Trump's Bribe, AI Doom Psyop, and the Rapture
Trump's $5,000 bribe, stay-at-home moms, car insurance beefs, AI doom, 9/11 memories, Zelda rumors, rom-coms, and the Rapture—Freed Up somehow fits it all into one episode.
Podcast: Freed Up
Freed Up is a break from the joyless churn of doomscrolling—a lighthearted libertarian podcast from Reason for people who still like to laugh. Each week, co-hosts Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi riff on whatever made them laugh, cringe, or roll their eyes, from politics and media freakouts to pop culture and internet absurdities. They roast politicians, mock each other, and occasionally stumble into real debates about the issues that actually matter—like why your favorite Star Wars show is bad, whether the Holy Roman Empire gets an unfair rap, and how everything somehow became political. Freed Up is smart, unserious, and happily unhinged.
Subscribe:
Latest Episode
More Episodes
Lindsay Clancy, Heehaw the Donkey, and New Magneto Origins
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the stalled jury deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s case and the police killing of Heehaw.
Gavin Newsom Admits He Might Keep Tariffs?
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss tariffs, tech moral panics, social media harms, video games, Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, AI-written journalism, and America’s $40 trillion debt.
Jason Arday's Downfall, Lindsay Clancy Case, and the Surveillance State
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi take on press restrictions, the war on drugs, Flock cameras, data centers, dating, punk rock, and why war is still bad, actually.
Woke 1.0, House of the Dragon, and the Absurd Politics of Surveillance
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down the absurd political fights about America’s surveillance state before jumping into House of the Dragon.
Francesca Hong's Hateful Holidays, Burrito Prices, and Woke 1.0
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi cover all of the politically charged food takes of the week from Thanksgiving to burritos.
Fauci Pleads the Fifth, Pluribus, Ross Douthat's New CBS Gig
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi argue that Anthony Fauci has never fully accounted for the damage caused by COVID lockdowns—and they are not ready to forgive him for it.
Debate: Did Wokeness Actually Ruin The Odyssey?
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi spar over The Odyssey.
Vance Exposing Epstein's Intelligence Links on Rogan? Not Quite.
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Donald Trumps' nothing-burger primetime address.
Democratic Establishment Rages at Graham Platner
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi talk about Graham Platners' downfall and all of the internet rumors surrounding the health of Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Zohran Mamdani Goes Full Commie on Air Conditioning
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss NYC's air conditioning wars, birthright citizenship, 2010s comedy, and more!
Mamdani's Socialists Conquer New York City
Robby Soave and Jason Russell break down the socialist sweep in NYC, the latest in House of the Dragon, and the World Cup.
Graham Platner Wins, Backrooms, and Church and State
Politics, religion, movies, and generational gripes collide in a wide-ranging conversation that ends with Robby Soave preparing for his trip to Ukraine.
California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are hoping socialism doesn’t make the leap from New York City to Los Angeles to D.C.
James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton, the Pope on AI, and Caves
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss James Talarico changing his tune and how the Pope views artificial intelligence.
Thomas Massie Falls, 'Samurai vs. Squatters,' Jeff Bezos
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Rep. Thomas Massie's defeat, Jeff Bezos' comments on taxes, and squatters in California.
CIA Whistleblower Reveals COVID Lab Leak Cover-Up
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the latest developments on the origins of COVID-19 and also the flimsy accusations against Rep. Thomas Massie.
AOC Hates Billionaires, Heritage Americans, and Ranking Christopher Nolan Movies
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi tear apart AOC's belief that billionaires don't earn their wealth.
Prosecuting Fauci, Pirate Economy, and Mr. Beast's Red Button Blues
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss how Sen. Rand Paul is ready to go after Anthony Fauci's pardon and how Mr. Beast blew up the internet, again.
Chaos with the SPLC, Hasan Piker Endorses Violence, and Predictions Markets Run Amok
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down this week’s bizarre turn of events: The SPLC got indicted, and Hasan Piker made more violent comments.
Eric Swalwell, Pope Fight, Tax Day Woes
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Eric Swalwell's fall from grace and how tax day radicalizes us every year.
Operation Eternal Darkness Threatens Iran Ceasefire Deal
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi play a little war vs. music game before they go back over COVID craziness and the joys of Pokémon.
Birthright Citizenship, Noem Family Circus, and Project Hail Mary
A wide-ranging episode of Freed Up covering foreign policy, legal battles, internet stupidity, airport misery, and a few unexpectedly spirited culture debates.
Dysfunction, Communists in Cuba, and Pointless Streetcars
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi vent about the TSA and then turn to discuss the most realistic apocalyptic scenarios.
Joe Kent Defects, Robots, and Mad Men Sequel Ideas
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss political fallout from the Iran war, Tulsi Gabbard's pivot, and Rand Paul calling out Markwayne Mullin.
Elizabeth Warren Ruins Housing Again; Iran War Endgame?
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi return to discuss yet another bad idea from Elizabeth Warren and if the war in Iran will end sooner rather than later.
Kristi Noem, Iran War Predictions, Playing Video Games
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi say farewell to Kristi Noem before they move on to the war in Iran, "heritage Americans," and airplane etiquette.
Bernie Sanders Is Lying About AI Data Centers
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss why AI data centers spark joy, their favorite Black Mirror episodes, and libertarian skepticism of the Epstein files release.
No More Tariffs on Asian Olympic Dragons!
Robby Soave and Jason Russell celebrate the SCOTUS tariff news before pivoting to the politics of the Winter Olympics.
Epstein Files Drama, Bad Bunny Drama, and More A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Drama
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi react to Pam Bondi’s explosive testimony, weigh in on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and argue over which state would be most libertarian if it seceded.
Epstein Files, Keeping Helen of Troy Hot, and Stolen Land
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the outrages of the week, including Jeffrey Epstein, Billie Eilish, and DoorDash.
Alex Pretti, Prestige Television, and How Joe Biden Broke Everything
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the latest videos of Alex Pretti, their own Reason origin stories, and how Joe Biden broke everything.
Don Lemon's Bad Day, Looksmaxxing, and King Charles II
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss how Don Lemon deeply misunderstands the First Amendment and much more from this week's doomscrolling.
ICE vs. Wine Moms, Rogan on Fauci's Crimes, and the Star Wars Prequels
A delightfully chaotic episode of Freed Up where the hosts discuss how Minnesota wine moms have taken to the streets and the Star Wars prequels somehow end up on trial—again
The Media Are Wrong About the ICE Shooting Video
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back this week to break down how 2026 has somehow already gone off the rails.
Minnesota Daycare Fraud, Mamdani's Takeover, and the X-Men Movies
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Nick Shirley's viral video about Minnesota day care fraud, then dig deeper into how Tim Walz has little respect for American taxpayers.
White Male Discrimination Is the FBI's AI Data Center
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back to break down another unhinged week in the news.
RFK Jr.'s Airport Gym Woke Font Abolition
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi bring you another episode of Freed Up where they talk about RFK Jr.'s airport pull ups, prison gangs, welfare fraud, Avatar, and the most based fonts.
Tim Walz Called Out After Rampant Welfare Fraud
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi bring you the debut episode of Freed Up—technically not the first they’ve recorded, just the first our editors would let us publish.
