The trouser story that explains why BBC professor dad didn't get up and help with the kids
Professor Robert Kelly speaks out about the 'no trousers' rumours and answers the critics concerned about his parenting skills
We're sure you loved as much as we did the live BBC video chat interview with Professor Robert Kelly, whose 4-year-old daughter burst into the room, doing a little dance?, followed by his smiley baby in a baby walker, followed by his wife Kim Jung-a, who desperately herded them out.
Is it really any surprise the clip’s made over 86 million viewers of people LOL?
Now the newly-famous dad Robert has done a press conference in South Korea, plus a couple of interviews with the BBC and the Wall Street Journal, to explain many of the unanswered questions currently doing the rounds.
The most important one is whether he was actually wearing any trousers. That's right - rumours have been circulating that he didn’t leave his seat because he was trouserless.
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"Yes I was wearing pants!” he protested, using the American word for trousers, obvs - no one's suggesting he wasn't wearing undies. “Someone at lunch asked me if I was wearing pants. Strangers ask me if I was wearing pants!”
But it turns out they were the wrong trousers - as Robert was wearing jeans rather than the suit trousers to match his smart jacket and tie that were in shot.
Robert also explained that 4-year-old Marion was so excitable in the clip because it was her birthday ?
"She was in a hippity-hoppity mood that day because of the school party."
When Marion ran in to the room, he'd hoped (rather optimistically perhaps?!) that she'd find something quiet to do...
"We had toys and books in the room. My hope was that she would play with the books for a few moments until the interview was finished.
“Even for 30 seconds until we could just cut the interview, but once my son came in on the little roller, then it was sort of... then there was nothing I could do."
Of course, being such a global story, it's stoked up a few critics, with some accusing Robert and his wife of being heavy-handed with the kids.
"Our children were not hurt," he explained. "We normally do not treat our children the way you saw in the clip."
He continued, "In that same vein, I was not shoving Marion out of the way when I tried to move her behind the chair."
All in all, though, he said the whole family found the experience pretty bemusing - but that they're glad they made people laugh.
"It was funny. If you watch the tape I was sort of struggling to keep my own laughs down.
"They’re little kids and that’s how things are... I made this minor mistake that turned my family into YouTube stars. It’s pretty ridiculous.”
Images: Facebook/BBC
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