NEWSMichael Douglas Says He Had a 'Run-In' With the Manson Family: 'These Guys Dismembered Two Cats'
Douglas said the Manson family was looking for music producer Terry Melcher.
Oct. 17 2026, Published 2:33 p.m. ET
It's been over 50 years since Michael Douglas had a harrowing encounter with the Manson family.
In an interview with Joe Rogan on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Douglas said members of the Manson family were responsible for killing two of his girlfriend’s cats at the home he rented in Los Angeles in 1969.
“I had a run-in with the Manson family,” Douglas said.
Douglas Said the Group Was Looking for Terry Melcher
Douglas said the Manson family was looking for music producer Terry Melcher.
Douglas, 82, said the rental property he lived in had previously been home to music producer Terry Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day. “The Manson family, when those terrible murders happened, was actually looking for a guy named Terry Melcher,” he noted.
Douglas said Charles Manson was upset with Melcher. “I was living in the house at the time that Terry Melcher had been living, and he left. I rented the house,” he stated. He was living there with his girlfriend, actress Brenda Vaccaro.
The Couple Noticed a Van Parked Outside
Douglas said Brenda Vaccaro’s two Abyssinian cats were killed in the yard.
The pair noticed a van parked outside their home. “And one day she had two Abyssinian cats, two beautiful Abyssinian cats,” Douglas said. He said he went out to the patio one day and saw what looked like a pile of fur. He followed the fur and then found a cat’s leg.
He described the scene, saying, “And then basically these guys had dismembered her two cats all the way across the yard.”
He called the police, and he said investigators were later able to make a connection between the incident and the Manson family. In August 1969, members of the Manson family killed actress Sharon Tate, along with four other victims, at 10050 Cielo Drive. This is also the location of Melcher’s former residence. Douglas’ rental was a different house where Melcher had also lived.
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Police Told Douglas to Get a Gun
Police advised Douglas to get a gun after the Manson murders.
After the killings, Douglas said police had given him some very strange counsel. He said, “I remember them coming into the house and saying, ‘Okay, well look, you got to get a gun.’ Which I did not.”
Douglas continued, saying one of the officers told him, “If they come up, you know, make sure you drag them across your front door so they’re in your house.”
“What great advice. Before you kill them, you got to bring them inside,” Rogan joked, to which Douglas responded, “Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.”
Douglas also said he still doesn’t own a gun.
His New Memoir Details the Encounter
His new memoir, 'One Helluva Ride,' details the encounter.
The experience is described in detail in Douglas’ new autobiography, One Helluva Ride, co-written with Shane Salerno. The autobiographical work covers Douglas’ acting career and his complicated relationship with his father, the famous actor Kirk Douglas.
Michael has a second link to the Manson murders. While being interviewed about his autobiographical work, Michael recalled getting his hair cut by Jay Sebring, one of the most prominent celebrity stylists at that time, for his first film when Sharon was in the same salon. Jay was also killed by members of the Manson family on the same night as Tate.
