Jaclyn Smith Opens Up About Tanya Roberts’ Threesome Proposition and Life on the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Set

When Jaclyn Smith sat down to pen her memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, she didn’t just recount the glitz of television fame—she let readers in on some surprisingly personal moments.

One that has been sparking conversation is a story about her fellow Angel, the late Tanya Roberts. Smith writes that Tanya, who was married to Barry Roberts in what she describes as an open relationship, once floated a rather bold idea while the two were on a flight to Hawaii.

“Tanya wasn’t shy about it in the least,” Smith recalls, noting that the actress asked, almost off‑hand, if she’d like to join her and Barry for a threesome. Smith politely declined, but she also says she admired Tanya’s “bravery and self‑awareness” in being upfront about her sexuality.

There’s no judgment in Smith’s tone. Instead, she paints Tanya as a woman who owned her desires, even if they made some of her co‑stars uneasy. The anecdote sits alongside fond memories of the deep friendship that blossomed when Tanya joined the show’s final season as Julie Roger.

Beyond that night in the air, Smith’s memoir also pulls back the curtain on the more chaotic side of the series. She writes candidly about a culture of drug use that permeated the set, observing that cocaine was “everywhere” but insisting she never partook. “I’ve watched that drug turn people into the worst version of themselves,” she says, adding she has “never” used it and “never will.”

Despite the turbulence, Smith emphasizes that the bond with her original co‑stars—Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson—remained unshaken. “After the applause, the friendship is still there,” she writes. “That sisterhood was strong.”

Tanya Roberts, who passed away in January 2021 at age 65 after complications from a urinary‑tract infection, was remembered by Smith on social media as a source of joy for countless fans of ‘Charlie’s Angels.’

The memoir, released by Gallery Books, offers a layered portrait of a television phenomenon: glittering success, off‑screen drama, and enduring connections that survived long after the final episode aired in 1981.