Young Hollywood stars seem to have it all—fame, money, and admiration—so when one walks away, it’s always a surprise.
This was the case with Kirk Cameron. Beloved worldwide, he rose to fame as a child actor on Growing Pains and quickly became one of the biggest teen stars of the 1980s. Yet behind the glamour, he struggled with the pressures of Hollywood and felt it wasn’t the life he truly wanted.
Cameron originally dreamed of becoming a doctor. Acting only entered his life when his mother, encouraged by a friend—child star Adam Rich’s mother—took him to auditions. He soon landed commercials and eventually his breakout role as Mike Seaver, though he never loved acting.
At 16, Cameron considered himself an atheist. But after a girl he liked invited him to church, his perspective changed. His newfound faith began influencing his life and even his work on Growing Pains, causing concern among producers who worried his devotion would disrupt the show.
As Cameron grew more religious, his discomfort with Hollywood deepened. He felt the industry was driven by ego and darkness, a belief reinforced when those close to the show—including his dialogue coach—were later linked to abuse scandals. Convinced he needed a different life, he stepped away from Hollywood.
At 20, he married his Growing Pains co-star Chelsea Noble, and the couple went on to raise six children, four of them adopted—something deeply meaningful to them because Noble herself was adopted.
In 2021, Cameron announced he was leaving California for a state with what he called more “wholesome values.” He moved to Tennessee, where several of his children lived, appreciating its slower pace and strong Christian community. In 2024, he became a grandfather and celebrated the birth of his granddaughter, Maya Jeanne.
Though he left Hollywood behind, Cameron still creates faith-based projects. In 2022, he released Lifemark, a film celebrating the beauty of life and adoption—a cause close to his heart.