Time & Perspective Quote by Rex Hunt

A clean exit line only an entertainer could make sound like confession and punchline at once. Rex Hunt frames leaving not as burnout or scandal but as an obsession that’s gotten comically out of hand: “fishing 21 hours a day” is obvious exaggeration, then he tops it with the sharper kicker that those are “the waking moments.” The math is nonsense on purpose. It signals that the numbers aren’t the point; compulsion is.

The intent is to soften a career pivot into something fans can laugh with, not mourn. By treating retirement as a symptom of too much desire rather than too little stamina, Hunt keeps control of the narrative. He isn’t being pushed out; he’s being pulled toward the water. That matters in celebrity culture, where departures often invite suspicion. His phrasing preemptively disarms that: the reason is absurd, therefore oddly trustworthy.

Subtext: fishing isn’t just a hobby here, it’s identity, routine, and escape hatch. The line about thinking of it even with eyes closed hints at the way media work colonizes your headspace; he’s describing fixation, but also relief at choosing a fixation that isn’t ratings, schedules, or public expectations. It’s the entertainer’s version of “I’m taking my life back,” delivered in the language his audience associates with him.

Contextually, Hunt built a persona around outdoorsmanship and easygoing blokey charm. This quote performs that persona one last time: he exits by turning private longing into a public gag, making the farewell feel less like a goodbye and more like a mate finally slipping away for an early bite.