Amy Schumer just opened up about her dad’s serious illness

Amy Schumer can certainly make us laugh. We didn’t realize she could also make us cry.

In a recent interview with Barbara Walters, Amy Schumer opened up in a major way about her dad’s struggle with multiple sclerosis. And she broke our hearts.

Schumer’s dad, Gordon Schumer, has been residing in an assisted living facility since Amy Schumer was twelve years old. While the rest of us pre-teens were fighting with our fathers over curfews, Schumer had to grow up fast.

As she explains, “In terms of my dad being sick, it was just confusing to me, especially the way MS works. He was in physical pain. That’s when I kind of took the lead and took care of everybody in my family. I would keep them – I would keep everybody laughing.”

I always thought Schumer’s gift for comedy was just that – a gift. I didn’t realize it was also a talent born of necessity. In my opinion, this makes her comedic sensibilities all the more impressive.

Schumer’s father’s illness inspired one of the storyline’s in her movie Trainwreck. The main character, also named Amy, has a father who suffers from MS and lives in a facility similar to Gordon Schumer’s. In this way, Schumer is doing her part in educating audiences about the pains of MS.

From the interview, it is clear that Amy Schumer cares deeply about her dad. As she confessed to Walters, “Some days he’s really good and he’s with it and we’re joking around. And some days I go to visit my dad and it’s so painful. I can’t believe it.”

Neither can we. We’ve always wanted to give Amy Schumer a hug, now that want is a need. You can watch the entire interview on ABC when it airs this Thursday (tomorrow), 9:30 ET.

For more information on MS visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website.

Do you have a parent with MS? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts, experiences, photos and videos on social media using the hashtag #WhenYourParentHasMS.

(Image via Shutterstock)