Stephen Collins' Molestation Confession

Overview

Stephen Collins' Molestation Confession refers to the publication of privately-recorded audio tapes first obtained by the celebrity gossip and news site TMZ in which Stephen Collins, the American actor best known for playing the pastor and patriarch on the long-running WB family drama TV series 7th Heaven, confesses that he had inappropriately touched young girls.

Background

On October 7th, 2014, TMZ^[1] published a tape recording of Collins which was obtained in 2012, by his now estranged wife Faye Grant during one of their meetings with a therapist. TMZ explained that police is now involved with the tapes and the crimes detailed within, saying:

"TMZ has learned … the NYPD is in possession of the tape, and last Wednesday 2 NYPD detectives from the Special Victims Unit flew to L.A. to interview Grant. We're told they asked her about the tape and about other potential witnesses.

An NYPD official tells TMZ … there is a current, active investigation. The official says there are "at least 3 victims" and the nature of the investigation is "inappropriate sexual contact with minors."

Notable Developments

Direct Messages on Twitter

The following day, The Daily Dot^[2] reported Collins had been in touch with underage fans through Twitter, though there isn't evidence that the messages exchanged were suggestive.

Hollywood Reaction

On October 7th, Collins was dropped^[4] from the upcoming sequel to Ted.

On October 8th, E! Online^[2] published a post titled "Stephen Collins' 7th Heaven Co-Stars React to His Alleged Child Molestation Confession," which featured quotes from several 7th Heaven cast members, including 7th Heaven mother Catherine Hicks who said:

"Stephen's a good guy in my opinion."

Search Interest

External References