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Tag: reality TV stars & addiction

  • Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Details Past Sex & Drug Addiction

    Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Details Past Sex & Drug Addiction

    The Queer Eye star gets candid about his past addictions and trauma in his new memoir, Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love.

    Jonathan Van Ness has come a long way from his small town upbringing. The resident hair expert on Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye is known for his bombastic personality and style, but as he revealed in his new memoir, Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love, life wasn’t always so fabulous.

    Midway through the book, he says, “Buckle up, buttercup, because I can go from comedy to tragedy in three seconds flat.”

    Growing Up

    Van Ness’s younger self was reckless, confused, and in pain—the result of the “compounded trauma” that followed him after being abused by a boy from his church. He realizes why people would be drawn to the sparkly persona he gives off on-screen, but said that he has a more serious side.

    “When you have this much personality, there’s a fear lurking just below the surface: If you knew all of me, you wouldn’t love me anymore. You would no longer want me as your new best friend,” he wrote.

    Van Ness grew up in the town of Quincy, Illinois, a “little baby queen” with a big personality. He was bullied in school. “I was too fat, too femme, too loud and too unlovable,” he told the New York Times.

    Cocaine & Meth Addiction

    Van Ness dropped out of the University of Arizona in Tucson and earned money as a sex worker to get by and buy cocaine and later methamphetamine, according to CNN. He entered treatment programs for both sex and drug use disorder, but was unsuccessful.

    At the age of 25, he found out he was HIV positive. It was “devastating” news, but he’s accepted his place as a “member of the beautiful HIV-positive community.”

    Van Ness is now thriving, living his best life and changing lives as the most spirited member of the Fab 5, the stars of Queer Eye. He is off hard drugs, though he still enjoys weed and a sip of alcohol now and then.

    Shining In His Purpose

    He was nervous to reveal so much about himself, he told the Times. “I’ve had nightmares every night for the past three months because I’m scared to be this vulnerable with people,” he said.

    But as he told the Guardian, if he could help move the conversation forward by sharing even his darkest moments, it would give purpose to everything he has been through.

    “It occurred to me: what if everything I’ve ever been through was preparing me for this moment—to be strong enough to share this, and to share it on my own terms,” he said. “Part of that for me is to process what’s happened, but the bigger part is that I wanted to do something to move the conversation forward in a meaningful way around HIV/AIDS, and what it is to live with HIV, and to humanize and normalize a lot of the things I talk about.”

    Today, Van Ness is even more unapologetic in being himself, having shed his animated persona for a moment to share his truth. USA Today’s David Olivier says that after reading Over the Top, “you’re going to appreciate and understand his gutsy glam even more.” Because of what he went through to get to where he is today.

    “I want people to realize that you’re never too broken to be fixed,” he told the Times.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera Back To Rehab For Third Stay In A Month

    Bam Margera Back To Rehab For Third Stay In A Month

    Sources told TMZ that Margera voluntarily entered the facility on August 22 and was intent on staying sober with this visit.

    Bam Margera reportedly returned to a rehabilitation facility to seek treatment for dependency for substance abuse issues, which was the third such check-in in less than a month. TMZ claimed that the former Jackass and Viva La Bam star entered a new treatment center on August 22, 2019 one day after being seen drinking at a bar at Los Angeles.

    Margera’s previous attempts were borne out of a meeting with television personality and psychologist Dr. Phil that was part of an intervention by his wife and mother. Margera entered a treatment facility as part of the conversation, but left soon after, and was arrested on trespassing charges at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles. He then checked into a second facility, but reportedly left over cell phone restrictions.

    Sources told TMZ that Margera voluntarily entered the facility on August 22 and was intent on staying sober with this visit. Footage of Margera drinking at a bar in Los Angeles was posted on the TMZ site on the same day.

    Past Visits

    Margera has been to rehab facilities on numerous occasions in the past few years, including three stints in 2018 and early 2019 alone. He checked out of a facility after a few days in early January 2019, and posted a message to Dr. Phil on Instagram in which he sought help for his condition and for the alleged chaos in his home.

    TMZ reported that Phil McGraw reached out to and met with Margera and his family on August 5. The three-hour face-to-face culminated in Margera’s agreement to return to treatment, but he again checked out of the facility after only a few days and later turned up at the Luxe Hotel, where he was detained on August 14 by a hotel staffer due to disruptive behavior and a refusal to leave the hotel. Police arrived and placed Margera under arrest; after posting bail, he again returned to treatment for the second time in August 2019.

    However, Margera refused to honor the facility’s request to surrender his cell phone, and again exited treatment. In an Instagram post from January 2019, Margera wrote that he did not “do well with not being allowed to Facetime by wife and kid” or being unable to “answer important calls with important people.”

    The treatment center Margera entered on August 22 is a different facility that the one employed in his previous attempts. According to TMZ, this third try still carries Dr. Phil’s support.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Kim Richards' Sister Begs "Real Housewives" Star To Enter Treatment

    Kim Richards' Sister Begs "Real Housewives" Star To Enter Treatment

    A source close to the family alleges that Kyle Richards is urging her sister Kim to go back to rehab after a number of public setbacks.

    While they were both child stars back in the Seventies, sisters Kyle and Kim Richards are best known today as reality TV stars on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In the last decade, Kim has been through a number of incidents involving substance abuse and mental health issues, and now her sister Kyle is reportedly urging her to seek treatment again.

    Kim’s Family Is Concerned

    A source close to the sisters told Us Weekly, “Kyle became aware that Kim was struggling in recent weeks and got extremely concerned based on what she was hearing.” While Kyle “isn’t a doctor,” she feels her sister is not “doing well… which is why she is trying to get Kim into treatment.”

    Then another report surfaced that claimed Kim’s children want her to check into rehab as well, because as a source close to the family put it, they’d been “watching [Kim] in a downward spiral for weeks,” which included a trip to the ER at UCLA. “Kim abruptly left against medical advice. No one could find Kim for hours… [her] kids are concerned.”

    The sisters are reportedly on good terms, and as the source continued, “It’s going to be an ongoing conversation… the good news is that Kim is being extremely receptive to Kyle, recognizing she is coming from a place of love. Kyle isn’t giving up and is trying again to get Kim to agree. It’s more for mental health than sobriety issues.”

    Meltdowns, Community Service, and Accountability

    In the past decade, once becoming a reality TV fixture, Kim struggled with her sobriety and mental health in the public eye. After one rehab stint, Kim had a relapse in 2015, and was arrested for public intoxication after an incident at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She was then accused of stealing close to $600 worth of merchandise from a Target store.

    Kim was subsequently put on probation, and had to complete 450 hours of community service and attend mandatory AA meetings before her probation was lifted in September 2018.

    Despite the fact that Kim has had several meltdowns in the public eye, including an attempt at an intervention with Dr. Phil, Kyle told Jenny McCarthy, “If anything, being on [Real Housewives] made her accountable and [Kim] says that as well. She says that it saved her life because, you know, there’s nowhere to hide and everyone knows—now anywhere she goes, people know who she is. She can’t get away with anything! So it actually helped her!”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera Heads Back To Rehab After Drunken Arrest

    Bam Margera Heads Back To Rehab After Drunken Arrest

    Margera’s arrest comes on the heels of a Dr. Phil-led intervention where the skater agreed to enter rehab.  

    A bizarre video obtained by TMZ shows Bam Margera of MTV’s Jackass fame sitting on the floor outside of a Hollywood hotel bar and refusing to move after the police were called because he was allegedly harassing bar patrons. He can be heard arguing with a police officer off-camera.

    “This is not a f—ing reality TV show,” the officer says. “I know you’re fresh out of rehab, so let’s get your s— together.”

    This happened just days after Bam agreed to enter rehab after an intervention involving his wife and talk show host Dr. Phil. According to TMZ sources, he did check into a rehabilitation facility, but it appears that he left quite early in the program.

    After being arrested and charged with trespassing on Wednesday (Aug. 14), he was quickly released and readmitted to rehab after agreeing to commit to the program and submit to a number of conditions set by the facility.

    Where It Began

    Margera began his career as a skateboard stunt performer making videos with his friends and eventually ended up as the star of Jackass and later the MTV reality show Viva La Bam. He has reportedly struggled with alcoholism since his twenties, often appearing drunk on episodes of Viva La Bam and in behind-the-scenes footage of Jackass.

    In 2009, he was rushed to the hospital following a four-day drinking binge. Late that year, his family staged an intervention that got him into rehab for the first time, but he left before completing the program.

    His drinking reportedly became worse in 2011 after fellow Jackass star Ryan Dunn died in a car crash. A post-mortem toxicology report found that Dunn had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit when he drove his car off the road and struck a tree. 

    In 2012, bone spurs forced Margera to take a break from skateboarding. Three years later, he once again entered rehab and left shortly after. Not long after that, he appeared on Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn with his mother and was able to quit drinking for several months. In 2017, he opened up about his anxiety and struggles with bulimia to People.

    “We would go out to dinner and he would immediately excuse himself and go to the bathroom,” said his mother April. “I’d say, ‘Are you throwing up?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, yeah. Sometimes I throw up and that way I’m not gonna get fat.’ “

    Rehab Stints

    This latest incident led to family members telling TMZ that Margera is currently off his medication for bipolar disorder.

    Earlier this month, things got so bad that Margera started making Instagram posts asking Dr. Phil for help. After leaving rehab again, he posted a video to his Instagram of himself getting a tattoo that says “Dr. Phil” on his neck. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera Heads To Rehab After Dr. Phil Intervention

    Bam Margera Heads To Rehab After Dr. Phil Intervention

    Dr. Phil got in touch with Margera and his family then met for a three-hour intervention this past Monday.

    Former Jackass star Bam Margera is reportedly on his way to rehab — again — after a personal intervention with his wife, mother and Dr. Phil. 

    Margera, 38, has been in rehab many times, most recently in January. Then, he checked himself out after a few days. Over the weekend Margera posted an Instagram video in which he trashed his mother and wife, Nikki, while asking Dr. Phil for help. 

    “Dr. Phil, I need your help in a big big way,” he said in the video. “My family is in shambles. It’s worse than it’s ever been, ever. I’ve disowned my mom. Nikki I can’t stand.”

    In the video, Margera blamed Nikki and his mother, April, for his erratic behavior. 

    “When people say Bam might be going crazy, fucking a, maybe they’re right,” Margera said. “The only person who I will believe on the planet is Dr. Phil.”

    The Intervention

    According to TMZ, Dr. Phil got in touch with Margera and his family, and met for a three-hour intervention on Monday (Aug. 5). That ended with Margera agreeing to go to rehab. 

    Margera’s mother, April Margera, was cautiously optimistic. 

    “There are many, many addicts who have tried this over and over,” she told TMZ. “I think [former Jackass co-star Brandon] Novak said he was in there like 14 times. It might take several times. This may not be it. Every time I’m hoping this is it. It’s gotta be. We’re at the end of our rope.”

    April explained that her son was having a tough time overall, and lashing out at the people closest to him. 

    “I think he’s just really having a bit of a mental breakdown…. both chemical and physical,” she said. “There’s a lot of stress on him. He takes it out on the people he knows will sit here and take it. It’s awful. His mind is just racing, and we’re trying to get him help.”

    Margera’s former Jackass co-star Steve-O, who is in long-time recovery, posted on Instagram urging his friend to get help. 

    “It couldn’t be more clear that all of this isn’t OK, and I hope you’ll join me and Novak in recovery before your son loses his dad,” he wrote. “And, by the way, none of this looks cool (which is a good thing, because it’s humiliating myself that motivated me to commit myself to a program of recovery). It’s time to give up the fight, and join the winning team. I love you, brother…” 

    April said that this is just one example of the many people who are trying to support Margera. 

    “He has a whole legion of family and friends,” she said. “There are many many people who are behind supporting him, but right now he is his own worst enemy, and he doesn’t like himself. If he doesn’t like himself he’s doing to treat others really badly. This is not who he is.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Chrisley Knows Best" Star Avoids Meth Possession Charges

    "Chrisley Knows Best" Star Avoids Meth Possession Charges

    Kyle Chrisley was arrested last month after police found meth in a cup inside of his car.

    Felony drug possession charges have been dropped for Kyle Chrisley, though he still faces a second and more serious charge of making terroristic threats against his ex-wife.

    TMZ reported that Chrisley—the eldest son of real estate businessman and reality television star Todd Chrisley—will no longer face charges for possession of methamphetamine, for which he was arrested in Oklahoma in May 2019.

    According to TMZ, the drugs in question were found in a cup in his car after police pulled him over for a broken taillight. The drugs were not on his person, which presented a greater challenge to prosecutors. However, the charges of threats against his wife remain on the books in Georgia, though Chrisley was released on his own recognizance.

    Chrisley, whose struggle with drug dependency was showcased during his single-season run on Chrisley Knows Best, was booked into Okmulgee County Jail for felony possession of methamphetamine.

    TMZ provided body camera footage of police officers discovering a bag containing what was described as methamphetamine in a cup holder located in the center console of Chrisley’s car.

    Because the drugs were found in the car and not on Chrisley’s person, TMZ stated that law enforcement officials with the Okmulgee County District Court had declined to prosecute him for the possession charge. Prosecutors apparently faced a greater challenge in gaining a conviction under such circumstances.

    TMZ also reported that given more serious charges Chrisley faced in Georgia, Okmulgee County decided to drop the drug charges. When Chrisley was arrested for the drug charges, the county also held him for an open warrant issued January 2019 in Dekalb County, Georgia. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Chrisley had allegedly sent several texts that threaten his estranged wife, Alexus.

    In one text, Chrisley reportedly told Alexus that he would “take care of this problem with you because if I’m not with you nobody will be [sic].” When asked if he was issuing a threat, Chrisley allegedly responded by writing, “yes: it was. Goodbye,” and also reportedly sent images to his ex-wife that showed him using drugs and holding a gun to his head.

    TMZ posted a mugshot of Chrisley and reported that he had been “booked” for issuing the alleged threats before being released.

    Chrisley has had several run-ins with the law in the past half-decade.

    Custody of Chloe was eventually granted to his father Todd Chrisley. In an interview with the British press, Kyle Chrisley accused his father of using his daughter to attract viewers to his reality show.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Nashville Flipped" Star Troy Shafer Died Of Drug Overdose

    "Nashville Flipped" Star Troy Shafer Died Of Drug Overdose

    Shafer died on April 28 at the age of 38.

    Troy Dean Shafer, star of the home renovation show Nashville Flipped, died of a drug overdose, according to toxicology reports released this week following Shafer’s death in April. 

    Shafer died “due to combined drug toxicity,” the Erie County (Pennsylvania) Coroner’s Office said, according to People. The office did not say which drugs were found in his system. 

    Shafer died on April 28 at the age of 38. His brother, Tim, told TMZ that Shafer died in his sleep and that the death was unexpected since he did not have any medical conditions that the family knew about. 

    Shafer starred in Nashville Flipped alongside his wife, Becky. On the DIY Network show, the duo flipped old houses around Nashville and completed custom renovations for homeowners. 

    At the time of Shafer’s death the DIY Network expressed its condolences. 

    “The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series Nashville Flipped,” the network said at the time. “We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy’s family and friends during this difficult time.” 

    Shafer initially moved to Nashville to pursue his music career, but when that didn’t pan out he fell back on his construction skills. Nashville Flipped launched in 2016, with a second season the following year. 

    “I continue to find myself so incredibly grateful for the opportunity provided to me (and my incredible team),” Shafer wrote in a 2016 Instagram post, according to People. 

    During the time that Shafer was filming Nashville Flipped, Tennessee was grappling with an ever-worsening opioid crisis. 

    “People taking a Percocet from a friend or relative are not thinking, ‘One day I might end up on heroin.’ We need to make people aware these are connected,” Dr. David Reagan, chief medical officer of the Tennessee Department of Health, told The Tennessean in April 2016.

    Since then the state has cracked down on opioid prescribing in an effort to reduce overdose rates. Still, the state’s mental health court system has struggled to keep up with the demand, according to The Tennessean. In part, that is because the state had cut funding for mental health care. 

    “As soon as TennCare went away, the numbers skyrocketed,” retired Judge Dan Eisenstein told the newspaper. “Mental health court wasn’t set up to handle the numbers we were seeing.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Chrisley Knows Best" Star Todd Chrisley's Son Arrested on Drug Charges

    "Chrisley Knows Best" Star Todd Chrisley's Son Arrested on Drug Charges

    Kyle Chrisley was reportedly booked into Okmulgee County Jail for felony possession of methamphetamine.

    Kyle Chrisley, the eldest son of real estate businessman and reality television star Todd Chrisley, was arrested on drug possession charges in Oklahoma, where police also found that he had an open warrant for his arrest in Georgia for alleged death threats against his estranged wife, Alexus.

    Chrisley struggled with drug dependency during his appearances on the first season of his father’s series, the USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best, in 2014, but TMZ noted that the death threat allegations stem from texts sent to Alexus in which he reportedly wrote that he would “end [her].” 

    Following the news of Kyle’s arrest, Todd Chrisley wrote on social media that he “had no room for regret.”

    According to TMZ, Kyle Chrisley was booked into Okmulgee County Jail for felony possession of methamphetamine, and was held on an open warrant for the alleged threats in Dekalb County, Georgia. TMZ was not able to confirm whether Chrisley was still in lockup in Oklahoma as of May 11, 2019.

    In regard to the threats, TMZ obtained documents that included allegations that Kyle had penned several threatening texts to Alexus. One reportedly read, “[N]ot before I end you…. I will get my s**t and take care if this problem with you because if I’m not with you nobody will be [sic].” According to a police affidavit, Alexus received texts that also showed Kyle with a weapon pointed at his head and using drugs.

    When told by Alexus via text that such statements constituted a “threat to my life,” Kyle reported responded by writing, “yes: it was. Goodbye.” A warrant issued by a judge in Georgia in January was still open as of the time of his arrest in May.

    Todd Chrisley, who required Kyle to undergo weekly drug testing during his appearance on Chrisley Knows Best, tweeted on May 11 – the same day that TMZ revealed that Kyle had been arrested – that he “had no room for regret, I won’t dim my light so someone else can shine brighter, I am a child of God and he did not build me to break, therefore I stand head held high to serve his purpose.” 

    Previous public exchanges between Chrisley and his father have been less carefully worded. When Kyle blasted Todd in a 2014 interview for the Daily Mail, in which he alleged that his father had “ruined [him] and he’s ruined the three other kids he’s had, who are spoiled,” Todd responded by tweeting that “my son Kyle is bipolar, he suffers from mental illness, he will struggle for life, Yes, the Daily mail prayed [sic] on this to sell a story…” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Breaks Silence On Rehab Stay

    Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Breaks Silence On Rehab Stay

    Ortiz-Magro said he decided to get help because to be a “better person, a better father for my daughter.”

    One of the original stars of Jersey Shore, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, revealed his battles with depression and alcohol addiction in an interview with Us Weekly on Tuesday. The 33-year-old reality TV celebrity spoke on his recent decision to enter rehab, motivated by his desire to be a good role model for his daughter.

    “I decided to go to treatment because I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter,” Otiz-Magro said. “Eventually, all the bad decisions I was making were going to lead me to places that I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be led to the place that I am now – that’s happy, healthy and the best role model for my daughter.”

    Ortiz-Magro has a little girl, Ariana Sky Magro, with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Jen Harley. Around the new year entering 2019, the couple had a violent fight that ended in a bloody face for Ortiz-Magro. Us Weekly reported that a source described their relationship as volatile.

    In the interview, the reality star admitted to not being proud of many of the things he’s done over the years, that he was making the wrong decisions, and was “very depressed.” Going into addiction treatment, he described himself as depressed, angry, and “resentful to myself about a lot of things I’ve done over the last year, or even years.”

    Like many individuals involved in the fast-paced life of stardom, Ortiz-Magro developed problems with drinking over a period of years and found himself feeling increasingly out of control.

    “I think it’s a chronic disease. It’s a progressive disease. I’m still struggling,” he explained. “You stop and you start up again, and it’s worse than when you stopped. You’re just like, ‘Wow, I thought I had this under control,’ but at the end of the day, it has full control over you.”

    Ortiz-Magro is not the only person involved in the Jersey Shore franchise to face addiction. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino spoke in 2018 about the drug use that led to some of his reckless behavior. In season four, Sorrentino landed himself in the hospital after intentionally slamming his head into a concrete wall that he thought was drywall.

    “For a couple of years, from season two on to five, I was really pushing the envelope on my behavior,” Sorrentino told The Asbury Park Press of New Jersey. “I was very wild, very careless, reckless.”

    He checked himself into rehab in 2012 in order to get treatment for his addiction to oxycodone. He has since married his college sweetheart and appears to be doing well.

    View the original article at thefix.com