Cast members of "7th Heaven" have broken their silence on the abuse scandal involving on-screen dad Stephen Collins, addressing his admission of sexual misconduct a decade ago in the first episode of their new podcast.
"We do think it's important for us to say something about Stephen Collins," Beverley Mitchell, 43, said on the debut episode of the podcast featuring her hosting alongside fellow cast members David Gallagher, 39, and Mackenzie Rosman, 34, according to E! News.
"All forms of abuse — sexual abuse of any kind — it's inexcusable," Gallagher continued. "And victims of abuse need to be shown compassion, and they should be given support."
Rosman, who played the youngest Camden sibling, Ruthie, made it clear that although they will talk about their experiences working with Collins, they do not support or condone his behavior.
"As we rewatch these episodes, it would be impossible not to talk about Stephen," she continued. "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."
While the rewatch podcast will feature cast members from the show's entire 11-season run from 1996 to 2007, the actor who portrayed Rev. Eric Camden will not be included.
"Stephen will not be joining us on this podcast and we do not excuse or condone his behavior," Mitchell, who played Lucy Camden, added.
As they acknowledged their former co-star's behavior, the TV siblings emphasized that their rewatch podcast is meant to focus on spreading joy.
"Our hope for this podcast is to reconnect with you — our fans," Mitchell, 43, continued. "To relive some '90s nostalgia and share our fondest memories of 7th Heaven."
The Manhattan Special Victims Unit launched an investigation into Collins in 2014 after TMZ published an audio recording in which he confessed to his therapist and ex-wife, Faye Grant, about molesting several young teenage girls.
Later that year, in an interview with Katie Couric, the 76-year-old openly described the abuse he had committed at age 25, involving a 10-year-old girl.
"In 1973, there were two occasions when I exposed myself to this young woman and several months later, she came to visit and she and I were watching TV alone together and I took her hand and moved it in such a way that she was touching me inappropriately," he said in the interview, according to E! News. "I knew that something unthinkably wrong had just happened that I couldn't take back."
Because the statute of limitations in New York had expired by the time the abuse was reported, Collins was not charged. In recent years, he has stayed out of the public spotlight.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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