Seth Meyers on Leaving Politics Behind in His New Stand-Up Special and Finding Out How Much He Can Joke About His Family

While Seth Meyers is discussing his new HBO stand-up special “Dad Man Walking,” he’s visited by his 8-year-old son Ashe, who’s trying to keep it cool while his dad is on the phone.

“He’s doing what he thinks is a helpful tiptoe walk that is 1/10 of the speed of normal,” Meyers narrates. “Now he’s pulling paper out of the printer one piece at a time. He’s finally leaving … He’s also wearing pajamas that look like prison stripes.”

It’s fitting that Meyers is facing the typical interruptions of parenthood while answering questions about “Dad Man Walking,” which is largely filled with the wry observations of a modern father and is in the race for the Golden Globes’ best performance in stand-up category. While his day job as the host of “Late Night With Seth Meyers” is marked by political comedy and celebrity interviews, he says he enjoys the different muscles he uses while sharpening his stand-up.

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“On ‘Late Night,’ I feel like my entire staff is a really good dance partner, where we all know what we’re after,” he says. “It’s so thrilling too to be doing your stand-up special where all of a sudden, you’re in Philly and realizing, ‘Wow, if I was in Studio 8, a lot of people would help me out — even just on a hair and makeup level.’ But I get that rush of going out on stage and just making people laugh. And the fine-tuning of language is a thing that you can do with a stand-up special that I’m so drawn to.”

The process of crafting and perfecting a joke is instrumental to Meyers as a writer. He’s been able to sharpen the bits in this hour of stand-up through a series of co-headlining gigs and a New York City residency with his friend and fellow talk show host John Oliver. Meyers says he is consistently writing down funny ideas and real-life situations on his phone and can gauge what works by reading different nuances in the audience’s reaction.

For example, while many of the jokes lovingly poke fun at his three kids — Ashe, 6-year-old Axel and 2-year-old Adelaide — and wife Alexi, Meyers can quickly find the line if he goes a little too far.

“It’s how you feel in telling it — sometimes even just the way people laugh,” he says. “You invited it, and then you’re like, ‘That’s my wife I’m talking about!’ But if it’s ever anything I’m worried she won’t love, I try it first, and if I can’t make it work, there’s no reason to have brought it to her — only when it’s a feasible bit. To her credit, if it works, she’s always very supportive.”

Ultimately, reflecting on life with his family for audiences is an essential part of Meyers’ love language.

“I just love doing stand-up because it’s so different — not just in format, but also in the topics,” he says. “There’s something so universal about my family, and it should be noted that even though I bust on them pretty hard, I love talking about them. They’re my favorite people. Sometimes with ‘Late Night,’ which is a show I love doing, I spend a lot of time talking about people I don’t have a great deal of affection for, so it’s nice to be out there spending an hour sharing anecdotes and observations about my family, the best people on Earth.”

As our conversation wraps, Ashe reenters the room — still clad in his prison-stripe pajamas — and wants to say goodbye to both me and his dad. We all wish each other a good night, and Meyers is off, ready to have a few more silly moments before bedtime.