For Nicole Eggert, fame didn’t come through a record-breaking role or a groundbreaking performance. It came with a red one-piece, sand, and the waves of Baywatch. This show made her face recognizable but hid who she really was. Now at 52, the former teen star says the attention that came with the job changed how people saw her, which was not in a good way.
On the Still Here Hollywood podcast, Eggert revealed how Baywatch’s global success left her with a label she couldn’t shake. “People had an idea of who I was before they ever met me,” she said. “It messed with my dating life. It messed with my self-esteem.”
Nicole Eggert was called “Baywatch Bimbo”
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Eggert joined Baywatch in 1992 during its third season. At the time, she believed she would be filming a lighter and more teen-focused spin-off series, like Beverly Hills, 90210, but at the beach. However, that spin-off never happened.
Instead, Eggert found herself part of the most-watched show in the world. But while the fame came fast, the downside came even faster. She remembered being criticized in the press and called names like “Baywatch bimbo.” What should’ve opened doors began closing them instead. “It became all about looks,” she said. “It was tts and a. What a mess.”
At 18, Nicole Eggert got breast implants to look better in her swimsuit
After two seasons, Eggert left the show, hoping that would end the stigma. But it didn’t. “I had this idea that if I walked away, people would finally see me as something else,” she said. “But the label stuck.” Even off-screen, she struggled to connect with people who couldn’t separate her from the character she played. “I’m not like anyone I’ve played,” she added. “And that confused a lot of people.”
The red swimsuit didn’t just change her public image; it also affected how she saw herself. Just 18 at the time, Eggert decided to get breast implants during a break from filming. She later said she regretted it. “The one-piece suits weren’t flattering. I didn’t even want to wear it,” she told People. Over time, she underwent other procedures, including a breast reduction that was featured on the reality show Botched in 2015. Looking back, she said, “I regret ever doing any of it.”