Jason Ritter's Emotional Alcoholism Admission Praised by Celebrities

Celebrities are congratulating actor Jason Ritter for opening up about his battle with alcoholism on The Drew Barrymore Show.

Ritter appeared alongside his wife, fellow actor Melanie Lynskey, for a segment during the Wednesday episode of Drew Barrymore's talk show. The vulnerable discussion about his struggles with alcohol and the support he received from Lynskey early in their relationship prompted a huge reaction online from viewers and his former co-stars. His revelation inspired Barrymore herself to discuss her own decision to be sober from alcohol for four years.

Ritter, the son of the late actor John Ritter, is best known for his roles in TV shows like Joan of Arcadia, Parenthood and the Netflix show Raising Dion.

After appearing on Wednesday's show, clips of his appearance went viral. Ritter was asked by Barrymore the moment when he knew that Lynskey (Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Don't Look Up) was the one for him.

"It's not as cute of a story as you would like to think. It was messy and interesting and weird. But mixed in the mix was, dealing with some alcoholism issues," Ritter opened up, as Barrymore admitted she suffered too.

"At a point, I knew how amazing [Melanie] was and I thought she would be incredible for someone who deserved her, basically."

Ritter appeared to get choked up while speaking about his wife, while Lynskey's eyes appeared teary as she listened to her husband's story. "And I didn't feel like I was that person. I felt a little bit too crazy or anything. It was only after like, maybe a year of not drinking where I started to go, 'oh maybe I can promise things to someone else. Maybe I can be this person,'" he said.

"It's been like a slow burn. I knew that she was incredible. It was working on myself enough to feel that maybe I could be the one for her too," Ritter said, to which he received a round of applause from the audience.

"He worked so hard. He did so much work on himself I'm so proud of him," Lynskey said, wiping away a tear.

The clip was viewed by hundreds of thousands online, as famous faces started to weigh in too.

Hilarie Burton Morgan, who starred alongside Ritter in Our Very Own was full of praise for her former co-star.

"I did my very first movie with @JasonRitter," she tweeted. "You will never meet a kinder, more inclusive, emotionally intelligent man. He is also wickedly fun. So proud of the punk ass 20 something you were and the man you've become, Jason. You and @melanielynskey are a dream.

Made me cry!" Ritter replied.

How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor tweeted that he was "so moved by" Ritter and said he was "grateful for everyone's vulnerability."

Actress and movie producer BJ Colangelo said she was "thrilled that so many people have been touched by Jason Ritter's journey." She continued on Twitter, "He's been a treasure for years and I hope this encourages people to seek out his fantastic performances. He's my fave wife guy, but he's a damn talent too."

Associating heavily with what Ritter discussed when talking about his alcoholism past and entering a relationship, Barrymore discussed her own experience with alcohol abuse.

"I haven't had a drink, I'm not sober, I'm not in a program, but alcohol was my poison. And I haven't had a drink in almost four years," Barrymore said. She went on to admit that she hasn't been in a relationship since she stopped drinking but she's looking forward to the moment when she is again.

Writer and podcaster Molly Jong-Fast also praised the pair for speaking out about alcoholism: "As someone who is sober since they were 19, it's pretty cool to watch people talk about alcoholism in a public forum like this @DrewBarrymore & @JasonRitter," she wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.

Lynskey reposted the clip on Twitter, as well, writing: "So proud of my husband and of Drew for their vulnerability and openness here. These are two of the kindest, strongest, best people I know." She added a heart emoji at the end.

The Yellowjackets star also responded to her husband's post, simply writing, "I love you so very much."