It’s official: Pete Davidson is going to be a dad—and he announced it in the most Pete Davidson way possible.

In a photo carousel posted to girlfriend and actor Elsie Hewitt’s Instagram, the Saturday Night Live alum can be seen hugging her from behind in a sweet film snap. A second slide reveals a sonogram of their baby on the way. And in case that didn’t make things clear enough, Elsie’s cheeky caption sealed it: “welp now everyone knows we had sex.” (If you look closely, there’s even a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it “Mamacita” nod for the Love Island USA fans.)

According to TMZ. Sources close to the couple say Elsie is due this winter, and they’ve only recently begun sharing the news with friends and family. “The pair couldn’t be more excited,” TMZ reports.

Their relationship may have started quietly, but it moved quickly. The couple first sparked dating rumors in March 2025 and, as People reported in May, had moved in together shortly after. Since then, they’ve made low-key appearances abroad and at Dave Navarro’s wedding, but this post marks a much more personal milestone.

Related: This 7‑year‑old’s answers to marriage and fatherhood dilemmas are making moms everywhere emotional

While the post was peak Pete—irreverent, hilarious, and low-key chaotic—it’s also been years in the making.

Back in 2022, during an episode of Hart to Heart, Davidson shared that it’s his “dream” to one day become a father. Despite not having a great childhood, he called himself “a family guy.”

“My favorite thing ever, which I have yet to achieve is, I wanna have a kid. That’s, like, my dream,” the comedian and actor told Kevin Hart. “It’s, like, super corny, but it … would be so fun to dress up the little dude.”

He noted that he’s “so excited for that chapter.” “That’s kind of what I’m just preparing for now, is just trying to be as good as a dude and develop and get better so when that happens it’s just easier,” he added.

Now, just a few years later, that dream is becoming real.

Among the first to celebrate? Pete’s longtime friend Machine Gun Kelly, who dropped into the comments with: “these playdates bout to hittttt.” The baby isn’t even here yet, and the group text energy is already immaculate.

For millions of parents, it’s a deeply familiar shift: the moment you go from being known for who you were to being known as someone’s parent. The moment everything quietly changes.

No word yet on baby names or nursery colors. But based on the hug, the grin, and the caption only Pete could pull off, this next chapter already feels unforgettable.

Related: One dad opened up about the fatherhood mental load—and the internet had a lot to say

When dad and podcast guest Nick Mulenos started talking about the “father mental load,” it wasn’t supposed to go TikTok viral. But a clip from the Haven! podcast—where he and host Haven Weits unpacked the pressures fathers often carry—sparked heated commentary after it was posted.

With over 56,000 views, some viewers said the conversation offered a refreshing glimpse into how men carry unseen stress. Others argued it sidestepped the real issue: women have been naming and managing the mental load for decades—and they’re still waiting for tangible support.

So what happens when both parents feel unseen?

@haventhepodcast

What is the mental load of dads?

♬ original sound – Haven! Podcast

Related: Mom of four explains why some men aren’t prepared for modern fatherhood in viral video

The core tension: two mental loads, one shared life

In the original clip, Mulenos described the pressure many men feel to be stoic and self-sufficient. “There’s also an expectation among men that we handle our own stuff and we handle our own problems,” he said.

That comment resonated with some. @Roberto wrote, “As a man & provider, I live with the constant fear that I am one mistake or one event away from my family being homeless, hungry, and afraid.”

But others pushed back. “Anddddd how many of those things does the wife need to remind/ask him to do on a weekly basis ” @ replied, pointing out that many women juggle careers and the bulk of daily domestic responsibilities.

Even Haven’s husband, Aaron Weits, said his version of the mental load looks different. He’s often thinking about “big-picture” concerns—how to keep the family financially stable, where the kids will go to school, how to stay safe in their Los Angeles neighborhood.

“It can be less tangible and sometimes because of that, it’s harder to talk about,” he said. “It’s just a natural expression as a dad.”

That distinction—day-to-day logistics vs. long-term planning—is one that many couples may relate to. But for moms who carry the relentless cadence of daily tasks, it can feel like their load gets minimized or misunderstood.

What experts say about the modern parenting dynamic

According to USA Today, Dr. Mill Brown, chief medical officer at Spring Health, the emotional labor that both partners carry deserves more attention. He notes that today’s dads are more involved than ever, but they’re still navigating societal messages that discourage vulnerability.

“Just because dads don’t show their emotions as much as moms, doesn’t mean that their feelings and stress do not exist in their family,” Brown said.

But here’s the challenge: expressing that stress without erasing what moms are already carrying.

“If they’re bringing up ‘Hey, I need help with what I’m carrying,’ and your response is ‘Look at what I’m carrying,’ that can be invalidating,” Mulenos acknowledged.

Mental health professionals suggest couples build rituals for communication—shared calendars, weekly check-ins, and regular time to reconnect without kids in tow. These are small tools that help couples stay aligned on their shared goals—and their unseen burdens.

Why this conversation matters now

The truth is, no one wins when we frame parental stress as a competition. As more moms work outside the home, and as more dads try to show up differently than the generations before them, the mental load is shifting—and so are the stories we tell about it.

One thing hasn’t changed: parenting is still hard. The difference is that we now have more language—and more opportunities—to name the load before it breaks us.

Mulenos hopes dads don’t stay silent. “I want them to be transparent with their feelings,” he said. “But I just want it to be seen as we’re carrying our family forward.”

Related: I’m defined by fatherhood right now—and it’s been a huge adjustment

The bottom line

There’s room in this conversation for both moms and dads, especially if we shift from comparison to compassion. The mental load varies from home to home, but one truth holds: when both parents feel truly seen—by each other and by society—families are stronger for it.

Let’s keep talking, and listening.

Father’s Day always leads me to reflect on the tapestry of father figures who shaped my life. While my biological father is still with us today, his journey and ours as a family took an unexpected turn when I was eight years old.

The Father I Knew Before

Before his health crisis, my father was dynamic and ambitious, rising quickly through corporate ranks. Like many career-focused fathers of his generation, he had limited time for his children. This wasn’t unusual. His own father had been emotionally distant with a short temper. I accepted this as normal, never questioning the relationship we had.

Then everything changed. A congenital aneurysm led to a brain operation where my father nearly died. The surgeon later told us he’d held my father’s brain in his hands while placing a silver clip on the affected artery. When my father finally returned home months later, he looked the same but was fundamentally different. The ambitious executive was gone, replaced by someone who struggled to maintain employment and retreated into solitary translation work.

The Gottman Lens: Understanding Emotional Absence

Dr. John Gottman’s research shows that emotional attunement and connection between parents and children are critical for healthy development. When a parent is physically present but emotionally disconnected, what Gottman might describe as an “emotionally absent” parent, children often seek that emotional connection elsewhere.

This perfectly describes my childhood after my father’s operation. While physically present in our home, my father was emotionally unavailable. My mother, now the primary breadwinner, was physically absent for long hours. This fundamental shift upended our family’s emotional ecosystem.

Father Figures

What saved me was what Gottman might call my “emotional community,” the network of caring adults who collectively provided the guidance, support, and modeling I needed. The neighborhood literally raised us:

A neighbor who would correct us when we misbehaved outdoors, offering the boundaries I craved.

A friend’s father who greeted me with bear hugs, showing me physical affection I rarely experienced at home. His warmth taught me that men could be openly affectionate.

A Nobel laureate in economics who took me under his wing, introducing me to concepts that would later influence my career path. His intellectual guidance filled a crucial gap in my development.

One of my most profound childhood memories came when I was about seven years old, riding in the backseat of a friend’s car. I noticed something I’d never seen before: my friend’s parents were holding hands across the front seat. This simple gesture of affection between two adults completely blew my mind. My own parents were never touchy-feely, so witnessing this casual intimacy. This small but meaningful bid for connection left an impression that has stayed with me my entire life. I instantly knew this was something I would strive for in my own relationships.

These relationships weren’t mere substitutes. They were authentic connections that provided what Gottman calls “emotion coaching.” Each adult offered different pieces of the fatherhood puzzle: discipline, affection, intellectual guidance, and role modeling of healthy relationships.

Building Your Emotional Skill Set

Gottman’s research emphasizes that children need adults who validate their emotions and help them develop emotional intelligence. Through my patchwork of father figures, I received various forms of emotional education:

I learned the importance of physical touch and affirmation from my friend’s gregarious father. Every bear hug told me I mattered.

I gained intellectual curiosity and academic discipline from the economist. His patience with my questions showed me the value of mentorship.

I understood boundaries and consequences from neighbors who supervised our outdoor play. Their consistency created safety in my unpredictable world.

This diversity of influences gave me a broader emotional education than I might have received from a single father figure. Each relationship added new dimensions to my understanding of masculinity, responsibility, and care.

The Fathers We Become

Though I haven’t become a biological father myself, these collective influences formed a template for the kind of father I aspired to be: present, engaged, and emotionally available. Gottman’s research confirms that we often parent based on the models we observed, either replicating positive examples or deliberately choosing different paths from negative ones.

My experience taught me that fatherhood isn’t solely biological. It’s relational. The essence of being a father is showing up emotionally for children, providing guidance, and creating safe spaces for growth and learning. These are principles at the heart of Gottman’s approach to parenting.

Celebrating Fathers and Father Figures

As we celebrate fathers this year, I’m grateful not just for my biological father, who did the best he could with the challenges he faced, but for all the men who unknowingly shared the responsibility of guiding me to adulthood.

Gottman’s research reminds us that resilient children often find the emotional connections they need, whether through parents or other caring adults. My story isn’t one of deprivation but of abundance, finding father figures all around me when I needed them most.

This Father’s Day, I celebrate all who take on the sacred role of fatherhood, whether through biology or relationship. In Gottman terms, it’s not perfect parenting that children need, but authentic connection, and sometimes that connection comes from unexpected sources.

While recent research shows that many modern families feel increasingly isolated without the traditional “village” to help raise their children, my experience reminds us that communities of care still exist. We just might need to recognize them in new forms. Today’s children may face more structured, isolated lives than generations past, but the human need for multiple caring adults hasn’t changed.

Happy Father’s Day to all who nurture, guide, and support the next generation in whatever capacity you serve. Whether you’re a biological father, a neighbor who takes time to teach a skill, or a friend’s parent who offers a different model of relationship, you’re part of someone’s village. And in a world where connection sometimes feels harder to find, that village matters more than ever.