I love stories from celebrities about how sh-tty their teenagers are. It’s a near universal parental experience, and it’s particularly relevant coming from Joel McHale. That’s because I just saw him in an awesome film, Becky, about a disaffected youth. It came out in 2020 and is on Showtime now. If you’re not familiar with it, it stars Kevin James as the leader of a group of white nationalist prison escapees who take a family hostage. Joel McHale is the dad and the star is Lulu Wilson, now 16, who plays a 13-year-old girl who ends up f’ing up a group of hardened criminals. If you like horror, gore and revenge movies you’ll enjoy that film. Becky takes the sh-tty teenager trope and turns it into pure murderous rage.
Joel is promoting his show, Celebrity Beef, a celebrity cooking show. He was on Fallon where he talked about a recent family trip to England. His teenagers, boys aged 14 and 17, were characteristically impressed by nothing, not even Stonehenge.
On driving in England
I felt like I was playing Grand Theft Auto like with a mirror and I was so nervous.On taking his teenagers sightseeing
You know what teenagers love, sightseeing. We took them to Stonehenge and my 14-year-old was like ‘wow look at this pile of rocks, thank you. This is really great.’ We took them to Salisbury Cathedral, a beautiful church. My 14-year-old again was like ‘I am not going in there.’ All the former cardinals are buried there. [He] was like ‘this was very weird, that they buried people at work.’ He was like ‘let’s keep it moving.’ My 17-year-old was like ‘dad you always know how to say the wrong thing at the worst time.’ That’s my kids.On hanging out with Bad Bunny after playing celebrity softball
I’m so old they were like ‘Bad Bunny’s going to be there.’ ‘Sounds like a Funko Pop.’ Then he showed up. I told my 14-year-old [I met him] ‘do you know who Bad Bunny is?’ and he was like ‘ugh’ and walked out of the room.On ‘The Bear’
I was in that show for three minutes. I literally have gotten more response from that than an entire year in a sitcom on CBS.
[From The Tonight Show on YouTube]
I am happy to see Joel McHale interviewed and working steadily, you know I love him after Community. As for his teenagers, his son wasn’t even impressed that he met Bad Bunny! Usually kids give celebrity parents a little credit for knowing other famous people they like.
My friend Karen just went to Stonehenge and loved it. She called it “amazing” and said that she was “blown away.” She also said that it’s a burial site and that everyone there was as respectful and awed as she was. This makes me remember going to Disney World as a teenager around that age, 13, and being pissed off for no good reason. Later I realized that I’d missed so much and that my parents were working hard to give me a good experience. Some day Joel’s kids might look back on that trip to England fondly. In the meantime at least they’re giving their dad good stories to tell.
How cute are Joel and his wife Sarah?
Photos credit: Avalon.red and via Instagram
Lovely family. Cute boys. His wife is all about the natural look and she’s stunning, take note those who shellack on the make-up. Oh lord teenagers… just when you think they can’t possibly be more irritating they double down. I’ll take any opportunity to talk the Bear, it’s so good. We need another season now! That’s funny about Hugh Grant but I’d be more interested in meeting Joel.
The funny thing is I took almost the same photo with Joel in the background at an L.A. cafe years ago. He is my forever crush and I was so excited.
OMG you should post that as a response to his Hugh Grant post…if you can. he’d probably LOVE it.
Aw. I loved him on Community. I thought he was a bit like that in real life, too. I had no idea he had a beautiful wife and kids.
When I had 2 teenagers in the house, I fervently wished that there was an island somewhere, anywhere that I could send them to until they became human beings again. But alas, there was not and they did eventually become humans again. Now as parents of teens themselves, they call me frequently just to say that they’re sorry🤣
I would frequently tell my then-teenage daughter “I don’t know who you are, but you need to find my daughter and bring her back immediately!”
I apologize to my Mom constantly. I was so awful to her.
His sons sound a little uneducated…. it seems like they had no clue why those ‘rocks’ were there in the first place and the parents gave no explanation either.
Having said the above, I wasn’t that blown away by Stonehenge either (I was at the ring of Brodgar in the Orkney Islands) and have read a ton about it.
To be honest, I don’t remember going around being completely uninterested during my teen years, but it could be due that my parents couldn’t afford to go on holiday and I rarely had the chance to do some sightseeing.
He was unrecognizable as the soul-destroying chef in The Bear!
Omg he was in the bear?! Another reason why I need to watch this show. I love Jeremy and I Love Joel
Do it. Do it. Do it. I’ve already been thinking about watching it again lol.
OMG that’s who he was?? I was trying to think back and couldn’t remember him even being in the show. I for sure did not recognize him.
I had to look it up to make sure that it was him. He was so eveeel.
I’ve loved him since Talk Soup. Lovely family and I agree his wife is a stunning, natural beauty. I’m embarrassed that I have no idea who Bad Bunny is. Took my kid to Stonehenge when he was 11. We loved it. He was fascinated by it because it predates the wheel. We stood there staring at it for quite some time and other visitors seemed to have the same reaction. If you’re in London it’s worth the time to take a day trip out there.
I love when celebrities tell teen stories too as long as they aren’t Kelly Rippa stories that seem to have microaggressions/jealousy/insecurity on the part of the parent at the root of them. His stories were funny and I bet the kids look back on that trip fondly later in life. I remember Vanessa Williams saying her kids wouldn’t look up from their phones on an African safari and I insisted mine leave his behind when we went on ours (luckily he isn’t addicted to his phone which is a huge problem for teens and even smaller children).
Oh how I miss Talk Soup! I had a big crush on him then.
@Gabby such a hilarious show right? I loved the way he would introduce the Viewer Mail segment and sort of wobble his head. Used to crack me up.
I’ve liked him since Community, he is hilarious and gets hotter every year, ages in reverse. Please, God, don’t let this one turn out to be a creep like the rest of them or a major disappointment (sigh John Mulaney, Brad Pitt).
I loved him in Community.
Six seasons and a movie! I loved that show, it’s so funny now to see Donald Glover in it with a baby face.
He really is aging spectacularly.
I have to admit, I find Stone Henge a bit meh. It’s old so I guess that’s impressive but honestly I wouldn’t bother going out of my way for it. Fine for a ‘oh look at that’ out of the car window if you’re on the way to Cornwall
I found Avebury much, much more interesting than Stonehenge. And somewhere out there is a Chalk Horse, which I also found fascinating.
Yes, I agree with the kid. I told my brother the same- it’s a pile of rocks. Compared to Angkor Wat, Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan Pyramids of Southern Mexico and Guatemala and Belize, it’s really not much.
My two cents on Stonehenge, as an American who recently moved to England and is currently bingeing on all things British: I went to Stonehenge last month and our group (4 people in their 30s/40s and 2 teenagers) were pretty lukewarm on it. Everybody has different interests and if Stonehenge isn’t really up your alley it’s not the kind of place that has ‘something for everyone’ the way, say, a museum would. It’s easy enough to see if you’re doing other things in the area (like Bath, Windsor – both of which are much more interesting, IMO) and I’m glad I’ve seen it but I’m also glad I didn’t make an entire day of it.
When i was 15 we went to California (my dad had a business trip to San Francisco) so we started there, and then they drove us down the Pacific Coast Highway for more destinations.
My sister and i sat in the back of the car and read- and didn’t look at the view. The VIEW of the coastline and the Pacific Ocean.
It kind of blew his mind.
Thankfully, as an adult, i got do redo travel on that road- and took it all in.
I will admit I was a little unimpressed by Stonehenge – Avebury henge, which is just down the road, is much more impressive and bigger. When it comes to Stonehenge its worth bearing in mind that its the YOUNGEST stone henge in the UK (I think standing stones of stenness are the oldest at around 5,400 years old).
There are quite a few things I have seen and not been impressed by – the Mona Lisa springs to mind.
I was rather impressed by Pompeii, Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx.
Me, too, DU! Said so above, re Avebury. When I had the great good fortune to go to Egypt (got to spend ten days on a houseboat) & visited Giza, I found the Sphinx rather underwhelming. Partly, I guess, because it was surrounded by scaffolding (they were doing some sort of repairs), but partly because it sits low, in a declivity and has the Great Pyramid, which sits on an acclivity, right behind it, dwarfing it. It looked like a little kitten. Gotta say, though, I was a bit taken aback by the slab of blacktop road running between the pyramids toward the right (as you approach). I felt NatGeo had lied!
If y’all ever want to revisit some of your sight seeing trips and need a travel partner. 🙋🏻♀️
Pompeii! That is the perfect example of a place that is impossible for kids to hate, it’s just too cool. My parents took my brothers and me when we were 12 and 13, and we geeked out at how awesome it is.
Agreed on the Mona Lisa, I just do not get it.
As a teenager I was definitely unimpressed with a lot of the trips my parents took us on. As an adult, I want to redo some of them because I would appreciate it more. I feel like when you’re younger, you’re more wrapped up in your own world
When I was 12 or 13 we went on a trip to Washington DC. I remember going on a tour of the White House and thinking “Look at all this old people’s furniture!” No appreciation of history at all, lol, Now of course I would love to go back and really take it all in. His sons will probably feel the same way about Stonehenge someday.
When I was 14 I took a road trip with my parents to the Grand Canyon. I was unimpressed. I said it looked like a giant hole in the ground and went back and sat in the car. LOL I’ve been to the Grand Canyon many times since then (as an adult) and now I’m very impressed every time I see it.
I’m going to take my kids to see the Grand Canyon fully aware they may just think it’s a big hole in the ground but I’ve never seen it and I want to see it with them. So they are going.
You’ll love it! Who knows, maybe your kids will appreciate it more than I did. My mom took my son when he was 7 or 8 and he actually loved it.
I just got back from my third trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s so cool, my son, niece, and nephews didn’t complain one time, and it was a 7 day trip on a raft in 110 degree heat. With their parents and grandmother.
Our kids were 11, 12, 13, and 16, all of them loved it so much they are planning to take their own kids, when they have them!
I must be raising some aliens, because my teens are pretty meh about everyday life, but they do appreciate going places and seeing sht.
It is so true that cool historical sites are wasted on teenagers or young kids lol. Growing up and visiting my dad’s family in France every summer, they made a point to visit lots of places to expose my sister and I to cool cities/towns/historical sites. In fact I remember being super young (like 9 or 10) and I requested that we go visit the chateaux in the Loire Valley because I saw some pictures of Chambord and my parents made it happen. But I remember being such a brat at Disneyland Paris, my parents took me and my sister and we even stayed overnight in a hotel. In true Parisian fashion it rained most of the time we were there (Paris is not Florida) and I did not want to wear the super ugly bright yellow Disney rain ponchos my mom bought to keep us dry from the rain and insisted on using the umbrella (that got old real fast). So many places I’d love to revisit as an adult because I didn’t have the maturity to appreciate the experiences I got at a young age.
But I’m with Joel’s kid about the cardinals being buried at work LOL. I visited my fair share of churches/cathedrals in France and it always weirded me out people were buried beneath the church floor and tourists were walking over their graves all day.
If you are lucky enough to travel with your kids, IMO, you do a little research about the destinations together beforehand.
Makes things more fun and meaningful, ya know?
I learned about Narrowboats before I went to UK. Then I needed to take a day trip on one, with lunch stops at local places. The gent running this was so kind and made it a real memory for us.
I’d love to travel all of the UK, IRL. Short on cash, tho. 😀
I was at Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice this year and it was incredible. The Druids did a sunset (9.30pm) ceremony asking for peace and everyone stayed in the field surrounding Stonehenge until dawn. They allow you to get up on the stones. I strongly recommend going during the Solstice (summer rather than winter) for an amazing experience.
I have two teen boys. The last road trip we took the older one kept taking selfies of himself in the car to submit to his friends EVERY FEW MINUTES through some site. I said “why don’t you just call them and have a conversation?” You would have thought that was the most absurd suggestion ever. If you used a phone to actually talk to people, you must be old.
I have never felt so out of touch with reality than watching my son, nieces, and nephews trying to get a group selfie at sunset on a family vacation.
The outright panic that they wouldn’t get the EXACT right light, that everyone’s face didn’t look perfect, it was fucking exhausting. I needed a nap, and I still don’t know if they got one they were all happy with.
None of their parents were invited to join, naturally.
I drive past Stonhenge a few times a year. I’m not from the U.K. but had obviously heard and read and been taught a lot about it. When I first saw it I was… underwhelmed. And continue to be so, however it is a very impressive feat of human ingenuity and strength!
My oldest was a bit like that in Italy. Either unimpressed or complaining about something, but I saw her taking pics when she thought no one noticed. McHale did a guest appearance on that Hulu show the Bear where he plays a sadistic head chef in a flashback that is quite something to watch. I’m mildly obsessed with it. I’ve only ever seen him in Community so, just wow. Was a very good cameo.
Now THAT is how you thank your wife on social media, for being your wife! Take notes, Worst Chris.
This kind of thing isn’t confined to teenagers. My now-90-something mom still recalls how unimpressed she was with the Eiffel Tower ten years ago. “It looks like a toy!” 🤣🤣