Was Kirk Cameron a victim of the Hollywood Hype Machine

[TMC]

This is how TV Tropes lays it out:

Kirk Cameron became a Teen Idol overnight with his role in The '80s sitcom Growing Pains, with its massive success propelling his lucky streak. During the peak of his fame, he was paid a salary of $50,000 per week for starring on the show and made the cover of many magazines. Midway through production of the series, however, Cameron, an atheist in his early teenage years, became a born-again Christian, and objecting to what he viewed as some of the show's more objectionable content, assumed greater control behind the scenes, sometimes even cutting whole storylines, which many felt contributed to its decline in quality. Regardless of his rising sanctimony, the show managed to last all the way until 1992. He failed to grab much success during and after Growing Pains, suffering a huge flop in 1989 with Listen to Me opposite Christopher Atkins (see above) while his follow-up sitcom Kirk was cancelled after two seasons in 1997. He retreated to Christian media post-The '90s plus his other gig as an evangelical minister, before making Saving Christmas in 2014. That dud got unanimously awful reviews for the shoddy quality of its filmmaking and its excessive shilling of Cameron's Christian beliefs, with its many dishonors including a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a position on the IMDb's Bottom 100 list. He tried playing the victim card in response to the bad reception, declaring himself a target of "anti-Christian" critics and urging others across various forms of media to watch it and prove them wrong. This failed when the few people who were convinced to see the film gave it just as bad (if not worse) reviews, which led Cameron to further double down on his assumed victimhood while dismissing the barrage of negativity. The incident made him a laughingstock to everybody outside of his Christian Right demographic, while some within it began giving him a wide berth. Saving Christmas has now garnered notoriety as one of the worst films ever made, killing his career for good.

[rusty spike]

As others have pointed out, if Kirk could separate his personal life (which he has every right to think and believe) vs his Seaver character. There's plenty of people who can play a character who is radically different than his/her personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Kirk continues to speak his mind in public venues and some of his remarks are perceived as insensitive and highly inflammatory.

[Mr. Television]

Kirk turned his back on Hollywood years ago. I don't blame him.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

As others have pointed out, if Kirk could separate his personal life (which he has every right to think and believe) vs his Seaver character. There's plenty of people who can play a character who is radically different than his/her personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Kirk continues to speak his mind in public venues and some of his remarks are perceived as insensitive and highly inflammatory.

Very true. He became too obsessed with control and thinking the character was a real person. Good grief, Growing Pains was a bubble gum, light hearted comedy that appealed mostly to younger people. The episodes always had morals in the end.
I admire Lisa Welchel. She was a born again Christian and gospel singer. She still acted a snobby part even doing a 2 part episode where her character begs her sister not to become a nun and to give her life to God. She did turn down an episode about pre-marital sex. However she could distinguish acting vs real life. He seems like a bully in the way he carries himself and is constantly playing a victim. He is the Hollywood elite which got rich off TV yet he plays a victim over and over and throws stones at glass houses. No wonder the cast of Growing Pains wants nothing to do with him anymore.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

As others have pointed out, if Kirk could separate his personal life (which he has every right to think and believe) vs his Seaver character. There's plenty of people who can play a character who is radically different than his/her personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Kirk continues to speak his mind in public venues and some of his remarks are perceived as insensitive and highly inflammatory.

Very true. He became too obsessed with control and thinking the character was a real person. Good grief, Growing Pains was a bubble gum, light hearted comedy that appealed mostly to younger people. The episodes always had morals in the end.
I admire Lisa Welchel from Facts of Life. She is a born again Christian and gospel singer. She still acted a snobby part even doing a 2 part episode where her character begs her sister not to become a nun and to not give her life to God. She did turn down an episode about pre-marital sex. However she could distinguish acting vs real life. He seems like a bully in the way he carries himself and is constantly playing a victim. He is the Hollywood elite which got rich off TV yet he plays a victim over and over and throws stones at glass houses. No wonder the cast of Growing Pains wants nothing to do with him anymore.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

As others have pointed out, if Kirk could separate his personal life (which he has every right to think and believe) vs his Seaver character. There's plenty of people who can play a character who is radically different than his/her personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Kirk continues to speak his mind in public venues and some of his remarks are perceived as insensitive and highly inflammatory.

Exactly! If you can’t separate yourself from the character/role then you’re a bad actor/actress and approaching things from a position of weakness and narcissism. I mean, isn't the whole point of acting is that you’re losing yourself in a character? In other words, you are BECOMING that character and you are taking on a role different from yourself.

[Caroline13]

Interesting, I heard Kirk on my favorite radio station this morning.

https://bravebooks.us/pages/bb-story-hour

Kirk is doing his part to restore our damaged home.


Kirk's net worth, I was curious.

https://www.celebritynetworth.com/ri...ron-net-worth/

[Hawkee]

It used to be that when a new sitcom was in development the creators of the sitcom had to use stars that would become famous in the future. With Growing Pains the reason why Kirk Cameron was in it was the show's casting directors wanted to cast a teenager that would soon become a teen sensation to attract girls because when you have a sitcom that has a teenager the actor has to have a crush factor. And that's what Growing Pains did with Kirk Cameron because Mike Seaver was the older brother to Jeremy Miller's character Ben because if Growing Pains had just Carol and Ben the show would not be huge if Kirk Cameron would not exist in the show. But based on Kirk's rising star on Growing Pains Kirk Cameron was seen on posters of popular teen magazines such as Seventeen Teen Sassy Teen Beat Tiger Beat and Bop and based on that success Kirk was happy with the fame and fortune that Growing Pains had bought him. But while Kirk Cameron was focused on Growing Pains his sister Candace was starring in Full House and we knew that the Cameron siblings would be huge just like Justine and Jason Bateman. But Kirk became a huge movie star by being in the 1988 movie Like Father Like Son but as Kirk became an adult he knew he needed to attract a new audience

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

As others have pointed out, if Kirk could separate his personal life (which he has every right to think and believe) vs his Seaver character. There's plenty of people who can play a character who is radically different than his/her personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Kirk continues to speak his mind in public venues and some of his remarks are perceived as insensitive and highly inflammatory.

I never really thought about this until know, but does anybody else think that maybe Kirk Cameron may have had some sort psychotic break in the middle of shooting Growing Pains? This is purely speculation, but does anybody else think that it seems quite peculiar that Kirk would abruptly take such a hard, and I mean hard shift like that?

I don't know exactly how old Kirk was when he initially had his religious conversion (he was I believe, 15 years old, when Growing Pains first went on the air in 1985) but he pretty much became a completely and radically different person after he had his religious awakening.

My point is that, was there anything truly traumatic or I guess, consequential to happen in Kirk's life to have caused him to suddenly turn to what's essentially, Christian fundamentalism?

[rusty spike]

Yes, it's possible that KC suffered a psychotic breakdown.

I knew a classmate from school who became real interested in a particular religion that I belonged to. Another member of my church was befriending him and by the 2nd or 3rd time he came to my church, he was becoming quite agitated. He was angry with me because I had never attempted to convert him (which was never my thing anyhow) and that I was keeping the TRUTH from him. Frankly, I thought he was losing his mind.

Later, he found another religious group to study with and befriend. That group convinced this classmate that my religion was evil. So he confronted me and told me that I was heading to Hell and deserved to die through violence.

He then went after a quiet girl who wore crucifix earrings and carried her bible to high school in a tote bag. He made a big scene in the school cafeteria. I think he went bonkers.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

Yes, it's possible that KC suffered a psychotic breakdown.

I knew a classmate from school who became real interested in a particular religion that I belonged to. Another member of my church was befriending him and by the 2nd or 3rd time he came to my church, he was becoming quite agitated. He was angry with me because I had never attempted to convert him (which was never my thing anyhow) and that I was keeping the TRUTH from him. Frankly, I thought he was losing his mind.

Later, he found another religious group to study with and befriend. That group convinced this classmate that my religion was evil. So he confronted me and told me that I was heading to Hell and deserved to die through violence.

He then went after a quiet girl who wore crucifix earrings and carried her bible to high school in a tote bag. He made a big scene in the school cafeteria. I think he went bonkers.

I now can't help but wonder if anything particularly inappropriate or traumatic happened to Kirk when he was working on Growing Pains? And was his pivot to what could be essentially regarded as hardcore Christian fundamentalism his own way of coping from being in what may have been a toxic environment?

It also makes me wonder if Andrew Koenig, who played Boner was taken advantage of also. Maybe it's merely a coincidence, but keep in mind that he did take his own life back in 2010.

This also may simply be a mere coincidence, but Jeremy Miller admitted that he struggled with alcoholism. And in fairness, he claims that he had his first drink when he was only 4 years old, which would've been well before he started working on Growing Pains.

[paul.austin]

Kirk and Candace are fairly toxic. You can hurt people but IMO it's worse when you hurt people and _do not care_.

As for Leo... one of his more recent girlfriends was still a schoolgirl when COVID-19 lockdowns first hit. If John Q. Public tried that **** - yeah Leo should be in a cell.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

I now can't help but wonder if anything particularly inappropriate or traumatic happened to Kirk when he was working on Growing Pains? And was his pivot to what could be essentially regarded as hardcore Christian fundamentalism was his own way of coping from being in what may have been a toxic environment?

It also makes me wonder if Andrew Koenig, who played Boner was taken advantage of also. Maybe it's merely a coincidence, but keep in mind that he did take his own life back in 2010.

This also may simply be a mere coincidence, but Jeremy Miller admitted that he struggled with alcoholism. And in fairness, he claims that he had his first drink when he was only 4 years old, which would've been well before he started working on Growing Pains.

Furthermore, you may have seen photos of a then teenaged Kirk Cameron in posing in a kitchen with a snake draped around his neck. Those photos were purportedly taken by Bob Villard, who was later arrested and convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor. Bob Villard was incidentally, later Leonardo DiCaprio's publicist. It has also since been alleged that Kirk once caught Steve Marshall and other producers looking at inappropriate images on the Growing Pains set.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

Furthermore, you may have seen photos of a then teenaged Kirk Cameron in posing in a kitchen with a snake draped around his neck. Those photos were purportedly taken by Bob Villard, who was later arrested and convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor. Bob Villard was incidentally, later Leonardo DiCaprio's publicist. It has also since been alleged that Kirk once caught Steve Marshall and other producers looking at inappropriate images on the Growing Pains set.

I also recently found out that Kirk was a client the late publicist Jeff Ballard. There have been (admittedly unconfirmed/unverified) rumors about Ballard going around online in recent times.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Very true. He became too obsessed with control and thinking the character was a real person. Good grief, Growing Pains was a bubble gum, light hearted comedy that appealed mostly to younger people. The episodes always had morals in the end.
I admire Lisa Welchel from Facts of Life. She is a born again Christian and gospel singer. She still acted a snobby part even doing a 2 part episode where her character begs her sister not to become a nun and to not give her life to God. She did turn down an episode about pre-marital sex. However she could distinguish acting vs real life. He seems like a bully in the way he carries himself and is constantly playing a victim. He is the Hollywood elite which got rich off TV yet he plays a victim over and over and throws stones at glass houses. No wonder the cast of Growing Pains wants nothing to do with him anymore.

I kind of reminds me of how in his later days and years, Casey Kasem would only portray Shaggy Rogers in future Scooby Doo projects if Shaggy was written to be a vegetarian like he was in real life. This is despite the fact that a slacker and possibly stoner type of character like Shaggy was never before that point, explicitly established or stated to be a vegetarian. And big part of his character was that he was a big eater.