Former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin Arrested While Filming Danica McKellar's Christmas Movie

Danica McKellar 's new Christmas movie briefly looked more like a crime drama on Thursday, September 3. While Great American Family was filming The Greatest Christmas Gift , starring McKellar and Matthew Marsden , police showed up to arrest former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, who was on set to be an extra in the movie.

According to the Lexington Herald Leader , sheriff's deputies arrived at the 88-acre Houstondale farm in Paris, Kentucky, in search of Bevin, who had an active arrest warrant over a divorce and child support case.

Bevin, who served as the Republican Governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019, had eluded arrest since Judge Angela Johnson issued the warrant on June 5 because he'd failed to provide financial records for the case, per the outlet. The father of nine children was also ordered to attend several court hearings in person but didn't appear at any, including the most recent hearing in July.

Farm owner Jessica Mohr told the Lexington Herald Leader that she wasn't aware Bevin was on-site when deputies from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office arrived, noting, "No one really knew who he was. There wasn't any hype about some former governor being here."

Once Bevin was located on the property, officers escorted him to a restroom, Mohr said, and then took him into custody. According to Kentucky Today , someone on the set called authorities to alert them that Bevin was there, and he was cooperative when police arrived.

After spending the night in jail, the outlet reported, Bevin appeared in Jefferson Family Court, where Judge Johnson ordered him to serve 60 days in jail for contempt of court. She said the sentence is appealable, and that she may revisit the case in 30 days.

McKellar, who's best known for her role as Winnie on the '80s sitcom The Wonder Years and past rom-coms on the Hallmark Channel before her move to Great American Family in 2021, has posted periodically from the Kentucky set, but has not addressed Bevin's arrest publicly.

The Greatest Christmas Gift was expected to finish filming at the farm on Friday, and is scheduled to premiere on November 29.

"Kudos to them for not letting it derail them and their schedule, and handling it very professionally," Mohr told the Lexington Herald Leader of how the cast and crew handled Bevin's arrest. "I guess the big question is if he'll still be in the film."

This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.