On May 7, 1999, the day before she died, Plato appeared on "The Howard Stern Show". She spoke about her life, discussing her financial problems and past run-ins with the law. She admitted to being a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, but claimed she had been sober for more than 10 years by that point and was not using any drugs, with the exception of prescribed painkillers due to the recent extraction of her wisdom teeth. Many callers to the show insulted her and questioned her sobriety, which angered and provoked a defiant Plato, who offered to take a drug test on the air. Some callers, as well as host Howard Stern, came to Plato's defense, though Stern also made numerous sexually suggestive comments to Plato, referred to himself as "an enabler", and offered Plato drugs. Although she allowed a hair to be cut for the test, Stern later claimed she asked for it back after the interview.