The Camden family, popularized in the '90s TV series “7th Heaven,” are back on the road again, all grown up, and have launched a podcast where viewers can watch episodes of the hit show.
However, the show's child actors, Beverley Mitchell (who played Lucy Camden), David Gallagher (who played Simon Camden) and Mackenzie Rothman (who played Lucy Camden), admitted they would be remiss if they didn't address a major tarnishment to the show's reputation: their father, TV presenter Stephen Collins, who played a Protestant minister on the show, came forward in 2014 to admit he sexually abused three underage girls.
He has since left Hollywood and reruns of the show were discontinued.
'7th Heaven' creator welcomes Stephen Collins reunion despite child abuse scandal
Mackenzie Rothman, Beverley Mitchell and David Gallegher pose with their TV father, Stephen Collins, at the 2001 premiere. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
“I think it's important to say something about Stephen Collins,” Mitchell said.Catching up with the Camdens” podcast, where the cast watched and reacted to old episodes for the first time, Mitchell played Collins' second daughter (her eldest is Jessica Biel), who was 15 during the first season.
“Abuse of any kind, sexual abuse of any kind, is not acceptable,” said Gallagher, who was 11 when filming began. “Victims of abuse need to be shown compassion and they need to be given support.”
Mackenzie Rothman, Matt Gallagher and Beverley Mitchell recently launched a podcast called “Catching up with the Camdens.” (Check out Camdens on YouTube)
“When I rewatch these episodes, I can't help but talk about Stephen,” continued Rothman, who played the youngest child in the family for much of the show (she was 7 years old when filming began).
“He was a huge presence on the show and in our lives, but we want to be absolutely clear that there was no inappropriate experience between us and Stephen.”
Mitchell also confirmed that she would not be inviting Collins back on the podcast. “We are not condoning or excusing his behavior,” she stressed. “That said, our hope with this podcast is to reconnect with you fans, to relive some '90s nostalgia, and to share your fondest memories of 7th Heaven.”
“We do not condone or tolerate his actions.”
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Mackenzie Rothman, who played Lucy Camden, said that neither she, Matthew nor Beverly were abused by Stephen Collins. (©Spelling Productions/Courtesy of the Everett Collection)
Gallagher acknowledged that the topic of conversation was inherently disturbing.
“We know this is hard and we know it can be inspiring,” he said, “but we just want to let you know that we love you all and we're so grateful for the love and support that everyone in our community has shown us, so we hope that you're all here with us.”
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“7th Heaven” aired for 11 seasons, starting in 1996 and ending in 2007. (Spell Television/Album)
In 2014, incriminating audio recordings of Collins were leaked, forcing him to admit what he had done.
“Forty years ago I did something terribly wrong and I deeply regret it,” Collins said. People Magazine In 2014, he pleaded guilty to three counts of misconduct with underage girls between 1973 and 1994. “7th Heaven” aired on The WB from 1996 to 2007.
“I have been working to make amends ever since,” he continued. “I decided to address these issues publicly two months ago after various media outlets published audio recordings made by my then-wife, Faye Grant, during a secret marriage counseling session in January 2012. The session was recorded without the knowledge or consent of my therapist or me.”
In 2014, Stephen Collins admitted to abusing three young women over a period of 20 years. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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“In the recordings, I talk about things that happened 20 years ago, 32 years ago, 40 years ago,” Collins said. “With the recordings now being released, there has been a lot more speculation and innuendo about what I did than what actually happened. This is difficult, but I want people to know the truth.”
Collins acknowledged at the time that he had had “the opportunity” to apologise to one of the victims.
“I apologized and she was very gracious,” he revealed, “but in the course of therapy I learned that if I spoke openly about such matters it could have opened up old wounds and made things worse, so I have not approached the other two women, one of whom is now in her 50s and the other in her 30s.”
Collins also said that in his 20 years, he “never felt the urge to take such action.” The disgraced former actor, now 76, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
