Tracey Gold Discusses How ‘Growing Pains’ Fat Jokes Contributed to Her Struggle with Anorexia
Tracey Gold. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Tracey Gold’s time on the set of Growing Pains wasn’t solely about enjoyment.
While portraying Carol Seaver on the acclaimed comedy series, Gold, 55, revealed that “fat jokes” directed at her character had a significant impact on her actual physical and mental well-being.
“Initially, the banter between Carol Seaver and Mike Seaver [played by Kirk Cameron] was playful, with us teasing each other. I called him dumb, he called me brainiac,” Gold discussed on the Sunday, January 26, broadcast of iHeartRadio’s “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty” podcast. “It was all in good fun and aligned with our characters. But then, there was a shift, and the writing became a bit more cutting.”
About three seasons into the series, Gold noted an increase in jokes at “my expense.”
“They started to have Mike Seaver make fat jokes about Carol Seaver,” she recounted. “I wasn’t overly sensitive about my weight, so I could dismiss it. However, after taking a summer break, I returned having gained the typical freshman 15, and the jokes intensified and became crueler.”
As a child actor, Gold felt the need to “stay quiet and do her job,” even when it felt harmful.
Gradually, she sought to assert herself and address the issue with those in charge about how the jokes were “affecting me and that I was sensitive to it.”
Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold and Jeremy Miller on ‘Growing Pains.’ ABC
“I realized I had gained some weight, something I had never dealt with before,” she explained on the podcast. “My prior anorexia was not about weight; it stemmed from a fear of growing up—fear of change and everything that goes with it, but not about my weight.”
The actress eventually consulted a doctor who placed her on a perilous 500-calories-a-day diet. While she saw rapid results, it took a toll on both her physical and mental health.
“Suddenly, everyone on set was approaching me saying, ‘Oh my God, you look so great. You look beautiful. You look amazing,’” Gold recalled. “I believe everyone meant well, but from my perspective, I thought, ‘Was I that unappealing before? Could I really go on national television as Carol Seaver and be the person they joked about?’”
To this day, Gold does not hold the writers accountable for her struggles with an eating disorder.
“I was particularly vulnerable to it,” she stated. “If I had been a cheerleader and a coach had said something similar, I believe I would have taken that path of restriction. Was it exacerbated by my time on TV? Perhaps. It’s something I will never fully understand.”
When Growing Pains concluded in 1992, Gold recounted being “deep in her anorexia.” She subsequently entered inpatient treatment and later appeared on two covers of People magazine to share her story.
“I was advised to remain silent and be a good girl on set,” she recalled. “However, discovering my voice through my struggle with anorexia was monumental.”
If you or someone you know is grappling with an eating disorder, please visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, round-the-clock support.