If you follow Fatherly’s Instagram handle, you may notice that we’ve been talking to a number of cool dads lately. We start by asking them about some of the little things that bring us the most joy, like the best movie to watch with your kid (among the answers, The Princess Bride, Zootopia, Sketch, Hook), the clothing they’re passionate about (black t-shirts, black button downs, and Jordan 1s are popular) and the music we blast for our kids (from Michal Jackson to Nirvana, Chance the Rapper to The Lone Bellow)
But look past these small insights and you’ll find successful men who are eager to talk about their kids. The variety of responses show how every dad has their own take, their unique philosophy about being a good man, a strong partner, and a great parent. It also shows how much solidarity there is in being a dad.
Max Holloway, the dominant UFC fighter says he believes in being strict, but “it’s not just me being hard on him and busting his chops, but also encouraging him and telling him he did a good job.”
Tony Hale, who needs no introduction if you’re a fan of Toy Story, Arrested Development, or Veep, admits he was more of a helicopter parent, one whose kids—now in college—know that, "Hey, when you need me, I’m always going to be here.”
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Colton Underwood, the former reality star and pro football player is serious about the job: “I have the responsibility that he grows up to be a great human being that does good in the world.” While Maurice Edu, who you’ve no doubt been hearing calling the World Cup shots on Fox Sports, finds fatherhood to be fairly effortless because “I always knew I wanted to be a father, but until I actually became one, I didn’t realize how much I wanted it."
Minneapolis lawyer and former mayoral candidate Jazz Hampton believes that “Fatherhood is how you show up for your own kids and the rest of the world as well, and how you teach your kids to show up for other people.” Meanwhile, the “Tired Dad” Jon Gustin notes that parenting is tough, but rewarding — a “badge of honor that we wear because we’re showing up in all areas.”
Then there’s Tom Llamas, our latest Cool Dad and the anchor of "NBC Nightly News” and "Top Story with Tom Llamas" on NBC News NOW. In a recent chat, Llamas reminded me that we, dads who are parenting now in 2026, weren’t the first and won’t be the last. Our parents struggled and cared and went through it all with their kids, and so did their dads, and theirs before them.
“I learned a lot of great lessons from my dad,” says Tom Llamas, “and then also try to be a better dad and I think that’s what my dad tried to do, too.”
Llamas’ father, a Cuban refugee and dentist, was a big role model to him. “I learned a lot of great lessons from my dad,” Llamas says, “and then also try to be a better dad, and I think that’s what my dad tried to do, too. He had a good dad, but he tried to be a better dad, and I’m trying to do the same thing.”
Tom Llamas’ parents fled Cuba for Florida during Fidel Castro’s takeover of the country. Years later, in 1979, Tom was born. Llamas remembers a childhood in Miami that was a stark contrast to life in Cuba, under the rule of a dictator in a harsh economic economic environment. Primarily, he remembers his parents being there for him. “They would close the office early, like when I had sports, you know, to go and see me. Or if I had a school event they would close the office early, and for a small business that’s income that you’re not bringing in.”
He continues, “I’m grateful to have parents that always supported me in whatever I wanted to do — whether it was playing sports as a little boy, or when I got into journalism, or when I was into speech and debate in high school, to helping me when I had internships, because back when I was an intern you would not get paid.”
“It is the best job in the world to be a father [but] give yourself some grace cause it’s really tough out there.”
Llamas says he now lives and breathes this family-first philosophy himself. The other night Llamas, who now lives in New York, anchored from the World Cup in Los Angeles and went to the game. “But then that same night, I jumped on a red eye so I could be home for a 9 AM little league game, and that’s not something that that anyone has to ask me for — that’s something I want to do, because I just believe that that kind of stuff needs to be automatic.”
This Father’s Day, Llamas has a message for all the dads out there: “It is the best job in the world to be a father [but] give yourself some grace cause it’s really tough out there. There’s a lot of books and opinions and podcasts and all kinds of things that are trying to tell people how to [parent] and I think, you know, just enjoy your time with your kids. Because it goes by very fast, and I truly think the greatest thing in the world is to be a dad.”
