HypeFriend! with Ashley Eckstein & Michael James Scott

Katee Sackhoff joins the hosts for a delightfully unhinged game of Fact or Frak! Ashley, Michael, and the Battlestar Galactica legend put Katee’s favorite four-letter faux-swear to work in an AI-era showdown: real photo or total frak? What starts as a simple guessing game spirals into suspicious hands, uncanny bears, internet trust issues, and the realization that none of us are nearly as good at spotting fake images as we think we are. And because this is HypeFriend, the chaos ends on a high note—with the trio manifesting Katee’s secret dream role! Fast, funny, and very frakking fun.

Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend (and one frak) at a time!

Sci-fi icon Katee Sackhoff—Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian and across Star Wars, and a fan favorite from Longmire—drops into HypeFriend for a candid convo about authenticity, fandom, motherhood, and the friendships that keep you steady when life gets loud. Katee opens up about the fans who carried her from one job to the next, the difference between a work friend and the person you can call with “I’ve got five minutes,” and what it really means to feel seen—not just for who you were, but for who you’re becoming. Add in real talk about smartphones stealing our in-person magic, raising kids to connect off-screen, and Katee’s secret first love as an actor, and this one is equal parts deep exhale, geek-out, and pep talk.

Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend (and one sci-fi galaxy) at a time!

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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(00:00:22) Cold Open: Jan Brady, neon lipstick, and instant chaos

(00:01:25) New studio, new energy: Ashley’s upgraded HQ and the coming neon-sign moment

(00:05:09) Ashley Bakes: Starbuck-inspired Starbucks cake pops

(00:08:23) Hypes & Gripes: sunshine, sweet fan gifts, texting guilt, and Michael vs. “shareable tapas”

(00:22:52) Neighborhood Drop-In: Katee Sackhoff

(00:25:31) What a HypeFriend means to Katee: remind people what they’re worth

(00:27:01) The season that asked the most: new parenthood, work, and the family who stepped in

(00:30:12) The Sackhoff Show: why honest conversation fuels Katee

(00:34:10) Work friend vs. real friend: the no-guilt five-minute phone call test

(00:37:54) Before smartphones swallowed everything: why friendship felt easier in person

(00:39:22) Battlestar was early: AI, loneliness, and the fight for real human connection

(00:44:14) Parenting against the algorithm: old-school TVs, fewer phones, more playdates

(00:48:21) Would Starbuck or Bo-Katan be a HypeFriend? Katee answers

(00:50:30) Fandom, loyalty, and why Katee never forgets who keeps the career going

(00:52:27) Plot twist: Katee’s first love is musical theater

(00:57:11) What makes Katee feel truly seen

(01:00:53) Hyping up Michael: 4,000+ Genies and a very elite Broadway club

(01:03:34) One Last Thing: let people evolve—and put the phone down

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have an actual Olympic gold medalist narrate your game of charades? Yeah, neither did we until today! Watch as we play a game of charades and have Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton give an olympic-style broadcast to narrate our game.

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Ashley Eckstein here!

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Olympic gold medalist, four-time world champion, Stars on Ice founder, and beloved Olympic commentator Scott Hamilton joins HypeFriend for a conversation that goes way beyond figure skating. This one is about joy under pressure: how to celebrate life when life gets brutal, how friendship can outlast competition, and how resilience is built one fall (or 41,600 falls), one setback, and one comeback at a time. Scott opens up about why a real HypeFriend “celebrates life,” why failure is just information, why the Olympics reveal how much people actually have in common, and the 100-mile bike ride that brought him back to the exact day he wanted to quit chemotherapy. He also shares the perspective shift that hits hardest—look up—and why the best victories in life may have less to do with medals than with family, faith, and showing up for the people you love.

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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Ashley and Michael and, special guest,The Rookie’s Mekia Cox, put their decades-long friendships to the test with a high school edition of Two Truths and a Lie. They dig into their high school memories and nostalgia as some juicy truths are revealed.

See who gets called out and who gets away with the biggest lie.

Mekia Cox joins Ashley and Michael and discusses the different roles she’s played, from playing a Disney Princess on Once Upon A Time, starring on The Rookie, and ultimately, the role of motherhood. Mekia talks about the importance of having HypeFriends throughout the various stages of your life and how friendships can change while navigating these different chapters.

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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Former Saturday Night Live star Vanessa Bayer joins Ashley and Michael for a hilarious round of Wheel Of Impressions. Watch as they flex their comedy acting chops while creating characters from some of the funniest and obscure situations. No pressure, just improvising with an SNL alum.

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Ashley Eckstein here!

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We’re back for Season 2 of HypeFriend and we are joined by SNL and Scrub Revival’s very own Vanessa Bayer. Vanessa welcomes us back for a brand new season by sharing her love for all things craft services, including sneaking some snacks home from the Scrubs set, and opens up about her friendship love languages and how showing up during life’s toughest moments is the most important thing you can do to be a good friend.

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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It’s giving season finale energy meets Friendsgiving vibes as beloved neighbors Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West), Lesli Margherita, and Josh Dela Cruz crash the Neighborhood Block Party—complete with our first-ever HypeFriend BINGO, a surprise singing telegram from Josh Strickland, and drop-ins from James Monroe Iglehart and Ashley Brown. But being a HypeFriend isn’t about winning BINGO (or is it?). No, it’s about gratitude! And that theme shines through in these conversations as Ashley and Michael celebrate everything from the day-one leap to the full-season finish line, hyping up their friends and family, and look ahead to Season 2!

(00:00:18) "TGIF" season finale vibes + manifesting the new HypeFriend neon sign and merch drops

(00:03:38) Welcome! “Taking the leap!” – From Comic-Con to HypeFriend

(00:06:11) Ashley’s final bake of season 1 packs a vegan (bunch-a-) crunch!

(00:09:00) Husband Hypes – Michael and Ashley celebrate their partners and the power of “nightly notes”

(00:11:12) The block party begins! Andrew Levitt, Lesli Margherita and Josh Dela Cruz crash the podcast!

(00:15:10) HypeFriend BINGO!

(00:18:28) A surprise singing telegram from Josh Strickland

(00:26:05) "Snope" vs. "Snoke" (STAR WARS villain vs real-world season villain)

(00:28:34) James Monroe Inglehart on FOMO, family, and finding creative balance

(00:33:51) “Christmas music already?!” Andrew Levitt's seasonal gripe

(00:36:11) Michael × Lesli: the case for year-round holiday trees

(00:38:30) Daylight savings gripe: Lesli pulls no punches when it comes to time

(00:39:26) Ashley Brown's Hypes & Gripes: stormy-day shelter + college roomie nostalgia

(00:41:32) Nutella: The stuff the heals

(00:43:52) NYC Walking Etiquette: texters, walkers, and Ashley Eckstein

(00:47:06) “Sexy CPAP machine” (hi Josh Dela Cruz!)

(00:52:45) Michael’s (temporary) win!

(00:54:20) Ashley’s brush with the law

(00:56:49) Good Gossip – Questlove’s game nights + a quick celebrity lesson for Ashley

(01:00:24) Set visit: a peek at the new Muppet movie

(01:07:42) One Last Thing! – gratitude for our guests, listeners, crew, and the neighborhood

Join us in our friendship revolution—one HypeFriend (and one season) at a time!

Follow Andrew Levitt here!

Follow Lesli Margherita here! 

Follow Josh Dela Cruz here!

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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Two-time Tony and Grammy Award-winner Stephen Oremus takes us behind the sound of the modern musical—WICKED, THE BOOK OF MORMON, KINKY BOOTS, FROZEN, and AVENUE Q—and the friendships that power it. We trace how opening doors for others can build careers (including the story of Stephen bringing Michael into THE BOOK OF MORMON, what it really takes to juggle “five dream jobs,” and why he likes to conduct with a pencil in hand (to capture fixes in real time!). Stephen talks family, fatherhood, and making work that resonates with your kid’s generation—plus a little pop‑culture joy (a South Park cameo and some Cynthia Erivo birthday magic). But first, Dr. Ariana Hoet kicks things off with a deeper look at the Elphaba-Glinda friendship at the heart of WICKED, with some tips on challenging tired stereotypes about female friendships (including a rant from Angry Bubbles!). If you love a peek behind the Broadway curtain and  a little (green) magic, this is the episode for you!

(00:01:30) A “Wicked” Welcome! to HypeFriend!

(00:02:49) Ashley’s recurring Broadway anxiety-inspired theater nightmares

(00:07:07) Hypes + Gripes: Baking inspiration, moviegoing adventures, family visits, and breaking negative stereotypesthe “mean girls” stereotype

(00:07:28) A listener goes on a fudge-filled baking binge thanks to Ashley’s inspiration!

(00:09:05) Ashley’s family is hyped about seeing ‘Wicked: For Good’ in theaters

(00:11:43) Snack Battle – What’s the best thing to eat at the movies?

(00:13:04) Michael becomes the unofficial spokesperson for Buncha Crunch

(00:16:32) Michael on family trips that make you feel like your childhood self again

(00:20:53) Ashley goes “Angry Bubbles” mode while unpacking the “mean girls” stereotype

(00:24:17) Neighborhood Drop-In: Dr. Ariana Hoet on the origins of stereotypes and how they appear across genders

(00:25:29) Dr. Hoet explains the psychology of a bully

(00:29:08) The power of admitting when you’re wrong

(00:29:53) Can kindness be taught?

(00:30:38) Mean Girls in film vs. “mean girls” in real life

(00:33:25) How male friendships differ from female friendships + finding true friendship in romantic relationships

(00:36:06) Conflict resolution and the magic of unlikely friendship pairs

(00:41:06) Neighborhood Drop-In – Stephen Oremus joins the conversation!

(00:43:18) How Michael met two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus during his first Broadway show, All Shook Up

(00:45:48) What “HypeFriend” means to Stephen and how musical theatre builds lasting bonds

(00:46:18) How Stephen brought Michael into the cast of The Book of Mormon

(00:49:51) Opening doors for friends who take the leap – and the relationships that lifted Stephen’s career

(00:51:46) Stephen’s work on the second national tour of RENT

(00:52:25) Stephen Oremus on the highs and lows of juggling five dream jobs at once

(01:05:27) Oremus at the podium – conducting while taking notes

(01:07:34) Family lessons from Stephen’s emotional New Jersey Italian household

(01:13:12) Fatherhood & fandom – creating work that resonates with your child’s generation

(01:16:51) Cynthia Erivo’s surprise birthday sleepover magic

(01:21:24) Digging deeper into the meaning of Wicked

(01:28:21) Stephen Oremus’ South Park cameo

(01:31:18) One last thing – make your friends want to be great!

Join us in our friendship revolution—one HypeFriend (and gravity-defying high note) at a time!

Follow Dr. Ariana Hoet here!

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Michael J Scott here!

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