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The heartfelt post of a husband praising his wife for working out while their newborn napped, instead of doing chores, sparked outrage from critics who criticized him for not helping.
Phil Mackenzie, 35, from Ontario, Canada, is the founder of the fitness app Leansquad. He has more than 773,000 followers on Tik Tokwhere he documents his workouts, meals, and life at home.
The former professional rugby player shares four children under the age of five with his wife, Brodie, who gave birth to their youngest in October. He went viral last week when he posted a video of his wife exercising at home.
Phil Mackenzie, 35, from Ontario, Canada, faced backlash on TikTok after praising his wife, Brodie, for exercising while their newborn napped instead of cleaning their house.
The couple, who have four children under the age of five, welcomed their youngest son in October.
‘Today, I found my wife exercising while our newborn napped. Our house was a mess,’ she wrote in the text on the screen. ‘The dishes needed to be washed. Clothes needed to be washed. And a million other things that she felt she had to do.
‘However, I couldn’t be more proud. Instead, she decided to take some time for herself that she deserved 10 times over,” she continued. Always remember that YOU DESERVE time for yourself. Clutter and chores can always wait, but your sanity should never be sacrificed.
The 19-second video has been viewed 4.1 million times and received more than 10,000 comments since it was posted on January 16, but the reaction hasn’t been what he expected.
Many found the homage condescending, asking why he was filming his wife when he should have been helping her clean the house. Others worried that she would feel pressured to return to her post-pregnancy body.
“All I heard was: ‘He’s getting fit for me and that’s more important than HIS chores!'” one person wrote, while another added: “Dude? Try to collaborate.
Phil shared in the post that he “couldn’t be more proud” of Brodie for taking the time for herself that she “deserved 10 times as much.”
The 19-second video has been viewed 4.1 million times and many critics accused the father of four of not helping around the house in the comments.
“This video alone is my nightmare,” shared another. ‘Someone watching him pile on me and just clap… he complimented me on keeping my composure. HELP HER.’
However, there were some people who felt that Phil was actually praising his wife and came to her defense.
‘Why is everyone in this comment section coming after him for trying to have a sweet genuine moment?’ asked a woman. ‘Thank you for this. This probably made your day to watch.
Phil and Brodie share sons Hudson, 5, twins Preston and Boden, 2, and Ashton, 3 months, and their videos are meant to show the “real side of parenting.”
Speaking to Today, Brodie shared that she had seen the video and approved of the caption before her husband posted it, saying he “didn’t deserve the backlash.”
As for chores, Phil added that they both ‘split the load’ while taking care of their young children.
Talking with Todaybrodie shared that she had seen the video and approved of the caption before her husband posted it, saying she “didn’t deserve the backlash.”
She explained that she tends to get anxious when her house is messy and daily chores often prevent her from exercising.
“Phil was showing how proud he was that I put the mess down until we could clean up together,” he said of the controversial video.
Phil insisted that he would never shame his wife for losing weight, saying that “exercise is for our sanity.” As for household chores, he added that the two ‘share the load’.