Comedians Beg Artie Lange to Seek Help For Drug Addiction

By Margeaux Sippell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Comedians close to Artie Lange, “MADtv” star and former sidekick on “The Howard Stern Show,”  have taken to Twitter to urge the struggling comedian to seek treatment for severe drug addiction.

Stand up comic and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Richard Lewis tweeted a heart wrenching statement Thursday.

“Artie, this is my 1000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions,” Lewis wrote. “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.”

Patton Oswalt chimed in with Lewis, replying to the tweet: “What Richard said. Come ON, Artie.”

“Please, please listen to Richard,” wrote “The Big Bang Theory” actor Brian Posehn. “I really don’t want to have to tweet about how fucking funny you were and how sad it is you’re gone any time super soon.”

Lange’s “MADtv” co-star Mo Collins, “Final Destination” actor Devon Sawa and Jackie Marling, who starred in the written “Private Parts,” also replied to the thread with support and stories of their own struggles with addiction.

Lange has long been under scrutiny for his struggle with addiction, which has resulted in canceled standup routines  and a suicide attempt in 2010, a year after he was fired from “The Howard Stern Show.” The ensuing public feud between Stern and Lange came after the disgraced comedian issued a series of outbursts on Twitter including a threat to release the radio host’s private number on Twitter. It was reported that Stern had tried to help Lange by placing him in rehab to combat cocaine, heroin and alcohol abuse, but ultimately Lange was not able to stay sober enough to remain on Stern’s show.

In December, Lange himself took to Twitter to release a photo of his badly deformed nose, due to decades of cocaine use.

A week prior, Lange had explained his narrow escape from jail time after testing positive for cocaine at his court hearing.

Howard Stern has not yet commented on the Twitter Thread.