and THAT's a pod convo

The costumes are overpriced, the horror franchises are overdone, and apparently, we're still paying money to be scared. HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GROUP CHAT! 👻

We've officially reached the grand finale of our AFTER DARK series, and we're going out with a scream!

This week, JJ and Jed are taking a trip down Halloween memory lane, revisiting the childhood traditions, questionable costumes, candy controversies, and spooky movies that made us fall in love with the season. But somewhere between trick-or-treating and adulthood, Halloween costumes started costing a small fortune. Seriously, why are we paying THAT much for three pieces of fabric and a plastic accessory?

And speaking of things that have gone on a little too long… how many sequels does a horror franchise actually need?We're talking iconic villains, horror movies that traumatized us as kids, franchises that should've retired three films ago, and why some of us willingly watch terrifying movies just to call it a relaxing night in. Are horror fans okay? We're not entirely convinced.

Of course, it wouldn't be and THAT’s a pod convo without a little Group Chat drama! We're tackling Halloween dilemmas involving awkward encounters with exes, sexy costumes, and finding the confidence to wear whatever the hell you want.

But wait… there's one last guest at this Halloween party. 🕯️

We're welcoming JJ's best friend, Hailee Nelson, to the Group Chat! We're getting to know Hailee, putting her survival instincts to the test in The Fear Files, and finding out whether she, JJ, or Jed would actually make it to the end of a horror movie.

And because every good Halloween night deserves one final scare, Hailee is taking over “and THAT’s a Scary Story” to deliver the final chilling tale of our AFTER DARK series.

So grab your favorite Halloween candy, put on that ridiculously expensive costume, and settle in for a finale filled with nostalgia, laughter, questionable opinions, and just enough terror to make you check behind you.

Because Halloween might only come once a year, but being a little horrifying? That's a year-round commitment.💀

🎃 THE GROUP CHAT: What's your most unforgettable Halloween memory? Which horror franchise needs to be put to rest? And what's the most outrageous amount you've spent on a costume? We want your stories, hot takes, and confessions! Find us on Instagram and keep the conversation going.

Happy Halloween, Group Chat! And THAT’s a pod convo. 🎙️

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Some ghosts haunt houses. Others haunt your DMs. And apparently, neither knows how to behave.

Welcome to Chapter III of our AFTER DARK series, where things are getting a little paranormal, a little personal, and a whole lot of inappropriate.

This week, JJ and Jed are investigating GHOSTLY MISCONDUCT—from unexplained encounters and things that go bump in the night to the people who disappear from our lives without so much as a goodbye. Are ghosts real? Is ghosting ever justified? And why is it that some people have absolutely no problem disappearing, only to come crawling back like nothing happened?

We're talking haunted houses, unfinished business, relationship graveyards, and those people who refuse to stay dead in your contacts.

But the real nightmare begins when Jed takes over “and THAT’s a Scary Story.” 👀

This week, Jed is bringing a chilling tale to the Group Chat that might just have you questioning every shadow, every strange noise, and whether you're actually alone in your room. Consider this your warning: you might want to sleep with the lights on after this one.

So grab your blankets, check under your bed, and keep your phone close. Whether you've encountered a spirit or survived someone who vanished without explanation, we've got some unfinished business to discuss.

Because sometimes the scariest thing isn't being haunted… it's being ghosted.

👻 THE GROUP CHAT: Have you ever experienced something paranormal? Been ghosted? Or worse, had someone come back from the dead with a casual "hey stranger"? We want ALL the details! Share your stories, confessions, and questions with us on Instagram.

And THAT’s a pod convo. 🎙️

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💀🕯️

Death. The one thing we all have in common, yet somehow nobody wants to talk about it. Well, naturally, JJ and Jed are going there.

In Chapter II of our AFTER DARK series, we're getting a little morbid, a little philosophical, and probably a little inappropriate as we dive headfirst into life's most inevitable mystery: death.

From our biggest fears surrounding death and what we think happens after our final breath to funeral traditions, grief, ghosts, and the possibility of an afterlife, we're asking the questions that usually make people uncomfortable. Are we afraid of dying, or are we afraid of what we're leaving behind? Is there such a thing as a good death? And why do we have so many opinions about what happens after we're gone?

Of course, it wouldn't be an AFTER DARK episode without a little nightmare fuel. We're bringing you another chilling installment of “and THAT’s a Scary Story,” inspired by the real-life legend of Mercy Brown and the New England vampire panic. Because apparently, even death doesn't guarantee you'll be left alone.

So grab a blanket, dim the lights, and join us for a conversation that's equal parts hilarious, haunting, heartfelt, and just a little unhinged.

Because death may be inevitable… but being normal about it certainly isn't.

👻 The Group Chat: Do you believe in an afterlife? What's one question about death you've always been too afraid to ask? Send us your thoughts, stories, and confessions. You might just find yourself in a future episode.

And THAT’s a pod convo. 💀🕯️

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and THAT’s a MIDNIGHT Convo: an AFTER DARK Series

Something wicked this way comes… and we’re knocking on wood that it’s not us. 🔮

The clock has struck midnight, the candles are lit, and The Group Chat is about to get a little… superstitious.

In the first chapter of our AFTER DARK Series, John and Jed are tempting fate, testing their luck, and asking the age-old question: If you don't believe in superstitions, why the hell are you still afraid to break them?

From black cats and broken mirrors to lucky charms, angel numbers, signs from the universe, and things that go bump in the night, we're digging up the beliefs that have haunted us for generations. Are we manifesting our destinies, or just making shit up as we go? Is it intuition, coincidence, or something a little more sinister?

And just when you think you're safe, we're introducing “and THAT’s a Scary Story” — where an innocent superstition might just become your next nightmare. Because sometimes, the things we refuse to believe in are the very things we refuse to mess with.

So grab your lucky charm, throw some salt over your shoulder, and whatever you do… don't answer the third knock.🚪

After all, we're not saying it's haunted… but we're not saying it isn't.

The Group Chat has officially gone AFTER DARK.

…and THAT’s a pod convo. 🕯️👻

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Is it actually that deep… or did we just turn a minor inconvenience into a full emotional investigation?

This week on and THAT’s a pod convo, we’re diving into relationships, friendships, and the everyday situations that leave us asking: “Is it that deep?” An unanswered text, a canceled plan, a shift in someone’s energy—sometimes it’s nothing, and sometimes “nothing” starts looking a little personal.

Why do some of us find meaning in every little thing while others seemingly couldn’t care less? When are we overthinking, and when is someone brushing off something that actually matters? And who gets to decide whether your feelings are “too much”?

We’re talking expectations, communication, hurt feelings, and the stories we build in our heads before we’ve even asked what happened. Expect honest conversations, questionable takes, and two queer men debating whether to let it go or launch a full investigation.

Group Chat, weigh in: what’s something people say isn’t that deep—but absolutely is to you? And what do people take WAY too seriously?

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You can miss them AND never want them back. You can love your job AND fucking hate going to work. You can be happy for your friend AND jealous as hell. You can understand why someone hurt you AND still not forgive them.

Two things can be true at once—and somehow, that makes everything messier.

This week, John and Jed are getting comfortable in the gray area. We’re talking relationships, friendships, family, work, jealousy, accountability, changing your mind, and all those conflicting feelings we’d rather shove into a neat little box.

Can you love someone and leave them? Can you be a good person and still do shitty things? Can you forgive someone without letting them back into your life? And when does “two things can be true” become an excuse to avoid picking a damn side?

Plus, we’re putting ourselves to the test with scenarios that force us to decide: can BOTH things really be true… or is somebody just full of shit? 👀

Life isn’t black and white. Feelings aren’t either.

Welcome to the gray area.

…and THAT’s a pod convo. 🎙️

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Nobody knows how to love you, expose you, humble you, and piss you the fuck off quite like a sibling.

This week, we’re getting into some sibling shit—the favorite child allegations, childhood grudges that somehow survived into adulthood, birth-order bullshit, sibling rivalry, and the mystery of how two people can grow up in the SAME house and remember completely different childhoods.

But then we grew up…and somehow the drama grew up with us.

Partners enter the family. Money gets weird. Kids change the dynamic. Parents get older. Siblings grow apart. And suddenly the person you used to fight over the remote with is someone you have to navigate an entire adult relationship with.

So we’re asking the questions nobody puts in the family group chat: Would you actually be friends with your sibling if you weren’t related? Can you love your sibling and not like them? Does being family automatically mean someone deserves access to you? And what the hell do we actually owe each other just because we share blood?

Because sibling rules make absolutely no sense.

I can call my sibling an asshole.

You agree with me?

Who the fuck asked you?

From petty fights and complicated family dynamics to realizing your sibling might be one of the only people alive who remembers who you were before you became who you are now…

…and THAT’s some sibling shit.

And Group Chat, now we want YOUR sibling shit. Who’s the favorite? What childhood grudge are you still holding? Are you currently not speaking? Did their partner ruin everything? Do you have a sibling secret you’ve been dying to get off your chest? Send us the story, the drama, or the case you need settled—and if necessary, we’ll take that shit straight to Sibling Court.

Names can be changed. Identities can be protected.

But the sibling tea? We’re gonna need that.

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Class is officially back in session—and unfortunately, we have thoughts.

This week, John Jacob and Jed are going back to school… kind of. We’re talking first-day fits, cafeteria politics, the school lunches that had absolutely no business being that good, the teachers we loved (and the ones we’re apparently STILL holding grudges against), and whether adult us would even survive one full day back in the classroom.

But somewhere between school nostalgia and questionable teenage decisions, we get into the stuff that wasn’t exactly in the curriculum: bullying, fitting in, figuring out who you were, and what it was like navigating school when you weren’t always ready—or able—to be completely yourself.

Would teenage us recognize who we are today? Would we have even been friends back then? And with TikTok, screenshots, location sharing, group chats, and everything being recorded… did we have it easier, or do kids today?

Grab your backpack, find your lunch table, and please don’t ask us to do algebra.

The bell rang. And THAT’s a pod convo. 🎓

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You know the feeling. Everything is going great, the attraction is there, and then they do one tiny thing and suddenly… you can never look at them the same way again.

But what actually IS an ick? And more importantly, when did we start confusing icks with actual red flags?

This week, Jed and John Jacob dive into the wonderfully irrational world of the ick: where they come from, whether they're actually trying to tell us something, and if it's possible to bounce back once you've gotten one. We tackle some of the Group Chat's icks—including, apparently, butt crack—which somehow isn't an ick for Jed. Do with that information what you will.

But somewhere between judging everyone's completely harmless behaviors and questioning our own, we stumble into something deeper: is there a point in a relationship where the things that once gave you the ick become part of intimacy? Is the opposite of the ick actually being comfortable enough to be completely ridiculous around someone?

Ick + intimacy = Icktimacy?

We don't know. We made it up.

But now we have to talk about it.

and THAT’s the Ick. 🤢

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After a 1 week Hiatus I say... 

Hand over your phone.

No, seriously.

Would you let your parents see your For You Page? Your partner? Your best friend? Because this week, we're asking what might be the most terrifying question we've ever asked on this podcast:

What does your algorithm know about you?

We're diving headfirst into our For You Pages—from TikTok and Instagram to Facebook Reels and whatever app has you saying, “Okay, ONE more video.”

But somewhere between the thirst traps, recipes, relationship advice, brain rot and oddly specific rabbit holes, we started wondering: Did we create this algorithm… or did it create us?

Do we shape what we're shown, or does what we're shown eventually shape the way we think, shop, laugh, date and see the world? How quickly can an innocent scroll take you from one harmless video straight down the algorithm-to-cult pipeline? And did our TikTok feeds actually feel different before the government's involvement with the platform versus after?

Plus, what's your app of choice? Are you loyal to TikTok? An Instagram Reels bitch? Somehow living your best life on Facebook Reels? Or have you escaped the algorithm entirely?

Our feeds might be “For You”…

but who exactly is deciding who YOU are?

Grab your phone, check your FYP, and join the Group Chat.

…and THAT's a pod convo.

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