Martin Short played the elder statesman during his fifth time hosting on December 21, 2024. This Christmas episode was filled with cameos, callbacks, and current events. We discuss the complexity of homelessness and the rhetoric of anti-woke publics in An Act of Kindness, the intractable intersection of gender and comedy in Parking Lot Altercation, and the winner of this year's Joke Swap. Emmy nominated Chuck Hayward also joins to share his thoughts on demographic trends in the Five-Timers Club Cold Open. Readings include analyses of race, gender, and entertainment including Hanif Abdurraqib's 2022 collection of essays, A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance.
