He suffered from an alcohol addiction until 1989 when he gave it up completely, a decision that he credits with transforming his life. [8] He married Rita Simons in December 2014. [9] Career [ edit ] Early career [ edit ]

Waters and the others mentioned threatened RTÉ and O'Neill with legal action. [54] RTÉ subsequently removed that section of the interview from their online archive. [55] On 25 January episode of The Saturday Night Show, O'Connor issued a public apology to those named on behalf of RTÉ for being mentioned in the interview held two weeks previously. [56] RTÉ compensated Waters and others mentioned. [57] Orquiola, John (February 25, 2022). "Mrs Maisel Season 4 Debunks Major Midge Enemy & Susie Theories". Screen Rant . Retrieved February 26, 2022. O'Gorman, Tom (14 December 2012). "John Waters on 'Ireland and the Abolition of God' ". Iona Institute . Retrieved 28 October 2013.Golembewski, Vanessa (October 30, 2017). "22 Celebrities Share Their Freaky Ghost Stories". Refinery29. Vice Media . Retrieved March 17, 2022. Waters was a smoker before quitting around 2004, saying "the only thing I've ever regretted in my whole life [was] smoking cigarettes. Because it was a nightmare giving up. It's the only thing the government ever told me that was true: It does kill you!" [72] In 2022, Waters said that if he were to write his younger self a letter, he would say "quit smoking [cigarettes] and do everything else". [73] Filmography [ edit ] Year Waters has written several books and, in 1998, he devised The Whoseday Book — which contains quotes, writings and pictures of 365 Irish writers and musicians – raising €3 million for the Irish Hospice Foundation. [13] Irish Times and Irish Independent [ edit ] The new Ireland: new moral state?". WORLDbyte YouTube channel. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 . Retrieved 28 May 2017. Murphy, Catherine (30 January 2014). "Column: Panti Bliss controversy raises major questions about RTE's role in public discourse". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 23 January 2020.

Cahir O'Doherty (19 January 2014). "Columnist John Waters in a Panti twist over anti-gay claims" . Retrieved 1 February 2014. Sheridan, Kathy (1 May 2015). "Kathy Sheridan: First Families First take up fight for No side". The Irish Times . Retrieved 9 May 2015. In 2019 he appeared in a number of podcasts with Gemma O'Doherty and Justin Barrett. [12] Waters with Gemma O'Doherty, and Justin Barrett of the National Party. Balbriggan meeting [ edit ]Ireland: Anti-gay marriage group win damages after drag queen calls them homophobes ·". Pink News . Retrieved 7 February 2014.

This Filthy World– Waters's touring one-man show, made into a feature film directed by Jeff Garlin [131] Although he has maintained apartments in New York City and San Francisco's Nob Hill, as well as a summer home in Provincetown, [42] Waters mainly resides in Baltimore. [59] [60] All his films are set and shot there. [61] He is recognizable by his trademark pencil moustache. [59] In 2007, Waters took part as one of the guest amateur chefs, in the RTE The Restaurant, programme. [44] John Waters, art connoisseur”. ‘’CBS Sunday Morning”. Published March 12, 2023. Accessed March 13, 2023. From 2014 onwards, he mostly did not write to influence mainstream public opinion. [12] The thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland recognised same sex marriage in Ireland (previously held to be prohibited by the constitution) and the thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which changed the constitutional position on abortion. [12] He no longer wrote for a mostly Irish audience, but for one centred on the United States, becoming involved in culture wars between conservatives and progressives. [12] He now appeared on conservative podcasts with large audiences. [12] Immigrants [ edit ]Ring, Trudy (January 19, 2021). "John Waters Probes His Drama-Filled Ancestry on Finding Your Roots". The Advocate . Retrieved January 19, 2021. In 2014, Waters began hosting an annual "Camp John Waters" event in Kent, Connecticut. Adult fans from as far away as Australia and Chile "relive their sleepaway camping days" with an "extra- campy theme weekend." [43] Notable guests have included Debbie Harry, Patricia Hearst, Kathleen Turner, Mink Stole and Randy Harrison. [44] [45] He was influenced by John Healy, admiring his works Nineteen Acres and The Death of an Irish Town. [12] Change in audience [ edit ] In February 2018 he appeared with Nigel Farage at an Irexit conference organised by Hermann Kelly. [12] The conference described itself as open "only to supporters of an Irish exit from the European Union". [12] There were several members of the far-right National Party - headed by Justin Barrett - at the conference. [12] He denied that Ireland was a republic, state or democracy. [12] Waters was quoted as saying "We have to remove the media because they don’t permit us to have the conversation" to which the crowd responded enthusiastically. [12] They also applauded his claim that immigrants "have no affinity or allegiance to the countries they end up in" and that "[t]his is our fault because we don’t demand it". [12] He claimed that "Europeans no longer have a place to call home" and that European Christianity was being eroded by "metastatic cancer". [12] a b "John Waters' gift to San Francisco: Demented holiday cheer". SFChronicle.com. November 21, 2018 . Retrieved November 24, 2018.