Yasmine Bleeth was once a huge star thanks to her role in Baywatch but has since disappeared from the public eye. The 1989 Baywatch The TV show, which gave rise to the ill-advised 2017 film, was an 11-season primetime soap opera about a team of lifeguards who patrol the beaches of California (and Hawaii in seasons 10 and 11). The guards face the expected ocean dangers, like drownings, shark attacks, and dangerous weather, but they also experience conflicts more befitting an HBO crime drama, like serial killers and thieves, for which they end up being responsible.
Baywatch is well known for its large setbut some actors have emerged as fan favorites and have become synonymous with the series. Some fans like David Hasselhoff as Mitch Buchannon, while others prefer Pamela Anderson as CJ Parker. Still, others have a soft spot for Yasmine Bleeth as Caroline Holden, and these fans, like many, are probably wondering what happened to the actor afterward. Baywatch.
Yasmine Bleeth played Caroline Holden in Baywatch
Caroline was Stephanie’s younger sister
Caroline Holden has arrived Baywatch in season 4 as a guest star before becoming a member of the main cast in seasons 5 to 7then moving on to a recurring character in season 8 before leaving the series until the 2003 made-for-television reunion film Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. She also appeared in season 1, episode 16, “The Curator”, of Baywatch Nightsa spinoff series that had little to do with the original Baywatch. Bleeth’s first appearance in Baywatch came in Season 4, Episode 7, “Tentacles, Part II.”
She arrives to tell her older sister, Stephanie (Alexandra Paul), that she is engaged to a man named Frank Randall (Joe Lara). Caroline then returns in season 5 to say that she and Frank have called off their engagement and that she has come to work at her sister’s beach. There, she moves in with Stephanie and CJ, who becomes her best friend. Caroline also develops a relationship with Logan Fowler (Jaason Simmons) that lasts for most of season 6. After Logan proposes to Caroline, she breaks off the relationship when she catches him kissing another guard.
Caroline overcomes this trauma when she is put in a position to save another drunk swimmer and makes peace with Thomas and the other lifeguards by returning to patrol.
One of Caroline’s main storylines comes in season 6, when she is unable to save a drowning victim, Thomas O’Hara (Barry Watson), who was drunk on a boat with his friends. The incident traumatizes Caroline and sends her down a self-destructive path. Caroline overcomes this trauma when she is put in a position to save another drunk swimmer and makes peace with Thomas and the other lifeguards by returning to patrol. Season 7 sees calamity strike for Caroline when her sister tragically dies and Thomas’ mother sues her for his death.
It’s at the end of this season, after calming Thomas’ mother and dealing with her sister’s death, that Caroline leaves to pursue an acting career in New York. In season 8, she returns to the beach apparently having failed in her quest, but the season finale reveals that she has landed a long-awaited lead role on a soap opera and leaves for New York for good. A young beach guard, Caroline is a bit stubborn, but Bleeth plays her with kindness and affection, which helps explain why many of her friends are always looking out for her.
One of the youngest characters in BaywatchIt always seemed more of a mystery where Caroline would end up and Bleeth’s positive performance made it seem like anything was possible for the young guard. As some of the most notable Baywatch stars, Yasmine Bleeth has become a household name. She was constantly mentioned in Friends by Joey and Chandler, who loved watching the series and had a special appreciation for Caroline Holden and Yasmine Bleeth.
Bleeth has been candid about her struggle with addiction
Yasmine Bleeth was in a drug-induced car accident
Unfortunately, the intense spotlight that a role like Caroline Holden can bring ended up being too much for Yasmine Bleeth. In September 2001, Bleeth and her future husband, Paul Cerrito, drove their car into a median in Detroit and when police investigated, they found four syringes of liquid cocaine (via AND!). Further searches of his hotel revealed more cocaine and other narcotics paraphernalia. Bleeth met her husband a year earlier when she checked into rehab in 2000 at the celebrity center, Promises (via electronic warfare).
It turns out that Bleeth was abusing drugs well before 2000. In a February 2003 issue of Glamor, Bleeth chronicled her addiction story and road to recovery. She admits in the article (via News19),
“I never expected to get into the world of drugs.”
In 1998, Bleeth began using cocaine, only at social events, but his use quickly became an addiction. Bleeth describes how easy it was to order cocaine (via The list),
“It was like ordering Chinese food. I made a phone call and they delivered it to my door.”
Bleeth also describes her dramatic weight loss, which saw her drop from a size 6 to a size 0. She stopped seeing friends, had a frequent bloody nose, and even fainted at a Glamor photo shoot in July 2000. It was during this time that she decided to check herself into rehab. It has also long been clear to producers of Baywatch that Bleeth would not be able to continue in his role. In an oral history with Squire on BaywatchOne of the show’s creators, Douglas Schwartz, said:
“We had a problem with Yasmine Bleeth, who was using drugs at the time, and then we were dealing with Yasmine not showing up and having difficulties, again with men. That’s why we let Yasmine leave the show: because she was very difficult to deal with after a while.”
Bleeth was sentenced to two years probation and had to submit to regular drug testing. She spent the next few months at her mother’s house in Cerrito, Michigan, avoiding drugs and, mostly, eating. She claims she gained 10 pounds, returning to what she hoped would be a healthier weight. She had a mature outlook on her recovery, saying in Glamor,
“[I am] Consciously trying to stay away from drugs is now part of my life and always will be.”
It takes a lot of self-reflection and confidence to understand that her battle with addiction is a lifelong struggle and will always be something she needs to be strong at. Apparently, she was. In this oral history, showrunner Michael Berk said:
“Yasmine has basically retired. She ended up having some drug problems, but she met a guy in drug rehab, and she’s basically retired. I know she gets offers that she turns down. She was an actress when she was a little girl, she She was very smart with her money and I think she invested it well.”
Bleeth stepped out of the spotlight gracefully and as far as everyone in the 2010s was concerned, she was living a safe and happy life.
Where else have you seen Yasmine Bleeth
She’s had some notable roles outside of Baywatch
Its debut in 1993 in Baywatch certainly launched Yasmine Bleeth’s career, but she actually started acting about a decade earlier. His screen debut took place in a Hey, baby! although it was a small role. Bleeth landed a recurring role on the popular soap opera One life to live from 1991 to 1993, shortly before the break in Baywatch. The years she spent there remain the most notable of her career, but she had several other appearances before retiring from acting.
The majority of Yasmine Bleeth’s filmography centers on TV roles, be it shows like Nash Pontes, Titansor appearing in VIP appear next to your old Baywatch co-star Pamela Anderson. She has also starred in many made-for-TV films alongside the likes of John Ritter, Richard Grieco, and Christopher Lloyd. However, The most famous part of Bleeth far from Baywatch came in 1998 BASEketball, playing a kind of femme fatale who appears among the protagonists, played by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It was a case of her showing comedic talents that other roles didn’t require.
Bleeth quietly returned to acting
Yasmine Bleeth had her first role since Baywatch’s Hawaiian Wedding
However, there is some news about Yasmine Bleeth and luckily it is good. Just as Bleeth quietly exited acting in the early 2000s, she entered silently Hit the Dona 2021 short comedy directed by William Dearwho also directed Angels in the outfield. Bleeth plays Lola, her first role in nearly two decades, co-starring with Lillo Brancato and Tom Sizemore. She also has upcoming roles in the crime mystery Kill with me with Tori Spelling and Andy Dick and the horror film Beautiful evil.
Bleeth’s return to acting is unexpected but much appreciated. Watching her overcome the addictions of her early career during Baywatchliving a full life and returning to something she loves is inspiring. What’s more, the man she crashed her car with in 2001, Paul Cerrito, has been her husband of more than two decades (via Daily Mail), and the two have undoubtedly been each other’s biggest supporters over the years.