Blocked and Reported

Episode 288: The Third Annual Helen Lewis BARPod Holiday Extravaganza

December 19, 2025

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  • The extensive promotional podcast tour for Helen Lewis's book, *The Genius Myth*, yielded minimal sales impact, leading her to question the value of such 'busy work' in the current media landscape where content is constantly broadcast directly to audiences. 
  • The conversation suggests that non-narcissistic, sane non-fiction books like Katie's (about alcoholism) may struggle to gain traction in self-help focused markets, while highly publicized but vague books like Olivia Nuzzi's memoir also fail to move significant units. 
  • Helen Lewis's reporting trip to the Riyadh Comedy Festival highlighted the paradox of Mohammed bin Salman's rule: achieving social liberalization (like allowing women to drive) through a highly punitive and totalitarian regime. 
  • The discussion touches on the complexities of free speech laws in the UK, contrasting them with US protections, particularly regarding cases involving online jokes and protests outside abortion clinics. 
  • The segment features the 'extremely online pub quiz' from the show notes, testing knowledge on recent cultural and political figures like Chris Parufo, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Olivia Nuzzi, and Charlie Kirk. 
  • The hosts and guest Helen Lewis briefly discuss aging, perimenopause symptoms (like itchy ear canals), and the perceived differences in how men and women experience aging. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Welcome
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(00:00:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Helen Lewis, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Difficult Women and The Genius Myth, joins the hosts for the annual holiday episode.
  • Summary: Helen Lewis was introduced as a staff writer for The Atlantic and author of two books, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights and The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea. The opening banter included joking references to threesomes and Jesse’s perceived straightness, referencing a tweet about political orientation and perceived masculinity.
Jesse’s Straightness and Cargo Shorts
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(00:01:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Jesse’s consistent forgetfulness regarding dates and his past attire, specifically cargo shorts, is cited as evidence supporting the idea that he embodies the ‘platonic ideal of the straight man.’
  • Summary: The hosts used Jesse’s past appearance in cargo shorts during a brunch as an example of stereotypical straight male behavior, noting his inability to recall the date or details of the event. Jesse defended himself by noting the number of pockets on cargo shorts is irrelevant to others. The segment concluded with teasing about Jesse needing to upgrade to short shorts.
Candace Owens’ Conspiracy Theories
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(00:02:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts find Candace Owens’ conspiracy theories, specifically one involving bees and Charlie Curry, fascinating for illustrating the non-linear nature of her thought process.
  • Summary: The discussion pivoted to Candace Owens, with Helen Lewis noting that while she generally dismisses her theories as too bonkers, the specific path she took to link bees to Charlie Curry was interesting. This rapid, unfounded connection-making was compared to the philosophical thought experiment, ‘What is it like to be a bat?’
Book Promotion and Sales Reality
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(00:03:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Helen Lewis’s extensive podcast promotion for The Genius Myth (32 hours across 32 podcasts) did not significantly move sales, leading her to call the effort ‘busy work’ and promise her husband she won’t write another book.
  • Summary: Helen Lewis detailed the exhaustion of promoting her book, noting that the media saturation failed to impact sales figures significantly, contrasting this with the enduring status conferred by having ‘author’ listed on a chyron. She humorously mentioned her husband’s condition that if she writes another book, he gets a man bun. The segment also touched on the low sales of Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir despite widespread reviews.
Book Value Beyond Sales
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(00:10:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Writing important books, even if they do not sell well, is valuable for closing personal chapters and for recording complex events for historical record, as the media landscape shifts away from text.
  • Summary: Katie expressed that writing her book allowed her to close that chapter of her life, a sentiment Helen Lewis echoed regarding the struggle of defining oneself by a single topic like ‘genius.’ Helen noted that the shift from text to audio/video media means books are crucial for documenting events that people might otherwise ignore or forget, citing Hannah Barnes’ book on the Tavistock Clinic as an example.
Book Talk and Social Media Efficacy
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(00:15:31)
  • Key Takeaway: BookTok and general social media promotion are often ineffective for serious non-fiction, and long-form interviews can sometimes cannibalize book sales by providing sufficient content for listeners.
  • Summary: Helen Lewis mentioned a friend’s book promotion on BookTok failing to move the needle, contrasting this with the success seen in niche areas like erotica. She also noted that long interviews, like her 15-minute CNN hit with Walter Isaacson, can cause a bump, whereas hour-long podcast appearances might lead listeners to feel they’ve ’excused the homework’ of reading the book.
Helen Lewis’s Blue Sky Pylon
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(00:17:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Helen Lewis engaged in a heated, old-school online argument on the platform Blue Sky after criticizing Joe Lonsdale for suggesting ‘masculine virtue’ was needed against ‘woke school moms,’ leading to backlash from unexpected corners.
  • Summary: Helen Lewis described an intense argument on Blue Sky where she called out Joe Lonsdale for sexist remarks directed at Claire Lehman, only to be criticized by other Blue Sky users, including Noah Balatsky, for her perceived intellectual alliance with Lonsdale. She concluded that the right-wing online sphere is becoming as disconnected from median opinion as the left wing once was.
Riyadh Comedy Festival Experience
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(00:21:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The Riyadh Comedy Festival, featuring comedians like Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle, exemplified the paradox of Saudi Arabia’s social liberalization occurring under a highly punitive, totalitarian regime.
  • Summary: Helen Lewis traveled to Saudi Arabia to cover the comedy festival, noting the irony of seeing Louis C.K.’s masturbation jokes there, and was accompanied by her editor, Dante, who is openly gay. She detailed the paradox where MBS enacts social reforms while maintaining intensive surveillance and executing critics, a calculation rooted in the ruling family’s historical fear of religious fundamentalists.
Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. Scandal
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(00:30:54)
  • Key Takeaway: RFK Jr.’s detailed Substack rebuttal to Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir is perceived as more credible than her vague book because his account includes specific details and admits to bad behavior, whereas her writing is described as ‘wispy and vapid.’
  • Summary: Helen Lewis found the specific, detailed nature of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s response compelling, especially his account of Nuzzi staying in his hotel room for five days after their affair became public. The vagueness and lack of chronology in Nuzzi’s book, American Contor, made it less believable compared to the specificity in RFK Jr.’s serialized account.
Dasha Nekrasova and Platforming Extremists
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(00:38:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Platforming figures like Nick Fuentes is considered lazy and unforgivable because it grants legitimacy to figures whose rhetoric (like overt racism) violates fundamental social taboos, regardless of whether the platformer is trying to be ‘punk.’
  • Summary: Helen Lewis argued that Dasha Nekrasova being dropped by her agency for platforming Nick Fuentes was justified because inviting a boring racist for a ’tongue bath’ is intellectually lazy and ignores the real-world harm caused by such ideologies. She contrasted this with Piers Morgan’s interview, which she felt provided an actual intellectual exchange, noting that the right-wing ecosystem has rebuilt itself outside mainstream censorship.
UK Free Speech Concerns
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(00:51:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The Free Speech Union in the UK primarily handles employment termination cases, often involving gender-critical statements by local council workers.
  • Summary: Contempt of court exists in America, and solitary confinement is viewed by some as torture, referencing a situation involving Tommy Robinson. The UK has active free speech organizations like the Free Speech Union, founded by Toby Young, which focuses heavily on employment disputes. A historical UK free speech flashpoint was the 2010s ‘Twitter joke trial’ concerning malicious communications laws.
Abortion Clinic Protests Legality
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(00:53:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Praying outside UK abortion clinics can be illegal due to established exclusion zones, which is viewed by some as a political act rather than a neutral spiritual one.
  • Summary: Exclusion zones have been established around some abortion clinics in the UK, making standing outside with signs a violation. The speaker argues that such prayer is inherently a political act of witness, not a purely private spiritual one. The speaker admits to leaving a comment on the Free Press website regarding this issue.
Libel Laws and US Protections
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(00:54:54)
  • Key Takeaway: US libel standards for public figures require proving willful recklessness or actual malice, offering higher protection for speech compared to UK laws.
  • Summary: The speaker referenced a case involving a Spectator columnist convicted of attempted rape who was allowed to continue writing, highlighting the difference in legal standards. Writing for an American magazine provided comfort due to the higher US libel standard for public figures. UK libel laws have reportedly shifted to require proof of actual detriment, reducing the number of cases.
Podcast Housekeeping and Events
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(00:56:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Katie is hosting a public event at Duke University in January, and Jesse has an event scheduled in Austin, with ticket information for Katie’s event linked in the show notes.
  • Summary: The hosts confirmed they are a podcast and directed listeners to subscribe for bonus episodes via the Primos membership. Merch sales have been discontinued for the time being. Katie’s Duke event is scheduled for January 26th, and Jesse’s Austin event details will be shared via email signup.
Cooperative Online Culture Quiz
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(00:58:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts decided to play the annual holiday quiz cooperatively rather than competitively, reflecting a perceived shift away from ‘peak woke’ culture.
  • Summary: The quiz master prepared 10 questions plus a tiebreaker, but suggested a cooperative format instead of competition. Jesse reluctantly agreed to the cooperation, though the quiz master secretly recorded who performed better individually. The first question concerned alleged fetishist posts uncovered by Chris Parufo within the Pentagon.
Political Figures’ 2023 Actions
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(00:58:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Donald Trump did not post an AI-generated image of himself as Frankenfurter for Halloween, opting instead for an image of himself dropping feces from a plane.
  • Summary: One quiz answer confirmed that an alleged post about ‘polymer’ status due to many polycules was real, while the ’emotional support drone’ post was fabricated. Trump did claim to be better looking than Zoran Mamdani and commissioned new Tiffany medals for the Kennedy Center.
Culture War Merchandise & Musk
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(01:00:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Graham Linehan’s merchandise store features slogans like ‘Silver Turfer’ and a rework of the Obama ‘Hope’ poster with the word ‘Cope’.
  • Summary: Elon Musk’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast included a labored joke about economists eating feces and a discussion about using Grok for vulgar roasts. Musk did not discuss his balls shrinking on TRT, which was the incorrect option in the quiz. The hosts noted that the better one performs on the quiz, the worse it reflects on their life.
Jasmine Crockett Accusation Error
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(01:02:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett incorrectly accused EPA official Lee Zeldin of taking money from Jeffrey Epstein because she confused him with an unrelated doctor of the same name.
  • Summary: The error in Crockett’s accusation involved confusing the politician with a different individual named Jeffrey Epstein. Crockett’s defense was that she only specified ‘a Jeffrey Epstein.’ The segment also referenced a profile of Crockett noting her fake nails reading ‘resist’ and her lock screen being a photo of herself.
Laura Loomer’s Dogs & Nuzzi Quotes
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(01:04:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura Loomer’s dogs are named Luma and Mecca, and the most outlandish quote attributed to Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir involved comparing a man’s voice to the waves of the ocean.
  • Summary: The non-existent Olivia Nuzzi quote involved describing a voice with an ’erratic vibrato that sang to me of the waves of the ocean.’ A real quote mentioned not trusting anyone wearing a lapel pin. The hosts noted that the standard for libel in the US makes it safer to write critical pieces there.
Yemen Strike Emojis & Stephen Miller
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(01:07:14)
  • Key Takeaway: National Security Advisor Michael Waltz contributed a fist emoji, flag emoji, and fire emoji to a Signal chat celebrating successful classified strikes on Yemen.
  • Summary: The term ‘aubergine emoji’ was clarified as the eggplant emoji used to signify a penis, which the British speaker was unfamiliar with. Katie Miller described her husband, Stephen Miller, as a ‘sexual matador’ in an interview with Jesse Waters, which the hosts found surprisingly sexy given his appearance.
Charlie Kirk Memorial & Aging
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(01:10:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The only event that did not occur at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service was Elon Musk wearing a black t-shirt featuring Kirk’s face and the word ‘based’.
  • Summary: The memorial service featured a pastor displaying a QR code for new believers and Donald Trump telling the crowd they had ’the hottest country anywhere in the world.’ The hosts then transitioned to discussing aging, with one host noting random pains that might be cancer or might disappear in four days. Helen Lewis mentioned getting Botox for crow’s feet as a response to perimenopause symptoms.