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Kristen Bell’s ‘Momsplaining’ Puts a Man Through Labor Pains

It looks painful!

by Alicia Kort
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Andy Lassner sitting with his legs spread on a gynecology chair Kristen Bell’s "Momsplaining" TV sho...
"Momsplaining" photo by Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

Childbirth ultimately produces the miracle of life, but the process is the most painful thing women will ever have to experience. Thanks to biology, men get to avoid the glories of labor and are tasked with hand-holding, bringing ice chips and doing absolutely anything that makes labor more tolerable for the mother-to-be. But Kristen Bell, otherwise known as the most famous celebrity mom in America found a way for men to stimulate contractions on “Momsplaining,” her popular web series for Ellen.

Bell tricked Ellen executive producer Andy Lassner to be one of her reluctant guinea pigs for this segment called “Get This Baby Out of Me.” Lassner had electrodes attached to his abdomen and was told that if he got questions about pregnancy or babies wrong that he would get hit with increasingly painful contractions.

While Lassner was asked tougher questions, such as “At what point do newborns cry actual tears?” his adversary received notably less complicated ones like “How long is a typical pregnancy?”

As the pain increased, Lassner started taking deep breaths, swearing, and squirming in pain while Bell gleefully watched her teammate experience labor. Level 100 on the machine represented the level of pain you would be at if you gave birth, and Lassner got up into the 70s. At one point he asked why he was feeling pain in his back, and Bell informed him about the joys of “back labor.”

When Lassner was finally released from this challenge, he said that he had more respect for women after this experience, despite having plenty of appreciation for women already.

“Thank you, ladies.” Lassner said. “Please tell me we’re done.”

After the segment ended, Bell tried the contraction simulator and got into the 80s levels without flinching, so apparently, the machine is still a little nicer than actual labor. Lassner got off easy.

“Momsplaining” airs on EllenTube on Fridays.

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