Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Jackie Tohn — on ‘GLOW,’ ‘Nobody Wants This,’ and trusting the timing of it all

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

‘Nobody Wants This’ star Jackie Tohn joins the show. Over plant-based Italian sandwiches, Jackie tells me how early rejection helped her develop her trademark resilience (and sense of humor) and she opens up about the wild ride of her career — from competing on ‘American Idol’ to starring in ‘GLOW’ and becoming a series regular on ‘Nobody Wants This’ with BFF Kristen Bell. Please cast her in ‘The Nanny’ remake. This episode was recorded at Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher in Highland Park in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hi, it's Jesse. Today on the show, you know her as a Netflix regular. As Melrose on Glow and Esther on Nobody Wants This, it's Jackie Tone. A lot of the people in American Idol, I mean, there's an age range. Oh, yeah, you have to be young. It's like 16 to 28. I was the grandma when I was there. I was 28.

And I was like two years off from like some of the youngest kids' moms. I was like, wow, look at it. her growing. Allison, she's really singing well, Alinda. This is Dinner's On Me, and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Jackie Tone is someone I have known for a

very, very long time. I met her first in New York City, I think, when I was doing Spelling Bee and she was doing a show off-Broadway called Utopia. And we have just remained in touch over the past almost two decades. And I have

been such a fan of hers for so long. She's an incredible singer-songwriter. She's absolutely hilarious. She's someone who I've always loved, and I've always wondered, like, when is her big break going to happen? And I really feel like we're living in a moment where Jackie Tone is being discovered by so many people, especially with her incredible performance as Esther on Nobody Wants This. I cannot wait to sit down and catch up and have you all fall in love with my good friend Jackie Tone. Today I'm taking Jackie to one of LA's most intriguing culinary experiments, Maciel's plant-based butcher and deli. It's nestled in Highland Park. We're on a busy street. You can hear cars passing by as I'm waiting for Jackie. It blends Mexican flavor and deli

nostalgia with full vegan craftsmanship. Think house-made meats like pastrami, chorizo, turkeys, hams, cold-cut classics, but they're all made from beans, tofu, and carefully-layered seasonings. More than just sandwiches, it's a neighborhood deli, butcher case, and hangout all rolled into one. You can order a Mexican barbecue short-ripped sandwich, a loaded Italian, or even take-home plant-based meats and dairy-free cheeses by the pound. It feels like the perfect spot for my friend Jackie, who's a Jewish pescatarian slash vegan, from Long Island, but now it's calling Los Angeles home. All right, let's get to the conversation.

You think I looked at this? You think I even took a gander at this? Do you know what you did you get the same thing every time? I mean, I've been here. I love this place more than anything on earth. What do you normally get? I normally do. I've never done one of the hot sandwiches,

but I normally do the colds, and I normally come with someone, and we get two because they're huge, and then you do like a split skis where that way you can have two sandwiches. But if there's something, that you really are into? Which sandwich would you get if it was a cold sandwich? I mean, oh, there's so many goods.

What's your favorite? Is the egg salad, chickpea egg salad? The egg salad is tofu. Really? Yes. I mean, that's not, what's the soup? I have creamy potato leek soup, and you can add chickpea root tons or bacon crumble on it. See what I'm saying?

Yes. I would also say that for the cold sandwiches, the Tuscan, the California. are two really popular sandwiches. Yeah, the sandwiches, it's like if you're here, you have to get. Okay, okay. Yeah, this is my place.

And what I love about it, too, well, like most of the time, I can't really get any, I get a salad, and I'm like, okay, I'll eat something later. But here, it's my domain. So, ha, ha, ha, everyone, you have to eat my vegetarian cold cuts. I mean, they all sound amazing.

Okay, okay. But you do whatever's in your heart. Okay, I'm going to do the Californian. You're not going to regret it. I'm very excited. The Italian just sounds so good to me. I was looking at that one on the Instagram. Well, then if we can do splits skis and do half and half?

Great. Then I'll do the Italian. Italian, yes. Would you guys like any sides, any salads? I mean, you said they're big. Part of me wants to try that soup. Try the soup, let's get the soup, yeah. We'll try the soup.

And I'll do, what are the options? Chickpeer are bacon crumbles? Yeah, you could even do both. Yeah, both, obviously. Do you want french fries? No. I don't eat them, but would eat them with you. Let's get some french fries.

Great, can't wait. This rules. I'm excited. So I was in the car coming here, and I was like, let me listen to some Jackie's music. I'm just going to remind myself, like, what it was. And I kind of, like, expected to, like, not be like, oh, yeah, I vaguely remember this. No, the minute I put on beguiling, I, like, I remembered every single song. I was like, oh, yeah, this song, this song, this song.

And I was, I mean, I was a big fan. But this is the thing that I also was, like, realizing when I was listening to your early music is so much of like your lyrics were like about belief in yourself and like possibility and I'm going to be okay and I believe in myself. And I feel like that has been the case for you because you were a hustler in a way that I was always so impressed. by and you were doing everything, you were doing comedy, you were songwriting, you were performing at Rockwell, you had your hand into so many different pots, and you're like, I'm fucking going to do it. And it took like, I remember when you got onto American Idol. And for me, I was like, oh, I have a friend who's going to win American Idol. Like, that's like my belief level. Like, this is, this is, this is her time. And then it didn't happen. And I feel like, as I was doing

some research and like kind of like because I didn't know a lot about your your history I was like oh my god this has been a thing this has been a thing that's happened to you a lot where you have put in so much work and it hasn't come to fruition or the seed just hasn't sprouted above the soil and I mean when I started watching glow and I saw your face on that I was like fuck yes there's Jackie Tone like she's on my fucking TV like this is it's it's here it's time this is it's go time like this is it and when it was canceled I was like mother fuck oh my god and I loved Glove so much me too I love but now like having this moment with with nobody wants this and so many my friends are are watching it and loving it I watch it I was like oh my god this is this is major and then

I was just looking at your Instagram I was like you're on the carpet of the Emmy Award it's like fuck yes I mean it's just been I don't know I'm taking a lot of like there's a lot of satisfaction I'm taking in your career in your eyes and I like it's fine it feels very

satisfactory to me I'm that's wrong way it feels like satisfying not satisfactory it feels very middle of the road to me you know what's interesting is I'm having an emotional reaction to everything you're saying because I might trade of cry, but because I don't allow myself to,

not that I don't celebrate, because I'm trying to much more than I used to when I was younger and I didn't celebrate anything because it was just like, what's the next? What's the next? I can't celebrate. It's going to get canceled. The thing's going to go away.

It's not going to turn into what I think it will. But I'm like experiencing my own career through your, I was going to say storytelling, but that makes it sound like perception. Perception. And it's like, I was like listening to a story like I was. It was making me tear up.

I was like, this all sounds amazing. And it feels like separate from me in a weird way, but also obviously made me cry so it doesn't feel separate and it hits. Right.

But it's crazy. It's been a no joke journey. Yeah. No joke journey. I started when I was nine. I know. I know. I do look back on a lot of those times

and I'm like, you know, I think a lot of people go their whole lives and they never got a shot. I don't feel that. way. I feel like I got a couple shots, but like then it still didn't, it didn't translate. It didn't, the show didn't get picked, the pilot didn't get picked up. The development deal didn't turn into anything. That showrunner believing in me and writing me something. It didn't,

and so it's like, you know, obviously that that's preferred to sitting there and wanting to live your dreams and twiddling your thumbs and no one's seeing what you're capable of. But there is also a funny mind fuck to like just it never had it's like oh this time surely yeah and then not until i think glow i started glow i was 27 years in the game it's insane i was like yeah i was 30 something and i'd been just like hacking at it yeah going on the long island railroad with my mom to auditions the 90s just craziness yeah Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Jackie shares what it was like to almost land that big break for years.

And the surprisingly candid thing Paula Abdul said about her during her American Idol days. Okay, be right back. All right, the holidays are coming up, which means things are about to get crazy. Between work and family and figuring out who's bringing dessert to Friendsgiving, I'm already stretched a little bit thin. So if I needed to hire someone right now, someone who could actually make my life easier, I'd go straight to Indeed-sponsored jobs.

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day returns, plus free shipping on your order. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash J-T-F to get free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash J-T-F. And we're back with more dinners on me. When I was hearing you talk about development deals, like that's just something that I feel like is sort of a throwback now. Does it even exist anymore? So, I mean, maybe, but not that I've heard of.

Like, it used to be the thing. Like, let's say you were at, like, the Aspen Comedy Festival or JFL, like, almost comedy headhunters would come from, like, the studios and the networks, and they would, like, that's how Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Paul Reiser, Roseanne, you name it, Brett Butler, every single person that had their own comedy show, their own sitcom. In the golden age. In the golden age. Of multi-camera comedy.

Correct. Those people were all, not poached, but like pulled from their stand-up and gotten a development deal. And then a show was created around them. And you think about how many people in that time the show didn't go anywhere. But that happened to me. So I was a teenage stand-up comic. Please. I need to go to bed.

I am 45. I was, I had jokes. I went up. Gotham. My mom schlepped me into the city. And so then Nickelodeon was like, oh, she's a funny teenager. There was that show, all that. They wanted to put me on it. But instead, they loved me so much, Jesse. They gave me my own spinoff. And now this, all that, and now this. Except then our show didn't get picked up. And now I didn't have that my show or all that. And then I had to watch all the other kids on all that and be like, oh,

That could have been me, but they told me they were making me my own thing. So that was my first development deal. And then I had one with Danny Jacobson who created Mad About You and Shoran Roseanne. He put Ryan Reynolds on the map. He did two guys and a girl. And a pizza place, I believe. But it's always been like this absolute, oh my God. How is that happening while this is happening?

Yeah. Oh, my God, thank you. It doesn't want fries. First thing she goes for her. No, thank you. Hell, yuck. Thank you. What's on here?

Mmm, that's what delicious. No, we're pretty upset. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Um, so, oh yeah, development deals, we kind of closed that loop. There were a lot of them. They don't really happen anymore.

And they were, I wouldn't say a blessing and a curse, but they were like, for years of my career, I couldn't go on odd because I was, somebody thought, you, kid, and then it didn't turn into anything. So there would be like a year and a half of that where I would just be like, this 20 year old, I mean, sounds like a dream and it kind of is where you're like, I'm getting paid. It's a dream if it becomes a thing that becomes really exciting. But then like, I did get paid. And then I have like, you know, the argument could be made.

I would have been going on auditions and not booking and I wouldn't have even made money. So you're getting made to do nothing if that was what it was. Right. And so, but I understand like, I really can't deliver that information. like it's a complaint because I see the other side way too clearly of someone being like why you're 20 and you got however many grand to hopefully get a TV show we were all getting no money to hopefully get a TV show right so I but it's still you look at it and I say this a lot about nobody wants this and it's really low hanging but uh this it's this is better yeah it's pretty much what I say this is better than what it was before right being going to the Emmys and having a good time and being on a really rad show with people that I love, definitely better. Yeah.

But also, I mean, I'm for sure better. But I'm also thinking about, you know, what it must feel like in the head of a 20-year-old to have all these people who are in suits that, you know, have offices in high, shiny towers believe in you. And then all of a sudden it's like you're the commodity that has to work out. Like, they have, they invested in you. Tell you how quickly the fruit baskets stopped coming. Yeah.

Like, it doesn't go. No one knows your name. No one knows your number. No one. That dichotomy was harder than most things. Yeah. And it was never more clear than on American Idol. When we got eliminated, you're ushered off the stage.

You don't get to say goodbye to anybody. You have to go into your hotel room. And then someone puts a letter under your door. that tells you where to go downstairs and they time everybody differently because they don't want you seeing or talking to anyone. They give you an opportunity to talk to a psychiatrist and then you're in a shuttle on the way home.

Wow. And you've just been in American Idol world for six months on the phone with producers and calls and music directors and costumes and you think your whole life is going to be, your dreams are finally coming true. Letter under the door. If you want to call the psychiatrist, this is their number.

That's insane. That's insane. Okay. If I hadn't, which is kind of so fucked up, had the childhood that I had, I can't imagine the depression. Because I was really depressed after American Idol. Yeah. Yeah, it's absolutely not natural. I mean, I don't, I'm not surprised that there was a psychiatrist on hand. Especially, you know, a lot of the people in American Idol, I mean, there's an age range. Oh, yeah, you have to be young. It's like 16 to 28. Exactly. Yeah.

I was the grandma when I was there. I was 28. Yeah. And I was like two years off from like some of the youngest kids. moms. Wow. I was like, wow, look at her growing. Allison, she's really singing well, Alinda. She really sounds good.

Oh, it's my turn to go beyond the show. Like, it was very, it was very mommy energy for me over there. I also remember, because you were on American Idol in kind of heyday. The heyday. I mean, it was like the height of the original. 30 million homes a week. Yes, and it was still Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell and Paul Abdul.

and it had been on a long enough that I think people were sort of I could see that they were messing with the formula and they did something really fucked up and weird the year that you were on there was a 36 people that they were looking and instead of taking out like 10 or 10 people they took out basically more than half

to come down to a top 12 and you were in that group that was it was like mass exodus and it just felt I remember Because as someone who was watching for you, I was like, wait, no, there's a mistake. Like, give her another shot. It's why they never did that again. I mean, it was, we always called it a hatchet job.

I mean, it was, it was the worst. It's just not good television. Aside from how heartbreaking it was for me, we've been rooting for these people for so long. And now 24 of them are gone in one episode. They took 36, they took 24 people away. It makes no sense. And so regardless of, again, how awful it was for me, I'm like, this was They never did it again.

They were like, whoops, this wasn't. But you were part of that experiment. I was part of that experiment. Yeah. Which sucked, because I, no way to know, but I feel like if there was a top 24 and it was a normal year. I think you would have been at it.

Me too. I remember, this is like the crazy high to low of this business. Like Paula Abdul was on Jay Leno. Yeah. And they're not supposed to say, like, who of the contestants they like? And he was like, who do you love this year?

And she was like, I love that Jackie Tone. And he straight upset it. And then I went home immediately. Yeah. And I was like, whoa. Yeah. If I recall correctly, you sing, did you sing a Jason Moran song for your auditions? Were you guys together at that point?

No. What? I just liked the song. And I always felt like, does everybody chew on the pod? Like, everyone's chewing. Here, I'll do it with you. You know what I mean? No, Jackie.

People just sit with a food in their mouth and dissolves. No, I mean, like, do they chew and talk? Because there's so much break. There's so much break for, like, how much I have to. to eat. It just dissolves. So Jason and I, we were together from 2001 to 2004.

Okay. And I sang his song on Idol in 08. And what's really crazy is that it wasn't a hit song at all. I just knew it from the record. What was the song again? It was... I'm yours. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it became... It's like... Maybe his number one hit. Ever of all time. It has nothing

to do with me, obviously, but it's not what I'm suggesting. But I'm suggesting... Yes. Yes. What I'm suggesting is the timing was just funny because I remember he called me and it was like, he thanked me. He was like, that was so cool. Thank you. Oh. I remember thinking like, oh.

Yeah, I loved him forever. I feel like, I mean, even just hearing you talk about some of these stories and like these development deals and how things fell into your, you know, lap at that time, like, it was people believing in you. And like, I mean, it's interesting because now with this moment that you're having now with nobody wants this. Um, you know, it's Kristen Bell is an EP on the show. She's a lead character. And I know you guys have been friends for decades, like before she ever really even hit. Oh, yeah. Oh, no, no. Yeah.

I know her from before Veronica Marks. Yeah. And that was her real foray. She was in a play called Snow, directed by this guy, Andy Fickman. Mm-hmm. Fabulous director. I was in Utopia, directed by this fabulous guy, Andy Fickman. at the same time in 2003.

And the cast of Utopia went to Snow, and the cast of Snow, we were supporting each other's shows. And then, of all of that, she and I became friends. And then that was 22 years ago. Wow, it's crazy. Yeah.

That's crazy. What was, I mean... And finally, yeah. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. After the break, Jackie tells me about how a near-death experience on the streets of Los Phila has reignited her friendship with Kristen Bell. And the unexpected story behind landing Esther and nobody wants this. Okay, be right back.

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Kristen, first of all, I, when you have a podcast and no one's heard it, it's kind of the same as like TV. Like, no one's really going to believe in it until they see it. Right. So I was calling all my friends to just like do favor and come on. And so Kristen and I, she was kind of like our same. second guest. Really?

Oh, she's cute. Second or third guest. Horrible personality. Horrible personality. What a drag. Terrible conversationalist. But I sat with her at Little Dom's and we had a wonderful time and then she was sticking around to meet with Steve Levittan who was coming to meet with her to talk about this new show

called Shitsa. Shix, Shiksa. Shiksa. Shiksa. Shiksa. S-H-I-K-S-A. Yep, Shiksa. Which was the original.

title, if nobody wants this. Correct. And she was to decide if she wanted to move forward with this project. How about that? The best. How about that? And so, yeah, they, they, I, as I was getting up, finishing with Kristen, packing up my, my dinner's on me microphones, Steve was walking in.

And I was like, he's like, oh, do you know, Kristen's like, yeah, I literally just had her on my podcast. I love that story. Yeah. Oh, my God, I love that. Yeah, so I was with her, very forest gum. All these little things are happening. Yeah.

You were there, I love. I feel similarly where I'm like, you know that video where Kristen goes on, when she was on Ellen, they played that video for crying over the sloths? I was in the house. And it's just a weird, felt Forrest Gumpy where it was like the world. And that video was years old when she played it. And Dax got a melon, I think, was her name, the sloth to come to the house. And me and Ryan Hansen came and we were in the living room and we were going to surprise her with the sloth. and we were all three of us standing there,

me, Ryan, an animal handler and a sloth named Mellon on like a stick with some fucking sticks and Dax goes in the room to tell her and that's when she gets hysterical and starts crying and it just was such a funny thing all these years later like you're feeling like

oh my God when she went to meet with Steve I was there and I'm like when she wept about the sloth I was there It was weird It's so funny At what point did she say I have a role in this for you in, did you audition? No, she didn't.

Really? At what point? No point. No, not even that hard. Like, basically, she's my wife, and we were on a hike. In Griffith Park? Of course. Not to out her location.

She lives in Griffith Park. She lives in Griffith Park by the there. And funny rewind story, after Jutopia and Snow, I moved to New York to do the show. Jutopia went to New York. It's when I was running into you in the street because before you guys went to Broadway, for Spelling Bee.

For Spelling Bee, we were like right next to, our theaters were right next to each other on 43rd and 9th or something. And so I finally came back to L.A. This was right before American Idol. I'm dating my ex-boyfriend Kyle. and we're driving down Los Fields Boulevard and some fucking lunatics

on like a, I don't know what they're called, a four-wheeler. Uh-huh. Come speeding off the hill of Griffith Park across four lanes of traffic into a driveway and comes through a screeching halt and I'm like, those fucking people almost killed us.

That's Kristen with that guy from Punked? I was gonna say it was probably was Dax driving. It was Kristen and Dax. Oh my God. Driving to Dax's house where he used to live. And I called her and I was like, you and the dude from Punk

almost just killed me. and my boyfriend, and she was like, hi, come over. I haven't seen you in forever. And that in 2008 was the rekindling, and then from then, we really were. And so had they just started dating at that point? Just. Oh, my God. And he was like showing her the cool.

Mm-hmm. Trying to impress her. Truly, if I was on a date with someone and they did that, cartoon birds would come and sew my pussy closed, but somehow it did it for her. And God bless. I would say, you just put our lives in danger. I don't quite think so. She said,

Now she loved it. She went the opposite way. We are different people. It's so funny. They are kind of perfect for each other. They're really angel. Oh my God. Okay, so wait.

So she didn't have this role in mind for you. Correct. And obviously there must have been at some point where she's like, what about my friend Jackie Tone? What? Okay. So I don't want to, I'm not like demon. I'm just saying that that didn't happen.

So what happened was the reason I was bringing this whole Griffith Park story up was because she and I went on a hike. We come back to the house, and she's, like, very not, she's not a very, like, talk about her career person. Like, she's got so much going on in life, and she just, you know. So, first time, we come back from a hike. It's before the writer's strike. She is like, oh, I have a Zoom.

I got to go. I got to go. I have a Zoom. She gets on this FaceTime, and it's with Steve Levittan and Aaron Foster and after our hike. And she's like, wait, wait, come here two seconds. Come here two seconds. I'm working, Steve, Aaron, everybody.

This is, oh, Jeff. This is Jackie. I'm like, what's up, you guys? And she's like, we're talking about who would be a good rabbi for this Shixa show. And I was like, okay. I mean, I know they already had their list. But I said, babies, you came to the right place. Let me pull up a chair.

What are we going to? I go, are we looking Adam Pally? Are we thinking Adam Brody? or we're going more of a Max Greenfield to see a little bit out of range? All I think about is what hot Jew men could be like, my love interest in something. By the way, like my dream board.

It's basically like me pouring down my dream board of all the guys I had questions on. 100%. So I was like giving them all these names. I went into my phone because I literally had a doc. Well, I wrote a movie and I already made like a hot my age Jew man list. And I was like, okay, do we have? And I had some like randoms.

Skylar Asson's a little younger, but I feel like it could be, you know, all the things. But we all, from jump, everyone was like, it's Adam Brody. And then we can figure out the rest of the list if it's not Adam Brody, but it's, it's Adam Brody. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good night. That's where everyone wanted. And then I left. And then there was the strike.

And that was it. Right. And that was then in truly November after the strike, I get an audition for a show called Shiksa to read for the Rebecca role, which is Adam's X. Right. And then I call Kristen. And I'm like, oh my God, I just got an audition for your show for this Rebecca role. And she goes, no, no, no, no, no.

And now she's... She's involved. Now she's like, no, no, no, no. There's like a cunt sister-in-law. Let's wait till those sides drop and then audition for that. So then I call my team, which I haven't worked in years. So I don't exactly have winded my sales to call my agent and be like, I'm going to hold off.

I'm going to hold off for another role. they're like but I told them I'm at Kristen's she says told she goes and she's very cool like this she's like tell them I said yeah yeah yeah yeah chills so I call my agent I'm like Kristen really thinks that I should read for Esther and so I'm gonna wait and they were like okay and so I made a tape in my kitchen with my boyfriend sent it in and then didn't hear anything in November didn't hear anything for December I didn't find out. My manager at the time called me after New Year's and was like, uh, talk to your literal best friend about this acting job. And I was like,

no, I'm not going to make it weird. I'm not going to go to her house for dinner. Was there any feedback after you had gone in that? I knew that they liked the tape and that the tape went on to producers. Okay. But also it's like,

person's not choosing who's on this show. She's one person amongst Aaron Foster. Steve Levitate. She's one person among studio, network, Netflix, 20th. Yeah. People need to agree on who they like the best. And it was really nice because we were, I didn't know this,

but I was on a panel with Kristen and Aaron and a bunch of the cast a couple months ago. And Aaron told the story from her POV. And she was like, when I heard that Kristen's best friend was sending in a tape for Esther, I was like, fucking kill me. Because we're going to like have to at least consider her. I mean, we're not going to hire her, nor would we have to, but we're going to have to at least, like, play along about, and then we watched the tape, and we were like, oh, it is her. And it made me feel really, my little chills. It made me feel really good.

She was like, everybody looked at each other, and they were like, oh, yeah, that's her. That's her. That's her. And this time I was like, it's me. Please, like, let it be. And then here we are. And then it became more and more and more, I had more and more to do, which was also so fun and flattering. to show yourself to the character and the cast and then the writers and then they start writing for you and it becomes like it takes on it's a whole thing you know i steve irkled him

yeah i was supposed to be a guest star and i said well i my mother has a different idea my mother's opinion is that i should be on it more now what do you think about that i have to also check myself sometimes because it's like you can't be on a hit show for two years and then continue posting on Instagram like somebody pinch me it's like you're doing it you're not you know what I mean Kristen even said to me she's like stop with the it's we we get it you're grateful yeah I mean but it's okay to have those moments where you feel I remember when I was shooting a scene in a modern family we used part of the lot for our backyard and it happened to me next to this building where I had had some of my worst auditions of my life in like I remember failing miserably in this in this in this casting office it's not like the casting director that i had this

horrible audition for was was still in the room but i remember seeing the building and it was right next in fact the building might have even acted as like one of the walls of our on the fox oh of course and so i remember shooting this scene in this backyard that they'd erected and basically you know the parking lot that they made it look like our backyard right and i was underneath the window of this space where I had failed so miserably for so many years and had was traumatized. I was traumatized. I was like, I love that I now am reclaiming the space and I happen to be like I've multiple Emmy Award nominee on this huge shit show. And I'm playing scenes under the window that like I used to fail behind.

And I just, I feel like when I, yeah, yeah. Multiple Emmy nominee. So I shit the. bed for that one episode of Grays. I'm obsessed. I have such a, I have such a, like, a similar story for you. Yeah. So I had a, um, so I had development,

you know, development, do, do, da, da, da, da. And then when I was 24, I tried out for a mid-season replacement show called regular Joe. And it was starring Daniel Stern, the greatest, Judd Hirsch, the greatest. and it created by David Litt, who created King of Queens. I auditioned for the show, and they had fired everyone from the pilot, but it got picked up to mid-season. I auditioned.

They fired the girl from the pilot. I'm at the screen test, and I talk to this girl. She's delicious, and we've become friendly, and she was like, you know what's really crazy? I did the pilot, but they are making me, they fired me, and I'm re-auditioning for this part with you. And I'm like, you're joking. And she was like, let's see what happens.

This business is crazy. She was so cool. I book it. I book this series, this mid-season replacement. I show up to CBS Radford, where I have my picture for the first time on my little ID card, pull up to the gate, it's up my guy, you know, my shit doesn't sing. And they had told me to come, and it was like weird energy, and there was upfronts the night before. Nobody went.

And I was like, what's happening here? and I go to pull into my spot to drop my parents off so I could go meet with the producers and a man is paint rolling my name off my parking space. Oh my God. And he was paint rolling Jackie Tone off my spot. Wow. And I was like, what's going on?

Drop my parents off. I went over to, oh no, kept my parents in the car, backed out, went over to the executives. I was freaking out. I'm like, what the fuck is going on? And they were like, well, that's, certainly wasn't the way we wanted you to find out. Another version of, oh, my God, it's happening.

Yes. And then it didn't happen. I find out that day I've been fired and replaced with the girl I ran into at the audition, who they fired from the pilot, who they made re-audition for her own role, that she didn't book, I booked. Now I'm fired. She's replacing me. Oh, my God.

So then when we had our table read for season one of Nobody Wants This, there. Oh, you had it. So I, CBS Radford. So I pull onto the lot and I'm like, Oh my God. I'm reclaiming my time. May I please reclaim my time? Absolutely wild.

But walk me through a little bit just like how, what it was like, I mean, obviously you and Kristen are good friends. And I know you also, didn't you, you lived with, was it Jessica Beal like at the beginning of your time here in L.A.? Gross in the face and the body, but otherwise she's got it going. on yucky but like to be surrounded by people who are you know it's crazy making things happen

that's sort of what i felt like before when i was saying the forest gump thing i'm like oh there's so many like weird and wild things i've like been right like truly you see the picture and i'm just i'm like right out of frame yeah um i don't know why i said that you would ask something about i was just talking about like like oh jessie beale yeah i was like a young up-and-coming actor and we were best friends and i lived with her and it was just like i was fucking pumped for her. She's the best. But it was just very interesting. Like, for example,

we would like practice lines for her for a movie she was doing. And she'd be like, how would you say this? And then I'd give her like an exact line reading and then I couldn't even get an audition. But I'm like, I'm not coaching, but I'm like suggesting a funny, quippy way to say something to a movie star.

But like, I don't have two nickels to rub together. Right, right. It was like a weird. Yeah, Eric Stone Street has a really interesting story that I don't, I mean, I love the story. It's his story to tell, but, like, I think it's so fantastic. He was helping a friend put themselves on tape for Modern Family, and he was just reading behind the camera. And he was like, God, I really resonate with this part. And he was asking his agents if he could get an audition for it. And they were just, like, not interested in seeing him. And, you know, obviously,

we know how that worked out. He ended up getting the role. But, like, the first time he even saw the sides was he was putting his friend on tape. And he was just reading, I think my lines as Mitchell off camera, you know, it's, it's wild. I know. How did it, do we know how he'd end up getting in? I think it was just perseverance. And like, I think they also were, you know, seeing so many different types of people. I think that they were at one point, like, let's just open the floodgates up and like, see more people, see more types and see what comes through.

And there was just chemistry between the two of us. So like, it worked out. But like, I know it's not an immediate, yes. That is wild. Yeah. when you're talking about auditions with with Glow were you asked if you wrestled?

I mean, there was so much physicality in that. You know, it was fun about Glow. It was, you know, how many times in my life and career I've just bold-faced lied on an audition? Oh, I've done it. Like, I remember my old agent Aggie Gold at Fresh Faces Agency in Baldwin, Long Island. You have to say all of it, you know?

I can't just say it. She was the best. and I booked a job where I had to rollerblade because she told them I was like a great rollerblader and then I had to learn at a rollerblade she told the people on Sesame Street that I was a pogo sticker so I had to learn at a pogo stick I did it alone at my house

where my parents weren't home broke my nose fell flat on the marble my neighbor Salvinty came over and my nose was crooked and he squeezed the bridge of my nose he's like you're gonna be fine your parents will be home in an hour you're gonna be fine he left fully had broken knows. It healed. They had to do cover up on me when I was on Sesame Street. Thank you.

And then talk about lying on a resume. She was like, she can do it all. There's nothing she can't do, except Rollerblade and Pogo Stick. But so it was just my childhood happening again when Jen Euston was like, although I didn't really lie that much. I sort of played the, because a bit, part of the bit in Glow is that the girls, Melrose is a music video girl. She's obviously not a wrestler. Right. So to have to learn to wrestle in real time as Jackie and... Correct.

Yeah. But I did say that I was like super athletic. I'm like, I was not. And so, yeah, it was just in a long line of me just being like, what do I need to say to get the gig? I'll figure it out later. And then we did do four weeks of wrestling training before every season. These are good cold. Yeah, they are good.

They're delicious. They're almost sweet. They are. Wow. Yeah. Are you so proud of your girlfriend, R Usher, for the... For what she did with the sag after strike? I love her.

Do you guys keep in touch? No, but I keep in touch with her ex-husband, who was the co-creator of the nanny, Peter, just through Instagram, and he's the cutest and they're delicious. And my dream to this day, if anyone ever asks me, like, what's the ultimate goal? It's to be the nanny, so I don't, it's still. You're kind of on your way.

To be, like, to come down the stairs and the fun outfits on a multi-cam. Yeah. Aren't they making the nanny? Am I making that up? They're not, right? I think they were maybe, I heard, like, for a moment Rachel Bloom was talking about, like, a Broadway version. Right, maybe that's what I was, like, bending over every desk in the city, tell me.

If that ever happens, it's absolutely you. That's a great idea. The Nanny, the Musical? Who do we know? Can you imagine you just, okay, you put this out in the universe. All you want to do is walk down a set of stairs on those fabulous costumes. It's going to be on Broadway. That's how you're making a big year.

Oh, Mr. Sheffield. Oh, what's Cece's saying? now. Come on. Come on. And then a nanny who could sing? Yes. Yeah. Well, she was working. I was rushing things. Oh, my God. It seems like a no-brainer, but you know how these things work.

No. They're like young people? I don't know. You're fresh. You're young. Oh, my God. Tell that to my eggs. I know. Just kidding. They're on a little. No, they're right. It's going to happen. I adore you. I'm so happy you did this.

This was the greatest. I got this ask and it was like, I put on my rocket boots. I was like, today? Now, where do I go? How do I see him? I fucking could not wait. I love you.

And you know what? All of this, all this is on me. Dinner's on me. Wow. Funny, I didn't even bring a wallet. So I had a feeling. Thank you.

You don't have one in the back seat of her. Giles, bring my wallet around. Giles, hide my credit card. I don't want. This is not, Jesse, do know I have money. This episode of Dinner's On Me was recorded at Maasiel's plant-based butcher in Delhi in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Next week on Dinner's On Me, you know who are Susan Meyer and Desperate Housewives. It's Terry Hatcher.

We'll discuss her earlier as growing up in Silicon Valley and how she's trying new things in her career and being a total badass. like trying stand-up comedy. And we'll get into her new rewatch podcast, desperately devoted. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinner's On Me Plus. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free.

Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinner's On Me is a production of Sony music entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode.

Hans Dale She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balanced Kalasni and Justin McKita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week. Thank you.