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Diff’rent Strokes star tackles demons in autobiography

In 'Killing Willis', Todd Bridges tackles his troubled past including drug addiction, physical and sexual abuse he suffered behind the scenes.

Todd Bridges, former star of Diff’rent Strokes, has spoken about his troubled past in an autobiography, Killing Willis, in which he details drug addiction, physical and sexual abuse he suffered behind the scenes.

Bridges played ‘Willis Jackson’ on the NBC sitcom from 1978 to 1986, and recently had a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris.

Speaking to CTV’s Canada AM, Bridges said even though he has gotten past such incidents, it was tough to write the book.

Bridges alleges he was physically abused at the hands of his father and later sexually abused by his male publicist, claiming the man performed oral sex on him when he was 12 years old.

When he told his father about the abuse, he accused him of lying about the incident.

“It’s kind of sad to know that a grown man would take advantage of a child,” Bridges writes. “But what made it more tough was that your father took the guy’s side. That kind of broke me at 12 years old. I was really lost after that.”

He acknowledges an off-screen romance with late co-star Dana Plato, who he says introduced him to drugs.

“I would say my lowest point was when I was strapped down in … restraints with my arms and legs strapped down and I had a diaper on.

“That was probably my lowest point, when I realized that a change had to come.”

Bridges says he has been sober for 17 years and refuses to blame his difficulties on the entertainment industry.

Of Gary Coleman he says, “Gary doesn’t want to have a relationship with anybody who had anything to do with Diff’rent Strokes,” Bridges said. “He’s very angry still at the whole thought of it and I don’t blame him. Because he used to be really, really ill on the set and his parents forced him to work.”

“They were making him just a money pit. Then he woke up at the end of the day and he had no money left: they stole everything. It’s a tough situation for him.”

In 1988 he was acquitted of the attempted murder of  Los Angeles area drug dealer Kenneth “Tex” Clay, and in 1993, he was involved in an altercation with a tenant but cleared of stabbing a man when prosecutors concluded he acted in self defence.

Diff’rent Strokes is often cited as an example of child stars facing difficulties later in life, but Bridges says such claims are a myth perpetuated by media.

US blogger Ben Hoffman also has a bizarre video interview with Bridges here.

Source: CTA

4 Responses

  1. You have to wonder at what point/how much responsibility the creators of these shows have in terms of duty of care to their performers, I guess its much like WWE, with wrestlers dropping like flies left, right and centre, the most recent being Chris Kanyon at age 40 on the weekend from an apparent overdose, sure the creators of these shows don’t force anyone to drugs etc, but perhaps more needs to be done to protect the performers, counselling? pysch assessments? not sure… but it tends to become a bigger problem.

  2. “..but Bridges says such claims are a myth perpetuated by media”

    surely he must be joking? All the children in that show became seriously screwed up people.

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