What Really Happened To Grace Under Fire’s Brett Butler
Published -
- December 16, 2018
- 2:00 pm
Grace Under Fire star Brett Butler helmed the ABC hit for years until it was abruptly canceled in 1998 amidst Butler’s personal and professional problems.
But she didn’t just disappear when her show went off the air. Here’s what she’s been up to since.
Trouble on set | 0:16
Hitting rock bottom | 1:22
Attempting her comeback | 1:43
Sitcom star turned drama queen | 2:20
Kicking her habit | 2:46
What underlying issues did Brett Butler face that contributed to her addiction?
Grace Under Fire was a popular American sitcom that ran for five seasons, from 1993 to 1998. The show starred Brett Butler, who played a single mother named Grace Kelly, and focused on her struggles to raise her three children while dealing with her addiction to alcohol.
However, towards the end of the show’s run, Butler’s behavior became increasingly erratic and the production team started to have concerns about her health and wellbeing. There were reports of missed rehearsals and unprofessional conduct, which led to tension on the set and eventually to the cancellation of the show.
So what really happened to Brett Butler?
It turns out that Butler was struggling with addiction, just like her character on the show. In a candid interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2018, she admitted that she had been using alcohol and prescription drugs to cope with the stress of fame and the demands of her job.
“I was self-medicating for serious mental health issues,” she said. “I was having panic attacks and anxiety attacks on set, and I didn’t know what was happening to me.”
Butler also revealed that she was dealing with a traumatic childhood, which had resulted in complex PTSD. She had unknowingly been living with the condition for years, and it wasn’t until she got sober and started therapy that she was able to understand and address her underlying issues.
“I didn’t know that what had happened to me as a child was trauma,” she said. “I thought I was just crazy, and I felt so much shame about it. But with therapy, I was able to connect the dots and see how my past was affecting my present.”
After the cancellation of Grace Under Fire, Butler’s career took a hit. She struggled to find work and was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy in 2011. But she didn’t give up on her recovery journey, and she continued to work on herself both emotionally and physically.
In recent years, she has made a comeback of sorts, with appearances on television shows like The Leftovers and How to Get Away with Murder. She has also written a memoir, called Knee Deep in Paradise, which chronicles her struggles with addiction and trauma and her journey towards healing and redemption.
Looking back on her time on Grace Under Fire, Butler has mixed feelings. While she acknowledges that the show was an important part of her life and career, she also recognizes that it was a difficult and painful time for her.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities that show gave me, but I’m also glad I’m not on it anymore,” she said. “I don’t think I could have survived it if I had continued down that path.”
In the end, Brett Butler’s story serves as a reminder of the importance of mental health and the impact that trauma and addiction can have on a person’s life. It’s a story of resilience and courage, of facing one’s demons and coming out the other side stronger and wiser. And it’s a reminder that, no matter how difficult the journey, there is always hope for recovery and healing.
