Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron is not stopping his Christmas plans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, he’s organizing mass gatherings in spite of it. Now, he is defending his actions.
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In case you missed it, *Growing Pains* star Kirk Cameron has been coming under fire recently for hosting massive caroling events in “protest” to California’s stay-at-home orders.
Yes, you absolutely did read that right!
This past Sunday, the 50-year-old gathered nearly 500 fans together in Thousand Oaks, California.
Of course, no one was social distancing, and no one was wearing masks as the crowd belted out classic Christmas carols.
Unsurprisingly, the controversial behavior caused backlash on social media, with many fans calling the 50-year-old irresponsible.
Now, the actor is defending his actions in a new interview with Fox news, according to Yahoo .
When Kirk was asked about Thousand Oaks Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña calling the gatherings “unchristian” for “ignoring all guidelines,” the actor replied, “Well, he’s no one to judge someone else’s faith.”
This response indicates Kirk is seemingly unaware the Thousand Oaks mayor is a woman.
He continued, “I’m looking around in my community and I’m seeing the devastation and suffering of people whose businesses have been bankrupted, people dealing with anxiety, depression, suicide is spiking, the abused being quarantined with their abusers and I can’t just ignore that.”
“I love my neighbors and so I want to give them hope.”
“We’re offering a chance for people to come sing songs of hope — and that’s exactly what people want to be doing at Christmas time.”
When asked if he plans on continuing the protests, he confirmed he absolutely is.
“Absolutely! People are just clamoring to come and be a part of them,” he claimed.
“This is the land of the free and home of the brave and there are thousands and thousands of people in our community who would rather not suffer in isolation and come out to sing and express their gratitude.”
“Because we believe there is immunity in community but there is desolation in isolation and I want to give people hope.”
Posting the Fox clip on his Instagram account, Kirk wrote, “Have you ever watched the eye-opening, heart bursting movie, The Giver with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep?”
“Today’s government leaders’ ‘safety rules’ of ‘no singing,’ ‘wear your mask at all times’ and ‘socially distance’ seem like they’re straight out of a scene from this scary movie about redefining life and reality for the ‘safety of the community’.”
“Watch as Pastor Rob McCoy and I talk about the human need for hope and empathy,” he concluded .
Despite the immense backlash, it seems Kirk is determined to continue the mass gatherings.
There is no word on when the next “Sing it Louder” protest will be.
h/t: Yahoo
