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Promotional art for Dad Man Walking
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Dad Man Walking

Seth Meyers

HBO Max · 2024

Seth Meyers swaps late-night politics for the trials of suburban fatherhood.

Seth Meyers wants his three young children to be happy, but more than that, he wants them to be content. Or rather, he wants them to be content, specifically the kind of fodder he can turn into stand-up. His second-born child provides the perfect opener for this hour: a hushed announcement that he has a secret that is brown. Rather than feeling disgusted, Meyers is simply thrilled he has a fresh joke to bring to the stage.

For a comic who spends four nights a week behind a desk talking about the collapsing state of American democracy, stepping away from politics is the primary appeal of his second solo special. Taped at Chicago’s Vic Theatre in June 2024 and directed by Neal Brennan, the hour focuses entirely on domestic life. Meyers walks the crowd through the absurdity of airport security regulations regarding his wife’s insistence on traveling with a tub of hummus, the exhausting negotiations of putting children to bed, and the inexplicable playground obsession with imaginary lava. He also traces his Jewish ancestry back to Lithuania, joking about how his relatives first coined the phrase, “How do we get the fuck out of Lithuania?”

Released in October 2024 on HBO and Max, the special showcased a looser, warmer side of the talk show host, earning him a Golden Globe nomination in 2025. By trading the news cycle for parental frustrations, like the simple inability to properly collapse a stroller, Meyers delivers a conversational hour of observational comedy that thrives on the mundane.

The set list

7 bits

  1. Mining his children for standup material and content

    Explains that his six-year-old child said something funnier than any joke he had written all year, playing on wanting his kids to be content versus providing 'content' that paid for their college.

  2. Retrieving board game dice under the couch

    Jokes about his hatred of how his kids roll dice, finding momentary peace by lingering under the couch after crawling to fetch them.

  3. Acceptable accents and his Finding Your Roots ancestry discovery

    Discusses the rules around which accents white standups can perform, recalling an encounter with a German man and justifying his Swedish Chef impression through his genealogical background.

  4. His brother's transition to veganism

    Contrasts gender transition with dietary transition, claiming switching to veganism causes far more familial disruption even if his brother looks healthier.

  5. Taking his children to meet President Joe Biden

    Shares a behind-the-scenes story about his kids meeting the president during Biden's visit to Late Night for the show's 10th anniversary.

  6. Involving Amazon's Alexa in marital arguments

    Uses the voice assistant in disputes with his wife Alexi, joking that he is outnamed and outnumbered in his own household.

  7. Parenting exhaustion and micro-binging television

    Observes that parents of young children cannot binge shows, but rather 'micro-binge' because someone inevitably falls asleep as soon as a program starts.

How it plays

Tone
Warm, wry, self-aware, and genial.
On stage
Clever, dry, affable, and genial; plays the polished, put-upon family man and voice of reason with just enough of an edge.
Pace
Effortless, loose, and conversational, described as a 'Casual Friday' comfort-comedy style.
About
Fatherhood and parenting young children, Marriage and communication dynamics, Living in New York City, Family ancestry and heritage, Dietary transitions and veganism

What the critics said

Praised by professional critics as an easygoing, polished, and warmly funny hour of relatable comfort comedy that showcases Meyers' stand-up proficiency outside of the late-night desk, though some viewers found the material overly safe and predictable.

In the room: A straightforward, no-frills theater crowd experiencing an intimate, conversational performance as if chatting with a witty friend.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: hbomax.com, imdb.com, press.wbd.com, apnews.com, decider.com, nytimes.com, chicago.suntimes.com, rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Meyers turns away from his signature topical and political late-night commentary to focus on parenthood, domestic life, and raising three young children in New York City with his wife.

Details

Released
Taped
The Vic Theatre, Chicago
Where
HBO Max
Director
Neal Brennan
Honors
1 nomination total
Topics
Before
Lobby Baby (2019)

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