He posted this 16-minute personal statement on his Facebook page (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZmln6LY6k), where he and his wife have striven to provide evidence of his side of the story, for whatever that may be worth to anyone. And did you know that Ms. Eggert appeared twice on Baio's reality show just a few short years before she made her initial allegations about him back around 2012-ish?

What do I think of the situation? I have heard from many reliable sources that Baio was an asshole. That, of course, doesn't make him a sexual abuser. However, I think his general unpleasantness, based on ego due to his attractiveness and popularity (still lingering at this point in time), may explain why Alex Polinsky, the male child co-star of Baio and Eggert on Charles in Charge has come out so strongly on Eggert's side of the accusations: he doesn't like Baio personally due to his attitude (which may be justified), so he finds it easy to believe that Baio did what Eggert says he did (which would not be justified sans real evidence). Polinsky also alleges that the basic environment of the set was abusive to kids (not in a sexual way), but that may be due to some other personal gripe of his with the way things were run there that has various levels of truth to it. Still, the manner of that environment being generally "abusive to kids" may or may not have any direct bearing on the situation with Baio and Eggert.

Eggert has made it clear that it wasn't a lack of consent on her part, so much as "manipulation" on Baio's part (you know how that old saw goes), because she was "just a child at the time" (she says she was 17 when she lost her virginity to Baio). He says she initiated it; she says he did. Her statements on that show that Baio plays some audio from on the video statement I linked above seems to support his side of the story, as she has contradicted herself in her statements, which he proves. That doesn't prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that his side is entirely correct, of course, but what I'm getting from all of that so far is this:

Eggert was attracted to Baio, and him to her, and both for a long time, so she hit him with a series of flirtatious hints towards wanting to be intimate when she visited his place one day at some point after the show had been canceled (they maintained a friendship afterwards). Baio caught onto those hints of hers and encouraged that interest (he admits to giving in), and they ended up becoming intimate, thus resulting in the loss of Eggert's virginity. Her main contention after years of retrospect seem to be he should have refused rather than encouraged or accepted her initial overtures, and that if he was any type of decent person, he would have. Again, a very familiar part of the narrative that has a strong sociogenic basis to it.

Another part of what I think she is saying is that since she was "just a child" at the time, no matter how much she may have truly been interested in losing her virginity to Baio during that fateful visit to his home, he (as the "responsible" adult) should have known that it would end up being bad for her. This, of course, also fully corresponds with the popular narrative that we're all familiar with (including Eggert herself, no doubt), and playing the "child card" in this manner is similar to how much of the #MeToo crowd plays the "woman card" according to a common script to their emotional advantage under similar circumstances. Which begs the important question: Who is truly guilty of the emotional manipulation here? Baio, of Eggert all those years ago? Or Eggert, of the public via social media now?

It should be noted that Baio insists Eggert was not a minor when they had sex, and he offers evidence to prove it in that statement I linked up above. If he is correct, that would mean that Eggert is either a bald-faced liar or simply has a poor recall. The most important part of this particular disagreement, however, is that it shows a large part of these accusations hinges on a legal technicality, and what degree of inherent "right" or "wrong" can be found in whether Eggert was 17 at the time it happened or at least a year past that.

Could Baio be a MAP? I cannot say for sure, and I never personally saw reason to suspect him until all of this. He was accused of "inappropriate hugging" with Eggert on the set of the show when she was 14 by Polinsky, but if true, that could simply have been affectionate hugging or kidding around (likely a combination thereof), and I highly doubt Eggert had any issues with it, since she was very clearly attracted to Baio. Again, this whole case rests on the "wrong in retrospect" part of the narrative, which insists the adult should always "know better" and a "child" (whether accurately defined as such or not) never can, and thus should never have her feelings respected at the time she expresses them.

It also doesn't confront the possibility of Eggert re-conceptualizing what was at the time a positive experience to her based upon sociogenic factors, i.e., her friends telling her this or that through the years, including Polinsky and others who consider Baio to be a jerk and have always disliked his general demeanor. It's also possible, of course, that the explosive growth of the "SJW" and #MeToo phenomena and the resulting popularity of accusations that are coming out of the woodwork against male celebrities left and right as a result gave her the final impetus she needed to feel it was advantageous to Eggert to make such accusations, despite having maintained a friendship with Baio for over 20 years up until she suddenly decided to make those accusations.

Of course, I can believe Baio may be an asshole and not the nicest guy in the world to get involved with sexually. But is he a rapist or molester? One does not necessarily lead to the other.

I also must say that I had no idea until I saw your post that Baio is politically to the Right, and I regret to say that tainted my memories of him a bit :-(

Now that I gave my four cents on the Baio situation, I must address the obvious, Eeyore: Where in the name of the gods have you been??!! It's been too long!!!

Welcome back to the fold, old friend.