Josh Gad Reconnected with His Dad at Age 42 After Not Seeing Him for 20 Years: 'I Finally Had Closure'

Josh Gad is reflecting on the "cathartic" experience of reconnecting with his father after a 20-year estrangement.

During an appearance on the Jan. 16 episode of SiriusXM's The Spotlight with Rebecca Shaw to discuss his new memoir In Gad We Trust, the actor, 43, recounted how the healing reunion came about.

"I hadn't seen [my dad] for 20 years, and he called me up. He was in New Jersey and said, 'I want to come see your show,' " said Gad, referring to his Broadway musical Gutenberg! which he stars in alongside Andrew Rannells. "And I said, 'Okay, it's going to be on my terms.' "

Related: Idina Menzel and Josh Gad Have ‘Frozen’ Reunion at Broadway’s ‘Gutenberg! The Musical’ (Exclusive Photos)

Gad said his dad came to the show alone and recalled having a moment onstage that day 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," the Frozen star explained to host Rebecca Shaw. "And that was kind of crazy — that at 42, it was the first time that I could share this experience."

After the show, Gad's father came to his home and the pair shared what was at first "a very awkward sort of conversation." The actor noted that their chat was made "doubly awkward" by the fact that it happened to be Halloween and he and Rannells, 46, had dressed up as "the Mommie Dearest characters."

"My dad was just baffled and confused [by the costume]," Gad recalled, before describing how the uncomfortable yet momentous conversation affected him.

"It was very cathartic," he said, explaining, "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 and a lot of what we discussed ended up in the book."

When Gad first announced his memoir — which was released on Jan. 14 — back in July 2024, he promised to pull back the curtain on his personal life, from his struggles with self-image to navigating his career and parenthood.

“After decades of reading other people’s words, I’ve decided to write some of my own and it’s turned into my book In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some,” Gad said in a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time. “I can’t wait to take readers on a journey tackling everything from a Snowman to a Mormon to a grown man.”

“I am thrilled to share my stories with all of you as I tackle fame, fatherhood, faith, Florida, secrets from some of your favorite films and even topics that don’t begin with the letter F, all while giving you something hilarious and brutally honest to read,” he added.

Related: Josh Gad Announces He Will Donate A Portion of Memoir Proceeds to Wildfire Victims: 'Anything Helps Right Now'

During an appearance on Today on Jan. 14, Gad opened up about the process of writing his memoir and how reliving some of his past experiences on the page — particularly his strained relationship with his father — shaped how he interacts with his two daughters, Isabella, 10, and Ava, 13, whom he shares with wife Ida Darvish.

“What I do with them is I give them the opportunity to be as open with me as possible,” he said. “I want them to talk to me. So a lot of times I’ll talk taboo issues.”

“One day I talked to my daughter because my wife was like, ‘She’s starting to hear about sex from school and I’m worried.’ And I took it upon myself to be like, ‘Hey, sweetheart, I’m here for you. Is there anything you want to talk about?’ " Gad continued. "I want to be there when they need me."

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In Gad We Trust is available now wherever books are sold.

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