"I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant'"
About this Quote
The intent is to get a laugh by reframing fatherhood as a logistical gag, yet the subtext points to a particular mid-century arrangement: masculinity as distance, motherhood as constant labor, sex as both pleasure and consequence. "I'm pregnant" isn't his line; it's the line he hears, putting the burden of reproduction squarely in the voices of the women in the house. That asymmetry is part of why it lands and why it curdles a bit under modern ears. The punchline relies on a culture where lots of kids signaled vitality and success, not an economic cliff.
Context matters: Martin was a mainstream entertainer whose brand was effortless charm, a rat-pack wink at responsibility. This joke lets him acknowledge the pressures of family life without surrendering the image. The laughter is a release valve - not confession, but performance - turning domestic overwhelm into a cocktail-party anecdote.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: Letters to the Dead: Things I Wish I'd Said (Ann Palmer, 2014) modern compilationISBN: 9781771431262 · ID: MyTdAwAAQBAJ
Evidence:
... Martin said . Dean host the " Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts " from 1973 to 1984 , one of the most classic ... I've got seven kids . The three words you hear most around my house are ' hello , ' ' goodbye , ' and ' I'm pregnant ... |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Martin, Dean. (2026, March 11). I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant'. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-got-seven-kids-the-three-words-you-hear-most-139222/
Chicago Style
Martin, Dean. "I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant'." FixQuotes. March 11, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-got-seven-kids-the-three-words-you-hear-most-139222/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant'." FixQuotes, 11 Mar. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ive-got-seven-kids-the-three-words-you-hear-most-139222/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.





