JOEL MCHALE— on how 'The Soup’ led to ‘Community’ and career anxiety
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Hi, it's Jesse.

Today on the show, you know him from his six seasons on NBC's Community and most recently helming the Fox comedy Animal Control, which debuted its third season in January. It's Joel McHale. My goal was to offend everybody. They all said, like, you'll see, if you tell a joke about the Republicans, they're not going to laugh. The Democrats will laugh, but not too hard. And if it's a little bit racy, they're all going to go, ooh, I don't approve of that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's exactly what happened. Yeah.

This is Dinners on Me, and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

All right, one of the most bonkers moments of my career was being invited to the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C. Now, if you're unfamiliar, it's a basically prom for politicos, except instead of awkward slow dancing, you get senators trying to network with Chrissy Teigen over crab cakes. It's a wild mix of journalists, politicians, and Hollywood stars all crammed into a room where a comedian roasts everyone, including the President of the United States.

Now, I was lucky enough to attend a few times back when Modern Family was on, when Obama was in the White House. I witnessed some insane moments like David Muir and Martha Raddatz casually dining with Heidi Klum or Nancy Pelosi grabbing a glass of wine with Mindy Kaling like they were besties at a book club. But the

But the thing that really blew my mind were the hosts. These comedians had the impossible task of standing on stage and absolutely roasting the most powerful people in the world while those very people politely sipped their Malo and tried not to look too offended.

One of the bravest souls to take on this challenge was Joel McHale. And when I say brave, I mean insane. Here he was, a former host of The Soup, a guy whose job it was to disseminate the reality TV of the week. He's suddenly up there making jokes about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump while they're sitting right there.

I'm still not sure how he made it out alive. Now, if you don't remember the soup, first of all, shame on you, okay? It was a weekly TV show where Joel hilariously dissected the most ridiculous moments in pop culture. So in a way, I don't know, I guess hosting the White House Correspondents Center wasn't that different. Just swap out the Kardashians for Congress, you know?

But honestly, you know, it kind of made sense because his entire career from the soup to his cult hit sitcom community has always been about sharp, smart, self-aware comedy. I mean, he's the guy who can deliver a joke that's both hilarious and clever. You know, sometimes too clever. It makes you feel like you should have studied harder in school.

Now, full disclosure, I've been a huge fan of Joel McHale's for a long time. I love the soup. I loved Community. I love his new show, Animal Control. And, okay, fine. Yes, I might have a tiny crush on him. Maybe at one point. Probably no longer. Maybe just a little bit. Anyway, it's just he's so tall and funny and handsome. Yeah.

and tall. So yes, I was very excited to spend some time with him. That tall, handsome, funny drink of water. - Hi, we're over here. - Get up, get up. - How dare you?

I brought Joel McHale to Leona's in Studio City. Leona's is the newest concept from valet restaurateur Frank Leon. Leona's is Japanese fusion pulling influence from French and Italian cuisine, and the seafood is really the star.

There's octopus and yuzu pepper sauce, yellowtail jalapeno sashimi, or the miso cod, to name just a few. What stands out about their dishes is how unique and balanced they are, letting the fish really shine. Now, if you've seen Joel, you might notice the guy hits the gym. So I thought, you know, let's get him some protein.

Plus, introducing a new go-to spot to someone who lives around the corner? You know, that's just good hosting. I should add, he biked here. I mean, of course he did. All right, let's get to the conversation. What are you off to after this? I thought that my son's school was ending at 3.30, and they're like, no, he has no school. It starts at 1, this thing he's doing. What's he doing? Playing football. That's what you used to do, right? That's what? You used to play football, right? Yeah. Yeah.

Thanks for bringing that up. Boys, boys, boys and boy things. Two boys, right? Two boys. How old are they? Four and a half and two.

Enjoy the hugs. How old are yours now? 19 and 16. Whoa. Yes, they're gigantic human beings. Yeah, I can pay for a hug. Are they looking at colleges and stuff? One is not. He's very on the spectrum, and he said he's going to let us know. And we're like, great. I think he's a communist.

I think he would be the first to tell you that. He's really leaning that way. And then the other one's, you know, total jock. Yeah, he's starting to think about it. Where'd you go to college? I went to a performing arts academy in New York called AMDA, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Yes. I was an indoor kid, Joel. I didn't do sports. I can tell by your complexion that you spent a lot of time inside. Thank you.

Menus for you guys cocktails here and wine on the back. Thank you Are we okay with studio cities finest or do you guys want sparkling or still water? I'm fine with tap. I'm fine with that. Yeah, it's great Yeah, I went to I went to AMDA and I got a certificate of completion is what you receive There's no sort of official very dirty. Yeah Yeah

Jeez. How many commencement speeches have you been? How many talks have you given? There? Yeah. Not as many as you'd think. In fact, at one point, you know, they had my headshot on the wall, you know, as someone who was doing well. Was it like serious headshot or like fun comedy headshot? No, it was just a serious one. Not one where like you're on the phone, like when you did the commercial shots?

So your headshot was on the wall. My headshot was on the wall. And then, and so I knew it was up there for a while because I did get work right out of school. And so, you know, they put their alumni that are doing well up on the wall and frame it and blah, blah, blah. And years later, I think when I was, when I got Modern Family, they were like, oh, can we, can we get a headshot for the wall? They had taken me off the wall.

Like when I had a little break in my career and I just needed to make room for other people. And so I was missing from the wall. And that's how I found out. I was like, well, you have a headshot of mine. Like, oh, no, no, no. And then they basically had to admit that they removed me. You got them to admit it.

Well, I mean, it was sort of like I read between the lines. How quickly between that and then them asking you for money? They'd never ask me for money. They'd never ask you for money? No, no. My high school does. St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which, you know, they're not going to be getting any money from me. Yeah, but the Catholic Church has such a wonderful stance on people. I give in other ways.

Right. Yeah. You're an altar boy? No, I was not. I was. Were you? Yes. Do you have stories? Yeah. The sex was incredible. Have you been here? I haven't. This is where you shoot the... I don't shoot... We go to different restaurants every time. This is awesome. I've never been. I've never been either. This is exciting. This is all for you. Oh. This is so nice. Hi, guys. So real quick, just so you can walk through the menus for yourselves. Yeah.

My recommendations to you are the bottom three appetizers, the bottom three sushi rolls, any of the soup and salads, great.

This little crown right here, yellowtail over to albacore. All that's really yummy. And then from the chef's selections, our noodles, our branzino, our ribeye, strangely enough, and our paella. Definitely the octopus. You want that? I don't feel like octopus. I love it. Great. And then should we... Let's do everything. Is there anything on here that you're like, you can't walk away without getting this? The Leona special roll or the yellowtail jalapeno sashimi.

Ooh. Yeah, let's do both of those. Let's do both of them, yeah. Alright, we'll do that and the octopus. Could we get some crispy rice and spices here as well? Yes. Agreed. Do you want any sushi? Yeah, I love it all. Let's get a few pieces of sushi. How long ago was the sweet shrimp murdered? Oh my god. Murdered? I'm not certain. I'll have to answer the show. I love a sweet shrimp. Let's do sweet shrimp. Yeah, good. And yellowtail. Yes. Yep. Yep.

Yep. And that's it. Okay. I'll leave you with a menu. And do you have a flying fish roe? I can bring you some roe. Great. Well, how did you get involved in acting? Because you were like a sports guy. You were a jock. You are a jock. Thank you for saying that. Yeah, I was a good athlete, but not that good. I mean, I was good, but not professional level good. I was good for an actor.

But I wasn't, like, I wasn't good. Like, you couldn't ever hang. Were you one of those jocks that they were like, okay, we got to get someone to do, like, you know, Little Admiral or Bye Bye Birdies. Like, let's ask the football guys to do it. And then you fell in love with it? Or how did you? No, I was already way into, I, second grade was my first, like, play. Oh, really? And what was that play? Yes. It was a staged version of the ride.

It's a small world at Disneyland. No, no, no. That exists. In Haddonfield, New Jersey. That is a real play where they were like, you're from all the different countries and every kid, because there's so many roles, you can dress up. Wait, was it a lot of white people dressing up as? It was only white people. I was going to say.

If you go back now, it is maybe more offensive than breakfast at Tiffany's. Possibly. Problematic. I played a snake. I played a cobra that was charmed out of a basket. From when you went to Morocco or something? No, Cincinnati. What are you talking about? Yeah, I think that was...

From India or Pakistan, perhaps? I don't remember. And then I played a monkey who peeled a... I got that role because I could mime peeling a banana. Uh-huh. So that was my big introduction. And my parents were like, oh, you seem to really enjoy yourself up there. And I was like, I did. And that led to my huge Broadway career. Wait. Yeah.

But I really was like, oh, I'm, I liked that. And then in grade school, I just kept doing little things. And I was so bad at school, but I was really good at sports. Yeah. And I was like, and I remember just thinking like, I'm going to try to do this.

and act. I want to do acting. I want to do this until the real job police come and take me away. And so that was like in seventh grade. I was like, I'm going to do this. Was this, had you already moved to Seattle or where were you at this point? Yeah, we were only in New Jersey for two brief years. So I can, you know, claim I'm from Philly. Right. Born in Rome, raised in Philly. Yes, I hear that.

Born in Rome, moved to Seattle, moved to New Jersey, moved back to Seattle. Got it, got it, got it. Seattle has a really good theater scene. They do. In Amon, is that what it is? Fifth Avenue Theater. I performed at Fifth Avenue Theater. You performed there. I did Hair, the musical Hair. You were naked? I was naked on the Fifth Avenue stage. I remember my dad came to see it. Oh, no. I mean, there were so many people. The lights go down real low in that scene where they all get naked.

So, but yeah, I was, I'm proud of you, son. That was, I don't think you really were. I think in that specific performance, I made my way to, cause it got very, you know, it's, it's, it's all the hippies running around. I think I just stayed on the back. Like I made sure I was in the back row that day. That's pretty great. Yeah. Uh,

Seattle had a crazily good theater scene in the 80s and then in the early 90s. Some of my favorite drag queens came out of Seattle. Jinx Monsoon is from Portland but lived in Seattle. That's not the same. Listen, I know you were a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. You did RuPaul's Drag Race. I know that you have an appreciation. I do. I just saw...

Trixie. Trixie Mattel. Yeah. I just saw her perform at this Lisa Vanderpump thing. And I was... Wait a minute. Okay, you're going to have to circle back on all that. It's like a...

At a Lisa Vanderpump thing. Charity event for rescuing dogs. Okay. And, you know, it's Lisa Vanderpump who I really, I am deeply fond of. And her husband. How did you meet them? I had dinner at their house. How did that happen? She had her own show on E! I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Where they invited, where it was just like, oh, come over and we will, uh...

Wow, I feel like she's here. You see the tiny horses and we'll have a grand old time. Now, Joe, you like wine. And it was like four hours. The traders. Ellen coming on the trip. OK, go ahead. How dare you? How dare you? Is that as good as House of Villains? I don't think so. They have a lot more Emmy nominations. We're up to zero. So you. So Trixie Mattel performed and I was blown away. Yeah, she's great.

All right, friends. Yellowtail jalapeno sashimi. Can you get some photos of that? Good. I have strip. Yes, that RuPaul's Drag Race. I think it's the only thing I'm known for on TikTok. Is it make hits round on TikTok? My 16-year-old would be like, I'm fucked. I'm fucking wrecked. Drag Race thing came up again. It was my finest moment of performing. Oh, look at that. Okay. Because I wasn't, you know, I have no idea.

So I was just like, I'm going to be as supportive as possible in the way I know how. Yeah, yeah. Screaming. I don't remember your episode. Oh, I was just like, yeah! Get it! I could see that guy's butt. Michelle was highly annoyed. It made me so happy. And I love that Michelle. I do too. I love her. She's pretty great. And I was able to get this full circle because...

You remember, maybe not, but the Drag Race, when it started, the dirtiest show on television by a mile. Yeah. Also made for a dollar. I mean, the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race was made for a dollar. And there was no performing. So sorry, friends. Got crispy rice. I ate two waters for you. That's beautiful. Thank you. This is the greatest day of my life. But it was just all glory hole jokes. It was every innuendo, and it was just like,

RuPaul going like, all right, we're going to... It's popsicle eating contest. And there was no dance. And we couldn't even show it on the soup because they were like, this is too dirty. I'm like, it's on cable. Yeah. And then we finally convinced them. And then Ken and I, Ken Jeong, my husband, we presented RuPaul and the whole team their Emmy last year or the year before. And it was... I was like...

Look at this! It's all worked out! Yeah, that's awesome. So cool. Wait. This is very good crispy rice. Very good. This restaurant is fantastic! We love Leona's. If you guys do need anything like eel sauce or ponzu or anything like spicy mayo, let me know. Great. You want to fly to that kind of stuff? Yeah, sure, why not? But you know, when cable was starting,

All these little tiny shows were starting out. Yeah. And then some of them exploded. Yeah. I mean, now the LA Convention Center for DragCon is like... Yeah. I know. It's incredible. If you had said, like, I mean, obviously RuPaul is... There's nobody like him. And what a rock on tour and all that stuff. But, like, if you would be like, that show is going to be this big. Yeah.

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Joel talks to me about how he became the host of The Soup, trolling reporters on set, and whether or not the community movie rumors are true. Okay, be right back. This episode of Dinners on Me is brought to you by Nissan.

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Hi, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the host of the podcast Dinners on Me. Spring is here, and you know what that means. Longer days, backyard hangs, and of course, firing up the grill. And when I'm planning a get-together, Whole Foods Market is my secret weapon for making it both fresh and effortless. Let's start with light or fair because, you know, sometimes you want something crisp and bright after those rich winter meals. I'm

Whole Foods Market has the best seasonal veggies. Think asparagus, artichokes, and easy salad kits to throw together in just a few minutes. Pair that with some wild-caught halibut or a perfectly marinated chicken breast, and boom, you've got a meal that feels as good as it tastes.

And if you're planning on having some folks over for this barbecue, Whole Foods Market has everything from high-quality meats to the best side dishes like deli salads and charcuterie boards that instantly level up any gathering. Oh, and of course, don't forget the drinks. Their seasonal Italian sodas like Berry Blend and Orange Hibiscus are my new obsession. So whether you're keeping it light or going full-on feast, Whole Foods Market has you covered.

Make Whole Foods your destination for all spring gatherings. Make Whole Foods your destination for all spring gatherings. And we're back with more Dinners on Me. Can I ask you about the soup, though? Because that was such a, you know, that show. Notice how I brought it up. Well, and I'm glad you did. Because I completely forgot that you were on that. Just kidding. What? Just kidding. No, I mean, when you started doing community, I was like, look at this guy from the soup. He's really made it.

But, see? That was. But, I mean, the structure of that was so, it hadn't really been. I remember, I remember, like, there was those shows, like, Best Week Ever. And there was, like, a lot of talking heads. I remember, like, oh, if I could just get an episode of Best Week Ever, that would be really fun to do. I was trying to get on that show. I was trying to get on that show.

And then TalkSoup, not TalkSoup, The Soup. Yeah. Was TalkSoup a show? Yes. With Greg Kinnear. Oh, wow. So Greg Kinnear started that in 1991 on E!, which was barely a network, which had no commercials because they couldn't sell any commercials. So all the commercial breaks would be promotions for like new E! shows they were just making up.

Like Wild On with Brooke Burke or something. When I was, when I offered it, which was a lengthy audition process. So it was called the What The Awards for real name. Terrible name. And they, and then that got switched six months later after the new president came in and was like, what the fuck is the What The Awards? Switched to the soup and we opened it up to every celebrity,

news in any show other than like funny talk shows. And then it just slowly but surely got more popular. It was never, you know, it was never a massive, it was always kind of a cult hit. Yeah, totally. And then, you know, the internet came along and streamers and it all just faded away. And ironically, I'm back on E! House of Villains Season 2. Full circles. Right before you did the soup.

You talk about commercials and stuff, but you were also doing, I think a lot, were you doing like guest spots on TV shows? Like were you finding? Not. I did. I got very lucky. Sweet shrimp. There's that sweet shrimp. From Canada. Canada. Came this morning, so. Nice. Oh, Sri. Stuck at customs for a while. Oh, I'm Sri. Oh, hey. Oh. Sri. Sri. I got very lucky.

I auditioned for Will & Grace about three months after I got here, and I lied that I was over 6'7". I'm 6'4", but they wanted someone enormous. So I went and bought heeled boots at the Skechers outlet on Van Nuys and did the audition. Tracy Lillianfield, who you met, and she was so nice. And I lied. They're like, how tall? I was like 6'8". And...

Through like a miracle, I got it. It was like three lines, but it was still like, holy shit. I'm on one of the, this is one of the biggest shows on the planet. And then I got an agent out of that. And then they dropped me a year later because I couldn't book anything. And then I had this good friend, still friends with him, director named Sandy Smolin.

who would throw me into things. I mean, like, I'm directing Diagnosis Murder. Can you get murdered? Yes. And so he really, like, he kept the credits slowly coming. I still couldn't get, you know, a legitimate agent, which is a terrible name. All right. The Onus Special. Oh, nice. That's beautiful. Look at that shit. Look at that. Beautiful. So, and then I was like, how do I get the lead role auditions? And then I realized you had to be popular. Yeah.

Or popular on some list that they had. Right. And the soup did that. Yeah. Because I had a lot of actor friends that were like, oh, I would never do the soup because that's a whole other lane. I wanted to ask you about that because I...

I don't think it exists anymore. No, it's gone. There is a stigma around people hosting things. Yes. They did a reboot of Extreme Makeover Home Edition on HGTV, and I hosted that. But I was really nervous about saying yes to it. But my friend Liz Banks was hosting Press Your Luck, and I saw Will Arnett was hosting some –

I think maybe a Lego show. Ellen was hosting. Dwayne Johnson was hosting. And Jamie Foxx was hosting. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Enjoy, friends. Would you eat the lemon? Should you dare? Or do you just eat the roe off? Oh, you know, have at it, my friend. I would eat the roe off and just use the juice. You know? Yeah, you got it. Just use the juice. That's my favorite part. The heads? Yep.

I'm gonna let you have mine too. What's wrong? What's going on? See this is... Oh god. Is it great? Mm-hmm. Like potato chips. I don't love the heads, but I'm gonna try it. Put in a little. I don't like the eyes. You're not gonna know? Yeah. I've got hungry eyes. Here we go. Oh, I'm really getting a lot of soy on here. It's crunchy. It's crunchy. It's a little hot.

It's like warm, but it's good, right? Mm-hmm. The whole thing in your mouth is good? Uh-huh. Impressive. It's really hot, but it is good. I have had them while they're still twitching. No. In Japan. No. Not the heads, the bodies. No. When Community came to you, you were on The Soup, and they'd seen you. What was that audition process like? Dan Harmon's girlfriend liked The Soup.

She saw the show, and she saw the soup, and she was like, hey, I think that's your Jeff Winger character. And they brought me in. And I read the script, and it was one of the only times that I was like, this is incredible. It was such a good show. It's so airtight. And the network, and we've talked about this, I didn't, but Michael Rosenbaum is who the network wanted. Oh, really? And Dan...

Wanted me. I think it was a very close. It was so close. And then like Rosenbaum was so cool and supportive. Cause yeah, I mean, you know, like when you get these shows, you have no idea. Right. And I'd been on a couple of pilots that I thought this, that was my big break. And then it was just, but you know, community, that's how it ended up. Did you feel like there was a shift in like the way people perceived you? Because like,

you know, coming off of something like The Soup and then having such, I mean, it was such a great show, such an incredible ensemble, so well written. You know, it became such a cult classic as well. Yes. I mean, it was like the coolest show to like. I was just watching an episode of it last night. We were wanting like,

Just an eighth of your ratings. That's all we wanted. And I've been on the other side of it where you do something that no one's watching, but everyone who is watching is loving. Yeah. That's tricky, too. We were going to be canceled every season. Yeah. But at the same time, we knew we were making something really good. Yeah. And we were canceled. And then picked up by Yahoo Screen.

And then we canceled that entire streamer. Yeah. Yes. But it was you guys, us, and Glee came out in the same year. Same year. I remember that. And the mushroom cloud of like a white hot attention that you guys and Glee were getting.

And then we were all like, "We're gonna do a pillow fight for an entire episode." We were all so envious of the, and I was like, "They got fucking George Clooney."

George Clooney is on fucking Modern Family. He just did a promo. We had a George Clooney lookalike. Literally. I did a sitcom called The Class, and it came out the same year as 30 Rock. And I remember feeling the same thing. Although 30 Rock had a rough start, I think, too. People had to find it. But I remember just feeling like, oh, I wish I had the excitement that there was around 30 Rock. I don't know if they had the same viewership. Class was one season? One season, 19 episodes, yeah.

Yeah. That would be like three seasons on a stream right now. Yeah, truly. I know. We told our story. We told the story we wanted to tell. It was like Fargo. It was like a beginning, middle, and end. New cast. No, it's fine. And the new cast was The Big Bang Theory. That's literally the show that replaced us.

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, but I understand what you're saying about, you know, being in a season where there's other, you know, other big things happening. But I guess I can only say from my perspective, it just felt like it was such a...

had a cool factor that I think I was also envious of. I remember seeing an event, Nicole Brown, and like talking to her about an episode specifically. And she was like, oh, you really watched it? I was like, yeah, I really liked the show. I really am. I'm a fan of it. Funny. The only time, well, I've been an asshole many times, but I would always call out reporters. Uh-huh. And they'd be like, such a great show. It's just so amazing. And

And it would be one thing if we were on a red carpet and they were just like, here's this guy from this thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was like, if you come to set, if you're sitting on our set, you should know what show this is. Right. You should know it. And they'll be like, I was like, what's your favorite episode? It's happened so many times. And they're like, all of them. And I was like, no, no, what episodes do you like? Oh, the paintballs. And I'd be like, what's my character's name?

And they were like, yeah. So I've had reporters come back and just like, you really got me. And I was like, yeah, I probably should just enjoy the promotion and not call people out. You couldn't help yourself. Modern Family was pretty damn cool. Thanks, bud. And, you know, it was very unusual in that everybody liked it. And I'd say, it was unusual. People liked your show. I'm not saying that. Yeah. I'm like...

"Euphoria" is probably not the show that the family gathers around and there's something for everybody. That show was. Yeah. Well, now let me ask you this, 'cause I keep hearing about a community film. Yeah. Is that a thing? "Peacock" has given us the money, so that is a, that's when everyone's like, "Is that gonna happen?" I was like, "Well, we got the money," which is one of the harder things to do, and everyone's in, so that's the other, it's really coming down to schedules, and a script was written.

So all that is real. And I know that we've been talking about it for literally years, but it will happen. And there's just, you know, it's just getting those schedules together. Yeah, I have. You've read a script, okay. Yeah. I'm not going to tell you anything about it. I'll just say. But it exists. Everybody dies. You think it's good. Everyone dies. Perfect. Yeah. I don't want to tell you. No spoilers. Just everyone dies. Everyone dies.

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Joel tells me his mindset going into the White House Correspondents Dinner, and we both get vulnerable about what it feels like to have a lull in your career after a hit show. Okay, be right back.

Now, you know I love a good brunch, whether it's a laid-back Sunday with my husband Justin and the kids or a full-on feast with a bunch of my friends. I just love it. And when it comes to putting together the perfect spread, Whole Foods Market is my go-to. They've got everything you need to make your brunch extra special. Smoked salmon? Check. Buttery flaky quiche? You bet. And don't even get me started on the fresh berries. I said don't. Seriously, don't get me started on them. Oh, you already did. Okay.

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And we're back with more Dinners on Me. Wait, there's one thing I have to talk to you about. The first thing I want to talk about before I lose you. We've been talking for like an hour. We haven't. And I want to be respectful of your time. You have a hard out at one. It's fine. That's what everyone always says. The hard out and then it's always fine. But I know you've talked about it a little bit. What I feel is probably the hardest job is being...

the comic at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. I remember because I was in the room. I was there when you did it. So I went to re-watch it last night, and there's actually a reaction shot of me. They went to me. It was really more Wolf Blitzer, but I was right behind him, so I consider it my reaction shot. But I was laughing.

You can go back and look at the tape. Yeah, there's things that I say then that I'm like, oh, I can say that now. Let's talk about this because you have to really go up to the line to make an impact in the room. Yeah. But at the same time, you're making fun of, you know, the people who are running our country and like poking at some of the most powerful people. Is this good for sound? That's a fun sound.

I was never more nervous. Was it an immediate yes? It couldn't have been yes faster. First of all, there were some incredible, incredible jokes. The one about Hillary Clinton was gold.

About if we elect her as president, we don't have to pay her as much. It would save the – because she's a woman. Yeah, yeah. It would save the country 30%. I mean, that's gold. Yeah, that was a good joke. It was a good joke. But my goal was to offend everybody. And they all said, like, you'll see. If you tell a joke about the Republicans, they'll be – they're not going to laugh.

The Democrats will laugh, but not too hard. And if it's a little bit racy, they're all going to go, ooh, I don't approve of that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that's exactly what happened. Had you been to the Correspondence Center as a guest before or was that the first time you've been in that room? I saw Ferguson do it during Bush's years when it was like 2006, 2007. Yeah.

We're sitting near Pamela Anderson. My dad was like, Pamela Anderson's here. And that was pretty exciting. But I never have been more nervous. Never been that nervous since. It was like I burned out the wire in my brain for nerves. I mean, it's one thing to like, I just, I got to be in conversation with Bill Clinton about

His recent memoir, President Clinton. Oh, shit. And I was terrified about that, but I wasn't also having to make fun of him while he's sitting right there. I mean, that's sort of like what the job requires. It's a roast. And, you know, it's Obama and the first lady. And it's just, every time I go, because I've been lucky enough to go

you know, three or four times. And every time I'm like, God, that person up there is a superhero. You stood on stage. Oh, dear Lord. That's a beautiful thing. So this is our banana con gari. It's basically bananas foster in a puff pastry. Jesus. So let's steal this stuff from you unless you want to add. Yeah. Steal it away. I'll just take this last tentacle. Hmm. Hmm. Uh,

What am I saying? Enough rehearsal. I think you'd be okay. Oh, gosh. I don't know. Anyway. I remember working out that morning and just being like, I cannot believe. Like, you're sitting there talking to Michelle Obama for an hour. Yeah. Getting ready to tell these jokes. Well, that's the other thing. You're sat next to them through the whole dinner. You go right from having casual conversation with the president and first lady to all of a sudden. Well, and then the president and Obama.

was good at it. He was really good at it. He's always good at it. You know, and Trump ended it. And that guy can't take a joke. And it's like, he's so funny. I'm like, well, you can't take a joke. And that's what I think showed like such great power in our country that you could go up and make fun of the leader.

And it'd be like, and I remember Obama going like, that was a good one. And I was like, I remember doing an interview with, I don't know, like a Romanian reporter. And he was like, oh, if we did that, we'd be swinging a hammer. We'd be breaking up rocks in a prison yard for the rest of our lives. Yeah. And I was like, oh, yeah, that really does show how cool we are. Yeah. And anyway, so he ended it and-

It obviously hasn't really come back in the way that it—I hope it comes back someday. Eventually, yeah. It's such a movement. We might need some space from it after this next presidency. Whoa, whoa, whoa. When's the election? Is it next year? I did buy his fragrances and a couple of Bibles, so I'm excited. Whose? Trump's. Oh, yeah.

He has new fragrances. He does not have fragrances. It just literally got released just a few days ago. I'm looking this up. Are you kidding me? Yeah, they're actually pretty good. Oh, okay. I like frankincense. It's a lot like Calvin Klein's obsession. Shut up. By the way, did you realize we're going to explore an animal hospital? Oh, I've been to that animal hospital. Have you? Multiple times. Really? Yes. So by the time this comes out,

But Animal Control. That's right. As I say, Animal Control will be in its third season. Yes. But you have so many other things that you are spinning right now. You're hosting several things. Prime Scene Kitchen on Fox. Right. And then. And. Yeah.

House of Villains on E, back on E. And then you have Animal Control. Animal Control. I mean, you seem to be like such a workhorse. I mean, it seems like you're always, even when you're doing community, you were still for a few years doing the soup as well. I mean, is there... Until the end of the book. Do you ever feel anxious having to keep all these balls in the air? Is there anxiety around when you're not working like this? Yes, it's when I'm not working. Okay. Like we had the entire...

over for Thanksgiving, the most relaxed I was is when we went to Magic Mountain and I got on the roller coasters and I was like, just, I was, I burst out crying at the end of one of the roller coasters because I was so happy. Are you serious? I was so like, this, I forgot how fun this is. And I was like, 53-year-old man going like, I was so happy. And,

Uh, yeah. I never got rid of the actor thing like you're never going to work again. That always. I mean, I don't have that. I haven't got that either. Everyone goes ADHD. And I think, I know that a lot of people say that, but I really, I don't, I cannot focus for very long. And so I like jumping on those lily pads as fast as I can. I love performing. I love that stuff. I still, to this day, get excited. I was like, someone's paying me to do this. Can't believe it.

I just saw this amazing video about Dick Van Dyke.

That lead singer, what's his name? Chris Martin. Oh, Chris Martin, yeah. Yeah, Spike Lee and Mary Wigmore made this little video about him being like 99. Yeah. And he's still like dancing. Isn't that incredible? Do you want that? Yeah, that sounds... I want to drop dead on stage. Not this year. Not anytime soon. But, you know, relative... Do what you love doing, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How about you? I do. I mean, I'm...

I have had a bit of a lull after Modern Family ended and just obviously there was a pandemic. But then coming back out of that, I got to do some theater. But I... Well, this is the thing. I want...

I won a Tony Award when I came. There you are. There you are. But I thought, like, when that, when I got a Tony, I was like, oh, this is like, get ready. Get ready. Like, the offers are coming in. And, you know, it wasn't that at all. And I got really anxious. I was like, well, and it was, I had to check myself. I was like, you know, what was I really expecting? And, well,

I shouldn't be expecting accolades to lead to future work. I've never been in that mindset before. Like, why, now that I've actually won one, should I expect that to happen? Wait, Modern Family ended in 2019? No, 20. Yeah. Pandemic hits. Nothing's happening. Nothing's happening.

Are you going to poke holes in my story? Yeah. Then you get this theater job where you win a Tony, and now you're like, lul. That was a while ago. How long ago was the Tony? Two years ago? Two years ago. It's not that I haven't done things. We have the similar, I count a lul as a weekend. And so I'm like, fuck, I think it's over. There are stretches where it's really scary.

And it's like, oh, I don't know about what's coming up next. But I have. Right. Looking back, I've been okay. You're mid-40s? I'll be 50 this year. Dead. So that's, you know, there's just, you get into this category now where it's just, or this thing, you're like, you're going to work forever if you want. It may not be exactly the thing that you thought. I mean, I always have a career in porn. Oh. I know that. I don't know about that. I've heard...

I've just heard that, you know... You're always late to set. ...trinkage as you get older. It's just a very specific... Like, the ginger world, that's always going to have... Always going to be popular. But I am in a mild state of panic all the time. Yeah. Because I'm the sitcom, I'm like...

You're doing well. Look, you've got multiple cars. You've got a lawn. You've got a fucking pool, Joel. And then I'm constantly like, well, that'll be the last thing I'll ever do. It'll never happen again. I've got to sell it all. And my wife is like, you're fucking nuts. Well, I hope this podcast gets you some surge of excitement. Thanks for doing this, buddy. Oh, we're not done. Oh. I will. All right.

Wait, do you have to pay for this? No, dinner's on me. Yeah, dinner's on me. Unless dinner's on you. This episode of Dinner's on Me was recorded at Leona's in Studio City, California. Next week on Dinner's on Me, you know him as the frontman of Bush. It's Gavin Rosdale. We'll get into a very random and intimate thing we have in common, his love of food and how that translates into an exciting new project, and how he looks back at the 90s grunge era.

And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners On Me Plus. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today.

Dinners on Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and A Kid Named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans Dale Shee composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balance-Kalasny and Justin Makeda. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.