Jerry O'Connell apologizes to 'Stand By Me' co-star Wil Wheaton for 'not being there' amid past child abuse

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Wil Wheaton was recently touched by Jerry O'Connell, who apologized to the actor on Thursday for being unaware of the child abuse he faced as a teenager.

The "Stand By Me" co-stars and friends reunited on Thursday's' "The Talk," where O'Connell, now a co-host on the daytime series, apologized to Wheaton.

"I heard before you talk about some of the struggles you were going through during ‘Stand by Me,’ and you know, while I was 11 at the time, that's an excuse, I do want to apologize for not being there more for you when you were younger," O'Connell said.

"But I want to say, to the bigger picture, you never know what someone is going through when you're with them. I don't feel guilt, but I just want to say I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more."

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Jerry O'Connell, River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman in a scene from the film "Stand By Me," 1986. (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

Wheaton responded, saying he "deeply appreciated" O'Connell's words, but stressed he shouldn't feel sorry.

"You were 11. How could you have possibly known? Also, everyone in the audience who is a trauma survivor knows this: We're real, real, real good at covering up what we're going through," Wheaton reacted.

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Attending the 25th anniversary interview of "Stand By Me" are, from left, director Rob Reiner and actors Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Richard Dreyfuss. (John M. Heller/Getty Images)

Last year, Wheaton opened up about the abuse he experienced as a teen around the same time the 1986 movie came out. He said he suffered a "combination of an incredible emotional abuse from my father, and a lot of manipulation, using me, from my mother."

Thursday's discussion on "The Talk" isn't the first time O'Connell has addressed his friend's past revelation. Last year, he said Wheaton's truth serves as a lesson that no one knows what another person is truly going through.

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"I think what should be said is, you have no idea, not even co-workers, just people close to you, you have no idea what is going on with someone. So, if you sense anything is amiss, anything weird, it costs you nothing to go up to them and say, ‘Hey is everything OK? Is anything going on? Do you want someone to talk to?’" O'Connell said last spring. "I just think even saying that I think reaches a hand out to someone."

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O'Connell and Wheaton starred in the classic alongside Corey Feldman and River Phoenix. In 2021, O'Connell complimented Wheaton's career, noting he is "doing great" and "does a lot for Paramount+ and ‘Star Trek.’"