If Howard Stern was responsible...

[Schmo]

If Howard Stern was responsible for Dana Plato’s suicide (the humiliation she received on-air was supposedly the motive), why didn’t her family filea wrongful death suit?

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Schmo

If Howard Stern was responsible for Dana Plato’s suicide (the humiliation she received on-air was supposedly the motive), why didn’t her family filea wrongful death suit?

I wouldn't say that Dana's appearance on Howard Stern's show didn't play some factor in her eventual death. But Dana already had a very fragile psyche to begin with. It's quite easy to suggest that Stern's listeners and the mean-spirited calls that she received sent her the proverbial over the edge because it's the the most logical and immediate "explanation". I'm sure that Dana lived in denial of her problems and she couldn't entirely come to terms with the fact that she wasn't a major TV star anymore and would never likely make a legitimate mainstream comeback.

[Schmo]

I’m sure that guests on Stern’s show sign statements absolving him and the show of responsibility of anything bad that happens to the guest.

[Samme]

Ugliness has been a constant in Stern's career. And he plays to it. A lousy human being.

[dee2364]

Dana Plato was not a dumb, naive child when she appeared on The Stern Show. She knew exactly what she was getting into when she decided to go on, just like other washed up celebs over the years who decided to capitalize on the show's notoriety at the expense of their dignity and legacy. (George Takei, Flip Wilson). And like Erin Moran, her life was on a downward spiral for years before her OD. No way was that one appearance responsible for her death. Her family probably knew that more than anyone, which is why they never sued Stern.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by dee2364

Dana Plato was not a dumb, naive child when she appeared on The Stern Show. She knew exactly what she was getting into when she decided to go on, just like other washed up celebs over the years who decided to capitalize on the show's notoriety at the expense of their dignity and legacy. (George Takei, Flip Wilson). And like Erin Moran, her life was on a downward spiral for years before her OD. No way was that one appearance responsible for her death. Her family probably knew that more than anyone, which is why they never sued Stern.

I'm not going to "name names" right now, but (and since this is merely a "blind item" we can only take it for what it's worth) there has been online speculation that Dana Plato's "downward spiral" if you want to call it that, was triggered by one of the higher ups that she worked for on Diff'rent Strokes. I'll just leave it at that.

[Dana fan]

Originally Posted by TMC

I'm not going to "name names" right now, but (and since this is merely a "blind item" we can only take it for what it's worth) there has been online speculation that Dana Plato's "downward spiral" if you want to call it that, was triggered by one of the higher ups that she worked for on Diff'rent Strokes. I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not going to "name names" right now, but (and since this is merely a "blind item" we can only take it for what it's worth) there has been online speculation that Dana Plato's "downward spiral" if you want to call it that, was triggered by one of the higher ups that she worked for on Diff'rent Strokes. I'll just leave it at that.



That's interesting, although sadly it won't bring her back

[BestTVever]

I remember listening to this live. She was fine until the caller called in and accused her of being high. She should have just ignored and made fun of the drug test challenge. Howard kept pushing it over and over so I do hold him accountable. He has many regrets in his career but he never talks about this. I am sure its an open wound. Its so sad.

[TMC]

[Schmo]

I read on Wikipedia that Dana was sexually abused by a relative as a child.

[TMC]

Todd Bridges says he warned Dana Plato not to attend painful Howard Stern interview the day before her death

NEED TO KNOW

• Dana Plato struggled for years after leaving Diff'rent Strokes in 1984
• Plato went from playing Kimberly Drummond to struggling with addiction and floundering in her career
• Todd Bridges recalls trying to reach out to his friend and look out for her ahead of what was her final media appearance
• Dana Plato's closest friends were reaching out to her until the very end.

While appearing in the latest episode of Hollywood Demons, "Child Stars Gone Wild," costar Todd Bridges talks about staying in touch with his Diff'rent Strokes costar after she left the show and struggled.

Plato left the show in 1984, after she became pregnant with her son, Tyler. Her character on the show was written off, with Kimberly moving to Paris and no longer appearing. In 1989, Plato made the decision to pose for Playboy, one that Bridges says didn't get her the attention she'd hoped for.

"I think that when Dana did Playboy, she was expecting something bigger than what really happened."

Seeing the suggestive content from the child star was off-putting to fans who were also aware of her rumored drug problem at that time.

Plato continued to struggle and, in 1991, was arrested for robbing a Las Vegas video store and was placed on five years' probation. The following year, she was given five years' probation for forging Valium prescriptions.

One of Plato's most notable and final moments in media was her decision to appear on Howard Stern on May 7, 1999. During her appearance on the show, callers trashed Plato, who maintained she was sober for the interview and had been for years.

“I have been sober for over a decade now. No joke," she said, on air.

Bridges admits he knew the interview would work against Plato and tried to advise her to reconsider it.

“I called her and I said, ‘Don't do Stern. Don't do it,' " he shared. "And she insisted that she was okay. That was the last time I heard from her.”

Plato died on May 8, 1999 of a drug overdose that was later ruled a suicide. She was 34.