Jeremy London: A Bizarre Kidnapping And Drugs After Mallrats
Jeremy London was kidnapped in a bizarre incident in which he says he was forced to do drugs.
Jeremy London’s story is a bizarre one. His career has been one of highs and lows, reminiscent of many actors and actresses. He’s been in hit movies and shows, but also suffered from drugs and addiction.
All that being said, Jeremy London’s story has one thing not many others have: kidnapping.
JEREMY LONDON CLAIMS HE WAS KIDNAPPED AND FORCED TO DO DRUGS
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before (we know you have; we’ve told it on a few occasions). A young actor makes a name for himself. Life begins to get easy, but it isn’t enough. Drugs enter the picture. Then comes rehab. This time, it was Jeremy London, but his story had a strange twist to it.
Jeremy London’s addiction to painkillers became so bad that he went to Charter Oaks in Covina, California trying to kick the habit. So when London came forward in 2011 with the bizarre story that he was kidnapped by a group of young men and forced to do drugs at gunpoint, well, you can imagine the reaction.
The press had a field day with his story, and finally, his family, including his twin brother, came out to say that Jeremy was in need of psychological help. Let’s set the scene:
In June of 2010, Jeremy London claimed he had a flat tire. This was in Palm Springs, and London alleged a group of men stopped to help him change the flat. He said they then pulled a gun on him and drove him around Palm Springs for 12 hours, forcing him to take ecstasy and smoke methamphetamine.
London said they then dumped him and stole his car. This was the story he told the police. He was sticking to it. The problem was, no one believed him, and given his drug-fueled past, who could blame them?
Shortly after Jeremy London’s revelation, his family spoke out against it. His brother Jason was the first to talk to PEOPLE, “We love Jeremy, we only have his best interests at heart. We feel he needs serious psychological help and drug treatment as soon as possible.”
The fear, rightfully so, was that Jeremy London had relapsed and was back doing drugs. “Jeremy’s behavior right now is indicative of whenever he’s back on drugs,” Jason said at the time. “The fact that he’s lashing out against his own family and has shut us out is just one more sign of how sick he really is.”
Jason continued on, questioning his twin brother’s story. “It’s absolutely false that we’re telling lies about Jeremy,” Jason said. “We would never do anything to hurt him. But Jeremy and Melissa’s story of the kidnapping just doesn’t add up. None of it makes any sense. Mainly, why didn’t Melissa call the police if Jeremy went missing with these strange men until 2 a.m.?”
Finally, Jason expressed concern for what he considered to be his sick brother. “For years, we’ve been worried sick about getting a phone call telling us that Jeremy’s been found dead. For months, Jeremy has cut off his whole family, and he refuses to talk to us. We’re desperate for anyone to get him help and that’s why we’re speaking out.” But strange as it sounded, the truth would finally come out.
But here’s the crazy thing: Jeremy London’s kidnapping story was true.
Eventually, somehow, Jeremy London convinced the police he was telling the truth and prevented them from dropping the case. London spoke with PEOPLE, “I feel vindicated. But I’m hardly jumping for joy. The damage that has been done to my career, reputation, and family is almost irreparable.”
His vindication came at the hands of Brandon Ray Adams, who finally pled guilty in a Palm Springs court to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking the actor’s rented Ford Focus and a felony charge of false imprisonment.
“I knew all along I was telling the truth and so did the police,” said Jeremy, who also claimed at the time that he hadn’t heard from either his twin or his mother.
Jeremy London can thank Dr. Drew Pinsky for bringing his case to light. Pinsky talked London into appearing on his Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew show where Dr. Drew was able to assess London and his struggles, along with the kidnapping.
“I don’t know exactly what happened to Jeremy and I don’t care,” said Dr. Drew via the Daily Beast. “It’s for the courts to figure out—and they did. But I’ve learned that when it comes to addicts, the most fantastic things turn out to be true and the most truthful-sounding things turn out to be false.”
HIS TWIN BROTHER IS JASON LONDON
By 27 minutes, which is a long time when delivering twins, Jeremy London is the younger brother of Jason. They are identical, which was both good and bad as their acting careers moved forward.
Born in California and raised in Texas, the boys moved with their mother (after her divorce from their father) a crazy 13 times in six years. But the boys survived, and acting was their calling.
With both London brothers joining the acting class, one would think there’d be a rivalry. This is not the case. Of course, there may have been an occasion or two when the brothers both auditioned for the same role.
Jeremy was the first of the brothers to begin auditions. He could probably blame himself for not grabbing the role in The Man in the Moon, a movie that was actress Reese Witherspoon’s first starring gig.
See, Jeremy London forced his brother to come along with him for the audition, one that Jason decided to become part of. Jason ended up getting the role, leaving Jeremy out in the cold.
The brothers have only starred in one project together and that was on an episode of the WB series 7Th Heaven.
JEREMY LONDON GAINED CULT FAME WITH MALLRATS
Jeremy London didn’t let losing the part in The Man in the Moon discourage him. He quickly moved on and was successful.
He grabbed bit roles in the TV movies In Broad Daylight and A Seduction in Travis County before he found success on the TV series I’ll Fly Away. The series, which only ran for two seasons, was noted to also star Sam Waterson, who played Witherspoon’s father in The Man in the Moon.
London stuck with TV roles for the next few years, playing in the TV movies A Season of Hope and A Mother’s Gift while also appearing in the TV series Route 66 and Angel Falls.
1995 began a big year for Jeremy London, as on top of the previously mentioned TV movies, he jumped over to feature films as well. His first role came in The Babysitter and then he found time in Kevin Smith’s comedy Mallrats. It’s in Mallrats where he first gained notoriety, as the movie quickly became a cult hit.
The movie is centered on Jeremy London’s TS Quint who is determined to win back his ex-girlfriend through a game show taping. He does so with the help of a friend and a trip to the mall, of course. The flick also starred Jason Lee, Shannon Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, and Michael Rooker.
HE JOINED THE CAST OF PARTY OF FIVE
Jeremy London joined the Party of Five cast that included Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, and Jennifer Love Hewitt during the show’s second season. It was a recurring role that actually got him six years’ worth of work.
With the recurring role, London was able to stretch his legs a bit, also grabbing roles in features such as White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild, Levitation, and Get a Job. He also made time for Perversions of Science and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
After Party of Five ended for London and company, Jeremy London’s work slowed. He was seen on an episode of The Outer Limits and the TV movie Romantic Comedy 101.
But 2002 saw Jeremy London grab another big role for him, this time in the series 7th Heaven. While the series itself was a long-running hit (11 seasons), London boarded the series as the young minister Chandler Hampton during its sixth season and stuck around for three seasons total.
The 2000s were a busy decade for Jeremy London. 7th Heaven kept him minimally busy, so other projects were in order. He was in the hit Civil War movie Gods and Generals, plus Kiss Me Again, Ba’al, The Grift, Fatal Secrets, Chasing the Dream, and The Divided.
But with success sometimes comes trouble and for Jeremy London, trouble came and didn’t leave for some time.
JEREMY LONDON NOW
Jeremy London’s career has not been derailed, despite his very public problems. The last decade has seen London continue to work at more than a steady pace.
He has successfully transitioned almost fully to making feature films, having starred in ones like Alien Opponent, Edge of Salvation, The Devil’s Dozen, Seat of Justice, Last Man Club, Branded, and Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece. Yes, mainly B-movie fare but work in Hollywood is work.
Plus 2023 and 2024 saw a lot of work for Jeremy London on the big and small screen. He was in Murder at Hollow Creek, Butcher’s Bluff, Open, Alien Vampire Busters, Bright Ideas, and The Black Mass to name just a few. Were any of these massive hits? No, of course not. But this is the kind of steady work we are talking about.
That said, Jeremy London continues to have troubles. He was arrested in 2018 on charges of domestic violence against his wife, Juliet London. The charge was a misdemeanor, so he isn’t doing jail time. But even in his early 50s, London continues to live a troubled existence.
