Ring Cameras, Nancy Guthrie, and the State of the Surveillance State, with Bill Simmons

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of surveillance in society, featuring a conversation with Bill Simmons.

It’s the inaugural episode of Wait a Second…, and we’re covering the one who’s always watching: Big Brother. Bill Simmons joins Jason and Tyler to talk about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Ring’s disastrous Super Bowl commercial, and the history of surveillance in pop culture, from 1984 to seemingly innocent viral apps that may be harvesting your biometrics. Jump down this rabbit hole with us, but make sure to put tape over your webcam.In this episode:00:00: Remember FaceApp? About that …04:25: Searching for Nancy Guthrie with doorbell footage.06:03: Ring’s disastrous Super Bowl ad.14:40: How do young people feel about surveillance?16:36: A mostly completely pop culture timeline of surveillance.30:05: Can you actually opt out of the surveillance state?43:30: AI and human nature.47:32: The LUSID Score54:17: The Doomscroll: Frog poison, Obama’s alien theories, and KD’s possible burner account.01:12:37: A half-baked Conspiracy Bill theory.Hosts: Jason Concecpion, Tyler ParkerGuest: Bill SimmonsProducers: Cory McConnell, Donnie Beacham, Justin SaylesArt direction: David ShoemakerMotion graphics and animations: Chris CalletonEngineering: Donald LoBiancoSet design…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jason Concecpion, Tyler Parker

Guest: Bill Simmons

Topics covered

• surveillance
• pop culture
• Big Brother
• AI
• biometrics
• true crime

Keywords

• surveillance state
• Ring cameras
• Nancy Guthrie
• pop culture
• AI
• biometrics
• FaceApp

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ring

Books & works: 1984

More episodes of Wait a Second...

• Los Angeles Noir, Illegal Whale Sushi, and ‘A Violent Masterpiece’ With Jordan Harper · June 11, 2026 · 1h 5m
• The CIA Gold Bar Heist, the NBA “Hate Watch” Conspiracy, and UFC at the White House With Wosny Lambre · June 4, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Alex Jones, InfoWars, and the Pope vs. AI with Tim Heidecker · May 28, 2026 · 50 min
• CIA vs. the Cartel, Cuban Drones, and Top 5 Conspiracy Theories With Chris Ryan · May 21, 2026 · 1h 12m
• A New U.S. Secret Plan to Destabilize Latin America? Plus, the UFO Files Letdown With Van Lathan · May 14, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Epstein Suicide Note and the Prison Life of Ghislaine Maxwell With Joel Anderson · May 7, 2026 · 1h 8m