John Crist Opens Up About Addiction to Fame

Published: January 17, 2024

John Crist Opens Up About Addiction to Fame

By Movieguide® Contributor

Dr. John Delony recently hosted comedian John Crist on his YouTube show, where Crist opened up about his true addiction—not to drugs or alcohol—but to fame and glory.

“I cannot—after the glory or height of this comedy show, everybody, you know, signing autographs, everything, this is unbelievable—I cannot survive the night in this hotel room,” Crist said about the time he struggled with addiction. “I felt like closing that hotel door was like a prison cell, without my cell phone, or in some kind of relationship flirty type situation or alcohol. I will not survive.”

“Now that’s not true, right? But your chest tightens up. It closes in,” he continued.

“And so these mechanisms prevented me from jumping out the window,” the comedian explained. “Now the demons were just screaming so loudly…You go, you see somebody out on Broadway drinking, drunk, or whatever, that you want to judge them or…whatever his present situation is, everybody has a set of tools to cope.”

Crist had several unhealthy habits, and eventually, he started to feel suicidal. But instead of giving up, he went to a rehab center.

Christian Today reported that at first, Crist had little interest in recovery, but with encouragement from friends and family, along with a renewed relationship with God, he persevered.

A friend’s wife helped Crist put his experience into perspective.

At the rehab center, Crist called his friend and told him, “‘Dude, this place is terrible. You gotta wake up at dawn. You gotta go to breakfast. You gotta go to meditation. You gotta go to yoga. You gotta go to Bible study.’ I was crying. His wife grabs the phone and says, ‘I don’t want to interrupt here, but we have three kids under five. This place sounds incredible.”

Movieguide® reported:

Crist did not sugarcoat his experience in rehab but said that he was thankful that it happened.

“The only thing worse is if that had never happened to me,” he said, adding later: “Every time I had like a sold-out show or anything I did on television … I thought that if everybody knew the truth about me that all of these people would hate me.

“In that whole rehabilitation process, I found out there’s a God that loves you, and He cares about you, and He’s not mad at you,” he continued.

“When I was in rehab…obviously everything was taken away from [me], and then I remember—and I didn’t even have any knowledge of this prior to going in—but…everything was taken away. And I go, ‘I don’t know; I don’t think I have any addictions. I’m fine’…I’m not, you know, itching, or I go, ‘I don’t know. I’m pretty good,’” Crist explained.

When visitors came to the center, Crist found out that he really did have an addiction.

“Then I remember it was family week, and everybody’s kind of family, people’s wives would come to visit them, and this other guy in treatment center, his wife came, and then we were in the cafeteria…She walked by and goes, ‘Hey, just want to let you know, like I’m a big fan,’ Crist told Delony. “And it like, oh dude… I was like, ‘Oh, this is my addiction.’ She goes, ‘I just want to let you know, like, your stuff is so hilarious.’ And I go, ‘Oh, I’m back.’”

Once he figured out his addiction and came out of rehab, fear kept Crist from confessing the truth to his friends and family. Nevertheless, he had people around him who could tell when he had a bout of dishonesty. They were able to help Crist manage his problem.

The comedian acknowledges that fame, glory and materials have no real value.

“It was Jim Carrey, I think he said, ‘I wish everybody could… have everything for like a day to realize that it’s not [all that].’ ‘Cause outside of being a believer, a Christian, everybody out here’s hope is in a better tomorrow. Whether that’s a raise or a new politician, bigger car, relationship, you’re hoping for a better tomorrow, right?” Crist said.

“And he was saying [about] materials, I wish everybody could get it so they could realize, oh don’t spend your whole life trying to get it, ‘cause that’s not it. There’s nothing up here,” he explained.

Crist is currently on tour through the middle and east side of the US. Several of his upcoming shows have already sold out.