John Goodman sheds insight into how he tackled alcoholism and drastic weight loss

Angelica Cheyenne Thu, October 22, 2026 at 5:33 AM UTC

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Goodman opened up about his previous alcohol addiction (Image: Getty)

Actor John Goodman has delved into what pushed him to go on a weight-loss journey and move toward sobriety.

Goodman, who's best known for his starring role as the dad on the hit show Roseanne, revealed what fears triggered his unhealthy, self-destructive habits, sharing that he had to shed his "big kid" persona, which mirrored his on-screen Hollywood characters, to change.

"I would overeat, because that was comfort. Trying to fill up whatever hole that was. Same thing for drinking," the 74-year-old actor told the New Yorker. "It's been better said before by other people, but just trying to fill up that vacuum with kicks." This comes after Goodman wowed fans with his look at the movie premiere.

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It wasn't until Goodman hit his mid-50s that he decided to finally pay attention to his alcohol addiction and overall physical and mental health, explaining, "I got sick and tired of being sick and tired."

During his interview, he recalled that when he moved to New York City in 1975, he didn't have much of a plan.

Goodman has droped hundreds of pounds and is now living a sober life (Image: Getty)

At the time, he was a young, aspiring actor with no prior experience, surviving on odd jobs until he landed roles in commercials, which offered financial stability.

"I got some dough, which later on kind of turned on me, because I had the money enough to start drinking," Goodman noted. He then searched for community, which led him to attend Broadway bars where he would connect with fellow actors, and that "turned it into home."

However, that lifestyle eventually caught up to him.

"I started gaining weight at an alarming rate," Goodman expressed of his physical transformation, which went on to define his early career. Goodman soon became typecast in Hollywood, with him claiming that Hollywood kept casting him as "the fat guy who fell down a lot."

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Goodman's breakout role came when he was cast as Dan Cooper on the 1990s smash sitcom Roseanne, a life-changing role. Even though Goodman welcomed the steady income, the fame and recognition were still "scary" for him.

By the final season of Roseanne, Goodman admitted he was on a "misery tour with alcohol" as he remembered how drastically his personality had changed, recalling that he was a "38-year-old depressive alcoholic."

Goodman later addressed his drinking after he "just was tired of it" and "wanted to stop," saying, "the thing about instant gratification is you don't really care what's going to happen right after it - which always led to bigger hangovers or me getting the shakes, and having to drink to get rid of the shakes, and that vicious cycle. I was in a position, when I quit, where I had to be hospitalized one way or the other."

While he was able to tackle his drinking, his relationship with food still remained a struggle despite his weight loss journey starting before he quit drinking.

"I'd lose 60 pounds in a summer, gain it all back. Seventy pounds, 80 pounds," Goodman shared. Although he stopped drinking alcohol, he still found himself "eating alcoholically," so his weight increased to nearly 400 pounds.

"I took steps so I wouldn't have to do that anymore," Goodman expressed. "I had an operation on my stomach. But I also turned anemic and lost a layer of fat under my skin, and I'm cold all the time."

Since Goodman's bariatric surgeries in 2023, he has lost 200 pounds.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”