Nicole Eggert was seen on a beach wearing a red bathing suit like the one she wore on Baywatch? So, what is going on? She explained, “Great day on set. A little rusty and a bit out of my wheelhouse but a wonderful crew, cast and experience.” Then she told us to “stay tuned” because all will be explained by “January.”
So, what do you think is going on, and who is that tall mystery man that is standing next to her?
Now that we got that out of the way. Can we talk about how beautiful the 49-year-old looks? She looks almost the same as she did when she put on the red hot suit nearly 30 years ago for the first time in 1992. Can you believe it has been that long?
About two weeks ago, Nicole Eggert once again claimed that Scott Baio stared to sexually abuse her when she was just 14 years old or the first season that they worked together on Charles in Charge. He immediately responded with a Facebook live, with what he said, was the proof that he did not do it. He then challenged her to file a police report, and yesterday she did just that.
She did not go alone; she also went with her television brother from the sitcom Alexander Polinsky, who she says corroborated her story. He also has one of his own, but I will talk about that later. Eggert told The Talk that at least 10 other people offered to be witnesses to the police claiming they witnessed inappropriate behavior between the teenage girl and the man in his mid-20’s, who was also her boss.
As I said, she was on The Talk today and she talked about filing report. She said that she was scared to do it, but it was not as bad as she thought it was going to be. She wants to encourage other victims of abuse to feel the same way and file a claim if need be. The actress said that she told the police more intimate details than what we have heard her say over the last few years.
When Julie Chen asked her if she filed because he challenged her to do it. She said she did. Therefore, he got what he asked for.
What does she want? She wants him “to admit it. The power of I am sorry is amazing.” She has forgiven him for what happened when she was a teen, but she has not forgiven him for his recent attacks on her. She feels if he were to just come clean about it, this would all go away. Which I think she is right because it has long been rumored that they dated during when they were filming the show and she was not 18 until close to the end of production. As he pointed out in his Facebook live.
It truly is a he said/she said with a lot of rumors mixed in it all.
When it comes to Alexander Polinsky, he did not appear on The Talk, but he gave his own statement. His longtime friend, Sara Gilbert, read it and she could not control her tears as he spoke his words. He said, “I witnessed Scott Baio acting inappropriately towards Nicole Eggert during my first year of working on the show. I walked in on them together behind the set. Nicole was on Scott’s lap and he did not appreciate my intrusion. He yelled at me and called me various homophobic slurs. Growing up on the show I received regular verbal attacks, mental abuse and I also suffered a physical assault at the hands of Scott Baio.” Then he ended with, “The cycle of abuse must stop. Even 30 years after the acts, they still matter.”
A few weeks ago, he tried to reach out to Baio on Twitter and the actor never responded. Since then Polinsky, who was just 11 years old when the show started, has not said anything else on the matter until this statement.
Josie Davis, who was Eggert and Polinsky’s sister on the show, has not Tweeted a single thing about this. Neither have Willie Aames or Jennifer Runyon. Back on October 30th, Eggert, Polinsky, Aames and Runyon had a mini reunion at a convention and sang the show’s theme song. I am sure they all wish they could go back to that happier time.
Eggert Tweeted today that she is in process of starting foundation to help women go through what she is going through called Take My Hand 2 Day.
Over the weekend, Scott Baio revealed that Dr Oz taped an episode with Nicole Eggert, where she claims her former co-star started sexually abusing her when she was just 14 years old as they filmed Charles in Charge. He said that his lawyers sent The Dr Oz Show a cease and desist letter and they pulled the episode.
Well, the talk show had a change of heart and will air that episode tomorrow, January 31st. Dr Oz explained to Page Six TV today why it is now airing it, “I have very high standards for everything I do. The show has always maintained philosophy we want to do the best, best possible for everyone involved. And it takes a while to vet stories that are 30 years old.” Then he added, “We have been doing that, doing our homework; but over the weekend the key folks, Scott Baio, Nicole Eggert, went to Twitter, started a little social media war and I am comfortable airing the show. So you will see the footage with Nicole tomorrow and Scott Baio’s response.”
Basically it seems like Baio is his own worst enemy. Had he stayed silent, she would not have been on Megyn Kelly Today this morning and this episode would not have aired. But by telling his side of the story, he opened the door to her story finally being told in front of the cameras.
BTW Baio will be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning.
Before Nicole Eggert was saving people on Baywatch, she needed someone to save her from her abusive mom in When She Was Bad. How cute was the 7-year-old in that 1979 telemovie?
For decades, there have been rumors that Scott Baio and Nicole Eggert dated when they starred on Charles in Charge together back in the late ‘80s. For the last several years, the actress has been claiming that he touched her inappropriately starting when she was just 14.
She has mentioned this several times on Twitter, and Baio and wife denied the claims each time. But in the #MeToo era, she is finally ready to take her allegations off of social media and into the spotlight. Over the weekend, when she Tweeted it about, Baio did a 16-minute Facebook Live, with his proof that it did not happen and he says that his lawyers have stopped her from coming forward in the past when she spoke to Dr Oz and TMZ.
Today, he could not stop her when she went on Megyn Kelly Today and she explained why now. She said, “What my truth is, is that I wasn’t ready to tell my story,” Then she added, “For me it was always protecting the show and protecting that whole legacy that nothing happened there. That was my delusion, and that was my cover-up, always. I always lied about it.” A show that still streams on NBC.com.
What does she say she lied about? She says the first time it happened, she was just 14, and he fingered her in his car in his garage. That is when she alleges the abuse started and went on during a weekly basis until they had sex when she was 17 and he was in his mid-20’s. She said it was not rape, but she added she was also not exactly a willing partner. After the two had intercourse, she says he changed and became distant to her. Before that, she claims, he would touch her on the set and try to sneak kisses. Something, two of her co-stars, including Alexander Polinsky who played her younger brother on the show, corroborated.
Why didn’t she say anything back then? She says, “The issue with him is, he was our boss…and he also was telling me, ‘You can’t tell anybody, this is illegal, I’ll go to jail, the show will be over, everybody will be sued, you’ll be out of a job, you’ll ruin everybody’s life.’ And it’s scary. It’s intimidating, especially when you are that young.” It was her first big role, she was just a teen living in adult world and he was a big star back then. It is a lot for someone of her age to handle. Something she says, “If I could go back to a younger Nicole, I would tell her she doesn’t have to be ashamed that she’s a victim,’…Shame can play such a weird part and such a strong voice…you lie. I didn’t want anybody to look at me and think I was weak.” Strength is something many women finally feel they have now because we can come forward, we are being heard and we are being believed.
When it comes to whether she will go to the police as he suggested. Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, says he might just get what he wants. But that is just one of the many ways, she can respond to him legally and they are considering their options.
