Current:Home > NewsHenry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God' -Pinnacle Profit Strategies
Henry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God'
View
Date:2025-04-14 06:39:49
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! (82)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- CVS Health pulls some cough-and-cold treatments with ingredient deemed ineffective by doctors
- Virginia NAACP sues Youngkin for records behind the denials of felons’ voting rights
- Rafah border remains closed amid mounting calls for Gaza aid: Reporter's notebook
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Well-known mountaineer falls to her death into crevasse on Mount Dhaulagiri, the world's 7th-highest peak
- Influencer Nelly Toledo Shares Leather Weather Favorites From Amazon
- Under fire, Social Security chief vows top-to-bottom review of payment clawbacks
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Illinois government employee fired after posting antisemitic comments on social media
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Blac Chyna Shares Heartwarming Photo of Kids King Cairo and Dream Dancing
- Discovery of 189 decaying bodies in Colorado funeral home suggests families received fake ashes
- Making 'El Clásico' more classic: Barcelona to feature Rolling Stones logo on jersey
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Florida man convicted of stealing sports camp tuition funds from hundreds of families
- For author Haruki Murakami, reading fiction helps us ‘see through lies’ in a world divided by walls
- The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter
Recommendation
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
Misinformation & uninformed comments are clogging war coverage; plus, Tupac's legacy
Judge temporarily halts Trump's limited gag order in election interference case
Nigerians remember those killed or detained in the 2020 protests against police brutality
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
The 10 Best Sales to Shop This Weekend: Wayfair, Ulta, J.Crew Factory, Calpak, Kate Spade & More
Brazil’s Lula vetoes core part of legislation threatening Indigenous rights
The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter