Tragic Details About The 7th Heaven Cast

It's hard to remember the '90s and not think of the beloved faith-based drama, "7th Heaven." The show ran from 1996 to 2007, spanning 11 seasons that followed the daily life and struggles of a preacher, his doting wife, and their five — later seven — children. The series won several awards and turned the entire cast into overnight stars. Unfortunately, many of the actors would later endure tragedy unrelated to the drama they were acting out on screen every week. 

Though the show (mostly) escaped negative press about its stars while it was on the air, an incident in 2014 involving the lead actor, Stephen Collins, became synonymous with "7th Heaven," ultimately darkening the series. Besides that, cast members have experienced all kinds of tragedy over the years, including miscarriages, deaths in the family, and cancer diagnoses. Moreover, one of the few performers who appeared in all 243 episodes has since passed away. Happy the dog, whose real name was also Happy, lived to be 15 years old and died in 2010, only three years after the show ended.

The wholesome character of Reverend Eric Camden didn't reflect the actions of actor Stephen Collins. In 2014, TMZ released audio tapes of Collins confessing to his estranged wife at the time, actress Faye Grant, that he was a child molester. The admission reportedly took place during a therapy session in 2012. Collins apparently didn't know he was being taped at the time.

In the recording, he alleged he exposed himself to a female minor when she was 11, 12, and 13 years old. Collins also said he had her touch his private parts. Moreover, he also confessed to sexual misconduct with two other underage females. Fast-forward to 2024, three of the main cast members who are now all grown up — Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher, and Mackenzie Rosman — started a rewatch podcast for fans in July called "Catching up With the Camdens." Almost three months later, before the trio did a rewatch of the show's pilot, they made a special announcement addressing the issues regarding their TV dad. They stressed that none of them experienced anything inappropriate with Collins while filming the show but vehemently condemned his actions and made it clear he would never be a guest on their podcast.

Beverley Mitchell played the third Camden kid, Lucy, and she and TV sister Jessica Biel had a crush on the same co-star while filming the show. Now, Mitchell is still acting as well as working on that rewatch podcast, but she experienced a terrible loss in 2018. Mitchell shared in a blog post that she and husband Michael Cameron were pregnant with twins, but soon experienced a miscarriage. 

"Our new dream of our growing family came crashing down," she wrote. She later mentioned that healing took time, but she and Cameron still wanted to expand their family. The couple already had a daughter named Kenzie and a son called Hutton. About two years later, they welcomed their rainbow baby: A little girl named Mayzel. "We are over the moon and soaking up so [sic] the cuddles and showering her with kisses!" Mitchell wrote of her newborn baby on Instagram.

Jessica Biel played Mary, the oldest daughter of the Camden bunch. Her career has been quite lucrative since her "7th Heaven" days, and she shares two sons with husband Justin Timberlake. Still, she experienced the negative side of fame when she was 17 and posed topless for the cover of Gear magazine. She hid her breasts with her arm, but she was still accused of being an attention-seeker by critics when the issue hit the newsstands in 2000. Not exactly the best image for an actor to portray if they star on a wholesome family-friendly show. After the incident, Biel apparently had to apologize to "7th Heaven" producer Aaron Spelling, and she admitted on the "Awards Chatter" podcast that showing back up to work was super awkward for both her and her castmates.

Speaking to IGN years after the scandal, Biel told the outlet the idea behind the photo shoot originally didn't involve nudity. "It was supposed to be sexy and fun ... it wasn't supposed to be naked, it wasn't supposed to be, you know, underwear," she said. According to Biel, she "got in a situation where [she] was encouraged." "And I was not looked after by the people that I was working with," she continued. Still, Biel said she didn't regret the decision. She said it ultimately taught her to advocate for herself and set strict boundaries, as well as the importance of surrounding herself with people who have her best interests at heart.

Mackenzie Rosman played the youngest daughter in the family, Ruthie, and looks much different now. She made fans laugh with her sassy and precocious remarks, but she had a hard time in 2008 when her stepsister, Katelyn Salmont, died from cystic fibrosis. Salmont actually appeared on "7th Heaven" — thanks to Rosman.

According to an interview with TV Guide, Rosman pitched series creator Brenda Hampton an episode about cystic fibrosis. "Mackenzie came to me, notes in hand, and told me all about [cystic fibrosis] and asked me if I would do a story for her sister," Hampton told the outlet. "I thought it was very touching." The episode ended up involving horseback riding, something Rosman and Salmont enjoyed doing together off-camera. In 2017, Rosman posted a lovely tribute to her siblings on Instagram for Siblings Day. She included pics of Salmont, writing, "Miss and love you Katelyn."

Barry Watson played the oldest Camden child, Matt, and in 2002 — while "7th Heaven" was still filming — he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was only 28 years old. Thankfully, the chemotherapy he underwent worked, and he has been in remission since 2003.

While promoting the Lifetime movie "Highway to Heaven" in 2021, Watson opened up to NBC Philadelphia about that scary time in his life. "It's still such a big part of my life because I still think about it, but also time has passed where it's almost like, 'Did that really happen?'" he shared. "Did I really go through all that?' And now having this whole other life with my wife and my kids that they weren't even a part of that time, it feels like a lifetime ago."

Watson also said how he misread the warning signs his body was telling him, assuming some of the symptoms were because he was working all the time. But he finally took his situation seriously when he started having extreme night sweats. Now, he urges others to pay attention when something doesn't seem right and get it checked out.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.