In a candid conversation on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, renowned actor Robert Downey Jr. delved into his tumultuous past, shedding light on his battle with addiction and multiple encounters with the law in the 1990s. Downey described his incarceration in 1999 as a harrowing experience, comparing it to being marooned on a distant planet with no hope of return until the planets aligned.
Reflecting on that time, Downey recalled an environment saturated with negativity and described the incarceration as akin to being trapped in a dangerous neighborhood devoid of opportunities, only rife with threats. The actor’s brushes with the law during this period were well-documented. In 1996, he faced charges for possession of heroin, cocaine, and an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum. Downey was handed a three-year probationary period and mandatory drug testing.
“You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood,” he said. “There was no opportunity there. There was only threats.”
However, a year later, he violated the court-ordered drug test and spent nearly four months in the Los Angeles County jail. Skipping another test in 1999 resulted in a three-year prison sentence, of which Downey served 15 months in Corcoran, California. Shortly after his release, he faced another arrest during Thanksgiving weekend on charges of alleged cocaine and Valium possession, as well as being under the influence of drugs. Though the Valium charge was later reduced, he pled no contest to the remaining charges to avoid further jail time.
Downey’s troubled state during that period was palpable as he recollected his experiences. He shared an instance in court where he felt over-sentenced by an angry judge, even believing the judge was casting a spell on him with Latin phrases. The actor then recounted a dangerous stay at Delano, a receiving center where inmates are assigned to different facilities, describing it as one of the most perilous environments he had ever encountered due to the lack of designated areas.
During his time in confinement, Downey faced both personal and embarrassing moments. He humorously recalled inadvertently wearing his underwear backward and eliciting laughter and jeers from fellow inmates during a brief trip outside his cell to the shower.
“I remember walking out at one point when I hopped out of my cell to go to the shower, by the way, this would be the best soundbite, and I didn’t know it but I was a little spun out and I had my underwear on backwards,” Downey Jr. recalled. “I remember eliciting some strong chuckles and jeers from my fellow inmates.”
Despite describing incarceration as the worst period of his life, Downey highlighted the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to adapt to seemingly insurmountable situations. He expressed gratitude for surviving those challenging times.
Now sober and successful, Downey Jr. has transcended his troubled past. He has channeled his energy into hosting the docuseries “Downey’s Dream Cars,” which premiered on Max, a platform owned by CNN’s parent company.
