Actor Eddie Deezen draws backlash after post about asking out 16-year-old: ‘An honest mistake’

Eddie Deezen, the actor who played Eugene Felsnic in the 1978 film “Grease,” is facing online criticism after he described in a Facebook post how he asked out a 16-year-old girl at a Starbucks, then compared the reaction to homophobia.

The 69-year-old wrote that he walked up to the girl’s table, told her she was the most beautiful girl he had seen in a long time and asked to take her out, according to the Mirror. The girl replied that she was underage and, when he asked, said she was 16, the post said. Mr. Deezen wrote that he ended the exchange by telling her to think of him when she watched “Grease.” She was 53 years younger than he is.

In follow-up posts, Mr. Deezen said he had taken her for a college student of about 23 and called the episode an “honest mistake.” He also compared the criticism to hostility directed at gay and transgender people, and said those objecting were being selectively offended. He wrote that he had blocked three users over what he called cruel comments.

Social media users rejected the comparison. Some commenters who identified as LGBT+ said an older man’s attraction to a child could not be equated with being gay. The original post has since been deleted.

Mr. Deezen has faced criminal charges before. After a September 2021 incident at a Maryland restaurant, he was charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing, according to reports that said he threw plates and food at deputies who tried to remove him. In April 2022, the Allegany County sheriff’s office said he was charged with fourth-degree burglary, disturbing the peace and two counts of trespassing after a complaint that he entered neighbors’ vehicles without permission.