Thanks to the success of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, Kirk Cameron became a teen heartthrob.
He even landed a Pepsi commercial during Super Bowl 24.
But when Growing Pains was cancelled after seven seasons in 1992, Cameron made an unexpected
career shift.
So whatever happened to the former Mike Seaver?
Here's the surprising answer.
He converted to Christianity
At the height of his fame, Cameron became a born-again Christian — and allegedly became
an absolute nightmare to deal with on the set of Growing Pains.
According to E!
True Hollywood Story, Cameron wielded his star power and pressured the network to make
sure the show portrayed themes and storylines that were in line with his new religious beliefs.
Several producers reportedly quit the show, and the ratings for Growing Pains plummeted
in Season 7, prompting ABC to pull the plug.
By the time the smoke cleared, Cameron had alienated himself from the cast.
He told The Los Angeles Times, "I definitely kind of made an about-face, going toward another
aspect of my life.
I shifted my focus from 100% on the show, to 100% on [my new life], and left 0% on the
show — and even the friendships that were a part of that show."
Still, the other cast members seemed to understand his choice to embrace religion.
"When you think about all the choice that kids could make, what better choice can you
make than choose a religious spiritual life?"
Shame and regret
Actress Julie McCullough joined the cast of Growing Pains as nanny Julie Costello in 1989.
Despite being cast as a love interest for Cameron's character of Mike Seaver, McCullough
was written off the show by 1990.
According to Hollywood legend, when Cameron found out the actress had posed for Playboy
in the past, he was furious with producers.
He allegedly went so far as to call them "pornographers."
Cameron has denied having McCullough fired, asserting in his autobiography she was never
meant to have a long-term role in the show.
But others alleged that after getting McCullough fired, Cameron used his influence to then
get his real-life girlfriend, Chelsea Noble, cast as his new on-screen girlfriend.
When the two married in real life shortly after, he didn't bother inviting any of his
castmates, something Cameron later told The Los Angeles Times he now regrets.
"If I could go back, I think I could make decisions that were less inadvertently hurtful
to the cast — like talking and explaining to them why I just wanted to have my family
at my wedding."
Cameron's relationship with Noble catalyzed another strict stipulation for the rest of
Cameron's acting career: he refuses to kiss anyone but her, even in the movies.
Cameron told the Today show that when he needs to film a kissing scene, his wife comes in
to act opposite him as a kissing double.
"we shot the scene in silhouette, so when I'm kissing my wife, we're actually husband
and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes as well - on camera."
Sitcom fail
Despite the behind-the-scenes dramas on Growing Pains, Cameron managed to land a new sitcom,
Kirk, on The WB.
The family-friendly show featured an older brother raising his three younger siblings
while chasing his dream of becoming a comic book artist.
The show failed to catch on in the long run, however, lasting just two seasons.
The cleansing of the temple
In the early 2000s, Cameron left behind traditional show business fare to focus on making faith-based
films.
Appropriately enough, one of his most popular projects was the trilogy of films adapting
the popular Left Behind series of Christian books.
Christian audiences loved them, though Left Behind author Tim LaHaye hated the first one
so much that he sued to get the rights back.
In 2008, Cameron promoted the film Fireproof by incorporating it into teaching kits on
marriage and marketing it to churches.
It earned $33 million at the box office, which was huge considering the film's next-to-nothing
budget.
Fireproof became the highest grossing independent film of 2008 and made Cameron a prominent
figure in Christian circles.
The great controversy
Cameron has become a lightning rod for controversy, famously campaigning against the theory of
evolution with a YouTube video claiming that bananas are so amazing that they must be the
work of a higher power.
He later doubled down by publicly going after world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking,
telling TMZ "Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes
in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from
non-life.
Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific
belief that out of nothing, everything came?"
Then there was his 2012 interview with Piers Morgan about Cameron's views on homsexuality.
"it's unnatural I think it's...it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the
foundations of civilization."
Many in Hollywood were quick to denounce the former Growing Pains star, including his former
TV dad, Alan Thicke, who said in a statement "I'm getting him some new books.
The Old Testament simply can't be expected to explain everything."
Cameron again made the headlines in 2016 with his "Love Worth Fighting For" marriage ministry,
after telling The Christian Post, "Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband's
lead, not to tell their husband how he ought to be a better husband.
When each person gets their part right, regardless of how their spouse is treating them, there
is hope for real change in their marriage."
But perhaps the strangest controversy Cameron has been involved with is one he manufactured
while promoting his 2013 film Unstoppable.
The website address for the film had previously been a spam site, so it was initially blocked
on Facebook.
Though Facebook unblocked the site later the same day after verifying the new content with
Cameron's team, the sitcom star painted it as an attack on Christianity that was foiled
by the swell of support from the faithful.
Sounds like he knows how to play to his base.
The worst movie of all time
Despite finding financial success with Fireproof and other faith based projects, Cameron earned
the wrong kind of accolades with his 2014 holiday feature, Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas.
With a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was voted the "worst movie ever"
by IMDb users.
It even cleaned up at the Razzies where, according to CNN, it scored, quote, "four wins in the
categories of worst picture, screenplay, actor and screen combo, which went to Cameron and
'his ego.'"
Ouch.
Keep the faith
After enduring years of high-profile criticism for not shying away from the controversial
views of his faith, Cameron is still making films and soldiering on with his marriage
seminars.
Even if you don't agree with his stances, you can't deny that Cameron sticks to his
principles and won't change who he is to fit the Hollywood mold.
Seems like he's not feeling any growing pains these days.
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