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‘Growing Pains’ child star Ashley Johnson reveals ‘dark’ moment armed fan tried to abduct her from set
Actress Ashley Johnson, who starred as a child on the sitcom "Growing Pains," has described a frightening incident from her time on the show, in which an armed fan attempted to abduct her from a live taping. She shared the account on the "Weird Kids" podcast, recalling how production staff had already been warned that someone intended to bring a gun onto the set, underscoring the security risks faced by child performers on popular television productions.
Johnson said she was just seven years old at the time, during the show's first season, after only a couple of live taping nights had taken place. She recounted that an armed man broke away from the studio audience queue, grabbed her and attempted to carry her off before being stopped, an episode she described as a "dark" moment from her childhood in Hollywood.
In short
- Ashley Johnson recalls armed fan trying to abduct her aged seven
- Incident occurred during early "Growing Pains" live taping
- Production had been warned someone planned to bring a gun to set
Explained simply
Ashley Johnson is an actress who starred as a child performer on the American sitcom Growing Pains, which aired from 1985 to 1992 and followed a family dealing with everyday challenges. The show became popular with audiences during its run.
During production of the show's first season, when Johnson was seven years old, an armed fan broke away from the audience queue during a live studio taping and attempted to abduct her. The attempt was stopped by staff members present on set.
The incident illustrates the security vulnerabilities that child performers on popular television shows can face, particularly regarding threats from audience members. It also suggests that production teams had anticipated such threats, pointing to broader concerns about protecting young actors working in the entertainment industry.