Mackenzie Phillips: "Valerie and I Did Cocaine Together during ODAAT Lunch Breaks" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 06-01-2026, 04:31 PM

"One Day at a Time" Star Mackenzie Phillips says She and Valerie Bertinelli Did Cocaine on Lunch Breaks
by Leigh Blickley
June 1, 2026

Mackenzie Phillips isn't afraid to share personal details from her time on the 1970s sitcom "One Day at a Time".

During a recent interview, Phillips admitted that she and costar Valerie Bertinelli used to do drugs and drink alcohol on their lunch breaks. She shared the anecdote with Fox News Digital on Sunday when asked for a memory that might surprise fans.

"Oh, I don't know. Oh, okay. So this might surprise you that during lunch break, Valerie and I would drive to my house, get in the pool, drink wine, and snort coke," Phillips told the outlet.

She clarified that she wasn't out of line sharing that information, as Bertinelli has discussed her history with drug use.

"But Valerie talks about it openly, so it's not like I'm pulling her covers or anything," Phillips said. "The thing was that I was the, you know, Valerie didn't have the kind of addiction that I had. She didn't have addiction."

Mackenzie told Fox News Digital that she and Bertinelli would also snort cocaine in the dressing room, noting, "I just happened to be the one that got caught. And thank God I got caught, you know?"

During the third season in 1977, Phillips was arrested for disorderly conduct and, due to her drug and alcohol abuse, producers allegedly ordered her to take a six-week break after she began arriving late and was reportedly incoherent during rehearsals.

She was ultimately fired in 1980, went to rehab, and was invited back to the show a year later. But, after relapsing, Mackenzie was let go and her character, Julie Cooper Horvath, was written off the series.

https://ew.com/one-day-at-a-time-mac...reaks-11987697

opus · 06-01-2026, 04:53 PM

Here’s the same thing from 2008

Valerie Bertinelli comes clean on drugs, infidelity

>>>Bertinelli said she tried cocaine for the first time as a teen with her troubled "One Day" co-star Mackenzie Phillips, but she really got into the drug after getting together with rocker Eddie Van Halen, whom she married when she was 20, just eight months after they started dating.

In her book, Bertinelli confesses that drugs were part of the marriage from the start ... literally: "The priest we tapped to perform the ceremony gave us questionnaires so he could get to know us better and offer more personal words. As we filled out the forms at home, we each held a little vial of coke."<<<

Bonniegirl · 06-03-2026, 02:59 PM

So many people did that back in the day. A shame MacKenzie got so addicted and didn't just keep it at the recreational level.

06-01-2026, 04:31 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 56,985	Mackenzie Phillips: "Valerie and I Did Cocaine Together during ODAAT Lunch Breaks" *"One Day at a Time" Star Mackenzie Phillips says She and Valerie Bertinelli Did Cocaine on Lunch Breaks* by Leigh Blickley June 1, 2026 Mackenzie Phillips isn't afraid to share personal details from her time on the 1970s sitcom "One Day at a Time". During a recent interview, Phillips admitted that she and costar Valerie Bertinelli used to do drugs and drink alcohol on their lunch breaks. She shared the anecdote with Fox News Digital on Sunday when asked for a memory that might surprise fans. "Oh, I don't know. Oh, okay. So this might surprise you that during lunch break, Valerie and I would drive to my house, get in the pool, drink wine, and snort coke," Phillips told the outlet. She clarified that she wasn't out of line sharing that information, as Bertinelli has discussed her history with drug use. "But Valerie talks about it openly, so it's not like I'm pulling her covers or anything," Phillips said. "The thing was that I was the, you know, Valerie didn't have the kind of addiction that I had. She didn't have addiction." Mackenzie told Fox News Digital that she and Bertinelli would also snort cocaine in the dressing room, noting, "I just happened to be the one that got caught. And thank God I got caught, you know?" During the third season in 1977, Phillips was arrested for disorderly conduct and, due to her drug and alcohol abuse, producers allegedly ordered her to take a six-week break after she began arriving late and was reportedly incoherent during rehearsals. She was ultimately fired in 1980, went to rehab, and was invited back to the show a year later. But, after relapsing, Mackenzie was let go and her character, Julie Cooper Horvath, was written off the series. https://ew.com/one-day-at-a-time-mac...reaks-11987697

06-01-2026, 04:53 PM	#2
opus VB Forum Superstar Join Date: May 16, 2015 Location: VB Galaxy Posts: 32,115	Here’s the same thing from 2008 Valerie Bertinelli comes clean on drugs, infidelity >>>Bertinelli said she tried cocaine for the first time as a teen with her troubled "One Day" co-star Mackenzie Phillips, but she really got into the drug after getting together with rocker Eddie Van Halen, whom she married when she was 20, just eight months after they started dating. In her book, Bertinelli confesses that drugs were part of the marriage from the start ... literally: "The priest we tapped to perform the ceremony gave us questionnaires so he could get to know us better and offer more personal words. As we filled out the forms at home, we each held a little vial of coke."<<<

06-03-2026, 02:59 PM	#3
Bonniegirl AKA Hazel Horvath Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 10, 2014 Posts: 65,436	So many people did that back in the day. A shame MacKenzie got so addicted and didn't just keep it at the recreational level.