John Goodman, who weighed nearly 400 pounds at one point, found himself at a crossroads: he could either mature or resign himself to his circumstances.
Now, the “Roseanne” actor is opening up about the fears that led him to develop harmful, self-destructive behaviors.
By shedding the “big kid” image that echoed his characters on screen, he discovered the resolve to improve his health and transform his life.
“I would overeat because that was comfort. Trying to fill up whatever hole that was. Same thing for drinking,” the 74-year-old Golden Globe winner shared in an interview with The New Yorker. “It’s been phrased better by others, but just trying to fill that vacuum with kicks.”
It wasn’t until his mid-50s that Goodman decided to confront his alcohol addiction and pay attention to his overall health. “I got sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he recalled.
A snowballing addiction
Goodman reminisced about moving to New York City back in 1975 without much direction. As a young actor with no experience, he managed to survive through various odd jobs until he landed some commercials that provided him with financial stability.
“I got some dough, which later on kind of turned on me, because I had the money enough to start drinking,” he reflected.
In search of community, Goodman began visiting Broadway bars, which soon became like a second home. However, this lifestyle began to take a toll on him.
“I started gaining weight at an alarming rate,” he explained, and this physical change quickly became a defining aspect of his early career. He felt that Hollywood typecast him as “the fat guy who fell down a lot.”
His breakout role as Dan Conner on the hit sitcom “Roseanne” changed everything for him. While the steady paycheck was a boon, the sudden fame and scrutiny felt overwhelming. By the end of the show’s original run, Goodman described the pressure as unbearable, saying he tried to “quit the show” during its final season, labeling that time a “misery tour with alcohol.”
He reflected on how drastically his personality had altered, calling himself a “38-year-old depressive alcoholic.”
A wave of “guilt” and anxiety enveloped him, as he grappled with the “fear” of being judged by strangers and the reality of his private struggles with drinking.
Turning the ship around
The first challenge Goodman faced was tackling his drinking, propelled by the moment he simply “got sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
“The trouble with instant gratification is that you don’t really consider the consequences afterward—like those major hangovers and withdrawal shakes that required more drinking just to feel normal,” he shared. “When I quit, I found myself in a situation where hospitalization was unavoidable.”
It’s essential for heavy drinkers to seek medical supervision during withdrawal, as it can pose serious health risks, including life-threatening seizures. So, it’s often advised to have a medically supervised detox to ensure safety.
Goodman’s turning point came in 2007, at the age of 55, when he achieved sobriety.
Yet, he still struggled with his relationship with food—a significant obstacle in his journey. Even before quitting drinking, he had experienced a frustrating cycle of weight loss and gain: “I’d lose sixty pounds in a summer, only to gain it all back. Seventy pounds, eighty pounds.”
After he stopped drinking, he found himself “eating alcoholically,” leading his weight to balloon to nearly 400 pounds.
“I took steps to change that. I had stomach surgery, but I also developed anemia and noticed I was cold all the time due to losing fat under my skin,” he explained.
Although Goodman did not specify the procedure he underwent, some weight loss surgeries can lead to iron deficiency anemia, affecting many patients who have bariatric surgery.
With reduced fat, the body struggles more to retain heat, and anemia makes it tougher to circulate oxygen, which can further impact thermoregulation.
As of 2023, Goodman reported losing 200 pounds since then.
