Tara Reid is speaking out after a terrifying incident at a hotel outside of Chicago on Sunday night, which left her hospitalized and unsure of what happened to her for hours.
According to Reid, who called into TMZ on Monday, she’d gone downstairs around 10:30 p.m. for a cigarette and a quick drink. She said there were a bunch of YouTubers who started filming, which she described as "weird."
When she returned to the bar, she noticed her drink was covered with a napkin, something she hadn’t done, which she thought was strange. She took a sip anyway, and before she even finished, she blacked out.
Shocking footage obtained by TMZ shows the 50-year-old actress slouched in a wheelchair around 12:30 a.m., clearly unable to control her body. Minutes later, she was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance just before 1 a.m.
People who had "limited interaction" with her at the hotel bar said she seemed fine, but turned quickly, and her behavior changed after the bar closed and the party moved to the lobby.
Reid says she woke up eight hours later in the hospital, confused and disoriented. When TMZ asked her what the people at the hospital said, she insisted they told her that she had been drugged. When they asked if they had tested her BAC or for what exact drug had been used, she said no, noting that she was unconscious and didn't really know what they had done.
She described the experience as “vague” and “blurry,” recalling a moment when she woke up to a woman who didn’t speak English sitting in her room. “At one point, I thought I was in Mexico,” she said, "she wasn't speaking English.”
Her agent eventually picked her up hours later. Somehow, she managed to push through to a scheduled signing before heading home.
Reid’s past struggles with substance abuse have already led to speculation. Reid checked into Promises Treatment Center in Malibu in 2008 for alcohol abuse and completed a 60-day program.
TMZ asked her about her sobriety, asking if she can still regulate her drinking. "Absolutely, I mean, I only had a drink of wine, I don't drink hard liquor or anything like that at all," she said. "I just had a glass of wine and a cigarette."
Her spokesperson told People that the American Pie star filed a police report and is cooperating with investigators. "Tara is recovering and asks for privacy during this traumatic time. She also urges everyone to be careful, watch their drinks, and never leave them unattended, as this can happen to anyone. She will not be making further comments at this stage," the statement said.
With cameras likely in the hotel, if an investigation is launched, we may get more answers about what happened, such as who put a napkin over her drink and whether they could have also laced it.