Jeff Garlin opened up about his experience following his departure from The Goldbergs, crediting close friends for helping him through a difficult period that included a mental health crisis.
During the Oct. 21 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, the 64-year-old actor spoke with Ted Danson about tensions on set, his bipolar diagnosis, and the lengthy recovery process that followed.
Garlin recalled a producer reaching out to discuss his return to the ABC sitcom after he had already decided to leave. When asked what it would take for him to reconsider, he requested a substantial pay increase and a much lighter work schedule.
“I said, ‘A big raise and I work one day a week.’ They said, ‘Yes,’ and if it sounds too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” Garlin recalled.
According to the actor, the agreement led to tension with some of his colleagues on the show.
“I felt resentment from my castmates, not so much from the crew, although some of them also harbored a lot of resentment,” he said. “I didn’t know it at the time, though. I was naïve.”
Garlin exited the series in December 2021 amid HR investigations into allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior, which he denied. His character, family patriarch Murray Goldberg, was later written out of the show by being killed off ahead of its 10th season.
During the podcast, Garlin revealed that his mental health had declined to the point where he contemplated suicide. He reached out to his Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Susie Essman, who then alerted people close to him.
His ex-wife, Marla Garlin, girlfriend Sari Tracht, and friend Brad Morris stepped in to help him get treatment. Morris stayed by his side as they searched for an available treatment facility.
Garlin eventually checked into a facility in Cincinnati, where he said dialectical behavior therapy helped him overcome the immediate crisis.
“I was no longer suicidal, they helped get me to a point where I could stand,” he said.
His recovery continued even after leaving treatment. The actor credited consistent therapy and medication for bipolar disorder with helping him gradually regain a sense of normalcy.
“Then, I went out in the world and it took time between therapy and medication for bipolar [disorder and] all that stuff to where I felt, kind of, whole,” he said. “I’m just now, this is from five years ago, feeling really good.”
