Andy Dick spoke out in defense of the cameraman who was present for his apparent drug overdose, noting the criticized documentarian actually tried to help him during the near-death experience.
During Tuesday’s episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, the actor, who confirmed he’s currently sober and living in a recovery residence, weighed in on the almost fatal incident, which went viral after it was published on TMZ in December.
“Listen, I’ll tell you to get him off the hook, and I’m not trying to get him off the hook, because he didn’t do anything,” Dick said in defense of the cameraman, named Adam, who joined him for the podcast interview. “I was kidding about him getting good shots [of the overdose]. If you look at it, he’s there with no camera trying to pick me up.”
Dick’s defense came after Mandel confronted Adam directly, who he accused of “exploiting” Dick’s addiction by filming him during more than one low moment. However, as Dick clarified, Adam has been following him around for many years for an unnamed documentary project.
Though, Mandel was not initially swayed by this explanation, adding, “You’re directing a documentary, but that’s exploitation … Because [Dick] should have been taken to a center or some place.”
At this comment, Adam chimed in and explained that he actually helped [Dick] get into rehab.
“Yeah, I saved his life. I called 911,” he added, before explaining that footage found on TMZ was not from his camera. Although, Dick encouraged the cameraman to not “mention that guy’s name,” fearing Mandel would call him out as well.
While Mandel apologized to the cameraman, the “America’s Got Talent” star explained that he felt Dick wasn’t surrounded by “helpful people.”
“If you see somebody in your periphery that needs help … You helped him when he was dead,” Mandel noted. “But I’m just saying get him out of there.”
Dick was found unresponsive on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, Calif. three months ago, where footage showed him seemingly being administered Narcan — a life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. Per Dick, he was “purple” and “not breathing” during the apparent overdose, sharing he remembered “waking up in the ambulance.”
“The Andy Dick Show” star said his memory has been impacted in the aftermath of the overdose, noting that doctors told him a CT scan showed he had “about five to seven holes” in his brain.
Watch Dick’s full appearance above.
