Actor Craig Chester Reveals he was Homeless for a Year (2019-2020)

Her face dropped and it hit me - this was serious - I was homeless - it had happened so fast. I called more people. No one called me back and I wound up living in my car - with my 14 year old dog - for a year....I was oblivious about the subject of homelessness - because it is equated with alcoholism and drug addiction, people assumed i had brought this on myself and detached, beleving that abadoning me would teach me a lesson, but I was not drinking or using drugs - what would be a daily fight for my survival was seen as a reckless act of self destruction - no one believed a word I said - about the asbestos, about my foot, and I was caught up in the maelstrom of 12-step culture going mainstream, it was like being in a Hitchcock movie where you have to prove your innocence and I realized that what i thought about homelessness was almost entirely wrong. I thought homeless people were hungry but there is plenty of food - what I didnt know is that - due to loitering laws - you never ever sleep. Can never stay put - and your entire day, every day, is about where to go to the bathroom - like Jackie Beat's song in my movie, "Shit happens"....after three weeks, I was that Homeless Guy, beard, crazy hair, screaming at people, delirious from lack of sleep. my adrenals shot. You cannot solve your problems when you are homeless. You cannot get out of it unless someone grabs you and pulls you to shore, the current is too strong. My mother and my sister were with me every single day on FaceBook messenger, both very far away - my mom was in Florida and my sister was in the U.K. - but eventually they got me to safety. To shore. I now feel a sense of obligation to defend the many people I became friends with while experiencing homelessness. So many people on the streets remain on the streets due to systems that are in place and apathy but also because everyone I met had, for lack of a better term, a broken heart. Their hearts had been broken by all of us, each and every one of us, that saw them and looked away. I am safe and housed now and writing about my experience, Perhaps it can help. This experience was the defining experience of my life - I will never be the same nor can I return to business as usual - I've lost my religion - what is replacing it has yet to reveal itself but I have a feeling that it will be a life of service and to addressing needless suffering. The entire time i was homeless, I was on crutches, my foot healed all mangled and I have a permanent limp. I'm glad i have Adam & Steve to remind me of when I could dance. I'm glad it has a happy ending. I am working very hard today to give my own story the same. XC

Wasn't Parker Posey his BFF ? What happened?

I wonder how early or far into the pandemic this happened. L.A, as well as many other cities, had eviction moratoriums. And since he couldn't live in that place anyway he could have reached out to housing to see if there was any recourse. But the story is scary. It really is that easy for people to fall into homelessness or near to it.

[Qoute]On June 3rd of 2019, I became homeless

That was nine months before lockdown. R3.

Does anyone else think that he left a LOT out of the story?

Why would his landlord evict him for being four days late on rent?

Why would the prospective landlord decide to not lease the place to him? Didn't they have a contract?

And most importantly, why wouldn't anyone else call him back? He says "they didn't believe him" or felt that he "brought it upon himself." Most friends wouldn't automatically react that way.

I'm thinking he's an alkie or a druggie, and his friends and landlord got tired of his shit.

And folding your foot in half and "literally breaking a toe off?"

The whole story sounds very sketchy.

R5, we just had a pandemic that wiped out hundreds of thousands D’s of people and is still going and even regaining steam, due to POTUS who told people that hydroxychloroquine tablets were the light at the end of a very dark tunnel, where no one needed to wear a mask and vaccines were secondary and even tertiary on his list of priorities for all of us.

And you wanna pick apart the story of a Hollywood actor?

Actors aren’t always working steadily, as the majority do not and money runs out when the nils are due work dries up.

I’m willing to bet a large percentage of homeless people in Los Angeles, as Francisco, were either transplants who were hoping to secure work in the film or music industry, or were once working in the creative arts or attempting to break in.

We’ve become such assholes to others who struggle. It’s because we’ve been taught to never even consider self compassion and if we do, we’re told we’re not allowed to ask for help, we’re not allowed to fail, and if we do, we’re bad for asking for help and if we cannot get help we’re then judged for being helpless and we are 100% responsible for not being college educated psychopaths who come from wealthy families who paid our way through school and bought us diplomas so that we can go on to not pay our taxes and embezzle from any corporation or institution available, until we become POTUS and poor bleed Americans dry for every single penny possible before mismanaging a pandemic of epic proportions that knocked MILLIONS of us off our feet, HARD.

We’re so freakin’ awful.

Yeah, I imagine his former friends and landlord have a different story to tell. Still, it sucks to be homeless and still take care of a pet.

This story makes no sense at all.

He talks about living for seven years in "his condo", but is paying rent. Ok, he's renting someone else's condo. Fine. There's no housing court in America that allows eviction for a tenant paying "four days late". That's obviously not the whole story. Why didn't he report the leak since it's been going on for years? Was the place in complete disrepair?

He does not mention a job or income of any kind. If he spent days "looking at apartments" why didn't he rent one? Was money the issue? Where did all his friends go? Where was Illeana Douglas, weren't they friends? Why is he blaming "12-Step culture"? What is he talking about? Is he drinking again? Didn't he have a credit card to stay at a Holiday Inn Express for a week to sort things out?

This story is mostly fabricated I'd guess. I'm sure the foot injury was real. I used to see him around in NYC when his book came out and he was BRIEFLY a downtown indie film darling, an appellation that frequently is accompanied by very little actual cash. He was always a bit grand and only interested in those who could reflect his own wonderfulness. He sounds like a mess who chased everyone away by not knowing how to be a friend, just a user.

R8 Great points.

That’s sad, but I still want a refund for “Adam and Steve”.

I volunteered for a shelter for a few months and let me tell you, this stuff happens to people with even good jobs when they lose them. You wouldn’t believe the amount of “normal” people who got caught up in it all.

What he is saying about not being able to get out of it is true. Someone has to “let” you out of it. That is so true.

And now that everything is so expensive it’s worse that ever.

So if you don’t have family or friends, and even times when you do like the recession

... then you are screwed.

I agree there's much, much more to this story he's not telling.

You made great points, R8.

[quote]He sounds like a mess who chased everyone away by not knowing how to be a friend, just a user.

The first thing I asked myself was, "Why wouldn't anyone call him back when he hurt his foot?" Then I thought, okay maybe people didn't have time to. Maybe everyone was busy. Maybe it was a weird hour. Maybe his closest friends were out of town. That does happen occasionally. Then when he said, that he was evicted and no one would return his calls it made me wonder, "Okay, what kind of a friend were you that NO ONE would help you?" My mother and sisters aren't rich but they would move heaven and earth to get me home or to get to me if something like that happened. My friends would help me out as well.

[quote]There's no housing court in America that allows eviction for a tenant paying "four days late". That's obviously not the whole story. Why didn't he report the leak since it's been going on for years? Was the place in complete disrepair?

There isn't. I thought he was saying that he didn't know there was a leak (which can happen and did happen to me once) and he discovered it when the ceiling came down. The next time it happened I caught it because I watch my water meter like a HAWK. However, the part about being "four days late" and getting an eviction notice is suspect. It's been a long time since I did this for a living but it was 30 days notice in writing, 30 days notice in writing, then an Eviction Notice. Then you have a hearing, win and go to the Sheriff and file a Writ of Possession. (At least where I was doing that job.) You had to establish that you tried to collect the money and gave plenty of warning in court.

[quote]I volunteered for a shelter for a few months and let me tell you, this stuff happens to people with even good jobs when they lose them. You wouldn’t believe the amount of “normal” people who got caught up in it all.

This part is so true. It always bothers me when Dataloungers complain about homeless people having "cell phones." Of course many do. You need one to do almost anything these days from applying for a job to even checking your email when Google sends you a code via text. You want a job? Then you'd better also have an address.

My heart goes out to him *and* I have a million follow-up questions.

And yes, always report maintenance issues to your landlord before they spiral out of control.

His niece is raising money for the family. It also sounds very suspect.

He is haunted by the ghost of Montgomery Clift.

There is an eviction moratorium in place.

His niece can put together this fundraiser but he did say no one answered his calls when he asked for help, does that include the niece?

He's living in Palm Springs, the whole family came from FL to PS to live with him, but now they're homeless? Sounds bizarre.

Passive voice in “we were asked to leave my granduncle’s house” is doing a lot of work here.

There used to be a Craig Chester troll here who was outraged that, as an out gay actor, he was apparently taking work from closeted ones. Yeah, it didn't make much sense, but the poster was furious.

Everything but the hounds nipping at her heels.

I do believe that in this country it is easy to fall into homelessness and once you are there it is difficult to escape without help. He seems a little grifterish, but who knows. But then again, he also believes he is haunted by Montgomery Clift. No, not just any actor from Hollywood's golden age but one of its very best.

I'm sure he wasn't perfect. He probably made a mistake somewhere along the line. But a lot of this story rings true to me. I was never truly deeply homeless, but I couch surfed for a few months, and it is not any fun. That feeling of insecurity is intense. And I was one lost paycheck or bad luck disaster away from being on the streets for most of my life. I

know I didn't live like a monk then, either. I'm sure I drank or ate something I shouldn't have. Hopefully MY friends wouldn't wish me bad luck or cluck how much I deserved to be on the streets if something happened to me.

Damn, imagine winning the powerball in 2019, then having your pick of you g (not this guy) hot out of work actors. Singer and company must have had a field day with all that desperate cock.

Put down the bottle, Birdie at R22.

I watched all his movies and bought some on DVDs!!! He can't be broke!!! Well, at least he should get some royalty payments, right?

Such a sad story, I fear his long face will return.

[quote]Then when he said, that he was evicted and no one would return his calls it made me wonder, "Okay, what kind of a friend were you that NO ONE would help you?"

I don't know if Dataloungers are lucky when it comes to friends or have never had a problem where they needed to ask for help, but something I learned a long time ago is that most people are inherently selfish and they won't help someone unless it's someone very close to them. Maybe not even then.

Craig probably could have posted a GFM or something similar and had people throw him a few bucks here and there, online "friends" are often very willing to do something like that, but real life friends having an injured person in their home for a while, with a dog, as they recuperated from a broken foot? Or shell out a few hundred dollars to help him find a home? Not many people would be willing to do that.

Hey, Craig!

Why the long face?

Mean. But funny.

[quote] Mean. But funny.

Ah, I love the smell of Datalounge in the morning!

There are gaps in the story. Something smells methy,

Did this actor type that with no paragraphs, or is this OP's choice?

Adds to the fishiness of the story arc. Though it contains truths about homelessness and friendship and makes me shudder. Like coming close to a deadly road accident, or almost skiing off a cliff.

Maybe he will start a new celebrity trend and stars will stop becoming they and becoming unhoused. Elon Musk is practically there.

The things people do for attention.

Like others have said, I find certain elements of his story unbelievable or he's not telling the whole story. A toe just doesn't "break off" and a foot fold in half.

But I do know what he's saying about once you are homeless, someone needs to throw you a lifeline in order to get out - THAT is true.

I also find parts of his story implausible, especially the broken toe, probably because I once worked with this enormous mess of a guy who was an alcoholic and every time someone tried to get him to be responsible, he'd beg for sympathy by saying he'd just broken a toe. At one point he broke his toe three times in one month.

But I don't find it implausible at all that he has only fair-weather friends. In his line of work, that sounds highly likely.

His Facebook page says he's from West Covina. Surely he could've gotten hired on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" -- if only as a technical advisor.

Why would his landlord evict him for being four days late on rent? Because he was afraid of lawsuits or liability if there were further damage.

Why would the prospective landlord decide to not lease the place to him? Didn't they have a contract? Have you ever rented in LA. ....oh come by, all is great. We'll sign when you move in.

And most importantly, why wouldn't anyone else call him back? He says "they didn't believe him" or felt that he "brought it upon himself." Most friends wouldn't automatically react that way. Because he lived in shalloville and no one wants to truly care for anyone else in shallowville.

I'm thinking he's an alkie or a druggie, and his friends and landlord got tired of his shit. I am thinking you are wrong.

And folding your foot in half and "literally breaking a toe off?" I hit a bump and cracked 3 bones in my foot including detached toe when I stumbled.

On behalf of Killer Films, this is where Hillary Swank steps in.

I guess he was “too high and mighty” to turn a few tricks on the boulevard, to dig himself out of that hole?

I have no respect for those who won’t WERK!

[quote]R34 it contains truths about homelessness and friendship and makes me shudder. Like coming close to a deadly road accident, or almost skiing off a cliff.

As I get older (I’m in my EARLY 50s!) and look at the possible futures, I think how scary it must be to survive your family and long term friends, should disaster strike. Imagine being in a world where no one knows you!

I still have family and close friends (some going back to grade school) I could call on if I hit the rocks, but not everyone has that.

One acquaintance has a stupid feud going with the upstairs neighbor, is on the landlord’s shit list but won’t make amends, etc. I’m like, why would you want to alienate ANYONE? Especially around where you live? You may need a favor some day!

The grifter is up to $26K already. Here's a video where he tells the same story that he's been spewing for weeks, only this time there's a new wrinkle- a dentist broke his jaw and it got infected. And he thanks people for money they donated to pay for that surgery weeks ago which means he's pulled this grift once before.

Well, as long as he’s vaccinated - -

A dentist breaking your jaw causing infection is a guaranteed lawsuit. Is there a reason he recorded that video in a grubby robe without a shirt?

Fascinating. They've managed to bilk his followers out of $40K in 8 days. That's twice as much as all his films have grossed put together.

Actors are in a very good union that offers medical and dental coverage.

Yeah, but he hasn't acted enough to earn insurance in ages.

[quote]Actors are in a very good union that offers medical and dental coverage.

Indeed, and actors must earn a minimum of $25,900 each year (any four consecutive quarters) to qualify for this insurance. I doubt Chester has hit that lately.

The niece in the fb link above explains that his foot got crumpled because HIV meds ruined his bones. I do buy that.

But the whole [italic]"people assumed i had brought this on myself and.... no one believed a word I said"[/italic] is super fishy. I'm not doubting it's true but what led them to think that way? That's not the reaction a stable and good friend would normally get. Like, as others have pointed out, what kind of friend are YOU if this is how your friends react in a time of need?

I was unexpectedly without an apartment for a bit in my 20s but was able to spare room/couch surf a couple months till I got things straightened out for me. Friends returned my calls no problem and nobody dismissed my explanation of my situation. I may have stayed longer than expected a couple places but everyone was nice about it, a bit put out but nice about it, and we're all still friends now decades later. So, I just don't get that part.

I was friendly with Craig a million years ago. We had a mutual friend in common and I saw him at parties more than a few times over the period of a few years. I was actually at one of the first screenings of Adam & Steve in NYC.

He was a total sweetheart. I really liked him.

But he definitely had an Eeyore thing about him. Bad luck was part of his persona.

I'm not surprised this happened to him and I totally believe it happened how he described.

[quote] We had a mutual friend in common

I'm referring this to the Department of Redundancy Department.

[quote] I doubt Chester has hit that lately.

The only thing he's hit lately is bottom.

He should write, direct and star in his own documentary on this -

Craig Chester: When a Bottom Hits Bottom

Won't his "Adam & Steve" costar Malcolm Gets throw him a lifeline?

I believe him about the foot because a friend of mine has been poz for 20 years and one time he dropped a cup of coffee on his foot and his foot literally shattered. it fucked him up for months what with surgery and the like.

I loved Adam and Steve as a surprisingly good gay rom com, and Grief (with Alexis Arquette) is a really fun workplace comedy. Appreciate his being out from the beginning of his career.

As an immigrant coming to America with poor and broken English and no academic achievement, I know exactly what being poor is like. It has taught me a lot of life lessons and how to save money for rainy day. Even though I’m doing quite well for myself right now but never will I forget the struggling days in the past. Scary to say the least

Ugh, anyone who thought Adam and Steve was a good movie deserves to get swindled by Chester.

[quote]Appreciate his being out from the beginning of his career.

Yeh, it's nice, but still one of the worst career moves an actor can make. It is very difficult to string together jobs that pay much of anything once you're in the "gay indie ghetto"....and please don't come for me, it IS a ghetto!

Apparently Craig wrote for the godawful final season of True Blood. There goes my sympathy.