My McElroy, my McElroy, my McElroy and me

There are three good good boys that warrant your attention and they are the McElroy brothers. The McElroy brothers are three real life brothers who host a podcast together, but they are so much more than that. The podcast they host is called My Brother, My Brother and Me and it is a comedy advice show for the modern era where they take questions from their listeners and from Yahoo Answers and give out advice. The show comes out on a weekly basis and consists of questions and various segments like Munch Squad, where they read fast food company’s press releases for whatever their newest abomination is. The show has been going on for seven years and has developed a devoted and loving fan-base, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is a die-hard fan. Horses, Scott Bakula, Animorphs, Reginald VelJohnson, Slimer, Shrek, vaping, Olive Garden, Jimmy Buffet, sweet kush, Tim Curry, Shaq, Space Jam, and dunking—if any of those are things you love or have a love-hate relationship with, then the McElroy brothers are for you.

Let’s get more specific, who are the McElroys? There are three McElroy brothers, your oldest brother Justin, your middle brother Travis, and your sweet baby brother Griffin. Justin McElroy is a podcaster and the Editor-At-Large for the gaming website Polygon.com. Travis McElroy is a podcaster, an actor, and a carpenter. Griffin McElroy is a podcaster, writer, music maker, the Deputy News Editor for Polygon.com, and one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 in 2017 under media.

Now you may be thinking that these sweet boys interest you, but if you’re not one to take or listen to advice, that’s okay—they do so many other things as well. All three and their dad create a Dungeons and Dragons podcast called the Adventure Zone and they do a yearly podcast called Till Death Do Us Blart where they watch and review Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 on Thanksgiving. Justin has a podcast with Dr. Sydnee McElroy, his wife, about the history of medical practices. Travis has a podcast called Shmanners with his wife Teresa McElroy where they talk about manners in the modern day, a podcast called Interrobang with Tybee Diskin talking about things that upset and confuse them, and a podcast called Bunker Buddies with Andie Bolt talkjng about the apocalypse, to name a few. Griffin has a podcast called Rose Buddies with his wife Rachel McElroy about The Bachelor family of products and a podcast called Coolgames Inc. with Nick Robinson about fun game ideas. For any interest, there is a McElroy show for you.

But what if you don’t like podcasts? You can check out the spectacular My Brother, My Brother and Me TV show that just came out on Seeso, and if you don’t have Seeso you can watch an episode for free on YouTube. You can also find the many funny YouTube series Justin and Griffin make on Polygon’s YouTube channel with shows like Monster Factory, where they create hideously funny characters in video games, or Touch the Skyrim where Griffin and Nick Robinson destroy Skyrim from the inside out.

Even though the McElroy brothers have their fingers in a lot of pies, there is something special about My Brother, My Brother and Me, and I think it comes down to is that the podcast is three brothers talking. They aren’t three comedian friends; they aren’t even comedians, but just very funny people. Because they aren’t comedians, they aren’t using their podcast to further their career or for notability. The podcast is for them and their fans. It was started because they all lived in different places and Justin wanted an excuse to talk to his brothers more so they wouldn’t grow apart. The sweetness and love of that starting sentiment really comes through, but not explicitly. It comes through in their chemistry because they aren’t just good friends, they are brothers and that is an important distinction. It’s clear when you listen to them, they know each other so well that every goof on the show is a product of all of them working together and heightening in a way that will put you in tears. There is something really special about a brotherly relationship: it is equally loving, antagonistic, encouraging, annoying, and mocking, and the McElroys bring their audience into that relationship tenfold. Their show doesn’t feel like a podcast, it feels like you are listening to three brothers having fun and bonding, and you are laughing because even if you aren’t participating in it, their attitude makes you a part of it.

My Brother, My Brother and Me is hilarious and genuine in a way that is difficult to portray in most mediums, but these boys interact so naturally that it is effortless. The McElroys are good people and are so much fun to listen to and to watch them do pretty much anything. I can’t remember the last time I went 24 hours without hearing one of their voices. If there are any other McElroy fans out there, hit me up—I own Space Jam on DVD and am always down for some dunks. For those of you who don’t know them, listen to their podcast or watch an episode of their show on YouTube, you won’t regret it. Oh, and one last thing, kiss your dad square on the lips.