Jordan Carlos says being the ‘fun dad’ almost destroyed his marriage

Comedian Jordan Carlos told the New York Times Modern Love podcast that, looking back, playing the “fun dad” nearly wrecked his marriage in an episode published Jan. 28, 2026.

Carlos says he was bringing home a good salary but was doing only the bare minimum as a husband and a father, a role he now views negatively.

He describes showing up at home and opting for all-day candy binges with his children instead of taking them to the dentist or tucking them in at bedtime, examples he uses to explain how he avoided routine responsibilities.

When the pandemic halted his work and he was home constantly, Carlos says he had a wake-up call: nobody seemed to need or expect help from him, and his marriage was in serious trouble. On the episode he recounts how, day by day and chore by chore, he began taking responsibility for the small tasks that matter.

Carlos’s book, Choreplay: The Marriage-Saving Magic of Getting Your Head Out of Your Ass, is scheduled to be released Feb. 10. The episode is hosted by Anna Martin and includes credits for multiple producers, editors and musicians listed by the program.

What is clear from the episode is that Carlos began changing his behavior and is publishing a book about that work; the long-term state of his marriage is not detailed on the episode. Transcripts of Modern Love episodes generally appear on the site within a week.

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