Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Sitcoms hit a peak in the 80s and 90s—and most Millennials can claim that they 'grew up' with them. A lot of time it was the father figures in these TV shows who proved to be standout characters, but one dad captured Millennials hearts over all the rest: Uncle Phil, played by actor James Avery inFresh Prince of Bel-Air. Uncle Phil was deemed the best sitcom dad by Millennials, and he earned the title from one of his show's most impactful scenes from the episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse" that aired in May 1994.

In it, Will (played by actor Will Smith) spends time with his dad Lou, who has been absent for the past 14 years. Uncle Phil is distrustful of Lou and protective over his nephew Will. So when Lou decides to dip out on a trip he planned with Will, Uncle Phil steps into Will's pain and supports him. It plays out as one of the most emotional scenes Millennials can remember–making Uncle Phil the best TV dad in their eyes.

"Damn that episode with Will's dad leaving him again. 'How come he don’t want me'? And uncle Phil just holds him ; nothing else is needed. Still cry at that episode," one person commented.

Another added, "I teared up just reading it. That episode gets me bawling every time. 😭"

Another commenter wrote, "No matter what stage in life you watch that episode, guaranteed it will hit you different. First watched it as a teen when it aired and it doesn’t get any easier whenever you’re grown with your own children and understand why Uncle Phil was a legend."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

One commenter shared more context behind why the scene was so powerful. "Especially after you learn that halfway through Will’s lines he gets emotional and goes off script. So when you hear him cry and say 'How come he don’t want me man' James Avery is also legit about to cry, stands there stunned for a second bc he knew what was happening, and as a man (not as an actor) the only thing he thought to do was reach out and hug Will. Those were real tears and emotions from Will’s trauma and that was a genuine man-to-man hug."

But that was not the only scene that stuck with Millennial viewers. Another shared, "Or the series finale. 'You are my son, Will. End of story.'" And another added, "As a dude that grew up without a dad, that episode hit hard."


a boy hides his face in his hands behind the title, 'Malcom in the Middle" on a vintage VHS screenMalcolm in the Middle logo.Wikipedia

Other sitcom dads also got honorable mentions. "Hal (from Malcolm in the Middle, played by actor Bryan Cranston)," one wrote. Another added, "I have to admit it took me a bit of time to get used to watching him in Breaking Bad cuz I only knew him as that goofy ass dad from MITM."

Boy Meets World LogoBoy Meets World logo.Wikipedia

Another favorite: "Alan Matthews from Boy Meets World (played by actor William Russ) was always a favorite of mine. Sometimes he lost his temper or jumped to conclusions. But he always owned up to it and tried to make it right," one wrote. Another shared another heart wrenching scene from the show that solidified his spot as a top TV sitcom dad. "One of these rewatches I'm going to remember to keep a tally of all the times he made sure Shawn knew he was family. My favorite is at the hospital, because it's such a tiny moment but his kid is in the ICU, his wife is not doing well, he's probably going through hell, but even with all that going on, as Shawn is following Cory and Topanga to meet the baby and a hospital worker almost stops Shawn, Alan says, 'he's family'."

group photo of the cast of Family MattersFamily Matters cast.Wikipedia

Finally, Carl Winslow from Family Matters (played by actor Reginald VelJohnson) is another standout. "Uncle Phil and Carl Winslow were the real ones who would stick out their necks for their families. Don’t remember any of the other tv dads doing as much for their families," one wrote.

dadfathersitcomtvmillennialtv showfresh prince of bel airboy meets worldfamily mattersmalcolm in the middledadspast events

The Latest

Hero son
Past Events

Hero son saves his sunbathing mom from death with a split-second warning

A mother scolds her child in a dim room.
Past Events

Psychologist warns about 'eggshell parenting'—and why its effects last a lifetime

Woman gets perfect revenge on debt collectors who demanded to speak to her dead dad
Past Events

Woman gets perfect revenge on debt collectors who demanded to speak to her dead dad

Dad explains how he 'protects' daughter by taking her into the women's bathroom
Family

Dad explains how he 'protects' daughter by taking her into the women's bathroom

More For You

Boyfriend critiques girlfriend’s ‘performance.’ She shut him down instantly.
Representative photo by Canva

Boyfriend critiques girlfriend’s ‘performance.’ She shut him down instantly.

Love isn’t a business transaction, but one boyfriend apparently didn’t get the memo. When one woman shared her story, the internet was left cringing and cheering her on after she dumped her boyfriend for giving her a performance review—just like a boss would with an employee. Instead of talking through relationship concerns like a normal person, he decided to critique her ‘performance’ as a girlfriend, complete with a folder of written notes. The reaction? Exactly what you’d expect.

The relationship audit no one asked for

The couple had been together for three years, living in a modest apartment that worked for them. According to the girlfriend, Mark always had quirks—like folding his socks into little balls and getting upset if she didn’t do it the same way.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Challenger disaster unfolded live on TV. Their last words remain unforgettable.

STS-51-L crew: (back) Onizuka, McAuliffe, Jarvis, Resnik; (front) Smith, Scobee, McNair.

Photo by NASA | Wikimedia Commons

The Challenger disaster unfolded live on TV. Their last words remain unforgettable.

Space exploration has always carried great risks, but few tragedies have been as devastating as the Challenger disaster. On January 28, 1986, the STS-51L mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying seven crew members who had trained for months for their journey into space.

Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger shuttle disintegrated, taking the lives of everyone on board. The last recorded words from the crew—spoken in the seconds before the explosion—have since become a chilling part of spaceflight history.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man handing over a tip.

Representative Image: Tipping used to more commonly known as a gratuity because that's what it meant.

Canva

Customer fights back after restaurant refuses to serve free tap water

Some restaurants have adopted automated payment systems that include mandatory gratuities, sparking debates about tipping culture. While many argue that tipping provides essential income for service workers, others believe restaurants should pay fair wages instead. A Reddit user, u/ilikesnark, recently shared a frustrating dining experience that reignited the discussion—this time over a restaurant's refusal to serve tap water.

In their post, titled "Waitress refused to give me water so I removed the 15% auto gratuity," the Redditor described the awkward situation. They had gone out to eat alone and noticed the restaurant’s policy of automatically adding a 15% tip to every bill. While ordering, they requested a glass of tap water, but the waitress instead brought a bottle of water. When the customer asked again for tap water, the waitress insisted they didn’t have any.

Keep ReadingShow less
For 27 years, she photographed her parents waving goodbye. The final shot is heartbreaking.
Representative image by Canva

For 27 years, she photographed her parents waving goodbye. The final shot is heartbreaking.

Saying goodbye to loved ones can be a tender, bittersweet ritual, especially when those goodbyes accumulate over decades. For photographer Deanna Dikeman—known on Instagram as @deannadikeman—documenting these moments became a powerful, long-term project. Over 27 years, she snapped photos of her parents waving farewell in their driveway, culminating in one final image that feels like a punch to the gut.

A 27-year tradition
What began in 1991 as a casual snapshot turned into an ongoing series Dikeman informally called “Leaving and Waving.” Every time she left her parents’ home, she would pause to capture them standing in the driveway, hands raised in a goodbye wave. In an Instagram post shared by @the.pinklemonade, her images spanned from the early ‘90s until October 2017. The collection is currently on display at Réseau L U X (@reseau_lux) in Paris.

Keep ReadingShow less
sad, sadness, emotional
a man holds his head while sitting on a sofa
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

Millennials discuss the impact of their parents lack of emotional support

Every generation has different parenting styles that have impacted their children's mental health and emotional intelligence. And when Reddit user u/Soup_stew_supremacy posed the question to r/Millennials: "Do any of you struggle to get emotional support from your parents?"–the response was robust.

"I'm not sure if it's because they weren't supported in some way, or just a generational thing, but myself, my husband and some of our friends and family members often lack emotional support from their parents," she shared. "My parents are in no way bad people, but they get really uncomfortable with feelings of any kind, and they pretty much just want to talk with you about surface-level stuff. If you tell them something that's been hard for you, they will say 'Oh, that sucks. So anyway...' I couldn't imagine trying to look to them for emotional or mental support, it would just be embarrassing and uncomfortable for us both."

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025