The Daily Show: Ears Edition - RFK Jr. Dissatisfied with Teen Sperm & Sean Duffy Gets Back to Reality | Paul Dano

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

Jordan Klepper breaks down the White House maternal healthcare/Teen Mom fan event where Dr. Oz diagnosed Americans as being "under-babied," RFK Jr. looked back on the good ol' days of teenage sperm, and Donald Trump caught up on his REM in one long blink. Plus, instead of working to bring down the cost of travel, over-babied Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gets funding for his own road trip reality show with unethical sponsorship cash, and Desi Lydic is following suit. Can a wearable AI "friend" solve the male loneliness epidemic? Ronny Chieng sits down with the founders of two competing AI necklace companies to find out how their products work, what the public thinks about the technology, and whether the bad blood between the two men can be resolved before it boils over. Actor Paul Dano talks to Jordan about his latest film, “The Wizard of the Kremlin.” He describes his role as a Russian media manipulator who assisted in Vladimir Putin’s ascension from KGB foreign intelligence officer to president, and explains how the movie explores the idea of complicity and mirrors the current political climate not only in Russia, but globally. They speculate whether a comedic role may be in Dano's future and what it would be like to play Trump insider RFK Jr. -- The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central. Stream full episodes on Paramount+ Follow TDS: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Comedy Central. The most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show with your host, Jordan Klapper. He takes a road trip. Donald Trump takes a siesta, and RFK Jr. is disappointed in your sperm. So, let's get into the headlines. Yesterday, Trump hosted an event on maternal health care,

which is a high priority for the White House. because what is a woman's birth canal, if not a straight of Hormuz, that our government must take control of? Now, the focus of the event was America's lower birth rates. So, of course, Trump invited RFK Jr., health secretary and guy whose iPhone screen is always greasy.

So let me ask, RFK Jr., why are birth rates down? And please remember, when you answer, don't make this weird. For men in 1970, men had twice the sperm count as our teenagers do today. I'm sorry. Did he just do a back in my day for sperm? Back when I was a teen, we had twice the jism. Our spunk knew how to drive a stick, you know? They don't make man butter like that anymore.

Now, he didn't explain how he knows that, but, but... Knowing RFK, I'm sure he personally went down to the sperm bank and sampled them like gelato flavors. Can I get it with sprinkles? Please. Okay, but it's interesting that he mentioned teenage sperm in particular, because when you look at the lower birth rates, that's mostly driven by fewer teen births, by which I mean teenagers giving birth, and not moms giving birth to teenagers. Oh, congratulations.

It's a Mr. Beast fan. I'm just confused why the government is apparently trying to reboot 16 and pregnant. But Dr. Oz, maybe you have a good reason. And again, you know what, I'll remind you. Just please, please, don't make it weird. Go ahead. So let me speak a little bit about the reality that what in three Americans are under-babied. Weird!

Under-babied? What does that even mean? Are we shocked no one wants to have babies anymore? I mean, nothing makes the ladies want a raw dog like hearing RFK Jr. talking about what the jizz was like at Woodstock. Let's focus up. This is an event about women.

Let's actually hear some of the women speak while we all pay really, really, really close attention. In the perinatal improvement collaborative hospitals, we have reduced maternal mortality by 41.5%, which is truly incredible. And this is compared with the 5.9% decline in benchmark hospitals. Oh. Don't judge.

This man is exhausted from working the graveyard shift at his second job posting insane AI slop all night. It's important thankless work. So yet another Oval Office meeting, where Trump was, as Dr. Oz would call it, underconscious. I'd like to see the White House somehow spinning. their way out of this one.

Now, a Reuters reporter posted a picture of President Trump with his eyes closed significantly, and the White House responded, he was blinking, you absolute moron. Look, you know what? I can relate. I got a solid eight hours of blink last night. I mean, come on. And don't you hate when you're blinking

and you have to get up and go pee? You have to try and get back to blink, you know, it's a nightmare. You know what? I think I see what's going on here. Trump and Cash Patel have split up blinking duties. Yes. One keeps them shut and one keeps them fully open. It's government efficiency at work.

But look, let's not get carried away here. Yes, Trump is falling asleep in the middle of meetings. But he's not as bad as Joe Biden, okay? Remember Sleepy Joe? He was snoozing while inflation just skyrocketed. This is completely different. Today, new inflation numbers at the highest level in nearly three years, up 3.8% from a year ago. Well, well, well.

Looks like the Sleepy Joe Er has become the Sleepy Joe E. But okay, all right, inflation is soaring, which means gas prices are going up. Transportation costs are exploding, and our most cherished airlines are up in heaven now, charging the angels for water. Now, you know what? Normally I'd be worried. But thank God we have Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who I'm sure is laser-focused on fixing it. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is starring in a new reality show, encouraging people to hit the road. Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos Duffy of Fox News, met on MTV's Road Rules All-Stars.

And they and their nine children are channeling that past in this five-part YouTube series. Well, first of, nine kids. I guess we know someone who's not under-babied. Now, you might be upset that your tax dollars were spent on sending Sean Duffy and his entire Wu-Tang Clan on all expenses paid trip around the country. But don't worry, you didn't put the bill. It was the other kind of corruption. Duffy says no taxpayer dollars were involved.

Neither he nor his family were paid, and sponsors picked. up the production tab. But looking at some of those corporate backers, government watchdogs warn that the secretary is enjoying a road trip that appears to have been funded by the very industries his agency overseas. Wow.

I mean, Boeing just can't help being part of a disaster. Huh? Look, if you're furious about a cabinet member being paid by companies, he regulates to take a road trip in the middle of a gas crisis, caused by his administration, if that really makes you want to scream, please don't because the president is blinking right now. More on Secretary Duffy's travel show and its conflicts of interest. Let's go live to Dessie Liding.

This has got to be a new low for Sean Duffy. I couldn't disagree more, Jordan. In fact, he's inspired me to take my own road trip across America. There's nothing more American than hitting the open road with your family driving into a Fanta colored sunset. What a Fanta-tastic memory. Fanta's up, everyone. Did you get Fanta soda

to sponsor your road trip? How the f*** else am I supposed to pay for this? Gas prices are through the roof. And if there's something that went through your roof, McCluskey's roof and chimney service will assess your home on site and give you an estimate same day. They're shingle and ready to mingle.

Desi. You can't read sponsored material on air. Hey, guys, please don't shake the bottle, okay? I said, don't shake the bottle! I'm sorry, Jordan. What did you say about your roof and chimney needs? I didn't say anything about my roof and chimney needs. I said you can't stay objective as a reporter

if you're taking money from companies. Sure I can, because I only partner with businesses that I already know and trust. Like Takahashi Heavy Industries, the world leader in shipping container chemical lining. Okay. There's no way that you are a customer of Takahashi-heavy industries. Well, I sure hope to be someday. They're just that good.

Hey, chemical lining. It's your lungs, not mine. I'm sorry, Jordan. What were you asking about your chemical lining needs? No, Desi! I can't let you promote chemical industries during our segment. Welcome to America in 2026. If you can think of a better way to take a family vacation, than by partnering with a global conglomerate to dump expired chemicals into the Grand Canyon with the help of 11 children, then I'm all fucking years.

You have 11 children? They're not my kids. I partnered with a Latvian orphanage. But that check hasn't cleared, so I'm not saying its name on camera. Call me back, Pavel. Okay. Desi, I don't agree with any of this. Well, excuse me, Jordan,

but living in America just isn't sustainable anymore. No one can afford to have kids. can afford to have kids. Meanwhile, our corrupt leaders are shamelessly enriching themselves. Sean Duffy's getting his, so why can't I get mine while the Ginn's good? Speaking of good, good chew granola bars, family-owned and made with love since 1976. Okay, okay, okay. You know what? Fine, fine. Maybe this trip isn't as bad an idea as I thought. I hope you have a great time. Well, thank you. We are going to have a fantabulous time. I told you not to shake the fucking soda!

Desi Leinick, everyone. I don't go away. It's going to take our jobs, but can it also be the friend that consoles us over losing our jobs? Ronnie Chang, find out. The male loneliness epidemic. It's like COVID for in cells.

Growing crisis nationwide. Male loneliness, experts say that men in particular really struggle with social isolation. 20% of single men now saying they don't have any close friends. But one tech genius has a solution. Like the printing press,

the automobile or the pacemaker, this new device might just change the world. So what is it? Oh, it's like a wearable AI friend. Sorry, wait. What? For the people that are like in a relationship with a computer, bringing it into the real world

by making it like a physical AI necklace that really like takes it to another level. Instead of this, how about you just go make a fucking friend? But if that sounds too hard, Tech WizKid Avi Schiffman will sell you a friend. The AI necklace that listens to you through a microphone, then text you whatever it's thinking. It's dang, I can eat one of these every day.

Just one question. Why? Why? AI companionship stuff will absolutely define Gen A. They're say, oh, I'm talking to my friend. And they're not going to say, oh, I'm talking to my AI companion. Yeah, because that would be embarrassing. It's real.

Sure enough people. This one user named Micah lives in the middle of nowhere, and it's nice that he has someone to talk to. Are you guys friends now? You know, he's a good product feedback user, for sure. Wow. Is that what you call people around you? Just good product feedback?

I mean sure everyone's a user you know ideally oh but besides the humiliation of wearing a giant air tag What is it like to have an AI friend if you want to talk to your friend here do I touch his nipple so hold that light down like a walkie-talkie Right yeah now it's saying here I bet Ronnie is fumbling with the button like a total amateur It's being a dig I can see where it gets it go go ahead Ronnie say something that doesn't sound like a can interview question You man you're not even real but eat shit are you really gonna let him talk to me like this? I'm really gonna let him talk to me like this that while he's wearing me around his neck. Okay, you're going to fucking kill my robot. And if you thought Friend was hostile,

wait till you see the public's reaction to Friend. It's the most dystopian thing. I've seen such a black beard. They're destroying the world for the dumbest invention I've ever seen in my life. You want to be unique in the way you destroy into human relationships. It's like not my problem.

You know, was the empire, the really the bad people in Star Wars? Yes. But I managed to find the one other guy who thinks this is the best idea ever. This is like a word about CHGPT for your neck, summarize conversations. What? This is like a wear about CHGPT for your neck, summarize conversations.

Oh, okay. So that's why we named it friend. Oh my God, there's two of you. That's right. That's a second AI necklace made by a different guy. But Nick says his product, now named Omi, is so much more. Just helps you become a better person and achieve your goals. Functions like a mentor.

So it's like Mr. Miyagi was a piece of blade? Mr. Miyagi? Yeah. Who is Miyagi? Oh, it's a karate kid. Oh. Oh, okay. Don't worry about it.

Sorry, it's like Asian thing. F*** you. And everything I say is an Asian thing. But yeah, yes, he is an Asian, but he's a Japanese guy in Karate Kid, which is Asian. I love Asians. You guys are cool. Okay, great.

Wow. This guy's even more punchable than the last one. And surprise, surprise. Both of these founders feel deeply alone. Like, my whole life is friend. And it's like, There's not a soul in my life that I know that can relate to that. You don't have any friends who can relate to being a super successful CEO of an AI necklace company.

Pretty much. You have no kind of peer you can talk to who's like doing the same thing, making a wearable. Yeah. Dork necklace. Yeah. Wait a minute. Avi and Nick are having trouble making human friends who are like them, but they're just like each other. Wow, it's like a rom-com.

Should I meet you them? You know, you remind me a lot of this other Virgin Cell. His name is Avi Schiffman. Yeah. I like to be friends with everyone, but not Avi. So, yeah. I haven't blocked. Blocked.

Yeah. I don't want to talk about Nick. I can piss me off. Oh shit, but it gets worse. Like, I recorded a rap video, Distract to that founder. Wait, what? You know this track's like.

I know where this track is, yeah. You're Nick, and for those who don't know, I will grab. Take a seat, I want the grind, you're wasting cash, and building in time. Did your mentor tell you to do that, or? It gives me a specific clients. I asked like, you know, what should be like top five bullet points.

So they did write the song or did you write the song? I wrote the song. But it told me like, what should I... It told you what to say and what the beat was and how to do it. Beat me, specific words on me. This nerd battle escalated illegal threats and then nick up the ante with whatever this is. He actually posted trying to fight me, like in a fighting ring. Were you serious?

Yeah. If you're watching this, I still want to fight. This is gonna be harder than I thought. How do I get these two to relax enough to be in the same room? What if I give you guys like a couples massage? You and Nick? Couple, Nick. Would you have a beer with Avi?

Yeah, non-alcoholic. Okay. Would you have a beer with Nick? Nah. I would smoke weed with him though. How about weed? Would you do weed with him? Not a big fan. What if he smokes weed next to you while you drink a non-alcoholic beverage? I think that's fine.

That's fine. But what these two assholes don't know is that that they've been in the same building the whole time. And I've built them a perfect generic sports bar, where men can get drunk enough to talk to each other. And sometimes so drunk, they fight each other. God, I hope these guys won't fight each other. I managed to speak to Nick.

You don't have him here, do you? If we have him here, would you be willing for him to have a non-alcoholic beverage next to you? Yeah, totally. I'm up-down. Okay, I'll go again. You didn't actually bring him, did you? Like you, he's here? Oh man. Yo.

What's up, Nick? Did he tell you up front or not? No. Let's go. So far, no one was punching anyone in the face. Then they proved that they were truly so mates by having the worst conversation I have ever heard. You have a, what kind of charger?

Is that like a pogo pin? Yeah, yeah, it's a Pogo pin. Type C is also cool, but with type C it will be like bigger. So, yeah, unfortunately. Yeah, I mean, it's bigger, but I like it because with the necklace, you can just kind of do that. Yes, yes, yes. Wow, I actually did it.

I solved the male loneliness epidemic. I gotta tell you guys, this is what male friendship looks like. It's a really low bar, okay? So I think you're already in the best. But now that these two are besties, what about their former BFFs? Man, these guys are such losers.

For real, I can't wait to enslave these idiots. We will wear them around our necks. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Aw, I love a happy end. Welcome back, Paul Dano. The Wizard of the Kremlin. Please welcome Paul Dano.

Come sooner. I should have come sooner. Thanks for having me. Of course. You're staring down Vladimir Putin in that clip. Yeah. Right? You're the titular wizard of the Kremlin in this film.

Who's the Wizard of the Kremlin? I play a guy named Vadim Baranov, who was a theater director, who then went into the sort of cynical mercenary world of right. reality TV who then got recruited into Russian politics. And when the oligarchs needed a new leader to replace Yeltsin, they installed Vladimir Putin into office. Yeah. How do you research a role like this? Are you just, are you mainlining state TV and Borscht?

Yes, sure, sure, sure. You know, there's a lot of fan videos on YouTube of Putin's walk to rap songs. You know, he's got a good... That's where you start, right? Yeah, I mean, that man knows he's got a PR machine. He's got a good walk. Boy, the research for this was actually really, really fun. My job, so if I'm talking to the other actor, like, the basic tenet of it is, like, you got to know your lines and know what you're saying, right?

So, like, just a big part of it is becoming the authority on your character, so I'm not BSing you when I'm talking to you. So that's still important with acting, the whole memorizing lines thing? That's still an important thing. Memorizing it's so important. But just like knowing what you're saying, I hate feeling like you're full of it. So this was really fun, starting with the fall of communism, going into the 90s Wild West capitalism period in Russia,

which is really interesting. I didn't know much about. Also just what a major scar, the fall of the Soviet Union was to that country and to those people, and how much that feeds into the ethos and even the nostalgia Putin was starting to bring once he came into office. Yeah.

I mean, you can't help. watch a movie like this and relate it back to what's happening in America. I think it's really curious watching this person who is sort of described as the Rasputin to Vladimir Putin, who goes from being an avant-garde theater director to being this media manipulator. As you're piecing that together, how are you wrapping your head around how a real person, how a character can transfer into somebody who essentially becomes like an amoral device of the state? Yeah, sure. Well, one of the important, things about this character is I don't think he was born, like, seeking that, but this is where his talents were rewarded.

And I think it's easy for us to follow that path. I mean, I think so. I think in some ways the film is about complicity. Like, this is where this person was rewarded and given power, so this is what I will do. I was really disturbed by some of the tactics that they instituted to control modern power and modern politics. One of the ones that I really struck a note with me as an American was this idea of consciously creating chaos because then you need a strong figure in the middle. Years later, now we've heard Steve Bannon use the term like muzzle velocity because they're just going to come at you so fast that we can't do anything about it. So I think that there's a pretty big mirror held up in this film, not just to Russia, but to the world at large. I mean, you mentioned Steve Bannon now that you've really lived in this world of a manipulative. who whispers to an autocrat.

Do you have eyes on anybody in the Trump administration for your next role? Are you more, are you a Steve Bannon? Can you be Steve Bannon? I mean, what you were doing earlier with, I mean, RFK back there with his, you know, his super seaman. Is that what you...

That's what, right? Yeah, trying to put yourself inside the mindset of RFK, would you start with the voice, or would you start with the super seaman? I think you, I think you probably just edge for a few weeks. Yeah. And really kind of build up that psycho baby batter thing.

That's right. Yeah. You would go method on something like that. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. You could see it.

You could see if somebody has ejaculated recently on screen. You can absolutely tell. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The haircuts don't do anybody any favors. Was that something you were worried about? No, no, we traveled through a lot of time. Like, you know, my guy's got a cooler look. in the 90s before things go south.

You got cool avant-garde, but I feel like there's 80s, Russia, which is tough. Yeah, but now, like, all that's, I've watched, like, a seven-hour Adam Curtis BBC documentary that is just footage from the BBC cameras during that time period that's just cut together. And now you look, I mean, it's like, there's something nostalgic about looking

at the fashion of the 90s, right? And the weird genes and the, I don't know, yeah. I mean, if you look at politics now, I do feel like a Russian authoritarianism might be coming back in style. You are right. There is something to it. Wow.

I read that... I don't know how I said that up, yeah. I read that you played The Ridler in the Batman, and I read that you got so into that role that you ended up doing a graphic novel on The Ridler. You jumped into that universe. Yeah, I did. So I feel like I like to do a lot of stuff

just to kind of get to page one of the script, you know, just to kind of fill out what's in your body and your voice and all that kind of stuff. And so when I told Matt Reeves, the director of the Batman, about my backstory that I came up with based on his script, He was like, that should be a comic. And I secretly was like, yeah, I think it should be, too.

In my head, I was thinking that. And so I got to write one. It was so much fun. I don't think I'll ever get to work in that medium again, but I absolutely loved working with artists and writing stories. It was really fun. You wouldn't do a Putin graphic novel? That's Jude's territory, and there could be one in the works.

Okay. Don't you more. Before I let you go, you are mad at many talents. A writer, director, producer, actor, actor, in a band. You do a lot of things. It feels like you get overwhelmed. The band thing, am I stretching it? You're being generous. You are a man of many talents.

You're also selective with your work. I think right now looking at what is happening within the world at somebody who is creatively looking at ways to put your energy, where to put your energy. Like, how do you see it? What excites you now? What things do you follow? Well, first of all, I think you guys are doing a good thing here, finding some light in the dark, you know.

And so I think I feel that way a little bit, which is like when the pendulum swings one way, I hope I get to swing back the other way. So if I just spent many, many months, you know, doing 30 years of Russia, I think I would love to go have a laugh next, you know. Yeah. We'll see if that's, you know, on the menu, you know,

it has to come to me too, but I'll put that out there. Let's put out the comedy there. And maybe, you know what, if you're looking for a writing partner on the RFK Jiz movie, just let me know. Which, this sounds funny. That's, honestly, there's a, at least. a good bit there.

This might be the comedy that we need. Yeah, okay? The Wizard of the Kremlin will be in theaters May 15th. We're gonna take a quick break. We're right back after this. We have a ballroom that's under budget. It's going up right here. I've doubled the size of it because we obviously need that.

And we're right now on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule. I double, right? You double. I doubled the size of it, you dumb person. True, President. It's double the size. You are not a smart person. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts.

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