Suzanne Somers, a fighter in career and everyday life, stood up to Hollywood groupthink

"Three's Company" was a one-of-a-kind sit-com. Entertaining, goofy, simple. It's one of those shows that people in their 50s and 60s look back on and say there's no way they could get away with that today!

The premise of the show is that the landlord won't let men and women who are not married share an apartment so the two girls, Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) and Janet (Joyce Dewitt), convince the landlord that Jack Tripper (John Ritter) is gay.

Sadly, John Ritter passed away at the young age of 54 back in 2003. There was controversy and a wrongful death suit filed by his widow.

Suzanne Somers played a "ditzy blonde" on the show from 1977 through 1981. She then went on to star in a successful sitcom "Step By Step," which lasted seven seasons.

An accomplished actor, writer, and businesswoman, Suzanne Somers is a great example of a person who defied the odds, overcame adversity, and became a huge success.

She grew up in an abusive household with a drunken father. She was a mom at 17, married then quickly divorced, and then was arrested for check fraud and had her car impounded.

Should this be a career-killing move?

This is a woman who rose up, faced adversity and never gave up. She also earned a lot of respect by being unafraid to publicly support Donald Trump and point out that it's unfortunately a "career killer" to do it.

It's a shame that we've fallen so far as a culture where innocent humor can be taken so out of context you might be canceled, and even worse, a political position that goes against Hollywood groupthink could prevent a talented performer from getting work.

Perhaps with Suzanne Somers passing, there will be an opportunity to take a long look at how we treat other people who may not agree with us.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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