Current:Home > NewsHenry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God' -WealthSync Hub
Henry Winkler reveals he was once visited by the FBI: 'Oh my God'
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-10 04:14:50
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! (435)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Small biz owners scale back their office space or go remote altogether. Some move to the suburbs
- Eminem goes after Benzino in new Lyrical Lemonade track, rekindles longtime feud
- Kate Middleton Released From Hospital After Abdominal Surgery
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Jannik Sinner establishes himself as legitimate star with comeback win at Australian Open
- Teen awaiting trial in 2020 homicide who fled outside hospital is captured in Philadelphia
- Gisele Bündchen’s Mother Vania Nonnenmacher Dead at 75 After Cancer Battle
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Ashley Park Shares Health Update After Hospitalization for Septic Shock
Ranking
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Pedro Almodóvar has a book out this fall, a ‘fragmentary autobiography’ called ‘The Last Dream’
- Felipe Nasr, Porsche teammates give Roger Penske his first overall Rolex 24 win since 1969
- Pope Francis congratulates Italy after tennis player Jannik Sinner wins the Australian Open
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Watch Pregnant Sofia Richie's Reaction to Finding Out the Sex of Her Baby
- Suddenly unemployed in your 50s? What to do about insurance, savings and retirement.
- 2 officers on Florida’s Space Coast wounded, doing ‘OK’
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Apparent Israeli strike on area of Syrian capital where Iran-backed fighters operate kills 2 people
Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions 34-31 to advance to Super Bowl
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 28
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
Fact-checking Apple TV's 'Masters of the Air': What Austin Butler show gets right (and wrong)
Morpheus8 Review: Breaking Down Kim Kardashian's Go-To Skin-Tightening Treatment
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson catches own pass. That's right, Gisele, he throws and catches ball