The Karel Show
The Karel Show delivers bold commentary from Karel, an openly gay entertainer, author, and nationally syndicated talk show host known for saying what others won’t. With humor, heart, and zero patience for nonsense, Karel takes listeners on a fast-paced, no-filter journey through politics, culture, and modern American life—hilarious, incisive, and always honest. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-karel-show--1368295/support.
Episodes
October 26, 2026 • 62 mins
Who Profits From Keeping America Afraid? | The No Show Show
America is exhausted, anxious and struggling to trust anyone. Who benefits when we stay that way?
On today’s No Show Show, Karel takes a walk and asks how politicians, corporations and the media use fear, anger and distrust to keep us watching, buying and fighting each other.
From MAGA and Republican politics to our bosses, neighbors and local leaders, distr...
America is exhausted, anxious and struggling to trust anyone. Who benefits when we stay that way?
On today’s No Show Show, Karel takes a walk and asks how politicians, corporations and the media use fear, anger and distrust to keep us watching, buying and fighting each other.
From MAGA and Republican politics to our bosses, neighbors and local leaders, distr...
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October 25, 2026 • 62 mins
Tipping Has Gone Too Far? Las Vegas Pushes Back
Tip screens everywhere. Pressure to pay for a photo. Viral outrage over restaurant tips. Have we finally reached the tipping point?
Las Vegas Strip signs now remind visitors that tipping street performers—including those posing as showgirls—is optional. Karel examines the backlash, the pressure to tip, and where appreciation ends and obligation begins.
Should tipp...
Tip screens everywhere. Pressure to pay for a photo. Viral outrage over restaurant tips. Have we finally reached the tipping point?
Las Vegas Strip signs now remind visitors that tipping street performers—including those posing as showgirls—is optional. Karel examines the backlash, the pressure to tip, and where appreciation ends and obligation begins.
Should tipp...
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October 20, 2026 • 62 mins
I Know Why Democrats Seem PowerlessYesterdayI Know Why Democrats Seem PowerlessI know what Democrats seem powerless in the USA right now, and why so many non-MAGA people feel frustrated, afraid, anxious. I get it now more than ever.It's like a cancer diagnosis; when you first get it you feel powerless, depressed, like you want to just give up. You feel like you have no control and are facing insurmountable odds. Then, for many, the...
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October 19, 2026 • 62 mins
The Straw that Broke Me
Saturday was day one of voting in Nevada, so I went. I was greeted by a woman with a bull horn, who proceeded to berate me, call me homophobic slurs and then literally committed battery on my person. Why? Because she supports Trump and MAGA. And she was allowed because she was more than 100 feet from the doors. I literally had to call the police on her after she bloodied my lip with her bullhorn.
Saturday was day one of voting in Nevada, so I went. I was greeted by a woman with a bull horn, who proceeded to berate me, call me homophobic slurs and then literally committed battery on my person. Why? Because she supports Trump and MAGA. And she was allowed because she was more than 100 feet from the doors. I literally had to call the police on her after she bloodied my lip with her bullhorn.
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October 15, 2026 • 62 mins
LGBTQ+ Rights: Hungary Advances, The World Retreats | The Karel Cast
LGBTQ+ rights are advancing in Hungary while crackdowns and threats elsewhere show how fragile equality remains. From harsher prison sentences in Senegal to a fight over LGBTQ+ youth protections in Washington state, Karel connects the headlines—and asks what real freedom requires.
This episode of The Karel Cast examines the gap between promises of acce...
LGBTQ+ rights are advancing in Hungary while crackdowns and threats elsewhere show how fragile equality remains. From harsher prison sentences in Senegal to a fight over LGBTQ+ youth protections in Washington state, Karel connects the headlines—and asks what real freedom requires.
This episode of The Karel Cast examines the gap between promises of acce...
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October 14, 2026 • 62 mins
The Lost American Value: The Truth
We live in a country where the most controversial thing you can do is tell the pure, unvarnished truth. Why? Because many think the truth is relative, that the truth changes, and that the truth can be argued and debated.
Take the recent weather issues all across our country and our globe, from Long Beach to Long Island. The truth? We did it to ourselves, we were warned, we ignored it. All of...
We live in a country where the most controversial thing you can do is tell the pure, unvarnished truth. Why? Because many think the truth is relative, that the truth changes, and that the truth can be argued and debated.
Take the recent weather issues all across our country and our globe, from Long Beach to Long Island. The truth? We did it to ourselves, we were warned, we ignored it. All of...
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October 13, 2026 • 62 mins
Kelly Clarkson’s “Pretty Woman” Store Clash: Who’s Telling the Truth? | The Karel Cast
Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn store gave her the “Pretty Woman” treatment—assuming she couldn’t afford an item and steering her toward something cheaper. The store denies her account. What happened, and why does this story strike such a nerve?
On this episode of The Karel Cast, Karel examines...
Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn store gave her the “Pretty Woman” treatment—assuming she couldn’t afford an item and steering her toward something cheaper. The store denies her account. What happened, and why does this story strike such a nerve?
On this episode of The Karel Cast, Karel examines...
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October 12, 2026 • 62 mins
California Floods: A Tragedy—or a Warning We Ignored? | The Karel Cast
Long Beach suffers coastal destruction. Newport Beach’s Balboa Island floods. Las Vegas faces heavy rain it wasn’t built to handle. When communities are warned about climate risks and fail to prepare, how should we react when disaster strikes?
Karel shares the response that drew backlash—and asks where sympathy, accountability and c...
Long Beach suffers coastal destruction. Newport Beach’s Balboa Island floods. Las Vegas faces heavy rain it wasn’t built to handle. When communities are warned about climate risks and fail to prepare, how should we react when disaster strikes?
Karel shares the response that drew backlash—and asks where sympathy, accountability and c...
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October 8, 2026 • 68 mins
This Gay Week: LGBTQ Rights Under Pressure Worldwide
It’s This Gay Week, and Karel and Scott Jacobsen are taking a trip around the world to see where LGBTQ+ rights are advancing, where they’re retreating—and why the same political patterns keep appearing in very different countries.
This week, there’s some genuinely welcome news: specialized 988 crisis services for LGBTQ+ young people have returned in ...
It’s This Gay Week, and Karel and Scott Jacobsen are taking a trip around the world to see where LGBTQ+ rights are advancing, where they’re retreating—and why the same political patterns keep appearing in very different countries.
This week, there’s some genuinely welcome news: specialized 988 crisis services for LGBTQ+ young people have returned in ...
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October 7, 2026 • 62 mins
THE NEXT PANDEMIC IS COMING: Are We Ready—or Making the Same Mistakes Again?
Plague. Measles. Ebola. COVID taught us what a global outbreak can do—but did we actually learn anything from it?
In this episode of The Karel Cast, Karel looks at alarming infectious-disease headlines around the world, including reports involving plague, the resurgence of measles in the United States, and Ebola outbreaks in Africa. The b...
Plague. Measles. Ebola. COVID taught us what a global outbreak can do—but did we actually learn anything from it?
In this episode of The Karel Cast, Karel looks at alarming infectious-disease headlines around the world, including reports involving plague, the resurgence of measles in the United States, and Ebola outbreaks in Africa. The b...
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October 6, 2026 • 62 mins
Occam's razor Is A Truth We Don't Want
The Supreme Court is weighing lawsuits from states that claim oil companies are responsible for climate change, and as such, must pay other help mitigate it. But it doesn't take any great thought...of course they caused it, of course they knew it was going to happen, and of course they profited for years off of it. That's a no-brainer. So why is it even a question?
Because that's too eas...
The Supreme Court is weighing lawsuits from states that claim oil companies are responsible for climate change, and as such, must pay other help mitigate it. But it doesn't take any great thought...of course they caused it, of course they knew it was going to happen, and of course they profited for years off of it. That's a no-brainer. So why is it even a question?
Because that's too eas...
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October 5, 2026 • 62 mins
The US Is Setting Records, And It's Not GoodYesterdayAmerica Is Breaking Records — And Not the Good KindRecord heat. Record gas prices. A potential $2 trillion AI IPO. A Hollywood superstar hitting a career low. And Donald Trump taking aim at… “vaygans”?America is setting records—but these aren't necessarily records worth celebrating.On today’s The Karel Cast, Karel takes on a weekend of extraor...
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October 1, 2026 • 62 mins
Is America Losing Its Cool? Why the World Is Moving On
Is America still the country the rest of the world wants to imitate—or is something changing?
A recent New York Times discussion about America’s declining “cool factor” raises a bigger question: what happened to the country that once seemed to define global culture?
For decades, American influence was everywhere—Hollywood, blue jeans, jazz...
Is America still the country the rest of the world wants to imitate—or is something changing?
A recent New York Times discussion about America’s declining “cool factor” raises a bigger question: what happened to the country that once seemed to define global culture?
For decades, American influence was everywhere—Hollywood, blue jeans, jazz...
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September 30, 2026 • 62 mins
The Bigger Threat Than AI Is Already Here
Social Media has side effects, we know them. Here's just a list:
Depression and anxiety; Lower well-being and life satisfaction; Low self-esteem, envy, and feelings of inadequacy; Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating; sleep disruption; compulsive or problematic use; fear of missing out and pressure to remain available; distraction and interference with school or work; displaceme...
Social Media has side effects, we know them. Here's just a list:
Depression and anxiety; Lower well-being and life satisfaction; Low self-esteem, envy, and feelings of inadequacy; Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating; sleep disruption; compulsive or problematic use; fear of missing out and pressure to remain available; distraction and interference with school or work; displaceme...
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September 29, 2026 • 62 mins
Trump’s America Is Exhausting Us — And That May Be the Point
It feels like America barely has time to process one crisis before the next one arrives.
On today’s The Karel Cast, Karel takes on the relentless political and cultural news cycle—from the Trump administration’s latest moves affecting LGBTQ rights and Title IX, to rising prices, continuing war, climate threats and a country increasingly...
It feels like America barely has time to process one crisis before the next one arrives.
On today’s The Karel Cast, Karel takes on the relentless political and cultural news cycle—from the Trump administration’s latest moves affecting LGBTQ rights and Title IX, to rising prices, continuing war, climate threats and a country increasingly...
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September 28, 2026 • 62 mins
What Do You Do When Trump Decides You're Not A Citizen?
My sister was born in Massachusetts in 1957 and has the birth certificate to prove it. But not according to Donald Trump's America.
She is in Arizona and receives state aid. She just received a letter she is being cut off. Why? It says the SAVE System, the system the Supreme Court said Trump can use to verify citizenship, a system that was never designed to do so, says s...
My sister was born in Massachusetts in 1957 and has the birth certificate to prove it. But not according to Donald Trump's America.
She is in Arizona and receives state aid. She just received a letter she is being cut off. Why? It says the SAVE System, the system the Supreme Court said Trump can use to verify citizenship, a system that was never designed to do so, says s...
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September 24, 2026 • 62 mins
"This Gay Week: Progress and Panic, All in 7 Days"
It's This Gay Week on The Karel Cast — and this week proves LGBTQ rights are moving in every direction at once, sometimes in the same breath. Turkey just arrested 241 people in an anti-trans sweep so severe that human rights groups are now demanding the EU freeze its accession bid entirely. Indonesia has officially classified "LGBTQ culture" as a national security threat, ...
It's This Gay Week on The Karel Cast — and this week proves LGBTQ rights are moving in every direction at once, sometimes in the same breath. Turkey just arrested 241 people in an anti-trans sweep so severe that human rights groups are now demanding the EU freeze its accession bid entirely. Indonesia has officially classified "LGBTQ culture" as a national security threat, ...
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September 23, 2026 • 62 mins
Your Health Is Your Most Valuable Asset — Are You Actually Protecting It?
Your health determines almost everything about the life you get to live — yet how much time do we actually spend protecting it?
Today on The Karel Cast, we look at what you can do every day to improve your odds of living a longer, healthier life: exercise, diet, daily habits, preventive care and the medical advances changing how doctors trea...
Your health determines almost everything about the life you get to live — yet how much time do we actually spend protecting it?
Today on The Karel Cast, we look at what you can do every day to improve your odds of living a longer, healthier life: exercise, diet, daily habits, preventive care and the medical advances changing how doctors trea...
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September 22, 2026 • 62 mins
Trump, Hollywood & Streaming: Is Entertainment Taking Over Politics?**
Politics has become entertainment — and entertainment has become political.
Donald Trump came to the presidency after decades as a celebrity and reality-TV star. His administration has included people with backgrounds in television, podcasting and other media. Meanwhile, Hollywood is facing another wave of consolidation, streaming has transformed...
Politics has become entertainment — and entertainment has become political.
Donald Trump came to the presidency after decades as a celebrity and reality-TV star. His administration has included people with backgrounds in television, podcasting and other media. Meanwhile, Hollywood is facing another wave of consolidation, streaming has transformed...
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September 21, 2026 • 62 mins
Why Hate Is the Only Thing Uniting America Right Now
America doesn't have one shared value left — except hate. Not division, not gun violence, not high prices. Just hate. And it's everywhere: from the Ed Sheeran pile-on after he simply called out the catastrophe in Gaza, to Trump banning CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House for daring to tell the truth. We feel it at the gas pump, in line at the store, scrolling t...
America doesn't have one shared value left — except hate. Not division, not gun violence, not high prices. Just hate. And it's everywhere: from the Ed Sheeran pile-on after he simply called out the catastrophe in Gaza, to Trump banning CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House for daring to tell the truth. We feel it at the gas pump, in line at the store, scrolling t...
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