Lifestyle

How Melanie Lynskey Helped Jason Ritter Through Sobriety Journey

Published

2 months ago

September 27, 2023

James White

Watch: Jason Ritter Didn’t Think He “Deserved” Melanie Lynskey

Jason Ritter hears Melanie Lynskey, and she hears him.

In fact, the Parenthood alum credits his wife for being a vital part of his ongoing sobriety journey. As he nears the 10th anniversary of the day he went sober, Ritter feels blessed to have the Yellowjackets star, with whom he shares a 4-year-old daughter, on his team.

“She’s amazing,” he exclusively told E! News at the L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Stand event, which helped raise $1.4 million for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. “If she’s going to have a glass of wine or something like that, she’ll be like, ‘Is this OK?’”

The 43-year-old continued, “And it’s always OK. Some people are not OK about being around it, but she’s so thoughtful and really lovely about it.”

Ritter added that communication has been an “important element” in their romance, which sparked years after their first meeting when they costarred in 2013’s The Big Ask.

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“I do feel like sometimes people fight to exercise some feelings that they’re having, as opposed to solve a problem,” he said. “If you can find someone who’s trying to also solve the problem—and not trying to punish or hurt—I think that’s key.”

Still, the Gravity Falls star understands why sobriety often feels like a one-person journey.

“One of the things that you’re not supposed to do is get sober for somebody else; you’re supposed to get sober for yourself,” he shared. “But everybody has their own journey, and I am now sober for myself.”

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In the past, Ritter admitted that he waited almost a year into his sobriety journey before getting serious with Lynskey, who he wed in 2020. “At a point, I knew how amazing she was and I thought she would be incredible for someone who deserved her,” he explained during a March appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, “and I didn’t feel like I was that person. I felt a little bit too crazy.”

However, as Ritter noted to E! News during his Sept. 23 interview, he now sees that sobriety is ultimately a personal choice.

“It was easier for me to say that I’m doing it for her because, at that time, I didn’t feel like I was sort of worth much,” he recalled of the early days of their relationship. “I didn’t care as much about hurting myself as I did about hurting her. So, initially it was easier for me to say, ‘I’m doing this for her.’ And now, I’m doing it for myself.”

For more celebs sharing their sobriety journeys, keep reading.

—Reporting by Amanda Champagne-Meadows