Jeff Garlin Describes Suicidal Crisis Around ‘The Goldbergs’ Exit

Jeff Garlin says he experienced a suicidal crisis amid the turmoil surrounding his departure from The Goldbergs, and that contacting his longtime co-star Susie Essman helped bring urgent support. The actor described the episode while discussing his mental health and the circumstances of his exit from the ABC comedy.

Speaking with Ted Danson on the podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Garlin said he told Essman he was in immediate danger of taking his own life. Essman, who played his wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm, then contacted people close to him to help organize a response.

Garlin said his ex-wife, Marla Garlin, and girlfriend, Sari Tracht, became involved, and that his friend Brad Morris stayed with him while treatment options were researched. His account described an intervention involving several loved ones, with someone remaining alongside him as arrangements were made for professional care.

The disclosure adds a personal account of the period surrounding a workplace controversy that ended his run on The Goldbergs. Garlin left following a human resources investigation stemming from multiple complaints about his behavior on set, The Hollywood Reporter reported. His account of a mental health crisis is distinct from the complaints that prompted that investigation.

On the podcast, Garlin also recalled discussions about changing his work arrangements before his departure. He said he had sought a substantial raise and a schedule requiring him to work one day a week, and that the agreement subsequently generated resentment among some colleagues. Those descriptions reflect his account of the atmosphere on the production.

Garlin played Murray Goldberg, the family patriarch, on the sitcom. His departure required the series to move forward without one of its central performers, and the character was subsequently written out. The show ultimately ran for 10 seasons, from 2013 to 2023.

After the crisis, Garlin said he entered a treatment facility in Cincinnati, where he received dialectical behavior therapy. He described that stay as helping him move beyond the immediate suicidal danger, while emphasizing that feeling better afterward required additional time rather than a single breakthrough.

Garlin said therapy and medication for bipolar disorder were part of his continuing recovery. He described the crisis as having occurred about five years earlier and said he was only now feeling substantially better, presenting recovery as an extended process supported by treatment and people close to him.

His latest remarks place that ongoing recovery at the center of his account, rather than suggesting the professional fallout was quickly resolved. For now, Garlin says his condition has improved, with the podcast offering his retrospective description of the crisis, the intervention and the care that followed.