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Breaking Bad has popularized meth in pop culture to the point that talking about the drug is really just a way of talking about Walter White and his path of destruction (Note that in the show White causes more visible destruction than the drug. Breaking Bad has never been particularly interested in the experience of users, outside what we see of Jesse in the early seasons.) Surely you've been to BB theme parties that are stocked with big bags of blue rock candy to rep the drug.
But Walter White isn't the first famous figure to dabble in the debilitating drug. Like every other substance on the planet, it's been used by celebrities.
Meth isn't as badass as the show makes it seem, and these people will be the first to tell you that: A History of Celebrities Getting Caught With Meth.
Adolf Hitler
Branded "Pervitin," methamphetamine tablets were distributed to German troops during World War II to create super soldier machines. The "power drugs" reduced fatigue and empathy, and increased aggression. In 1942, the Füher began receiving daily injections of methamphetamines.
Marilyn Monroe
Monroe was treated by celebrity doctor Max "Dr. Feelgood" Jacobson' s "magical elixir." They met through a mutual friend, Truman Capote, though it is also just one more link connecting the famous actress with President Kennedy. Monroe allegedly performed "Happy Birthday" to JFK after taking Jacobson's meth concoction.
John F Kennedy
Nicknamed "Dr. Feelgood" by Kennedy's Secret Service, celebrity doc Max Jacobson provided the 35th POTUS with a never-ending shots of "formula." Who knows if Kennedy was aware that Jacobson was pumping him full of animal blood and methamphetamines, but the shots did supposedly help cure his migraines, chronic back pain, and lack of stamina.
Truman Capote
Considering that the influential author of In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's also abused alcohol, painkillers, Valium, it's not surprising to learn that Capote used meth as well. Capote was another of Jacobson's celebrity clients and described the feeling the shots as "instant euphoria" and the crash like "falling down a well."
Andre Agassi
After failing a drug test in 1997, Agassi claimed his assistant "Slim" had spiked his water bottle. Nearly 10 years later, Agassi admitted to using crystal meth during his career. He writes about cutting lines with the aforementioned Slim in his 2010 autobiography Open.
Robert Downey Jr.
Just three months after his release from state prison, RDJ was arrested for posession of cocaine and meth in November 2000. The actor credits his sobriety to meditation and martial arts, and now says that the strongest thing he takes is espresso.
Jeremy Mayfield
The former NASCAR driver was arrested for posession of methamphetamines in November 2011. In the past Mayfield had tested positive for meth on multiple occassions. This time around police also found 40 firearms and nearly $100,000 of stolen goods when they arrested him.
Yasmine Bleeth
The Baywatch babe entered rehab in 2000 after getting into a car accident while driving under the influence in Detroit. In a further investigation, cops found syringes, meth, and other drug paraphernalia in her hotel room. Despite all this, Bleeth, after completing her probation, walked away with nothing more than a traffic ticket on her record. Walking away in slo-mo probably helped.
Rufus Wainwright
With the help of Elton John, crooner Rufus Wainwright entered rehab circa 2003, after an overdose left him temporarily blind.
Jodie Sweetin
After Full House ended in 1995 we didn't know what to do with our afternoons. Neither did Sweetin. Spiraling out of control after the demise of the show, she took to using alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, and meth. Sweetin entered rehab in 2004 after a family intervention. She even admitted to walking down the red carpet high at the Olsen's New York Minute premiere.
Heidi Fleiss
The "Hollywood Madam" was charged posession of methamphetamines (among other drugs), driving under the influence and driving without a license. In a 2001 interview with SiriusXM, Fleiss admitted to entering Celebrity Rehab for the money and mentioned she has traded in prostitution (she was arrested in 1994 for running a ring around Tinseltown) for parrots. Yes, the birds.
Tom Sizemore
In 2001, Seizemore began doing meth with "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Floss. On May 8, 2007, he was arrested for posession while already on probation for a pervious drug case. Now sober, Sizemore credits Celebrity Rehab counselor Bob Forrester, his former dealer, with his transformation.
Fergie
In September 2006, Fergie went to rehab for crystal meth after a dealer threatened her life. In a 2012, interview with Oprah, the first lady of the Blacked Eyed Peas said she dropped drugs cold turkey after having a conversation with God and because of paranoid delusions about being followed by the FBI and SWAT team.
Ted Haggard
The televangelist admitted to buying meth off of a male prostitute on November 3, 2006. At the time, Haggard was a "superstar" pastor of the unconventional New Life Church, which he founded. It preached against gay marriage. In an overly intimate interview with GQ Haggard clarified that he never had sex men, he just indulged in massages and mutual masterbation. Good to know that he's not a hypocrite.
Lalaine Vergara Paras, Lizzie McGuire
The former Lizzie McGuire star pleaded guilty to felony charges in July 2007 after getting caught for posession of crystal meth. She later enrolled in a drug-treatment program and the Asian American Drug Abuse Program dispelling Disney's misconception that she was Mexican. She is Filipino.
Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen entered rehab in 2007 to treat his meth addiction, among others. Even at his low point, "Crazy Eddie" never tried to snort his father's ashes à la Keith Richards.
Ryan O'Neal
During a probation check on September 17, 2008, actor Ryan O'Neal and his son were arrested for posession of methamphetamines.
Craig Robinson
The Office star was arrested on June 29, 2008 for posession of meth, coke and, ecstasy. Kind of ironic since he would later receive rave reviews for being a drug dealer's henchman in Pineapple Express, which premiered just before Robinson's scheduled court appearance.
Nicole Bobek
The U.S. figure skater left the rink in 1999 but clearly couldn't keep off the ice. On July 7, 2009, Bobek was arrested for posession of meth and suspected to be a member of a drug ring. Go figure.
Britney Spears
While she was never directly arrested, Spears was sued in February 2009 by the singer's former manager Sam Lufti who claimed drug sniffing dogs found a cache of meth in her home. Lufti, Spears' "life coach," says meth is to blame for the singer's 2007 meltdown.
Amy Winehouse
Winehouse accrued a string of arrests between 2006 and 2010 due to violence and drug posession. The meth, heroine, and cocaine binges, in tandem with a slew of other underlying psychological issues, led to the singer's death in 2011.
April Purvis
Whitney Purvis attracted unwanted attention (because starring on 16 & Pregnant is considered wanted attention?) when her mother April was arrested for possession in June 2011.
Jael Strauss
During an intervention in September 2012, Dr. Phil called the Cycle 8 finalist of America's Next Top Model a "full-blown meth addict." She's doing better than third place finisher Renee Alway, who was arrested this summer after a six-hour armed standoff with a SWAT team in June.
Nick Stahl
Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time. Stahl was caught in the middle of a meth party on June 28, 2013 after the cops stopped by to conduct a parole compliance check for someone Stahl was with. They weren't even looking for him.
Bronson Pelletier
Twilight shapeshifter morphs into a felon—say it ain't so! On December 8, 2012, Pelletier was arrested for public intoxication and possession of coke and meth. His next transformation? Wild pisser. (He was arrested a week later for public urination.)
Kevin Clash
Better recognized as the voice of Elmo on Sesame Street, the puppeteer has racked up more lawsuits than The Count can keep track of (okay, fine, four). The fourth lawsuit, filed in March 2013, pertains to a meth-fueled sex party Clash threw in 2004 for a teenage boy.