Lindsay Lohan crashed a car, but her career suffered the most damage.
Lindsay Lohan’s horoscope on the morning of May 26th, 2007 read: “Cancers might be smack in the middle of a rough patch.”
I guess the stars aren’t blind, after all.
April showers bring May flowers, and Hollywood’s greatest scandals always bloom as the hills heat up. As summer neared in Tinseltown that year, the city’s reigning it-girl was busy traveling the globe, and leaving a wild path of destruction in her wake.
Months fresh from her first stint in rehab, Lindsay Lohan was gearing up for a nationwide press tour for her latest project, Georgia Rule, which had welcomed a career-scarring scandal the previous summer that the actress was still facing the repercussions from.
As she dodged questions about her widely publicized on-and-off set behavior from everyone from Martha Stewart to David Letterman, by the time of the film’s New York premiere, La Lohan found herself embroiled in yet another PR nightmare… of the Kate Moss kind.
Days before the film’s May 8th opening, Britain’s News of the Worldpublished photos of a post-rehab Lilo indulging in some questionable ladies room activities at her go-to Hollywood haunt Teddy’s.
But the drug scandal didn’t deter Dina Lohan from whipping up her typical excuses, the momager telling Us Weekly that her spiraling daughter is just “so misunderstood” - and the blind support was echoed by Lindsay’s lawyer Mike Heller, who refused to confirm whether or not his client was snorting cocaine in the photos, but simply responded to the allegations: “This just goes to show how hard it is to be Lindsay Lohan.”
And while some outlets reported the starlet was inconsolable amidst the photo scandal, Lindsay couldn’t help but flash a smile as she jetted down to the Bahamas with a new flame - British socialite Calum Best.
While the two were first linked the previous December, the duo reunited in Manhattan during Lindsay’s Georgia Rule press blitz, and quickly took their developing romance off to the Caribbean - bringing drugs, drinking, and nip-slips galore.
After their photo-heavy tropical excursion, the twosome returned to the New York nightclub circuit where the drama continued to flow, and gossip sites ate up every minute.
From rumors of boozing, allegations of wrist cutting, and tales of a distraught - and commando - Lindsay writhing around the SoHo Grand lobby as her boyfriend romanced another woman, the stories continued to swirl about the embattled actress’ erratic behavior - one Page Six tipster even joking: “She is days away from another rehab stint.”
And as fast as her latest fling started, it fizzled. By the following week, Lindsay had already returned to Hollywood and was back to roaming the town’s hotspots. Photographers camped outside the doors of Teddy’s, Les Deux, Hyde, and Koi as the troubled actress braced the city solo, and seemingly more disturbed than ever before.
Despite her latest flick pulling in a measly $5.9 million at the box office, limping into the No. 3 spot, Lohan still had a packed schedule ahead of her. From a Jill Stuart campaign to a Shirley MacLaine-led comedy - Poor Things - the actress’ late nights and chaotic mornings didn’t seem to interrupt her demand - at least, not yet.
The evening of May 25th started like any other Friday night for the pro-level party girl.
Shortly before the witching hour, Lilo exited her WeHo condo and made her way to The Hills’ go-to hotspot, Les Deux. There, the actress met up with pals - amongst them James Blunt& Paris Hilton - and tossed back drinks until an hour-and-a-half past closing time.
Cameras snapped the starlet wandering out of the club shortly after 3AM, and tailed her as she was chauffeured by bodyguard Jaz Bennett to a house party in the Hollywood Hills.
The soiree, hosted by Koi owner Nick Hawk, lasted further into the wee hours, and ended with Lohan storming out of the restauranteur’s pad in a huff because of a fight with rumored girlfriend Samantha Ronson.
The next destination on the late-night terror trail was the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, where the actress made a brief pit stop for more drinks before exiting SkyBar around 4:45AM and returning to her condo on Doheny - one X17 photographer describing Lilo as “totally wasted.”
With tensions already high, it didn’t take much to set the hard-partying star off - and that’s exactly what happened next.
When Lindsay wanted to continue festivities at her place, Samantha urged her pal to slow down a bit and save it for the long weekend… but the actress didn’t like being told what to do.
A blowout between the rumored lovers ensued - with Lohan reportedly screaming: “You fucking lesbian bitch!” - and Ronson stormed out of the scene on foot - followed by an apologetic Lindsay, who begged the DJ to get in her car.
Within moments of the tearful reunion, the dazed starlet stepped on the gas, and… well:
Shorty after 5AM, photographers watched as Lilo lost control of her vehicle by the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Foothill Road - and collided head-on into a tree.
Immediately, Lohan & co. abandoned the wreckage and the wild child dashed to a nearby mansion to phone for help.
The distraught actress was rushed to Century City Hospital, where under a fake name she was treated for minor injuries in her “upper chest area,” meanwhile bodyguard Jaz stashed the mangled Mercedes back at his boss’ place.
After the Beverly Hills Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call about the early morning accident, officers tracked Lindsay down to the hospital and placed her under arrest for driving under the influence - “twice the legal limit,” to be exact.
To make matters worse, when cops impounded the disfigured convertible later that morning, they found a “usable amount” of cocaine stashed inside, and blood tests later revealed some traces of blow in Lohan’s system during the collision.
As word got out about the actress’ latest tribulation, it wasn’t just gossip sites in awe at the Memorial Day meltdown. From the Post to FOX, journalists and TV anchors raged about the party girl’s downfall - Lindsay being the latest in a clan of drunk-driving Tinseltown tyrants.
And while one might’ve assumed someone hours fresh from a vehicular collision would take a breather… Lindsay unsurprisingly defied the odds.
After checking out of the hospital, the actress made a momentary cameo at fellow DUIer Nicole Richie’s Memorial Day bash - where future DUIer Mischa Barton overdosed - and then hightailed it to the Roosevelt Hotel for a late-night pool party, ending the evening at Teddy’s.
Shortly after 4AM on May 28th, the actress stumbled out of the hotel and collapsed into Samantha Ronson’s car. When Ronson made a side trip to a nearby gas station, X17 photographers caught a glimpse of a passed out Lohan…
… and the pictures lived on infamy:
Rumors that the low-earning DJ struck a side deal with a photo agency to parade her sick friend for the cameras quickly surfaced on CelebrityBabylon.com, in addition to allegations that SamRo had even planted the cocaine in Lindsay’s car the night of the crash - a story later picked up by Perez Hilton, whom Ronson would unsuccessfully sue for $20 million in damages.
As pictures from the wild night out surfaced, Hollywood - and the rest of the country - watched in shock as the former child star continued to spiral, and it was time for major damage control.
On the afternoon of the 28th, a distraught Lindsay melted down once more, pointing fingers at everyone from Jaz to stylist/enabler Patrick Aufdenkamp for her recent misfortunes, and reportedly cried to her mother on the phone: “What am I supposed to do? How am I going to get out of this mess?” The solution: rehab.
As the rest of L.A. celebrated the long weekend, a tearful Lohan was chauffeured to Promises Treatment Center in Malibu that Monday by lawyer Blair Berk.
The facility had welcomed an array of stars in the past, from Ben Affleck to an umbrella-swinging Britney Spears that past February, and now Lilo was set to join the ranks and begin her second stint in less than half-a-year. Publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik confirmed the widespread news in a statement:
“Lindsay admitted herself to an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day. Because this is a medical matter, it is our hope that the press will appreciate the seriousness of the situation and respect the privacy of Lindsay as well as the other patients receiving treatment at the facility.”
But the damage had been done.
As the press continued to publicize the starlet’s downfall, Hollywood prepared to wash their hands of the notoriously difficult actress. While Poor Things producers Shirley MacLaine and Rob Hickman issued a statement claiming they were willing to work around their star’s treatment schedule, the rest of Tinseltown wasn’t too ready to give Lohan another chance. One studio executive, under the guise of anonymity, told The New York Times that “he would not hire her until she proved herself healthy and reliable,” meanwhile reports swirled that Hollywood’s other bigwigs had begun mentally wiping Lindsay from their short lists.
With her latest cinematic venture tanking, and her soon-to-be-released thriller I Know Who Killed Me seeming more drive-in theater than Oscar-worthy, it appeared the long-spiraling starlet had finally hit rock bottom, and friends and family reacted accordingly.
Father Michael Lohan, who’d been released from a New York correctional facility earlier that spring, commented on the fiasco to anyone who’d listen, claiming in addition to alcohol his daughter was also hooked on OxyContin.
Meanwhile Dina, who’d been battling her ex-husband for visitation rights in a Long Island court, kept mum on her daughter’s breakdown… but continued to pursue an E! reality show for herself and her other showbiz-ready spawn Ali, tentatively titled Mom-ager.
As for Lindsay’s friends, Brit Brit showed deep concern for her former party pal:
And Spears’ fans appeared worried, too:
Meanwhile, drunk-driving BFF Nicole was at a loss for words:
Hayden Panettiere had too many words:
Recent View escapeeRosie O'Donnell was eager to ignore the fiasco:
Lauren Hastings, the model Lindsay had robbed a month earlier, only wished her frenemy the best:
NemesisShanna Moakler… not so much:
And Lohan’s Parent Trap director Nancy Meyers even took a swipe at the star, complaining: “What about young women in Hollywood who started giving women a bad name? The ones who think it’s okay to drink and drive, who don’t wear underwear and make sure we know it.”
But Meyers wasn’t the only ex-coworker to air their thoughts on the scandal, Lindsay’s Freaky Friday costar Jamie Lee Curtis blogged about the young actress’ troubles in an op-ed for The Huffington Post:
Even Ronald& Nancy Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis gave her two cents on the celebudrama, telling Newsweek: “It makes me angry when I see how the opportunity of being in rehab can be abused as nothing more than a slick PR move. A brief retreat from the paparazzi.”
But public shaming wasn’t Lohan’s only problem… as anything alcohol-related eagerly claimed distance from the boozing starlet. Amidst investigation by ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control), Les Deux issued a statement that the actress wasn’t drinking at their club the night of the crash:
“Les Deux is a restaurant, open five nights a week, and there is no age limit for our patrons. Lindsay had dinner at Les Deux that night and waited for friends to pack up the DJ supplies, thus leaving Les Deux after closing. Because of the enormous paparazzi presence outside of Les Deux that night, we allowed her to stay late and wait for her friends. She was not drinking at Les Deux, and left driven by her driver.”
Meanwhile Svedka vodka, who planned on sponsoring the AA alum’s upcoming 21st birthday bash at Vegas’ PURE nightclub, pulled out of the blowout amidst Lilo’s arrest.
Despite the lack of sponsor, the club continued to promote the actress’ big day:
But a rep for Lindsay quickly told Us Weekly that the party was cancelled and the hotspot let Lohan out of her contract, only on the condition that she agreed to make a future appearance.
Even behind rehab walls, though, scandal continued to follow the starlet.
Tabloid reports of romances with fellow patients, suicide attempts, passionate love letters to Samantha Ronson, and pill-smuggling into Promises plagued the actress.
News of The World, who’d previously published the grainy photos of Lohan’s post-Wonderland coke binge, released more shocking snaps of some summer 2006 knife play between Lindsay and former TRL host Vanessa Minnillo.
Minnillo, who’d caught tabloids’ eyes thanks to her romance with Nick Lachey, immediately regretted the wild night, reportedly losing out on a reality TV deal because of the scandal.
The British paper followed up the headline-making story with even more pictures of Lilo, this time in various states of undress, alongside an exclusive interview with a supposed ex-Lohan bodyguard - Lee Weaver - who claimed he witnessed the starlet cut her wrists, attack a gun-wielding drug dealer, engage in a ten-hour coke binge with Nicole Richie, and pull Jessica Simpson’s hair during a brawl.
Lindsay’s reps fired back at the wild story, telling TMZ that Weaver only worked for their client for a little over a week in the spring of 2006, and Lohan even took to MySpace to fight the bodyguard’s allegations:
Meanwhile another British paper, The Sun, released photos of Lindsay’s ex-flame Calum Best snorting some white stuff with two hookers - only days after his split with Lilo:
And another ghost of Lohan past decided to take starlet’s troubles as a quick cash-grab.
Raymuno Ortega, whose van Lindsay had crashed into back in October 2005, decided to sue the starlet - in addition to The Ivy - a whopping $200,000 for the two-year-old wreck, alleging that Lilo was drunk the afternoon of the collision and that the WeHo hotspot had served her the drinks in question.
Whether it be friends, family, or exes, everyone seemed to be caught up in the Lohanado sweeping Hollywood. Lindsay, however, continued to steer clear of the public eye in her Malibu hideaway, only making rare paparazzi appearances for gym sessions or coffee runs.
While at the facility, though, she became close friends with another patient - fallen New York social fixture Dori Cooperman, whose claim to fame came from riding shotgun in Lizzie Grubman’s Mercedes the night of the publicist’s famed Hamptons road rage.
It’s a small world for the vehicularly challenged.
And as for the spot where it all started, the intersection between Sunset and Foothill soon became a tourist destination, where people far and wide came to observe the very place Lindsay Lohan’s career came to a crashing halt - literally.
The debris of Lilo’s Memorial Day wreck soon found their way to eBay, courtesy of a lucky witness who managed to make it to the spot fast enough:
And I visited the location myself last summer!
The very spot where Lindsay Lohan got her first DUI🍸🚨 pic.twitter.com/xdr2mgYB7T
— popculturediedin2009 (@pcd2009)July 1, 2016
Don’t worry, nature freaks, the tree she hit is still intact - I can’t say the same about her career. Happy 10 Years!
Gifs & Graphics: miammitchell, drugproblem, hotasice, & chlorination