973 - Cross on the Moon feat. Brendan James (9/29/25)
It’s Chapo—in person! Will, Felix, and Brendan James of Blowback (formerly Chapo Trap House) gather at Will’s apartment to talk about Eric Adams dropping out of the NYC mayoral race. They then read a profile of Adam Jentleson and his new PAC, Searchlight, and its novel plan to win elections by pulling Democrats to the right. Also this episode: Pete Hegseth’s mysterious all-hands meeting, Trump finally releasing the files, and Peter Thiel’s obsession with the antichrist.
And be sure to vote for American Prestige at the Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting?utm_campaign=signal4_finalists_finalistnotification_092325&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cio#/2025/shows/genre/news-politics
And check out the new Blowback season! https://blowback.show/
Comments (209)
I mean, maybe the meeting of the generals was a dumb but it still involved the president telling them that they should be prepared to fight the enemy from within in every American city. The national guard is arriving in Chicago today.
Arlington, VA houses that had Kamala signs now have hundreds of dollars in Halloween props
Brendan actually does an amazing tr*mp impression. very impressive!
Hegseths alarm clock is the audio from Hate Me "He cheated on me.. with another women!!"
Really glad trump has entered his “solving history’s greatest mysteries” phase. Just a cable tv / dumb guy version of a certain German’s search for biblical artifacts. We should give him an Indiana jones hat and a handgun and have him lead searches all over the world for shit that may or may not be able to be found.
Damn, it’s good to have Brendan back on the mic. This felt like a classic chapo episode. Bring brother Brendan back
“He’s anti-introspection” well yeah he basically has Tony soprano brain but way less funny cool and swaggy. So only the parts where he delights in causing pain and suffering
I think that Thiel just likes to imagine himself as the Antichrist only to discover that he’s just a lackey to the true Antichrist, Trump. And Trump is not even aware he’s the Antichrist, and inadvertently melts Thiel’s face off with demonic powers
We're back to calling g stuff "fruity" when we don't like it, huh? Why is it so hard to just not be homophobic?
we are also using gay if that interests you
I’m blown away Hegseth didn’t just weigh the generals like Robert Deniro in Casino.
But this man is an institution.
all time episode
If Will was a true trekhead he would know that Amelia Earhart is currently comfortably cryogenically frozen about 70,000 lightyears away (christ what a stupid episode)
Bill Burr talking about the S.A. gig was ridiculous: «I was expecting it to be tense but they had McDonald’s next to a KFC… next to a Chilli’s!». Is this a bit? If only they had KFC in the 1850s slavery would have been fine. This is the same guy who said billionaires should be put down like rabid dogs! (Which I guess MBS technically has done, Burr never said he had a problem with trillionaires)
Fuckin Racial Jake ass name. That guy was 100% Brace Belden.
It's important to remember that fruity people have done some heinous shit and the softest weak people can be formed into the cruelest weapons when you have enough of them. I'm sure they are eyeing who they need to replace, and it looks like it's everyone except a few hooting chuds. The only saving grace right now is how Brandonized Trump is getting less than a year in. People need to learn some level of armed resistance, in case it comes to it. Sorry if that seems alarmist. Take up paintball or airsoft. Learn a lil bit about using a drone. Work stops are the ideal but we also work with a lot of oaf backstabbers, so who knows how it shakes out. Plus oafs can bond over gun talk.
As an ex very, very heavy meth user and addict Thiel immediately appears to me as a daily meth user, not speed, not other stimulants (perhaps a combo but def meth), he has the skin pulled over a raw skull, greasy skin, anxious eyes and jittery nature of a daily meth user. I bet he takes desoxyn or something like that, he won't be using street meth, but he's using every day. He'll be on a cocktail of drugs I would guess, meth plus benzos plus ketamine maybe, he'll be doing the "better living thru chemistry" thing, a whole bunch of really good shit. The addict in me is supremely jealous. This is my opinion, pretty sure I'm right.
I believe it.
RIP Jane Goodall
Bless. She had the chimp strength in her heart.
At a time when every other dipshit is panhandling for an AI scam or a do-nothing think-tank, "do you want to give me money to put a cross on the moon" is a brilliant pitch. It's a straight yes or no. If your follow-up is "why?", you're already out.
Real ones ask how.
The chapo patreon could’ve owned New York for the prices Eric adams was going for
He was saving money on flights by going all the way to Istanbul. We'll send you direct for a rent freeze.
Secretary Peter Manscape
RFK Jr will be bringing growling in as a national health initiative
Need a Trucker’s Manhattan so bad
Love Brendan and his impressions
This is the first time I’ve heard Brendan’s Trump and it’s incredible 🤯 I think he might out-Trump Milo Edwards
"Well don't use Mountain Dew" got largely overlooked, but I laughed Brendan
Rat bit my sister today but Christ-ey's on the moon.
Loudly guffawed at “dick gay”
It’s outrageous that entertainers would perform in a state with an ultra conservative leadership and a litany of human rights violations. That’s why entertainers should never perform in the US, and if you have, shame on you.
We're going to get Admiral Bird's pictures from Agarta before we get the Epstein files
Peter Thiel isn't the antichrist. According to the Bible end times fan fiction, the antichrist will be charismatic and widely loved. If anything he's trying to scout the next antichrist. Apparently he lost faith JD
Well Charlie got blown out.
Brace “Dick Gay” Belden does it again
In my personal head Canon Felix is half black just like okc isaiah hartenstein
Amelia got eaten by coconut crabs, I knew it
Searchlight Shark Tank is a great place for Felix to pitch Floss Latina
Takes me back to the days when I couldn’t tell Will’s and Brendan’s voices apart
Anyone know which ep Felix mentioned that Kaleb Horton was on early on in the show?
I actually don’t think he was ever a Chapo guest, although I hope I’m wrong
Haaaaaaamburger (shoutout PTFO)
This episode is an all time banger
Was there an amelia earhart documentary that was on TV last weekend?
This brought me back. Love hearing Brendan on mic.
Brendan James. Low-key best Trump voice.
its barely exaggerated parody, its spot on
I’d rather listen to a 4 hour Movie Mindset episode about the film “Antichrist”
Brendan’s got a solid Trump impression
When is the new season of spooky movie mindset set list dropping??
Show me a fucking democrat who has said or done anything meaningful about fucking CLIMATE CHANGE!! We are facing a horrific future and these fucking dipshits act like it's a cause celebré! Absolute joke to act like that had anything to do with the election!
they tried to position the Green New Deal as much as possible as a program to give your unemployed failson a unionized job building or installing wind turbines for 150k a year starting, you couldn't have dreamed a more nuts and bolts blue collar Mike Row Safety Third good paying technical college wrench job and all they got was shit on
I actually read a book when I was a kid that was about DB Cooper and Bigfoot. I forget the name of it but it was sick. I think Mount Saint Helena also blew up in the book
Sasquatch by Roland smith
Release the Teapot Dome files!
as a journalist, how do you not turn and walk away when someone tells you their name is dick gay? have a little self respect
"The groups" is such a weird way to talk. "The groups (if ya know what I mean)"
The name of the game with these people is absolutely never ever directly naming what they are against or what they want to do. It’s all implication and bullshit.
say what you want about Felix's weird voice but one never wonders whether he is speaking
i just can’t believe we’ve reached a point where israeli soldiers can snipe a doctor in the head in a hospital on video and not a single western press outlet can be bothered to cover it
Alcoholic here - I used to lift hammered everyday. It’s not hard if you’re a real alcoholic. If you’re a puss who got addicted to oxy and then also drank, it might be hard.
Venom and knob creek is a good pre workout actually.
This ep fucking rocked. Can't wait for more Blowback.
Very sad to hear about the death of Kaleb Horton. One piece of his that stuck with me is this one on a 1976 school bus kidnapping in California: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22570738/chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping edit: WTF Vox has a paywall?
Jared Kushner owns fucking Madden.
"I'm having a friend for Hennessy in the barber shop" was insane, in a good way
The sperm racing shit just looks like the most degenerate gambling thing possible.
obviously we know nobody’s attacking the US, but isn’t ordering a meeting where every top military member of the country gathers in the same spot at once basically daring someone to do it? of course they’d never do it, but who would even be left to respond if Iran dropped a fat man on the retreat? seems like a win-win for me
Every single other member of the military would still be alive
The whole Saudi culture thing is to pull Westerners from Dubai, because they want to take the business/banking destination from Dubai. I've heard they haven't figured out the whole hooker/booze thing required for Westerners.
Boys we need an IRL show in NYC 🙏🏻😳
Pretty obvious Adams dropped out at Trump’s behest in order to clear the waynot for Sliwa, but for Mandami, the only dumb excuse he’ll need to send Feds here immediately and bury any move to the left at all by the Democratic Party w whatever manufactured scandals they invent to discredit him and the wider socialist movement. Will it work? I don’t know but of course the wider Democratic Party will go along w it too
"I want my sperm to be like Senna" oh so into 15 year old girls ??
Eric Adams thinks he’s Luke Cafe
fuck they’re finally gonna release Amelia Earhart’s lesbian love letters to Eleanor Roosevelt
I was at an inpatient psych ward in Altoona, PA in 2018 and there was a “group” session where everyone had to play a song that they were relating to atm and like everyone played that Blue October song LOL
fuck they’re finally gonna release Amelia Earhart’s lesbian love letters to Eleanor Roosevelt
Felix makes a good point about Black servicemembers, the folliculitis waiver is definitely going to disproportionately impact a specific demographic
Thiel dies vowing to prove to Dick Gay that there IS an Antichrist, and when Dick leaves the castle the next day, back in military uniform as Captain Gay, the empty seat beside him in the staff limo starts sweating
ITS ALL FOR YOU DICK!
Dick Gay's not a fan, Pussy Lesbian's ambivalent, and Ass Bisexual is just there for the soft pretzels.
Gavin's Me too Mayor McHottie's New Girlfriend -- Half His Age https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2581600&page=1
It sucks that there’s no American napoleon using the hesgeth meeting to plan a military coup.
Pete’s little beauties
EA Sports: It's In the Ka'bah.
How’s Jessica Kirson gonna do crowdwork? “You Jewish and eat box?”
Matt Forney. Red Kahina. Punished Peter Daou. MORTAL KOMBAT
“skinnerian” lmao
The guys kicked on the goddamn afterburners when they riffed on whiskey Pete lol
trump dropped the amelia earhart files because he thinks she’s hellen keller and all the 16 year olds in his administration told him she wasn’t really blind and deaf
Never understood that conspiracy theory considering like 12 people in the United States knows she was a socialist and that's why she was famous lol
I'm anti-woke venture capitalist Dick Gay.
Okay. Do we have a description of “Dick Gay” from the Theil story? B/c I’m betting it’s Brace.
BB Brace there to pitch sperm racing to Thiel is the next Paul Thomas Anderson film
Emelia Earhart didn't kill herself
Semenbiscut? Really? When Soggybiscut is right there? Cancelling my blowback sub
Love Brendan, great ep.
Will bustin out some Henry Chinaski in Barfly made my morning!
can’t wait for the EA game where you train to fly in florida and arizona but don’t learn how to land
Festivities matter.
Hegseth also restoring the medals for the 9th bearded infantry, who were too brave to accept the surrender of unarmed confederates in the civil war
I like the idea of him restoring all the civil war medal of honors( the only medal that existed for the US army during that time) Some troops literally got it for fucking volunteering lol
Please bribe Nick with a dynasty warriors replica armor set to come on for an ep. Really need the joy of hearing the greats riffing on the riyadh shit.
I want more MGS references till at least like November
Hey 9th Configuration, alright! I was just thinking about that movie
I just got banned yesterday from Twitter for 7 days because I sincerely expressed to Fettermen I couldn't wait for him to kill himself but please spare the family
Trump impression was good
Jentleson would make those guys watch Bleach filler
Goulvie Screamset confirmed!
please god release the full 20 hour phantom pain cut!!!
If the Saudis buy EA maybe we'll finally get the sequel to trail of ibn battuta that everyone's been waiting for
Real heads know that the spiritual sequel is grandma joy's road trip
"it's not democrats vs Republicans, it's angels vs demons, and the Democrats just so happen to be all demons"
To be fair, the antichrist is supposed to be really good at deceiving people through words, and Thiel has proven he has absolutely no Rizz for that type of work
The Jentleson five photo looks exactly like the classic Sopranos promo photo of Paulie, Sil, Tony, Chris, Pussy standing in front of a cemetery, right down to Tony's hand placement.
Has anyone actually read the aziz ansari article? Its pretty upsetting and harrowing but im sure all these guys have tried the same sort of shit before while trying to hook up so they’ve got a vested interest in downplaying that sort of thing - someone doesn’t need to be a serial rapist/trafficker to be a sex pest with bad boundaries and disrespect towards women
I think there is room to talk about boundaries, esp when they are ill-defined and not vocalized clearly, but I also think that Ansari’s case was of a different order than others who got held accountable in the MeToo era. Both can be true
Fuck, there's nothing I want to do more than listen to Felix's metal gear podcast, but even the two episodes I listen to makes me want to play the games again, and I don't want to get any more spoilers.
Spoilers because you haven’t played 3-5, or re-spoilers because it’s been a long time since you played?
I would assume you want access to the Fetter Man so you can ratatouille him and then pilot him like a very primitive mech
We need to understand how the residents of Allegheny County managed to conjure a Golem.
My favorite Curtis Sliwa trivia is that he is canonically Wide Wale's final arch in Venture Bros.
Earhart thing is 100% just SEO. Walt Disney’s “Frozen” head level stuff. Muck up the first page of results when normies go to Google “Trump declassified epstein”.
Why do Willy Will and Brendan “Lames” have the same voice? It makes listening to them impossible! Very, VERY low quality and the ratings are just terrible! One of you needs to change, NOW! This is why BLOWBACK.POD is the ONLY #MAGA podcast! And that Noah Kulwin; very strong. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Who knows, the meeting hasn't happened yet so many Hegseth is gonna surprise them by doing a saddam style purge where he just reads a list of names and his exercise partners escort those people out of the room to be executed
My favorite thing about the Sunstein book is that he’s not really even trying to read politics through the lens of Star Wars, he’s just writing 300 pages of sentences like “Obama was wise like Yoda when he made his red line in Syria”. it’s just truly pablum. hogslop, per house style
I just assumed his whole Earhart thing was the result of him watching some doc on tv
What's Chris Wade been up to
babby.
Semenbiscuit.
the felix-sunstein date is like reading ASOIAF and seeing that Jamie was almost betrothed to Lysa
Their maesters sent them on a playdate to undermine southern power and eventually raise an army to do Woke J6
i really wish you guys looked up sperm racing while recording this episode
After listening SIX seasons of Blowback, Brendan and Will speak and I'm still all "They're the same picture." Fuck.
This was big news for Earheart heads but okay just shit all over it. And for the hegseth heads—wasn’t he in the 101st airborne??
No he was in the national guard if I recall correctly I don't think he was ever active service if I remember correctly Edit: he was technically an officer in the army national guard so technically yes active service but not in the airborne.
Can we expect The Ninth Configuration in a future MMS?
Ninth Configuration mentioned
35:52 Felix first suicide mention
If you’ve played madden the last three years, you’re hyped about the Saudi’s buying EA.
Very telling that the boys aren't interested in solving the disappearance of a woman.
Lmao
Old Billy Billions already podcasted about it and just compounded the insult to his fanbase
If you believed they put a cross on the moon Cross on the moon If you believed any of them rolled up their sleeves Then nothing is cool
Reason he didn’t speak at the last convention is that he sounds like RFKjr voice wise. It’s a little better but not enough.
Omg, I'm almost positive the Your Kickstarter Sucks guys covered the Cross on the moon project as a failed Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mooncrosscoalition/roadshow-to-the-moon-a-mission-for-god?ref=android_project_share
The Blue October - Hate Me bit cuts a bit to close because more than one woman I dated in my life have sent that song to me saying "reminds of you"
The Amelia Earhart thing only makes sense as a remotely believable and compelling dstraction from the Epstein files if she like... got captured by the Japanese, got turned into a comfort woman, and FDR covered it up because he didn't want to offend Hirohito. And they used it to say "that's why the New Deal was bad."
I cracked the Wookie code. He wrote the sentence "healthy as a horse" and forced himself to rewrite it, '''but Star Wars'"
So he believes wookies are the Star Wars equivalent of horses
sperm racing could be just the thing for the future male infertility crisis, although I’m not sure how it will work as a college sport, are there high school feeder teams?
the pro-Brendan James lobby is very happy to hear this news
Peter Thiel follows cop rules, if you ask him if he's the antichrist he has to tell you.
I think the bit about Peter Thiel being the "rock" the company needed was a reference to Jesus referring to St. Peter as the "rock upon which he would build his church", which is a pun, since Peter literally means "rock".
Y'know there's a story from Chinese history that's kinda similar to Hegseth's frivolous "all hands" meeting. Back in ancient China emergency military summons were communicated via a network of beacons that would be lit at night to signal an invasion, and all the emperor's vassals were expected to muster their armies and gather at the capital. One day some idiot emperor decided to light it for fun to entertain his favourite wife, which resulted in all his vassals getting pissed off and not responding in time when nomadic tribes invaded. This event is largely seen by historians as the final straw that destroyed one of China's dynasties. Hopefully American Empire suffers a similar fate
People often remark on the whole Roman empire trope but I always saw the Soviet Union as being the spiritual successor to the Roman empire and the American empire as the spiritual successor to the pre 1300s dynasties and there shenanigans. Current China doesn't have enough meritocracy based institutions where literally no one knows how to do there job or really anything. Probably my favorite aspect of Chinese history is how many times it's completely born out how fucking hollow and stupid the empirial system is for basically 90 percent of the population but the propaganda of being able to climb the imperial ladder is too enticing for the actually smart people in China that for thousands of years you just have an ungodly amount of human effort expended trying to just enter the world of empirial politics. In my opinion this is basically the closest thing to American empire there is in antiquity
Get your Glimmery white ass outta here!
the guy who was interviewed for the Thiel article fuckin has to be Brace, right?
Felix referencing Blue October sent me because I immediately thought about that song as an anthem for Hegseth in the bit.
Great Trump impression
The Earheart thing is a rare moment of whimsy from the most incurious man alive and I think we should treasure it.
Anyone entertaining even a modicum of hope for a Gavin Newsom administration need only read his glowing elegy of Charlie Kirk. He is a vat grown Manchurian candidate, a t-800 with spermicidal jelly for blood. Triangulation? The man is a triangle.
Telling a journalist that your name is Dick Gay and you're doing sperm racing is exactly what my friend Gary would do, good bit Gary
Hilarious that felix doesn’t associate Hennessy with black people…just say you didn’t drink with a lot of black ppl, you don’t have to be authoritative on everything
Also Viet and some Koreans are to be included in this stereotype. You’re welcome, do good with this important knowledge.
What kills me is these guys aren’t even real nerds. They’re not weirdly obsessive about patterns and order. They’re half-wit narcissist who only ever “win” anything because they devote themselves heart and soul to competing with everyone who felt bad for them once and tried to be their friend. They’re absolute parasites. Every day that a billionaire draws breath is a testament to the generosity and patience of the entire rest of the species.
Anyone know what chapo episode featured Kaleb Horton?
they might be thinking of Francis Horton (#47), I'm almost positive he never guested.
Halloween decorations summoning evil is a take you’d expect from Rod Dreher.
Gentleson's org reminds me of the approach of the ultra left towards mass politics. They are compromised by their class position as PMC. As a result they don't know what working people want, only what they SHOULD want. Self-marginalizing behavior
Peter Theil= the reptile. cmon maaan
Adam’s departure leaves the field wide open for real contenders like Jojo Sliwa and the cats he is hoarding.
Don't correct him
Player's club really should be an reoccuring series. I knwo it's probably a lot of work but it's so good and there are so many games that we'd love to see get covered in you're particular styles.
Will Felix and Brendan actually do an episode on Heavy Rain?
Wouldn't mind hearing that heavy rain podcast tbh, can't find it in 5 seconds so I quit though.
My father seemed strong as shagohod until he was killed by FOXDIE
This reminds me of the Mormon ship they steal in “the expanse”
The Nauvoo
Democrats in 2025: in order to get elected we need to shit on and alienate every potential voting block except for those that vote Republican every election without fail. That'll teach our voters for voting for us!! Seriously, just throw this worthless party in the dustbin of history where it belongs. Don't let it get to the levels of degradation Labour has in the U.K. before moving on and building a new party to replace it because by then it'll be too damn late.
Bedtime drop is crazy. Love falling asleep to the soothing sounds of Felix making Will laugh
Nice! Ty.
Love that this came out at 9pm Eastern. Keep these early evening drops coming!
Felix begins speaking at 48 seconds
IIRC, far more time in the 2016 and 2020 Dem primaries was spent on the scurge of the BernieBro than on climate change and LGBTQ issues combined.
They straight-up banned trans people from the DNC in 2024, but I guess anything less than Kamala doing a violent hate crime to a trans child live on stage was too much appeasing "the groups" for today's Dems. Maybe if she'd have executed a Palestinian and kicked a disabled person too she might have pulled an extra 0.01% in Texas last year. Nevermind Dems lost in the first place because their own base was so disgusted by them they stayed home.
Imagining Eric Adams sadly packing his bags to leave New York listening to Wave Goodnight To Me by Jeff Rosenstock. Well don't worry sir, you may not be mayor but I think you'd make an EXCELLENT President.
aboard his flight to the New York of turkey, Istanbul
Please tell us the ghoulve scream set films soon!
My father was healthy as Big Boss, and turns out I’m a clone
Can the president just fire a VP and pick a new one? Bc VP Adams has the swag to keep this ship afloat, and to turn America into the NYC of the world. Should the inevitable happen
It's a shame that Boris Johnson gave up his American citizenship, because a Trump/BoJo administration would be incredible
I wasn't gonna say anything, but it's funny to think about how some of the handful of missed audio cues and rough cuts in this season of Blowback was because Felix was forcing Brendan to play The Phantom Pain and that impacted their quality control checks.
It’s just like when Joss Whedon was working on both Buffy and Angel at the same time
I'm not up to date on modern star wars lore... but as a young, pre-failson, I spent a not insignificant amount of energy immersed in star wars mythology. From what I recall, Wookies lived for a very long time, nearly as long as whatever species Yoda was. So, nearly a millennium. Maybe that's where the "healthy as a wookie" sentiment comes from? But that would only add to the confusion as dude's dad died relatively young... Also, in the star wars lore, Wookies were prized for their "health" and strength as they were highly sought after slaves in the galactic slave trade. He could have just said his dad was as healthy as a slave... 🤷♂️
Damn.
Peter Thiel is the kind of guy who looks at Roy in Blade Runner and thinks "I want to live like that so bad it hurts". And he made it all of our problem.
11th
I wonder if they’ll talk about the recent Colombian appraisal of the Joan Baez ennio morricone song here’s to you
This Brandon Jane guy sucks
Our most precious resource, data
THEYRE EATING THE DATA
the "we can't take him, his pants are too full of doodoo" edit from Snake Eater make me miss early chapo so bad
Fourth!
Balls
Ligma