The enduring curse of Baywatch: How show’s genetically blessed stars have battled cancer, drug abuse, sexual harassment claims and mental health issues – as Fox resuscitates lifeguard drama by announcing reboot

We all remember those opening credits, the crowded California beaches packed with perma-tanned bodies, that all-too familiar piano motif and those raspy vocals as the late, great Jimi Jamison launched into the opening strains of I’m Always Here. 

It could only be Baywatch, the show that launched dozens of careers, saved hundreds of fictional lives and breathed new life into American mainstream TV by appropriating itself as an unlikely cultural touchstone. 

Led by David Hasselhoff as the rugged Mitch Buchannon, a genetically blessed and relatively unknown cast turned a simple premise about Santa Monica based lifeguards into the most watched show of all time, with viewing figures exceeding one billion an episode at its mid-1990s peak.

Of course, it would be familiar ground for Hasselhoff, already established as a household name and known to millions of fans across the world for his starring role in cult TV show Knight Rider. 

But it was a brave new world for many of his co-stars, among them a then-unknown Pamela Anderson, Jeremy Jackson, Nicole Eggert and Yasmine Bleeth, and the inevitable pressure of overnight fame would soon take its toll. 

Indeed, substance abuse, mental health issues, unsavoury allegations of sexual harassment and a spate of legal dramas would dog some of its leading stars long after the tide went out on Baywatch in 2001. 

But with the show expected to return with a brand new cast next year after Fox opted to risk a straight-to-series reboot, one cannot help but wonder what happened to the lifeguards of Santa Monica beach. 

1. DAVID HASSELHOFF (MITCH BUCHANNON)

Born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 17, 1952, Hasselhoff graduated with a degree in theater from the California Institute of the Arts.

Before starring as Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, he acted in The Young and the Restless from 1975 to 1982, the movie Caught With their Pants Down, space opera film Starcrash, and the crime-busting series Knight Rider – which led to him winning the award for Most Popular Actor at the People’s Choice Awards.

When Baywatch was canceled after its first season on air, Hasselhoff invested his own money to bring it back. He then went on to become the longest-running actor in the show, appearing in more than 200 episodes over 10 seasons.

It was a role that would see him launch a major music career, become an unlikely icon in Germany – where he famously performed on the Berlin Wall – and a regular on television screens, long after the sun-kissed series came to an end.

He released more than 10 studio albums over the years, four of which went platinum and three of which went gold – and sold out numerous world tours.

Plus, his duet with Filipino singer Regine Velasquez was used as the main theme for his 1998 film Legacy. 

Over the years, he acted in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, 2004’s Eurotrip, Click, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens.

He also had a brief appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.

In 1996, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his commitment to the entertainment industry. And in 2000, he made his Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde.

In 2006, he was a co-judge on America’s Got Talent for the first four seasons. He also competed in season 11 of Dancing With the Stars – but was eliminated first – and was a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for one season.

He was married to actress Catherine Hickland from 1984 to 1989. He then wed actress Pamela Back in December of 1989 and together, the couple welcomed two daughters – Taylor, born in 1990, and Hayley, born in 1992.

The couple ultimately divorced in 2006 before Hasselhoff found love once again with Hayley Roberts who he married in 2018.

But for all his success, the actor has also had his fair share of personal struggles – among them a well-documented battle with alcoholism. 

In 2007, he was forced to address his issues head on after daughter Taylor-Ann shared a mortifying video of him attempting to eat a hamburger while heavily intoxicated. 

‘My daughters were instrumental in telling me the truth when I was partying a little too much and being too self-indulgent,’ he later admitted to The Standard. 

‘Teenagers are going to lie to their parents, like we all did, and that’s part of the story. I’ve been around the father/daughter scene a lot with a lot of different celebrities and I’ve seen what they go through. 

‘We could all save the world but we’ve got to save our children first. It starts with being honest with ourselves, being honest with the kids… I give that message.’ 

2 PAMELA ANDERSON (CJ PARKER)

Anderson hails from Canada and was born on July 1, 1967. After graduating in 1985, she began working as a fitness instructor.

Her career in the spotlight started in 1989, after she was featured on the jumbotron during a baseball game and was noticed by Labatt Beer – who decided to hire her.

That same year, she modeled on the cover of Playboy Magazine, and decided to move to Los Angeles, California, a year later.

She modeled for Playboy for more than two decades, and has since appeared on more Playboy covers than any other model. She has also graced the cover of GQ, W, Marie Claire, Elle, and more over the years.

Her first acting role came soon after she moved to LA, when she starred in the ABC comedy series Home Improvement before landing the role as C.J. Parker in Baywatch from seasons three to seven.

But her career continued to go from strength-to-strength even after the series reached its conclusion.

Her other acting credits include Good Cop, Bad Cop, Barb Wire, the action/drama series V.I.P., The Nanny opposite Fran Drescher, Fox comedy show Stacked, 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and others.

She released a book called Star in 2004, and its sequel, Star Struck, came out a year later.

In the years that followed, Anderson also landed her own E! reality show called Pam: Girl on the Loose in 2008, and competed in season four of Bigg Boss – the Indian version of Big Brother.

The blonde bombshell then participated in season 12 of Big Brother in the UK in 2011, and season 10 and 15 of Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and 2012.

However, it seems that her love life was a little less successful.

Anderson has been married six times – to drummer of Motley Crue Tommy Lee, singer Kid Rock, poker player Rick Salomon twice, producer Jon Peters, and last but not least, her bodyguard Dan Hayhurst – whom she split from in January 2022.

She had two sons with Tommy, named Brandon, born in 1996, and Dylan, born in 1997.

In 2023, documentary film Pamela: A Love Story laid bare the star’s life and turbulent relationship with ex-husband Tommy Lee – as well as the infamous sex tape they made.

‘I watched a little bit of it and I couldn’t watch it,’ Anderson told Vogue France about the Netflix project. ‘I broke down because I think some things are better left in the past. To rehash them was a bit sad for me.’

She also branded relationships ‘one of the hardest things you can throw yourself into’ as she spoke with Highsnobriety for their 34th issue.

‘Love is the most important thing in the world. So if you’re in love, you’re brave, and it’s an important thing to cherish,’ she told the outlet. ‘Being lonely is good. If you can be alone, then you can be with another person, probably.’

‘I know nothing when it comes to relationships,’ she added.

The actress is now romantically linked with Liam Neeson after starring with the veteran actor in a reboot of The Naked Gun, but is yet to confirm rumours of a relationship. 

3. JEREMY JACKSON (HOBIE BUCHANNON)

The former heartthrob has faced a long list of personal woes since he first appeared on the show as Hobie Buchannon, battling drug addiction, a stint behind bars, and a dramatic axe from his supposed comeback on British reality TV. 

Jackson was born on October 16, 1980, in Newport, California. His career began at the young age of six, when he started appearing in commercials for doll brand Mattel.

His first major onscreen role was the TV show Santa Barbara in 1984, where he played a young Derek Griffin. 

Before starring as Mitch’s son, Hobie Buchannon, for nine seasons in Baywatch, he also acted in the 1991 movie Shout alongside John Travolta.  

He then went on to star in The Bulkin Trail with Sally Kirkland (which earned him a Youth and Film Award nomination for Best Actor), the 2004 movie Ring of Darkness, Blood Effects, the series DTLA, coming of age movie Dreams, and more.

Jackson also launched a music career, dropping two albums in 1994 and 1995, and he even opened up for his former co-star Hasselhoff on his 1993 European tour. 

Elsewhere, he tried his hand in the world of fashion after helping market Christian Audigier’s clothing line Ed Hardy, producing more than 150 fashion events for the company.  

Jackson was married to Loni Willison from 2012 to 2014 and the pair appeared to be living the Hollywood dream – appearing on red carpets at glittering events and starring in various glossy campaigns. 

But Willison later accused the actor of trying to strangle her in a violent rage and, following a messy split, she herself developed a drug addiction and began suffering from various mental health issues.

While Jackson is now clean and working as a fitness coach and sober mentor for other recovering addicts, he has previously spoken openly about his struggles, which also included the turbulent end to his marriage. 

In 2015, he attempted to relaunch his career with an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, but was ejected from the show after he exposed TV personality Chloe Goodman’s breasts in the toilet following a drinking session.

The troubled star later told The Sun: ‘It was a terrible drunken mistake — I’m so ashamed. It would be really easy to blame it all on the alcohol, but I’m not that cheap of a player. 

‘It’s my fault, and I can’t blame it on anything but me.’

Jackson was later given a police caution for common assault following the incident.

Jackson was arrested later that year after allegedly stabbing a woman near her Los Angeles home in August of that year after the pair got into an argument.

According to TMZ at the time, the actor lashed out at the stranger’s arm, leg and back when she tried to prevent him from stealing her boyfriend’s car.

He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats, which could have potentially seen him jailed for up to seven years.

That arrest came after the former child star’s April 2015 arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.

A man claimed he was stabbed nine times, alleging the troubled actor was trying to steal from him. He said he required 177 stitches after the incident as well as three pints of blood.

His legal woes continued in 2017 when he was sentenced to to 270 days in L.A. County Jail and five years probation after being charged with stabbing a woman during an argument. 

Jackson previously reflected on his downward spiral during a 2006 episode of E!‘s Child Star Confidential, where he discussed his lengthy battle with drug addiction.

‘I probably made over $2 to $3 million from Baywatch,’ he said at the time. ‘I had the means to destroy myself: I had a lot of money, and I had a lot of people around me that weren’t really my friends but I thought they were, and I totally got sucked into a downward spiral of a lifestyle.’

‘I smoked pot every day, and I did cocaine until it stopped working,’ he admitted. ‘Like, I couldn’t get high off it anymore.’

Jackson revealed that he was confronted by former co-star Hasselhoff about his drug use, saying: ‘He just kind of looked me in the eyes and was like: “Jeremy, what are you smoking, pot?!” I didn’t have the heart to tell him: “That was years ago — now I’m doing coke and ecstasy and speed.”‘

Struggling with the pressures of fame at a young age, Jackson later shared that he decided to sensationally quit the show, adding: ‘The real deal was that I got a big head and I thought that I was better than Baywatch, or that I was going to go off and do my own stuff.

‘I walked off one day with my middle finger up in the air, saying, ”Screw you, I’m not coming back to this set.” And I pulled myself off the show.’

Jackson’s drug addiction continued to spiral, and he was arrested at the age of 19, after spiralling from using cannabis and cocaine to crystal meth.

He said: ‘I was leaving a residence with two duffel bags full of everything you need to cook crystal meth.

‘Undercover cops swarmed on me. I was looking at [charges for] manufacturing methamphetamine, which is a mandatory seven to 35 years. I looked like hell — a lot of scabs and sores on my face; really, really skinny, really, really pale.’

‘I called my mom immediately. I had said so many times: ”This is the last time, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I’m going to change” — but there’s nothing you can say at that point. I went to jail for 90 days.

‘The manufacturing charges got dropped. I was charged with possession with intent to sell. I did my time, I did my rehab. I think it was probably the fifth rehab I had been in.’

While Jackson pivoted from acting from stints into several reality TV shows, he began to develop an addiction to steroids.

Speaking during a 2011 appearance on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, he said: ‘It started out innocent enough — you know, gym, trainers, acting class, but having that addict mentality … for a guy like me, it’s just not fast enough. I want results, like, now.’

4. LONI WILLISON 

While Loni Willison never appeared on Baywatch, she would be linked to the show through her doomed marriage to Jackson.

Willison was once a booming fitness model who posed for magazines like Glam Fit, Flavour Magazine, and Iron Man Magazine.

But her life fell apart in the 2010s. She went through a divorce and lost her job and ultimately her home, after suffering from mental health issues and an addiction to crystal meth – which ultimately left her living on the streets.

In an interview published in May 2023 by X17 Online, she was asked where her life went wrong.

She replied: ‘My ex-husband. Getting married. At least I got divorced… it set everything up.’

The couple had an acrimonious split in 2014 after they had been married for less than two years.

Willison alleged Jackson attempted to strangle her in a physical altercation when they were drunk.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire division confirmed to the Daily Mail that a domestic disturbance call was placed from Willison and Jackson’s LA home in August 2014.

The incident reportedly left her with two broken ribs, an injured neck and scratches on her face and body. However, the case was dropped after Willison opted not to press charges.

She told The Sun in 2021: ‘I didn’t report him when he attacked me because I was scared. I was in a bad place emotionally and I didn’t want Jeremy to go to jail.’ 

In 2018 she was first pictured homeless on the streets after years out of the public eye.

At the time, she spoke to the Daily Mail about her downfall, revealing that she suffered from a mental breakdown in 2016 and started to believe that someone was sending electrical currents into her body that could only be fixed by taking crystal meth.

In a later interview with X17 Online, the former bodybuilder said she was ‘in a lot of pain’ as her stomach hurt ‘really bad.’ 

She claimed she ‘can’t live inside anywhere’ because someone ‘electrocuted’ her every day for nearly a year and she now can’t be exposed to electricity.

‘I think because [I pick] up on the electricity, I also pick up on other things, like certain chemicals or batteries, or fuses, like wire, different types of metals. So I think my body even filters that kind of stuff,’ she said

5. YASMINE BLEETH (CAROLINE HOLDEN)

Appearing Baywatch as Caroline Holden for seasons five, six, and seven proved to be quite the springboard for Yasmine Bleeth. 

Indeed, she landed a wide range of parts – with her biggest roles including Heaven or Vegas alongside Richard Grieco, 1999 movie Undercover Angel, the cop show Nash Bridges, Titans, and more.

She also continued to model and launched her own swimwear line called Yaz Wear, but like so many of her cast-mates, Bleeth also faced her fair share of hurdles. 

The brunette married strip club owner Paul Cerrito in 2002, whom she met while at rehab for a cocaine addiction. 

She had been arrested in 2001, after she drove her car off the highway onto a median strip. 

In November 2001, through a plea bargain, she pleaded guilty to possessing less than 25 grams of cocaine and to driving while impaired. 

The star was sentenced in January 2002 to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Bleeth later discussed her substance abuse issues during an interview with Glamour, admitting that her friends struggled to recognise her as it took its toll. 

‘My friends said I looked like an alien, that my eyes were popping out of my sockets,’ she recalled.  

‘Because cocaine is more mentally than physically addicting, many circumstances trigger my desire for it.’ 

6 NICOLE EGGERT (SUMMER QUINN)

Nicole Eggert’s career started early, with her mother entering her into beauty contests when she was an infant.  

At age five, she was crowned Miss Universe in the petite division.

She also starred in a Johnson & Johnson commercial – in a similar career trajectory to her former costar.

At age eight, Eggert landed a role in the movie Rich and Famous. She also appeared in Who’s the Boss from 1985 to 1986 and starred in the TV movie Secrets, before she was cast as Summer Quinn in Baywatch for seasons three and four.

Her other acting credits include the celebrity diving show Splash, Married… With Children, Blown Away, The Double 0 Kid, Anything for Love, Back in the Game, and others.

But, in 2014, she shocked fans by announcing she was giving up acting to own and operate her own ice-cream truck. 

She returned to screens briefly in 2015 when she appeared on the TV show Botched, where she got a breast reduction.

Eggert was engaged to Canadian actor Corey Haim, but they eventually split. She has two daughters. 

Earlier this year, the actress told PEOPLE that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in early December 2023.

She said: ‘This journey’s been rough for me. This hasn’t been a breezy sale through life. I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.’

In September, Eggert  admitted she was ‘sick’ of having to undergo surgeries and chemotherapy treatments to fight the cancer, all while she was in the throes of menopause.

The update came shortly after the actress revealed that she had undergone a second mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery.

Appearing on the Pod Meets World podcast,  she said: ‘I’m so sick of it. I have two good weeks out of every month and the other two weeks I’m at the treatment center. So it’s really all consuming.’

She mentioned that she spent ‘a lot of time trying to detox’ her body in the wake of her chemotherapy treatments, but she often found doctors couldn’t supply her with all the details she wanted.

‘There’s just so much out there, there’s so much information to be had that isn’t given to you by regular, general practicing doctors,’ she said.

Eggert shared that she had been researching ways to ensure that her cancer treatments were as effective as possible.

‘Chemo is a beast. And they threw the strongest ones at me. And once they do it you can’t do it again so it’s like, I need for this not only to be effective now but how do I learn how I got here?’ she said. 

‘They say not to think about that, but, sorry, I have to think about it. I want to know what I was doing that got me here. And what choices can I make in my personal life and daily life that will not bring me back here?’

The actress also explained that she had to do chemotherapy before she could have her mastectomy surgeries because the ‘cancer was too big.’

She previously revealed that she only had a single mastectomy at first in order to get back to her chemotherapy treatments as soon as possible, though she was recently able to have her second surgery.

‘I still have surgeries ahead of me next month that I’m excited about. I really took my time with that because I just didn’t know what was the right route for me,’ she said. 

‘There’s just so many opinions and options and I’m someone that needs to sleep on it so I took a year to listen to everybody, digest it all . . . It’s a big decision.’ 

7. DAVID CHARVET (MATT BRODY)

David Charvet, from Lyon, France, was born on May 15, 1972. His first acting gig was Matt Brody in Baywatch, which he starred in for three seasons – season three, four, and five.

He then went on to star in Melrose Place, Seduced and Betrayed, Angel Flight Down, Meet Prince Charming, and more. However, in 1999, he stop acting to focus on his music career.

Charvet was quickly signed by Universal Music Group France and released three pop rock albums, which have now sold over two million copies.

But it seems that old habits die hard and, in 2006, he returned to acting to star in the movie horror Prisoners of the Sun, as well as the comedy drama Green Flash.

He also competed in ABC’s reality show The Superstars in 2009.

He married Dancing With the Stars host Brooke Burke in 2011, and the two have two children together. The couple divorced in 2020. 

In 2023, Charvet was named as a suspect in a criminal report for allegedly threatening ex-girlfriend Kate Boskovich. 

Law enforcement sources for TMZ said the then 50-year-old veteran actor and his partner had recently split but were involved in a heated argument about each other’s lifestyles.

The outlet reports that Boskovich alleges that Charvet told her that it ‘won’t end well’ for her, which apparently made her ‘fearful’.

Sources for the site claimed the allegations would likely land in the prosecutor’s office and it will be up to them to determine whether a case is worth filing or not.

Charvet later insisted he had not been contacted by LAPD and was also unaware of the allegations being made against him.

8. ALEXANDRA PAUL (STEPHANIE HOLDEN)

Alexandra Paul was born in New York City on July 29, 1963. She began her career working as a model before moving to LA to pursue acting.

Her first role was in the TV movie Paper Dolls in 1982 before adding a handful of other titles to her resume.

She starred in horror film American Nightmare, 1983’s Christine, the comedy Just the Way You Are, sports drama American Flyers alongside Kevin Costner, 8 Million Ways to Die (which also starred Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette, and Andy Garcia), Dragnet opposite Tom Hanks, and more.

In 1992, she joined the cast of Baywatch as Stephanie Holden and continued the role from seasons three to six.

Afterwards, she continued to act, appearing in Death Train and Nightwatch with Pierce Brosnan and Christopher Lee, Christine, horror flick The Paperboy, 1996’s Spectre, and 15 different Lifetime movies.

She also wrote and produced two documentaries called Jampacked and The Cost of Cool: Finding Happiness in a Materialistic World.

But Paul also forged a successful private life beyond her Hollywood fame after marrying a man named Ian Murray in 2000.

And, despite stepping out of her iconic red swimsuit, the athlete maintains her enviable physique with regular runs and often participates in marathons.

In 2015, she became a certified health coach and started her own wellness coaching brand.

However, in 2021, the Baywatch star was granted a restraining order from a woman who she said had a decade-long history of harassing her – before also striking husband Ian with a vehicle.

The then 58-year-old said that a woman named Nicole Albrecht initially arrived at her residence in late 2011, which marked the beginning of a number of incidents, according to court docs reviewed by TMZ.

Albrecht was ordered by the court to remain at least 100 yards from the couple and cease any contact with them, according to the outlet.

Paul later suggested Albrecht was infatuated with her that because of the show’s huge status airing in Germany, where Albrecht is from.

9. ERIKA ELENIAK (SHAUNI MCCLAIN) 

Erika Eleniak’s first acting role was at the age of 12, when she starred in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. 

She also starred in The Blob in 1988, and the TV series Charles in Charge, before landing the role as Shauni McClain in Baywatch.

The actress portrayed Shauni for three seasons and, speaking about the hit show, she told Fox in 2018: ‘It really was just like a big family, honestly. Brothers and sisters. There was this big camaraderie… The cast and crew were just really amazing.’

However, in 1992, Eleniak announced that she would be quitting the show – much to the dismay of fans – in order to pursue a career in the film industry.

She told the outlet she had no regrets about leaving the show because she was not ‘comfortable’ with the fact that it was becoming more ‘risqué.’

‘When we first started the show… it was on NBC, which, at the time, was the most conservative network on television. ‘There were certain things you didn’t show, you didn’t say.’

‘It did take a different direction, but it is what made the show a phenomenon,’ Erika continued.

‘I felt like it was a different show and no, I was not comfortable. It definitely wasn’t my thing to be super risqué.’

She went on to build up a whole host of other acting credits after starring in Full House as Uncle Jessie’s girlfriend, who was played by John Stamos.

Eleniak then went on to feature in the war movie Under Siege, Dennis Hopper’s Chasers, Girl in the Cadillac alongside William McNamara, and numerous other independent films.

She also modeled for Playboy, and participated in the reality show The Real Gilligan’s Island in 2005.

Eleniak married bodybuilder Philip Goglia in 1998, but their marriage ended after six months. She then married a guy named Roch Daigle, and together, they welcomed a daughter.

She now leads a suburban life in California and was recently spotted sporting a full-arm tattoo sleeve.