A husband has doubled down on his praise for his wife, after a video of her prioritising her exercise routine before her household chores went viral.
The father of four, Phil MacKenzie, said he still “stood by” his spouse, Brodie, being focused on her health during a recent interview on Today.
“I think moms, and Brodie in particular, need to put themselves first and I think there’s that burden of women feel that they have to take care of everything, and it’s trying to shift that narrative,” he said.
His comments come weeks after he posted his viral TikTok video, where he documented his wife working out, while the house was still messy and there were chores that needed to be done. Although he noted that he “couldn’t be more proud” of his partner for focusing on her exercise, many viewers criticised him for sharing the clip and accused him of not helping his wife with the household responsibilities.
Regarding some of this criticism, the couple clarified on Today that they work together to maintain a clean space, with Phil acknowledging that housework isn’t only his wife’s responsibility.
“I’m happy to help out all the time,” he said. “Neither of us get to sit down, but I still know inside you (it) kills you, like you think that’s your responsibility and trying to shift that narrative.”
He further emphasised that initial point of his video, which was to show how proud he is of Brodie for prioritising herself.
“I saw her doing something for herself, and I think that was the most amazing thing because she’s always putting everyone else in front of herself, right?” he explained. “Kids, family, house. And I think, to me, that mess can wait. We can handle it later on.”
Brodie said that despite the controversy, she’s been able to find amusement out of the video, which has more than 4m views.
“As I was working out, a piece of macaroni and cheese fell off of me and I was dying laughing,” she said. “I was like: ‘This is chaos, but I’m just going to get my workout in and feel better for it.’ And I did.”
Phil and Brodie are the parents to a five-year-old son, Hudson, two-year-old twins, Boden and Preston, and a three-month-old son, Ashton.
Earlier this month, Phil first shared the video on TikTok, in which his wife could be seen looking at the TV while doing a workout. He also showed different parts of his home, including the living and dining room, that were notably messy.
“Today, I walked in on my wife working out while our newborn napped,” he wrote in the text over the clip. “Our house was a disaster. Dishes needed to be cleaned. Laundry needed to be done. And a million other things she felt she had to do. Yet, I could not be more proud. She instead decided to take just a little time to herself that she deserved 10 times over.”
He then sent a message to his viewers, adding: Always remember that YOU DESERVE time to yourself. The mess and chores can always wait, but your mental health should never be sacrificed.”
In the comments of the post, many people questioned Phil for sharing the video and claimed that he should have been helping his partner clean.
“Husbands will do everything but the household chores,” one wrote, while another said: “Put the phone down and get a broom.”
A third wrote: “This happened to me, walked in on my wife when I came from work. I didn’t record her, I went ahead and did the dishes, laundry, etc.”
However, other people defended the father, one of which commented: “Why is everyone tripping about him doing chores? This was a nice video trying to support moms.”
The Independent has contacted Phil for comment.
