Many children dream of being famous singers or actors. But, the harsh reality of having your name in lights at such a young age is nothing like the dream, as these 20 stories of well-known child stars below.
They were the child stars who brightened up our day with their cherubic smiles. However, some of them eventually fade from the limelight. When we dig deeply up what happened to them, we discover that, in most cases, they struggled with the pressure of being in the spotlight. Riches and fame can lead teenagers down a path of drug use, drinking, squandering money, getting into trouble with the law, and more!
From Lindsay Lohan, and Corey Haim to Tatum O’Neal, and Frankie Lymon, these were flaming stars who achieved the biggest fame and fortune. But it was fame and glamour that ruined their young lives. So, keep reading their stories and reconsider whether being rich and famous is really worth it.
#1 Lindsay Lohan
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Despite her current attempts to resurrect her career, Lindsay Lohan has long been more well-known for her numerous mug shots than for her on-screen roles. The former Disney’s “The Parent Trap“‘s star has struggled with substance abuse and has been detained for alleged shoplifting, DUIs, assault charges, and probation violations.
#2 Corey Haim
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Corey Haim was one of the biggest teen stars of his generation during the 1980s. After struggling with a debilitating addiction to opiates, the “License To Drive” actor died of pneumonia, penniless at the age of 38.
#3 Jodie Sweetin
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Jodie Sweetin from the famous movie “Full House” has never been able to turn her childhood success into adult glory. Today, the mother-of-two is better known for her alcohol and drug abuse, including inhaling meth at the Olsen twins’ movie premiere, which Sweetin admitted in her memoir, “unSweetined.
#4 Corey Feldman
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While Corey Feldman was still trying to move on with his career, the former child star’s career never reached the dizzying heights he reached in the 1980s. In a 2013 memoir, the former drug addict claimed both he and Corey Haim were victims of child sexual abuse that he claimed was common in Hollywood.
#5 Amanda Bynes
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Amanda Bynes was best known as the Nickelodeon teen star of shows like “All That” and “The Amanda Show” until her life spiraled into episodes of erratic conduct, online fights with celebrities, and DUI and drug charges.
#6 Leif Garrett
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The former teen idol, Leif Garrett, also experienced drug addiction, numerous arrests, and rehab. His court appearances and mug shots show a middle-aged man who is not at all like the ’70s heartthrob he once was.
#7 Jaimee Foxworth
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Jaimee Foxworth, who portrayed Judy Winslow in “Family Matters”, is a former child star who would become a heroin addict and porn actress. She also made an appearance on a season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew to tell the tale.
#8 Brad Renfro
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Brad Renfro’s life and career is like a shooting star that shines before it faded away. He gained notoriety when he was 10 years old and starred in “The Client” alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. Fifteen years later he overdosed on heroin and didn’t even get a mention during the “in memoriam” section of the Oscars.
#9 Mackenzie Phillips
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Mackenzie Phillips is a former child star who was famous for “Celebrity Rehab. After starring in the ‘70s sitcom “One Day at a Time”, the redhead fell into a spiral of drug abuse. In her 2009 memoir, High On Arrival, she claimed to have had an incestuous connection with her father, John Phillips of “The Mamas & the Papas” fame.
#10 Gary Coleman
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At the height of his fame, Gary Coleman amassed an estimated fortune of $18 million. But when he died, aged 42, in 2010, his name was usually the punch line to a joke. After his “Diff’rent Strokes” years Coleman was in the media for all the wrong reasons — being broke, suing his parents, domestic abuse accusations and an arrest for punching a bus driver.
#11 Dana Plato
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Coleman’s onscreen sister also died young. Even while she was playing clean-cut Kimberly Drummond on the “Diff’rent Strokes” set, behind the scenes, Dana Plato was getting high on Valium, cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. She was later arrested for prescription fraud and robbing a video store, and in 1999, at the age of 34, she overdosed on pills and killed herself.
#12 Edward Furlong
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After the success of ‘The Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, teenage Edward Furlong got a lot of fame and recognition. But as an adult, the self-described heroin and cocaine addict is better known for his stays in rehab and legal run-ins, including his multiple arrests on domestic violence charges.
#13 Erin Moran
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“Happy Days” fans were heartbroken when they discovered in 2012 that actress Erin Moran was supposedly homeless and out of luck. At that time, the former star who played Joanie Cunningham was living in a trailer park after losing her California home to foreclosure.
#14 Orlando Brown
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Upon his arrest, “That’s So Raven” actor Orlando Brown seems to be just headline news these days. His legal credits include bookings for the DUI, failure to complete probation, alleged public intoxication, and two counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly threatening a woman in North Hollywood.
#15 Maia Campbell
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After being burned by fame, Maia Campbell attempts to find her way again. In 2009, the former “In The House” actress appeared painfully disorientated in a video. An admitted drug abuser, who suffers from bipolar disorder, she was arrested at least twice and lost custody of her daughter when she was at her lowest.
#16 Brian Bonsall
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In the 1980s comedy “Family Ties”, Andy Keaton was a lovely youngster, but Brian Bonsall didn’t resemble him at all. According to his lawyer, the former child star has concerns about substance abuse. He has received probation in recent years for assaulting a girlfriend and for getting into a fight with a friend.
#17 Lark Voorhies
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Lark Voorhies is a former child actress whose life has been marred with reported mental illness. But while the star’s mom said that her daughter has bipolar disorder, the “Saved By The Bell” actress dismissed it by saying her mother is “over-loving.”
#18 Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly
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Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly was a lovable kid rapper from Kris Kross who wore his clothing backward in the 1990s. However, his death from a drug overdose in 2013 shocked the hip-hop community.
#19 Tatum O’Neal
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Tatum O’Neal’s career has been on the decline since its peak when she became the youngest person to ever win an Oscar at the age of 10. Aside from her role in the TV series “Rescue Me”, she has gained further notoriety for her tumultuous relationship with her father Ryan O’Neal, and an arrest in 2008 when she was discovered to be in possession of crack and powder cocaine.
#20 Frankie Lymon
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Anyone who has heard the original version of the song Why Do Fools Fall In Love? will be familiar with chubby-faced Frankie Lymon. However, the New Yorker who became famous at the age of 13 in 1956 as The Teenagers’ lead vocalist didn’t live very long. After his solo career failed, drug addiction took control of his life, and at the age of 25, he overdosed on heroin.
