A Friday riddle on the Roggin Report was supposed to be a harmless brain teaser about chewing gum. Instead, at least one viewer says it sent half of Palm Springs straight into the gutter.
The riddle was simple enough: “I go in hard, come out soft, and I'm never the same. What am I?” The answer: chewing gum.
Viewer Andrew was not buying the innocence.
“For shame, Mr. Roggin,” Andrew wrote. “Friday's riddle, ‘What goes in hard and comes out soft,’ had half of Palm Springs thinking dirty. Gum? Please? If Mom were alive, you'd all get a good spanking.”
Fred Roggin had a defense.
“In my defense, I simply provided the public with an opportunity to exercise their imagination,” Roggin said. If half of Palm Springs went straight into the gutter, he joked, “that sounds like a Palm Springs problem, not a Roggin problem.”
And when it came to the threat of a parental spanking, Roggin invoked his “constitutional right” to blame producer Kevin.
The exchange was part of a broader Roggin Report conversation featuring several viewer comments about life around the Coachella Valley.
Paul raised questions about the growing number of data centers, asking why so many are needed, why they aren't connected and what accounts for the apparent redundancy. Roggin acknowledged that they were fair questions but admitted he didn't have the answers.
Another viewer, Pat, raised concerns about people hiking local trails during extreme heat and whether hikers who require rescue should be financially responsible for the cost. The idea sparked a discussion about personal responsibility when people knowingly take risks in dangerous conditions.
Georgia, meanwhile, offered a much more peaceful reminder about the kinetic public art on Indio bridges. She encouraged residents to slow down and actually look at the artwork in public spaces, suggesting it offers an opportunity to appreciate another person's perspective while living in the Coachella Valley.
And then there was the riddle.
Even Roggin eventually admitted that when he first heard it, he had the same reaction: “Yeah, a little bit.”
Sometimes, apparently, the cleanest explanation still depends on who's listening.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
August 17, 2026
