The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - The Four Fs on 4th of July

Episode Date: June 29, 2026

Happy 4th of July from the Almost Famous Podcast! We're checking in with Ben and Bob to hear their plans for the holiday and how hyped Winnie is for the splash pad. Plus, find out why the 4 Fs are the only blueprint you need for an unforgettable 4th of July!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app.

Search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotfi is presented by CVS. My first guest is Paris Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. You have surprises? Many surprises. Welcome to the Sweet 305 podcast where the group check comes to life. What on? You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst.

It's lemonade. This is Sweet 305. Here, oversharing is encouraged. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons on the IHard. radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, and we're submitting our most sciencey episodes for your peer review with our new stuff you should know doing science playlist. Out now. You want to know about Occam's Razor? Simplest explanation is usually

the right one? We got you covered. Wondered what chaos theory is ever since the first time you saw Jurassic Park? Well, come on down. So distill a nice pot of tea, everybody. Turn down the gas on your Bunsen burner and slip into your most comfortable lab coat and listen to the stuff you should know doing science playlist on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man.

Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. June is Black Music Month, and on the Drink Chams podcast,

we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture, like Sway Lee. Do you realize how legendary you are? I appreciate that. I'd be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We dropped like five right now.

That's the rate we got to be going. doing. Yep, that's a good attitude. No matter the era, Drink Chams brings you the biggest names and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Chams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHeart Radio. Welcome back to the Almost Famous Podcast. It's been here, and I wanted to wish you a very, very happy 4th of July this week.

150 years, goodness gracious, 250 more coming our way, I would imagine. Heather, this is a big celebration of the Midwest. It is. Tell me about it. I know this is one of your favorite times of year, right? That's so good. Everybody comes back home. We get on the lakes. I take the week off. It's the only week of the year that I take off from everything. Like, everything I do, starting January, I will never book anything for the first. 4th of July. It is free for me. And we get on the lake, we hang out. It is a good reset for me from jumping from thing to thing. And then we have the parades in Indiana. We have the fair in Indiana. Tons of fireworks in Indiana. We do it big. Is there a specific kind of food, Indiana people eat on 4th of

July? Yeah, anything fried. Okay. So our Indiana is known for some. something that really the country doesn't know much about. And I didn't know this until I moved away. So obviously we do our, like, we're like normal people. So we do our potato salads and our mac and cheeses and our hot dogs and our burgers and, you know, do it up like that. But one of the things that is a secret gift to Indiana, and I believe Iowa, is a pork, breaded pork tenderloin. So it's a pork tenderloin smashed out, breaded, and then put on a sandwich. It's actually a Japanese dish.

But we've turned it into just a sandwich as we like to do. And it is so good. What's it called when you order it? A breaded pork tenderling. Oh, okay. You're going to say that's like some cutesy name. Like it's a pigly wiggly or something. No, no, no, no.

Anybody listening who is driven through the Midwest and has ordered one, we'll go, yeah, that's a good, that's good. And they'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I've been through the Midwest for work before. What are those things that you guys? have that are on the menu, they're fried and they're little and... Hush puppies? Not hush puppies. The other things. Not fritters. They're what's they come, people eat them with gravy, I think. Biscuits? Not biscuits. Oh my gosh. This is going to drive me

nuts. It's like, it's not like cottage cheese, but it's kind of like cottage cheese. Oh, cheese curds. Cheese curds. Yeah, that's, that's a Wisconsin. thing. You go to Indiana and you know, it's not uncommon for your vegetables at a meal to be like mashed potatoes and corn. That's like what your vegetables. And if you go to dinner,

your vegetable would be like a fried okra, fried pickles, fried mushrooms. Good. Yeah. Winnie this 4th of July will probably be more animated, I'm assuming than last year. What are you hoping to do with Winnie

on this break? Animated is a good word. She's definitely animated right now. Yeah. She doesn't stop. And so a few things that are on my goal list. One, my parents have a wonderful pontoon. And Winnie currently loves to sit in the driver's seat of my truck and, like, act like she's driving.

So I can't wait for her to actually, like, sit behind the wheel, the pontoon and drive. And just twirl around the lake with her doing that. I can't. It's going to bring me a ton of joy. She also is old enough now where she likes water. It doesn't freak her out. And so there's some really cool, like, sandbars that are shallow, and she can flop around in those and splash water and run. The town that I grew up and built this beautiful splash pad for kids.

Last year, she was a little young. Like, when water sprayed up, it kind of scared her. And so this year, I don't think it's going to scare her at all. also it's like we're getting close we're not quite there like she's not we're not doing sugar so like no candy but the she she's in the truck stage of childhood she loves trucks points out every truck that comes by so the um the parade will be a blast and then alongside of that the fair's going on so she's going to get to see all of her babas which is animals um That's what she calls her dog is a baba.

It's brother. But that also means cow, horse, pig, rabbit. So she's going to see a ton of babas. I love that. And then fireworks, obviously, is that going to be exciting for her or a little scary? I don't know yet. You know, I think exciting. Fireworks are so weird.

As an adult, I love them. But I think as a kid, I think the first time you actually understand what's going on, it could be a little scary. Do you do the headphones thing with her to like, shuffle the noise. We'll probably put her inside and let her look out the window at them. Mm-hmm. But yeah, we'll do the headphone thing.

The benefit is so many of my friends back home have kids around Winnie's age that I have a feeling like they'll just be all watching together. Yeah. And, like, you know, there's a power in community. And so they can all just be confused at what's happening. And, you know, maybe have a little more fun at it. The real question is Waylon. How does he do?

He loves them. Doesn't mind. Really? This will be Percy's first, Fourth of July. He was actually born on, like, July 5th last year. So I'm kind of nervous as to how he's going to deal with that. For as wild as my dog is, and for as, you know, much as things bother him, like cars driving by, fireworks have never messed with him.

He just kind of like chills, he'll nap during it. It's weird. I don't get it. But he also has been going back. one thing that's always fun. He's gone back every year since he's been born to Indiana and from Colorado to get to the water. Like he'll get out of that truck and sprint to the lake to swim. He loves it. It's great. So everybody's starting the process of getting very excited for the weeks ahead. And I couldn't be more excited for it. I love it. And then I can't remember if we talked about this. Do you do a reading goal? Do you do a lot of reading on this week off that you take? I mean, I like to read. I'll bring one book. If I can get through one book, I'll be happy. I'm not a speed reader. I'm not a very fast reader.

Me neither. Yeah. And it's, you know, a lot of this trip is going to be reading while when he's napping because so much of it is when she's awake, I want to experience this year. with her in the most possible, like, way. So I want to soak it in. But I'll bring one book and get it read last, well, no, I'm going to give myself credit. Two years ago, I read Theo of Golden over the fourth, and then all of a sudden, the Theo of Golden made the New York Times bestseller this year. I've always said to Jess, that's one thing I can say I was trendy on. I was before everybody else when it came to how good the Theo of Golden is.

So I need to find like that perfect Like joy filled rest filled read That's probably fiction And maybe like a Western theme I think there's a book out right now Called The Horse I think I might go into Okay but I can't forget

Like you drive to Indiana right So I mean don't knock an audio book either While you're in the car I'm going the whole time Yeah there you go I got one finished in 48 hours last week. I was like, whoa, it was because I was in the car for once. Yeah, no, that's exactly. The audiobook is my go-to because I walk so much in my neighborhood. I'm a big audio book fan.

Wells got me into it. Wells Adams got me into it. He made it. He, I think Wells has, I don't want to like put this on him if he doesn't, but like dyslexia. And so he has a hard time like sitting down and reading, but he loves books. And so he was like, no, listening to a book is not reading a book, but you can say that you've read it once it's done because you can talk to people about it. And I was like, yeah, you're right. So I have a lot of pride in listening to audiobooks. I can get through them so much faster, obviously.

So much faster. I mean, and it's great when you find an, I mean, I'm at the point now where I've listened to so many that it's like if the production value is low on the audiobook, I'm not finding it as enjoyable as the ones that hire different actors to do different voices. and do sound effects. Like, those are the ones that do it really, really good.

Heather's one out there right now. Neil Patrick Harris narrated called How to Murder Your Employer. It's awesome to listen to. I love that. Don't worry, Heather. It didn't give me ideas. But it's so good. I love it.

Well, I love all these Fourth of July plans for you. Have a wonderful week off, Ben. You deserve it. Hey, thank you so much, Heather. Happy fourth, everybody. Hey, I'm Tori Webster, and I host That Digital Take. If you've ever wondered how the internet really works, from influencer culture to digital marketing and pop culture,

this is your inside look. Each week, I share what's actually working online, the behind the scenes of building a career as a creator, and real conversations with people shaping the industry. Think of it like your big sister guide to the digital world. Follow that digital take on IHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Okay, if you know me, you know this.

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Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My first guest is Paris Houghton, Shakira, Luke and Yerin, Samira, and Gracie. I'm so excited on the bouncy bed.

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Hey, everybody. It's Bob Guinea here from Almost Famous, the OGs, and a little bit famous. And 4th of July, right around the corner. Happy Birthday America. Man, 250. This is a big one. But I will tell you, growing up, I would always go to Mar Lake House with my whole family. and my parents bought this place when I was three years old,

and it is just my happy place, and I love it. But the big old fireworks, the whole bit. And now, you know, now that I have my own family, of course, we build on that tradition. We go every year somewhere around the Fourth of July holiday. But we've also started doing some things on our own on the Fourth as well, you know. And for me, the Fourth is all about family and friends and fireworks. The three Fs.

There you go. And food. The four Fs. So, yeah. I just, I love, I love that holiday so much. I always have the best time. I got all the red, white, and blue outfits going. And my boys love to make some noise, both with the fireworks and just going absolutely bonkers,

celebrating the Fourth of July holiday. So this year, well, actually last year, I'm sorry, last year we started the tradition, too, where we watched the Joey Chestnut hot dog eating contest, which has also been a lot of fun. And I swear to you, I think I could actually compete. I'm not going to lie. But if I didn't have to do the buns, I think I'd be totally good to go. And by buns, I mean the hot dog buns. I know.

Kind of gross, but whatever. But, you know, they soak them and they eat them. But I'm a mustard guy. No ketchup needed. So this year we'll be going to my lakehouse, of course, my family's lake house for the lead-up weekend to the fourth. And then midway through the week, we're heading out to North Carolina to our friend's place for the second year in a row. And then we're going to Myrtle Beach as a family. And I'm super duper excited.

I've never been to Myrtle Beach. Really looking forward to going there with our kids and just spending the week and having the best time ever. So I wish all of you out there the happiest Fourth of July holiday. Happy Birthday America. I'm all about it. I'm going to be all decked in the red, white, and blue. If you happen to be in Myrtle Beach and you see me walking by, make sure you stop me and say hello and let us know that you love the show because I always love hearing it. So thank you guys for letting us into your homes and for letting us into your ears and for listening and for watching.

And I wish you all the happiest Fourth of July holiday. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted. by me, Hoda Kotby. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy,

tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotfi is presented by CVS. My first guest is Karas Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. You have surprises, many surprises. Welcome to the Sweet 305 podcast, where the group chat. comes to life.

What on? You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst. It's lemonade. This is Sweet 305. Here, oversharing is encouraged. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lle Pons on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. June is Black Music Month, and on the Drink Chams podcast, we're speaking with the hottest names in the culture, like Sway Lee. Do you realize how legendary you are?

I appreciate that. I'd be seeing it, but I'm like, man, I see. still got like so much more to do. Like Prince, he dropped like 30 albums. We dropped like five right now. That's the rate we gotta be going. Yeah, that's a good attitude. No matter the era, Drink Chams brings you the biggest names

and the most unfiltered conversations. Listen to Drink Chams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation.

I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, and we're submitting our most sciencey episodes for your peer review with our new stuff you should know doing science playlist. Now, you want to know about Occam's razor? Simplest explanation is usually the right one? We got you covered. Wondered what chaos theory is ever since the first time you saw Jurassic Park. Well, come on down.

So distill a nice pot of tea, everybody, turn down the gas on your Bunsen burner, and slip into your most comfortable lab coat and listen to the stuff you should know doing science playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.