Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang Are Here to Help You Gift

It may be uncouth to admit, but some gifts are sort of a nuisance to receive. We’ve all opened presents we didn’t quite love, and when I sit down to chat with Las Culturistas podcast hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, they’re refreshingly honest about the experience. Take Rogers, for whom a certain style of top has caused great grievances.

“I don’t know what it is about me that would make people think I want a scoop neck, but I never want a scoop neck,” he laments. “But you have a gorgeous décolletage!” Yang offers. “I just don’t think it’s for me,” Rogers continues. “Something about the scoop neck feels…a little outrageous. So I would love to go on record as saying: If you’re my friend now, or we’re going to make friends in the future, it’s not a scoop neck for me. I did get one two years in a row from the same person.” Yang sits for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “That is…well, that is something that I will know.”

For his part, Yang has been the reluctant recipient of clunky kitchen tools. “I’ve gotten, like, multiple crock pots and slow cookers. Living in New York—or any dense urban area where storage is limited—it’s tough to get something with a big kitchen-counter footprint. I’m not saying that I don’t use it, but it’s hard because I have to figure out a way to store it.”

“It is a chic thing to get, though,” Rogers observes. “Because at least people are thinking, ‘Oh, this person needs a slow cooker or a crock pot.’ They’re just throwing scoop necks at me. Like, I’m useless.”

As you might have guessed, we’re gathered to discuss the art of gift-giving—and how to avoid such blunders when shopping for the people on your list. The solution? This season, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang have teamed up with Marshalls Canada on a deliciously hyper-specific gift guide.

Titled “It’s Giving Gifts!”, their curated lists of products are meant to make the receiver feel truly known. The categories speak for themselves. “Best gifts for the dad who takes the worst pictures of you you’ve ever seen, but you love him anyway.” “Best gifts for the teen who has so much drip you were left with no choice but to use the word ‘drip’ to describe them.” “Best gifts for the person who loves to tell you, ‘The book was better than the movie.’” You get the idea.

The concept was born from fatigue over generic gift guides. “I used to work in e-commerce, and it would just be like, ‘best gifts for him,’ ‘best gifts for her,’ ‘best gifts for Mom and Dad,’” says Yang. “I think over time, we’ve become wary of how unreliable that is. So for this, we drilled down on the specificity, both as a fun little comedy exercise, but also as a practical guide.”

Such hyper-specificity is what Las Culturistas does best. The viral podcast is for the extremely online, the pop culture obsessed and the delightfully annoying (complimentary). It’s full of I-don’t-think-so-honey hot takes, film and TV commentary and animated celebrity interviews. As hosts and best friends, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s chemistry comes down to their fluency in modern-day culture—and their Marshalls gift guide draws on this.

Which of their curated categories do they fall into? “There’s one that’s ‘Best gifts that I bought for myself I really shouldn’t have,’ and that is just pure indulgence for you,” says Yang. “So obviously, I relate to that, because it is by default a solipsistic, self-important thing, which is necessary around the holidays.”

Rogers’ coincides with his New Year’s intentions. “I’m really working on being the type of person who would receive a gift in the category of ‘Best gifts for your friend who’s so locked in on working out they’re ready for the apocalypse,’” he says. “That’s a category where you’re getting a lot of water bottles and athletic wear. I would love it if people thought of me when they bought those gifts.”

Still, they know that despite all the thought put into it, sometimes offerings may flop. “I’ve had family members full-on reject gifts,” Yang recalls. “Years ago, I got someone in the family an Oura ring, and they asked for a refund. I guess that was a bad gift, but that’s not on me. I don’t carry that.”

Ultimately, they want to take the pressure off of present preparation. “The act of giving is a profound thing,” says Yang. And for the record, yes, that can include recycled items. “In a world where we are all striving to lead with a sustainable mindset, I believe re-gifting is actually quite chic,” he reflects. “Sometimes you can sniff it out. You can tell when someone’s re-gifting you something. But I never mind it. Truly. I’m like, ‘You still chose to give me something.’ That’s beautiful.”

Rogers agrees. “You’re in pursuit of having this item land with the right person. It’s not always just, ‘I have to get this off my hands.’ You know? It could be a really nice thing.” Just be sure to really think before you gift a scoop neck.