TEASER: Members Only Mailbag September 2026

It's time for a new Members Only Mailbag episode! Judge John Hodgman and Producer Jennifer Marmor have so much to yap about! Here's a little bit of their chat. For the whole thing, check your bonus feed! Or, if you're not yet a member, it's so easy to join Maximum Fun! Just go to maximumfun.org/joinjjho. It takes just a minute to become a $5/month member! Once you do, you'll be able to listen to this month's episode as well as the rest of our Members Only content! Thank you for supporting Maximum Fun and helping us keep making the show! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

It's time to clear the docket! And we have a BRAND NEW GAVEL to help! Thanks to Nick Offerman, Offerman Woodshop, and project Manager Maddy Morrison for our beautiful new gavel. This Court has never been more ready to dispense justice! What do you do with your mother-in-law’s bag of mangoes? Is it okay to talk trash while playing video games, as long as it’s to internet strangers? Plus, disputes about gavels and woodworking!We’re still looking for all your turn-of-the-season disputes! Are you excited for football, and your housemates aren’t? Do you love going apple picking, but your family thinks it’s boring? And what about school? We’re here to solve your problems, be they small or… smaller. Submit yours at maximumfun.org/jjho.Become a member at just $5 a month for exclusive bonus content, or join us at $10 a month for access to an AD-FREE Feed! Thank you so much for continuing to make our show possible. Join us directly here: maximumfun.org/joinjjhoThere’s a chill in the air, which means more opportunities to wear your Judge John Hodgman branded sweatpants! Get your hats, mugs, clothing, and more, at: maxfunstore.com ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Leora brings the case against her husband, Sam. Sam once brought home a SURPRISE fish tank. Sam and the kids love it, but not Leora! To add insult to injury, Sam brought home two surprise shrimp - ostensibly to clean the tank. Leora wants Sam to talk to her before adding more pets to the home, but Sam says that shrimp aren’t pets - they’re part of the tank’s filtration system! Who’s right? Who’s wrong?To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Dustin brings the case against his wife, Erin. Before they got married, Dustin agreed to watch Gilmore Girls with Erin - if SHE would read the first book in the Wheel of Time Series. Ten years later, Dustin has watched Gilmore Girls in its entirety several times. But Erin still has not read ONE Wheel of Time! Does Erin “owe” Dustin? Or is watching a cozy cute show that they both enjoy not comparable to Erin slogging through a fantasy series that has failed to hold her interest? With Guest Bailiff Monte Belmonte!Thank you to u/MDDad333 for naming this week’s case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Fresh off our Hot Dog-cket episode last week with Jamie Loftus, we can’t stop thinking about HOT DOGS! What better time is there than to bring back one of our favorite episodes of all time: AMICUS BRIEF! Casey files suit against his friend, Sean. They go to baseball games together a lot. Casey says that Sean’s antics at the games cause great stress. One of the more appalling antics, says Casey, is the time Sean brought his own hot dogs into the stadium. Sean says that he is well within his rights to do this. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? In the time since this episode first ran, Casey started a new podcast: Dear Movies, I Love You! Casey and his co-host, Millie De Chirico, cover movie culture in the way one would talk about a crush they never got over. Film history, nuance, and criticism for all film fans! Check it out where you get your podcasts! Thank you to Marley Jay for naming this week’s case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Hot dog, hot dog, hot DIGGIDY DOG! We have the Hot Dog Expert of all Hot Dog Experts in chambers with us to clear an ALL-HOT DOG DOCKET! Or, a hot DOG-cket! That's right, we got JAMIE LOFTUS (RAW DOG: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, Sixteenth Minute, Aack Cast)! Jamie helps us advise on questions like: is ketchup ever okay on a hot dog? What about mayonnaise? Why do condiments on hot dogs provoke such strong reactions - heck, why are hot dogs themselves so polarizing? She also dives in to the history of competitive hot dog eating, the giant confetti-filled hot dog in Times Square, and tells us what actually goes down in the Wienermobile’s infamous “Meat Seat.” Open up and take a big bite of meaty justice on this episode of Judge John Hodgman! Watch Judge John Hodgman put together Sweden's favorite hot dog, Tunnbrödsrulle, in the WERU kitchen on TikTok! Follow Jamie on Instagram: @jamiechristsuperstar Buy Raw Dog here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/raw-dog-by-jamie-loftus Pre-order Jamie’s new book The Tower here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250480422/thetower ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

What is the best way to ripen a tomato? Jay says that a tomato is best eaten straight off the vine, hot from the sun, with a little salt. His wife, Gina, says that while that sounds lovely, if they let their tomatoes ripen on the vine, the local wildlife will get to them first! She likes to pick them as they start to ripen and finish the process inside a paper bag with a banana. Jay wants her to stop being a premature picker. Gina says a bag-ripened tomato is better than no tomato at all! Who's right? Who's wrong? Thanks to reddit user u/FunnyFilmFan for naming this week’s case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun!  Watch the full episode on Youtube at youtube.com/@JudgeJohnHodgmanPod. Don't forget to subscribe! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Summer is almost over, which means we’re going BACK to school - Judge John Hodgman style. We’re clearing the docket of all your pressing (and not so pressing) back-to-school-related disputes: from extracurriculars to PTA conflicts, and most importantly, how to keep class supplies IN the classroom. Follow along as Judge John and Bailiff Jesse Thorn rule on cases like: should you force your daughter to take part in debate club, because she loves to debate…with you? Can PTA social gatherings be at a family-friendly brewery, or should they stick to alcohol-free (ish) locations like your local park? Is it cool to be friends with your lunch lady? And for all the teachers out there: how do you keep pencils from disappearing from your classroom? PLUS: What. Is. The Herd??? Sharpen your pencils, because there WILL be a pop quiz afterwards, on this week’s episode of Judge John Hodgman! We need YOUR disputes to make this show! So please send us your weirdest problems, your niche drama, and your pettiest disputes for our judgment! Submit them at: maximumfun.org/jjho ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Dan says his fiancée, Elissa, sleeps poorly and that her bedtime laptop use is to blame! But she says playing video games on her laptop HELPS her sleep! They quiet her anxious thoughts and help her wind down. Dan wants to keep all screens out of the bed. He says, “If you bring the laptop into bed, I’M SLEEPING DOWNSTAIRS!” Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Thanks to reddit user u/spinynorman82 for naming this week’s case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!

Natalie brings the case against her boyfriend, Mike. Mike has been living the Sharper Image dream for the last 12 years: his own in-home massage chair! It’s not just a source of relaxation for him. Mike says it’s a fun piece that makes visiting their home a unique experience! But Natalie doesn’t want their home to offer guests a unique experience. She wants their guests to have a comfortable seat that doesn’t need to be turned on to enjoy. It’s time to let the chair go. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Thanks to reddit user u/acone419 for naming this week’s case! To suggest a title for a future episode, keep an eye on the Maximum Fun subreddit at reddit.com/r/maximumfun! ---Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here!