Jeremy Piven stopped by Good Morning America to plead his case to Diane Sawyer today. Ari Gold claims to have had six times the levels of mercury found in a normal person which forced him to drop out of David Mamet’s Broadway play “Speed-the-Plow” causing producers and Mamet himself to question the legitimacy of Jeremy’s illness. Plus it didn’t help he was seen partying his ass off after every show. People reports:

“The only protein I got for 20 years was from fish,” says Piven, who adds that he ate sushi at least twice a day. “I kind of thought I was doing the right thing … As soon as I heard this, I stopped all fish whatsoever.”

Piven has admitted to being embarrassed by the situation, especially given the skeptical response he got from fans, late-night hosts and colleagues alike. Speed-the-Plow playwright David Mamet joked that Piven was leaving show business to “pursue a career as a thermometer.”

But Piven, who hasn’t eaten fish in five months, says he has no hard feelings: “[Mamet] is a brilliant playwright and that’s a funny line.”

While I don’t know if I believe Jeremy Piven’s “fishy” (You can’t teach that.) excuse, I do believe he’s a fucking lock for the lead role in Newsies 2: Reprint Like Whoa. Or an assclown of a dresser. It’s a toss-up.

Video after the jump.