Latest news with #TalesoftheGoldMonkey
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘7th Heaven' dad Stephen Collins's ‘monstrous behavior' reexamined in new docuseries
7th Heaven star Stephen Collins's child sexual abuse scandal is back in the news. Hollywood Demons, a new six-part docuseries from Investigation Discovery, spotlights scandals and tragedies in the showbiz world. The first episode, which airs March 24, revisits the molestation accusations against the actor that were made in 2014. In unauthorized audio recorded during a 2012 couples therapy session with his then-wife Faye Grant, Collins admitted to inappropriate sexual contact with three underage girls — ranging in age from 10 to 13 — between 1973 and 1994. The recording leaked in 2014, amid his divorce from Grant, and Collins publicly apologized for doing 'something terribly wrong that I deeply regret.' He detailed the allegations and expressed regret over his behavior in a 20/20-Yahoo interview that year. April Price, who alleged that Collins exposed himself to her in 1983 when she was 13, tells her story in the docuseries. She was staying with her aunt, a Hollywood producer, when 35-year-old Collins, who lived in the apartment complex, violated her more than once, leaving her feeling 'completely defenseless.' Price also detailed Collins's apology to her years later, in her 20s, when they bumped into each other. 7th Heaven ran from 1996 to 2007, making Collins and the cast, including Jessica Biel in a breakout role, nationally famous. Collins played Eric Camden, a minister who served as the moral compass of the show. Series actors Jeremy London and Kyle Searles, as well as the WB's former chairman Garth Ancier, are among those who appear in the docuseries to discuss the scandal and Collins's behavior on the set. While Price and another woman filed police reports against Collins, their complaint did not fall within the statute of limitations. Collins has faced no criminal or civil prosecution for his alleged crimes against minors. Price was excited to meet her aunt's famous neighbor, who was starring in the TV series Tales of the Gold Monkey. Collins, who was 22 years her senior, seemed nice and gave her a signed headshot. She said things quickly turned weird. She was in the kitchen, which opened to a private courtyard, and claimed a "completely naked' Collins appeared outside. 'That was so jarring and so unexpected,' Price said. 'I know he saw me standing there.' Price had an Atari gaming system shipped to her and Collins, who was there when she got the package, said he'd help assemble it for her. 'He's in the living room in my aunt's apartment … and he turned around and his jeans were completely open. And he's completely exposed,' Price said. She recalled being 'supremely shocked' and 'completely flustered.' Unsure how to respond, 'I'm trying to look him in the face and have a conversation with him as if nothing was going on. He chitchatted for a little bit, and then left.' Price, who had been sexually abused by a babysitter when she was 4, said her response was to 'bury it and not say anything.' She thought nobody would believe her. Price was in the apartment courtyard one day when Collins appeared in a robe and made comments about her 'pretty feet' and how she needed to 'learn to take a compliment.' On one of the final days of her visit to L.A., Price was sunning herself in her full-coverage swimsuit when Collins offered to give her Tales of the Gold Monkey memorabilia to take home. He invited her into his apartment to get it. 'He won't [expose himself] again,' Price recalled thinking. But once inside, Collins emerged from his bedroom 'completely nude. My stomach just fell and now I'm actually scared. I'm in this man's apartment. I'm in a bathing suit, and he's naked. This is bad.' Collins walked around naked talking to Price, screwing in a lightbulb as she sat 'rigid and tight and as small as I could make myself. … I was completely defenseless and helpless in his apartment.' Fortunately her aunt returned home from work early that day. She saw her walk by and ran out the door. She said if her aunt hadn't shown up, "I hate to think what would have happened.' Price later became a script supervisor in Hollywood and watched from afar as Collins continued to find success. However, when he landed his role on 7th Heaven — a show which saw him working with child actors — she confided in her aunt about what she claimed had happened to her. Price didn't make her allegations public, but got an apology from Collins sometime around 1997, when she was shooting TV promos for CBS and he was one of the participating actors. She said when he walked in the room and saw her, 'He knew … who I was.' When she was alone, he approached her. '[Collins] said, 'I want you to know what I did was extremely wrong. I feel terrible about it. Please forgive me,'' Price said. 'All of a sudden, I thought, I don't have to worry about this anymore. He's sorry. He is contrite. So I kept my mouth shut. Looking back, I don't think it was sincere. I think it was damage control.' She added, 'Sometimes the biggest monsters have the prettiest faces. You can't just trust that people that are nice to you and kind and charismatic [have good] intentions.' In Collins's 2014 apology, he acknowledged that he apologized to 'one of the women, 15 years later … and she was extraordinarily gracious.' Biel, who played Collins's daughter Mary on the show, famously did a provocative photo shoot in 2000 when she was 17 for Gear magazine, which caused a stir and led to her being written out of 7th Heaven. A statement Collins made during that time about the scandal is included in the doc. He told the New York Daily News, 'The press has gotten Jessica Biel's age wrong in their recent stories about her. "She's not 18, as has been widely reported. She's 17, a minor. And as such, Jessica's photo spread was child pornography." The doc also revisited how some of Collins's art may have mirrored the allegations against him. One of the minors he allegedly exposed himself to in 1994 was his child's babysitter. Two years later, he appeared in the film Babysitter Seduction, in which he sleeps with the nanny, played by Keri Russell. Collins also wrote erotic thrillers. Eye Contact, published in 1994, has a scene in which a woman exposes herself to a boy. In his 1998 book, Double Exposure, there are parallels to Price's story — the character peeps in the window to look at his neighbor's younger sister. The core cast of 7th Heaven did not participate and those who did had nothing but praise for Collins's work ethic and behavior on the set. London, Searles and executive Ancier talked about Collins's apparently exemplary behavior making the show. . 'Stephen Collins was most certainly 'America's dad.' I wanted him to be my dad. I still want him to be my dad,' London said. 'I don't know what happened. You're messing with somebody that I love and care about, and to see anybody messing with him, it still makes my blood boil.' London changed his tune when the allegations against Collins were described to him, saying, 'Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child.' Dr. Drew Pinsky, who appears in the doc, said that he's friends with Beverley Mitchell, who played Lucy Camden, and she 'never reported any issues to me.' Pinsky said by all accounts Collins 'was a nice guy' during the 7th Heaven era. 'He is a smart dude. He is engaging and interesting and charming. He is all of those things — and he was engaged in some monstrous behavior.' Pinsky also says that 77-year-old Collins, who divorced Grant in 2015, 'now lives with a woman who is 40 years younger than him. She was a superfan' of the actor before they started dating. 'The age difference, given what we know about his history, does certainly raise an eyebrow,' Pinsky said. 'Let's hope he can commit to this woman and not perpetrate on others. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is here for survivors 24/7 with free, anonymous help. (4673) and airs weekly beginning March 24 on Investigation Discovery and will be available to stream on Max.
Fox News
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘7th Heaven' star Stephen Collins' accuser reveals 'worst part' of hearing his sexual misconduct confession
April Price decided to watch some television after walking her dog when she felt her past came back to haunt her. It was 2014, and a news program had reported there was audio of former "7th Heaven" star Stephen Collins purportedly confessing to engaging in sexual misconduct with underage girls, which was leaked to TMZ. The recording was made during a 2012 counseling session and given to police by the actor's estranged wife. "I remember just standing there and watching it play out and listening to that confession," Price told Fox News Digital. "I know that even though they bleeped out the name, I knew he was saying my name. I knew he was describing me. That was an absolute gut punch. Then the worst part for me, at that point, was finding out that I wasn't the only little girl." The scandal that forever damaged the veteran actor's career is being revisited in Investigation Discovery's new series, "Hollywood Demons" airing on Monday. The show, hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, aims to explore the "scandals of life in the spotlight." The first episode, which focuses on Collins, features an interview with Price, who claimed Collins exposed himself to her three times when she was 13. Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Collins, now 77, former cast members of "7th Heaven," as well as Collins' ex-wife, Faye Grant, for comment. Other "7th Heaven" cast members, including Jeremy London, spoke out in the episode about how they felt when they first learned about the accusations. According to the episode, producers reached out to more than 100 associates of Collins. Nearly everyone declined to participate or didn't respond. "I'm a mother now," Price explained to Fox News Digital on why she's speaking out. "I could push it to the side and not think about it. But as a mother, I would hope that my child would be able to come forward to me if anything happened to him that made him feel uncomfortable, victimized or endangered in any way." "I'm hoping that my voice will lend strength to other people, maybe in the same instances where they don't feel as comfortable speaking about something deeply uncomfortable or unsettling in their life," she added. In 1983, the Oklahoma native, then 13, was visiting her aunt, a producer living in Los Angeles, during the summer. "My aunt Cindy was a role model," said Price. "She was only a year older than my mother… And being able to come to Hollywood was deeply exciting and glamorous to me. I would go to the production company with her. I remember going out on the set with her." Price learned that her aunt's next-door neighbor was Collins, star of 1982's "Tales of the Gold Monkey," an Indiana Jones-inspired drama. "I was really excited because I was a big fan of 'Tales of the Gold Monkey,'" said Price. "He was somebody I was aware of before I ever went out there. When my aunt first told me he was her neighbor, I was excited to meet him. He was very gracious, very kind, very engaging… A lot of times when you speak to actors, they're not really interested in having a conversation. But Stephen was very engaging." Price worked up the courage to ask the star for his autograph. He gave her a personally signed headshot. "I was so excited to receive it," said Price. "I had a few headshots other actors gave me at the time, but this one was personally written for me." Price claimed that things quickly took a turn. In the episode, Price alleged that she was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when she looked up and saw Collins walking through the courtyard, right in front of her aunt's big bay window, naked. Price said she was too embarrassed to tell her aunt, who was at work, what she saw. A few days later, Price said she needed help setting up her Atari game console. Her aunt was away at work. But Collins was home. "Stephen was always very friendly and engaging," said Price. "There was never a time when he wasn't anything but that, so he was very willing and almost eager to be able to help me out. I laugh at how naïve I was about that. I beat myself up even at an older age to look back on that. But at the time, it was, 'Can you please help me?' It was something I would've asked my dad to do. And he was the age of my father." Price said Collins exposed himself to her there. Price said she was stunned and uncomfortable but didn't want to offend Collins because he was so kind to her and willing to help. Then at the end of that summer, Price said Collins asked her if she wanted to stop by his home where she could check out memorabilia from "Tales of the Gold Monkey." Once inside, she said Collins appeared completely naked. Nervous, Price said she saw through a window that her aunt had returned home. She used it as an excuse to leave. "I justified it," Price reflected. "… I was mentally just making every excuse in the world. This is his place, this is where he lives. Maybe this is just something he does. This is something I have to get used to. I just honestly didn't know how to even comprehend what had happened. I was also still making excuses because he was a good-looking movie star and I didn't want to offend him." "I spent a lot of years processing it," she said. "It was something that I would think about." Price said her aunt never suspected anything wrong had occurred. Price crossed paths with Collins in her 20s on a set. At the time, she was filling in for someone to do craft service on a shoot. Realizing that Collins was part of filming that day, she "felt trapped." The actor recognized her, she said. "During a break, he came up to me, looked me in the eye, and said it was something that he had thought about deeply," Price claimed. "He was deeply embarrassed, and he was deeply sorry and that he knew what he had done was completely wrong and asked for my forgiveness." "Honestly, it gave me a pretty good sense of relief," she said. "At the time, it gave me permission to let it go. He recognizes that what he did was wrong, and he's admitting responsibility for it. He's expressing remorse for it… I thought he had been doing the work." Grant has said she gave police the audio of a 2012 couples counseling session in which Collins admitted to molesting young girls, doing so only after he refused to seek appropriate treatment. But Grant denied giving the recording to TMZ. The recording led to re-runs of "7th Heaven" disappearing from cable TV and Collins swiftly losing acting roles. Three law enforcement agencies confirmed to The Associated Press at the time that there were investigations into the allegations. In 2014, Collins issued a lengthy statement to People magazine admitting he had inappropriate sexual misconduct with three female minors from 1973 to 1994. That year, he also gave a televised interview to Katie Couric in which he denied being a pedophile. Instead, he described himself as someone suffering from "exhibitionist urges," "big boundary issues" and "poor impulse control." He characterized his actions as "terrible, and I regret them deeply," adding, "I'm absolutely not attracted, physically or sexually attracted, to children. I'm just not." Collins also noted he's been in treatment and religious counseling for 20 years, "and always will be." Price is the only accuser who has spoken out. Collins has since attempted to keep a low profile. He told Couric that he hasn't had any "urges" since 1994 and if anyone else came forward claiming to be victims of him,"it would not be truthful." Price said Collins' sit-down made her feel "fury, like a volcano," prompting her to speak out. "It was something I could have very easily let go," she told Fox News Digital. "I could have sat there and never said another word about it. And then he gave that interview to Katie Couric and downplayed it… It was infuriating… All I could do was see red." Price said that when the audio recordings surfaced, she reached out to the LAPD and gave a statement. It was her understanding that the statute of limitations had passed. The Los Angeles Times also reported that Collins was never prosecuted due to the statute of limitations. Fox News Digital reached out to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office for comment. In 2024, cast members of "7th Heaven" condemned their TV dad in the podcast "Catching Up with the Camdens." Today, Price admitted she felt "sick to my stomach" revisiting her ordeal. Still, she doesn't regret sharing her story. "I hope people understand that it's OK to have a voice," she said. "The idea of being a victim makes me nuts. I've never liked that feeling. I think being able to talk about trauma is empowering. And if any one person can see it and take any strength from somebody else talking about it, then that's all I need."
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'This is really bad': Woman abused by '7th Heaven' star Stephen Collins details exposure
'This is really bad': Woman abused by '7th Heaven' star Stephen Collins details exposure Show Caption Hide Caption Stephen Collins admits to sexually abusing female minors Stephen Collins, the actor best known for his role as a reverend and father in the television show '7th Heaven', has admitted to sexually abusing three female minors. GeoBeats Actor Stephen Collins served as the magnetic north of a moral compass on the WB's '7th Heaven,' doling out advice to his community and children as the insightful Reverend Eric Camden for 11 seasons. But the actor's life offscreen proved far more sinister. Investigation Discovery's 'Stephen Collins, America's Dad,' (Monday, 9 ET/PT and streaming on Max) revisits the bombshell revelations, first aired in 2014, that Collins, now 77, had exposed himself to three young girls. The episode is the first of a six-part ID docuseries, 'Hollywood Demons,' which also delves into celebrity stalkers and the difficulties plaguing child stars and cast members of Bravo's 'Real Housewives' franchise. The Collins installment includes interviews with '7th Heaven' actors Jeremy London and Kyle Searles; April Price, a survivor of Collins' abuse; and Dr. Drew Pinsky, who provides analysis. Producers say they contacted more than 100 associates of Collins, but nearly all declined to participate or didn't respond. Here are the most shocking moments from the documentary. April Price: 'This is bad. This is really bad' Price, then 13, spent the summer of 1983 in Los Angeles with her aunt, a neighbor of Collins'. Price says Collins exposed himself to her twice, including once when he helped her set up her gaming console. 'All I know is I was supremely shocked,' Price says in the episode, 'very uncomfortable and still didn't want to insult him because he was kind to me and nice and doing me a favor.' At the end of that summer, Collins lured Price into his apartment with memorabilia from the short-lived drama 'Tales of the Gold Monkey' (Price was a fan). Once inside his apartment, Collins asked Price if it would be OK if he changed into something more comfortable. He returned completely naked, she says. 'And my stomach just fell, and now I'm actually scared,' she recalls. 'I'm in this man's apartment. I'm in a bathing suit, and he's naked. This is bad. This is really bad. I don't know what I'm going to do.' When Price saw through a window that her aunt had returned home, she used it as an excuse to flee. In 1997, Price and Collins crossed paths on a set. She says Collins apologized when the two were alone, saying, ''I want you to know what I did was extremely wrong. I feel terrible about it. Please forgive me,'' Price remembers. At the time she viewed it as an earnest atonement, but today she sees it as damage control. Stephen Collins' therapy tapes leaked Collins and his then-wife, Faye Grant, discussed his pattern of abusing young girls in a 2012 therapy session, which Grant recorded without Collins' knowledge. In the tapes, which TMZ obtained in 2014, Collins spoke about exposing himself repeatedly to one girl, beginning in 1973 when she was 10. He also admitted to forcing the young girl to touch him. Collins also mentioned Price and a third girl, whom he abused in 1994, who was a babysitter for his children. '7th Heaven' stars address Stephen Collins' 'inexcusable' sexual abuse on rewatch podcast Jeremy London reaction: 'Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child' London, who portrayed minister Chandler Hampton from 2002-04, initially calls Collins 'not only one of the finest actors but one of the finest human beings in Hollywood.' But once he learns that Collins admitted on tape to inappropriate encounters with three girls, his stance changes. 'I'm a dad, first and foremost, above everything else,' London, 52, says. 'And so my first thoughts always go to the children. Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child.' Collins has faced no criminal or civil charges stemming from these events. Statues of limitations have passed for Price and the girl abused in 1973. The girl Collins exposed himself to in 1994 has not identified herself publicly.
