Baywatch’s OG Lifeguards Are Coming Back in 2027. Yasmine Bleeth Isn’t — and Her Co-Star Explains Why

By playing Caroline Holden on Baywatch, Yasmine Bleeth became one of television’s most recognizable faces. The brunette beauty held her own alongside Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff, and the rest of the show’s famous lifeguard crew.

But Bleeth’s career didn’t stop at Baywatch. She’d already been acting for years before landing the role of Caroline, and she went on to star in a string of other shows and movies during the height of her fame.

Then, seemingly almost overnight, she stepped away from acting and left the bright lights of Hollywood behind her.

Yasmine Bleeth’s Acting Career: From Ryan’s Hope to Baywatch

Bleeth appeared in plenty of commercials as a young child and landed her first film role in Hey Babe! in 1980.

Her big television break came with Ryan’s Hope, where she played Ryan Fenelli from 1985 to 1989. She later joined One Life to Live before landing her career-defining role on Baywatch in 1993. She remained on the series until 1997, then returned for the 2003 TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. (Rotten Tomatoes has only scored Baywatch’s first season, which sits at 67%; the seasons Bleeth starred in have no critics’ score.)

Some of her biggest credits include:

• Ryan’s Hope (1985–1989)
• One Life to Live (1991–1993)
• Baywatch (1993–1997)
• Nash Bridges (1998–2000)
• Titans (2000)
• Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
• The Lake (1998)
• Whack the Don (2021)

Bleeth’s acting resume was quickly stacking up, and audiences loved her for her girl-next-door charm and undeniable natural beauty.

RELATED: Pamela Anderson Confirms She’s Not Returning to Baywatch — Here’s the Real Reason Why

“I Never Expected to Get into Drugs”: Yasmine Bleeth’s Addiction

Cocaine caught Bleeth completely off-guard. What started as a social thing in 1998 soon turned into a full-blown addiction. In a 2003 interview with Glamour magazine, she admitted to having the drug delivered right to her door, “like ordering Chinese food.”

It wasn’t long before she was self-isolating, experiencing rapid weight loss, and trying to disguise bloody noses.

And Bleeth also had another addiction. “Shopping was instant gratification. Just like the drugs.” With the novelty of online shopping in the 90s and her steady Nash Bridges paycheck, Bleeth would spend hours searching the internet for new clothes, bags, and shoes.

The Literal Collapse: Rehab and Yasmine Bleeth’s 2001 Arrest

In July 2000, Bleeth was down to a size 0, and she collapsed at a photoshoot for Glamour magazine. Five months later, she checked into Promises Rehab Center in Malibu, where she met her now-husband, Paul Cerrito.

But her struggles weren’t over quite yet. Just two weeks after coming out of rehab, she was back on cocaine. And in September 2001, she was in a drug-related accident that involved crashing a rental car into a highway median on I-94 near Detroit. Cerrito was in the car with her.

The result? She was arrested and pleaded guilty to drug possession and driving while impaired. In January 2002, Bleeth was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service on top of court costs.

The car crash is widely considered to be the actress’s rock bottom, and she has called it “the ultimate wake-up call.” In 2003, she told Glamour that staying off drugs is something she has to consciously work at, and always will.

RELATED: Erika Eleniak Wasn’t “Comfortable in Slinky Little Bikinis” on Baywatch. Now She Has an OnlyFans — and Shauni’s Coming Back

Where Is Yasmine Bleeth Now in 2026?

After her arrest and pivot to sobriety, Bleeth stepped away from acting. Aside from a small role in the 2021 indie comedy Whack the Don, her last credited screen appearances came in the early 2000s, and while she was officially cast in a horror-thriller called Beautiful Evil (which has been listed on IMDb as ‘in production’ for years), we doubt that anything will come of this.

Unlike many of her former Baywatch co-stars, Bleeth hasn’t spent the last twenty years on reality shows, red carpets, or nostalgia specials. Not even for Baywatch’s 25th anniversary in 2013.

Yasmine Bleeth made her first public appearance in over a decade on New Year’s Day 2015, spotted at Venice Beach’s Penguin Plunge alongside Real Housewives star Eileen Davidson.

Today, Bleeth, 58, lives a much quieter life with her husband, Paul Cerrito, whom she married in 2002. David Chokachi discussed Bleeth in a 2024 interview, where he confirmed that she is happy, sober, and doing well.

Baywatch returns with a reboot on Fox in early 2027, and will star new faces Stephen Amell, Shay Mitchell, Livvy Dunne, and Brooks Nader, alongside returning originals David Chokachi, Erika Eleniak, Michael Bergin, and Kelly Packard. Unfortunately, Bleeth isn’t among them. In fact, Chokachi said she turned down Hulu’s After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun docuseries, too, because “she really didn’t want to go back into the public spotlight.”

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She’s no longer racing down the beach in a red swimsuit, but her decision to leave the spotlight has given her privacy and the chance to focus on her personal life in peace.

Yasmine Bleeth’s Most Famous Roles

Title	Year(s)	Role	Type
Ryan’s Hope	1985–1989	Ryan Fenelli	TV series
One Life to Live	1991–1993	LeeAnn Demerest	TV series
Baywatch	1993–1997	Caroline Holden	TV series
The Lake	1998	Jackie Ivers	TV movie
BASEketball	1998	Yvette Denslow	Movie
Nash Bridges	1998–2000	Inspector Caitlin Cross	TV series
Titans	2000	Heather Lynne Williams	TV series
Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding	2003	Caroline Holden	TV movie
Whack the Don	2021	Lola	Movie

The original Baywatch is streaming on Prime Video and Peacock, with some seasons free with ads on Tubi, while After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun streams on Hulu.