Econ 101: Tuesday, March 18th, 2025

29:17I feel a little worried for Tracy. I do too. And I feel bad. Like, is there anything worse than being sick? So embarrassing. And instead you're being filmed courtside and the game is delayed 10 minutes. Like if anybody had thrown up courtside, because there's non-famous people who sit courtside. Like it might have been a story like fan throws up, but it's such a big spectacle. And there's literally a picture and a video of it because it's Tracy Morgan. And like that element is obviously smaller than what's going on with his health. But it's a real like you're you feel humiliated. And it makes me really sad.

29:49If Tracy Morgan has no fans, like rip to me. I love this man as a New Yorker, as a 30 rocker, and he's just a lover of all things comedy. And I don't, I feel like I don't, like Tracy's one of those people who I stand really hard, but like I never talk about him. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. You're very private. Yeah. Yes, exactly. I love him so much. I'm like really sad. Yeah. And honestly, it's like not a good week for sitting courtside. Maybe you guys should take Jennifer Hudson hitting the face with the ball at the Knicks game. That was literally two weeks ago, but okay. I think that was last week.

30:22It's not a good month. No way. No way. When did we talk about her in common? Like literally two weeks ago. Maybe two weeks ago, but maybe last week. What's today's date? Today is the 18th. So I'm saying it's like last Monday to Friday. Okay, so four days ago she reacted to it. But when did she get hit? Basketball. Let's see. I'm looking through our episodes. When did we talk about it? That's a good call. I need to know, like, if March 4th. Okay, so two weeks ago. Three weeks ago. Three weeks ago. Oh, my gosh. Time is flying. Oh, no, no, no. Sorry, two weeks ago. Exactly. My bad. Time's flying.

31:10Yeah, the Knicks are kind of a mess. The Knicks are kind of a mess, but they did win last night. Was Ben happy? They beat the Heat. We went to bed at 9 o 'clock. It was like Jax or Claude. Literally. We missed it. We went to bed at nine o 'clock. Oh, and a fun fact about Ben is that he's a huge Knicks fan, but we recently switched from traditional cable. We cut our cords like true millennials, very not Gen X of me. You should get them back. And we have YouTube TV and they do not, you can't get access to MSG network, which is like the New York local network that plays all the Knicks games. Now, if the Knicks game is like a, you know, against the Lakers, it's broadcast nationally on ESPN.

31:42But for like the everyday games, we can't watch it. So then I'm like, okay, let's get MSG plus. Like the stream is 60 bucks. It was, or maybe 30 bucks a month. It was nuts. It was like more than my YouTube TV. I'm like, I'm sorry. I do well in this life, but I can't like justify that monthly expense. Ben didn't want to pay for it. We like, we pay as a household. No, but what if he was like, I will send you$30 every month. Like it's, I'm covering it. What if he said that? Like from his personal pot, personal pot. I don't think I would let him do something so financially irresponsible. But it's only how many months out of the year?

32:22Pirate it. Do it on, like, you know. And now you're advocating piracy. Or go to a bar. Go to your friend's house. Go to a bar. But no, but then he's not home. Oh, don't go to a bar. That's why I feel like he goes to the actual game. It's the only way for him to see it. Yeah, it's so true. So how much is he spending on tickets versus the$30 a month? But he would still be spending it on tickets. And I want to say, like, when we discovered this issue, I'm not like such a bitch when we discovered that YouTube TV didn't have MSG they actually had like a contract negotiation you know when that happens and so at one point you could watch it then like last year they couldn't reach a deal so I'm like okay we'll get MSG plus he never used it and I cancelled it after two months so I'm not a total bitch by the way okay I understand and maybe this is like the Gen Xer in me but like the older I get I've gotten like really cheap it's so crazy someone like will borrow Claudia's login for something and she's like oh wait I canceled it let me sign up like the minute you stop watching a show yeah it doesn't even occur I don't can't I like I probably pay for too many things but like I pay like I want to have it I just want oh my god and I'm so mad because I just discovered every time you want to watch a show you have to re-sign up for whatever platform yes yes and I just discovered because like after Theo died I got rid of like all my Theo stuff including my Furbo dog camera I just discovered I got I didn't cancel it it's annual but I just got charged again 72 bucks like I'm sorry that's insane I was really annoyed I actually called American Express and I fought the charge and you know I got my money back you fought the power I've really become really cheap even though Jackie's bar for cheap and my bar for cheap are completely different we're two different extremes for sure so I'm like obviously about to I'm about to have a child And that's, I think, what has encouraged me to, like, tighten the purse strings a little bit because it's – there's a lot – and I have a lot of bills, like, doctor's bills.

34:22And so, yes, I'm open to receiving free gifts as an influencer. Sorry. Like, I get stuff for free. And one of the things that I am accepting for free will be my crib. So I'm obviously not buying anything yet. We're a little superstitious. But I'm looking at the offerings from the gifted companies. From the freebies. And I'm sending it to Jackie. And she's, like, sending me back, like, shit from Pottery Barn. And I'm like, well, I can't get that for free. like and I want these they're expensive she won't buy her son a crib Jackie's like you're so cheap you won't buy your son a crib uh you're fucking crazy like I have all like you're just wrong that doesn't make me cheap okay no no I I think it does make you cheap but like that's that's not necessarily wrong like okay so you won't buy your son a crib okay so you won't get the one that you want okay yeah I can't get the exact one that I want but I could find a really similar one from the websites that have offered to gift it.

35:13Yeah, okay. Like, I'm fine with that. But then, like, they keep, every time we find one that we like, it turns out, like, oh, no. It's, like, sold out in that color on that website. Or, like, they're not giving away that color, and it's, like, they're only giving, because they have, like, the ugliest one. No, I ended up with a really nice one. Because you won't just, like, buy the one that you like. Yeah, no, I won't. And if you guys feel like my cheap energy radiating in the next couple of weeks, just know, like, yes, I'm entering my cheap era, And I actually blame Rocket Money. When we did that ad for Rocket Money a couple of weeks ago, it actually really did inspire me.

35:43I did the monthly subscription thing. That's how I found out about Furbo. So you didn't pay for it? I've been paying for what? Rocket Money? Yes, but it's a worthy expense. But they really helped me. I canceled so many. I was paying for two Kindle Unlimiteds. Like, I didn't even know. When you have multiple credit cards, I blame Brian Kelly. Like, I have a lot going on. So they really, and that has kind of, like, kicked my ass into gear. I've become really cheap. Understood. Well, I think it is good and... And please, I don't like the word cheap because I feel like I prefer fiscally responsible.

36:18I don't think I could say I'm cheap, you know? I'm a Birkin. Yeah. I don't think it's... I think most people... We're very different, but I'm also fiscally responsible. I'm not irresponsible. I'm not... You're not fiscally irresponsible, but I wouldn't say you lead with fiscal responsibility. responsibility i i definitely do i take into account all things including my happiness correct but like fiscal responsibility is an umbrella term that we both could stand under that umbrella however like we're not the same yeah my umbrella is like bigger no so like there just needs to be a different one i understand if you don't want it to be cheap and i won't label you as that i'm not cheap but let's go to the source.com slash cheap no go to the source.com for fiscally responsible.

37:01I think that saying the purse strings are very tight is fair. Yeah, the purse strings are tight. So she's a tight purse stringer. But in certain eras of my life, you know, back in my dink era. Coach, economical. You are economical. I am. But I'm not always. Like, I think that I really try to let my economics be reflective of my phase of life. Like, when I was going to St. Bart's and I spared no expense, Like that was my dink, dual income, no kids. Now my circumstances are changing and I need my economics to reflect that. Yeah, I understand. And accepting a free crib doesn't make you cheap. No, not on its face, no.

37:43But you guys haven't seen what we've been through, how many iterations of this when she just won't buy the crib that she likes. Yeah. Or the next one or the next one or the next one. Yeah, but I ended up last night like I decided on a really pargy one. Which one? The one that you liked. Okay, cool. hopefully they'll give it to you please give it to her you guys like please let me actually you know let me just take a minute be like everyone please if she reaches out for free stuff like please give it to her for my sake okay or else I'll be getting canva edits of nursery rooms for months yeah and for the most part like in my influencer career like a huge part of being an influencer just like getting free stuff which you also sometimes hate it is my least favorite part of this job.

38:25It's so wasteful. I accept no gifting. Like when PR comes to my house that I didn't approve, I actually return to sender. I do not like it. It's just not ever anything that I need. It's such a waste. And it's just like a part of this job that I do not like. That part of my life is over. And I'm now open to it accepting all maternity and baby-like gifts. Okay. And just wait till you get the actual gifts. You know you can register for stuff and your friends and family will buy it for you. Of course I have the baby list app. Don't worry about me. I know but like if you're getting everything gifted like what's left for us?

39:01So I wasn't going to make a registry because I'm like why would I ask my friends to buy me stuff? And then my friend Margo was like but people are going to buy you stuff because they love you and you've bought people stuff. So it might as well be things that you want or need. So make a registry. Why don't you make a registry of all the things that you couldn't get? No I think I'm going to make a registry of things like I would never that are like opulent. You know like a Ralph Lauren sweater. I would never buy that like for a baby. I understand. Yeah. I'll have to think about what to get you. So much fresh.

39:31I told you last night what to get me. So you're good. Yeah. You did? Remember we were looking at my edit and Harry said, where's the blanket? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. She wants an Hermes blanket. Okay. Yeah. I feel like I'm not a real influencer. Aren't you glad I'm not cheap? So true. You're not a real influencer if like your nursery doesn't have an Hermes blanket. But I'm sorry, do you know how much those are? I'm not buying it. But it's actually cheap compared to the living room one. Yes, because this is the baby one. Because, yeah, it's much smaller. It's not cheap, but yeah. No, I thought it was$1 ,200.

40:05Wait, maybe it is. Hold on. Regardless, I'm not buying it. So that's definitely something I'm open to receiving. I understand. And that's a great gift. No, the baby one is$1 ,200. It's the other one that's like$3 ,000. Okay, cool. I'll start saving. Nuts. Nuts. Are you ready for our next story? Mm-hmm. Little White Lotus news because White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger strips down to his undies with his fiancee Abby Champion for a Skims photo shoot. So Skims per usual on the pulse. They have tapped Patrick Schwarzenegger and his model fiance to model for their wedding shop return. So the two of them are engaged and they are modeling the latest wedding Skivvies for Skims.

40:47Skivvies is a great name for a lingerie company or like an undergarment company. Yeah. I love this. This is the second time Skims has tapped like a viral person from White Lotus. Obviously the two Italian hookers last season, which everybody loved. My God, did they fall off the face of the earth? Like what happened to them? That's classic White Lotus. Classic White Lotus. Although I think Patrick Schwarzenegger and his fiance have a little bit more staying power for a lot of reasons. She's also like a huge model. She's one of the big faces, the new faces of Tommy Hilfiger. So this is like a great get for Skims, but also for Patty and his girl.

41:21Yeah. Yeah, she's very beautiful. They're very beautiful. This seems like a no-brainer. No-brainer. It's like a, yeah, it's really smart. And the pictures are pargy. He's really in just really stellar shape. Yeah. So is she. I hope, I wish them lots of love. He was totally naked in the shoot, which. Yeah, holding flowers to cover his junk. Yeah, the junk. That's also a great name for a men's underwear company. I'm just kidding. What about Dong? It's a little harsh. I think I think you're not seeing the vision skivvies we should seriously trademark it yeah we should even though I don't wear skivvies let me tell you that are you saying you don't wear underwear or you don't wear underwear that would be described as skivvies that second one and when you think of skivvies are you thinking of like dirty undies with holes in them I'm thinking like a little something lace thong oh oh that's so funny I I feel like skivvies are like skid marked underwear.

42:18Ew. With holes in them. Skivvy. Like old undies. Well, then it certainly shouldn't be a brand. I think it's just like little, big undies. Underwear, especially a set consisting of an undershirt and underpants or just the underpants. Cute. Yeah, skivvies to me like have holes in them. Okay. Well. That's what I picture in my mind. Okay. so maybe like we'll not start a brand called skibbies maybe we'll not maybe we'll not are you ready for our next story the claudia ashray of the latin world hilarious baldwin is defending her natural accent changes after mean backlash from the whole world so she's making a lot of news with their reality show in like actually a way that i think trends positively for the both of them well i i haven't seen the show i think the sheer fact that they have a reality show and then that show is also on TLC.

43:17Like, I think it's so crazy. I'm still stuck there. I'm stuck at the announcement. It's so shocking. When you really think about the breadth of Alec Baldwin's work, now, obviously, in recent years, he's had a bit of a fall from grace with Hilaria and then the Russ shooting, but he is, like, one of the biggest actors of our time, and it's just, like, really crazy to me that he's on TLC. I know, but I think it's very humanizing. Like, they have seven kids. That's crazy. That's not Hollywood. It's insane. And, like, they have this huge apartment. I saw a clip. Like, they have this huge two-story apartment in New York City, and he's like there's not enough room like I have no space and I think people I think it comes off like it is crazy to live in Manhattan with seven kids it's crazy and in a way that's like kind of endearing I think it's in a way I don't know that it's so like positive but it doesn't seem negative and I think like even the way she's talking about the whole scandal of the cucumber and everything and I actually for as much as she can defend herself like I can see it what is she said She insists her infamous acts and changes are completely organic.

44:16She defended herself in Sunday's episode of The Ball Winds as she explained that her multicultural background has helped her become, quote, a chameleon. She said, growing up in a way where you have multiple cultural influences on you means that you're never going to be able to fit in. You can try. You know. This is literally me when I pretend to be Latin. Or pretend to be Gen X. She said, you know, people who code switch were very good at chameleoning. And you don't even think. You're not even thinking about it. It's just normal. It's just natural. So code switching is when the practice of adapting mannerisms or dialect to fit into different social groups.

44:48It's really crazy to use the term code switching when you're not a Latin person. Like, that's insane. Well, she's literally like Anglo-Saxon from Boston. She has English and Spanish influences in her life. And she said. Influences. OK, so she knows somebody Spanish. She said she had to learn about code switching because the world was mean to her. So I had to learn it. It's code switching, she said. She compared it to when you're speaking to an elderly individual. You start talking really loud. You're going to emphasize. You're going to speak slower. And you're not even really thinking about it.

45:15You just start to do it. So it's just, it's something innate. It's not really something that she's like actively choosing to do. But she said, you never get used to people being mean, but you take a deep breath, and I think you learn to distance yourself from it. And so, you know, I just tried turning the volume down in my head a bit, and I'm not going to take it personally. So she had claimed back in, you know, 2020, she was busted for claiming that she was born in Spain when she was actually raised in Boston. Now, you know, I'm not one to go all woke. This is what she said. I just want to say, this is her words.

45:48She said, my parents raised, this was what she said to the controversy, sorry, back then. And I feel like we definitely dissected it, but I just want to remind you. My parents raised my brother and me with two cultures, American and Spanish. And I feel a true sense of belonging to both. The way I've spoken about myself and my deep connection to two cultures could have been explained better. I should have been more clear. And I'm sorry. and I'm sorry. I'm proud of the way I was raised and we're raising our children to share the same love and respect for both. Now it's entirely possible to have been raised with a culture and around a culture that's not yours.

46:20Like maybe you live in a cultural neighborhood or I think her father was like a professor of Spanish something. So I can understand that doesn't translate into an accent. Okay. Accents are regional. They are, I'm surprised she doesn't talk like Dave Portnoy. Like that would make more sense. She's from Boston. But sometimes, I mean if her parents aren't Spanish this is tough but like sometimes when people have parents who have an accent or speak a different they speak a little differently yes especially if the language that their parents speak is actually their first language that's what they learn at home and then they learn English her parents are not of Latin descent but maybe they spoke Spanish in the home a lot maybe they wanted her to have it maybe it's the parents fault we spoke Spanish in the home a lot not first not not as our first language I'm sorry this is like not to be all woke and you're of latin right not to be all woke but i'm sorry like i'm offended and i'm not defending her at all because i actually you are no i'm just i'm just arguing a little bit like to the point that maybe we could like she could be more than this one day you know what i mean like i feel like for so long it's like hilaria like i'm shocked they even got a question i'm shocked they even got a show because like that's how canceled she was let me ask you a question you think that maybe she we could move on from this and that she could be more than this scandal do you think jessie smolle could ever be more than his fake hate crime like for real do you think it's malaise thing it's like there's victims there was courts there's taxpayer dollars what this girl does on her instagram and in her it's a victimless crime who cares what's crazier is what's easier to move on from the fact that she faked her accent or her husband shot someone i know the thing is is that like i've definitely you find yourself moving on no not moving on i find myself like really having even though alec baldwin is like seriously one of the craziest people on the planet like i find myself having a lot of sympathy for him in the rust shooting like seriously not his fault like no part of it is his fault but at the end of the day of course and at the end of the day like alec baldwin has killed someone yeah through something y 'all have to live with yes through and and like a young woman a mother through no fault of his own i really believe that like i actually it's the craziest thing and I actually don't think about it that much because he has so much other stuff going on like 30 Rock is one of my favorite shows he's like a beloved Hilaria Baldwin like doesn't have a lot going on besides the scandal you know there's not enough like pros to outweigh the cons like you know it's like Karen Huger where she did something bad but you have so much love for her right and Alec Baldwin like is a complicated person for sure and he's you know thoughtless little pig he's had a lot of scandals but like I don't know I just can't quit him it's kind of the jack donaghy effect i understand i just feel like i feel like we can move forward from this well she is having a bit of a redemption arc like this show i think that's what i'm saying it's a little bit people who are watching it are opening themselves up to her i just want to let you know like i'm still at the restaurant i will be there for eternity it will never not be the weirdest thing ever to me she can explain it in however many accents and languages she wants she's her name is Hillary she's from Boston and she's white but what's also funny is that like so she was why is she different than Rachel Dolezal she was but it's not well I just feel like Hilaria continues to walk in her truth you know like she's so does Rachel by the way doing this like she's talking like Spanish Spanglish on the show and her kids have like Spanish names it didn't change her behavior I think her family does live in Spain now and and it's like it's not like she was busted for faking something it's like she was busted and but that's who she is and she's still doing it it kind of makes it better i do think what does rachel dolezal identify as now does she admit that it was like all a lie yeah like i feel like she was like faking it as a means to an end not because like that was what was in her soul you know i mean rachel dolezal was so crazy because not only was she not black but she was also the president of the naacp like she was doing that's like advance her job and like hilaria's doing this for hilaria's self well no she's doing it like to be like an interesting media personality but yes but she's even doing it in the home when no one's looking are her kids gonna have fake accents like because their mom does i think because yeah they speak a lot of spanish but i don't know i have to i would have to watch the show to see what their dialect is by the way she has kids who are 11 so like we'll know yeah sooner or later no we'll know if we just turned on the show oh right but i can't like i just can't get myself to do it no no i would i would only turn on tlc for the colpos I would only turn on TLC for my sister wives my strange addiction I didn't know sister the thousand pound sisters I didn't know I was pregnant and the man with the 19 pound screw that's it of course hoarders and um extreme couponing which you'll be on soon and you know I'll be on extreme cheapskates extreme cheap states is actually one of the most nauseating shows like you can't watch it with a full stomach maybe if you want it like If your ever cheapness is starting to bother you, you should watch that show.

51:20It might be curative. It's like a cautionary tale about what I could become. Next thing I know, I'm picking up roadkill for dinner. Yum-o, 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. That's my future. Are you ready for our next story? What number? Number four. Yeah. Some biz news. Oh, yeah. We actually have two biz news stories today, which if you guys are mad about it, blame Claudia. I'm not mad about it. That's four and five. Okay, so maybe I'm not ready. So we can do like a biz news segment. I don't want to break up the biz news. Oh, don't. Do not break up the biz news. You don't. Is it the biz news that won't be broken up, brought to you by Built Rewards?

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54:52That's foratravel.com slash toast. To get started, let them know that we sent you because great travel doesn't just happen, it's planned. Today's episode is also sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from$100 to$250 per session. that can add up fast but with better help online therapy you can save on average up to 50 percent per session and even though it's a real thing money should not stop you from getting your mental health in check and i think for a lot of people it's like a big hindrance and better help being like super committed to being accessible and affordable is what draws so many people to better help and better help is it's um online therapy so it's all done online that uh with better help you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions it saves you big on cost and time because therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury.

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56:05And in person, it can be really awkward to have to call and cancel because you don't like the person. And it's not a reflection on them. It's just not a good fit. So your well-being is worth it. Visit BetterHelp.com slash toast today to get 10 % off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash toast. BetterHelp.com slash T-O-A-S-T. And that will get you 10 % off your first month of BetterHelp. Thank you so much, Turtle Help. Oh, my God. Just an absolute pleasure. I just wanted to update because Tracy Morgan has spoken out from his hospital bed. He said that he's doing okay after his medical emergency.

56:38He said, thank you all for your concern. I'm doing okay now. And doctors say it was food poisoning. He said, I appreciate my MSG fam for taking such good care of me. And I need to shout out the crew that had to clean that up. More importantly, the Knicks are now 1-0 when I throw up on the court. So maybe I'll have to break it out again in the playoffs. Okay, funny. I'm so glad. Because I feel like if there was like a major health issue that he hadn't shared yet, like now would be the time. so the fact that he has it like there's nothing and you know actually if you've had really bad food poisoning like you can't walk yeah and if you throw up really hard you can like start bleeding like your eyes get bloodshot so i'm thrilled to hear this yeah same you made oh honey you made a little joke get well soon trace face get well soon trace face that's really funny next story biz news forever 21 is filing for brain corrupts again and planning brain corrupts i hate when i go it's very sad and maybe they weren't honestly wait i kind of love that like brain corrupt could be like a new you know when like you can't like your mind goes blank like a kind of a brain fart you're brain corrupt yeah but they are bankrupt and probably brain from too um they're planning to call for like the second time and now this time they're gonna close all their u.s stores i feel like people always threaten us with this yeah but then every now and again like it actually happens I know Party City is still closing.

57:56Right. It's been a year. Bed Bath & Beyond. But they actually closed. Meanwhile, that's like a story we really need. And them going out of business has actually impacted me personally. My life in a negative way. Toys R Us, like gone. They're back. In Macy's. Right. So, and even Forever 21, they went bankrupt like two years ago. Yeah. Sometimes like going bankrupt is just like a flex. And then other times it is the demise. Sometimes it's a strategic financial move. You know, maybe I'll do it. Yeah. Save some money. To file Chapter 11. Like, I think you get cleared of all your debt or something.

58:29Yeah. And then you could maybe sign up for a couple more subscriptions. But because I'm so economical. Maybe you could finally get MSG+. Because I'm so economical, I don't have debts. That's true. She's in the green. I'm in the green. Nothing lasts forever. Not even Forever 21. The clothing retailer that was once a centerpiece in malls across America has filed for bankruptcy again and plans to close its remaining locations for good. in a statement the company said it can't compete with foreign fast fashion retailers that's always a good move to blame it on fast fashion blame she and everybody hates fast fashion except we're buying forever 21 is fast except we're buying it every day but we hate it it's so terrible and i like forever 21 is american she and to me how they weren't able to be successful is shocking they invented fast fashion no when i think of fast fashion i think forever 21 the reason why they're not successful is because they haven't evolved at all like so many brands recently like like the times have changed you know people aren't wearing like their little graphic tees anymore I feel like Abercrombie has really evolved yes PacSun has really evolved yeah Forever 21 has stayed the same and no they've stayed like obsessed focused on retail yeah which nobody shops anymore their website sucks yeah like Abercrombie is so that's a perfect example because they're from the same generation and they've totally rebranded is your sweatshirt abercrombie boys lie okay whatever but that's how you know abercrombie is getting mistaken for boys lie yeah no i shop abercrombie all the time actually just best place in order because i need new clothes um that's a great example like i don't know what forever 21 has been doing they just like kept the same formula and hoped that people would come and even like h &m has evolved zara is you know the fastest of the fashion they're constantly they do a great job gap like there's no like people could do it sure fast fashion blame the foreign retailers but like you didn't even try you didn't even try i didn't even know they were still around they took their success from like 10 years ago and thought it would just like they could coast on it they didn't evolve no they didn't evolve or die that's what they say and here we are dead so like not to victim blame but you played yourself no of course not but but you're wrong like sometimes the place closes and it's like oh we're wrong you know like we don't deserve of nice things.

1:00:44And they were crushing it. They were killing it. There was nothing more they could have done. Or it's like we're so online that we can't appreciate the Barnes and Noble. Even like Joanne Fabric's closing was like sad. You know we're not sewing enough and we're disgusting for that. Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble. And we're disgusting. Borders. And we're disgusting. This. I'm sorry this isn't on us. That you guys are disgusting. Forever 21. Yeah. So you should have been like our next brand. Oh yeah. poppy pepsico is buying the prebiotic soda brand poppy for nearly two billion dollars and we were just talking about them their big scandal i guess the vending machines didn't put them out of business oh my god they were probably like signing the paperwork and like quaking well i was you know i was thinking like a big stupid scandal like that like does that impact mergers and acquisitions obviously not i think at the end of the day rising tides no at the end of the day it's dollars and cents like oh okay people are mad about vending machines but like you guys make two billion dollars okay we'll take it right so pepsico buying this soda replacement it's like actually really crazy they must have been impacting the business yeah well enough soda sales have been going down except brands like poppy and olipop right prebiotics so prebiotic soda brands have become very popular coca-cola even recently launched its own prebiotic prebiotic soda brand called Simply Pop.

1:02:11So instead of launching their own, they decided to acquire Olipop, which I think is the better move. I agree. First of all, supports more businesses. They came from Shark Tank. They came from Shark Tank. It used to be called Mother. It was like made of vinegar. They got a deal with that guy who's like the beverage guy. He did the BAI drink by... Rowan? Yeah. Rohan, I think his name is. He's like super successful guy. But that was also years ago. So it's also interesting to see how long it took for them to get acquired because this is... and of course you know who was the guest shark on that episode and had to make 11 tiktoks about it bethany frankel um she kicking it was called it was called mother back then yeah um and it was a pregnant woman and her husband who launches business and it's remained female founded now they took on investors like from shark take also olivia munn was a big celebrity investor um alex earl was given equity a little while ago so i'm really curious to know how much percentage big house correct because even if she got one percent of the company which i think people are like she definitely got at least one percent no i think she probably got like a third of a percent because when it's that big of a company like those are the numbers you're working with but still even half a percent is seven million dollars yeah it's insane yeah um this is this is great news for the industry this is exciting for the founders it's big for women in business women in business for health it is great for this is really a brand that's gotten big from influencer marketing podcast marketing um so i think it's really good and and it's trending towards healthier soda okay well now of course because like poppy is just one of those brands because they're so chronically online there's backlash right like you sold to big evil pepsi and it's like can we just be happy for this woman-owned business so that's been happening with like a lot of like the good food brands that started because they're the clean alternative to the big Frito-Lay I think even like Siete sold to Frito-Lay something like that and people in like the natural food space are like very upset because they're like they're going to change the formulas well if they do change the formulas like then it just defeats the purpose but I don't think they're going to change the formulas and instead it makes it like more ubiquitous so that like you could get a poppy at a gas station on the side of the road and not have to get an unhealthy soda and you know I've actually been drinking poppy orange soda like when I was trying to drink less soda I kind of gave up on that but it's fucking delicious yeah I've got to find my flavor yes so not every flavor is gonna like rock your world and at first I was like this is what people are obsessed with and then Ben brought home this orange soda because he was doing like something with like a Fanta drink or whatever and he brought home the poppy orange soda and it was unbelievably delicious and I just need to add to our list of duplicates Ollipop and Poppy yes because they launched the same year they do the same thing and they have a similar name so i think that poppy like really invented an entirely new space they were the first to do this and then became the biggest and i think a lot of these other brands are inspired by them but i feel like the fact that they launched the same year just means like it's two people with the same idea because it takes a while to get something like this there's no way one wasn't inspired by the other you think because they're both soda replacements made of prebiotics why does that equal pop in the name so does pop equal soda soda Yeah, but like there's a lot of soda brands.

1:05:22And they were mother first. Right. And Alipop, oh, it was valued at$1.85 billion during its latest funding round, which was announced in February. Oh, maybe they're next. Coca-Cola. He said that, the founder said that Soda Giants, Pepsi, Coke, and Coca-Cola had already come knocking about a potential sale. But Coca-Cola bought, it started Simply Pop. No, they started their own, which is a flop. Yeah, so maybe they'll come back around. and it could be like the new Coke and Pepsi, Alipop versus Poppy. Yes. I like that. But like, could I still have a Diet Coke? Of course you can. And a Diet Dr. Pepper.

1:05:57Of course you can. Okay, cool. But yeah, I'm going to get into this. I'm going to get into it. We need to start making Diet Dr. Pepper like a little bit more ubiquitous. Like when you go to a restaurant and they have like, can you get a Diet Coke? Can you get a Dr. Pepper? No. Or like when you go to a restaurant now, you could probably get a Poppy. Like soon with PepsiCo distribution. If they have a fountain machine. Yeah, they'll get on tap. Well, that's the other thing. PepsiCo is so big. A lot of people don't realize PepsiCo owns like most of the fast food chains in this country. They own Taco Bell.

1:06:23So if you because you can get a Diet Dr. Pepper at Taco Bell because it's a PepsiCo owned and you'll probably be able to get a poppy at Taco Bell. I bet they'll do like a Baja Blast poppy. Yeah, which is why this is good. Yeah, even though, you know, they probably won't change the formula. But now you'll have your healthier option everywhere you go. Like that is good. And they can't do that without these huge companies. And they can't do it quickly. And by the way, PepsiCo also owns Frito-Lay. Who were you just saying got bought by Frito-Lay? I know it was Siete got bought by Frito-Lay. Yeah. So they own like every chip.

1:06:52They own Gatorade. They own Mountain Dew, Diet Dr. Pepper, Tostitos, Ruffles, literally everything. Yeah, yummy. This is making me hungry. I'm just starving always. I'm really hungry. Let's dive into Dear Toasters, our weekly advice segment where Jackie and I try to help the girls out. Every Tuesday, we take three submissions in a little segment we call Dear Toasters, where our listeners, the toasters, write in about little pickles they found themselves in. Sometimes it's wedding related. Sometimes it's friendship related. You guys got some big pickles. These ones are really funny this week. If you ever want to write in, please, we would love to hear from you.

1:07:30Deartosters at gmail.com is the email account you can write to. Or you can head over to our website, thetoastpodcast.com. There's a little submission box when you scroll down. Both means are completely anonymous. Don't worry. Let's do it. Hey, girlies. I'm kind of freaking out. I'm sure you've heard of the Fourth Wing series in case you haven't. It's a book series in the fantasy genre, but it also has a lot of like good smut and porn in it. My parents know I've been reading this series and loving it. Did you read Fourth Wing? I read the first one and then stopped in the middle of the second. I got like so confused.

1:07:56No, no, that's fine. It's over. Yeah, it's over. It stinks, and I don't even think Margo liked the third one. Okay, so look. My parents know I've been reading this series and loving it. They don't know what it's about, but recently one of my mom's friends told my mom to start reading it. I tried to do everything I could to convince my mom she wouldn't like it and not to start it, but much to my dismay, she's already two chapters in and loving it, loving it so much in fact that she got my dad to start reading it. Please, what do I do? I'm mortified and I'm so anxious just waiting for them to get to the part where there's actual porn.

1:08:24My family is close but we do not talk about that stuff. I don't think I can get them to stop reading so my question is more about how do I deal with the situation? Right now, I'm not bringing up the fact that there are the most descriptive sex scenes you've ever seen in this book but once they get there, how do I tell them? There's a 50-50 chance that they either bring it up as a joke or completely ignore it but genuinely, I'm panicking so anything you can tell me would be great. Love you guys so much. I've truly asked everyone in my life what to do, but I need the advice of my swirlies. But also, by the way, I'm 26 years old and a girl, if that helps.

1:08:49Okay, I just want to say, I feel like Fourth Wing wasn't that smutty. I actually remember when we did the Redheads episode, like there were complaints that like the smut, there wasn't enough smut and it happened much later in the book. Okay, but the bar for the Redheads and smut is very different than this girl's dad. Okay, I just want to say, the smut, I think we like literally said it didn't happen until like the second half of the book. I don't think your dad's going to read that much. Like I think it's kind of a tough read like really fucking bored by it. Well, this is definitely like a weird thing.

1:09:19I remember getting a book recommendation. I remember talking about a book that I was reading. Do you even remember the smud scenes from fourth wing? Like I don't remember. I remember there was one where he like made a cloud of smoke and she couldn't see anything. Like like that's like his power. It is. And she's like blinded or something. I really don't know. I didn't I didn't love fourth wing. I don't love fantasy. but I can understand that this is really awkward for you. And embarrassing, like this thing that you're obsessed with, like now everyone's going to know, like part of the reason why you're obsessed.

1:09:49But just to say, like, I don't think this is a full smut book, especially not the first one, because like it takes a while to establish a relationship between Violet and Zayden. They're not having sex for a while. So like, I think that your parents can see why you like this book. And it's not like you're reading Fifty Shades of Grey, where it's like, oh, you're just reading pornography. Yes, that's true. Like there is a story, there is world building. There are a couple sex scenes, but like, I don't think it's so embarrassing. And if your mom reads a good amount, all books have sex now. All books.

1:10:16Yeah, so I'm not worried about your mom. Like, I also think your dad will stop reading it before it gets to a sort of inflection point. And if your mom, yeah, does read. You have to think about, like, TV shows. Did your mom watch Game of Thrones? Like, it's the same thing. It's a little different. I don't know why. But it's really not. But I remember like we watched Game of Thrones and like when you said you were going to watch, like it's not just nakedness and sex. As long as the book, like there are certain books that are literally made for porn. If this was about 50 Shades and they had no idea what they were reading, like yes, run for cover, join the Witness Protection Program.

1:10:49Or even some of like the smut literary books that like go viral. They have in one summer. They have no substance. Like that's embarrassing. You're just reading for sex. At least this book is like 600 pages and maybe like 30 of the pages are porn. It's like Sexy Harry Potter. yeah it's definitely awkward and I could see this having the potential like to be weird but now that I've broken it down I think you're okay I think you're okay it's so not as bad as it could be and you're allowed to like like this book and you could like it for other reasons other than smut there's a lot going on like I think you're protected and let's just hope your dad hates it yeah I have very little faith your dad makes it to the end yeah I don't know him but just a vibe Yeah.

1:11:28It's long. hey Jackson Claude my husband recently got a new secretary she always calls and texts him and cries to him every day about her marriage issues that she might be getting a divorce she barely shows up to work but my husband has not fired her last weekend we were away she called to ask work questions she was on speaker and at the end of the call she asks are you alone he said no quickly and hung up when I asked him about it he's like oh it was probably nothing but I don't think it was nothing am I crazy or something nefarious going on here I don't want to snoop but maybe I should it was not nothing yeah asking someone if they're alone um it's crazy like being in the car on the phone when like it connects um ben will pick up the phone and he'll he's the first thing he always says hey i'm in the car with claude why'd you say that i know but it's like he's like it's like his dad so no one has to ask if you're alone and like his dad even if they're not going to talk shit about you which of course is what you think they're going to do like he could be talking about a personal problem of course a medical issue if you ever called me and like we were talking, we talk about like a lot of deep personal stuff.

1:12:26And I didn't tell you Ben was in the room. It's wrong. Yeah, the gracious thing is to like announce, but to phrase it like that. And also this is a work relationship. It shouldn't matter. It shouldn't matter. If your real ass co-worker calls you about work and has to ask if you're alone, you're talking about things that are not work related. Now it's entirely possible the next thing she was going to say. Unless they work for like the Secret Service and it's all like confidential. Oh yeah, is your man an FBI agent? Yeah. It's entirely possible that what she was going to say after are you alone is like more marital stuff and she didn't want to unload in front of somebody but him then like lying and saying no there's something weird going on well he didn't lie but no he like quickly hung up and and she said well she said it was probably nothing really unprofessional and she should not be employed by your husband correct and so first you should just keep tabs on it like just in case they're having an affair like keep tabs um but then like you should push him towards finding like a like a secretary that's not a basket case sorry and don't come from like a place of threatened being like listen you're a very busy man a successful man you can't have this lunatic nutcase it's a bad look for the office she's the first person people meet the character from um inside out the blue woman who's phyllis from the office gloom she just gives that vibe and that's not how you want your company represented keep your problems at home that's your boss it's not even your co-worker like correct i'm sorry people have to act professional i agree like this is a fireable offense place of work correct and beyond like beyond that there might be something nefarious going on yeah but even if there's not yeah no your husband she's a problem she's a problem she's one to watch our third and final dear toasters hello jackson turd first i can't thank you ladies enough for being the most gargy pargy girlies and gave me so much joy on my weekdays.

1:14:13So here's my dilemma. I'm getting married in a few months and my fiance and his family love sports. My future mother-in-law - Do they keep up with sports? Yes, but not with Lamar. Or Caitlin? My future mother-in-law told me that she's having the mascot of my fiance's favorite MLB team come to my bridal shower and the mascot of our college is coming to our wedding. I really don't care about his favorite baseball team and I don't want a guy in a costume at our wedding. That's kind of cute. They went to the same college. Yeah, I like sports, but I want both days to be about us and not sports for a couple of days.

1:14:45Should I mention it to my fiance or do I just tell her that it's not what I want? Am I being selfish? Also, she's not paying for the wedding, so it's really not her place. I want to say there's two separate issues here. I agree, the bridal shower and the wedding. Your man's favorite MLB team coming to your bridal shower. That's ridiculous. That's insane. Bridal showers are pargy. They're classy affairs, tea sandwiches. You have to dip that in the bud. But actually, a wedding can get rowdy. And if you both went to the same college and the mascot comes. Oh my God, if the Raider came out. that's hysterical yeah like at the not at the ceremony but like at the after party i think that's entirely appropriate the bridal shower is really nuts yeah so this is good because you're not being complete if you like just accept our advice you're not being completely unreasonable if you put the kibosh on one and not the other and just be like that's cute we could do that but the bridal the mascot at my bridal shower is not happening he security will escort him out like do not hire that person yeah so i feel like in you coming to us like we can tell you like you are being a little dramatic about the wedding thing but you're 100 on the money like the bridal shower is really weird first of all because bridal showers are all girls so it's literally not about the husband at all it's about the bride no it's so weird the wedding is about the couple and the couple went to the same college and the couple like sports so like it's the mascot is emblematic of them why the mlb team like who gives a fuck yeah they're not the same no and it's your wedding and you're specifically your bridal shower so the mother of the groom like has a little bit of say in what goes on at the wedding, but she has literally no say, unless she's a toaster, a Gen X toaster.

1:16:12Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. She has no say in what goes on at the bridal shower. Like, that's really your day. No, and if she had, like, a bad idea for what goes on at the wedding, like, we would tell you to resist, but, like, this is actually a good idea and people will enjoy it. So you're just, like... It's cute. You're just hating sports and that's blinding you from seeing a good idea. Yeah, and maybe you're also just, like, hating the mother of the groom, which is understandable. Weddings can be stressful. Yeah, but I'm sorry, you need security detail for that mascot at your bridal shower. 1 ,000 % keep an eye out keep an eye out for Mr.

1:16:42Met there will be a brawl in the street that would be really crazy save your money why doesn't she gift you the money instead right I feel like it's expensive to have an MLB mascot for hire unless you're getting a generic Mr. Net it probably is that because it doesn't matter who's under the costume correct well that's our show you guys that's Dear Toasters again thank you to everyone who was really vulnerable with us this week and we'll see you next time thank you so much for listening to the Toast on Monday morning show we deliver the fast-paced stories you need to know every Monday through Friday on YouTube so you're watching us on YouTube please feel free to subscribe and give us a video thumbs up we're also available as podcasts anywhere podcasts can be found so that's Spotify iTunes, Stitcher, Public Radio I, Rated Castbox all the places you have you listen to podcasts find us at Toast on Monday if I start a review about a beautiful setting and wickedly talented we are love ya bye