‘Dirty John’ actor’s 3-year-old daughters call daddy an ‘alcoholic.’ He’s OK with that
Kevin Zegers doesn’t hide that he goes to AA meetings from his 3-year-old twin daughters.
They know the word “alcoholic.”
Whether or not they should became a matter of public debate this week after the “Dirty John” star and “Gossip Girl” alum posted an Instagram video of his daughters, Zoe and Blake, who identify themselves in the clip.
A woman off-camera- Zegers’ wife, Jaime Field, according to ET - asks Zoe, “what is daddy?”
“An alcoholic,” she replies.
Field then asks Blake the same question and gets the same response - “an alcoholic.”
She tells the girls that their daddy is at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and says, “isn’t that cool?”
Zegers wrote on the post: “Learning ‘em young. #aameeting”
The majority of the comments posted about the video applauded the couple for being open with their girls. Many comments came from people who said they grew up with alcoholic parents.
“My father was an alcoholic,” wrote Instagram user make_lins. “I found out when i was 17. He went to rehab and now he has been sober for three years. I’m 25 now. I wish I had known how much he was struggling earlier on in my life. I think I would’ve sympathized with him more and maybe understood his intentions better.
“I think this is a powerful message and I would never want my dad to be ashamed of what he’s been through and how far he’s come. It’s a fight everyday.”
But a few people questioned whether the twins were too young to handle that information.
“Not sure what this is supposed to mean, teach kids what ... that it’s okay/funny to be an alcoholic ... I am just confused with this message,” wrote a user named Munceygirl.
“I get letting your kids know things when they are young but maybe they are a wee bit too young to understand that this is something not to be positive about, yes, that he’s going to meetings, that’s good, but as a whole it’s not a subject for kids to think is okay.”
Zegers answered the criticism with a lengthy response on Thursday.
“Some people seem to have taken issue with my previous post,” he wrote. “Let me clarify. Being in recovery is a part of my life. Being an ‘alcoholic’ doesn’t mean that I drink. Quite the contrary. When I’m not home for bedtime, my girls often insist on knowing where I am. Instead of lying to them, or projecting an archaic stigma, we choose to tell them the truth. ‘Daddy’s at a meeting.’
“Our hope is that we teach our girls some empathy and understanding about addiction. That in spite of being an alcoholic they have a father who has chosen a healthy way to live his life. For 8 years, I’ve chosen to live a clean and sober life that involves much more than just not drinking.
“I choose to share this because too many people, like some commenting below, want to shame people with addiction and mental health issues back into the shadows. My choice is to crack the window open so others can see what’s possible on the other side.”
E! News noted that other celebrities posted comments of support.
“Well said,” wrote Sophia Bush.
“Couldn’t love you more or be more proud,” wrote Lily Collins.. “You constantly inspire me. Those girls are the luckiest to have you as their dad xx.”