June Diane Raphael’s Guided Comedy Journey for Her Children

June Diane Raphael treats selecting comedic media for her children as a core parental responsibility, comparable to household rules. She aims to expose them to humor she deems “real” while preventing harmful messages.

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Raised on the comedies of her own youth, Raphael now balances those influences with the prevalence of YouTube and TikTok creators. She cites the popularity of MrBeast and viral video compilations as part of her children’s digital diet.

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The family’s watchlist includes *Uncle Buck*, *Adventures in Babysitting*, *Troop Beverly Hills*, *Ocean’s 11*, and the *Jackass* films, which Paul often introduces. Television viewing spans *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* and season five of *The Office*. Online, the children watch MrBeast videos and a TikTok folder of comedic clips. Raphael keeps a Notes app cataloguing movies she plans to show, fast-forwards or pauses problematic scenes, and discusses context with her kids. Game nights feature poker, mahjong, gin rummy, and Tetris, which she calls “healing.”

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When *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* ended, the children showed distress, likening the loss of characters to a first heartbreak. Raphael and Paul reassured them that new shows would follow, introducing *The Office*, which the children now watch in season five. Their enthusiasm for series and movies is balanced by parental guidance.

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Raphael emphasizes that introducing comedy is a parental duty requiring conversation and selective editing. She frames this approach as similar to enforcing household rules, asserting that children should not internalize harmful messages without mediation.

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Raphael acknowledges tension between appreciation for the *Jackass* movies and concerns about their suitability for young viewers, highlighting the need for evaluation of such content.

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• “My kids would watch a movie every night if they could.” — June Diane Raphael

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• “I take that as seriously as I do the golden rules about how to behave — like, I can’t have you thinking that that is good.” — June Diane Raphael

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• “Oh, there’s a whole rape story line I completely forgot about.” — June Diane Raphael

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• “ We are into MrBeast, so if MrBeast puts out a new video, we will be watching it.” — June Diane Raphael

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• “We watched all of Brooklyn Nine-Nine last summer — like, every single episode.” — June Diane Raphael

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Raphael hopes to take her children to see the comedy *Stop That Train* and has expressed interest in applying for a parent-child season of *Survivor*.

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