Kevin Zegers Faces Backlash After Admitting to Daughters He Is an ‘Alcoholic’

Kevin Zegers does not believe in keeping things from his children.

The Walking Dead actor caught criticism from fans on social media after he posted a video of his 3-year-old fraternal twin daughters, Blake Everleigh and Zoë Madison, calling him an alcoholic.

In the video posted to Instagram, the actor’s wife Jaime Field asked the girls, “What is Daddy?” and they responded, “An alcoholic.” From there, she asks them where their father is right now, before she tells them he was attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

“Learning ’em young #aameeting,” the Canadian actor wrote on the caption of the controversial Instagram post, as first reported by PEOPLE.

Fans took issue of the video in the comments section, questioning the actor for his parenting choices. But rather than staying silent, Zegers — who is eight years sober — defended his choice to establish the open communication with his daughters about the subject.

“Some people seem to have taken issue with my previous post. Let me clarify. Being in recovery is a part of my life,” he wrote on Instagram. “Being an ‘alcoholic’ doesn’t mean that I drink. Quite the contrary. When I’m not home for bedtime, my girls often insist on knowing where I am. Instead of lying to them, or projecting an archaic stigma, we choose to tell them the truth. ‘Daddy’s at a meeting.’”

“Our hope is that we teach our girls some empathy and understanding about addiction; that in spite of being an alcoholic they have a father who has chosen a healthy way to live his life,” he continued. “For 8 years, I’ve chosen to live a clean and sober life that involves much more than just not drinking.”

“I choose to share this because too many people, like some commenting below, want to shame people with addiction and mental health issues back into the shadows. My choice is to crack the window open so others can see what’s possible on the other side.”

Zegers’ new post was met with an avalanche of support from his celebrity friends.

Fellow sober actor Dax Shepard commented: “Damn Son! Well said!”

Zegers’ Shadowhunters co-star Lily Collins also responded. “Couldn’t love you more or be more proud,” she said. “You constantly inspire me. Those girls are the luckiest to have you as their dad xx.”

Sophia Bush gave support too, telling Zegers, “Love you, bud! Well said.”