The Troubled Life of Lindsay Lohan

The Troubled Life of Lindsay Lohan

It’s a long fall from Disney child star to Hollywood pariah. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re taking a look at the troubled life of actress, musician, and former teen idol Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay Lohan was born in 1986 as the eldest of three children, in the Bronx, New York City. Her parents had a stormy relationship: her father, Michael Lohan, was a former stock trader who had frequent run-ins with the law and went to jail when Lindsay was only four. The Lohans separated and reunited several times, only to finalize their divorce in 2007. The ordeal affected the whole family, including Lindsay: the star has spoken out about feeling like “a second parent” and being put between her father and mother.

From her early childhood, Lohan was used to living in the public eye. She became a child model at the tender age of three, and worked for brands like Abercrombie and Calvin Klein Kids. She also appeared in ads for Wendy’s and Pizza Hut, and co-starred in a Jell-O ad with comedian Bill Cosby. When she was ten-years old, she made her TV debut as Alexandra “Alli” Fowler on the soap opera, “Another World.”

In 1998, Lohan left the set of “Another World” to star in Disney’s remake of the 1961 family comedy, “The Parent Trap.” The young actress received universal praise - as well as a Young Artist Award - for her performance as twin sisters Hallie and Annie. This was a true breakthrough for Lohan, as the movie’s success led to a three-film contract with Disney. She then briefly returned to television, where she played the daughter of iconic singer Bette Middler in the pilot of the sitcom “Bette.”

The budding star went on to appear in several other Disney films, including the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday.” But her rise to stardom didn’t truly begin until 2004, when the eighteen-year old actress moved to L.A. on her own. She starred in “Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen,” followed by her first non-Disney movie, “Mean Girls.” Her performance in the latter was widely acclaimed and earned her several awards - four at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, and two at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. Her drastic increase in fame caught the attention of the paparazzi, however, who began to keep a close eye on the young star’s personal life.

Meanwhile, Lohan also pursued a career in music. As part of her role in “Freaky Friday,” the actress learned to sing and play guitar. She also worked on the soundtrack of “Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen,” with her song “Drama Queen (That Girl)” quickly becoming a Radio Disney Hit. Lohan soon released an album of her own entitled “Speak,” composed mostly of hip-hop and rock songs. While a few singles like “Rumors” and “Over” did well, most reviews were lukewarm at best.

As a young star living in Hollywood, Lilo was no stranger to partying. Unfortunately, her hectic lifestyle soon started to affect her work. While shooting a movie in 2006, the star was hospitalized due to being allegedly “overheated and dehydrated.” After being out all night, she often arrived late and exhausted to sets - thus prompting studio executive James G. Robinson to publically deem her “irresponsible and unprofessional.” She ended up losing out on roles in several movies, including “A Woman Of No Importance” and “The Edge of Love.”

The former child star’s struggle with substance abuse was a secret to no one. She started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at the age of twenty-one, and later described alcohol as a “gateway drug” for her. In January 2007, Lohan admitted herself to a rehabilitation center. Little did she know, this was just the beginning of a long, harrowing battle with addiction. Over the next six years, the actress was in and out of court-mandated rehab.

While dealing with addiction, Lohan also experienced plenty of legal issues. From 2007 to 2013, she received numerous DUIs; on one occasion, the actress was arrested for drunken driving and possession of cocaine less than two weeks after her release from rehab. Yikes! To make matters worse, her probation was often extended due to her failing to pass drug tests or attend mandatory rehab meetings. Needless to say, this was not a high point of Lohan’s career: the former Disney idol had become more famous for her reckless behaviour than for her acting.

Despite less-than-ideal circumstances, Lindsay did her best to continue working. In 2007, she shot the low-budget psychological horror “I Know Who Killed Me” while still in rehab. Sadly, the movie was a disaster and earned her not one, but two Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actress. She went on to make appearances as a guest star on ABC’s “Ugly Betty” and in the 2009 rom-com “Labor Pains.” The American actress then startled British audiences by narrating a BBC documentary about human trafficking in India: though the project may have come from good intentions, most viewers saw it as exploitative and offensive.

In the 2010s, Lohan mostly appeared on talk shows and in low-budget films. She hosted Saturday Night Live in 2012, making this her first time on the show since 2006. Although her performance received negative reviews, the episode had the second highest ratings of the season. She also starred as Elizabeth Taylor in the made-for-TV biopic, “Liz & Dick.” In 2014, Lohan played a leading role in a West End production of the satirical play, “Speed-the-Plow.” The twenty-eight year old actress’ stage debut was a long-awaited event for her fans, but critics welcomed her performance with mixed reviews.

2017 marked the beginning of a new era for Lohan, as she packed up her bags and moved to Dubai. Far from Hollywood, she turned to new business ventures and opened a chain of nightclubs in Greece. But it seems that she couldn’t quite stay away from showbiz altogether: her clubs were briefly the topic of an MTV reality show called “Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club.”

That isn’t to say that she stayed out of trouble. She remained active on social media, hitting new low points when she defended Harvey Weinstein amid abuse accusations, and live-streamed herself chasing homeless children in what many saw as an attempted kidnapping.

While Lohan has stayed out of the limelight in the last couple of years, she’s still keeping busy. Besides managing her younger sister Aliana’s music career, she’s also preparing to shoot an all-women film in Saudi Arabia and writing a script for another movie. In 2019, she announced that she’d be moving back to the States for a Hollywood comeback. For now though, the red-haired star is enjoying some well-deserved peace and quiet in sunny Dubai.