Bradley Cooper Supported Former Neighbor Will Arnett at Smartless Taping Over the Weekend

Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett are long gone.

The couple had a sweet reunion on SiriusXM SmartLess podcast taping, which PEOPLE attended on Saturday, August 17 at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York.

After recording, Maestro actor, 49, spoke with podcast hosts Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, as well as their families and special guest Oz Pearlman.

Jimmy Fallon, Jon Hamm and Bradley Cooper.

Cindy Ord/Getty

Bradley Cooper Joins Pearl Jam To Sing ‘Maybe It’s Time’ From ‘A Star Is Born’ At BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival

Notable guests at the event also included podcast guest Howard Stern and his wife Beth, Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen, Jon Hamm and his wife Anna Osceola, Chad Smith and Shawn Levy.

Cooper has a strong connection with the trio as he appeared on their podcast in 2022 and told an emotional story about the neighborhood with Arrested development alum, who he said “changed his whole life.”

The actor reflected on working on the comedy scene in the early 2000s and the trend of “evil humor” at the time. Cooper said he gravitated to that type of comedy because he was “insecure,” but later found it backfired, especially when combined with his past alcohol addiction.

Will Arnett speaks on stage during SiriusXM Presents SmartLess Live.

Cindy Ord/Getty

“Will, do you remember this?” Cooper asked on the podcast. “I’ll never forget, man, we lived next door to each other, and Will came over to where I lived and he said, ‘Hey, man, we had dinner the night before.’ ”

He paused before saying, “I know you’re not supposed to cry on the show. I’m sorry, this is pretty emotional. I’m not crying… but I’ll never forget it.”

Cooper went on to describe Arnett as someone who “can be mean but has no ill will,” saying his behavior was usually reserved for close friends. “But I didn’t know Will that well then.”

The Oscar nominee recalled how a neighbor asked him about a recent dinner they attended. “What did you think, how did it go?” Arnett then asked.

“I was like, I remember being at a dinner party thinking I was so funny. And I thought these two guys, who were my heroes, thought I was so funny. I don’t know if you remember this, Will. I was like , ‘Oh, I thought it was great.’ And Will says to me, ‘You were a real ass, man, you were a real ass,'” Cooper said.

Bradley Cooper recalls time in his 20s when he was ‘so lost’ and ‘addicted to cocaine’

The Hangoutsthe actor reacted in shock before being asked if he had taken his dogs out recently. When the actor expressed confusion at the question, Arnett said, “I think they have to go to the bathroom. They’re literally standing by the door.”

Cooper said that moment marked “the first time I realized I had a drug and alcohol problem. And Will told me that. I’ll never forget it. I thought, ‘Oh, the guy I think is evil, the humor tells me the truth about it.’ ”

He concluded: “And it changed my whole life.”

Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett.

Ethan Miller/Getty

In 2023, Cooper spoke about his past struggles with addiction in an episode Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge. The actor, who previously abused cocaine and alcohol, said he feels “very lucky” to have overcome them in the meantime. He said he “got sober at 29 and I was sober for 19. I was very lucky.”

Meanwhile, Arnett has also been open about his problems with alcoholism in the past, which has been mentioned on his TV shows BoJack Horseman and In flakes.

Deadline reported in 2023 that the two were working on developing and co-starring in an upcoming film Is this included? with Cooper also directing.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best PEOPLE has to offer​​, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Live episode SmartLess airs September 9 on SiriusXM and on the app. It will be available on other podcast platforms on September 16th.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education