EXCLUSIVE: 'Caddyshack' Star Michael O'Keefe Recalls Cocaine on Set
'Caddyshack' star Michael O'Keefe opens up about cocaine use on set while filming the comedy classic.
Nov. 4 2026, Published 6:15 a.m. ET
Caddyshack's Michael O'Keefe claimed cocaine was "budgeted" into the 1980 flick's costs and admitted to shooting scenes while high, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
"There was some miscellaneous item," he said of the alleged drug expenses. "It was the '70s," O'Keefe, 71, explained of the production, which filmed over 11 weeks in late 1979.
"That's what was happening back then. People were just treating it like it was toothpaste, and you had to do it twice a day to stay healthy."
Actor Reveals Cocaine-Fueled Movie Regrets
Michael O'Keefe claims cocaine expenses were included in the budget for the 1980 comedy 'Caddyshack.'
The actor, who played country club caddie Danny Noonan, has expressed regret about consuming cocaine before performing in the comedy that also starred Ted Knight, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield.
"It was not my favorite memory because in retrospect I can see those moments on camera and I'm not too happy about them," he confided.
"But I can report to you that right after that movie, during that movie, was the last time I ever did anything like cocaine. I realized that it was a terrible thing to get involved [with], and like so many things in the drug world, it looked like fun, but in reality, it wasn't."
The Great Santini Oscar nominee reveals the 1980 death of Doug Kenney – Caddyshack's co-writer and producer – was a "huge wake-up call." Kenney, 33, walked off a cliff in Hawaii, and the incident, while officially ruled accidental, was widely believed to be a suicide.
O'Keefe Reflects on Hollywood Tragedy
The actor described the death of 'Caddyshack' cowriter Doug Kenney as a major wake-up call about drug use.
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O'Keefe calls Kenney "one of the most affable, intelligent, funny people in the world... Was strung out on cocaine, got depressed, and committed suicide. It was truly a result of drug addiction."
Despite Caddyshack's dark moments, O'Keefe said of his lengthy career: "I've really, really had some great experiences over the years and worked with some amazing people.
"So the fact that I'm still standing is kind of the happiest thing that I have to report."
