14 DAY TRIAL // Actor Stephen Collins, who famously appeared on ABC’s “7th Heaven” as the beloved father and reverend, is now being investigated for molesting at least 3 minor girls, after a tape with his confession emerged online a couple of days ago.
As more and more shocking details are revealed about his “predilection towards children,” as his estranged wife Faye Grant described it in a court filing as part of their divorce proceedings, the exact amount that he risks losing if prosecutors find enough evidence to charge him has been revealed.
Collins’ divorce from Grant is estimated at $14 million (€11 million), with Grant being entitled to half of that after 24 years of marriage. However, if he’s prosecuted on child molestation charges, she might walk away with way more than that.
Divorce has been dragging on for over 2 years
Grant filed for divorce from Collins in January 2012, as per her own admission, right after she found out that he was a closeted pedophile who refused to seek professional help, even when confronted about it directly.
Since then, the two have been duking it out in court, with THR noting that a possible explanation for the delay could be the impressive estate at stake. By law, if there is no prenuptial agreement to stipulate differently, Grant is entitled to half of the money.
However, Collins’ attorney is now trying to convince the judge and the public opinion that she’s been asking for more than 50 percent and that she even tried to use the tape that leaked as leverage in a blackmail scheme.
The attorney doesn’t shy away from saying that it was Grant who leaked the tape, thus forcing the police to reopen the investigation into the claims. The police have been in possession of the incriminating audio for 2 years but Collins was never charged because no victim would come forward.
With the tape now out, it is likely that Collins will end up in jail, and because of the severity of the charges brought against him, Grant will get a bigger chunk of their joint estate.
She is also an actress, but it is Collins who brought in the big money, court documents obtained by the same media outlet reveal. Throughout the years, he’s had parts in iconic shows, but also in the most recent hits like “Devious Maids,” “Scandal,” and “The Fosters.”
Allegations have already cost him lucrative job offers
That was all in the past. Since the tape popped up online, Collins has been losing one lucrative job offer after another, starting with his position on the SAG board. He’s also been fired from the upcoming Seth MacFarlane comedy “Ted 2” and he’s been dropped from “Scandal,” where he was supposed to reprise his role for a few-episode arc.
Moreover, all networks have pulled “7th Heaven” re-runs until the investigation concludes, which means that’s another revenue source that’s tapped.
Collins’ attorney is trying to divert media attention from the actual allegations to the way they were made public by throwing Grant under the bus and saying that she’s out to tarnish his reputation (and possibly land him in jail) just so she can get richer.
Even if that’s true, that doesn’t change the fact that Collins admitted that he was a child molester, as you can hear in the recording below. *Please note that discretion is recommended before listening to it, as its content is disturbing.
Neither does it change the fact that Collins’ career will probably never recover after this. These few jobs he lost are just the beginning.
