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Tag: Artie Lange

  • Artie Lange "Doing Well" In Recovery, Working On Court-Ordered Community Service

    Artie Lange "Doing Well" In Recovery, Working On Court-Ordered Community Service

    One of Lange’s close friends released a video of the comedian participating in his court-ordered community service.

    Artie Lange appears to be making positive progress in early recovery after being taken into custody in January, when he tested positive for both morphine and cocaine. 

    Lange, a 51-year-old actor and comedian known for his roles on the Howard Stern Show and Mad TV, has long struggled with substance use disorder. At the time of his arrest, he was ordered to take part in mandatory drug rehab, Consequence of Sound reports.  

    A few days ago, Russ Meneve, a friend of Lange’s, tweeted a video of the actor cleaning up garbage as part of his community service and treatment. 

    “Just spoke to one of my greatest friends, Artie Lange, who’s doin’ great in recovery and asked me to share this vid of him “on the job” !!” his tweet read. “He looks great and will be back soon. Stay tuned and keep rootin’ for a truly great human being…we love ya, Art.”

    In the shared video, Lange says to Meneve, “You’re going to keep this quiet, right, I’m sure.” 

    Meneve responds, “Absolutely. No one will ever know, ” to which Lange replies “I love you!” and “Take care.”

    The video was also shared on Lange’s Twitter account, which read “We heard from Artie this morning, HA!” then added this snipped from Lange: “It’s true i’m working to satisfy my drug court program. I work with great people. Nothing wrong with a little hard work. Love you all and can’t wait to be back on stage.”

    According to Page Six, Lange’s rep has verified that “this is work Artie is doing as part of his [New Jersey] drug court case. He is working with a refuse company daily as he continues treatment.”

    This was not the actor’s first run-in with drug-related trouble. Last June, Lange was given four years of probation, 50 hours of community service and was instructed to attend outpatient treatment. Despite the charges, he was not given any jail time.

    “The judge and Prosecutor were unbelievably compassionate,” Lange tweeted at the time. “I’m not high. So I see it clearly now. They wanna save my life. 10 days ago when I left rehab I had to touch the flame. I used Cocaine.”

    Lange has been fairly open about his struggles. In December last year, he posted a photo of his nose on Instagram and called it “hideously deformed.” The reason for that, Fox News reported at the time, was accidentally snorting broken glass that had been mixed with Oxycontin. 

    At the time, some of Lange’s friends reached out on Twitter. 

    “Artie, this is my 1000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions,” Richard Lewis tweeted. “We had the most laughs sober. I love you. You’re beloved and a magnificent comedian cursed with self loathing and fear. Give it up and live.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Living in New Jersey Sober House

    Artie Lange Living in New Jersey Sober House

    The comic has been living in the halfway house for the past two months, according to a New Jersey prosecutor. 

    Reports have surfaced that comedian Artie Lange has spent the last two months at a sober house in New Jersey while he awaits a scheduled court appearance.

    Radar Online posted an item that stated the 51-year-old comedian was ordered to the facility after being sent to jail in January 2019 for testing positive for cocaine and morphine.

    At the time of the arrest, Lange’s legal counsel hoped that he could be moved to an inpatient drug treatment program after his case was reevaluated on February 6. The Radar report quoted an “insider” who said that Lange “looked good” when he was spotted at the wake for a high school friend this month.

    As reported by numerous media sources, Lange was booked into the Essex County Jail after testing positive for cocaine and morphine, which he was using to treat opioid dependence. Lange had previously tested positive for cocaine and other substances during a court visit for probation violation in December 2018.

    According to a now-deleted post by “Team Lange” on the comedian’s Twitter feed, Lange was booked into Essex County to “sober up before transferring to a long term treatment facility.”

    Lange’s lawyer, Frank Arleo, was quoted as saying that his client “knows he shouldn’t have tested dirty, but he did,” and added that the primary concern after the February 6 evaluation was “finding a bed at an inpatient facility.”

    According to Radar, Lange is expected to stay at the sober house until his next court appearance, which is yet to be scheduled. But the entertainment news site quoted an unnamed “insider” who reported seeing Lange at a wake in Union City, New Jersey for a high school friend.

    “Artie looked good. He looked healthy,” said the insider, who also noted that the deceased friend had also struggled with substance dependency.

    Lange was in and out of court and rehab facilities for the better part of 2018, including a June hearing where he received four years’ probation for a 2017 arrest on drug charges.

    He returned to court in December for violating that sentence, and tested positive for cocaine, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and Suboxone, but avoided jail time when the presiding judge recommended Lange for drug court and community service. He tested positive again in January 2019.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Sobering Up In Jail Before Entering Long-Term Treatment

    Artie Lange Sobering Up In Jail Before Entering Long-Term Treatment

    The comedian reportedly tested positive for cocaine and morphine prior to entering the correctional facility. 

    Comedian Artie Lange was booked into a New Jersey jail after testing positive for cocaine, and is expected to enter a long-term treatment program, according to his legal representative.

    According to posts from “Team Lange” on his Twitter account, Lange entered the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark on January 30 after testing positive for both cocaine and morphine; the incident comes less than two months after he tested positive for cocaine and other substances during a court visit for probation violation in December 2018.

    Lange’s lawyer, Frank Arleo, said that the Crashing actor could be at Essex County through February 6, and expected that Lange would be moved to an inpatient drug treatment program soon after.

    The first post on January 30 from “Team Lange” read that Lange would be undergoing a long-term treatment program “starting today,” and promised updates before capping the post with the words, “It’s time.”

    Lange had been booked into, but not sentenced, at Essex County Jail that same day, and remanded to state Superior Court in Newark, where he was given a drug test. Team Lange’s next post on January 31 noted that “the comments made by Artie’s lawyer have been taken out of context”—meaning that he had not been arrested or sent to jail, but had been booked for “a few days to sober up before transferring him to a long term treatment facility.”

    The post concluded with the statement, “Artie needs us to be with him, not against him.”

    Arleo said that his client “knows he shouldn’t have tested dirty, but he did. He knew what was going to happen.” Arleo added that Lange’s case is due to be evaluated on February 6, and going forward, the primary concern will be “finding a bed at an inpatient facility” for Lange.

    Lange tested positive for cocaine, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and Suboxone during a December 14, 2018 court appearance for a 2017 probation violation. At the time, Arleo said that Lange had prescriptions for the amphetamines and benzodiazepines, and was using Suboxone to treat his opioid dependency. Lange avoided jail time when the presiding judge recommended that Arleo apply for Lange’s admission to drug court and complete community service in addition to the four years of probation for the 2017 violation.

    In December 2017, Lange tweeted, “I feel now I can also stop Cocaine [sic]. But that’s arrogance and addiction. I’m accepting help. If I fail now I will go to jail. Jail is not for addicts. But I’d be giving them no choice. When I use illegal drugs I have to score them. That’s breaking the law.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange’s Celeb Friends Beg Him To Get Sober

    Artie Lange’s Celeb Friends Beg Him To Get Sober

    A group of sober comedians and actors took to Twitter to ask Lange to get help for his addictions.

    Artie Lange became well-known for his long-running gig as a sidekick and comedian on the infamous Howard Stern Show. Lange is now in the spotlight for his long-running struggle with addiction as his famous pals plead with him to go to a rehabilitation center and accept help.

    Comedians are understood to often have a dark side, and many famous comedians have succumbed to the disease of addiction, including John Belushi, Chris Farley, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Hedberg and Greg Giraldo.

    In December, Lange narrowly escaped jail time after testing positive for cocaine and amphetamine. In June 2018, Lange was given four years’ probation after pleading guilty to heroin possession found during a 2017 traffic stop.

    In December 2018, Lange shared on Instagram a photo of his self-proclaimed “hideously deformed” nose, which, according to Fox News, is the end product of accidentally snorting broken glass mixed into Oxycontin as well as almost 30 years of drug abuse.

    Lange’s friends and colleagues were quick to respond.

    Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Richard Lewis, who has been sober since 1994, tweeted out to Lange, “Artie, this is my 1000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions. We had the most laughs sober. I love you. You’re beloved and a magnificent comedian cursed with self loathing and fear. Give it up and live.”

    Comic Jackie Martling added, “coming up to 18 years [sober] in May. in early 2001 I’d have laughed at the idea of not drinking for 18 *days.* Art, I know you know the laughs are just as hearty on this side. I love you and am of course 100% in your very crowded corner.”

    Patton Oswalt, a famous comedian who had roles in The King of Queens and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. followed up with support: “What Richard said. Come ON, Artie.”

    Final Destination actor Devon Sawa added his experience, “Sober for 12 years. My life changed. Things just keep getting better and better and better…..”

    Maurice LaMarche joined the chorus, saying, “I’m echoing @TheRichardLewis. Artie, it CAN be done. Richard’s living proof.”

    He added, “And now I’m echoing @markschiff. While we’re on the subject, I too stopped trying the desperate experiment of the first drink or drug on 1/20/89. (This is sounding like a show @JerrySeinfeld might create: Comedians In Meetings Getting Sober) C’mon, Artie. Join us. You can do it.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Admits To Using Cocaine Post-Rehab

    Artie Lange Admits To Using Cocaine Post-Rehab

    After being tested in court, Artie Lange revealed that he has relapsed but is currently 10 days clean.

    Troubled comedian Artie Lange has had a well-known and lengthy history with substance abuse. Lange has been very open about his struggles throughout his life, and while he celebrated “18 days clean” on social media last month, he’s now confessing that he’s used cocaine since leaving rehab.

    A year ago, Lange pleaded guilty to possessing 81 bags of heroin, and he received four years probation. (After sentencing, Lange tweeted, “4 yrs [sic] probation is a long time.”)

    On December 14, Lange tweeted, “Today in court they drug tested me. For the last decade or more they’d have found both Heroin and Cocaine. With the help of in my eyes a miracle legal medication called Suboxen [sic] I tested negative for Heroin. I haven’t used Heroin in 41 days. . . . That’s a prison that for now I’m out of. It’s also the reason I’m not in jail.” Yet he added, “10 days ago when I left rehab I had to touch the flame. I used Cocaine. . . .”

    Lange added that the cocaine “should’ve left my system. But a higher power wouldn’t let [it]. I’m a bad addict. I had to see if I could get high. It was awful.”

    While Lange tweeted that “the judge and prosecutor were unbelievably compassionate,” and “they wanna save my life,” he said they are also making him “apply for a very strict rehab type program called Drug Court.”

    As he’s realized before, Lange knows he’s got a long road ahead of him. “I have work to do. I feel now I can also stop Cocaine. But that’s arrogance and addiction. I’m accepting help. If I fail now I will go to jail. Jail is not for addicts. But I’d be giving them no choice. When I use illegal drugs I have to score them. That’s breaking the law.”

    As his tweetstorm started winding down, Lange grew even more serious and asked his fans to “pray for me. So no lies. I have 10 days clean . . . But know that though I made progress & got rid of Heroin I still have not hit a homerun. But guys I got on base. I moved ahead. I wanna help ppl . . . Hopefully I survive to help others . . . But I’m working on me too. It’s the only thing worth while now.”

     

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange: I'm 18 Days Clean And Fighting Hard

    Artie Lange: I'm 18 Days Clean And Fighting Hard

    Comedian Artie Lange took to Twitter to gush about his current recovery program and how many days he’s been clean.

    The comedian stepped out of rehab to perform a show and took the time to send off a series of appreciative tweets.

    Comedian Artie Lange tweeted Wednesday that he’s been clean for 18 days. Lange performed a show before returning to his rehab in time for Thanksgiving on Thursday.

    “Guess who’s clean?!! Been clean 18 days! The rehab I’m at let me use my phone to check things. I still have more time here but I’m doing great,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m humble. Not bragging. Just feel well. Tons of work ahead. Sunrise detox in Sterling, NJ helped save my life!!!  They’re great!!”

    The comedian has struggled with substance use disorder for years, but on Wednesday his treatment center allowed him to take a break from his program to perform. He gushed about his current recovery program on Twitter.

    “I’m at The Retreat by Lancaster PA. This place is a Godsend! They’re not payin me. No free stay. They do it right. I’m so grateful to them. The nurses are Angels,” he tweeted. “I’m not saying I will never relapse. I pray every day!! Just happy to be alive. I ain’t checkin out yet! I love u all!”

    He topped off his tweets with the serenity prayer.

    “God. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to Change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Lange had recently announced his intention to get clean on the Steve Trevelise Show. 

    “I’m about to go into drug treatment and commit to a full rehab, in-patient,” he said in the interview on the show. “I don’t know. I’m a very humble guy at this point. And I think I’m ready to go and do what I gotta do. It’s been long enough.”

    Soon after arriving at the rehab center after finishing his show, Lange sent out one last tweet before relinquishing his phone to thank his fans.

    “On way back to rehab. Did show.  Stayed clean.  On way back.  Another Thanksgiving inside someplace.  Last one was jail.  But I just killed for a huge crowd who felt like family,” his last tweet read. “I’m fighting hard.  Don’t count Artie Lange out. Love u. Be back by end of month.  I’m smiling. Thx”

     

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Ready For Sobriety: "It’s Been Long Enough"

    Artie Lange Ready For Sobriety: "It’s Been Long Enough"

    “I’m about to take a big step to help myself, to save my life. I’m sure you will hear about it. I feel like I’m not done. I have another run of laughing with you all.”

    Comedian Artie Lange seems ready for a change.

    Now 51 years old, his health fading, Lange appears ready to commit to sobriety. And it begins with a treatment program.

    “I’m about to go into drug treatment and commit to a full rehab, in-patient,” he said in a recent interview on The Steve Trevelise Show. “I don’t know. I’m a very humble guy at this point. And I think I”m ready to go and do what I gotta do. It’s been long enough.”

    With Kevin Meara walking him through the process, Lange is ready to receive help. This time he’s hoping it will stick. Meara is the co-chair of City of Angels, a Groveville, New Jersey-based organization that provides interventions, recovery support, counseling services and more at no cost.

    Lange did not expect to live past 25, he said in a previous interview. He was 37 at the time fellow comedian Mitch Hedberg died at the same age of a drug overdose in 2005.

    “When I heard [Mitch] died, I had such guilt and said to myself, ‘God, if I was a better person I would have just said, you know what, the heck with the Stern show, forget Caroline’s.’ I should have grabbed him and said, let’s go to the hospital right now. Let’s get detoxed and get better right now,” Lange said on The Steve Trevelise Show.

    “But Mitch was the kind of guy who openly said—he was so far gone—[that] he goes, ‘Guys, don’t try to help me. I wanna do heroin ’til I die.’ And that’s a mindset that people get into because they’re so afraid of not being on it that you lose sense of reality. It just is so sad to think of that. And even that didn’t stop me.”

    When Trevelise asked if Lange can see himself getting to this point, he replied, “I hope not. I don’t think so. I don’t think I’m even close to there yet.”

    Lange, who said in a previous interview that his fading health is starting to worry him, does not want to end up like Hedberg or Greg Giraldo, another comedian who died of a drug overdose in 2010. He was 44 years old.

    “I get nervous now, because now I wanna live. Now I do care about it, and I think that maybe I’ve done too much damage,” Lange said to NJ Advance Media in July.

    The day after his recent interview on Nov. 5, Lange tweeted some uplifting words to his followers: “I’m about to take a big step to help myself, to save my life. I’m sure you will hear about it. I feel like I’m not done. I have another run of laughing with you all. I want to thank you fans the way you thank me. You have saved my life. You are special to me. Wish me luck.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange: Howard Stern "Did Not Understand Addiction"

    Artie Lange: Howard Stern "Did Not Understand Addiction"

    The comedian opened up about addiction, alcoholism and his relationship with former boss Howard Stern on an episode of the Dopey Podcast.

    Artie Lange, best known for his gig as the “everyman” sidekick on The Howard Stern Show, recently opened up about how addiction destroyed his relationship with the legendary shock jock.

    Lange’s struggle with substance abuse has been lengthy and highly publicized. Over the years, the troubled comedian has routinely bottomed out while in the spotlight, ranging from canceled stand-up appearances to his suicide attempt in 2010.

    He’s also had his police mugshot taken a number of times during his career, including three arrests in 2017 alone. Still, perhaps the most infamous fallout from Lange’s demons remains his firing from Stern at the end of 2009—a blow that clearly casts a long shadow across Lange’s career. 

    Guesting on the Dopey Podcast, Lange revealed just how unmanageable his life had become in 2009 thanks to cocaine, heroin, pills and booze. Despite seeing the root of his problems, Lange’s behavior ended his otherwise wildly popular run on the radio show.

    Even worse than his addled on-air appearances, Lange suggested, was the uncomfortable position he had put Stern in.

    “Howard did not understand addiction. He gave me the best job ever and he is a genius,” he affirmed on the podcast. “I was on the show for over eight years, but towards the end I was a complete addict.”

    Lange likened his relationship with Stern to “a son-and-dad kind of thing,” which potentially made Stern’s decision to fire the comedian more complicated.

    Lange also disclosed that he was earning $4 million a year from The Howard Stern Show, in addition to a variety of other opportunities, such as a starring role in the 2006 comedy Beer League.  

    Shortly after being let go from Stern, Lange’s drug problems and depression worsened. In 2010, he attempted suicide. And while Lange eventually recovered from the incident, it’s obvious that he hasn’t entirely gotten over being fired from the highly-rated program.

    In recent months, Lange has even taken to blasting his former boss on social media, threatening to post Stern’s private phone number online. Interestingly, as Lange continues to escalate the feud, he doesn’t fault Stern when it comes to comprehending the true depths of his addiction.

    “He didn’t know the extent of it. There’s no way he could’ve,” he told Uproxx. Lange added that even though Stern couldn’t grasp just how far gone the comedian was, he tried to get Lange the help he so desperately needed.

    Stern even connected him with a therapist, put him into a treatment center, and encouraged him to take all the time he needed to find sobriety.

    During the podcast interview, though, Lange indicated that Stern’s efforts were as generous as they were futile. Lange was straightforward and serious about the reality of his addictions, admitting that he might soon relapse and never find long-term sobriety.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Artie Lange Receives Sentence For 2017 Heroin Bust

    Artie Lange Receives Sentence For 2017 Heroin Bust

    Lange took to Twitter after the sentence to praise the judge, his lawyer and the prosecutor for their efforts.

    Comedian Artie Lange was sentenced to four years of probation for drug charges stemming from a May 2017 arrest for heroin possession.

    New Jersey State Superior Court Judge Nancy Sivilli handed down the sentence to the Crashing star on June 1, along with orders to complete an outpatient drug treatment program and 50 hours of community service.

    In a tweet issued the following day, Lange wrote that the judge’s decision was “very fair,” but also added “4 yrs [sic] probation is a long time.” The arrest and sentence is the latest in a string of run-ins with the law and treatment for Lange, who has struggled with drug dependency since his tenure on Mad TV in the mid-1990s.

    Both Lange and his lawyer, Frank Arleo, asked for probation, citing that lack of work would be both financially and personally devastating for the comedian and his family; Lange noted that his mother relies on his financial support, and claimed that he was “happiest… and most productive when [he works].”

    Lange and Arleo stated that with a second memoir due in July, combined with a tour and promotional duties, as well as his work on the Judd Apatow-produced HBO series Crashing, and stand-up engagements, he’s “going to be busy,” as Arleo said.

    Both were also sanguine about Lange’s health and dependency issues. Arleo said that he had been frank with Lange about how he needed to adhere to the terms of probation: “He knows he’s at the end of the road,” he told Judge Sivilli.

    For his part, Lange said that he has “an issue that needs to be taken care of,” and it would be best served by being allowed to continue to work.

    Assistant prosecutor Tony Gutierrez painted a different picture of Lange’s probation request. He cited past instances of Lange being asked to leave treatment in New Canaan, Connecticut for possessing OxyContin, and said that long-term in-patient programs would be more effective as treatment. And providing him with funding from his book and promotional tour would only give him more opportunities and funds to use drugs, he said. “He is not doing the right thing to help himself,” said Gutierrez.

    Ultimately, Gutierrez sided with Lange, but added a stern warning about his behavior while in probation. “Mr. Lange, the ball’s in your court now,” she said, after recounting his long struggle with dependency. After citing a note in his medical records from a doctor who suggested that Lange could die if he relapses, she said, “You’re getting too old for this.”

    In tweets issued on June 2, Lange praised not only Arleo but also the prosecutor and judge for their efforts. “I truly feel he wants the best for me,” he wrote about Gutierrez, whom he thanked along with Arleo and Sivilli, whom he described as “a woman on the bench who commands respect! She has mine.”

    In addition to adhering to his probation, Lange must submit to urine screenings and provide information on his participation in an outpatient drug treatment program within 10 days. If he violates these terms or garners new charges, he could face up to five years in jail.

    View the original article at thefix.com