Bella Thorne was asked to tell a joke about her dead dad during an appearance on Bill Maher's podcast.
Thorne was a guest on Club Random with Bill Maher and the host lived up to his promise to talk about anything and everything on the show.
As well as discussing distractions in bed and Bella's politically incorrect dog-naming process, comic Maher also prompted his guest to tell a joke about her late father, who died in a crash in 2007, when Thorne was just nine.
You can watch the moment here:
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After discussing how Thorne had used laughter as a coping mechanism, Maher requested: "Give me a dead dad joke, come on."
Actor Thorne replied: "No, no, no... It's not like I have a literal dead dad joke... It's more that there's conversations being had and there's an opportunity to you know... make a dead dad joke."
Thorne paid tribute to her late dad on Instagram last April, on the anniversary of his death.
The 24-year-old wrote: "Every year I use the same photo because I don't have many w u in them, i stopped counting the years since u died idk how long it’s been..I just know it’s been a long time w out u.
"Really upset that I'm engaged and u can't be here to approve of my lifepartner ...although I know u would."
Elsewhere in the lengthy one-on-one chat, Thorne opened up about her 'crippling anxiety' - but Maher was hardly sympathetic in his response.
"What is it with you kids and anxiety?" he asked.
"What is causing all the anxiety?"
Thorne explained that nowadays there's 'constant bad, bad, bad everywhere you look', but 66-year-old Maher said it was a disingenuous argument.
"Your generation doesn't know what's going on in the world," he claimed.
"So how can you be that f**king concerned about what’s going on in the world?
"I know what's going on in the world! I should have the anxiety! I follow it, you kids don't follow it.
"You don’t know what the f**k is going on in the world! What are you upset about? What is the world's problem?"
"What is it with you kids and anxiety? ... Your generation doesn’t know what’s going on in the world! So how can you be that f*cking concerned about what’s going on in the world?" @billmaher told @bellathorne after she revealed she had "crippling anxiety." https://t.co/yQLIU8P9zn pic.twitter.com/BMajVK7RBF
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) April 12, 2022
He went on to argue that 'a lot of the people who are the most anxious have the most privileged lives,' but Thorne countered his point by highlighting the importance of trauma, such as her dad's death.
She explained: "We look at someone and say, 'Oh, they have it all. They must be so f**kin' happy. You've got nothing to complain about in your life.'
"Yeah, well, you know, they're still with their therapist every day. They might have PTSD and traumas and other things that haunt their dreams."
You can listed to the full interview with Bella Thorne here.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone
