Comedian and illustrator, Mo Welch, has built a career blending sharp humor with emotional honesty.

Her recent special, Dad Jokes, explores her childhood with a largely absent father, culminating in a road trip to reunite with him after 20 years.

In tonight's brief but spectacular take, she reflects on family comedy and the lessons we carry from our parents,

when they show and when they don't.

I never thought that the traumatic stuff was funny because I always love one-liners.

And the first one-liner from dad jokes was I hate dad jokes.

Every time I hear a dad tell a dad joke,

I'm so happy that mine abandoned my whole family.

I grew up in normal Illinois.

I am the second born of five kids.

There was a gas station, a mile away,

it was the only business in town.

My mom worked there was called Turner's,

and she would bring all of us there.

And then eventually the manager was like,

you have to stop your daycare.

I was a shy kid.

I used to spend all my time drawing, playing basketball, doing things by myself.

My dad was in prison when my older sister was born, and then I was technically a conjugal visit.

That is how I was made.

I mean, like, it was like I was built for comedy.

My dad went to prison for stealing TVs from Sears on more than one occasion.

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