Eddie Murphy enlisted Rick James for Todd Bridges intervention
The Diff'rent Strokes actor, 60, has revealed Eddie tried to help him when he was battling addiction issues by asking Super Freak star Rick - who spent years battling his own drug problems - to go over to his house to help set him straight but Todd insists it was a baffling encounter because Rick left with half of his stash.
Speaking on the The Patrick LabyorSheaux with Patrick Labyorteaux, Todd explained: "I knew Eddie Murphy for a while. And Eddie was like: 'Man, we gotta get Todd some help, man. He's trippin'. We gotta find somebody who knows about drugs' ...
"They send Rick James to my house. Now, if any of you guys know anything about Rick James, Rick James was getting higher than I was at the time.
"So Rick comes to my house, you know, he opens his car door up, and all this smoke comes out. And I'm like: 'What's going on?'"
Rick told Todd they needed to have a chat and the actor admitted he was prepared to hear the singer out, saying: "When Rick spoke, you listened. Rick was wild, so when Rick spoke, you listened."
However, the visit took a turn when Rick asked to see Todd's drug stash. He explained: "I showed him, he goes: 'Man, that's too much. I don't want you killing yourself. That's too much. Let me take a half of that so you don't kill yourself' ...
"And then he started talking to [this] girl on my couch and she went with him! And I'm like, I'm ready to kill Rick at this point. So Rick leaves, and I'm like ... what kind of drug intervention was that?"
Todd went on to insist Eddie probably didn't realise Rick - who died in 2004 aged 56 - was also taking a lot of drugs at the time.
He said: "Eddie didn't know. No one knew that Rick was getting high either. They knew that he smoked weed, but they thought that's all it was."
Todd did eventually clean up his act and he's now been sober for more than three decades.
During an appearance on the Allison Interviews podcast in January 2025, he said of his sobriety: "I've been sober for 32 years. The mistake I don't make is relapsing. I won't make that mistake again ...
"I couldn't be the same guy anymore. I got tired of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and getting the same results.
"I remember when I was in the rehab program, and this light came over me and God said: 'I'm going to put people in your path and you just listen to what they tell you, do what they tell you to do and don't question it, and you will be sober for a long time.'
"That's exactly what happened and I finally got it. You have to surrender to win the program. That's tough for people who don't like to surrender."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
Eddie Murphy enlisted Rick James for Todd Bridges intervention
Eddie Murphy staged an intervention for Todd Bridges by enlisting singer Rick James to talk to him about the dangers of drugs. The Diff'rent Strokes actor, 60, has revealed Eddie tried to help him when he was battling addiction issues by asking Super Freak star Rick - who spent years battling his own drug problems - to go over to his house to help set him straight but Todd insists it was a baffling encounter because Rick left with half of his stash. Speaking on the The Patrick LabyorSheaux with Patrick Labyorteaux, Todd explained: "I knew Eddie Murphy for a while. And Eddie was like: 'Man, we gotta get Todd some help, man. He's trippin'. We gotta find somebody who knows about drugs' ... "They send Rick James to my house. Now, if any of you guys know anything about Rick James, Rick James was getting higher than I was at the time. "So Rick comes to my house, you know, he opens his car door up, and all this smoke comes out. And I'm like: 'What's going on?'" Rick told Todd they needed to have a chat and the actor admitted he was prepared to hear the singer out, saying: "When Rick spoke, you listened. Rick was wild, so when Rick spoke, you listened." However, the visit took a turn when Rick asked to see Todd's drug stash. He explained: "I showed him, he goes: 'Man, that's too much. I don't want you killing yourself. That's too much. Let me take a half of that so you don't kill yourself' ... "And then he started talking to [this] girl on my couch and she went with him! And I'm like, I'm ready to kill Rick at this point. So Rick leaves, and I'm like ... what kind of drug intervention was that?" Todd went on to insist Eddie probably didn't realise Rick - who died in 2004 aged 56 - was also taking a lot of drugs at the time. He said: "Eddie didn't know. No one knew that Rick was getting high either. They knew that he smoked weed, but they thought that's all it was." Todd did eventually clean up his act and he's now been sober for more than three decades. During an appearance on the Allison Interviews podcast in January 2025, he said of his sobriety: "I've been sober for 32 years. The mistake I don't make is relapsing. I won't make that mistake again ... "I couldn't be the same guy anymore. I got tired of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and getting the same results. "I remember when I was in the rehab program, and this light came over me and God said: 'I'm going to put people in your path and you just listen to what they tell you, do what they tell you to do and don't question it, and you will be sober for a long time.' "That's exactly what happened and I finally got it. You have to surrender to win the program. That's tough for people who don't like to surrender."
News.com.au
05-08-2025
- News.com.au
Abbie Chatfield admits to staging paparazzi photos for cash
Abbie Chatfield is never afraid to tell it like it is. Today on her LiSTNR podcast It's A Lot with Abbie Chatfield, the media personality unashamedly revealed she once stuck a deal with a tabloid journalist to stage paparazzi photos in exchange for cash. 'Basically, when I was fresh out of The Bachelor, I was dating Todd from Ali's season of The Bachelor. Nice bloke, you know, lovely guy,' Chatfield, who was on the dating show in 2019, said on the podcast episode. 'We set up with some paparazzi to take photos of us at the beach. We were going anyway, and we thought, 'A thousand bucks? Yeah, that'll pay for your flights over from Perth.'' When a producer asked her how a 'cash for pap pics' scenario would even play, Chatfield explained that you linked up with a photographer and arranged a time and date to be conveniently photographed while out and about. 'I've done it once but it was for money when I had a nine-to-five still, OK? A thousand dollars is a lot of money, all right?' she said. 'So we're gonna go to the beach anyway, all you got to do is go to the beach. Sorry? As though you wouldn't do it,' she asked those in the studio with her. 'OK, so if you're doing it for money, go off queen, you know what I mean? They're gonna get photos of you anyway for free. If they're gonna get paid for it, go off. But if you're calling paparazzo on yourself, you're a f***ing loser.' While Chatfield has happily owned up to staging paparazzi photos for cash, other stars remain more coy on the practice. Last year, former The Hills and The City star Whitney Port claimed she saw Jennifer Lopez orchestrating her own paparazzi shots in the Hamptons amid her split from Ben Affleck. Port and her husband, producer Tim Rosenman, claim they witnessed the singer 'set up' paps in the Hamptons, sharing what they saw with their With Whit podcast listeners. 'Candy Kitchen [an ice cream shop] in Brideghampton is so special that I'm pretty sure JLo the other day was riding her bike to get a scoop of ice cream for a paparazzi shot,' Port said on the podcast. Rosenman chimed in to clarify that 56-year-old Lopez 'did not even go in' and was 'just there for the exterior shot.' When he called Lopez's behaviour 'weird' and said she was 'addicted to attention', Port said she 'agreed'. 'That's her vibe,' Port said. 'She's popped everywhere. Her continually looking hot in cute settings is what keeps the machine going.' Rosenman added: 'She's already as famous as you can be, why does she need to stoke the fans of her own flame? Seems unnecessary.' The pair agreed that 'if [they] had JLo's money, [they] would just be done.' Model Emily Ratajkowski was also mocked and called out online for a seemingly 'staged' paparazzi video of herself walking her dog in New York back in August 2024. In the video, the 34-year-old could be seen strolling through a quiet street in the city wearing low-rise pants, a white tank top, a cap and sunglasses. At one point, the Gone Girl actress was seen adjusting her pants so they sat lower on her hips, before continuing to walk in a poised fashion. She was also seen pouting and posing as she waited for her dog to sniff the surrounds. The video racked up hundreds and thousands of views, with many flocking to the comments section to accuse the model of calling the paparazzi on herself and playing up to the cameras. 'I don't think anyone calls the paps more than her,' one user wrote, as another added, 'She's always calling the paps.' A third said, 'Never seen someone so constantly aware of being looked at.' A fourth added, 'The posing … LMAO,' while another offered, 'The pouting is just bizarre.'
Sky News AU
03-08-2025
- Sky News AU
'You're my person': Jelena Dokic stuns Logies crowd with emotional tribute to Todd Woodbridge after Unbreakable documentary win
Beloved Aussie tennis champion Jelena Dokic broke down in tears on Sunday night as she accepted her first-ever Logie Award, and paid emotional tribute to fellow sports star turned broadcaster Todd Woodbridge. The 42-year-old received the Silver Logie for Best Factual or Documentary Program for Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story during Australian TV's night of nights at The Star in Sydney. Dokic stunned on the red carpet in a shimmering custom Alin Le'Kal gown that matched her award, but appeared completely caught off guard when her name was called. "Ooh! I know you said 30 seconds but I will need at least 30 to gather myself," she said as she took a deep breath. "I'm actually in shock. I really didn't think this was possible and I didn't have a speech prepared." Despite not having notes, Dokic quickly captivated the room with an emotional tribute that left many teary-eyed, including Woodbridge himself. "Todd Woodbridge, I don't know where you are, there," she said, scanning the crowd. "Todd. You're my person. "I say that, and this makes me cry so much because I sat down with you on the table 11 years ago when I retired, and you said to me that I can be a commentator and speaker and bring my story to life. "And I looked at you I said to you, 'I don't know who you're talking about, but you're not talking about me'." Dokic described herself then as "a person who couldn't string two sentences together, look people in the eye, had no social skills left", and credited Woodbridge with giving her the belief to rebuild. "You were the only one who believed in me, especially professionally. Thank you for that. I always say to everyone, 'Be someone's Todd', and I hope that everyone finds a Todd like I did." As the camera cut to Woodbridge in the crowd, he too was seen wiping away tears as the room erupted into applause. "You are a massive reason I'm standing here in every single way, you love to remind me every single day as well how right you are and that I still need to listen to you. So I will, and I always say, if everyone can have a father and a mentor like Todd, they would be very fortunate." Dokic also used her moment to speak on behalf of fellow survivors. "This is about a win for victims and survivors, especially of domestic violence and mental health, to not just have these stories heard, but for them to reclaim their life, to find their voice and to actually not just survive, but to thrive," she said. The moment was talked about multiple times during the rest of the show. One came after Woodbridge, who hosts Tipping Point Australia, went on to win the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter. As he made his way to the stage, actor Angus Sampson wrapped him in a hug and quipped to the audience: "He's my Todd too." The moment also went viral on social media, with one Instagram user calling it the "Speech to end all speeches". Another user said that Woodbridge was clearly touched by her words. " amazing speech un rehearsed straight from the touching the way you honoured Todd's love and support in your tell he was overwhelmed by your special for you to have him as a trusted friend," they said. On X, one user wrote, "Todd made a Wimbledon semi-final in singles. More importantly, he's Jelena's human." Another added, "Her gratitude to Todd Woodbridge will stay in our memories." Unbreakable, directed by Jessica Halloran and Ivan O'Mahoney and distributed by Roadshow Films, follows Dokic's harrowing but inspirational story, from surviving abuse at the hands of her father, Damir Dokic, to becoming a tennis icon and media figure. Halloran also co-authored Dokic's memoir of the same name, published in 2017. While Dokic recently went public with her new partner, Melbourne-based hospitality operations manager Yane Veselinov, she attended the event solo, as did many stars on the night.
