--- description: "It was a very dark time" title: Matt LeBlanc Says He Almost Had a Nervous Breakdown After 'Friends' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78b7bccacedc61a/69887c7ff887dc11dde947e9/matt-leblanc.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Matt LeBlanc Says He Almost Had a Nervous Breakdown After _Friends_ by [Adam Carlson / People](/author/people/) ## Adam Carlson / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 8, 2016 1:37 AM CUT  Matt LeBlanc attends Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle Celebration of The 2016 Golden Globe Award Season at Ysabel in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2015. Matt LeBlanc attends Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle Celebration of The 2016 Golden Globe Award Season at Ysabel in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2015.Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images by [Adam Carlson / People](/author/people/) ## Adam Carlson / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 8, 2016 1:37 AM CUT Things haven’t always been so cheery for _Friends_ star [Matt LeBlanc](http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,personsTax:MattLeBlanc,00.html "undefined"). In fact, the actor said that there was a period in his life, “for years and years,” where he “barely left the house” and came close to a breakdown. “I was burnt out,” he [told the _Mirror_](http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/matt-leblanc-fatherhood-id-love-7318105 "undefined"), in advance of his debut [as the new host of _Top Gear_](http://www.people.com/article/matt-leblanc-joins-top-gear-presenter "undefined"). “I wanted to not have a schedule, not be somewhere. I was in a position to do that. My agent was bummed. Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’. I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years.’ “It was a very dark time. I almost had a nervous breakdown.” LeBlanc, 48, described retreating to his California cattle ranch following the end of his sitcom spin-off, _Joey_, in 2006, and cutting his hair into a Mohawk to further discourage the limelight, according to the _Mirror_. Even while his marriage to Melissa McKnight crumbled amidst personal and professional difficulties, he still had his daughter, [Marina](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20149449,00.html "undefined"), to think about. “The second I laid eyes on her \[when she was born\], I was in love, and I had never felt that way before,” LeBlanc told the _Mirror_. “I couldn’t believe it. I knew from that moment there was nothing that would ever stop me from loving her – even if she crashed my Ferrari.” [_This article originally appeared on People.com_](http://www.people.com/article/matt-leblanc-the-mirror-interview-daughter-marina-marriage-career?xid=socialflow%5Ffacebook%5Fpeoplemag "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4211456/matt-leblanc-nervous-breakdown/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4211456/matt-leblanc-nervous-breakdown/"},"headline":"Matt LeBlanc Says He Almost Had a Nervous Breakdown After Friends","datePublished":"2016-02-08T01:37:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:51:16.339Z","description":"\"It was a very dark time\"","url":"https://time.com/4211456/matt-leblanc-nervous-breakdown/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78b7bccacedc61a/69887c7ff887dc11dde947e9/matt-leblanc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Adam Carlson / People"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78b7bccacedc61a/69887c7ff887dc11dde947e9/matt-leblanc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Actor Matt LeBlanc attends Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle Celebration of The 2016 Golden Globe Award Season at Ysabel on November 17, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. 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