Britney Spears makes a valid point. Sex is great. It increases intimacy with your partner, it boosts your mood, it leads to a ton of surprising health benefits and, not to mention, it feels amazing. However, there are some people who tend to take things a little too far… Or in other words, for them, sex is more like an addictive drug, because they just can’t get enough of it.
There’s an actual term for this, and it’s called “sex addiction.” People who struggle with it can’t control their sexual urges, and so this usually drives them to act on their thoughts (regardless of how disturbing they might be). And while this addiction never gives anyone a pass on their actions, it does show that there is a deeper cultural issue at the root that needs examining. According to the National Council on Sexual Addiction Compulsivity, it’s estimated that six to eight percent of Americans (aka 18 million to 24 million people) are actually suffering from this condition.
Some of the most well-known celebrities have stepped up and admitted that they, too, have battled sex addiction. And some of the names on this list just might surprise you.
17. Kanye West
So apparently, the rapper was addicted to sex way before he even rose to fame, and he’s quite proud of it. He even went as far as saying that his addiction is the main reason for his success. He said: “People ask me a lot about my drive. I think it comes from, like, having a sexual addiction at a really young age. Look at the drive that people have to get sex — to dress like this and get a haircut and be in the club in the freezing cold at 3 a.m., the places they go to pick up a girl. If you can focus the energy into something valuable, put that into work ethic.”
He also mentioned that when he was in the seventh grade, he created a very sexual video game called The Penis Remix. “The main character was, like, a giant penis,” he said. “It was like Mario Brothers, but the ghosts were, like, vaginas. Mind you, I’m 12 years old, and this is stuff 30-year-olds are programming… It literally took me all night to do a step, ’cause the penis, y’know, had little feet and eyes.” We swear we’re not making this stuff up.
16. Lindsay Lohan
She has openly admitted to having a drug and alcohol addiction in the past. But what most people may not know is that she once hinted at having a bit of an addiction to sex, too.
In an interview with Metro News, she said: “Being an actress is lonely, and I never want to be alone. I hate sleeping alone. I like being able to be in different relationships – being able to see a few people. I’m not really like a crazy addict. I mean – I enjoy having sex.” Sounds like she was contradicting herself there but okay.
15. Russell Brand
In addition to heroin, Russell also struggled with sex addiction – and he talked about it in great detail in his memoir, My Booky Wook.
He wrote: “At one point… I had a harem of about 10 women, whom I would rotate in addition to one-night stands and random casual encounters. But shagging – incessant as it was – no longer seemed to have the required calming effect. I was on the brink of becoming sufficiently well known for my carnal overindulgences – with lap dancers and prostitutes, to say nothing of all the women who didn’t sell sex for a living – to cause me professional difficulties.” …WHOA.
14. Michael Douglas
At one point, Michael had countless affairs and it actually led to the end of his first marriage. But this turned around for the better after he sought help, because his second and current wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, will be getting a hefty “straying fee” if he ever tries to repeat the same mistake.
According to John Parker, who authored Michael Douglas: Acting on Instinct, Michael shared his experiences in a support group. John wrote: “Encouraged by his counselor, Michael began his program of self-discovery when he stood up, head bowed, and gave a lengthy commentary about his inner demons and the problems that had turned him into something of a Jekyll and Hyde character. He confessed to the group of eight fellow sufferers: ‘Sex is just a wave that sweeps over me, an impulse that is overpowering. I’m helpless. Every time.’”
13. Colin Farrell
It was when his sex tape with Playboy model Nicole Narain got leaked when Colin Farrell revealed that he had a sex addiction.
He said: “If there is a trick to finding a healthy relationship with sex and you find it out will you please come and find me? Seriously, man, I’m not that hard to find. Of course, sex addiction is real. There are chemicals that flow through the brain in a moment’s sexual dalliance that are similar to those that appear when you take a substance. Anything that takes you away from your emotional and psychological self and gives you a hit, you can become addicted to.” Yikes.
12. Nicole Narain
Yep, it turns out that the very same Playboy model who did a sex tape with Colin also suffered from sex addiction. She appeared in the VH1 reality show Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. Also, on The Joy Behar Show, she opened up about how difficult it really is to recover.
She said: “I really try hard not to think about masturbating too much. I had a moment there where I really did, I could not get out of bed one day because I was just, it was a constant thing. It was like, I didn’t even want to eat food because that was my food for the day. It was exhausting and it was scary because it consumed my entire day and I try very hard not to have any triggers around me where I would feel like I need to masturbate today.”
11. Tiger Woods
Remember that time when over a dozen women came out and claimed to have had affairs with Tiger? Well, he basically admitted that it was all true. After apologizing for his actions, he went to rehab for sex addiction and took a temporary break from golf.
He said: “The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.”
10. Calum Best
The TV personality has struggled with drug addiction, but he also revealed that he had a sex addiction problem, too. This came to light only after some photos of him having an orgy with two sex workers surfaced online. He said: “I’ve got a problem. Sometimes I end up with one woman, other times two.”
He also mentioned: “When I’m high I do stupid sh*t. I’m a red-blooded male and I’m addicted to sex.”
9. Rob Lowe
In 1988, a sex tape of him and two ladies (one of whom was apparently underage) got leaked. It took a major toll on his public image – especially considering how he was also dealing with drug and alcohol addiction concurrently. But then he went to rehab and in time, he bounced back.
He said: “It’s almost quaint to think about now because now people do sex tapes to help their careers.” And as for his experience in rehab, he said: “The charade was over – now I would be forced into being who I really was, for better or for worse. I knew who I wasn’t – I wasn’t that guy.”
8. Amber Smith
The former Sports Illustrated model opened up about her sex addiction on the reality show Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. She also worked with author Ethlie Ann Vare on the book Love Addict: Sex, Romance, and Other Dangerous Drugs to share her story. But perhaps the most interesting part was when she mentioned how her addiction turned her into a crazy stalker.
“I saw a guy in a club in New York one night and ended up stalking him for twelve years… He managed a club — if you’re a love addict, it’s good to find someone who’s stable so you can stalk them easily — and I would show up there every night, and pick a fight with him just so he’d notice me. Finally, he did take me home and screw me… and that’s all it was to him,” she said. …OMG.
7. Jesse Lacey
In a Facebook thread, fans were discussing a rumor about Jesse’s inappropriate behavior with teenage girls. And after that, several women stepped up to share their stories, including one fan who was solicited to send him nudes when she was just 15.
In a lengthy personal statement, he explained that it was because of his sex addiction: “Early on in my life, I developed a dependent and addictive relationship with sex. I was scared of it, ashamed, and unwilling or unable to admit it, and so it grew into a consistent and terrible problem. Years ago, after admitting my habits and cheating on my then-soon to be wife, I began to approach my problem in a serious way. I entered professional treatment, both in group therapy and individual counseling,” he said. Obviously being a sex addict doesn’t excuse sexual abuse, though.
6. Jesse James
When four women came out and claimed that they all had affairs with Jesse, he finally admitted to having a sex addiction (and it ultimately ruined his marriage with Sandra Bullock)… But he insisted that he didn’t have the popular kind that most people suffer from.
He explained: “I don’t think I have a sex addiction where I’m running around trying to have sex with everyone and I can’t stop. I think I do things to sabotage my life, including having extramarital affairs… I think I do a lot of things in my life that I shouldn’t be doing that aren’t conducive to being a perfect husband, you know, and the affairs are just one of them.”
5. Ulrika Jonsson
In 2007, she revealed for the first time that she was addicted to sex. But the real kicker is that she only realized it while she was working on a documentary called Ulrika… Am I A Sex Addict? They defined the term as “someone whose sexual behavior damaged their life,” and apparently, that applied to her. It’s pretty insane that some people can have this condition and not even know it.
4. Charlie Sheen
Charlie struggled with sex addiction since he was 25 years old and he’s allegedly slept with over 5,000 women (not even sure how that’s possible…). He went to rehab and when he did an interview with Dr. Oz, he opened up about his addiction (although it sounds more like he’s made some progress).
When Dr. Oz asked if he’d call himself a sex addict, he simply replied “Sure, I don’t know the definition of it but… I have a tour bus that I use as a dressing room and I’ve had sex in it, in 14 years, three times.”
3. David Duchovny
The actor cheated on his ex-wife, Tea Leoni, for years before he decided to get help for his addiction. And get this: He only went to rehab because his wife gave him an ultimatum. Either he would go for treatment or they get a divorce.
He released a brief statement saying: “I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction. I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family.” However, it seems like this did little to help his marriage, because the couple got divorced in 2014.
2. John Mayer
Back in 2010, John admitted that Jessica Simpson was so good in bed that she’d practically turned him into a sex addict.
He said: “That girl, for me, is a drug. And drugs aren’t good for you if you do lots of them. Yeah, that girl is like crack cocaine to me. There are people in the world who have the power to change our values. Have you ever been with a girl who made you want to quit the rest of your life? Did you ever say, ‘I want to quit my life and just f***in’ snort you? If you charged me $10,000 to f**k you, I would start selling all my s**t just to keep f***ing you.’”
Um… Yeah, no comment. Obviously saying this publicly was so uncool, considering it left Jessica feeling personally humiliated, and if John needs help coping with this then he should be seeking counsel from a therapist — not a popular news outlet.
1. Scott Disick
On Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Scott made the (hugest) mistake of bringing another girl to a family getaway. This, of course, led to a huge fight and in the middle of it, Scott practically announced that he’s a sex addict.
Scott expressed that he was really annoyed because Kourtney wasn’t having sex with him, and then he went on to claim that she was to blame for his actions. He actually said: “So let me f*ck you then, and I won’t have to do sh*t like this… I’m a sex addict! I’m a f*cked up, horrible sex addict!” Ugh. That sounds super manipulative. Scott needs to get it together!