Dark Side of Comedy

Struggling with addiction and a dangerously low self-image, Chris Farley’s old friends at Saturday Night Live conspired to help save the falling star.

In the late 80s Andrew Dice Clay was one of the biggest comedians on the planet. His controversial brand of comedy found a huge base with white men in America... but at what cost?

Brash, bold, and hilariously funny, Roseanne Barr made a name speaking her mind. And that very same impulse may have cost her her career.

Artie Lange enjoyed mainstream success as a comedian on TV and radio, but his addiction to heroin, coupled with childhood traumas, threatened to thwart his ambition... and his life.

Richard Pryor confronted America with brutal honesty like no other comic. But while he fought for a voice on stage, he was losing his own battle to drugs and family trauma.

Dustin Diamond found fame as a lovable geek on Saved By The Bell. But when it ended, Dustin was lost, descending into one tragic chapter after another.

How comedian Greg Giraldo's career, and life, is sabotaged by a toxic mix of addiction and self-loathing.

How Brett Butler gained everything, only to lose it all.

A working class Peurto Rican kid, Freddie Prinze exploded onto the comedy scene but his overnight fame came to an abrupt end.

How Maria Bamford channels her mental illness into comedy, and encourages others to do the same.