Nearly a decade ago, 7th Heaven star Stephen Collins found himself at the center of a widely reported situation. The actor, who played Eric Camden on the long-running family drama, admitted to molesting a child in a recording obtained by a media outlet. Since the development, Collins has seemingly kept a low-profile and has apparently not appeared in any film or TV production in the past several years. His personal status has been mostly unclear, until now. Sources provided an update on Collins, and he’s reportedly living in obscurity and practicing meditation.
The 75-year-old actor was reportedly heard on tape back in 2014, confessing to former wife Faye Grant that he’d exposed himself to an 11-year-old relative of first spouse Marjorie Weinman. He later confirmed in an interview that he’d engaged in sexual misconduct with three female minors. Ultimately, the Brewster’s Millions alum was not charged for his purported misdeeds. Per TMZ at the time, the New York Police Department explained that the cases wouldn’t gain any traction. Apparently, any prosecution would’ve been barred by the statute of limitations, and the fact that the allegations were decades-old also factored into the situation.
While Stephen Collins didn’t face legal blowback, his career has apparently suffered in the years since. Radar Online’s sources say that he currently resides in his native state of Iowa, and the comments suggest that he’s living a relatively meager existence:
Stephen lives in a modest home in Iowa, and with his earnings from his Hollywood heyday, he can live out his years comfortably.
Born in Des Moines, he’s reportedly taken up residence in Fairfield, according to the news outfit. He allegedly lives there with his third wife and, in his spare time, he’s said to be leaning heavily on the meditative practices he’s learned. The father of one’s commitment to Transcendental Meditation has been widely known for some time, as he’s spoken about it publicly. Insiders say the peace-finding techniques have helped him come to grips with his past actions:
Practicing TM has helped put his head right to deal with his horrific behavior, even though he knows he can never make it up to the women he hurt as young girls.
Stephen Collins starred as Reverend Eric Camden on all 11 seasons of 7th Heaven, which premiered on The WB in 1996 and was cancelled by the newly minted CW in 2007. The show, which is available for Paramount+ subscription holders to stream, still remains popular in some circles, despite Collins’ actions. For a while, members of the cast toured the country and appeared at conventions, with Collins himself doing so as well ahead of his confession.
Over the past several years, some of the series alums have been asked about a revival of sorts. Annie Camden actress Catherine Hicks said she’d be up for a reunion but only on the condition that the character of Eric (who had heart problems) be killed off. There’s no telling whether such a thing will actually come to fruition at this point. If it does though, it probably won’t feature Stephen Collins, who seems to have settled into a life of isolation.
