Diane Sawyer Sits Down for Emotional Interview With Michael and Cameron Douglas

Growing up with famous parents can be a fairytale for some, but for Cameron Douglas, third generation in an elite Hollywood family, problems with drugs put him on the path to a nightmare ending in a long stint in federal prison. The son of Michael Douglas (and grandson of Kirk Douglas), Cameron starred in four movies in the 2000s — including It Runs in the Family with Michael and Kirk.

 By that time, Cameron had already had a couple run-ins with the legal system on drug offenses, but it was his arrest in 2009 by the DEA when the now 40-year-old approached his rock bottom, which he will address in detail when he sits with his father and Diane Sawyer to discuss his addiction struggle and his new memoir about his incarceration and recovery, Long Way Home.

Cameron was in possession of a half-pound of meth when he was arrested, which is a large amount that raises a possession charge of intent to distribute, a crime that came with a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. To make matters worse, he incurred additional counts when his girlfriend at the time attempted to smuggle heroin to him while he was under house arrest, using the battery compartment of an electric toothbrush.

He received an initial sentence of five years in prison, but after being found in possession of drugs while in prison, he had another four and a half years added to his sentence in 2011. Two years later, he was again found in possession of drugs and a urine test proved him to be under the influence, leading him to spend nearly two years in segregated housing, aka solitary.

After his release in 2016, Cameron went to live in a halfway house, and he seems to have completely turned his life around. He often posts about gratitude, which he feels especially for his longtime girlfriend, Viviane Thibes, and their daughter, Lua Izzy, who was born in December 2017.

Viviane is a yoga instructor, and it seems Cameron is a dedicated practitioner himself. He has also connected with his much younger siblings, Dylan and Carys, whom Michael Douglas fathered with Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

The interview, which airs Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 10 p.m. ET,  is sure to be emotional, as father and son discuss the turmoil that led to Cameron's incarceration and the very real fears the 75-year-old actor had that his son may die as a result of his addictions.

The Diane Sawyer interview with Michael and Cameron Douglas airs Oct. 22, 2019 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.