It’s no secret that some child celebrities can grow up and make bad decisions. Stars like Lindsay Lohan, have their entire lives broadcasted on the news- every up and own. While some stars let their mishaps go public, there are some celebrities that have flown under the radar. These celebrities that you used to see all over the tv as a child, now you can’t help but wonder, Where are they now?
Possibly the most famous case of childhood star gone bad is Lindsay Lohan. She seemed like such a promising actress in her early years, starring in the Parent Trap, and even into her teenage years with the movie Mean Girls. She seemed like the total package, but as she got older, she got into trouble. Beginning in 2007, and many years after that, Lohan was in and out of rehab, arrested multiple times, and even put in jail. Her childhood fame had faded, and she began a life full of trouble and crime. Junior Molly Rafferty said, “Lindsay Lohan was one of my favorite actresses as a kid. The Parent Trap was my favorite movie. I wanted to be just like her and I looked up to her so much. Seeing the person she turned out is sad to see. She was my idol.” Though Lohan’s mishaps were shown for the entire world to see, there are many childhood stars who have managed to stay out of the media’s eye.
Many recall Nickelodeon’s hit show Zoey 101 as one of their favorites from childhood. However, the show was abruptly stopped, due to possibly one of the most famous cases of teen pregnancy. Jamie Lynn Spears, a teen idol, had to stop filming the show due to her pregnancy, and many people, children and parents, were extremely unhappy about the image she was sending. Though her pregnancy scandal was heard around the country, that was 6 years ago. In these past 6 years, Jamie Lynn Spears has managed to completely remove herself from her past, despite the scandal and her famous sister. So where is she now? She moved to Louisiana with her daughter and the rest of her family to focus on being a mom. She has started over in 2008, Duff’s career has slowed in the tv and movie department. Duff is now married, has a child, and is branching, where now she can live a normal life.
One of the most beloved shows of our childhood was Lizzie McGuire. The star of the show, Hilary Duff, showed a promising future ahead of her when her hit TV series ran for 2 seasons and lead to a TV movie. She later did other movies after her career as Lizzie McGuire, and even began a music career. She had so much potential, but what is she doing now? After selling 13 million albums worldwide, she started her own clothing line, and began writing a series of young adult novels. Though not as prominent in the media anymore, Hilary Duff is one child star who managed to keep her life on track.
More recently, one of the most beloved childhood stars of our generation has gotten herself into trouble, attracting much attention in the media. Amanda Bynes was one of the most memorable child actors who has since fallen off track. At just 7 years old, she began her acting career on Nickelodeon, leading to her own sketch comedy a few years later called the Amanda Show. With all of this promise, it’s hard to imagine that an actress like Bynes could have fallen out of the spotlight. Up until recently, Bynes has stayed out of the media eye. But beginning in 2012 and into the present, Amanda Bynes has gotten herself into legal trouble, and it seems like she may be taking a path similar to that of Lindsay Lohan’s- a path that involves a lot of trouble and bad media representation.
It’s sad to see the childhood stars we grew up watching become adults, and it is even sadder when these stars lose touch of reality and get themselves in trouble. But not all childhood stars have ended up in the wrong place. Watching our favorite childhood actors and actresses slowly fall out of the spotlight eventually has us all wondering what they have become since their careers as young celebrities.