“7th Heaven” actors Jeremy London and Kyle Searles reckon with co-star Stephen Collins‘ sexual misconduct for the first time in an episode of ID Discovery’s upcoming series “Hollywood Demons” (via The Daily Beast). Collins starred as patriarch Eric Camden on all 11 seasons of the family drama series. He confessed in 2014 to prior sexual misconduct with three underage girls.
Searles, who appeared in the last four seasons of “7th Heaven ” as Mac, says in “Hollywood Demons” that he admired Collins during the making of the show, explaining: “He would drive to work in a beautiful Toyota Prius every single morning when the man was making enough money that he could have been driving up in a Bentley. He could have been decked-out, dressed in the nines, but he was wearing what Jay Leno typically wears, with the blue jeans shirt and jeans. I always felt like I want to be like that. I need to model myself after him more.”
The documentary then shows Searles tearing up while watching Collins confess to sexual misconduct. The actor reacts to the admission by saying: “This is the first time that I’ve ever thought that he’s full of shit.”
“I have like, a knot in my stomach,” Searles adds. “My whole world changed when I had kids, my whole world view. And certainly my tolerance for this. I think that goes without being said. I just think that maybe I put him up on a professional pedestal a bit too much.”
London starred on “7th Heaven” for two seasons, debuting as minister Chandler Hampton in Season 7. He remembered Collins being “America’s dad” during the show’s run and said that his reaction to the allegations against Collins was that people were “messing with somebody that I love and care about.” London claims he was “fired” from “7th Heaven” after a DUI arrest in 2010. He was also accused of battering his ex-wife. London says these experiences painted him as “a bad person” and thus made him hesitant to believe Collins was capable of sexual misconduct since “I was put in the same position and I didn’t do anything.”
When “Hollywood Demons” producers finally play Collins’ confession to London, he reacts by saying: “It’s tough. It’s hard. I’m a dad, first and foremost, above everything else. And so my first thoughts always go to the children. Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child.”
Collins confessed to sexual misconduct in a 2014 interview with Katie Couric that aired on ABC’s “20/20.” He admitted to exposing himself in 1973 to a 10-year-old girl. Collins was 25 years old at the time and told Couric that he immediately knew he had done something “unthinkably wrong.” He also confessed to exposing himself to a 13-year-old girl in 1982 and to a 14-year-old girl in 1994, although Collins stressed to Couric that he is not pedophile and said: “I’m absolutely not attracted, physically or sexually attracted to children.” He was never charged for the sexual misconduct because the cases were beyond the statute of limitations.
In the fallout from his confession, Collins was fired from his role in the comedy sequel “Ted 2” and was dropped from his recurring role on the ABC drama series “Scandal.”
“7th Heaven” actors Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman played three of Collins’ children on the series and addressed his sexual misconduct last year while starting a rewatch podcast for the show titled “Catching Up With The Camdens.”
“All forms of abuse, sexual abuse of any kind, it’s inexcusable,” Gallagher said. “And victims of abuse need to be shown compassion and they should be given support.”
“Hollywood Demons” airs March 24 on ID Discovery.
