24-03-2025
Daughter of actor Scott Baio defends Kai Trump on Instagram, asks people to stop online hate
Looks like Kai Trump has an ally on and off the golf course: Bailey Baio, daughter of actor Scott Baio.
Bailey "BB" Baio, the 17-year-old daughter of Scott Baio ("Happy Days," "God's Not Dead") posted a 3-minute video Sunday, March 23, 2025, on Instagram, tagging her famous father, and asking people not to spread hate online about Kai Trump's performance at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina: "This weekend, people were being very mean to Kai Trump. For us junior golfers, it's already hard enough as it is to travel, practice and train every day. We're traveling to tournaments every single weekend. Unfortunately, she came in last all four days. I've been there before."
Bailey Baio plays golf at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where she is a student. She and her family moved to the Sunshine State in 2023 from California, and the experience − mainly her father's exit tweet − went viral.
In the Instagram Reel, Bailey Baio talked about her own experience playing − and losing − the game, "In ninth grade, I did come dead last in a few tournaments. I felt devastated. Honestly, I wouldn't want people to put in hate comments to make me feel even worse."
Scott Baio shared the video to his followers on Instagram and X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, praising Bailey, whom he shares with Renee Baio: "My wife @MrsScottBaio and I have the sweetest daughter. Please help Bailey get this message to Kai Trump. Thank you. @DonaldJTrumpJr @LaraLeaTrump @LynnePatton @dbongino @kaitrump"
A day later, the video tweet has had almost 460,000 views and about 16,000 views on Instagram, as of 4 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2025.
Said Bailey Baio to Kai Trump: "You didn't quit. You just kept going. Just ignore all the hateful people online," adding she visits Palm Beach, Florida, consistently and would love to play a round of golf with the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, whom she actively supports.
The "Charles in Charge" actor spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention and is an avid Trump supporter. Scott Baio tweeted about his experience at the 2016 RNC, confirming his daughter's statement about death threats. He told his followers Bailey Baio got death threats after the RNC, when she was 9 years old.
In other videos on her Instagram feed, Bailey Baio gives fans a glimpse of her life playing golf, being a teenager in Florida, and recovering from Hurricane Helene damage at their Bradenton home. She's been playing the sport for 14 years − and has dreams of going pro.
"I have your back," Bailey Baio says in her March 23, 2025, Instagram Reel. "It's tough, especially being a female golfer. I have a famous family member, and I do get hate on that. I've had death threats. I've had all of that."
She urged people to tag Kai Trump in the comments, female golfer to female golfer: "Never give up on this great game of golf."
Scott Baio is best known for playing Chachi Arcola in "Happy Days" alongside Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham and Henry Winkler as The Fonz from 1977-84. He had a catchphrase, too: "Wah wah wah." His character's storyline with love interest Joanie, played by actress Erin Moran, inspired the spin-off "Joanie Loves Chachi," which briefly aired from 1982-83.
After "Happy Days," Baio starred in "Charles in Charge." His character was a college student-slash-nanny to three children. That show, which co-starred Willie Aames ("Eight is Enough") and Ellen Travolta (John's sister), was on the air from 1984-90.
Other TV credits include "Diagnosis: Murder" with Dick Van Dyke from 1993-95 and the Nickelodeon series "See Dad Run" from 2012-15.
He and his wife, Renee Baio, live in Bradenton, Florida, with their daughter Bailey "BB" Baio and their dog, Bugsy Malone.
On July 18, 2016, Baio said he was asked by Donald Trump to speak at the Republican National Convention ahead of the 2016 presidential election. In his 2016 speech, Baio said: "Folks, our country right now is in a very bad spot. You can feel it. You can see it everywhere. There's no stability. Nothing seems right. And all the things that we hold dear are being attacked every single day. We cannot go down this road anymore. We need to stop. We need Donald Trump to fix this. Is Donald Trump a messiah? No. He's just a man. A man who wants to give back to his country, America."
On April 20, 2023, the 62-year-old retired actor tweeted a photo of himself and wife, Renee Baio, at the beach with the caption "Living our best life in Florida." On May 3, 2023, he tweeted about why he left California for Florida, and went viral.
"A longtime California resident, the 'Happy Days' and 'Charles in Charge' star announced on Twitter last week that he was moving out of California, due to what he described as the state's homelessness issue," USA TODAY reported May 10, 2023.
'After 45 years, I'm making my way to finally 'exit stage right' from California,' Baio wrote May 3, 2023, on Twitter, citing statistics from a 2022 report by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. 'The most recent survey … found approximately 69,000 people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County and 41,000 in the city in 2022.'
On Dec. 31, 2024, New Year's Eve, Scott Baio posted a photo on Instagram of IMG Academy, his daughter's school in Bradenton, Florida, reflecting on his relocation from the Golden State of California to the Sunshine State: "2 years ago today we moved to Florida. Best decision I've made in a long time."
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Kai Trump: Bailey and Scott Baio praised golfer on Instagram, Twitter
