‘Growing Pains’ Joanna Kerns Is Awesome at 70: She Raised Lookalike Kid after One-Sided Love for TV Spouse

• “Growing Pains” star Joanna Kerns loved her television husband Alan Thicke until his death following their “unrequited romance.”

• The actress was a divorced full-time mother to her only child.

• In her 70s, she is still gorgeous and lives her best life with a grown daughter who looks just like her.

Joanna Kerns once confessed that she always knew “Growing Pains” wouldn’t last forever, but she vowed to enjoy each moment. One of the people she co-starred with was Alan Thicke, who starred as her television husband.

Alan, a Canadian actor, played Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitcom. Joanna bonded with her castmates by she clicked more with her on-screen husband, whom she featured alongside for seven years; however, the duo never went out on a romantic date.

Alan confessed that he and the actress “had chemistry, which our unrequited romance preserved for the entire show.” Joanna once admitted that pretending to love Alan’s character on the show daily and yearly led her to see his faults, but she also learned to accept him as he was.

The actress revealed that they had a connection she couldn’t explain. She loved him off stage and believed marriage was what she’d described, and felt it was the capability to love someone without judgment but to have the strength to “remain separate.”

Her nickname for Alan was “Al,” and she called him that because it annoyed him. The actor believed the nickname was an old man’s one, and he hated it, but his cast members loved it, and it unfortunately stuck.

One thing Alan loved more than anything was his sons, Brennan, Robin, and Carter. Despite his marriage, Joanna loved Alan until his death in December 2016, when he suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with Carter, then 19, passing away at age 69.

With her love not being returned, the actress married someone else and had one child with him. Things failed to last in her first marriage, and she became a single parent to their child.

A 1987 article revealed how Joanna welcomed a daughter, Ashley Kerns, who was her lookalike with blue eyes, burnished skin, and blond hair. The pair radiated joy and health, and the actress knew what she wanted careerwise.

She wanted a normal childhood and security for her daughter, but she felt some guilt as a working mother but found comfort in seeing how Ashley was growing. Joanna explained how she’d always been a “full-time mom” regardless of her work, especially in 1987, adding:

“I realize that divorce is difficult for children, that because of ours, this had been a particularly fragile year for her, but she’s doing well…”

The star said she and Ashley’s father, Richard Kerns, went above and beyond to ensure their daughter knew the divorce wasn’t her fault. The actress and the television commercial producer told their daughter they loved her and that he’d remain her father.

The former couple had to be careful about handling their divorce in front of their daughter because it was tough and came with mixed emotions. However, Joanna was pleased “Growing Pains” came simultaneously because she couldn’t imagine the divorce, caring for and spending time with Ashley, and looking for a job!

While the show’s pilot was being shot, the actress’s marriage to Richard was shaky, and they had problems they were working on. After the pilot, she had for more years with the sitcom, and after sixteen years as an actress, she finally knew what she was doing.

Ashley’s mother’s taping schedule was humane, and she got to take her to school in the morning daily and still got to the studio by ten. She got to be done at the studio for four working days by 6:30 p.m.

In a 1989 piece, it was noted that Joanna’s character, Maggie Seaver, kept an eye on four children but at home, she had only one, a ten-year-old daughter. Even though Ashley was only one child, her mother sometimes found her more of a handful than her four on-screen children, with her confessing:

“I feel guilty leaving Ashley at home with a babysitter.”

Each day her daughter tried to make her as guilty as possible. Joanna said she was sure other working mothers felt the same way as she did, whether they were actresses or bank tellers, and in September 1994, she married her second husband, architect Marc Appleton.

However, by August 2019, the actress had filed divorce papers at a Los Angeles County Superior Court. The former couple, who were together for twenty-five years, didn’t have children, and Joanna continued acting and living a full life.

In late February 2023, Joanna shared an Instagram photo of herself, showing what she looked like at seventy. The image was blurry, but it revealed that the actress was still as beautiful as before as she sat before a cake slice lit with one candle.

In her caption, she thanked her fans for the belated birthday wishes and joked that they were at her expense! The star noted that her birthday celebrations were filled with friends and laughter and were a happy occasion.

The pair [Joanna and Ashley Kerns] thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

One follower replied to the post stating how the actress was “simply beautiful.” A second person agreed with the previous one about how the star looked and wished her a happy birthday, excellent health, and lots of love and happiness.

Someone else thought Joanna was a “beauty!” Ashley took to Twitter, reshared her mother’s birthday post, and confessed that most of the jokes against her mother were from her and felt she got extra credit now!

On TikTok, the star’s daughter also shared a birthday video with clips of Joanna cooking, playing with the dog, having video calls, and so much more. The clip also showed the actress living her best life, going out with friends, and looking happy despite her failed relationships.

The mother-daughter pair had an evident bond that was visible in how they spent lots of time together. In September 2021, Joanna shared an Instagram photo of her and Ashley working from home together and celebrating the latter’s birthday at Deacon’s Corner in Vancouver.

The actress described her daughter as her “BFF,” wished her a happy birthday, and told her she loved her “madly.” The two seemed joined at the hip as they celebrated the 2022 New Year with a fun Instagram clip showing how they spent time together.

In September 2022, Ashley’s mother celebrated her birthday with a post of them posing together outdoors. The pair thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, and in February 2023, they went to see Pete Holmes at a comedy festival.