Theo Von Says He’s Ready for a ‘New Story’ after Finding Hope in God
Theo Von opened up about his personal struggles and faith during a vulnerable segment of his popular podcast last week, saying he has found peace through prayer and Scripture – and that he is ready for a “new story” in his life.
The host of This Past Weekend made the comments after fielding a question from a caller, as Von reflected on emotional wounds from his childhood, the motivation that drove him to prove others wrong, and his battle with alcohol addiction.
“As a kid, I felt like something was wrong with me,” he said. “I felt like, ‘Oh, if the person that created me won't even look at me, then something must be so wrong with me.’ … It just gave me low self-worth.” (Von later said he and his mother now have a great relationship.)
Von said he became a “people pleaser,” a survival instinct that eventually helped propel him into life as a comedian and actor who “needed everybody to like me.”
“That negative energy, that uncertainty, that became my story – and it gave me a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “... I wanted to just look in somebody's eyes and have them be pleased with me.”
“And all that stuff served me well, until – I think just until now,” he said. “… I'm just tired of living that story, man. I'm tired of that story.”
Wiping away tears, Von said, “It's been a good story, and it served me well. But I don't want that story anymore, you know? I want something different.”
“Because the more I just tell that story, it's just like – I stay in that world. I stay in that cycle for me.”
Von then turned the conversation to faith.
“So that's one thing that I'm asking God for,” he said. “I'm asking God for a new story. I'm asking God for the next part of me.”
Without going into detail, Theo Von said he has been praying to God to free him from certain “behaviors” in his life. Von did say he attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
The podcaster recounted the story from John 5 of Jesus healing a man paralyzed at the Pool of Bethesda.
“There's a sick man there, and he's been sick for a long time. And Jesus asks him: ‘Do you want to be healed?’”
It seems like a “crazy question,” Von said, but he admitted that at times – in his flesh – he doesn’t want to be healed.
Von said he tries to make his prayers as honest and transparent as possible.
“I am like, ‘God, you know these behaviors I don't like of mine – will you help me, even though I know that I might do them again, even though I know I want to do them again, will you come into the parts of me that want to do these behaviors again and help me there? … Will you come to the, like, past the roots?”
Von said he’s seen lives changed and even “miracles” in AA meetings.
“That connection between us and a Higher Power … it's like in my life, it's one of the realest things that I've ever witnessed,” he said.
Describing his battle to quit alcohol addiction, Von said simply, “I couldn't do it by myself.”
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published April 27, 2026.
