Christopher Lloyd is opening up about the cocaine addiction that took hold during his Taxi years. “I was hooked almost immediately,” the actor writes in In My Own Time: A Memoir, describing a struggle that continued long after the sitcom ended.
The 88-year-old actor’s 256-page book was published October 27th by Grand Central Publishing. It includes his account of years spent struggling with alcohol and marijuana as well as cocaine.
Lloyd initially resisted television work after more than a decade in New York theater. He told Michael J. Fox that he had arrived in Hollywood insisting he did not want to do a series, before eventually finding the role of Reverend Jim Ignatowski.
Speaking to PEOPLE in an interview published October 28th, Lloyd reflected on surviving the years before his recovery. “I’m glad that I’m still alive,” he said.
Lloyd Traces His First Cocaine Use to an Encounter at Joe Allen
In Entertainment Weekly’s memoir excerpts, Lloyd recalls spending time at the Los Angeles location of Joe Allen when he was starting to work in Hollywood. One evening, a woman approached him and asked whether he wanted to go to her car and try cocaine.
He had never used the drug and had not been looking for it, but he accepted. They did a couple of lines together. Within a few years of his arrival in Los Angeles, he writes, substance use had become a regular part of his life rather than an occasional indulgence.
An Argument Left Lloyd With a Serious Hand Injury
One of the memoir’s most troubling episodes occurred after Taxi ended its run in 1983. Lloyd recalls being intoxicated during an argument with his then-girlfriend, then spending the night at his nephew’s home in Los Angeles.
When he returned the following day, he discovered that he had been locked out. He began punching windows. His next clear memory was of lying on his kitchen floor while paramedics attended to him.
According to Page Six’s account of the memoir, Lloyd lost enough blood to require plasma. He subsequently underwent surgery and physical therapy to restore movement in his injured hand.
Lloyd Entered Rehab in 1993, Then Faced Relapses
The injury did not immediately lead him to stop using drugs and alcohol. Years passed before a psychologist helped Lloyd recognize the damage addiction was doing to his life. In 1993, he entered rehabilitation and stayed for five weeks.
That treatment was followed by several relapses. Lloyd writes that his lasting sobriety began on an April 1st some years later, after earlier attempts to stop had not held.
Recovery also came up in his conversation with Fox, published by Interview on October 26th. His Back to the Future costar asked about the difficulty of discussing drinking in a book, particularly for someone as private as Lloyd. “We’re both in recovery,” Fox observed, and Lloyd agreed.
His Wife Encouraged Him to Tell His Story
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Lloyd told Fox that people had suggested a memoir for years, but he had felt little inclination to write one. He finally agreed after his wife, Lisa Loiacono, strongly encouraged the idea.
The book returns to his childhood at Waveny, his family’s Connecticut estate, where he was largely cared for by governesses. In an Instagram post promoting the memoir, Lloyd recalled exploring the grounds and spending much of his free time with Ricky, the family’s German shepherd, whom he remembered as one of his closest companions.
Other chapters follow his early stage work and the films that brought him wider recognition, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Addams Family and the Back to the Future trilogy.
Lloyd Still Keeps in Touch With the Taxi Cast
In a September 10th, 2025, appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Lloyd looked back on his Taxi audition and the cast’s Friday-night parties on the studio lot. He also recalled auditioning in the clothes that became part of Reverend Jim’s wardrobe.
Those friendships have continued. In his new PEOPLE interview, Lloyd said the cast gathers on Zoom monthly, with Marilu Henner organizing get-togethers that include Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, Tony Danza and Carol Kane.