Shaun Micallef reveals the ‘humiliating’ incident that made him give up alcohol

Comedian Shaun Micallef has made audiences laugh for more than three decades on shows like Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation and Full Frontal.

But in his new ABC documentary series, On The Sauce, he takes a serious look at Australia’s relationship with alcohol.

The 57-year-old funnyman told TV Week he had his first drink on his 18th birthday and kept drinking at university and through his early career as an insurance lawyer.

But he became a teetotaller in 1986 after his fiancée and her mother found him passed out, which left him ‘humiliated’.

The Mad as Hell host said: ‘I was supposed to meet my fiancée, but I didn’t turn up – because I was unconscious.’ 

He said that another reason why he decided to stop drinking alcohol was because he didn’t like the taste or how it made him feel.

However, the father of three hasn’t told his teenage sons who are, or close to, the legal drinking age to abstain from alcohol, because that would be unrealistic advice. 

In his three-part ABC series, Shaun explore why Australians choose to drink and the social impact of alcohol consumption.

‘The last thing I want to do is wag a finger because I’m not qualified to make any judgements,’ he said.

But he still hopes Aussies will watch the show and learn from the people he interviews.

Shaun married wife Leandra in 1988, and they share three sons, Joseph, 20, Gabriel, 19, and Elias, 16.

His admission comes after fellow comedian Ed Kavalee revealed Shaun used to go out of his way to cause chaos on set of improv show Thank God You’re Here.

‘[Shaun] would pick up things, he would flip pieces of the set and he would try and open doors on the set that weren’t meant to open,’ Ed told News.com.au last month.

Shaun Micallef’s On The Sauce premieres on Tuesday at 8.30pm on the ABC