HGTV Drew and Jonathan Scott help Wilmer Valderrama surprise his best friend, Tadao Salima, on “Celebrity IOU.”
Tadao Salima is Wilmer Valderrama’s former bodyguard and longtime best friend. The “NCIS” actor enlisted the help of Drew and Jonathan Scott to renovate Salima’s garage on “Celebrity IOU.”
As Valderrama teased on Instagram, the “Property Brothers” stars make “two grown man get sentimental” in the episode.
The 42-year-old actor is just the latest in a star-studded season of “Celebrity IOU.” The series follows the twin duo as they help some of the biggest celebrities express their gratitude for loved ones through surprise renovations. This season’s other stars include Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson, Idina Menzel, Cindy Crawford, Terry Crews, Leslie Jordan and Cheryl Hines.
Here is what you need to know:
1. Tadao Salima Has Known Wilmer Valderrama for More Than 20 Years
Salima has known Valderrama for more than 20 years, HGTV revealed in a press release. The network added that he previously worked as the “That 70s Show” star’s bodyguard and the two have remained best friends.
On Instagram, Valderrama referred to Salima as his “ride or die.”
“I leaned on him a lot during my ups and downs in my career,” Valderrama says on “Celebrity IOU.” The actor revealed on the show that the pair even lived together for years.
2. Tadao Salima Has Lost Several Loved Ones in Recent Years
It has been a tough few years for Salima, with HGTV revealing in a press release that he “has lost several loved ones due to illness.”
As he explained on “Celebrity IOU,” his mother died of heart failure, then his little brother and father died of complications from COVID-19.
Speaking of his late dad, Salima said in the episode, “If I can be half the man he was, I’ll consider myself successful.”
3. Tadao Salima & His Wife Nicole Celebrated 5 Years of Marriage
Salima has been married to his wife Nicole for five years, celebrating their anniversary in an Instagram post on December 1, 2022.
“12/01/2017 The day you (@nicolee.310) and I decided to just go and get eloped,” he captioned his post. “Nothing big, nothing crazy. You just forgot that my love for you was Crazy Big. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else and any other way. I love you to the Heavens and Back.”
The couple currently raises their one-year-old niece.
4. Tadao Salima’s Is the Hub for His ‘Large Samoan Family’
Salima’s home remains a hub for his “large Samoan family” HGTV announced in a press release.
As Salima reveals in the episode, he is continuing his parents’ tradition of welcoming family members from Samoa with open arms.
“All you have to do is make it to LA and you’ll have a place to stay,” Salima tells Drew and Jonathan.
5. Tadao Salima Will Receive a ‘Garage Glow Up’
HGTV
Valderrama has enlisted the Scotts’ help to transform his longtime friend’s unfinished garage, in what will be a “garage glow up” according to a promo.
The trio will create “a fabulous flex space for his family and guests to work, play and stay,” HGTV announced in a press release. “The stunning renovation will feature a sleek kitchenette, two murphy beds, a cozy living room space with a state-of-the-art TV lift, and a Polyneisan-inspired bathroom with a teak vanity.”
As Salima says in a preview for the episode, “I’m blown away right now.”
“Wilmer Valderrama Surprises His Best Friend” airs on HGTV on Monday, December 26, 2022, at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times.
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