Celebrities Who Spoke Out About Porn Addiction, in Their Own Words

When someone famous says they struggled with porn, searches spike. It happened again in November 2026, when people looked up Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney, Terry Crews and others alongside “porn addiction”.

The reason these stories matter isn’t the celebrity. It’s that they say out loud what millions of people hide: that porn got a grip on them, that it hurt the people they loved, and that they got help. This page collects what five public figures have said about porn addiction or porn’s effects on them, in their own public words, with the source and date for each. Nothing here is a diagnosis or a guess about anyone’s private life.

I’m Stefan, founder of SEVER. I quit porn and masturbation in 2021 and I’ve been porn-free for more than five years. At the end, I’ll share what their stories have in common with mine.

Who	When	Where they said it	What they said, in short
Terry Crews	February 2016	Facebook video series	Addicted for years, went to rehab, marriage damaged and repaired
Billie Eilish	December 2021	The Howard Stern Show	Watched from about age 11; harmful to her and her first relationships
Tyler Toney	March 2023	I Am Second	Struggled with pornography for a long time; faith and community helped
Kirk Franklin	Undated interview	CBN, with Scott Ross	Started young, brought it into his marriage, got accountability
Chris Rock	February 2018	Netflix special Tamborine	Porn addiction, as part of the story of his divorce

Terry Crews

In February 2016, the actor posted a series of Facebook videos about something he’d kept hidden for years. “For years, years, years, my dirty little secret was that I was addicted to pornography,” he said, as reported by Global News on February 24, 2016.

According to the same report, Crews said he “literally had to go to rehab” for it, that it forced him to live a double life, and that it did serious damage to his marriage before he and his wife repaired their relationship. At the time of the videos, he said he had been free of it for six or seven years. He had first spoken about it in 2014, while promoting his book Manhood.

Why it matters: Crews fits nobody’s stereotype of someone with this problem: a former NFL player, a fitness icon, a family man on screen. That’s the point. Porn problems don’t have a look.

Billie Eilish

On The Howard Stern Show in December 2021, the singer, then 19, said she started watching porn when she was “like, 11”. “I think it really destroyed my brain,” she said, as reported by The Irish Times on December 15, 2021.

She described seeing violent and abusive content, linked it to nightmares, and said it affected her first sexual experiences, when she wasn’t saying no to things that weren’t good for her. She also said she was angry about how widely accepted porn is.

Why it matters: Eilish didn’t describe it as an addiction. She described exposure that started in childhood and shaped what she thought sex was supposed to be. A lot of people who quit porn recognize that story: it started long before they had any say in it.

Tyler Toney (Dude Perfect)

In a 2023 video series for I Am Second, the Dude Perfect co-founder and his wife Bethany talked about the year their marriage nearly ended, during the COVID period in 2020. “I was struggling with pornography for a long time,” Tyler said, according to I Am Second (March 9, 2023). He added that lust had always been an issue for him.

He said what got them through it was “not only our faith but our community”. Church Leaders, reporting on the same series on March 16, 2023, describes a friend who showed up after Tyler had stopped answering calls and texts, and a weekly Bible study Tyler started at home (Church Leaders).

Why it matters: Toney’s story is about a marriage, not only a habit. It also shows how much community matters: one friend refusing to let him disappear.

Kirk Franklin

In an interview with Scott Ross for CBN, the gospel artist and his wife Tammy talked about his addiction to pornography (CBN; the page gives no interview date). Franklin said he first saw porn “around 8 or 9”, and that he brought it into his marriage. In the second year, he told Tammy he was struggling with it.

He said he called his pastor, Tony Evans, and told him he needed help; Evans held him accountable. At the time of the interview, Franklin said he had been clean for four years. “If I have been set free from this one, anybody can be set free,” he said.

Why it matters: Franklin’s turning point was telling the truth: first to his wife, then to someone who would hold him accountable.

Chris Rock

In his 2018 Netflix stand-up special Tamborine, Chris Rock talked openly about his divorce, his failures as a husband and being addicted to porn. “I wasn’t a good husband,” he said in the special, as quoted by The Ringer on February 14, 2018, which described the special as built around the end of his marriage.

Why it matters: Rock put it in front of a huge audience, with jokes, but without pretending it hadn’t cost him anything.

What their stories have in common

Five very different people. A lot of the same patterns:

• It started early. Franklin was 8 or 9. Eilish was about 11. Many people who quit porn say the same: it began before they understood it.
• It lived in secret. Crews called it his “dirty little secret” and described a double life. Secrecy is where the habit is strongest.
• The people closest to them paid for it. Crews, Franklin, Toney and Rock all connected it to their marriages.
• Telling someone was a turning point. Franklin told his wife, then his pastor. Toney had friends who showed up. Crews told the whole internet.
• None of them did it alone. Rehab, a pastor, a community, a spouse who stayed.

That last one matches my story. A few months into my first year, I slipped once. What changed things wasn’t a new trick. I confessed it to my spiritual father and decided I would never do it again, mostly because of my faith. Saying it out loud to someone I trusted took away a lot of its power. I promised it would be the only one, and it has been.

The other thing that worked for me, and still does years later: when lustful thoughts come, flee from them. Don’t argue with them. One look at the gym or on social media is enough to start a spiral, so I turn away fast and fill my mind with something else: prayer, a hobby, exercise, work.

If you’re struggling with porn right now

You don’t need a public video or a stand-up special. You need three things most of these stories share:

If you slip, stop the same day and change one thing; here’s what to do after a porn relapse. If you want to know how long the road is, here’s what the first year really looks like. And if porn is hurting your relationship or your mental health, a doctor or therapist can help.

Where SEVER fits

Disclosure: SEVER is our product. SEVER is our app.

SEVER is for the part these stories don’t show: the ordinary nights after you decide to quit. The streak, daily check-ins and relapse logs are free for good. Premium adds blocking in every browser plus App Shield on iPhone and Android, Fight the Urge for the moment an urge hits, a private community so you’re not doing it alone, and a structured 365-day Reset Plan.

About this guide

Written by Stefan, founder of SEVER, from his own recovery: he quit porn and masturbation in 2021 and has been porn-free for more than five years as of November 2026. Every statement about a public figure comes from their own public words as reported by the linked source, with the date of that report; quotes are kept short and the rest is paraphrased. Nothing here is a claim about anyone’s current situation. Each person’s experience is their own; this page doesn’t diagnose anyone. Faith is part of Stefan’s recovery; it’s his practice, not a requirement. This guide shares experience, not medical advice; if porn or sex is causing you real distress, a doctor or therapist can help.

Frequently asked questions

Which celebrities have talked about porn addiction?

Among the best-known public statements: actor Terry Crews (Facebook videos, 2016), gospel artist Kirk Franklin (CBN interview), Dude Perfect's Tyler Toney (I Am Second, 2023) and comedian Chris Rock (Netflix special Tamborine, 2018). Billie Eilish spoke in 2021 about watching porn from age 11 and how it affected her.

What did Terry Crews say about porn addiction?

In a series of Facebook videos in February 2016, Crews said his 'dirty little secret' for years was that he was addicted to pornography. He said he had to go to rehab, that it seriously damaged his marriage, and that he had been free of it for six or seven years at the time.

What did Tyler Toney say about pornography?

In a 2023 I Am Second series, the Dude Perfect co-founder said he had been struggling with pornography for a long time, during a period when his marriage was in crisis. He credited faith and the community around him and his wife for getting them through it.

What did Billie Eilish say about porn?

On The Howard Stern Show in December 2021, Eilish said she started watching porn at around 11 and that she thinks it really destroyed her brain. She linked the violent content she saw to nightmares and to problems in her first sexual experiences.