Comic says he's embarrassed by his job

Joe Lycett says that having a child made him embarrassed to be a ‘naff’ comedian.

The comic revealed that six months after becoming a father in 2024, ‘I had a real identity crisis and went through everything in my head. 

'I think it's because you're awake at such weird times trying to get him asleep and all those things where you just... f it's a lot of what appears like madness and could be madness.

'I just reflected on loads of things in my career and just was a bit embarrassed by it all and a bit like, you know, it's so naff to be a comedian. I didn't really have a long period of reflection on what I'd done. [With paternity leave], we've got the time and space to process it all.' 

Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, the 38-year-old added: ‘Lots of people were surprised when I had a child with a woman because they were like, "but you're the gay man". 

'You know, I've never said that I'm gay because I've never been gay. But because I'm camp and I, you know, do innuendo and all those sorts of things that people have this idea of what that is.  

'On stage, I kind of played on these things because they're funny ultimately. But how much of that has filtered into what I actually am? And is the stage persona the same as me? And, you know, these things  oscillate a lot.’ 

Lycett has protected the identity of his son’s mother, explaining that the nature of her job means ‘she can’t be in the public eye'. 

He was speaking to promote The Lycett Arms, which airs live on Channel 4 on Friday nights at 10pm, starting September 4

Published: 25 Aug 2026