Joe Buck Claims His Addiction To Xanax Almost Ended His Broadcasting Career–And By Xanax I Mean ‘Hair-Plug Treatment’

In Joe Buck’s upcoming memoir titled Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, And Things I’m Not Allowed To Say On TV, he opens up about his unrelenting addiction to xanax, alcohol, hookersgambling, sex, cigarettes, Netflix, hair-plug treatment? *Double checks source* Ya, hair-plug treatment.

The 47-year-old broadcaster claims he began receiving regular hair-plug treatments at the tender age of 24-years-old. But it wasn’t until 2011 when one of the treatments left him with a paralyzed vocal chord before the start of the baseball season that stole his voice and forced him to lie to his bosses out of shame.

Via Sports Illustrated:

“I was lying,” Buck said of the stories about his vocal chord issues. “I think people bend the truth all the time, unfortunately. It was really for self-preservation and ego for me. As I look back, I gave partial truths. Where I lied was when I said the reason why. People would ask, ‘Why is your vocal chord paralyzed?’ I said it was a virus. I didn’t say it was an elective procedure to add hair to the front of my head. It was embarrassing. There’s an embarrassing element to that. Any surgery done to improve one’s looks is not really something someone wants to talk about. So it’s very cathartic to get this out. There are a lot of people across the country, for as silly as this sounds, who obsess about hair loss. I would tell myself I needed to look younger, I needed to have thicker hair, I don’t want to look older than I am. The truth of it is that it was an ego thing, whether I was on TV or not.”

Buck says he has not had a hair-plug treatment since 2011, but has since picked up cigarettes. I’m kidding. He’s the picture of health now. Long live Joe.

Joe, if you’re reading this, it’s important to know that your struggle was not singular.

[h/t Sports Illustrated]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.