Hysteria

Erin Ryan and Melissa Murray (Strict Scrutiny) dive into the multi-state legal battle over custody of a child born via surrogacy and the firestorm of politics swirling around it, and Natalie Harp’s creepy relationship with Donald Trump. Then Kate Glavan (Seamossgirlies) stops by to talk about Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop’s partnership with Big Tech. They wrap up in the sanity corner with a toast to the late great Dolly Parton and rant about Oreogate.

Inside the McKenna West Case (Katie Couric Media 8/18)
One Woman Conceived a Baby. One Carried Him. Who’s the Mother? (NYT 8/25)
The White House Freak-Out Over Natalie Harp (The Atlantic 8/20)
Sean Duffy in the Real World (The New Yorker 8/23)
The Goop Emoji (Puck 8/25)


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In our 46th episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin Ryan and Nina Parker break down the ball-tasering, clout-chasing manchild, Jake Paul.

From his Vine and YouTube "prank" beginnings, to running a content sweatshop called Team 10, to scamming children via crypto pump-and-dumps and sham online "universities," to gentrifying Puerto Rico and cozying up to Trump, to finally getting his jaw broken in two places by Anthony Joshua...this may just be our most exhaustingly f*ckboy yet!

Sources:

Erin and guest host Megan Gailey dive into Tuesday night's primaries, Katie Miller’s fling with Eric Swalwell, and Tucker Carlson’s vision for America. Then they go back to school and discuss the failed school vouchers experiment and how f*cked education funding has become. Then, they dig into the trial of Lindsay Clancy and how it highlights major gaps in postpartum mental health care.  Then they wrap up in the sanity corner with some petty rants. 

Wisconsin’s Dem establishment is scrambling to stop a democratic socialist Tuesday (Politico 8/9)
Disgraced Ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell Had Fling with Stephen Miller’s Wife, Katie, When She Was a 22-Year-Old Intern, Report Reveals (People 8/7)
Stephen Miller’s Wife’s Relationship With Disgraced Dem Exposed (The Daily Beast 8/7)
To Public Schools’ Detriment, Some States Continue to Increase Spending on Private School Vouchers (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 8/6)
States with and without universal school choice programs (Ballotopedia)
Tucker Carlson unveils 10-point manifesto amid third-party speculation (Axios 8/5)
AOC is freezing her eggs — and sharing the process online (The 19th News 8/10)
A Troubled Mother Faces Murder Charges in Her Young Children’s Deaths (NYT 2/8/2023)
Lindsay Clancy hasn’t taken the stand, but she’s spoken volumes at her murder trial (CNN 8/8)

In our 45th episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin and Alyssa dive deep into the past of the wimpy blobfish himself, Ted Cruz. From his pedantic debate team days, to his impeccable vacation timing with natural disasters, to bending the knee to Trump after he degraded his wife, to getting dog-walked by Tucker Carlson, this may be our most craven guy, yet!
Ted Cruz: The Distinguished Wacko Bird from Texas (GQ)

Rafael Cruz, father of Ted Cruz, stars as 2016 campaign supersurrogate (Washington Times)

Ted Cruz paints over graffiti in Houston targeting late conservative figure Charlie Kirk (USA Today)

Ted Cruz’s family story: Poignant but incomplete (McClatchy DC)

Ted Cruz Reads ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ on Senate Floor — And That’s Not the Weird Part (McClatchy DC)

Ted Cruz says there is a "cancer" of rising anti-semitism on the right (Reddit)

Ted Cruz thanks Trump for "getting rid of that ridiculous red card." (Reddit)

Cruz burns Trump (Politico)

Sen. Ted Cruz: “How about we all come together and say let's stop attacking pedophiles?" (Reddit)

US election: Ted Cruz fights back for not endorsing Trump (BBC) 

Ted Cruz tried to insult James Talarico’s masculinity. It backfired immediately. (LGBTQ Nation)

There’s No Greater Joy Than Watching Ted Cruz Humiliate Himself (Esquire)

Meet some of Ted Cruz's harshest critics - Republicans (BBC) 

Ted Cruz 10 years ago freaking out over rumors told about his family (Reddit)

Tucker Carlson calls Ted Cruz 'morally repulsive' as drama between the two grows (Houston Chronicle)

Screenshot of Ted Cruz Liking a 'Sexual Post' Video on 9/11 Resurfaces After Calling Out a Democrat Candidate (International Business Times)

Tucker Carlson Tears Into Ted Cruz In The Most Gloriously Awkward Interview You'll See (Huff Post)

Ted Cruz: Donald Trump Is a 'Pathological Liar' (YouTube)

Ted Cruz and his wife lived apart for the first 7 years of their marriage (The Week)

Rafael Cruz, father of Ted Cruz, stars as 2016 campaign supersurrogate (Washington Times)

Ted Cruz’s Father Worked With Supplements Maker Sued by Investors (NYT)

Ted Cruz Mocked After Warning on Space Pirate Threat (Newser)

Sen. Ted Cruz wants to settle Twitter feud with wrestling match between actor Ron Perlman and Rep. Jim Jordan (Washington Post)

Jimmy Kimmel, Ted Cruz sweat their way to bad basketball glory in Blobfish Classic (ABC News)

Ted Cruz and Jimmy Kimmel are better at raising money for charity than they are at playing basketball (CNN)

The Basketball Game That Promises Very Little: Ted Cruz Vs. Jimmy Kimmel (NPR)

Texas Senator Ted Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico, amid weather crisis (BBC)

Ted Cruz Punches Then Elbows His Wife in the Head and Face (YouTube)

Trump says Cruz would be a 'guarantee' for Supreme Court (FOX 7 Austin)

From 'Lyin' Ted' To 'Beautiful': How Trump And Cruz Found Political Love (NPR)

Trump under fire for jabs aimed at Cruz's wife (PBS News)

These 43 Republicans Voted Against Capping Insulin Costs (Newsweek)

Ted Cruz addresses NRA convention the day after refusing to discuss 'politics' of Uvalde shooting (Houston Chronicle)

Ted Cruz and 16 other Texans refused to certify the 2020 election. None would say whether they see it as legitimate today. (Texas Tribune)

Ted Cruz took refuge in supply closet during January 6 riot, book reveals (The Guardian)

Ted Cruz Jokes to Oil Lobbyists About Eating Someone’s Son – (Mother Jones)

Trump leads Rubio Even Head To Head in Florida (Public Policy Polling)

Things you probably didn’t know about Ted Cruz: From avocados to ‘The Princess Bride’ (Yahoo News)

Sen. Ted Cruz Faces Backlash For His Role In Capitol Violence : (NPR)

Audio shows Cruz outlining plan to Fox News to delay 2020 election certification (The Hill)

Ted Cruz's Weird, Anti-conservative Posturing on Elections (Cato Institute)

Ted Cruz reimbursed himself $555,000 after successfully challenging a political spending law at the Supreme Court (Business Insider)

This awful bill shows how Ted Cruz threatens the citizenship rights of all Americans (The Week)

Ted Cruz’s misleading memories of his 2013 gun proposal (The Washington Post)

All the terrible things Ted Cruz has voted against this year already | (The Independent)

Ted Cruz Doesn’t Believe You Have the Right to Masturbate (Vanity Fair)

Ted Cruz’s college days as a widely hated masturbator have come back to haunt him. (The New Republic)

Fuckin' Craig Mazin: An Appreciation of Ted Cruz's College Roommate (Jezebel)

Ted Cruz’s college roommate recalls his creepy habits (My San Antonio)

Ted Cruz Sex Scandal Story Just the Latest Bombshell in a Bizarre Campaign (US News)

Why is US Senator Ted Cruz trending for porn? (BBC)

Ted Cruz and porn: a brief history (CNN Politics)

Ted Cruz flew to Cancún as millions of Texans endure power outages (Texas Tribune)

Tragic Details About Ted Cruz's Relationship With His Daughter Caroline (The List)

Special airport security escort for political VIPs moving forward in Congress (Politico)

Cruz’s Podcast Deal Appears to Have Illegally Funneled Soft Money into Elections | (Campaign Legal Center)

Ted Cruz’s Growing Scandals (Texas Democratic Party)

Ted Cruz: the GOP's self-made monster (The Guardian)

White House Correspondent April Ryan guest hosts with Erin to discuss Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan, the latest in Republican Rep Max Miller’s snowballing awfulness, and Republicans' ongoing obsession with Dr. Fauci. Then friend of the show, Minnesota’s LT. Governor Peggy Flanagan stops by to discuss her run for the U.S. Senate, and her favorite foods at the Minnesota State Fair. They wrap up with a very petty edition of the sanity corner.  

The Most Powerful Men in America Are Eating Only Steak and Sauerkraut. Could I? (NYT 8/4)
Trump declines to call for Max Miller's resignation amid abuse allegations (The Guardian 8/3)
North Carolina congressman Edwards quits reelection bid after committee finds inappropriate conduct (AP News 8/5)
Redacted Fauci Diary Entries Depict Him Personally Helping Katie Miller (NOTUS 7/29)

Erin Ryan and Sami Sage (Betches Media) dig into the Trump administration’s move to terminate millions of dollars of federal grants for teen pregnancy prevention and what that says about the administration’s vision of women. Then, they dive into Emily Wilson’s scathing review of the Odyssey. Plus, Annie Andrews, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, stops by to discuss her race and how the death of Lindsay Graham is shaking things up. And as always, we end with sanipetty.

Emily Wilson: An Uncomplicated Man 
Government Overhauls Teen Pregnancy Program to Focus on Marriage and Starting Families (NYT 7/22 + NPR 7/7)
A Nobel Prize winner decodes why people aren’t having kids (NYT OPED 2025 + Claudia’s Original Research & Ruben Gallego 7/23)

In our 44th episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin and Alyssa analyze the evolution of the clout-chasing chameleon, Megyn Kelly. From her fiery takes and fake*ss feminist days at Fox News, to being humbled by her racist takes on her NBC Morning show, to entering her villain era, launching her alt-right podcast and transforming into a human guitar riff, this may just be our most self-serving psycho guy, yet!

Sources:
NBC’s Megyn Kelly bet goes bust (Columbia Journalism Review)
Megyn Kelly is negotiating her exit from NBC News (CNN)
Megyn Kelly fiasco is one more instance of far right outmaneuvering media (Columbia Journalism Review)
The Megyn Kelly-Jane Fonda drama, explained (Washington Post) 
Review: Megyn Kelly tries to ditch politics for “fun” on “Today” (USA Today) 
Megyn Kelly fails to connect with audience during her Today debut (Time) 
“She Wants to Come Back”: Megyn Kelly Eyes Returning to Fox (Vanity Fair)
‘Just get rid of her’: Megyn Kelly is again in trouble, but NBC colleagues rejected her long before (Washington Post)
Awkward Megyn Kelly Interviews That Will Make You Cringe (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly’s NBC Career implosion: Ugly, Dramatic, and inevitable (Daily Beast)
Heated interview between Megyn Kelly and Kirsten Powers on Fox News (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly: 'Santa Is What He Is,' Which Is White (YouTube)
Fox's Megyn Kelly On Teen Violently Manhandled By McKinney Police: “The Girl Was No Saint Either” (Media Matters)
Fox's Megyn Kelly Bemoans The “Anti-Cop ... Thug Mentality” She Sees In “Black Communities” (Media Matters)
Megyn Kelly On Sandra Bland Case: “Even If You Know The Cop Is In The Wrong, Comply And Complain Later” (Media Matters)
Megyn Kelly Claims Racist Emails Circulate At Most Companies To Downplay DOJ's Ferguson Report (Media Matters)
Culture of Victimization Exposed by Michelle Malkin (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly Seeks Commentary On Michael Brown Killing From Racist Mark Fuhrman (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly (Time)
The Megyn Kelly Moment (New York Times)
Megyn Kelly: How to Deal with the Haters (Time)
Megyn Kelly on Roger Ailes: "It's All B.S." (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly on Working for Fox News and Leaving Her Law Career (GQ)
Fox's Megyn Kelly Challenges Texas Lt. Gov. Over Transphobic Statements (The Advocate)
Megyn Kelly Confronts Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick Over Opposition to Obama Trans Bathroom (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly interviews Laverne Cox (YouTube)
Why are the Female Supreme Court Justices So EMOTIONAL? (YouTube)
Megyn Kelly Explains Why She Will No Longer Use "Preferred Pronouns" as Trans Ideology Grows (YouTube)
Blowhards Beware: Megyn Kelly Will Slay You Now (Vanity Fair)
Megyn Kelly Interviews Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar (YouTube)
The 7 most horrifying exchanges from the Duggars’ interview with Megyn Kelly (Salon)
How Megyn Kelly became the star of fox news (Variety)
Kitty Kelley: Settle for More review (Washington Independent Review of Books)
Buzzfeed: Megyn Kelly’s end at NBCBuzzfeed)
How Megyn Kelly Became the New Star of Fox News (Variety)
14 year-old responds to Megyn Kelly's depraved defense of pedophiles who "only" abuse "older" children (Reddit)
What Happened to Megyn Kelly? (Slate) 

Erin and Alyssa get into Pete Hegseth’s new testosterone policy, and the latest on the Tate Brothers arrest. Then they do a supersized Sani-Petty with producer Caroline and sprinkle a little joy into the week to celebrate Alyssa’s last episode!

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

US military to start screening for testosterone deficiency, Hegseth says (BBC 7/16)
Estrogen patches are hard to find, and it may not be resolved any time soon (CNBC 6/26)
Will the Tate brothers be extradited from the US to the UK? (BBC 7/20)
Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested on rape, trafficking charges. What to know. (Washington Post 7/19)

Erin, Alyssa, and guest host Heather Gardner discuss the latest on the tragic killings by ICE Officers, the death of Lindsey Graham, and the explosive and gross consequences of last year’s DOGE cuts. Then they reflect on what this past Love Island teaches us about American literacy and relationship culture. They wrap up with sani-petty conversations about Meta AI features and The Five Star Weekend.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

ICE Ordered to Cease Most Vehicle Stops After 2 Killings in a Week (NYT 7/14)
Trump says he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham hours before his death (NBC 7/12)
Who Is Darline Graham Nordone? Lindsey Graham's Sister Appointed to Serve Out His Senate Term (Time 7/13)
Who is Dr. Annie Andrews? Senate candidate is in the spotlight after Lindsey Graham’s death (The 19th 7/13)
Experts warn of ways screwworm could spread in the US and new difficulties in keeping it at bay (The Guardian 7/13) 
Flesh-eating screwworm arrives in US with case detected in Texas cattle (BBC 6/5)
Trump’s CDC Stopped Monitoring Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Before Outbreak (Newsweek 7/10)
New Mexico Accuses D.O.J. of Obstructing Epstein Ranch Inquiry (NYT 7/9)
The End of Reading Is Here (The Atlantic 7/8)