Overview

• Helms revealed on SiriusXM’s Everybody Knows Your Name podcast that he remained anxious into his mid-30s about showing his conservative parents the R-rated comedy.
• He credited his politically progressive but socially conservative upbringing for shaping his use of humor as a coping mechanism.
• Although his parents had already seen his work on The Daily Show and The Office, he feared The Hangover’s raunchy tone would clash with their values.
• At the 2009 premiere, his mother’s tears initially made him worry he had upset her before she hugged him and praised the film’s humor.
• Helms described The Hangover’s $469.3 million global gross and its two sequels as career-defining milestones that elevated him to major motion picture stardom.