Whatever Happened To Creed Frontman Scott Stapp?
- Photo: Jason Smith/Stringer / Getty Images Sport
He Had A Breakdown In 2014 And Thought The Government Was After Him
In 2014, Stapp posted a video online in which he said the government was after him. He later explained to Loudwire: "I was in a parallel universe, man. I thought I was freaking Jason Bourne... It was scary and it was so real to me. I really thought government agencies were tracking me and trying to do experiments on me and people were tapped into my cellphone and computer. It was scary."
He also reportedly began sending frightening text messages to his wife, Jaclyn. One text allegedly read, "Florida is not safe. Biological weapons on the way. U have to leave with kids and meet me in Atlanta.” Another supposedly said, "I’m coming to get you Satan and children. No mercy. You know how this ends. God created you and now God is ending you.
- Photo: Focka / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
While In A Bad Mental Place, He Shot Up His House With Machine Guns
After Creed's third studio album, Weathered, was certified six times platinum in 2003, Stapp's substance abuse worsened. He stopped taking Percocet, Xanax, and the steroid prednisone, but he was still drinking heavily. He said of the time, "I wanted to end my life.”
One night while he was home alone, he drank whiskey and grabbed two MP5 machine guns. He decided to become a "Kurt Cobain martyr-type," believing his death would help sell more records. After putting the guns to his head, he saw a photo of his 4-year-old son and decided to shoot up the house instead, hoping to destroy all the awards he'd won with Creed.
He Got Into A Fistfight With Members Of 311
After Creed disbanded in 2004, Stapp embarked on a solo career that was derailed by his drug and alcohol abuse. In 2005, he ran into the band 311 at the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore, MD, and ended up getting into a fistfight with most of the group.
The band's singer S.A. Martinez said, "We had just finished dinner and were at the hotel bar to watch the Lakers game when Scott Stapp walked in being very loud and obnoxious."
Things came to a head when Stapp sat down next to Martinez and his wife, then made a rude comment to her. When 311's drummer, Chad Sexton, asked Stapp to calm down, the former Creed frontman threw a punch that hit Sexton and Martinez's wife. This caused Martinez and 311's bass player to also get involved. Stapp's girlfriend tried to sit on him to keep him from getting up, but eventually hotel security threw him out. No charges were pressed.
There's An Adult Tape Of Stapp And Kid Rock With Female Fans
In 2006, an adult tape filmed in 1999 was splashed onto the internet. It showed both Stapp and Kid Rock being "serviced" by either groupies or harlots. Stapp felt pretty bad about the whole thing, mostly because he embarrassed his friend.
Stapp explained the incident occurred when he walked into Rock's trailer to find the rapper hanging out with "some strippers." Stapp said he'd rather the tape not receive publicity because "we have children now, and they’re in school, and their friends read."
He told Spin he apologized to Rock: "I thought that was a skeleton in the closet that would never find the light of day.”
- Photo: Concerttour / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
T.I. Saved Stapp From Ending His Life In 2006
During the tour to promote his book Sinner's Creed, Stapp told a story about how T.I. saved him after he jumped off the balcony of the Delano Hotel in Miami, FL. Stapp said T.I. didn't know who he was, but that didn't stop him from being a hero. At the time, Stapp said he was in the middle of a drug binge and heard voices.
After Stapp fell from the balcony, he was sprawled out on the ground with a fractured skull, hip, and nose. He said, “I laid out there for two and a half hours and my guardian angel showed up - rapper T.I."
Stapp Had To Sleep In His Truck And A Hotel For Some Time
During Stapp's breakdown in 2014, he posted a 16-minute video on Facebook where he said someone was stealing money from him and attempting to slander him. Stapp looked directly into his camera and said someone used his information to change the "online passwords to [his] bank accounts and transferred all the money," leaving him penniless.
He continued, "My civil rights have been violated... I'm gonna expose and I'm gonna fight every single individual that is responsible for this. Right now I'm looking for an honest, good attorney that's ready to fight and take it all the way to the top." He finished by saying he was going back and forth from staying in his truck to sleeping in a hotel.
- Photo: PA3 Barry Lane / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Creed Broke Up Because Of His Mental Health And Addiction
According to Stapp, if he hadn't been struggling while Creed was at their peak, the band might still be going strong to this day. He told Oprah Winfrey that when Creed started raking in the dough, “the drinking and the pills came into the equation.”
After Stapp began self-medicating, he started to isolate himself by staying on the tour bus alone and cutting everyone off. “[It] really led to the breakup of the band,” he said.
- Photo: Focka / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
Stapp's Alter Ego Was Named 'Rick'
When Creed hit their peak, Stapp started drinking and taking pills. When he was drunk or high, he turned into a self-described "monster." He allegedly nicknamed his alter ego "Rick." According to reports, "Rick" even ended up in an altercation with Stapp's first wife, Hillaree, in which she slapped him in the face with a cellphone.
Kirk Kelsey, Creed's sound engineer at the time, said Stapp was "a cool, normal guy," but his ego got out of control. Kelsey continued, "Fame caused the biggest destruction of his personality. The more power he got, the more corrupted he became.”
His Bandmates Were Worried About Him During His Breakdown
Even though Creed had been broken up for a while by 2014, his former bandmates didn't leave him behind. In a 2016 interview with Loudwire, Stapp revealed Creed's guitarist, Mark Tremonti, began texting him shortly after Stapp put out his first video.
According to Stapp, Tremonti texted, "Dude, stop. You need to get help." But Stapp said, "I was in kind of a parallel universe at the time so I wasn't listening to anybody."
- Photo: Focka / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
He Was Fired From Creed In 2002
Scott Stapp publicly crashed and burned on December 29, 2002, during a show where he allegedly lay on the stage for most of the performance.
A few Creed fans sued the band, stating Stapp was "so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song." And that's not the worst of it. Their suit also claimed, "Stapp left the stage on several occasions during songs for long periods of time, rolled around on the floor of the stage in apparent pain or distress, and appeared to pass out while on stage during the performance."
Stapp was reportedly "fired" from the band shortly after the show, although Creed did not officially break up until 2004.
He Is Leading A Sober Life
After finally being correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Stapp has found it easier to stay sober than when he didn't know what was wrong. In every interview since his recovery, Stapp has reiterated the fact he's taking things one day at a time.
Stapp also went to rehab at The Summit in Malibu and Eric Clapton’s Sober Home. On top of that, he's been working out and going to AA.
- Video: YouTube
He Took Over For Scott Weiland In Art Of Anarchy
In 2016, Scott Stapp joined the band Art of Anarchy, a rock supergroup made up of former musicians from Disturbed and Guns N' Roses. The band was in need of a singer after the loss of Scott Weiland, and Stapp was ready to tour.
When Stapp announced he was joining the band, he was being so secretive he accidentally made it sound like he was joining Stone Temple Pilots, Weiland's old band. Stapp later released a statement saying:
I wanted to clarify any confusions on STP and my comment. First off, Scott Weiland in STP is irreplaceable. I was recently asked what I'm currently working on in an interview and could not reveal details or announce this new project. This led the interviewer to assume it was STP and he eagerly kept asking for more details. Evidently my response caused confusion.
In 2018, the band reportedly had a falling out with Stapp, but he continues to work on his solo career.
His Oldest Son Disowned Him For A Little While
Stapp knows the state of his mental health in 2014 caused him to lose control over his life. His actions were so destructive to his home life that his wife temporarily filed for divorce and his eldest son, Jagger, reportedly went on Twitter to criticize his behavior.
Stapp told GQ that when he hit bottom, "the public humiliation that came with it really broke me, man, and shattered me," but it wasn't just that: It humiliated his family. He said Jagger's school life was ruined. Stapp has "tremendous regret" for what he did.
Art Of Anarchy Accidentally Rented The Tour Bus In Which Scott Weiland Passed
In 2015, shortly after Scott Weiland quit Art of Anarchy, he went on a solo tour where he did not survive an accidental overdose of cocaine, ethanol, and MDA. Two years later, when AOA went on tour with Scott Stapp, they accidentally rented the bus where Weiland overdosed. Stapp said it was like he was living with Weiland's ghost on tour.
Stapp said he heard Weiland speaking to him at one point. He told GQ: "It was a very weird feeling that I felt. I remember being in the bathroom, looking in the mirror, on the bus, and really feeling like I could hear or feel him saying, 'Dude, this could have been you. And this could be you if you continue that path. Don’t do what I did. Don’t go down that road.'"
He Thought He Was A Secret Agent Who Needed To End President Barack Obama
During Stapp's 2014 meltdown, he claimed to be a CIA agent who needed to kill President Obama. He was apparently so serious about the threats that the Secret Service paid him a visit. He told the Chicago Tribune, "They came and checked things out. They showed up and asked me questions."
The Secret Service evidently didn't think Stapp was a threat, so they let him be.
He Was Misdiagnosed With Low-Level Depression In 1998
In an interview with Loudwire, Stapp revealed he first sought treatment while on tour with Creed in 1998, but the doctor he spoke to didn't give him the correct diagnosis. Stapp said, "I wasn't feeling right." On the same day he walked into the clinic, the doctor put him on antidepressants and sent him on his way.
Stapp also said he didn't know he wasn't supposed to drink alcohol while taking antidepressants and that the mixture caused him to make "a lot of mistakes."
- Photo: Gary Prill, US Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
He Experienced Deep Bouts Of Depression During Creed's Height Of Popularity
Stapp said he was incredibly depressed at the height of Creed's fame, and this depression made him isolate himself from his friends. He said the depression caused him to alienate his bandmates and seek refuge in drugs and alcohol. He told GQ: "I was alone on my tour bus suffering, and the thing is, those around you, especially when you’re young, can misinterpret that."
He thinks his bandmates thought he was getting an inflated ego, but said he was just trying to deal with the depression. Stapp said he remembers sitting on the bus thinking, "I wish the guys would come over." But he knew there was no way anyone could know how he felt.
Stapp Calls His Wife The 'Sharon To His Ozzy'
Stapp knows he couldn't have survived his 2014 breakdown if he didn't have his wife, Jaclyn, to force him into rehab. During this time, he lost and regained custody of his kids, went through a divorce scare, and was barred from living in their family home. Fortunately, Jaclyn's faith in him helped keep him above water.
Stapp told GQ Jaclyn acts as his chaperone now and helps him keep his affairs in order. To prove he was worthy of keeping his family together, Stapp put his career on hold and moved into a sober living home to get himself straightened out.
- Video: YouTube
He Starred In A 2024 Super Bowl Commercial For Paramount+
In 2024, Stapp and Creed bandmate Mark Tremonti appeared with a bunch of other stars in a commercial for Paramount+ that aired during Super Bowl LVIII.
In the commercial, viewers first see celebrities known for starring on Paramount+ shows in a snowy landscape, apparently on a hike up “Paramount Mountain": Patrick Stewart (Picard), Drew Barrymore (The Drew Barrymore Show), Jeff Probst (Survivor), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!), Pablo Schreiber (Halo), Arnold (Hey Arnold!), Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog), Peppa Pig, and Dora (Dora: Say Hola to Adventure), plus Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
They're trying to climb up the mountain but get stuck in a canyon. Tagovailoa throws a line to get them up to the top, but fails because, as he says, it's not as easy as a football, so Stewart suggest throwing something football-shaped instead - Arnold's head. As Stewart attempts to toss Arnold, Creed (Stapp and Tremonti) are shown on the mountain singing their hit “Higher.” The various celebrities/characters join in singing as Arnold gets tossed. He doesn't quite make it, but nothing can top Patrick Steward chiming in with Stapp on “Higher,” so it's okay.
