Comedian Katherine Ryan has sparked discussion after stating she has a favorite child. The 43-year-old funnywoman revealed on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast that her eldest daughter, Violet, 17, holds this position.
Ryan, who is also mother to Fred, 3, Fenna, 2, and nine-month-old Holland Juliette with her husband Bobby Koostra, explained her reasoning by contrasting Violet's upbringing with that of her younger siblings. She described the younger children as "nepobabies" who have benefited from the advantages of her success, such as private education and the presence of a father figure. Violet, from a previous relationship, did not have these same advantages.
"Violet's my favourite, she's my first born," Ryan stated on the podcast. "I think people don't like that, they think it's a provocative thing to say... I don't worry about it hurting the other kids' feelings because I go, guess what, those are nepobabies, Violet is my favourite. You get to go to private school, you get to grow up with a dad, that's not fair, she's my favourite... I mean that makes sense in a way doesn't it, they have privileges she doesn't."
Ryan has previously spoken about her experience as a single mother to Violet. In comments made last year, she discussed her past arrangements with Violet's father, noting that while she had protected him when Violet was young, her now 16-year-old daughter could see that he had "never made any sacrifices, never paid anything for her, just kind of texts her, which I think is breadcrumbing."
She also described being a single mother as "fantastic and rewarding" because it necessitated self-reliance and clear understanding of one's position without needing to consult another adult.
Ryan's comments on the podcast generated a range of reactions from listeners on social media. Some expressed concern that such declarations could negatively impact children's self-esteem and future relationships, with one Facebook user writing, "Telling one of your children is your favourite has long lasting effects on the others... The others will feel they are not good enough which will feed into their future relationships."
Others defended Ryan's perspective, with one commenter suggesting, "She’s more protective over the eldest because she doesn’t have her dad in her life and they went on the journey together whereas the younger kids got the better version of her that had already achieved success."