'7th Heaven' Actor Stephen Collins Confessed to Serious Child Abuse Years After It Happened

Content warning: This article mentions allegations of the sexual abuse of minors.

Whether you knew him as the dad in the long-running WB family drama 7th Heaven or from something else entirely, Stephen Collins's confession regarding the sexual abuse of minors that came in 2014 was shocking. At the time, he hadn't been shown in a negative light in the public eye and had led a mostly quiet existence off the set of the show, in which he starred as a minister and father of seven.

His confession came about when a recording was leaked to the public where Collins admitted to sexually abusing three girls under the age of 18 during a 20-year span. He later publicly admitted to his acts in more detail. Although no formal charges were brought against Collins, the former 7th Heaven star's confession had a lot of people asking questions.

After the leak of Collins's confession, he spoke to People and shared details about his compulsion that resulted in the sexual abuse of three girls from 1973 until 1994, which, he told the outlet, was the last time he acted on the impulse. He shared details with People in 2014, during which he admitted to being the man who spoke in the recording that was released in 2014.

The recording, which was posted by TMZ at the time, was reportedly from a 2012 therapy session that Collins's then-wife recorded without his knowledge. In one instance on the recording, Collins admitted to his wife that he had molested a relative by marriage (from his first wife) when she was 11 years old.

Collins also admitted to exposing himself to the same girl a few more times. And elsewhere on the recording, Collins said that he was sexually inappropriate with at least two other girls under the age of 18. Although a woman came forward to authorities in 2012 to report and name Collins in the molestation that had taken place when she was a child, according to CNN at the time, it was past the statute of limitations and Collins was not charged in the crime.

Although Collins is featured in an episode of ID channel's docuseries Hollywood Demons, he does not appear as a guest. And, since he admitted to sexual misconduct with minors over the span of two decades, he has seemingly retreated from the spotlight. However, according to the series, Collins is dating a former "super fan" of his, who also happens to be 40 years younger than the former actor.

Following Collins's confession in 2014 and more details that emerged about what happened on and outside of Hollywood Demons, his former co-stars spoke out about what he admitted to.

Jeremy London, who was on 7th Heaven from 2002-2004, appears in the Hollywood Demons episode to share his thoughts after hearing Collins's confession.

"I'm a dad, first and foremost, above everything else. And so my first thoughts always go to the children. Stephen Collins would be a dead man if that was my child," he admits in the docuseries.

Beverley Mitchell, who starred in 7th Heaven alongside her TV dad Collins, hosts a re-watch podcast with fellow former co-stars David Gallagher and Mackenzie Rosman. During a September 2024 episode of Catching Up With the Camdens, she addressed the confession and actions of their former co-star.

"We do not excuse or condone his behavior," she shared at the time. "Our hope for this podcast is to reconnect with you, our fans, to relive some '90s nostalgia, and to share our fondest memories of 7th Heaven."