'Brady Bunch' Star Chris Knight Makes Heartbreaking Revelation About His Family
Christopher Knight made an astounding revelation about his real-life family. In a teaser for an upcoming episode of The Real Brady Bros podcast, The Brady Bunch star said his real-life family greatly depended on his income as a child star in the 1970s—and that they may not have survived without it.
“There was some issues with getting to adulthood that I believe the Bradys helped us in our family, all of us, to do to some degree,” Knight, 67, told his co-star Barry Williams on the podcast. "Literally, there might not have been a way to exist where we were without some way of making those payments. “
When Williams asked if he meant that the TV show gave him “a platform and a family,” Knight clarified, “No, no, no. I just think it gave us the resources to pay the rent.”
“So, I mean, it would have been, I do believe... that my folks would have not existed much longer,” he said. “I mean, it would have gone to that point. And then, you know, there would have been all kinds of drift.”
Knight was 11 years old when he started playing middle son Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch. The popular sitcom aired from 1969 to 1974 on ABC, but Knight’s real-life family was nothing like the made-for-TV clan.
In past interviews, Knight has talked about his difficult childhood. His father, Edward, was a struggling stage actor, and his mother, Wilma, was an artist. In a 2024 interview on the I Choose Me With Jennie Garth podcast, Knight described his childhood as “chaotic and not abundant.” He recalled that when the family didn’t have enough food in the house, his father suggested to his mother that she should feed him and his brother “every other day.”
Knight noted that he never aspired to be a child actor. “If I had kids, I would try to keep them away from show business until they're 18,” he said. “And isn't that your parents' job to work, not you?”
Knight also admitted he was ”happy” when The Brady Bunch was canceled in 1974 because he was finally able to go to public high school.
Related: ‘Brady Bunch’ Star Reveals She 'Almost Died' Filming Pilot Episode in 1968