- 2 years ago
These child stars paid a price for their fame. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining sad and horrific personal secrets about famous child stars.
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00:00 "My life is so wonderful compared to what it was in this place.
00:05 I can't even believe I actually get to be where I am now."
00:11 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining sad and horrific personal secrets about famous
00:16 child stars.
00:17 "And to be going through that court situation and have an open court case and have everybody
00:20 look at it."
00:22 Hilary Duff
00:23 "Lizzie, that's ridiculous.
00:24 Honey, you're not fat.
00:25 You're perfect."
00:26 "Mom, I'm talking about a friend here.
00:27 Remember?"
00:28 The recipient of seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Hilary Duff was a major teen idol
00:34 of the early 2000s, known primarily for her role as Lizzie McGuire.
00:39 Unfortunately, the attention this role brought her resulted in an eating disorder.
00:42 "They said things before, you know, like, 'Oh my gosh, she's gained weight,' and then
00:47 'I lose weight,' and then it's 'Oh my gosh, she's lost too much weight.'"
00:50 Duff has opened up to various publications about her flawed relationship with food, claiming
00:54 that the pressures of fame and an unhealthy approach to celebrity caused her to develop
00:58 unhealthy eating habits as a teenager.
01:01 In one interview with E! News, Duff even claims her "hands would cramp up a lot" owing to
01:06 malnutrition.
01:07 "I begged for acting classes.
01:08 I, you know, begged to go to, like, random cattle calls where there's like 500 kids."
01:13 "And you lived in Texas, right?"
01:14 "Yeah."
01:15 Daniel Radcliffe
01:16 "When I think of, like, yeah, like the sort of chaos I used to invite into my life, I'm
01:24 like, I'm really much happier now."
01:27 In the decades since ending his historic run as Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has spoken
01:31 about some of the issues he faced as a young star of the franchise.
01:35 The pressure of being one of the biggest child stars in the world eventually got to him.
01:39 As Radcliffe reached a legal drinking age, he acknowledged in interviews that he began
01:43 leaning more on alcohol to deal with being in the spotlight.
01:46 "In my case, the quickest way of forgetting about the fact that you were being watched
01:50 was to get very drunk.
01:53 And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that, 'Oh, people are watching more
01:56 now because I'm getting very drunk.'"
01:58 He also said that his habits began to affect his work on the films.
02:02 As the franchise wrapped up, Radcliffe worked hard to get and stay sober.
02:06 Today, Radcliffe credits staying well-adjusted in the spotlight to surrounding himself with
02:10 positive influences.
02:11 "Now we're about a year and a half later, and my life has been, has turned around immeasurably.
02:18 It's a wonderful thing."
02:19 Alison Porter
02:20 "Hell, I'd rather sing for my supper than sit in the parking lot.
02:21 They sing to all holy heaven."
02:26 While she's now known for her music, Alison Porter began her career in movies as a young
02:30 child.
02:31 Perhaps her most famous role is that of Curly Sue in the John Hughes film of the same name,
02:35 which was released when Porter was just 10 years old.
02:45 This was followed by a tumultuous period involving drugs and alcohol.
02:49 In 2014, Porter wrote a blog post opening up about her substance use, with insinuations
02:54 towards marijuana and Xanax.
02:56 She eventually had a moment of clarity and sought professional help.
02:59 She became abstinent from drugs in 2007 at the age of 26, and has remained so ever since.
03:12 Joe Jonas
03:19 The Jonas Brothers are an iconic piece of late 2000s pop culture.
03:23 The squeaky clean cute boys behind various Disney projects and popular songs.
03:27 But now they're all grown up, and some are voicing their chagrin at being corporate puppets.
03:32 Joe in particular has made his displeasure known, publishing a scathing op-ed through
03:36 Vulture in 2013.
03:38 He speaks about his time with Disney and how he was forced to project an innocent image
03:42 while working on projects he didn't even like.
03:47 Furthermore, it began to affect his personal life, especially his relationship with Demi
03:56 Lovato.
03:57 Lovato was battling her own demons, but an unhappy Jonas felt obligated to remain in
04:02 the relationship for the sake of appearances.
04:14 Selena Gomez
04:21 Another Disney veteran, another person suffocated by its pressures.
04:25 Gomez has been very open about her troubled relationship with the company, even reporting
04:29 on the Zach Sang show that she quote "hated most of her upbringing."
04:39 This included the negative pressures of fame, unwanted public attention, and having to move
04:44 away from home at a young age.
04:46 Gomez showed a particularly vulnerable side in the 2022 documentary My Mind and Me, in
04:51 which she opened up about her struggles with mental health.
04:54 Gomez says that she's doing better now thanks to friends and therapy.
05:03 Lillane
05:10 We return to the Lizzie McGuire universe for Lillane, who played Lizzie's best friend
05:14 Miranda Sanchez.
05:15 However, her heart wasn't really in the show, and she left before its conclusion to
05:20 focus on other creative pursuits.
05:27 She did not appear in the final six episodes of the show, nor did she star in the 2003
05:33 movie.
05:34 Unfortunately, this preceded what Lillane calls her quote "dark years."
05:38 This included a period of serious substance use, and she was arrested in 2007 on a felony
05:42 possession of methamphetamine.
05:44 Thankfully, she eventually sought help and turned her life around.
06:00 Shirley Temple
06:10 Kids today will probably know Shirley Temple as that yummy drink you get at restaurants,
06:15 not knowing about who was once the biggest child star on the planet.
06:18 Nay, maybe the biggest movie star, period.
06:21 Unfortunately, this caused Temple to be the subject of some bizarre treatment.
06:31 The child star required intensive dental work to hide the natural gaps in her teeth, and
06:35 fans persistently yanked on her hair hoping to expose a wig.
06:39 They were left disappointed, and she was left in pain.
06:42 Worst of all was a horrific casting couch experience that she was subjected to in 1940,
06:47 the details of which are recounted in her memoir, Child Star.
06:56 Judy Garland
07:03 Another screen icon of the golden age, Judy Garland achieved enormous popularity, but
07:08 it came at the expense of her physical and mental health.
07:11 Garland's story is one of the most tragic in Hollywood, a widespread cautionary tale
07:16 about the dangers of stardom and perfection.
07:24 Garland endured a lifelong battle with substance use and body image problems, the latter of
07:28 which was propagated by studio executives.
07:31 Garland would reportedly use amphetamines throughout filming to keep up with her hectic
07:35 schedule and then take barbiturates to fall asleep, instigating a dangerous cycle of drug
07:40 use that never really went away.
07:43 Dying and dying before turning 50, she met a tragic end to a tragic life.
07:53 Corey Feldman and Corey Haim
08:02 The two Corys were the biggest teen idols of their day, known for many 80s hits like
08:06 Stand By Me and The Lost Boys, the latter of which starred both actors and started a
08:11 lifelong friendship.
08:13 Unfortunately, both suffered greatly throughout this tumultuous period.
08:16 Feldman has been very vocal about the sexual abuse that both he and Haim suffered, and
08:21 it resulted in a ferocious battle with substance use, including problems with heroin.
08:33 Feldman continues to be one of the biggest faces of Hollywood justice, even though he
08:37 himself has been accused of sexual misconduct.
08:40 As for Haim, he experienced housing insecurity before dying in 2010 at age 38.
08:57 Demi Lovato
09:09 Thanks to a meteoric rise on Disney Channel, Demi Lovato was a TV staple throughout her
09:13 younger years.
09:15 Unfortunately, her life behind the scenes was far from easy.
09:18 Lovato suddenly left both her leading role on Sonny with a Chance and a concert tour
09:22 in 2010.
09:24 She ended up going to rehab to address her addictive behaviors and struggles with mental
09:27 health in 2011.
09:39 After Lovato's stay, she publicly talked about those issues and directly spoke about
09:43 her difficulties with disordered eating.
09:45 The singer went on to share more details in her music, a self-help memoir, and in documentaries.
09:50 Lovato's journey has had several bumps in the road, but she's always been honest about
09:55 what it takes to start over.
09:57 Arielle Winter
10:07 While Arielle Winter was still working on the smash hit Modern Family, her sister Chanel
10:11 Gray was making a case for why she should be the rising star's legal guardian.
10:16 This publicized court battle led the actress to open up about her mother's bad behavior.
10:20 Winter reported that she had strict rules about her diet, friendships, and even had
10:25 to wear inappropriate clothes.
10:39 Apparently these restrictions were meant to keep the star famous.
10:43 Outside of Winter's turbulent relationship with her mother, she was also subjected to
10:47 negative comments about her body.
10:49 Winter has often talked about the power of body positivity and importance of taking care
10:53 of one's mental health.
10:54 We think Alex Dunphy would be proud.
11:08 Aaron Carter
11:24 The late Aaron Carter's financial struggles made tons of headlines over the years.
11:28 According to the pop star, he constantly dealt with debt because his parents and managers
11:32 took advantage.
11:33 While coping with financial issues, Carter's mental health struggles and legal problems
11:37 made it difficult to achieve the heights of fame he had as a child pop star.
11:46 He once revealed that he hoped a stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2009 would help
11:50 give him a career boost.
11:51 When the run didn't give him the push he was hoping for, he turned to negative habits to
11:55 help him cope.
11:56 While working on a comeback, Carter tragically passed away in his home in 2022.
12:09 Cole Sprouse
12:14 Some people start really early, and Cole Sprouse is one of them.
12:18 He first started acting in Chuck Lorre's sitcom Grace Under Fire, which premiered on
12:22 ABC in 1993.
12:24 At the time, Sprouse was a whole one year old.
12:30 Unfortunately, life in the entertainment industry had a terrible effect on his mother, and both
12:38 he and his brother Dylan were taken away from her at a young age.
12:41 Sprouse has also claimed that constantly working on movie and TV sets was a quote "insular
12:46 environment" that made him quote "forget what real human experience looked like."
12:58 Finally, he admits that he has lasting trauma from his time as a child star, but also admits
13:03 that it's nothing compared to what his female co-workers have to deal with.
13:22 After starring in beloved 1990s family movies like Matilda, Mara Wilson took a step back
13:27 from Hollywood in the 2000s.
13:29 She would later pen several articles about her experiences in the 2010s.
13:33 In one op-ed, Wilson used her first-hand experience to offer up the reasons why the odds are stacked
13:38 so highly against child stars.
13:47 She also shared a detailed look at her childhood with a memoir, Where Am I Now?
13:51 In the book, she wrote about being pressured to look and act certain ways to get cast and
13:56 be accepted.
13:57 Wilson also discussed how hard it was to read the inappropriate comments people made about
14:01 her.
14:02 Over the last decade, she has constantly voiced her support for other child stars who have
14:05 faced adversity.
14:16 Allison Stoner
14:25 She once again returned to the Disney vault for Allison Stoner, who found success through
14:29 Camp Rock and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody among many others.
14:33 Unfortunately, Stoner experienced what seems like every negative aspect of the entertainment
14:37 industry.
14:38 Stoner has been very open about their traumatic experiences in Hollywood, including instances
14:43 of sexual harassment, overwork, much of it illegal, and dangerous working conditions.
14:55 They also claim that this resulted in chronic stress and eating disorders, which in turn
15:04 led to malnourishment, hair loss, and even seizures.
15:07 Luckily, they eventually sought help through therapy and now speak openly about the importance
15:12 of mental health.
15:21 Drew Barrymore
15:27 First rising to fame in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Drew Barrymore's childhood was anything but
15:32 ordinary.
15:33 At a young age, she was often brought to clubs and venues geared for adults that she shouldn't
15:37 have been able to get access to.
15:48 Barrymore later said her behavior got so erratic that she was sent to a facility to address
15:52 her habits and mental health issues.
15:54 The star later acknowledged that her experience there ultimately helped her turn things around.
15:59 In the years since, Barrymore enjoyed a career resurgence and started hosting a successful
16:04 talk show.
16:05 On occasion, she will use her talk show platform to facilitate illuminating conversations about
16:09 child stardom and teenage rebellion.
16:24 Macaulay Culkin
16:37 Years after Macaulay Culkin blew up as a child star, he revealed how difficult it was
16:42 for him behind the scenes.
16:44 According to the actor, trying to balance normal activities like school with filming
16:48 schedules made shoots feel more like a chore.
17:01 Culkin also had to accept whatever role was chosen for him.
17:05 On top of the pressures of fame, he's been extremely honest about his rocky relationship
17:09 with his parents.
17:11 Culkin claimed that their focus on his earnings and career pushed his father in particular
17:15 to mistreat him.
17:17 Despite hitting a few rough patches, Culkin slowly started to make more Hollywood appearances
17:21 in the late 2010s.
17:23 Fortunately, Culkin's past difficulties have not kept him from a happy and productive
17:28 career.
17:29 Raven Simone
17:46 This child actress rose to fame on The Cosby Show, playing Denise's stepdaughter Olivia
17:50 Kendall.
17:51 The episode aired in September 1989, when Raven Simone was just three years old.
18:03 This kickstarted a career that was undeniably successful, but which had a negative impact
18:08 on her mental health.
18:09 Raven Simone claims that she was constantly body shamed, and was often told, even as a
18:14 very young child, that she was getting fat and that she needed to watch what she ate.
18:18 She also claims that she was forced to hide her sexuality from the public, fearing that
18:22 coming out would be detrimental to her career.
18:25 As Raven Simone told People magazine in 2017, this all resulted in quote "so many mental
18:31 issues."
18:37 Miley Cyrus
18:48 Miley Cyrus had no qualms about sharing the downsides of being in the public eye at a
18:52 young age.
18:53 After she put her breakout Hannah Montana role in the rearview mirror, the singer talked
18:57 about her struggle to move on to more mature projects.
19:00 Cyrus has spoken extensively about fans who want her to project the wholesome image she
19:04 had when she was younger.
19:11 Additionally, she's talked about the hectic schedule and pressure she had to dress a certain
19:22 way.
19:23 Cyrus even compared aspects of the experience to the notoriously exploitative TLC show Toddlers
19:28 and Tiaras.
19:29 Cyrus definitely deserves to get her flowers after withstanding all that pressure.
19:33 "I didn't hurt myself beyond repair in my experiences.
19:37 I survived.
19:40 And I don't even mean heart still beating survival.
19:43 I mean, I have a lot of people that love me around."
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20:30 "Parents don't know how to do it."
20:32 "Yes, and to be able to say that out loud and I mean people come up to me on the street
20:36 and say, 'My mom's still alive.
20:37 I can't say what you said.
20:38 Thanks for saying it.'
20:39 It's so, it's so cool."
20:40 This caused the actress to develop body image issues while feeling the pressure to constantly
20:45 perform.
20:46 Outside of talking about her family in the book, McCurdy also highlighted Nickelodeon
20:50 producer Dan Schneider's troubling behavior.
20:52 Her brave testimony became an acclaimed and much discussed bestseller.
20:56 Whether the book leads to lasting change remains to be seen, but it was a landmark work that
21:01 spoke volumes to McCurdy's resilience and bravery.
21:04 "It took me a long time to accept that my mom was not perfect, let alone abusive.
21:12 Like it went in baby steps to put these pieces of the puzzle together."
21:17 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
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21:24 [Music]
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