Celebrity

Tom Hanks's Son Reveals Cocaine Addiction, Says He's '50 Days Clean'

"I've been struggling with substance abuse since I was 16 years old," Chet Hanks says in a frank Instagram message and video

By Wade Rouse

Published on November 26, 2014 01:15 PM

Chester “Chet” Hanks, the eldest son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, has revealed that he entered rehab for an addiction to cocaine – but is now “50 days clean and sober from everything, including alcohol.”

“I’ve been struggling with substance abuse since I was 16 years old,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a video message in which he confirms his addiction and stint in rehab. “Finally at the age of 24 I decided to get some help. With 50 days of sobriety under my belt, I can honestly say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Continues Hanks: “I’m thankful for my family and everybody that cares about me, including my fans. I’ve been blessed with the programs of AA and NA which allow me to rise above this disease. I’m learning to accept my faults and be ok.”

In a short, frank video message, Hanks looks directly into the camera – the sky swirling behind him – and says, “I have an announcement. A tabloid is about to run a piece on me being in rehab for cocaine addiction. It’s true, and I’m currently 50 days clean and sober from everything, including alcohol.”

Says Hanks: “I don’t give a F–– what people think. f–– the media.”

Hanks graduated from Northwestern University – where he first entered the spotlight with “White and Purple,” his take on Wiz Khalifa’s rap, “Black and Yellow” – in 2013 with a degree in theater. He has since pursued a pop career under the stage name Chet Haze with the company he founded in college, Kinetik Entertainment.

Hanks has written lyrics that reference his love for marijuana and alcohol. In "White and Purple", he raps, “White kicks. Purple kush. This is college hitting blunts after hitting books.”

“It’s part of college life; I wanted to rap about something that I do,” the Daily Mail reported he once said. “But I wouldn’t say that’s what my life is all about. I’m not some caricature of a person who just drinks and smokes weed and parties all the time.”