Josh Gad gained 'closure' after reuniting with dad after 20 years

Yahoo

26-01-2025

Josh Gad has told how he reunited with his dad after being estranged for 20 years.
The actor, who is best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, has reflected on how it felt to reconnect with his dad after so many years.
"I hadn't seen (my dad) for 20 years, and he called me up," the 43-year-old said on SiriusXM's The Spotlight.
"He was in New Jersey and said, 'I want to come see your show (Gutenberg!)' And I said, 'Okay, it's going to be on my terms.'"
He recalled having a moment onstage when he thought to himself, "'Oh my God, I'm performing for the first time ever in front of my father.'
Like, he never saw me. Even as a kid doing shows at school or in high school or in college or on Broadway, he had never seen me onstage. And that was kind of crazy - that at 42, it was the first time that I could share this experience."
After the show, his dad visited his home, where they had at first "a very awkward sort of conversation."
However, as the evening progressed, he felt better about the situation.
"It was very cathartic," he shared. "I felt like I finally had closure that I didn't even know I needed. And it was amazing to have that opportunity to just sit with him, and we just talked."
Josh, who has just released his memoir, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some, also revealed how his strained relationship with his dad has affected how he interacts with his own daughters, Isabella, 10, and Ava, 13.
"What I do with them is I give them the opportunity to be as open with me as possible," he admitted. "I want them to talk to me. So a lot of times I'll talk taboo issues."