This Is Us: The Internet Collectively Cringed When Malik Told Randall He Has a Daughter

If there's anything we've learned over the last few seasons on This Is Us, it's that the onscreen relationships may not be the most traditional, but at their core, they are about as pure as they get. Take Deja and Malik, for example. During the fourth episode of season four, "Flip a Coin," Deja introduces her family to her new boyfriend, a junior with a 6-month-old daughter and a heart of gold (played by actor Asante Blackk). But like many teenagers can attest to, disclosing the details about your new crush with your family can be daunting, so Deja leaves out the tiny detail about Malik's baby girl, Janelle.

While preparing for the opening of Beth's dance studio and dealing with the overwhelming smell of a dead possum, Deja introduces Malik to Randall. She warns her friend about the potential for incessant dad jokes and corny humor, but nothing could prepare the two men for how the conversation escalates when Malik mentions that he has a daughter. (By "mention," we mean he says "daughter" three times before Randall takes note and pauses the conversation.)

We know that Randall is overprotective of his daughters, especially Deja, who they adopted not too long ago, but it immediately gets real when he says to Beth, "Our daughter is not dating a guy who puts babies in people!" Viewers don't yet know Malik all that well, but from what we've seen so far, he's an incredibly genuine and sweet young man. Only time will tell if Deja and Malik's relationship can make it through the Pearsons (if they can overcome that awkward meeting, they can handle anything). See what fans are saying about that moment between Randall and Malik ahead.