The cast of Growing Pains really was like family as Jeremy Miller, who played Ben Seaver in the hit ‘80s TV series, revealed that he was close to hitting rock bottom before his costars Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron stepped in to help.
“After 2008, when the big economic crash happened, my catering company went under,” Miller, 48, explained during an August 21 appearance on the “Youngstown Studio” podcast. “Things got really bad, and Alan and Kirk were the only two who stepped up to help me.”
Miller, who was a fan favorite and teen heartthrob of the ‘80s, added that Thicke set up interviews for him “with his restaurant tour friends in Santa Barbra.”
He continued, “He got me connected to different places where I could utilize my chef skills and earn some money to help take care of my family.”
Miller said that all it took was “one phone call” to the iconic TV dad before he was “doing everything he could” to give him a boost to get back on his feet. After Growing Pains ended in 1992, Miller took on some roles as a voice actor, including voicing Linus in the 1986 Peanuts special Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!, before pivoting to the food industry and becoming a private chef.
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The Celebrity Fit Club alum fondly remembered his close relationship with Thicke and described him as a father figure.
“He really did fill that father role,” Miller said. “As close as I am to my real father, I was almost as close to Alan.”
Thicke died in 2016 at the age of 69 after an aorta ruptured around three hours after he complained of chest pains while playing hockey. Miller, along with the rest of the world, was shocked to learn about his death, and it’s something he still has a hard time accepting.
“He was always so full of life,” Miller explained. “That’s why losing him was such a shock. All of us thought he was going to be the next Dick Clark, you know? One hundred and two and still going.”