Nicole Eggert Tells Megyn Kelly Her Story About How Scott Baio Penetrated Her At Age 14

Actress Nicole Eggert appeared on Megyn Kelly Today this morning to address the claims she’s made on social media about how Scott Baio sexually molested and abused her while they starred on Charles in Charge in the 1980s.

Eggert describes how Baio — who is eleven years older than her — zeroed in on her shortly after she joined the show in 1987, at age 14. “He immediately took to me and befriended me and earned my trust. He expressed his love for me and talked about marriage in the future. And then, before my 15th birthday, we were at his house, in his car, in his garage and he reached over and he penetrated me with his finger. And that is when the sexual touching and abuse started.”

Eggert explained to Kelly — who made sure, repeatedly, to remind the audience that the age of consent in California is and was 18 — how this treatment preyed on her age and emotions at the time, and that Baio explicitly told her not to say anything to anyone. “”The issue with him was that he was our boss. He 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’re that young.”

Eggert says that Baio’s inappropriate touching continued through the age of 16, and then when she was 17, they had sexual intercourse for the first time. Kelly (gently) pressed Eggert to answer to Baio’s defenses — made via an angry, 16-minute Facebook Live video — that Eggert has, in the past, repeatedly and publicly characterized her relationship with Baio at the time as both consensual and more innocent than rumors had alluded to.

“If I could go back to a younger Nicole,” Eggert told Kelly, “I would tell her that she doesn’t have to be ashamed that she was a victim. Shame plays 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. I didn’t want anybody to look at me and think “Oh, victim.” And it’s not until now that I see other people coming forward, and how many women I talk to that this has happened to. It’s more common than not, unfortunately. And when I talk to other women, I don’t think ‘Oh, you’re weak. You’re a victim.’ So it’s made me realize that it’s not gross, it’s not embarrassing.”

Kelly also brought out Eggert’s attorney, Lisa Bloom, and read statements in support of Eggert’s claims from cast-mate Alexander Polinsky and others who Eggert confided in at the time, including radio host Nick Richie. Richie’s radio show was one of Baio’s pieces of refuting evidence, since Eggert appeared on his show in 2013 and characterized her relationship with Baio as above-board. Richie released a statement that Kelly read on air:

“I remember the day Nicole Eggert did the radio interview with me about Scott Baio. Nicole was distraught after the interview and off air she was an emotional wreck. She told me it was much worse than she described on air. She said, ‘He molested me as a child and I didn’t know any better.'”

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