These celebrities were more famous as teenagers than they are now

Life in the spotlight can be tough for any star, but dealing with fame at a young age has proven to be a pitfall. The teenage years can be some of the most difficult in life, and while it can be tough for most of us, celebrity teenagers have to go through a lot. They make the transition from child to adult in front of millions of people, and it’s enough to put some off Hollywood for life.
Others have always known they wanted to be a star and being famous in their teenage years was meant to be the start of an amazing career. Fame doesn’t last forever, and for some celebrity teenagers, it runs out as soon as they hit their 20s. Others remain famous, but nowhere near the same level as they enjoyed in their youth.
These are some of the biggest teenage stars to ever make it, and how they’ve faded from the limelight since those days. They are the celebrities who were more famous as teens than they are now.

Sarah Michelle Gellar

For some people, Sarah Michelle Gellar is still hugely famous because they’re constantly rewatching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Sarah Michelle Gellar played the high school heroine who kept the world safe by protecting the residents of her hometown, Sunnydale.

Since Buffy ended Gellar has struggled to find roles with the same profile, and she hasn’t reached the heights of fame she once had. Now Gellar chooses to focus more on family than fame.

Britney Spears

Okay, huge Britney fans might see this as a bit of an insult to their hero, but she isn’t as famous as she once was. Sorry. When she made her debut with the hit track “…Baby One More Time” Britney was just a teenager who rose all the way to the top of the charts.

She was pretty much the most famous teenager on the planet, and for many years afterward, she had huge chart success. Eventually, she went off the rails a bit and lost her way. Britney isn’t gone though and had continued success with her Vegas residency.

Dustin Diamond

Fans of the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell will definitely remember Dustin Diamond as the one-and-only Screech. While he wasn’t the star of the show, he was the loveable sidekick whose fans were always secretly rooting for. He was most famous as Screech, and even though he continued playing the character into his adult life, Diamond struggled for success once class was dismissed.

Diamond is a writer, actor, comedian, and musician, but he couldn’t shake being typecast as his former character which hampered his career opportunities. He tried hard, but Hollywood just wasn’t welcoming Diamond with open arms anymore.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder was the go-to teenage actress for directors in the late ’80s, and she starred in some huge hits. Her roles in Beetlejuice, Heathers, Mermaids, and Edward Scissorhands propelled her into the spotlight, but the pressure proved too much. Ryder struggled with the attention of being a huge star and had to take a hiatus from acting following her shoplifting scandal.

Since coming back to Hollywood after several years, Ryder’s level of fame isn’t the same as it was in her teenage years. She has recently enjoyed a renaissance, however, thanks to her role in the sci-fi Stranger Things.

Corey Feldman

If there was an ’80s movie that needed a teenager, there was only really one guy for the part, Corey Feldman. Actually, there were a few others, but Feldman has starred in some of the most iconic movies to ever come from the 1980s. As a teenager, his hits include Stand By Me, The Goonies, The Lost Boys, and Gremlins.

Those are some pretty iconic roles, but as Feldman aged, he was less of a draw, and people stopped casting the actor. Feldman continues to act, but his roles are often in B-movies and tend to come several years apart.

Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff found fame on the Disney Channel as a teenager in the sitcom Lizzie McGuire. The actress played the titular character and became an idol to teenagers all over the world.

Her talents seemed to know no end and not only was she in her own show, but Duff could sing too and began a music career. Despite her early success as a performer, Duff is no longer the standout star she once was.

Anthony Michael Hall

There were a few teenage actors around during the ’80s who scooped up all of the good roles, and Anthony Michael Hall was one of them. Hall was a star in films such as The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and Sixteen Candles.

His youthful look brought lots of attention his way, but we all get older and once Hall became an adult the roles dried up. Hall’s most recent role came in teen drama Riverdale.

Tia and Tamera Mowry

The teen sitcom Sister, Sister was a twist on The Parent Trap and starred twin sisters, Tia and Tamera Mowry. Their fame was at its peak while running rings around their parents on the sitcom, but later in life, they struggled for big roles.

Both sisters still act today and have appeared in TV shows such as Mistresses, Rosewood, and Help Us Get Married. While they’re still close, the twins rarely find roles together these days.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

As a youngster, Jennifer Love Hewitt could do it all, and she first burst onto the scene as a singer on Kids Incorporated. Then she became famous across the country for her role in the drama Party of Five before starring in the slasher-horror I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Her later movie roles were pretty big following those breakout roles, but it’s fair to say she’s not as famous as she once was.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan was first a child star but continued her success into her teen’s thanks to the movies she starred in. The young actress starred in Freaky Friday, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Mean Girls.

She was one of the most famous actresses in the world but found the partying lifestyle suited her better than the movie set. Lohan has remained in the headlines throughout her career, but less for her acting and more for controversies.

Kenan Thompson

The Kenan & Kel Show was one of the best-loved teen sitcoms of its time, the late 1990s. Kenan Thompson was one half of the dynamic duo, and along with his co-star, the pair were hugely famous teenagers.

After initially struggling to maintain success Thompson has re-established himself thanks to his continued presence on SNL since 2003. Thompson might still be a star, but his breakout performance in Kenan & Kel is what most identify him with.

Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton landed the role of a lifetime as she portrayed Marissa Cooper in the teen drama series The O.C. It seemed as though Barton would go on to be one of Hollywood’s leading ladies due to the exposure from the show, but it wasn’t the case.

Her star has fallen, but she is only in her early 30s and has recently been cast in the new season of reality TV series, The Hills.

Frankie Muniz

Malcolm in the Middle is one of the most iconic family sitcoms ever, and Frankie Muniz played the lead. Muniz then starred in Agent Cody Banks, Racing Stripes, and ‘Big Fat Liar.’

The actor seemed to fall out of love with acting and tried his hand at other things, including car racing, music, and business. He makes a lot of cameos these days, and no role has ever been as significant for him as Malcolm.

Tori Spelling

As one of the main cast in the original series of Beverly Hills 90210, Tori Spelling was a massive star in her teens. Spelling is best-known as Donna Martin in the drama, and even reprised her role in the 2009 remake, and is set to do it once again in 2019.

She acts much less than she used to, but Spelling is still keeping busy and has written over six autobiographical books in recent years.

Alicia Silverstone

For many teenagers from the 1990s, there was no brighter star than Alicia Silverstone thanks to her roles in Clueless and Blast from the Past. She was one of the biggest celebrities in the world at one point but slowly became less famous as the roles dried up over the years.

Silverstone couldn’t rely on starring in a Batman movie to keep her in the spotlight, and she’ll always be best-remembered as Cher from Clueless.

James Van Der Beek

Teen drama Dawson’s Creek launched the career of several budding actors, including Oscar-winning Michelle Williams. The star of the entire show seems to be the least famous of all of them now they’ve grown up to be middle-aged.

James Van Der Beek now mostly makes cameo roles and arguably the least-famous of all four original main cast members. He remains in the public eye but is less known now than he was during his teens.

Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick was arguably the most famous teenager in the world when Ferris Bueller’s Day Off hit movie theaters in the 1980s. Broderick was the star of that movie along with WarGames and Ladyhawke.

Since his teenage years, Broderick has starred in big films such as The Lion King, Godzilla, and The Producers. He has had a long movie career, but it’s hard not to picture him as Ferris Bueller if someone says his name.

Molly Ringwald

When The Breakfast Club came out in 1985, it looked as though Molly Ringwald was set to become the next biggest movie star in the world. For the remainder of the 1980s, Ringwald continued to star in movies regularly but as the ’90s hit she was becoming less popular.

It was hard for Ringwald to be cast in big roles and she was out in the acting wilderness for ages until she appeared in Riverdale.

Neve Campbell

Scream was one of the most talked about horror movies of its time and featured several teenage actors. Neve Campbell was the breakout star from that film and has starred in the sequels. She was then cast in the ’90s witch drama The Craft but didn’t impact the box office like the first Scream movie did.

Since then Campbell has struggled for significant roles but did land herself a recurring part in House of Cards.

Christina Ricci

Christina Ricci broke into Hollywood with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the horror comedy The Addams Family in the ’90s. Later she would star in family horror Casper, but after that, she didn’t find the roles that brought her to mainstream attention until another horror film, Sleepy Hollow.

As an adult, Ricci hasn’t found many celebrated parts to match her early ones and is definitely less famous now than she ever was a teen.

Shannen Doherty

Whenever Shannen Doherty hit our television screens in the teen drama Beverly Hills 90210 she almost instantly became a sensation thanks to her attitude. She gained a reputation early on as someone who was challenging to work with, and that only seemed to make her more famous.

As she has gotten older, it seems people have become less tolerant of her alleged difficult ways, and Doherty has struggled to be cast in many leading roles.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

If Saved by the Bell was one of the most popular teen sitcoms then the star of the show, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, was one of the most famous teenagers. Gosselaar portrayed Zach Morris, and it’s undoubtedly what he is best-known for, even today.

Since leaving Saved by the Bell Gosselaar has worked hard to break free from being typecast as Zach. He now stars in the TV thriller series The Passage as a leading cast member.

Melissa Joan Hart

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, was recently rebooted by Netflix, but the magical teen was once portrayed by Melissa Joan Hart. Before Sabrina, Hart was also in another hit teen show called Clarissa Explains It All.

She was the poster-girl for teenage TV but since leaving the genre behind she is not on the same level of fame. Hart is very much a comedic actress and has had recent roles in sitcoms such as Melissa & Joey.