The Unhappiness Manifesto

Reviewing "Life Is a Lazy Susan of Sh*t Sandwiches," by "I've Had It" podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, prophets of the new misery gospel

“I’ve Had It” podcasters Angie Sullivan (l) and Jennifer Welch (r)

“Standing backstage at the Variety Playhouse, I almost shat myself,” reads the first line of Life Is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches, the autobiographical mission statement of I’ve Had It podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan. This is the Bible of “immiseration,” a phenomenon professor Chuck Pezeshki describes as an explosion of voices whose function “is to make other people miserable.” With woke out of fashion, endlessly complaining about the prison yard that is modern society has become the new elite signaling mechanism. If you’re willing to admit to finding happiness in this vale of patriarchal tears, Shit Sandwiches isn’t meant for you, but the book is more than a road map to a pose.

Welch and Sullivan are ubiquitous social media stars for the BlueSky/MSNOW set, dubbed the “two red state moms” who hit it “big” by Rolling Stone. Welch in particular has expertly deployed Trumpian PR tech on the road to fame, grabbing gazillions of eyeballs as the Skeletor-faced Mamdani supporter who calls MAGA supporters “psychopaths” and “religious addicts” and rips swimmer Riley Gaines as an “insufferable twat.” Sullivan is the ex-megachurcher who throws in barbs while mostly gushing and laughing at Welch’s viral antics. The schtick is polished and it’s not hard to see how they conquered the podcast landscape, but their relationship is a lot more twisted than either seems to realize, a political folie à deux story for the ages.

As a result, Welch and Sullivan have written an unintentionally fascinating book. Nearly the whole riddle of modern American political dysfunction is on display in these pages. It’s the Rosetta Stone of misery culture: