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Comedian Paul Scheer Hadn’t Realized His Childhood Was Abusive. His New Memoir Examines His Pain With Humor: ‘I’m Not Trying to Write a Therapy Session’


Paul Scheer's new book "Joyful Recollections of Trauma" explores the painful upbringing behind his comic persona.

Although Scheer grew up as a fan of best-selling books from comedians that largely resembled their standup — like Jerry Seinfeld’s “SeinLanguage” and Paul Reiser’s “Couplehood” — he wanted “Trauma” to go deeper into how these anecdotes shaped his life. Outside of his regular podcast commitments, he has a role in this summer’s tornado blockbuster “Twisters,” and is blending his improv and nuclear families in an ambitious upcoming sitcom named “DINKs.” Amazon MGM Studios ordered a pilot for the comedy, starring Scheer and Raphael, which bends a traditional format. Yet between balancing professional projects and working with his spouse, Scheer is devoted to maintaining his close-knit family unit above all, having spun his difficult childhood into a lovely future for himself.

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comedian paul scheer