‘Star Wars’ child star Jake Lloyd has been receiving treatment at a mental health facility for the past 10 months … according to his mother.
Lisa Lloyd says her son — famous for playing young Anakin Skywalker in 1999’s “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” — began his inpatient program in March 2023. She told Scripps News Monday, he’d been experiencing a psychotic break while they were driving home after making a McDonald’s run.
Lisa recounted how Jake, now 35, expressed a desire to turn off the car, and unsettlingly, proceeded to carry out the act while they were in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic … leading to a tumultuous exchange of yelling and screaming between Jake and her.
The incident caused a major traffic jam, prompting other drivers to call 911, and when cops arrived on the scene, they asked Jake a bunch of questions to get deets surrounding the incident.
However, Lisa says Jake was unable to make sense of the officers’ questions … describing them as a “word salad.” Hearing a jumble of incoherent speech is often associated with conditions like schizophrenia, which Jake was diagnosed with back in 2008.
Jake was admitted to the hospital that day … and later entered the rehab facility for an extended 18-month stay to battle his demons.
Thankfully, there’s good news regarding his progress — Lisa says he’s doing great, even exceeding her expectations by relating to people better and becoming a bit more social.
You’ll remember … Jake’s faced his fair share of challenges over the years. In June 2015, he was arrested, spent 10 months in prison, and later sought psychiatric help following a cross-county chase that ended with him crashing the car.