Anthony Cumia Enters Rehab Following Arrest for Strangulation

Anthony Cumia, a sexist, racist, Islamophobic shock jock recently arrested for alleged strangulation and false imprisonment against his then-girlfriend, has entered rehab. Cumia didn’t specify what he’s seeking treatment for, but expressed hope, in a pre-recorded radio message, that it would help him avoid getting “embroiled in legalities” in the future.

Page Six reports that Cumia announced he was entering treatment in a pre-recorded episode of his radio show, which aired Wednesday:

“I will not see the month of April here,” Cumia, 54, announced on a pre-recorded episode of his eponymous online radio show, which aired Wednesday. “I am taking a plane out of here, let’s just say. Out of New York, and going somewhere where I will spend a month … relaxing … learning … ‘rehabilitating,’ perhaps, is a word that could be used.”

He continued, “I don’t even know what I’m going into. I don’t know what the rules are, I don’t know what it’s going to be. It’s like a big mystery adventure type thing.”

“Anthony has made the decision to check himself into rehab to deal with personal issues,” reads a message posted by The Anthony Cumia Show’s Facebook page March 30.

“I’m going to a facility, I guess you’d call it, a program, a place where people go to sort shit out,” Cumia told comedian Jim Norton in a giggly conversation that aired April 1.

“You’re not a c-sucker or a you-know-what lover?” Norton asked.

“That’ll be for the month of June,” Cumia replied.

Cumia adding that he hoped to sort out “what I should be doing as I move forward in this journey called life.”

On April 1, he added on Twitter:

Cumia added a follow-up tweet April 6, that has been deleted, but whose text remains on Reddit: “Hey, got my phone for a bit. Doing really well. My judgment isn’t much better though. I think I’m in love with a 19yr old heroin addict.”

Cumia was fired from his previous show Opie and Anthony in 2014 after going on a racist tirade; he announced the launch of his new show by appearing on a white power radio program.

Cumia was arrested in December after his then-girlfriend livestreamed a video from his home, alleging he had assaulted her and showing bruises and what she said was a broken hand. He’s charged with strangulation in the second degree and criminal mischief in the third degree, both felonies, as well as two misdemeanors, preventing an emergency call and unlawful imprisonment. He’s due back in court May 19.

Cumia in April 2014. Photo via Getty