Jaclyn Smith Reveals Tanya Roberts’ Bold Proposal – Malibu-Style Charlie’S Angels Drama

Angels, Aloha and an Unexpected Offer

For a show that became synonymous with glamorous women, gravity-defying hair, and crime-fighting in eye-catching wardrobe choices, Charlie’s Angels also had its fair share of off-camera stories. Jaclyn Smith is now pulling back the curtain as the series edges toward its 50th anniversary – and one memory is as surprising as it is candid.

In her new memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, and in a recent interview with PEOPLE, Smith recounts a moment on a flight to Hawaii to film the show. Tanya Roberts – who joined the cast in its fifth and final season – reportedly asked Smith to join her and her husband, Barry Roberts, in a threesome while they were in the air.

Jaclyn’s Take on the Proposition

Smith says she politely declined the offer. She doesn’t frame the encounter in condemnation; instead, she admired Roberts’ frankness about her personal life. The anecdote lands less like a scandal and more like a portrait of a person who lived openly and on her own terms.

“Tanya was bold and frank about her life in a way that surprised me – there was no judgment from her, just an honest directness that I found striking,” Smith recalls.

Smith’s description goes further in the book, noting that Roberts and her husband had what she called an open marriage – and that Roberts was unafraid to talk about it or invite others into it.

Who Was Tanya Roberts?

Born Victoria Leigh Blum in the Bronx, Tanya Roberts moved from modeling to acting before setting down in Los Angeles to pursue her career. She wasn’t part of the original Angels lineup from 1976, but by 1980 she stepped into the role of Julie Rogers, replacing Shelley Hack and joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd for the show’s final season.

Before and after that TV turn, Roberts built a varied career. She starred in fantasy films like The Beastmaster and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, and in 1985 she became a Bond girl when she played geologist Stacey Sutton opposite Roger Moore in A View to a Kill.

Life After the Angels – Career and Family

Roberts later found another generation of fans as Midge Pinciotti, Donna’s mother, on That '70s Show. But her life was not only red carpets and recurring TV spots – she also stepped away from acting for stretches to care for those close to her.

Roberts was married to writer and actor Barry Roberts from the 1970s until his death in 2006. After Barry’s passing, Tanya eventually found a long-term partner in Lance O’Brien, with whom she spent 18 years.

The Tragic Final Chapter

Tanya Roberts died on Jan. 4, 2021, at age 65 after a series of medical complications. She had collapsed at home on Christmas Eve and was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her publicist later reported that a urinary tract infection had spread to her kidney, gallbladder, liver, and bloodstream, resulting in sepsis.

Her final days were clouded by confusion and heartbreak when her death was prematurely announced by her partner Lance O’Brien while she was still alive in the hospital. That announcement was corrected, but Roberts’ death was confirmed the next evening.

Remembering a Bold Presence

As Smith’s memoir and interviews remind fans, Tanya Roberts was often candid about her life and relationships. Whether she was fighting crime on screen, swinging through jungle fantasies, or appearing as a Bond girl, Roberts carried a bold, unfiltered energy that made her a memorable figure in pop culture.

Her story — from the Bronx to Hollywood to the pages of a memoir mentioning intimate, surprising moments — is part of the complicated, glamorous, and sometimes melancholic mosaic that was Charlie’s Angels and its cast.