NEED TO KNOW
Dana Plato struggled for years after leaving Diff’rent Strokes in 1984
Plato went from playing Kimberly Drummond to struggling with addiction and floundering in her career
Todd Bridges recalls trying to reach out to his friend and look out for her ahead of what was her final media appearance
Dana Plato’s closest friends were reaching out to her until the very end.
While appearing in the latest episode of Hollywood Demons, “Child Stars Gone Wild,” costar Todd Bridges talks about staying in touch with his Diff’rent Strokes costar after she left the show and struggled.
Plato left the show in 1984, after she became pregnant with her son, Tyler. Her character on the show was written off, with Kimberly moving to Paris and no longer appearing. In 1989, Plato made the decision to pose for Playboy, one that Bridges says didn’t get her the attention she’d hoped for.
“I think that when Dana did Playboy, she was expecting something bigger than what really happened.”
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Dana Plato as Kimberly Drummond
Credit: Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Seeing the suggestive content from the child star was off-putting to fans who were also aware of her rumored drug problem at that time.
Plato continued to struggle and, in 1991, was arrested for robbing a Las Vegas video store and was placed on five years’ probation. The following year, she was given five years’ probation for forging Valium prescriptions.
One of Plato’s most notable and final moments in media was her decision to appear on Howard Stern on May 7, 1999. During her appearance on the show, callers trashed Plato, who maintained she was sober for the interview and had been for years.
“I have been sober for over a decade now. No joke,” she said, on air.
Dana Plato in 1994
Credit: Ron Galella/Getty
Bridges admits he knew the interview would work against Plato and tried to advise her to reconsider it.
“I called her and I said, ‘Don’t do Stern. Don’t do it,’ ” he shared. “And she insisted that she was okay. That was the last time I heard from her.”
Plato died on May 8, 1999 of a drug overdose that was later ruled a suicide. She was 34.
Child Stars Gone Wild premieres Monday, April 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID. New episodes of Hollywood Demons premiere weekly and are available to stream on HBO Max.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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