David Hasselhoff Made His Teen Daughter Film Him Heavily Drunk, Lolling on the Floor | It Was a "Wake-up Call" for Him

His wife called his alcoholism a "disease" and said it was "just like cancer."

Cover image source: Getty Images | Photos by (L) Steve W. Grayson, (R) Steve W. Grayson

By Sameeksha Thomas

February 26, 2021

Posted February 26, 2021

David Hasselhoff was one of the biggest TV stars with his smoldering looks and great physique in Baywatch. He was also a part of many A-list movies and shows like The Young and the Restless, Knight Rider, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, and many more. However, it is said that success comes at a price, and the price that the actor paid was his sobriety.

According to his ex-wife, Pamela Bach, the actor has been dealing with alcoholism his entire adult life. In a candid interview with The Daily Mail, she compared Hasselhoff's alcoholism to cancer. She said, "He has a disease, just like cancer. And just like cancer, it ate away at our family from the inside." She added that she stayed with him because she loved him, unfortunately, he "loved the bottle more" than her.

Things got a bit worse when a video surfaced on the internet in 2007 which ruined the actor's image. The video was shot by one of his daughters, then-16-year-old Taylor Ann, in Los Angeles when he was performing on stage in The Producers, reported The Daily Mail. The then 54-year-old actor could be seen rambling about how lonely he is while trying to eat a cheeseburger. Taylor on the other hand can be heard cautioning him that a doctor will be taking a blood alcohol test in the morning to which he only rolls around on the floor, with his eyes rolling back in his head.

At one point Hasselhoff mumbles, "I'm lonely. I have trouble in my life." To which Taylor replies, "You have me." But the actor dismisses it by saying, "I don't have you in my life... bull***t... I don't have you... I don't have you." The highly disturbing video didn't take much time to go viral on the internet following which the actor had to release a statement.

He said, "I am a recovering alcoholic. Despite that, I have been going through a painful divorce and I have recently been separated from my children due to my work, I have been successfully dealing with my issue. Unfortunately, I did have a brief relapse, but part of recovery is relapse." He then said that the tape was made because he had asked his daughter to do so. "Because of my honest and positive relationship with my children," he continued, "who were concerned for my well-being, there was a tape made when I had a relapse to show me what I was like. I have seen the tape. I have learned from it, and I am back on my game."

"I hope that others will learn from the tape, as I have. I thank God for the love and concern from my children. I have the respect of my children and my fans, but most importantly I have self-respect. I will continue to keep my personal life private for the sake of moving on and living a happy life with my daughters."

Talking to Today, the 68-year-old actor said that the incident was a "wake-up call" for him. “For me, it was actually a good sign because it was a wake-up call and it brought everything to a head. Finally, I just said, ‘Look, this has all got to stop.’” The actor might think what happened was in fact for a good reason, but there are some who didn't quite agree with him.

According to ABC News, Dr. Harris Stratyner, who is director of addiction recovery at Mount Sinai Hospital said that making his teenage daughter tape him in such a vulnerable situation was irresponsible. "What he's doing is saying I'm going to do it and tape me," he said. "To ask a 16-year-old child to tape her father when he's intoxicated with what is a brain disease is unconscionable in my opinion."

Bach said that she didn't want her daughter to be his "parent" and help him battle his demons. She said, "I don't want my daughter taping him and involving herself just so he can see himself intoxicated. She is not the parent, and I don't want her playing the parental role, it's very upsetting. This is an obvious cry for help."

Dr. Straytner also stressed that the family members of those who are suffering from alcoholism need treatment to cope with it. "It's about helping your children get treatment because it's oftentimes considered a family illness because people are co-dependent they get involved in this illness," he said.

It's been a while since this incident happened. In an interview with The Mirror in 2015, the actor revealed that he goes to the gym, watches his diet, and attends AA meetings. However, when he was asked when he took his last drink, after a few seconds of silence, he replied, “No, that’s like a question that’s so personal it’s impossible to answer. There’s a certain anonymity that’s supposed to come with helping yourself and it’s not my responsibility to explain to anybody where I’m at."