Soberness Podcast

AJ McLean opens up about addiction, relapse, sobriety, and fame in one of his most unfiltered conversations ever. The Backstreet Boys singer talks honestly about alcohol, drugs, recovery, fatherhood, and the moment that stopped him for good. This isn't a redemption arc or a PR version of sobriety. AJ walks through the lies, the manipulation, the relapses that "didn't count," and the brutal truth of knowing when you're out of chances. From hiding drinks on the road to being exposed by his own child, this is what addiction actually looks like when the lights go off.
In this episode, you'll hear: The relapse that started with a minibar and ended everything Why fame didn't cause his addiction—but made it lethal How lying hurt more than drinking ever did The moment his daughter became his mirror Why he doesn't believe willpower keeps anyone sober.
If this conversation hit you, subscribe for more real conversations about sobriety. Comment if any moment landed close to home. Share this with someone who's still telling themselves they're fine. 
MORE EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:
Comedian Tom Arnold Tells All | Rosanne, Addiction, Relapse, Getting Sober: https://youtu.be/kShxbIL6Gf0
American Pie Jason Biggs Opens Up About His Addiction & Relapse Struggles: https://youtu.be/KrWRTLYE618
Submit your story: https://soberness.com/
For more content from Cat Greenleaf, check out her socials below! https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf/ https://www.instagram.com/sobernesspodcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279/
ABOUT SOBERNESS:
Soberness—the concept—is freedom from f**kery: The f**kery of addiction. The self-inflicted f**kery. And the f**kery that shows up uninvited. Soberness—the podcast—is where celebrity raconteurs spill what broke them, what saved them, and what still f**ks with them today. From Talk Stoop creator and host Cat Greenleaf, Soberness is recorded at the Algonquin Hotel's iconic Round Table in Midtown Manhattan. Once home to Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of drunken critics and wits, the Gonk is a legendary hotbed of brilliance and bad behavior. A f**kery free-for-all. In other words, it's a perfect fit.
ABOUT CAT GREENLEAF:
Cat created and hosted NBC's long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun. Then she got fired. No fun. After losing her job, she thought she'd never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul. Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist. So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign.
Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn't know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.

Everclear frontman Art Alexakis joins Tom Arnold for an unplanned, deeply honest conversation about addiction, blackout drinking, childhood trauma, fame, anger, fatherhood, and what it actually takes to stay sober long-term.
What was supposed to be a standard Art Alexakis interview turned into one of the most raw and unforgettable sobriety stories ever recorded on the Soberness Podcast.
This episode captures what happens when two very famous, very sober men realize — live — that their stories are disturbingly similar.
In this Art Alexakis / Everclear interview, they talk about:
💥 Being blackout drunk for days at a time — and losing entire weeks
💥 The night Art hit rock bottom when his wife searched morgues thinking he was dead
💥 The white-light surrender that led to 36+ years sober
💥 Why rock-and-roll sobriety looks very different in your 60s
💥 Childhood sexual abuse — and why men need to tell these stories
💥 Rage, yelling, and breaking generational cycles as fathers
💥 Being sober, but still a "dry drunk"
💥 Fame, dopamine, shame, and why success doesn't fix addiction
💥 Spirituality without religion — and finding peace after chaos


This is more than an Everclear frontman Art Alexakis interview.
It's a powerful sobriety podcast episode about survival, honesty, and freedom from the things that nearly destroy us.
If you're searching for real sobriety stories, recovery conversations, or interviews that go far beyond the surface — this one will stay with you. 
MORE EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:
Comedian Tom Arnold Tells All | Rosanne, Addiction, Relapse, Getting Sober: https://youtu.be/kShxbIL6Gf0

American Pie Jason Biggs Opens Up About His Addiction & Relapse Struggles: https://youtu.be/KrWRTLYE618


Submit your story: https://soberness.com/
 
For more content from Cat Greenleaf, check out her socials below! 
 
https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf/
https://www.instagram.com/sobernesspodcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279/
 
ABOUT SOBERNESS: 
Soberness—the concept—is freedom from f**kery: 
The f**kery of addiction. 
The self-inflicted f**kery. 
And the f**kery that shows up uninvited. 
 
Soberness—the podcast—is where celebrity raconteurs spill what broke them, what saved them, and what still f**ks with them today. 
 
From Talk Stoop creator and host Cat Greenleaf, Soberness is recorded at the Algonquin Hotel's iconic Round Table in Midtown Manhattan. 
 
Once home to Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of drunken critics and wits, the Gonk is a legendary hotbed of brilliance and bad behavior. A f**kery free-for-all. 
 
In other words, it's a perfect fit.
 
ABOUT CAT GREENLEAF:
 
Cat created and hosted NBC's long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun.
 
Then she got fired. No fun.
 
After losing her job, she thought she'd never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul. 
 
Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist.
 
So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign.
Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn't know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.
 
#soberness #catgreenleaf #catgreenleafsoberness #tomarnold #tomarnoldinterview #tomarnoldstandup #tomarnoldcomedian #artalexakis #everclear #artalexakisinterview #everclearband #90srock #addiction #alcoholaddiction #addictionrecovery #sobriety #quittingalcohol #recoverystories #sober #soberpodcast #90s #90sgrunge #santamonica #everclearband #artalexakispodcast

Tom Arnold gets brutally honest in one of the wildest, funniest, and most heartbreaking conversations ever recorded on Soberness.
From nearly dying on the PCH  to relapsing on medical fentanyl, battling benzos, enduring organ failure, losing loved ones to suicide, surviving four marriages, and navigating fame, fatherhood, and addiction — Tom tells the truth with zero filter and a ton of heart ❤️.
In this episode, Tom reveals:
💥 The motorcycle crash that triggered a secret year-long dependence on pain meds


💥 The terrifying reality of benzos — and how they contributed to Chris Cornell's death


💥 The suicide of his nephew and why access to guns matters


💥 His darkest fantasies about drinking again — and the moments he thought he had permission


💥 The brutal truth about getting sober for real (and why he hated every minute of it)


💥 Multiple relapses, jail day-ones, and the shame spiral of starting over


💥 His 4 marriages, including what really happened with Roseanne and how he got fired from his fiancée's show


💥 Why fame is both the best and worst thing for an addict


💥 What keeps him sober now — and why he knows he can't go back


💥 Hilarious Hollywood stories, dating disasters, Sharon Stone on Bumble, and more


This episode is chaotic, profound, painful, and absolutely hysterical — and it's full of life-saving truth.
If you've ever battled addiction, lost someone, rebuilt yourself, or just want to hear a legendary storyteller at his rawest… this is an unmissable conversation.
 
MORE EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:
Jason Biggs https://youtu.be/TLU8NO2cOm8

Submit your story: https://soberness.com/
 
For more content from Cat Greenleaf, check out her socials below! 
 
https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf/
https://www.instagram.com/sobernesspodcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279/
 
ABOUT SOBERNESS: 
Soberness—the concept—is freedom from f**kery: 
The f**kery of addiction. 
The self-inflicted f**kery. 
And the f**kery that shows up uninvited. 
 
Soberness—the podcast—is where celebrity raconteurs spill what broke them, what saved them, and what still f**ks with them today. 
 
From Talk Stoop creator and host Cat Greenleaf, Soberness is recorded at the Algonquin Hotel's iconic Round Table in Midtown Manhattan. 
 
Once home to Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of drunken critics and wits, the Gonk is a legendary hotbed of brilliance and bad behavior. A f**kery free-for-all. 
 
In other words, it's a perfect fit.
 
ABOUT CAT GREENLEAF:
 Cat created and hosted NBC's long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun.
 
Then she got fired. No fun.
 
After losing her job, she thought she'd never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul. 
 
Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist.
 
So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign.
Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn't know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.
 
#soberness #catgreenleaf #catgreenleafsoberness #tomarnold #tomarnoldinterview #tomarnoldstandup #tomarnoldcomedian #roseannebarr #roseanne #tomarnoldstandup #tomarnoldroseanne #entertainmentnews #comedian #celebrity #alcoholfree #sobriety #sober #quittingalcohol #celebrityrehab #addiction #rehab #drugaddiction #alcoholic #alcoholicsanonymous #addictionrecovery #aaalcoholicsanonymous

In this unfiltered and wildly funny conversation with Clay Aikin, Cat Greenleaf unpacks the American Idol legend's truth behind overnight fame, losing half his fanbase overnight, price of fame, coming out as gay in the public eye, running for Congress, and rebuilding his identity — again and again.
In this episode of Soberness, Clay reveals:
✨ The whiplash of going from schoolteacher to global superstar in 12 weeks
✨ Touring with Kelly Clarkson after American Idol
✨ The paranoia and loneliness that fame quietly creates
✨ Why Broadway had to STOP a performance because fans 
✨ The moment People Magazine told him he had to come out and his coming out story
✨ How he processed losing a massive portion of his fans
✨ The lawsuit claiming he was "false advertising" his sexuality
✨ Why he left entertainment for politics — and why he walked away
✨ How GLP1 changed his life (and almost made him puke onstage)
✨ What age has taught him about confidence, embarrassment, and giving zero f*s
If you grew up with Clay, loved Idol, or care about the psychology of fame, identity, and reinvention — this is one of the most vulnerable interviews he's ever done.
MORE EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:
Jason Biggs https://youtu.be/TLU8NO2cOm8

Submit your story: https://soberness.com/
 
For more content from Cat Greenleaf, check out her socials below! 
 
https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf/
https://www.instagram.com/sobernesspodcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279/
 
ABOUT SOBERNESS: 
Soberness—the concept—is freedom from f**kery: 
The f**kery of addiction. 
The self-inflicted f**kery. 
And the f**kery that shows up uninvited. 
 
Soberness—the podcast—is where celebrity raconteurs spill what broke them, what saved them, and what still f**ks with them today. 
 
From Talk Stoop creator and host Cat Greenleaf, Soberness is recorded at the Algonquin Hotel's iconic Round Table in Midtown Manhattan. 
 
Once home to Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of drunken critics and wits, the Gonk is a legendary hotbed of brilliance and bad behavior. A f**kery free-for-all. 
 
In other words, it's a perfect fit.
 
ABOUT CAT GREENLEAF:
 
Cat created and hosted NBC's long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun.
 
Then she got fired. No fun.
 
After losing her job, she thought she'd never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul. 
 
Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist.
 
So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign.
Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn't know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.
 
#soberness #catgreenleaf #catgreenleafsoberness #Clayaikin #Clayaikininterview #americanidol #americanidolvideos #americanidolauditions #americanidolwinner #americanidalseason4 #americanidalseason3 #americanidalseason2 #kellyclarkson #wherearetheynow #comingoutasgay #comingoutstory #lgbt #comingout #lgbtq #Clayaikinpodcast #overnightfame #priceoffame #celebritynews #celebritygossip

Don Lemon opens up like never before. In this raw, unfiltered conversation with Cat Greenleaf, he reflects on life after his CNN exit — the shock, the betrayal, and how he rebuilt his life from his living room.
In this Don Lemon interview on the Soberness Podcast, he reveals the impact CNN had on his life and voice, how the experience made him wiser, more grounded, and why he's dedicated to fighting for the truth. From racism to violence, from truth in media to rebuilding his identity, Don Lemon speaks with clarity, courage, and conviction. If you've ever felt betrayed, voiceless, or afraid to take your power back — this conversation is for you.
MORE EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:
E. Jean Carroll Tells All | Trump Paid Me $100M for Abuse and Defamation: https://youtu.be/TLU8NO2cOm8
What Sobriety Really Means with Heavyweight Host, Jonathan Goldstein: http://youtu.be/u6P7J5KToQE
He Didn't Know He Belonged—Until Al-Anon with Philip Galanes: https://youtu.be/84tWDAZAebE
Submit your story:
https://soberness.com/
For more content from Cat Greenleaf, check out her socials below! https://www.instagram.com/catgreenleaf/
https://www.instagram.com/sobernesspodcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-greenleaf-52900279/
ABOUT SOBERNESS: Soberness—the concept—is freedom from f**kery: The f**kery of addiction. The self-inflicted f**kery. And the f**kery that shows up uninvited. Soberness—the podcast—is where celebrity raconteurs spill what broke them, what saved them, and what still f**ks with them today. From Talk Stoop creator and host Cat Greenleaf, Soberness is recorded at the Algonquin Hotel's iconic Round Table in Midtown Manhattan. Once home to Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of drunken critics and wits, the Gonk is a legendary hotbed of brilliance and bad behavior. A f**kery free-for-all. In other words, it's a perfect fit.
ABOUT CAT GREENLEAF: Cat created and hosted NBC's long-running series Talk Stoop—the celebrity interview show filmed on her Brooklyn front steps. Yep, the one with the bulldog that dominated NYC TaxiTV and USA Daytime in the 20teens. Over nine years, she hosted hundreds of guests, racked up four Emmys, launched countless adventures—and had so much fun. Then she got fired. No fun. After losing her job, she thought she'd never to go back to journalism. With no other marketable skills and no idea what to do next, she entered an epic dark night of the soul. Looking for light, her family moved to the beach in Coney Island. There, Cat got serious about her own sobriety and began bringing recovery meetings to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and men. That work inspired her to found the nonprofit Restorative Housing Organization. RHO is dedicated to training formerly incarcerated men and women to renovate undervalued NYC waterfront properties, which are then rented to Section 8 tenants. She loves it. But once a journalist, always a journalist. So when she weirdly got name-checked on Hacks last season, she took it as a sign.Soon after, she heard her old friend, musician Steve Earle, talking openly about his sobriety on a radio show —a thing she didn't know people were even allowed to do. And she realized she wanted to be the one talking to Steve Earle about sobriety on a show! Soberness was born in September 2024.
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