Scott Baio Clarifies Erin Moran Comments, Says Drug Quote Was Misreported

 Posted on September 1, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  860 words  |  Larita Shotwell

Scott Baio is clarifying comments he made regarding the death of his former “Happy Days” costar, Erin Moran.

Moran died on Saturday. Baio appeared on “The Bernie & Sid” show Monday morning, saying he was “not completely shocked” by the news of her passing.

“I’m OK, a little shocked but not completely shocked that this happened,” he said on the show. “My thing is, I feel bad because her whole life, she was troubled, could never find what made her happy and content. For me, you do drugs or drink, you’re gonna die. I’m sorry if that’s cold, but God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive and you gotta take care of yourself.”

Late Monday evening, Baio clarified those comments on his Facebook account, saying that at the time of the radio interview he didn’t know that Moran’s cause of death was due to stage IV cancer.

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In a post titled “Here are the facts,” Baio blasted the media on their reporting. He wrote:

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“Monday, April 24th at 6 a.m. Pacific time I did a live radio interview. I was asked ONLY about Erin’s troubled past due to drug & alcohol abuse. I was still upset and said I felt that living that kind of a lifestyle will catch up with you and nothing good would come of it. THIS WAS BEFORE THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS ANNOUNCED STATING STAGE 4 CANCER.

Now it seems every news outlet & tabloid wants to paint a different picture of me and of what really happened. They’re stating that I’m saying drugs caused her to die after it was reported stage 4 cancer. This is so wrong! Now I truly understand the meaning of ‘Fake News’. This is crazy.”

Baio added that he was still emotional.

“Please stop assuming the worse in me. I’m a compassionate person. I’m very heartbroken over her passing, especially since it was cancer. I don’t see people going after or attacking every network that said it was a drug overdose. I’ve openly stated my truths. I’m done.”

See the full post below:

On Tuesday morning, Baio shared a letter from Moran’s husband, Steve Fleischmann, detailing her final days.

According to the letter, Moran learned she had squamous cell carcinoma in December of last year, and her condition quickly deteriorated. By mid-February, she could no longer eat, drink or speak. On April 22, she passed away in her sleep at 56 years old.

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