Corey Ryan Forrester Solves It All With Build-A-Bear
From Parenting is a Joke by Ophira Eisenberg
April 28, 2026 · 41 min · Season 4 · Episode 447
About this episode
Ophira Eisenberg talks with Corey Ryan Forrester about parenting, creativity, and personal values while raising a child in a conservative Southern town.
On this episode of Parenting Is a Joke, Ophira Eisenberg talks with comedian and podcaster Corey Ryan Forrester about raising a three-year-old in Chickamauga, Georgia while maintaining a demanding creative life built on touring, writing, and multiple podcasts. Corey explains how compressing four podcast recordings into a single day is the only way he can fully celebrate his son's birthday—complete with a carefully planned Build-A-Bear outing inspired by a deeply personal story about recording a message for his special-needs niece, who replayed it so often she wore the button out. The conversation moves between parenting logistics and bigger questions about values, as Corey reflects on choosing to raise his child in the same conservative Southern town where he grew up, resisting pressure to leave and arguing that becoming a parent actually intensified his progressive views rather than softening them. He shares the five-year fertility struggle he and his wife went through, his firm decision to be “one and done” at 38 after years on the road doing stand-up, and the physical reality of trying to keep up with a toddler while maintaining a comedy career. Throughout, the two compare…
People in this episode
Host: Ophira Eisenberg
Guest: Corey Ryan Forrester
Topics covered
- parenting
- comedy
- family dynamics
- creative careers
- Southern values
Keywords
- parenting
- comedy
- Build-A-Bear
- fertility struggle
- Southern values
- podcasting
- family
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Chickamauga, Georgia
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