30 Rock star Judah Friedlander has admitted that ever since the cult comedy concluded earlier this year, he has been living in poverty.
Tina Fey’s show ended last January to wide-spread critical acclaim, having turned the comedienne, who was its creator and lead actress, and her co-star Alec Baldwin into bona-fide television legends.
But what about the other actors, comedians and vagabonds who helped to create TGS with Tracey Jordan? People like Judah Friedlander, who played writer Frank Rossitano opposite his more illustrious co-stars. Well, apparently, life’s been a little tumultuous for Friedlander, who won a place in every 30 Rock fan’s heart because of his character’s predilection for wearing trucker hats with random messages printed on them.
Friedlander told New York Post’s Page Six that for the last eight months, he has been living on an air mattress in a Queen’s apartment. Speaking to their gossip column, he candidly remarked, “I’ve been [looking for an apartment] and sleeping on an air mattress for eight months.”
However, Friedlander might actually be the architect of his own downfall, as he also admits that he finds “the entire process” of finding a new place to live “difficult.” Better the squalor you know, I suppose.
The 44-year-old then explained his predicament in a bit more detail, noting that he’s on an air mattress because the apartment that he’s “in currently has mold and musty problems.”
He then added, “I don’t want all that bad air seeping into [a] mattress I buy… then taking it to [a] new apartment that’s not polluted.” Friedlander also pointed out that he’s trying to find the perfect spot for him to live in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.
Besides his work on 30 Rock, Friedlander’s splendid acting credentials have been enhanced by his performances in The Wrestler, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, and American Splendor, the latter of which earned him a best supporting actor nomination at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards.
Friedlander isn’t the only television star who has fallen on slightly hard times over the last 12 months. The plight of Jon Gosselin, who starred in TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8, is even more drastic.
The father of eight was last seen working as a waiter at the Black Dog Cafe in Pennsylvania, where he lives in a cabin in the woods without a television or Internet. He admitted that he had been “next to nearly impossible” for him to land a new acting gig.
Do you feel sorry for Gosselin and Friedlander?
