Jeremy Jackson opens up about 'insane' ex-wife Loni Willison's struggles with addiction
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent interview, former 'Baywatch' actor Jeremy Jackson opened up about the devastating collapse of his marriage to Loni Willison, whose heartbreaking descent into homelessness has made headlines since 2018.
Jackson, now 44, described his ex-wife’s battle with addiction and mental illness, revealing his efforts to help her before their relationship ended in turmoil.
Jeremy Jackson discovers truth about ex-wife Loni Willison's life after separation
Former 'Baywatch' star Jeremy Jackson recently opened up about the heartbreaking reality of his ex-wife Loni Willison's situation, revealing that he had long assumed she was leading a good life after their separation.
Jackson, now 44, told Daily Mail that he believed Willison was thriving, possibly with the car and money she had taken from him when their relationship ended. However, his assumptions crumbled in 2018 when photos of Loni surfaced, showing her living homeless on the streets of Venice Beach.
"When I saw the pictures online was the first time I realized what had happened," Jackson explained.
"I was sad because I pictured her out there happy, happy with the car she stole from me and the money she stole from me, living her best life. Then I saw her and I said, ‘oh my God’. I had wanted her and me to have a fairytale outcome. I couldn't allow myself to see that she was actually insane."
Willison is still living homeless in Venice Beach and, according to Jackson, has consistently declined offers of assistance. Just a week ago, she was spotted turning down help from photographers.
Jeremy Jackson reflects on ex-wife Loni Willison's struggles
Jackson and Willison were married for two years before a heated altercation in 2014 ended their relationship, culminating in a public 911 call. Jackson, who was deeply in love, spoke candidly about the emotional toll that losing her had on him.
"It felt like someone died," he said, recounting how her escalating paranoia and mental health struggles made it impossible to reach her.
"Losing her was like the death of somebody, and I tried to bring her back and I couldn't. The woman I was in love with is gone, and whoever she is mentally now is not who I knew." Jackson said, speaking for the first time about the events that led to his marriage's collapse.
Reflecting on their final, tumultuous year together, he revealed how he desperately tried to help her as she spiraled into mental illness and addiction. Jackson shared candidly about the two-year journey it took him to come to terms with the loss of the woman he describes as the love of his life.
Loni Willison was 'only woman' Jeremy Jackson ever wanted to marry
"I lost the love of my life," Jackson admitted. "I lost the only woman I've ever proposed to, the only woman I've ever wanted to marry. I'm 44 years old. I still have not proposed or wanted to marry anyone else. She was my choice, the only choice I ever made, and I lost it."
Despite his best efforts including therapy sessions and attending church together, Willison’s behavior became erratic. "She was seeing and hearing things that weren’t there," he explained. "I tried to save her, but in the end, I had to let go."
"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," Jackson said.
Did Jeremy Jackson help Loni Willison?
Jackson, who himself battled addiction, related to Willison’s struggles due to his past with drugs and crime. Best known for playing David Hasselhoff’s son in the hit 90s series, he is all too familiar with the devastation caused by mental illness and addiction.
Jackson threw himself into helping his wife, who had struggled with mental health and addiction issues. Leveraging the wealth he had accumulated from his acting career, Jackson worked hard to provide financial and emotional support, paying off her student debts and offering her the kind of help that extended far beyond money.
That support involved setting her up with a meal plan, covering the cost of laser treatments to remove facial scars, and arranging dental work to fix teeth damaged by drug use.
He also assisted her in becoming a certified esthetician and leveraged his Hollywood connections to secure her job as a fitness model. "All of these interviews where they say she was a model, that's not what she was," Jackson explained.
The actor claims that Loni was stealing from him behind his back. "She secretly took my name off the cars because we were married," he said.
He also accuses her of ‘changing his billing address with the IRS' to try and get loans and tax returns to a different address instead. He claims it was kind of a 'hostile takeover' of his fiances without his knowledge.
Jackson is willing to lend a helping hand even now and shared that he is still willing to help her out if she asks for it. "My company InnerG Wellness has alliances with the best sober companions, the best psychiatrists, the best retreats, women's support, battered women's shelters, you name it," he said of his offer.
That said, despite the miserable end to his marriage to Loni, Jackson says it was worth it. "Whatever it took to get here, I wouldn't change it," he said. "If it would change what I am and what I do and what I have now, I wouldn't go back and change anything."
