Teen Beat – "More Time With: Mark Hoppus"
Host: Danielle Fishel
Guests: Mark Hoppus, Jensen Karp
Air Date: January 9, 2026
Episode Focus: Embarrassing Teenage Moments & Mistaken Identity
Episode Overview
This candid bonus episode of "Teen Beat" with Danielle Fishel dives into the hilariously awkward—and sometimes cringeworthy—moments that shape our teenage years. Danielle, Mark Hoppus, and Jensen Karp explore their own teen (and adult) blunders after playing a listener-submitted story, all centering around embarrassing mistaken identity mishaps and wardrobe missteps. The tone is nostalgic, self-deprecating, and filled with infectious laughter as childhood vulnerabilities become the backdrop for building connections and empathy.
Key Segments & Insights
1. Listener Story: Mistaken Identity on the Band Bus
[00:55–02:44]
- Voice Memo from Jessica:
- Jessica recounts a classic teenage goof from her days in a small-town Canadian high school band.
- She describes an ongoing "game" with her best friend: sneak up and tap each other on the rear end.
- During a school trip, Jessica accidentally smacks the male band teacher’s rear, mistaking him for her friend.
- Her immediate reaction: pretending to sleep out of pure mortification.
- Quote:
- “That person takes a half step forward, and I see my best friend still sitting beside me. And I thought, huh? Then who is that? And that's when our male band teacher actually chose not to acknowledge it. But I was mortified." – Jessica [01:49]
2. The Spiral of Mistaken Identity Stories & Escalating Embarrassment
[02:44–04:44]
- Jensen's Stories:
- Growing Up Wild:
- Emphasizes that his crew's youthful pranks went well beyond Jessica’s tame anecdote.
- Shares a story about pantsing friends—sometimes in public.
- Tells an outrageous tale of a friend mistakenly groping someone, thinking it was his wife ("butt knife"), only to discover it wasn’t her.
- Quote:
- “This is grown man shit.” – Jensen Karp [03:24]
- San Diego Fart Incident:
- Jensen describes a prank gone wrong: intending to prank his friend Mark, he instead farts in the face of a random older woman on the street.
- The woman's disappointed look left a lasting mark.
- Quote:
- “I turn around and go, haha. And it's just this old lady on the sidewalk in Downtown San Diego, 1993, who just looked at me like, why would you do that to me?” – Jensen Karp [03:40]
- Danielle and Jensen reflect on how disappointment by a stranger is far more painful than anger.
- Growing Up Wild:
3. Clothing Choices & Trying to Fit In
[04:44–08:06]
-
Jensen’s Miami Vice Fashion Fiasco:
- Given money to buy his own back-to-school wardrobe, Jensen showed up in a full "Miami Vice" getup: salmon pink pastel t-shirt, sport coat, pegged pants—feeling cool but out of place.
- Reaction: immediate ridicule from classmates; Jensen lies, blaming his grandma for the outfit before trying to blend in.
- Quote:
- "So I show up to school looking like Don Johnson, and people are like, oh, my God, Mark, what the hell? You think you're in Miami Vice?" – Jensen Karp [05:32]
-
Danielle’s Grunge Era Fail:
- Danielle recounts showing up on her first day at a new school in 1993 wearing a formal black pantsuit with shoulder pads—utterly overdressed amid grunge-era peers.
- A student sneers, “Are you going to a funeral?” Her mom (much cooler, Danielle admits) takes her shopping that very afternoon.
- Quote:
- “As I walked down the hallway, I saw a kid coming toward me... scanned me up and down, just utter disgust. And then as he passed me, went, ‘Are you going to a funeral?’” – Danielle Fishel [07:01]
4. Danielle’s Celebrity Mistaken Identity—An Eminem Encounter
[08:06–11:00]
- MTV Spring Break Mix-Up:
- Danielle dates Lance Bass (of NSYNC), who tasks 98 Degrees to look after her in Mexico.
- She spots a bleach-blonde guy (thinking it’s a 98 Degrees member), sneaks up behind him, and pulls up his sagging pants.
- It’s not her friend—it’s Eminem.
- Eminem’s security guard (secretly amused) did not intervene.
- Danielle is mortified, apologizes awkwardly, and Eminem introduces himself as “Marshall.”
- Quote:
- “Eminem whips around so fast. That was his pants I pulled up. I had never met him, and I was like, oh my God.” – Danielle Fishel [09:23]
- She runs into Eminem again years later, paralyzed with fear he’ll remember her as “the girl who pulled his pants up.”
5. Reflections on Embarrassment & Adulthood
[11:00–11:16]
-
Danielle:
- Describes how memories of these humiliations surface in the middle of the night.
- Quote:
- “Sometimes you wake up at like 2 o'clock in the morning…every awful thing you've ever said or done pops into your head.” – Danielle Fishel [11:02]
-
Jensen:
- Jokes that his humiliation reel is running all the time, not just at 2am.
- Quote:
- “My mind doesn't wait until 2 o'clock in the morning. Mine's like, pretty much on a constant reel.” – Jensen Karp [11:12]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “He and his wife were out one night, and she's walking up the stairs in front of him in a miniskirt, and he goes up her miniskirt, like, bam. Butt knife. Straight up her miniskirt into her butt. G string.” — Jensen Karp [03:01]
- “I have thought about that story when I…you have a hard time falling back asleep, and for whatever reason, every awful thing you’ve ever said or done pops into your head.” — Danielle Fishel [11:02]
- “That was grown man. Also, as a teenager, probably my most embarrassing moment was…” — Jensen Karp [04:44]
Episode Tone & Atmosphere
- Warm, Relatable, and Humorous: The trio share authentic slices of teenage awkwardness with self-aware wit.
- Inclusive: Listener stories are invited and celebrated, reducing the sting of embarrassment by creating community around shared cringe.
- Comforting Nostalgia: Reminders that even celebrities endure (and laugh about) their most embarrassing memories, making growing up a universal experience.
Major Timestamps
- 00:55 – Jessica’s band teacher butt-tap story
- 02:44 – Onset of mistaken identity stories
- 03:40 – Jensen’s “Downtown San Diego fart” mishap
- 05:05–05:56 – Miami Vice school fashion disaster
- 07:01 – “Are you going to a funeral?” pantsuit incident
- 09:23–10:15 – Danielle’s Eminem pants-pull story
- 11:02 – Reflection on humiliation replays at night
For Listeners New & Old
If you’ve ever quietly replayed an awkward moment from your youth (or last week!), this episode will remind you that everyone—even your favorite pop-culture icons—has their own library of cringe. Pull up a chair, share a laugh, and remember: we all have that one story that keeps us up at night.