‘The Brady Bunch’ Star Makes Shocking Revelation

Former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen is opening up about a shocking revelation from her childhood — her father desperately tried to bribe her to quit the hit show at the height of its success.

Olsen, now 64, became a household name as Cindy Brady on the beloved sitcom, joining the cast just before her eighth birthday. But while America fell in love with the Brady kids, life behind the scenes was far from picture-perfect — especially for her father, who grew to resent the fame and chaos surrounding his daughter’s stardom.

“My dad was certainly no Hollywood parent,” Olsen told PEOPLE. “He put up a resistance for each of us kids getting involved in the business… but we all enjoyed it, so he let us do it.”

Still, the tidal wave of Brady Bunch fandom became too much. Olsen recalled being mobbed by fans, even at home: “People would find out where I lived, and we’d be having dinner, and they’d be looking in the dining room window.” Her father hated the attention, especially when people approached them during family dinners out.

Eventually, his frustration boiled over. Olsen revealed that her dad tried to convince her to walk away from the show — by offering her a life-changing bribe.

“That’s when he started trying to bribe me to get out of the show,” she said. “He thought the whole thing was too unnatural, and so, he’d tell me, ‘We’ll get you a horse and riding lessons at Foxfield. Just quit this show.’”

But even as a child, Olsen wasn’t fooled. “I’m thinking, we can’t afford a horse, let alone Foxfield. Like, yeah, that’ll last a year, and then I’ll have no horse and no TV shows,” she explained.

Olsen admitted she occasionally thought about quitting — but not because of her father’s pleas. Instead, she faced intense bullying at school from kids who teased her for her TV fame. “There were times I’d go to school and I’d get teased, and I’d think, when I get home, I’m gonna tell Dad, ‘Yes, I’m quitting.’ But by the time I got home, I’d always come back to my senses.”

Ultimately, she couldn’t imagine leaving behind her castmates, who felt like family. She even argued with her dad about the long-term impact quitting would have: “I told my dad when I was about 11, ‘Dad, do you think my life is unnatural now? Can you imagine if I have to watch The Brady Bunch on Friday nights and know that I’m not on it anymore? Think about how much that would mess me up.’ And he’s like, ‘You’ve got a good point there.’”

Olsen starred on The Brady Bunch from 1969 until the series ended in 1974, but the revelation about her father’s desperate bribe sheds new light on the intense pressures her family faced behind the scenes.