5 Celebs That Have Been Open About Their Battle With Sex Addiction

Of all of the addictions out there, sex addiction isn't taken as seriously as it should be. In fact, there's so much controversy surrounding whether or not it's a legitimate disorder that it's not even included in the most recent edition (2022) of "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-5). While that may be the case, people still suffer from sex addiction or hypersexuality, and some psychologists accept that it is, indeed, a mental disorder.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, roughly 3 to 10% of people are affected by hypersexuality, with men making up the majority of that group. Sex addiction isn't merely just a love of sex or having several fantasies about it throughout the day, but a preoccupation with it that has real-life, often detrimental consequences. "It's not that a lot of people don't take sexual risks from time to time or use sex on occasion to cope with stress or just escape, but for these patients, it's a constant pattern that escalates until their desire for sex is controlling every aspect of their lives and they feel powerless in their efforts to change," psychologist Rory Reid told Medical News Today about the affliction.

As much as men tend to corner the market when it comes to sex addiction, plenty of women have found themselves in the throes of it. Although not everyone is willing to talk about it, some celebrities have shared their struggle and it's eye-opening, to say the least.

As a former Playboy Playmate, Nicole Narain is very aware of how obsessed our culture is with sex. In fact, in 2005, Narain released a sex tape she made with her ex Colin Farrell in 2003 in an attempt to capitalize off it, but it was ultimately blocked by the courts. However, where her addiction lies is in her need to masturbate constantly.

In 2010, Narain appeared on "The Joy Behar Show" where she talked about her masturbation addiction. "You know what, 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," said Narain. "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."

While no one should knock regular masturbation — it is an important part of sexual self-care, after all — there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. If you find yourself skipping meals to get off, then it might be time to talk to your doctor.

Billie Eilish was only 11 years old when she stumbled upon porn and became addicted to watching it. In December 2021, Eilish shared the impact porn had on her, especially at such a young age, on "The Howard Stern Show" via CNN. "I think porn is a disgrace," Eilish told Stern. "I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was, like, 11." Eilish explained that watching porn made her feel like she was able to fit in with her guy friends who were also watching it. "I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn," said Eilish.

Unlike generations before, porn is readily available to anyone who wants to view it — no matter their age. According to 2023 research published in Family Medicine and Community Health, one study found that as many as 68.4% of adolescents have seen online porn. As Eilish experienced, porn at such a young age can stand in the way of healthy sexual development, blurring the lines between entertainment and education. "The first few times I, you know, had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good," Eilish told Stern. "It was because I thought that's what I was supposed to be attracted to."

If there's any celebrity who's going to come clean about a topic that others might find taboo, it's Jada Pinkett Smith. Known for sharing a bit too much about her personal life with her husband Will Smith on her show "Red Table Talk," the celebrity has also talked openly about her addictions.

In one 2020 episode, both Pinkett Smith and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, talked about their respective addictions with which they'd struggled. While Banfield-Norris had a 20-year-long battle with drugs, Pinkett Smith had her own various addictions. "My sort of addictions jump. They jump around," Pinkett Smith said. "When I was younger, I definitely think I had a sex addiction of some kind ... everything could be fixed by sex. Then I became a gym addict." 

Pinkett Smith admitted that she realized she might also have a drinking problem one night when she'd finished off two bottles of wine and was getting up to get a third, calling herself a binger who gets easily obsessed. "It's not what you're doing but how you're with it. Why you're doing it," said Pinkett Smith. "It's the behavior that's attached to it because if you want to have a lot of sex, that's great, but why are you having all that sex? That's what you've got to look at."

Although Andra Day made a name for herself playing Billie Holiday in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," before that she struggled with sex addiction. In 2021, the Academy Award-nominated actress talked to InStyle about her personal battles and how they impacted the way she portrayed Holiday. "I didn't want any element of sexualization," Day said of her role. "I had come out of something in my own life — dealing with porn addiction, sex addiction. I'm being very, very candid with you because I'm not the only one. But I knew I wanted all of that very much gone."

According to a 2018 study published in JAMA Network, 7% of women (compared to 10% of men) report experiencing distress and even impairment due to their preoccupation with sex and the effort they need to exert to control themselves and their urges. So, Day certainly isn't alone.

"I feel now, after playing Billie, that I'm honoring her, and the strength that is femininity," Day told InStyle. "I'm definitely in a healthier place to enjoy that because I'm outside of the addiction, if you will. So, yeah, it's been really fun, because it's been very new for me."

Despite having been in the industry for decades, it was her 20s that had a major impact on Jenifer Lewis and the person she would become. At the time she was struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder and self-medicating that pain with alcohol and sex. 

As she wrote in her 2017 memoir, "The Mother of Black Hollywood," per People, Lewis was initially confused when her therapist, Rachel, diagnosed her as having bipolar disorder. "When Rachel explained the details, I gasped," wrote Lewis. "You mean, there is a name for describing why I talk fast and walk fast and rage, create drama, and speed when I drive a car? Compulsive, you say ... I guess all of that describes me." 

It was also at this time that Lewis could understand her sexual behaviors. "Just as alcoholism isn't really about the liquor, my addiction wasn't really about the sex," wrote Lewis. "It was about the unresolved psychological problems that caused me pain. Sex was simply my painkiller." With a combination of medication and therapy, Lewis was able to get control of her bipolar disorder and, in turn, manage her sex addiction.