Robby Slowik and His Foul Seed

Comedian and writer Robby Slowik joins the show to talk about balancing stand-up with parenting, as he and his wife, comedian Casey Balsham, prepare for baby number two. Robby shares how he went from being ambivalent about having kids to navigating the chaos of IVF, all while working unpredictable gigs and writing for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He recalls the moment a fertility doctor ruthlessly critiqued his sperm under a microscope and how their first IVF attempt involved "an amount of drugs that would kill most barn animals." He and Ophira bond over the unique struggles of raising kids in a creative profession, from juggling late-night sets to traveling internationally with a toddler—like the time they performed in Bologna while sharing a backstage with a burlesque dancer mid-costume change. Robby also recounts his unusual childhood of constant relocation—South Africa, Israel, England, the Cayman Islands, and Florida—thanks to his nomadic, gambling-addicted, orthopedic surgeon father. Plus, hear why he refuses to sit down in an IVF clinic sample room and why his family might just pack up and move to London. ✨ Subscribe, rate, and review! Follow us on socials @ParentingAsAJoke and @OphiraE (or @OphiraNYC on TikTok). Check out upcoming live performances at OphiraEisenberg.com. 📍 April Shows are in NYC, OH, and Las Vegas! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Follow Robby Slowik : https://www.instagram.com/robbyslowik/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events   SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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You know when you talk to your friends about your childhood and end it by saying, "But look at us, we're fine!" Here's my question: Are we fine? Because we're sitting here doused in CBD oil under a weighted blanket recording a podcast called Parenting is a Joke. Each week, host and standup Ophira Eisenberg talks to a different comedian about their career and their kids. Conversations tackle the tooth fairy, eating sticks, summer camp anxiety, the hidden horrors of childbirth, and the obvious horrors of our own childhoods. We celebrate the absurdity of shuffling a career with raising a kid, and highlight less traditional parenthood journeys, all while relishing in the fact that no one knows what they're doing, but we're all trying! Sometimes even our best. New episodes every Tuesday. New Season October 1st.