All That Remains singer Phil Labonte recently spoke out about the challenges facing men in modern society. He revisited themes from his 2024 op-ed titled “The Silent Crisis: Why Society Is Failing Men And Boys” in an appearance on Today’s Boondoggle Podcast.
Labonte addressed what he sees as decades of cultural messaging that has undermined men’s roles in families and society. He argued that the consequences are now visible in rising male disengagement, depression, and suicide rates.
“Look, for the better part of the past three decades, men have been told that they are the problem,” Labonte said. “You saw it in the ’90s when every single sitcom had the doofy husband, and the woman was the smart one, and thank God for her because without her, that poor schlub would just run his life into the ground. And that was the standard kind of thing. And it’s been like that. And that’s not the way that reality is.”
He went on to connect what he described as the influence of feminist ideas to broader social trends, including declining birth rates and rising divorce rates.
“Raising a family is a team effort. Mothers are super important, but fathers are super important too,” he continued. “And you see a lot of kids that are being raised by single mothers. You’ve got divorces at all-time highs. Generally, it’s initiated by the female. Most kids nowadays — I don’t know the numbers — but most kids have not gone on a date. There’s not nearly as many young men and young women getting together that are dating. Gen Z is the least sexually active generation in a long time. You see abortion is at an all-time high. All of these things are directly downstream from feminism and the massive influence that the left and feminist ideas have on society.”
Labonte also pushed back against the notion that women can simultaneously maintain a career and raise a family. He pointed to what he called a growing crisis among men.
“The idea that a woman can be the boss babe and a mother at the same time is a total lie. You cannot do both,” he said. “Women are deciding that they want to go to school and have a career, and then when they hit their 30s, they’re scrambling to try and find a man, but men have checked out or they’ve already found — or they’re going for younger girls that are looking for families and stuff. Male suicide is at an all-time high. Men are, like I said, they’re checking out of society.”
Turning specifically to the issue of male mental health, Labonte argued that traditional therapy is not an effective solution for men.
“Suicide among men my age — 50 and above — the rates are up. Men have to have meaning. Men need something to do,” he said. “The idea that men can go to therapy and that’s gonna solve their problems is ridiculous. Therapy is for women. Men don’t solve their problems by talking. Men solve their problems through action.”
Instead, he advocated for men engaging in hands-on, purpose-driven activities alongside other men.
“So men should be doing things with other men, like building things, going out and fixing cars, whatever it is,” Labonte concluded. “But those kind of activities are what will help a man feel accomplished, help a man feel like he’s got purpose. Just going and talking to a therapist, that’s not what fixes men. That’s not what fixes men at all.”
The comments were made in the context of discussing his previously published op-ed on male disengagement and depression.
Labonte’s podcast appearance is the latest chapter in a broader conversation that his 2024 writing helped ignite. The op-ed laid out a detailed case for why modern society is structurally failing men and boys. It has since taken on a life well beyond the rock music world.
In the op-ed, Labonte highlighted rising male disengagement from education, work, and community, alongside increasing rates of depression, addiction, and suicide. He framed these not as isolated personal failures but as symptoms of a culture that has systematically devalued male identity and purpose. The piece resonated widely, drawing attention from audiences far outside his typical fanbase.
By early 2026, the op-ed had made its way to Capitol Hill, where it began informing federal legislative discussions around the male crisis. Lawmakers examining the issue of male disengagement cited the piece as part of a growing body of evidence that the problem demands a policy-level response, not just cultural conversation.
The renewed political momentum around the topic reflects a shift in how the male mental health crisis is being perceived at an institutional level. What was once largely dismissed as a fringe concern has increasingly entered mainstream discourse, with Labonte’s work serving as one of the more prominent cultural touchstones in that transition.
His argument that men need purpose, achievable goals, and the support of other men — rather than therapy alone — has proven to be among the most debated elements of his broader thesis. Critics have pushed back on his framing of therapy as ineffective for men. Supporters, meanwhile, argue his point is not anti-mental health but pro-action, emphasizing that structured, goal-oriented activity can be as therapeutically valuable as clinical intervention.
Labonte has continued to generate discussion well beyond the rock community. His comments on the podcast drew fresh rounds of reaction across social media. Whether one agrees with his conclusions or not, his willingness to engage publicly with one of the more uncomfortable conversations in contemporary masculinity has kept him at the center of a debate that shows no signs of quieting down.
