For anyone aspiring to have a career in show business, Hollywood seems to be the place everyone dreams of being discovered and becoming famous. The glitz and glamour of being an actor or actress certainly appeals to a lot of people, and those who are lucky enough to be a part of it — especially at a very young age — seem to flourish and have long careers in the industry. However, there is a dark side to fame when you achieve it at such a young age.
Even the most promising and talented kids and teens can buckle under the pressure of being constantly placed in the spotlight, which is full of the scrutinizing gaze of the media. So many young stars have thrown away their careers in an instant because of things like drug and alcohol abuse, which usually results in run-ins with the law. Here, we look at some of the most notable child stars who destroyed their bright futures because of numerous missteps that damaged their reputations. Now, their stories serve as cautionary tales for other aspiring actors and actresses, as well as teens who may be heading for trouble with their bad choices and risky behaviour.
15 Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan was a promising child star. Her first hit movie, The Parent Trap, landed her in the spotlight. As a teenager, she starred in other hit films such as Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and most notably, Mean Girls. Lohan also began a music career, releasing her first album, Speak, in 2004. By all accounts, it looked as though she was on her way to becoming Hollywood royalty.
Unfortunately, during the early 2000s, Lohan’s newfound superstardom also landed her a coveted spot amongst the Hollywood party girl elite, and suddenly she was being photographed by paparazzi with other celebs like Paris Hilton. Since then, Lohan has had six arrests for DUIs, reckless driving, and shoplifting. Despite numerous stints in rehab, Lohan hasn’t quite been able to regain the momentum she had in her teens, but who knows? She might still be able to make a comeback.
14 Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter became famous as the baby brother of Nick Carter, member of boy band Backstreet Boys — as if you didn’t already know that. He began his own music career at the age of nine, and his first, self-titled solo album sold over one million copies worldwide. His second album, On Aaron, was even more successful. Carter even made headlines for a love triangle involving teen stars Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff.
Unfortunately for Carter, his career would later fizzle — even after he appeared on the show Dancing with the Stars. In 2008, Carter was pulled over for speeding and later arrested for drug possession. Since then, Carter has stayed away from the spotlight, but he has recently released an EP called LøVë. This is his first musical release since 2002.
13 Jeremy Jackson
Former teen heartthrob, Jeremy Jackson rose to fame after appearing on hit television show, Baywatch. His career seemed promising, but while he was still filming Baywatch, Jackson began to experiment, and would later become addicted to a number of different drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. Jackson would eventually leave the show due to his addiction, and that’s when his problems would get a lot more serious.
His first arrest was the age of 19, for manufacturing methamphetamine. In later years, while attempting to reclaim his Hollywood status, Jackson appeared in reality shows and would become addicted to steroid-like drugs. In 2015, Jackson was arrested twice for allegedly stabbing people on two separate occasions. The first charge was dropped, but the second charge landed him in jail, rehab, and five years’ probation.
12 Corey Feldman
Child actor and teen heart throb, Corey Feldman seemed to have the makings of a long-running career in Hollywood — his filmography has over 100 credits! In 1984, he appeared in the movie Friday the 13th: Final Chapter. He then starred in 15 consecutive hit movies after that. Feldman became synonymous with some of the most popular 1980s teen classics, like Stand by Me, Gremlins, The Goonies, and The Lost Boys.
A tumultuous relationship with abusive parents lead to his legal emancipation at the age of 15. Following this, he began to experiment with drugs and alcohol, and soon became a full-blown addict. He’s been arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin, and has also been checked in to rehab. He’s also appeared on reality shows, likely in an attempt to reboot his career, but the verdict’s still out on whether or not that will happen.
11 Taran Noah Smith
Taran Noah Smith played Mark Taylor, the youngest son on the hit show Home Improvement, starring Tim Allen in the 1990s. While he hasn’t acted or appeared in a show or movie since 1999, Smith has still managed to get himself noticed by the media.
First, Smith married a woman named Heidi VanPelt when he was 17. Being married at a young age is a little surprising to some, but it made headlines because VanPelt was 16 years his senior. The couple later ran an illegal vegan restaurant and catering company called Play Food which was eventually shut down. Unfortunately, his troubles don’t end there. His house, which he purchased at the young age of 12, during the height of his career, was also foreclosed on by the bank, and he was convicted of a DUI and drug possession in 2012.
10 Jaimee Foxworth
Jaimee Foxworth played Judy Winslow in the 1990s television show, Family Matters. Unfortunately for her, her career would come to a screeching halt after she was allegedly denied a raise and left the show. Unfortunately, her career would take a dark turn following this setback.
Foxworth began abusing alcohol and drugs, and in order to support her habit, she began appearing in adult films at the age of 19. In 2008, Foxworth was on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, and hoped to find help and get sober. She would eventually achieve sobriety and turn her life around after having a child, and in an interview with Oprah, she said that her child was the reason she became sober. While she hasn’t announced any plans to return to acting, it’s good to see she’s healthy and living a better life.
9 Joey Cramer
In the late 1980s, child actor Joey Cramer rose to fame after playing David Freeman in the Disney movie Flight of the Navigator. Despite the popularity of the film, Cramer’s career never really took off, and so he never went back to living a normal life. That is, until he, like so many other child stars like him, had a run-in with the law.
Years after his brush with stardom, at the age of 42, Cramer was charged in connection with a bank robbery in British Columbia, Canada. Cramer allegedly dressed up in a disguise, robbed a bank, and then left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. He was identified by police officers despite his disguise, as they had recently dealt with him about a different matter.
8 Jake Lloyd
Any Star Wars fan knows who Jake Lloyd is, as he played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Since Lloyd’s big break, he hasn’t appeared in anything else and appears to have quit show business. He has publicly spoken about how being an actor lead to him being bullied in school, and how he really didn’t like the Hollywood lifestyle. He pursued film school, and it seemed like everything was going to turn out alright for Lloyd.
However, he still seems to make headlines, as he has made his way back into the spotlight — this time, for breaking the law. Lloyd was arrested for reckless driving in 2015 after leading police on a high-speed chase and eventually getting into a car crash. When he was arrested, he gave police officers a fake name, perhaps to keep his blunder from the press.
7 Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong became famous when he played John Connor in the Terminator 2. While he didn’t exactly become a superstar after that movie, he was steadily getting work in Hollywood, appearing in different movies. However, he’s become more known for his personal troubles than any of his acting work.
In 2001, Furlong was hospitalized because of a suspected drug overdose, and was later arrested for a DUI. He has since been in and out of rehab for a number of years to battle his various addictions. He was briefly married and even had a child, but unfortunately, was given a restraining order by his now ex-wife. It seemed like his luck was turning around in 2010 when he landed a small role in the movie The Green Hornet, but violations against his ex-wife’s restraining order landed him in more trouble with the law.
6 Mischa Barton
Anyone who grew up watching The O.C. knows and remembers Mischa Barton. Who could forget her role as Marissa Cooper? Before her hit television show, though, Barton had already been acting for years in other shows and movies, including The Sixth Sense, where she played a very sickly ghost. Since the end of The O.C., Barton has had more than a few personal struggles.
Barton has been scrutinized by the media because of her weight gains and weight losses her the years, and she earned a reputation as just another Hollywood party girl when she began spending time with celebrities like Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan. Barton has also been arrested for a DUI, abused drugs, and was once hospitalized after using Xanax and threatening to end her life, even though she now claims that she was never suicidal.
5 Angus T Jones
Angus T Jones was just 9 years-old when he was cast along side Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen in the hit television show, Two and a Half Men, making $300,000 per episode by the time he was 17. The future was promising for the actor, but as he grew older, his lines became more adult, which was difficult for him as it conflicted with his newfound religion.
In 2012, he appeared in an interview which was posted to Youtube, where he pleaded with fans of his show to stop watching it, saying, “I’m on Two and a Half Men and I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it. Please stop filling your head with filth.” He quit the show because of his faith and to go to college, but after seemingly burning those Hollywood bridges, he’s put college on hold to pursue acting again.
4 Dustin Diamond
Dustin Diamond’s claim to fame was playing one of the most lovable characters on television in the late 1980s and early 1990s — Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers. Playing the smart and funny nerd who attended Bayside High School, Diamond made his mark in pop culture history as Screech from the show, Saved by the Bell. After the show, Diamond reprised his character as Screech in Saved the by the Bell spin-offs like Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. While he acted in other shows and movies later on, he couldn’t quite escape being typecast as Screech.
Since then, he’s appeared in reality shows, filed for bankruptcy, appeared in an adult film, been arrested, and published a tell-all book, Behind the Bell, that all of his former cast mates dismissed as defamatory fiction. Yikes!
3 Orlando Brown
Although probably best known for his role as Raven Baxter’s best friend, Eddie Thomas, from the Disney Channel show, That’s So Raven, Orlando Brown had actually been working in television for years before. Brown appeared in other shows like Family Matters, The Jamie Foxx Show, and was also the voice of characters in animated shows like Filmore! and The Proud Family.
Unfortunately, early in 2016, Brown was arrested for domestic battery, as well as drug possession with intent to sell and possession of contraband in jail. He has also recently taken to social media to exhibit his erratic behaviour, open speaking about his troubles with the law, and talking about his former cast mate Raven Simone, claiming that they had a sexual relationship. His often strange outbursts on social media have lead people to speculate about the state of his mental health and his drug use.
2 Macaulay Culkin
What’s a list of burnt-out child stars without Macaulay Culkin? Culkin, arguably one of the most famous child stars in the world, began working as an actor at the age of four, and became a household name and superstar in the early 1990s because of his roles in iconic movies like Home Alone and My Girl. He also appeared in Michael Jackson’s music video for his hit song, "Black or White". While Culkin has had an extensive filmography, since then, he’s been pretty much out of the spotlight for over two decades.
However, that doesn’t mean rumours haven’t followed him around. The media has written about Michael Jackson’s allegedly molesting Culkin — an allegation that he denies, and has even testified about in court. He’s also been battling rumours of drug abuse and a $6000 a month heroin addiction.
1 Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes’ star began to rise when she starred in Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show, The Amanda Show. She played a number of zany characters along side co-star Drake Bell, and in the early 2000s, she would appear in other shows like What I Like About You, and in movies like She’s the Man, What a Girl Wants, and Hairspray. After that, people didn’t hear much about Bynes in the media, until she came back with a bang.
As if out of nowhere, Bynes started posting strange selfies featuring new facial piercings and a series of ill-fitting wigs on social media. She also took to Twitter to post strange tweets, some calling former President Barak Obama ugly, as well as a sexually-explicit one directed to rapper Drake. Bynes has also been arrested for reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and criminal possession of marijuana.
