Jeff Garlin revealed he contemplated suicide amid his controversial exit from “The Goldbergs.”
The comedian opened up about the emotional toll of his departure during Wednesday’s episode of the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast.
Garlin, now 64, was written off the ABC sitcom in 2021 following an investigation into allegationsof misconduct and “abusive” behavior on set.
“I had a nervous breakdown, and I was going to commit suicide,” he told host Ted Danson, adding that he called his “Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Susie Essman to let her know.
“I hate when people don’t reach out, but at noon today, I will be dead. I’m letting you know I will be dead,” Garlin recalled telling Essman, who he said then called his ex-wife, Marla, and his girlfriend, Sari Tracht.
The “Daddy Day Care” actor went on to explain that Marla and Tracht called “one of my best friends,” Brad Morris,” who “watched me” while they searched for a facility where he could receive mental health treatment.
He said they ultimately narrowed the options down to two facilities: one in Beverly Hills, which he described as a “private lush home,” and another in Cincinnati.
He opted for the Cincinnati facility because it was “the middle of winter,” and he was “serious” about getting help.
“I’m not going to some f–king rehab in Beverly Hills,” Garlin added. “I went to Cincinnati in the middle of winter, and I learned this thing called DBT, dialectic[al] behavior therapy. I was no longer suicidal. They helped get me to a point where I could stand.”
He said that after he “went out in the world,” following therapy and treatment for his bipolar disorder — which went undiagnosed during his time on “The Goldbergs” — he began to feel “kind of whole.”
However, he said he is “just now,” five years later, “feeling really good.”
Garlin said he continued DBT and regular therapy, took up boxing to improve his physical health and pursued creative projects, including writing his new book, “Best Seat in the House: Moments No One Asked Me to Capture … But I Did Anyway,” released Sept. 15.
“I’m very content, and I’m very creatively fulfilled. I’m personally fulfilled. [I have] my wonderful girlfriend. I have great children. I have a great ex-wife. I have great friends. Like, it’s all good, man, but that was dark,” he said.
After Garlin revealed his bipolar disorder diagnosis at age 60 in September 2022, Essman later told Page Six that he was “working hard to manage it.”
Meanwhile, his “Goldbergs” co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey, who played his onscreen wife, recently pushed back against his claim that the disorder contributed to his behavior on set.
“Let’s just say I remember things very differently, as do the crew, the other actors, the writers and our executives,” she said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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