Arthur Lange

In November 2018, Lange announced his decision to enter inpatient rehabilitation with comedian Bob Levy, after breaking his four-year probation by testing positive twice for cocaine and opioids. On several occasions he left rehab to perform stand-up comedy gigs before returning to the facility on the same night. On January 30, 2019, Lange was placed into custody for possession of a controlled substance and checked into a treatment center. In April 2019, comedian Russ Meneve filmed Lange carrying out court-ordered community work as a trash collector and posted it online.

In 2018, Among Lange's potential projects included the development of a film, a sitcom, and an animated series.

On September 5, 2017, Lange co-hosted his new show, The Artie and Anthony Show, with Anthony Cumia on the latter's online subscription-based network Compound Media. Cumia had hosted The Anthony Cumia Show for three years by himself until he decided to bring in a co-host. Lange was absent from the show for six weeks following his December 2017 arrest and subsequent time in rehab; he returned full-time on January 22, 2018. Cumia announced Lange's departure on May 14, 2018, for the foreseeable future due to his ongoing health and legal issues.

On January 5, 2015, Lange launched an uncensored subscription-based podcast titled The Artie Quitter Podcast. He records episodes mainly from his home in Hoboken, New Jersey. Lange estimated the podcast gained "about 9,000" subscribers in its first year. In May 2017, Lange stated the podcast would end after 400 episodes in order to tend to his comedy, filming Crashing, and his third book. He aimed to resume the podcast around September 2017, either at a cheaper subscription rate or free with advertisements.

Following the cancellation of his DirecTV show, Lange focused some time on his comedy career. He recorded a one-hour special for Comedy Central titled The Stench of Failure that aired on October 18, 2014. On November 4, 2014, Lange sent out a series of tweets about a sexual fantasy between him and ESPN sportscaster Cari Champion set during slavery times. He was Thomas Jefferson and Champion was a slave, and he attempts to whip her but fails. She beats him up and escapes. As a result, Lange received a lifetime ban from ESPN and Comedy Central cancelled a scheduled appearance.

In 2013, Lange accepted an $800,000 advance from Touchstone Books to write his second book. Lange agreed to the project primarily for the money, but also wished to put out something that would help others who struggle with drug abuse. He wrote the book, titled Crash and Burn, with Bozza returning as his co-author, which covers his life and career during his final years on The Howard Stern Show, his second suicide attempt and the resulting depression, and his recovery. Lange later declared the book as, "The most honest thing I've ever done in my life". Following its release on October 29, 2013, the book entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number 8 under combined print and e-book sales and number 12 under hardcover sales.

In July 2011, Lange had recovered enough to resume his career. His first endeavor took place on July 6 as co-host on a one off radio show on Fox Sports Radio with comedian Nick Di Paolo as a stand in for Tony Bruno. The show turned out to be a test show after Di Paolo accepted a deal to host a late night sports comedy program on DirecTV, and chose Lange as his co-host. On October 3, 2011, The Nick & Artie Show launched on approximately 30 stations nationwide and on SiriusXM. After Di Paolo left the show in January 2013, the show was renamed to The Artie Lange Show and Lange hired retired American football player Jon Ritchie as his co-host. On April 28, 2014, Lange announced the show would no longer air after that day.

After attempting suicide in early 2010, Lange completed rehabilitation and resumed his career in the following year. He hosted The Nick & Artie Show with Nick Di Paolo until 2013, when Di Paolo left and Lange continued to host his own program, The Artie Lange Show, until 2014. During this time, Lange released his second book, Crash and Burn (2013). He hosted The Artie Quitter Podcast from 2015 to 2017 which was followed by a recurring role in the HBO series Crashing and a stint as co-host of The Artie and Anthony Show with Anthony Cumia until 2018. That year, he released his third book Wanna Bet? and paused his career following a series of arrests and drug rehabilitation. After becoming sober, Lange resumed stand-up and began his Artie Lange's Halfway House podcast in 2019. He paused his career once more that year for personal reasons, returning in 2020 with a new podcast.

By 2009, Lange was earning $700,000 a year for working with Stern and roughly $3 million a year from stand up gigs. In January 2009, Lange went to West Palm Beach, Florida, to complete a 21-day rehab program after he had relapsed on heroin the month prior. After seven days, he quit treatment and spent almost $4,800 on a hotel room, women, a haircut and two pairs of sunglasses. He returned home and booked three nights at Caroline's comedy club in the same week, earning $35,000 back.

In June 2008, Lange headlined a comedy tour he formed, named Operation Mirth, with the United Service Organizations to entertain American troops serving in Afghanistan. He was inspired to do so after watching Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, a documentary about comedian Jeffrey Ross' own USO tour in Iraq. Lange picked comedians Jim Florentine, Nick DiPaolo, and Dave Attell to join him, with The Howard Stern Show's producer Gary Dell'Abate as the tour's master of ceremonies. Later in the year, Lange and Attell recorded dialogue for the video game Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust, released in 2009.

In 2007, the New York City bakery Crumbs began to sell a vanilla and chocolate cupcake named Artie Lange which he designed himself, with proceeds going towards LIFEbeat, a HIV/AIDS charity. In March 2008, LIFEbeat refused to accept further donations after Lange used a variety of anti-gay epithets towards a co-worker with whom he was arguing on-air, although they later reached an amicable truce. In 2013, he said he felt "ashamed and embarrassed" by his previous use of anti-gay slurs in his comedy career and, while maintaining that he was never motivated by hatred and that he "still makes jokes about every group of people that there is", he is now more responsible when joking about such sensitive subjects and avoids slurs, saying "if someone came to me and told me that something I said caused some kid to commit suicide, I'd be in a nuthouse for the rest of my life, I really would."

In March 2005, Lange secured a deal with Ckrush Entertainment to star in and executive produce his own comedy feature film, Artie Lange's Beer League. Development began in 2001 when Lange started on a script with director and producer Frank Sebastiano, based on a 17-minute film Lange wrote, funded and starred in 2000 titled Game Day. The script was complete by 2002, and Ckrush agreed to fund a $2.5 million budget. The stress of putting the film together, and doing nationwide gigs on weekends, caused Lange to drink heavily and take "twenty painkillers a day". His attempts to cope from withdrawals failed - during one attempt to obtain more at a comedy gig, he instead bought heroin which began an addiction that lasted from March to June 2005, resulting in his absence from cast auditions and pre-production meetings. Lange took four days off work in June 2005 to get through the illness caused by withdrawals at home, which prompted concerns from his family and radio colleagues of a drug relapse. When Sebastiano and production staff threatened to cancel the film if he did not show up, Lange obtained Subutex from a doctor that got him well enough to return to work. On the air, Lange put his absence down to illness from excessive drinking. Filming was complete in July 2005, on time and within budget. It premiered on September 13, 2006, at the Ziegfeld Theatre, followed by a limited release across North America. To promote the film, Lange completed a stand-up tour which included a show at Carnegie Hall which sold out in under three hours. He revealed the true reason of his absence to Stern on September 21, 2006.

On December 13, 2004, Lange released his first stand-up DVD titled It's the Whiskey Talkin' , formed of 45 minutes of material he performed at the Tempe Improv in Tempe, Arizona, a time in his career when he was "playing more clubs". Lange later spoke about the release: "I worked really hard on that ... a major distributor put it out, people bought it and seemed to like it". Upon the DVD's general release in February 2005, Lange took on "an insane schedule" for the following six months to promote it, doing The Howard Stern Show each weekday morning, and stand up gigs nationwide on weekends.

In the following years after joining The Howard Stern Show, Lange's career reached new heights, playing larger venues and various career film and television opportunities. In June 2002, he signed with the United Talent Agency. Around this time, Lange teamed with producer and writer Sam Simon for a comedy show pilot for DreamWorks to air on NBC but it never materialised. In September 2003, Lange scored a one-year talent holding deal with ABC and Touchstone Television. When Stern had announced his departure from terrestrial radio for Sirius Satellite Radio in late 2004, Infinity Broadcasting offered Lange a four-year deal worth $20 million to replace Stern on WXRK-FM, with producer Gary Dell'Abate as producer. Both turned down the offer.

In March 2001, comedian and writer Jackie Martling left The Howard Stern Show. Stern announced a "Win Jackie's Money" contest and had several comedians audition for the vacant seat by sitting in on some shows. Participants included Lange, Craig Gass, Doug Stanhope, Richard Jeni, Jeff Ross, Jim Florentine, and Ron Zimmerman. Lange was introduced to the show in 1982 by his father, and since became a big fan. He spoke about his invitation to take part in the contest: "There were a lot of great funny guys — guys that were funnier than me ... I remember saying to my manager, 'I am not the most talented guy in this group, but I guarantee that I'm the biggest fan'". After The Norm Show ended in April 2001, Lange returned to New Jersey and sat in on several shows between May and October 2001. Lange thought he blew his chance early on after he learned the jokes he was writing for Stern were not working out. "Instead they said, 'We're just gonna keep your mic on all the time ... if you say something funny, just say it as you." Lange built a rapport with Stern, the show's staff, and the audience. One news reporter credited Lange's "everyman demeanor ... relatable to the average Joe"; another wrote: "a kind of comic Everyman, the person who says what the listener at home might be thinking". Lange was prepared to return to Los Angeles if he did not land the job, but he accepted a contract to join the show full-time which began from October 29, 2001, describing the offer as a "blessing".

In 1999, Lange joined the cast of Macdonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season as Macdonald's half brother, Artie. Lange stayed with the show until its cancellation in 2001 after three seasons. He enjoyed a period of wealth during this time, being paid $35,000 per episode for a show with "ridiculously lame, easy jokes", liked working with his castmates (particularly MacDonald and Laurie Metcalf, who would later portray his mother in Beer League) and lived in a $4,000-a-month condo in Beverly Hills. "Even with that life", Lange added, "creatively I was empty inside". During a 2014 interview with Marc Maron, Lange said that this creative frustration drove him to perform more stand-up comedy as he "came into his own as a comedian" by introducing more "dark," edgy material into his act.

None of Lange's ideas for a show were picked up, but he supported himself by working at comedy clubs around Los Angeles. He also landed a role in a pilot television series which he co-wrote with Sam Cass, in April 1998, subsequently re-written by request from the network. Its title was The King of New York which included Luis Guzmán in its cast. Lange felt the idea was ignored and suddenly pushed through for shooting at the last minute, which affected its quality. Weeks later, Lange accepted a second development deal, this time with NBC worth $350,000. From 1999 to 2000, Lange secured roles in the feature films Mystery Men, The Bachelor, The 4th Floor, and Lost & Found. He also toured as the opening act to Macdonald's stand-up shows.

After his jail term, Lange returned to New Jersey in January 1997 and spent a short time in a psychiatric hospital. He described this time as the "most depressing period" of his life. He returned home afterwards, and fell into a clinical depression. After the producers at Mad TV convinced Lange to complete formal rehabilitation, he spent two months at Honesty House in Stirling, New Jersey. Lange's contract was not renewed for the show's third season, but he made special guest appearances on the fifth, tenth, and fourteenth seasons.

In January 1996, Lange returned to Los Angeles to film the remaining episodes of the first season. Quincy Jones, the show's producer, supported Lange during rehab and sent him over on his private jet. Lange returned to form in his work, ranking his performance in these episodes as "the best I've ever done in sketch comedy", including the creation of his hit character, White Mama. In the summer of 1996, Lange secured his first major acting role for an independent film titled Puppet, starring Rebecca Gayheart and Fred Weller. He wrote, "To this day I have never seen it because I don't think it's possible to purchase a copy of it anywhere ... it was screened in a theater at least once, because my manager went to see it".

In 1995, Lange moved to Los Angeles to star in Mad TV. His arrest for cocaine possession during the second season led to his departure and subsequent rehabilitation. In 1997, Norm Macdonald chose Lange to co-star in his comedy film Dirty Work (1998), which secured Lange further acting roles including Macdonald's sitcom The Norm Show. In 2001, Lange returned to New Jersey and joined The Howard Stern Show and pursued various projects during this time; he released two comedy albums, co-wrote, produced, and starred in his feature film Beer League (2006), and released his first book, Too Fat to Fish (2008), which entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number one.

In September 1992, Lange quit his longshoreman job to focus on a comedy career, giving himself one year to make it at stand-up. During his search for work, his regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City. The flexibility of his taxi job allowed him to perform sets at the clubs and resume work afterwards. Lange's first paid gig as a stand-up followed at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, for a payment of $30. He then became a paid regular for the first time in 1992 at Stand Up NY in Manhattan, followed by Comic Strip Live, where he would perform a 20-minute set from Tuesday to Saturday nights.

Lange cites Richard Pryor, Richard Lewis, and George Carlin as early influences. On July 12, 1987, at age nineteen, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. He recalled, "I bombed for five minutes. Everyone thinks that they can do better. I was unprepared, I mumbled, and I forgot stuff. But I'm proud that I did it." Lange would not attempt stand-up again for another four years. In 1988, Lange took acting classes for three weeks from Sandy Dennis at HB Studio in New Jersey; he quit after he could no longer afford them. In February 1991, Lange supported his family by taking up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark, loading ships at its orange juice pier. In that year alone, Lange earned around $60,000.

Lange attended Union High School, during which he played baseball and became an all-county third baseman. His poor grades required him to attend summer school in order to graduate. In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to impress his girlfriend at the time, by passing the teller a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. Once he saw that the teller took it seriously, he frantically threw the note in a nearby trash can and told teller it was all a joke. However, the teller triggered the silent alarm. His charge was reduced to disorderly conduct which required Lange to pay $500 in court fees and complete 25 hours of community service in March 1986. As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987.

Arthur Steven Lange Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and radio personality best known for his tenures on the sketch comedy series Mad TV from 1995 to 1997 and as Howard Stern's Sidekick on The Howard Stern Show from 2001 to 2009. Raised in New Jersey, Lange first worked as a longshoreman and taxi driver to help support his family, following the death of his quadriplegic father. He debuted as a stand-up comic in 1987 and took up the profession full-time five years later, developing his act in the New York City area.

Between 1947 and 1956 he conducted the Santa Monica Civic Symphony, which he had organized.

Composer, songwriter, author, arranger and conductor Arthur Lange was educated in private music study and later became an arranger for Broadway musicals and dance orchestras. In 1929, he became the head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer music department, and assumed similar duties at other film studios.

He then married Marjorie Joesting, a runner-up for Miss America of 1926.

He joined ASCAP in 1924. Mr.

Lange had two boys by his first wife, from whom he separated in the late 1920s and finally divorced in 1931.