Ruthless Podcast

What happens when Iran turns into a global punchline, and the fellas decide to have a little too much fun with all of it? Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook are back, and this one goes all in. We kick things off with the wildest story in the world right now: the alleged “Gayatollah” intel bombshell out of Iran. Is this real life? Is this the weirdest regime collapse s...

Some episodes start with laughs. This one starts with a warning. When a convicted ISIS supporter is released from prison and then allegedly shows up at the center of another attack, it’s not politics as usual. It’s not abstract. It’s not theoretical. Lives are at stake. So the question hanging over everything is simple: how many warnings does this country need before people start taking terrorism...

Yet another massive taxpayer fraud, this time in California. Why does the media seem more focused on narratives than the billions being stolen from taxpayers? Guests: Chevron CEO Mike Wirth on that state of American energy + AFP's Brent Gardner discusses the on-going Democrat shutdown of DHS. The fellas — Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook jump straight into the chaos...

What happens when a guy screams “Allahu Akbar,” throws an explosive at a crowd in New York, and the media still twists itself into knots trying to protect the narrative? Who’s the real target here, and why does the press seem more offended by the protest than the violence? The fellas — Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook — jump straight into the insanity, breaking down...

What happens when a sitting U.S. Senator, who’s also a former Navy SEAL, walks in and breaks down the Iran conflict with the kind of clarity you only get from someone who’s lived the GWOT? Everybody’s got a take on Iran. Almost nobody can explain it like this. The fellas — Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook — listen to Senator Tim Sheehy to lay it out: why this moment feels like t...

War in Iran continues — and the fellas are not holding back. Does Iran have a Navy or just expensive toys? And why do Democrats suddenly sound like they don’t know what they believe? Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook jump straight into the politics of war. The fellas break down what the Iran operation signals about American power, why the isolationist panic might be...

Trump green-lights the strike on Iran—and Washington instantly splits into two camps: strength vs. “what did you just start?” So what’s the real play here… and do you trust Trump’s plan, or are we walking into the world’s messiest endgame? The fellas—Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook—jump in fast, cutting through the spin and asking the questions everyone’s thinking...

When Michael Knowles joins the fellas, the gloves come off. The culture war isn’t slowing down — it’s exposing who’s ready for the moment and who isn’t. Why do Democrats keep misreading the country? Why do they double down on the exact messaging that turns voters away? And is the cultural fight now more decisive than any policy debate? Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbro...

🎤 Trump turns the State of the Union into a midterm war map — and Democrats can’t decide whether to sit, shout, or show up in frog costumes. Is this the moment that resets 2026? Or just another viral night in the circus? Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook break down the speech the way the MSM won’t. The optics. The traps. The binary choice moments. And why some Democ...

Team USA delivers gold — and the Democrats deliver… whatever this is. The fellas break down Gavin Newsom’s bizarre “I’m just like you” pitch, Gretchen Whitmer freezing on Ukraine, and Andy Beshear wrapping progressive policy in Sunday-morning language. Then it gets worse: Democrats quietly admit their 2024 problem in a locked-up autopsy they don’t want you reading. Also in this episode: • The Texa...

New York just dropped a $127 BILLION budget — and somehow you’re still not getting what you paid for. Where’s the money going? And how long before this model spreads to every blue state in America? The fellas — Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook — dive headfirst into the insanity. New York’s Mamdani budget math doesn’t add up. $50 billion for schools. Massive spending...

Colbert says he was “silenced.” Reality: CBS lawyers reminded him the FCC equal-time rule exists — and he didn’t want to give the other Democrat equal airtime. So instead of booking other candidates, he kicked the interview online and cried censorship. This wasn’t Trump. It wasn’t the FCC storming the studio. It was a late-night host trying to tilt a primary on broadcast TV — and getting boxed in...

AOC hits the Munich Security Conference and faceplants on foreign policy—so why is the media acting like it was a breakout moment? Is this the Democrats’ next presidential contender… or a kingmaker they’re trying to polish in real time? The fellas break down the Taiwan dodge, the Venezuela spin, the “global south” rhetoric, and the press running cover like it’s their full-time job. Josh Holmes, Co...

Minnesota Mayhem, Irish Heat, and Kentucky Senate Showdown | Ruthless Podcast Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook kick off another Fun Time Friday with the Ruthless Podcast crew tackling the week's most unbelievable stories. This episode features incredible congressional testimony that has to be heard to be believed, some well-deserved heat thrown at Minnesota's left-w...

The fellas discuss one of the biggest political stories flying under the radar: a State Department report identifying far-left activist groups as potential vectors of Chinese influence operation. That’s not just politics — that’s national security. Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook break down: • The State Department naming Code Pink and The People’s Forum in a report...

The fellas tackle the Olympics controversy head-on as US athletes seem more interested in trashing America than representing it. What happened to patriotism in elite sports and why is anti-American sentiment getting rewarded instead of condemned. Plus, Congressman Pete Stauber joins to share his unique perspective on the US Olympic hockey team, Minnesota's political transformation, and his family'...

In this episode of the Ruthless Variety Program, hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook dissect Kamala Harris's awkward campaign relaunch and what it means for a bankrupt Democratic Party. From her Gen Alpha "skibidi" vibes to failed youth appeals, we break it all down with zero holds barred. Then, tune in for an exclusive interview with RNC Chairman Joe Gruters on...

We open by laying out what actually just happened with the SAVE Act and why it matters right now. The bill clears the House, heads toward the Senate, then gets stripped out during a government funding move. We walk through the numbers, the polling, and the quiet shift from open opposition to procedural delay. We also get into why voter ID keeps pulling strong public support while Democratic leader...

The left has become insufferable theater kids 🎭 — staging Iwo Jima reenactments with the wrong flag 🇸🇴, blocking Minneapolis streets with shipping crates 🛑, and screaming “no one is illegal on stolen land” while living securely mansions 🏰. Josh, Smug, and Duncan and Ashbrook break down the performative outrage 😤, the foreign money behind it 💰, the recycled San Francisco protests 🔄, and why s...

🎙️ We’re live in Philadelphia to kick off America 250, and we’re coming in hot: big crowd, big venue, and a full night built around pride in the country and what it still makes possible. We talk about why celebrating the 250th isn’t just a party—it’s a push to re-learn what holds this place together. Then we bring out the NFL’s own Jaws, Ron Jaworski, and the conversation lands on values, work eth...

🎙️ The fellas sit down with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for a wide-ranging conversation that hits policy, politics, and the pure theater of the moment. We talk through what Trump Accounts are built to do—seed money, compounding, and a real push toward financial literacy—plus how the private sector and states may stack on top of it. We also get into the broader economic pitch: growth, inflatio...

 The fellas are laying the whole Senate map on the table and getting real about what’s actually at stake for the next two years. We get into why holding the Senate matters so much for a Trump administration, from confirmations to the very real threat of impeachment politics coming roaring back if Democrats get the chance. Then we start walking state by state through the early battlefield, where th...

🎙️ No better start to a Friday than the fallout from the church disruption in Minnesota, and for once, we actually get the kind of consequences we hoped for. We talk through the arrests, the perp walks, and the sheer audacity of watching people try to rewrite what happened in Minneapolis. However, there is a continued refusal to bring charges against Don Lemon. We go through what it says about Min...

🎙️ Once again the left has given the American people a bait-and-switch with the promise of “moderate Democrats” in VA and NJ. We walk through how that brand gets sold, why it keeps working in purple places, and what happens the minute governing power shows up. Virginia Governor Spanberberger shows how a “most bipartisan” claim turns into a very different set of priorities once the ink is dry. 🐘 B...

🎙️ We break down the left’s overt hatred of religion in America - on display Sunday in Minneapolis. More than unhinged, it’s dangerous. Then we get into Don Lemon showing up on the scene and trying to dress the whole thing up as “First Amendment” theater, while the fellas call out what’s really happening: organized chaos with a media camera crew conveniently on-site. We dig into the growing sense...