Who Was Phil Hartman?
Phil, a beloved comedian and actor prior to his death, was destined to be a star. From a young age, his creative capabilities and comedic talent were evident. One of eight children in a family that was constantly on the move, Phil used his sense of humor to stand out from the crowd. As a teenager in Los Angeles, he was the class clown, popular and well-liked among his peers.
After graduating from high school, Phil’s free spirited personality took him down unexpected paths. He worked as a roadie for a rock band managed by his older brother and eventually studied graphic design, which led to a number of jobs crafting album covers and promotional content for musicians. But through it all, he was still drawn to comedy, constantly perfecting his penchant for celebrity impressions.
In 1975, Phil’s life changed when he joined improv comedy sketch group The Groundlings, having an “epiphany” that it was what he was meant to do. It led to the development of The Pee-wee Herman Show, several other big screen roles and numerous voice acting gigs, all setting the stage for his eight-season run on Saturday Night Live. There, he earned the nickname “Glue” for being the one to hold the show together. In 1995, he landed a starring role on NewsRadio, while also lending his voice to The Simpsons and appearing in a handful of other films.
But as his career thrived, his personal life proved to be more chaotic. After two divorces, he had married his third wife, Brynn Omdahl, but friends admit that relationships weren’t Phil’s strong point.
“He was really, really into somebody and then it would sort of dissipate. As easily as they came together, they fell apart,” Mike Thomas, author of You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman, explained on The Last Days of Phil Hartman.
Phil and Brynn Hartman’s Tumutous Relationship
Phil and Brynn met at a party in Los Angeles in 1985, just before Phil began his run on SNL. By then, Brynn, an aspiring actress, had already been involved in high-profile romances, previously dating fellow comedian Rob Reiner. She had also found herself struggling with an addiction to cocaine and was in the midst of recovery after going to rehab.
But despite her past, her relationship with Phil escalated quickly, and by the time they tied the knot in 1987, she was pregnant with their first child. Much like Phil’s prior romances, things started off strong, but it quickly became clear that there were cracks in the foundation of their relationship.
“As with [his exes], it becomes very intense very fast. But as the months go on, the cracks begin to show, and Phil does what he did with his last two relationships—he begins to withdraw emotionally,” Thomas shared. “They begin this pattern of fighting and making up and fighting and making up that would mark their relationship from there on out.”
Just after the birth of the couple’s first child, friends began to see through the cracks. Phil’s ex-wife, Lisa Jarvis, recalled penning a letter congratulating the couple on their new arrival and receiving a note of “hair-curling fury [and] rage” from Brynn.
“The gist of it was, ‘Don't ever f---ing get near me or my family or I will hurt you. I never want to hear from you…Never, ever, ever come near us or you will really be sorry.’ It was two pages,” Jarvis alleged on The Last Days of Phil Hartman. “So I called him, and he said, ‘You should have seen the letter she wanted to send you.’”
SNL co-workers remembered the couple constantly fighting at the studio in front of both cast and staff. Makeup artist Norm Bryn told ABC that Phil confided that his career was driving them apart. With such a packed work schedule, Brynn was allegedly upset that Phil was away from home so frequently, and she was growing resentful. Meanwhile, when he was at home, Phil’s longtime friend, Wink Roberts, recalled being told by Phil that he would have to pretend to be asleep so they wouldn’t get stuck “fighting all night long.”
As Phil’s career continued to soar, Brynn’s own acting career never took off. While Phil tried to craft roles for her in his potential pilots, the series never made it to air. By the time he accepted his role on NewsRadio, Brynn told friends she was convinced he did not want to work with her. All the while, she continued to struggle with her substance abuse issues.
While Brynn went rehab, she ultimately relapsed months later, per The Last Days of Phil Hartman. Phil gave her an ultimatum, telling her she needed to get clean, but her next rehab stay was short-lived. Though they tried counseling, their relationship continued to grow distant, and in order to avoid more fights, Phil would escape by taking a short trip on one of his boats or plane.
“He told me that Brynn had been on cocaine and Zoloft and alcohol, and she’d just been crazy lately, and that she wanted to fight every night before they went to sleep,” Roberts tearfully recalled. These fights sometimes turned physical as Brynn would attempt to attack him. Friends grew worried, knowing that the couple kept guns in the house.
“I think Brynn was insecure and impulsive. And of course, drugs make you more impulsive. That’s a very scary combination that can lead to terrible things happening,” Phil’s former SNL castmate, Julia Sweeney, shared on The Last Days of Phil Hartman.
The Night of Phil Hartman’s Murder
On May 27, 1998, Phil spent the day with his friend, Britt Marin, and was due back home that evening to take care of the couple’s children: 9-year-old Sean and 6-year-old Birgen. Meanwhile, Brynn had plans to meet up with her friend, Christine Zander, for dinner and drinks at a local restaurant, just down the block from the family home in Encino, Calif.
There appeared to be a moment of peace in the couple’s tumultuous relationship, and just days prior, Phil had told his friend Steve Small the relationship was “really great” and described things as “quiet.” The couple’s nanny recalled there being “nothing abnormal” about Brynn’s demeanor that day—but at dinner, she began complaining about her relationship with Phil.
“Brynn and Christine start talking about Brynn’s relationship with Phil, and she’s not happy with it. Brynn just doesn’t feel valued at home. She says, ‘Phil wants somebody to take care of the kids, but he doesn't care enough about my own wants and needs. He doesn’t care enough about my career aspirations,’” Thomas explained.
During the evening, Christine recalled seeing Brynn use the payphone twice in an agitated state. When Brynn wanted to continue the evening on the town, Christine declined. Instead, Brynn headed to her friend Ron Douglas’ home, arriving at 10:15 p.m. There, she continued drinking and complaining about Phil. She left his house around 12:45 a.m.
What exactly happened when Brynn arrived back at home remains unclear. All that is known for sure is that Sean, tucked in bed, recalled hearing a slammed door followed by someone yelling an apology. Unbeknownst to the little boy, in his parent’s bedroom, Brynn had shot and killed Phil with three close range shots.
Around 3:45 a.m., Brynn returned to Douglas’ home, pounding on the front door. In her pajamas and seemingly drunk, she confessed to killing Phil, admitting she didn’t know why she did it. Despite presenting Douglas with the murder weapon, he was skeptical and asked to follow her back home. Upon arriving at the property around 6 a.m., Douglas discovered Phil’s body.
While Douglas stepped in the hallway to call 911, Brynn stayed in the bedroom and locked the door. She proceeded to call several people, including a family friend, to alert them of Phil’s death. In a final phone call, she contacted her sister, asking that she always remind Sean and Birgen that she loved them.
Just as those very children were being escorted from the home by the LAPD, Brynn laid down next to Phil and took her own life.
“To make arrangements for your children’s care when you know you’re going to be dead in a few minutes is actually the actions of a rational person,” clinical psychologist Joe Guse shared on The Last Days of Phil Hartman. “The enormity of what she’d done probably was fading in and out of her head throughout that night. But I think in that moment it all became very, very clear.”
A toxicology report later revealed that Brynn had a blood alcohol level of .12, as well as evidence of the prescription drug Zoloft and use of cocaine “approximately five hours or so prior to [her] death.”
Her family later sued Pfizer, arguing that Zoloft played a substantial contributing factor in her actions. Pfizer denied the claims, saying that the drug did not cause “violent or suicidal behavior.” The family settled the lawsuit outside of court.
