Jeremy Jackson shared details about his past relationship with Loni Wilson, including the struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues that eventually led to her becoming homeless.
“The woman I was in love with is gone, and whoever she is mentally now is not who I knew,” Jeremy, who played Hobie Buchanon, David Hasselhoff’s son, on Baywatch, told The Dailymail.
The two divorced in 2014 following a heated argument that ended in a 911 call.
During their final year together, Loni struggled with anxiety and hallucinations, becoming increasingly paranoid and convinced that Jeremy wanted to harm her.
Baywatch star Jeremy Jackson discussed his past relationship with Loni Wilson and the mental health issues that ultimately resulted in her living on the streets
Image credits: Jonathan Leibson/Getty
Despite the former actor spending thousands on medication and taking Loni to therapy, her mental health did not improve.
Jeremy claims that his ex-wife, who is currently homeless in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, stole his car and thousands of dollars in an attempt to execute a “hostile takeover” of his finances.
Moreover, she reportedly began secretly recording Jeremy, including a 911 call where she accused him of attempted murder.
In 2014, during the final year of their marriage, Loni began suffering hallucinations and believed that Jeremy wanted to hurt her
“She set me up and started screaming that I was hurting her when I did nothing to her,” the 44-year-old said.
“There are no hospital records. There are no doctor bills. There are no X-rays, there are no pictures. She attacked me while recording, screaming, ‘You’re hurting me.’
“I have not seen her since that day. I went through the biggest depression of my life for two years after.
“For two years, I was in and out of rehabs, crying, doing grief and loss counseling, writing goodbye letters to her, doing deep therapeutic psychiatric work because I lost the love of my life.”
The former model is now homeless in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, after being involved in the porn industry and struggling with drug addiction
Jeremy and Loni met when he was 21 and she was 19. At the time, she was a porn star, “a 19-year-old girl being used for money on video,” her former husband said.
According to the ex-Baywatch star, Loni told him her previous boyfriends struggled with drug addiction and that one of them had forced her into the porn industry.
When Jeremy began earning money from his acting career, he reportedly paid off her student debts, put her on a meal plan, and paid for laser treatments to remove scars on her face, as well as dental work to replace teeth damaged by drug use.
He also “got her into magazines” and “helped her transition from porn and stripping to being a professional model and a fitness competitor.”
Although his efforts helped her stay away from drugs and the porn industry, Loni’s mental health had significantly deteriorated by the second and final year of their marriage.
“She was hearing things. She was seeing things, and she was accusing me of things that were completely delusional. She would have massive breakdowns, panic attacks.
“She would come home from work, crying, scared she was going to stab somebody at the doctor’s office.”
In 2018, photos emerged of Loni living on the streets of Los Angeles, California. “I had wanted her and me to have a fairytale outcome. I couldn’t allow myself to see that she was actually insane,” Jeremy said.
The 41-year-old has repeatedly declined offers of help and shelter, most recently in an encounter with photographers a week ago, as per The Dailymail.
She has reportedly been homeless since 2016. When asked what had gone wrong in her life during an interview published by X17 Online, Loni responded, “My ex-husband. Getting married. At least I got divorced… it set everything up.” After the 2014 argument with Jeremy, Loni claimed that the actor tried to strangle her at their home.
“I haven’t spoken to Jeremy. I don’t want to speak to my friends, I’m doing just fine. I don’t want anyone to help me. I can live on my own. I’ve got everything I need right here,” the former model stated.
Jeremy, who also struggled with drug addiction and used meth during his final season of Baywatch in 1999, now owns Jeremy Jackson Fitness, a company that offers personalized workouts and meal plans “as a way to help get people healthy through and through — with mind, body, and spirit.”