Seemingly Nice Guy Fred Armisen Basically Gaslights Every Woman He Dates

Updated March 14, 2019 383.9K views

Fred Armisen is the type of offbeat talent comedy nerds love. He made a splash on Saturday Night Live before branching out with Portlandia, a sketch show beloved by the hipster set. But humor isn't the only thing he's gained a reputation for over the years, and there are lots of dark Fred Armisen stories floating around.

Many creepy facts about Fred Armisen detail his supposedly awful relationships with women. His ex-wife Elisabeth Moss described their short-lived marriage as "traumatic," and another former partner painted a picture of him entitled Portrait of a Sociopath. Armisen himself has admitted that he's no picnic to be with.

Does Fred Armisen gaslight women? It's hard to know for sure from the outside of his apparently tumultuous relationships. But there's no denying how off-putting his behavior seems in these stories.

Photo: Kristin Dos Santos / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 2.0
Elisabeth Moss Called Their Marriage Traumatic
Elisabeth Moss and Armisen were married for eight months. They divorced in 2010. In 2014, Moss described their brief union in an interview with New York magazine:

Looking back, I feel like I was really young, and at the time I didn’t think that I was that young. It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best. I’m glad that I’m not there. I’m glad that it didn’t happen when I was 50. I’m glad I didn’t have kids. And I got that out of the way. Hopefully. Like, that’s probably not going to happen again.
Photo: Richard Sandoval / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
An Ex Painted A Picture Of Him Entitled 'Portrait Of A Sociopath'
In 2014, Armisen's ex Alice Lancaster painted a portrait of him, entitled Fred Armisen: Portrait of a Sociopath. Though it's abstract, you can't miss Armisen's tell-tale glasses.
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He Said He Felt Bad For Everyone He's Dated
Armisen seems aware he's not the easiest person to be in a romantic relationship with. He tried to explain his feelings during a 2013 interview with Howard Stern:

I think I was a terrible husband. I think I'm a terrible boyfriend... I want it all – fast. I want to be married... the amount of girls I've lived with right away... and then somewhere around a year, two years, I get freaked out... I feel bad for everyone I've gone out with.
Photo: Lukeford.net / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 2.5
Elisabeth Moss Said He Impersonated A Normal Person
Elisabeth Moss wasn't married to Armisen for long, but their brief relationship made a big impression on her. She described his bizarre behavior to Page Six:

One of the greatest things I heard someone say about him is, "He’s so great at doing impersonations. But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person." To me, that sums it up.
Photo: Saturday Night Live/NBC / Amazon / Fair Use
He Said He Used Passive Aggression To End Relationships
Speaking with Howard Stern in 2013, Armisen said he attempts to end relationships by making the other person hate him:

[It's] awful... you sort of withdraw and you sort of get into all the things you think make you weird, like "I'm really into playing XBOX... [or my] record collection." You sort of disappear into the things that you think are just your hobbies.

He's also admitted that he treats "romantic relationships in a cold way."
Photo: Peabody Awards / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
He's Open About His Infidelity
Armisen is candid about what he believes causes some of the issues in his romantic partnerships, as he explained on WTF with Marc Maron:

It’s like cheating and infidelity. I’m neither ashamed or proud of it. It’s just something that happens in my life... This struggle that I have [sex addiction], I don’t have a choice. It could be a lot worse. I could be dead.
Photo: Peabody Awards / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
He Compared His Attitude In Relationships To Amnesia
On an episode of WTF with Marc Maron in 2016, Armisen said he tends to get caught up in the fantasy of relationships. Then, one day, the real world catches up:

I have a problem with intimacy, where all of a sudden, there’s a real person there... something happens in me. It’s almost like an amnesia. It’s almost like waking up and going, "Where am I? Who is this person? Why is this person looking at me directly in the eye and having a conversation with me?"
Photo: JD Lasica / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
He Said He 'Probably' Felt Entitled To More Women
Armisen got frank with Howard Stern during a 2013 interview. Armisen described how he tended to get freaked out in relationships and would back away.
"Do you feel entitled to more women?" Stern asked him.
"I don't want to admit that out loud to myself, but that probably is it," Armisen answered.
Photo: Peabody Awards / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
He Allegedly Cheated On Natasha Lyonne
Armisen and Orange Is the New Black actress Natasha Lyonne hooked up in 2014. According to an anonymous source, though, Armisen didn't become a one-woman man. This poster claims he texted women on the side:

He is gross. A liar... to the point he merits the sociopath label he gets... That said, he’s a terrific liar. Terrific. Like seriously talented. So maybe not surprising that Natasha, who’s had addiction issues in the past, is buying it all from someone who likes to do the full court press on women. When he’s good he’s a bit like a drug.