As a celebrity, it is always known that everything you do is made public at some point. This can be a world of difficulty for some, but for Shaun Weiss, he used it as a learning tool and a push to get better in his personal life. The actor, who appeared in Mighty Ducks and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (among many others), shared in a podcast that he was able to traverse the trials of addiction while he was in the public eye.
In Pod Meets World, Shaun shared everything, from the good to the bad, and how he navigated this difficult time in his life. After he appeared in various films and TV shows, he struggled with substance abuse. To make matters worse, he even dealt with homelessness. Eventually, he was arrested, as well as in and out of rehab for his ongoing meth addiction at the time. In 2022, he shared with the world that he was proudly two years sober. Even better, he’d be appearing in Jesus Revolution—his first role in 14 years.
Many celebrities who have these struggles may feel ashamed when their private moments are made public. When Shaun’s mug shot started making rounds, he said that “in some ways it made it a little easier.” It pushed him to reach out, take the leap, and seek the help that he so desperately needed.
He went on to say, “Because first of all, it made me have to surrender earlier than I might have. Because when you have, you know, stories about you on the news and the narrative really isn’t correct, there was nothing I could do about it from a jail cell.” He began following his 12-step program and was able to make a huge difference in his recovery. Interestingly, the support of people around him, many of which are fans, was a big help.
Shaun realized what he did in his life had left a huge and lasting impact on the lives of others. He said, “I didn’t know that these movies I was in were meaningful to people. I got so many letters from people telling me that they didn’t wanna go to school because they were overweight and they felt a certain way. But after seeing Heavyweights, that movie alone just made them feel okay about being heavy.”
Ever since Shaun’s new and beautiful sober outlook on life, things have been looking up for him in many ways. In fact, on December 24, 2024, he announced that he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child. It goes to show life can take a positive turn despite mistakes and twists that are out of your hands. It is also possible for individuals, famous or not, to recover from addiction when they have a support system and a plan. This is a fresh start for Shaun and his growing family!
