Influencers Matt and Abby Howard Have Their Fair Share of Drama — Here's the Controversy
"I put a smile on my face and play the part to hide the pain 'cause there’s a couple kids in the backseat," sang Matt.
Published June 22 2024, 10:00 a.m. ET
Parenting and influencers don't always mix. In the case of Matt and Abby Howard, they've definitely ignited a flame and controversy surrounding their parenting decisions.
There always seems to be some reason that the pair is canceled — from holidays plans to relationship struggles, it's always something. Let's take a look at what makes the pair so controversial.
What's the Matt and Abby controversy? For one thing, they're known for "traditional marriage roles."
Some families are all about those traditional values, but the public isn't always happy about it. Matt explained in a since deleted video that the pair tend to hold traditional roles in their marriage, meaning that Abby focused on cooking and cleaning.
"Don’t be fooled by me picking up my house because I’m not typically the one that does it. And don’t be fooled by me taking care of my son because most of the time, my wife does that, too," he emphasized. This rocked fans who felt that not taking care of his son was just a strange thing to admit to.
Abby seemingly shamed divorce.
Fans weren't thrilled to hear Abby's stance on divorce. She warned listeners during an episode of the Unplanned podcast that they could be causing their own downfall of their relationships.
Abby said that, for her and Matt, divorce was "not on the table," no matter what. She believes that by entering a marriage knowing that you can divorce, you're welcoming the possibility.
The pair canceled Father's Day.
In a super bold move, Abby and Matt decided to write off Father's Day ... or at least move it to September for their family because “nothing goes on in September.” She said they didn't think it was fair that Matt had to celebrate both the parental holiday and his birthday at the same time, so he gets special recognition later in the year, instead.
Matt carried their baby on his shoulders.
Fans were in an uproar after seeing how Matt handled their baby. While on a hike, he plopped their son up on his shoulders and shared the sweet moment with the world. However, some were worried the kid was too young to be in that position.
"The [whole] time dad’s talking and walking at a good pace and baby is like bobbing around super unsupported,” a fan on Reddit wrote. “Also yes, he can sit up at the age but barely. Could still hurt himself going backwards not being held, especially sleeping.”
Matt made some unsafe baby formula.
It was a tad misleading for him to do so, but Matt shared a video of him making homemade baby formula. The catch is that making formula at home is not recommend by doctors and feeding it to your kid can be super dangerous.
Matt ended up drinking it himself. “Don’t actually give homemade formula to your baby. Doctors don’t recommend it. This was a fun science experiment though," he wrote in the caption.
The father seemed to shade his wife and kids.
In addition to being an influencer, Matt is also a budding musician. “I’m wondering if I’m depressed / I can’t be right it don’t make sense / I’m no doctor but that’s not like me / I put a smile on my face and play the part to hide the pain 'cause there’s a couple kids in the backseat,” he wrote in one song.
Fans were worried that he was implying that his wife and kids were "not enough" for him which would be a heartbreaking confession to make so openly. However, when he shared the video clip, he wrote in the caption: "I love my wife and kids more than anything, and my sadness has nothing to do with them."