Fred Grandy, one of the original stars of The Love Boat, spoke candidly about not standing up for his co-star, Lauren Tewes, when she was fired from the show due to cocaine use. Grandy, 77, made the remarks on the CW’s docuseries TV We Love.
Cast Was Known for Hard Partying
The Love Boat was the first television show which actually traveled the world to shoot its episodes, and according to Grandy, the party atmosphere never failed to materialize when the cameras stopped rolling. “[In] the third season, they began to say, ‘Why not the world? Why don’t we go to Australia? Why don’t we go to Greece and the Mediterranean? Why don’t we go to England and Norway and Copenhagen and places like that?’ And eventually, ‘Why don’t we become the first show to ever go to China?’” Grandy recalled.
Because the cast and crew was living on the very ship on which The Love Boat was filmed, the atmosphere was more akin to an actual cruise than a professional set. “Was there drinking on the ship? Yes. People go on these ships to drink and that’s true to this day,” Grandy laughed. “There was a party atmosphere, in many cases, particularly when you had all these high-priced players working together…There was a disco on every ship and they’d usually be filled at night. There was a casino.”
Grandy Regrets Not Defending Tewes
But the party days came to a swift end when lead actor Tewes, who played cruise director Julie McCoy, was fired due to her cocaine use. “I mean, let’s face it,” Grandy admitted, “this is a business where a lot of people use controlled substances in one way, shape or form.” Still, Grandy didn’t defend his co-star when executives terminated her, and he now regrets not “supporting” her. “My one regret about her situation was that I never really came forward and defended and supported her in a way that we should have,” he said. “So there is some regret there, at least as far as I’m concerned.”
Tewes spent seven seasons on The Love Boat before departing in 1984, though she returned the following year and appeared in several one-off specials. In 1985, she told TV Guide that she had lost not only her job but her home and a good deal of money feeding her addiction. “All that money didn’t go into a bank. It went into my nose,” Tewes said.
‘You Think You Are Stronger’
As for why she turned to the drug, Tewes admitted, “I wanted to be one of the gang. I am ashamed to say it, but it’s true. The first time I took cocaine I had just gotten the job on The Love Boat and I was on my way to a party. My date said, ‘Let’s do drugs.’ And I said, ‘What the heck?’’ The feeling it gave me was incredible euphoria. You think you are fine. You think you are stronger, braver. I thought it gave me the courage I missed. It was like going to Oz and asking for courage. But instead, I got cocaine.”
But quickly, Tewes’ life spiraled out of control. “I was trying to keep my job, keep my husband, keep my house,” she said. “I was trying to please everybody, and I was destroying myself. I was on drugs. I didn’t sleep. I slept at work. I behaved poorly at work, and that is where I made my fatal mistake.”
Tewes Eventually Got Sober
Tewes was eventually able to kick the habit with help from a counsellor. “It was a different time. I was a woman, so I was blacklisted for [my addiction],” Tewes said in the docuseries. Grady admitted that the cultural response to substance abuse impacted his own thinking, which is why he didn’t stand up for his co-star. “In those days, if you did that kind of thing, you were punished. You didn’t get help,” he said.
