Lovett or Leave It - Charlie and the Unnecessary Prequel Factory

Episode Date: October 16, 2021

Young Wonka, played by Brandon Wardell, stops by to lament America’s Great Resignation. We quiz the audience on the media’s coverage of the reconciliation bill...and what the hell is actually in it. Solomon Georgio and Akilah Hughes weigh in on the best parts of fall and the worst parts of Dave Chappelle’s special, while we heat up the stage with a fiery round of Hot Takes.Support the Children's Law Center of CaliforniaFor a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/lovettorleaveit. For a transcript of this episode, please email [e-mail] and include the name of the podcast.

I have the negative. Let me see a goddamn human being Let me see a goddamn human being Let me see a goddamn human being Good evening, Los Angeles. First of all, thank you to Kyle Stevens. Great song. Thank you. If you have a live or else theme, email it to us at leaveitatcrooked.com. On the show this week,

Solomon Giorgio stops by to spill some hot goss. Akilah Hughes is here to sing the praise of autumn. Love that response to Akilah. A young hot Willy Wonka has some thoughts on the labor market, and the hot takes are back, this time with more heat. And the hot takes are back, this time with more heat. But first, let's get into it. What a week. Lego, the world's largest toy maker, has promised to eliminate gender stereotypes from its products, which means my 1,000-piece Women Be Shopping kit just got really valuable.

In a press release, the CEO explained, from the beginning, Lego was never about enforcing outdated gender roles. Lego was always about one thing, catastrophic foot injuries. That's the mission. Meanwhile, Blac Chyna went on a pro-vaccine rant at Miami International Airport while not wearing a mask. Okay, a little conflicted. You don't see enough helpful rants. We need more people walking around the grocery store remembering to change your smoke detector batteries. Excuse me, I am a customer at this bank and antibiotics are over-prescribed for ear infections. This week, Katie Couric admitted to editing out negative comments made by Ruth Bader

Ginsburg in her 2016 interview with the justice, including how the kneeling protests indicated a quote, contempt for government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life. Frustrating. I'll say this, at least RBG was consistent. By failing to retire, she did damage the cause of building a fair and more just society, and it was a profound act of narcissism and arrogance that will forever tarnish her legacy. What were we talking about? All right, Katie Couric. I like that she's being honest in this book for good and for ill. There's like, so normally when a memoir comes out, all the reviews are like, this is self-serving garbage. It's a false narrative designed to clean up their image. And then this, all these excerpts from Katie Couric's book come out and they're like, she kind of seems terrible in this. And then everyone's like, why did she say these things in her book?

Doesn't she know she's fucked? I think it's kind of cool. I think it's cool. Air the dirty laundry. Talk about your mistakes. Who cares? You're Katie Couric. Yeah, fuck you, money.

Might as well just put it all in the book. She worked side by side with Matt Lauer for a decade while he was pressing that button that closed his office door every time a junior producer with breasts brought him the mail. A lot of people knew. What can we learn from this? Anyway, I still can't believe she tried to poison Deborah Norville. She didn't try to poison Deborah Norville. She just said insulting things about her. Recently, Succession star Brian Cox said about the acclaim for the show, I've been at this game for too long not to acknowledge the writer first and foremost.

The writer is the thing. Who snuck this in the cards? Slow down, Brian Cox. The show is called Succession, not Suck Session for writers. Like a suck session, you know? This week, Skechers dropped Las Vegas Raiders coach

John Gruden as a spokesperson following Gruden's resignation from his job Monday. After the New York Times published emails in which Gruden made homophobic, racist, and sexist comments, he disparaged a gay NFL player. He said players who protested should be fired, and he criticized the league for attempting to reduce concussions.

And I agree. I don't think that should be the Skechers slogan either. Cancel culture, run amok. Now I'll have to go to eBay for my next pair of Air Grudens. Gotta get vintage Air Grudens now. This week, a Reuters investigation found that AT&T played a central role in creating and funding the far-right One America News Network, OAN. It's a disturbing glimpse into the dark heart of a twisted organization that's hell-bent on bringing America to its knees.

And its association with OAN only makes matters worse. It's good stuff. According to sworn testimony from an OAN executive, 90% of OAN's revenue came from a contract with AT&T-owned TV platforms, including DirecTV. The other 10% came from ads for MyPillow. MyPillow, the only pillow that guarantees it did not kill Antonin Scalia. OAN and AT&T are brand aligned. Like in their diversity statement, AT&T says,

our society doesn't work if it doesn't work equally for all. That's why at AT&T we are committed to stand for equality as one of our core values. And on OAN, host Kara McKinney kicked off Pride Month by telling her audience, we of course pray for those suffering from same-sex attraction. AT&T says we believe we have a moral and business obligation to engage on the fundamental issues of equality and fairness. I think Jesse Lee Peterson couldn't agree more when he said on OAN, we must remember white history because if it wasn't for that there would be no America and so they got black history, women history, Mexican history, so-called gay pride. What's happy about being perverted?

Said AT&T Chiefs Diversity Officer Corey Anthony. Let's continue to celebrate and raise our voices on behalf of the black community because when we all stand for equality, change happens. While on OAN, Jesse Lee Peterson couldn't agree more when he said, South African whites allowed the blacks to take over. Now they're taking their homes and land without compensation. Nobody is doing anything about it. Whites have no protection.

The same thing is happening in America. This is a battle between good and evil. According to AT&T, it's a business imperative to champion equality, diversity, and inclusion. Or as OAN host Liz Wheeler put it, If gender is destroyed, doesn't that destroy traditional gender roles? And if gender roles are destroyed, doesn't that destroy gendered relationships? And if gendered relationships are destroyed, doesn't that destroy traditional marriage?

And if traditional marriage is destroyed, doesn't that destroy the family unit? And if people aren't dependent on their families, then who do they depend on? That's right, the government, which is the goal of liberals in the first place. Don't let transgender penguins fool you. That's right. That was about a zoo. That's right. That was about a zoo. I guess AT&T's diversity efforts have spotty coverage as well. Maybe OAN Studio isn't in their coverage area. Maybe you're going to have to move to the roof to find equality.

A new study found that phthalates, used in products from food containers to kids' toys to vinyl flooring, contributes to early death in consumers. Now, if you're very quiet, what you'll hear is a conservative think tank creating a multimedia marketing campaign to manipulate middle-aged white men into believing that phthalates are central to their very being. They're coming for our phthalates. AOC wants to ban rubber duckies. These Jews are going to get rid of Happy Meal toys. John Kent, Clark Kent's son, and the current Superman in DC Comics will be revealed as bisexual in an upcoming series and fall in love with a male reporter.

More like superpower bottom moving on. Just moving on. Don't even. That is 20% of a joke. Touting his own efforts to reduce his carbon footprint, Prince Charles told the BBC that his Aston Martin sports car runs on cheese byproducts and surplus English wine. Prince Charles said he got the idea when he realized English wine tastes exactly like gasoline.

What a fancy little joke that is. I don't know what English wine tastes like. Is there such a thing? Fuck them. I don't know what English wine tastes like. Is there such a thing? Fuck them. Here's a pickup line that I could use on Prince Charles.

Hey, Prince, you want to ride me on the weekends? Because I also run on cheese byproducts. Thank you. William Shatner became the oldest person to make it to space at 90 years old during Jeff Bezos' successful Blue Origin mission. It's a nod to his famous television character, Denny Crane on Boston Legal. Acclaimed author of wilderness adventure novels,

Gary Paulson died this week at the age of 82. He was fighting a bear. His books made us all feel like we could survive a plane crash in the wilderness, while in reality, one time I walked all the way to Starbucks with no shoes on without noticing. As the IATSE strike looms next week over long

hours and low wages, the Union for 150,000 Workers in TV and film and theatrical production, issued a statement this week declaring, if the studios want to fight, they poke the wrong bear. It will be the Union's first strike in over a century of existence. I heard that cheer. We can do that. The statement concluded with an ominous quote from Tolkien's The Two Towers, War must be while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all.

But I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. It's important to support these workers, even if they are represented by huge fucking nerds. And finally, Nancy Pelosi chided reporters this week for not publicizing the specifics

of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, Build Back Better. Let's roll the clip. I think you all could do a better job of selling it, to be very frank with you, because every time I come here, I go through the list. Family medical leave, climate, the issues that are in there. But it is true, it is hard to break through when you have such a comprehensive package. You know what else helps you break through

with a comprehensive package? A little VCR cleaner. Yes, we've done it again. a little VCR cleaner. Yes! We've done it again! When we come back, another segment. Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love It or Leave It coming up. And we're back! Has anyone here left a job recently? Alright. Well, you're not alone. Has anyone here left a job recently? All right. Well, you're not alone. People have been quitting in droves this year

in record-setting numbers in what they're calling the Great Resignation. According to experts, the fallout from the pandemic might create a golden age for workers as companies try to resume business as usual. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.3 million people left their jobs in August,

many in retail and food services. That's almost 3% of all workers, and the trend hasn't slowed down. Here to talk us through it all and about the struggle of being an employer, it's Young Wonka. Hey, Young Wonka. Hello. Oh, boy. Oh, hello, little John, sweet Johnny boy. Please don't call me that. Oh, little John, how you've grown since you found that golden ticket as a lad. Well, you haven't. You look incredible. Yeah, of course, John.

I have to appeal to a new generation. I got that Kybella. Made me a whole new jawline. I got that Kybella. Made me a whole new jawline. You can't expect the youth of America to care about some yogurt raisin looking Willy Wonka. Sorry, Gene Wilder. Wonka fucks now.

Yuck. Yeah, but that's not the only thing that's changed, John. Which is why I'm here. In 2021, it's basically impossible to run a business. All of my oompa loompas quit. But weren't they like indentured servants? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No? No, no, no.

No, of course not. I paid them. Yeah, many of them had to be on public assistance to supplement their income. But if that's good enough for Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald's, then it's good enough for me. Wow, well, I think I understand why they might have left then. No, John, I think they're just lazy. What? Yeah, if they really wanted a job, they could have one.

I mean, I see all kinds of help-wanted signs all around town. Chocolate River Boat Captain. Fizzy Lifting drink bottler. The guy who hoses the kid bits off the ceiling fans after they're killed. Doing a slightly unethical thing all children do

as part of growing up. Jesus! Those might be jobs, Wonka, but they're clearly not paying it up. They sound very hard. Yeah, but I taught the Oompa Loompas little dances, John.

Oh, okay. And they could have all the fistfuls of molten chocolate from the chocolate river that they wanted. Oh, and check the sign, John. It says, um, it's been three days since an Oompa Loompa died. Yes, no, it's been three days since an Oompa Loompa died and that's a record. People shouldn't be putting their hands in the molten chocolate if consumers are going to be eating it. been three days since Sunil Bulumba died and that's a record. People

shouldn't be putting their hands in the molten chocolate if consumers are going to be eating it. Yeah, okay. Well, you know, they shouldn't put a boat in it either. Uh-huh. Yeah, but that's just the kind of outside-the-box thinker I am. Like I told Mrs. Gloop at her son's

funeral, a cyber event which I wore a green and purple tuxedo to. Don't be sad. My genius is worth it. That's a terrible thing to say to a grieving mother. By any chance, are you friends with Elon Musk? How did you know? Why didn't they tell me to bring my keys?

Why do we need our keys on a yacht? Just don't say the name of the yacht. Hey, I wasn't going to. I bet it's like some dumb pun for Tesla or something. Oh, it's called Elon's Fuck Yacht. That's not a pun. That's just a very direct name for it. Look, I don't know that you care,

but more women than men have left the workforce due to the cost of child care, not to mention industries like education, which employ a lot of women, have been slower to recover. Oh, and that's my problem? As if I don't have enough on my plate. Taxes. Biden's vaccine mandate. The lollipop guild.

The lollipop guild's been riding you pretty hard? Yep. Yes. Yeah, thank God the guy who tweeted that picture of Oompa Loompa bones in the candy bar got Me Too'd before the story stuck. You're a monster, Wonka. It's been 40 years since the first movie. It seems like all we've learned is that everyone, including Wonka, needs to be hot. And it's sort of a weird time to be celebrating

an eccentric, tyrannical industrialist. Isn't it good that workers feel empowered to want more? As of September, wages are up 4.6%. How dare you? I'm a job creator. Oh, okay. Yeah, sure, I'd turn a few mouthy girls into giant blueberries.

And, uh, yeah. Yeah, the lickable wallpaper is mostly asbestos. So what? I have insurance for that. The system is built to protect people like me. Asbestos. Get out of here, young Wonka. Young Wonka, everybody.

Yeah, well, yeah, it's good that I'm hot now. Union turret workers, I have sex with the chocolate tube. Get out of here. Get out of here, young Wonka. You get out of here. Shame on you. We don't need a Wonka who fucks.

We don't mind it. Brandon Mordell, everybody. Couple quick announcements. Love It or Leave It is back with live shows in LA and New York, as you can hear. Take a deep dive into what the hell is going on in the news. Laugh along with hilarious guests. Do it all

in... And do... Amazing, Katie. real life tickets on sale for more information crooked.com slash events all leads up to our beacon show on Friday November 12th is gonna be great

all right this week outlets right and left ragged on nancy pelosi for saying reporters could be better at selling the build back better agenda and while i agree it's not the press's job to sell the bill to the public does anyone feel like i could do like a little bit of a better job just sort of like explaining what it is even like a little bit i consume a lot of news and i feel like virtually everything you read about build back better fails to actually provide information about its contents which yeah would affect how people think about it and whether or not they support it it's like all political news assumes that there's some other magical news source out there that tells people what's in various bills covers the actual issues at stake and then the

political news's job is to find out if that magical hard news worked or not on the brains of the people you know what I mean it's like they're covering it as if there's some other news that covered the thing and then they cover the response to the thing but there is no thing It's turtles all the way down. And if you don't believe me, well then, step up to the mic because it's time for a game about the media's coverage of the reconciliation bill.

Brian's out there. Who out there wants to play the game? Hi, what's your name? I'm Shannon. Is that your real name? That is my real name. Do you think it's interesting that the fake names were like Judy and Rebecca and not like Esmeralda or Sorceress?

I could be Sorceress. Alright, Sorceress. Here we go. On September 28th, NBC Nightly News aired a segment on the quote $3.5 trillion social and climate policy bill. How many specific details did NBC Nightly News give about the bill's contents?

Two. Zero. They never explain what's in the bill. Next question. On September 29th, CNN aired an eight minute and 50 second segment about the reconciliation bill. How many times was a specific policy in the bill mentioned? Zero.

Once. Three minutes and five seconds into the segment, Representative Cori Bush suggests the bill will do something for unhoused people. That's the only reference to the actual substance. In an October 6 article, Politico details the intense internal party debate about the reconciliation bill. How many paragraphs

of the article must you read before they mention something substantive about the bill itself? One. Six paragraphs. Took six paragraphs. Then you find out about, quote, massive expansion of Medicare coverage delivering Medicaid to lower-income states,

paid family leave, and child care programs. That's the reference. Next question. On October 1st, ABC News aired a one-minute and 58-second-long report on the bill. How far into the segment did viewers have to watch to learn a single particular? 45 minutes.

It's a two minute segment. Sorceress. You're doing great. At the one minute and three second mark, they mention the phrase climate and safety net programs, but they do not explain what that means, and the whole video has a chyron that reads

3.5 trillion social safety plan over footage of money being printed. What? That's supposed to be the down-the-middle one. In a Fox News article this week, the outlet scolded Nancy Pelosi for telling reporters they could do a better job selling Build Back better, and they cited a CBS News poll revealing only 10% of respondents know a lot of the specifics.

How many paragraphs do you need to read of that article to arrive at one specific about the bill? Three. Four. Four paragraphs in, Fox mentions family medical leave. That's it. Boo. But of course, this is an anecdotal snapshot of the news, sorceress.

Just because I keep seeing news articles that contain little to no actual news doesn't mean that that's everyone's experience, which is why I'm about to quiz you on the actual contents. Eh, not so smug now, are you, rest of you? At least, this is what's in it until

the moderates extract their pound of flesh for some reason. Once Kirsten gets back from vacay. Boo! Alright, here we go, Sorceress. Everyone keeps panicking over the $3.5 trillion price tag, but how many years

will those trillions of dollars be spread over? Is it 5, 10, or 15? 10. You got it. How many billions will be dedicated to housing choice vouchers to assist low-income families and unhoused people? Is it $75 billion, $90 billion, or $120 billion? $7.5. $75.

You got it. Yep. I got you. How much money will be put into universal pre-K and child care for kids up to the age of 5 with the goal of making child care less than 7% of a family's income? Is it $50 billion, $200 billion, or $450 billion? $50. It's $450 billion. What? See what they did there?

Alright. Ding, you got it wrong. Bell, a lot of money is pretty good for a good thing. How much will be set aside for two years of tuition-free community college? Is it $62 billion, $108 billion, or $204 billion? $204. It's $108 billion. Yep. How much will go to the bill's clean energy performance program? $200 billion, $240 billion, or $150 billion? $150 billion. You got it. The bill would expand Medicare to include what?

Dental, hearing, and vision, long-term or custodial care? Or cosmetic surgery? Dental, hearing, vision. You got it. The bill would change the age at which we could all get Medicare to what? 55, 60, or 62? I want to say 55, but it's probably 62. It's 60. It's 60.

And just my usual reminder that we could have done this in Obamacare, but Joe Lieberman personally stopped it. One man, one man, in an act of extreme shittiness. Final question, Sorceress. Yes. What does Kirsten Sinema want? Nobody fucking knows. That's correct. When we come back,

Akilah Hughes is here, and it's time we talk about some bad jokes and good weather. Don't go anywhere. This is Love It or Leave It, and there's more on the way. And we're back. Please welcome our next guest.

She is a writer and comedian, Akilah Hughes. Returning champion. This crowd loves you. Beautiful. I was just saying that these pants are a little bit tighter than I thought they were. So I was like, getting up the stairs.

Here's the thing. America's pants are a little tighter than we thought they were. It's actually a metaphor. Hi, John. Hi, Akilah. You can go over there. All the way? Wherever you'd like. You can sit wherever you'd like. Six feet. Hi, everybody.

Please welcome back to the show, comedian Solomon Giorgio. Do you feel that chill in the air? Yes. That chill in the air can only mean two things. Autumn is here. As is Dave Chappelle's hour-long rant about trans people akilah and solomon if you're like me you love autumn almost as much as you did not love the closer yeah do you agree yes solomon you agree with that oh yeah it was i watched half of it

so that's a lot that's plenty that's funny i hope you live longer into the fall we thought we thought about playing a game about just how many big name comedians have made the same three That's plenty. That's plenty. I hope you live longer into the fall. We thought about playing a game about just how many big-name comedians have made the same three or four bad jokes about gender identity over the past decade, many right there on Netflix, between episodes of transporting British baking shows and reality contests where hot Angelenos spend a month in Malibu rentals competing to either fuck or not fuck each other. Anyway, depending on the program.

But we thought that game was too depressing. So instead, we're introducing a new segment. It's called Love It or Leaf It. Oh, wow. Lovely. Give me my pumpkin spice. Here's how it works. I'm going to ask you questions

about the season of autumn and Dave Chappelle. And you have to answer both. Okay. Okay. Akilah, we'll start with you. Oh, good. And please be sure to cover both in your answer.

I'll do my best. How much do you love pumpkin pie, and how much do you not love Dave Chappelle calling himself a TERF? Okay. Pumpkin pie, I love. And I will say that, like, in the black community, there's a lot of discourse about this because the sweet potato pie is the gold standard. But for me, it's a little too chunky. It gets dry faster. I like pumpkin.

And in the same way that I love pumpkin, I just really don't get the point of identifying with a bunch of hateful bitches who can't just get in line and say, hey, we all matter, But, you know, fall. Solomon, how much do you love men in camel-colored coats? And how much do you not love saying DaBaby punched the LGBT community

right in the AIDS? It's not a good special. Camel-colored coats? Well, first of all, I think it's a great option, especially if you're in a JCPenney. Okay, okay. But, you know, he tried to make a point,

and that point needed to be made. But anyway, we should wear camel color coats. I want one now. It's very cold out here. It's chilly. There's blankets in this audience. I'm adding color for the podcast. They don't know.

It's cold for LA. It's like 64. Yeah. Look, it's cold for podcast. They don't know. It's cold for LA. It's like 64. Yeah. Look, it's cold for everywhere. I don't care. Akilah. Yes. You went to see a screening of the Chappelle documentary,

and you wrote a great piece about it, about the experience of going to see this documentary, because there was just all of a sudden the availability of these private tickets to go see something you didn't know what it was. You thought it might be the special. And then the special comes out, and it wasn't the special and it was this documentary what was striking about seeing the documentary versus the special and at the same time do you prefer apple cider or hot chocolate oh wonderful yeah you know gotta say bought these

tickets on a whim before any of the announcements about this stuff and so uh you know the intrigue was there. I thought maybe he would make amends or maybe he'd have anything else to say. When I went, I will say that the documentary makes him look like a great guy, which I would hope that maybe he is, you know. He rebuilt a community that he lives in in Ohio. He saved all these businesses.

He flew a bunch of comedians on private jets, which I'm sure they missed in the pandemic. So really thoughtful guy. Obviously in juxtaposition to a special where he looks like just a very angry, sad, egotistical man. You know, I prefer apple cider. I think that it's a good cold and hot, whereas hot chocolate really only has one lane. And you drink it and you're like, this could just be in my coffee. It's got to have a benefit beyond being good tasting.

And apples are just delightful. Very fall-y. I love fall. Here's my feeling on hot chocolate, which is, when I was a kid, it would be like, it's cold. You bundle up. You go outside. You come inside. You bundle up. You go outside. You come inside. You warm up instantly.

And then it's time for hot chocolate. But I don't need it anymore because I'm inside. True, true. I never got it. And also, when you're bundled up, you're cold in a few places, but mostly very warm. Yeah, you're fine. Also. very warm. Yeah, you're fine.

Also, I feel like there's been a lot of discourse about like, what doesn't or does Dave Chappelle get about this and how did he lose touch? Fine. All valid. But what I am more worried about and more interested in is actually the audience. Because I don't know how we go about changing

a person with fuck you money's mind about something where he's made the decision to say fuck you like I hope that people at Netflix walk out to make a point but I imagine from Dave Chappelle's perspective based on the special that is confirming to him yeah but what I worry about more than anything is actually the audience and I see this kind of cohort of like not explicitly identifying as political young mostly men who are getting drawn into Joe Rogan and getting drawn

into this culture around trans issues and masculinity with Dave Chappelle. Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan are going to be touring together and I worry about those millions of people. Oh you don't hear that? They're touring together. Oh yeah. yeah breaking news when two forces combine and I I do I genuinely worry about like I care less about reaching Joe Rogan as a person or Dave Chappelle as a person I care more about those millions of young men who are not yet lost and actually don't even explicitly identify as political,

but there's something about this issue that it's a gateway drug through these comedians and through this kind of masculinity culture that leads them in a dark way. And I'm not worried about a baby boomer, millionaire comedian who doesn't like criticism. I'm worried when they applaud when he talks about beating up a lesbian at a bar.

Like, I worry about that. I worry about those moments. And that's what made me the most upset. Solomon, what's cooler, Halloween or Chappelle ending the special with a slideshow of celebrities? Oh, what's cooler? Yeah.

It's always going to be Halloween because that way you can dress up as anyone that is not Dave Chappelle um unless you love that crack-headed character which I do

um yeah Tyrone Biggum yes he's a great character I slaps do that you know

play the hits Dave play the hits that's all we all play the hits Dave do your Thunder Road. No new songs. You guys want to hear something new? Absolutely not.

I came for the radio standards. Talk about Oscar the Grouch, you son of a bitch. Thank you. The black white supremacist. We all love that. Genius you. The black white supremacist, we all love that. Genius work. We lost the thread. What a depressing topic.

It's like I want to engage on this topic, I care about it, and then at the same time, it's like this horrible situation where there's this bubble conversation about how wrong Chappelle is, and then there's all these people out there that are like,

there's no entrance for them into this part of the conversation where we're trying to have a serious, and I think for a lot of people, new conversation about gender, and then there's just this reaction outside of it that's like, I feel like Dave Chappelle's great genius

throughout his career is that he has this ability to cut through performance and hypocrisy to make a point about what's really going on. I think you see that in all of his greatest moments. But the problem is, like, that is a kind of common sense machine that was really, really powerful. But, like, a great, you know, there's a saying in statistics,

like, garbage in, garbage out. Like, he's feeding into what is an incredibly powerful and sophisticated machine some shitty data. Yeah. And what's coming out is horseshit. Yeah. And that's the unfortunate part that we have to constantly deal with. And especially, like, as a queer black person in this world, powerful and sophisticated machine some shitty data yeah and what's coming out is horseshit yeah and that's the unfortunate part that we have to constantly deal with and especially like as a queer black person in this world it's just truly sucks because i it's a circular argument it's not

i feel there's no progress in the conversation and when these guys keep bringing up these same sort of things like we get to get caught up backwards in the loop and that's the shitty part about it there's so much progress that could be made uh and there was these guys had the opportunity to do that and they decided to back away from it and that's the unfortunate part of it all yeah i agree i think that's totally right and the one thing that does make me a little bit hopeful is that like dave chapelle for all the ways in which i think now he's a bit lost he's not like some of these other kind of older arrogant long successful comedians i think part of what makes this something I want to talk about is I actually think he's gettable.

I still believe that. I still do too, I think. I think we can get him. Yeah, well, I think he doesn't believe what he's saying. I think that this is all about his ego and he doesn't like the fact that people didn't like his joke. Exactly. I don't think that he really cares about this

as deeply as he purports to. I don't think that he's going to go to a TERF meeting. I don't think he would touch strangers. You know what I mean? I just don't feel like he is as actually committed to this. I think he truly just is angry and it's like the YouTube comment section. He's just going to

react because he's like, how dare you say I'm wrong? I've been right my whole life. I've been right my whole life. How dare you say that I'm wrong? And it's like he's at this inflection point where he is dealing with the fact that he's been called wrong for once in his career And there's a huge community of men who have no community at all. And so what they rally around is well What does it mean to be a man? It means that everyone is less than me It means that if anyone has thought about their gender for longer than I have they're wrong It's this feedback loop of people who have nowhere to turn but each other.

But the only thing they can rally around is bullshit. And I'd like to rally them around, like, I don't know, fall. Jackets. Crisp leaves. Camel coats. Vanilla cupcakes. Look, let's just go to Starbucks tomorrow and get ourselves a pumpkin spice latte and just be

better people. Do you like crisp leaves? Yeah. What do you think about crisp leaves? I'm not against them. When we come back, hot takes. And we're back.

We've been remarkably restrained this evening. Very measured, very thoughtful. So let's invite Brandon Wardell back to the stage to ruin that with a scorching hot round of our favorite game, Lord of Hot Takes. In this game, Lord of Hot Takes, named after a brief moment where we were talking about the fact that Lord ate hot wings on a YouTube show.

But we could have come up with a better name, so we're going forward with it. Wait, Spice Lords? Because that's what she'd call the audience, and her name's Lord. I think it's because she ate spicy wings on the hot ones. Right, that makes sense. But I'm saying, what was the segment called? Lord of Hot Takes.

It should have just been called Spice Lords. Because that's what the audience is called for hot ones. Right, that makes sense. But I'm saying, what was the segment called? Lord of Hot Takes. It should have just been called Spice Lords. Because that's what the audience is called for hot ones. I'm a spice lord, so I'm just referencing the show.

Lords with an E is all I'm saying. Take it under advisement. It's fine. Here's how it works. They're not inviting me back. Oh, come on. Akilah. See you next year're not inviting me back. Oh, come on. Akilah.

See you next year. In this game, you have one minute to defend any take to which you are assigned, even if you personally find it repellent. I haven't seen any of these. That is real. I sincerely have not. So I'm in the same boat as everybody else. Are we ready?

Yeah. Alright. Let's see our first hot take. This is for Brandon. Mom and pop shops are worse than chains. Fuck mom, fuck pop. Yeah, okay. You have one minute. All right.

Oh, you ever go to a mom and pop shop, try to find bulk toilet paper? Can't do it. Can't do it. Can't do it. Yeah, you show me a fucking mom and pop shop with any Kirkland signature brand, you simply can't. Fuck mom and pop.

You did it. Yeah, there we go. All right, next hot take. Adele who? Solomon. Yeah. Okay. No, who take Adele who? Solomon No, who's Adele? I have no idea who Adele is Is it a person? Is it a store?

Is it a place or a thing? I honestly, I don't listen to music Never been a fan Not a big fan of singing Especially good singing That really sounds not too Did she release an album recently? Is that what's going on?

Is that why we're mentioning her again? Is it her age? She always mentions her age. That's a very weird thing to do on an album. I don't know why. Like, I'm 25. Go fuck yourself. I don't care.

No one cares. Yeah, no one cares. Fuck, am I done? Yeah, you did it. 27 more seconds left. I can keep talking about Adele not being good at singing. Bontube Raids. What happened to that?

We so mad about that? That was weird. That was a crazy time. Why'd you do that? I think she has a black boyfriend now. I think that's what happened. That's what the album's about. That's all you need is the one black person to say, yeah, that's fine.

The gateway drug. The gateway drug. The gateway drug. All right. All right. Next take. Mourning the death of a pet is overdramatic? That one's for me, apparently. Here's the thing, and it's time we all face it.

You're always one month away from being over the death of a beloved pet. I'm not saying that our love for our pets isn't real. Of course it is. But it's also very simple. You really got to do this. And that doesn't make it any less valid. But they're not people. They don't ask us any questions.

And the truth is, how much can you love something you're allowed to kill if the surgery has four figures in the price? Yep. Come on now. That's facts. It's a fact. They give you the option. Hey, put the hot takes that I'm assigned on our after show meeting list for tomorrow.

When we do our look back on how it all went. Let's go to the next take. Oh, Lord. For Akilah, virginity is a valuable concept for society. You know, look, I believe in hearing both sides of any argument. to the next take. Oh, Lord. For Akilah, virginity is a valuable concept for society. You know, look, I believe in hearing both sides of the argument. Yeah, you know,

I think virginity is important as a concept for, say, daiquiris. You know? Kids want that good, good sugar. And you gotta keep them safe. All right? We don't want drunk kids running around your home or outside.

Nice. She found a loophole. I sure did. And I needled until I, oh, there it was. You know, thank you so much for riding with me. You know, I think virginity in that context, absolutely valuable. How else would anyone know? In a sexual context, you know, I would say it's up to the person.

I'm not going to judge your kink. Like, if you're obsessed with your virginity to the point where you're not fucking, like, that's your thing. Like, it's for you. Good for you. Like, you don't have to. You did it. So, yeah, I did that. All right. Let's do one more round.

What's up next? William Shatner should die up there. Brandon, you're up. How old is he? He's 90. Yeah, come on. 90? Yeah, enough.

He got some albums. 90 yeah enough got enough he got some albums it was at one album how many albums did William Shatner drop probably just the greatest hits I mean he

you know spoken word he did enough 90 is nobody that's fine if you're 90 and also isn't dying in space at 90

way cooler than the alternative ways of dying? Yes. That's nice. Yeah, come on now. Yeah, fucking 90? Yeah, die in space.

That's true. I'm convinced. Next take. I can't wait for the Olympics to come to LA. They will be great for the city. That one's mine. I can't wait for the Olympics to come to Los Angeles. It'll be great for the city.

Here's what I think. I think life, the life of a city, it doesn't happen in small streets where neighbors can meet and have community, go to local shops, interact with one another, feel a sense of place unique to where you are, the geography, the weather, the history, the culture, the people. No. What makes a city great is when basically capitalism lands giant spaceship-like stadiums completely out of proportion to the regions in which they are stuck, that sit

like monuments to hubris, arrogance, and capital that are used briefly and then left to disrepair and to slowly collapse under the weight of the failed promises that led them to be funded. I also fundamentally

agree with Caitlyn Jenner, which is that the problem of... Oh my god, time. I agree with what Caitlyn Jenner said, which is that when you see unhoused people, the issue is that you see them with your eyes. That if you see them, that's the

problem. Their existence is how they enter your ocular nerve and react to your brain. That's what must be stopped. The seeing of them. And that's why I think the Olympics will be good for our city. What's next?

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are the defining love story of our time. Akilah? When you're right, you're right. Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox. I was going to say Megan Kelly.

Megan Fox. She should not take his last name clearly. The defining love story of our generation. I mean, let's be honest. We're all just like,

our souls look like that. A little crusty. A little worn for wear. You know, maybe just doing it out of desperation and a sense of needing to be seen and a new narrative to be spun. You know, maybe we had a rap career for a long time. That almost happened. And then we had to pivot to pop punk.

And maybe Megan was like, you know, the last thing I was really kicking it with was New Girl. And the pandemic made a lot of people watch it for the first time. And you know what? We needed this. This is more uplifting than Bennifer. At least,

I'm pretty sure by looking at Machine Gun Kelly, his people didn't have slaves. I can't say the same about Ben Affleck. This is a great couple. Nice. And I love it. I love it for them. I'm happy

for them. And that's it. That was an incredible job defending those hot takes. One more time for Brandon, Solomon, and Akilah. When we come back, we'll end on a high note. when we come back we'll end on a high note

and we're back let's end on a high note hey John Levitt it's Jennifer Gold I'm sorry about the dog calling from Bethesda, Maryland and I've called a bunch of times so I know

I'm not going to be on and that's fine but my high note of the week was from your episode that was live. Also, I'm so excited that you're having live shows again. But there was this crazy-ass guy who I felt like was on stage left who had this gigantic laugh and was completely out of control. And he just cracked me up. So that was my high note. Thanks so much.

Love everything you guys do. Isabella, what is your high note? Today I booked tickets to go to New York to see my family for Christmas. That's great. When was the last time you saw them? I saw my mom in March. But I haven't seen my brother in a year. Yeah, it's okay.

We'll allow it. Oh, thank you. Isabella, have a nice time with your family. Hi, Emily's Garden Show. This is Steven from Edmond, Oklahoma. I really love the show. My high note of the week is actually living in blood red Oklahoma, which is replete with inept Trumpian politicians.

This week, the state superintendent of education, Joy Hoffmeister, switched parties to challenge our current embarrassment in charge, Kevin Stitt, for the 2022 gubernatorial race. Her initial campaign video is an appeal to rural Oklahomans who have had their votes exploited, been lied to, and left in actual dust. She's by no means a staunch liberal progressive, but, you know, we'll take what we can get down here, for starters. In the last election, she actually obtained about 40,000 more votes for superintendent than it did for governor. So for the first time in a long time, I'm excited and hopeful and optimistic for a change and just felt inspired to call and share. So thank you so much. Keep up the great work and we'll chat soon.

Carrie, what's your high note? We all know about the assault on immigrants that took place under the last administration and still continues, Title 42. But I just found out that one of my clients who had a deportation order entered against him under the last administration got it rescinded today. So he has to stay here. I'm so excited. That's an amazing story. How many, and you work with immigrants and immigrant rights? I work with immigrant foster youth here in Los Angeles County. Yeah, my organization only represents foster youth, which is a very vulnerable population here in Los Angeles.

So if anyone's an attorney that wants to volunteer with us, we have plenty of immigrant youth that definitely need help. What's your organization called? It's called Children's Law Center of California. Children's Law Center of California. Carrie, thank you so much. And that's our show. Thank you to Solomon Giorgio, Akilah Hughes, Brandon Wardell, and everyone who spilled their gossip, left a high note, asked a question. Special thanks to Jesse McClain for making our graphics every week. There are 387 days until the 2022 midterm elections. Have a great weekend and see you next week.

Bye, everybody. Love It or Leave It is a Crooked Media production. It is written and produced by me, John Lovett, and Lee Eisenberg. Kendra James is our senior producer. Hallie Kiefer is our head writer. Jocelyn Kaufman, Pauly B. Ganalen, and Peter Miller are the writers. Our associate producer is Brian Semel. Bill Lance is our editor.

And Kyle Seglin is our sound engineer. Our theme song is written and performed by Sure Sure. Thanks to our designers, Jesse McClain and Marissa Meyer, for creating and running all of our visuals, which you can't see because this is a podcast. And to our digital producers, Nara Melkonian and Milo Kim, Mia Kelman and Matt DeGroote, for filming and editing video each week so you can.