Lange will reportedly stay in rehab until the end of summer.
Comedian Artie Lange, formerly of The Howard Stern Show, is reportedly “doing well” after being arrested for violating his probation following prosecution for heroin and cocain posession.
Officials told Radar Online that Lange is “currently doing well and following the rules” and will be staying at a rehabilitation facility in Clinton Hill, New Jersey through the end of the summer.
Legal Troubles
Lange was arrested in May by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, who said that he was “non-compliant” with his probation in spite of reports that the comedian was doing great. His most recent legal troubles started in 2017 with the possession charges, which resulted in him being ordered into an intensive six-month addiction treatment program in March.
The arrests may be the best thing for him, according to individuals close to Lange who reportedly spoke to Radar Online. One “insider” said that Lange was in “self-destruct mode” and was avoiding a drug court program that could have helped him avoid prison time so that he could continue to use drugs.
“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.”
This isn’t the first time Lange has been arrested for drug possession and gone to a rehab program. After developing an addiction to alcohol and cocaine early in his comedy career, he attempted suicide in 1995 after running out of the stimulant and entered rehab and counseling.
Artie’s History
He then suffered a relapse in late 1996 and was arrested after fleeing an intervention staged by his fellow Mad TV cast members. He swore off cocaine in 1997, but continued to struggle with alcohol and opioid addiction, relapses, and mental illness, including another suicide attempt in 2010.
Lange’s continuing struggles with addiction resulted in his leaving The Howard Stern Show after 10 years. In a Rolling Stone interview published in May, Stern finally opened up about his concern for his former co-host and friend’s health and state of mind after so many years of fighting an intense drug problem.
“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 said. “Artie was on the show for 10 years. He’s a fantastic comedian. There’s nobody who could have sat in like that.”
After his 2017 arrest, Lange often posted happy videos of himself doing his court-ordered community service work, giving the impression that all was well. However, Radar Online sources have said that the comedian’s health has been in decline due to his diabetes.
“He’s had to have medical assistance several times already for his diabetes,” a source reported.
Hopefully, the latest reports that he’s doing well will prove to be true.
