Archive · 30 Sep 2026
Sylvester Stallone Recalls Childhood Abuse and Psychiatric Ward Trauma
Sylvester Stallone talked about difficult parts of his childhood and teenage years.
He said he was sent to a harsh school facility after breaking rules.
He described the facility as frightening and said another resident attacked him there.
Guards eventually stopped the attack.
Stallone also said his father sometimes hit him and frightened him.
He remembered one incident in which his father kicked him after he brought home the wrong food.
Stallone said his mother did not show him much physical affection.
He believes these experiences helped him develop a strong will, although they were painful.
Sylvester Stallone said he spent several weeks in a psychiatric section called Park Lodge, or the “Snake Pit,” at Devereux Manor High School in Pennsylvania.
He recalled being attacked by another resident, whom he identified as “Jay Bird,” and said guards intervened.
Stallone described his father, Frank Stallone Sr., as violent and emotionally intimidating during his childhood.
He said his mother never hugged him and that he omitted many painful memories from his memoir to avoid creating a “pity party.”
The 80-year-old actor discussed these experiences while promoting his memoir The Steps, published by William Morrow on September 29.
- Who
- Sylvester Stallone, his father Frank Stallone Sr., and people connected to the institutions he attended.
- What
- Stallone described alleged childhood abuse, emotional neglect, and a violent attack he said occurred during a teenage stay at a psychiatric facility.
- When
- The comments were made in an interview while Stallone promoted The Steps; the memoir was published on September 29. He said he confronted his father in his early 40s.
- Where
- The teenage incident occurred at Devereux Manor High School in Pennsylvania, in an area called Park Lodge or the “Snake Pit.” Stallone also discussed growing up with his father and later moving to New York City.
- Why
- He was discussing difficult experiences covered partly in his memoir and explaining how they influenced his sense of resilience.
- Memoir
- The Steps
- Publisher
- William Morrow
- Publication date
- September 29
- Teenage institution
- Devereux Manor High School in Pennsylvania
- Facility name
- Park Lodge, also called the “Snake Pit”
- Reported attack
- Stallone said another resident tried to grab and injure his groin before two guards intervened.
- Family accounts
- Stallone described violence from his father and said his mother never hugged him.