You Wouldn't Want To Meet Steven Tyler In Real Life
Even if Steven Tyler wasn't the flamboyantly boheme-clad lead singer of the legendary rock band Aerosmith, you'd definitely be able to spot his mouth in a crowd. Besides his rock star fame, he was a judge on "American Idol" for seasons 10 and 11, has written a couple of books, has a famous daughter, actress Liv Tyler, and has generally been the recipient of ongoing public attention. Tyler is open and honest about his life in interviews, down to statements in a 2013 interview with 60 Minutes Australia where he talks about Aerosmith's numerous band break-ups, spending $5 or $6 million on alcohol over his career, and snorting "half of Peru." But even taking Tyler's honest, currently mellowed persona into account, there are plenty of reasons why folks wouldn't want to meet this particular rock hero in real life.
While partying, drugs, rampant sex, and so forth, are passé at this point for elder rockstars — particularly those who came into fame during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s — Tyler's got a very ugly sexual skeleton in the closet that will likely make most people squirm — several, in fact. In 2022, Rolling Stone explained that he was sued for sexual assault and related charges dating back to the mid-'70s. While allegations of sexual assault might be distressingly common at this point, things take a sinister turn when we learn that the person filing the suit was an underage teenager at the time, while Tyler was in his 20s.
Sexual manipulation of a minor
Once upon a time in 1973, 25-year-old Steven Tyler met 16-year-old Julia Holcomb some time shortly after Holcomb's 16th birthday, as Rolling Stone recounts. Tyler, Holcomb's lawsuit said, made advances that she "was powerless to resist," taking Tyler's "power, fame and substantial financial ability" into account. Tyler, she says, framed the whole thing as a consensual, "romantic, loving relationship." Holcomb points to Tyler's 2011 memoir "Does the Noise In My Head Bother You?" as evidence of his disturbing outlook on their relation, particularly quotes like, "With my bad self being twenty-six and she barely old enough to drive and sexy as hell, I just fell madly in love with her ..." (via Rolling Stone).
To make matters worse, Holcomb got pregnant by 1975 when she was 17 years old, as Rolling Stone continues. To go from nauseating to grotesque: Holcomb's mother signed over guardianship to Tyler, making him both her legal guardian and father of her child. Holcomb ended up in the hospital after being caught in a house fire. There, she says, Tyler talked her into having an abortion. None of these unsavory details make it into Tyler's memoir, although some inconsistencies in information do pop up, including Tyler potentially concealing Holcomb's name and age.
Further sexual assault allegations
Based on Steven Tyler's own descriptions of his younger self's sexual behavior, it might seem surprising that it's taken over 40 years for allegations of some sort to come forward. Nonetheless, on the heels of Julia Holcomb's 2022 lawsuit comes another, recent November 2023 lawsuit described on NBC News. While this new story doesn't include impregnating a minor, adoption of that minor, or coerced abortions, it's still far from being tasteful dinnertime conversation. It's also yet another mark against meeting Tyler in person, or perhaps against leaving your teenage daughter alone in a room with him.
If true, the events in this current lawsuit would have overlapped with Holcomb's pregnancy in 1975. As the story on NBC News goes, 17-year-old model Jeanne Bellino had the chance to meet Aerosmith at the Warwick hotel in New York City that year. There, Tyler apparently shoved Bellino into a phone booth where he forcefully kissed and groped her against her will. Tyler commenced "pretending to have sex with" her while "mauling and groping" her, and "humping" her as people outside the phone booth watched and laughed. Later on, Tyler invited the "sobbing and shaking" Bellino to his hotel room — she refused.
And.... further sexual creepiness, plus drugs
In case the reader was wondering what else might remove Steven Tyler from any "must meet" celebrity list, we've got — drum roll — more sexual creepiness. Taken out of context, this last selection might seem meager in comparison to our former choices. But when considering Tyler's recent lawsuits and sexually rambunctious history, this final incident comes across as indicative of the man he (hopefully) used to be.
When Tyler joined "American Idol" in 2011 he, as all hosts did, evaluated contestants to see if they ought to perform in the competition. Back then, a young, teenage Victoria Huggins auditioned wearing a blouse and skirt, as we can see on Air TV. Tyler, when given the opportunity to evaluate Huggins, took the lead from co-judge Jennifer Lopez describing Huggins as "adorable," and eyed Huggins up and down, saying, "Oh yeah, just the right amount showing — that's nice." Huggins, as an aside, went on to win Miss North Carolina in 2017 at the age of 23, as Miss America states. This would have made her 16 or 17 at the time she auditioned for "American Idol" in 2011.
And because we'd be remiss to not include some drugs with Tyler's sexual escapades, we've got model Bebe Buell, biological mother of Liv Tyler, Steven Tyler's daughter. As Far Out Magazine says, Buell lied about Liv's parentage to protect her daughter from her father's "all-encompassing drug addiction."