10 Tragic Child Star Stories That Had Happy Endings

10 Tragic Child Star Stories That Had Happy Endings

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at child stars who managed to turn their lives around after difficult upbringings.

Lindsay Lohan

1998 was a big year for Lindsay Lohan, as she made her mainstream breakthrough by playing twins Hal and Ann Parker in “The Parent Trap.” She quickly transitioned into a teenage icon before facing numerous legal issues related to drug and alcohol use. She was arrested numerous times and lost multiple roles, all while the media relentlessly analyzed her supposed downfall. Luckily, she managed to escape the cycle and is now on the upswing. Lohan has been returning to the screen with a number of romantic Netflix movies, she is set to reunite with Jamie Lee Curtis for “Freakier Friday,” and she got married to financier Bader Shammas in 2022. The two even welcomed their first child in 2023.

Daniel Radcliffe

Frankly, it’s amazing that Daniel Radcliffe managed to escape “Harry Potter” with a firm head on his shoulders. But the immense fame and pressure that was thrust upon him did do a little bit of damage. Radcliffe has admitted throughout the years that he turned to alcohol to help battle the constant attention. Unfortunately, this drinking soon got out of hand, and he soon found himself reliant on alcohol. He even told Heat that he “went into work still drunk” and could pinpoint numerous scenes throughout the series where he was “dead behind the eyes.” Luckily, Radcliffe made the decision to stop drinking and has remained sober since 2010.

Mary-Kate Olsen

The Olsen twins were all of one year old when “Full House” debuted in the fall of 1987. Now that’s starting them young! They turned their “Full House” fame into a wildly successful career and dominated much of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. However, Mary-Kate would ultimately battle some mental health issues in her teenage years, manifesting in the form of body dysmorphia and anorexia. While it’s never been confirmed, it’s likely that her mental health issues were exacerbated, if not caused by, the constant public scrutiny and enormous expectations that were placed upon her and her sister. Olsen entered treatment in 2004 and now lives a relatively quiet and private life away from the spotlight.

Jackie Coogan

Considered one of the earliest child stars, Jackie Coogan found immense success playing the eponymous character in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid.” He rode this role to unbelievable fame, and by the mid 1930s he had accrued about $4 million - or, to sound more amazing, about $90 million today. But all this money was squandered by his mother and stepfather, who spent nearly every cent on various luxuries. His tragic story resulted in the Coogan Act, a California law meant to protect the earnings of child performers and protect them from exploitation. Luckily, Coogan recovered financially and went on to have a successful adult career playing Uncle Fester in “The Addams Family.”

Jennette McCurdy

Watching her as Sam Puckett, you’d never know that Jennette McCurdy was struggling behind the scenes. The young actress suffered from numerous health issues, including a reliance on alcohol, body dysmorphia, and bulimia. She attributes these issues partly to the pressures of fame and partly to her late mother, Debra. McCurdy has described her mother as being controlling and both emotionally and sexually abusive. She reportedly pressured and guilted McCurdy into acting in order to support the family, and often monitored her weight via caloric restrictions - which led to the aforementioned body issues. Luckily, McCurdy now considers herself “fully recovered” from eating disorders and worked through her trauma in the form of a memoir titled “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”

Wil Wheaton

This actor came to prominence in 1986 at the age of fourteen playing Gordie Lachance in “Stand by Me.” But that wasn’t exactly his choice. Wheaton told Yahoo! Movies that he never wanted to be an actor and that he was forced into the profession by his abusive parents. He claims that as a child, he suffered “incredible emotional abuse” from his father and “manipulation” from his mother, who often enabled his father’s behavior. Growing up he developed a number of serious medical issues, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, while also succumbing to a reliance on alcohol. Today, Wheaton has a very successful career, is estranged from his abusive parents, has a family, and has been sober since 2016.

Jodie Sweetin

Between the ages of five and thirteen, Jodie Sweetin portrayed the sarcastic middle child Stephanie Tanner on “Full House,” earning love with catchphrases like “Well, pin a rose on your nose!” And it was almost immediately after the show ended that Sweetin turned to alcohol. She started drinking at fourteen, and alcohol soon turned into crack and meth. Some of her concerned “Full House” castmates staged an intervention, but it would be years before Sweetin got the help that she needed. She finally checked herself into a rehab facility and became sober in 2008 at the age of 26. Minus a brief relapse, she has been clean ever since, and she has obtained a degree to work as a drug and alcohol counselor.

Mara Wilson

By the age of ten, little Mara Wilson had already worked with the likes of Robin Williams, Richard Attenborough, and Danny DeVito. But she soon grew disillusioned with the lifestyle - a disillusionment that was partly caused by the death of her mother. Suzie Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and died shortly after. It was around this time that Wilson lost her passion for acting and began suffering from numerous ailments, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression. Wilson ultimately decided to leave Hollywood behind and retired in 2000 at the age of thirteen. She has mostly remained private ever since, instead focusing on writing and doing charity work with nonprofits aimed at improving mental health.

Macaulay Culkin

The 1990s belonged to Macaulay Culkin, but this earned the ire of his father Kit, whom Culkin claims was abusive and fiercely jealous of his son’s success. His parents also entered into a bitter custody battle when Culkin was in his teens, often fighting over his substantial finances. The young Culkin was forced to take his own parents to court to block access to his trust fund, and the instability in his personal life led to burnout in his professional career. He retired in 1994, and by the 2000s he was mostly reclusive and using prescription drugs, fueling speculation that he was struggling with addiction. Luckily, everything turned out well for Culkin - he is acting again and has two children with his partner Brenda Song.

Drew Barrymore

The lovely Drew Barrymore is perhaps the poster child for success stories, her recovery almost the thing of Hollywood legend. Barrymore was born into a famous family, but her father John was unstable and her parents divorced when she was young, leading to a turbulent home life. By the age of nine Barrymore was already drinking, and alcohol soon turned into marijuana and cocaine. By the time she was fourteen she had already done two stints in rehab. Her personal struggles were highly publicized, her career hit a low point, and she became notorious for her troubled bad girl image. But with a good head on her shoulders, Barrymore reinvented herself in the mid ‘90s, launching a comeback for the ages.

Can you think of any other examples? Let us know in the comments below!