Being a child star means your life is going to go down one of two vastly different paths: either you become the hero, or you live long enough to watch yourself become the villain. Sadly, this is a hard truth that you can’t get around.
Let’s take a look at some child stars that completely destroyed their own careers.
Lindsay Lohan
I mean – what more can we say about this one? I’m pretty sure the tabloids covered everything already. LiLo has been trying to get back into showbiz in recent years and we can only hope she can stay on top this time, but she’ll always have her past haunting her.
Demi Lovato
Again, I’m pretty sure the tabloids covered most of Demi’s breakdown already. Her recent overdose is still fresh in our minds, but she’s talented enough to make it back on top if she really wants to.
Britney Spears
Ah yes, Britney Spears. We’ll always know what we were doing exactly when Britney decided to shave off her head and yell at the paparazzi. I’m not sure Britney knew what she was doing then, but she seems to be doing well in recent years. Let’s hope she keeps it that way.
Shia LaBeouf
Shia has been on top of Hollywood for as long as anyone can remember, until he had a period where he did all kinds of crazy stuff – like announcing he wasn’t famous anymore on Twitter for 22 times. He also had a weird rap phase where he stole lyrics from other artists and let’s not forget the “Just do it” video. Don’t let your dreams be dreams, man.
Melissa Joan Hart
Being Sabrina, the teenage witch sounds like a recipe for success, right? Well, sadly she – like a lot of artists before and after her – fell into the trap of drugs and faded into obscurity due to her habit. She hasn’t done much acting in recent years, and she hasn’t even been asked for the Sabrina remake, but she’s still got a few projects in the future lined up so she’s not entirely done yet!
Macaulay Culkin
The “Home Alone” star spent more time on drugs than he did in the spotlight. He’s even asked J.K. Rowling for a role in the new Harry Potter universe movie on Twitter. It’s not exactly a sign of an actor that’s high on everyone’s list, despite his career starting with the world at his feet all those years ago.
Amanda Bynes
While Amanda had a good jumpstart to her career – starring in loads of shows on Nickelodeon, her issues in 2012 and 2013 put a huge shadow over it. From driving under influence to starting small fires, Amanda had plenty of run-ins with the law and it really wasn’t necessary. She spent years under psychiatric help and is now finally trying to make her comeback.
Justin Bieber
Starting as the perfect crush for every girl above the age of 12, he made a huge career for himself. Sadly, like most men when they reach the age of 18, he started to go into full puberty mode and started making a lot of trouble for himself. The scandals followed each other in the tabloids at a staggering pace, and it’s only been a few years since Justin regained all the respect he lost in that period.
