December Bonus: THE 2023 GRIFTIES!
It's the most wonderful time of the year: The Grifties! This month, we dig in on the best and worst (mostly worst) of wellness and weight loss in 2023. Plus, we remember the true reason for the season—deranged billionaires.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. As ever, drop a line in the comments if you've got requests for future bonus episodes.
See you next month!
M&A
Comments (326)
Listening to this in 2026 it’s scary how many people fell for the Kelly Clarkson video considering how much better the technology has gotten in such a short time. I think people have gotten better at spotting it now at least.
A comment no one will read: So there's an alternative to the onion foot thing: when you're sick you should put half a potato in each sock at night and supposedly the potato "draws out the germs." My former boss SWORE by this. Her evidence that it worked? The potato turned brown which clearly meant the toxins were now in the potato. Not that potatoes go brown if you put them in your nasty socks or anything logical like that.
the thing that drives me crazy about the buccal fat removal accusations is that the before and after pics will be an actress in her 20s vs her in her 30s. like. yeah. i think that’s just aging, babes.
The onion foot thing is a myth that’s really old! It’s referred to in Anne of Green Gables!
Girl dinner = Abendbrot in Germany!! I just couldn’t stop laughing during this episode! Love you both!
The thawing plate is real! I don’t know exactly how much of an impact it makes, but it does carry heat away from the meat faster than air. I was gifted one and never use it tho haha
i was listening to this while on a run and got a bloody nose bc obviously i had to try mewing
lmmmkkkmmommllmll mo nn k lolo
Okay so the metal plate thawing the meat is real. Metal conducts heat better than many other materials we use in the kitchen like plastic or ceramic so the metal “steals” the energy from the frozen meat and absorbs it. That’s why metal feels colder in a room than a wooden chair; it’s stealing your heat faster essentially as it’s a better conductor. If you take 3 ice cubes and put one on a plastic plate, one on a ceramic plate and one on a piece of metal, you’ll see they all melt at different rates! I love it
Why did I not realize a year ago that twice in a row the griftiest grifter was a Bri/yan Johnson?? And they’re both born in the same year???
This is the most boomer episode 😂
As a new Patreon listener making a comment on a much older post. Not to be a “before it was cool” guy but my mom and I have been having popcorn and crackers for dinner and she called it “chick dinner” for like so many years before TikTok even existed. My other friends too with their Gen X (often single) moms lol. I feel like it’s not just about woman preparing food for man, but literally from both her and my experience dating, sooooooo many straight men have this thing where they won’t acknowledge something as like “a meal” unless it has like a separate protein, carb, blah blah blah. Not just eating at home but going out to eat also. Anyways now I just don’t date people who are like that bc I just want to eat whatever I want. Also as someone with IBS fancy aged cheese and Brie are like the BEST somehow safe foods (very little to 0 lactose). Also MSG god bless.
DUDE! Re: onion foot thing, one time when I got super longterm sinus sick, I was told to sleep with cut up onions next to my bed (I guess because they make you cry?) and to eat a FULL LEMON (covered in sugar if needed). Neither worked, my room smelled horrible, and my stomach hurt from the lemon.
I heard Bryan Johnson speak last night at a private event and he is so out of touch with reality
Honestly shocked to find out “girl dinner” was presented as a healthy behavior in most spaces. As a person in the AuDHD community, in my corner of the internet “girl dinner” has been a meme about the dysfunctional relationship with food a lot of us have due to appetite suppression from Adderall paired with food sensory issues. In other words- a way to acknowledge and commiserate with each other on a shared experience of dietary dysfunction- a completely opposite meaning. Now curious if anyone else was under that impression ? I thought thats how everyone used it and am curious if its just the AuDHD community or a GenZ thing?
Gen X, non-ND - my understanding and use of the term has been to mean a relaxed, no pressure, feed yourself meal. Moms or other head of household folks are usually responsible for feeding everyone in the house. “Girl dinner” among my peers means eating whatever w no obligation to anyone by yourself.
This episode was quite the emotional rollercoaster. Also, "Get thee to a therapist, my guy..." ☺️
that bariatric surgery bit felt like a black mirror moment...
So, not telling a woman she is pregnant before stomach stapling surgery, happened to my mother. Thank goodness my sister was only born a little underweight, but she lost weight the entire pregnancy. It was scary.
I see that my algorithm was not showing me the same girl dinners that Michael and Aubrey were seeing. Like I never saw the trend go to "omg my girl dinner is healthier than yours". I just saw a bunch of people showing off what was essentially depression meals. 😶 Like not "uwu here is my healthy diet meal" but more "okay so I'm having a plain tortilla, some olives and some antidepressants and I'm calling it ~girl dinner~" 😅
I knew a guy like Johnson but, he worked in retail. Its like a 40 yr crisis funneled through capitalism. Viewing every one as a thing to be measured for roi and women are to be conquered. It's "The Game" for forty year old self absorbed assholes.
Wait did I miss Aubrey here in London last month? Noooooooooo 😱😱😱
Growing up my mother had me “plug in” to an Earthing kit when I slept. It was like a weird ankle bracelet connected to the wall. She also had a book on Earthing and feels worthwhile to mention that all the text on the cover is in Papyrus font.
Antidote to "Girl Dinner": "Chip Dinner" - you just eat a packet of chips for dinner because you can’t be arsed to cook: https://amp.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/jan/18/the-best-dinner-is-chip-dinner
My dad had to be hospitalized for depression when the pandemic started because he couldn't see his girlfriend and was forced to sit with his own thoughts and even though he got medication, therapy and goes on weekly dates with his girlfriend again, still has not gained any empathy and goes on racist right wing rants constantly. He is the type of person who says he has good genes because we are of German descent. Knowing him is one reason I just have a hard time feeling sorry for privileged white men in America. Btw I also have depression and lost all my friends when I had a baby and he has never asked me how I am doing or offered to help. If you can't tell, I can't afford therapy so am venting here. 🤣
Can y’all please revisit “mewing” in the context of the documentary “Open Wide”?
Thank you Mike for the "Graceland" reference!! At first I was like why does "she comes back to tell me she's gone" seem so familiar??
My ex is a fat woman who posted a girl dinner TikTok and got shat on in her comments by a random fatphobic man. She is not famous by any means, fat women just can't even participate in TikTok joke trends.
Being overweight is unhealthy. I don’t think that comparing homophobia to fat shaming is the same thing at all. Homosexuality doesn’t cause life threatening health conditions like being fat does.
scream claire you clearly don't listen to the podcast 💀 did you pay five dollars to post this
Money aside (lol), I wouldn't get a monthly MRI because it would be so annoying to take out all my piercings that often
I was thinking the exact same thing!!!
As a skeptical mental health professional, I am begging you to check this out: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062470/keto-ketogenic-diet-mental-illness-bipolar-depression
Have you ever researched Dr. Michael Greger? I am curious to know more about him because it seems like he started as a physician and animal rights advocate? But the titles of his books are very grifty like How Not to Die. He's kind of old news but I just got an ad for a speaking engagement near me. I guess there is no shortage of people selling the fountain of youth.
Please do an episode on Ultra Processed People!! The book is fascinating but I want some unpacking!
Currently trying to work up courage to go see Your Fat Friend alone as a fat person, hoping desperately that there will be other fat people in the audience in a city that trends towards young and skinny :/
I saw it yesterday - went with a friend but realised it was a film I wouldn’t mind seeing alone. It was for one of the screening with Aubrey and Jeanie but there were lots of us in the audience and that made it more special I think.
Can you please do an episode on Andrew Huberman
Proposed bonus episode where listeners help listeners by where folks have found good content on subjects like personal and career development that don't fall into the common traps of transformative diets and The Secret wealth manifestation!
"Get thee to a therapist, my guy" 🤣 I was not ready for that one.
I think a really fun Patreon episode could be y'all watching all the wellness related Drunk History episodes and chatting about them.
What about an episode on HTMA testing? Or a dive into the many suspect/useless/unstudied tests that come with alt medicine? Maybe how this (grifty, probably?) sub-industry intersects with research, or lack of research, into chronic & hard to pin down diseases, like Lyme, or EBV, or chronic fatigue, that seem to happen in women at higher rates
I'm just going back through the Patreon bonuses as a new patron. I would love to see an episode on Bridget Jones's Diary - film and particularly the book, because the book has a lot more detail about her dieting and it's not clear whether it's presenting it as desirable or dangerous. Anyway, love the show so much!
I second the episode of only "Gay Bar or Steakhouse."
So… mewing is just how kids with braces has to position their tongues so the wouldn’t cut them on the wires?
Again, I have to ask for a bonus ep of you two playing “Gay Bar or Steakhouse,” for like an hour. You can do it over margaritas and nachos, and it will be my new comfort listen
Kept this one in the tank for when I REALLY needed a MP episode and that day was today and as WONDERFUL as anticipated. However, so wish that sleepy girl mocktail wildness on TT had happened just a few weeks earlier so it could make the cut! It's driving me bananas!!! 😄
i would poop in my pants if you could ever do an episode on somatic experiencing. i can’t figure out if it’s a “weird and unsupported by research, but fine” situation or a symbol of something more sinister in mental health. Check out Peter Levine’s website, somaticexperiencing.com to see if this could be up your ally.
Off-topic but I need to know if Mike and Aubrey have seen Nicole Daniels’ non-profit boss skits https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNEmNpag/
Please cover Oola on a future episode!!
Not to go off topic but has something happened to the website? Says it expired?
The compulsion to be productive is just capitalism speaking thru you. Resist it!!!!! Love you all and so proud of u
Bonus episode idea: discuss your feelings on the movie Tàr. Seems like a juicy discord between you two! Only saying this bc I streamed it finally. 🤷♀️no need to research much
Frrrr I could listen to people I like talk about movies all day
Been seeing ads for “Lumen” in my IG feed. It’s billed as a metabolism breathalyzer. Feels like bs in expensive packaging but that could be wrong. Reviews I have skimmed says this device: “requires commitment.” Sounds like a griftee contender for next year.
not one letter off from the severance company too 😭 dystopian
omg/yay y’all made it to jeopardy!!!! 😱😱🤩😍
I screamed when I saw it!!
just joined patreon, I love your podcast and I'm just delighted to support this kind of journalism and advocacy, not to mention y'all keep me in stitches. thanks so much!!
Great way to get better jaw muscles... develop a jaw clenching habit when you go to bed anxious... your jaw will be chiseled but you will also have headaches that get worse all day, sensitive gums, and potentially crack your teeth. Definitely worth it /s
Thank you for a year of tidings of comfort and joy. Take care of yourselves and tour that doc! Btw, i support because if y'all make a regular living, you can keep doing this important work.
I feel like I’ve been seeing so many TikTok hacks/ YouTube ads/ the gummy vitamin industrial complex focusing on “de-bloating” in a completely disingenuous/body shaming way. For instance the flat tummy teas, Hum gummy vitamins called “flatter me” for a “flatter stomach” etc. Basically saying “Your stomach should be flat and if it’s not it’s some digestive issue that can be cured with supplements.” I even saw a YouTube ad allege that at any given moment you could have up to 20 lbs of poop in your colon! (So I guess it is about weight..) I’d love to hear your guys’s thoughts about the “bloat” grift!
“You just did the stoner night when it turns sad” made me laugh out loud
This brings me so much joy to listen to. Heartened by the public health victories, horrified by the insanely dubious bariatric surgery. Love how HAM you both went on the research!
It's been weeks since I listened to this but cannot stop thinking about the grounded products that you plug in 😂
🤣💀
Im also scared you all will end this podcast. It is my favorite one ever and I love listenting to you both! I was devestated when Mike left "youre wrong about" and cant listen anymore-- please give us more wonderful content. We love you and need information like this!!
I’m so scared you guys are going to end the podcast please don’t you could talk about health and wellness BS forever 😭
I was going through a major depression episode a few years ago. I wound up losing my job over it, but prior to proclaiming that I was a “fucking cancer” for the company, my then employer suggested that I would feel much better if I started using a grounding mat. It was a house painting job and it was exterior season…
I had this teenage girl on Instagram FIGHTING for her life in the comment section of some mewing post she was convinced it was all scientific and it would make her prettier. It was really saf
I have an anti-vaxxer friend who is convinced onions in her socks will keep COVID away. She refuses to listen to this podcast for some reason 🙃
Haha, the end of this comment really made me laugh! Onions in socks for a cold was super familiar to me as a Brit though - I feel like I've heard this a lot growing up (I'm 41), as an old wives tale/folklore remedy!
Just for the record, putting something frozen on a metal object will help it thaw faster (basic thermodynamics, heat transfer, metal -vs- wood/plastic/air) but it's not magic. I do it all the time using pots, pans or baking sheets. No need for something special. Submersing in water or microwaving are the only really effective methods but then it depends, of course, on what you are defrosting.
Re: girl dinner and hot girl walks- My dear Michael, perhaps you don't understand this stuff because it's not FOR you. To paraphrase the wells for boys skit, this ONE thing is for us! Everything else is for you! I don't think reading thinkpieces from outsiders is going to offer the understanding and nuance that a discussion between "the girls" would have.
This may be the least insightful or salient comment I could make, but I just wanted to say, "So they *don't* make popcorn" made me laugh out loud.
Waiting to buy an “I’ll Have the Grift Turducken” shirt. 😂
YES PLEASE
I don’t care if it’s off topic for the pod: I want to hear your George Santos rant! 🤣 give it to us!
I think a whole episode on pathological liars would fit well
The onion thing made me laugh, because one of my first high school jobs was waitressing. There was a woman there who believed that onions kept colds away, but just in a *general presence* way. She would hide whole onions around the waitstation and other staff areas. Every time we found them, often soft from being there for so long (or was it because they were busy absorbing the germs?? we will never know!!), our manager would obviously have us throw them away. Then the woman would discover this and put more back. I suspected it was some kind of folk remedy but never imagined this would become a tiktok trend two decades later...
Since I discovered this podcast I’ve marveled at every turn — then started info dumping it on my boyfriend 😅 last year he kind of asked my permission to start Noom, and after I warned him, he was like “no it’s different.” As a lifelong fat person, their marketing is disgusting, but I stepped back and let him know it’s all good — his body is his. I think it was his first diet. He lasted maybe 3 weeks? Oh the turntables…
I wish we really could sleep on our regular circadian schedules, but I’d just start rolling into work around 2 pm at best if I did that
that onion thing i had actually heard growing up- an old wives tale passed thru fundie families on getting rid of your kid's colds! I heard you can do it with potatoes too.
also you guys sound so rested its wonderful
I want to tell y'all I also won't be mad if you skip patreon episodes. Sometimes you need a break. I'm not giving you money to secure these extra episodes, I'm doing it because I love your show and I want to support it! If you need to skip, or do an episode where you just watch something and comment on it, I think we all understand. ❤️❤️❤️
My great-grandma prescribed the TikTok feet onion thing when i was a kid. She would be 101 today.
The grounding thing being woo is hilarious because it's from the opposite of woo. I used to wear grounding shoes and a grounding wrist strap all the time at my job. I had to connect to ground before handling any of the electronic components we were assembling into cell towers and internet broadband bases. If I didn't, the electrical charge built up on my body from my moving around could shock and fry the electrical components. I guess the new woo theory is that those grounding straps and shoes they were to protect me not the components?
God I love the Grifties
FWIW Girl Dinner was a really helpful concept for me. As a now empty-nest mom who made two dinners every night for 20+ years to accommodate family members w/conflicting food allergies, Girl Dinner gave me permission to stop feeling guilty about not cooking a "real" meal.
It also helped me to see how I was performing the role of “wife.” Before I was married, I ate girl dinner many nights a week. After I got married, I felt we had to have a “real adult meal” every night, and while my husband never said this - he also was cranky whenever I suggested we have a cheese plate or whatever convenience girl-dinner type thing I suggested. Now I am separated and am back to enjoying a mix of girl dinner and whatever else I want to eat :)
Bryan Johnson = Big "I hate small talk" on a first date guy energy.
He wants to make sure his dates know “he’s not like other boys.” Just a walking trope.
Hi Aubrey I was wondering if YFF will end up streaming anywhere? I'm dying to see it!
The release date is this year and they're still doing screenings, so I doubt it's available anywhere right now (I searched haha). I can't wait to see it!
The funniest thing about "girl dinner" was me and every other British person being completely confused about the rebranding of the time honoured tradition of "picky bits". Can't wait to see Audrey at YFF in Bristol!!
Was anyone else supremely confused about Brian Johnson, given that is also the Liver King’s actual name? Cause I was baffled
I think a Brian Johnson was lead singer of ACDC at one point also. . .
My favorite quote “that sounds like science”
Hey guys, can someone share a link to the plus size model skinny people jeans photoshoot they mention when discussing Emrata?
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0cZrAoP09X/?igsh=eGpxNnhqYnVkeHZ2
An hour and 22 minutes??? We have truly been blessed
the liver king guy is also named brian johnson 😭
It’s not exactly a fatness/diet related grift just a general wellness one but I’d love a bonus episode on all the recent anti-sunscreen nonsense and to learn if there’s even a shred of truth in it lol
Not Michael not knowing about Meg's hot girl summer 😂
So, when I was a kid, I swallowed by sticking my tongue between my top and bottom teeth. I had to go to a tongue therapist, who basically taught me to swallow by placing my tongue in the mewing position. He never called it that, but did tell me it should reduce my pronounced muscle below my lips, on top of, you, know, not fucking up my teeth further. Funny it’s become a grift!
A lot of grifts are based on something that was developed for a specific purpose to benefit specific people ... then they get hectically generalised
interested to hear your thoughts on you are what you eat the new netflix show that does a twin study on different diets for 8 weeks!
I’m watching it now. Loved the lady who described the BMI as “dogshit” 😆
Please tell me I'm not the only conspiracy theorist who thinks they are doing those surgeries on prisoners because it saves the prison money when they don't have to spend it on food??? Ugh.
I just got an ad for Noom Med…. It’s exactly what you think it is. Please do a bonus episode and mention this! Noom is getting out of hand
Hi! The grounding mat for desks has an actual purpose, they're meant to basically get rid of static electricity buildup so you don't damage electronics when you're working on them. Thank you for having another Grifties!
Has to be combined with shoes that conduct or the soles will prevent the grounding from working.
you said "he grew up mormon" and i immediately yelled "FUCK"
The real girl dinner was the friends we made along the way
I don’t remember exactly where, but I definitely heard about mewing a while ago, and I believe it was linked within minutes w white supremacists. (So, fairly standard for health grifts tbh)
Loved this episode!!! Have you guys watched the Mother God documentary on Max? Would love a bonus episode of your reactions, it seems to relate somewhat to the QAnon to Wellness pipeline you’ve discussed before
Girl dinner? My people just call it noshing.
I always took the girl dinner thing as just a joke. I interpreted it as poking fun at societal expectations for woman to be all put together all the time and the expectation of only showing off your best sides on social media. It was just some silliness that was taken way too seriously
As a little time capsule it’s moved on to “mining girl”, discussing the skin care trend w/ tweens, and my most recent the 9 month cruise drama
Omg! The onion foot thing - my very southern grandmother did that and forced my mom to do it when she was a kid! Back in the 50s/60s! Recurring fads!
You said he was mormon and went to BYU and immediately it made sense.
The “got everything he wanted and still isn’t happy” cases are so frustrating because never once do they try wanting better things. And it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out! Like, if only there were millennia worth of human media warning that wealth and power are subtraction stew for the soul, and suggesting that people try love/ enlightenment/ virtue/ helping others. Have billionaires never read… ANY story?
I was thinking this too! You can literally watch something as basic A Christmas Carol and get some ideas. Or even look back into history if you need an idea of how to do something other than invest in like eternal life! The Carnegies were definitely ruthless, exploitive capitalists, but even they funded the arts and built like 2,000 libraries!
My workplace is doing a January step count challenge for January depression and I am dying of cringe. I need a place to vent about this so the comments of a MP podcast seems appropriate.
Why does everything need to be a competition - just have a walk with a friend, no need to count *sigh*
Don't mind me listening to this going "what the hell is mewing?" only to realize I was sitting in that exact position without having heard of the trend lol
So believe it or not as a dental hygienist we do recommend something like mewing for jaw pain. You do put your tongue behind your front teeth but DO NOT clench your teeth together or say those goofy words. This is the yoga position for the jaw. Relaxes it
Too late for this year's awards, my husband informed me that he has been getting targeted content about something called "rucking", which is essentially walking while carrying a weight in a backpack as a way to get fit/ripped. But, of course, you can't just put any old weight plate in any old backpack (which is probably good advice tbh), you have to buy like a $300 special backpack with a special weight to do it right. Guess we'll see if this one jumps into the "mainstream" and make sit to the 2024 grifties.
This actually comes from the military. I had to do this in the army, so I think it's some weird macho man bs. Nevermind that we had the worst equipment for rucking and our packs were just filled with our equipment lol
Love this episode! I love the annual grifties, I learn so much. I do have one critique though! I don’t think the roasting of “hot girl walks” was warranted, because from what I see on TikTok, it’s just a way for women to empower each other to walk everyday and make incorporating daily movement into your life more of a fun thing than a grueling exercise. I love when women on TikTok post about their hot girl walks in their cute outfits! I think it’s encouraging more than anything insidious. Just my two cents.
i think there is something to all the "hot girl walks" "girl dinner" "my fave is babygirl" stuff - Mina Le has a great youtube vid about it and all the adjectivizing of "girl" this and that to basically put a bow on regular stuff and try to find a way to coquette it or sell it to us somehow. But i do love a hot girl walk lmao
i need to know if aubrey truly just ignored michael after he said "recreational SOMETIMES vehicle" or if he edited out her reaction LOL
I am enjoying the episode overall, but I am a bit annoyed by your affirming Food and Wine magazine's take that Girl Dinner is tied to patriarchal gender roles and the fascination with women's consumption. I think that when we attach trends that allow women to share and interact with each other positively, especially around food, to overarching themes of gender oppression, we take away the joy with which the trend was both created and popularized, reducing our agency and painting everything we do as bad because patriarchy.
The first time I saw the Kelly Clarkson video on TikTok I really believed it was a deep fake so I'm so glad to hear you say that!
My joy from the first intro noises is straight Pavlovian at this point
Im almost embarrassed by how happy i get🤣
"You and Ponce de Leon!" is my new favorite burn.
Love love love this one! What a great way to start my 2024!! Love you both and Happy New Year!
Utterly brilliant episode, as always. I so hope you both, despite your crazy work schedules, are getting some time to rest and re-charge as you both deserve it. I hope you realise that your conversations with each other have been amongst the highlights of this past year..provided me with some truly laugh out loud moments and, also, a valuable source of information. Your talents are real and unique. .thankyou!
Omggg, this was an incredible episode! Thank you so much for always bringing to light the details that usually get missed or ignored. I wonder about the forced weightloss surgery of inmates....and I suspect that/ wonder if it's being done as a sort of study group.
Love this episode! And loved that you guys mentioned the RSV shot for infants, which is such an important step towards protecting babies against an illness that hospitalizes thousands each year. However, an important note is that rollout did not go as well (I’m a health reporter lol) and many, many parents were unable to access the shot amid widespread shortages. In short, the govt and drug makers didn’t anticipate the HUGE demand and shots ran out very quickly. The forward-looking news: officials have promised to prep better for next season so something to watch 👀 happy new year Aubrey and Mike!
This was our experience. Our pediatrician got a good number of shots for babies under 8 months but only 20 8-24 month old shots. When I called to ask about it they said they called the 20 sickest kids in the practice. Happy not to be on that list but we could really use that shot with a toddler in daycare.
Mike and Aubrey not understanding girl dinner is the funniest thing I've ever seen
As I was listening to this episode, the deepfake ad of Kelly Clarkson popped up in a game and I accidentally clicked on it without realizing. What are the chances?!?
Great episode! Listened to it on my "hot girl dog walk" 😂 Thanks and Happy New Year!
Same!!!😂
Almost the same second I heard UK tour, I had tickets booked - cannot wait to see Aubrey and YFF in Edinburgh! So excited!
Same. I’m booked for Dublin!
I swear I remember something being spread around online about onions on feet from 10-15 years ago, but it was part of a whole "onions absorb toxins" thing and so you were putting them on your feet to draw toxins out of the body. The same people (at least on my facebook) who shared that also had a whole thing about how you shouldn't store cut onions in the fridge because they'll absorb all the bacteria and become fatally toxic.
Yeah this has been around as a folk remedy for ages! I mod a “crunchy” fb group and god, the things I have seen. This is an evergreen one lol.
Please just do a George Santos as random bonus episode. Please please please please please please 🙏
I found the tech CEO interview so sad. Relying on his son for 100% of his socializing, obsessing about aging. These super rich guys even with all their money cannot buy youth and are afraid of death. That's why they are not happy.
It's particularly sad when he thinks it's original for a rich guy to be obsessed with his personal longevity... if he was actually interested in longevity generally he could fund some much better, more generalisable research that isn't in... sorry I'm completely lost on what the product actually is
I used to live with an elderly Irishman who refused to eat garlic or onions because his mother had put them in his socks when he was little to prevent colds.
Oh my god, the "grounded" cable mats... I can't even. Way to miss the point so spectacularly... and also what a capitalistic dystopian nightmare to turn something free (sitting in your yard or visiting a park) into yet another thing to sell people.
no mention of Bryan Johnson’s bloodboy?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
"This whips fucking ass" and "riddle me three" made me LOL. Was so much fun to hear you guys reunite over the best worst wackiness. Happy new year!
The girl dinner part I think was missing some aspect of it. It’s not just snacks. I definitely think there’s some cultural/social cue and experience that young woman can relate to, I can’t quite pin point it but there’s a shared emotional exhaustion that girl dinner symbolizes
Every woman I know in a heterosexual relationship is tired of thinking about what to have for dinner. It’s not gendered in the sense that women are always doing the cooking, but we bear more of the emotional labor of thinking about what’s for dinner. So girl dinner, for me, was about those nights when you don’t have your think about feeding all the people who live in your house. I think they missed that in the conversation.
Lol the onion stuff has been a thing in Eastern Europe for forever. I can smell that just by hearing about it, it is FOUL (and useless)
Girl dinner is what we call charcuterie board dinner at my house 😂
I was just thinking that! It's just a charcuterie plate that hasn't been aestheticazised into oblivion!
This ep was sheer delight! The onion socks is a super common suggestion on r/ShitMomGroupsSay, which I highly recommend checking out due to its complete insanity. Lots of unvaxxed kids only going to the chiropractor and breast milk used for basically everything. Bonkers.
What a delight to listen to Mike and Aubrey, you made my day! Can’t wait to see Aubrey in Dublin in less than a month 💛
Girl dinner is what I have every Monday night with my eastern european grandparents
Is it possible to get a transcript...?
also curious. main feed ones are on the website, but jot sure about bonus eps
So glad you’re taking the breaks you need to feel better! It was so fun to hear how excited you both were to be back together, and what an episode. I am baffled by the whole “onion in the socks” business because the skin on the bottom of your feet is the thickest, least absorbent skin on your body. Makes no sense. And I’m wondering if any other listeners were like, “Emily who? Oh, Emily Ratatouille” thanks to The Popcast.
I laughed out loud when aubree said “answer me these riddles 3!” about contacting companies to cancel your subscription
Just realizing that last year's griftiest grifter, the Liver King, is also named Brian Johnson, different spelling i think but i just needed to point it out haha
omg you're right, that is wild
Dude goop! 🤣
When you talked about Kelly Clarkson I thought you said Cheeto gummies and I got really excited! Sounds delicious. Seriously, I really appreciate this podcast and it always makes my day to listen to a sensible point of view.
Lololol ok cheeto gummies sound disgusting and also I want some
John Cena face waving 😂
Yaaay your fat friend is coming to the UK so excited!!!
The girl dinner section… I don’t think it was ever that serious. You guys slightly NYT’d that topic yourselves 😬
I had the same thought! I think at its most serious girl dinner was a way for women to bond and give each other permission to remove patriarchal expectations from their meals.
In the Biggest Loser ep, Michael says he finds obnoxious "hot" people attractive; in this one he finds obnoxious grifters interesting. Coincidence??? Probably, but if I've learned anything from this show, that shouldn't stop us from drawing unsubstantiated conclusions from this sample size of 1
Anyone else love the girl dinner memes that were just next level unhinged? Like the one with Nancy Reagan and sheet metal?
The ones that were like a vape, anxiety meds, and cheese got me 😂
Anyone have the link to the jeans pic they're talking about circa 8.5mins in?
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0cZrAoP09X/?igsh=MWQ2Y2k2OXF3OHEybw==
Regarding docs pushing bariatric surgery: 9 years ago I had a catastrophic knee dislocation and had to wait to see a specialist because of the holidays. I picked a woman doctor because I thought she would be more empathetic. She pushed weight loss surgery on me every time I went to see her. I never got an MRI (I was NOT too fat for the machine), had to undergo 6 months of PT to walk normally again, and now 9 years later I can barely climb stairs with the injured knee. An MRI two years ago confirmed a complete loss of the ACL. I should have had surgery, I should insisted on another doctor. The experience was a complete nightmare and my life has never been the same since losing functioning on a weight bearing joint.
Fuck.
Honestly my heart sank when during the Kelly Clarkson stuff. Partially because of parasocial feelings but also she’s featured and promoted some local charities I care about. Fortunately, it’s a deep fake nonsense but still that took me out for a sec
Mike's white ass not knowing meg thee stallion invented "hot girl _" broke my brain.
Thank you so much for saying that the ethics in bariatric surgery can be messed up. I understand the reluctance to do a full episode on the topic, as it is very touchy. But as a bariatric patient, it's an important message. I recently started having some liver problems. As part of the investigation, we looked at my old health records and noted that my bariatric surgeon put "fatty liver disease" on my chart before the surgery. I distinctly remember that conversation with him. It was a key factor in me electing to go ahead with the surgery. He terrified me with the talk of liver disease, cirrhosis, and being denied a liver transplant because of my weight, and dying young. Back to current day, I'm the same weight I was on surgery day, but now I have a ton of health problems and deficiencies. And, I find out, the bariatrician never did any of the necessary tests to confirm I actually had fatty liver. He looked at one lab result, my weight, and high blood pressure and just decided I had it. I don't know what decision I would have made about the surgery had we not talked about the liver stuff. Just last week I had the actual tests to detect fatty liver and I have none. Completely healthy liver, despite being the same weight I was before bariatric surgery. (Liver problems are resolved, we finally figured out that my EBV has been reactivated, which can cause some liver issues, but they healed.)
They were saying the onion foot stuff in the crunchy vegan circles in the ‘90s! It was presented as kind of an old cure that few people know of and has lasted through the ages etc etc etc … stuff the economically advantaged women of a certain demographic really loved being smugly in the know about if you dared take an ibuprofen in front of them 🤣 (I was vegan back then but poor vegan 🤣 Diet Coke vegan)
Diet coke vegan is amazing
unfortunately hot girl walks are a huge tiktok trend wherein already thin girls to get even thinner by walking 4 miles a day and there are a bunch of listicles about “essentials you need for your hot girl walk” and it’s like $400 headphones and apple watches and $200 shoes. some people are normal about it but u know.
The funniest thing about girl dinner to me is that this is a standard dinner for austria and Germany, like dude you did not „invent“ this
right!! A quick high-energy carb/protein combo from whatever leftovers/bits and pieces available is a very normal and perfectly nutritious meal for most people in the world. I don't get this. The idea that it should be gendered... Even dumber, like have you ever met a student? It's random shit for every meal and completely fine as long as the quantity of random shit is sufficient.
Ayooooo got some of that Noom Money from use in 2019 🤪🤪🤪
A von dutch hat 💀😂
Absolutely delighted to see you in Glasgow soon for YFF 🥰
Celebrate the “one good” griftie by donating to NAAFA’s FundFat campaign! Your donation will go towards fighting for legislation like the law banning discrimination against fat people in NYC, and more fat acceptance work! naafa.org/donate
Thanks for this link! I was super excited to see that anti-fat discrimination was brought up in my company’s yearly anti-harassment training video this year. Have never seen it before in one of these.
the face stretches thing is so cursed, because the basic stretch (push tongue against palate, breathe through nose) actually does help with releasing tension in the jaw if you grind your teeth, and stretches the small muscles between your mouth and nose that can help you snore less. It's a free, simple thing you can try at home, but obviously someone had to turn that basic into something ridiculous, make impossible claims tied to appearance, and market it to incels 😭
please give me a shirt w old timey font: "Get thee to a therapist, my guy." also please please please we need that 12hour bonus ep of Mike ranting about his obsession w Elon!
YES PLEASE!!! To all of this ❤️
I GASPED and started cracking up at Balance of Nature! I am a homecare nurse and I have seen those infomercials in patients homes approximately 1500 times. It always sounded like a scam but I could never bring myself to look any further into it.
Every time I walk it's a hot girl walk.
And THAT is the energy we're bringing into the new year!
OMG I have a miracle thaw! And it does work! I actually bought it for a media project in college (1995ish). We had to create a short film that included certain film elements. My short was about woman who made money by ordering QVC items just to prove they didn't work. I needed a few miracle thaws for a time lapse scene where a cube of ice melted on the miracle thaw. In editing we realized the thing actually thaws/melts ice 3x faster than simply leaving it on the counter. After the shoot, I kept one for myself. I still have it. It really does thaw things quickly.
Yes, the metal is a better conductor than a plate or the counter, it really does work. You can just use an aluminum pan or a frying pan. (Reminding myself to get up now and check on my thawing salmon...)
I was waiting for them to mention the Liver King's tearful confession on youtube that he takes $11K of steroids/month and the law suits he got because he was insisting his physique was entirely diet and exercise based and selling products based on that
Me and my old coworkers would say we were going for “hot girl walks” when we wanted to smoke weed on the clock
Check out Ross and Carrie Are Down to Earth (Part 1): Grounding Edition from Oh No, Ross and Carrie on Amazon Music. https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f9c839c-fc22-4af8-bf72-8e09406bdfff/episodes/160a7def-cb04-416e-bd18-4167d4db611c/oh-no-ross-and-carrie-ross-and-carrie-are-down-to-earth-part-1-grounding-edition?ref=dm_sh_hTNxOfl47dbCmBW5spY0rN5Si
Pre-2020, Better Help deleted my account because I was ~beyond help~. Yes, I have receipts.
Friends, can someone remember the name of the actually _good_ org Aubrey mentions - the one that works against fat discrimination to support and sign onto? I want to share that info with friends but can’t seem to find it again.
NM. Found it. If folks want to know it’s National Assoc. to Advance Fat Acceptance. https://naafa.org/
I’m recovering from sugery today (it went well) and this is perfect!
Missed you both so much, this episode made my week! Also as I was trying to mew, realized both my cats were watching me and now I’m embarrassed.
I remember seeing a video on YouTube about mewing a couple years ago, and I thought it was a one-off, not a trend
Love you guys being back - I can listen to a pod without having to speed it up!!
Fantastic! The episode, not the grifts. "Grift Turducken" has to be one of my favourite new phrases. Absolutely merch T-shirt worthy.
Love you both so much! Take as much time away as you need. Miss you when you’re not in my ears but I get that creativity takes a lot of energy and you have to recharge
Wait... The "girl dinner" trend isn't about normalizing eating out your girlfriend? 😅
It's when you can't be bothered to make a great dinner. So you make whatever.
The little hum of the Daft Punk song made me fall on out!
There was so little emphasis on Bryan Johnson’s product that I thought the buried lede was that this man is being scammed by alternative medicine practitioners to the tune of millions of dollars.
Really surprised that Michael Hobbes is not familiar with girl dinner or hot girl walks haha
I would love for Aubrey to jump out at me in a Von Dutch hat!
I couldn’t stop myself compulsively mewing during the second half of this episode and I think I sprained my tongue. Take all the breaks you guys need! Burnout is real and we want you to keep talking at us!!
I hope y’all have a happy new years! I would love to get back to laughing at the books on the infamous diet shelf! 🖤
I have a tongue thrust and it caused an open bite and restricted airway. Long term it’s known to cause sleep apnea if untreated. “Mewing” and all its purported benefits are what happened to me after a year with a speech pathologist, braces, and DOUBLE JAW SURGERY! They took a real medical intervention, over simplified it and sold it to people as a wellness and beauty hack.
Also, my nose shape did change because they cut my upper jaw in half and pulled it forward to make room for my fat tongue. That’s how that happens.
Ahh, I wanted to go to Nottingham for the Yr Fat Friend film in January, but the cost of a hotel is too much. Much sighing.
My girlfriend and I were like "Aubrey and Mike are showing their age" when y'all started talking about girl dinner and then Aubrey and Mike said the same thing 😂 I love this show so much and I can't wait for new, moderately paced episodes! Thank you both
YESSSSS!!! Been waiting for this since Jan 1, 2023!
I'm so upset about 'buccal fat' mostly bc I'm a trained health professional (OT) and took anatomy and physiology and didn't remember that it was pronounced that way! LOL!! WTF
Excuse you, some of us (me) do indeed eat chocolate for our health. Our MENTAL health. 😤
100%
Speaking of Tik Tok trends, I would love to hear Aubrey and Mike's brains meltdown if they look in on the Borax drinking trend
I am a licensed therapist and I will happily charge this Grifter of the Year $1000 an hour for my services that would actually help his (mental) health. 😆 Good Lord.
Something tells me that he wouldn't be your most rewarding client. Even at $1K/hr.
Oh man, the onion in the sock has been around for years as a "crunchy mom hack" to get kids over a cold overnight. 😂😂 The things people come up with are WILD.
Yes! Came here to find this comment. I’ve heard of this cure from older women before. I thought it was only in Latin America. Interesting how things get recycled and repackaged via TikTok and other social media. And the garlic thing too for yeast infections. 😣
As a divorced heterosexual woman, I think I identify with girl dinner because I did cook dinner waaaaayyyy more often. Now I just make whatever I feel like eating for myself (often literally in front of the fridge or tv) and make my kids random easy things too (sandwiches, ramen, eggs). We only have actual dinners like once a week, if that. For me, it's not about the amount, it's about the effort. And the expectation that comes from having a shitty partner makes girl dinner that much more appealing now
Sounds similar to divorced bachelor dinners, traditionally eaten straight from the cooking pot while standing in the kitchen.
The episode we wait for all year!
So happy to hear the MP music when I pressed play this morning! ❤️ I honestly must be too online... Everything that either Aubrey or Mike hadn't heard of... I definitely have! I need to close TikTok and take a hot girl walk!
michaels immediate reflexive laugh about jenny craig being acquired by a company called “wellful” sent me into orbit with seratonin 😂 happy new year yall!!!!!
the thing about girl dinner is that it's just a little snack and it's very silly you're right but you must be unhinged about it or it's not girl dinner
Welcome back! 🙏
strange that it's the onion cure because when I was growing up in the early 00s my crunchy granola dad found almost the exact same thing on some wellness blog except its GARLIC in your socks which is obviously more reputable
Yes I definitely heard of onions or garlic in socks for a long time well before tictok in crunchy parent circles
Truly love that Michael brought back the "Graceland" song queue 😂
Just watched Aubrey's documentary yesterday, and now the bonus ep! Juuuust the content my holiday malaise needed ❤️
Where can i find Aubrey's Documentary??
I regret to inform you that hot girl walks are very much a thing. It's just a daily mental health walk, but rebranded by TikTok. So this one's good from what I've seen
Crying in the coffee shop hearing Aubrey explain to Mike the connection between Meg and hot girl summer
God bless this show🩵 happy new year, Mike and Aubrey!!
I might’ve lost it at “there’s no rectum in your blood”
There's no rectum in your blood, no promises on the reverse
Oh my goodness I saw a Taylor Swift Le Creuset promotion that was clearly a deep fake. It popped up twice yesterday on FB and I reported it both times. That was annoying, but seeing Kelly Clarkson pushing diet supplements would have been a real bummer and I'm not sure I would have realized it was fake as fast.
The elderly Tik Tok algorithm Mike must have in order to see unironic girl dinner videos lmao. The only girl dinner videos I ever got were of cigarettes, candy, or roadkill. From my perspective it was 100% a joke
“I thought the youths were doing this.” 😂💀
Give a thumbs up if you think Aubrey and Mike should 100% do an episode on how salads became gendered.
Buccal fat- celebrities used to have a couple of molars removed to achieve the same effect. Joan Crawford famously struggled with lifelong dental issues as a result. So it’s not just lighting.
This reminds me of celebs in the 90s getting a bottom rib removed to achieve a smaller waist? Was that real? IIRC Janet Jackson did it. (And no I’m not referring to the urban legend about why Marilyn Manson had ribs removed lol.)
I look forward to the Grifties every year! It also makes me feel good about my internet algorithm, because I spend most the episode shouting "what?!?!"
1:10:30 Aubrey: “That had the energy of when a pre-teen tries to convince you they’ve dated.” 😂 This was a fabulous year-ender, guys. Thanks for all your work :)
This is such a great gift to end the year!
I love listening to you both just talking to each other. Take your breaks and your time off. When you come back, easy episodes of you just talking and googling shit together would be amazing. Don’t burn yourselves out.
Somehow this is the first episode where it hit me that y’all never have sponsorships. 1) YAY for that! And 2) Boy-oh-boy I’ll bet y’all get solicited to run ads by some total shitshow companies.
Oh Balance of Nature deserves it. Fuck them I am so sick of their asinine commercials. The Christmas one is such a mind fuck.
Guys- looks maxing is eugenics!!
The onion thing has some old folklore attached to it! My Mexican family swears by it and my sister who is a nurse still sees parents come in who do this. No scientific basis but interesting loll
Yeah I am pretty sure I read about the foot onion thing in a little house on the prairie book or some other ye olden times thing. I have definitely heard of it before.
Why does it seem like the last grifties episode was yesterday?!!! Oh, maybe I'm thinking of Michael and Peter's year in review on If Books Could Kill which was also awesome. Thanks for all this great content to get us through this weird transition time.
Grift turducken!
Hey so happy that you guys have taken a break because, though I've missed the show, it's so important to prioritise your health and (real) wellness, as well as get a handle on all the brilliant work you're doing. I'm British so I'm delighted the docu is coming to the UK! My health is crap so I doubt I'll be able to come see Aubrey but I'll be cheering from home. Well done Aubrey and Michael for another fantastic year of shows. I fucking love everything you guys do! Happy New Year both ❤️🩷💜
$1000/hr for a doctor? That's a bargain. A doctor at the clinic I go to charged me $380 for a 5-minute consultation. My anger and despair is assuaged by the delight of hearing a new maintenance phase podcast!
Girl dinner? When I eat a snack dinner, I go fancy and call it Tapas. 😂
The onion thing is not new and actually kind of works. It’s essentially an old-fashioned Vicks vaporub
The onion socks 😂 I knew too many people that did this. They also alternated with potatoes. There was a co worker who did it during the day at his cubicle in his socks and it was sooooo stinky.
omg nooo! LOL!! All I could think was how stinky those fee would be...LOL
Me asking out load, "$30 for how many oz/ml". Not the point but how my brain works 😅 ❤️the show
Tragically can’t try mewing because my nose is blocked from a cold, wasn’t meant to be I guess. Excited to see you in the UK Aubrey!
Mewing has been an incel thing for years now, I feel jealous about people only finding about it now 🥲
hey guys... can you write a blurb for my new book on "urinary syncing." it's about how when you feel you should pee, you should. 🥴
A break is good! Do what you need. Congratulations on the tour Aubrey!!!
YES!!! 100% FUCK “GIRL DINNER”!!! I HATE IT!!! STOP GENDERING MY FOOD and my LIFE
I’m 34 and one of my coworkers was telling me about “lucky girl syndrome,” which is just ~manifesting~ Annoying because I am firmly an adult, and not a girl. If you substitute ‘boy’ in for ‘girl,’ these things sound even more absurd.
Bryan Johnson has "Listen up liberal... my wife left me" energy
This us the meme I'm referring to btw https://www.reddit.com/r/meme/s/RHSebbmrFw I think everyone should see it
I'm honestly very happy when Mike takes a break because normally he makes me feel that I'm being extremely lazy!
The onion thing predates tiktok! I remember hearing folklore about overnight foot onions as a cure for fevers when I was a kid. Apparently it goes back at least to 1867: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9999776/pdf/chicmedex138558-0024.pdf
The onion thing is so weird. I remember a Facebook post years ago where a woman "cured" her grandchild's earache by cooking an onion in milk and using it as a compress and another that claimed a dish of chopped onion would absorb all the toxins and germs in your home. They seem like too common a thing to have such magical properties attributed!
Love the podcast! While the FDA approval of the RSV vaccine is awesome, the rollout of the infant vaccine (including a supply shortage) is less than awesome. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/critics-fumbled-rollout-brand-new-rsv-shot-babies/story?id=104815441
Dude goop is the best thing and worst thing I've ever heard. I'm going to start saying it.
I do like laughing at these guys with intermittent fasting etc. because they've reinvented skipping breakfast which I was doing as a 16 year old girl 🙂
See you in Cardiff!!! 🥰🩷
I am so excited to see you in Dublin!!!
Nice to hear y'all sounding more rested! Thanks for all the great shows this year, excited for whenever y'all are back swinging. :)
That Bellevue Hospital segment needs to be on Behind the Bastards ASAP. One of the worst things I've ever heard.
I have to admit that the phrase “grift turducken” is making me look forward to the complicated grifts that may be ahead in 2024. Happy New Year!
Hello, electrical engineer. The discussion of grounding mats had me cackling. I’ve been a tech writer in software for several years now but I used to work at a small consulting firm that did custom electronics design and prototyping. Grounding mats (different) are really important in that work for protecting unshielded prototypes from ESD (static shocks that fry components). Most of them have a metal bracelet you wear to discharge any static build up on your body so you don’t discharge it in the circuit board. At some point when we were looking into buying more, we found a place selling WIRELESS grounding bracelets which is completely nonsensical and still makes me laugh.
There's a sort of peasant superstition about this whole thing which is taking a real technology with a specific use and just sewing it onto your jerkin and feeling superior.
Dude Goop! The perfect encapsulation!
Aubrey’s coming to the UK! Woohoo! Had to pause the podcast to go off and book!
I didn't pause it while booking, which means I'll have to listen again to make sure I didn't miss anything 😅 (It's ok, I was going to relisten anyway ;) )
We moved to Scotland from the US in August, and I didn't even let Aubrey finish her sentence before I paused the episode to get tickets!! See you in Edinburgh Aubrey! We can't wait!!!
Will you please talk about the recent Today, explained podcast called Let’s Process Food?
Just watched Your Fat Friend doco and loved it! Go Pam and Rusty!
Wild that Tik Tokers are relying on old wives' tales now, this one has been around since the 1500s ish, and *still* persists as a 'cure' for colds and flu. I'm only 20 mins in so I'm sure I will have more thoughts and outrage. 😆
Exactly what I thought when I saw the onion thing come up! This "cure" is old as the sun, but the Tiktokers of course think they've discovered new land
100% thought that mewing (myooing?) was gonna have something to do with making cat noises, and I was of course disappointed
Bloody hell. I sit down to eat my protein pancakes and listen to two of my favourite podcast folks. And what do I get? What do I get as soon as my pancake hits my tongue? ONION FEET. GOD. I HATE FEET. I am quiet quitting this podcast. Thank you for providing such quality, insightful and human takes throughout this year. I hope to see Aubrey during the UK tour. Have a wonderful new year.
Thank you!!
So delighted to have you back! Listening to this on a choppy ferry crossing from Ireland to the UK, it’s keeping me occupied during my motion sickness!! Love you guys! 💜
Bless you if you are on the crossing from Stranraer to Larne...I did that once in January and I wanted to die. Meanwhile everyone else is milling around like we aren't hitting heavy chop every 20 seconds.
“Weren’t we giggling two minutes ago and now we are sad? Yeah, that’s a conversation with me” 5 minutes in and this is the most seen I’ve ever felt 😆
“Most of mine are funny but I’m going to make them bleak because that’s a feature of my personality.” I’ve never felt so represented in media before 😂😅🪦
Can't believe they mentioned Liz Seibert without bringing up the raw milk thing.
Please, for the love of God, tell me what a Vitamin D truther is. Happy Holidays
are they the same as sunscreen truthers?
Omg I couldn't be more excited 😭
I'm so excited
YEEESSS!!! ❤️
Yay!
Neato
Whoo hooo! Thank you and happy New year!