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On their milestone 81st (and anniversary) episode, Jen and Chris Fenton settle in for a classic empty-nest ramble that starts with Halloween and somehow ends up covering everything else. They share their favorite costumes from years past, mourn the fact that the kids no longer walk the trick-or-treat circuit with them, and reaffirm their long-standing tradition of skipping both holiday cards and coordinated family costumes. From there the conversation drifts into the real-world spookiness of election season: predictions for Los Angeles, California, and the country at large, plus their take on the LA mayor’s race. They vent (lovingly, mostly) about the eternal nightmare that is Los Angeles Airport, swap stories of AI-generated videos that fooled them completely and then made them cry, and offer a few pointed observations about annoying husbands (with a clear exception carved out for Chris). Equal parts nostalgic, opinionated, and lightly unhinged, this is Plate & Ponder doing what it does best: turning the small, bittersweet details of empty-nest life into a full, funny conversation.

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Jen and Chris settle into classic empty-nest mode and immediately go deep on the pure, unapologetic joy of reality shows—the downtime, the zero-brain-power relaxation, and why they might just be the perfect modern marriage maintenance tool.
From there the gloves come off in a lively (and highly relatable) debate over who is actually more annoying. Chris makes his case, Jen makes hers, and listeners get to cast their own vote.
The conversation turns nostalgic and wildly entertaining as they compare their all-time best date memories. Chris insists it was the night they crashed a black-tie wedding at the Ritz in Laguna Beach. Jen counters that nothing beats Fred Durst’s birthday party at the Playboy Mansion. Both stories are recounted with full color and zero filter.
They also unpack Chris’s running “Shiny Spoon” moments around the house—the little domestic victories and proud declarations that Jay Leno would absolutely appreciate—and the running household mystery of why Chris can make the bed with military precision for every human being on earth… except Jen.
Woven through it all is a genuine empty-nest goal they both share: figuring out how to make whatever house they’re in feel so good that the kids actually want to come home. Plus plenty more laughs, gentle roasting, and the usual Plate & Ponder kitchen-table candor.
Unscripted, unfiltered, and pure empty-nest gold. Grab a seat.

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In this episode of Plate & Ponder, Jen and Chris dive into the maddening pattern of leaders and officials prioritizing self-protection over honesty. They unpack why so many refuse to be transparent, own mistakes, or actually help society solve hard problems and prevent bad outcomes—using the day’s news as Exhibit A. America’s brand-new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, made a disastrous debut: a truncated ~14-minute briefing where she stumbled through prepared remarks, mixed up “my president” and “my husband,” took questions from only a handful of friendly outlets, and then exited stage left. She also announced the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle amid Wall Street Journal reporting on alleged pay-to-play efforts (including texts seeking help paying a $100k credit-card bill in exchange for access), improper gifts, and other concerns. Guilfoyle denies the claims and says she’ll fight them; the timing and handling leave plenty of room for suspicion and discussion about accountability versus damage control.

The hosts pivot to lighter territory with Leonardo DiCaprio’s current “off-season.” Fresh off One Battle After Another, Leo was spotted shirtless and relaxed in Hawaii (with a distinctly middle-aged “dad bod”) alongside girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, Tobey Maguire, Courteney Cox, and others for the wedding of Maguire’s ex-wife Jennifer Meyer. Maguire himself officiated, which launches a full appreciation of his filmography: the Spider-Man trilogy, Seabiscuit, The Cider House Rules, Pleasantville, Wonder Boys, Brothers, Babylon, and more. They celebrate his selective comeback energy and the quiet durability of his career choices.

Jen and Chris then rave about a recent middle-of-nowhere retreat with their college kids plus another family and their college kids. Three straight days with nothing but hanging out, no phones as a crutch, and forced fun—board games, long meals, nature, and actual conversation—turned out to be surprisingly restorative and bonding in the empty-nest era. They also shout out the undefeated McGill Lacrosse Redbirds (off to a strong 2026 start under a new coach, with hat-tricks and solid wins keeping them perfect early), reflect on how much travel they’ve already logged and how much more is still on the wish list, and close by circling back to the larger theme: the difference between people (and institutions) who face hard things head-on versus those who mainly protect themselves.

It’s a mix of sharp current-events commentary, Hollywood appreciation, sports pride, and the real texture of empty-nest life—exactly the kind of freewheeling conversation that travels well.

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In this unhinged empty-nest episode of Plate & Ponder, Jen and Chris dive into Oscar voting season just as Jen’s longtime crush on Robert Pattinson collides with an upcoming screening with him. They celebrate the McGill Redbirds’ undefeated lacrosse season, swap stories from their Southeast road trips, and unpack why Chris still gets emotional about Clemson University.

The conversation turns to the real value of bucket-list trips with fellow empty-nesters, then pivots to the Miami Hurricanes’ actual chances of winning a national championship. Amid the serious talk, they pause to admire (and forever document) the dog’s latest masterpiece: a perfectly formed poop that looks exactly like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

They also get real about passion in filmmaking, Chris’s ongoing Skittles cold-turkey struggle, and the inconvenient truth that he still can’t quit Dairy Queen Blizzards. It’s chaotic, personal, surprisingly insightful, and the kind of episode you’ll want to send to every empty-nester (and dog owner) you know.

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Jen and Chris Fenton sit down the day after the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards and serve a classic Plate & Ponder mix of glitter, grit, and empty-nest parenting. They kick off with the simple luxury of lunch at the Sunset Marquis while L.A. is still buzzing from Madonna, Swift, Snoop, and the rest of the VMA circus—proof that sometimes the best part of awards season is the quiet table the morning after.

Then the conversation splits, hot and cold. Jen is all-in on John Mayer taking “Your Body Is a Wonderland” (and the rest of his catalog) to the Vegas Sphere in April; Chris is cooler on the spectacle, the ticket prices, and whether another giant-orb residency is what the moment needs. That banter becomes the on-ramp to bigger questions: the world’s shortage of basic humanity, the need to actually protect Good Samaritans instead of punishing them, and what parents should tell their daughters and sons after this week’s Cornell story—the alleged 2024 frat-house assault, the lawsuit, the reopened investigation, and the ugly texts that followed. They treat it as a teaching moment about consent, bystander courage, institutional failure, and not looking away.⁠

They close on two kitchen-table headaches that feel very 2026: airfares that keep climbing, and emergency rooms nationwide that are still short on attention, resources, and people. Typical Fenton: funny about the hotel lunch, split on Mayer, dead serious about how we raise the next generation and what we owe the people who show up when it counts.

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The ground literally moved under the South Bay this morning — a 3.6 quake just off Hermosa Beach at 8:40 a.m. that rattled plates, nerves, and every empty-nester who suddenly remembered how fast everything can shift. Jen and Chris sit down with coffee still in hand and unpack the shake, the “did you feel it?” texts, and why a minor jolt can feel like a midlife wake-up call.

Then they turn to this weekend’s college football mess: Texas’ Colin Simmons drawing a flag for simulating a bathroom break after a sack, and USC’s Desman Stephens celebrating while Oregon’s Dante Moore lay on the field. They ask the empty-nest question nobody wants to admit: when did “just having fun” become so joyless and performative?

From there the conversation gets personal. They talk about the friends you lose track of once the kids leave — the ones also staring at quiet houses — and why picking up the phone now matters more than it did at 35. That leads into the episode’s real heart: the questions we avoid until the earth reminds us. Who are you when the nest is empty? What would you actually do on your last day? Would you want to live forever if it meant more of the same?

They close with a tribute to Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes, who died earlier this month at 74. Best known for “Always Something There to Remind Me,” he also gave us “Promises, Promises” — the 1983 hit that, yes, featured Madonna on the Jellybean remixes. Chris and Jen play the song, remember the MTV era, and connect Byrne’s lyrics about broken promises to the ones we make (and break) with ourselves and the people we love after the kids are gone.

A local quake, bad sportsmanship, old friends, last-day questions, and an ’80s voice that still echoes. This is Plate & Ponder at its most South Bay, most honest, and most 1983.

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This one is equal parts industry hope, parental pride, and travel-comedy trauma.

Jen and Chris start with the news hanging over every working room in town: the Paramount/WBD deal is finally closed:

After years of stalled slates, cautious greenlights, and too many talented people waiting by the phone, they talk about what they actually want next — not just bigger corporate headlines, but cameras rolling again. Crews working. Writers in rooms. Productions that feel possible. The hope is simple and specific: that a closed deal means an open slate. AMERICAN FILM & TV PRODUCTIONS ARE COMING BACK TO THE USA!!! IT'S GO TIME!!!!!!!!

Then the conversation turns home:

They talk about the unexpected beauty of this season: reconnecting with old friends who are empty-nesting too. Same dinner tables. Same slightly stunned look of “wait, they’re really gone?” Same discovery that the house is quieter, the calendar is stranger, and the friendships that survive this chapter feel even better.

The heart of the episode is Kaylie and Dylan:

Jen and Chris watch both of them becoming actual adults — not in the abstract, but in the details. They understand the value of a dollar. They know life takes hard work. They move through rooms of other adults with ease that still surprises their parents. Kaylie is stacking incredible grades and thriving in her sorority house. Dylan is doing the work at McGill and leaving it all on the lacrosse field. The pride is not vague. It’s specific, earned, and a little stunned, in the best way.

There’s also a great Montreal detour:

Visiting Dylan and his housemates for a party night that was loud, easy, and exactly the kind of fun you hope your kid finds when they build a life somewhere else. The housemates sound like a sitcom in the good way.

And then there is the TSA.

After a six-hour layover, Jen and Chris came this close to missing the flight anyway. Dysfunctional lines, bad timing, the particular panic of watching a boarding door exist in the same universe as a security maze that refuses to make sense. It’s the kind of story that is only funny once you’re on the other side of it — which, thankfully, they are.

By the end, the episode lands where Plate & Ponder always works best: food on the table, big life in the middle of it. Hollywood might be finding its footing again. The kids already have. The friends are back. And the Fentons are still, somehow, making the flight.

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We dedicate this episode to the GREAT FRED C. COHEN...

We cover it all on this one... And sorry about the long pause... And just know that's a pet-peeve of mine for podcasts I love too! We'll be back more regularly... But what did we cover? How bout 83 markets now! Thank you Botswana for joining the crew. El Salvador too! And how about the BREAD & CIRCUS trying to take our attention away from issues that do affect us all: The Iran Conflict, The Russia & Ukraine Conflict, and the Future of AI to list a few... Then we hit McGill Lacrosse's 2-0 start! How proud we are of the boys for making their "Lacrosse House" livable and even visitable for parents! Jen & Dylan go grocery shopping while Chris watched that Circus (and the Bread that Dylan picked out)! It has been hot everywhere. We get it and are living it! THANKS to my amazing conference hosts in Vegas and Arizona. JSX is a fantastic airline - though I feel for the kid who puked all over the aisle and the dad who was getting blamed by his mom... AND HOW BOUT THE AMERICAN FEDERAL PRODUCTION INCENTIVE FOR TV & AND FILM MANUFACTURING... It's Inching Closer!!!!!!!!!