“For some nepo babies, the price of fame comes with drug addiction and substance abuse to aid personal woes.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
A friend has described the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner as a ‘ticking time bomb’ – and put it down to his use of meth, which made him spiral ‘out of control’.
Despite growing up with huge privilege, the troubled 32-year-old, who was arrested on Sunday night following the brutal stabbing deaths of his filmmaker father, 78, and mother, Michele, 70, struggled with the pressure that came with having famous parents.
And, like so many others, he turned to drugs to cope, completing his first stint in rehab at the age of 15.
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system and along with crack cocaine and heroin, it is the hardest illegal drug to quit.
While famous parents have the resources to pay for the best treatment, money cannot solve an addiction that has plagued the offspring of many of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Cameron Douglas and Hopper Penn have both struggled with meth addiction, but have thankfully got clean with the support of their loved ones.
For Rosie O’Donnell’s estranged daughter Chelsea and Wynonna Judd’s child Grace, however, sobriety has been nothing short of impossible so far.
The superstars’ children have battled substance addiction over the course of their twenties and have been in and out of prison for multiple offences.
Here, we reveal the curse of meth addiction that has blighted the lives of so many so-called ‘nepo babies’ in Hollywood.
Cameron DouglasCameron, now 47, has been incredibly open about his drug addiction and lonely childhood over the years.
The son of award-winning Michael Douglas was caught up in the midst of a bad crowd of friends when he turned to drugs aged 13.
Cameron once blamed genetics while addicted and said he thought he’d ‘take it as far as I could’ smoking pot at 13, coke at 15, meth at 17, and heroin by 26.
Michael and his famous father Kirk tried to get Cameron clean by signing him up to appear in movie It Runs in the Family with them.
Speaking about his addiction alongside his father Michael for the first time in 2019, Cameron said he was playing a game of ‘chicken’ with himself while addicted to drugs, and at one point started shooting cocaine into his rib cage and neck as he chanced life before he was ultimately sent to prison for intent to distribute.
He spoke with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer for an interview where his father Michael Douglas, 75, also opened up about his recovering son’s downward spiral, and when asked why he thinks it happened, admitted that he should have put his family first instead of his career.
‘At one point you do your rib cage?’ Sawyer asked, to which Cameron nodded in reply: ‘My rib cage, my neck…’
Cameron told Sawyer: ‘I thought that I was not put together properly and since that was the case, I was just going to take it as far as I could take it.’
In a clip that followed where he was questioned alongside his father, Michael swallows back tears as Cameron shares: ‘It was almost like the one thing I could count on and I didn’t have the courage to move forward without it.’
When Sawyer asked Michael if he ever thought there was more he could’ve tried to help his son, the actor laughed: ‘You wrack your brains… In the beginning you start blaming yourself, then you look at your genetic makeup.
‘My career was first. My career came before my family. My marriage was not great so you do hide yourself in your work.
‘I should’ve focused more on my family but that’s hard to say when you’re in the midst of a career. You’re stepping out of your father’s shadow, trying to create a life for your own.’
In later years, Cameron suffered with cocaine and heroin addiction, sold crystal meth and led a life of self-destruction that, in 2009, went on to land him in prison.
Though his later conviction would act as a catalyst in turning his life around, in the decades before Cameron had a number or run-ins with the law and enjoyed a series near misses for which he was never arrested.
The Hollywood scion recounted one instance at an LA motel where he held up an elderly cashier with an air gun, demanding she open the cash register.
Though she quickly obliged, all that was inside was a single $20 bill. But still, Cameron snatched the measly amount and ran – confessing the act was more for the adrenaline than it was about money.
‘I like confusing people, making them puzzle over how someone who came from so much privilege can do such crazy sh**,’ Cameron admits.
His penchant for chaos would see him arrested in New York City in 1999 for cocaine possession, and again six-years-later when police in LA found heroin and crack in his car.
In 2007 he was charged with possession of a controlled substance after police pulled over his car in Santa Barbara and found a syringe of liquid cocaine in the vehicle.
His final arrest would come two years later in a sting operation in the Gansevoort hotel in Manhattan, where he later pleaded guilty to heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute drugs.
He was originally sentenced to five years in prison, but in 2011, Cameron was issued an additional four-and-a-half years for possession of contraband that tested positive for cocaine and heroin.
Hopper Penn
Sean Penn and Robin Wright’s son Hopper, now 32, previously credited his father for saving his life when he battled crystal meth addiction as a teen.
Hopper admitted in 2017 that his past drug struggles would have taken his life if it hadn’t been for his father.
Speaking to ES Magazine, Hopper said: ‘I was doing a lot of stuff but meth was the main one that brought me down. I went to rehab because I woke up in hospital and my dad said, “Rehab? Or bus bench?” I was like, “I’ll take the bed.”
‘Thank God I got out of that because that was the worst time in my life. Because it’s not fun when it gets to a point where you just need it.’
These days, Hopper is an actor just like his famous family with the latest movie he starred in being the thriller Devil’s Peak.
Redmond O’Neal
Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal’s son Redmond’s problems dramatically worsened after his mother’s death, when he inherited $4.5 million and blew it on drugs.
His first stint in rehab was in 2004, but he was constantly in and out of treatment, and was jailed for drug possession.
In May 2018 Redmond, now 40, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles, and then allegedly stabbed five men on the Venice Boardwalk, seriously injuring two.
He was declared unfit to stand trial on charges of attempted murder and robbery.
Ryan’s son Griffin told Vanity Fair that his father introduced him to cocaine at the age of 11 – and then ‘insisted’ he take it.
In 2007, Ryan was arrested for shooting at Griffin, which he said was self-defense. No charges were ever filed.
In 2008, Ryan and his youngest son, Redmond were arrested after they were found with methamphetamines at Ryan’s Malibu home.
His life continued to spiral dramatically downwards.
Ryan admitted: ‘I’m a hopeless father. I don’t know why.
‘I don’t think I was supposed to be a father. Just look around at my work — they’re either in jail or they should be.
‘I have nice grandchildren, though.’
Chelsea Belle O’Donnell
The daughter of America talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, 63, who she adopted as a baby, continues to struggle battling a drug addiction.
In October, Chelsea Belle’s estranged mother Rosie asked fans for compassion and support for the 28-year-old.
‘My child chelsea belle — before addiction took over her life — I loved her then, I love her now as she faces a scary future,’ O’Donnell wrote. ‘Prayers welcomed. #addictionawareness #love #family.’
Her post comes after Chelsea’s probation was revoked earlier this month, resulting in a prison sentence handed down on October 22, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
The outlet reported that an official from the treatment drug court said Chelsea, who has been in custody since September 9, ‘was in violation due to sexual assault allegations.’
The official added that ‘Chelsea had not shown significant progress in the treatment drug program.’
‘The facts surrounding this request have been staffed with the Marinette County Treatment Drug Court Team and have been deemed sufficient grounds to warrant termination from the Marinette County Treatment Drug Court Program,’ the filing read.
An officer told Us Weekly that Chelsea will be transferred to a medium-security prison, Taycheedah Correctional Institution, in Wisconsin.
In a statement to People, Rosie shared her continued empathy and sorrow: ‘I have compassion for those struggling with addiction — Chelsea was born into addiction and it has been a painful journey for her and her four young children. We continue to love and support her through these horrible times. Prayers welcomed.’
Chelsea’s struggles have been ongoing.
She was first arrested in Wisconsin in September 2024 on multiple felony charges, including child neglect and possession of methamphetamine.
After posting bail, she was arrested again a month later on additional felony counts, including bail jumping and resisting or obstructing an officer.
A third arrest followed that November for possession of methamphetamine, bail jumping, and possession of narcotic drugs.
In March 2025, Chelsea pled guilty to three felony counts, resisting or obstructing an officer, felony bail jumping, and possession of methamphetamine, and was sentenced to six years of probation, two years for each count.
Her misdemeanor charges for drug paraphernalia and narcotic possession were dismissed at the time.
Under the conditions of her probation, Chelsea was required to maintain absolute sobriety, avoid known drug users or sellers and refrain from possessing alcohol, firearms, or any controlled substances without a prescription.
Despite those terms, court documents confirm her probation has since been revoked.
Chelsea is a mother of four young children: daughters Skylar Rose, 6, Riley, 4, and Avery Lynn, 3, and son Atlas, who turned one in October.
Rosie previously confirmed Chelsea’s legal troubles in a 2024 Instagram post, writing: ‘So yes, this is true — after being bailed out by her birth mother — Chelsea was arrested again. She is facing many charges related to her drug addiction. We all hope she is able to get the help she needs to turn her life around.’
Last year, Chelsea spoke to DailyMail.com from jail, saying her mother had taken a tough love approach and refused to bail her out.
‘When I called Rosie to ask her to bail me out, she told me flat out, ‘You belong in there,’ Chelsea said. ‘I really can’t help you get out of there; I don’t want you to kill yourself. I don’t want to be responsible for you killing yourself.’
At the time, Chelsea also expressed frustration that her mother appeared more focused on supporting the Menendez brothers’ bid for freedom than helping her own daughter. ‘My mother is more interested in getting the Menendez brothers released from prison than getting me out,’ she said. ‘I have a drug problem. I need to go to rehab, but I never killed anyone like the Menendez brothers.’
A representative for Rosie told Us Weekly in 2024, ‘The family hopes that she gets the help she needs.’
Grace Kelley
Grace Kelley, the 29-year-old daughter of American singer Wynonna Judd and her first husband, Arch Kelley III, has suffered an issue with drug addiction throughout her life.
She has been in and out of prison over the years for drug charges, with last year being the latest time she was arrested in connection with multiple transportation-related offenses.
Kelley was arrested in Georgia and charged with misdemeanor counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving with a suspended/revoked license and not using motorcycle equipment properly, per the Carroll County Jail’s records.
Kelley’s most recent arrest occurred about four months after her arrest on prostitution and indecent exposure charges.
Her latest arrest and charges come after she was charged with indecent exposure, obstructing governmental operations and prostitution in April in Alabama.
These were not Kelley’s first arrests. Six years ago in 2017, she pleaded guilty to the manufacture, delivery and sale of methamphetamine.
After leaving a court-ordered drug recovery program, she was sentenced to eight years and served time at the Debra K Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
However she was paroled in 2019, then found herself in and out of prison again on drug charges.
While on a temporary leave of absence from jail in March 2022, she gave birth to Kaliyah. It has been reported Wynonna has been taking care of the toddler.
In 2023, she served a five-month sentence at Putnam County Jail in Tennessee after she was arrested in May of that year for violating parole and an order of protection.
She had been released from jail in December 2022, but was re-arrested on May 1, 2023, on charges of breaching a restraining order and violating her parole.
Despite her daughter’s serious legal problems, Wynonna called her the ‘strongest Judd woman’ on The Pursuit! With John Rich in 2020.
‘I will tell you this. My daughter is the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory,’ Wynonna told Rich.