Comedian Jeff Dye Says He's 36 Days Sober After DUI Arrest: 'I Was a Very High-Functioning Alcoholic'

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The 'Who the BLEEP Is That?' host said he drank nearly every night for 20 years

<p> Monica Schipper/Getty</p> Jeff Dye attends 60th Anniversary at The Improv at Hollywood Improv on November 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Monica Schipper/Getty

Jeff Dye attends 60th Anniversary at The Improv at Hollywood Improv on November 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Jeff Dye is opening up about his DUI arrest on Oct. 8, sharing that he is now sober.

"I'm an alcoholic," Dye said on an episode of Marco DelVecchio's podcast 'Smoochie Town,' adding, "I have 36 days sober now."

Before choosing sobriety, "I drank every single night," he said, "But just for fun... I was a very high-functioning alcoholic ... for like 20 years."

He said he would start most evenings watching sports at a bar, then move onto having drinks at a comedy club, then maybe visiting another bar afterward. He estimated that he had been doing it "every night since 2005."

The 40-year-old comedian and television personality, who currently hosts the syndicated Fox game show Who the BLEEP Is That?, gave details about what happened the morning of the Occtober accident. He was on his way to meet his ex-girlfriend (Kristin Cavallari) for coffee at 9 a.m. after a night of "partying and drinking" with about 15 friends at his house.

"I woke up late because I slept through my alarm. I jumped in the cold shower, I put a hat on and just got in my Tesla," he adds. "Teslas are very fast and so I just lost control of my car and crashed it. This is 9 hours after I went to sleep. It wasn't like I was leaving a bar, I wasn't hammered."

He continues: "Once I crashed I was like f-ck — there's probably still some alcohol in my system. He adds that at the time of the crash, he didn't feel drunk.

<p>Michael S. Schwartz/Getty</p> Comedian Jeff Dye performs at The Ice House Comedy Club on July 27, 2023 in Pasadena, California.

Michael S. Schwartz/Getty

Comedian Jeff Dye performs at The Ice House Comedy Club on July 27, 2023 in Pasadena, California.

Related: Comedian Jeff Dye Charged with DUI, Fleeing the Scene of an Accident After Crashing into Tree

In the moment, Dye explains, his first instinct was that he needed to get out of there. So, he says he just ran away from the car. He says: "I didn't think about it on the drive like, maybe I'm driving drunk. I just think, it's the next day, it's early in the morning."

On the podcast, Dye also says that it was humiliating to be arrested in front of everyone at the coffee shop.

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Dye was charged with fleeing the scene of a traffic collision and driving under the influence, PEOPLE confirmed at the time.

He was arrested on the misdemeanor charges by the Burbank Police Department on Sun., Oct. 8 at 9:56 a.m. local time and booked in the Burbank Jail nearly an hour later, according to public inmate records. He was released without bail at 1:04 p.m., after a magistrate review.

<p>Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images</p> Stand-up comedian and actor Jeff Dye is seen arriving to his comedy show on May 13, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Stand-up comedian and actor Jeff Dye is seen arriving to his comedy show on May 13, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Related: Everything to Know About Jeff Dye, the Comedian Seen Kissing Kristin Cavallari

Sgt. Stephen Turner, a public information officer with Burbank Police, told PEOPLE that authorities responded to a single traffic collision at Pass Avenue and Alameda Avenue around 9:30 a.m.

"Witnesses relayed the driver of a white Tesla collided with a tree and the driver fled on foot," Sgt. Turner said. "Based on witness description, the driver was located just a few blocks east of the scene and detained pending [an] investigation."

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