

Brief Recess: A Legal Podcast with Michael Foote & Mélissa Malebranche
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
What happens when your Uber driver gets pulled over while you're in the backseat? How do OnlyFans creators incorporate an LLC to remain anonymous? How can you fight ICE without getting off the couch?
Welcome to Brief Recess, hosted by everyone's favorite TikTok lawyer Michael Foote and his best friend Mélissa Malebranche. Together they break down crazy news stories, share hilarious anecdotes from criminal court, answer pressing legal questions from callers, and teach listeners how to short-circuit democracy to effect real change in their communities.
Tune in! Or we'll see you in court.
Welcome to Brief Recess, hosted by everyone's favorite TikTok lawyer Michael Foote and his best friend Mélissa Malebranche. Together they break down crazy news stories, share hilarious anecdotes from criminal court, answer pressing legal questions from callers, and teach listeners how to short-circuit democracy to effect real change in their communities.
Tune in! Or we'll see you in court.
Episodes
Mentioned books

7 snips
Apr 2, 2026 • 1h 3min
Afroman Teaches Us How to Eat Lemon Pound Cake & Win in Court (w. Afroman)
Afroman, Grammy‑nominated rapper known for the viral hit Because I Got High, shares a compact bio and colorful stories. He recounts a police raid, turning the incident into the Lemon Pound Cake album, and explains facing and winning a defamation lawsuit. They also touch on proving claims in court and how the case reignited his career.

Mar 26, 2026 • 1h 18min
Epstein Files: Down the Rabbit Hole (w. Dr. Leslie Dobson)
Michael and Mélissa discuss soup, trans-racialism, ICE agents at airports, Taylor Frankie Paul's Bachelorette season getting canceled, that time Michael cried on the floor of Mélissa's office, and interview clinical forensic psychologist, Dr. Leslie Dobson, digging for the truth behind conspiracy theories related to Jeffrey Epstein's death, autopsy report, and other DOJ file dumps. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: https://www.justice.gov/epstein https://drlesliedobson.com/ https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/ https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/ https://timtebowfoundation.org/stories/tim-tebow-supports-bipartisan-renewed-hope-act-2026https://drlesliedobson.com/the-friend-cleanse-book/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 19, 2026 • 1h 18min
From Runway to Reality Check: The ANTM Exposé (w. Cycle 2 winner Yoanna Margaret)
Michael and Mélissa discuss cleaning lady cam girls, Fiona the hippo, Punch the monkey, trending kid's toy NeeDoh, and interview America's Next Top Model Cycle 2 winner, Yoanna Margaret, who reveals her truth and reflects on her experience with the show. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: Yoanna Margaret IG @yomaniaYoanna Margaret TikTok @yomania02See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 22min
Kid Rock, RFK Jr. and the Tony Soprano of PORN (w. Boomer Banks)
Michael and Mélissa discuss a wild RFK Jr. and Kid Rock workout video, Kristi Noem's demise, how planking foreshadowed the collapse of society, and interview adult film star and DJ, Boomer Banks, about race, addiction, and the porn industry. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 5, 2026 • 1h 16min
Technical Difficulties on Death Row (w. Corinna Barrett Lain)
Michael and Mélissa discuss Mélissa's opinions on Heated Rivalry, trans-racialism and identity politics sudoku, and an in-depth interview with law professor and author, Corinna Barrett Lain, about the many technical difficulties involved with performing lethal injections on death row inmates. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: iibayarea.org https://www.lrcl.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 26, 2026 • 38min
Nazi-Looted Art FOUND in a Property Listing (w. Kira from The Art Revival)
Michael and Mélissa discuss that time Michael was a witness to a stabbing in Times Square, Nazi-looted artwork found in a property listing, whether female-only spaces are discriminatory, and interview Kira from The Art Revival. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: https://theartrevival.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 19, 2026 • 1h 12min
Diva! Conspiracy Girlies! (w. Karen Kilgariff + Martha Kelly)
Martha Kelly, character actress and comedian known for Euphoria and Fallout, pops in with quick tales from stage life and sobriety. She and the hosts swap wild cultural anecdotes, stunt stories from her TV work, and viral comic readings. Conversation also veers into nostalgia, conspiracy chatter, and memorable press-on nail moments.

Feb 12, 2026 • 1h 14min
Motion To De-Fur (w. PETA’s Ashley Byrne)
Michael and Mélissa discuss Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, the Clinton's heading to Congress, getting older (and that's ok), and interview Ashley Byrne from PETA. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: cgrs.uclawsf.edu/www.handsontwincities.orgwww.doinggoodtogether.org/https://iimn.org/www.projectfine.org/www.youthlinkmn.org/our-story/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/nyregion/dog-lawyer.html https://www.peta.org/donate/ways-to-support-peta/gifts-of-property/donate-fur/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 5, 2026 • 1h 8min
Don Lemon on ICE and the Latest Epstein File Drop
Michael and Mélissa discuss nuns teaching sex-ed, Groundhog Day conspiracies, Kristi Noem, Don Lemon, ICE, and the latest Epstein File drop. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: https://www.acluohio.org/press-releases/aclu-ohio-releases-legal-memo-rights-immigrant-students-ohio-schools/ https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Legal-Defense-Fund/Legal-Issues/Navigating-ICE-Presence-in-School-and-Healthcare-Facilities https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources/protecting-children-schools-against-immigration-enforcement#item-4913 https://linktr.ee/michael_footeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 29, 2026 • 1h 11min
Midwest Nice, Leave the ICE
Michael and Mélissa discuss the Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis, whistleblower reports on a leaked ICE memo, plastic surgery, and astronaut arrests. Brief Recess is a new weekly legal podcast from Exactly Right Media. Follow Brief Recess wherever you get your podcasts, and watch full video episodes every Thursday on the Brief Recess YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Briefrecess Find Michael on Instagram @dept_of_redundancy_dept or TikTok @Michael_Foote_ and Mélissa on both as @MelissaMalebranche. Got legal questions? Email briefrecess@exactlyrightmedia.com. Links from this episode: https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/immigration-dashboard https://www.peta.org/donate/ways-to-support-peta/gifts-of-property/donate-fur/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


