My five minutes of fame comes Monday when my wife and I appear briefly on the Oprah Winfrey Show, along with guest Jerry Seinfeld. I never imagined I’d appear on Oprah, nor did I even dream that Jerry Seinfeld would target me for a few laughs. But even more unbelievable is the topic that I am discussing with them: sleeping outside and peeing in a bucket.
Here’s how it all came about: My wife, Emily, has been an Oprah fan for years. Last week, she flew to Chicago to be in the audience of the Oprah Show, since Oprah is retiring after 25 years on air. After the show’s taping, the producers asked the audience if anyone had any funny husband-wife squabbles, and Emily told them about how I sleep outside year-round and pee in a bucket. Emily is not happy about me sleeping outdoors, but I love the fresh night air and the sound of the creek, even in rain and snow. And I can pee at night without waking up Emily or hearing her complain about hitting the toilet or putting the seat down.
The producers thought this was really weird and funny, so they asked us to appear on the show via Skype for a brief interview with Oprah and Jerry Seinfeld. The show is promoting Jerry Seinfeld’s new TV series, “The Marriage Ref,” where couples share their quirky arguments and ask a celebrity panel to weigh in on who’s right.
Our spot is only a couple of minutes. And in those 120 seconds, I am ripped apart by Seinfeld for abandoning my wife, confusing our two-year-old son, and disgusting friends and neighbors with a bucket full of piss beside the porch. I try to defend my sleeping bag under the stars and my pee bucket—which helps enrich our compost pile and our organic gardens—but my defenses only provide more comedic fuel for his fire.
The entire segment appears on this coming Monday’s Oprah Winfrey Show. To view clips from the short video we submitted to Oprah explaining our unusual sleeping arrangements, click here.
