Harry Hamlin Admits Being Coerced into Smoking PCP in Jail, Leaving Him in a State of Disarray

Harry Hamlin has opened up about a disturbing experience from his youth, revealing that he was coerced into using the hallucinogenic drug PCP during a short jail stay in 1970. The 74-year-old actor shared the story with his wife, Lisa Rinna, on the December 5 episode of their podcast Lets Not Talk About the Husband.

While I was in jail, someone forced me to smoke PCP, Hamlin said. I took three or four hits and was completely out of it after that.

Hamlin explained that his arrest stemmed from a mix-up involving prescription pills. He was attending Berkeley at the time, and fraternity brothers had asked him to deliver 25 pills to another university. When the recipients refused them, Hamlin ended up carrying the pills back with him, packed in his guitar case, and was subsequently jailed.

I wasnt thinking clearly at the time, he admitted. Obviously, it wasnt smart because it landed me in jail.

During his incarceration, Hamlin recounted that he had a prior connection with the jail warden through his family and theater work at Berkeley. The warden assured him that he would be looked after, allowing Hamlin some peace of mind amid the chaos.

He also described being placed in a holding cell with a distressed young inmate. Feeling sympathy, Hamlin requested they share a cell, resulting in both being moved to a cell with convicted felons. Eventually, the other inmate was bailed out, leaving Hamlin among more hardened prisoners.

The actor recounted that the following morning, another inmate offered him a joint. After initially refusing multiple times, Hamlin finally accepted, unaware it was laced with PCP. They were smoking it, and there was no smell, but it was extremely potent, he said. Thats how I ended up forced into taking PCP.

Author: Olivia Parker