KJ Apa 'forced to get sober' when son was born
The 28-year-old actor admitted the birth of his four-year-old son Sasha - who he has with former partner Clara Berry - made him look carefully at his life and make a lot of changes.
Speaking to Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy, KJ said: 'It forced me to chill. It also forced me to get sober.
'A lot of things that I realised I had to button up, I buttoned up. Yes, and I realised that there's no other way for me to do it.'
AJ admitted he got "lost" in the trappings of fame when his show Riverdale became successful and spent a lot of time partying until his son came along and "saved" him.
He said: "Sasha being a gift that saved my life. I truly believe having Sasha saved my life.
'You know you have a kid and then suddenly you understand the idea of murder, you know that, like you can empathise with why someone would kill someone...
'Because you love someone so much. And that's the same feeling that I go, 'I love you so much more than me.' I have to sacrifice all these things for you. And that's what a good parent does.'
KJ also reflected on becoming a dad at the age of 24, noting many of his friends are not yet at that stage in their lives.
He said: 'It comes with its pros and cons."
The actor was first romantically linked to Clara in 2019 but in May 2024, she confirmed they were no longer together and "everything is better".
She explained on a Q+A on social media: 'I think it's better to have parents, who are separated, who are happy and who can be the best version of themselves, than staying together in a situation that it not working."
However, although Clara noted things were "going well" in co-parenting with KJ, she also admitted it wasn't always an easy situation to deal with.
She said: 'I am not with my son 50 percent of the time and therefore won't know 50 percent of his life. That is something that is hard to accept."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Perth Now
KJ Apa 'forced to get sober' when son was born
KJ Apa was "forced to get sober" after becoming a dad. The 28-year-old actor admitted the birth of his four-year-old son Sasha - who he has with former partner Clara Berry - made him look carefully at his life and make a lot of changes. Speaking to Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy, KJ said: 'It forced me to chill. It also forced me to get sober. 'A lot of things that I realised I had to button up, I buttoned up. Yes, and I realised that there's no other way for me to do it.' AJ admitted he got "lost" in the trappings of fame when his show Riverdale became successful and spent a lot of time partying until his son came along and "saved" him. He said: "Sasha being a gift that saved my life. I truly believe having Sasha saved my life. 'You know you have a kid and then suddenly you understand the idea of murder, you know that, like you can empathise with why someone would kill someone... 'Because you love someone so much. And that's the same feeling that I go, 'I love you so much more than me.' I have to sacrifice all these things for you. And that's what a good parent does.' KJ also reflected on becoming a dad at the age of 24, noting many of his friends are not yet at that stage in their lives. He said: 'It comes with its pros and cons." The actor was first romantically linked to Clara in 2019 but in May 2024, she confirmed they were no longer together and "everything is better". She explained on a Q+A on social media: 'I think it's better to have parents, who are separated, who are happy and who can be the best version of themselves, than staying together in a situation that it not working." However, although Clara noted things were "going well" in co-parenting with KJ, she also admitted it wasn't always an easy situation to deal with. She said: 'I am not with my son 50 percent of the time and therefore won't know 50 percent of his life. That is something that is hard to accept."
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Charlie Brooker teases sequel to 'horrible' Black Mirror episode
Charlie Brooker would consider a sequel to Black Mirror's "f****** horrible" season opener. The 54-year-old writer and showrunner launched the most recent series of his dark anthology show with Common People, following a couple who take on a lifesaving technology only for the subscription model to steadily price them out of vital features. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I would never want to say no. I love a fake advert in something, and that was the closest I've gotten to actually having a dystopian, blackly comedic advert in the middle of Black Mirror. 'There's a lot more you could do with that technology, so I certainly wouldn't rule it out." In the episode, Mike (Chris O'Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones) sign up to the Riverdale app after she's diagnosed with a brain tumour. However, corporate greed soon takes centre stage as the couple struggle to pay for life saving features, as they find themselves arguing with Rivermind worker Gaynor. Charlie added: "Gaynor is still around — presumably still working for Rivermind — and we do love an Easter egg in the show.' The episode was a dark one, but the creator admitted there were some plot points they cut out due to either time restrictions or being too close to concepts explored in past episodes. He said: "We ended up cutting out even more horrible things, and it's still pretty f****** horrible.' Other ideas included all food tasting "of boiled potatoes unless you pay an extra $70". The original concept for the script was "a lighthearted episode about somebody who advertises things all the time", but the premise took a more sinister turn. He revealed: "There was originally a whole privacy layer in there that I stripped because it was a little too similar to a bit in Joan Is Awful, which was an episode last season that Ally Pankiw also directed. "Originally, there was a line [in the script] where they're asking about how the commercials are suited to the situation they're in, and they're realising that it's monitoring everything they're saying and doing. "It's watching her in the classroom, watching them in bed together. They've got no privacy anymore, and you can opt out of that, but that costs them $2,000 a month, or whatever it was."
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler 'doesn't want to tour' and 'can't tour', according to Joe Perry
Steven Tyler "doesn't want to tour and can't tour," according to bandmate Joe Perry. Only last month, the legendary rock band's guitarist suggested they could make their live return. He has now cast doubt on the band hitting the road, given Tyler's serious vocal injury that saw him fracture his larynx as well as having damaged vocal cords. However, Perry hasn't completely ruled out one final show and suggested it could be part of a documentary they are in talks for. He told WBUR: 'I would bet that there's an Aerosmith show left. 'There's been talk about doing a documentary; that might be part of it. I've been spending a lot of time with Steven and he just doesn't want to tour, and he can't tour.' He admitted: 'It's tough. I'm not sure I would want to go out and book another 40-city tour. It's a long way to the top and staying there takes it out of you, especially an Aerosmith tour." During an appearance on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk in July, Perry was asked if fans could ever see Aerosmith on stage again, to which the musician replied: "Well, yeah, I'm always hoping, but going on the road, it's a big deal pulling that together.' Perry, 74, also admitted that touring is now much more demanding for him and his Aerosmith bandmates because they are not young men anymore. He added: "There's so much planning, and what it takes out of you physically, it's a lot more than people realise." 'It's one thing when you're doing it when you're 25 or 30, but it's another when you're starting to get up there like us. It's a really physical thing, going out on stage.' Love in an Elevator songwriter Perry is sure that Tyler would be able to sing a full concert again if he could get the strength back in his voice. Asked if he could perform a full show, Perry said: "You know, I think he would. I think it's just a matter of getting there, you know? I mean, it's like, you know, I mean, we're up there, man. "I've got enough left in me. I still wanna do [a final Aerosmith show]... So, we'll see what happens.' Tyler, 77, made his first public performance since Aerosmith announced their retirement in January when he sang at a Janie's Fund charity event. Perry is touring across the US this summer with his group The Joe Perry Project. Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring in August 2024 due to Tyler's inability to sing live due to his injury. The band's statement read: "As you know, Steven's voice is an instrument like no other. "He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We've seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. "Sadly, it is clear that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heart-breaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage."
