Latest news with #MattyJ
News.com.au
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bachelor couple Laura Byrne and Matty J confirm their baby girl's name
Their third child hasn't been born yet but former reality stars Matty 'J' Johnson and wife Laura Byrne haven't held back from sharing their little ones name well before her arrival. Shunning the tradition of announcing the name at birth, Johnson revealed the moniker they have chosen for their third daughter in a new episode of the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About. 'We are absolutely excited and we cannot wait to meet this little girl, Poppy,' Johnson said. 'But the reaction from people definitely makes you a little more guarded and apprehensive about what life is gonna be like once they arrive.' 'It is different with number three,' he added. 'Number one and number two, everyone's really positive. They're like, 'oh my God, this is amazing' for your first. 'How beautiful.' Number two? 'Your family's now complete. Listen to the full interview with Laura Byrne and Matty J on Something To Talk About: 'And then number three, people are going, 'You're crazy. What are you doing? Wow. Good luck, because that's gonna be hell.' So we're bracing ourselves for what's to come, which does feel a little bit strange. The couple, who are already parents to daughters Marlie-Mae, six, and Lola, four, say they are 'prepared for the worst, hoping for the best' before Poppy's arrival. 'I think I've almost over-prepared for it being horrible and hard,' Byrne told Stellar. 'Is it gonna be easy? Absolutely not. Is adding another [child] ever easy? No. But I think I feel the most relaxed about this [child' than I ever have been. 'So we'll see how it all goes. Ask me again in four months' time.' The couple met on the fifth season of reality dating show The Bachelor in 2017, and wed on the NSW South Coast in 2022. Earlier this year, Johnson appeared on another reality TV show, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, and was one of the final three in the wilds of South Africa. Due to the show's strict no-outside contact rule, he did not learn of his wife's pregnancy until after the program was over and was 'completely ignorant to what was happening at home.' Byrne told Something To Talk About that she found out about the pregnancy a few days after Johnson had left for South Africa and his phone had been taken off him. 'I was about 10 weeks [along] by the time I was able to tell Matt that I was pregnant,' she said. Listen to the full interview with Laura Byrne and Matty J on Something To Talk About: 'It was like the biggest secret, but then I also was just telling random people because I couldn't tell Matt. So I was telling friends, telling my sister. '[To Matty J] So many people knew before you did, you poor thing. Do you know who else I told before you? Julia Morris. I was like Julia, I'm so sick. I'm pregnant. Don't tell Matty, he doesn't know.' Laura Byrne co-hosts The Pick Up radio show with Brittany Hockley, from 3pm weekdays on KIIS; her podcast, Life Uncut, and Matty J's podcast, Two Doting Dads, are available wherever you get your podcasts.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Bachelorette's Laura Byrne shares sweet tribute to her husband Matty 'J' Johnson on his 38th birthday
has shared a heartwarming tribute to her husband Matty 'J' Johnson as he celebrated his 38th birthday. The Bachelorette star, who met Matty on the hit reality series in 2017, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a slew of sweet - and hilarious - pictures, along with a caption gushing over her radio star hubby. 'Happy birthday to this glorious hunk of dad, the real MVP of this family and the man who thinks budgy smugglers are a complete summer wardrobe,' the 39-year-old quipped. 'We would be utterly lost without your daily silliness, your dedication to filling the green bin, and your 10 out of 10 chicken pies,' she hilariously penned. 'You're aging like a fine wine (see pic 17 for proof) how lucky we are to do life by your side - WE LOVE YOU.' 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. Amongst the pictures were photographs of the happy couple at different stages throughout their relationship, as well as a few funny snaps of the birthday boy. One throwback picture showed Matty as a teenager at his school dance while a number of snaps showed him in a tight pair of colourful speedos. The post, which has already received nearly 12,000 likes, also included snaps of Matty, Laura and their two daughters Marlie-Mae and Lola. Laura recently made headlines for calling out her podcast host husband after he accidentally revealed the name of their unborn baby girl on-air. In June, the reality star 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 brought up the blunder with her husband as they lay in bed together. '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. In April, Laura announced on her podcast, Life Uncut, which she co-hosts with fellow reality star Brittany Hockley, that she was expecting her third daughter in October.
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.'
Herald Sun
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
Why we should normalise baby showers for dads
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. There's a sweet little baby shower video doing the rounds on Instagram right now, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. The adorable video was shared by @themelaninatedmomma, a heavily pregnant US woman showing a giant mountain of nappies, wipes and baby gifts stacked high in her living room, gifts from a surprise baby shower thrown for her husband by his workmates. And look, I don't care how emotionally dead inside you are, if that doesn't warm your cold, crusty heart, I don't know what will. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. Dads deserve celebrating too The video itself is wholesome, but it's the comments that really drive it home: 'My husband's coworkers did this when I was pregnant. He came home all kinds of excited - mainly women, one made a cake, another did an amazing gift basket full of necessities. I will never forget how they included him in the baby excitement too!' 'Wait can we stop and acknowledge and really enjoy the fact that they threw a baby shower for their male coworker because they are supporting his fatherhood. This is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Fathers need to be part of the transition too!! Yes!!!!!' 'We forget that the dads need spoiling too. I know this is a bunch of wipes and nappies but it's one less thing for them to think about for a few months.' And this gem: 'We had one of these for a male coworker - it was a blast watching this big guy holding up the little garments. I highly recommend!' Honestly, what's not to love about Big Kev from logistics delicately holding a Bonds Wondersuit and pretending not to cry? RELATED: Matty J's candid conversation on changing gender roles How beautiful it is to see a father celebrated too. Source: @themelaninatedmomma Modern dads are all in Here's the thing. Baby showers for dads shouldn't be weird. Or rare. Or played off as some ironic 'dadchelor' party featuring cigars and a nappy-themed drinking game. They should be a thing - a meaningful, supportive, slightly silly rite of passage that says: mate, you're about to become someone's dad, and we're here for it. Because fatherhood? It's a big deal. And while society is getting better at letting dads show up for the emotional labour of parenting, we still don't do a great job of showing up for them. We forget that the transition to parenthood doesn't just belong to the person carrying the baby. It's a seismic shift for dads too. The midnight panic-googling. The 'is this car seat meant to wobble like that?' anxiety. The quiet moment where it dawns on them that a tiny person will soon rely on them for everything. That stuff deserves a cake. And maybe a three-pack of muslin wraps. The modern dad is all in. He's doing the nappy changes, the swaddling, the midnight feeds. He's packing the nappy bag (badly, but still). So why do we still act like the countdown to parenthood is a spectator sport for him? RELATED: Sam Wood's fatherhood advice is way too real Let's normalise baby showers for dads Let them unwrap bottle sterilisers with genuine enthusiasm. Let them try to guess what a nipple shield is. Let them awkwardly pin bibs to a clothesline strung across the tea room. Because as much as we laugh at the idea of Alan from accounting playing 'Guess the Baby Food,' we're also giving him a moment. A marker. A way of saying: this huge, wonderful, terrifying thing is happening to you too. And let's be honest, it's not just about gifts (though no one's turning down a bulk box of Huggies). It's about the symbolism. The support. The team huddle before game day. We've done a lot of work in recent years to shift how we see modern fatherhood. Dads aren't 'helping' anymore - they're parenting. Properly. And that deserves to be recognised, celebrated, and yes, showered. So next time your mate, brother, barista or boss announces they're about to become a dad, don't just slap them on the back and say, 'Good luck, mate.' Throw him a bloody baby shower. Let the big guy hold up the tiny socks. Let the office mums go rogue with a gift hamper. Let it be fun, supportive, and full of nappies. Because parenthood doesn't start in the delivery room - it starts with community. And everyone deserves to feel the love, right from day one. Even Big Kev. Originally published as Yes, let's normalise baby showers for dads
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.
