Nicole Eggert Was 'Miserable' On 'Baywatch' & Her Body Insecurities Led Her To Leave Show

May 30, 2022 by apost team

Nicole Eggert is an American actress that first rose to fame, portraying the character Jamie Powell on the situational comedy series "Charles in Charge." Eggert also starred as Summer Quinn in the hit show "Baywatch," which she has some mixed feelings about. The actress first started appearing on the show in 1992 and continued until 1994.  

Eggert has been credited as an actress in 73 film and television projects and has appeared as herself 53 times on reality TV series such as "Splash," "Celebrity Fit Club" and the plastic surgery series "Botched." She began acting at the age of 8 and saw a lot of success in her youth in Hollywood. Now, she is facing financial difficulties and has reportedly filed for bankruptcy.

In 2019, Eggert appeared on the reality series "Back in the Game" with Alex Rodriguez, which helps sports stars and entertainers get back on their feet after their careers have taken a turn for the worse. Eggert has also revealed that she has her own ice cream truck business called Scoops that she says is a family-run business. Eggert serves ice cream out of a food truck-style vehicle and frequents farmers' markets and other events in Los Angeles.

Eggert has two daughters and was previously married to actor Justin Herwick. She also dated the late Corey Haim in the 1990s and was said to be engaged to the actor. The pair were co-stars in several films, including "Blown Away" and "Anything for Love." Keep reading to learn more about Eggert's life, the reasons she left "Baywatch," and to see how she looks today in 2021.

Eggert was born on January 13, 1972, in Glendale, California. She is the daughter of Gina Duncan, a British-born talent agent, and Rolf Eggert, a German-born canning-company executive. At the age of 4, Eggert won the Miss Universe beauty pageant in the petite division. This experience launched her career in show business. 

In an interview with Sitcoms Online, Eggert explained, "As for getting into acting, oddly enough because this is so out of my character, when I was about four years old I did a beauty pageant and it was Miss Universe for kids and I won Miss Universe, so it was televised and after that casting directors started calling booking me for commercials, I did a movie of the week with Cheryl Ladd & Robert Urich. And from that I started getting calls to do commercials and my first commercial that I did was Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo and Coppertone, and I just had so much fun. "

The actress added, "My parents are European and I think they were open to let me try to have a different life than what they had and different opportunities than what they were given and we thought we'll try this to see you know how this goes and it was a blast and I've been on this journey ever since."

In 1980, at the age of 8, Eggert appeared in the film "Rich and Famous" alongside Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen. She played the character of Bergen's young daughter. After that film, the star began to gain more attention and had a recurring role on "Who's the Boss" as a friend of Samantha Micelli, the character portrayed by Alyssa Milano. It was just after this, in 1986, that Eggert first appeared in season two of "Charles in Charge" as Jamie Powell. 

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Eggert was featured as one of several lifeguards on the super popular series "Baywatch." She appeared on seasons three and four, which aired from 1992 to 1994. The star returned to the franchise in 2003 for the reunion film "Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding." Eggert spoke with Sitcoms Online about getting the role: 

"(A) producer from 'Charles in Charge,' Al Burton, was producing what was supposed to be a spin-off of Baywatch and that's when I got involved. I was never really supposed to be on 'Baywatch' as a lifeguard, they tried to do a high school spin-off like a beach high school thing and that was the true intention of bringing me onto the show. And I think the new cast dynamic was working so well for 'Baywatch,' they didn't want to split it up and they kind of let go of the idea of the spin-off." 

She continued, "So I stayed there and it was okay, I don't think it did a lot for my career, you know, I immediately got pigeon holed as to like a bimbo and all that kind of stuff. As far as getting good roles after that, it made my life a little bit harder, but it is what it is. A lot of people obviously liked it, because it was successful, but it was just harder to be taken seriously in the industry after that show."

Eggert said in an interview that she didn't feel like she fit in well among the cast and in her character. Eggert told Oprah Winfrey on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?": 

"I thought I was going to be doing a high school show, sort of like '90210' meets the beach. I saw myself more as... the tomboy athletic one. And when I saw Pam come out of the trailer, she came out like Barbie! I was like, 'Oh, no. One of us is really on the wrong page.' It was me. I was on the wrong page."

Having to wear a swimsuit all day and be surrounded by other gorgeous women in swimwear made Eggert feel insecure about her body. "I was on set at a beach with these girls walking around with these huge boobs and these perfect bodies," she said to Oprah. 

Eggert decided to do something about her insecurities but made it clear that it was her decision. "I did the breast implants on my own. That was all me. They never asked me to do that. A year later, I had them reduced quite significantly," the star said.

Even though the producers of "Baywatch" never suggested Eggert get plastic surgery, there were questionable ethics surrounding the talent contracts on the show. "(There) was a clause in the contract that states you can't go up or down five pounds," Eggert revealed. "I was 19 years old; my weight wasn't fluctuating. I didn't even work out." 

While she did not struggle with the weight rule, Eggert did have a hard time with her reputation as a star on the series. "I felt more of the repercussions of being called a 'bimbo,' which bothered me because I'm not. I never was," she said to Oprah. "I had worked really hard to have a legit career and I really didn't like the way that 'Baywatch' was taking my reputation."

This is what led the actress to leave the show for good. "I had asked to be let go from my contract. The show was doing so well, they were saying, 'Absolutely not,'" Eggert recalled. "They kind of struck a deal with me. They said, 'If you're really that unhappy, finish (the season) and if you're still miserable, then we'll let you out of your contracts.'"

There was also a film about the series released in 2020 titled "Baywatch: The Documentary," in which Eggert recalls her time on the show. Eggert had an interview with 7News Australia in October of that same year, during which she discussed "Baywatch" and the new resurgence of fans that have surfaced in recent years. She told 7News: 

"'Baywatch' was an escape for a lot of people who were going through a lot of things in the world. The documentary touches on that as well. The Berlin Wall was coming down and then you had the LA riots - there were just so many things that were going on. It feels like we've come full circle that we're doing this during a pandemic. But it was really good escapism and you could be in Southern California in your living room."

Now in hindsight, Eggert can see the ways that she was viewed in the series has changed with time. "My instinct was to run away from it and get back to where I was. We went from 'Baywatch' bimbos to 'Baywatch' babes to now 'Baywatch' icons. It's grown with us, but in the beginning, it was a little terrifying for me. It changed my career, and it changed who was calling and booking me for other jobs, and it scared me," shared the actress.

Eggert added, "I thought that running from it and leaving the show was the right thing to do. In hindsight, maybe I should have stuck with it. Maybe I should have ridden it out and parlayed it into something else, but that was my instinct at that young age."

Scoops and Splash!

In her interview with Oprah from 2015, Eggert shares that she had always wanted to open up her own ice cream truck business. "I always kind of dreamed of having something like this for the birthday parties that I planned for my oldest daughter. There just never was anything out there like that," she said.

The actress shared that the truck, which operates more like a food truck than an ice cream truck, is often at farmer's markets and other events happening in the Los Angeles area. Eggert explained, "We mostly do private parties and events. You're not going to see it driving around your local neighborhood."

The business has become a family affair, with Eggert's two daughters often showing up to help out. "I take it on Sundays to get to know people," she said. "I have regulars now! (Her) kids come in and they work. They serve ice cream. That's what we do on Sunday mornings!"

Outside of her ice cream business, Eggert also spends her time practicing diving, a hobby she picked up after appearing on the reality show "Splash!" in 2013. "I decided to do it because it was sort of like bumping on my bucket list and it was something like I always kind of admired and wished I could do. And so with this opportunity with professional trainers like this, it just seemed like a great opportunity," Eggert told Sitcoms Online. 

A photo on Eggert's Instagram from July 2021 shows the star doing a handstand on the high board. She also shared a photo of her at the same pool and diving board in the 90s while she was shooting "Baywatch." The actress trained there for the show and still goes there now to practice her diving. She captioned the photos: 

"Well into my 40's I decided that high diving off the 33' was something I wanted to conquer. I don't advise it lol But no matter how scary it was I did it to challenge my strength, many black eyes and bloody noses later I did it. So can you. Entering a handstand to leave that platform and also a pic as a kid climbing those same steps not even daring to go to the top. And ironically it's the same steps to the same platform. Life comes full circle."

Nicole Today

Today Eggert looks different from when she was in her early 20s on "Baywatch." She appeared on an episode of "What Not To Wear" in 2013 and sought the advice of presenters Stacey London and Clinton Kelly to improve her appearance. Eggert said on the show, "I've gained a little bit of weight. I've had two kids, so I go for what's easy and what's comfortable and I guess I don't put too much thought into it."

She also said that she wants to lose 10 pounds so she feels comfortable in front of the public eye and to "get to where I can be me for me and then let them take pictures again."

After receiving plastic surgery in her 20s for a breast augmentation and then another surgery for a reduction, Eggert was not feeling comfortable with the way her body looked and wanted to get more work done to get another reduction. She decided to go on the series "Botched" in 2015 to share her process with the world. 

The star made it clear that she wanted the surgery only for herself and her own self-esteem. "I'm a mom with a 3-year-old at my hip," she said on the show. "There are certainly no roles where I'll be ripping my shirt off. Nobody's seeing my boobs! I would be so much happier with a couple of scars and just have a better life with them."

Eggert also said in the episode, "It's something I definitely want it done if it's done right, but I've had such bad luck that I'm scared to death to make it worse." The doctor understood what Eggert wanted but had some reservations about the size of the reduction because he felt the breasts might be a little small for her frame. He commented on the show, "Nicole wants her Baywatch body back...but she's carrying a little excess weight." Eventually, they came to a compromise, and Eggert felt much better about her appearance.

In 2021, Eggert looks beautiful even though she looks different from when she was younger. She is happy being a mother and posts frequent photos of her daughters on her Instagram account. We wish her luck in all of her future endeavors and hope to see her return to television soon. 

Are you a fan of "Baywatch" or "Charles in Charge?" Would you like to see Eggert perform in more film and television projects? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.