Winkler blocked ABC plan to rename Happy Days around Fonzie

Henry Winkler says he refused ABC's proposal to retitle Happy Days as Fonzie's Happy Days. ABC president Leonard Goldenson pitched the change in Winkler's dressing room amid Fonzie's popularity, Winkler told In Depth With Graham Bensinger, as reported by Variety on 14 September 2026. He said a rename would be 'a slap in the face.'