Joe Lycett has just announced that he’s become the father to a brand new baby boy.
The comedian and host took to Instagram to share a picture of himself with the infant, surprising fans with the unexpected news.
He thanked Birmingham Women’s Hospital in the heartfelt caption, praising them for how they ‘masterfully welcomed a little boy into the world, who happens to be my son.’
While some fans speculated in the comments that this is another of Lycett’s infamous jokes, the post reads as deeply sincere.
Lycett wrote that he’s ‘LOVING being a dad’ in the message, which shows him holding the baby under his coat as he seemingly walks through a park.
Some fans aren’t buying the news while others are sending their congratulations to Lycett.
User @flower_fairy wrote: ‘Im saying congratulations but I’m also thinking this is you and it could easily be a puppy/kitten/gearbox in that hat’
@elladunthorne was equally skeptical, commenting: ‘I can’t tell if this is satire but I’m here for it either way.’
@madnessandmayhemof5uk agreed, joking: ‘I’m just worried this will come out as him cuddling a bunch of rhubarb in a hat tbh.’
But many of the comments on the post take the announcement seriously, with@robjeybee writing: ‘Congratulations that’s amazing. Your wonderful blend of sass, trolling and comedy have gotten me through some dark days recently – and for that I’m very thankful. I wish you and your son all the love in the world.’
@ninawilson112263 wrote: ‘Ah Mummy is a Daddy ❤️❤️❤️ What an incredibly lucky little boy to have such an amazing role model for a dad. This is just fab.’
The comedian is best known for his publicity stunts, appearances on several panel shows, and his own TV show Late Night Lycett.
He routinely plays pranks on guests on his show and posts satirical things online, leading to skepticism about this newest announcement.
Lycett recently opened up about his long-term partner, a woman he calls ‘Denise,’ choosing not to reveal her real name for the sake of her privacy.
Speaking on Bimini Bon-Boulash’s podcast The Pieces, Joe spoke about his partner.
‘So I’ve got Winston the cat, and my partner Denise. And, um, she’s not called Denise, but I don’t talk about her, because she has a job that she can’t be in the public eye,’ he said.
‘I call her Denise because she hates the name Denise, so, uh, I live with Denise.
Joe elaborated: ‘Well, it’s interesting now being in a long-term relationship with a woman because loads of people are like, sorry what? There was a brief period when I was at school when I thought because I was attracted to men, I was gay, and then I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on.’
‘Then I use the term bisexual when anyone asks and I just want to give a quick answer because people understand that.
‘But I think the most accurate way of describing myself is pansexual, in that I’m not attracted to people, just because of their gender.
The comedian added that he sometimes struggled to explain his sexuality to ‘idiots’ as it’s more nuanced than fancying every person on earth.
‘I also don’t really know how it works because, I don’t know, how does it work? As in, I don’t know how it works in terms of like, explaining it to idiots. Because it is hard to sort of go, well, no, I am attracted to men sometimes, but not all men. And it’s not often to do with the fact that they are men.
He joked that more often it’s a ‘good torso’ or a ‘lovely arm’ he is interested in.
‘Often it’s like a good torso is enough, you know? The little abs. Yeah, that’s it. The lines. The torso is dangerous. A lovely arm. ‘
It remains unclear if Lycett’s partner is the mother of the new baby or not.