Beloved actor Jim Parsons’s latest revelation may leave queer fans feeling some growing pains.
On last night’s episode of Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen engaged in his usual silly banter and prodded Parsons with a barrage of questions on random topics during a playful round of “Outside the Actor’s Studio,” a parody of the questions the late James Lipton asked thespians on the long-running series Inside the Actor’s Studio.
While Cohen began the Spoiler Alert actor’s inquisition with an innocuous question regarding the last text he sent, the next one dove into Parsons’ sexual awakening as a gay man.
“Who was the celebrity that gave you your first boner as a kid?” Cohen asked in a serious voice.
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Parsons chuckled and stumbled a bit before disclosing his controversial answer.
“Look, the best guess I could probably give you is that I did think Kirk Cameron was awfully cute when I watched Growing Pains,” the 49-year-old said. “So maybe things arose then.”
Watch.
No one could fault Parsons for his teen lust at the time. Cameron’s eventual transformation into a homophobic nutjob was probably not on anyone’s bingo card back in the late ’80s.
While Cameron rose to fame as teen heartthrob Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992, he later became an Evangelical Christian and now mostly appears in right-wing “faith-based” productions.
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In 2012, Cameron expressed his true colors during a CNN interview as he came out against marriage equality and called homosexuality “unnatural” and “detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.”
Cameron furthered highlighted his crusade against looking out for the most vulnerable in society by hosting maskless events during the height of the pandemic in 2020 to protest local and state stay-at-home mandates in California.
Related: Kirk Cameron is trending so you know something really stupid must have happened
It’s probably safe to say Parsons, who has been married to husband Todd Spiewak since 2017, has seen his attraction to Cameron wane in the decades that have followed since his teen crush.
Besides his past feelings on out and proud religious loons, The Big Bang Theory star continued answering Cohen’s probing questions by shedding light on his worst job (bank teller), first concert (Wham!), and the actor who most intimidated him (Kevin Costner).
Parsons can currently be seen in the gay rom-com/tearjerker Spoiler Alert. Check out our interview with him and co-star Ben Aldridge below.
Diplomat
Kirk was a total hottie. It’s too bad he went moldy smelly and started oozing puss and rot in his later years.
storm45701
Cameron’s descent into Christian madness is heartbreaking. He and his bigoted sister are the most holier-than-thou people I’ve ever witnessed on the small screen (TV preachers excepted).
Bengali
Saddest thing about cameron is he didn’t contract a severe case of covid due to his negligence and multiple 1000+ ppl gatherings preaching the idiocy of jesus.
Ken A.
It was over a girl that is his current wife. She appeared on the show a few times and he being atheist at the time was smitten as she preached to him and he converted. The beauty became the beast.
Rich85
I worked with Kirk Cameron on “Growing Pains” during his teen heart throb heyday. He was the furtherest thing from homophobic at that time. I was openly gay and we were very close, Kirk was also very close with our gay men’s costumer. Once he found Jesus during the last couple of seasons he cooled off and was not very friendly anymore with anyone on the show, spending most of his time in his trailer. Gone was the jokey, friendly Kirk we all loved. Since then he has completely lost his mind. His experience working with openly gay men on the show was extremely positive and were clearly among his favorite co-workers. I have no idea why he went full hateful homophobe in his adult life. He was a wonderful kid, and a shitty adult.
wikidBSTN
That is really sad. Whatever Kirk found, it certainly wasn’t Jesus.
gregg2010
Finding religion can do that to ya.
linedrive
Isn’t religion wonderful?!
bachy
Everybody’s looking for someone or something to “blame” for their unhappiness. That is, something or someone besides themselves.
IvanPH
Indoctrination can do that to the weak minded.
ptb2016
Was he ever gone after by some horrible older gay man? Maybe that’s why he turned nasty and ignored the fact that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality but that it was important to love one another, no matter what.
Capawok
Well now..
These comments are sure to make that poor thing nutz.
Too bad he and his sister became so crazy; a real shame.
Just live and don’t waste time judging others.
Jeff-in-NC
I can’t guarantee that any of this is true; however, this gay man that I knew through other friends said that he had been Kirk Cameron’s assistant, and he was the godfather to one of Kirk’s children.
So, this disgusting homophobe that he became is quite pathetic all around.
hoosier1969
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who fantasized about him back then. Damn, that smile!! Yeah….he certainly let high school me know I am gay.
But wow….today he is literally batshit crazy….
ahtorg
Andrew Koenig, who played Richard “Boner” Stabone was cute…and a human rights activist that died by apparent suicide…lost too soon…
Saskatchewan
Kirk was a great Kid. He is Gay. Hates himself. Kirk please please come home.
D P
Hahaha… Yep. It has been my experience that those who protest the loudest tend to have something to hide.
Theweatherman
Kirk is probably the most boring sex imaginable
IvanPH
I always thought that he was cute in Growing Pains but never got a boner for him. I did, however, got plenty boners from another 80s star, Scott Baio of Charles in Charge. Just like Kirk, he turned into a nutjob
D P
@IvanPH – Oh yeah, let’s open that can of worms… I had a thing for Scott Baio too, I’ll admit.
Salacious1
Religion will do that, but politics can too. I ran into two gorgeous Slovakian bodybuilder/models at Musclemania/Model Universe in Miami some years ago, best friends newly arrived in America. I ended up dating both and learning one was BI & the other gay but not out (he became a supermodel, with over 100 magazine covers & was a tv series regular. while the other owns his own gym in California). We kept in touch over the years and continued having great sex during visits. I was proud when each became an American citizen. But the last few years I was disheartened to see both had turned into die-hard MAGA zealots. Posting Uber toxic, ant-vaxx, anti-Liberal rants. When the supermodel visited here recently seeking a hook-up I actually had to make an excuse not to see him. Although neither is anti-LGBT I found out later the bisexual one had hooked up with a divorcee with a child to become a citizen and still poses as straight. It often happens new immigrants turn super conservative to present themselves as patriotic Americans. Both were born just as the Soviet system was ended in their country and were as pro-Democrasy & Freedom as you could want. Now they rant about Zelensky being a war criminal & Nazi.
Jimmynj
Kirk was cute back in the day. Now, he’s disgusting to me, along with his sister.
D P
LOL, worth repeating here:
“…a homophobic nutjob was probably not on anyone’s bingo card …”