The actress discusses the impact of the encounter with a homeless woman in Los Angeles on her family

Mila Kunis has opened up about a deeply unsettling experience where she and her family witnessed a woman, who was homeless, overdose on drugs while in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old actress recalled the incident during a recent appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, where she described how it prompted an important discussion about drugs with her two young children.

Kunis, who was with her husband Ashton Kutcher and their children Wyatt, 8, and Dimitri, 5, explained how the family decided to go out for ice cream after a period of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. As they enjoyed their treat outdoors, a woman experiencing homelessness, visibly struggling with mental health issues, approached the family. She sat next to them and tragically overdosed in front of them.

The family’s outing quickly turned into a teachable moment as the children began asking questions, wondering if the woman was “okay” and whether an “ambulance” was coming. Kunis shared how the experience led her and Kutcher to have a “logical conversation” with their children about drugs and their effects. Kutcher, she said, went into detail about the topic, something Kunis admitted may have been too much for their young children at the time.

“At one point, we ended up having to have a very logical conversation with them about what drugs are, what they do to you,” Kunis explained. “My husband got super detailed, and I was like, ‘Babe, they’re six and four. I’m not sure this is the right approach.’”

The actress also revealed that their children now have a firm understanding of the risks of drug use. “If you talk to them now, they’re like, ‘No, it messes up your brain. And I don’t want,’” she said.

The incident also highlighted the growing homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, where reports have shown an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. A recent count revealed that over 69,000 people were homeless in LA County, a rise of 4.1% from the previous year. The figures further highlighted the staggering scale of the issue, with one in five homeless people in the United States living in LA County.

Kunis reflected on how this traumatic event served as an unexpected entry point for educating her children about drugs, noting that before the incident, they were unaware of anything beyond simple medicines like antibiotics.