Kirk Cameron has stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years, and his most recent activities are drawing plenty of scrutiny. Last month, the Growing Pains star held a maskless caroling event in California, a state that has instituted stay-at-home orders in response to the surging number of COVID-19 cases. Now, despite being urged to refrain from further events, Cameron held another maskless event on New Year’s Eve.
According to Kirk Cameron, the purpose of the holiday gathering was to “pray for our country.” The event was held this past Thursday in Point Mugu State Park, located in Malibu. Photos (via KABC-ABC7) show dozens of people at the location, and all appear to be without masks and not social distancing. Cameron has since posted a four-minute speech he gave at the event on Instagram and, during the address, he expressed his hopes for a large turnout:
We’re hoping that we’re going to have hundreds of people here. Please come and join us by candlelight as we sing and as we pray for our country.
Ahead of the event, state senator Henry Stern reached out to Kirk Cameron, making an appeal to him to cancel the New Year’s Eve event. In the message, which Stern shared on Twitter, the senator asked Cameron to consider the losses that have occurred within the state when making plans for New Year’s Eve. He ultimately asked that the actor not cause the state to have to use more safety resources due to “profiteering/PR disguised as prayer/protest.”
As mentioned, Kirk Cameron’s actions have not gone unnoticed, as many across the internet and Hollywood have given their thoughts on the matter. They’ve since voiced their concerns and complaints with the actor holding large events in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cameron’s Growing Pains co-star, Jeremy Miller, has since expressed his disappointment with his colleague’s actions. While Miller stated that he loves his on-screen brother, he “could not disagree more with his holding these maskless events at a time when safety and concern for others is an extreme priority.”
In the midst of the backlash, Cameron has received some support though, as his sister, Hallmark and Fuller House star Candace Cameron Bure came to his defense. While the actress expressed displeasure with the “vile tweets” aimed at her brother, she confirmed that she did not attend the caroling event and was choosing to follow the state’s mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines.
As of right now, Kirk Cameron has not commented further on the events and has not indicated whether or not he has any future events planned. Though it can be said that with COVID-19 having such a massive effect on California right now, state officials will likely be working to crack down even harder on safety guidelines.
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