For years Kim Basinger struggled with agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that ultimately left her housebound and too afraid to drive, the actor has revealed.
The Mayo Clinic defines agoraphobia as "a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed."
Appearing on Wednesday's "Red Table Talk," Basinger said that it started as anxiety when she was a child. Growing up, she watched her mother struggle with anxiety and she grew afraid that something would happen to her.
"That started affecting me in so many ways that I felt like I had to be home with my mom to save her," she said.
Eventually, Basinger said she would make up excuses to be sent home from school and the school faculty began thinking something was wrong with her. After taking tests it was established she had anxiety. This developed into agoraphobia as she got older. She recalled one notable incident that took place as an adult when she was in a health food store.
"It was my neighborhood store. I was going down aisle No. 3. My basket was almost full, and I found something really overcoming me in such a way that I couldn't breathe," she said. "So I left the basket, and I made it to my car, and that was the last time I drove for almost six, seven months."
It eventually reached the point where Basinger said she "wouldn't leave the house" and would not go out to dinner or have friends around to visit.
"We tried that, and it's really horrible to feel that it won as really fiercely as [it] did during those years, you know, and not know what it was. It's like something just completely shuts down within you, and you have to relearn everything," she said, including having to learn how to drive again.
Basinger eventually sought treatment for six months to help treat the condition. In the end though, what made the biggest difference was her daughter Ireland Baldwin, who was a "great teacher and a great healer," she said.
"She's brought me out of my shell," Basinger said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.