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New York Post
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Billy Idol reveals he nearly died from a heroin overdose — and more bombshells from his new doc
His new documentary, which premiered at NYC's Tribeca Festival on Tuesday night, is called 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead.' And the snarling punk-rocker indeed suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in 1984 after becoming an early MTV sensation with hits such as 'Dancing with Myself,' 'White Wedding' and 'Rebel Yell.' 'There was a moment there where, you know, I'd done what I set out to do,' Idol recalls of conquering the US after moving to New York in 1981. 'I was coming back to England … in triumph, and I nearly ruined it. 7 Billy Idol survived a near-fatal heroin overdose in 1984. 'I was basically dying, I was turning blue,' he says in new doc. Sonia Moskowitz Gordon/ZUMA / 'We flew to London where we met a load of our pals that we knew,' he continues in the doc. 'They had some of the strongest heroin, Persian brown I think it was. Everybody did a line or so, and they all nodded out, except for me and this mate of mine. We kind of went, 'Well, that's funny.' So we did a few more lines.' But the overdose nearly turned deadly for him. 'I was basically dying. I was turning blue,' he recalls. 'So they put me in an ice cold bath, and I remember them walking me around on the top of the building, you know, on the roof.' Indeed, the artist born William Broad had been seduced by heroin as the '80s rock god known as Billy Idol. 'That's what was going on. The scene had embraced hard drugs really,' he reflects. 'A number of people were on it. [So] you know, you're wide open for it.' 7 Billy Idol rocked the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival world premiere of his new documentary. Sonia Moskowitz Gordon/ZUMA / 'A lot of the people we loved were all heroin addicts,' adds Idol. 'Lou Reed wrote the song 'Heroin.' The New York Dolls were all heroin addicts practically. So we weren't thinking how dangerous it was. In fact, you're thinking quite the opposite. Maybe this could unleash something.' But, at 69, Idol has survived his severe drug addiction and lived to tell the tale. And he's still going strong, taking off his shirt to reveal a ripped torso after finishing a five-song set with longtime guitarist Steve Stevens — including 'Dancing with Myself,' 'White Wedding,' 'Eyes Without a Face' and 'Rebel Yell,' plus new song 'People I Love' — following his doc's premiere. Here are five more of the biggest revelations from 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead.' He wrote 'Dancing with Myself' after, yup, seeing someone dancing by themselves. Idol's breakout 1981 US hit, which was originally recorded with his band Generation X, was inspired from a night out on the club scene in Japan. 7 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead' traces the singer's rise from Generation X to solo stardom in the '80s. Serial Pictures 'We were standing having a drink, and we were watching this kid dancing with his reflection in the mirror of walls in this club,' recalls Gen X bassist Tony James, who co-wrote the song with Idol. 'And Billy went, 'Wow, look at that kid. Look, he's like dancing with his reflection.' And I went, 'Yeah, dancing with myself.' I'm like, 'Billy, that's gonna be a great name for a song.' ' True enough, Idol came up with the beginnings of a tune to go with that title. 'Literally, in the space of like two minutes, we wrote all the lyrics, just the two of us,' says James, 'and by the afternoon, we'd recorded the demo.' While trying to kick heroin, he turned to crack. Idol, who once even lived next door to his drug dealer, hid out at the Park Meridien hotel in Midtown Manhattan while trying get off heroin. 7 Billy Idol's longtime guitarist Steve Stevens is among those featured in the punk-rocker's new documentary. Serial Pictures 'And it's only when I really tried to give up heroin that I did start to smoke crack,' he says. 'And, yeah, it was a nightmare. I mean, it's horrible because I was seeing and hearing things. Like, people in the next room talking about me or above me.' Shortly after that, friends convinced him to go to the hospital to detox, and his father flew in from London to clean house. 'My dad believed everybody was a drug dealer,' says Idol, who is now 'California sober.' He finally kicked heroin after one wild final binge in Bangkok — and a run-in with Mel Gibson. Idol and his friend Harry Johnson went on vacation to Bangkok, Thailand in 1989, with the idea that it would be a drug-free trip. 'We started out just drinking and stuff, but after a week or so of that, we asked a cab driver if he could get us some coke,' recalls Idol. 'But he brought back this long, thin vial of this white stuff' that turned out to be heroin. 7 Billy Idol and Steve Stevens performed five songs after the premiere of the singer's documentary. Serial Pictures 'It was so strong that … you only needed a pin prick, and you were just as high as a kite,' he says. During his long 'zombie' trip, Idol had a strange celeb encounter. 'At one point, I passed out in the elevator with the elevator doors closing on me, and Mel Gibson was there with his family on holiday, horrified,' he recalls. 'The silver lining was I did put heroin behind me,' he says. 'It was too horrible, the whole experience. It actually really put me off.' He almost lost a leg in a motorcycle accident — and did lose a big role in 'Terminator 2.' Idol was hit by a car when he ran a stop sign at a Hollywood intersection on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1990. He broke his right leg, which was so badly damaged between his knee and ankle that he had to have a steel rod inserted, and fractured his left wrist in the horrific accident that required seven hours of surgery. 7 The documentary 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead' had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Wednesday night. Serial Pictures It also cost Idol a big role in 1991's 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day,' with him being originally cast to play Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator T-1000 rival. But the singer couldn't do the required running. 'I just had a really bad limp, so I couldn't do it,' he says. 'But I wish I could've done it, it would've been incredible. And you never know where that would have led?' He discovered that he had another son several years ago. Idol, who has never gotten married, raised son Willem, 36, with former partner Perri Lister and daughter Bonnie, 35, with ex-girlfriend Linda Mathis. But several years ago he found out that he had a second son, Brant, 39, from a weekend fling. 7 Billy Idol originally recorded his breakout hit 'Dancing with Myself' with his band Generation X. Getty Images The discovery was made through a 23andMe DNA test that Bonnie did. 'And then a few weeks later, I get the results back on the app and open it, and I'm like, 'Who is this? This Brant,'' she says in the doc. A DNA test had also raised questions about who Brant always thought was his biological father. 'I was like, 'Mom, is there a chance Mark might not be my biological father?'m' he recalls in the doc. 'And she's like, 'Well, it's pretty crazy, but back in the day, we broke up and I actually spent a weekend with Billy Idol.' '
New York Post
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Savannah Guthrie sparks pregnancy confusion with Jenna Bush Hager comment on ‘Today'
Whoops! Savannah Guthrie confused her 'Today' co-hosts this week when she seemed to suggest that Jenna Bush Hager had a surprise pregnancy announcement. The awkward incident unfolded on Monday as Bush Hager, 43, prepared to begin her Morning Boost segment. 8 Savannah Guthrie confused her 'Today' co-hosts when she seemed to suggest that Jenna Bush Hager had a surprise pregnancy announcement. Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMA / 8 The awkward incident occurred on Monday as Bush Hager prepared to begin her Morning Boost segment. TODAY 'Jenna's got a little something in the oven for the Boost,' Guthrie, 53, said before the camera cut over to the former first daughter, per People. 'Today' co-hosts Carson Daly, Al Roker and Craig Melvin were left scratching their heads over the baby news confusion. 'Wait, what?' Daly, 51, asked. 'Are you making an announcement?' 8 'Jenna's got a little something in the oven for the Boost,' Guthrie said. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock 'Did you say Jenna's pregnant?' Roker, 70, added. 'I'm so excited for you!' someone else shouted in the background as Bush Hager started the segment. Guthrie then snapped at her male co-anchors as they tried to figure out what she meant by her 'little something in the oven' comment. 8 'Today' co-hosts Carson Daly and Al Roker were left scratching their heads over the confusion. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'Stop that!' Guthrie barked. 'Stop that!' 'You guys,' Bush Hager added, 'I understood what she said.' But Daly, Roker and Melvin were not the only ones bewildered by Guthrie's remark, because some 'Today' viewers rushed to social media for clarification amid the baby announcement confusion. 8 'You guys, I understood what she said,' Bush Hager said. Today/NBC 'Bush is pregnant?' one person asked on Instagram. 'Are either one pregnant?' asked another, while a third commented, 'I'm confused.' Other fans slammed the show and lamented over Hoda Kotb's departure from the program. She left 'Today' back in January because her 6-year-old daughter, Hope, has Type 1 diabetes. 8 Some fans took to Instagram to lament over Hoda Kotb's departure from 'Today' earlier this year. NBC 'Can barely watch now that Hoda is gone,' one viewer wrote. 'Haven't watched since Hoda left,' added another, as a third commented, 'Bring Hoda back.' Although Bush Hager is not pregnant, she does share daughters Mila, 13, Poppy, 9, and son Hal, 5, with her husband, Henry Hager. 8 Bush Hager and her husband, Henry Hager, have three children together. AP As for Guthrie, she has daughter Vale, 10, and son Charley, 8, with husband Mike Feldman. Meanwhile, this wouldn't be the first time that Guthrie inadvertently suggested Bush Hager was pregnant with a fourth child. Back in March, during an episode of 'Today With Jenna & Friends,' the broadcast journalist said that she 'had a dream' that Bush Hager welcomed another baby. 8 Guthrie shares two children with her husband, Mike Feldman. WireImage 'I have nothing to announce,' former President George W. Bush's daughter responded at the time. 'I'm pretty sure I've come to terms that three, even though it's an imperfect number, is the perfect number for our house.' 'It's very normal,' Guthrie chimed in. 'I think they call it being broody. You're kind of broody for a third or a fourth.' 'I would have had a third in a heartbeat, but, you know, I was up against the clock,' she added.
New York Post
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Kamala Harris slammed by California sheriff for 'embarrassing' statement on LA riots
A California sheriff has ripped Kamala Harris after the former vice president blamed President Trump for starting the anti-ICE protests that are wreaking havoc in Los Angeles. 'President Trump didn't start these riots. He's not out there lighting cars on fire, hurling projectiles at law enforcement or blocking freeways,' Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a post on X as he shared Harris' remarks. 3 Kamala Harris blamed Donald Trump for the anti-ICE riots taking over Los Angeles. Connor Terry/ZUMA / 'This statement is an embarrassment and does nothing to diffuse the violent riots taking place across the city.' 'The Democrats and their 'leaders' own this,' he added. 3 Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco took aim at Harris on X Monday. Chad Bianco / Facebook Bianco, who is running for governor in 2026, lashed out Harris after she accused the Trump administration of 'stoking fear' by opting to deploy the National Guard to quell the violence. 'Los Angeles is my home. And like so many Americans, I am appalled at what we are witnessing on the streets of our city,' Harris said. 3 Bianco called Harris' statement an 'embarassment.' Fox News 'Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.'
New York Post
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Tom Hanks finally breaks his silence on daughter's bombshell memoir: ‘Not surprised'
Tom Hanks has finally broken his silence on daughter E.A. Hanks' bombshell memoir about her troubled childhood. The 'Forrest Gump' actor, 68, opened up about the book, titled 'The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road,' for the first time during the red carpet premiere of his new film, 'The Phoenician Scheme.' 3 Tom Hanks has finally broken his silence on daughter E.A. Hanks' bombshell memoir. Sonia Moskowitz Gordon/ZUMA / Advertisement 3 Hanks opened up about his daughter's surprising book for the first time since it was published on April 8. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images 'I'm not surprised that my daughter had the wherewithal as well as the curiosity to examine this thing that I think she was incredibly honest about,' Hanks told Access Hollywood on Wednesday, May 26. 'We all come from checkered, cracked lives, all of us.' 'She's a knockout, always has been,' he continued. 'If you've had kids, you realize that you see who they are when they're about 6 weeks old.' Advertisement 3 Hanks shared his daughter E.A., short for Elizabeth Anne, with his late ex-wife Samantha Lewes. Bei/Shutterstock 'Their personality is on display right there,' the 'Cast Away' actor added, 'their temper, the way they see the world is demonstrated in their body language and on their face.' E.A. Hanks, who the 'Big' star shared with his late ex-wife Samantha Lewes, published her surprising memoir on April 8. Advertisement Short for Elizabeth Anne, E.A. opened up about her rocky early years and the 'violence' and 'deprivation' she experienced growing up as the only daughter of two Hollywood icons. This story is developing…
New York Post
29-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYPD Commish Jessica Tisch defends e-bike crackdown before city council members who fear it will harm immigrants
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch defended her new crackdown on e-bikes to peeved City Council members who claimed the blitz of criminal summonses could cost immigrant delivery drivers their licenses — or even lead to deportations. 4 Commisioner Tisch defended the NYPD criminal summons against e-bike drivers. Luiz Rampelotto/ZUMA / 'This is not a war on e-bikes, this is a response to very real concerns that are widely held across virtually every borough, every New Yorker in this city,' Tisch said in front of the council at the executive budget hearing Thursday. Advertisement Progressive council member and Deliverista advocate Tiffany Cabán (D-22) grilled the commissioner and her colleagues on how the new criminal laws are being enforced, and doubted that officers were being objective in their handling of spots. 'It does not increase public trust in how this is being enforced if you cannot even articulate for me how officers are using this discretion,' Cabán argued, saying the brunt would fall on people of color and those who are at risk of being deported. 4 CM Tiffany Cabán has been an outspoken advocate for deliveristas. Michael Nagle Advertisement 'A person who is more likely to be a person of color may end up in deportation proceedings, It's not just right,' she said. The NYPD began issuing criminal court summons for e-bike riders who break standard traffic rules — like running red lights or riding on the sidewalk — on April 28 of this year, in what Tisch said was a direct response to safety concerns she was hearing from New Yorkers. Council member Lincoln Restler (D-33) has been at the center of the conversation around the speedy bikes, after a string of incidents at a Brooklyn bike lane in his district have resulted in multiple child injuries. Just last weekend, a 3-year-old tot was struck by a speeding cyclist in the Bedford Avenue lane — which has heightened neighborhood concerns about safety. Advertisement Despite this, Restler also expressed worry about the criminal summons. 4 There are around 65,000 deliveristas in NYC, its unknown how many of them are undocumented. Gina M Randazzo/ZUMA Press Wire / 'I'm concerned about more people getting swept up in our criminal justice system who don't need it,' said Restler. 'We have a Trump administration that's trying to sweep everyone up into their deportation machine thath they can,' the Brooklyn lawmaker said. Advertisement Around 65,000 delivery drivers or 'Deliveristas' in NYC rely on some type of high-powered two-wheeler to maneuver orders around the five boroughs, and it is not known how many of them are undocumented immigrants. 4 Gina M Randazzo/ZUMA / The shift toward criminal summons by the NYPD was a result of the previous civil summons' failure to address issues effectively, as they were mainly geared toward licensed vehicles. Tisch lamented that she had come to the council before to flag the current law's limitations. 'I called on the council to change the laws,' she said, though she still thinks the current criminal enforcement is doing more good than harm. 'Anecdotally, I think it's working,' she said noting that she see's the e-bikes stop more frequently now at red lights. 'We cannot live in a consequence-free environment (and) e-bikes were generally living in a consequence-free environment,' she said.
