Rich or poor, famous or unknown, it seems addiction is the great equalizer. Millions of Americans battle addictions and dependencies of all sorts. A person does not have to be on drugs to have an addiction and seek treatment. Mothers especially are at a huge risk for developing bad habits, after all motherhood can be painful and gruesome at times.
Mothers are not exempt from the temptations of drugs and alcohol, as a matter of fact, mothers face lots of pressure and sometimes self-medicate. All of the women on our list have been addicted to something, but most importantly, all of the women on our list sought treatment and currently have a clean bill of health.
Keep reading to find out some of the shocking experiences theses celebrity moms have had, what triggered their dependency, and what kinds of things they were addicted to. Trust me, these women will surprise you!
The list below is comprised of 15 celebrity moms, who have checked into rehab at one time or another.
15 Demi Moore
Another controversial mom on our list, is the infamous Demi Moore. Demi has three children from her second marriage with actor Bruce Willis. Demi is quite well know for the love triangle drama that caused her split with Ashton Kutcher, who is now married to Mila Kunis (with whom he cheated on their 6th anniversary). Talk about a nightmare! It seems the split was a catalyst for a downward spiral of epic proportions. Moore reportedly had a seizure in 2012 from huffing “whip-it” can fumes known as nitrogen oxide.
Along with this peculiar addiction, she struggled with anorexia, Adderall, and a red bull addiction. Demi sought treatment before in the late 90s, and again after she and Willis used substances together during their marriage. Again we see a woman who did not battle her addiction alone. Demi, much like Carnie, had someone around to help her feed this monster of an addiction.
It is unclear whether Bruce also sought treatment, but he is said to have warned his two daughters about the addictive behaviors they may have inherited from the co-parents. Moore has had a long family history of hardships and addiction, we certainly hope she continues to get the help that she needs.
14 Eva Mendes
Come on, tell me you weren’t surprised! Beloved Latina Actress Eva de la Caridad Mendes, now married to Hollywood hottie Ryan Gosling of “The Notebook”--checked into Cirque Lodge in 2008. This is a popular treatment center for many stars--including Lindsay Lohan, Kate Olsen, and others! It has been said, she could not perform a sex scene without “having a drink”, and decided to make the responsible decision to take care of her health before problems escalated.
Details are sparse surrounding the amount that she would have, or even her beverage of choice--Mendes is not your typical Hollywood “party-girl”, so this came as a quite a shock. Mendes has two daughters with Ryan and they appear to managing well. She chose not to reveal the details of her addictions, Eva likely had plenty of support. Thankfully her husband Ryan is more than just a “sight-for-sore-eyes”, he is also a great husband and father to their kids; one who saw potential in his to continue to grow as a person. Kudos to the happy couple!
13 Leann Rimes
LeAnn Rimes adds a different flare to this list, proving you don't have to have substance abuse problems to go to rehab, as she was admitted for “stress and anxiety-related issues”. Remember the stress and exhaustion you faced as a new mom? Well, try never having kids & then, BOOM! You’ve got two pre-teens who are now dealing with the divorce of their parents, and second mommy. Rimes put on her mom pants at 28, when she married actor Eddie Cibrian--who had two children age 13, and age 9. Cibrian is the ex-husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Brandi Glanville--who divorced him after 8 years due to an affair with Leann. When the story broke, there was no hiding for Leann, this fiasco also ended her marriage to Dean Sheremet in 2010.
So we have potentially got several stressors here: dealing with the fallout of wrecking two homes (hers and Brandi’s), miraculous adjustments to mommy-duty, divorce proceedings, and a new husband (new wedding?)! We certainly feel for Leann here! It’s true that blended families add a little more spice to the mix when they are as complicated as Rimes’,but she appears to be doing much better now and hopes to have children of her own with Eddie in the near future.
12 Catherine Zeta-Jones
Academy-Award winning actress, Catherine Zeta Jones did a tint in rehab for a very different reason. With the support of her husband, she checked into an undisclosed facility in 2011 and again in 2013, to receive treatment for bipolar disorder. While bipolar disorder is not a drug or substance, it is equally as devastating when it goes untreated. There are a couple of types of bipolar disorders, and it is unclear which of these Catherine experiences, With so many stigmas surrounding mental illness, it is quite astonishing that Catherine sought treatment and revealed the reasons behind it!
This goes such a long way toward encouraging other moms who might have mental illness’, and quite frankly, women in general. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a hero in my book! A strong woman on-screen and off-screen, she goes to show that nothing can stop a mother who wants to be the BEST mother she can be. There did not see to be any grave danger for her children (who were 12 and 10 years old) or her husband. She left the facility after five days and has proved to millions, that mental health issues need to be properly addressed.
11 Nikki McKibbin
The first mommy on our list is Nikki McKibbin. Nikki appeared in the debut of hit show American Idol, auditioning with Gloria Gaynor’s infamous ballad, “I Will Survive”. Throughout the show, she continued to wow judges and fans with her powerful voice and went on to compete for the title as America’s favorite red-haired songstress. A down-to-earth chick, with a punk-rock flare and bad-girl attitude, she was irresistible to fans. Nikki had a long-run, but was eliminated when she reached the final three.
After leaving the show, she signed to an independent recording label, in hopes of making her mark on the industry. Soon after signing, she faced legal troubles ad was unable to release any music. She left the label with an intense cocaine and alcohol addiction, no stranger to the punk rock party scene. Nikki apparently reached rock bottom after driving her son to school while intoxicated.
She checked into rehab via reality show Celebrity Rehab (Season 1) declaring "I need[ed] the help and I need it now.”According to reports, June 2018 will mark 9 years of sobriety. Her son seemed to be following in her American Idol footsteps after auditioning in 2015, with Sublime’s hit “Santeria”. Unlike his mother, he does not seem to be showing any signs of substance abuse.
10 Elizabeth Vargas
ABC hotshot anchor Elizabeth Vargas has spent her 30 year career in front of American families, all the while covering up an alcohol addiction. Often times, the pressures of being a public figure--in addition to being a full-time wife and mother--can be devastating. Vargas realized she had a problem shortly after her firstborn son pointed out how horrible she looked while hungover during an interview. That interview, was with none other than the superstar Katy Perry; proving to be first of many warning signs.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth did not seek treatment after that episode aired, but instead told her producers she tired and sick. Sometimes addiction is seen by the addict as more of a coping mechanism, but Elizabeth would soon discover, this addiction could potentially end her life. In an segment with Diane Sawyer, Vargas describes her day of reckoning in 2014 with a deadly .4 blood alcohol level. She checked into rehab and has been on the straight and narrow ever since. Elizabeth has appeared on a few segments sharing her story with millions around the world.
9 Carnie Wilson
You might remember Carnie from the 90’s group “Wilson Phillips”, her father being none other than Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Mother of two, Carnie Wilson began to have struggles surrounding food addiction, but she shocked many when she revealed two other gripping addictions to drugs and alcohol. Her most pressing trials surrounded her yo-yoing weight, even after receiving a gastric bypass losing a whopping 113 pounds. Carnie clearly had some underlying issues with her self-image and sought to bury herself in various substances. Like the previous women on our list, this mother was under the immense strain of being in the public eye.
It is not clear whether Carnie dealt with all three addictions at once, but she is known to have used drugs and alcohol with her ex-fiance Steven, who passed away. In an interview with Tyler Henry of Hollywood Medium, Carnie reveals "I used with him. We were addicts together, but I was the one who stayed clean and turned my life around, and he didn't. I feel guilt around that." Addictions can often be lonely places, and seeking treatment--even lonelier. Despite the loss she has faced, Carnie seems to be doing very well and learning healthier ways to cope with the stressors in her life.
8 Donatella Versace
Oh, Donatella. Her reputation certainly precedes her, and the Versace family is certainly no stranger to partying and controversy. Donatella entered the American scene as an Italian fashion designer and was invited to the hippest parties in Los Angeles and New York City. For this reason, she was addicted to cocaine for a whopping 18 years!
After the death of her brother Gianni Versace in 1997, Donatella had attempted on several occasions to sober up in his honor. Unfortunately, she fell off the bandwagon a few times. She returned to heavy cocaine use and partying in efforts to gain the high that gave her an intense thrill. Like many drugs, it had short-lived benefits and its end came when singer Elton John intervened and convinced her to go to rehab. Donatella became incoherent from apparent drug use at her daughter’s 18th birthday, that was enough for the designer to change her life.
7 Drew Barrymore
Everyone knows Drew Barrymore as the poised poster child for your American Sweetheart. However, many are completely unaware of the struggles she faced as a child, many of which landed her in rehab...wait for it...before her thirteenth birthday! I don’t know how common childhood drug use is, but it seems to me that she certainly needed someone to fuel the habit for her.
Is has been said, Drew’s mother would bring her to nightclubs and bars where she would talk to men and have drugs and alcohol. That is a terrible thing to do! While Drew’s mother does not get “Mother of the Year” award, it is very likely that she needed to address her own addictive behaviors. It is unclear whether or not Drew’s mother attended rehab with her, but Drew was mandated by the courts to check into a rehab facility. By the age of 14, she was an emancipated minor and living on her own. WOW! The actress was able to get past her childhood traumas and lead a very normal life with her husband and three children.
6 Faith Evans
Singer, songwriter, and widow of the late rap singer Notorious B.I.G. aka “Biggie”, Faith Evans makes our list for celebrity mothers who went to rehab. A mother of four, Evans found herself in quite the predicament in 2004. In her words, she never had to go to rehab it was simply a court-ordered “pretrial drug abuse intervention”. Uh, Miss First Lady, that sounds like a string of nice words for “rehab”. This on the heels of a drug possession arrest with her husband, they took the deal to avoid serious jail time.
It is not well-known if Faith did indeed have a drug addiction, or if that’s something she and her husband told the judge to get a slap on the wrist. It seems to me, you wouldn’t lie under oath about something like that--or maybe one would do so is they didn’t want to spend the next twenty years in prison due to the mandatory minimums attributed to drug possession charges. Since then, Faith has been staying out of trouble and handling herself in typical ‘ladylike’ fashion.
5 Kate Moss
International super model Kate Moss hit the fashion scene at the tender age of 18, making her debut in a Calvin Klein advertisement. In the early 90s, Moss hooked up with actor Johnny Depp and began partying (much like Donatella Versace). Her status gave her access to the hottest nightclubs in London, New York and Los Angeles, Soon enough her “good girl” image was quickly flushed down the toilet.
The stint in rehab ensued soon after her break-up with Depp, she turned to drugs and alcohol to soothe and heal her broken heart. A few years later she would get pregnant with her first daughter Lila Rose who likely helped keep her life on the straight and narrow… Or so she thought. Kate linked up with a toxic boyfriend Pete Doherty who apparently had an existing heroin addiction. This did not end well for Moss as she was seen snorting five lines of cocaine in 40 minutes, during a studio session in 2005. These images were printed across tabloids in the UK and USA, almost ending Moss’ career.
4 Tatum O'neal
Alright, so maybe you knew that Tatum was in rehab (who didn’t?!), but it turns out she has been to rehab more than a few times, and subsequently she has landed in our list. Tatum won an Academy Award for her role in Paper Moon in 1974, making her one of the youngest actresses to do so. Having acquired stardom in her youth, it’s no wonder it has taken such a toll. Many celebs are examples of what kind of pressures childhood stardom brings, and not only pressure to look great--but pressure to party.
Don't believe me? Just take a look at some the Disney Channel stars who have landed themselves in rehab. Tatum has been battling addictions for the past twenty years, substances being cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. Tatum has been to rehab a total of three times. Her son recently began a memoir and shared with People magazine, ‘I thought she was choosing drugs over us’. Addictions are not only devastating to the addict, but also to loved ones. We certainly hope Tatum is on the straight and narrow from here.
3 Cindy McCain
If you thought politics while reading this name, you were right on target. Cindy McCain is wife of Senator and past president-hopeful John McCain. She has has a very public life, but a not-so-public addiction to painkillers. She suffered a back injury in the past and was prescribed Vicodin and Percocets--she began abusing them shortly after. She hid her addiction from her husband, which I am sure was very easy to do as he has been a long-time politician. Imagine being at home with your children, husband is away, everyone is scrutinizing your every move, and you’re in severe pain. A downward spiral is inevitable without a support system in place. The downward spiral went further than drug use for Cindy--it lead to fraud and theft. It’s said she even stole the drugs from her charity! The family is sure that Cindy’s troubles are behind her, and we hope the same.
2 Fergie
Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson has had a very interesting career, and an even more interesting path to sobriety. She began using drugs as a teenager, starting off with party-types like ecstasy and marijuana. Environment is everything, so moms--if you have teenage kids, take a look at who they are hanging around. There could be many tell-tales signs of addictive behaviors! After using drugs for some time, Fergie then graduated to methamphetamine (known as ‘crystal, glass, or simply meth’).
She used drugs so frequently, that she became paranoid and likely schizophrenic, believing the government was tracking her movements and ready to take her down. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Fergie discusses a deal she made with God, and how faith paved a way for her to deal with the underlying causes of her addiction. Fergie recently split with her husband of eight years, Jack Duhamel, and the two have one child together.
1 Chaka Khan
A woman with 50 years in the music industry, and a voice that has molded generations, Chaka Khan, is no stranger to the pitfalls of celebrity and Hollywood temptations. The Queen of Funk and mother of two, began her career as an international recording artist in the 70’s with the hit group, Rufus. Although Chaka has been in the business for well over five decades, it was not until beloved singer and influencer Prince died that she sought help for her addiction to prescription pain medication. I can imagine the news of Prince’s untimely death was as jarring as it was sobering--literally.
Chaka entered a Rehab facility last July, and postponed her upcoming shows to seek treatment. With addiction, the saying ‘better late, than never’ rings true! Like many stars before her, we are glad Chaka and our other mothers sought help, and had the support of loved ones as well.