Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Side Dish: More with Wendi McLendon-Covey

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

More of my interview with St. Denis Medical’ star Wendi McLendon-Covey. We get into why she’s never left her hometown of Long Beach, how she met her longtime husband Greg, and we get into the life she lives in her other home, New Orleans. This episode was recorded at De La Nonna in Downtown Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm heading up to Napa, the wine country soon for a little trip. It's me and my in-laws and my kids and some friends, I think, are also joining us. So we actually have a lot of needs. We need a space for a lot of people to stay. We want to be able to cook breakfast in the house. We want to maybe have a few dinners there. We want space for the kids to hang out and play, and we don't want to be too cramps. That's the main thing.

So we're staying at a home. I booked on Airbnb. Every time I stay at one, I'm reminded why I love them so much. It's the thoughtfulness. You walk in and everything's just handled. There are fresh towels that actually match and the heat's already on. And the kitchen has basics you always forgot to pack. And there's a clear note telling you how to work the fireplace so you don't set the place

or yourself on fire. And honestly, I've been thinking about hosting my own home on Airbnb while I'm away on trips, but managing everything seems like a lot to juggle. That's when I turned to Airbnb's co-host network. It's so great. You can partner with a local co-host who can manage everything, messaging guests, styling, making sure check-ins are smooth, all the little touches that make a stay feel effortless. So if you've been thinking about hosting, but all those details feel, you know, overwhelming, A co-host can help you create that. Wow, they really thought of everything feeling without you having to become a full-time innkeeper.

Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. Okay, be honest. You know that thing you've been saying you're going to do for years? I'm going to start therapy. I'm going to look into therapy. I'm going to emotionally process that later. Yeah, yeah, same. For the longest time, I kept putting it off because,

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believer in therapy. It has helped me become a better partner, a better father, a better friend and on, well, on most days, a calmer human being. Whatever challenges you're facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Sessions average about $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0.00. Visit Groth Therapy.com slash D-O-M to get started. That's growththerapy.com slash D-O-M. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Hey, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Here's a little side dish from this week's episode of Dinners on Me.

This week's guest is the hilarious and endlessly talented Wendy McLendon Covey, who you know and love from the Goldbergs, bridesmaids, Reno 9-1-1, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite comedies. And currently, she's on the NBC sitcom, St. Dennis Medical. She made the long trek from Long Beach to downtown L.A. to meet me at Delanona. We get into the comedy instincts that apparently run in her family, the backstory to her 30-year marriage, and her deep love for her home away from home, New Orleans. You drove a bit to get here.

Yeah, that's okay. I mean, I guess you drive a bit to get anywhere because you're in Long Beach? Yeah. Like since you were born? Yes. I went running from Albuquerque, New Mexico. where I was born, like the minute I had an opportunity. He said, I'm 18, goodbye. I was 17.

Really? I went to New York when I was 17. Yeah, got out of there so fast. And you went to New York? New York, yeah. Of course you did. But, I mean, do your parents still live close? Oh my God.

That's one of the reasons I will never leave. I mean, I feel like if I was raised in Long Beach, I might not have left. I mean, it sounds lovely. I've been there. My brother used to live in that area. Well, and everything takes hours of, hours to get to anyway, even if you live within Los Angeles. So you might as well go down there where it's cheaper.

It's cheaper. It's beautiful. You're by the water. Yeah. Property taxes are very civil. You're such a California girl. Very civilized. Yeah.

I know because I was like, well, should we go to Long Beach and like what's the restaurants doing like there? Oh, I love Mexican food. I can't get enough Mexican food in my body. So I would have probably taken you to Luna. Okay. which is around the block, practically from my house, and Target adjacent.

So we would have had a shopping spree. Nice. Nice. Go to CVS, you know, all the greats. I'm very fancy. But I love a cucumber jalapeno margarita. Oh, yeah. That's my weakness.

Refreshing and boozy. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. My brother used to live in that area, and he was in the restaurant business. I can't remember the name of the place

where he used to work, but it was pretty good. Yeah. Was it in, was it near the university? Was it near the water? Was it near? Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And now he's. He's in Chicago. Okay. Well, that's a change. Also a great. Yeah. Food, culinary world. Yeah. And just a great city. Oh, my God. Did you ever live in Chicago? I never did. I've never lived anywhere else. Okay. I did not go away to college. Like, I'm very nerdy when it comes to that. But it's really cute. I've been to Chicago enough to understand why people

absolutely mourn it when they leave. Yeah. It's so friendly. I mean the reason I ask is because it's such like an improviser's like destination. Eric Stone Street lived in Chicago for a while. Yeah. Did you ever do improv with him?

No, I never have. I was a grounding person. Right. Right. But I never, I never did that with Eric. Did you know him at all before you did an episode of Modern Family? No. Uh-uh. Okay. No.

No. I are from very different. I'm from the theater world. Okay. So I like, Eric would always laugh at me because he can do things on rehearsed and like really succeed. I'm like, I need to practice.

Yeah. I like practice. And he would, it is just not how he worked. So he would make fun of me like when I would want to like run things. Like, oh God, we have to run things for Ferguson. But we worked well together.

Yeah, you guys obviously. But it is a definitely different way. Yeah. I mean, like, and he's such a good improviser. Yeah. And so when he would. would start that, I'd be like, well, I'm glad that you are here to, like, lead the way, and I will follow you. But sometimes I felt like I couldn't necessarily always keep up with him,

because he would, he was really good and really fast. It's like, I have to be as sharp as that to, like, you know, be legitimate. Like, it would kind of make me nervous in the beginning of the show and he would improvise. And I'd be like, oh, God, they're going to see that I'm not that great. No one would have ever said that, ever, ever, ever. Yeah, but my inner sabotage Yeah, of course, of course. Now, you do musical theater as well? Listen, I can sing a little bit. I did do musical theater.

I've done a few musicals. I did this one about a spelling bee based in improv. Yes. The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Yes, okay. So that was, you know, a big musical. And then I did On the Town was my very first show, Linner Birdside musical.

But those are kind of the only two, like, big musicals I've ever done. And I'm an okay singer. Okay. But do you wish that you could do more or just do more plays? I'm actually about to go do another play. I love doing theater so much. I would love to do like a big musical. I don't know when that will happen.

I love doing theater, but I've been doing a lot of theater recently and I need to make a paycheck because there's no money in theater. Yeah. Okay. Let me go back to you moving to New York. Yeah. At the tender age of 17? 17.

Yeah. Tell me everything about that because I never, I lived with my parents until I got married. So you moved out to New York. New York. I mean, a big part of it was I was so desperate to get out of New Mexico. Yeah. I didn't have an easy time growing up. So I was like, I want to go, like, first of all, I love Broadway.

Yeah. Like, I would watch the Tony Awards every year. you know, I knew I wanted to somehow make a career in that world. And so going to this place was like, I felt like I was like, it was like my North Star. I was like, this is exactly where I should be going. It is astonishing when I look back on it that I adjusted so effortlessly to that lifestyle because it is such a different city than now of Crooky, New Mexico. It's a hustle.

It's a hustle. I mean, I was in the bubble, the safety of like school. Like I went to a Performing Arts Academy. Okay. So I had, you know, roommates and I had a, like, we were in student housing. Okay, so you lived in the dorms and you didn't just like, take me to the middle of the city and drop me off and I'll figure it out. But yes and no, because the dorms were like, the housing we were in was also, it was part of a regular apartment building. And there were like, it was low income housing.

So it was like half student housing, half low income housing. there were some people who were like you know shifting in the elevators when we go down so like I mean I felt like even in the housing situation was like kind of in the thick of it in New York but I was on the Upper West Side which is a really great neighborhood and I was go to school every day in the Dakota Building which is on 73rd and Broadway you know the Dakota no wait not the Dakota the Ansonia building which is where Bet Midler would do her shows and in the, in the, um,

the spas in the baths. Yeah. Oh, you just moved right into the fairy tale. Yeah. Wow. I know. I know.

But this was also 1994 when I think, you know, it was, it was a lot more affordable to live in New York. But also a lot more dangerous, too. Yeah, they hadn't turned Times Square into Disney.

And all those like, you know, the porn shops were, me and my friends would have this joke where we'd like, if we're in Times Square, together when we walked by like a porn chop or like you know when it was like it was like they would advertise it they have like girls behind booths and stuff right and we'd always say I'm just gonna hop in and get a bite to eat gonna go say hi to mom yeah see if I get my allowance um wow

was a much different different place now for a quick break but don't go away when we come back Wendy tells me about the day job she had during a big chunk of her television career okay be right back reggie I just sold my car online. Let's go, Grandpa. Wait, you did? Yep, on Carvana. Just put in the license plate, answered a few questions, got an offer in minutes. Easier than setting up that new digital picture, frame. You don't say? Yeah, they're even picking it up tomorrow. Talk about fast. Wow, way to go. So about that picture frame. Ah, forget about it. Until Carvana makes one, I'm not interested. Car selling made easy. On Carvana. Pick up these may apply. So on a recent episode, we had Ted

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slash JTF for $35 off your first box of premium wild caught seafood. That's wildalaskan.com slash JTF for $35 off your first order. Thanks to Wild Alaskan Company for sponsoring this episode. And we're back with more dinners on me. Where did you meet, Greg?

In community college. Oh my God. Yeah. In an interpersonal communications class. So we had to demonstrate that we were able to practice active listening. Uh-huh. And language that allows your partner to understand that you are heard and seen and I hear you. So we have to rehearse these conversations.

And we were like the bad kids in the class of like, this is so. bloody stupid. Although it is, we are excellent communicators. Yeah. All right. Yeah, that's how it started. That's how it started. But, um, yeah, he walked in and I was like, I'm gonna know him. Didn't realize I would be married to him, but. Did you date for a long time before getting married? We got engaged after three months, but then three years later, we got married. We had no money. Right. We had no money. So what was, what was, did he have a career? Like, what was his, He, um, what was he wanting to do at that point? He was a graphic designer and like a techie person. So he never finished his degree, didn't need to. And he started working right away. And so he was, he did that for a long time and then worked at the Air Force as a civilian writing code and building databases and stuff like that. And when did you start? Because you were doing editor work for, explain this to me. Yeah. So I worked, um, in the social work department.

Okay. And so kind of the feather in the cap of the social work department of Cal State Long Beach at the time was this scholarly journal that never had more than 500 subscribers because it was so specific, but that's academia for you. So you, this was essays from people in helping professions. Like social work, psychology, you know, disaster, relief, whatever, they would send in their personal experiences and we would publish them. So they were like personal experiences but grounded in theory so that academics

could study all this stuff. All right. And when you get a PhD or a master's or whatever, you have to publish a certain amount. So there's all these scholarly journals, just like the one I worked at, where people can publish their papers. So that's what you're. what this was. It came out four times a year. It was a nice, cushy job, 20 hours a week. They did not care if I came in to the office. I could do it from anywhere. And I did it for 12 years. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Up until you got the Goldbergs. Up until I got the Goldbergs. That's incredible. And then it was like, it was folding anyway. So it kind of dovetailed perfectly with me leaving. but I loved doing it because it was a little bit of security.

And it also was like a nice reminder that what I'm doing is not that important compared to what other people are doing. There are people out there really making a difference. And I am a spoiled performer. You're giving people a lot of joy in a time when they need joy. So there is that. There's that. But I understand what you're saying. Yeah.

I know sometimes it can be. People who are like boots on the ground doing, you know. Sometimes when I'm doing a play, I'm like, I'm wearing a dead person's hair on my head and speaking loudly in front of strangers as another person. Like, what are we doing? What are we doing? Ty Burrell sometimes he and I would get the giggles. We would just catch our eyes.

It would be like a little glint behind our eyes. And what that glint said was like, what are we doing with our lives? And it was always like during a ridiculous scene where we just had something dumb to say. And that glint was like, we are grown men. What are we doing? And it tickled us so much. I love that you said that. I love that you said that.

Because that shows, like, you are very self-aware of how lucky we are. Yes. You know, and I have that feeling when I'm at some dumb thing being interviewed on, you know, like all the Emmy campaign is so stupid. Yes. and when you're talking on a panel. I didn't realize that I was like, oh, campaigning. Like, what is this?

Oh, yeah. If you did something that people liked, you got an award. Yeah, and that is absolutely not how it works. Yeah, you really have to go out and beg. Yeah. And spend a lot of money. So whenever, you know, I'm on a panel of something about, well, what's your process?

Honey, I get up and I do my thing. I don't know. Ask someone who lived through Hurricane Katrina. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just some dipshit that, you know, found some confidence somewhere. And, you know, I don't know. It's very interesting. I think it's very important in this industry to have a self-awareness

and to not take yourself too seriously 100%. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Wendy and I talk about our shared love for the show, Portlandia, She tells me all about her sister's side hustle as the owner of a comedy theater. Okay, be right back. If you're a small business, the right hire can be make or break. It's not just about finding someone talented. It's about finding someone talented who also gets it.

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Hiring? Do it the right way with Indeed. And we're back with more dinners on me. You do date nights occasionally, often? Occasionally. Well, I don't want to... You guys have been married for 500 years. 30 years.

It'll be 30 years in August. So, listen, we're in a good little... rhythm there and we love being at home. Okay, but sometimes, come on, we got to get out of the house. This is pathetic. Yeah, yeah. We have to, and we were supposed to go to New Orleans this weekend. We have the tiniest place in the French Quarter.

How nice. We're supposed to go this weekend and we had to cancel that. So it's like, no, come on. Mm-hmm. Me Ma and Pee Pee-Paw need to have some face time. Good. I'm glad you're doing that. But that, when we go to Nola, it's like,

All right. This is us. Just us. Our 7,000 cats are not here. No one's asking for our attention. Yeah. It's pretty cool. Why did you decide to get a place in New Orleans?

You know what? I went there right when the world was opening back up again. After COVID. After COVID. And I thought, oh, my God. Have I lived here in another life? I've never been. Oh.

I hear it's incredible. It is incredible, but it's the vibe. Yeah. Like, I can tell you places to go, but it's just the vibe of being there and looking at everybody around you. And there's just, like, my hair stands on end when I'm outside in New Orleans. Like, there's just such an energy about it. And every alleyway you turn down, it's like you're going to run into something crazy. Yeah.

And it's just a continual treasure hunt. It's almost like living in the middle of Disneyland. Really? You walk out in the morning and there are... You've been... You know exactly what I'm talking about. There's bands playing all day. There's live music all day.

You can let your freak flag fly and nobody bats an eyelash. The history, the music, the culture, the food. It's one of my favorite places in the world. And the first time you went was after COVID? Just a couple years ago. Really? So then I thought, huh. I want to take Greg. Greg needs to go. And we went. It was 110 degrees, but we had the best time. We had to change our clothes constantly because we were just dripping sweat. And then when we got home, my sister said, hey, my friend is selling a condo in New Orleans if you guys want to check it out. And we thought, yeah, I guess we need to. So we got back on a plane.

And like, so after me only being there twice and Greg only going once, we were like, yes, this is where we want to have a vacation home. I love that. Just resonated so much with us. I mean, when you think vacation, I was somewhere like, you know, on an island somewhere or like Montecito. I love that you've, because I love going to New York. I love New York. And I like the energy of it.

I want to sit with energy. Yeah. You know, I don't want to just like, I love a vacation where I like lay on the beach. But like. But we're albinos. Yeah, exactly. We can't lay on the beach for longer than five minutes. No.

And then it's boring. Not today, melanoma. I'm, you know, it's true. You're not today. Every three months, I'm in the dermatologist. He's scanning my body and burning things off. And, you know, it's just like we've got to. You really, every three months.

I was raised in New Mexico. So it's like the sun really got me when I was younger. So I'm paying a bit of a price now. Interesting. Yeah. My family, they were all water skiers. So they dragged us out to roast in the sun. California, girl.

Yeah. What does your sister do? So my sister is a family therapist. Oh. But she owns a comedy theater in Portland, Oregon, called the Siren Theater. And she does very well with it. So she has two full-time jobs and loves it. Did you ever feel pressure growing up?

Did she have like a real, what your parents would have considered a real job? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And she, you know, she has a master's very successful. scholarly and very independent. So like where I was always afraid to leave home, my sister, like you, was like, I'm out of here. Yeah.

You know, I'm leaving and I'm not coming back. So she has built such a great life up in Portland that it's a great city. It is just a great city and a good city for the arts. Yeah. Because people will show up for whatever weird thing you want to do. And it's a weird city, too. It is a weird city. So did you watch Portlandia when it was on?

I love Portlandia. One of the, I mean, better than S&L for me, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia. Geniuses, yeah. Geniuses. And that is exactly what Portlandians. The bookshop owners? The lesbian bookshop owners?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I watch that show over and over. Yeah, me too. It is so brilliant. Honestly, it's like, I feel the same way about that as I feel with Greenone and I want. I like those, like, weird, quirky improv shows where it's just these whack the new characters. I mean, that was such a brilliant show.

I'm so sad that it's not on anymore, but that's exactly, there are no lies detected in that show. Yeah. But yeah, if you have like, oh, I think I'm going to do Indonesian shadow puppets. I want to make this my career. Go to Portland. Someone will show up. Yeah.

Someone will show up. Yeah. And, you know, and be very happy to watch you. So your sister literally has a comedy theater. comedy theater that she basically started so she could put her own stuff up. When you said comedy theater, do you mean like a place for stand-ups or like a- You can do stand up there? You can do, I mean, the stage is small, but it is, I've seen them do dirty dancing.

No. Yeah, they did a parody of dirty dancing that made me laugh so hard, Jesse, that I thought I would swallow my own face. I couldn't believe how funny. this damn thing was they do a lot of sketch there okay but they also bring in other people and um like do you know pamela day bar i don't know who that is she wrote a book called i'm with the band she's like the original groupie rock groupie she went there and gave like a lecture or whatever people it's a great place to try stuff because it's small yeah so um yeah she gets a lot of I don't think. There's a lot of good drag in Portland. So I don't think they, oh, do they do bingo there sometimes?

I think they do drag bingo sometimes as like a fundraiser. Yeah. But again, people in Portland, they want to be entertained. They're ready to give you that love. Have you ever done anything there? I haven't. Has she asked you? She's asked me. And then again, she likes to do that. things just by the seat of her pants and I'm like I don't know if I can just do that yeah yeah I need rehearsal for that I am an improviser but like I don't want to go and take a shit on my sister's stage you know what I mean um but I'm so impressed with her she's really really funny and how did she get started she saw me having success and she's like excuse me I'm way funnier than you

is she funny oh yeah and dry as a bone And she was on Portlandia once. Yeah, in like the first episode. So she's got an agent. Oh, she asked. Yeah, she, yeah. And again, is a therapist. Right, right, right, right.

So it's nuts. She, she's a worker bee. I love that. I don't know how she does it. Were your parents, are your parents funny? Like, where did the humor come from? So my mom was always a performer, but always just at church. Okay.

But she was all. church. What is, like... So she would sing in several choirs. Okay. She played the piano. They would do plays. Not comedy-driven performer.

Not necessarily. But then she started doing skits at work. She worked at McDonald-Douglas and then Boeing. Okay. So she and all her little friends would, like, get together on the weekends and throw these luncheons for all the workers. And they... I mean, I'd come home and walk into some...

A house full of people laughing. their asses off it. God knows what, you know, all full of inside office jokes. But my mom was always, you know, making us costumes. She knew we were, we like to put on shows and stuff. So she encouraged it. She did. But then when it was time to make it a career, she's like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold up, hold up, hold on. Please don't. Please don't. But yeah, it's her fault. It's totally her phone. Well, I'm just so grateful that, you know. I love that your sister's so funny, too. I don't know anything about her, but I feel like I want to see you two together.

She is a stitch. I'm so, I'm so proud of her. That was a little side dish for my conversation with Wendy McLendon Covey. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet, make sure to check it out on Dinners on Me. This episode of Dinners on Me was recorded at Delano in downtown L.A.'s Arts District. Next week on Dinners On Me, you know him from Scandal and the comeback. which is now back for a third season, it's Dan Bukutinsky.

We'll talk about queer acceptance and his journey from acting to producing alongside Lisa Kudrow and coming back after a decade for the final season of the comeback. 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 Bear engineered this episode.

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