Ashley Johnson, who played Chrissy Seaver on Growing Pains, recently shared that she was nearly abducted during a live taping of the sitcom as a child, prompting a conversation among the Bobby Bones Show cast about child actor safety and whether they would want their own children to become famous.
Bobby Bones explained that Johnson was walking with her mother near the studio audience after a live taping when a man suddenly grabbed her and attempted to run away. Security intervened immediately, stopping the attacker, who was reportedly armed and had been sending threatening letters to the show. Bobby noted that Johnson was too young at the time to fully understand what had happened. Amy said stories involving child actors often remind her of documentaries about abuse in the entertainment industry, including one focused on former Nickelodeon stars. Amy said many parents believed they could trust the adults working with their children because they had built relationships with them, only to later discover their children were not actually safe.
Bobby asked whether anyone on the show would want their own child to become a child actor or famous. Amy immediately said no. She explained that if it ever happened, she would establish strict rules to make sure her child was never left alone, but added that the risks involved would make her uncomfortable. Bobby agreed and said he would not want his child to become famous either. Eddie compared traditional child stardom to today's version of going viral on social media and said he would not want that kind of attention for his child. Lunchbox initially said he would not want his children to become famous because he would not want them to become more famous than he is, joking that it would hurt his ego. Bobby said that there could be benefits, pointing to Billy Ray Cyrus gaining renewed attention during Miley Cyrus' rise to fame through Hannah Montana. After hearing that perspective, Lunchbox joked that he might need to reconsider and start taking his children to auditions. When asked whether any of his children had entertainment potential, Lunchbox said his middle child has a natural sense of humor and is a talented storyteller. He also said his youngest child, with his blue eyes and ability to pose for the camera, could model baby products. Amy joked that most parents think their own children could be models. Bobby disagreed, saying he does not believe compliments people give about his own baby because he assumes everyone says those things about all babies. Lunchbox insisted his youngest really could model, though Bobby remained unconvinced.