Current:Home > StocksHenry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God' -OptionFlow
Henry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God'
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:05:44
They just wanted to say "ayyyy!"
Henry Winkler shared a story on the "SmartLess" podcast Monday about the FBI once showing up at his apartment. The "Happy Days" star, 78, recalled sitting at home listening to a Dan Fogelberg record when he heard a knock on his door.
"I get up, there are three men with badges, and I said, 'Oh, no, you do not smell what you think you're smelling,'" Winkler said, implying there was weed in his apartment. "Oh my God."
It turns out, though, this wasn't why they were there. The men were just massive fans of "Happy Days."
"They said, 'We're with the FBI,'" Winkler said. "We're not here for that. We just wanted to meet The Fonz.'"
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Henry Winkleron being ghosted by Paul McCartney, that 'baloney' John Travolta 'Grease' feud
"SmartLess" host Jason Bateman noted this seemed like an abuse of power, but Winkler was simply relieved to not be in any trouble.
"I was so happy that I wasn't being put in handcuffs that I didn't care what they did," he quipped.
Winkler didn't specify when this incident happened. But he mentioned it while discussing being flooded with fan mail and gifts at home when he starred as Fonzie on "Happy Days," the classic sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984. These gifts included jewelry, stuffed bears, crucifixes and even lingerie.
Quarantine Diaries:Henry Winkler is eating dinner mid-day and waiting to hug his grandkids again
The FBI incident wasn't the only strange encounter the "Barry" star had at his apartment.
"People would come to the apartment and lift their shirt and ask me to sign parts of their anatomy," the Emmy-winner said. "And of course I wouldn't because I was afraid that the ink would get into their blood stream."
Winkler previously reflected on his career in the memoir "Being Henry: The Fonz…And Beyond," published last year. Speaking with USA TODAY, he explained he tried never to speak as The Fonz in public while "Happy Days" was on, though he did channel the character once at a fan event when a screaming crowd was blocking his exit.
"Using Fonz voice, I shouted, 'Alright! You are going to part like the Red Sea. You're not going to touch us,'" he said. "And they actually parted. We walked to the car, got in, and drove off."
Contributing: Bryan Alexander
veryGood! (9364)
Related
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Massachusetts lawmakers overcome efforts to block money for temporary shelters for migrant families
- Minnesota prosecutors won’t charge officers in the death of a man who drowned after fleeing police
- Video shows elderly 17-year-old Shih Tzu rescued from air vent in Virginia home: Watch
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Biden is spending most of the week raising money at events with James Taylor and Steven Spielberg
- Florida State beats Stanford for its fourth women’s soccer national championship
- Don't blame CFP committee for trying to be perfect with an imperfect system
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- AI’s future could be ‘open-source’ or closed. Tech giants are divided as they lobby regulators
Ranking
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- 'Standing on business': What the internet's latest slang term means and how to use it.
- Older Voters Are Second Only to Young People in Share of ’Climate Voters,’ New Study Shows
- Brutal killings of women in Western Balkan countries trigger alarm and expose faults in the system
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- US job openings fall to lowest level since March 2021 as labor market cools
- Watch this mom's excitement over a special delivery: her Army son back from overseas
- Orlando Magic racking up quality wins as they surge in NBA power rankings
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Move over, Mariah. Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' is No. 1
Whistleblower allegation: Harvard muzzled disinfo team after $500 million Zuckerberg donation
Best Christmas gift I ever received
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Notre Dame trustees select Robert Dowd as university’s 18th president
Taylor Swift attends Chiefs game with Brittany Mahomes – but they weren't the only famous faces there
Who can and cannot get weight-loss drugs