“Southern Hospitality” star Maddi Reese is getting candid about the darkest chapter of her life, and this time, she is doing it alongside one of the Bravo universe’s most well-known voices in the sobriety space.
Maddi Reese Opens Up on Carl Radke’s Podcast
Reese appeared on “More Life With Carl Radke,” the podcast hosted by her fellow Bravolebrity and sober community connection Carl Radke. Page Six highlighted the episode Tuesday, sharing Maddi’s raw admission that before she got sober, “I was super defeated,” and crediting her parents as a major reason she made it to the other side.
Maddi Reese’s Early Struggles With Addiction
It is a significant detail. Maddi’s parents have always been part of her story in a complicated way. When Maddi first opened up about her addiction on “Southern Hospitality” Season 1, she explained that she started drinking at just 12 years old. When her parents bought her a breathalyzer to try to curb it, she switched to drugs instead. Now, more than a decade later, she is crediting those same parents as central to her recovery.
Maddi got sober in April 2014 at age 16, after four stints in treatment. She marked her first anniversary of sobriety with an Instagram post that read: “A lot has changed, couldn’t have done it without my family, friends, and God himself.” Now 12 years sober, she is still saying the same thing.
Carl Radke and Maddi Reese’s Sobriety Connection
The connection with Carl is a natural one. According to Elite Daily, Radke was one of the first people to reach out to Maddi after she shared her story on the show, later inviting her to DJ at Soft Bar, his non-alcoholic venue concept in Brooklyn. “It’s cool to be DJing somewhere people aren’t going to be drunk. I don’t think that’s ever happened in my whole life,” Reese said.
“More Life With Carl Radke” is a Sony Music Entertainment production focused on sobriety, loss, recovery, and reinvention, with Carl sitting down each week with guests navigating their one inner breakthrough, according to Apple Podcasts. Maddi joining the show puts two of Bravo’s most openly sober stars in conversation and gives fans a deeper look at a journey that has played out mostly in glimpses of “Southern Hospitality.”
Why Maddi Reese Stays Open About Recovery
Maddi has spoken before about why she stays so open about her recovery. “I’m super open about it because I want that accountability,” she told People. “I don’t want to be drinking. I don’t want to be using. I know where that road leads me. So talking about it keeps me on that path.”
The Page Six spotlight on this episode is well-timed. “Southern Hospitality” Season 4 is currently airing Wednesdays on Bravo, keeping Maddi squarely in the public eye. Her sobriety story has always been one of the more genuinely compelling threads of the franchise. “I was super defeated” is the kind of admission that reminds viewers there is a real person behind the Republic drama.
“More Life With Carl Radke” drops new episodes every Tuesday.
“Southern Hospitality” Season 4 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo and streams on Peacock.
Image credit: Maddi Reese/Instagram
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