# Andy Dick
**Andy Dick** (birth name Andrew Roane Dick) is an American actor and comedian known for his offbeat characters on *The Ben Stiller Show*, the sitcom *NewsRadio*, and his own MTV sketch series *The Andy Dick Show*. Born in 1965 in [Charleston, South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/charleston-south-carolina), he trained in improvisational comedy in Chicago before building a television career in the 1990s, and his later life has been marked by repeated rehabilitation stays, arrests, and a 2022 criminal conviction alongside his continuing work in film, television, and stand-up.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004873/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andy-dick/bio/3030418490/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Charleston, South Carolina; birth name Andrew Roane Dick[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004873/bio/) |
| Training | Improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic after high school[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andy-dick/bio/3030418490/) |
| Breakout roles | Regular on *The Ben Stiller Show* (1992) and as Matthew Brock on *NewsRadio* (NBC, 1995–99)[3](https://www.who2.com/bio/andy-dick/) |
| Own series | Created and starred in MTV's *The Andy Dick Show* (2001–02); fronted the MTV reality series *The Assistant* (2004)[4](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/) • [5](https://standupedia.com/en/comedians/united-states/andy-dick) |
| Sitcom regular | Owen Kronsky on *Less Than Perfect* (ABC, 2002–06)[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965) |
| Legal conviction | Convicted in November 2022 of a sexual offense involving an Uber driver; sentenced to 90 days in jail and required to register as a sex offender[7](https://www.crbcnews.com/articles/andy-dick) • [8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/) |
| December 2025 overdose | Found unresponsive on a Hollywood sidewalk on December 9, 2025; revived with Narcan and later said he had "legit died"[9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/andy-dick-says-he-legit-died-from-shocking-drug-overdose/) |
| Recovery status | Left a Palm Springs rehab after about 50 days in January 2026 and moved to a sober living facility near Beverly Hills[10](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/26/andy-dick-checks-out-of-rehab-sober-facility/) |
## Early life and training
Dick was born in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was adopted as an infant, and moved frequently because of his father's Navy career; after the family settled in Chicago he attended Illinois Wesleyan University and [Columbia College Chicago](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-college-chicago), then trained in improvisation at Second City and iO Theater (ImprovOlympic).[4](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andy-dick/bio/3030418490/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965) As a struggling actor in Los Angeles he lived in his car for a period.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andy-dick/bio/3030418490/)
## Television career
**1990s breakthrough.** Dick joined the cast of *The Ben Stiller Show* in 1992, appearing in sketches alongside [Janeane Garofalo](https://www.edgepedia.org/janeane-garofalo) and [Bob Odenkirk](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-odenkirk) on the MTV and later Fox program.[4](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/) • [11](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/10/judd-apatow-comedy-career/683975/) His breakout came in 1995 when he was cast as Matthew Brock on NBC's *NewsRadio*, which ran through 1999 and brought him national recognition.[4](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965)
**Own shows and sitcom work.** From 2001 to 2002 he created and starred in MTV's *The Andy Dick Show*, a sketch comedy series that capitalized on his persona and boundary-pushing humor, and in 2004 he fronted the MTV reality series *The Assistant*.[4](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/) • [5](https://standupedia.com/en/comedians/united-states/andy-dick) He was a regular on the ABC sitcom *Less Than Perfect* from 2002 to 2006, playing Owen Kronsky.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965)
**Film and voice work.** His film roles include character parts in *Reality Bites* (1994), *The Cable Guy* (1996), *Inspector Gadget* (1999), *Road Trip* (2000), and *Employee of the Month* (2006).[3](https://www.who2.com/bio/andy-dick/) As a voice actor he played Boingo in *Hoodwinked* (2005) and its 2011 sequel, Nuka in *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride* (1998), and Mr. Sheepman in *Clone High* (2002).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004873/bio/)
## Addiction and rehabilitation
Dick has described drug and alcohol abuse as his central struggle. He told *Vice* in 2016 that he had been to rehab 20 times, and by 2025 he had entered rehabilitation programs 37 times.[7](https://www.crbcnews.com/articles/andy-dick) • [12](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/andy-dick-health-update-rehab-drug-overdose-b2908267.html) His struggle dates back to the mid-1990s, when he was a rising television star.[13](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/andy-dick-sobriety-addiction-interview/)
**The December 2025 overdose.** On December 9, 2025, Dick was found unresponsive on a Hollywood sidewalk in an apparent overdose. Bystanders administered Narcan, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, and paramedics responded; he was not taken to the hospital.[10](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/26/andy-dick-checks-out-of-rehab-sober-facility/) He was revived after receiving four doses of Narcan and later told [Page Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/page-six) he had "legit died."[14](https://www.thedailybeast.com/comedian-andy-dick-spotted-for-first-time-since-near-fatal-overdose) According to one account, he had believed he was smoking crack cocaine but learned from paramedics that he had mistakenly smoked fentanyl, the synthetic opioid.[9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/andy-dick-says-he-legit-died-from-shocking-drug-overdose/) In later interviews he said his heart had stopped and that doctors found brain lesions he attributed to years of drinking.[15](https://parade.com/news/andy-dick-was-clinically-dead-what-comes-next)
**Rehab and sober living.** Days after the overdose, Dick entered a treatment facility in the Palm Springs area with help from his "Celebrity Rehab" costar and longtime friend Jennifer Gimenez and her husband Tim Ryan, who secured him a "full ride scholarship offer" covering the stay.[10](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/26/andy-dick-checks-out-of-rehab-sober-facility/) He checked out just shy of 50 days after checking in, in January 2026, and told TMZ he was living at a sober living facility near Beverly Hills, "taking things one day at a time and staying focused on sobriety."[10](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/26/andy-dick-checks-out-of-rehab-sober-facility/) • [16](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dick-says-he-left-rehab-for-sober-living-facility-after-overdose/) In a May 2026 interview he reported 147 days of sobriety.[13](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/andy-dick-sobriety-addiction-interview/) He made his first public appearance since the overdose at The Hollywood Show convention in Los Angeles in May 2026, signing autographs for fans.[14](https://www.thedailybeast.com/comedian-andy-dick-spotted-for-first-time-since-near-fatal-overdose)
## Legal issues and controversies
In 1999, after he was accused of crashing his vehicle into a Hollywood utility pole, Dick faced his first significant arrest, suspected of driving while intoxicated and of carrying cocaine, cannabis, and drug paraphernalia; once he finished a drug diversion program, the charges were dropped.[8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/) In November 2022 he was convicted of a sexual offense involving an Uber driver, sentenced to 90 days in jail, and required to register as a sex offender.[7](https://www.crbcnews.com/articles/andy-dick) • [8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/)
His public behavior has repeatedly drawn controversy. In 2006 he apologized after using a racial slur onstage at the Improv comedy club in Los Angeles during a routine by comedian Ian Bagg.[17](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-dick-apologizes/) At the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner, he caused a commotion by licking the faces of panelists [Farrah Fawcett](https://www.edgepedia.org/farrah-fawcett) and [Carrie Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrie-fisher) during his performance.[8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/)
## Personal life
Dick married Ivone Kowalczyk in 1986; they divorced in 1990 and had one son, Lucas. He has two other children, Jacob and Meg, with Lina Sved.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965) • [8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/) He has said his son Jacob's own addiction battle helped inspire his pursuit of sobriety, and that he made a deal to stay in treatment as long as Jacob did.[8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/) He competed on season 16 of *Dancing with the Stars* in 2013, partnered with [Sharna Burgess](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharna-burgess), and placed seventh.[8](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/)
## References
1. [Andy Dick – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004873/bio/)
2. [Andy Dick Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/andy-dick/bio/3030418490/)
3. [Andy Dick Biography, Who2](https://www.who2.com/bio/andy-dick/)
4. [Andy Dick, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/andy-dick/)
5. [Andy Dick – Stand-up Comedian, Standupedia](https://standupedia.com/en/comedians/united-states/andy-dick)
6. [Dick, Andy 1965– , Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/dick-andy-1965)
7. [Where Is Andy Dick Now? Sober Living After 2025 Overdose, CRBC News](https://www.crbcnews.com/articles/andy-dick)
8. [Andy Dick's Ups and Downs: Arrests, Addiction and Controversies Over the Years, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dicks-ups-and-downs-arrests-addiction-and-controversies/)
9. ['90s Star Says He 'Legit Died' From Shocking Drug Overdose, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/andy-dick-says-he-legit-died-from-shocking-drug-overdose/)
10. [Andy Dick Checks Out of Rehab, Now Living in Sober Facility, TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/26/andy-dick-checks-out-of-rehab-sober-facility/)
11. [The Invention of Judd Apatow, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/10/judd-apatow-comedy-career/683975/)
12. [Comedian Andy Dick shares health update after overdose led to rehab stay, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/andy-dick-health-update-rehab-drug-overdose-b2908267.html)
13. [Andy Dick Briefly Died. Now He's 147 Days Sober, Rolling Stone Canada](https://ca.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/andy-dick-sobriety-addiction-interview/)
14. [Comedian Andy Dick Spotted for First Time Since Near-Fatal Overdose, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/comedian-andy-dick-spotted-for-first-time-since-near-fatal-overdose)
15. [Andy Dick Opens Up About His Overdose and 'Not a Lot of Chances Left', Parade](https://parade.com/news/andy-dick-was-clinically-dead-what-comes-next)
16. [Andy Dick Says He Left Rehab for Sober Living Facility After Overdose, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/andy-dick-says-he-left-rehab-for-sober-living-facility-after-overdose/)
17. [Andy Dick Apologizes, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-dick-apologizes/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1960–1969*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license