Comedian Matt Forde has come under fire for telling fans not to bring babies into his stand-up show. The 39-year-old impressionist posted on Twitter last night to state that a crying baby had ‘derailed large parts’ of his show, saying that the parents ‘wouldn't do the decent thing and just leave.’
'I realise this sounds a bit whiny but it’s just to make sure it doesn’t happen again,' Forde continued. 'It’s like someone’s phone continually ringing and them not turning it off. I’ve had so many messages from people who were there last night who were very polite about the fact it pissed them off...Also to clarify: 1. It was all very friendly. I made a joke about it all and incorporated the baby into the show. Eventually it was just impossible 2. The baby was with its father.'
The viral thread now has over 2,000 responses, many from angry parents.
‘As long as you realise this is incredibly sexist as young, breastfed babies can’t be left at home,’ one Twitter user responded. ‘I hope your T&Cs made it clear that no babies were allowed at your show & if so surely it is a problem for your door staff or are u happy to take people’s money then shame them?’
‘Good grief. Well if I ever planned to come to a show I certainly won't be any more,’ another replied. ‘What an attitude to have 😡 as a parent of 2, I'd be feeling sorry for the parent of the crying baby - it's hard enough without this kind of attitude!’
Some took Forde’s side of course, even claiming that parents should ‘accept limitations to their social lives’ after choosing to have children.
‘I’d NEVER take my baby to an adult comedy show, it would not only ruin it for others when the child inevitably cries or grows restless, but also why would a kid want to sit silently while someone they don’t know talks basically,’ one said.
But many pointed to the escalating limitations on parents these days. With mounting childcare costs, summer holidays demanding constant activities and a cost-of-living crisis forcing families towards the breadline – why should those who can’t afford childcare suffer a non-existent social life? Instead of berating them, and their crying children, why not accommodate parents by making evening venues more family friendly?
Ultimately, it says a lot about a comedian when their show is ruined by any constant interruption. Many a famed comedian have made hilarious moments of being consistently heckled, or found touching ways around babies being in the audience – as evidenced by the below tweet.
So, should we be asking whether or not parents should take babies to comedy shows? Or should we be asking whether or not a comedian is any good when they can’t cope with one in the audience?