“Growing Pains” star Kirk Cameron recently explained on the “Adam Carolla Podcast” that he left California for Tennessee to escape the Golden State’s “terrible politics” and “all the other things that make it difficult to raise a family.”

“When you’re a kid in California it’s great because your parents are paying for everything,” Cameron said. “So, you go to the beach, you’re hanging out, you’re going snow skiing, you get to eat an In-N-Out burger, you get to get some hot dogs downtown in Hollywood. It’s great. You’re having a good time.”

He continued, “But then, like my kids, they finally got out on their own, and they realized how expensive it is. They realize how terrible the politics are and all of the other things that make it difficult to raise a family there. And so all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, we got to move. We got to go somewhere where we can actually thrive and maybe even just survive.’”

Cameron said he “hopes to come back” to California one day, adding that “pound-for-pound, I think California has just so much to offer.”

Speaking on the positives of living in Nashville, Cameron said, “There’s so many creatives here that have good values. They love their family. They’re proud of their country — and the whiskey is great. So, if you like whiskey and hot chicken, Nashville is the place to be.”

Cameron starred as Mike Seaver, the oldest son in the Seaver family, across all seven seasons of “Growing Pains,” which ran for 167 episodes on ABC.