A sad story has been playing itself out all over the gossip news lately involving former “Happy Days” star Erin Moran, and it’s enough to make her infamously-awful spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi” look like those were the good days.
Moran, who once upon a time played adorable, All-American little sister Joanie Cunningham, is now broke and homeless after being kicked out of a trailer park in Indiana. As reported by numerous news sites, the out-of-work actress and her husband Steve Fleischmann moved in to Steve’s mother’s trailer park home in Indiana after the couple was evicted from their house in Los Angeles. Further reports state that Erin and her husband were later kicked out of the trailer park home following a huge fight between Erin and her mother-in-law about Erin’s excessive drinking and partying. The couple is now reportedly roaming the streets of Indiana living out of hotels with their two dogs.
Most recently, a New York Post report said that she had a nasty run-in with her mother-in-law and was “desperate and quickly running out of options.”
This is extremely depressing for those of us who remember when Fonzie and “Happy Days” ruled the airwaves for a decade, consistently among the top-rated shows on TV. How does someone go from top-rated TV show to such dire straits? It would be the equivalent of Jon Cryer ending up homeless a decade from now – except, we’re guessing that Cryer has negotiated his “2 and a Half Men” contract a little bit better.
Reports say that Moran has been living off a $65,000 settlement with CBS that she and her fellow “Happy Days” cast members each received over a licensing and merchandising lawsuit last July. But those funds have rapidly dwindled.
Well, this just breaks my heart. I grew up watching “Happy Days” and remember having a crush on Erin’s character. Our hearts go out to you, Erin. Reading this news I am reminded that the effects of the economy’s crash in the last few years has affected not just the poor. It doesn’t matter your history or your resume; everyone can fall.
When you hear a story like this, the easy way out is to just make a bunch of lame jokes. The harder thing is to put yourself in that person’s shoes and think, when you have a famous face, suddenly it’s gone from your blessing to your curse. Because unlike you or I, someone like Erin Moran can’t just go get a job at McDonalds or Starbucks:
“Hello, welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?”
“Hey, aren’t you Joanie from “Happy Days?”
“Yes, what would you like to drink?”
“OMG! I can’t believe it! I loved that show! – What happened?”
Oh, the humility. Since the 1980’s, Moran has appeared on small walk-on roles in series like “The Love Boat” and “Murder, She Wrote” but that was decades ago, so acting gigs have clearly become few and far-between.
Most recently, she appeared on “Celebrity Fit Club” in 2008, and those kinds of shows usually prove to be the last stop on the kinda-famous train before people stop pointing cameras at you altogether. Although that show gave an up-close look at her struggle with alcohol and desperation to rebuild her life and career, Moran is now like millions of other Americans – out of work and getting desperate.
It’s ironic, because like the show “Happy Days” sought to portray, there was a time when life was much more simple. Today, the American dream has backfired for many and left them empty and deflated. Rather than pointing fingers and judging people for their faults and failures, maybe we should sit back and remember a time when life was more “happy” and like the Cunninghams, we had some compassion for our fellow neighbors.
Erin, we here at Nicerazzi remember how much laughter and fun you brought into our lives. Whatever your current issues, we’re rooting for you to straighten things out. Hang in there!
How do you feel about Erin’s predicament? Post your words of encouragement below!