Stallone Says He Showered in His Clothes Before 'Rocky' Fame

Sylvester Stallone says in his new memoir that he once showered in his clothes to get through a stretch of poverty in New York City before "Rocky" made him famous, according to Fox News. The book, titled "The Steps," also describes surviving on raw eggs and cottage cheese while living in a small New York City apartment, Fox News reported.

What does the memoir say about surviving in New York?

According to Fox News, Stallone's account in "The Steps" centers on a period of financial struggle before the 1976 film "Rocky" turned him into a star. The outlet reported that Stallone recalled eating raw eggs and cottage cheese as a low-cost way to get by, and that he showered while still wearing his clothes, a detail used to illustrate the conditions he described living in at the time. The reporting did not specify how long this period lasted or the exact address of the apartment, and no additional sourcing beyond the memoir and Fox News's account of it was available.

What happened during his jail stint at "The Tombs"?

Fox News's report is headlined around Stallone recalling "a jail stint at 'The Tombs,'" a reference to a historic Manhattan detention facility. Beyond that reference, the available reporting did not include further detail on the circumstances, charges, or duration of the stay. Readers looking for specifics on what led to that stint, or how it is described in the book itself, will need to consult the memoir directly or wait for additional reporting, since the source material reviewed for this story does not go beyond the headline reference.

What is "The Steps," and what does it cover?

"The Steps" is described in Fox News's reporting as Stallone's memoir, focused in part on the lean years that preceded his breakout in "Rocky." The available reporting did not include the book's publisher, release date, or page count, so those details are omitted here rather than estimated. What is clear from the reporting is that the memoir frames the raw-eggs-and-cottage-cheese diet, the clothed showers, and the jail stint as part of a broader narrative about hardship before fame.

How does this period connect to his breakthrough in "Rocky"?

Fox News's coverage positions these recollections as backstory to Stallone's rise with "Rocky," the film that is widely credited with launching his career. The reporting frames the privation he describes as having occurred before that success, but it does not lay out a detailed timeline connecting specific events, such as the jail stint, to specific dates relative to the film's release. Where the source material stops short of connecting dots, this piece does the same rather than filling gaps with assumption.

What hasn't been confirmed independently?

At this stage, the claims about Stallone's living conditions, diet, and jail stint come from a single account: his own memoir, as relayed by Fox News. No second outlet's independent reporting or on-the-record corroboration was available in the material reviewed for this story. That does not mean the account is in dispute; no conflicting version has surfaced. It means the record, for now, rests on the memoir itself and the outlet that first reported its contents. Readers wanting primary-source detail, including how Stallone describes the jail stint in his own words, should consult "The Steps" directly, since the secondhand reporting reviewed here did not include direct quotations from the book.

The broader arc, an actor scraping by on inexpensive protein sources and showering in his clothes before landing a role that reshaped his career, fits a familiar pattern in entertainment memoirs: hardship preceding a breakthrough. What distinguishes this account from anecdote is that it comes from Stallone himself, in a published memoir, rather than from an unnamed source or secondhand retelling. Still, the specifics that would allow full verification, dates, addresses, the length of the jail stay, remain outside what has been reported so far.