Months after tragically losing his son, Dex, to an accidental overdose, Dana Carvey returned to work on his podcast “Fly On The Wall.” There, he opened up to his cohost, fellow comedian David Spade, about the grief he and his family are traversing after their devastating loss.
Many remember Dana Carvey from his time on “Saturday Night Live,” where he made millions laugh with his impersonations of George W. Bush and skits like Wayne’s World and Hanz and Franz. However, his most memorable character came from Church Chat with the Church Lady. Since his time on “SNL,” Dana Carvey and his wife raised two sons, Thomas and Dex. Still, no matter how old they may be, it will never feel right for a parent to outlive their child.
In November 2023, Dana Carvey and his wife experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when they received a call notifying them of their son Dex’s death. The family announced in a statement on social media, “Last night, we suffered a terrible tragedy. Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 32 years old.” Grief is never an easy thing. And going through it in the public eye can only make it more difficult. So, when Dana Carvey returned to work, he tackled the subject of losing his son Dex head-on.
“You probably know about my family’s loss,” Dana said to listeners in his first episode back on “Fly On The Wall.” He later went on to address his decision to return to work amid such a difficult time. Carvey explained, “I decided to come back to the podcast because I think, you know, it’s a long day when you’re not working, and you get in your head. And I think it’s going to be a great break. And I think it’s really cool to laugh.”
Dana Carvey explained that the loss of Dex is something he, his wife, and his younger son, Thomas, are working through together by continuing to push forward. He said, “We’re all together. We do a lot of fun things. We hike, go to church. You just want to make sure that you keep moving.” In addition to the support of his family, Dana touched on how much the love and encouragement he’s received from others has meant during their grieving. Carvey added, “The amount of outpouring online and emailing and people I still haven’t been able to call back is incredible.”
Due to the stigma that exists around addiction, Dana Carvey and his family could have chosen to keep the details of Dex’s death private. But they’ve been open about the situation and have encouraged those facing similar struggles to seek help. He wrote online, “To anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction, you are in our hearts and prayers.”
Dana Carvey and his family are showing such courage by sharing Dex’s story. It’s not easy to open up about such a painful topic. But in doing so, may it provide comfort and inspiration for others experiencing addiction.