Captain Lee Rosbach has revealed the real reason he addressed his son Joshua’s death on Below Deck Season 8.
Joshua died of a drug overdose in 2019 after nearly 20 years of battling drug addiction. The captain got candid on the personal topic on the most recent episode of the Bravo show.
It was an emotional episode as Captain Lee learned charter guests David and Jackie Siegel lost their daughter to a drug overdose. The guests tried to help the captain, who opened up to them at dinner in a vulnerable and heartbreaking moment.
Along with discussing Joshua to the Siegels, Captain Lee also spoke to chief stew Francesca Rubi about his loss. Now, as Below Deck Season 8 starts to wind down, the captain has revealed the reason he addressed his son’s death on the yachting show.
Why did Captain Lee open up about Joshua’s death?
Captain Lee has been open regarding Joshua’s death to help spread awareness about the opioid crisis. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres show, the captain gave more insight into addressing such a personal topic publicly.
“I don’t think enough people are paying attention to it. They don’t realize that addicts aren’t the dregs of society,” he stated. “It crosses all social boundaries. It doesn’t make any difference how much money you have, or you don’t have. It affects everybody.”
The Below Deck star also expressed he has spoken to so many people over the last year and a half who have been affected by the opioid crisis. However, very few people talk about the problem, and Captain Lee wants to change that.
“It’s the elephant in the room that nobody wants to confront. Somebody has to step up,” he shared.
Helping change the image of a drug addict
There’s no question Captain Lee hopes his loss and Joshua’s story can help someone in need. The captain also wants to change the image or misconception about what constitutes a drug addict.
“They mean no one no harm,” Captain Lee said to Entertainment Tonight. “Josh wasn’t out there, you know, holding up 7-Elevens or anything like that. He worked every day, and, yeah, all the money that he made, did it go to support his habit? Yeah, it did, unfortunately. He paid his bills, and then everything else went to feed his habit. So, it was hard, and he struggled with it obviously, and it didn’t have a good outcome.”
Although it has been hard for Captain Lee to open up, he and his wife Mary Anne know it is crucial to share their truth. They take life one day at a time and are grateful for the overwhelming response to Joshua’s story, especially from the Below Deck episodes.
As David Siegel said on Below Deck, “it’s a club no one wants to belong to,” and that’s another reason Captain Lee Rosbach talks about his son’s drug overdose. Fans should expect the captain to expand on the heartfelt topic more at the Below Deck Season 8 reunion show.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.