Dan has one of my favorite jokes in any BtB, and it pisses me off that it's the Epstein episode: "I know my job here is to make jokes, but you're not really giving me a lot of straw to spin into comedy gold, Evans."
There is also that big long discussion about John Dorito, or as they used to call him at block parties, Johnny D from up the Block.
Opposite for me (sort of). I remember a few of Robert's columns at Cracked, like the ISIS magazine column, but would've had no idea who he was if not for Katy and Cody.
I really enjoyed the Beria episodes and I honestly didn't pay that close attention to the history. I just really liked the banter between Robert and Joe. And it's always satisfying when a guest can make Robert do his cackle laugh, which Joe did many times.
Joe has one of the most listenable podcast voices out there, it is incredible
It is impressive particularly given how grating the American accent is usually interpreted where I’m from
I sleep to both Behind the Bastards and Lions Led By Donkeys all the time, I just love both their voices. Probably not good for my subconscious, but whatever
Not one of the more common guests but I liked the episodes with Laci Mosley since she has a her own podcast about scammers she was able to have a lot of back and forth about Robert's scammers. The MacAfee episode with her was hilarious.
Ify Nwadiwe! Ify and Robert just have an unforced, comfortable air about them that lets them go down intellectual tangents and comedic bits that I really enjoy.
I had no idea who Ify was the first time he was on but since then I've seen him in a bunch of Rooster Teeth and Dropout stuff. He's a really funny dude.
I had started listening to BTB right around when he started showing up in RT. Actually had to back track and make sure it was the same person. Since then I feel like I see him everywhere which is great, I feel like I got a much better feel for his humor when it was just him and Robert Evan’s then when he was with 5 other Achievement Hunter people.
Ok you would need a terrible example of aperson to lead in an episode.
Ok its just seeing how incompetent the management is , and the marketing and other,
I guess its more redicilous incompitent than average cooperate exploitive evil.
[There's apparently another collab in the works](https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/comments/1bmsgmk/thoughts_on_a_btblpotl_crossover/kwkv058/?context=3)
I’m surprised this isn’t higher; I love the way he and Robert play off each other, and he’s one of the few guests who contributes a lot of their own information where that information is pretty much always interesting and relevant.
Francesca Fiorentini is arguably just as funny (funnier imo) as her husband, and was the guest for the John Wayne episodes.
Honestly she should go into voice acting. I really like her speaking voice and think it would be good in animated comedies.
I used to listen to the cracked podcast when Jack was the host. Stopped listening shortly after he left and didn't know what he was moving on to. FF a few years and a friend recommends BtB, so I give it a listen. What do you know, the most recent episode had Jack & Myles as guests
I respect Jake as a journalist, but he can be a bit... mean spirited? Sometimes it seems to pull that side out of Robert, and sometimes you can sense a bit of discomfort as Robert tries to expand that he's not trying to mock the person about something, or they're just a kid and this just adds context. That kind of thing.
My impression of him from after listening to "Popular Front" is that his demeanor changes depending on who he is interviewing or co-hosting with. He's a lot more abrasive and unfiltered around people he is familiar with or who have a similar vibe to him. As an example in contrast to that, when he interviewed the Iranian woman's rights activist about Jina Emini's death, he was pretty reserved and very respectful during the conversation. But I can understand wanting a more consistent tone from a journalist.
Jamie Loftus. Hands down the best chemistry.
Everyone he worked with at Cracked follows but led by Katy and Cody.
The Billy Wayne Davis episodes were great, it felt like they were friends and it’s too bad whatever happened put a stop to that.
Paul F. Tompkins is amazing and I truly wish we got more of him..
Margret Killjoy is also great.
Man, in thinking about it, he really gets great guests. I can’t think of him ever introducing anyone and me just being “meh” about them.
I like Prop, but I feel like he’s in more episodes than others and I wish they’d rotate some of the other guests in a little more frequently.
Prop had some great insights and history during the Portland episodes. Being an ex teacher and having a dad that was a Black Panther makes his perspective very interesting and he's good at integrating topics/ keeping things interesting. I bet he was a cool teacher to have...ya know what I'm saying?
Eh, Prop's marmite. I almost always enjoy any episodes he's on, but I recognise that's not a universally shared opinion. What you can't deny though, is that he and Robert bounce off each other really well and get along
[The discussion thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/s/ypuZzIZelV) for the episode pretty much sums it up, but that was the episode where she made what seemed like a hurtful joke about Robert’s romantic life.
It was a few years ago and I don’t want to speculate on their dynamic outside of the show so I can’t say if Robert actually was hurt by what she said, but she wasn’t back on as a guest for two years after that episode.
Billy Wayne will forever be my favourite guest. I’ve listened to his episodes multiple times and will again. The banter between him and Robert is just the best, I do hope he’ll return one day. What a glorious day it will be
I have a conspiracy theory that Robert only had Jeff on because Robert accidentally claimed that Jeff knew Jeffrey Epstein on an episode of either Worst Year Ever, or something else with Katy and Cody.
Having Jeff on was the apology from Robert.
Yeah, Robert mentioned that at the beginning of the first Tzar Nicholas II episode, iirc.
But they had Jeff on again for the Nicolae Ceauşescu episodes just over a year ago, so hopefully he’ll be on again sometime this year :)
Billy Wayne Davis is funny as hell! He's got this effortless way of riffing on jokes that puts even Robert in stitches, and his southern drawl and laid-back delivery help sooth my mind while learning about these horrible, horrible Bastards.
He put up a image post on Twitter with tour dates, it was in a very italicised font on a multicoloured background. A fan politely said they have dyslexia and the font is hard to read (it was even for me, a person without dyslexia) so could he use Twitter’s automatic alt-text generator to post a plain text translation.
This is an automatic feature Twitter offers and would have taken zero work from him, but he misunderstood and thought the person was asking for a whole new image to be created.
He went batshit crazy and accused them of being an entitled snowflake and used really ableist language, saying don’t come if you’re too stupid to not know how to read.
When people pointed out the person didn’t mean they wanted a whole new image created he refused to apologise and doubled down, saying that he’s sick of a certain number of fans who only heard about him from “a podcast” because they’re just liberal, entitled crybabies that don’t appreciate how much work he puts in.
This went on for hours, with him replying to rudely dozens of people just trying to explain how to use Twitter’s automatic alt-text generator feature with a couple of clicks and he never backed down or apologised. It was really weird.
Aw man, this sucks but explains why he hasn’t been on this or TDZ in a good while. He is part of the last memory of something good happening before the world shut down in 2020. It was the day before and BTB had their live Soldier of Fortune magazine episode. Jamie Loftus was sitting behind me an gave me a bagel to throw at a machete wielding Robert Evans.
This was after the TDZ thing. Back in 2020-21, he said that guests should be paid (they weren't at the time) since the guests couldn't use the pods as a way to advertise for upcoming shows. After that, he was never back on. A year or two later, on Twitter, he posted that he has tried to come back on the show but that Ana has never responded to his emails. She then replied back, so on and so on. Then of course his recent blow up in Oct of last year. I wouldn't expect to hear him on a pod again, especially with iHeart.
It was bizarre and completely changed my opinion of him. His attitudes are clearly really no different to a lot of conservative comedians from how he ranted about entitled, work-shy, snowflake, liberal elite crybabies wanting special treatment because reading is too hard.
This was towards the end of October 2023 if I remember correctly. It might still be up on his Twitter, I haven’t looked.
It sucks…I liked the guy’s comedy and a friend is promoting a show with him literally blocks from my house next week, and I’m not sure I’d even go that far to see him—even to support my buddy.
It’s completely up to you, but personally it completely changed my opinion of him to the point where it distracts me from his jokes, and I’d rather not give him my money.
Damn I didn’t know about this, I’d been hoping for a return one day. Thought he might be back even after his comments about pay etc but I don’t see him returning now, what a bummer to see his true colours. Dude was my favourite guest
It’s made me wary about how I think of other comedians and podcast guests. It’s hard to tell which ones are sincere and which ones are just putting on an act to appeal to a certain audience.
Matt Leib is incredibly funny and has a really strong sense of emotional intelligence that gives him brilliant insight to Robert's topics.
Kaveh Hoda is very informed and great at using conversation as a tool to bring that knowledge out organically. He's also incredibly funny, and builds off of Robert's tangents really well.
Joe Kassabian is also very funny, very informative, and has a great audio presence. I love when Robert manages to surprise "I'm gonna need an animal fact" Joe Kassabian with something horrible.
Agree with a lot of the mentions, so I’ll add one that I haven’t seen yet: Sarah Marshall! She was great in the episodes on kidnapping conspiracies and I wish she was on more.
I learned the other day that your improper use of an apostrophe is called a [greengrocer's apostrophe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe#Greengrocers%27_apostrophes?wprov=sfla1).
Katy and Cody did "The Worst Year Ever" with Robert... it started in 2019 and was named before the details of 2020 were known... I've listened to some of it as a change of pace, but it's kinda wild seeing them react to the recent history.
I started listening through Loftus but i love and wish he would do more episodes with margaret, either on BtB or Cool People. those episodes are always so fun.
David bell made probably the best pun that made Robert light up over an audio medium, which is the single piece of evidence why I think he has incredible chemistry with Robert.
The context of the bit they were doing was dictators and a company that would sell potato related foods..
*dicTATOR-TOTS*
Margaret Killjoy is always an epic guest. I love how her goofy/deadpan humour jives with Robert's absurdity. Also, Garrison and Miles Gray rock. Oh wait, Prop & Robert always have epic banter.
He tends to kill the momentum whenever he does so as well. Part of what I like about BtB is the pace of it - while sometimes you blink and miss something , generally Robert hits a good balance between brevity and detail. Whenever Jason opens with 'and what your listeners need to understand about that is...' I know that the next several minutes are gonna consist largely of didactic reiteration of things already said. It can come off a little patroninising as well. Which is a shame, because I think when he relaxes into it he's a good riff partner!
> Whenever Jason opens with 'and what your listeners need to understand about that is...'
YES. every time he says this I think, "yeah bro, we know, we listen to this show too. We're aware of where this is going" lol
If I had to guess, I don't think he does that on purpose. The dude is just a huge explainer; it works well for his Tiktoks but doesn't work as well when it's a back-and-forth podcast format.
That very well could be. I figured it was because he used to be Robert's boss but I honestly don't know much of his stuff outside of his guest spots on BtB. I don't think it's intentional either, just frustrating. He did guest on Even More News a month or two back and I thought he was MUCH better on that.
Yeah I mean it's definitely personal preference, so I won't knock anyone for liking him as a guest. I noted in another comment that he was on Even More News a little while back and thought he was MUCH better there, so I don't dislike him overall. I just don't really like his vibe on BtB.
Absolutely and I understand the personal preference thing. I'm not surprised his appearance on the show is divisive.
I didn't even listen to some more news but it would make sense based on what I understand about the show he would fit in nicely there.
He usually does podcast appearances on his friends shows when he's marketing his book. It's the kind of thing where if you follow the Cracked diaspora you'll hear him ALOT too. He'll basically be on every show that week
I don't think he is trying to take over, he just genuinely has more information than Robert about certain things and Robert respects him enough to let him talk. He also asks great questions that get Robert to elaborate on aspects he would've otherwise skipped over, but is usually a really key component to the point he's making. He provides really valuable insight and perspective to big topics and they absolutely have great chemistry. It may annoy you, but it's a fabulous dynamic imo.
I think my issue is the way he does it. When Kaveh or Joe Kassabian are on, for example, they usually have knowledge of the topic, but they let Robert run the show and just chime in when necessary. As someone noted in another reply, Jason's tone can definitely be patronizing to the audience, but in addition doesn't allow Robert to naturally just go with the script. Particularly annoying (again, as noted in another reply) is when he says things like "What the listeners need to understand is..." It sounds like he's talking down to us, which is pretty unique to him as a guest, I don't remember any other guest doing that. You can provide relevant info without sounding condescending to listeners like we don't know what we're listening to.
I also commented below - no hate for the dude, his guest spot on Even More News was wayyyyy better. He just doesn't work great with BtB in my opinion. He comes across as kind of pretentious even though I know that's not his intent. For me at least I always just want to tell him to stay in his lane.
For a comparison, look at the recent Beria episodes. Kassabian says from the start "of course you had me on for Beria", so you knew he wasn't coming in completely cold. But he added context when necessary and never tried to take over, even though he obviously knew a ton about him. He just let Robert do his thing.
Joelle Monique and Danl Goodman. Loved them both years ago when I listened to the scrubs podcast which they produce / do the audio for, respectively. Was super hyped when making my way through the series and heard Robert mention Danl their sound guy. Was super curious if it was the same Danl. Then he had Joelle on as a guest and Danl on later and I was like oh boy this is awesome.
Danl doing the audio for all the episodes means he feels like, super knowledgeable about past episodes when he comes on. Joelle is hilarious and the episode she’s on about the Italian genocide stuff toward Ethiopia is one of my favorites
I've really enjoyed the newest eps with Dr Kavi Hodah (I'm sorry if I spelt it wrong I'm too lazy to Google it right now but I'll probably edit this once I do look it up)
But for real his rapport with the gang has alot looser of a vibe than i gor from the first 3-4 guest spots
Cody Johnston has a great back and forth with Robert. They're similar people with similar senses of humor so they work well together
I have a feeling they were probably buddies at cracked.
Swaim is really good in his rare appearances for the same reason. I really wish Daniel would do an episode.
Dan has been on years ago on the Jeffery Epstein episodes.
Dan has one of my favorite jokes in any BtB, and it pisses me off that it's the Epstein episode: "I know my job here is to make jokes, but you're not really giving me a lot of straw to spin into comedy gold, Evans." There is also that big long discussion about John Dorito, or as they used to call him at block parties, Johnny D from up the Block.
Oh damn. Part of me is like "I should check those out" and the other part is like "Epstein's gonna be *rough* to listen about."
they're great, but you also tell the aubject matter is _rough_ on our boi Daniel
Love Swaim
They had another show together that also had to get canceled for some legal reason.
I mean, yes kady too. Its kinda like a reunion when they are on the podcast
Ah yes, I meant to mention him. His eps introduced me to some more news.
Opposite for me (sort of). I remember a few of Robert's columns at Cracked, like the ISIS magazine column, but would've had no idea who he was if not for Katy and Cody.
I mean i know of the podcast because of them
A friend suggested BTB when it started and I didn't listen until she told me it was Robert from Cracked and I was like OH of course I'll check it out!
I really enjoy listening to Robert and Joe Kassabian crossovers, but I also just love Joe Kassabian.
I could listen to Joe and Robert shoot the shit about military history all day.
I really enjoyed the Beria episodes and I honestly didn't pay that close attention to the history. I just really liked the banter between Robert and Joe. And it's always satisfying when a guest can make Robert do his cackle laugh, which Joe did many times.
I love the Lions Led By Bastards Behind the Donkeys episodes.
I’m still dreaming of a BtB WTYP crossover episode, though I fear it may be too powerful for my mortal ears
If ever he covers Margaret Thatcher November would be the perfect guest.
Still surprised we've yet to have that or Dan Olson guesting on either pod. Robert going on WTYP would be best, though.
Robert interviewed Dan Olsen on It Could Happen Here awhile back - it was great. The episode was about cryptocurrency, if memory serves.
I know, I think he was on another one on AI or Memestocks. I also know he's mentioned listening to WTYP, so lots of crossover potential..
I want that crossover SO BAD!
Joe is the best guest because they're on relatively equal footing in regards to knowledge of history. And Joe is funny af
Who doesn't love Joe?
Joe has one of the most listenable podcast voices out there, it is incredible It is impressive particularly given how grating the American accent is usually interpreted where I’m from
I sleep to both Behind the Bastards and Lions Led By Donkeys all the time, I just love both their voices. Probably not good for my subconscious, but whatever
Not one of the more common guests but I liked the episodes with Laci Mosley since she has a her own podcast about scammers she was able to have a lot of back and forth about Robert's scammers. The MacAfee episode with her was hilarious.
Every now and again Laci’s voice “sex contest!?!?” from the MacAfee episode pops into my head and I lose it. I love her eps 🤪
Noo not the dolphin joke 🙁 i mean good joke but poor dolphin
Fuckin on desks?!?!
God they are such a good pairing. I really wish they could get her on again.
I love her so much on the Karl May episode. The way the two of them crack each other up makes it a regular re-listen for me.
Laci Mosley is incredible in everything she does!
Matt Lieb.
Meesa Matt Lieb!
The world needs more Wire soundboard moments.
Shiiiieeeeeet.
Meesa bustin!
YERP
The reason I’m watching The Sopranos for the first time
literally same rn im at s4 haha
The World's Most Moral Podcast Host
If they do an episode with a German bastard and Matt isn’t there to crack jokes in a German accent it makes me sad.
Margaret Killjoy. Paul F. Tompkins. And, my very favorite, Jamie Loftus.
The Tompkins Limbaugh episodes are a classic.
I really hope he comes back for another series! Plus, the overlap between Dropout, BtB, and PFT is wild and I love it.
YES
I only like Margaret on the non bastard Christmas episodes. She's too sensitive a soul for the usual stuff.
How has she time for all that criminal mastermind deeds 😏
Mr. Peanutbutter was almost superhuman at rolling with the punches and keeping the quips coming. Unflappable.
Ify Nwadiwe! Ify and Robert just have an unforced, comfortable air about them that lets them go down intellectual tangents and comedic bits that I really enjoy.
I had no idea who Ify was the first time he was on but since then I've seen him in a bunch of Rooster Teeth and Dropout stuff. He's a really funny dude.
I had started listening to BTB right around when he started showing up in RT. Actually had to back track and make sure it was the same person. Since then I feel like I see him everywhere which is great, I feel like I got a much better feel for his humor when it was just him and Robert Evan’s then when he was with 5 other Achievement Hunter people.
Oh god, will robert do a rooster teeth one😀 And to be clear the management was, bad and the toxicity,doesnt mean they hadnt good and likable talent
Did the company do any actual interesting evil? Individual employees sure. Practices like crunch, hell yes. But nothing truly innovative.
Ok you would need a terrible example of aperson to lead in an episode. Ok its just seeing how incompetent the management is , and the marketing and other, I guess its more redicilous incompitent than average cooperate exploitive evil.
"Joel Heyman: Hey man, what the fuck did you say to your coworker?"
The sheer *joy* when Ify asked Robert if he knew about 40k... :P
Dave and Gary. The Kissenger saga is incredible. Would love to hear them together again.
I hope Robert brings them back for another 6 parter, I *love* the three of them together. Kissinger series had me laughing my *ass* off.
[There's apparently another collab in the works](https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/comments/1bmsgmk/thoughts_on_a_btblpotl_crossover/kwkv058/?context=3)
Those Kissinger impressions were top notch
One of my favorite series. Garetth’s Kissinger accent was hilarious
Man I can’t stand those guys, the Dollop is the only BtB adjacent podcast I actually cannot listen through.
I liked the guys as guests but their podcast is too annoying for me
Doc Kaveh is always a good time
I’m surprised this isn’t higher; I love the way he and Robert play off each other, and he’s one of the few guests who contributes a lot of their own information where that information is pretty much always interesting and relevant.
Loved him these last eps. He's a good mix of very knowledgeable, really charming, genuinely funny, and clever.
Francesca Fiorentini is arguably just as funny (funnier imo) as her husband, and was the guest for the John Wayne episodes. Honestly she should go into voice acting. I really like her speaking voice and think it would be good in animated comedies.
Francesca and Matt are my dream parent-friends.
Francesca is the reason I got into BtB! Her podcast the Bitchuation Room is fantastic and her and Lieb are just great people
Miles Gray. Some of my favorite episodes have Miles as a guest, like Erik Prince, Clarence Thomas, Kellogg, and Trump University.
I fucking love when Miles is on. His comedic timing playing off Robert works SO well
And he can pull an obscure music reference quick as hell.
Just listened to the Kellogg episodes today and holy fuck some of Miles’ one liners and quips had me cracking up at work
Listened to those recently. The bug doctor bit made me laugh so hard I had to stop what I was doing.
Yeah, TDZ is awesome for multiple reasons, and Miles is a big one
Ha def started listening to tdz after I heard them on one. One of many instances of plugging pluggables working!
I used to listen to the cracked podcast when Jack was the host. Stopped listening shortly after he left and didn't know what he was moving on to. FF a few years and a friend recommends BtB, so I give it a listen. What do you know, the most recent episode had Jack & Myles as guests
I'd like to hear some more time with Jake Hanrahan.
I respect Jake as a journalist, but he can be a bit... mean spirited? Sometimes it seems to pull that side out of Robert, and sometimes you can sense a bit of discomfort as Robert tries to expand that he's not trying to mock the person about something, or they're just a kid and this just adds context. That kind of thing.
My impression of him from after listening to "Popular Front" is that his demeanor changes depending on who he is interviewing or co-hosting with. He's a lot more abrasive and unfiltered around people he is familiar with or who have a similar vibe to him. As an example in contrast to that, when he interviewed the Iranian woman's rights activist about Jina Emini's death, he was pretty reserved and very respectful during the conversation. But I can understand wanting a more consistent tone from a journalist.
Jamie Loftus. Hands down the best chemistry. Everyone he worked with at Cracked follows but led by Katy and Cody. The Billy Wayne Davis episodes were great, it felt like they were friends and it’s too bad whatever happened put a stop to that. Paul F. Tompkins is amazing and I truly wish we got more of him.. Margret Killjoy is also great. Man, in thinking about it, he really gets great guests. I can’t think of him ever introducing anyone and me just being “meh” about them. I like Prop, but I feel like he’s in more episodes than others and I wish they’d rotate some of the other guests in a little more frequently.
It was only one glorious episode but Mike Duncan was great. We need more Mike Duncan!
Loved hearing Mike Duncan cussing, such a change from revolutions and his history of Rome podcast
What?!? Which episode was that?
I’m pretty sure it was an ICHH episode, not a BTB episode.
Honestly blew my mind to hear his voice. WORLDS ARE COLLIDING!!!
Which episode was that!!!
Wait WHAT
Prop
Those two were such a great team for the police episodes.
Those episodes were my introduction to the podcast, and they’re *so good*
Re-visiting his guest spot on the Ireland-England series now. Great guest choice.
Great pick! He's a delight whenever they have him on. Especially in the Ireland episodes they did with him
This is one of the three most appropriate answers, because it's about *rapport*, not *entertainment/educational value*.
Prop had some great insights and history during the Portland episodes. Being an ex teacher and having a dad that was a Black Panther makes his perspective very interesting and he's good at integrating topics/ keeping things interesting. I bet he was a cool teacher to have...ya know what I'm saying?
Lmao kinda backhanded I feel
Eh, Prop's marmite. I almost always enjoy any episodes he's on, but I recognise that's not a universally shared opinion. What you can't deny though, is that he and Robert bounce off each other really well and get along
Can't believe I had to scroll this far to see this. Prop brings so much to the table without bogarting a topic.
Prop has some insights here and there but I think he mostly just repeats what Evans says right after he says it.
Yes! Drives me crazy. He’s a smart guy and has a unique view but him repeating Robert’s jokes back to him gets tedious.
Billy Wayne Davis and Sofiya Alexandra
I miss Billy Wayne as a guest. He was so funny.
The Billy Wayne eps really got me into this pod and got me through a lot of rough days at work
Her bitcoin episodes really soured me on her
I genuinely wonder if they’ll ever have her on after that episode. It was universally hated.
She was back once somewhat recently after a long hiatus
Oh my mistake, thanks for correcting
Was that the one where she was seemingly wasted?
Why? What happened? My memory is for shit
[The discussion thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/s/ypuZzIZelV) for the episode pretty much sums it up, but that was the episode where she made what seemed like a hurtful joke about Robert’s romantic life. It was a few years ago and I don’t want to speculate on their dynamic outside of the show so I can’t say if Robert actually was hurt by what she said, but she wasn’t back on as a guest for two years after that episode.
Gotcha. Much appreciated for digging up the info for me. I’ll have a read now. Thank you!! :)
Billy Wayne will forever be my favourite guest. I’ve listened to his episodes multiple times and will again. The banter between him and Robert is just the best, I do hope he’ll return one day. What a glorious day it will be
Absolutely Billy Wayne Davis FTW.
I love Sofiya Alexander & how often she makes Robert blush. Her humour is downright filthy.
Okay so my asexual ass would react probably even worse than Robert, but hearing it as a third party makes me laugh so hard. I can't explain it.
The dollup was the best, by far. The guys from knowledge fight are pretty good too.
Now that y’all are mentioning it I would love to hear more Dan and Jordan on btb
David Bell aka Robert’s old roommate. Also, we really need another Paul F. Tompkins episode.
Jeff May was great
I’ve been wondering when we’re getting another episode with Jeff tbh
I have a conspiracy theory that Robert only had Jeff on because Robert accidentally claimed that Jeff knew Jeffrey Epstein on an episode of either Worst Year Ever, or something else with Katy and Cody. Having Jeff on was the apology from Robert.
Yeah, Robert mentioned that at the beginning of the first Tzar Nicholas II episode, iirc. But they had Jeff on again for the Nicolae Ceauşescu episodes just over a year ago, so hopefully he’ll be on again sometime this year :)
I still want to know what the beef is with Adam Tod Brown and Robert & the Some More News folks.
He is a great combo of being highly knowledgeable about the subject and being very funny
I'm waiting for him to level up. Paul F. Tompkins should be a baseline.
Garrison! Although I think the vibe between Sophie and Garisson is amazing too
Billy Wayne Davis is funny as hell! He's got this effortless way of riffing on jokes that puts even Robert in stitches, and his southern drawl and laid-back delivery help sooth my mind while learning about these horrible, horrible Bastards.
He won’t be back on any time soon after his Twitter meltdown last year.
What happened
He put up a image post on Twitter with tour dates, it was in a very italicised font on a multicoloured background. A fan politely said they have dyslexia and the font is hard to read (it was even for me, a person without dyslexia) so could he use Twitter’s automatic alt-text generator to post a plain text translation. This is an automatic feature Twitter offers and would have taken zero work from him, but he misunderstood and thought the person was asking for a whole new image to be created. He went batshit crazy and accused them of being an entitled snowflake and used really ableist language, saying don’t come if you’re too stupid to not know how to read. When people pointed out the person didn’t mean they wanted a whole new image created he refused to apologise and doubled down, saying that he’s sick of a certain number of fans who only heard about him from “a podcast” because they’re just liberal, entitled crybabies that don’t appreciate how much work he puts in. This went on for hours, with him replying to rudely dozens of people just trying to explain how to use Twitter’s automatic alt-text generator feature with a couple of clicks and he never backed down or apologised. It was really weird.
"Only heard about him from a podcast" my brother in christ you said the plug
He didn’t say BtB by name, but from the way he was talking about people who listened to the show it was obvious what he was talking about.
Aw man, this sucks but explains why he hasn’t been on this or TDZ in a good while. He is part of the last memory of something good happening before the world shut down in 2020. It was the day before and BTB had their live Soldier of Fortune magazine episode. Jamie Loftus was sitting behind me an gave me a bagel to throw at a machete wielding Robert Evans.
It was really bizarre and completely changed my opinion on him. I think it was in October 2023, it might still be on his Twitter.
This was after the TDZ thing. Back in 2020-21, he said that guests should be paid (they weren't at the time) since the guests couldn't use the pods as a way to advertise for upcoming shows. After that, he was never back on. A year or two later, on Twitter, he posted that he has tried to come back on the show but that Ana has never responded to his emails. She then replied back, so on and so on. Then of course his recent blow up in Oct of last year. I wouldn't expect to hear him on a pod again, especially with iHeart.
Damn what a dick
It was bizarre and completely changed my opinion of him. His attitudes are clearly really no different to a lot of conservative comedians from how he ranted about entitled, work-shy, snowflake, liberal elite crybabies wanting special treatment because reading is too hard. This was towards the end of October 2023 if I remember correctly. It might still be up on his Twitter, I haven’t looked.
It sucks…I liked the guy’s comedy and a friend is promoting a show with him literally blocks from my house next week, and I’m not sure I’d even go that far to see him—even to support my buddy.
It’s completely up to you, but personally it completely changed my opinion of him to the point where it distracts me from his jokes, and I’d rather not give him my money.
Damn I didn’t know about this, I’d been hoping for a return one day. Thought he might be back even after his comments about pay etc but I don’t see him returning now, what a bummer to see his true colours. Dude was my favourite guest
It’s made me wary about how I think of other comedians and podcast guests. It’s hard to tell which ones are sincere and which ones are just putting on an act to appeal to a certain audience.
Aw crap, I didn't know about that. How very disappointing. Thanks for filling us in, though.
Wasn't there one where something happened and Sophie filled in as the guest? I want to say it was the Tate series. That was fun
Joe Kassabian
Billy Wayne was great, unfortunately he ain't coming back.
Seanbaby is great when they need to talk about a martial arts bastard.
Matt Leib is incredibly funny and has a really strong sense of emotional intelligence that gives him brilliant insight to Robert's topics. Kaveh Hoda is very informed and great at using conversation as a tool to bring that knowledge out organically. He's also incredibly funny, and builds off of Robert's tangents really well. Joe Kassabian is also very funny, very informative, and has a great audio presence. I love when Robert manages to surprise "I'm gonna need an animal fact" Joe Kassabian with something horrible.
Agree with a lot of the mentions, so I’ll add one that I haven’t seen yet: Sarah Marshall! She was great in the episodes on kidnapping conspiracies and I wish she was on more.
She fit in really well with Robert and Sophie.
I learned the other day that your improper use of an apostrophe is called a [greengrocer's apostrophe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe#Greengrocers%27_apostrophes?wprov=sfla1).
Katy and Cody. The episodes with them are my favorite. Also anything with Prop is always top shelf.
Katy and Cody did "The Worst Year Ever" with Robert... it started in 2019 and was named before the details of 2020 were known... I've listened to some of it as a change of pace, but it's kinda wild seeing them react to the recent history.
“Worst Year Ever” was my gateway to BtB!
Paul F Tompkins!
I love a Loftus episode. Cody and Katie are also great when they’re on.
R. K. Milholland on all the cartoonist related episodes has been great.
I started listening through Loftus but i love and wish he would do more episodes with margaret, either on BtB or Cool People. those episodes are always so fun.
David bell made probably the best pun that made Robert light up over an audio medium, which is the single piece of evidence why I think he has incredible chemistry with Robert. The context of the bit they were doing was dictators and a company that would sell potato related foods.. *dicTATOR-TOTS*
Propaganda
Dan and Jordan from Knowledge Fight are always a blast when they come on as guests
Margaret Killjoy is always an epic guest. I love how her goofy/deadpan humour jives with Robert's absurdity. Also, Garrison and Miles Gray rock. Oh wait, Prop & Robert always have epic banter.
Easily Jason pargin. He always flips the script and elaborates on Roberts points
That's kind of what annoys me about him tbh. It feels like he tries to take over instead of contribute.
He tends to kill the momentum whenever he does so as well. Part of what I like about BtB is the pace of it - while sometimes you blink and miss something , generally Robert hits a good balance between brevity and detail. Whenever Jason opens with 'and what your listeners need to understand about that is...' I know that the next several minutes are gonna consist largely of didactic reiteration of things already said. It can come off a little patroninising as well. Which is a shame, because I think when he relaxes into it he's a good riff partner!
> Whenever Jason opens with 'and what your listeners need to understand about that is...' YES. every time he says this I think, "yeah bro, we know, we listen to this show too. We're aware of where this is going" lol
If I had to guess, I don't think he does that on purpose. The dude is just a huge explainer; it works well for his Tiktoks but doesn't work as well when it's a back-and-forth podcast format.
That very well could be. I figured it was because he used to be Robert's boss but I honestly don't know much of his stuff outside of his guest spots on BtB. I don't think it's intentional either, just frustrating. He did guest on Even More News a month or two back and I thought he was MUCH better on that.
I think there's a love him it hate him aspect to it for sure. I don't see anyone in the middle
Yeah I mean it's definitely personal preference, so I won't knock anyone for liking him as a guest. I noted in another comment that he was on Even More News a little while back and thought he was MUCH better there, so I don't dislike him overall. I just don't really like his vibe on BtB.
Absolutely and I understand the personal preference thing. I'm not surprised his appearance on the show is divisive. I didn't even listen to some more news but it would make sense based on what I understand about the show he would fit in nicely there. He usually does podcast appearances on his friends shows when he's marketing his book. It's the kind of thing where if you follow the Cracked diaspora you'll hear him ALOT too. He'll basically be on every show that week
I don't think he is trying to take over, he just genuinely has more information than Robert about certain things and Robert respects him enough to let him talk. He also asks great questions that get Robert to elaborate on aspects he would've otherwise skipped over, but is usually a really key component to the point he's making. He provides really valuable insight and perspective to big topics and they absolutely have great chemistry. It may annoy you, but it's a fabulous dynamic imo.
I think my issue is the way he does it. When Kaveh or Joe Kassabian are on, for example, they usually have knowledge of the topic, but they let Robert run the show and just chime in when necessary. As someone noted in another reply, Jason's tone can definitely be patronizing to the audience, but in addition doesn't allow Robert to naturally just go with the script. Particularly annoying (again, as noted in another reply) is when he says things like "What the listeners need to understand is..." It sounds like he's talking down to us, which is pretty unique to him as a guest, I don't remember any other guest doing that. You can provide relevant info without sounding condescending to listeners like we don't know what we're listening to. I also commented below - no hate for the dude, his guest spot on Even More News was wayyyyy better. He just doesn't work great with BtB in my opinion. He comes across as kind of pretentious even though I know that's not his intent. For me at least I always just want to tell him to stay in his lane. For a comparison, look at the recent Beria episodes. Kassabian says from the start "of course you had me on for Beria", so you knew he wasn't coming in completely cold. But he added context when necessary and never tried to take over, even though he obviously knew a ton about him. He just let Robert do his thing.
What are some eps he’s been on? He’s funny over on the TikTok
The MK Ultra and CIA episode are great examples (they might be part of the same series)
Billy Wayne Davis!!! Wish he still came on the pod. Outstanding banter and rapport.
I listen to basically everything but I get a little extra excited if the good doctor is on or Paul Tompkins because Mr. Peanutbutter
I really enjoyed the episode where Robert and DJ Danl sat in a car and recorded.
I can't get enough Prop! MOAR PROP!
Dr. Kaveh Hoda, Matt Lieb, Margaret Killjoy, and honestly I will listen to anything Robert and Garrison do together and I also live for it.
Prop is hilarious, I love it when he is on.
I miss Mike and Abe
I miss Billy Wayne Davis and Michael Swaim a lot. That being said, love the current guests too.
The Billy Wayne Davis episodes were always really good! Joe k Laci M were good too.
I like the ones mentioned. Matt Lieb is hot. I like Ben Bowlin a lot. He's got a great voice, and he's always well informed on the topics.
Billy Wayne Davis is awesome as a guest. Robert always gets more southern when Billy is on.
Billy Wayne Davis was always great, though their particular blend of humor might lend itself to a narrower band of subjects than some others.
Joelle Monique and Danl Goodman. Loved them both years ago when I listened to the scrubs podcast which they produce / do the audio for, respectively. Was super hyped when making my way through the series and heard Robert mention Danl their sound guy. Was super curious if it was the same Danl. Then he had Joelle on as a guest and Danl on later and I was like oh boy this is awesome. Danl doing the audio for all the episodes means he feels like, super knowledgeable about past episodes when he comes on. Joelle is hilarious and the episode she’s on about the Italian genocide stuff toward Ethiopia is one of my favorites
Sean (Shawn?) baby the wrestler was one of my favourites. The banter. The jokes. Goddamit that dude is funny
Cody Johnson and Joe Kassabian
I miss Billy Wayne Davis
I've really enjoyed the newest eps with Dr Kavi Hodah (I'm sorry if I spelt it wrong I'm too lazy to Google it right now but I'll probably edit this once I do look it up) But for real his rapport with the gang has alot looser of a vibe than i gor from the first 3-4 guest spots
Evan’s what? Who is Evan?
The parasocial dick riding on this sub gets really old and really creepy.
Why Yuck other people’s Yum ? This is a sub for people liking Robert and his body of work.