Jonathan Scott has been loving his role as a “bonus dad” to his fiancée Zooey Deschanel’s two kids.
“It’s been pretty great,” Jonathan, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly while chatting about his and twin brother Drew Scott’s HGTV series Don’t Hate Your House and Backed by the Bros. “When I came into the scene, the kids were young enough that our little one doesn’t remember before me. And I’m a magician who can build stuff. I’m real popular.”
Jonathan has acted as a coparent to Deschanel’s two kids — Elsie, 8, and Charlie, 6, whom she shares with her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik — since they began dating in 2019. He will soon officially take on the title of stepfather, as he popped the question to Deschanel, 44, in August 2023.
“We have a great time and that’s why [Drew and I] film pretty much solely in L.A. now because I like being home for dinner,” Jonathan added. “I like taking the kids to school, all that stuff.”
Drew, 46, went on to point out similarities between his brother and the father from the popular Australian kids show Bluey, Bandit. “The dad on Bluey is the dad that can just get into anything and be anything,” the Property Brothers star explained. “He’ll act like a robot. He’ll build [something], whatever it might be. That’s kind of Jonathan, and the kids love it because he’s just there to have fun and goof around and be silly.”
Enjoying the comparison, Jonathan quipped, “And I can do a great Australian accent.”
Fellow dad Drew joked that he no longer watches “adult programming,” instead tuning in to shows such as Bluey, Animals Up Close and the popular children’s YouTube personality Ms. Rachel.
Drew shares his son Parker, 2, and newborn daughter, Piper, with his wife, Linda Phan. While chatting with Us ahead of his daughter’s birth on Wednesday, June 5, he opened up about becoming a father of two.
“You think you’re mastering something once, and then, all of a sudden, it starts over,” Drew shared. “And then, I’m already realizing I’m forgetting the little tricks that I had for little, tiny changing of diapers or feeding when the baby’s little. So, I’m just really excited to see Linda as a mom all over again and see Parker as an older brother. It’s going to be fun.”
Parker was also excited for the new baby’s arrival, though Drew told Us his son didn’t fully understand that he would soon be getting a sibling. “When we say, ‘Where’s the baby? Where’s your sibling?’ he goes over to Linda’s tummy and he hugs it and gives it a kiss,” Drew shared. “So, he knows there’s something, but I don’t know if he’s quite putting it together.”
Drew also praised his wife for pushing through her pregnancy after undergoing IVF. “She’s a rock star. She carries it with style and she’s beautiful and I just can’t wait to see her with two little ones,” he gushed before clarifying, “Not that we’re having twins. I mean Parker and the new baby.”
For more on Drew and Jonathan, watch the video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
