Yahoo Lifestyle ‘7th Heaven’ Cast Members Speak Out About Stephen Collins’ Sexual Abuse Ahead of Series Rewatch: ‘It’s Important That We Say Something’
Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman, best known for their roles of Lucy, Simon and Ruthie, respectively, on “7th Heaven,” are speaking out about their former TV dad, Stephen Collins.
During the Sept. 23 episode of their new rewatch podcast, “Catching Up With the Camdens,” the group started off the YouTube version of the episode with a statement. While this isn’t the first episode of the podcast, this is the first time they are rewatching “7th Heaven,” which aired on The WB (and later The CW) from 1996 to 2007 for 11 seasons. The series also costarred Jessica Biel, Barry Watson and Catherine Hicks.
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“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. Gallagher added, “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.”
Rosman continued, “As we rewatch these episodes, it would be impossible not to talk about Stephen because he was such a big part of the show and our lives, but we want to be clear that we did not have any inappropriate experiences with Stephen.”
In 2014, Collins, best known for playing Reverand Eric Camden on the family drama, admitted to “inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors” in 1973, 1982 and 1994. In turn, he was fired from multiple acting roles and reruns of “7th Heaven” were pulled from the air at the time. He also resigned from his spot on the SAG-AFTRA board.
While many past stars of the show will appear on the podcast, Collins will not, Mitchell added. “We do not excuse or condone his behavior. 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,'” she said.
Gallagher wrapped up the statement, telling viewers, “We know this is difficult and we understand that it can be triggering but we want to say that we love you guys and we are so grateful for all the love and support that you, our community, have shown to us. So, hopefully you guys will stick with us as we continue on this journey.”
See the full episode below:
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