‘Diff’rent Strokes’ Star Todd Bridges on Meeting Michael Jackson & the Big Surprise He Got From Redd Foxx
We may still know him best as Willis, big brother extraordinaire to Gary Coleman’s Arnold Drummond on the hit sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, but Todd Bridges’ journey goes way beyond one TV show. With memorable appearances on The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and the groundbreaking mini-series Roots, Bridges, 59, is widely regarded as the first African-American child actor ever to appear in a recurring role on a popular television program, rubbing shoulders with plenty of Hollywood heavyweights along the way.
These days, Todd and his wife Bettijo Bridges host Dang, a raw and revealing podcast where they chat about mental health, life’s ups and down, and how to find happiness in the best and worst of times. For this interview, we turned the microphone on Todd and chatted with him about the things that made him happy growing up.
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Todd Bridges: My favorite TV show was Sanford and Son. Redd Foxx was one of my favorite TV personalities, and I always wanted to get a TV show just like him when I was a kid. I eventually got a TV show like him, and we actually worked for the same company, which is really great, so I got to meet him and everything, so he’s a really nice guy.
What was your favorite gift that you received as a kid?
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection
I got a three-wheeler from Redd Foxx because the studio bought me a motorcycle helmet for my birthday, but nothing to go with it, and I couldn’t figure out why they did that. I was sitting in the hallway just holding this helmet and Redd Foxx came by and he goes, “Hey, nice helmet. They must have gotten you a motorcycle.” I was like, “No, no.” I said, “This is what they bought me for my birthday. I don’t have anything to use it on.” He goes, “Oh man, that’s terrible.” He leaves and comes back the next day with a three-wheeler.
What was your favorite toy growing up?
My favorite toy growing up was the slot car sets. Me and my brother used to love racing those things. They were those little electric slot cars you put on the track and you race around and round circles, or you do figure eights and all that. Those were my favorite things to play with.
Tell us memory of a time when you got in trouble as a kid – what happened?
I forgot to pick up the dog poop, and my dad woke me up at midnight to make sure I picked it up. That was terrible, and I got punished for that.
What was your favorite album or record that you played the most?
Oh, wow. I would say in the seventies, it would’ve been Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody would have probably been my favorite.
First concert you attended?
First concert I attended was Michael Jackson‘s concert. It was early, early eighties probably, and it was at the LA Forum. I got to go backstage and meet Michael and hang out with him. That was pretty cool. He was a true performer. I think I was like 13 or 14 years old.
Tell us something that you still have saved from your childhood.
Probably nothing. I moved a lot, so you get rid of a lot of stuff as you’re moving. I don’t think I have anything. My son has a lot of stuff from when he was a kid, but I don’t think I do.
Is there anything that you wish you would’ve saved?
Oh my gosh, yeah. My mom threw away all my comic books that my grandfather had got and I was keeping ’em in a box. My mom thought it was just garbage and threw them away. They were a lot of first editions. They could have been worth a lot of money!
Who was your celebrity crush as a teen?
Harry Langdon/Getty Images
Probably Janet Jackson. Yeah, for sure … and I got to work with her!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I got into acting so early. I wanted to be an actor, and then I wanted to be a fireman. Then I wanted to be an Apache helicopter pilot for the military. I did something with them for eight weeks to help bring in more minorities to come to the Marines. So that’s about as far as I went. I did eight weeks with ’em.
What was your first job besides acting?
Chores! In my house, you had to do the dishes, you had to clean up, you had to do all that stuff. I always had to make my bed and all that. I was terrible at it, but I did it (laughs).
What was your favorite movie growing up?
My favorite movie probably is Fast Times at Ridgemont High because it reminded me of my teenage years. That’s why I really liked it. That’s the kind of kid I was at school. I was very smart (laughs).
Catch Diff’rent Strokes on Rewind TV Monday-Friday at 10am EST and Saturdays at 9pm EST.
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