Dax Shepardlearned to be funny somewhat out of necessity.In PEOPLE’s exclusive look at the Feb. 18 episode ofFinding Your Roots, the actor opens up to hostHenry Louis Gates Jr.about how his home life when he was younger led him to develop his sense of humor — and his comedy skills.“There was some chaos in the house, I had a lot of stepdads,” Shepard, 50, says of his younger years, as his parents got divorced when he was 3 years old.Amidst the chaos, Shepard says his “role was attempting, at least, to regulate the energy in the room.““So if I could say something pretty funny before things boiled over, that — I know that I’ve been doing that for a long time,” he explains.Dax Shephard on ‘Finding Your Roots’.PBSWhen Gates asks if Shepard was the “peacemaker” who was trying to “give everybody a gift,” he agrees, but the jokes were for his own good, too.“And [I was trying to] ultimately give me a gift so that all hell didn’t break loose,” the actor admits.When it comes to his family, though, Shepard’s not holding any grudges. In a Feb. 14 Instagrampost, he shared a sweet family shot as he posed with his mom, brother and sister in San Francisco.“Most INCREDIBLE two days with ‘The Original Four’ (mom, sister, brother) in San Fransisco,” he wrote in the caption. (He was in the Northern California city for an event withBill Gates.)“It’s rare that my personal and professional lives can hit such peaks on the same day. I am not blind to the gift of having all four of us healthy enough to tackle a city in the manner we did. And I will continue to cherish every single moment I get to spend with a man who has saved tens of millions of children around the world. WHAT A GIFT!!!!! 💙💙💙"Dax Shepard with his mom, brother and sister.Dax Shepard/InstagramJust as comedy was one source of support for Shepard in his young life, so too were some less healthy habits, which prompted him to get sober in 2004 — a process he’s been incredibly open about, including afterhe relapsed in 2020.His decision to be open about the relapse wasin part thanks to Bradley Cooper.“He said, ‘Are you going to?’ ‘Cause I told him I relapsed. And then he said, ‘Are you going to tell everyone?’ And I said, at that point, I was like, ‘I don’t think so,'” he recalled on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast last year.“He said, ‘Well, let me tell you this. There’s nothing helpful about a guy that’s 16 years sober, and married to Kristen Bell, and is rich. What’s helpful to somebody is someone who just ate s— and gets back up.'“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Finding Your Rootsairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
Dax Shepardlearned to be funny somewhat out of necessity.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive look at the Feb. 18 episode ofFinding Your Roots, the actor opens up to hostHenry Louis Gates Jr.about how his home life when he was younger led him to develop his sense of humor — and his comedy skills.
“There was some chaos in the house, I had a lot of stepdads,” Shepard, 50, says of his younger years, as his parents got divorced when he was 3 years old.
Amidst the chaos, Shepard says his “role was attempting, at least, to regulate the energy in the room.”
“So if I could say something pretty funny before things boiled over, that — I know that I’ve been doing that for a long time,” he explains.
Dax Shephard on ‘Finding Your Roots’.PBS
PBS
When Gates asks if Shepard was the “peacemaker” who was trying to “give everybody a gift,” he agrees, but the jokes were for his own good, too.
“And [I was trying to] ultimately give me a gift so that all hell didn’t break loose,” the actor admits.
When it comes to his family, though, Shepard’s not holding any grudges. In a Feb. 14 Instagrampost, he shared a sweet family shot as he posed with his mom, brother and sister in San Francisco.
“Most INCREDIBLE two days with ‘The Original Four’ (mom, sister, brother) in San Fransisco,” he wrote in the caption. (He was in the Northern California city for an event withBill Gates.)
“It’s rare that my personal and professional lives can hit such peaks on the same day. I am not blind to the gift of having all four of us healthy enough to tackle a city in the manner we did. And I will continue to cherish every single moment I get to spend with a man who has saved tens of millions of children around the world. WHAT A GIFT!!!!! 💙💙💙”
Dax Shepard with his mom, brother and sister.Dax Shepard/Instagram
Dax Shepard/Instagram
Just as comedy was one source of support for Shepard in his young life, so too were some less healthy habits, which prompted him to get sober in 2004 — a process he’s been incredibly open about, including afterhe relapsed in 2020.
His decision to be open about the relapse wasin part thanks to Bradley Cooper.
“He said, ‘Are you going to?’ ‘Cause I told him I relapsed. And then he said, ‘Are you going to tell everyone?’ And I said, at that point, I was like, ‘I don’t think so,'” he recalled on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast last year.
“He said, ‘Well, let me tell you this. There’s nothing helpful about a guy that’s 16 years sober, and married to Kristen Bell, and is rich. What’s helpful to somebody is someone who just ate s— and gets back up.'”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Finding Your Rootsairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
source: people.com
