1. Child Stars Who Became Broken Adults
Although some child stars, like Jodie Foster and Ron Howard, make a successful
transition into adulthood, this is definitely the exception rather than the norm.
Whether it’s a result of being exposed to the temptations of Hollywood at an early
age or the innate nature of the creative mind, many of these talented young people
throw away very promising futures. To illustrate this point, here is a list of child
stars who became broken adults:
1. Dana Plato
When Diff’rent Strokes first came on the air, everyone fell in love with Kimberly,
the beautiful rich girl that gladly accepted her newly adopted brothers. After
developing a severe addiction, starring in several pornographic movies, and
robbing a convenience store, Dana died of an overdose in a trailer park.
2. Gary Coleman
Little Gary Coleman will always be known for his famous line, “What you talkin’
‘bout, Willis?” However, once his job portraying Arnold Jackson was over, he was
so type-cast that he couldn’t find another acting job. He did work as a security
guard at a local mall, but that job also ended after he punched a woman for making
fun of him. In fact, anger issues followed Gary around; domestic dispute calls were
a regular occurrence, and he even ran a man over in a bowling alley parking lot
after a dispute. Finally, Gary’s health issues ended his short, troubled life.
3. Mackenzie Phillips
Mackenzie definitely travelled a rough road for years. During her stint playing
Julie on One Day at a Time, she seemed oh-so-fashionably thin. Most viewers
would never have guessed that she had developed an extreme cocaine addiction.
After losing her role on this hit show, surviving two live-threatening overdoses,
participating in years of treatment, and writing a tell-all book, Mackenzie appears
to be clean today.
4. Macaulay Culkin
Back when Home Alone was first released, no one could have guessed that this
fresh-faced boy would turn into the extremely-pale adult of today. Although he can
still be spotted in a random independent film, no one is sure whether he’s clean or

2. still using after his drug bust and brief imprisonment of 2004.
5. Todd Bridges
As one of the few surviving Diff’rent Strokes cast members, Todd Bridges has had
his share of troubles. After the show was cancelled, he developed an addiction to
crack cocaine and went to trial for shooting an LA drug dealer. Although he was
acquitted, he was in trouble again in the 1990s for a stabbing. Today, he’s a born-
again Christian and tours schools giving anti-drug talks.
6. Brad Renfro
Brad Renfro’s star burned out quickly. After acting in a number of hit films, he
died of a heroin overdose at the early age of 25. In between, he went on drug
binges, was arrested several times, and even tried to steal a yacht.
7. Britney Spears
From ultra-clean Mickey Mouse Club member to teen-age pop-star to a public
nervous breakdown, Britney has come full circle. Although her past includes a few
run-ins with the paparazzi, some oh-so-revealing photos, a hit-and-run charge, a
shaved head, and the loss of her children, Britney seems to be back on track at this
time.
8. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay got her start as a child actress starring in an entire collection of
commercials before moving on to star in a popular soap opera and a string of
Disney movies. As she grew older, Lindsay tried a little too hard to overcome her
type-cast role as the ultra-straight good girl. Now known as the ultimate bad girl,
Lindsay has been in and out of court, jail, and rehab more times than anyone can
count in the past few years.