Man, oh man.
All right, so you were here yesterday
helping us with a reunion, a military couple.
And that was really sweet.
There was not a dry eye in the house.
Unbelievable, and to be a part of that.
So really I held myself together,
because I cry at these things all the time.
But backstage when the little girls ran up and said, daddy.
Oh, my gosh.
Because I cry at chick flicks, so I completely lost it.
Yeah, it was really sweet.
Thanks for helping us out with that.
Thank you.
And I got to hold your little 5-month-old baby.
You're a brand new dad.
And his little girl is backstage, who threw up on me.
That's a true story, that actually happened.
Yes.
He's like, she may throw up.
And I was like, oh, she won't.
And just, all over me.
But she's precious.
I love her.
And being a dad--
I know.
[COOING]
And being a dad changed everything.
It doesn't matter, good day, bad day, you see her,
she lights up when she sees you.
But something happened that I didn't expect.
And all of a sudden I realized that she's observing me,
and she's observing the way I treat people and my wife.
And it's actually made me a better husband
because how I treat people, and how
I treat her mom is going to be what she expects.
So it's raised a new standard for me.
And that's a really cool thing.
Well, you're just a good guy anyway.
You're an amazing guy.
And we'll talk about the crazy life you've had.
But you're doing a digital series for us on EllenTube.
Tell everybody what you're doing.
This is so cool.
So it's called Let Me In So You Can Win.
And this is the deal.
Are you ready?
You do great things, and we want to come surprise you.
And give you a chance to win tons of money and great prizes.
So when Ellen says, hey, do you want
to be the guy that shows up and makes dreams come true?
I'm like, are you kidding me?
This is unbelievable, I'm totally in.
So it's so cool, Let Me In So You Can Win.
And it's been a dream come true.
It's so much fun.
It's fun to watch you do that and watch people be surprised.
And it's just, we're rewarding people for doing good things.
This book is-- and I'm very happy to be
a part of your life at all, and to be a part of this book.
But talk about, you've been through so much.
I don't even know where to start.
But explain some of the stuff in here.
So a lot of people know me from either "America's Got Talent",
playing in the NFL, or your show.
But really what happened, when I was 12 years old
it changed my life forever.
And my dad murdered my mom.
And my sister and I went through the most intense therapy
you could possibly imagine.
And in that therapy and in life, I
realized how powerful forgiveness is.
And how forgiveness can set us free and forgiveness
can show us happiness.
And so I hope when people read my book
they see how the idea of positive thinking
and intentional living changed my life and led me on a path
to happiness.
And it's been amazing.
Yeah, I can't even imagine that happening ever,
much less at 12 years old.
To lose your mom in that way, then your dad goes to jail.
And then you just recently saw him.
How was that?
Super intense.
And so, I hadn't seen my dad in 27 years.
And so what happened is two weeks before I
had my little girl, it was time for my life to go full circle.
And it was time for me to meet my dad
and relive that relationship to hopefully motivate
me to be a better father.
And I think that if you can find motivation
in every bad thing that happens in this world
you're going to make the world a better place.
So I sat with him for five and a half hours.
And I realized I didn't forgive them for taking my mom away.
But I forgave me for being lost, and I told them that.
And it unlocked me.
And I had this burden.
And I realized that I get to talk to people when
they talk about forgiveness.
And I think a lot of people think forgiving's
about winning or losing.
I think that, if I forgive you I'm OK with what you did,
I agree with what you did.
And OK, the score's settled.
But I realize that for me, it has
nothing to do with that other person at all.
And for me, forgiveness was about coming
to terms of my own reality, doing the best I can with it,
and being at peace with it.
And so I forgave him the moment I'm going to become a father.
And it was probably the most powerful thing
I've ever done in my entire life.
Wow.
[APPLAUSE]
I mean, there's so much that you don't know about this guy
and what a good guy you are.
You're a good guy.
Thank you.
Your daughter has a great dad.
Your daughter's a very lucky little girl,
that you're her dad.
Thank you so much.
All right, John's book is called "Life is Magic",
it's available wherever books are sold.
Everyone in the audience is going home with a signed copy.