Neal McDonough Says Faith Labels Cost Him Jobs

Neal McDonough says Hollywood once treated his morals like a liability, claiming he was fired from a show for refusing to kiss a woman and then struggled to land roles because people assumed he was “this religious nut bag.” The actor, 60, credits his wife Ruvé

When Neal McDonough talks about that turning point. it’s not distant history—it’s a moment that still feels sharp. He recalls being “fired from a show because I wouldn’t kiss a woman. ” and the fallout that followed wasn’t just professional. It was personal, and it was about what people thought he stood for.

In a Fox News Digital interview published Tuesday. May 26. the actor. 60. described how his decision shaped his career at a time when roles were hard to come by. “No one would hire me because they thought I was this religious nut bag,” McDonough said. “Which is that I love my wife so much. And no one can understand it, no one could understand it.”.

He said the thought process was simple back then. “‘What time is the bar open?’ That was generally my thought process back then,” he shared. McDonough framed it as a mindset—one that didn’t fit the pace of certain Hollywood projects—and he connected it to the way he says others judged him.

As his acting prospects stalled, he said he started to drink more. “I was always a drinker. I’m Irish. I’m from Boston. It’s what we do,” he told the outlet. But he didn’t dodge the consequences. His drinking, he said, eventually “became a bad problem.”

“ I lost the house, lost the cars, lost everything,” McDonough added.

The hardest part. he said. was the shame he carried—especially because it affected not only his finances. but his family’s stability. In his account, he described the moment as tied to his own sense of failure. “Justified was just coming out. but I still didn’t think I was worth anything because I failed to my family. ” he said. He continued: “I failed, [my wife] Ruve, my five kids, that I lost our house.”.

He recalled how the losses felt—“I lost all the beautiful things that were the shiny widgets that I had accumulated. were all taken away from me”—and he tied the emotional weight to his faith and his guilt. “And that crucifixion caused me so much inner pain because I made it all about me. How could I let the team down?”.

McDonough also remembered a kindness he never forgot: the late actor Luke Perry, who allowed the McDonough family to live in his home as they worked to regain their footing.

After what he described as tough love from his wife, McDonough said he made a different choice—serving God “instead of himself.” He said quitting drinking helped him become “a better husband, father and coworker.”

Faith still sits at the center of his decisions now. In addition to starring in the upcoming Jimmy Stewart biopic titled Jimmy, set to be released on November 6, McDonough remains devoted to his wife, Ruvé McDonough.

Earlier this year. in July 2025. he wrote via Instagram: “Happy birthday to the greatest thing I’ve ever met. ” adding that she “not only changed my life immeasurably. but changed the lives for our five children that we share!. The blessing that you are to all of us is something that I cannot explain in words!. I love you to the moon and back times infinity my love!”.

He also doesn’t appear to regret his rule about not kissing other women for other projects. In January 2019, he told Closer Weekly, “I am very religious. I put God and family first, and me second,” adding, “That’s what I live by. It was hard for a few years.”

By the time McDonough looks back on that era—the show he says he was fired from, the roles he says he couldn’t land, the drinking that followed—one message comes through clearly: the label may have been “religious nut bag,” but the anchor was always his faith and his family.

Neal McDonough Ruvé McDonough Jimmy biopic Jimmy Stewart biopic Fox News Digital Closer Weekly Luke Perry religion faith acting jobs drinking alcohol recovery interview May 26