Harry Connick Jr: Americans Need to Remember 'We Are All God's Children' (Interview)
After the successful launch of the new hit show "Harry," host Harry Connick Jr. is sharing inspiring advice for Americans: "We are all God's children."
Connick has been in the entertainment business for over 30 years and the talented singer, songwriter, pianist, actor, and "American Idol" host is now the star of his own daytime talk show "Harry." The Fox show has featured an array of guests to date, including former football player Tim Tebow and actress Sandra Bullock.
Connick says he hopes to use his platform to bring joy to people. And although he wants to stay away from addressing heavy political and social issues on the show he does offer advice for people caught up in the unrest in America.
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"This is an incredibly divisive time in our country, and we're all Americans, we are all God's children and we need to remember that," Connick told The Christian Post. "I need to remember that I need to work on myself and make sure that I put love first because it starts with us as individuals."
Having grown up in New Orleans, the 49-year-old is no stranger to the racial divide that often takes place in America. In fact he was the first person to ever have both black and white people together on a Mardi Gras parade float. Connick shared why he values all people.
"For me, I love everybody," he said. "I don't care what color you are, what religion you are, I don't care about any of that stuff. I think that love wins in the end ultimately and if it's possible to celebrate our differences as opposed to using them as a means to divide us, that's how I choose to get through life."
Connick said there is so much to learn from all people.
"The less time I spend judging, the more time I can improve myself. The less time I spend pointing fingers at people and saying, 'Well, I wouldn't do this, or I wouldn't do that,' the more time I can spend trying to learn things I'm trying to understand."
Connick's faith in God comes from his upbringing. His mother was Jewish and his father and his father's side of the family were Catholic. Because his mother wasn't a practicing Jew he admitted that he was never familiar with the practices of Judaism but instead was immersed in Christianity.
"In fact she knew probably more about the Bible than a lot of the Christians that I know. She was really educated in Christianity and was interested in it," Connick said of his mother.
"My dad used to take me to church. And then when I was 14, I made the decision that I wanted to be a Catholic formally. So I got baptized and confirmed when I was 14 and I have been a practicing Catholic ever since," Connick revealed.
The talented entertainer explained that he decided to go that route because of how familiar he was with the faith.
"I have a huge family in New Orleans and everybody seemed to get so much joy and good feelings out of the church that it just seemed like a very welcoming community that I wanted to be a part of," he described.
As seen on "Harry" in the episode titled "This Is Your Life," Connick's current relationship with his own immediate family serves as an inspiration to many. Connick, married for 27 years to model Jill Goodacre, now has three daughters and they all have a very strong bond.
"I think my story is unique to us just like everybody has their own individual circumstances. For me, I got really lucky. I married an incredible woman. I love her very, very much, she's my best friend," the TV personality said of his wife. "We both want the same things out of life so we get along really well and we work hard to try to achieve our goals together."
The father to only girls said he wouldn't have it any other way. Connick said he couldn't possibly offer advice to parents but he did have a word of encouragement to fathers.
"Everybody's trying to figure it out and I think the key is continuing to try to figure it out," Connick advised. "For me, I never stop trying to improve. I want to be a better father, I want to be a better husband, I want to be a better Catholic. These are things that doesn't come easy to anybody."
The musician believes that all Americans have the same basic values.
"We all want the best for our families, we respect our elders and we just want to figure it out. And if I were to give any kind of vague advice, it would be to keep on trucking, keep going down the road and keep trying to wake up every day and be good at all of the things that you've been blessed with," he said.
Connick went on to say that with the TV production he aspires to give people a break from their day. His goal is to celebrate women and accomplishments, among other things, and feature music and uplifting stories.
"Stories that make you want to go out and help your fellow man. These are the things that I want for myself and I feel very sincere about them," he commented. "That's always remained the same and that's the kind of show that we're going to do."
For more information on Connick or "Harry," visit HarryTV.com.
