'Growing Pains' Star Ashley Johnson Nearly Kidnapped on Set
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- Ashley Johnson revealed on her "Weird Kids" podcast that a man jumped out of the studio audience line, grabbed her, and began running while she was walking with her mom toward the "Growing Pains" set during her first year on the show (1990-1992).
- The would-be kidnapper was carrying a gun and was high on drugs, Johnson said; security eventually tackled the man as he fled with her, during which she recalled "flying around in the air."
- Johnson said she was "clueless" and "very upset" at the time but initially worried she was "gonna be in trouble" because she was "such a polite kid," even asking the fleeing man his name.
- The "Growing Pains" set had no metal detectors, and actors exited old camper-style trailers and walked within five feet of audience members before entering the studio — a security gap Johnson described as no longer common practice in Hollywood.
- The studio had also previously received a written threat from someone vowing to "come to set" with a gun to "murder some of the cast," Johnson disclosed.
- Johnson played Chrissy Seaver on the final two seasons of ABC's "Growing Pains" and later became the voice of Ellie in the "The Last of Us" franchise, winning two BAFTA Games Awards.
Why it matters: Johnson's account highlights how child actors on early-1990s sitcom sets worked without basic security like metal detectors, with audience members passing within five feet of cast members. The fact that a written murder threat had already been received before the abduction attempt adds to a wider reckoning around protecting young performers in Hollywood.
