Actor Jason Bateman recounted an arrest in Monaco for public intoxication over 25 years ago, an incident that predates his more than two decades of sobriety.
Bateman, 57, shared the anecdote on a recent episode of his podcast, "SmartLess," which he co-hosts with Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. He described being "arrested in Monaco for being drunk and disorderly in a nice little leopard outfit, fresh from the casinos, all banged up on" cheap champagne and with a "pocket full of chips."
While Bateman did not specify the exact year of the incident, he has previously stated he stopped drinking alcohol in 2001. This timeline suggests the Monaco arrest occurred at least 25 years ago.
Bateman's decision to quit drinking was influenced by his wife, Amanda Anka, with whom he has had conversations about his past lifestyle. He told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that Anka described his intermittent partying as "drip, drip, drip [that] is annoyingly unpredictable."
He explained to THR that while his sobriety had an "ETA was six months away," he ultimately decided to commit to sobriety sooner to alleviate tension within their relationship. Bateman and Anka have two daughters, Francesca, 19, and Maple, 14.
Although Bateman abstains from alcohol and hard drugs, he continues to smoke marijuana. He reflected that he was fortunate to recognize limits before experiencing more severe consequences, stating, "This is probably as far as I should go if I still want to accomplish the things that I want to get to."
Bateman emphasized the importance of achieving sobriety before becoming a father and establishing his career. He noted his desire to "get a lot of these boxes checked" before fatherhood and while pursuing a career he felt he had the potential to achieve.
Bateman began his acting career as a child, joining "Little House on the Prairie" at age 11 in 1981. He later appeared in series like "Silver Spoons" and "Teen Wolf Too." After concluding his role in the NBC sitcom "The Hogan Family" in 1991, he described embracing a period of heavy partying.
"Fortunately, I was living at a time without social media and camera phones, so I got away with a lot, but it was definitely close a few times," Bateman recalled.
His career experienced a significant resurgence with his role as Michael Bluth in the sitcom "Arrested Development," which ran from 2003 to 2006 on Fox and later on Netflix from 2013 to 2019. He subsequently starred in, directed, and produced the Netflix drama "Ozark," which preceded his lucrative deal to co-host "SmartLess."