Former Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges has opened up about his brief romance with Janet Jackson and an unforgettable first meeting with her brother, Michael.
Speaking on The Patrick LabyorSheaux, Bridges revealed he was instantly smitten when he first saw Janet as Penny on Good Times. “That girl is gorgeous. I gotta get her phone number,” he remembered. The two began talking regularly, and when it came time to cast Willis’ girlfriend on Diff’rent Strokes, Bridges insisted Janet was perfect for the role.
“They’re like, ‘Really?’ I’m like, ‘Hire her or I’ll quit.’” Janet joined the show as Charlene DuPrey, appearing in ten episodes between 1980 and 1984 and dating Bridges off-screen for a while. “Janet’s the greatest person ever. We had such fun,” he said.
Dating Janet also meant meeting the entire Jackson family, a nerve-racking experience for a teenage boy. But nothing compared to meeting Michael for the first time while he was working on Thriller.
Visiting the family’s Havenhurst home, Bridges watched as Michael pulled up in dramatic fashion. “Michael comes driving in and power slides around the car,” he recalled. “Then he jumps out and starts singing, ‘Because this is thriller.’”
Bridges even went for a ride with the King of Pop, an experience he remembers with equal parts awe and fear. “Driving with Michael was scary,” he laughed. “The whole time in the car, I’m like, ‘Please don’t kill me.’ He drove wild.”
Despite the wild ride, Bridges says Michael was down-to-earth in person, yet unmatched in talent. “Probably the most talented person I ever met in my life.”
Watch the full interview here:
