I watched Happy Days and the spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi when I was a kid, so I was sad to hear that Erin Moran had passed away at 56. We’ve been hearing stories from the tabloids that she had been struggling with addiction, and that she had fallen upon hard times. When the news of her death came out many people assumed that she had died from some kind of overdose, although there was no confirmation or news about that. One of those people was Scott Baio, Erin’s former boyfriend and co-star, who said something particularly cruel about her death. As you know, Scott is a grade-A a-hole who supports Emperor Bigly, spoke at the RNC and attended the inauguration, and has felt some minor pushback for that, for which he’s incapable of seeing the irony. So here’s what he said about Erin when asked about her passing on The Bernie & Sid Show Monday morning.
“I feel bad because her whole life she was troubled, could never find what made her happy and content, you know what I mean?” he told the radio hosts. “For me, you do drugs or drink, you’re gonna die. And I’m sorry if that’s cold, but… God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive, and you gotta take care of yourself. I’m sorry. You just have to, and I am saddened by what happened.
“And I don’t know if it was drugs that killed her,” he added quickly. “I read one report that it might have been. And I hope it – you know, I don’t know what I hope.”
Cruel, right? Even if she died from drinking or doing drugs that’s an awful way to speak about someone who passed. It’s still very sad, have some f-king compassion. Well we later learned that Erin died from Stage four cancer. Cops didn’t even find any illegal drugs in her home. So now she’s worthy of Scott’s grief, right? Although he’s more mad that people called him out for being so mean about her death. Here’s what he wrote on Facebook and he even doubled down on his comments:
Saturday, April 22nd around 3:30 PM my wife received a text message saying Erin Moran had died. I couldn’t believe it. NO PRESS OR MEDIA HAD REPORTED THIS. I thought it may be a hoax. Shortly after that TMZ reported this to be true, along with every other news outlet to follow. I was sad, in disbelief, sick to my stomach, and in complete shock.
Sunday, April 23rd I sat in my office, collected my thoughts to post a statement. I wanted to remember all the best, my most fondest times with Erin. I was still trying to process this loss.
Later that evening, the Internet and television stations were blasting headlines “Erin Moran died due to a heroine overdose “. This made me very upset and angry. This is one of my worse fears for her, or anyone else. Especially in this business. I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I hadn’t slept well since the news of her passing.
Monday, April 24th at 6AM Pacific time I did a live radio interview. I was asked ONLY about Erin’s troubled past due to drug & alcohol abuse. I was still upset and said I felt that living that kind of a lifestyle will catch up with you and nothing good would come of it.
THIS WAS BEFORE THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS ANNOUNCED STATING STAGE 4 CANCER.
Now it seems every news outlet & tabloid wants to paint a different picture of me and of what really happened. They’re stating that I’m saying drugs caused her to die after it was reported stage 4 cancer. This is so wrong! Now I truly understand the meaning of “Fake News”. This is crazy.
I’m also trying to process this loss. Erin was my very first real girlfriend. My wife and Erin contacted each other and spoke often for over a decade. I even had her on my reality show years ago. I DID reach out to her over a span of 30 years.
Please stop assuming the worse in me. I’m a compassionate person. I’m very heartbroken over her passing, especially since it was cancer.
I don’t see people going after or attacking every network that said it was a drug overdose.
I’ve openly stated my truths.
I’m done.
Poor Scott, he’s the victim here for practically saying Erin caused her own death. It’s fake news to report the things he said! He sounds just like Baby Fists, talking out of both sides of his mouth and trying to spin the story. It’s all about him, he’s so sad now, and he was friends with Erin and is super sad now that he knows she passed from cancer. It’s not assuming the worst of someone after they show you who they are again and again. It baffles me that so many people can’t see this.
Oh and Scott claimed on Twitter that people are bashing him only because he supports Trump. Of course he did this:
I said "IF". @ChaseMit . My wife @MrsScottBaio spoke to Erin less than 1 month ago. You bash me ONLY because I support Pres @realDonaldTrump
— Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) April 24, 2017
This man disgusts me. His wife also.
and the people defending him, too.
“why didn’t you mention Ron Howard and Henry Winkler’s statements, too? because they’re lefties?”
because BOTH of them gave very nice statements, regardless of how they may have thought she died. they cared, so they just said something nice.
“I was asked ONLY about Erin’s troubled past due to drug & alcohol abuse. I was still upset and said I felt that living that kind of a lifestyle will catch up with you and nothing good would come of it.” note: this was just after he said he wanted to remember his “fondest moments” with her. guess that didn’t last too long.
if Chachi had actually cared, he would have avoided speculating about how she died and just said that it was sad and he’ll miss her. he’s a narcissistic a-hole, just like the man he voted for.
I’d be gentler with him. He had more of a real relationship with her than the others and was of a similar age, and isn’t known for thinking before he speaks. It was a reasonable assumption that she died of a drug overdose, considering her history, it just turned out not to be the case. Wiser people know to shut up until they have confirmation, but I’m sure most people were thinking the same thing. He was angry that she wasted so much of her life with the drugs and at the time thought that was what killed her. He was both angry and grieving and somebody asked him about it.
Yes, he’s not too bright and delusionally enamored of President Tweeter. He will be forever the butt of jokes as the “celebrity” The Donald convinced to give a speech written by The Donald’s people for him at the Republican National Convention. But I’ll give him a break on this one.
well, you’re nicer than I am, because none of the reasons you gave to “be gentler” on him strike a chord with me.
he may have HAD a “real” relationship with her, a long time ago, but he clearly didn’t have much of a current relationship with her, as he had no idea of her cancer diagnosis, while apparently Anson Williams (Potsie) DID know. and if he didn’t know how she died, and actually DID care about her, he would not have said something so rude about her publicly, regardless of what he privately thought about her death and how it came about. As you said, wiser people would have shut up until they knew. you don’t get a pass for being stupid. you get corrected, and that way you learn. and I don’t agree that it was a “reasonable” assumption, because, as evidenced, he was not currently close with her. I have a friend who’s in recovery for heroin, and if she died tomorrow, I wouldn’t make the same assumption.
as for him not thinking before he speaks…well, that is HIS problem and, if he doesn’t want people “misinterpreting” his words, maybe he should learn to think before he speaks. I don’t think anyone deserves a pass on what they say simply because they don’t think first; unless you have Tourette syndrome, you are responsible for what comes out of your mouth. people misspeak all the time, and what most people do is APOLOGIZE, correct themselves, and make a better statement. as I said below, he could have apologized for making an assumption and acknowledged how unfair and wrong it was to do so, and then just have said “I’ll miss her”. instead, he plays the victim and makes it about how hard it was on HIM.
Behold A Man, On the Strong and Wrong Per Usual, What do we have to do, Who do we Have to pay or Fellate for this Sentient Trash container with a Poorly Groomed Ferret Sticking out of it to STOP Just STOP everything.. Opining, showing up at a Toys R Us Opening ( certainly not a premiere), Oldies event, National Conventions.. WHAT!!!>!??!
I kneel at the feet of the Master of the verbal backhand
Poorly groomed ferret — LOL.
I am proud to say that I never swooned over the ferret (apologies to ferrets). For the record (and despite what he and his wife seem to think), he was never a grade-A teen heartthrob. He was primarily a sidebar photo in the late 1970s. I looked at enough Teen and Tiger Beats in those days to know this.
Ok Christin??!? let’s be real, They picked him for looking like the Homely but sweet guy that would pick you in HS as you did back in the days But LOL NO he also isnt aging any type of well
Oh QQ, you have just described what it has taken me nearly 40 years to figure out — what his appeal ever was! LOL. The attainable, kinda sorta (but not really) cute dude of middle school!
And you are spot on about the aging. Not so good.
you were better than me. i didn’t discern that he was a B-lister but even if i had, it didn’t matter as i had a big crush on this ferret. on a completely unrelated fashion tangent, i also desperately wanted the satin baseball jackets that were the rage back then. sorry to see how bad my taste was!
The satin jackets! I remember the poster with Andy Gibb wearing one! The memories…
No shade for liking Chachi. I thought he was OK, but admittedly the last few years have erased what little like I had. He brags way too much for my liking.
mee I think those Jackets are back in so no shame Check Forever 21 ( In full disclosure I got me a delightful super Gaudy one for myself recently
Aw an Andy Gibb shout out. So sad that that one died before his time. I remember him as super cute!
QQ I didn’t mean to say that the satin jackets were bad- by themselves they are cute but I was too embarrassed to say that I wanted one with Sean Cassidy’s face on the back! Not even Andy gibb. The only redeeming thing is that at least it didn’t have ferret face on it.
Shaun and Andy really were the a-list of those teen mag covers!
I liked cute b-list teen mag dark-haired guys named Clark, Peter (later on a soap opera) and one of the Battlestar guys, who recently passed.
Battlestar Galactica Guy – Richard Hatch (not naked survivor guy). Yeah he was dreamy too.
“Sentient Trash container with a Poorly Groomed Ferret Sticking out of it”
LMFAO!!! I don’t know how you do it, QQ…just too perfect.
Fellate roflmai
Sentient trash container 😂😂😂💀💀
Compassion?!?! Lol, he is a trump supporter. Compassion is not something he is familiar with. #asshole
He’s the lowest of the low, speaking trash about a dead person. Disgusting.
And sadly, her husband’s sadly sweet open letter regarding her last weeks/hours has been overshadowed by this.
I saw nothing claiming she died of a heroin (or heroine) overdose. If they were still so close that his wife texted with her or those close to her occasionally, why not actually contact someone who could give them a clue what happened? And why not make a simple statement about a tragic loss without guessing and passing judgment? No, Scott, this is on you.
If they were that close, how did they not know she had stage 4 cancer? How did he not know she wasn’t using? Guy is a piece of crap liar.
He claimed his wife had talked to her within a month or something, yet poor Erin (per her caregiver husband’s own account) could not speak or eat on her own since mid-February. They clearly had no idea or closeness during those final weeks.
Anson (Potsie) did know, and kept it quiet until the authorities released a statement that she was clearly under medical care for cancer.
It sounds as though his wife just occasionally contacted her and he has a distorted sense of time (many people do, and they think something happened much more recently than it did). So he wasn’t necessarily deliberately lying.
He might have felt close to her at one time, when they were kids, but people do drift apart over the years. She didn’t feel close enough to tell them about the cancer. I would be careful about who I told about such things also. Especially people like Scott who can’t keep things confidential, too much chance he’d tell media especially. She did let the guy who played Potsie in on it (or else her husband did after she died), so he must have been someone who could be trusted to keep his mouth shut.
Her other coworkers mentioned are a lot brighter and a lot better with words than Scott. He does come across like someone who routinely shoots himself in the foot, so it’s not surprising that he hasn’t been in great demand as an actor. He was brought into Happy Days later in the show as a relative for Fonzie to mentor when they were running out of ideas, so he was picked for the way he looked and his energy as a young kid. The spinoff show with Erin’s character came later but didn’t seem like much to me. He’s actually done better than most former child actors, but nothing spectacular. It is very common for child actors to fizzle as they grow up since so much less is expected of kids, so they may not have much talent to begin with. People who start acting as adults have a more difficult road because more is expected, so there is a better chance that they have some talent.
Of course the news outlets he listens to/watches were blasting that she died of a heroin overdose — this isn’t a man who gets his information from reputable sources. Fake news! Fake news!
Yeah, Chachi.
InfoWars.
Exactly.
The most disgusting thing is his statement that “I’m very heartbroken over her passing, especially since it was cancer.” Like, he’s extra sad now he knows she deserves his compassion. that’s a truly telling statement, and a disgusting one. He clearly sees himself as some sort of moral arbiter. Arse.
His political associations/preferences don’t matter here. He is an a$$hole. Plain and simple. By all accounts she was a lovely woman and did not deserve his comment. Even after it was proven that she died from cancer and not drugs, he still doesn’t feel bad. I cannot stand people like him.
Me neither. He writes 7 paragraphs covering his own ass, but nowhere in his explanation are the words ‘I’m sorry’ It’s been my experience that apologies usually contain those words or some form of them.
Yes he is an a**hole, and lacks compassion. Really a POS.
The most telling: There’s a morning radio host in my town who is completely the opposite of the Morning Jock stereotype. He’s always cheerful but not forced and never, ever, ever, says a bad word about anyone, and nothing controversial is ever discussed on their show (it’s great to have on with kids in car!). He reported Moran’s death and went on to say how loathsome and hateful Scott Baio is. It was like if Santa Claus called someone a bad person.
Well to be fair she was reported as a heroin overdose originally and he was interviewed before the correction. I think he sounded upset and compassionate – but angry at the waste of life to drugs. Not a fan generally but I can’t demonize him on this really. He sounded upset and spoke from his heart.
That’s the thing he didn’t sound compassionate and when he realised his so called friend didn’t die from what he mistakenly thought was drugs he didn’t take ownership of his disgusting mistake. He turned and twisted it to make himself the victim. Have you even read what he wrote the first time round? He is a vile individual and needs to go back to where he was hiding.
this. he could have apologized for making an assumption and acknowledged how unfair and wrong it was to do so, and then just have said “I’ll miss her”.
That’s not fair. No “reports” were she died of a heroin overdose. The only reports were from officials of her cancer death a day or two later. What there was was rampant speculation and gossip that it was drugs. And Baio even acknowledged in his original remarks that he had no knowledge about whether she died due to a drug overdose. So he should have kept his mouth shut. It was disgusting behavior.
I think it’s more the cold hearted way he spoke about her and not the misinformation about the overdose which ITA wasn’t his fault. He basically said if she died of an overdose her life was worthless.
The DFail reported a ‘source’ (who could have been some random person commenting on drugs being rampant in the area) without any solid evidence.
As for his interview, I took it that he wanted to brag on his upbringing, which is really touchy for surviving family members — as evidenced by the backlash her older brother is giving him.
Respectable news outlets did not comment on cause of death or reported that it had not yet been released. I went looking to see which outlets reported or speculated her death was due to a potential heroine overdose. The Mirror, Page Six and The Inquisitr were the only names I recognized. It was reported only on crazy fringe sites and tabloids. Anyone who read the “died homeless of a drug overdose stories” in these rags and believed it is an utter idjit. This is why we need to teach Americans to think critically about what they read and where they get their news from.
Yes it was reported that it was a heroin overdose. I read it myself before I read his comment. And since she’s had issues with illness and substance abuse before it’s not like it wasn’t unbelievable. Not being mean but it’s not out of left field for this to have been a cause of death for the poor lady. (RIP).
I think they were calling her “homeless” because she was living with her mother-in-law in a home owned by her mother-in-law, which is a weird use of the word homeless to me but the category actually includes that for some reason. I would just call it living with family myself, although realistically that is often what people do when otherwise they would be living on the street. My brother would live with our aunt and uncle in between jobs, for instance. I think it’s referred to as doubling up when categories of homelessness are discussed (temporarily living with friends or family).
In her case, she was originally apparently helping her mother-in-law who was not well herself. I don’t recall any word at all about her cancer treatment before this and wondered if she had not been aware of the cancer herself based on the way things were worded. But now it’s obvious that she was aware and coping with it as long as she could. They just did very well in keeping under the radar.
I can believe that she and Scott were close at one time, but less connected over the years. They may have drifted apart precisely because of the drugs, which also would explain why it loomed large to him. Still when someone you knew well dies at such a young age, in addition to the sense of loss of part of your own past there is that realization of your own mortality kicking in. He’s not a great communicator and it’s not surprising that he’s making it worse every time he opens his mouth. He made a mistake and just has to say he’s sorry he spoke prematurely before he knew what had been going on.
I didn’t read anything about cancer either. She apparently only discovered it a few months ago by finding a blood spot on her pillow. She thought she had bitten her tongue the first time she found it. That’s just so sad somehow. And like something i would think and shrug off as well.
Yes I agree but don’t expect people here to acknowledge this either because if they were really honest with themselves they would admit that it was their first thought given her past history.
He’s a creep. All of Chachi had to do was show some common decency and give his condolences to her friends and family. No one wants to hear an asinine, fake apology.
Yet another ass!
He is just the worst.
Hold up! In his own words, he is the “worse”. 🙄
*idiot*
He will say anything to get attention. That is all this was, so he can have someone pay attention to him. He sure as hell is not getting it from Agent Orange.
That statement was deplorable. I hope they drag him to Twitter hell (if that exists).
Her brother (who is an actor/producer — he was the original M. Myers in Halloween) is not happy. Instead of contacting him personally to apologize once he realized Tony (Erin’s brother) was upset, Chachi’s wife called, which apparently further inflamed the matter.
Now it’s Tony versus Tiny. Never good to start pontificating right after someone’s death.
I already felt sorry for Erin and her husband, who have been chased down and ridiculed the past few years because of moving to Indiana to help his mother.
I saw that too and can’t believe he sends his wife to do his dirty work.
Her brother is so pissed at him. This will be the next headline. I understand Baio’s thoughts that her death could be drug related as Erin had a troubled history of drug abuse. But to claim to be her first real boyfriend (her brother’s denies it, says it was a short lived fling) and come to say out loud to the world if you drink or do drugs you die is the rantings of a lunatic. He had zero thoughts of what her family was going through, he went right to the do drugs pay the price. Prick. She was holding her husband’s hand when she passed of cancer, and had it been a reverse situation, I truly believe Erin would have sent out a lovely message to his family. Karma’s a bitch, it’s catching up to you Chachi. Again, peace to Erin and her loved ones.
I have to admit I once had a crush on the ferret. I was young. However, what cured me? Watching his ‘reality’ show, Scott Baio is 45 and Single. He did have Erin on and he was an absolute d*ck to her. She pulled no punches and told him straight up he was an assh*le to women. (Premise of the show, Scott was trying to figure out why he wasn’t married and so went around to most of his exes and asked them why they broke up. Consensus? He’s a douchebag.) Erin also stated he had a small penis (Pam Anderson confirms this). It was glorious to see her lay him out with the truth. I was forever cured on my Teen Beat crush on him.
I hope Erin’s brother levels him in the media too. I don’t care who Scott voted for, you don’t say things like that about someone you claimed to have loved.
I love it! He has a small wiener….lol. I said above karma would get him. Ha! It got him at birth. Normally I would say tmi, but now I say good for you Erin! Rest in heavenly peace.
I missed that episode during the first season. The episodes I saw were in the next season, when he was 46 and his now-wife was wanting him to marry.
He seemed very immature and arrogant. Even if it was scripted, I couldn’t understand why he’d want to portray himself that way. Now his social media reveals it was pretty accurate. The show actually toned down their vitirol and language.
I have always hated Scott Baio. No talent, not good looking and a stupid ass hat to boot.
Trump is the only reason he has relevancy and i hope that once he goes away, he takes Baio with him.
He always has come across to me as an angry guy. Why?
Because he is. Sitting at that radio station so smug saying it was a self-afflicted death. His wifey sounds exactly like him. Birds of a feather…..after all he does have a pic of himself with trump on his twitter feed. Asshat.
ego. prob thought he deserved a “better” career, more stardom, etc.
he just didn’t have the talent (or persona, or demeanor, etc) that other people from that show had and then parlayed into a different career. Even Potsie became a director/producer. IIRC, he did numerous episodes of 90210 and/or Melrose Place.
And Ron Howard even threw him a bone with Arrested Development and he still could not parlay that into more work. Yeah buddy, the problem is you. It will always be you.
Bob Loblaw was a very funny character and could/should have led to some more sitcom roles, but…
yeah, the problem is him.
I’m sure neither his first statement or his second tirade will be any comfort to Erin’s family and friends. I can’t stand it when people make it all about them. Show some class and just send your condolences. Jeez, what is wrong with people???
My god, what a self centered and ridiculous post. Poor Scott, you were sick at your stomach, that must’ve been so hard for you. This has nothing to do with political affiliation, I actually had no idea he supported Trump, but now I like him even less.
I watched his reality show years ago, where he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to get married to the woman he’s with now or stay single since he had a fear of commitment or some crap. At the end of the show he picks her and she announces she’s pregnant…..bam second season! Such a load of BS. He tried for a comeback.
Oh and Erin’s brother supposedly posted something about Scott having a tiny d*ck, lol
I watched a few episodes out of curiosity. Like several other ‘celeb’ reality shows, I came away thinking less of the ‘star’.
Erin was such a bright light on Happy Days. She had to go through teen years in the spotlight and then try to get other roles, which she talked about in interviews. I think reality TV was just too crazy of an adjustment for her, especially in the early years of it (2007 or so).
She seemed like a nice person, and I am glad she apparently had a nice guy with her to the end.
F*ck this guy for real. Scum.
This is a common theme with these people . THEY say and act awfully , then when you have an honest reaction to their bullshit , you’re picking on them. No, you made an awful assumption, instead of being a human being and express sadness , he automatically went ugly . Own your crap.
yes, all of a sudden it’s worse to call someone a racist than to actually BE a racist. SMH…
not that he’s saying anything racist (though, if he supported drumpf I’m sure he’s got his biases…) but that’s the way the world is going these days.
Pipe down chachi!
Seriously he has always been a professional victim. Did you ever see his reality show? He was nothing but a whiny bag of dicks who blamed everyone but his narcissistic self why he, a total catch was 45 and single.
Folks who die of an overdose have effectively taken their own lives. I find it completely normal to be upset by those instances wherein a friend, family member or loved one overdoses. It’s that grey area between direct and indirect suicide.
His public comments were made with premature, incorrect assumptions, and he should’ve just offered condolences and shut up. He is a bit of dick and clearly not a good thinker. But I can’t discount his feelings of anger if he had them. It’s hard watching someone throw their life away. Just because someone has emotional trouble and/or problems with addiction doesn’t mean they have zero accountability.
While I agree there are mixed and complicated feelings with a “friend, family member or loved one” struggling with addiction, in no way do I believe Scott Baio considered Erin to be a “friend, family member or loved one.” He wrote her off long ago. His original statement was just a cruel and self serving I-told-you-so meant to shame. His follow-up was just pathetic.
“…heroine overdose.” “Please stop assuming the worse in me.” Idiot.
“I’m a compassionate person. I’m very heartbroken over her passing, especially since it was cancer.” These two statements, one following the other, belie the fact that he is not, in fact, a compassionate person. I have little doubt that if she had died from an overdose, that he would heap all the shame on her in his statement about her death that he could think of to work in.
Gross.
Yeah, the “especially since it was cancer” is extremely telling. He’s a bag of d*cks.
Chachi can go back into whatever self centered trumpkin hole he crawled his trashy a** out of.
And it’s that kind of attitude that keeps people who really need help from asking for it. He’s an assho!e, full stop. So it’s pretty clear why he supported Trump.Gla
I’m not angry with him about this. He knew her very well and his statements were probably based on what he knew of her and what he had read. I did see a report re heroin and he did say he did not know that it was drugs initially. I think people are getting too worked up about this frankly and maybe it is because of his support of Trump, he may actually have a point.
I agree
“God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive, and you gotta take care of yourself.” It always amuses me when the completely heartless mention God, and the completely brainless pretend they know anything about what it’s like to have one. I appreciate the irony. I’ve lost people to cancer, and people to drugs/alcohol. In either case, a compassionate response is expressed by those who know what it is to care, and the types of statements Chachi made, by those who don’t. The heart, or lack thereof, revealed. Good to know, and now he can live on in infamy.
Can’t stand this jerk. This is the same guy who once said (in response to someone who called him out on having racist behavior) “I’m not racist, my wife’s best friend is black,” as if that somehow absolved him of said behavior.
He’s definitely not the brightest person and certainly lacks a sensitivity chip.
What he said was pretty crappy and he should be apologizing for it big time, Completely unnecessary.
You know what else is completely unnecessary ? BRinging his politics up into this story. No reason for that whatsoever — it’s completely random and unrelated to this story, The obsession this site has with politicizing everything has become insufferable. Can we not just do celebrities now without identifying them by political leanings ? Please?
He tweeted that he was being bashed due to his politics and not his cruel statement. It was appropriate to the story to bring that up.
I didn’t see one news outlet say that it was drugs. All of them said that she had fallen on hard times and that the cause of death was unknown. Was he watching Trump’s t.v. perhaps?
He’s a tool!
This dude and his partner-in-vile truly do not know when to pipe down and be respectful. They keep digging the hole deeper and cannot get stories straight.
I truly hope Erin finished (or nearly finished) the memoir she was working on.
I’m as anti-drugs as anyone, but there’s a time and a place. The message he was trying to convey was lost because of the insensitivity and general all-round Republican douchiness of his comments. Time and a place.