Fans Worry Carmen Electra is 'Highly Medicated' As 'Baywatch' Star Struggles to Speak in Interview

Carmen Electra was noticeably sluggish during her recent appearance on Dear Media's The Skinny Confidential podcast with Lauryn Bosstick in honor of Baywatch's 35th anniversary. While some concerned fans couldn't help but wonder if the actress suffered any major health scare recently, others suspected a potential drug addiction. 

A fan on YouTube @s.nicole9739 asked, "What is she on?! Applause to Lauren for keeping this interview going." Another user, @Chelsea.Harold, responded, "So painful." Meanwhile, @KatherineGowan4221 noted how her personality was different, "She used to be slightly more articulate." 

More fans observed her seemingly disturbed appearance, like @EleanorLaneDesign, who noticed, "She seems so highly medicated that she can hardly get her words out. This was a painful listen. I can't imagine sitting there and trying to pretend everything was normal." @tonibaird6557 added, "Wow! [I] Haven't seen her in YEARS! Definitely a different person than I remember." 

However, despite what people speculated, a source close to the star clarified to the Daily Mail that she recently had a brush with COVID-19 and consequently, she became lethargic. In addition, while she was sick with the coronavirus, her busy press schedule promoting Baywatch coincided with attending the '90s Con in Los Angeles. Together, it all worsened her health, hence explaining her sluggish demeanor. 

But this isn't the first time Electra has sparked concerns. Previously, she grabbed eyeballs as well-wishers claimed she 'seemed off' during a red-carpet interview with Extra TV. The correspondent inquired if she had ever been weight-conscious to meet the unrealistic beauty standards, she admitted, "I did because I was always told that I need to lose weight. I grew up studying classical ballet and that was what was happening in my life. So I think as time went on, I would still listen to that and take it to heart." 

The 52-year-old went on to say that as time went by, she has learned to appreciate her body as it was in Baywatch, "When I look back, I love my body and I love that I was curvy, and not like, straight up and down. Those times have changed. You can't do that anymore. It was kind of the beginning of those times when producers could come to you and say, 'You need to stop eating some snacks.' For that moment, I really did take it seriously as a professional dancer because that was always engraved into my mind growing up." 

After 35 years to the show's premiere, Electra recalled the fond memories, including her spine-chilling stunt scenes. "Our producer and directors wanted us to do as much of our own stunts as we possibly could," the actress told PEOPLE. "So we were running and running and running. And we had to do all the jumping over water, diving into it, the swims, everything it took to be able to see if you could be a lifeguard." "And my character was supposed to be that lifeguard, so I remember when we would have scenes running, sometimes I had these guys, obviously these strong guys, that are passing me up," Electra added.