Kirk Cameron DID NOT get Julie McCullough Fired. Haters Made Up that Lie About Him.

[icecream]

I am reading Kirk Cameron's autobiography Still Growing now and just finished the chapter where Julie being fired was mentioned. I will quote the paragraphs from chapter 15 in bold, from the start of the Setting the Story Straight segment.

Contrary to popular gossip, I had nothing to do with the firing of Julie McCullough as my TV girlfriend because she posed for Playboy magazine. But don't take my word for it. According to Dan Guntzelman, the head show-runner for Growing Pains: "The truth is, Julie was let go because Mike being in a committed relationship was a dead end-he was, after all, an immature imp who was ill-equipped to deal with a grownup world on all levels. That's where the conflict and comedy came from: The maturity to have and maintain a lasting relationship fought against this...Julie was to play the part of Mike's first serious relationship-the first time he was swept up in something larger than himself, but she was never intended to be his mate for life, even the life of the series."
Producer Mike Sullivan confirms Dan's comments: "It was a guest star role; she wasn't hired as a series regular. There was never any intention of the Mike character being married or in a permanent romantic relationship."

[Schmoopie]

I'm not a big Kirk Cameron fan anymore and haven't been since his heyday on Growing Pains, but I always found it hard to believe that he would deliberately get someone fired like that.

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

I'm not a big Kirk Cameron fan anymore and haven't been since his heyday on Growing Pains, but I always found it hard to believe that he would deliberately get someone fired like that.

I'm still a big Kirk Cameron fan, I loved him in Left Behind and Fireproof. I never believed he got Julie McCullough fired, besides he didn't have that kind of pull or authority to fire someone. People believe everything they hear or read. They are so gullible.

[opus]

Originally Posted by andress_jade

I'm still a big Kirk Cameron fan, I loved him in Left Behind and Fireproof. I never believed he got Julie McCullough fired, besides he didn't have that kind of pull or authority to fire someone. People believe everything they hear or read. They are so gullible.

That means if I read and believe your post I'm gullible

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by opus

That means if I read and believe your post I'm gullible

Okay...

[RetroGuy2000]

That's not how Julie McCullough sees things:

After Cameron’s character, Mike Seaver, proposed to McCullough’s Julie Costello, he stormed into the producer’s office and insisted there shouldn’t be a wedding. The actress said Cameron was disturbed by her nude photos and that’s why she only appeared on a handful of episodes on the ABC show, but in his biography, Cameron maintained that her role was never meant to be a long-term character.

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That's not how Julie McCullough sees things:

Two of the producers say the same thing. They say that Julie was never meant to be a long term character and Mike wasn't the marrying kind. Kirk wouldn't lie about that. He didn't have the authority to fire someone. He may have disapproved of the photos, that doesn't mean be got her fired.

[icecream]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That's not how Julie McCullough sees things:

Julie is bitter, she is lying. The show runner and a producer back Kirk up...

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by andress_jade

Two of the producers say the same thing. They say that Julie was never meant to be a long term character and Mike wasn't the marrying kind.

The same producers Kirk had previously called "pornographers"? Read the below.

After Cameron's religious conversion, his beliefs frequently interfered with production of the show. He insisted that no "adult themes" be incorporated into episodes, and he often demanded that entire episodes be re-written when he objected to the content (when one planned episode revolved around Julie giving Mike the key to her apartment, Cameron objected to the sexual connotations, and he forced a new script to be written). According to the Growing Pains episode of E! True Hollywood Story, Cameron at one point went so far as to call the President of ABC on the phone, and refer to executive producers Dan Guntzelman, Mike Sullivan and Steve Marshall as pornographers, due to the content of some of the episodes. In 1991, after the show's sixth season, the three men quit the show as a result of Cameron's actions and statements.

Cameron's conflicts with the writers were frequent in part due to his low level of tolerance for "immoral" behavior. For example, according to E True Hollywood Stories, one scene which he objected to would have shown Mike in bed with a girl. The camera would then pull back to reveal that the two were on stage, rehearsing a scene for a play. Even this oblique reference to sexuality was too much for Cameron.

The most significant instance of Cameron's editorial interference occurred in the 1989-1990 season which was supposed to involve Mike marrying his girlfriend Julie. However, Cameron objected to the fact that actress Julie McCullough, who played the popular character Julie Costello, had once posed nude for Playboy. Cameron demanded that the producers fire her or he would quit. McCullough was fired, and Julie was written out of the series as having left Mike at the altar.

Kirk wouldn't lie about that.

Kirk lied about the producers and called them "pornographers", to the President of ABC, because he felt the scripts were "too racy". He's got no credibility. If someone accuses someone of distributing pornography, they need to either prove it or admit they lied.

In this case, Kirk Cameron clearly lied to the President of ABC. So why is he suddenly telling the truth about Julie McCullough?

He didn't have the authority to fire someone.

He was the star of the show. Of course he had the leverage to demand they axe a guest star.

He may have disapproved of the photos,

I think we all know he did disapprove of the photos. He called his producers "pornographers" because he didn't approve of the... ahem... racy material on... Growing Pains. What would he then say of actual pornography?

This thread is based on a false premise: that Kirk Cameron's "haters" made up a lie about him. But Kirk Cameron didn't have haters in 1989. No-one in the public even knew of his religious conversion, and they certainly weren't hating on him.

This is something people on the set were saying in 1989 about him: it's not something recent. The October 30th, 1989 issue of People Magazine stated that people were saying that Kirk wanted Julie fired, and stormed into Dan Guntzelman's office with demands.

Dan Guntzelman stated then, as he states now, that Kirk didn't make those demands. And yet, as late as October 1989, he was still saying he felt Julie was the right choice for the role. Tellingly, Dan Guntzelman, Steve Marshall, and Mike Sullivan left the show around that time. I suspect they didn't want people to know that they had caved to a child star's demands.

Julie has said (I think in the E! True Hollywood Story) that she didn't even know she had been fired, and only found out when she went to the set, and they had revoked her pass. That's an absolutely horrible way to find out you've been fired. A very non-Christian way of firing someone. And Kirk is to blame, whether he deliberately stormed into the producers' office, or just made it know he wouldn't tolerate any "non-Christian" behavior on his show, creating a hostile work environment for non-extreme Christians.

This is the same guy who insisted they hire his then-girlfriend, Chelsea Noble, to replace Julie. Or do you think it's just an accident that she got the role? He insisted he'd only kiss someone he was actually dating. This is the same guy who hurt his co-stars by not inviting them to his wedding, because he could only tolerate being around Christians.

Kirk Cameron is no Christian.

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

The same producers Kirk had previously called "pornographers"? Read the below.





Kirk lied about the producers and called them "pornographers", to the President of ABC, because he felt the scripts were "too racy". He's got no credibility. If someone accuses someone of distributing pornography, they need to either prove it or admit they lied.

In this case, Kirk Cameron clearly lied to the President of ABC. So why is he suddenly telling the truth about Julie McCullough?



He was the star of the show. Of course he had the leverage to demand they axe a guest star.



I think we all know he did disapprove of the photos. He called his producers "pornographers" because he didn't approve of the... ahem... racy material on... Growing Pains. What would he then say of actual pornography?

This thread is based on a false premise: that Kirk Cameron's "haters" made up a lie about him. But Kirk Cameron didn't have haters in 1989. No-one in the public even knew of his religious conversion, and they certainly weren't hating on him.

This is something people on the set were saying in 1989 about him: it's not something recent. The October 30th, 1989 issue of People Magazine stated that people were saying that Kirk wanted Julie fired, and stormed into Dan Guntzelman's office with demands.

Dan Guntzelman stated then, as he states now, that Kirk didn't make those demands. And yet, as late as October 1989, he was still saying he felt Julie was the right choice for the role. Tellingly, Dan Guntzelman, Steve Marshall, and Mike Sullivan left the show around that time. I suspect they didn't want people to know that they had caved to a child star's demands.

Julie has said (I think in the E! True Hollywood Story) that she didn't even know she had been fired, and only found out when she went to the set, and they had revoked her pass. That's an absolutely horrible way to find out you've been fired. A very non-Christian way of firing someone. And Kirk is to blame, whether he deliberately stormed into the producers' office, or just made it know he wouldn't tolerate any "non-Christian" behavior on his show, creating a hostile work environment for non-extreme Christians.

This is the same guy who insisted they hire his then-girlfriend, Chelsea Noble, to replace Julie. Or do you think it's just an accident that she got the role? He insisted he'd only kiss someone he was actually dating. This is the same guy who hurt his co-stars by not inviting them to his wedding, because he could only tolerate being around Christians.

Kirk Cameron is no Christian.

I don't know how much of that is true but like I have said several times before, he apologized for his behavior back then. He was right about one of the shows producers, he WAS a pedophile. He was found with inappropriate photos of boys and admitted to being attracted to boys.
The way Kirk acted then is not the way he is now.
I still am a fan of his and enjoy the show regardless of what you say about him. Do you even know what being a real Christian is? Everyone falls short of the glory of God, nobody's perfect. People make mistakes, but the important thing is, he realized that he made some mistakes and his behavior was not ideal and he APOLOGIZED!!!
Jeremy Miller even defends Kirk and stands up for him!

[Mr. Television]

Julie went to school in the town I grew up in. I even have a picture of her in my Junior High yearbook although she was a grade or 2 ahead of me. I remember when she was fired because it was the talk of the town. I didn't want her to leave the show. I think that's when GP JTS. But If Kirk didn't have her fired I don't know why this didn't come out then. It was big news. And I remember the E True Hollywood Story. You'd think something would have been said then. I like Kirk. I always have. I think he's grown up a lot since those days. Don't ever remember it being said he used to an atheist though.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by andress_jade

I don't know how much of that is true but like I have said several times before, he apologized for his behavior back then.

"He apologized for his behavior" is very different than "he never tried to get people fired". No one disputes that he called the President of ABC, telling him the producers were "pornographers". What was he doing then, if it wasn't trying to get people fired?

He was right about one of the shows producers, he WAS a pedophile.

Being a pornographer is legal in this country. Being a pedophile is not. Kirk Cameron didn't call the President of ABC to report an incident of pedophilia. He called the President of ABC to complain that the producers were "pornographers" because they were asking him to be shown in a bed with a girl (with their clothes on) on the set of Growing Pains, in a play Mike was acting in. He found that morally unconscionable.

The way Kirk acted then is not the way he is now.

What do you mean? When he condemned gay marriage in 2014, or when he said in 2016 that "wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband’s lead"? Or in 2017 when he said that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were sent to "punish" those who deserved God's wrath?

He may have stopped trying to get "sinners" fired from his hit show, but that's only because he doesn't have a hit show anymore. He continues to view those who believe differently than him to be "sinners" who must be "saved" by God's punishment.

I still am a fan of his and enjoy the show regardless of what you say about him.

I'm glad you enjoy the show! So do I. That doesn't mean he's blameless in what he's done.

Do you even know what being a real Christian is?

Yes. Exactly the opposite of Kirk Cameron, who continually forgets key passages of Jesus' teachings.

Everyone falls short of the glory of God, nobody's perfect.

Yes, nobody's perfect. If only that had been Kirk's philosophy when it came to Julie. Sadly, she didn't get a chance to even turn over a new leaf. She found out she'd been fired when she tried to go on set, and they had revoked her security.

People make mistakes, but the important thing is, he realized that he made some mistakes and his behavior was not ideal and he APOLOGIZED!!!

He apologized, years later, to the folks on the Growing Pains movie. That didn't include Julie, who wouldn't have been allowed on the set.

Jeremy Miller even defends Kirk and stands up for him!

Jeremy Miller has never defended Kirk's firing of Julie. Jeremy and Julie remain close.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

Julie went to school in the town I grew up in. I even have a picture of her in my Junior High yearbook although she was a grade or 2 ahead of me.

Wow, that's really cool!

I remember when she was fired because it was the talk of the town. I didn't want her to leave the show. I think that's when GP JTS.

Same here. It's not that there weren't good episodes after Julie was fired, but that season was, I think, the apex of the show. Chelsea Noble wasn't as funny as Julie had been, and then Tracey Gold developed anorexia and was no longer on the show... It held up better than other shows in their final seasons, but it just wasn't as good as the classic years.

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

"He apologized for his behavior" is very different than "he never tried to get people fired". No one disputes that he called the President of ABC, telling him the producers were "pornographers". What was he doing then, if it wasn't trying to get people fired?



Being a pornographer is legal in this country. Being a pedophile is not. Kirk Cameron didn't call the President of ABC to report an incident of pedophilia. He called the President of ABC to complain that the producers were "pornographers" because they were asking him to be shown in a bed with a girl (with their clothes on) on the set of Growing Pains, in a play Mike was acting in. He found that morally unconscionable.



What do you mean? When he condemned gay marriage in 2014, or when he said in 2016 that "wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband’s lead"? Or in 2017 when he said that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were sent to "punish" those who deserved God's wrath?

He may have stopped trying to get "sinners" fired from his hit show, but that's only because he doesn't have a hit show anymore. He continues to view those who believe differently than him to be "sinners" who must be "saved" by God's punishment.



I'm glad you enjoy the show! So do I. That doesn't mean he's blameless in what he's done.



Yes. Exactly the opposite of Kirk Cameron, who continually forgets key passages of Jesus' teachings.



Yes, nobody's perfect. If only that had been Kirk's philosophy when it came to Julie. Sadly, she didn't get a chance to even turn over a new leaf. She found out she'd been fired when she tried to go on set, and they had revoked her security.



He apologized, years later, to the folks on the Growing Pains movie. That didn't include Julie, who wouldn't have been allowed on the set.



Jeremy Miller has never defended Kirk's firing of Julie. Jeremy and Julie remain close.

Good for him, he's a good kid. Even if he and Julie are close, so are he and Kirk. That's my point. So Kirk was a stupid kid, he made mistakes. He did apologize for his behavior and it's old news now.
That whole thing where Kirk said women should submit to their wives, the rest of that was left out; it also says "husbands love and cherish your wives". Jeremy even mentions that in an interview. He defends Kirk!
In the Bible it says homosexuality is wrong and an abomination, so what Kirk is saying isn't completely wrong.
Anyway I'm tired of this conversation or debate. We are just going to agree to disagree.

[rusty spike]

He should have left the show if he didn't agree with the writers and producers rather than having a tantrum. Usually when a person changes religions, philosophies or belief systems, the person becomes better (usually noticeable by his/her close friends). That wasn't the case here. It seems that Kirk became some sort of monster who was unrecognizable to people that worked with him.