Samantha Bee and Jason Jones on Piper's 'Potty Humor'
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It should come as no surprise that Piper Bee-Jones, 3 ½-year-old daughter of Daily Show correspondents Samantha Bee and Jason Jones is a comedian-in-the-making — and “potty humor” is her specialty!
In an interview with Time Out New York Kids, Samantha reveals that Piper’s “favorite thing” is to “substitute the word poop or pee into any song or aspect of the conversation,” and mom does little to dissuade the practice!
“She thinks it’s so hysterical,” Samantha says. “Unfortunately, I also think it’s hysterical, so I encourage it.” The couple’s newest addition — 15-month-old Fletcher – is also a source of amusement, despite their better judgment! Says Jason,
“That’s half the problem with our parenting. We laugh at the stuff that other parents are scolding their kids for. Like Fletcher will take a handful of eggs and whip them at the wall, and we’re like, ‘Sorry, but comedically, that was very funny. It came out of nowhere.’”
The feeling is not always mutual, however. Piper once watched one of Jason’s Daily Show skits and was not impressed by what she saw. Their daughter “cried so hard that we don’t show her anything anymore,” Samantha recalls. “It was so upsetting…We didn’t think it through.” She explains,
“To be fair, it was the one where he was making fun of being a dad early in her life. She just saw it recently. It appeared that he had dropped her out of the Baby Björn, and she thought that he’d really dropped her. So we’re not going to let her watch any of our stuff for a while. We’re having a little moratorium on appearing on the show and also watching the show.”
Joking that the sketch was an illustration of Jason’s bad parenting, when in reality he is a “great father,” Jason quips of Piper, “Do you not understand that? How does your two-year-old brain not understand that?”
Click below to read about the Bee-Joneses thoughts on raising a family in New York City.
The show also holds some happy memories for Piper, however; She and her brother are always welcome on the set, and they often have company. “It might surprise you, what a nurturing environment it really is,” Samantha says. “Everybody there has kids. Kids and dogs. The whole place is swimming with children and dogs.”
When the couple must head to work alone, they leave their children in the hands of a “fantastic” babysitter. “We will not release her name because we don’t want her poached,” Jason says. Adds Samantha,
“We love her…We have her about 28 hours a week. And when she gets a better job we’re going to be heartbroken.”
Samantha says that she’s “too busy cleaning up” to be funny at home, but Jason admits his impressions of the kids’ grandparents is usually guaranteed a laugh. Piper also likes it when dad “sings the music from The Little Mermaid poorly,” according to Samantha. “She loves to give him the thumbs-down…We try to teach her that it’s nice to encourage singing, even if it’s bad.”
The couple are proud New Yorkers, even though they are currently crammed into a one bedroom apartment. “I wouldn’t trade it for a three-bedroom in the suburbs,” Jason says. “The city has everything.” Samantha agrees, noting that “even just walking around with Fletcher, he’s so amused.” From the sound of things, that amusement is doubled whenever Fletcher’s big sister is around. Says Samantha,
“When Piper attacks Fletcher in a way that’s not pleasing to us, that’s his favorite thing. It’s very hard for us to discourage her from attacking him. He loves it…it’s insane. We don’t know what to do. We really are not doing a good job at setting the limits.”
What’s more, Piper wakes her parents by crying out for “candy and cake-related” treats in her sleep. “It’s like a nightmare,” Jason explains. “A candymare…’Aaahhhhh cupcake.’”
When the close quarters become too much and they need to put some space between themselves and the kids, the couple retreat to their cottage in the Catskills. When asked to describe her perfect day, the vacation home factors in heavily for Samantha. “I wake up at the cottage,” she says. “Sleep in until 8:30 or 9…Everybody wakes up smiling.”
After grabbing a coffee and heading to the farmers market alone, Samantha says she’d head home to “make waffles or something.” Her family-of-four would eat outside, and spend the bulk of their day swimming before “the children take a two-hour nap” and “Mommy and Daddy enjoy some private time together.”
“A little more swimming, a little more eating. Maybe Piper watches a princess-style movie that keeps her mind occupied. Fletcher sits in his bouncy chair. We read a little bit. They go to sleep. Mommy and Daddy watch a movie — an adult movie. Not pornographic — like a good-quality dramatic feature or documentary, and we all go to sleep with the door open and the warm breeze blowing in.”
Jason, by contrast, described quite a different scene for his perfect day! “Me, 10 grand, Vegas,” he quipped, prompting Samantha to interject, “and your family!”
Source: Time Out New York Kids
– Missy
Relax!
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respect comes naturally – a home filled with love and laughter will work out the rest. And yes, I have a 3 year old who can both crack me up and make me want to tear my hair out. I enjoy laughing more.
