Ione Skye Opens Up About Her Memoir: From Romance with John Cusack to Her Tumultuous Past with Anthony Kiedis and Adam Horovitz:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(755x293:757x295):format(webp)/ione-skye-john-cusack-022825-1-2618e07798a84f73b174948ea550d1ad.jpg)
Actress Ione Skye, now 54, is baring it all in her debut memoir, Say Everything, released on March 4. The book takes readers through her bohemian upbringing, her complicated relationship with her father—Mellow Yellow singer Donovan—and her connections with some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Sofia Coppola, Madonna, and her first husband, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz.
“I’m a little nervous,” Skye admits to PEOPLE about name-dropping so many celebrities. “But at this stage in life, I feel freer creatively. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I also want to be honest about my story.”
The Truth About Her Relationship with John Cusack
For years, Skye had maintained that while she and her Say Anything co-star John Cusack had undeniable chemistry, they never took their relationship beyond friendship. However, in Say Everything, she reveals that they did sleep together—just years later, after her divorce from Adam Horovitz.
“I had to get it out of my system,” she writes.
Cusack read a draft of the book and texted her afterward:
“You made the experience sound so meh! It wasn’t ‘meh’ for me.”
Skye laughs about it now, saying, “I felt a little bad, but oh well!”:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(764x360:766x362):format(webp)/Ione-Skye-062524-3-14a0dae268144fb9a6109ee1374c176a.jpg)
Crushes, Love Affairs, and a Tumultuous Romance with Anthony Kiedis
Skye also opens up about her on-set crushes, including her deep admiration for River Phoenix, with whom she starred in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988).
“River ended up being like a brother to me, but at the time, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m in love with him!’ I couldn’t wait for our kissing scene. He was just delicious.”
Her most tumultuous relationship, however, was with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, whom she dated when she was 16 and he was 24—while he was struggling with heroin addiction. She also reveals that she had an abortion after getting pregnant by him in her late teens.
“I’m not in touch with him,” she says, admitting she’s nervous about how Kiedis will react to the book.
Marriage, Bisexuality, and Her Split from Adam Horovitz
At 20, Skye met Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz, and together they became one of the “It Couples” of the early ‘90s. They married in 1992, but their relationship eventually unraveled as Skye discovered her bisexuality. She admits to having several affairs, including one with model Jenny Shimizu.
After their divorce in 2000, Horovitz later married Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna. Skye reached out to him before including him in her memoir.
“He’s private, but such a big part of my story. He couldn’t not be in it.”
Her Happy Ending with Ben Lee
For the past 15 years, Skye has been happily married to Australian rocker Ben Lee, with whom she shares a 15-year-old daughter, Goldie. She is also mother to Kate, 24, from a previous relationship.
“My husband knew everything,” she says, laughing. “His only issue was that I spent so much time on the early chapters and rushed through his part!”
A Memoir She’s Proud Of
Looking back, Skye describes writing Say Everything as one of the most fulfilling projects of her life.
“It’s like motherhood—you know it’s going to be huge, but you don’t realize just how big until you’re in it,” she says.
Despite her initial nerves, Skye is at peace with sharing her story.
“I do care what others will think, but at the end of the day, I know everything will be okay.”