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Stephen Collins, the actor best known for his role as Reverend Eric Camden on 7th Heaven, became the subject of national controversy in 2014 following serious allegations of s*xual misconduct. Collins' reputation as a family-friendly TV icon was irreparably damaged when he admitted to inappropriate se*xual conduct involving three underage girls between 1973 and 1994, as per a report by People.
The revelations stemmed from a 2012 therapy session recording, later leaked to the public by TMZ. Despite the actor claiming in a 2014 ABC News interview that he was "not attracted to children," he admitted to doing something "terribly wrong" in a statement to People in December 2014.
One of Collins' alleged victims, April Price, came forward in Investigation Discovery's new docuseries Hollywood Demons season 1 episode 1, detailing her disturbing encounters with the actor when she was 13. The episode titled Stephen Collins: America's Dad is set to air on March 24, 2025.
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Stephen Collins was accused after a 2012 confession tape, leaked by TMZ, revealed his admission to three cases of s*xual misconduct
The accusations against Stephen Collins, once known for portraying a moral father figure on 7th Heaven, became public when TMZ leaked a 2012 therapy session recording. In the recording, Collins confessed to inappropriate sexual behavior involving three underage girls.
The audio recorded during a marriage counseling session with his estranged wife, Faye Grant, included him admitting to multiple incidents of misconduct as per ABC News report dated October 9, 2014. Following the leak, Grant referred to Collins as a pedophile with a:
"long term pattern of s*xually abusing minor children.'"
In court documents, she alleged that he had used:
“his celebrity status to engender the trust of the families of the children he molested”.
The NYPD subsequently initiated an investigation into the allegations, which reportedly lacked a statute of limitations, contingent on the tape's authentication, according to ABC News.
The fallout was immediate. Collins was dropped from projects like Ted 2 and ABC's Scandal. UP TV also pulled reruns of 7th Heaven from its schedule. Collins later resigned from SAG-AFTRA, marking a significant retreat from his public life, as per ABC News.
In an exclusive interview with Katie Couric on ABC News' 20/20 in December 2024, Stephen Collins denied being a pedophile while admitting to isolated instances of misconduct. He said:
"I'm absolutely not attracted, physically or s*xually attracted to children."
However, he acknowledged inappropriate encounters with three minors between 1973 and 1994. He described a specific case where, at age 25, he exposed himself to a 10-year-old girl and initiated inappropriate physical contact.
April Price confronted Stephen Collins years later
One of the alleged victims, April Price, shared her story in Investigation Discovery's new docuseries Hollywood Demons.
Visiting her aunt in Los Angeles, she met Stephen Collins, who was living next door. Price claims Collins exposed himself to her multiple times, once while helping her set up an Atari gaming system and again at his home, where he allegedly appeared naked, as per People.
Price later confronted Collins in her 20s when they crossed paths on a film set. During this meeting, Collins allegedly admitted to his misconduct, expressing deep remorse and asking for her forgiveness, as noted in the Fox News report dated March 24, 2025. However, Price ultimately decided to speak publicly after Collins' televised denial of being a pedophile. She told Fox News:
“It was infuriating… All I could do was see red.”
Stephen Collins' former co-stars, including Jeremy London and Kyle Searles, also voiced their reactions to the scandal in the docuseries, describing the emotional toll of discovering the allegations against their former colleague. As per the docuseries, more than 100 associates of Collins were approached, but most declined to comment.
Despite Collins' public apology and claim of undergoing two decades of therapy and counseling, the damage to his reputation and career has been irreversible.
To know more, watch season 1, episode 1 of Investigation Discovery's new docuseries Hollywood Demons, set to air on March 24, 2025.
