Eugene Levy, known for his roles in “Schitt’s Creek” and “American Pie,” discussed his experiences as a grandfather during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on September 9. Levy, who has two adult children, Dan and Sarah, with his wife Deborah Divine, became a grandfather in July 2022 when Sarah and her husband Graham Outerbridge welcomed their son James.
Levy shared a story about James’s habit of starting every sentence with the word “unfortunately.” “He’s getting cuter by the day,” Levy told host Stephen Colbert. “He went through a phase recently where he would start every sentence with the word ‘unfortunately.’”
Levy explained that his grandson does not understand the meaning of the word but uses it to sound intelligent. “What are you eating, James?” Eugene Levy said, to which his grandson would reply, “Unfortunately, an apple.”
Colbert suggested that someone in the family must frequently use the word at home. Levy responded humorously that it was not from him because “‘it’s too big a word’ for him.”
As a grandparent, Levy goes by “Papa,” while his wife is called “Nanny.” He contrasted grandparenthood with parenting during the interview. “When you’re raising your own kids, you just — of course — you cannot love them more. But it’s hard work to raise a kid,” he says of being a parent.
“With a grandchild, it’s just fun and games,” he added.
“If things go south behavior-wise, you know, it’s somebody else’s problem,” he joked. “The grand folks are moving on.”
Levy reflected on his earlier parenting style in a 2019 People interview. He described himself as strict: “The thing was for us, if you crossed the line, there was going to be some sort of punishment. It’s the way I was brought up, and it’s the way I brought up my kids,” he told People.
“It worked! Because honestly we’ve never had a problem with our kids. It was fun as they got older, because then they’d start making us laugh,” he added.
Eugene Levy appeared alongside both children in “Schitt’s Creek,” which he co-created with Dan Levy according to IMDB. The father-son duo also co-hosted the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards together—a moment Eugene described as “once in a lifetime” to Colbert.
In 2024, Eugene Levy received the 2,773rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his family present for the occasion.
