While the World Health Organization recognizes compulsive sexual behavior as sex addiction, as reported by the Mayo Clinic, and that 24 million U.S. adults could be classified as addicted to sex, it has not been classified as a mental health disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). That does not mean that many people, including some of Hollywood’s biggest names, have not struggled with the impulse toward sex and using sex as a reward (in the same way that people might gamble or smoke as a compulsion).
The Cleveland Clinic defines sex addiction as “excessive sexual thoughts, desires, urges or behaviors that can’t be controlled and cause distress and harm to your relationships, finances and other aspects of your life.” Also called hypersexuality and compulsive sexual behavior, sex addictions are tumultuous for famous individuals due to the many temptations made easily accessible by their status and lifestyle. From parties and drugs to fans who can’t resist getting as close as possible — literally — to some of the world’s biggest stars, acknowledging and kicking a sex addiction hasn’t been easy for these celebrities, and some of them are still suffering the consequences of their escapades to this day.
David Duchovny
Californication star David Duchovny, famous for playing a sex-obsessed writer on TV, announced in 2008 that he was “voluntarily” entering rehab for sex addiction, per a statement from his lawyer published by BBC News. “I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family,” added the X Files actor, who was married to now-ex Tea Leoni at the time. The couple shares two children, West, now 25, and Kyd, now 22.
Andra Day
The powerful Rise Up singer, Golden Globe winner, and Oscar nominee for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday emphasized in a cover interview with InStyle that she very much did not want to focus on Holiday’s sexuality and instead wanted to zero in on her impact on the music industry. Part of the reason for this was because of Day’s own past with her sexuality. “I didn’t want any element of sexualization. I had come out of something in my own life — dealing with porn addiction, sex addiction,” she said.
Dean McDermott
Actor and reality star Dean McDermott cheated on his then-wife, Tori Spelling, back in 2013, and soon left for rehab for “health and personal issues,” People reported at the time, per the LA Times. Those issues were later found to be sex addiction, as E! News and other outlets later reported. “I am truly sorry for the mistakes I have made and for the pain I’ve caused my family,” McDermott said in a statement at the time.
Tiger Woods
After his infidelities had become very public in 2009, golf icon Tiger Woods underwent treatment for sex addiction. According to his swing coach, Hank Haney, Woods said once he finished therapy, “What I learned is that for the rest of my life I can’t have sex with someone unless I genuinely feel something for them. If I do, I’m putting myself in jeopardy.”
Robbie Williams
British pop star Robbie Williams once said he was “addicted” to having sex with strangers, according to the Daily Mail. “I didn’t know whether I’d be able to give that up,” he said in 2017. Williams has been married to Ayda Field since 2010, and is able to open up to his wife about his former proclivities. “I was saying to her last night, it’s really special that we’re around a lot of really good looking people, all the way through the summer – and I feel no longing to be up to the nefarious stuff.”
Charlie Sheen
In 1995, Charlie Sheen testified that he spent $53,000 on “sexual services” from sex workers, and in 2000, he told Maxim that if he had to guess, he’d say he’d slept with 5,000 women by that point. Over a decade later in 2015, the actor publicly announced he’d been HIV-positive for four years.
Rob Lowe
After a sex tape was released in the 1980s of Rob Lowe and two women — one of which was found to be only 16 — the actor went to rehab and has been sober ever since. During a 2019 appearance on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagel Show, Lowe shared, “People talk about it, I go, ‘I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.’ Honestly, I do, ’cause it got me sober. Sober got me married. I’ve been married 29 years, and I have two great sons. I don’t think any of that happens without going through that scandal. I really don’t.”
Jada Pinkett Smith
On an episode of Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed she battled with sex addiction, explaining, “When I was younger, I definitely think I had a sex addiction of some kind, yes, that everything could be fixed by sex.” The actress continued, “I am a binger, and I always have to watch myself and I can just get obsessed with things.”
Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom opened up about his near-fatal sex addiction in his memoir, Darkness to Light. “I have been obsessed with sex for as long as I can remember,” he wrote. The former NBA player told People that his sex addiction was a trigger for drug use and referred to his many infidelities during his marriage to Khloé Kardashian.
Colin Farrell
Prior to entering rehab for his sex addiction, Irish actor Colin Farrell was frequently referred to as “the Lusty Leprechaun.” He’d been sober for nearly 10 years when he told Elle in 2014 that having sex for the first time after becoming sober was “one…
