This week on It’s Ben A Week, Ben is joined by one of his closest friends, Laura, for a conversation that quickly goes off the rails — and that’s before the cocktails really kick in.

After opening the episode with a rant about people who keep their phones on Do Not Disturb, and addressing a decades-old rumor from his Minnesota barrel racing days, Ben welcomes Laura back to the podcast for a hilarious, completely unfiltered catch-up.

Together, Ben and Laura dive into:

• Why people having their phones on Do Not Disturb drives Ben absolutely insane
• A barrel racing rumor that somehow refuses to die
• Being a “gold star gay” and why strangers remain fascinated by Ben’s love life
• Ben’s latest skincare obsession: microneedling and salmon sperm treatments
• The beauty procedures people will try in the name of looking younger
• Friendship, aging, and the ridiculous things we convince ourselves to spend money on
• Family stories that somehow get more unbelievable every year
• Horse life, ranch life, and growing up in Minnesota
• Pop culture, random observations, and several conversations that should probably have stayed off-mic
• Why some friendships are built entirely on making each other laugh

As always, the conversation bounces between heartfelt, ridiculous, and completely inappropriate with very little warning.

Pour yourself a drink and join Ben and Laura for one of the most relaxed and funniest episodes of Season 2 so far.

🎧 Subscribe to It’s Ben a Week
New episodes every week filled with unfiltered stories, wild guests, and brutally honest laughs. Hosted by photographer and professional barrel racer Ben McDonnell.

📍 Listen & Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | Wherever you get your podcasts

🔗 Connect with Ben:
Instagram: @itsbenaweek
TikTok: @itsbenaweek
Website: itsbenaweek.com

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This week on It’s Ben A Week, Ben is finally back after more than a month away from the podcast—and a LOT has happened.

After weeks of pre-recorded episodes, Ben returns to share what life has been like while working on exciting new projects, filming a movie in Palm Springs, and navigating opportunities he can’t quite talk about yet. While some details have to remain under wraps for now, Ben reflects on how quickly life can change when things don’t go according to plan.

From losing out on a lead role to landing opportunities that ended up being an even better fit, Ben opens up about rejection, redirection, trusting the process, and why sometimes the things that don’t work out are exactly what lead you where you’re supposed to be.

Later, AJ joins the podcast to discuss surviving a month alone on the ranch with 70+ animals, battling koi pond disasters, debating whether their miniature cow is overweight, and diving headfirst into the world of artificial intelligence.

The two also discuss:

• filming a gay cowboy movie while playing the straight cowboy
• airport frustrations and airline baggage drama
• AI becoming AJ’s newest obsession
• Machine Gun Kelly and Demi Lovato concerts
• life on the ranch without Ben
• why everything happens for a reason
• and what might be next for both of them

This episode is funny, reflective, hopeful, and a reminder that sometimes the biggest opportunities come after the biggest disappointments.

🎧 Subscribe to It’s Ben a Week
New episodes every week filled with unfiltered stories, wild guests, and brutally honest laughs. Hosted by photographer and professional barrel racer Ben McDonnell.

📍 Listen & Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | Wherever you get your podcasts

🔗 Connect with Ben:
Instagram: @itsbenaweek
TikTok: @itsbenaweek
Website: itsbenaweek.com

💬 Want to be on the show?
Submit your story or pitch at itsbenaweek.com

This week on It’s Ben A Week, Ben is joined once again by fan favorites Bryan and Jon from the Out Loud & Laughing podcast for another chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt conversation.

The trio dives into everything from growing up as theater kids and making homemade movies before TikTok existed, to navigating Hollywood as gay entertainers and learning how to turn creativity into a career.

Ben opens up about moving to Los Angeles at 18, getting humbled by the entertainment industry, turning down advertising job offers to pursue acting, and why podcasting gave him a level of creative control he never found in traditional acting jobs.

They also discuss:

• being gay in Hollywood
• auditioning for straight vs. gay roles
• building a successful podcast
• childhood obsession with The Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon
• Disney adults
• bathhouses
• Dolly Parton anxiety
• Broadway crushes
• and why humor matters more than almost anything else

The episode wraps with a chaotic round of “This or That,” featuring questions about boxers vs. briefs, pitching vs. catching, baths vs. showers, and whether Ben would rather be remembered for his humor or his heart.

This episode is nostalgic, unfiltered, gay, hilarious, and a reminder that sometimes the best conversations happen when friends are just talking shit.

In this episode:

• Growing up making homemade movies before social media
• Ben’s journey from Minnesota to Hollywood
• Turning down advertising jobs to become an actor
• The reality of being a working actor in Hollywood
• Podcasting vs. acting and creative control
• Being openly gay in entertainment
• The Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and Disney adult culture
• Satan’s asshole weather in Texas and Florida
• A chaotic “This or That” game about sex, Broadway, and baths

Follow Out Loud & Laughing:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outloudandlaughing/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-loud-laughing/id1791165133

🎧 Subscribe to It’s Ben a Week
New episodes every week filled with unfiltered stories, wild guests, and brutally honest laughs. Hosted by photographer and professional barrel racer Ben McDonnell.

📍 Listen & Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | Wherever you get your podcasts

🔗 Connect with Ben:
Instagram: @itsbenaweek
TikTok: @itsbenaweek
Website: itsbenaweek.com

💬 Want to be on the show?
Submit your story or pitch at itsbenaweek.com