David Hasselhoff, the star of Baywatch and Knight Rider, was filmed by his 16-year-old daughter, Taylor Ann, in Las Vegas, where he was appearing on stage in The Producers.
The footage shows Hasselhoff, who is a recovering alcoholic, drunk and trying to eat a burger off the floor.
He is seen rambling about his loneliness and disagreeing with his daughter when she assures him that he has her support.
Taylor Ann can be heard pleading with the actor to give up drinking.
She warns him that a doctor will be taking a blood alcohol test in the morning, a requirement apparently sought by the producers of The Producers.
Despite her pleas, Hasselhoff can barely understand anything she is saying.
He lolls around, eyes rolling back in his head, attempting to bite his cheeseburger but managing only to spill food down himself.
At one point, while she is reprimanding him, the only words he can find are Love these buns, praising his burger.
The video went viral on the Internet, causing Hasselhoff to release a lengthy statement.
The statement read, I am a recovering alcoholic.
“Despite that I have been going through a painful divorce and I have recently been separated from my children due to my work, I have been successfully dealing with my issue.
“Unfortunately, I did have a brief relapse, but part of recovery is relapse.
“Because of my honest and positive relationship with my children, who were concerned for my well-being, there was a tape made when I had a relapse to show me what I was like.
“I have seen the tape. I have learned from it, and I am back on my game.
“I hope that others will learn from the tape, as I have.
“I thank God for the love and concern from my children.
“I have the respect of my children and my fans, but most importantly I have self-respect.
“I will continue to keep my personal life private for the sake of moving on and living a happy life with my daughters.
Hasselhoffs ex-wife, Pamela Bach, responded by giving a TV interview with her lawyer by her side.
Miss Bach said, The disease of alcoholism that David has, its a disease that you can put a halt to, I believe.
“And I thought if he just wouldnt drink everything is going to be okay.
“Life is good. Weve got two beautiful girls.
“You know, amazing. If you just put down the drink every day, everything will be okay.
The custody dispute between the pair following their divorce last August has become increasingly bitter.
Miss Bach claims that Hasselhoffs alcoholism has caused him to need three sets of rehab.
She also alleged that Hasselhoff physically abused her when he had been drinking.
Its embarrassing. You dont deserve it. Its like a Jekyll and Hyde.
When asked, Were there ever any bruises? Broken bones? Anything that you covered up?, she replied, Thats what I did. Miss Bach added that she had real concerns about Hasselhoff being alone with her daughters.
When asked if he had abused the girls, her lawyer replied, It depends on how you define abuse. Well just leave it at that.”
“Well just say we have concerns. There are different levels of abuse and we are exploring all of them in this instance.
Despite the allegations, Hasselhoff has been open about his struggle with alcoholism.
In 2007, a video of him drunkenly eating a hamburger went viral, leading to his dismissal from Americas Got Talent.
In a 2010 interview with CNN, he said, I was a recovering alcoholic who fell off the wagon and thats what happens.”
“Its a family disease and it doesnt discriminate I made a mistake, Im not perfect, but Im recovering and Im doing better.
Hasselhoff has two daughters with Bach, Taylor Ann and Hayley.
The couple divorced in 2006 after 16 years of marriage.
They have since been in a custody battle over their daughters.
Hasselhoff, who is now 68, has continued to work on various projects since his heyday as a television star.
He has appeared in several stage productions, including The Producers and Jekyll and Hyde.
He has also released several albums and has served as a judge on Britains Got Talent.
In recent years, he has been a regular on the convention circuit, meeting fans and signing autographs.
Despite his personal troubles, he remains a beloved figure to many.
