Judge John Hodgman · John Hodgman and Maximum Fun

Oops! All Jello! JJHo Holiday Party 2025

December 31, 2025·1 hr 28 min·5 clips

Judge Hodgman declares pretzel salad a dessert, defying a listener's family tradition.

Good yule opens the docket. Jesse Thorne kicks off the annual Judge John Hodgman holiday party, with the judge answering from Technica House while Maximum Fun headquarters sits in downtown Los Angeles. Jennifer Marmer raises the roof, and the phrase gets exactly the amount of attention this court believes it deserves. Office construction, seasonal greetings, and Arsenio-style celebration all make it into evidence. Jacob Derwin waves at a camera that cannot see him, and Natalina Lopez waits with the promised special delights. The party is split by geography. Los Angeles has Jesse and Jennifer; New York has John, Jacob, and Natty, which apparently counts as a ceremonial office gathering under podcast law. Then Muppet jurisdiction arrives. A bit about quiet anger wanders into Muppet Family Christmas, along with confusion over whether John Denver belongs in that holiday parcel. The judge sorts out the canon. This is the special where the Muppet Show Muppets, Sesame Street Muppets, and Fraggles share the same snowy moral universe. The sweetness nearly gets him. Sesame Street characters caroling at the door almost make him cry, even while he objects to the premise like someone defending workplace boundaries. Jesse offers a softer read. Maybe the Muppet Show colleagues are on a trip, which lets the judge preserve their professional dignity. Carol Spinney comes back through memory. Jennifer recalls the office day when Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird visited after Spinney appeared on Bullseye and brought Oscar along. The verdict softens again. The judge calls Spinney the sweetest man he ever met, then admits Big Bird brings instant tears now. Jello closes the record. A Tom and Jerry mix becomes a cloudy holiday shot with unflavored gelatin, nutmeg, cinnamon, rum, and brandy. It looks questionable but works well enough. The court adjourns woozily. He bites what should not be bitten, feels the spirits arrive, and sends holiday cheer while being both sorry and not sorry that the concoction stayed behind.

As heard by us

A warm, wobbly holiday hang with Muppet feelings, workplace teasing, and a Tom and Jerry Jello shot.

Judge John Hodgman's annual holiday party is exactly the sort of seasonal mess this show knows how to make charming: Jesse Thorne in Los Angeles, Hodgman in New York, office guests on hand, and a Jello-related holiday challenge wobbling in the background.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a holiday office party that spirals into a Muppet debate and wraps with a rum-and-brandy Jello shot.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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