The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Michele Tafoya: "I'm a Big Freedom of Speech Person" Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Charlie revisits Mike Pesca's 2022 conversation with veteran sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya. Tafoya discusses stepping away from Sunday Night Football to speak openly on politics, her podcast Sideline Sanity, and the challenges conservative voices face in media. She also reflects on the cultural fallout from Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests and her frustration with reflexively using the 2020 election as a political litmus test.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

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To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Fetterman: "It's Been a Long, Strange Trip" Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Charlie looks back at Mike Pesca's 2021 conversation with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, recorded when he was lieutenant governor, to discuss criminal justice reform, gun laws, and immigration. Then, journalist Mark Raimondi joins the show to discuss his book, Say Hello to the Bad Guys, breaking down the 1990s steroid trials, Hulk Hogan's famous villain turn, and how pro wrestling reshaped American pop culture.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alex Edelman: "There's not a lot of comedy in being right." Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Isabella introduces Mike Pesca's conversation with comedian Alex Edelman on Funny You Should Mention, discussing his acclaimed solo Broadway show, Just for Us. Edelman breaks down the craft of joke mechanics and set construction, the role of audience feedback, and the influence of mentors like Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass. He also reflects on finding humor within sensitive topics, including Jewish identity, antisemitism, and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yaakov Katz: "An idea cannot be defeated." Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Guest host Isabella introduces Mike Pesca's conversation with Yaakov Katz, author of While Israel Slept. Katz explains the intelligence failures and false assumptions behind October 7, the international fallout, and why he believes ending the conflict means dismantling Hamas through lasting cultural and educational change.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Pakman: "The stage was really set." Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Isabella introduces an interview with progressive commentator and author David Pakman about his book, The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America. Pakman outlines the historical trajectory from the civil rights backlash to modern right-wing media tactics, arguing that systematic opposition to critical thinking curricula has fostered an environment fertile for political disinformation. Mike Pesca challenges Pakman on partisan asymmetry, probing whether media bubbles, deficit narratives, and mischaracterizations also distort left-leaning political discourse.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Roy Wood Jr.: "People just want to feel good." Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Bryan Green introduces an installment of Funny You Should Mention featuring comedian Roy Wood Jr. Mike Pesca sits down with Wood, the host of CNN's Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, to explore his journalism-steeped upbringing, the mechanics of building a stand-up special, and the delicate line between humor and audience expectations. Wood unpacks the modern demand for "clap-ter" over punchlines, the cultural resonance of his material on race and society, and the responsibility comedians carry when addressing polarizing political topics.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Axes and Sodium with Rachel McCarthy James and Maria Konnikova Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Bryan Green introduces two conversations on lethal implements and nutritional science. First, Mike Pesca speaks with Rachel McCarthy James about her book Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder, tracing the axe's history from prehistoric tool and Shang Dynasty symbol of power to battlefield weapon and instrument of execution. Then, Maria Konnikova joins Mike to separate fact from fiction regarding dietary sodium, breaking down blood pressure risks and revealing the surprising processed foods driving most of our daily salt intake.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on Viral Misinformation and Public Health Failures Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Bryan Green introduces Mike Pesca's two-part conversation with physician, epidemiologist, and former Detroit health director Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. In part one, El-Sayed discusses the collision between digital misinformation and biological virality, the systemic communication failures of the public health establishment, and how political polarization undermined basic scientific realities. In part two, they examine the pharmaceutical industry, weighing public gratitude for rapid vaccine rollouts against the reality of taxpayer-funded research and corporate profit motives, before breaking down how deep-seated structural racism and historical economic policy drive stark racial health disparities.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Django Gold: "Don't Be Funny" Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Adaam James Levin-Aredi introduces an installment of Funny You Should Mention featuring comedian and writer Django Gold. Mike Pesca sits down with Gold, a former writer for The Onion and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to dissect the craft of stand-up and his comedy special Bag of Tricks. Gold breaks down his deliberate, deadpan stage persona, the comedic value of defying audience expectations, and the difference between genuine laughter and mere partisan applause, while reflecting on modern crowd sensibilities, hecklers, and the art of subverting sacred cows.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

KJ Steinberg: "The echoes of trauma are loud and they are long." Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Today on The Gist, guest host Adaam Levin introduces two conversations exploring truth, perspective, and personal endurance. First, Mike Pesca speaks with KJ Steinberg, creator and showrunner of the Hulu limited series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, to examine the ethics of dramatizing real-life tragedy, moving beyond tabloid caricatures, and the difficult process of reclaiming an identity after public defamation and wrongful imprisonment. Then, advertising veteran Matt Sterling joins Mike to discuss his memoir Mighty: Finding the Strength to Survive, reflecting on his career as a media executive navigating New York in a wheelchair, the shifting landscape of disability access, and the resilience required to thrive.

Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/GIST and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are.

Produced by Corey Wara

Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com

For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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