This Week in Breeders Podcast

CPAP... goes your heart

Hello friends, Normally, these Ask Breeders Anything episodes, where Sarah and Garrett leave each other voice mails exploring all manner of gender-adjacent curiosity, are just for paid subscribers. BUT, this one is going to all of you. You’re welcome. And also, we’re sorry, because yes this is in place of what would normally be a full episode. You’re not getting one of those because, for the past couple weeks, both hosts have been navigating a combination of spring break and illness. What did we talk about? CPAPs, antidepressants and other aphrodisiacs, of course. Was there ever any doubt? It all started because Sarah asked for Garrett’s thoughts, as a CPAP user, on a recent Saturday Night Live mock ad [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tLUxQzqSTQc] for the medical device. Yes, Garrett had opinions, less about that skit itself than the extremely odd phenomenon of actual innuendo-laden CPAP advertisement. So many adoring wives, giving come hither looks to their elephant-masked heavy breathing spouses. We’ll share some examples below, because oh buddy. How’d we eventually get to the antidepressant part? Well, you have to listen to the episode for that. Also, do you like episodes like this? Well, you know who gets more of them? Paid subscribers. The absolute best folks around, if you ask us. Ready for some CPAP ads? If you’re reading this on any non-Substack podcast ep, mozey over to this post at thisweekinbreeders.org and enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

How well do you know your man... osphere?

Man oh manosphere. Odds are, you’ve heard that there’s a wildly popular Louis Theroux documentary on Netflix these days, one where the extremely British documentarian spends an ungodly amount of time with prominent reactionary dude influencers. Garrett watched it, Sarah didn’t, so join along as he takes her on a journey through a strange world of washboard abs, one-way monogamy and, well, some of the worst imaginable opinions and actions. The big question: Do we really need to spend time with these guys? Or is there a more interesting story right outside the frame. LINKS! * A very good video about youth travel baseball. [https://www.tiktok.com/@thejoshmancuso/video/7366780782016351519] * Official Netflix site for the Theroux documentary. [https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/louis-theroux-inside-the-manosphere-release-date-news] * Oops! Garrett snuck in Lindy West discourse into the episode. Here’s some important background, [https://slate.com/life/2026/03/lindy-west-polyamory-open-marriage-husband-roya.html] here’s Garrett’s piece [https://thewhitepages.net/p/i-dont-have-any-useful-opinions-about], and here’s our bonus episode [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/p/ask-breeders-anything-does-your-marriage] on polyamory and moving to the Midwest. * You definitely shouldn’t take the “female delusion survey” we referenced in the episode but here it is. [https://censuscalc.du6939f0mcl75.amplifyapp.com/Calculator] * Some smart thoughts from Andi Zeisler and her teenage son [https://www.salon.com/2026/03/22/i-watched-inside-the-manosphere-with-my-son/] (Salon). * A good review from [https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/11/louis-theroux-inside-the-manosphere-review-why-doesnt-he-focus-more-on-the-impact-on-women]Lucy Mangan in the Guardian. * H20 Just Add Water: An Australian show about mermaids and also a real estate developing dad who finds his heart [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H2O:_Just_Add_Water](A Sarah recommendation? Maybe?). * Too many people [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/movies/zootopia-fans-nick-wilde-judy-hopps.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WFA.gD_u.QJepk3r8dqaK&smid=url-share] (Garrett included) have opinions about the fox and bunny’s relationship in Zootopia 2. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; at the gym, where you’re working to turn your soy arms into tempeh arms). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/]and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one, where we were brave enough to ask POLYAMORY OR MOVING TO THE MIDWEST,” opt for a http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribepaid subscription [http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe]. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Men lie, women lie, but This Week In Breeders will never lie (especially not to Gen Z)

Oh wow. What great faces we’re making in that thumbnail image. It looks like we’re extremely concerned. And with good reason, actually, because this week we too are considering whether the kids all right. Hard to say, honestly. On one hand, there’s a new poll out that reveals that Gen Z men have more conservative politics than their grandfathers. And oh buddy are there far too many bad faith dude whisperers trying to convince young fellas to join the He Man Women Hater’s Club. But the Breeders can’t help but root for our slightly younger compatriots. We too are figuring it out. This was a fun episode. Sarah interviewed Garrett about a recent piece he wrote about that study. This dovetailed into a discussion of a critique that Garrett often gets, when he makes arguments about how it’s more important for guys to care about being better neighbors than being “better men.” Namely, that young guys aren’t going to listen to all that potluck-based pablum. What if they need somebody to appeal directly to their manhood? What if they’ll ignore folks like Garrett who aren’t willing to talk to them about masculinity specifically? Interesting questions, for sure. Pretty good fodder for a podcast, actually. Also discussed: Various places Andie Macdowell has lived; whether the movie Groundhog Day holds up; Garrett’s birthday (and the best age to have a birthday); Garrett’s entire taxonomy of the manosphere in less than five minutes; Sarah’s first ever boundary; a movie that is not out in theaters yet but that Sarah has already pre-analyzed; consensual open mouth stranger kissing… and a very bizarre novelty t-shirt. Links: * Literally just a Facebook thread of Missoulians bragging about seeing Andie Macdowell around town. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/212384082142054/posts/1400315880015529/] * “Why Phil Connors from Groundhog Day is actually a terrible person” [https://www.looper.com/394350/why-phil-connors-from-groundhog-day-is-actually-a-terrible-person/] * Kings College study on international viewpoints on gender (broken down by generation) [https://thewhitepages.net/p/an-open-letter-to-the-31-of-gen-z] * Garrett’s essay about the study [https://thewhitepages.net/p/an-open-letter-to-the-31-of-gen-z] (“An open letter to the 31% of Gen Z men who believe that a woman’s role is to obey her husband”). * Another field guide to the manosphere [https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/115561/documents/HHRG-118-IF16-20230328-SD033.pdf] (Media Matters) * Anand Giridharadas [https://substack.com/profile/2005291-anand-giridharadas] on the Epstein class and the elite male drive to separate themselves from any actual human relationships [https://the.ink/p/never-eat-with-women](“Never Eat With Women,” The Ink [https://substack.com/profile/201953295-the-ink] ). * “There is one word that explains why so many men are in the Epstein files, so why is nobody saying it” [https://celestemdavis.substack.com/p/epstein-files-patriarchy] ( Celeste Davis [https://substack.com/profile/12350517-celeste-davis] in Matriarchal Blessing [https://open.substack.com/pub/celestemdavis] ). * Garrett and Celeste’s live conversation ( “Scott Galloway is basically a Mormon housewife” [https://celestemdavis.substack.com/p/scott-galloway-mormon-wife]). * “The empathy perception gap” [https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/10/empathy-perception-gap-isolation-loneliness-research] (Stanford Report) * Nate Bergatze is… The Breadwinner [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05vjgtR8gI4] * Elvis Presley, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4csFnpZXek&list=RDu4csFnpZXek&start_radio=1]who, whether we want to admit it or not, embodies how both Sarah and Garrett would act on stage if they were international pop superstars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Coming of age... with the Breeders

Ready to go for a ride? We’re covering some ground today: Two co-hosts. Reminiscing about four moments in their lives. Rapid fire (well, rapid fire with tangents). I think you’ll pick up the format pretty quickly, but the basic idea is that we each remembered back to when we were 5, 15, 25 and 35 and reflected on who, during that time, was our model for how to be a man or a woman. As we yelled out loud (with airhorn) on the episode… IT’S A JOINT REFLECTIVE EXERCISE. You know what was interesting about this? Just about everything. The two of us know each other pretty darn well. And yet, we were surprised and intrigued in a new way. Should you try this with your friends? Oh yeah. And as Sarah mentioned, we also wouldn’t hate it if you wanted to share some of these reflections with us as well. Topics discussed: Claire Danes, the 1987 Jefferson County (Montana) Cross Country Team, trying on your mom’s clothes, vicarious keg stands, older siblings, the motherhood internet, our moms, our dads, literally taking bites out of Infinite Jest, and of course, getting knocked down, and getting up again, because you’re never gonna keep us down. Links: * An Instagram reel [https://www.instagram.com/p/DU6cNTGEmmG/](from Garrett) about what he packs for kids at his speaking events. * If you’re ever in Oakland when Sarah and her husband are hosting trivia, you should go! [https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8sd2iAeuj/] * Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ___C9l-W8&list=RDsJ___C9l-W8&start_radio=1] by Caramba (a real song!) * Edge of Seventeen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmPgMc3R8zg&list=RDUmPgMc3R8zg&start_radio=1]by Stevie Nicks (a much better remembered real song!). * The trailer for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZDbKhkLxTs](since you don’t have the opportunity to watch the 1987 Jefferson High School Cross Country video). * WMFO at Tufts University (sadly “talkin’ about women” is no longer on the air). * The intro scene to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znVBqSI4ghQ&list=RDznVBqSI4ghQ&start_radio=1My So-Called Life. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znVBqSI4ghQ&list=RDznVBqSI4ghQ&start_radio=1] * A reflection on how— contrary to Garrett’s one-degree removed fantasy— the late ‘90s Missoula, Montana literary punk scene might have been easier for young men than women. [https://www.montanakaimin.com/open-the-pit/article_8932314e-235c-11e9-8d29-5f83a9d29f70.html] * The woman who is eating [https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-talked-to-the-woman-who-is-butt-chugging-infinite-jest/]Infinite Jest [https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-talked-to-the-woman-who-is-butt-chugging-infinite-jest/] * The Barbie scene about men explaining [https://youtu.be/ucglA9Vv_Ys?si=oluBi5rp9W07MBMP]Pavement [https://youtu.be/ucglA9Vv_Ys?si=oluBi5rp9W07MBMP] to women [https://youtu.be/ucglA9Vv_Ys?si=oluBi5rp9W07MBMP]. * Madison, Wisconsin’s undergrad party scene [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeI96vhKW-o](not pictured: Steve). * Circa 2008 Lily Allen profile [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/dec/07/lily-allen-comeback] (the Guardian, of course). * Steven Hyden’s fatherhood-focused profile of Kanye West for Grantland [https://grantland.com/features/kanye-west-yeezus-fatherhood/] (note: this is a CIRCA 2013 KANYE WEST… a lot hadn’t happened yet!). * Alyssa Liu’s dad, [https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/alysa-liu-father-admits-making-175248539.html]very proud but also thinking about his fathering life and realizing he could have made some different choices (relatable!). * Sarah is right— everybody loves Kip’s dad [https://www.sfgate.com/bars/article/mel-o-dee-bay-area-karaoke-bar-18106407.php] from Heated Rivalry. * A wonderful tribute [https://www.sfgate.com/bars/article/mel-o-dee-bay-area-karaoke-bar-18106407.php]to the Mel-O-Dee karaoke night in El Cerrito. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; the very feminism-friendly DJ booth at Tufts University in the late 1990s, etc.). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/]and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where Sarah Wheeler [https://substack.com/profile/4946408-sarah-wheeler] shared what snacks she sneaks into movies and also asked Garrett “‘so, does your wife dress you?'” opt for a http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribepaid subscription [http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe]. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The stars are out for mixed-gender feminist podcasting's most glamorous event of the year

You all! It’s here! Our most anticipated episode of the year (according to the two of us, and only the two of us). The This Week In Breeders Oscars Spectacular. Friends, there was so much gender in the movies last year. There were women having mental breakdowns and/or founding religions. There were men (so many men) being sad, playing sad baseball, doing sad art heists, reanimating sad corpses, making sad albums about the death of the American dream, becoming dads, being sad about being dads, realizing they were sad dads and it was time to suddenly become happy dads… truly, so much gender (especially that one gender). Also, there was at least one movie that truly changed Sarah’s life, and also a couple guys we’d definitely let babysit our kids (all our love to you, Benicio Del Toro, and also the sweet projectionist Grandpa in The Secret Agent). Plus: The greatest surprise gift/musical interlude in podcasting history? Potentially! You need to listen to the end! We’re not just saying that! * Last year’s Mother Of It All Oscar’s Episode [https://motherofitall.substack.com/p/mother-culture-movie-club-oscars] (the secret origin story, both for this episode, and this podcast more generally). * Sarah’s feature on https://www.thecut.com/article/if-i-had-legs-id-kick-you-rose-byrne-movie-review-essay-parenthood.htmlIf I Had Legs I’d Kick You [https://www.thecut.com/article/if-i-had-legs-id-kick-you-rose-byrne-movie-review-essay-parenthood.html] (The Cut). * Garrett is in Portland, Oregon this next weekend (Feb 20-22). Multiple events at Trinity Episcopal, including a public potluck on Friday night [https://www.trinity-episcopal.org/events-1/visiting-writer-series-garrett-bucks] and a workshop on Saturday. [https://www.trinity-episcopal.org/events-1/workshop-how-to-change-someone-elses-mind] Perhaps you’d like to come? * Puppy bowl, baby [https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl](Garrett’s household is Team Fluff, by the way). * The therapeutic board games [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scruples_(game)]that raised Sarah. * Amanda Montei’s essay [https://amandamontei.substack.com/p/do-men-ruin-everything]about how Frankenstein is much better than watching Frankenstein. * Taffy Broadesser-Acker watches a Broadway show over and over again. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/magazine/operation-mincemeat-obsession-broadway.html] * Look! It’s Sarah [https://letterboxd.com/thewheeler/] and Garrett’s [https://letterboxd.com/garrettbucks/] Letterboxd accounts. * Garrett does not need this [https://rachelantonoff.com/products/ann-lee-second-coming-tee?srsltid=AfmBOorRuqIJBlO7xM8egMo6q6oXgiOxG8V5Umyrx66yYOL1DNxVp6_I&variant=43269749997633]very expensive Testament of Ann Lee shirt (and Ann Lee would be disappointed in him if he did buy it), but you can understand why he’s torn, right? * Though we both support Emily Gould [https://substack.com/profile/58251-emily-gould] buying the shirt [https://nymag.substack.com/p/ouroborous-but-make-it-hot] * Most importantly of all: The complete lyrics [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RedCIPd3-4gBv-zn7AB3zmZZbE0YQ2M4FMj8Xr8BnhY/edit?tab=t.0] to “Gonna be hostin,” so that you too can sing along when Sarah performs it live on stage at the Oscars. * Garrett would like to offer his apologies for mixing up the Skarsgards, and also for calling Ronald Bronstein “Richard,” but appreciates that Sarah was able to correct him. * BREAKING NEWS: The number of living Shakers (reported by us as two) HAS RISEN TO THREE! [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/19/nx-s1-5476267/the-number-of-shakers-in-the-u-s-rises-to-3] LET’S GOOOOOO! More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; in your gothic bell tower where you reanimate corpses). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/]and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where they shared their Instagram algorithms with each other [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/p/ask-breeders-anything-i-felt-like] and it was a WILD ride,” opt for a http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribepaid subscription [http://thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe]. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe [https://www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]