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LIFESTYLES

Hobbs father inspires millions on TikTok with story of acceptance

Jai Larez, known as 'Daddy Jai,' shares his family's life —and recipes — fostering a supportive community from his hometown

Published Modified

Growing up in Lovington, Jai Larez rarely encountered families like his own.

But when he returned to his nearby birthplace of Hobbs to raise his five children with his husband, Kyler Martin, he decided to start posting on social media in hopes of inspiring others. Among them was a transgender boy who credited Larez with helping him envision a future in which he could one day build a family of his own. 

While Larez is typically the face of the content, Martin is an essential teammate who helps with filming and scheduling livestreams.

“I really wanted to kind of normalize our family to say: Hey, we're just two dads trying to provide an amazing future for our five children and kind of share our story,” Larez said.

Larez has built a presence with more than 800,000 followers and 32 million likes. He also keeps working a full-time job while managing social media.

I hope when you watch this, it fills your heart with hope—that one day you’ll have the family you’ve prayed for and be living the life you’ve always dreamed of. ✨

After living away for 15 years, Larez moved back to New Mexico so his children could be close to family. He is frequently recognized during routine trips to the grocery store.

“I am just a normal dad who shares his content,” he said. “In general, content creators are just normal people sharing their lives. So I love when people come and say hi.”

Though Larez’s content includes livestreams and discussions about his experiences as a father, his passion lies in sharing recipes.

“I've taken away a lot of what I cook on live, just kind of showing people the behind-the-scenes of our family, teaching people how to cook, what we eat and talking about all sorts of topics,” he said. “People connect through food.”

Larez comes from a family of cooks. His grandmother, who was from Juárez, Mexico, sold menudo every Saturday in front of his house. He also enjoyed watching cooking shows as a child, which inspired him to attend culinary school at the Art Institute in Phoenix.

His children have also developed an interest in cooking, frequently appearing in the background of his videos and taking turns helping their father in the kitchen.

“I like to feature them in glimmers because the content is myself and showing our life through my eyes,” he said.

This digital reach has translated into real-world impact, most notably through the letter he received from the transgender boy, something Larez said was “super amazing and touching.”

“Because I always think to myself that maybe there's another young Jai out there,” he said. “I want everyone to feel welcome to my channel, to be themselves, not have to hide and know that they can have that family or know that they can have that life.”

In addition to inspiring others, Larez said he uses his platform to encourage his own children. He hopes they see what their fathers have invested in building their family.

“Hopefully, they’ll look back and be proud of the hard work that Kyler and I have put in, and they’ll be inspired to live their best life and to pursue their dreams,” Larez said.

Karmina Conde is a reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kconderuiz@abqjournal.com

Jai Larez cooks on TikTok.
Jai Larez and his family.