HEALTH'Back to the Future' Star Christopher Lloyd Opens Up About His Past Cocaine Addiction in Candid Confession
Christopher Lloyd shared he suffered with drug addiction for many years in his new memoir.
Oct. 27 2026, Published 10:56 a.m. ET
Christopher Lloyd revealed he struggled with cocaine and alcohol addictions for several decades in his new memoir, In My Own Time.
The Back to the Future icon, 88, shared he did his first "snort" of cocaine outside a comedy club in Los Angeles, Calif., in the 1970s.
Christopher Lloyd Said It Only Took a 'Couple of Lines' to Get Hooked on Cocaine
Christopher Lloyd noted his drug abuse began in the 1970s.
He "did a couple of lines" with a woman he met in her car at the time.
"That was all it took. I was hooked almost immediately. I loved it, and that was where my cocaine abuse began," he recalled.
Lloyd divulged his drug and alcohol usage became "entrenched," but he always appeared in front of the camera sober.
Christopher Lloyd Was High and Drunk During a Fight With His Partner in 1983
Christopher Lloyd revealed his addictions worsened after his show 'Taxi' was canceled in 1983.
"I wasn’t asking myself what it meant or what it was doing for me," he penned. "I just knew I liked it, and before long it had a hold on me."
The Emmy winner then looked back on being high and drunk during an argument with his former girlfriend when his hit show Taxi was canceled after five seasons in 1983.
Lloyd starred as Reverend Jim Ignatowski on the ABC/NBC sitcom from 1978 until 1983.
After spending a night at his nephew’s home in Los Angeles during one evening, Lloyd returned to his residence to find out his girlfriend locked him out.
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'I was hooked almost immediately. I loved it,' the actor penned in his memoir.
Lloyd was so angry that he smashed the windows, adding: "The next thing I remember, I was lying on the floor of my kitchen, bleeding out, and paramedics were attending to me."
"I later learned that I had lost so much blood that they had to give me plasma," The Addams Family actor said.
He also noted his Taxi costar, Andy Kaufman, died just a day prior at the same hospital at the age of 35 after battling cancer. At the time, Lloyd underwent surgery and physical therapy so he would be “able to spread [his] fingers correctly.”
Christopher Lloyd Went to Rehab in 1993 and Stayed for 5 Weeks
The 'Back to the Future' star entered a rehab program in 1993.
In 1993, the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest star entered rehab and stayed there for five weeks.
"That was the beginning, but not the end of it," Lloyd admitted. "I relapsed a few times after that. Some years later on April 1, I got sober for what turned out to be the last time."
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
