Instead of panicking about being a new parent and newly unemployed, he turned to adult comedy, leaving behind the signature high-pitched squeal and owl puppet of his alter ego for skits on social media that took aim at everything from parenting to politics. \u201cI spent 10 years in front of the camera watching professionals produce my ABC show, and thought I might as well have a go at producing my own comedy skits,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Then, when COVID-19 hit, sketches critical of lockdowns, particularly in his home state of Victoria, struck a chord and boosted his following (he now has almost a million Instagram followers and 1.8 million on TikTok). It would lead to a full-time gig<\/a> that now sees him about to embark on a national tour of Australia and perform in New Zealand for the first time.<\/p>\n Armed with youthful good looks and a radiant smile, Rees occupies the sweet spot between childlike curiosity and adult cynicism, his parodies taking on everything from US border control to supermarket self-service checkouts. He\u2019s whip smart, boasts excellent comedic timing and says he\u2019s become funnier since becoming a dad.<\/p>\n Born and raised on Victoria\u2019s Mornington Peninsula, Rees, 38, is the middle of three boys to parents Judy and Mark, his father having migrated to Australia at the age of 16 with his family. \u201cDad always loved comedy and brought his British humour with him,\u201d says Rees. \u201cHe loved shows like The Two Ronnies, Monty Python and Hale and Pace \u2013 we\u2019d watch them with him all the time. And we also loved Clarke & Dawe \u2013 the classic Aussie duo.\u201d<\/p>\n As a child, Rees says he wasn\u2019t fussed over and just got on with life. \u201cI didn\u2019t get the preferential treatment like the frontier child did! I was the middle kid and fell into that stereotype.\u201d<\/p>\n He grew up close to his brother Tom, two years his senior (his other brother, Nick, is five years younger). Now, as the father to three boys himself \u2013 Lenny, 10, and twins Mack and Vinny, 6 \u2013 Rees says witnessing their antics is like history repeating.<\/p>\n Rees says he\u2019s become even funnier since having his children.Credit: GK Photography<\/p>\n \u201cLenny can be a little annoying to his little brothers \u2013 completely normal \u2013 but one day Tori had had enough of our empty threats of \u2018We\u2019ll take the iPad off you\u2019,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was a basketball ring attached to the wall in Lenny\u2019s room and I took it off. When Lenny realised what I\u2019d done, he was like, \u2018Dad are you serious?\u2019 He begged for it back for two weeks, and I said, \u2018Well, you haven\u2019t hurt your brothers, so maybe in a couple more days. But maybe don\u2019t trip your brother when he\u2019s walking, and don\u2019t randomly steal his piece of toast while he\u2019s eating it.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI remember being that kid and driving our mum mad. I can\u2019t resist being funny with my kids, but I have to bring on the stern dad sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Having quit Melbourne\u2019s Deakin University halfway through a media arts degree (the uni dropout got an OAM \u201cfor service to the arts as an entertainer, and to the community\u201d in 2024), Rees met Tori while working at a pub in Frankston when they were both in their 20s.<\/p>\n When he got the Giggle and Hoot gig, he moved to Sydney, Tori eventually joining him. They married in 2013 and started their family in NSW, but home, and a desire to be near extended family, always beckoned. They returned to Victoria in 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cBecoming a dad was something I always wanted to do,\u201d says Rees. \u201cI grew up in a loving family and knew I wanted the same. My kids now go to the same school as I did.\u201d<\/p>\n But finding himself at home with three kids under five in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, while Tori worked at a local school as a relief teacher, did test him. \u201cThat\u2019s when I started posting about being a parent in this tough situation, and being unable to use the park down the road,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI got into the momentum of posting videos daily and that routine led to more people viewing. It was a perfect distraction in a tough time.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to feedback, Rees says his eldest son is his harshest critic, but that he also looks to him for clues on what is funny. \u201cLenny will laugh at something I didn\u2019t think was funny: maybe I pulled a weird face, or put on a wig, or used a mannerism. If he is laughing, I take notice.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yes,\u201d adds the man who describes his work as a pipe dream that actually came true, \u201cbeing a dad definitely unlocks something in your brain to become sillier.\u201d<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Becoming parents wasn\u2019t easy for the couple, who struggled to conceive again after having Lenny. \u201cWe were thrilled when Lenny arrived. But when we decided to add to the family, we found ourselves in a difficult situation. We went down the IVF road and had a few miscarriages along the way. It was tough for Tori because IVF really messes with the hormones,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd when people start telling you to relax and take a break, that it\u2019ll work out; it\u2019s the last thing you want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n Tori eventually fell pregnant, but a minor car accident at six weeks led to an urgent appointment with her fertility doctor. \u201cThey found a heartbeat, and we felt a huge sense of relief,\u201d says Rees. \u201dWe had another baby on the way.\u201d Then Tori went for a 10-week scan and \u201ccame back with Polaroids of our twins. I couldn\u2019t believe it. We were both in shock. It was the best news ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Celebrating Father\u2019s Day is a very laid-back affair in the Rees household, kicking off with breakfast in bed. \u201cWhen I was a kid, we always cooked breakfast for our dad [on Father\u2019s Day],\u201d he says. \u201cBut he liked to go for a morning run, and often it was a question of, \u2018Is he home? He won\u2019t eat before a run.\u2019\u2006\u201d<\/p>\n At home with his own family, Rees loves a Father\u2019s Day cuddle in bed and reveals that they\u2019ve started their own rituals. \u201cMy kids get excited about the chocolate lucky dip tradition,\u201d he says. \u201cIt actually started for Tori\u2019s birthday and now comes out for Father\u2019s and Mother\u2019s Day. The lucky dip is filled with my favourite chocolates: Ferrero Rocher and Twix, mostly Twix. And there\u2019s usually a socks gift from the school stall, too.\u201d<\/p>\n For miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support, call 1300 308 307<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jimmy Rees\u2019 In Reel Life tour launches in Hobart on October 25, with shows until December 5; frontiertouring.com\/jimmyrees<\/a>.<\/p>\n Styling: Simone Farrugia. Grooming: Julia Green. Jimmy Rees wears clothing by Best Jumpers<\/a>. Lenny, Mack and Vinny wear clothing by Cotton On<\/a> and Country Road<\/a> and shoes by New Balance<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Rees](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/33b39f08f22220144fa0811a3a70607091d0e368.jpeg\")
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