(WB)
Stephen Collins slammed his then-17-year-old on-screen daughter Jessica Biel’s racy magazine photo spread as “child pornography” back in 2000, comments that have taken on new meaning in light of Collins’ admission that he molested children.
At the time, Biel’s pictorial for Gear, which included a topless cover shot (see below), was the subject of controversy given her age and her fame as the star of a family-friendly TV drama.
Collins was outraged.
“The press has gotten Jessica Biel’s age wrong in the recent stories about her,” he told the New York Daily News in February 2000. “She’s not 18, as has been widely reported. She’s 17, a minor.”
Collins continued, “And as such, Jessica’s photo spread was child pornography. I don’t want my kid to get the message that that’s okay.”
“As a parent of a young daughter, this is very disturbing to me,” said Collins, whose only child, Kate, was 10 years old at the time.
It has since been revealed that Collins is under investigation for inappropriate sexual contact with at least three young girls, with the timetable of his abuse possibly overlapping with his comments about Biel’s photo shoot.
At almost the same time — in a May 2000 episode — Collins’ “7th Heaven” character counseled a girl dealing with sexual molestation.
Biel has yet to comment on the horrifying revelations about her onetime co-star.
Gossip Cop will have updates.
(Gear)
