Former child actor Alexander Polinsky has accused Scott Baio of sexual harassment and child abuse
On January 30th, former Charles in Charge star Scott Baio was accused of sexually assaulting his costar Nicole Eggert when she was a minor. And now, more allegations against Baio have surfaced. Former child actor Alexander Polinsky has accused Baio of sexual harassment and child abuse on set.
Polinsky spoke about the allegations during a press conference today, February 14th. His attorney Lisa Bloom and Eggert were also in attendance. At the conference, Polinsky said that Baio began sexually harassing and physically and emotionally abusing him when he was an 11-year-old. He claimed that Baio exposed himself, threw hot tea at Polinsky, and pulled down the child actor’s pants, among other abusive acts.
The former child actor said the abuse began one day when he “innocently hopped on [Baio’s] lap” after seeing Eggert doing the same thing. Although Polinsky said he had hoped Baio would tell him a story about his acting experiences on major shows, Baio pushed him off and called him a homophobic slur. Polinsky stated that this “began a pattern of abuse that was unrelenting.”
On Charles in Charge, Polinsky played Adam Powell, acting on the sitcom from the time he was 10 until he was 15. Baio played the main character, Charles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaCrVhiDlMQ?feature=oembed
The first allegations against Baio came on January 30th, when Eggert, another former Charles in Charge star, spoke on Megyn Kelly Today, saying that Baio sexually assaulted her “probably once a week” on set. She said the abuse started when she was 14, when Baio penetrated her with his finger when the two were in his garage.
On February 8th, in a statement recorded for The Talk, Polinsky affirmed Eggert’s claims, saying he witnessed Baio “acting inappropriately” toward her. In the same statement, he alluded to his own abuse at the hands of Baio.
"Growing up on the show, I received regular verbal attacks, mental abuse, and I also suffered a physical assault at the hands of Scott Baio," he said.
Baio has denied Eggert’s claims of sexual misconduct him.
Scott Baio denies sexual misconduct allegations: "My 10-year-old daughter does not need to be hearing about this from friends at school – these false allegations…that's why this has got to stop." pic.twitter.com/5jdJgalA9z
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 31, 2018
Speaking up about past harassment and abuse is difficult for anyone, and we applaud Polinsky’s strength and courage in making his story public. We stand by Polinsky, Eggert, and all survivors of abuse. We hope, as always, that their abusers are brought to justice.
