8 family members lost to COVID
Karl-Anthony Towns lost eight family members during COVID-19, including his mother, and was hospitalized himself.
Snapshot · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: How I Survived the Hardest Year of My Life
Explore episode
Jul 20, 2026
Where this was said
Losing Family During COVID
At 22:03 · chapter starts 20:09
Shetty asks whether Towns ever doubted himself on the way to the NBA. The answer is a clear no — but for a reason that has nothing to do with arrogance. Towns says his confidence was always grounded in the support and love of his family. They may not have had millions, but they had 'a ton of love, and that's more currency than anything.' He believed success would come if he simply refused to be outworked, having watched his parents grind 9-to-5s to put food on the table. The segment broadens into a philosophical reflection on how differently people are wired — and why assuming someone who disagrees is 'wrong' is itself the mistake. Towns says some of his best conversations are with people who see the world completely differently, and that sitting quietly and genuinely listening dissolves what most people mistake for irreconcilable disagreement.
God's timing vs. personal timing
Towns believed he'd win a championship in his first 5 years in Minnesota; instead, the title came on God's timing years later with the Knicks.
Similar snapshots
50% of U.S. adults report being lonely
The U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 report on loneliness found that half of American adults report feeling lonely, marking a widespread epidemic of social isolation.
Brain.fm increased focus brainwave activity by 119%
In a peer-reviewed study, Brain.fm's audio technology was shown to increase focus-related brainwave activity by 119%, according to the show's sponsor read.
Wealthier countries have highest rates of anxiety and depression
The Easterlin Paradox shows that wealthier nations — and the wealthiest neighborhoods within them — tend to have the highest rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicide.
More than 3 in 4 Americans report anxiety or depression
Mental health challenges are nearly universal — BetterHelp's own research found the majority of Americans experiencing symptoms right now.
Medicaid 5-year look-back rule
When applying for Medicaid to cover nursing home costs, there is a 5-year look-back period that can disqualify applicants who gave away or spent down assets.
Pipe broke → hydrogen sulfide studio air
A broken pipe filled the Bad Friends studio with what the hosts identified as hydrogen sulfide — microscopic fecal aeroparticles — that the crew denied smelling.
Robot surgery: 10x less blood loss
Fei-Fei Li's father's liver surgery performed by a da Vinci robot resulted in 10 times less blood loss than a typical open liver surgery, thanks to laparoscopic precision.
115M US adults have prediabetes
Approximately 115 million adults in the US currently have prediabetes, most of whom are unaware, according to the Lingo sponsor segment.
Drug overdose deaths: 110K to 80K to 70K
Drug overdose deaths in the US fell from 110,000 to 80,000 in 2024, and then to roughly 70,000 — the largest single-year drop the CDC has ever recorded.
