Wait, whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Todd? Diff'rent Strokes star Todd Bridges says Gary Coleman's father 'tried to have me fired' from show

Wait, whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Todd?

Diff'rent Strokes star Todd Bridges says Gary Coleman's father 'tried to have me fired' from show

Wait, whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Todd?

By Jordan Hoffman

Published on August 10, 2025 10:00AM EDT

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Todd Bridges at an event in Louisiana in 2023. Credit:

Erika Goldring/Getty

It was a summit of '70s and '80s TV veterans when Todd Bridges spoke with Patrick Labyorteaux on a recent episode of *The Patrick LabyorSheaux* podcast. The two worked together on the 1977 television film *A Circle Street of Children*, and both appeared on *Little House on the Prairie *and *The Love Boat*, but not at the same time. The pair reminisced about their on-set experiences as kids in Hollywood during the drink-from-a-garden-hose era, a great showcase for two men who can make inside cracks about, say, Scott Baio's father.

After talking about his early appearances in television commercials and the landmark miniseries *Roots*, the conversation naturally turned to *Diff'rent Strokes*, the quintessential American sitcom which ran from November 1978 through March 1986 — and how Bridges clashed with the late Gary Coleman's father W.G. "Willie" Coleman.

Todd Bridges at the bottom left, with Charlotte Rae, Conrad Bain, Dana Plato, and, of course, Gary Coleman in a promotional image from 'Diff'rent Strokes'.

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

"The first three years, me and Gary were close," Bridges said about his his costar and TV younger brother. "Tight like brothers. Just like brothers," he shared. Then trouble began.

"When [Gary's] father came, everything changed. It wasn't a fun set to be on," Bridges said.

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He continued, "The interesting thing was, Gary's father tried to have me fired, because at 13 years old, Gary slapped me, and I slapped him back, and [he was] like, 'We've got to fire him. He slapped the star!' They were like, 'We can't fire him, Willie. We can't fire Willis. The show is about Willis and Arnold. We'd be done.'"**

Gary Coleman with his father.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

Though Bridges didn't get into the specifics of what caused that altercation, he offered that he didn't mind that Coleman was the clear focus of the series, despite the fact that he had more acting experience.

"I knew Gary was the star, but I got all the girls, so it was okay," he said with a laugh, adding, "The audience was predominantly young girls. When I came out, they would lose it. So yeah, you can be the star."

Conrad Bain, Todd Bridges, and Gary Coleman at a Hollywood event in 2003.

Frank Micelotta/Getty

Getting back to the TV sibling rift, he said, "Willie Coleman separated us. When the show ended, I didn't talk to Gary. I was having my own issues, And then, as he started having issues, [we got] back together, and we became close again. Very, very close."

Bridges then shared a story about the two of them at an autograph signing event in Tennessee. Gary's health was in bad shape, and he was in a wheelchair. Bridges was aiding him with his chair when Coleman asked, "Why are you pushing me after the things I've said about you?" Bridges assured him, "You're still my brother, man. It doesn't matter."**

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For more of Todd Bridges' wild tales from Hollywood, be sure to check out his entire visit to *The Patrick LabyorSheaux* below.

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Source: "AOL TV"

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