Gary Gulman once disclosed how his Jewish father graciously shot down hopes of a hockey career

Gary Gulman grew up in a Jewish family with two older brothers and faced financial struggles after his parents' divorce. On Thursday, Gulman posted an Instagram video from his appearance at the "Late Night Show with Seth Meyers" in Nov. 2021.

He talked about his father’s unique approach to discouraging his hockey dreams. His father would support their wishes but then talk them out while managing their financial concerns.

"My father had this policy that made us feel less poor. He would say, if there's something you really want, just ask for it. We'll try to find the money. And then, of course, like any dad, he would talk us out of wanting whatever it was that we wanted," Gulman said on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

When Gulman wanted to play hockey, his father said he would find the money but doubted his chances, saying that there were no Jewish players in the Hockey Hall of Fame and mentioning that Gulman had a better chance of being the "Messiah."

"Like, one year, I wanted to play hockey, which is a New Englander, you know, of course. And so he said, if you really want to play hockey, We'll try to find the money for you to play this sport you've shown no potential in. Not only have you shown no potential, jews have acquitted themselves quite poorly in this sport," Gulman continued.

"And then he pulled out this sports almanac with the Hockey hall of Fame. He said, let's count the jewish players. Ready? Done. There are zero jewish players. He said, just for a point of comparison, more jews have been the Messiah. Do you understand that? You're more likely to be Jesus. You are more likely to walk on water than you are to skate on it," Gulman added.

Gary Gulman received a football scholarship from Boston College but left the team due to depression and a career in comedy.

Gary Gulman’s journey from Boston open mics to major comedy specials

Gary Gulman began his career at open mics in Boston in 1993. By 1999, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy full-time. That year, he made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show and later appeared on Late Show with David Letterman.

Gulman rose to fame in 2003 when he finished third on "Last Comic Standing." He released his debut comedy album, "Conversations with Inanimate Objects," and starred in the HBO documentary "Tourgasm." In 2006, he relocated to New York in search of better performance opportunities.

Gary Gulman's 2019 HBO special, "The Great Depresh," addresses his experiences with depression and anxiety. He had a small role in the film Joker and released his book, "Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s," in September 2023.