Three of the actors who played kids on the TV show “7th Heaven” are speaking out about their former TV dad, Stephen Collins.
In July, Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman
launched their “Catching Up With the Camdens” podcast, in which they detail their experiences growing up on the WB set. They opened Monday’s episode, the first in a series of “7th Heaven” rewatches, with a statement about Collins’ sexual misconduct with three underage girls before he filmed the show — acts he publicly admitted to in 2014.
“We want you to know that we see all of your comments and we know how excited you all are for the rewatch, but before we get into that we do think it’s important that we say something about Stephen Collins,” Mitchell, who played Lucy on the show, began the segment.
“All forms of abuse, sexual abuse of any kind, it’s inexcusable. And victims of abuse need to be shown compassion and they should be given support,” Gallagher continued.
David Gallagher, left, and Barry Watson in an episode of “7th Heaven.”
(Paul McCallum / The WB)
Detectives in New York and Los Angeles began investigating Collins in 2012 after his second wife Faye Grant told police in those cities that he may have sexually abused underage girls. The investigations were made public two years later, after an audio recording surfaced in which a man purported to be Collins confessed to sexually abusing three girls.
The actor later confirmed to People that it was his voice on the recording, made during a 2012 therapy session with his then-estranged wife. (The couple separated in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2015.)
Collins recounted to the outlet incidents that occurred in 1973, 1982 and 1994, The Times previously reported. At the time, the former fictional patriarch called his actions “inexcusable,” saying he was “deeply remorseful about what happened” and “[had] been working to atone for it ever since.”
When the cast learned about the sexual abuse, they were “equally as surprised as everyone else,” Rosman told The Times last month, with Gallagher adding that “it colored the way that we all look back on the show negatively.”
Collins was never prosecuted, due to statutes of limitations. Still, after his public confession, he was fired from multiple acting roles — including in “Ted 2” — and “7th Heaven” reruns were were pulled by the cable channel UP TV, which had shown the series 21 hours a week. The actor also resigned from his spot on the SAG-AFTRA national board.
While the “Catching Up” hosts confirmed that none of them ever had “any inappropriate experiences” with Collins, they also made it clear that he would never be invited onto their podcast. Barry Watson (Matt Camden) previously appeared as a guest, and upcoming episodes will feature commentary from Catherine Hicks (Annie Camden).
“We do not excuse or condone [Collins’] behavior,” Mitchell said. “Our hope for this podcast is to reconnect with you, our fans, to relive some ‘90s nostalgia and to share our fondest memories of ‘7th Heaven.’”