Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis has marked a major milestone in her sobriety journey.
On Monday, the “True Lies” star revealed that she has been sober for almost three decades, sharing in an Instagram post that she attended her first recovery meeting 26 years ago.
“I have made beautiful, beautiful, friendships and it has expanded my life beyond recovery and it has given me the family life and creative life. I never thought possible,” the actress continued.
“To every person I have come in contact with who have shared their experience, strength and hope as it relates to alcoholism and drug addiction, I thank you for your courage and welcome and for all those who came before us, and for those who have followed, thank you.”
Curtis accompanied the post with a photo of burned buildings along Via De La Paz, a street in the Pacific Palisades.
The affluent Los Angeles neighborhood was devastated by a wildfire that broke out on Jan. 7. After nearly a month of burning, firefighters finally extinguished the flames on Jan. 31. The cause of the fire, which scorched more than 23,000 acres and claimed a dozen lives, is still under investigation.
“The little avatar in the picture of the street is in the exact spot/ seat I sat in at my weekly meeting in the Palisades in a church that no longer exists, in a neighborhood that no longer exists,” the actress wrote.
Sobriety Journey
Curtis landed her breakout role in 1978, portraying Laurie Strode in the horror film “Halloween.”She subsequently rose to prominence in the 1980s, starring in films such as “Halloween II” (1981), “Trading Places” (1983), “Grandview, U.S.A.” (1984), and “Perfect” (1985).”
In 1990, she appeared in the action thriller “Blue Steel” alongside Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Tom Sizemore, and Louise Fletcher. That decade also saw her star in “Forever Young” (1992), “True Lies” (1994), “House Arrest” (1996), and “Homegrown” (1998), among other films.
However, amid her success on the big screen, the actress battled with addiction for 10 years. She was finally able to get sober in 1999.
Curtis took to Instagram last year to celebrate her 25th year of sobriety.
“Many others share the same disease and solution,” she penned.
“For all those struggling with addiction and shame, there are others out here who care. My hand in yours. Our hands in yours.”
The “Freaky Friday” actress reflected on her path to sobriety during a July 2023 appearance on MSNBC’s talk show “Morning Joe,” saying she felt “incredibly lucky” to be where she is today.
“There are women in prison whose lives have been shattered by drugs and alcohol, not because they were violent felons, not because they were horrible people, but because they were addicts,” she added.
“I am incredibly lucky that that wasn’t my path.”
Four years before getting sober, Curtis’s younger half-brother, actor Nicholas Curtis, died from a heroin overdose in his early 20s. The actress said her decision to get clean made her acutely aware of the realities of addiction.
“He is one of millions and millions of people whose lives have been extinguished because of addiction,” she said.
“So my gratitude is enormous because I also have this incredible life.”
Curtis was able to tap into her experiences with addiction and recovery in the second season of the FX drama “The Bear.” The actress played Donna Berzatto, the alcoholic mother of the show’s main character, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.
More recently, she appeared in the 2024 films “Borderlands” and “The Last Showgirl.”
Curtis is set to reprise her role as Tess Coleman in “Freakier Friday,” the sequel to the 2003 film “Freaky Friday.” The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on Aug. 8.
