The Jenna and Julien Podcast is more than just Youtuber Jenna Marbles and her boyfriend Julien Solomita chatting weekly through microphones. Since its inception, the podcast has taken on a life of its own. It has accrued a dedicated following called the Dink Fam and offers another side to this multi-faceted couple.
I, like many people in their mid-twenties, grew up watching Jenna Marbles on YouTube. She grew to popularity when I was in high school and my friends and I would binge watch her comedy videos while procrastinating on our homework. Through the years, I’ve grown up with Jenna, often circling back to her channel and catching up on her videos when I need a good laugh.
Jenna’s humor and honesty were refreshing, and she has been and still is one of the most unique voices on YouTube today. And while Jenna’s weekly videos keep me entertained when I need something to watch on YouTube, it’s her podcast, that she hosts with her boyfriend Julien Solomita that has become a weekly favorite.
Jenna and Julien spend every week podcasting from their house on any topic that they want, and it’s another breath of fresh air. Their bright personalities are enough to carry the show and keep it compelling and interesting. You can jump in and listen at any time without a specific order and follow along without an issue. The couple records their podcast on audio like a typical podcast, but on top of that they also record video and post their full podcasts on YouTube as well.
Given the fact that both of them have active lives and careers through YouTube, it makes sense to expand the podcast onto two mediums. As a podcast consumer, I started out simply listening to the episodes, but soon graduated and started watching them as well (sometimes even doing both for episodes that I really enjoyed and wanted to enjoy again).
Typical episodes might revolve around playing a game or reading some fan fiction about themselves, bringing on family and friends as guests, or just discussing an issue that they have. Parts of the show are reminiscent of Jenna’s early rants on YouTube, but Julien adds levity and another perspective that’s vital to the chemistry of the show.
The podcast isn’t for everyone, that’s just the nature of comedy and personality, but for people who enjoy Jenna’s channel videos, this gives you another window into Jenna’s life. It’s unscripted, it’s casual, and it feels like you’re just listening to a couple of friends talk for an hour or so every week. The couple, and by proxy the podcast, have their own dedicated fanbase now, and it’s not hard to see how they’ve attracted these fans. Just listen to an episode of the podcast and you’ll be hooked just like the rest of us.
Spodlights
Dink dink dink dink dink dink dink dink dink
I normally skip ads, but DAMN IT, I NEVER EVER SEE IT COMING WHEN JULIEN SEGUES INTO IT. And just for that, I don’t skip and I listen to them.
Nuclear Winter is the best game I’ve ever been introduced to, but it’s not as easy as you’d think to come up with funny choices. I demand a Nuclear Winter 3 episode.
More Mash, more fan fiction episodes, more mad libs, more celebrity trivia!
Jenna’s rant about the censorship and demonetization of YouTube is one of the most intense hours of my life.
Confession: I actually haven’t listened to every episode of the podcast, but it’s because I save some of them for days when I’m feeling particularly down and they really do lift up my spirits.
I desperately want to do a choose your own adventure with someone, but I can’t think of a person who would dedicate as much time to this as Jenna and Julien did.
DJ horn, always DJ horn.
Listen on: YouTube | Soundcloud | Website | iTunes
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