Kat Dennings

Summary

Pod Meets World – Kat Dennings (January 28, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this lively and heartfelt episode of Pod Meets World, Danielle Fishel welcomes Kat Dennings for a nostalgia-rich conversation. Together, they explore Kat’s unconventional childhood, her rise to stardom, life in a haunted historic house, obsessions with teen idols, homeschooling, confidence, mental health, and cars— all with characteristic wit and warmth. The episode is an honest, funny, and deeply charming look at the untelevised years behind a Hollywood star, highlighting the shared experiences of growing up awkward, imaginative, and passionate in the pre-internet age.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. First Impressions & Mutual Admiration (05:59–08:46)

• Danielle opens with a playful, glowing introduction of Kat, marveling at her acting achievements and “effortlessly cool” persona.
• Both gush about their instant connection when working together on Shifting Gears.
  • “The love was instant. Look, there are multiple soul mates in this world. You are one of them for me.” – Kat Dennings (06:53)
• Joke about how Hollywood friendships often get derailed by life, but vow to prioritize their “pajama bread cheese hangout.”
  • “You know what never gave me food poisoning? Bread.” – Kat Dennings (09:17)

2. Kat’s Unique Family Dynamics (09:22–13:08)

• Kat is the youngest of five, but due to large age gaps and blended family, only her brother Jeff (7 years older) grew up in the same house. Older siblings felt more like “aunts and uncles.”
• Early life drama: Kat was a notoriously difficult baby—“never slept, had to nurse all the time, couldn’t eat solid food; just nightmare person” (11:02).
  • Humorous explanation for her pale complexion: “My mom was nauseous…could only eat vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream—which, the joke is that this is why I look like this.” – Kat Dennings (12:08)

3. Dreaming and Manifesting: From Attic Walls to Hollywood (16:37–18:39)

• Kat always knew she wanted to act, even before being allowed to watch much TV.
• Engaged with films “as the ultimate make-believe.”
  • “Whatever it was… I just wanted to live in that. And then a movie was the ultimate make believe, dreamy thing.” – Kat Dennings (17:53)

4. Growing Up in a Haunted House – Penn Cottage (19:12–23:07)

• Kat’s childhood home: a historically protected (1695) and “insanely haunted” house.
  • “It was haunted as anything else in the way. It was so haunted.” – Kat Dennings (19:12)
• Annual tours by Historical Society brought strangers through their home.
• Strange phenomena: doors opening/closing, cold spots, and a childhood spent living in the attic like “a real-life Lydia Deetz.”
  • “I, of course, lived in the attic—as if the Omen...” (20:48)

5. Fan Obsessions: Teen Beat, Hanson, and Manifesting Stardom (22:29–26:39)

• Kat’s attic plastered with Teen Beat, Tiger Beat pages, and a Hanson standee.
• Amazingly, she later appeared in a Hanson music video—her proudest career moment. “This is called manifestation, folks… I was vision boarding my life, my ceiling. Isaac’s on my ceiling.” (23:53)
• Credits social media for bridging the gap to her former idols.

6. The Haunted House’s Ghostly Companion (26:39–31:11)

• Kat felt the presence of a benign little boy ghost in her attic, a source of comfort, not fear.
  • “I felt like there was somebody my age up there, because I had all my toys... it didn’t feel creepy.” – Kat Dennings (27:36)
• After they moved, her brother’s visit to the old house (now an Airbnb) was so unsettling they left in the middle of the night.

7. Quirky Hobbies, Homeschooling, and Building Confidence (31:17–36:45)

• Childhood hobbies: writing notebooks inspired by Harriet the Spy; collecting cicada skins and attaching them to herself to scare her mom; performing standup for garden ferns.
  • (“I would do, like, a tight 10 for the ferns, man.” – Kat Dennings, 34:04)
• Homeschooled by a “Montessori for homeschool kids” program.
• Early acting ambitions fueled by her quirky, self-assured nature: “I wasn’t pretty, according to the industry...I was an awkward kid who was very, very confident.” (34:30)
• Parental support, especially from her mom, instilled exceptional self-belief: “She was like, ‘You’re so beautiful, you’re so special, you’re so smart. They don't know what they're talking about.’” (35:52)

8. Open Learning, Authority Issues, and Math Love (40:23–45:22)

• Kat thrived in unstructured, curiosity-driven environments; didn’t mesh with traditional school.
  • “I struggle with authority. Okay. And it’s haunted me my whole life.” (41:48)
• Loved reading and excelled at math—surpassed graduate level before she “needed to.”

9. Teenage Crushes and Fangirling (45:45–51:47)

• Admits to “embarrassingly” boy-crazy years, complete with massive wall posters and meet-and-greets.
  • “I was insane. Boy crazy. Just to the point where it was really embarrassing.” (45:53)
• First real crush: a childhood friend named Paul, who turned out to be Thai royalty.
  • “My first love was a prince.” – Kat Dennings (48:01)
• Danielle’s first crush was Eric, later rediscovered as a Paw Patrol Live choreographer. Both now friends on Instagram.

10. The Baseball Card Moment (51:47–55:32)

• Kat is awed by custom Allen & Ginter baseball cards that Danielle and show writer Morgan Murphy possess.
• Danielle helps Kat get her own trading card made. Later, a fan pulls Kat’s unique “one of one” card during a live Instagram pack opening; Danielle buys it to gift to Kat.
  • “You need to have your own one of one... It’s a very cool thing for you to own forever and to have in your family.” – Danielle Fishel (55:27)

11. Cars, Nostalgia, and Shifting Gears (59:05–66:07)

• Surrounded by vintage and classic cars on the Shifting Gears set, Kat describes her passion for Ford F150s, Broncos, and her mother’s old Mitsubishi Montero.
• Tim Allen, car collector and show co-star, is their guru on all things automotive, and his daughter Katie is the resident car expert on set.
• Both discuss dream cars from their youth and joke about manifesting matching vintage Broncos if Shifting Gears goes 10 seasons.
  • “We’ll buy us matching vintage Broncos when you get 10 years of Shifting Gears. And then we’ll go into, you know, our sitcom together where we’re basically the Golden Girls.” – Danielle Fishel (70:38)

12. If You Could Tell Young Kat Anything (67:07–69:39)

• Kat answers candidly: “Start Zoloft sooner.” (67:07)
  • Both discuss the importance of mental health, medication, and letting go of stigma.
  • “It’s not a depressing thing. It’s a great thing that these things...available to help.” – Kat Dennings (69:27)
• Danielle praises Kat’s authenticity, kindness, and the positive mark she leaves on every project and person.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The love was instant. Look, there are multiple soul mates in this world. You are one of them for me.” – Kat Dennings (06:53)
• “I didn’t sleep through the night ‘til I was very old. I couldn’t eat solid food...just nightmare person.” – Kat Dennings (11:02)
• “My mom was nauseous...could only eat vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream—which, the joke is that this is why I look like this.” – Kat Dennings (12:08)
• “This is called manifestation, folks...I was vision boarding my life, my ceiling. Isaac’s on my ceiling.” – Kat Dennings (23:31)
• “I felt like there was somebody my age up there...it didn’t feel creepy.” – Kat Dennings (27:36)
• “I would do, like, a tight 10 for the ferns, man.” – Kat Dennings (34:04)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:59 — Kat Dennings introduced; instant friendship and mutual admiration with Danielle
• 09:22 — Kat’s unique family dynamics and baby drama
• 16:37 — Acting dreams and creative instincts
• 19:12 — Haunted house tales from Penn Cottage
• 22:29 — Fan obsessions: attic vision boards, Hanson standee, and manifesting dreams
• 26:39 — The ghost in the attic and haunted experiences
• 31:17 — Hobbies, confidence, and homeschooling
• 40:23 — Learning style and education philosophy
• 45:45 — Teenage crushes, fangirling, and first love stories
• 51:47 — Allen & Ginter baseball cards story
• 59:05 — Car nostalgia and Shifting Gears behind-the-scenes
• 67:07 — Advice to her younger self: starting medication and the value of mental health
• 70:38 — Future plans: sitcoms, vintage cars, aging, and lasting friendship

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Tone & Style

• Warm, witty, candid, and vulnerable with plenty of inside jokes, pop culture references, and supportive banter.
• The conversation is friendly and breezy, allowing deeper reflections on confidence, belonging, manifesting dreams, and growing up in the public eye.

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For Listeners

If you haven’t heard the episode, this is a rich peek into the personal world of Kat Dennings—a haunted-house kid turned Hollywood star with geeky confidence, loving parents, ghostly friends, enduring obsessions, and a big heart. Danielle Fishel’s warmth helps unlock moving, hilarious anecdotes and authentic advice for surviving childhood and following your weirdest, wildest dreams.

Transcript

[Kat Dennings]

This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.

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[Danielle Fishel]

A fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we are here to help you keep going further. Capella University what can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more. Hey, this is US Olympic gold medalist.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

Tara Davis Woodhull and I'm US Paralympic.

[Danielle Fishel]

Gold medalist Hunter Woodhull. As athletes, our lives are about having.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

A clear path and a team that.

[Kat Dennings]

You can absolutely trust.

[Danielle Fishel]

So when it came to getting the best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

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[Kat Dennings]

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[Danielle Fishel]

And Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

Conditions and Restrictions.

[Danielle Fishel]

Cigarettes.

[Kat Dennings]

I'll never leave your filthy bed I stay the night and one night be two or three years the kids are not all right but that's okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Cuz no one here is Teen Beat. Hello and welcome to another week of Teen Beat. I'm Danielle Fishel, podcaster, TV director, celebrity ballroom dancer, mother of two and one half of coriand topanga.com, a website made by ABC when I was 18 years old for viewers to RSVP to my fictional televised wedding. And in addition to the website, my entire teenage existence, from 12 to 19 years old, unfolded in front of a live studio audience and millions of viewers at home. Whether it was my first kiss or my first haircut, pop culture saw it all. So now, 30 years later, it's time to turn the tables. My goal here on Teen Beat is to sit down with interesting people who have accomplished interesting things in hopes that learning about their untelevised upbringings will help us understand who they've become. Since their journey through puberty wasn't detailed in issues of TV Guide, the least they can do is share it with me. Now, I gave you my childhood. It's time we hear yours. And this week, I think I found the perfect guest. Like those little gold necklaces that say your name in cursive, she was first seen on Sex and the City, but since that debut, this youngest of five children has never stopped working. Whether it was a scene stealing turn in the 40 year old virgin or the charming rom com lead in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, she quickly became the actress and everyone noticed, so Hollywood responded. She'd appear on TV sets for six seasons as Max Black on the hit CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls. Then, thanks to the Thor movies and WandaVision, she became my favorite part of the Marvel universe. Only behind Baby Groot. Shouts to Baby Groot. Throw in the house, Bunny Dollface, Big Mouth. And her current gig starring alongside the grunting genius of Tim Allen on ABC's Shifting Gears, a show that just return its second season and features more cars than all of the Fast and Furious movies combined. And you've got a bonafide star. Sure, she is effortlessly cool and has the complexion of an 18th century portrait of a Nepo baby, but I have the feeling that deep down, somewhere inside is a cringe, friendly teenager ready to break out and reminisce. Please welcome to the podcast one of my absolute favorite human beings, because keep in mind, Baby Groot is an alien tree. Kat Dennings.

[Kat Dennings]

Wow. I. When I die, will you please eulogize me? I will.

[Danielle Fishel]

I will. But I hope. I hope I die before you.

[Kat Dennings]

No, I refuse. Wow. Thank you. That was. That made me feel very accomplished. Well, you are.

[Danielle Fishel]

You are spectacular. And when we first worked together, I had the honor of directing an episode of Shifting Gears during the first season, and I literally came home to my husband and thought, it's gonna be awkward to tell him that I have fallen in love with Kat Dennings. It's just. It's gonna be awkward. I'm not gonna be. And. And I felt so, like, scary. I was like, no, you don't understand. I want to be her friend for life. Like, I just. I want to spend all my time with her. And then at some point during the week, I just told you that story, and you were like, I had the same conversation with my husband.

[Kat Dennings]

I. The love was instant. Look, there are multiple soul mates in this world. You are one of them for me. Okay, likewise, you're you. For those listening and watching. You know Danielle already. But the light and the beauty emanating from this woman, oh, my gosh. When you stand in front of her, it is crazy. You're so. I mean, you're more than just beautiful, but, like, the beauty is annoyingly intense. It's so unfair.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh. Look who's talking. No, seriously, loveliest.

[Kat Dennings]

And may I say, what a director. What a director you are.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you.

[Kat Dennings]

You obviously grew up doing multicam, but not everyone absorbs.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And not everybody can take, like, the best version of multicam and execute it like that. You're just. You're wonderful. You're wonderful, wonderful person. Gorgeous. It's very unfair. Very.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen, I feel all those exact same ways about you, except you are also an incredibly talented actor, and I don't have that.

[Kat Dennings]

You.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, and I watch. No, I really don't.

[Kat Dennings]

You think.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I'm not. This isn't about me, but I know you are. Everyone, by the way, everyone coming into the show, coming into direct, shifting gears, literally every person on set says, oh, just wait till you Meet Kat.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, boy. And.

[Danielle Fishel]

And just says everyone feels about you the way I feel about you. So it's not shocking that I feel this way about you. You're just, you're a remarkable human being and it's one of the main reasons why I wanted to sit down here and one of the main reasons why I created this podcast so that we could hang out. Good.

[Kat Dennings]

Or what? I'll. I'll create any podcast you want to hang out with you. I mean, we need to just get lunch.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, I know that would be nice.

[Kat Dennings]

We, We. It's. This is how Hollywood is, folks. You meet someone, you, you, you really want to hang out, and then life, jobs, this, that, or in my case, you get the flu and bronchitis 50 times.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly.

[Kat Dennings]

But I'm going to be hanging out with you and get. Prepare yourself.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay?

[Kat Dennings]

I'm.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm prepared. We also, we both love bread too. So we did talk about having a pajama bread cheese hangout.

[Kat Dennings]

You know what never gave me food poisoning? Bread.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, exactly.

[Kat Dennings]

Thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're right. Lettuce. Okay. I want to talk about the fact that you are the baby of five kids.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

This must come with its own set of creating personality traits and hang ups. What is the best thing and what is the worst thing about being the youngest of five?

[Kat Dennings]

Well, the interesting situation with my siblings is that both my parents were married before they got together, so there's a big age gap between me and my siblings. And my dad was 18 years older than my mom.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

So scandal. So my oldest sister Claudia is in her 60s.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, okay.

[Kat Dennings]

So she. So. So my older siblings are in their 50s and early 60s.

[Danielle Fishel]

So you're talking 20 to 30 plus year age difference.

[Kat Dennings]

Yes. So I really grew up just me and my older brother Jeff, who's seven years older. We share the same two parents. It's confusing, but. So my older siblings were more of like aunts and uncle vibes because they were so much older. And so I saw them a lot, but not like in growing up in the same house. So I really never felt like I was the youngest of five in the way that maybe someone would think in the same house as their siblings.

[Danielle Fishel]

That makes sense. So it's probably. Probably wasn't as easy to get away with things. I was imagining five children under one roof and you being the youngest. And. And by the time the parents get to you, they're just exhausted.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, well, that was true. That was true. They. Okay. They. Once I came along, you know, my brother's seven years Older than me. So he's seven. And out comes this little girl who's a nightmare. I mean, like, from what I have been told and what I remember, I was a real tough baby. Like, really? Yeah. So, you know, you think, oh, we've done this a lot of times before. We've got a lot of kids in our life. I'm sure this one will be great. No, I mean, I didn't sleep through the night till I was very old.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

I couldn't eat solid food. I, my, my soft head thing. What is that, Fontanelle?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Collapsed emergency. I got like the flu as an infant. My head collapsed inward and I almost died. I'm fine, guys. I'm fine. So, like, there was a lot of, like, baby drama. Never slept, had a nurse all the time. Couldn't eat food. Just nightmare person.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my goodness.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. And my mom said she was nauseous and barfing every single day of her pregnancy and she could only eat vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream. Which, the joke is that this is why I look like this.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's where you got that gorgeous porcelain skin. It's actually Haagen Dazs ice cream.

[Kat Dennings]

Because both my parents are very dark. Really? And brown eyes, like black hair. Both of them very opposite. Like, I don't know. No one knows what happened. But it could be the ice cream.

[Danielle Fishel]

Could be the ice cream. My mom also ate a lot of ice cream when she was pregnant with me. She used to, she would eat. The only thing she could stomach was Hormel chili from the can and ice and ice cream. So she would eat like family size Hormel chili and then two giant scoops of ice cream that she would walk to the pharmacy to get.

[Kat Dennings]

All the protein is why your hair is so good.

[Danielle Fishel]

There you go. That's probably what it is.

[Kat Dennings]

Probably.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture researchers with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness. It's for getting after life. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P R E M I E R protein.com support.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

For the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously on Public. You can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcasts and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures wasn't that delicious?

[Danielle Fishel]

So good.

[Kat Dennings]

Your bill ladies. I got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I got it.

[Kat Dennings]

Seriously, I insist.

[Danielle Fishel]

I insisted first.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, don't be silly.

[Danielle Fishel]

You don't be silly.

[Kat Dennings]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Rock paper scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Kat Dennings]

Shoot. No. The Wells Fargo ActiveCash Credit Card. Visit wells fargo.comactivecash Terms apply the New.

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, what were you when did you kind of grow out, would you say? When did you grow out of being maybe a Troublesome baby.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, maybe in my 20s. I. Yeah, I. I really like absorbed all of the attention and resources from my parents until I was in my twenties. Really. Till I moved out. I'm. I'm really serious. I was a mess. My brother then became like a super intellectual and went to like an Ivy League college, went to Brown University and like, is a very smart person and I'm like the dumb one who like got all the attention. It's true. It's just, just a fact. Like I'm just stating facts out for him also. But. But yeah, I really like popped out knowing that I wanted to do whatever it was that movies are. Wanted to be in that.

[Danielle Fishel]

How did you know? Did you watch a lot of movies as a young kid?

[Kat Dennings]

Well, the weird thing is I was not allowed to watch TV unless it was like pbs, unless it was like Sherry Lewis and Lambda, Sesame street or whatever. But like, and then we could rent movies from the library back then.

[Danielle Fishel]

Kids, let me tell you about a library.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, you could rent films. Really weird, weird old strange films that I was like obsessed with these random things and whatever it was. Like, I've thought about this a lot because I've seen this with like my little nieces and nephews and stuff. It's like that natural thing for babies and children to want to imagine and like make believe and dream and things like that. And I think I just wanted to. I wanted to live in that because that was like. And then a movie was like the ultimate make believe, dreamy thing that I was like, I don't know what this is, but I gotta, I gotta do it. I'm not sure why it happened so young, but I was like, this is it.

[Danielle Fishel]

You just knew you felt a calling.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I want to get to the fact that you were somehow able to convince your family to move to Hollywood. I want to get to that and how that, what magic you used in order to do that. But before we do, I want to talk about that you grew up, like we all did, in a historically protected house constructed in 1695, rural Pennsylvania. If I had a penny for every time I've heard that. Can you tell our listeners a little something about Penn Cottage?

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, my God, I would love to. First of all, it was haunted as anything else in the way it was so haunted. It's a beautiful. It still is there today because it's not legal to ever demolish it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, a protected home.

[Kat Dennings]

I love it, the Historical Society, because I remember that we moved in and it's just a very lovely Old home. But on the east coast it's not very. It's not like a big deal to live in an old house. You don't really think about it. Right. But there is a stone carved thing that says like 1695 or 90 whatever, insane or that could be on it. And every year the Historical society would do a tour through the house. So. But I. We lived there. So I'd be like eating my like Barbara's Flakes or whatever and reading Calvin and Hobbes. And inward come like 15 little old ladies, like, with pamphlets like what? Like looking at our house like, as if it were like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like, look at this relic.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, so they did that every year. And. And it was just hilarious. And you know it. The walls were like five feet thick. These stones, like, they don't make them like that anymore. Nope. And it was. It was haunted. It was haunted. There were the classics, like, you know, lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you see the door open and close or just hear it?

[Kat Dennings]

No, I saw that there were like places on the stairs that were ice cold. There were. I, of course, lived in the attic as if the Omen and all these movies. I mean, I don't know if there's an attic in the Omen, but there's all these movies. There's an attic for a reason. Like Heat the Ghosts Rise to the Top.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wait, you were like Lydia Deets? Yes, like a real life Lydia Deetz.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, I. Well, listen, now, I did find a photo. You can tell me when the right time to show this photo is. Anytime photo that. That encapsulates my awkward teen.

[Danielle Fishel]

Please, let's see it.

[Kat Dennings]

All right. Now, I lived in the attic and it was very creepy. But speaking of teen beat.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Every time I go to New York for an audition, I would go to the. What's it called? Hudson News.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep, Hudson News.

[Kat Dennings]

Pick up a Team Beat, Tiger Beat, most of which you were in. I would tear out the Jonathan Taylor Thomases and I would tear out the Hansens and I would paper my room with these things. Things.

[Danielle Fishel]

Your attic?

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, this is my room and this is me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my goodness.

[Kat Dennings]

Perhaps you see the Hanson stand.

[Danielle Fishel]

I sure do. My A standee. Yeah, I want.

[Kat Dennings]

Perhaps the children don't know what that is, but I know you do.

[Danielle Fishel]

Of course I do. Great music.

[Kat Dennings]

And I can send you a better res. Photo of this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, we will need to post that.

[Kat Dennings]

And I went there and they had like CDs on that thing. And I was like, hey, hey, listen, what are you. What happens to the standee when you're done. They were like, I don't know. I was like, I am gonna need it. And they were like, all right. And I got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did they just give it to you, or did they charge you for it?

[Kat Dennings]

No, they gave it to me. I think they took pity on me, or they were scared, which I would understand.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're like, I need to take this Hanson standing to my attic.

[Kat Dennings]

I don't know how I got to this, but from the house. But yeah. So I made this terrifying haunted house my own. Let's just say that.

[Danielle Fishel]

How did you then end up in a Hanson music video later on?

[Kat Dennings]

And what.

[Danielle Fishel]

What. What must have that been like for your little brain and your heart to this day?

[Kat Dennings]

It is probably my best. My biggest accomplishment in my career. And I'm not joking.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right? Right. It's a. That's a true statement for you.

[Kat Dennings]

This is called manifestation, folks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep. You're right. You. You were doing the secret before anyone had heard of the secret.

[Kat Dennings]

Secreting that shit since I was. How old? What is this, 11? Yeah. I don't know. Okay. I was Pinteresting before Pinterest. I was vision boarding my life, my ceiling. Isaac's on my ceiling.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that.

[Kat Dennings]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that.

[Kat Dennings]

So, look, I don't know how this happened, but once Twitter rip came along, you could follow these people that you never could have access to. I mean, this is good and bad, as we know. That's very bad. But you could suddenly. You could have access to the thoughts of these people. So, of course, I followed Hanson, Zach, and Isaac or whoever was on there. And I think I had been quite vocal ever since I was doing interviews about how much I loved Hansen. Okay, listen, they're great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, they are.

[Kat Dennings]

I love it. So I had been vocal about how much I loved them many times, and I think two Bro Girls was. Was. Was popular or something at that time. So they. They saw something about it, and I straight up got a dm.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

Taylor Hansen. And he was like, hey, you ever. I was like, yeah, I'll do it for. I will pay you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

I will do anything you want.

[Danielle Fishel]

I will clear the calendar.

[Kat Dennings]

I will. Whatever. Yes. So I got to be in a handsome music video with my friend Nikki Reed, and it was one of the best days of my life. It was so. It was. It was so surreal. And I know that you know this, but, like, when you're a teen, I'm just gonna say girl, because I don't know what it's like to not be that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

You're like, your obsessions are so important.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

Like, my love for Hanson at that time was, was so like, important to me and it, they were a part of my daily existence in a really pure, precious, like, sweet way where.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

You know, so as an adult, you kind of like your brain finally like, closes up or whatever and you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Like, being insane.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Kat Dennings]

Or maybe not, in my case, less. A little less demented. Not, not completely, but like, you know, I don't have obsessed obsessions and I don't feel the obsession that I did as a young kid.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

But something like, opened up in that day where I was fully able to like, close the circle and like, recognize how like, magical and crazy it was that like, this person got to like, be in that music video with them. That's just, it's just nuts. And the fact that I'm sitting here talking to you is also crazy because I watch Boy Meets World religiously. I mean, it was. It's just so weird how these things happen. I mean, it's just, it's. It's weird.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you think I. Thinking back to your. The haunted house, and you talked about the fact that the ghosts were. You saw, you saw doors opening and closing and you were up in the attic and they rise. Do you think that. Do you have like, like a guardian angel ghost who helped you manifest all of your dreams?

[Kat Dennings]

Oh my God. That's so interesting. I wonder. I mean, I felt like specifically, and this is very woo woo everyone, but yeah, in that attic, I felt very much like there was a little boy living up there. And I know it sounds creepy, but it wasn't. It was like a sweet thing because I was a little kid and I felt like there was somebody my age up there because I had all my toys and stuff. And I would say, see? Lock me up. Put me in the padded room.

[Danielle Fishel]

Nope.

[Kat Dennings]

I would see, like I had a dollhouse. And I would see like out of my peripheral, like somebody kneeling, like, looking into it, like playing with it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And it didn't feel creepy. It didn't feel like, scared.

[Danielle Fishel]

You weren't scared. You were just like, oh, there's someone looking in the dollhouse.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. So I felt like the presence of this little boy up there at all times. I don't know what that means, but at a house that old, lots of people died.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

So it was just a sweet thing. And I always. I think I named him. I don't remember what it was, but it was just like, that was like a constant presence.

[Danielle Fishel]

How.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, exactly. So I don't know. That would be very. That would be so amazing. What if it was like Ralph, my ghost Ralph? Like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, well that's what I'm saying. Like have you ever. Now here's. I. Sorry, this. If this is a too woo woo for everyone, then you can just go listen to another podcast. But I love this stuff. Was his name Ralph? No.

[Kat Dennings]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

I thought it was Ralph. Okay. Have you ever felt his presence ever again since after leaving the house? Did you ever feel anything like his presence again? No.

[Kat Dennings]

No. I stayed with the house very much like the, The. The house was contained in itself when we left. I did. However I did feel when we were moving out or when we were leaked because my mom. I would leave to go to LA for my work and come back. And one of the last times we left I felt. I felt aggression towards me. Oh. Or leaving. And maybe I'm reading into it, but like little kids are really tuned into.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

Young people are tuned into like the veil or whatever. And so I felt like there was anger at me for like leaving for long periods.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I don't unfortunately, like I missed that house. It's a wonderful house and I've. I. My brother and his now wife, my sister in law who I love, they went to look at it and found out that it is now a. An Airbnb. Really? So you too can experience the hauntings. I don't know if it still is. I haven't looked it up. But they stayed in it, Danielle.

[Danielle Fishel]

And what did they think?

[Kat Dennings]

Hated it. Left in the middle of the night. Really left under cover of darkness. They were so. And they were staying in the attic. This is so funny. They were staying in the attic. No tea, no shade about the person who owns the house now. But like they were so creeped out and the feeling was so weird in there that they were like, we gotta leave, we gotta get out. And they left in the middle of the night.

[Danielle Fishel]

So that house, if it came on the market, would you buy it and go and think about living there?

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I would feel very much like I could heal. I could heal that. Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's what I'm saying. I think, I think that aggression you felt that last one of the last times you left was probably what your brother and sister in law were feeling, which is like not. It's not you. It's not you. Where is she? Where is she? She was my friend.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I mean, listen, I sound like an insane person and I probably am, so it's fine. But anyone who's like I mean, I feel like a lot of people have felt a weird. Something weird is building. Yes. Just that. It's just that expanded, you know, who knows?

[Danielle Fishel]

Totally. Were friends ever afraid to sleep over?

[Kat Dennings]

No, I didn't tell them anything. Congratulated. I mean, I don't. Oh, God. Well, you know how those sleepovers were. We didn't sleep at all. The lights were on, blazing, like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

Playing Dido at, like, three in the morning, you know?

[Danielle Fishel]

Of course.

[Kat Dennings]

Dido.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. Let's talk about little cat. Did you have any kid hobbies?

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, my God, yes. Well, did you ever read. I feel like we're very close in age and we're very similar, so. Did you ever read Harriet the Spy?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. And all the Nancy Drew books, which is probably a little too old for you.

[Kat Dennings]

No, no, no. Because I inherited my sister's whole Nancy Drew, so I inherited my aunts. Yes. So. Absolutely. So when I read Harriet Spy, I became obsessed with notebooks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

Obsessed. And now still am. This is my office, but it's beautiful. I don't have any work to do, but, like, I have, like, notebooks, and I still, like, every day I come in here and I. Gorgeous notebooks. That was a gift. That wasn't. I write in my little notebook and I hope no one ever sees them. They're pathetic. I'm like, today, I don't know. Hey. Bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

But that's, like, my diary from being a kid. I, first of all felt like I had to. Everyone started with Dear Diary, like, just the most.

[Kat Dennings]

How are you?

[Danielle Fishel]

How are you? Sorry it's been so long since I've written.

[Kat Dennings]

Who.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who.

[Kat Dennings]

What?

[Danielle Fishel]

What is that?

[Kat Dennings]

You're anthropomorphizing. You're feeling guilt. It's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

So it can go very. It could go too far.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. And then it would just be like a real quick recap of, like, oh, I got into a fight with Jamie.

[Kat Dennings]

Sorry. I know. Well, welcome to. Welcome to adult life, kids. So I love to do that. I love to, like, you know, I mean, look, I. We grew up without the Internet.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

And it was a beautiful experience. I mean, I was born with anxiety, so to me, it was also like, well, how are my parents gonna know where I am? How am I gonna know when they're gon pick me up? I'll get it. Like, I didn't like that there was no, like, access. So, like, when cell phones and beepers and whatever happened that, I was happy about that, but without the Internet, I would, you know, go outside. Oh, here's something I like. To do. What a weird kid. You know how cicadas.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, gosh. Where is this going?

[Kat Dennings]

Well, cicadas shed their skins, and they leave these translucent.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you collect cicada skins?

[Kat Dennings]

Well, one of my favorite things to do was to get the cicada skins and attach them to my hair and body and scare my mom.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my God.

[Kat Dennings]

That was hilarious. What's wrong with me?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know, but it's the plot to Silence of the Lambs, so I'm insane.

[Kat Dennings]

I would do that. I would. There was a platform next to the garage that I would do. Stand up for the ferns. I mean, I would do, like, a tight 10.

[Danielle Fishel]

A tight 10 for the Ferns, man. Do you have any of that on video?

[Kat Dennings]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, of course not. The video. Video cameras back then were, like, this big.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, they were. Yeah. I would hang out with the neighbor's cat all day. I was homeschooled. I was. You know. Yeah, there's. We could. We could. We could diagnose me easily from. From this podcast. But, you know, I. I was. I started acting young.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And it was just my life. It was my life. And I was a. I was not cool. I was not pretty, according to the industry I had. You know, I was an awkward kid who was very, very confident.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that.

[Kat Dennings]

Very absurdly confident in myself. And I think that is part of why things worked out in the way that they did. If someone was like, she's not pretty enough, I was like, you're not pretty.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. You obviously don't have eyes.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I was like, what do you mean?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah? I mean, I. Boy, I love that. I think. I think that is just generally the way every kid should be raised. And the feeling every kid should have is like, if you don't like something about me, that's a you problem.

[Kat Dennings]

That's your fault.

[Danielle Fishel]

Has nothing to do with me. And. And I. So therefore don't need to know that opinion. Keep it to yourself. Thank you very much.

[Kat Dennings]

Really. Like, my. My mom, I mean, and my dad, they thought I was great. And I know not. That is not everybody's experience. And some people have a real tough parental situation, and it will affect you for the rest of your life. Which is what therapy and emdrs were.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

But my mom thought I was. Still does. Thought I was the best.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

The most talented kid in the world. The cutest kid in the world. She told me. She was like, you're so beautiful. You're so special. You're so smart. They don't know what they're talking about and I was like, yeah, they know. And it really. But it worked, right? Like I really felt, I felt like I was awesome and, and, and they didn't know what they were talking about. And I think it's funny to think about like a tiny little girl with like enormous buck teeth and like huge frizzy hair. Like Hermione, like real Deal Hermione. Y My teeth were huge. Just the front, just the front ones. And my hair was huge. And I wore like my brother's clothes. We didn't have any money so I wore like thrift store stuff and my brother's. I'd be cool now.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, exactly.

[Kat Dennings]

Back then.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, thrift store stuff and upcycling and vintage is very cool.

[Bowen Yang]

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[Danielle Fishel]

So good.

[Kat Dennings]

Your bill Ladies. I got it. I got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I got it.

[Kat Dennings]

Seriously, I insist.

[Danielle Fishel]

I insisted first.

[Kat Dennings]

Don't be silly.

[Danielle Fishel]

You don't be silly.

[Kat Dennings]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Kat Dennings]

Shoot. No. The Wells Fargo Active cash credit card. Visit wells fargo.com ActiveCash Terms apply.

[Danielle Fishel]

Breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible.

[Kat Dennings]

The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[Kat Dennings]

Let me start by saying it's a great day to be a gray shirt team Rubicon. You know, it truly is a team. Those folks, myself included, all had one desire, which is helping folks in disaster. Trying to be a little bit of hope in a really, really bad situation.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the Ripple Effect.

[Kat Dennings]

It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything.

[Danielle Fishel]

You really can. We give just that nugget of hope helping other people. For some of our gray shirts, it's during a time when they need help.

[Kat Dennings]

And by helping others, it helps them.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Were your parents good at juggling homeschooling? This is a true story. I can barely handle my first graders homework. They're doing new math now and there's things called like factor families and I, I, I, I'm in awe of homeschool parents.

[Kat Dennings]

No, no, my dad, well, my dad had a job, so he wasn't.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, he wasn't involved. Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

He was a scientist, so he had like curing cancer to worry about.

[Danielle Fishel]

My goodness.

[Kat Dennings]

My mom tried. I mean, I went to a program like twice a week for homeschooled kids, which was actually fantastic. It still exists. It's called Open Connections, although now it's called Cupola Academy and it's in Pennsylvania. It was wonderful. It was run by my parents, friends. It sounds, it's sounds a little culty.

[Danielle Fishel]

Uh huh. Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

But it was just, it was like Montessori for homeschool kids. It was like on their beautiful property. They were like, like, sort of like teachers there to supervise and it was just like open play and like, it was great. It really was fantastic. And there was a wonderful dog there named Biscuit. Oh, Biscuit. It was just a nice environment and it was helpful for kids who like, didn't didn't like or couldn't really function. Like, I tried to go to school and I couldn't. I don't know what's wrong with me.

[Danielle Fishel]

When you, you tried to go to like a regular school, traditional school.

[Kat Dennings]

I wanted to go to school in my, like, preteen time. Like, I wanted the school experience. And I struggle with the structure. I mean, surprise. I. I struggle with authority.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

Authority problem. Okay. And it's haunted me my whole life. But. But yeah, I mean, I had a time where I wanted to do that, but the, the homeschooling thing was, was great and the program was good. But when it came to like, okay, now you're gonna do math and English and history and this and that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

My mom tried with me for a long time and it just, There was a point where I was like, listen, lady, get out of the room. I got the textbooks. I have the thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

The sake of our relationship.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Because you. I mean, I'm. I'm 39. When my four year old, five year old. How old? She. She's six. My six year old niece is like, blah, blah, blah, blah. This is what I'm learning at school. I was like, what? She's like, I have no idea what's going on. Ibarra the other day, she was like, it's capybara. Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have a six and a half year old and he comes home with his homework and I'm trying to help him with it and I'm like, I cannot. I thought I had many more years before. I felt like the homework was a problem for me.

[Kat Dennings]

I don't know how you do it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

It's the kids on, well, little Barrett on Shifting Gears. Who plays my daughter who's not so cool anymore. Barrett Margolis is wonderful. She was telling me about what she was doing in school. She was like, I just feel like I'm not going to use any of this when I grow up. I was like, you're not.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, I know.

[Kat Dennings]

I mean, you should pay attention because it's important. But I was like, I don't remember anything. No.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's why the school you were talking about where it was like open play. And even the idea that you had a problem with authority, like, I love that your parents basically raised you instead of being like, this is how you raise children. Like, children are they. They have different ways of expressing, they have different ways of learning. And yeah. If you had spent years forcing yourself to every day go to traditional schooling following the same structure, there's not a soul who meets you and thinks what an uneducated lady you are.

[Kat Dennings]

Like, credit to my parents. They. They worked with. With me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And my mom was a stay at home mom, so it was like. I think if they both worked, it wouldn't have been possible.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. What do you do?

[Kat Dennings]

So she could stay home with me and. And indulge my every whim or whatever. But, like, I learned then to love reading because I wasn't forced to read. And nothing against school. I really think, like, school is amazing for. Lots of personalities really thrive now as an adult. I like structure a lot. When I was a kid, it was just not. I couldn't learn that way. It was too hard for me. And I think my mom was a speech therapist and worked with kids. And I think she also knew that I just wouldn't do well.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And I would suffer mentally.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

She was absolutely right. So credit to her for that. But I did learn then to love. I loved math. I felt like I was good at math. I loved math. I went past the graduate level in math before I. Like, after I needed to. I just went past it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And I just loved reading. I loved Shakespeare. I loved Under Allan Poe. And I could, like, pursue those interests.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

You know, so that was nice. So it did cultivate, like, a lot of passion for me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Even though you were homeschooled, was there ever a time where you were boy crazy?

[Kat Dennings]

Did you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, other than the Hanson and Jonathan Taylor Thomas times.

[Kat Dennings]

I was. And by the way, readers, Readers. Daniel Fishel made my dreams come true on the Shifting Gears Set because Jonathan Taylor Thomas came to visit you.

[Danielle Fishel]

He did? Well, yeah, he came to visit me. And of course it helped that Tim was there.

[Kat Dennings]

But it was another, like, closed circle thing, which was so crazy. Yeah. So I was insane. Boy crazy. Just to the point where it was really embarrassing. Like, I kept so many notebooks and I read them, I'm like, good lord, what is wrong with you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Do all of them end with like, P.S. i love whoever you loved at that time. That's how my name is.

[Kat Dennings]

This misses that. Yeah. So embarrassing. I mean, I was like the kid who. I waited in line at like Macy's for like three hours to do a meet and greet with one of the guys from Roswell. And he was lovely.

[Danielle Fishel]

Good, good.

[Kat Dennings]

Brendan Fair. I don't know where he is now. I haven't checked in. I'm sure he's doing great. I don't know. But I waited in line at that store to meet him and I got a picture with him, and I blew it up. Did you know that you can blow photos up to be, like, 4 by 2ft? I did not, because I found out, and that's what I did. And I hung it in my room.

[Danielle Fishel]

Was it in the attic?

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kat Dennings]

Brendan Fair haunted the attic along with the actual ghost. Poor guy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who. Do you remember who your first in real life crush was?

[Kat Dennings]

I sure do. And you know what? We are friends on Instagram to this day, and I hope he's okay with me shouting him out. I'll. He's. He's. We're. Listen, this is a childhood thing. I think that we were both, like, four. His name was Paul is. He's alive. His name is Paul. It won't say his last name for his bribes. Yeah, he works in fashion now. He's married to a beautiful woman who's a lawyer, who's, like, very smart. And he turned out. I still have, like, a little jewelry box he gave me for my birthday. Our moms were friends. We took French class together. And my mom told me later that Paul was a prince in Thailand. What? So my first love was a prince.

[Bowen Yang]

Wow.

[Kat Dennings]

Paula's. Paul's mom is from Thailand, and apparently she's a princess.

[Danielle Fishel]

She's royalty there.

[Kat Dennings]

So I had no idea. I mean, this kid was the cute. He was so sweet and so cute, and we loved each other so much, and I had the biggest crush on him, and he grew up to be a very handsome man who works in fashion, and he's lovely.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. I love that. My first crush and I are also friends on Instagram, and his name was Eric. And Eric was the cutest boy I had ever seen in my entire life. And he had kind of like Zack Morris hair before there was ever before Zack Morris existed.

[Kat Dennings]

Highlights the blonde.

[Danielle Fishel]

He had blonde hair that was, like, in a wave in the front. It was very popular in 1986, and, oh, my gosh, it was beautiful. And my mom came to school one day to help with, like, you know, it was around Valentine's Day, and they were asking for parent volunteers to help pass out the Valentine's. And so my mom knew that I had this crush on Eric, and one of her responsibilities in the classroom was to take photos. And so I told her before she came, I was like, just please get a picture of Eric alone, because I wanted to print it out and put it in a frame in my room. And then I remember my mom. Like, I have very few memories of being this young, but the memory I have of Watching her go to take the photo of him. And you know that feeling when you're like, everyone knows. It's too obvious. I, like, may I caused a huge seat. I was like, mom. And she, like, turned and looked at me like, what? And I was like, like, I need you over here. And she was like, but I'm. And I was like, it. No one was suspecting of anything. She was just walking around taking pictures. But I was so worried that he was gonna know that she was, like, my personal paparazzo, that it panicked me. But she ended up getting one. And when she printed the photo out, I used to walk home from school, and she taped it to the door that led into the house so that the minute I arrived at the door, his picture was on the door, and I had a white, white ceramic heart picture frame.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah, you did that.

[Danielle Fishel]

His little face fit in.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

And years later, I mean, this is. Jensen and I are married, and somehow it comes up, like, our first crushes. And I say, oh, mine was Eric. And I go, I wonder what he's up to now? And I find him on Instagram, and he was in a Speedo with his husband at. At Burning Man. And I was like, oh. And so then I reached out to my mom and I said, mom, I found Eric on Instagram, and he's married to a man. And my mom said, of course he is. That was very obvious.

[Kat Dennings]

Ah, yes, Eric.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then we went to go see Paw Patrol. Jensen and I with our kids, and Eric was the choreographer of Paw Patrol Live. And we ran into him with his husband, and we got to reunite, and we followed each other, and now. Now we're friends again.

[Kat Dennings]

That's insane.

[Danielle Fishel]

Isn't that crazy?

[Kat Dennings]

That is. Wow. What a hero's journey.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Really? I just.

[Kat Dennings]

The Paw Patrol Live choreography. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did all the choreography for Paw Patrol Live.

[Kat Dennings]

What. What a success.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm so proud of him. So, yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

So awesome. Crushes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Both became like, I know we had good taste. Like, you know, like, that's. Yeah. I'm proud of us.

[Kat Dennings]

Me too. God, how beautiful.

[Danielle Fishel]

So one of the things that. When I saw you on the Shifting Gears set that we talked about was because one of the Shifting Gears writers, Ms. Morgan Murphy, incredibly talented. She is completely obsessed with baseball cards. Collects. She looks through all of them. And Morgan has an Allen and Ginter tops card.

[Kat Dennings]

That's right.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have it. Allan and Ginter tops card. And Morgan and I decided we wanted to bring each other one and sign them for one another. And so you saw us doing this? And you said, what? What is this?

[Kat Dennings]

Where.

[Danielle Fishel]

How did you get these cards? And I said, do you. Would you want one? Would you want to have a card made? And you said, I sure would. And it ended up happening. You now have your very own Alan and Ginter tops card.

[Kat Dennings]

You are my manager. Because you made this happen. Because I didn't. I mean, it blew my mind. First of all, I don't know anything about, like, baseball cards and stuff. My brother's huge into that. Yeah. When I saw that, I was like, wait, how is this possible?

[Danielle Fishel]

Uh huh.

[Kat Dennings]

And then you made the magic happen. Because they got in touch with me and they were like, yep.

[Danielle Fishel]

I reached out to them. I was like, listen, I'm with Kat. Kat needs a card.

[Kat Dennings]

You're my rep. You should get 15%. To be honest. Then they paid me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Because you signed them, right?

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I was like, you're gonna pay me for this? Okay. I'm not gonna argue. And I did it all, like, just, I. I'm. I wanted my brother to think I was cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. And that. Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

And it worked. I think a little bit. He thinks it's hilarious. It is the coolest thing maybe that I've ever seen.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it's pretty amazing. And it's gotten me into baseball cards and my sons are into baseball cards. We like to open packs together. It's been very fun. But I. I bring it up because I stumbled upon a guy on Instagram, actually, who opened a pack of cards live on Instagram, and he had your one of one. So they're all. They're all numbered. And this is one of one. There's only one of these. And he got it and I reached out to him and I said, I need to buy that from you. So I bought your one of one. It's my gift to you. The next time I see you, I'm going to gift this to you.

[Kat Dennings]

You spent money?

[Danielle Fishel]

I did. I had a. You. You need to have your own one of one. Look how beautiful this. This card is.

[Kat Dennings]

Oh, my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank Shout out to Jason, who was so. Oh, like the minute. The minute we reached out and said, can we buy this? And he was like, yeah, why? But you know, why. What do you. What do you want with it? And I said, I would actually like to gift it to Cat. And he said, it's all hers. It's so he. He easily handed it over.

[Kat Dennings]

Shout out.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. So I have this for you the next time I see you.

[Kat Dennings]

Stop. I can't. Mind blowing. Okay, well, what do I do? It's going, it's going on a. I'm gonna wear it like on a little lanyard around.

[Danielle Fishel]

I recommend you get it graded, get it PSA graded. So you send it off, we can actually bring it. I think it's down to Orange County. Maybe I'll get it graded for you. I might, I might do some more work, but I want to have it graded because you want to, you want it to be like a 9 or a 10. You, you got to get it graded. But it's a very cool thing for you to own forever and to have in your family and, and yeah, it's, it's very cool.

[Kat Dennings]

Thank you so much. Thank you to you and Jason. My God.

[Danielle Fishel]

You are welcome.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With a wide variety of flavors, from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. It's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater, cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

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[Danielle Fishel]

So good.

[Kat Dennings]

Your bill, lady. I got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, I got it.

[Kat Dennings]

Seriously, I insist.

[Danielle Fishel]

I insisted first.

[Kat Dennings]

Don't be silly.

[Danielle Fishel]

You don't be silly.

[Kat Dennings]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Kat Dennings]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible.

[Kat Dennings]

The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[Kat Dennings]

Let me start by saying it's a great day to be a gray shirt team Rubicon. You know, it truly is a team. Those folks, myself included, all had one desire, which is helping folks in disaster. Trying to be a little bit of hope in a really, really bad situation.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the Ripple effect.

[Kat Dennings]

It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything.

[Danielle Fishel]

You really can. We give just that nugget of hope helping other people. For some of our gray shirts, it's during a time when they need help.

[Kat Dennings]

And by helping others, it helps them.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now on Shifting Gears, you are famously around some of the most gorgeous cars.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Of all time.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Has it made you want to buy a car from when you were a teenager? And if so, what do you think you'd get?

[Kat Dennings]

It's like you're in my brain. It really is. Yeah. First of all, I've always liked vintage cars, like, because they're beautiful. Every time I asked Tim Allen about a specific car, he's like, don't. Why? He's like, they're so difficult. So you see, if you, if you go on the set of Shifting Gears or I mean, any day, there's like, like four immaculate, beautiful, like mint condition vintage cars that belong to Mallon. And if you ask him about any of them, he just goes. Because what you learn is they require. He has a stat, a staff.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct.

[Kat Dennings]

He Has a staff just for the cars.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Because he has a lot of.

[Kat Dennings]

Got a lot of cars. They require a full time maintenance staff. So he has people who shammy the car. Yep.

[Danielle Fishel]

Drive and start the engines, change the.

[Kat Dennings]

Oil, drive it, they die.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

Okay, so. So he's got a full time nanny staff for these cars, and they seem to be a huge pain in the ass. However, the one. I'll give two answers. The one there that I was very struck. Actually two that I was very struck by. Of ten. One is a Ford F150 from the. From the 50s. It's like beautiful. Like a cartoon of a car. Like bubbly, like rounded. Like a toy. Like a toy come to life. Like every kid's dream is this car. So that one. Yes. He said it's difficult to drive. Yep. A vintage Bronco. That's the dream as an adult.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mine too.

[Kat Dennings]

It's sick.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's got gorgeous.

[Kat Dennings]

What is it? Orange? He's got like a crazy one in there that sometimes in the set. But the vintage Bronco is my, like, dream. And I found this company who does, like, beautifully restored vintage rock. Like, how much could they be? They're like $200,000. Huh.

[Danielle Fishel]

I think I know that place that you're talking about because I also have found that.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. And then I. There's also a Land Rover one, because I also love a vintage Land Rover. Those are hopefully $200,000. Like squeeze me. I know, I know that's not happening. But I mean, maybe. What. Hey, listen, if we get 10 seasons, maybe I'll buy. Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Manifest that.

[Kat Dennings]

I will. But then the car from my childhood that my mom had that I forever thought about was a Mitsubishi Montero. Oh. It was a black Mitsubishi Montero and it was boxy. It had no safety things at all, like nowhere bags. Forget.

[Danielle Fishel]

Nope.

[Kat Dennings]

It was just. It looks. Unfortunately, the only thing that looks like it and is the G Wagon.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Which I don't have. I mean, I would like to get a G Wagon and take off the branding and like, put a Mitsubishi thing on it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Montero.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. There you go. My dreams. I love, like, a boxy vehicle. So the Mitsubishi Montero, I don't think they're. They don't exist anymore. But that was. That was like my childhood car that I just loved. She also had a minivan with, like, the wood. The wood siding on the front.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah, that's great. A minivan with wood siding.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, that. That seems wonderful. How do you think Tim sources his cars? I bet if you told him you wanted A Mitsubishi Montero. One of those staff members might be able to find one for you.

[Kat Dennings]

I think they can do anything. I mean, I won. It was. It might have been after your episode, but there's a storyline where my son Carter, played by Maxwell Simkins once is going to fix up a car with Tim in the show and they didn't have the specific car, so Tim got one. Tim, Him. Tim got it for the show, I'm sure right off. But like he found and purchased this car for the show. I mean he's very like, he's very detail oriented. I think he can find anything. I don't know how these people do it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't. I don't either. I really don't. But I mean, I guess when you are that experienced in that field and you know as many people as you do because you know, over the years he's had to. I mean he knows every. This is not just like he has a purchasing problem. This man knows every single thing about cars.

[Kat Dennings]

He's is. It is his passion.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, it really is.

[Kat Dennings]

It's not a vanity thing. He. It's like a compulsion.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. He has to do it. He has to do it. And his daughter Katie is on set all the time, also an absolute expert.

[Kat Dennings]

She's so awesome and she love her, I don't know her exact title, but she's like the car handler supervisor and she knows everything about cars engineering. She knows whatever the thing is, you can ask any question, she knows the answer. She's really unbelievable.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, she is. And she also dresses really cute and she gets. She's like in cute high heeled boots and jeans and it looks adorable. And then she gets down on the floor and is underneath working on car parts and working on the engine, a.

[Kat Dennings]

Hood, I don't know. And tinker. I mean it's amazing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it's pretty. It's pretty incredible. Yeah. If I were going to get a car, I'm torn because I also love a vintage Bronco is probably my number one. But for like just because I love the way they look and I think they're so beautiful and they're so classic. But like nostalgia wise for me, all I wanted the minute I turned 16, the car I really wanted to buy, I wanted a red Toyota Celica convertible.

[Kat Dennings]

What?

[Danielle Fishel]

And my mom was like, absolutely not. Absolutely not. You're not driving a convertible. I ended up getting a Toyota 4Runner because that's. That she was more comfortable with me driving.

[Kat Dennings]

Was it red?

[Danielle Fishel]

It was not. It was black.

[Kat Dennings]

Okay. It's very Cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

Very cool. Oh, very cool. And I loved that car. I totaled it immediately. But very, very cool. So I think. I think I might have to, like, fulfill. Because, like you said, the vintage Broncos we want, we cannot afford currently. Yeah. Could you just have to choose. Exactly.

[Kat Dennings]

Are you willing to give up?

[Danielle Fishel]

I did ask Tim about a vintage Bronco, and he did exactly what you said. He was like.

[Kat Dennings]

Like, don't do it. Don't you have seven of them?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, exactly. He's like, yeah, I know, but that's me.

[Kat Dennings]

If you really imagine you in a.

[Danielle Fishel]

In a.

[Kat Dennings]

In a car with the thing down with the hair blowing, you gotta live that truth.

[Danielle Fishel]

I do. I have to.

[Kat Dennings]

Have.

[Danielle Fishel]

I. I really do have to. I don't know that I would need to buy it. Maybe I could find one.

[Kat Dennings]

One.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is there, like, a luxury, like, not that that's a luxury car, but, like, is there, like, it's very. Maybe a vintage car rental. That's what. That's what somebody should make, is a rental car company just for cool older cars.

[Kat Dennings]

And then this might well, maybe, like, one of our outings together can be a convertible, like, ride along.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wouldn't that be fun? I would. I would love that.

[Kat Dennings]

I also would love that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, looking back, if you could go back in time and tell young Cat anything, what would you tell her?

[Kat Dennings]

Start Zoloft sooner.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen, I. I could laugh, but I also know how true that feeling is. My husband is medicated for OCD and was in and out of therapy for his life for a very long time. And nothing was working. And he thought. Just thought he was going to be in shambles for the rest of his life. Life until he found the right medication. And had he not been on Fluvoxamine, which is the medication that works for him, if he did not have Fluvoxamine, we would not be able to be married. He would not be able to have children. His entire life would. Was and would be different until he found the right medication.

[Kat Dennings]

So as much as I'm with you, baby.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I.

[Kat Dennings]

It's it. And I'm not. I'm not joking. I know as I said earlier, I've, like, I have had anxiety my whole life. Life.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And I was listening to the Boy Meets World podcast, Pod Meets World Shout out. Great podcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you.

[Kat Dennings]

Because I wanted to start from the beginning because there's so hundreds of episodes, and I know I. I was listening to Will talking about his struggles and stuff, and I really identify with that. And I've. It. It. I thought I'd grow out of It. It.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And I did not. And it only, like, intensified and changed shape as I grew up. And I decided to, like, you know what? Why not? And it is great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Life changing.

[Kat Dennings]

Changing. I tried. I tried changing diet. I tried a lot of actually exercise. Like, strenuous, regular exercise helped a lot. That.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

But who has the time?

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. I know. For Jensen, it was running. Like, he would have to aggressively run. Like, fast. Long runs helped. When. Before he had medication, two children.

[Kat Dennings]

He has a wife. He has, I presume, other things.

[Danielle Fishel]

Multiple jobs. Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah. I mean, to. In order to exercise for your mental health. That much you got. It's your whole day.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Kat Dennings]

And some people can do it. Kim Kardashian could do it. I can't. Yep. So, yeah, that's my answer. It's. It's not a depressing thing. It's like a great. It's a great thing that these things.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Kat Dennings]

Available to help. So, yeah, that's my answer. Start sooner and keep being the confident little weirdo that you are, because it's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Going to definitely pay off. You have such a beautiful life that you have manifested for yourself, and you work with such wonderful people who speak so highly of you. And no matter what job you go to, you leave that job and people go, when can I work with her again like this? There are people, me included, who would jump into a project without knowing a single other thing about it other than just knowing you were involved. I don't. I would just be like, yes, I'm there.

[Kat Dennings]

Dame. Hey, you and me, I watch that. Hey, honestly, unless it's about dancing, I can't dance. Don't.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. We won't do a show together about dancing, but I would chop off an arm to act alongside you in something. I would. I don't know that that would be good for the career.

[Kat Dennings]

Don't do that. Listen, if I can make this happen. Yeah, we can make that happen. I think it'd be pretty easy. Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

That'd be pretty. Okay.

[Kat Dennings]

Done.

[Danielle Fishel]

10. 10 years of shifting gears, then. Then you buy your vintage Bronco. Maybe you buy me one, too. I'm gonna buy. You know, we'll buy us matching vintage Broncos when you get 10 years of shifting gears. And then we'll go into, you know, our sitcom together where we're living together. We're basically the Golden Girls.

[Kat Dennings]

It's basically two Bro Girls. Except also not.

[Danielle Fishel]

Except not bro Broke. I miss.

[Kat Dennings]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love it. There may be a better pitch. We have some time. We have some time to come up with it.

[Kat Dennings]

We have Some time to figure it out. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Maybe just two old girls.

[Kat Dennings]

Yes. No, listen, if, if you haven't aged a day.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, no, no, no. Tell that to all my grays.

[Kat Dennings]

Don't. Oh, yeah. Well, you know what? You don't even want to. Don't even get into it with a grace.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, I can't. I. I literally just did. I washed my hair and as I was blow drying it, I'm like, I. I mean, look at this.

[Kat Dennings]

Can't. It's blonde.

[Danielle Fishel]

Those are all gray. Nope, those are all gray.

[Kat Dennings]

You can't see if you're a dark blonde. You're good. This is. You can't see because we're on the zoom, but there's. They've decided to be right in the front and then under here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Kat Dennings]

I would like to, like. If I went all gray, I'd go with that. Be sick.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's how I feel.

[Kat Dennings]

It's not A little bit is just what it just looks like. I'm balding.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep. That's exactly how, exactly how I feel. But I have. When, when's the time? When do we go all gray? I don't know. I'm not sure when that is.

[Kat Dennings]

I only have sprinklings, but when it happens, I'm gonna let it out.

[Danielle Fishel]

Embrace it.

[Kat Dennings]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Guys, Kat Dennings is just the best, right? You can catch her on Shifting Gears on ABC Wednesday nights at 8, 8, 7 Central and streaming on Hulu the next day. And this Friday we have a bonus episode with Kat. We'll listen to one of our listeners personal stories of childhood embarrassment and learn a bit more about one of my favorite people around. So make sure to subscribe now to the dedicated Teen Beat podcast feed by just searching for Teen Beat on your favorite streaming service and you can share your own embarrassing stories. Just send a voice memo to teenbeatpodmail.com and you might just hear yourself on an upcoming episode. Teen Beat is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram at the end at Teen Beat pod.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Resource with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With the wide variety of flavors, from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. It's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater, cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.

[Public Podcast Advertiser]

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[Danielle Fishel]

It matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night, and we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit [e-mail] or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first.

[Kat Dennings]

First problem of the day is a.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Kat Dennings]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.