{"id":707115,"date":"2026-05-31T22:50:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T22:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/707115\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T22:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T22:50:22","slug":"andrew-mccarthy-credits-ted-dansons-cheers-with-helping-him-get-sober","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/707115\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew McCarthy credits Ted Danson’s ‘Cheers’ with helping him get sober"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

For Andrew McCarthy, fame didn\u2019t cause his alcoholism \u2014 it only allowed him to “afford better vodka.”<\/p>\n

During the 1980s, the actor became one of the defining faces of the “Brat Pack,” the influential group of young stars, including Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, among others, that helped influence a generation of teen films. But during his rapid rise in Hollywood, McCarthy was also struggling with alcoholism, a battle that eventually led him to seek treatment in the \u201990s.<\/p>\n

In a recent appearance on Ted Danson\u2019s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”<\/a> podcast, the 63-year-old reflected on the common misconception that his success fueled his addiction.<\/p>\n

ROB LOWE EMBRACES BRAT PACK LABEL AFTER REVEALING NICKNAME WAS \u2018DESIGNED TO BELITTLE\u2019 FAMOUS GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy (center) starred in 1986’s “Pretty in Pink” opposite Molly Ringwald (left) and Jon Cryer (right). (Moviestore Collection Ltd.)<\/p>\n

“People always go, \u2018Oh, well, you were too young, successful. That was too much for you, so you drank,\u2019” McCarthy told Danson. “I\u2019m like, \u2018No, I would have drunk anyway. I was just able to afford better vodka.\u2019”<\/p>\n

When Danson noted McCarthy was “certainly functional” in the early years, McCarthy said, “To a point.”<\/p>\n

“Those kind of movies,<\/a> that was early on. I was just starting to drink in those movies, but I certainly think it derailed my career entirely. … Because not only the drinking, but then the years it took to recover from the drinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jon <\/p>\n

Jon Cryer, Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy on set of “Pretty In Pink,” circa 1986. (Paramount\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I was so clouded for years after and by then, that moment had passed, and I had no wherewithal what to do with that moment anyway. Had I not been drinking, not been a part of my life, I don’t know that I had the wherewithal to sort of position myself [with] what’s next and all that anyway.”<\/p>\n

WATCH: ACTOR ANDREW MCCARTHY REFLECTS ON 500-MILE JOURNEY WITH SON: LIFE-CHANGING FOR ME<\/p>\n

McCarthy has credited the sitcom “Cheers,”<\/a> set in a fictional neighborhood bar, with playing an unexpected but meaningful role in helping him get sober.<\/p>\n

“I owe you a great, great debt, which you don\u2019t know,” McCarthy told Danson, 78.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew <\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy is seen in New York City on March 24, 2026. (MediaPunch\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images)<\/p>\n

“In 1992, I was in an alcohol rehab in Minnesota<\/a>, and I was all played out,” he explained. “I was 29 years old, and I was just done. I made a mess of everything, and I was in this rehab. They were trying to get us all to bond as a unit. … But none of us liked each other. We were all disparate people. There was no way this was going to be a unit.”<\/p>\n

\"Andrew <\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy attends the 29th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on May 12, 2025. (John Nacion\/Variety)<\/p>\n

“But one of the guys then discovered that at seven o\u2019clock at night, \u2018Cheers\u2019 was on every night,” McCarthy continued.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“… After the counselors all went home, we would gather around and watch \u2018Cheers.\u2019 And we would sit there and count people\u2019s drinks and talk about how you made the drinks \u2014 he\u2019s got a heavy hand, and he doesn\u2019t. And so, we totally bonded over the alcoholic part of \u2018Cheers.\u2019 … That changed my life, and I haven\u2019t had a drink since. So, I owe you a great deal.”<\/p>\n

“Well done,” Danson said.<\/p>\n

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY SAYS HE TURNS INTO A \u2018JUDGMENTAL D–K\u2019 REWATCHING HIS MOVIES<\/p>\n

\"Ted <\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy spoke to Ted Danson (pictured here) on the “Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast. (Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

McCarthy also recalled being interviewed by Alec Baldwin for his podcast “Here\u2019s the Thing<\/a>.” During their sit-down, the actors discussed early fame.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Ted <\/p>\n

Ted Danson as Sam Malone and Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe appear in episode 3, “Executive Sweet,” of the sitcom “Cheers,” which aired on Nov. 10, 1988. (NBCU Photo Bank)<\/p>\n

“He said, \u2018Well, maybe you just didn\u2019t want it,\u2019” said McCarthy. “And that hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized my temperament is ill-suited for that kind of thing. I want to be treated special. … But my temperament is not suited for that kind of public [attention].”<\/p>\n

“… I think now I could deal with it a lot more than I have, but back then I had much more than I could deal with,” he shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“And I think I recoiled from that, and that hung with me for years. And for years, after I stopped drinking, I sort of soldered success and drinking onto each other. And imagine one was like a rock, and there was a metal plate. I had this visual, this metal plate just stuck onto it. And it took me years to sort of have them separate because they had nothing to do with each other.”<\/p>\n

Back in 2021, McCarthy told Fox News Digital he didn\u2019t blame his alcoholism on success.<\/p>\n

\"Mike <\/p>\n

From left: Mike Kelley, Victoria Thompson, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer and Reena Mehta attend the “BRATS” premiere during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Theater in New York City on June 7, 2024. (Theo Wargo\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I think it took me several years to realize that I had a problem, then several years to do something about it,” he admitted. “And those cries for help come very quietly at times. One day, I was in a hotel in Los Angeles<\/a>. This was back in \u201992. I was drunk in the morning. I just went, \u2018I need help. This doesn\u2019t work.\u2019”<\/p>\n

“Luckily, my drinking was so bad that I couldn\u2019t pretend, \u2018Oh, no, it\u2019s fine. I got it under control. I\u2019m managing this. It doesn\u2019t get in the way of my work or my life,\u2019” McCarthy said. “It was so all-consuming that I was lucky in that regard. I was just like, \u2018This is out of control. I\u2019m out of control. There\u2019s only one thing I\u2019m focusing on here, and it\u2019s the wrong thing, and I need help.\u2019 So, in that regard, I was quite lucky that I flamed out so intensely.”<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Andrew <\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy has been sober for more than three decades. He entered an alcohol rehabilitation program in Minnesota in 1992 at age 29 and says he has not had a drink since. (Theo Wargo\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Looking back, McCarthy said he would have approached Hollywood differently early in his career.<\/p>\n

“I think Hollywood is very much a place of connections and relationships, and cultivating business relationships,” he said. “And that\u2019s one of the main keys to success. I understood that on an intellectual level. I was just never very good at it. And I can\u2019t say that I\u2019m particularly much better at it now, but it certainly would have benefited me to be more active in doing that. That would be the main thing.”<\/p>\n

When asked whether he watches his old films today, McCarthy laughed and replied, “I live with myself, I don\u2019t need to watch myself.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jon <\/p>\n

Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy appeared onstage at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2024. (Theo Wargo\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I have come a long way in my relationship [with those films], and I love them now in a very real kind of way,” he said. “They\u2019ve been kept so alive to me by people for so long that I\u2019ve come to realize what they represent to a generation of people. That just feels wonderful. I loved the part in \u2018St. Elmo\u2019s Fire.\u2019 I have great affection for \u2018Pretty in Pink.\u2019 I think \u2018Mannequin\u2019 is a delight. \u2018Bernie\u2019 is great. I have great affection for all those films. I don\u2019t think that was always the case for me.”<\/p>\n

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! For Andrew McCarthy, fame didn\u2019t cause his alcoholism \u2014 it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134,344,70920,58423],"class_list":["post-707115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-sitcom","tag-then-and-now"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}