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Showbiz Tonight
"Desperate" Trial; Whitney Houston`s Casket Controversy; Defending Trump; Special Edition: SHOWBIZ Star Secrets
Aired March 02, 2012 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Big news breaking tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - the slap heard around Hollywood. Tonight, the unbelievable testimony of former "Desperate Housewives" star, Nicollette Sheridan. Her startling claims in court. Did her boss really hit her, then fire her?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the wild claims of smacks, abuse, and a killed-off character.
Whitney`s casket controversy. The brand-new shocking revelation tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are looking at the only three people that saw Whitney Houston.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the funeral home that handled Whitney`s body says it knows who leaked her disturbing casket photo. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
Defending Trump. Ryan Seacrest tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he`s got Trump`s back in his feud with Sacha Baron Cohen after the red carpet stunt at the Oscars targeting Ryan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, TV PERSONALITY: The Donald can run security. I like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Would Trump really run Ryan`s security? We`ll ask the Donald`s son who is here tonight in a SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello and thank you for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with big news breaking tonight, the desperate trial.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you the remarkable claims in court by former "Desperate Housewives" star, Nicollette Sheridan. This story is just wild to me. Nicollette claims that her boss who created the hit show hit her, and then fired her.
Oh, and the drama has just begun because Nicollette may find herself up against the other stars who once spent their days with her over there on Wisteria Lane. This really is nothing like Hollywood has heard or seen before.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Nischelle Turner is in Hollywood tonight with the stunning new developments in the wild, wild case. Nischelle?
NISCHELLE TURNER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: A.J., you`re right. This is unprecedented. The star of the TV show taking on her former boss and former co-stars and making disturbing claims of violence.
Oh, yes, and by the way, she`s suing for millions of dollars.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) Lord knows "Desperate Housewives" has had its share of smackdowns.
TERI HATCHER, ACTRESS: Edie, what the hell!
TURNER: But now, "Desperate Housewives" is facing a real-life courtroom smackdown.
HATCHER: I`ll sue you.
TURNER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there for day one of testimony from former "Desperate Housewives" actress, Nicollette Sheridan in her explosive lawsuit against her old show.
NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN, ACTRESS: It`s a very serious matter and I`m looking forward to taking the stand.
TURNER: Sheridan, who played seductive schemer, Edie Britt on the show -
SHERIDAN: Do you know somebody my age with a body like this?
TURNER: Is suing "Desperate Housewives" creator and her former boss, Marc Cherry. She claims he slapped her during a backstage spat in September of 2008.
MARC MALKIN, "E! NEWS": Nicollette claims she asked Marc Cherry to write her a funnier line.
TURNER: On the stand, Nicollette testified that her angry boss responded violently. She said, he, quote, "stepped toward me and with his right hand, he hit me upside the head."
She says she then told cherry, "You hit me in the head. That is not OK. That is not OK."
HATCHER: This is now a bad Jackie Collins novel.
TURNER: It got even more dramatic. Sheridan did testify that Cherry immediately went to her trailer to apologize. She says Cherry told her, quote, "`I am on bended knee, begging your forgiveness.` I said, `Why would you do that?` He wrapped his arms around me and apologized again." But she didn`t accept the apology.
MALKIN: Nicollette said that she was basically fired because she complained about Marc.
SHERIDAN: And that is how Wisteria Lane came to be my final resting place.
TURNER: Nicollette testified about the day Cherry told her Edie was going to die. She says quote, "I asked why? He said he wanted to shake things up. I was stunned."
Nicollette was stunned, and later her character, Edie, was shocked, fatally. And now, Nicollette is slapping back at her old show with her big lawsuit.
MALKIN: Now, she wants $4 million.
TURNER: Marc Cherry says Nicollette`s got it all wrong.
MALKIN: Cherry claims that, no, he did not smack Nicollette upside the head, but he was actually showing her how to do a certain scene.
TURNER: Plus, Cherry claims the show`s writers decided to kill off Sheridan`s character months before the alleged smacking even happened. Meanwhile, the other housewives are defending their producer.
MALKIN: He`s actually calling for witnesses like Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross. This is not going to end nicely.
TURNER: And on Wisteria Lane -
SHERIDAN: You sleazily little whore.
TURNER: Nothing ever does.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And A.J., you know, Wisteria Lane could be coming right to the courtroom, because Nicollette`s former co-stars from "Desperate Housewives," including Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman are all on the witness list to testify. So far, though, they have been standing by Marc Cherry.
HAMMER: Yes. And it will be fascinating to see what they say if they do, in fact, take the stand.
TURNER: Yes.
HAMMER: Thanks, Nischelle. So it seems there could still be a long way to go in this trial. I want to bring in attorney and radio host, Midwin Charles, who is in Washington tonight.
With me in New York, Atty. Darren Kavinoky. Darren is also a criminal behavior expert for the new Investigation Discovery series, "Deadly Sins" that premieres tomorrow night. It sounds great. Good luck with that, Darren.
ATTY. DARREN KAVINOKY, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR EXPERT, "DEADLY SINS": Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: So tell me what the deal is. Does Marc Cherry and the producers of "Desperate Housewives" - do they basically have to prove that Nicollette Sheridan is lying if they have any hope of winning this case?
KAVINOKY: Let me go on record with one thing. My research reveals Marc Cherry is an exceptionally powerful man, so team Cherry (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with your opinion.
KAVINOKY: Writing off actors in TV shows is a device that is as old as television itself. And I doubt, given the lawsuit, that we`re going to have any resurrection opportunities like, it was only a dream, and now, she`s coming back.
HAMMER: Right.
KAVINOKY: So ultimately, I think this turns on the timeline, that if producers are taking the position that they had long-standing plans to write her off of the show or kill her off on the show, if they can prove that, I think that goes a long way. But this is a real pickle for the jury.
HAMMER: Midwin, is that basically how you see it? That, you know, as long as they have a timeline in place saying, "We planned to write her off anyway," all will be well for Marc Cherry and the producers of the show?
ATTY. MIDWIN CHARLES, RADIO HOST: I think that`s right, because she`s claiming wrongful termination because she complained about the fact that he allegedly hit her.
So if they can show, "Listen, it`s been written in the stars for a while that you were going to be killed off, that had nothing to do with anything," if at all, then I think they do have a better case.
HAMMER: It certainly was a shock to viewers. And if indeed it was a ratings ploy as Marc Cherry has suggested, I have a feeling that it did work, at least at that time.
There is more drama I must get tonight in another mystery - the Whitney Houston casket controversy. Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can reveal explosive new details about who may have taken that shocking photo of Whitney in her casket.
The "National Enquirer" printed that on their front page. I cannot stand the fact that they did that. But the director of the funeral home has just claimed she`s 100 percent certain the true culprit is in the Houston family. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are looking at the only three people that saw Whitney Houston. My staff, my secretaries, my drivers never, never was exposed to any area that she was in.
Whitney was always on the lower level, under lock and key, security being provided by Nippy, Inc., not my security. Nippy, Inc. security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK. So the funeral director says it`s up to Whitney Houston`s family to reveal who shot that picture of the casket, assuming, of course, they know. But Darren, really, there`s no legal action here. Do they have any obligation to do that?
KAVINOKY: Well, the funeral home has a justification to be on the warpath, pun intended. I mean, this could really kill their business. But the truth is that it`s a purely private affair.
And other than clearing their own name for their business interest in doing so, I don`t see a legal case here.
HAMMER: Right. Very quickly, Midwin, should the Houston family say something if they are responsible?
CHARLES: Of course, I think they should step forward. I mean, they went through such great lengths to make this a very private matter.
HAMMER: Yes.
CHARLES: The fact that someone leaked this is despicable, I`m sorry.
HAMMER: It will be interesting to see what happens. Midwin, Darren, thank you very much. Be sure to check out the premiere of Darren`s great new show, "Deadly Sins" tomorrow night on ID, Investigation Discovery.
And we`re now approaching a sad anniversary in SHOWBIZ, the passing of another legendary celebrity. Monday marks 30 years since iconic funnyman, John Belushi, tragically died. It was from a drug overdose. He was just 33 years old.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter spoke exclusively with Belushi`s good friend, "Saturday Night Live" alum, fellow Blues Brother, Dan Aykroyd. You`ve got to watch what Dan told Kareen about what John would be doing now if he were alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN AYKROYD, ACTOR: I often say that if he was alive, he would be directing plays in New York City. He would be there with the leading likes of theater avant-garde and traditional. He would be directing plays and musicals.
He would be one of the premier director/producers on Broadway, and that would have been his destiny because he was so intelligent and well- referenced there. And, yes, he was more of an academic than was given - than the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) image would have you believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And he is still so missed. Be sure to tune in on Monday. We`ll have a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive you`ve got to see with Dan Aykroyd. He really opens up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the 30-year anniversary of John Belushi`s shocking death.
Another "Saturday Night Live" alum, Darrell Hammond revealing his not-so- funny past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRELL HAMMOND, COMEDIAN: All of the shows that I did on "SNL," almost all of them, I was on these what I call soul-killing drugs. With me - I was on as many as seven medications at one time and these doctors really didn`t know what to do with me.
HAMMER: Darrell Hammond`s dark past revealed, later on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at the bottom of the hour, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets."
HAMMER: Plus, the Donald gets Ryan Seacrest`s back at the Sacha Baron Cohen`s red carpet ash bomb stunt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESS TYCOON: Sacha Baron Cohen would not be in good shape right now. He`d be in the hospital. He would have been punched in the face so many times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Donald at this best, his latest celebrity feud. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask, should Donald just mind his own business?
Who better to talk about Donald Trump`s brand-new Hollywood smackdown than his own son, Eric Trump? Eric, right here tonight, for headline-making SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
This is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Nick Cannon reveals he has an autoimmune disease similar to lupus. SHOWBIZ first look: "Jersey Shore" spin-off, "The Pauly D Project."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL "PAULY D" DELVECCHIO, REALITY TV STAR: "Jersey Shore" made me famous, but now, it`s time for me to show the world what I`m all about.
Are you kidding me?
The Palms Las Vegas - they want me to spin there, so I`m taking my boys with me along for the ride.
This is my posse right here, the Pauly D posse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m excited right now. I`m the only one in the group that has a girlfriend. And going on the road with Pauly could jeopardize my relationship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell am I going to do then?
DELVECCHIO: This opportunity right now is the biggest thing I`ve ever done in my whole entire life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. TRUMP: This third-rate character named Sacha Baron Cohen thought he was being cute and funny when he threw ashes at Ryan Seacrest. Believe me, if that ever happened to somebody with real security, Sacha Baron Cohen would not be in good shape right now. He would be in a hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The Donald strikes back. Donald Trump unleashes his fury on Sacha Baron Cohen. He`s ticked off at Sacha`s over-the-top stunt when he dumped those ashes all over Ryan Seacrest dressed as The Dictator on the red carpet at the Oscars.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. Tonight, for the very first time, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you Ryan Seacrest`s response to Trump`s rant.
We were there last night on another red carpet in Hollywood. It was for the big "American Idol" bash, celebrating the top 13 contestants who were just chosen for "Idol." And Ryan`s response - it basically came down to this, "Donald, dude, thanks for watching my back."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: You want Donald trump in your corner. You don`t want him against you, so I`m very happy that he said that. The Donald can run security. I like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I don`t know. Maybe Donald Trump should think about running security for people like Ryan Seacrest. So would he do it?
Who better to ask than a Trump off the old block? His son, Eric, who worked side by side with his father every day, including as an adviser right there on "Celebrity Apprentice" as we see every week. Eric, come on down. Great to have you here, man.
ERIC TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP`S SON: Great to be here.
HAMMER: Nice to see you.
E. TRUMP: Great to see you. How are you doing?
HAMMER: I`m doing well. And I have to believe if your dad was running security for, say, the likes of Ryan Seacrest, something like that never would have happened.
E. TRUMP: My father is a very tough guy who wouldn`t have let that happened. I think he would have been very hurt had he done that to my father.
But you know, my father is a principled person. He`s a strong person. He`s a principled person. He just doesn`t believe in it. .
HAMMER: And as principled as he is, he was very intense as well. I mean, well, look, we all know that he`s a very passionate guy. But he was so intense lashing out at Sacha both in the YouTube video that we all saw. And when I spoke with him, he just went after Sacha. Did it surprise you how intense he was?
E. TRUMP: No, that`s his true personality. He`s very type A, probably the most type A person I know. But you know, he also is a moral person.
He believes in right and wrong and he believes that there`s a line and there`s a line that shouldn`t be crossed. And he felt, in this case, it was crossed, and you know, obviously lashed out.
HAMMER: And I`ve got to give it to your dad. This may not have been his motivation, but leave it to no other than Donald Trump to get publicity by talking about somebody else`s publicity stunt.
E. TRUMP: He enjoys it. He enjoys it.
HAMMER: He`s the master.
E. TRUMP: He`s great.
HAMMER: And Ryan also said, "You want Donald Trump in your corner, not against you."
E. TRUMP: Sure. Yes.
HAMMER: Now, obviously, you see a very different side of your dad than we all get to see. Is there a warm, soft and fuzzy side to Donald Trump?
And I don`t mean - you know, we do see him as a compassionate man, certainly, on "Celebrity Apprentice." But give us a sense of that warm and fuzzy side. I believe it does exist in there.
E. TRUMP: Well, he`s an incredible father. He`s an incredible mentor. I mean, we work together every single day. You know, we have the closest family you can imagine between, my sister, my brother.
We have a lot of fun working together. He`s a passionate guy. He`s a loyal guy, certainly a guy you also don`t want to cross.
He really believes in loyalty, but he also really believes in family. And he`s always willing to help somebody out, just a very charitable person who takes care of his own. And you know, his great attribute is a very all- American attribute.
HAMMER: And he really seems to have handed down that loyalty, because every time I`ve spoken with one of your siblings, that`s - I mean, there is such a deep sense of pride and loyalty within the family.
E. TRUMP: That`s so important being the brand that we are, you know. It resonates in every property we have and every building we build on the show.
I mean, everything that we do, that resonates a sense of family, his sense of loyalty. I mean, he`s just a very well-spoken, fun, family-friendly guy who can really relate to people.
HAMMER: And he does hope for the best for a lot of people. Lindsay Lohan has been in the news an awful lot lately. He and I have talked about the idea of Lindsay Lohan perhaps doing "Celebrity Apprentice" one day. She`s hosting "SNL" this weekend. Let`s watch what your dad said to me about her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. TRUMP: Everybody tells me how talented she is. And I like her. To me, she`s always been very nice. I really like her a lot. I think she`s a terrific person. Go back there, work, get your career going, and leave the drugs alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. Some pretty basic but strong advice coming. Would you love to see her on the show?
E. TRUMP: Yes. I think she could be fantastic. I think she could be fantastic. But you know, the interesting clip that he just said, "leave the drugs alone," is something he instilled in the three of us from, you know, the early stage - no drinking, no smoking, no drugs.
He always said that. And it`s kind of interesting that he`s also saying that to Lindsay.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: I`ve got to ask you one last thing, because it just occurred to me today as I`m introducing you, I`ve never asked your father this. Does he like being called the Donald?
(CROSS TALK)
E. TRUMP: It`s a name given to him. You know, I think he likes it. I think that he likes it. You know, it`s amazing. It`s something that, you know, people do every single day.
HAMMER: Yes.
E. TRUMP: You walk down the street. People are - "Trump. The Donald. The Donald. You`re fired." He certainly embraces it.
HAMMER: As long as he doesn`t start referring to himself as the Donald, I think we`ll be OK. Eric, it`s great to see you. Thanks for being here.
E. TRUMP: Great to see you, A.J.
HAMMER: And make sure you catch Eric and all of "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC on Sunday nights.
Coming up later on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at the bottom of the hour, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets," inside "Growing Pains" star, Tracey Gold`s public battle with anorexia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACEY GOLD, ACTRESS: I just spiraled out of control to the point of where I ended up in a hospital and off the show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You have got to see this. Tonight, one of the biggest TV stars of the `80s revealing her anorexia nightmare.
Plus, J. Lo`s Oscar dress drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there on the "American Idol" red carpet. Randy, Ryan, Steven - they`re all spilling their feelings about J. Lo`s controversial dress. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Here comes the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Janet Jackson says "X Factor" gig not possible because of scheduling conflicts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ breaks Whitney Houston news. Bobby Brown`s band mate, Johnny Gill, revealing to us what Whitney would have thought about all of the Bobby-bashing that`s been going on.
Plus, Adele`s unbelievable number one streak. How long can this thing last? And the "American Idol" judges on J. Lo`s Oscar dress drama. That story topping our "Buzz Today."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) J. Lo`s dress drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there on the "American Idol" red carpet last night and got Randy, Ryan and Steven talking about J. Lo`s dress drama at the Academy Awards.
Randy also took the opportunity to rib Ryan about his own red carpet run-in with Sacha Baron Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY JACKSON, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: Amazing. Amazing.
STEVEN TYLER, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: Just think of all the controversies spilled out.
RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": I like the dress. I was a fan of the dress.
R. JACKSON: She looked amazing, man. She took the night in my eyes to the women. I was just a little - I was a little disappointed in the men.
But you know, Ryan and I weren`t really - and Steven and I - we weren`t really on the carpet like that. So if we were there, we would have turned it up. Yes.
SEACREST: What are you talking about? I was out there.
R. JACKSON: Yes, but you got some debris spilled - I think they call it ash.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ breaks news. Bobby Brown`s friend and New Edition band mate, Johnny Gill, just revealed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in a brand-new SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview that Whitney Houston would never have approved of all of the Bobby-bashing that`s been going on since her death.
JOHNNY GILL, BOBBY BROWN`S BAND MATE IN NEW EDITION: I just think that she would definitely never approved. It`s unfair and for those calling themselves the godly people - you know that regardless whether you like Bobby, whether you hate him, however - whatever you feel, this was not the time. This was not the moment about personal stuff. This is about everybody coming together to heal.
HAMMER: Adele still on top. Adele`s Grammy-winning album "21" is number one on the Billboard 200 chart for the 22nd week, making it the longest running number one album since Prince`s "Purple Rain."
Adele`s album held off Whitney Houston`s "Greatest Hits" album which has a surge in sales since the singer`s death.
Just one week ago, Adele`s album "21" broke another record for longest- running number one album for a woman in Billboard history, beating Whitney Houston`s "The Bodyguard" sound track.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Adele has remained so humble through it all. Well, here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
It`s a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets." Former "Saturday Night Live" star, Darrell Hammond reveals why his past was nothing to laugh at.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: All the shows that I did on "SNL," almost all of them, I was on these, what I call soul-killing drugs. With me, I was on as many as seven medications at one time, and these doctors really didn`t know what to do with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wait until you hear Darrell`s gripping revelations about his childhood pain. "Growing Pains" star, Tracey Gold opens up about her shocking eating disorder. It was right at the height of her sitcom fame. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And this is the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Rapper Wiz Khalifa engaged to Amber Rose. SHOWBIZ first look: Nicki Minaj debuts cover art for her new album.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT star secrets. One of TV`s legendary sitcom stars inside the very public anorexia battle of "Growing Pains" star, Tracey Gold.
Tracey, right here for a must-see SHOWBIZ star secrets interview about how she is using the lessons from her battle to help others.
Another startling SHOWBIZ star secrets interview with former "SNL" funny man, Darrell Hammond.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRELL HAMMOND, COMEDIAN: I mean, performing with anthrax in the building is not nearly difficult as performing in a home where you might get stabbed that night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Darrell Hammond`s horror. He`s revealing his dark and disturbing past.
Plus, TV`s good girl versus bad and they are sharing their SHOWBIZ TONIGHT star secrets. "Little House on the Prairie`s" nasty Nellie and "The Waltons" golden girl, Erin, are telling all tonight.
A special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ star secrets, starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ star secrets. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And tonight, starving secrets. Tracey Gold, of course, first marched into our homes and our hearts as the tough yet lovable Carol Seaver on "Growing Pains." Now, she`s all grown up.
What a road it has been for Tracey. She has been very open about her past battles with eating disorders. And now, she`s using her own private pain to help other women and girls who are battling similar demons.
Tracey stars in the new reality show that she created called "Starving Secrets." It just debuted tonight on Lifetime TV. Tracey joining me right now from Hollywood to reveal her SHOWBIZ star secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera) It is excellent to see you, Tracey.
TRACEY GOLD, ACTRESS: Thank you. Good to see you.
HAMMER: First of all, let me congratulate you on what I think is a terrific show. I think this sends such a powerful message.
GOLD: Thank you.
HAMMER: I believe it`s going to make a difference to so many families. But you really had to put yourself out there. You had to reveal some truly intimate details of your own difficult past. I know you`ve done that to a degree before. How hard was it to do that for this show?
GOLD: You know, I actually found it very healing. You know, any time that I`ve been given the opportunity to help other women, it makes me feel stronger and more resolved in my own recovery.
You know, I kind of unwittingly became the poster child for eating disorders back in the early `90s and it`s something over the years I`ve embraced and helped we stay strong and recover.
HAMMER: That`s nice to see and so incredible how you`ve come so far. It`s such a compelling story. And your being able to use your experiences to help others on the road to recovery is something everybody should be very proud of you for.
I want to take a look at a very emotional moment from "Starving Secrets." Chris, can we see that?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: I`m on my way to meet Rivka, a 28-year-old chronic anorexic who is actually on the brink of starvation. Five feet, six inches tall, Rivka weighs less than half her ideal body weight.
RIVKA, ANOREXIC: I saw the doctor and he doesn`t think I`m that healthy, but I think that I`m a lot healthier than he thinks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I mean, there are going to be some really heartbreaking stories in this, I`m sure. And you`ve got a lot of lessons to offer from your own experiences. But what would you say is the main secret to your success that might help these or other women?
GOLD: Well, I think the secret to mine was really I was sick and tired of being sick. And I started to really fall in love with the idea of finding my voice and being able to help other people and living a full life, becoming a mother and a wife and having a career, and being heard, which I think so many people with eating disorders feel like they aren`t.
So, to find my voice was so powerful. I really do think that these women, opening up their stories - I think it`s going to be helpful for them. I think they`ll find what I have found that you gain strength in helping other people. And I look forward to seeing their journey in that.
HAMMER: So much of it is so relatable. It`s a shared experience. It`s a shared understanding of what you`re going through, including the pressure that we know so many young women feel.
And you`ve said that you felt a lot of pressure to be thin at the very height of the popularity of "Growing Pains" when you were so young. Just how bad did it actually get for you back then?
GOLD: Well, I mean, obviously, I felt extreme pressure and I got really sick when I was on "Growing Pains." I had put on, you know, I guess you would say the freshmen 15 even though I wasn`t in college. And I was, you know, told to go on a diet by the producers, and I did.
And all of a sudden I got all these accolades, all these compliments. And instead of making me feel better about myself, it did the opposite. It made me really start to doubt myself and really doubt the person I was before. Did I look that bad before?
And I became absolutely resolved that I would never, ever go back to that person who might be laughed at or made fun of again. And it just spiraled out of control to the point of where I ended up in a hospital and off the show. You know, it was awful.
HAMMER: As you were speaking, we`re taking a look at some of the images from you as a child star on "Growing Pains." Do you see those images now and does that cause you any pain when you do? Or are you able to still look back at that as a fond time in your life?
GOLD: You know what? I look at it as a really fond time. And back then, you know, the clips you were showing was before the anorexia when I was just really happy and having fun on "Growing Pains."
Obviously, to see some of the episodes where I started to get really thin and I know what place I was in is very hard for me to watch. I mean, the last episode of "Growing Pains," I don`t think I`ve ever re-watched because that was in the height of, you know, my anorexia, and it`s difficult to watch.
But, you know, I think - whenever you go through something and you`re stronger for it and come out the other end, I mean, that`s something to be proud of and to own, and I do.
HAMMER: And I hope you do feel good about watching that one day knowing you`ve gotten past it all and you will be able to handle it.
But it brings up an interesting point because doing the show you`re doing now, I imagine you almost had to confront your past in the way.
Did that, as cathartic as the experience proved to be - did it give you any pause about taking on the project knowing that you were going to have to face some of the things you faced so intimately?
GOLD: I think all the good that I thought it could do outweighed any fear that I had. And of course, you know, you go into anything and you don`t know how you are going to feel about it.
But once I got into the process, I really understood that this was going to be OK for me, that any trepidation or anything that I thought - would this be a trigger? Am I going to be, you know, caught back up into this?
Once I really started to be with these women and experience what they were going through, I did not want to go back there even in the slightest. And it just, once again, made me feel stronger.
HAMMER: Yes, it just sounds like reinforcement. Let`s take another look at your show -
GOLD: Absolutely.
HAMMER: Where you`re really trying to get to the heart of one young woman`s struggle. Let`s roll that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: How are you adjusting to your body changing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m more uncomfortable with my body, but everything else is better. So this is worth it -
GOLD: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My body. And it wasn`t like I was thrilled with my body before. So if everything is better and I`m just a little more uncomfortable with my body, for me, that feels like an OK tradeoff.
GOLD: That`s a great way to look at it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And with the hope that I will get more comfortable.
GOLD: You will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In time.
GOLD: And I can promise you that. I can absolutely promise you that. I know it`s not easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I have got to imagine this show is a real eye-opener for so many people. Obviously, you`ve been through it yourself. You`re coming from this place of experience. But I also imagine you have learned lessons from doing the show. What`s the biggest one?
GOLD: Well, I think the face of eating disorders. I think that I`ve looked at eating disorders and I know my experience, and it was anorexia. I didn`t have extreme experience with other eating disorders.
So to see these other women with bulimia and chronic overeating and knowing that they could all kind of overlap each other. And the face of eating disorders is very different than I think mainstream media thinks it is.
I think we think of, like, the college girl who loses weight and gets to, you know, a kind of skinny weight then gets better. And they look at it like that, not as the mom next door, you know, the person that you would never, ever think was sick.
And they are, and they`re struggling secretly. Now, I wanted to shed a light on that and open people`s eyes and say, it may be somebody suffering that you don`t know they`re suffering, and see it for what it is.
HAMMER: It is so great to see you feeling so positive and doing something so positive. Tracey Gold, thank you so much for being with us.
GOLD: Thank you.
HAMMER: And be sure to check out "Starving Secrets" with Tracey Gold on Lifetime. We have to move on right now to Darrell`s dark past.
This is unbelievable. Former "Saturday Night Live" costar, Darrell Hammond, revealing his private childhood pain and how he was suffering even at the height of his fame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: There was cutting backstage. There was - I was once taken to a psych ward, actually. When I did the Gore debates, I believe, I was taken away in a straitjacket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, wait until you hear Darrell Hammond`s SHOWBIZ star secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: He picked a peck of -
ALISON ARNGRIM, ACTRESS: No, no, you have to say it fast.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Peppers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Alison Arngrim played the meanest little girl in the west on "Little House on the Prairie." You remember that. Well, tonight, she is right here to reveal her SHOWBIZ star secrets.
Also, legendary TV good girl, Mary McDonough of "The Waltons" is right here. We`ve got the good, we`ve got the bad and the ugly side of being a childhood star. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ star secrets.
Tyra Banks tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, how girls are hurt by TV`s impossible images of beauty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYRA BANKS, MODEL: I think it`s really difficult for girls to live up to images they see and not just in the fashion industry. It used to be that models are so skinny and girls feel they have to live up to that.
But the new epitome or the thing that embodies beauty to me today is just celebrity in general. It`s not so much models. Models don`t have the household names anymore so they`re not as influential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And tonight, it`s Darrell Hammond`s horror.
Former "SNL" funny man, Darrell Hammond is revealing his dark and disturbing past. I`m talking about a childhood of terror at the hands of his own parents, so severe, it`s nearly unbelievable.
And I can tell you this is one of the most candid and heartbreaking star interviews you will ever see. Here`s Darrell Hammond, unplugged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMOND: When I was a child, I was a victim of systematic and lengthy brutality. I mean, stabbing, beating, being electrocuted. Stuff like that. It was my mom.
My name is Darrell Hammond. I`m a former "SNL" cast member, author of a new book, "God If You`re Not Up There."
My dad never really abused me. He was a war vet that was haunted by dreams of Nazis and dismembered corpses and things that war vets go through. So, it was frightening to be around that, but he never really abused me.
On the other side, my mom did some things, which, you know, have cost me dearly. I think it started manifesting itself when I was 19 years old, you know? I think that`s the first time I ever cut myself. And then, over the years, you know, it became habitual.
I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was in psych wards, where I would go in and they go, "Well, is he going to kill himself? What`s wrong with him?"
You know, I was diagnosed with everything from schizophrenia to multiple personality and bipolar and all the things that doctors have traditionally - the labels doctors have traditionally placed on people who are only really just trauma patients.
With me, I was on as many as seven medications at one time. I mean, these doctors really didn`t know what to do with me. All the shows that I did on "SNL," almost all of them, I was on this what I call soul-killing drugs.
But they`re not really soul-killing. That`s not their purpose. The purpose is to stabilize a trauma patient. And that`s what they did enough so that I could go out there.
I mean, performing with anthrax in the building is not nearly as difficult as performing in a home where you might get stabbed that night.
There was cutting backstage. There was - I was once taken to a psych ward. In fact, the week that I did the Gore debates, I believe I was taken away in a straitjacket.
And there`s no way that you people know about that, but "SNL" is a place where if Lorne judges that you can hit the ball over the wall that night, then you`re going to go out and step up to the plate.
So I didn`t want to let Lorne down who, you know, I`m close to, but I didn`t want to - and I didn`t want to make fun of a guy whose body, soul and voice were changed by combat.
This is why I had a hard time playing John McCain and didn`t want to play John McCain. You know, when my father was on his deathbed and wanted me to play him, you know, he was on morphine and all these things and he didn`t realize what I would have to go through to do it.
I don`t think that he was aware. I think that he - you know, he was a traveling salesman. He sold guns and fishing tackle. He drank all the time, had nightmares nightly about Nazis.
He was living in his own world of trauma and confusion over having killed so many people, and yet being proud of America and serving his country. He would not have allowed it if he knew it.
You know, this all occurred when people weren`t around. You know, you don`t do things like this to people where there are witnesses.
Well, I mean, you can laugh about it with the right people. You can laugh about it in the nut house. You know, you can laugh about it in the psych ward, where some guy is standing outside your door and going, "I think bad things, Mama. I think bad things."
And you`re like, wow, really? This is how far I`ve come? I don`t feel ashamed for falling down because I got hit by a Mac truck, you know? The fact is I kept trying to get back up and then I did.
When she was on her deathbed with cancer and she called me over and in her best southern accent said, "You were always my little buddy, weren`t you, honey?" And I looked at her and I went, "Oh, my God," and didn`t say anything.
And everyone in the room sort of looked at the floor because a moment of horrible discomfort had sort of blossomed into the room, and that`s when she won.
On the other hand, you know, I began to realize that my mother had once been an innocent child. Someone had to do something to her to cause her to behave the way she behaved.
My mother died about 2 1/2 years ago, just a few months before my father died, in the same hospice. Even though they told him he had less than 36 hours to live, he wanted me to do "SNL" because President Obama was on - or Barack Obama was on who might be the president. He thought that would be an honor that I should do that.
So the night before, I did that, and the next morning I take like an early morning flight with my cop friend, Eddie. They had taken him of his morphine and so he wouldn`t die.
And he turns to my cop friend and he goes, "Eddie, son, I`ll see you somewhere down the road." And then he goes, "Give me my morphine. You all get out of here." And that was the end. It was great.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: What a story. Truly, a heartbreaking interview with former "SNL" funny man, Darrell Hammond. Well, as we move on now, we have more showbiz star secrets from TV`s original mean girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: He picked a peck of -
ARNGRIM: No, no, you have to say it fast.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Peppers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: You remember nasty Nellie from "Little House on the Prairie," don`t you? Well, she`s all grown up and finally confessing what it is really like to be a childhood star.
So is TV good girl Mary McDonough. She played Erin Walton in TV classic, "The Waltons." It`s good girl versus bad girl. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets."
Chaz Bono opens up about the emotional transition to becoming a man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAZ BONO, TRANSGENDER: It was a hard time, because for many years at that point, I knew that I was transgender. I knew that, you know, the thing I really needed to do to be true to myself was transition.
But I was just absolutely paralyzed with fear, and the idea of having to do it in the public eye and how it would affect the rest of my family who`s in the public eye and all of this stuff just, you know, paralyzed me with fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: So what is it like being known as one of the meanest girls in TV history or, for that matter, one of the nicest?
Well, you remember nasty Nellie from "Little House on the Prairie," don`t you? And remember goody-two-shoes, Erin Walton from the other TV classic, "The Waltons"?
Well, "Little House" bad girl Alison Arngrim and TV good girl, Mary McDonough, are all grown up now, of course. And they are sharing their surprising star secrets with me. We`re talking good girl versus bad girl in an incredible "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets" interview. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera) So, Mary, let me start with you. You were just 10 years old when you began with "The Waltons." Now, in your book, "Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton," here`s something you write that really struck me.
"Playing Erin made life off camera difficult. Everyone just expected me to be perfect little Erin. Mary became an adolescent battling depression, insomnia, body image issues and experimented with drugs."
Wow. I think everyone naturally assumes being a star playing a nice girl on TV kind of meant only nice results for you in life. Where do you think things went wrong?
MARY MCDONOUGH, ACTRESS: Well, I think growing up in the industry is very, very different from how I was raised. I was born and raised in this Irish- Catholic family. And suddenly was plopped out of my life and on to the show.
But I think that everybody has difficulties growing up and other kids on other shows, whether they`re in real life or they`re on a show, it can be difficult. And I certainly felt some of those pressures along with the wild fun of being a Walton.
But there is - you know, I always say, like, maybe it would be better to be Alison and be evil than it would be to have the pressures of trying to be perfect all the time, to look perfect, to act perfect, to get perfect grades.
HAMMER: Sure. Yes. A lot of pressure. Alison, I think the name of your book captures what people thought of you as nasty Nellie on "Little House on the Prairie."
And I`ve told you before how much I love the name of your book. It`s called "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch." And in this fine book, you do reveal bombshells about your life off the TV show including some pretty remarkable things, surviving incest and abuse in your own home. What happened?
ARNGRIM: Well, like a lot of other people, I was sexually abused as a child. And for me, being on "Little House on the Prairie" was a wonderful outlet.
I mean, here I was in what was really a horrible environment as a young child, having to deal with the pressure of that. And also when you`re that age, you don`t know any better. You don`t tell - I mean, as you`ve seen on the news, these victims who come forward many, many years later.
I didn`t tell anyone and I was keeping that secret and that burden for a very long time. And the environment of the set of "Little House" was a supportive environment and very nice people.
And Mary is right. I had an outlet. I got to yell and scream and be awful, and people didn`t hold me to a standard perfection.
People were amazed that I was just a complete bitch and anything I did looked nice by comparison. And I have to admit it has given me an unfair advantage. And I`m really grateful for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Turned out just fine. And that is it for this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Star Secrets." I`m A.J. Hammer. Thanks for watching.
END
