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For Sale Mar 29, 2026 at 6:40 PM

Why did Jessica Biel get written out of 7th Heaven? I've heard that it's because she wanted an out, I've heard the producers wanted her out, and I've heard that it was a combination. What's the real story?

Posted by Cautious_Internet243

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autochthonous Mar 29, 2026 +1179
She appeared topless in Gear magazine in March 2000. She was only 17. Producers were pissed as it didn’t fit in with the tone of the show. They slowly wrote her off the show. Meanwhile, Stephen Collins, who played her dad on the show, called it disgusting and “child p**********”… who 14 years later admitted to sexually abusing minors in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.
1179
allgonetoshit Mar 29, 2026 +535
Stephen Collins was method acting as a Pastor.
535
FletchTopper Mar 29, 2026 +63
/spit take
63
Hot_Porking Mar 29, 2026 +20
Title Card: *Dee and Dennis Got Molested*
20
ro536ud Mar 29, 2026 +2
Omg dude. It’s always the loudest ones tho right
2
zowietremendously Mar 30, 2026 +1
That's funny because there have been pastors who were also child molesters on the news.
1
tfresca Mar 29, 2026 +39
I recall she was also up for the Mena Suvari role in American Beauty. She couldn’t do it due to the show and she wanted out.
39
Homersarmy41 Mar 29, 2026 +10
And I believe the other girl in that movie was 16 or 17 when they filmed that and she had a topless scene.
10
Surullian Mar 29, 2026 +19
Thora Birtch. She had parental consent.
19
nyrf12 Mar 29, 2026 +13
He found it disgusting they would have a 17-year-old pose so provocatively in her advanced age.
13
Blursed_Hearse12 Mar 29, 2026 +93
I’ve a bigger question, how was this not illegal? “Oh she posed for a magazine, against our values, and we wrote her off the TV show.” Okay but I think the under-18 posing n*** in a magazine is the bigger issue here.
93
[deleted] Mar 29, 2026 +44
[deleted]
44
Heikks Mar 29, 2026 +27
Thora Birch in American beauty was 15 or 16 for her topless scene
27
[deleted] Mar 29, 2026 +6
[deleted]
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Hot_Porking Mar 29, 2026 +3
Don't look up what Brooke Shields was doing in Pretty Baby or The Blue Lagoon
3
GrizzlyP33 Mar 29, 2026 +9
Yeah everyone is taken aback by someone 17 years and 10 months old posing with no actual nudity, meanwhile Brook Shields was literally 12 years old doing full frontal playing a prostitute… Still wild that film got made even in those times.
9
_trouble_every_day_ Mar 29, 2026 +8
You know way too much about underage n*** scenes
8
autochthonous Mar 29, 2026 +46
Parental consent. If the parent signs off, it’s legal.
46
Surullian Mar 29, 2026 +10
Phoebe Cates was 17 when she filmed the pool scene for Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but had parental consent.
10
rusthrow34 Mar 30, 2026 +6
Looking at the dates of filming, Phoebe was a few months past her 18th. But, she had parental consent for the movie she did right before Fast Times, Paradise.
6
sageberrytree Mar 29, 2026 +6
Ummmm Mmmmm Brooke Shields posed when she was much younger than 17. Her mother was...Ummm...different.
6
SolomonBlack Mar 29, 2026 +72
You can think whatever you want but in US law Nudity =/= P**********. What Biel specifically did was pose without a shirt with her arm over her nips and no girl nips is generally not considered pornographic. And last century people were maybe also not so pedo-philiac waiting with ragged baited breaths and pounding hearts for every chance to find perverts and moral outrage over say Coppertone showing a topless girl with an exposed bum.
72
G_I_R_TheColorest Mar 29, 2026 +35
As some one who grew up in the 70s it's kind of depressing how much more puritan America has become over the last 30 years.
35
InfernalTest Mar 29, 2026 +16
the behavior of people ...especially young adults and their realllly sexually puritannical streak is almost Arthur Millers Crucible level... but its also the same generation that has unfettered access to the most h******* p***....and they are easily watching it and producing it with O******* and Instagram being a literal gateway ...
16
TopSoulMan Mar 29, 2026 -18
Even if the intent isn’t e*****, it’s gonna put the ball in the viewers court and say “HEY LOOK HERE! This isn’t p****. It’s just a child posing without their clothes on. If you think it’s weird it’s because YOU are a pervert.” And in my head I’m saying “I didn’t sign up for this. I thought the people in this rated R movie doing sexual stuff would actually be adults playing the roles of children, not actual children.” Like if I saw Natalie Portman in the Professional getting railed by Jean Reno, I wouldn’t think “well this certainly enhanced the movie experience and I’m glad her parents consented to let her do this”.
-18
Goodlake Mar 29, 2026 +8
Yes but before Epstein/MeToo and the proliferation of CSAM via social media, people would not have seen 17-year-old female stars as “children,” even if they understood they were under 18. Same deal with Britney Spears’ Rolling Stone cover, the website that counted down the days til Mary Kate and Ashley were 18, etc. People used to joke about “jailbait” in mainstream media. Might have always been creepy, but wasn’t roundly and proactively condemned at all levels of society like today. That dynamic is very much a modern response to Epstein/MeToo.
8
milkeyedmenderr Mar 29, 2026 +5
Miley Cyrus’s photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz where she posed topless/covered by a sheet with her back to the camera was met with controversy in 2008 when she was 15/16 I honestly don’t know how much of that was because of her Disney branding versus age, though. Arguably a somewhat similar situation to Jessica Biel, difference in Leibovitz’s style to Gear notwithstanding
5
Toby_O_Notoby Mar 30, 2026 +2
One of my favourite Annie Leibovitz stories is that she and an agent were walking together in New York when someone tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she could take their picture. Annie is kind of nonplussed because you don't just ask her for a picture right there in the street. But after a second, she realises that it's just a tourist couple from the Midwest who has no idea who she is. So she shrugs and directs them a little bit and then takes a few snaps and hands their camera back. As they're walking away, the agent says, "That couple will never know they have an original Annie Leibovitz portrait of themselves just sitting there on their hard drive."
2
Beautiful_Bag6707 Mar 30, 2026 +2
It's a catch 22. Actresses who grew up as children on TV or film needed to leave Hollywood for 5-10 years or make a raunchy photoshoot or film to break the image of them as a child. Or, if they were seen as maturing physically at a young age, they would be on that "countdown to 18 legal clock" and constantly sexualized while using the "oh no she's jailbait" disclaimer. Basically, society is full of pervs who only abstain for hitting on 15-year-olds bec of the legal ramifications not anything morally reprehensible. That's why there are movies of men in their 40s and 50s having "affairs" with the 20-something daughter of their "best friend" despite seeing them when they were in diapers.
2
AnonymousFriend80 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Society should focus less on the super strict misuse of the word pedophile, and only use the term when it's used correctly. And focus more on pointing out the inappropriateness of of someone of a significant higher age taking interest in post pubescent teenager.
1
Beautiful_Bag6707 Mar 30, 2026 +1
I think society, specifically the males in our species, need a reality and gut check on sex, sexuality, women, and relationships. Sex is not a necessity and doesn't require a woman. Girls and women are not defined by a set age or the onset of puberty; just because she looks like a woman doesn't make her a woman and just because she's legally a woman doesn't make her ready for a sexual relationship. A sexual relationship is at least 50% *relationship*, so date women who have common attributes. Sexual desire is not a relationship. Control is not a relationship. Manipulation is not a relationship. Women do not *owe* men anything. Women do not exist *for* men.
1
G_I_R_TheColorest Mar 30, 2026 +1
>Even if the intent isn’t e*****, it’s gonna put the ball in the viewers court and say “HEY LOOK HERE! This isn’t p****. It’s just a child posing without their clothes on. If you think it’s weird it’s because YOU are a pervert.” Not to put words in your mouth but it does seem that you are advocating for controlling peoples actions based on what others might think. X should not be allowed because someone might think Y. Well guess what someone is always going to think Y no matter what.
1
AnonymousFriend80 Mar 30, 2026 +1
How many of y'all here was in the theater in 78 taking a gander at little Kal El's weiner?
1
ItchyGoiter Mar 29, 2026 +7
Lool up the photo. Her boobies were covered.
7
meatball77 Mar 29, 2026 +4
It wasn't n***. It was a thirst trap
4
GrizzlyP33 Mar 29, 2026 +11
She’s never actually n*** though if I’m not mistaken. Feels like the point was to get the sensationalist “she posed topless!!” but to my knowledge there’s no actual nudity, which means it wouldn’t be illegal. But I also have not bothered to go look at these photos of a 17 year old to say for myself 🤷🏽‍♂️
11
Kalse1229 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Ah. So, she must have work pasties or something to cover up the sensitive bits, but posed so that it gave the illusion of nudity. That's...less bad.
1
InfernalTest Mar 29, 2026 -2
you wont be a watch list it crazy to se how ..overly sensitive.. younger people are who seeme to be unaware of the fact that european magzines had daily newspapers magazines that FREQUENTLY had topless girls as young as 16 ... for decades not to mention the fact that at least overseas a topless teen girl was NOT the scandal or creepy overly sexualised thing it is here in the states
-2
nothisistheotherguy Mar 29, 2026 +7
She wasn’t TOPLESS, she was covering herself up and there was no nudity per se. US magazines like Maxim, FHM, and Gear never had actual nudity. It reflects poorly on the magazine for featuring a 17yo, sure, but there was nothing illegal.
7
BustinMakesMeFeelMeh Mar 29, 2026 +3
Lots of productions have morality clauses. It’s not uncommon at all.
3
Sunnyfe Mar 30, 2026 +1
It’s because it wasn’t full on nudity - it’s not Playboy.
1
TheGreatKringa Mar 30, 2026 +1
She wasn't n***. She was topless, and didn't show her ripples. There was some side b***.
1
United_Gift3028 Mar 29, 2026 +40
I always wondered if SC wasn't the reason she wanted out.
40
zerotwoalpha Mar 29, 2026 +5
UnBielevable.
5
mackintosh2 Mar 29, 2026 +1787
She posed topless in a magazine when she was 17 and it made the producers/creators mad because it went against the safe image the show was promoting.
1787
dandyrandyjandy Mar 29, 2026 +2014
Meanwhile, Stephen Collins (the dad from 7th Heaven) was busy out there committing sex crimes against minors.
2014
ErnestPWashington Mar 29, 2026 +167
Yeah he really screwed everyone on the show out of residuals.
167
GOA_AMD65 Mar 29, 2026 +88
Don’t forget the always sunny episodes that now don’t get replayed.
88
Cripnite Mar 30, 2026 +36
Weird his episodes are all on Disney+.  But the ones with blackface? Yeah those aren’t on there. 
36
Capt_Billy Mar 30, 2026 +4
Yah performative outrage 101
4
ph33rlus Mar 29, 2026 +6
What? I haven’t heard anything about people in this show
6
GOA_AMD65 Mar 30, 2026 +54
The actor Steven Collins played the dad of both Dennis and Dee. They obviously don’t mention that anymore.
54
ImmortalMoron3 Mar 30, 2026 +30
I wish they had just left it as Frank was their dad. He's such a maniac that its funnier to me.
30
DjinnaG Mar 30, 2026 +2
I honestly had no idea that there was ever a dad character, figured that Frank was so perfect of a stepdad for them that another parent character would have been beyond superfluous
2
SmellsLikeLemons Mar 30, 2026 +1
Well he could be Charlie's real dad. His mum is a huge w**** and they like to live in squalor together. Time to DNA test the blood bucket.
1
th4bl4ckr4bbit Mar 30, 2026 +1
Taiwan Tammy and Martina Martinez get me every single time. 😂😂😂
1
Complete_Entry Mar 30, 2026 +17
Aside from Christian channels, was there a syndication demand for seventh heaven? I remember the show being oddly demented, someone was always scolding someone else, I always wondered who the show was for. Being in that fictional family would have sucked.
17
AnonymousFriend80 Mar 30, 2026 +29
The show was extremely popular, of times the most ratings on the network rivalling some of the shows on the other four network. It was a very entertaining show that reach teens as well as the older folks. And in today's market, older folks are the ones mostly watching syndication over the air.
29
Complete_Entry Mar 30, 2026 +23
I found it horrible and judgmental contemporarily. The entire family were assholes, especially little bowl cut son.
23
smacky623 Mar 30, 2026 +10
I read that as bowl c***
10
betterplanwithchan Mar 30, 2026 +9
It was shown a lot on ABC Family (now Freeform)
9
ErnestPWashington Mar 30, 2026 +9
Ion television would probably have that on repeat.
9
Silver-End9570 Mar 30, 2026 +1
You think they have time to run another show in between their endless reruns of Ghost Whisperer? /s
1
xXSpookyXx Mar 30, 2026 +1
I imagine the demand would be higher if one of the main actors wasn't a convicted child molester.
1
Desertbro Mar 30, 2026 +1
Preachy conservative USA ***"do what I say, not what I do"*** culture always fawns over any show that screams about families centered on old-school faith. See ***Touched by an Angel*** and others. Horror shows featuring misbehaving priests, not so much.
1
thesecretbarn Mar 30, 2026 +2
Yeah, that’s the problem lol
2
VikingRodeo9 Mar 29, 2026 +450
Ironic that he played a pastor…or fitting?
450
comomellamo Mar 29, 2026 +319
Ironic or unexpectedly accurate?
319
Twitter_Gate Mar 29, 2026 +81
Life ahh...imitates art
81
Bears_Beets_ Mar 29, 2026 +20
Dr. Malcolm?
20
jjflash78 Mar 29, 2026 +40
Not irony.  More like 'appropriate'
40
UnTides Mar 29, 2026 +4
There's a moral lesson in everything!
4
zero573 Mar 29, 2026 +15
Method acting at its worst.
15
Ok-Stress-3570 Mar 29, 2026 +4
Didn’t know 7th Heaven was a reality show 🤷🏼‍♂️
4
GrizzlyP33 Mar 29, 2026 +4
It’s called method acting.
4
Cutsdeep- Mar 29, 2026 -6
Method acting
-6
rhombus_time_is_over Mar 29, 2026 -4
Method acting.
-4
unholyswordsman Mar 29, 2026 +22
It makes his role on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia much more ironically dark.
22
PanGalacticGargBlast Mar 29, 2026 +5
Think they knew he was banging baby dudes? That joke was after he was on.
5
jthm82 Mar 29, 2026 +22
It’s called method acting.
22
boringcranberry Mar 29, 2026 +19
That would be an interesting defense had he been arrested. But, because of the statute of limitations, he was never convicted of crimes against children even tho you can prob youtube his admission. Why in gods name is there a statute of limitations on serving justice to people who molest children?
19
DjinnaG Mar 30, 2026 +2
I get basically reserving the lack thereof only for murder, but for this it should be really, really long, and not start ticking until the victim is at least 21
2
BowwwwBallll Mar 29, 2026 +1
Yeah, but quietly.
1
NeuroTrophicShock Mar 30, 2026 +1
Yeah but being a pedo goes with the image of the Catholic Church...
1
zowietremendously Mar 30, 2026 +1
Like when Bill Cosby kicked Lisa Bonet off The Cosby Show because she was n**** in a movie or something.
1
PM_ME_THEM_UPTOPS Mar 29, 2026 +202
And she did it because she wanted out and knew that would probably be the fallout.
202
Cautious_Internet243 Mar 29, 2026 -52
Why not just ask to be let oit of her contract?
-52
neonTULIPS Mar 29, 2026 +121
She did discuss it. They weren’t just letting people out of contracts back then. That was not a normal thing at all. She figured out another way when they said no.
121
versusgorilla Mar 29, 2026 +63
Most likely, she did. She was blowing up beyond the scope of the show and wanted out and was likely told no, because a show benefits from an actor blowing up while they're on a smaller contract. She most likely took a huge payday for the shoot, and was able to escape the contract.
63
-FeistyRabbitSauce- Mar 30, 2026 +4
Yeah, if anyone needs another example just look to Pierce Brosnan. Is show Remington Steele had been cancelled. He was then set to become Bond years before Goldeneye. The network learned of this and quickly turned around renewed Remington Steele, locking him in his contract. Thus, Dalton starred in Live and Let Die instead.
4
Lethave Mar 29, 2026 +23
The show was at its height and she was a core cast member. Always got the idea she wanted to be on at the very least a teen soap like Dawson’s and not the networks anchor wholesome family show
23
Divine_fashionva Mar 29, 2026 +22
At least with a show like Dawson’s Creek, they had more mature storylines for the teen characters Her character on 7th Heaven got exiled for drinking beer lol. I can only imagine how hard it would be to act on a show like that as a teen who’s approaching adulthood. It’s also harder to transition into more adult roles when you’re tied to such a wholesome image. Not surprised she wanted out and I’m pretty sure she recently called most of the storylines nonsensical
22
quesoandcats Mar 29, 2026 +12
7th Heaven is such a weird cultural artifact in retrospect. My family used to watch it every week
12
mah131 Mar 29, 2026 +2
The first summer that I was allowed to stay home alone all day, the first two seasons of this played all day on ABC family and I was hooked. Didn’t watch it much past that.
2
Princessformidable Mar 29, 2026 +2
I think she said in the article she wanted to kick her characters ass.
2
ShyguyFlyguy Mar 29, 2026 +5
Lol why are people downvoting a genuine question that's likely from someone probably pretty young?
5
ralten Mar 29, 2026 +8
The contract holder can be like “lol, now. Keep making us money.”
8
Binky390 Mar 29, 2026 +6
They’re not going to listen when a 17 year old asks to be freed from a contract.
6
natguy2016 Mar 29, 2026 +318
IIRC, Biel wanted a "mature" image. "Gear" was one of many "Maxim" clones about 25-30 years ago. "Maxim" always had swimsuit and lingerie photos of 18-23 year old gorgeous womenl with enough words to make an article as an excuse. Biel did the photo shoot when she was 17 but the issue was release around her 18th birth date. Total loophole. That pictorial caused a scandal and backfired. Ironically, The "Gear" issue featuring Biel is now a collector's item.
318
hnglmkrnglbrry Mar 29, 2026 +365
That doesn't feel like an actual loophole. If you have sexually explicit content of a minor but release it like 20 years later then you're going to prison. It's more like society was totally fucked up and just turned a blind eye because guys like Weinstein and Cosby were still accepted by showbusiness.
365
GrizzlyP33 Mar 29, 2026 +100
**the film Pretty Baby has entered the chat…and then been removed before everyone goes to prison.**
100
SchroedingersSphere Mar 29, 2026 +11
I'm not even gonna Google that one
11
USMCLee Mar 29, 2026 +10
It's on IMDB as a legit movie. Read the summary and then you can figure out how problematic it is.
10
Deathdy Mar 30, 2026 +3
Don't even want to do that. I'm good.
3
concord72 Mar 29, 2026 +13
IIRC, it's allowed if you are under 18 as long as its for artistic purposes or something alone those lines. Same thing applied for Brooke Shields who posed n*** at a much younger age.
13
Wazzoo1 Mar 29, 2026 +9
Thora Birch in American Beauty (she was 16 when she filmed her topless scene). Her parents were p*** actors, so that tracks.
9
AngusLynch09 Mar 30, 2026 +3
Lucky for them the photos weren't sexually explicit. 
3
natguy2016 Mar 29, 2026 -8
I was freaked out, but I figured that is what creeps would use as a defense
-8
Zanydrop Mar 29, 2026 +11
When they say topless, do they mean like pics from behind or she covers her boobies with her hands or something? Maxim never showed nudity either.
11
weplaythegames Mar 29, 2026 +18
From behind and hands covering, although there was one infamous one of her sitting crossed-legged in an old style bathroom sink, taken from behind and the side, showing a lot from the side. Some people I know swore they could see nipple, but I don’t know if it’s true.
18
Godkill2 Mar 30, 2026 +1
There one where she’s putting on lipstick. There’s definitely full nipple.
1
MetaPhalanges Mar 30, 2026 +1
They swore they could see it because it was 100% there. It wasn't in question to anyone with eyes. Lots of young guys were so happy.
1
joern16 Mar 29, 2026 +7
No way. I saw those mags everywhere 😂
7
natguy2016 Mar 29, 2026 +25
That is 25 years ago. "Gear" died in 2003. Limited supply and many degrade or get thrown away. The wierdest thing is that I remember that issue for more than Biel. There was an article about a Serbian soldier named Arkan. Thug and paramilitary leader who was assassinated in public in early 2000. It's crazy what I remember when prompted
25
BadMeetsEvil24 Mar 29, 2026 +6
First memory when I mention summer 2005. GO!
6
natguy2016 Mar 29, 2026 +11
I was working at Tower Records. Best job ever
11
[deleted] Mar 29, 2026 +25
[removed]
25
AFineDayForScience Mar 29, 2026 +10
I'm so curious right now you guys
10
slick_p Mar 29, 2026 -7
I’ve been curiously furiously for the last hour!!!
-7
Nadramia Mar 29, 2026 +12
That's a damn kid...
12
Divine_fashionva Mar 29, 2026 +6
Yeah lol what… the comment above literally states she was underaged too
6
DaveVsShark Mar 29, 2026 +16
And then Stephen Collins turned out to be a pedo. 🤷‍♂️
16
johnnyhouston87 Mar 29, 2026 +26
You'd think they be cooler than that. After all, the mom did smoke pot
26
zombiesatmidnight Mar 30, 2026 +2
I was traumatized by that episode
2
Cautious_Internet243 Mar 29, 2026 +41
But she kept coming back as a guest star. That's a little confusing.
41
Thick-Definition7416 Mar 29, 2026 +113
Bc she was the biggest draw
113
versusgorilla Mar 29, 2026 +70
And likely they paid through the nose to get her to come back, as opposed to what her original pre-fame contract paid her.
70
Thick-Definition7416 Mar 29, 2026 +14
I’m sure bc at that point she was co-starring in films
14
Vangaelis Mar 29, 2026 +12
Not really, a lot less commitment to do guest star spots than a whole damn season
12
Grinderiny Mar 30, 2026 +4
Are these those photos that get posted of her online where shes doing a lot of crouching, or sitting in a sink etc? I hope not. Otherwise Im gonna feel gross.
4
roustie Mar 30, 2026 +2
you already know
2
Grinderiny Mar 30, 2026 +1
God dammit.
1
Manic-StreetCreature Mar 30, 2026 +4
Them being mad at her and not the multiple adults who thought it was okay to take, edit, and publish n**** of a 17 year old girl is wild
4
altiuscitiusfortius Mar 29, 2026 +3
Gear magazine. 17 year old me loved that issue
3
ElliotGValad Mar 29, 2026 +2
Also, she did this in order to instigate getting out of the show.
2
WhatWouldKikiDo Mar 29, 2026 +5
I think she had her back to the camera? She showed her n*** back; wouldn’t even cause a ripple today, unless the show was on a religious channel.
5
onedef1 Mar 29, 2026 +4
The photo is posted above you. Not her back.
4
mackintosh2 Mar 29, 2026 +8
wasn't her back, for sure
8
nimatanis Mar 29, 2026 +1
you might be thinking about Miley Cyrus here
1
WhatWouldKikiDo Mar 29, 2026 +1
Could be, but I also remember the Jessica Biel “scandal.”
1
RoseCutGarnets Mar 29, 2026 +3
Such hypocrisy!
3
renegaderelish Mar 29, 2026 +7
The worst part
7
RoseCutGarnets Mar 29, 2026 +4
So much of where we are today can be traced to this sort of insipid evangelicalism.
4
mtstoner Mar 29, 2026 +3
Which is ironic because the priest dad was literally raping minors since the 70s.
3
VacaDLuffy Mar 29, 2026 +1
"Posed top less, oh thats not so bad. Her body her choice-reads she was 17- Oh. Oh. Oh noooooooo"
1
meatball77 Mar 29, 2026 +1
She reportedly did it because she wanted to get fired. It was a good career move.
1
Excellent_Hold2794 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Well it wasn’t as if she was dressing in the show a a normal Christian girl would wear in real life.
1
catsandnaps1028 Mar 30, 2026 +1
She should've never been unfairly fired but 17 is so young to be explored like that. Poor jessica
1
Virtual-Nose7777 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Safe image? You mean Christian image.
1
compleximago Mar 30, 2026 +1
This was an intentional move on her behalf, she wanted to be released from her contract
1
shewy92 Mar 29, 2026 +1
I mean, I think a lot of productions would want to steer clear of a minor posing top less for a magazine.
1
mackintosh2 Mar 29, 2026 +1
you'd think
1
AliMcGraw Mar 30, 2026 +32
Random fact, my mom has specific beef with Catherine Hicks, who played the mom. They went to college together and Hicks hit on my dad. My mom flatly refuses to watch anything she's in. My parents celebrated 50 years together last year and my mom is STILL mad about it.
32
oldspice75 Mar 30, 2026 +8
Not necessarily a reflection on the actor but I always hated the mom character on Seventh Heaven. What a b****
8
AliMcGraw Mar 30, 2026 +6
My mom believes she was TOTALLY a b****, trying to steal engaged dudes from their fiancees!
6
Kalse1229 Mar 30, 2026 +3
The show was well before my time, but the bits I have seen (mostly on "A Very Special Episode"), the parents' self-righteousness is really grating.
3
Silver-End9570 Mar 30, 2026 +1
But...she smoked pot once too! xD
1
BeneathAnOrangeSky Mar 29, 2026 +195
Her character drank half a beer and everyone so was horrified she had to leave the city
195
Divine_fashionva Mar 29, 2026 +129
You joke but wasn’t that the actual storyline/reason in the show imao Also that weird one where she stole a glass from a bar and the brother took the blame and went on trial. The entire show was ridiculous
129
BeneathAnOrangeSky Mar 29, 2026 +79
Yes, it was, I was making a joke haha. She got stopped by the cops after that half beer! Her parents basically were like "You're so out of control you have to go live with your grandparents."
79
queerhistorynerd Mar 29, 2026 +26
that might be the most authentic reaction on the show thinking back on how batshit over controlling some Christian parents could be.
26
BeneathAnOrangeSky Mar 29, 2026 +10
I actually loved the show back in the day and Mary was one of my favorite characters. Then I discovered television without pity and little by little realized how insane the show was.
10
Illustrious_Ship5857 Mar 30, 2026 +5
Television without pity was remarkable. Miss it every day.
5
hal2184 Mar 29, 2026 +16
Always found it hilarious the punishment was “you’re being sent to Buffalo, NY to live with relatives” And here I am, growing up in Buffalo as I watch it unfold and just being like Hey. Wait. Buffalo is punishment!? Wait. Oh, yeah. Buffalo is punishment.
16
BeneathAnOrangeSky Mar 29, 2026 +6
And then they invited the ex who cheated on her to live in their house and date her sister
6
Maleficent-Candy7102 Mar 30, 2026 +10
And it was a light beer, too. Meanwhile, the son Simon *actually hit someone with his car and effing killed them*, but it was all fine because said person was known to “smoke pot” sometimes. (I’m not joking).
10
Kalse1229 Mar 30, 2026 +1
I can't think of any crueler punishment than to send her to Buffalo.
1
mbc106 Mar 30, 2026 +1
The family had an intervention for her!! Even as a *very* sheltered, prudish kid from a very religious family, I remember thinking “geez this is quite the overreaction.”
1
KB_Sez Mar 29, 2026 +28
As I recall it -- she and someone in her representation decided she needed a more adult image and more opportunities. She did the photo shoot others here have mentioned and later she said it was a mistake, it was a combination of bad advice and adolescent rebellion Here's a quote from here about it (bypass paywall link) [https://archive.ph/8Fqly](https://archive.ph/8Fqly)
28
jordan1978 Mar 29, 2026 +60
They ruined the world tour.
60
mcquackers Mar 30, 2026 +7
"What tour?"
7
indil47 Mar 30, 2026 +2
The *world tour*!
2
jordan1978 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Nice!
1
sodaonmyheater Mar 29, 2026 +20
Matt smokes weed: awee it’s okay; we love and forgive you. Mary smokes weed: DIE TRAMP, We’re kicking you out and moving you across the country.
20
VampireHunterAlex Mar 29, 2026 +67
She did a n*** spread at age 17 for Gear Magazine: Allegedly she lost a role (idk if it was the daughter or her friend) in ‘American Beauty’ (1999) because her image was seen as too wholesome being on 7th Heaven. I recall she came back for a storyline before leaving entirely, but then she made an appearance on the penultimate season finale on the final year of The WB before it became The CW.
67
GrizzlyP33 Mar 29, 2026 +89
I don’t know how you can call it a “n*** spread” when it has no nudity in it. She’s just topless in a picture with her arm covering her breasts when she was a couple months from being 18. Not endorsing the content by any means as it seems pretty shallow to begin with, but people reacting like this is pedophilia or something is so weird and just takes attention off actual predators and wrongdoings.
89
BIZLfoRIZL Mar 29, 2026 +10
I mean, she is n***, you just can’t see anything. It’s pretty messed up by today’s standards, but back then, everyone was counting the days until child actors were “legal” 🤮
10
BadCaseOfClams Mar 29, 2026 +8
They still are
8
TheGreatKringa Mar 30, 2026 +2
She was wearing underwear,
2
RedWarsaw Mar 29, 2026 +25
Stephen Collins was much worse, should have got torpedoed off the planet. The f****** scum bag
25
TheKawValleyKid Mar 30, 2026 +3
There's still time.
3
sozar Mar 29, 2026 +7
“Mary, we are going to have to send you to…. Buffalo!” *dramatic music*
7
Kalse1229 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Anything but that!
1
Imtheprofessordammit Mar 30, 2026 +4
She became the leader of the underground and set Zach Braff on fire.
4
OneTrueDweet Mar 30, 2026 +2
That’s un-Biel-ievable!
2
Kalse1229 Mar 30, 2026 +1
That body-double they got in the new Scrubs is pretty convincing, though.
1
JonesyOnReddit Mar 29, 2026 +3
They both went to my high school and I always thought it was funny that she played the oldest sister when she's actually younger than Beverly Mitchell.
3
Lightecojak Mar 30, 2026 +2
The hilarious part of her getting written off is that they had Mary having a baby without Mary actually appearing in the episode!
2
justjoshingu Mar 30, 2026 +2
If i remember right. She wanted to do more roles and the 7th heaven studio made her turn down several roles that were more mature acting roles (but nothing even really that crazy) and she felt her 7th heaven wasnt doing any serious growth. I think she also missed a few episodes due to some disputes. Then she did the gear episodes to kinda force their hand and it did. 
2
HeyThereCorgiGrl7 Mar 29, 2026 +3
I think she posed in FHM or Maxim. lol Edit: it was for some magazine named Gear as per google
3
e_x_i_t Mar 29, 2026 +2
She made some comments about hating Avocado and it was all downhill for her career from there.
2
bomilk19 Mar 29, 2026 +3
She took naughty pics
3
jekyllcorvus Mar 30, 2026 +1
Because some freak pedo got obsessed with her and got her written off.
1
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