Todd Bridges thinks Gary Coleman was “around the wrong people” following his child stardom.
The 59-year-old actor played Willis Jackson on the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes alongside Gary Coleman, who died at the age of 42 in 2010 after years of personal and financial struggles. Bridges played Coleman’s on-screen brother and claimed that the sort of exploitation his former castmates suffered is often what happens to those who make it so big in their early years.
“That’s what happens when people get greedy,” Bridges told Fox News Digital. “They tend to just take money … and steal things. We all lost some money to some people. The only thing that’s different in my life is that I made it through. I’m still here. I’m working and doing other stuff. … As far as Dana Plato [who died at the age of 34 in 1999 after substance abuse struggles] and Gary go, unfortunately, they’re both not here. … For Gary’s situation, I just think he was around the wrong people.”
Coleman — who famously sued his parents for mismanagement of his income while working as a child actor — is thought to have earned $18 million throughout his career, but when he died he had a reported net worth of just $75,000.
Bridges is keen to keep the legacy of his former co-star — whose character is still remembered for his catchphrase ”Whatcha talkin’ bout Willis?” — going so that those around the world know who the child actor really was behind all of his struggles.
“It’s very important to speak out about Gary Coleman,” he said. “People need to know who he really was. He was a good kid. People need to know that.”
