In a new documentary, cast members from “7th Heaven” react to the Stephen Collins scandal on-screen.
Called “Hollywood Demons,” the new ID docuseries covers various showbiz scandals, and the premiere episode airing Monday, March 24 (9 p.m.) is called “Stephen Collins, America’s Dad,” covering how Collins played the borderline saintly father figure on the hit family show “7th Heaven” before he was disgraced by an underage sexual misconduct scandal.
Former “7th Heaven” cast members Jeremy London and Kyle Searles react to listening to the recording of Collins talking about exposing himself to minors – which TMZ first published in 2014 – and his subsequent “20/20” interview with Katie Couric about it that same month.
None of the main cast members who played his kids appear in the doc. Text on-screen explains that producers reached out to over 100 of Collins’ former contacts.
But, in a 2024 “7th Heaven” rewatch podcast, David Gallagher, who played Collins’ on-screen son, said, “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.”
Beverley Mitchell added that the cast members do not “excuse or condone his behavior.”
During the “20/20” interview, when Collins admitted that his first victim was 10, Searles said on-screen that he wasn’t aware of that.
“I’m kind of like shaking right now,” he said in “Hollywood Demons,” watching the footage.
Searles, 39, who played family friend Mac on “7th Heaven,” explained that it was his first time watching the “20/20” interview because when the scandal first broke, “it was me just trying to ‘stick your head in the sand’ kind of thing.”
Collins, 77, starred on the WB show “7th Heaven” as Eric Camden, benevolent minister and father of seven kids. Jessica Biel, Barry Watson, Mitchell, Mackenzie Rosman and David Gallagher were among the actors playing his kids.
As “Hollywood Demons” points out, “7th Heaven” was the longest running “family show” in history, airing for 11 seasons from 1996 to 2007.
Since he played a kind patriarch on the show, Collins’ public persona was a wholesome image of “America’s Dad.”
But that collapsed in 2014, when TMZ leaked audio from a therapy session Collins had with his then-wife, Faye Grant (who he was married to from 1985 to 2015).
In the recordings, Collins can be heard admitting to sexual misconduct with young girls.
Although his career imploded, he faced no criminal or civil prosecution for his alleged sex crimes against minors.
Jeremy London, 52, entered the show in Season 7, as a young fellow minister.
“Stephen Collins was most certainly America’s dad, I wanted him to be my dad,” he said on-screen.
After the bombshell 2014 reveal about Collins’ misconduct, London said, “I was hearing some buzz but [thinking], ‘there’s not a chance in hell my Steve Collins is being accused of these things. You don’t accuse saints of things.’”
After listening to Collins admitting to exposing himself to minors on tape, London visibly got emotional onscreen and said, “It’s tough, it’s hard. I’m a dad first and foremost, above everything else. So, my first thought goes to the children. Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child.”
London added that during his time on set, “What I noticed about Stephen Collins working with young girls and extras is that I never noticed a damn thing about Stephen Collins working with young girls and extras. He never crossed any lines of any kind.”
During the Couric interview, Collins claimed he wasn’t attracted to young girls. According to the doc, Collins is currently dating a “7th Heaven” fan, Jenny Nagle, 37, who is 40 years his junior.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever thought that he’s full of sh-t. I’m not satisfied with this, I have, like, a knot in my stomach [watching Collins say he’s not attracted to underage girls]. My whole world changed when I had kids, my whole world view,” Searles said.
He added, “I think that goes without being said, but you know what I mean. I just think that I put him up on a professional pedestal a bit too much.”
“Hollywood Demons” premieres with the Collins episode Monday, March 24 at 9 p.m. on ID.
