I told my wife the truth. I told her I was seeing a psychiatrist. Then she told me the truth: that she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender.

In classic Rodney Dangerfield style, the joke turns on self-deprecation and sudden escalation. The narrator’s “truth” (seeing a psychiatrist) signals vulnerability and a desire for honesty, but the punchline reframes the marriage as so dysfunctional—or the speaker so inadequate—that his wife’s “truth” is a far more chaotic confession. The list (psychiatrist, two plumbers, bartender) mixes therapy, domestic repair, and alcohol, implying emotional distress, household breakdown, and coping mechanisms, while also hinting at infidelity through comic misdirection. The humor depends on surprise, rhythm, and the persona of a man who gets “no respect,” even when trying to be sincere.