20/20 on Phil and Brynn Hartman

Brynn's family sued Zoloft and got $100K with no admission of guilt.

Phil Hartman was probably one of the top five SNL stars ever. And, he was there when the majority of the cast was great.

Unlike now, when people seem to get hired as much for their obvious mental/social pathologies as for their comedic talent.

He was gay but repressed it not very convincingly.

I thought the letter she sent to his second wife after the birth of their first child should have tipped Phil off. It was something out of Fatal Attraction.

That was fucking tragic. It still is. He should've gotten together with Jan Hooks. They might both still be alive. I hope his kids are okay.

He seemed to have had no concept of how unstable she was or what kind of danger he was in, that's what's really creepy about it.

Did his female costars go to all the memorials for him? Like throwing his ashes into the water? Or just the men? He was very talented but I think he only valued women for sex. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a fling with Jan Hooks & dumped her.

Wasn't that kind of explained by him working all the time and spending as little time with her as possible?

How did they meet and was he a former cokehead too?

Andy Dick gave her coke at a party and Jon Lovitz felt that was the catalyst for her losing control and killing Phil. He blames Dick for being, well, a dick.

He didn't want to spend time with Brynn but as the piece pointed out, he liked spending time with his male friend, and a lot of time. I didn't know if they were hinting at a gay romance, although the other guy categorically denied it.

Joe Rogan lived in phil's guesthouse for a number of years.

He was completely overrated.

Hartman's drug use was not really exposed, at least during and post SNL. He was portrayed as someone who was perpetually stone on weed.

I think Brynn was the more interesting of the two, at least the more compelling story, even without the murder/suicide. As much as he was a Hollywood Fairy Tale, she was the cautionary tale.

His second wife said that they went to a beautiful hotel on their anniversary, and she surprised him by stripping naked and jumping on top of him in bed. He said something like "Really?" She put her clothes on and sat and read a book by herself. His friend said that he took Brynn to Catalina. Phil loved Catalina because he could get away from it all, I guess that especially meant Brynn and he could be with his male friend. Brynn hated it and his friend said that he thought Phil somehow arranged it that way, made her seasick and so she'd never want to go there again.

He HAD to be gay r14. No straight man would pass up pussy being thrown at him like that unless he thought she was disgusting.

My thought R15.

I don't think he was gay. Throughout the '70s he went to parties at the Playboy mansion, fucked groupies (he was involved in rock music early in his career), etc. A special I saw on Hulu posited that after the honeymoon period was over with a woman he was in a relationship with, he would shut down and ice them out. He did it to all his exes, apparently. But only the last one was bonkers enough to kill him over it.

Sorry r15 and r16, many straight men, especially if they're rich, are done with their wives pretty quickly and want to be around other men for comapnionship and younger, more attractive women for sex.

I read a story about him where it was said that he would get a new girlfriend and have constant sex with her, then one day he’d tire of her, ignore her, get a new girlfriend and the same cycle would start up again. He was kind if known for it among his friends. He’d be obsessed with having sex with a new wife or girlfriend & they’d wonder how long it would last until it wore off.

Did he frequent any aquariums in LA?

I don't think he was gay. The show was pretty clear about how he got bored of the women in his life. But it seems like maybe he was too much of a passive agressive wimp to break up with them. So, instead, he was rude and neglectful towards them until they couldn't take it anymore, and they broke up with him. Except Brynn. When he disappeared for long periods of time without saying anything, most women would have dumped him and sued for alimony and child support. But Brynn was desperate to hold the marriage together. At this point, most women would have dumped his ass and sued him for child support and palimony. But Brynn didn't want to lose her connection to celebrity, and she felt that he owed it to her to get her acting jobs.

R21, I don't think Phil wanted the marriage to end, either, despite his abuse. It would be his third divorce, he didn't want to be seen as a three-time loser.

That was the pattern of my het friends I think he's been partnered every day since he was in 8th grade. He's left two families now. It's like one day a switch just flips and he goes from intensely in love (I figured out about 25 years ago that he only loves himself) to nothing. I quit giving a shit when he abandoned his first wife and kid for a crazy Korean girl.

Brynn Hartman looked like a bimbo. Period. The Hartmans' relationship reminds me of when Kelsey Grammer was married to Camille Grammer.

Here's Kelsey and Camille Grammer, for comparison.

R23 Did he ever experiment with you?

R15, some straight guys want to be the ‘aggressor’ and feel threatened when their wives or girlfriends initiate sex. They’re pathologically insecure control freaks.

Rumors were that Brynn was a.......well, think of the FLOTUS.

Just based on the 20/20 segment Phil wouldnt have been an easy person to live with. If it hadnt been for her bogus hollywood aspirations they both would maybe still be alive. She wanted to be a movie star and didnt really have looks to push her over the top nor any talent. Phil should have leveled with her and told her to focus on a different career. He could have financed her into something that she could have focused her energy on. She was in Los angeles tho, about to hit 40 and not realizing her amibitions. Its a deadly scenerio for some not well grounded in reality. Being gone alot on purpose and spending very little time with your spouse is not the answer either. He should have filed for divorce a few years before or never gotten married in the first place.

"Hey Ya," OutKast.

ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), "Turn to Stone."

Frau here. His love-bombing, hot sex that suddenly turns cold is common in ambitious men who've made some money. The idea of losing his children and a 3rd divorce before 50 was leverage. Brynn, a very troubled woman, used it to maintain her tenuous link to show biz. I was happy to hear they did have complete Estate Planning and the children were sent to relatives, somewhere safe.

Thank Heavens someone was thinking of the children!

She may have been nuts, but I don’t think he was the sweetheart people try to portray him to be. Judging by the way he treated the women before her, he very well could have been emotionally abusive or someone who liked to gaslight and make the other person think they were the problem. Also, comedians aren’t exactly known for being for their wonderful behavior when the cameras are off.