'Dirty Jobs' host Mike Rowe recalls 'devastating' exchange that inspired the hit show

Mike Rowe sits down with Tucker Carlson to discuss the "Dirty Jobs" and how he got started highlighting the forgotten blue-collar workers of America nearly two decades ago.

"He was one of those geniuses who could take your watch apart blindfolded and put it back together, fix anything, build anything," Rowe recalled in Monday's episode of "Tucker Carlson Today." "He was a magician, and I kind of grew up in his shadow with my mom and dad."

But Rowe learned quickly that he did not inherit the natural gift of working with his hands as he had hoped.

"The handy gene, as you may have noticed, is recessive. And as certain as I was that I would follow in his footsteps, I just didn't get the skills. So I got into entertainment," he said.