Jill Whelan embarked on a journey to Hollywood stardom – and she survived treacherous waters, thanks to her mother.
The actress, who played Vicki Stubing on the hit sitcom “The Love Boat,” told Fox News Digital that she credited her mother, Carol Garrett ,with helping her navigate fame as a child star.
“My mom was incredible,” said the 58-year-old. “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.”
Jill Whelan played Vicki Stubing opposite her TV dad Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing) on “The Love Boat.” (Everett Collection)
“I’m still afraid of her at her 84 years,” Whelan chuckled. “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.”
Jill Whelan grew up in the public eye. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Whelan knew exactly how to thank the matriarch. As a Celebrations Ambassador for Princess Cruises, Whelan has taken her family on cruise vacations around the world, People magazine reported. According to the outlet, she and her stepfather also spent quality time together on board a Princess cruise over New Year’s 2024 before his death.
Looking back, Whelan admitted that she had found fame at a time when social media didn’t exist. It meant less pressure on the young star’s shoulders.
“My mom was incredible. 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.”
Jill Whelan and her mother Carol attend the Young Musicians Foundations Fourth Annual Celebrity Mother/Daughter Fashion Show on March 28, 1985, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“Puberty in front of millions of people is super fun,” she joked. “But I would say in terms of navigating [fame], thank God there was no internet or social media then. . . . Even though we didn’t think it at the time, we did have our privacy as compared to what people have today. We are in an industry [today] where people are interested in what . . . [celebrities] do in their private lives. So, navigating [fame] for me was a lot easier.”
Jill Whelan told Fox News Digital that her “Love Boat” cast mates made sure she stayed out of trouble. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Whelan also credited the cast of “The Love Boat” for guiding her along the way.
The sitcom, which aired from 1977 to 1987, told the romantic and often comical tales of the passengers and crew of the Pacific Princess. Although originally scorned by critics, the series proved immensely popular, lasting nine seasons and spinning off several TV movies.
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Jill Whelan is a Princess Cruises Celebrations Ambassador. More than 40 years after her last visit to Australia, Whelan returned to the country to celebrate love at sea on board the Royal Princess. (Rocket Weijers/Getty Images for Princess Cruises)
“My greatest joy is being able to talk about the relationship that we all had together,” Whelan reflected. “And part of that was the way they educated me. . . . Gavin MacLeod and Bernie Kopell . . . had been in the industry for a really long time. And so, by the time ‘Love Boat’ came around, they were the senior members… and they had a lot of experience. And they set the tone for the rest of us in terms of how we were to behave as actors, and how lucky we were to be working actors.”
Barbara Rush and Gavin MacLeod, circa 1978. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“They never let us forget that,” Whelan continued. “I think that was one of the greatest lessons they taught us, besides the classic ‘Show up early, know your lines and hit your mark.’ Those are some of the most basic rules, but a lot of people forget or don’t think it’s necessarily important.
“The industry has changed so much . . . because of unscripted TV shows. A lot of people want to be in the industry so they can be famous, and they forget it is really a craft, like anything else. . . . It’s an art form. And that’s the thing that we as actors have to remember more than anything. I think that’s the biggest lesson that they taught me.”
“The Love Boat” aired from 1977 to 1987. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Even after the series came to an end, the cast remained “incredibly close,” Whelan noted. MacLeod, who died in 2021 at age 90, was “like a dad to me.”
“If it hadn’t been for ‘The Love Boat,’ I never would’ve been anywhere,” she said. “They afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and get to learn different cultures and different people. . . . [I] feel so proud to be able to have such an appreciation for people all over the globe.”
Jill Whelan on “The Love Boat,” circa 1983. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
And Whelan’s castmates weren’t the only ones to teach her some valuable lessons as she grew up in the public eye. “The Love Boat” was known for featuring more than 500 celebrities, including numerous legends from Hollywood’s golden era, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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The cast of “The Love Boat” maintained a close bond over the years. (Princess Cruises)
“There were a few guests that surprised me, but not in a way I’m feeling comfortable talking about,” she said. “But what I would say is that some of the guests that were the biggest stars, the legends, like Olivia de Havilland, Ginger Rogers or Ethel Merman, for example, were the ones that I thought would be untouchable, but were probably some of the most humble, most generous. And that, I think, was the biggest surprise. It seemed like the bigger of a legend that they were – Andy Warhol, for example, the more approachable and nicer they were.”
Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. are seen here in a 1979 episode of “The Love Boat.” (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Whelan said the cast has reunited many times over the years – and that won’t change anytime soon.
“Imagine getting together with all of your high school friends,” she said. ” . . . You’ve had so many shared experiences that nobody else can understand, but that core group of you. It’s pretty much like that with us. We have our inside jokes, we have our private jokes, we know each other’s likes, what each of us doesn’t like, what we’re comfortable with and what we’re not comfortable with. . . . There’s . . . a closeness that you share that nobody else can understand – just that core group of you.”
Princess Cruises has launched the Sun Princess, which has been described as “the most modern and luxurious ship in the fleet.” (Princess Cruises)
Whelan also revealed that “The Love Boat” gave her a deep appreciation for cruising. Today, Princess Cruises is making waves with the debut of the Sun Princess, which has been described as “the most modern and luxurious ship in the fleet.”
WATCH: ‘THE LOVE BOAT’ STAR CREDITS MOM FOR NEVER BEING ARRESTED IN HOLLYWOOD
According to reports, there was an increase in cruise popularity following the show’s premiere in 1977. Between 1978 and 1979, there were a reported 1.2 million international cruise ship passengers. By 1986, there were 4.5 million passengers.
Before his passing, MacLeod was a TV pitchman for Princess Cruises. In 2022, the reality series “The Real Love Boat” premiered where singles attempted to look for love aboard a Princess Cruises liner.
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Between 1978 and 1979, there were a reported 1.2 million international cruise ship passengers. By 1986, there were 4.5 million passengers. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“Even before ‘The Love Boat,’ I grew up on a sailboat,” Whelan explained. “So, for me, the ocean has always been a huge part of my life. It just feels organic to be . . . celebrating the ocean and all the things it has to offer.”
From left: Fred Grandy (Gopher Smith), Ted Lange (Isaac Washington), Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam Bricker) and Lauren Tewes (Julie McCoy). (Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
“I think initially everybody saw cruising as untouchable and only for the uber-rich,” she shared. “So, when it did become more available to everybody, and once people began cruising more, the industry went back to the art form and what people were fantasizing about. And then they started creating more of those experiences.”
Jill Whelan and Gavin MacLeod attend Clayton Kershaw’s 7th Annual Ping-Pong 4 Purpose at Dodger Stadium on August 8, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. MacLeod died in 2021. He was 90. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Kershaws Challenge)
As an adult, Whelan has led a successful acting career. And today, she has plenty of advice that she would give to her younger self.
“I would tell her to trust her instincts and shut the noise out,” said Whelan. “No matter what anybody says, no matter what you hear, none of that is reality. You know who you are, and you are enough as you are right now.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.