Actor Awards & Jenna’s Birthday!

Summary

Office Ladies – "Actor Awards & Jenna’s Birthday!"

Podcast Summary
Release Date: March 25, 2026

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Overview

This special episode of Office Ladies centers on celebrating Jenna Fischer’s birthday week and a recap of Jenna and Angela’s whirlwind experience presenting at the recent Actor Awards. The episode dives into their behind-the-scenes preparations for the award show (including wardrobe adventures, celebrity encounters, and fangirl moments), personal stories, and heartfelt birthday surprises for Jenna. It also features the beloved “call sheet questions,” lots of best-friend banter, and listener submissions in the “Around the Town” segment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Birthday Celebration and Traditions

[03:04–05:25]

• Angela excitedly announces it's Jenna’s birthday week, sharing how much she loves to mark birthdays with fun, snacks, and little parties—even as part of their company mission statement.
• Jenna reflects:

  “For my 52nd year, my theme is books and fabulous women.” ([05:08]) She details her plans: reading more, spending time with amazing women, and hosting a tea party/Finer Things Club for fellow book lovers.

Presenting at the Actor Awards

[05:46–18:43]

• How it happened:
  Angela reveals the last-minute invitation—Mindy Kaling texted their group chat on a Tuesday to see if they wanted to present. By 9am, it was locked in. Not all Office ladies could attend (Kate Flannery and Phyllis Smith were unavailable), but Angela, Jenna, Ellie Kemper, and Mindy Kaling made it.
• Wardrobe scramble:
  The group frantically sources outfits. Jenna borrows a sequined jumpsuit from Lindsay Price—“the Carrie Bradshaw of my friend group” ([10:18])—and laughs about not being able to sit down in it.
• Coordinated fashion:

  “Weirdly, magically coordinated. It was so cool.” – Jenna ([09:17])
  All four wound up in black and plum dresses/jumpsuits.

• Avoiding the red carpet:
  The trio skips it to avoid anxiety, entering instead through the artist entrance.
• Backstage & celebrities:
  The green room is “the glitziest” they’d ever seen. They meet Teyana Taylor, Odessa Zion Segall, Wunmi Mosaku, Quinta Brunson, Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, Rhea Seehorn, and Sterling K. Brown (who calls Angela “Ange” – [17:06]).
  Angela: “All of these people were wonderful. So if you want to know what they're like, the answer is wonderful.” ([17:22])
• Jenna and actor Connor Story share a chair during the ceremony due to the mad musical chairs of awards show commercial breaks.
• Books come full circle:
  Oliver Hudson chats books with Jenna post-show, agreeing to be her “book friend” for the year ([18:03]).

  “This night was full of fabulous women. Guess what? Books made their way in...” – Jenna ([17:51])

Birthday Surprises

[21:59–31:47]

• Angela shares 1974 pop culture trivia (films, songs, TV shows from Jenna’s birth month).
• Jenna receives a “book-themed” surprise: Angela, Matt, and Sam each read passages from books or poems that mean something to them (and Jenna receives copies of each).
  • Sam – “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas ([23:38–25:31])
    • “You strike me as somebody who knows exactly what they want out of life, is very particular, and isn’t afraid to change the things in their life to get what they want.” – Sam ([24:46])
  • Matt – A passage from A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst ([25:49–26:36])
    • “I believe in all human beings there is a desire to love and be loved...to make it a measure of the success of one's life.”
  • Angela – Shares Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry ([26:56–29:51])
    • Favorite quote: “The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk and feisty gentlemen.” ([28:33])
    • “You enjoy the little moments...An afternoon with your kids, just hanging out in the backyard with your dog Maggie. These are the things that just fill your bucket.” ([29:04])
• Angela donates to the Library Foundation of Los Angeles in Jenna’s honor, praising her quiet advocacy for the unhoused and support for libraries ([30:38]).
  • Jenna: “How very seen and known I feel right now.” ([31:35])

Call Sheet Questions – Get to Know Jenna

[32:06–46:29] Angela runs Jenna through their old “Office” call sheet questions:

• First entertainment job: Murder mystery dinner theater in St. Louis—improv at a haunted B&B ([32:29–34:02]).
• Languages: Some French ([36:30]).
• Musical instruments: No, but tried guitar briefly ([36:39]).
• Favorite book: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (“It impacted my life, made me want to create more moments of kindness for unhoused people”; [37:21–38:28]).
• Favorite US cities: Oklahoma City (“the food was so good”), Chicago ([40:18–42:29]).
• Favorite international city: Copenhagen (“Such a charming city. Tivoli Gardens, great food, great sightseeing.”; [42:36]).
• Weekend routine: “I run a small taxi service for two very demanding clients”—her kids’ extracurricular schedule. But what she loves: sleeping in and cozy reading time in her “nook” ([44:08–46:29]).
• Midnight snack: “Cereal—right now it’s Frosted Mini Wheats...used to be Lucky Charms.” ([46:35–47:02])

Around the Town

[51:14–55:07] Angela and Jenna read listener submissions, including:

• Marching band friends throwing a “Bob haircut” themed party.
• An Akron Zoo tawny frogmouth owl’s birthday celebrated “Office” style with a banner.
• Legendary “Rock of Norfolk” in Nebraska—Facebook-famous boulder installed to prevent shortcut driving, now a local tourist attraction.

Office Question of the Week

[55:11–59:46] Why didn’t we see Michael and Holly’s wedding on The Office?

• Jenna: Both Steve Carell and Amy Ryan had left the show. Michael’s marriage happened off camera, due to scheduling and contract reasons—not creative choice.
• Angela and Jenna imagine what the wedding would have looked like—Michael as “bridezilla,” their own vows, “a lot of voices,” a choreographed first dance, possibly being lifted on a chair at the reception, and more.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Office Ladies' mission:
  “We go to the bathroom when we need to go, and we have a fun birthday.” – Angela ([03:49])
• On presenting at the Actor Awards:
  “We were just still as perplexed [about dressing up] 20 years later!” – Jenna ([07:20])
• On books and kindness:
  “My theme for my 52nd year—books and fabulous women.” – Jenna ([05:08])
  “I want to be that [moment of kindness] for somebody if I can.” – Jenna ([38:28])
• On practical advice:
  “No, you know what? Use that [wedding carriage money] for some good bed linens...Get the good towels.” – Jenna ([59:03])
• On being celebrated:
  “How very seen and known I feel right now.” – Jenna ([31:47])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:04] – Birthday episode and traditions
• [05:46] – Jenna’s “theme” year: books and fabulous women
• [06:21] – Actor Awards last-minute invitation and presenting panic
• [09:17] – Wardrobe adventures and fashion coordination
• [12:27] – Avoiding the red carpet, backstage, celebrity encounters
• [23:38] – Birthday literary gift: readings and tributes from Sam, Matt, Angela
• [30:38] – Library Foundation donation in Jenna’s honor
• [32:06] – Call Sheet Questions: Jenna's early jobs, language, favorite book, travel, weekends, snacks
• [51:14] – Around the Town: listener stories
• [55:11] – Office Question of the Week: Michael & Holly’s wedding

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Conclusion

This episode is a joyful, intimate, and laughter-filled celebration of friendship, books, special moments, and “The Office” nostalgia. Jenna and Angela are at their warmest and most relatable, whether recounting the chaos of prepping for an awards show, reflecting on what matters most at each new age, or imagining what could have been onscreen. With behind-the-scenes details, touching surprises, and the signature Office Ladies best-friend chemistry, it's a birthday episode filled with heart and lots of laughs.

Transcript

[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

No, because they're air dried and it's real food made in a human grade kitchen.

[Jenna Fischer]

There's no weird ingredients, no fillers. And the best part, you just scoop it and serve.

[Angela Kinsey]

So make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to sundaysfordogs.com OfficeLadies50 and get 50% off your first order. Or you can use code OfficeLadies50 at checkout.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's 50% off your first order at sundaysfordogs.com Office Ladies50 Sundaysfordogs.com OfficeLadies 50 or

[Angela Kinsey]

use code OfficeLadies50 at Checkout.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love Bombas because I love their socks. They are so high quality and I just like what this company stands for.

[Angela Kinsey]

Same. And I loved the Bombas sports socks. I have a pair of Bombas socks that are my go to travel socks. I wear em on every trip we go. I lived in them in Iceland cause they were comfortable, they kept my feet warm, but then my feet weren't sweaty.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, did you know they've got more stuff now? Did you know they have Sunday slippers?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, they're like Sherpa slippers.

[Jenna Fischer]

They also have the Saturday suede slip on shoe. They're moving beyond the sock, everybody. And for every item you purchase, an essential clothing item is donated to someone facing housing insecurity. That's why I love these guys so much. Yep, we one thing purchased, one thing donated.

[Angela Kinsey]

And they have over 150 million donations and counting.

[Jenna Fischer]

Head over to bombas.com officeladies and use code officeladies for 20% off your first purchase.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's B O-M-B-A-S.com officeladies code officeladies at checkout.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

We were on the Office together and we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate office lovers podcast just for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Each week we will dive deeper into the world of the office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're the Office Lady 6.0.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hello. Hi.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're just right on top of each other today. I know. That's what she said. That's what she said.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was just about to say that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, boy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Lordy, what will this be? It's going to be so fun. If you guys just want just, like, about 50 minutes of joy and fun times. So stick with us. We have a great episode today. I'm super excited about it. Okay, first of all, I need to say this. Everyone listening? You know we record a few weeks in advance, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, one reason I'm so excited about today is the week we're recording. This is actually Jenna's birthday week.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's my birthday week.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's your birthday. So hello. From early March. And by the time you hear this, it's gonna be a few weeks after. But, you know, we have to celebrate the week of your birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Angela, you do for. For sure, because you love a birthday, and I love this about you. You told me you wanted to do, like, a fun birthday episode today. I love it. I came in, and there's a plant and a balloon from Sam and a book. And, Angela, there's a gift bag here and some homemade granola from Josh. And a cake.

[Angela Kinsey]

And a cake. And some surprises you don't even know about.

[Jenna Fischer]

What? Oh, my goodness.

[Angela Kinsey]

That are gonna be sprinkled through you guys. I love a birthday. When we started our company and I said, everyone gets a dessert on your birthday and some kind of fun to do. These are our rules. We go to the bathroom when we need to go, and we have a fun birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love that when companies, when they're forming, they do encourage you to put together a mission statement, sort of a vision of your company. And I love that when we did that, that two of our things were about going to the bathroom and celebrating birthdays.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And I said, we'll always have snacks.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think it really captures the two of us. I said, drawstring pants. This is, like, truly like lawyers. We had to open an llc, and all those things are like, what's your mission statement for your company? This is what we provided. They're like, but, like, what about, like, the business?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Do you need insurance? No, no, no. We're going to celebrate birthdays.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Well, in honor of your birthday week, let's get to this episode that is called Jenna's birthday and call sheet questions. But you told me something I find intriguing, and I can't wait to hear about it. You said that you have a birthday theme for yourself. You told me this the other day. We were talking on the phone. And here's the thing. I know about you. You love a theme.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love to name things. I don't know if I got this from Kendra or what, but naming things points me in a direction. But I have a theme for my 52nd year and here's what it is. Books and fabulous women.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ooh.

[Jenna Fischer]

This year I wanna read books and be around fabulous women. And I will tell you, it is already happening. For my actual birthday, I'm having a little tea party with some book loving women. Angela, you're gonna be there.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I'm very excited. I got a flowery dress. Oh. I just thought that's what you wear to a tea party.

[Jenna Fischer]

I am literally throwing myself my own finer things club for my birthday. But I will also say this has already been one of my most memorable birthday weeks because it started with getting to present at the Actor Awards.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, craziness.

[Jenna Fischer]

And talk about being on theme. Getting to be with fabulous women. First off, just being with you and Ellie and Mindy. But also, lady, we got to meet so many women that I admire when we were at the awards. But I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself. Should we talk about how that all came about? Because it was crazy.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was a whirlwind for y' all listening. Tuesday morning, the week of the awards, I got a text at 8:15 in the morning. I'm like in my bathroom. I do like my little rose spray on my face in the morning. And my eye drops. This is what's happening, right? And my phone pings and it's Mindy. And we're in a group text and she's like, hey, ladies, I heard we might be presenting the award for best comedy ensemble at the Actors Award this Sunday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Excuse me. What? What? Huh?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And by 9am it was locked. We were presenting. They had reached out to all the ladies of the office. The main cast, Kate Flannery was touring with Jane lynch, so she was unable to go. Phyllis was in St. Louis and was just like, ladies, thanks for thinking of me, but I cannot get this together in time. Phyllis, I hear you. We were here in town and barely pulled it off. So it ended up being me and you and Ellie and Mindy. And the scramble that started.

[Jenna Fischer]

We had five days to be award show ready. It's so crazy to me that we were just talking to Chelsea Frye about this, about how when this whole thing started in our lives we'd get invited to things. We'd be like, how do you get an outfit? How do you pull it off, lady? 20 years later, I am no better at it. We were just still as perplexed.

[Angela Kinsey]

We don't go to fancy shit anymore.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, we don't.

[Angela Kinsey]

We have been invited to things, you know, when we're like, eh, but like an award show.

[Jenna Fischer]

Presenting with Mindy and Ellie.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's 100% a yes. But I. We had nothing. We don't have people. We don't have, like. I didn't know where I was getting anything. I was completely unprepared for. Also, the glow up like, this is. Cracks me up. We get this information on Tuesday, three days before the award show, as we're scrambling to get outfits, Jenna sends me a picture and goes, I got those Crest White strips.

[Jenna Fischer]

Surely just two days of a 14 day crest white strip pack will totally transform my smile.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I was like, oh, good idea.

[Jenna Fischer]

But then, Angela, you were like, I have a weird tan line on my arms from tennis.

[Angela Kinsey]

You guys. I have a full T shirt tan. I have like a scoop neck around my neck and then I have short sleeves, like a full T shirt tan.

[Jenna Fischer]

But you're like, I'm gonna sit outside for 30 minutes in a tank top. Yeah. And I'm thinking, lady, 30 minutes is not gonna fix this problem.

[Angela Kinsey]

And it did.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because I'm sure you were like, good luck with your Crest White strips. I know. Which by the way, I just wanna say, really work. If you do them for the 14 days like they do work. You just need the whole thing. I don't wanna disparage crust white strips. I actually love them.

[Angela Kinsey]

I do too. I thought your teeth looked fine.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know how we did it, but we pulled it all together. It definitely took a lot of effort on multiple people's parts. And I think we should thank a few people.

[Jenna Fischer]

We should. Because in addition to pulling it off, we had this hilarious text thread. You, me, Ellie and Mindy, like, the night before. We started sending each other pictures of what we were wearing, and we were weirdly, magically coordinated. It was so cool.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was crazy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Also, like, black and plum was where we landed.

[Angela Kinsey]

I tried on three dresses. Only one really fit me, so that's the one I went with. You guys all saw it.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's what Ellie said too.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And I loved it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Loved it. I love your jumpsuit. Was so cool.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, let me tell you what I did, lady. I reached out to my friend Lindsay Price, who I did Splitting up together with. I have reached out to her before. She has dressed me before from her own closet. She is my personal stylist. This is who I go to.

[Angela Kinsey]

It is such a cute thing about y' all's friendship because she's so fashionable. And every friend group needs one gal that knows fashion. This is your person.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's the Carrie Bradshaw of my friend group. She has the amazing closet of clothes. And I wrote to her because I knew she had this suit that I had worn when we did our book tour.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I thought, can I borrow the suit? I know it fits. It's fabulous. She was like, I'll send the suit, but I have another idea. And she sent me this sequined jumpsuit and she said, this is what I think you should wear.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was so cool. It was, like beaded. It was strapless. It had this velvet, like, sash. It was very chic. I love it.

[Jenna Fischer]

She added the sash.

[Angela Kinsey]

She did, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

She was like, sending you this sash because I think it'll elevate the outfit. She thought of that.

[Angela Kinsey]

The sash made it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love the sash.

[Angela Kinsey]

I would have never thought of the sash.

[Jenna Fischer]

Same.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

But then one problem. I couldn't sit in it. I couldn't sit down, really. I had to sit at an angle. It was an interesting car ride to the event.

[Angela Kinsey]

You had to lean back.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And so after we presented, I changed into the suit. I did a wardrobe change. I've never done that before.

[Angela Kinsey]

Very badass. I did. I was like, where's Jenna? Ellie's like, she's in that tent. Like, they had a little area backstage where you could change.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. My dress. I want to shout out my friend Kimmy, who's a stylist, and she's such a busy gal. She does so many high end things. And I just reached out to her and I told her, like, on Tuesday at 9:30am Kimmy, I'm going to be presenting. She's like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. And she brought over three dresses for me. And the one I wore was a loaner. I borrowed it just for that night. Which is also, like, stressful a little bit because I'm like, can't get anything on this. This is going back to gotta look good.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

But thank you to the ladies that came together. I thought we all looked fantastic. Gosh, I felt really, like, glamorous, you

[Jenna Fischer]

know, I did too. It was fun. And the whole night felt special from

[Angela Kinsey]

the minute we got there. We skipped the red carpet, guys.

[Jenna Fischer]

We skipped it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Me and Jenna And Ellie were, like, not doing it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It gives me anxiety.

[Angela Kinsey]

We got to go into the artist entrance.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

But that was really cool.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was cool.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then the minute you go backstage, there's the green room. This was like the glitziest green room. Hanging out with the other presenters, I felt like I was in the cool club. I'm never normally a part of.

[Jenna Fischer]

The first people that I saw when I walked in the green room was the entire cast of one battle, minus Leo of one battle after another.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's filming in Rome or something. I looked it up.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why did he say he wouldn't be there? But I got to meet Teyana Taylor.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. We walked right past her. She looked amazing also.

[Jenna Fischer]

She is so warm and kind and lovely and brought her daughter. And I had sort of a list in my head of people that I hoped I could say to them, I loved your work this year. And she was one of them. And I did get to say that. And that was really cool.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, she was lovely just inside and out.

[Jenna Fischer]

But we also got to meet Odessa de Zion from Marty Supreme. She was another one on my list. And do you know what I said

[Angela Kinsey]

to her, by the way? What? Cause I've worked with her mom, Pamela Adlon with her mom. And so I was like, oh, my gosh, will you tell your mom I said hi? And then I was like, what am I saying? I just turned into, like, that, like, dorky aunt.

[Jenna Fischer]

So she was on my list as well. And another person on my list was Wunmi Mosaku from Sinners. She was lovely and seven months pregnant.

[Angela Kinsey]

Seven months pregnant. She and I chatted about being really pregnant at an award show. I was super pregnant at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. That's what they were called back when we were nominated as a show. And she and I talked about just like navigating that night in, like, a big, long, flowy dress and just like, get me home.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, she's amazing in Sinners, if you guys haven't seen it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

She has this one scene in particular that just blew me away.

[Angela Kinsey]

Talk about someone who can command a moment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And lady, you chatted with Gwyneth Paltrow. I look over. Who's so tall.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's very tall. Well, next to me, too.

[Jenna Fischer]

Big difference.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hey.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I mean, it was a striking difference. She's really so tall.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I had on three inch heels.

[Jenna Fischer]

So I'm right in the middle of you guys.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, here's the thing. When we walked out on stage, they had an order. I walked out first and then Jenna and then Ellie and then Mindy. Right. We walked out in this order. So I'm the first one walking out there by myself. And I was like, huh? The person I lock eyes with, I'm standing right in front of is Gwyneth Paltrow. And I look right at her and I make this kind of smile like, heh. And she smiled right back. And then I sort of left my body because then I looked at the whole room and I was like, oh, my gosh, what are we doing? And I got a little nervous for a second. But after the award show was over, we were walking, like, towards the exit together. And I turned to her and I said, gwyneth, I'm Angela Kenzie. And she was like, hi. And I said, I just wanted to say thank you. I locked eyes on you right as I walked on stage, and I was a little nervous, and I kind of gave. Gave you this dorky smile. And you smiled right back. And it just kind of settled my nerves. And she was like, oh, my goodness, you guys were fantastic. And she was really nice.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know who I locked eyes with as I walked out on stage right in front of me? Connor Story.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sitting right there next to Sarah Paulson. And I locked eyes with him and I went, ah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I went fangirling fan of his work.

[Jenna Fischer]

But then later, like, you crazy. This is a crazy moment for me. We ended up sharing a chair.

[Angela Kinsey]

You did. Because we. You know how, like, in the commercial breaks, people get up and chat? Yeah. So we got up and we were chatting. And then when the show starts back, you quickly have to sit down wherever you are. It's like musical chairs.

[Jenna Fischer]

It is.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I sat in Sarah Paulson's chair. Sarah, sorry, I took your chair. And Sarah crouched on the ground next to me. I was like, sarah, I'm so sorry. And you quickly sat down and you and Connor sat.

[Jenna Fischer]

We sat on the same chair. Same chair. Oh, but you guys, it was just. It was amazing. I'm sorry if we're going on and on, but we haven't been to one of these in a real long time. And it was just so fun. I finally got to meet Quinta Brunson, which was another highlight. And we got to hang out with Paul Mescal and Jesse Buckley. Oh, my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

Backstage, Jessie Buckley offered to take our picture. I was like, what is happening? Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

We were like, can we get a picture with you? With you. And at the party afterwards, we saw Rose Byrne, who I love, and Kathryn

[Angela Kinsey]

Hahn, who I've been friends with for so long.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Rhea Seehorn was at our table with her son.

[Angela Kinsey]

With her son. She was wonderful.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Sterling K. Brown, who called me Ange. I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I was like, sterling, my family calls me Ange. How do you know people call me Ang? And he said, well, my sister's name is Angela, and I call her Ange.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, there you go.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I was like, sterling, you can call me Ange forever.

[Jenna Fischer]

We've dropped so many names.

[Angela Kinsey]

We have.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sorry. But all of these people were wonderful. So if you want to know what they're like, the answer is wonderful. And maybe most wonderful of all, not that it's a contest. Sweet darling Oliver Hudson with the crazy tattoo. We ran into him.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's so fun. And here's the thing about Oliver. You know him way better than I do. Obviously, y' all did a show together, but when you meet him, he's one of those people where you feel like you've known him your whole life.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, he's so no affect. No.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's just so easy to be around.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he told me, this is what's crazy. Guess what? I said that this night was full of fabulous women. Guess what? Books made their way in because Oliver Hudson is a voracious reader.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah. We actually got. I won't say reprimanded is the right word, but there was a security man that said, you need to leave now because everyone had to exit into the party that you spill into this party next door. And you two were talking about the books you were reading, and you were so invested in this conversation, I was like, y' all need to walk and talk.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And then the next day, just texting about books. So Oliver's gonna be my book friend this year.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think he also said he's gonna come on the podcast. We think we need to play two truths and a lie with him.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think we do, too.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right. Congratulations on your birthday theme of fabulous women and books.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

We have some fun surprises planned for you. I think we should take a quick break, have some birthday cake, and when we come back, we're going to do the call sheet questions in honor of your birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Great.

[Angela Kinsey]

This podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. You guys know Squarespace? We've talked about it for a long time because we love it. We use it every single day. It is our office lady's website. We have been growing as a company, and we keep adding new features like dropdowns. We have a little shop icon. We have banners that say kind of what's happening on the podcast. And it really is just such a great tool to build the perfect website for your company or whatever your passion is that you want to share with the world.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, our website is where we hear from you. That's where you can submit questions for the podcast, you can now submit audio for the podcast, and it's really fun to be able to hear your voices.

[Angela Kinsey]

And there's so many tools we haven't even used yet that Squarespace provides. I mean, lady, who knows what's next for us?

[Jenna Fischer]

Head to squarespace.com officeladies for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, use offer code officeladies to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

[Angela Kinsey]

Have you ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B or a C plus life? Because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think. Think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming youg People Think. Okay, an A plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming youg wherever you get your podcasts. So I've decided something. I want to start wearing scrubs, like in my everyday life.

[Jenna Fischer]

First off, love this for you. Secondly, please explain.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, well, not just any scrubs. Specifically figs. It seems like every Dr. Derm pediatrician I meet with is wearing figs. And it shows the fit, the colors, the comfort. It's all on point. I want in.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, I see the vision. Figs truly are as cute as they are functional. Soft, stretchy, and breathable, yet durable enough for long back to back shifts.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right? Or in my case, grabbing a quick coffee or a grocery run. Sky's the limit, really.

[Jenna Fischer]

So true. They also come in so many fun colors and flattering styles. You could have a different look every day of the week.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know I would. And did I mention they also have loungewear, accessories, and even a collab with New Balance on comfortable footwear?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, but I'm glad you did. Figs really does think of everything, don't they?

[Angela Kinsey]

They sure do. So if you work in healthcare, know someone who does or just want to rock some seriously comfy essentials, head to wearfigs.com right now and use code FIGSRX for 15% off your first order. That's where figs.com code FIGSRX. All right, we are back. And before we kick off the call sheet questions. I have two fun things we're going to do in honor of your birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

The first thing is I'm going to share with you some trivia From March of 1974, the year you were born. Ms. Kisher, the number one grossing movie the month of March in 1974 was the great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, wow. You know, I've never seen it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Really?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, I saw the Leo DiCaprio one.

[Angela Kinsey]

You should see the original since it was the big hit the Month you Were Born.

[Jenna Fischer]

Done. I'm gonna do it this weekend.

[Angela Kinsey]

The top television shows the Month youh were born in 1974 were all in the Family and Sanford and Son.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fischer]

Those are two really cool shows.

[Angela Kinsey]

The number one song the Month youh Were Born was Seasons in the sun by Terry Jacks.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the music was moody, the film was kind of romantic and over the top. And the television was very cutting edge.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hmm. Like it? I like the artistry of my birth year.

[Angela Kinsey]

You are meant to be an artist is what it tells me. All right, and now, are you ready for a little birthday surprise? We've had birthday trivia. Now it's birthday surprise.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

I reached out to Matt and Sam, and I said, jenna loves books. This is part of her birthday year theme. I want us each to read a little passage from a book that we love that means something to us.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love this.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then, lady, you are going to be getting the books we talked about.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is so exciting.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. All right. Sam, why don't you go first?

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Sure. Okay. So this is a poem. Actually, it's only six paragraphs long, but I've heard the end of it my entire life. But I just recently heard the entire thing. It's by Dylan Thomas. It's called do not go gentle into that good Night. Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at the end know dark is right because their words had forked no lightning they do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by crying how bright their feral deeds have danced in a green bay. Rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang in the sun in flight we learned too late the grieved on its way. Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men near death who see with blinding light Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and gay rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there in the sad height curse, bless me now with your fierce tears I pray do not go gentle into that good night Rage against the dying of the light. So that was written by Dylan Thomas in, I want to say, 1940, but he reminded me of you. I am naturally very complacent. It's a Wisconsin upbringing. I'm very docile. It very easily will fall in line with things. But you strike me as somebody who knows exactly what they want out of life, is very particular, and isn't afraid to change the things in their life to get what they want. I've always really admired that. I think in this 52 years you've been alive, I think you are successfully raging against the dying light.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sam, first of all, I love that you picked poetry because it is a sect of literature that I am less familiar with.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Yeah, me too.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I would love to know more. So I'm excited that poetry is coming my way.

[Angela Kinsey]

You're getting the book, the Poems of Dylan Thomas.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I love that poem and everything you just said. That just means so much to me.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Well, great. Happy birthday. I love you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you. I love you.

[Angela Kinsey]

That was so beautiful, Sam. Damn you. But, Matt, you have a book now. This is a book Jenna already has. So, Jenna, you're gonna be getting two books. Cause this one we believe you have. But, Matt, I'll let you take it from there.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Well, yeah, When I first came on the show, we were reading the same book, A Marriage at Sea, and I really thought that was so cool. You, me, and Barack Obama, because it was on his book list for the year.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

But I just thought that was awesome. And I was like, oh, cool. We have a shared love of this book and we're reading at the same time. So I picked a quote from that. And this is from A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst, which was a great book about a couple surviving at sea together. And the quote is, I believe in all human beings there is a desire to love and be loved, to experience the full fierceness of human emotion and. And to make it a measure of the success of one's life. And I really love that. To quote, rent to measure your life in love. So, yeah, I hope it's a wonderful year for you with lots of love.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you, Matt. And I love that you threw a little theater into there as well. I love it. Yeah, that's a beautiful passage. And that book is really incredible. And now I know if I ever meet Barack Obama, I can bring up this book.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

You can talk books.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Okay. Angela, your Turn.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, my turn. So I brought a book in because, you know, I love show and tell. But this book is really special to me because it was one of my dad's favorite books. And when he passed away, my mom gave me a bunch of his favorite books. My dad was always reading a book. He had a lot of long hours that he traveled back and forth to the rig, and he would read when he traveled. So this is one of his favorite books, and there's a connection to my hometown as well. This is my dad's copy of Lonesome dove by Larry McMurtry, and it won the Pulitzer. So this was really amazing for me to go back. Written in here, it says, given to Billy kinsey for his 50th birthday in Archer City, Texas, on July 26, 1985. And I don't think you have this book.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't. Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

So it's this epic Western novel written by Larry McMurtry, who's from Archer City, from my hometown. And we all grew up knowing his family. My mom is very good friends with his sister. I went to school with his nephew. My dad went to school with Larry for a while. So this is very rooted in our hometown. But more than that, the book is just a really beautiful story about love and loss and friendship and the end of the Old West. It's got a huge, large cast of characters, and it really centers around Augustus McCrae and Woodrow call, who are these Texas Rangers. And they're on this very dangerous cattle drive from Texas, Montana. But there's so much love and life that happens to them and the people around them along the way. And there was two things that I like and I find that I like the things Augustus says. He's such a bigger than life personality. But one of the things he says in the book that I liked is if you want one thing too much, it's likely to be a disappointment. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk and feisty gentleman. And then the other one a lot of people like. When you look up like quotes that people love from this book, this is one that a lot of people say. But I loved the idea of just being comfortable with everyday things. And that is you, to me, you really enjoy. Just your cup of coffee in the morning makes you so happy.

[Jenna Fischer]

It does.

[Angela Kinsey]

Sitting in your cozy nook and reading a book or going for a walk with Lee. These are the things that just fill your bucket, right? An afternoon with your kids, just hanging out in the backyard with your dog. Maggie. And just those little moments are you. And this one is one other quote I'll share. It ain't dying I'm talking about. It's living. I doubt it matters where you die, but it matters where you live. And I see you embrace that all the time, especially the journey you've been on the last few years. You want to make now matter.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. So you will be getting a copy of Lonesome Dove.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm very excited. I particularly love stories like On a Prairie. I love prairie life stories.

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't know that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, they have a very kind of survivalist aspect to them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because so much of the day is just about gathering food.

[Angela Kinsey]

Survival.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. You know, and cooking the food and trading the food. So I love prairie stories, so I think I will enjoy this. Sounds like there's some ranching in there. I'm here for it.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's a lot of ranching, and there's a lot of just life and really interesting characters.

[Jenna Fischer]

If someone drinks coffee, like out of a tin cup over a fire, I'm gonna love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

You're in. And, lady, my last gift for you is to just honor your heart for service. You volunteer. You donate a lot of your time and resources to helping the unhoused people in your area. This is true. You never talk about it. You don't brag about it, but it is a wonderful thing that I know about you. So in honor of your birthday, lady, I made a donation to the Library foundation of Los Angeles.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

You're welcome. I just thought, you know, I want to support this part of you that I love, and. The Library foundation of Los Angeles provides critical support to the Los Angeles public libraries that results in free programs, resources, and services available to millions of adults, children, and youth. And by supporting the Library foundation of Los Angeles, you help transform lives, because your generosity is ensuring that the public library thrives for generations to come.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, that means so much to me. Thank you, guys. Oh, my gosh. You know, what has been so special about this is how very seen and known I feel right now.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm so glad. I'm so glad.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like as we age, birthdays, they just mean different things, you know? And we're not in our let's go out and party birthday phase. No, we're like, let's just be around the people that we love and know us.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Oh, thank you. Thank you, guys.

[Sam Kiefer or Matt Beagle]

Happy birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Happy birthday. All right, now it's time for the call sheet questions with Jenna. You all listening? Know the call Sheet questions. We've talked about them many times. They were the questions on the back of our call sheets while we were working on the set of the office. Kind of a fun way to get to know you. And we're going to ask them to Jenna today. Number one, what was your first entertainment job?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I think I've talked about both of these on the podcast before. So my very first time being paid to act was murder mystery dinner theater in St. Louis, Missouri. And it was in the summer after I graduated from college and I got paid $50 a show. And I did this two person, partially improvised murder mystery dinner theater in the haunted bed and breakfast restaurant where I saw the ghost and all that. But that was truly the very first time someone paid me to perform.

[Angela Kinsey]

Did you have to play multiple characters or were you just one?

[Jenna Fischer]

I played one character. And then the man that I worked with, he played multiple characters. So what was interesting about that was that every time he left the room to change clothes, I had to keep it going. You had to vamp? Yeah, I had to vamp with all the people in the room. Yeah. So I played the lady of the house. It was my dinner party that I was throwing. And then he played Jeeves, the butler. He also played the inspector who came to say that a murder had happened. He also played like my dopey brother who maybe was the murderer, but the murderer was always someone in the room. Cause everybody got a part.

[Angela Kinsey]

And so he must have had different accents and things.

[Jenna Fischer]

And different accents, different costumes. He was very tired at the end of the night.

[Angela Kinsey]

I bet. I bet. I find it so amazing that one, your first paid acting job was theater, which is your true love.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And two, it was a dinner party.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And it was in St. Louis. It was in my hometown, which is really cool to me that I didn't even have to leave in order to get paid to do what I love. And then when I came to Los Angeles, my very first acting jobs were all background work. And I told the story of having to ride the Jurassic park ride for 11 hours to shoot that commercial. And I did background work on the movie Pleasantville with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. That was like a two week job.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's an amazing gig.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you got to wear like the period kind of piece outfit I did.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was a crazy one because there's a scene in the movie where, you know, it's the 1950s and people are necking in the cars. You know, old timing cars. You're like necking. You've Gone parking is what they call it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Making out.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And so they had to sweep past all of these cars of people making out until they got to. I think it was Reese Witherspoon and someone. I can't remember now, but you just got paired up with a person in the background. Like, cool.

[Angela Kinsey]

You were in the car making out.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was in one of the cars. But were you fakie making out? Yeah. Fakey making out, or you just hug, basically. Exactly. But the thing was, everybody wasn't total strangers because we'd all been hanging out in the background for so many weeks. But then it was just kind of funny because they just sort of paired us up with someone. They're like, you're in car A, you're in car B, and this little thing just went past. And I was like, oh, my God, this is so weird.

[Angela Kinsey]

If we watch that scene, will he see your ponytail or something?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I got cut out of it. I don't think I'm in the movie at all. I was all over the place. I was in the background of the soda shop. I was in one of the cars. I would walk down the street. I'm nowhere to be found.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, anyone out there listening that has seen this movie, if you think you spotted Jenna, will you do a screen grab and, like, tag office ladies pod?

[Jenna Fischer]

Incidentally, I had one outfit, so we never changed clothes. So in the soda shop on one day in the car, walking down the street, I'm always in this yellow outfit with a ponytail. So they gave us one piece of wardrobe, and we wore it for two weeks in the background.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, y' all look for Jenna in her yellow outfit. Okay, now question number two. It's a little bit of a buffet. There's three that they list, and usually you just answer one. I'm going to make you answer all three.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Do you speak any other languages?

[Jenna Fischer]

Pour de francais.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, okay. Mais oui. Do you play a musical instrument?

[Jenna Fischer]

I do not.

[Angela Kinsey]

You tinkered with a guitar for a hot second.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

You made me walk through an airport carrying it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I carried it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know, but I had to hold it while you went to the bathroom. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

I thought I was going to play guitar, but then I broke my back on that trick, and I bruised my elbow, and by the time I was healed, I was over the guitar thing. I wish I played the guitar and I learned piano growing up, but I quit too early, so. No. No musical instruments.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's never too late, lady. It's never too late.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel like it's too Late.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, it's too late. Forget it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's too late for me.

[Angela Kinsey]

And do you have a favorite book you've read?

[Jenna Fischer]

This is a tough one.

[Angela Kinsey]

This has got to be such a difficult question for you, because I feel like there's at least once a month where you leave me a message where you're like, angela, this book changed my life.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know, I know. I love every book almost that I read. But I'll say my favorite book that I read last year, that keeps coming up for me and has actually impacted my life, you were talking about some of the work that I do for the unhoused community, which I have done for a long time, but was reinvigorated after reading Demon Copperhead. I absolutely loved that book. And within that book, it's about the struggles of this young man who ends up losing both of his parents, and he's put into foster care, and he's hungry a lot. And along the way in his life, even just thinking about it, he's such a real person to me. Along the way, there are just every once in a while, someone's kind to him and just creates a human moment with him.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's the thing you shared with me, is like giving someone a moment of humanity.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And so that became sort of a goal of mine, is just there's a lot of unhoused people in Los Angeles and just the idea that maybe for a brief moment, if they encounter me, I just create that moment of kindness and offer help and support along with working with some organizations that help with housing and outreach and clothing and things like that. But for me, it's a very personal one on one thing. And it's really due to that book of just the moments when in the book someone would offer him food, and I would just be so happy that someone was kind to him. And I felt it so deeply, I thought, oh, my God, I just. I want to be that for somebody if I can. So that book just is a great book. It's a great story. And if I'm making it sound heavy, one of the amazing things about the narrator of the book, who is the boy is he's funny and he is hopeful. And so it's just a really powerful book and entertaining and easy to read. So I loved it. And now I am reading another of

[Angela Kinsey]

her books, Barbara Kingsoliver.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. I am reading the Poisonwood Bible, which is also just great so far. I mean, I'm 40 pages in, but very excited.

[Angela Kinsey]

Great. Well, I think that's fantastic recommendation. You guys out there Listening. We all need to read it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, it's great.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right. One of my favorite questions, whenever we have a guest, because I'm just so curious about where people love to go in the world. What's a place you've been to that you absolutely loved?

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, I'm going to divide this into domestically and internationally.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, great.

[Jenna Fischer]

Domestically, Oklahoma City and Chicago. Last year, I got to go to both of those cities for different projects.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you got to really live in both of those cities.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Like, you had an Airbnb and you lived there, and you had your market and you met people and your cafes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. I absolutely fell in love with Oklahoma City and the people of Oklahoma City. Their crazy, wackadoodle weather, where it's like an ice storm, and then 36 hours later, it's 78 degrees. I was like, what's happening here? And there's like, tornado sirens going off. And also the people locally, they're like,

[Angela Kinsey]

yep, we love it. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I'm like, I get it. I don't know. There's something about it. You're like. And maybe it's because we live in the perpetual sunshine of Los Angeles, but this idea that the weather could be literally anything tomorrow was very cool and exciting and weird.

[Angela Kinsey]

Exactly. And, you know, my family in North Texas is kind of in that same corridor that Oklahoma City is in, and it brings community together. Cause you're like, yes. A bunch of trees are coming down because of this wind. Okay, everybody, let's. And then, you know, all of a sudden, there's a heat wave, and then it's like, pray for rain. And it's like, you know, you just never know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. But also, the food. The food was so good. Everywhere I went to eat was so good. There was, like, this little taco place near our Airbnb that, I mean, we ordered from constantly. And this ramen place that was so good. But all the restaurants, everywhere we ate was great. Lee had to go back recently, and I was so jealous because I wanted to go with him. He had to do a screening of the movie for the crew.

[Angela Kinsey]

New Year's Rev.

[Jenna Fischer]

New Year's Rev. It's coming out this year. Although I think the name is changing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Once it's final, we can talk about it. But, yeah, he did a screening for the crew, and I was like, oh, my God, are you going to eat here? He was only there for two days. I was like, where are you going to eat? Because the food was so good. And then, of course, I have gone on and on about Chicago. I just fell in love with that city as well.

[Angela Kinsey]

Love Chicago.

[Jenna Fischer]

So those are my domestic loves. And then internationally, I loved Copenhagen.

[Angela Kinsey]

Tell me about Copenhagen. I've never been.

[Jenna Fischer]

It is such a charming city. We went as a family, and in the middle of the city, they have an amusement park called Tivoli Gardens, which, Angela, you would love, because it's also, like, a botanical gardens. And you can buy a ticket just to walk around, or you can buy a ticket that includes R. So I bought the walk around ticket. Lee and the kids bought the one for rides. They've got this old roller coaster that is, like, so old that there's a man that sits in the back and does a break for when you go around. Turns.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Isn't that crazy?

[Angela Kinsey]

He's paying attention that day. Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

But there's also, like, a loop de loop, like, a more modern roller coaster. It's great. I guess it's supposedly the amusement park that Disneyland was originally based on. And I get it, but it's just super cute. But we also went to a soccer game there. A football. Excuse me. Yeah, a football game, which was really cool. And we also rented, like, a little electric boat and brought a picnic dinner out on the canals. And we putted around the canals. But it was great. It's a great walking city. It was just cool. And again, had great food. If you have good food, I'm gonna come to your city to visit. Exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

So tell her where to eat. She'll be there. Okay. Well, I love those answers. And number four is, what do you like to do on the weekends?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I run a small taxi service for two very demanding clients every weekend.

[Angela Kinsey]

Your clients are how old they are?

[Jenna Fischer]

14 and 11. They have a lot of extracurriculars. So truly, when I say I run a car service, you know, I do the scheduling. Which driver? We've got two drivers, me and Lee.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right. So you have two kids with very different interests.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you're driving them all over town.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel like that's all I do all weekend.

[Angela Kinsey]

Half the time on the weekend, you and I trade messages. You're like, well, I'm back in the car.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. All over the city. That's basically my weekend. Every weekend is just shuttling kids to things.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I'm sorry, I think the question is, what do you like to do on the weekends? Not what you actually do on the weekends. You're right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Well, I have been able to carve out sometimes both on Saturday and Sunday, but at least one or the other I sleep in, which I really like. By sleep in, I mean like 8am Maybe 8:30 if I'm lucky. That's kind of cool. And then I get my cup of coffee and I go upstairs to my reading nook and I read my book for a long time. If I get to read during the week, maybe it's only for 15 minutes, but on a weekend, I create the space where I get to just sink into my cozy chair in my little nook at the top of my stairs with my fabulous chairs and my wallpaper.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wallpaper. This nook. Okay, so you've had that house a long time. But y', all, this nook was like that little kind of square off the top of your stairs.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's like a landing. It's next to the linen cabinet.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And for years you're like, wait, I don't know what to do with this space. I don't know what it is. It's not big enough to really put too much in it. And then it just kind of became a catch all a little bit. And then you made it this cozy nook. And lady, it's brought you so much joy.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's where I read now and I love it. It's where I did all my prep for the play. I really like it. It's my quiet spot. So, yeah, that's what I like to do. And I make sure that my weekend, one of the days sometimes both includes that. And I'll sit there from like 8:30 to 10:00'. Clock.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, wow, that's amazing.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then I have to. Then I have to start driving.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, you have to go drive your clients around town.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, last call sheet question. What is your favorite midnight snack?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I think it's cereal. If I'm going to have a snack and I'm interpreting midnight snack as just

[Angela Kinsey]

like 9:00pm yeah, exactly like.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, my midnight.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, we're not up that late anymore.

[Jenna Fischer]

Pre bedtime snack. If I'm gonna get hungry and want to eat something, it's gonna be cereal. And currently I'm into Frosted Mini Wheats.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, really?

[Jenna Fischer]

I know it used to be Lucky Charms, but now Frosted Mini Wheats.

[Angela Kinsey]

Your cereal always has a little punch of sugar in it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It does. It has a punch. But when I was younger and I really did eat things at my two favorites were like a big tub of frozen yogurt or Ben and Jerry's ice cream, or for a very long time I would watch TV and eat easy cheese on top of Wheat Thins.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's hilarious. Well, lady, all of those answers are so authentically you. And you're really fun to hang out with.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, thanks.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, you're a good hang, as they say. Why don't we take a break and when we come back, I think we should have an around the town and then end with an office question of the week.

[Jenna Fischer]

Let's do it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Remember the TV show Jury Duty? Our dear friends Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. This is their show. The first season was Jury Duty. It was amazing. The next one, you guys, I cannot wait. Set in a courtroom in the first installment and a company retreat in the second. Jury Duty presents Company Retreat.

[Jenna Fischer]

And it has taken everything we loved about Jury Duty. The heart, the humor, the celebration of everyday heroes. And it drops it into the most painfully relatable setting imaginable. A corporate retreat.

[Angela Kinsey]

Everyone is in on this except for one person this time.

[Jenna Fischer]

That person is Anthony. He is a real temp hired at Rockin Grandma's Hot Sauce. And Anthony has no idea that the whole company retreat is staged around him. It is workplace comedy meets hidden camera. Unpredictable and authentic in the best way. And by the way, Rock and Grandma's Hot Sauce is real. The hot sauces will be available on Amazon.

[Angela Kinsey]

Watch now on Prime Video. Lady, have you ever invested in something that seemed really amazing at first but then did not live up to the hype?

[Jenna Fischer]

I once got this kind of fancy jacket that looked amazing in the store. But then I wore it out once and I realized it was not comfortable. And now it just lives in my closet collecting dust.

[Angela Kinsey]

LinkedIn has a word for that. Bull spend.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bull spend is when you optimize for numbers that look great. Impressions reach reactions. But then those numbers don' Drive revenue. Invest in what actually looks good to your CFO. LinkedIn ads generate the highest ROAS 121% of all major ad networks. You can reach the right buyers by targeting company, industry, job title and more.

[Angela Kinsey]

So cut the bull. Spend. Advertise on LinkedIn, the network that works for you. Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to LinkedIn.com office.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's LinkedIn.com office. Terms and conditions apply.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know what I love about Chicken of the Sea?

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

I like it. It's tasty and I can grab and go.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know what I like about it?

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Lots of protein.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, exactly.

[Jenna Fischer]

Chicken of the Sea has something for everyone, including an expansive portfolio of tuna, salmon, sardines, and more available in cans and portable packets. I love the portable packets. I have bought the portable packets.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, same here. There's also a new Chicken of the Sea wild caught light tuna with Frank's Redhot. Oh, my gosh. My sons put Frank's redhot on everything. They're gonna love that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Chicken of the Sea tuna packets are portable. They're great for hiking, camping, perfect for office lunches or as a quick snack.

[Angela Kinsey]

To learn more about chicken of the Sea, visit chickenofthesea.com and look out for their products sold in store and online nationwide at MA retailers.

[Jenna Fischer]

Try Chicken of the Sea's new Frank's Red hot tuna packet today.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, Sam, we're back. How about some around the town action around the town?

[Jenna Fischer]

Our first message comes from Julia H. In Connecticut, who said Julia and Sarah, who have been friends since 2016 when they joined the University of Connecticut marching band as clarinet players, celebrated their 28th birthdays. Over the weekend, they hosted a Quote Bob party where their friends, who are also clarinet players, came dressed as characters who would have Bob haircuts. The party also included pizza and ice cream cake for dessert.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is hilarious. I have never heard of a Bob party.

[Jenna Fischer]

Julia, I wish you would have told us who all the Bob haircut people were.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. I wish we had a picture. Like, my first thing I think of is that scene in Fleabag. The sister gets the haircut and she's like, I look like a pencil.

[Jenna Fischer]

I thought, and I don't know if this is a Bob, but I did think of Meryl Streep's character from the Devil Wears Prada. Oh, is that kind of a Bob?

[Angela Kinsey]

That's a sassy Bob, maybe. Or isn't the famous Bob right now

[Jenna Fischer]

your friend Leslie Bibb, her character in White Lotus?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Okay, our next around the town is from Ashley B. In Kent, Ohio. Ashley says hi, Jenna and Angela. The Akron Zoo in Akron, Ohio, threw a 25th birthday party for their tawny frogmouth owl. His name is Buzz and he is one of their animal ambassadors. So he does not have a public exhibit, but you can see the decor, which I think you'll very much enjoy on their social media. Hopefully this link will work.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. It's amazing. It is an owl sitting on his perch, and behind him is a banner that says, it is your birthday.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then there's all the sad balloons, partially like deflated balloons. That is hilarious. Yes, I will share that in stories. Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you for sending that, Ashley. I loved that. And now Alicia W. From Norfolk, Nebraska, says, at the parking lot of our local Chipotle, there is one of those little strips of grass and landscaping. And instead of going around this, people would drive straight through the grass.

[Angela Kinsey]

They would just drive right over the median kind of thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. So to combat this, the owners decided to place a large boulder amongst the landscaping. Unfortunately, we rural Nebraskans are such creatures of habit that not one but. But several cars have actually driven their same route through the landscaping and gotten their vehicle stuck on the rock.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was such a sensation that some people actually created a Facebook group called the Rock of Norfolk and named the Rock Ron for Rock of Norfolk. Ron's group has 5.8 thousand members.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jenna Fischer]

Which is 23% of our town's population. And I counted pictures of five or six different vehicles that got stuck on him. After the drama, they finally added a protective circle of poles around Ron, but you can still go visit him. And he has officially been added to Google Maps as a tourist attraction.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Alicia, we love this story so much, I actually found a news station that covered it there local in Nebraska. And it's really funny. They show all the pictures of the vehicles that have been stuck on this rock, and the rock is big. There's no way you're going to drive right at it and think, I'm going to go over that.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's clearly muscle memory.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

People are not forgetting the rock is there.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's big. Anyway, I'm going to put the news broadcast in our stories. Thank you guys all so much for writing in. I love around the Towns.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, now it's time for our office question of the week.

[Angela Kinsey]

It comes from Phil H. In Spring, Texas, which is right outside of Houston. Phil says the series showed the wedding of Pam and Jim and Dwight and Angela. Was there a reason why the wedding of Michael and Holly was not in an episode of the Office?

[Jenna Fischer]

There is, and it's probably a pretty boring reason, right? Because, man, that would have made a great episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

I would have loved to seen their wedding because, you know, Michael's gonna be bridezilla.

[Jenna Fischer]

You think?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, and I think Holly's just gonna let him have his moment. But I think Michael's gonna have really strong feelings about his wedding day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do you think they would have traded vows, like, in a Yoda voice?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I think they would've for sure written their own vows, which I would

[Jenna Fischer]

have just loved to hear.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mindy. Mindy Kaling. Can we call her and be like, will you write these Right now, so we can read them on the podcast. Yeah. I think at some point in the wedding vows, there would have been some type of, like, accents, character impersonations, things like that.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel like there would have been maybe some, like, princess bride references. Like marriage.

[Angela Kinsey]

Marriage brings us together.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

The holy spigot. Yeah, for sure.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. There just would have been a lot of voices, but a lot of you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I will.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, There you go. But it would have been really joyous. We'll tell you why it didn't happen. It was because, first of all, Steve Carell was no longer under contract with the show. You know, Michael marries Holly somewhere in season eight or nine when he shows up for the finale. You know, it's years later. So that wedding happened off camera. But both Amy and Steve had already left the show and were doing other things. And so we just didn't get to see their wedding. But, man, I so wish that we could have.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, I think he would have had to make Dwight his best man.

[Jenna Fischer]

You think?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

He wouldn't have tried to make, like, Ryan his best man or Danny Cordray or one of the last handsome ones.

[Angela Kinsey]

He would have tried, but I think it would have ended up being Dwight.

[Jenna Fischer]

I do. You do?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Cause he would have taken care of Michael and made sure it was all of Michael's favorite things. But there would have been at least one moment where he went too big and Michael would have been like, damn it, Dwight. I think there might have been a full choir that sings.

[Jenna Fischer]

I could see that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. They would have done the cut the cake thing. And they're both such dorks. The cake theme, what would the cake have been?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, that's a good question.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just all the little touches would have been so fun.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. It's too bad.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, you know what? I think last thing, because now I'm just so excited. Just kind of envisioning the Michael and Hollywood. I think for sure the two of them would have spent weeks working on a choreographed first dance. Yes. That they would have performed for everyone.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. But I also think Michael would have insisted that everybody lift him up on a chair even though it was not a Jewish wedding.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

He would have wanted that tradition.

[Angela Kinsey]

The moment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Because he had seen it in a movie or something.

[Angela Kinsey]

Or they would have, like, entered their reception in like, like a ye olde carriage or something. I was at a wedding one time where the bride and groom entered in a horse drawn carriage. They entered the indoors, like a Cinderella carriage. They entered a ballroom. It was on the first one, horse pulling like a little Cinderella round wrought iron carriage that they sat in.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do I know these people?

[Angela Kinsey]

No. No. This was a huge Dallas, Texas, wedding.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I literally like the big doors open, and then you clip, clap, clip. I was like, what is happening?

[Jenna Fischer]

Am I an old lady? Because when I hear that, I think, oh, what a waste of money. No, you know what? Use that for some good bed linens. Well, you know what? Double up on all your sheets. That's a better way to spend your money on it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Get the good splurge. Get the good towels.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

That carriage.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm like, you'll use the towels forever.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Also, you know the number of mishaps that can happen getting in and out of that carriage in your dress with your fancy shoes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Go get the towels.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're practical ladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

We are. But also, if you want a carriage at your wedding, you do you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, that's right. I don't judge. I just can't relate. It's different.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stitch that on a pillow.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't judge. I just can't relate. It's actually a really great pillow.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hello. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you guys, this has been really great. Thank you. I feel so celebrated. Angela, when your birthday comes up, we're gonna have to do the same thing. You have to answer the call sheet questions now. It was your idea. You started it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay?

[Jenna Fischer]

Now you have to do it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, great. All right, Sam, Matt, when are your birthdays? I'm not the only one doing this.

[Jenna Fischer]

And maybe we'll come up with some tribute to you that's like. I'm thinking maybe tennis related. Do we have to share our favorite tennis moment?

[Angela Kinsey]

Mine was a surprise to you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our shared moment was a surprise, so you have to surprise me.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't want to know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I get to pick my own theme. Lady, you don't get to pick my birthday theme.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay? You pick your theme, and then that will point us in a direction. I like it. Okay, well, thank you, everybody. This was really fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, we'll see you guys next week. We hope you had a great one. Thanks for writing in. We appreciate y' all so much.

[Jenna Fischer]

See you next week. Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey and is produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

Our senior producer is Matt Beagle, and our audio engineer is Sam Kiefer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

[Jenna Fischer]

Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratt. Lady, have you ever invested in something that seemed really amazing at first but then did not live up to the hype.

[Jenna Fischer]

I once got this kind of fancy jacket that looked amazing in the store, but then I wore it out once and I realized it was not comfortable and now it just lives in my closet collecting dust.

[Angela Kinsey]

LinkedIn has a word for that Bull spend.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bullspend is when you optimize for numbers that look great. Impressions reach reactions, but then those numbers don't actually drive revenue. Invest in what actually looks good to your CFO. LinkedIn ads generate the highest ROAS 121% of all major ad networks. You can reach the right buyers by targeting company, industry, job title and more.

[Angela Kinsey]

So cut the bull. Spend advertise on LinkedIn, the network that works for you. Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to LinkedIn.com office that's LinkedIn.com

[Jenna Fischer]

office terms and conditions apply. Lately I have been thinking a lot about choices, but especially about how good it feels when you make a decision that really works for you. Maybe you're committing to a long term goal like saving money for a new car, a future home, a vacation.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's being intentional about your choices and you're just giving yourself the biggest gift because you are planning for your future self and you know that idea of making the right choices for you is something that State Farm really leans into. Prioritizing what matters most and having support along the way. While you're working towards these goals of things that are important to you, the

[Jenna Fischer]

State Farm personal price plan can help you create an affordable price. When you choose to bundle home and auto insurance, you have options to choose from to help best fit your needs.

[Angela Kinsey]

Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with their personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.