NEWS'7th Heaven' Costars State They 'Did Not Have Any Inappropriate Experiences' With Stephen Collins Despite His Sexual Abuse Scandal
Stephen Collins will not be appearing on his costars' podcast.
Before 7th Heaven costars Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman kicked off the Monday, September 23, episode of their rewatch podcast, "Catching Up With the Camdens," they took a moment to address their onscreen dad Stephen Collins' sexual abuse scandal.
Mackenzie Rosman, David Gallagher and Beverley Mitchell addressed '7th Heaven' costar Stephen Collins' sexual abuse scandal.
"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," said Gallagher, 39.
This isn't the first installment of their podcast but it did mark the first rewatch recap.
"It would be impossible not to talk about Stephen since he was such a big part of the show and our lives but we want to be clear: we did not have any inappropriate experiences with Stephen," Rosman, 34, clarified.
In 2014, the actor confessed to engaging in 'inappropriate sexual conduct' with underage females.
Mitchell, 43, noted they "do not excuse or condone his behavior," but they don't want to let his actions prevent them for connecting with their fans, reliving their '90s nostalgia and sharing their "fondest memories of 7th Heaven."
"We know that this is difficult and we understand it can be triggering," Gallagher added. "But we just wanted to say we love you guys."
'7th Heaven' ran from 1996 to 2007.
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In 2014, Collins — who played a family man and reverend on the series — admitted to "inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors" from the '70s to the '90s.
As a result, the actor, 76, was fired from any roles he had signed on to and 7th Heaven reruns were pulled from TV.
Collins has not worked in showbiz since his scandal broke.
The disgraced actor addressed his scandal by admitting, "Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since."
"I've decided to address these issues publicly because two months ago, various news organizations published a recording made by my then-wife, Faye Grant, during a confidential marriage therapy session in January, 2012," he explained. "This session was recorded without the therapist's or my knowledge or consent."
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The No Ordinary Family alum noted that he apologized to one of the women "15 years later ... and she was extraordinarily gracious."
"But after I learned in the course of my treatment that my being direct about such matters could actually make things worse for them by opening old wounds, I have not approached the other two women, one of whom is now in her 50s and the other in her 30s," he added.
