Netflix recently released the new season of “Flaked”, a comedy-drama starring actor Will Arnett who also acts as co-writer and director of the show. The show’s main character regularly attends AA meetings and seems to be in recovery for a drinking problem. Arnett has said in the past that the character is very much based on his own story of alcohol abuse, a problem that started re-occurring through the process of shooting the show. Arnett admitted that he relapsed while working on “Flaked” after being sober for 15 years as he began to secretly start drinking again. He found that the stress of creating, writing, producing and starring in his own series took its toll on him, especially because it involved revisiting some dark moments from his past. Making the show became an uncomfortable process at times because he wrote about issues with drinking that were taken from his own life. He noticed that it started to affect his mood and behavior and he turned to alcohol again to cope with the experience. Arnett called a friend about his relapse who helped him return to AA meetings and he is now clean and sober again.

Creating a Personal Role

Arnett initially had the idea for “Flaked” in 2012 when he was in difficult place in his life following his divorce from comedian, Amy Poehler. He began to write the character of “Chip” who is also a divorcee in recovery as a way to tackle his personal issues but the process did not feel as liberating as he imagined. He privately struggled with his own demons as he wrote the show but it was something that he chose to do in spite of his many other offers in Hollywood. Arnett’s career has been skyrocketing since his memorable roles on “Arrested Development” and “30 Rock” while more recently starring in blockbuster hits “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “The Lego Movie”.  Arnett is known as a gifted comedic actor and a favorite on late night talk shows because of his fun and witty presence. He hoped, however, that creating and starring in “Flaked” would help him show his depth and ability as a dramatic actor as well. Following some bad reviews of the show, Arnett wondered if what he went through to make the show has been worth it in the end.

Past Drinking Problems

The actor is originally from Toronto, Canada but moved to New York in 1990 to pursue acting. He wanted to be a serious drama actor but ended up getting steady gigs doing voice-over work but was unable to get any roles from his auditions in LA. As he struggled to break into television, Arnett became depressed and began wasting all the money he made from voice-overs at the bar. He went to the same bar every single day to drink and started going in earlier and earlier. Arnett then received what he thought would be his big break with a role on an NBC sitcom but the show was canceled after only two episodes. After this blow his drinking became worse than ever until a friend became concerned and intervened. He started attending AA meetings and decided to move to Venice, CA, the scenic backdrop of “Flaked”. Things improved as he went to daily meetings and became comfortable in his sobriety. He met Amy Poehler and fell in love, eventually getting what was his true break when he landed a role on “Arrested Development”, a critically acclaimed comedy that was a life-affirming experience for him.

Sober for the Second Time

Even with two children, Archie and Abel, his marriage to Amy Poehler eventually fell apart in an amicable split. In spite of going through a divorce and various ups and downs throughout his career, Arnett remained sober for 15 years until he began working on “Flaked”. He began to justify his behavior by believing he needed to drink again to play the part of Chip but he truly felt ashamed and terrible about the relapse. Arnett knew that the path of drinking is a dead end so he decided to go back to AA and has been sober again since 2016. Although “Flaked” received some good and bad reviews, Arnett received a lot of support from fans on Twitter many of whom shared their own stories of recovery. Fortunately, the show landed a shorter six episode second season which was just recently released on Netflix. Although making the show led to some difficult emotions and a temporary relapse, now that he is back on the wagon it seems it was a cathartic experience for Arnett who was able to make a more personal show that reflected his own life. The actor can now be seen for his variety of talents in addition to his unique comedic voice.

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was involved in a massive scandal last year while he was involved with the games in Brazil. The events following the incident left Lochte in a very depressed state and nearly on the brink of suicide. He became one of the most universally hated athletes because of his behavior and lost most of his sponsors. Lochte admitted that he reached the lowest point he had ever been and felt that he was about to “hang up” his entire life. Things are looking to improve for the competitive swimmer as his 10 month suspension, issued last fall, will be complete at the end of June. Lochte has been critical of the punishment handed down to him, believing it to be harsher than even some past punishments for other athletes with greater crimes. He has recently been swimming in meets that were outside the scope of his suspension and he will soon return to competition to try and make the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team.

The Olympic Star and His Mistake

Lochte is a 12 time Olympic gold medalist with the second most wins in swimming behind Michael Phelps. He currently holds the world record for the 200 meter individual medley and 400 meter individual race. In spite of his status as one of the best athletes on the American Olympic team, Lochte has been admonished for what occurred in Rio de Janeiro and it has significantly affected his career. The 2016 Rio Olympics began well as the American swim team winning a medal for the relay although Lochte finished in 5th place for the 200 meter individual medley. On August 14th, Lochte and a few of his teammates claimed that they had been robbed by people posing as police after being forced out of their taxi at gunpoint early in the morning. Later a surveillance video and police report emerged that suggested the athletes had invented the robbery story.

What Happened in Brazil

Lochte had stated initially that they were pulled over in their taxi by people who held up a police badge and pulled out their guns. He claimed that one held a gun to his forehead and they were forced to give them their wallets and cellphones. Following this story, police were unable to corroborate any of the details and did not find the taxi driver that they spoke of. It was eventually discovered that Lochte and his teammates had in reality vandalized a gas station bathroom and were forced to pay for the damage on the spot. Surveillance video footage showed them interacting with gas station employees and security guards and at least one of the teammates opening his wallet. The police found out that the Olympic athletes had been drunk and damaged the floor, soap dispenser and mirror in the bathroom of the gas station. Lochte said that they fabricated the robbery story because they were afraid of getting in trouble. It was the charge of filing a false police report that ultimately got the athlete in much more trouble.

Recovering from Difficult Times

After the truth about the incident was discovered, Lochte apologized and admitted that he had lied about the robbery story. He then lost all four of his major sponsors including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren Corp and was told he would be suspended for 10 months from major competitions. Lochte admitted at the time he felt like the most hated person in the world and that he had thoughts that if he died in his sleep it would be fine. He said that he almost felt as though he should hide from the public for the remainder of his life. Although he later denied being suicidal, he admitted that he did feel he was in the darkest place he had ever been. Lochte has said that his stint on the show “Dancing with the Stars” helped get him out of the bad place he was in following the Rio incident. Even though he initially felt he didn’t want to show his face, being on the show helped him get comfortable again in the public eye. He said that being surrounded by so many positive people including his dance partner, Cheryl, helped lifted him out of the depression he was facing.

Even though at one point Ryan Lochte thought he would never be a public athlete again, he has started swimming and plans to return to competition. He said that his suspension was heart-breaking because swimming is what he loves to do most and it has always been a part of his life. Lochte, a now 35 year old athlete, will finally be able to swim in major events when his suspension is lifted on June 30 and he will likely start winning medals once again.