It's been nearly two decades since the WB (and then CW) family drama 7th Heaven stopped airing. The show aired for a total of 11 seasons from 1996 to 2007, with the final of those on the CW when WB was shut down and merged with UPN, and was a massive ratings success, and a pop culture phenomenon in the same vein as Dawson's Creek and Melrose Place. The life of the Camdens remains just as transfixing now as it was back then, and one of the stars took a trip down memory lane this past weekend – George Stults.
The actor, now 50, played Kevin Kinkirk on the show, first making recurring appearances in season six before being promoted to the main cast and remaining so until the show's conclusion. Kevin was the older brother of Ben Kinkirk, played by George's real-life younger brother Geoff Stults, who'd already been playing the recurring role on the show prior to his arrival.
George joined the podcast Catching Up With the Camdens, co-hosted by Mackenzie Rosman (Ruthie Camden), David Gallagher (Simon Camden), and Beverley Mitchell (Lucy Camden, later Lucy Camden-Kinkirk when she married Kevin). And the boy-next-door Kevin/George has certainly grown up!
© Getty ImagesThe actor, who eschews social media, appeared dressed in a black jacket, jeans and a baseball cap, sporting a handlebar mustache and gray stubble, but still sporting the same chiseled looks that made him a TV heartthrob. His more defined look certainly got his co-stars in a tizzy too, with the caption for the podcast's post sharing some BTS snaps reading: "We finally got George Stults…and Bev survived."
One fan commented: "George doesn't even look the same!" with another even noting: "So happy to see him! I miss his old IG account," (referring to his previously active page) and a third gushing: "Oooohhh handsome. Loved his character and the relationship with Lucy." Many others suggested they bring Geoff, now 47, back for an interview as well.
© InstagramGeorge continued working after 7th Heaven, most notably becoming a leading man for a string of holiday movies like the 2015 feature film I'm Not Ready for Christmas, and a string of TV movies between 2016 to 2021, including Christmas with the Andersons, A Kiss on Candy Cane Lane, Hope for the Holidays, and his most recent credit, A New Lease on Christmas.
© Getty ImagesWhile George has stayed out of the spotlight a bit in recent years, especially compared to his younger brother Geoff who has a public social media presence, he spoke with Backstage in 2020 about his experiences doing auditions and focusing a lot more on his appearance when he was younger, and why he'd advise his younger self to give all that up today.
© WireImage"I would say, 'Stop worrying about your hair. Stop worrying about the way you look.' All those things don't mean anything if you do the work, and I'm embarrassed that it took me years to figure it out," he said. "Because I had some success from just winging it. I learned on a set how to be an actor. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know what a mark was or what it meant to hit your mark, and that can only take you so far. I had a lot of valleys and plateaus in my career."
