Columbus Short Admits Scandal Departure Was Due to Substance Abuse: ''I Was Doing Cocaine and Drinking a Lot''

"I'll be candid: I was struggling with drugs," the 32-year-old thesp shared

By Alyssa Toomey Dec 11, 2014 8:48 PMTags
Columbus Short Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Hollywood Domino

Following an abrupt departure from the hit show Scandal, Columbus Short is coming clean about his own personal struggles. 

In a revealing interview with Access Hollywood Live, the 32-year-old actor, who was arrested and charged with battery after an alleged bar fight in March, admits he was struggling with substance abuse at the time—specifically cocaine and alcohol. 

"I'll be candid: I was struggling with drugs," the thesp, who played Harrison Wright on the ABC drama, shared. "I had a lot on my plate, and you know, I was using unhealthy ways to kind of self-medicate and deal with a lot of heavy duty stuff in my life…I was doing cocaine and drinking a lot, and trying to balance a 16-hour work schedule a day, and a family, and I just lost myself back then."

Courtesy of Todd Oren/Getty Images for John Varvatos

It's no secret that it's been a tumultuous year for the Kansas City-born star. This past Valentine's Day, Short was charged with misdemeanor spousal battery, and in March, he was arrested and charged with one count of felony battery with serious bodily injury stemming from his alleged involvement in a bar fight in Los Angeles earlier that month.

Less than 30 days later, his second wife, Tuere Tanee filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences in addition to obtaining a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband. In court documents, she alleged that he had yelled at her abusively, spilled wine on her and held a knife close to her throat during an argument in which he threatened to kill her and himself.

"I was going through a lot, going through a lot in my marriage, I had a lot of loss, tragic loss, so it's tough," he said, noting that the drugs were part of a "numbing" process. "Last year, one of my best friends died, he killed himself, Lee Thompson Young, and that kind of started a spiral. I found out when I was on set, and it really just, it took my legs out from under me."

Miguel Aguilar, PacificCoastNews

In the wake of the abuse allegations, it was announced that Short would not be returning for Scandal's fourth season, and he issued a statement in which he thanked Shonda Rimes "for the opportunity to work with such an amazing cast." 

During his interview with Access, Short acknowledged that the TV creator and his fellow co-stars were aware of his struggles and they simply wanted to see the actor get help.

"If we're going to be fully transparent, they protected me and they held me down," he said. "And that was one of the real reasons–they just wanted me to get my stuff together. Sometimes the bottom has to be dropped out for you to really get it. So I moved to Atlanta. I've been living there for the last five months, five-and-a-half months, and it's just been great. It's been life-changing."

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ABC/Ron Tom

The actor also gave advice for others struggling with drug abuse. "I think when anybody's dealing with drugs or alcohol, you need to change your environment, period," he insisted. "Persons, places, things, you need to get out of whatever the comfort–it was accessible to me. Come on–I'm on the number one show on television, anything I wanted I could get it, but that's deadly, you know what I mean? So it was about, how do I change my life?"

After moving to Atlanta, Short began the healing process, noting that "music became my therapy." He has since returned to Los Angeles, but he admitted that it took "five or six months for me to get strong enough to come back to L.A. and do what I have to do" (he has been ordered by a judge to remain in Los Angeles). 

As for his future on Scandal

The actor, who called himself a "gladiator no matter what" revealed, "I'm really ready to get back to work. As far as Shonda's shows, I would love nothing more to go back to Scandal. It's my family." 

Do you think Short deserves a second chance? Tell us in the comments. 

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