Growing Pains star on shock moment crazed fan tried to kidnap her

Former child star Ashley Johnson has revealed a gun-wielding fan tried to abduct her from a live taping when she was just seven-years-old.

Johnson, 42, who is also known for roles in What Women Want and Ellie in The Last of Us game series, famously played the youngest child, Chrissy Seaver, on the sitcom, Growing Pains from 1990-1992.

The actress said she was at the start of her time on the show when the crazed fan wrote in threatening to ‘bring a gun’ and murder some cast members. At the time, security measures were lax, with audience members within ‘five feet’ of the actors.

She said, ‘It was in the first year I was on, and we had only done a couple of film nights.

‘So, I hadn’t done that many yet and at that time, all of the cast sort of had trailers and they were like old camper trailers. They’re not like the fancy trailers that they are now. 

‘They were great. We would exit our trailers before the shoot and the audience that would be walking in, you would walk by the audience before you would walk into the studio.

Former child star Ashley Johnson has revealed a gun-wielding fan tried to abduct her from a live taping when she was just seven-years-old – pictured 1991 on Growing Pains as Chrissy Seaver 

Johnson, 42, who is also known for roles in What Women Want and Ellie in The Last of Us game series, starred on the show from 1990-1992 – pictured 2022

Johnson said she was walking with her mother when ‘some guy hops out of the line and he grabs me and grabs me up and starts booking it.

 ‘And all I remember is like, there was security that somehow got on him after some time.’

She later learned the attempted kidnapper was armed with a gun. 

She said, ‘I was clueless as to what was happening, but I was very upset and they were talking to me about it after. 

‘And they were like, “Are you okay?” And I just said, “I just think I’m gonna be in trouble.” 

‘Because I think I was such a polite kid at the time. I think he was running with me and running away. 

‘I was like, “Who are you, sir? What is your name? I was very pleased to meet you.” 

‘But he was packing. They got him. This was the thing. He was high on something. It wasn’t meth, but it was something – like, he was so strong.’  

The actress said she was at the start of her time on the show when the crazed fan wrote in threatening to ‘bring a gun’ and murder some cast members. At the time, security measures were lax, with audience members within ‘five feet’ of the actors – pictued 1990

Johnson said she was walking with her mother when ‘some guy hops out of the line and he grabs me and grabs me up and starts booking it. ‘And all I remember is like, there was security that somehow got on him after some time’ – pictured 1990 with Alan Thicke

 Johnson had her first big role in the 1990 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, Lionheart.

Only six years old at the time, she started playing Kirk Cameron’s TV sister that same year and continued until 1992.