The following article contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
The Crowded Roomis an Apple TV+ miniseries that premiered in June 2023 and is based on a real, incredible, and psychologically distressing story. Based on the non-fiction novel,The Minds of Billy Milligan,The Crowded Roomis a 10-part series featuring an all-star castincluding Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Emily Rossum, Sasha Lane, Will Chase, and Lior Raz. The series follows Danny Sullivan (Holland), a troubled young man who is arrested for his involvement in a 1979 New York City shooting. His story is told via interviews with interrogator Rya Goodwin (Seyfried).
Despite the talent involved, including animpressive performance from Tom Hollandas Danny,The Crowded Roomwas not well-received by critics, earning a 33% onRotten Tomatoes. 10 episodes proved to be just a bit too long for some viewers who felt like the series spun its wheels. Even so, there was enough interest in the series that asequel season toThe Crowded Roomhas been bandied about. The true story thatThe Crowded Roomis based on is a fascinating one, andthe fictionalized version leaves out some interesting moments in the real Danny’s life.
The Crowded Room Is Based On The True Story Of Billy Milligan
The Series Is Based On The Minds of Billy Milligan By Daniel Keyes
As noted,The Crowded Roomis based on the 1981 novel,The Minds of Billy Milligan, by Daniel Keyes. The non-fiction novel tells the story of the real Billy Milligan, an American man born in Miami in 1955 (viaTheColumbusDispatch). After Billy’s father died, his mother moved him around from state to state before finally settling in Lancaster, Ohio. The book based on his life, it’s important to note, is not a completely factual story, often being described as a non-fiction novel.Keyes wrote his book based on interviews with Billyand crafted a particularly sympathetic portrait (viaSlashFilm).
Daniel Keyes also wroteFlowers for Algernon.
In 1977, the 22-year-old Billy Milligan was arrested and charged with kidnapping, robbing, and raping three women near the Ohio State University campus (viaTime). The attacks were said to have taken place between October 14 and October 26 (viaTheColumbusDispatch). That same year, Milligan had been in prison for robbery, and he had previously been convicted of rape by that point. After Milligan was identified in a mugshot, he was brought in for a psychological evaluation.
Milligan’s Lawyers Successfully Argued An Insanity Defense
Billy Milligan Was Diagnosed With Dissociative Identity Disorder
The psychologists noticed Milligan was exhibiting signs of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) during their evaluation. Milligan insisted that “Ragen”, a 23-year-old with a Slavic accent, had robbed the women, and “Adalana,” a 19-year-old lesbian, was responsible for raping them. The psychologists eventually determined that Milligan had 10 personalities and officially diagnosed him with DID, formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder. He would later be diagnosed with 14 personalities. Throughout the interrogation, the doctors learned from Milligan, or from one of his personalities, that in 1963, Milligan’s mother had married Chalmer Milligan. Chalmer, according to Milligan, sexually and physically abused his step-son.
In December 1978, Milligan was acquitted of his crimes by reason of insanity caused by Dissociative Identity Disorder.
It was at this point, psychiatrists determined, that Milligan’s personality began to splinter. Milligan had a difficult life in his teens, being expelled from high school, joining and leaving the Navy, and more, which doctors pointed to as evidence of his split personality. In December 1978, Milligan was acquitted of his crimes by reason of insanity caused by Dissociative Identity Disorder. It was the first ruling of its kind and the result is still shrouded in controversy.
Billy Milligan Was Sent To State-Run Psychiatric Hospitals
Milligan Escaped A Hospital In 1986
After the ruling, Milligan was institutionalized in state-run psychiatric hospitals for several years. Then, on August 24, 2025, he fled from the Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital and reappeared in Bellingham, Washington, under the alias Christopher Carr. He even left videotapes at a Greyhound bus station for the media to find, in which he complained about his treatment at the psychiatric facilities. Milligan lived with a man named Michael Pierce Madden in Washington and, in September 1986, Madden went missing (viaMashable).
Milligan was picked up in Florida by police a few months later. Though he had sold Madden’s car and was cashing Madden’s disability checks, police were unable to come up with enough evidence to charge Milligan with murdering Madden, so Milligan was sent back to the psychiatric hospital. Milligan was discharged in 1988 after psychiatrists determined that his multiple personalities had fused into one, harmless person, thanks to therapy. He then underwent outpatient mental treatment beforehe was released from all state supervision in August 1991.
Later, afterThe Minds of Billy Milligancame out, the state of Ohio sued him for royalties in order to pay back the money spent on his treatment.
After 1991, Milligan more or less disappeared, with his name only infrequently appearing in the news. In 1996, a California judge declared him incapable of handling his own affairs. Later, afterThe Minds of Billy Milligancame out, the state of Ohio sued him for royalties in order to pay back the money spent on his treatment.
Did Billy Milligan Paint His Alters? Danny’s Drawings In The Crowded Room Are Inspired By Real Portraits
The Crowded Room shows Danny Sullivan painting portraits of people in his life, a skill shared by the man that inspired the series, Billy Milligan.
Milligan declared bankruptcy in San Diego but came out of it in 2000, but then he was not heard from for some time. In 2015, it was revealed that Milligan had passed away from cancer in a Columbus, Ohio hospital. He was 59 and had been living with his sister Kathy for at least five years (viaLATimes).
Everything The Crowded Room Changes About The Billy Milligan Story
The Crowded Room Introduces Fictional Characters
WhileThe Crowded Roomis not a one-to-one recreation ofThe Billy Milliganstory, it’s clear that the miniseries takes inspiration from the real person, even if his name is changed to Danny Sullivan. For one, there is no Rya Goodwin character, played by Seyfried, in the real Billy Milligan story.Researchers did conduct interviews with Milligan, but there was no one person who made it their mission to save a man they believed was innocent over a sense of morality.
The Crowded Roomalso features a character named Annabelle Stone(Emma Laird) who serves as a core, happy memory for Danny. As far as the real story goes, there’s no one from Milligan’s past like Annabelle, though it’s possible he had a real relationship with a school friend when he was younger.
Like the book it’s based on,The Crowded Roompaints an exceptionally positive picture of the accused man at the center. It very well could be true that Danny inThe Crowded Roomand Billy Milligan in real life, were as much victims of DID as others were, but it’s also critical to remember that real people did get hurt. Their stories aren’t generally the focus of either fictional retellings or the true history, but when it comes to considering what’s real and what’s not, it can’t be denied that people were harmed.
The Crowded Room
Cast
Based on the novelThe Minds of Billy Milliganby Daniel Keyes, The Crowded Room is a psychological thriller set in 1979 where a young man named Danny Sullivan is arrested for a shooting in New York City. To clear his name, investigator Rya Goodwin will delve into the depths of his past and what happened to lead him here.
