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Friday, August 29, 2008

David Duchovny Fakes Sex Addiction?

Well, The Discovering Alcoholic and Stagnant Artist both jumped on news of former X-Files star David Duchovny's entry into treatment for sex addiction. Both e-mailed it to me this morning well before my Google Alerts (which are set up to send me any news of David Duchovny's sex life, of course).

Duchovny and his wife, actress Tea Leoni, have denied past rumors of his sex addiction with Duchovny calling the allegations "not funny" and "hurtful" in (of all places) a 1997 Playgirl interview. Yet in my reading today, I've seen quite a few giggles going on at Duchovny's expense, including a some offers to help him with that problem. In addition, I've seen questions about the validity of the admission, which comes just before the opening of Tea Leoni's new movie Ghost Town, and more notably, before season two of the Showtime series Californication in which he plays a sex obsessed novelist.

Duchovny has a history of working with sexual themes, from the softcore porn Red Shoe Diaries of the 90's to his current starring role in Californication (neither of which I've ever seen, because I don't get the fancy cable, folks). In The X-Files (possibly my favorite show ever), Mulder's porn habit was a recurring theme, including references to autoerotic asphyxiation. And perhaps that all plays into the perception that he may be acting. Still, it leads me to wonder: if someone known for playing a drug addict were to check into rehab, would there be suspicion that it was for publicity purposes?

When I was going through those first dark days with my husband after finding out about his sex addiction, I used to think of Hillary Clinton often, and how much more awful it was to go through what I was going through in public. Her husband and her marriage were a joke for the country to laugh at, and as much as I know that it doesn't matter what other people think, that no one can know what's inside my marriage but my husband and me, what others think can still hurt.

Now Tea Leoni (and the couple's six and nine-year-old children) get to see husband and father as the punchline to the sex addict jokes. If that's a publicity stunt, then the folks who came up with it need mental health treatment of their own.

To David Duchovny, best wishes from a huge fan. (If my husband sees you in a meeting, would it be breaking anonymity if he asked for an autograph?) And my thoughts and prayers to his whole family.

And for those wondering about Haiku Friday, I'm just not feeling it lately. I need some time to get back into the kids-at-school groove.
Posted by at 5:03 AM
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10 comments:

  1. Stagnant ArtistAug 29, 2008 05:45 AM
    he supposedly has a full frontal in some movie called New Year's Day. Like you, I am an X Files geek and definitely drooled over him watching the show. So yes part of me was surprised and shocked to see that in the news. And then of course knee jerk reaction was to make sure you knew. He's still hot though....
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  2. I agree. No one would fake such a thing. I feel sad for them and inspired by their courage.

    I can't picture how he will be able to play a sex addict in the midst of this. The character alone is a trigger.

    I really like both he and his wife - I always have. I wish them well.
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  3. Mary P Jones (MPJ)Aug 29, 2008 06:46 AM
    Willow, I was thinking the same thing -- I imagine it would be incredibly hard and triggering for him (and his family) to go back to playing that character.
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  4. Addicted RantingsAug 29, 2008 06:46 AM
    Wow, I heard this morning on a talk show driving into work. I heard them joking about it too. Pretty sad huh? I made a note on my celphone to email you, but you beat me to the punch.

    Ps. Thnx for the compliment

    AR
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  5. apathetic blissAug 29, 2008 07:02 AM
    No one would fake sex addiction...there is even more of a negative stigma than any other addiction.

    BTW do you think your hubby could get an autograph for me too?...just asking
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  6. Sophie in the MoonlightAug 29, 2008 07:32 AM
    Bowser told me about this last night. We were both X-files fanatics and in an odd way it feels as though a close friend was just diagnosed with a difficult illness with which we are all too familiar.

    I wish there was a way to send a direct line of loving and supportive thoughts to spouses like Tea Leoni and Elizabeth Edwards. They have to struggle in the public fishbowl while they try to catch their breath and still be a source of stability for their children. When Bill and Hill were going through his public "intervention", sex addiction wasn't really understood. They were sort of pioneers in addressing the illness, albeit as behind-closed-doors as they could. Now, here we are, 10 years later, and sexual addiction is more understood and better treated as an addiction, but apparently it's still funny. :(

    Sending love to the Duchovny/Leoni household anyway.
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  7. vicariousrisingAug 29, 2008 09:10 AM
    I think it is awesome that he entered rehab for his problem and didn't try to pretend it was because he needed "a rest" or some other thing. I hope he gives rehab a real go. I saw him at a taping of the Rosie O'Donnell show a few years back, and he seems like a genuinely nice fellow. I actually am a fan of his wife Tea from back when she had her own TV show. I wish them both the best.
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  8. Thanks for this post ... and also the thoughtful comments. In recovery myself, and my primary work now is with people in recovery from sex addiction (sexual-sanity.com). It is sad to hear people making jokes about this at the expense of someone who is actually trying to do something about it. We laugh at the things we don't understand, and/or the things that are too painful for ourselves to look at. So I think that the people who make fun of Duchovny and other public figures dealing with sex addiction might be revealing a little more about themselves than they realize. Anyway, I am a huge fan of Tea Leoni, and somewhat a fan of Duchovny. But him taking this step - and being open about it - has increased my respect for him.
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  9. Trying to catch up on your blog....yes, I would think that playing a sex addict on T.V. would not be a good thing for him. But I could see where people who know him well might cast him in the roll. I'm sure real-life personality must play into the minds of the producers/directors. Not always a good thing.
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  10. We watch Californication and it certainly is an intense character he plays on that show. I think it is sad that people seem to insist on making "acting" into real life. It must be so frustrating as a professionial actor.

    And yet at the same time I could totally see how playing such characters may influence your personal life in one way or another.
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