Once upon a time, Henry Winkler’s daughter, Zoe, wanted to become a bonafide reality star.
On the latest episode of her What In The Winkler?! podcast, Zoe, 44, revealed that she almost embarked on a totally different path before her father, 79, stopped her reality TV career in its tracks.
“Do you remember when I was in the running to be The Bachelorette?” she asked to which the Happy Days alum replied, “Oh, my goodness. And we put a stop to that and only for your protection.”
After Henry jokingly asked his daughter for a “thank you,” Zoe shared how, back in the day, she, Kim Kardashian and Sarah Howard had been asked to be a part of a show called Quarter Life Crisis — an opportunity that Henry also turned down on her behalf.
“I’ll never forget Matt Hanna [an executive producer],” she recalled. “He worked at VH1 at the time, he flew out to LA and did a sizzle reel of us. And I don’t even think like I mentioned it to you… I was living at home at the time because I was just done with college. He came to the house and you met him outside.”
“I did,” Henry continued. “I said, it is so lovely that you’re here, I can suggest some really good restaurants, [but] my daughter is not doing your show.”
Though Zoe’s reality dreams were dashed and Kim went on to “become the most famous person in the world,” she admitted that her father’s firm stance allowed her to pursue a life long dream she’d always had of teaching.
“I became a teacher, which was the best job and what I always truly wanted to do,” she explained, before Henry added that he knew she was “born” to teach after visiting her classroom on multiple occasions.
“I’m not kidding, [it’s] not because I’m your dad,” he continued. “I’m just objectively telling you I saw it happen. If I were a young parent, at the time that I saw the way you parent and the way you taught, I would have stolen your technique and used it as my go-to.”
Zoe began working as a nursery school teacher after graduating from Loyola Marymount University. After several years of teaching, she transitioned into a humanitarian role after co-founding the nonprofit, This is About Humanity, in 2018.
The organization helps families and children who were separated at the United States-Mexico border by raising awareness and offering resources and assistance.
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At the time, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she was inspired to launch the organization after seeing the conditions migrants were living in at border holding facilities.
“I could not get the images out of my head of these children,” she told the outlet. “I have a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 6-year-old, and having them separated from me would be, I don’t know that they would make it. I mean it’s so damaging and we’re living in such a scary time as it is right now that I feel like I never in my life thought I would become an activist, but I don’t have any other choice.”
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