Todd Bridges Reflects on Rick James’ Role in His 1980s Intervention Enlisting Eddie Murphy’s help
Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges recently looked back on a notable moment from the 1980s when Eddie Murphy enlisted Rick James to help stage an intervention for his drug problem.
While appearing on The Patrick LabyorSheaux podcast, Bridges explained that the situation arose when Murphy noticed he was struggling. “Eddie was like, ‘Man, we gotta get Todd some help. He’s trippin’. We need to find someone who knows about drugs.’ Everybody kept saying, ‘Send Rick James over there!’”
However, the plan hit an unexpected snag when Rick James, known for his wild lifestyle, was also under the influence. “Rick comes to my house, opens his car door, and all this smoke comes out,” Bridges recounted. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’” He added that the funk legend was “getting higher than I was at the time,” which complicated the intervention.
Rick James receives the Heritage Award at ASCAP’s 17th Annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 28, 2004 in Los Angeles, California.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Then, as Bridges recalls, Rick James began flirting with a woman on his couch who he had once dated. “I was ready to kill Rick at that point,” Bridges admitted. “I was like, ‘What kind of drug intervention was that? He took half my drugs and just left!’
During his appearance on the Allison Interviews podcast in January, Bridges candidly discussed the deep wounds that contributed to his addiction—experiences like being molested as a child, growing up with an alcoholic father, and enduring years of police harassment, even while simply going to work.
“God healed my heart,” he said earnestly. “He healed a lot of pain… I developed a chip on my shoulder and became angry with everything around me.” He explained that drugs became a way to numb that hurt until he finally grew tired of repeating the destructive cycle and made the decision to fight for his life.
Three decades later, Todd Bridges emphasized that he believes anyone can recover from addiction, even if their first “intervention” was led by the late, legendary Rick James.
Watch Todd Bridges speak about the unforgettable drug intervention he experienced with Rick James above.
