Nicole Eggert Tells Dr. Oz About Her Teenage Relationship With Scott Baio: “He Knew It Was Illegal”

Following Nicole Eggert’s accusations that Scott Baio sexually assaulted her while she was still a teenager during the production of Charles in Charge, The Dr. Oz Show has aired their interview with the actress wherein she elaborates on her claims.

The interview was actually taped on January 10 and has been held for almost a month. A source from The Dr. Oz Show told The Hollywood Reporter that the segment was being held while Eggert’s claims were being vetted. During the interim, though, Eggert and Baio began a back and forth on social media where Eggert made her accusations and Baio countered. “We have strict standards for vetting and investigating stories,” the source told THR. “Corroborating allegations that happened 30 years ago takes time. But then, over the weekend, a Twitter and Facebook war erupted and both parties spoke out freely and public, taking matters into their own hands. So we decided to proceed with our show.”

The Dr. Oz segment aired on Wednesday, with Eggert revealing the details of her allegations to Dr. Oz. “Sometimes we would hang out at the pool and have hangout sessions at his house; he lived alone,” described Eggert in the segment taped earlier this month. “We were in his car — he was going to take me home — in the garage and all the lights went out. It was completely dark and he reached over and started touching me. Touching me below the belt, in the female parts.”

Eggert said that she thought it was okay back when she was 14 years old, and that she didn’t tell anyone about it at the time–partly, Eggert asserts, because Baio told her not to. “I didn’t tell anybody at all. He also had conversations with me being very clear that nobody could know, and that it was illegal, and that everybody could lose their job, including myself. It would just open this horrible can of worms, and I didn’t want that, either.”

Eggert says that Baio became “quite mean” to her when she turned 17 and expressed interest in boys her own age, and she accuses the star of using that age difference to manipulate her into having sex with him: “[Baio] sort of manipulated me in the way of, ‘Let me get you ready for boys your own age.’ And I agreed to that. It was awkward, to say the least.”

As an adult, Eggert now sees her teenage interactions with Baio, which she says began at the age of 14, differently. “I most definitely think it was abuse,” she says. “I think that no matter if his feelings were genuine or not as far as loving me, he should have known better. He knew it was illegal. As an adult, you choose not to go down that path. You don’t do that. It’s definitely being preyed upon, because you don’t know any better and you’re so impressionable and vulnerable and learning and experiencing things for the first time in your life.”

Earlier this week, Eggert appeared on Megyn Kelly Today, where she accused Baio of sexual assault upon her addition to the Charles in Charge cast in 1987.  “He immediately took to me and befriended me and earned my trust. He expressed his love for me and talked about marriage in the future. And then, before my 15th birthday, we were at his house, in his car, in his garage and he reached over and he penetrated me with his finger. And that is when the sexual touching and abuse started.”

Baio’s representative gave a statement to The Dr. Oz Show, saying, “Nicole Eggert was well past the age of 18 when she came to Scott Baio looking for a sexual experience. Given this, her other vague claims, which Scott has consistently denied, cannot have any merit.”

Watch The Dr Oz Show interview with Nicole Eggert on DoctorOz.com