Matty J On Parenthood & Social Media

Matty: The Daily Talk Show.

Tommy: It's The Daily Talk Show, episode 916, and we've got a special guest joining us today, Matty J. He's the ambassador for Belvita. They've just released their new Australian-made Baked and Coconut Bites. Welcome to the show, Matty J. G'day, boys.

Matty: How are we?

Josh: Yeah, very well.

Tommy: We were—

Josh: Tommy and I were talking earlier about morning routines. I'm going to do a complete redo of my routine. In 2021, what does yours look like?

Tommy: Starting Jan 1st, that's when all good morning routines fail.

Josh: Either that or the following Monday. What does your morning routine look like?

Matty: My morning routine, it's been changing a lot the last few months, partly because it's all based around my daughter Marley Mae. So at the moment, she's kind of waking up at 6:30 in the morning. And we don't have a baby monitor. She's just down the hallway. So, I don't even set an alarm anymore. I just hear these cries in the distance and I am normally the one now who's on baby duty in the mornings. So, Laura is due now with our second baby in 2 months. And so, I let her have a little sleep and not to sound like I'm being—

Josh: You're a hero.

Matty: You're a hero. I mean, she is making life right now. So, I let her have an hour in bed. Extra because I'm just a nice guy.

Tommy: She's going to grow that right arm.

Matty: She often says, she's like, "Oh, I'm growing eyelids today, so cut me some slack if I'm tired." Is that actually an iPhone?

Josh: You know how there's like iPhone apps where it will say, "Oh, like it's the size of a mango or whatever." Do they actually say like it's growing eyelids or they don't get down to that detail?

Matty: They're pretty specific. This time round, we haven't been following it as much, but when we were pregnant with Marley, I remember there was one day where Laura was looking at the app like every day she was on the app and she was saying, it's this big now and this is how, how, what kind of fruit it resembles. And there was one day where we were in the period where she was, the baby was developing its sense of smell. And like, blows my mind. But second time round, you're like, whatever. How many months? How much longer? Yeah, literally.

Tommy: Matty, I've got a 3-and-a-half-year-old, but I remember we went, we sort of mixed it up between what bakery treat did the baby resemble, like the size of a croissant or a, you know, not a baguette, chocolate éclair.

Matty: Can I just say, very good pronunciation of Croissant.

Josh: Yeah, he does it. He's very international like that. Ask him to say paella.

Matty: But now, yeah, second time around, it's funny how you just obviously got a lot more going on. So with the first pregnancy, it's like all your focus is just on that, whereas now all my focus is on Marley. So I'm like, you know, in the mornings we'll wake up. She loves to read a book in the morning. We'll do that. And then she loves going for a little walk to get a morning coffee. So like all my attention now is on her and I kind of, I keep needing to remind myself that there is another bub in the oven right now. Laura just the other day was like, can you believe in 2 months there'll be 4 of us?

Josh: Yeah.

Tommy: And I mean, you've talked about your morning routine, which it's just a paper and a coffee. You've tried to mix in that your daughter likes a book and a cup of, you know, a little baby chino. It is great. I mean, my morning routine is now fending off my 3.5-year-old from stealing treats out of the cupboard. He just wakes up first thing, ravenous, just needs to eat.

Matty: It's kind of nice. Oh, you've got a little boy?

Tommy: Little boy, yeah. Bodhi.

Matty: Yeah, I feel like boys, boys, they have a bigger appetite. Like my little nephew once ate 3/4 of a family-sized chicken pie by himself. Whereas Marley's a lot more selective. So, but it is nice in the mornings, just me and her, like daddy-daughter time. That to me is like, that's what I reckon is most special.

Josh: Not to go on too much of a tangent, but I heard on The Babble you talked about your toes and the fact that you have very fat toes. I actually have what's known as toe thumbs, so my thumb looks— both of them look like toes. Yeah. Is that a genetic thing, your toes, or can you tell us about them?

Matty: Look, I don't know if like— I'll take the sock off.

Josh: This is an experiment.

Tommy: And what's their morning routine, to be honest?

Matty: It's like, is that—

Josh: Okay, just a little bit more.

Tommy: To the middle, to the middle.

Josh: Keep going, keep going. Geez, that's a big ballace.

Tommy: There we go.

Josh: There you go. I'm going to—

Tommy: Oh, yeah.

Josh: It's not bad at all.

Tommy: It's not too big.

Matty: Is it? I mean, it's a good angle. It's a good angle. It's a slimming angle. No, I think I look at my mum's feet and I definitely inherited her hooves. They're not a beautiful toe. Sorry to my mum if she's listening.

Josh: Do you get self-conscious about it? Like, would you be the guy to, you know, you wear sandal over a thong? Like, are you wearing socks with your sandals or have you been able to get comfortable with it?

Matty: I think when I was 14, I think one of my mates at the beach was like, wow, you've got, you've got big, big toes. And I was kind of like, am I different? What does this mean? But now I've, now that I'm a lot more mature, I've learned to embrace them. So, so I mean, I'll always walk around barefoot.

Tommy: Is it just leading with it so you can't be called out on it? I mean, you've spent a lot of time being filmed for reality TV. Was there anything that was pointed out for you that you were like, Have built a complex about, fuck, oh no, they've seen my left earlobe.

Matty: No, I have to bring it up in conversation. So, if I am outdoors and I'm barefoot, I'm like, Matt, nice to meet you. By the way, I've got a big, big toe. And then just get it out. People are like, what do you mean? I'm like, nothing. It's pretty hot, isn't it?

Josh: I mean, I went as far as my toe thumb has his own Instagram account. What? Yeah. And so—

Tommy: Always trying to get a plug in, Matty James.

Josh: Yeah, it's toe thumb. I think he's— Got an underscore after it because I couldn't get just toe thumb.

Tommy: Because he, no, because his thumb accidentally pressed it.

Josh: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. That's too fat.

Matty: It is very hard. Is that something that you're fearful of passing on to your children?

Josh: Well, yeah, I think it— Well, so, I always thought that I got it from my dad, but then I was looking at his thumb the other day and it's nowhere near as bad. So, yeah, I mean, my girlfriend, Bri, and I were talking about if we were to have kids, the selecting of what we would want. So, she was like, "I would like the baby to have my hair and have your skin." But it can get real mean real quick. 'Cause it's like, "What's wrong with my feet?

Matty: My feet are fine." Well, it's funny because when Marlee May was born, everybody said straight away like, "Oh, she looks like Laura." And now I feel like she's kind of, she's 16 months and she's changing a lot. She's no longer a baby, she's more of a toddler. And I feel like, and I don't know if this is wishful thinking, She's moulding into me now. Like, I— Nothing makes me more proud when someone sees her and goes, wow, you guys look really similar. And I'm like, the dominant gene. I'm taking it.

Josh: When you were— Before you became a dad, did you have an expectation of what you were going to be like as a dad? And have you changed your mind on it?

Matty: Yeah, it's funny. I remember. Really vividly, I was at my sister's house and she's got 3 kids. And of my brothers and sisters, she was the one who had kids first. And I was at her house playing with the kids. And this is before Marley was around. This is before Laura was even pregnant. And my sister said, you know, like, when do you want to have kids? And I was like, yeah, pretty soon. And she was like, you know, what kind of, like, what kind of dad do you reckon you'll be? And I was like trying to imagine what it would be like. And I guess it was, you know, because I had nieces and nephews, I was kind of like dipping my toe. Yeah, yeah. And so I kind of like, I got like a little taste of what being a dad was like. And, you know, I, um, I was— I remember thinking to myself, I want to be like a really silly dad. Like, I don't want to be, um, I see at the park sometimes there'll be a kid running around playing by himself and the dad will just be sitting there, arms crossed, and the kid's like, you know, wanting so badly to like play like ninjas or, you know, any kind of game. And I'm almost like, I'll play with you, buddy. Like, I don't care. Like, I want to be very involved and I definitely don't want to be like a boring, mature dad. I still think of myself as just like a big 14-year-old, and I think that's kind of how my parenting is at times.

Tommy: Well, I mean, you're young, you're 33. Are you going to get your kids into nippers in Bondi? I used to live there, just across the road from the beach, and I always thought, oh, that would be the best growing up, doing something like nippers.

Matty: Yeah, I am. Well, it's funny, isn't it? Because you need to pick your sports quite carefully for your kids because nippers is great, nippers is perfect on the weekend.

Josh: But how much cash can they make?

Matty: Maybe 10 Yes. Yeah, I was thinking, you know, maybe it's going to be cricket, but I'm like, that's also a really big investment from me as a dad if she plays cricket. That's like, that's my whole Saturday gone, you know, which is concerning.

Tommy: And you need to play cricket.

Matty: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I was saying, Nippers is good. I actually, I cannot wait until she can start to swim out in the ocean and we can go surfing together. So that is, yeah, that's something that I'm really looking forward to. But we've decided that she will dance, will be a dancer, but not ballet. No disrespect to the ballet community out there, but she's going to be more of like a street funk type dancer.

Josh: Oh yeah, contemporary.

Tommy: No, this is great. I mean, I remember having chats with my parents, my mum saying, how did, how did you and dad meet? And she's got a classic storey of worked at a yoga center. My dad was like, this was back 50 years ago when men didn't do yoga and if they did, they were gay. And so everyone thought my dad was gay at this yoga centre and that's how they've got this cute story. Have you had the chat with your young daughter about how you and mummy met?

Matty: It's, we have explained to her, obviously she's not digesting that information at all, but there's been a few times where, you know when your phone gives you a, it like reminds you and says, oh, you know, this photo was taken on this day 3 years ago. And we had our finale, um, like anniversary, I guess you'd call it, just recently. And, you know, whilst we're in bed, we got reminded of this photo and this video, and we were watching it. Marley was in bed with us as well, so she was watching it, and she was, you know, she was really transfixed on the screen of the mobile phone. And I did think, it's going to be, it's going to be so weird when she does get to an age where she understands you know, the concept of TV and reality TV and how we have to explain to her that that's how mum and dad came to be. And we're going to force you to watch our first date over and over and over again.

Tommy: Daddy, why is your home video such high production value?

Josh: Who's the guy with the roses?

Matty: I need to— I haven't— I've been meaning to message Channel 10 and ask if I can get like a DVD copy burnt. Just in case, like, we can't get hold of it. I don't know. So, I'm yet to get that.

Josh: Surely they're going to hold on to it. I don't think it's going to be some sort of situation in 5 years where, like, no one has a copy. Could you believe that?

Matty: Like, that's, you know, I wake up at night in cold sweats of the thought of that season of The Bachelor being lost somewhere in the abyss of the internet.

Josh: What's something that you had to learn from a relationship perspective having a relationship that was more sort of public-facing or having public scrutiny? Were there any extra things that you had to do or think about as a couple?

Matty: Um, do you know what, I think, um, I think early on Laura and I were really, you know, we get spat out of that bubble and, and the finale happens and then, you know, all of a sudden normal life begins and it's such a weird time. You don't realise it at the time. You think that what's currently going on is going to be your life forever. But the first 2 or 3 weeks are just really, really crazy where, you know, we would drive somewhere and there'd be like 3 pap cars following us and then we'd get out of the car and they'd be like taking photos of us. And, you know, I kind of thought, well, this is, this is my life now. You know, I'm going to be this, this guy that just gets followed everywhere. And then we didn't really like we didn't enjoy it. Like it was kind of novelty and we'd laugh about it. But then at the same time, it kind of sucks being down at the beach and having someone in the bushes taking a photo. But then we kind of realised that because we weren't really doing anything too scandalous, you know, the appetite for people to see more of us kind of starts to dwindle. And that was really great because then the paparazzi stop and you kind of start to just get like a bit more of a normal life. But even, even now, Daily Mail, bless their, their soul. Um, even now I remember like a few times I'd release an article that was like, uh, before we got engaged, like they would say Matt and Laura have a secret wedding, and, uh, and my uncle would message me and be like, well, thanks very much, well, cheers for the invite. And I would be like, no, it's not true, it's not true. And, and, um, you have to keep reminding you know, friends and family that what gets printed is not always true. I think that's, that's definitely the big one.

Tommy: Well, I mean, they were onto you with the baby and I mean, this is always a speculation. Did they know before you told it?

Matty: Had you?

Tommy: Yeah.

Matty: Do you know what? I, I don't know how they work. I don't know how they operate, but they're out there.

Tommy: It was your uncle.

Josh: He called them. Yeah, exactly. Well, if I'm not invited to the wedding.

Tommy: I'm fucking spilling the beans on you, mate, Jay.

Matty: But, um, but what was, what was crazy is that we, um, before Marley, Laura was pregnant, but we unfortunately lost, lost that one. Um, and we, we never announced that one. Um, but Laura was, was pregnant and we were hopping into the car. We happened to have this paparazzi, um, walk by and, and we told like nobody. Like my mum knew and that was like, that was it. Like not even my best friend. And he came up and said, so when are you guys going to announce the pregnancy? And, uh, and instantly Laura and I looked at each other like, you know, had a shocked face and we're thinking, shit, like, how does this guy know? And I don't know if he did know or if he was maybe just like saying it to get a reaction to see if he knew.

Tommy: But it's a bit like a medium, they just sort of put stuff out there and see what lands.

Matty: Yeah, so we, you know, we were like, actually, and then A couple of articles were written, but even then we had like a 12-week scan and we're in the radiologist or radiography, whatever you call them, in the waiting room. And the girl behind the reception was like, oh my gosh, it's you guys. And she's like, can I get a photo?

Josh: Oh no.

Matty: And we were like, um. Oh, I don't want to sound like a dick, but no. And then I was like, oh, like maybe just get one with me. And then we were like, oh shit, is she going to like post that? We don't want to have our photo.

Josh: Did she want a photo with the scan as well? Her holding it up sort of in the middle?

Matty: But yeah, they just, they know. I don't know how they— I'm like, do they have my phones tapped? But then again, I'm not big enough to warrant my phones being tapped. Or am I?

Josh: So, what was it like then? Because I heard that you I heard you mentioning on The Babble that you worked like agency life and you were doing spreadsheets and stuff like that. So what was like pre-reality show Matty and then post? Was it just like, is it completely different?

Tommy: And was your toe still the same size?

Matty: Toes were still the same. Still very humble. I, I I really— I love agency life. Like, I really enjoyed it. And my, my job in the UK was I specialised in sponsorship. So if you're a brand and you want to sponsor something, you come to me and I tell you what would be the best thing to sponsor. So for example, is sponsoring the soccer or rugby going to be better? And I would do the strategy behind what would get better return and, and what that would look like. But, you know, it was Very normal, except I was working in Barangaroo, which is near the city in Sydney, and I was working full-time when the show was on air. And in one of the big buildings, there's a little cafeteria downstairs where they have, you know, like 6 different food places. And it was funny that slowly, as the show got closer to being on air, people would stop and ask for a photo, and then that would ramp up more and more and more as we got closer towards the finale, to the point where I had to send someone to go down and get me food because it was, you know, if I went down there, I'd have a photo taken and another photo and another photo and it would just be, you know, like be too much. So, I am, and I, but it happens quite slowly and it's funny how used to it you get. Like you just acclimatise to the situation. All of a sudden, you know, being asked by a random person for a photo just becomes totally normal.

Josh: Any sort of hard conversations with your employer? Because our mate Tully Smyth, who was on Big Brother, I believe didn't tell her boss. And then one day she was just in the Big Brother house, which is probably not the best. Yeah. Yeah. Probably not like the best way to go, but she never came back, I don't believe.

Matty: I was pretty upfront. At the time, I was working for Peugeot, the car brand.

Josh: Oh, yeah.

Matty: And the interview process was like 6 different interviews. And it was so, so drawn out. To work for Peugeot or for Bachelor? To work— Actually, it was harder to work for Peugeot. Than it was to get on The Bachelor. It was 2 interviews and that was it. I was picked. Whereas Peugeot took forever. And then, you know, then you have a 2-week induction process and it's just like, ah, come on, guys.

Josh: What was the role and what were you doing? And what was the, what are they asking in the interviews? Did you do a test drive?

Matty: Yeah, it was just like, like just, you know, like I met like 6 different people every single time. Like I go to an interview and I'm like, who, like, who are you? And why am I chatting to you now? And it was just the same questions, but I was I was head of partnerships at Peugeot. Um, hey, not to toot my own horn with an impressive role, but, um, but then after I've been there for 2 weeks, then the phone rang and it was The Bachelor, and they asked if I wanted to come for an interview. And I did that, entertained the thought, thinking like nothing's, nothing's going to come of it. And then I went for another interview and ended up getting it. And I went to a guy called Dimitri, who was the marketing director, and I was like, mate, I'm so sorry, I've just been offered this role and I know I've gone through all this interview process and the induction process, but I'm going to go on the show if that's okay. And he was actually really supportive. He was like, do it 100%, you'll always regret it if you don't. But HR at Peugeot fucking hated me. I had to go in there and be like, hey, I'm going to go on reality TV, I'm so sorry., and they were filthy, filthy.

Tommy: Did you, I mean, you're not working at Peugeot anymore. Did you get to keep your job or you're— that was a line in the sand, I'm out?

Matty: No. And then afterwards I called them up and they were like, sorry, pal, the role's been filled. But I remember—

Tommy: It's Blake from the other season of The Bachelor.

Matty: He's run out of luck. I remember after the show, I was, you know, there was a few moments where I was like, you know, well, do I become like a media personality now? Like, is that who I am? Or do I go back to normal life? You know, it's almost like this fork in the road moment where I think someone even called it, you know, you're like after reality TV, you're, you're too famous to go back to your normal job, but not famous enough to get a job in the media. You're kind of in this weird, like, no man's land. But I am— I went back to normal work. Straight away, like 2 days, 2 weeks after we finished filming the finale, I was back working in agencies.

Josh: Was it a hard transition?

Matty: I think it was good. You know, I think, I think there's a lot of anxiety that comes with being on reality TV. And I think for those people who don't have a distraction like a full-time job, you know, we're getting sucked into reading all the comments on social media and you're sucked into reading all the headlines that get you know, put out there, I think that would really tear you up. So I love that I had a full-time job to distract me from everything else.

Tommy: What's, what's been the perspective shift since having the baby? You know, so you meet on The Bachelor and then you're, you're in the real world and now you have a kid and there's nothing that sucks you into the real world like having a child. What's the shift internally for you that you've made looking back on the past and where you're at now?

Matty: I think, I think being a dad or being, you know, being a parent, it's funny how there is nothing in this world that gives you more joy than seeing your child happy. You know, I think seeing Marley Mae have a smile on her face and like taking her to the zoo, which for me doesn't really rock my boat. But if it makes Marley happy, like she is the number one priority without question. In my life and Laura's life. And so, it's funny how this little being just completely takes over your entire world. And it's like, it's instant, you know, it's crazy how quickly it happens. It's, you know, like as soon as they come out, it's like a switch in your head just goes and all of a sudden, they are everything for you.

Josh: Is there much anxiety around trying to be a good parent or what it means to be a good parent?

Matty: Yeah, I think, I think, you know, there are days where Marley is amazing and she's just so easy and she's well behaved and she eats well and goes to bed on time and like everything's great. But then there's other days where you're a bit tired and, you know, work's been a bit crap and she's being a nightmare and you get a bit cranky and you're short-tempered and you put them to bed and then you're sitting on the couch and like they're so quiet and peaceful now because they're asleep and you go through and you look at photos of them and you're like, oh, I should have been, I should have been more patient with them. You know, I, you know, I shouldn't have got cranky and I should have played with her a bit more before she went to bed. And you do get the guilt, I think, sometimes as a parent. And it's only when they're asleep and they're peaceful because when she wakes up and she's crying, you're like, ah, yeah, yeah.

Tommy: But what about you? No, after you.

Matty: Sorry, dude. I was gonna say, you do, as a parent, I think you do put a lot of pressure on yourself to be perfect all the time and have every single day be a good day, which is, you know, never gonna happen.

Tommy: What about your relationship with Laura? How has that changed, evolved since having number 1? And then we can ask you number 2 in a couple of months' time, see what's happened.

Matty: Yeah, I think it can be really easy, you know, when you have kids to not prioritise your relationship as much. I think because Laura is working full time, she's got loads on her plate and I'm, you know, trying to hustle as much as I can with work. And then in between that, you know, we're trying to, you know, look at buying a new house and everything else is happening so quickly that all of a sudden, you know, months can go by where we haven't really prioritised the time that we spend together. You know, we often talk about getting a babysitter and going out for dinner. And just having some time where it's just me and her. And yet, because it's not really essential, it's not critical, so it always just gets pushed back to like the end of the bottom of the to-do list. So now we need to make, you know, Laura and I, we really make a conscious effort to spend time with each other. And even though we break this rule all the time, but, you know, often we try and enforce a rule of no mobile phones after 7 o'clock when Marley goes to bed so we can just, you know, be with each other. And again, there are nights when we break that rule, but that's the big one.

Josh: What's your relationship like with social media? Do you find that, you know, do you have a negative perspective or are you able to sort of be a bit detached?

Matty: I used to, I think I probably had like a bit of an identity crisis where I was like, you know, what am I? I don't really work in marketing anymore and I'm not really like, in media, I'm not on TV. Um, and I'm like, I don't want to call myself an influencer because I, you know, I think they have— influence is such a dirty word. Like, you know, no one, no one really wants to be an influencer. And, um, I think I was probably—

Tommy: everyone wants influence.

Matty: That's the weird thing about it. Yeah, it's this weird double-edged sword, isn't it? And then, um, I think I was probably trying after the show to be like too perfect, you know, to like I'll take a beautiful topless shot and then I'm like, that's what people might want to see so that's what I'll give them. And I didn't really love it. It was like doing a stage shot or trying to get the perfect shot down the beach, it sucks. And so lately, I've kind of been trying to do more like comedy and more skits and that actually I found that people enjoy that more than anything else, like relatable content that's just silly and fun.

Josh: Was there a moment at all— is there, is there a moment where you decide, hang on, I like— this isn't serving me, or like, what's the point of this?

Matty: Yeah, I think probably the first skit that I ever did, um, I helped out with this, this event called the Undies People's Choice Undies Run for Bowel Cancer, and it's in Adelaide where people run in their undies around this course, all raising money for those who have been affected by bowel cancer. And they were like, could you do something to help promote it? Like, just, you know, just a shot of you in your undies, um, like a still photo would be perfect. And I kind of thought, wouldn't it be funny if it was this guy like training for the Olympics at a proper athletics track, and then slowly he starts taking off more and more clothes until he's down into his undies, and then he's, you know, he's then ordering coffee at the cafe in his undies. And, um, and I was like, I went to them, I said, can I film this? And they were like, yeah, great, do what you want. And I did it and it got like 1,000 comments and people were like, this is really funny. And I was almost just seeing the engagement then. I kind of thought, well, maybe I should do more of this. And I think from that moment on, you know, I was like, I want to do more, more skits.

Tommy: Did you think, you know, way back in agency life, is that something you were even into mucking around doing video content like that? Or is it— No, literally just based on the new way you've landed?

Matty: Yeah, not really. I don't think— I mean, like, other than just mucking around with mates, I, um, I never did anything like that at all. But I guess one thing I did do a lot of was, you know, when in agency life, when a client would give me a brief and I'd try and figure out like, well, what's your marketing objective and what are you trying to do? So now that's transitioned to, to life as, you know, a content creator, uh where I'm like, well, how can I make a funny video but also then weave in a product?

Josh: You're new to TikTok. What have you learned being there?

Matty: Um, I don't know. Not, not a lot.

Josh: Not a lot.

Tommy: TikTok, general consensus.

Matty: Um, I mean, I do, I love TikTok because I think it's really, I think it's changed the way people consume content and what kind of content they consume. I think now people really have an appetite for just silly content that makes them laugh instead of, you know, people posting a really beautiful shot that makes— when you want— when you see that, it kind of makes you feel a bit, you know, shit inside. Whereas now making people laugh is like the priority with TikTok, which I love.

Josh: Yeah, yeah.

Tommy: I mean, it's a good, it's a good, um, skill to be able to see what sort of what gets people going, what gets people laughing? What have you found that is your sense of humor? What's the Matty J sense of humor?

Matty: Actually, do you know what's gone really well for me? Which I never would have imagined this, but me dressed as a woman is—

Josh: Yeah, you're going to become Christian Hull.

Matty: Yeah.

Josh: You could do a collab.

Matty: I'm waiting for him to message me to go like, hey dude, stop stealing my my material. But, um, but do you remember the flick the switch challenge where you're at a couple's house?

Josh: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Matty: And the lights go off and they come back on, all of a sudden outfits have changed. And Laura and I did that and it just went like, it got like 600,000 views. And I, you know, I was like, at the time Laura was like going through her whole wardrobe now. But at the time I was like, I'm like, babe, I'm not going to wear your top. It's, you know, it's stupid. I'm not going to wear a wig and put lipstick on. Whereas now I'm like, babe, where's your mascara? Where is it?

Tommy: Maybe getting your daughter to put makeup on your face could be the next sort of funny tutorial.

Josh: Oh, that'd be fun.

Matty: Oh, it's— yeah, that's going to happen. But it's— the other day we were filming one and I was in a wig and Marley had woken up for a nap and she came out and she's looking at me and she's like, I know you're my dad in this. Somewhere. Um, but yeah, part of me is like, what am I doing? I'm, I'm a dad, I'm 33, and I'm doing TikTok videos in drag.

Josh: You were telling us, um, off air that you were doing stuff with Belvita. What have you been working on?

Matty: Yeah, so we, um, you know, it's great when brands are happy to just give me creative freedom to do whatever I want. And, uh, and we did one video, uh, last month Essentially, it was just me starting off my morning with a delicious Belvita, and then I just dance around Sydney with my daughter and Laura in tow, who are very unimpressed. And, and then they, they said, we'd love to do another video. And I was like, well, I'd love to do a follow-up dance video, which we shot just the other day. So it's— but this time Laura has a Belvita as well and she starts dancing. So it's Laura and I dancing together. Like at the Sydney Opera House, and Laura's there like, I don't want to do this. And we— it was a wide shot, so our guy who was filming it was like 200 metres away or 100 metres away. And so it was— so no one knew that we were being filmed. You know, sometimes it's easy when there's a camera there and they obviously— yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, but my friend, I was on his— on my mobile, and he's like, cool, I've got the shot, so start filming, uh, start dancing. And so Laura and I are going nuts, and people around us were like, are these are these people okay? Like, do they need help? And there was like a wedding as well that was having, you know, a beautiful bridal party having their photos done, and they were looking at us being like, oh my gosh, like ushering the children away from us as we're dancing around Sydney. So Laura was like, why? Like, why the hell did I end up with someone like you?

Tommy: Because I gave you the rose and then the rest is history.

Matty: This is it. Yeah.

Tommy: What do you feel like in those moments? Is that Is that confidence that you're bringing or it's just like you're kind of suppressing how you're feeling about the awkward moment and just leaning in?

Matty: No, I, both Laura and myself, we like, we hated it. We hated that moment of even because it was the weekend just gone. The weather was so beautiful. It was like, you know, heatwave hit and we filmed that at Bondi Beach as well on a Sunday. As you can imagine, it was just so busy. And, uh, and doing that in front of other people is just like— nothing brings me more anxiety than that. Like, I remember waking up when we had to film and I was like, like, today's the day we're gonna do this. But it's what people like to see. Like, people love that awkwardness.

Josh: Have you, uh, taken the learnings from the partnership roles and things like that, being on the other side and being the guy that's actually sort of executing on things and being, you know, talent. What have you, what have you learned from that?

Matty: I think, I think people now, I think like the golden era of social media has ended, you know, like gone are the days of someone giving Kim Kardashian like $1 million for one post and that then creating a business. I think people now are so much more savvy to branded, you know, collaborations on social media. And people are now kind of turned off it a little bit. So I think viewers really want something in return. Like, you got to, you got to give them something if you're going to do something branded. So it's either going to be really informative and, um, and give them information that they didn't already have, like, you know, tutorial, something like that, or it needs to give them entertainment. Um, and so I'm really lucky that I get to work with Belvita who have a great product but also are happy to, to produce content in a way which is just really fun and vibrant.

Josh: It's sort of like a bit of a new category, don't you think? Like, Tommy was trying, uh, trying the, um, what, the Coconut Bites? And I've never been like a cereal guy. Like, I don't like milk with things or whatever. And I feel like there's no coffee though.

Tommy: You like it with coffee?

Josh: Yeah, yeah, I like it with coffee or whatever, but I've never been like a sit— like, you put cereal in a bowl, fill it with milk type of thing. And I feel like this is the perfect combo where it's— I'm not having to, to have that. I'm literally just eating it, you know.

Matty: Mate, there, there is— I wake up in the morning and other than seeing my daughter, I'm most excited about eating. Yeah, for me. And I, I eat— I've got a very fast metabolism, so I'll always have a big bowl of porridge, but then by like 9 o'clock I'm like, cool, what's next? My tummy is like, come on, dude, like, let's like give me more, give me more. So, um, having a, having a cheeky little bite or one of their bars, like, there is nothing in this world that's more delicious with the coffee. Yeah, yeah.

Tommy: Um, what's your favourite flavour of the Coconut Bites?

Matty: Look, big fan of the chocolate. Plenty of time for chocolate. Got a very dark chocolate teeth.— you can't go wrong with chocolate, but there's the fig, which is a bit more of a fruity flavor. So, I'll sometimes do the fig in the morning as like my mid-morning snack, and even then, like after dinner, I'll then treat myself to a little bit of cheeky chocolate.

Tommy: Dark.

Josh: Yeah, I mean, yeah, dark. Like it feels like you're being real good when you have a bit of dark choc.

Tommy: The—

Josh: You go on.

Matty: No, you go, you go.

Josh: I was going to go talk about COVID for a second. What— I saw a video of you at the start, it must be the start of the year or it was sort of looking ahead and it was, you know, all positive and like, oh yeah, we're going to do this and that and maybe start saving and, you know, all this sort of stuff. 2020. Yeah. How has 2020 been for you? What have you learnt about yourself?

Matty: It's been, for us and our household, it's really been a case of feast and famine. Because I was hosting a TV show called Luxury Escapes and we were 2 weeks away from shooting for 3 months. So like the entire season was going to be shot in this really tight window. And I remember looking at the news being like, oh babe, I don't know if I'm going to go. Like it looks like it's getting pretty serious. And then eventually, you know, all international travel was just shut down and the show's now been officially canned, which is a real bummer. So for me, all of a sudden, you know, I had 3 months of work just taken away. It was wiped. And on the other end of the spectrum, Laura's got a jewellery label and she was really worried as well. She was like, you know, I've just— she just launched a brand new range. So she had all this stock, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock and she was freaking out. And then all of a sudden, you know, JobKeeper came through and people just wanted retail therapy and, and she's had the busiest 6 months in 9 years of being in business. So, so it's definitely shifted. I think I probably underestimated how hard it would have been to be away from the family for so long, but it's been a bit of a blessing to be able to be more of a stay-at-home dad when I thought I was going to be working. So, you know, I think I've been a lot more hands-on. And I think, you know, as a guy, I think there is that mentality of like, well, no, I've got to be the breadwinner. I've got to earn more money than my partner. But now, you know, the fact that she's earning lots of money and doing really well, you know, I know that that's the most important thing is that we're being successful. Yeah.

Tommy: I mean, what a year. It has been crazy. I mean, would you take it? Would you do the now with sort of what you felt about not going away for the 3 months? Would you go and do a 3-month stint?

Matty: Yeah, I reckon now, now knowing how, especially when your kids are young, because a lot happens in a month for a 1-year-old, you know, like all of a sudden they go from crawling to walking and, you know, they're saying their first words. And I think, I think now knowing that I could be away and I could miss all those moments, I think that's something that I would really struggle with. So, I think now I've come to have, you know, come to accept the fact that being like a travel host for me is probably not going to happen again, like on an international scale, which On the one hand is upsetting, but at the same time it allows me to be more of a dad, which is more important than anything else.

Josh: Have you thought about like, um, so I guess the modern day travel presenter, like the Getaway type of thing, all that sort of stuff, that's, that's probably starting to transition out. And there's obviously travel vlogging and things like that. Have you thought about doing vlogs?

Matty: We've done That was a lot of my work. Like, we, uh, we worked with a lot of tourism boards. So we, um, uh, before COVID you know, we would, we would work with like New Zealand Tourism. We would go there for a week, um, we would shoot content, um, that we put on my page and Laura's page, but also then gave that content to the brand as well. Um, so that was kind of like, yeah, it was like the new age, um, way of promoting destinations was not through TV shows as such, but through social media. But now even that's kind of come to a bit of an end internationally anyway.

Josh: Yeah.

Matty: Yeah.

Tommy: I mean, you see the people, the big YouTubers that don't end up relying on a brand. They just have a channel that's got so much attention that they just— it becomes their own TV shows. Imagine like you guys just having your own show. That is, you know, I guess it's then how much do you want to pull your daughter into the reality show side of things? Have you thought about that as a parent? What you want to not expose, but sort of, you know, allow others to be able to consume of your daughter?

Matty: Yeah, we got approached to do by one of the networks to do a reality TV show. And, and, you know, it's hard because you're like, well, this is, you know, this is, it's work, it's money. It's also, you know, you're out there, you know, in the spotlight, which is maybe it's not a bad thing. And then we're like, but do we— you know, Marley doesn't have a choice to be exposed to that. And then we were also like, we don't do enough that warrants a reality TV show. Like, it's been— our life is, it's pretty boring, to be honest. It's very normal. And, um, you know, is it— was it Newlyweds with, um—

Josh: oh yeah, with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. That was a great show.

Matty: You know, Hollywood superstars and like huge international singers were, you know, it's like, I'm a guy who worked in marketing, you're like, that's— is that gonna— are people gonna watch that? Like, probably not. So we ended up saying no to it. Um, and you know, at the time we're like, is this the right thing to do? Like, maybe, you know, is this going to be our ticket to something bigger? But, um, but I think it's— it was probably the right thing, uh, not to be involved because I think you do want to Um, even like, uh, I remember looking at some people who had filmed that, like, the childbirth.

Josh: Yeah.

Matty: You know, and I was like, 6 angles, GoPros.

Josh: Yeah, literally.

Matty: I was like, is that— should, like, should we be doing that? Is that something that, that's expected of us? And she was like, shut up, we are not filming my child.

Josh: Um, uh, on the, on the reality stuff, do you watch reality TV yourself? Do you— do you— consumer?

Matty: Yeah, I, um, I think it's a bit like, you know, when you, um, when you play a sport and all of a sudden when you play a sport you enjoy it a lot more, uh, you enjoy watching it a lot more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I did think maybe, maybe I wouldn't like reality TV because I've been involved in it, um, but I, I love it. I love, I love, like, you know, I love MasterChef, I love MAFS. I can't wait for MAFS to come out next year. I still watch every season of The Bachelor and even The Block right now. I'm obsessed with The Block, SAS Australia. I'm like, I'm now more into reality TV than ever before.

Tommy: What's your perspective as someone who's been on it? What intrigues you about it?

Matty: I don't know. I think it's, I think it, Still, still now, like, I'll look at, I look at like, uh, SAS Australia, you know, and I think it's just, it's just crazy and how raw some of this programming is now. Like, you know, there was one episode with Shannon who's a PT, got hypothermia to the— and this is on SAS Australia— to the point where after he came to, like, after he kind of got back his body warmth, he couldn't remember anything about what had just happened. And like, you're sitting there on your couch with a bit of popcorn being like, this is, this is good viewing.

Josh: Yeah.

Matty: It's just, you know, there's something really enjoyable about watching someone else go through a situation, whether it be heartache or whether it be happiness or elation, whatever it is. And you can just tap into that for a moment, but from the comfort of your own home.

Josh: When it comes to all these different deals and working out whether you're going to do one project or another, I guess there's a lot of sort of money storeys that we all have in regards to how we view money, how we sort of, you know, our relationship with it. What is your relationship like with money?

Matty: I, yeah, it's funny because now, now especially right now because we are trying to buy a house and then I think it's only when you get to that milestone moment that you really look at your finances with a fine-tooth comb., and you're like, shit, I wish I saved a bit more when I was, when I was younger. Um, but I think, I think even with, with, you know, with Laura and myself, we're driven not by the money as such, but more so, you know, by the product that we create. So for Laura, it's her podcast and her jewelry, and for, for me, it's the content. You know, I'd, I'd much rather produce a video, um, that I made $5 from but got heaps of views, everyone loved it, versus getting paid $10,000 and doing something that no one watched and everyone hated it. But obviously, you know, but then at the same time there's that balance because, you know, I've got to put food on the table as well.

Tommy: Yeah, Marley Mae's had to cut her, um, baby chinos for the house.

Matty: Yeah, yeah, sorry, you will not be playing any sport because I can't afford Bought it.

Tommy: We're going to buy that house.

Josh: Like buying a house, I feel like is, seems like such a stressful experience. Or like my girlfriend and I, like even just talking about it over the weekend and thinking about, okay, if we think about the next 2 years and trying to do it, there's a lot of things, you know, that you've got to start to think about. And then it's just like, it seems like such a big commitment. What surprised you through the process?

Matty: Yeah, it's funny because I never thought I would leave Bondi. Like, I love Bondi more than anything, but now I realise that I can't afford to live or buy in Bondi. And so we're looking at moving down south, you know, to real suburbia type area. And, and, you know, we're doing that now not because it's an area that I really want to live in. We're doing it because it's what's going to be best for the kids. So it's, you know, Whereas before I would have looked at, you know, a nice apartment, couple bedrooms close to the beach, walking distance to the water would be delicious. But now it surprised me how much I'm happy to let go of what's important to me and focus on what's important for the kids. Yeah. Daddy, yeah, listen to that.

Josh: Listen to that. You are a hero. That's what I've taken away.

Matty: Your words, not mine.

Tommy: Matty J, thanks so much for joining us, buddy. It's been great, great chatting with you, dude.

Matty: I really enjoyed that. Thanks, boys.

Josh: Thank you. And yeah, you also have created a Spotify playlist for Belvita, the Bright Morning playlist. I was listening to a few of the tunes. Africa by Toto. Mate, you've got some good taste.

Matty: There's some bangers in there. There's some— that took me— I I probably spent far too long. Laura would be like, it's 1 in the morning, come to bed. And I'm like, nah, I've got to find the right track to put in here. I put Nirvana in there and I'm not sure if it's the right fit.

Josh: I was eclectic. It's an eclectic mix.

Matty: Yeah, I love it.

Josh: Awesome. Thanks, Matty.

Matty: Been a pleasure, boys. Thanks so much.

Josh: It's a daily talk show. See you tomorrow, guys. Have a good one.

Tommy: See you guys.