Jason Ritter Says Sometimes Dad John Ritter Comes Out While He's Acting: ‘I’m Not Aware of All the Ways He Influenced Me’
Jason Ritter Says Sometimes Dad John Ritter Comes Out While He's Acting: ‘I’m Not Aware of All the Ways He Influenced Me’
Victoria EdelWed, April 8, 2026 at 9:29 PM UTC
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Jason Ritter in 2025 (left); John Ritter in 1984 (right)Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty -
Jason Ritter opened up about the connection he still has with his late father, John Ritter
The Matlock actor said that sometimes when he's acting, he feels like his dad takes over
John, best known for starring in Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, died in 2003 at the age of 54
Jason Ritter still has a special bond with his dad, John Ritter, 23 years after his death.
Jason, 46, appeared on the Wednesday, April 8 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast with Ted Danson. During the episode, they talked about how Jason has dealt with the death of his father. John died in 2003 at the age of 54, in the middle of filming season 2 of 8 Simple Rules.
Danson, 78, asked how old Jason was when his dad passed. “I was 23. And I was the oldest, so everyone else got even less time,” he said. John also had sons Tyler and Noah and daughter Carly.
“I had to work really hard to understand that that was the whole story, that that was the whole book of my time on this earth with him,” Jason continued. “And you know, initially it just felt like, ‘No, there's more chapters there. Someone ripped out the back, but I'll find that back somehow.’ ” He said that it was “hard,” but now he appreciates their “entire relationship” and “the beauty in the time they had together” a lot more.
Danson then asked, “Does your dad ever hop in when you're acting and go for a ride? Mine does. I can literally go, ‘Where the f--- did that come from? Oh.’ . . . Everything will come out slightly like my dad.”
Jason Ritter (left) and John Ritter in 2003Credit: Carlo Allegri/Getty
Jason agreed. “That definitely happens to me. In auditions, I would come in, and I would do it the way I had practiced a hundred times, and it was probably kind of rigid. And then every once in a while, a casting director would go, ‘Try it this way.’ And I go, ‘Oh, that's great. I have no idea what to do there.’ And I just sort of jump off the cliff and try it.”
He continued, “And there have been times where those have been the best moments in my auditions, and I'm like, ‘That didn't feel like I did that.’ ”
Jason also said that as he gets older, he sees the resemblance between him and John even more. “I'm not aware of all of the ways in which he influenced me,” he said. “So sometimes I'll be watching Matlock or something, and I'll go, ‘Oh my gosh, that was just so his face.’ Which is weird because I've had people tell me that, but I'm seeing it more and more myself now.” Jason began starring on CBS' Matlock in 2024.
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John’s breakout role was on Three’s Company as Jack Tripper. The series aired from 1977 to 1984, and he was known especially for his work as a physical comedian. In total, he had over 100 film and TV credits to his name and also starred on Broadway.
Danson noted to Jason that it “must have been hard” to deal with his and his family’s grief while also dealing with “the entire world’s feeling of loss for your dad.”
From left: Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter and Kathy Bates in 'Matlock'Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
“It's amazing,” Jason admitted. “There will still be times where I'll meet someone and I'll know what's happening almost immediately.” Usually they will “well up” and talk to him about his father.
“I have ups and downs and grief is such a strange boat to be in,” Jason said, but now that he’s “processed more,” he can see the beauty in how meeting him “evokes this emotional reaction" in his dad's fans.
But there’s also still time to laugh. Jason remembered that when he started dating his now-wife, Melanie Lynskey, they were on a date and met a woman at the bar. “And she’s like, ‘Oh my God, I loved him.’ And she did kind of get emotional and she just started to say how much she loved my dad.”
While laughing, Jason remembered, “And then she just went, ‘RIP’ and just started talking to her friend again. It was such a barrage, and then she just turned around. Melanie was right there and she had never seen that before.” Jason joked that he pretended to keep talking to the woman, even as her back was turned.
Jason said the story reminded him of the “funny moments” his dad was also “wonderful at finding.”
He recalled, “One of the stories that I remember, which is very similar to this one, was when his father passed, a guy from his college went up to him, ‘Hey man, I heard about your dad. Condols.’ ”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
