What's Our Podcast? with Beck Bennett & Kyle Mooney

Episode: Kate Berlant

Date: November 19, 2025
Guest: Kate Berlant (Comedian, Actor, Writer)

Brief Overview

In this raucous and freewheeling episode, Beck and Kyle welcome Kate Berlant for a hilarious deep-dive into sin, indulgence, and the delights of giving yourself permission to "sin" in everyday life. Still baffled about the true premise of their podcast, the hosts and guest organically develop a new concept for the show—“Sinner’s Delight”—wherein they confess lighthearted vices, celebrate the joys of letting go, and break (or at least discuss breaking) minor rules and routines. The banter covers everything from travel mishaps to comfort rituals, food sins, sleeping habits, and the broader emotional and societal weight we attach to “sin.” Throughout, Berlant’s signature wit and openness draw out surprisingly meaningful discussion on pleasure, shame, and self-acceptance, keeping the tone engaging and irreverent from beginning to end.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Antics & Stain Confessions (03:58–05:55)

• The episode opens with Beck riffing about a “stain” on his jeans, which turns into hilarious, explicit banter about cleaning up after “ropes”—an inside joke on bodily fluids and clothing. This sets an unfiltered, playful, and comfort-zone-breaking tone.
• The conversation quickly shifts to their mutual hang-ups about stains on clothes and the existential annoyance they provoke.
  • Kyle: “If I get a little stain on my clothing, like, it affects me, and I need to get over that.” (07:03)
  • Beck: “It’s like you’re done. It’s almost like I never want to wear that T shirt again.” (07:20)

2. Hotel Elevator Key Card Debate (08:07–16:21, recurring)

• Kyle’s primary “gripe” is the frustration of needing a key card to access floors in hotel elevators, sparking a group debate about the tradeoffs of convenience vs. security.
  • Kyle: “We got to do away with that, really.” (08:53)
  • Beck: “If you ask enough people, they’re going to be like, ‘I prefer the security...’” (09:51)
• Producer Anya provides a nuanced take, citing women's safety concerns, while everyone admits most hotel key card systems are inconsistent and annoying.
  • Anya: “When I’m traveling alone, the ride up to my room at night is always... okay.” (12:25)
• This theme comes back when Kate shares similar hotel stories and relates key card confusion to general travel anxiety (40:00+).

3. Kate Berlant Joins: Comedy, Medicine, and Brain Worms (28:07–36:31)

• Kate arrives to a flurry of “can you hang with our blue talk?” jokes, immediately proving she can riff with the SNL alums.
• She spins a wild (possibly fabricated) tale about being a doctor, segues into her real-life struggle with chronic migraines, and details the shocking costs of her medication, underlining U.S. healthcare woes.
  • Kate: “America has a problem... [insurance company] got it down to $720. I go, 7:20 is not gonna cut it, girls.” (34:51)
• Her story touches on resilience and the hidden burdens people often carry behind their “performer” facades, resonating with both hosts.

4. On the Road: Hotel & Airbnb Intruder Stories (43:02–49:20)

• Both Kate and Kyle share unsettling/funny personal stories of unexpected intruders in their hotel or Airbnb rooms—Kate’s involved two drunk men entering her honeymoon suite in Jamaica, while Kyle’s was a naked man named Oscar who wandered into his Airbnb on Oscar Sunday.
  • Kate: “My adrenaline—and John [Early]’s useless... I go, get the [expletive] out.” (43:24)
• The stories reinforce the thin line between safety, farce, and discomfort in travel.
• Kate, a seasoned road comic, discusses hospitality expectations, refunds, and the power (or lack thereof) guests actually have.

5. The Sinner’s Delight Concept (61:17–65:01)

• The group riff their way into a new podcast premise: each episode, they must do something they’ve been putting off or feel guilty about (the “sin/vice”), earn a self-chosen treat as a reward, and openly talk about their habits and indulgences.
  • Kate: “You have to file the insurance form, but then you get nachos and beer.” (63:32)
• The vibe is: combine accountability and celebration; reduce shame, increase delight.

6. “Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned” Segment (67:47–68:52)

• They try out a mock-confessional segment, sharing childhood “sins”—e.g., Beck hiding a Playboy magazine—emphasizing humility and humor in self-revelation.
  • Beck: “I brought it into my room, and I’ve hid it underneath my bed, and I have utilized it. Father, I have sinned.” (68:35)

7. Seven Deadly Sins Rapid-Fire (70:02–72:22)

• Test their knowledge listing the “7 Deadly Sins” as a framework for possible recurring themes, sparking more playful theology.
  • Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Lust—though the group struggles to remember them all.
• Kate: “Lazy, by the way, that’s a big sin for me. I gotta say.” (72:13)

8. Celebrating Everyday “Sin” and Letting Go of Shame (74:22–94:13)

• Everyone takes turns sharing their ultimate “sinner’s delight” routines, mostly centering food, rest, and minor luxury:
  • Kate: “Ten for me, honey, I haven’t had ten in a minute...” [meaning hours of sleep] (74:08)
  • Morning bath and breakfast burritos, eating in bed, special cocktails, deliberately planning minor “sins.”
• The trio underscore the value in giving oneself permission to have pleasure without self-punishment.
  • Kate: “We deserve to sin!”
  • Beck: “As we get older, we’re like, I’m an adult now. I can’t sin anymore... but you know what?”
• They joke about planning “sin trips,” nominating martinis to a “Sinners Hall of Fame,” and the importance of community in celebrating (not shaming) indulging in life.

9. Touring, Outlets for Sin, and What’s Next (95:05–98:42)

• The close sees Kate musing on future “sins,” food and travel goals, and a desire to sin “off cam” with Beck and Kyle.
• Kate plugs her own podcast Poog (now “Berlant and Novak”), and the group reflects on how “Sinner’s Delight” might actually be a transformative, zeitgeist-y concept for breaking cycles of shame.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “We got to do away with that [hotel keycards], really.” —Kyle, (08:53), launching the recurring debate.

• Kate, on being a doctor (tongue-in-cheek): “I’m certified as a family physician... I fulfilled that and then I went—I’m actually liberated from this. I don’t need to go into medicine.” (32:30)

• “We all sin. And everyone... we all don’t do, like, a little confessional to our Father, but we all sin.” —Kate (69:06)

• On self-forgiveness:

  • Beck: “There’s always a lot of shame around sin.” (69:34)
  • Kate: “There is a lot of shame around...and that’s a problem. That’s toxic. We have to get rid of that.” (69:43)

• Kate on pleasure:

  • “If it’s Sinner’s Delight, I’m getting the news right through the horror of the feed. I’m on Instagram. My lover brings me coffee in bed, and I’m there... open the window, get some natural airflow... Ultimate Sinner’s Delight.” (76:45–77:11)

• “I struggle with allowing myself to sin.” —Kyle, (78:42)

• Kate on “planned sins”:

  • “I plan my sins. Monday night I’m sinning here. My next big, I have a big sin planned at Mozza...” (86:31)

• Sinner’s Hall of Fame:

  • “I think the martini deserves its place.” —Kyle (93:13)

• Encouragement:

  • Kate: “Don’t sin alone.” (96:41)
  • Beck: “If we sin, you sin. If you sin, we sin.” (96:53)

Memorable Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Snippet | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 03:58–05:55 | Opening: Stain confessions and blue humor | | 08:07–16:21 | Elevator keycard debate (recurring) | | 28:07 | Kate’s entrance—immediate comedic rapport | | 34:51 | Healthcare rant—medication costs | | 40:00+ | Kate’s Portland keycard meltdown | | 43:02–49:20| Intruder hotel & Airbnb stories | | 61:17–65:01| Formation of “Sinner’s Delight” podcast concept | | 67:47–68:52| “Forgive Me, Father...” confessional segment | | 70:02–72:22| Seven Deadly Sins quiz | | 76:45–78:13| Kate’s morning “Sinner’s Delight” ritual | | 93:13 | Nomination of the martini to Sinner’s Hall of Fame | | 96:41 | Kate: “Don’t sin alone.” Peak ethic of episode |

Tone & Style

• Loose, irreverent, confessional, intimate, and joyfully unserious.
• Blurring lines between podcast planning, therapy, and dinner conversation.
• Willingly “blue,” but never mean; everyone in on the joke.

Takeaways

• “Sinner’s Delight” essentially becomes both the episode’s theme and a mission statement for living with permission and pleasure—centered around community, celebration, and banishing unnecessary shame about small indulgences.
• The group gives practical examples of how to frame “sin” as self-care and healthy rebellion against societal pressure.
• Kate Berlant’s earnestness, wit, and self-deprecation anchor the show, humanizing topics that often go undiscussed.

For Listeners New & Old

• Even if you haven’t heard prior episodes, you’ll feel swept into the hosts’ fun, slightly anarchic energy and come away rethinking “sin” as something to embrace, laugh over, and share.
• The spontaneous development of a new podcast premise live on air offers a meta-look at the creative process, while the deeply human, often food- and sleep-based “sins” serve as relatable entry-points for anyone feeling “naughty” just by being themselves.

Listen for:

• The best hotel keycard rants you’ve ever heard.
• Unforgettable “sin” rituals and food porn.
• SNL-grade improvisational bits and loving friend-roasts.
• Sincere encouragement to drop the shame and delight in what you love.