The Cripescast Podcast

Becky Robinson loves character work. This is evident through her numerous online personas, including her most viral one, “The Entitled Housewife”. Before the hard seltzer-drinking and golf-loving housewife catapulted her comedy career, Becky spent a decade working hard on her stand up chops as well as picking up random odd jobs to make ends meet. This week, she joins Charlie on the Cripescast and...

Kathleen Madigan is a Midwest girl through and through. Although she’s spent the last 33 years doing stand up comedy around the world, her Missouri roots still make the Midwest feel like home. Over the course of her career, Kathleen has made over 40 appearances on daytime and late-night talk shows, performed for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has earned over 10 million downloads on her podcas...

Live from Comedy on State in Madison, Wisconsin, journalism professor Mike Wagner makes his return to the Cripescast to answer more election questions. With November 5th right around the corner, there’s no better time to discuss pressing topics that Amercians feel are at stake in this presidential election from social to economic issues. While America feels more divided than ever due to misinforma...

Country trio Chapel Hart never envisioned themselves pursuing a career in music, much less earning a Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent. For these Mississippi sisters, Danica and Devynn, and their cousin Trea, family is quite literally everything. With over 100 cousins and nearly 20 aunts and uncles, many of whom are also musically inclined, the girls never saw their talents as anything out of...

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Jessie Opoien has been covering politics in Wisconsin for over a decade. With the 2024 presidential election just around the corner and with several hot button issues on the ballot, many Americans have questions about what’s really at stake this November. Luckily, Jessie brings her expertise to the Cripescast this week to answer viewer submitted questions. She s...

Yia Vang’s new Minneapolis restaurant, Vinai, is a place of restoration. Named after the Hmong refugee camp in Thailand where Yia’s parents met and where he was born, the restaurant serves as a love letter to his family and heritage. Both of his establishments, Vinai and Union Hmong Kitchen, are some of the first ever dedicated Hmong cuisine restaurants in the United States. On top of being a crit...

Steve Treviño’s career isn’t what defines him, being a husband and father does. With six comedy specials under his belt and spending decades as a touring comedian, he explains that despite all his success, he still lives a normal life. Whether it’s taking the stories from growing up, raising his kids, or squabbling with his wife, he strives to relate with his audiences when he’s on stage. This wee...

When Matteo Lane started doing stand up comedy in 2011, the world looked very different. In fact, Matteo had never even seen a gay man do stand up until he was 23 years old, and it was then that he realized he could do it too. He says that, despite being gay in a time where it was “just acceptable,” he found a supportive community in the world of comedy, filled with like-minded people who were equ...

The viral comedy account Content Machine goes way back. In fact, the co-creators Mike Mazzitelli and Tyler John Perry met in the third grade in Hopkins, Minnesota. When the pandemic left them with nothing to do, they took a leap of faith and turned their lifelong hobby of making videos together into their full time jobs. From hanging out together as kids, to attending college 10 miles apart, and n...

LeRoy Butler can’t stay away from the Cripescast for too long. Returning for his fourth podcast appearance, the NFL Hall of Famer and former Green Bay Packer joins Charlie in the studio once again. With football season officially here, the two talk all things Packers. They cover everything from Jordan Love to the season opener in Brazil to the importance of the “Mr. Irrelevant” title in the NFL dr...

The Husbands of Target are back. This week, Taylor Calmus, Penn Holderness, and Myles Montplaisir join the show for a reunion episode of the Cripescast. The boys get cozy in Charlie’s hotel room to reflect on their 2020 viral sketch and how it led them to shooting national advertisements with Target this year. No topic goes untouched as they debate things like the pros and cons of sheet cake, if A...

Most people know Don Davey as a former defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. But that’s only where his list of accomplishments begins. After earning his Master’s of Engineering at UW Madison and getting drafted by the Packers in 1991, he played for a total of 9 seasons in the NFL. Don’s transition out of pro football felt like losing a sense of his identity, but...

Comedian Nate Russ’ hard work is paying off. After 10 years of creating content, Nate’s comedy series “Buggin” recently went viral and transformed his career into something he never imagined. With the first video earning over 25 million views on Instagram alone, and its sequels not far behind, he’s taking the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum. Comedy wasn’t always his goal though. Not know...

Whether you watched him compete on Hell’s Kitchen or you’ve been to his Milwaukee restaurant Egg & Flour, it’s safe to say that Adam Pawlak knows a thing or two about food. From humble beginnings as a Jimmy John’s cashier, to becoming a sous chef, an executive chef and now the owner of his own restaurant, he made his lifelong dreams of working in the culinary world a reality. Adam joins Charli...

Fashion Designer Elena Velez finds beauty in unlikely places and attributes her industrial artistic style to her Midwest upbringing. Raised by a single mother who worked as a ship captain on the Great Lakes, Elena spent much of her childhood surrounded by heavy machinery and unique landscapes, and its influence can be seen in her work today. Though she always knew she wanted to be a fashion design...

With the 2024 election approaching, Steven Olikara returns to discuss the importance of bipartisanship in an increasingly divided political landscape. Early listeners of the Cripescast may remember Steven’s first episode, where he and Charlie dove into the impact that social media and cable news outlets have on our civility. Today they analyze what’s changed since 2020, provide solutions for stopp...

Live from Lake Winnebago with Green Bay Packers’ tight end Luke Musgrave, it’s the 4th anniversary episode of the Cripescast. In this special episode, Luke and Charlie get to know each other the best way anyone can: while fishing for walleye… and the occasional sheepshead. They’re also joined by outdoor expert, fishing guide, and return Cripescast guest, Larry Smith, who teaches them a thing or tw...

Charlie is back again with everyone’s favorite gambling and gossiping gals, Grandma Sue, Aunt Mary, and Lois Bentley. As they road trip for another day at the casino, Aunt Mary gives us an update on her love life and Charlie even chimes in to help her develop a dating profile. No conversation is off the table for the four of them, whether it’s the birds and the bees, Lois’s broken leg, or the stor...

Whether it’s transforming an ordinary fence across from Lambeau Field into the infamous “Packers Fence” or customizing an average sneaker into every sports fan’s dream shoe, Zane Statz has a gift for reinventive art. As a muralist, custom artist, and Packers fan, Zane is living out his dream by having his custom-painted cleats worn by NFL players including Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Kenny Clark,...

Charlie goes down the AI rabbit hole again this week but this time he’s joined by an actual AI expert, UW-Madison Provost Charles Isbell. Provost Isbell has been fascinated with computers since he was 8 years old, and in turn has dedicated his life’s work to them by becoming a researcher, computationalist, and educator in the field of computer science. From studying at Georgia Tech, to earning his...

Kristopher Pollard eats, sleeps and breathes cinema. As Membership Manager for Milwaukee Film and co-host of the “Cinebuds” podcast, Kristopher is continually working hard to advocate for Milwaukee’s film scene. He explains how Wisconsin is a hidden gem for the film industry and has a vibrant and receptive movie-loving community. He argues that the only difference between Milwaukee and cities with...

This week Charlie celebrates the 200th episode of the Cripescast by answering all of your burning questions. Buckle up for his advice on dating, lawn care and how to craft the perfect junk drawer. He and his producer Colleen go on many tangents spanning from deep philosophical discussions to what cheese is best on a charcuterie board. Full episode out now! Interested in donating to Doctors Without...

Kristen Kish may be new to hosting “Top Chef” but she’s no stranger to the show. Crowned the Season 10 champion in 2012, she became the second woman ever to claim the title and has since returned to host the show. After her 2012 win, she’s gone on to open her own restaurant in Texas called Arlo Grey, release a cookbook, and host other TV shows like National Geographic’s “Restaurants and the End of...

Comedian Cristela Alonzo isn’t afraid to grab life by the horns. Having grown up squatting in an abandoned diner with her mother and three siblings, she knows what it’s like to live like you’ve got nothing to lose. Her lifelong love for comedy had her jumping at the chance to work as an office manager at the Addison Improv in Texas circa 2003, even if it meant fudging some of the details on her re...

Christian Yelich has been a pillar for the Milwaukee community since he was first traded to Brewers in 2018. On the field, he’s an MVP, a golden glove winner, and a silver slugger just to name a few. Off the field, he’s a champion for the community by giving back with his annual Home Plate Charity Benefit that raises funds for Milwaukee little league teams. Today, Christian addresses the most comm...