The Brady Bunch. What a group! Since the show aired in 1969, people have been watching the sitcom and haven’t stopped! It’s on Hulu, still runs on some cable channels, and is owned through DVDs by a LOT of people!
While the show was a smashing hit, the success of it ended up causing some problems for some of the cast. Like we all know, money doesn’t fix things, it amplifies them. For a few of the cast members, that was surely true.
Let’s take a look at some weird facts about the cast of The Brady Bunch, some benign, some truly sad.
1. Marcia had a cocaine addiction
Marcia (Maureen McCormick), was the oldest daughter of the group. When she learned some terrible things about her family, she turned to cocaine to cope. Her grandma had died in a mental hospital with syphilis and her mother contracted it when she was in the womb. Upon realizing this, combined with the pressure of Hollywood, she made some poor decisions.
“I sought refuge in seemingly glamorous cocaine dens above Hollywood. I thought I would find answers there, while in reality I was simply running farther from myself. From there, I spiraled downward on a path of self-destruction that cost me my career and very nearly my life,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.
She ended up sleeping with her dealer for drugs, turned up to meetings high, and was overall spiraling. It was a really tough time for the beautiful actress.
2. Greg dated his mom!
Well, not in real life. Florence Henderson, Barry’s mother on-screen, ended up catching the young actor’s eye! Soon, the two went on a date despite being a mom of four IRL and the young actor being 20 years younger than her!
“I guess in a sense it was a date, because Barry thought it was. But of course, I had no idea that his intentions were to “date” me. It has made for a good story though!” – Huffington Post
3. Marcia dated her brother
Again, not in real life, but her on-screen brother! Greg Brady (Barry Williams) ended up starting the whole thing while they were filming in Hawaii. Even though they were only related on-screen, it was strange for Maureen!
“It was our first kiss, and it was long, passionate and deep. It was wonderful, too, though as we continued to kiss and press against each other so closely that we could feel each other’s body heat, a part of me – a tiny part, admittedly – said to myself, ‘Oh my God! I’m kissing my brother. What am I doing?'” – Daily Mail
4. Bobby struggled with alcoholism
Bobby Brady (Mike Lookinland), the youngest brother, didn’t escape from Hollywood without some scars, sadly. In an interview with Oprah, he explained that he tried to live out his childhood when he was 26 because he didn’t live it when he was actually a child. The result was alcoholism:
“When it became clear that the choice wasn’t between sobering up or drinking, but the choice was actually between living or dying, then it became a simple choice for me.” – Huffington Post
Thankfully, he made the call to remove himself from the industry and took up a job as a countertop maker. His quiet life provided the healing he needed to stay sober.
5. Marcia made really poor decisions
As we mentioned before, Marcia was struggling with cocaine addiction during the show’s run. Being a teenager for some of that, she ended up making some really risky decisions.
She had an abortion at ages 18, 19, and 20. And at that time, it was a very risky procedure, especially when coupled with the bulimia she developed.
6. Peter and Jan were caught by the cops
The two younger siblings, Peter (Christopher Knight) and Cindy (Susan Olsen) had a fling for a while but it wasn’t going to last!
When Jan (Eve Plumb) got a bit older, she stole Peter away from Cindy.
One night, Peter took Jan out in his truck and just happened to have a blanket, some candles, and some beer. They were hanging out in the back of the truck when the cops showed up and put a stop to things!
7. Greg smoked as a teen
Greg was a very prim and proper character on-screen, but he had something a secret that would have changed the public’s perception of him if it was known at the time.
In the show, Greg had a single cigarette when he finally caved to peer pressure, but in real life, his actor, Barry, was a teenage smoker already!
Even more, it wasn’t just tobacco that would regularly partake in.
8. Mike was gay
Mike Brady (Robert Reed) had to hide his sexuality for much of his life. It was internally painful for him to hide such a piece of his life, and Susan Olsen (who played Cindy) believed it had something to do with his death.
“Because it was so taboo, he could never make peace with himself. He never allowed himself to have a genuine love. He was forever taunted by his own disdain for the natural inclinations that he was BORN WITH. Bob was a family man. Had he been allowed to form a relationship with another man, he would have been the best husband ever and might still be alive.” – Daily Mail
9. Cindy’s hair was bleached so hard it fell out
Bleaching little Cindy’s hair required a chemical treatment before EVERY episode! And that took a serious toll on her hair health!
It was so bad that it ended up falling out in chunks when she would pull on it. Poor kid.
10. Cindy grew weed when she was older
Cindy (Susan Olson) never really did much with drugs. Still, she ended up becoming a “dealer” of sorts when she started growing it hydroponically as a hobby with her husband.
“I guess technically, but I was really a [cannabis] grower, my husband at the time and I grew it hydroponically. I have never really enjoyed smoking it, it makes me very paranoid. But it was my husband’s idea. It was really fascinating and I’ve always been into ‘gardening’ and it’s such a complicated, wonderfully fascinating plant.” – AU News
11. Tiger was killed by a car
Tiger, the family dog, was killed when he was hit by a car in the first season. Not knowing what to do, the producers ran to the pound and picked up a lookalike who REFUSED to follow directions!
They ended up nailing his collar to the ground while they filmed so it would look like he was somewhat calm. Yikes!
12. Marcia shoplifted
If you haven’t deduced a pattern, you should go back through the list again. Marica was really struggling!
For sport, the actress would shoplift between working on set and then blame it on her friends when she got caught!
13. Alice died in a freak accident
Alice (Ann B. Davis) was the Brady family’s beloved housekeeper. She was always quick and ready with a joke on-screen!
When she was 88, she fell and hit her head in the bathtub, causing a subdural hematoma. She didn’t regain consciousness and died not long after.
14. Peter felt he was being exploited
Peter Brady (Christopher Knight) felt that he was sold to the world to make money for the studio and the family.
“I’m feeling totally prostituted at that point by my mom. I think in a way, I totally was, and by her own admission it was, and that she was sorry about it.” – Huffington Post
For a kid as young as him, that was sure to have lasting effects.
15. Susan Olsen tried desperately to lose her trademark lisp
While there was always a running joke about her “baby talk” on screen, Susan ended up working with a therapist until she was 19, along with surgery, to help her with her “s’s”.
While The Brady Bunch is an iconic American sitcom, it didn’t come without some serious drama.
It just goes to show that Hollywood isn’t an easy place, especially when kids are involved.
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