Sometimes celebrities just fall to the wayside. In the entertainment industry, you're relevant one minute, and forgotten the next, and this can actually be a good thing for stars who want to lead more normal lives. A lot of celebs who find success early dedicate the rest of their lives to other goals and dreams, and TBH, I'd do the same. Still, there's a lot of celebrities who try to cling to their golden years, hoping they'll land that role or record that song that brings them back to the top. I would LOVE to see a lot of these forgotten celebrities make their comeback, but for others, some things are just better left in the past. There are 15 celebrities that you've probably completely forgotten about, and what they're up to now!
15 Mara Wilson
Mara Wilson is the reason we have our all time favorite witch, Matilda. She also played in Mrs. Doubtfire, and Miracle on 34th Street to name just a few ICONIC films. This girl had a better filmography by the time she was 10 years old than most actors can hope to have in their lives! Unfortunately, the love affair with Hollywood didn't last long. Mara even spoke publicly about not feeling like she fit into the industry, calling it a "mutual breakup." Well, I guess that's better than Hollywood giving her the boot! Even though she "wrote off Hollywood," she has appeared in a few small TV and film roles here and there. This seems like an instance of peaking way too soon, but what a fun childhood, right?
14 Akon
In the early 2000s you couldn't flip through the radio or go to the club without hearing "Convict Music" and "Akon," but years after his massive popularity, Akon has mainly stayed out of the spotlight. Akon may not be in the music scene as much as he used to be, but he's still keeping very busy. In fact, a lot of Akon's time in the past few years has been taken up with his charity, Akon Lighting Africa, a solar power initiative that aims to bring electricity to millions of Africans who do not have access. This is a seriously huge project that he's poured a lot of time, money, and effort into. If anyone has a good excuse for being out of the spotlight for so long, it's this guy. While everyone hopes he'll grace us with more club hits in the future, for now he's doing something much more important.
13 Ryan Phillippe
Remember Ryan Phillippe? He was the heartthrob of millions of fans around the world, and basically dominated the '90s and early '00s. Starring in hit movies like Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ryan was a solid star with a huge following. He even caught the eye of actress Reese Witherspoon! The two married, forming one of the most high-profile relationships of their time, but sadly it didn't last long. The two divorced in 2007 and honestly, since then, people have cared WAY more about Reese than Ryan. Reese Witherspoon has gone on to win awards and maintain her spot as one of the more famous actresses of the past decade, but Ryan just couldn't keep up. After the divorce he has done some acting (most notably, Shooter), but nothing to bring him back to the level of his golden years.
12 Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett has been slowly making a comeback for what seems like a while now. Penny Dreadful fans know him as Ethan Chandler, but those of us who remember the early '00s remember him as everyone's crush. In almost every movie, he played the hunky nice-guy who everyone rooted for, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and Lucky Number Sleven, are just a few examples of his blockbuster hits. With so much momentum, Hartnett was seriously going places, that is until he literally dropped off the map all together. Hartnett told people that he had too much too soon, and needed a break from the Hollywood life. He told Details "I went back to Minnesota and got back together with my old friends – ended up getting back together with my high school girlfriend for a while – and I didn’t do any filming for 18 months." He continued saying, "I was on the cover of every magazine. I couldn’t really go anywhere. I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was alone. I didn’t trust anyone.”
He's been slowly getting into indie projects for the past few years, and might actually be back in the celeb world for good thanks to his role in Penny Dreadful and a few upcoming film roles. It would be amazing to see him come back in full force these next few years.
11 Ralph Macchio
When you think Ralph Macchio you probably think one thing: The Karate Kid. The iconic '80s film about a troubled young boy and his martial arts master will forever remain a classic. Everyone has said "wax on, wax off" at least once in their lives, how could you not? Even beyond his role as a karate student, Macchio was in some other classics too, like My Cousin Vinny and The Outsiders. But after all of his success in the '80s, things seemed to dwindle. Macchio has mainly been doing small roles on TV shows ever since, but it looks like his luck might be changing. According to Macchio's IMDB page, he has a recurring role in the highly anticipated TV show The Deuce coming to HBO this fall. The world just might be in for more Macchio after all!
10 Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari is another star who definitely peaked in the '90s-00s. She has a lot of big movies on her resume, including the American Pie films and critically acclaimed film American Beauty. The blonde bombshell had no problem getting roles in her prime. Honestly, who could forget that iconic scene where Mena rolls around naked in rose petals during the fantasy sequence in American Beauty? While that striking image will forever stay in our minds, sadly Hollywood doesn't seem too interested anymore. Mena has stayed relatively active in films and TV shows, she's been in the American Woman series and the movie Apparition. But she's currently promoting a charity called The Power of Play which is trying to make playgrounds more friendly to children with special needs. Talk about an incredible cause! Mena may not be a mega-star anymore, but she's still doing great things.
9 Myspace Tom
At one point, Tom Anderson was EVERYONE'S friend. Tom, known to the world as Myspace Tom, is the creator of Myspace, the first social network that literally everyone had in the early '00s. While he doesn't own the site anymore, he got a huge chunk of cash from selling it. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE! The site sold in 2005 for $580 million (though it's also been reported that site was sold for far less — in the $35 million range). With that money, he's been traveling the world spending time on his newest passion: photography. A lot of people make fun of Myspace for never quite getting to the level of Facebook and other networking sites, but honestly, it's Myspace Tom who is getting the last laugh. Sure, he's no Mark Zuckerberg, but being retired by your 30's with millions of dollars in the bank is the next best thing!
8 Jewel
While she might only be a *blip* in some people's memories, Jewel was a mega musician back in her hay day. Her soft and throaty voice was SO unique, and songs like "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Foolish Games" were all over the radio like white on rice. By 2008, the young singer/songwriter sold over 30 million records worldwide. WOW. So, that begs the question, what happened?
While Jewel is still pursuing music and doing some minor touring, she has been focusing on other artistic ventures as well. She built up a few film credits with some small roles in the past few years, and has even written two books! Maybe someday she will grace the Billboard charts with another one of her ballads, but until then I'll just be sitting here with that Kermit-like voice stuck in my head.
7 Jesse McCartney
Fear the Walking Dead fans might actually recognize modern day Jesse McCartney, as he made it into a few episodes of season 2 as a hot-head with a gun who took over the gang's boat. But I remember Jesse McCartney as the little blonde pop singer who just wasn't quite Aaron Carter. Like Britney and Christina, the competition was real between these old school Biebers. He never quite got to that next level of fame, and apparently, because of that, he decided to try his hand at more than just music.
Jesse has had a few acting roles in the past years, and he's actually pretty good! I didn't even recognize him on Fear the Walking Dead, although I knew there was something familiar about the chubby faced brunette. He hasn't had any acting credits since 2016, and according to his Instagram page, he's more active in music now than ever before. His fans are definitely ready for that comeback!
6 Aaron Carter
Another young heartthrob musician going nowhere fast, Aaron Carter is trying to maintain some sort of presence in the entertainment industry however he can. While Aaron still tries to stay active in the music scene, everyone has kind of forgotten about him, or at least stopped caring. He was even on Dancing with the Stars and I don't think anyone noticed.
He made news recently for his scary looking weight loss, and for going on a rant about an upcoming performance of his, saying he would "shoot back" at anyone who tried to shoot at him. He was referring to the recent Manchester attacks and said that since he's an American he can defend himself... It was all kind of uncomfortable to listen to honestly. Something about him is just SO cringe worthy. Maybe brother Nick Carter can help guide him along the path of slowly declining stardom, he's kind of an expert.
5 Christy Carlson Romano
Christy Carlson Romano definitely does her bit to stay relevant here and there, but I'm not sure anything can beat the Even Stevens and Kim Possible era. Christy is definitely a product of Disney fame, and sometimes when Disney stars grow up, it can be hard to maintain the wave. But unlike some stars who have SERIOUSLY gone down a weird path, like her Even Stevens co-star Shia LaBeouf, Christy is actually living her best life. She's been doing roles here and there (House Rules, Christmas all over Again, and Christmas with the Andersons), but she's also directing and starring in a new upcoming film (House Rules), AND she has a daughter now! She tweeted out a picture of herself to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of Kim Possible, and girl hasn't aged a day! Most people may have forgotten about her, but Christy seems to be making a nice life for herself after all of the Disney fame.
4 Ryan Cabrera
Most of us may have forgotten about Ryan Cabrera, but surprisingly he's still got a decent fan base. He has enough fans to at least continue to release new music and even tour regularly, but his music career right now is no match for what it was circa Ashlee Simpson. Ryan was basically another Simpson family prodigy, having been managed by Joe Simpson (Jessica Simpson's father) and even living with the family for a while. That's probably when he and Ashlee got to know each other so well, but obviously that relationship didn't last. He graced the radio with such hits as "On The Way Down" and "True," and who could forget those horribly iconic spikes on his head? So, while somewhat forgotten, Ryan's still out here doing what he loves, just not in as much of the limelight.
3 Mike 'The Situation'
Michael Sorrentino AKA "The Situation" from the hit MTV show Jersey Shore is one of those celebs who just won't let it die. He was perfect for his role as the tan, muscular, douche bag we all loved to hate, but other than that, people really want nothing to do with him. He tried doing some roasts and basically put himself out there any way he could, but it has all been a failure. Since Jersey Shore ended, The Situation has gone to rehab, gotten arrested, and was even charged with fraud. Maybe he needs another reality show about this hot mess of a life? It's sad to see someone totally lose control of their fame, so hopefully he can get back on track. Not that anyone wants to see him on TV again, just get your life together, dude!
2 Alicia Silverstone
It's hard to say if Alicia Silverstone will ever be able to shake her iconic Clueless image. Being part of a cult classic has a lot of pros, but also some cons. Like people never being able to separate you from that one role. Just how Matthew McConaughey is probably sick of people asking him to say, "alright, alright, alright," Alicia is probably sick of hearing people walk by her and shout "ugh, as if!" Since Clueless, Alicia has found a love for veganism (she even has her own lifestyle website called The Kind Life!) and has made news in strange ways; like feeding her son chewed food. She may be making a comeback, getting roles in some upcoming films (like Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and American Woman), but for a lot of people she will always be the bubbly Beverly Hills princess, Cher Horowitz.
1 Kellie Shanygne Williams
If you were a person with a TV in the '90s, then you definitely watched Family Matters. Kellie Shanygne Williams played Laura Winslow, Steve Urkel's—and everyone's—biggest crush. Her '90s fashion was always SO on point, and she taught us how to make a guy work for it by literally turning down Urkel hundreds of times. Nowadays, Urkel is no longer a part of her life (at least I hope), and instead, she's enjoying life with her husband and two children. Like many other actors who dwindled before her, Kellie picked up roles here and there, but she hasn't done anything since 2011! That's a pretty big gap, so if she is planning a comeback, it should probably be soon. It's still hard to believe that anything will top her time on Family Matters.
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