“Artie is doing well and staying sober,” a source close to Lange has stated.
Troubled comedian Artie Lange is facing an indefinite stay in rehab, according to a report by Radar Online.
The new report contradicts a previous one that stated Lange would only be in rehab until the end of the summer, and despite all reports that he’s been “doing well and following the rules,” a release date for Lange to actually leave rehab has not been set.
The comedian had been in rehab for reasons connected to his May arrest where the Essex County Sheriff’s Office found him in non-compliance with the conditions of his probation. His most recent round of legal troubles began in 2017 when he was hit with possession charges, resulting in a court order to attend a six-month addiction treatment program.
Prior Legal Troubles
Some people close to him think the arrest was the best thing that could have happened to him at the time. At least one source told Radar Online Lange was raring to go in a “self destruct mode,” doing anything he could to dodge drug court programs and jail time.
“He knows he won’t survive drug court,” the source said. “So he’s going to party as much as he can until he gets thrown in jail or a year-long rehab.”
Lange has long struggled with addiction. His troubles have led him to two suicide attempts, fleeing from interventions and relapses. Eventually, his substance abuse got in the way of his 10-year-long stint on The Howard Stern Show. The titular host of the show, Howard Stern, remained silent on the matter for a long time before opening up to Rolling Stone.
“I’m very dismayed about where he’s at. I do care, but for a whole bunch of reasons that relationship had to stop,” Stern told the magazine. “Artie was on the show for 10 years. He’s a fantastic comedian. There’s nobody who could have sat in like that.”
Community Service
Lange seemed to be on an upward track, doing community service through a New Jersey-based treatment facility and passing all his drug tests, until he was arrested for non-compliance with the terms of his probation in May. Though his current rehab stint doesn’t have a set end date, he’s expected to leave some time in September to be transferred to New Jersey’s Hudson County Court to face judgement on his violations.
