Josh Gad breaks down memorable stories from the memoir with us every week

Josh Gad in his upcoming memoir, he rips off the Band-Aid, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Somewhich proves that he is much more than just a musical mormon and an animated snowman.

The triple threat sat down My Weekly exclusively to look back at some of his most memorable stories from the book (out Tuesday, January 14), including his slow rise to stardom that required him to put in the work despite hard times and setbacks along the way. Today, however, Gad can say he’s officially done it. In this book, he tells personal and professional stories. Confused that he calls it “some narrator”? The actor quickly set the record straight.

“It’s more of a joke. If anything, I’ll tell everyone and then some,” Gad explained Our. “I watched the exercise as I got deeper into it, like it was mirror therapy. The more vulnerable I became, the more I allowed myself to go down that path – even though I hesitated, feared and perhaps resisted it.”

Gad decided he wanted to “give people a reason to read this book,” which meant being honest.

“It was kind of an obvious decision, but also a crucial one for me because I’m not usually an open book — no pun intended,” he explained. “In the process of writing this and talking about all aspects from personal to career to family matters, I learned a lot about myself.”

The Frozen star writes about having a father who was absent for most of his life and explains how that has influenced his own journey to parenthood. (Gad shares Ava (13) and Isabella (10) with his wife Ida Darvish.)

For those more interested in his Hollywood success, he also shares plenty of career anecdotes.

“I had a hell of a time writing (the book) and I hope that anyone who reads it will take something away that is useful and inspiring,” he said. Our. “At least I hope they get a good laugh.”

Keep scrolling for more from Gad:

Live from New York… It’s a rejection

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 2003, Gad decided to give it a try Saturday Night Live. His friend Bryce Dallas Howard she recruited her father, a famous director Ron Howardto open his audition tape—yet Gad was turned down three times.

“I love failure because it gives me a platform to succeed. Don’t let others force you to give up on yourself. I think persistence is just as important as skill,” Gad said. “I didn’t love it at the time, I definitely hated it – but the rejection was and still is as important to me as the acceptance. Part of that is, ‘F— me? F— you. I’ll prove you wrong.”

A lifelong struggle

“I have always felt uncomfortable and ashamed of my excess weight,” Gad wrote in the book. In 2007, Hollywood put him in the “loud fat best friend” box when it came to casting, which he feared would continue throughout his career.

“It’s always in the background,” he admitted Our. “I hope that discussing issues like struggling with being overweight (and) severe anxiety makes people feel like, ‘If I can be here and do this and overcome those things but still deal with them, you’ve got it.’ We’ve got this together.’ I felt strongly that it was something I had to talk about (in the book) even though it was uncomfortable.’

Friendship with icon

Tracking Aladdin at the age of 11 was deeply influenced by Gad. Robin WilliamsGenie got him to voice Disney cartoon characters (which he did with Olaf in 2013 Frozen). After Gad encountered the legend during his raid The Book of Mormonthey started a friendship that ended too soon. (Williams he died by suicide aged 63 in August 2014.)

“It’s so frustrating because you imagine someone is going to be here forever.” There was so much I planned to talk to him about. We talked less and less. I saw him, I think, a year before he died,” Gad recalled. “I could tell he was down. It wasn’t his living self, but I didn’t really know what was going on. I didn’t want to burden him with any conversations, certainly about myself. I feel grateful that he had the opportunity to hear me talk about how he inspired me – it’s something I told him personally.”

An unforgettable meeting

Years ago Kevin SpaceyAfter his fall from grace, Gad appeared alongside him in the 2008 film 21. During filming, he wrote, Spacey “forced” him to “miss the impression” at dinner parties in Boston. (The disgraced actor faced multiple allegations of sexual assault since 2017, which he denies. He was acquitted of nine charges in July 2023.)

“It was such a strange thing,” Gad said Our. “But it also felt like a sign of respect where he was really tickled, I think, by the fact that I could do voices.

Gad explained that he was not afraid to bring up Spacey in the book.

“I’m not saying anything unpleasant,” he continued. “This is my life; these are the people I met. Kevin Spacey happens to be one of them and I have a very funny story to tell. I’ll leave that polemic to other writers, but I’ll tell you, hopefully, an anecdote that will make you go, ‘That’s wild.'”