Millions Knew Her in the '80s — After Quitting Acting & Facing a Deadly Illness, Where Is She Now?

She swam, golfed, ate well, and worked sixteen-hour days. At 64, she felt 20 years younger and invincible until a diagnosis upended everything she thought she understood about her own health.

Although she started acting in the mid-1970s, she became a recognizable face over a decade later, best known for a role that ran seven seasons on a major network sitcom. Alongside that success, she appeared in numerous television films. But decades after her first on-screen appearance, her acting credits stopped entirely.

At the height of a thriving second career, a routine health check would bring her face-to-face with a diagnosis that arrived without symptoms or warning. Today, she lives with intention. She works, she moves, she advocates. And her story stands as a reminder to women everywhere that early detection saves lives.

Her Roles Were Constant Until They Weren't

From 1985 to 1992, she played a career-driven journalist and no-nonsense matriarch, balancing work and motherhood with dry wit and a calm, steady presence. Her chemistry with her on-screen husband, a psychiatrist played by a Canadian actor known for his own smooth charm, made their household feel like the one next door.

Millions tuned in every week to watch this fictional family tackle everything from sibling rivalry and school trouble to teenage rebellion and heartfelt life lessons. The show helped define a generation of television and shaped how working mothers were portrayed on screen.

For seven seasons, her performance helped drive the sitcom's success and secured her place in the cultural memory of '80s television. Outside of the series, she took on an ambitious volume of work. During the 1980s and 1990s, she appeared in more than 25 made-for-TV movies.

These roles spanned genres, but many positioned her as a steady, central figure, often in domestic or emotionally complex stories. By the early 2000s, she had also moved into directing, adding episodic television credits to her résumé. Yet despite her range and steady work, she knew the camera wouldn't love her forever, and she had a plan for what would come next.

From Spotlight to Director's Chair

Even at the height of her fame, this actress understood how difficult it was for performers, especially women, to break free from the roles that made them famous. While her sitcom may have launched her into national recognition, she didn't want to be limited by it.

So, while fans still associated her with one iconic character, she quietly started preparing for a different kind of career in Hollywood. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, she was taking fewer on-camera roles and spending more time behind the lens.

Her decision to step away from acting became even clearer in the following years. She appeared in the short film "MaNiC" in 2007, followed by a single-episode role as Edie in the TV series "Eastwick" in 2009. In 2010, she took on a minor role as Joan in the short film "Love & Other Unstable States of Matter."

Her final credited appearance came in 2017, portraying a character known only as "Mom" in the music video "Danny Brown: Ain't It Funny." And just as her career behind the camera was gaining momentum, life dealt her a far more personal challenge.

The Appointment That Changed Everything

It was a Thursday afternoon in early November 2016, and the TV icon was in a rush. Driving between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, she had squeezed in a routine screening at a radiology center in Thousand Oaks.

There was no time to spare as she had a new television project airing that night, and friends were gathering for a watch party. But this wasn't just any screening. For years, she had been on a specialized protocol: contrast-enhanced mammograms followed by ultrasound.

Her doctor, Dr. Kristi Funk, a breast cancer specialist recommended by a close friend, had insisted on this approach due to the density of her breast tissue and complications from previous surgeries. In the early 1990s, after three surgeries to address leaking breast implants, she had the implants removed entirely.

Scar tissue from those procedures made self-exams unreliable, which is why she followed a strict imaging protocol involving both contrast mammograms and office ultrasounds. After waiting more than two hours in a crowded lobby, she noticed that others were being cleared to leave while she remained. A nurse finally told her the radiologist wanted to speak with her.

Inside the dimly lit office, she saw her latest scan displayed beside one from 2013. Even without training, she could see the larger white pattern in her left breast. She underwent a biopsy the next day, Friday. On Saturday, as she and her husband sat outside at a wedding, her phone rang. The biopsy results were out.

The Diagnosis

She was 64 when the diagnosis arrived. Having stepped away from acting, Joanna Kerns, best known for playing Maggie Seaver on ABC's "Growing Pains," had remained vigilant about her health for years. But life got in the way. Two missed screenings, delayed by work and family demands, were all it took.

She had felt no symptoms. There was no family history. The diagnosis came after missing just two years of routine screenings — a gap caused by work and family demands. She described the news as shocking, especially given her overall health. She stayed active, maintained a balanced diet, and worked long hours. Still, the cancer had developed silently.

The pathology report confirmed ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS — a stage-zero breast cancer located inside the milk ducts. Her tumor measured nearly five centimeters. Additional testing revealed it was estrogen receptor-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, which meant it wouldn't respond to hormone-suppressing medications like Tamoxifen and carried a higher risk of recurrence.

Given the tumor's size and aggressive profile, her treatment plan escalated quickly. After two lumpectomies, she opted for a nipple-sparing double mastectomy in December 2016. Dr. Funk recommended the procedure based on the cancer's size, aggressive profile, and the risk of recurrence.

Sadly, just one week after the surgery, her former co-star and on-screen husband, Alan Thicke, died of a heart attack. She attended his memorial service four weeks later, still in recovery. "It was so devastating," she shared. "It was just a very, very hard time."

On top of this, she was already navigating uncharted territory and it was overwhelming. "When you are diagnosed with cancer," she said, "your life as you know it tilts sideways. You learn more about cancer in 24 hours than all your years reading or hearing about it from a distance through friends."

Her case — silent, fast-moving, and unexpected — is not unusual. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women. It occurs when breast cells mutate, multiply, and form tumors. While it typically affects women over age 50, it can also develop in younger women and men.

There are different types: about 80 percent are invasive, meaning the tumor may spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include a lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm, changes in breast shape or contour, skin discoloration, puckering, or a hardened area beneath the skin.

However, many cases — like Kerns' — are symptom-free in the early stages. The most serious complication is metastatic breast cancer, which can spread to the brain, bones, liver, or lungs. According to studies, about one in three women with early-stage breast cancer later develops metastatic disease.

Kerns later described the mastectomy as more difficult than she had anticipated, both physically and emotionally. Still, she said she never doubted she would recover. Her confidence came from early detection, a clear treatment plan, and steady support from her husband, architect Marc Appleton.

Guided by Dr. Funk, she adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet and resumed regular exercise. In time, she returned to the work she loved and began using her voice to support women's health initiatives, sharing her story not to alarm, but to remind others that vigilance can save lives.

Where Is She Now?

Kerns no longer acts, but she continues working steadily as a director. She began directing in the early 1990s and steadily built a reputation for helming episodes of popular network and cable series.

Over the decades, she directed fan-favorite shows like "Grey’s Anatomy," "Pretty Little Liars," "Jane the Virgin," and "This Is Us." More recently, her credits include "A Million Little Things," "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," and "Night Court."

In 2024, she directed an episode of "Happy's Place," followed by two episodes of "Chicago Med" through 2025. With more than 75 directing credits to her name, her influence in television continues to grow behind the scenes.

Kerns has not publicly announced any intention to return to acting. In interviews, she has discussed her approach to recovery and her health regimen. She also appeared alongside her surgeon at a women's health gala months after her surgery.

Now in her 70s, Kerns has stated that she takes care of herself and remains physically active. In the years following her treatment, she traveled to Scotland and played nine consecutive days of golf. Her diagnosis came without symptoms. She has emphasized the importance of screenings and early detection in multiple interviews.