John Pearce, best known as Big Strong John from The Wiggles, reveals the hilarious and humbling reality of parenting a toddler while touring the world. From finding moments of peace in hotel room showers to dealing with explosive nappies, the children's entertainer proves that no amount of stage experience prepares you for fatherhood.

Rob and Marcus sit down with John to discuss his accidental path to joining The Wiggles, how he balances his high energy persona with the exhaustion of raising his son Henry, and the unique challenges of touring with his family. The hosts also share their own chaotic parenting stories, including a particularly unforgettable travel cot incident in far north Queensland.

The conversation explores how becoming a dad has actually changed John's approach to performing, the camaraderie among the parents at Hot Potato Studios, and the surreal experience of having your own child recognise you on television. Plus, a completely rigged arm wrestling match and some brutal dad jokes.

Chapters

00:19 Welcome to Daddies
01:08 Introducing John Pearce
02:18 Meeting The Wiggles in real life
04:43 Who is John's favourite Wiggle?
07:31 Maintaining high energy on stage
08:46 The great arm wrestling match
10:31 Touring the US and Canada with a toddler
12:51 Preparing for fatherhood
14:06 Shifting priorities after having a baby
16:45 The pressure of being Big Strong John
19:04 Having fun in the background of recordings
21:48 The worst parenting poo stories
25:24 How fatherhood made John a better Wiggle
27:46 Transitioning out of pull ups
29:46 When your child recognises you on TV
31:26 Closing dad jokes

Our guest

John Pearce is an entertainer and former member of Justice Crew who now performs as Big Strong John in The Wiggles. He is a father to a 20 month old boy named Henry.

TikTok: @johnadamopearce
The Wiggles: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggles
Justice Crew: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_Crew
Hot Potato Studios: wiggles.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Potato_Studios

What to listen to next

It Takes A Village
Dads vs The Manosphere | Marc Fennell

Enjoying Daddies? Follow the show in your podcast app so every new episode lands automatically, and leave a rating and a review. It is the difference between someone scrolling past and pressing play.

Find us

Instagram: @daddiespodcastau
TikTok: @daddiespodcastau
Facebook: @daddiespodcastau
Threads: @daddiespodcastau
X: @daddiespodau
Watch the full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@manofmany
Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/id6804513711
Find us on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4JqZSIBvqU33N5LGJ3b46S
Everything else: manofmany.com/podcasts/daddies

Credits
Hosts: Rob Stott and Marcus Hurley
Producer: Amelia Navascues
Videographer: Jordan Yankov
A Man of Many production. New episodes every Thursday.