Fans of the beloved sitcom Growing Pains may remember actress Ashley Johnson. The actress joined the show at age 7 as Chrissy Seaver.
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While the show was mostly an amazing experience for Johnson, the now-42-year-old actress shared a harrowing incident that occurred on the set in the early 1990s. One day, a man attempted to kidnap her.
Security Wasn't Tight On the "Growing Pains" Set
Johnson shared her memories of the incident on a recent episode of the podcast Weird Kids.
At the time, sitcoms were filmed in front of a studio audience, and there was little security on the set. That meant not much separation between the audience and the show's cast. There were also no metal detectors to keep weapons off the set.
"It was just a free-for-all, and we were just walking very close," said Johnson. "You know, you're within five feet of the audience when you're walking in, waving, saying, 'Hello. Thank you for coming. We're excited for you guys to watch the show.'"
Then one day, while Johnson was walking with her mother, a man attempted to forcefully remove her from the set.
"And then I just remember some guy hops out of the line," Johnson said, "and he grabs me up and starts booking it."
Ashley Johnson Said the Man Had a Gun
Security eventually rescued Johnson from the would-be kidnapper. She didn't even realize what was happening.
"I just remember flying around in the air," she said. "I was clueless as to what was happening, but I was very upset, and they were talking to me about it after."
She added, "They were like, Are you okay? Are you okay? And I just said, 'I just think I'm gonna be in trouble.' And they were like, 'Well, what are you gonna get in trouble for?' And I was like, 'He took one of my shoes.'"
The shoe was from the show's wardrobe department. Johnson then shared that the man was carrying a weapon.
She revealed, "Somebody had written in and said that, 'I am coming to set and I am going to bring a gun and I am going to murder some of the cast.'"
You can watch Johnson's complete interview below.
