The r/BillSimmons Podcast

Welcome to Episode #136! We bring on Matt from Twitter for an in-depth conversation on all things Bill Simmons. First, we discuss the topic of the year so far: Russillo vs. Lowe NBA Sundays. The listeners already miss Ryen and prefer him over Zach; we get into why we think that is, and propose potential fixes to the current Sunday iteration of Lowe & Bill. We also check-in with Russillo at Barstool.Next we get into Bill's desire to be a cultural commentator without taking as much risk as he used to - Bill often comes in late to the discourse but wants to be known as the guy with an original take, which he did more of back in the day. During his re-apex he's been taking more risks, which we've enjoyed, and we assess his content shift from Grantland to early Ringer and now post-Russillo.Next we hit on several Ringer personalities including House, Sal, Matt Belloni, Muhammed Kellerman & Rich Paul, Derek Thompson, the pop culture crew of CR/Fennessey/Joanna/Mallory and give our takes on since-departed KOC. We finish up talking ideas for Bill's future content. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #135! We bring on Josh from Twitter (@joshjurnovoy) for an insightful look into The Ringer moving their video podcasts from YouTube to Netflix. We discuss the business case from both Netflix and The Ringer's perspective, assess the technical aspects of these video pods now being on the streaming service, and contemplate what, creatively, makes for an elite (and not so great) video podcast. We then hit on a variety of Ringer and non-Ringer shows (yes, we talk Russillo) for what we like and dislike about their presentation.If you like the pod, check out Josh's movie podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rewind/id1399890948

We bring on recurring guests Roman (#118, #119) and Ben (#133) for a 3-man weave celebrating Bill Simmons' re-apex. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #133! We bring on Benjamin and first react to Max Kellerman's appearance on the BS Pod - what made Max so good, and more broadly, what makes for a great BS Pod guest? We then talk about Bill's improved content since Russillo left - did he hook himself up to the Rejuvenation Machine? After chatting some Russillo, Benjamin gives his take on the missing element of Ringer NBA pods. We finish up talking The Ringer's changing place in the sports and pop culture landscape.Check out Benjamin's site at section220.com

Welcome to the latest episode! Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. - we break it all down! Enjoy

Welcome to Episode #131! In today's pod I break down the state of play of the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) sale process. Why are they looking to be sold, which company that submitted bids (Paramount, Netflix, NBC) has the best chance of winning, why is each company interested in buying WBD, and will WBD even sell itself or proceed with their planned split of the Cable TV and Streaming & Studio businesses? Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #130! We bring on recurring guest Chris (#93, #95, #100) to cover all the angles of Ryen Russillo leaving Bill Simmons & The Ringer.We first hit on what we think Russillo should do at Barstool, including utilizing the talent there and adding some variety into his show; so far we're modestly disappointed he seems to be doing the exact same podcast. What will his new company look like - will he hire people and develop more talent?We next get into which side needed eachother more and which side has more to prove. Can Russillo truly be a #1 guy? How much was his weekly Bill podcast contributing to his popularity? How does Bill replace Russillo, especially on Sunday nights? Can Bill use Russillo's cap space to better fill out The Ringer's depth?We next give our theories on why Russillo left: was it money, IP, Zach Lowe, or Ryen getting tired of Bill? And was the split acrimonious? Why haven’t either of them mentioned it yet; when's the next time (if ever) they'll pod together? Was Ryen leaving more of a Bill or Spotify decision?We finish up assessing how, in the future, we'll judge which side truly won the break-up. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #129! We bring back Gracie (#121) to discuss an entertaining variety of r/BS Pod topics. First, we assess how NBC & Amazon are doing so far covering the NBA. We break down their studio shows, presentation and announcers, and contrast it with ESPN, who has been putting out a terrible NBA product for decades now. Plus, how is Inside the NBA doing on ESPN, and are they finally improving their own NBA coverage? (0:00-40:45)Next, we hit on the latest in Russillo world. What do we make of Russillo potentially pairing up with SVP for the 5pm Around the Horn slot - did he make the right call going to Barstool? We also break down his first podcast episode; can we expect more funny shots at Bill like his 2026 NBA Re-Draft comment? Plus, is the Rich Paul & Max Kellerman pod really the replacement for Ryen. We aren't enthused. (40:45-57:45)We then hit on Bill's weak reaction to the NBA Gambling Scandal - while we're not asking for a return to fiery mid-2000s Bill railing against the establishment, he certainly could've done more than essentially brushing it off as nothing. (57:45-1:03:00)We finish up with Gracie telling us about her experience attending the recent Big Picture live show, before getting into Bill's One Battle After Another takes and The Big Picture's coverage of the movie, including their episode with Van. (1:03:00-end) Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode 128! We bring on Evan to discuss a wide variety of Bill Simmons topics, starting with the shocking news of the day - Sir Rudy & Nephew Kyle are joining Russillo's new venture. We then hit on why we think Bill's pod has declined significantly, including the guest list, Guess the Lines issues and too much gambling talk. We next compare and contrast Bill's career with Russillo's and Cowherd's, and preview how Russillo will do at Barstool. We then hit on the bizarre and sad decline of ESPN, before highlighting The Ringer's hits and misses. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode #127! We bring back recurring guest Imperial Twilight (#115 & #117) for a deep analysis into The Rewatchables podcast. Imperial's been on a Rewatchables kick over the last few months and shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including:How Rewatchables Bill is the old, Page 2-esque Bill we all lovedThe negatives of 2025 Bill on sports don't show up on RewatchablesAssessing what CR & Sean, Mallory, and Van & Wes bring to the showThe comedy of how Bill acts/talks differently when he has on non-CR & Sean guestsWhat movies they should do, and why Bill hasn't done them yetLaughing at an outrageous mid-2000s Heat take by Bill Then, at 1:10:25 we unveil a Ryen Russillo Fake Movie Pitch that should go down as a Top 7 Top 3, Pantheon-level r/BS Pod moment. Enjoy!