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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!!!!!!!!!

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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 illegal.

The first order of business? Celebrating the household appliance that has apparently upgraded their son from “surviving” to “almost thriving.” After months of microwave meals and questionable takeout, the lacrosse house finally got a real stove. Cue the “gourmet” era. The boys are now attempting actual cooking—think protein-heavy pasta, suspiciously ambitious chicken, and whatever they can throw together after practice. Jen and Chris debate whether this counts as culinary progress or just organized chaos with extra dishes. Either way, they’re proud. Sort of.Then the conversation takes a hard left into the linguistic wilderness their kids now inhabit. The Fentons try (and frequently fail) to keep up with the latest slang: “sweats” (both the uniform of college life and the try-hard energy that ruins casual games), “aura” and aura farming (your invisible cool-point score that goes up or down based on whether you tripped in public), “rizz” (the charisma that gets you the number without even trying), and “NPC” (the person who just repeats the same lines and never has an original thought). They work through a handful of others that have leaked into family group chats, translating them the way only slightly embarrassed parents can—equal parts affection, confusion, and “we used to just say ‘cool.’”

From there they zoom out to the cultural whiplash of then versus now. In the ’80s, one camera, one roll of film, and one decent picture was enough to prove a night happened. Today it takes 70 nearly identical photos, a group-chat approval committee, and several rounds of “does this angle make my arm look weird?” before anything gets posted. The Fentons roast the ritual while admitting they now participate in it themselves.

The episode closes with a surprisingly revealing class-and-childhood comparison. Jen grew up in a house with three phone lines. Chris had one. That single detail still feels like a reliable rich-kid vs. middle-class indicator—though they quickly expand the list: Intellivision versus Atari, and Toto silent-flush toilets versus the ones that sound like a jet taking off. It’s part nostalgia, part social anthropology, and entirely the kind of conversation two empty nesters can finally have without anyone yelling “MOM” from another room.Funny, relatable, and just self-aware enough to go mildly viral with every parent whose kid just texted them something they had to Google.

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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 and locker jams to the teachers who made us laugh until we cried (and the ones who left permanent marks on our souls), the Fentons take us on a wild ride through elementary antics, middle-school mayhem, high-school highs, and those hazy college days we can still half-remember.They trade tales of their absolute favorite educators, the funniest classroom legends, and the most memorable mentors who somehow turned detention into destiny. Then the conversation deepens: the seismic moments that still echo—Len Bias’s shocking death that rocked a generation of young athletes, the heartbreaking Challenger tragedy that stopped the nation cold, and the everyday victories and heartbreaks that defined growing up. And because nothing says “compare and contrast” like two coasts, Jen and Chris dive into life as a student in quiet, classic Glastonbury, CT versus the bright lights and big personalities of Los Angeles, CA—different hallways, same universal scramble of homework, hormones, and hope. It’s equal parts nostalgia, laughter, and “wait… that really happened?!” reflection. Perfect listening while the kids (or the ghosts of kids past) head back to class and the empty nest feels a little fuller with stories. Pull up a plate, pour something strong, and ponder with us. School’s back in session—and the bells are ringing loud.

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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 storm.
Jen and Chris navigate the wild differences between on-campus dorm life and off-campus freedom while Chris willingly becomes the family’s designated punching bag—absorbing every eye-roll, sigh, and “Dad, you’re doing it wrong” from the kids and Jen. Spoiler: he expected the hits and walked away unscathed (legend status unlocked). Then the real games begin: the ongoing Irritation Olympics (who can annoy whom the hardest?) and the fierce empty-nest tribal wars where the kids pick sides like it’s the Hunger Games. Mom or Dad? The alliances form fast… and they are ruthless. Just when you think the family drama peaks, the conversation takes a sharp turn into the Penn State cocaine scandal. The Fentons pray it stays locked at Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon and never sneaks onto McGill, Tulane, or (especially) their own kids’ Greek houses. Chris drops the viral Twitter mic:
“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.” Relatable empty-nest realness + side-splitting honesty + one unforgettable quote = the episode you’ll be texting to every parent you know. Stream now and laugh (or cry) with us through the chaos of launching two humans into adulthood.

AND, Oh Yeah, Professor Fenton's First Day Back at USC is this upcoming Wednesday! #GoTrojans

#EmptyNesting #CollegeMoveInMadness #PlateAndPonder #DadPunchingBag #IrritationOlympics #EmptyNestTribalWars #OnCampusVsOffCampus #PennStateProgress #BlowAndProgress #ParentingAfterKidsLeave #TwoKidsTwoCampuses #ChrisTookTheHits #JenAndChrisFenton #Season3Premiere #CollegeDropOffDrama #GreekLifeGoneWrong #EmptyNestComedy #SurvivingMoveInDay

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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 Service might actually be more competent—because at least you can talk to a real human behind a counter. They dig into the absurdity of junk mail still existing in 2026, reminisce about how blissfully simple it was moving their daughter into a dorm with a meal plan, and face the terrifying question every parent dreads: Dylan has zero food plan. How is this kid going to eat? Cook? Yeah… right. Grab a plate, pour a drink, and join the full-throated rant—empty nesting has never been this complicated.

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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 generations see ghosting—or at best a curt text—as an acceptable way to end a relationship. On the personal front, Chris shares the less-than-glamorous news that he’s due for his third colonoscopy and that his dermatologist wants to freeze off some classic “old man spots” with a little nitrous. Finally, the Fentons ask the question every empty-nester eventually faces: why didn’t we make the kids do more chores when we still had the chance? Honest, humorous, and full of real-life parenting reflections for anyone navigating the empty-nest years.

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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 the latest World Cup halftime show, where they break down Justin Bieber’s electric 9/10 performance but give him a 3/10 for reading the room, while marveling at Madonna’s unstoppable energy at 67. Chris then opens up about his early Hollywood days playing basketball with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, sharing wild behind-the-scenes stories—including a memorable on-set adventure during the filming of Rounders that involved Harvey Weinstein and Matt Damon. Through it all, one thing is crystal clear: Matt Damon is a true mensch.

#FridayNightLights #JFKTarmac #EmptyNesting #WorldCupHalftime #JustinBieber #Madonna #MattDamon #BenAffleck #Rounders #HollywoodStories #PlateAndPonder #EmptyNesters #MattDamonIsAMensch

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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 give a heartfelt update on their beloved dog Flynn’s recovery journey, share our favorite Starbucks coffee fake-out hacks, and debate the very best pizza spots in NYC — including the legendary Arturo’s, Lombardi’s, and Patsy’s. The conversation takes a surprising turn as we explain exactly what a birthing center is (and why it matters), all while delivering their signature empty-nesting banter, real talk, and plenty of laughs. Just when things were heating up, Beijing decided to shut us down 21 minutes in… so get ready for Part Deux!

Whether you’re deep in empty nesting, a frequent traveler, a pizza lover, or just here for the unfiltered married-couple energy, this episode delivers food, stories, and plenty of “wait… what?!” moments. Tune in now and don’t miss Part 2!

#emptynesting, #plateandponder, #Delta, #bestpizza, #NYC, #Arturos, #Lombardis, #Starbucks, #birthingcenters, #travel

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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 powerful moment the whole family came together during his life-saving surgery — especially how much Flynn means to Chris. Despite the “empty” house, they reveal why their nest still feels completely full… just with a different kind of chaos. Dylan’s travel nightmare from Philly to Idaho takes a wild turn with an overnight stay at SLC airport and an impromptu 2 a.m. 10K sprint through the terminals. Jen shares the exact moment she lost all interest in club soccer (spoiler: it involved a port-o-let in 110° desert heat) while still gushing about the magic of the World Cup. And through every laugh and every tear, they keep coming back to one truth: friends and family make all the difference. Raw, funny, emotional, and 100% relatable — this is empty nesting in real life. 

#Relationships #Marriage #HavingKids #DogLovers #EmptyNesting #PlateAndPonder #DogLovers #FlynnTheDog #EmptyNestChaos #FamilyFirst #PetEmergency #TravelStories #WorldCup #Podcast