A Saturday Night Live sketch called “Snack Homiez,” in which the comedians parodied a podcast hosted by teenagers, recently caught the eye of in-the-know teens and their parents. The sketch featured four boys sitting around a table discussing the merits and drawbacks of various vegetables—and it replicated with near-perfection an episode of an actual podcast, called MD Foodie Boyz, which launched in November of last year.
Just to be clear, yes the Foodie Boyz are very real teenagers, and they host a very real podcast. And their podcast might be indicative of a larger trend in teen entertainment.
Who are the ‘MD Foodie Boyz’
The MD Foodie Boyz are a group of four friends from Maryland who have garnered some online fame from their food-centric podcast. They’re most commonly known by their nicknames, Chub Perm, Mclovin, No Name, and Nonchalant Kid. They discuss and review different types of food; some of their videos on YouTube have around 5 million views.
Listeners will hear common phrases like ‘fire’ and ‘not gonna lie,’ throughout the Boyz’ discussions—the SNL sketch zeroes this aspect of their language, parodying the use of slang to an extreme.
Elder millennial parents who may have trouble understanding what their kids are talking about will likely laugh along to how the comedians portray teens’ reliance on seemingly incomprehensible slang terms to communicate with each other.
What Is the ‘Foodie Boyz’ Podcast About?
They’ve collaborated with online personalities Dave Portnoy and Little Yachty and were recently parodied in a sketch on Saturday Night Live. The Foodie Boyz podcast centers around food — from episodes that feature a ranking of various vegetables (including one of the boy’s first taste of celery) to discussions about the best school lunch or the best breakfast cereal.
In the first episode, the Boyz discuss Halloween candy, ranking their top three favorites and debating whether or not mystery Air Heads are different flavors each time (they are).
The discussion, which meanders between a wide range of topics, including how old the Boyz think kids should be when they stop Trick-or-Treating (around 15 or 16). Later in the episode, Mclovin admits to never having tried a vegetable, and the Boyz remark that that’s crazy in a very casual, friendly way—the podcast is all in good fun, not be taken too seriously, but also a space where the boys can make revelations and share their real, most controversial takes without fearing that they’ll be bullied or ostracized.
The honesty and openness with each other, in such a relaxed environment, is what makes the Foodie Boyz sound so relatable and familiar to their audience.
Why Do Teens and Tweens Love This Podcast?
Monthly podcast listening has been steadily growing among Americans ages 13 to 24 over the past five years. According to Adweek, 47% of this group have listened to a podcast in the past month.
For Gen Alpha, the numbers are continuing to grow, with a recent report showing that 46% of kids ages 6-12 have listened to a podcast at some point, and 29% have listened to one within the last month — increase that to 42% if their parents are podcast listeners. These kids started listening to podcasts as young children and are eager to find content that aligns with their current interests.
‘Foodie Boyz’ are creating a following among younger listeners because of their banter and camaraderie. Just like any podcast that relies on the strength of its creators’ conversation, Foodie Boyz could be about almost anything, and the effect would be largely the same. However, using a topic as universal and relatable as food makes it all the more accessible and interesting to young listeners.
“Podcasts like this are valuable forms of entertainment for young people — to make meaning together in a roundtable format and take in one another’s positioning, slang, and camaraderie reinforces their values and identity formation,” explains Education Design & Parenting Expert, Karen Aronian.
“Here there is empathy, there is bruh-connection, there is roasting, there is community.” — Karen Aronian”
What Does the MD Foodie Boyz Popularity Tell Us About Generation Alpha?
We can learn a lot by listening to kids, and a podcast like Foodie Boyz offers an invaluable window into this age group’s values. This is a group that grew up surrounded by screens, hyper aware of influencer culture, with iPads at the dinner table and podcasts playing in the car. These kids are no longer content with scrolling past short clips (though, of course, they do that too) — they are savvy enough to create their own—last year one survey found 57% of teenagers reported that they wanted to become influencers.
“Parents and guardians have a unique opportunity to witness these podcasts to better understand and connect with their children through observing these unfiltered media formats of raw uncensored chats that historically have taken place in private spaces and off-limits to adults,” says Aronian.
For the most part, the Foodie Boyz’ jokes and jabs are lighthearted. The Boyz were friends before they started the podcast, and they seem genuinely interested in each other’s opinions but also capable of pushing back and disagreeing with one another when those opinions inevitably differ. Foodie Boyz listeners may draw parallels to podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and Dave Portnoy’s Barstool content, both of whom the boys cited as inspiration.
Without being cloyingly positive, the podcast is clearly a safe space where the one member of the group, for instance, might feel comfortable admitting that he’s never eaten a vegetable, but wants to try one out—which leads to a veggie taste test of Mclovin’s first carrot.
It’s refreshingly boring — there’s nothing edgy, controversial, or political. There’s no agenda, just four teenage boys talking about the food they like and don’t like; most of the conversations involve Chub Perm asking the group what their preference is on everything from fried chicken to school lunch.
Are More Tweens and Teens Starting Podcasts?
Foodie Boyz has company in the teen podcast category. Pods like This Teenage Life, Girl Talk, Rock Pod, GSD Nation, and The LOL Podcast are also created by and for a teen audience (though GSD Nation features a grown-up co-host).
We can safely expect the number of tween and teen-led podcasts to continue to grow. As more of Gen Z and Gen Alpha listen to and create their own podcasts, there is an opportunity to talk about media literacy with your kids, using an episode of their favorite podcast as a jumping off point.
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