LSU Coach Lane Kiffin Says Drinking Contributed to 2016 Divorce

LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin discussed his past drinking problem in an interview published by Vanity Fair on Monday. He said the issue damaged his marriage to Layla and contributed to their 2016 divorce. Kiffin, 51, has been sober since January 2021.

He told the publication that he grew tired of hangovers and of dealing with situations or statements that resulted from drinking. “My whole drive when I was younger was like, How fast can I get everything? How fast can I get the big job?

” Kiffin said. ” During his early coaching years Kiffin drank beer before switching to vodka. He announced the divorce while serving as offensive coordinator at Alabama, stating at the time that the split was mutual and that co-parenting their three children remained the priority.

Kiffin made changes while at Ole Miss, where he compiled a 55-19 record over six seasons ending in November 2025 before taking the head coaching position at LSU. He quit drinking in January 2021, began practicing hot yoga and playing pickleball, and lost about 45 pounds. In August 2024 he told ESPN that he had taken up journaling.

” The couple stirred reconciliation rumors during a trip to New York City in December 2024 and rekindled their relationship sometime in 2025. Kiffin shared a photo of Layla on his Instagram Story with a home emoji. Layla moved to Oxford and the two resumed their life together.

Kiffin has since posted photos with Layla and their children, daughters Landry, 21, and Presley, 19, and son Monte Knox, 17. He marked five years of sobriety in January. In a post on X that included a photo of himself with Layla, Kiffin wrote, “Welp 5 years ago today, I made a decision that would change my life and many others around me.

I want to say to anyone that has something holding you back from being the best version of yourself you CAN do it!! ” Kiffin has continued to speak openly about his sobriety on social media. In an Instagram Story on Sunday he noted that he shares a bank account with Layla, writing, “She put up with me and [is an] awesome mother to my three children.

” He included a quote from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who has said he maintains a shared bank account with his ex-wife.