Celebrities—they’re just like us! They endure painful breakups, they embrace the natural aging process, and some of them even took some pretty embarrassing middle school pictures, too! But, did you know that even the most notable TV stars sometimes struggle in their workplaces?

Yep, even folks who make millions and are adored by legions of fans still have troubles when it comes to getting through their workdays. Pretty relatable, right?

Well, the most recent celeb to come out and air his grievances is none other than the star of Roseanne himself, John Goodman. Although the actor has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in both television and film following the show’s first finale in 1997, it doesn’t mean that the original series was an easy time for him. In fact, it was so trying that he almost quit the show at the height of its popularity!

In an interview with Today, he explained that, while he may have been living the good life in terms of creativity and cash flow, things were much more turbulent behind-the-scenes.

A little background: before Goodman was cast as Roseanne Barr’s husband, Dan Conner, he was a character actor who had gotten a few big breaks, but was nowhere near being the household name that he eventually became after the sitcom’s premiere. He says that this sudden fame triggered some gloomy feelings.

“At first it was exciting,” Goodman says. “Then it was frightening when I lost my anonymity.”

Unfortunately, that overwhelming sense of fear lead him to a dangerous life of self-medication.

“What it boils down to is I got complacent and ungrateful. And after nine years—eight years—I wanted to leave the show,” the actor recalls. “I handled it like I did everything else, by sitting on a bar stool. And that made it worse.”

Yikes! While we can certainly sympathize with Goodman’s anxiety, it’s sad to hear that the actor felt the need to turn to alcohol for relief!

Things actually ended up getting so bad that he found himself physically shaking through rehearsals and tapings of the show. He also admitted that he would sometimes drink on set to help control his shaking, but as time went on, “the hair of the dog” couldn’t help the physical toll that the years of alcohol had taken on his body.

Once he came to terms with the fact that he was addicted, the actor sought treatment. These days, he lives in New Orleans full-time, a place that, amazingly enough, has helped him maintain his sobriety. Goodman says that he hasn’t had a drink in 10 years. Good on him!

We’re pleased to see that John Goodman is now happy—and grateful—to be part of Roseanne’s mega-successful reboot!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on John Goodman’s near-departure from Roseanne. Were you surprised to hear that he was battling alcoholism during the series’ original run? What’s your favorite role that John Goodman has played? Do you have any tips for coping with a particularly stressful workplace?