Many sitcom stars are cherished for certain roles, but used this fame to launch into bigger
and better careers. Sadly, the same can't be said about every sitcom star. While they
became instantly recognized for playing these parts, the celebrities in this list ended
up disappearing from the spotlight.
Actor Jodie Sweetin portrayed middle child Stephanie Tanner on the hit sitcom “Full
House” from ages five to 13. Instead of continuing to find more acting gigs after
the show ended in 1995, she continued her education, finishing up high school in 1999
and enrolling at Chapman University in Orange, California.
However, it was not her education that put her career on hold. Unfortunately, Sweetin
is one of many stars who fell victim to alcohol and drug abuse, admitting in her 2009 autobiography,
“UnSweetined,” that she was just 14 when she drank two bottles of wine at co-star Candace
Cameron's wedding. She candidly shared,
“That first drink gave me the self-confidence I had been searching for my whole life. But
that set the pattern of the kind of drinking that I would do.”
Over the next 15 years, Sweetin found herself having an addiction to not just alcohol, but
drugs, too. The actor tried everything from crystal meth to ecstasy, even admitting she
was high on meth at the premiere of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie “New York Minute”
in 2004, as E! reported.
After her struggles with addiction and several failed relationships, Sweetin got clean around
2008 and began talking openly about her past. She even made a comeback in acting when she
was cast as Stephanie Tanner in “Fuller House,” which ran for five seasons.
Actor Michael Richards will forever be known as Cosmo Kramer from the hit sitcom "Seinfeld"
and, unfortunately, a now infamous 2006 stand-up routine. As the popular sitcom wrapped up
its final season in 1998, Richards got his own show called "The Michael Richards Show"
in 2000. Unfortunately for Ricards, the show bombed during its only season, and he went
back to stand-up comedy.
In 2006, he performed a comedic routine at the popular comedy club The Laugh Factory
in West Hollywood. Minutes into his performance, Richards began verbally attacking a Black
man for speaking out of turn during his set. Ricards hurled the N-word a total of five
times, which was all caught on video.
Richards issued an apology on "The Late Show with David Letterman," saying,
"I’m really busted up over this."
Richards took a long break from acting after his controversial outburst, not returning
to the screen until his sitcom "Kirstie" in 2013. However, the show failed to grab audience's
attention and was canceled after just one season.
Most actors are proud of their television or movie roles, but that can't be said for
Jennette McCurdy, who confessed on her "Empty Inside" podcast that she was, quote, "embarrassed"
and even "ashamed" of her roles in the past. McCurdy is known for starring in the Nickelodeon
show "iCarly," where she portrayed Sam Puckett. She reprised the role in the "iCarly/Victorious"
spin-off, "Sam & Cat."
For McCurdy, being on "iCarly" did a lot more damage to her mental health than most people
would believe. She revealed that her time on the show was, quote, "hellish" and she
couldn't identify with her character. On her podcast, McCurdy explained,
"I was a famous 19-year-old and making a bunch of money and I felt like I had everything
at my fingertips [...] But I was deeply unhappy and I actually really resented my life because
I didn't like the projects that I was a part of."
The actor admitted that she took on her Nickelodeon roles to help her family out financially,
but has now officially quit acting, so fans should not expect McCurdy to be part of the
upcoming revival of "iCarly."
Elizabeth Berkley would become a household name in the 90s when she was cast as Jessie
Spano in "Saved by the Bell". After four seasons, the show came to an end and several of her
Bayside High friends went on to attend fictional Cal U in the spin-off, "The College Years."
In a move that would end her career as an actress, though, Berkley joined director Paul
Verhoeven's 1995 NC-17 flick "Showgirls."
Berkley played the film's lead Nomi Malone, performing several nude scenes. She would
later win two Razzies for her performance. The movie did so poorly, Berkley not only
received harsh reviews, but she was even dropped by her agent, according to “The Los Angeles
Times”.
Acknowledging how the movie ruined Berkley's career, Verhoeven told “The Los Angeles
Times,”
"I never thought this continuous bashing of the movie and of Elizabeth would happen [...] If
somebody is to blame it's [screenwriter] Joe Eszterhas or me. I think she did exactly what
we wanted and what we thought would be good. And apparently we failed."
Today, Berkley doesn't seem to hold a grudge about the film and, in 2015, attended a 20th-anniversary
screening with 4,000 fans. She has also reunited with the cast of "Saved by the Bell" in the
2020 revival of the series where she plays guidance counselor, Dr. Jessie Spano, at Bayside
High.
Angus T. Jones caused a stir in 2012 when he called his "Two and a Half Men" sitcom,
quote, “filth” in a YouTube video from the Alabama-based church Forerunner Chronicles.
Jones had worked on the show since the age of nine, but urged people to stop watching
it after the actor rediscovered his Christian faith.
At the time, Jones was making a lot of cash, after signing a $7.8 million contract in 2010
for the next two seasons, according to TMZ. Jones eventually left the show at the end
of Season 10 and was replaced by Amber Tamblyn, portraying Charlie Sheen's long-lost daughter.
Jones later apologized in a statement for his words, and thanked creator Chuck Lorre
for the opportunity that he had given him to be a part of the long-running show. His
comments would nonetheless end up hurting his career, as the promising young actor took
time away from the spotlight to focus on his religion.
In 2016, Jones told “People” that he had distanced himself from organized religion
and has been focusing on something entirely different. According to “Billboard”, he’s
working in music event production with P.Diddy's son, Justin Combs.
Actor Frankie Muniz graced our television screens from 2000 until 2006, when he portrayed
gifted teen genius Malcolm in the hit sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." The show catapulted
the young star's career in Hollywood, and he landed major film roles in "Agent Cody
Banks'' and "Big Fat Liar." However, acting wasn't Muniz's main focus in life, so he pursued
his interests in race car driving, joining Jensen Motorsport in 2006 and competing in
the Champ Car World Series in 2007.
Muniz suffered a serious car crash while competing as a racecar driver which, unfortunately,
led to several concussions, per “People”. In 2012, the actor suffered a mini-stroke
and had a second attack less than a year later, according to Fox News. As a result, Muniz
suffered severe memory loss and shared with “People” that he couldn't remember certain
aspects of being on "Malcolm in the Middle," but was happy for what he has accomplished
in life. He explained,
"I've been fortunate to do, like, all of my dream jobs I've ever wanted: Actor, race car
driver, drummer. I got to do all these great things, and it's because I have drive."
Muniz is now a married man, after getting hitched to Paige Price on February 21, 2020.
The couple welcomed their first child into the world on March 22, 2020.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas' picture was plastered on every tween's bedroom wall during the 1990s,
after he found major success on "Home Improvement." Thomas was a celebrated young star who was
going places in Hollywood, and by the age of 13, voiced young Simba in 1994's "The Lion
King" and Pinocchio in 1996's "The Adventures of Pinocchio."
However, Thomas already felt the burnout of being a Hollywood star when he was just 12,
once telling “People,”
"You have school, friends, learning your lines, and making sure your performance is up to
speed. I can't tell you how many shows I've done with full-blown migraine headaches."
He would soon make the decision to walk away from his acting career. After his 1999 Nickelodeon
Kids Choice Award win, he shared that he skipped out on the series finale of "Home Improvement"
to look at colleges. In 2000, Thomas attended the prestigious Harvard University, studying
philosophy and history, and studied abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland. He later graduated
in 2010 from Columbia University.
Thomas later reunited with Tim Allen and made a guest appearance on his show "Last Man Standing"
in 2013. “People” reported that while Thomas may not work in front of the camera,
he has focused on directing and scriptwriting.
Actors and twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse were set to become the next Mary-Kate and Ashley
Olsen when they started acting at the age of two. The siblings went on to land their
own sitcoms on the Disney Channel: "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "The Suite Life on
Deck." After their time on the Disney Network, both actors pursued their college degrees
and graduated from New York University in 2015, according to “Vanity Fair”.
Unlike Cole, who continued a career in acting by taking up the role of Jughead in The CW's
"Riverdale," Dylan Sprouse chose to quit acting and opened up his own mead brewery in Brooklyn,
New York, called All-Wise Meadery. He told “Vanity Fair,”
"I think that if you are an actor, or you are an entertainer, and you don't invest money
in something that is more stable than the commission job that is acting, then you are
a fool."
Dylan shared that he was interested in going into big business, choosing to brew his own
mead. At the end of the day, Dylan admitted that he no longer had an interest in being
on television, adding that it was, quote, "a hard job," but isn't knocking his twin
brother for his success on "Riverdale."
Kel Mitchell was part of the original cast of Nickelodeon's extremely successful sketch
comedy "All That" when it aired in 1994. He stayed on the show until 1999, while also
working alongside cast member Kenan Thompson on their own sitcom "Kenan & Kel." Mitchell
played a huge part in pop culture in the 90s, and more success followed when he starred
with Thompson in the comedy film "Good Burger" based on the sketch from "All That" in 1997.
However, Mitchell faded out of the spotlight after his time on Nickelodeon. He told “People”
that he had a rough time after the cancelation of "Kenan & Kel." He struggled to find acting
gigs, and he was heading towards divorce from his wife of six years. Mitchell faced multiple
demons, something he revealed in a since-deleted, quote, "testimony" on his website. He had
suicidal thoughts while going through his divorce, but luckily, turned his life around
when he says he found "peace" thanks to his relationship with God. He shared,
"Once I found that clarity with Christ, I knew everything would work out.”
Mitchell is now a licensed pastor at a Southern California church, and is raising his two
children with his new wife, Asia Lee.
Fans might remember Nate Richert from the 1996 sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," where
he played Sabrina's boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle. Richert was indeed a heartthrob, but he didn't
have as much later success finding work in Hollywood as most people would have thought.
In fact, “Bustle" reported that once the teen show ended in 2003, Richert was nowhere
in sight, and that's because he was focusing on a music career.
In 2004, Richert released an album with folk artist C. Duck Anderson called "Tone Control"
and later released his first solo album in 2012 titled "Halogen Moon." Speaking about
his music, Richert shared to “News.com”,
"Writing and recording music is something I do for myself out of compulsion. Playing
live is something I do to battle stage fright and social anxiety. I figure it's all cheaper
than therapy."
However, the former actor did admit that it was tough to find work back then, as so many
people solely focused on the fact that he played Harvey on the hit series.
"I think the roles faded out for me because people identified my face so strongly with
the character that I didn't stand a chance at being seen another way. I heard, 'We can't
have Harvey from Sabrina pretty frequently in auditions. Time has passed and I look different
now so, who knows?'"
For now, Richert is mainly focusing on his music career, having released a single in
2019 called "Make It a Wine."
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