HEALTHJason Bateman Got Sober to 'Alleviate a Lot of the Tension' in His Marriage to Amanda Anka: 'We Had a Few Negotiations'
Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka wed in 2001.
Feb. 18 2026, Published 4:51 p.m. ET
Jason Bateman came clean about his decision to stay "California sober" after years of partying, revealing it was wife Amanda Anka who suggested he put a cork in his drinking — however, he insisted she never demanded he kick the bottle.
In a new interview, the Arrested Development star explained he began partying hard after The Hogan Family wrapped, as he was left with no acting gigs lined up following a streak of success in Hollywood at a young age.
'I Got Away With a Lot'
Jason Bateman revealed it was wife Amanda Anka who suggested he stop drinking.
At the time, Bateman had been one of the biggest heartthrobs of the moment, thanks to roles in hits like Silver Spoons and Teen Wolf Too.
"It was a big slap of humility, and it was scary knowing that there was a lot of life ahead of me," he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. Since he was only 22 at the time and had spent years working, he decided to let loose with alcohol, cocaine and other substances.
"Fortunately, I was living at a time without social media and camera phones, so I got away with a lot, but it was definitely close a few times," the Emmy winner, 57, confessed of his past habits.
The TV star debated quitting Hollywood in the '90s.
In the mid-1990s, the dad-of-two confessed he reached a breaking point in his career and contemplated quitting acting.
"I would’ve bought a little coffee shop in some small town in Western Europe, learned the language and made local villager friends," he spilled of what may have been if he didn't keep at it. "It sounds so stupid, but I would’ve walked around with a little apron on and sat at everyone’s table and just had a quaint, little life — and I bet I would have loved it."
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Jason Bateman admitted he 'got away with a lot' during his partying days since there was no social media.
When he met Anka, also 57, the two were excited to start a family together, but she wasn't thrilled about how he spent his free time.
"Amanda and I definitely had a few negotiations about the point at which the [partying] spigot was going to completely turn off," he recalled. "She’d be like, ‘This drip, drip, drip is annoyingly unpredictable, Jason.'"
Inside Jason Bateman's Decision to Stop Drinking
The couple tied the knot in 2001 after two years of dating.
"She didn’t demand that I completely absolve, but that was sort of the back-and-forth," the Ozark lead explained. "And I was like, well, I feel like my [sobriety] ETA is six months away, but if I could land this plane now, it would alleviate a lot of the tension, so let’s just f------ do it."
According to the interviewer, Bateman considered himself more of a "hedonist" than an "addict."
The couple married in 2001 after two years of dating and welcomed two daughters who were born in 2006 and 2012.
