Over the years, our ardent sentiments of adoration and obsession have gradually turned to feelings of shock, horror, disgust, and (let’s be honest) slight amusement. I think we all join in on the familiar chorus of “what the hell happened to _______?!” when it comes to some of our all-time favorite child stars. If I had to guess, Walt Disney is currently rolling over in his grave right now, considering the magical legacy he sought to build so many years ago is now associated with drunken antics, nude pictures, and drunken debauchery. The executives of Nickelodeon are shaking their heads in disbelief and rolling their eyes out of sheer mortification in regards to the handful of stars in which they invested so much time, effort, and talent advisement. I can only imagine what runs through Tina Fey’s head when she reads tabloid magazine articles about Lindsay Lohan, the once-sought after actress who portrayed the clueless-turned-social climber character of Cady Heron in “Mean Girls.” If only LiLo took after her character towards the end of “Mean Girls” when Cady followed in suit of the Mathletes (the limit does not exist!). Instead, LiLo has completely unraveled and is now known more for her misbehavior than for her acting skills.
Perhaps it’s the inundation of money and fame or maybe it’s because being in the spot light triggers the onset of maturation and the adoption of an adult presence at such a young age, but it is clear that some of our most beloved child stars have completely gone off the deep end.
Lindsay Lohan
Oh, LiLo. As an avid lover of the “Parent Trap” and the talented, exuberant child actress who played both Hallie and Annie, I can only muster up the phrase, “Oh, LiLo,” whenever I hear, see, or read anything about her most recent bout with the law. The phrase “Oh, LiLo” is followed up by Annie’s classic line in “Parent Trap,” “this girl is without a doubt, the lowest, most awful creature to ever walk this planet” (well, perhaps not the most awful, but the fact that the former LiLo said this line just that much more applicable to her current self).
Including her upcoming three-month stay at a lock-down rehabilitation facility, Lindsay Lohan has been in rehab on six different occasions since 2006. Her abuses of and run-ins with the law concerning drugs and alcohol are Lohan’s most notable offenses. In 2011, Lohan was also charged with the theft of a necklace that was reported stolen from a jewelry store just a month earlier. Doesn’t the girl have enough cash in the bank to legally purchase a necklace? One would think. Lohan’s DUI charge, mandate to wear a SCRAM bracelet to oversee sobriety, refusal of a field sobriety test, possession of cocaine, failure of a drug test, and track record of stealing has made her a notorious celebrity both in Hollywood and in popular culture in general. Even President Obama knows of LiLo’s reckless past: LiLo offered to host events prior to the 2008 Presidential Election to endorse Obama to young voters, but the campaign declined her offer stating that LiLo is “not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be positive for” the campaign. Ouch, but totally true!
LiLo, if you’re reading this (which you definitely aren’t), just know that America misses the innocent, spunky, cheerful girl from “Parent Trap.” Come back to us, but leave this new person that you’ve become behind!
Amanda Bynes
America fell in love with Amanda Bynes with her appearances in successful television series, such as “All That” and “The Amanda Show,” and movies such as “She’s The Man,” “Hairspray,” and “Easy A.” It’s truly unfortunate that one of Teen People 2006’s “25 Hottest Stars Under 26” is now known more for her bizarre antics than her entertainment value. Bynes has had several legal problems, including driving under the influence, a hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license, and (most recently) supposedly smoking a marijuana cigarette on the streets of New York City. All of her legal troubles occurred after she took to her Twitter in 2010 and announced her retirement from the acting profession.
Amanda, girlfriend: clearly acting was a source of salvation for you. The acting skills you possessed were some to be reckoned with and we all think it’s a good idea to put the booze and drugs down and step back in front of the camera. That is all. Thanks!
Miley Cyrus
Despite what many of you may think, Miley Cyrus did not make this list because of her most recent haircut (although I do miss her long, brown, wavy hair). Cyrus’ changing status from a Disney child starlet to controversial Hollywood figure can be seen simply in the progression of her song titles: going from “Best of Both Worlds” to “Can’t Be Tamed.” Controversy surrounding Cyrus is not related to alcohol (let’s hope not cause this diva is still underage), but rather photographs and videos depicting the singer-actress participating in questionable (sometimes illegal) acts.
Although she was not a teenager who grew up with a normal lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination, Cyrus should know the one main rule about the Internet: nothing is ever safe from public disclosure. In April of 2008, photos leaked of Cyrus scandalously dressed in her underwear and swimsuit. Two and a half years later, TMZ released a home video of Cyrus that they somehow acquired of the singer-actress smoking salvia from a bong. Cyrus should have been taught (as my loving Jewish mother made sure to instill in me) that you should only partake in activities that you’d be okay having on the front page of the newspaper. Clearly, this is not a lesson Cyrus either learned or took to heart.
Why Cyrus thought that using pole dance choreography to compliment her hit “Party in the U.S.A” at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards is beyond me. The song is about feeling lost in a new city but being comforted by familiar things that remind you of home, not letting loose in a strip club in Vegas. Pole dancing had no place in this performance and this particular incident is evident that Cyrus was escaping the innocent Disney image with which she was formerly associated.
In 2010, the Internet blew up with a video (leaked by none other than TMZ) of Cyrus, then 16, giving Adam Shankman, the producer of “The Last Song,” a lap dance at the film’s wrap-up party. Her father, the well-known Billy Ray Cyrus, told critics that his daughter was just “having fun” and that “it’s what people her age do.” I honestly do not know what part of this story is more disturbing: the fact that Cyrus gave someone her father’s age a lap dance in a public setting or that her father condoned this sexually-implicated act. I truly cannot even write about this incident any more because I become queasier the more I think about it. Moving on.
Vanessa Hudgens
Let’s face it: girls everywhere were jealous of Vanessa Hudgens when she first starred in “High School Musical” alongside the beautiful, chiseled Zac Efron, who then became her boyfriend. However, I think it’s safe to say now that no one in their right mind is jealous of Hudgens, considering her recent antics are a far departure from the innocent, jovial fun that marked her role in the “High School Musical” series (and also because she is no longer dating Efron).
In 2007, 2009, and 2011, nude photos of Hudgens appeared online and were the immediately taken down. Hudgens told the media and the general pubic that she was “embarrassed over the situation” and that she regretted taking those photos. It was with these three incidences that Hudgens was released from the “cute Disney role-model” club and entered into “wild child” territory.
Hudgens is clearly working hard with her publicity team to shed that old Disney image of hers in regards to the singing and acting opportunities in which she partakes. Hudgens’s role in “Spring Breakers,” a 2013 film that has heavy drug use and sexual activity, and her newest song release so charmingly entitled “$$$ex” shreds any remaining evidence that this young Hollywood star had any ties to Disney whatsoever.
Shia LeBeouf
Don’t think that only female child stars are prone to dispelling their innocent images as they get older. Shia LeBeouf, who played troublemaker Louis in Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens,” has had many run-ins with the law in the past six years.
LeBeouf refused to leave a Walgreens in Chicago after a security guard asked him too and was therefore arrested for misdemeanor criminal trespassing (although the criminal charges were dropped several months later). Following in practice of not following orders, LaBeouf was the subject of an arrest warrant issuing for failing to make a court appearance. Similar to the Walgreens incident, the charge and arrest warrant were thrown out once the actor paid $500 in fines.
Drunken impropriety is perhaps what LaBeouf is best known for now. In July of 2008, LaBeouf was involved in a serious car crash in Los Angeles and was later found to be drinking and driving. Since LaBeouf refused a breathalyzer test after the accident, law enforcement officials arrested the actor at the scene of the car accident for misdemeanor drunk driving and suspended his driver’s license for one year. LaBeouf was also involved in two bar fights in 2011 (on in Sherman Oaks, California and the other in Vancouver).
Put the bottle (and your fists, for that matter) down, LaBeouf. Oy vey!
Why does this matter? Rather than judging people for their actions, shouldn’t we let individuals just do what they want and not care? Perhaps, but not when it is at the expense of America’s youth. Millions of American children (and kids worldwide) connect to Hollywood starlets through age-appropriate movies, television shows, and music. Children want to dress, act, and in essence, be like the young celebrities who they idolize. If children-turned-teenagers see that the stars they grew up adoring are turning to drugs, alcohol, explicit sexual acts in public, and violence, there will be a desensitization variable present in the mixture. These children-turned-teenagers will begin to think that the aforementioned acts are okay to engage in since their celebrity idol is partaking in them as well. Let me tell you all now: if I catch my teenage daughter taking photos of herself in the nude or in lingerie and validates this act by saying that “all of young Hollywood does it,” she is going to get a stern talking to and be grounded for the rest of time (after I pour myself a glass of wine and make an additional appointment that week with my psychologist).
Children need good role-models and it is both disheartening and frightening to think that Hollywood can no longer guarantee child stars to grow up to be wholesome, stable, and respectable adults. People in their 20-somethings, like the majority of you reading this article, need to make a conscious effort to be good citizens who make smart and healthy decisions; this will undoubtedly help the next generation model their behavior after our own.