KATC’s Daniel Phillips Is Knocking Fatherhood Out of the Park

Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - KATC Meteorologist Daniel Phillips is known for his clever quips and willingness to call out bad weather behavior. He now has the title of "Dad" and, by his own admission, is knocking it out of the park.

In November, he and his wife welcomed a baby girl named Penelope. Viewers from across south Louisiana expressed concern on social media while Daniel was on paternity leave that he may have left the station.

Fortunately for all of us in the Lafayette area, that's not the case. Daniel has been a member of the KATC weather team for a decade and tells us he plans to stick around for a while longer.

The dry wit you see when you watch Daniel interact with his counterparts is genuine. I was lucky enough to spend time with him on the morning show, and he is one of the funniest people I've ever met.

We have no doubt he will be a great dad. He expertly handled the bad behavior of Lafayette drivers during a particularly bad rain event in 2017 when they were making their way down flooded roadways, pushing wakes into nearby buildings. If you missed it, you can see the videos below.

As most parents know, adjusting to a new baby and to parenthood in general can be daunting. Daniel is handling it all in stride.

A few years before Penelope arrived, Daniel got a dog, a doberman, that he named Loki. He and Loki went through a comical transition period, as are most things with Daniel.

He spent some time with us on the KPEL morning show Monday and explained that Loki immediately fell in love with Penelope. He watches her and cries when she cries. If Loki doesn't feel like Daniel and his wife are handling a crying baby appropriately, he makes his dissatisfaction known.

Sleeping is a challenge for anyone who does a morning show. Keeping such a strange schedule is difficult, and sleep is at a premium. Daniel was understandably concerned how having a little one would impact that schedule. No worries, he says. At just two months old, little Penelope sleeps for five hour stretches. That's a full night by morning meteorologist standards.

He recounted his first solo dad experience.

His wife had a work function to attend and would be gone for about 10 hours. She provided enough milk and proper instructions, and Daniel settled in for some dad time. Penelope was well-behaved, and only got fussy for a few minutes. She ate, slept, did what babies do, and he handled it beautifully. As Daniel said very self-assuredly, "I aced it."

(Daniel is a "Hamilton" fan and was appropriately excited by his royal attire.)

He and Mom are keeping little Penelope off of social media, a prudent decision in today's world. We will all look forward to seeing her sweet face when they decide to share her with us. Daniel does say that "she's lucky enough to take after her mother."

Well done, Daniel. The doors at KPEL are open any time you'd like to pop over.