Jesinta Franklin slams podcaster for his ‘dangerous’ comments about women and why they should be doing ‘hot girl walks’: ‘Women’s lives and identities are so much more than that’

Jesinta Franklin has slammed hosts Chris Griffin and Wade Papenfus for shocking comments they made about women on The Pocket Podcast.

Griffin and Papenfus shared a clip from their podcast saying they don’t want their partners to ‘complain’ about working if they don’t have to work.

In the video, shared two weeks ago, they suggested that women should bring ‘calm, harmony, peace and love’ to men at the end of a ‘busy’ day.

This clip was discussed by KICPOD co-founder Laura Henshaw on Wednesday, leading to massive backlash against Griffin and Papenfus from women in media.  

‘This really misses the mark, boys,’ AFL WAG and former Miss Universe Australia titleholder Franklin wrote beneath the video.

‘And I say boys because the sentiment here reflects a lack of maturity, understanding and life experience.’

‘A woman’s role in life isn’t to make yours easier or more comfortable but that’s the message that’s coming through loud and clear,’ she continued. 

Franklin, 33, went on to say she hoped Griffin and Papenfus, who are believed to be in their early 20s, would ‘take on board’ the ‘strong responses’ from women.

‘There’s a lesson here if you’re open to it,’ she said.

‘We’re not here to greet you at the door every night in an apron and a pretty dress, batting our lashes and talking about a day spent strolling and collecting postcards.’

Jesinta finished by saying ‘women’s lives and identities are so much more than that’, with her fellow media stars jumping in to echo the sentiment.

‘The older you get the more you will realise how little you really know in your 20s,’ KICPOD co-host Steph Claire Smith told Griffin on his Instagram page.

‘Don’t get me wrong, naivety can serve its purpose and get you places quickly as you second guess yourself less. I was much the same in my early 20s. 

‘But not being open to learning and understanding, not just other people’s perspectives but just straight facts is not something to be proud of.’

She continued: ‘You have a huge responsibility with the platform you have, you need to think about others when you have the reach you do, because you have impact.’

Her co-star Henshaw, 32, slammed Griffin and Papenfus on her podcast, saying women don’t exist ‘to serve their partners’. 

She added the idea women were meant to ‘live our days so we can be in a “good mood” for them’ is misogynistic. 

Henshaw went on to tell news.com.au the video contained a ‘dangerous message’. 

‘It is just such a dangerous message, and sends such a terrifying message to the younger generation who are influenced by this type of content,’ she said.

‘Social media can be a really great place but there is also a dark side where content like this that is misogynistic and implies that women should “serve” men is prevalent and running rife within the algorithm of young men and teenage boys.’

She added single mothers and women who have experienced financial abuse have reached out to her to express concerns over the video. 

They ‘wished they had been empowered with the tools to understand what their choices meant and to have understood the types of behaviours to look out for’.

‘This is why it is so important we continue the conversation and call out this type of content,’ she said.   

Life Uncut host Laura Byrne also commented beneath the video, saying: ‘People who don’t even attempt to receive feedback from the works around them are stuck in an echo chamber of their own bias.

‘Stay in your lane for sure, but that lane should not permeate over into telling women how to be/show up in their relationships. 

‘You’re 22, you’ve barely had any real relationships, you don’t have kids, and you haven’t navigate 90% of what it means to be in a relationship.’

Several other women in the entertainment industry also spoke out against The Pocket Podcast.  

‘I’ve just watched again and I can’t believe how belittling this is. Well actually, I can believe it,’ Married At First Sight star Lauren Dunn wrote. 

‘Have you ever had a conversation with a woman?’ feminist author Clementine Ford said. 

Youth worker and media personality Brooke Blurton simply commented with eye roll emojis.

Actress and comedian Felicity Ward joked: ‘Guys have you heard of the 1950s? You’re gonna love it.’

‘You will hopefully look back on this when you’re grown ups and be mega embarrassed,’ added radio star Ash London. 

Griffin has since doubled down on his comments and called for Henshaw to appear on his podcast as a guest so they could discuss the topic further.

‘I believe that if money isn’t a stressor, then work should be about purpose and joy, not obligation or survival,’ Griffin wrote to her.

‘This isn’t about control. It’s about choice. If she wants to chase a career, I’ll back her 100%. If she wants to stay home, I’ll support that too.’

He went on to write: ‘i also don’t think it’s fair to label traditional masculine values as ‘toxic’. Wanting to provide, protect, and lead with strength doesn’t make a man toxic.

‘It makes him grounded in his role. What is toxic is weakness masked as masculinity—insecurity, control, emotional suppression. That’s not what I stand for.’

Griffin went on to slam ‘hyper-independent’ woman and ‘toxic femininity’, saying it’s ‘no empowering’ and ‘it’s doing more damage than good’. 

‘I respect your view, I just don’t share it. And I know not everyone will agree with mine, but that’s okay. I’m not here to please everyone,’ he finished.

Henshaw shared the response to her Instagram Stories, saying she was disappointed by his comment.  

Griffin’s comments in the original podcast clipped stunned viewers when he expressed outdated beliefs about a woman’s role in a relationship.   

‘I don’t want my partner working unless she wants to work,’ he said, before going on to slam women who ‘come home and complain’ about their day at work.

‘If we’ve got four hours to spend in the afternoon and I ask, “How was your day today, babe?” I want your eyes to light up in excitement about whatever the f*** it was.’

Co-host Papenfus agreed, saying: ‘And that’s energy too, it’s so good.’

‘It’s the calm, it’s the harmony, it’s the peace and love that a man who’s got a busy life, that’s chasing his dreams, needs when he’s trying to wind down,’ Griffins added.

‘This is why I heavily encourage hot girl walks. I would love my partner to go on a hot girl walk with her friends every day. 

‘She gets this feminine energy, they get to talk their s*** and they get to have a bit of excitement about their day.

‘I don’t think a girl needs to go through challenge, pain and hardship to be an amazing girl. I think she can fill her days with passion-filled things and still be amazing.’

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