John Goodman was struggling with a dark secretat the height of his fame. His battle with alcohol
addiction took over his life and threatened to end his career and ruin his marriage. However,
over thirty years later, John and his wife, Anna Beth Goodman, are stronger and happier than ever.
But the actor's journey to sobriety and losing over 200 pounds was not easy, and if it wasn't
for Anna, he might have never been able to find the strength he needed to turn his life around.
John Goodman never considered himself a ladies' man, and when he first met his future wife, Anna,
he thought she was totally out of his league. During an interview, the actor confessed in an
interview that his insecurity with women was something he had carried for most of his life.
He explained, "I was just looking for attention all the time. I had a crush on one girl
in high school. She was out of my range—I knew I could never go with
her. I just kept going into self-pity." The pair first met in 1988 at a Halloween
Party in New Orleans. However, John explained that nothing ever happened between them that
night because she thought he was a "zombie." When Anna eventually approached him and said
'hi' for the first time, Goodman confessed that he "couldn't figure out why
anyone that pretty" was talking to him. The actor was so nervous about asking
her out that instead, he asked one of his close friends to keep an eye out for her.
While being interviewed on the "Late Night with Seth Meyers," John jokingly explained that he
kind of "stalked her real long-distance for like a year" until they eventually started dating.
At the time, Goodman was living in New York City so that he could focus on his acting career.
But after he started dating Anna, he was so smitten with her that he felt
his priorities change. So, he packed his bags and moved from New York City to New
Orleans so that he could be closer to her. The couple dated for about two years before
marrying in a private ceremony attended by their closest friends and family in 1989.
The following year, the two welcomed their daughter Molly Evangeline Goodman.
John's acting career soared with his role in the hit sitcom Roseanne, where he played the role of
the husband to his co-star, Roseanne Barr. Unfortunately, behind closed doors,
the actor began to struggle with an addiction to alcohol that soon started to take over his life.
At first, John used to simply drink away his problems at home, but it didn't take
long for his addiction to get out of control. Goodman started drinking while he was on set
for Rosanne, and while he thought he could keep it a secret, his co-stars quickly took
notice of his change in behavior. Eventually, his co-star Rosanne Bar
confronted John about his drinking on set and confessed that she was "scared" for him.
He confessed, "I got so lucky because I was still getting hired for things, but the fact is
I was drinking at work. My speech would be slurred. I thought I was fooling people."
The actor finally realized that he had a problem and he needed help. Goodman's rock bottom came
when he missed a rehearsal for the Emmys because he was too drunk to make it.
So, he called his wife and decided to tell her what was going on.
Goodman now jokes that calling his wife that day was like "turning himself in to the Gestapo."
However, Anna was the key to his recovery. She stood by him and got her husband into
treatment, and he got sober. He shared, "Anna made some phone
calls. She got me into a treatment center, and I detoxed there and decided I liked the feeling."
Unfortunately, his drinking wasn't the only problem he had to face. Goodman's weight
was also beginning to head into dangerous territory. While his character on Rosanne
wasn't afraid to have his size be the butt of several jokes on the show, John realized that
the lifestyle he was living was unhealthy, and he needed to make some serious changes.
However, his intense working schedule, paired with his drinking problem,
made it difficult to make those changes. Goodman explained, "In the old days,
I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack
or whatever and just go back to my old habits." Adding, "I was just shoving everything into
my mouth." Then one day,
the scale hit 400 pounds, and Goodman realized his weight was no longer a laughing matter.
He knew that if he didn't start taking control of his life, his health would suffer.
He didn't only want to lose weight for himself but for his family too. He wanted to be an
active father to his daughter, and he wanted to be a better husband to Anna.
He knew the risks of being overweight, and he never wanted to become a burden to his loved ones.
So, the time finally came for him to make a change. The first step
he took was cutting alcohol completely out of his life.
John explained, "It was the answer for a lot of problems. I hit it hard for 30 years." Adding,
"There's a lot of residual damage and I'm just trying to pick up the pieces now."
When he left "Roseanne," he said he was in pretty bad shape and didn't care about many things.
But being sober helped him to recognize he needed to change some things in his life.
One of them was his body weight. Since he began his sobriety journey,
things started to unfold in his life. Now that the actor was "clean" and sober,
he had more time to dedicate to his health and career.
Goodman changed his lifestyle and embraced a healthier one. He got a personal trainer
and started working out six days a week. He lost 100 lbs and has been maintaining his
weight with a mindful approach to food choices. He explained, "It takes a lot of creative energy
to sit on your ass and figure out what you're going to eat next … I wanted to live life better."
For Goodman, it's not only about losing weight but changing the decades of bad
habits that had put him in this position. "It's a life of rehab. But it's a labor of love."
What's more, his healthier lifestyle made John realize
how unhappy he really was when he was drinking. Goodman explained, "Everything is better, clearer.
I used to love to go out and drink and have fun. But when I got famous, it became more of a shield,
and things kind of disintegrated rapidly. There's a lot less regret now and a lot less
to be regretful of." By 2021, John had lost over 200 pounds and
looked happier than ever. Today, the 70-year-old actor often gushes about his wife and how much
he adores her. He also credits Anna for all of the constant support and encouragement that she
gave him while he was adjusting to his new life of sobriety. The couple has always maintained a fair
amount of privacy around their relationship and family life, which may be one of the reasons that
their marriage has lasted over thirty years. But keeping their private lives out of the
spotlight is not the only secret to their three-decade-long union.
Goodman shared in an interview that the fact that they're both "working away from home a great
deal of the time" has, in fact, strengthened their marriage. Having their own space to work and have
time to themselves gave them the independence they needed so that when they were together,
it was with the intention to spend quality time as a couple.
However, just because they enjoyed having their own space didn't mean that they
weren't continuously supportive of one another. John and Anna mastered the skill of communication
and made sure to lean on each other when they needed it.
Most of all, Anna was there for him during his darkest times, and if they were able to make it
through that, they could make it through anything. Of course, as is the case with most addicts,
Goodman wasn't able to overcome his struggle with addiction until he realized that he needed to seek
help, and he couldn't do it on his own. In John's time of need,
there was one person in the world he chose to turn to, the love of his life,
Anna. Marriage isn't always easy, and some couples are faced with more challenges than others.
If there's one thing that we can learn from John and Anna,
it's that they never gave up on one another. Anna believed that John could overcome his
addiction, and she was there for him every step of the way.
Goodman owes his newfound life to his beloved wife, who gave him the strength
he needed to get through his darkest time. We couldn't be happier and prouder for John
for being able to turn his life around. We wish him and Anna only the best for their future!
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