Mackenzie Phillips is lifting the lid on her time as a child actor.
Phillips, 66, recently claimed to Fox News that she and costar Valerie Bertinelli used cocaine on the set of One Day at a Time, the hit Norman Lear sitcom in which they played teenage sisters Julie and Barbara Cooper.
“So, this might surprise you that during lunch break, Valerie and I would drive to my house, get in the pool, drink wine and snort coke,” Phillips said in an interview published on Sunday, May 31.
“But Valerie talks about it openly, so it’s not like I’m pulling her covers or anything,” Phillips continued. “The thing was that … Valerie didn’t have the kind of addiction that I had; she didn’t have addiction.”
“And, you know, so we would do coke together in the dressing room and stuff,” she said. “I just happened to be the one that got caught. And thank God I got caught, you know?”
Us Weekly has reached out to Bertinelli’s reps for comment.
Phillips and Bertinelli starred on One Day at a Time, which aired on CBS, from 1975 to 1984. The sitcom lasted nine seasons and more than 200 episodes.
During her time on the show, Phillips struggled with substance abuse and addiction, resulting in her being fired twice.
Mackenzie Phillips (as Julie Cooper); Valerie Bertinelli (as Barbara Cooper) and Bonnie Franklin (as Ann Romano). CBS via Getty Images
Bertinelli, meanwhile, has candidly discussed her past drug use over the years.
In 2024, Bertinelli said she got into drugs after she “fell in love” with ex-husband Eddie Van Halen. She said the tumultuous relationship “rapidly declined into drugs, alcohol and infidelity. … Nothing that makes you feel loved, wanted and cared for. Nothing that screams ‘soulmate,’ that’s for sure.”
Bertinelli wed Van Halen in 1981. In her 2008 memoir, Losing It, the actress recalled cocaine being part of their nuptials.
“The priest we tapped to perform the ceremony gave us questionnaires so he could get to know us better and offer more personal words. As we filled out the forms at home, we each held a little vial of cocaine,” she wrote. “Now, if you ask me, those are not two people who should be making decisions about the rest of their lives.”
Bertinelli and Van Halen divorced in 2007. The rocker died in 2020 at age 65. He is survived by his son with Bertinelli, Wolfgang Van Halen.
“I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” Wolfgang confirmed news of his father’s death in an Instagram post at the time. “He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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