‘CHiPs’ Star Larry Wilcox on How Erik Estrada Had Him Fired: ‘Are You Gonna Wallow?’
Larry Wilcox is opening up about the real reason he left CHiPs and how his relationship with co-star Erik Estrada has changed with time. On the September 22 episode of the Still Here Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko, Wilcox, now 78, reflected on his famously rocky dynamic with Estrada, 76. When Kmetko mentioned the pair’s chemistry on screen, Wilcox laughed and replied, according to PEOPLE, “Yeah, indeed we did. We’re actors.” Off camera, however, things were far more complicated.
Wilcox admitted that at the time he considered Estrada the “biggest egotistical a—— I’d ever met in my life.” While fans saw the pair as Officer Jon Baker and Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello in thrilling chases and highway drama, behind the scenes tensions were building. Wilcox tried to keep perspective, reminding himself, “I endured it because this series wasn’t about you, Larry. So get over it or make a decision and find a solution and be resilient, but don’t wallow in this toxicity. Maybe it’s his fault, maybe it’s your fault, but don’t wallow in it.”
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The breaking point came after five seasons. Wilcox recalled getting a call from his agent, who told him that while NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff admired his work, he would not be returning for season six and admitted that Estrada had him fired. Producers were caught in a bind after Estrada, who had survived two serious motorcycle accidents on set, threatened to walk unless his demands were met. With syndication on the line, the network gave in.
Although the news stung, Wilcox quickly worked to control the narrative. “So everyone thought I left the show, right?” he said. “… And for a long time, I went on angry at Erik and pissed off.” His character was replaced by Tom Reilly as Officer Bobby Nelson. In the years that followed, Wilcox launched his own production company and found success producing projects like The Ray Bradbury Theater and Flipper. But eventually his perspective shifted. He said, “One day my brain clicked on. I said, ‘Wow, dude, are you gonna wallow in vengeance? Does it make you happy? You want to have a drink tonight over it and then another drink and another drink and then pissed off and want to get mad at someone?’ No. I’m going to love on this guy. I’m going to love on him unconditionally. Don’t fake it … So that’s what I did. I just became his best friend.”
Though CHiPs ended in 1983, Wilcox and Estrada went on to reunite for commercials, fan events and a 1998 TV movie. Their bond has softened into friendship, something Wilcox now cherishes. Looking back, Wilcox has come to see Estrada in a different light. “He was fighting for his life to be the star of the series, and, in a way, you were in his way. He didn’t need any parasitic drag. He needed to move forward,” he concluded. “So I actually enjoy him now. I watch him as a spectator. Like all of us, I see good and bad in Erik Estrada, but a lot of entertainment. He’s an entertainer that loves to be an entertainer. So be it. God bless him.”
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