Jason Bateman Reveals ‘Tension’ With Wife Amanda Over ‘Unpredictable’ Partying Led to His Sobriety

Jason Bateman is looking back on his decision to give up alcohol.

The Black Rabbit actor, 57, revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, February 18, that he considers himself “California sober” (or not opposed to a marijuana gummy) after giving up drinking in his early 30s.

Around the time Bateman married wife Amanda Anka, 57, in July 2001, the couple was already having discussions about how his lifestyle was impacting their relationship.

“Amanda and I definitely had a few negotiations about the point at which the [partying] spigot was going to completely turn off,” the father of two told the publication. “She’d be like, ‘This drip, drip, drip is annoyingly unpredictable, Jason.’”

While Bateman clarified that the voice actress didn’t “demand that I completely absolve” from his habits, there was an ongoing “back-and-forth” between them about his behaviors.

“I was like, well, I feel like my [sobriety] ETA is six months away, but if I could land this plane now, it would alleviate a lot of the tension, so let’s just f**king do it,” he said.

According to the THR profile, Bateman “went hard” on substances like alcohol and cocaine in his younger years.

“Fortunately, I was living at a time without social media and camera phones, so I got away with a lot, but it was definitely close a few times,” he said.

“I’ve got friends who had bottoms that were pretty chilling, but I was lucky enough to recognize, ‘This is probably as far as I should go if I still want to accomplish the things that I want to get to,’” he explained.

“I was conscious the whole time of wanting to get a lot of these boxes checked before I became a father and a guy with a career that I not only wanted but had a feeling I might be able to get it if I just got the right job,” he added.

Bateman also spoke about his sobriety in a 2025 video interview with Esquire, saying that he “stopped drinking” in his early 30s around the same time he “married my girlfriend, who’s still my wife, and got Arrested Development,” adding: “It was all kind of right in that 12-24 months.”