John McEnroe might be the professional tennis player most closely associated with temper tantrums, but it turns out that Andre Agassi was a champion in that department, too. As Page Six reports, the Olympic gold medalist’s nickname “The Punisher” was as appropriate in Agassi’s personal life as it was on the court.
In a new interview with The New Yorker, Brooke Shields — who was married to Agassi from 1997 to 1999 — says that the legendary athlete threw a massive fit when his then-girlfriend made a guest appearance on Friends in 1996. In the episode, Shields plays a Days of Our Lives super-fan who is stalking Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani (who in the world of the sitcom stars on the soap as Dr. Drake Ramoray).
“In the scene, I’m supposed to lick Joey’s fingers, because they’re the hands of a genius, and I want to devour them, and I’m a nut,” Shields explained:
“Andre was in the audience supporting me, and he stormed out. He said, ‘Everybody’s making fun of me. You made a fool of me by that behavior.’ I’m, like, ‘It’s comedy! What is the matter with you?’ I learned later that he was addicted to crystal meth at that point, so that irrational behavior I’m sure had something to do with that.”
The erratic behavior didn’t end on the set, however. When the couple got home, Shields shared that Agassi was still so mad that he “Smashed all his trophies. Who wins for that? That’s just—don’t!”
Agassi, who wrote about using meth in his autobiography, did not respond to The New Yorker’s request for comment.
Shields and Agassi first got together in 1993; they were married from 1997 to 1999. In 2001, Shields married Funny or Die co-creator Chris Henchy, who is known for writing the Will Ferrell vehicles The Other Guys and The Campaign. Something tells us he has a better understanding of comedy.
(Via Page Six)