Michael Douglas Recalls Turning to Drug Smuggling After Being Cut Off From Dad Kirk

In a recent interview on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," legendary actor Michael Douglas revealed a troubled period in his youth when he turned to drug smuggling after being cut off financially by his father, the renowned Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas. During the conversation promoting his new memoir "One Helluva Ride," Douglas shared a story about how his father cut him off at age 21, writing him a $10,000 check and telling him to fend for himself.

Despite his father's decision, Douglas still needed to pay his tuition, as he had a couple of years left in college. He remembered a Christmas gift from his dad: "Well, I found out that each one of those suitcases could hold 22 kilos of marijuana." Douglas then began a practice of smuggling marijuana from the East Coast to the West Coast, using his father's gift as a way to transport the drugs. He referred to this time as "BD: Before Dogs."

However, Douglas also made it clear that he didn't rely solely on his father's wealth and didn't have a free ride. He was even recognized as the "Mobil Man of the Month" while working at a gas station in Connecticut. In response to the "nepo baby" criticism, Douglas questioned why Hollywood faced scrutiny when family businesses were common, stating, "With this ‘nepo baby’ thing, doesn’t every single business, doesn’t a father or a mother want their son or daughter to go into the business? They have a sign that says ‘so and so and sons,’ so why pick on show business?"