♪
>>> ALL RIGHT.
YOU NEED A LAUGH
HE’S A COMEDIAN, ACTOR,
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND PERHAPS
THE TITLE HE MOST IDENTIFIES
WITH IS RELUCTANT DAD.
>> WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MIKE
BIRBIGLIA AND SHARING THE
HEARTFELT JOURNEY THROUGH
FATHERHOOD IN "THE NEW ONE."
>> SO, MIKE, FIRST, WELCOME.
SO EXPLAIN TO US WHY ON EARTH
WERE YOU SUCH A RELUCTANT DAD IN
THE BEGINNING?
>> YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY I SO
DEFINITIVELY DID NOT EVER WANT
TO HAVE A CHILD IN MY WHOLE LIFE
THAT THE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK
IS ALL OF THE REASONS I NEVER
WANTED TO HAVE IS A CHILD.
SEVEN FULL DETAILED REASONS WHY
I NEVER WANTED TO HAVE A CHILD
AND THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK
IS ABOUT HOW I HAD A CHILD AND
HOW I WAS RIGHT.
AND THEN -- AND THEN ULTIMATELY
I WAS WRONG.
AND THAT’S WHY THE BOOK IS
COMEDIC AND EMOTIONAL.
>> TALK ABOUT THE MOMENT, THE
CATALYST YOU REALIZED THAT MAYBE
I WAS WRONG.
I MEAN, YOU HAD A BABY
SHE IS 5.
>> I NEVER WANTED TO HAVE A
CHILD, NEVER SOMETHING I
ENVISIONED FOR MYSELF AND THEN
AT A CERTAIN POINT JEN SAID TO
ME, YOU KNOW, I EXPLAINED ALL
THE REASONS WHY I NEVER WANT TO
HAVE A CHILD
SHE SAID -- JEN SAID I KNOW ALL
OF THAT AND I THINK YOU WOULD BE
A GOOD DAD AND I HAD TO TAKE
THAT TO HEART BECAUSE I KNOW
THAT JEN WOULD BE A GREAT MOM
AND WE ARE LIFE PARTNERS AND WE
WILL ALWAYS BE MARRIED AND I
THINK SOMETIMES WHEN SOMEONE YOU
LOVE FEELS SO STRONGLY ABOUT
SOMETHING THEY CAN SEE SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN’T.
>> IMAGINE IF, MIKE, IF YOU SAW
THAT YOU FOUND A BOOK THAT YOUR
DAD HAD WRITTEN AND IT WAS LIKE
SEVEN REASONS I DIDN’T WANT TO
HAVE THIS KID AND YOU WERE LIKE,
OH MY GOD, WAIT.
SO HOW ON EARTH WILL YOU EXPLAIN
TO HER -
>> HODA, THAT’S PHENOMENAL
SET ME UP.
I FEEL LIKE I FELT THAT BOOK
GROWING UP BUT NEVER READ THAT
BOOK
I GENUINELY FEEL LIKE JEN AND I
SAY ABOUT OUR DAUGHTER WHICH IS
LIKE WE WON’T HIDE THE BOOK FROM
OUR DAUGHTER
WE WROTE IT FOR OUR DAUGHTER
THE FINAL CHAPTER IS BASICALLY A
LETTER TO HER FROM ME ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THIS AND BASICALLY
SAYING, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT
YOU TO BE HONEST ABOUT THINGS
THAT YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH
BECAUSE OFTEN UNCOMFORTABLE
TRUTHS ARE HOW YOU CONNECT WITH
PEOPLE YOU LOVE.
WHAT’S SO FUNNY IS THE BOOK
SPANS THE AGE OF WHEN JEN WAS
PREGNANT TO WHEN SHE WAS 13
MONTHS OLD AND THAT’S A HARD
PERIOD
YOU KNOW
>> YES.
>> REALLY FELT LIKE I WAS ON THE
OUTSIDE, I WAS LIKE -- I
REMEMBER THINKING MY WIFE AND
DAUGHTER LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH
AND I’M THERE, TOO
I WAS JUST THIS PUDGY MILKLESS
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FAMILY
HUGE TITLE, NO POWER AND
OVERSEES CONGRESS.
BUT I JUST FELT LIKE NOTHING,
NOTHING FOR 13 MONTHS AND NOW
OUR DAUGHTER’S 5 AND SHE’S
ADORABLE AND LIKE I CONNECT WITH
HER SO DEEPLY.
>> IF YOU WERE A RELUCTANT DAD
BEFORE WE WERE QUARANTINED WITH
THE FAMILIES FOR A LONG TIME, I
WONDER HOW THAT HAS SHOWN UP IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
>> WELL, IT’S FUNNY BECAUSE A
LOT OF PEOPLE -- A LOT OF
COMEDIANS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON
JOKES IN THE QUARANTINE AND I’VE
BEEN WORKING ON A VACCINE.
NO
IT’S FRENCH TOAST, ONE PART OF
SYRUP.
WE ARE IN THIRD PHASE TRIALS
THE FIRST TWO DIFFERENT WORK BUT
WE ARE JUST GOING AHEAD WITH THE
THIRD.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT’S FUNNY IN THE
QUARANTINE
IT IS LIKE YOU DEFINITELY PUT
YOUR FAMILY INTO SORT OF A PLAY
NO EXIT.
YOU KNOW
WHERE YOU OAR LIKE, OKAY, THESE
ARE THE CHARACTERS AND HERE WE
ARE AND BUT I FEEL LIKE WE
REALLY BONDED.
IT’S BEEN LIKE A REALLY SPECIAL
TIME FOR US ACTUALLY AS STRANGE
AS IT HAS BEEN AND AS SAD AS
IT’S BEEN.
>> I CAN’T GET THE IMAGE OF A
PUDGY, MILKLESS VICE PRESIDENT
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET THE
PRESIDENT.
IS JEN THERE
>> JEN WILL POP IN.
>> HI.
>> HI!
>> HI.
>> HI, JEN
SO, JEN, IF YOU WANT TO GIVE
YOUR RELUCTANT HUSBAND AT THE
TIME, IF YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE
HIM A SUPERLATIVE OF BEING A
FATHER, WHAT WOULD IT BE
>> I’M A SUCKER.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S A
SUPERLATIVE AS MUCH AS IT’S AN
INSULT.
>> I MEAN -- SWEET SUCKER.
>> SWEET SUCKER.
SEE, THAT’S LOVE
WE JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
WE’RE -- YOUR BOOK IS FUNNY AS
YOU ARE.
YOU CAN TELL RIGHT NOW
IT WAS JUST A FUN INTERVIEW.
MIKE, THANK YOU.
JEN, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> BYE
>> FOR MORE LAUGHS READ AN
EXCERPT OF MIKE’S NEW BOOK IN
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" PARENTING