Tim Minchin criticized for ‘self-congratulatory’ monologue on fidelity.

Tim Minchin has sparked backlash online after appearing to congratulate himself for not cheating on his wife during a candid podcast interview.

The Matilda the Musical creator, 49, made the comments during a recent appearance on the Inherited podcast, where he reflected on the challenges of fame, temptation, and his decades-long marriage to wife Sarah, who he married in 2002.

‘I got myself in this situation that I, uh, and I got very close to doing the wrong thing,’ Minchin admitted.

‘There was a time, I don’t think Sarah will mind me saying this, where she’s like, “Tim, don’t, don’t tell me this s**t. Like, do the right thing and don’t come to me with like, oh, almost.” I didn’t, I’m such a good boy. Like, I don’t, you just, that feels s**t.’

The comic and musician continued: ‘It’s not in my nature to think that the goal of life is to get the best version of everything. I’m not someone going, ‘Well, what are the imperfections of my relationship? I might be able to get a better one.’ It’s not what I’m interested in. I’m not interested in trying to find a younger, smarter, hotter [partner]. I’m interested in a nice life where you have a lovely companion.’

He went on to describe how his relationship evolved as his career took off.

Tim Minchin has sparked backlash online after appearing to congratulate himself for not cheating on his wife during a candid podcast interview. Pictured with wife Sarah in 2020

‘We went from having no money to plenty. We went from having no recognition to being stopped on the street all the time. We went from living in Australia to living in London,’ he said.

‘We went from me having a terrible self-esteem and thinking, “Oh, well, I’m no one, I’m never gonna be able to do it,” to, you know, having moments of thinking I was all that… and we just happened to be perfectly able to cope with that.’

Many listeners of the podcast were appalled by Tim’s comments, with several voicing their concerns on the Inherited’s official Instagram page.  

‘The bar is on the floor and Tim is praising himself for hitting it. Not cheating on your partner and actually wanting to be with them is the bare minimum my guy,’ wrote one person in the comments. 

‘The way he talks about his wife in this is pretty demeaning,’ said another, while someone else said: ‘I feel sorry for his wife, imagine thinking this is praise-worthy.’

One more penned: ‘That interviewer needs an Oscar for keeping a pleasant look on her face throughout… whatever THAT self-congratulatory monologue was…’ 

‘Oh Tim. I’m a fan but this is another example of a man praising himself for giving a woman the bare minimum,’ someone else wrote. 

‘Nothing says, “I love you” like, “I decided to settle for this”. He’s bloody lucky the mother of his children has not kicked him to the kerb,’ another person said. 

The Matilda the Musical creator, 49, made the comments during a recent appearance on the Inherited podcast , where he reflected on the challenges of fame, temptation, and his decades-long marriage to wife Sarah, who he married in 2002

‘I got myself in this situation that I, uh, and I got very close to doing the wrong thing,’ Minchin admitted. Pictured with Sarah in 2017

‘”I just want a quiet life”. WTF? It is just insulting and gross. Not okay,’ someone else wrote with another saying, ‘If my man spoke this way about me I would be gone’. 

Not everyone was angered, with some praising the podcast for allowing Tim to be ‘honest’ and calling his comments ‘refreshing’.    

It comes after Tim revealed his negative experiences working in Hollywood.

Tim spent almost a decade in London and Los Angeles, where he achieved success by writing Broadway hit Matilda, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name.  

But in 2018, Tim told the Sydney Morning Herald he had ‘such a terrible experience in Hollywood’ after losing work.  

Most notable was the cancellation of his $100 million DreamWorks animation project, Larrikins.

The comedian decided to return to his home country, where he has since had incredible success with his album Apart Together and comedy series Upright, which won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Comedy Series.