He originally rose to fame as one of the hunky additions to the juggernaut series Baywatch, but for Jeremy Jackson, his life in the spotlight has been anything but smooth.
The former 90s heartthrob, 44, has faced a long list of personal woes since he first appeared on the show as Hobie Buchannon, battling drug addiction, a stint behind bars, and a dramatic axe from his supposed comeback on British reality TV.
While Jeremy is now clean and working as a fitness coach and sober mentor for other recovering addicts, he has previously spoken openly about his struggles, which also included a turbulent end to his marriage to Loni Willison.
Jeremy starred as Mitch Buchannon’s (David Hasselhoff) son Hobie during the beloved series, and the pair are still close to this day.
He previously reflected on his downward spiral during a 2006 episode of E!’s Child Star Confidential, where he discussed his lengthy battle with drug addiction.
‘I probably made over $2 to $3 million from Baywatch,’ he said at the time.
Former Baywatch heartthrob Jeremy Jackson has endured a string of personal woes, battling drug addiction, a stint behind bars, and a dramatic axe from his comeback on British reality TV
The actor first rose to fame as Hobie on the beloved series, but has since revealed that during his time on the show he first struggled with addictions to cannabis and cocaine
‘I had the means to destroy myself: I had a lot of money, and I had a lot of people around me that weren’t really my friends but I thought they were, and I totally got sucked into a downward spiral of a lifestyle.’
‘I smoked pot every day, and I did cocaine until it stopped working,’ he admitted. ‘Like, I couldn’t get high off it anymore.’
Jeremy even shared that he was confronted by his co-star David about his drug use, saying: ‘He just kind of looked me in the eyes and was like: ”Jeremy, what are you smoking, pot?!” I didn’t have the heart to tell him: ”That was years ago — now I’m doing coke and ecstasy and speed.” ‘
Struggling with the pressures of fame at a young age, Jeremy later shared that he decided to sensationally quit the show, adding: ‘The real deal was that I got a big head and I thought that I was better than Baywatch, or that I was going to go off and do my own stuff.
I walked off one day with my middle finger up in the air, saying, ”Screw you, I’m not coming back to this set.” And I pulled myself off the show.’
Jeremy’s drug addiction continued to spiral, and he was arrested at the age of 19, after spiralling from using cannabis and cocaine to crystal meth.
He said: ‘I was leaving a residence with two duffel bags full of everything you need to cook crystal meth.
‘Undercover cops swarmed on me. I was looking at [charges for] manufacturing methamphetamine, which is a mandatory seven to 35 years. I looked like hell — a lot of scabs and sores on my face; really, really skinny, really, really pale.’
‘I called my mom immediately. I had said so many times: ”This is the last time, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I’m going to change” — but there’s nothing you can say at that point. I went to jail for 90 days.
Jeremy starred as Mitch Buchannon’s (David Hasselhoff) son Hobie during the beloved series, and the pair are still close to this day
Jeremy’s drug addiction continued to spiral, and he was arrested at the age of 19, after spiralling from using cannabis and cocaine to crystal meth
While Jeremy pivoted from acting from stints into several reality TV shows, he began to develop an addition to steroids (pictured in 2011)
‘The manufacturing charges got dropped. I was charged with possession with intent to sell. I did my time, I did my rehab. I think it was probably the fifth rehab I had been in.’
While Jeremy pivoted from acting from stints into several reality TV shows, he began to develop an addition to steroids.
Speaking during a 2011 appearance on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, he said: ‘It started out innocent enough — you know, gym, trainers, acting class, but having that addict mentality … for a guy like me, it’s just not fast enough. I want results, like, now.’
‘I’ve spent at least $200,000 in the last three years strictly on steroids and pills and injections.’
In 2015, Jeremy attempted to relaunch his career with an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, but was ejected from the show after he exposed Chloe Goodman’s breasts in the toilet of the house following a drinking session.
The troubled star later told The Sun: ‘It was a terrible drunken mistake — I’m so ashamed. It would be really easy to blame it all on the alcohol, but I’m not that cheap of a player. It’s my fault, and I can’t blame it on anything but me.
‘I didn’t touch her skin or paw her,’ and reaching out to Chloe said, ‘Please forgive me.’
Jeremy was later given a police caution for common assault following the incident.
His legal woes continued in 2017 when he was sentenced to to 270 days in L.A. County Jail and five years probation after being charged with stabbing a woman during an argument.
Jeremy was arrested in 2015 after allegedly stabbing a woman near her Los Angeles home in August of that year after the pair got into an argument.
According to TMZ at the time, Jeremy lashed out at the stranger’s arm, leg and back when she tried to prevent him from stealing her boyfriend’s car.
Jeremy was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats, which could have potentially seen him jailed for up to seven years.
That arrest came after the former child star’s April 2015 arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.
A man claimed he was stabbed nine times, alleging the troubled actor was trying to steal from him.
He said he required 177 stitches after the incident as well as three pints of blood.
In 2015, Jeremy attempted to relaunch his career with an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, but was ejected from the show after he exposed Chloe Goodman’s breasts
In 2014 he split from wife Loni Wilson, and she later alleged that he attempted to strangle her in a fight. He later was sentenced to a 270-day jail sentence and five years’ probation
Jeremy’s ex Loni has since become homeless, and has been pictured on the streets of Los Angeles on numerous occasions (pictured in August 2023)
Jeremy also previously revealed he performed a horrifying act with his female Baywatch co-stars’ swimsuits in a shock confession.
He admitted he would smell his co-stars’ dirty swimsuits after a day of filming.
Jackson – whose co-stars included Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Nicole Eggert said: ‘I would usually sneak into [the women’s] trailers after they were done and grab their dirty bathing suits.
‘Let’s just say I smelled every [bleep] on Baywatch. And Nicole [Eggert] was the big one, for sure. We had a very intimate moment, her and I, that she never knew about.
Producers then told Summer Quinn star Eggert, 52, who is battling stage 2 breast cancer – who responded: ‘I knew Jeremy very well, this surprises me not at all.’
In 2014 he split from wife Loni Wilson — who is currently homeless — after they had been married for less than two years.
Loni has alleged Jeremy attempted to strangle her in a physical altercation when they were drunk.
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