Dana Carvey Opens Up about the Pain of Losing His Son to an Overdose
- Mel Johnson GodUpdates Contributor
- Updated Jan 26, 2024
Months after Dana Carvey tragically lost his son, Dex, to an accidental overdose, he returned to work on his podcast Fly On The Wall. And there, he opened up to his cohost, fellow comedian David Spade, about the grief he and his family are navigating after their devastating loss.
Many may remember comedian Dana Carvey from his time on the late-night comedy show, Saturday Night Live. He made millions laugh with his impersonation of George W. Bush and skits like Wayne’s World and Hans and Franz. But perhaps his most memorable character came from Church Chat with the Church Lady.
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The Church Lady Saturday Night Live
The Church Lady from Saturday Night Live is a character Dana Carvey came up with himself. Before the comedian brought her to life on SNL, the Church Lady started as a bit he would do during his time as a stand-up comic.
The character originated from Dana’s experience growing up in the church.
“Remember when your family would miss church for a couple Sundays, and then you’d show up sort of embarrassed and have to make an excuse?” he explained during an interview with David Letterman. “The church ladies would be there-they were the people that just never left the church. They were waiting out in front; they like lived there.”
Sadly, we’ve likely all experienced a judgmental attitude from a believer at some point. While God is full of mercy and grace, humans are flawed and fallible. And sometimes we can forget that God hasn’t asked us to play judge and jury.
It’s that relatability that made the Church Lady such a success. The character’s popularity surprised even Dana Carvey!
“[I’m still] shocked the character got so popular,” he said, “but I guess everybody knows a ‘church lady.'”
WATCH: Dana Carvey Talks About The Church Lady From Saturday Night Live
Since his time on SNL, Dana Carvey and his wife have raised two sons, Dex and Thomas. Yet, no matter how old they may be, it will never feel right for a parent to outlive their child.
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Dana Carvey and his wife experienced every parent’s worst nightmare in November 2023 when they received a call notifying them of their son Dex’s death.
“Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy,” the family announced in a statement on social media. “Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 32 years old.”
Dana Carvey On Dex And His Overdose
Grief is never an easy thing. And going through it in the public eye can only make it more difficult. So, when Dana Carvey returned to work, he tackled head-on the subject of losing his son Dex.
“You probably know about my family’s loss,” Dana said to listeners in his first episode back on Fly On The Wall.
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And he later went on to address his decision to return to work amid such a difficult time.
“I decided to come back to the podcast because I think, you know, it's a long day when you're not working, and you get in your head. And I think it's going to be a great break. And I think it's really cool to laugh," he explained.
Dana Carvey explained that the loss of Dex is something he, his wife, and his younger son, Thomas, are working through together by continuing to push forward.
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"We're all together,” he said. “We do a lot of fun things. We hike, go to church. You just want to make sure that you keep moving."
In addition to the support of his family, Dana touched on how much the love and encouragement he’s received from others has meant during their grieving.
“The amount of outpouring online and emailing and people I still haven’t been able to call back is incredible,” he said.
Help For The Hurting
Because of the stigma that exists around addiction, Dana Carvey and his family could have chosen to keep the details of Dex’s death private. But they’ve been open about the situation and have encouraged those facing similar struggles to seek help.
"To anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction, you are in our hearts and prayers," Dana wrote online.
Dana Carvey and his family are showing such courage by sharing Dex’s story. It’s not easy to open up about such a painful topic. But in doing so, may it provide comfort and inspiration for others experiencing addiction.
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If you know someone who is dealing with an addiction or mental health issue, or you are struggling with it yourself, please reach out for help. In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.
This article first appeared at GodUpdates.com. Used with permission.
Image credit: ©Getty Images / Paul Morigi / Stringer
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
