Overview of Pardon My Take — July 22, 2026
This episode leaned into the “dead part of the sports calendar” with a mix of sports news, comedy, and two strong interviews: actor/comedian Jimmy Tatro and Open Championship winner Ryan Fox. The crew joked about LeBron’s never-ending “decision,” Aaron Rodgers reconnecting with his family, ESPN layoffs, and Bryson DeChambeau’s absurd idea that he could call the president to overturn an Open ruling. The episode also featured a Mount Rushmore draft of non-edible things that look delicious and a rapid-fire FAQ segment.
Biggest Topics from the Opening Banter
LeBron’s delayed decision
- The guys kept joking that LeBron is holding the league hostage by not announcing his next move.
- They speculated wildly about what he’s waiting on, including:
- a trade package
- waiting to tell Fanatics first
- even his daughter’s college decision
- The bit turned into a fake “today is the day” tweet campaign.
Aaron Rodgers reunites with his family
- The crew reacted positively to Rodgers reconnecting with his family.
- They noted that, for all the noise surrounding Rodgers, this was a genuinely good human moment.
ESPN firing Ryan Clark mid-show
- The hosts mocked ESPN for firing Ryan Clark while he was still on air.
- Their main complaint: if ESPN knew it was going to happen, why make him work the show first?
Other sports-news notes
- Chip Kelly at Northwestern in a hard hat was described as looking like a corrupt union boss.
- They laughed at a video of Bryce Harper jokingly answering the Declaration of Independence question wrong.
- They revisited Bryson DeChambeau allegedly trying to call the president during his Open Championship rules dispute.
- They pointed out the White Sox staying red-hot with a long winning streak.
- A funny note came up about James Outman having perhaps the most “baseball player” name possible.
Interviews
Jimmy Tatro
Jimmy came in to promote Hawk on Netflix, his new project with Will Ferrell.
Career update
- He joked that he’s effectively on his way to becoming a major comic-book movie guy, saying he’s going to play Gorilla Grodd in the DC universe.
- He and the crew riffed on how perfect he is for playing a gorilla, especially with his voice and expression.
Working with Will Ferrell
- This is not his first project with Ferrell; they’ve now worked together multiple times.
- He said they text, golf together, and have built a real working relationship.
Golf preparation for the show
- Jimmy said he had to seriously improve his golf swing for the role.
- He got lessons, rebuilt his swing, and cared a lot about making the swing look good on camera.
- He admitted he doesn’t need to be tour-level good, just convincing.
Behind-the-scenes Hollywood talk
- He described the long development process of projects in Hollywood, including:
- multiple scripts in development
- projects that never get made
- how frustrating it is when studios buy ideas and then sit on them
- He talked about writing a snowboarding comedy that got sold but is still in limbo.
French hours, Ozempic, and comedy
- He and the hosts laughed about “French hours” on set, where production keeps feeding the cast all day instead of taking one big lunch break.
- They also joked about Ozempic and how many Hollywood people are getting extremely skinny.
- Jimmy said he wants to eventually transition into more serious, self-important acting roles.
Other notable bits
- He confirmed he has not taken Ozempic.
- They talked about old YouTube videos, whether he watches his own material, and how internet trends basically recycle everyone’s ideas.
- The interview also veered into Minions, movie remakes, and the weirdly long lifecycle of Hollywood projects.
Ryan Fox
Ryan Fox joined fresh off his Open Championship win, and the interview focused on the emotional and mental side of capturing a major.
Winning the Open
- Fox said it still hadn’t fully sunk in.
- He described waking up buzzing and realizing he’d actually won the Open Championship.
- He explained that he hadn’t been in that position before, which may have helped him stay freer mentally.
Sunday pressure and mindset
- He said he tried not to overthink the moment.
- His approach was basically:
- breathe
- stay in his routine
- trust the swing
- give himself a chance
- He emphasized that deep breathing and routine helped keep him composed.
The 18th hole
- Fox said the walk up 18 was when it really hit him that he had a putt to win the Open.
- He chose to go aggressive instead of playing conservatively.
- He talked through the final putt and how his body felt, saying he was shaking but still able to execute.
Celebration and aftermath
- He described the whole post-win process:
- signing the scorecard
- media obligations
- pouring wine into the Claret Jug
- taking endless photos and signing flags
- He didn’t get much sleep before flying home and was in rough shape by the airport.
Family and background
- His daughters were thrilled by the trophies, but quickly moved on to watching Rio.
- He talked about his father’s athletic background in rugby and how much support he had growing up.
- He explained he was a multi-sport kid who only fully committed to golf later.
Kidney stones
- The hosts and Fox bonded over kidney stones.
- Fox described brutal pain, hospital visits, and eventually needing a procedure when it wouldn’t pass.
- The segment turned into a very relatable “representation matters” moment for anyone who has had kidney stones.
Looking ahead
- He’s planning to take some time off and possibly return to New Zealand with the Claret Jug.
- He said everything going forward is a bonus now that he has a major title.
Mount Rushmore: Non-Edible Things That Look Delicious
The draft was chaos in the best way, with lots of debate over what counts.
Top picks included
- Nickelodeon slime
- Tide Pods
- Glue
- Play-Doh
- Shaving cream
- Hot lava
- Insulation
- Windex
- Candles
- Pool noodle
- Lava lamp
- Pencil eraser
Best part of the draft
- The biggest argument was over whether the inside of a lava lamp counts as “lava.”
- The vote ultimately went in favor of the pick, after the crew agreed that it looks appetizing even if it’s not actual lava.
- There was also a lot of side chatter about things like:
- crayons
- marbles
- toothpaste
- shampoo beads
- bottle caps
- baseball cards
- cinnamon
Hot Seat / Cool Throne
Hot seats
- ESPN for the Ryan Clark firing mess.
- Nick Sirianni / the NFL for apparently using ChatGPT for motivational material.
- Hank for Sean Strickland’s “ladyboy sports” rankings, which had golf near the bottom.
- Alex Bregman got a friendly hot-seat mention from Zach after a rough Cubs moment.
Cool thrones
- Bryson DeChambeau for the insane “call the president” idea.
- Roger Goodell for his massive extension and the fact that his job is basically to maximize NFL money while taking the public heat.
- James Outman for having one of the all-time sports names.
- The White Sox for their streak.
- The Yankees/Pirates dugout fight got praise as the kind of thing that makes baseball more fun.
FAQs and Listener Questions
Favorite segment / interview
- The crew said it’s hard to pick one favorite because there have been so many good ones.
- They mentioned a few common go-to answers:
- first Chris Berman interview
- first SVP in-person interview
- Bill Walton
- the Blake Bortles/Griffin/Brooks interviews
Do guests listen before coming on?
- Usually, no.
- Sometimes guests ask for topic ideas, but the crew tends to keep it minimal:
- sports
- their career
- whatever the obvious recent event is
- They also mentioned early days when they had to do more “fake booking” work to land interviews.
Jerry O’Connell
- A listener asked if Jerry O’Connell ever crosses the line.
- The response: yes, sometimes, but that’s part of why he works on the show.
- He’s treated like a lovable chaos agent.
Random ending question
- The last FAQ asked whether a second date would be a dealbreaker if someone showed up with a shaved head.
- The answer was basically: if it’s a bet, illness, or a bold choice, maybe not.
Key Takeaways
- The episode was a classic late-July PMT mix of sports, jokes, and good interviews.
- Ryan Fox came off as thoughtful, funny, and refreshingly honest about pressure, nerves, and winning a major.
- Jimmy Tatro was all-in on the comedy and behind-the-scenes Hollywood discussion, especially around development hell and getting projects made.
- The show kept circling back to the idea that we’re entering the real sports stretch soon: training camp, trade deadline, and football around the corner.