DiscoverThe Jordan Harbinger Show1146: Ed Helms | Fame, Family, and Finding Joy in Failure
1146: Ed Helms | Fame, Family, and Finding Joy in Failure

1146: Ed Helms | Fame, Family, and Finding Joy in Failure

Update: 2025-04-29
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Ed Helms dishes on fame's hidden costs, his Office-Hangover filming marathon, and why historic blunders might be humanity's most reassuring legacy.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1146

What We Discuss with Ed Helms:

  • At 17, Ed Helms knew exactly what he wanted: to be an actor/producer for TV and film. This rare clarity gave him a massive head start, though he now recognizes success wasn't just hard work but also luck, privilege, and opportunity — a constellation of factors for which he's deeply grateful.
  • Ed says the strangest part of fame is that friends claim "you've changed" when they're actually projecting their own discomfort. Fame also strips away your ability to control public spaces — no more escaping the awkward stranger at baggage claim.
  • At his career peak, Ed filmed The Office Monday-Tuesday, then The Hangover Wednesday-Sunday — chartering flights from Vegas for 6 a.m. Office call times. He even removed his actual dental implant for The Hangover's missing tooth scenes while shooting Office episodes with a flipper tooth.
  • Young Ed naively thought he'd balance being a traveling dad with non-stop film work. But reality hit hard, and now he declines projects that would separate him from family — even hypothetical Spielberg films. His former ADHD-fueled hyper-focus has given way to prioritizing presence.
  • Ed's book chronicles humanity's epic blunders — from dropped nukes to CIA cat-spies — revealing our enduring resilience. These absurd mishaps offer perspective: we've always faced ridiculous challenges and somehow survived. Next time anxiety strikes, remember we've been falling on our faces — and getting back up — throughout history!
  • And much more...

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Comments (3)

Tammy Buchanan

My favorite Steve Correll role:: Little Miss Sunshine. You're right..... those eyes. So Ernest.

Apr 30th
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Tammy Buchanan

p s. I get to do some Mama bragging. She got a full ride at NEC in Boston.

Apr 29th
Reply

Tammy Buchanan

our kiddo went to NOCCA in NOLA to phd professional career. she was thinking about a pop career. I asked her if she wanted to be wildly famous. I suggested maybe she continue with her mesosoprano bc you're not expired at age 30 and you're accomplished and famous in a microcosm instead of a world fish bowl. she went with it as opera. I didn't bargain that meso sopranos often take pants rolls and do crazy teenage boy things like sword fights and tumbles. 😱

Apr 29th
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1146: Ed Helms | Fame, Family, and Finding Joy in Failure

1146: Ed Helms | Fame, Family, and Finding Joy in Failure