John Stamos is ready to take a seat at Arnold’s Restaurant. The actor, 57, said on Twitter that he’s ready to fill in for Scott Baio when the Happy Days cast reunites on October 25 to raise money for the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Scott, who played Chachi on the iconic 1970s sitcom is a diehard Donald Trump supporter and likely won’t be joining in on the fun.
“The most important election of our lifetimes is right around the corner and Wisconsin is a must-win swing state,” Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham on the show set in 1950s Milwaukee, tweeted on October 20. Original cast members Henry Winkler (Fonzie), Don Most (Ralph Malph), Anson Williams (Potsie Weber), Marion Ross (Marion Cunningham), and writer Lowell Ganz are confirmed for the event. Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham, died after a battle with an unspecified cancer in 2017. She was 56.
After seeing Ron’s tweet, the Fuller House star tweeted, “Can I play Chachi?” The Hillbilly Elegy director has yet to respond, but John’s fans are absolutely down with this casting choice. “John Stamos as Chachi? In the words of Bey, ‘let me upgrade you,” one fan tweeted. “My girlfriend loves you more than me and now I understand why. Thanks for being one of the good ones John,” another joked.
Someone not enthused? Scott himself. The actor, 60, tweeted back at John, “This is what Hollywood has come to. #shameful #LiberalsAreDesperate… Shouldn’t you be taking care of Aunt Becky?” — a reference to John’s Fuller House co-star Lori Loughlin, who begins a two-month prison sentence in November. He also quipped that, “it’s ironic that ‘Chachi’ is whats trending. Not Ron Howard, not Stamos, not even Happy Days.”
It’s not unreasonable to think that Scott, perhaps Trump’s most vocal celebrity supporter, would decline to participate in a Democratic fundraiser. Scott, who also starred in the short-lived Happy Days spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, has shilled for the president since he announced his candidacy in 2015. He even defended Trump after the infamous Access Hollywood tape leak, saying on Fox News at the time, “I like Trump because Trump is not a politician, he talks like a guy. And ladies out there, this is what guys talk about when you’re not around. So if you’re offended by it, grow up, ok?