Beloved for his role as Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Terry Crews spent years hiding a private battle that nearly destroyed his life.
A resurfaced podcast clip has reignited conversation around the actor's admission about his struggle with consuming explicit content, revealing the shocking extent of a habit he says spiraled out of control.
Highlights
- Terry Crews' resurfaced podcast confession racked up millions of views in under 24 hours.
- The actor detailed how a years-long dependency impacted his personal and family life.
- Social media users were divided with reactions ranging from disbelief to mockery over the admission.
In the viral interview, Crews opened up about hitting rock bottom. As the clip spreads across social media, fans are revisiting the powerful confession that exposed one of the darkest chapters of the actor’s life.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews opened up about a severe dependency on explicit content
Image credits: es Gilbert/Getty Images
Terry Crews has been vocal about his struggles with dependency on explicit content. The former NFL player-turned-actor first addressed his longstanding issues in his 2014 autobiography, Manhood: How to Be a Better Man or Just Live with One.
During an appearance on The Diary Of A CEO podcast in 2022, Crews revisited the subject, discussing some of the more difficult aspects of his experience.
The actor confessed to discovering explicit media at a young age, using it as a coping mechanism for a difficult home life.
Image credits: Fox
“I got a day off from the set, and I could watch p*rn from probably 10 o’clock after my workout, 10 am to 11 pm at night,” he said.
Crews admitted that he not only struggled to stop watching the videos but also had little desire to quit at the time.
“When day turns into night, and you’re still watching, I knew I had a problem,” he added.
Netizens react to Terry Crews’ confession clip after it resurfaced online
Image credits: Fox/Getty Images
A clip from the podcast resurfaced online on June 18 and quickly went viral. On X, it garnered more than 21 million views in less than 24 hours. In the video, Crews confessed to watching adult videos for nearly 13 hours a day.
Many users were baffled by the physical and mental toll of watching explicit content for that length of time.
Some supported the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star for discussing his problem openly and praised his honesty.
Image credits: Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
“Terry Crews opening up about his struggles hits different. Takes real courage to speak on it publicly,” one user said.
Another commented, “Seriously though, it's pretty impressive how open he is about something so embarrassing.”
While some users ridiculed Crews, many noted that the actor was speaking about a real issue, which reportedly affects nearly 1 in 10 Americans.
“This is why most people choose to suffer in silence,” a third person clapped back.
Terry Crews revealed how his struggle with explicit videos affected his family
Image credits: Fox/Getty Images
In an appearance on Armchair Expert in 2023, Crews revealed that his habit adversely affected his life, especially his relationship with his wife and children. He admitted to starting a fight with his wife to prevent her from asking questions about his issue.
The 57-year-old actor tied the knot with Rebecca King in 1989 after meeting her during his sophomore year of college. The couple has four daughters and a son. However, Crews said the secrecy surrounding his habit contributed to serious problems in the marriage, including infidelity.
Image credits: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Hennessy
"I cheated on my wife. I was that dude. Like, who officially stepped outside, and I had never done that before. I kept that secret for years,” he said.
After Crews entered rehabilitation to deal with the problem, his relationship with King slowly improved. The actor also addressed the issue in a Facebook post, explaining how prolonged consumption of adult content affected his mental outlook.
“It changes the way you think about people. People become objects. People become body parts; they become things to be used rather than people to be loved,” he stated.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is currently streaming on Peacock and Netflix.