Jason Ritter’s Ups and Downs Over the Years: His Father’s Death, Struggles With Addiction and More

Credit: Stewart Cook/SHOWTIME

Jason Ritter’s Ups and Downs Over the Years: His Father's Death, Struggles With Addiction and More

Honest about his ups and downs. Jason Ritter has celebrated his triumphs and been candid about his shortcomings over the years. During a March 2023 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the Raise Your Voice actor moved his wife, Melanie Lynskey, to tears by opening up about how his struggles with alcoholism affected the early stages of their romance. “I knew how incredible Melanie was early on,” the Joan of Arcadia alum told host Drew Barrymore when she asked about the moment he knew the Last of Us actress was The One. “But it’s not as cute of a story as you would like to think. It was messy and interesting and weird. But mixed in [with] the mix was — I was dealing with some alcoholism issues.” The California native explained that he didn’t feel like he “deserved” Lynskey during their initial courtship. But after giving up alcohol in late 2013, he began to reexamine his potential to be a good partner. “It was only after maybe a year into not drinking where I started to go, ‘Oh, maybe I can promise some things to someone else. Maybe I can be this person,'” he shared, getting emotional. “I knew that she was incredible. It was working on myself enough to feel like maybe I could be The One for her too.” [jwplayer DpVIeXgq-zhNYySv2] Ritter and the Togetherness alum got engaged in 2017 before spontaneously tying the knot on their front porch in 2020. The duo welcomed their daughter, whose name has not been publicly revealed, in 2018. The You’re Not You actor shared a glimpse into how fatherhood had transformed him on his first Father’s Day in June 2019. “I’m putting this here as a record of my gratitude to my daughter who is making this the best #FathersDay in quite a while and to @melanielynskey who has changed my life forever in the best way. I’m so lucky to have you both in my life,” he wrote via Twitter at the time. The New York University alum lost his own father, actor John Ritter, when the Three's Company alum died suddenly of aortic dissection in 2003. He was 54. During an August 2020 conversation with ET Canada, Jason revealed the “main thing” he learned from his parents that he continues to pass down to his daughter. “A huge thing from my dad and mom [Nancy Morgan] is how they always made sure we knew we were loved,” he shared. “They said it a million times. You can pass all kinds of stuff onto your kids, but the feeling of being loved, unconditionally, is so important — knowing you can mess up or fail and they’ll never go, ‘Well, we loved you until that moment. Too bad!’” Keep scrolling to see Ritter’s ups and downs over the years:

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

1999

The Parenthood alum began dating Scottish actress Marianna Palka. 

Credit: Youtube

2003

Jason nabbed his first big film role, playing Will Rollins in the horror flick Freddy vs. Jason. 

During a January 2023 interview with Nicki Swift, the actor recalled making small talk on set with Robert Englund, who played the murderous Freddy Krueger in the film. 

“[It was] bizarre to have Freddy Krueger, the man who is such a terrifying character, be so nice and just chatting. He told me he had met my mom years ago and said, ‘Oh, she was great,’ and I said, ‘I know that you're talking to me as Robert, but you're in full makeup, and it's terrifying,’" he said. 

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

2003

The Kevin (Probably) Saves the World alum suffered a loss when his father, John, died of aortic dissection at 54. 

During a March 2010 interview with HuffPost, Jason revealed that his father’s death made him “realize how fragile we all are.”

He continued: “At the end of the day, you can be a health freak or a body builder, but a truck might hit you. Or you might be a huge, larger than life personality and it could all be taken away in the next second. I learned to tell people in my life how I feel about them a little bit more.”

The actor added that his dad died right before he started appearing on Joan of Arcadia. 

“My character [on the show] dealt with his tragedy by making fun of it all the time. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I started to do that myself. And it's not the healthiest way to deal with it,” he shared. 

Credit: Present/Kobal/Shutterstock

2008

The Gravity Falls alum coproduced and costarred in the film Good Dick alongside Palka, who also wrote and directed the comedy drama. 

Credit: Scott Kirkland/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2012

Jason earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series for his portrayal of Mark Cyr in Parenthood. 

Credit: Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2013

The Tale actor and Palka split after 14 years of dating. The exes remained close friends and played husband and wife in the 2017 dark comedy Bitch, written and directed by Palka. 

Jason sang his ex’s praises for a November 2017 IndieWire profile about her work.

“She has always grabbed life by the throat and made the most of it,” he said of the filmmaker. “There’s always been a sense of urgency to her work, and that has only strengthened. She’d always rather get into unexplored territory, emotional and otherwise.”

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

2013

The Frozen II voice actor met Lynskey while filming The Big Ask. The twosome started dating shortly after. 

Credit: Youtube

2013

Jason starred opposite Alexis Bledel in a sitcom called Us & Them. Although Fox picked up the series, the network canceled the show in October 2013 before it premiered. 

“It felt kind of embarrassing at first," the actor told Bustle in 2014 of the premature cancellation. However, after watching the episodes back, he felt relieved to realize he was still proud of the project.

“It was really sweet and good and funny and nice. That was a nice thing, to go, ‘OK, this is one of those strange decisions that gets made in a room, and who knows why or what, but at least we weren’t just making a total stinker of a show,'" Jason said. 

Sony Crackle later picked up the series’ seven episodes for streaming in October 2018.

Credit: Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2017

Lynskey announced during a February appearance on Hollywood Today Live that she and her We'll Never Have Paris costar were engaged. The Up in the Air actress revealed that her then-fiancé had proposed while they were on the sofa. “It was cute,” she said. 

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

2018

The engaged actors quietly welcomed their daughter, whose name they have not revealed.

“@JasonRitter and I had a daughter in December. We love her so much; she’s perfect. Thanks to everyone for your sweet messages,” Lynskey wrote via Twitter in January 2019. 

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

2020

Jason and Lynskey quietly exchanged vows. During a May 2022 appearance on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, the Mrs. America actress explained why they’d had such an impromptu wedding.

“I was going to Canada for Yellowjackets and I was on the phone with somebody and they said, ‘Oh, he won’t be allowed in,'" she explained. “I was like, ‘We have a child. What? I can’t leave for six months,’ so, I was like, ‘We have to get married tomorrow.’”

The Two and a Half Men alum continued: “We got married on our front porch of our little rental house in Atlanta. [A] nice lady came and married us. We had two friends there.”

Credit: Stewart Cook/SHOWTIME

March 2023

During a joint appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show with Lynskey in March, Jason recalled feeling like he didn’t deserve his wife during the early stages of their relationship due to his struggles with alcohol addiction.

“It was only after maybe a year into not drinking where I started to go, ‘Oh, maybe I can promise some things to someone else. Maybe I can be this person,'” he explained, blinking back tears.

Lynskey, for her part, got visibly emotional while praising her husband.

“He worked so hard,” she said. “He did so much work on himself, I’m so proud of him.”