'He Was Disgusting': Nicole Eggert Says Alleged Sexual Abuse From 'Charles in Charge' Co-star Scott Baio was 'Highly Damaging'
Former child actor Nicole Eggert claimed losing her virginity to co-star Scott Baio when she was a minor was "highly damaging," RadarOnline.com has learned.
Eggert, 51, starred alongside Baio, 62, on the 80s sitcom Charles in Charge, which ran for five season from 1984 to 1990.
The 51-year-old publicly accused Baio of sexual assault while she was a minor in January 2018, which he denied. The Los Angeles Count District Attorney's Office declined bringing charges against Baio the same year, citing an expired statute of limitations in the case.
Eggert recently sat down with FACTZ podcast host Nik Richie and discussed a variety of topics on dating, motherhood and growing up in Hollywood.
Richie cautiously brought up a conversation from years prior when he asked Eggert about how she lost her virginity. The host explained that after Eggert confessed it was Baio during her Charles in Charge years, age differences were tallied and he "realized that you were still a minor."
Eggert nodded in agreement as she echoed Richie's comment that the sexual encounter was "highly illegal," later also calling it "highly damaging."
The former Baywatch star added that talking about Baio was further complicated due to a widespread assumption that she dated Baio.
"People would always say to me, my whole life growing up, 'Didn't you guys date? Weren't you guys dating when you were shooting that show?" Eggert said. "I would always say no, like, what do you mean? No."
"Because everyone knew what the h--- was going on," the actress continued. "Everybody knew there was abuse happening."
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Baio previously claimed that his co-star was 17 when they hooked-up, though Eggert insisted she was younger.
Eggert doubled-down that she always denied dating Baio because she was "horrified" and "humiliated" by the alleged abuse — and added that Baio "was disgusting and that's just how I rolled with it."
It took years for Eggert to feel "comfortable" with addressing her time with Baio on set, noting that post-MeToo movement, "people really started to pay attention."
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Richie alleged Baio was essentially "grooming" Eggert due to their 10 year age gap and his role as the sitcom's star. Eggert also recalled the complications that came with being sheltered on set and spending all of her time with co-stars rather than being enrolled in school like other kids.
"I'm on set with them every single day, all day long, and [Baio] starts playing into that," Eggert told the host. "It's this mixed bag of emotions. So, like, you're getting groomed but at the same time you're like okay. You know, it's a, it's a weird age to mess with kids."
Eggert continued that it was a "vulnerable" time because "you're so awkward and you haven't been touched before and then all of a sudden this grown man is doing these things to you" while going through puberty.
"You're kind of like is it right, is it wrong, like what the h--- is going on," Eggert continued. "Then you can't tell anybody."
Eggert admitted that she still struggled with trauma from her child acting years and that she's made a point to teach her daughters this is "what could happen to you" and how to handle any potential abuse.