Whatever Happened To Brett Butler

Actress, writer, and comedian, Brett Butler (born Brett Anderson) rose to stardom in the '90s (along other sitcom moms of the era) as the titular character on ABC's hit sitcom, "Grace Under Fire." Butler portrayed single mom Grace Kelly, on the Chuck Lorre-produced hit show. Butler's path to television success began with a 1987 appearance on "The Tonight Show," which was followed by an appearance on "Dolly," a variety series led by country music legend, Dolly Parton. Butler impressed the legendary singer so much during her appearance that Parton later offered her a writer's job on the series. Although the series was quickly canceled, it helped open doors for Butler who, a few years later in 1993, would land her career-making role in "Grace Under Fire."

The show was a huge success, lasting for five seasons and earning Butler two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in the Television Musical or Comedy category and a People's Choice Awards win for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series in 1994. Unfortunately, Butler's personal struggles began affecting her professional life and the show was eventually canceled in 1998, following its fifth season.

The first signs of struggles on the set of "Grace Under Fire" came after legendary show creator Chuck Lorre, who was then coming off six seasons of success with the "Roseanne" show, was booted from the show after one season. In a 2012 interview with IGN, actor Dave Thomas, who played Russell Norton on the show, confirmed that Lorre's exit was due to a power struggle between him and Brett Butler. He further described the experience of working on "Grace Under Fire" as challenging due to Butler's instability, admitting that he tried exiting the show twice but could not due to contractual obligations. Later, after the third season of the show, child actor Jon Paul Steuer, who played Quentin Kelly, also left. Rumors circulated that the actor's mother removed him from the show after Butler allegedly flashed her breasts at him.

Butler's issues with substance abuse particularly began impacting the show during its third and fourth seasons. Another cast member, Julie White, who played Nadine Swoboda, left the show after its fourth season, also citing Butler's erratic behavior as a reason. Butler eventually sought help for her issues, which led to a delay in the production of season five. Filming eventually resumed but the actress would relapse, once again throwing the show into a tailspin. With ratings declining and Butler becoming increasingly unreliable, on February 17, 1998, ABC pulled the plug on the show.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Following the cancellation of "Grace Under Fire," Brett Butler moved far away from Hollywood to Rome, Georgia. She didn't abandon acting entirely in the immediate years after. However, she was selective of her roles, which included a guest appearance in 2005 on the hit sitcom "My Name is Earl" and that same year she starred in the film "Mrs. Harris." Years later, in 2011, she appeared on "The Rosie Show" where she discussed her struggles with addiction and confirmed that she'd been sober since 1998. That same year, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Butler said that things had gotten so financially difficult for her that she'd spent time in a homeless shelter. However, years later, in a 2021 profile with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress said she had been paid to fabricate the story, denying that she'd ever been homeless. 

Despite her setbacks, Butler continued working steadily, with several high-profile television credits. Her longest-running television role was as the recurring character Brett on the Charlie Sheen-led FX series "Anger Management," a role that was offered to her by Sheen. Having gone through his own high-profile troubles, Sheen acknowledged that he saw a bit of himself in Butler and her struggles. She also appeared in critically and commercially successful series, such as "How to Get Away With Murder," "The Walking Dead," and "The Morning Show." However, as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Hollywood productions, Butler fell on hard times again, resulting in a GoFundMe account created on her behalf by a friend.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In the aftermath of "Grace Under Fire" ending, Butler eventually found herself embracing her self-professed psychic abilities and working as a medium. In a 2017 interview with the publication Anti-Heroin Chic, the actress expanded on an out-of-body experience she had that helped propel her psychic abilities. She also acknowledged that unsurprisingly, some of her friends were skeptical and in fact, found the whole thing embarrassing. In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, Butler clarified that she understood the reaction, noting, "No one rolls their eyes at this more than I do at this. But it's real."

Despite others' skepticism, Butler forged ahead with a career as a psychic medium, offering psychic readings, which she advertised on her website. One fan, Mike, documented his experience of getting a psychic reading from Butler on his website Geek With Muscles. He described the experience as "the most emotional, enjoyable, funny, and validating hour of conversation I've had in recent memory." It is unclear if Butler is still regularly practicing as a medium, as her website has not been updated since 2017. The actress did pursue the idea of a reality show focused on her career as a psychic medium but could not find any networks willing to support the pitch.

Despite a fairly minimal online presence and scarce recent interviews, Butler has not completely vanished from Hollywood. In 2023, she appeared on an episode of Fox's "Fantasy Island" reboot. She is also attached to three upcoming projects, including the 2025 drama "Chiquita," and the not-yet-scheduled comedies, "Big Mike's Cabin" and "Beach Cougar Gigolo." In her last high-profile interview with The Hollywood Reporter, despite acknowledging the financial difficulties she was facing, Butler maintained a positive outlook for the future.

She is hopeful about an eventual return to her stand-up comedy roots. She revealed that she had started writing a few jokes, something she hadn't done in years. Butler acknowledged how grateful she was to have the chance to write again, noting, "I was so grateful. It was like something I did at the beginning when there was no roof on my dreams." With multiple upcoming projects, signs point to things moving in a positive direction for Butler.