'Growing Pains Star' Ashley Johnson Reveals She Was Nearly Abducted by a Fan After Live Taping of the Show: 'I Was Clueless'

Ashley Johnson is looking back on a terrifying moment from her days as a child star.

During the July 8 episode of her “Weird Kids” podcast, the Growing Pains alum revealed that she was nearly abducted by a fan when she was still young and "clueless." The incident happened after attending a live taping of the hit ABC sitcom, where she played Chrissy Seaver during the show's final two seasons from 1990 to 1992.

“It was in the first year I was on, and we had only done a couple of film nights,” Johnson recounted. “So, I hadn’t done that many yet, and at that time, all of the cast sort of had trailers, and they were like old camper trailers. They’re not like the fancy trailers that they are now. They were great. We would exit our trailers before the shoot, and the audience that would be walking in, you would walk by the audience before you would walk into the studio.”

Johnson went on to explain that the cast had already been made aware of a disturbing threat beforehand.

“And this was gonna get a little dark, but somebody had written in and said that, ‘I am coming to set and I am going to bring a gun and I am going to murder some of the cast,’” Johnson continued.

She recalled that television studios at the time did not have the security measures that are common today, including metal detectors. Audience members were also able to stand just a few feet away from the actors as they entered the studio.

Johnson then described the shocking moment when a man suddenly rushed toward her.

“So, I’m walking with my mom and then I just remember some guy hops out of the line and he grabs me and grabs me up and starts booking it. And all I remember is like, there was security that somehow got on him after some time,” she explained.

Security eventually stopped the man, and Johnson remembered being "flung around in the air" during the struggle as guards worked to free her. She also revealed that the man was carrying a gun.

Looking back, Johnson admitted she didn't fully understand the situation at the time because she was still so young.

“I was clueless as to what was happening, but I was very upset and they were talking to me about it after. And they were like, ‘Are you okay?’ And I just said, ‘I just think I’m gonna be in trouble,’” the Lionheart alum said. “Because I think I was such a polite kid at the time. I think he was running with me and running away. I was like, ‘Who are you, sir? What is your name? I was very pleased to meet you.’ But he was packing. They got him. This was the thing. He was high on something. It wasn’t meth, but it was something — like, he was so strong.”

Johnson added that the attacker ended up running off with one of her shoes.

“But it wasn’t my shoe. It was wardrobe’s shoe,” she joked.

Despite the traumatic experience, Johnson continued building a successful career in Hollywood.

She later shifted much of her focus to voice acting and became widely recognized for playing Ellie in The Last of Us video game series, a performance that earned her a BAFTA Games Award. Bella Ramsey portrays the teenage version of Ellie in HBO's television adaptation of the popular franchise.

Johnson is also a longtime cast member of the hit Dungeons & Dragons livestream series Critical Role.