{"id":337858,"date":"2026-05-29T17:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/337858\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:58:09","slug":"growing-pains-star-says-californias-politics-are-terrible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/337858\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Growing Pains\u2019 star says California\u2019s politics are \u2018terrible\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kirk Cameron<\/a>, best known for Growing Pains, criticized California\u2019s politics as \u201cterrible\u201d during a recent appearance on \u201cThe Adam Carolla Show,\u201d saying liberal policies and the high cost of living pushed him to relocate to Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Carolla, Cameron said California can seem appealing to children because they are shielded from the state\u2019s economic realities. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a kid in California it\u2019s great because your parents are paying for everything,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cSo, you go to the beach, you\u2019re hanging out, you\u2019re going snow skiing, you get to eat an In-N-Out burger, you get to get some, you know, hot dogs downtown in Hollywood. It\u2019s great. You\u2019re having a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he argued that perspective changes in adulthood. \u201cThey realize how terrible the politics are and all of the other things that make it difficult to raise a family there,\u201d Cameron told Carolla. \u201cAnd so all of a sudden it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh my gosh, we gotta move. We gotta go someplace where we can actually thrive and maybe even just survive.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Why he left<\/p>\n

Cameron said his decision to leave California developed over time. He explained that COVID-19 restrictions accelerated the move and that political and cultural division in the state ultimately solidified it.<\/p>\n

\"Cameron<\/p>\n

Cameron admitted missing California\u2019s weather, calling the state rich in lifestyle opportunities. By: The Kirk Cameron Show \/ YouTube<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty clear that California has been moving in a particular direction for a long time,\u201d he told<\/a> the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n

Cameron also cited what he described as the state\u2019s \u201cincreasing hostility to people of the Christian faith.\u201d Speaking to Fox & Friends, he said concerns about politics, crime and the economy all factored into his decision.<\/p>\n

He added that he had long considered moving to a state with what he called a \u201chealthy freedom mindset,\u201d arguing California was creating \u201cso much division.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s shocking how many Californians are here. And when I see them in the grocery store, I tell them, \u2018Don\u2019t California our Tennessee,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cameron, a father of six, noted that three of his adult children already lived in Tennessee, making the relocation a natural family move as well.<\/p>\n

Why did Cameron choose Nashville?<\/p>\n

Despite criticizing California politics, Cameron said he still misses aspects of the state, especially the weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause pound-for-pound, I think California has just so much to offer. Although Tennessee is getting better,\u201d he said, adding that he hopes to return someday.<\/p>\n

His praise for Tennessee, however, was enthusiastic. He told Carolla that people are \u201ccoming from New York and California like crazy to Tennessee, especially this middle Tennessee Nashville area. It\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many creatives here that have good values. They love their family,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cThey\u2019re proud of their country \u2014 and the whiskey is great. So, if you like whiskey and hot chicken, Nashville is the place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cameron also pointed to growth in Tennessee\u2019s entertainment industry. He told Fox News the state had seen an 82 percent increase in motion picture and television production jobs, calling it \u201cthe Hollywood of the South.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a flood of talent and creatives who have left California. They\u2019re frustrated that their values are not being represented in the projects that they\u2019re working on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cameron\u2019s latest project<\/p>\n

Since moving to Tennessee, Cameron has focused on projects reflecting his conservative Christian values. He stars in Iggy and Mr. Kirk, a live-action children\u2019s series that debuted on Brave+ on March 27, 2025.<\/p>\n

Cameron plays Mr. Kirk, a retired pilot and explorer who teams up with Iggy, a curious iguana puppet. Together, they guide children through adventures centered on themes, including identity, forgiveness and courage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kirk Cameron, best known for Growing Pains, criticized California\u2019s politics as \u201cterrible\u201d during a recent appearance on \u201cThe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[133747,7,9,8,139137,572],"class_list":["post-337858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-adam-carolla","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-kirk-cameron","tag-tennessee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}