Comedian and longtime Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange has battled addiction throughout his adult life
And for much of that time, he did so publicly, sharing updates in standup routines, on the radio, and in his bestselling memoir.
About five years ago, however, Lange mostly stepped away from the spotlight — and it seems like the change has done him a world of good.
According to a report from Yahoo! News, Lange stepped out over the weekend with a group of fellow comedians, including Jeff Ross, and his sister, Stacey Lange.
A photo posted to X (formerly Twitter) shows Lange looking healthier than he has in quite some time.
Fans noted that Lange appears to have had reconstructive surgery on his nose, which underwent extensive damage during the comics’ years of heavy drug use.
Commenters on the post were quick to congratulate Artie on his new look.
“Great seeing a healthy and happy Artie! Keep up the great work!” wrote one fan.
“Looks like Artie got his nose rebuilt,” another added.
“So the nose is back to looking normal… Good for Artie,” a third chimed in.
While Lange keeps a much lower profile these days, he has not stepped away from the spotlight entirely.
During a September episode of the “Legion of Skanks” podcast, Lange stated that he was “eight months clean and sober.”
At the time, Lange revealed that he planned to get his nose reconstructed and opened up about his disfiguration with his usual self-deprecating wit.
“People ask me stupid questions like, ‘What happened to your nose?’ I’m like, ‘Too much yoga. I stopped to smell the roses in life, and they had cocaine on them,’” Lange said, explaining:
“I was with this broad in St. Louis at this nice hotel, and we were snorting OxyContin, and you got to crack the OxyContin up and make it into fine powder to snort it,” he continued, adding:
“The glass breaks. She makes it real, real fine. She gets called to the front desk, and I come out. I see the lines, and I snorted them, and it was like a zipper… It went right up my nose, and it started to bleed.
“So, you know, if kids are listening,” he added, “don’t do that.” Good advice!
Artie’s candor and ability to maintain his sense of humor amid his struggles have only endeared him to fans even more.
We don’t know what his future holds, but it seems like the beloved comic has much to be optimistic about.
And just as importantly, he seems to have a strong support network made up of people who stuck by him during his darkest hours.