Wow, You Look Terrible! Parenting, Humor, and Embracing the Chaos with Danny Ricker

From The Green Notebook

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In this Mother's Day episode, Joe sits down with Danny Ricker, Emmy-nominated comedy writer, producer, and author of Wow, You Look Terrible!: How to Parent Less and Live More, for a laugh-out-loud conversation on the highs and lows of parenting young kids. Drawing from both personal experience and sharp comedic insight, Danny unpacks the pressure modern parents face to do it all—and why doing less might actually be the key to doing it better.

Together, they explore:

• Why parenting today often feels like a full-time personal assistant gig for unpredictable tiny humans
• The trap of performative parenting and how social media fuels unrealistic expectations
• The genius of the “17-Minute Birthday Party” and why kids don’t need extravagance to have fun
• How the “Purgatory Cabinet” can save your sanity (and your child’s lucky nickel)
• Parenting as exercise: from claw-machine wakeups to carrying kids like a living weighted vest
• The power of “garbage time” and why the little moments matter more than the big events
• Lessons Danny learned writing for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and how to deal with rejection, failure, and ego in high-pressure creative environments (Read the blog post!!)

Whether you’re a parent knee-deep in toys and tantrums or just trying to hold on to a sense of humor amidst the chaos, this conversation offers a much-needed reminder that the most meaningful moments are often the messiest ones.

Danny Ricker is a TV writer, producer, author, and nine-time Emmy nominee who currently serves as a Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer at “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

His other notable writing credits include The Oscars (2017, 2018, 2023, & 2024), The Primetime Emmys (2012, 2016, & 2020), the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and his debut book Wow, You Look Terrible!

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