HOLLYWOOD — Danny Ricker is a behind-the-scenes star at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” As a head writer and co-executive producer, his wit helps us with laughing every night.
With Kimmel’s encouragement, Ricker took his skills as a writer and as a parent and wrote a book he calls, “Wow, You Look Terrible! How to Parent Less and Live More.” Ricker uses comedy, common sense and creativity to help parents.
In one chapter, Ricker found a way to turn five-minute bedtime stories into five-second stories! One line stuck with me: “For 30 years you felt like Batman, and you woke up one day and you were Alfred.”
“The book is for people who feel they used to have a life,” said Ricker. “They were their own person, and they had, you know, expendable income and they could do things they wanted to do. And now, they feel like a butler to a 3-year-old in dirty sweatpants.”
Ricker does dress up for work for those big show business occasions, but it’s his day-to-day life that his boss, Jimmy Kimmel, found amusing and potentially helpful to other parents with small kids.
“You know, I think he saw, ‘Oh, this could really be something fun and something parents will relate to,’ so I very much appreciate him encouraging me to do this,” said Ricker.
His amusing stories involve his own kids and offer readers interesting time-saving tips, money-saving tips and even ideas for your mental well-being.
“I wanted to help people get back the things they feel like maybe have evaporated once they had children,” said Ricker.
And while he loves being a dad, this is a father with opinions. One is a quiz that will let you know whether or not your kid needs a college fund. Another – he’d like the Easter Bunny to go away for good. What is his back story, really? And then there’s the Tooth Fairy.
“We don’t really know where she lives, and we don’t really know why she’s buying teeth,” said Ricker. “Maybe we just let that go, too!”
“Wow, You Look Terrible! How to Parent Less and Live More” is available now.
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