Jennifer Runyon opened up about her decision to step back from Hollywood years before her death.
“Since Ghostbusters, I did a nice handful of work and was very blessed to be a working actress. I got married in 1991, and in 1993 we had our son, Wyatt; and once we had our son I kind of knew that I wanted to take some time just to be a mom,” the A Very Brady Christmas actress told The Lady in Red Blog in July 2016. “I grew up in a family where my parents worked, and we had housekeepers and nannies (my mom and dad were radio people), and I grew up with other people who were there every day. I didn’t want that for my kids, because I know all I wanted was my mom. I wanted to be a mom.”
She continued, “I wanted to experience every moment. I didn’t want somebody calling me on the set going, ‘Oh, my God, Wyatt walked!’ I wanted to be the one, if possible, that experienced that first.”
Runyon was the mother of son Wyatt, 32, and daughter Bayley, 30, whom she welcomed with husband Todd Corman.
“I left the business to raise my kids, and we left Hollywood, and we moved to Idaho and Oregon,” she added. “We were gone for about 10 years and had our kids, and we moved to California 10 years later because our parents were getting older, and we felt it was time to come home and spend time with our parents.”
Runyon explained that although she stepped back from Hollywood for more than a decade, she didn’t walk away from the working world entirely.
“When I came home, my kids were 10 and 12, and in between, I would work in their schools and teach acting, not to introduce kids to being actors, but doing all of the fun improv exercises with the kids because it helps them get over that fear of being in front of an audience and peers, if they have to give a speech or do a report,” she told the outlet at the time. “My hope was, this is a way to enlighten kids, showing them it’s OK to stand up in front of people; anybody can do this. I was doing that for many years. When my daughter was a junior in high school, and my son was away at college, I became involved in a group called Tilly’s Life Center (TLC).”
The Another World actress returned to show business in 2015 with a role in Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival after 22 years away from the spotlight. She made her final acting appearance in 2025’s Spectral Squad: The Haunting of Sophie Lawson before her death on Friday, March 6, at age 65.
A representative for the Charles in Charge alum told Us Weekly on Sunday, March 8, that Runyon “passed away after a six-month battle with cancer,” adding, “She felt loved and blessed by her family and friends. She was beloved by countless people and will be missed.”
Runyon’s friend, Bewitched actress Erin Murphy, spoke out in a statement via Instagram after her death, writing, “So sad to share that my friend Jennifer Runyon Corman has passed away after a brief battle with cancer. 💔Some people you just know you’ll be friends with before you even meet. She was a special lady. I’ll miss you Jenn. My thoughts are with your family and beautiful children.”
Scott Baio, Runyon’s former costar, also mourned the actress in a statement.
“I had the extreme pleasure of working with Jennifer Runyon on Charles In Charge,” Baio, 65, wrote via X. “She was a sweet, kind, and generous actress to work with. Jennifer played my longtime girlfriend on Charles In Charge, however, she was also a wonderful mother and wife. We last saw each other at The Hollywood Christmas Parade in late 2019. I’m sending my deepest condolences, prayers, and sympathy to her family during this difficult time. God bless her and her family. 🙏.”
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