Actor Michael Douglas revealed he erupted at Julia Roberts during a 1990 Golden Globes party at the height of his alcohol and drug addiction.
The 82-year-old Oscar winner admitted shouting at Roberts, now 58, after seeing her embrace his son Cameron, who was 13 years old at the time. Douglas told her to take her hands off his son and stick her Golden Globe award where the sun does not shine.
Douglas recalled believing his son looked stunned by the warmth Roberts showed him, though he acknowledged his judgment was heavily affected by substance abuse. At the time, Douglas was starring alongside Roberts in the science fiction thriller Flatliners, which follows a group of young medical students conducting near-death experiments.
Golden Globes confrontation and apology
In his new memoir One Helluva Ride, Douglas recounted the embarrassing incident, which occurred while he was attending the party for his film Wall Street and Roberts was attending for Mystic Pizza alongside her then-boyfriend Kiefer Sutherland.
Recalling the event in the book, Douglas wrote: "While we were shooting the film, there was a Golden Globes party. I was there for Wall Street, and Julia was there for Mystic Pizza. She was dating Kiefer Sutherland and brought him to an after-party. I took Cameron, who was around thirteen. We were at the bar, and Julia had her arm around my son, kind of nuzzling him. To me, in that moment, he looked stunned... but I was pretty drunk."
He added: "I told her, 'Take your hands off my son and take that Golden Globe and stick it where the sun don't shine'."
The following morning, producing partner Rick Bieber called Douglas and told him: "We need to talk, Michael." Bieber warned that he had crossed a line with the most in-demand young actress in Hollywood.
Douglas sent Roberts roses alongside an apology for his behavior and later apologized to both Roberts and Sutherland in person at the production office. Although the cast forgave him enough to complete filming, Douglas noted that while he remained friends with Sutherland, his relationship with Roberts did not endure.
Memoir reflections on addiction and Hollywood culture
Douglas explained that the outburst stayed with him for years, leading him to address it candidly in his book as part of a decision to tell his story on his own terms. He vowed to share the real story rather than a highlight reel shaped by headlines or box office numbers.
Writing about his life in the public eye, Douglas stated: "I've lived a life that unfolded in public while being deeply private at the same time, and there's a difference. This is about where I came from, what I fought against, and what I chose for myself." He noted that fame can blur the truth and called the memoir an attempt to bring it back into focus.
Detailing the severity of his substance abuse, Douglas revealed that a typical night involved five alcoholic drinks and a gram of cocaine. He disclosed that he would leave $100 in his car before attending meetings at a talent agency so the valet service could tuck a gram of cocaine into the central console.
Douglas noted that drugs were widely normalized across Hollywood during the period. He revealed that he took drugs with former football star OJ Simpson during Simpson's athletic career and recalled once falling asleep with a straw still hanging from his nose.
Rehab ultimatum and relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones
In 1992, Douglas entered a rehabilitation facility for alcohol and substance abuse following an ultimatum from his first wife, Diandra Luker. Luker issued the demand after catching him with another woman in a Los Angeles hotel room, telling him: "Rehab or divorce."
Although Douglas admitted he did not believe he had a problem until entering treatment, he completed the program. Luker filed for divorce three years later anyway, after which Douglas dated numerous women before pursuing Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Douglas recalled falling in love with Zeta-Jones the second he saw her in the 1998 movie The Mask of Zorro. Despite being 25 years older than her, Douglas reconsidered pursuing her after reading an interview in which Zeta-Jones said she liked older men, prompting him to tell himself: "Hey, I've got a shot."
The pair met that year at the Deauville American Film Festival in France. Following a night spent talking, Douglas recalled: "In a moment of temporary insanity, I blurted out: 'I'm going to be the father of your children'." After nine months of long-distance communication, Zeta-Jones warned him she would only date him if he was monogamous, prompting Douglas to make five quick calls to end other relationships.
Marriage, brief separation and reconciliation
The couple married in 2000 and subsequently welcomed two children, son Dylan and daughter Carys.
In August 2013, Zeta-Jones confirmed that the couple were taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage. The separation came two months after Douglas publicly attributed his throat cancer to oral sex, remarks his publicist later retracted and which Douglas said he regretted due to the embarrassment caused to his wife.
Detailing the separation in his memoir, Douglas wrote: "From the second we separated, I never gave up hope that we would reconcile. I love Catherine in a way that I have never loved any other woman. She's my wife, my best friend, and my life partner. I could never lose her."
The couple reunited within a year. When questioned by The Sunday Times about how he won her back, Douglas pushed back against the phrase, stating: "What, I won her back? It was a mutual... You know, we had our problems but I love her dearly and, 25 years, you know. Marriage is a lot of work, you know. And so, you know, we're good. We're in good shape. It's all I can say."
