Actor Kirk Cameron went on Fox News Channel on Friday to discuss his fight against libraries who have been turning down story-hour book-reading pitches from the publisher of Cameron’s new children’s book As You Grow.
The sit-down came after a reading Thursday a the Indianapolis Public Library drew a sizable crowd — though the library disputes the attendance figures given by publisher Brave Books and repeated by Cameron on air.
The former Growing Pains star told FNC interviewer Julie Banderas that more than 50 libraries nationwide have refused to host readings of his Bible-themed book. He said the book is about “biblical wisdom and the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, kindness gentleness, faithfulness, self control.”
Brave Books tweeted out Thursday that the Indianapolis event Thursday drew “over 2,500 people,” calling it a record crowd in the library’s 137-year history — stats Cameron referenced on the air. The library disputed that today, tweeting that its estimated door count for the “room rental” was “around 750, not 2500. We’ve had larger events. We turn 150 yrs old in 2023. And our auditorium, which our guests chose not to rent, holds 300, not 2000.”
Fox News showed a pitch letter from Brave Books to one New York library that noted Cameron during his in-person readings would “speak to families about following the wisdom of the Bible, as well as discussing the harmful effects of woke ideologies, specifically [critical race theory] and the transgender agenda.”
Earlier this week, Cameron had threatened legal action against libraries who refused to host a reading, calling them out for being willing to host “drag queen story hours for toddlers.” On Friday, he pulled out a pocket copy of the Constitution as he spoke about rights that “I will assert in court.”
The interview also included Banderas noting she had her own book published by Brave Books, and at one point referred to “we” when discussing the publisher’s response to one library’s refusal to host a story hour.
Here’s the interview: