Matt Jones

Hi, everybody. Welcome to episode two of the Matt Jones Show. Thank you guys very much for making episode one and the show successful. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. It's been wonderful to get the response. This is what we were hoping for. So every week, we're going to do two episodes, one of which will air on radio in Kentucky, and then the other of which will be on here.

What was that series where they used to just randomly assign them the cars? Yeah. What was that called? They'd bring people from all the different organizations and it would be on ESPN. IROC.

Live and golf. I think they've done – Exactly right. To a smaller version, I think they've done the same thing.

Yeah, USC and UCLA to the Big Ten I think was a huge mistake. Well, let's just switch. I'll come back to NASCAR in a second. Let's just take this line of thought, and I want to see what you think of this. This is my thesis about college football and basketball.

College basketball, I think NIL and the transfer portal have actually oddly helped because it has made it to where a lot more teams are good. Because guys are staying longer, the level of play is higher. I think the last year in college basketball, especially in the SEC, is the best it's ever been, in my opinion. So I actually think it has oddly really helped college basketball.

Now, college football, I think, is different because it has so many players and it has so many things you have to deal with. I think it has made it... people turn off the college football from January to September. But yet when the games start, I still think everybody's back all in. The ratings were high. I thought the quality of play was good.

So while I think it's been universally a positive for college basketball, I kind of have mixed emotions about it for college football. What do you think?

Okay.

That's true. There's a rhythm to the sports calendar all year. We kind of know what's supposed to happen every year. And then when you mess that up, that's an interesting point.

When I went to law school and I was going to Duke, it wasn't like I was going up in the Northeast. My professor said to me, you need to work on your voice or all of those folks will think you're dumb. And I actually thought that was bad advice because I thought the voice kind of helped. People underestimate you, Ryan, and then you can prove them wrong.

I'm going to give you a few arguments that I make on my show about college sports and see if you agree or disagree. So one was the one I just made. The second one is there was this worry with the portal. Oh no, parity's going to go away. A few teams are going to load up. And I actually kind of bought that, but I actually now think the opposite is happening, at least in football.

Basketball's slightly different. But in football... Dudes don't want to stay and be second team at Georgia and Alabama. They'd rather go to Kentucky and South Carolina and start. And it's actually made it to, especially as the season goes on where injuries come into play, it has actually added some parity. Do you agree with that?

And his brother, who's annoying, but still gets a lot of attention.

Yeah, I do too. I think the contracts will be an interesting adjustment to it. But I would look at all these sports and say, isn't it good for football that the Indiana game mattered last year, whereas it would not have mattered? The playoff made me care about games that I didn't care about before. I go to basketball, and when the tournament starts, now St. John's matters again.

And that hasn't happened in a long time. And then you go to baseball, and Kentucky had never made the College World Series, year. I think it just makes more people be interested in the sport, right?

I mean, I watched Boise State play Nevada in that last game because I wanted to see if they would make the playoff. And, you know, Kentucky was bad last year, but I went in. There's a video I get mocked about a lot on the line. But I started the season and I go, you know, there's a path for Kentucky to go to the playoff. Go 9-3. These are the games they could win.

I would have never had that conversation before. It's nice just to have that possibility out there.

Because a lot of them came from working at those schools, right? It's kind of like the WWE. The WWE, we all know it's fake. But there are people who think they screw up when they just acknowledge it outright. Like, let us live in this fantasy world. Don't make it to where you essentially say this is fake, which sometimes I think they walk the line of doing. Now, I see you're a Tennessee guy.

You got a Tennessee Vols helmet there behind you. There is... Maybe you know more about it than me, but I've been struck at how little has been reported about this state law in Tennessee that they just passed basically saying, hey, Tennessee doesn't have to follow any of the NCAA rules.

And then Ross Dellinger reported that the conferences are coming together and going to make all the schools sign something that says you follow our rules or you're gone. Is that something that could happen or is that just bluster?

I like it.

Really?

Yeah.

So you think that will happen? You think they will pass federal laws on NIL and stuff? They should, but you think they will?

You needed to be rescued by them or something like that. Yeah, that's it. I like that. Well, so I have a lot of stuff I want to talk to you about. But real quick on being Southern and on ESPN, I joke. We're on ESPN Radio. You do Marty and McGee, and I do Matt and Myron. Did you know we're the two longest-running ESPN Radio shows now? Did you know that?

They're tired of it. Corey Booker and Ted Cruz are going to decide the future of college sports.

Yeah, I actually really like that. All right, so one of the things that people want to hear about is when you know people in actuality. So I'm going to ask you a couple questions, and I want you to give me the name that comes to your mind first when you say this. All right, let's talk coaches first. Who is, in your mind, the nicest coach that you've dealt with?

If you're just saying as a human being, the nicest coach.

Well, I'm going to ask you that in a minute.

Okay.

You think that keeps him an extra year at Arkansas? It's hard to fire a nice guy. We had that issue with Tubby at Kentucky. It's tough.

Yeah.

Because I find him – see, from afar, he seems like the worst. But is he not?

That's right. I forgot about that.

All right, so this one you may not want to answer, but which one is the least nice? I'm not going to say a jerk, but, you know, I've seen you.

Hey, well, there you go. I think I got that.

No self-help person, especially when they need help. Funniest coach. Who makes you laugh the most?

Oh, that's awesome.

And you were in Pullman, which is like the word Pullman. Well, he was really into politics, wasn't he?

Yeah.

I dated a woman who he knew, and one time – he was calling to check on the person to just see how she was doing. And he said, she said, I'm with so-and-so. And he said, let me hand him the phone. And I did not know Mike handed me the phone. And he said, I hear you're a good guy, but if you ever screw up, you're going to wish you didn't. And then that was it. That was the other conversation.

That was, that's my only time ever interacting with Mike Leach. So, you know, at least he, he had that. Do you, you mentioned the politics thing. I, I'm always fascinated by somebody who works in college sports, especially in football, but it would also be true in basketball.

These coaches are dealing with groups of players, often young African-American men, that come from families that would tend to lean to the left, generally speaking. And a lot of coaches, if not all, but a lot, tend to lean the other way politically.

In times like this where it seems like that's so much more a part of the culture than it was when you and I were kids, I didn't know what people were growing up. Do you think that ever comes into play or just like they just put it all aside and play? It's sports.

That's true.

Okay.

I was going to say, did you have Fritz or Strom?

And we'll put both episodes on the podcast feed. But really, there'll be one that is kind of podcast only, and we're going to start this one with an old friend of mine, Ryan McGee. He's done writing for ESPN for a long time, used to work on RPM Tonight. He covers college football and auto racing. More importantly, a smart guy with good Southern North Carolina roots.

You and I are totally in agreement on that.

Well, I hope we haven't lost that because I agree with you. That is feels like we have. You know, it does. Although I do wonder when the cameras are off, if they're still doing it. There's a part of me that thinks there's a guy here in Kentucky that's a representative. Jamie Comer is very right wing.

And he told me once that AOC, who's very left wing, they were on a committee together and he talked about how much they liked each other. And I remember thinking, and then I saw him the next day, and he went on TV, and he blasted her. And I was thinking, you just told me the day before that you liked her. And that annoyed me in some ways.

We got on it, yeah.

They think you're a redstone.

That's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you on.

See, I think more reasonable people like you should talk about this stuff because you are more like most Americans than the people we hear on TV. Let me ask you about a completely opposite end of the serious spectrum. You are in the state of,

I admit to being not proud of myself for how much I enjoy the Belichick story, but I am pretty – but I can't – I mean, when I saw he renamed his boat, like I can't help but want to talk about it. What do you think? I mean, you've been around North Carolina football, and now this whole thing has plopped in, and you talk to college football coaches who also have to have opinions on it.

What's your take on all of it?

Yeah.

But what are those all those old guys that wear that I see at UNC basketball games that dress, you know, in the in the quarter zips and they wear that? What do you think they think about this circus? Because because UNC is not a circus place. They're a place that takes themselves seriously as an academic institution, as they think of themselves as classy and cultural.

Like, what do you think they make of all this?

Yes.

but you're interested in the story like it's a good story guys in carolina blue and bring up the girlfriend because so you are interested in it like don't don't oh yeah okay because we have a mutual friend bomani i had him on we talked about how interested we were in it don't make us feel alone in this you know no no no and bomani bomani was a triangle guy like me i grew up raleigh yes so it

And I lived in the triangle. I went to Duke.

I mean, he went to the Holiday Inn Express in Portland, Maine for the Miss Maine contest. I mean, Ryan, come on. Come on. That's one of the craziest things of all time.

How could they not have done the reality show? I would watch every episode of the reality show. She can even be a producer. What do I care?

Oh, did you like that?

The Secret Lives of Mormon. Was that good? I watched one episode and I tapped out. Did you get through all of it?

Yeah, I love Selling Sunset.

Well, they had that girl from Kentucky. She was on there the first few years. She was great. All right, before I let you go, the NASCAR thing real quick. We've had long conversations about what NASCAR can do, what they can't do, their problems they've had, et cetera. Is NASCAR in 2025 upswing or downswing?

I see Rick Mast made it, or was it Harry Gant?

Handsome Harry Gant got in. That's a name from the past.

She didn't even know.

Was that the peak I was just sitting here talking with Billy about? I said the peak was like 96 to 2003. Is that kind of what you think was the peak?

Yeah.

Most powerful moment for me as a sports fan outside of my team, so outside of the Kentucky wins, the 85 Bears, et cetera, I would say Earnhardt dying is the most powerful moment of my sports fan life. Would you agree with that?

You're 2015. We started in 2018. And not only are we the two longest, we're the only shows that have survived COVID, right? Which is crazy. Shows you how much turnover is in that business. And it's interesting. It really has changed because when we started – You guys, I thought, were the only people doing like a personality based, not just sports thing.

That is amazing. And they had a bunch of them leading up to it, like Kenny Irwin.

It could happen.

Yeah, good stuff. Ryan, thank you very much, and we appreciate your time.

I love it. Let's do it.

And then the first after a couple of years, I tried to do it. I didn't feel comfortable doing that the first time because I thought they wanted me to be football guy. And now it feels like everyone's trying to do that.

Yes, it was awesome.

But you guys, I do appreciate this, and I thank you for this. My first handful of episodes on ESPN were on your show. You guys would be gone. It would usually be around Derby or Preakness or something, and they'd have me on. The worst episode of radio I've ever done in my life was on your show, which was the very first one with Nicole Briscoe, who couldn't have been worse to me.

I won't make you comment on that. But after that, I usually worked with you when Marty was at horse races, and that's what ended up getting me the job. So I always have appreciated it.

I think it's great to have the little bit of Southern culture we bring to Bristol. And this is a big weekend for you. You do a lot of college football, a lot of auto racing. So this is the, this, you said to me, this is May for college basketball people. That's what we would say. This is March.

And there's not a lot of us in sports media, actually, from the South. Worked with him on ESPN, and he actually put me – on the radio for my first time with ESPN. So we talked to him a little bit earlier today, and it's a big week with all the motorsports on Memorial Day. So we'll check it out. And then on episode three, we'll have Crystal Ball, my good friend who works in politics.

So I want to go through on, would you, first of all, would you say Memorial day Sunday is the biggest day of the year for auto racing in America? Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah. And what's cool is when I was a kid, that was the only time I ever watched racing was that day. Yeah. Now that changes as I got older. But when I was a kid, that was it.

It's also a day to kind of look back and go, OK, what's happened in the last few years? Let's start with the first thing in the morning, the F1. So I find F1 racing to be horrendously boring. And that's because I probably grew up with NASCAR, watching people rubbins racing and passing and all that. And even on the best tracks, there's not a lot of passing in F1.

And then you get one to Monaco, there's like no passing. But it has become a spectacle and a phenomenon because of the Netflix show. But there's also become like a party sort of social atmosphere, which I think existed in Europe forever, but now exists in America to races. Have you been surprised how F1 has kind of captured this segment of the American sporting public?

Is that right? I didn't know that.

They're like jets on wheels.

So we go from Bomani to Ryan to Crystal Ball. That episode should be out probably Thursday night or so. So with that. Ryan McGee. All right, episode two here of the Matt Jones Show. And you know, when I started these, I wanted to get people early on that I knew who've done these before who I know I can talk to and are fun to be around and interesting. And Ryan McGee of ESPN fits all of those.

Yeah.

And the people, I think part of it, the people are good looking, right? Usually the drivers, it's so weird because when we were growing up, the NASCAR drivers were the opposite of good looking. They would be the least good looking people on earth. These people are handsome. They have like amazing hair, clothing, everyone. it looks like they could come out of a Chanel ad.

And I think some people just like it for that. I mean, the only people I know that go to the F1 Miami race are women that go in the best fashion they have. And I'm like, that's so different than going to Martinsville in Virginia. Yeah.

Yeah.

That's coming at the Derby too now. The Derby is intentionally bringing these TikTok influencers in. And I walked around a lot of the Derby on Oaks on Friday. And there were all these people that people were going crazy for. And I was like, I don't know any of these people. And that made me feel... I felt old at my own Kentucky Derby for the first time. So...

It is a thing.

You and I, we could have been influencers. Like, why not? We could have been Josh Richards.

So the race, the F1 race is always terrible at Monaco, but it's worth seeing. And I saw that you have to pay like $280,000 to just pull your yacht to where you can see it. Then you go to Indy, the Indy 500. And I will admit, I tuned out on the Indy 500 for years. Just kind of, I think after Ari Leyendijk, I was just kind of done for a long time.

He does college football. He does auto racing. And he's also a good Southerner, one of the few people on ESPN with a voice sounding like mine. Ryan, thank you very much. How you been?

And then in the last few years, I've started turning it on. It may have started the COVID year or soon after Indy, And I do agree with you. It's a lot more entertaining, even though I don't know the people in it anymore. It is. The racing is like kind of crazy good. Why is that?

If anything, he probably needed it. He seemed like he was more on a downer. At no moment did I think Joe Biden was on cocaine right now.

Billy, I know you're not a big political guy. Was there any moment, though, during that election where you thought, it looks to me like Joe Biden's on cocaine?

Is that what she called him in episode three?

Nice callback. But you didn't think he was on cocaine?

Being in a locker does, you know, if it were on the ground, we've been in the White House. I didn't take cocaine, but I can see where just so many people in and out falls out of their pocket. If it's in a locker. I like we've been in the White House.

Do you think it's possible? Like, okay, look, I was in there. Maybe my cocaine dropped out of my pocket.

I mean, it's plausible. If we're walking around in the White House aimlessly, which we did, and it tells me a lot of people are trampling through there. The fact that it's in a locker does suggest someone with a little bit of importance or access. You know, when we were in the White House, well, does it?

I mean, did the general public have lockers?

Again, is this like a Planet Fitness?

Is it one of those where you put in the code and you have to remember it? I hate those. Oh, I hate those. Even like a hotel room.

Spas. If you go to a spa and they make you put the code in and then I forget which locker is mine.

Yes, that's exactly right.

Then you got to get somebody with the universal key. You don't think that they should just have lockers for the general public.

When we were there, I don't remember like a here's your cubby, put your coat in.

You know what struck me about the White House when we were there is how kind of terrible it is. It's very old. It's old.

Of course it's old, but it wasn't touched up very well.

Yeah, I mean, I've been to this, like when we were in Amsterdam, we went to the Netherlands, like presidential palace. And it's awesome. The White House kind of sucks on the inside. Like most of the offices don't have windows.

There's like brown just goo on the ceiling tiles.

I picture just all this luxury. Maybe it's been touched up since we were there. But I mean, it was amazing being in the White House. But it was like, y'all should maybe consider a renovation around here a little bit.

I agree with that. And maybe more cocaine. Maybe there's not enough cocaine.

I'm with your original question. Okay, it's been a while. I'm not saying you should excuse it, but okay, they find it. How much time are we wasting searching for this person? We got a lot going on.

Dan Bogino ran a podcast. He literally got the job. He was like Billy. It was as if I became president and just made Billy the FBI director.

Yeah, but you'd have one of the offices that doesn't have a window.

If you were to go to Reddit and look at the Dan Levitard show, it's all discussion about what Bomani said. Yeah.

That was another thing. The office we went to, it was very small, very confined space.

Just felt like, almost felt like as an old- We met that one woman that's now the governor of Arkansas. Sarah Sanders? Huckabee? Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We met the press secretary. Yeah, she was nice. Now, she had a nice office, but most of the White House is not nice. All right, what's another good one? Number two. What's number three?

Where were they?

I saw they caught a guy. He was just sleeping on a public bench. Someone just walked by and recognized him. I'm not an expert. Someone just walked by and saw the guy? Yeah, he was just asleep. I would have maybe not slept in public under a streetlight if I were him knowing there's a manhunt for me. But that's how one of them got caught.

So there's two still gone. Yes. I thought that there was not a way people could still escape prison. I thought it was we had a pretty tight like I thought it was only in movies that you could do it. You said there was another one.

Yeah, I don't know if I have anything like that in me to get that kind of attention, but I am excited to get the band back together here under your new format. Just wait until you hear what he says about Mike Greenberg.

So this was a former sheriff. Former Arkansas police chief. And he was in prison for doing something horrendous. Grant Hardin. And he just put on a fake mustache and a badge and walked out? And is still on the loose.

We've got to stop with the holes behind the toilet. I feel like that's the way everyone goes. I think they did it in Shawshank, prison break. That's the first place I'm checking if I'm a warden.

So, yeah, you think the first thing you should do is fix all holes behind the toilet.

It's either the hole behind the toilet or there's like a supermodel poster, and if you pull it down, they've been digging for like six months. There's not that many places they can go, yet they continue to get away with it.

So I decided, you know, we can't do sports gambling picks. So I decided we'd do something every few weeks on this show where you and I take like the top 10 news stories that are going on and we give our thoughts on them. Do you like that idea? I like that idea. Kind of like, you know, there's a lot of these comedy bros that sit and talk about things, but they're idiots most of the time.

I wonder if it was like a sexy cop outfit he got on. It was real short shorts. I'm trying to find a picture of it. I don't see the disguise. Wow, so still on the loose.

There he is. Wait a minute. That does say police on the back of it. Looks like he got it at Halloween Express. All right, see ya. That's another thing I've never understood. I didn't know the regular police. The FBI, they always wear those jackets that say FBI on it. I'd be like, don't you want to be a little more discreet?

And it's not even that unique of a font. I feel like you could fake that. It's just the yellow basic block, you know. Yeah. Tom's New Roman, whatever you call it.

I've been to many Halloween parties where people were wearing that with, like, underwear.

It also says his nickname is the Devil in the Ozarks. Sounds like a guy we need to find soon.

Oh, man. Well, at least according to that TV show, there are bad people in the Ozarks.

And if he's the devil... Are all of Billy's topics going to be so serious? This is intense. Well, it gets less and less serious as we go on.

I think his topics have been good so far.

No, they're good, but they're very... Well, they're hard-hitting.

This is a hard-hitting news program.

It's poised. Everyone, Billy says it's poised.

Okay, so what state is this again?

So this is poised to happen. All right, I'm going to, you know, Texas is run by Republicans. I think I'm for this. This is going to be my hot MAGA take. MAGA Matt. MAGA Matt. I think social media – I'm not saying there's no value to it. There is value. But I do think it does more harm than good for young people because I think it gives them an altered sense of self, reality, and also self-esteem.

So I'm – I'm good with this. As far as the First Amendment argument, I mean, we don't let 18-year-olds under 18, like, buy porn. Carry a gun. Yeah, I mean, there are things we can do when people are under 18. I'm okay with it. What about you?

I might do 16. If you're driving, what's it hurt to have an Instagram? What's it hurt to be on your phone? I don't know. All right. Touche. But I completely agree. Go out in the street, play with your friends, talk to people. There's too many people growing up in this street.

Yeah. Where are you living in Mayberry?

Come home when the streetlights come on. But no, there's too many people are growing up in just complete isolation without any real world experiences. And they're just and everyone is fake on the Internet. You only show your best self. They just hang on just a second.

Stop saying everyone's fake on the internet. Are you trying to tell me this message that I got from Bonita in Argentina who says she wants to meet me because I look interesting? Wait a minute. Oh, Gabrielle just wrote. Oh, Gabby. Stop. She said that she looked at my profile and I seem fun.

Yeah. How much Bitcoin does she want from you?

And we are only kind of idiots. Definitely comedy bros, though. Listen, you should see me at the mothership in Austin. Now, the other voice you hear there is Billy. And I like to incorporate Billy. And so we have Drew Franklin. This is Billy Rutledge. So here's what I decided to do, Drew. I'm going to have it to where Billy picks the top 10 news stories that he believes are

So far, she hasn't asked for any. She probably likes me.

I'm getting a lot of those, too. It's like, hey, I found your profile. No, you didn't. Zero followers. Anyway, but... Go out, make some real-life friends, have some real-life problems. The internet will be there for you when you're later. But I'm worried too many kids are growing up just looking at their screens where everything is perfect in everyone's world. The world's not perfect.

Go outside and experience it for a little bit, especially when you're young.

We still get on the Internet. You can't be on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. When is the last time you saw something on Instagram or Facebook that changed that you think was necessary to know?

Like what's the last thing you saw on TikTok that broadened your horizon? And it can't be Carl Towns going, SEC. Zesty Towns.

Also, Billy has a host of 16-year-olds that he makes go around town fixing sinks.

One more serious point for our argument. There's a lot of creeps that message underage people on the internet and it would keep them from having access to them too.

That is maybe the best point. Thank you. That's a very good point. So MAGA Matt, I would vote with the Texas House and Senate. I actually think that it should be a bipartisan thing that we need to start controlling the access on this particular thing, AI. Okay. I'm, I'm, I'm officially worried about what's going to happen with AI.

I mean, there are stories now that like AI is telling people that they're going to beat them up, you know, and then. AI is like, don't talk to me like that. Fix your attitude.

Exactly.

And then I just read an article in New York magazine about how chat GPT Like universities just have no idea what to do with it. Like no idea. Because now it's so sophisticated that kids will write it and go, write an essay the equivalent of what an A student at my school would write about this topic. So it's not too good. What are you supposed to do?

And that's just the beginning of it too. I use ChatGPT. I always say thank you at the end because when they do turn on us, I at least want to be on their good. I hope they remember years of me saying you look nice today, ChatGPT. Thank you for the help, ChatGPT. Oh, you think over time. When they build the nuke on their own, I hope they remember me over in Kentucky. You know what?

Drew was polite over these years. That's a friendly guy.

Always thank your local robot. All right. MAGA Matt with one vote for the Texas legislature. All right. That was what? Number four? That was four. All right. What's number five?

Another...

Hard to get out when it's over. Yeah, I still, I mean, I know it becomes, I still hate Bitcoin. I still don't know what it is. I still don't know why you would do it. I still don't know why people put money in it. Like, it's not real. It's just, it's fake. But people do it, and so they make money from it. But it feels like tomorrow. You want to talk about AI?

What's going to stop AI from just stealing everyone's Bitcoin? Because it's not backed up by law, why don't people just steal it? I mean, I saw in New York, did you see the thing? They kidnapped a guy and tortured him to take his Bitcoin password. Like, that was awful. I mean, it just feels like I don't understand why our society is encouraging.

are worth us discussing. And we'll call the show, when we do it, Top 10.

First of all, I would venture to say most of the transactions done are illegal. There's no way to trace it. Why do we want this?

I have a little Bitcoin, and I still don't even know how it works. But I got it years ago, so I'm not mad about the returns on it.

I like that. I also like the not knowing any direction Billy might go. He's a mysterious guy. So here's what I told Billy.

Oh, it's got to be worth a ton.

Yeah, it does remind me. I had a friend one time. He said, hey, I'm thinking about buying a whole Bitcoin for $5,000. And I talked him out of it. And it is now, it just hit $110 this week. He reminds me often. Like, he was about to hit buy Bitcoin. I'm like, don't do that.

But if you lose your password, it's gone, right?

Lots of people have lost a lot of Bitcoin. There's even like one famous guy who had just a ton.

See, I've never, I can't, I have an American Express. And I don't think I've ever remembered my password. That card has had 750 passwords. What will end up happening is I will do something and be like, okay, because you have to have names, numbers, symbols.

Oh, I could show you. Well, I won't show you my password, but it's intense. You don't just put like hot dog two. It's a whole paragraph.

But what ends up happening is when I'm doing it, I will put whatever was on my mind at that point. Right? So now I would be like Callaway Chrome Tour Golf Ball 750. But then if I don't log in for a month, I'm not going to remember I was thinking about Callaway Chrome Tour. So if I had a Bitcoin, I know I would lose the password.

Billy, your instructions were this. Find things that are both newsy, entertaining, maybe occasionally sports. But I said pick 10. Make the most important ones number one. and then we'll go down. Rather than going least important to most, this will be most important to least, like at the top of the show. And you had 24 hours to do it. How do you think you did? Now, we don't know what he's doing.

Or some people, you just store it yourself on like a USB. I would absolutely lose that. I've considered moving some to something like that. I would lose it within a week. I have lost...

Approximately 145 pair of Shady Ray sunglasses. And Bitcoin's not backed with the guarantee. Exactly. I can't take it in and get it. And then the other thing is, you know, money is a fake concept anyway. The only reason it exists is because the government backs it up. But Bitcoin is backed up by nothing. Right? Right.

There's some big network of something or other. Well, they always say there's a blockchain. Yeah, the blockchain. But I don't know what that means. You can see all the transactions.

But what is a blockchain? And they say computers have to work to dig more blocks. What does that even mean?

Oh, in college, I lived with four dudes. One of them never went out with us. This was in 2007. We would be at McCarthy's every night. Why didn't so-and-so come out? He would sit at home in our basement and mine Bitcoin using our power. I don't even know what that meant. Tell me what that phrase means, though, to mine Bitcoin. What does that mean? He had a room in the basement.

He had a bunch of computers. Our electrical bill would come at the end of the month. We'd yell at him. And it was a zillion dollars, right? And we would tell him he owes us more. We would go back to drinking, and he'd be like, I like this Bitcoin thing. There's no telling how much money he made off of it, because this was 18 years ago. But I want to go back.

What is mining Bitcoin? What does that mean?

It's something your computer's constantly running and creating. I'm going to sound like an idiot.

So why do you have to mine it? Why can't you just... Okay, so if I mine for gold, at the end... I have gold, a physical product. When I mine Bitcoin, and gold, by the way, was in the ground.

Yeah.

California had a lot of it. If I'm mining Bitcoin, at the end, do I have a Bitcoin? You've got some Bitcoin. Very, very small amounts at a time. Where was it before?

Because the gold was in the ground. Where was the Bitcoin? Somehow, when all these computers, I don't know.

But where was it?

It's been... Somehow in this network, when you get in there and you're plugged in and they're using your power and your internet, it's creating Bitcoin. But from what? I don't know. I have some.

I don't even know how it works. I get the idea of what a fake currency is like. I don't understand the mining part.

I know, but what do you mean adding public?

What does that mean, validating transactions? Why can't they just be validated?

They need your computer to validate it.

Why?

I have no idea. I just know what my electrical bill was on Big Bear Lane.

See, this all continues to be my belief, and it's becoming less and less likely that I'm correct, that this is all insane. Now, of course, you get the biggest grifter of all time, Donald Trump, as president now, so all of this is getting validated.

Talking about not taxing the gains on it, too.

That's also crazy. Why would you do that? Exactly. Now you have an incentive to not invest in companies that actually exist and employ people. You have an incentive to invest in... Whatever that is.

That's exactly what Trump did. He just created a coin called Trump. And then the next day created a coin called Melania. And everyone does this.

There's a fart coin. They're like, they don't even pretend with the name.

I just can't. It seems to me like on paper, it should be utterly illegal. And yet, it's just what we do now.

It's our digital currency. Even though I don't know how it works.

I got off track. It's the future.

I don't know. There are Bitcoin experts listening just thinking we sound like complete idiots. But I don't understand it.

I am an idiot on this. But I will still contend. You mark this down. This is all coming to a head one day. And it's going to be bad. All of this Bitcoin thing, like the economy is going to crash one day. And we'll be able to point back to that. And I'll have this episode where I said it. All right, what's number six?

I feel like I'm on a game show. I don't know what screen's going to flip over. And you need to have a reaction. You haven't studied it at all.

Macron.

Yes. No, his girlfriend smacks him or something?

After you watch the video, his facial expression, what's your, what's your, Elon is forcing this video on me on, on my Twitter. So a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't escape the Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese algorithm. I was begging to get out of it. Anytime I went to my for you page, it was Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese algorithm. In the last 24 hours, I cannot escape this video.

I don't know why they're trying to feed it to me. I'm getting conspiracy theories about him and his wife. I don't care about any of it. But if I pull up my phone right now, Billy, and showed you my For You page, I bet it's him getting pushed in the face. Well, a younger generation found out.

Well, you can't see her, so you don't know if she's kidding or not. Is he saying she's kidding?

I could be completely in the dark on some of these topics, but we'll wing it.

Well, you can't be bickering and joking.

See, that's a bad explanation. If she had just said, oh, she's kidding, I'd have a bit bickering and joking. Those two things don't go together. shoved him in the face.

I saw it. The best part is when he sees the camera and gives the cheesiest smile and wave.

You see, I thought he was not president anymore. Is he still president?

He also has a cocaine scandal, according to all the info I keep getting that I don't want. What's his cocaine scandal? There was like he was meeting with other leaders and let the media in. Oh, I saw that.

And it's almost like Billy reads us the news. Billy, how do you feel about your assignment and how do you think you did?

That was stupid. It was a napkin. And everybody said, yeah, I saw that one. He had like there were like six presidents and people said they had cocaine on the table when they let the media in. Does anybody really believe that they just like, hey, we're the six most powerful people in Europe. Let's just pull out the coke. Let's solve the world's problems.

You think they all just were snorting during the... I can't get away from this guy on social media. I don't want him there.

Yeah, that's objectively weird. But that's objectively weird. But French people are weird about that stuff. Like French people look at sex, Billy, very differently than we do. Oh, they do. Oh, yeah. I didn't know that. French people, they don't like think of like sexual more. I'm not saying they're right, by the way, because it's to me weird.

They didn't start dating, though, until he was 18, right?

But French people look at it like... That was really good. I don't know what you said. You might have insulted us, but that was good. And, you know, I disagree with that opinion. Blasphemy.

But they just, they're a lot freer about this stuff. But that is, I mean, dating, marrying your teacher when your teacher's 20, that's weird.

It's very weird. Last night when I should have been sleeping, it was up at 2 in the morning, and Elon was sending me tweets.

Why do you keep acting like Elon is sending it to you first? First of all, I've told you, just go to your following page. Why do you go to your For You? And I've told you, I don't like the people I follow. So you think you're going to like the strangers better?

Well, I mostly follow UK accounts, and I like UK, but when I've spent 14 hours of my day with the website and UK stuff, when I go to my following, it's like... So why don't you vary who you follow so that you don't have to follow cat turd or whatever it is that they have on?

I like playing Twitter roulette, and last night it was a lot of these two, and I saw a conspiracy theory that his wife is actually his dad, and I went down that wormhole. I'm serious. It exists. Elon sent it to me himself last night at about midnight. But I went down that wormhole. Yeah, it's crazy. I'm not saying I believe it.

I'm just telling you what Twitter... I don't think you should believe it. I'm just telling you what Twitter was putting in my algorithm last night.

So this is top ten. We'll do this every two or three weeks here on the Matt Jones Show. This is more for this week. It may be on our WHAS radio show, but this is – More for our internet, the podcast fans. Normally we'll film it. We don't have it filmed today because our film guy Mario is not here. So Billy, get started. What is the number one most important Billy news item of the week?

Okay.

Yeah, I'm going to go no on that one. Okay, but the best part of the video is his cheesy smile when he gets caught.

So do we think they were fighting?

Yeah. Oh, yeah. His face does not look like someone who's joking until he sees the camera.

Okay, so then let's assume they're fighting. That's a pretty... Like, if you ever, has Abby ever pushed you in the face like that?

Especially, it looked, it was two-handed, right? It was like a, like a chug your face.

Well, I mean, he's already a guy who married his 24-years-older high school teacher. Who could be his dad. I do get the sense with him that he's going out of office and he's just like middle fingers up. You know, he's going to show up in, like, that Borat swimsuit one day and be like, what's your fault?

Yeah, she hit him, clearly. Yeah, it was not a pleasant shove. I don't think they were, what's the word you use, joking, playing? I don't think they were playing. Bickering and joking.

Bickering and joking. You cannot bicker and joke. You can bicker or you can joke.

Well, I don't think I've ever had that happen. Certainly not on Air Force One.

I had an encounter where I... It was just a love tap. You did the move that she did. Yeah, a little bit.

Miserous Macron did.

It wasn't that long ago. It was Tuesday. And it was Emmanuel Macron's wife. What's next?

I'm shocked it's not Australia. Because I've been around a lot of Australians and they cuss constantly and say words that we don't say here. One of our bad words is just common there. Yeah, and one of the words that's a no-go here is like people's grandmas say there. It's like saying pal or bud. Yeah, I mean, they'll just go like, well, I won't say what it is. It's a family program. Yeah.

I'm surprised by that. I'm also surprised that this is a study that someone paid to have someone do. You're the first. Son, what'd you do today? Well, Mom, that education you paid for, I studied to see which country cusses the most.

All of those make sense to me except Malaysia. They're all basically European white countries, and then Singapore is insanely wealthy. If you ever are bored, read the history of Singapore. They basically created a country out of essentially nothing and then just decided we're going to take the best of all the countries in the world. And just make it here. And it kind of worked.

Singapore is fascinating. But Malaysia is weird to me because that's in Asia where people tend to be a lot more conservative. Not like conservative like we call it, but just deferential. Very obedient people. Obedient. That's a good word. I'm very surprised that they're on there. But are you surprised we cussed the most?

No, not at all. I feel like we ran away with this one. I mean, we're number one in a lot of things. I absolutely can believe we're number one in this one. I've probably contributed to the numbers, too.

Okay, but they don't speak English.

Do they just say our cuss words?

That would be a cussing people if they say the words in English. That's true. You've got to cuss a lot if you speak Malaysian and are fifth even in English words.

Yeah, well, I'm not surprised we're at the top. Okay, well. Good for us.

Have you ever, have you cussed on the air before?

When the first time I went on radio, I thought, oh no, I'm nervous, I'm going to cuss. And now like 15 years, not one time have I been dropped. Pretty shocking. Not that I just walk around cussing all the time, but I thought it would slip eventually.

I think I've only cussed once.

I remember when you did it, it was kind of funny.

Yeah, and I don't remember the context, but I remember everyone screaming when I did it. Was it Ambien Day? Yeah. No, and when I'm on Ambien, I want to, like, challenge people to duels. Run. Yeah, I don't – it's amazing that people don't cuss more. Have you ever cussed on the air, Millie?

We've got to go Trump pardons, right? That's in the news, I think, today. So give the summary of Donald Trump's pardons.

Certainly not on Big Blue Insider. You wouldn't want to do that.

What does that mean, Sailing With Phoenix?

Oh, that's the sailor, Phoenix.

Now, when you say he sailed... Are we talking just like a rich guy boat or he was on one of the things where he's hanging there and then the thing's blowing in the wind?

I think the disease is very important, Drew, to the story. Just getting on a boat with your cat doesn't strike me as something I could care about.

No, the disease is a big deal here. And what was his disease?

Oh, that would be painful just hearing it.

Yeah, I bet it hurts. So have you been on his TikTok account?

So what does he do? What are the TikToks about?

I've seen a lot of them, too. Just like, hey, look at me. Here's the water. Here's my cat. I'll check back in tomorrow.

Okay. Clearly, I'm missing out. First of all, that doesn't come up on mine. Is there a way on TikTok to not see videos with people?

I think there is a button like, I don't like this, and it'll try to move you on, which maybe I should do that to Elon with the Macron thing.

Okay. Because there are some things that continually come up on mine. Like, I want every video where Jeff Teague is talking. So if Jeff Teague's talking, give it to me, right? But I don't need videos of people at a club in the Hamptons. I'm not going to the Hamptons. I don't care, but I can't get it to stop. And so can you do that? No videos of clubs in the Hamptons?

I could be wrong, but I think you can. There's a little, like, I don't like this content. It'll remember that and move you on to another algorithm.

Welcome, everybody. It is episode four of the Matt Jones Show. We hope you guys have enjoyed the first three, which were all a lot of fun with Bomani Jones, which that one made national news. Like, you can just Google Bomani Jones Den Levitard. You'll see it led to a lot of discussion around the internet. Ryan McGee and Crystal Ball. And for our fourth episode here, we decided to bring back...

Could you see yourself just picking up the cat and sailing around the world?

First of all, I don't like to be in the water.

Strike one.

cat food probably so he brought like how long did this fish 25 days was the journey 25 days i thought this was gonna feel that long this is why are you so cynical i mean this is your first clunker of a story a guy got on a boat and went from like with a cat i feel like and i'm sorry about his cervical fusion but i i would do this before a carnival cruise

I don't even like cats.

I mean, I thought when you said, I thought it was going to be like six months. 25 days?

Did he even get out of sight? Can he see the shore? Did he get that far out?

Yes, I read this, Drew. He took $75,000 in bribes. And what he did is he took his buddies in town. And if they paid him $10,000, he would make them deputies. In the county. At which point they could carry a badge. Okay. And I guess presumably then do whatever they want.

The hull. I don't know. I will say, in the Bahamas, I met a guy at the bar, and he said, do you want to go on a boat tomorrow? And I was like, heck yeah, that sounds awesome. And I thought it was going to be one of the big super boats. It was fine. It was about what our boy was on here. But I said, take me to where I can't see the land. And we went pretty far out there.

And even though I knew I'd be back to the resort soon, there is a little bit of uneasiness when you look in every direction and it's just water.

Oh, to your point, Billy, no, I couldn't do it. But... you know, I also couldn't dig a hole to China, but that doesn't mean if some, well, actually, if somebody was doing it, I would like to see it. I would like this. So nevermind. Take that back. I guess it's, and what was it called again?

Sailing with Phoenix. All right. Number nine.

I love the idea. How do they make money?

I feel like that's a big part of this I'd want to know.

To the people at their house?

Maybe it's not about the money. I saw they did Barstool Chicago.

I did. I do think that's very cool. I've thought about doing that. Maybe we'll do that one day this summer.

Taking a radio show to people's houses?

Yeah. No, I'm serious. I've thought about, hey, if you would like to have us at your house, right, and then we just pick one and randomly go to. Remember, WCW Nitro did that one. I remember that. Do you remember they had a contest you could enter and you could have Nitro at your house, and it was someone who won was in West Virginia.

I believe they were in Nitro, West Virginia, which seems like too much of a coincidence for it to have been random. And they just did the show at the guy's house. I thought that was awesome.

Yeah, I'm one of the few people who preferred Nitro over Raw. I remember them doing that. At first, when you said your thing about doing this, I wasn't sure if you meant have the All-American Rejects come to your house or take KSR to someone's house.

I mean, I'd have them at my house.

What do you got, Move Along? What is their song? My Dirty Little Secret.

My dirty little secret. Oh, yeah.

I feel like you can keep it. Wasn't there, but aren't they, I'm surprised that college kids, aren't they old?

Well, their crew can't be making that much money if they took $50,000 and they're driving all around the country. What are they paying their crew?

It's very cool they're doing it. I'm not sure what made me think of this, but can I tell you one quick story about my neighbor? It's your show. You can tell me whatever you'd like. So, you know, Mid-City Mall in Louisville, for those of you that live all over the country, I live in a neighborhood that's like the hippie neighborhood.

And there's like an old 70s mall that everyone agrees something needs to happen to it because all the stores are empty. But people love it. And they're worried that they're going to put like one of these modern six-story housing things there. And all these old people in my neighborhood don't want that. For me, whatever, right? Just not pickleball.

So for $10,000. The law doesn't apply to you from a traffic perspective. You get to play dress-up as a local law enforcement officer. You get to play dress-up. Now, he gets convicted, and I believe, Billy, if I'm right, he was about to go to jail, right?

I will show up at a town meeting if they do pickleball. But, you know, probably what they should do is make the first floor like retail and then housing. You can't complain in cities when you say apartments are too expensive if you don't build any housing, right? You have to build housing for prices to go down. I hate when people don't realize that. So anyway, they had a town hall.

And they said basically, you know, we're angry about this. And I saw then they interviewed someone and they said local resident is particularly upset because from the new sixth floor thing, they will be able to look in their yard. And they were talking to a woman and she was in my yard and she doesn't live there. I live there. I'm not kidding.

She was standing in my yard complaining that Mid-City Mall people will be able to see into the yard, but she was in my yard. She doesn't live there. I was very angry about that.

Maybe you want your yard to be seen.

I'm not saying I don't. I'm not saying that. But honestly, I legitimately have that concern. If they build a six story high rise, there will be people who will be able to see down into my yard. I, though, have to use a legal term standing to complain about that. She doesn't live there. And I was sitting there wondering because I know who lives next door to me.

I don't think she lives anywhere through there. I think she was a rabble rouser that was going and just complaining on behalf of people because I live in that yard and she does not.

Have you been checking your yard? Is there any chance she's just been hanging out in your backyard claiming it as her own?

I know my neighbors. I know she does not live on one of the three. First of all, if you could see where it is, there's only three or four houses where conceivably someone could see in the yard. I know who lives in three of them. Maybe she lives in the fourth. But she cannot, Billy, stand in my yard and claim that that. Am I being unreasonable here? Stolen valor.

It's not her property to complain. You can complain. I went to it.

Stolen valor.

Yeah, she's trying.

But she also, she pointed. At your bedroom window. She pointed as if to say, see? And I'm like, you don't live here.

I feel like you all are not as worked up about this as I. I just think it's hilarious.

I recently went to my first career town hall meeting in Lexington, and I got to say, I'm checking the schedule and going to all of them. People get mad. We have a big issue in my neighborhood. My dad was going over there, and they had it at Frederick Douglass High School, which I do my nightly walks right across the street. I was like, you know what? I'll go over there.

I want to keep a low profile. I don't want people to know I'm there, but I want to check this out. I go. My dad is in the front row, almost like he's part of the committee. I sit next to him. Every news station in town is there with cameras right in our faces, and I'm like, Dad, why did you do this? For 30 minutes, I hated all of it. When they started taking questions, I didn't want to leave.

And Trump pardoned him today. Well, a couple days ago. So what's your initial take on, first of all, the scheme, right? of selling your buddies' deputies' badges.

I wanted it to last all night long.

And what was it about again?

A new Kroger's coming in.

But the questions people had... They don't like it? No, no, no, no. And, you know, these people... What's wrong with a new Kroger? They're worried about traffic. It was more so this guy gave a presentation. There's maps, diagrams, and then... Almost every question was what he just told us. And then the next person would ask the exact same question. And my wife was like, are you ready to leave?

And I was like, absolutely not. I want this to last all night. Some of it was a little sad because they had genuine concerns. They're elderly. I didn't want to make too much light of them. But then one woman said... When I bought this house in 1960, there was no talk of this road being built. And I wanted to be like, lady, that was 65 years ago. You didn't have internet.

You have to expect it to change. But those were some of the types of things they were bringing up. So I'm all in on town meetings. I might even go to the Mid-City Mall meeting if there's another one coming up.

Apparently they are having another one. Here's how I feel. And I don't want to give my exact location of where I live. But I think you could make an argument. You've been there. Of all the houses in the entire neighborhood, there's a strong argument mine is affected the most. Would you agree with that? Legitimately. That's not even hyperbole. I'm the closest to Mid-City Mall.

I'm the one you can see in. I should have more problems with this than anybody. And I didn't even go to the meeting. And I don't like... People using my platform for their own grievances.

Is there any chance they knocked on your door, you weren't home, and she seized the opportunity, saw the cameras, and thought, this is my chance to get on the news?

Probably.

People love to be on the news.

My neighborhood, Billy, is a weird conglomeration of old people, gays, vagrants, and the public library in a jazzercise studio. Nice jazzercise. And then me. And I love it. But one of the things people complain about is there's not enough stuff here and the neighborhood's getting old. Well, how do you fix that? You create retail space and apartments.

So far, I'm one for one on being up to date on Billy's topics. I actually knew about this one. I knew he had a 10-year sentence he's getting out of. I'll start with just the scheme, as you said. I just picture, like, just local buddies around town. Maybe one runs a golf course, maybe a grocery store, and they just want to play dress-up. They want to be a local cop.

And then someone comes around and says, why don't we create some retail space and apartments? And people go, no. And that's exactly what happened.

The people that don't want change have probably complained about the mall being there also. The mall is an eyesore.

The mall is an eyesore. It's an old building. It has a great movie theater, which I will be sad to see go if it goes. And it has a grocery store, and that's nice. But it also literally has a jazzercise studio. When is the last time you even heard the word jazzercise studio? Inside the mall is a grocery store, a library. Who puts a library in a mall? a jazzercise studio, and youth karate.

And a ramen place. Either way, lady, stop using my yard for your agenda. All right, what's number two?

What did you just say?

What?

America's sweetheart?

And she got a DUI where? In West Virginia?

I didn't know she was from West Virginia.

Driving a Porsche? In West Virginia?

That probably sticks out. Wow, that saddens me. I mean, Mary Lou Redden was, who would you even compare her to now? I mean, she was bigger than Olivia, like you could see Olivia Dunn. I mean, I'm not saying she would get a DUI, but it wouldn't be shocking.

I mean, Simone is the biggest thing since her in gymnastics probably.

Yeah, but Mary Lou Retton was like, she was on a Wheaties box. Maybe Simone Biles was too, I don't know.

She was big time.

That's a huge bummer.

I also don't know what else to say. I mean, that's sad. I hope she gets help, but.

Please do not interrupt, Drew. The news.

Or you think they wore the uniform. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was $10,000. You better get a uniform. Like, sure, you can get on Amazon, get the plastic badge, but I'm thinking they have the full authentic.

i love this have you seen it no oh it's so funny what do you mean they'll record themselves it'd be like if i almost did it to almost called mario and said work with me i want to do this to matt and ryan but like a grown man will just call his other grown man friend and she's like hey man just want to tell you good night and they'll be like what's going on what's up it's like nothing just hope you sleep well and like the reactions on the other end are just so perplexed well you get these blue collar guys right and they're their friends telling them good night and they're like

Is that your blue-collar impression?

They're really funny, though. They'll lay in bed and just call late at night and be like, hey, man, what's up? Hey, what's going on? Why are you calling me? I just want to say goodnight. And the reactions are great. Actually, Aaron Fleener did this to me two nights ago.

Okay. I just wanted to tell you goodnight. But you had to know he wasn't serious.

Yeah, and I'd already seen the trend. But they're really funny.

I do think that's a funny idea.

So I almost did. What would you have done if I called you at 11 p.m.? I was like, hey, man, I just want to say goodnight. You would have thought, what is going on? That's a good question.

So you just call. I'm just like, 11 p.m., I'm probably sitting there laying in bed reading or watching, you know, some TV show. And you call and say, I just want to tell you goodnight. I would go like, what? What's going on? You all right? The videos are good. Okay. I do like, that's a funny trend. I still prefer to call people over texting.

I know I'm like, there are people who get angry at me and just say, why can't you just text? I feel like that's a bad sign. So I like this.

I would encourage it. But it would be like a big construction worker type dude. He's like, I just want to say goodnight, sweet dreams. It's like, what's going on? So does it end with anger? Confusion, anger. One of them they call Urkel Jalil White, isn't that his name? He took it as a threat. He's like, why are you telling me goodnight? What's going on?

Oh, I think they definitely have the full authentic badge. I didn't think about actually wearing the uniform. You think they wore the uniform?

Oh, I could see that, how you would think it was a threat.

There's some really good examples of it.

Well, now I'll know my phone is listening to me. That's a good test. If I get on this tonight, because I haven't seen this. If I get on this tonight, one of those videos are coming, then I know this thing is watching us. Do you believe your phone is listening to you?

Yes. And it's already been decided?

I'm sure. Some of them have gone into establishments and gotten a 10% discount on their fast food, local restaurants, probably even threatened some of their fellow citizens as if they're a real law enforcement officer. I just, I don't understand. I mean, other than getting the money, what was the guy's name? Jenkins? Yeah, Scott Jenkins. Did you see him? I was going to bring that up too.

How do you know this?

The news, Matt. This is the news.

Do they reach out and tell us, or do we just have to know? Because usually in a class action, you have to be able to give the class notice.

Well, probably the people wouldn't know because they weren't listening to the news. Exactly.

I cashed in on a Nike class action a few years ago. The band, I forgot what they called it. It was like Count Your Steps. They basically just said, we lied about all of it. It just made up numbers. And I feel like I got like 50 bucks.

You know what? I knew they did that.

Because how could it know?

How would it know how many steps you're taking?

This one even wasn't just steps. It had some metric. It was like its own thing Nike created.

I was in a competition for who could get the most, what were these called? Nike somethings. And at the end of the night, I would put it in a towel and throw it in my dryer, and it would just bang around, and you'd get a bunch of points. So I can see why that wasn't exactly accurate. Did you do that for real? I was like, wait. It's like, I didn't get off the couch today.

I got to get these numbers up.

I like class actions like that, where you get, hey, did you eat a donut at Dunkin' Donuts in 2011? If so, here's a coupon for another donut.

I'm going to have to get on this Apple one if it's not too late. Is it too late?

We'll work on that for our next news. Well, Billy, I actually think you did a good job. Thank you. I think that was good. The only one I didn't like was the guy on the boat.

If I get sailing with Phoenix or goodnight. You're getting both. And some macaroni and his wife. You know, I had not heard that story until you told me. Until the news.

Until the news. The Nike fuel ban, that's what it was, cashed in on that.

Well, I hope everybody enjoyed today's episode four, a.k.a. the news.

Drew, would you like to do this again sometime? Oh, I had a lot of fun. As I said to start the show, I love the mystery. You have to get our natural reactions. No time to pause and think about it. Just whatever Billy throws out, we have to go with it. Well done, Billy.

Thank you. You did a nice job. We will see you with episode five coming soon.

Look at his picture. Okay, so if you're sitting at home and you don't know about this story, I want you to picture rural Virginia, what you thought this guy looked like. And he looks exactly like you thought you looked. Seriously, if you had told me, what does this guy look like? I would have pictured this guy, this exact guy.

Same way. I knew the picture before I even scrolled to the picture. Kind of looks like a guy that might live on fast food. Got a bit of a neck on him. Maybe it could be the case he needed help in law enforcement. I don't know if he has. You think he actually needed the help because he's not, you know, respectfully to the guy. Doesn't look to be the most in shape.

But I don't know what he thought, other than getting $10,000 from his friends, which I'm sure is a lot of money for him. I don't know what the reasoning for giving all of them this privilege.

I feel like it's a little antiquated for the idea that you can just deputize people. Take away the $10,000 for a second. Why can you just deputize citizens? I mean, this is not 1860 South Dakota and Wild Bill Hitchcock has come to town. I mean, this is like, you think there should be a rule that pretty much all people who carry a badge should have some training?

absolutely you know there's little there's little things here and there like in kentucky you know they might name your kentucky colonel and you get a certificate and you put on your wall and you tell people you can tell your car but that doesn't get you anything you have no power he he was actually giving power law and order to these people just what should have just been a little plaque in their office 2025

We should just make a collective rule. We don't need to call the deputies out and deputize your buddies. Now, the $10,000, expensive or cheap?

Well, you shouldn't do this, but if I'm his friend's... I got $10,000. Well, I don't. Me. But, I mean, if I'm in their shoes, I feel like that's a discounted price.

So how much would you pay to be a deputy? I don't know. Is it for life? Do we know, Billy? How long was he?

Well, yeah, but if he hadn't been caught, in theory. How much would you pay to become a deputy?

Me personally, I don't really have a desire to do it, but I feel like if I did, $10,000 is pretty cheap.

See, I kind of agree with you. I feel like if I'm getting out of all speeding parking tickets, I wonder if people, you know somebody took it seriously and was coming to the scene of crimes and showing his badge and be like, I got this.

Driving around traffic accidents. I might have just talked you into it.

Wait a minute. I didn't think about that. Oh, that's true. You think they got lights on their car? These were apparently very wealthy people. Do you think they got to put on their escalades? They can afford one.

Some of you that are in Kentucky will know this, but if you're not, you may not know. We used to do a show, and we'll do it again in the fall, Fade This, where we do football gambling picks. We're not going to do football gambling picks. But the dynamic of me doing a show with my good friend, Drew Franklin, who I've worked with for 15 years, I've enjoyed.

Well, they have the little one that you put out with your arm. You can put it up out the window, just kind of magnet sit it on there.

Now it's starting to seem compelling. Well, $10,000. I did think it was interesting it was 75, which means somebody got like a half a badge in order to do it.

I feel like for what he put on the line, 10 years in prison, he should have gotten more money. He should have had a bigger asking price. I agree with that.

Now, Trump pardoned him.

Wait a minute. He was persecuted by the radical left monsters?

So the code to all that is he's a Trump supporter.

Trump has one of the badges, I bet. He's got one of the sirens on his car.

Trump was one of the guys that bought it.

He's got the Virginia sticker on the back of his car.

All right. Well, I mean, I could do a more serious... Trump seems to pardon anyone who just likes him. I saw that another guy got pardoned, and his mom just gave Trump a million dollars at a Bitcoin thing, and then he got pardoned, a nursing home.

Seems a little shady. Yeah.

I think there's a lot of shade. First of all, I've said this. I don't think there should be. I'm not sure that there should be full pardons absent like an extreme. I don't think you should be able to just pardon people that you like. Especially if they haven't even served a day. He hadn't even gone to jail yet, had he?

Yeah, if this guy had done like five of his 10 years, you still shouldn't do it. But at least he felt the punishment. If he's pardoned before he even has to serve anything.

And so they said radical left monsters?

What does that mean?

All right. Well, did you see Trump's Memorial Day message?

I've seen a lot of talk about it. I didn't actually watch it or read it.

It said, Happy Memorial Day, including to the scum. And then he just started. Was that the Long Truth social post? Oh, my God. He gave those who died in war three words. And then talked about, he said, happy Memorial Day, including to the scum who, and then just, I don't think people take a step back ever and go, that man is insane. Including to the scum, in your Memorial Day post?

Of all the holidays, okay, sure, maybe some you're not that into. But Memorial Day, I think we really need to honor.

Maybe you do that on Columbus Day.

Yeah. And maybe Easter, you just say a few things. Oh, that's a pretty serious one, too. But, you know, Memorial Day, I think you need to be your most serious self. That's a very, very, very big deal, honoring our servicemen and women who served and gave that sacrifice. And he gave it three words and then moved on to calling people names, it looked like.

Well, they left him for dead, but I guess he is now returned. I assume he doesn't still get to be sheriff.

Okay, well, all right.

That's a good number one. Well done, Billy. What's number two on the top ten stories of the week?

So what is this story? They found cocaine. This was while Biden was president.

And so, Drew, here, first of all, welcome to the Matt Jones Show.

Where in the White House?

I mean, I think where it is is important. Was it in the press room? Was it in Biden's like money pouch?

Is it somewhere where someone getting a tour? It could have fallen out of their pocket.

Now, who uses those storage lockers?

Yeah, the person who's supposed to bring them in.

First of all, his name is not Don Bongino. It sounds like you're saying John Bonjo. His name is Dan...

I'm excited to be here. Hopefully, I don't know if I want to create a national scene like your first guest, but if it gets to that point.

Okay.

What was the first thing you said? The bombing of what?

What's the D.C. pipe bomb? I don't remember that. Do you remember that?

No, I do not. It sounds like a big deal.

Let me go back to cocaine. All right, so this is in a storage locker next to the entrance of the West Wing. Now, I have no basis for this, but it would seem to me that it's very unlikely that Joe Biden used the storage lockers. And that Hunter Biden used. I mean, maybe they did. Maybe Joe was like, I could put it in my office.

Dude, he got in like, well, I mean, he said Levitard was shocked to see a black person be smart and he thought it was like a fish riding a bicycle. You know, I knew when he said that, I knew what was coming. I just – I know when things – I was surprised it got found so quick, but it is – and in the Levitard world, it is the discussion.

Is this like a gym? You come in and put your bag in a locker before you go to your office.

It's probably something where people who either work there or who are visiting probably put their stuff in there. Is that what you think it is?

I guess I'm trying to picture a locker at the front door of the White House.

So they're reopening investigation to find out whose it is. Is that right?

Now, I saw that somebody believed, there was some politician who said they believed it was Joe Biden.

Some politician. Trump. Listen, Joe was way too lucky for cocaine. Okay, yeah. Okay, Hunter, fair enough. Why would anyone think Joe Biden was on cocaine? He looked like he was going to fall asleep every five seconds.

All right, welcome everybody. It is episode two of the Matt Jones Show. And for this episode, I thought I would bring on someone with ties to Louisville, Kentucky. I met this woman in Louisville many years ago when we tried to do a project and it was a lot of fun. Crystal Ball, she has been on everything from MSNBC to a number of different podcasts. She does Breaking Points with Crystal and Sagar.

rural areas, not so much the industrial Midwest, although there were some of that, but, you know, Kentucky electric battery, that's where we've seen it in like in Elizabethtown and Bowling Green, these electric battery factory manufacturing, which in theory could be very good for that part of the state.

And they're crushing us in all of this AI electric cars. I mean, everything with this high level technology, would you agree their development is killing us right now?

I think that's a really, really great point. Let me ask you, okay, so people, my friends who don't follow politics on a day-to-day basis, but who care and tend to lean left. So these are the people I went to college. Right. They will say to me, like, is the world ending because of Trump? Like they have a very doomsday after Trump won the second time, a very doomsday philosophy.

But they don't follow it on the day to day. They just kind of hear these little things. And I say this and I hope this is true. I want to see if you agree. I say I think Trump has a uniquely talented ability to win people over and that Trumpism really doesn't extend beyond him. When other people try to copy him, it doesn't work. So I have some confidence that when he exits the stage.

which hopefully is in 2028, but when he exits the stage, that there will not, we won't go back to what it was before, but there's not going to be a figure that can captivate and people just do whatever that person says. That's my hope. Do you think that's naive or true?

I was about to say, all three of those things you said, though, I think ended up being pretty unpopular. Like, if you pull the deportation stuff, it's unpopular. Elon's now, you don't even see him anymore, and they're not rolling him anywhere. The tariffs...

maybe the most unpopular thing that he did, I do have some feeling that those things, which I agree, you hit the exact three things I thought were most scary, all got pushed back. That's something to be confident about, right?

Do you think it will be soon? Like in the next little bit? Yes.

done um he came out today political giving yeah not trump right yeah i mean he i don't know anyone that doesn't think he's a complete weirdo now like he you talk about a dude who just set his personal image on fire right yeah oh yeah absolutely do you think he realizes that was a mistake

Bashir says that that was not anything about a factor that night. But in general, people like the weather service, and they don't want to see it hit. Yes.

That's key because I think what happened with the things that were unpopular is that it is easy. The Republicans, I think, had the same problem we sometimes do with the Democrats of being out of touch. So on paper, you say, OK, this looks like waste. But then when in West Virginia, all the coal mine health services close, that then has effect in West Virginia.

And all of a sudden, these senators and governor from West Virginia are like, wait a minute now. These are all coal miners. Same thing when they cut Medicaid. The first hospitals that will go, the first ones, are the ones in rural red states. They'll be the first ones to go. And the people in those towns, they know that. One of the reasons I think Josh Hawley is like, we cannot cut Medicaid.

He's got a lot of small towns in Missouri that the hospitals will go away. So I think it's easy for the Elon Musk of the world to just go, oh, we'll just do this. It's waste. But then when it actually the ramifications happen, Crystal, then they have to pull back because like then their actual constituents are like, wait a minute.

Yeah, you definitely are critical towards both parties. But I love that you said populist left because I don't think there's a lot of people like you and I for real in politics. And what I mean by that is for you and I, the working class, I think has always been the centerpiece of what we believe in. And people will say that, but then they don't necessarily actually do the things that lead to it.

Do you think Andy Beshear here in Kentucky, do you think he could be president? Like, if you had asked me that two years ago, I would have thought that was the most ludicrous thing I'd ever heard. I used to say he's vanilla ice cream but without sprinkles. And now maybe – like, but now all of a sudden – First of all, I think he's gotten better at the PR part of this.

I thought he was always good at the like governing part, but I think he's gotten better at the PR part. But then also the world, there's a part of the world that's kind of yearning for that. OK, can we get to a time where we don't hate each other a little bit? You know, I will tell you, you look at the map of Kentucky in the governor's race in twenty twenty three.

Every place that got hit by a disaster where Bashir worked with them on the ground, he won all of those counties. These are rural Trump counties and he won them because they had had a reason to really deal with him. I'm still skeptical. You're national. Feels like Bashir's in more and more places. Could he be president there? Could he be the nominee?

You know what you're doing when you lived here.

Second most popular governor, period, in America.

Oh, for sure. He does. I mean, he's cautious, Crystal, to come on our show.

Who's going to be more on your side than me? Like I'm a Democrat in Kentucky. There are none of us. No one like he is very he'll do it. But like they're very skeptical. And I'm like, man, I can't handle me. Then you're not going to be able to handle the national.

He at least knows me a little bit, you know, and... But the difference, though, is you and I are off the... This is what worries me about him. He seems to be fine to go on the mainstream Democrat tour, but he seems scared to go on the off-the-beaten-path tour. And if you can't do that with the more left, what are you going to do with the right? I mean, can you imagine a world he's set with...

Dave Portnoy? I mean, it seems insane to think that. So that's what makes me skeptical.

I mean, when I try to think of people in the Democratic Party now, if you're just talking on economics, Maybe John Fetterman – Bernie has parts of it, but then parts of it can go the other way, in my opinion. Do you agree with me that there are not a lot of people – first of all, there are not a lot of politicians that are Democrats in office from the places we're talking about, rural America.

he's at his best when people are hurting. Like he really is like he, he, he gives off a sense of empathy that I think is very rare in politicians. I think politicians, I think I've always thought Obama was very good at that. Obama could go to a scene of a, of a, of a tragedy and really make people feel a certain way. And I think Andy is, is like that too. I give him a lot of credit for that.

I mean, I think George W. Bush was actually pretty good at that. Right. in various things. He made people feel that I do think there's, there's, there's value.

Well, I mean, remember he got elected governor and then two and a half months later, COVID hits, right? So, and he was on TV every day. And I think one of the things, the COVID debates have become so much about, well, were the lockdowns too long, et cetera, all this stuff. What people forget is there were a group of old people that thought they were going to die. Right.

There were a group of old people that and Andy Beshear in Kentucky. I don't know about in other states. He made those people feel comfort. They would watch him every day at five o'clock. Wow.

And they and my mom, when he ran for reelection, said he will do better with old people than you think, because there are old people sitting in nursing homes, et cetera, that feel like he tried to keep them alive. Wow. And I genuinely think that was true. I think we in the COVID debate, Crystal, I think we get lost in the vaccine. Was it should you have to take it?

Did we lock down too long and forget that for people 75 or 70 and older, they thought they were going to die. Right. And he was one of those people who people felt like was trying to keep them alive.

There's an age group that's different. OK, so for people 40 to 60, especially who work in business, it radicalized them to the right. Like, I was a business owner here, and it sucked trying to own a restaurant during that time. But there's a group older than that that genuinely thought they were on the front lines of death. That's interesting.

I think they value things like civility and some of that, and Andy represents it. Now, I'm skeptical whether that's translatable past Kentucky because people in these other states didn't see him during that time. You know what I mean? So I don't know if that will translate well.

Yeah. I think you're right. I think he, if he had just a little more spice to him, I think he could win. He just needs to be there and try to think about, okay, let's say he were to go on the breakfast club with Charlotte Bay. I can't see it. I mean, I can't see it. I don't know how he would do it.

There's just not anywhere, right? Yeah.

Yeah, just lean into being a dork. I'm the dorkiest dork that ever dorked. Maybe he should do that.

That's a whole other thing, because I knew him. He and I were friendly for a long time.

Well, when he wrote Hillbilly Elegy, I... liked it sort of, but then I also had critiques as a real Eastern Kentuckian. I felt like he was kind of being not a fake Eastern Kentuckian, but a part-time Eastern Kentuckian. And I re and I had some criticisms and he wrote me, I did not know who he was and said, I heard about your criticisms. Let's have a conversation.

So we started what was basically a three or four year conversation where we could interact with each other on a very positive level. And I thought he took stuff from me and vice versa. We met each other on a couple of occasions. I thought he was awkward and weird, but I thought his heart was in the right place about Eastern Kentucky at the time. And I respected him.

And he got involved in this app harvest thing, which I'm kind of amazed Crystal didn't become a bigger scandal that he was involved because it's been a complete cluster. And it never even came up on the presidential campaign. But I knew him through some of that, and I appreciated what he was doing. And then all of a sudden, he just decided, I want to be president. I've got to be pro-Trump.

And he just changed his personality overnight. And I wrote him some messages in 2021, 2022, expressing disappointment at some of the changes. And he engaged with me for a while. And I'll keep those conversations private because I think that's important when you have private conversations. But it ruined our relationship.

And I have been extremely disappointed, not just in his actions, but in the change in who he's become, because I don't think that's who he was six years ago.

Did you feel that way before he was a senator? Because that has become a big thing with him.

Well, he's vice president, so maybe they would say, like...

You know, I mean, I don't know.

I don't know. I feel like he I had really high hopes for him. And then when I was thinking about running for Senate, my interactions with him, I would take up for him sometimes on the radio in the talk to Democratic circles. People were very adamantly negative to me about that because some people think he'll be the LG is the worst thing in the world. And I've just been disappointed.

He is not the person he was eight or nine years ago. And I hate that.

To be fair to him, he never just said, I'm just doing this. He would make the intellectual arguments. And then, you know, I will never do it because, like I said, I think when you have private conversations, they're private conversations. But if you were to go back and read our text and Twitter exchanges for years, you could watch the change in his personality play out in real time.

I've done that. I went back and looked. And it's just all of a sudden, it was like you were talking to a different person. And we kept having, the last time I spoke to him was when I congratulated on being picked for VP and he sent like a word answer. And that's the last time we've talked.

But, you know, it is weird though, because both, if it was Bashir Vance, that's so weird because I know both of them. And it would be so, so strange in a presidential race for that to be the case.

Who's a real Kentuckian would be the fascinating. Before we go, I want to ask you about yourself. You ran or you began the process of running for office many years ago. What did that teach?

What did that teach you?

Yeah, that was a bad year for Democrats. Yeah.

You were young.

And you ran for Congress at 27, right?

I think I got that right.

When you ran, you had to take a lot of criticism over stupid stuff. And when I was thinking about it, I got the, you know, you get a company to research your background and learn everything about you. And I had to pay to learn all this stuff that I'd forgotten. And most of mine was like... You know, most of mine was like things I'd written many years ago or set on a podcast in 2007 and all that.

And when you've talked as much as I have, there's a lot of that stuff out there.

And I remember at the time thinking, man, you know, I don't nothing was like terrible, but some of it might be a little embarrassing. And so do I want to do I want to want to do that? I kind of wonder, though, now, even just six years later, if none of that stuff matters anymore, that like we've gotten to a point where we're going we're getting generations that have grown up online.

Everyone under 30 has something terribly embarrassing about them online, probably. And that all of those things that, you know, you had to deal with and that if I'd run, maybe I would have had to deal with are just like not an issue anymore. That Trump has made it almost to where none of that stuff matters anymore. What do you think?

It's so ridiculous in hindsight.

Like literally there are women every day that put that up every day voluntarily. And you had to deal with the press attacking you before I even knew you. I remember it happening. And the pictures now would seem so silly.

She said, I'm going to show my naked body at a congressional hearing. I don't know if she did or not. But, like, she said she was going to, and it's crazy. And it was like the number seven trend, Crystal. It wasn't even number one. It was number seven was a congresswoman was like, yeah, I'm going to be naked at the hearing later today.

Think about Lauren Boebert. That was a woman that, I mean, let's be real, got – Scott, you know, gave a thing at a thing, right? And like the idea that you could survive giving a thing at a thing, Crystal is insane.

um and has been on everything i mean she's been on every if there's a channel crystal you've been on it at some point about that joe rogan podcast you've been everywhere nice to have you on it's nice to see you matt it's a pleasure it wasn't that many years ago was it i don't know you know it does feel like it doesn't feel like that we used to go to lunch in louisville at the tie place on frankfurt avenue and argue about things and now we're 15 years later and here we are

You know, I was like a young guy in the world back then. the blog sphere especially, was very misogynistic. It was very like, look at these hot women over here. And of course, I think it's almost now gone back in that direction. But in a Democratic primary, my worry was not the general election, if I did it. My worry was going to be a Democratic primary.

Because I cringe when I look at how I was when I was doing that. I was 27, 26, and I spoke in a way that I would never speak now. But so I was cringe, although you're right. Now, a lot of people would just embrace it and be like, I'm a bro and I can't do that. But I don't even know if any of it would even matter now. It would probably only hurt you in a Democratic primary.

Well, yeah, Cuomo's coming back. I mean, Cuomo's coming back. Like, I mean, that's crazy, too.

Can we get Al Franken back? Is there any way that...

And he's funny. He understands regular culture. I mean, even if it was like, so he actually, it's kind of a shame we lost him, you know?

The show is called Breaking Points. Crystal, one of the things, you come at issues with, And often reach an opinion that a lot of people agree with, but come at it a different way, which is what I've always appreciated about you is what led us to argue at the various Thai restaurants on Frankfurt Avenue. But it is also what makes you extremely interesting. Thank you very much for taking the time.

It's great to see you.

We'll come visit sometime.

DC to Louisville. It's not that hard of a flight.

Well, that's a good point. We'll see you. Thanks to Crystal Ball for joining us. Hope you enjoyed episode two of the Matt Jones Show. If you haven't yet, go on your podcast platforms, your iHeart, your Apple, your Spotify, subscribe to the Matt Jones Show so that you won't miss an episode. Have a great Memorial Day. We'll see you next week.

But why do you think he's so popular, though? I mean, this is the question I get asked. You and I end up in these groups of like liberal intellectuals, none of whom have ever spent much time in places like Kentucky or rural Ohio. And yet they opine and they go, a lot of these people like Trump, they're voting against their interests. And I try to articulate why I think they do.

Most people listening to this have probably heard my articulation. What would be yours? Why do you think Trump is so popular in these areas when what you're saying I think is objectively correct?

See, I think that's huge, by the way. The people you hate... Hate him. Because I think a lot of the people like in Kentucky, they hate white liberals more than they hate anybody, especially like coastal academic white liberals. I think they hate them. And then the fact they hate Trump makes them love Trump more.

The fact that he gets up there and it's like an entertainment show. I mean, he is a television. He has been in the public spotlight since the 80s, primarily as a figure of entertainment, even when he was a business person. And he just knows how to entertain, right?

Yeah, he just got up and said, my friend is fat. And a lot of people go, you know what? My friend is fat, too. And that's kind of like, it's amazing. By just using normal language, Crystal, that everyday people do, they don't hear politicians talk like that. But that's how they talk.

Well, yeah, Bomani was on my first one, so I decided to have him back again. Now, you do politics, but what I really like about you is even though you're on the left, like me, you come at things from a different perspective. So if somebody was to say to you, Crystal, explain your sort of political ideology in a short phrase, how would you explain it?

You mentioned those guys on the podcast. I think in 2024, the sort of bro-sphere podcast did make some level of difference. Whether or not they made a huge difference will maybe never really been known. But those guys you mentioned, I think Rogan, Theo Vaughn, Portnoy, that crew... I think did make a difference. So that has led to people going, well, how do we get to have a liberal Joe Rogan?

And I've had people sort of reach out to me as like, can you do you think you could be the liberal Joe Rogan? And I said, you know, I don't I don't know that it works that easily. Do you think it's ridiculous or do you think there is there should be a reach out by Democrats to find someone who can speak to, quote unquote, bro culture?

Like I just, they can though if they want, like I'll take it. I just, I don't know if it would work.

They don't challenge him at all. They don't challenge him at all.

Totally agree with you. I think part of it is 98% of politicians, right or left, are not normal human beings. You almost have to be a psychopath. To be in office. And I'm not even kidding about that. Like you have to go through this where your family, your friends, everyone.

I mean, you and I have talked about when I was considering running for Senate and I knew what was going to happen, not just to me, but to everyone around me. And I wasn't willing to put my people through that. You almost have to be a psychopath to be like, yes, I want my family to be scrutinized. Yes, I want everything I say. So take that aside. You almost have to be a psychopath.

Then most of those people are not interesting. They're not just compelling human beings as human beings usually. Yeah. And then those podcasts, the thing about a Theo, like Theo Vaughn is clearly right wing. But when he tells a story about eating pie, I can't help but laugh. You know what I mean? Like the way he does it. And I just think the folks on our side, we try to be so issue-oriented.

And you're an exception to this. It makes it hard for us to just do what normal people do and sit and talk.

Yes. Yeah.

Is Pete, you think Pete's good at it?

He was on Andrew Schultz, and I actually thought he did a good job with Andrew Schultz.

But if you were to draw up what a sleazy politician looks like, wouldn't you pick him? Oh, absolutely.

Yeah. So I was down in London, Kentucky, where the tornado hit a couple of days ago. And I was driving around and, you know, that's my home area.

Well, I'm from like 45 minutes away, Middlesbrough. I'm from southeast Kentucky, and London was kind of the big city when I was growing up. So I look around in Appalachia, and this would also be true in the Rust Belt, and I sort of wonder – Is there anything that can be done to help economically? Leave aside all the reasons we were screwed. And there are many. NAFTA's one.

The way we turned our backs on coal miners is one. But let's start in 2025. And let's say Matt Jones and Crystal Ball were in charge of policy to help turn around rural America. What would you suggest should be done?

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But I think the society and social media now rewards the one-minute smart person.

And if he debates 15 people and he loses one, he can just not post that one. Yes. Right? Like, you know, that's the one he doesn't... Well, Charlie Kirk... Hold on.

Oh, yeah. We give... We get so upset. We get so upset at the craziest and we actually amplify them. And that's a negative. And by the way, the right does that too. They pick the craziest left person, amplifies them as well, and you end up with extreme voices.

You've done everything, Bomani. Thank you very much.

Yeah, that's right. We're big on sort of looking like we care the most. It's a competition to see who is the most, to use a right phrase, woke. But it's really like, who's got the opinion that gets the most agreement? You go on CNN now, some of them, for that panel show. Who's the host? What's her name? Abby Phillip. Abby Field.

And there's a guy from Kentucky that you're on quite a bit with that I actually used to do television with. A lot of these listeners will know Scott Jennings. I find it interesting. You, to me, more than deserve to be on there for your intelligence. But it is also interesting to me that CNN feels like that's where they go to get people is there's all these sports people on there.

I mean, Scott Jennings is just a guy in Kentucky. Like he didn't even like he's there's nothing. He's pretty smart, but he's not qualified any more than anyone else is. Right. It's odd how the experts in politics now are just people that they just kind of pick out of nowhere and say, this is an expert now.

You want to punch him. You've wanted to punch him. I know I've wanted to punch him and I worked with him all the time.

Why is this guy on TV? It would be the same with me. If they put me on, it's like when I used to host the nightly political show in Kentucky, there'd be people who say, why do you get to do that? And I don't really know the answer to that. But that's also, by the way, true about sports. I didn't even play. So, like, why do you and I get to talk about sports? We weren't big athletes.

I'm surprised you watch that. Like, I find it mind numbing. What makes you what makes you watch political television?

Well, that's interesting. You and I have had conversations about this. After George Floyd, which was just five years ago, it felt like a lot of people, companies and all these folks, felt like they had to sort of show their commitment to causes. You joked about how for two weeks everybody did their two weeks of things. And then it seems to have completely gone in a different direction.

And I have friends who are on the left who just now are like – I just don't – I can't think about it anymore. It frustrates me, and I'm just, like you said, exhausted. Why do you think that happened so quickly? I mean, it just reverts so quickly.

You didn't think Wrangler needed to make a statement.

Bill Burr has that thing. He goes... He has a joke about this where he talks about Burger King. And he was like, Burger King came out and said, we're very against this. And he was like, I don't go to Burger King to hear what you think about whatever. Like, I come for burgers one way or the other.

So do you think the people that are kind of the Joe Rogans or of the right who I think that radicalized a lot of those people when those kinds of things happen? Do you think they had any point or do you think that like do you think there was any point that, hey, it went too far?

Remember, they were talking about having it in Louisville, and because of Breonna Taylor, the players wouldn't do it. Louisville was one of the two or three finalists to have it because we have so many gyms where they could do it. And then after Breonna Taylor, the players said they wouldn't do it.

Well, I mean, in Kentucky, John Calipari knelt with the team at a game and it still got brought up three or four years later. It was one game. It wasn't even in Lexington. It was at Florida. That was the year he went 13 and 19 or whatever. And it was like the only good game they played all season. But people still remember. And that image stuck with him. And it's interesting.

I still have people, Bomani, that five years later bring it up to me and said that's when I turned on him. It wasn't the fact that they went 13 and 19. It was that kneeling that day.

Yeah. That mattered to some people. I thought it was silly, but it did.

Oh, yeah. Mark Stoops has a picture. The whole U.K. football team and Mark Stoops marched in Lexington, and there's a picture with pale Mark Stoops with his red hair with Black Lives Matter shirt on. I remember that. And I just... I can't wait.

Wow, I didn't realize Mike Leach did it. That is crazy. Yeah, for people in Kentucky will know who this is. But there's a picture of the front of the U.K. football Black Lives Matter march is Mark Stoops and Landon Young, who literally grew up on a farm in Lexington, whitest guy you'll ever see. And the two of them are standing in the front, both with Black Lives Matter shirts on.

And that's when I was like, whoa, okay, this is a completely different place.

Yeah, it is. Let's talk a little sports for a second. Let me ask you about some things going on right now. I love Carl Towns. Carl Towns is, if you get on TikTok, is a heck of a conversation. People have wild opinions about Carl Towns. But now he's playing well. The Knicks could easily end up going to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carl Towns, people who listen to KSR know, famously, the 2015 UK basketball team all took a shot to going 40-0, and he wanted to be part of it, and they were all drinking alcohol, and he took a shot of air so he could be with his brothers. That's what he said. That, to me, is Carl Towns in a nutshell.

Yes, it is. You always loved Cal, didn't you?

I appreciate it.

Do you – you know, I've been around it more. I think COVID changed him a little bit. Do you think Mike Krzyzewski, because you've also followed Duke a lot, going and getting one-and-dones and finally giving in and saying, I'm going to go get Zion and I'm going to go get those guys. I think that changed Cal.

Did you ever think you'd see the day that Mike Krzyzewski would be recruiting a one-and-done kid to a university like Duke where you taught?

Yeah, you're exactly right about that. For people who haven't seen, when you did your HBO show, your rant about Duke, look it up on YouTube. It's one of the greatest things of all time.

You know, it's amazing how much people laughing matters in doing things like that. Just the sound of random people. One time we tried to do on my local TV show a weekend update parody with Kentucky News, and we did it once, and when you watched it, it was unbelievably painful because people weren't laughing. Then we did it again and had an audience, and it was okay. But you've, like...

When you sit there and you try to make jokes and then there's silence, maybe it works on The Office, but it doesn't work in a show like that.

Well, at the time, you had written something that was kind of like, maybe Kentucky needs to make a change. And I was a generally pretty positive tubby guy, and a lot of folks were using your words to go, see, we're not racist. We want tubby gone. Here's a young black guy that wants it, too.

You just need it. Bill Belichick and Jordan Hudson. Woo! I find it fascinating. I'm going to be honest with you. I don't care. I know it shouldn't be interesting, but it is to me. You're a smart guy. Is it to you?

Okay, so what's your favorite part of it? I'll give you a couple of mine and see what you think. Obviously, everybody focuses on the CBS interview. The fact that Bill Belichick is so smitten, he sat at a Holiday Inn Express in Portland, Maine, and went to the Miss Maine contest. That, to me, is pretty amazing.

And then the way she was at the UNC spring game on the field in the boots and the jacket, those two things I was like, man, this woman has him like to where he's – He's in it.

Yes, he is. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Because, I mean, I don't ever – there's not a scenario I could see me posting any woman like things like that. Could you – Hell no. But you and I are both single. So maybe that's part. Yeah.

When you have opinions that are genuinely your opinions, but then people that might be bad actors in your mind take them for arguments you don't want, how does that work? I'm sure that's happened to you before.

You think he's the coach in game one? Oh, he's the coach. He's the coach. Do you think it works?

That's true. And I think part of what makes it so fascinating is of all the people, you wouldn't pick him as that guy. Right. You wouldn't have thought. I mean, he seemed like such a grouch and such a like no fun and all business. And then the video where she's walking in the jacket is hanging off her arms and she looks like she's like 17 years old. Like that.

And he's like walking ahead of, you know, I ask any man who goes out who's dated, you don't walk ahead of the woman. He's way ahead of her. That's partially to me also what makes it fast. I mean, the amount of women, Bomani, that care about this story in a way they don't care about sports. Like when we talk about it on our show, women flood me with responses.

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This is like this transcends sports, oddly.

And it's flipped, don't you think?

Yeah. I kind of think, though, part of me says, listen, I'm not going to criticize that girl. Maybe it's the fancy part. She seems like, to me, she made a mess up with the CBS program, but otherwise it feels like she's kind of done what she's, I mean, and maybe they like each other.

That line is why I love Beaumont. I want to ask you just a personal question for a second because you and I, like you said, we both sort of radiate confidence that some people would say goes into arrogance. We both have had successes, but we've both had failures, right? I've had some – on a lower level failures, you have had some maybe higher profile failures for someone like you.

And like, like me, who's like considers themselves a high achieving person.

How do you deal with a failure?

But I saw you during that time. You and I met in New York during that period. And it's the only time in my life I've talked to you that I didn't feel like you were doing great. Maybe I read that wrong. It just didn't feel like to me you were that happy. And maybe I'm reading it wrong.

Totally agree. I had two local TV shows, and the first one was a failure. It didn't work. I wasn't the easiest to work with, but it made it to where I felt like the second one was good. I see your Emmy back there. We won an Emmy, and I feel good about it. What's interesting, though, is it's interesting to hear you say your failure was dropping out.

or was not getting the second round on the micro econ. When I, when I was doing the wrestling company, we did not get a second season of that documentary, the wrestler show. And there are people who will say to me, well, you should have had a second season. How did they not give you a second season?

And I wanted to be like, dude, I bought a regional wrestling company and got Netflix to make a show where Look, I forget the second. I can't even believe they did one. I mean, can you believe that they did a show? And I got the director who did cheer and the Dallas Cowboys show to like last chance you he did it. So to me, it's all about perspective, like you said.

And I don't have a lot of dreams. You said you didn't want to say his name, so I won't say his name. Actually, I have to. You don't have to say it. He's on these stations. He's on this station we're on. Clay Travis, who has spent almost a career of picking at you for a long time. He really liked it. Without addressing him, what is it like to have a person that every single thing you do

They're sitting there ready to poke you about it and have a mini army of people joining you. People who listen to this, you may have heard Clay earlier today. Heck, he may have talked about Beaumont today. He likes to pick at you. Does it anger you if you saw him? What would you do?

Oh, really? Because see, I know you both. I'm friends with you. I'm not really friends with him, but I've known him for a long time. What was that like?

So did he try to be your friend when he saw you?

I've seen you angry. And when you're angry, you're angry. Before we wrap up.

Yeah, that's true. I need to learn that lesson because people always tell me, man, when these folks come after you, you need to let it go. That's harder for me than it probably is most people. Maybe because I grew up in eastern Kentucky and you don't just walk away. Oh, I've had to learn. I've had to learn.

Yeah, and I can't fight, so I would fight with words, and it's hard for me just to walk away. Well, I'll wrap up because I know you've got to go. One time you said something to me that I still quote, and I don't even remember what the issue was. It had something to do – I can't remember. But you were watching the NBA Finals.

It was when LeBron was playing against Durant and the Thunder in the Finals. And something happened, and I called you because I wanted to know your opinion on it. And you answered the phone and you said, I'm watching the NBA finals. What's up? And I asked you some question. And it was basically exactly what your response is. You paused and you go, Matt, I love you.

But I can't be the black friend you call anytime you want a black opinion. That was basically what you said. It was like, you're calling me because I'm black to ask what I think about this. And it really did change the way I thought, not just about you, but a lot of things. Explain to me why you said that and do a lot of people do that with you?

Yeah. Do you get angry when people are asked to be the representative for black voices and you don't think the representative like I'm just picking a person, but it could be a lot of people, Candace Owens or something like that?

No, that's interesting. If you don't do it, who will they get?

They said, no doubt. She said, no doubt.

Let me explain to people who might not know what you said. You said about Shador Sanders, I believe something like maybe he needs to be a little more humble. Yeah, he did it wrong. He did it wrong, right? He did it wrong. Yeah. And that was also the kind of thing that like a right-wing columnist would say. Right. And that's hard for you to say, even if you're coming at it from a different point.

They'll call you for the answer they want and then you don't give it. So I've had that happen twice with the New York Times. They called me once to say, do you think Andy Beshear can get elected president? Then I was playing the role of Mr. Kentucky guy. And I went, no, because you have to understand the unique circumstances of him. His dad was the governor. Everyone hated Matt Bevin.

And then we've had these huge tragedies that he's been really good during. I don't think that translates nationally. And it was clear they wanted me to say, yes, he could be president. Then the second time was the Stephen A. Smith. New York Times called me to ask about whether or not he could be president in sports. Oh, the same article. Probably the same article.

And I was like, no, nobody wants him. He's respected in the sports community, but nobody says Stephen A. Smith. And both times, my quotes probably won't get used because I didn't give them what they wanted in that moment.

Because everyone says he's, I don't know him, but everyone says he's a nice guy off the air.

It's the movie Idiocracy. It just came 20 years earlier.

That's right. That's the easiest thing. It's the easiest thing to say, because in some ways it's true. Yes. Like the mainstream Democrats are out of touch. We can all say that. Whereas, you know, I've learned you can take people ask, well, how do you have conservative listeners? Here's the answer. You can talk, take liberal positions. Just be very careful about taking shots at Trump, the person.

Right. You can say, let's use the example of the Qatari plane. Do you think the president should take a plane, $400 million from a foreign country and then keep it when it's over? No. But if I say, do you think Trump should take a plane? Different conversation. Right. So the key is as much as possible, leave him out of it. Now, sometimes I don't, but that to me is the key.

And Stephen A is the king of that.

For sure. And conservatives... I can do it because I have a country accent.

Right? When's the last time you've seen a white country male on TV speaking Democrat politics? Right. Right.

And you used to say that you thought people in North Carolina would listen to you because you were black and not a white liberal. Because they really hate white liberals. They do. Especially educated ones.

Does that make you mad, by the way? It does me now.

Because I liked Biden. I don't blame him. I blame the people around him. Do you?

Or the Bulwark or those sites. Yes, they do. You're exactly right. The John McCains of the world, for lack of a better term.

Yeah, there's not many. Well, Monty, thank you very much for doing this. And if I ever get another show, you'll be the first guest on that one.

So that's been episode one of the Matt Jones Show. You can get the entirety of the conversation on podcast. Look up for Matt Jones Show because there's more to it than you heard. And we'll be back next Thursday with another conversation with someone interesting. This has been the first ever episode of the Matt Jones Show on WHAS.

Yes, he did.

Yeah. So you didn't feel like you could have the opinion. Shador should have been a first round pick. Right. If you didn't think he should be a first round pick. Right. I mean, like you can't have that.

They probably didn't even know.

One of the people that said that was Stephen A., who said something like, this is like Kaepernick. And I don't really know Stephen A., but I wanted to be like, look, it is clear Kaepernick had the NFL. They had come together and violated antitrust. That's why they settled with him, and that's why he's not played since then.

You Stephen A has become this figure where whatever he talks about gets a lot of attention, including the absurdity that people think he could run for president. You've known him a long time. I know you respect his work when he was a writer.

How do you feel about this notion that he's almost become this spokesman somehow for not just sports, but anyone who might be on the left or anyone like we all have to hear what Stephen A thinks about anything.

Look at you already having this pulled up. I didn't even tell you topics. and you already have this on your phone.

You think that's already the case? You think that's already the case?

I've never heard of anybody that wants Stephen A to be president. Like I hear people saying that he could be president, but I have yet to meet one person that would want Stephen A. Smith to be president.

Nobody wants him to be president.

Yeah. Do you, okay. So you, you're, if people can't already tell, and I'm sure they can, you are an extremely intelligent person. I have watched as with you, You have to try to have success in a world that is for carnival barkers. So do I mean, I have to do the same thing. You have to be funny. You have to be entertaining, et cetera. And you have to walk that line.

And some people can do it and some people can't. Do you feel like you are able to both be intelligent, make the comments you want to make, but also be funny enough, entertaining enough that they can put you on TV and you'll make good TV?

All right. Welcome, everybody. This is the Matt Jones show. And, you know, when I did my first show, I guess, of the old Matt Jones podcast, which started many, many, many years ago, my first guest was Bomani Jones. And I thought, how fitting that we're starting it back and we bring him back. My longtime friend, Bo, from ESPN, HBO, now CNN. He was a writer. He did local radio.

No, the condescending is huge, and Democrats are terrible at that.

Our party is much more condescending than the other side. I also think there's been this rise, though, of what I would call the stupid intellectual, which is the person that is just smart enough to sound smart in a minute on TikTok.

But then really can't. The example I always use is Charlie Kirk. No offense to the guy. He might be a nice guy. But in a minute, that dude can sound smart. And when they do the things where he brings college kids on and he debates them for 30 seconds, he can sound smart. But if you set him next to a really smart person, he's not going to sound smart.