PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 t...

Send us Fan Mail 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 headline...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ta...

Send us Fan Mail Jen and Chris Fenton are back in the kitchen—and this time, the house is actually theirs. With both 19-year-olds officially settled into sophomore year of college, the Fentons have fully reclaimed empty-nest life: no more last-minute Target runs for dorm stuff, no more competing for bathroom time, and plenty of space to actually finish a conversation. The freedom feels almost ille...

Send us Fan Mail For sure, Chris spent more time in "The Woodshed" getting disciplined than the average kid... So grab your lunch trays and settle in, empty-nesters—Jen and Chris Fenton are cracking open the yearbooks, dusting off the memories, and serving up pure Back-to-School week chaos on this unforgettable episode of Plate & Ponder. From the pure pandemonium of first-day jitters...

Send us Fan Mail S3E1 of Plate and Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton just dropped and it’s pure parental survival comedy gold. Twitter Quote of the Week: "Sure, kids at Penn State were selling blow to the Athletic Director, but at least they weren't getting blown by the Athletic Director. I call that progress." Two kids. Two campuses. One epic college move-in chaos s...

Send us Fan Mail Jen and Chris are back… and they are venting. Hard. What was supposed to be pure empty-nest bliss has been completely hijacked by back-to-school chaos as their son Dylan prepares to live off-campus at McGill for the very first time. Cue the FedEx horror stories, the pure insanity of shipping anything across the border, and the shocking realization that the United States Postal Ser...

Send us Fan Mail In this candid episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, the duo unpacks the wisdom Jim Carrey would give his 20-year-old self—and how those same lessons apply to raising (and still guiding) their own young adult kids. They celebrate just how much of a genuine mensch John Cena continues to be, then dive into the modern dating dilemma: why younger ge...

Send us Fan Mail Apologies again for the Beijing Black Out midway thru our last episode! Hope we make it up here!! Stranded on the JFK tarmac for three hours, Chris turned a travel nightmare into movie magic with Friday Night Lights - again - and Jen agrees. They rave about the cast’s powerful performances and how the film hit different in that unexpected setting. The conversation then shifts to t...

Send us Fan Mail NOTE:  Beijing shut us off mid sentence at the 21 minute mark... So instead of starting up again and frustrating Jen, we'll cover much more on Part Deux of this epic episode!!! In this laugh-out-loud "first half" of our latest episode we dive headfirst into Chris’s recent travel chaos and the absolutely balls-out move his Delta pilot pulled to save the day. We also...

Send us Fan Mail Dog Farts, Flynn’s Near-Death Surgery & Empty Nest Chaos: Jen & Chris Fenton Spill It All | Plate & Ponder From hilarious and absolutely pungent - during episode - dog farts to heartbreaking emergency surgery, Jen and Chris Fenton get real about the beautiful mess of empty nesting. They open up about their beloved dog Flynn’s terrifying brush with death and the powerfu...

Send us Fan Mail Empty Nesting Just Got Real: From Inside-Out Underwear Hacks to Life-Changing Decluttering, Deep Friendships & Raising Kids Who Actually Work Hard In this laugh-out-loud yet deeply insightful episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton , the hosts sit down with power couple Geoff Suddleson (Uber Agent & Partner at United Talent Agency) and Amy...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for fireworks, belly laughs, and real talk in this unforgettable episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting w/ Jen and Chris Fenton !  Jen and Chris kick things off with the most ridiculous (and painful) 4th of July story you’ll hear all year — the legendary tale of getting a bottle rocket shot straight in the butt. Yes, it’s as wild as it sounds, and it sets the tone...

Send us Fan Mail In this unfiltered episode of Plate & Ponder , Jen and Chris Fenton tackle the chaos that is Los Angeles right now — from the latest fire ripping through the city and the frustrating mistrial in the Palisades arson case to the ongoing crisis of homes still not being built.  On a much lighter (and funnier) note, they obsess over their favorite Below Deck star, Chef Ben, swap hi...

Send us Fan Mail Jen and Chris Fenton are back with another raw, hilarious, and surprisingly deep episode of Plate & Ponder .  They kick things off in classic empty-nest fashion — swapping stories about Dylan’s first full-time paycheck and his very Gen-Z request that Dad “figure out how to get the taxes back,” plus Kaylie’s legendary overpacking for Costa Rica (yes, we’re talking 65 pounds of...

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Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Plate & Ponder , Chris is joined by his brother Jon and Jon’s daughter Taylor (a UCLA student) for a special family reunion. The trio dives into some of the wildest childhood stories from Chris and Jon’s upbringing — including the time their parents left them home alone for two full weeks while they traveled to Japan, and the unforget...

Send us Fan Mail DOG BUTT RETAINER RESCUE + TRANSATLANTIC CHAOS! We pulled a plastic MOUTH RETAINER out of Flynn the dog’s ASS… LIVE on air.   Jen’s badass sister Allison crashes our LA studio from London for the ultimate sister showdown: UK food cravings, the latest British slang that’ll have you gobsmacked, and a savage “Who Knows Jen the Best?” contest. Chris goes full Morrissey karaoke with “H...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary – Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton In this laugh-out-loud, tear-jerking, and wildly relatable episode, Jen & Chris Fenton sit down at the table (plates fully loaded) to tackle the biggest question every empty-nester is secretly Googling:  How do you parent college kids who are “technically adults”? They go full debate mode on over-p...

Send us Fan Mail Grab a glass of wine (and maybe order some takeout) because Jen & Chris Fenton are back with another heartfelt, hilarious, and deliciously real episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton ! Chris can’t stop geeking out over the brand-new Michael Jackson biopic Michael and Michael’s lifelong infatuation with dance legend Bob Fosse—complete with move...

Send us Fan Mail Jen comes back to cohost this special (Trailer Link:) BAD COUNSELORS episode to mostly keep me in check from sounding too much like an infomercial, but honestly, I'm so inspired by this film that I'm not sure she was successful. In this episode we talk about how we beat the odds - the decade long process from idea to movie screen with BAD COUNSELORS. In fact, not only di...

Send us Fan Mail 8 DAYS of non-stop DMs and texts from you legends screaming “WHERE’S THE NEW EPISODE?!” The empty nest? Officially CRASHED. Both kids are back home for the summer and the Fenton household is pure chaos.  So I (Chris) said screw it — grabbed the mic solo, jumped straight into my wheelhouse with zero script and maximum flair, and delivered the most unfiltered take you’ve heard on la...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton , the empty nest gets flipped upside down when the college kids come home for a visit. Jen and Chris share the wild whiplash of going from peaceful empty-nesting to full-house chaos — dirty rooms, mountains of laundry, late curfews, a barking dog, and a constant stream of frien...

Send us Fan Mail And tonight, we typed in to Grok to see what AI thinks of the episode... And, you know what, it gave a pretty darn good summary of how random and fun this episode was: "This title nails the whole episode vibe in one punchy, curiosity-sparking line: the end of empty-nesting summer chaos, the Jen-vs-Chris packing showdown (snowflakes vs. survival skills), Chris’s brutal no-salt...