Some stars make their career last from their early teens all the way into old age. However, others just lose their sparkle as they get older. Whether they were a one-hit wonder with a bad second album or an actress who was never cast again, some people weren't able to stay relevant...
Paris Hilton
Heiress Paris Hilton does not make the headlines as she did back in the day. She was known for having a rich father, a party-hard lifestyle, and little care for the people around her. People loved seeing and judging her world. Such extravagant wealth was rare to come by in the early 2000s. Now, everyone's living her life...
She's still the same Paris she always has been, but with less of a shock factor in her day to day. She's created empires in her name and even has launched somewhat of a DJ career. Basically, her worshipers are the only ones to really care what she's up to, but she's still showing off.
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen was set up to be Hollywood's next big "it girl" after she landed the role of Jenny Humphrey on the hit teen show Gossip Girl. She was also well known for portraying Cindy Lou Who in the Grinch movie. However, she had other plans in mind for her future...
Rockstar Rebuttle
Taylor, always a rebel at heart, had no interest in taking on anymore "girl next door" roles. She quit the industry completely and opted instead to go into the music industry. She's been in her band The Pretty Reckless since the show ended... but has anyone heard of them?
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney used to be on a poster in every young girl's bedroom in the early 2000s. The teen popstar captured hearts all over the world with his smash hit "Beautiful Soul." However, fame like that at such a young age is bound to burn out quickly...
Still In It
These days, Jesse is still trying to make it work. He's got a fiancee, a sweet Hollywood apartment, and a few more albums under his belt. All things considered, he's not an unsuccessful artist, but he definitely is never going to be as famous now as he was at 16 years old...
Snooki
Snooki is another controversial cast member from Jersey Shore. She was by far the most unruly of the whole gang, which made for some pretty stellar TV. She was easily the most talked-about cast member, but she's been off the grid since her time on the show wrapped.
Nowadays, Snooki a mother of three and married to one of the men she was seeing while on the show. She and bestie Jwoww had their own reality show together and even participated in Wrestlemania XXVII. At this point, she's not famous but just a "known name" and prefers it that way...
Lea Michele
Lea Michele had her time on Glee and that was basically it. Ever since her castmates outed her for her bratty behavior, fans haven't been interested in the has-been Broadway star. That doesn't mean she hasn't tried to get back in the spotlight every now and then though...
Michele made a stint on the TV comedy-horror series Scream Queens, which was semi-popular. Sadly though, she was outshined by her cool castmates and most people don't even remember that she was there. When you have a mix of both an unremarkable performance and a bad attitude on the set, people are going to stop giving you the work...
Orlando Brown
You might remember Orlando better as Eddie from That's So Raven. Orlando Brown truly has no career as an adult. He was a popular personality on the Disney Channel, but, like many of his castmates, felt the need to break free from that image and lost his fame because of it...
Sadly, his career flopped after the show ended filming. Orlando developed a seriously damaging substance abuse problem, had multiple run-ins with the cops, received several DUIs, and even was charged with battery cases against him. Sadly, he's the one standing in his way of having a successful career.
Mara Wilson
Who doesn't remember cute little Mara Wilson? She was the little girl who played the titular Matilda, the little girl who played Susan from Miracle on 34th Street, the little girl who played the kid from Mrs. Doubtfire... you get it. But where is she now? Not on the big screen...
Off the Grid
Though she pops up in a web show or as a voice actress every now and again, Mara Wilson has pretty much phased herself out of acting. She has instead made a name for herself as a writer and podcast guest. She seems very happy, good for you, Mara!
50 Cent
We love 50 Cent, don't get it mixed up. This rapper just not as in the spotlight as he used to be, which seems to be okay with him. He was one of the most famous people in the news at some point, and then be became a profitable entrepreneur by founding multiple companies and leaving the rapping behind.
Sadly, 50 Cent went bankrupt and ended up owing $32 million to the government. He's tried his hand in acting, but that didn't work out great for his career. He's tried to get back into rapping, but it seems that he lost his touch. Now he's only worth about.. 50 cents...
Mike 'The Situation'
Jersey Shore was... a weird time... in everyone's lives and on everyone's TV. Mike rose to fame through the reality TV show via his bizarre antics and impressive abs. He was definitely one of the more controversial cast members due to his behavior, even though they were all a bit on the wild side...
Fast forward to 10 years later, and Mike has grown out of his party days and into a whole new situation, pun intended. He's even gotten married. He's still trying to stay relevant on the small screen, but it's not really working for him these days. He did go to jail for tax evasion, though, so that put him in the headlines for a few weeks.
Azealia Banks
Azealia Banks is everyone's favorite person to hate and for good reason. She had a rapping career that was actually pretty successful until she started belittling people online. At first, it was fun and fresh. Then, she started to play dirty and lost her fanbase completely to her bullying...
She really did lose her career. Since her early days, she has been arrested for violent behavior, banned from Twitter for harassment, and lost all of her sponsors. No one in their right mind would work with someone who had real, personal beef with Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, Zayn Malik, Russell Crow, Elon Musk... Can you blame them?
Owen Wilson
Where has Owen Wilson been? Has anyone checked in on him? He had some great blockbuster films back in the day and was well set to be the next big thing in the film industry. Has he still been acting? Unfortunately, the answer to that is a resounding yes.
Wilson has been acting in recent films, but they're not good enough to get any attention. Flop after flop has had Wilson's name in the credits. Sadly, it seems like his acting days are behind him. He does some producing, so maybe he should stick to this new career path...
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow was one of the most popular names in the NFL at some point, remember? He was on the Florida Gators team for a few years before leaving the league. Since then though, his celebrity status has dwindled...
He was offered contracts for other teams but not as a quarterback, which was not good enough for Timmy. Since he wasn't going to get his way, he decided to infiltrate the MLB as an outfielder with the New York Mets. Weird, but it worked!
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag
These two had the time of their lives (and careers) during their time on The Hills. Somehow, they're still together years later. Since the show, both of them saw that reality TV is the extent of their talent, so they went on tons of other shows, including Celebrity Big Brother and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
They truly don't know where to stop. They tried books, TV shows, blogs... Anything that could have kept this duo relevant, they've tried to sell. At this point, they spend most of their time recounting The Hills on different interview outlets, and now they're with child!
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
This boy next door used to be a TV heartthrob. He was best known for playing Randy Taylor on Home Improvement as well as voicing young Simba in Disney's film The Lion King (1994). However, once he grew out of his teenage years, he lost his fame with age...
Totally Fine With It
Though he's not the teen sensation he once was, JTT is happy to be out of the spotlight. Since his youth, he's been up to some new hobbies and interests. He graduated from Harvard University with degrees in philosophy and history, and even went to graduate school at Columbia University!
Aly and AJ Michalka
Aly and AJ used to be Disney sweethearts that got the full child-celeb deal. They had TV shows, music, tours, merchandise. It was Michalka or bust! Though you might still blast "Potential Break-Up Song" every now and then, you certainly hear about these two a lot less...
Keeping It Up
The two kept up a music career for a while, and they even teamed up to rerecord "Potential Break-Up Song" in 2020 thanks to a TikTok campaign. Aly and AJ each also did some minor actor gigs, but nothing extremely notable. One thing is for certain though, they look way cooler now...
Sara Paxton
After she played a mermaid in the movie Aquamarine, every girl in the world wanted to be this blonde beauty. Unfortunately, Hollywood didn't think so highly of her. She was fully invested in acting, but the silver screen wasn't as interested as she would have liked...
Working For No One
Though she's still filming stuff pretty regularly, she never had the same blockbuster appeal as when she played snarky mean girls in movies as a teen. Her last huge gig was in 2017 when she had a role in David Lynch's Twin Peaks revival series.
Justin Guarini
Once upon a time, the world had a rivalry between vocal powerhouses Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson on the TV show American Idol. Needless to say, Kelly won. Justin, the runner-up was expected to have a successful career anyway, but it didn't turn out that way...
Dr. Pepper
He still has his good looks, but he's not nearly at the same level as Kelly. You might recognize him from his biggest gig as the Dr. Pepper mascot. He's the little guy who croons "It's the sweet one!" in the commercials. Hey, at least he's still making a living as a singer!
Kelis
Her milkshakes brought all the boys to the yard, but then what? The world hasn't heard from the singer Kelis in a very long time. She's had some famous boyfriends, like the rapper Nas, but these days Kelis is living a different life. What has she been up to? Well, it's not a lot...
Hands In Everything
Like a lot of long-lost celebs, she's tried her hand at a few different ventures. She was involved in a fashion line in 2006, she went to culinary school for a few years, but through it all, she has been making music. Her most recent album Kaleidoscope came out in 2019 and she competed on the British Masked Singer in 2020.
Erik von Detten
Another aged teen crush was Erik von Detten, the actor who played the popular boy from the movie The Princess Diaries. He also starred in roles like Escape to Witch Mountain, Toy Story, Brink!, Meego, Complete Savages, and So Weird. But what's he doing today?
Normal Guy
These days, von Detten is an employee for Rosland Capital, a precious metals asset management firm. He works as a sales manager but still finds his way into the tabloids every now and then. Even grown-up, he's still making headlines for pretty much any big life decision...
Kristin Kreuk
Smallville star Kristin Kreuk is not on the big screen much these days. She had a few other famous parts, such as being in Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, and Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy. Unfortunately, this Canadian actress didn't strike career gold twice...
Making It Work
She hasn't given up completely on her famous dreams. She has done a bit of voice acting here and there as well as doing some advertising work for a few campaigns. Unfortunately, she was also a part of the controversial NXIVM group, which has since been culturally defined as a cult group...
Nicole Scherzinger
Once a Pussycat Doll, always a Pussycat Doll, right? Apparently, that's what Nicole Scherzinger likes to believe. The girl group broke up over a decade ago. She tried her best at a solo career but it didn't quite take off as much as her girl group did...
After realizing that solo work was not her best plan, Nicole decided to make a career move to become the next reality TV star. She won the 10th season of Dancing with the Stars and even joined the cast of the X-Factor as a host. She ended up getting fired in 2017 followed by two flop albums.
Cassie
Cassie was P. Diddy's protege and released the incredible jam titled "Me & U". Unfortunately, those factors meant absolutely nothing. Her singing career largely flopped and so did her acting career. Don't worry, she's still trying to be in the magazines...
At this point, she's trying to be an "influencer" on social media, like everyone else. Her acting career is no more and she can never return to singing. Modeling might as well be the way to go, so she's leaning into it as much as she physically can...
Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins was a notable tough guy in the NBA once upon a time. The man was an intimidating defender who wasn't afraid to take the court away from his fellow teammates. When looking at his stats, he was less than remarkable. If anything, he was a bully on the court which didn't help his career...
Nowadays, Perkins is battling it out on TV and Twitter as a basketball conversationalist, as if that means anything. He's as confrontational on the screen as he was on the court. He states opinions as facts and changes his stance on situations left and right. Fans of the sport are rarely also fans of Perkins.
Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant was once well-known as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL when he was at his peak. He was also famous for causing a lot of rifts between himself and the Cowboys football team. Due to all of the drama, he was released from his contract after 8 seasons with the team...
Naturally, no one wanted to be on a team with someone as difficult and annoying as Dez Bryant, so it was hard for him to find another venture. He also suffered from a difficult injury that affected his skills. He is now a vocal personality on Twitter in the football world, even though no one asked for his opinion...
Rita Ora
Rita Ora came into the spotlight feet first and jumped out just as quickly. She was super popular in European countries and had some pull in the States. After fast fame though, it seems like she's struggling to stay relevant.
Hanging On
At this point in time, Ora hasn't had any recent or impressive chart-toppers. She had a few guest stints on X Factor and America's Next Top Model, but those weren't important... In fact, if you have to judge a reality show because your music or acting career isn't doing so hot, that's a valid sign that you need to find your newest hobby...
Iggy Azalea
To quote Iggy herself, "Who that who that/ That do that, do that?" Iggy Azalea is one of the most controversial people in her industry. A lot of music fans didn't love when she was trying to appropriate Black culture, while others hated just her attitude towards her competitors...
Iggy vs Nicki
Iggy battled on the wrong person when she instigated a fight with rapper Nicki Minaj. Minaj, who has since calmed down (which is the right thing to do after years of celebrity beef) was on top of the world in the early 2010s. Back then, Iggy kept saying rude things about the rapper. Obviously, Minaj's fans were anti-Iggy from the start.
Tyga
Tyga had a few big songs in the rap world, but he really hit the spotlight when he started dating Kylie Jenner. The controversy around the couple was exciting enough to keep his music career afloat for a while. Think about it... when was the last time you heard about him? Their split?
Post-Kylie
Let's be real: he's released music but hasn't gotten any hype since he and the Kardashian sister called it quits. Jenner has since moved on and had a baby with another rapper, Travis Scott, who already had a successful enough career. Tyga probably won't stop rapping, no matter how unpopular his tunes are...
Tara Reid
Do you remember Tara Reid? She used to be America's sweetheart back in the day. Everyone loved her in the film American Pie, but she quickly lost her street cred when her partying got out of hand. Many people wonder what happened to her all these years later...
Minor Roles
At this point in her career, Reid has been making a living by taking on minor acting roles. Most notably, she starred in the crazy unbelievable film Sharknado. It's a cult classic movie that's so ridiculous it only makes sense that Tara Reid is the leading lady...
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest celebrities back in the 80s thanks to his out of this world antics. He was known for his WWE character who was totally outrageous, wacky, and tons of fun to watch. At some point, he mashed his character with his true personality...
WWE Star
Hulk Hogan in the ring became Hulk Hogan in reality. For the younger generation, he was better known for his reality show Hogan Knows Best. Even though that show is a piece of the past now, he's still trying to stay in the limelight. It's over, Hulk, you can stop now...
Yasiel Puig
Yasiel Puig was once in line to be the MVP on multiple instances, but his attitude stopped him in his tracks. He was such a troublemaker that he gained a reputation, which made it hard for him to find a stable ball gig. He's not with the Browns anymore but has managed to turn away multiple contracts for other teams...
Ego Driven
He declined all of the contracts offers because he thought that they were "too low" for his budget when they absolutely weren't. This guy needs an attitude check, not a really big check! No one likes an ego driven ballplayer...
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin's career ended over 10 years ago, but it feels like just yesterday he was in the news. He was a big player in the NBA and had one of the best feel-good stories with the Linsanity in Madison Square Garden, but he's lost his fame since. Apparently, that doesn't sit right with the player...
Sore Loser
Even though he's basically too old to be playing in the NBA, he still has the audacity to call it a "personal" attack that he hasn't been offered spots on any other teams. Is it a lack of opportunities, or are you just not the athlete you once were anymore?
Tila Tequila
Tila Tequila somehow made a name for herself by partying with the right people at the right time. Tila was a MySpace royal before starring in A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV. Like Myspace, she couldn't last. Her fall from fame has not been pretty...
Off the Deep End
She ended up having kids and finding God, like a lot of former celebs. That would be pretty typical, except she's completely off her rocker. She is publicly racist, anti-Semitic, and thinks that she can strike down her enemies with lightning. Tila only streams bizarre rants and even more bizarre opinions...
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown was a popular face in the world of football. He's known as one of the best wide receivers who ever graced the game until his fame fell. At one point, he was in the running for a Hall of Fame career, but his bad-boy behavior changed that chance for him...
Going Downhill
The Oakland Raiders told him to get lost and it all went downhill from there. He was involved in a sexual assault case and then later involved with an assault and robbery of a harmless delivery driver. With that sort of record on his back, he'll never head back into the NFL. He's active on social media, tweeting off hate left and right.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter was everyone's favorite baby-faced pop star when he was a tween sensation. He peaked at the age of 9, and it was a slippery slope downhill from there. He always struggled with his face in the tabloids, whether it was desiring more or needing less, he could never tell...
Aaron Now
He's tried to make his mark and get back into the music industry over the years, but it didn't really work out for him. He's been slapped with tons of DUIs and substance violations. He's also been in and out of rehab but has somehow managed to go on tour a few times...
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl started her career as a child model. Soon, she stepped into acting and found great success doing so. At first, it was all going well. She was booking roles pretty regularly as a girl-next-door type, but the fame got to her head quickly...
Bad Attitude
Famously, Katherine is difficult to work with on any set. She was popular in Grey's Anatomy but even her co-stars would call her out on her bad behavior and annoying tendencies. It was hard for her to find any other jobs due to her poor reputation in the acting world...
Shia LaBeouf
Even Stevens was a wonderful Disney show that every kid grew attached to. Shia LaBeouf was the main character, but that wasn't his only role. An entire decade of kids grew up with his presence. He was poised to be one of the biggest faces in the industry... That is, until he realized where his road was headed...
Not Famous
Unlike the other celebs on this list, LaBeouf does not want to be famous. His father forced him into acting to make the family money, and everything else went badly from there. He tried his best to act as strange as possible to get people off of his tail, and it eventually worked well enough...
Jonathan Cheban
The only reason this guy is famous is because of who he hangs out with and the people he knows, of which there are many. Nowadays, connections alone are not going to cut it. Sure, he's developed some ventures with the help of his rich and famous network, but what's left of him when you take that status away?
Blogger
He has to spend his time doing something, so he picked up blogging about pretty much whatever he wants. He blogs about food, and... really nothing else. He's always on red carpets alongside his rich crew, but nothing else is striking about him aside from his contacts list.
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff was once the "it-girl" of the early aughts. She was a Disney Star, blockbuster movie actress, and eventually a hit popstar. She thrived in her younger years, but the fame got to her over a period of time. Seems like it was too much for a girl so young...
Calmed Down
Since her Disney days, she's calmed down her jet-setter lifestyle a bit. She settled down with a man, had a couple of kids, got divorced, and starred in a few lackluster shows along the way. She fits the "influencer" role better, and even wrote some children's books!
Drake Bell
Unlike his counterpart Josh Peck, who found more fame on Vine and Youtube, Drake Bell hasn't done anything remarkable with his career. After his stint on Drake and Josh, he basically had nothing left of a career, so he made a strange choice. He totally rebranded himself...
Allegations
Bell rebranded himself to being a Spanish pop star who now goes by "Drake Campana". Bell also is known to have quite the temper on him. A video surfaced of him ending a show because a kid threw something at him. There are also allegations of him acting inappropriately with young girls. Yuck.
Bow Wow
Bow Wow, formerly known as Lil Bow Wow, has obviously grown up and is not so little anymore. His career has only been trending downward in his years since. He is no longer the cute kid that he was and is now kind of a terrible human being.
Very Fake
For starters, people have been calling him out on recurring lies for several years. He posts photoshopped photos to pretend that he's being mobbed by crowds of fans and that he's traveling on lux private jets. Both of those are proven to be false, and he's a proven liar.
Christina Milian
Christina Milian is another one of those one-hit-wonders that you love to remember. She released an iconic album in 2006 and that was basically the peak of her career. Since then, she's been in the very back of everyone's mind...
Lowkey Life
She hasn't released new music or played an acting role since the early 2000s. She had a reality show that was short-lived and canceled quickly. After that, people completely forget that she was even a judge on The Voice for a season. Yikes!
Aubrey O'Day
Danity Kane was an okay band for back in the day, but singer Aubrey O'Day still chooses to live in that forgettable shadow. She's had absolutely no luck in any other jobs and has been kicked to the curb of every band she tried to join up with. Unfortunately, her time has passed.
Reality Show Flop
After getting booted from Danity Kane and everything else she tried to cash in on, Audrey went to a failing fame safe space: reality TV. She was on shows like Marriage Bootcamp, Ex on the Beach, and All About Aubrey. Needless to say, she was never a favorite on any of these...