Christopher Meloni Says He Was Beaten and Nearly Run Over While Working as a Bouncer Before “Law & Order: SVU”
Christopher Meloni Says He Was Beaten and Nearly Run Over While Working as a Bouncer Before “Law & Order: SVU”
Virginia ChamleeTue, June 23, 2026 at 9:07 PM UTC
0
Chris MeloniCredit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty -
Christopher Meloni shared a story about chasing down dine-and-dashers while working as a bouncer in NYC
In a new podcast interview, the actor described a dangerous encounter where he was punched and nearly crushed by a car during the incident
Meloni said he earned $40 a night as a bouncer before landing his breakout role on Law & Order: SVU
Christopher Meloni is opening up about life before Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit — which included a stint as a bouncer in New York City.
In a recent interview on the Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim podcast, 65-year-old Meloni shared an anecdote about his time working the door at "a little dive bar down on Bleecker Street."
One night, the actor said, a waitress "frantically" came up to him to say that two couples had left without paying their bill.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot StablerCredit: Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
"And so me and the manager, you know, bust out onto Bleecker Street and there was a fresh fallen snow — a half-inch, quarter-inch on the ground and the waitress goes, 'That's them. That's them.' So me and him go running — go boom down Sullivan Street or Thompson and grab the girl and say, 'Hey, what's going on? You gotta go to pay your bill,' " Meloni recounted.
All of a sudden, Meloni said, "a car screeches up."
"And I'm distracted and one gets away [then] they both get away and they jump into the car and it's their boyfriends," Meloni continued. "And so I get onto the passenger side door. It's closed, and they're trying to roll up the window, and I'm like holding it down. And I said, 'Get out of the car. Get out of the car.' "
Advertisement
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
He continued: "Well, the guy starts driving. The girl's punching me in the face and that's when the guy in the backseat goes, 'Slam him against the cars,' the parked cars. He was going to try and crush me against the parked cars."
"You know, it probably lasted all of three seconds. But in that moment... you're wondering, when can I let go without being caught under the back wheels? I did let go finally. Freshly slapped, punched around," Meloni added.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Meloni said he was making "$40 a night as a bouncer" — a small fraction of the $5,500 he made when filming his first commercial.
Meloni starred as Detective Elliot Stabler alongside Mariska Hargitay, who plays Detective Olivia Benson, on Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit, from 1999 until he left the show in 2011.
In April, PEOPLE confirmed that Meloni's Law & Order spinoff series Organized Crime would not be returning for a sixth season after the last season concluded in June 2025.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
