NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Audio hangs over ‘7th Heaven’ actor’s divorce and career

LOS ANGELES

When audio of former “7th Heaven” star Stephen Collins purportedly confessing to molesting underage girls appeared on the website TMZ last month, it did more than just damage the veteran actor’s career.

The recording, made during a therapy session and given to police by the actor’s estranged wife, led to reruns of “7th Heaven” disappearing from cable TV and Collins swiftly losing acting roles. Three law-enforcement agencies confirmed investigations into allegations that Collins molested underage girls several decades ago, although no charges have been filed.

The audio, which has not been authenticated by The Associated Press, likely will never be played in a courtroom. It will, however, linger over the actor’s upcoming divorce trial, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday in LA. The audio’s impact will be a major issue in how Collins and his estranged wife, actress Faye Grant, divide up assets they accumulated during more than 25 years of marriage.

As a result of the audio’s release, Collins’ future earnings have been reduced to only what he can earn off investments, his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, wrote in a court filing last month.

Few Hollywood divorces in recent memory have been as ugly as the Collins case. The actor filed for divorce in 2012 and most of the issues in the case have been about money, although Grant included details about the molestation allegations in court filings last year.

Grant has said she gave police the audio of a 2012 couple counseling session in which Collins admitted to molesting young girls. She said she did so only after he refused to seek appropriate treatment. Grant has denied giving the recording to TMZ.

Associated Press