Growing Pains Star Joanna Kerns Is Still Stunning: What She Looks Like Now
Joanna Kerns was everyone's favorite mom back in the '80s, when she played Maggie Seaver on the hit show "Growing Pains." The beautiful Maggie was a loving wife to husband Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke), a dedicated mother to kids Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold), and Ben (Jeremy Miller), and a hard-working journalist. If you've ever wondered what happened to the cast of "Growing Pains" — especially their wonderful family matriarch — you'll be happy to know that Kerns is just as gorgeous as she was on the beloved sitcom, even all these years later.
In a photo uploaded to Instagram in November 2024, Kerns posed on the set of "Happy's Place," while shooting an episode where she worked as the director. Instantly recognizable, the former actor smiled with the same gorgeous eyes and bright expression she was known for on "Growing Pains." Even her hair is a similar style, still blond and cut into a lob that hits right at her shoulders, with cute, short bangs (she looks so good — this is just another example of why retro hairstyles are taking over TikTok). In the more than 30 years since her most famous role, Kerns hasn't aged a day!
Joanna Kerns has gone through a lot since her time on Growing Pains
She may look almost exactly the same, but Joanna Kerns has gone through an awful lot since "Growing Pains" ended in 1992. After making a few appearances onscreen in the '90s and early 2000s, including in "Girl, Interrupted," "Knocked Up," and of course, "The Growing Pains Movie," the former sitcom mom turned her attention to directing. At the time of writing, Kerns has helmed episodes of "Ally McBeal," "Dawson's Creek," "One Tree Hill," "Scrubs," "ER," "Grey's Anatomy," "Nashville," "Pretty Little Liars," "Jane the Virgin," "Fuller House," "This Is Us," "The Good Doctor," "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," and "Chicago Med," among many more.
And yet, as Kerns admitted to Variety in a June 2015 interview, about switching gears to become a director, "It's been tough as a woman getting the momentum. It's been a hard climb." The '80s star added, "But one day it won't be that you're hiring a woman director; it'll be that you have the best directors for your show." Kerns was also diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ breast cancer in November 2016. She is one of many celebrities who've been bravely honest about their breast cancer journeys. In September 2017, the actor turned director confirmed to People that she had undergone a double mastectomy and was "given an all clear — the best of the results I could have had." She's healthy, working hard, and looking more gorgeous than ever.