Bradley Cooper Supported Former Neighbor Will Arnett at Smartless Taping Over the Weekend

Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett go way back.

The pair had a sweet reunion at SiriusXM's SmartLess podcast taping, which PEOPLE attended, on Saturday, August 17 at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York.

Following the taping, the Maestro actor, 49, chatted with podcast hosts Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes as well as their families and special guest Oz Pearlman.

Notable guests at the event also included podcast guest Howard Stern and his wife Beth, Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen, Jon Hamm and his wife Anna Osceola, Chad Smith and Shawn Levy.

Cooper has a tight connection with the trio as he appeared on their podcast in 2022 and told an emotional story about being neighbors with the Arrested Development alum, whom he said "changed his entire life."

The actor looked back at working in the comedy scene in the early 2000s and the "mean humor" trend at the time. Cooper said he leaned into the type of comedy because he was "insecure," but later found that it delivered hurtful results, especially when combined with his past alcohol dependency.

"Will, do you remember this?" Cooper asked on the podcast. "I'll never forget, man, we were living next to each other, and Will came into where I was living and he's like, 'Hey, man, we had dinner the night before.' "

He paused before saying, "I know you're not supposed to cry on the show. Sorry, this is pretty emotional. I'm not crying… but I'll never forget it."

Cooper continued to describe Arnett as someone who "can be mean, but there’s no ill will," saying his behavior is typically reserved for close friends. "But I didn't know Will that well then."

The Oscar nominee recalled his neighbor asking about the dinner they recently attended. "How'd you think that went?" Arnett inquired at the time.

"I was like, I remember being at the dinner thinking I was so funny. And I thought these two guys, who were my heroes, thought that I was so funny. I don't know if you remember this, Will. I was like, 'Oh, I thought it was great.' And Will, tells me, 'You were a real asshole, man, you were a real asshole,' " Cooper said.  

The Hangover actor reacted in shock, before he was asked if he had taken his dogs out recently. When the actor expressed confusion at the question, Arnett said, "I think they have to get the bathroom. They're literally standing by the door."

Cooper said that the moment signified "the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. And it was Will saying that to me. I'll just never forget it. I was like, 'Oh, the guy that I think is doing mean humor is telling me, like, the truth about that.' "

He concluded: "And it changed my entire life."

In 2023, Cooper spoke about his past addiction struggles in an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge. The actor, who previously abused cocaine and alcohol, said he felt "very lucky" to have since overcome them. He said he "got sober at 29 years old, and I've been sober for 19 years. I've been very lucky."

Meanwhile, Arnett has also been open about his issues with alcoholism in the past, which has been mentioned in his TV shows BoJack Horseman and Flaked.

Deadline reported in 2023 that the two are working to develop and co-star the upcoming movie Is This Thing On?, with Cooper also directing.

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The live episode of SmartLess airs Sept. 9 on SiriusXM and on the app. It will be available on other podcast platforms on Sept. 16.