Before the first rewatch episode on their podcast, 7th Heaven stars Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher, and Mackenzie Rosman chose to speak up about their former TV dad's sexual abuse. In 2014, Stephen Collins, who portrayed Eric Camden on 7th Heaven, admitted to "inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors," per People. Beverley, David, and Mackenzie want fans to know that they "do not excuse or condone his behavior." At the beginning of the YouTube version of their September 23, 2024, episode of Catching Up With the Camdens, the 7th Heaven alums shared a message about Stephen.
Beverley, who portrayed Lucy Camden on the show, started out by saying, "We want you to know that we see all of your comments and we know how excited you all are for the rewatch, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do."
"But before we get into that we do think it’s important that we say something about Stephen Collins," she continued.
David, who starred as Simon Camden, continued with, "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."
The former 7th Heaven stars admitted that Stephen would come up in conversation on the podcast considering he was a star on the show, but they clarified that he would not appear on the podcast as a guest.
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Mackenzie, who played Ruthie Camden, explained, "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."
Beverley explained their vision for the podcast, adding that they "do not excuse or condone [Stephen's] 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," Beverley said.
Speaking more on their former TV dad's history of sexual abuse, David wrapped up the statement with, "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."
7th Heaven ran from 1996 to 2007. In 2014, TMZ obtained a recording of a 2012 therapy session in which Stephen confessed to sexually abusing children. After the recording was leaked, Stephen admitted to sexually abusing three girls from 1973 to 1994.
"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since," Stephen said in a statement shared with People.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
