In this edition of The Legal Smeagol, Jack and Miles discuss…the success of the new Mean Girls musical (and why Lindsay Lohan is pissed), the 2023 Emmys finally happening… in 2024 (and who got EGOT), Trump winning the Iowa primary, and much more!

In this edition of The Legal Smeagol, Jack and Miles discuss…the success of the new Mean Girls musical (and why Lindsay Lohan is pissed), the 2023 Emmys finally happening… in 2024 (and who got EGOT), Trump winning the Iowa primary, and much more!

There’s more news and less comprehension today than any historical period that didn’t involve literal witch trials, and trying to stay on top of it all can feel like playing a game of telephone with 30 people, except everyone’s speaking at the same time and like a third of them are openly racist for some reason. From Cracked co-founder Jack O’Brien, THE DAILY ZEITGEIST is stepping into that fray with some of the funniest and smartest comedic and journalistic minds around. Jack and co-host Miles Gray spend up to an hour every weekday sorting through the events and stories driving the headlines, to help you find the signal in the noise, with a few laughs thrown in for free.

The Daily Zeitgeist

The Legal Smeagol 1/16: Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan, Emmy Awards, EGOT, Republican Primary, Trump

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1edd635b-0216-4848-bfd5-b0f9014402c0/transcript

In episode 2127, Jack and Miles are joined by comedian, actor, writer, and host of Worse Than You, Mo Fry Pasic, to discuss… Even Ed Sheeran’s Band Has Quit The Ed Sheeran Tour, FBI - Federal Bestiality Investigations? Netflix Is Rebooting The Stanford Prison Experiment??! And more!
Ed Sheeran’s Openers, Backing Band Depart Tour in Show of Support for Macklemore
Support acts and backing band pull out of Ed Sheeran’s tour following Macklemore’s removal
Is Ed Sheeran still playing Philadelphia? Openers drop from tour
What Is Ticketmaster’s Refund Policy? Ed Sheeran Support Acts Quit
Watch: Kennedy grills Patel in tense exchange on bestiality and FBI hiring rules
At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired
Netflix Sets ‘New Stanford Prison Experiment’ Unscripted Series for October Release
Netflix faces criticism over ethics of new Stanford Prison Experiment reality series
Netflix’s Stanford Prison Experiment series sparks MrBeast comparisons and condemnation
The infamous Stanford prison experiment was flawed – so why is it still so influential today?
The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud.
The Right-Wing Story About Human Nature Is False
The Cruel Social Experiment of Reality TV
BBC's 'reality' show may be cruel and unusual television / Program based on Stanford Prison Experiment
How BBC recreated a highly controversial 1974 psychology prison experiment to test human obedience
BBC halts 'prison experiment'
"Kid Nation" Debuts Amid Criticism
Lost Lessons from America’s Wildest Reality TV Show
Most iconic moments from kid nation
‘It’s like the Stanford Prison Experiment’: The British studio turning Squid Game into reality
What a widely attacked experiment got right on the harmful effects of prisons
The Right-Wing Story About Human Nature Is False

LISTEN: Laymelli by Agnes Obel

In episode 2127, Jack and Miles are joined by comedian, actor, writer, and host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worse-than-you-with-mo-fry-pasic/id1755829660">Worse Than You</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meauxpas/?hl=en">Mo Fry Pasic</a>, to discuss&hellip; Even Ed Sheeran&rsquo;s Band Has Quit The Ed Sheeran Tour, FBI - Federal Bestiality Investigations? Netflix Is Rebooting The Stanford Prison Experiment??! And more!
<ol>
<li><a href="https://consequence.net/2026/09/ed-sheeran-tour-openers-drop-out/#google_vignette">Ed Sheeran&rsquo;s Openers, Backing Band Depart Tour in Show of Support for Macklemore</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/ed-sheeran/support-acts-and-backing-band-pull-out-of-ed-sheerans-tour-following-macklemores-removal">Support acts and backing band pull out of Ed Sheeran&rsquo;s tour following Macklemore&rsquo;s removal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/state/pennsylvania/philadelphia/2026/09/16/openers-band-drop-from-ed-sheeran-tour-days-before-philly-stop/91788295007/">Is Ed Sheeran still playing Philadelphia? Openers drop from tour</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/music/ed-sheeran-ticketmaster-refund-policy-support-acts-quit-12448804">What Is Ticketmaster&rsquo;s Refund Policy? Ed Sheeran Support Acts Quit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYwXECdBNv4">Watch: Kennedy grills Patel in tense exchange on bestiality and FBI hiring rules</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-candidates-prostitutes-theft/">At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired</a></li>
<li><a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/netflix-stanford-prison-experiment-series-release-date-1236863011/">Netflix Sets &lsquo;New Stanford Prison Experiment&rsquo; Unscripted Series for October Release</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/netflix-faces-criticism-over-ethics-105331652.html">Netflix faces criticism over ethics of new Stanford Prison Experiment reality series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.indy100.com/tv/netflix-stanford-prison-experiment-mrbeast">Netflix&rsquo;s Stanford Prison Experiment series sparks MrBeast comparisons and condemnation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/98029-the-infamous-stanford-prison-experiment-was-flawed-%E2%80%93-so-why-is-it-still-so-influential-today%3F">The infamous Stanford prison experiment was flawed &ndash; so why is it still so influential today?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/13/17449118/stanford-prison-experiment-fraud-psychology-replication">The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/11/the-right-wing-story-about-human-nature-is-false">The Right-Wing Story About Human Nature Is False</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/05/contestant-hulu-review-allen-funt-candid-camera-reality-tv-history/678393/">The Cruel Social Experiment of Reality TV</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/BBC-s-reality-show-may-be-cruel-and-unusual-2879491.php">BBC's 'reality' show may be cruel and unusual television / Program based on Stanford Prison Experiment</a></li>
<li><a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/how-bbc-recreated-a-highly-controversial-1974-psychology-prison-experiment-to-test-human-obedience/articleshow/130174025.cms">How BBC recreated a highly controversial 1974 psychology prison experiment to test human obedience</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jan/24/bbc.socialsciences">BBC halts 'prison experiment'</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kid-nation-debuts-amid-criticism/">"Kid Nation" Debuts Amid Criticism</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-lost-lessons-of-americas-wildest-reality-tv-show">Lost Lessons from America&rsquo;s Wildest Reality TV Show</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGHa2Hd3FHc">Most iconic moments from kid nation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/studio-lambert-squid-game-netflix-bbc-license-fee/">&lsquo;It&rsquo;s like the Stanford Prison Experiment&rsquo;: The British studio turning Squid Game into reality</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/news/what-widely-attacked-experiment-got-right-harmful-effects-prisons">What a widely attacked experiment got right on the harmful effects of prisons</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/11/the-right-wing-story-about-human-nature-is-false">The Right-Wing Story About Human Nature Is False</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs49eRHFD9c"></a></li>
</ol>
LISTEN: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0VzMHjWcs2P24LHLekZ8Qa">Laymelli by Agnes Obel</a>

The NEW Stanford Prison Experiment, Ed Sheeran Going Solo 09.17.26

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9cd6e587-9efc-4b7f-b2fd-b4c7014bcf94/transcript

In this edition of Trend Me Like One Of Your French Gourds, Jack and Miles discuss Trump sending 40k boom-booms to Israel, the EPA caping for power plants, JD Vance’s never Trumpery in this dancery, Elon finally releasing the Robo Taxis (with predictable results) and much more!

In this edition of Trend Me Like One Of Your French Gourds, Jack and Miles discuss Trump sending 40k boom-booms to Israel, the EPA caping for power plants, JD Vance&rsquo;s never Trumpery in this dancery, Elon finally releasing the Robo Taxis (with predictable results) and much more!

Trend Me Like One Of Your French Gourds 9/16: Trump/Israel, EPA, JD Vance, Tesla Robo Taxi

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/55056e1e-98cd-406d-a525-b4c7014381ec/transcript

In episode 2126, Jack and guest co-host Pallavi Gunalan are joined by comedian and host of The Mary Houlihan Show, Mary Houlihan, to discuss… Sony/Playstation Is On A Generational Run Of Trying To F**k Over Its Customers, Video Stores Are Making A Comeback Thanks To Gen Z, This Weirdly Horny Pumpkin and more!
Sony Testing Dynamic Pricing on PlayStation Store With Personalized Discounts
Oasis tickets: what is dynamic pricing and why is it used for live music?
CCPC takes legal action against Ticketmaster over sale of Oasis tickets
PlayStation Is Charging Users Different Prices - Inside Games Daily
Once a champion for physical media, Sony is now telling PlayStation customers they don’t actually own the digital video games they paid $70 for
Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles
85% of PlayStation Game Sales Are Digital – Is Physical Gaming Dying?
Video store brings back VHS tapes, DVDs
Video rental stores are making a comeback in Minneapolis
Chicago’s Video Rental Renaissance
Retro media fans find new home at Rewind El Paso
A video rental shop is opening in South Philly in October. Here's what's in the 20,000-piece collection
At Night Owl Video, 'rewind' to old-school video store nostalgia
VHS crackles back to life in Sacramento as new video store presses play
Stop the world, I want to get off and run a video rental store in the 1990s
A Boring Video Game I Can’t Put Down
Why Gen-Z Is Bringing Back Physical Media
Gen Z Wants a Physical Media Comeback and We're Rooting For It
Streaming Is Raising Prices Faster Than Cable Ever Did
Why Gen-Z Is Embracing Old Tech: Fighting the Algorithm With Analog
Streaming platforms face backlash as analog nostalgia fuels 'slow media' market
Digital Ownership and the End of Physical Media
Disney+ Censored Daryl Hannah’s Bare Butt With Ridiculous CGI In The PG-Rated ‘Splash’
Netflix Reveals All the TV Shows and Movies It’s Removed Because of Foreign Government Takedown Demands
Amazon Deploying AI Tech That Forces Actors’ Mouths to Match Dubbed Dialogue
Parents Are Getting Surprised By A Pumpkin That Sings A Very Raunchy Song

LISTEN: SLICK by Victony

In episode 2126, Jack and guest co-host <a href="https://www.pallavigunalan.com/">Pallavi Gunalan</a> are joined by comedian and host of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@maryhoulie/videos">The Mary Houlihan Show</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maryhoulie/?hl=en">Mary Houlihan</a>, to discuss&hellip; Sony/Playstation Is On A Generational Run Of Trying To F**k Over Its Customers, Video Stores Are Making A Comeback Thanks To Gen Z, This Weirdly Horny Pumpkin and more!
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.g2a.com/news/latest/sony-testing-dynamic-pricing-on-playstation-store-with-personalized-discounts/">Sony Testing Dynamic Pricing on PlayStation Store With Personalized Discounts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/sep/01/oasis-tickets-dynamic-pricing-live-music">Oasis tickets: what is dynamic pricing and why is it used for live music?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/ccpc-takes-legal-action-against-ticketmaster-over-sale-of-oasis-tickets">CCPC takes legal action against Ticketmaster over sale of Oasis tickets</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srb5t09lOrs">PlayStation Is Charging Users Different Prices - Inside Games Daily</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fortune.com/2026/09/01/sony-playstation-dont-actually-own-digital-games-grand-theft-auto-analog-media-gen-z/">Once a champion for physical media, Sony is now telling PlayStation customers they don&rsquo;t actually own the digital video games they paid $70 for</a></li>
<li><a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/">Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.g2a.com/news/features/85-of-playstation-game-sales-are-digital-is-physical-gaming-dying/">85% of PlayStation Game Sales Are Digital &ndash; Is Physical Gaming Dying?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1f8vCJ04C4">Video store brings back VHS tapes, DVDs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/09/14/twin-cities-first-only-video-rental-store-saturn-video-opens">Video rental stores are making a comeback in Minneapolis</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.newcityfilm.com/2026/09/15/the-rental-renaissance-how-movie-buffs-at-lincoln-squares-davis-theater-are-reviving-the-mom-and-pop-video-store-experience/">Chicago&rsquo;s Video Rental Renaissance</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/retro-media-fans-find-new-home-at-rewind-el-paso/">Retro media fans find new home at Rewind El Paso</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.phillyvoice.com/little-movie-store-video-rental-south-philly-opening/">A video rental shop is opening in South Philly in October. Here's what's in the 20,000-piece collection</a></li>
<li><a href="https://abc7.com/videoClip/19174375/">At Night Owl Video, 'rewind' to old-school video store nostalgia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.abridged.org/news/vhs-crackles-back-to-life-in-sacramento/">VHS crackles back to life in Sacramento as new video store presses play</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/mar/27/retro-rewind-video-rental-retail-sim">Stop the world, I want to get off and run a video rental store in the 1990s</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/retro-rewind-game-video-store-nostalgia/686634/">A Boring Video Game I Can&rsquo;t Put Down</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kianbakhtiari/2026/06/14/why-gen-z-is-bringing-back-physical-media/">Why Gen-Z Is Bringing Back Physical Media</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/why-were-rooting-for-the-genz-influenced-physical-media-comeback.php">Gen Z Wants a Physical Media Comeback and We're Rooting For It</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/streaming-inflation-raising-prices-cable-1236691404/">Streaming Is Raising Prices Faster Than Cable Ever Did</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-features/gen-z-old-technology-1236663883/">Why Gen-Z Is Embracing Old Tech: Fighting the Algorithm With Analog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/analog-media-gains-popularity-9.7306373">Streaming platforms face backlash as analog nostalgia fuels 'slow media' market</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jacobin.com/2025/01/digital-ownership-physical-media-control">Digital Ownership and the End of Physical Media</a></li>
<li><a href="https://decider.com/2020/04/13/splash-cgi-hair-butt-disney-plus/">Disney+ Censored Daryl Hannah&rsquo;s Bare Butt With Ridiculous CGI In The PG-Rated &lsquo;Splash&rsquo;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/netflix-removals-government-censorship-takedown-1203496331/">Netflix Reveals All the TV Shows and Movies It&rsquo;s Removed Because of Foreign Government Takedown Demands</a></li>
<li><a href="https://futurism.com/future-society/amazon-ai-force-lips-dub">Amazon Deploying AI Tech That Forces Actors&rsquo; Mouths to Match Dubbed Dialogue</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.scarymommy.com/shopping/jabberin-jack-inappropriate-singing-pumpkin">Parents Are Getting Surprised By A Pumpkin That Sings A Very Raunchy Song</a></li>
</ol>
LISTEN: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3AcgT1ZcF0e9YknCUD269u">SLICK by Victony</a>

Weirdly Horny Pumpkin, VHS > Streaming? 09.16.26

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3bccbca2-bf9f-4a86-ad7f-b4c60144a98e/transcript

The Legal Smeagol 1/16: Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan, Emmy Awards, EGOT, Republican Primary, Trump

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