The trio reflect on the experience, earnest about how much they enjoyed learning more about each other and being a little more vulnerable—even when goofing around.
  • Quote: “I saw a different side of you that I’ve never seen before. It was great.” – Beck (60:45)
• Claudia shares that her father literally only wears one outfit—a white t-shirt, black jeans, black boots, every day—even to the beach and to bed, which has left a dark patch on the mattress.
• They discuss making the jeans-tailoring promise real, and hope to have Claudia back for an update.

Notable Quotes & Moments (W/ Timestamps)

• On the show’s format:
  “The premise of the podcast is that we don't know what our podcast is.” (30:14)
• Claudia on Levi’s jeans:
  “All I want is to look normal in jeans. I can imagine never getting to do that.” (35:38)
• Kyle’s jean-positivity:
  “Everyone here has a wonderful shape that’s perfectly them and looks awesome... you're amazing inside and out.” (36:54)
• On iconic jeans moments:
  “James Dean is the unanimous classic pick... with references to Cindy Crawford’s iconic Pepsi ad.” (41:22–43:07)
• Podcast transformation offer:
  “We would like to sponsor a tailored pair of jeans for you.” – Kyle (51:29)
• Claudia’s dad’s uniform:
  “He has one outfit. He wears every–he wears the same outfit every single day…” (46:37)

Tone & Style

The episode is loose, rambling, and improvisational. There are countless goofy asides, improvised games/segments, playful roasts, and meta-commentary on “how to make a podcast.” Yet, there’s a genuine warmth between the hosts and Claudia, as they open up about self-perception, nostalgia, and creative journeys.

Summing Up: Why Listen?

If you enjoy the slightly chaotic, self-aware humor of SNL alums, want to hear three comedians riff on everything from family to jeans to pop culture, and appreciate a podcast where the process of making the show becomes part of the comedy, this episode is a standout. Claudia O'Doherty fits seamlessly into Beck and Kyle’s odd-couple energy, and the “jeans” premise brings out stories, insecurities, and laughs.

No, they don’t actually decide what the podcast should be—but that's the point.

Timeline of Key Segments

• 00:36–07:00: Opening banter, show dynamic, producer-jokes, intros
• 07:00–10:29: Reflecting on previous episodes & podcasting style
• 10:29–15:00: Commercials and impressions (“It’s Dumas,” “I ate the bones”)
• 15:05: Claudia arrives; podcast-listening discussion
• 19:00–24:09: Artistic family, comedy origins, moving countries
• 26:10–28:37: Sketch group “Pig Island,” partying/comedy festivals
• 31:13–41:21: “Jeans” podcast segment begins—personal jeans journeys
• 41:22–47:00: Style debates, iconic jean moments, body positivity
• 47:01–51:04: Denim culture US vs. Australia, flip-flops, board shorts
• 51:04–56:07: Tailoring promise, “miracle” jeans makeover idea
• 56:07–61:32: Reflections, vulnerability, Claudia’s dad’s uniform
• 61:32–63:00: Episode wind-down, thank-yous, and wrap-up

Memorable Moments to Queue:

• Claudia reveals her complicated feelings about Levi’s jeans (35:02–36:40).
• The trio riff on denim’s cultural status, US vs Australia (47:01–49:30).
• Claudia describes her dad's monochrome wardrobe (46:37–47:01).

Episode Takeaways:
Endlessly playful, gently self-mocking, and surprisingly sincere, this episode shows Beck and Kyle’s love of the absurd and the personal. Claudia O'Doherty is game for all of it, and by the end, you want her to get those perfect jeans—and to come back for another round.