Parenting is a Joke
You know when you talk to your friends about your childhood and end it by saying, "But look at us, we're fine!" Here's my question: Are we fine? Because we're sitting here doused in CBD oil under a weighted blanket recording a podcast called Parenting is a Joke. Each week, host and standup Ophira Eisenberg talks to a different comedian about their career and their kids. Conversations tackle the tooth fairy, eating sticks, summer camp anxiety, the hidden horrors of childbirth, and the obvious horrors of our own childhoods. We celebrate the absurdity of shuffling a career with raising a kid, highlight less traditional parenthood journeys, all while relishing in the fact that no one knows what they're doing, but we're all trying! Sometimes even our best. Co-produced by Pretty Good Friends and iHeartPodcasts. New episodes every Tuesday.
Our Editor's Take
Parenting is a Joke is a parenting podcast featuring comedians with children. Host and stand-up comedian Ophira Eisenberg interviews funny people on parenting. The podcast is a hilarious examination of the nuanced art of raising children. Guests on the show discuss their careers and their experiences as parents. Listeners discover how comedians handle school meetings, diapers, and more.
Eisenberg is a comic with years of performing experience. The New York Times has praised her dark and sarcastic brand of humor. She hosted the NPR segment Ask Me Another for almost a decade. On the show, she played trivia games on air with world-famous celebrities. Eisenberg continues to perform throughout America and her native Canada. She is the mother of a boy, which is the identity that inspired this podcast. The show details the challenges, wonders, and sheer absurdities of parenting.
Guests on the show include actors, writers, and comedians of all kinds. Comic book creator and novelist Neil Gaiman is a guest on the podcast. Gaiman is the mind behind series like American Gods and The Sandman. He also has a child who is the same age as his grandchild. Eisenberg interviews comedy legend Bobcat Goldthwait. Apart from opening for Nirvana, Goldthwait is a director and screenwriter. On the podcast, he shares stories about raising his daughter while touring.
Listeners don't need to be parents to enjoy the podcast. Comedy fans may also enjoy the show's fascinating conversations. Famous comedians like Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirman share their experiences. Schaal does her last-call snacks" routine in one episode. Mirman details his sperm bank experience in another.
For listeners who are parents, the show may provide some valuable insights. Guests reveal surprising and genuine ideas for raising children. Parents who wonder if parenting is challenging for everyone may resonate with Eisenberg's dark humor. Often hysterical and sometimes moving, Parenting is a Joke episodes premiere every Tuesday.
Episodes