Dark Secrets Of The Cast Of The Brady Bunch
It seems odd to describe "The Brady Bunch" as groundbreaking, but at the time of its 1969 premiere, it absolutely was. The notion of a blended family was certainly a new one for television, particularly in the sitcom format, as the wedding of Mike (Robert Reed) and Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) brought together six kids from their previous relationships — his three boys, and her three girls — into one big unconventional family. Were they divorced? Had their spouses died, or perhaps, serving lengthy prison sentences? Bizarrely, it was never addressed; in fact, none of the Brady kids, nor their parents, ever once mentioned that two other parents who were, for whatever reason, completely out of the picture.
Viewers didn't notice — or didn't care — and watched in such numbers that the show became a TV phenomenon that ran for five hit seasons and then garnered new generations of fans via reruns that aired endlessly throughout the decades that followed.
The show's wholesomeness was certainly a big part of the appeal, looking back. Yet the family-friendly hijinks that viewers watched unfold on TV screens didn't tell the whole story. As the series' young stars grew older and began telling their stories, another narrative emerged of salacious secrets from behind the scenes.
Barry Williams wanted to date his TV mom
One of the stranger stories to emerge from "The Brady Bunch" was that Barry Williams — who played oldest son Greg — had the hots for his television mother, Florence Henderson. While rumors swirled of a torrid on-set affair, the truth was significantly less scandalous. In Williams' memoir, "Growing Up Brady," he recalled a teenage crush of the puppy love variety. "It wasn't that I sought to bed her," he wrote, as excerpted by Biography. "I just wanted to spend time with her."
Despite being two decades his senior, Henderson sweetly indulged him by accompanying him to dinner one night. "That whole thing with Barry got blown way out of proportion," Henderson — who died in 2016 at 82 — wrote in a post on her website, per HuffPost. "I guess, in a sense, it was a date because Barry thought it was," she added, admitting she hadn't quite understood the nature of his intentions. "It has made for a good story, though!"
Lloyd Schwartz — son of series creator Sherwood Schwartz, who worked with his dad on the show — has also been among those to dispel rumors of an affair. "It was all smoke and mirrors," he told Fox News, pointing out that "Florence was married with four kids." As Henderson told People, her participation in the "date" was simply her way of being kind. "The crush was a very serious thing for him, so I was never condescending," she recalled.
Barry Williams and his TV sister were 'lusting for each other'
While "The Brady Bunch" may have oozed wholesomeness, once the Brady kids started hitting adolescence and the hormones began surging, the young actors began experiencing feelings for each other that belied their onscreen relationships.
Maureen McCormick — a.k.a. Marcia — also wrote a book about her experiences on the show called "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady And Finding My True Voice." In an excerpt published by the Daily Mail, McCormick wrote how she and co-star Barry Williams succumbed to their long-simmering attraction on a tropical beach when the show was shooting on location in Hawaii. "We couldn't hold back any longer," she recalled. "It was our first kiss, and it was long, passionate and deep. It was wonderful, too, though ... a tiny part, admittedly — said to myself, 'Oh my God! I'm kissing my brother. What am I doing?'"
Their romance continued once they returned to L.A., and led to some awkward moments when the two shot a scene while sitting close together on a bed. "We couldn't keep our hands off each other," McCormick wrote, something that series creator Sherwood Schwartz confirmed in his book, "Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of the Brady Bunch." "When Barry sat down on the bed and started to talk to his TV sister, it became romantic, even steamy," he wrote, per Showbiz Cheat Sheet. "These two teenagers were lusting for each other, and I was getting it on film."
Barry Williams filmed a Brady Bunch episode while stoned
Hormones weren't the only source of misbehavior by the young stars of "The Brady Bunch." In fact, drugs of varying types were also a temptation for the actors during their teenage years. For Barry Williams, this included experimenting with marijuana. In Williams' book, "Growing Up Brady," he recalled one day in 1972 when the then-17-year-old sparked a joint with some pals and settled back to enjoy his buzz during a day off. It was then that he received an urgent call telling him to come to the set for some additional shooting. With no choice but to obey, he showed up at the studio deeply.
Speaking during a "Brady Bunch" panel captured on video, Williams recalled feeling so creative he began making up his own dialogue. His odd behavior did not go unnoticed on the set. "And the crew were all staring at me," he said. "And a few were laughing, and a few were asking what the matter with Barry was. But I was having a ball."
That reverie, however, came to a screeching halt the moment the red light went on to indicate that cameras were rolling. "And I got scared out of my bell bottoms ... I was frozen. It was a terrifying experience, and I really regretted it," he shared. "I totally remember that," added his co-star Susan Olsen, who played Cindy. She recalled wondering, "What is up with Barry?"
Maureen McCormick's early success led her down a dark path
Maureen McCormick played Marcia Brady for the entire five-season run of "The Brady Bunch," from age 14 to 19. While the character was popular and outgoing with a generally sunny disposition, McCormick herself was experiencing some major teen angst in her own life. "Yet there I was, hiding the reality of my life behind the unreal perfection of Marcia Brady," she wrote in her book. "No one suspected the fear that gnawed at me."
She was just 18, she recalled, when she began hanging with a crowd that epitomized the Hollywood fast lane of the early 1970s, and there was plenty of cocaine to be had. Eventually, what began as a fun flirtation with drugs turned far darker. "From there, I spiraled downward on a path of self-destruction that cost me my career and very nearly my life," she wrote (via Daily Mail). At one point, she admitted, she was so desperate she exchanged sex for cocaine with a drug dealer.
Meanwhile, her substance abuse pretty much demolished a once-promising acting career, even botching a meeting with Steven Spielberg that cost her a role in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." McCormick, who embraced sobriety in 1985, told Us Weekly, "I started messing up on jobs and so many things, so I'm sure everyone in the industry at the time knew that I was flaking out."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
TV dad Robert Reed hid his sexuality
When Robert Reed died in 1992 at age 59, his death exposed a secret that the erstwhile Mike Brady had kept hidden for the entirety of his life. While his death had initially been attributed to cancer, the death certificate revealed he was also HIV positive. It subsequently came to light that Reed was gay but had remained in the closet over fears that exposing his sexuality would crater his career — certainly understandable for an actor who remained best known for playing one of TV's most iconic dads.
In a 2020 interview with ABC News, Barry Williams revealed that he was among many on the "Brady Bunch" set who knew Reed's secret — which was something that Reed simply refused to address. "I don't think he talked about it with anyone," Williams said. "I just don't think it was a discussion. Period."
Reed's onscreen spouse also knew he was gay but likewise didn't pry into his personal life. "Here he was, the perfect father of this wonderful little family, a perfect husband," said Florence Henderson. "Off camera, he was an unhappy person — I think had Bob not been forced to live this double life, I think it would have dissipated a lot of that anger and frustration ... I had a lot of compassion for him because I knew how he was suffering with keeping this secret."
Mike Lookinland struggled with alcohol abuse
Maureen McCormick wasn't the only former child star on "The Brady Bunch" to fall prey to substance abuse. Mike Lookinland, who played the youngest son, Bobby, opened up about overcoming alcoholism — which he attributed to an abnormal childhood spent on a TV set, not a playground. "To have that much fame when you're really young ... it certainly affects you," Lookinland explained during a 2013 appearance on "Oprah: Where Are They Now."
As a result, it wasn't until the show had ended that he really began to explore the kind of experiences that he otherwise would have as a child. "You should really try to live your childhood when you're a child because if you do it when you're 26, it can be dangerous," he admitted. A big part of that was drinking, something he dove into with gusto after "The Brady Bunch" ended.
As Lookinland's drinking escalated, he ultimately faced a fork in the road, forcing him into a decision that changed everything for him. "When it became clear that the choice wasn't between sobering up or drinking, but the choice was actually between living or dying, then it became a simple choice for me," he said. At the time of that interview, Lookinland had been sober for 16 years and never looked back. "Life's better, that's for sure," he said.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Tiger the dog was secretly replaced
During the course of "The Brady Bunch," one of the characters was recast — and most viewers probably never noticed. "It's a sad story," series creator Sherwood Schwartz told the Television Academy Foundation of the fate of Tiger, the Brady family dog. As Schwartz recalled, one day, the dog was hit and killed by a car off set. "Now the trainer, who was making a good living with Tiger, didn't want to tell us Tiger was killed," Schwartz continued. The next time the trainer showed up on set, it was with a lookalike dog. At first, nobody noticed.
As it happened, Tiger was featured in that episode, in a scene that took place in the Brady boys' bedroom. The dog's task was to simply lie on the floor. This dog, however, may have looked like Tiger but hadn't undergone any training. As a result, the dog refused to follow the trainer's instructions, instead wandering around the set. This presented a conundrum, given that the previous Tiger had already shot some scenes for that episode.
"We solved the problem by nailing Tiger to the floor," Schwartz said — clarifying that it was actually the dog's collar that was nailed down, not the dog itself. That was the final episode in which Tiger appeared. "That was the end because we had an untrained dog and weren't going to deal with that," Schwartz added.
The two youngest Brady kids used to make out in Tiger's doghouse
In yet another case of hormones ruling the decisions of the child actors on "The Brady Bunch," Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen — who played the youngest Brady kids, Bobby and Cindy, respectively — also found themselves caught up in attraction as they grew from little kids to pre-teens. In an interview with Australia's News.com.au, Olsen explained that because the Brady kids spent such long hours together on the set, they first looked to each other when they began seeking romantic companionship.
"We led a sheltered life for part of the year, so if there was anybody to get a crush on or try to date, it would be our counterparts," she said, revealing that she and her TV brother engaged in some mild hanky-panky in a somewhat unusual location. "So I had Mike Lookinland, and we used to make out in the doghouse when we were nine," she said. According to Olsen, a similar situation unfolded with co-stars Eve Plumb (who played Jan) and Christopher Knight (Peter). "Eve always had a crush on Chris. They did kind of hook up later on," she revealed.
Lookinland confirmed their childhood rendezvous in the doghouse during a 2015 appearance on "Today," but insisted it never went beyond that. "Now, Susan and I never went further than a little smoochy-smoochy," he said.
One of the Brady girls had a habit of shoplifting
Marcia Brady may have been one of television's most squeaky-clean characters, but Maureen McCormick was not quite so virtuous. Her TV sister, Susan Olsen, ratted her out in an interview with News.com.au, divulging McCormick used to be a teenage shoplifter.
According to Olsen, McCormick had befriended Susan Cowsill, a member of the family rock group The Cowsills, who inspired the TV sitcom "The Partridge Family." The two used to hit up stores together and steal merchandise — not because they were destitute, but just for the thrill. That habit came to an immediate halt when they were busted. "They used to go shoplifting just as a sport, and one day they got caught, and Maureen bolted and hid in a car for hours and let Susan take the rap for it," Olsen said, recalling how poor Cowsill was left to face the music all by her lonesome. When later confronted, McCormick lied and insisted she hadn't stolen anything.
McCormick filled in the blanks in her book, "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady And Finding My True Voice." In an excerpt appearing on a Cowsills fan site, she revealed that incident ended their friendship. "Sadly, I haven't seen her since the moment when I fled from the mall. It was stupid, cowardly," she wrote. "If I had the chance, I'd apologize to Susan, own up to being a jerk, and ask if she would forgive me."
Christopher Knight felt 'prostituted' as a child actor
Many former child stars have come to regret being pushed into show business by their parents, realizing that trading their childhoods for fleeting fame that evaporates when they enter adulthood is a raw deal. Speaking about his childhood during an appearance on "Oprah: Where Are They Now," Knight recalled growing up in a very different family from his make-believe one on television.
"My family was nothing like 'The Brady Bunch.' As a matter of fact, they hated it," Knight said of his parents, describing them as highly educated but teetering on the brink of homelessness. In fact, Knight recalled that when his father — a stage actor — was between jobs and money was tight, he'd once suggested feeding him and his brother on alternating days instead of each day.
According to Knight, his parents pushed him into acting to be the family's meal ticket, which paid off when he was cast as Peter Brady at age 10. "I'm feeling totally prostituted at that point by my mom," Knight said. In fact, he pointed out that she'd later admitted as much to him and apologized for it. "Only after I became an adult did I have conversations with her about how she was completely wrong," Knight told People.
Susan Olsen was at the center of salacious rumors
Susan Olsen was just eight when she was cast as Cindy on "The Brady Bunch." Interviewed by Fox News, she admitted she loved being a child actor, save for a single aspect. "Fame was the one part I didn't like," she said, recalling an autograph-signing event where the crowd went so wild she was mobbed. "It was very, very frightening," she said. "I was ready to quit the show."
Olsen eventually did quit acting — save for "Brady Bunch" TV movies and spinoff series. Out of the public eye, rumors about her flourished over the years. One of these claimed that she'd died in a horrible accident. "That's pretty much a fabrication," she said, explaining that a girl who shared her name had died, leading to a news outlet wrongly reporting on her death.
Another lingering rumor held that she starred in X-rated movies. That rumor, she conceded, is partially true. During an interview with Australian radio show "Jonesy & Amanda," Olsen revealed that a friend approached her because she owned a synthesizer and asked if she could make space-like noises for an adult film he was making. "He gave me $50, and I provided the sound effects for 'Love Probe From A Warm Planet' — that's my porn title. That's my credit," she said. "I've always loved the porn rumor," she once tweeted.
Two of the Brady kids faced whispers of a same-sex affair
Another rumor that emerged about "The Brady Bunch" claimed that two of the Brady girls had a teenage affair. In 2007, the New York Post reported that Maureen McCormick's book — which was scheduled for release the following year — would feature her spilling the beans about a "physically intimate" romance between her and TV sister Eve Plumb.
However, the book's publisher denied the Post's report entirely. "We are verifying that it is not true," Debbie Styer, senior vice president of group publicity at William Morrow, told ABC News.
Jess Cagle, then assistant managing editor of People magazine, appeared on CBS' "The Early Show" to discuss the rumor and why it was such big news. As he explained, even though it had been three-plus decades since the show ended, the public continued to be enthralled by its stars. "Still, we're so titillated by any misbehavior of the Brady kids," Cagle said, per CBS News. For evidence, he pointed to the oft-told story of Barry Williams' date with Florence Henderson and the worldwide headlines that were generated. "We were fascinated by that, that something gives a lie to the squeaky clean image of the show, is titillating," he added, "the idea of Marcia and Jan even more."
The reason MIke Brady wasn't in the final episode
Prior to being cast as patriarch Mike Brady in "The Brady Bunch," Robert Reed had been a Shakespearean actor, having studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He'd also starred on Broadway and was a longtime member of the Actors Studio, whose membership includes the likes of Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, and other cinema luminaries. Shortly before his death, Reed openly shared his disdain for "The Brady Bunch" when he told People, "It was just as inconsequential as it can be. To the degree that it serves as a babysitter, I'm glad we did it. But I do not want it on my tombstone," (via UPI).
Interestingly, Reed does not appear in the episode that wound up being the series finale, a sillier-than-usual installment in which Greg inadvertently dyes his hair green after using a tonic sold to him by younger brother Bobby. As series creator Sherwood Schwartz told the Television Academy Foundation, Reed read the script and was not pleased. "Bob Reed called and said, 'Outlandish story, unbelievable, ridiculous, and I won't do the show.'"
When it came time to film, Reed was present in the studio despite his character having been written out of the episode due to his refusal to be in it. "He did, however, hang around the set while the episode was being shot, grumbling about its idiocy," Barry Williams wrote in his memoir.