Robert Downey Jr. Recalls Time Spent in Prison in the 90's | THR News

Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about his time in prison in the late 90s, saying it was the worst thing that happened to him. In 1999, Downey served a year in a California state prison after missing a number of court-ordered drug tests tied to a 1996 cocaine possession charge. The Iron Man star opened up about the experience on a recent episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard. He recalled initially being sent to North Kern State Prison in 1999, calling it, arguably, the most dangerous place I've ever been in my life, because, he says, inmates of various security levels are kept together. You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood. There was no opportunity there. There was only threats. After that, he was transferred to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison. From here, he said it took him two weeks to accept the reality of why he was there. For me, there's worse things that could have happened than being sent to an institution, for sure. However, we can only go by what we know, and I would imagine if I had to guess, that was the worst thing that happened to me. On the podcast, Downey said the closest thing he could associate it with was being sent to a distant planet where there is no way home until the planets align. For more details to this story, head to THR.com. And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.