UNITED STATES
Variety
February 14, 2018
By Elizabeth Wagmeister
Alexander Polinsky is claiming years of “sexual-themed hazing” by Scott Baio on the set of their ’80s sitcom “Charles in Charge.” According to the former child star, Baio allegedly exposed himself, threw hot tea in Polinsky’s face, and pulled down Polinsky’s pants when he was a minor.
Polinsky, who was 11 years old at the time the alleged child abuse began, says his harassment was homophobic in nature.
Polinksy shared his story on Wednesday during a press conference in Los Angeles with his attorney Lisa Bloom and his “Charles in Charge” co-star Nicole Eggert, who has also accused Baio of sexual harassment and child abuse.
“I was sexually harassed by Scott Baio and ultimately assaulted by him between the ages of 12 and 15 years old,” a somber and shaken Polinsky said during the news conference.
Polinsky says the harassment began one day on set when he “innocently hopped on his lap” when he was 11 years old. “I was so naive,” Polinsky said, explaining he expected Baio to tell him innocent stories, but instead, “Scott immediately threw me off him and angrily called me f—t.”
“It was not innocent. It was sexual in nature,” Polinsky said, adding he felt “confusion, shame and fear” after realizing that he judged the situation incorrectly. “It made me question my place on the show, my safety on set” and began a period of depression.
Polinsky said Baio’s harassment and abuse was a daily occurrence that endured through the sitcom’s five-season run, and although it was painful going to work every day, he did not want to leave the show because he was a working actor who had auditioned against hundreds of kids for the role on the sitcom. Polinsky added, “I was a professional who did not want to give up what I had worked so hard for.”
Polinsky claims Baio repeatedly talked about “gay sex acts that he told me I would grow up to perform.” The actor says he would protest and tell him to stop saying those types of things, but that he was “branded with the most homophobic words about homosexuals that exist.” Polinsky recalled, “Scott Baio told me I was never going to be loved by a woman in my life because I was so effeminate.”
Polinksy also said Baio would frequently discuss his “sexual conquests” with his co-stars and other women
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