Latest news with #TwoDotingDads
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Really hard': Australian TV star Matty J opens up about parenting
'I've never been facing more stress as a parent than at this particular moment in my life,' says podcaster and TV personality Matty J. 'I'm also incredibly in love with my children, the relationship I have with them, along with the one I have with my wife, is the most important in my life. I love being a parent. But I think it's important for parents to talk about the hard parts as well.' Matty, who is currently expecting his third daughter with wife Laura Byrne, co-hosts the podcast Two Doting Dads alongside Ash Wicks, where the men unpack the changing nature of modern fatherhood, the mental load of parenthood and the often-bizarre situations in which they find themselves. 'It's basically 90 per cent us taking the piss, and then 10 per cent will be really emotional stuff,' he said. 'And without fail, when we do open up about that, I get so many parents opening up about the way they're feeling in their own lives. It starts that conversation about mental health that might not have happened even seven years ago. 'I'm really fortunate that mental health has not been something I've struggled heavily with throughout my life. 'But at this point in my life, trying to balance being a present father, being a good and supportive husband, making sure my career is on track and managing the mental load of renovating a house is taking a toll. It's really, really hard. And I think it's OK that we talk about these things – in fact I think it is crucial. Unless you're a robot, I think all parents are in the same boat.' Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our younger generations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needs to have the most important conversation of their life. Among the stresses he's currently navigating, the devoted dad talks about the impending arrival of his third daughter, and the difference in the way people react when they discover he's about to become a dad again. 'We recorded an episode of the podcast yesterday where we were discussing how weird it is, the way people react to your first in a really incredible way, where they're like, 'my God, congratulations. This is awesome',' he said. 'Number two is pretty much the same – you get a similar response. You get the odd person being like, 'oh, two, that's a bit more of a juggle', but it's mostly positive. 'And then waiting for the third, the way that people react is just like, holy sh*t. Like, 'what are you getting yourself into?' You're just kind of in a brace position, waiting for the storm to hit.' Matty also pointed to the level of self-criticism that modern parents direct at their own parenting techniques as a source of deep anxiety. 'You're constantly questioning: am I doing this right? Am I a good parent, actually?' he said. 'I think it's at the point now where we have such a microscope over the way that we parent, and we're so aware now of what can potentially be detrimental and how we parent that the level of anxiety is just crippling.' Matty, whose mum, Ellie lives with him alongside his young family, credits his ability to share openly about mental health with the relationship he has with her. 'I'm one of five, and I think the fact that we have all always known that whatever we came to mum with – good or bad – there would never be any judgment,' he reflects. It's why I think I've been able to open up about the highs and lows of parenthood, and it's also impacted the way Laura and I are with our girls. We always try to create a safe space for them to express their emotions – and, for a four and six year old, emotional regulation isn't exactly their strong suit, but we always try to be consistent in letting them know that the range of emotions they experience is OK. 'I mean, I say that now, in an empty room without screaming kids in it,' he jokes, 'I don't always get it right, but we try.' This focus on open mental health conversations in parenting is a relatively new phenomenon, with Millennial parents the first to really embrace this approach as a generation. And it couldn't be more needed. New research from News Corp's Growth Distillery with Medibank has found that while partners and close friends are primary confidants when it comes to mental health, significant communication gaps exist between parents and children. About 28 per cent of parents of 16- to 30-year-olds have never discussed their mental wellbeing with their children. Half of all parents of 16-30 year olds (49 per cent) agreed with the statement, 'I do/would find it hard to tell my children I'm having challenges or struggling with my mental wellbeing', with only 39 per cent disagreeing. More concerning is the fact that two thirds of 18- to 30-year-olds (62 per cent), say they do or would find it hard to tell their parents or older close family members they were having challenges or struggling with mental wellbeing. For 18- to 30-year-olds, parents are the number one relationship that they wish they could talk to more, with almost half (47 per cent) saying so. 'I think where some older parents might have got it a bit wrong is that when their kid is a teenager and going through problems, they sit them down and expect them to open up, without ever having had those conversations beforehand,' Matty ponders. 'I don't think you can just expect your 15- or 16-year-old to feel comfortable to share their feelings with you if it hasn't been a consistent, ongoing conversation.'
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Laura Byrne rages as husband Matty 'J' Johnson accidentally reveals the name their unborn baby girl
has made a massive slip-up on air after revealing his unborn baby's name on his podcast. The media personality's wife Laura Byrne was doing an 'ask me anything' questionnaire on her Instagram story when one of her followers brought up the moment, which she was seemingly unaware of. 'Did you punch Matt in the ovaries for revealing [your] baby name on Two Doting Dads?' the question read. Laura was clearly caught off-guard as she replied: 'He did f***ing what?!' Later on, the business owner, 39, brought up the blunder with her husband, 37, as they lay in bed together. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'Matt I have a question for you: did you say the girl's name, the baby's name, on the podcast?' she asked him in a clip posted to her Instagram story. He looked at his partner confused as he denied the accusation. 'I think you might have,' she told him, cheekily. 'I would never, never. Never would I say that,' he said defensively as the couple both broke out into giggles. Laura told the camera: 'People always ask us, "how do you know the limits when you're telling stories and stuff on the podcast?" and normally we're pretty good... Normally.' Matty began to pipe up as he sported a giant smile on his face, clearly telling a fib. 'Whoever is spreading this false information, shame on you, because that's not true at all,' he said. While Matty may have mentioned the little girl's name, it seems it was edited out of the podcast as it could later no longer be found. The couple, who met while filming The Bachelor Australia, already share little girls Marlie and Lola, and are expecting their third in October. In April, Laura announced the exciting news on her podcast, Life Uncut, which she co- hosts with fellow reality star Brittany Hockley. 'It turns out, we're having baby number three!' she declared. 'I'm pregnant guys!' Laura revealed she was 18 weeks pregnant, two weeks short of the half-way mark. 'It is a Christmas miracle. We had a really small window. I have known for a very long time. 'I found out very early on in this pregnancy, not because I had any symptoms but because my friend made a comment that made me do a pregnancy test,' she explained. Laura explained she took a pregnancy test while Matty was filming I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in South Africa but did not tell him the news until she was two and a half months pregnant. 'I wasn't able to tell Matt for ages. The whole time he was in the jungle, I wasn't able to tell him and then it was really tricky because I didn't want to tell him when it was the finale,' she explained. 'I didn't want to tell him as soon as the show, because I don't know if you guys remember, but the show wasn't filmed live this year, so we did the finale over there.' Matt also made an announcement on his Two Doting Dads podcast, telling listeners: '[It's] an October baby. 'We were trying before I went into the jungle. The plan was, we said this year 2025, if we were going to have a third, this will be the year that it happens. 'I'm conscious that Marlie and Lola are really close together, they're about 18 months [apart] and Lola just turned four, so I was like if it doesn't happen this year, it's a big gap… We want the third child to still be friends with Marlie and Lola.'
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Matty J reveals miscarriage fear after pregnancy announcement
A reality television star and father of two has opened up about the fear his wife's latest pregnancy announcement has brought up in him. Laura Byrne and Matty Johnson met on reality dating show The Bachelor, before tying the knot in 2022. The couple share two children — Marlie-Mae, nearly six, and Lola, four. Last week, the couple announced they were expecting yet another little girl after cutting a gender reveal cake during Laura's radio show The Pick Up, which she hosts with Brittany Hockley. But during Matty J's radio show Two Doting Dads, which he hosts alongside Ash Wicks, he spoke about his fears surrounding Laura's pregnancy. 'When I found out, we were at 11 weeks. We didn't even have the big tests, and so I was conscious that it was very early days, and I didn't want to celebrate that we were having a kid,' he said. 'With our cycle, when I say ours I mean Laura's. Our first child was a miscarriage, then Laura was pregnant with Marlie. After Marlie was born, she got pregnant again and we lost that child around 12 weeks. And then we had Lola.' He said he was looking at the 'road map' he and his wife had just come down, and worried they were 'kind of due for another miscarriage'. He added: 'There's no greater emotional whiplash than having a miscarriage.' At the time of the podcast recording, the couple were 15 weeks along. He said now all the tests have been done, and everything was 'tracking nicely'. The reality TV star, who recently appeared on I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Outta Here!, said he almost felt like he was 'waiting for the bad news' and he wouldn't feel OK until the baby was in his arms. Many listeners headed to the comment section to thank Matty J for his honesty. 'Pregnancy loss changes your brain chemistry so much. Lola & Marlie are both your rainbows. As somebody who's lost babies, thanks Matty J for sharing. The world needs more of this,' one said. Another added: 'So nice to hear a male talk about this!' 'Thanks Matty J for talking about this! Great to hear from a dad's perspective. I had two miscarriages and it's so hard to go through pregnant after loss. Very lucky to have two happy boys now,' one parent shared. Another added: 'Thank you for saying 'we'. So often it's put on the woman; 'She lost the baby'. But truthfully it's both and not at all the woman's fault.' Someone else agreed: 'It's so important to hear Dad's talking about this. Thank you both for everything you do.' 'Miscarriages and pregnancy loss should be spoken about, it's so common and it shouldn't be something that is taboo to speak about. So thank you for speaking about it,' another wrote. 'I have two children and on my eighth pregnancy, the worst part is the whole first trimester, denying and hating the sickness/nausea/sleepiness bc in the back of your mind is probably gonna lose it anyway,' one said. Another shared: 'The anxiety is so real, we had one healthy boy, followed by a miscarriage, followed by an ectopic with twins, followed by our rainbow baby boy, every pregnancy is stressful and an anxious journey after loss.' The 37-year-old revealed he and Laura were expecting the baby to arrive mid-October, saying they initially started trying to fall pregnant before he appeared on Ten's popular reality TV show.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Matty 'J' Johnson addresses his X-rated 'kink' as he and wife Laura Byrne expect their third child
Matty 'J' Johnson has opened up about his rumoured 'kink' for pregnant women, as his wife Laura Byrne is pregnant with their third child. The former Bachelor star, 37, made the bold admission on the latest episode of his Two Doting Dads podcast. 'I don't have a kink for pregnant women, but I find Laura at the moment, she's popping a lot more,' Matty began. 'Laura's like, "I just feel so fat, I hate it," and I'm like, "Damn girl!"' Matty added he had never been more attracted to his wife due to her pregnancy glow. 'There is no other moment I find Laura more attractive than when she is pregnant. It's beautiful!' he said. Earlier this week, Laura announced her pregnancy news on her podcast, Life Uncut, which she co-hosts with fellow reality star Brittany Hockley. 'It turns out, we're having baby number three!' she declared. 'I'm pregnant guys!' Laura revealed she is currently 18 weeks pregnant, two weeks short of the half-way mark. 'It is a Christmas miracle. We had a really small window. I have known for a very long time. I found out very early on in this pregnancy,' she explained. Laura explained she took a pregnancy test while Matty was filming I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in South Africa but did not tell him the news until she was two and a half months pregnant. 'I wasn't able to tell Matt for ages. The whole time he was in the jungle, I wasn't able to tell him and then it was really tricky because I didn't want to tell him when it was the finale,' she explained. 'I didn't want to tell him as soon as the show, because I don't know if you guys remember, but the show wasn't filmed live this year, so we did the finale over there.' Matty also made an announcement on his Two Doting Dads podcast, telling listeners: '[It's] an October baby,' he said. 'We were trying before I went into the jungle. The plan was, we said this year 2025, if we were going to have a third, this will be the year that it happens. 'I'm conscious that Marlie and Lola are really close together, they're about 18 months [apart] and Lola just turned four, so I was like if it doesn't happen this year, it's a big gap… We want the third child to still be friends with Marlie and Lola.' Laura also posted a video to Instagram of her youngest daughter Lola sharing the exciting news with fans. 'I've got a baby in my mum's tummy and I tried to get it out. I'm so so so so excited. I really want the baby to come out but it's not,' Lola says. 'We are SO SO SO EXCITED!!!! Johnson #3 under construction,' Laura captioned the video. She later revealed they were expecting a daughter, by cutting into a gender reveal cake live on her KIIS FM The Pick Up radio show on Wednesday, just hours after announcing her pregnancy. 'It's a girl,' Laura squealed as she removed a slice of white sponge that contained layers of pink icing. The couple share daughters Marlie-Mae, who they welcomed in 2019, and Lola, who was born in 2021. Laura appeared on The Bachelor Australia in 2017 and met her now-husband, and father to her two children, Matty.
7NEWS
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Bachelor stars Matty ‘J' Johnson and wife Laura Byrne reveal they are expecting their third child
Former Bachelor stars Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne are expecting their third child. Byrne announced the happy news on her successful podcast Life Uncut, telling listeners: 'It turns out, we're having baby number three. I'm pregnant guys.' Byrne is now 18 weeks pregnant, after discovering she was expecting while Johnson was away filming I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here in South Africa. 'I have known for a very long time — I found out very early on in this pregnancy not because I had any symptoms but because my friend made a comment that made me do a pregnancy test,' she said. Byne said while she was reunited with Johnson in the jungle, she had waited until after filming wrapped on the I'm A Celebrity finale to tell him the happy news. Johnson made his own announcement on his Two Doting Dads podcast, telling listeners the baby is due in October. The couple have two older daughters, Marlie-Mae who was born in 2019 and Lola born in 2021. 'We were trying before I went into the jungle,' Johnson said of the latest pregnancy. 'The plan was, we said this year, 2025, if we were going to have a third, this will be the year that it happens. 'I'm conscious that Marlie and Lola are really close together, they're about 18 months (apart) and Lola just turned four, so I was like if it doesn't happen this year, it's a big gap … 'We want the third child to still be friends with Marlie and Lola.' The couple met on The Bachelor Australia in 2017 and later married in November 2022 at Cupitt's Estate winery near Mollymook on the NSW South Coast.
