It feels like just yesterday that Michelle Tanner was stealing hearts on Full House and the Disney Channel was overrun with bright young child stars on shows like Lizzie McGuire and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
While some of these pint-sized performers continued on in their acting careers as adults, others chose to follow new paths after saying goodbye to the iconic roles that made them stars. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have taken a step away from acting to create their own fashion line; former Boy Meets World darling Danielle Fishel has started a family; and Emmy winner Shia LaBeouf has sought out his passion of directing.
Even after they retired from acting, the Olsens continued working side by side. “We do everything together,” Ashley told WSJ Magazine in August 2018, with Mary-Kate adding: “We came out of the womb doing that.”
Growing up in the spotlight has, not surprisingly, taken its toll on a number of former child actors. LaBeouf, for example, admitted that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time as a young performer.
“I was trying to earn my father. I was trying to shake off Disney. I was trying to shake off blockbusters,” he said of his post-Even Stevens career during an October 2019 appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast. “And I was trying to work with people who f—ked with me.”
The actor attended court-ordered rehab in Connecticut following his 2017 arrest and discovered his condition. “It was the first time I’d been told I had PTSD,” he recalled. “I just thought I was an alcoholic, like, a true-blue drunk and I needed to deal with that. I knew it was an issue but didn’t know there was this extra whole other thing that was hindering my ability to have any peace in my life and my ability to deal with people.”
Over the years, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes have all experienced challenges as they’ve distanced themselves from their identities as child stars.
From Hilary Duff to the Olsen Twins, scroll through to see where some of Hollywood’s most famous kids are now!
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Cole and Dylan Sprouse
The Sprouse twins became Disney Channel mainstays with The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck. They took a break from acting to attend New York University.
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Miley Cyrus
Cyrus made a name for herself as the titular character on Hannah Montana. She then progressed to a solo music career, releasing hit singles “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball” and “Malibu.” The singer has served as a coach on The Voice and appeared in a 2019 episode of Black Mirror.
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Daniel Radcliffe
The actor grew up before fans’ eyes while starring in the Harry Potter franchise. He continued to act with — often comedic — roles on Miracle Workers, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend and Now You See Me 2.
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Raven-Symoné
The actress got her start on The Cosby Show before dominating Disney Channel with That’s So Raven and The Cheetah Girls. She has since appeared on Broadway, cohosted The View and returned to her roots with the revival Raven’s Home.
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Mayim Bialik
The Blossom alum scored another major TV role with The Big Bang Theory, for which she earned four Emmy nominations. Bialik also worked her way to a Ph.D. in neuroscience and is an author.
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Dakota Fanning
Fanning was everywhere as a child actress, and she still dominates her craft. In recent years, she has starred in The Alienist, Ocean’s 8 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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Zendaya
The actress shifted from Disney Channel to gritty drama with her starring role in Euphoria and, as a result, became the youngest-ever winner of the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy. Her other notable credits include the Spider-Man franchise and The Greatest Showman.
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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Nothing says the ‘90s like the Olsen twins! Mary-Kate and Ashley got their start as the precocious toddler Michelle Tanner in the beloved sitcom Full House.
The twins have now moved into the fashion industry with their contemporary clothing line, Elizabeth & James, and upmarket brand The Row.
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Alyson Stoner
At the age of 9, Stoner made a name for herself dancing in Missy Elliott’s iconic “Work It” music video in 2002.
The Disney Channel alum went on to star in the Step Up franchise, Cheaper By the Dozen and Camp Rock. Stoner — who was reunited with Elliott when she was honored at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2019 — now spends time teaching hip-hop classes at Millenium Dance Complex in Los Angeles.
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Shia Labeouf
LaBeouf landed a gig on Disney Channel’s Even Stevens in the early 2000s, earning a Daytime Emmy award in 2003.
Recently, the Transformers actor has sought out more experimental ventures, like starring in one of Sia's music videos and producing a livestream of himself watching all of his own movies.
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Danielle Fishel
Danielle Fishel was only 12 when she started her journey to stardom as Topanga Lawrence in the ‘90s classic Boy Meets World.
Fishel has since reprised her role in the updated Disney sequel, Girl Meets World, married Jensen Karp at a star-studded wedding in 2018, and welcomed a baby boy named Adler in June 2019.
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Macaulay Culkin
The pint-sized star made waves “eating junk and watching rubbish” as Kevin McCallister in the holiday favorite Home Alone in 1990.
After taking a break from acting, he sang in a band called The Pizza Underground and founded the satirical pop culture website Bunny Ears.
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Thomas Brodie Sangster
In 2003, Sangster stole our hearts as Liam Neeson’s adorable stepson Sam in Love Actually.
The British actor has now had breakout performances in Game of Thrones, Maze Runner and as a young Paul McCartney in the musical biopic Nowhere Boy.
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Keshia Knight Pulliam
The actress appeared opposite comedian Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show from 1984-1992. Pulliam is currently starring in Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail.
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Hilary Duff
The multihyphenate now stars in the popular TV Land series, Younger. She shares son Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie, and a baby girl, Banks, with husband Matthew Koma. In October 2019, Disney confirmed that Duff would be reprising her role as Lizzie McGuire, along with original castmates Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas.
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Molly Ringwald
This '80s Brat Pack alumna starred in timeless teen dramas like 1985's The Breakfast Club and 1986's Pretty in Pink. She now has three kids with her hubby, writer Panio Gianopoulos, and has appeared on other teen dramas, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Riverdale.
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Soleil Moon Frye
This pint-sized actress was everyone's favorite TV orphan in the '80s sitcom Punky Brewster. The mom of four still does film and voice work and will reprise her iconic role for an upcoming revival.
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Jessica Biel
The 7th Heaven alum tied the knot with former boyband star Justin Timberlake in 2012 after years of off-and-on dating. The pair welcomed son Silas three years later and a second child in 2020.
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