Fred Savage was the sitcom epitome of the clean cut American boy — so
you may be shocked to learn why as an adult he was fired from the reboot of
"The Wonder Years." Still, he wasn't the only former up-and-comer with a surprising future.
Soleil Moon Fyre is most famous for her lead role in the NBC sitcom "Punky Brewster'' which ran for
four seasons in the 1980s. The series follows a quirky young girl who finds herself abandoned in
a supermarket only to discover a new family of her own. Fyre was practically born into the spotlight
— her father was a successful character actor, and she made her first on-screen appearance aged 6.
Though her mother told the Washington Post that they didn't push Frye into acting,
growing up as the face of a popular sitcom took its toll on Fyre. The star directed
and produced her own 2021 documentary "Kid 90", which documented her struggles with growing up in
public life. Footage pulled from Fyre's personal archives depicted drug use, mental health issues,
and how her first sexual experience was with an older Charlie Sheen. Frye told People,
"I think it's fascinating to be able to go back and have a true
chronological blueprint of what it was to grow up as a teenager in the '90s."
That same year, she made a return to television in a "Punky Brewster" revival
series on Peacock. The series followed the former orphan years later as she
tackled the day-to-day challenges of being a single mom to three children. Unfortunately,
the revival was canceled by the streaming service after one season.
Melissa Gilbert may have made her mark on the acting world in her starring role in the
NBC series "Little House on the Prairie," but her impressive resume also includes being a television
director, producer, and politician. Famous for playing Laura Ingalls from 1974 to 1983,
Gilbert went on to become Screen Actors Guild president, serving from 2001 through 2005.
Gilbert told Page Six that her 2011 divorce from
ex-husband Bruce Boxleitner was a major wake-up call.
"It was like I lost my mind."
She ultimately met her now husband Timothy Busfield a year later and
the pair moved to rural Michigan. She told "Good Morning America,"
"I had to get out of Los Angeles to actually age, which I wanted to do."
In 2015, Gilbert ran for Congress in Michigan, but eventually was forced to withdraw her bid
on the advice of doctors due to the lingering effects of a serious accident she had in 2012.
In 2022 she released her second memoir, "Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered."
Danica McKellar made a name for herself as a child star with her role as Winnie Cooper in
the sitcom "The Wonder Years" which debuted in 1988 and ran for six seasons. The actor
went on to appear in several television and film projects during her career, including a variety
of voice-over work for animated shows and even a stint on Season 18 of "Dancing With The Stars."
Plus, she earned a degree in mathematics from the University of California Los Angeles,
where she graduated summa cum laude. Her prowess in mathematics even led to her
proving her own mathematical theorem, and she released her first book, "Math Doesn't Suck"
which was followed up by ten more books aimed at helping children and teens succeed in math.
"Math actually sort of saved me from the child star thing."
But the mathematician hasn't left her acting chops behind. In 2021 the star
landed a multi-film deal with Great American Family, which includes the
2023 installment of the film "Royal Christmas Ball." McKellar not only stars in the film,
but she also co-wrote and executive produced the project. She wrote on Instagram,
"I'm feeling so grateful for this experience of shooting my latest movie. One week down,
two to go. Hard work but just so gratifying."
Joey Lawrence skyrocketed to fame with his role on NBC's "Gimme a Break!" from 1983
to 1987. In the early '90s he went on to play the character of Joey in
the television series "Blossom," and he also starred in "Brotherly
Love" alongside his real-life brothers Matthew Lawrence, and Andrew Lawrence.
He continued to act as an adult, finding love with his third wife Samantha after
the two both starred in the Lifetime film "My Husband's Secret Brother" in 2021.
The two tied the knot in California a few years later. He told People,
"When you meet the right person, if you're lucky enough, it cuts to
the chase so quick. I have somebody who is like-minded and has the same love language
and we communicate the same way. That's super important. And I am so thankful."
The happy couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Dylan Rose,
in January 2023. In an Instagram post, Joey celebrated her arrival, writing,
"Mom, Dad, and big sisters are all so smitten with you sweet girl! We welcomed her into this world
with the most amazing midwife, everyone is happy and healthy and we are overjoyed with gratitude."
Rick Schroder starred in several television series and films in the early 1980s before his role as
Ricky Stratton in "Silver Spoons" landed him on the map. He's continued to act over the years,
with notable roles in "NYPD Blue" and the hit series "24." But aside from his
presence on screen, Schroder is known for his controversial right wing political opinions.
In 2021, for instance, he urged customers to Boycott Costco because he didn't think
people should have to wear masks. And in 2020, Schroder reportedly contributed
hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bail fund for Kyle Rittenhouse,
who killed two men during a protest but was controversially cleared of charges.
Fred Savage is best known for playing Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years" in the late 80s.
The actor also starred in "The Princess Bride" and "Austin Powers in Goldmember" among other
things. But in 2022, while directing the ABC reboot of "The Wonder Years," several
women accused him of misconduct, alleging he verbally harassed women on set and even
assaulted a crew member. Savage was let go by the network following the claims.
It isn't the first time Savage has been under fire for such allegations. In 1993,
a crew member in costume design on "The Wonder Years" sued the actor for sexual harassment in
a case that was later settled. He was also accused of verbal assault by a woman working
on Fox's "The Grinder," which aired from 2015 to 2016, but the case was also settled. According
to The Hollywood Reporter, crew members of the new "Wonder Years" alleged that Savage
had two sides to him: a likable director who got along well with cast members,
and an angrier side that was often shown to crew members in lower-level positions.
Kirk Cameron's acting career took off when he starred in "Growing Pains" in the late 1980s as
Mike Seaver. His success on the sitcom led to his own solo show in 1995, "Kirk," which lasted two
seasons. He's continued to act throughout the years, but has mostly stuck to religion-based
projects. The actor was an atheist for years before becoming a Christian. He told Fox News,
"I had a problem with pride — and there's no wonder, when you're 17, 18 years old,
you're on a popular Hollywood television program, and you have an amount of money
and popularity and influence — it's easy to become prideful. And that it almost took me out."
That's not the only pride he reportedly has a problem with, though. In 2023,
Cameron made headlines ahead of LGBT Pride Month when he went on a nationwide
tour promoting his book, "Pride Comes Before the Fall," telling Fox News,
"With a nation that is so saturated with the idea that pride is a good thing,
the Bible warns us that pride is the deadliest of the seven deadly sins."
This is not new, as Cameron has a history of making
controversial statements condemning homosexuality.
Lisa Bonet is often remembered for being a child star on "The Cosby Show," depicting
Denise Huxtable from 1984 to 1991. In 1987, Bonet married world-renowned
musician Lenny Kravitz and they later welcomed a child together,
Zoe Kravitz, who has gone on to become a successful acting star in her own right.
Bonet and Kravitz went their separate ways in 1991 and finalized their divorce in 1993. Bonet later
met her future husband Jason Momoa at a jazz club in 2005, and the two share two children
together. The two actors tied the knot in 2017, but their 17-year-long relationship ended in 2022.
A source revealed to People that the reason for the breakup may have been
due to Momoa's busy acting career. Later that year, Momoa shot down
rumors of a reconciliation, telling Access Hollywood,
"We're not back together, we're family. You know?"
Jenny Lewis is widely recognized for her acting work as a child,
appearing in shows like "The Golden Girls" as well as the 1989 film "Troop Beverly Hills."
But her claim to fame nowadays is her music career, which she started in the early 2000s
as a part of the band Rilo Kiley before going on to have a successful solo career.
She revealed to KCET that she got into music after being given a mix tape of rap music
by fellow child star Corey Haim, but after one brief attempt to rap decided to stick to guitar.
"Somehow the mic got passed to me, and I was freestyling and Biz Markee was there,
and I thought, 'this is the beginning and the end of my hip-hip career.'"
Lewis told the Recording Academy that her transition
from acting into music was anything but seamless.
"Being a musician coming out of show biz, growing up as a child actor, growing up within
a family of performers [...] When I started playing music, I think people were like,
'You can't do that. You're an actor. You're a kid actor. You're not allowed to do that.'"
Lukas Haas rose to fame as an actor when he was just a child with his breakout role in
the 1985 film "Witness." The star has never stepped away from the industry,
building a hefty resume in the decades since with dozens of roles in television series and movies.
Haas' [HOSS] lifelong career has paid off, and the actor enjoyed prominent performances in two
buzz-worthy films in 2018 with "First Man" and "Widows." He told Collider,
"It's been a great feeling this year. It's pretty amazing because it's hard, these days,
to find a single film that you're gonna be proud of, let alone to get cast in it.
It's hard to search out those really beautiful movies. And so, I'm just incredibly blessed."
Tracey Gold became a household name in 1985 when she first appeared as Carol Seaver in
the television series "Growing Pains." The actor didn't have an easy road growing up in Hollywood,
and she's been open about her past experiences with disordered eating. She told HLN,
"It interrupted my life. It changed my life. I was on a hit Tv series,
everything was going great for me, and it really put a stop to it."
In 2011, Gold hosted the Lifetime series "Starving Secrets" which featured women
receiving treatment for their respective eating disorders.
Gold told The Hollywood Reporter,
"I always look at the first season of a TV show and see an actress one way, and then in the
second season you see her 10 pounds lighter — it's a cycle. I think there's an ongoing
problem — not just Hollywood, but also society. It's a widespread problem across the country."
Corey Feldman grew up onscreen — getting his start at acting at just three years old. He
subsequently became one of the most prolific child stars of his time, starring in projects
like "The Goonies," "Stand By Me," and "The Lost Boys," all before the age of 18. As an adult,
Feldman still supports his former castmates. On Instagram in 2023, he shared his delighted live
reaction to "Goonies" costar Ke Huy Quan winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
The star has also used his platform to shine a
light on the rampant abuse he claims exists within the industry. In 2020,
Feldman made bombshell claims that he and the late Corey Haim both experienced sexual abuse
as child actors. The actor additionally accused Charlie Sheen of assaulting a 13-year-old Haim
while filming "Lucas" in 1985; Sheen vehemently denied the allegations.
In 2020, Feldman himself was accused of sexual assault by eight former members of his band,
leading to his resignation from the SAG-AFTRA Sexual Harassment Committee.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).