"Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson"

Episode: Teri Hatcher — on being a ‘Bake Off’ and ‘Chopped’ Star, Rewatching ‘Desperate Housewives,’ and Trying Stand-Up

Release Date: October 28, 2025
Podcast Host: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Guest: Teri Hatcher
Setting: Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles (Ethiopian restaurant)

Overview

In this lively, candid episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson welcomes Teri Hatcher for a meal at Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, an intimate Ethiopian spot in LA. Their wide-ranging conversation covers Teri’s celebrity turns on “The Great British Bake Off” and “Chopped,” her fresh perspective while co-hosting a “Desperate Housewives” rewatch podcast, adventures in stand-up comedy, and navigating parenthood, career, and aging in Hollywood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Food, Family, and Cooking Shows

• Food as Love Language: Teri explains how cooking is central to her personal life and family traditions (17:10).
  • "Food is how I’ve always shown love to people in my life." – Teri Hatcher [17:12]
• Culinary Education: Teri shares her experience in culinary school—an intensive 8–3, five-days-a-week, nine-month program—and encourages Jesse to pursue his dream of attending (17:05).
• Reality Cooking Competition Appearances:
  • Great British Bake Off: Teri gushes about joining as one of the first American celebrities, contrasting her experience with Jesse’s on the American version (06:09).
    • “I get to be in THE tent? Like, are you kidding me? I literally lost my mind.” – Teri Hatcher [06:35]
    • Both describe the thrill and stress, including classic “scream at the oven” moments:
      “Did you have your moment on the floor where you were screaming ‘bake’ at the oven?” – Teri Hatcher [10:44]
  • Chopped: She recalls stressful baskets (can of reindeer pâté, pine liqueur) and winning for charity. She recounts caramel mishaps judged on-air (07:52, 08:44).

2. “Desperately Devoted” — The “Desperate Housewives” Rewatch Podcast

• Podcast Concept: Teri hosts with her real-life daughter Emerson (watching for the first time) and on-screen daughter Andrea Bowen.
  • “Isn’t that crazy? … I feel like it really does allow us to have different perspectives on life.” – Teri Hatcher [18:39]
• Multigenerational Perspectives: They use the show as a springboard for broader life discussions—relationships, gender roles, aging (19:26).
  • “[Emerson’s] like, heteronormative and things like that… She has her point of view from a 28-year-old writer…” – Teri Hatcher [19:26]
• Nostalgia and Comfort-Watching:
  Teri explains why audiences return to old shows for comfort—it’s calming and feels “like a love letter” to the past. She confesses that, despite starring as Susan, she often watches the series as a genuine fan (20:44).
  • “In a way, rewatching it is like watching a show I wasn’t in.” – Teri Hatcher [20:44]
• Behind the Scenes: Teri discusses parenting and career balance, memories from Emerson’s on-set visits, and maintaining a grounded home life despite fame (22:46).

3. Breaking into the Industry & Early Career

• The Love Boat “Mermaid” Audition:
  • Teri landed a spot almost accidentally by accompanying a friend and ended up one of only eight chosen from across the U.S. (29:11).
    • “The odds of me getting this job are just ridiculous.” – Teri Hatcher [29:11]
• Scrappy Early Years:
  • Remained cautious even after film/TV roles, continuing to wait tables until her “Lois & Clark” breakthrough (30:22):
    • “It really wasn’t until Lois and Clark that I was like, okay, I think I’m having a career.” – Teri Hatcher [30:58]
  • Her modest upbringing shaped her anxiety about money and stability in an unpredictable industry (31:21).

4. Navigating Aging & Identity in Hollywood

• Transitioning Public Image: Teri embraces aging without cosmetic intervention, and how this might open new character opportunities as Hollywood slowly shifts (32:53, 34:07).
  • “It’s taken this amount of time to age into what might be a new identity that might allow me to work in things people wouldn’t have thought of me for before.” – Teri Hatcher [33:53]
• ‘You can’t win’ Attitude Toward Aging: Discusses cultural double-standards for women, referencing Brooke Shields and the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t reality (34:07).

5. Stand-Up Comedy and Storytelling

• Entering Stand-Up:
  • Teri finds empowerment in stand-up and solo storytelling as accessible artistic spaces for older women (36:15).
    • “Nobody can stop you from getting on stage and telling your story.” – Teri Hatcher [35:13]
  • Shares a formative story (and now a comedy bit) about a physician telling her she had a “totally average vagina,” which became a hit on “Funny Women of a Certain Age” (36:54).
    • “He backed away from my body, and he looked at me and said, ‘Teri, you have a totally average vagina.’” – Teri Hatcher [37:30]
• Processing Fear and Failure:
  • Teri describes her evolving attitude toward perfection, failure, and quieting her inner critic, especially as she matures and steps out of her comfort zone (39:19, 41:09).
    • “It’s not about being happy… or protecting yourself from sadness. It’s all an experience… and that sort of takes away the failure lens.” – Teri Hatcher [40:41]

6. The Sandwich Generation & Parenting Wisdom

• Caregiving While Parenting:
  • Teri discusses her social media “Sandwich Series,” a community for people navigating simultaneous caregiving for aging parents and adult children (41:43).
  • Explains the emotional challenge: “You finally get to the point where you think, and now I can make my life about me… Then your parents get sick, then your children move back…” [42:52]
• Realistic Parenting:
  • Advocates for vulnerability in front of children and dismantling the myth of perfect parenthood (43:51).
    • “Parenting isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. And there’s so much room for forgiveness.” – Teri Hatcher [43:51]
  • Encourages parents to ask for help and model “enoughness” for their kids.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On getting the “Bake Off” call:
  “The Great British Bake Off. And I was like, YES!” – Teri Hatcher [06:34]
• On her daughter's perspective of “Desperate Housewives”:
  “She’s like, heteronormative and things like that. She has her point of view from a 28-year-old writer…” [19:26]
• On aging on-screen:
  “It’s taken this amount of time to age into what might potentially be a new identity… I can kind of feel it—it’s getting closer.” [33:53]
• On stand-up:
  “I can have 30 people in a bar and stand up and say things into a microphone… It’s actually a great comfort.” [36:15]
• On parenting and self-compassion:
  “In our strive to be perfect, we’re actually making a mistake.” [45:14]

Important Timestamps

• 05:49 – Bake Off casting & reaction.
• 07:52 – “Chopped” experience, weirdest ingredients.
• 17:02–18:13 – Culinary school, food as a life throughline.
• 18:39–22:17 – Details of “Desperately Devoted” podcast; effect on family.
• 29:11 – Story of becoming a “Love Boat” Mermaid.
• 32:53–34:46 – Reality of aging as a woman in Hollywood.
• 35:13–39:19 – Stand-up comedy, “average vagina” story.
• 41:43–45:14 – Sandwich generation, parenting, and mental health.

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode radiates warmth, self-reflection, and thoughtful humor, closely matching the informality and vulnerability of sharing a meal with friends. Both Jesse and Teri blend candor about the entertainment industry with deeply relatable insights on family, food, mental health, and life transitions.

For New Listeners

This episode serves up plenty for OG “Desperate Housewives” fans and those interested in food, show business, or selfgrowth at any stage of life. Teri’s humor and wisdom, mixed with Jesse’s easy rapport, make it a standout for anyone seeking honest, inspiring, and refreshingly unfiltered conversation over dinner.