Henry Winkler recalled ending daughter Zoe Winkler’s reality television career before it had a chance to begin on the latest episode of the What in the Winkler?! podcast, hosted by Zoe and her mother, Stacey Winkler.
"Do you remember when I was in the running to be The Bachelorette?" Zoe asked her father, who had an immediate reaction. "Oh, my goodness. And we put a stop to that and only for your protection,” the Happy Days alum said before jokingly requesting Zoe thank him for his efforts.
But instead, Zoe went on to regale another incident in which her father stifled her career goals. Apparently she, Sarah Howard, and a then-unknown Kim Kardashian were being courted to star on a reality series entitled Quarter Life Crisis.
"I'll never forget [executive producer] Matt Hanna," Zoe remembered. "He worked at VH1 at the time, he flew out to L.A. and did a sizzle reel of us. And I don't even think like I mentioned it to you,” she told her father. “I was living at home at the time because I was just done with college. He came to the house and you met him outside."
"I did," Henry confirmed without hesitation. "I said, it is so lovely that you're here, I can suggest some really good restaurants, [but] my daughter is not doing your show."
Though Zoe laments Kardashian went on to "become the most famous person in the world," her father’s protective measure eventually allowed Zoe to pursue her greatest professional passion. "I became a teacher, which was the best job and what I always truly wanted to do," she said, while Henry added he always knew she was “born” to teach.
"I'm not kidding, [it's] not because I'm your dad," he said. "I'm just objectively telling you I saw it happen. If I were a young parent, at the time that I saw the way you parent and the way you taught, I would have stolen your technique and used it as my go-to."
Zoe also co-founded the non-profit organization This is About Humanity in 2018. The organization assists families and children were were separated at the U.S. and Mexico border, providing resources and raising awareness.
