Dax Shepard reveals why his comedy skills were gift to him amid 'chaos' of parents divorce when he was 3

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dax Shepard developed his sense of humor as a way to navigate the challenges of his early home life.

His parents divorced when he was just three years old and he grew up in a household that he described as "chaotic."

Dax Shepard reveals how he often used humor as a coping mechanism

During the Feburuary 18 episode of 'Finding Your Roots', Dax Shepard opened up on how he used humor as a coping mechanism.

Shepard, 50, recalled his childhood as being filled with instability due to multiple stepfathers.

"There was some chaos in the house, I had a lot of stepdads," Shepard said, referring to the years following his parents' divorce.

His response to the disorder was using humor to keep situations under control. "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," Shepard explained, People reported. 

When the host asked if he acted as a "peacemaker" by trying to "give everybody a gift," Shepard agreed, but noted that the jokes also served his own well-being.

"And [I was trying to] ultimately give me a gift so that all hell didn't break loose," he admitted.

Dax Shepard says he has no resentment towards his family 

Dax Shepard said he does not hold any resentment toward his family and continues to cherish moments with them.

In a February 14 Instagram post, he shared a photo of himself with his mother, brother, and sister during a visit to San Francisco.

"Most INCREDIBLE two days with 'The Original Four' (mom, sister, brother) in San Francisco," Shepard wrote in the caption.

He was in the city for an event with Bill Gates. Reflecting on the significance of the trip, he added, "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!!!!!" he added.

Dax Shepard's 16-year sobriety and a replase he didn't want to open up about 

Dax Shepard got sober in 2004 but relapsed in 2020 after 16 years.

He discussed his struggles in an episode of his 'Armchair Expert' podcast in 2020, explaining how he began using pain medication after a motorcycle accident while also dealing with his father's cancer diagnosis.

During a trip with his father, Shepard was responsible for ensuring his father took his prescribed painkillers. Without his wife present, Shepard found himself tempted.

"So I give him a bunch of Percocet and then I go, I have a prescription for this, and I was in a motorcycle accident, and I’m gonna take some too," he recalled, noting that he "probably took twice of what my other prescription was."

After leaving his father at the hospital, Shepard felt uneasy. "I started panicking a bit," he said, questioning if this act counted as a relapse.

"So that was eight years ago," he continued, adding "And now I have this experience where I did that, I felt bad, but there wasn’t really any fallout from it."

One of his biggest concerns about "coming clean publicly" was how it would affect his wife Kristen Bell.

"Kristen doesn’t deserve for the next six months for every f— interview she does to be, 'Oh, Dax relapsed,'" he said, adding "It doesn’t feel fair to anyone — it’s not. I’m sorry and embarrassed that I’ve put other people in this situation."

Shepard addressed the matter on Instagram that year, writing, "An episode I hoped I'd never have to record, but one I felt I owed to all the beautiful Armcheries who have been on this ride with me for the last couple years."