MALIBU—On New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2020, actor Kirk Cameron, known for playing Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” hosted a large event in Malibu despite COVID-19 regulations. According to the city of Malibu, events, such as the one held are not allowed within city limits. On Cameron’s Instagram page, it is seen that most participants in the large crowd were less than six feet apart and wear not wearing masks. Elderly individuals also participated in the event. 

The city of Malibu states on its website, “Because LA County is in the Southern California Region, the Los Angeles County Health Officer issued a Temporary Safer at Home Order to fully align with additional safety measures across sectors and the required effective date. The Order prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes sector operations, and requires 100% masking and physical distancing. The State Regional Stay at Home Order is similar to the existing County Safer at Home Health Offer with additional sector closings.”

Cameron, 51, wrote on his Instagram, “Where were you when the sun set on 2020? We prayed and sang songs of thankfulness at Point Mugu beach in Cali, admiring the beauty of God’s masterpiece in the western sky. As the Master Artist, he paints with distilled water and fractured light on a canvas of thin air. And as for the reason behind our outlawed, outdoor singing, according to NeuroscienceNews.com, a study at Mayo Clinic concluded, ‘Music has always been a refuge for people during the most difficult times, and it can certainly help during the COVID-19 pandemic.’ Faith. Obedience. Praise. We agreed this is our New Year’s strategy to bring Heaven’s blessings to Earth in 2021. Stay tuned for details about our next gathering. Hope you can join us!”

There have been mixed responses from the videos Cameron posted. One user responded, “..whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me…”

Another wrote, “Tonight there are people sick and dying, gasping, their caregivers risking their lives to soothe them, facing disaster while you ignore them for some strange reason. Yes, businesses need help too, but this is the best solution you can come up with? Perhaps you could put on masks and do something like wash dishes for a struggling restaurant, or have a fundraiser for someone who can’t pay their medical bills, or bring someone groceries who might otherwise worry that they won’t make it on what they have. Otherwise you really kind of just look like a grandstanding Pharisee.”

Another user wrote, “Happy New Year! Thank you for bringing us hope and faith and not fear this year.” Another individual wrote, “How we leave one year is how we enter the next. Praising God through it all is what it is all about!! Love this man.”