“The Brady Bunch ”Star Mike Lookinland Recalls Going ‘Fully Off the Rails’ After Childhood in the Spotlight

Victoria EdelTue, March 31, 2026 at 6:42 PM UTC

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Mike Lookinland in 'The Brady Bunch' (left); Mike Lookinland in 2022 (right)Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty -

The Brady Bunch star Mike Lookinland opened up about his childhood and how he transitioned into adulthood

He said that he lived out his childhood during his 20s and went off the rails

Lookinland also remembered his mom pulling him out of class to go work

Mike Lookinland is opening up about some of his less straight-laced days after The Brady Bunch.

Lookinland appeared on the March 31 episode of The Real Brady Bros, alongside host Christopher Knight and Jaybeau Jones, who hosts ‘70s on 7 for Sirius XM. Lookinland, 65, appeared on The Brady Bunch as the youngest brother, Bobby Brady. Knight, 68, played his older brother, Peter Brady.

During the episodes, Jones asked Lookinland and Knight about growing up as child stars and transitioning into adulthood. “How come you guys didn't end up as a mugshot?” he asked. “. . . There's no one's ever said a bad thing about any of The Brady Bunch kids.”

“Maybe because we didn't wanna disappoint Florence and Bob,” Knight said. Florence Henderson played Carol Brady and Robert Reed played Mike Brady, the two heads of the family. “I mean, that was the beginning of it. It's like there's certain people that you just don't wanna disappoint. I think that was stronger with me with those two than it was my own parents.”

The cast of 'The Brady Bunch.' From left: Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Christopher Knight, Florence Henderson, Barry Williams, Robert Reed, Mike Lookinland, Ann B. Davis and Maureen McCormickCredit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

But Lookinland confessed that he had actually had a hard time in his 20s. “I lived my childhood in my 20 because I couldn't when I was a child,” he said. “And in my twenties, I had a car and money and freedom. . . . I was fully off the rails.”

He added, “I'm just thankful that not every man, woman, and child had a high-def camera in their pocket when I was 25, like they do now, because it would have ruined my life.”

Knight confirmed that he’s heard “stories” about Lookinland’s behavior and joked, “What happens in Salt Lake City stays in Salt Lake City.” Lookinland confirmed that was “pretty much true.”

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After Lookinland starred on The Brady Bunch, from 1969 to 1974, he took part in many of the spin-off series of the show, including 1976’s The Brady Bunch Hour. He also appeared in 1974’s The Towering Inferno, but mostly left show business and life in front of the camera. He moved to Salt Lake City where he attended the University of Utah, but did not graduate. In 1997, he was arrested on a DUI charge, per Deseret News. He told The Huffington Post in 2013 that he's been sober ever since.

Mike Lookinland in 2025Credit: Bobby Bank/Getty

Elsewhere in the episode, Knight and Lookinland reflected on what it was like growing up as TV stars while still attending public high school. “I certainly didn't try to stand out,” Knight said. The year he began junior high, which he called “already a traumatic period,” The Brady Bunch began airing, making it even harder. “And now I am now on television and that puts you in a different place and you're not prepared for it,” he said.

“At the time you have no idea how this is going to impact your world,” he said. “You're not used to it.”

Lookinland said that one of the things he remembered most was that when the show wasn’t filming, he would often audition for guest roles and commercials. “And what would happen a lot, several times every week, is right around the time of day when kids would go on interviews in Hollywood . . . the intercom would come on and say, ‘Mike Lookinland, please come to the office. Your mother's here to pick you up.’ ”

He explained, “And I would drop everything no matter what my plans were that day, to go, skateboarding or just any kid stuff that you might want to do, your hobby or your pursuits you had as a 10 year old, they were put aside. And I was picked up by my mother and driven the hour long drive to Hollywood to try to get on a paper towel commercial, or a guest spot on Mannix or whatever.”

The Brady Bunch also starred Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson, Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady, Eve Plumb as Jan Brady, Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady and Barry Williams as Greg Brady.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”