Lifestyle
7 famous fathers putting their own spin on parenting
Tue, June 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM UTC
4 min read
These seven dads describe what fatherhood means to them. (Photo illustrations: Quinn Lemmers for Yahoo News, photos: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images, Strider Patton, Brandon Williams/Getty Images, Robin Marchant/Getty Images, Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images, Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Dads are getting their due this week. Ahead of Father’s Day this Sunday (that’s your cue to sort out the obligatory World’s Best Dad mug, grilling doodad or the same polo shirt you’ve been gifting 15 years running), we wanted to dig a little deeper into what fatherhood looks like in 2025.
Research finds that, compared to 20 years ago, dads today spend about an hour more per week with their kids. (That’s especially significant considering that the weekly total for fathers who share a home with their children is 7.8 hours; for those who live separately, it’s just 36 minutes.) And while by and large, moms are still considered the default parent in their families — the ones who make the doctors’ appointments, arrange playdates and get a call from school — there’s been a small, gradual shift. In the era of intensive parenting, dads, too, are becoming more hands-on.
Using Yahoo’s recent polling with YouGov, Yahoo National Correspondent Andrew Romano has a breakdown of how evolving family dynamics are playing out in homes across America. We’ve also sat down with several well-known fathers (and one skateboarding grandpa, Tony Hawk) to learn more about how they “dad.” For comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, it’s prioritizing firm rules over gentle parenting as he ferries his kids to Little League games and gymnastics practice. Alfonso Ribeiro is taking cues from his TV dad, Uncle Phil, and actor Hill Harper is leaning on his village for support as a single dad. Influencer Jesse Sullivan is showing the world that life as a trans dad is more relatable than people might think. Lastly, newly retired Olympic diver Tom Daley is enjoying having more time to be with his boys, while content creator Strider Patton’s determination to braid his daughter’s hair has spawned a girl dad movement.
Get to know these dads — our Pop Patrol, if you will — a little better:
His grandpa name: “I’m Papa.”
Parenting style: Hands off. “I definitely am not a helicopter parent. As a kid in the ’70s and ’80s, we were kind of feral and didn’t have a lot of guidance.”
Where you’ll find him on Father’s Day: At a baseball tournament with his kids
Parenting style: Firm. “[Using] tough words doesn’t mean we don’t care about you or love you.”
You might see him: Watching his son’s Little League games or taking his daughter to gymnastics
Parenting style: Not gentle. “That takes it to a new level where the kid is basically running the house.”
Grateful for: The surrogate who carried his sons. “[She is] someone that was so selfless to be able to help us have our dream family.”
Parenting style: Gentle and gender-neutral. “Raise them with their biological sex, with no pressure to present that way.”
What’s next: Eyeing a move to Canada to keep his LGBTQ family safe
Claim to fame: Braiding his daughter’s hair — and giving other girl dads tutorials to do the same
Dad hack: Give your kid a doll, Legos or kinetic sand to play with so they’ll sit still while you do their hair.
Cracks down on: Screen time. “He has the rest of his life to be in front of screens and talk to robots and AI.”
Downside of being an older dad: “[My 9-year-old can almost[ beat me in a race, which is just embarrassing.”
Quinn Lemmers/Yahoo News
Dads say they’re stepping up: According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, two-thirds of American dads (63%) say they spend more time with their kids than their fathers spent with them.
Is it enough?: Moms still seem to shoulder most of the mental load of caring for kids — and moms and dads may have different views of what that entails.