Stars Who Battled Secret Addictions

Secret addictions to drug and alcohol have plagued celebrities' lives since the early days of Hollywood. But many stars have tried desperately to keep their battles under wraps — sometimes leading to tragic consequences. From dependencies on prescription pills to adult content, here are some of the many addictions that Hollywood stars have attempted to keep hidden from the spotlight.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis revealed to More magazine in 2008 that she became addicted to painkillers following cosmetic surgery under her eyes when she was 35 years old. "The feeling I got from [the pills] was, oh, wow, I feel better," she said (via Yahoo! Entertainment). "So I rode that. No one knew." Curtis said her addiction got so bad, she'd steal pills from her sister.

In the wake of Prince's death in April 2016, Curtis revisited her addiction in an essay for The Huffington Post. "So, awaiting final toxicology, it has now been reported in the New York Times that Prince was toxic. I can relate," she said. "I was toxic too. I too, waited anxiously for a prescription to be filled for the opiate I was secretly addicted to. I too, took too many at once. I too, sought to kill emotional and physical pain with pain killers. Kill it. Make it stop. Too many of our fellow humans, famous, infamous, and not famous at all, have sought the same relief. "

Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews shocked millions when he posted a video to Facebook in February 2016 shedding new light on his secret addiction to pornography. "It really, really messed up my life..." Crews said in the video. "It changes the way you think about people. People become objects. People become body parts; they become things to be used rather than people to be loved."

Crews, who has spoken about his addiction in the past, said it had devastating effects on his marriage to his wife of 16 years, Rebecca King Crews. "It affected everything. My wife was literally like, 'I don't know you anymore. I'm out of here.' I had to change. I literally had to go to rehab for it."

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On the heels of Mad Men's seventh and final season, TMZ confirmed in 2015 that star Jon Hamm had completed a 30-day stay in rehab to treat alcohol abuse. The Emmy-winning actor shocked fans as he released a statement saying, "With the support of his longtime partner, actress Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm recently completed treatment for his struggle with alcohol addiction. They have asked for privacy and sensitivity going forward."

Hamm spoke briefly about his struggle to Australia's TV Week mere hours after the news broke. "Life throws a lot at you sometimes and you have to deal with it as much as you can," he said. "That's why you have family and friends and co-workers to help you with that. I've been very fortunate that throughout the most recent 24 hour period. I've had a lot of family and friends support me. I guess that's all I will say about that." He and Westfeldt have since split.

In 2013, word got out that High School Musical star Zac Efron had completed a stint in rehab for alcohol abuse. Sources for TMZ later reported that Efron also attended rehab for cocaine abuse and marijuana use in 2013.

Efron, who also made headlines around that time for getting his jaw wired shut and fighting with a homeless man, acknowledged to some drug use in a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, but kept the focus mostly on his drinking. "I was drinking a lot, way too much," he said. "It's never one specific thing. I mean, you're in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, you know? Everything is thrown at you. I wouldn't take anything back; I needed to learn everything I did. But it was an interesting journey, to say the least."

The Baywatch lifeguard subsequently addressed his struggles with his once-secret addiction on an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls. During the show, he admitted the constant attention from the press and paparazzi eventually led him to "need a social lubricant," according to Us Weekly.

Sex and the City star Kristin Davis shocked millions of fans in 2008 when she admitted to Health magazine that she is a recovering alcoholic. "I've never hid it, but I've been sober the whole time I've been famous, so it wasn't like I had to go to rehab publicly," she said. "I believe [alcoholism] is a disease. I don't think you can mess with it. There was a time when people who didn't know me well would say, 'Couldn't you just have one glass of champagne?' And I would say, 'No.' I'm doing well. I still have occasional bad days. Why risk it?"

In 2006, Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman opened up to 60 Minutes about his past struggles with drugs and alcohol. "I went [to rehab], I got sober when I was 22 years old," he revealed, adding he would drink or take "whatever he could get his hands on." "You get panicked...and I got panicked for my life. It really was just that."

Sadly, Hoffman's demons continued to haunt him. In February 2014, he was found dead in his bathroom with a syringe in his arm. It was eventually confirmed that the star of Capote had died of an accidental drug overdose. Heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and amphetamine were found in his system, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the wake of Hoffman's death, Desperate Housewives actor Shawn Pyfrom published an essay to Tumblr revealing his own battle with alcoholic and drug addiction. Pyfrom wrote, "For several years, I lived for drugs. I lived for other things as well. But drugs dictated the other things I lived for. I thought more about using, than I thought about any other 'pleasures.' I put myself in places I never would have ended up, otherwise, for the sake of getting high. There are countless nights of blacking out, and making poor decisions as a result of my overusing." At the time the post was published, Pyfrom said he was officially five months sober.

In 2010, actor Wes Bentley shed light on his descent into a drug-and-alcohol-addicted world following the overnight success of American Beauty. Among his lowest points came in 2008, when he pleaded guilty to heroin possession. The following year, Bentley claimed he almost drank himself to death. "I had come back to L.A. for something, and I drank a whole bottle of Scotch, and I thought to myself, 'I'm going to die in this hotel room with this bottle of Scotch,' " he told The New York Times. "It was after that I told a friend for the first time: 'I'm a drug addict, and an alcoholic, and I need help. I need help or I'm going to die.'"

Bentley, whose best friend, Heath Ledger, died of a drug overdose in 2008, has since worked hard to rebuild his career, landing big roles in Interstellar and The Hunger Games. He continues to speak openly about his once-secret addictions.