anything goes with emma chamberlain
Episode: fried chicken ASMR and cigarette smoker attitude, pet peeves
Date: November 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this cozy, candid solo episode, Emma Chamberlain shares the latest additions to her ever-growing list of pet peeves. Recorded from her bed, Emma's musings zigzag through tactile annoyances, social observations, food frustrations, and digital-era quirks, all delivered in her signature self-aware, wry, and gently self-roasting tone. The episode is loaded with personal stories, confessions of minor everyday irritations, and Emma's philosophies about what it means to be "annoyed" in a modern world—reminding listeners that sometimes, there's humor and camaraderie in complaining together about the little things.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cat Hair Catastrophes

• [04:25] Emma laments the inevitability of cat hair, especially when it clings to her makeup:

  "I make an effort to avoid my cats when I have makeup on... but even when I avoid my cats with makeup on, somehow the cat hair still sticks to my face."

• She insists she is not a "crazy cat lady," but admits the hair issue is next-level annoying, particularly when it interferes with her podcasting setup.

2. Post-Haircut Prickliness

• [10:40] Emma describes the universal itchiness from stray haircut trimmings:

  "No matter how tightly I have my hairstylist clip the cape around me, no matter how quickly I take my shirt off after the haircut, I have to rinse."

• She recaps a MET Gala trim gone awry, highlighting her intense aversion to "itchy or scratchy or pokey" sensations.

3. The Coffee Shop Soundtrack Crisis

• [14:55] A story about trying (and failing) to work in a coffee shop that's blasting EDM at 10am:

  "The magic of a coffee shop is the subtle, cool, calming ambiance... For sitting, chatting, working—come on, like something chill, some jazz, some cute like soothing alternative music at a low volume."

• Pet peeve: coffee shops that kill the vibe with unnecessarily loud music, making them unusable for their core clientele.

4. Sunday Shortcomings

• [19:20] Emma questions why businesses close early on Sundays—the very days people want to relax and go out:

  "Why the fuck, on one of the two days that majority of people have the day off, are we going to close everything at 5pm?"

• She acknowledges the tradition’s religious roots but muses that it makes more sense to close early on Mondays instead.

5. The Dry Pizza Crust Dilemma

• [25:00] A passionate rant about how pizza crusts are often "way too dry":

  "I think the solution is that all pizzas that have dry crust... there should be a side of marinara sauce for dipping the crust."

• Advocates for normalizing marinara as a side to salvage sad crusts, comparing it to getting a bonus breadstick.

6. Design Flaws at Trendy Restaurants

• [28:45] Emma celebrates "cute, trendy restaurants" but roasts their impractical design choices:

  "Why the fuck does every cute trendy restaurant think that they need to have tables that are knee high?... It is impossible to eat dinner in that way. Like, eating over your lap. This is a very niche thing..."

• She wishes for better balance between aesthetics and functionality in dining spaces.

7. Fried Chicken ASMR Temptation

• [34:30] In a self-aware and hilarious admission, Emma explains her algorithm’s obsession with fried chicken ASMR:

  "For some reason, my algorithm knows this is content that makes my mouth water. I don't even eat chicken!"

• As a vegetarian, Emma finds herself oddly tormented by these videos:

  "It looks so fucking good and my algorithm knows how much I want to eat it. Because I will watch the video... twice through."

• She promises to one day set out to find a worthy vegetarian alternative.

8. Smoker Superiority Complex

• [38:55] Emma vents about cigarette smokers judging vapers/nicotine pouch users:

  "It is a pet peeve for me when someone who smokes cigarettes is like, 'You're really smoking a Juul? That's so much worse for you than cigarettes.'"
  "All of it is bad and we should all avoid all of it at all costs... there's like this weird high horse that I've experienced with people who smoke cigarettes."

• Urges for mutual empathy and less judgment:

  "We're all in this together. We're all struggling with this shitty addiction together. Stop using me as, like, some sort of punching bag to make you feel better about your addiction."

9. Lamp Cord & Straw-Cleaning Agony

• [42:45] On the overlooked challenge of plugging in new lamps:

  "Basically, my pet peeve is plugging in lamps. I feel like more often than not, I really struggle to manage the cord situation."

• [44:10] Cleaning reusable straws is declared a recurring domestic nemesis:

  "There's something about getting out that little straw cleaner and getting in there that, like, really is unenjoyable for me."

• She admits that pet peeves are a "privilege," but says it’s fun to playfully complain.

10. Blueberry Stems & Texture Struggles

• [46:50] The sincere struggle of finding hidden stems in blueberries, which ruins their “popcorn”-style munchability:

  "My pet peeve is the little stems that are left in the blueberries... I love shoving things into my mouth in a big handful. I want to fill the mouth and I want to crunch on my blueberries, and the stem, if I get a stem in my mouth, it's not fun."

11. Wasted Potential in High-Budget Productions

• [49:00] Emma expresses a conceptual pet peeve: seeing expensive movies or productions flop:

  "When something's very expensive, I want it to be worth that... it really is a pet peeve for me when I feel like money was wasted in a movie or one of these sorts of medias falls flat despite the budget."

12. Bad Food Ratios

• [52:00] She bemoans foods with poorly proportioned components, from chocolate croissants that lack chocolate to pita platters that skimp on hummus:

  "Chocolate croissant—there's not enough chocolate in the croissant. There's a thin little sliver of chocolate off to one side and only a third of your bites have chocolate in it... When you order tater tots and the tater tots come with a special dipping sauce, and they just don't give you enough dipping sauce."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On complaining as joy:

  "You know what is fun? Complaining about little things that don't really matter. That's fun." [00:45]

• Cat hair struggles:

  "I love my cats more than anything... but it is fucking annoying." [08:05]

• On coffee shop ambiance:

  "The magic of a coffee shop is the subtle, cool, calming ambiance." [15:20]

• On Sunday hours:

  "Out of all the days of the week, I think Mondays should be the days where things close early." [19:55]

• On pizza crust problem-solving:

  "All pizzas that have dry crust... there should be a side of marinara sauce for dipping." [26:00]

• Algorithm torture:

  "Once I've started watching, I can't stop watching ASMR videos of people eating fried chicken." [35:40]

• Nicotine judgment:

  "Someone who's smoking cigarettes has no right to comment on anyone else's nicotine consumption." [39:50]

• Domestic peeves:

  "My pet peeve is plugging in lamps... more often than not, I really struggle to manage the cord situation." [43:20]
  "I hate cleaning the fucking straw." [44:10]

• Existential privilege:

  "It's a privilege to have a pet peeves list... I'm aware of that, and I choose to have fun with it." [45:17]

• High-budget flops:

  "I can't help but cringe at a wasted opportunity. I can't help but feel sick at wasted money." [50:01]

• Food ratios rant:

  "When foods have a bad ratio... That's a pet peeve of mine." [52:15]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cat Hair & Crazy Cat Lady Stereotype: [04:00–10:00]
• Haircut Itch & Sensory Issues: [10:00–13:50]
• Coffee Shop Loud Music: [14:00–19:00]
• Early Sunday Closures & Weekends: [19:00–24:30]
• Pizza Crust & Marinara Sauce Solution: [25:00–27:00]
• Trendy Restaurant Furniture Fails: [28:45–34:00]
• Fried Chicken ASMR Addiction: [34:30–38:40]
• Nicotine User Judgment: [38:55–42:35]
• Lamps & Ugly Extension Cords: [42:45–44:00]
• Reusable Straw Cleaning Annoyance: [44:10–45:20]
• Blueberry Stems: [46:50–48:30]
• High-Budget Production Pet Peeves: [49:00–51:50]
• Bad Food Component Ratios: [52:00–55:00]

Recap

This episode celebrates the oddly satisfying ritual of playful whining about life's little annoyances. Emma's relatable stories and tangential humor make for an episode that's equal parts confessional, existential, and foodie-focused. If you're looking for an audio hangout that blends small talk about straw-cleaning and Sunday hours with observations about modern culture's quirks (and a serious craving for spicy fried chicken), this one's for you.

Recommended for: Fans of Emma’s previous "pet peeves" episodes or anyone who wants a laugh about life's micro-struggles—delivered in Emma’s undiluted, charismatic voice.