Character actor John Capodice, who appeared in more than 100 roles film and television roles, including General Hospital and Seinfeld, died Monday at age 83. A cause of death has not been released for the man whose obituary called him a "devoted husband, father and grandfather."
The sad news was shared on the website of Pizzi Funeral Home, the New Jersey establishment arranging his farewell. The obituary mentioned that Capodice will be "missed by all who had the pleasure to meet him."
Born on Christmas Day, 1941, Capodice served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1966. He enjoyed a prolific acting career on television and in films, including a role in the wildly successful 1994 film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starring Jim Carrey.
Seinfeld fans are indeed heartbroken as one of his most notable roles was as laundromat owner Vic in season two, episode seven. The episode, titled "The Revenge," features Kramer and Jerry getting revenge on Capodice's character by putting cement in a washing machine because they think he stole money.
Capodice began acting in the 1970s with his first television role as Lloyd Lord on Ryan's Hope in 1978. He would also notch a film credit that year in Rush It.
The Chicago native then landed a recurring role as Carmine Cerullo on General Hospital and appeared in six episodes of the soap opera. Over the years, he would appear in minor roles on some of the most popular shows on television.
Acting credits include classics like Law & Order, Will & Grace, Ellen, Boy Meets World, Monk, The West Wing, Mad About You, Knot's Landing, Another World, Mad About You, and Murder, She Wrote. Capodice also appeared in iconic commercials in the 1980s, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Cast as Fred, a pizzeria worker, Capodice was convincingly befuddled as children order a pizza with extra cheese but without sauce or a crust. The punchline comes when Capodice calls to the back for a "cheese with nuttin'" and finally offers a box of Polly-O String Cheese.
In another commercial for Dimetapp cold medicine, Capodice plays a diner patron who offers advice on how to treat a cold. His expressive face and every-man affect were just right for the role, as usual.
Capodice left behind his wife, Jane, and adult daughters, Tessa De Pierro and Cassandra Hansen. He is also survived by two sisters and his grandchildren, Giuliana, Jake, David, and Frankie.
Fans shared their favorite memories of Capodice on social media. "He’s just a great guy! RIP," one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, including a crying emoji.
"Rest in Peace, John Capodice. GeneralHospital fans will remember him as Lois' dad, Carmine Cerullo, but I'll remember the years when he lived near me, doted on his grandchildren, and loved to eat out at local restaurants," another user wrote.
Family, friends, and fans will get to say their farewells at Capodice's viewing on Jan. 11 at the funeral home that published his obituary. A funeral Mass will be said the next day at his parish in New York, followed by his interment.
As a great character actor, Capodice was a face many recognized, but few could name. However, this great icon and his performances will live on through the magic of television and film.
The worst kept secret in Washington, D.C., is that first lady Jill Biden has a strained relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, the UK Daily Mail reported. The tension has become public since Harris took over as the presidential candidate and lost spectacularly.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the relationship between Biden and Harris "has at times been frosty" since the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Harris went after Joe Biden during the debates and insinuated that he was racist for his stance on forced busing.
"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day. That little girl was me," Harris said during the debate in 2019.
Edward-Isaac Dovere's book Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Trump, excerpted by Politico, recounted Jill Biden's reaction to Harris' behavior at the debate. During a call with supporters the week after the debate, Jill Biden raged about it.
"With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he’s committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis? Go f--- yourself," Jill Biden said about Harris.
Since that time, Jill Biden has had a vendetta against Harris and can't seem to forgive her for it. However, things have come a head since Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his replacement.
That was most evident shortly after the election when the two women wouldn't look at each other during a public appearance shortly after the election. "It’s safe to say that Jill Biden hates Kamala Harris’s guts," political commentator Steve Cortes captioned a video of the icy interaction.
It’s safe to say that Jill Biden hates Kamala Harris’s guts. pic.twitter.com/K6Te9Onf50
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 12, 2024
Even without their previous history, the events of the last six months have created a huge rift between the families. Although Joe Biden officially dropped out of the race, insiders believe it was a coup against the president that ultimately got him to give up his reelection bid.
Joe Biden publicly endorsed Harris, but GOP political strategist Jason Meister noted that "Biden is intentionally enacting revenge on Kamala for knifing him in the back," the New York Post reported in October. "He never liked her," Meister added.
"The happiest he’s looked in four years was when he put a red [Trump 2024] hat on after speaking with Shanksville, [Pa.] firefighters [last month] on 9/11. He should just come out and endorse Trump," Meister said.
Indeed, it seemed that Joe and Jill Biden were secretly rooting for Trump. Jill Biden wore red on Election Day and later seemed to troll Harris and her campaign's message of "joy."
Although Harris and the Bidens were supposedly on the same side, it's been clear for a while that their relationship was strained. Now that they have nothing to lose, they have dropped all pretense.
Susie Wiles, incoming White House chief of staff, urged Cabinet nominees not to post on social media until the Senate confirmation hearings next week, the New York Post reported. The head of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is attempting to control the messaging for the new administration.
In a memo Sunday, Wiles warned nominees to keep mum. "While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself," Wiles wrote.
"Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel," she added. The memo made news on social media this week with mostly positive responses.
🚨 NEW: All of Trump's nominees must stop posting on social media ahead of the Senate confirmation hearings, incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles ordered - NYP pic.twitter.com/Rrmx42dy0x
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 30, 2024
Wiles wrote that she was grateful for "how enthusiastic everyone is" about the new administration. Dubbed the "Ice Maiden," Wiles is the first woman ever to hold the position in the administration, and it seems she's intent on running things differently than in the past.
It's a smart bet, considering the political climate and the Senate's balance. All of Trump's nominees will have to pass muster in the Senate if they hope to be confirmed, and some have already faced resistance.
The Republican majority in the Senate is so slim that a united Democratic front plus any defection within the GOP will thwart a given nominee. Some in the media have speculated that the memo was triggered by the dustup caused by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will chair the Department of Government Efficiency.
The pair have stirred up trouble on social media with their response to H-1B visas, which are given to foreign workers and have become a bone of contention within the GOP. The Trump transition team insists this has nothing to do with the memo from Wiles.
"It was a reminder of the guidance to intended nominees as confirmation hearings get underway next week," a source from the transition team told The Post. However, it seems Trump and his team are learning from past mistakes.
Trump's first term as president was tumultuous regarding staff turnover and leaks from the administration. This term could be shaping up the same way but for Wiles' intervention.
When Trump tapped former GOP Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to become the new attorney general, the move made headlines over Gaetz's allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz ultimately stepped down from Congress and the nomination, but not after weeks of bad publicity.
Other Republicans nominated are facing a barrage of attacks as well, including former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who was picked as Trump's Defense Secretary. Hegseth has taken to social media to defend himself from these attacks, including allegations that his tattoos represented white supremacy.
Meanwhile, the nominees continue meeting with lawmakers to hash out their plans for their respective cabinet positions. Refraining from posting to social media will keep those waters from being muddied with social media posts.
Wiles did a phenomenal job keeping Trump focused and on-task as his campaign manager during the 2024 presidential election. It's a positive sign that her leadership is also evident as the administration takes shape.
A "Happy Holidays" post from former First Lady Michelle Obama drew backlash from Instagram viewers after she alluded to "a difficult few months" for many of her followers.
The post focused on work done by the Obama Presidential Center during 2024, but not before going into "woe is us" territory.
“It’s been a difficult few months for so many of us," she said in the voice over, " and folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain. But even during these tough times, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful."
View this post on Instagram
Of course, many of her followers could relate to her comments; far left Democrats fell for the party line about President-elect Donald Trump being a grave "threat" to democracy.
But others let her know in no uncertain terms that they were excited for the future, not concerned.
“We are all excited for the future!!!! Only anxieties we had were what we went through in the last four years,” one Instagram user said.
“Michelle, America is excited about what’s to come: a new horizon and prosperity for the nation. 2025-2029! No anxiety here,” another wrote.
“A difficult few years from the damage the Biden administration has caused!” still another commenter said. “Things have never looked better since Trump won the election! The people have the power! Not even all those celebrities could change that!”
“We are certain it won’t be worse than your husband’s administration or the Biden administration,” another person said. “That we are CERTAIN.”
The outgoing Joe Biden administration has been responsible for inflation at 40-year highs that has driven prices up for many of the things average Americans need and want.
Between the economy and immigration, many Americans were fed up with the way things have been.
It's why Donald Trump got elected over Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris.
It wasn't even close; now Trump has to deliver on his promises of making everything right that Biden messed up. If he can do that, he may gain the respect of the American people--even some that have been dead set against him for the last eight years.
Horrifying images emerged from Muan County in South Korea on Sunday after a fiery plane crash took the lives of nearly all souls on board the affected aircraft.
As Reuters reports, 179 people lost their lives when the airliner in which they were traveling landed on its belly and skidded past the end of the runway at Muan International Airport, bursting into what immediately appeared to be an unsurvivable conflagration.
The Jeju Air flight at issue was making its way from Bangkok, Thailand with 175 passengers and six crew members on board when it made its landing approach just after 9 a.m. local time.
Local video footage showed the twin-engine Boeing aircraft skidding across the runway, with no landing gear evident.
It was then that the plane slammed into navigation infrastructure equipment and then a wall before exploding in a ball of fire and twisted debris, ejecting some of those on board.
As the BBC noted, authorities are probing what may have caused the crash, with some suggesting that a bird strike combined with unfavorable weather conditions may have been to blame.
Flight and voice recorders from the aircraft have reportedly been recovered, and investigators are hopeful that they will provide key insights into what ultimately caused this disaster.
The force of the plane's impact as well as its fiery aftermath created conditions in which virtually nobody on board was able to survive.
Muan fire department chief Lee Jeong-hyun explained the extent of the devastation, saying that the plane's tail section was still identifiable, but “one cannot recognize the shape of the rest of the plane.”
Authorities are still in the process of attempting to identify bodies of the victims, who are said to have ranged in age from three years old to 78.
Incredibly, though 179 individuals perished in the incident, two members of the flight crew, a male and a female, were pulled from the wreckage and taken for treatment.
The BBC chronicled the excruciating scene at the airport, where families of those suspected to have perished in the crash gathered for news about their loved ones.
A man named Maeng Gi-su revealed that his nephew and the nephew's two sons had been traveling to celebrate a milestone in the life of one of the young men, and he lamented in the aftermath of the crash, “I can't believe the entire family has just disappeared. My heart aches so much,” encapsulating the sadness now felt by so many who have been impacted by this tragedy.
A grim discovery has emerged from the desert of northern Mexico, where officials excavated twelve skeletons from eleven hidden burial sites near the township of Ascension. This discovery is a stark reminder of the rampant violence and ongoing issue of disappearances linked to the operations of Mexican cartels.
The clandestine graves were unearthed near Ascension, a town situated not far from the U.S.-Mexico border, intensifying the spotlight on cartel-related crimes, the New York Post reports.
The skeletons were discovered during an intensive three-day search carried out last week, with state authorities of Chihuahua revealing the findings on Thursday. Ascension's proximity to El Paso, Texas, also raises concerns about cross-border implications of such criminal activities.
The discovery of these graves underlines the violent tactics of Mexican cartels and other organized crime groups, notorious for utilizing hidden burial sites to dispose of victims. With an astonishing number of 120,000 people currently missing in Mexico, these graves are a grim testament to the atrocities committed by criminal entities in the region.
Forensic anthropologists, accompanied by experts from Forensic Services, spearheaded the exhumation process. They meticulously gathered evidence, including various spent shell casings, highlighting the violent circumstances surrounding these deaths. The state's prosecutor emphasized the significance of this evidence, shedding light on the possible cause of death and aiding in the identification process.
The remains and gathered materials have been transported to the Forensic Medical Service's labs in Cd. Juárez for detailed analysis. This phase aims to determine the identities of the deceased, their cause, and the timeline of their deaths. Such forensic endeavors are critical for providing closure to families of the missing, often left in limbo.
The harsh desert landscape of northern Mexico is often combed by groups of volunteer searchers - relatives resolutely seeking their missing loved ones. These community efforts highlight the desperation and dire social impacts of Mexico’s ongoing crisis of disappearances.
Among the tragically high number of the disappeared, many are believed to have been victims of cartel violence, emphasizing the need for justice and resolution. Efforts like these uncover valuable evidence that aids forensic investigations while providing a small measure of hope for the families involved.
The broader socio-political landscape is also influenced by such discoveries. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made headlines with his proposition to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations due to their pervasive influence on drug trafficking. His declaration at a recent conference underscored the broader impacts of drug-related violence beyond Mexico's borders.
The newly unearthed graves inevitably draw attention to the Mexican government's ongoing battle against drug cartels. These grim findings serve as an alarming indicator of the scale and scope of cartel operations, stretching across borders and implicating international relationships.
Despite the sobering statistics of those missing, each forensic effort is a step towards accountability and justice. These investigations not only seek to identify those lost to violence but also aim to challenge and destabilize the power cartels exert over the region.
The reality of drug-related violence is a pressing issue, with its effects felt globally. International collaboration and shared responsibility may become key components in tackling such a multi-faceted problem. As forensic teams and authorities press on with their work, the recent discovery is a solemn reminder of the profound human tragedy lingering amidst Mexico's desert sands.
The uncovering of these clandestine graves reinforces the urgent need for strengthened measures and cooperative strategies in addressing the root causes and consequences of illegal narcotics operations. With ongoing governmental and forensic efforts, there lies hope for change and the possibility of a future where the violence of the drug trade no longer terrorizes communities.
A retired Metropolitan Police Department officer was found guilty Monday of lying to authorities about tipping off Proud Boys then-national chair, Enrique Tarrio, that he was under investigation, The Hill reported. Lt. Shane Lamond will be sentenced on April 3.
Another Jan. 6 bombshell verdict came after Lamond was found guilty on three counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials and one count of obstructing justice. He had leaked to Tarrio that there was a warrant out for his arrest and lied to authorities about doing so.
The former officer was privy to the information as the supervisor of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau intelligence arm. Lamond had met Tarrio in 2019 in the course of investigating the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner.
However, prosecutors say Lamond would "surreptitiously provide information to Tarrio about law enforcement activity relating to Proud Boys’ activities in Washington, D.C." after the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021 incursion at the U.S. Capitol. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson found Lamond guilty of this reverse arrangement.
The court found that Lamond's role was the opposite of what it should have been. "As proven at trial, Lamond turned his job on its head — providing confidential information to a source, rather than getting information from him — lied about the conduct, and obstructed an investigation into the source," a statement from U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said.
"The intelligence gathering role that Lamond was supposed to play is critical to keeping our community safe. His violation of the trust placed in him put our community more at risk and cannot be ignored," he added.
Both Lamond and Tarrio testified at the trial and denied that the officer was feeding the subject of the investigation any information. Lamond was tasked with questioning Tarrio about a BLM banner that went missing and was burned from a Black church.
Tarrio was the department's main suspect in the incident. However, the judge believes that instead of finding out whether Tarrio was involved in the December 2020 incident, Lamond was tipping him off about the investigation and continued to do so.
"It was the other way around," the judge decided after hearing their testimony. According to the Associated Press, Tarrio eventually pleaded guilty to burning the banner.
Evidence submitted at the trial proved that Lamond provided Tarrio with information, including news of his imminent arrest. "Similarly, the defendant affirmatively advised Mr. Tarrio in a written message that he was being asked to identify him for a warrant, a warning obviously in contemplation of the subsequent prosecution and with obvious ramifications for it," prosecutors claimed.
Later, after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Lamond continued to tip off Tarrio. "Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name and reputation dragged through the mud," he said in a message.
The men were discussing whether the Proud Boys would be implicated in the incursion at the Capitol. Tarrio was not in Washington, D.C., during the incident. Still, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his part in organizing the uprising, which prosecutors claimed was an effort to keep then-President Donald Trump in office despite the outcome of the 2020 election.
For his part, Lamond claims this friendliness was an effort to ingratiate himself with Tarrio to receive information. "I don’t support the Proud Boys, and I’m not a Proud Boys sympathizer," Lamond insisted.
Regardless of how Lamond felt about the Proud Boys or Tarrio, his job was to carry out the mission of his police department. He failed to do his job and then lied about it to officials, which makes his convicted justified.
The Justice Department will likely conclude its investigation into special counsel Jack Smith sometime next year, the Washington Examiner reported. The agency launched a probe into how his office handled President-elect Donald Trump's criminal investigations.
The update came from a letter the Examiner obtained that was sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). It covered details of a meeting between the committee and Jeffrey Ragsdale, head of the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriante penned the letter and noted Ragsdale's expected end date. "While he cannot guarantee a specific time frame to complete a thorough investigation of the matter, his office is moving expeditiously, and he expects that the review will conclude in 2025," Uriarte wrote.
He added that Ragsdale "would expect that the Department would likely be willing to provide the final report [on the misconduct investigation] to Congress" when it's finished. However, many believe that Smith will resign once Trump takes office whether he's guilty or not.
Jordan and his committee will be privy to the findings of the investigation launched during the run-up to the 2024 presidential campaign. The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department typically doesn't conduct these reviews until pending cases are resolved.
“Such a practice ensures that the OPR process is not inappropriately used to disrupt an ongoing prosecution and avoids interference with the court’s own supervision of the case. The policy also allows OPR to consider the allegations as a whole, after the record is complete, and in the context of the full litigation," the letter to Jordan said.
Smith has been wrapping up his two federal cases since Trump was elected president. Both the classified documents case and a case involving Trump's supposed efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election are moot since the Justice Department won't prosecute a sitting president.
This opens the door to an internal review into allegations levied by Trump and his team. It will look into whether the FBI tampered with evidence after it raided Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago residence, as some GOP lawmakers have charged.
It will also examine a complaint involving Jay Bratt, a member of the special counsel and veteran prosecutor, who may have leveraged a job for an attorney who represented one of Trump's co-defendants. Bratt allegedly mentioned Stanley Woodward's application for judgeship while trying to get the attorney's client to testify.
Whether or not there is any provable misconduct, the fact remains that Smith is guilty of wasting taxpayer money. According to Fox News, it cost taxpayers at least $50 million to go after Trump, and he came up empty in the end.
Smith was appointed in November 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the election interference and classified documents allegations the same month Trump announced his candidacy for president. Once the cost was made clear last month, Trump unleashed against Smith and the rest of the partisan hacks who tried to jail him.
"These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME," Trump wrote last month. "Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before."
Smith will likely slink away into obscurity before Trump can fire him. However, the investigation, the mug shot he forced Trump to pose for, and Trump's eventual vindication will forever be embedded in the story of his incredible comeback against his foes.
Gov. Jim Pillen was rushed to the hospital after being thrown from his horse on Sunday, Fox News reported. The 68-year-old Nebraska Republican remains in intensive care with multiple injuries but is expected to recover.
The governor has received care for several injuries sustained after his family's newly acquired horse bucked him off. "Gov. Pillen was transported to Nebraska Medicine Sunday afternoon after a horseback riding accident while riding with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter near Columbus," a news release from Pillen's office shared.
"The Governor’s injuries included minor lacerations to his spleen and kidney, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung resulting from the rib damage, and a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae. There were no injuries to his neck, head, nervous system, or additional internal organs," the news release added.
Governor Jim Pillen is in stable condition after a horseback riding accident.
His injuries included minor lacerations to his spleen and kidney, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung resulting from the rib damage, and a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae. pic.twitter.com/325YqVz0le
— Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (@NEMAtweets) December 23, 2024
Despite so many injuries, Pillen is expected to make a full recovery. To spur his healing along, doctors recommended a minimally invasive procedure to repair the bleeding in his spleen.
"The procedure took less than an hour and included anesthesia. During that time, Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly briefly acted as Governor, pursuant to the Nebraska Constitution – a transfer of power which happens regularly when the Governor travels outside of the state," the news release stated.
"The procedure was a success, and the Governor caught the second half of the Nebraska men’s basketball win over Murray State in his recovery room, while chatting and joking with his family and team. In summary, the Governor’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening and could have been much worse," the governor's office shared to reassure constitutents.
Pillen will remain hospitalized mainly for observation but will continue working from his hospital room in the meantime. The news release thanked those involved in his care and recovery.
"Gov. Pillen, First Lady Suzanne, and their family are enormously grateful to the teams at Nebraska Medicine, Columbus Community Hospital, and the EMS professionals who transported him after the accident. The Governor looks forward to returning to his office soon after Christmas and wishes a blessed and safe holiday to all Nebraskans," the news release concluded.
Pillen was elected to office in 2022 after defeating Democratic challenger state Sen. Carol Blood, according to the Associated Press. It was the first time he'd run for any public office.
Gov. Pete Ricketts was term-limited, leaving the office up for grabs, though the state has a 24-year streak of electing Republicans for the job. Pillen was the clear choice for Nebraskans, perhaps because of and not despite his inexperience in politics.
Pillen has spent his career as a veterinarian and hog farm owner and serves on the Board of Regents at the University of Nebraska. During the campaign, Pillen won popularity for his strong conservative views, including lower taxes, fewer mandates, and shrinking the size of government.
That message from a bonafide businessman was enough for him to best the GOP's Trump-endorsed businessman Charles Herbster. After Pillen took office, he began an aggressive push to outlaw abortion and so-called gender-affirming care for minors in Nebraska which only cements his conservative legacy.
It's a miracle that Pillen wasn't more seriously injured in this event with his horse. Perhaps God knew that Pillen had too much work left for the people of Nebraska, especially the unborn and vulnerable children.
President Gerald Ford's former chief of staff, Bob Barrett, shared the events that led to former first lady Betty Ford's recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, the UK Daily Mail reported. Her healing led to the creation of the Betty Ford Foundation which has saved countless others from the throes of addiction.
Since its founding in 1982, the Betty Ford Center has become the destination for the rich and fabulous who are also addicts. However, before that ever happened, Betty Ford needed saving.
In his new book Inside the President's Team: Family, Service, and the Gerald Ford Presidency, Barrett gives a glimpse into the inner workings of the family's ordeal. The former first lady became addicted to pills after being prescribed opioids for a pinched nerve.
Betty Ford's substance abuse would escalate to an addiction to alcohol and a host of other pills. How her family dealt with it would change the trajectory of many lives.
Barrett recounted Ford's daily routine when she was at her worst. "I had watched her pour a large glass of vodka over ice at nine every morning and nurse it until four in the afternoon," Barrett said.
"She would then pour another that lasted until dinner, when the drinks began to flow more freely. Far too many nights, I had seen her end the evening in an extreme state of intoxication," he added.
However, it would be in the years after President Ford left office when the family would reach out to Barrett for help. "Mom’s going to die if we don’t do something," Susan, the Fords' youngest daughter, told Barrett on March 31, 1978.
"We’re going to do this intervention thing with her. You’ve got to get him home," Susan said, referring to her father, Gerald Ford, who was in Maryland to give a speech.
Barrett said in his book that he knew that turning Susan down "was clearly not an option" and described her as "the perfect blend of her mother and her father: tough, beautiful, and smart." Barrett found a substitute to give a speech in for the former president's place and booked him on the next flight back to California to "ambush his wife."
The family held the intervention for Betty Ford at home. Twelve of her closest loved ones shared with the former first lady all of the ways her addiction impacted them.
Her children spoke, including Susan, who went last. "Mom, when I was little, and even as I grew up, I always admired you for being a dancer. I wanted to be just like you," she told her mother.
"But now, these days, you’re falling and clumsy. You’re not the same person. And I’ve talked to you about things - things that were important to me, and the next day you didn’t even remember," Susan added.
Betty Ford would enter rehab and successfully kick her addictions with the support of her husband and family. She later launched a clinic in Rancho Mirage in 1982 and treated actress Elizabeth Taylor the following year. Others, including Ozzy Osbourne, Drew Barrymore, Robert Downy Jr., and many others, have also gotten well at the Betty Ford Center.
Barrett's account underscores Betty Ford's impact on people fighting addiction. It was her humility in admitting that she had a problem that led to a place of hope and freedom from addiction.