'The Brady Bunch' Mike Lookinland Struggled with Addiction after the Show but Now Happily Married with 2 Kids

After making a name for himself as a member of "The Brady Bunch" cast, Mike Lookinland found it difficult to stay on the right path but found his way out of trouble to lead a better life.

From 1969 to 1974, ABC's "The Brady Bunch" held sway. The series was created by Sherwood Schwartz and featured the lives of a large blended family with six children.

"The Brady Bunch" was neither a hit nor attained critical success when it originally ran for five years. However, it went into syndication a year after its release.

It became popular and successful following its syndication, leading to multiple TV reunion films and spin-off series. "The Brady Bunch," told the story of Mike Brady, a widowed architect portrayed by Robert Reed, who married Carol Martin, played by Florence Henderson.

Brady had three sons, Greg, Peter, and Bobby from his previous marriage, while Carol had three daughters, Marcia, Jan, and Cindy, from her previous relationship.

Susan Olsen played Cindy, while Eve Plumb portrayed Jan. Maureen McCormick starred as Marcia, while Christopher Knight played Peter. Barry Williams portrayed Greg's character while Mike Lookinland played Bobby, the youngest Brady kid.

After the show ended in 1974, the stars went on different career paths and attained various levels of success, and have changed so much from what they were then to what they are now.

The actor further explained that being obedient to the rules was the theme of his young life.

When "The Brady Bunch" held sway, Mike, who played Brady, was one of the favorite persons on television and beloved by viewers. Hence, he was popular in those days.

In a reported interview, the actor opened up on his days on the show. He was asked if there was anything on the series he refused to accept, especially the Song and Dance period in the 1970s.

Mike said he was a dedicated employee of the show and accepted its every aspect. He explained that he went along with everything he did because he felt like an employee.

The actor further explained that being obedient to the rules was the theme of his young life as the young cast was kept on a tight leash and not allowed to go off the rails.

Mike said he did not mind the singing because he is a singer and musician. However, he is not a good dancer and cannot dance to save his life.

Mike and his former costars appeared for an exclusive interview with New York Post in 2019. During the interview, the former cast members talked about their favorite moments from the show and how they impacted their lives and careers.

The former child star advised people to live their childhood when they are kids.

When reflecting on how the show impacted his life, Mike said the show's whole theme was about a blond mother and her three blond daughters and a brunette dad and his three dark-haired boys.

He revealed he had some sort of strawberry blond hair and was told he had to dye his hair when he was cast. He did not like it and found it weird. He also said no one ever really presented the hair color thing to him in that light. Mike added:

"It was very strange for a 9-year-old boy to go to school one morning with red hair then show up on Monday with jet-black hair."

Although Mike enjoyed success from the show, his life afterward did not go the way many believed things should have been. He opened up on his life after the show in an interview with Oprah Winfrey Network.

Mike said having the kind of fame he enjoyed at a young age certainly affects one. He explained that the problem for him was that he lived his childhood in his twenties.

The former child star advised people to live their childhood when they are kids because it can be dangerous if they do so in their twenties. After being introduced to alcohol, Mike fell in love with it and became an alcoholic.

He struggled with addiction and was gradually slipping off the rail. His alcohol addiction got so bad that he had to choose between living or dying. It was at that point he realized how bad things were.

Mike retraced his steps and became sober. Since then, he has remained sober and is happy he did because his life has become better since deciding to quit alcohol.

Mike has been married to Kelly Wermuth since 1987 and shares two sons, Joe Lookinland and Scott Lookinland, with her. The couple shares a happy and loving relationship.

After leaving college, Mike went into movie production and made movies for 20 years. After reaching a level of satisfaction in that field, he wondered if there was something else he could do for a living.

One day, his wife found a library book titled "How To Make Concrete Countertops." Mike saw the book and decided there and then to quit his job and start making concrete countertops for a living.

Mike loves making concrete countertops and describes it as being artistic, rewarding, and permanent. He loves the job because it is different from the entertainment industry, where everything he did was fake. Making countertops is, to him, something real he can do himself.

Mike's children have taken after him and are actors. Joe is known for his role in the 2002 film "Everwood" and the 2006 movie "Unaccompanied Minors."

Meanwhile, Scott reprised his father's role as Bobby Brady in the 2000 television movie "Growing Up Brady." In a reported interview, Mike revealed the advice he gave his son when he played Bobby.

He said he told Scott to be himself and do what the director instructed. If he could do that, everything would be fine. Scott paid attention to his dad's advice and turned out an excellent performance in the film.