Bobby Bones | From Food Stamps to Radio Fame: DWTS, Childhood & the Stories He’s Never Told!
Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe
PodcastOne
4.4 • 21.3K Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 90 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
#908. This week on Off the Vine, Kaitlyn sits down with radio powerhouse Bobby Bones — and what starts as a conversation about success quickly turns into one of the most raw and unexpected episodes we’ve ever recorded.
Bobby opens up about growing up with very young parents, childhood without money, and realizing early on that he was chasing love through performance. He shares deeply personal stories he hasn’t told in years — including why vulnerability didn’t feel safe, how success complicated trust, and an unexpected act of kindness that left him emotional for days.
And yes… we go there on Dancing With the Stars! Bobby clears the air on the Mirrorball controversy, what was really happening behind the scenes, and reads a never-before-opened DM from Tom Bergeron for the first time on the podcast.
We also get into identity, rejection, why Bobby has never had a sip of alcohol, the anxiety that still keeps him up at night, and an embarrassing childhood story that’s both traumatic and hilarious.
Trust us, you’re going to want to hear this one!!
If you’re LOVING this podcast, please follow and leave a rating and review below! PLUS, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST INSTAGRAM HERE!
Thank you to our Sponsors! Check out these deals!
Covergirl: Go the distance with COVERGIRL’s new Eye Enhancer Wrap Tubing Mascara for a lash extension effect. Shop at your nearest retailer now. Only from Easy, Breezy, Beautiful COVERGIRL.
Bombas: Head over to Bombas.com/VINE and use code VINE for 20% off your first purchase.
Figs: Take 15% off your first order at Wearfigs.com with the code FIGSRX.
Quince: Go to Quince.com/vine for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Progressive: Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance!
Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
- (9:25) — Growing up without money or Santa Claus, and what it was like being raised by teenage parents
- (14:40) — The first time Bobby ever said “I love you” — and why it didn’t happen until his wife
- (26:58) — The unexpected act of kindness from a stranger that left Bobby crying for days
- (1:11:19) — Bobby opens and reads a never-before-seen DM from Tom Bergeron about the Mirrorball controversy
- (1:20:20) — The embarrassing childhood story Bobby has never lived down — and how it still affects him today
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode of Off the Vine is brought to you by Cover Girl. Go the distance with Cover Girl's new |
| 0:05.3 | eye enhancer wrap tubing mascara for a lash extension effect. Shop at your nearest retailer now only from |
| 0:12.0 | easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. BetterHelp. Off the Vine listeners get 10% off at betterhelp.com |
| 0:17.9 | slash vine. Bombuzz. Head over to bombuz.com slash vine and use code vine for 20% off your first purchase. |
| 0:24.6 | Figs take 15% off your first order at wherefigs.com with the code Figs RX. |
| 0:30.2 | Progressive, visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. |
| 0:33.8 | And Quince. |
| 0:34.4 | Go to quince.com slash vine for free shipping on your order in 365 day returns. |
| 0:39.5 | Now available in Canada, too. |
| 0:45.3 | You're listening to Off the Vine with Caitlin Bristow. |
| 0:49.8 | Hey, Vino's, real quick, if you are listening right now, which obviously you are or you |
| 0:53.9 | wouldn't be hearing this, can you hit the subscribe or follow button on whatever platform you're on? Please, that one simple thing helps more than you even realize it allows me to keep growing on this podcast and making these episodes the best they can possibly be obviously for you. That's the only favorite I'm going to ever ask, okay? It truly means |
| 1:11.4 | the world to me. Thank you. Now let's get into it. Hey everybody. Welcome to Off the Vine podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Bristow. And today's guest is someone that you definitely know, even if you don't realize you know him yet, because Bobby Bones is one of the biggest names in radio. He's the host of the Bobby Bone Show, a nationally syndicated morning |
| 1:28.5 | show heard by nearly nine shmillion listeners a week. He's also a Dancing with the Stars winner, |
| 1:34.6 | a New York Times bestseller, and wildly self-deprecating. I went on his podcast not too long ago, |
| 1:40.4 | and I thought he was going to be intimidating, and we hit it off. I really enjoy his company. |
| 1:45.8 | And of course we had to talk about the whole what is the word finango, finago, fendigo, |
| 1:51.4 | fengal, whatever. We talked about the whole situation of how he sent back the mirror ball |
| 1:57.5 | because Tom Bergeron had said something. Now we clear a lot of ground on that topic and we even got a DM from Tom Bergeron had said something. Now, we clear a lot of ground on that |
| 2:01.9 | topic and we even got a DM from Tom Bergeron in the moment that he reads out loud. But what |
| 2:07.1 | makes Bobby really interesting is his story. His parents were 15 and 17 when they had them. He grew |
| 2:12.8 | up in a tiny town in Arkansas and ended up being raised by his mom, but most of the time, his grandma. He didn't come from money. He didn't come from connections, but he built his own empire. And he's just honest. I really like how honest he is. Let's introduce Bobby to Off the Vine. Have you heard of this mysterious sickness that's going around? Which one? I forget there is a name apparently for, do you have TikTok? Yeah, |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 15 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PodcastOne, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of PodcastOne and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.