Stallone on steroids: “a terrible price” for the perfect body

Sylvester Stallone, now 80, is speaking more openly than ever about the dark side of his physique in autumn 2026. In a “Front Row” special with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM (Radio Andy) he says he began taking steroids around “Rocky III”. “Steroids turn you into an animal. I mean, you become very combative,” Stallone says. Your testosterone “goes so high that you have no control and it really plays hell on your body.” SiriusXM has posted the clip on its official YouTube channel.

Shortly before, on The New York Times podcast “The Interview”, he said he got down to 2.6 percent body fat for “Rocky III” (1982) – and became bulimic: “I couldn’t hold anything down.” Nobody reaches that state without additives, he said. He still feels the consequences today: according to TheWrap he has had nine back operations, two shoulder operations and three neck fusions. “It’s come at a terrible price,” Stallone says.

For fitness fans this is important context: an action star’s screen body is not a realistic training goal but often the product of extreme dieting and banned substances. Anabolic steroids can seriously harm the body; anyone who recognises signs of an eating disorder or performance pressure in their own training should seek medical advice.