LOVE BOAT Child Star Says ‘Incredible’ Mom Kept Her on Right Path

Published: October 22, 2024

LOVE BOAT Child Star Says ‘Incredible’ Mom Kept Her on Right Path

By Movieguide® Contributor

Former child star Jill Whelan credits her “incredible” mother for keeping her on the straight and narrow as she navigated fame.

Whelan rose to fame as Vicki Stubing on the popular sitcom THE LOVE BOAT but managed to avoid the pitfalls of early fame, thanks to her mom.

“My mom was incredible,” Whelan told Fox News. “She never forgot that she was a parent first before she was a ‘momager.’ And I attribute pretty much the fact that I haven’t been arrested to my mom.”

The actress joked, “I’m still afraid of her at her 84 years. She still wields a big stick. [But] I think in terms of any child in the industry…a lot of the parental responsibility is the reason why they are, or they are not able to navigate a somewhat normal life.”

Whelan reiterated the point while speaking to PEOPLE, saying, “She’s the reason I haven’t been arrested yet. I’m still frightened of her because she’s a powerhouse woman! But look, putting a child in a business always leaves room for disaster or nefarious things. My mom did the best she could.”

The actress has also spoken glowingly about her co-stars, including the late Gavin MacLeod, who played her father on THE LOVE BOAT. MacLeod passed away in 2021 at the age of 90.

“He is such a fine actor, truly a gifted, full of range actor,” Whelan said during a Q&A for Love Boat Legacy: Original Cast Reflections with some of her former co-stars. “And so many people don’t have that knowledge about what an amazing actor he was and as a human being, which is what I was saying before. The thing about Gavin that I will remember more than anything is his love for life. Everything was, ‘Isn’t this just the best?’”