Thanksgiving is a time to remember the past year and be grateful for all the joy and happiness moments shared with loved ones.
As for Dean McDermott, we imagine this holiday will be spent reflecting on how he spent his past holidays.
You see, the past few years have been a tumultuous few years for the star, his ex-wife Tori Spelling, and their kids.
While both he and Tori have made progress in 2024 — in her case, literally — it wasn’t long ago that Dean was in a very dark place.
In fact, last Thanksgiving, Dean spent the day in the last place he probably wanted to be: a quiet house.
Dean’s struggle to stay sober
Shortly before Thanksgiving last year, Dean McDermott revealed how he terrified his family and isolated Tori Spelling.
He explained that their surprise breakup announcement in June, although true, came while he was under the influence.
Since that time, Dean has spent considerable time in rehabilitation. She later confessed to fans that although it was too late to save her marriage, it was not too late to save herself.
In a Thanksgiving video posted on Instagram, he expressed his gratitude for his children. It also serves as an update to life as Dean reveals he spent the holidays at his sober living home.
In addition to sending everyone well wishes (and urging them to stay safe), Dean mentioned he’s staying in a sober living home called Freedom House.
His Thanksgiving celebration was also held here. Although this is not what most people would consider ideal, he certainly knows that it could be much worse.
Dean expressed his gratitude to his new sober friends and his sponsor. Dean also congratulated several of his children.
the end of their marriage
One random Saturday – June 17, 2023 to be exact – months of good, healthy times in Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott’s marriage came to an abrupt halt.
He took to Instagram that morning to break the news.
It ended after 18 years of marriage. A few hours later, he deleted the post — but not the sentiment behind it.
As we saw, Dean admitted that the breakup message came as a result of him being under the influence.
In fact, one can say the same about breakups.
Earlier this month, Dean revealed how his marriage fell apart due to alcohol abuse and prescription drug abuse.
The worrying thing is that it affected more than just his mental state or his marriage.
Dean admitted that he may have thrown a drunken rage that would have “scared” Tori and her children.
He took full responsibility for his wrongdoings during the interview.
“All Tori has ever done is want me to be happy and healthy,” Dean confirmed. “And I caused that woman a lot of pain and damage.”
He hopes that one day he will get it right. This may be easier said than done.
You cannot give your ex-wife back the time you took from her. And you can never give your children a new, better childhood.
Now, Dean has a long journey ahead of him.
How is Dean spending this Thanksgiving?
The start of 2024 marks a new beginning for both Dean and his former Tory.
The latter suffered a serious blow over the summer when she lost her 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty to a battle with cancer. But career-wise, she was able to do some work to support her family, including a stint on Dancing with the Stars and the resurgence of her podcast.
Meanwhile, she is taking care of their six children while Dean continues his wellness journey.
Becoming sober is not easy. But rehab and a sober living facility can help facilitate that process.
It seems like for most of the year Dean has been working on himself and finding ways to find peace. It remains to be seen whether he will spend the holidays with his kids, as he has not talked about it with his fans on social media.
But here’s hoping everyone in the Spelling/McDermott family has a beautiful and safe holiday.