Alyce Chan of @Momcomnyc and Her Mission to Make Motherhood Funnier—and a Lot Less Lonely
Parenting in New York City is intense, unpredictable, and maybe sometimes a little absurd. One minute, you can be wrangling a stroller through the subway turnstile like a ninja, the next, you might be bribing your kid with a bagel just to get through a museum without a meltdown. Still, depending on the day, it can also be pretty wonderful.
This month, we’re catching up with one of our favorite cover moms: Alyce Chan of @momcomnyc, the stand-up comedian, content creator, and real-life mom who not only tells it like it is, but has turned parenting chaos into comedy gold. When we last caught up, her boys were 6 and 9—now they’re 8 and 11, which means she’s upgraded from diaper disasters to tween sarcasm and awkward puberty questions.
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Alyce chatted with us about parenting while perimenopausal, the joy of kids who can finally form full sentences, and why she said yes to teaming up with Kindred Bravely for a new campaign that champions postpartum truth with humor and heart. From the realities of sleep-deprived lectures to her hit live comedy tour Pee Alone, Alyce reminds us that even on the hardest days, laughter can be a lifeline, and yeah, you’re allowed (possibly required) to sit on the couch some days, and not feel guilty about it!
When we last caught up with you as our cover model a couple of years ago, your kids were 6 and 9—so 8 and 11 now? How has your comedy evolved as they’ve gotten older?
You know, a couple of years makes a huge difference! I’d say I’m still in the sweet spot, but I’m also learning to let go a bit and give them some independence—especially my eleven-year-old. My oldest is providing me with tons of material now that he’s officially a tween. He’s got the Gen Z vocabulary down and just enough attitude to keep me on my toes. I’m discovering that even though he craves autonomy, he still needs me around. It’s this delicate balance of not embarrassing your kid while still being their safe space, which is crucial since he’s starting middle school this year.
My eight-year-old is still wonderfully cuddly, but I love that he can now arrange his own playdates, and watching his friendships develop has been beautiful. Both boys can actually hold adult conversations now without immediately pivoting to poop and fart jokes, and they still manage to crack me up daily.
My comedy these days revolves around the uncomfortable questions my eleven-year-old asks that I’m completely unprepared to answer, and the perfectly timed backhanded compliments my eight-year-old delivers about my appearance—and my aging process.
Speaking of aging, I especially love your recent videos in which you “lecture your kids while perimenopausing.” How has this stage of life shaped your parenting and your comedy?
I only learned what perimenopause was about two years ago. It kept popping up all over my social media feed, and one day it hit me—wait, I have brain fog and I don’t sleep! I started using social media as my outlet because I was having these moments where I’d try to lecture my kids and completely forget my words mid-sentence. In my head, I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I sound dumber than I ever have in my life.’ So I decided to make my first video about my own experience, and it really resonated with a lot of women.
I feel like it’s my job to keep the humor in a topic that’s incredibly important—something I think women AND men all need to understand because ALL women will go through this, are going through this, or have gone through this. We are not crazy. This is huge for women—it affects our wellbeing, our emotional and mental state—so why aren’t we learning about this earlier? Wouldn’t it just help everyone if we understood what we could do about it and how our peers and partners can support us? Or at least stay out of the way?
It’s definitely shaped the tone of my videos. The brain fog has really connected with my audience because apparently, we’re all out here forgetting what we were saying halfway through sentences and pretending we totally meant to do that.
You’re teaming up with Kindred Bravely for a campaign that’s all about humor, heart, and the real side of postpartum life. What made you say, “Yes, I’m in”?
Oh gosh, are you kidding me? I jumped into this headfirst! Since becoming a mom, I’ve felt like my purpose is to bring light and humor into the hardest journey called motherhood. I actually got back into comedy because I felt so lost and alone as a new parent. After having my second baby, a lightbulb went off, and I started BYOB—Bring Your Own Baby—at a local bookshop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn called WORD Bookstore.
My first show had seven moms and seven newborns. It was a monthly show that grew to twenty parents with twenty babies—and eventually their siblings, too! I watched moms, dads, grandparents, and even nannies come together to create this incredible community. They felt safe to laugh without the pressure of constantly entertaining their babies, and for an hour, they could just feel like adults again.
To me, saying yes to Kindred Bravely was a natural extension of BYOB—like the next generation of that mission. It’s about reaching even more moms, making them laugh, and reminding them they’re not alone in this beautiful, chaotic mess we call parenthood.
The campaign highlights comfort, confidence, and a few good laughs—three things that can feel impossible in those early months. What’s one postpartum truth you wish someone had told you?
That I was going to need help—and that asking for it isn’t being weak. Don’t try to do it all. We live in different times now, where we don’t have our families living in the same house or our siblings and aunts next door like previous generations did. There’s no prize for being a martyr. And here’s the thing—nurture your other relationships even when you’re tired and exhausted. I know it feels impossible, but those connections are such an important component of your life. Your friendships, your partnership, your sense of self beyond being ‘mom’—they all need tending, too. You’re not just a vessel for keeping a tiny human alive; you’re still a whole person who deserves support, laughter, and adult conversation that doesn’t revolve around sleep schedules and diaper counts.
What’s currently on your mom must-have list (clothes, coffee, sanity savers)?
Comfortable bras (like Kindred Bravely’s) —my body has changed a lot, and I need support even when I’m sleeping. I love a good supportive but soft bra that I can sleep in and also wear to the gym. I’m all about efficiency: one bra that can seamlessly travel from school drop-off to the gym to a coffee date and still look great under a t-shirt.
A nice water bottle—though honestly, I think I’ve lost more water bottles than my kids have, so I’m not exactly proud of that track record.
And coffee—I love coffee any time of day, even if it completely sabotages my sleep. Because apparently, I’m committed to this cycle of exhaustion, and caffeine is my willing accomplice.
Raising kids in NYC is a whole different ball game from growing up in Canada. What do you love most about being a New York City mom?
There are so many things to do—for adults and kids alike. I absolutely loved being in the city when the kids were young. I miss parts of that era because I could accomplish anything with two kids and a stroller. That stroller was my lifeline—my mobile command center.
Now that they’re older, it’s opened up a whole new world. We can take longer walks through the city, catch Broadway shows, explore museums, and try new restaurants without me having to strategically plan around nap schedules and diaper changes. The city becomes your extended living room when you’re raising kids here. Where else can you grab coffee, hit a playground, catch some culture, and still be home for dinner—all within a few blocks?
And what’s the hardest part?
The hardest part about parenting in NYC? You’re constantly compromising on space while feeling guilty for staying in. The city has this manic energy that makes you think you should always be out – like you’re failing New York if you’re home in pajamas.
It’s exhausting. You’re cramped in your overpriced shoebox, but also somehow convinced you’re wasting the city by not being at some gallery opening or rooftop bar or toting your kids to a DJ afternoon brunch party. Now that I’m outside the city, I actually appreciate how radical it is to just… exist quietly. No FOMO about missing the next pop-up ramen place. Just me, space to breathe, and I think it’s also good for the kids to just be couch potatoes and not feel like they should always be on.
What’s one thing you hope every mom takes away from your comedy—whether she’s up all night with a newborn or dealing with teen drama?
That she’s not the only one who’s completely winging it.
Whether you’re up all night with a newborn, dealing with a teenager or giving advice to your now adult kid – you’re not alone in feeling like you have no idea what you’re doing.
I also try to bring humor to the stuff we’re not supposed to laugh about – grief, bullying, perimenopause. Because sometimes the only way to survive these things is to find the absurdity in them.
Online, I can reach moms at 3 am in their pajamas, scrolling through their phones while their kid finally sleeps. But live shows hit different. I get to connect with you in the front row – I never know what I’m going to say, but I love talking to couples in that VIP section, also aptly known as the roasting zone. There’s something about laughing together in a room that makes even the heavy stuff feel more manageable and builds a connection amongst strangers.
We know that our brains can’t run in stress mode 24/7. We need permission to forget about the serious stuff for an hour, or at least find a way to laugh at it. People tell me they leave my shows feeling lighter, ready to face reality with a bit more resilience.
What’s next for you—any shows, projects, or surprises NYC parents should know about?
I took the summer off to write and be with my kids and family in Vancouver, BC (Canada). I’m now back on tour (across the US and Canada) with my full-hour “Pee Alone” tour. It’s a constantly evolving piece that I hope to soon shoot a special for so that I can distribute it globally.
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