Toolbag extraordinaire Jeremy Piven went on Good Morning America today to clear some things up:
Piven said he was “brought to [his] knees” by his condition and said that on doctor’s orders he “couldn’t do it.”
“The last thing I ever thought about doing was not completing this run. I’ve never not completed anything in my life,” the Emmy-winning actor said. “They pulled me out of this thing, and that’s the truth.”
“You talk about ‘the show must go on,’ this is in my DNA. To have the rap be on me that I walked out on this thing. This was the greatest moment of my life,” he said.
…
But Piven said the effects of the poisoning were nothing to joke about.“It progressed to the point where that final Sunday I was having problems spatially,” he said. The actor said that he had trouble remembering his lines and maintaining his balance and that he was suffering from extreme fatigue.
“You have to understand, I’m not a doctor and I don’t even play one on TV,” Piven said. “I can only speak of how this was playing on me.”
After three days in the hospital, Piven said a cardiologist ordered him to leave the show for “forced rest.”
“He said, ‘You have a resting heart rate of 47. Your body is trying to keep up,’” Piven said.
…
Piven told “GMA” today that fish was his only source of protein for the last 20 years. Piven said he hasn’t had a morsel of fish in five months.
What a drama queen.
ABC also sites the University of Maryland Medical Center, saying that typical treatment for actual cases of mercury poisoning last several months. So it’s surprising that he’s out and about after just a few weeks. Also, he doesn’t explain why he hasn’t had any fish in five months (and anyway, that was well before he started work on Speed-the-Plow, which debuted in November).
So to sum up, he seems to have recovered from his mercury poisoning well enough to make the rounds on morning news programs and attend Golden Globes parties to defend his mercury poisoning excuse, but not enough to return to Broadway. I’m sure the producers of Speed-the-Plow are thrilled to hear that he’s fully recuperated after his relaxing Thai vacation. So that now they can drag his smug butt to court.
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He’s so vain, he even wears the hairpiece when he’s trying to convince everybody he’s sick.
Wait, so…he got mercury poisoning after no longer eating fish…which was so bad he HAD to quit for a condition that requires months of treatment, but he’s fine after a vacation and a model comes to his room…
Yeah. I got mercury poisoning from not eating fish for a few months too. And “forced rest” clearly means “interviews”
What does this mean, “your resting heart rate is 47. Your body is trying to keep up.”
It makes no sense to me. That’s a slow heart rate. And I just looked up symptoms of mercury poisoning and it doesn’t even list any cardiac symptoms.
Wait a minute, I have a resting heart rate of 48. Can I get my cardiologist to excuse me from my job too?
I feel a need to say something.
I’m not a fan of Piven. To the contrary, I can’t stand the guy. But I think it’s wrong to judge how he handled be sick when you’re not in his body to feel what he’s feeling.
I am 23 years old, and I have been sick since age 11 with a neurologic disorder that has spawned 5 other corrosponding disorders in my spine, stomach, heart, and arms. The thing is, if you walked up to me, you would think I’m fine and theres nothing wrong with me. Just because you can’t SEE sickness doesn’t mean it’s not THERE, and I’m SO SICK of this. I look perfectly fine on the outside, but I am in pain on the inside. I got so sick back in 2006 that I spent over a month in the hospital, and in the middle of my stay, I almost died. My doctor told my family it would be wise to make funeral arraingments for me. Is this a different situation? Yes. Does it look like Piven is lying? Yes. He probably is making himself out to be alot sicker than he really is. But you don’t know that. He could be sick on the inside, but forcing himself to go out and about in public. People can be horribly sick on the inside without having it show one bit on the outside. I’m one of those people.
I know what you’re thinking. “I hardly call going out to a party “forcing” themselves to get out and about.” I don’t either. But to say he must not be sick because he went to parties is complete crap. You can be sick with someone permanent, or temporary, and still go about your daily life. But it doesn’t mean you’re not in pain on the inside. And that’s what is pissing me off. Just because he’s not home in bed doesn’t mean he isn’t sick, or wasn’t sick. And for people to judge him and say he’s not when THEY DON’T FEEL WHAT HE IS FEELING is hypocrisy. I have that done to me all the time, and it hurts. You don’t know me, so you have no right to judge me and what I’m going through. It’s the same with him. Nor is anyone his doctor. So it’s not fair to judge when you don’t know ALL the facts. You just don’t.
Maybe he had to stop working on the show because it was grueling. I can’t do anything strenous either, but that doesn’t mean I stay home in bed all day. I can go out and do things, but I need to take a break often. Which means I would be doing the same thing he is now, which is NOT doing a grueling show/work day while still being well enough to go out and do other things. Yes, all the parties may seem to indicate he’s fine, but for all anyone else knows, is he was in the bathroom sick half the night, or maybe sitting down. I have to rest frequently or else I get worn out. Maybe it’s the same in Piven’s case too, where all he would need to do for a break is sit down for awhile to rejuvenate himself while he was at the party.
Obviously, this is a touchy subject with me. I’ve been judged, insulted, and called a liar since I was 11 years old, simply because of the mantra “If she doesn’t look that sick, she obviously can’t be that sick.” And I just felt a need to defend someone else who might be in the position. It’s not fair to judge, no matter how “unsickly” he looks. You can’t say for a fact that he isn’t/wasn’t sick when you are not him, or his doctors. It just isn’t right, nor fair. Could he be milking it for all it’s worth? Yes. Could he be exagerrating about how sick he was? Yes. But he might not be. So it’s not fair to judge someone you don’t even know, solely because looks arent always what they seem.
Thank you. And I’m sorry for the rant, I’ve just been through this myself with people. I have a handicap sticker, because I can’t walk far without feeling like I’m going to collapse. But on the outside, I look fine. And last year I pulled into a handicap spot, only for some women to come up and pick a fight with me because I didn’t look sick, and was taking the parking space away from someone who needed it. And when I tried to defend myself, she called me a liar knocked me to the ground, telling me to lie there and think about what I was doing. All because I didn’t look sick enough to deserve my parking spot. No, this isn’t on the same level, but it’s similar. Just because you can’t see an illness doesn’t mean it’s not there. Please don’t judge people so harshly when you don’t know the full story.
Dani — I feel sorry for what you’ve gone through, but I have to say that you are not in the same category as Jeremy Piven. In fact, I guarantee you are a much better person than he is.
For starters, you can’t get mercury poisoning from eating sushi. Now, if it turns out he’s eating thermometers, he might not be faking it. But the likelihood that he ate enough sushi to actually poison him is, practically speaking, impossible.
Furthermore, his doctor is a total fraud who’s been pulled into court for manipulating lab results on diet pills. Gawker did a whole story on him. So it’s not like he’s a credible source here.
But I don’t want you thinking that we’re accusing him of faking it just because he looks well. We’re accusing him of faking it because it’s far more likely that he just wanted out of his contract and convinced his shady doctor to back him up on this point.
Dani, I’m really sorry to hear about your illness and all the pain and suffering it’s caused you. I hope they find a cure for your condition or at least get to the point where you get some long-term relief.
It’s possible that Jeremy Piven is really sick, but his symptoms and actions don’t appear to align with the illness he claims he has and he let down a lot of people who were counting on him. That’s why Deceiver is jumping all over him about this – the hypocrisy, not being sick.
By the way, did you get the name and contact info of the woman who knocked you down? Because you should, and you should file a police report. Assault isn’t OK, even if the woman thought she was justified. She wasn’t.
Good luck to you.
I had mono once.
*tears well up.*
It’s a miracle! Good Lord Almighty and saints above, it’s a miracle!
Or, Piven is just a douche, which is hardly miraculous.
And Dani, I think your situation is clearly different.
Dani-
I understand where you’re coming from. My MIL has Fibromyalgia, can’t hardly do anything, but all I hear is “that’s not really a disease” from people I know. A lot of people don’t look sick who are.
That said…that’s not what anyone here was saying. We’re not saying he doesn’t look sick. But the truth is…if you’re doctor tells you you HAVE to quit a show and take a rest…then you should do it. Not be on talk shows and whatnot. This isn’t a case of forcing himself to go out and live life despite a long-term condition. What he claims to have is a very specific, short term condition, which he a) doesn’t seem to be showing symptoms of and b) isn’t even attempting to recuperate from the way you are supposed to.
I understand how this is a sensitive issue with you, I really do. I actually have a fun little disability myself that nobody believes (it’s in the eyes, and nobody can see that but me, lucky me). But you’ll just break your heart if you need to defend every douchebag like Piven who is clearly milking this. It’s people like HIM who make people disbelieve people like YOU.
piv’s girlfriend must’ve sucked all the mercury poison out him, so much so that he can make the golden globes and talk show rounds…if anyone should be applauded it should be her…
Dude enough about an HBO star nobody gives a damn about but his butt buddies.
Dani, great informative post. Thank you. Say, I think I know what Piven’s problem is, seeing as how we’ve now been told about his “not” eating fish for a few months. Originally I thought it had to do with the planet Mercury in an older post. I now realize he must have had “mercury-withdrawal” symptoms. Man, I love solving riddles.
Dani, I understand what you mean! It’s like since we aren’t covered in bandages and are walking without assistance, we HAVE to be OK! What people see when we’re out in public is a different story compared to our home lives…. I’m usually in PJ’s covered with heating pads because my body aches so bad after a “normal” day!
I have EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus, basically mono that never goes away) and it went into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome after a stupid nurse-practioner kept treating me for a kidney infection in 2007 and it turned out it was mono (by the time it was detected, it was out of control and nothing could be done). My doctor (infectious disease specialist) has insisted I go on disability, but to do that I’d have to leave college and I can’t do that. SSI says more or less if you can attend school, you can work, and says no to disability, and I can’t justify disability because I am able to function normally enough to attend school and work full-time. People say CFS isn’t a real disease, like Fibromyalgia, but those of us who suffer from it know they’re very real and very painful and they severely limit how we live day to day.
I *look* normal, I live an ordinary life because it’s what I have to do to graduate and once I finish school I intend to work as well… I just have to pace myself and had to do a total lifestyle change. Tonight you’ll see me at a local drag show living it up, but I can assure you the rest of the weekend will be spent taking it easy. I can go on road trips (with my doctor’s clearance, which isn’t often), but I’m usually useless the next day because I’m so exhausted from a long drive. Sometimes I really push the envelope with what I am allowed to do because I miss my old life. When I get sick, I come down with it faster and recover longer because the EBV keeps my immune system busy. Some days I feel sorry for myself, but most days I accept that this is my life now and I still have energy to enjoy myself.
People like Piven make it hard for anyone who isn’t *visually* ill to be taken seriously. For all we know, he may be defying doctor’s orders and doing it anyways… but considering his history for being a real (Summer’s Eve product), that’s highly unlikely.
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
I will be happy to testify to that statement in court.
Dani, I know many people with all kinds of health problems that aren’t readily apparent: heart conditions, diabetes, fibromyalgia, Epstein-Barr, candida, even HIV. If they don’t see the bad days, nobody knows you are actually sick.
But too much of Piven’s story is–if you’ll forgive me–fishy. He may very well have suffered some sort of illness but it may not be mercury poisoning and it may not be nearly as severe as he claims. It seems to most of us that he wanted out of the play for whatever reason and is using an exotic excuse.
Dani, I’m so sorry for your ailments and you are in our prayers. Also, Ani and Pheonix’s MIL! I can relate, as I suffer from serious post-chemo physical problems that cause constant pain that no one but me knows about, and the aches a pains move all over the place and are very inconsistent.
I think that people here have explained very well the contentions with Piven’s story, and I agree. It’s just very weird, especially if his Dr. is one of those so-called “junk scientists” who counsel celebs and courtrooms. Time will tell what comes out in the wash. JP should just stop talking about it, the more he says, the kookier he sounds. :-\
I feel for you Dani. What happened to you in the parking lot is inexcuseable.
But on the converse side, my mother has permanent handicapped tags (mom has a very obvious handicap). My sister is always borrowing her car because of the parking benefits (sister’s only handicap is ethical impairment).
And I’ve been waiting for a Parking Nazi to chew her out, really good, just once.
Because she soooo totally deserves it.
You know, if Tom Hanks canceled his run in a play claiming mercury poisoning everyone would be saying, “Oh poor Tom. I hope he gets better.” Since Piven has a crappy, douchey reputation already, his claims were met with skepticism prior to his model courting and Thai vacation. I don’t think anyone means to give grief to someone with a chronic illness of any kind.
(Tom Hanks may be a major douche but I have yet to read anything about him so I used his as an example of a non-douche actor).
Y’know, I was wearing a Pendleton cap just the other day and was saying to myself, “Yuch. I’ve got to lose this thing. It makes me look like a total douchebag.” Then I saw the pic that you posted here of Piven (same style, only his with a snap-down brim). It’s definitely gone.
Vlad Lennon, Piven could make anything look douchey. Don’t let Piven ruin a good hat (especially if it’s by Pendleton… that’s good stuff there!)
Queen Bee, you’re right, if it was Tom Hanks, people would believe it without question. He’s highly respected and is known for being very dilligent and hard-working. Piven just comes across as lazy and thinking he’s so much better than everyone else. For example, his mother’s usually his “date” for red carpet events. On one hand it seems sweet, until he opens his yap and says no girlfriend/date is worth taking (one may wonder if a girl thinks having Piven as a date is too high of a price to pay to go to Golden Globes, Oscars, whatever). I don’t even know what this jerk is in, what his “relevance” is…. I only know of him because of all his negative press and I don’t think I want to see anything he’s in because of it.
Jannah… by chance have you tried massage therapy for the aches? It works wonders when my body’s sore!
I don’t have much to say about Jeremy Piven, but I’ve been dealing with what might be mercury posioning for a few years now, and it’s no fun to say the least. A filling cracked and I didn’t get it taken care of for a long time. I exercise 5 days a week in the morning but otherwise I’m exhausted and I drive home after work like a zombie. I can have the attention span of an infant and my skin is so sensitive I can’t wear glasses inside my ears. Then there’s the dizzyness and nausea. I’m not looking for pity but if anyone thinks it’s easy having these symptoms, it’s not.
Well, there’s your problem. You’re supposed to put them over your eyes, silly!
Seriously, though, that stinks. If it’s been going on for that long, though, I’d say see a doctor. Might be something else.
No I haven’t tried message overall Ani, just on my hands so far. I will try to do that on a larger scale and see if it helps, thanks!.
P.S. Wow Emerson that’s awful, I hope that you can recover from that very soon! *prayers*
I wonder if that’s what actually happened to Piven and either his McDoctor hasn’t really figured out the true cause, or, JP’s just too embarassed to tell it. ???
I totally understand what Dani & a few of you others are talking about when people judge you as “looking healthy on the outside so you are probably just exaggerating” & being sick on the inside. I was in & out of the hospital most of my life for weeks at a time with Interstitial Cystitis (ages birth to 13) & Severe Strep with Rheumatic Fever for the entire year of age 10…No one believed there was anything wrong with me most of the time until I got so sick I was hospitalized.
Then at age 14, I was (blood test) diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis & other structural problems. My decision was that of every red blooded human being…fight, eat well, push your body & make yourself strong no matter how terrible you feel.
This worked only so well & there are different solutions & limits to different problems BUT at age 24 I started having very strange symptoms such as stomach tingling & burning, numbness & tingling in my hands & feet, strange headaches, visual disturbances, intolerance to medications, & household cleaning products, feeling exhausted & “off” all the time, & having a difficult time remembering simple things even short term, as well as having very difficult time emotionally & mentally coping with stress & mutli-tasking which was my profession (Executive Assistant). There were other symptoms but I am trying to make this as short as I can.
Every doctor I saw would write my symptoms off to different problems, which were NOT solving my problem. Long story short, I found out through hair, urine & blood tests that I DID HAVE MERCURY POISONING!…As well as Lead. I must have seen 15 different doctors ranging from The University of Chicago to Northwestern & none of them could figure it out…none of them even considered Mercury Poisoning & YES YOU CAN GET MERCURY POISONING FROM EATING SUSHI. The Lead came from working with paint as a production artist for many years…Although you can get mercury poisoning from many other sources, Fish was my only protein for 5 years straight & most of it was in fact Sushi.
It took a Holistic MD, a Naturopath, & an Environmental Allergist to figure it out.
It was the most horrible thing I ever could imaging going through in my life & I thank my lucky stars I am still alive because it disabled my immune system & my liver & caused my lower digestive system to “shut down” completely…I don’t think you want details on this but if you do, you will probably take a harder look at the common ways you & those you love are may easily be exposed to heavy metals.
Serious business everybody…I didn’t want to believe it myself actually but most doctors try to treat symptoms & not find the root of a problem…The only way to protect yourself & your loved ones is to become an educated consumer! Information is only as good as the source you hear or read it from & even reputable sources you think you should trust are not always the ones who know enough…research research research! Our world will not progress until we figure out a way to combine both the scientific & natural medical worlds…It is an economic/political battle between the two…like Isreal & Palestine & the worst thing that can happen is if you get really sick & no one can find the answer when you need help & because we humans like to play god, you may end up getting caught in the crossfire.
Many of the symptoms of Mercury Poisoning mimic symptoms of many other diseases & that is why I am posting this comment for those of you with a variety of health problems to educate yourself & DIG!!! Do the research yourself…look it up & you will find that MANY symptoms which can be attributed to Mercury or other Heavy Metal exposure may mimic symptoms of other illnesses.
Good luck to those of you who seek truth! The REAL truth WILL set you free…& one last point…Did you know that the human body has the potential to live 120 years??? The saying, “you are what you eat,” is the key to your survival & the quality of it beyond the disabilities nature deals to some of us unfortunate.
Ciao
What, no shaman? No drum circle?