Actress and voice icon Ashley Johnson recently shared a harrowing, long-hidden memory from her childhood, revealing she was nearly kidnapped by an armed man while filming the hit ’90s sitcom Growing Pains.
Speaking on the Weird Kids podcast, the 42-year-old actress detailed the alarming security breach that occurred when she was just six or seven years old.
A Premeditated Threat Realized on Set
According to Johnson, the security environment on television sets in the early 1990s was vastly different than it is today. On the Growing Pains lot, members of the live studio audience were permitted to stand “within five feet” of the actors as they walked between their trailers and the stage.
Prior to the incident, the production had received a highly specific and violent threat from a viewer.
“A fan had written to the show saying, ‘I am coming to set and I am going to bring a gun and I am going to murder some of the cast,'” Johnson recalled.
Despite the warning, production continued. While walking on the lot with her mother, the threat suddenly materialized.
The Ambush and Security Takedown
Johnson described the terrifying moment the assailant lunged from the crowd:
Timeline of the Set Ambush
├── 1. The Breach: A man leaps from the spectator line and grabs 6-year-old Johnson.
├── 2. The Flight: The assailant carries her and sprints away from her mother.
├── 3. The Takedown: Set security tackles the kidnapper, throwing Johnson into the air.
└── 4. The Arrest: Police arrest the suspect, who is found to be carrying a loaded firearm.
“I just remember some guy hops out of the line, and he grabs me… and starts booking it,” Johnson said. “Security came out, they wrestle him down, and I remember just flying around the air.”
As a young child, Johnson was largely clueless about the mortal danger she was in. Instead, she remembers feeling immense panic over a misplaced clothing item.
“I remember being upset because I thought I was going to be in trouble since the kidnapper took one of her shoes,” she shared. “He ended up clearly going to jail. He had a gun… and they got him, and they saved me.”
Johnson’s Hollywood Journey
Ashley Johnson joined the ABC family sitcom Growing Pains during its fourth season, portraying Chrissy Seaver, the youngest child of the Seaver family. She starred on the show from 1990 to 1992 alongside the late Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, and Jeremy Miller.
While her early career was defined by her role as a child star on prime-time television, Johnson has since built an incredibly successful career across television, voice acting, and gaming:
| Notable Roles | Project / Franchise | Format |
| Chrissy Seaver | Growing Pains | Television (Sitcom) |
| Gretchen Grundler | Recess | Animated Series |
| Gwen Tennyson | Ben 10 Universe | Animated Series |
| Patterson | Blindspot | NBC Drama Series |
| Ellie | The Last of Us | Video Game Franchise |
