The entertainment world was shocked Tuesday by allegations actor Stephen Collins is being investigated for child molestation.
WCBS: "The 67-year-old actor accused of sexually molesting a young girl. The NYPD confirms its Special Victims Unit is investigating the allegations."
The story broke early Tuesday when gossip site TMZ posted what it claims is a confession from Collins, given back in 2012 during a session with a therapist and his ex-wife Faye Grant as they were going through a messy divorce.
"There was one moment of touching where her hand... I put her hand on my penis."
The man TMZ claims is Collins goes on to detail other instances of exposing himself to children back in the 1970s. The outlet claims the man didn't know he was being recorded at the time.
That story seems to be backed up by Grant. She told E! News she gave the tape to police shortly after it was recorded as part of a criminal investigation, but she denied having anything to do with it showing up on TMZ.
Collins is best known for playing Reverend Eric Camden on the long-running TV series "7th Heaven." He spent more than a decade playing one of the most wholesome TV dads ever.
Which is why the allegations are hitting pretty hard. To say that fans of the show feel betrayed is probably an understatement.
So it's probably no surprise that hours after the recording came to light, everyone seems to be distancing themselves from Collins.
He was supposed to have a roll in Seth MacFarlane's "Ted 2" but was cut from the cast Tuesday. Collins also resigned from the national board of the Screen Actors Guild and at least one cable network has already pulled reruns of the show.
Police say they're aware of the tape but haven't confirmed its authenticity. There's been no response from Collins's camp on the allegations.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.
