Ryan Lochte Writing Tell-All Book On Rio Scandal, Addiction, Failed Marriage

Nearly 10 years after his Olympics scandal, Ryan Lochte is diving head-first into the worldwide controversy ... revealing he's writing a book on his fall from grace and how he got back on his feet.

The 41-year-old gold medalist announced his plans on Tuesday ... saying after a ton of growth and healing, it felt like time to share his story.

Lochte went from being a beloved American swimmer to, in his words, "the most hated person in the world" ... and it was all thanks to his incident at a gas station in Brazil.

Remember, Lochte claimed he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men pretending to be police ... but it later turned out to be a complete lie. In fact, the athletes were accused of vandalizing the gas station bathroom ... and he was charged with filing a false police report.

The case was later dismissed ... but Lochte said the damage was done in his personal life, and he found himself having a kid with a woman he barely knew, who told him he wasn't ever going to be enough -- so he resorted to alcohol, drugs and sleep.

It's safe to assume the woman he's referring to his ex, Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid ... as he went on to say, "Every day, I woke up to be belittled and reminded of my constant failures, day in and day out, until I was eventually kicked out of our family home."

"The only thing I ever wanted was a family and to become a father, only to have failed at that as well."

As we previously reported, Reid filed for divorce in March 2025.

Lochte is now dating Molly Gillihan ... someone he can't say enough good things about on social media.